Technical Glossary (1935 terms)

Standardized hardware and benchmark definitions across smartphones, laptops, CPUs, GPUs, SoCs, and tablets.

• microtransaction — A small in-game purchase, often for cosmetics or boosts. [ GAMING ]
• mid-band — Cellular frequencies balancing coverage and speed, central to 5G. [ CONNECTIVITY ]
• mid-tier — Mid-tier describes mainstream products between budget and premium. [ GENERAL ]
• midrange audio — The middle audio frequencies where most voices and instruments sit. [ AUDIO ]
• migration — Moving data and settings from one device to another. [ SOFTWARE ]
• military grade — Military grade means hardware tested to military durability standards. [ DURABILITY ]
• milliamp-hour — The unit (mAh) used to express phone and tablet battery capacity. [ BATTERY ]
• millimeter — A millimeter is a small unit of length equal to one-thousandth of a metre. [ GENERAL ]
• millisecond — A millisecond is one-thousandth of a second (0.001 s). [ GENERAL ]
• milliwatt — A milliwatt is one-thousandth of a watt, used for low-power radio output. [ GENERAL ]
• mini window — A small floating window that shows an app on top of others. [ SOFTWARE ]
• mixed review — A mixed review finds both notable strengths and weaknesses. [ GENERAL ]
• mmWave — A high-frequency 5G band (24–39 GHz) with huge speed but very short range and poor wall penetration. [ CONNECTIVITY ]
• modular design — A modular design allows key components to be replaced or upgraded. [ DURABILITY ]
• moiré — A wavy interference pattern caused by fine repeating details. [ CAMERA ]
• mono speaker — A single speaker that outputs one combined audio channel. [ AUDIO ]
• motion smoothness — How fluidly a display renders moving content, driven by refresh rate and response time. [ DISPLAY ]
• multi-frame processing — Combining several shots into one higher-quality image. [ CAMERA ]
• multiplayer — A mode where several players play together or against each other. [ GAMING ]
• multitasking memory — The RAM available to keep multiple apps running and resumable at once. [ MEMORY ]
• n1 — n1 is a 5G NR frequency band operating around 2100 MHz (re-farmed from 3G). [ CONNECTIVITY ]
• n258 — n258 is a 5G NR frequency band operating around 24.25-27.5 GHz (mmWave). [ CONNECTIVITY ]
• n260 — n260 is a 5G NR frequency band operating around 37-40 GHz (mmWave). [ CONNECTIVITY ]
• n261 — n261 is a 5G NR frequency band operating around 27.5-28.35 GHz (mmWave). [ CONNECTIVITY ]
• n28 — n28 is a 5G NR frequency band operating around 700 MHz (wide-coverage low band). [ CONNECTIVITY ]
• n40 — n40 is a 5G NR frequency band operating around 2,300 MHz (mid band). [ CONNECTIVITY ]
• n41 — n41 is a 5G NR frequency band operating around 2,500 MHz (mid band). [ CONNECTIVITY ]
• n66 — n66 is a 5G NR frequency band operating around 1,700/2,100 MHz (AWS). [ CONNECTIVITY ]
• n71 — n71 is a 5G NR frequency band operating around 600 MHz (low band). [ CONNECTIVITY ]
• n77 — n77 is a 5G NR frequency band operating around 3.3-4.2 GHz (C-band). [ CONNECTIVITY ]
• n78 — n78 is a 5G NR frequency band operating around 3.3-3.8 GHz (global C-band). [ CONNECTIVITY ]
• n79 — n79 is a 5G NR frequency band operating around 4.4-5.0 GHz. [ CONNECTIVITY ]
• nano-SIM — The current small physical SIM card size used by most phones. [ CONNECTIVITY ]
• nano-SIM tray — The small tray that holds a nano-SIM card inside a phone. [ CONNECTIVITY ]
• native app — An app built for a specific platform's software and hardware. [ SOFTWARE ]
• native resolution — Rendering a game at the display's full resolution. [ GAMING ]
• network carrier — The operator providing a device's cellular service. [ CONNECTIVITY ]
• network speed — The data rate a network connection delivers to a device. [ CONNECTIVITY ]
• new model — A new model is a recently released version of a product. [ GENERAL ]
• night charging — Charging a device overnight, a pattern that charge-optimization features target. [ BATTERY ]
• night shot — A mode that brightens low-light photos by stacking frames. [ CAMERA ]
• night video — Low-light video recording with boosted brightness and reduced noise. [ CAMERA ]
• noise — Random grain or colour speckle in a photo, worst in low light. [ CAMERA ]
• noise cancelling — Reducing unwanted background noise, actively or passively. [ AUDIO ]
• noise reduction — Techniques that lower unwanted noise in audio capture or playback. [ AUDIO ]
• not recommended — Not recommended marks a product reviewers advise against. [ GENERAL ]
• notch — A cutout at the top of a display for the camera and sensors. [ DISPLAY ]
• notification — An alert from an app shown outside the app itself. [ SOFTWARE ]
• notification dot — A small dot that indicates an unread notification. [ SOFTWARE ]
• notification settings — Controls that decide how and when apps show alerts. [ SOFTWARE ]