Counterclockwise: CPU cores grow not just in numbers, but in variety too

We traced the "Gigahertz wars" in a previous Counterclockwise article. It veered off into counting CPU cores because mobile chipsets hit a wall, just like desktop CPUs did a decade earlier. It's a simple, but unforgiving equation - increasing the clock speed by 10% increases power usage and heat by more than 10%. Back in 2017 (when the article was published), the highest clock speed we reported was 2.6GHz. Since then we've had our first 3GHz mobile chipset - the binned Snapdragon 845 inside the Asus ROG Phone. Okay, it's 2.96GHz if you want to be precise, but we're going to be squint a...

Source: https://www.gsmarena.com/counterclockwise_cpu_cores_grow_not_just_in_numbers_but_in_variety_too-news-37972.php

New devices of the week

The second half of the year has just started and Xiaomi, vivo, Lenovo and Samsung all introduced new mobile devices to make the start of the period that much more exciting. On Tuesday we had two different events in China - vivo was announcing its iQOO Neo with Snapdragon 845. The phone shares plenty of features with its big brother, but has a lower price tag of CNY1,798 (the equivalent of $250). It has regular vivo FlashCharge at 22.5W and memory goes as high as 8/128 GB, unlike the iQOO Monster Inside with 12/256 GB variant. Last week Xiaomi said a new CC series is joining its...

Source: https://www.gsmarena.com/new_devices_of_the_week-news-37970.php

Weekly poll results: Underscreen cameras can't come soon enough

The results from last week's poll show a resounding victory for under-screen cameras. This is a tech that's currently in the prototype stage, but it's going to make quite a splash when it becomes available on the mass market. We expect all makers will switch to under-screen cameras as soon as they hit the right price/performance balance for them (the equations for flagships and mid-rangers are obviously different). This tech enables full-screen designs without the sacrifices needed for pop-up/flip-up cameras - they take up less internal volume and they don't ruin the water resistance of...

Source: https://www.gsmarena.com/weekly_poll_results_underscreen_cameras_cant_come_soon_enough-news-37946.php

Xiaomi Black Shark 2 in for review

Gaming smartphones are on the rise and what we have here is one of the most popular among them - Xiaomi's Black Shark 2 - one of the cheapest gaming phones currently on the market. In fact, even if gaming isn't your thing ,this is one of the most affordable Snapdragon 855-powered devices in general, so it might be worth considering. Aside from the all-powerful Snapdragon 855, the Black Shark 2 also features either 6GB, 8GB or 12GB of RAM and up to 256GB of internal storage - more than enough for your favorite games plus a whole lot of other media. But while most of the competitors in...

Source: https://www.gsmarena.com/xiaomi_black_shark_2_in_for_review-news-37916.php

Nokia 6.1 gets a price cut in India

The Nokia 6.1 has got a price cut in India. The 3GB/32GB variant launched at INR16,999 ($250/€220) now costs INR6,999 ($100/€90), whereas the 4GB/64GB model which was launched at INR18,999 ($280/€250) is now priced at INR9,999 ($145/€130). You can purchase the Nokia 6.1 at the reduced price from the company's official India site. The Nokia 6.1 is powered by Snapdragon 630 SoC and sports a 5.5-inch FHD display. It features a 16MP rear and an 8MP front camera, and ships with a 3,000 mAh battery which draws power from a USB-C port. Source

Source: https://www.gsmarena.com/nokia_6_1_price_cut_india-news-37985.php

Honor Band 5 teased, may launch alongside the Honor 9X

The Honor Band 4 announced last September may soon get a successor which will be likely called the Band 5, as the company president George Zhao has teased a new fitness band on Chinese social network Weibo. Zhao has shared a picture of the band which looks similar to the Band 4. You can see that it has a colored display, likely AMOLED, which is accompanied by a circular button. Like the Band 4, the Band 5 will also monitor your heart rate, but it will also measure your blood oxygen levels and help detect fatigue, listlessness, dizziness, and of course, monitor your sleep. Zhao...

Source: https://www.gsmarena.com/honor_band_5_teased-news-37984.php