Redmi Note 11 Hands-On: This price tag makes it really hard to nitpick

Before I begin evaluating the Redmi Note 11, which is the base model of Xiaomi’s just-announced line consisting of four phones, I must confess: it is hard for me to review mid-range phones. I have been a privileged gadget enthusiast most of my life, meaning even before I got to test smartphones for a living, I was already using only flagship phones. And so for someone like me, who regularly gets to handle the latest foldables or the most bleeding-edge glass slabs, it’s natural for me to feel a bit bored when testing phones that are clearly not using the latest and best components.

And so my first hour with the Redmi Note 11 was filled with disappointment. Out of the box, I found the dark grey color very dull, and more damningly, the phone’s haptic engine was weak — mushy and imprecise, a notable departure from every recent Xiaomi phone I’ve tested, which all have excellent, arguably best-in-class haptics, even last year’s $279 Redmi Note 10 Pro. The screen tech and refresh rate of the Note 11, LCD at 90Hz, is also a step down from the Note 10 Pro’s AMOLED at 120Hz screen. What the heck, why is the Note 11 a downgrade from last year? I thought.

Then I realized it was because I was testing the absolute lowest tier of the Note 11 series, which is a budget phone, not a mid-range phone. The actual successor to the mid-range Note 10 Pro I tested last year would be the Note 11 Pro. In fact, I had never tested a non-Pro Redmi device before until now. It also does not help that Xiaomi has probably the most confusing branding lineup in the smartphone space right now, making it hard even for seasoned tech journalists to keep track of their phones.

Then I watched Redmi’s launch event, and when the prices were revealed, everything about this phone made better sense. This base model Redmi Note 11 that I am testing will retail in Europe and other parts of Asia starting at that region’s equivalent of $179 (the US dollar figure is just for reference since the phone won’t actually sell officially in the US), with some markets getting early bird discounts that shave another $20 off the phone.

That makes the Redmi Note 11 available for as low as $159. Once I absorbed this price tag, then all the gripes I’ve had with the phones mostly went away (I still find the colorway of my unit dull). This is about as cheap as a functional, newly released smartphone from a reputable brand can get.

Redmi Note 11 series (global) Specifications: Click to expand

Specification	Redmi Note 11	Redmi Note 11S	Redmi Note 11 Pro	Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G
Build	IP53 splash-proof Corning Gorilla Glass 3 front	IP53 splash-proof Corning Gorilla Glass 3 front	IP53 splash-proof Corning Gorilla Glass 5 front	IP53 splash-proof Corning Gorilla Glass 5 front
Dimensions & Weight	159.867 x 73.87 x 8.09mm 179g	159.867 x 73.87 x 8.09mm 179g	164.19 x 76.1 x 8.12mm 202g	164.19 x 76.1 x 8.12mm 202g
Display	6.43-inch FHD+ LCD 2400 x 1080 90Hz refresh rate 180Hz touch sampling rate DCI-P3 wide color gamut 1000nits peak brightness	6.43-inch FHD+ LCD 2400 x 1080 90Hz refresh rate 180Hz touch sampling rate DCI-P3 wide color gamut 1000nits peak brightness	6.67-inch FHD+ AMOLED 2400 x 1080 120Hz refresh rate 360Hz touch sampling rate DCI-P3 wide color gamut 1200nits peak brightness	6.67-inch FHD+ AMOLED 2400 x 1080 120Hz refresh rate 360Hz touch sampling rate DCI-P3 wide color gamut 1200nits peak brightness
SoC	Qualcomm Snapdragon 680 Adreno 610 GPU	MediaTek Helio G96 ARM Mali-G57 MC2 GPU	MediaTek Helio G96 ARM Mali-G57 MC2 GPU	Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 Adreno 619 GPU
RAM & Storage	4GB LPDDR4x + 64GB UFS 2.2 4GB + 128GB 6GB + 128GB	6GB LPDDR4x + 64GB UFS 2.2 6GB + 128GB 8GB + 128GB	6GB LPDDR4x + 64GB UFS 2.2 6GB + 128GB 8GB + 128GB	6GB LPDDR4x + 64GB UFS 2.2 6GB + 128GB 8GB + 128GB
Battery & Charging	5,000mAh 33W fast charging support 33W charger included	5,000mAh 33W fast charging support 33W charger included	5,000mAh 67W fast charging support 67W charger included	5,000mAh 67W fast charging support 67W charger included
Security	Side-mounted fingerprint scanner	Side-mounted fingerprint scanner	Side-mounted fingerprint scanner	Side-mounted fingerprint scanner
Rear Camera(s)	Primary: 50MP f/1.8 Ultra-wide: 8MP f/2.2, 118° FoV Macro: 2MP f/2.4 Depth: 2MP f/2.4	Primary: 108MP Samsung HM2 f/1.9 Ultra-wide: 8MP f/2.2, 118° FoV Macro: 2MP f/2.4 Depth: 2MP f/2.4	Primary: 108MP Samsung HM2 f/1.9 Ultra-wide: 8MP f/2.2, 118° FoV Macro: 2MP f/2.4 Depth: 2MP f/2.4	Primary: 108MP Samsung HM2 f/1.9 Ultra-wide: 8MP f/2.2, 118° FoV Macro: 2MP f/2.4 Depth: 2MP f/2.4
Front Camera(s)	13MP f/2.4	16MP f/2.4	16MP f/2.4	16MP f/2.4
Port(s)	USB Type-C 3.5mm headphone jack	USB Type-C 3.5mm headphone jack	USB Type-C 3.5mm headphone jack	USB Type-C 3.5mm headphone jack
Audio	Dual speakers	Dual speakers	Dual speakers	Dual speakers
Connectivity	Dual SIM + dedicated microSD card slot 4G LTE 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi Bluetooth 5.0	Dual SIM + dedicated microSD card slot 4G LTE 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi Bluetooth 5.0	Dual SIM + hybrid microSD card slot 4G LTE 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi Bluetooth 5.1	Dual SIM + hybrid microSD card slot 4G LTE 5G 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi Bluetooth 5.1
Software	MIUI 13 based on Android 11	MIUI 13 based on Android 11	MIUI 13 based on Android 11	MIUI 13 based on Android 11
Other Features	NFC (limited regional availability) IR blaster	NFC (limited regional availability) Z-axis linear motor IR blaster	NFC Z-axis linear motor IR blaster	NFC Z-axis linear motor IR blaster

About this hands-on: Xiaomi provided a Redmi Note 11 for testing and review. It did not have any input in this article.

Redmi Note 11: Hardware

Okay, so I started the article by criticizing the Redmi Note 11’s haptics and color. The former can’t be helped (but can be excused given the price tag), but the latter can be fixed: you can just choose another color. The Redmi Note 11 comes in a variety of colors, and from renders, the other colors look much better in my opinion.

To Xiaomi’s credit, the Redmi Note 11 is solidly constructed: buttons are firm and clicky, the back material is plastic but coated to resemble glass and it is convincing. The polycarbonate mid-frame also has flat-ish sides, although contrary to some reports, the sides are not hard and angular like the iPhone 13 series (or the Vivo V23); the edges are chamfered. The back of the phone also has subtle curvature instead of the hard flat sides like an iPhone. The Redmi Note 11 doesn’t feel like it’s aiming for that iPhone 13 look; in fact, Xiaomi had already used this design last year.

Yes, that is a headphone jack you see in the above photo, along with prominent speaker grills at the top and bottom of the phone. The Redmi Note 11 has excellent outward-facing speakers when the device is in landscape mode. On the right side of the frame are the volume rocker and a power button that doubles as a fingerprint sensor.

I mentioned that initially, in the first hour of use, I was disappointed by the Redmi Note 11’s 90Hz display. Well that was when I thought the phone was in the $275-$300 range, pushing its scope onto early mid-range territory. Now that we know the phone can be had for well under $200, I can’t complain. It’s an FHD+ IPS LCD panel, the 90Hz is still reasonably smooth, and colors and viewing angles are still visually appealing. The screen gets up to 1,000 nits of max brightness, which, again, isn’t great compared to flagships I’ve been using, but for a budget phone? It’s fine, even when used next to a large window with bright sunlight, I can see the screen.

Cameras

The hole punch houses a 13MP selfie camera, while the main camera system consists of a “quad-camera” setup. I use quote marks because two of these are the 2MP sensors that don’t do much. This is more like a dual-camera system, with a 50MP, f/1.8 main lens, and an 8MP, f/2,2 ultra-wide.

If the lighting condition is optimal, you can get some solid images with the 50MP main camera. It actually produces a pleasing bokeh effect when shooting objects up close, and colors are accurate — although the dynamic range is lacking. In the below samples, the same scene went from looking relatively sharp and dynamic to a bit dull because the sun shifted and shadows covered more of the city streets.

The ultra-wide doesn’t fare as well, obviously, suffering from poor exposure if shooting bright lights and looking generally soft. The problem is worse at night.

For night shots, the ultra-wide is virtually unusable, as the Redmi Note 11 can’t even use night mode to fix some of the hardware shortcomings (you can’t use night mode at all in ultra-wide mode). This is a shame because Xiaomi’s night mode is pretty good and can fix the main camera’s faults.

Video recording maxes out at 1080p/60 and there is no stabilization at all, so any walk and talk footage is jerky. Selfies are fine in ideal lighting conditions, but shoot against backlight and it simply can’t expose properly.

Processor & Memory

The Redmi Note 11 runs on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 680, a relatively new budget Qualcomm SoC with 8-cores and built on 6nm architecture. There’s either 4GB or 6GB of LPDDR4x RAM and 128GB of UFS 2.2 storage. These are obviously not the highest-end components, but I had no issues with basic smartphone performance on my 6GB RAM model; in fact, the Note 11 handled games like Marvel Contest of Champions and 32 Seconds without any noticeable performance lags or frame drops. The Redmi Note 11 scored 1,670 and 388 on Geekbench’s multi- and single-core tests respectively.

And for a budget phone, the Redmi Note 11 boasts very impressive stereo speakers, as well as an IP53 rating against water splashes. The screen is also coated in Gorilla Glass 3.

Finally, to wrap up the hardware package is a 5,000 mAh battery that can be fast-charged at 33W speeds, and the charging brick is included with the packaging. I have only been testing the phone for a day and I’ve been stuck in quarantine in a hotel room so I have not really tested battery life, but rest assured, with a 5,000 mAh cell and 90Hz screen, this should easily be an all-day phone.

Redmi Note 11: Software

The Redmi Note 11 ships with MIUI 13 over Android 11. MIUI 13 supposedly brings a lot of performance boosts such as smoother animations and better battery and memory management, but in my short time testing, I haven’t noticed any major upgrades — this isn’t a bad thing as I have had no problems with MIUI’s performance over the past couple of years. Visually too, it looks very similar to MIUI 12.5, with the only new feature added that I could spot during my short time is a new fingerprint sensor shortcut gesture that allows double-tapping the sensor to launch apps. This feature, obviously, will not work with Xiaomi’s flagships as they use in-display fingerprint sensors.

Out of the box, MIUI 13 splits the traditional Android pull-down notification panel into two parts: there’s the panel for notifications and a panel for just the shortcut toggle buttons. These are accessed similarly to iOS, with the shortcut toggle buttons being accessed by pulling from the upper right corner of the screen. I hate this setup, and the good news is MIUI allows me to change back to the traditional Android method. So Xiaomi has covered its bases with this.

Redmi Note 11: Early Impressions

As I said, I had to learn to put aside my personal feelings and privileges to test the Redmi Note 11. Because for example, as someone who gets to test all the newest flagship cameras, there was absolutely no chance the Redmi Note 11’s cameras were going to impress me. I actually scoffed when I saw how bad the Redmi Note 11’s ultra-wide shots looked at night.

But I am spoiled by my privilege of getting to use $1,000 (heck, even $2,700) phones. If I take a step back and look at the Redmi Note 11 from the perspective of its target demographic: people who either cannot or will not pay more than a couple of hundred dollars, then the Redmi Note 11 offers a whole lot. You get an immersive screen, all-day battery life, good build quality for its price tag, excellent speakers that can stand up to more expensive phones, and fluid and responsive software. There’s enough processing power to run crucial everyday apps without hiccups.

You get an immersive screen, all-day battery life, good build quality for its price tag, excellent speakers that can stand up to more expensive phones, and fluid and responsive software.

Sure, you won’t be able to film walk and talk videos without looking like you’re tumbling down the stairs, and ultra-wide photos at night will look like an impressionist painting, but there’s only so much you can reasonably expect for $180. For people who don’t want to pay more than $200, the Redmi Note 11 is about as good as they’re going to get.

Redmi Note 11

The Redmi Note 11 is a very affordable smartphone under $180 that offers a large battery, immersive 90Hz screen, and solid performance.

View at Xiaomi

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Mi Fit app gets a redesigned home screen in the latest update

If you own a Xiaomi wearable such as Mi Band 6 or Mi Watch Revolve Active, you’re probably familiar with Mi Fit. It’s a companion app that shows a detailed overview of your fitness activity, workout logs, and other measurements taken by your wearable. While the Mi Fit app hasn’t received a major UI overhaul for some time now, it’s now picking up a new update that brings a redesigned home screen experience.

Xiaomi recently rolled out version 5.6.0 of the Mi Fit app on the Play Store, bringing a refreshed landing page. Previously, the app featured three tabs at the bottom, namely Workout, Friends, and Profile, with the Workout tab also doubling as a home page. With the new update, however, there’s a dedicated “Home page” tab now, making it easier to access important data at glance. The home screen itself looks much more modern and visually appealing than the previous version, as you can see in the screenshots attached below.

The home screen makes better use of the real screen estate and provides a more detailed overview of various activities on large cards. The battery info of your connected device is shown in the top left corner. By default, the Home tab displays six cards: Steps, Sleep, Heart rate, PAI, Weight analysis, and Workout history. You can edit the displaying order to move cards up or down or add additional cards for Stress, Blood oxygen, Calories, Female health, and more.

Meanwhile, the Walking, Running and Cycling sections have been moved to the Workout tab. Previously they were part of the home screen experience and appeared at the top.

The Mi Fit app version 5.6.0 is rolling out on the Google Play Store. If the update isn’t live on your end, you can also sideload the latest APK from APKMirror.

Mi Fit (Free, Google Play) →

Thanks to XDA Senior Member Some_Random_Username for the tip!

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Messenger now supports E2E encrypted group chats and calls

Meta (formerly Facebook) is rolling out a major update for Messenger, which brings support for end-to-end (E2E) encrypted group chats and calls. The feature expands upon Messenger’s existing E2E encrypted messaging feature and it now lets you connect with multiple people in a group chat and make calls in a private and secure way. Along with E2E encrypted group chats and calls, the latest update for Messenger brings screenshot notifications support for disappearing messages (previously available in Vanish mode), GIF, sticker and reactions support in E2E encrypted messaging, and more.

For the unaware, Messenger has offered support for end-to-end encrypted chats for quite a while now. The feature initially rolled out all the way back in 2016 and it now finally supports group chats and calls. E2E encryption in Messenger is currently an opt-in feature and users can turn it on by tapping on the lock icon when starting a new chat.

Screenshot notification in Messenger’s E2E encrypted chat

E2E encrypted messaging is not the same as the secure Vanish mode that’s available in Messenger and Instagram, as messages sent in an E2E encrypted chat don’t disappear by default. However, the feature does offer support for disappearing messages and it even alerts users when someone takes a screenshot of a disappearing message. Surprisingly, Meta’s other, more widely used messaging service WhatsApp still doesn’t alert users when someone takes a screenshot of a disappearing message.

Message reactions support in E2E encrypted chats

As mentioned earlier, Meta is also rolling out support for GIFs, Stickers, and Reactions in end-to-end encrypted chats, giving users a more complete chat experience without compromising privacy. Furthermore, E2E encrypted chats are also getting support for replies, verified badges, typing indicators, and message forwarding. Lastly, the new update brings a new option to help users easily save shared media and edit videos before sharing. You can learn more about all the new changes in Messenger by heading over to the official announcement post from the link above.

It’s worth noting that all the features mentioned above are not new to Messenger overall. They’re just new to E2E encrypted chats on the platform. As far as the rollout is concerned, Meta says that the features have started rolling out on all platforms for all users and should appear within the coming weeks.

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Apple iPad Pro 2021: M1 chip, 5G, Mini LED XDR display, and Everything else you need to know

The Apple iPad is unquestionably one of the best tablets you can buy. In fact, there are very few Android tablets that even come close to the iPad Pro. Despite the global decline in demand for tablets, different varieties of the iPad have been in high demand thanks to their unique proposition of powerful processing capabilities and portability. The iPad Pro takes it a step further with a massive display, multiple cameras on the back, pro-grade performance, and the Apple Magic keyboard that will make you want to replace your laptop with it.

Apple announced the iPad Pro 2021 at its Spring Loaded event on April 20th, 2021, with a suite of improvements including an all-new Apple M1 chip, a new mini LED display, up to a whopping 2TB of storage, and 5G connectivity. Even almost a year after launch, the iPad Pro remains to be one of the most powerful tablets out there. At this event, Apple also announced a new and highly improved iMac, a new purple iPhone 12, AirTags, as well as new features making their way to iOS 14.5 and iOS 15.

Buy the Apple iPad Pro with M1 chip now: Amazon, Best Buy

The new iPad Pro gets the same chipset as the MacBook Air, some 13″ MacBook Pro variants, the Mac Mini from 2020, and the new 2021 iMac. The Apple M1 is the company’s in-house ARM-based SoC that’s designed to replace the x64 chips from Intel and AMD on computers. By using the same chip on the iPad Pro 2021, Apple further fills up the performance gap between the iPad Pro and the MacBook and other devices. Other than offering a performance that’s comparable to Apple’s M1 MacBook laptops, the iPad Pro 2021’s USB-C port has been updated with Thunderbolt support.

iPad Pro 2021 Review: Apple’s M1 is too powerful for “just” an iPad

In this article, we’ll list all details about the all-new iPad Pro 2021, starting with the specifications of the 11-inch as well as the 12.9-inch models.

Navigate this guide:

• Specifications
• Variants
• Display
• Processor
• 5G Connectivity
• Cameras
• New Features
• Design
• iPadOS
• Accessories
• Pricing
• Availability

Apple iPad Pro 2021: Specifications

The iPad Pro 2021 variants are visually identical to the previous year’s models. The new 11-inch model even has the same dimensions as the last time while the new 12.9-inch model gets an added thickness of 0.5mm with the new Mini LED display. Despite this, the new 12.9 iPad Pro is only 6.4mm thick, which is commendable for a machine of this vigor.

Specification	Apple iPad Pro 11-inch	Apple iPad Pro 12.9-inch
Colors	Silver, Space Gray	Silver, Space Gray
Size & Weight	247.6mm x 178.5mm x 5.9mm 466g (Wi-Fi) 470g (5G)	280.6mm x 214.9mm x 6.4mm 682g (Wi-Fi) 685g (5G)
Display	Liquid Retina display 11-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit Multi‑Touch display with IPS technology 2388-by-1668-pixel resolution at 264 pixels per inch (ppi) ProMotion technology Wide color display (P3) True Tone display Fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating Fully laminated display Antireflective coating 1.8% reflectivity 600 nits max brightness Supports Apple Pencil (2nd generation)	Liquid Retina XDR display 12.9-inch (diagonal) mini-LED backlit Multi‑Touch display with IPS technology 2D backlighting system with 2596 full‑array local dimming zones 2732-by-2048-pixel resolution at 264 pixels per inch (ppi) ProMotion technology Wide color display (P3) True Tone display Fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating Fully laminated display Antireflective coating 1.8% reflectivity 600 nits max brightness 1000 nits max full-screen brightness; 1600 nits peak brightness (HDR) 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio Supports Apple Pencil (2nd generation)
SoC	Apple M1 chip 8-core CPU with 4 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores 8-core GPU 16-core Neural Engine	Apple M1 chip 8-core CPU with 4 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores 8-core GPU 16-core Neural Engine
RAM & Storage	128GB storage + 8GB RAM 256GB storage + 8GB RAM 512GB storage + 8GB RAM 1TB storage + 16GB RAM 2TB storage + 16GB RAM	128GB storage + 8GB RAM 256GB storage + 8GB RAM 512GB storage + 8GB RAM 1TB storage + 16GB RAM 2TB storage + 16GB RAM
Battery & Charging	Built-in 28.65 watt-hour rechargeable lithium-polymer battery 20W USB-C charging	Built-in 40.88 watt-hour rechargeable lithium-polymer battery 20W USB-C charging
Security	FaceID Enabled by TrueDepth camera for facial recognition Unlock iPad Secure personal data within apps Make purchases from the iTunes Store, App Store, and Apple Books	FaceID Enabled by TrueDepth camera for facial recognition Unlock iPad Secure personal data within apps Make purchases from the iTunes Store, App Store, and Apple Books
Rear Camera(s)	Pro camera system: Wide and Ultra Wide cameras Wide: 12MP, ƒ/1.8 aperture Ultra-Wide: 10MP, ƒ/2.4 aperture, and 125° field of view Five‑element lens (Wide and Ultra Wide) 2x optical zoom out, digital zoom up to 5x Sapphire crystal lens cover Brighter True Tone flash Camera features Panorama (up to 63MP) Autofocus with Focus Pixels (Wide) Smart HDR 3 Wide color capture for photos and Live Photos Lens correction (Ultra Wide) Advanced red-eye correction Photo geotagging Auto image stabilization Burst mode Image formats captured: HEIF and JPEG Video Recording 4K video recording at 24 fps, 25 fps, 30 fps, or 60 fps (Wide) 1080p HD video recording at 25 fps, 30 fps, or 60 fps 720p HD video recording at 30 fps 2x optical zoom out Audio zoom Brighter True Tone flash Slo‑mo video support for 1080p at 120 fps or 240 fps Time‑lapse video with stabilization Extended dynamic range for video up to 30 fps Cinematic video stabilization (4K, 1080p, and 720p) Continuous autofocus video Playback zoom Video formats recorded: HEVC and H.264 Stereo recording	Pro camera system: Wide and Ultra Wide cameras Wide: 12MP, ƒ/1.8 aperture Ultra-Wide: 10MP, ƒ/2.4 aperture, and 125° field of view Five‑element lens (Wide and Ultra Wide) 2x optical zoom out, digital zoom up to 5x Sapphire crystal lens cover Brighter True Tone flash Camera features Panorama (up to 63MP) Autofocus with Focus Pixels (Wide) Smart HDR 3 Wide color capture for photos and Live Photos Lens correction (Ultra Wide) Advanced red-eye correction Photo geotagging Auto image stabilization Burst mode Image formats captured: HEIF and JPEG Video Recording 4K video recording at 24 fps, 25 fps, 30 fps, or 60 fps (Wide) 1080p HD video recording at 25 fps, 30 fps, or 60 fps 720p HD video recording at 30 fps 2x optical zoom out Audio zoom Brighter True Tone flash Slo‑mo video support for 1080p at 120 fps or 240 fps Time‑lapse video with stabilization Extended dynamic range for video up to 30 fps Cinematic video stabilization (4K, 1080p, and 720p) Continuous autofocus video Playback zoom Video formats recorded: HEVC and H.264 Stereo recording
Front Camera	TrueDepth Camera 12MP Ultra Wide camera, 122° field of view ƒ/2.4 aperture Retina Flash Camera features Portrait mode with advanced bokeh and Depth Control Portrait Lighting with six effects (Natural, Studio, Contour, Stage, Stage Mono, High‑Key Mono) Animoji and Memoji Smart HDR 3 1080p HD video recording at 25 fps, 30 fps, or 60 fps Time‑lapse video with stabilization Extended dynamic range for video up to 30 fps Cinematic video stabilization (1080p and 720p) Wide color capture for photos and Live Photos Lens correction Auto image stabilization Burst mode	TrueDepth Camera 12MP Ultra Wide camera, 122° field of view ƒ/2.4 aperture Retina Flash Camera features Portrait mode with advanced bokeh and Depth Control Portrait Lighting with six effects (Natural, Studio, Contour, Stage, Stage Mono, High‑Key Mono) Animoji and Memoji Smart HDR 3 1080p HD video recording at 25 fps, 30 fps, or 60 fps Time‑lapse video with stabilization Extended dynamic range for video up to 30 fps Cinematic video stabilization (1080p and 720p) Wide color capture for photos and Live Photos Lens correction Auto image stabilization Burst mode
Port(s)	USB 4/Thunderbolt port DisplayPort Thunderbolt 3 (up to 40Gb/s) USB 4 (up to 40Gb/s) USB 3.1 Gen 2 (up to 10Gb/s)	USB 4/Thunderbolt port DisplayPort Thunderbolt 3 (up to 40Gb/s) USB 4 (up to 40Gb/s) USB 3.1 Gen 2 (up to 10Gb/s)
Audio	5 microphones Quad speakers	5 microphones Quad speakers
Connectivity	All models 802.11ax Wi-Fi 6; simultaneous dual-band (2.4GHz and 5GHz); HT80 with MIMO Bluetooth 5.0 technology Digital compass iBeacon microlocation 5G model (A2301 and A2379) 5G NR (Bands n1, n2, n3, n5, n7, n8, n12, n20, n25, n28, n38, n40, n41, n66, n71, n77, n78, n79)4 5G NR mmWave (Bands n260, n261) FDD-LTE (Bands 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 11, 12, 13, 14, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 32, 66, 71) TD-LTE (Bands 34, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 46, 48) UMTS/HSPA/HSPA+/DC‑HSDPA (850, 900, 1700/2100, 1900, 2100 MHz) GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz) Data only Wi-Fi calling eSIM+ Nano-SIM card tray	All models 802.11ax Wi-Fi 6; simultaneous dual-band (2.4GHz and 5GHz); HT80 with MIMO Bluetooth 5.0 technology Digital compass iBeacon microlocation 5G model (A2301 and A2379) 5G NR (Bands n1, n2, n3, n5, n7, n8, n12, n20, n25, n28, n38, n40, n41, n66, n71, n77, n78, n79)4 5G NR mmWave (Bands n260, n261) FDD-LTE (Bands 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 11, 12, 13, 14, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 32, 66, 71) TD-LTE (Bands 34, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 46, 48) UMTS/HSPA/HSPA+/DC‑HSDPA (850, 900, 1700/2100, 1900, 2100 MHz) GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz) Data only Wi-Fi calling eSIM+ Nano-SIM card tray Built‑in GPS/GNSS
Sensors	Face ID LiDAR Scanner Three-axis gyro Accelerometer Barometer Ambient light sensor	Face ID LiDAR Scanner Three-axis gyro Accelerometer Barometer Ambient light sensor
Software	iPadOS 14	iPadOS 14

Apple iPad Pro 2021 variants

The iPad Pro 2021 comes in two display sizes — 11-inch and 12.9-inch. As noted previously, there are no major changes when it comes to the appearance of the new tablets. There are, however, major changes under the hood. Other than the changes over the previous generations, the two variants of the new iPad Pro also differ in terms of display technology. The bigger iPad Pro features a 12.9-inch Mini LED display while the smaller one comes with an 11-inch LED display. Other than this difference between the types of displays — and the dimensions of the two models, the two variants are identical.

The new Mini LED display is a significant leap from the traditional LED display. The next section talks about the display technology in detail and how Apple employs it to make the iPad Pro experience better.

Mini LED display on iPad Pro 2021

The iPad Pro 2021 features several enhancements, and the display is among the first ones you will notice. As reported by multiple sources ahead of the launch, the iPad Pro is equipped with a Liquid Retina XDR display, which is the moniker used by Apple to denote the new Mini LED display. As remarked by Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo (via MacRumors) and later corroborated a Bloomberg report, only the larger model out of the two — i.e. the 12.9-inch iPad Pro 2021 — gets the new display while the smaller 11-inch iPad Pro retains the older Liquid Retina display.

Mini LED is a variety of LCD panels in which — yes, you guessed it right — miniature LEDs (with size in the range of 100-200μm) are used as the backlight source. These miniature LEDs are nearly 120X smaller in volume than the ones usually used to power regular LED-backlit LCDs. Owing to their smaller size, a Mini LED panel utilizes thousands of these Mini LEDs. Apple’s Liquid Retina XDR display employs over 10,000 Mini LEDs.

The 12.9-inch iPad Pro 2021’s display has a resolution of 2732 x 2048 pixels, with a 1000-nits brightness. The display on the smaller 11-inch variant, on the other hand, has a resolution of 2388 x 1688 pixels with a 600-nits brightness.

As you would expect, the large number and small size of these Mini LEDs allow for better contrast and more accurate local dimming than the traditional LED-backlit panels. Apple says these Mini LEDs combine to form up to 2,500 local dimming zones across the 12.9-inch display. This translates to a richer contrast than the previous technologies, and Apple announced the new display has a 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio. It is probably the best you can expect from an LCD — much closer to an OLED but still not as good. One potential downside of this display, however, is that makes the iPad Pro marginally thicker than previous models but we still can’t complain because Apple manages to keep it just at 6.4mm thick.

Even though TVs with Mini LED display technology were first introduced at CES 2020, it is still fairly new. Its novelty means Apple — and consequently users — have to pay a higher price for the new iPad Pro displays. Apple currently has only two suppliers — Epistar and Sanan Optoelectronics — for Mini LED displays. We can expect more manufacturers to embrace this technology for smaller screens, including those used for smartphones.

There couldn’t be a better industry player than Apple to lead the way for this display technology. Besides the iPad Pro, Apple is also slated to use Mini LED for future MacBooks expected to arrive later this year. Over the following years, we might also see it on other iPad models and iPhones.

Both the variants of the iPad Pro feature Adaptive refresh rate, or “ProMotion,” as Apple likes to call it. This means that the iPad Pro’s display can support a refresh rate of up to 120Hz based on the app in use. The displays also support DCI-P3 color gamut, True Tone, and support for Dolby Vision. Lastly, both the 11-inch and the 12.9-inch variants support the Apple Pencil (2nd gen).

Apple M1 processor on iPad Pro 2021

Ahead of the launch, 9to5Mac had spotted references to Apple’s A14X Bionic chip — a souped-up version of the A14 Bionic that powers the iPhone 12 series and the iPad Air 2020 — in the source code of iOS 14.5 beta. This purported chip was believed to be based on Apple’s custom ARM-based M1 chipset that powers the 2020 MacBook Air Mac Mini and some of last year’s 13” MacBook Pro models. The A14X Bionic was believed to be as powerful as the M1 chip, and Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman has substantiated the same.

These leaks were, however, proved partially wrong when Apple announced the iPad Pro 2021. The new iPad Pro runs on Apple’s M1 chipset instead of the rumored A14X Bionic, and this news comes as a pleasant surprise. The M1 SoC system-on-chip is designed on the same principle as the A-series Bionic chips that have powered the iPhones and iPad for some years and its system-on-chip design instead of separate chips for CPU, GPU, RAM, flash storage, etc.

The Apple M1 chip promises significant performance gains over the A12Z Bionic chip used in last year’s iPad Pro. Apple claims a 50% improvement in CPU performance as well as a 40% gain in GPU performance. The M1 chip features an 8-core CPU, an 8-core GPU, and a 16-core NPU. There is a choice between 8GB and 16GB of RAM with the option to choose up to 2TB of flash storage.

Last year, Apple had announced its plan to replace the x64 chips from Intel and AMD on the Mac lineup with its own M1 SoC. By announcing the iPad Pro with the same chipset as its computers, Apple is further solidifying the idea that an iPad Pro is no less than a Mac, unlike Android tablets which still miserably lag behind PCs in terms of performance. The utilization of an Apple M1 chip on the iPad Pro means that apps that can run on the Macs with ARM chips will also be available to work on the iPad Pro (given support from developers). With this, the iPad Pro becomes a great alternative for anyone who wants a MacBook Air but with the convenience of a touch screen and Apple Pencil input.

The new iPad Pro also borrows one feature from the iPhone 12’s A14 Bionic chip and that’s 5G connectivity.

5G cellular connectivity on iPad Pro

The iPad Pro 2021 is the first iPad to get 5G connectivity. The new iPad Pro supports mmWave bands for 5G connectivity in the US, and Apple claims download speeds of up to 4Gbps. Apple also claims the iPad Pro has support for the widest range of 5G bands. Along with 5G connectivity, the new models also support eSIM alongside a physical nano-SIM, but you will not be able to use this cellular connection for calling.

Note that you will have to pick a Wi-Fi+Cellular model to enjoy 5G on the iPad Pro and will be required to pay your carrier for active 5G services.

New Camera with “Center Stage”

The TrueDepth camera system on the front of the iPad Pro 2021 now features a 12MP selfie camera with an ultra-wide field of view spanning 122°. This enables a new feature called “Center Stage” which keeps the users in the center of the frame by zooming in and panning the viewfinder as they move. All of this happens with the help of M1’s machine learning abilities and without any physical movement in the camera. When more than one user enters the scene (or is already present), the camera automatically zooms out to accommodate a large group of people.

While the rear cameras on the iPad Pro remain unchanged, the improved ISP on the Apple M1 chip allows for better image processing and brings Smart HDR 3, which was previously exclusive to the iPhone 12 lineup. The feature uses machine learning to tune your images to ensure the best possible picture quality. Additionally, the LiDAR sensor on the iPad Pro helps in improving focus when capturing images in low light.

New Features

Alongside the improved display and the better processor, Apple has also replaced the standard USB Type-C port on the iPad Pro with one that supports Thunderbolt, a technology that has been available on Apple’s Mac computers, including MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, Mac Mini, iMac, and the Mac Pro since 2016.

Thunderbolt is an open and multipurpose data and power transfer standard developed by Intel. It allows storage devices such SSDs, DisplayPort-supported external monitors, and PCIe peripherals such as external graphics cards or network connectors over a USB Type-C port. Thunderbolt 3 supports transfer speeds of up to 40Gbps, i.e. four times the transfer speeds of a USB 3.1 port.

The new iPad Pro models Thunderbolt 3 rather than newer the Thunderbolt 4 standard. Along with Thunderbolt, the new iPad Pro also supports USB4.

With this technology, the iPad Pro can now support Ethernet at up to 10Gbps and can be connected to run with Apple’s Pro Display XDR at 6K resolution — or other high-resolution displays — seamlessly even with a daisy chain setup.

Design

While no explicit leaks exposed the iPad Pro 2021 models in press renders or other conspicuous forms, a set of 3D CAD renders shared by 91Mobiles had revealed there would not be any major changes to the design. The same has been confirmed with the official launch with the new iPad Pro barely changed from the last generation.

Apple also claims the new iPad Pro is designed with 100% recycled aluminum as well as 100% recycled rare earth elements used to make the magnets on the iPad Pro. This is in line with the tech giant’s commitment to helping the environment. Apple claims that its global corporate operations are carbon neutral and it envisions to have “net-zero climate impact across the entire business” by 2030.

iPadOS 14.5

Apple also announced that iOS 14.5 and iPadOS 14.5 will start rolling out starting next week with support for AirTags, more gaming controllers, new languages in Apple Pencil features such as Smart Selection and Scribble, additional emojis, and the option to share lyrics as well as sort top songs by cities in Apple Music. The device will also get iPadOS 15.

iPadOS 15 Developer Beta 1 Hands-On: Quick Notes is a gamechanger, split-screen finally works well

Accessories for iPad Pro 2021

While the rumored Apple Pencil with a longer tip and color sampling support did not see the light of the day, the company did release its Magic Keyboard in white color to complement the already existing black one. The new white color complements the Apple Pencil, which only comes with white color and could be a good choice for anyone who does not fancy black.

The new Magic Keyboard is the same as the older version and not the upgraded one spotted in a patent by Patently Apple. The white Magic Keyboard also lacks the rumored touch-sensitive strips on the left and right sides.

Note that the Magic Keyboard has to be bought separately for prices starting at $299.

You can also check out some of our case recommendations:

• Best 11-inch iPad Pro 2021 Cases
• Best 12.9-inch iPad Pro 2021 Cases

Apple iPad Pro: Pricing

Despite the improvement in performance, the 11-inch iPad Pro 2021 comes at the same price as the previous year’s models. It costs $799 for the Wi-Fi-only model, while the Wi-Fi + Cellular model has a starting price of $999. It goes all the way up to $2,099 for 2TB of storage and support for 5G connectivity alongside Wi-Fi.

Meanwhile, the 12.9-inch model is available at a starting price of $1099 for 128GB storage and only Wi-Fi. You will have to pay $200 additionally for the cellular variant with 5G support. The most amped-up variant of the larger iPad Pro is priced at $2,399.

iPad Pro 2021 vs Galaxy Tab S7: Battle of the Apple and Android tablets

The Magic Keyboard for the 11-inch iPad Pro is priced at $299 while the one for the 12.9-inch variant is priced at $349 in the US. The second-generation Apple Pencil will be available for $129 in the US.

The prices of the iPad Pro 2021 may vary as per market, accounting for different taxes. We have listed the prices applicable to the Indian market for all the products launched at the Spring Loaded event.

iPad Pro 2021: Availability

Even though some early rumors pointed to a launch on March 23rd, the official launch actually happened a month later i.e. on April 20th. The delay may or may not be related to the shortage of Mini LED panels pointed out by Nikkei Asia and Bloomberg. Both of the news outlets had reported that although Apple would launch the new iPad Pro later in April, the actual units will start shipping next month or later. This stands true as the iPad Pro 2021 is available to purchase via Apple’s online and offline stores.

Apple iPad Pro 2021 11-inch

The new 11-inch iPad Pro 11 comes with Apple's M1 chipset along with optional support for 5G and up to 2TB of storage.

Buy at Best Buy

Apple iPad Pro 2021 12.9-inch

The new 12.9-inch iPad Pro comes with a mini-LED equipped display along with the mighty powerful M1 chipset, up to 2TB of storage, optional 5G, and Thunderbolt support.

Buy at Best Buy

Magic Keyboard for iPad Pro 2021 12.9-inch

The new Magic Keyboard is specially designed to mount the new and slightly thicker 12.9-inch iPad Pro. It retains the same fluid experience as the previous model but you can now also get it in white color.

Buy at Amazon

The post Apple iPad Pro 2021: M1 chip, 5G, Mini LED XDR display, and Everything else you need to know appeared first on xda-developers.

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Legacy G Suite accounts will be able to migrate their data to a free account

Back in the day, Google used to offer a free G Suite plan that allowed users to have a Google account with a custom domain. Google stopped offering this tier in 2012 but those who had created a free account were able to continue to use the service, up until now. Last week, Google began informing users that it was going to end support for free G Suite accounts, leaving users no choice but to upgrade to a paid plan or lose access to core Workspace features such as Gmail and Calendar. But it seems Google will offer an easy way to migrate your data to a Gmail account.

As spotted by ArsTechnica, Google has updated the Workspace Admin Help support page with a new section. This section explains what options users will have if they don’t want to upgrade their legacy G Suite account to a paid Workspace plan. Google says it will offer an option to users to move their data including non-Workspace paid content (apps, games, books, Google Play and YouTube purchases, etc) to a no-cost option. No-cost option likely refers to a free Gmail account.

“In the coming months, we’ll provide an option for you to move your non-Google Workspace paid content and most of your data to a no-cost option. This new option won’t include premium features like custom email or multi-account management. You’ll be able to evaluate this option prior to July 1, 2022 and prior to account suspension. We’ll update this article with details in the coming months,” reads Google’s support page.

While you can also use Google Takeout to export data from your legacy G Suite account, there are some limitations attached to it. For one, Takeout doesn’t let you export paid content from Google Play and YouTube. Secondly, it’s a pain to download your account data and then upload it back in the cloud. With Google’s option, migrating to a new account should be easy and seamless.

Affected users have until July 1, 2022, to evaluate their options. If you choose to upgrade to a paid Google Workspace plan, Google is offering “region-based discounts starting at 50% for the first twelve months.”

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These are the Best Fast Chargers for TCL 20 series in 2022

The TCL 20 series made its debut earlier this year, and the various phones in the lineup are slowly making their way around the world. Three of the phones in the series — the TCL 20 Pro 5G, the 20S, and 20 SE — landed in the US in June. Others models like the 20L, 20L+, and 20 5G are available in various European countries and other markets.

While the TCL 20 Pro 5G and TCL 20 5G phones come with a 4,500mAh battery, the rest of the phones in the lineup use a 5,000mAh battery. The company has also added support for 18W fast charging in all 20 series phones. The TCL 20 SE however is being released in some markets, including the US, without the fast charging support, and can support only up to 10W charging. The TCL 20 series phones use Qualcomm’s Quick Charge fast charging technology, with the 20 Pro 5G, 20L, 20L+, and 20S supporting Quick Charge 3.0, the 20 5G rocking Quick Charge 4+.

Moreover, the company is bundling 18W fast chargers with compatible TCL 20 series phones, depending on the market. Still, if you’re looking for a replacement fast charger or just need a fast charger because the company didn’t bundle one in your country, we can help. We’ve selected the best fast chargers for all TCL 20 series phones, including the TCL 20 Pro 5G, TCL 20S, and TCL 20 SE.

Fast Chargers (18W or more) for TCL 20 Series

These fast chargers are great for all TCL 20 series phones, including both TCL 20 SE variants.

Anker PowerPort+ 1

Simple and enough

The Anker PowerPort+ 1 wall charger supports Qualcomm’s Quick Charge 3.0 technology and comes with a single Type-A port. It offers up to 18W fast charging support, which would be enough for any of the TCL 20 series phones.

View at Amazon

View at Amazon UK

Anker PowerPort Speed 5

Five-in-one

If you have multiple phones or tablets at home, this Anker PowerPort Speed 5 charger can be very useful. It comes with five Type-A ports, one of which is Quick Charge 3.0 compatible. The charger can pump out up to a total of 51.5W power.

View at Amazon

View at Amazon UK

Motorola TurboPower Flip Charger

Designed by Motorola

This Motorola TurboPower Flip charger can not only be used by Motorola phones but other Quick Charger 3.0 compatible devices as well, including the TCL 20 series phones. Moreover, the charger is paired with a braided Type-A to Type-C cable.

View at Amazon

Anker PowerPort Speed 2

Two-in-one

If five ports are too much for you, the Anker PowerPort Speed 2 is a great alternative with just two Type-A ports. Moreover, both ports in this charger are Quick Charge 3.0 compatible, and can pump out almost 20W power each.

View at Amazon

Belkin Quick Charge Charger

No-frills charging

If you don’t want to get into multiple ports, multiple charging standards, and need a charger that just works, this Belkin charger is ideal for you. It comes with a single Type-A port, and supports 18W charging.

View at Amazon

Baseus GaN 65w USB C Charger

Multiple fast charging standards

Need a fast charger for more than just your TCL, the Baseus GaN charger not just supports Qualcomm Quick Charge, it also works with USB PD, Samsung’s Adaptive Fast Charging, and MediaTek’s fast charging solution, making it great if you have devices from different manufacturers.

View at Amazon

Ugreen Dual Wall Charger

Two USB-A ports

Ugreen makes great USB accessories, and this wall charger is not different. It comes with two USB Type-A ports, each of which supports Quick Charge 3.0 and up to 18W fast charging.

View at Amazon

View at Amazon UK

Belkin Boost Charge 27W

Quick Charge 4+

The Belkin Boost Charge 27W fast charger supports Quick Charge 4+, and even works with USB PD devices. So this fast charger can not only charge any of the TCL 20-series phones, you can even use it to fast charge other devices. Belkin also bundles a USB-Type-C to Type-C cable in the box.

View at Amazon

View at Amazon UK

J5create USB Super Charger

Three-in-one

The j5create USB Super Charger packs three ports, including two USB Type-A and one Type-C. While the Type-C port supports USB PD and up to 30W charging, the two USB Type-A ports support up to 18W charging and Quick Charge 3.0.

View at Best Buy

Fast Chargers (12W and more) for TCL 20 SE

Apart from the aforementioned chargers, which will also work with the TCL 20 SE, here are some options that aren’t as fast as the above options but enough to just charge the 20 SE US variant at its top speed.

Belkin USB Charger

The no-non sense option

The Belkin USB Charger is a good option if you’re looking to just charge your TCL 20 SE. It features a single Type-A port that can deliver up to 12W of power.

View at Amazon

View at Amazon UK

Native Union Smart Charger

The slim option

The Native Union Smart Charger is incredibly slim at just 12mm thickness, making it great for hard-to-reach spaces. It also features foldable plug for ease of storage. Moreover, there are two USB Type-A ports on the charger, each of which can deliver 12W of power.

View at Amazon

View at Amazon UK

Anker PowerPort Mini Dual

Small and compact

The Anker PowerPort Mini Dual charger packs two USB Type-A ports. It can deliver 12W power when a single port is being used or a total of 12W power when both ports are being used. It's a good option if you have multiple devices that don’t support fast charging.

View at Amazon

View at Amazon UK

Ugreen USB Wall Charger

Foldable plug

The Ugreen USB Wall Charger comes with two USB Type-A ports, both of which are capable of delivering 12W power when only one port is being used. It also features a foldable pin, making it a good option for travel.

View at Amazon

Anker Elite Wall Charger

Dual Ports

Apart from its PowerPort Mini Dual, Anker offers this not-so-nano option that's great if you want to save some money. You get two Type-A ports, each of which can deliver up to 12W charging even when both are being used.

View at Amazon

AmazonBasics USB Charger

The budget option

The AmazonBasics USB charger packs a single USB Type-A port that's capable of delivering up to 12W power, enough for the TCL 20 SE. It's also super affordable, and one of the cheapest in our recommendations.

View at Amazon

These are the best fast chargers for TCL 20 series phones. If you want a simple and straightforward charger, the Anker PowerPort+ 1 is a good option for all TCL 20 series phones. However, if you need a charger specifically for the TCL 20 SE US version, you can’t go wrong with the Belkin USB charger.

Which fast charger are you looking to buy for your TCL 20 series phone? Let us know in the comments section.

The post These are the Best Fast Chargers for TCL 20 series in 2022 appeared first on xda-developers.

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