HUAWEI Maimang 9 5G with 6.8-inch FHD+ display, Dimensity 800, 64MP triple rear cameras announced

HUAWEI just announced Maimang 9, the company’s latest 5G smartphone in the Maimang series in China. It packs a 6.8-inch FHD+ LCD screen with 90.33% screen-to-body ratio, is powered by MediaTek Dimensity 800 SoC with up to 8GB of RAM and runs Android 10 with EMIUI 10.1 on top. It has a 64-megapixel rear camera along with an 8-megapixel ultra-wide sensor and a 2-megapixel depth sensor. Inside the punch-hole screen on the front there is a 16-megapixel camera.

The phone has a gradient finish on the back, side-mounted fingerprint scanner and packs a 4300mAh battery with 22.5W fast charging.

HUAWEI Maimang 9 5G specifications

• 6.8-inch (1080 × 2400 pixels) Full HD+ 20:9 LCD screen
• Octa Core (4 x 2GHz Cortex-A76 + 4 x 2GHz Cortex-A55 CPUs) MediaTek Dimensity 800 (MT6873) 7nm processor
• 6GB / 8GB LPDDR4X RAM with 128GB (UFS 2.1) storage, expandable memory with up to 256GB
• Android 10 with EMUI 10.1
• Hybrid Dual SIM (nano + nano/ microSD)
• 64MP rear camera with f/1.89 aperture, LED flash,  8MP 120° ultra-wide angle lens with f/2.2 aperture, 2MP depth sensor with f/2.4 aperture
• 16MP front-facing camera with f/2.0 aperture
• Side-mounted fingerprint sensor
• Dimensions: 170×78.5×8.9mm; Weight: 212g
• 3.5mm audio jack
• 5G (SA/ NSA) / Dual 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802.11 ac (2.4GHz + 5GHz), Bluetooth 5, GPS/GLONASS/Beidou, USB Type-C
• 4300mAh battery with 22.5W fast charging

The HUAWEI Maimang 9 5G comes in Black, Pink and Forest Green colours, is priced at 2199 yuan for the 6GB RAM with 128GB storage version and the 8GB RAM with 128GB storage version costs 2399 yuan. It is available for order from today and will go on sale in China from August 7th.

Samsung Galaxy M01 Core with 5.3-inch HD+ display, Android 10 Go Edition launched in India starting at Rs. 5499

Samsung has been expanding its budget smartphone line up rapidly in India lately, with the recent launch being the Galaxy M01s. Following that, the company has launched yet another smartphone in its Galaxy M-series line up — Samsung Galaxy M01 core with HD+ display, Android 10 (Go Edition), and more.

The Galaxy M01 Core sports a 5.3-inch HD+ Infinity-V display with a resolution of 720 x 1480 pixels and it is a PLS TFT LCD panel. It is powered by the quad-core MediaTek MT6739 64-bit processor paired with 1GB/2GB of RAM and 16GB/32GB of internal storage which can be expanded up to 512GB through microSD. The back panel is a mix of a texture and matte finish and the smartphone runs on Android 10 Go Edition.

Coming to the optics, the Galaxy M01s sports a single 8MP rear camera with f/2.2 aperture and the front-facing camera is a 5MP shooter with f/2.4 aperture. It features Accelerometer, Virtual Proximity Sensing, and lastly, it packs a 3000mAh battery.

Samsung Galaxy M01 Core specifications

• Display: 5.3-inch (720 × 1480 pixels) HD+ PLS TFT LCD Infinity-V display
• SoC: 1.5GHz quad-core MediaTek MT6739 64-bit processor with PowerVR Rogue GE8100 GPU
• RAM: 1GB/2GB
• ROM: 16GB/32GB; expandable up to 512GB via micro SD card
• OS: Android 10 Go Edition
• Dual SIM (nano + nano + microSD)
• Camera: Rear –8MP with f/2.2 aperture
  • Front — 5MP with f/2.4 aperture
• 3.5mm audio jack
• Dimensions: 141.7 x 67.5 x 8.6mm; Weight: 150g
• Connectivity: Dual 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS + GLONASS
• 3000mAh (typical) battery
• Colors: Black, Blue, Red

Pricing and availability

Samsung Galaxy M01s 1GB+16GB variant is priced at Rs. 5499 and the 2GB+32GB is priced at Rs. 6499. It will all be available across Samsung’s retail stores, Samsung Opera House, Samsung.com, and leading online portals from July 29th, 2020.

Redmi Note 9 Pro Max 8GB+128GB to go on sale from July 29 for Rs. 19999

Xiaomi’s Redmi brand launched the Redmi Note 9 Pro Max smartphone back in March in India starting at Rs. 14,999. It was launched in three variants, but only 6GB+64GB and 6GB+128GB variants were on sale until now. Today, the company has announced that the 8GB+128GB variant of the Redmi Note 9 Pro Max will go on sale for the 1st time in India.

Redmi Note 9 Pro Max 8GB+128GB variant is priced at Rs. 19,999 and will go on sale for the first time starting July 29th, 2020. It should be available from Amazon.in, Mi.com, and Mi Home Stores.

Redmi Note 9 Pro Max specifications

• Display: 6.67-inch (2400  × 1080 pixels) 20:9 Full HD+ LCD DotDisplay with Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protection
• SoC: Octa-Core Snapdragon 720G 8nm Mobile Platform (Dual 2.3GHz Kryo 465 A76 + Hexa 1.8GHz Kryo 465 A55 CPUs) with Adreno 618 GPU
• RAM: 6GB / 4GB LPPDDR4x RAM
• ROM: 64GB (UFS 2.1) storage, 6GB / 8GB (LPPDDR4x) RAM with 128GB (UFS 2.1) storage, expandable memory up to 256GB with microSD
• SIM: Dual SIM (nano + nano + microSD)
• OS: Android 10 with MIUI 11
• Cameras: Rear – 64MP Samsung GW1 sensor with f/1.89 aperture, PDAF, EIS, 0.8μm pixel size, LED flash, EIS, 8MP 120° ultra-wide-angle lens, 5MP 2cm macro lens, 2MP depth sensor, 4k 30 fps video recording
  • Front- 32MP front camera
• Side-mounted fingerprint sensor, Infrared sensor
• 3.5mm audio jack, FM Radio, dual microphones
• Splash-proof (P2i coating)
• Dimensions:  165.7×76.6×8.8mm; Weight: 209g
• Connectivity: Dual 4G VoLTE, WiFi 802.11 ac (2.4GHz + 5GHz) 2 x 2 MIMO, VoWiFi, Bluetooth 5, GPS, NavIC, USB Type-C
• Battery: 5020mAh with 33W fast charging

Samsung Galaxy Tab S7+ with 12.4-inch WQXGA+ 120Hz AMOLED display, Snapdragon 865+, 10090mAh battery and Galaxy Tab S7 surfaces

After the Galaxy Note20 Ultra and Galaxy Note20, specifications and press images of the Galaxy Tab S7 series have surfaced ahead of announcement on August 5th. This reveals two models — Galaxy Tab S7 and S7+ both with Snapdragon 865+, 13MP rear camera and a 5MP ultra-wide camera.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 and Tab S7+ rumoured specifications

• Tab S7+ — 12.4-inch (2800 x 1752 pixel) WQXGA+ 120Hz Super AMOLED display
• Tab S7 — 11-inch (2560 x 1600 pixel) WQXGA 120Hz LTPS TFT display
• Octa-Core Qualcomm Snapdragon 865+ 7nm Mobile Platform with Adreno 650 GPU
• 6GB RAM with 128GB storage / 8GB RAM with 256GB storage, expandable memory up to 1TB with microSD
• Android 10 with One UI
• 13MP rear camera with f / 2.0 aperture, 5MP 123-degree ultra-wide secondary camera with f/2.2 aperture
• 8MP front-facing camera with f/2.0 aperture
• Galaxy S7+ — In-display fingerprint scanner
• Galaxy S7 — Side-mounted fingerprint scanner
• 4 speakers tuned by AKG, Dolby Atmos
• S Pen with Bluetooth, 0.35mAh battery
• S7+ Dimensions: 285 x 185 x 5.7mm; Weight: 590g
• S7 Dimensions: 253.8 x 165.4 x 6.34mm; Weight: 495g
• 5G SA/NSA, 4G LTE, WiFi 802.11 ax, Wi-Fi Direct, Bluetooth 5.1, GPS + GLONASS, Beidou, Galileo, USB Type-C
• Galaxy S7+ — 10,090mAh battery with 45W Fast Charging
• Galaxy S7 — 7,040mAh battery with 45W Fast Charging

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 and Galaxy S7+ are expected to come in Mystic Black, Mystic Bronze and Mystic Silver colours. We should know the price when these go official next week.

Qualcomm Quick Charge 5 100W+ charging platform announced — 0 to 100% in 15 minutes

Qualcomm just announced Qualcomm Quick Charge 5, which is the world’s first commercially viable fast charging platform to support more than 100W charging power in a smartphone. It lets you charge devices from 0 to 50 percent battery power in just 5 minutes and 0 to 100% in less than 15 minutes. It also uses Qualcomm Battery Saver and the new Qualcomm Smart Identification of Adapter Capabilities technology for the best efficiency and help extend the battery life cycle on a device.

• Compared to Quick Charge 4, Quick Charge 5 is 70% more efficient and offers 10 times the power delivery of Quick Charge 1. It supports 2S batteries and 20 Volts of power delivery.
• Incorporates 12 separate voltage, current and temperature protections, including USB-input overvoltage protection at 25V and external power controls beyond 30V.
• Runs 10° Celsius cooler than Quick Charge 4.
• Enables Dual/Triple Charge technology, adaptive input voltage, INOV4, Qualcomm Battery Saver and the new Qualcomm Smart Identification of Adapter Capabilities technology, which work together to maximize power transfer efficiency, increase safety and help extend the battery life cycle on a users’ device.
• Backwards compatible with Quick Charge 2.0, 3.0, 4, 4+ and existing handsets powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon mobile platform.
• Offers 100W charging capabilities functions within the same footprint as the previous 45W solution
• Optimized to take advantage of both USB-PD and Type-C technologies

Qualcomm also introduced new, next generation premium tier power management ICs (PMIC), Qualcomm SMB1396 and Qualcomm SMB1398. Supporting 1SnP and 2SnP batteries, wired and wireless input paths, adaptive operation based on the power source (3 level buck and DIV/2), and scalability (primary and secondary to provide higher power), Qualcomm SMB1396 and Qualcomm SMB1398 are engineered to provide maximum efficiency above 98%. These support higher than 20V input voltage operation to accommodate the highest power levels from both wireless and wired power sources.

Quick Charge 5 is currently available for OEMs and is expected to be seen in commercial devices in Q3 2020. Quick Charge 5 is supported on Snapdragon 865, 865 Plus, and future premium- and high-tier Snapdragon mobile platforms.

Motorola Razr Gen. 2 with Snapdragon 765, 5G connectivity said to be in the works [Update: New render]

Update: July 27, 2020 A new render of the phone reveals the design of the 2020 Razr model codenamed Odyssey. This reveals similar design as the predecessor, but the fingerprint on the bottom chin is missing.

Motorola’s first attempt at entering the foldable smartphone market with the Razr wasn’t exactly successful, with design flaws and creaking hinges. However, they appear to be dedicated with that form factor as details and specs of Motorola Razr Gen. 2 has surfaced.

The next generation Motorola Razr will have the code name “smith” and model name “XT2071-4”. It is said to be powered by the mid range Qualcomm Snapdragon 765, have 8GB of RAM, 256GB of internal storage, and a bigger 2,845mAh battery. It will also integrate the Snapdragon X52 modem for sub-6GHz 5G connectivity.

The camera was a weak performer in the first Motorola Razr, and they might upgrade the next phone with a Samsung 48MP ISOCELL Bright GM1 sensor and 20MP sensor for the front camera. Out of the box it will run Android 10 and like before, there will be many enhancements focused around the Quick view Display.

There is no word on a release date for the device yet nor do we know about any design and price changes. The leaks have just begun, and we should start knowing more about it soon.

Google Pixel 4a said to be unveiled on August 3

Update — July 27  2020: According to a new tweet from leaker Jon Prosser, the Pixel 4a announcement will happen on August 3rd, after being pushed for several times.

Update — May 13, 2020: According to a new tweet from leaker Jon Prosser, the Pixel 4a announcement might happen on July 13th, but sale might happen only on October 22. It might only come in Black and the Barely Blue might have been scrapped.

Update — May 21, 2020: According to the tweet from leaker Jon Prosser, the Pixel 4a launch is delayed again. It was expected to be introduced in June at the Android 11 beta launch, now the launch is reportedly pushed to July 13th. There will only be a 4G version, and he also said that there are no proofs of a Pixel 4a XL model, so we might see only the smaller 4a. He added that Google is ready to ship, but the company has not decided to launch it next month based on the market analysis.

Earlier — May 13, 2020:Renders of the Google Pixel 4a surfaced last year, and live images with specifications surfaced in March, and even the retail box of the phone surfaced last month. Earlier rumours said that the Pixel 4a will be introduced by the end of May with shipping date of May 22nd, now a new report says that the phone has been delayed until June with the shipping date of June 5, 2020 according to Vodafone Germany.

This hints that the Pixel 4a might be introduced at the Android 11 Beta launch shows that Google has scheduled for June 3rd. To remind you, the Pixel 3a series were introduced at the Google I/O event last year starting at $399 but it was launched in India starting at Rs. 39999. This year’s Pixel 4a  might cost more in India due increase in GST.

Google Pixel 4a rumored specifications

• 5.81-inch (1080 x 2340 pixels) FHD+ OLED 18.5:9 display, 443 PPI, HDR support
• Octa Core (2.2GHz Dual + 1.8GHz Hexa) Snapdragon 730 Mobile Platform with Adreno 618 GPU, Titan M security chip
• 6GB LPDDR4X RAM, 64GB / 128GB (UFS 2.1) storage
• Android 10
• 12.2MP rear camera with LED flash, Dual PD autofocus, OIS, EIS, 4K video recording at 30fps, 1080p at 60fps and 720p at up to 240fps
• 8MP front camera with 84° ultra-wide lens
• Dual SIM (optional)
• Fingerprint sensor
• 3.5mm audio jack, 2 microphones
• 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802.11ac 2x2MIMO (2.4/5 GHz), Bluetooth 5 LE, GPS, USB Type-C Gen 1, NFC
• 3080mAh battery with 18W fast charging