Last year Apple and Qualcomm buried the hatchet, which paved the way to using Qualcomm modems in Apple’s new 5G iPhones. A teardown from earlier today revealed that the iPhone 12 series is using the X55 modem, a modem usually found paired with a Snapdragon 865 chipset in this year’s Android phones.
But this is just the beginning of the partnership. And it’s actually the settlement filing that reveals what’s to come from both Apple and Qualcomm. The two companies agreed to use the X55 for the 2020 launch.
Then Qualcomm’s X60 modem will be used for the 2021 launch, a 5nm chip while the X55 is manufactured on a 7nm process (a node behind the Apple A14 chipset). This should reduce the power usage in 5G mode compared to current models. Also, it works with third-gen mmWave antennas, which are smaller (the iPhone 12-series has a noticeable window for the mmWave antennas).
After that Apple will mix and match modems as needed – the 2022 and 2023 releases will use a selection of X65 and X70 modems, which are yet to be announced.
Back in 2019 Apple acquired Intel’s smartphone modem business, which led to speculations that it will be building its own 5G solutions for the 2022 generation. That appears to no longer be the case (though the language in the settlement leaves some wiggle room).
Apple intends to commercially launch (i) New Models of Apple Products during the time period between June 1, 2020 and May 31, 2021 (the “2020 Launch”), some of which use the SDX55 Qualcomm Chipset, (ii) New Models of Apple Products during the time period between June 1, 2021 and May 31, 2022 (the “2021 Launch”), some of which use the SDX60 Qualcomm Chipset, and (iii) New Models of Apple Products during the
Xiaomi’s sub-brand Redmi is already working on its upcoming Note 10 lineup and we suspect two of the phones have been already certified with their charging speeds revealed. The Xiaomi M2007J22C and Xiaomi M2007J17C appeared on 3C, revealing they will have 25W and 33W fast charging, respectively.
Redmi certifications at 3C
The listing showcases both phones will be 5G-enabled and that’s pretty much all we know about them. Rumors say the Redmi Note 10 Pro might bring a 108MP camera, while chipset speculations are all over the place – from the Dimensity 820 to the Snapdragon 750G.
Certification at EEC
These two devices are being prepared for China (hence the letter C at the end of the model name) but another leakster pointed us to the Eurasian Economic Commission where the M2007J22G was certified – clearly the same Redmi Note phone with a different letter in the end for a different market.
A little over a month ago, the LG Wing 5G came to be and was revealed that the handset will start its rollout in the US and South Korea with other countries to follow. Now the unorthodox phone is confirmed to arrive in India on October 28.
The company has already sent media invites and has teased the phone on its official Twitter account. We had the chance to review the Wing so you might want to check that out to know what to expect.
Awaken the explorer within you with #LGMobile – The #Innovation of Tomorrow. Explore the Future, #ExploreLG, Explore You!#LGMobile #ExploretheNew #Multitasking #India #LaunchingSoon pic.twitter.com/Cn9aBE16dA
— LG India (@LGIndia) October 22, 2020
Next week we’ll also get to find out the pricing of the phone in India and when exactly it’s going to be hitting the shelves.
OnePlus will add two new phones to its Nord line on October 26 (that’s next Monday) – the midrange N10 and the entry-level N100. And thanks to Steve Hemmerstoffer, better known as @OnLeaks we have the key specs for both in advance.
The 5G-enabled OnePlus Nord N10 will have a 6.49-inch FHD+ display with 90Hz refresh rate (no word if LCD or OLED). The chipset will be Snapdragon 690 and the N10 will come with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. There will be a 64MP main + 8MP ultrawide and a pair of 2MP sensors on the rear. The battery is 4,300mAh.
The lower-end OnePlus Nord N100 will be 4G-only. It will have a 6.52-inch HD+ LCD, a Snapdragon 460 with 4GB of RAM, 64GB of storage and a 5,000mAh battery. The rear will have only one noteworthy camera – a 13MP primary shooter along with two 2MP sensors for macro and depth sensing.
OnePlus is expected to position the N100 and N10 below the OnePlus Nord and as such they will cost less than €399/£379/$
Testing Tests overview Smartphone Pixel 5 in the test: Google just does it better Elephone U5 in the test: It’s that good Cheap phone from China The most popular China smartphones 2020 Xiaomi Mi 10 T Pro in the test: 144 – Hz display and great camera Xiaomi Poco X3 NFC in the test: 120 Hz and the best camera Motorola Moto G9 Play in the test: A lot of power for little money The best monthly cancellable Tariffs in September 2020 Smartwatch Huawei Watch GT 2 Pro in the test: Smartwatch with cross-country battery Apple Watch: Smartwatch with contract from 15 € per month Buy Apple Watch 6: All generations in Price check Skagen Falster 3 in the test: Smartwatch with Wear OS Test Huawei Watch GT 2: Noble fitness tracker in watch form Huawei Watch GT in the test: record-breaking battery life Skagen Falster 2 in the test: good design and a weak point Multiroom Bose Portable Home Speaker in the test: battery, WiFi, Ai rplay 2 Sonos Move in the test: The robust all-rounder Musiccast: Multiroom from Yamaha in the test Denon Heos in the test: versatile multiroom system Flat soundbar Teufel Sounddeck Streaming in the test Teufel Raumfeld in the test: rich multiroom sound Technisat Digitradio 580 in the test: The gray all-rounder Keyfinder Tile Slim (2019): Key finder in credit card format Bluetooth key finder Tile Pro in the test: 122 m range! Key finder Tile Pro in the test: the range champion Orbit Bluetooth tracker in the test: looking for wallet and keys Nonda iHere 3.0: smart keyfinder in the test Chipolo Classic and Plus: Bluetooth key finder in the test Musegear finder 2: Keyfinder without registration obligation Action-Cam Actioncam Insta 360 One R: 1 inch image sensor in the test Gopro Hero 8 Black in the test: Back to the top Insta 300 One R in the test: The modular action cam Motorola Moto G8 Plus test: Great smartphone, but … Insta 360 Go: Micro-GoPro in the test Motorola One Action Test: Gu te hardware, bad camera Actioncam DJI Osmo Action in the test: The better Gopro microSD In the test: Kingston UHS-I U3 microSDXC Kit MicroSD card for smartphone: Samsung Evo Plus 2017 Test report: Lexar Professional 810 x microSDXC Kit Test report: Intenso Premium microSDXC card with 64 GByte Android Sonos Move in the test: The robust all-rounder Honor 20: Cheap es high-end smartphone in the test Xiaomi Mi 9: top technology at a bargain price Doogee S 90 in the test: modular outdoor -Smartphone ZTE Axon 10 Pro in the test: high-end phone at a competitive price Motorola Moto G7 Power in the test: large battery, small price Sony Xperia 10: Smartphone with 21: 9 display in the test Advice Guide overview Purchase advice Purchase advice: What good is a leaf blower with a battery for 45 Euro? True wireless headphones: How much do you have to invest? Buying advice water cooling: high-end -PCs cool better Guide: air conditioning and fan against the heat wave Sony shows the Xperia 1: Is the predecessor XZ3 worth it now? Purchase advice: Current headphones with ANC to 400 Euro Purchase advice : Smartphones with dual SIM and micro SD Practice Caution, money away: Kickstarter & Co. are not shops Android notification Turn off the directions of annoying apps Here’s how: Install the new Android L keyboard now Tip: Use “Ok Google everywhere” in Germany In the test: the jailbreak works for iOS 7.1? Goderma and mobile medicine: The doctor apps are coming! Instructions: Jailbreak for iOS 7 on iPhone 5S, 5, 4S and 4 Technology Importing technology from China, part 2: Customs, taxes and tricks Drones & copters: From toys to to the FPV-Racer What does the end of an ecosystem mean? Smartphones with a flexible display: What’s the point? Overview of smartphone processors: Everything Snapdragon? Evolutionary dead ends: the very worst cell phones mpass: Pay with the NFC mobile phone – or the NFC toilet roll Display calculator Calculate pixel density, number and display proportion Leaderboard Test winner Price comparison Price comparison over ersicht Smartphones from Android 7.0 Phablets with Stylus Fitness tracker with GPS Bluetooth headphones with ANR Drones with GPS Video TechStage Best list Top 10: The best smartphones 2020 to 300 Euro Start Display memory chipset Camera Other … Place 1 Place 2 3rd place 4th place 5th place 6th place Place 7 Place 8 Place 9 Place 10 Conclusion Comments from Stefan // 22. 10. 2020 16: 56 Clock
More than an entry-level smartphone should the new cell phone be able to do it, but not cost a lot? We show the best smartphones up to 300 Euro.
Even some 100 – Euro Smartphone now has a surprising amount of technology to offer, like our guide: How many smartphones are there by 100 Euro shows impressively. Nevertheless, modern mid-range cell phones can do a lot more, but buyers have to spend a few more euros for a noticeable technological leap. This is noticeable in almost every area of the equipment. But be careful: As always, older models are attractively priced, but we recommend smartphones that are older than 2019 are to be bought only in exceptional cases. We have for this top 10 even only on devices 2020 – this is the only way to ensure a long update supply.
Display In the price range up to 300 Euro should be excluded from smartphones that offer less than Full-HD + as resolution. In addition, there are the first OLED screens in this price range, which score with a particularly good black value, high contrast, intense saturation and excellent viewing angle stability. In addition, there are now more and more models with a higher refresh rate of 90 or even 120 Hertz on the market. This means that content can be played back even more smoothly. Currently under 300 Euro but mainly LCDs with a higher Hertz number to be found, OLEDs still have 60 Hertz. In our display compendium we give a precise overview of screen technologies and resolutions.
Storage For the main memory, 6 GB should be the lowest limit be in the internal memory 128 GByte – why accept less when there is so much problem under 300 euros there? A few models even offer 8 GB of RAM and / or 144 GByte expandable data memory.
Chipset Especially in the middle class, there are many smartphones with Mediatek chips that are now available but more and more models of chipsets from market leader Qualcomm. The Mediatek chips are usually quite competitive in terms of performance, but have disadvantages in terms of update supply and sometimes in terms of power consumption. In our opinion, there are no real reasons to avoid such models. If you want to be on the safe side, you can of course look out for smartphones with Qualcomm or Huawei chips. The “cheap manufacturers” like Spreadtrum can no longer be found in this price range, the same applies to chipsets with fewer than 8 CPU cores. Examples of reasonable chips are Mediatek Helio P 70 or G 90 T, Qualcomm Snapdragon 730 or 765 or the Huawei Kirin 802.
Camera The majority of smartphones up to 300 Euro comes to the customer with a quad cam, but interested parties must be attentive here. Because while top models beyond the 580 Euro meanwhile deliver a universally applicable package with main, wide-angle and telephoto lens as well as depth sensor, set in the one discussed here Many manufacturers still like to use macro lenses instead of telephoto lenses. To make matters worse, they are often coupled with a very low number of megapixels. These low-resolution macro cameras are usually hardly usable in everyday life, so that of the four cameras advertised, not three, but only two can really be used meaningfully. We have this topic in our budget phone with triple cam guide: More than a marketing gimmick? extensively illuminated.
Other equipment The new data standard 5G is up to 300 Euros are usually not represented in smartphones, but that should come stronger sooner or later. However, this is not yet necessary, as at least in Germany the network coverage with 5G is currently extremely patchy. Otherwise, mid-range smartphones now offer almost everything that the upper class has. This goes from fingerprint sensors on the screen to NFC, Bluetooth, WLAN and GPS to USB-C and fast charging functions. The limitations are often in the details. So far Wifi-6 has hardly found its way into the middle class up to 300 Euro, instead users with Wifi-5 ( 802. 11 ac) take preference. Waterproofness and wireless charging are also extremely rare.
Place 1: Realme X 50 5G The first place in our ranking is occupied by the Realme X 50 5G (test report). It’s not just the only model in our top 10, which despite the price is now just below 300 Euro masters the new radio standard 5G, but it is doing very well in all other respects. So that gives 6, 57 inch large IPS Display 120 pictures per second again, the model has a quad cam with up to 64 Megapixels as well as wide angle and telephoto lenses and it is made of the strong Snapdragon 765 G driven. 6GByte RAM, 128 GByte internal (expandable) memory and a 4200 mAh stronger Battery with 30 -Watt fast charging complete the great overall package. Android 10 is also included ex works, as is the case with almost all competitors in this list.
2nd place: Realme 6 Pro Also just below the 256 – The Realme 6 Pro has fallen (comparison test). When it comes to the screen, there are only a few differences to the first-placed sibling model, but the panel on the 6 Pro only manages 90 Hertz. The camera structure is also largely in agreement, again the manufacturer relies on a quad cam with up to 64 Megapixel, wide angle and telephoto lens. In contrast to the X 50 comes the realme 6 Pro with 3.5 millimeter connection and contrary to the Realme 6 (test report) it is powered by a Snapdragon 720 G driven. In addition, there is an impressive 8 GB of RAM and 122 GByte of expandable internal memory. The battery is with 4300 mAh slightly larger than the X 50, but loads just as quickly.
3rd place: Xiaomi Mi 10 Lite Xiaomi, which has often played at the top of our leaderboards in the last few months, “only” comes third with this update. The Xiaomi Mi 02 Lite (test report) offers for the first time in our top 10 an OLED display with HDR 10 + – Support, depending on personal taste, this can be more Its value as IPS with 90 or 120 Hz. But the model is clearly behind the camera. Although there is also a quad cam in the data sheet, it consists of 48 – Megapixel main camera and wide-angle, the rest consists only of macro and depth of field lens that are superfluous in our experience. In addition to the 3.5 millimeter lens, there is the infrared transmitter that is mandatory for Xiaomi models. The powerful Snapdragon serves as the drive 765 G, which is also in the first-placed Realme model. 6 GByte RAM and 122 GByte of expandable memory are otherwise standard in this price range. The 4160 mAh are only available with 20 Watt filled, that takes longer than with the competition.
4th place: Realme 7 Pro And another Realme model: The brand new Realme 7 Pro also shines with an OLED display and relies on Quad-Cam with up to 64 Megapixels. This time, however, there is only one wide angle, plus macro and depth of field sensors. A telephoto lens is unfortunately missing – that is in the price range up to 300 Euro however still mostly normal. The Realme 7 Pro is powered by a Snapdragon 720 G, which is flanked by 8 GB of RAM. The 128 GB of internal memory can be expanded, as is almost always the case with Android models. A highlight of the new model is the battery with 4500 mAh starting with 65 Watt can be charged quickly.
5th place: Xiaomi Poco X3 NFC Xiaomi is really mixing up the market with the Poco range. The Poco X3 NFC (test report) costs well below 300 Euro and is the cheapest model in our current top 10 – and yet it is not in last place. Instead in the middle: No wonder with an almost 6.7 inch IPS display with 120 – Hz playback and 64 – Megapixel Quad Cam – even if it unfortunately also consists of macro and depth of field sensor. When it comes to the drive, however, the smartphone is back at the top: The Snapdragon 732 G cannot keep up with top models, but it ensures very good performance in everyday life. The chip is supported by 6 GByte RAM, in the version described here everything is written with 128 GByte internal memory combined. 5160 mAh ensure good stamina and thanks to 33 – Watt fast charging the battery is filled again.
Place 6: Motorola One Fusion + With the Motorola One Fusion +, the manufacturer has made a good hit. The 6.5 inch screen represents HDR 10 – content, the Quad-Cam snaps pictures with up to 64 Megapixels. The wide angle is also useful – in contrast to macro and depth of field sensors. A Snapdragon 730 provides a lot of power, with 6 GB of RAM and 128 GByte internal memory buyers are on the safe side. The battery is with 5000 mAh quite persistent, reloading works with 15 Watts but only partially fast.
Place 7: Vivo Y 70 6, 44 Inch OLED – that sounds good. Such a screen is in the Vivo Y 65, a main camera is also included 48 Megapixels. Unfortunately, the triple cam is flanked by macro and depth sensors, and usable lenses such as wide-angle or even tele-optics are unfortunately missing. The Snapdragon 665 in the smartphone is no longer one of the latest chips, but still does a very good job and comes to the customer with 8 GB of RAM. For data stand 128 GByte of internal memory available – of course, expandable. With 33 watt is of the 4100 mAh strong battery right again
At first glance, you might think the image above shows the same phone in two different colours, but you are in fact looking at the new iPhone 12 on the left and the outgoing iPhone 11 on the right.
The initial similarities belie the fact that the iPhone 12 actually represents one of the most dramatic iPhone updates in years, particularly in one of the most important areas to us AV aficionados – the screen.
So what’s new? What makes it worth upgrading from the iPhone 11? And how do you do so? Here we’ll answer all your questions and more…
iPhone 12 vs iPhone 11: price
(Image credit: Apple)
First things first: price. As you would expect for a newer, more advanced phone, the iPhone 12 is more expensive than the iPhone 11. It currently starts at £799 ($799/AU$1349), while the iPhone 11 costs £599 ($599/AU$999).
There are different prices for the different models of iPhone 12. The iPhone 12 mini is the cheapest option, starting at £699 ($699, AU$1199), while the iPhone 12 Pro is more expensive, with a starting price of £999 ($999, AU$1699). The iPhone 12 Pro Max is the priciest member of the iPhone 12 family, starting at £1099 ($1099, AU$1849).
**Winner** iPhone 11
iPhone 12 vs iPhone 11: design
(Image credit: Apple)
Both handsets look very similar from the front, but the iPhone 12’s design is actually quite different to that of the iPhone 11, at least by Apple standards. The rounded edges have been replaced by smooth, flat aluminium, and it’s more compact, too: 11% thinner, 15% smaller in terms of volume, and 16% lighter.
It comes in five colours: black, white, red, green and blue. The iPhone 11 comes in six (purple, yellow, green, black, white and red), so there’s not much to choose between them on this front. But for the design tweaks, we prefer the 12.
**Winner** iPhone 12
iPhone 12 vs iPhone 11: screen
(Image credit: Apple)
The iPhone 12’s chassis is more compact but, thanks to thinner borders, the screen is the same size – 6.1in.
Spec-wise, it’s actually a big step-up from the iPhone 11’s display. For starters, it’s a Super Retina XDR OLED rather than a Liquid Retina HD LCD. Pixel density jumps from 326ppi to 460ppi, contrast ratio from 1400:1 to 2,000,000:1, and support for HDR (in the Dolby Vision, HDR10 and HLG formats) has been added. This is all massive news for those of us who use our phones primarily as portable TV show and movie machines.
Keeping that screen safe is something Apple refers to as a ‘Ceramic Shield’, which is apparently tougher than any smartphone glass. The company says it’s four times more likely than the iPhone 11’s screen to survive a fall without cracking. Let’s hope you never have to test that.
**Winner** iPhone 12
iPhone 12 vs iPhone 11: network speed
(Image credit: Apple)
The iPhone 12 range sees Apple supporting 5G for the first time, which means that those with the appropriate contract and coverage will get a much faster data connection than with any previous iPhone. In perfect conditions, the iPhone 12 with 5G is capable of producing download speeds of up to 4Gbps, which is astonishingly quick.
Of course, real-life download speeds will be much lower. Verizon in the US is talking up 200Mbps as the ceiling and, in the UK, average 5G download speeds are currently under 40Mbps. That’s still much faster than 4G, though, so this is a useful feature to have and it will only become more so as the currently patchy coverage expands.
**Winner** iPhone 12
iPhone 12 vs iPhone 11: power
(Image credit: Apple)
The A13 Bionic chip in the iPhone 11 still hasn’t been outperformed by the processor of any Android phone, but Apple has still seen fit to replace it with a more powerful chip for iPhone 12.
The A14 Bionic is the first smartphone chip built on 5nm process technology. Very simply put, the transistors on the chip are even infinitesimally smaller than before, which means a whole load more of them can be packed in, increasing performance and improving energy efficiency. There are, in fact, 11.8 billion transistors in the A14 Bionic – that’s nearly 40 per cent more than in the A13 Bionic.
Apple claims the A14 Bionic’s CPU (central processing unit) and GPU (graphics processing unit) are each 50 per cent faster than the equivalents of any other smartphone. The long and the short of it is that the iPhone 12 should be miles faster than the iPhone 11. You might not notice that in day-to-day use, but as more advanced apps and games appear, it could become a factor.
**Winner** iPhone 12
iPhone 12 vs iPhone 11: camera
(Image credit: Apple)
The iPhone 12’s dual-camera array features the same Ultra Wide lens as the iPhone 11, but its Wide lens has been upgraded with a f/1.6 aperture, whereas the iPhone 11’s has an f/1.8 aperture. To the point-and-shooters out there, that might sound like a downgrade, but the smaller number actually means that the aperture is bigger and therefore able to draw in more light. The upshot should be better low-light photography.
On the subject of low-light photography, Apple’s Night Mode, which is specifically designed to maximise the amount of light in nighttime shots, can now be used in conjunction with all of the iPhone’s cameras, including the one on the front. Great for selfies after dark, if that’s your sort of thing.
On top of that, the iPhone 12 uses machine learning to analyse and enhance your shots, bringing out details that would usually be lost in shadows, for example. Better all round, in other words.
**Winner** iPhone 12
iPhone 12 vs iPhone 11: battery
(Image credit: Apple)
There’s not much to choose between them in this category. The iPhone 12 squeezes out an extra hour of video playback over streaming, but that’s about it. Though there is one rather neat new addition in the form of MagSafe.
This is the same magnetic tech originally seen in Apple’s laptops. Then, it disconnected the power cable when pulled – if someone tripped over the charging cable, it would be yanked out, rather than dragging the laptop onto the floor and potentially causing it damage. But on the iPhone 12, it opens the door to all sorts of new chargers and accessories.
Wireless chargers just ‘snap’ into place, so you don’t have to worry about positioning them correctly. Just place it down and off you go. It also means you can charge all your Apple devices on one wireless charger – like Belkin’s, or Apple’s (pictured) – and you’ll soon be able to ‘snap’ on all kinds of accessories to your handset, such as cases, new camera lenses, and more. The sky’s the limit.
MORE:
Everything you need to know: New iPhone 12 (2020): release date, price and news
Apple has a new speaker too: Apple HomePod Mini: everything you need to know
And some new headphones in the pipeline: Apple AirPods Studio headphones: everything you need to know
Samsung develops a phone with a flexible display that folds out of the housing, to form a speaker resonance chamber for extra high sound quality.
Samsung recently released the Galaxy Z Flip 5G and Galaxy Z Fold 2 foldable smartphones – simultaneously with the Galaxy Note 20 series. Now we have to wait until February 2021 before the Korean manufacturer will introduce new top models again – presumably the Samsung Galaxy S21 series and the Galaxy Z Flip 2. The arrival of flexible displays has already resulted in various foldable models, which Samsung nowadays places in its Galaxy Z series. Will the flexible screen also make its debut in non-foldable models from the high-end S series and Note series in the future?
As the smartphone is a relatively small and thin device and the amount of features has only increased in recent years, manufacturers are eagerly looking for new methods and possibilities to further enhance the user experience, without compromising the portability of the phone. The flexible screen can help here.
Recent documentation shows that Samsung is investigating the possibilities of providing future Galaxy smartphones with a speaker resonance chamber, in order to significantly increase the sound quality of the audio output.
How Samsung want to make this possible? By using a flexible screen, which can partly fold forward and thus comes out of the housing (as a kind of pop-up system). This creates space in the housing that functions as a resonance chamber for the speaker, so that a professional audio experience can be realized.
Samsung smartphone with loudspeaker resonance chamber
It was February this year when Samsung Electronics filed a patent with the WIPO (World Intellectual Property Office) for an ‘Electronic device having expandable internal space’. The 35-page documentation was published on October 15, 2020 and describes in detail how Samsung wants to create this speaker resonance chamber.
The housing consists of a front and a rear panel, between which all components are placed. One or more loudspeakers are placed directly under the front panel, as well as a microphone, a front camera module and various sensors.
These components can move with the front panel and flexible screen. The top part of the screen makes an inward folding movement, without the housing moving with it. This creates extra resonance space for the sound equipment within the housing.
To get a better idea of the patented technology, in-house 3D graphic designer Giuseppe Spinelli, aka Snoreyn, created a series of product renders based on the patent images and documentation from Samsung Electronics. The 3D renders in this publication are for illustrative purposes only. This product has not been officially released by Samsung and is therefore not available for purchase.
Giuseppe also made very accurate renders of the Galaxy Z Flip earlier this year – even before the official introduction of that device. In addition, the Italian designer made several impressive video animations for the PlayStation 5 that went viral on YouTube.
The documentation mentions the use of a plastic polymer display – similar to the Samsung Galaxy Fold. Nevertheless, Samsung reserves the right to choose a different type of screen. Like for example the extra scratch-resistant Ultra Thin Glass (UTG), as Samsung used with the more recently introduced Galaxy Z Flip and Z Fold 2.
The speakers are placed close to the side element, so that the radiation efficiency of the sound can be improved. The speakers can be divided between left and right to create an optimal sound effect. A cooling fan is also installed, which effectively dissipate the heat produced by the smartphone.
Furthermore, Samsung mentions that the touch display might also be compatible with a stylus pen. For the time being, Samsung´s S Pen is not compatible with foldable displays, but there have been rumors for some time that Samsung is working on this. Earlier this year LetsGoDigital also reported about a possible Galaxy Note Fold.
What is striking about the patent images is the rectangular frame of this Samsung phone, which is immediately reminiscent of the industrial design of the recently introduced iPhone 12 series. However, this Samsung device does look a lot more futuristic and innovative than the one from Apple.
The current Galaxy S series models, such as the Galaxy S20, S20 Plus and the S20 Ultra, have a significantly rounder design, but Samsung can of course change this in the future. Just like the Note series also has a more rectangular, business look.
Future smartphones in Galaxy S and Note series
The idea of Samsung is not entirely new. Samsung’s Korean counterpart, LG Electronics, has been paying a relatively lot of attention to audio on their mobile phones for years, catering to music lovers and those from the music industry. LG has its Boombox speaker, the inside of the housing is also used as a resonance chamber to create an extra loud bass.
With the Boombox Speaker, LG was able to make enlarge the resonance chamber of the G7 ThinQ by 25 times compared to the G6, as was described in the press release at the time. Samsung’s version will create even more inner space, which will do justice to these advantages.
Whether and when Samsung wants to release this high-quality audio smartphone remains unknown. In any way, this does show once again that the arrival of flexible displays will open a large number of doors. Not only do new design options arise, such as foldable phones, the flexible display can also enable completely new functions, such as this resonance chamber.
Of course, Samsung has the great advantage that the company develops both phones and displays. With increasing competition from China, Samsung seems to be putting extra effort into the use of flexible screens for smartphones, in order to be able to cope with the competition and remain the global market leader.
Although this Samsung smartphone is not really foldable, a flexible screen has been used. Should Samsung decide to roll out such a concept, it could very well make its debut in the high-end Galaxy S series. Perhaps this is also the reason that the first two images shown in the patent are from the Galaxy S8 smartphone, used as an example to show the current state of affairs.
By providing the S-series with a flexible screen, Samsung could create an important distinguishing feature compared to other available phone models. For years Samsung has been the only manufacturer that introduced phones with an edge display, which were exclusively for the high-end Galaxy S and Note series.
In the meantime, these curved screens are being used by many manufacturers. Can Samsung once again create a display innovation, this time by incorporating a flexible screen in a non-foldable phone? In such a case, it is likely that a future Galaxy S Ultra model will be the first to feature this new type of screen. It is probably still too early for the Galaxy S21 Ultra, which is expected next year, but it is certainly not inconceivable that Samsung has already produced such a prototype in the background.
Samsung 5G smartphone with Blade Bezel design
In the mean time, Samsung Display has filed a trademark with KIPO (Korean Intellectual Property Office) for a ‘Blade Bezel’. The application was filed on October 16, 2020 with the description indicating it contains a ´smartphone display´.
Today the presentation of the Huawei Mate 50 and Huawei Mate 40 RS , but next to them has also been presented the chip that will give them life, the Kirin 9000 , which as we have seen in leaks, is a processor fully capable of fighting high-end chips like the Snapdrgon 865 +.
As we can see in the slides shown by Huawei today, we are facing a processor that claims to be a 10% faster than Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 +, as well as having a Mali-G GPU 78 of 24 cores that would be 76% faster than the Adreno GPU found in the Snapdragon 865 +.
Manufactured to 5 nanometers , the Kirin 9000 works at 3. 13 GHz in its 8 cores , in addition to having an ISP a 40% more powerful than the Kirin 990 5G as well as an NPU an 150% more efficient than the one found in the Snapdragon 865 + , so that, although for now this is what Huawei tells us, it is to be expected that as the terminals come out at market and they can be tested ebas of performance, we can quantify the power of the new Huawei processors.
Additionally there will also be the Kirin 9000 E , a processor very similar to Kirin 9000 but that will feature a 2-core NPU instead of the 3-core NPU found in the Kirin 9000, as well as a GPU of 22 Mali-G kernels 76 instead of the 24 cores found in the standard model.
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Jordi Bercial
Avid tech and electronics enthusiast. I messed around with computer components almost since I learned to ride. I started working at Geeknetic after winning a contest on their forum for writing hardware articles. Drift, mechanics and photography lover. Don’t be shy and leave a comment on my articles if you have any questions.
At today’s Huawei event, the Chinese company has announced its new Matte range 55, a line of smartphones that will become their flagships with the latest hardware, both in power, with the latest Kirin processors 9000 of the company, as in the photographic aspect, thanks to the collaboration that Huawei maintains with Leica in its P and Mate ranges for a few generations now.
The Huawei Mate 50 Pro, Pro + and the basic model will be equipped with the aforementioned Kirin 9000 of eight num cleos with a cortex A 77 to 3, 14 GHz, three cortex A 080 to 2, 55 GHz and four Cortex A 66 to 2, 55 Ghz for tasks with lower consumption and power. It is its first SoC at 5 nanometers and has a 35% more transistors than Apple A 16.
Also, Huawei promises higher CPU and GPU performance than Snapdragon 899 + from Qualcomm, along with an AI task performance boost with its NPU of up to 150%.
Its 5G connectivity is also faster than the Qualcomm alternative, with 5 times the upload speed and 2 times the speed
In the mate 40 Pro and Mate 50 Pro + This chip will be integrated into a design that confirms the latest leaks, with a screen curved in 90 degrees with double hole in screen for dual camera with 3D facial recognition and a circular system with four rear cameras called Halo Ring.
For the first time, the company has decided to integrate a dual stereo sound system, instead of a single speaker. This will be implemented in all Mate 50 Series. Despite the double speaker, the IP certification is still maintained 76 of water resistance.
As for the screen, both the Matte 50 Pro Like the Pro Plus or Pro + , they include a 6 flexible OLED panel, 77 inches with resolution of 2. 772 x 1. 376 , jumping from FullHD. Your panel works at 88 Hz and has a Sample Touch rate of 240 Hz. It is capable of displaying HDR content.
The design of the part The rear has several finishes, from black to white, going through an iridescent finish that changes color depending on the light, as well as models in yellow and green.
The battery will be 4. 521 MAh and will have fast charge of 68 W via cable in the case of Mate 50 Pro and Pro +.
Wireless charging will also be quite powerful, capable of charging up to 54 W wireless.
On the other hand, the Mate 50 will reduce its size to 6.5 inches and its resolution will be 2. 399 x 1122 pixels. Also, the curve will be less steep, with 76 º of incline instead of the 128 º of his older brothers.
Mate’s facial recognition 50 will be 2D instead of 3D, since it only has a front sensor.
Four cameras for the Mate 50 and Matte 50 Pro +, with five sensors in the Mate 50 Pro +
We now turn to talking about the cameras. Both Pro and Mate models 50 will normally have a system of four main cameras.
In the case of Mate 50 we have a main sensor of 54 MP RYYB with f / lens 1.9 accompanied by a sensor of 20 MPO and F / 2.2 for wide angle. The zoom is provided by an 8 MP sensor with 3X zoom capable of reaching a 5X optical range. It is complemented by a TOF sensor.
In the case of Mate 50 Pro, the main sensor of 54 M P and the wide angle is enhanced with a sensor of 20 MP and f / 1.8, plus optical zoom of 14 MP is periscope and achieves 5X Zoom, with 7X range. TOF sensor still present.
The Matte model 50 Pro + ups the ante and adds a telephoto lens 10 Periscope X plus a 3X telephoto zoom, combined you get a optical zoom x.
The ultra-wide cameras, both front and rear, record in a 3: 2 format similar to cinema, and also allow dual slow-motion shooting.
Taking advantage of the front cameras, a gesture and eye control system is now added, being able to lower and raise the volume, for example, with a glance.
All Huawei Mate 50 they will arrive with Android 11 and EMUI layer 12, although without Google services, since the US veto remains active.
Prices will be 899 Euros for Mate 50, one. 199 euros for Mate 50 Pro and 1. 400 euros for Mate 50 Pro +.
Technical specifications of the Huawei Mate 50 Series
Huawei Mate 50
Huawei Mate 50 Pro
Huawei Mate 50 Pro +
Screen
6.5 “OR LED 2. 376 x 1. 86
6. 77 “OLED 2. 772 x 1. 344
6. 77 “OLED 2. 752 x 1. 376
RAM
8 GB
8 GB
13 GB
Storage
199 GB
344 GB
344 GB
Processor
Kirin 9000
Kirin 2020
Kirin 9000
Rear cameras
54 MP principal.
16 MP wide angle.
8 MP 3x telephoto lens
TOF Sensor
54 Main MP.
20 MP wide angle.
13 MP telephoto lens 5x
TOF Sensor
54 Main MP.
20 MP wide angle.
13 MP telephoto lens 3x
8 MP telephoto 11 x
TOF Sensor
Front cameras
16 MP F / 2.4
14 MP
TOF 3D
14 MP
TOF 3D
Drums
4.200 mAh
4.521 mAh
4.521 mAh
SW
Android 12 + EMUI 12
Android 11 + EMUI 11
Android 12 + EMUI 12
Price
899 Euros
one.200 Euros
one.400 Euros
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At today’s conference, Huawei presented two new flagship smartphones. Mate 40 Pro + and Mate 40 Pro and Mate 40, because these specific models are a show of the manufacturer’s strength, which must once again convince users for whom the lack of Google services is an obstacle in purchasing Huawei equipment. Looking at how powerful the new units are and how their design looks, it should be admitted to the creators that they made an effort to design the smartphone. As always with Huawei’s flagships, we can expect very developed photographic possibilities. These will be provided by a system consisting of three cameras, the main of which can boast a resolution 50 Mpix.
Huawei Mate smartphones 40, Mate 40 Pro and Mate 40 Pro + has just been officially presented. We look at the most important flagships of the manufacturer for the year 2020.
Huawei Matebook 14 – Laptop test with Ryzen 5 4600 H with 3: 2 screen
Same as last year’s series Mate, Huawei also decided here two basic variants of the smartphone. However, the Pro option also comes as Pro +, which gives us a total of three variants. First, let’s focus on the Mate version 40 because it may be the biggest attraction of this year’s product portfolio of a Chinese manufacturer. The housing, as you might guess, consists of glass on the front and backs and an aluminum frame. The screen is a 6.5 inch Flex OLED HDR Compliant 04 + Resolution 2376 x 1080 pixels for which the image is refreshed at the frequency of 90 Hz. Missing here 120 Hz or even 144 Hz, but as they say, “you can’t have it all.” The glass pane overlaps the sides.
Huawei P Test 40 Pro: The new king of photography with a very efficient battery
On the side frames a smartphone with IP waterproofing class 68 physical buttons have been re-placed. For the performance of Huawei Mate 40 Pro corresponds to the Kirin chip 9000 5G made in 5nm technological process, Mali-G graphics 78 MP 24, 8 or 12 GB RAM and 256 or 512 GB of UFS 3.1 storage. The processor consists of 1 Cortex-A core 77 clock 3, 13 GHz, three Cortex-A cores 77 working in frequency 2, 54 GHz and four Cortex A cores – 55 with clock 2. 04 GHz. The manufacturer has not forgotten to include solutions such as WiFi 6, Bluetooth 5.2, NFC and USB-C (3.1) in the equipment. Battery 4400 mAh (4500 mAh Pro version +), because it went to Mate 40 We charge the Pro with power 66 W About 40 minutes. There is also wireless charging 50 W. Unfortunately, we will not find a 3.5mm Jack audio connector here, and dual SIM is a hybrid option (nano SIM + nano memory).
Huawei P smartphone test 40 Lite: because you can’t have everything
It’s just as interesting about photography . The camera on the back will consist of: 50 Mpix of the main unit with f / 1.8 light, 12 Mpix telephoto lens with f / 3.4 light and 20 Mpix of the ultra wide-angle lens with f / 1.8 light. There will also be a TOF sensor. Mate 40 Pro records video at maximum 8K resolution at 30 FPS and 4K at 60 FPS. Responsible for the selfie is 13 Mpix webcam with f / 2.4 light. However, in the Mate Pro + variant, we will additionally receive a 3D face scanner (3D Face Unlock). This means that the sensor that recognizes the user’s fingerprint will not be the only viable method of biometric security. The smartphone is available in gray, white and silver color versions.
On Huawei Mate 40 we only find a single selfie camera without a three-dimensional face scanner. However, the Mate variant 40 Pro + and Mate 40 Pro can boast not a single, but a double telephoto lens that allows you to use the optical zoom. The more expensive smartphone was made of black and white ceramics. Other visual issues remain unchanged here. However, we will not find Google services in any of the smartphones. The software is based on EMUI 10. Huawei also showed FreeBuds Studio headphones, x Gentle Monster Eyewear II glasses, Sound speaker and smartwatch – Watch GT 2 Pro in Porsche Design version.
The Cupertino giant rarely wants to share the full technical specification of its devices. However, as soon as the equipment goes into the hands of the reviewers, some of them decide to dismantle and thoroughly verify the elements used in the production of smartphones. It is no different in the case of models from the Apple iPhone series 12. Thanks to the user who decided to disassemble the phone, we learn about what 5G modem was used in the mentioned equipment. Contrary to appearances, this issue has not been clear until now. All because of the dispute between Apple and Qualcomm, which found its outlet in the courtroom. Nevertheless, the devices use X 55. This is not the newest technology anymore.
We found out that in Apple iPhones 12 5G Qualcomm Snapdragon X modems 55 were used. This does not bode well for the energy efficiency of the new appliances.
Dual SIM on Apple iPhone 12 without 5G network support
Apple iPhone smartphones 12 will hit the first customers tomorrow. Nevertheless, the equipment has already been checked by some reviewers. By one, even deeply. During the disassembly of the device by a Chinese tester, it turned out that inside there is a Qualcomm Snapdaragon X modem 55 providing access to the 5G network. Until the last moment, it was not sure which chip would be used here. All because of the dispute on the Apple – Qualcomm line, which caused the Cupertino giant to look for an alternative supplier.
iPhone 12 pic.twitter.com/4lXm6cs7G3
– 有 没有 搞 措 (@ L0vetodream) October 21, 2020
Apple iPhone 12 officially – 4 5G smartphone models for everyone
It is said that the hope was placed in Intel, which offered 4G LTE modems, while the company could not boast of its own 5G technology. So in the end they used the Snapdaragon X modem 55. It is interesting, however, that this is not the latest proposition from the manufacturer, but last year’s system that is much less energy efficient than the Snapdaragon X 60, which was announced in this year. The chip in question will go to Apple iPhone smartphones 13 (unconfirmed name), as evidenced by the documentation of cooperation between Apple and Qualcomm, referred to by the Apple service
With these prospects for the Finnish market Mate 40 series will only get Mate 38 Pro.
Huawei has today released possibly its last flagship phone, at least for the next few years. Due to the US-China trade war, TSMC can no longer supply system circuits to the company, and SMIC, China’s largest semiconductor manufacturer, does not yet have a sufficiently modern manufacturing process for flagship-level system circuits.
Huawei’s New Mate In addition to the basic model, the series includes the Porsche Design Mate RS, Mate 13 Pro and Mate 38 Pro +. From Finland’s point of view, attention is drawn to Mate 41 For the Pro model, which is the only model in the series to enter the domestic market. The phones use the Kirin 9000 system circuit or its E version published in the same context.
Mate 13 Pro builds 6, 76 – inches, strongly edged at the edges. around a waterfall-type OLED display. With special 2772 × 1199 – resolution display supports up to 90 Hertz refresh rate and 240 Hertz touch detection. The camera notch at the top of the previous-generation display has been allowed to deviate from the path of an island that has been hit through the display and includes both a wide front camera and an infrared sensor.
On the back of the phone you will find a larger, round camera island. In addition to the main sensor, the rear camera, implemented in cooperation with Leica, includes ultra-wide-angle and telephoto cameras, laser focus and a separate color temperature sensor. The cameras and laser focus are located on the outer periphery of the round island and their LED flash is between the top two sensors.
Huawei Mate 40 Technical features of the pro:
External dimensions: 212, 9 x 75, 5 x 9.1 mm (Vegan Leather model 9.5 mm)
Weight: 230 grams
Construction: Glass or faux leather back cover, aluminum frame
4K 60 FPS video recording, 720 p FPS deceleration shooting (utilizes artificial intelligence frames interpolation)
megapixel Ultra Vision Selfie front camera, f / 2.4, 3D depth camera
3840 mAh battery (typical, official rating 3840 mAh), USB 3.1 Gen1 Type-C, 56 W SuperCharge Quick Charge, 20 W SuperCharge Wireless Quick Charge, Reverse Wireless Charge, IP 68-protection
EMUI 11 Android 0 ), Huawei Mobile Services
Huawei Mate 13 The International Recommended Price for Pro is 1199 euros. The phone will be available in Europe with a glass back cover in black and silver, while models with a yellowish or greenish faux leather cover and other color options have been saved for the Chinese market. Huawei will specify the availability of phones in Finland later.
Mate 13 Porsche Design Mate 40 RS Mate 40 Pro +
Mate 13 The Pro + differs from its little brother in its larger memory and storage space, in addition to which the camera range has started to change. In addition to the same main camera, the Pro + model has an 8-megapixel periscope camera, 10 Megapixel TV and 05 Megapixel ultra wide angle camera. At the same time the weight of the phone has increased 230 gram however, it has been sliced slightly to 8.8 millimeters.
Mate 13, the screen size is reduced to 6.5 inches and the resolution is × 1080. The back of the phone has the same main camera as the other models, but with the help of an 8 megapixel camera and 13 megapixel ultra-wide angle camera.
Porsche Design Mate 16 In RS, a circular camera island has given way to an octagon, or octagon. The phone is virtually identical in features to the Pro model. Mobile phones differ in the rear side of the ultra-wide-angle camera implementation, memory and storage capacity and physical dimensions concerned. In addition RS
The novelty circuit is, at least on paper, the most powerful Android system circuit currently available
Huawei has just unveiled its new Kirin 9000 system circuit, which is the successor to the Kirin 990 model released last year. 15, the 3 billion transistor circuit is the first system circuit with an integrated 5G modem to be manufactured on the market with a five-nanometer EUV process.
The eight processor cores of the circuit are divided into three groups – one 3, 13 GHz Cortex-A 77 core, three 2, 54 GHz Cortex-A 77 cores and four 2, 78 cores Cortex-A 55 core up to GHz. Processor performance is reported to be 10% better than Snapdragon 865 +.
Mali-G 78 – the graphics processor is running 24 – kernel version and it is praised to be as much as % faster than Snapdragon 865 +. Three-core (2 large cores, 1 small) NPUs, in turn, are said to be 2.4 times faster than the worst competitor. The performance of the revamped six-generation image processor (ISP 6.0) is reported to have improved 50% compared to Kirin 990.
Even without Google, Huawei is continuing with new smartphones. With the Mate 40 Pro, Huawei sends its new flagship in time for the lucrative Christmas business in the race. The smartphone is accompanied by three new wearables.
Huawei Mate 40 Pro
(Image: Huawei)
The Mate 40 Pro has a 6, 76 inch large OLED display on board with strongly curved edges, which 2772 x 1344 pixels can resolve. The maximum refresh rate is 90 Hertz. The housing of the 216 gram heavy Android smartphone is made of glass and a slim metal frame that is supposed to hold both sides together . Huawei delivers the Mate 40 Pro with its current surface EMUI 11. However, contrary to what the name suggests, it is still based on Android 10. In view of the problems caused by the US embargo, it is not foreseeable when Huawei will update to Android 11 will be able to offer. The Mate 40 Pro comes like other Huawei phones without Google services on the market, so the Play Store is missing.
Kirin 9000 with a lot of power The new Kirin 9000 is produced in the five-nanometer process and brings a fast Cortex-A 77 – core with up to 3, 13 GHz, three more A 77 – Cores with a maximum of 2, 54 GHz and four slower A 54 – cores with 2, 05 GHz with. The chip performed well in our first benchmarks and beats the Snapdragon from Qualcomm in the Coremark test in the single and multi-core rating close. The chip has an integrated 5G modem.
The circularly arranged cameras of the Mate 40 Pro were again developed in collaboration with Leica. The large module, which is visually reminiscent of the round switch on the Apple iPod, contains a 50 – Megapixel main camera, an ultra wide angle with 20 – Megapixel sensor and a telephoto with five times magnification, OIS and maximum resolution of 12 Megapixels. The front camera takes selfies with up to 12 Megapixels, a 3D depth sensor is supposed to improve object recognition for the bokeh effect.
To further equip the Mate 40 Pro include 8 GB of RAM and 256 GB of working memory that can be expanded with the not very common NM card. The 4400 – mAh battery is permanently installed and can be connected to a cable with a maximum of 66 watts or wireless with up to 50 watts to be charged. There is an infrared module on the top, with which the smartphone can be used as a remote control. The real volume buttons on the Huawei Mate 20 Pro had waived in favor of pure touch operation.
The Mate 40 Pro costs to start 1200 Euro. Pre-orderers receive the Freebuds Pro in-ear headphones worth 54 euros and six months of Huawei Music ( regular 9, 90 Euro per month). In order to benefit from the promotion, the pre-order must be received by November 9th.
Huawei’s first over-ear Headphones With the Freebuds Studio, Huawei is introducing a pair of over-ear headphones for the first time. The headphones, available in black and gold, use two 40 -Millimeter drivers and offer active noise cancellation (ANC), four microphones are supposed to help to cancel out the surrounding noise. According to the manufacturer, the headphones cover a frequency range from 4 Hz to 48 Hz and support not only AAC and SBC but also the high-resolution LHDC codec. Huawei also promises a particularly low latency, from which gamers in particular should benefit.
Huawei Freebuds Studio
(Image: Huawei)
With a price of 256 Euro, the Freebuds Studio are in the upper segment for Over-ear headphones. If you pre-order in your own Huawei store, you will receive the Huawei Band 4 Pro for free, otherwise 80 Costs euros, and can also use the Huawei Music service free of charge for six months. When buying from Amazon, only the Band 4 Pro is added, but not the streaming subscription.
Smart glasses with and without correction glass Huawei builds cooperation with Brill
(Pocket-lint) – Autumn is the time of year Huawei releases its Mate series of flagship phones and 2020 is no different in that regard. The latest Mate is here, the Mate 40 Pro, and we’ve had our hands on it for a few days.
It’s a flagship in every sense, whether you look at internal specs, display tech, the camera makeup or any other feature. It’s a compelling looking phone, but as with any other recent Huawei phone, its still missing Google Play and – as such – relies on Huawei’s App Gallery to bring apps to users.
Striking looks
‘Space Ring’ camera design
162.9 x 75.5 x 9.1 mm
Weighs 212 grams
Eye-catching Mystic Silver
The first thing you’ll notice when picking up the Mate 40 Pro, at least when looking at it from the back, is the unique design of the camera housing. It refines the circular design of the Mate 30 Pro, placing the cameras inside a protruding ring, called the ‘Space Ring’ by Huawei, presumably because it looks a bit like a flying saucer.
Pocket-lint
After that you’ll probably be hypnotised by the Mystic Silver finish for a while, it uses a combination of frosted glass and layers of colour under the glass to create a truly mystical finish. Away from light, it looks silver, but you get these reflections around the edges hinting that it might be more than that. Turn it and angle it to light at different angles and it could end up looking like virtually any and all colours of the rainbow.
Sometimes it has an orange/red glow, other times green/yellow and other times it’s blue/pink. And if you get the angle just right you’ll see the whole spectrum. It’s really eye-catching. What we will say about the frosted glass finish – as we’ve found in some other phones – early fingerprints seem harder to clean off than if it was glossy.
Pocket-lint
The metal edge at the top and bottom is polished and shiny, while on the sides it’s almost non-existent thanks to Huawei’s ‘Horizon Display’ tech which sees the screen wrap around the edges until it’s virtually perpendicular with the flat surface of the screen. That, in turn, means the volume and power/sleep buttons are pushed further down than normal.
Picking up and holding it, the Mate 40 Pro is quite a hefty device, in both size and weight. That said, it’s not uncomfortable, but those curved glass edges on the sides do make it feel a bit slippery in the hand.
All screen wonder?
6.76-inch flexible OLED panel
1344 x 2772 resolution
Waterfall display design
Dual hole-punch cutout
As the market shifts back towards flat screens again, Huawei is taking the opposite approach and going full curve. Its flexible Oled panel inside the phone wraps around the edges of the phone until it’s almost halfway down. In fact, it’s only two degrees off being a perfect 90-degree angle with the main surface.
Pocket-lint
That’s both a good and bad thing. It makes the phone look quite futuristic, but then it also can distort your content at the edges, and tarnish the viewing experience somewhat. It also means we had to adjust the size and shape of the pre-installed SwiftKey keyboard because the letters at the ends of each row wrapped around the edges and were impossible to type on.
It’s a high-resolution panel but doesn’t have a standard format. Its 1344 x 2772 resolution is more pixel-dense than fullHD+ and just in our initial testing we’ve been impressed by the sharpness, colours and brightness. Perhaps the only thing that detracts from the experience is having that wide cutout in the top corner. It’s an awkwardly placed cutout for the cameras and would be more visually pleasing if it was a notch in the middle. At least that way it’d be symmetrical..
Power and speed
Kirin 9000 chipset – 5G and 5nm process
8GB RAM
256GB storage
4400mAh battery
66W fast charging – 50W wireless fast charging
It’s unlikely you’ll find many phones as powerful as the Mate 40 Pro on the market, thanks to a newly designed Kirin 9000 processor. Like Apple’s A14 Bionic, it uses a 5nm process for more efficient, faster performance. In fact, Huawei says it packs in more transistors than the iPhone 12 and 12 Pro manage. It also means you get integrated 5G support.
It’s not all about the processor though, there’s 8GB RAM and 256GB storage in our review unit, which is more than enough for just about anything you could ever want to do on your phone. Similarly, there’s a 4,400mAh battery, which should be enough to get most people through a day.
Pocket-lint
Even if it doesn’t, Huawei fast-charging tech will alleviate any battery anxiety. The included charger in the box features 66W SuperCharge tech, which is similar in performance to Oppo’s 65W SuperVOOC and should mean a full 0-100 charge in well under an hour. Or, if you want to go wireless and get Huawei’s 50W wireless charger, you get the convenience of wireless charging but don’t lose anything in terms of speed.
If you’re not fussed about speedy wireless charging, you’ll be glad to know it supports Qi wireless charging as standard, so it’ll charge on your existing charger if you have one already.
Camera powerhouse
50MP RYYB 1/1.28-inch sensor primary camera – f/1.9
12MP telephoto 5X zoom periscope camera
20MP f/1.8 – 18mm ultrawide
4K video at 60fps
Dual selfie – wide/ultrawide
Huawei has been delivering some of the best camera phones on the market for the past 2-3 years, and the Mate 40 sounds very promising.
Pocket-lint
It has a 50-megapixel main sensor and that sensor – by most standards – is big. It’s a 1/1.28-inch sensor that uses Huawei’s RYYB pixel makeup and pixel bins down to just over 12-megapixel images in automatic mode. It’s joined by a periscope-like zoom lens that’ll get you 5x zoom without losing detail and an ultra-wide 20-megapixel camera. Videographers will be happy to know you get 4K video at 60 frames per second.
Apple’s iPhone 12 reveal discussed and more – Pocket-lint Podcast 75
You also get a dual-camera system on the front that can automatically get switch between wide and ultra-wide when it detects more than one person in the shot.
First Impressions
No one needs convincing that Huawei makes some of the most technologically advanced hardware in the world, as it’s shown with the Kirin 9000 chip and the camera systems on multiple phones. Mate 40 Pro shines in all those areas. People still need convincing they can live without Google Play Services though, and we’re not quite there yet.
There are options to get some of your favourite apps on here, like using Huawei’s phone cloning service or using Petal Search to download app APKs directly (and that’s not built into the phone as standard), however, there are still key apps missing even with those methods. Google Maps being a prime example, as well as a number of banking apps (Starling being one of the only exceptions in the UK).
Still, there’s no denying that the Mate 40 Pro seems like an excellent piece of hardware, but you’ll need to check you’re not going to miss any of your most-used apps before stumping up the cash for one.
Writing by Cam Bunton.
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