News on Smartphones, December 2021

iPhone 

Apple iPhone 13 to be mass produced in India starting Feb 2022, trial production begins

Apple's been manufacturing iPhones locally in India for a few years now, and it will begin the mass production of the iPhone 13 in the Asian country starting February 2022, reports The Economic Times. 

Full content and details (external sources): GSMArena

Apple iPhone 14 Pro to have 48MP camera, periscope scheduled for 2023

Full content and details (external sources): GSMArena

iPhone SE 3 Specifications Tipped, May Enter Trial Production Phase Soon

The smartphone is expected to be powered by the company's A15 Bionic SoC. It may come with 3GB of RAM and 5G connectivity, the report said. The specifications of the smartphone were also shared by a report, and the launch of the handset was tipped for spring next year. Recently, JP Morgan analysts said that the upcoming iPhone SE 5G has the potential to attract more than a billion non-premium Android users.

Full content and details (external sources): Gadgets

Apple iPhone 15 Pro to come without a SIM card slot

Word comes from Brazilian publication Blog do iPhone, which says that the 2023's Pro models (tentatively called iPhone 15 Pro) will not have physical SIM card slots and will rely entirely on eSIM technology for connectivity.

Full content and details (external sources): GSMArena

Samsung 

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra/Note visits Geekbench with Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 SoC

The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra, which could be called the Galaxy S22 Note, was spotted on Geekbench last month with model designation SM-S908B, Exynos 2200 SoC, and 8GB RAM. Now the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1-powered variant has also appeared on the benchmark database.

Full content and details (external sources): GSMArena

Samsung Galaxy A53 Tipped to Launch in 2 Versions with Exynos and Snapdragon Chipsets for Different Markets

Samsung Galaxy A53 launch is speculated to take place in March 2022. In the meantime, a new report has tipped that there will be two variants of the mid-range Samsung smartphone powered by different chipsets. It's a practice Samsung has been typically following for its flagship phones meant for different markets. The handset powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon SoC usually arrives in the US while the variant with an Exynos SoC debuts in global markets including India. It appears that Samsung Galaxy A53 may now also get the same treatment.

Full content and details (external sources): Gadgets

Here is the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE’s full list of specs

Full content and details (external sources): GSMArena

The Galaxy S22, S22+ and S22 Ultra will all have glass backs

Full content and details (external sources): GSMArena

Samsung Galaxy A13 4G Specifications Tipped by Geekbench Listing; May Feature Exynos 850, Android 12

The 4G handset is listed to be powered by an Exynos 850 SoC chip and run Android 12 out-of-the-box. 

Full content and details (external sources): Gadgets

More on Samsung

Exynos 2200 scheduled for early next year with a focus on gaming

Samsung’s own flagship chipset, tentatively named Exynos 2200, is expected to arrive before February 2022, when the Galaxy S22 series is rumored to launch. The chipset usually arrives a month or so before the flagship phones, and the company recently confirmed it will indeed launch “early next year”. Samsung said it is preparing a “small gift for fans who love gaming” and while some of the speculations are that the Exynos 2200 could be gaming-oriented, we shouldn’t exclude the option to have a version with boosted GPU.

Full content and details (external sources): GSMArena 

Huawei 

Huawei P50 Pocket comes with gapless folding screen and SD888 chipset

After three generations in the Mate X foldable series, Huawei finally unveiled its first clamshell foldable phone – the Huawei P50 Pocket. It brings a Huawei patented hinge mechanism with no visible gap when closed. 

Full content and details (external sources): GSMArena

Huawei Nova 5 Pro 4G second-hand phone launched

Huawei has launched the Nova 5 Pro 4G second-hand phone and put it on Huawei Mall shelves for consumers in China. This smartphone is equipped with a new battery, latest operating system, and comes with a one year warranty and more. However, the Chinese phone maker offers second-hand phones in two categories: 90% and 99% renew.

Full content and details (external sources): HuaweiCentral

Huawei Mate X2 Collector’s Edition goes on sale in China

Huawei announced a more premium version of its Mate X2 foldable phone featuring leather material on its back. The device dubbed Collector’s Edition comes in black, white and red colors and Huawei has now opened sales for the limited edition foldable in China. The phones come with 12GB RAM and 512GB as standard and retail for CNY 19,699 which converts to $3,090/€2,734.

Full content and details (external sources): GSMArena

Oppo

Oppo A11s introduced with SD 460 and 5,000 mAh battery

A brand new budget offering from Oppo was introduced in China - welcome to the Oppo A11s. It’s a Snapdragon 460 powered device equipped with a 6.5-inch HD+ LCD that refreshes at 90Hz and a 5,000 mAh battery with 18W charging. A11s also brings a 13MP main camera around the back alongside 2MP depth and 2MP macro cams.

Full content and details (external sources): GSMArena

Oppo Reno 7 5G New Year Edition in Red Colour Launched: Price, Specifications

Full content and details (external sources): Gadgets

Oppo Reno7 Pro League of Legends edition announced

Full content and details (external sources): GSMArena

Oppo K9x With MediaTek Dimensity 810 SoC, 5,000mAh Battery Unveiled: Specifications

Full content and details (external sources): Gadgets

Oppo to launch three Find X phones, might call them Find X5

Oppo promised in early December a Find X phone with Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 will arrive in Q1 2022. Two weeks later, Mediatek confirmed that another device from the series will be powered by a Dimensity 9000.

Full content and details (external sources): GSMArena

Nokia

Nokia 2760 Flip 4G feature phone details leak

An upcoming Nokia feature phone with clamshell form factor has just been leaked through a Tracfone listing. The phone sports a simple LCD screen with 240 x 320px resolution and a 1,450 mAh battery that lasts almost 14 days on standby or up to 6.8 hours of talk time.

Full content and details (external sources): GSMArena

Nokia Suzume with Exynos 7884B, Android 12 spotted at Geekbench

Full content and details (external sources): GSMArena

Nokia G50 gets Android 12 update

Full content and details (external sources): GSMArena

Xiaomi 

Xiaomi 12 series debuts with Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, 120W fast charging, launches on Android 11

The Xiaomi 12 series consists of three different devices, the 12, 12x, and 12 Pro. The 12 and 12 Pro pack flagship specs, with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor, up to 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, and 5G. The standard Xiaomi 12 offers up a 6.28-inch FHD display with a 120Hz refresh rate, peak brightness of 1100 nits, Gorilla Glass Victus, and a 4,500 mAh battery. That battery can be charged at 67W over USB-C or 50W using Xiaomi’s wireless charger. It also has a 50MP primary camera using Sony’s IMX766 sensor, a 13MP ultrawide camera, and a macro camera as well.

Full content and details (external sources): 9to5Google

Xiaomi 11i Hypercharge Confirmed to Feature 120Hz Display With 1200 Nits Peak Brightness

Full content and details (external sources): Gadgets

Xiaomi 12 Pro case renders show the back design

Full content and details (external sources): GSMArena

Xiaomi Redmi K50 series tipped to launch in February 2022

Full content and details (external sources): GSMArena

Xiaomi's Mix Fold 2 rumored to use Ultra Thin Glass display from Samsung

Full content and details (external sources): GSMArena