Sony WF-1000XM4 Earbuds And Charging Case Leaks; May Launch In June

Photos showcasing the various angles of Sony’s supposedly upcoming WF-1000XM4 earbuds as well as its charging case have recently surfaced online. This new insight seemingly corroborates with another leak back in February, where snippets of the device’s packaging was uploaded to Reddit.

Much like the earlier leak, the WF-1000XM4 is shown to feature a more compact and round design – breaking away from the oval form factor of its predecessor. For this set of images shared by The Walkman Blog, this particular model sports what appears to be a dark purple colour scheme, along with bronze or gold accents for the Sony logo and detailing. It’s also worth noting that the earbuds sometimes appear in black in some shots, therefore it could be possible that two or more colour selections may be available upon release. That, or its just the lighting condition when photos of the device were taken.

As mentioned earlier, the website also included photos showcasing the earbuds’ accompanying charging case. This time around, it exhibits a more compact design than its predecessor, which is likely attributed to the WF-1000XM4’s smaller form factor. It also appears that Sony has ditched the two-tone colour scheme ala the XM3’s case, and went with a single unified colour instead. Another noteworthy change is the location of the USB-C port, which is shown to be situated on the back of the charging case – unlike its predecessor, where it’s located at the bottom.

On a related note, Pocket-Lint discovered that the Xperia 1 III’s reverse wireless charging menu features a graphic that showcases the feature working with a charging case that suspiciously looks similar to the one belonging to the WF-1000XM4. This implies that the latter’s case will be equipped with wireless charging, a feature that wasn’t included with Sony’s 2019 model.

Another interesting tidbit worth pointing out are the manufacturing labels on both the earbuds and its charging case. Much like other portable audio products from Sony, it is revealed that the WF-1000XM4 are also manufactured in Malaysia. While that doesn’t necessarily guarantee an early local release, it’s a nice bit of trivia regardless.

Again, not much is known about the specifications of the earbuds, save for some details that were revealed on its leaked packaging back in February. As a quick recap, the leak alleged that the WF-1000XM4 features active noise cancelling (ANC) capabilities and up to six hours of battery life (24 hours via charging case). Interestingly, the bottom of the device’s charging case shows a 5V/140mA charging output rating which suggests a slightly faster charging rate.

Sony has yet to officialise the WF-1000XM4 earbuds and announce its release date. However, according to The Walkman Blog’s findings, the device’s supposed listing on FCC suggests that the brand might launch its new earbuds sometime in June.

Alleged OPPO Smart Tag Leaks; Could Feature UWB, USB-C Charging Support

It appears that tracking tags have been gaining momentum once more, with both Apple’s AirTag and Samsung’s Galaxy SmartTag leading the charge. Not wanting to feel left out, it seems that even OPPO wants in on the “tagging” action and is reportedly preparing to launch its own Smart Tag soon.

Images of OPPO’s alleged Smart Tag were first posted on the Chinese Social network, Weibo and spotted by Digital Chat Station. Based on the first picture, the smartphone brand seems to have gone with a standard, disk-shaped design, with its branding plastered simply on the top.

The second image reveals that the tracker will support USB-C charging, as well as ultrawide band (UWB) technology. In comparison to the Galaxy SmartTag’s Bluetooth tracking, UWB would effectively allow OPPO’s smart tag to be more accurate. Sadly, there isn’t a lot of detail about the tracker, nor when its parent company plans on releasing the device.

On that note, we’ll be keeping an eye out for updates, so be sure to check this space from time to time.

Porsche And Shell To Develop EV Charging Network Along North-South Highway

Soon, it’ll be much easier to travel outstation in an electric car. Porsche Asia Pacific and Shell announced they will build 12 electric vehicle (EV) charge points at six Shell stations located strategically along Malaysia’s North-South Highway.

Designed to facilitate convenient EV travel between Kuala Lumpur, Penang, and Singapore, the charge points would be part of Southeast Asia’s first cross-border high performance charging (HPC) network, the companies said.

The six selected Shell stations will be equipped with 180 kW direct-current (DC) chargers, which come with two CCS Type 2 charging connectors – allowing a single vehicle to be charged at up to 180 kW, or two vehicles to charge simultaneously at up to 90 kW each.

The network won’t be operational all at once though. EV charging will be available at four of the stations in the second half of 2021, and at the two remaining stations by the first half of 2022.

As one would expect, the sites will be integrated with existing Shell charging networks in Malaysia and Singapore. The company already maintains 18 “Reserve + Shell Recharge” charge points in our country. All that will be further complemented with the 175kW high performance chargers available at all Porsche Centres in Malaysia.

Shell wants to make EV charging available at 500,000 stations globally by 2025. The oil and gas company said its partnership with Porsche was part of efforts to transform itself into a provider of net-zero emissions energy products and services.

Huawei Will Begin Charging 5G Royalties To Apple, Samsung And Others

Huawei announced it will begin charging fees for access to its patented 5G technologies – a move that will affect smartphone leaders like Apple and Samsung, Bloomberg and CNBC reported.

Frustrated by the continuing US sanctions, the Chinese tech giant has been trying to bolster and diversify its revenue streams. Huawei said it will be charging a “reasonable” royalty rate of up to US$2.50 (~RM10.29) for every phone that uses its 5G technology.

That US$2.50 cap might seem relatively modest compared to those of competitors. CNBC noted that Nokia caps its rate at €3 (~RM14.70) per device, while Ericsson charges from US$2.50 to US$5 (~RM20.59) per device.

For further comparison, chipmaker Qualcomm demanded US$7.50 (~RM30.88) from Apple for every iPhone, causing a feud between the tech giants, Bloomberg said. The companies finally made peace in 2019.

Huawei expects to pull in about US$1.2 billion (~RM4.9 billion) to US$1.3 billion (~RM5.4 billion) in revenue from patent licensing between 2019 and 2021. Obviously, those figures are likely to grow as the transition to 5G begins across the world.

Also, it’s plausible that Huawei is retaliating for a recent US move to further restrict component supplies for Huawei’s 5G devices. Washington, under Trump and now Biden, has often emphasised the need to protect American technology from Chinese firms.

Now, Huawei may be eager to publicly assert and leverage the dependence of others, especially in the West, on its technologies. In other words, it’s a game of tit for tat.