Essential is recruiting engineers and designers in Bangalore, India

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Oct 9, 2019

Essential Inc. slowed down things following the launch of its first smartphone, the Essential PH-1. Two years after it announced the PH-1, it is yet to announce another phone.

The company seems to be back on track as it already shared photos of its upcoming new device codenamed Project GEM which is quite different from what we are used to seeing.

Prior to releasing details about its new smartphone, the official Essential Twitter account tweeted earlier this week that the company is recruiting for a number of positions in Bangalore, India. Yes, Essential has an office in India and its hiring.

We're looking for talented engineers and designers based in Bangalore, India to join our team.

View open positions here: https://t.co/EQI1o9ozNF pic.twitter.com/KWd2x9Cjva

— Essential (@essential) October 8, 2019

Essential says it is recruiting for talent to work on Android and Cloud technology. Those who get hired “will work closely with HQ in Palo Alto” to build and design future products and platforms.

The company says workers will get perks such as flexible time off, catered meals, and fresh fruit, in addition to a competitive salary and health benefits.

Below is a list of the openings at the Indian office:

CloudOps Engineer
Interaction Designer/UX Designer
Linux Engineer
Software Development in Test, Android
Software Engineer, Android Framework
Software Engineer, Applications
Software Engineer, Back-End
Software Engineer, C++
Software Engineer, Speech Recognition/Machine Learning

All the positions are full-time and are located in Bangalore. Do check here for full details on the positions and their requirements.

This is the second time this year Essential is recruiting for multiple positions. Back in February, it put up listings for 21 positions, however, some were not full-time jobs unlike the ones in India.

Meizu 16T camera sample promises stellar low light photography experience

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Oct 9, 2019

Rumors surrounding the upcoming Meizu 16T have claimed that it will be arriving as a gaming-focused smartphone. However, the camera sample of the Meizu 16T that was shared by Meizu Technology Vice President Huahai Liang reveals that the Meizu 16T will be also offering amazing night scene photography experience.

The below shown camera sample shows that the phone was able to capture it with rich details and impressive color reproduction. The image is quite bright and has no obvious noise. The TENAA listing of the smartphone has revealed that its rear-mounted triple camera system has a 12-megapixel main lens, an 8-megapixel secondary shooter and a 5-megapixel sensor.

The Meizu 16T is fitted with a 6.5-inch AMOLED screen with super-slim bezels. It offers full HD+ resolution of 1080 x 2232 pixels and an aspect ratio of 18.5:9. The display of the phone is integrated with an in-screen fingerprint reader. The Meizu 16’s top bezel is the home for its 16-megapixel selfie camera.

The Snapdragon 855 chipset that clocks at 2.84GHz powers the Meizu 16T. The 6 GB RAM + 128 GB storage edition of the smartphone was recently spotted on AnTuTu with an average benchmarking score of 418,909. TENAA has revealed that the phone may come in 8 GB RAM option. This model may feature an internal storage of 256 GB. There is no support for additional storage on the device.

Editor’s Pick: Xiaomi led the Chinese Smart TV market in August 2019

The Meizu 16T is loaded with Android 9 Pie OS. It remains to be seen whether it comes with the latest Flyme 8 UI. The mCharge rapid charging technology powered 4,400mAh battery is present inside the device.

The Meizu 16T is scheduled to go official on Oct. 23. As of this writing, there is no information available on the pricing of the smartphone.

Xiaomi led the Chinese Smart TV market in August 2019

By

Jeet

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Oct 9, 2019

Avi Cloud (AVC) has shared new monitoring data which reveals that the Xiaomi has been named the leading company for the Smart TV segment in the Chinese market for the month of August 2019.

As per the list, Xiaomi was followed by Skyworth, Hisense, TCL, Changhong, Haier, Konka, Cool, Philips, and Samsung to make the top 10 smart TV companies of the Chinese market for August this year.

Prior to this, the data coming from three research institutions — Aoweiyun.com, Qunzhi Consulting, and Zhongyikang showed Xiaomi Smart TVs as to be leading in the first half of this year in terms of shipments in China.

For such success in the Smart TV segment, Lei Jun, CEO of Xiaomi attributed it to “continuous innovation”. He cites the example of a 65-inch TV which won the “Color TV Innovation Product” award at the China Intelligent Display and Innovation Application Industry Conference.

Previously, the company won several awards, including “2019 Top Ten TV Awards”, “High-end Smart Product Award”, “Disp Grand Prize-AIoT Technology”, and has managed to establish its presence in budget as well as premium smart TV market.

Lu Weibing, President of Redmi brand said that the reason behind Xiaomi’s success in the Smart TV market is mainly four — easy to use system, rich content library, interconnected IoT appliances, and high quality.

The Xiaomi Smart TVs come with MIUI TV operating system based on Android TV and have the company’s own custom user interface named PatchWall which provides an interactive experience to the users.

It’s noteworthy that Xiaomi’s success in the smart TV segment isn’t limited to its home country China. The company is also the leading brand in the Indian market, where it started selling televisions just few years ago.

Top Android Phones on AnTuTu in September 2019, Vivo Nex 3 holds Pole Position

By

Sahil

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Oct 9, 2019

Each month AnTuTu releases a list of best smartphones that top its benchmarking results for a month prior. Accordingly, the list of handsets with highest AnTuTu scores for the month of September has been published. Noteworthy, statistics for each model have been collected from at least 1000 units which helps in providing reliable data figures.

The pole position is held by the 8 GB + 256 GB variant of the Vivo Nex 3 that has scored 483,427 points. Suprisingly, the second place is also held by a Vivo smartphone which is the 8 GB + 256 GB variant of iQOO Pro 5G that has scored 481,211 points.

The Vivo handsets are followed by Asus’ latest and greatest Gaming centric smartphone which is the ROG Phone 2. The average of 1000 units, with 8 GB RAM + 128 GB ROM is 473,917. Next in line is another Gaming focused device, the Black Shark 2 Pro from Xiaomi whose 12 GB + 256 GB variant has scored 464953.

The number five spot is enjoyed by yet another Xiaomi smartphone which is the 8 GB + 256 GB variant of the Mi 9 Pro 5G. It has secured a score of 464,807 points. Next in order is the lesser known Meizu 16S Pro whose 8 GB + 128 GB variant have scored 460,076 points.

At number seven we have the third and last handset from Xiaomi which is the aggressively priced Redmi K20 Pro. The 12 GB + 512 GB variant of the device scored 456,237 points in this month of the year.

Finally, at position eight, a Samsung smartphone makes an appearance. Its 12 GB + 256 GB storage variant of the Galaxy Note 10+ manages to score 449,269 points. Following Samsung, we have the high-end offering from Vivo’s sister company OnePlus whose 12 GB + 256 GB OnePlus 7 Pro have registered a score of 448,488 points.

Lastly, we have the Huawei Mate 30 Pro. Out of all the devices, this is the only handset to not feature the Snapdrgaon 855 or 855+ chipset. Instead, it is kitted with Huawei’s in-house developed Kirin 990. The 8 GB + 256 GB variant of the device registers a score of 445,446 points.

China’s Top Three Carriers already have over 9.3 million pre-subscriptions for 5G

By

Joel Joseph

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Oct 9, 2019

China’s commercial 5G rollout is still a few months away but the top three Chinese carriers are already accepting pre-subscriptions for 5G in the country. Unsurprisingly, this pre-subscription drive seems to be successful with over 9.3 million users signing up for 5G even before they are officially rolled out.

All three carriers in China are offering pretty good discounts for their pre-subscribers. China Mobile, China Unicom, and China Telecom operators are giving out 5G subscriptions for up to 30 percent discount to early adopters. For example, China Mobile customers who have been with the carrier for more than 5 years get a solid 30 percent discount on 5G plans for the first six months. New customers get a 20 percent discount on the official price at launch. China Telecom and Unicom users are also getting a similar discount scheme.

China Mobile has reportedly secured around 5.6 million 5G pre-subscriptions already while the figure for China Telecom and China Unicom is said to be around 1.9 million and 1.8 million respectively. What’s even more interesting is that the Chinese carriers have not really disclosed the pricing for their 5G plans. Only China Unicom has given out a figure, which starts at 190 yuan (~$27) but it could change since the carrier states that this is just the phase one of its promotional offerings.

Looks like China will be at the forefront of 5G adoption. So, it would be interesting to see how fast the new generation network grows once it is rolled out in the market.

(Via)

Redmi Note 8 Pro will be officially announced in India on October 16

By

Joel Joseph

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Oct 9, 2019

Xiaomi has officially confirmed that the Redmi Note 8 Pro will be announced in India on October 16. After its launch in China back in August, the phone has been slowly expanding to markets in Asia and Europe. But the phone’s launch has been most awaited in India where the Redmi Note series has always been a best seller.

At the end of the Redmi 8 launch event today, the company confirmed the launch date for the Redmi Note 8 Pro. It also revealed some of its features such as a 64MP sensor in a quad-camera setup at the back, MediaTek’s gaming-centric SoC, and powerful cooling. Expect the Redmi Note 8 Pro India version to be identical to the global versions, except for its memory configurations.

Both models namely the Redmi Note 8 and Note 8 Pro should meet us at the October 16 event in India. The Redmi Note 8 will come with Snapdragon 665, a 48MP triple camera setup, and a 4000mAh battery. On the other hand, the Redmi Note 8 Pro will be targeted at heavy users with MediaTek G90T gaming-centric processor, a 64MP quad-camera setup, and a larger 4500mAh battery. MediaTek had earlier revealed that the G90T will change the perception of the company in India with the Redmi Note 8 Pro. In this regard, the chipmaker was also quick to release the kernel source for the device.

With the Redmi Note 8 series releasing on October 16, the independent brand would have released four smartphones in India in a span of 20 days! The timing is actually perfect given how all these new models will be available before the Diwali season in India.

The Redmi Note 8 series is already available in European markets like Ukraine, Germany, and Spain, alongside Asian markets like Malaysia. The Indonesian launch is scheduled a day after the India launch, on October 17.

Realme TV likely to launch by December this year

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Oct 9, 2019

After the huge success of the Xiaomi TV in India, OnePlus decided to bring their range of smart TVs to the subcontinent. Fresh information reveals that Realme is exploring its options of entering the Indian smart TV market with their latest lineup of televisions. Latest reports on 91mobiles claim that the Realme TV could launch before the end of 2019. This is their latest attempt to take on Xiaomi, whose Mi TV range currently dominates the smart TV lineup. Xiaomi has a large portfolio in the country, starting from the budget-friendly 32-inch models, right up to the premium 65-inch variants.

While there is no word on the specifications of the Realme TV, the company may price its TVs competitively. The Chinese firm has been quite successful in India with their latest lineup of smartphones, and it would want to continue this streak with their smart TV lineup. Realme plans to launch the device within the next few months, probably alongside the Realme XT 730G smartphone that is slated for a December 2019 release.

Editor’s Pick: Xiaomi Redmi 8 launched in India; Specifications, features and price

In related news, the Realme XT 730G is a slightly enhanced version of the Realme XT that launched in September this year. While the Realme XT is powered by the Snapdragon 712 SoC and sports a 64-megapixel quad rear camera setup. The XT 730G is powered by the Snapdragon 730 gaming processor. The device sports a Super AMOLED display with a 3D glass design and an in-display fingerprint sensor. It draws power from a 4,000 mAh battery that supports 30W VOOC fast charge. The handset is already selling as Realme X2 in China with a starting price of 1,599 Yuan (~$224). Also, Realme is gearing up to release their flagship Realme X2 Pro in China and Europe on Oct. 15. The smartphone features a 90Hz display, Snapdragon 855+ chipset, 50W fast charging technology and 64-megapixel quad cameras.

(source)

Call of Duty: Mobile Downloaded over 100 million times in the first week of Launch

By

Sahil

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Oct 9, 2019

On the 1st of October, Activision Blizzard Inc released the mobile version of its immensely popular Call of Duty franchise. Clearly, the nostalgia factor has worked in favour of the company as the game has been downloaded over 100 million times within just one week of its launch.

In contrast, the download count of PUBG, Fortnite, and Apex Legends which are some of the most popular battle-royale games was 26.3 million, 22.5 million and 25 million respectively in their first week of release.

Randy Nelson, who is the head of mobile insights at Sensor Tower said that “This is by far the largest mobile game launch in history in terms of the player base that’s been built in the first week,”. Sensor Tower is an organic user acquisition service that helps app developers grow their audience using App Store Optimisation and app marketplace intelligence.

While the original Call of Duty for consoles was a paid game, its mobile version is free to download and play but users can make in-app purchases to acquire visually appealing elements like skins for weapons and distinctive clothes.

The mobile version of Call of Duty is developed by the Chinese internet giant Tencent Holdings LTD. The same company also holds a stake in PUBG mobile’s developer, Bluehole and Fortnite’s developer, Epic Games. Both these games can be credited for popularising the battle-royal format, in which a large number of players fight together to defeat the enemy and come out on top.

The 100 million download figure is the combined total of downloads on Android’s Google Play and Apple’s App Store. Notably, 17% of all the downloads were done users hailing from the United States which was followed by Indian users, where PUBG has a massive player base. The game is yet to launch in China where it is expected to see a positive response as well.

Activision has labelled 2019 as ‘transition year’ and it is currently bracing for the launch of its upcoming console edition of Call Of Duty which will launch on October 25. Some other game franchises that the game studio owns include “Candy Crush”, “Overwatch”, “Warcraft”, “Hearthstone” and “Diablo”.

Motorola One Macro with Helio P70 and macro lens launched in India for Rs. 9,999 (~$140)

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Oct 9, 2019

Motorola India has been consistently working on expanding its Motorola One family of smartphones. Last month, it had launched the Motorola One Action smartphone that came with an action camera feature as its major highlight. The Motorola One Macro that has gone official today has a dedicated macro vision apart from other exciting features like waterdrop notch display, big battery and a decent SoC. It is an entry-level Android One smartphone from the company.

Motorola One Macro Specifications

The Motorola One Macro that comes with a polycarbonate rear. Upfront, it has a 6.2-inch IPS LCD Max Vision display that offers a tall aspect ratio of 19.5:9 and HD+ resolution of 720 x 1520 pixels. The smartphone promises a screen-to-body ratio of 82 percent, claims the company.

The MediaTek Helio P70 chipset that includes 2.0GHz octa-core processor and Mali-G72 MP3 graphics powers the smartphone with 4 GB of RAM. The device offers an inbuilt storage of 64 GB. There is a hybrid SIM slot for adding a microSD card to the device. The smartphone runs on the Android One version of Android 9 Pie OS which means it will be blessed with Android 10 OS update later this year. It will also be provided with security updates for two years.

The Motorola One Macro features a triple camera system on its rear. The main sensor of 13-megapixel has f/2.0 aperture and a pixel size of 1.2micron. It can shoot 60fps full HD videos and 120fps slow-motion footages. The 2-megapixel macro lens with a pixel size of 1.75micron can capture shots as close as 2cm with bokeh effect. It is assisted by a depth sensor of 2-megapixel for portrait shots. Apart from dual-LED flash, the rear cameras are coupled with laser autofocus system. Placed on the frontside of the smartphone is an f/2.2 aperture 8-megapixel selfie camera.

Editor’s Pick: Xiaomi Redmi 8 launched in India; Specifications, features and price

The 4,000mAh battery that can be charged through USB-C supports 10W charging. The company claims that the handset can last for 2 days on a single charge. The other features that are available on the smartphone include water repellant coating on the chassis, dual SIM support, 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.2, GPS and 3.5mm audio jack.

Motorola One Action Price and Availability

The Motorola One Action has landed in India for Rs. 9,999 (~$140). It comes in a single color option of Space Blue. In India, the smartphone will be available for purchase exclusively through Flipkart starting from Oct. 12. A global launch of the smartphone will happen in the Europe, Latin America and the U.S. on Oct. 24.

What’s your opinion on the pricing and specifications of the Motorola One Macro? Share us your views by posting your comments below.

It costs a whopping $599 to replace Samsung Galaxy Fold’s display

By

Sahil

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Oct 9, 2019

Earlier this year, Samsung unveiled its first foldable smartphone which is called the Galaxy Fold. Unfortunately, the company had to delay its original date of commercial availability due to display issues but that has now been fixed and the unique handset is available for purchase in several countries.

New Galaxy FOld Featured — The New Galaxy Fold With Slight Design Changes

Even though Samsung has reiterated the design of Galaxy Fold to prolong its life, the fact cannot be denied that its display is made out of soft plastic and is still susceptible to going bad if poked by a sharp object intentionally or accidentally.

Samsung has revealed that the display replacement cost of the Galaxy Fold costs a whopping $599. While not every device owner would require to get the display on their handset replaced, this steep cost might drive away potential buyers.

To lure in customers, Samsung has announced that it will replace the display of the Galaxy Fold for just $149 for the units that are purchased before the 31st of December, 2019. Not only is this cost a lot more affordable, but it is also significantly less in comparison to some of the other flagships from Samsung, Apple or even OnePlus which is known for aggressively priced smartphones and their replacement parts.

For reference, a comparison chart has been shared below that draws a difference between the cost of replacing the display on various high-end smartphones:

	Display repair or replacement price	Back panel
Samsung Galaxy Fold	$599 (*149 if you buy before December 31) $139 (front screen)	$99
Galaxy Note 10+	$279	$99
Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max and XS Max	$329	$599
Apple iPhone XS and iPhone X	$279	$549
Apple iPhone 11 and iPhone XR	$199	$399
Apple iPhone 8 Plus and 7 Plus	$169	$399 (8 Plus), $349 (7 Plus)
Apple iPhone 8 and iPhone 7	$149	$349 (8), $319 (7)
Samsung Galaxy Note 9 and Note 8	$239	$99 (Note 9), $64.95 (Note 8)
Samsung Galaxy S9, S8 and S8 Active	$219	$99 (S9), $64.95 (S8)
Samsung Galaxy S9+, S8+	$229	$99 (S9+), $64.95 (S8+)
Google Pixel 3 XL	$280	$99
LG V40	$199	–
OnePlus 7T	$154 (part only, no labor)	$31
Samsung Galaxy S10+	$269	$99
Samsung Galaxy S10	$249	$99
Samsung Galaxy S10e	$199	$99

To wrap things up, either pick a unit of the Galaxy Fold before 31st of December or use it with extreme care even when it feels like a chunky brick in your pocket when in its bent/folded state.

Xiaomi Redmi 8 launched in India; Specifications, features and price

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Oct 9, 2019

At the end of the previous month, Xiaomi had introduced the Redmi 8A smartphone. It came with some impressive features like a waterdrop notch enabled display, a Sony IMX363 12-megapixel camera and an 18W fast charging assisted 5,000mAh battery. Priced at Rs. 8,999 (~$126), the Redmi 8 that has gone official today is an upgraded version of the Redmi 8A phone.

Xiaomi Redmi 8 Specifications and Features

The Xiaomi Redmi 8 has a 6.2-inch IPS LCD display with a waterdrop notch. It supports HD+ resolution of 720 x 1520 pixels and an aspect ratio of 19:9. The display is protected by Gorilla Glass 5. The plastic rear of the phone with Aura Mirror design with glossy appeal has P2i nano-coating that protects it from water splashes.

The MIUI 10 based Android 9 Pie OS runs on the Redmi 8. The Snapdragon 439 SoC that powers the Redmi 8A is also available on the Redmi 8 smartphone. The SoC is coupled with up to 4 GB of RAM. It has an internal storage of up to 64 GB. A dedicated microSD card slot is available on the handset for extra storage. There is a 5,000mAh battery inside the smartphone. It supports 18W fast charging through USB-C port. The box package of the handset has a 10W charger.

The Redmi 8 has a dual-camera setup that has a 12-megapixel Sony IMX363 primary camera with f/1.8 aperture, 1.4micron pixel size, and Dual Pixel autofocus. The main lens is assisted by a 2-megapixel sensor for adding depth effects to the images. The dual cameras support AI scene detection across 33 categories and language translation through Google Lens. The front side of the Redmi 8 features an AI 8-megapixel selfie camera. The handset carries support for face unlock.

The rear shell of the phone features a fingerprint scanner which his unavailable on the Redmi 8A. The other features of the Redmi 8 include a 3.5mm audio jack, wireless FM radio, IR blaster, dual 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.2 and GPS.

Xiaomi Redmi 8 Price and Availability in India

It was confirmed at the launch that Sapphire Blue, Ruby Red and Onyx Black are the three color editions of the Redmi 8. However, the official website of Xiaomi India states that the Emerald Green is the fourth color variant of the smartphone. The 3 GB RAM + 32 GB storage and 4 GB RAM + 64 GB storage models of the smartphone are respectively priced at Rs. 7,999 (~$112) and Rs. 8,999 (~$126).

To celebrate selling 100 million phones in just 5 years of its existence in India, Xiaomi is offering the first 5 million units of the 4 GB RAM + 64 GB storage edition of the Redmi 8 for Rs. 7,999 (~$112). From Oct. 12, the Redmi 8 will be available from 00:01 hours midnight on Mi.com, Hi Home and Flipkart.

Xiaomi’s Global VP and Managing Director for India, Manu Kumar Jain confirmed that the company will be launching the Redmi Note 8 series in India on Oct. 16.

Redmi 8 Sale on Oct. 12th. on Flipkart

Oppo is all set to launch its new gaming controller on October 10

By

Jeet

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Oct 9, 2019

Oppo has already confirmed that the company is hosting a launch event in China on 10th October where the company is all set to launch the Oppo Reno Ace and Reno Ace GUNDAM edition smartphones.

Now, the company has shared a new poster which confirms that Oppo will also be launching accessories at the same event. It has been confirmed that Oppo Gaming Controller will get launched on 10th October, i.e. tomorrow.

The Reno Ace is expected to come equipped with a 6.5-inch OLED display that with waterdrop notch. The 90Hz refresh rate supporting screen will deliver full HD+ resolution and 20:9 aspect ratio.

For capturing selfies, the front notch may feature a 16-megapixel Sony IMX471 sensor. The rear-mounted quad camera system of the smartphone may include a Sony IMX586 48-megapixel primary shooter, a superwide lens of 8-megapixel, a 13-megapixel and a portrait lens of 2-megapixel.

The device will be powered by the Snapdragon 855+ chipset and will have a pair of 2,000mAh batteries that supports 65W SuperVOOC 2.0 Flash Charge technology through USB-C. The smartphone features LDDDR4X RAM and UFS 3.0 storage.

The leak mentions that the Reno Ace has a new generation of light-sensitive screen fingerprint scanning module like the Realme X2 Pro. The handset also features an AK4377A audio chip and a 3.5mm audio jack.

As for the pricing, a tipster from China has shared the specs sheet of the upcoming OPPO Reno Ace smartphone along with its rumored pricing. The handset is expected to go official in three models such as 8GB RAM + 128GB storage, 8GB RAM + 256GB storage and 12GB RAM + 256GB storage. The leak states that they are respectively priced at 3,699 Yuan (~$517), 3,999 Yuan (~$559) and 4,499 Yuan (~$629).

OPPO Reno Ace price leak appears ahead of tomorrow’s launch

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

-

Oct 9, 2019

OPPO will be announcing the Reno Ace flagship smartphone in China tomorrow. Alongside the Ace, the company will be debuting the OPPO K5 smartphone. A recent report had carried the leaked pricing of the OPPO K5. A fresh leak that appeared yesterday reveals that the Reno Ace will be arriving in China in three variants. The leak also carries the pricing of the rumored models.

OPPO Reno Ace Price in China (Rumored)

A tipster from China has shared the specs sheet of the upcoming OPPO Reno Ace smartphone along with its rumored pricing. The handset is expected to go official in three models such as 8 GB RAM + 128 GB storage, 8 GB RAM + 256 GB storage and 12 GB RAM + 256 GB storage. The leak states that they are respectively priced at 3,699 Yuan (~$517), 3,999 Yuan (~$559) and 4,499 Yuan (~$629). It is advisable to digest the leak with a pinch of salt as there is no way to confirm whether the pricing information of the Reno Ace is accurate.

Editor’s Pick: Oppo Reno Ace Rumor Roundup: All you need to know about the upcoming Flagship

OPPO Reno Ace Specifications (Rumored)

The Reno Ace is expected to come equipped with a 6.5-inch OLED display that with waterdrop notch. The 90Hz refresh rate supporting screen will deliver full HD+ resolution and 20:9 aspect ratio. For capturing selfies, the front notch may feature a 16-megapixel Sony IMX471 sensor. The rear-mounted quad camera system of the smartphone may include a Sony IMX586 48-megapixel primary shooter, a superwide lens of 8-megapixel, a 13-megapixel and a portrait lens of 2-megapixel. The smartphone supports 5x hybrid optical zoom apart from OIS and EIS.

The Reno Ace is powered by the Snapdragon 855+ chipset. It has a pair of 2,000mAh batteries that supports 65W SuperVOOC 2.0 Flash Charge technology through USB-C. The smartphone features LDDDR4X RAM and UFS 3.0 storage. The leak mentions that the Reno Ace has a new generation of light-sensitive screen fingerprint scanning module like the Realme X2 Pro. The handset also features an AK4377A audio chip and a 3.5mm audio jack. Rumors have it the company may also unveil the Gundam Edition of Reno Ace at tomorrow’s event.

(source)

Buy Xiaomi Ecosystem WEMAX ONE PRO Laser Projector for Just $1,589.99 from Banggood [Free Gift]

By

Vinay Patel

-

Oct 9, 2019

Marketed as the world’s first ultra-short projector to be integrated with ALPD (advanced laser display) technology, the Xiaomi Ecosystem WEMAX ONE PRO FMWS02C ALPD 7000lumens Laser Projector delivers up to 150-inches of full-HD quality images in 50 centimeters.

With an impressive product life of up to 25, 000 hours, the WEMAX ONE PROis an advanced laser projector that adopts a compact, minimalist “box” design language. Its host and Bluetooth remote control design style consistency enables you to control the laser projector from any corner of the house using a voice assistant. The remote control is backed by two AAA batteries.

The aforesaid features completely justify the steep $3,359.99 price tag the WEMAX ONE PRO usually carries, but Banggood is giving you a chance to buy this feature-rich laser projector for a lowered price of just $1,589.99. This is a noteworthy 39 percent reduction in the device’s original selling price.

Aside from that, you get a FENGMI Fast Refresh Rate Of Shutter Type 3D Glasses worth $39.67 as a free gift if you place your order before the promo comes to an end. An absolute bargain at this price, the WEMAX ONE PRO features ALPD 3.0 laser light source technology by Appotronics.

In addition to housing high-quality lasers, the unit comes with a high-end speaker system that offers a true cinema experience. Moreover, it is capable of projecting a display up to a maximum of 150 inches, while offering maximum source brightness of 180 nits, and native contrast of 3000: 1.

You can head straight to this link to check out more details about the WEMAX ONE PRO FMWS02C ALPD 7000lumens Laser Projector and grab the discount before the promo wraps up.

Xiaomi Ecosystem WEMAX ONE PRO FMWS02C ALPD 7000lumens Laser Projector

Buy Huami AMAZFIT GTR Smart Watch at a Lowered Price from GeekBuying [Coupons]

By

Vinay Patel

-

Oct 9, 2019

Aside from amping up your style quotient, smart wearables keep a track of your health and monitor your activities while encouraging you to lead a healthier lifestyle.

Specifically designed for sports, as well as fitness enthusiasts, smart wearables are available in various designs, shapes, and colors in the market. You’d ideally expect to spend a lot of money on a feature-rich smartwatch, given that inexpensive alternatives end up disappointing in terms of performance.

Wouldn’t it be nice if you could get your hands on a top-end smartwatch without spending tens of thousands of dollars? Well, that exactly what GeekBuying is doing as part of its latest AMAZFIT GTR smartwatch promotion.

The Chinese online store has launched a new promotion, allowing tech buffs and fashion-conscious consumers can to buy amazing smartwatches from AMAZFIT without burning a hole in their pockets. We will be checking out the discounts you can get on the Huami AMAZFIT GTR Smartwatch, which is placed under the Recommended category on the activity page.

Huami AMAZFIT GTR Smartwatch

The global version of the Huami AMAZFIT GTR Smartwatch would normally set you back a pretty penny on both online, as well as offline stores, but GeekBuying is offering it for a lowered price of just $ 149.99. This is a 43 percent reduction in the device’s original asking price of $260.99.

Moreover, you can get an extra $10 off by applying coupon code 3LTYKZOY at checkout. In other words, you can bring the already lowered asking price of the smartwatch further down to only $139.99 simply by applying the aforesaid coupon.

On top of that, you can take advantage of a $2 OFF Coupon if you are a new user. You can visit this link to avail of the discount, which will be valid for only four days.

Huami AMAZFIT GTR Smartwatch

There’s a 31 percent off on the AMAZFIR GTR smartwatch, which usually retails for $231.99. Thanks to the discount, the coveted smartwatch can now be yours for a reduced price of only $ 159.99.

If that doesn’t impress you much, you can use coupon code 3SLKJ1OR and save $10 more during the checkout process. The original selling price of the smartwatches reduces to just $149.99 even before you click the ‘Place Your Order’ button.

In addition to that, you can save $2 more with the New User Coupon if this is your first time shopping through GeekBuying. An absolute steal at this price, the Huami AMAZFIT GTR smartwatch offers the following features.

1.39 inch AMOLED display with 454 x 454 pixels resolution
Round dial (Aluminium Alloy, Stainless Steel case material)
16MB RAM/40MB ROM
Bluetooth 5.0 / BLE connectivity options
5 ATM water-resistance
410mAh battery that delivers 24 days battery life
Sleep monitoring
Smart Notifications
Weather forecast

You can follow this link to check out more details about the AMAZFIT GTR smartwatch, and use the coupon which will be valid for all overseas warehouses.

Huami AMAZFIT GTR Smart Watch

AMAZFIT GTR smartwatch

Realme X2 Pro new camera samples revealed; Improved fingerprint scanner in tow

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

-

Oct 9, 2019

Realme X2 Pro flagship phone will go official in Spain and China on Oct. 15. Ahead of the launch, the entire specifications of the smartphone have surfaced through its listing on the database of TENAA telecom authority. The company is also busy sharing key details of the smartphone through its official Weibo account. The Chinese firm has today reveled that the Realme X2 Pro will be coming with an improved fingerprint scanner. Also, Xu Qi who is the Chief Marketing Officer of Realme has shared fresh camera samples of the smartphone.

Realme claims that the new generation of light sensitive in-display fingerprint scanner adds an extra safety filter that turns the light from green to full spectrum white for better identifications.

The dimensions of the fingerprint scanning area have also been increased. Hence, the next generation screen fingerprint sensor on the Realme X2 Pro promises better security. Also, it takes only 0.23s seconds to unlock the device through the said biometric recognition feature. The sensor is embedded under the 6.5-inch AMOLED full HD+ display that offers 90Hz refresh rate.

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On Monday, Realme Product Director Wang Wei Derek had shared the first camera samples of the Realme X2 Pro. At that time, the camera details of the smartphone were not known. However, its TENAA listing has revealed that it has a 64-megapixel + 13-megapixel + 8-megapixel + 2-megapixel triple camera system and it has a frontal shooter of 16-megapixel. Today, Realme China CMO Xu Qi has also shared camera samples of the Realme X2 Pro.

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The quad cameras of the phone feature a 115-degree ultrawide lens, a telephoto lens and a depth sensor apart from the Samsung GW1 main lens. The camera setup offers 3x optical zoom and 20x hybrid zoom.

The ColorOS 6.1 based Android 9 Pie OS is expected to come preloaded on the device. It is equipped with a 4,000mAh battery that is coupled with 50W SuperVOOC fast charging technology. TENAA revealed that it has 6 GB of RAM and 64 GB of native storage. However, it may come in 8 GB RAM variant and storage options of up to 256 GB. There is no microSD card slot on the device. The flagship phone is fueled by the 2.96GHz Snapdragon 855+ mobile platform.

The handset measures 161 x 74.7 x 8.7mm and weighs 199 grams. Its color variants that are listed on TENAA are Blue, White, Red and Gray.

Honor reveals EMUI 10 update plan for its smartphones

By

Jeet

-

Oct 9, 2019

Today, Honor’s Vice President of Product has announced through Weibo the list of devices from the company that will be getting the new Magic UI 3.0 and EMUI 10. He also said that more devices will be added to the list as the adaptation steps up.

As per the details revealed by him, the devices set to receive the Open Beta update in late October includes Honor 20, 20 Pro, V20, and Honor Magic 2. The devices that will get the open beta update later this year includes Honor 10, V10, and Honor 8X. On the other hand, the Honor 9X and 9X Pro smartphones are set to start the recruitment process for the open beta update in mid-December.

Earlier, Huawei had revealed a list of 33 devices for the EMUI 10 upgrade plan which will be getting the latest update between October and December this year. Although note that the list of 33 devices included smartphones from both Huawei and Honor.

The rollout of the new EMUI 10 started with the Huawei P30 series smartphones from this month and the Mate 20 series will begin beta testing in late October. The Mate 10 open beta will start rolling out in late November, while that of the P20 series will begin in late October this year.

Since the company is not rolling out the update over-the-air (OTA), it’ll likely be available to users who registered for Huawei’s closed beta program. The program grants the registered users first-hand access to test the latest EMUI features before they are commercially available.

Beta users are mandatorily required to send feedbacks in order to help improve the overall outlook of the custom ROM and fix bugs before the stable ROM is released.

EMUI 10 is an important update as it improves smoothness and performance on existing devices. The company has even added a system-wide dark mode which even forces apps that don’t have a dark mode to comply. The system settings are better organized in this new version and the OS is designed to offer a better experience when working other devices like a Windows 10 laptop.

Purported Honor 20 Lite (Youth Edition) full specifications leaked on TENAA

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

-

Oct 9, 2019

In the recent past, Honor has released smartphones Honor 9X, Honor 9X Pro, Honor 20S and Honor Play 3 phones in China. A new Honor phone that has a model number of LRA-AL00 has received approval from China’s TENAA telecom authority. Yesterday, Honor President George Zhao had revealed to the Huawei fan club that the upcoming Honor 20 Youth Edition (Honor 20 Lite) is a beautiful device that is capable at taking good photos and is suitable for youth especially females. It appears that the LRA-AL00 smartphone could be the Honor 20 Lite smartphone.

Honor LRA-AL00 Specifications

The Honor LRA-AL00 smartphone measures 157.2 x 73.2 x 7.65mm and it weighs 172.5 grams. The device is equipped with a display that features a waterdrop notch to offer users with a high screen space. The 6.3-inch OLED screen offers full HD+ resolution and it is integrated with a fingerprint sensor.

An octa-core processor that clocks at 2.2GHz is present under the hood of the Honor LRA-AL00 smartphone. Its RAM variants are 4 GB, 6 GB and 8 GB. Its storage editions are 64 GB, 128 GB and 256 GB. The Android 9 Pie OS comes preloaded on the smartphone. For more storage, it offers users with a microSD card slot.

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The alleged Honor 20 Lite has a triple camera system on its back. The vertical module comprises of a 48-megapixel primary lens, an 8-megapixel secondary lens and a 2-megapixel sensor. For capturing selfies, it is fitted with a frontal shooter of 16-megapixel. The LRA-AL00 has a minimum capacity battery of 3,900mAh. Its typical capacity could be 4,000mAh. The 3C certification of the smartphone had revealed that it supports up to 20W fast charging. Black and Green are the two color editions of the smartphone. The handset could be arriving in more color variants at launch.

Honor is expected to hold a launch event by the end of this month to announce the Honor V30 series of smartphones in China. It is speculated that the Honor 20 Lite will be also made official at the same event. As of this writing, there is no information available on the pricing of the Honor 20 Lite.

Gearbest’s Top Seller Promotion Launches with Great Discounts on Most Popular Items

By

Vinay Patel

-

Oct 9, 2019

Gearbest is touted as one of China’s best online stores when it comes to buying electronic items and other gadgets at unbeatable prices. Living up to its reputation, the Chinese online store keeps coming up with amazing promotions from time to time.

AMAZFIT GTR 47mm Smart Watch International Version — Amazfit GTR is its most recent smartwatch

The recently kicked-off Gearbest Top Seller promotion is offering you a chance to get your tech greedy hands on the most popular items without emptying your pocket. The products available on the activity page have carefully been split into Best Seller, Hot Pick, and Recommended for You categories to facilitate the search process.

Let us check out the discounts available on some of the well-received products that have gone up for sale bearing lowered prices on the promotion page.

Alfawise HQB – Q32TWS Bluetooth Mini Earbuds

A great choice for music lovers, the Alfawise HQB – Q32TWS Bluetooth Mini Earbuds delivers a superior wireless experience. It adopts the latest Bluetooth 5.0 protocol that enables the two earbuds to stream audio from your Bluetooth-enabled phones, tablets, laptops, and other compatible devices.

You can use the earbuds both, individually, as well as simultaneously for great HiFi sound. It comes with a mini power bank that can charge the earbuds fifteen times, and deliver about an impressive 120 hours of wireless music.

The irresistible Alfawise HQB – Q32TWS Bluetooth Mini Earbuds would normally set you back $23.17, but thanks to a 22 percent discount, you can now buy it for just $17.99 from Gearbest. Moreover, you can get an add-on item worth $8.99 on orders over $20.

The black-tinted earbuds come in two variants including Touch Control and Button Control. You can follow this link to grab the discount. With over a hundred pieces sold at the time of writing, the promo is slated to end in five days.

Alfawise HQB – Q32TWS Bluetooth Mini Earbuds

AMAZFIT GTR 47mm Smart Watch

The market is teeming with all sorts of smart wearables that keep a track of health while monitoring your activities. Regrettably, these fitness gadgets aren’t easy on the pocketbook.

If you have been waiting to buy a feature-laden smartwatch without spending a lot of money, Gearbest’s got your back. The Chinese online store is doling out a noteworthy 17 percent off on the AMAZFIT GTR 47mm Smart Watch, which usually sells for $180.67.

As part of the Gearbest’s latest promo, the global version of the AMAZFIT GTR 47mm Smart Watch is now available for a lowered price of just $149.99. An absolute steal at this price, the AMAZFIT GTR smartwatch sports classic look of the traditional watch, which makes it ideal for sports, as well as business use.

You can head straight to this link to check out more details about the AMAZFIT GTR 47mm Smart Watch and place your order. A whopping 8836 pieces were already sold at the time of writing, and the promotion will come to an end in fifteen days so visit this link without wasting time to avail the discount.

AMAZFIT GTR 47mm Smart Watch

Lenovo E1 Smart Watch

Much to the delight of fitness enthusiasts, Gearbest is offering the Lenovo E1 Smart Watch at a reduced price as well. The global version of the smartwatch normally carries a $49.99 price tag but is currently up for grabs for just $39.99.

This is a significant 20 percent reduction in the device’s original asking price. The Lenovo E1 comes in eye-catching color options such as green, black, with red band, and with black steel strap.

Exclusively designed for sports enthusiasts, the Lenovo E1 adopts a single-hand control design for easier access to all features even when you are exercising. It features a soft silicone strap that fits snugly around your wrist without any sort of discomfort.

The Lenovo E1 is a perfect smartwatch for daily use. You can buy the coveted smartwatch by following this link. While the promotion will be valid for 21 days, 10 pieces have already been sold out until now.

Lenovo E1 Smart Watch

Gearbest Top Seller

[Update: More photos and details] Andy Rubin shows off new Essential phone with a unique design

By

Habeeb Onawole

-

Oct 9, 2019

[Update: more photos tweeted by official Essential Twitter account reveal more details]

Co-founder of Android and CEO of Essential Inc., Andy Rubin, took to Twitter to show the world the latest mobile hardware device he and his team have been working on. Suffice to say this is unlike anything we have ever seen before.

The tweets by Mr. Rubin showing off the new device come nearly a year since the last one on October 25, 2018.

…still dialing in the colors pic.twitter.com/4gEpFU7mpZ

— Andy Rubin (@Arubin) October 8, 2019

The first tweet shows four devices of varying colors facing downwards in a styrofoam block. The phones look nothing like any modern phone sold right now. You could mistake them for fancy remotes based on their form factor or even an open clamshell phone.

Each one has a huge camera bump with a single sensor in the middle. There is an LED flash at the top left corner while a fingerprint scanner is positioned below the camera. The caption for the tweet says “GEM Colorshift material”, and boy do these colors shift depending on the angle you look at the phones.

A second tweet shows us the same phones but in a still image. The last tweet is the most interesting of all as it shows us the front of the phone.

The new Essential phone is shown to have a display with a very tall aspect ratio. There are bezels of equal lengths on all sides and they don’t make the phone bigger than it should be.

New UI for radically different formfactor pic.twitter.com/Es8hFrTuxx

— Andy Rubin (@Arubin) October 8, 2019

The display itself has a large punch hole in the top left corner for the selfie camera. There is an arrow icon pointing to the left of the screen while a red button is at the far top right corner. We believe these are the navigation and close app keys respectively.

In one of the photos, the phone is shown running a maps app that sure doesn’t look like Google Maps while the other image shows multiple apps on the screen with each taking a small quarter of the phone’s display.

[envira-gallery id=”281454″]

As you can see, there is an Uber app, a calendar app, a maps app, and a weather app. Each app takes up a small part of the screen but does so in a very neat way. The caption for this tweet says “New UI for radically different form factor”.

It sure is running a user interface we haven’t seen on any device before, but nevertheless, we believe it is still based on Android.

We are really excited about this new device from Essential Inc. whose first and last phone is the Essential PH-1 which was released back in 2017. We expect more details about the new phone will surface soon.

Update begins here:

The official Essential Twitter account has shared more photos of the new device and one of them gives us a look at the phone’s homescreen.

There is a clock widget at the top with two circles – one showing the phone’s battery level and the other showing the signal level and type (LTE in this case). We also see that the phone is on AT&T’s network.

The homescreen has a UI similar to that of Windows Mobile with its Live Tiles. There is a Spotify tile as well as tiles for phone, maps, camera, messages, and gallery. This photo also gives us another look at the punch hole which houses the selfie camera. The red button at the top red corner in one of the first set of photos is now white.

The new Essential Phone is really comfortable to hold thanks to its really narrow frame. The power button and volume rocker are on the left side of the device but none of the photos give us a good look at the other sides to know if there are extra buttons and the type of ports available.

The second photo shows the phone in all the four colors it will be available in – red, green, blue, and yellow. Thanks to the color-shifting effect, all four will look different depending on the angle you are looking at them from. In this photo, we can also see a transparent TPU case in the corner.

We've been working on a new device to reframe your perspective on mobile. It's now in early testing with our team outside the lab. Look forward to sharing more in the near future! #ProjectGEM pic.twitter.com/BnVy7yM2Kj

— Essential (@essential) October 9, 2019

The caption for the tweet says Essential has been working on a new device to reframe our perspective on mobile. It is already in testing outside the lab and more details will be shared in the near future. The tweet ends with the hashtag #ProjectGEM.

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Huami AMAZFIT GTR Smartwatch

Huami AMAZFIT GTR Smartwatch

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Alfawise HQB – Q32TWS Bluetooth Mini Earbuds

AMAZFIT GTR 47mm Smart Watch

Lenovo E1 Smart Watch

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