Samsung leak season has officially kicked off. Yesterday, we shared exclusive hands-on photos of the Samsung Galaxy S20+ 5G, part of Samsung’s upcoming flagship lineup that is set to be announced during the upcoming Samsung Unpacked event in February. And so far, these devices are set to be absolute beasts, featuring top-of-the-line specifications, versatile cameras, and more. We also know that these devices will be packing amazing cameras, and the Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G, the biggest, highest-end model of Samsung’s lineup, is touted to carry a 108MP rear camera sensor.
Samsung’s 108MP ISOCELL Bright HMX is a complete beast of a camera sensor. The Xiaomi Mi Note 10 is, so far, the only device known to launch with this camera sensor, yet it’s clearly in the big leagues of smartphone photography. Our own Max Weinbach also attested to the Mi Note 10’s camera prowess in his first impressions piece. We don’t know if the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G will be sporting this same exact camera sensor, but given how both the phone and the sensor are made by Samsung, it is very likely. This information was reiterated by renowned leakster Ishan Agarwal.
Confirmations for the Galaxy S20 Series! The S20 Ultra 5G will indeed have 108MP Main Camera with Periscope Camera that will allow up to astonishing 100X of Hybrid Zoom. S20 and S20+ will continue with 12MP, 6.2 and 6.7” Dynamic AMOLED, respectively. (1/2https://t.co/bRiuKw9Owx
It’s also being said that this camera will be carrying an astonishing 100X “Space Zoom” feature which will allow you to get amazing, unreal close-ups, partly aided by the camera’s high pixel count. The “Space Zoom” name was rumored a couple of months ago and our own Max Weinbach says it’s true. None of this information is officially confirmed as of yet given how the phone has not been announced, so always take this information with a grain of salt. We’re close to the device’s announcement anyway, so it won’t be much longer until we actually get a confirmation.
Are you excited about Samsung’s Galaxy S20 lineup?
At CES 2020, which just concluded last week, we saw a lot of breakthrough new technologies, devices, and developments. From smartphones to foldable devices to weird things such as human-like AI, it was definitely a unique event, which tells us a lot about how technology will look in 2020. Lots of experimental technology, such as the OnePlus Concept One‘s electrochromic camera glass, was also showcased during the event. HiSense also showcased some experimental technology of their own, such as a color e-ink display for smartphones.
E-ink displays are utilized mostly by eReaders such as the Amazon Kindle. They provide you with a display that’s capable of wide viewing angles with a really low power draw and exceptional daylight visibility. However, aside from their intended purpose—reading text—they’re not really good for anything else. They have really, really low refresh rates and latency, suffer from image ghosting, and are usually monochrome. E-ink works by moving electronic ink particles around the screen to form images, only drawing power when switching between images and not when actually displaying an image. LCD, on the other hand, is composed of small light-emitting crystals, using a combination of three colors (red, green and blue) to display all other colors, using a backlight to improve visibility. OLED, on the other hand, only lights up the screen in areas with non-black pixels. Hisense is trying to improve the e-ink technology for smartphone usage.
Hisense’s new display technology tries to fix the monochrome problem by bringing color capability to e-ink displays. According to the company, the panel can reproduce up to 4096 colors, which isn’t a lot—your average smartphone display with a DCI-P3 color space can display several million colors—but it’s better than monochrome. It can also last up to 4 days of use according to the company, which is similar to numbers currently achievable with black and white displays.
The problem with it, however, is that Hisense wants to use it in a smartphone, yet these kinds of displays are not really useful for smartphones in their current state. The low refresh rate and latency mean the display is not physically capable of even rendering most smartphone animations, and everything is just going to look like a slideshow. Other devices, such as the ThinkBook Plus or the Yotaphone, have featured such displays, but only as a secondary panel. Even while companies are trying to solve these issues, with all smartphones nowadays featuring wide color gamuts, e-ink just can’t provide an experience even remotely similar right now. Once the colors get better, though, this color e-ink display would be a very good fit for something like a smartwatch or a photo frame-sized device.
If you have been following tech closely over the past year, you may have heard of Pixelworks. Pixelworks’ Iris 5 visual processor made the news at MWC 2019 for bringing along several key technologies like HDR10+ support, TrueClarity Smart Motion Processing for removing artifacts, multi-adaptive display for optimal viewing in varied lighting, and importantly, real-time SDR to HDR conversion. Pixelworks has now announced that it has signed a multi-year collaboration agreement with OPPO to develop advanced display systems for its smartphones and to integrate the latest Pixelworks’ visual processor and software solutions.
Pixelworks Iris 5 visual processor can be found in devices like the Black Shark 2 Pro, the ROG Phone II, and the Nokia 7.2 and Nokia 6.2. The Iris 5 visual processor is credited for a fair few features, such as the ability to playback video in higher refresh rates using MEMC (Motion Estimation and Motion Compensation), as found on the Black Shark 2 Pro; or to dynamically adjust the brightness and tone of the display to match the ambient lighting, as on the Nokia 7.2 and Nokia 6.2. The Iris chip is also credited for being good at handling SDR to HDR conversion. This process takes a source video in SDR and maps its colors to HDR, providing a more vibrant video experience. We had the opportunity to witness this SDR to HDR conversion at Pixelwork’s CES 2020 booth — an SDR video played back on the Nokia 7.2 had better colors than on the iPhone 11, thanks to this HDR conversion.
Pixelworks collaboration agreement with OPPO calls on the companies to “closely cooperate in a wide range of activities related to display and visual processing, including integration and technical support, content optimization with cloud partners as well as long-term product roadmap collaboration.” The press release goes on to mention that the first phone with this collaboration in place will launch in the first half of 2020, indicating that a future OPPO smartphone could feature an Iris visual processor. OPPO’s upcoming Find X2 flagship is slated for launch in H1 2020, and it is claimed to have a heavy emphasis on display quality, which ties in well with this collaboration with Pixelworks. We hope to learn more on this end soon.
Looking forward into the next decade, machines are likely to become much smarter. In the meantime, they need to start learning by analyzing vast amounts of data. TheMachine Learning & Data Science Certification Training Bundlehelps you explore this exciting field, with eight in-depth courses. You even learn how to build your own intelligent apps. You can get the bundle nowfor just $35at the XDA Developers Depot.
Aside from curiosity, there are many good reasons to study machine learning and data science. Knowledge of these topics can unlock exciting career opportunities, particularly in tech and finance.
This bundle provides the ideal starting point, with 48 hours of hands-on tutorials and explanations. Along the way, you discover how to create data analysis tools using Python and R coding. You also learn about TensorFlow, a framework for machine learning created by Google, and Keras, a library for building neural networks with Python.
You should come away with a deep understanding of artificial intelligence data models. In addition, each course offers a certificate of completion — great for catching the eye of recruiters.
One of the things that “just works” within Apple’s ecosystem is AirDrop, the file-sharing solution available on iOS and macOS, allowing users to quickly share files with each other without needing to rely on any third-party apps. Android had an NFC-based solution in the form of Android Beam, but the feature was deprecated entirely in Android 10/Q. The absence of a true Airdrop competitor on Android prompted Xiaomi, Oppo, and Vivo to come together to announce their own cross-device file transfer solution. On the other hand, Google is also working on its own solution in the form of Fast Share, which was originally spotted back in June 2019. Now, Google has rebranded the service into Nearby Sharing.
An APK teardown can often predict features that may arrive in a future update of an application, but it is possible that any of the features we mention here may not make it in a future release. This is because these features are currently unimplemented in the live build and may be pulled at any time by the developers in a future build.
Nearby Sharing (aka Fast Share) uses Bluetooth to initiate a handshake between devices, and then subsequently transfer files over a direct Wi-Fi connection. This will allow for larger files to be transferred much more quickly than Android Beam. Google has yet to announce or release this feature, but it has been in development for quite some time now. After it was first spotted, the feature received a revamp to its Share Sheet and its position within the Settings menu, spotted in September 2019. Then, in November 2019, Mishaal found that the feature received some UI changes along with a new icon.
And now, with Google Play Services v20.1.03, the Fast Share service has been rebranded to Nearby Sharing. One new tidbit that we have also learned is that both the devices have to be placed within 1 foot of each other in order to share, according to the text at the bottom of the share sheet.
It is currently unknown when exactly Google plans to release Nearby Sharing. Because of the rebranding from Fast Share and the new icon, we predict that the service is likely nearing launch.
Thanks to PNF Software for providing us a license to use JEB Decompiler, a professional-grade reverse engineering tool for Android applications.
Update 1 (01/13/2020 @ 5:20 AM ET): Xiaomi has shared that the company was testing 144Hz refresh rate on the Redmi K30. Scroll to the bottom for more information. The article as published on December 10, 2019, is preserved as below.
Xiaomi’s sub-brand Redmi entered the affordable flagship game with the Redmi K20 and Redmi K20 Pro, launched in China in May 2019. Both the devices featured an identical design, and the main point of difference between the two was the SoC in use. The Redmi K20 Pro was the true flagship killer, featuring the flagship Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 SoC; while the Redmi K20 balanced performance with affordability by opting for the Qualcomm Snapdragon 730 SoC. Half a year later, Xiaomi is looking once again to balance affordability with performance with the new Redmi K30 that has now been launched in China.
Redmi Brand Product Launches
Xiaomi has grown to embrace the fact that devices leak before launch, so the company now reveals many key details and even official product renders in the run-up to the launch event. The company itself revealed that the Redmi K30 will be its first 5G smartphone back in October 2019. Closer to launch, Redmi confirmed the quad rear camera setup with the 64MP Sony IMX686 primary sensor, 4,500 mAh battery with 30W fast charging, side fingerprint sensor, 3.5mm headphone jack, and multi-function NFC. Now, we have the full specification sheet of the Redmi K30 4G and Redmi K30 5G.
Redmi K30 5G and Redmi K30 4G: Specifications
Specification
Redmi K30 5G / Redmi K30 4G
Dimensions and Weight
165.3 x 76.6 x 8.79 mm
208g
Display
6.67″ FHD+ (2400 x 1080) LCD;
120Hz high refresh rate
Punch-hole display with dual front cameras
Corning Gorilla Glass 5
HDR 10 support
SoC
5G:
Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G:
1x Kryo 475 (ARM Cortex-A76-based) Prime core @ 2.4GHz
One of the primary highlights of the Redmi K30 5G is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G SoC inside, making it the first phone to be released on this platform. The Snapdragon 765G on the Redmi K30 5G features a Prime CPU core clocked at a high 2.4GHz, assisted by a Performance CPU core clocked at 2.2GHz; both of these are based on customized Kryo 475 architecture, which in turn is derived from the ARM Cortex-A76 design. There are also 6 ARM Cortex-A55-based Efficiency cores, giving the SoC a configuration of 1+1+6, against the 2+6 config on older SoCs like the Snapdragon 730. The SoC is also built on an 8mm EUV manufacturing process. You can read more about the Snapdragon 765G in our dedicated coverage from the Snapdragon Summit 2019.
The Snapdragon 765G also integrates the 5G modem on the die, resulting in lower power consumption. The Redmi K30 5G comes with dual-mode 5G, supporting both SA and NSA networks. The device also supports 5G MultiLink — essentially allowing users to concurrently be connected to 2.4GHz WiFi, a 5GHz WiFi and 5G/4G network.
The Redmi K30 5G is also the first smartphone from Xiaomi to feature a 120Hz high-refresh-rate display. As the terminology implies, a 120Hz display displays twice the number of images per second as an ordinary 60Hz display, greatly enhancing the user experience. The device dynamically adjusts frame rate between 60Hz, 90Hz, and 120Hz depending on the app and use-case to balance user experience and power consumption. The Redmi K30 5G also has a 91% screen-to-body ratio, thanks to the punch-hole cutout that is utilized for the dual front cameras.
The Redmi K30 5G is also the first smartphone to feature the new 64MP sensor from Sony, the Sony IMX686. The IMX686 comes with a large 1/1.7″ sensor and 0.8μm pixels. The sensor can output 64MP images, but the regular camera mode will utilize pixel binning to combine four pixels into one for a 16MP, 1.6μm pixel image. The 64MP primary camera is flanked by three more cameras: ultra-wide-angle camera, depth-of-field camera, and a dedicated macro camera. On the front, you get a 20MP primary camera, coupled with a secondary camera for depth sensing.
The Redmi K30 5G continues on packing more features, as it comes with a large 4,500 mAh battery with 30W fast charging support. 5G and the high-refresh-rate display will definitely require a lot of juice throughout the day, so having a large battery as well as a quick way to top it up will come in handy. The phone also features a fingerprint scanner integrated within the power button and also retains some classic features like the 3.5mm headphone jack and the IR Blaster.
The Redmi K30 also comes in a 4G variant, which shares a lot of the same features. The primary differences are the lack of 5G (of course), a switch over to the Qualcomm Snapdragon 730G, a 2MP dedicated macro camera instead of a 5MP macro camera, a bump down to 27W fast charging, and a lack of dual-frequency GPS. The Redmi K30 4G thus retains the 120Hz display, the Sony IMX686, and the big 4,500 mAh battery — making it a viable device for users who are not interested in 5G for the foreseeable future.
Pricing and Availability
Both, the Redmi K30 5G and Redmi K30 4G are available in four RAM and storage variants.
Variant
Redmi K30 4G
Redmi K30 5G
6GB + 64GB
CNY 1599 (~$227/₹16,100)
CNY 1999 (~$284/₹20,100)
6GB + 128GB
CNY 1699 (~$241/₹17,100)
CNY 2299 (~$327/₹23,100)
8GB + 128GB
CNY 1899 (~$270/₹19,100)
CNY 2599 (~$370/₹26,100)
8GB + 256GB
CNY 2199 (~$312/₹22,100)
CNY 2899 (~$412/₹29,200)
The Redmi K30 4G will be available in Blue, Red, and Purple colors; while the 5G variant gets an additional White color variant. Both the devices will go on sale in China soon. We expect the K30 to make its way to international markets, but keep in mind that the pricing will not be the same as the Chinese pricing.
Update: Xiaomi teases 144Hz refresh rate, currently in testing on Redmi K30 5G
Since everyone is now seemingly hyping up their display and refresh rate technology, Redmi does not want to be left behind. Redmi’s General Manager Mr. Lu Weibing shared a video on Weibo, showing off the Redmi K30 5G testing a refresh rate of 144Hz.
Mr. Weibing mentions that the device is being tested with 144Hz refresh rate, but that does not necessarily mean that the technology will definitely make its way to end users. There is a possibility that the end result is not deemed worth the tradeoffs, and hence, the feature may not make its way to the final users. Nonetheless, this demo is proof that the device is capable of 144Hz. Maybe we can enable the feature on our own, just like we did with the Redmi K20?
What are your thoughts on the Redmi K30 5G and Redmi K30 4G? Let us know in the comments below!
The second half of 2019 saw the rise of Android smartphones with high refresh rate displays. Manufacturers like Google, OnePlus, Realme, and more launched flagships with 90Hz displays putting older smartphones with 60Hz displays to shame. However, the supremacy of 90Hz displays was quite shortlived as ASUS launched the ROG Phone II last year featuring a 120Hz OLED panel. Later in the year, an episode of the Android Developers Backstage podcast revealed that even Google had plans of including a 120Hz display on the Pixel 3. Even though manufacturers like OnePlus and Realme are now bringing 120Hz displays to the mainstream, it seems like they’ll soon be outclassed by smartphones with 144Hz displays and that too from a rather unlikely manufacturer — Nubia.
As per a recent Weibo post from Nubia’s President and co-founder Ni Fei, the company is testing a 144Hz display for its next Red Magic smartphones. For those of you who are unaware, Nubia’s Red Magic is a series of gaming smartphones that offer top-of-the-line specifications at an affordable price. The smartphones feature a gamery aesthetic, with an angular design and RGB lights. The last smartphone in the series, the Nubia Red Magic 3 (review), featured Qualcomm’s flagship Snapdragon 855 chipset, coupled with up to 12GB of RAM and up to 256GB of storage. The device also featured a 90Hz high refresh rate AMOLED display with support for DC dimming and HDR. And with all these features, the device was made available for well under $500.
If Nubia manages to successfully complete tests for the 144Hz display, the upcoming Red Magic 4 might be the first smartphone to feature a 144Hz panel. It’s worth noting that if Nubia plans on including a 144Hz display on the next Red Magic device, we can safely assume that it will feature Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 865 chipset which includes support for 144Hz displays. As of now, we have no additional information from the company regarding the specifications or the tentative launch date of the upcoming Red Magic smartphone.
