Tag: huawei

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Seagate fined $300 million for selling hard drives to Huawei

The U.S. Department of Commerce has fined the American data storage company Seagate a hefty $300 million USD (about $404 million CAD). The agency claims that Seagate sold over seven million hard drives to Huawei between August 2020 and September 2020.

“Even after Huawei was placed on the Entity List for conduct inimical to our national security, and its competitors had stopped selling to them due to our foreign direct product rule, Seagate continued sending hard disk drives to Huawei,” said Assistant Secretary for Export Enforcement Matthew S. Axelrod.

The Commerce Department blacklisted Huawei in early August 2020, meaning that Seagate was selling its hard drives to the Chinese company after tech export restrictions were already in place.

Over the two months that the hard drives were being sold, Seagate reportedly made around $150 million in profits.

Seagate has reached a settlement with the Commerce Department, agreeing to pay the fine in instalments of $15 million per quarter over five years. In a statement, Seagate CEO Dave Mosley acknowledges its settlement with the American agency, “we believe entering this agreement with BIS and resolving this matter is in the best interest of Seagate, our customers and our shareholders.”

The ongoing technological cold war between America and China rages on. Aside from Huawei, the Commerce Department lists dozens of other Chinese tech companies on its Entity List.

American companies remain blocked from exporting products and from doing business with Huawei.

Source: U.S. Department of Commerce Via: Gizmodo,

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Huawei’s new smartwatch is a spy gadget with a hidden earbuds compartment

Huawei has built a reputation over the past few years for releasing pretty out-there devices, though many don’t make their way to Canada.

And once again, that’s likely the case for the China-based company’s new Huawei Watch Buds. In a recent teaser video on Weibo, Huawei showed off the wacky-looking smartwatch that features wireless earbuds inside of it. Yes, you read that correctly.

There’s no word on battery life or the performance of this odd device, but we do know that the smartwatch runs HarmonyOS. The earbuds themselves feature a pretty standard silver design, while the smartwatch looks like a bulky Huawei Watch Classic 3.

A December 2nd release date appeared is mentioned in the teaser video. However, Huawei has postponed the launch of the Watch Buds and its other Winter 2022 consumer devices. The Verge suggests that this is out of respect for the passing of former China CCP General Secretary Jiang Zemin on November 30th, which has affected the release of other Chinese OEMs devices.

It’s worth noting that it’s possible that the Watch Buds do release in Canada, given Huawei’s smartwatches and wireless earbuds typically release here.

The Watch Buds first leaked in a hands-on video within the last week.

Source: @ZionsAnvin Via: The Verge 

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The best square 4K monitor is on sale for Black Friday

I’ve been using Huawei’s excellent MateView monitor for the last few months, and it’s incredible. The only thing that holds it back is its price, which is remedied by this deal.

Canada Computers has dropped the price to $698, $200 off its usual $900 price tag.

This monitor is pricey, but it’s well worth it since it has a great 3:2 aspect ratio, rich colours and even an excellent speaker built into the stand. The base also houses a few USB passthrough ports and can provide up to 65 watts of power. That said, this stand isn’t removable, and you can’t mount it on a monitor arm.

However, the extra vertical and horizontal space has benefited all of my work, from gaming to content creation. Not to mention the all-metal design looks tremendous and sufficiently minimal next to a MacBook.

In terms of specs, it’s got a 4K resolution with 10-bit colour and a 60Hz refresh rate.

Source: Canada Computers

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Huawei unveils Pocket S clamshell foldable smartphone

Huawei has announced a new clamshell foldable, the Huawei Pocket S, a device that offers the same form factor as the P50 Pocket.

It features the same circular 1.04-inch notification display and camera bump with a 40-megapixel and 13-megapixel ultrawide on the outside but compared to its predecessor, it lacks a third camera. The new handset also offers a lower-end processor, at a lower price tag, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G compared to the Snapdragon 888 in the P50 Pocket.

The Pocket S also features a 6.9-inch foldable display with a 120Hz refresh rate, a 2790 x 1188-pixel resolution and can reportedly survive 400,000 folds.

This device, like other recent Huawei handsets, likely won’t release in Canada or the United States. It’s set to launch in China on November 10th.  Canada due to U.S. sanctions.

Via: The Verge 

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Huawei’s Watch GT 3 Pro is now available in Canada

Huawei’s Watch GT 3 Pro is now available in Canada.

To celebrate the Canadian launch, for a limited time the China-based company is offering free Huawei FreeBuds Pro ($269) or Huawei FreeBuds Lipstick ($349) alongside the purchase of the select Huawei Watch GT3 Pro models.

The Huawei Watch GT 3 Pro Titanium Edition is available starting at $548.99, and Huawei Watch GT 3 Pro Ceramic Edition is available for $798.99 at selected Canadian retailers like Amazon, Best Buy, Canada Computers, Visions and more.

The Huawei Watch GT 3 Pro offers up to two weeks of battery life (if you grab the Titanium Edition), 5ATM water resistance that even works in saltwater, exercise, SpO2, stress, sleep and skin temperature tracking and more. My review of the Ceramic variant will release soon, but I’m a big fan of the wearable’s luxury style and how it matches my outfits well.

The Watch GT 3 Pro is compatible with iOS and Android devices.

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Huawei Mate Xs 2’s hardware is lightweight, slim and very solid

I don’t try to hide that I’m a huge fan of foldable smartphones. The Galaxy Fold 3 is one of my go-to daily drivers because I love to take notes, use a big screen to watch content and I’m a sucker for gimmicks. So when I got the opportunity to go hands-on with the Mate Xs 2, I was pretty excited.

Why talk about a phone that’s not coming to Canada? Mostly because the Mate Xs 2 shows how much foldables have improved over the years, and some of you might still want to purchase the phone through other methods — such as Alibaba or somewhere of the like.

I spent only two to three minutes with the device, so this is mostly some quick impressions of the hardware. The device uses EMUI 12’s Harmony OS, and I would require a lot more time checking that out before writing about it.

Hardware feels solid

Huawei’s foldable is ultra-light and ultra-thin. When I held it I could immediately tell it was lighter than my Fold 3 even though the difference is only about 20g. And while the size wasn’t completely noticeable when unfolded, when folded you can tell there’s a difference of about 5mm.

I appreciate this because, as I noted in my review of Samsung’s phone, it’s definitely a foldable monster. Still, Huawei’s handset is quite large, and if you’re not used to foldables, you’ll definitely feel like you’re holding a miniature tablet.

It seemed like the Mate Xs 2 sported a much larger display than the Fold 3 for some reason, but the difference in size is actually negligible. The Xs 2 uses a 7.8-inch panel, compared to the 7.6-inch screen on the Fold 3. The Xs 2’s screen looks nice, but I didn’t spend a lot of time looking at much on the display other than the phone’s home screen. Specs-wise, the Xs 2 has a better pixel resolution than the Fold 3 as it sports a 2200 x 2480-pixel resolution and Samsung’s device offers a 1776 x 2208 resolution; therefore, the viewing experience should be better. This screen also features a 120Hz refresh rate and 240Hz touch sampling rate.

A touch sample rate or touch-sensing refers to the frequency at which the smartphone tracks the movement of your finger. Typical devices have a 60Hz touch sample rate, which tracks the screen every 16.6ms, while the latest iPhones have a 120Hz touch sample rate that cuts the time by half. The S22 Ultra also has a 240Hz touch sampling rate.

The Mate Xs 2’s folding mechanism is kind of weird to get used to. The Fold 3 folds like a book, which always made sense to me. However, the Mate Xs 2 only has one display instead of two like the Fold 3. So, the Mate Xs 2 folds outwards, the opposite of the Fold 3. An outward folding design leads to the Xs 2’s display being on both sides of the device. This method makes it seem very easy to accidentally damage the phone’s only screen. And while most handsets only have one display that can be wrecked, the Xs 2’s screen is on both sides.

Even though I found the outward folding design odd, the handset felt pretty solid in hand, even after folding and unfolding it over and over again.

The Xs 2 also features a 50-megapixel primary camera that I, unfortunately, didn’t get to try out very much. The shot seemed good and, from previous devices, I have good faith in a Huawei phone’s camera, but I can’t say definitively without further testing. I also couldn’t test out the phone’s battery, but it sports a 4,600mAh power cell. The Z Fold 3 uses a 4,400mAh cell and has an extra display, so the battery life might be comparable or a bit better, but that’s impossible to say without testing.

A foldable future

Whenever someone asks me about my opinions on a smartphone, my go-to thing to say is “if it doesn’t fold, it doesn’t matter.” I don’t actually believe in this, but I really find foldable handsets interesting. This smartphone is for sure not coming to Canada, so don’t get your hopes up.

But it’s another glimpse at what foldable hardware can do. I don’t think there will ever be a day when foldable smartphones will take over and be for everyone but seeing different form factors, like the Mate Xs 2 and the Z Fold 3, brings hope to my foldable-shilling heart.

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Huawei announces FreeBuds Pro 2 coming to Canada for back to school

At Huawei’s Istanbul, Turkey product event the company announced its global product launches for the Huawei Mate Xs 2, MateBook D 16, and FreeBuds Pro 2. Unfortunately, the Mate Xs 2 won’t come to Canada, but the FreeBuds Pro 2 and Matebook D 16 or 16s will (currently unclear which laptop model is coming to Canada).

It’s worth noting that the already-launched Huawei Watch GT 3 Pro is also coming to Canada very soon. The smartwatch wasn’t mentioned at the event, since it’s already been released globally.

We’ll have more on the GT 3 Pro in the coming weeks with Canadian pricing.

The FreeBuds Pro 2

The FreeBuds Pro 2 offer a Dual Sound System with digital analogue frequency crossover technology that allows the device to distinguish between high and low frequencies, coupled with LDAC High resolution.

Huawei says the true wireless earbuds offer “the purest sound quality in the industry.” Additionally, the buds offer triple microphone active noise cancellation that is able to provide 15 percent more noise reduction capabilities compared to the previous FreeBuds Pro. Further, with a quad magnetic driver for medium and lower frequencies, the device can deliver punchy bass. This results in a wide range from 14Hz to 48Hz to provide accurate sound details.

The FreeBuds Pro 2 also come with three dynamic audio listening optimization algorithms that can detect changes in volume, differences in ear canal structure and changes in real-time. The earbuds also support Huawei’s ‘All-Scenario AI Life’ approach thanks to its easy connectivity with any operating system. so

Huawei worked together with Devialet for improved sound quality. The device also features a “windproof design” that can reduce wind sounds for users. Further, with intelligent wind noise algorithms, the company says it can continue to deliver high call quality in strong winds. And for those who sweat when working out, the headphones have IP54 water resistance.

The earbuds support 6.5 hours of battery with ANC off, but Huawei didn’t mention the lifetime with ANC turned on. Additionally, it offers 30 hours of battery life with the case.

These headphones will launch in ‘Silver Frost,’ ‘Ceramic White’ and the striking ‘Silver Blue.’

Huawei says the earbuds will launch in Canada for back-to-school. Canadian pricing has yet to be announced, but it sports a €199 price tag (roughly $271 CAD).

The Matebook D 16 and 16s

The Matebook D 16 and 16s are the company’s latest 16-inch FullView display laptops that are powered by a 12th Gen Intel Core H-Series processor with thermal design power (TDP) of up to 40W, dual-channel RAM and high-speed SSD.

The MateBook D 16 and 16s have a light metallic body of weight similar to other 15.6-inch laptops

Furthermore, the laptops have multi-device file management and AI search for easy file transmission between PC, smartphones tablets and more.

The company has not yet announced a Canadian release date or pricing. European pricing is €899 for the D16 (roughly $1,227 CAD), and the 16s costs €1,699 (roughly $2319.08 CAD)

The Mate Xs 2, Nova Y70, and more

The Mate Xs 2 sports an ultra-light, ultra flat and durable Falcon Wing Design. Additionally, when unfolded it sports a 7.8-inch display with 424ppi and a 120Hz refresh rate and an 8:7.1 aspect ratio and a 240Hz touch sampling rate. When the handset is folded, it features a 6.5-inch screen. This foldable only weighs 255g, which is about 20g lighter than Samsung’s Galaxy Fold 3.

It also uses 8GB of RAM and 512GB of storage, EMUI 12 with Harmony OS, a Snapdragon 888 processor and more. Further, it sports a 50-megapixel primary camera, a 13-megapixel ultra-wide and an 8-megapixel telephoto with 3x optical zoom. It’s powered by a 4,500mAh battery with 66W SuperCharge which can reportedly charge 90 percent of its battery in 30 minutes.

Even though the phone isn’t coming to Canada, you might be curious about pricing. The XS 2 costs €1,999 (roughly $2,725 CAD).

Huawei also showed off its Nova Y70 and Y90 with 5,000mAh and 6,000mAh batteries respectively. They also both feature 6.75-inch displays with 90 percent screen-to-body ratio. The Y70 features a 48-megapixel primary shooter, 5-megapixel ultra wide and 2-megapixel macro shooter. The Y90 sports a 50-megapixel primary, 2-megapixel depth and 2-megapixel macro.

The company also revealed the MatePad Paper, which is an E Ink device that weighs 360g. It can change its refresh rate based on what people are doing with it. Huawei says the device is good for working and writing as the second generation M-Pencil sports 26ms low latency with 4096 levels of pressure. The device also works with split-screen and it can covert handwritten notes to text. It also sports voice recording, a 10.3-inch display and a lot more.

The Nova Y70, Y90 and MatePad Paper aren’t coming to Canada. The MatePad Paper costs €499, the Nova Y70 and the Y90, €199 ($271.36 CAD) and €269 ($366.81 CA), respectively.

Keep following MobileSyrup for more information and Huawei’s upcoming products.

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Huawei announces new inventions as part of its ‘Top Ten Inventions’ awards

Huawei has announced several inventions as part of its biennial “Top Ten Inventions” awards at its Shenzhen headquarters.

According to a press release from the company, the award recognizes inventions that could create new series of products and become important commercial features for devices already on the market or generate considerable value for the company and industry.

Huawei won the award for inventions such as “an adder neural network that significantly reduces power consumption” and an “optical iris that provides a unique identifier for optical fibres.” The optical iris is designed to help carriers manage their network resources, therefore, cutting time and costs with broadband deployment.

Huawei now owns the patents for these two technologies, which it believes are critical to the tech ecosystem.

By the end of 2021, Huawei held more than 110,000 active patents across over 45,000 patent families. It has more patents than any other Chinese company and has filed the most patent applications with the Euopean Union (EU) Patent Office, and is fifth on the list for the United States Patent Office.

“In the past five years, more than two billion smartphones have been licensed to Huawei’s 4G/5G patents. And for cars, about eight million connected vehicles licensed to Huawei patents are being delivered to the consumers every year,” said Alan Fan, head of Huawei’s IPR department, in a statement. Additionally, Fan noted that Huawei’s patents have seen wide recognition across the industry, especially in cellular technology, Wi-Fi and audio/video codecs.

The company is also discussing joint licensing programs for 5G patents.

It’s worth noting that Canada banned Huawei and ZTE from its 5G network, so its patents can’t be used here.

And though Huawei has been blocked from U.S. technologies like Google’s Android operating system, phones with Android 13 will use a Read-Only File System (EROFS) created by Huawei engineer Xiang Gao.

Huawei says that it invests 10 percent of its sales revenue into research and development every year.

Source: Huawei

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Huawei Watch GT Runner is now available in Canada

Huawei has announced that its new Watch GT Runner will now be available in Canada. To celebrate the launch, the Watch GT Runner will be available in Canada via Amazon starting at $398.99 on May 30th. 

Until June 19th, if you purchase the GT Runner you’ll get a free Huawei Scale 3 smart scale. 

The Watch GT Runner sports a two-week battery life, and up to seven days of battery life in heavy battery usage scenarios. The smartwatch sports Huawei TruSeen 5.0 heart rating monitoring technology with accurate dynamic heart rate and SpO2 monitoring.

Additionally, it features TruSeen 5.0+ technology for monitoring running data and shares it to third-party apps through Huawei Health App.

The device also features GPS, Beidou, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS and has built-in Dual-Band Five-System GNSS position chip with a suspended hidden antenna.

The Watch GT Runner is powered by HarmonyOS 2.1 and is compatible with Android and iOS.

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Phones with Android 13 at launch will reportedly feature Huawei technology

Google is reportedly planning on including the Enhanced Read-Only File System (EROFS) in Android 13 with system created by Huawei engineer Xiang Gao.

The feature offers a benefit over other existing file systems as well as space-saving compression and speed, and it’ll lead to faster updates and less storage space being used, according to Esper.

Huawei developed EROFS to be included in the Linux kernel, which is at the base of Android. Back in 2019, the U.S blocked Huawei from using American services, including Google, which is why we haven’t seen an Android-powered Huawei handset in several years. Most compression systems also take performance hits, but the EROFS system fixes this.

With Google working with EROFS, it means that devices that launch with Android 13 and have Google services built-in will have these services. This should include most of the flagship Android devices that launch next year in Canada.

That said, until U.S. sanctions lift on Huawei, we still won’t see a device sporting Android 13.

Source: Android Authority, Esper