Motorola is expanding its portfolio of mid-range smartphones in India with a new entry. The company just launched the Moto One Fusion+. This is, of course, not the first time we hear about Motorola’s latest Moto One series smartphone. The phone was quietly unveiled by Motorola on its website earlier this month, but today the company is officially launching it in the Indian market.
One of the main highlights of the Moto One Fusion+ is its display. It packs a 6.5-inch Total Vision display with full HD+ resolution and HDR10 support. The display has no punch-hole or cutout as it uses a motorized pop-up front camera. The phone is powered by the mid-range Qualcomm Snapdragon 730G chipset paired with Adreno 618 GPU, 6GB RAM, and 128GB flash storage.
In the camera department, there’s a 64MP f/1.8 primary camera, 8MP f/2.2 ultra-wide camera, 5MP macro lens, and 2MP depth sensor. Meanwhile, the front pop-up selfie camera is a 16MP f/2.2 sensor that can output 4MP shots with increased light sensitivity by combining 4 pixels into 1 superpixel.
The Moto One Fusion+ packs a massive 5,000 mAh battery and supports fast charging via the included 18W TurboCharger. The phone comes running Android 10 out-of-the-box with some useful Moto Experience features sprinkled on top. Other highlights of the device include a dedicated Google Assistant button, a rear-mounted fingerprint reader, a 3.5mm audio jack, Bluetooth 5.0, dual-band WiFi, and a single bottom-firing speaker.
Pricing & Availability
The Moto One Fusion+ comes in two colors — Moonlight White and Twilight Blue —and will go on sale on Flipkart starting June 24th for a retail price of ₹16,999 ($224). The pricing of the device is surprisingly aggressive, pitching it against competitors such as the POCO X2.
Xiaomi unveiled the Redmi Note 9 series in India earlier this year in March, with the launch of the Redmi Note 9 Pro and Redmi Note 9 Pro Max. Almost a month after its India debut, the series was launched globally but, with a few changes. The Redmi Note 9 Pro Max was launched as the Redmi Note 9 Pro, the Indian Redmi Note 9 Pro was launched as Redmi Note 9S, and the company added a new Redmi Note 9 into the mix.
As with previous devices in the Redmi Note lineup, Xiaomi managed to pack in some impressive hardware into the Redmi Note 9 series while still keeping the price quite low. The devices featured Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 720G and MediaTek’s Helio G85 SoCs, up to 8GB of LPDDR4x RAM, up to 128GB of UFS 2.1 storage, and massive 5,020mAh batteries with up to 33W fast charging support. On paper, the devices seemed quite compelling, and in our review of the Redmi Note 9 Pro, we found the device to be an excellent choice in the price segment. However, we’ve now learned about a concerning issue with the Redmi Note 9 Pro/9S which is bound to take a massive hit on its reliability.
According to recent posts on the Mi Community forums, XDA and Reddit, a few Redmi Note 9 Pro/9S owners are facing issues with WiFi connectivity on the device. Users claim that the device drops WiFi connections when the screen is turned off and the device goes into standby mode. While the device shows that it’s connected to WiFi when you turn the screen on after a while, it doesn’t seem to work and you have to manually turn WiFi off and on again in order to get it working.
While we aren’t exactly sure what causes the WiFi issue on the Redmi Note 9 Pro/9S, some users suggest that it could be hardware-related, specifically due to a bug in the hardware-based cryptographic acceleration engine that handles WiFi encryption processing. Tushar from our team tried to recreate the issue on his Redmi Note 9 Pro (firmware version 11.0.7) and he noted that the WiFi speed dropped drastically when the screen was locked. However, in his case, the speed was restored as soon as the screen was turned on. He also noted that while Play Store downloads didn’t continue after the screen was turned on, downloads on Google Chrome did.
Some users on Reddit claim that Xiaomi has acknowledged the issue and is currently working on a fix, however, we haven’t seen any official comment from the company. We will update this post as and when Xiaomi releases a statement regarding the issue.
Remember HTC? We wouldn’t blame you if you didn’t. What was once a company that competed against Samsung in terms of innovation in the Android smartphone space, now remains a shadow of its former self. To lend some perspective, HTC is credited for being the first smartphone OEM to create a community program in the form of HTC Elevate, much before OnePlus or Xiaomi came into the picture, but sadly, the program has been shut down. For 2020, HTC is aiming for revival, and it is doing so by releasing two mid-range phones for the Taiwanese market. Meet the new HTC U20 5G and the HTC Desire 20 Pro.
HTC was rumored to be making a 5G smartphone this year, and the HTC U20 5G is the phone. This is a mid-range smartphone, and all of its specifications hover around this reality. HTC has launched the device in Taiwan only for now, so the specifications are tuned for that market.
One of the things that stand out for the HTC U20 5G is its size, thanks to the 6.8″ display. The bezels on the device are thin on three edges and noticeable on the chin. The phone is also among the heavier phones to have released this year, with a good 215g of weight, explained by the inclusion of a 5000 mAh battery. These features can be attributed to being a by-product of 5G, as most 5G phones this year have been large and heavy to incorporate all the hardware necessary for 5G. However, the specifications of the phone do not point towards support for mmWave 5G.
Nonetheless, the phone does come with a decent set of specifications. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G SoC is a capable performer, and it has been paired with adequate amounts of RAM and storage to ensure that most users will get a comfortable experience. HTC has also played it safe with a rear fingerprint scanner, possibly avoiding issues some users have complained on some other phones with side fingerprint scanners. The camera setup on the device is modest as well, with a 48MP quad-camera setup comprising of the usual combination of lenses.
A lot of specifications of the HTC Desire 20 Pro were already known before launch, so there is little that surprises us here. What surprises us is that it largely retains the camera setup that we see on the HTC U20 5G, so users in Taiwan will not be compromising on versatility when they need to choose across the two phones. The Desire 20 Pro does stand out on its design though, as that pattern on the back gives it a unique identity.
On the inside, the phone is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 665 SoC, the same SoC that we have seen on devices like the Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 that was launched in August 2019. There is no 5G support on this device, but that is alright since it is targeting a different audience segment. Surprisingly, the phone retains the 3.5mm headphone jack, which is absent on the U20 5G.
Pricing and Availability
HTC has not yet revealed the pricing of both, the HTC U20 5G and the HTC Desire 20 Pro, even though product pages for both are live. Currently, both phones are restricted to the Taiwanese market. We do expect the HTC Desire 20 Pro to make its way to other markets like Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. HTC has indicated that both the phones could make their way outside of Taiwan, but the wording is slightly ambiguous and open to interpretation.
Motorola is expanding its portfolio of mid-range smartphones in India with a new entry. The company just launched the Moto One Fusion+. This is, of course, not the first time we hear about Motorola’s latest Moto One series smartphone. The phone was quietly unveiled by Motorola on its website earlier this month, but today the company is officially launching it in the Indian market.
One of the main highlights of the Moto One Fusion+ is its display. It packs a 6.5-inch Total Vision display with full HD+ resolution and HDR10 support. The display has no punch-hole or cutout as it uses a motorized pop-up front camera. The phone is powered by the mid-range Qualcomm Snapdragon 730G chipset paired with Adreno 618 GPU, 6GB RAM, and 128GB flash storage.
In the camera department, there’s a 64MP f/1.8 primary camera, 8MP f/2.2 ultra-wide camera, 5MP macro lens, and 2MP depth sensor. Meanwhile, the front pop-up selfie camera is a 16MP f/2.2 sensor that can output 4MP shots with increased light sensitivity by combining 4 pixels into 1 superpixel.
The Moto One Fusion+ packs a massive 5,000 mAh battery and supports fast charging via 15W TurboCharger. The phone comes running Android 10 out-of-the-box with some useful Moto Experience features sprinkled on top. Other highlights of the device include a dedicated Google Assistant button, a rear-mounted fingerprint reader, a 3.5mm audio jack, Bluetooth 5.0, dual-band WiFi, and a single bottom-firing speaker.
Pricing & Availability
The Moto One Fusion+ comes in two colors — Moonlight White and Twilight Blue —and will go on sale on Flipkart starting June 24th for a retail price of ₹16,999 ($224). The pricing of the device is surprisingly aggressive, pitching it against competitors such as the POCO X2.
Xiaomi unveiled the Redmi Note 9 series in India earlier this year in March, with the launch of the Redmi Note 9 Pro and Redmi Note 9 Pro Max. Almost a month after its India debut, the series was launched globally but, with a few changes. The Redmi Note 9 Pro Max was launched as the Redmi Note 9 Pro, the Indian Redmi Note 9 Pro was launched as Redmi Note 9S, and the company added a new Redmi Note 9 into the mix.
As with previous devices in the Redmi Note lineup, Xiaomi managed to pack in some impressive hardware into the Redmi Note 9 series while still keeping the price quite low. The devices featured Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 720G and MediaTek’s Helio G85 SoCs, up to 8GB of LPDDR4x RAM, up to 128GB of UFS 2.1 storage, and massive 5,020mAh batteries with up to 33W fast charging support. On paper, the devices seemed quite compelling, and in our review of the Redmi Note 9 Pro, we found the device to be an excellent choice in the price segment. However, we’ve now learned about a concerning issue with the Redmi Note 9 Pro/9S which is bound to take a massive hit on its reliability.
According to recent posts on the Mi Community forums, XDA and Reddit, a few Redmi Note 9 Pro/9S owners are facing issues with WiFi connectivity on the device. Users claim that the device drops WiFi connections when the screen is turned off and the device goes into standby mode. While the device shows that it’s connected to WiFi when you turn the screen on after a while, it doesn’t seem to work and you have to manually turn WiFi off and on again in order to get it working.
While we aren’t exactly sure what causes the WiFi issue on the Redmi Note 9 Pro/9S, some users suggest that it could be hardware-related, specifically due to a bug in the hardware-based cryptographic acceleration engine that handles WiFi encryption processing. Tushar from our team tried to recreate the issue on his Redmi Note 9 Pro (firmware version 11.0.7) and he noted that the WiFi speed dropped drastically when the screen was locked. However, in his case, the speed was restored as soon as the screen was turned on. He also noted that while Play Store downloads didn’t continue after the screen was turned on, downloads on Google Chrome did.
Some users on Reddit claim that Xiaomi has acknowledged the issue and is currently working on a fix, however, we haven’t seen any official comment from the company. We will update this post as and when Xiaomi releases a statement regarding the issue.
Remember HTC? We wouldn’t blame you if you didn’t. What was once a company that competed against Samsung in terms of innovation in the Android smartphone space, now remains a shadow of its former self. To lend some perspective, HTC is credited for being the first smartphone OEM to create a community program in the form of HTC Elevate, much before OnePlus or Xiaomi came into the picture, but sadly, the program has been shut down. For 2020, HTC is aiming for revival, and it is doing so by releasing two mid-range phones for the Taiwanese market. Meet the new HTC U20 5G and the HTC Desire 20 Pro.
HTC was rumored to be making a 5G smartphone this year, and the HTC U20 5G is the phone. This is a mid-range smartphone, and all of its specifications hover around this reality. HTC has launched the device in Taiwan only for now, so the specifications are tuned for that market.
One of the things that stand out for the HTC U20 5G is its size, thanks to the 6.8″ display. The bezels on the device are thin on three edges and noticeable on the chin. The phone is also among the heavier phones to have released this year, with a good 215g of weight, explained by the inclusion of a 5000 mAh battery. These features can be attributed to being a by-product of 5G, as most 5G phones this year have been large and heavy to incorporate all the hardware necessary for 5G. However, the specifications of the phone do not point towards support for mmWave 5G.
Nonetheless, the phone does come with a decent set of specifications. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 765 SoC is a capable performer, and it has been paired with adequate amounts of RAM and storage to ensure that most users will get a comfortable experience. HTC has also played it safe with a rear fingerprint scanner, possibly avoiding issues some users have complained on some other phones with side fingerprint scanners. The camera setup on the device is modest as well, with a 48MP quad-camera setup comprising of the usual combination of lenses.
A lot of specifications of the HTC Desire 20 Pro were already known before launch, so there is little that surprises us here. What surprises us is that it largely retains the camera setup that we see on the HTC U20 5G, so users in Taiwan will not be compromising on versatility when they need to choose across the two phones. The Desire 20 Pro does stand out on its design though, as that pattern on the back gives it a unique identity.
On the inside, the phone is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 665 SoC, the same SoC that we have seen on devices like the Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 that was launched in August 2019. There is no 5G support on this device, but that is alright since it is targeting a different audience segment. Surprisingly, the phone retains the 3.5mm headphone jack, which is absent on the U20 5G.
Pricing and Availability
HTC has not yet revealed the pricing of both, the HTC U20 5G and the HTC Desire 20 Pro, even though product pages for both are live. Currently, both phones are restricted to the Taiwanese market. We do expect the HTC Desire 20 Pro to make its way to other markets like Europe, Africa, and the Middle East.
After updating the OPPO F9 and F9 Pro to ColorOS 7 earlier this month, OPPO is bringing the latest flavor of its custom skin to two more phones: A5 (2020) and A9 (2020). Both phones had received a beta version of ColorOS 7 based on Android 10 late last month, and OPPO promised it would kick off the stable rollout starting June 24th. Making good on its promise, the Chinese OEM has now begun rolling out the much-awaited update to the A5 (2020) and A9 (2020).
This will be a phased rollout with only a small batch of devices initially receiving the OTA. If no critical issues crop up in the first phase and everything looks smooth, the rollout will gradually be expanding to more devices over the coming days. To check for the update, head to Settings > Software Updates and click on “Trial Version” from the gear menu located in the upper right corner.
The ColorOS 7 Android 10 update brings with it a plethora of exciting features and changes, including a refreshed UI, redesigned iconography, a system-wide dark mode, new navigation gestures, Digital wellbeing tools with parental controls, optimized Game Space, new wallpapers, and much more. To learn more about everything new in ColorOS 7, check out our full review of the software.
Launched in September last year, the A5 (2020) and A9 (2020) are budget smartphones from OPPO, packing a 6.5-inch HD+ display, Snapdragon 665 SoC, quad cameras, and a 5,000 mAh battery. Both phones came running Android 9 Pie based on ColorOS 6.1 and were promised to receive ColorOS 7.
Check out the full changelog of ColorOS 7 update for the A5 (2020) and A9 (2020):
Visuals
Brand new borderless design makes visuals more attractive and operation more efficient.
Added OPPO Sans as the default font. The new font delivers a refreshing feel and fits well with OPPO’s pursuit of blending beauty and technology.
Smart Sidebar
Optimised user interfaces and improved one-handed operation.
Drag an app out of Smart Sidebar to open it in Split-screen mode.
Added two settings: Assistive Ball Opacity and Hide Assistive Ball on Fullscreen App.
Optimised the Floating Window feature for more apps.
Added a bubble: A bubble is displayed when you open an app in a floating window from the Smart Sidebar. Tap the bubble to collapse and open the app.
Screenshot
Optimised 3-Finger Screenshot: Use 3 fingers to touch and hold the screen and swipe your fingers to adjust the screenshot size. Use 3 fingers to touch and hold the screen and swipe your fingers outwards to capture a long screenshot.
Added screenshot settings: You can adjust the position of the screenshot preview floating window and set the screenshot sound.
Optimised screenshot preview floating window: After taking a screenshot, drag it up and release to share it, or drag it down and release to take a long screenshot.
Navigation Gestures 3.0
New gesture: Swipe inward from both sides of the screen and then hold to switch to the previous app.
Optimised gestures: All gestures are supported in landscape mode.
System
Added Dark Mode: Protects your eyes while reducing power consumption.
Added Focus Mode: Shields you from outside distractions when you are learning or working.
Added all new charging animation.
Optimised the Quick Settings user interface for easier one-handed operation.
Swipe left or right to ignore banner notifications.
Added a pause function for screen recording.
Added a floating window and settings for screen recording.
New sounds added for file deletion, calculator key touches, and compass pointer.
Optimised system pre-loaded ringtones.
Added TalkBack floating prompts for Accessibility.
Colour Accessibility Mode added to improve the user experience for visually impaired users.
New management function for recent tasks: You can view memory information about recent tasks and lock apps.
Games
Optimised visual interaction for Game Space.
Optimised the startup animation for Game Space.
Home Screen
More live wallpapers.
Added Art+ static wallpapers.
Customise whether to open Global Search or the notification drawer when swiping down on the Home screen.
Customise the size, shape, and style of app icons on the Home screen.
Swipe up on the Lock screen to switch unlock methods.
Optimised the graphic design of password unlocks to facilitate one-handed operations.
Supported live wallpapers on the Lock screen.
More screen-off clock styles.
Added a simple Home screen mode, featuring larger fonts and icons and a clearer layout.
Security
Connect your phone to Wi-Fi networks using a random MAC address to avoid targeted ads and protect your privacy.
Tools
In Quick Settings or Smart Sidebar, you can open Calculator in a floating
Added the trim feature in Recordings.
Added the Weather (dynamic) ringtone, which automatically adapts to the current weather.
Added weather-adaptive animations in Weather.
Camera
Optimised the Camera UI for better user experience.
Optimised the Timer UI and sound.
Photos
Optimised the Album UI for a clear hierarchy and quick lookup of photos.
Added Album Recommendations that recognises more than 80 different scenes.
Communications
OPPO Share now supports sharing files with vivo and Xiaomi devices.
Optimised the Contacts UI for a more efficient experience.
Settings
Search Settings now supports fuzzy match and contains a search history.
Applications
Soloop Video Editor: Create your video with one tap.
Added DocVault, an app for easy management and use of your digital ID cards (available only on phones sold in India).
