Global smartphone shipments dropped in Q1 2020

The first-quarter numbers for smartphone shipments are in and things, as expected, do not look good. The overall shipments have dropped, and there’s no doubt that the Coronavirus outbreak is to blame. While total shipments fell by 13 percent, which comes out to roughly 300 million fewer devices, not everyone was in the red.

According to Counterpoint Research, every major brand suffered from reduced shipments, with Samsung taking the biggest hit. During Q1 of 2019, Samsung had shipped 72 million devices, a number that has dropped to 59 million for this quarter. Apple’s shipments dropped from 42 million to 40, while Huawei, went from 59.1 to 49. However, there were two companies that surprisingly continued to see growth in shipments. Xiaomi had shipped 27.8 million units in Q1 of 2019 a number that grew modestly to 29.7. The highest growth was registered by Realme, whose numbers nearly tripled, going from 2.8 million same times last year to 7.2 million this year.

Counterpoint Research continues to note that the impact of the coronavirus is going to be worse in Q2 2020. Besides predicting a further slump in sales numbers, there is also expected to be a notable slowdown in 5G deployment according to the firm. India and Spain have already delayed the auction of the 5G spectrum. The note continues to say that since China has already started recovering, Chinese brands like Oppo and Huawei are likely to benefit from that growth as well. However, Samsung whose major markets are still under lockdown looks to continue its rough patch.

 All the drastic changes in shipment numbers apart, Samsung still commands the number 1 spot, with Huawei in second. Huawei has managed to hold its spot despite the crippling sanctions put on it by the U.S. Government. Samsung still holds a 20 percent market share while Huawei has a 17 percent share of the pie. Apple is in number 3 spot with regards to the global shipment, with its 40 million units accounting for a 14 percent market share.

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OnePlus Z tipped to feature Qualcomm Snapdragon 765 SoC with support for 5G

OnePlus is expected to launch a new smartphone called the OnePlus Z soon and a new leak has given is a bit more information about the processor powering the smartphone. According to a tweet by notable tipster, @MaxJmb, the phone will be powered by the Qualcomm 765 SoC and will offer support by 5G connectivity. The same person had previously suggested that the device will be launched in July this year.

 

pic.twitter.com/3pOxPgddM8

— Max J. (@MaxJmb) May 1, 2020

 

Previous reports had suggested that the OnePlus Z will be powered by a MediaTek Dimensity 1000 chipset, which would make it the first smartphone by the manufacturer to be powered by a MediaTek SoC. However, if the latest leak is true, then it looks like Qualcomm will continue it’s record of powering all OnePlus smartphones, all the way from the OnePlus One. 

Images of the smartphone were leaked a few days and suggest that it will feature a punch-hole style design for the front camera. The smartphone has been tipped to sport a 6.4-inch Full HD+ display with an OLED panel. It is expected to packs triple-rear camera setup with a 48MP+16MP+ 2MP configuration. At the front, it is tipped to sport a 16MP unit housed inside the aforementioned punch-hole. It may also feature a 4000mAh battery with support for 30W fast charging. 

OnePlus unveiled its new OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro series of flagship smartphones last month. Both smartphones are powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 SoC, and sport high refresh-rate displays with support for HDR10+. They also come with multi-camera setups. However, the OnePlus 8 features a slightly smaller 6.55-inch FHD+ Super AMOLED display with a punch-hole located on the top-left corner. At the back is a triple-camera setup with a 48MP+16MP+2MP configuration, while at the front is a 16MP unit.

The OnePlus 8 Pro comes with a QHD+ 6.78-inch AMOLED panel that goes for a punch-hole selfie camera instead of a pop-up module like on its predecessor. It also offers a 120Hz refresh-rate, which is higher than the 90Hz refresh rate found on the OnePlus 8. The Pro variant of the phone also comes with a quad-rear camera setup with a 48MP+8MP+48MP+2MP configuration.

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Realme 5 Pro and Realme XT receiving April security patch via OTA

Owners of Realme 5 Pro and Realme XT have reason to feel good as the company has started rolling out a new OTA update for the devices. The new updates carry the build numbers RMX1971EX_11.C.03 for the Realme 5 Pro and RMX1921EX_11.C.04. for the Realme XT. The updates are being rolled out in a phased manner, with a small group of users getting the update first, post which, the roll-out will be much wider. This is a pretty good strategy so as to prevent any major disruptions due to a botched update.

In addition to bringing the April Security Patch update to the devices, there are also a number of new features included for users. For starters, the audio quality for third-party apps has been improved and a number of issues have also been fixed. Issues like the alarm being turned off and being dismissed from background tasks have been fixed. There are some minor changes to the Dark Mode as well for both the Realme 5 Pro and the Realme XT.

As with every OTA update, we would strongly recommend waiting to update as lately, there have been a number of cases with smartphone updates causing more harm than good. Some companies have even had to stop the rollout altogether. OnePlus faced a terribly similar issue in their Beta program, where a beta update had to be halted and then rolled back because it locked some users out of their devices. Therefore, a little patience is always good. As it is, the OTA updates doesn’t bring critical fixes, and the April security update can wait a few days.

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Fitbit may launch 4G smartwatch for kids later this year: Report

It looks like Fitbit is planning to launch a new wearable that is aimed at kids. According to a report by Engadget, the company plans to launch a kids smartwatch with 4G connectivity later this year. It further adds that in order to do so, the company has acquired Hong Kong-based startup, Doki Technology that made a kids smartwatch with video calling functionality.

Engadget’s report further adds that a few weeks back, Doki had notified customers that its devices, namely the dokiWatch, dokiWatch S and dokiPal would be disconnected from July 1 onwards. However, it was noted that there was no mention of Fitbit in the mail.  

It should be noted that if Fitbit does make a wearable for kids, it will not be the first time it does so. The company already offers devices for children under its Ace range. However, they aren’t exactly smartwatches. The acquisition of Doki should augment that category as it the start-up not only features a self-built platform, but also offers top of the line features like safety tracking, video calling, and voice calling. The report notes that the company’s last smartwatch, the DokiPal, came with a ‘Doki SIM’ that offered unlimited data in over 509 countries for $9.99 a month. 

If Fitbit does release a 4G smartwatch for children, it should have the market pretty much all to itself. Almost all major brands that release wearables tend to focus on adults instead of children. So there might be a market for a wearable that parents can you to track and keep in touch with their kids. However, this doesn’t mean that there aren’t attempts at making one. A few years ago, Alcatel launched the Movetime kids smartwatch that was said to offer a talk time up to two hours with charging time of nearly one hour. The smartwatch claimed to has a standby time of up to four days. The smartwatch is dustproof and supports calling function along with connectivity options like Bluetooth, WiFi and GPS. Alcatel Movetime sports a 96 x 64 pixels OLED display and weighs 40 grams.   

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PUBG Mobile confirms v0180 update to feature Mad Miramar map, canted sight and more

Tencent has finally confirmed the new features that players can expect in the PUBG Mobile’s new v0.18.0 update. The tweet pretty much confirms what we’ve already known thanks to the Beta version of the game that got the new update a while back. The company has also comfy that the new updated version of Miramar will not be called Miramar 2.0, but rather ‘Mad Miramar’. To recall, the new update is scheduled to be available from May 7.

 

A glimpse at what's to come! Mad Miramar launches on May 7th with a slew of new features and gear! Make sure you're prepared now https://t.co/Npi5O5YFbr pic.twitter.com/m1EAaLnEsx

— PUBG MOBILE (@PUBGMOBILE) May 1, 2020

 

Mad Miramar

The new Mad Miramar map will now feature new locations like ruins as well as a new area with water. It will also come with the Golden Mirado, a special gold plated version of the Mirado. Only one instance of the vehicle will spawn on the map, so it’s a pretty rare commodity. 

New Win94 with 2.7x scope

The map will also come with the new Win94 weapons with a 2.7X scope attached. The standard version of the Win94 rifle could hardly equip any attachments. So having a permanent scope attachment should definitely improve the usability of the weapon. Besides this, the map will also come with vending machines that will dispense consumables like energy drink and painkillers. 

New results screen

Players will also see a new results screen that will offer better statistics and information. This will be quite useful for players to know how well a certain strategy performed as well as their effectiveness with certain weapons.

Canted scope

The weapons in the game are also updated to equip the new canted sights. These sights are attached to the side of a weapon and give players the option of having to scopes on their gun. The primary slot can be taken by a scope with higher magnification, while the side scope is pretty much a red dot scope for close-quarters battles. 

P90 weapon for Arena Mode

Arena mode players can look forward to a new SMG called the P90. The new weapon should offer players a large magazine capacity along with a high rate of fire. These attributes should make it a very viable weapon for CQB engagements.

Cheer Park

The developers have also confirmed the addition of a Cheer Park to the game. As per the Beta, the new cheer park will come with rides and arcade games where people will be able to try those out without worrying about being shot.

As mentioned before, the new features have already been added to the beta version. You can check out all the features here.

 

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Vivo S1 receives Rs 1000 price cut across all offline stores

Vivo has slashed the price of the Vivo S1 smartphone in India. The smartphone was launched last year in August at Rs 17,990 for the 4GB RAM variant. The price drop is of Rs 1000, which brings down the price to Rs 16,990 for the 4GB +128GB variant. A 6GB RAM variant of the phone was also introduced at Rs 19,990 but is now discontinued by the company.

The Vivo S1 is aimed at the offline market, and it's available at retail stores across the country. 91Mobiles has learnt from its retail sources that the new price comes in effect starting May and customers can buy the phone offline once the lockdown lifts and retail stores start operating. 

Vivo S1 Specifications

The Vivo S1 comes with a MediaTek Helio P65 SoC with 4GB RAM and 128GB storage. Its display is the key highlight of the phone as it has a 6.38-inch Super AMOLED display with FHD+ resolution.

For photos, it has a triple camera setup, combining a 16MP primary sensor, an 8MP ultra-wide-angle lens and a 2MP depth sensor. For selfies, it has a 32MP camera. 

It runs FunTouch OS based on Android 9 Pie. It has a 4500mAh battery and supports fast charging as well. Connectivity options include 4G, dual-band Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0, micro-USB port, and 3.5mm headphone jack.

Is it a good buy?

The Vivo S1 was one of the better phones to buy offline when it was launched. Its USP is still its screen, battery and camera, which are among the key buying points of the offline consumer. But if you have access to buying the Poco X2, Redmi Note 9 Pro or Realme 6 Pro, then the S1 is clearly out of the league when it comes to performance and cameras. 

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NVIDIA Chief Scientist developed an open-source ventilator that can be made under 100

NVIDIA Chief Scientist Bill Dally has created an open-source design of a low-cost, ventilator that is also easy to assemble, as a contribution to the global fight against the Novel Coronavirus pandemic. Dally has developed the ventilator in just a few weeks and made it around readily available components.

The ventilator that Dally has designed needs a proportional solenoid valve and a microcontroller. The scientist believes the ventilators can be assembled for a few hundred dollars.

The ventilator can also be assembled in a few minutes. It can be attached to a simple display and packed into a Pelican carrying case. The prototype that Dally built was made using off-the-shelf components for $400 (roughly Rs 30,000). When produced at bulk, Dally believes manufacturers can shave off another $100. If 3D-print parts are used, the whole can be manufactured for under $100, which is quite impressive. According to NVIDIA, the cost of a traditional ventilator is around $20,000.

Dally has tested the open-source ventilator on a lung simulator, and he has used the same route that NASA recently used to get its own ventilator design approved by the FDA. However, even if the design is approved, finding a manufacturer ready to invest in assembling the parts will be challenging in the current scenario.

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