Pocketnow Daily: M1X MacBook Leaks: EVERYTHING We Wanted? (video)

Posted on January 23, 2021January 23, 2021 by Samuel Martinez

Gaming monitors, Marshall Bluetooth speakers, and more accessories are on sale

iPhone 11 Pro, OnePlus 8T, Galaxy S21 and more phones on sale today

Looking for gaming peripherals? There’s a ton of Razer deals available right now

And yes, let’s end the week, as we end ever week, with Deals, and it actually begins with the ones you should not let go by. The Galaxy S21, S21+, the Ultra and every product we got at Unpacked is still available for pre-orders with huge savings. For example, if you get the Galaxy S21 it is available for just $99 and the S21+ for $299, if you have an eligible device for trade-in and you also get $100 or $150 respectively in instant credit for accessories and 6 months of Spotify. In the case of the S21 Ultra, that one is available for just $499, with up to $200 in instant credit, a smart tag, and 4 months of YouTube Premium. I know, it’s crazy. If you’re looking to protect your new Galaxy, SUPCASE is still our go-to choice for rugged cases and we’ll leave links for both Amazon and SUPCASE.com. Where you can use code POCKETNOW15 to get a 15% discount. If you want an older devices, the S20 FE is available for $350, while the Z Fold 2 is still available for $1000 if you have a device for trade-in. If you’re looking for an iPhone, Verizon currently has the 11 Pro for $400, leaving it at $599 on an installment plan. The OnePlus 8T is available on a Buy One Get One Free deal for 50% off, meaning you can get two entry level models for $1124. Finally, the Google Pixel 3 XL is available for just $300 over at B&H, if you want a great camera. We have more deals on Razer peripherals, LG smartphones and more.

Honor could launch smartphones with Google Mobile Services

Let’s move on to Honor, and a positive note for a change after all the mess that was 2020 for them. Recently, Huawei announced the sale of the Honor Brand due to “tremendous pressure” from the sanctions they’ve been imposed by the US. Well, a new report from a Russian publication claims that Google Mobile Services might be making a comeback to Honor devices, as they are no longer a Huawei subsidiary and, the sanctions imposed on Huawei don’t apply. The report claims that GMS could come back to Honor smartphones this Spring and the company has reportedly been working on two new lineups with support for GMS. This means that the new devices getting launched by Honor will no longer have Huawei’s App Gallery pre-installed, but older devices still won’t have access to GMS. They are currently preparing the Honor V40 which will debut on January 22 but, this one most likely won’t support Google Services. It is said to bring the MediaTek Dimensity 1000+, 8GB of RAM and 128GB with Android 10 running on Magic UI 4.0. We’ll see how this evolves as, this is kinda huge for other markets like Latin America now that Google Services are back.

LG’s smartphone business could be handed over to a Vietnamese manufacturer

LG’s new rollable smartphone could be canceled before its possible launch

Moving on to LG and more of a negative news, the rumors of the company selling their mobile division just got worse. On the last Pocketnow Daily we talked about how the company might sell or downsize their smartphone division due to losses over the years. Well, a new report claims that LG Electronics might want to sell their smartphone business to Vietnamese Conglomerate, Vingroup Co. This company is actually an ODM for LG and has been producing smartphones for them since 2018, being the third largest manufacturer in Vietnam after Samsung and OPPO. This company has a market capitalization of $16.5B and they reportedly want LG’s business in the United States, as they own 12.9% of the market on this side of the pond. Moving on to another report, at CES LG shared some teasers of their rollable smartphone which would debut in September. However, the Korea Herald reports that LG might pull the plug on the Rollable. The cause is that the Wing has sold less than 100K units since it launched, being considered a financial failure. And now, insiders are doubting that the Rollable might make it to the market, because of the hefty price tag. They claim that even if it outperformed the Wing, it might not be enough to keep the whole division alive. We hope that LG manage to turn things around as, they don’t make the best smartphones but they did pioneer a lot of what we see today, and now their more experimental phones are also great to see.

iPhone 13 again rumored to flaunt a smaller notch, upgraded camera for Pro models

I feel like every year we hear a ton of rumors of what we’re getting with the next iPhones and half of them don’t happen but, this year everything seems so consistent. According to a new report from DigiTimes, a ton of the rumors we’ve been hearing about will be happening. First off they mention that the notch will be shrinking down thanks to a Face ID redesign. However, they claim that it will only shrink vertically, while maintaining the same width. The report also adds that the smaller iPhones, meaning the 13 and the 13 mini, will come with superior CMOS Image sensors, the ones we currently have on the 12 Pro and the 12 Pro Max. These sensors will reportedly be supplied by Sony and Apple will continue using the same 7-element system we currently get. Finally, the report also reiterates on the fact that all of the iPhone 13 family will bring sensor shift image stabilization which is currently exclusive to the 12 Pro Max. So once again, 2021 is sounding like an S year for the iPhones. The cause is that the Wing has sold less than 100K units since it launched, being considered a financial failure. And now, insiders are doubting that the Rollable might make it to the market, because of the hefty price tag. They claim that even if it outperformed the Wing, it might not be enough to keep the whole division alive. We hope that LG manage to turn things around as, they don’t make the best smartphones but they did pioneer a lot of what we see today, and now their more experimental phones are also great to see.

Samsung could be prepping to launch a cheaper, 4G Galaxy S21

You know, it’s funny but I seriously thought the S21 was like this year’s S20 FE, but it seems there’s a broader plan behind that. See, last year, when 5G wasn’t the norm yet, Samsung announced the S20 5G, but kept an LTE model with the Exynos for regions where 5G isn’t really available just yet. This year with the Exynos 2100, the company put 5G modems on all models. Well, a 4G variant of the Galaxy S21 was just certified by Bluetooth SIG with two different model numbers. Now, this could mean two things. Either Samsung is already working on the Fan Edition for this smartphone, or this is just a less expensive variant of the phone with no 5G support. Either way, this should be less expensive than the flagship model but, we don’t know if Samsung plans to downgrade the processors and other specs since they won’t be adding 5G. AS a recap of the specs, this means a 6.2-inch display, 8GB of RAM, 128GB of storage and a similar camera array at the back. We know that it’s pretty early for Samsung to be working on the FE variant for this phone and that this might not be the case at all. Regardless, for those asking if the $100 price difference between the S20 FE and the S21 is worth it, I say it is.

Story of the day:

Next MacBook Air: Thinner, lighter, smaller, more powerful

Upcoming MacBook Pro could have a microSD card slot

Face ID support on iMac isn’t coming soon

And finally the hottest news today have to do with Apple. Let’s talk Macs as we’re currently expecting the next generation of Apple Silicon Macs and, we actually have a report for three separate line-ups here so bear with me. Let’s start with the upcoming MacBook Air as, a new report from Mark Gurman claims that the next MacBook Air will be a higher-end model and it will bring Apple’s MagSafe Charging technology and next-generation Apple Silicon processor. He also claims that Apple is considering making the laptop smaller, by shrinking down the bezels in the display, but it will still be a 13in panel. Apparently, there’s also some rumors of a 15in MacBook Air with 4 USB-C ports.. Finally.. But this isn’t certain at all. Since the MacBook Air was just refreshed, we’ll most likely see the changes Gurman mentioned until 2022, hopefully with 16 and 32-core processors. As for this year and moving on to the MacBook Pro, Gurman claims that the company is planning to bring back the SD Card Slot, which makes a TON of sense considering how Apple caters to content creators. The report also reiterates on details we’ve heard before, like the fact that it will feature a brighter panel, with higher contrast and that the Touch Bar is going away. Finally, we’re expecting a huge redesign for iMacs this year and one of the rumors was that we would get Face ID with this new design. Well, Gurman claims that it won’t happen, at least not for the models launched this year. So yeah, we should expect these iMacs and MacBook Pros around the middle of the year, and it looks like we’ll have to wait until 2022 for that higher end MacBook Air which sounds very enticing considering the Apple Silicon rumors.

Subscribe: http://bit.ly/pocketnowsub http://pocketnow.com Follow us: http://flipboard.com/@Pocketnow http://facebook.com/pocketnow http://twitter.com/pocketnow

The post Pocketnow Daily: M1X MacBook Leaks: EVERYTHING We Wanted? (video) appeared first on Pocketnow.

Honor signs deal with Qualcomm, MediaTek, and more after Huawei split

Posted on January 22, 2021January 22, 2021 by Prakhar Khanna

Huawei recently announced that it will be selling all of its Honor business assets to Shenzhen Zhixin New Information Technology Co., Ltd., which is a government-backed consortium. It is a company formed by a technology enterprise owned by the government of the southern city of Shenzhen. This move freed Honor from all the US sanctions levied on Huawei. Now, Honor has now signed partnerships with key chipmakers including Intel, Qualcomm, MediaTek, and more.

The latest development comes from Reuters, which reports that Honor has signed partnerships with major chip suppliers such as Intel and Qualcomm after its split from Huawei. Earlier today, Honor launched its Honor V40 smartphone in China. It is the brand’s first device as an independent company. At the launch, Honor said in a statement it now had its own deals with some tech firms. These include AMD, MediaTek, Micron Technology, Microsoft, Samsung, SK Hynix, and Sony.

Chief Executive George Zhao launched the Honor V40. “The last five months have been an extremely difficult but meaningful time for Honor,” Zhao said. “We feel the weight of expectation from industry partners and consumers.” While Honor focused on the budget devices under Huawei, it will now aim to move into the middle and higher tier market and expand overseas, Zhao said. The company said it would pursue the ‘internet of things’ market, calling its strategy ‘8+1+N’, the same term used by Huawei.

It was recently reported that Google Mobile Services (GMS) could soon make a comeback on Honor devices as the company is no longer a Huawei subsidiary. The Honor V40 could launch globally as the Honor View 40 and feature GMS instead of Huawei’s AppGallery. Earlier, it was reported that GMS could make a comeback on Honor smartphones around Spring. Honor is said to have been working on two new phone lineups with support for GMS.

The post Honor signs deal with Qualcomm, MediaTek, and more after Huawei split appeared first on Pocketnow.

Honor V40 leak tips the presence of a 3D ToF camera on the front

Posted on January 20, 2021January 20, 2021 by Prakhar Khanna

Honor is all set to launch its first smartphone after the Huawei separation. The Honor V40 will be launched on January 22. However, ahead of the launch, more details of the device have leaked online. The latest report from the “Digital Chat Station” (Google translated) on Weibo gives us some more information about the upcoming phone’s selfie shooter and the battery.

As per the tipster, Honor V40 will feature a dual punch-hole display to house two selfie cameras. It is said to house a standard 16MP selfie camera alongside a 3D ToF sensor. It hints that the upcoming smartphone will feature advanced face unlocking. It could pack a 4,000mAh battery with support for 50W wireless charging on the phone’s high-end variant.

The Honor V40 is said to feature a 6.72-inch OLED display (2,676×1,236 pixels) and run on Android 10-based Magic UI 4.0. It is likely to have curved edges and a pill-shaped cutout in the upper-left corner of the screen. It could be powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 1000+ SoC. The smartphone will come in black, blue, peach, and silver color variants. It is rumored to sport a 50MP primary sensor in its triple rear camera setup. It could have support for 66W wired and 55W wireless charging.

The Honor V40 is said to start at CNY 3,999 (~$615) for the 8GB RAM and 128GB storage variant as per an inventory listing by a smartphone vendor. Honor was supposed to announce the new smartphone on January 18 but the launch was postponed to January 22 citing conference venue and equipment-related issues as the reason.

It will be made available through recently announced Honor Mall, which was formed after the company’s separation from Huawei.

The post Honor V40 leak tips the presence of a 3D ToF camera on the front appeared first on Pocketnow.

Honor V40 price leaked online ahead of January 22 launch

Posted on January 19, 2021January 19, 2021 by Prakhar Khanna

Honor will be introducing its first smartphone after its separation from Huawei. The latter announced the sale of its smartphone brand Honor citing ‘tremendous pressure as of late.’ It sold the assets to Shenzhen Zhixin New Information Technology Co., Ltd., which is a government-backed consortium. Now, Honor V40 is all set to be launched on January 22 in China. We expect a global rollout soon after. Ahead of the launch, Honor V40 price has surfaced online.

The Honor V40 is said to start at CNY 3,999 (~$615) for the 8GB RAM and 128GB storage variant as per an inventory listing by a smartphone vendor, spotted by a Chinese publication. Honor was supposed to announce the new smartphone on January 18 but the launch was postponed to January 22 citing conference venue and equipment-related issues as the reason.

The next Honor smartphone is tipped to feature a 6.72-inch OLED display (2,676×1,236 pixels) and run on Android 10-based Magic UI 4.0. It is likely to have curved edges and a pill-shaped cutout in the upper-left corner of the screen. It could be powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 1000+ SoC. The smartphone will come in black, blue, peach, and silver color variants. It is rumored to sport a 50MP primary sensor in its triple rear camera setup. On the front might lie a 32MP selfie shooter. It could have support for 66W wired and 55W wireless charging.

Honor recently announced its Honor Mall after its separation from Huawei’s Vmall. ITHome reports that aside from the website, there is also a WeChat app version of the store. However, an app is yet to be announced for the e-commerce site. Plus, registrations for the new Honor MagicBook and upcoming Honor V40 are also open.

The post Honor V40 price leaked online ahead of January 22 launch appeared first on Pocketnow.

Best of CES 2021: socially distanced, but innovation nonetheless

Posted on January 18, 2021January 18, 2021 by Anton D. Nagy

Last year’s CES 2020 finally filled us with excitement as we’ve deemed it an extremely good show, and, arguably, one of its best iterations yet. This year’s CES 2021, however, due to the current events, was one of the strangest tech shows we’ve witnessed so far.

For the first time, the event didn’t take place at the Las Vegas Convention Center, and other locations scattered across the city’s major hotels, but it was more of an online, “socially distanced” event, with companies showing off their products and innovations via live streams. Thich has pretty much become the norm in 2020, and most probably for the remainder of 2021.

While some would argue for more convenience, it completely strips the media from any chance of in-person interaction with the products and the show floor, hence the lack of hands-on videos we all love and hate.

Thankfully, it didn’t stop companies from innovating, and we’re recognizing that innovation, and efforts, by awarding our annual “Best of CES” awards, to the companies and products we found most interesting and exciting on the virtual show floor.

Here are our Best of CES 2021 award winners, in no particular order.

HONOR Band 6

The HONOR Band 6, available in three colors (Meteorite Black, Sandstone Grey, and Coral Pink), offers a 1.47-inch AMOLED display with 194 x 364 resolution.

While being water-resistant for 5ATM, it sports a blood oxygen monitor (SpO2 monitor), heart rate sensor, sleep and stress monitor, as well as female cycle tracker.

When it comes to working out, the fitness tracker offers 10 workout modes, and the battery life is rated by the manufacturer for up to 14 days with typical usage.

Earin A-3

Earin is not only the Sweden-based company that created the True Wireless in-ear headphone category, but it also boasts its employment of Scandinavian design in its products.

The Earin A-3 is, according to the manufacturer, the smallest earbud on the market, but the company somehow managed to cram a 14.3mm Dynamic Driver inside the units, which only measure 20mm x 17mm x 15.8mm and 3,5gr.

Those interested will be able to grab their own Earin A-3 in the first quarter of the year from Earin.com and Amazon, paying $199.

Roborock S7

Roborock is constantly innovating and improving its robot vacuum cleaners, with the recently announced S7 being the model which offers the most features.

Aside from vacuuming and mopping, the Roborock S7 now has a scrubbing function. Intensity can vary from 1,650 times/min to 3,000 times/min, and thanks to the sonic mopping technology, surface dirt gets disintegrated and broken up even when it’s tough and dried-on messes.

Additionally, the Roborock S7 can raise or lower its mop to avoid carpets, and will most likely feature a new docking station that will empty the dust bin. Be on the lookout for the S7 at the end of Q1, when you’ll pay $649 for it.

Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2

The Galaxy Chromebook received a successor at almost half its price. It is not the usual successor that packs flagship upgrades. Instead, Samsung is focusing on delivering a Chromebook on a budget with its Galaxy Chromebook 2.

It features a 13.3-inch QLED FHD display. It is powered by the Intel Core i3-10110U Celeron 5205U processors, paired with Intel UHD graphics. You get plenty of storage options with 4GB or 8GB of RAM and 64GB or 128GB of internal storage. On the connectivity front, it has two USB Type-C ports and a MicroSD-Multi-media Card Reader. There is Wi-Fi 6 (Gig+) 802.11 ax 2×2 capability on board as well. It houses a 720P HD camera on the front and comes with stereo speakers.

The new model has Active Pen support, though the pen is sold separately. Samsung will be offering two configurations, starting at $549.99 (Intel Celeron 10th Generation), and $699.99 (Intel Core i3 10th Generation).

Samsung Neo QLED miniLED TV

Samsung introduced its miniLED TV in the Neo QLED range. It brings an all-new light source technology. With smaller LED lights, more lights can be packed in the same real estate.

Unlike other LED backlights, the Q900 eliminates lenses that capture and transmit light from the backlight. Instead, each compact LED is designed to emit light on its own. It means that the brightness is more finely controlled as well.

It measures just 0.9mm in thickness and packs a Quantum Processor that uses AI to optimize 8K picture and industry-first Multi-Intelligence AI Upscaling and make sound correspond to onscreen movement with Virtual Object Tracking Sound.

LG Rollable concept

LG first teased its upcoming rollable phone packing a retractable slide-out display back in September last year. At CES 2021, the company gave us a glimpse of the device in action.

Touted to debut as LG Rollable, the device appears to employ a motorized mechanism that extends the panel outside or retracts it inside, depending on the use-case scenario. As per rumors, it is tipped to feature an OLED display.

You will not have to wait much longer as the company has already confirmed that it will be announcing its rollable phone – touted to be LG Slide – in the first quarter of 2021. It is rumored to cost somewhere around $2,359.

TCL Rollable concept innovation

TCL showcased a rollable AMOLED panel for phones that offers a different design take on this concept. The concept rollable AMOLED shows a phone whose display extends vertically upwards, instead of extending horizontally.

It can be directly compared to Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip but instead of a foldable, TCL is offering a rollable. The company says its rollable AMOLED panel can go from 6.7-inch to a tablet-like 7.8-inch size. That said, there is no word when, or if, this concept will make it to the mass market.

TCL also showcased a 17-inch Printed OLED Scrolling Display that actually opens like a scroll. The company says it has created the panel using inkjet printing technology and that it can cover 100% of the color gamut. As per the company, it is currently focusing on commercializing its latest display innovations and that it can produce these panels at a lower cost compared to rivals. No details regarding the commercialization of this product have been revealed yet.

AMD Ryzen 5000 series chips

AMD released its Ryzen 5000 series mobile processors that target form factors ranging from high-end gaming laptops to ultrabooks and mass-market consumer laptops.

The Ryzen 5000 H-series processors are targeted at gaming enthusiasts and creative professionals. There are 6-core and 8-core variants with a peak clock speed of 4.8GHz, base TDP of 35W (goes over 40W), and up to 20MB cache.

Further, the Ryzen 5000 U-series mobile processors are targeted at ultrabooks and mass-market laptops. These range from 4-core and 6-core to 8-core models with a uniform 15W TDP across the family, and up to 20MB cache.

LG QNED MiniLED 99 Series 8K TV

30,000 tiny LEDs is an achievement that will definitely grant you a Pocketnow award while offering a great viewing experience for your customers. The LG QNED MiniLED 99 Series 8K TV is a Mini LED TV that offers great brightness and a contrast ratio of 1,000,000:1, thanks to up to 2,500 dimming zones and advanced local dimming zones.

With sizes up to 86 inches and operation up to 120Hz, the new model combines Quantum Dot, NanoCell, and Mini LED technologies into one.

HP P34hc 34-inch monitor for professionals

HP launched a new curved-screen monitor, which features a 34-inch display. It supports up to a WQHD resolution of 3440 x 1440 pixels and has a 21:9 aspect ratio. The typical brightness can go up to 250 nits and it has a 3500:1 contrast ratio.

The connectivity options include HDMI; USB-C; USB port; USB hub; Display Port. There is 1 USB Type-C (Alternative mode DisplayPort 1.2, power delivery up to 65 W); 1 HDMI 2.0 (with HDCP support); 1 DisplayPort 1.2 in (with HDCP support) and 4 USB-A 3.2 Gen 1. The VESA mount is 100 mm x 100 mm.

For environmental reasons, it features an arsenic-free display glass; Low halogen; Mercury-free display backlights; TCO Certified and TCO Certified Edge.

HP Elite Folio

HP announced a convertible PC that features a pull-forward form factor to make it usable as a tablet and a laptop. It has a 13.5-inch display with an optional HP Sure View Reflect privacy panel and is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx Gen 2 5G compute platform and supports Wi-Fi 6 and optional 5G connectivity.

The laptop also gets an HP Elite Slim Active Pen with an integrated charging and storage cradle for quick access. You can push it up to 16GB of RAM and up to 512GB of storage.

The HP Elite Folio has two USB Type-C ports, a 3.5mm audio jack, and a Nano-SIM slot. It will be available in February, and pricing will be revealed closer to launch.

LG Gram 2021 series

LG showcased its 2021 series of Gram laptops. The new lineup includes five laptops: LG Gram 17 (17Z90P), LG Gram 16 (16Z90P), LG Gram 14 (14Z90P), LG Gram 16 2-in-1 (16T90P), and LG Gram 14 2-in-1 (14T90P).

Unlike the size, they have a common 16:10 display. The Gram 17, 16, and 14 have different display sizes and batteries, but the internal specs remain the same. They feature an IPS display with a 16:10 aspect ratio. They are powered by 11th-Gen Intel Core processors and options for Intel Iris Xe Graphics or Intel UHD Graphics. As for the memory, they have 8GB or 16GB of LPDDR4x RAM and M.2 Dual SSD slots for storage.

The LG Gram 16 2-in-1 (16T90P) and LG Gram 14 2-in-1 (14T90P) feature touch IPS display with Corning Gorilla Glass 6 protection and a 16:10 aspect ratio. The processor, RAM options, and storage remain the same.

Lenovo Yoga AIO 7

The Lenovo Yoga AIO 7 features a rotating hinge, allowing users to switch between landscape and portrait mode effortlessly. Moreover, you can change the screen orientation remotely using a phone or tablet.

It allows 20-degrees of tilt adjustment for maximum comfort in vertical movements. You get a 27-inch 4K display that covers 99% of the DCI-P3 and Adobe RGB color gamut. There is TUV Rheinland Blue Light certification and anti-flicker settings as well.

The Lenovo Yoga AIO 7 can be equipped with up to an AMD Ryzen 7 4800H Processor, paired with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 GPU. Lenovo has equipped the device with up to 32GB of RAM and 1TB of SSD. It will make its way to the US market in February carrying a price tag of $1,599 for the base model.

LG UltraWide Monitor

Part of a trio of updated products for 2021, the LG UltraWide Monitor is just one of the three offerings the Koreans announced at CES 2021, alongside the UltraGear and the UltraFine.

Built with multitasking in mind, the UltraWide has a curved 40-inch Nano IPS panel with a resolution of 5120 x 2160 pixels.

Offering a 98 percent (typical) coverage of the DCI-P3 color space and 135 percent of the sRGB color space, it is extremely accurate and HDR 10 compatibility guarantees great image output. With Thunderbolt 4 connectivity, you are guaranteed to get the best out of it regardless of what orientation you use it in, giving you the flexibility with full tilt, height, and swivel adjustability.

MSI Stealth 15M

MSI claims the Stealth 15M to be the thinnest gaming laptop in the world. It has a 15.6-inch 144Hz display. It is powered by the new 11th Gen Intel Core i7 11375H Tiger Lake processor.

It is the first laptop in the world to employ Intel’s latest H-series processor and weighs only 3.75lbs.

You get the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Max-Q GPU alongside 16GB of RAM and up to 1TB NVMe SSD. This machine starts at $1,399.

The post Best of CES 2021: socially distanced, but innovation nonetheless appeared first on Pocketnow.

Huawei delists Honor products from Vmall as Honor Mall goes live

Posted on January 18, 2021January 18, 2021 by Prakhar Khanna

Late last year, Huawei announced the sale of its smartphone brand Honor citing ‘tremendous pressure as of late.’ It decided to sell all of its Honor business assets as there was persistent unavailability of technical elements needed for their mobile phone business due to the US sanctions. It sold the assets to Shenzhen Zhixin New Information Technology Co., Ltd., which is a government-backed consortium. In a bid to move away from Honor, Huawei has now delisted all of the brand’s devices from its online store in China.

The latest development comes from Huawei Central, which reports that the next step of separation has already happened as all Honor devices were removed from Huawei-owned online website vmall.com that used to sell devices by both brands in China. Honor has launched its own Honor Mall as its e-commerce site in the country. For the unaware, the link to the Honor online store was announced on January 12. ITHome reports that aside from the website, there is also a WeChat app version of the store. However, an app is yet to be announced for the e-commerce site.

Honor Mall will sell the brand’s products including smartphones, tablets, smart displays, notebooks, earphones, and smartwatches. Reportedly, the 75-inch Honor X1 Smart Screen is already listed for purchase. Plus, registrations for the new Honor MagicBook notebooks and upcoming Honor V40 smartphone are also open.

Further, Honor has been in talks with chip manufacturers, MediaTek and Qualcomm, for chip supply after its separation. from Huawei, which is blocked from access to most US tech, which includes Google services. To recall, Huawei has been at the center of US-Chinese tension over technology, security, and spying. As per American officials, Huawei might facilitate Chinese spying, which the company denies. Further, the Trump government is lobbying European and other allies to exclude Huawei and other Chinese suppliers as they upgrade networks.

The post Huawei delists Honor products from Vmall as Honor Mall goes live appeared first on Pocketnow.

Huawei delists Honor products from Vmall as Honor Mall goes live

Posted on January 18, 2021January 18, 2021 by Prakhar Khanna

The post Huawei delists Honor products from Vmall as Honor Mall goes live appeared first on Pocketnow.

Huawei delists Honor products from Vmall as Honor Mall goes live

Posted on January 18, 2021January 18, 2021 by Prakhar Khanna

The post Huawei delists Honor products from Vmall as Honor Mall goes live appeared first on Pocketnow.

Pocketnow Daily: NEW Galaxy S21 Teaser & Exynos Updates: YES and NO! (video)

Posted on January 13, 2021January 13, 2021 by Samuel Martinez

Samsung Galaxy and Google Pixel phones are on sale today

Apple’s latest M1 13-inch MacBook Pro, Razer Blade 15 and more laptops are on sale today

Headphones from Sony, Samsung, Apple and more are also on sale today

You already know, the official news today begin with deals, and again there’s no better time to buy Samsung products both old and new. You can still reserve a Galaxy S21 model and get up to $700 in trade-in and up to $60 in credit for accessories once you do, so make sure you check the first link in the description if you want a Galaxy S21. Sticking to Samsung and trade-in deals, the Z Flip is still a crazy $100, yes $100. The Z Fold 2 is still $1000 and you can get the Galaxy S20 Ultra for $600. We also have deals on the Note but again, you need an eligible device for trade-in. If you don’t have a device to trade-in we also have discounts for all of these on Amazon if you’re still looking for a great deal. Moving on, you can get a Google Pixel 4 for $295 off its original price tag, leaving it at $504 shipped. The M1 MacBook Pro is still $60 off, leaving the 256GB of SSD model for $1239. The Razer Blade 15 is also $300 off, this is the Intel Core i7, RTX 2060 model, leaving it at $1500. We have a ton of more deals on other laptops, AirPods, Sony Earbuds and headphones and more, in the links in the description.

Samsung Galaxy S21

Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Series

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2

Google Pixel 4

Google Pixel 3a

16-inch MacBook Pro

13-inch MacBook Pro M1

Razer Blade 15 Base Gaming Laptop

Microsoft Surface Laptop Go

Sony WHCH710 Noise Cancelling Headphones

Sony WHXB900N Noise Cancelling Headphones

Samsung Galaxy Buds Live

Intel announces 11th Gen Core H-series mobile processors for gaming laptops

Qualcomm’s second-gen ultrasonic fingerprint sensor is bigger and 50% faster

Fossil Gen 5 LTE costs $349 and let will let you take calls directly on the smartwatch

Jabra Elite 85t gets four new color options at CES 2021

Yes, CES is still happening but before we get into more specific launches, let’s talk about some of our favorite single out announcements. Beginning with Qualcomm as the company just launched the second generation to their ultrasonic fingerprint scanner. This new sensor is 77% larger than its predecessor and it works 50% faster, this improved sensor will reportedly debut with the S21, if history repeats itself. Intel just announced their 11th Gen Core H Series of mobile chips which power gaming laptops based on a 10nm process, supporting up to 5GHz clock speeds, PCIe Gen 4, Thunderbolt 4 and more features. But, 10nm huh Intel? The Jabra Elite 85Ts which are some of my favorite earbuds just got 4 new colorways, including Gold, Copper, Black and Grey in case you were waiting for some variety. Fossil just announced the Gen 5 LTE which brings a 45mm sleek design and it now allows you to take calls directly on the smartwatch which is pretty nice for $349. And guys, there’s so much more CES 2021 coverage on Pocketnow.com but, we have specific articles for each of these products and their details, in the links in the description.

AMD unleashes Zen 3-based Ryzen 5000 series mobile processors

NVIDIA unveils RTX 30 series laptop GPUs and GeForce RTX 3060 desktop graphics

Let’s keep talking about CES, we know that a lot of you guys like when we cover PC parts and well Nvidia and AMD are back at it again. Starting with AMD, they just unveiled their Ryzen 5000 Series of mobile processors, these are divided into 2 families, the H and the U Series. The H Series is targeted at gaming enthusiasts in both 6 and 8 core variants with peak clock speeds of 4.8GHz, interesting considering Intel is pushing 5GHz. When it comes to the U Series, these are aimed at ultra-books and the rest of mass market laptops, these range from 4 to 8 cores, with pretty much the same base specs as some of the H Series but only pushing up to 4.4GHz. AMD is looking at 23% higher single threaded performances and up to a 17% increase in multi-threaded performances. Moving on to Nvidia, the company just revealed the RTX 30 Series laptop GPUs and a RTX 3060 desktop GPU. These are based on their 3rd Gen Max Q technology, offering up to 2x ray tracing output, and the new tensor cores are claimed to be 2x more capable. Overall Nvidia is aiming at higher efficiency, better performance and refined acoustics here. Over 70 laptops with the RTX 30 Series will debut this month alone, so you can check out all of the specifics in the links below. For a minute there I was like – are we sure about that number or is it 7? But nope, 70 laptops.

HONOR announces MagicBook Pro, HONOR Band 6

Sticking to CES, let’s move on to Honor as, we know that the company went independent form Huawei a couple of months ago and they just announced their upcoming flagship products. First off we got the Honor MagicBook Pro which brings a 16.1in display with a 90% screen-to-body ratio. It’s powered by a 10th Gen Intel processor, along with 16GB of dual channel DDR4 RAM, and 512GB of PCIe NVMe SSD, when it comes to cooling it brings dual fans and dual heat pipes. It includes Bluetooth 5.0, an HDMI port, 3 USB A ports and a USB C port, as well as a headphone jack and a fingerprint sensor. It apparently charges up to 50% in just 30 minutes. Now, moving on to wearables we also got the Honor Band 6 which features a 1.47in AMOLED Display, supporting 10 workout modes and 14 days of battery life. It brings 5 ATM water resistance and it brings a heart rate monitor, oxygen monitor, sleep and stress monitor and even a female cycle tracker. It comes in three color variants including Meteorite Black, Sandstone Grey and Coral Pink. Sadly we didn’t get word on price tags yet but it should be on global markets very soon.

Is this the new design of the 2021 iPad Pro refresh?

Now let’s talk about Apple and particularly iPads as it does seem that Cupertino is planning an aggressive push here. Lately there’s been a ton of rumors on the upcoming iPads as, we’re expecting a refresh to the regular iPad and we’re supposed to get mini-LED displays on the Pros very soon. Now, we have some new CAD renders of both iPad Pro models coming from 91Mobiles and MySmartPrice. Starting with the bigger model, it looks like it’s bringing pretty much the same design language as the current model with the boxy design and the single USB-C port as well as the smart connector for the keyboard. The camera is still a dual module along with the LiDAR sensor. When it comes to the 11in version, it also looks like its predecessor which we got back in 2020 but, apparently it’s going to be a couple of millimeters thinner and shorter. The CAD renders also show that we might be getting a Touch ID sensor similar to the one on the iPad Air, and you can also notice it on the renders for the 12.9in iPad. We’re expecting these iPads some time this year, running on a variant of the A13 or A14 Bionic, along with a mini-LED display. It clearly seems that iPad sales are up given the pandemic if Apple plans to make a broader push and even bring a more aggressive price tag.

Story of the day:

Samsung Galaxy S21 retail box leak confirms the absence of a charger

Samsung unveils the 5nm-based Exynos 2100 flagship SoC that will power the Galaxy S21

And finally for the hottest news today, you guessed it. We’re literally a couple of days away from Samsung’s Unpacked but, there’s still a ton of leaks and information to Unpack here.. Let’s start with something official as Samsung just posted the full teaser for the S21 Series which is captioned “Welcome to the Everyday Epic”. It teases a lot of camera capabilities, mainly video, low light and zoom. It shows the silhouette of the device and some software tricks as well. Sticking to what’s official, the company just announced the Exynos 2100 which will power the S21 depending on your region. It is a 5G-ready chip based on a 5nm process and a tri-cluster core design allowing for a 30% increase in multi-core performance and 40% boost in graphics performance. It allows some crazy tricks like handling 6 cameras and 200MP resolution output, as well as handling 4K panels at up to 120Hz, or QHD+ at 144Hz but, we won’t bore you with specifics, we’ll have a specific link for this in the description. Back to the S21, we have some new posters showing off the design yet again, as well as teasing the 5G capabilities, the storage tiers and the camera. Now, the poster getting the most headlines is the one showing off the box and as you can see, it’s very thin. Meaning it’s pretty much official that we won’t be getting a charger or headphones this year. Go Green! And remember, you can already register for the S21 and get some perks, in the first link in the description. So yeah, with that teaser and all of the other posters, seriously what’s left?

Subscribe:
http://bit.ly/pocketnowsub
http://pocketnow.com

Follow us:
http://flipboard.com/@Pocketnow
http://facebook.com/pocketnow
http://twitter.com/pocketnow

The post Pocketnow Daily: NEW Galaxy S21 Teaser & Exynos Updates: YES and NO! (video) appeared first on Pocketnow.

HONOR announces MagicBook Pro, HONOR Band 6

Posted on January 11, 2021January 11, 2021 by Prakhar Khanna

At CES 2021, HONOR took the floors to announce its latest offerings. It launched the HONOR Band 6 and a new laptop. The HONOR MagicBook Pro is a 16-inch device that is powered by Intel’s 10th Gen Processor. Thanks to slim bezels on three sides, it features a 90 percent screen-to-body ratio. It is built out of aluminum and comes in a single color of Mystic Silver.

The HONOR MagicBook Pro features a 16.1-inch display with a 19:9 aspect ratio. It comes with a 1920 x 1080 pixel resolution and a 1000:1 contrast ratio. There is 100% sRGB color gamut, TUV Rheinland Flicker Free Certification and can go up to 300 nits brightness. The laptop comes equipped with 16GB dual-channel DDR4 RAM and a 512GB PCIe NVMe SSD. The cooling system includes dual fans and dual heat pipes.

Connectivity options include Bluetooth 5.0, 1x HDMI port, 3x USB 3.2 Gen 1 (type A port), 1x USB C port, a 3.5 mm Audio jack and a fingerprint sensor housed in the power button. It comes with a 56Wh battery with support for 65W fast charging. It is claimed to charge up to 50 percent in 30 minutes. There is also a pop-up camera.

Coming to the HONOR Band 6, it features a 1.47-inch AMOLED display with 194 x 364 pixels at 282 PPI. It will be sold in three color options of Meteorite Black, Sandstone Grey, and Coral Pink. There is 5 ATM water resistance as well. The fitness band comes equipped with a SpO2 monitor, heart rate monitor, sleep and stress monitor, and female cycle tracker. It supports up to 10 workout modes and is claimed to last up to 14 days on a single charge in typical usage.

The updated HONOR MagicBook Pro and HONOR Band 6 will be available in HONOR’s global markets soon. There is no information on the pricing yet.

The post HONOR announces MagicBook Pro, HONOR Band 6 appeared first on Pocketnow.

Honor teases upcoming TV, laptop, smartwatch, and more

Posted on January 8, 2021January 8, 2021 by Prakhar Khanna

Honor could be looking forward to launching a number of products. These include laptops, smartwatches, TVs, and toothbrushes. As per a new leak, these products could go live with the soon-to-be-launched Honor Mall. These products could be launched alongside the Honor V40.

Honor recently announced that it would be introducing the Honor Mall, which will be its independent online shop. It is scheduled to go live on January 12. The company teased a slew of upcoming products through a Weibo post. The poster hints at new TVs, laptops, as well as smartwatches. It seems like the brand is all set to build an ecosystem of products.

The information comes from a report by a Chinese publication. It revealed that the home page of the upcoming Honor Mall website has the following codenames in its source code: York, Nobel D, Bohr, Locke, Kanon. As of now, the webpage is down.

Reportedly, York is the codename of the upcoming Honor V40 smartphone. It is expected to be powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 1000+ SoC. It could feature a 6.72-inch OLED display and come with a 120Hz refresh rate. Further, it might pack a 4,000mAh battery. Moreover, as per leaked renders, Honor doesn’t seem to be giving up on its waterfall displays as the V40 is tipped to feature a curved screen.

On the other hand, a poster shared by Honor Glory Mall on Weibo hints at a plethora of new products that the company is expected to launch. The poster features a TV, laptop, smartwatch as well as a toothbrush. Hence, it is being expected that Honor could launch these products alongside its V40 when the Honor Mall goes live on January 12.

The post Honor teases upcoming TV, laptop, smartwatch, and more appeared first on Pocketnow.

Huawei sells Honor phone brand to government-backed consortium

Posted on November 17, 2020November 17, 2020 by Prakhar Khanna

Huawei has announced the sale of its smartphone brand Honor citing ‘tremendous pressure as of late.’ The company says it has had persistent unavailability of technical elements needed for their mobile phone business due to the US sanctions. Hence, it has decided to sell all of its Honor business assets to Shenzhen Zhixin New Information Technology Co., Ltd., which is a government-backed consortium. It is a company formed by a technology enterprise owned by the government of the southern city of Shenzhen, where Huawei is headquartered, with a group of Honor retailers.

Huawei hopes this move will help Honor ‘ensure its own survival.’ Once the sale is complete, Huawei will not hold any shares or be involved in any business management or decision-making activities in the new Honor company. However, this announcement gives financial details. The company will retain its flagship Huawei smartphone brand.

The move comes after the Chinese tech giant was rumored to sell its budget smartphone brand, Honor recently. Huawei has been at the center of US-Chinese tension over technology, security, and spying. As per American officials, Huawei might facilitate Chinese spying, which the company denies. Further, the Trump government is lobbying European and other allies to exclude Huawei and other Chinese suppliers as they upgrade networks.

The US has blocked Huawei’s access to most US tech, which includes Google services, and it was tightened this year when the White House barred manufacturers worldwide from using US technology to produce chips for Huawei.

That said, we have no information on how Honor’s new owners planned to regain access to US chips and other technologies including Google services. For reference, Chinese brands like OPPO, Vivo, and Xiaomi operate without such restrictions.

Source

The post Huawei sells Honor phone brand to government-backed consortium appeared first on Pocketnow.

HONOR 10X Lite with quad cameras, 5000mAh battery goes official

Posted on November 5, 2020November 5, 2020 by Prakhar Khanna

HONOR has unveiled its latest affordable phone, the HONOR 10X Lite in Russia. The smartphone is already teased to launch in India on November 10, and we expect it to make its global debut soon. The company says it will be made available in selected markets starting with Russia, where pre-orders begin on November 6. It is priced at 16990 RUB, which translates to around $214.

The HONOR 10X Lite features a 6.67-inch punch-hole display with 1080p resolution and 90.3% screen to body ratio. It is powered by the Kirin 710A SoC. It comes equipped with 4GB RAM and 128GB of internal storage that can be expanded via a microSD card (up to 512GB). HONOR claims that users can easily store up to 10,000 10MB photos, 300 TV episodes, 100 lightweight games, and 12,000 e-Books. It runs EMUI 10.1, which has newly launched Multi-Window Mode and eBook Mode. The former allows users to view two different apps without switching to another window, while the latter is said to provide a paper-like reading experience.

The HONOR 10X Lite sports a quad rear camera setup. It consists of a 48MP primary camera, an 8MP wide-angle lens with 120-degree FoV, a 2MP macro sensor and a 2MP depth camera. On the front lies an 8MP selfie shooter. The smartphone packs a 5,000mAh battery that supports 22.5W fast charging as well as 2.5W OTG reverse charging.

The HONOR 10X Lite comes in three colors – Midnight Black, Emerald Green, and Icelandic Frost. Aside from availability in Russia, the smartphone will begin sales in other markets soon.

The post HONOR 10X Lite with quad cameras, 5000mAh battery goes official appeared first on Pocketnow.

HONOR MagicBook 14 review (2020)

Posted on October 22, 2020October 22, 2020 by Anton D. Nagy

HUAWEI, and its sub-brand, HONOR, have been present in the laptop landscape for quite some time, but it’s only been the past couple of years that the two companies really started to make waves. HUAWEI offers really high-tier, premium products, as we’ve seen with the occasion of our MateBook X Pro review, and HONOR is doing a great job at bringing premium quality and design, as well as performance, to the more affordable segment.

The HONOR MagicBook 14 hasn’t changed much, if at all, compared to the previous generation, in terms of its design. However, the 2020 model, announced at IFA, brings a serious spec-bump with the addition of AMD’s Ryzen 5 4500U chip, a step up from the previously used 3500U.

In our HONOR MagicBook 14 review (2020), we’re taking a look at whether you get the most bang for your buck if you decide to purchase this laptop.

Hardware

Those familiar with the previous generation will be right at home when it comes to the MagicBook 14. If, however, this is going to be your first time with the computer, you should expect a solid build mostly of aluminum and some plastic.

The laptop is available in Mystic Silver, and Space Gray, the unit we’re currently reviewing. While the case itself is indeed Space Gray, the logo on the top, as well as the chamfers, have a nice blue tone to them, which gives it an extra flashy, but subtle look at the same time.

Taking a look around the MagicBook 14, on the right side you’ll find a 3.5mm headphone port, next to a full-size USB3.2 Gen 1 (Type A). On the left-hand side, you get a USB Type-C, an HDMI, and a full-size USB2.0 (Type A) port.

The bottom features a slightly raised design in order for air to easily find its way underneath the laptop, and inside, through the grill that runs almost the entire width of the device. This is also where the speaker grills reside, one on each side for stereo sound.

Opening up the lid reveals, as its name implies, a 14-inch display with rather small bezels, thanks to HONOR inheriting the webcam approach from HUAWEI. The display has a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels, which is FHD, and an aspect ratio of 16:9. Said small bezels result in a screen-to-body ratio of 84%, which is not the largest out there, but it’s definitely nice to look at, granted, hindered only by the fairly large bottom bezel.

The panel is an IPS LCD, and HONOR claims a brightness of 250 nits and an 800:1 contrast ratio. The matte finish of the display ensures no reflections and the colors are nice and punchy. About the only thing we can nitpick on is outdoor visibility which is a tad difficult in bright environments, as well as the viewing angles, which are narrower compared to a higher-end laptops, but definitely not a dealbreaker.

The keyboard is full size, with nice and pleasant key travel. Keys size and spacing ensure comfortable typing and the backlight is nice and even with little to no bleeding, illuminating clearly each key in the dark.

The touchpad offers a great experience as well. Despite being plastic, it doesn’t pose any usability issues. Clicks are firm and gestures work as they should.

On the top right there’s a round power button which also has the fingerprint scanner embedded in it. What’s worth mentioning here is that if you turn on the computer with the finger you enrolled as your fingerprint authentication, Windows will automatically sign you in without the need to authenticate or touch the button again.

Inside you’ll find the new AMD Ryzen 5 4500U processor, paired with AMD Radeon Graphics. The chip is a six-core CPU with six threads, built on the 7nm technology, and has an 8MB L3 Cache. Depending on the market, the laptop is available with either 8- or 16GB of memory, and the same goes for storage with 256- and 512GB versions.

…and then the webcam, which is always a polarizing topic when it comes to HONOR and HUAWEI laptops. The dreaded “nosecam” title still remains, but HONOR, just like HUAWEI, stresses on the privacy issue, and they’re right. A camera that’s tucked inside the keyboard will most likely not reveal anything about you even if hacked. Once you pop it open, the only downside is the awkward viewing angle, but you’ll get used to it (or buy a separate webcam if you have to).

Performance and battery life

Our review unit has 8GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. While it is by no means a powerhouse gaming machine, it gets the job done if you’re ok with playing titles that are not demanding. You might also need to tweak the game’s settings to a lower resolution to be easier on the graphics card.

That being said, all other mundane tasks are being handled without issues. Whether it’s work (documents, spreadsheets, browsing, emails, video calls, etc.) or entertainment (YouTube, Netflix, listening to music, basic photo manipulation), it gets the job done without any issues.

We’re not huge fans of benchmarks here on Pocketnow, but for those of you who are, here are some of the results from the tests we ran:

In terms of battery life, the 56Wh unit inside the MagicBook 14 did a great job. It will last for an entire day if you do lightweight office work. To get a better sense of how much juice you can squeeze out of the battery, it should last you a tad above 11 hours of YouTube videos with the display brightness cranked up to the maximum, and close to 13 hours of constant browsing.

Software and experience

In terms of software, the MagicBook 14 ships with Windows 10 out of the box. After a couple of updates to the operating system, drivers, and firmware, once you’re up to date, the entire experience is smooth. Not much to report here, things are working, behaving, and performing as they should.

A special mention goes to HONOR MagicLink, which is the company’s take on HUAWEI Share. It acts and behaves the same way, allowing you to link up your compatible HONOR or HUAWEI phone to the computer so that you can mirror your display, and do some other tasks.

The sticker on the laptop is basically an NFC tag which, once scanned, will pair your phone to the computer. NFC, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi will have to be enabled on both devices. Once paired, your smartphone’s home screen will appear windowed so that you can take calls, send texts, chat, as well as drag and drop files among the two devices seamlessly. This includes images, texts, documents, and real-world scenarios include dragging a photo from your phone straight into a document or presentation.

There’s also a shared clipboard feature where you can access content copied on one device on the other one. Overall, it’s a great experience, with one caveat: your smartphone has to be HONOR or HUAWEI to access this Multi-Screen Collaboration feature.

The overall experience is top-notch. We absolutely like the display, as well as the sound produced by the speakers. Considering the affordable price tag, we’ve experienced poorer sound quality on more expensive laptops, so props to HONOR for this.

The system doesn’t overheat, thanks mostly to the huge grill vent we talked about in the Design segment. The fans are doing a great job at keeping it from overheating, but you’ll have to get used to them hissing if you’re in Performance mode and you’re undertaking demanding tasks.

For day-to-day lightweight operation, they barely fire up while the system stays nice and cool and stable.

Conclusion

The HONOR MagicBook 14 was already a great choice when it ran the older version of the processor. Now, with the upgraded 4500U chip, the 2020 model not only outperforms other laptops in its class and price range, but it also manages, like an overachiever that it is, to sometimes get closer and bridge the gap to that high-end segment.

But not everything’s roses and rainbows. Our cons category includes the “nosecam”, a rather heavy build at 1.4kg, and I/O could be somewhat better.

However, for (currently on sale) €749,90 or £669.99 respectively, it’s affordable enough to overlook the aforementioned cons. The price is for the model we’ve been using, in an 8GB and 512GB configuration.

Pros

Great design, premium materials;
Really nice display;
Great performance;
Excellent battery life;
Speakers are loud;
Integration with HUAWEI smartphones via HUAWEI Share.

Cons

Not recommended for graphics-intense operations;
Pop-up webcam’s angle is something you’ll have to get used to;
A tad heavy at 1.4kg;
I/O could be better;
If you’re in the U.S. you’ll likely need to import it, which will add to the price.

The post HONOR MagicBook 14 review (2020) appeared first on Pocketnow.

HONOR Watch GS Pro review: the outdoor person’s best hiking companion

Posted on October 15, 2020October 15, 2020 by Anton D. Nagy

If you’ve always wanted a HUAWEI Watch GT 2 (and there are three of them: the original GT 2, the more affordable GT 2e, and the premium GT 2 Pro), but for whatever reason, you also wanted an even longer battery life, and a build that is more durable and can withstand the abuse, the HONOR Watch GS Pro is where your attention should be.

It should come as no surprise, given the fact that HONOR is a HUAWEI sub-brand, that the HONOR Watch GS Pro shares most, if not all of its features with the HUAWEI Watch GT 2. Internals aside, this watch is addressing a completely different target audience, one that is not training at the gym and wearing the same classy watch to work. This is a fully ruggedized smartwatch, that promises 25-day battery life and is also MIL-STD-810G certified for those outdoors enthusiasts among the active.

We’ve been training with this beast for more than two weeks, and this is our verdict, in our HONOR Watch GS Pro review below.

HONOR Watch GS Pro design

The HONOR Watch GS Pro is the complete opposite of the HUAWEI Watch GT 2 Pro, which is subtle, elegant, and classy. The Watch GS Pro is chunky, but in a “masculine” way, not in a bad way. Sure, it retains the basics of the original design, with the two side buttons on the right, and the speaker in between, but it has a much thicker case and bezel in order to offer more protection.

Featuring almost double the battery capacity than the Watch GT 2 required HONOR to make the case of the Watch GS Pro thicker. That’s fine if you’re a fan (or just OK) with a chunky watch, but if you are absolutely terrified of wearing an almost 14mm thick watch on your wrist, you should probably look elsewhere.

The stainless steel bezel nicely blends in with the reinforced polycarbonate body, to offer thermal resistance, shock resistance, as well as water resistance, in addition to 11 more military-grade certifications, for a total of 14. It’s available in Charcoal Black (our unit), Camo Blue, Camo Grey, and Marl White.

On the back, we spot the TruSeen 3.5 heart-rate and blood oxygen setup consisting of four LEDs, as well as the two pogo pins used for charging. The rubber strap is rather stiff, but it’s still comfortable on your wrist, and features a spring-loaded mechanism should you want to switch it out to another 22mm strap.

HONOR Watch GS Pro specs

You shouldn’t be surprised if you already know these specs from the HUAWEI Watch GT 2-series. There’s a 1.39-inch AMOLED display with 454 x 454 resolution and 326PPI on the top, underneath which the Kirin A1 chip, paired with 32MB of RAM and 4GB of storage (2 available) are doing the heavy lifting.

Fueling everything is a massive 790mAh battery (with 25 days of advertised battery life), all crammed in a case measuring 48mm x 48mm x 13.6mm and about 50 grams.

While there’s no Wi-Fi and NFC, the Watch GS Pro features an accelerometer, gyroscope, magnetometer, heart rate sensor, barometer, ambient light sensor, its own GPS, Bluetooth 5.1, and, of course, the microphone and the speaker.

Software and experience

The HONOR Watch GS Pro features the same software as the HUAWEI line-up. Our unit is currently running LiteOS 10.1.1.22, and if you’re familiar with the software you should feel right at home. If you’re new to owning a recent HONOR (or HUAWEI, for that matter) smartwatch, it’s an easy learning curve, and getting used to it will be no problem.

There are six screens, including the home screen, you can swipe through in an endless loop. These are your main home screen, which is customizable with tons of watch faces, your heart-rate screen followed by your stress readouts, weather, music controls, and your summary circles (consisting of total steps, workout minutes, and active standing number of hours).

More than 100 workout modes are available on the watch (including hiking, skiing, and swimming), so you’ll probably find the one that suits you, except if you play basketball. I mention this every time I review a HUAWEI or HONOR watch, since there are so many sports included, but not a basketball option, and since I’m shooting baskets twice a week, I have to always go with another training mode. I’ll end my short rant here.

Relying on the GPS inside the watch, there’s a neat “Route Back” feature you can use should you get lost in the woods or mountains while hiking. The watch will guide you back to your starting point, which is really convenient for the outdoor lovers. GPS will also record your walks and runs, and other outdoor activities.

You still can’t act on notification, aside from scrolling through them and dismissing them, so forget about replying to a text message. And, while still on the topic, the watch still doesn’t support the display of emojis, so if you get a text or a WhatsApp message that only contains an emoji, like a , the notification will be empty.

We said the above paragraph with the occasion of our HUAWEI Watch GT 2 Pro review, and it’s just as applicable to the HONOR Watch GS Pro since it’s running the same software. It also comes with the same inconvenience.

You still have no payment options available, but thanks to the speaker (which is really loud) and microphone, you can take calls on your wrist if you find it more convenient than searching for your smartphone inside the backpack.

The rest of the experience relies on the HUAWEI Health app, which is available to download on the AppGallery, as well as the Play Store. You can find more details on the HUAWEI Health App by checking out its section in our Watch GT 2 review.

Fitness and Health

My training routine is unchanged and includes ten cardio sessions per week, 5 CrossFit and weightlifting, and two sessions of shooting baskets. During our two weeks of training with the HONOR Watch GS Pro, I only charged it once. While not exactly a 25-day battery life, as advertised, it’s still double the battery life or the HUAWEI watches, considering the rather heavy use thanks to the high amount of training sessions, during our HONOR Watch GS Pro review period.

During those aforementioned sessions, heart-rate monitoring and VO2Max readouts seemed pretty accurate and consistent with the readouts of other brand watches.

Sleep tracking was also in line with previously recorded results from another watch, and the Watch GS Pro does a good job at automatically recognizing bedtime and wake up time.

Nothing negative to mention in the Stress monitoring department. The watch takes readouts throughout the day so you have a better sense of how stressed you are, and maybe take a break or a breathing exercise.

Of course, while you can check your exercise records and daily activity on the watch, it’s the HUAWEI Health app that collects all the data and nicely represents all of your fitness activities and health-related readouts.

With rather accurate blood oxygen level monitoring, you can always keep track of your SpO2 levels; the readings are not automatic, but on-demand, which is something HONOR could include during the night for an even better estimation of your sleep quality.

Pricing and availability

Priced at a rather steep €249.99 or ₤249.99, you can definitely grab it at a lower price as there are several discounts and bundles offered in various countries in the EU. If you’re in the US, you’ll most likely have to import it due to the ban on HUAWEI (and HONOR) products.

Pros and cons

Pros	Cons
+ rugged design + beautiful display + insane battery life + accurate heart-rate tracking + always-on display + 100+ activity modes	– no NFC, Cellular, or Wi-Fi – no payment options – notification system needs more work – iOS experience inferior to Android – chunky design could not appeal to some

Conclusion

If you are the kind of person who enjoys outdoor activities more than the average person, the HONOR Watch GS Pro should definitely be on your shortlist for a companion.

Its rugged build is shock resistant and with 14 military-grade certifications, it will continue to perform in all extreme conditions. Not only that, but with extreme battery life, you can rest assured that it will not give up on you, and the “Route Back” feature will safely return you to your starting point.

Gallery

The post HONOR Watch GS Pro review: the outdoor person’s best hiking companion appeared first on Pocketnow.

Honor

Gaming monitors, Marshall Bluetooth speakers, and more accessories are on sale

iPhone 11 Pro, OnePlus 8T, Galaxy S21 and more phones on sale today

Looking for gaming peripherals? There’s a ton of Razer deals available right now

Samsung Galaxy S21 Pre-Order

Samsung Galaxy S20 FE

Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Series

iPhone 11 Pro

Verizon smartphone Deals

OnePlus 8T

LG 34GL750-B 34 Inch 21: 9 Ultragear Curved Wfhd Gaming Monitor

LG 32GK650F-B 32” QHD Gaming Monitor

Razer Blade Pro 17 Gaming Laptop 2020

Razer Blade 15 Base Gaming Laptop 2020

Samsung Galaxy Buds Live

Beats Solo Pro Wireless Noise Cancelling On-Ear Headphones

Honor could launch smartphones with Google Mobile Services

LG’s smartphone business could be handed over to a Vietnamese manufacturer

LG’s new rollable smartphone could be canceled before its possible launch

iPhone 13 again rumored to flaunt a smaller notch, upgraded camera for Pro models

Samsung could be prepping to launch a cheaper, 4G Galaxy S21

Story of the day:

Next MacBook Air: Thinner, lighter, smaller, more powerful

Upcoming MacBook Pro could have a microSD card slot

Face ID support on iMac isn’t coming soon

HONOR Band 6

Earin A-3

Roborock S7

Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2

Samsung Neo QLED miniLED TV

LG Rollable concept

TCL Rollable concept innovation

AMD Ryzen 5000 series chips

LG QNED MiniLED 99 Series 8K TV

HP P34hc 34-inch monitor for professionals

HP Elite Folio

LG Gram 2021 series

Lenovo Yoga AIO 7

LG UltraWide Monitor

MSI Stealth 15M

Samsung Galaxy and Google Pixel phones are on sale today

Apple’s latest M1 13-inch MacBook Pro, Razer Blade 15 and more laptops are on sale today

Headphones from Sony, Samsung, Apple and more are also on sale today

Intel announces 11th Gen Core H-series mobile processors for gaming laptops

Qualcomm’s second-gen ultrasonic fingerprint sensor is bigger and 50% faster

Fossil Gen 5 LTE costs $349 and let will let you take calls directly on the smartwatch

Jabra Elite 85t gets four new color options at CES 2021

AMD unleashes Zen 3-based Ryzen 5000 series mobile processors

NVIDIA unveils RTX 30 series laptop GPUs and GeForce RTX 3060 desktop graphics

HONOR announces MagicBook Pro, HONOR Band 6

Is this the new design of the 2021 iPad Pro refresh?

Story of the day:

Samsung Galaxy S21 retail box leak confirms the absence of a charger

Samsung unveils the 5nm-based Exynos 2100 flagship SoC that will power the Galaxy S21

Hardware

Performance and battery life

Software and experience

Conclusion

Pros

Cons

HONOR Watch GS Pro design

HONOR Watch GS Pro specs

Software and experience

Fitness and Health

Pricing and availability

Pros and cons

Conclusion

Gallery