Quick Shots-47

Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 Lite is official – a familiar phone with a new name

The Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 lineup consists of no less than eight devices, and today a new name joined the roster. The Redmi Note 10 Lite was just announced in India, but as often happens with Xiaomi mid-rangers it’s merely a new name for an already announced phone – Redmi Note 9 Pro. The only difference are the Note 10 Lite is available in two new colors – Aurora Blue and Champagne Gold.

This means the Redmi Note 10 Lite brings a Snapdragon 720G chipset with either 4GB or 6GB RAM a choice between 64GB and 128GB storage.

The primary camera has a 48MP sensor, while next to it is an 8 MP ultrawide-angle snapper.

Other highlights include a 5,020 mAh battery with 18W fast charging, MIUI 12 out of the box and a triple slot for a microSD and two nanoSIM cards.

The Redmi Note 10 Lite will go on sale on October 2 at 10AM IST. Prices start at INR14,000 ($190) for the base 4GB/64GB trip, while double the storage will set you back INR16,000 ($215). The top 6GB/128GB trim is INR17,000 ($230).

Read More at Gsmarena

Oppo A55 launched in India with 50MP AI triple camera and 5000mAh battery

The Oppo A55 comes with a 6.51-inch HD+ display with 720×1,600 pixels in a 20:9 aspect ratio, 269ppi of pixel density, and a 89.2% screen-to-body ratio. On the inside it has an octa-core MediaTek Helio G35 SoC, along with up to 6GB RAM. Storage options include up to 128GB internal storage with support for microSD card (up to 256GB) through a dedicated slot. 

In terms of cameras it comes with a triple rear camera setup that comprises a 50MP primary sensor, a 2MP portrait sensor for bokeh effect, and a 2MP macro shooter. It has a 16MP selfie camera sensor on the front.

Connectivity options include 4G LTE, Wi-Fi 802.11ac, Bluetooth v5.0, GPS/ A-GPS, USB Type-C, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. Sensors include an accelerometer, ambient light, magnetometer, and proximity sensor. For security, the device has a side-mounted fingerprint sensor.

The Oppo A55 has a 5,000mAh battery with support for 18W Fast Charge which the company claims to deliver up to 30 hours of talktime or 25 hours of music streaming on a single charge. The phone has dimensions that measure 163.6×75.7×8.4mm and weighs 193 grams.

Read More at Techradar

Motorola Edge 20 Pro launched in India

The Motorola Edge 20 Pro is built around a 6.7″ 10-bit 144Hz FullHD+ AMOLED screen with a punch hole in the center for the 32MP selfie camera. The display doesn’t have a fingerprint reader underneath. It’s embedded in the power button located on the right-side frame.

The Edge 20 Pro’s rear panel features the signature Motorola logo and sports a rectangular camera island consisting of 108MP primary, 16MP ultrawide, and 8MP periscope telephoto units.

Under the hood, we get the Snapdragon 870 SoC with 8GB RAM and 128GB storage. The Edge 20 Pro has more memory options in other markets, but Motorola told us it currently has no plans to offer those in India. However, Flipkart’s promo page does mention 256GB storage, so we may see that coming soon.

On the software side, we get Android 11, and Motorola has promised to release Android 12 and 13 when available while also guaranteeing two years of security updates. The smartphone also comes with the Ready For and ThinkShield for Mobile suites.

The Edge 20 Pro is IP52 rated, supports 11 5G bands, and has an NFC chip onboard. It packs a 4,500 mAh battery that draws power through a USB-C port at up to 30W.

The Edge 20 Pro comes in Midnight Sky and Iridescent Cloud colors in India with a price tag of INR36,999 ($500/€430), and it will be up for pre-orders on Flipkart starting October 3.

Read More at Gsmarena

The iQOO 8 Pro Pilot Edition comes bundled with a 55W Flash Car Charger

The iQOO 8 Pro launched in August with BMW M Motorsport branding. Now iQOO is offering a special Pilot Edition bundle with an iQOO 55W Flash Car Charger. The version of the charger sports the M stripe, of course, to match the phone’s branding.

Speaking of the phone, this is the top version with 12 GB of RAM and 512 GB storage. It is specifically the white version with the BMW M stripe on the back. Note that there is already a 120W Flash Charger in the box that you can use at home (it does a full charge in 18 minutes).

The iQOO 8 Pro Pilot Edition promo bundle is priced at CNY 6,000 ($930/€800/₹69,000), which is also how much the regular 8 Pro package cots with a 12/512 GB phone. Sales start tomorrow, but you can get in line today. You can find it on the official vivo store, JD, Suning and other retailers. Only in China, of course, at least for now.

Read More at Gsmarena

The Galaxy S21 FE might have just passed through the FCC

Recent reports claim that Samsung has decided to cancel the Galaxy S21 FE altogether, despite the device appearing in renders and having been leaked for the last few months. The reason, according to rumors, suggest that the Galaxy Z Flip 3 is selling much better than expected. However, the Galaxy S21 FE has reportedly passed through the FCC, powered by Samsung’s Exynos processor and a version number of SM-G990E.

What makes this even more curious is that the device supposedly passed through the regulatory process on September 30, a few days after these cancelation reports appeared. As for the filings themselves, not much information has been revealed. In addition to the model number, this supposed S21 FE will include Bluetooth 5.0 along with support for LTE networks. However, there’s no mention in any of the documents regarding 5G connectivity.

Read More at Android Authority

New OnePlus Buds Z2 images leak, specs confirmed

OnePlus’ next budget TWS earbuds, the Buds Z2 started in a couple of leaks, and today we get a third one. It doesn’t reveal too much we didn’t already know, but rather serves as a confirmation that the previous two were on the right track.

The most notable upgrade of the Buds Z2 will be the 3 microphones used for active noise reduction and an improved design that handles wind better. The headphones are protected against water and sweat having IP55 certification while the charging box gets IPX4.

The buds will support Bluetooth 5.2 but no advanced audio streaming codecs so they will rely on basic AAC and SBC. The sound is produced by 11mm drivers.

Read More at Gsmarena

The TicWatch 3 Pro could soon get an Ultra upgrade

The naming scheme makes clear that the TicWatch 3 Pro Ultra will be a high-end refresh of last year’s TicWatch 3 Pro. However, going by a recent leak, it does not look like there will be any true ‘ultra’ upgrades in store, other than a potential processor upgrade to the Snapdragon Wear 4100+.

A teardown of the latest Mobvoi app has also detailed some of the new health features meant for TicWatch’s upcoming wearables. These include the ability to determine the biological age of your heart (a.k.a. “Arterial Age”), the load on your heart due to the hardening of arteries, and a new method to measure your heart rate that’s supposed to be close to ECG-based solutions in terms of accuracy.

Mobvoi will seemingly be referring to the sensor that will help take these readings as “Heart Health Sensor,” which has apparently been co-developed with CardieX, a health business focused on vascular health disorders. The two companies started a partnership last year.

Read More at Android Police

Apple Watch Series 7 preorders may begin October 8

Apple didn’t give a reason for the Apple Watch shipping delay, but it’s presumably related to supply constraints. There were rumors leading up to Apple’s California Streaming event that the Apple Watch would be constrained due to manufacturing issues. Apple opted to prioritize the new iPhones and iPads over the Apple Watch, with those devices arriving September 24. However, they were met with instant delays, with the iPhone 13 shipping in mid-October and most iPhone 13 Pro and iPad Air models delayed till November.

The Apple Watch Series 7 starts at $399 and comes in a variety of colors: green, midnight, and starlight, as well as the Product (RED) and blue from last year.

Read More at Macworld

Samsung has removed ads from the Samsung Pay, Health, and Weather apps starting today

Samsung has technically only confirmed this change in its home country, but we’re seeing the changes in the United States as well. The company announced it would remove ads earlier this year.

Before today, Samsung Pay served banner advertisements on its Pay tab, which has now disappeared. Samsung still shows a “Featured” section within the app on the “Home” tab that may include offers, but these are not blatant advertisements as were shown before.

Samsung Health has also been updated, seemingly server-side, to remove a banner ad that appeared at the top of the app. While this section often highlighted workout tips, it also promoted products including Samsung’s smartwatches.

Finally, Samsung Weather also seems to have stopped showing ads in its top banner, with the app now just showing the temperature and forecast at the top of the app. As promised, the Galaxy Themes app also seems to have removed its ad banner as well.

Notably, force stopping these apps seems to force the ads to be removed, just in case they’re still live for you.

Read More at 9to5Google

Pixel phones can automatically record and upload video in an emergency

One of the features Google offers exclusively through its Pixel Android phones is the Personal Safety app. Over the years, it’s added features like a safety check-in that automatically notifies your emergency contacts if you don’t respond as scheduled and the ability to automatically dial 911 if it detects you’ve been in a car accident. Now XDA-Developers and Android Police point out a new feature that can automatically record video if you activate the built-in Emergency SOS.

We installed the update from Google Play on a Pixel device. It informs users that it can record continuously for up to 45 minutes once it’s activated, assuming your phone has enough storage. If there’s an internet connection, the video will get automatically backed up to your Google Account, where it will be stored for seven days. If you tell the app to Share Automatically, it will send a link for that video file to any Emergency Contacts you’ve selected.

Read More at The Verge