Tech talks #10 OnePlus 8 Pro, Oppo Reno 3Pro, Vivo iQoo
Published on 10/Feb2020
Sony was expected to unveil its new smartphones at MWC 2020 in Barcelona
1.
OnePlus 8 Pro Leak Hints at Phone's Design, Specifications
OnePlus 8 Pro could include a Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 SoC
With the forthcoming OnePlus 8 series launch around the corner, a new leak about the devices has surfaced that indicates the design language of the handsets and a 120Hz refresh rate display. A fresh new leak claims to have a render of the upcoming OnePlus 8 Pro, alongside a few specs points. Some of these pretty obvious and easy to deduce, while others are rather interesting, GSMArena reported on Saturday.
Putting together all the rumours and speculations, the likely specs sheet could include an obvious Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 chip and Android 10 bits.
"The memory options are neither here nor there, honestly. 128GB or 256GB with 8GB of RAM is a perfectly valid guess. Perhaps 12GB is a possibility as well. OnePlus could even jump on the increasingly popular train of showing-off with a 16GB tier," the report added.
Meanwhile, the Chinese smartphone maker has filed a patent for a technology that hides the front camera when not in use, a report said earlier this week.
The patent seems to be similar to the implementation of the recently unveiled 'Concept One' smartphone by OnePlus that was showcased by the company at CES 2020 last month.
As per the report, the photograph of the device included in the patent application shows that there are no punch-holes of pop-up camera mechanism for the front camera and the entire surface is covered by the screen.
The back of the phone looked similar to the OnePlus 7T.
2.
Oppo Reno 3 Pro India Launch 'Soon', Company Executive Says 5G Phones in the Pipeline
Oppo Reno 3 Pro could make way to India with some hardware-level changes over what’s available in China
Oppo Reno 3 Pro in 4G variant is set to launch in India soon, an Oppo executive revealed on Monday. The new Oppo smartphone, which debuted in 5G variant alongside the Oppo Reno 3 in China late last year, is touted to come with “Expert Camera credentials”. If we look at the recent rumours, the Oppo Reno 3 Pro would arrive in the Indian market as early as this month. The China variant of the Oppo Reno 3 Pro had a single selfie camera, while its India counterpart is rumoured to come with a dual hole-punch selfie camera.
Tasleem Arif, Vice President and India R&D Head of Oppo, tweeted the launch details of the Reno 3 Pro. Arif said that the Oppo Reno 3 Pro would launch in India soon with 4G specifications. This is unlike the China variant of the Oppo Reno 3 Pro that has 5G support.
The Reno 3 Pro in China has the Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G SoC that comes with an integrated 5G modem. It is unclear whether the India model would include a different chip over what we have in China to offer 4G-only connectivity in the country.
A recent report claimed that the Oppo Reno 3 Pro would debut in India later this month with a dual hole-punch selfie camera. The selfie camera setup could include a 44-megapixel sensor.
To recall, the Oppo Reno 3 Pro was launched in China with a price tag of CNY 3,999 (roughly Rs. 40,900) for the 8GB RAM + 128GB storage variant, while its 12GB RAM + 256GB storage option carried a price tag of CNY 4,499 (roughly Rs. 46,000).
Aside from revealing the launch details of Reno 3 Pro, Arif through his tweet noted that Oppo had a pipeline of products for the Indian market that would come with 5G support. The exact timeline around the launch of 5G-supporting Oppo phones in the country weren't given in the tweet, though.
Gadgets 360 reached out to Oppo India for clarity on the revelations made by Arif and will update this space as and when the company responds.
3.
iQoo 3 Gets an Official Teaser, UFS 3.1 Storage Suggested
iQoo 3 would be iQoo’s next 5G smartphone after the iQoo Pro 5G that was launched last year
iQoo 3, the next-generation smartphone by Vivo sub-brand iQoo, has been teased officially. The new teaser that has been posted on Weibo comes days after the new iQoo phone got leaked online. The Vivo brand has separately suggested that the new flagship would come with UFS 3.1 storage, an upgrade over UFS 3.0 that was featured on smartphones including the iQoo Neo 855 Racing Edition and iQoo Neo 855 last year. Vivo's iQoo entered India last month as a separate legal entity with an aim to bring its first 5G smartphone to the country as early as this month.
The official teaser posted on Weibo confirms the name of the next-generation iQoo model as the iQoo 3. It showcases the Lantern Festival to highlight the name of the new smartphone.
Separately, the iQoo account on Weibo has hinted at UFS 3.1 storage on the iQoo 3. The post suggesting the new UFS solution on the iQoo phone notably doesn't reveal any details around the available storage capacity.
Unlike iQoo, Xiaomi recently announced it's plans to retain UFS 3.0 for its upcoming Mi 10 series. Companies such as Samsung, however, may bring the Galaxy S20 phones with UFS 3.1.
The iQoo 3 purportedly surfaced on China's TENAA with a quad rear camera setup, featuring a 64-megapixel primary image sensor. The TENAA listing that carried the details of iQoo phone with model number V1955A also highlighted up to 12GB of RAM and Android 10 on the new smartphone. Separately, some live images of the iQoo 3 last week suggested a hole-punch display design and an in-display fingerprint sensor on the new smartphone.
If we look at the speculation, the iQoo 3 Could be the smartphone that Will debut in India later this month with 5G support, Snapdragon 865 SoC, and new gaming experiences.
The official launch date of the iQoo 3 is yet to be announced. Nevertheless, given the debut of the fresh teasers, its launch date would be revealed shortly.
Display6.44-inch
ProcessorQualcomm Snapdragon 865
Front Camera16-megapixel
Rear Camera64-megapixel + 13-megapixel + 13-megapixel + 2-megapixel
RAM6GB
Storage128GB
Battery Capacity4370mAh
OSAndroid 10
Resolution1080x2400 pixels
4.
Realme X50 Pro 5G Set to Launch on February 24, Company Executive Reveals Specifications
Realme X50 Pro 5G launch date has been announced on Weibo
Realme X50 Pro 5G is set to launch at MWC 2020 in Barcelona on February 24, Realme confirmed through teaser released on Weibo. The new Realme smartphone is expected to debut as an upgrade over the Realme X50 5G that was launched last month. In addition to the launch date, the teaser shows the dual selfie camera of the Realme X50 Pro 5G that would be featured on the hole-punch display. Realme Chief Marketing Officer Xu Qi Chase has separately posted a screenshot revealing the key specifications of the Realme X50 Pro 5G to create some hype ahead of its official launch.
The teaser posted on Weibo carries the launch date of the Realme X50Pro 5G alongside an image showing the side of the new smartphone. The image also highlights the dual selfie camera module on the Realme smartphone. Notably, the Realme X50 5G that was unveiled last month also included a dual selfie camera module.
Realme X50 Pro 5G specifications
In addition to the teaser image showing the launch date of the Realme X50 Pro 5G, Realme Chief Marketing Officer Xu Qi Chase has posted the screenshot showing the key specifications of the new smartphone. The screenshot reveals that the Realme X50 Pro 5G will come with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 SoC, paired with up to 12GB of LPDDR5 RAM and 256GB of UFS 3.0 onboard storage. The smartphone also appears to run Android 10 out-of-the-box -- along with Realme UI v1.0 on top.
Realme X50 Pro 5G specifications have been revealed through a screenshot shared by Realme CMO
The screenshot mentions the Realme phone with model number RMX2071, which we saw on an AnTuTu listing recently. The listing showed that the smartphone received a top-notch score of 574,985 in a benchmark test.
Realme is hosting an event at MWC 2020 in Barcelona where we'll see the Realme X50 Pro 5G in detail. Meanwhile, it is safe to expect some new teasers and rumours suggesting what we'll get later this year.
ProcessorQualcomm Snapdragon 865
Front CameraYes
Rear CameraYes
RAM12GB
OSAndroid 10
5.
Solar Orbiter Blasts Off on Historic Mission to Capture First Look at Sun's Poles
Solar Orbiter was made in Europe, along with nine science instruments
Europe and NASA's Solar Orbiter rocketed into space Sunday night on an unprecedented mission to capture the first pictures of the Sun's elusive poles. The $1.5 billion (roughly Rs. 10,700 crores) spacecraft will join NASA's Parker Solar Probe, launched 1.5 years ago, in coming perilously close to the sun in order to unveil its secrets.
While Solar Orbiter won't venture close enough to penetrate the Sun's corona, or crown-like outer atmosphere, like Parker, it will manoeuvre into a unique out-of-plane orbit that will take it over both poles, never photographed before. Together with powerful ground observatories, the Sun-staring space duo will be like an orchestra, according to Gunther Hasinger, the European Space Agency's science director.
"Every instrument plays a different tune, but together they play the symphony of the Sun," Hasinger said.
Solar Orbiter was made in Europe, along with nine science instruments. NASA provided the 10th instrument and arranged the late-night launch from Cape Canaveral.
Nearly 1,000 scientists and engineers from across Europe gathered with their US colleagues under a full moon as United Launch Alliance's Atlas V rocket blasted off, illuminating the sky for miles around. Crowds also jammed nearby roads and beaches.
The rocket was visible for four full minutes after liftoff, a brilliant star piercing the night sky. Europe's project scientist Daniel Mueller was thrilled, calling it “picture perfect.” His NASA counterpart, scientist Holly Gilbert, exclaimed, “One word: Wow.”
Solar Orbiter — a boxy 4,000-pound (1,800-kilogram) spacecraft with spindly instrument booms and antennas — will swing past Venus in December and again next year, and then past Earth, using the planets' gravity to alter its path. Full science operations will begin in late 2021, with the first close solar encounter in 2022 and more every six months.
At its closest approach, Solar Orbiter will come within 26 million miles (42 million kilometres) of the Sun, well within the orbit of Mercury.
Parker Solar Probe, by contrast, has already passed within 11.6 million miles (18.6 million kilometres) of the Sun, an all-time record, and is shooting for a slim gap of 4 million miles (6 million kilometres) by 2025. But it's flying nowhere near the poles. That's where Solar Orbiter will shine.
The Sun's poles are pockmarked with dark, constantly shifting coronal holes. They're hubs for the Sun's magnetic field, flipping polarity every 11 years.
Solar Orbiter's head-on views should finally yield a full 3-D view of the Sun, 93 million miles (150 million kilometers) from our home planet.
"With Solar Observatory looking right down at the poles, we'll be able to see these huge coronal hole structures," said Nicola Fox, director of NASA's heliophysics division. “That's where all the fast solar wind comes from ... It really is a completely different view."
To protect the sensitive instruments from the Sun's blistering heat, engineers devised a heat shield with an outer black coating made of burned bone charcoal similar to what was used in prehistoric cave paintings. The 10-foot-by-8-foot (3-meter-by-2.4-meter heat shield is just 15 inches (38 centimetres) thick, and made of titanium foil with gaps in between to shed heat. It can withstand temperatures up to nearly 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit (530 degrees Celsius).
Embedded in the heat shield are five peepholes of varying sizes that will stay open just long enough for the science instruments to take measurements in X-ray, ultraviolet, visible and other wavelengths.
The observations will shed light on other stars, providing clues as to the potential habitability of worlds in other solar systems.
Closer to home, the findings will help scientists better predict space weather, which can disrupt communications.
"We need to know how the Sun affects the local environment here on Earth, and also Mars and the moon when we move there," said Ian Walters, project manager for Airbus Defence and Space, which designed and built the spacecraft. "We've been lucky so far the last 150 years," since a colossal solar storm last hit. “We need to predict that. We just can't wait for it to happen.”
The US-European Ulysses spacecraft, launched in 1990, flew over the Sun's poles, but from farther afield and with no cameras on board. It's been silent for more than a decade.
Europe and NASA's Soho spacecraft, launched in 1995, is still sending back valuable solar data.
Altogether, more than a dozen spacecraft have focused on the Sun over the past 30 years. It took until now, however, for technology to allow elaborate spacecraft like Parker and Solar Orbiter to get close without being fried.
Fox considers it "a golden age" for solar physics.
"So much science still yet to do," she said, "and definitely a great time to be a heliophysicist."
6.
Mi 10 Official Render Release Alleged Price Surfaces Online; Mi 10 Pro With 8GB RAM Spotted on Geekbench
Mi 10 official render shows its curved display and camera set-up
Mi 10 launch is just few days away. But ahead of the official launch, Xiaomi has released a render showing the design of the Mi 10. A couple of renders suggesting the differences between the Mi 10 and the superior Mi 10 Pro have also surfaced online. Price details of the Mi 10 have additionally been leaked through an unofficial channel. Separately, a Geekbench listing that appears to be of the Mi 10 Pro has surfaced on the Web. Both Mi 10-series phones by Xiaomi will come with Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 SoC and feature a curved display.
The official Mi 10 render, which has been posted on Weibo, shows its curved AMOLED display that carries a hole-punch design. The back of the smartphone flaunts a triple rear camera setup that is available along with an additional sensor and LED flash module. The camera setup highlights the 108-megapixel image sensor.
In addition to the render showing the design of the Mi 10, Samsung through its Weibo accounts has suggested that it would offer a new AMOLED Panel and an ISOCELL camera sensor on the new Xiaomi flagship. The camera sensor could particularly be Samsung's ISOCELL Bright HMX sensor.
Qualcomm President Cristiano R. Amon through a video posted on Weibo has highlighted that the Mi 10 series would come with the Snapdragon 865 SoC, which means that alongside the Mi 10, the Mi 10Pro would also have the top-of-the-line chip, as can be expected.
Separately, a tipster on Weibo has posted alleged renders suggesting the design of the Mi 10 and Mi 10 Pro. The design of the Mi 10 featured in one of the leaked renders is identical to what we can see on the offering released by Xiaomi. Additionally, the renders suggest that while the Mi 10 and Mi 10 Pro would come with an almost same design and hardware, there would be some changes on the camera front. There is an additional sensor between the second and third shooters in the rear camera setup that could be to enable an enhanced zoom.
Mi 10 and Mi 10 Pro are suggested to have some key differences on the camera front
A Twitter account with username GadgetsFlix has shared the purported pricing details of the Mi 10. The source claims that the 8GB RAM + 128GB storage variant of the new Xiaomi phone would carry a price tag of CNY 4,200 (roughly Rs. 43,000), while its 8GB RAM + 256GB storage option could be priced at CNY 4,500 (roughly Rs. 46,000) and the top-end 12GB RAM + 256GB storage model could come with a price tag of CNY 4,900 (roughly Rs. 50,000).
Since Xiaomi hasn't revealed the pricing of the Mi 10 officially, it would be safe to consider the leak with a grain of salt.
Additionally, a Geekbench listing has surfaced that appears to highlight key specifications of the Mi 10 Pro. The listing shows the Mi 10 Pro with 8GB of RAM, though the phone is rumoured to have up to 16GB of RAM.
The listing also shows the presence of Android 10 and an octa-core Qualcomm chip. It also highlights a single-core score of 904 and a multi-core score of 3,290. Moreover, the results have been uploaded on the Geekbench site on February 8.
To recall, Xiaomi is launching the Mi 10 through an online stream on February 13. The launch is expected to detail both the Mi 10 and Mi 10 Pro. Also, the smartphones will get a global launch on February 23 in Barcelona, just a day before the public opening of MWC 2020.
7.
Coronavirus Set to Throw MWC 2020 Out of Gear
LG, Ericsson, and Nvidia have decided to skip the MWC 2020 in Barcelona
Novel coronavirus, which has killed over 900 in China and infected thousands across the globe so far, has now created initial chaos for the upcoming Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2020 in Barcelona, with LG, Ericsson, and Nvidia set to skip the mega event. Employees of Chinese companies make up a huge proportion of over one lakh attendees at MWC every year.
According to reports, the show has a big economic impact of EUR 492 million this year, generating over 14,000 part-time jobs, according to the GSMA, the industry trade body and the MWC organiser which represents more than 1,200 companies across the mobile ecosystem.
Although the GSMA has said the show must go on, the withdrawal symptoms can now be seen on tech companies which do not want to take any risk with the health of their employees.
Nvidia, a major sponsor of the conference which partnered with the GSMA to host 10 sessions and roundtables around Artificial Intelligence (AI), pulled off from the event on Saturday.
"Given the public health risks around coronavirus, ensuring the safety of our colleagues, partners and customers is our highest concern. We have been looking forward to sharing our work in AI and 5G with the industry, we regret not attending, but believe this is the right decision," the company said in a statement.
Nvidia joined Swedish telecom giant Ericsson and South Korean major LG in saying no to the event.
Although no major Chinese smartphone maker has yet announced its exit, the situation is grim and changing by the day as the virus impacts supply chains and disrupts tech companies' 2020 plans.
Ericsson said that as one of the largest exhibitors, it has thousands of visitors in its hall each day and even if the risk is low, the company cannot guarantee the health and safety of its employees and visitors.
LG said it "has decided to withdraw from exhibiting and participating in MWC 2020 later this month in Barcelona, Spain, with safety of its employees, partners and customers in mind".
Industry watchers have also warned that other tech companies may soon follow suit.
"Yes, it can lead to a drop in footfalls as Chinese participants are likely to skip or nominate their colleagues from other regions," said Tarun Pathak, Associate Director, Counterpoint Research, adding that the potential impact will be more clear closer to the event date which is later this month.
The World Health Organization (WHO), which has upgraded the coronavirus' status to a global health emergency, has said that there "is no evidence at present to suggest that there is community spread in Europe, so WHO/Europe is not currently requesting that large gatherings are cancelled".
Still, tech companies are not taking any risk and we may see more of those deciding on the MWC 2020 participation as early as next week.
There is also a possibility that some of the smartphone launch events get postponed or cancelled, according to experts.
8.
Sony Withdraws From MWC 2020 Over Coronavirus Concerns, Will Host an Online Launch Even
Sony was expected to unveil its new smartphones at MWC 2020 in Barcelona
Just hours after Amazon, Sony has announced its decision to withdraw from the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2020. The Japanese company has cited concerns over the Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) outbreak that started in Wuhan, China but spread across other countries, including India and the US. Alongside Amazon and Sony, LG, Ericsson, and Nvidia are amongst the top exhibitors that have withdrawn the tech conference due to the growing epidemic that was declared a global emergency by the World Health Organisation (WHO).
“As we place the utmost importance on the safety and wellbeing of our customers, partners, media and employees, we have taken the difficult decision to withdraw from exhibiting and participating at MWC 2020 in Barcelona, Spain,” Sony said in a public notice published on its news portal.
Instead of participating at MWC 2020, Sony will now host a press conference through a live stream via its official Xperia YouTube channel that will begin at 8:30am CET (1pm IST) on February 24.
On Sunday, Amazon announced its withdrawal from MWC 2020, citing concerns over the growth of 2019-nCoV. Ericsson, Nvidia, and LG also last week announced that they're pulling out of MWC 2020 due to the outbreak.
The death toll in the Novel coronavirus outbreak surpassed the 900 mark, with over 40,000 cases of the virus infection have been confirmed globally.
MWC 2020 is one of the major events that have been impacted adversely due to the epidemic. GSMA, the organisation that hosts MWC in Barcelona every year and represents more than 1,200 mobile phone manufacturers and telecom operators worldwide, on early Monday sent an email to participants announcing various health and safety measures to run this year's conference -- without any risks.
“While the GSMA confirm some large exhibitors have decided not to come to the show this year with others still contemplating next steps, we remain more than 2,800 exhibitors strong,” the industry trade body wrote in the email.
Given the expansion of withdrawals from MWC 2020, it seems difficult for GSMA and sponsors to continue to stay strong with their decision to continue making arrangements for the conference.
Sony was rumoured to unveil it's 5G Flashship Phone with 4K display at MWC 2020. The phone could be called the Sony Xperia 1.1 or the Xperia 5 Plus. The company was also rumoured to have some new mid range smartphonei the pipeline that it would showcase at the conference later this month.
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