Chinese smartphone maker Oppo has today announced that it has signed a license agreement with eight companies, including product and chipset manufacturers, to develop, manufacture and sell devices with support for VOOC Flash Charging technology.
Prior to this, in November last year, the company had entered into a similar license agreement with around six companies. The addition of eight more companies will help the company to further expand the footprints of VOOC technology.
The eight companies which entered into a license agreement with Oppo for the VOOC tech includes Anke Innovation Technology Co., Ltd., Angbao Electronics (Shanghai) Co., Ltd., Hangzhou Shilan Microelectronics Co., Ltd., Lilinda Technology Group Co., Ltd., Ningbo Bull Digital Technology Co., Ltd., Shenzhen Renqing Excellence Investment Co., Ltd., Shenzhen Shishang Exhibition Technology Co., Ltd. and Core Sea Technology (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd.
Commenting on this development, Feng Ying, Director of IP at Oppo, said: “VOOC flash charging technology fully demonstrates OPPO’s technological leadership in the field of fast charging, greatly enhancing the user’s charging experience. We are very pleased to be able to promote the sustainable development of VOOC’s flash-filled ecology through our external licensing. Today, OPPO VOOC flash has 14 excellent industry chain partners. In the future, we will also open the license to more enterprises, vOOC flash-charge technology plus accessories, chips and other areas of development.”
There are three versions of this flash charging technology — VOOC, VOOC Mini, and Super VOOC. The company has also developed a new 15W Wireless Flash Charging technology. Last year, Oppo had revealed that more than 100 million devices worldwide are using the company’s VOOC flash charging technology.
VOOC Flash Charge uses a low-voltage and high-current charging solution and claims to provide 2 hours of talk time when the phone is charged for only 5 minutes. VOOC Mini, on the other hand, has been optimized to have smaller adaptors. SuperVOOC, which is used in the company’s flagship devices, has a maximum charging power of around 50W, charging the phone in just 35 minutes.
If the reports coming from China are to be believed, then the smartphone maker Meizu is in deep waters. As per the report, which cites the company’s employees, Meizu carried out a new round of layoffs and the heavily hit department was marketing.
The report, citing Meizu insiders, says that the company has laid off more than 30 percent of its workforce this year so far and is now left with just around a thousand employees. Meizu has also confirmed that its well-known systems engineer Hong Hansheng has also left the Chinese company.
On the other hand, Meizu, which was touting itself to be a competitor of Huawei and was focusing on expanding its offline presence, seems to be backing down. The company, which had over 2,700 offline stores at its peak in 2016, is now left with just 5 or 6 such stores in one province.
As we recently reported, Li Nan, co-founder and Vice President of Meizu, resigned from the company earlier this month. In the memo shared publicly, he said that he had started taking fewer responsibilities following the launch of the Meizu 16. He did acknowledge that the company is facing challenges but believes things will get better as long as they do not stop improving.
While Li Nan hasn’t specified what his next step would be, he has revealed that he is still focused on the consumer market and developing new brands. While departing from Meizu, he thanked his co-workers, investors, and shareholders.
The Blue Charm brand was being headed by Li Nan while Bai Yongxiang became the CEO of the flagship Meizu brand. Huang Zhang was leading the product design efforts. Hong Hansheng, on the other hand, was leading the Flyme OS development. While all was good, the company couldn’t compete with the top OEMs in terms of sales.
Meizu was co-founded by Li Nan along with Bai Yongxiang who is the current CEO, and Huang Zhang (Jack Wong). Initially, the company was started as an MP3 player manufacturer before switching to phones in 2008. While the company’s portfolio is now diverse, smartphones remain Meizu’s major source of revenue. Last year, Meizu also celebrated its 15th anniversary.
Xiaomi is expected to announce its next Mi MIX smartphone in October. Last year in October, the Chinese firm had released the Snapdragon 845 chipset powered Mi MIX 3 smartphone and earlier this year, it announced the Mi MIX 3 5G phone with Snapdragon 855 chipset. Hence, there is a possibility that the next Mi MIX phone will arrive with support for 5G connectivity. Amidst rumors of the new Mi MIX phone, a 5G phone from the company’s has been spotted at the database of TENAA. It is being speculated that it could be the Mi MIX 4 or Mi MIX 3s smartphone.
The TENAA database has a listing for M1908F1XE Xiaomi phone. The listing has no information its specs. However, it reveals that the phone carries support for 5G connectivity which makes it quite evident that it could be the successor of the Mi MIX 3 smartphone.
In October 2017, Xiaomi had launched the Mi MIX 2 and an upgraded edition called Mi MIX 2S was made official in March 2018. The Mi MIX 2S had a model number of M1803D5XE which appears similar to the newly spotted M1908F1XE 5G phone. Hence, it is being said that it could be the Xiaomi Mi MIX 3S. However, there have been other rumors that have claimed that the company may release the next Mi MIX phone has Mi MIX 4. It remains to be seen what moniker the company will use for its upcoming Mi MIX smartphone.
Xiaomi Product Director Wang Teng Thomas had claimed recently that that the next Mi MIX phone will offer faster wireless charging than the Xiaomi Mi 9. The Mi 9 comes with 20W fast wireless charging technology. Hence, the upcoming Mi MIX phone’s rapid wireless charging tech is expected to exceed 20W.
Official image released earlier this year teases design of the next Mi MIX series smartphone
A report from May by XDA Developers had claimed that the next Snapdragon 855 flagship phone from Xiaomi is codenamed Hercules. It is equipped with triple rear cameras and a single front camera. Other rumored features of the smartphone include in-display fingerprint scanner, wireless charging and NFC. None of the Mi MIX series of smartphones that have released so far have featured an in-screen fingerprint reader. Hence, the Xiaomi Hercules phone could be the Mi MIX 4 could be coming with in-display fingerprint sensor. Also, like the predecessor models, it may offer a very high screen-to-body ratio. However, it is advisable to wait for further leaks to know more on the specs of the phone.
Smartphone cameras have come a long way, ever since the first camera phone, the Kyocera VP-210 visual phone was announced back in 1999. Manufacturers are looking for new ways to differentiate their smartphones and cameras are often one of these features that makes a phone stand out. In the pursuit of differentiating a smartphone, manufacturers have started adding huge sensors on their phones and 48MP sensors have become the norm for a lot of flagships and mid-rangers. But now, smartphones with even 64MP sensors are coming our way in the next few months. So it begs the question: Are such large sensors necessary and useful?
Nokia 9 Pureview has a penta-camera setup
According to Zeiss Group’s CEO & President Dr. Michael Kaschke, 40MP sensor is already more than enough for smartphones. While talking to the Indian Express, he explained that there are limits in terms of processing speeds, signal to noise ratio, and costs that put smartphone cameras already at its tipping point. According to his comments, anything over 40MP could be an overkill on smartphones given their limitations.
He further reveals that Zeiss Lens wants to focus more on products that cater to ‘professionals, semi-professionals, and artistic photographers’ rather than smartphones. However, he still wants to work with smartphone companies and currently has a partnership with HMD Global for its Nokia-branded devices. To recall, Zeiss and Nokia’s partnership dates back to the Nokia 95 days.
He adds that multiple sensor setup is the way to go for smartphones as it helps to enhance the photos as well as treat smartphones like a DSLR. However, he says for professional photography, consumers will look for professional cameras instead of smartphones.
What do you think? Will 64MP cameras be overkill for smartphones?
OPPO VP Brian Shen has today shared fresh images of a mysterious OPPO phone that features a dual-edge curved screen with one of the largest curves seen on a smartphone display ever. The images show that the smartphone offers a very high screen-to-body ratio thanks to its tall aspect ratio display. Also, whats marvelous about the display of the mysterious OPPO smartphone is that its left and right edges curve at 88-degree. The new display design is dubbed as ‘Waterfall Screen.’
When viewed from the front, the new OPPO phone with Waterfall Screen does not seem to feature any side borders. It appears to offer a screen space of nearly 100 percent as it is equipped with ultrathin and symmetrical upper and lower bezels.
One of the images that show the new OPPO phone with Waterfall Screen held along with the Find X flagship phone from last year Probably, the smartphone could be offering a tall aspect ratio of 21:9 like the Xperia 1. The images and video of the phone also shows that it is equipped with a slim body.
The curvature on the phone is more pronounced than the ones found on flagship phones from Samsung, Huawei and OnePlus 7 Pro. Recently, a Chinese leakster had revealed that OPPO’s sibling brand Vivo is reportedly working on Vivo NEX 3 with extremely curved display design.
There is no front camera on the mysterious OPPO with Waterfall Screen. The slimness of the phone suggests that it could be equipped with OPPO’s under-display camera technology that was showcased at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2019 Shanghai tech trade show in June. Under-display camera technology is all about embedding the camera beneath the top portion of the display which remains invisible while using the device and appears only when the front camera is accessed.
Since the Chinese manufacturer has started teasing the new OPPO phone with Waterfall Screen early in the second half of the year, the company may debut it in the next few months. As of this writing, there is no other information available on its specifications.
What’s your opinion on the new display of the new OPPO phone? What could be the name of the device? Share us your thoughts by posting your comments below.
Xiaomi Black Shark 2 Pro gaming smartphone will be launching tomorrow in China. Ahead of the launch, the smartphone has appeared on Geekbench and AnTuTu to reveal some of its key specs. During the week, Black Shark had released a teaser video to confirm that the Snapdragon 855+ chipset powering the smartphone. Through a fresh leak, the storage, RAM and color editions of the phone have been revealed. Also, another leak has revealed the front view of the phone.
Black Shark 2 Pro Variants
According to MySmartPrice, the Black Shark 2 Pro will come in three editions such as 12 GB RAM + 128 GB storage, 12 GB RAM + 256 GB storage and 12 GB RAM + 512 GB storage. Hence, it may not arrive in 6 GB / 8 GB RAM options and 128 GB storage editions like the Black Shark 2 phone. Since it’s a Pro model, Xiaomi will be probably offering it with topnotch specs.
The publication has also revealed that the smartphone will be available in three colors such as Black, Blue and Ice Shades. The following video released by Black Shark is an official confirmation that the newly Snapdragon 855+ will be fueling the smartphone.
A leaked image of the alleged Black Shark 2 Pro has also appeared to reveal its front design. Unfortunately, the device is held in such a way that it difficult to guess whether it features a notch or not. However, since Black Shark 2 features a notch-less display with a tall aspect ratio, the Pro model may also come with an identical screen. It is known that the Black Shark 2 Pro will carry support for DC dimming 2.0. Shown below is the leaked image of the rear shell of the phone that had appeared in the last week.
The exact size of the Black Shark 2 Pro’s battery is not known yet. However, its 3C certification that was spotted at the beginning of this month had revealed that it will come with a 27W fast charger. The pricing of the phone is not known yet. Currently, it is up for reservations in the home market.
Gizmochina along with GearVita is conducting 1 unit Huawei Honor Band 5 Smart Bracelet as giveaway gift to a lucky reader. Like always, you just have to follow the steps mentioned on the Gleam widget to get a chance to win this amazing gift.
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Huawei Honor Band 5 is the latest smart bracelet launched by Huawei Honor. Huawei Honor Band 5 comes with a 0.95-inch AMOLED color display having the resolution of 240 x 120 pixels, which as same as the Xiaomi Mi Band 4. The Honor Band 5 supports sleep monitoring, which is capable of identifying and providing advices on common sleeping issues, such as insomnia, light and deep sleep, easily awakened and so on. This smart band also can track the heart rate on real-time, which use infrared technology to detect the heart rate of users. And the workout monitoring is the basic feature for the Honor Band 5. It is also water resistant up to 5ATM (50meters), so you can wear the bracelet in daily washing. Huawei Honor Band 5 is fueled by 100mAh battery.
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At the beginning of this month, Vivo had launched the Vivo Z1 Pro smartphone in India. The first sale of the smartphone was carried out on July 11 and it was made available for purchase through Vivo India’s online store and Flipkart. Over the past weekend, Vivo began the open sale of the smartphone, meaning that customers who are interested in the Vivo Z1 Pro can visit any of the aforementioned stores and purchase it anytime without waiting for flash sales.
Vivo Z1 Price in India
The Vivo Z1 Pro comes in three models in India such as 4 GB RAM + 64 GB storage for Rs. 14,990 (~$219), 6 GB RAM + 64 GB storage for Rs. 16,990 (~$244) and 6 GB RAM + 128 GB storage for Rs. 17,990 (~$259). The smartphone can be availed in colors like Mirror Black, Sonic Blue and Sonic Black.
Vivo Z1 Pro – Sonic Black, Mirror Black and Sonic Blue
The Vivo Z1 Pro houses a 6.53-inch IPS LCD display with a punch-hole at its top-left corner. It produces full HD+ resolution of 1080 x 2340 pixels along with an aspect ratio of 19.5:9. The Snapdragon 712 chipset is present under the hood of the device along with up to 6 GB of RAM. Apart from its internal storage of up to 128 GB, it features a dedicated slot for adding a microSD card. The Android 9 Pie OS on the device is skinned with FunTouch OS 9.
The front notch of the Vivo Z1 Pro includes a front-facing camera of 32-megapixel. The triple camera setup placed on its rear side includes a primary lens of 16-megapixel, an ultrawide lens of 8-megapixel and a 2-megapixel lens for adding depth effects. The handset is backed by a 5,000mAh battery that carries support for 18W dual-engine fast charging. A fingerprint scanner is also found on the rear shell of the Vivo Z1 Pro.
The Vivo Z1 Pro handset has been designed to offer good gaming experience. It comes with Game Turbo for accelerated graphics performance while gaming and 4D in-game vibrations. There is a dedicated hardware button on the device for accessing Google Assistant.
When ASUS announced the Zenfone 6, it promised that the phone will get updated to Android Q and Android R. Now, it has begun recruiting beta testers for Android Q.
The recruitment is said to run from now up until November 24, after which the stable update should be released. Those who are selected will receive the latest beta release of Android Q as an OTA update. Below are the requirements for a beta tester as well as responsibilities:
Requirements
Own a ZenFone 6 (ZS630KL).
Be a member of ZenTalk and actively participate in the discussion of ZenFone on ZenTalk.
Be willing to provide detailed information including IMEI, Serial Number(SN), Current Firmware for the beta test setting.
Be able to read and provide feedback in English.
Be familiar with the Android operating system.
Responsibilities
Participate in every Beta version release and test on a daily basis.
Report valid bugs with the correct format.
Maintain confidentiality of the Beta Testing program.
Be sure to post all beta-testing related issues in the beta restricted board.
The Nokia 9 PureView is still the most powerful Nokia phone but definitely not the most powerful phone you can buy now. It recently launched in India, nearly half a year since it was first announced. A report says a successor is coming soon and it is reported to arrive as the Nokia 9.1 Pureview.
According to NokiaPowerUser, the Nokia 9.1 PureView was originally scheduled for a Q3 launch but it has now been pushed forward to Q4 based on info from a source.
The postponement is said to be as a result of some unresolved issues with certain aspects of the phone such as its camera. We hope the delay is worth it, so as to avoid a repeat of the negative reviews the Nokia 9 PureView suffered.
With respect to features and specs, HMD Global will continue its partnership with Light. The camera performance should get a significant improvement especially in low-light and video recording. It is also said to be faster thanks to a better processor and better software algorithms developed with help from Light.
The Nokia 9.1 PureView is also said to feature a punch-hole display like that of the Nokia X71 and there are reports of prototypes with this design. Under the hood of the phone will be a Snapdragon 855 processor. It will also run Android Q out of the box and of course have 5G support. We are not sure if there will be an LTE-only version.
Huawei just does not want to stop releasing affordable midrange smartphones this summer. After making the Honor 9X series official, the Chinese giant announced the Nova 5i Pro which is supposed to hit the global market as the Mate 30 Lite. The cute handset has a lot of internal rivals this year, so many devices that it is worth comparing the most valid ones in order to clear your ideas in case you are looking for a new Huawei handset. So, we decided to compare the Nova 5i Pro with the latest mid-ranger from Huawei’s sub-brand which carries a similar price tag: the Honor 9X Pro. But given that this should be the Mate 30 Lite, we also decided to include the P30 Lite in the comparison, as it makes sense to include both the Mate and the P series since they are the most important Huawei line-ups. Below you can read our findings and our opinion about them.
Huawei Nova 5i Pro vs Huawei Honor 9X Pro vs Huawei P30 Lite
Dual 16 + 2 MP f/1.8 and f/2.4
16 MP f/2.0 front camera
Triple 24 + 8 + 2 MP f/1.8 and f/2.2
32 MP f/2.0 front camera
Triple 24 + 8 + 2 MP f/1.8 and f/2.4 and f/2.4
32 MP f/2.0 front camera
BATTERY
4000 mAh
3340 mAh, fast charging 18W
3400 mAh, fast charging 10W
ADDITIONAL FEATURES
Hybrid Dual SIM slot
Hybrid Dual SIM slot
Hybrid Dual SIM slot
Design
If you do not care about having the most compact dimensions, the perfect choice in terms of design is the Honor 9X Pro. There is really nothing better than its amazing pop-up camera and the attractive X pattern on its rear side, at least according to my tastes. Despite it comes with a punch-hole display, I do not like the Huawei Nova 5i Pro so much because of its anonymous rear side with a rear-mounted fingerprint reader. If you need a compact, thin and lightweight smartphone, then you should choose the Huawei P30 Lite as it is just 7.4 mm thin, it weighs just 159 grams and it is very small thanks to its 6.15-inch display.
Display
As I am usually a productivity user, I personally prefer wider displays, just like most of the users out there. That is why I would go for the Honor 9X Pro and its huge 6.59-inch screen. I even think that this device will offer better quality compared to the Huawei Nova 5i Pro, but I still can not test it thoroughly as I am waiting for it to go on sale. The Huawei P30 has a very nice display as well, but it is small: just 6.15 inches, so it is not comfortable for everyone. But if you usually are a one-handed user, then you will like it.
Specs & Software
Given that it is equipped with a lower-end and older chipset, Huawei P30 Lite loses this comparison. Huawei Nova 5i Pro and Honor 9X Pro are a lot better thanks to their amazing Kirin 810 SoC which was announced recently with a 7 nm production process. They even offer great memory configurations: up to 8 GB of RAM and up to 256 GB of internal storage. Performance apart, Honor 9X Pro is more suitable for advanced users due to its bigger screen, so I would go for it. Note that Huawei Nova 5i Pro and Honor 9X Pro ship with EMUI 9.1 based on Android 9 Pie, while Huawei P30 Lite comes with EMUI 9.0. But you can update it.
Camera
The Huawei Nova 5i Pro wins the camera comparison because it offers a more versatile rear camera department. It is equipped with a quad rear camera with a main 48 MP sensor, an ultrawide sensor, a 2 MP dedicated macro camera and even a depth sensor. Both Honor 9X Pro and Huawei P30 Lite have the same setup but they lack the dedicated macro camera. Last but not least, Huawei Nova 5i Pro has a better front camera with a higher 32 MP resolution.
Battery
The bigger batteries found on the Huawei Nova 5i Pro and Honor 9X Pro will make them last more than Huawei P30 Lite, and I believe that the Nova 5i Pro will last even more than Honor 9X Pro due to its smaller and more efficient display.
Price
€290/$325 starting price for both the Huawei Nova 5i Pro and Honor 9X Pro, while Huawei P30 Lite starts from €280/$312. Honor 9X Pro wins for its better design, wider display, the P30 Lite is inferior to both, while Huawei Nova 5i Pro comes with the best cameras.
The Nubia Z20 will launch on August 8 and when it does arrive, it will have a feature that is still not common in a lot of phones. As a matter of fact, the only device that we have seen that has the same feature is a Nubia phone – the Red Magic 3.
President of Nubia, Ni Fei, revealed at the Global Mobile Internet Conference (GMIC) that the Nubia Z20 will support 8K video recording. However, unlike the Red Magic 3 which records at 15fps, it seems the Nubia Z20 will record at a higher frame rate. The company executive also said the phone will have a feature for professional video recording.
Apart from being able to record at a higher resolution, Ni Fei said the Nubia Z20 will have a special screen technology and design that will take advantage of the phone’s special camera features. We really do not understand what this special display is about but more details should surface before the launch event.
The Nubia Z20 should come with either the Snapdragon 855 or Snapdragon 855+ processor and an AMOLED display. We do not know how many camera sensors it will have but Nubia has released some camera samples to show us what the phone is capable of.
Vivo S1 will be launching in India on Aug. 7. The smartphone is already available in Indonesia. The same phone has been recently introduced in China as Vivo Y7s. A recent leak had revealed that the smartphone will be arriving in India with a starting price of Rs. 17,990 (~$260). A fresh leak has revealed that Vivo India will be three variants of the Vivo S1 smartphone. The pricing of three variants have also leaked.
The new leak reveals that the Vivo S1’s base model with 4 GB RAM + 128 GB storage will be priced at Rs. 17,990 (~$260). There will be two other models of the phone such as 6 GB RAM + 128 GB storage and 8 GB RAM + 128 GB storage. Both models could be respectively priced at Rs. 19,990 (~$290) and Rs. 24,990 (~$360).
It is also speculated that there could be a cheaper model with 4 GB RAM and 64 GB storage. However, the new leak has no information on its pricing. A leaked poster that reveals the specifications of the Vivo S1 shows that it will be available in Skyline Blue and Diamond Black colors.
The Vivo S1 features a 6.38-inch Halo FullView S-AMOLED display that supports full HD+ resolution and 19.5:9 aspect ratio. The smartphone offers a screen-to-body ratio of 90 percent.
The MediaTek MT6768 (Helio P65) chipset will be powering the smartphone with up to 6 GB of RAM. It comes with up to 128 GB of storage. The FunTouch OS 9 based Android 9 Pie OS will come preloaded on the device.
The front notch of the Vivo S1 is fitted with a 32-mgeapixel selfie camera that is equipped with features like face beauty, bokeh, AI filter, AR stickers, video face beauty selfie lighting and AI face beauty. The rear of the smartphone has a vertical triple camera setup that includes a ultrawide angle lens of 8-megapixel, a 16-megapixel main lens and a 2-megapixel depth sensor. The triple cameras are assisted by features like HDR, Portrait Mode, AR stickers, video face beauty, selfie lighting, AI filter, AI face beauty and AI portrait framing.
The Vivo S1 is backed by a 4,500mAh battery that supports 18W dual engine fast charging. Lastly, the phone offers its user with an in-screen fingerprint reader that can unlock the device in just 0.42 seconds.
According to a previous leak, Vivo S1 pre-orders will begin in early August. Its first sale may begin on Aug. 15.
The Samsung Galaxy Buds will be getting a new color variant. Originally available in Black (including a Blackpink edition), White, and Yellow, Samsung will announce a Silver variant that matches the Galaxy Note10 series.
The new color variant has what is called an “Aura Glow” and comes in a silver case. Nothing as changed with respect to its features, and Winfuture.de reports that it will cost €149.90, the same price as the other color variants. A successor will most likely launch next year with the Galaxy S11. We do not know if Samsung will add a free unit of the earbuds with Galaxy Note10 purchases like it did with the Galaxy S10 series.
1 of 3
Galaxy Buds Silver
Galaxy Buds Silver
Galaxy Buds Silver
It has also been reported that Samsung will announce a new pair of USB Type-C wired earphones along with the new Galaxy Note flagships. The new earphones will have Active Noise Cancellation and will have an AKG branding.
HTC is restarting (read rebooting) its budget Wildfire series and we expect they shouldn’t burn a hole in your pocket. Last week, specs of four new models surfaced. First was the Wildfire and Wildfire E1 and then the Wildfire E and Wildfire E Plus. Now specs of a fifth model called the Wildfire X has also surfaced.
The Wildfire X is said to have a display with a 19:9 aspect ratio and a 1520 x 720 resolution. Sadly, there is no mention of the screen size. We just hope it isn’t too big.
Inside the phone will be a MediaTek Helio P22 processor alongside 4GB of RAM. No storage options have been revealed. There are also no details on the camera configuration and battery capacity. The source does mention that it will run Android 9 Pie out of the box. It is not like we were expecting any less.
Just like the other Wildfire phones, we do not know when this will launch.
Chuwi is a well-known name in the affordable tablet market. We have seen some really interesting tablets and laptops from the brand in the past few years and today, we have got the Chuwi HiPad LTE in for review, one of the cheapest LTE supported productivity tablets in the market right now. I call it productivity-oriented because it comes with a pretty decent keyboard case to fulfill some of the functions of a laptop. Both the tablet and the keyboard are bundled together for a price under $200, making it an extremely competitive offering in the budget tablet market.
However, slapping a few good specs on a device doesn’t automatically make it good. The device has to be optimized to use the hardware efficiently. Chuwi does have a few years of experience in this device category, so it wasn’t surprising to see the overall experience of the HiPad LTE to be pretty decent. But the tablet isn’t without issues. We’ll talk more about it later in the article.
So, let’s take a deeper dive into the new Chuwi HiPad LTE and see if it lives up to our expectations.
Chuwi HiPad LTE Review: Tablet Design
Over the past few years, we have seen a remarkable shift in the design of Chinese products. They are no longer cheap-looking and plasticky. In fact, we are not just talking about the big names in the Chinese market, even small-time companies like Chuwi and UMIDIGI have upped their game when it comes to designing their products. We can see that shift in the Chuwi HiPad LTE tablet as well.
The Chuwi HiPad LTE tablet has an outstanding design for a sub-$200 tablet. When you look at the device, you know the company has put serious efforts into designing it. The tablet adheres to a geometric design with its speaker grill aligning with thin design lines at the back. The edges are rounded off for better comfort.
The all-metal design in gray color looks premium hiding its budget identity. The back is smooth to touch and doesn’t scratch very easily. The camera lies flush with the overall body, so there are no protruding parts in the design. The back has an additional design element featuring a small strip on the left side. The strip actually extends to the side which houses the power button and volume keys. It stands out because of its darker shade and adds to the beauty of the device.
Coming to the front, the Chuwi HiPad LTE features a large 10.1-inch FHD display. The bezels are quite significant on all the four sides but that can be a blessing in disguise as it offers enough space to rest your fingers while operating the tablet. Nevertheless, you do get used to the bezels and it’s not really bothersome, especially because the bezel size is symmetrical on all sides.
Talking about thickness, the tablet is pretty thin measuring just 7.9mm. That’s as thick as a standard smartphone. These are its dimensions: 241.7 x 172 x 7.9mm. The tablet spreads out its 500g weight uniformly, so it’s pretty easy to hold it in your hands. So I have no real complaints in the dimension or weight department, especially after knowing that it features a large 7000mAh battery in this form factor.
As for the ports, you have one USB Type-C port with a 3.5mm headphone jack. There’s a hybrid dual SIM card slot which has a MicroSD card option as well. The bottom of the tablet is clean while on the left side you have the keyboard dock pins.
Overall, in the design department, the Chuwi HiPad LTE will not disappoint you.
Chuwi HiPad LTE Review: Keyboard Case Design
For just $200, you get the keyboard bundle featuring Chuwi HiPad LTE tablet as well as the keyboard case. That’s a steal given that the keyboard is pretty well built. I was skeptical about the keyboard case at first but was pleasantly surprised to see it wasn’t a cheap deal.
The keyboard case performs the dual job of protecting the 10.1-inch tablet along with increasing its productivity by offering a robust typing experience. I was actually surprised to find that the keyboard keys were well spaced despite its compact form factor to ensure a decent typing experience. It’s not particularly heavy either, so it doesn’t add a lot of weight to the overall bundle. The keyboard itself has a matte finish but the overall case has a velvet finish, making it look premium.
However, the keyboard case does have a couple of issues. For example, I personally had a hard time keeping the tablet in the laptop position while typing. The case uses the two folds that usually covers the back as a stand. However, it isn’t strong enough to keep the tablet upright. Oh, I lost count of the number of times the tablet fell down flat on its back while I was typing on the keyboard. It turned out to be quite embarrassing especially when I was outdoors and the tablet fell flat on the table with a loud thump.
On a positive note, the tablet is still connected to the dock even when it is completely flat on the table. So, if you want, you can continue typing in this position.
Another drawback of the keyboard was its trackpad. I know trackpads are not really the best feature of low-cost keyboard cases, but I found this one to be quite unpredictable. Tablet’s touch screen support did help on most occasions but I’ve realized that I have stopped using its trackpad completely.
Chuwi HiPad LTE Review: Display
This Chuwi tablet is marketed as an entertainment device. So, it’s no surprise that the company decided to add a 10.1-inch Full HD 1920 x 1200 IPS LCD display on the device. This panel reproduces colors pretty well and works even under direct sunlight if you boost the brightness to maximum. It is a bit reflective, but it’s not something that you cannot manage. So overall, you won’t be disappointed with its display quality.
However, the touch response is another story. I was not really happy with the touch experience of the tablet. It often felt like a resistive touch screen as you had to press the screen hard enough to record your touch movements. For example, initially, I struggled quite a bit with unlocking the tablet with the set pattern. I often couldn’t reach to the last point of the pattern as it wasn’t sensitive enough. Now that I’m used to its touch, things are better, but honestly, you feel the difference in the touch response on this tablet vs other premium devices when you are browsing or swiping through the UI.
That said, once you are used to the touch response, working or watching videos on the tablet is fun. And it might just be worth it because you get a pretty good display at this price.
Chuwi HiPad LTE Review: Hardware & Performance
These are the key specs of the Chuwi HiPad LTE.
MTK6797 Helio X27 Deca Core @ 2.6GHz
3GB RAM
32GB ROM (MicroSD expandable up to 128GB)
10.1-inch 1920 x 1200 IPS LCD display
7000mAh battery
5MP rear camera
5MP front camera
3.5mm headphone jack
USB Type-C
Wi-Fi ac, BL 4.1, dual hybrid SIM LTE
On paper, the Chuwi HiPad LTE has everything you’d need for running smoothly. And 90% of the time, you will have a smooth experience on the tablet. However, there are times I experienced a few glitches while opening up multiple apps, which I suppose is because of its limited 3GB RAM.
There’s a workaround to this issue though. You can activate DuraSpeed feature from the settings which seem to speed up things to a reasonable extent. Overall UI including apps worked better with DuraSpeed turned on. But note that multitasking isn’t recommended in this mode as it tends to limit background processes.
Personally, for productivity, the Chuwi HiPad LTE turned out to be pretty decent. If you use apps like google docs, sheets, Feedly, Evernote, trello, or even snapseed, the tablet handles these tasks well. It won’t be as snappy as some high-end phones in the market today, but it does the job. Basically, it is not meant to handle high-end tasks. If you keep to its limits, you will have a pleasant experience.
Even for entertainment, the tablet can play up to 1080p videos with ease. I’ve tried Netflix, Prime, Hotstar, and YouTube on the app and it handled each and every video without any hiccup. In short, you can use this tablet as your entertainment device.
I’m not much of a gamer but the Helio X27 can handle simple games fine. It runs PUBG but the gameplay is going to be sub-par even at the low graphics setting (which it defaults to). So know that this tablet is not really meant for gaming. Stick to less graphic-intensive games and you’ll have some fun.
Chuwi HiPad LTE Review: Camera
Both the cameras on the Chuwi HiPad LTE are of 5MP. And they are exactly how you might imagine – below average. The rear and front cameras seem to have a similar quality, with images lacking details and colors coming out muted. You may take a couple of decent shots if it’s really important but know that you won’t be impressed.
Check out the camera samples down below and you’ll know what I’m talking about.
1 of 5
Since tablets aren’t really bought for its camera quality, I won’t be talking more about it.
If you are interested in the quality, check out the original samples here and you’ll get a fair idea of what to expect.
Chuwi HiPad LTE Review: Connectivity
In terms of connectivity, the Chuwi HiPad LTE shines. I encountered no real issues in Wi-Fi or Bluetooth connectivity. Personally, I found the Wi-Fi reception to be good. The tablet could load pages even when I was using it a couple of rooms away from the router. Some of my smartphones struggle to find W-Fi signal in that room, so I was happy to see the Chuwi HiPad LTE load pages and stream videos without major hiccups.
Even the Bluetooth reception is good. I am used to Bluetooth headphones since I my Pixel doesn’t have a headphone jack. So, the tablet worked well with my OnePlus Bullets Wireless headphones without any connection lags. The audio streaming was without delay and the quality was also at par with other mid-range smartphones. The solid bluetooth connection helped me to ignore its sub-par speakers. It isn’t loud or clear, so you’d be better off with a pair of headphones to fulfill your entertainment needs.
The LTE connection is also strong. I was able to browse and even stream videos on LTE, so you should be able to leverage your mobile data pretty well on the device.
As for GPS, the signal is good for a tablet. The GPS test app managed to lock into 5-7 satellites pretty quickly. Even the location accuracy on Google maps was fairly good.
The battery is one area where the Chuwi HiPad LTE tablet shouldn’t disappoint. And to a great extent, it manages to uphold its identity as a large 7000mAh battery tablet.
You can watch 4-5 hours of videos, or easily play games on it for a few hours. So, for most cases, the Chuwi HiPad LTE should last you an entire day. However, there are a few caveats.
For one, I found the tablet to have terrible standby times. On some days, the tablet lost up to 30% charge overnight when I didn’t turn off 4G or Wi-Fi. You have a workaround to this problem though. Just turn off the LTE and Wi-Fi connections when not in use.
But personally, losing so much charge overnight even with these connections running in the background is a bit too much. This especially holds true from the fact that charging the tablet back to 100% is an excruciating experience.
It nearly takes 6 hours for the tablet to charge back to 100% using the stock charger. Clearly, charging the tablet should be labeled as an overnight-only experience. Using any other USB-C charger didn’t quite speed up the process, so you’ll have to go through this every alternate day.
That said, for most users, the Chuwi HiPad LTE should give more than a day’s battery life in total. So, you won’t have to plug it every few hours to the socket.
There’s nothing much to talk about software because Chuwi decided to use a stock version of Android 8.0.
However, I have to point out a few issues first.
The tablet has a few optimization issues. For example, when you are asked to draw your pattern to boot up the tablet, it fails to show some of the reference points in landscape mode. You’ll either have to either complete the pattern using guesswork (the reference points aren’t visible but it still works) or shift it to portrait mode to see all the nine reference points.
The Android security patch is outdated and dates back to last year. I know when it comes to cheap tablets you can’t expect much in this regard, but just pointing this out.
Not all Android apps are optimized for tablets. So the layout and touchpoints may end up being weird in some apps.
Now some good parts of the software.
I like that Chuwi decided to keep the UI simple and neat. Android is not really the ideal OS for tablets, but if you are going to use it anyway on a large screen device, it’s better to have a stock experience. Portrait to landscape transitions and vice versa are smooth and quick. Apps open up quickly, but there’s a rare chance of an app crash if you are running a lot of apps in the background.
Once again, I’ll have to point out that the software on the Chuwi HiPad LTE isn’t its strongest point, but most users won’t mind the minor optimization issues, especially given its price.
Chuwi HiPad LTE Review: Final Verdict
PROS
Affordable Price
Excellent FHD display
Good Connectivity
Pleasant Typing Experience
Premium Design
CONS
Touch Experience isn’t perfect
Keyboard case often fails to support the tablet’s weight
Trackpad isn’t useful
Slow Charging
The Chuwi HiPad LTE has its set of issues. The touch screen experience isn’t perfect. The keyboard case has a hard time keeping the tablet in an upright position. The UI experiences occasional lags. The camera is average and charging the battery takes a long time.
However, these are not really deal-breakers for most consumers. Why? Because for $200, you are getting a tablet with good display quality, a tactile keyboard case, premium design, a large battery, and a strong connectivity department include 4G LTE support.
There’s a lot of good points about the Chuwi HiPad LTE that users will love for its $200 asking price. So while it isn’t perfect, for most users it might just be good enough.
Vivo is set to launch its first 5G smartphone this quarter and we already know it will launch under the iQOO brand. A new leak has surfaced that reveals the official name of the phone as well as some key specs and its price too.
The leak is a promo material that shows the phone, lists some key features and also its recommended retail price. The phone will launch as the iQOO Plus 5G but that’s not the only “Plus” there is. It also has the new Snapdragon 855 Plus processor which is paired with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage.
The iQOO Plus 5G will pack a 4500mAh battery just like the iQOO Neo and will support 44W fast charging. The bigger battery capacity is necessary since 5G requires more power; and with 44W fast charging, you should be able to fill it up faster.
With respect to price, the phone will sell for ¥4498 (~$654). This is more expensive than the regular Vivo iQOO with the highest configuration (12GB RAM + 256GB) which is priced at ¥4298 (~$625). However, it is much cheaper than Huawei’s 5G phone, the Mate 20 X 5G, which is ¥6199 (~$901).
With respect to design, the iQOO Plus 5G has a waterdrop notch, a red-coated power button and a dedicated AI button (on the left). We don’t know if the rear will have a different design from the non-5G version. We also do not know if it will have a different camera configuration.
The phone is scheduled to arrive this quarter. Vivo wouldn’t want to play catch up and will most likely announce it early next month.
Huawei Friday launched the Nova 5i Pro in China. The device comes as a surprise, considering that Huawei only launched the Nova 5, Nova 5 Pro and Nova 5i about a month ago. The Nova 5i Pro lifts the bar higher for premium midrange models. Here’s a photo tour of the Nova 5i Pro hitting you courtesy of Chinese blog Mydrivers.
The Nova 5i Pro is indeed a beautiful smartphone with a sleek design that has now become Huawei’s trademark. The device utilises glass panels on the front and rear with a metallic frame in between.
The 5i Pro features an expansive 6.26-inch display with a punch-hole selfie camera nested at the top left corner of the display.This is likely an LCD display so Samsung still remains the OEM with the LED punch-hole display. With a Full HD+ resolution of 1080 x 2340 pixels, the display will sure offer vivid clarity while it can be operated with one hand since it uses a 19.5:9 aspect ratio.
At the rear aspect, the Nova 5i Pro features a square shaped camera module similar to the flagship Mate 20X design. But in this case, there are four rear cameras with the LED at the right corner of the module. There is also a fingerprint sensor just under the camera module.
The phone uses a USB-C port and equally has a 3.5mmm audio jack by the side of the charging port at the bottom edge. There is a 4000mAh battery onboard with a 22.5W fast charging technology via the Type C port. The phone comes with two hybrid SIM slots with the SIM module at the left side of the display while the capacitive keys are at the right side.
For a phone that starts at 2,199 Yuan (~$319), the Huawei Nova 5i Pro is indeed a value for money phone. But we cant say if it will wiggle out of the Huawei/US debacle and fly. See more pictures of the sleek device below.
Well, apparently MediaTek had the exact same idea, and are acting pretty quickly. The company is set to release their brand new line of Helio G-series SoCs on July 30. The manufacturer plans to introduce the G90 SoC at an event in Shanghai, and then follow-up from there with more models in the future. It’s a pretty smart move, though we question how well a budget oriented gaming smartphone would work.
On top of that, we’re also not entirely sure what the Helio G90 will actually be like when it launches when it comes to specs. We’ve got a leaked poster for the SoC but it doesn’t reveal much other than the fact that it is targeted at mobile gaming. Going off the name, it wouldn’t be stretch to say that it’ll be based on the Helio P90, but that’s just a simple assumption.
Perhaps more interesting will be seeing how the company deals with making gaming SoCs to begin with. MediaTek SoCs have never been well known for their gaming performance, and their GPUs are often weaker than the competition, though not by too much. Whether they’ll step up and give us something great or just settle for a more conventional package remains to be seen. We’re hoping it leans more towards the former.
Xiaomi‘s ecological chain company Shanghai Runmi technology known by the brand name 90 Points has launched an ultra-light sports shoes designed for optimum comfort. The 90 Points Ultra-light Sports shoes come with a cushioning, anti-twisting sole and have antibacterial properties, perhaps due to the breathable mesh design the sole adopts. The shoe is priced at 229 yuan ($43).
The soles are made of lightweight rubber and lightweight EVA, which is lighter than what you’ll find on cheap sports shoes. The materials also ensure the shoes are soft and give the user a feeling of comfort. The body consumes less energy and the pace is lighter.
The outsole comes with a hollow design with built-in anti-twist TPU protects. This design is said to make running safer. The ankle part of the shoe’s body is made of a mixture of transparent mono yarn, ultra-light yarn and antibacterial yarn. It controls the weight of the shoe body and other properties such as antibacterial and breathable features.
Inspired by the shape of the honeycomb, the insole is designed with a number of small holes to reduce the contact area of gravity and increase the deformation of the insole to achieve cushioning and breathability.
The upper part is integrally braided to enhance the wrapping of the shoes and fit a variety of different foot types. The densely meshed mesh structure helps the air in the shoe cavity to circulate and is more comfortable to wear during exercise. The shoe-socks are elastically wrapped, giving the ankles a sense of fit like a sock.
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