The smartphone market now has a decent selection of foldable phones to choose from, if you are in the market. The clamshell-style is one of the more popular types of foldable devices, with Samsung leading the way in sales with the Galaxy Z Flip3. Since the launch of this device, HUAWEI has begun selling its own phone with a flip function called the P50 Pocket. Each phone has its own strengths, so let’s take a look at the areas where the HUAWEI P50 does it better than Samsung.
No More Hinge Gap
One of the most common complaints from users of the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip3 is the gap in the hinge. When the phone is closed shut, a small gap can be found between the two screens. When HUAWEI designed the P50 Pocket, they made sure to create a phone that doesn’t have a gap. So when the P50 Pocket is closed, both screens lie flat against each other.
The P50 Pocket also has a slimmer build altogether. Measuring only 15.2mm from one end to the other when the phone is close, which is smaller than the 17.1-15.9mm measurement on the Galaxy Z Flip3.
A Larger Display
While it isn’t a dramatic difference, the HUAWEI P50 Pocket has a slightly bigger screen than the Galaxy Z Flip3. The P50 Pocket fits a 6.9″ folding display at 1188×2790, while the Galaxy Z Flip3 has a smaller 6.7″ screen at 1080×2640.
Since you’re getting a phone with the ability to fold to half its size, opting for the larger display is probably a good idea. A slightly higher resolution benefits the 21:9 screen on the P50 Pocket, as your games, movies, and apps will look fantastic on this display.
No Folding Crease
Another common complaint about the Galaxy Z Flip3 is that users will find a crease begin to form in the center of the display, after moderate use. This is also an issue found in most other flip phones with these flexible folding screens. HUAWEI claims to have fixed this common issue to the point where users won’t experience it at all on the P50 Pocket.
More RAM and Storage
While these two phones share very similar specs across the board, the Premium Edition of the P50 Pocket will offer 12GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. The Galaxy Z Flip3 will max out at 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. So the extra boost in memory is there for anyone that needs it. Both phones share the same Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 chipset, so you can expect similar performance from both of these devices.
A Bigger Battery with Faster Charging
For anyone that values fast charging speeds and large batteries, the P50 Pocket is going to be the better option. HUAWEI put a large 4000mAh battery in their phone, with a 40W fast charging capability. The Galaxy Z Flip3 has a smaller 3300mAh capacity, and the fast charging maxes out at 15W.
In conclusion, both of these phones are great options for anyone looking to get a new flip phone, but the HUAWEI P50 Pocket exceeds in many ways that should be seriously considered. You can find out more information on the HUAWEI P50 Pocket on the official page here.
We thank HUAWEI for sponsoring this post. Our sponsors help us pay for the many costs associated with running XDA, including server costs, full time developers, news writers, and much more. While you might see sponsored content (which will always be labeled as such) alongside Portal content, the Portal team is in no way responsible for these posts. Sponsored content, advertising and XDA Depot are managed by a separate team entirely. XDA will never compromise its journalistic integrity by accepting money to write favorably about a company, or alter our opinions or views in any way. Our opinion cannot be bought.
The smartphone market now has a decent selection of foldable phones to choose from, if you are in the market. The clamshell-style is one of the more popular types of foldable devices, with Samsung leading the way in sales with the Galaxy Z Flip3. Since the launch of this device, HUAWEI has begun selling its own phone with a flip function called the P50 Pocket. Each phone has its own strengths, so let’s take a look at the areas where the HUAWEI P50 does it better than Samsung.
No More Hinge Gap
One of the most common complaints from users of the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip3 is the gap in the hinge. When the phone is closed shut, a small gap can be found between the two screens. When HUAWEI designed the P50 Pocket, they made sure to create a phone that doesn’t have a gap. So when the P50 Pocket is closed, both screens lie flat against each other.
The P50 Pocket also has a slimmer build altogether. Measuring only 15.2mm from one end to the other when the phone is close, which is smaller than the 17.1-15.9mm measurement on the Galaxy Z Flip3.
A Larger Display
While it isn’t a dramatic difference, the HUAWEI P50 Pocket has a slightly bigger screen than the Galaxy Z Flip3. The P50 Pocket fits a 6.9″ folding display at 1188×2790, while the Galaxy Z Flip3 has a smaller 6.7″ screen at 1080×2640.
Since you’re getting a phone with the ability to fold to half its size, opting for the larger display is probably a good idea. A slightly higher resolution benefits the 21:9 screen on the P50 Pocket, as your games, movies, and apps will look fantastic on this display.
No Folding Crease
Another common complaint about the Galaxy Z Flip3 is that users will find a crease begin to form in the center of the display, after moderate use. This is also an issue found in most other flip phones with these flexible folding screens. HUAWEI claims to have fixed this common issue to the point where users won’t experience it at all on the P50 Pocket.
More RAM and Storage
While these two phones share very similar specs across the board, the Premium Edition of the P50 Pocket will offer 12GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. The Galaxy Z Flip3 will max out at 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. So the extra boost in memory is there for anyone that needs it. Both phones share the same Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 chipset, so you can expect similar performance from both of these devices.
A Bigger Battery with Faster Charging
For anyone that values fast charging speeds and large batteries, the P50 Pocket is going to be the better option. HUAWEI put a large 4000mAh battery in their phone, with a 40W fast charging capability. The Galaxy Z Flip3 has a smaller 3300mAh capacity, and the fast charging maxes out at 15W.
In conclusion, both of these phones are great options for anyone looking to get a new flip phone, but the HUAWEI P50 Pocket exceeds in many ways that should be seriously considered. You can find out more information on the HUAWEI P50 Pocket on the official page here.
We thank HUAWEI for sponsoring this post. Our sponsors help us pay for the many costs associated with running XDA, including server costs, full time developers, news writers, and much more. While you might see sponsored content (which will always be labeled as such) alongside Portal content, the Portal team is in no way responsible for these posts. Sponsored content, advertising and XDA Depot are managed by a separate team entirely. XDA will never compromise its journalistic integrity by accepting money to write favorably about a company, or alter our opinions or views in any way. Our opinion cannot be bought.
As someone who uses both iPhones and Android phones but prefer using the latter, it’s pained me for years that the best smartwatch by far — the one made by Apple — only works with the iPhone, which means whenever I was using an Android phone, I knew the smartwatch paired to it was second rate. The biggest issue was that, compared to Apple’s wearables, most Android watches had comparatively slow performance and lackluster features set — a problem that was partly Wear OS but mostly due to underpowered chipsets like the Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 3100.
This problem was, I don’t want to say “fixed”, but at least alleviated in 2021, with Samsung and Qualcomm each releasing new wearable SoCs that improved performance significantly. It’s the latter chip — Snapdragon Wear 4100 Plus — that powers the just-announced Skagen Falster Gen 6, and the improved speed is immediately noticeable compared to 2020 Wear OS watches.
Skagen Falster Gen 6 Specifications: Click to expand
Skagen Falster Gen 6: Specifications
Specification
Skagen Falster Gen 6
Build
Stainless steel casing
Glass face
Dimensions
Thickness 11.5mm
Watch face 42mm
Display
1.28-inch AMOLED
326 ppi
SoC
Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 4100+
RAM & Storage
8GB storage + 1GB RAM
Battery & Charging
Battery size not disclosed
Rapid charging (0-80% in 30 minutes)
Audio & Microphone
Single loudspeaker
Single microphone
Sensors
PPG Heart Rate
SpO2
Accelerometer
Gyroscope
Compass
Altimeter
Off-body IR
Ambient Light
Software
Wear OS
About this review:Skagen provided XDA a review unit of the watch before launch. Skagen did not have any inputs in this review.
Skagen Falster Gen 6: Design and Hardware
The Skagen Falster Gen 6 may have just hit the market, but it is not new per se. This is actually a rebranding of the two-month-old Fossil Gen 6. They have the exact same internals, so you’re getting 8GB of storage, 1GB of RAM, all the usual sensors like accelerometer, gyroscope, altimeter, etc, plus that aforementioned Snapdragon Wear 4100+.
Since Skagen is a Danish-inspired brand that aims for “Danish-minimalism,” the Falster Gen 6 comes in a smaller, sleeker body than Fossil’s Gen 6, without the raised bezel, and thin, detached lugs. I’ve been wearing the beautiful but bulky Huawei Watch GT 3 prior to switching to the Falster Gen 6, and the latter’s much smaller size was a breath of fresh air.
The Huawei Watch GT 3 (left) and the Skagen Falster Gen 6.
I am a fan of the watch’s matte black coating over the stainless steel frame (it also comes in silver), but not so much of the cheap rubbery strap. There is a version with a leather strap plus you can use any third-party 20mm strap, so this is not a huge deal.
And while the Falster Gen 6’s 11.5mm thickness is a hair thinner than the Fossil Gen 6, is still thicker than the Apple Watch Series 7 or Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 Classic. I also question the need for three physical buttons (the middle one is rotatable), as a combination of screen swipes, taps along with a single button should be enough for navigating a smartwatch UI. Plus they get in the way when I bend my wrist up 90-degrees, such as when I’m trying to do pushups.
The Falster Gen 6 can track just about everything rival smartwatches from Apple and Samsung can do, except EKG
Still, I’d say overall the Skagen Falster Gen 6 is a good-looking sleek smartwatch that doesn’t get in the way of long sleeve sweaters or jackets. The 1.28-inch AMOLED screen looks great in a vacuum, but compared to the Huawei Watch GT3, it doesn’t get as bright, and colors don’t pop as much.
There’s a loudspeaker on the left side of the watch casing and a mic on the right side. They both work fine — I was able to take phone calls even outside with traffic noise, and both myself and the other party could hear each other fine.
Around the back are the usual sensors: the Falster Gen 6 can track just about everything rival smartwatches from Apple and Samsung can do except EKG (electrocardiogram). Otherwise, blood-oxygen level, steps walked, stairs climbed, heart rate, GPS tracking are all here.
Fossil/Skagen did not disclose battery size, but I have been able to get a day and a half on a single charge. Right now, as I’m typing this, my watch has been off a charger for 26 hours and there’s still 37% battery left. While a day-and-half is fine for me, I must mention that there are rival smartwatches from Fitbit and Huawei that can last way longer — the Fitbit Sense and Huawei Watch GT 3 can go five to six days on a single charge. Fossil/Skagen also claims the watch can add 80% in 30 minutes of charge, but I could not recreate those speeds. Half an hour of charging a completely drained Gen 6 only added 67% of battery in my testing, which is quite off the marketing number.
A bigger gripe for me is the Falster Gen 6, like 99% of smartwatches, uses a proprietary charger, meaning you need to bring that cable with you on trips, and if you lose it, you must buy another one. Huawei’s recent smartwatches can be charged wirelessly via any Qi charger. That’s the way smartwatches should go. Or at least use USB-C.
The Falster Gen 6 watch is rated 3ATM, meaning it can withstand rain and light splashes, but you can’t really take it swimming.
Skagen Falster Gen 6: Software and Performance
Fossil was left in a rough spot when Google and Samsung announced a surprise partnership last year at Google I/O that essentially gave Samsung first dibs at Wear OS 3. This means the Skagen Falster Gen 6, like the Fossil Gen 6, runs on the older Wear OS 2. While Fossil promises an update to Wear OS 3 will come sometime in 2022, we must review the watch for what it is — running outdated software.
For the most part, I had no issues with the Falster Gen 6’s performance. The UI moves around smoothly, and I enjoy being able to rotate the middle button to scroll down. There are some noticeable shortcomings, like the inferior Google Maps integration. When I am navigating with Google Maps and wearing a Galaxy Watch 4, I get turn-by-turn instructions that show on my wrist. This doesn’t happen on the Skagen Falster Gen 6. Wear OS 3 also has superior watch face complications and has exclusive access to a Wear OS-specific YouTube Music app.
There is one crucial thing the Skagen Falster Gen 6 get right that the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 does not — it has Google Assistant
There is, however, one crucial thing the Falster Gen 6 gets right that the Galaxy Watch 4 does not — it has Google Assistant! Samsung’s latest smartwatches may be running Wear OS 3, but it’s not a pure Google version of the software. Instead, it’s littered with Samsung’s services, including the significantly inferior Bixby.
So while the Falster Gen 6’s Wear OS 2 is a bit slower and lacks some features of Wear OS 3, it can at least access the best and smartest digital voice assistant on earth.
Google Maps on the Falster Gen 6
Another feature that the Falster Gen 6 can do quite well is allowing me to respond to text messages from various chat apps via voice dictation. This sounds like a simple enough feature, but very few Android smartwatches get this right. Huawei and Xiaomi’s smartwatches, for example, can only show notifications, they cannot actually respond. Fitbit Sense can only do canned responses. Any Samsung or Wear OS watches from before 2021 technically could respond, but the voice dictation was so painfully laggy, they were virtually useless. Only in 2021, when there was the aforementioned silicon upgrade from Samsung and Qualcomm, did some Android wearables finally become capable enough to handle voice dictation in a timely manner.
You can also respond to messages with an on-screen keyboard on the Falster Gen 6, but the QWERTY keyboard is very cramped, resulting in typos often. This is another area where the Galaxy Watch 4 is superior, as it offers a scribbling method of text input (copied straight from the Apple Watch) that works much better than pecking on a tiny keyboard.
Fitness tracking on the Falster Gen 6 is fine. It’s been raining all week in Los Angeles, so I have been unable to go for runs, but the watch did track my steps accurately. I also tried SpO2 and heart rate tracking with the Falster Gen 6 alongside the Apple Watch Series 7 and Galaxy Watch 4 and all the results were similar. Sleep tracking worked okay, I think Fitbit’s sleep tracking is still the best-in-class, in that it doesn’t get tricked into thinking I’ve woken up just because I tossed and turned a few times.
Google Fit, the default health app to track data for Wear OS devices, is also a bit lacking compared to similar apps from Fitbit, Apple, Samsung, or even Xiaomi. The interface is complicated, and instead of showing you actual data, Google Fit has a habit of showing you some arbitrary point system, like “you earned 40 points for an afternoon walk.” I don’t care about the points, just show me how many actual steps I walked!
There are, sadly, very few watch face selections in the Wearable app, and while third-party apps like Facer have more options, the app itself is a bit spammy, with constant push notifications, lots of ads, and some watch faces requiring money that isn’t clearly labeled
Skagen Falster Gen 6: Conclusion
I really enjoyed my time wearing the Skagen Falster Gen 6. Yes, the software isn’t as zippy as a Galaxy Watch 4, and battery life isn’t as impressive as Fitbit Sense or Huawei Watch GT 2. But the Falster Gen 6 can do one thing better than those other watches for me: it allows me to check my phone less often.
This is because I use Google Assistant often, and I get a lot of chat messages throughout the day (Slack, WeChat, WhatsApp, Telegram, Signal). The Skagen Falster Gen 6 with Google Assistant support, and a functional way to respond to notifications fit whats I need.
Galaxy Watch 4 (left) and Skagen Falster Gen 6.
However, at $295, the Falster Gen 6 is $50 pricier than the Galaxy Watch 4, so if you don’t need Google Assistant often (or if you somehow are okay with Bixby), then the Galaxy Watch 4 is a better performer at a lower price.
Fossil's newest smartwatch released under its Skagen branding, this is a clean and minimal-looking Wear OS watch that, despite outdated software, still does smartwatchy things quite well.
As someone who uses both iPhones and Android phones but prefer using the latter, it’s pained me for years that the best smartwatch by far — the one made by Apple — only works with the iPhone, which means whenever I was using an Android phone, I knew the smartwatch paired to it was second rate. The biggest issue was that, compared to Apple’s wearables, most Android watches had comparatively slow performance and lackluster features set — a problem that was partly Wear OS but mostly due to underpowered chipsets like the Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 3100.
This problem was, I don’t want to say “fixed”, but at least alleviated in 2021, with Samsung and Qualcomm each releasing new wearable SoCs that improved performance significantly. It’s the latter chip — Snapdragon Wear 4100 Plus — that powers the just-announced Skagen Falster Gen 6, and the improved speed is immediately noticeable compared to 2020 Wear OS watches.
Skagen Falster Gen 6 Specifications: Click to expand
Skagen Falster Gen 6: Specifications
Specification
Skagen Falster Gen 6
Build
Stainless steel casing
Glass face
Dimensions
Thickness 11.5mm
Watch face 42mm
Display
1.28-inch AMOLED
326 ppi
SoC
Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 4100+
RAM & Storage
8GB storage + 1GB RAM
Battery & Charging
Battery size not disclosed
Rapid charging (0-80% in 30 minutes)
Audio & Microphone
Single loudspeaker
Single microphone
Sensors
PPG Heart Rate
SpO2
Accelerometer
Gyroscope
Compass
Altimeter
Off-body IR
Ambient Light
Software
Wear OS
About this review:Skagen provided XDA a review unit of the watch before launch. Skagen did not have any inputs in this review.
Skagen Falster Gen 6: Design and Hardware
The Skagen Falster Gen 6 may have just hit the market, but it is not new per se. This is actually a rebranding of the two-month-old Fossil Gen 6. They have the exact same internals, so you’re getting 8GB of storage, 1GB of RAM, all the usual sensors like accelerometer, gyroscope, altimeter, etc, plus that aforementioned Snapdragon Wear 4100+.
Since Skagen is a Danish-inspired brand that aims for “Danish-minimalism,” the Falster Gen 6 comes in a smaller, sleeker body than Fossil’s Gen 6, without the raised bezel, and thin, detached lugs. I’ve been wearing the beautiful but bulky Huawei Watch GT 3 prior to switching to the Falster Gen 6, and the latter’s much smaller size was a breath of fresh air.
The Huawei Watch GT 3 (left) and the Skagen Falster Gen 6.
I am a fan of the watch’s matte black coating over the stainless steel frame (it also comes in silver), but not so much of the cheap rubbery strap. There is a version with a leather strap plus you can use any third-party 20mm strap, so this is not a huge deal.
And while the Falster Gen 6’s 11.5mm thickness is a hair thinner than the Fossil Gen 6, is still thicker than the Apple Watch Series 7 or Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 Classic. I also question the need for three physical buttons (the middle one is rotatable), as a combination of screen swipes, taps along with a single button should be enough for navigating a smartwatch UI. Plus they get in the way when I bend my wrist up 90-degrees, such as when I’m trying to do pushups.
The Falster Gen 6 can track just about everything rival smartwatches from Apple and Samsung can do, except EKG
Still, I’d say overall the Skagen Falster Gen 6 is a good-looking sleek smartwatch that doesn’t get in the way of long sleeve sweaters or jackets. The 1.28-inch AMOLED screen looks great in a vacuum, but compared to the Huawei Watch GT3, it doesn’t get as bright, and colors don’t pop as much.
There’s a loudspeaker on the left side of the watch casing and a mic on the right side. They both work fine — I was able to take phone calls even outside with traffic noise, and both myself and the other party could hear each other fine.
Around the back are the usual sensors: the Falster Gen 6 can track just about everything rival smartwatches from Apple and Samsung can do except EKG (electrocardiogram). Otherwise, blood-oxygen level, steps walked, stairs climbed, heart rate, GPS tracking are all here.
Fossil/Skagen did not disclose battery size, but I have been able to get a day and a half on a single charge. Right now, as I’m typing this, my watch has been off a charger for 26 hours and there’s still 37% battery left. While a day-and-half is fine for me, I must mention that there are rival smartwatches from Fitbit and Huawei that can last way longer — the Fitbit Sense and Huawei Watch GT 3 can go five to six days on a single charge. Fossil/Skagen also claims the watch can add 80% in 30 minutes of charge, but I could not recreate those speeds. Half an hour of charging a completely drained Gen 6 only added 67% of battery in my testing, which is quite off the marketing number.
A bigger gripe for me is the Falster Gen 6, like 99% of smartwatches, uses a proprietary charger, meaning you need to bring that cable with you on trips, and if you lose it, you must buy another one. Huawei’s recent smartwatches can be charged wirelessly via any Qi charger. That’s the way smartwatches should go. Or at least use USB-C.
The Falster Gen 6 watch is rated 3ATM, meaning it can withstand rain and light splashes, but you can’t really take it swimming.
Skagen Falster Gen 6: Software and Performance
Fossil was left in a rough spot when Google and Samsung announced a surprise partnership last year at Google I/O that essentially gave Samsung first dibs at Wear OS 3. This means the Skagen Falster Gen 6, like the Fossil Gen 6, runs on the older Wear OS 2. While Fossil promises an update to Wear OS 3 will come sometime in 2022, we must review the watch for what it is — running outdated software.
For the most part, I had no issues with the Falster Gen 6’s performance. The UI moves around smoothly, and I enjoy being able to rotate the middle button to scroll down. There are some noticeable shortcomings, like the inferior Google Maps integration. When I am navigating with Google Maps and wearing a Galaxy Watch 4, I get turn-by-turn instructions that show on my wrist. This doesn’t happen on the Skagen Falster Gen 6. Wear OS 3 also has superior watch face complications and has exclusive access to a Wear OS-specific YouTube Music app.
There is one crucial thing the Skagen Falster Gen 6 get right that the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 does not — it has Google Assistant
There is, however, one crucial thing the Falster Gen 6 gets right that the Galaxy Watch 4 does not — it has Google Assistant! Samsung’s latest smartwatches may be running Wear OS 3, but it’s not a pure Google version of the software. Instead, it’s littered with Samsung’s services, including the significantly inferior Bixby.
So while the Falster Gen 6’s Wear OS 2 is a bit slower and lacks some features of Wear OS 3, it can at least access the best and smartest digital voice assistant on earth.
Google Maps on the Falster Gen 6
Another feature that the Falster Gen 6 can do quite well is allowing me to respond to text messages from various chat apps via voice dictation. This sounds like a simple enough feature, but very few Android smartwatches get this right. Huawei and Xiaomi’s smartwatches, for example, can only show notifications, they cannot actually respond. Fitbit Sense can only do canned responses. Any Samsung or Wear OS watches from before 2021 technically could respond, but the voice dictation was so painfully laggy, they were virtually useless. Only in 2021, when there was the aforementioned silicon upgrade from Samsung and Qualcomm, did some Android wearables finally become capable enough to handle voice dictation in a timely manner.
You can also respond to messages with an on-screen keyboard on the Falster Gen 6, but the QWERTY keyboard is very cramped, resulting in typos often. This is another area where the Galaxy Watch 4 is superior, as it offers a scribbling method of text input (copied straight from the Apple Watch) that works much better than pecking on a tiny keyboard.
Fitness tracking on the Falster Gen 6 is fine. It’s been raining all week in Los Angeles, so I have been unable to go for runs, but the watch did track my steps accurately. I also tried SpO2 and heart rate tracking with the Falster Gen 6 alongside the Apple Watch Series 7 and Galaxy Watch 4 and all the results were similar. Sleep tracking worked okay, I think Fitbit’s sleep tracking is still the best-in-class, in that it doesn’t get tricked into thinking I’ve woken up just because I tossed and turned a few times.
Google Fit, the default health app to track data for Wear OS devices, is also a bit lacking compared to similar apps from Fitbit, Apple, Samsung, or even Xiaomi. The interface is complicated, and instead of showing you actual data, Google Fit has a habit of showing you some arbitrary point system, like “you earned 40 points for an afternoon walk.” I don’t care about the points, just show me how many actual steps I walked!
There are, sadly, very few watch face selections in the Wearable app, and while third-party apps like Facer have more options, the app itself is a bit spammy, with constant push notifications, lots of ads, and some watch faces requiring money that isn’t clearly labeled
Skagen Falster Gen 6: Conclusion
I really enjoyed my time wearing the Skagen Falster Gen 6. Yes, the software isn’t as zippy as a Galaxy Watch 4, and battery life isn’t as impressive as Fitbit Sense or Huawei Watch GT 2. But the Falster Gen 6 can do one thing better than those other watches for me: it allows me to check my phone less often.
This is because I use Google Assistant often, and I get a lot of chat messages throughout the day (Slack, WeChat, WhatsApp, Telegram, Signal). The Skagen Falster Gen 6 with Google Assistant support, and a functional way to respond to notifications fit whats I need.
Galaxy Watch 4 (left) and Skagen Falster Gen 6.
However, at $295, the Falster Gen 6 is $50 pricier than the Galaxy Watch 4, so if you don’t need Google Assistant often (or if you somehow are okay with Bixby), then the Galaxy Watch 4 is a better performer at a lower price.
Fossil's newest smartwatch released under its Skagen branding, this is a clean and minimal-looking Wear OS watch that, despite outdated software, still does smartwatchy things quite well.
Lenovo makes some pretty good smart clocks that combine the functionality of a smart speaker and smart display in an affordable package. In September last year, the company unveiled an updated model called the Lenovo Smart Clock 2 and it’s now finally making its way to India.
Lenovo today officially launched the Smart Clock 2 in India. Although the global model comes in two colors (blue and grey), Lenovo is only bringing the Heather Grey color to India. The clock is priced at ₹7,000 (~$94) and comes with a wireless charging dock, which not only powers the clock itself but also lets you charge your smartphone, wireless earbuds, or smartwatch. The Lenovo Smart Clock 2 goes on sale today from Flipkart, Lenovo.com and Reliance Digital stores. It will also be available from offline Lenovo’s offline retail channels later on.
Speaking of the device, the Smart Clock 2 offers a 4.0-inch LCD touch screen display and a 1.5-inch 3W speaker wrapped in a fabric-covered body. It has two physical buttons on top for controlling the volume and a microphone mute switch on the back. There’s also a sensor at the top that allows you to snooze alarms by hitting the top of the device. The main screen displays the clockface which can be customized with different styles to show weather info and even Google Photos albums. The device is powered by a MediaTek MT8167S processor, paired with 1GB RAM and 8GB flash storage.
The Smart Clock 2 is essentially a Google Assitant smart speaker, so you’ll be able to do all the standard smart speaker stuff like setting alarms and reminders, asking questions, checking the weather and news updates, streaming music, controlling your other smart home devices and much more.
The device can be used both wired (through the barrel connector) and wirelessly (using the Wireless Charing Dock). To learn more about the device, be sure to check out our full review of the Lenovo Smart Clock 2.
At a launch event in China on December 28, 2021, Xiaomi unveiled the latest version of its Android skin — MIUI 13. As you’d expect, MIUI 13 comes with a bunch of new features and performance improvements, including new privacy features, a new system font, a bunch of cool wallpapers, and even a version optimized for tablets. Here’s a quick overview of everything new in MIUI 13, followed by its wallpapers, rollout schedule, download links, and more.
MIUI 13: New Features and Performance Improvements
MIUI 13 brings several performance improvements over the previous release — MIUI 12.5. Xiaomi claims that the latest version of its custom Android skin offers better app fluency with 15% fewer dropped frames in third-party applications when compared to the previous release. Xiaomi’s native apps also run better on the new release, with 23% fewer dropped frames.
Xiaomi claims that MIUI 13 ranks at the top in Master Lu’s fluency test, beating Android skins from other OEMs on devices across all price points. Xiaomi has also improved the multitasking capabilities on MIUI 13, and the software now lets you have up to 14 apps open in the background on a flagship device at any given time.
Xiaomi has also worked on making MIUI 13 more secure for the end-users with new features like face verification protection, privacy watermark, and fraud protection. At the moment, we don’t have the complete details for all these features. However, we do know that the privacy watermark feature will let you add a watermark to images that you share to prevent misuse.
New privacy and security features
The fraud protection feature, on the other hand, consists of a couple of different measures to protect users from online and telecom frauds, like “E-fraud warning,” “Official logo,” Fraud application installation interception,” and “Transfer protection.”
MiSans font
As mentioned earlier, MIUI 13 also includes a new system font called MiSans. It’s a flat and minimal font with rich Opentype features, like automatically adjusting the height of hyphens to uppercase and lowercase letters. The font is free to download for both personal and commercial use.
MIUI 13 live wallpapers
Furthermore, MIUI 13 comes with a host of new live wallpapers that showcase crystal formation. Xiaomi says that these wallpapers were captured using a polarization microscope via 8K timelapse photography. We’ll make sure to share these new wallpapers with you as soon as the first build of MIUI 13 starts rolling out to devices.
MIUI 13 widgets
In addition, MIUI 13 also includes support for a bunch of new widgets, like “Super Countdown Day” and “Water Measuring Cup”. The company only gave us a glimpse of these new widgets during the launch event, but we expect to learn more details in the coming days.
Along with MIUI 13 for smartphones, Xiaomi also announced MIUI 13 Pad during today’s launch event. MIUI 13 Pad is an optimized version of Xiaomi’s Android skin for large-screen devices. It brings some additional features to help users make the most of the extra screen real estate. Xiaomi has also worked with developers to optimize apps for this new tablet interface and the company claims that over 3000 apps have already been adapted for large screens.
Along with all the new features mentioned above, MIUI 13 Pad includes a few additional features to improve the multitasking experience on large-screen devices. These include features like a new shortcut to quickly switch between full screen and windowed modes, window scaling, a global taskbar with drag and drop support for multitasking, and more. MIUI 13 Pad also offers support for a bunch of keyboard shortcuts to enhance productivity.
MIUI 13: Rollout Schedule
Xiaomi plans to start rolling out MIUI 13 to the first batch of devices by the end of January 2022. The new Xiaomi 12, Xiaomi 12 Pro, and the Xiaomi 12X will be among the first devices to receive the update, along with the Mi 11 Ultra, the Mi 11 Pro, and the Mi 11.
MIUI 13 rollout schedule for global models
First batch (Q1 2022)
Mi 11
Mi 11 Ultra
Mi 11i
Mi 11X Pro
Mi 11X
Xiaomi 11T Pro
Xiaomi 11T
Mi 11 Lite
Mi 11 Lite 5G
Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NE
Xiaomi 11 Lite NE
Xiaomi Pad 5
Redmi 10
Redmi 10 Prime
Redmi Note 8 (2021)
Redmi Note 10 Pro
Redmi Note 10 Pro Max
Redmi Note 10
Redmi Note 10 JE
MIUI 13 rollout schedule for Chinese models
Public Beta version — First batch (mid-January 2022)
Xiaomi Civi
Xiaomi MIX 4
Redmi K40 Game Enhanced Edition
Redmi Note 10 Pro
Xiaomi 11 Ultra
Xiaomi 11 Pro
Xiaomi 11
Xiaomi 11 Youth Edition
Xiaomi Pad 5
Xiaomi Pad 5 Pro
Xiaomi Pad 5 Pro 5G
Xiaomi 10S
Redmi K40 Pro
Redmi K40
Redmi K30S Extreme Edition
Redmi K30 Extreme Edition
Xiaomi 10 Extreme Edition
Xiaomi 10
Xiaomi 10 Pro
Redmi K30 Pro
Redmi Note 11 5G
Redmi Note 9 4G
Redmi Note 9, Redmi 10X Pro
Redmi 10X and Xiaomi CC9 Pro
Second batch (TBD)
Redmi Note 11 Pro
Redmi Note 11 Pro+
Redmi K30 5G
Redmi K30i 5G
Redmi K30
Xiaomi 10 Youth Edition
Redmi Note 9 Pro
Redmi Note 10
Stable rollout — First batch (end of January 2022)
List of Devices that have received MIUI 13 or MIUI 13 Pad
Here are the devices that currently have a stable MIUI 13 build available. Note that the devices are sorted alphabetically for their codename. Generic flashing instructions are available at the bottom of this article. However, we advise users to refer to the device forums for specific flashing instructions for their device, in case there are any variations or special instructions that need to be followed.
Note that these are generic flashing instructions that should generally be applicable across Xiaomi, Redmi, and POCO devices. However, there is a possibility that there is a variation that is unique to your device, so we strongly advise visiting your device forums for device-specific instructions.
