It is that time of the year that other Android users go green with envy, as Android 11 began to roll out to Google Pixel smartphones this week. This includes the Pixel 2, Pixel 3, Pixel 3a, Pixel 4, and Pixel 4a. If you are using any other Android phone, you may have to wait a while to get a taste of this pudding. Still, owners of phones like OnePlus 8 and 8 Pro, OPPO Find X2, Ace2 & Reno3 4G series, and Realme X50 Pro, are getting Android 11 open beta as well. Not the same as thwe stable version that Pixel owners are getting, but it is Android 11 all the same.
Nokia 8.3 5G Pre-order in Belgium
In Europe, Belgium to be precise, Nokia 8.3 5G is now available on pre-order. It is an upper mid-range 5G smartphone with a 6.81-inch IPS LCD display, 24MP punch-hole selfie camera, Snapdragon 765G chipset, and a 4,500 mAh battery with 18W charging.
Apple wants to produce 74 million 5G iPhones in 2020
5G is all the rave in 2020. While other manufacturers like Samung, Huawei and Xiaomi already have 5G smartphones in the hands of users, Apple is on its way to getting on the train. The US company is looking to ramp up production and make 74 million 5G iPhones this year. We are expecting the iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Max, and iPhone 12 Pro Max, to go on sale later this year. These models are expected to have a 5.4″, 6.1″, and 6.7″ display respectively. Bring it on, Apple!
And Huawei may produce only 50 million smartphones in 2021
Huawei shipped 240 million phones in 2019. This year, the brand successfully overtook Samsung to become the largest smartphone brand on the planet. But a source say that Huawei may not produce more than 50 million smartphones in 2021. The source says that “Huawei shared this 2021 target with its South Korean subcontractors”. [1] If this projection is true, then we can expect a massive shift in the smartphone market place next year. Already, another Chinese brand, Xiaomi, is clearly pushing hard to take Huawei’s place. They won’t be the only one scrambling.
POCO M2 Launched in India
All the way over in India, POCO M2 has been announced. It has a 6.53″ display, Helio G80 chipset, 6GB RAM, 13MP quad cameras, and 5,000mAh battery. Launch price is Rs 10,999. That is about $149, and it sounds like good value for money. Will we see the POCO M2 in other markets outside of Asia? Well, seeing that the POCO M2 is a rebranded version of the Redmi 9 Prime, which itself is a rebranded Redmi 9 (sigh), duh. Redmi 9 is already available in multiple markets and regions. But honestly, what is with the chain rebrandings?
TECNO Camon 16 Premier Launched in Nigeria
TECNO Mobile has launched the Camon 16 Premier in Nigeria. We are looking at a 6.9″ display with 90Hz refresh rate, Helio G90T chipset, 64MP rear quad camera, 4500mAh battery. TECNO Camon 16 Premier is available on pre-order. The recommended retail price is ₦116,000.
The first HarmonyOS phone is on the way
HarmonyOS is Huawei’s home-grown mobile operating system. The Chinese company says that the first smartphone to be powered by HarmonyOS will hit the streets in 2021. The question that people are asking is, How does HarmonyOS hope to succeed where Windows Mobile 10 and BlackBerry 10 operating systems failed? Perhaps the fact that it runs Android apps out of the box and that Huawei’s core market – China – has not been open to Google Mobile Services any way. But time will tell.
Motorola Razr 5G heads to AT&T, T-Mobile in the USA
Motorola’s first foldable phone, the Razr, is getting a 5G upgrade, and word on the street is that it is heading to US carriers, AT&T and T-Mobile. Motorola Razr 5G will be using Qualcomm’s mid-range 5G-enabled Snapdragon 765G chipset. References
