IT Burewala

Intel on Monday announced its latest Intel XMM 8160 5G multimode modem which is aimed at providing 5G connectivity to devices including mobiles, PCs, and broadband access gateways. With support for peak download speeds of up to 6Gbps per second, this new Intel 5G modem will be made available in the second half of 2019 with commercial devices coming to market in the first half of 2020. The announcement appears to corroborate a recent report that claimed that Apple will stick to Intel cellular modems and will launch the first iPhone with a new 5G modem in 2020.

With its new single-chip multimode baseband capability, the new Intel XMM 8160 5G modem will allow device manufacturers to design smaller and more power-efficient 5G capable devices. It also eliminates the need of installing two separate modems for 5G and legacy connectivity. Intel's integrated multimode solution supports simultaneous connectivity (EN-DC) for LTE and 5G, allowing for backward compatibility to 4G if 5G networks are not available at any moment or location.

Other than that, Intel's XMM 8160 5G modem supports the new millimetre wave (mmWave) spectrum alongside the sub 6GHz NR support with downloads speeds of up to 6Gbps. The modem has been designed by Intel to scale with global deployments.

A Fast Company report from earlier this month claimed that the first 5G-enabled iPhone from Apple is likely to use an Intel 8161 5G modem, possibly a successor to the one launched this week, and could hit stores in the first half of 2020. Intel is all set to become the sole provider of iPhone modems, if everything goes as planned. The report also states that the upcoming Intel 8161 5G modem will use a 10-nanometre process.

Other than that, many Android OEMs are expected to unveil 5G capable smartphones next year including OnePlus, Samsung, and Xiaomi among others. Apple would thus be looking to step up its cellular game by launching the first 5G capable iPhone as soon as possible.

Xiaomi Poco F1 has received an MIUI 10 Global Beta 8.9.13 build. The fresh development comes just days after the Chinese company released the kernel source code of the latest affordable smartphone. The company also recently reduced the bootloader unlock time for the Poco F1 from the standard policy of 15 days to three days. MIUI 10 brings Xiaomi's newest user interface alongside a new Recents menu and AI Portrait mode. There are also some other artificial intelligence (AI) based features, including the AI Preload to enhance the experience. Last week, Xiaomi reportedly started rolling out the MIUI 10 Global Stable ROM for the Redmi Note 5 Pro in India. The company also recently brought the newest MIUI version for the Redmi Y2.

As announced through an MIUI forum post, the MIUI 10 Global Beta 8.9.13 for the Poco F1 is available for the fastboot process that requires an unlocked bootloader. The custom ROM comes in 2.5GB size and is available for download directly from Xiaomi's MIUI servers. The official changelog shows that the new beta version fixes the "OK Google" hotword issue as well as addresses the problem of low and distorted headphone audio output while playing PUBG. Additionally, the new version fixes the issue that was restricting some app icons from being displayed in the notification panel.

Having said that, since the latest MIUI release for the Poco F1 is currently in its beta stage, you could face some issues after accomplishing its installation. It is, therefore, better to wait for the stable MIUI 10 release instead of going for the beta version. Xiaomi has already brought the MIUI 10 Global Stable releases for the Redmi Note 5 Pro, Mi Mix, and Mi Mix 2 among others. This suggests a sooner than expected arrival of the MIUI 10 Global Stable for the Poco F1 as well.

Last week, Xiaomi confirmed the presence of Quick Charge 4.0 on the Poco F1. The handset was originally announced to have the Quick Charge 3.0. Further, the company in a separate tweet highlighted that the handset comes with P2i certification to offer a splash-resistant build.

Xiaomi released the kernel source code of the Poco F1 after conducting its first flash sale in India late last month. The code is available on GitHub and is the same kernel source branch that previously included the Mi 8 and Mi 8 Explorer Edition.

The Poco F1 runs Android 8.1 Oreo on top of MIUI 9.6. The custom skin isn't identical to the MIUI designed for other Xiaomi phones, and thus, it is called MIUI for Poco. The smartphone is also notably upgradable to MIUI 10. However, the official schedule for the MIUI 10 Global Stable release for the Poco F1 hasn't been announced so far.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro, launched in India back in February, arrived with strong specifications, good design, dual cameras, among other features. However, the weak link in the Redmi Note 5 Pro was that it ran MIUI 9 based on Android 7.1.2 Nougat. But now, Xiaomi has started to roll out the MIUI 10 Global Stable ROM update to Redmi Note 5 Pro in the country, users report. Earlier in June 2018, the company had rolled out MIUI 9.5 based on Android Oreo to the smartphone, following a cancellation of the rollout. Users can expect to receive an over-the-air update notification on their handsets or via the Updater app soon.

The Redmi Note 5 Pro MIUI 10 update is reportedly being rolled out via the OTA method in a phased manner, so you might have to wait a few days to receive it. As reported by some users via MIUI forum posts, the latest MIUI 10 stable update comes with the version number MIUI 10.0.1.0.OEIMIFH. The update also brings with it the September 2018 Android Security Patch. Also, the new update is 580MB in size. Notably, Xiaomi has not announced a rollout of the stable MIUI 10 version for Redmi Note 5 Pro officially. However, as per the screenshots of the changelog shared by the users, the MIUI 10 Global Stable update brings full-screen gestures that make it a better option for devices with newer aspect ratios and thin-bezel displays. On the sound part, the MIUI 10 Global Stable ROM includes natural sounds and ambient sounds.

To recall, the rollout of the first stable version of MIUI 10 was started by Xiaomi in China last month. After almost three months since its launch in beta, MIUI 10 had arrived in a stable version in Mi 6 in the country. Earlier this week, Xiaomi had started rolling out the MIUI 10 Global Stable ROM to the Redmi Y2 smartphone, the India variant of the Redmi S2.

As mentioned, Xiaomi has just started rolling out the MIUI 10 OTA update to the Redmi Note 5 Pro, but it may take some time for the update to reach every unit. Meanwhile, you can check for the latest MIUI 10 Global Stable ROM by going to Settings > About phone > System updates > Check for updates. You can download it through the Updater app. Notably, Xiaomi is yet to provide the Recovery ROM and Fastboot ROM links for those who wish to sideload or flash.