Samsung planning to shift export-centric smartphone production to India under the PLI scheme

The Indian government recently dropped a few onerous clauses from the Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme, alongside planning an incentive program worth $6.6 billion. The idea was to invite companies to manufacture their goods in India with a view to not only supply into the country, but also export from it. The changes appear to be coming to fruition, as Samsung is now said to be considering shifting a major part of its smartphone production from Vietnam and other countries into India.

According to a report from Economic Times, Samsung is “likely to diversify its production lines for making smartphones to India under the PLI (Production Linked Incentive) scheme”. This will have an impact on its existing capabilities across various countries like Vietnam. Vietnam is the second-largest smartphone exporter in the world, coming in after China, so a move away by Samsung gains further prominence. Samsung makes about 50% of its current phones in Vietnam, while its largest mobile phone manufacturing unit in the world is located in Noida, India.

Samsung is said to have submitted estimates of making smartphones worth over $40 billion over the next five years. Of these, phones with a factory price of over $200 could account for over $25 billion, and most of the phones in this category will be exported. At present, $200+ factory price phones account for just 2% of Samsung’s exports from India.

If and when Samsung’s move fructifies, the company will join the ranks of Apple, which is also in the process of shifting a key part of its production for smartphones to India. All three of Apple’s three contract manufacturers (Foxconn, Wistron, Pegatron) have applied to take benefits of the PLI scheme, and are moving manufacturing from places like China to India. Most of the production under the scheme is intended for export out of India. So while this does not directly and immediately bring down prices for Indian consumers, it is in the consumer’s longer-term interests as it would affect prices over a longer duration.

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Source: Economic Times

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The Mobvoi Earbuds Gesture are new TWS earbuds with head gestures

Following the recent launch of the affordable TicPods ANC, Mobvoi is back with a new pair of TWS earphones that feature innovative head gestures. The new Mobvoi Earbuds Gesture feature a design similar to the popular TicPods Free, with a small charging case, larger battery, and silicone tips for better passive noise isolation. The TWS earbuds include support for TicMotion head gestures, which we first saw on the TicPods 2 Pro. The head gestures allow users to easily accept or reject incoming calls by nodding or shaking their head twice.

TicPods ANC XDA Review || TicPods 2 Pro XDA Review

Mobvoi Earbuds Gesture: Specifications

Specification	Mobvoi Earbuds Gesture
Dimensions & Weight	Charging case 81mm x 36.8mm x 31mm 130g
Speaker & Mics	6mm drivers Dual-mic array
Battery & Charging	Earbuds: 90mAh each Charging case: 600mAh USB Type-C port for charging
Connectivity	Bluetooth 5.0 low latency Independent connection support Mobvoi app support
Gesture controls	TicMotion head gestures for incoming calls Touch gestures for playback controls, incoming calls, and voice assistant
Color	Matte Black
Water/Dust Resistance	IPX5
Box Contents	Earbuds Charging case Extra silicone tips USB Type-C to Type-A charging cable Quick start guide User manual

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Along with the unique head gestures, the Mobvoi Earbuds Gesture offer touch-sensitive playback controls that will let you accept/reject phone calls, play/pause music, switch to the next or previous track and wake the voice assistant of your choice. The earbuds also support independent connections, which means that you’ll be able to use a single earbud without any issues.

Each earbud packs in a 90mAh battery, which rated for up to 10 hours of continuous playback on a single charge. The charging case, on the other hand, packs in a 600mAh battery, which can provide an additional 50 hours of playback time. The earbuds also come with IPX5 water and dust resistance rating, which will ensure that they’re able to withstand your intense workout sessions.

Pricing & Availability

The Mobvoi Earbuds Gesture have successfully completed a crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo and will start shipping to campaign backers in October this year. The TWS earbuds will be available in Matte Black at an introductory price of $67 for campaign backers.

Once the campaign ends, the earbuds will be priced at $130. In case you haven’t backed the crowdfunding campaign yet, you can head over to the Indiegogo page linked below and back the product for the introductory price before the campaign ends.

Get the Mobvoi Earbuds Gesture on Indiegogo

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Here’s how to unbrick your OnePlus Nord with MSMDownloadTool

OnePlus phones are known for their hackability and the newly released OnePlus Nord is certainly not an exception. The classy mid-ranger has already received a somewhat working build of TWRP as well as an unofficial build of Pixel Experience ROM, thus we are pretty much confident that there’s more to come. However, sometimes you may end up with a “brick” while tinkering with your shiny new OnePlus Nord, a state where you can’t even access the Fastboot interface to restore the stock firmware. While you can contact OnePlus support in such scenarios to let them remotely perform a low-level flash on your device, our veteran OnePlus tipster Some_Random_Username has managed to grab the appropriate unbrick package for this device so that you can revive your bricked OnePlus Nord all by yourself.

OnePlus Nord XDA Forums

OnePlus Nord Review: Great Performance at a Great Price

Dubbed as ‘MsmDownloadTool’, the tool utilizes Qualcomm’s Emergency Download Mode (EDL) for the flashing task. You need a PC running Microsoft Windows 7 or newer in order to use this flasher, as it isn’t compatible with Linux and macOS. You also need a compatible Qualcomm driver, which can be downloaded straight from Microsoft’s update server.

If your OnePlus Nord is already bricked, connecting the device to a USB port on your computer should expose it as “QDLOADER 9008” (or “QHUSB_BULK”, if the driver isn’t properly installed) under Device Manager. End users can also manually trigger the EDL mode on the OnePlus Nord, which is particularly useful if you want to downgrade the installed version of OxygenOS in it. All you need to do is turn off the Nord, then hold down both volume up and volume down buttons and plug the phone into your PC.

Unbrick your OnePlus Nord with MSMDownloadTool

Keep in mind that there are 3 different regional variants of the OnePlus Nord: Indian (AC01DA), Global (AC01AA), and European (AC01BA). You need to pick the correct EDL flasher for your model, although cross-flashing is very much possible. Do create a backup of the ‘persist’ partition before attempting such cross-flashing to avoid fingerprint enrollment issues.

MsmDownloadTool for the OnePlus Nord — XDA Thread

Note that the currently discovered EDL flashers for the OnePlus Nord are based on OxygenOS 10.5.2, not the latest OxygenOS 10.5.4. Once you have the correct flasher corresponding to the variant you have, follow the steps below to unbrick:

• Launch MsmDownloadTool V4.0.exe.
• On the login prompt select “Other” in the dropdown menu and click on Next.
  
• Wait a few seconds until main window shows up.
• Click on Target button and select O2 while using global tool or India while using indian tool or EU when using european tool.
• Press Start button (this is done so that device will be “captured” automatically by tool instead of going back to normal boot after 10 seconds)
• While the phone is in Qualcomm EDL mode, plug it to your computer using stock OnePlus cable.
• Wait ~300 seconds.

And that’s it! The phone will automatically reboot into the stock OxygenOS that you just restored.

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Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 and Samsung Galaxy Buds Live launched in India

At the recent Galaxy Unpacked 2020 launch event, Samsung finally lifted the covers off the Galaxy Note 20 series, Galaxy Z Fold 2, Galaxy Tab S7 series, Galaxy Watch 3, and the Galaxy Buds Live. Shortly after the global launch, Samsung released the pricing and availability details for the Galaxy Note 20 series in India, and now, the company has finally launched the Galaxy Watch 3 and Galaxy Buds Live in the country.

Samsung Galaxy Watch 3: Specifications

Specifications	Samsung Galaxy Watch 3
Dimensions & Weight	41mm: 41.0 x 42.5 x 11.3 mm, 48g 45mm: 45.0 x 46.2 x 11.1mm, 53g
Display	41mm: 1.2″ Super AMOLED Corning Gorilla Glass DX 45mm: 1.4″ Super AMOLED Corning Gorilla Glass DX
Watchband size	Large: 22.0 x 130.0 x 9.4mm Small: 20.0 x 115.0 x 9.4mm
Memory	1GB RAM, 8GB internal storage
Connectivity	LTE Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, 2.4GHz Bluetooth v5.0
Other features	2 physical buttons Rotating bezel Mic Linear Motor Speaker
Sensors	8 LED photoplethysmography (PPG) Electrocardiogram (ECG) Accelerometer (up to 32G) Gyroscope Barometer Ambient light
NFC Payments	Yes, Samsung Pay
Battery	41mm: 247mAh 45mm: 340mAh
Durability	5ATM + IP68/ MIL-STD-810G
OS	Tizen Based Wearable OS 5.5
Colors	41mm: Mystic Bronze, Mystic Silver 45mm: Mystic Silver, Mystic Black Band: Black Leather, Pink Leather (41mm only)

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The all-new Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 will be available in 4G and Bluetooth variants in India, in two dial sizes — 41mm and 45mm. The 41mm variant of the smartwatch will be available in Mystic Bronze and Mystic Silver color options, while the 45mm variant will be available in Mystic Silver and Mystic Black colors.

The Galaxy Watch 3 41mm has been priced at ₹29,990 (~$399) and ₹34,490 (~$459) for the Bluetooth and 4G variants, respectively. While the 45mm variant has been priced at ₹32,990 (~$439) and ₹38990 (~519), for the Bluetooth and 4G variants. All variants of the Galaxy Watch 3 will go on sale in India starting August 27 via major offline retail stores, Samsung Opera House, Samsung.com, and other major eCommerce portals.

Samsung has also announced a couple of pre-booking offers for the Galaxy Watch 3. Buyers who book the 4G variants will get the option to purchase the new Galaxy Buds Live at a discounted price of ₹4,990. This offer is exclusive to bookings made on Samsung Shop and offline retail stores between August 17 and August 26. On the other hand, pre-booking the Bluetooth variants will give buyers an instant cashback of ₹4,500 on the 41mm model and ₹5,000 on the 45mm model. This offer is exclusive to bookings made on Samsung Shop, Amazon, and Flipkart between August 20 and August 26.

Samsung Galaxy Buds Live: Specifications

Specification	Samsung Galaxy Buds Live
Dimensions & Weight	Buds: 27.2 x 17.3 x 15.5 mm, 5.6g (each) Case: 50.0 x 50.2 x 27.8 mm, 42.2g
Battery and Charging	Earbud: 60mAh (each) Case: 472 mAh Wireless charging support
Speaker and Mic	12mm driver tuned by AKG Bass duct 3 microphones + Voice Pickup Unit
Connectivity	Bluetooth 5.0 BLE Codec: AAC, SBC, Scalable Codec
Sensors and other features	Proximity sensor Accelerometer Touch-sensitive sensor Hall sensor IPX2 water resistance
Colors	Mystic Bronze, Mystic White, Mystic Black

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Samsung’s latest TWS earphones, the Galaxy Buds Live, will be available for purchase in India starting from August 25. The earbuds will be available in three color variants — Mystic Bronze, Mystic Black, and Mystic White — at a price of ₹14,990 (~$199).

The earbuds will be available across offline retail stores, Samsung Opera House, Samsung.com, and most major eCommerce portals in the country.

Pre-book on Samsung.com: Galaxy Watch 3 || Galaxy Buds Live

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iQOO 5 and iQOO 5 Pro with 50MP Samsung GN1 sensor, 120W FlashCharge launched in China

Vivo’s iQOO sub-brand is gaining steady ground in China and other markets, largely thanks to some innovative technologies from its parent company. Devices like the iQOO 3 are one of the cheapest Snapdragon 865 phones around, while the company was also teasing its 120W FlashCharge solution. Today, at an event in China, iQOO has launched the iQOO 5 and iQOO 5 Pro, sporting its 120W FlashCharge solutions and a camera setup that is reminiscent of the Vivo X50 Pro+.

iQOO 5 and iQOO 5 Pro: Specifications

Specification	iQOO 5	iQOO 5 Pro
Dimensions & Weight	160 x 75.6 x 8.32 mm 197g	Standard Variant: 159.56 x 73.3 x 8.9 mm 198g Special Edition: 159.56 x 73.3 x 9.53 mm 196.7g
Display	6.56″ FHD+ AMOLED 2376 x 1080 19.8:9 aspect ratio 120Hz refresh rate HDR10+ In-Display Fingerprint Punch-hole front camera	6.56″ FHD+ AMOLED 2376 x 1080 19.8:9 aspect ratio 120Hz refresh rate HDR10+ In-Display Fingerprint Punch-hole front camera
SoC	Qualcomm Snapdragon 865: 1x Kryo 585 (ARM Cortex-A77-based) Prime core @ 2.84GHz 3x Kryo 585 (ARM Cortex-A77-based) Performance core @ 2.4GHz 4x Kryo 385 (ARM Cortex A55-based) Efficiency cores @ 1.8GHz Adreno 650	Qualcomm Snapdragon 865: 1x Kryo 585 (ARM Cortex-A77-based) Prime core @ 2.84GHz 3x Kryo 585 (ARM Cortex-A77-based) Performance core @ 2.4GHz 4x Kryo 385 (ARM Cortex A55-based) Efficiency cores @ 1.8GHz Adreno 650
RAM & Storage	8GB, 12GB LPDDR5 RAM 128GB, 256GB UFS 3.1	8GB, 12GB LPDDR5 RAM 256GB UFS 3.1
Battery & Charging	4500mAh 55W Fast Charging	4000mAh 120W Fast Charging
Rear Camera	Primary: 50MP, f/1.85 Secondary: 13MP, ultra-wide angle, f/2.2 Tertiary: 13MP, depth sensor, f/2.46 8K video recording	Primary: 50MP, f/1.85 Secondary: 13MP, ultra-wide angle, f/2.2 Tertiary: 8MP, periscope, f/3.4, 5x optical zoom, 60x digital zoom 8K video recording
Front Camera	16MP, f/2.45	16MP, f/2.45
Other Features	5G: n1, n3, n41, n77, n78, n79, n28 Wi-Fi 6 Bluetooth 5.1	5G: n1, n3, n41, n77, n78, n79, n28 Wi-Fi 6 Bluetooth 5.1
Android Version	iQOO UI 1.5 based on Android 10	iQOO UI 1.5 based on Android 10h

As expected, the biggest star of the show is the Pro variant, but the iQOO 5 also packs in its own punch. The display on both the devices is a 120Hz 6.56″ FHD+ AMOLED with support for HDR10+. Both the phones come with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, alongside healthy amounts of LPDDR5 RAM and UFS 3.1 storage.

The phones diverge when it comes to battery, charging, and cameras. The iQOO 5 has a bigger 4500mAh battery but “slower” 55W fast charging support, while the iQOO 5 Pro has a smaller 4000mAh battery with the insane 120W FlashCharge fast charging. This insane 120W fast charging solution goes from 0%-50% in 5 minutes, while a full charge takes about 15 minutes. The included FlashCharge fast charger is compatible with up to 65W USB PD and has a 1.5m cable, so you can actually use it for laptops too.

For the cameras, the front camera on both the devices is a 16MP camera residing within the hole-punch in the display. For the rear, both the phones come with the 50MP Samsung ISOCELL GN1 custom sensor that we also see on the Vivo X50 Pro+, but note that just like that smartphone, these too do not have a gimbal setup for stabilization. Instead, both have EIS, while the iQOO 5 Pro has OIS too. The 13MP ultra-wide-angle camera is common to both phones. The third camera is different: the iQOO 5 gets a 13MP depth sensor, while the iQOO 5 Pro gets an 8MP periscope camera that is capable of 5x optical zoom and 60x digital zoom. Both the phones can shoot in 8K.

Pricing and Availability

The devices will be available for the following prices in China:

• iQOO 5:
  • 8GB + 128GB: CNY 3998 (~$576/₹43,000)
  • 12GB + 128GB: CNY 4298 (~$619/₹46,250)
  • 12GB + 256GB: CNY 4598 (~$662/₹49,500)
• iQOO 5 Pro:
  • 8GB + 256GB: CNY 4998 (~$720/₹53,750)
  • 12GB + 256GB: CNY 5498 (~$792/₹59,250)

The Pro also gets a special BMW Edition on the top variant, with a leather finish on the back and a color palette that stands out.

It is currently unknown if the devices will make their way out of China.

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What are your thoughts on the iQOO 5 and iQOO 5 Pro? Let us know in the comments below!

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Facebook merges Messenger and Instagram chats on Android and iOS

Back in January last year, we learned that Facebook’s co-founder and CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, planned to unify the infrastructure of all three of the company’s messaging services — WhatsApp, Instagram, and Facebook Messenger. Even though reports from late last year suggested that the US Federal Trade Commission was planning on an injunction against Facebook’s interoperability rules, the company has now gone ahead and merged Instagram and Messenger chats.

According to a recent report from The Verge, several Instagram users in the US have noticed a new update pop-up on the app with the message “There’s a New Way to Message on Instagram” and a list of features including a “new colorful look for your chats,” additional emoji reactions, swipe-to-reply, and a feature that will allow users to “Chat with friends who use Facebook.”

Tapping on the update button at the bottom replaces Instagram’s DM icon with the Messenger logo and the chats are given a new look. However, for now, the update doesn’t allow Instagram users to message people on Facebook.

As of now, it isn’t clear when Facebook will allow Instagram users to contact people on Facebook. But since the feature has already been announced, the company may enable it via a server-side update any time soon. It’s also worth noting that when we first learned about the company’s plans to integrate its messaging platforms, sources familiar with the matter had revealed that Zuckerberg also planned on incorporating end-to-end encryption on all three apps. However, Facebook hasn’t revealed any information regarding that yet.

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Via: The Verge

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[Update: More renders] This is our first look at the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE (Fan Edition)

Update 1 (08/17/2020 @ 02:04 AM ET): More renders of the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE have leaked. Scroll to the bottom for more information. The article as published on August 3, 2020, is preserved below.

The Samsung Galaxy S20, S20+, and S20 Ultra launched earlier this year right before COVID-19 shut everything down, and Samsung is about to follow-up with the new Galaxy Note 20 and Galaxy Note 20 Ultra in just 2 days from now. A few weeks before the big Galaxy S20 announcement in February, Samsung launched the Galaxy S10 Lite and the Galaxy Note10 Lite, two devices that were oddities in Samsung’s typical launch cycle. The S10 Lite and Note 10 Lite were both more affordable versions of their flagship counterparts, and it seems that Samsung may be set to repeat this strategy with the Galaxy S20. Thanks to renowned leaker Evan Blass, we now have our first look at the Galaxy S20 “Fan Edition”.

Credits: Evan Blass.

Samsung has previously used the Fan Edition (or FE) moniker with the Galaxy Note FE, a re-release of the disastrous Galaxy Note7 but with a fixed battery. This time, though, the Galaxy S20 wasn’t an exploding disaster that got recalled twice, so as you might guess, this is a different situation. The render that was posted on Evan Blass’s Patreon shows the Galaxy S20 Fan Edition looks pretty similar to Samsung’s vanilla Galaxy S20, with the same wallpaper and a centered hole-punch cutout for the front-facing camera. But the display is completely flat this time around, and the bezels are noticeably bigger than those on the flagship Galaxy S20.

We previously heard of a Galaxy S20 Fan Edition back in June thanks to a report from SamMobile. The publication reported that Samsung is developing a Galaxy S20 variant with model number SM-G780 (for global markets) and SM-G781 (for U.S. markets). The global model will apparently be available with and without 5G while the U.S. model will only be available in a 5G model. SamMobile did not share detailed specifications of the device but believes it should offer at least 128GB of internal storage and Android 10 on board with One UI 2.5. Notable Samsung leaker Ice Universe believes the device will have a 120Hz refresh rate display like the rest of the Galaxy S20 lineup, the same Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 processor, an IP68 dust and water resistance certification, and a small hole-punch cutout measuring 3.3mm in diameter. Korean publication The Elec reported that the Galaxy S20 Fan Edition will have a triple camera configuration consisting of a 12MP wide-angle (Ice Universe reports it’s the Sony IMX555), 12MP ultra wide-angle, and 8MP telephoto camera with 3X optical zoom; they also report the device will have a 32MP selfie camera, a screen size between 6.5-6.7 inches, and a price at about 900,000 won (~$753) when it goes on sale in October. Finally, GalaxyClub reports that the phone’s battery capacity will be 4,500mAh and the color variants will be green, orange, red, and white in Europe.

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Update: More renders of the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE leak

More renders of the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE have leaked, this time from @OnLeaks.

The report states that the Galaxy S20 FE will look very similar to the standard Galaxy S20. It will have a flat display with a very slight curve on the sides. The frame of the device will be metallic, but the back panel will likely be plastic. The phone will also skip out on the 3.5mm headphone jack.

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