Category: Electronics

Retail News Asia is committed to providing both local and global retailers with the latest Electronics news throughout the Asian market. This on a daily base.

Cross-brand file sharing feature announced by three phone manufacturers
As many Apple iPhone users know, AirDrop is a feature that allows them to share photos, videos and documents with nearby Apple devices without requiring an internet connection. This is achieved using Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity. A WeChat post published today by Xiaomi reveals that three Chinese phone manufacturers are teaming up to provide their customers with wireless peer-to-peer file sharing across the different brands.

This new feature will apparently use Bluetooth to pair the devices, creating a peer-to-peer Wi-Fi network just like AirDrop does, and transfer files at speeds up to 20Mbps. Xiaomi says that other smartphone manufacturers are welcome to join the trio. By the end of this month, a beta version of the new file-sharing protocol is expected to be rolled out. According to Counterpoint Research, Vivo, Oppo, and Xiaomi made up 49% of the domestic phone market during the first quarter. Adding some additional manufacturers, especially Huawei, would allow the vast majority of handsets in the country to share files without the use of internet connectivity. There is no indication whether Huawei or other Chinese companies are or aren’t interested in joining the original trio.

Google itself has had a feature since 2011’s Ice Cream Sandwich called Android Beam that uses NFC to share “photos, videos, contact information, links to webpages, navigation directions, YouTube URLs, and more” by tapping two devices together. But Android Beam is being phased out in Android Q, replaced by a Google Play Services feature called Fast Share. This will be similar to Apple’s AirDrop thanks to the use of Bluetooth. Android Q users will be able to share files, images, URLs and small parts of text messages even without an internet connection.

The Files by Google app, available in the Google Play Store, uses Bluetooth to allow Android devices with the app installed to share files at speeds as fast as 480Mbps. Encryption is employed to protect the privacy of those using the app.
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September 2, 2019
Apple seems to have revealed the date of its iPhone 11 event

Less than two weeks after the iPhone 11’s release date was seemingly revealed, an iOS 13 screenshot found within the latest beta version appears to confirm when Apple will be announcing its next-gen devices.

The screenshot is named “HoldForRelease” and features the Calendar app with the date clearly set to Tuesday the 10th. The month isn’t displayed but the day lines up perfectly with September, which itself coincides with Apple’s usual announcement schedule. Lending further credence is the fact a similar screenshot was found in one of Apple’s iOS 12 beta releases last year which showed September 12th, the date that was subsequently confirmed for the iPhone XS and iPhone XR introductions.

Considering the iPhone 11 series is now expected to debut on Tuesday, September 10, pre-orders for Apple’s upcoming trio of devices will likely commence on Friday, September 13. The actual launch, on the other hand, should happen on Friday, September 20. This coincides perfectly with the previously reported release date.

On an unrelated note, an iPadOS 13 screenshot showing the same date was also spotted. Apple has been rumored to be planning the debut of a new 10.2-inch iPad alongside its next-generation iPhones and this image suggests this will indeed be the case.

If Apple sticks to its typical iOS launch schedule, the upcoming iOS 13 and iPadOS 13 releases will be made available to download for devices such as the iPhone 8, iPhone XS, iPad Pro (2018), and iPad Air (2019) on Monday, September 16. However, today’s findings suggest this may not be the case.

Another pair of iOS 13 and iPadOS 13 screenshots which are destined to be used on older devices show the Calendar display Monday the 23rd. This is one week later than expected and ultimate suggests Apple may be giving its developers an extra week to ensure everything’s in working order on previous-gen products. After all, unlike iOS 12 which was largely bug free, iOS 13 and iPadOS 13 beta releases have been plagued with issues since the beginning, many of which are still unresolved.

The downside to this move is that iOS 13 and iPadOS 13 will be exclusive to the iPhone 11 series and 10.2-inch iPad (2019) for roughly three days because these are all set for release on Friday, September 20, as mentioned above.

The upcoming iPhones have been consistently referred to as either the iPhone XI or iPhone 11 lineup over the course of the past year but a reliable tipster recently suggested Apple’s final names may be slightly different. Specifically, they mentioned the ‘Pro’ moniker but left quite a bit of room for speculation because they didn’t elaborate on the matter.

The most logical strategy would be the creation of two very separate lineups. The successor to the iPhone XR could be marketed simply as the iPhone (2019) while the iPhone XS and XS Max replacements could be called the iPhone Pro (5.8-inch) and iPhone Pro (6.5-inch).

An alternative strategy which was recently mentioned by a case maker would also make sense, although the names would ultimately be more clunky. In this case, the 2019 iPhone XR would be branded as the iPhone 11 and the iPhone XS’s successor would be called the iPhone 11 Pro. Meanwhile, the 6.5-inch model could land as the iPhone 11 Pro Max.The final possibility is perhaps the most straightforward one of all. It’d involve the iPhone XR, iPhone XS, and iPhone XS Max replacements being marketed as the iPhone 11R, iPhone 11, and iPhone 11 Pro respectively.

August 29, 2019

Sony to kill off Xperia Lounge app by the end of this month

Sad news for Xperia fans, as Sony has just confirmed plans to shut down one of its older smartphone apps – Xperia Lounge. This isn’t the first nor the last app designed for Xperia phones that Sony kills off, but that’s no surprise since the Japanese company doesn’t seem to be able to make money out of its mobile business any longer.

So, the best way to cut costs is to start killing apps that were designed for the Xperia ecosystem. The Xperia Lounge is just another app from a long list of apps that Sony has been discontinued in the last couple of years.

The Xperia Lounge app was meant to provide loyal fans with various rewards for their Xperia smartphones, such as exclusive Xperia Themes and wallpapers, as well as competitions. Unfortunately, Xperia Lounge will be no more by the end of August 2019.

If you open the app right now, there’s an important announcement that mentions Xperia Lounge will be “decommissioned” by the end of August 2019, so there’s no doubt that the information is accurate.

August 29, 2019

Apple issues statement regarding third-party battery replacements for iPhones

The folks over at iFixit discovered that Apple introduced a software lock in iOS, which will prevent iPhone users from checking the health of the battery if it was replaced by an unauthorized third-party.

Instead of showing them the health of the iPhone battery, a message would pop up that would inform them that such information is not available: “Unable to verify this iPhone has a genuine Apple battery. Health information not available for this battery.”

Moreover, the message would pop up even if the battery would be replaced with a genuine one from another iPhone, and the reason is that the chip used in newer iPhone batteries includes an authentication feature that stores the info for pairing the battery to the phone’s logic board.

There were so many iPhone users who voiced their disappointment about Apple’s approach that the company felt the need to issue a statement on the matter to iMore, which you can read below:

We take the safety of our customers very seriously and want to make sure any battery replacement is done properly. There are now over 1,800 Apple authorized service providers across the United States so our customers have even more convenient access to quality repairs.Last year we introduced a new feature to notify customers if we were unable to verify that a new, genuine battery was installed by a certified technician following Apple repair processes. This information is there to help protect our customers from damaged, poor quality, or used batteries which can lead to safety or performance issues. This notification does not impact the customer’s ability to use the phone after an unauthorized repair.

Obviously, that doesn’t solve the “issue,” but at least it sheds some light on the reasoning behind Apple’s decision to include a locking software for third-party iPhone battery replacements. Many will not like it, while others will feel Apple’s explanation is enough to quench any fears they might have had.

August 29, 2019

OnePlus reveals the name of its upcoming Android TV

OnePlus has been dropping hints that it is working on a smart TV since last year. We had nothing concrete on the TV, up until it was listed on Bluetooth SIG, revealing that it will come in a big variety of sizes (from 43 all the way up to 75 inches) and have an LED panel.

Little else was known, beside this, but just recently, a community representative took to the OnePlus forums and actually confirmed what the TV will be called, sharing alongside a (supposedly) final logo for the device. And, you guessed it, it’s called the OnePlus TV… wait, what did you expect? It’s the most logical naming scheme, and the company thought as much:

“Yes, we are going to call our very first smart TV product “OnePlus TV” – simple yet to-the-point – as we believe there’s no other name that can best represent our value, vision and pride than naming it with our own brand.”

The forum thread also reveals the official logo for the OnePlus TV (pictured above), which consists of the OnePlus logo with the letters TV next to it. Again, what else did you expect?

Out of all the Bluetooth SIG listed OnePlus TV sizes, only the 75-inch version is said to be US-bound. Smaller OnePlus TVs will be launched in other parts of the world, with the 43-inch version, which is the smallest of the bunch, being an India-exclusive.

Additional 55-inch and 65-inch OnePlus TV models appear on Bluetooth SIG as well, though it’s unclear where they will be released. Although OnePlus filed 40 model numbers for certifications on Bluetooth SIG, not all of them are different OnePlus TVs. These model numbers are merely indicators about the size and region where they will be launched.

August 29, 2019

Samsung angers its customers by advertising the Galaxy Note 10 line in the wrong place

You just can’t escape the Samsung Galaxy Note 10 and Galaxy Note 10+ anywhere after Samsung introduced the new line this past week. And that happens to be true especially if you use an older Samsung Galaxy handset model with Bixby, Samsung Pay and the Samsung Push Service that disseminates updates and notifications meant for Samsung phones only. As spotted by a number of Twitter users including XDA’s Max Weinbach, those using the aforementioned features are being spammed by Samsung with ads for the new Galaxy Note 10 line.

Bixby implores users curious about the new phones to inquire about them. “Curious about the Note 10? Ask Bixby!” shouts the virtual digital assistant. A screenshot of Samsung Pay shows the mobile payment system offering users a closeup of the Note 10 at AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon. Needless to say, the response from Samsung users is not positive especially since many of those spammed have already pre-ordered one of the new phones. And the manufacturer is making it harder to disable the spam it delivers via Bixby by forcing users to go into the Bixby settings to disable marketing notifications. To do this, open Bixby and tap on the menu icon on the top right. Tap on Settings and turn ‘Marketing Notifications’ to off.

We also have to wonder what Samsung is saying to those who shelled out big bucks for the Galaxy Note 9. What is the message here? Is it that the phone you shelled out $1,000 for last year is no longer capable of doing great things? We get that Samsung is proud of the new Note 10 line, but spamming its own customers seems more than a bit unsavory.

August 23, 2019

Honor TVs launched by Huawei running it’s own OS

Chinese smartphone brand Honor has launched a flat-screen television it claims “ushers in a new era for the future of TV”.

Unveiled at the Huawei Developer Conference, the Honor TVs come equipped with three Huawei self-developed intelligent chipsets and is the first television set in the world to carry Huawei’s own operating system HarmonyOS.

“Honor Vision is not just television as we know it,” said the company’s president George Zhao. “It defines the future of television with Honor’s ‘Sharp Tech’ innovations.”

Zhao says the Honor TVs will play a more critical role in the future of smart family life. “It is not only a home entertainment centre, but also an information-sharing centre, a control-management centre and a multi-device interaction centre,” he said.

Huawei launched Harmony to deliver what it describes as a “cohesive user experience across all devices and user scenarios”. Some industry analysts have already commented that the development of the OS mis linked to US tech giant Google discontinuing upgrades for Huawei devices running Android due to security concerns in the west.

But Huawei says HarmonyOS will be optimised and gradually adopted across the brand’s smart watches, smart screens, in-vehicle systems and smart speakers. It will be released as an open-source platform worldwide to encourage adoption by other tech companies.

Meanwhile, the new Honor TVs come with a ‘Family Note Function’, allowing users to transfer 600M images between their smartphone and display via Huawei Share software in just 20 seconds – that’s 100 times faster than transferring via Bluetooth.

The Honor Vision sets will also act as an in-home control and management centre, using software called HiLink, an open ecosystem for the smart home. “The platform as well as the technology will be accessible to other smart home providers in the industry, allowing users to connect their preferred smart home products together,” the company said in a statement.

The Honor Vision range of 55” 4K TVs includes 2GB+16GB standard versions and 2GB+32GB Pro versions, priced at RMB3799 (US$538) and RMB4799 (US$680) respectively.

August 23, 2019

JB Hi-Fi reports record profits, sales in FY19

JB Hi-Fi has seen record profit and sales for the 2019 financial year, leveraging strong communications, fitness and games hardware sales to deliver growth across all channels of the business.

Net profit for the year grew 7.1 percent to $249.8 million, compared to the $233.2 million seen last year, while total group sales grew 3.5 percent to $7.1 billion – up from $6.9 billion in FY18.

JB Hi-Fi Group chief executive Richard Murray said the group was pleased with the result, and that the success of the JB Hi-Fi brand during a difficult second half in Australia proves it has the right business model.

“It was a solid result for JB Hi-Fi Australia, and a particularly pleasing finish for FY19 with strong sales in the key tax time promotional period,” Murray said.

Comparable sales grew 2.8 percent, while total sales grew 4.1 percent to $4.73 billion – driven by communications, audio, fitness, games hardware and connected technology.

However, the company’s media segment underperformed. Sales in the category fell 7.3 percent compared to FY18, with a double-digit decrease in movies and music sales offset by strong growth in the gaming software segment.

Murray noted during an investor call that while store roll-outs had slowed, physical locations remain key to its growth, even as it expands the online channel, which grew 23 percent in FY19 and now makes up 5.5 percent of total sales.

The New Zealand business also saw strong growth online, with 38.3 percent growth in online sales to NZ$13.3 million, or 5.6 percent of total sales. Comparable sales grew 8.2 percent, while total sales grew 2 percent to NZ$236.2 million.

According to Murray, this result is evidence that JB Hi-Fi’s offer is resonating with New Zealand customers, and proves that hiring New Zealand managing director Cherie Kerrison to lead the international business was the right call.

As for the recently acquired The Good Guys brand, total sales grew 2.2 percent to $2.15 billion, with comparable sales up 0.9 percent, while online sales grew 3.7 percent to $130.9 million.

“In a competitive environment, we remained focused on sales and market share whilst stabilizing gross margins and continuing to evolve the business,” Murray said.

JB Hi-Fi Group will continue to invest in The Good Guys brand while seeking to maintain and enhance it, said Murray.

One such initiative will be to take learnings from JB Hi-Fi’s telecommunications category and use it to launch a similar offering in The Good Guys.

Looking to the next 12 months, the retail group expects total sales for FY20 to reach $7.25 billion – with JB Hi-Fi Australia to contribute $4.84 billion, JB Hi-Fi New Zealand NZ$240 million, and The Good Guys $2.18 billion.

Murray notes that while the business continues to see variability in the overall retail channel, JB Hi-Fi enters the new financial year confidence in its ability to execute and grow market share.

August 23, 2019

Apple’s mobile devices can help diagnose a serious health issue

With Apple working hard to come up with more health-related features for its products, drugmaker Eli Lilly announced last week that certain Apple products can help spot people with dementia. Early results from a test showed that devices including the iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch, in combination with certain apps and the Beddit sleep monitoring device, can reveal whether a person has “mild Alzheimer’s disease dementia” and “mild cognitive impairment” (MCI). The study was conducted by Apple, Lilly and health care company Evidation Health on 113 people age 60 to 75 over a period of 12 weeks.

Those participating in the study were asked to answer a pair of one-question surveys each day. They also were asked to perform certain tasks on an app such as tapping on a circle as fast as possible and dragging on screen an object with a certain shape to another object. Other tests were performed on the participant’s ability to type and read. The results of the study were presented at the Association for Computing Machinery’s KDD conference in Anchorage and found that those with symptoms of dementia tended to type at a slower rate of speed than others, and sent fewer text messages over a set period time.

16TB of data were collected from the participants, and the study showed that Apple devices and certain apps can help monitor symptoms of those diagnosed with MCI or mild Alzheimer’s disease dementia; detect cognitive changes that could point to MCI; test the effectiveness of treatment and therapies; and speed up the development of therapies to produce more accurate diagnostic tools.

Over the past few years, we’ve seen how data and insights derived from wearables and mobile consumer devices have enabled people living with health conditions, along with their clinicians, to better monitor their health. We know that insight from smart devices and digital applications can lead to improved health outcomes, but we don’t yet know how those resources can be used to identify and accelerate diagnoses. The results of the trial set the groundwork for future research that may be able to help identify people with neurodegenerative conditions earlier than ever before.”-Nikki Marinsek, Ph.D., first author and data scientist, Evidation Health

“Lilly has been leading the fight against Alzheimer’s disease for more than 30 years, and we’re broadening the application of digital health to identify tools that may improve the lives of people with chronic conditions and diseases. While further research is needed, the study findings provide important insight into the potential benefits of wearable devices in identifying chronic health conditions such as MCI, Alzheimer’s disease, and dementia. These findings could inform subsequent research that may eventually lead to early screening or detection tools for neurodegenerative conditions.”-Divakar Ramakrishnan, Ph.D., chief digital officer, Eli Lilly ”

Apple has already demonstrated that it can integrate life-saving health tools in the Apple Watch; the heart-rate monitor has already saved a number of lives and the breakout feature on the Apple Watch series 4 is the electrocardiogram (ECG) sensor. The latter detects abnormal heartbeats indicative of Atrial fibrillation, which can lead to blood clots, heart failure, strokes, and death. This life-saving feature has become so popular that Samsung is including it on the Galaxy Active Watch 2. However, as it did with Apple’s ECG sensor, the FDA needs to greenlight the one on Sammy’s phone. As a result, the ECG sensor will be disabled on the new Tizen-powered timepiece until sometime during the first half of next year.

Apple released a very brief statement related to the release of the study. Myoung Cha, Apple’s Head of Health Strategic Partnerships, said, “We are excited to work alongside Lilly and Evidation in supporting the research community, as they seek to discover digital biomarkers of cognitive impairment.”

August 23, 2019

Apple is giving out a special iPhone that can lead to a $1 million reward

Apple is giving out special versions of the iPhone to security researchers who have the opportunity to collect as much as $1.5 million from Apple. Announced last week at the Black Rock cybersecurity conference in Las Vegas (where ironically Apple earlier this year put up a billboard reading “What happens on your iPhone stays on your iPhone”), the tech giant is giving these experts the task of hacking into the iPhone to find vulnerabilities and security flaws. Apple security chief Ivan Krstic says that these special iPhones come with “advanced debug capabilities.” Unlike the units sold to consumers, these will allow researchers to access parts of iOS that are off-limits to most users.

The so-called iOS Security Research Device Program will get underway next year and while anyone can apply to receive one of the special iPhone units, Apple says that there will be a limited amount handed out. Most likely only qualified security researchers will be able to obtain one of these devices. Even though they will be much more open than a store-bought iPhone, the researchers won’t have the same access that Apple’s own internal security team has on their iPhones.

Companies like Apple and Google pay these researchers to find flaws as an incentive. In addition, Apple would prefer that a security expert who finds a vulnerability tell the company about it instead of selling it or using it for their own evil intentions. Flaws found on iOS are said to bring researchers as much as $1 million from hackers willing to pay that much. Apple announced last week that a researcher can receive $1 million by finding a flaw allowing him or her to take over full control of an iPhone without the owner touching the handset. Other flaws can also handsomely reward a researcher as Apple is willing to pay up to $500,000 for the information. Google announced last month that it will pay up to $30,000 to a researcher finding flaws in its Chrome browser while paying $150,000 if it is told about a flaw that can compromise its Chrome OS.

“We want to attract some of the exceptional researchers who have thus far been focusing their time on other platforms. Today many of them tell us they look at our platform and they want to do research but the bar is just too high. We have by far the highest maximum payouts in the industry, and we have the iOS security research device program for exceptional researchers that are new to our platform”-Ivan Krstic, head of security engineering and architecture, Apple

Researchers who find a vulnerability in code found on beta software will receive a 50% bonus from Apple. That is to reward an expert who has identified a problem before the bug is passed along to the public, and brings the top possible award handed out by Apple to $1.5 million. As the company’s security chief points out, “The second-best reason to have a bug bounty is to find out about a vulnerability that’s already in the users’ hands and fix it quickly. The number one best reason is to find a vulnerability before it ever hits a customer’s hands.”

Apple’s new program might have received more applause if it wasn’t for the limited number of special iPhones it is handing out. As iOS security researcher Will Strafach noted, “It’s a huge step, but I do think it would be great if there were a bit more wide availability of the devices.” Apple might be concerned that the wider availability of these units might lead to several ending up in the wrong hands, creating more problems for the company. Still, with all this money at stake, regular iPhone owners should benefit from the incentives that Apple is throwing at security experts.

August 23, 2019

Japan okays one shipment of material Samsung needs for its most advanced chips

The term Free trade has become an oxymoron. Just look at the mess that is taking place with the U.S. and China. As we’ve pointed out countless times, the tariffs that the U.S. is imposing on imports from China are import taxes that are paid by U.S. corporations. The latter can decide to eat some or all of the additional taxes lowering their profit margins or pass along the higher costs to U.S. consumers. China is retaliating by devaluing its currency, the Yuan. This makes Chinese goods cheaper to buy in the states but will force Apple to raise the price of the iPhone in China.

This isn’t the only trade war going on. Japan and South Korea have been fighting since last October. That’s when a South Korean court ruled that South Koreans forced to work for Nippon Steel during World War II must be compensated for their labor. Calling the decision “unthinkable,” Japanese authorities said that the issue had already been decided when the two countries restored diplomatic ties in 1965.

To retaliate against the court decision, Japan started restricting the export to South Korea of materials like fluorinated polyimide and resist, and high-purity hydrogen fluoride (HF). These are used in the production of chips used inside smartphones, and for smartphone displays, respectively. Beginning last month, companies looking to ship these materials to South Korean phone manufacturers like Samsung and LG need to apply for permission to do so. Receiving such approval could take as long as 90 days. That’s because Japan has removed South Korea from its “white list” of trade partners that have fast-track trade status. South Korea plans on discussing the removal of Japan from its “white list” but has tabled the matter for a future time. It does plan on tightening regulations on some of Japan’s exports into South Korea for materials used in other industries besides tech.

For the first time since announcing the restrictions, Japan has approved a shipment of EUV photoresists to South Korea. Samsung uses this material to help it mask or map out designs on the silicon that ends up in chipsets. These show the placement of billions of transistors and EUV, or extreme ultraviolet lithography allows for more precise designs to be made. This leads to the design of more powerful chips that consume less energy. Japan controls as much as 90% of the global market for this material, so Samsung cannot simply move on to another country to source the EUV photoresist it needs.

“Usually, we don’t announce each time we give export permission. However, the South Korean government has referred to our moves as an embargo on exports, which is unfair criticism.”-Hiroshige Seko, Japanese Industry Minister

“Even if there are any gains, it will be short-lived. In the end, it is a game without winners, where everyone, including Japan itself, becomes a victim.”-Moon Jae-in, president, South Korea

However, it doesn’t seem as though this approval changes anything between the two countries. A South Korean senior trade ministry official pointed out that Japan “approved only one out of a number of items,” and a presidential official said that Japan’s actions “doesn’t mean that uncertainties have been completely removed for the other items.” While these materials can be used to produce smartphones, they also can be used to manufacture weapons.

Apple iPhone models that sport an OLED display and those expected to be equipped with such a screen (iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Max) could be affected by this trade war. That’s because, as we’ve mentioned, high-purity hydrogen fluoride (HF) is used to produce smartphone displays. As one of the materials that Japan will no longer allow to be shipped to South Korea without permission, both Samsung and LG could face delays in obtaining it. And that could mean that Apple, which purchases its OLED panels for the iPhone from both South Korean firms, could find itself scrambling for this important part as production gears up for the 2019 iPhone models.

August 22, 2019

Mophie’s new wireless pads will charge three Apple devices at once

Remember AirPower? The multi-device wireless charging pad was canceled by Apple in March 562 days after it was unveiled on September 12th, 2017. During that same event, Apple introduced the iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus and the iPhone X. AirPower was supposed to allow an iPhone, an Apple Watch and the AirPods wireless charging case to power up at the same time. While we might not see Apple unveil a similar accessory for some time, the Apple Store will soon start selling a pair of wireless chargers made by mophie. These products will be exclusive to the Apple Store.

Mophie’s wireless charging dual pad looks similar to the now-canceled AirPower, and while there are only two hot spots on the pad, an extra USB-A port on the accessory allows the user to charge an iPhone, an AirPods wireless charging case and an Apple Watch all together at the same time. The pad will charge at 7.5W and will be priced at $99.95.

For $139.95, or $40 more, the Apple Store will sell the mophie 3-in-1 wireless charging pad. This has the two hot spots like the other model and an extra USB-A port for an Apple Watch. But it also includes an Apple Watch charging connector so that while you’re wirelessly charging the timepiece, it will be held at a perfect angle to use the smartwatch’s Nightstand mode. This pad also charges wirelessly at 7.5W.

“The compact mophie Wireless Charging Pad conveniently recharges your compatible Apple iPhones and Wireless Charging Case for AirPods. Just place your iPhone or AirPods on the pad and a steady, efficient charge of up to 7.5W begins on contact. With the pad’s two fast charge spots and extra USB-A port, you can simultaneously charge your iPhone, AirPods, and connect your Apple Watch cable.”-Apple Store

While listings for the mophie wireless charging dual pad and the 3-1 wireless charging pad appear on the Apple Store website, they are incomplete. Both are missing photos of the accessories and accompanying videos.

August 22, 2019

First smartphone equipped with a 108MP camera is “coming soon”

Xiaomi’s phones, like the majority of handsets designed and made in China, aren’t sold in the states. But it always is a good idea to follow what is going on with these manufacturers because many times they are ahead of the field when it comes to new features and specs. For example, back in June, we told you that hidden code found in the latest MIUI (Xiaomi’s Android UI) Camera app revealed that a Xiaomi phone would possibly be among the first to use Samsung’s 64MP ISOCELL sensor. Samsung announced the 64MP ISOCELL Bright GW1 sensor back in May.

While Realme is reportedly about to launch a phone sporting a 64MP rear camera later this month, Xiaomi revealed today that it will release its first device with a 64MP camera in the fourth quarter. This will be found on a handset with the Redmi brand; this is Xiaomi’s budget line. The 64MP GW1 employs the pixel-merging Tetracell technology to deliver “bright” 16MP snapshots under low-light conditions. The sensor comes with the ISOCELL Plus technology which reduces noise by “minimizing optical loss and light reflection.” It also has a technology known as Dual Conversion Gain (DCG) that optimizes performance and reduces noise in bright light by allowing the use of lower ISO settings. It also hikes the ISO setting under low-light conditions but does so to optimize the signal-to-noise ratio on photos shot in less-than-optimal lighting conditions.

Xiaomi also announced that Samsung has broken the 100MP mark with a new 108MP sensor that will debut on an upcoming Xiaomi phone. It has the highest resolution of any smartphone camera sensor and can produce photographs carrying a resolution of 12032 x 9024. With 2x digital zoom, the sensor will still capture 27MP images. The size of the sensor will be the largest available on the market and this means that its “ultra-high light input (will be used) to deliver stellar images in low-light environments.”

Back in March, chipmaker Qualcomm hinted that 64MP and 100MP+ sensors were in the works. This brings back memories of the megapixel wars that led Nokia to include a 41MP camera on the back of the Lumia 1020 back in 2013. Up until recently, the main focus (no pun intended) has been on the use of multiple sensors to improve the photographic experience on phones. Also, the addition of ultra-wide lenses and time of flight (ToF) depth sensors has seemingly replaced the number of MP in importance as far as consumers are concerned. Google’s image processing prowess helped turn the Pixel into one of the top (if not the top) smartphone brands for those who want their phone to take outstanding pictures. Up until now, Google has fought back against the higher MP and multiple sensor trends by placing a single 12MP sensor on the Pixel line. However, it appears that the Pixel 4 will be equipped with multiple cameras on the back.

While many Americans might not be familiar with the Xiaomi brand, the company did launch the first smartphone to feature a 48MP camera earlier this year. That was the Redmi 7. In the U.S., the OnePlus 7 Pro features a 48MP primary camera on the back. And next up will be 64MP, which might not be found on a U.S. phone until after the first quarter of 2020. As for the 108MP sensor, don’t expect to find it on a phone sold in the states until 2021-2022.

August 22, 2019

Samsung unveils the chip that will be installed in the Galaxy Note 10 series

Just hours before Samsung is set to unveil the Galaxy Note 10 line in the U.S., the manufacturer officially introduced the chipset that will power the phones outside of the U.S. The Exynos 9825 SoC is manufactured at Samsung’s own fabrication facilities using the 7nm EUV process. Using this process, more transistors fit inside the new chip than the number employed in the 8nm Exynos 9820. This should lead to performance improvements of 20% to 30% while the Exynos 9825 consumes 30% to 50% less power. The EUV stands for extreme-ultraviolet lithography. This is a technology that uses ultraviolet beams to etch silicon in finer details allowing for more precise placement of circuitry inside the chip.

Samsung says that the Exynos 9825, similar to the Exynos 9820 it replaces, is equipped with two Samsung custom CPUs, two Cortex-A75 CPUs for complex tasks and four Cortex-A55 CPUs for less taxing demands. The graphics process unit (GPU) on the chip is the ARM Mali-G76 MP12 (also the same as the one on the Exynos 9820). The A-75 cores and the GPU will run at faster clock speeds than the same components on the Exynos 9820; the faster clock speeds and the use of 7nm EUV helped the newer chip to run faster in tests against its predecessor. The chip will have an integrated Neural Processing Unit (NPU) to help run Artifical Intelligence features for a smartphone camera allowing for the recognition of objects to optimize photographs. It also is used to learn user patterns and help apps pre-load faster. The NPU can also support Augmented Reality capabilities on a handset.

The Exynos 9825 also comes with Universal Flash Storage (UFS) 3.0, which has twice the bandwidth and uses less energy than UFS 2.1. It also can run at higher temperatures, which is important considering all of the demands that are thrown at a smartphone these days. UFS 3.0 has a sequential read speed of almost 2280 MB/sec compared to roughly 800MB/sec with UFS 2.1. As for the modem on the Exynos 9825, it is an integrated 4G LTE-Advanced Pro modem with 8x Carrier Aggregation. The latter combines carriers to form larger data channels in order to increase capacity on a network. It is one of the tools used by wireless providers to increase data speeds. And when paired with Samsung’s Exynos 5100 5G modem (which supports both mmW and sub-6GHz 5G airwaves), the Exynos 9825 will support the next generation in wireless connectivity.

The Exynos 9825 supports LPDDR4X memory and 22MP cameras in back and front. It also will work with a dual-camera setup (16MP + 16MP). Video can be shot in 8k at 30fps and 4K UHD video shoots at 150fps. Using a technology known as physically unclonable function (PUF), the chip isolates and secures users’ personal data.

Historically, Samsung usually employs the latest Snapdragon Mobile Platform to run the latest Galaxy Note model in the U.S. with the Exynos chipset used just about everywhere else. However, a recent rumor called for all Galaxy Note 10 units (as opposed to the Galaxy Note 10+) in the states to also feature the Exynos 9825 SoC except for Verizon branded models. That rumor turned out not to be true, and all Galaxy Note 10 variants in the U.S. should be equipped with the Snapdragon 855 (+) Mobile Platform. The latter is manufactured by TSMC using its 7nm process.

The last time that a Samsung Galaxy Note phone was sold in the U.S. with an Exynos chip was back in 2015 with the Galaxy Note 5. This was the year that the Snapdragon 810 had problems with overheating and the Galaxy S6 and the Galaxy Note 5 were both powered with the Exynos 7420 SoC in the states.

August 20, 2019

Android Messages will reportedly become the default messaging app on Samsung phones

A Reddit poster who claims to be a Samsung engineer says that the company is thinking about making Android Messages the default messaging app on its phones replacing Samsung’s own messaging app. The Redditor says that this is being done to “to reduce headaches down the road for US devices.” The headache involves creating a universal version of the Rich Communication Services (RCS) messaging platform called RCS Chat in the country. Recently, Google was able to bypass carriers in the U.K. and France in order to complete the rollout of RCS in those two countries. And while the search giant says that it will soon announce more markets where the SMS replacement will be disseminated, it isn’t clear whether the U.S. will be one of them.

The U.S. has some complications including the fact that some carriers have their own RCS systems. This makes it a complicated task to build a universal platform in the states, according to the person claiming to be a Samsung engineer. With RCS, users will have a much larger character cap than the 160 now available with SMS apps. There also is support for group messages, “read-receipts” that let you know when the recipient has looked at the message you sent, and an alert that tells you when that person is writing a reply. While Google would like RCS to compete against Apple’s Messages app and its encrypted iMessages platform, RCS won’t totally encrypt messages.

It seems that Google’s best bet to implement universal RCS in the states is to skirt around the carriers. Whether or not Google is considering this end-around is not clear. For those Android users in the states using their carrier’s messaging app or the one that is pre-loaded by their phone’s manufacturer, universal RCS would be a big step forward.

August 15, 2019