Xiaomi May Introduce A New Extended RAM Feature For Its Smartphones

Those with Xiaomi smartphones with low-specced RAM configurations will be delighted to know that the company might be working on a way to upgrade its capacity. Thanks to a recent discovery by tipster Kacper Skrzpek on Twitter, a code to what appears to be an “extended RAM” feature was spotted on an unspecified version of Xiaomi’s MIUI system.

This concept isn’t actually entirely new and is quite similar to the Virtual Memory approach on PC operating systems such as Windows. What this feature does is allocate a certain amount of physical memory aka Read Only Memory (ROM) from the device’s storage, and converts it into Random Access Memory (RAM). This also means that after the conversion, the allocated ROM will be completely unusable for usual storage purposes – that is, until the user decides to reverse the action.

Xiaomi isn’t the first brand to introduce the extended RAM feature on smartphones, albeit allegedly. The honour belongs to fellow Chinese smartphone maker Vivo, who recently debuted it along with its latest handset in Malaysia: the Vivo V21. The latter’s device provides users the option to boost its onboard 8GB RAM up to 11GB by converting 3GB from its 128GB internal storage capacity.

If Skrzpek’s information is proven accurate, Xiaomi’s version functions somewhat similarly to that of Vivo’s. From the screenshots provided by the tipster, the former’s alleged feature is shown to be able to convert 1GB of storage into RAM – although it’s quite possible the amount may change depending on the memory configurations on different Xiaomi phones. Also provided that if the brand is planning to include this ability on all of its future or current devices.

There’s no word on when Xiaomi is planning to debut this feature on its MIUI system or smartphones. Nevertheless, it is going to be a very handy feature to improve multitasking and also gaming, especially for users who are on entry-level handsets from the company.

EA Confirms Development Of A Standalone Battlefield Game For Smartphones And Tablets

Fans of the multiplayer shooter genre on mobile devices will be expecting another high profiled franchise to arrive in the near future, namely the Battlefield series by Electronic Arts (EA). The publisher has recently announced that a standalone version of the game is currently in development and will be hitting the mobile platform sometime in 2022.

The game is being worked on by Industrial Toys in close collaboration with current Battlefield developer DICE, wrote the latter’s general manager Oskar Gabrielson on EA’s official blog. He noted that this version of the game will be specifically designed, and is promised to feature a “fully-fledged, skill-based experience” for players on smartphones and tablets.

Gabrielson also announced in the same blog post that a new major Battlefield game for PC and consoles will be revealed soon and eventually released in 2021. The game is jointly-developed by DICE, DICE LA, Criterion Games and EA Gothenburg, he added.

Ever since their debuts, multiplayer shooters such as Fortnite, PUBG and Call of Duty: Mobile have seen tremendous success and an increased player base on the mobile platform, especially on smartphones. In addition, these games -despite being marketed as free to play titles, have earned their respective developers and publishers millions of dollars in revenue, thanks to the availability of in-game purchases such as booster packs and player customisation items.

According to data gathered by Sensor Tower, PUBG Mobile has reportedly accumulated a total of US$2.7 billion in 2020 alone, with a recorded player spending average of US$7.4 million per day. In terms of player base and downloads, Tencent (via BusinessofApps) claims that the game had garnered a reported 30 million active users in Q3 2020, and recently claimed that it has achieved a whopping 1 billion downloads as of March 2021. With staggering numbers such as these, it’s no surprise that EA would also want a piece of this mobile-flavoured pie, albeit arriving later than other publishers.

In related news, the publisher also confirmed recently that its popular free-to-play battle royale shooter Apex Legends have begun testing on mobile platforms. Regional betas for the game are currently limited to countries such as India and the Philippines, with more regions planned to be added later in the year. Just in case you’re wondering, Apex Legends game director Chad Grenier revealed in a separate EA blog post that the mobile version will not feature cross-platform play.

Redmi Gaming Smartphone Teased; Confirmed To Be A Variant Of Its K40 Flagship

Redmi, via Weibo, has released a teaser featuring a glimpse of its upcoming gaming smartphone. Interestingly, the company also revealed that the new device is actually a variant of its flagship series that was launched back in February and would officially be known as the K40 Game Enhanced Edition.

From the provided image (which happens to be animated), it is revealed that the phone will feature a triple camera setup, hidden shoulder buttons, and a slider switch. The latter, when activated, would release the K40 Game Enhanced Edition’s shoulder buttons and activate the lighting effects on the upper and lower halves of its rear camera array – an interesting yet gimmicky kind of way of announcing to the world that you’re eager to play mobile games on the Redmi-branded handset.

Besides that, the gaming variant also sports a metallic gray rear case with line design elements and a large cylindrical camera island for its triple cameras – an interesting design shift that sets it apart from the original K40 models, which featured two layered bumps for their rear shooters. The brand did not reveal what sensors will be included in the setup, and the dual horizontal spots located in between the top and middle cameras are unspecified as well.

As mentioned earlier, the top and bottom of the camera island features a bracket-like lighting system and the words “Freezing” and “Speediest” are engraved on its sides. The engravings are most likely referencing the Game Enhanced Edition’s cooling system and onboard chipset. Speaking of which…

For now, the only officially confirmed hardware to be included on the new Redmi gaming smartphone is a MediaTek Dimensity 1200 chipset. Meanwhile on the unofficial side of things, it is said that the device will come with a Samsung E4 AMOLED display with 144Hz refresh rate and a 5,000mAh battery with 67W fast charging support. Leakster Digital Chat Station recently shared that the Xiaomi subsidiary may launch the gaming smartphone in two different configurations, but did not supply any information regarding the difference of specifications.

Along with the teaser image, Redmi has confirmed that it will launch the K40 Game Enhanced Edition next week on 27 April in China. According to insiders, the phone is expected to launch at a starting price of RMB 2,000 (~RM1,260).

Google And Samsung Reportedly Developing New Chipset For Upcoming Pixel Smartphones

Companies such as Huawei and Apple have been developing their own smartphone chipsets in order to reduce reliance on those supplied by third-parties. According to 9to5Google, it appears that Google may soon be joining the ranks of the aforementioned brands, as it is reported that the firm is manufacturing its own system on chip (SoC) for its upcoming Pixel models.

The publication claims that the tech giant has partnered with Samsung to develop this new mobile processor, which is allegedly codenamed as “Whitechapel.” It also noted that the component carries the model number “GS101,” which it speculates that the letters “GS” is an acronym for “Google Silicon”. The new chipset is believed to be based on Samsung’s Exynos chipset, and is said to be developed with the company’s system large-scale integration (SLSI) division.

Other than that, 9to5Google added that Whitechapel is part of Google’s “Slider” project, which is said to be a “shared platform” for its first SoC. The project is linked to two others codenamed as “Raven” and “Oriole” – believed to be the upcoming Pixel smartphone models that are slated to launch in late 2021. Aside from powering handsets manufactured by the company, the report said that the new Google-Samsung chipset would be featured in upcoming Chromebooks as well.

For those unfamiliar, Google has equipped its flagship phones with Qualcomm developed SoCs since the first Pixel model, with the latest iteration – the Pixel 5 series – featuring the Snapdragon 765G. Whether the first-party Whitechapel chipset is capable of performing on par with its competitors or better, remains to be seen. Provided that this rumour is to be believed, of course.

BOE Showcases New 360-Degree Display Technology For Foldable Smartphones

Foldable smartphones have not become the norm for the regular consumer just yet, but that isn’t stopping manufacturers such as China’s BOE from innovating the foldable display technology. The company recently demonstrated a new 360-degree flexible screen that is able to be folded inwards and outwards, suggesting a potentially new multi-mode foldable phone approach.

As seen from the demonstration – a gif animation shared by Digital Chat Station on Weibo and later shared on YouTube by SparrowNews – BOE shows off the new display tech via a prototype phone that can fold inwards ala clamshell, assumingly for storage purposes. When unfolded, it is able to function as a tablet, much like the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold and Huawei Mate X series. Lastly, the device can also be folded outwards from tablet mode, transforming into a familiar smartphone form which utilises only one half of the display.

According to MyDrivers, BOE is said to adopt a “multi-neutral layer model design” for its new display and multi-mode foldable phone approach. This effectively reduces the stress of flexible outward and inward foldings, as well as reduces the possibility of causing creases from each fold. The report added that the company claims the display is able to last approximately 200,000 folds throughout its use.

Keep in mind that the foldable phone unit used by BOE in the demonstration is merely a prototype, therefore it lacks features such as cameras and so on. At this time, no smartphone makers have confirmed to be adopting this technology or multi-mode foldable approach.

The future of non-conventional smartphones is looking to be more interesting as of late, thanks to the recent display technology innovations. Aside from foldable screens, brands such as OPPO and LG are also exploring different approaches for their future products, namely rollable displays.

As for whether which approach would soon dominate the smartphone market in the foreseeable future remains to be seen. And that realisation will also take some time as the prices of such devices are still within the premium range, which – as mentioned earlier – is still far from being affordable for most consumers.

Samsung Announces One UI 3.1 Rollout To Its Galaxy S20 Series And Other Smartphones

Samsung has announced that the One UI 3.1 update will be made available to its previous flagship smartphones, namely the Galaxy S20 and Note20 series, Z Fold2 and Z Flip. Additionally, it confirmed that other Galaxy-branded phones also receiving the update includes the S10, Note10, Fold, A71, A51, A90, A80, A70, and A50. The company’s latest firmware first debuted in early January together with its recently released handsets, the Galaxy S21 series.

That being said, Samsung added that apart from the various improvements to its software and interface, certain features previously introduced on its 2021 flagships will also be ported over to the aforementioned devices. These include the new Eye Comfort Shield that automatically adjusts the display’s blue light based on the time of day, Private Share feature that enables users to determine a shared content’s availability and who is allowed to view it, as well as an option to allow users to delete a photo’s metadata.

Audio-wise, the One UI 3.1 update will include support for the Galaxy Buds Pro’s 360 Audio feature, and a new Auto Switch function which allows the aforementioned earbuds, as well as the Galaxy Buds Live and Galaxy Buds Plus to switch between the user’s phone and other compatible Samsung devices automatically.

New photography features include the newly introduced Object Eraser Tool which automatically removes an unwanted distraction from photos via a simple tap, and the Multi Mic Recording feature that allows users to record audio through their phone and connected Samsung Bluetooth earbuds simultaneously. Single Take and other camera tools such as touch autofocus and auto-exposure have been improved in this update as well.

If you recall from our previous report, Samsung had originally released the One UI 3.1 update to the Galaxy S20 FE first, but was pulled a few days after due to unspecified reasons. It is believed that several bugs were not ironed out in the release, which caused several issues such as heavy battery consumption and missing features to occur on the handset. Hopefully the company has managed to rectify the alleged problems in this rollout for the Galaxy S20 FE, as well as other smartphones that are due to receive the upcoming update.

On a related note, the patch note of the recalled update said that other new features from the Galaxy S21 series such as the multi-camera Director’s View mode and a new Google Discover home screen integration were expected to be included in the new firmware. However, these are not mentioned in the recent press release which could mean that the features have been excluded in this upcoming update, or are exclusive to a limited number of devices that are listed.

Samsung says that One UI 3.1 is currently being rolled out to all of the aforementioned Galaxy smartphones starting today, but noted that its expected arrival will differ depending on region. At the time of writing, the update has not reached Malaysian users just yet and could take a few weeks or more before it is released locally.