Morning Brief Highlights

1. Alibaba’s Qianwen App Enters Public Beta
2. UNISOC Launches the T9300 High-Performance 5G SoC
3. Ministry of Public Security Flags 40 Mobile Apps for Illegal or Irregular Personal Data Collection
4. OPPO Unveils the Reno15 Series Smartphones
5. TGA 2025 Game Awards Nominees Announced
6. Google DeepMind Releases the WeatherNext 2 Model
7. Google Play Adds “Where to Watch” Feature
8. Cities: Skylines II Switches Development Teams
9. Just a heads-up on the small rumor mill—nothing to take too seriously.

---

Alibaba’s Qianwen App Enters Public Beta

On November 17, Alibaba announced that its AI assistant app, Qianwen, has entered public beta. Built on Alibaba’s Qwen model, the app aims to become an AI assistant that “can chat and get things done.” Looking ahead, Alibaba plans to integrate a wide range of everyday scenarios into the Qianwen app — including maps, food delivery, ticket booking, office tools, learning, shopping, and health services — turning it into an all-in-one entry point. The app will also be updated with the latest and most powerful Qwen models as soon as they become available. The public beta version of the Qianwen app is now available in major app stores. An international version for global users will also be launched soon. Sources.

UNISOC Launches the T9300 High-Performance 5G SoC

On November 16, UNISOC officially listed its T9300 high-performance 5G SoC on its website. The chip is built on a 6nm process and features an octa-core CPU architecture with A78 performance cores clocked at up to 2.4GHz. It comes with a dual-core Mali G57 GPU, high-speed UFS 2.2 storage, and LPDDR4X memory. The T9300 supports dual-SIM 5G standby and the latest Android 16, and integrates the 7th-gen Vivimagic imaging engine with support for 200-megapixel sensors and 144Hz high-refresh displays, along with Hi-Fi-grade audio. It also includes the UNISOC Miracle Gaming engine for mobile gaming. For displays, it supports FHD+ 144Hz and 1.5K 90Hz modes, HDR10+, VideoPQ dynamic contrast adjustment, VRR adaptive refresh rate, blue-light reduction, sunlight and night-mode eye protection, and intelligent resolution switching. It has also passed Netflix certification. In imaging, the chip uses the 7th-gen Vivimagic engine with a new 7th-gen quad-core ISP, supporting 200MP sensors, 32MP@25fps ZSL, and 20+20MP dual-camera setups. It offers strong noise-reduction capabilities, supporting hardware MFNR multi-frame noise reduction, hardware TNR temporal noise reduction, and a new 3A 5.0 algorithm. For connectivity, it supports 2G through 5G multi-mode networks, 3GPP R17, integrated NR NTN satellite communications, 5G MBS broadcast, 5G NR with both SA and NSA modes, dual-SIM dual-VoNR, and VoWiFi. Additional features include enhanced full-scenario coverage technologies and AI-driven intelligent network switching. Sources.

Ministry of Public Security Flags 40 Mobile Apps for Illegal or Irregular Personal Data Collection

On November 17, the National Cybersecurity Notification Center reported that between September 28 and October 16, 2025, the Ministry of Public Security’s Quality Supervision and Testing Center for Computer Information System Security Products detected 40 mobile applications involved in illegal or improper collection and use of personal information. The identified issues include: failure to list the purposes, methods, and scope of personal information collection and use one by one (16 apps); failure to inform users of the purpose when requesting permissions that allow access to personal information (1 app); collecting personal information before obtaining user consent (2 apps); collecting personal information beyond the scope authorized by users (16 apps); personal information protection policies describing data collection beyond what is necessary for related functions (1 app); declared permissions in configuration files exceeding the necessary scope for related functions (2 apps); actual collection of personal information beyond what is necessary for related functions (10 apps); failure to provide users with channels or features to file personal information–related complaints (5 apps); failure to provide specific ways for users to correct or supplement their personal information (3 apps); failure to provide specific ways for users to delete their personal information (3 apps); failure to provide channels or methods for users to delete their accounts (1 app); including unreasonable conditions or extra requirements in the account deletion process (1 app); failure to provide options to exit or disable personalized content display (1 app); and advertisements that mislead or deceive users (2 apps). Additionally, out of 34 apps listed in the previous notice, 9 failed to correct the identified issues upon reinspection and have been removed from app stores. Sources.

OPPO Unveils the Reno15 Series Smartphones

On November 17, OPPO launched the Reno15 series, including the Reno15 and Reno15 Pro, with a focus on Live Photos and livestreaming features.

The OPPO Reno15 is powered by the Dimensity 8450 chipset and features a 6.32-inch 1.5K 120Hz display. It comes with a 6200mAh battery supporting 80W SuperVOOC fast charging and 80W UFCS unified fast charging. The device is rated IP69 for water and dust resistance. The rear triple-camera system includes a 200MP equivalent 24mm f/1.8 OIS wide camera, a 50MP equivalent 16mm f/2.0 ultra-wide camera, and a 50MP equivalent 80mm f/2.8 OIS telephoto camera, supporting up to 3.5× optical zoom. The Reno15 is available in three colors: Luli Brown, Aurora Blue, and Starlight Bow, priced from 2,999 RMB (12GB+256GB) to 3,999 RMB (16GB+1TB).

The OPPO Reno15 Pro also uses the Dimensity 8450 chipset and features a larger 6.78-inch 1.5K 120Hz display. It has a 6500mAh battery with 80W SuperVOOC fast charging and 80W UFCS unified fast charging. It also carries IP69 protection and shares the same camera setup as the Reno15. The Reno15 Pro comes in Luli Brown, Honey Gold, and Starlight Bow, priced from 3,699 RMB (12GB+256GB) to 4,799 RMB (16GB+1TB). Alongside the phones, OPPO also released accessories such as a magnetic stand selfie stick and a magnetic ring-fill light. Sources.

TGA 2025 Game Awards Nominees Announced

On November 18, The Game Awards 2025 (TGA) announced its list of nominees. Six titles have been nominated for Game of the Year: Light & Shadow: Expedition 33, Death Stranding 2: On the Beach of the Dead, Donkey Kong: Banana Boost, Hades II, Hollow Knight: Silksong, and Kingdom Come: Deliverance II. Among them, Light & Shadow: Expedition 33 leads with 12 nominations, making it the most nominated game in TGA history. The awards ceremony will take place on December 11 in Los Angeles. Sources.

Google DeepMind Releases the WeatherNext 2 Model

On November 17, Google DeepMind and Google Research released the WeatherNext 2 weather prediction model. WeatherNext 2 delivers forecasts eight times faster, with resolution reaching up to one hour. The model is now available on Earth Engine and BigQuery, and weather forecasts in Google Search, Gemini, Pixel Weather, as well as the Google Maps Platform Weather API, have all been upgraded to WeatherNext 2. Sources.

Google Play Adds “Where to Watch” Feature

According to Android Authority, Google Play has begun adding a new “Where to Watch” feature on store pages. Users can directly search for streaming shows, and Google Play will display information about the program along with buttons that link straight to the platforms where it is available, allowing playback with a single tap. This feature significantly reduces the time users spend searching for specific shows. Sources.

Cities: Skylines II Switches Development Teams

On November 17, the development team behind Cities: Skylines II announced that publisher Paradox Interactive and developer Colossal Order have ended their partnership of more than ten years. The statement noted that the decision was made jointly by both teams to ensure the strongest possible future for the Cities: Skylines franchise. Starting in early 2026, development of Cities: Skylines II will be handed over to Finland-based Iceflake Studios, a Paradox Interactive–managed studio. Before the transition, Colossal Order will complete the bicycle patch and the beta version of the editor asset manager. Sources.

Just Some Rumors to Glance At

At the “JD Wine Tasting Event” on November 17, Richard Liu announced the launch of the standalone JD Food Delivery app and the “never-to-be-commercialized” JD Reviews. He also introduced “Qixian Coffee,” which will exclusively use fresh milk, with 3–5 new stores opening each week. The goal is to achieve basic coverage across major districts in Beijing by the end of this year. Sources 1 2

At the 2025 Honor Carnival event, Honor showcased a prototype of the HONOR ROBOT phone. Its core design involves retracting a gimbal-style camera beneath the glass back panel of the device. Sources.

In an 8-K filing submitted to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on November 14, Logitech confirmed that data had been stolen in July by the Cl0p ransomware group through an Oracle E-Business Suite vulnerability. The specific information stolen has not been disclosed. Sources.

Weibo user Yiyi Tech posted close-up photos of two versions of the Huawei Mate80 Pro packaging box. The images indicate that different versions of the Mate80 Pro will feature either the Kirin 9030 or Kirin 9030 Pro chipset. Sources.

The X platform has begun rolling out its new end-to-end encrypted “Chat” feature to replace traditional direct messages. However, X emphasized that the system lacks protection against man-in-the-middle attacks and does not encrypt metadata. Sources.