■ Picture of Huawei P40 Pro revealed, along with performance list

The product launch of the Huawei P40 lineup will be held on March 26. It is reported that Huawei P40 Pro is equipped with a Kirin 990 5G processor and a double hole-punch screen. Its resolution ratio is 3,160x1,440 and a pixel density of 518 ppi. The P40 Pro and P40 Pro+ feature four and five back cameras respectively. The new P40 Pro comes with a sizable camera bump to house the five lenses, a 52 megapixel wide angle main camera, a 40 megapixel IMX650 (1/1.5-inch) RGGB ultra-wide angle camera, an 8 megapixel telephoto lens, a 20 megapixel PRISM periscope camera setup with up to 10X optical zoom, and a ToF lens. The main camera will feature a Sony custom 52 megapixel IMX700 (1/1.28-inch) CMOS sensor using RYYB color array. Other functions of the cameras include 10X lossless zoom, a color temperature sensor and an LED flashlight. The first Huawei flagship 5G SoC chip integrates a 5G Modem on SoC with 7nm+ EUV craftsmanship. About 10.3 billion transistors are integrated on such a small chip, which is a miracle in itself. It has inherited the excellent genes of Kirin chips and evolved with Balong’s outstanding 5G ability. With its awesome technology and highly advanced intelligence, Huawei has the potential to gain a decisive victory in the market.

■ Which 5G phones are currently on the market? Samsung Galaxy A71 5G gains network access from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology

The SM-A7160 Samsung 5G digital mobile phone has acquired the China Compulsory Certification (CCC). It has been reported that the Galaxy A71 5G will adopt a 6.7-inch Super AMOLED display and a 4,500mAh battery with 25W flash charge (rated capacity 4,370mAh). Whereas the Galaxy A71 has been equipped with Qualcomm Snapdragon 730, the Galaxy A71 5G may achieve 5G function by adopting an exterior baseband. There has been no detailed information on its model of processor. The Galaxy A71 has many colors, including pink, blue, black and gray. The phone will feature a 64MP F/1.8 main camera, a 12MP F/2.2 ultra-wide angle camera, a 5MP macro lens and a 5MP DOF. It is also worth mentioning that Galaxy A71 has maintained the 3.5mm headphone jack.

■ The world’s first Type-C wireless headset, ASUS ROG Strix Go 2.4

The world’s first Type-C 2.4GHz wireless headset, the ROG Strix Go 2.4 has been launched in recent days. As a wireless headset, it has a USB Type-C interface with a USB-A 3.0 adapter. It can be linked with other equipment, including Nintendo Switch, PS4, Xbox, PC and tablet computers with a 3.5mm connector. Industry-leading AI noise-cancelling detachable bidirectional microphone enables crystal-clear in-game voice communication. It has been approved by two professional gaming voice platforms DISCORD and TeamSpeak. With exclusive airtight chambers and 40mm ASUS Essence drivers, it supports Hi-Res Audio. Impressively fast charging provides three hours’ use with just a 15-minute charge, plus up to 25-hour total battery life for nonstop gaming. At just 290g, the ROG Strix Go 2.4’s ergonomic and foldable design puts all the direct buttons on the left side, including volume, microphone, play/pulse, and wired/wireless modes switching.

■ New iPad Pro A12Z processor, higher performance than MacBook Air with i5

Recently Apple launched 2020 version of the iPad Pro, which is the fourth generation of the iPad Pro. One of the highlights is the A12Z bionic processor. Going off the officially publicized index, the main difference of the A12Z is an upgraded eight-core GPU comparing with the seven-core A12X, thus bringing more powerful graphics performance.

■ New 3rd generation flagship BenQ smart business projectors, an all-scene conference assistant!

BenQ has been renowned for its keen insight into enterprises’ conference needs. After three years of technology preparation, market inspection and product upgrading, the BenQ smart business projectors are on another level. The strategic upgrading of a built-in smart system has made it possible to better fulfill various kinds of conference demands. The new lineup of 3rd generation BenQ smart business projector has four major highlights. Dual-band and double-circuit Wi-Fi, smart voice assistant, comment text on a large screen, and Windows reverse control. The dual-band and double-circuit Wi-Fi can both switch to double channels during a single connection to achieve simultaneous double connections. The smart voice assistant enables remote control and simplifies the process of physically handling the remote. The large screen comment test and Windows reverse control can meet the demands of more specific industrial conferences. Taking the flagship product E582 as an example, it supports high-definition display in 1,080P with all four highlights mentioned above. Other two new products, the E592 and E590, both support WUXGA, which can be applied to business scenarios which require a high-definition display. Benefiting from 2D keystone correction, even side casting can have the same perfect result. Proper throw ratio and 1.2X zoom can be flexible in different business conference spaces, which is a good helper for the future mobile office. The new products’ brightness levels are all between 3,500 and 4,000 lumen-hours, which can ensure a crystal-clear display during light daytime. The high contrast ratio of 12,000:1 makes words’ margins clear-cut without becoming blurry. The resolution ratio strives for high definition with both the mainstream 1,080P and WUXGA widescreen providing solutions for large-scale conferences.

■ MediaTek 5G chips win four key customers, Redmi may be the first to feature Dimensity 800

MediaTek has launched the Dimensity 1000 and Dimensity 800 chips. The integrated baseband design has been spoken of highly by the industry, and the Dimensity 1000 is regarded as MediaTek’s major new offering for the 5G era.

It is reported that four major mobile phone brands and certain other suppliers have been preparing to use MediaTek 5G chips. The brands’ names have not been revealed, but based on their current market share in China, they are believed to be Huawei, Xiaomi, OPPO and Vivo. There was also a rumor saying that the upcoming Redmi Note9 may adopt Dimensity 800 to reach the 5G terminal market.

■ Redmi K30 Pro to be launched, Xiaomi wireless Bluetooth earphone Air 2s revealed featuring ultra-low latency

With the Redmi product launch due on March 24, there have been more rumors circulating about the Redmi K30 Pro. Recently, Xiaomi’s well-received true wireless Bluetooth earphones, the Air 2, will be upgraded to the Air 2s. Performance will be the main focus of the upgrade. It is said that Air 2s will have a latency as low as 120ms when used with a Xiaomi mobile phone. It will also feature wireless charge. Data has shown that the Air 2s support the QI agreement.

■ iFlytek launches world’s first color e-reader

Recently, iFlytek has launched the world’s first color e-reader, leading the way into the colorful e-reader era. The new color e-reader is equipped with a 6-inch high-definition printed color e-ink screen provided by E Ink Technology, which can display 4,096 colors. In terms of appearance, the e-reader adopts a flat, anti-shock, anti-fall design, and is also equipped with 24 reading lights and integrated speakers. It weighs 150 grams, is 6.9 millimeters thick, light and comfortable, can be held with one hand, and can be easily put into a pocket or a bag.

■  Redmi smart TV to launch new product, official claim to be beyond imagination

It is reported that during the March 24 product launch of Redmi K30 Pro, the new Redmi smart TV will also be launched. The official introduction says that this new smart TV goes ‘beyond the imagination’. Redmi’s currently on-sale TV products are 70-inch and 40-inch respectively. Given that the 70-inch Redmi smart TV adopts a 4K HDR display, the new product may also be the same and support double HDR standard of HDR10 and HLG, and HDR reduction treatment switching from HDR video to Tone Mapping and Color Mapping. The new product will also feature built-in Xiaomi AI Speakers, supporting voice control of all smart home appliances after adding them to the Mijia App. The official introduction says that there are over 30 million monthly active users of the Xiaomi AI Speaker, with more than 100 million pieces of equipment getting connected, making it one of the largest AI voice platforms. It can both control TV and other smart home appliances.

■ ZMI’s wireless charging Bluetooth speaker launched: 20W wireless flash charging and 7 kinds of colorful lights

ZMI recently launched a wireless charging Bluetooth speaker with 20W wireless charging and seven kinds of colorful lights. The ZMI wireless charging Bluetooth speaker integrates smart speaker and wireless charging in one. The ZMI wireless charging Bluetooth speaker supports 20W wireless flash charging for the Xiaomi Mi 10, Mi 10 Pro, Mi 9 and Mi 9 Pro. It can charge Mi 10 Pro up to 50% in 39 minutes. This wireless charging Bluetooth speaker is also intelligently compatible with a variety of wireless charging devices, providing wireless fast charging for the Samsung Galaxy S10 and iPhone 11. Effective charging induction can reach 4mm, so you don’t need to remove the case when charging. As a speaker, it is equipped with a neodymium iron boron inner magnetic speaker. It has a 5W high power and provides a 360-degree immersive surround sound. The subwoofer’s inverted tube design makes music sound great. It also supports the latest Bluetooth 5.0 technology with a transmission range of up to 10m and supports high-definition voice calls.

■ Xiaomi Youpin launches transparent Bluetooth speaker with floating lyrics display

On March 23, Xiaomi Youpin launched the MORROR ART floating lyrics transparent Bluetooth speaker. It can present a “dynamic floating lyrics” display that fits the mood of the music. The MORROR ART speaker is equipped with a 21.5-inch IPS screen with a resolution of 1,920×1,080 and AR-coated high-transmittance glass. It has an excellent transparency, almost as if the glass was not there at all. Backlight technology from Japan’s Mitsubishi Corporation gives the screen a brightness that is gentle on the eyes even in the dark and can also be enjoyed at night. The MORROR ART uses a 6-series aluminum alloy shell, which combines sandblasting and anodizing processes. It not only resists oxidation and corrosion, but also shows a high-level surface texture. Its measurements come in at 525mmx140mmx322mm, with a net weight of 10kg, and CNC cutting technology creating delicate edge details. The MORROR ART suspended lyrics transparent Bluetooth speaker uses a unique 100mm diagonally configured speaker. Having undertaken precise calculation of the 10L resonance air volume in the box, Xiaomi Youpin states that this design is like a long and loose “air spring”, which greatly improves the response of the speaker speed. The speaker has an upgradeable 32-sbit control unit which has been fine-tuned by acoustic debugging experts. It supports 3 tuning modes (high-fidelity mode, sweet voice mode, and rhythm mode) to suit various different music styles.

■ New flagship! Roborock T7 launched

On March 23, Roborock officially launched its 2020 flagship robot vacuum cleaner, the Roborock T7. This product has a new RR Mason 7.0 algorithm system, a 297ml constant-voltage intelligent water tank, multi-map management 4.0, and an upgraded 2,500Pa suction power. It has integrated Roborock’s latest technologies to offer the best user experience.

Serving as the robot’s commander, the RR Mason algorithm system’s ‘real-time data management algorithm’ is responsible for managing the distribution of environmental data collected by sensors, and then handing that information over to the ‘perception and mapping algorithm’ for data fusion and analysis. After this, the machine will then hand over to “navigation and motion algorithm” for dynamic navigation and planning based on the analysis results. So far, the Roborock T7 has undergone 78 OTA algorithm updates and has more than 3,000 solutions for getting itself out of being stuck. On this basis, the RR Mason 7.0 algorithm optimizes the zigzag algorithm to reduce repetitive routes and increase efficiency.

It is also worth mentioning that the Roborock T7 supports the automatic identification of multi-story maps. It can memorize and edit 4 maps at the same time. When changing floors whilst cleaning, the robot equipped with multi-map management 4.0 can automatically identify the story it is currently on, load the corresponding map and start working. This is different from other sweeping robots on the market, which requires manual switching of maps.

The Roborock T7 will also feature a suction upgrade to 2,500Pa, which is 25% higher than the suction of the previous generation, whilst keeping its noise level at almost the same as the previous generation. Its battery is 5,200mAh, supporting a 2.5-hour non-stop work to clean up to 250 square meters in a single operation.

Updated by 27th Mar. 2020