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mercredi 4 décembre 2019

Qualcomm announces the Snapdragon 865 with support for 5G, 200MP cameras, and 144Hz displays

Qualcomm’s Snapdragon chipsets are found in millions of Android smartphones and tablets thanks to the fact that Qualcomm designs chips for budget, mid-range, and premium mobile devices. Every December, Qualcomm hosts an event they call the Snapdragon Tech Summit where they announce their latest high-end mobile platforms. This year, the company has two new SoCs to show off: the Qualcomm Snapdragon 765 and the Qualcomm Snapdragon 865. The latter is the successor to the Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 that’s found in most flagship Android devices released in 2019, and it features major upgrades in key areas like the CPU, DSP, ISP, and modem.

With every new addition to the Snapdragon 800 series, we see year-on-year improvements that are within our expectations. What makes this year different is that the rest of the industry is finally catching up and making use of the chips’ full capabilities. 5G connectivity is no longer just a talking point – it’s already available in many cities and supported by a handful of devices. High megapixel, multi-camera devices are becoming the norm – the 108MP penta-camera Xiaomi Mi Note 10 immediately comes to mind. High refresh rate technology is now mainstream in the mobile industry as many of the big players add 90 or even 120Hz panels on their latest devices. With the new Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, we could see devices in 2020 have even higher megapixel cameras, faster refresh rate panels, and faster network connectivity than we’ve ever seen before.

There are many big generational changes that Qualcomm is highlighting this year, but there are also a lot of smaller improvements we’ve spotted while digging through the Snapdragon 865 specification sheet. Here’s everything you need to know.

Disclaimer: Qualcomm sponsored my trip to Maui, Hawaii, to attend the Snapdragon Tech Summit. The company paid for my flight and hotel. However, they did not have any input regarding the content of this article.

To start off, here’s a table I put together that extensively compares the previous generation Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 with the new Qualcomm Snapdragon 865. The table is dense and might be hard to follow if you’re not already familiar with most of these terms. Below the table, I’ve divided my explanations of the year-on-year improvements and new features into multiple sections.

Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 (sm8150) Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 (sm8250)
CPU 1x Kryo 485 (ARM Cortex A76-based) Prime core @ 2.84GHz, 1x 512KB pL2 cache

3x Kryo 485 (ARM Cortex A76-based) Performance cores @ 2.42GHz, 3x 256KB pL2 cache

4x Kryo 385 (ARM Cortex A55-based) Efficiency cores @ 1.8GHz, 4x 128KB pL2 cache

2MB sL3 cache

1x Kryo 585 (ARM Cortex A77-based) Prime core @ 2.84GHz, 1x 512KB pL2 cache

3x Kryo 585 (ARM Cortex A77-based) Performance cores @ 2.4GHz, 3x 256KB pL2 cache

4x Kryo 385 (ARM Cortex A55-based) Efficiency cores @ 1.8GHz, 4x 128KB pL2 cache

4MB sL3 cache
25% faster performance

GPU Adreno 640 @ 600MHz
Vulkan 1.1
Snapdragon Elite GamingVideo playback: H.264 (AVC), H.265 (HEVC), VP8, VP9, 4K HDR10, HLG, HDR10+, Dolby Vision
Adreno 650
Vulkan 1.1
Snapdragon Elite Gaming with new Desktop Forward Rendering, Game Color Plus, updatable GPU drivers
20% faster graphics rendering
35% more power efficientVideo playback: H.264 (AVC), H.265 (HEVC), VP8, VP9, 4K HDR10, HLG, HDR10+, Dolby Vision
Display Maximum On-Device Display Support: UHD
Maximum External Display Support: UHD
HDR support
DisplayPort over USB Type-C support
Maximum On-Device Display Support: UHD @ 60Hz, QHD+ @ 144Hz
Maximum External Display Support: UHD @ 60Hz
HDR support
DisplayPort over USB Type-C support
AI Hexagon 690 with Hexagon Vector eXtensions and Hexagon Tensor Accelerator
4th generation AI Engine
7 TOPS
Hexagon 698 with Hexagon Vector eXtensions and new Hexagon Tensor Accelerator
5th generation AI Engine
Qualcomm Sensing Hub
15 TOPS
Memory 4 x 16-bit LPDDR4 @ 2133MHz, 16GB
3MB system level cache
4 x 16-bit LPDDR4 @ 2133MHz, 16GB
LPDDR5 @ 2750MHz
3MB system level cache
ISP Dual 14-bit Spectra 380 ISP

Single camera: Up to 48MP with ZSL; Up to 192MP

Dual camera: Up to 22MP with ZSL

Video capture: 4K HDR @ 60 fps; Slow motion up to 720p@480 fps; HDR10, HDR10+, HLG

Dual 14-bit Spectra 480 ISP

Single camera: Up to 64MP with ZSL; Up to 200MP

Dual camera: Up to 25MP with ZSL

Video capture: 4K HDR @ 60 fps + 64MP burst images; 4K @ 120 fps; 8K @ 30 fps; Slow motion up to 720p@960 fps (unlimited); HDR10, HDR10+, HLG, Dolby Vision

Modem Snapdragon X24 4G LTE modem
Downlink: 2.0Gbps
Uplink: 316MbpsSnapdragon X50 5G modem
Downlink: 5.0Gbps
Modes: NSA, TDD
mmWave: 800MHz bandwidth, 8 carriers, 2×2 MIMO
sub-6 GHz: 100MHz bandwidth, 4×4 MIMO
Snapdragon X55 4G LTE and 5G multimode modem
Downlink: 7.5Gbps (5G), 2.5Gbps (4G LTE)
Uplink: 3Gbps, 316Mbps (4G LTE)
Modes: NSA, SA, TDD, FDD
mmWave: 800MHz bandwidth, 8 carriers, 2×2 MIMO
sub-6 GHz: 200MHz bandwidth, 4×4 MIMO
Charging Qualcomm Quick Charge 4+ Qualcomm Quick Charge 4+
Qualcomm Quick Charge AI
Connectivity Location: Beidou, Galileo, GLONASS, GPS, QZSS, SBAS, Dual Frequency support

Wi-Fi: Qualcomm FastConnect 6200; Wi-Fi 6 ready; 2.4/5GHz Bands; 20/40/80 MHz Channels; DBS, TWT, WPA3, 8×8 MU-MIMO

Bluetooth: Version 5.0, aptX TWS and aptX Adaptive

Location: Beidou, Galileo, GLONASS, GPS, QZSS, SBAS, Dual Frequency support

Wi-Fi: Qualcomm FastConnect 6800; Wi-Fi 6 certified; 2.4/5GHz Bands; 20/40/80 MHz Channels; DBS, TWT, WPA3, 8×8 MU-MIMO, OFDMA, 1024QAM

Bluetooth: Version 5.1, aptX TWS, aptX Adaptive, and aptX Voice

Manufacturing Process 7nm (TSMC’s N7) 7nm (TSMC’s N7P)

CPU

Qualcomm says the Snapdragon 865 offers 25% faster raw CPU performance and 25% better CPU power efficiency over the Snapdragon 855. How did they achieve this performance and efficiency uplift? Most likely due to the addition of newer ARM cores. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 features the same CPU core configuration (and even the same clock speeds and pL2 cache!) as the Snapdragon 855, but the lone Prime core and 3 Performance cores are now derived from the ARM Cortex-A77 design rather than the Cortex-A76. Qualcomm calls these new CPU cores the Kryo 585, though it’s unclear what customizations the Kryo 585 offers over the standard ARM Cortex A77 reference design. Last year’s Kryo 485 improved upon the ARM Cortex A76 design by introducing bigger out-of-order execution windows and reorder buffer, and more efficient data pre-fetchers.

ARM Cortex-A77ARM Cortex-A75 vs. Cortex-A76 vs Cortex-A77 single CPU core @ 3GHz benchmarked in SPEC int2006. Source: ARM.

GPU

For the new Adreno 650, Qualcomm touts impressive 20% faster graphics rendering and 35% greater power efficiency figures when compared to the Adreno 640 in last year’s Snapdragon 855. Qualcomm emphasizes that the new Adreno 650 allows for better sustained performance, meaning it’ll take longer before your games start dropping frames. Unfortunately, we don’t have many details on the intricacies of the Adreno 650 itself (such as its maximum clock speed), as Qualcomm is very protective of its custom GPU design. For good reason, too: the Adreno GPU has long outperformed ARM’s Mali GPU. Of course, we’ll have to benchmark the GPU performance on a Snapdragon 865 device to confirm if that’s still true with this generation.

As mobile games continue to grow in popularity and subsequently become more complex and performance intensive, Qualcomm is responding with a series of features under its “Snapdragon Elite Gaming” brand. Snapdragon Elite Gaming was introduced with the Snapdragon 855 last year, and it’s currently composed of features like Jank Reducer that aim to optimize the chipset’s operation during gaming. Now, Snapdragon Elite Gaming is adding support for 5 new features: Desktop Forward Rendering, Game Color Plus, updatable GPU drivers, Snapdragon Game Performance Engine, and Adreno HDR Fast Blend.

  • Desktop Forward Rendering: Qualcomm worked to bring this feature of the Unreal Engine to Android. It’s used by game developers for desktop-class dynamic shadows, planar reflections, motion blur, and other post-processing effects.
  • Game Color Plus: More and more smartphones have HDR-compliant displays. However, HDR content is still scarce, especially in mobile gaming. This feature converts the colors of mobile games from SDR to HDR but supposedly does so in an “intelligent” way as to not sacrifice color accuracy. Qualcomm promises “enhanced details, boosted color saturation and local tone mapping.” OPPO previously announced that they will be first to utilize this technology.

    Game Color Plus on PUBG Mobile: Left is Enabled, Right is Disabled

  • Updatable GPU drivers: Typically, updates to the GPU driver are packaged along with other updates before being sent OTA to users. New to the Snapdragon 865 BSP is the ability to update a separate GPU driver stub. If supported by the OEM, the user can download updates to the GPU driver directly from an app store. Google made this possible on the Android side with Project Treble, but we’ve yet to see many OEMs take advantage of this.
  • Snapdragon Game Performance Engine: Qualcomm didn’t provide many details on this feature, but the Snapdragon 865 press release states that “game play is now optimized to the micro-second level” with this feature, “providing adaptive and predictive real-time system tuning for sustained performance over longer periods of time.” It sounds like there could be some machine learning in use here – perhaps OEMs or developers can train models based on game play that, when deployed, adjust parameters to maintain peak performance, similar to how Huawei’s GPU Turbo works.
  • Adreno HDR Fast Blend: This is a new “hardware embedded” feature that can be used to improve performance by up to 2x (when compared to the Snapdragon 855) in scenes with heavy blending, such as when complex particles are rendered on screen.

Display

High refresh rate displays have been a staple of PC gaming for years – just look at how many 144Hz gaming monitors are out there – but the technology has finally taken off in the mobile space. The Google Pixel 4, OnePlus 7T, Realme X2 Pro, and OPPO Reno Ace were all recently released with 90Hz displays, while the ASUS ROG Phone II and Sharp Aquos R3 have 120Hz displays. While the ROG Phone II and Aquos R3 have smoother displays, they sacrifice on display resolution to achieve it. Displays with a high resolution and high refresh rate put a heavy strain on the GPU, but the Adreno 650 in the Snapdragon 865 is capable of pushing QHD+ resolution at 144Hz. We don’t know when a smartphone with a QHD+ 144Hz display will be available, but if one is already in the works, it’ll most likely be powered by the Snapdragon 865.

Qualcomm’s 3D Sonic technology, the company’s ultrasonic under-display fingerprint scanner, is still supported, but notably, the technology is getting a major upgrade. The newer version of the technology is called 3D Sonic Max and has a recognition area of 30mm by 20mm, 17x larger than before. Qualcomm says the accuracy is now 1::1,000,000 versus 1::50,000. The larger recognition area makes it possible for two fingers to be authenticated simultaneously, though in more practical terms, it’ll result in the user having an easier time finding where to place their finger on the sensor.

Qualcomm 3D Sonic Max

3D Sonic Max allowing for dual fingerprint authentication. Source: Qualcomm

Only Samsung used the 3D Sonic fingerprint scanner on the Galaxy S10 and Galaxy Note 10, so it’s possible the upcoming Galaxy S11 could feature the new 3D Sonic Max technology.

AI

Although a lot of what’s out there is snake oil, there are lots of legitimately impressive and useful features that take advantage of what we call “AI.” Take, for example, the Google Pixel 4’s automatic white balance adjustment and Astrophotography features. Google trained one model against a set of photos with and without good lighting, and they trained another model based on a set of photos of the starry sky. The result is that the Pixel 4 can infer what the best white balance setting should be to correct poor lighting (automatic white balance adjustment), and it can also segment the skyline from trees and other ground objects (Astrophotography). Both features require the kind of computational power provided by the Snapdragon’s Spectra ISP, Hexagon DSP, and Adreno GPU.

The combination of improvements to the GPU, DSP, and other blocks has provided an over 2x year-on-year boost in AI performance. While the Snapdragon 855 managed 7 TOPS (trillions of operations), the Snapdragon 865 manages 15 TOPS. This is thanks to the 5th generation AI engine in the Snapdragon 865. The biggest improvement in the 5th generation AI engine is the newer Hexagon Tensor Accelerator in the Hexagon 698 DSP. Qualcomm upgraded the HTA to provide over 4x TOPS performance while being 35% more power efficient.

Qualcomm designed a new component it’s calling the “Sensing Hub” that’s designed to efficiently detect audio. The Sensing Hub utilizes <1mW of power, allowing it to remain always-on at virtually no power cost. It supports multi-word wakeup, meaning it can react to “Hey Google” or “Alexa” hotwords to trigger Google Assistant or Amazon Alexa queries. The sensor framework is scalable, so it isn’t limited to just these use cases. For example, Qualcomm says the Sensing Hub could be used to listen for sounds indicative of driving, office work, movie theaters, etc. Developers can use the updated Qualcomm Neural Processing SDK, Hexagon NN Offload Framework, and Qualcomm AI Model Enhancer tools to create these and other features.

ISP

Arguably the biggest improvement in the Snapdragon 865 over the Snapdragon 855 is in the ISP. The new Spectra 480 ISP can process 2 Gigapixels per second. To take advantage of this increased processing performance, Qualcomm slowed down the clock cycles and started processing 4 pixels per clock cycle rather than 1 pixel per clock cycle. The result is improved power saving, better thermal efficiency, and 40% faster pixel processing for tasks like noise reduction. In addition, the Spectra 480 has a new Video Analytics Engine (EVA) to handle all Computer Vision (CV) tasks.

The “Gigapixel speed” of the Spectra 480 ISP makes it possible to capture 4K HDR video and 64MP burst images simultaneously. Qualcomm says the ISP can process images up to 200MP in size. This is not just a theoretical number, either, as Qualcomm says that smartphone image sensor vendors are indeed working on sensors with these ridiculously high megapixel counts. In more practical terms, however, the Spectra 480 is now capable of processing 64MP images with Zero Shutter Lag (from a single sensor.) That’s up from 48MP @ ZSL with the Snapdragon 855.

The Snapdragon 865 is also significantly more capable at video processing than the Snapdragon 855. For starters, the Snapdragon 865 now supports 8K resolution at 30fps. Next, the Spectra 480 is able to support 960fps slow motion videos at 720p resolution – without any time limits. 120fps slow motion at 4K video resolution is also possible. Lastly, the Spectra 480 now supports video capture in Dolby Vision HDR, even processing and converting colors on-the-fly, though OEMs will likely need to pay a licensing fee for it.

Connectivity

Modem

At last year’s Snapdragon Tech Summit, Qualcomm dedicated the entire first day to 5G. When they did so, 5G was still just a tech demo in our minds. Fast forward a year and we’ve seen both mmWave and sub-6 GHz 5G networks out in the real-world. In their rush to be the first to market, smartphone makers packed their first generation of 5G-enabled smartphones with Qualcomm’s years-old Snapdragon X50 5G modem. The X50 is certainly capable of impressive speeds, but it is manufactured using an older, less efficient process and supports fewer modes than the newer Snapdragon X55 modem.

The Snapdragon X55 was announced earlier this year as a 2G/3G/4G/5G multi-mode modem manufactured on a newer 7nm manufacturing process. It supports theoretical download and upload speeds of up to 7.5Gbps and 3.0Gbps respectively, Dynamic Spectrum Sharing (DSS), global 5G roaming, and 5G multi-SIM connectivity. In addition, the Snapdragon X55 supports SA (Standalone) 5G networks, mmWave and sub-6GHz in FDD frequencies, and has double the bandwidth at sub-6GHz frequencies. The Snapdragon X55 is, therefore, not only faster and more power efficient than the Snapdragon X50, but it also doesn’t need to be paired with a separate modem for 4G connectivity.

Qualcomm Snapdragon X55 and QTM525 mmWave antenna

While the Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 does support the Snapdragon X55 modem, it does not have this modem integrated into the SoC. We’ll likely see that happen with the next generation 800 series SoC. Furthermore, the Snapdragon X55 still requires the inclusion of Qualcomm’s QTM525 or QTM527 mmWave antennas in order to support mmWave 5G networks.

WiFi and Bluetooth

The Wi-Fi Alliance finalized the 802.11ax standard, better known as the Wi-Fi 6 specification, a while back, but so far, only the Samsung Galaxy S10 series and the Samsung Galaxy Note 10 series are Wi-Fi 6 certified. The Wi-Fi modem in the Snapdragon 855, contained in the Qualcomm FastConnect 6200 mobile connectivity subsystem, is “Wi-Fi 6 ready,” according to Qualcomm, while the new FastConnect 6800 in the Snapdragon 865 is “Wi-Fi Certified 6.” Whether that means all devices with the Snapdragon 865 will support Wi-Fi 6 remains to be seen, but at the very least, the FastConnect 6800 does bring new Wi-Fi features like OFDMA (Orthogonal frequency-division multiple access) to reduce network congestion and 1024QAM (Quadrature amplitude modulation) to improve throughput.

Bluetooth connectivity is also receiving a slight upgrade this generation. The FastConnect 6800 in the Snapdragon 865 now supports Bluetooth 5.1 as opposed to Bluetooth 5.0 in the Snapdragon 855’s FastConnect 6200. Version 5.1 of the specification notably introduces angles of arrival and departure for more precise, localized tracking of devices.

The Snapdragon 865 also supports Qualcomm’s new aptX Voice, a subset of the aptX Adaptive Bluetooth audio codec, allowing for Super Wide Band (32kHz) voice over Bluetooth for “a new class of crystal clear audio.” A newer version of aptX Adaptive supports 24-bit 96kHz audio and a bitrate of over 600kbps. Both OEMs and Bluetooth accessory makers will have to license aptX Voice and/or aptX Adaptive revision 2 for use in smartphones and accessories, respectively.

Memory

Companies like Samsung are finally mass producing LPDDR5 RAM modules for mobile devices, so it’s no surprise that the Snapdragon 865 supports LPDDR5 memory at up to 2750MHz. LPDDR5 is the latest specification that implements features like a dual differential clock system for increasing the frequency without increasing the pin count, a new deep sleep mode for better power consumption, and Link ECC to recover data from failed Read/Write operations.

Since apps and games are constantly swapped in and out of RAM, having faster RAM will result in faster app switching. Just like with the move from UFS 2.1 to UFS 3.0 storage, we won’t know how much a theoretical bump in memory performance will actually end up mattering. Expect to see premium flagship smartphones, likely from Samsung or OnePlus, to be the first to market with LPDDR5 RAM.

Charging

Qualcomm’s latest fast charging technology has, unfortunately, not made its way to the Snapdragon 865. Qualcomm’s Quick Charge 4+ is still available – so long as the OEM licenses it – for up to 27W of fast wired charging. While the charging speed won’t be getting a bump, the battery longevity might be. Qualcomm’s new Quick Charge AI promises the extension of battery life cycles so you can keep using your device for longer without having to buy a new phone or swap the battery (which is mostly impossible to do these days.)

We don’t have details on how Quick Charge AI extends the battery longevity, but it’s possibly dynamically adjusting the voltage like USB Power Delivery’s Programmable Power Supply (PPS). Compared to a similar device with the Snapdragon 730, Qualcomm says a device with the Snapdragon 765 and Quick Charge AI can last up to 200 additional battery life cycles. Comparable figures were not provided for the Snapdragon 855 versus Snapdragon 865, but we can guess they’ll be similar.

Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 complete feature list. Click to expand.

Artificial Intelligence

  • Adreno 650 GPU
  • Kryo 585 CPU
  • Hexagon 698 Processor
    • Hexagon Tensor Accelerator
    • Hexagon Vector eXtensions
    • Hexagon Scalar Accelerator
  • Qualcomm Sensing Hub
    • Ultra low power hub for audio, voice and sensors
    • Supports AI algorithms at low power
    • Support for fusing contextual data streams including sensors, audio and voice
    • Supports multiple voice assistants
    • Always-on multi-mic far-field detection and echo cancellation

5G Modem-RF System

  • Snapdragon X55 5G Modem-RF System
  • 5G mmWave and sub-6 GHz, standalone (SA) and non-standalone (NSA) modes, FDD, TDD
  • Dynamic Spectrum Sharing
  • mmWave: 800 MHz bandwidth, 8 carriers, 2×2 MIMO
  • Sub-6 GHz: 200 MHz bandwidth, 4×4 MIMO
  • Qualcomm® 5G PowerSave
  • Qualcomm® Smart Transmit™ technology
  • Qualcomm® Wideband Envelope Tracking
  • Qualcomm® Signal Boost adaptive antenna tuning
  • Global 5G multi-SIM
  • Downlink: Up to 7.5 Gbps
  • Uplink: Up to 3 Gbps (5G)
  • Multimode support: 5G NR, LTE including CBRS, WCDMA, HSPA, TD-SCDMA, CDMA 1x, EV-DO, GSM/EDGE

Wi-Fi & Bluetooth

  • Qualcomm® FastConnect™ 6800 Subsystem
    • Wi-Fi Standards: Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax), 802.11ac Wave 2, 802.11a/b/g/n
    • Wi-Fi Spectral Bands: 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz
    • Peak speed: 1.774 Gbps
    • Channel Utilization: 20/40/80 MHz
    • 8-stream sounding (for 8×8 MU-MIMO) MIMO Configuration: 2×2 (2-stream)
    • MU-MIMO (Uplink & Downlink)
    • 1024 QAM (2.4 & 5 GHz)
    • OFDMA (2.4 and 5 GHz)
    • Dual-band simultaneous (DBS)
    • Wi-Fi Security: WPA3-Enterprise, WPA3- Enhanced Open, WPA3 Easy Connect, WPA3-Personal
  • Integrated Bluetooth
    • Bluetooth Version: Bluetooth 5.1
    • Bluetooth features: 1-to-many Bluetooth broadcast, up to 18dB link margin improvement
    • Bluetooth audio: Qualcomm® aptX™ Voice audio for super wide band voice calls, Qualcomm aptX Adaptive audio for robust, low latency, high quality audio, Qualcomm TrueWireless™, Qualcomm TrueWireless Stereo
  • Qualcomm 60 GHz Wi-Fi
    • Wi-Fi Standards: 802.11ad, 802.11ay
    • Wi-Fi Spectral Band: 60 GHz
    • Peak speed: 10 Gbps
    • Always-on ambient Wi-Fi sensing

Camera

  • Qualcomm® Spectra™ 480 Image Signal Processor
  • Dual 14-bit ISPs
  • Up to 2 gigapixels per Second
  • Hardware accelerator for computer vision (CV-ISP)
  • Up to 200 Megapixel Photo Capture
  • Up to 25 MP dual camera with Zero Shutter Lag
  • Up to 64 MP single camera with Zero Shutter Lag
  • Rec. 2020 color gamut video capture
  • Up to 10-bit color depth video capture
  • 4K Video Capture + 64MP Photo (5 burst)
  • 8K Video Capture
  • Slow motion video capture at 720p at 960fps
  • HEIF: HEIC photo capture, HEVC video capture
  • Video Capture Formats: HDR10+, HDR10, HLG, Dolby Vision
  • 4K Video Capture at 120fps
  • 4K HDR Video Capture with Portrait Mode (Bokeh)
  • Multi-frame Noise Reduction (MFNR)
  • Real-time object classification, segmentation and replacement

Audio

  • Hexagon Voice Assistant Accelerator for hardware accelerated voice signal processing
  • Qualcomm Aqstic™ audio codec (Up to WCD9385)
    • Total Harmonic Distortion + Noise (THD+N), Playback: -108dB
    • Native DSD support, PCM up to 384 kHz/32-bit
    • Customizable “Golden Ears” filter
  • Qualcomm Aqstic smart speaker amplifier (up to WSA8815)

Display

  • On-Device Display Support:
    • 4K at 60Hz
    • QHD+ at 144Hz
  • Maximum External Display Support: up to 4K at 60Hz
  • 10-bit color depth, Rec. 2020 color gamut
  • HDR10 and HDR10+

CPU

  • Qualcomm Kryo 585, Octa-core CPU
  • Up to 2.84 GHz
  • 64-bit Architecture

Visual Subsystem

  • Adreno 650 GPU
  • Vulkan® 1.1 API support
  • HDR gaming (10-bit color depth, Rec. 2020 color gamut)
  • Physically Based Rendering
  • API Support: OpenGL® ES 3.2, OpenCL™ 2.0 FP, Vulkan 1.1
  • Hardware-accelerated H.265 and VP9 decoder
  • HDR Playback Codec support for HDR10+, HDR10, HLG and Dolby Vision

Security

  • Secure Processing Unit: Mobile Payment, Dual SIM/Dual Standby
  • Qualcomm® 3D Sonic Sensor
  • Biometric Authentication: Fingerprint, Iris, Voice, Face
  • On-Device: Qualcomm® Mobile Security, Key Provisioning Security, Qualcomm® Processor Security, Qualcomm® Content Protection, Qualcomm® Trusted Execution Environment, Camera Security, Crypto Engine, Malware Protection, Secure Boot, Secure Token

Charging

  • Qualcomm Quick Charge 4+ technology
  • Qualcomm Quick Charge AI

Location

  • GPS, Glonass, BeiDou, Galileo, QZSS, and SBAS
  • Dual Frequency Support
  • Low Power Geofencing and Tracking, Sensorassisted Navigation
  • Near Field Communications (NFC): Supported

Memory

  • Support for LP-DDR5 memory up to 2750MHz
  • Support for LPDDR4x memory up to 2133 MHz
  • Memory Density: up to 16 GB

General Specifications

  • Full Suite Snapdragon Elite Gaming features
  • 7nm Process Technology
  • USB Version 3.1; USB Type-C Support
  • Part Number: SM8250

The smartphone industry has progressed rapidly this year, and the new Snapdragon 865 reflects those changes. 5G, high refresh rate displays, high megapixel cameras, and AI features will only continue to get more powerful and sophisticated, and Qualcomm’s latest premium SoC seems ready to handle the upcoming 2020 flagship smartphones. Xiaomi, OPPO, HMD Global (makers of Nokia-branded smartphones), and Motorola have already confirmed their plans on launch smartphones with the Snapdragon 865 mobile platform.

Qualcomm isn’t the only player out there with a premium SoC, however. MediaTek’s Dimensity 1000, Huawei’s HiSilicon Kirin 990, and Samsung’s Exynos 990 are all in the same tier as Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 865, so we’ll have to wait for commercial products to start shipping before we can declare one of these as the best mobile SoC.

The post Qualcomm announces the Snapdragon 865 with support for 5G, 200MP cameras, and 144Hz displays appeared first on xda-developers.



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Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Lite/Galaxy A81 renders show familiar camera design and S Pen

With the Galaxy S11 series on the horizon, there are a couple of other interesting Samsung devices showing up. We recently got our first look a the Samsung Galaxy S10 Lite (or Galaxy A91) after it was confirmed by an FCC listing. There was also a rumor about a Galaxy Note 10 Lite back in October, and now we’re getting our first look at that device as well.

Like the Galaxy S10 Lite/A91, this device is also going by two names right now. @OnLeaks has shared renders of a device that could be called the Galaxy A81 or Galaxy Note 10 Lite. There are only two renders of the device and not a lot of details are visible. We can make out a few key features, however.

First and foremost, the camera arrangement looks very similar to what we’ve seen from the Galaxy S11 series and the Galaxy S10 Lite. According to rumors from Ishan Agarwal, the square housing will contain 3 cameras and a flash, though there’s no word on MP sizes. Speaking of cameras, it appears to have a single centered hole-punch camera on the front.

The second important feature we can see is the S Pen. We can see a 3.5mm headphone jack, speaker grill, and the S Pen docked in the bottom edge. The S Pen is obviously a big part of what makes a Note a Note, and having it in the “Lite” model is great. It will be useful for drawing on the 6.5-6.7-inch mostly flat display. There may also be a fingerprint sensor underneath the display.

There aren’t a lot of other specifications to go on right now. Some rough rumors claim it will be powered by 2018’s Exynos 9810, which was in the Galaxy Note 9 series. That would be a definite step down from the flagship Galaxy Note 10 and reason for the “Lite” nametag. It may also launch with 6GB of RAM and Android 10.


Source: 91mobiles

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[Update 2: Leaves Beta] Google tests Scheduling and Taking a Break from Focus Mode in Digital Wellbeing

Update 2 (12/4/19 @ 10:10 AM ET): Focus Mode along with Schedules and “Take a break” for Digital Wellbeing has left beta and is rolling out widely.

Update 1 (11/4/19 @ 11:10 AM ET): As discovered last week, Digital Wellbeing is getting schedules for Focus Mode and it’s rolling out now.

Back at Google I/O earlier this year, Google unveiled new features for Digital Wellbeing, the company’s digital wellness tool that’s now required on all Android devices. The most notable of the two features is Focus Mode, a toggle that blocks access to selected apps to eliminate distractions. In its current implementation, Focus Mode is fairly basic as it can only be manually toggled from within Digital Wellbeing or from a Quick Settings tile. However, we’ve enabled two new enhancements to Focus Mode in the latest Digital Wellbeing beta that should make it more useful.

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.

Scheduling

As we spotted late last month, Google is working on a scheduling feature for Focus Mode. Once this feature goes live, you’ll be able to choose a start and end time as well as the days of the week during which you want Digital Wellbeing to automatically enable Focus Mode. About a minute before entering Focus Mode, Digital Wellbeing will post a notification asking if you’re “ready to focus.” You can either wait a minute to let Focus Mode automatically start, or you can tap on the “wait” action to postpone Focus Mode for 10 minutes. Once Focus Mode starts, the notification text updates to tell you when it’ll automatically turn off. The Focus Mode Quick Setting tile also shows scheduling information in the subtext.

Digital Wellbeing Focus Mode Schedule

Taking a break

If you noticed in the last screenshot above, there’s a new “Take a Break” action in the Focus Mode notification. This feature, as we previously covered, was first spotted by Jane Manchun Wong through her analysis of Digital Wellbeing. The “take a break” action lets you take a 5, 15, or 30 minute-long break from Focus Mode. There’s not much of a point in taking a break when manually toggling Focus Mode, but it may come in handy when you’ve set up a schedule that you generally want to stick with but simply can’t at the moment.

Digital Wellbeing Focus Mode break

Neither feature is currently live in Digital Wellbeing on any of the other devices that I have. Since these features are fully implemented, it shouldn’t take long for them to rollout. We’ll let you know when that happens.

Thanks to PNF Software for providing us a license to use JEB Decompiler, a professional-grade reverse engineering tool for Android applications.


Update 2: Rolling Out

As we discovered in the APK teardown last week, Digital Wellbeing is getting new schedules for Focus Mode. You can schedule Focus Mode to be enabled at certain times. And because sometimes you’ll need to get through Focus Mode for a brief moment, you can “Take a break” (temporarily disable Focus Mode) for 5, 15, or 30 minutes. This can be done from within Digital Wellbeing or the notification shade.

Google is positioning Focus Mode as a way to block distractions to focus on a task, but this mode can also be used as an app blocker. There are 3rd-party apps in the Play Store that allow you to block apps during specific times of the day. For example, maybe you want to block social media apps on the weekend so you don’t use your phone as much. Focus Mode’s schedules make that possible on the system level.

Join the beta for Digital Wellbeing to get these features, or download version 1.02752 from APK Mirror.

Via: Android Police


Update 2: Leaves Beta

Focus Mode for Digital Wellbeing is now leaving beta along with the recently added “Take a break” and Schedules features. Focus Mode arrived in beta back in August, and the aforementioned features were included last month. All of this is now available in the stable version and is rolling out widely to any device that can install it.

Digital Wellbeing (Free, Google Play) →

Via: Android Police

The post [Update 2: Leaves Beta] Google tests Scheduling and Taking a Break from Focus Mode in Digital Wellbeing appeared first on xda-developers.



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Download: MIUI 11 stable update rolling out to several Xiaomi and Redmi devices!

Update 15 (12/04/19 @ 8:42 AM ET): MIUI 11 stable fastboot ROM download link added for the Mi Max 3. Several other devices have also been updated with newer releases. MIUI 11 is available for 42 Xiaomi devices.

Previous Updates

Update 14 (11/27/19 @ 7:05 AM ET): MIUI 11 stable recovery ROM download link added for the Redmi Note 8. Download link added for MIUI 11 fastboot ROM for the Mi 9 SE, Redmi Note 5A Prime/Redmi Y1, Redmi 8, Redmi 8A, Redmi 4X. Several other links have been updated too.

Update 13 (11/22/19 @ 10:20 AM ET): Download link added for MIUI 11 fastboot ROM for Redmi Note 7.

Update 12 (11/20/19 @ 8:50 AM ET): Download link added for MIUI 11 stable recovery ROM for Redmi 5 Plus/Redmi Note 5 India. Fastboot ROM links have been added for the Redmi Note 4X/Redmi Note 4 (Qualcomm), Mi Play, and Redmi S2/Y2, and Mi Mix 3.

Update 11 (11/18/19 @ 7:30 AM ET): Download links for MIUI 11 stable recovery ROMs have been added for the Mi CC9 Pro/Mi Note 10, Redmi 4X. And links for fastboot ROMs have been added for Redmi 5A, Redmi S2/Y2, Redmi K20 Pro/Mi 9T Pro.

Update 10 (11/15/19 @ 1:00 AM ET): MIUI 11 stable recovery ROM download link has been added for the Xiaomi Redmi Note 4X/Redmi Note 4 (Qualcomm).

Update 9 (11/14/19 @ 8:35 AM ET): MIUI 11 stable recovery ROM download link has been added for the Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 Pro (India). MIUI 11 stable Fastboot ROM download links have been added for the Redmi 6 Pro, Redmi 7A, and Mi Note 3.

Update 8 (11/13/19 @ 6:20 AM ET): MIUI 11 stable download links have been added for the Redmi 5A. Fastboot ROM links have been added for the Redmi 5, Redmi Note 5A, Redmi Note 5 Pro Mi Mix, and Mi Note 2.

Update 7 (11/11/19 @ 7:20 AM ET): We have added MIUI 11 stable download link for the Redmi Note 6 Pro. We have also added Fastboot ROM links for the Mi Mix 2, Mi Mix 2S, Mi 6, and Mi Max 2. The table has also been reformatted to make it slightly easier to view on mobile.

Update 6 (11/9/19 @ 7:55 AM ET): We have added MIUI 11 stable download links for the Mi Note 2, Mi Mix, Mi Max 2, Redmi 6A, Redmi 6, Redmi 8, and Redmi 8A. We have also added Fastboot ROM links for the Redmi K20/Mi 9T, Mi 8, Mi 8 Pro, and Mi 9 Lite/Mi CC9.

Update 5 (11/6/19 @ 2:58 AM ET): We have added MIUI 11 stable download links for the Xiaomi Redmi 5, and Mi Play. We have also added Fastboot ROM links for the Mi 9, Redmi Y3, and Redmi 7.

Update 4 (11/5/19 @ 9:12 AM ET): We have added MIUI 11 stable download links for the Xiaomi Redmi Note 5A/Redmi Y1 Lite, Redmi Note 5A Prime/Redmi Y1, Redmi 6 Pro, Mi 6, and Mi Mix 2. We have also added Fastboot ROM links for the Poco F1, and Redmi Note 7 Pro.

Update 3 (11/4/19 @ 5:40 AM ET): We have added MIUI 11 stable download links for the Xiaomi Redmi 7A, Mi 8, Mi 8 Pro, Mi 9 SE, Mi Mix 2S, Mi Mix 3, and Redmi S2/Y2.

Update 2 (11/01/19 @ 2:55 AM ET): We have added MIUI 11 stable download links for the Xiaomi Mi Note 3.

Update 1 (10/31/19 @ 1:30 AM ET): We have added MIUI 11 stable download links for the Xiaomi Redmi 7, Redmi Note 5 Pro, Redmi Y3, Redmi Note 7, Redmi K20 Pro, Mi Max 3, Mi 8 Lite, Mi 9, and Mi 9 Lite. The article with download links for the Redmi Note 7 Pro and POCO F1 was originally published on October 30, 2019.


MIUI 11 is the newest big release for Xiaomi smartphones, perhaps even bigger than an Android version jump. Features on Xiaomi devices are dictated more by their MIUI versions than the underlying Android version, so an MIUI version upgrade is an exciting event. MIUI 11 was announced in China in September 2019, bringing along new features such as animated AOD and Horizon Light for supported devices, new font, dynamic sound system, Mi Work and Mi Go app suites, and more changes. The first batch of MIUI 11 Betas was available for a bunch of devices, and over the next few weeks, devices like the Redmi K20 have begun receiving their stable MIUI 11 updates. Now, Xiaomi has officially confirmed that stable MIUI 11 update is rolling out to the Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 Pro, Redmi 7, Redmi Note 5 Pro and the Poco F1.

The update for the Redmi Note 7 and Poco F1 is rolling out to all devices in a staged manner, while Xiaomi should be making the announcement soon for the Redmi Y3, Redmi 7 and Redmi Note 5 Pro. You can wait for the update to land on the device. Or as an alternative, you can also sideload the update onto your phone using the download links provided below. Even though these are official update files, it is always a good idea to back up the important data on your phone.

You should be able to install the updates on your device by yourself using the local update method. Download the Recovery ROM for your region, place it in your root directory. Then navigate to Settings > About Phone > System Update and then tap on the MIUI icon 7 times. This should reveal the “Choose update package” option in the three-dot menu. Select the option, and then select the file you download and hit “OK”.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 Pro XDA Forums

Poco F1 XDA Forums || Buy Poco F1 from Amazon.in

Here are some screenshots of the update from my Redmi Note 7 Pro:

MIUI 11 on the Redmi Note 7 Pro MIUI 11 on the Redmi Note 7 Pro MIUI 11 on the Redmi Note 7 Pro MIUI 11 on the Redmi Note 7 Pro MIUI 11 on the Redmi Note 7 Pro MIUI 11 on the Redmi Note 7 Pro MIUI 11 on the Redmi Note 7 Pro

Xiaomi’s MIUI 11 rollout has been difficult to track so far, mainly because of the confusing update naming convention and the different updates across multiple regions. Adding to this complexity is the fact there appears to be a very thin demarcation between builds that are only intended for the Mi Pilot beta testing program, meaning that builds assigned for this group will not install on devices with Mi Accounts that do not have the requisite permission. The same builds then get opened up as stable release, creating a lot of confusion — for instance, the same build linked above first failed to install on my Redmi Note 7 Pro, but then appeared through the OTA with the MIUI 11 Beta icon. If you get the error message that the update is for closed beta testers only, you can sideload the update through TWRP.

Download: MIUI 11 for the Redmi Note 7 Pro, Poco F1, and others

You can download MIUI 11 for your device from the links below. You can also visit our linked forums in case you need further assistance. While all of these download links are directly from Xiaomi, users are advised to proceed at their own risk.

Sr. No. Device, Device Codename, and XDA Forum Link Build Number and Region Recovery ROM Fastboot ROM
1. Redmi Note 7 Pro (violet) V11.0.5.0.PFHINXM (India) Download Recovery ROM Download Fastboot ROM
2. Redmi 7 (onclite) V11.0.2.0.PFLINXM (India) Download Recovery ROM Download Fastboot ROM
V11.0.3.0.PFLEUXM (Europe) Download Recovery ROM Download Fastboot ROM
V11.0.2.0.PFLRUXM (Russia) Download Recovery ROM Download Fastboot ROM
V11.0.2.0.PFLMIXM (Global) Download Recovery ROM Download Fastboot ROM
3. Redmi Note 5 Pro (whyred) V11.0.3.0.PEIMIXM (Global) Download Recovery ROM Download Fastboot ROM
V11.0.1.0.PEIRUXM (Russia) Download Recovery ROM Download Fastboot ROM
4. Poco F1 (beryllium) V11.0.5.0.PEJMIXM (Global) Download Recovery ROM Download Fastboot ROM
V11.0.1.0.PEJRUXM (Russia) Download Recovery ROM Download Fastboot ROM
5. Redmi Y3 (onc) V11.0.3.0.PFFINXM (India) Download Recovery ROM Download Fastboot ROM
6. Redmi Note 7 (lavender) V11.0.4.0.PFGMIXM (Global) Download Recovery ROM Download Fastboot ROM
V11.0.6.0.PFGINXM (India) Download Recovery ROM Download Fastboot ROM
V11.0.4.0.PFGRUXM (Russia) Download Recovery ROM Download Fastboot ROM
V11.0.4.0.PFGEUXM (Europe) Download Recovery ROM Download Fastboot ROM
7. Redmi K20 Pro/Mi 9T Pro (raphael) V11.0.1.0.QFKINXM (India) Download Recovery ROM Download Fastboot ROM
V11.0.3.0.QFKEUXM (Europe) Download Recovery ROM Download Fastboot ROM
V11.0.1.0.QFKRUXM (Russia) Download Recovery ROM Download Fastboot ROM
V11.0.1.0.QFKMIXM (Global) Download Recovery ROM Download Fastboot ROM
8. Mi Max 3 (nitrogen) V11.0.5.0.PEDMIXM (Global) – Update rolled back Download Recovery ROM
V11.0.6.0.PEDMIXM (Global) Download Recovery ROM Download Fastboot ROM
V11.0.5.0.PEDRUXM (Russia) – Update rolled back Download Recovery ROM
V11.0.6.0.PEDRUXM (Russia) Download Recovery ROM Download Fastboot ROM
9. Mi 8 Lite (platina) V11.0.5.0.PDTMIXM (Global) Download Recovery ROM Download Fastboot ROM
V11.0.5.0.PDTRUXM (Russia) Download Recovery ROM Download Fastboot ROM
10. Mi 9 (cepheus) V11.0.2.0.QFAMIXM (Global) Download Recovery ROM Download Fastboot ROM
V11.0.3.0.QFAMIXM (Global) – For Closed Beta testers Download Recovery ROM
V11.0.5.0.QFAEUXM (Europe) Download Recovery ROM Download Fastboot ROM
V11.0.6.0.QFAEUXM (Europe) – For Closed Beta testers Download Recovery ROM
V11.0.3.0.QFARUXM (Russia) Download Recovery ROM Download Fastboot ROM
11. Mi 9 Lite/Mi CC9 (pyxis) V11.3.3.0.PFCMIXM (Global) Download Recovery ROM Download Fastboot ROM
V11.3.3.0.PFCEUXM (Europe) Download Recovery ROM Download Fastboot ROM
V11.3.4.0.PFCEUXM (Europe) – For Closed Beta testers Download Recovery ROM
V11.3.2.0.PFCRUXM (Russia) Download Recovery ROM Download Fastboot ROM
12. Mi Note 3 (jason) V11.0.3.0.PCHMIXM (Global) Download Recovery ROM Download Fastboot ROM
13. Redmi 7A (pine) V11.0.4.0.PCMMIXM (Global) Download Recovery ROM Download Fastboot ROM
V11.0.6.0.PCMEUXM (Europe) Download Recovery ROM Download Fastboot ROM
V11.0.3.0.PCMRUXM (Russia) Download Recovery ROM Download Fastboot ROM
14. Mi 8 (dipper) V11.0.6.0.PEAMIXM (Global) Download Recovery ROM Download Fastboot ROM
V11.0.6.0.PEARUXM (Russia) Download Recovery ROM Download Fastboot ROM
15. Mi 8 Pro (equuleus) V11.0.5.0.PECMIXM (Global) Download Recovery ROM Download Fastboot ROM
V11.0.5.0.PECRUXM (Russia) Download Recovery ROM Download Fastboot ROM
16. Mi 9 SE (grus) V11.0.4.0.PFBMIXM (Global) Download Recovery ROM Download Fastboot ROM
V11.0.4.0.PFBEUXM (Europe) Download Recovery ROM Download Fastboot ROM
V11.0.4.0.PFBRUXM (Russia) Download Recovery ROM Download Fastboot ROM
17. Mi Mix 2S (polaris) V11.0.4.0.PDGMIXM (Global) Download Recovery ROM Download Fastboot ROM
18. Mi Mix 3 (perseus) V11.0.4.0.PEEMIXM (Global) Download Recovery ROM Download Fastboot ROM
19. Redmi S2/Y2 (ysl) V11.0.2.0.PEFMIXM (Global) Download Recovery ROM Download Fastboot ROM
V11.0.1.0.PEFRUXM (Russia) Download Recovery ROM Download Fastboot ROM
20. Redmi Note 8 Pro (begonia) V11.0.1.0.PGGMIXM (Global) Download Recovery ROM
V11.0.1.0.PGGIDXM (Indonesia) Download Recovery ROM
V11.0.1.0.PGGINXM (India) Download Recovery ROM
V11.0.1.0.PGGRUXM (Russia) Download Recovery ROM
V11.0.1.0.PGGEUXM (Europe) Download Recovery ROM
V11.0.2.0.PGGEUXM (Europe) Download Recovery ROM
21. Redmi Note 5A Prime/Redmi Y1 (ugg) V11.0.2.0.NDKMIXM (Global) Download Recovery ROM Download Fastboot ROM
22. Redmi Note 5A/Redmi Y1 Lite (ugglite) V11.0.3.0.NDFMIXM (Global) Download Recovery ROM Download Fastboot ROM
23. Redmi 6 Pro (sakura) V11.0.3.0.PDMMIXM (Global) Download Recovery ROM Download Fastboot ROM
24. Mi 6 (sagit) V11.0.3.0.PCAMIXM (Global) Download Recovery ROM Download Fastboot ROM
25. Mi Mix 2 (chiron) V11.0.3.0.PDEMIXM (Global) Download Recovery ROM Download Fastboot ROM
26. Redmi K20/Mi 9T (davinci) V11.0.1.0.PFJMIXM (Global) Download Recovery ROM Download Fastboot ROM
V11.0.2.0.PFJINXM (India) Download Recovery ROM
V11.0.3.0.PFJINXM (India) – For Closed Beta testers Download Recovery ROM
V11.0.2.0.PFJEUXM (Europe) – For Closed Beta testers Download Recovery ROM
V11.0.3.0.PFJEUXM (Europe) – For Closed Beta testers Download Recovery ROM
V11.0.3.0.PFJRUXM (Russia) – For Closed Beta testers Download Recovery ROM
27. Redmi 5 (rosy) V11.0.1.0.ODAMIXM (Global) Download Recovery ROM Download Fastboot ROM
V11.0.1.0.ODARUXM (Russia) Download Recovery ROM Download Fastboot ROM
28. Mi Play (lotus) V11.0.1.0.OFIMIXM (Global) Download Recovery ROM Download Fastboot ROM
V11.0.1.0.OFIRUXM (Russia) Download Recovery ROM Download Fastboot ROM
29. Mi Note 2 (scorpio) V11.0.2.0.OADMIXM (Global) Download Recovery ROM Download Fastboot ROM
30. Redmi 6A (cactus) V11.0.4.0.PCBMIXM (Global) – For Closed Beta testers Download Recovery ROM
31. Redmi 6 (cereus) V11.0.1.0.PCGMIXM (Global) – For Closed Beta testers Download Recovery ROM
32. Mi Mix (lithium) V11.0.2.0.OAHMIXM (Global) Download Recovery ROM Download Fastboot ROM
33. Mi Max 2 (oxygen) V11.0.2.0.NDDMIXM (Global) Download Recovery ROM Download Fastboot ROM
34. Redmi 8 (olive) V11.0.2.0.PCNINXM (India) Download Recovery ROM Download Fastboot ROM
V11.0.1.0.PCNEUXM (Europe) Download Recovery ROM Download Fastboot ROM
V11.0.1.0.PCNRUXM (Russia) – For Closed Beta testers Download Recovery ROM
35. Redmi 8A (olivelite) V11.0.1.0.PCPINXM (India) Download Recovery ROM Download Fastboot ROM
V11.0.3.0.PCPINXM (India) Download Recovery ROM Download Fastboot ROM
V11.0.1.0.PCPMIXM (Global) Download Recovery ROM Download Fastboot ROM
V11.0.1.0.PCPRUXM (Russia) – For Closed Beta testers Download Recovery ROM
V11.0.1.0.PCPEUXM (Europe) – For Closed Beta testers Download Recovery ROM
36. Redmi Note 6 Pro (tulip) V11.0.1.0.PEKMIXM (Global) – For Closed Beta testers Download Recovery ROM
37. Redmi 5A (riva) V11.0.2.0.OCKMIXM (Global) Download Recovery ROM Download Fastboot ROM
38. Redmi Note 4X/Redmi Note 4 (Qualcomm) (mido) V11.0.2.0.NCFMIXM (Global) Download Recovery ROM Download Fastboot ROM
39. Redmi 4X (santoni) V11.0.2.0.NAMMIXM (Global) Download Recovery ROM Download Fastboot ROM
40. Mi CC9 Pro/Mi Note 10 (tucana) V11.0.5.0.PFDEUXM (Europe) – For Closed Beta testers Download Recovery ROM
V11.0.9.0.PFDEUXM (Europe) – For Closed Beta testers Download Recovery ROM
V11.0.10.0.PFDEUXM (Europe) – For Closed Beta testers Download Recovery ROM
V11.0.3.0.PFDMIXM (Global) – For Closed Beta testers Download Recovery ROM
V11.0.5.0.PFDMIXM (Global) – For Closed Beta testers Download Recovery ROM
V11.0.3.0.PFDRUXM (Russia) – For Closed Beta testers Download Recovery ROM
41. Redmi 5 Plus/Redmi Note 5 India (vince) V11.0.2.0.OEGMIXM (Global) – For Closed Beta testers Download Recovery ROM
42. Redmi Note 8 (ginkgo) V11.0.3.0.PCOMIXM (Global) Download Recovery ROM Download Fastboot ROM
V11.0.1.0.PCOIDXM (Indonesia) – For Closed Beta testers Download Recovery ROM
V11.0.1.0.PCOINXM (India) – For Closed Beta testers Download Recovery ROM

If you spot any errors in our coverage with respect to these download links, please let us know.


Thanks to XDA Recognized Developer yshalsager and XDA Junior Member kacskrz for download links!

The post Download: MIUI 11 stable update rolling out to several Xiaomi and Redmi devices! appeared first on xda-developers.



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The Nubia Z20’s dual screen setup is unexpectedly pointless

The Nubia Z20 was announced a while back, making headlines by offering a really unique and interesting concept: it has two screens, one on the front and one on the back. The idea was to get rid of the popup or front cameras by letting you flip your phone around to the back screen when you need to take a selfie. This is such a huge change from how we normally use phones, I had to jump at the opportunity to test it out for a few weeks. However, after using it for a bit, I can confidently say that this is the most annoying and least useful gimmick I’ve seen in a long time. In fact, it even interferes with core facets of the user experience that I took for granted.

Unlike other dual-screen phones like the Galaxy Fold, LG V50, LG G8x, or ZTE Axon M, this isn’t to make usability better. Instead, Nubia added a second display to the back to ensure that there is no hole punch, notch, top bezel,  popup camera and so on. And with two screens, you only get one rear camera: that means the back display is your front display while you are using the front (rear) facing cameras. Besides the dual display, the Nubia Z20 is exactly the same as any other AOSP based phone. It has very little custom software besides for the Red Magic gaming mode and a blue light filter. So far, this sounds pretty nifty, right? I expected it to be as cool as it seemed, but I was disappointed.

Specifications Nubia Z20
Size 158.63×75.26×9mm; 186g
Software Android 9.0 (Pie) with nubia UI 7.0
SoC Snapdragon 855 Plus (1 x Kryo 485 at 2.96GHz + 3 x Kryo 485 at 2.42GHz + 4 x Kryo 385 at 1.8GHz) 7nm Mobile Platform with 675MHz Adreno 640 GPU
RAM and storage
  • 6GB LPDDR4X RAM with 128GB storage (UFS 3.0)
  • 8GB LPDDR4X RAM with 128GB storage (UFS 3.0) / 512GB storage (UFS 3.0)
Battery 4000mAh with 27W fast PD charging, Quick Charge 4.0
Front Display 6.42-inch (1080 × 2340 pixels) 19.5:9 FHD+ AMOLED curved glass display
Rear Display 5.1-inch (1520 × 720 pixels) HD+ AMOLED
Ports USB Type-C port, dual SIM slots
Security Dual side-mounted fingerprint sensors
Rear cameras
  • 48MP rear camera with 1/2.25″ Sony IMX586 sensor, 0.8um pixel size, f/1.7 aperture, dual-LED flash, OIS
  • 16MP 122.2° ultra-wide camera, 2.5cm macro
  • 8MP telephoto lens for 3x lossless zoom and 30x digital zoom
Colors Black, Blue, Red

The design of the rear display, which I consider the most “important” display on this device (since it’s what could get you to buy this phone over its competitors), is fairly simple. It is a small 5.1-inch curved AMOLED display located directly under the camera sensors at the top of the “bezel.” It has a resolution of 720 x 1520 pixels with an aspect ratio of 19:9, making it a bit taller than the average main display. It also means a measly PPI of 330, yet that’s not the worst considering this is just the extra panel. As for viability, this rear display has a maximum brightness of 330 nits, essentially meaning the rear display is useless in direct sunlight.

nubia z20

As for the actual display, it is covered in a coating that makes it mimic the rear color of the phone while not in use. Thus, while the screen is off, the always-on display can turn on. and instead of showing white text and icons on a black slab, it will appear as if it’s projected onto the colored back of the phone. Pretty cool, huh? This surprisingly didn’t affect colors on the display much, although it’s not like that would matter — you aren’t supposed to stare at this for tens of minutes at a time or consume media on it.

nubia z20

Nubia also included two fingerprint scanners, which is actually pretty smart. On both the left and right sides of the phone, you will find a dual fingerprint and power button. You can unlock and lock with both sides, so you can always use the same finger to unlock the device no matter which display you are using.

nubia z20 nubia z20

The Nubia Z20 dual-screen software is actually very limited. There is only one real dual-screen software feature, a constant floating button that lets you swap screens. That’s pretty much it. Seriously, that is all you get beyond the aforementioned always-on functionality. Even though they’ve invested so much on such a unique form factor with great (hardware) execution, it seems like they had not figured out any ways to exploit this back display beyond using it for the rear camera or as a passive always-on display. Why would anyone swap displays and use the back panel over the decidedly and markedly superior front display?

After I sent the device back, it actually got a software update that automatically switches between the front and back display just by flipping the phone over. That’s a nifty feature (assuming it works well enough to not get on your nerves), but again, is that all that they can offer?

The Nubia Z20 has you go through extra steps to arrive at a worse user experience

To make things worse, the dual-screen experience isn’t even that great! At first, it seems like it will be fine and dandy: just flip around the screen when you need to use the back display, for whatever crazy reason. For a good bit of time, this is fine, it feels new and futuristic. But it won’t take long for you to realize that there is no real reason to willingly switch to this display. And then, you start trying to use video calling apps or Snapchat, or just want to test the camera with a selfie. This is where it just becomes annoying. Sending a quick pic or snapping a quick selfie goes from a two-second process of opening the app and hitting the shutter to swapping the display, turning the Nubia Z20 around, then opening the app and hitting the shutter. If you are outside when it’s even a little sunny, you won’t even be able to see the display because it just doesn’t get bright enough!

nubia z20

On other phones, the user experience is designed so that the phone adapts to your usage — at least, that’s what companies aim for. It’s nice because, when you want to use a feature, it is just there for you, ready to roll. To have to adapt to the phone – to have to go through extra steps to then arrive at a worse experience –  is just a weird change that is not just unwanted: it turns me off of the phone. Having to use a smaller display along with pressing the switch screen button is a pointless and shockingly tedious change from other phones that far outweighs the initial coolness of the form factor. The functionality outstays its welcome, and in the end, it’s just not worth it.

There is yet another issue with the cameras: unsurprisingly, they aren’t that great. Their outputs are very soft, lacking almost any fine detail. That essentially means that even without a beauty mode, it will be super soft and look as though there was a (poor) beauty mode filter. So, let’s recap: you must physically turn the phone around, going out of your way by manually flipping the device, to access a poor camera setup on a terrible display. If there were any other advantages to the form factor, such as the inclusion of useful features that I’m currently not able to conceive (but hey, that’s their job, not mine) then maybe, these compromises wouldn’t sting this badly. But I doubt it. This is definitely the flashiest way to achieve a full screen, bezeless front, and it’s also the worst I’ve used.

Nubia Z20 vs OnePlus 7 Pro Camera Samples

Beyond the dual-screen gimmick, the Nubia Z20 is entirely average and not really an attractive buy. It is interesting and definitely an eye-catching product, but there really is no incentive or advantage to this design. The front display on the phone is fine, but the usability of the phone is compromised when you have to go out of your way or go through unnecessary motions to use something as basic as the camera. Even with the good specs, it just doesn’t feel like a compelling buy.

The post The Nubia Z20’s dual screen setup is unexpectedly pointless appeared first on xda-developers.



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