HTC short for High Tech Computer Corporation was once a leader in the smartphone industry. However, due to fierce competition, mainly from Chinese OEMs, it has lost a significant part of its market share over the last several years.
When questioned about the reason behind HTC’s downfall, its newly appointed CEO, Yves Maitres said that his “company stopped innovating on smartphones” on the stage of TechCrunch Disrupt which was held earlier this month.
HTC’s senior official took the stage right after a one on one conversation with OnePlus’ co-founder Carl Pei. Apparently, the contrast of the two companies could not be more widely separated. On one hand, OnePlus which was founded about six years ago has managed to capitalise a worthwhile market share and reputation.
On the other hand, HTC has been striving to stay afloat during that time. In the Q2 of 2019, it posted a fifth consecutive quarterly loss. Moreover, last year it had laid off around a quarter of its staff. Talking about its market share, in the year 2011, HTC had a market share of about 11 percent whereas in the current time period its name remains hidden in the “other” section in most reports.
Coming back to the statement made by the newly appointed CEO of HTC, who has been looking at his company’s performance from the outside until now, praised other smartphone OEMs including Apple, Samsung and Huawei who have invested heavily in the development of their hardware. On the contrary, HTC has been allocating resources towards the development of VR (virtual reality) technologies.
Even though his company has made significant breakthroughs in the field of VR, HTC’s timing is not right, as the adoption of that technology has been slower than expected acknowledged the senior official.
He further added HTC is gearing to make a strong comeback in the smartphone market. This time the company will bank on 5G compatible smartphones and target “countries with higher GDP”.
While HTC is not expecting an immediate turnaround, the success will be greatly influenced by the adoption of 5G. He said that the year 2020 will be the starting point of 5G and considering network deployment usually takes about 2 years. 5G, which is also regarded as the next-gen of telecom should have significant coverage by 2023 and HTC believes their turning point will be 2025 or even earlier.
To wrap things up, HTC does seem ambitious but only time will tell whether the company manages to turn the tables or not.
Sony has announced a new smartphone called the Sony Xperia 8 in Japan. In terms of appearance, the handset resembles the Sony Xperia 10 mid-range smartphone that was unveiled at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2019 tech trade show in February. When it comes to specifications, the smartphone is slightly inferior to the Xperia 10.
Sony Xperia 8 Specifications and Features
The Xperia 8 that comes with IPX5/X8 water and IPX6 dust resistant body measures 158 x 59 x 8.1 and it weighs 170 grams. The front and rear sides of the phone are protected by Gorilla Glass 6 panels. The 6.0-inch IPS LCD Triluminous display that offers full HD+ resolution of 1080 x 2520 pixels and a tall aspect ratio of 21:9 is available on the device. The Android 9 Pie OS customized with Xperia UI runs on the device. Sony claims that the handset can easily fit in the palm of the user and its tall display allows users to seamlessly view two apps through split-screen mode. The Side Sense bar can be accessed by double-tapping on the edge of the display to access frequently used apps and settings.
The rear shell of the phone has a horizontal dual camera setup that features an f/1.8 aperture 12-megapixel main lens and an f/2.4 aperture 8-megapixel depth sensor. The dual cameras offer features like 2x optical zoom, 13 types of scene recognition, 4K video recording with EIS and 120fps slow-motion video shooting. The front-facing f/2.0 aperture 8-megapixel camera can shoot beautified shots through the portrait selfie feature.
The Snapdragon 630 SoC along with 4 GB of RAM powers the Sony Xperia 8 smartphone. It offers with an internal storage of 64 GB. The company claims that the 2,760mAh battery of the Xperia 8 will not deteriorate even after 2 years of use. The other features of the Sony Xperia 8 include Google Assistant support, side-mounted fingerpint reader, microSD card slot, 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802.11ac, Bluetooth 5.0, NFC, USB-C, 3.5mm audio jack, LDAC, Hi-Res audio and DSEE HX Digital Sound Enhancement Engine.
Sony Xperia Price and Availability
The pricing of the Xperia 8 is 54,000 Yen (~$505). However, the smartphone is scheduled to hit the Japanese market through Y! Mobile by late October. It can be bought in colors like Black, White, Orange and Blue. There is no word on the availability of the smartphone outside of Japan.
Samsung, one of the leading brands in the Smart TVs market, is all set to launch a new lineup of devices featuring bezel-less design. If the reports are to be believed, then the company will launch a new lineup of Smart TVs under “Zero Bezel” branding at CES 2020.
Earlier this month, on 2nd October, Samsung Electronics registered a trademark with the EUIPO (European Union Intellectual Property Office) for the brand name ‘Zero Bezel’. The application was submitted by intermediary Abril Abogados from Madrid, Spain which has often acted in the name of Samsung.
The application from the company is categorized as Class 9, with the description that includes ‘televisions; computer screens; LED displays; digital signage display panels’.
As the name itself suggests, the ‘Zero Bezel’ is hinting at the bezel-less design of the Smart TVs coming from the company. While there’s a trend for thinner bezels smartphones, the trend now seems to have moved on to other devices as well.
Currently, Samsung’s QLED TVs comes with very thin bezels around the screen. For instance, the Q7F 4k Smart QLED TV from Samsung is described to have a “bezel-less design” so the “Zero Bezel” should be a step forward in terms of design.
However, looking at the trademark application, it seems that the Zero Bezel branding is not limited to Smart TVs and could include a broad range of devices, including QLED gaming monitors. Currently, the company is offering a 49-inch QLED gaming monitor having 32:9 ultra-wide aspect ratio, featuring very narrow bezels.
The Zero Bezel lineup of products will certainly be a step forward in terms of design from the South Korean giant. While it remains to be seen which product category will get this new design first — TVs or Gaming Monitors, it’s for sure that the time for bezel-less displays is not limited to smartphones.
As per the reports, the first Samsung Zero Bezel QLED TV will be unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2020 which will take place in Las Vegas, USA from 7th January 2020 to 10th January 2020.
Oppo has scheduled a launch event in China on 10th October where the company will be launching its new flagship smartphone — Oppo Reno Ace. Now, it has been confirmed that along with the standard version, a new variant of the phone will also get launched.
Shen Yiren, Vice President of Oppo has teased on Oppo that he has been using a new smartphone that has not been photographed yet. He further added that the phone is the version that was previously mentioned — GUNDAM.
While he has not revealed what the smartphone will be called, it is being speculation that the upcoming custom edition Reno Ace smartphone could be named Oppo Reno Ace GUNDAM Edition but this hasn’t been confirmed yet.
A few months ago, Oppo partnered with Gundam, a Japanese science fiction media franchise created by Yoshiyuki Tomino and Sunrise that features giant robots with the name “Gundam”. It was reported that under this collaboration, Oppo will be launching a special edition smartphone.
The Oppo Reno Ace GUNDAM Edition is expected to get launched along with the Reno Ace on 10th October in China. While the specifications of the Reno Ace have leaked online, there’s no information available about its pricing and availability so far.
The Oppo Reno Ace with model number PCLM10 was recently certified by TENAA agency, measuring 161 x 75.7 x 8.7mm and weighing 200 grams. The handset has a 6.5-inch AMOLED display that carries support for Full HD+ resolution of 1080 x 2340 pixels and is claimed to have 90Hz refresh rate.
Previously leaked render of Gundam Edition for Oppo Reno series
The 2.96GHz Snapdragon 855 mobile platform powers the smartphone and the processor is coupled with up to 12GB RAM. The phone has 128GB of internal storage but doesn’t feature a microSD card slot for expanding the storage capacity.
In the camera department, the phone will come equipped with Sony IMX586 48-megapixel + 13-megapixel + 8-megapixel + 2-megapixel quad camera system on the back and on the front side, there will be a 16-megapixel snapper.
The Reno Ace is expected to come powered by a 4,000mAh battery and the company has already confirmed that the smartphone will come equipped with 65W SuperVOOC rapid charging technology.
A dashcam records activities happening on the road, as well as inside the car. The recording can be used as authentic evidence of a car accident and for a variety of other purposes.
In addition to providing evidence in case of an accident, dash cams also help drivers improve their skills. This highly useful car accessory understandably comes bearing a steep price tag, but it looks like Gearbest is bent on changing that.
Gearbest is giving those looking for an inexpensive, yet feature-laden dashcam a chance to get their hands on the Tecney T98 Dash Cam Car DVR for a considerably lowered price of $79.99. It is worth mentioning here that the dashcam car DVR usually retails for $139.99.
Moreover, you can extend this 43 percent discount by applying coupon code GBT98DVR at the time of checking out. The coupon helps you save $6 more by reducing the original asking price of the Tecney T98 to only $73.99 during the checkout process.
The Tecney T98 is quite a useful dash cam car DVR that sports a 9.66-inch full touch screen that allows you to see details very clearly in any environment. On the optics front, it houses a 1080P front-mounted camera and a 1080P dash camera at the back for long-range, safe monitoring.
The dashcam offers a 170-degree field of the front view and 140-degree field of rear view which is ideal for capturing the big picture. Moreover, you can adjust the screen brightness, while the high definition of its 1080P backup camera offers super night vision in dark conditions.
You can follow this link to check out more details about the Tecney T98 dash cam car DVR and place your order. It is worth noting that the discount will be available on the black color option of the device for a limited period.
Google is just days away from unveiling its next-generation flagship smartphones — Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL. The launch event is scheduled to take place on 15th October, where the company is also expected to launch a few other products.
Ahead of the phone’s launch, most of its specifications and features have already been leaked. Now, camera samples of the smartphone have also surfaced online, which are claimed to be the ones that Google will use to promote the upcoming devices.
The selfie shot taken from the phone’s front-facing camera seems to be the sample for portrait mode. While the images look impressive, the resolution of 4.5-megapixels which is significantly lower than the Pixel 3’s 8-megapixel snapper.
The portrait effect using the phone’s back camera is also very impressive and especially the edge detection seems to be working perfectly. The phone will come with an additional camera sensor on the back, and the samples show how it impacts the camera output.
Google’s Night Sight has been impressive since its inception and the camera sample of the same feature on Pixel 4 seems to be hinting towards continuing that legacy. The images taken using the Night Sight mode provides bold colors and much less noise and grains compared to the competition.
But the camera performance using the Night Sight doesn’t stop at the providing bold colors. The samples shared online reveals that the Google Pixel 4 series will also be capable of taking shots of the stars and Milky Way at night, which are very impressive.
As for the specifications, the Pixel 4 will be arriving with a 5.7-inch OLED display with Full HD+ screen resolution while the Pixel 4 XL will be a larger device featuring 6.3-inch OLED display offering Quad HD+ screen resolution. Both phones will carry support for 90Hz refresh rate and Ambient EQ.
The smartphones will be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 octa-core processor with 6GB of RAM. They will also come with a dedicated processor called Neural Core for handling AI and Machine Learning tasks.
The dual camera setup on both phones include a 12-megapixel Dual-Pixel primary lens and a 16-megapixel telephoto sensor. On the front side, the smartphones are expected to come with an 8-megapixel snapper.
The devices will come running the latest Android 10 operating system out-of-the-box. While the Pixel 4 will be powered by a 2,800mAh battery, the Pixel 4 XL will come packed with a 3,700mAh battery and both of them will have 18W USB-PD fast charging support. Details about the phone’s variants and pricing have also leaked online.
The Realme X2 Pro smartphone is expected to go official in Europe and China later this month. Rumors surrounding the smartphone have revealed that its model number is RMX1931. The appearance of the model number on the database of Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) indicates that the smartphone could be also debuting in India in the near future.
The RMX1931 smartphone that was seen on the database of the Bluetooth SIG body in the previous month is the upcoming Realme X2 Pro flagship phone. The report that had revealed about Bluetooth SIG certification had also mentioned that the phone had received approval from BIS authority of India. A snapshot of the BIS certification has been shared by a tipster.
Last month, Realme had launched the Realme XT smartphone in India. At the end of its unveiling, Realme India CEO Madhav Sheth said that the Snapdragon 730G powered Realme XT 730G phone will be made available in India in December along with some other surprises. Hence, it appears that Realme India could be now preparing to launch the Realme X2 Pro alongside the Realme XT 730G in December. It remains to be seen whether the phone will be announced with a different moniker.
The Realme X2 Pro is expected to house a 6.5-inch AMOLED display with waterdrop notch. It will offer users with full HD+ resolution, 90Hz refresh rate support and it will be integrated with a fingerprint reader.
The 2.96GHz Snapdragon 855+ will be fueling the phone with up to 8 GB of RAM. The handset may offer users with a maximum native storage of 256 GB. The Android 9 Pie OS coupled with ColorOS 6.1 could be running on the device.
Realme X2
The exact configuration of the quad camera system of the Realme X2 Pro is not known yet. What’s known is that it has a 64-megapixel Samsung GW1 main lens, a 115-degree ultrawide lens, a telephoto sensor and a portrait lens. These sensors will work together to deliver up to 20x hybrid zoom. It could be featuring a 32-megapixel selfie snapper. The 4,000mAh battery of the phone will be coupled with 50W SuperVOOC technology.
The OnePlus 7T Pro flagship phone will get a global announcement on Oct. 10. Apart from featuring advanced specs, the handset will be sporting a different design than the OnePlus 7T phone. Ahead of the launch, popular tipster Ishaan Agarwalhas shared renders of the Haze Blue edition. He has also shared of the OnePlus 7T Pro cases.
The OnePlus 7T Haze Blue gradient appear quite similar to the Glacier Blue edition of the OnePlus 7T phone. A leaked render of the Haze Blue edition had also appeared in the previous month. The display of the phone is devoid of a notch which suggests that it will offer a higher screen-to-body ratio of around 90 percent. Rumors surrounding the smartphone have revealed that the OnePlus 7T Pro is equipped with a 90Hz AMOLED display of 6.65 inches that will offer quad HD+ resolution of 1440 x 3100 pixels.
The OnePlus 7T Pro’s display is integrated with an in-screen fingerprint sensor. The smartphone has a pop-up camera system for capture selfies. Probably, it could be equipped with an EIS powered 16-megapixel selfie shooter.
The rear side of the smartphone has a vertical dual camera setup instead of the round-shaped camera housing available on the OnePlus 7T. It is expected to include Sony IMX586 primary lens, a 120-degree ultrawide lens of 16-megapixel and a telephoto lens of 8-megapixel. The handset may arrive with a 4,085mAh battery that will carry support for Warp Charge 30T fast charging technology. The tipster has further revealed that OnePlus could be selling cases such as Karbon Bumper, Nylon Bumper, Karbon Protective and Sandstone Protective for OnePlus 7T Pro smartphone.
Karbon Bumper Case and Nylon Bumper CaseKarbon Protective Case and Sandstone Protective Case
The Snapdragon 855+ mobile platform will be the driving force of the OnePlus 7T Pro smartphone. The handset may come with up to 12 GB of RAM and up to 512 GB of inbuilt storage. The OxygenOS flavored Android 10 OS will come preinstalled on the device. There is no information available on the pricing of the smartphone. The handset is expected to release in European markets and India on Oct. 15. Reports suggest that the OnePlus 7T Pro may not launch in the U.S. Instead of it, the company is expected to sell OnePlus 7T Pro 5G McLaren Edition and OnePlus 7T in the U.S.
The Realme Europe landing page for Realme X2 Pro says it is ‘coming soon’ and even Realme China is teasing its arrival. The smartphone is expected to break cover this month, but there is no information on its launch date. Yesterday, Realme China’s Product Director, Wang Wei Derek shared the first camera samples of the Realme X2 Pro to reveal its photo shooting capabilities.
The images shared by Derek has ‘Shot on realme X2 Pro’ watermark at the bottom left corner. The new images seemingly show the clarity of the wide-angle shots that were captured using the first flagship phone by Realme. The Chinese firm has revealed that the quad camera system of the Realme X2 Pro will include the Samsung GW1 64-megapixel lens as the primary sensor and it will be assisted by a 115-degree ultrawide lens, a telephoto lens and a portrait lens. The quad cameras will offer up to 20X hybrid zoom.
For shooting selfies, the Realme X2 Pro will probably feature a 32-megapixel selfie snapper. It may house a 6.5-inch AMOLED display that will deliver full HD+ resolution. It will be the first smartphone in its pricing range to offer a display with 90Hz refresh rate support. Like the Realme XT, the Pro model will be equipped with an in-display fingerprint reader.
The Snapdragon 855 mobile platform that offers a clocking speed of 2.96GHz will be fueling the smartphone along with up to 8 GB of RAM. The handset may offer users with up to 256 GB of storage. It is likely to feature a 4,000mAh battery that will be equipped with 50W SuperVOOC Flash Charge technology.
The pricing of the Realme X2 Pro is not known. However, the inclusion of advanced features suggests that it may not a very affordable device. The recently launched Snapdragon 855+ powered Redmi K20 Pro Premium smartphone is priced at 2,999 Yuan (~$419) for its 12 GB RAM + 512 GB storage edition. Probably, the Realme X2 Pro could be priced between 3,000 Yuan and 4,000 Yuan (~$559). However, it is advisable to wait for further reports to know its pricing.
What could be the ideal pricing for the Realme X2 Pro? Share us your thoughts by posting your comments below.
At the end of the previous month, OnePlus had held an unveil event in India to announce its first smart TVs and OnePlus 7T smartphone. The company was also expected to announce the advanced OnePlus 7T Pro phone alongside the OnePlus 7T. On Saturday, the Chinese manufacturer teased the launch event for the OnePlus 7T Pro through a tweet. It revealed that the company will be announcing it in India on Oct. 10. Also, HDFC Bank’s SmartBuy offer page reveals that the smartphone will be available for purchase in India by mid-October.
Thought we were done? Oh we're just getting started. Watch out for something special | Oct 10 🤩
The landing page for the smartphone on Amazon India also carries the same launch date. On the same date, the company will be holding a global launch event in London to announce the smartphone. The offer page of HDFC Bank’s SmartBuy has listed discount offers for OnePlus 7 Pro, OnePlus 7T, OnePlus TV and the unannounced OnePlus 7T Pro.
The offer page reveals that the OnePlus 7T will be tentatively available through Amazon India from Oct. 15. Owners of HDFC Bank card will be able to take advantage of Rs. 3,000 discount on Amazon India, OnePlus.in and at offline outlets like OnePlus Experience Stores, Croma, Reliance Digit, Bajaj Electronics, Vijay Sales, Poojara Telecom and Top 10 Mobiles.
On the same offers page, it is mentioned that OnePlus 7T Pro will be tentatively available for buying through OnePlus India website, OnePlus stores and offline stores from Oct. 10. The Rs. 3,000 discount will only be available during specified periods as shown in the table above.
Recent reports have revealed that the OnePlus 7T Pro will be equipped with a 6.67-inch Fluid AMOLED display that offers quad HD+ resolution. The notch-less display will be integrated with an in-screen fingerprint sensor.
The 2.96GHz Snapdragon 855+ is expected to fuel the smartphone along with up 12 GB of RAM. The smartphone is expected to provide users with a maximum internal storage of 512 GB. For capturing selfies, the smartphone may possess a pop-up selfie snapper of 16-megapixel. The rear shell of the handset may feature a Sony IMX586 48-megapixel triple camera system.
Like the OnePlus 7T, the Pro model will also boot to OxygenOS based Android 10. It is expected to house a 4,080mAh battery along with support for Warp Charge 30T fast charging.
On Oct. 10, OPPO will be announcing the OPPO K5 smartphone as the successor of the OPPO K3 smartphone that was made official earlier this month. Through the same event, the Chinese manufacturer will be announcing the OPPO Reno Ace flagship smartphone. Few days ahead of launch, the prices of the two variants of the OPPO K5 smartphone have surfaced.
The leak reveals that the OPPO K5 will be releasing in China in two RAM variants such as 6 GB and 8 GB. Both models will come with an internal storage of 128 GB. They are rumored to arrive with respective price tags of 1,799 Yuan (~$251) and 1,999 Yuan (~$277). It is speculated that the Chinese manufacturer will be giving away OPPO MH135 earphones through a promotional offer for a limited period of time. The leak has no information on the pricing of the 8 GB RAM + 256 GB rumored variant of the OPPO K5 smartphone.
In comparison, the OPPO K3 was announced in three models in May such as 6 GB RAM + 64 GB storage, 6 GB RAM + 128 GB storage and 8 GB RAM + 256 GB storage. These models were respectively priced at 1,599 Yuan (~$223), 1,899 Yuan (~$265) and 2,299 Yuan (~$321). Readers are advised to digest the pricing leak of the OPPO K5 with a pinch of salt as there is no concrete evidence to back it.
The OPPO K5 features a 6.4-inch AMOLED display with waterdrop notch instead of the notch-less screen found on the predecessor model. The full HD+ display is embedded with an in-screen fingerprint reader. The Snapdragon 730G octa-core processor is present under the hood of the device. It has a 4,000mAh battery that carries support for 30W VOOC 4.0 Flash Charge technology. The new fast charging technology allow the phone to charge completely in 73 minutes.
Image Courtesy: ITHome.com
The ColorOS 6.1 based Android 9 Pie OS will be available preinstalled on the device. The front notch of the phone features a selfie snapper of 32-mgeapixel. The rear side of the smartphone has a vertical quad camera system that includes a Samsung GW1 64-megapixel primary lens, an ultrawide lens of 8-megapixel, a macro lens of 2-megapixel and a depth sensor of 2-megapixel. The handset is expected to arrive in color editions such as Cyber Metal (Blue), Forest Fantasy (Green) and Polar Sunshine (White).
Google is expected to announce the Pixel 4 series of smartphones through its unveil event at New York on Oct. 15. Recent reports have revealed the specifications of the upcoming Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL smartphones. A week ahead of its launch, reliable tipster Evan Blass has shared the Canadian pricing of the Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL phones.
Google Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL Pricing (Rumored)
Blass has revealed that the 64 GB and 128 GB editions of the Pixel 4 will be respectively priced at CAD $1,049.95 (~$788) and CAD $1,199.95 (~$901). The Pixel 4 XL is also expected to release in 64 GB and 128 GB storage editions. They are likely to arrive with respective price tags of CAD $1,199.95 (~$901) and CAD $1359.95 (~$1,048).
Google Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL Specifications (Rumored)
The Pixel 4 will be arriving with a 5.7-inch OLED display that will deliver full HD+ resolution. The Pixel 4 XL will be a larger device featuring 6.3-inch OLED display that produces quad HD+ resolution. Both phones will carry support for 90Hz refresh rate and Ambient EQ.
Pixel 4XL
The Pixel 4 will be coming with a 2,800mAh battery whereas the Pixel 4 XL will be housing a 3,700mAh battery. Both devices will come equipped with 18W USB-PD fast charging through USB-C. The rest of the specs of both phones are identical.
The Snapdragon 855 mobile platform along with 6 GB of RAM will be powering the Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL smartphones. There is a dedicated processor called Neural Core for handling AI and Machine Learning tasks. The dual camera setup on both phones will include a 12-megapixel Dual-Pixel primary lens and a 16-megapixel telephoto sensor. These phones will come preloaded with Android 10 OS.
Pixel 4
The Pixel 4 duo will come with some other common features such as Face Unlock, Motion Sense, Titan M security chip and guaranteed security and OS updates for 3 years. Google will be also announcing the Pixel Buds 2 alongside the Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL smartphones. Rumors have it that even though the Pixel 4 duo will be announced on Oct. 15, these phones won’t be available for purchase readily.
How do you review the camera performance of a phone that uses its rear camera(s) as its selfie camera(s)? Do you give it the same score for both uses or do you use different parameters for the two usage scenarios? According to DxOMark’s review of the ASUS Zenfone 6 which has motorized flip cameras, you score both scenarios differently.
So if you were among those that thought the Zenfone 6’s DxOMark selfie camera score of 98, which crowned it the selfie king prior to the Galaxy Note10+ 5G’s arrival will be the same score for “its rear cameras”, then you are in for a surprise. Not only is the score different but it is significantly higher too.
The Zenfone 6’s rear cameras have been given an overall score of 104 by DxOMark but a breakdown reveals it scored 107 points for photo and 99 points for video.
The phone’s rear cameras are made up of a 48MP Sony IMX586 sensor with an f/1.8 aperture and a 13MP f/2.4 ultrawide angle sensor. It has dual-LED flash, 4K video recording at 30fps, and EIS.
DxOMark praises the Zenfone 6′ fast and accurate autofocus, noise control, and color rendering even with flash turned on. It is even said to offer a level of detail that is close to that of devices such as the Huawei P30 Pro and outclasses the Xiaomi Mi 9 in overall texture preservation. A comparison shows it outperforming the Honor 20 Pro when it comes to the level of detail.
Where the Zenfone 6 falls short is in loss of sharpness towards the corners as against the center. Also, flare is said to be often visible when shooting in the direction of a bright source of light.
The ultrawide camera is the in-thing for a lot of phones this year and the Zenfone 6 doesn’t miss out on it. However, the fact that it lacks a telephoto camera means it falls short when it comes to zoom shots. Nevertheless, DxOMark’s review says the phone is “marginally better than a lot of phones with a single camera or dual-wide-cam” at 2x magnification.
For videos, it is one of the top-ranking devices, says DxOMark’s reveal. Other than recording in 4K by default, the Zenfone 6 is said to render textures well irrespective of the lighting conditions and even does it better than the Galaxy Note10+ 5G and the Xiaomi Mi 9. However, the level of detail starts to drop in very low-light conditions.
Based on the Zenfone 6’s camera performance, it sure is a recommended purchase for those who often record with a smartphone.
The full review is available for reading at the source link below.
The V series is Honor’s line of flagship phones and the manufacturer is expected to launch the Honor V30 soon. Specs of the phone have been leaked today and they not only reveal there will be an Honor V30 Pro but also reveal both phones will each have a 60MP primary rear camera.
The specs were posted on Twitter by Teme (特米) (@RODENT950). According to the tweet, the Honor V30 Pro will have support for 5G.
Honor V30
The Honor V30 will have an LCD display with a punch-hole for a single front-facing camera just like the Honor V20. There is no mention of the display size or the selfie camera’s configuration.
The phone will have a 4000mAh battery capacity just like its predecessor and also support 22.5W SuperCharge fast charging technology. Honor will include an extra camera for a triple-camera setup and the primary sensor will be a 60MP camera. The specs of the other two sensors are not mentioned.
The Honor V30 will be powered by the 7nm Kirin 990 processor which powers the Huawei Mate 30 and Huawei Mate 30 Pro.
Honor V30 Pro
The Honor V30 Pro will have an OLED display with a punch hole for dual front-facing cameras. The specs of the two sensors are also kept under wraps. The display of the V30 Pro already leaked a few weeks ago. Powering the Honor V30 Pro will be the Kirin 990 5G processor.
The phone will also have a 60MP primary rear camera but it will be paired with 3 other sensors for a quad-camera setup. The Honor V30 Pro will have a 4200mAh battery with support for 40W SuperCharge just like the Mate 30 series. However, it will not have support for their 27W fast wireless charging. Instead, it will come with 15W wireless charging support.
While both phones boast interesting specs, they will face the same issues as the Mate 30 series – no Google Services; which will make them practically useless for interested buyers outside China.
A newly discovered an android vulnerability that affects a wide range of devices from Google, Samsung, Xiaomi, LG, Huawei, and some other manufacturers.
The vulnerability was discovered by Google’s security group, Project Zero, last week and is already being exploited by attackers. According to the post published about the vulnerability, there is little or no customization required to root a phone that is infected.
There are speculations that the bug is being used by NSO, a security software firm based in Israel. However, a spokesperson for the company said: “NSO did not sell and will never sell exploits or vulnerabilities,”.
It was also reported that the bug was fixed in earlier versions 3.18, 4.4, and 4.9 of AOSP Android Kernel in December 2017 but has re-emerged in new versions.
Below is a list of affected devices:
Pixel 2
Huawei P20
Redmi 5A
Redmi Note 5
Xiaomi Mi A1
OPPO A3
Moto Z3
LG phones running Android Oreo
Samsung Galaxy S7
Samsung Galaxy S8
Samsung Galaxy S9
The vulnerability needs to be exploited locally, so users are advised not to download apps from untrusted sources until an update that nullifies the threat has been rolled out.
Every year, Indians across the globe celebrate Diwali, a Hindu-festival that lasts for five days. As part of the celebration, several manufacturers run sales promotions, discounting several of their products. This year was a big one for Xiaomi as it raked in huge sales during its DiwaliWithMi sales promotion, recording a growth of over 50% compared to last year.
According to a series of tweets posted by the MD of Xiaomi India, Manu Kumar Jain, the company sold over 5.3 million devices during this year’s DiwaliWithMi shopping festival.
Of this figure, he posted that over 3.8 million of the total devices sold were smartphones, which means the remaining 1 million or more devices are made up of smart TVs, Bluetooth speakers, Air purifiers, smart bands, headphones, and other Xiaomi IoT devices.
Some of the devices which were discounted during the period include the Redmi Note 7 Pro which had a starting price of INR 10,999 (~$155). Its Redmi 7 and Redmi 7A smartphones were also among the top six selling smartphones on Amazon India during the period.
Xiaomi had previously revealed that it had sold over 250,000 Mi TVs during the sales which run on its own online store – Mi.com, on Amazon India, and on Flipkart.
Xiaomi is set to record more sales when Amazon begins its Great Indian Festival sales on October 13. The shopping festival will run until October 17. The online store promises u to 40% off smartphone prices, free screen replacements, and no-cost EMI.
Choosing the best phone is not always the best choice. If your budget is limited, you can still get everything you need at an affordable price. This year a lot of affordable smartphones and value for money flagships hitten the shelves with awesome specifications, so there are a lot of options to evaluate in these final months of 2019. That is why we made a selection of value for money devices in order to help you with an eventual choice. Below, you will find the top 10 best value for money smartphones of October 2019 in every price range.
Xiaomi Mi 9 Pro
A few days ago, Xiaomi unveiled the Mi Mix Alpha: the first phone with a wrap-around display which is currently one of the most expensive smartphones ever. But alongside the Mi Mix Alpha, the company also announced the Mi 9 Pro, an advanced variant of the Mi 9 with an incredibly high value for money. It will cost around €500 in its base variant, but it will offer a top-tier hardware department composed of the Snapdragon 855+ chipset and up to 12 GB of RAM. The rest of the specs are borrowed from the Mi 9 with a few improvements such as battery capacity which passes from 3300 to 4000 mAh.
OnePlus officially unveiled the 7T on September 27: it is the value for money variant of the 7T series and, just like the Mi 9 Pro, it is powered by the amazing Snapdragon 855+ mobile platform. It launched in the Indian market with a $600 price tag and it will soon extend to the global market. Among the other key features, there is an amazing display with a 90 Hz refresh ratio, as well as Android 10 out of the box and a UFS 3.0 internal storage which will boost the performance. The company adopted a new design for the cameras: a round-shaped module including three sensors with OIS and optical zoom support.
We can define the Asus ROG Phone 2 the most incredible gaming smartphone in the global market. It is not an affordable smartphone, but we still believe it offers a high value for money since it boasts unique features for gamers. You can attach external accessories, use AirTriggers and a lot of interesting features that will enhance your gaming experience. And you will obviously get the most incredible hardware department and an advanced cooling system for your long gaming sessions. Asus ROG Phone 2 comes with a huge 6000 mAh battery and an excellent display with a 120 Hz refresh ratio.
If you want a gaming smartphone but you can not spend €900 for the Asus ROG Phone 2, consider to purchase the Black Shark 2 Pro which is Xiaomi’s affordable alternative to Asus’ flagship. You will not get all the amazing features of the ROG Phone 2 and neither a big 6000 mAh battery (only 4000 mAh), but you will still be provided with similar top-tier performance thanks to the Snapdragon 855 chipset and up to 12 GB of RAM.
Huawei Mate 30 is a complete flagship available at a very reasonable price. Under its splashproof design, you can find a very efficient Kirin 990 chipset built a 7nm+ with optional 5G connectivity and Android 10 out of the box. There is even an advanced 3D facial recognition system for your security and a big 4200 mAh battery with reverse wireless charging. For just €550 at the actual change, you can even get an outstanding 40 MP camera with a similar quality to the Huawei P30 Pro in a lot of scenarios.
Until now, we talked about value for money flagship smartphones. Now let’s move to upper mid-rangers for people with an even more limited budget. Oppo Reno 2 can be purchased for less than €500, yet it brings a high-end camera department with OIS and a bright focal aperture, as well as a premium design with a shark fin pop-up camera. It even sports a gaming-centric Snapdragon 730G chipset which is not at the same level as the Snapdragon 800 series, but it is the best Qualcomm’s chipset if we exclude that line-up. Oppo Reno 2 also boasts very narrow bezels around the display and a pretty nice 4000 mAh battery.
Redmi Note 8 Pro is a mid-ranger sold for less than €250 in the global market, but it still provides high-end performances thanks to another gaming-centric mobile platform: the Helio G90T by MediaTek. Thanks to this chipset, Xiaomi brought a high-end hardware side on a very affordable phone: the only advantage is the energy consumption, but there is a huge 4500 mAh battery which solves the problem. Redmi Note 8 Pro is also one of the first 64 MP camera phones to hit the market.
You can consider the Realme X2 as a direct rival of the Redmi Note 8 Pro. Instead of the Helio G90T chipset, you get a slightly less powerful (but more efficient) Snapdragon 730G chipset, as well as an AMOLED display instead of an IPS panel. Even the Realme X2 has a 64 MP rear camera. Among the other key features, you get a UFS 2.1 internal storage, a great 32 MP selfie camera and a 4000 mAh battery. And if you want to buy it in the Asian market, you just need about €210!
Samsung’s midrange alternative to Chinese value for money phones is the Galaxy A70s, which comes with a huge 4500 mAh battery and a great 64 MP camera. It has a pretty nice AMOLED display with a tall 20:9 aspect ratio and a Snapdragon 675 chipset paired with up to 8 GB of RAM. All of this for less than €400.
If you have no money and you are looking for a smartphone sold for less than €100, there is nothing better than Redmi 8A. Its huge 5000 mAh battery paired with very efficient components can guarantee up to three days of battery life with moderate usage. And you even get the best mobile platform you can pretend for less than €100 (Snapdragon 439). Even the camera is more than sufficient with a 12 MP resolution and a bright f/1.8 focal aperture. The Redmi 8A carries a brand new design scheme and splash protection.
Samsung has launched the Galaxy A20s in India which is slightly upgraded avatar of the original Galaxy A20 that was announced in the month of March this year. The key highlighting features of the newly announced handset includes a 6.4-inch display, triple rear cameras and a 4,000 mAh battery.
Galaxy A20s Design & Features
Like its prceding device, the Galaxy A20s has polycarbonate back and a glass front. The device measures 163.3 x 77.5 x 8.0 mm and it tips the scale at 183 grams. The front of the smartphone accomodates a 6.4 inch TFT display that has a HD+ resolution of 1560 x 720 px.
The front of the Galaxy A20s also sports a Infinity V notch above the display which houses an f/2.0 aperture equipped selfie camera. As previously mentioned, its display is surrounded with negligible bezels which provide for an appealing front fascia.
The rear panel of the Galaxy A20s has a glossy finish and it harbours the fingerprint scanner, Samsung branding and the triple camera setup. The camera setup consists of 13 MP main sensor which is combined with an 8 MP ultra wide sensor and 5 depth sensor.
The smartphone is kitted with the Snapdragon 450 SoC which can proove to be a thorn in its flesh. The chipset consists of a Octa Core CPU and Adreno 506 GPU. The Galaxy A20s is powered by a 4000mAh battery that supports 15 W fast charging. The handset runs on Android 9 Pie which is skinned with Samsung’s One UI.
Connectivity options on the device include Dual 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.2, GPS , bottom mounted USB Type-C port and 3.5 mm jack.
Galaxy A20s Price, Colour, Storage Options and Availability
The Galaxy A20s is offered in three colour options which include Blue, Green and Black. It is offered in two storage variants for which the price are as follows:
3GB+32GB: Rs 11,999
4GB+64GB: Rs 13,999
In additon to the buit in storage, it also supports memory expansion upto 512 GB via a microSD card.
The Galaxy A20s is available for purschase starting today both via online and offline channels.
In the month of June, Xiaomi launched its latest fitness band, the Mi Band 4 in China which has performed excellent in terms of sales. When the smart werable was launched in its home country, it was offered in two options which include a NFC variant and a non-NFC variant.
Xioami Mi Band 4
However, when Xiaomi launched it for the global market, customers sadly had to settle down with just the non-NFC variant. In order to bring the benefits of NFC to its global audience, Xiaomi is reportedly working on the Mi Band 5 which will support NFC both inside and outside of the Chinese domestic market.
In case you have been uninformed, the Mi Band 4 with NFC supports wireless payments, can be used as an identity card at a workplace and it could even replace metro or bus cards that are based on this technology.
According to the source, the upcoming Mi Band 5 will have a rugged design which will make it more durable and help in prolonging its life. Talking about its launch date, the future fitness band from Xiaomi is said to launch in the Q2 of 2020 which corresponds with past refresh cycles.
Xiaomi Mi Band 4
While not many details about the Mi Band 5 are currently available, it has already been confirmed that 5th Gen fitness tracker is being developed in collaboration with Huami. The CEO of Huami, Wang Huang said that his company is co-working on multiple projects in a partnership with Xiaomi and the Mi Band 5 is one of them.
We will have to wait patiently until more details about the future fitness band from Xiaomi are available, originating either from official or unofficial sources.
Readers outside of China, Would you be interested in buying a NFC compatible smart band from Xiaomi? Let us know in the comments below.
The ASUS Zenfone 6 is one of the flagship devices to consider if you are on a budget. It not only has flagship specs but its revamped ZenUI has gotten lots of praise for offering a near-stock experience while offering some pretty useful customization options. However, the highlight of the phone is its unique motorized dual rear cameras which rotate forward and double as front-facing cameras.
A new report has revealed that we may actually get a phone with such a design from the Chinese smartphone manufacturer, OPPO. Patent diagrams have shown that OPPO may be developing a phone with flip rear cameras.
The patent which was filed at the World Intellectual Property Office was discovered by the Indian tech site, Pricebaba. The diagrams show the device has a display with no notch, no punch-hole, and very thin bezels. The dual rear cameras are arranged the same way as that of the Zenfone 6 with an LED flash separating both sensors.
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There isn’t a fingerprint scanner on the rear which hints at the device having an in-display fingerprint sensor, a feature the Zenfone 6 skips.
It remains to be seen if OPPO will eventually release a commercial product based on this design. Manufacturers are known to file patents for designs and technologies they may not eventually use, so we ask you not to raise your hopes.
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HTC short for High Tech Computer Corporation was once a leader in the smartphone industry. However, due to fierce competition, mainly from Chinese OEMs, it has lost a significant part of its market share over the last several years.
On the other hand, HTC has been striving to stay afloat during that time. In the Q2 of 2019, it posted a fifth consecutive quarterly loss. Moreover, last year it had laid off around a quarter of its staff. Talking about its market share, in the year 2011, HTC had a market share of about 11 percent whereas in the current time period its name remains hidden in the “other” section in most reports.
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