ZTE has announced two new phones for the US. The Blade A7 Prime is a $99 phone with entry-level specs while the $179 Blade A10 Prime packs more powerful specs and features.
Blade A7 Prime
The Blade A7 Prime has a 6.09-inch screen with an HD+ resolution and a waterdrop notch. It has a thick chin and a red power button as we have seen on a lot of ZTE phones this year.
The phone is powered by an Helio A22 processor paired with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of expandable storage. A single 16MP camera sits on the back along with a fingerprint scanner while a 5MP camera is in front for selfies. The back cover is made of plastic with a textured finish that reminds one of the OnePlus One’s SandStone finish. There are two holes at the bottom of the phone for the speaker.
The ZTE Blade A7 Prime runs Android 9 out of the box. It packs a 3200mAh battery and charges via a USB Type-C port. It also has an audio jack at the top and DTS Sound.
You can purchase the phone unlocked from the American carrier, Visible.
Blade A10 Prime
The Blade A10 Prime comes with a bigger 6.3-inch screen with an FHD+ resolution and a 19:9 aspect ratio. Like the Blade A7 Prime, there is also a notch but it is home to a 16MP camera.
There is a more powerful Helio P60 processor under the hood along with 3GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage that can be expanded (up to 2TB). A 16MP + 5MP dual camera combo sits on the back. You also get a fingerprint scanner and a 3200mAh battery. The Blade A10 Prime has a USB Type-C port, an audio jack, and DTS Sound. It runs Android Pie out of the box, and just like the A7 Prime, it is compatible with hearing aids (M4/T3).
The phone is available on Visible for $179 starting today. There is only one color variant available and it is black.
China’s popular e-tailer GeekBuying has launched a new promotion dubbed The 2019 11.11 Sale Shopping Festival, dolling out great discounts on a wide range of products across various categories.
The shopping festival gives you a chance to check in to share $11,000,000 coupons, in addition to winning marvelous gifts such as the Xiaomi Redmi headset, Tronsmart T6 Plus Bluetooth speakers, AMAZFIT GTR smartwatch, and Xmas LED Light. The products have been placed under specific categories so that consumers do not end up spending a lot of time searching for their favorite device.
Among a myriad of other top-notch products, the first section called Flash Deals includes two well-received variants of the Magic-Ben MAG1 pocket laptop that are currently available for considerably lowered prices. We will not only shed light on these discounts but also show how you can save more money at checkout.
Featuring 8GB of RAM, along with 256GB of internal storage space, the aforesaid model usually retails for $907.99, but as part of the recently kicked-off 11.11 Sale on GeekBuying, you can buy it for just $709.99. Furthermore, you can even extend this 22 percent discount by applying coupon code MagicBen4GL.
The coupon helps you get an extra $10 off by bringing the already lowered asking price of the Magic-Ben MAG1 further down to just $699.99 even before you place your order. You can click here to place your order and get a discount. If you are a new user, do not forget to take advantage of the 2% OFF New User Coupon before clicking the ‘Place Your Order’ button.
Those who do not mind shelling out a few extra dollars for more power under the hood can go for the larger model that ships with 16GB of RAM and offers a hefty 512GB of internal storage capacity so that you can save all your multimedia content without worrying about running out of space. There are no prizes for guessing, the aforesaid model doesn’t come cheap.
To get your hands on this considerably larger Magic-Ben MAG1 variant, you’d normally need to spend a whopping $1047.99, but much to the relief of those on a tight budget, GeekBuying is offering it for just $873.99. This is a 17 percent drop in the device’s original asking price.
On top of that, you can grab an extra $ off simply by applying coupon code MagicBen4GH at the time of checking out. The coupon enables you to reduce the retail price of the slightly larger Magic-Ben MAG1 laptop variant to only $859.99 during the checkout process.
If this would your first order with GeekBuying, you can use the 2% OFF New User Coupon and save more money. You can follow this link to and place your order without wasting time as the promo will be valid for only two days.
The compact, yet powerful Magic-Ben MAG1 laptop boasts an impressive array of features. Here are a few of them:
8.9-inch Touchscreen with 2560×1600 pixels resolution
A dashcam is an important car accessory that records the video of the vehicle on the driving road. It gives crucial evidence in case of car accidents and provides a much-needed safety to the driver.
If you’ve restlessly been searching for a budget car DVR that doesn’t compromise on performance, the Alfawise LS02 1080P FHD dash cam might just fill the bill. With a full HD video processor under the hood, the Alfawise LS02 records crystal clear images, as well as your locations using its GPS function.
Loaded with a slew of similar useful features, the Alfawise LS02 understandably carries a $100.26 price tag, but Gearbest is giving you a chance to buy it for a reduced price of only $85.99. As if that weren’t enough, you can extend this 14 percent discount by applying coupon code ILALFA1014.
The aforesaid coupon enables you to save $11 more at the time of checking out. In other words, you can bring the already reduced asking price of the Alfawise LS02 further down to $74.99 simply by applying the coupon. Moreover, you can get an add-on item for just $2.11 if you spend $20, as part of Gearbest’s latest promo.
This feature-rich dashcam sports a 3.0 inch large OLED touch screen, which is large enough to operate conveniently. Furthermore, it houses a dual-camera setup (front and back) for all-around recording during your driving trip. It helps avoid disputes
The Alfawise LS02 supports GPS and WiFi, allowing you to track your location on the map, and it can be easily controlled using an app. Powered by supercapacitors, the dashcam comes with a built-in SONY 1080P IMX370 STARVIS image sensor that captures ultra-clear images even in dark environments.
To know more about the Alfawise LS02 1080P dashcam and to place your order, all you need to do is to follow this link without wasting time. With several pieces already sold out at the time of writing, this promo is slated to end in just four days.
Recent data from research firm Counterpoint Research shows that shipments in the premium smartphone segment grew astronomically by 66% YoY. This segment is comprised of smartphones with retail prices between Rs. 30,000 (roughly US$493) or higher
According to the report, the segment’s massive growth was aided by new launches, aggressive offers, and channel push, before the important festive season. Smartphone OEMs had begun to promote aggressively mouthwatering offers on premium smartphone well-ahead of the festive season, most of them as early as the last week of September. Offers included payment plans (EMI), cashback and exchange offers.
The data also showed that OnePlus‘ rise in the premium smartphone market continued in Q3 2019. The OP 7T and 7T Pro played huge roles in giving OnePlus its widest ever portfolio in the Indian market which accounts for a quarter of its global shipments. The OnePlus 7 and OnePlus 7 Pro were the best-selling and third best-selling models during the quarter, respectively.
OnePlus cornered a market share of 35% to lead the premium market segment, representing a 95% increase YoY. This is followed by Samsung with a 23% market share and Apple in third place with 22% market share. OnePlus grew faster (+95%) than the segment (+66%) and remained the fastest-growing brand, driven by strong performances of both the 7 and 7T series. Samsung shipments were helped by the new Galaxy Note 10 series, while the price cut for iPhone XR drove Apple’s shipments. However, the cumulative share of top three brands declined to 79% in Q3 2019 as compared to 83% in Q3 2018, highlighting a growing presence of other brands in the segment, mainly OPPO, Xiaomi, and Asus. More than 20 flagship phone variants launched in Q3 2019, the highest ever in a single quarter.
Counterpoint Research notes that the Indian premium smartphone market still has a long way to go despite the amazing Q3 2019 outing. The segment contributed just 5% of the entire market in terms of volume. In comparison, the premium phone segment accounts for 50% and 22% of the smartphone market in the US and China respectively.
Just yesterday, we reported that Huawei’s Y9 series will be getting a new member called the Huawei Y9s. Today, the phone’s full listing has appeared on Huawei’s official website.
The Huawei Y9s has the same 6.59-inch FHD+ Ultra FullView Display as the Huawei Y9 Prime 2019 that launched in the first half of this year. It also retains the pop-up selfie camera design. However, there have been some changes in the design.
The phone has a side-mounted fingerprint scanner buried under the power button and its triple rear cameras share the same housing. It also ditches the two-tone design for a single finish Midnight Black and a color-changing Breathing Crystal.
Huawei has swapped the 16MP sensor of the Prime model for a 48MP f/1.8 sensor. You still get an 8MP f/2.4 ultrawide angle camera with a 120° field of view and a 2MP f/2.4 depth sensor. The selfie camera also remains a 16MP sensor but with an f/2.2 aperture now.
The Huawei Y9s is powered by the same Kirin 710F processor and it gets 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage which can be expanded via a MicroSD card slot (512GB max.). The phone packs a 4000mAh battery with support for 10W charging via a USB Type-C port.
Huawei will ship the phone with EMUI 9.1 out of the box based on Android 9 Pie. The Huawei Y9s should launch soon and should have a price tag higher than the Y9 Prime 2019 as a result of the upgraded camera and larger RAM.
Oukitel’s “Young Series” just recently got another member as the company announced the new sports tri-proof smartphone, Oukitel Y1000. Doing away with the cumbersome weight of traditional rugged smartphones and gaining a super-thin body, it becomes a new standard in the rugged smartphone market. Today, the Chinese manufacturer announced that the official presale will begin on 11.11 on the occasion of the global shopping festival.
Breakthrough in Design
Moving away from the traditional manufacturing methods of rugged phones, the Y1000 combines a layer of hard PC+GF cover and another layer of soft TPU material cover. When it drops, the phone is elastic to protect itself. Also, the USB port doesn’t need a plug as it is IP68 waterproof by itself. In addition, the frame around the screen sits a bit higher than the glass so that the screen remains intact when the phone falls facing down.
Of course, besides the USB port, the whole device is waterproof, dust-proof and shockproof, and it is giving a good hand feel. The whole body is quite thin and slim at only 11.2mm and weighs just 212g. Those numbers are 30% and 39% less than, let’s say, Oukitel WP2 which is a traditional rugged smartphone.
Big battery for a whole day of use on a single charge
A thin body has its disadvantages too, as it cannot host a very large battery. Hence, the 3600mAh battery of the Y1000 is enough for a whole day’s use. If you love to listen to music while exercising, it supports up to 25 hours of music playback. This is achieved due to the MediaTek MT6580P quad-core SoC that is very power-conservative.
Memory
The Y1000 is a 3G entry-level smartphone when it comes to hardware specs. It is powered by the MT6580P quad-core SoC backed by 2GB of RAM and 32GB internal storage that can be expanded up to 128GB more via the microSD slot. Also, there is an 8MP/2MP dual rear camera and a 5MP selfie shooter placed in the waterdrop notch.
Oukitel Y1000 will go on presale with a price of just $99.99 instead of the $129.99 retail price on November 11th and you can get it on the Oukitel Official Store on Aliexpess. Check out the detailed specs on the official product page.
After nearly two months following the launch of the iPhone 11 Pro Max, DxOMark finally releases its camera review for the Apple flagship. The phone scores high, beating several other flagships announced this year but it ends up third on the list with a score of 117, losing to the Huawei Mate 30 Pro and the still-fresh-out-of-the-oven Xiaomi Mi CC9 Pro Premium Edition.
The iPhone 11 Pro Max’s score of 117 is made up of a photo score of 124 and a video score of 102. Its video score beats that of the Mate 30 Pro and ties with that of the Mi CC9 Pro Premium Edition making it and the Xiaomi the best phones for video recording but it loses to both phones when it comes to photos.
A breakdown of the photo score shows the iPhone 11 Pro Max is great at exposure, color accuracy, and autofocus but it scores low when it comes to very low-light photos and this is because of the Mate 30 Pro and the Mi CC9 Pro sporting much larger image sensors. It is important to state that the iPhone is better than the Huawei flagship and Xiaomi premium mid-range phone at taking wide-angle photos.
DxOMark praises the new Deep Fusion feature as it helps with rendering fine details such as freckles, the hair on pets, and distant foliage, making it a great at taking landscape and portrait photography. However, while it is better at noise reduction than the iPhone XS Max, it cannot keep up with the competitors.
Even though it scores lower than the Mate 30 Pro and Xiaomi CC9 Pro in low-light, the iPhone 11 Pro Max does a fantastic job when taking photos at night. DxOMark mentions that you are better off with the flash auto mode turned off when taking night photos so you don’t get overexposed photos.
For videos, the iPhone 11 Pro Max renders colors well and its video HDR allows it to capture details excellently. It is also good at video stabilization but surprisingly not as good as the iPhone XS Max, no thanks to a more visible jello effect.
Overall, the iPhone 11 Pro Max earns its spot as one of the top five phones with the best camera. If it had a larger sensor and better zoom, it most likely will be at the top of the list.
Yesterday we talked about the tease poster that the CEO of Blackview posted on Facebook and today we have an official confirmation and launch date. The phone is coming on November 18th and according to the product page, it is a super budget-friendly mainstream device with a quad rear camera and 4680mAh big battery.
Blackview A80 Pro main specs
According to the Blackview A80 Pro landing page, the device comes with a 6.49″ display with In-cell technology and achieves a 90.3% screen/body ratio. One of the highlights of the phone is the Sony 13MP main sensor included in the quad rear camera which makes it on par with modern flagship counterparts.
Also, it sports a big, 4680mAh battery and runs on Android 9 Pie that feels very comfortable using the 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage of the device. It also supports global LTE bands, which means you can use it all over the world.
Design
From the renders we can see there is a waterdrop notch and the bezels are quite thin. The phone features a 3D-like design with rounded corners and a just 8.8mm thin body so it should feel comfortable in hand despite the big battery under the hood. On the back, there is the quad-camera setup placed on the top left corner while there’s also a fingerprint sensor.
While yesterday’s info was that it would come in 3 different colors, it seems that there is another one after all. So, Blackview A80 Pro will be available in Red, Gradient Blue, Green, and Black.
The A80 Pro will launch in 11 days from today and we expect it to feature a pretty competitive price. After all, the slogan “quad-camera budget king” tells that the price should be extraordinary, making it the most affordable 4-camera phone to date. What do you think the price will be?
What’s more, the Chinese manufacturer is also offering 10 units through a huge giveaway in order for the winners to test the device and propose improvements. To be among the winners, you just need to guess the final global sale price of the phone. If you are interested in it, you can add it to your cart on Aliexpress right now and get notified when the sales begin.
A new Samsung patent filing with the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) has revealed yet another feature that could find its way to the Galaxy S11. The patent which was published on November 6, 2019, is for a software feature titled Space Zoom.
According to details first published by LetsGoDigital, the trademark is categorized as Class 9/42 and is described as; “Smartphones; Software to zoom in to a subject without lowering image quality.”
There is no doubt Samsung will be looking to improve the camera on its 2020 flagship and this feature may be one of the ways it’ll do that. Samsung may want to integrate ‘Space Zoom’ on the device but the description suggests it just a new name for the hybrid zoom function which the company is reportedly developing. Already, some smartphones like the Huawei P30 Pro, OPPO Reno 10x Zoom and the latest Reno 2 utilise the hybrid zoom. This zoom functionality delivers better image quality than the digital zoom. There are already camera samples to support the capabilities of the hybrid zoom feature.
Since the feature is already growing gradually into a trend, we expect other OEMs to include it in their flagship models. That may be what Samsung is trying to do. This obviously, eclipses the 5X zoom camera feature that had been rumoured to be on the Galaxy S11.
Samsung is expected to unveil the device around February 2020 during the Mobile World Congress (MWC 2020). We’ll have to wait to see if the device will indeed pack these features. Recall that the company earlier patented a smartphone-embedded IR spectrometer that is thought to also come with the S11.
Xiaomi has launched the MIJIA Automatic Air freshener Dispenser under crowdfunding on Xiaomi Mall. The product comes with an affordable price tag of 79 yuan ($11) but that is for the crowdfunding exercise only. The price is going to go up to 108.9 yuan (~$15) after the exercise. The product comes with two bottles of fragrance liquid in addition to the automatic dispenser.
The product automatically releases the fragrance every 15 minutes. As a result, a bottle of fragrance can last between 1 and 4 months. The device equally comes with a powerful 2200mAh battery that is said to last up to four months on a single charge when used consistently. There is a USB port for charging. The fragrance is available in three flavours: Sea Breeze Morning Dew, Xingyue Mulan, and Bihu Cedar, all made from essential oil.
In terms of the build, the MIJIA Automatic Air freshener Dispenser adopts a minimalistic, compact and lightweight design. It is quite easy to move around and also adds class to the environment apart from blasting freshness into the air. With the use of microporous atomization technology, the fragrance is released through hundreds of micron pores and quickly diffuses into the air. The dispenser produces a low noise of 30dB meaning it runs quietly.
Asus launched the Zenfone Max Pro M2 last year in December with magnanimous specifications and features. It is a mid-range smartphone priced around $250 in India and some other countries. It came with Android 8.1 Oreo and recently received an Android 9.0 Pie upgrade. However, the company has not made it clear whether the device will receive the Android 10 upgrade or not. In the meantime, third-party developers have started working on the custom ROMs for Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2 using the AOSP code.
Asus Zenfone Max M2 Pro is the most popular budget smartphone from Asus. Many owners are expecting the Asus to deliver the Android 10 upgrade for the device, but they are not sure as Asus’s record has remained pathetic in providing the latest updates. The Android-based third-party development seems to be the only window for Aus Zenfone Max Pro M2.
There are various new advancements, and several new features are adjoined in Android 10. After a wait for over the years, Google has finally made Dark Theme official in Android 10. Other features such as live captions, full-on gestures, focus mode, smart reply everywhere, new parental controls, and edge-to-edge gestures.
Key Features Android 10
Digital Wellbeing
Android 10 focuses on the digital wellbeing project. The search engine giant has added the following features to promote digital wellbeing.
Focus Mode – It is the best way to black distractions. This mod allows users to limit the use of apps either by blocking them or pausing temporarily.
Family link – It can help to build healthy habits. The users can establish limits on the kid’s devices. It helps manage apps and content restrictions.
Security
Android 10 features several security tweaks to enhance overall data security.
Faster Security updates – Android 10 allows quicker and easier security updates. The Google Play Stem update patches security and privacy bugs.
Privacy Controls – Android 10 induces smarter controls to adjust all your privacy settings. A single place to control all your privacy-related issues.
Next-Generation tech support
Foldables support – The new Android version provides native support to foldable devices that fold, flex, and move faster.
5G Support -It also incorporates 5G support for the supported devices. The internal APIs of Android 10 can easily control the next-generation connection technology.
The Zenfone Max Pro M2 carries a 6.26-inch display featuring 1080 x 2280 pixel resolution, 403 PPI density, and 82% screen-to-body ratio. The device hosts Corning Gorilla Glass 6 to protect from frequent falls. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 is coupled with 3/4/6 GB RAM configurations on the device. The gaming is handled with the inbuilt Adreno 512 GPU.
The smartphone is available in different storage options including 3GB + 32 GB, 4 GB + 64 GB and 6 GB + 64 GB. In the camera department, the smartphone consists of a dual rear module consistent with a 12 MP primary lens, and a 5-megapixel secondary lens. On the front, there’s a 13-megapixel shooter for selfies and video calling. Other features such as LED flash, HDR and panorama are inclusive in teh device.
In connectivity, the smartphone supports WiFi, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS, NFC, FM Radio, MicroUSB 2.0. The fingerprint sensor on the back, accelerometer, gyro, proximity, and compass sensors are present in the device. The smartphone can withstand a couple of days without charging with its huge Mi-Po 5000 MAh battery. It supports 10W fast charging technology. It is available in Blue and titanium colors.
Note: The Android-based custom ROMs are currently in the early stages of developement. It is recommended not to install these custom ROMs if the Zenfone Max Pro M2 is your daily driver, as there might be some bugs and issues.
List of Best Custom ROMs for Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2
Asus has always remained behind other OEMs in providing the latest updates. The track record of Asus is making the users of the Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2 switch to third-party ROMs based on Android 10. Let’s see what’s in there for the Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2:
SuperiorOS Phoenix
It is the first stable ROM based on Android 10 available for the Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2. It is based on the AOSP code and several other customizable features. The developer confirms the presence of minimal features to fulfill the user’s demands these days. All the features, including WiFI, Bluetooth, Network, Mobile data, hotspot, and camera, are working.
There are two ways to install the SuperiorOS Phoenix on Zenfone Max Pro M2. The users can choose either clean flash the ROM by wiping the whole system, data, cache, and Dalvik partitions, or they need to overlap the existing data by merely flashing the latest build. The Gapps need to be installed externally after flashing the ROM. If you’re interested in installing SuperiorOS Phoenix on your device, then follow the download link below.
Arrow OS is becoming popular custom ROM for most of the devices due to its aggressive support. The AOSP/CAF based ROM packs various additional customization option. The aim is to make UI clean, simple, and neat for the users. It is based on Android 10 with Linux 4.0 kernel.
Before installing the ArrowOS 10.0 on Asus Xenfone Max Pro M2, the user should upgrade the device to the latest Android Pie-based firmware. Additional Gapp flash is required to use Google services after installing the ArrowOS. The ORM is currently in the beta stage. So, there might be some minor issues or bugs which can hapmper smooth experience of the ROM. The interested usres can install the ROm by following the link below.
The Pixel Experience ROM is always known for its resemblance to the Pixel devices. It features the Pixel device launchers, ringtones, wallpapers, and other features. Several other goodies enhance the user’s experience. Th Pixel Experience ROM is available both on the conventional AOSP build and the CAF build also.
Specific minor bugs won’t hinder our experience using the pixel Experience ROM. The original thread of the ROM consists of Android 9 based ORM, and the user needs to head over to the appropriate reply to find the Android 10 based Pixel Experience ROM version.
After serving the Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2 users, the developers have now shifted the base to Android 10. The interested users can grab the Android 10 based NitrogenOS from the link below. It features several tweaks alongside the Android 10 features. The mods for CPU, display, and media experience is intact in the latest version.
The users need to follow the thread to get the Android 10 based Nitrogen OS build.
These are some best custom ROMs that are compatible with the Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2. We will update the list once support for more ROMs arrives in the meantime. If you get any issue while installing the ROMs, then do let us know via the comments below.
Samsung’s W Series has always been a China-exclusive line with its dual displays and clamshell design. This year’s model will go by a different naming scheme. Rather than launch as the Samsung W2021, the phone will launch as the Samsung W20 5G. A poster has now revealed the launch date for the phone and also its design which is super familiar.
The Samsung W20 will be announced on November 19 in Wuhan, China according to a poster shared on Twitter by @MMDDJ_. But that isn’t the only thing the poster reveals.
The poster also shows what the device looks like and it sure shares a striking resemblance to the Galaxy Fold. Actually, it is an upgraded Galaxy Fold with a Snapdragon 855+ processor and a 5G modem.
855+ Because No Samsung's foldable display smartphone with 5G in China.(Fold 5G isn't launch in China)
The Galaxy Fold will launch in China tomorrow but that is the 4G version. So rather than launch a 5G version as the Galaxy Fold 5G, it will be sold in China as the Samsung W20. Sounds weird but that is what it is.
Other than the processor and modem, there may be other differences between the upcoming phone and the 4G version.
International Data Corporation (IDC), a well-known statistical agency has released a new report revealing details about the Chinese smartphone market for the third quarter of this year, i.e. Q3 2019.
As per the report, a total of around 98.9 million smartphone units in the market in Q3 2019, which represents a decline of 3.6 percent year-on-year. However, the decline is narrower compared to the shipments in the first quarter of this year.
It reported Huawei as the leading smartphone brand in the market with 41.5 million units, which accounted for 42 percent of the market share, which represents growth of around 64.6 percent year-on-year.
Vivo is ranked second with around 18.1 million shipments, which is about 18.3 percent market share. OPPO and Xiaomi ranks third and fourth with 16.4 million and 9.7 million units with a market share of 16.6 percent and 9.8 percent. Apple, on the other hand, is ranked fifth with 8.1 million units shipments and 8.2 percent market share.
Apart from these five brands, other companies managed to sell around 5.1 million units of their smartphones for a market share of 5.1 percent, which represents a decline of 59.3 percent year-on-year.
Except for Huawei and Apple, all the companies have registered decline in smartphone shipments in double digital. Huawei has shown a growth of 64.6 percent while Apple witnessed a 5.6 percent growth.
Korean tech giant LG Electronics has trimmed down its smartphone production in recent times. The company had even outsourced the production of its budget models using the ODM model. The company has now announced plans to further expand the production of its mid-range models using ODM.
In a statement reportedly made in a conference call after the release of its Q3 revenue, Jae-Seok Shin, head of the project management team at LG Electronics’ Mobile Communications Division, said, “We will use the ODM as a lever for improving the cost structure of the smartphone business.” He stated further; “We have been making efforts to raise cost competitiveness by reducing fixed costs and optimizing production sites.” “We will expand the application of ODM from existing low-end smartphones to mid-range phones,” he said.
An ODM (original design manufacturer) is a company that takes the original specifications of another company or individual and builds the design to the product specifications. Samsung is also using an ODM model on some of its mid-range models in China where sales have been on the low. The model enables the company to significantly cut production cost and be in a good position to offer competitive prices for its phone. LG will also benefit from the ODM arrangement in the same way.
The MarQ TurboStream is shaped like a diamond with curved edges. It has a two-tone design with a short HDMI cable sticking out of one end. It is pretty small and can fit into your pocket. There is a voice remote with a Google Assistant button as well as dedicated YouTube and Netflix buttons.
The dongle can stream 1080p videos at 60 frames per second. It has 1GB of RAM, 8GB of storage, and is powered by a quad-core processor with a Mali 450 GPU. It also has dual-band WiFi and Bluetooth 4.2.
The MarQ TurboStream runs Android TV 9 with access o the Google Play Store to download apps and games. It has built-in Chromecast, so you can cast content from your phone or tablet to your TV. It also has Dolby Audio for a cinematic audio experience.
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The dongle has a MicroUSB port for power but is missing a full-sized USB port, so you can’t plug in external storage. It ships with a power adapter and you even get 2 AAA batteries for the remote.
The MarQ TurboStream is available on Flipkart for INR 3,499 (~$49) and is a super affordable way to make your TV smart. And with Android TV 9 pre-installed which brings features such as Data Saver and the option to be notified when you cross a certain data threshold, it sure sounds like a good way to get into the streaming world.
360 Mobiles may be down and out at the moment but the brand still has other products lineup that is doing pretty well. The brand recently launched a True Wireless earbud, a smartwatch and now, the 360 Smart Camera with a water drop design and Artificial Intelligence (AI). The smart camera adopts an affordable price tag of 149 yuan ($21).
The 360 smart camera is equipped with a Huawei Hisilicon chip which the brand’s official said has a faster and more stable video processing capabilities. and features support for 1080P shooting. The camera also supports two-way voice function meaning you can address someone outside using the camera and the person can equally respond from the camera. The camera also supports ultra-clear night vision technology.
In terms of function, the 360 Smart Camera has support for enhanced humanoid detection. It can sound an alarm to alert you of an intruder and the facial recognition is pretty fast. The camera can also function as a baby-cam to alert you via alarm if the baby is crying. The camera also comes with a dedicated smartphone app that can be used to view the camera recording live and also receive a notification.
The camera is presently available on Jingdong (JD.com) for 169 yuan ($24) but the price will come down to 149 yuan ($21) on 11.11.
Xiaomi recently launched its new Mi TV 5 and Mi TV 5 Pro lineup in its home market China. At the launch event, Xiaomi TV’s general manager Xiao Xiao conducted an in-depth discussion session where he shed light on various aspects of the smart TV.
The new lineup of Smart TVs from Xiaomi comes with Quantum Dot display which offers better picture quality and is technically heading towards high-end segment. As for the OLED TVs, the company’s executive said that they will definitely work on it and is expected to launch the same in the first quarter of this year.
Li Xiaoshuang also stressed that in addition to OLED TV, Xiaomi is still working on real 8K resolution, including multi-screen TV, MINI LED, 8K full-process, etc. and added that there will be more products in the future.
As for the performance of Xiaomi in the market, Li Xiaoshuang, General Manager of Xiaomi TV said that from the first quarter of this year to the third quarter, Xiaomi TV have ranked first in terms of shipments. He added that the company took six years to reach this stage and find the best direction to move forward.
In the third quarter of this year, the sales of televisions was worth 26.67 billion, which represents a year-on-year decline of 10.5 percent, indicating that the slow is gradually entering double digits. While Xiaomi has also suffered due to this slowdown, its performance has been quite good.
As for the components, the company revealed that its suppliers for display panel ranges from Huaxing Optoelectronics, Samsung, and BOE and the company is also looking to LD Display. The company is also attributing its success to the aggressive pricing and value-for-money offerings.
The newly launched Mi TV 5 Pro lineup comes in three variants — 55-inch, 65-inch, and 75-inch, costing 3,699 Yuan (~$537), 4,999 Yuan (~$713), and 9,999 Yuan (~$1,425) respectively. On the other hand, the standard Mi TV 5 comes in same variants and costs 2,999 Yuan (~$428), 3,999 Yuan (~$571), and 7,999 Yuan (~$1,142).
OPPO launched the Reno2, Reno2 F and the Reno2 Z in India back in August 2019. The Chinese smartphone manufacturer has just announced Rs. 2,000 (~$28) discount on the Reno 2F and the 2Z. The Reno2 continues to sell at its original pricing.
While the Reno2 Z was launched for Rs. 29,990 (~$421), The Reno2 F featured Rs. 25,990 (~$365) price tag. The updated prices of the 2Z and 2F are effectively Rs. 27,990 (~$394) and Rs. 23,990 (~$338) respectively. The new prices are effective immediately and they are available on Amazon India apart from the official website. While the OPPO Reno2 Z is available in Luminous Black, Sky White and Polar Light color schemes, the Reno2 F sport Lake Green and Sky White hues.
OPPO Reno 2Z, Reno 2F Specifications, and Features
Both the OPPO Reno2 Z and the Reno2 F share multiple common features, including the 6.53-inch full-HD+ AMOLED display with a screen-to-body ratio of 91.6%. The display is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 5. Both smartphones feature notch-less displays with an in-screen fingerprint scanner and pop-up selfie camera. Both smartphones draw power from a 4,000 mAh battery with support for VOOC 3.0 fast charge. The smartphones run on Android 9.0 Pie-based ColorOS 6.1.
The OPPO Reno2 Z features a MediaTek Helio P90 chipset under the hood with 8 GB of RAM and 256 GB of native storage. The OPPO Reno2 F is powered by a MediaTek Helio P70 SoC with 8 GB of RAM and 128 GB of native storage. Both smartphones feature a quad-camera setup at the rear.
The primary lens is a 48-megapixel Sony IMX586 sensor paired with an 8-megapixel ultra-wide sensor with 119-degree field-of-vision. The third lens is a 2-megapixel Mono lens that is paired with a 2-megapixel depth sensor. These phones are equipped with a pop-up selfie camera of 16-megapixel.
Today, Vivo and Samsung jointly held a dual-mode 5G AI chip media conference in Beijing, China. At the event, the details of the Exynos 980 5G chipset was shared. The Chinese firm also confirmed that the Vivo X30 series powered with the Exynos 980 5G SoC will be made official in December.
The Exynos 980 is the first chipset to be mass-produced on the Cortex-A77 architecture. The Vivo X30 series will deliver smoother gaming experience with Exynos 980’s Mali-G76 M5 high-end GPU and Vivo’s Multi-Turbo technology. Also, the chipset has integrated with NPUs and DSPs that will enable more than 5 TOPS (Tera Operations Per Second) of computing power.
More importantly, the Exynos 980 includes a 5G modem that supports dual-mode 5G (SA/NSA) connectivity. The SoC can reach peak download speeds of up to 2.55Gbps. With 4G-5G dual connectivity, the Exynos 980 powered phone can reach up to 3.55Gbps download speeds. The SoC is coupled with support for Wi-Fi 6. Phones featuring the new SoC can support 5 cameras including a 108-megapixel camera lens.
Vivo’s senior director of the vivo chip technology Li Haorong said that the company can not only utilize the full capabilities of the Exynos 980, but also it can suggest the features that can be integrated into the chip according to the needs of the consumers.
Even though the Chinese firm confirmed on the December launch of the Vivo X30 series, it did not reveal any details on its specs. The Vivo X30 series may include X30 and X30 Pro smartphones.
Yesterday, the alleged specs of the Vivo X30 and X30 Pro had leaked on Weibo. The Vivo X30 may come with a 6.5-inch screen whereas the X30 Pro may feature a 6.89-inch screen. Both X30 and X30 Pro are expected to feature AMOLED displays with 90Hz refresh rate.
The X30 may come with 8 GB of LPDDR4x RAM and it could be available in 128 GB and 256 GB UFS 2.1 storage models. The handset may feature 64-megapixel + 8-megapixel + 13-megapixel + 2-megaapixel quad camera system and a front-facing shooter of 32-megapixel. It may house a 4,500mAh battery with 22.5W or 30W fast charging. The 128 GB and 256 GB models of the phone could be priced at 3,198 Yuan (~$456) and 3,598 Yuan (~$513).
The Vivo X30 Pro could be coming with up to 12 GB of RAM and up to 256 GB of UFS 3.0 storage. It could be featuring a 60-megapixel + 13-megapixel + 13-megapixel + 2-megapixel quad camera system and a frontal shooter of 32-megapixel. The 4,500mAh battery of the phone may support 40W fast charging. Its 8 GB RAM + 128 GB storage, 8 GB RAM + 256 GB storage and 12 GB of RAM and 256 GB of storage variants could be respectively priced at 3,998 Yuan (~$570), 4,498 Yuan (~$641) and 4,998 Yuan (~$713).
However, just like every other popular Apple product in the market, the launch of the AirPods Pro also gave rise to fake AirPods Pro models in the market.
Can you guess which one is fake?
And today, we take a closer look at one of the first FAKE AirPods Pro in the market: APods Pro. It’s so similar to the AirPods Pro that you’ll have a hard time figuring out which one is the real deal. Don’t worry though, we’ll point out a few subtle differences to ensure you can differentiate between the two.
APods Pro Case is almost identical to the original AirPods Pro Case
It’s been just over a week since the AirPods Pro was officially announced in the market. Yet, the APods Pro has managed to copy the original Pro model’s case and earbud design, down to the fit and pop-up notification on the iPhone!
Starting off with the case, the APods Pro looks exactly like the original AirPods Pro case. The Apple case is a bit more polished than the fake ones, but in general, it’s hard to tell them apart. Down below, you get the same USB-C port like the original Apple AirPods Pro. However, come to the back, and you’ll see the “Designed By Apple In California” text on the back of the original AirPods Pro case. The fake APods Pro case has no writing.
Fake APods Pro (L) vs Original AirPods Pro (R)
Fake APods Pro (L) vs Original AirPods Pro (R)
Fake vs Original AirPods Pro: Text
If you think things are going to get easier to distinguish between the two after opening up the case, you are wrong. The APods Pro earbuds look nearly identical to the original Apple Pro earbuds. However, there are a few subtle differences to tell them apart.
Fake APods Pro (L) vs Original AirPods Pro (R)
For example, when you open up the APods Pro case, the two cavities that house the two earbuds are a bit different. While the fake case has oval cavities, the original AirPods Pro have rounder cavities. Also, the fake ones open only up to 90 degrees while the original AirPods Pro case can open nearly up to 120 degrees.
Fake APods Pro (L) vs Original AirPods Pro (R)
Another major difference is the notification LED light on the left earbud. The fake APods Pro comes with a Blue LED light that shines when charging in the case or when you take it out to connect to your iPhone. In comparison, the original Apple AirPods Pro has no notification light.
Fake APods Pro (L) vs Original AirPods Pro (R)
The APods Pro Earbuds are even more similar to the original AirPods Pro
Fake APods Pro settings
Apple settings-AirPods Pro
One surprise was that the APods Pro managed to mimic the original AirPods’ pop-up notification on the iPhone when you opened the case. It looks close to the real deal!
Fake APods Pro forces the same pop-up notification on the iPhone as the original one
When you take out the fake APods Pro, the head and steam are designed to ensure it looks very close to the original AirPods Pro. The fake earbuds are lighter than the original ones, but design-wise, it gets full marks in mimicking Apple’s design. You won’t be able to easily differentiate between this knockoff and the original one.
Fake APods Pro (L) vs Original AirPods Pro (R)
But there are two differences that set them apart. The charging contacts at the bottom are slightly different and the nozzles are also quite different. The original AirPods Pro comes with a black nozzle while the fake one has a traditional white nozzle.
Original AirPods Pro (L) vs Fake APods Pro (R)
However, in terms of fit, the APods Pro comes very close to the original Apple earbuds.
With so many similarities, you would have probably hoped that the APods Pro at least had decent sound quality.
Fake APods Pro (L) vs Original AirPods Pro (R)
But like most fake or knockoff Apple products in the market, the APods Pro sound terrible! The sound output is hollow and bass is non-existent. In case you are wondering, there’s no active noise canceling either. I guess they spent so much time copying the design that the ran out of budget for a decent pair of sound drivers inside.
So please don’t think about buying the APods Pro for its sound quality.
On a positive note, the APods Pro has a pretty strong Bluetooth connection and the latency is pretty good as well. So you shouldn’t have trouble gaming on your phone using these earbuds.
APods Pro Is Cheap!
Fake APods Pro (L) vs Original AirPods Pro (R)
The APods Pro is cheap at $54. However, unless you are really looking for something that’s identical to the original AirPods Pro, we can’t recommend buying the APods Pro.
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