Your Tech Story

Product

Mi 11 Series

Xiaomi Launches Mi 11 Series 5G Smartphones, Ultra, Pro, Lite Along with a Mi Band 6.

Leave a Comment / News, Product, Tech News / By

Xiaomi just launched its new Mi 11 series 5G smartphones in China on Monday. The smartphones include the Mi 11 Ultra, Mi 11 Pro, and Mi 11 Lite. Xiaomi had launched the Mi 11 series recently in December 2020, and these three smartphones are an addition to the series. The Mi 11 series is known to be the first to incorporate the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 processor into its smartphones.  Along with three smartphones, the company has come with its Mi Smart Band 6, a successor to the Xiaomi Smart Band 5.

Mi 11 Ultra

Mi 11 Ultra comes with a 120Hz refresh rate E4 AMOLED display (3,200× 1,440 pixels), featuring the quad-curved 6.81-inch 2K WQHD and 240Hz touch sampling rate. Along with the support for HDR10+ and Dolby Vision, it also includes the Corning Gorilla Glass Victus protection. Another addition to the new features of the Mi 11 Ultra smartphone is the 1.1-inch AMOLED (126×294 pixels) secondary display on the back for providing people with the facility for clicking pictures by looking into it. This display will also show notifications, battery level, and weather alerts, etc. It will also be able to mirror the front display.

Mi 11 Series
Image Source: blog.mi.com

Talking about the camera, the smartphone comes with a triple camera setup for the rear. The setup has opted for the 50MP Samsung GN2 primary wide-angle sensor with an f/1.95 aperture, LED, laser autofocus, and Optical Image Stabilisation (OIS), a 48MP Sony IMX586 ultra-wide-angle with a with OIS and f/2.2 lens as well as a 48MP tele-macro camera sensor with 5x optical zoom, 120x digital zoom and OIS. The camera is capable of recording 4K videos. The front camera of the smartphone is 20MP.

Dimension wise the Mi 11 Ultra is 164.3mm X 74.6mm X 8.8mm and weighs around 225 grams. It is also IP68 rated water and dust resistance. Mi 11 Ultra is packed with Adreno 660 GPU and supports up to 12GB LPDDR5 RAM as well as up to 512GB UFS 3.1 storage. It includes a 5,000mAh battery, a 67W wired C-port, along wireless charging support. It also offers support for 10W reverse wireless charging. The smartphone comes with an in-display fingerprint sensor.

Mi 11 Pro

Mi 11 Pro inherits almost every feature from the Mi 11 Ultra, except the latter has a better camera quality and a secondary display on the back. Mi 11 Pro has a similar 6.81-inch and a similar Corning Gorilla Glass Victus. From battery to charging system, as well as being water and dust resistant, all is the same as the Mi 11 Ultra.

Coming to the camera, Mi 11 Pro also has a triple setup on the rear. The three cameras include a similar 50MP Samsung GN2 primary sensor with an f/1.95 lens and OIS, a 13MP ultra-wide-angle secondary camera with an f/2.4 lens and a 123-degree FoV, and an 8MP tele-macro tertiary camera with an f/3.4 lens, OIS, supporting a 50x digital zoom as well as a 5x optical zoom. The smartphone has a similar 20MP front camera.

Mi 11 Lite

The Mi 11 Lite is has got a 6.55-inch HD+ AMOLED display with a 90Hz refresh rate and support for HDR10+ and Dolby Vision. This smartphone has a similar Corning Gorilla Glass 6 protection as the two other smartphones from the same series. Mi 11 Lite is packed with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 780G SoC and paired with Adreno 642 GPU. The smartphone boasts support for up to 8GB RAM and up to 256GB 2.2 storage which is expandable up to 512GB.

The Camera setup for the MI 11 Lite has also got three different cameras on the rear. It has a 64MP primary sensor, an 8MP ultra-wide-angle sensor, and a 5MP macro sensor. The front camera of the smartphone is also a 20MP camera.

The Mi 11 Lite comes with a Type-C port for charging and a 4,250mAh battery with support for 33W fast charging. As the name suggests, the Mi 11 Lite is the lightest smartphone in the series weighing 159 grams. with 160.53×75.72×6.81mm dimensions.

Mi Smart Band 6

Mi Band 6 is a wrist band with a 1.56-inch (152 x 486 pixels) AMOLED touchscreen display which is bigger than the Mi Band 5. It comes with a 125mAh battery that takes 2 hours to get fully charged and can provide up to 14 days standby time. The band comes with a sensor for supporting up to 30 sports models and can auto-identify activities like walking, running, indoor treadmills, and cycling. The band is capable of measuring the blood pressure, blood oxygen (SpO2), and heart-rate of the user. It can also track the sleep habits of the user.

Pricing and Availability

All three smartphones from Xiaomi Mi 11 series will come in different variants depending upon the RAM and storage size. The Mi 11 Ultra 8GB RAM + 256GB storage model is is priced at CNY 5,999 (around Rs. 66,400). The 12GB + 256GB storage variant CNY is for 6,499 (around Rs. 72,000) and the 12GB RAM + 512GB storage variant is available for CNY 6,999 (around Rs. 77,500). The top-line smartphone comes in Black and White color options, along with a White Ceramic Special Edition.

The Mi 11 Pro 8GB RAM + 128GB storage model price starts at CNY 4,999 (around Rs. 55,400). The 8GB RAM + 256GB storage variant costs around CNY 5,299 (around Rs. 58,700) and the 12GB RAM + 256GB storage model is priced at CNY 5,699 (around Rs. 63,100). There are three colour option for the same, i.e. Black, Green, and White.

The starting price for the Mi 11 Lite 5G is set to be CNY 2,299 (around Rs. 25,500) for the 8GB RAM + 128GB storage variant. Mi 11 Lite 8GB RAM + 256GB storage variant costs around CNY 2,599 (around Rs. 28,800). The phone comes in three colors, including Citrus Yellow, Mint Green, and Truffle Black.

Xiaomi has launched two variants of the Mi Band 6 and will be available in eight different colors. The Vanilla variant of the watch will cost CNY 229 (around Rs. 2,500), and the special edition with NFC will be available for around CNY 279 (around Rs 3,000).

The company has started the pre-sales for the Mi 11 Ultra and Mi 11 Pro from 10 pm CST on Monday, March 29 (7.30 pm IST). The company revealed that the Mi 11 Ultra and Mi 11 Pro will become available in China starting from 2 April. The Mi 11 Lite 5G will go on sale later this month.

Google Search

New tools get added in Google Search for improving online learning facilities especially in Maths and Science

Leave a Comment / Google, News, Product, Tech News / By

Online learning has witnessed a new escalating demand from students, teachers, and parents especially with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic last year. To unleash all the potential of E-Learning and providing students with the best learning resources, Google has revealed some new features for Google Search. The company will be adding five new tools in Google Search for enhancing online learning quality through the same. Currently, Google is working to provide better answers for STEM concepts, complex equations, representing 3D graphics of chemical molecules, etc. This will help both students and teachers to teach and understand the concepts of science and mathematics in a much better way.

Since the classes are conducted online for both school and college students, the teachers can use these tools to enhance their presentations and study modules. Google has added these new five features as a part of the company’s L.E.A.R.N initiative. Currently, the added features will be available in the English language only but in the future, other languages are expected to be added. The Google Search will have educational overviews, examples, practice problems, learning resources from many websites, and more. So, let’s have a look at the new features for Google Search.

Abundant resources for STEM concepts.

STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) concepts are specifically focussed on newly added features in Google Search. A student or a teacher or any individual can find many useful examples, videos, and overviews to learn any STEM concept they want to. Science and maths are two very crucial subjects and with the right foundation basis, students can have a lot of choices in their future. With the advent of e-learning, we can access study materials from anywhere and Google is making the journey easier and much interesting.

Google Search
Image Source: learndigital.withgoogle.com

Practice, Practice, and Practice

After learning, they can also practice a set of questions to evaluate themselves. This will especially help the students who are preparing for some entrance exam like NEET or JEE. They can solve plenty of problems in Physics, Chemistry, and Maths. Google will also provide learning resources from top learning websites like Byju’s, Chegg, Education Quizzes, Gradeup, Toppr, Careers360, Vedantu, OpenStax, etc. One can also search a specific topic of any subject to find related problems and resources. So, the learning resources are unlimited for whoever wants to take a step forward and enhance their skills.

Implementation of Augmented Reality (AG)

What can be better if a student can have a lab-like experience from their home? Practical lessons are always much more exciting than theory classes and that’s the reason why we used to wait for our practical days in school. Google with the help of AG will show 3D views of several models covering the chemistry, biology, and physics concept. From the simple 3D view of a double bond to a 3D view of the human skeleton, everything is feasible via Google Search. After you search a topic in Google, an option will come “View in 3D” and then you can visualize by clicking on it.

Solving mathematics problems

While some of us find mathematics as a cakewalk, many of us really struggled or still struggle while solving mathematics problems. Google Search can now provide you a step-by-step solution to a math problem. You can go on the search bar and type the equation or you can click a picture using Lens in the Google App. Google Search is working to add more variety of mathematics problems in the search as it has established partnerships with Symbolab, Mathway, etc. These explanations will be provided in 70 different languages. This feature is of great advantage to parents as they can help their kids solve complex math problems after they get a better hold of them.

Navigating Complex Questions

Apart from helping you find resources for understanding the basic concepts of STEM subjects, Google Search is also working to advance the search. In the upcoming weeks, the company claims that it can also provide you solutions to complex questions and not just any STEM concepts. For example, you type an entire question of organic chemistry in the search bar and the tool will show you the related concept to that question as well.

OnePlus 9 Pro

OnePlus 9, OnePlus 9 Pro, OnePlus 9R, and OnePlus Watch launched at a virtual event.

Leave a Comment / News, Product, Tech News / By

The wait is over for the flagship smartphones launched by the Chinese company this year. OnePlus has launched the OnePlus 9 and OnePlus 9 Pro through an online event along with the OnePlus 9R and the much-awaited and anticipated OnePlus Watch. The new flagship products of the company are going to be powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 888. The new smartphones are also going to have their camera system designed by the Swedish company, Hasselblad. Smartphones by OnePlus have never failed to amaze up with their stunning camera quality. So, this time let’s see what’s in the store for us!

The OnePlus 9 and OnePlus 9 Pro are designed to be the upgraded version of the OnePlus 8T and the OnePlus 8 Pro respectively. Both the new flagship smartphones have 120Hz displays. OnePlus has also launched the OnePlus 9R at a comparatively affordable rate getting a similar experience in 9 and 9 Pro. Apart from the smartphones, the OnePlus Watch also has impressive features like Warp Charge first charging support. So, let’s have a detailed look at these newly launched gadgets.

Specifications of OnePlus 9

OnePlus 9 will be fueled by Android 11 along with OxygenOS 11. The phone has a 6.55 inch AMOLED full HD display. The aspect ratio is 20:9 with a refresh rate of 120Hz. The screen is protected by a 3D Corning Gorilla Glass. The processor of the OnePlus 9 is an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 SoC along with 8GB and 12GB of LPDDR5 RAM (Gadgets 360). The phone has an enhanced multi-layered cooling system which is called OnePlus Cool Play.

Undoubtedly, the new OnePlus 9 will become a top choice for many aspiring photographers out there. The camera system of the phone consists of a triple rear camera, a secondary sensor with a wide-angle, and a monochrome sensor. The primary sensor is the 48 megapixel Sony IMX689 with an aperture of f/1.8 and electronic image stabilization (EIS). The secondary camera has a 50 megapixel Sony IMX766 with the ultra wide-angle freeform lens of aperture f/2.2. The monochrome lens is 2 megapixels. The selfie camera of the OnePlus 9 is a 16-megapixel Sony IMX471 sensor with an aperture of f/2.4.

OnePlus 9 Pro
Image Source: bgr.in

The smartphone doesn’t support storage expansion through an external SD card but the inbuilt memory is either 128GB or 256GB UFS 3.1. Connectivity options are 5G, 4G LTE, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.2, GPS/ A-GPS, NFC, and a USB Type-C port. The phone supports Warp Charge 65T fast charging and has a 4500mAh battery. The speaker system of the OnePlus 9 has Dolby Atmos support. The 8GB + 128GB variant is priced at Rs 49,999 and the 12GB + 256GB variant is priced at Rs 54,999 in India.

Specifications of OnePlus 9 Pro and OnePlus 9R

The OnePlus 9 Pro runs on the same OS as the OnePlus 9. The size of the phone’s display is 6.7 inches and is paired with low-temperature polycrystalline oxide (LTPO) technology which enables the smart 120Hz feature. This technology automatically decreases the power consumption by 50 percent. OnePlus 9 Pro also comes with Hyper Touch support which increases the touch-responsive rate to 360Hz. This feature is very helpful for gamers, especially those who want to have a better experience from playing mobile games. Apart from the Snapdragon 888 SoC, the phone has either 8GB or 12GB LPDDR5 RAM.

The camera system of the OnePlus 9 Pro is the same as that of the OnePlus 9 except the former has an additional 8-megapixel telephoto shooter. Sensors consist of an accelerometer, ambient light sensor, gyroscope, magnetometer, laser sensor, and a proximity sensor along with an in-display fingerprint sensor (Gadgets 360). The 8GB + 128GB variant is priced at Rs 64,999 and the 12GB + 256GB variant is priced at Rs 69,999 in India. Both the OnePlus 9 and OnePlus 9 Pro can be preordered from the company’s online stores.

OnePlus 9R will also run on the same OS but will be powered by Snapdragon 870SoC. The phone will have a 6.5 inch OLED display with 8GB RAM and 128GB internal storage. The camera system comprises a 48-megapixel rear camera. The 8GB + 128GB variant is priced at Rs 39,999 and the 12GB + 256GB variant is priced at Rs 43,999 in India.

Specifications of OnePlus Watch

With a 1.39 inch AMOLED display, the OnePlus Watch will also feature a 2.5D curved glass protection. One can receive voice calls and app notifications directly from the watch and can also change OnePlus’s phone settings.  According to the company, the watch is capable of turning off your OnePlus television thirty minutes after it detects that you are asleep or lower the volume of the TV when you get an incoming call on your connected phone. The watch also has 110 workout modes, SpO2 monitoring, stress detection, etc. The price of the OnePlus watch is Rs 16,999 in India.

OnePlus 9R 5G

OnePlus to Incorporate Gaming Triggers in its New 9R 5G to Better the Experience for the Gamers

Leave a Comment / Gaming, News, Product, Tech News / By

OnePlus smartphones are known for their high definition camera quality, and with every new launch, it has something exciting to offer. The company is now all set to launch its flagship smartphone in India, which too, is going to incorporate the gaming triggers for its client base who love to play games on their smartphones. The company will launch its 5G smartphone, the OnePlus 9R, in India on 23rd March, and it has already revealed the first look of the product through a teaser on its official Twitter account.

OnePlus 9R 5G

A few days ago, OnePlus confirmed the launch date for its flagship smartphone, 9R 5G, in India, i.e. 23rd of March. The smartphone that claims to provide a “robust flagship experience” to its users, will share the launch date with two other smartphones from the OnePlus 9 series, i.e. OnePlus 9 and OnePlus 9 Pro phones.

OnePlus CEO, Pete Lau, revealed that the premium device is going to offer support for 5G and will provide “smooth scrolling, immersive gaming controls, and a superior viewing experience.” The company claimed that it wants to reach a wider range of customers, so the prices are going to be quite affordable. Though Lau did not give any numbers about the prices, he confirmed that the premium smartphones will be under a mid-price range.

“With the OnePlus 9R, we are looking to go even further to bring out a balanced handset with the latest technology and class-leading industrial design that can deliver a superior user experience overall and can also offer fast and smooth experiences for daily usage and heavy gameplay,” Lau said.

OnePlus 9R 5G Features

According to some of the reports, the new premium smartphone is mounted with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 690 processor. But believing some other sources, it will come with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 865 SoC. The OnePlus 9R 5G is going to have a 90Hz display and will offer a high refresh rate display. The smartphone is also going to boast an HD+ resolution screen. Like its other contemporaries, the teaser reveals multiple rear cameras, and the front camera will be a punch-hole design. Also, the OnePlus 9 series smartphones will have a 4,500mAh battery with 65W fast charging support.

OnePlus 9R 5G
Image Source: indianexpress.com

Good News for the Gamers

OnePlus has confirmed that the OnePlus 9R 5G will be a special phone. It will provide support for 5G technology, but at the same time, it will be enhancing the gaming experience for game lovers as the new phone is incorporated with gaming triggers. Though these triggers are not quite visible in the OnePlus teaser it has posted on its official Twitter account, a picture posted by @thebookisclosed has given more than a hint about the triggers. Some of the reports have also confirmed that the smartphone is going to have those gaming triggers.

From the picture, we have concluded that the triggers are detachable. But the picture doesn’t give any information on if the smartphone will come with some other gaming accessories, or the gaming triggers are the only accessories that the users will get. Also, there is no hint on whether the other two flagship mobiles, i.e. OnePlus 9 and 9 Pro, will also be able to run the gaming triggers, or these are only built exclusively for 9R.

The games like PUBG, Fornite, and FreeFire have given a boost to smartphone gameplay. The launch of a smartphone with gaming triggers can be good news for gamers. The speculations are that the new OnePlus 9R will enter into a competition with other gaming smartphones like ASUS ROG and Black Shark.

PS5 VR Controller

Sony Unveils its Next-Generation PlayStation VR Controller for PS5

Leave a Comment / News, Product, Tech News / By

Sony introduced its first VR Playstation about four years ago, and since then, there has been tremendous advancement in the game itself. Last month, Sony revealed its next generation of VR on PlayStation5, capable of almost fulfilling Sony’s mission of a stronger sense of presence and deeper immersion for the players. In the announcement, the company talked about the simplified setup and the improved ease-of-use of the PS5 VR. This time, the company has revealed the details on the PS5 VR controllers through a blog post on Sony PS’s official website.

The All-New PS5 VR

On February 23rd, Sony gave out some information on its upcoming launch, the VR for PS5. The company said that the new VR will have a simple setup, and a single cord is enough to connect the PS5 with the VR. The next-generation VR got some new and innovative changes made to it, like a better resolution to provide an even better visual experience, tracking, input, etc. Sony also talked about its new controllers, including some of the DualSense features.

PS5 VR Controllers

According to Sony, the new VR controllers are the main attraction of its next-generation VR for PlayStation. These controllers are the reflection of what Sony has been trying to deliver to its customer in the form of Virtual Reality. The controllers are incorporated with the features of DualSense and are going to change the feel and realistic experience of gaming for the PS5 VR players.

PS5
Image Source: blog.playstation.com
Image Credit: Sony Interactive Entertainment

The Innovative Design

The design of the controller is completely different from the traditional gaming remotes. It is of the shape of an ‘orb’ as described by Sony and is a two-piece set that goes into both left and right hands. The controllers are based on the concept of ergonomics, such that these are comfortable to hold for a longer time. The team behind the design of the controller made sure to test the controllers on different sets of hands to make them fit on every size of hands.

“SIE’s Product, Engineering, and Design teams have collaborated to build our new VR controller from the ground up to make a huge leap from current-gen VR gaming. Prototypes of our new VR controller will be in the hands of the development community soon, and we can’t wait to see what ideas they come up with and how the controller helps bring their imagination to life!” said Hideaki Nishino, the head of the platform planning and management at PlayStation.

New Features Introduced

The new controllers have inherited the adaptive trigger technology from the DualSense PS5 controller to add the palpable tension and make the gaming experience even more realistic. According to Sony, with the new controllers, there is no restriction for the players on how they should move their hands to play the games. The controllers come with haptic feedback and finger touch detection, and the controllers have a ring at the bottom of the controller. The headset of the VR set will track the controllers through this ring. The touch-sensitive areas included in the controllers are made to detect where the players place their thumb, index, and middle fingers.

Talking about the buttons on the left and the right controller, the left controller includes the usual triangle and square buttons, L1, L2, and a Create button as well as an analog stick. The right controller includes the other analog stick. It has similar cross and circle buttons, R1, R2 like the traditional controllers, and also the Options button. The L1 and R1 buttons on the controllers have been labeled as “grip”. This grip button is to pick up items in-game.

For now, Sony has only talked about the controllers, and there is no information on the PS5 VR headset as yet. Though the testing of the next-generation is currently going on, there is no news of if Sony will launch the PS5 VR any time sooner or in 2021. Since the information on the VR controllers is already out, we can expect the company to reveal the information on the VR headset in the coming months.

AMD Ryzen Pro 5000

AMD launches new Ryzen Pro 5000 series processors especially for professional laptops

Leave a Comment / News, Product, Tech News / By

AMD announced on 16th March 2021 about the launch of AMD Ryzen Pro 5000 Series Mobile processors, thus bringing the Zen 3 architecture for business class laptops. With this new chip paired with Zen 3 core, the business laptops will become more efficient and provide uncompromising performance. A highly efficient laptop is a prerequisite in the professional world especially after how the pandemic has changed our lifestyle. The new Ryzen Pro 5000 Series chip will be paired with the designer’s suite of Pro technologies with high-security bits and fueled by the latest CPU design.

According to the company, the new series of chips for business-class laptops is a solution for working remotely. While the entire world has started working remotely, the demand for high security has also increased as the work environment is getting distributed widely. And, with the help of the AMD Ryzen Pro 5000 series, the laptops can suffice all the needs of professionals for maintaining quality performance and high-security features.

AMD Ryzen Pro 5000 Mobile Processors Series Security features

In a statement by Saeid Moshkelani, senior vice president and general manager, Client Business Unit, AMD, he said, “The new AMD Ryzen Pro 5000 series mobile processors significantly increase the capabilities of ultrathin enterprise notebooks and deliver best-in-class user experiences with leadership performance, exceptional battery life and robust security features for every work environment.” The main two improvements focused on in these new series of chips are remote work management and improved security.

Ryzen Pro 5000
Image Source: techpowerup.com

The new chips are strengthened by multi-layered security with AMD Shadow Stack, Secured Core PC, and FIPS 140-3 certification. The AMD Shadow Stack will help the system to mitigate malware attacks by hardware-enabled protection. The security system will also have deep integration with Microsoft and OEMs. Apart from this, the Memory Guard will enable system memory encryption to bring down attacks and it will automatically be enabled on Microsoft Secured-Core PCs.

Performance and efficiency

With improved security, the AMD Ryzen Pro 5000 Mobile Processors series also excel in efficiency and multi-threaded performance. The AMD Ryzen 7 Pro 5850U processor is coming with 8 cores and 16 threads. This processor will offer high-level CPU performance with a 57 percent increase in multi-threaded performance. This processor will also enhance the productivity and overall performance of the laptop by 23 percent as compared to the existing competition in the market. Though working remotely from home doesn’t call for battery trouble, the processor also comes with an improved battery life of 17.5 hours.

The users can expect the arrival of these new chip embedded laptops from HP and Lenovo from the second quarter of 2021. AMD also expects the sale of AMD-powered enterprise notebook will increase by at least three folds by the end of this year. There are three models of this new series expected to roll out, namely, AMD Ryzen 7 Pro 5850U, 5650U, and 5450U. All of these have Zen 3 architecture. The processors are also featuring 18-months of planned software stability and 24-months of planned availability.

Statements of HP and Lenovo

With both HP and Lenovo to integrate this new AMD processor in their laptops, Andy Rhodes, Global Head, Commercial Systems and Display Solutions, HP, said that “ HP is committed to empowering employees and IT teams everywhere, and our continued work with AMD leads with innovation to deliver powerful and secure computing experiences to keep people connected and productive at home, in the office, or both.”

Jerry Paradise, vice president, Global Commercial Portfolio & Product Management, Lenovo PCSD, said that “At Lenovo, we have a long tradition of providing our enterprise customers with innovative systems that deliver excellent performance and security and we are pleased to continue delivering on this promise with new laptops powered by the latest AMD mobile processors,”

About AMD

AMD started its journey in 1969 as a Silicon Valley start-up. The company’s primary goal was to develop cutting-edge semiconductor products and has evolved with time. Currently, the company is focused on building high computing, graphics, and visualization technologies. Lisa Su is the current President and CEO of the company. The main products of the company are CPU, GPU, microprocessors, SOCs, motherboard chipsets, embedded processors, solid-state drivers, etc.