Motorola Razr 2022 To Get Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen1 Chipset

The Motorola Razr of 2022 has made a physical appearance in some capacity, confirming leaks that it will look quite different compared to before. But the way it looks aside, other things that we know of the device come from leaks. Though on this front, some things have changed, as the company has revealed two bits of info on what the phone packs.

As Android Authority reports, the company has shared on Chinese social media Weibo that the Motorola Razr 2022 will come with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen1 chipset. Considering that it hasn’t gotten an official launch yet, this is good news. The base Snapdragon 8 Gen1 would be just a little out of date by the time the phone becomes available.

Separately, one post which the report attributes as coming from a Motorola executive states that the Razr of 2022 will also get a 3500mAh battery. By today’s standards, that is a pretty small battery for a smartphone. But hopefully with the more efficient chipset, it would be enough for the foldable phone to last a day at the very least. The executive also claims that the phone will also have good battery management, which would be nice if it’s true.

Beyond these two points though, we’ll still have to go with what we know from previous leaks. Leakster Evan Blass has claimed that the Motorola Razr 2022 will have a Full HD+ display, either 8GB or 12GB of RAM, 256GB or 512GB of storage space, a 50MP primary + 13MP wide angle and macro camera combo, and a 32MP punch hole secondary camera.

Whether or not these are accurate, we will have to wait for the launch to find out. On that note, the report claims that Motorola will be officially unveiling the Razr 2022 on 2 August, so it won’t be too long a wait.

Xiaomi Civi Now Official: Features 120Hz Display, Snapdragon 778G, 32MP Selfie Camera

Xiaomi has just launched the first Civi smartphone, its purported replacement for the aesthetics-focused CC series. For starters, the new phone sports a 6.55-inch Full HD+ OLED display with curved edges and super-thin 2.55m bezels.

At the same time, the screen on the Civi also offers a 120Hz refresh rate and in-display fingerprint scanner, as well as the support for Dolby Vision and HDR10+. Housed within the top centre part of the display is a 32MP selfie shooter which features autofocus and a “beautification” filter that uses sophisticated machine learning that reportedly “re-depicts” the original picture pixel-per-pixel to maintain skin texture while getting rid of imperfections such as blemishes and acne:

The Civi also features a three-camera setup on its back which includes a 64MP primary, an ultrawide lens with a 120-degree field-of-view, and a 2MP macro camera. Meanwhile, the rumour of photo/electrochromic back cover on the phone proved to be inaccurate as Civi’s sparkly rear uses anti-glare glass instead.

Runs on a Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G alongside up to 12GB LPDDR4x RAM and 256GB internal storage, the new phone also supports Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2. Also equipped with Dolby Atmos stereo speakers, there is no 3.5mm audio jack on the Civi though.

Not to forget, the phone is powered by a large 4500mAh battery which Xiaomi claims to have the longest battery life of any smartphone it’s releasing this year. While it comes with 55W rapid charging, it seems to be missing wireless charging.

Running on MIUI 12.5 which is based on Android 11, the new Civi starts from CNY2,599 (~RM1,684) and goes all the way to CNY3,199 (~RM2,073) for the top configuration. Unfortunately, the phone is only launching in China for now, with no word yet on availability in other countries.

Qualcomm Partners Up With ASUS To Build Phone For Snapdragon Insiders

Qualcomm has announced its first smartphone today as a special device for members of its Snapdragon Insiders program. The chipmaker collaborated with ASUS to design and make the phone and it comes with all the latest high-end specs that the chipmaker has to offer.

The company’s first phone is meant to be a showcase for the latest bleeding-edge Qualcomm tech for its loyal followers on the Snapdragon Insiders community. Qualcomm launched the social media platform in March 2021 and they claim to now have 1.6 million members, which is considered a niche group of enthusiasts compared to the social media followings of giant smartphone brands such as Apple and Samsung, who respectively have 6.4 million and 12.2 million followers on Twitter.

Moving on, the phone itself has an always-on 6.78-inch Samsung AMOLED Full HD+ display with a 144Hz refresh rate and 1ms response time. It is protected by Gorilla Glass Victus, has a Delta-E level of less than 1, and a peak brightness of 1200 nits (800 nits outdoor-readable brightness) with HDR10 and HDR10+ certification. As an extra added aesthetic bonus, the Snapdragon fireball logo can illuminate itself.

As for the cameras, the phone has a 24MP selfie shooter and three cameras in the back: a 64MP main camera, a 12MP ultra-wide, and an 8MP telephoto with a 3x optical zoom, and has OIS and on-chip-lens PDAF.

Under the hood, the phone is powered by the Snapdragon 888 – not the latest 888+, sadly – 16GB LPDDR5 RAM, and 512GB of UFS 3.1 storage. Additionally, the chip comes with support for mmWave 5G, Wi-Fi 6 and 6E, Bluetooth 5.2, and Qualcomm’s proprietary Snapdragon Sound technology. It unlocks with Qualcomm’s second-gen 3D Sonic fingerprint sensor which is placed at the back instead of an in-display sensor.

Shipping with stock Android 11, the phone with dual stereo speakers has a 4000 mAh battery and 65W fast charging using the included Qualcomm Quick Charge 5 charging adapter. Aside from a rubber bumper and braided cables, the phone also includes the Master & Dynamic MW08SI wireless ANC earbuds. As you can imagine, all this swag doesn’t come cheap and will cost Insiders a whopping US$1499 (~RM6283), with shipping expected to start in August.

On Twitter, Qualcomm revealed that the Snapdragon Insiders Phone will get four years of security updates. XDA also revealed that ASUS not only designed the phone, but will also be handling the manufacturing of the device as well as be in charge of sales, distribution, and software support. Qualcomm said the phone will be available in the US, UK, Germany, Japan, South Korea, China, and India.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 FE Now Official; Features Snapdragon 750G and 10090mAh Battery

Samsung has officially announced the new FE variant for its Galaxy Tab S7 line-up earlier today – making it the brand’s first ever tablet to sport the “Fan Edition” moniker. As you may recall from our previous reports, numerous leaks regarding the device have circulated around the web in the past couple of months, revealing its design and specifications ahead of its global launch.

This variant sports a large 12.4-inch display with a resolution of 2,560 x 1,600 pixels. However, unlike the original model, it lacks a high refresh rate and features a TFT LCD panel instead of AMOLED. This is to be expected as most FE versions of Samsung’s products tend to lean towards affordability, while also offering performance that are at least on par with the original release.

Speaking of which, the Galaxy Tab S7 FE features a Qualcomm Snapdragon 750G, and comes with two different memory configurations. Specifically, you can choose between a 4GB RAM + 64GB storage option, or the slightly beefier 6GB RAM + 128GB storage model. As with most mobile devices, you can opt to expand its storage capacity up to 1TB via microSD. Samsung noted that all FE models come with Wi-Fi 5, Wi-Fi Direct and Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity, some configurations include LTE and 5G support as well.

Powering the new tablet is a 10,090mAh battery, which is similar to the one offered on the Galaxy Tab S7 Plus variant. It also comes with fast charging support of up to 45W, but you’ll need to purchase the corresponding charger separately. That being said, a standard wall plug charger is still included in the box.

On the back of the FE variant is an 8MP main camera, while housed in the side bezel of its display is a 5MP selfie camera. Other features for the tablet includes dual AKG-tuned speakers with Dolby Atmos support, as well as compatibility with the included S Pen and also Samsung’s Book Cover Keyboard accessory. In terms of colour options, the new device will be available in Mystic Black, Mystic Silver, Mystic Green, and Mystic Pink. 

Samsung has not revealed the pricing and availability of the new Galaxy Tab S7 Fan Edition at this time. The same can be said for its potential arrival in Malaysia – that is, if the tablet is planned for a release outside of the US and European regions.

Qualcomm Snapdragon Sound Promises Seamless, Studio-Grade Audio Quality

Qualcomm has announced Snapdragon Sound, a new technology that the chipmaker says is designed to deliver “seamless, immersive” and “studio master grade” audio quality, through a series of optimised audio technologies and software.

Qualcomm says that it began developing Snapdragon Sound after last year’s State of Play Report suggested that audio quality was a key deciding factor when purchasing a smartphone. Considering that it already has chipset performance down to tee, it makes sense that its next focus would be audio.

Breaking it down, Snapdragon Sound is a combination of several of Qualcomm’s audio technologies, including its aptX Adaptive audio technology, which provides 24-bit word depth and 96kHz sampling frequency, for what it calls “audiophile-quality music” wirelessly. That, in turn, is coupled with its Aqstic audio codec, which supports codec formats up to 384kHz 32-bit PCM, along with DSD with ultra-low THD+N. Oh, and a 7.3W smart speaker amplifier.

To be fair, Qualcomm’s goal of creating high-quality wireless audio isn’t new by any stretch of the imagination; Sony has been pushing its own LDAC technology for the longest time and is often paired together with its Hi-Res audio codec. Of course, unlike Qualcomm’s aptX codec, LDAC is usually reserved for Sony’s own products, including their headphones and Xperia lineup.

At the time of writing, Qualcomm did not say when Snapdragon Sound will be available.