As it’s always the case with every new smartphone release; there’s always this excitement with every sneak peak at the details before launch.

We saw that with the Galaxy S20 lineup and looks like the doers have again gone blockbuster with the Samsung Galaxy S20 and several details you might want to know.

While speculations regarding the launch timeline of the phone had been happening, this for the first time that alleged renders of Samsung’s upcoming flagship smartphone have been reported.

And who says it doesn’t look pretty much like the S20??!!

The renders come from Pigtou who claims that these renders are based on drawings obtained by the outlet’s sources and not conceptual.

Samsung Galaxy Note 20 leaked specs.

The expected flagship unsurprisingly looks a lot like the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra with major exception being the boxier appearance and the square corners which is the case with all Note series.

The devices dimensions are 161.8 x 75.3 x 8.5mm, which is roughly the same size as the Samsung Galaxy Note10+ or if you want to be more precise, a little more than half a millimitre thicker. The dimensions of the camera module are even reported as well: 38.1mm by 21.9mm.

The Galaxy Note20 and Note20+ are expected to arrive with the same storage allocations as the Galaxy S20 lineup, running either the Snapdragon 865 or the Exynos 990.

The Galaxy Note20 and Note20+ have previously been rumored to come with 4000 mAh and 4500 mAh batteries, respectively.

What better time to make all our wishes come true…

A larger Samsung Galaxy Note20+ much bigger than the Galaxy S20 is expected as well, which will be quite interesting right.

We always love it bigger…

With the dimensions mentioned above (of the Note20), the report suggests it might be 6.7-inches diagonally, and the renders show the display is totally flat. We enjoy the idea that a Note device will no longer have curved edges. It’ll make it easier to use the S-Pen with

The S Pen location has also changed from the right to the left, which is likely what Samsung needed to do to get all the physical buttons over to the right side. The SIM tray is at the top of the device.

The power button also makes its return to the right hand side of the smartphone after an unsuccessful trial on the left with the Galaxy Note 10+.

Other minor tweaks are always what we have come to expect from flagship smartphone upgrades.

Just Ask Apple and their iPhones users…

When is the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 launch event

The Galaxy S and Note series have always been an integral part of the Hong Kong based smartphone producer, in fact they are the only Samsung products that do get a official physical launch.

These devices have seen launch venues from New York, London and even Seoul.

However, the situation is beyond the control of the company as COVID-19 pandemic has forced people to stay indoors as much as possible.

Though nothing confirmed yet, the Samsung Galaxy Note20 is expected sometime in August during Samsung’s bi-annual Unpacked event. Only this time, we can expect an only-Virtual launch event.

Xiaomi on Tuesday announced the global version of it’s custom Android skin – MIUI 12 in an online event.

The update which has been available for sometime now for the Chinese market packs an increased focus on UI aesthetics some productivity-improving multi-tasking features, and an all-around update on some minor tweaks and privacy fixes.

The Chinese OEM promise MIUI 12 will start rolling out to its flagship devices, the Mi, Redmi and Poco smartphones from the end of June with it’s older devices as old as the Redmi 5 also getting a fair share from the Pandora’s box.

Beta builds of the custom Android skin is expected to be available from next week.

The event however did not touch upon availability for the Nigerian market specifically though Xaomi’s assurance that MIUI 12 is a product of a decade’s worth of research and innovation and the latest version going big on design, privacy and multi-tasking…

We definitely cannot wait to have it on our big screens down here…

Here are the top five features and very credible reasons why you should be hitting that update button ASAP—

1. Animation Render Engines

MIUI 12 has restructured animation rendering with a new physics engine for Xiaomi devices.

The new animation framework called Light Cone Animation Framework adds real-time gaussian blur to the background with varying degrees of blurring. The same rendering engine also introduces dynamically rounded corners that changes as you click on an icon to when the app opens.

The Physics Engine delivers tangible feedback to UI actions, whether you are pulling an app from a corner, or tapping on an icon upfront or tilting it to the corner. The opening animation of apps also happens with a 3D touch making it look like it pops out of the screen.

The weather app is also updated to show weather elements on the screen. Icons also got a big upgrade with the inclusion of layers. You will now see elements in the icons change shape with the passage of time.

There’s also a new iOS-like Control Center that gives you control over frequently used settings. It’s basically a redesign of the quick access bar in the notification shade.

Animations are present everywhere accross the interface with the Settings app not left out. The About Phone section will visualise information like storage space. Clicking on it will give an even more visual breakup of what’s eating your space.

2. Permission Notification

This is unarguably the pick of the bunch practically…

Xiaomi promise MIUI 12 will finally notify users of background behaviour.

When critical components of your smartphone like the microphone, camera and others are used, you will see a sticky notification informing in the status bar.

There’s now the option to let apps use location services only when the app is running in the foreground, and these settings are available for seven critical scenarios including contacts, camera, microphone, storage, calendar, location and contacts.

MIUI 12 will also provide an option to keep details like a location from being shared when you are sharing a photo, however this is turned on by default.

3. Super Wallpapers

Xiaomi MIUI 12 also packs amazing preinstalled wallpapers this time courtesy of NASA to let you tour plants from your phone screen.

Called Super Wallpapers, they animate the home screen, lock screen as well as the Always-On display offering a detailed peek into a planet’s geography.

What something extra, you can even see the planets change from day to night as the sun sets.

4. Floating Windows

Also announced is floating windows – a MIUI feature that allows you to interact real-time with applications still brunning in the foreground.

Not basically you default Android split screen tech…

According to the demo, you can even make a game float on the main screen while it’s loading, allow quick replies to messages from within another app like Instagram or keep a video in a floating window while you do a quick Google search.

The window can be enlarged to enter the app in full screen or kept minimised in the corner.

Notably, the floating windows aren’t bubble-shaped like we see with Facebook Messenger and the likes. Instead, it forms a small rectangular window in the corner and may cover part of the app you’re on.

I think we’ve been here before…

5. Universal Casting

Xiaomi also announced that you can cast just about anything from your phone — Videos, games, docs, apps and more to TV’s and displays that support Miracast.

Furthermore, private messages you receive while casting the screen will not be shown on the big screen. You can also exit the cast screen from your phone and go somewhere else, and it won’t impact the casting process.

Pretty cool privacy stuff right?

So, if you’re a Mi fan (technically any Xiaomi user), just know MIUI 12 first rolls out to the big boys – includes the Mi 9, Mi 9T, Mi 9T Pro, Redmi K20 and Redmi K20 Pro for the first batch.

In round 2, a lot more devices will receive the update which includes but not limited to the —

Redmi Note 7 Pro
Redmi Note 8 Pro
Redmi Note 9
Poco F1
Mi 10 Pro
Poco F2 Pro
Poco X2
Redmi Y2
Redmi Note 6 Pro, and more.