Top 3 Xiaomi Flagship Deals You Don’t Want to Miss

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Jul 3, 2019

In the first of the year 2019, Samsung targeted the online market in India by releasing the online-exclusive M-series of smartphones such as Galaxy M10, Galaxy M20, Galaxy M30 and Galaxy M40 smartphones. Recent reports have revealed that Samsung is working on a new version of M30 that may hit the market with Galaxy M30s moniker. Fresh information reveals that the pre-production of the smartphone has started in India. This indicates that the Galaxy M30s may debut in August.

Claiming information received from a trusted source, 91mobilles has reported that the production process of the Galaxy M30s has begun in the Noida facility in India. Currently, the manufacturing process is in the starting phase and it will take some time for its mass production to begin in full swing. The source has added that the Galaxy M30s will debut as early as next month.

Rumors have it that the upcoming Galaxy M30s has a model number of SM-M307F. The model number of the existing Galaxy M30 is SM-M305. The handset is likely to be slotted in between the Galaxy M30 and Galaxy M40 smartphones.

Editor’s Pick: Samsung Galaxy Note 10 could come with the newly trademarked DepthVision Lens technology

In terms of design, the Galaxy M30s may resemble the Galaxy M30 smartphone. A Geekbench listing of the SM-M307F model had revealed that is powered by Exynos 9610 chipset and 4 GB of RAM. The listing also revealed that the smartphone is loaded with Android 9 Pie OS. The existing Galaxy M30 has Exynos 7904 chipset onboard. The upcoming Galaxy M30s is expected to release in 64 GB and 128 GB storage choices. A recent leak had revealed that the smartphone may release in color editions like Blue, Black and White. There is no other information available on the specs of the Galaxy M30s.

Samsung Galaxy M30 Specifications and Price

The Galaxy M30 features a 6.4-inch Super AMOLED display with Infinity-U notch. The front notch houses a 16-megapixel selfie camera. On its rear is a 13-megapixel + 5-megapixel + 5-megapixel triple camera setup. The handset houses a 5,000mAh battery with 15W fast charging support.

The Galaxy M30 is available in two models in India such as 4 GB RAM + 64 GB storage and 6 GB RAM + 128 GB storage. They are respectively priced at Rs. 14,990 (~$217) and Rs. 16,990 (~$247).

UP NEXT: Samsung Galaxy M10 gets price cut in India, now available for Rs. 6,990 ($101)

Samsung Galaxy Note 10 could come with the newly trademarked DepthVision Lens technology

By

Jeet

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Jul 3, 2019

Samsung is gearing up to launch the Galaxy Note 10 series smartphones next month and ahead of that, the company has trademarked “DepthVision Lens” technology. Similar to most other trademark filings, there are no details provided regarding this tech.

However, given that the application was filed under Class 9 that covers things such as smartphone cameras, 3D scanning, and smartphone camera software, it’s safe to say that the trademark is indeed related to cameras.

The DepthVision Lens technology is now expected to be present on the upcoming Samsung Galaxy Note 10 series’ camera. Since the technology seems related to 3D scanning, it could be a part of the camera setup that will include Time of Flight (ToF) sensors.

Reports indicate that the Galaxy Note could come with ToF sensors and the top-end variant in the lineup is said to have two ToF sensors. Thus, it seems very likely that the DepthVision Lens is the company’s name for the 3D camera function. Also, the company had recently trademarked “Make & Play 3D”, another instance which hints at the ToF sensors related function.

Editor’s Pick: Xiaomi launches the Marvel Avengers: Endgame Iron Man Mk50 Robot priced at $286

Apart from this, the upcoming next-generation Galaxy Note series phones are expected to come with the three-step variable aperture setting. This is probably to offer better pictures in low-light conditions and better portrait shots. Given the reports and leaks, it seems that the company is focusing more on the Galaxy Note 10’s camera technology. To know for sure, we’ll have to wait for the official announcement.

Samsung has already confirmed that it is holding its “Unpacked” launch event on 7th August where the company will unveil the next-generation Galaxy Note series of smartphones — Samsung Galaxy Note 10. We are also expected to hear more about the Galaxy Fold, the company’s first foldable smartphone.

Up Next: Samsung Galaxy A80 now available for purchase in some markets; Heading to India this month

Xiaomi crowdfunds a Smart Chopsticks Sterilization Tube priced at 99 yuan (~$14)

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Jul 3, 2019

Chopsticks are the traditional eating utensils of some countries including China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, and Vietnam. They can be made of wood, gold, silver, ivory, bamboo, or plastic. They are believed to have originated from China thousands of years ago. It is quite common to see chopsticks disinfection equipment in restaurants but not many of such gadgets are available for use at home. That may have prompted Xiaomi to back a Chinese firm which has now launched a smart chopsticks sterilization tube on the Youpin platform.

While metal chopsticks may not pose serious health challenge, the wooden, ivory and bamboo-made chopsticks are an ideal breeding ground for bacteria because of their ability to retain moisture for long. The sterilization kit has a storage case and a chamber for sterilization and features a white minimalist design. The device can be fitted on a wall, thus saving space. It has a dimension of 344mm x 87mm x 68mm.

The smart chopstick sterilization kit uses medical grade Ultraviolet radiation which can kill nearly 98% of all bacteria. It is effective against the common food bacterias; E. coli and Staphylococcus aureus which can cause diarrhoea, fever and other diseases. The kit can hold 20 pairs of chopsticks at the same time and support various materials such as bamboo, wood, iron, plastic, stainless steel.

The chopsticks sterilization tube has an easy-to-disassemble structure with separate draining areas. It has a magnetic sensor switch design such that when the cover is opened the device powers off and starts sterilizing when the cover is closed. The sensor also adjusts the running time according to the kitchen ambient temperature. The device has a power rating of 4.2W. In addition, the device is almost silent during operation, no noise is generated, and all-day standby which does not have any effect on its life span.

The device is presently available on crowdfunding via Xiaomi Youpin for just 99 yuan ($14). The product is expected to start shipping on August 14.

UP NEXT: Latest 3DMark app update shows if Huawei phones were benchmarked in performance mode

Samsung Galaxy A80 now available for purchase in some markets; Heading to India this month

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Jul 3, 2019

Samsung had announced the Galaxy A80 smartphone with flip camera through a global unveil event in Thailand in April. The smartphone was expected to release in wider markets in May, but its arrival was delayed. Through a press release, Samsung has confirmed that the Galaxy A80 is now available for purchase in different markets. The handset will be also available for purchase in India later in this month.

The Galaxy A80 is available for buying in some of the European markets with 649 euros (~$732) price tag. In Malaysia, it carries a price tag of RM 2,500 (~$603). The smartphone comes in color editions like Angel Gold, Phantom Black and Ghost White.

An IANS report states that the Product Planning Group’s Head of Innovation for Samsung, Yeon Jeong Kim has revealed that the Galaxy A80 smartphone will be releasing in India in this month. A landing page for the smartphone on the Samsung India website also suggests that its arrival is close at hand. Unlike the M-series that is exclusively available for buying online, the Galaxy A80 will be purchasable through offline channels. Yeon said to IANS, “Our target is to maintain the top position in the Indian smartphone market. If we win the Indian market, we can win any global market. Indians love technology, therefore, we launch many of our products here and would continue to do so.”

Editor’s Pick:Samsung patents a new portable projection system that can be mounted on a wall or sit on a table

Samsung Galaxy A80 Specifications and Features

The Samsung Galaxy A80 has a massive 6.7-inch notch-less Super AMOLED New Infinity Display that offers a tall aspect ratio of 20:9. It offers full HD+ resolution of 1080 x 2400 pixels. It is the first smartphone ever to feature the Snapdragon 730G chipset. The SoC is coupled with 8 GB of RAM.

The smartphone lacks a selfie camera. Instead of it, there is rotating camera setup that includes a 48-megapixel f/2.0 aperture lens, an ultrawide 8-megapixel lens with f/2.2 aperture and a 3D depth sensing lens. The rotating cameras can be used for capturing amazing selfie shots.

The Galaxy A80 has an internal storage of 128 GB. It lacks a microSD card slot. The smartphone runs on One UI based Android 9 Pie OS. It includes an in-screen fingerprint scanner. The smartphone houses a 3,700mAh battery that carries support for 25W fast charging through USB-C. The handset lacks a 3.5mm audio jack.

(via)

UP NEXT: Samsung Galaxy M10 gets price cut in India, now available for Rs. 6,990 ($101)

LG G8s ThinQ goes official globally; Specifications and price

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Jul 3, 2019

At the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2019 tech expo, LG had announced the LG G8 ThinQ, G8s ThinQ and LG V50 5G. Among these, the G8s ThinQ was the only device that wasn’t showcased at the tech expo. At the end of June, the LG G8s ThinQ was made official In Taiwan and now it is wider markets across the globe.

LG G8s ThinQ Specifications

The LG G8s ThinQ is an inferior version of the LG G8 ThinQ flagship phone. The 6.1-inch display of LG G8 ThinQ produces Quad HD+ resolution whereas the 6.21-inch display of the G8s ThinQ supports full HD+ resolution of 1080 x 2248 pixels. Moreover, the display of the G8s ThinQ has a wider notch than the G8 phone.

Powering the G8s ThinQ is the Snapdragon 855 mobile platform along with 6 GB of RAM. It has a 3,550mAh battery that carries support for 18W fast charging. The G8’s battery is only 50mAh smaller in size. The smartphone features an internal storage of 128 GB and there is support for expandable storage through microSD card. The Android 9 Pie OS runs on the device along with LG UX skin.

Editor’s Pick: LG’s 5G phone launch could be delayed due to lingering license negotiations with Qualcomm

Compared to the LG G8 ThinQ, the G8s ThinQ has a slightly different triple camera setup. It includes a main sensor of 12-megapixel, an ultrawide lens of 13-megapixel and a telephoto lens of 12-megapixel. The front notch has an 8-megapixel selfie camera coupled with ToF Z Camera that brings support for Hand ID, face unlock and air gestures on the device. The LG G8 ThinQ features the same selfie snappers, but its rear-mounted triple camera module has a 12-megapixel primary lens, a 16-megapixel ultrawide lens and a 12-megapixel telephoto sensor. A fingerprint scanner is available on the backside of the smartphone.

The LG G8s ThinQ has color variants such as Mirror Black, Mirror Teal and Mirror White. The South Korean company is yet to confirm on the price tag of the G8s ThinQ smartphone. It will be made available in markets like Europe, Asia, Latin America, the Middle East and other regions in the near future.

UP NEXT: LG patent listing reveals phone with punch-hole display design

Xiaomi launches the Marvel Avengers: Endgame Iron Man Mk50 Robot priced at $286

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Check Out the Latest Top Laptops Flash Sale on Gearbest

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Jul 3, 2019

Xiaomi has launched the Marvel Avengers: Endgame Iron Man Mk50 Robot that comes with a price tag of 1,965 yuan (~$286). The robot is manufactured by UBITECH and has already been launched in other markets before now. The Xiaomi-listed price tag isn’t very much different from the price on Amazon.

The robot is a miniature version of Marvel Avenger’s Tony Stark also known as Iron Man. It is integrated with a smartphone app that lets you play as Tony Stark and suit up in the iconic MK50 armor to play through a series of nanotech weapon field tests and battle drones inspired from the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The game and robot are integrated using Augmented Reality. The robot walks and even talks and is like the game player’s portal into the events themed after Marvel’s Avengers: Infinity War. You can download the iOS/Android app on the respective app stores or TenCent app store.

The robot’s face shield is retractable to reveal an LED screen. You can select specific phrases or upload your own face and even record audio phrases that pop up when the shield retracts during some gaming sequence. The Iron Man MK50 Robot has 7 motors that allow it to perform the following movements: Head up/down, Head side-to-side, arms up/down/fire repulsor action, turning off the waist side-to-side rotation, walk forward and walk backwards.

EDITOR’S PICK: The $260 SD845-powered iQOO Neo gaming smartphone redefines bang for buck

There is an infrared sensor, located in the bottom front of the Iron Man MK50’s foot which uses reflected infrared light to detect the edge of an elevated surface, like a table or desk, and prevents your robot from falling. If your robot detects an edge, it will automatically stop forward movement and take several steps backwards.

The robot weighs 1.2Kg and has two built-in lithium polymer batteries. The batteries charges in just one hour via a USB port. The Iron Man MK50’s charging port is located under the panel flap in the robot’s right shoulder blade. A fully charged device averages 1.5 hours of play time.

UP NEXT: Xiaomi Mi CC9, CC9e, CC9e Meitu Custom Edition unveiled; Specs, features and price

(via)

Buy Laptops, Tablets, and Other Top-End Gadgets at Lowered Prices from Gearbest

By

Vinay Patel

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Jul 3, 2019

A feature-rich laptop isn’t easy on the pocketbook. Those who aren’t willing to shell out a lot of money on a top-end laptop usually end up compromising on performance.

In a bid to make popular laptops available to those living on a tight budget, Gearbest has launched a new event dubbed, Latest Top Laptops Flash Sale. During this recently kicked-off event, a wide selection of top-branded laptops will be available for lowered prices on the Chinese online store. Carrying heavily discounted price tags, these laptops have been carefully split into multiple categories, allowing Gearbest users to find exactly what they’re looking for without breaking a sweat. The first section called ‘Hot Pick’ features the Jumper EZbook S4 laptop, Teclast F5R laptop, ALLDOCUBE nuvision 2-in-1 tablet PC, and the Xiaomi RedmiBook Notebook.

More importantly, the devices included in the aforesaid categories are available at lowered prices. For example, the 8GB RAM+256GB ROM variant of the Jumper EZbook S4 14-inch laptop, which normally retails for $421.23 is currently available for a reduced price of just $289.99.

This is a noteworthy 31 percent drop in the device’s original asking price. It is worth mentioning here that the discount will only be valid for the first 297 units. With 169 units already sold, the promo will be valid for five days.

The next category called ‘Top Seller’ is teeming with a slew of well-received laptops, phablets and tablet PCs that you can buy for unbeatable prices. Among other products, the section includes the Xiaomi Mi Notebook Pro that carries a steep $1313.36 price tag.

As part of the event, Gearbest is doling out a significant 31 percent discount on the 256GB SSD model. As a result, you can now buy it for just $909.99. On the downside, there were only 299 pieces remaining for this promo, which is slated to end in just five days.

If you are interested in checking out the latest tablets and notebooks that are available for lowered prices, you can head straight to the next section called ‘New Arrival.’ Under this category, you can get your tech greedy hands on high-end devices from leading manufacturers like Chuwi, Teclast, Jumper, Xiaomi and more without breaking the bank.

Likewise, you can check out the ‘Laptops & Tablets’ section which is teeming with top-branded laptops, tablets, and phablets. It is worth mentioning here that the devices available under this section carry great discounts that will be valid for a specific period of time.

If you are in the market for accessories for your laptop or other devices, you can check out the concluding category called ‘Accessories.’ While spare parts and accessories usually cost a bomb, Gearbest is giving its loyal users a chance to get them without burning a hole in their pockets before the promo wraps up.

You can take advantage of the promo and grab these unmissable discounts simply by visiting the event page by clicking here.

Realme X Spider-Man: Far From Home Edition to launch in India on July 15

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Jul 3, 2019

Realme launched the Realme X and Realme X Lite in China back in May. While the latter is actually a rebrand of the Realme 3 Pro sold in India, the former is an entirely new device. The Realme X’s Indian launch was teased a few days ago but a date wasn’t revealed. Now we know when the phone will be announced.

Get ready to experience the most practical premium smartphone. Say hi to #realmeX!
Good news for the design lovers we will have the onion and garlic design master editions.
RT to show your love. pic.twitter.com/EdGbLTxc6U

— Madhav X (@MadhavSheth1) July 1, 2019

Yesterday, Realme’s CEO, Madhav Sheth, shared a tweet revealing the Realme X Spider-Man: Far From Home edition will be launching soon in India. The accompanying video revealed the special edition phone will launch on July 15 which means the standard edition should also be announced on the same day.

The Realme X Spider-Man: Far From Home Edition already launched in China last week and will be available for purchase on July 7. It comes in a special gift box and includes a custom Spider-Man theme and protective case.

I am really excited to announce our collaboration with #SpiderManFarFromHome for realme X. See you at the premiere. pic.twitter.com/sTBJhXMAN0

— Madhav X (@MadhavSheth1) July 2, 2019

However, we are not sure if its specs (and that of the standard edition) will be the same with the ones sold in China. This is because of a tweet by Madhav Sheth back in May where he said the Realme X may launch with different specs in India.

#realmeX may not necessarily launch at the same specs in India.

We are planning to have an #realmeXIndian version and
pricing maybe around 18k.

Apart from Garlic and Onion, 😊

we will also have one more special variant for India.👍
RT and Guess?

— Madhav X (@MadhavSheth1) May 18, 2019

The tweet also revealed the phone should be priced around INR 18000 (~$260) and will be available in the Garlic and Onion special variants as well as a third special variant. We already know that third special variant is the Spider-Man: Far From Home Edition.

The Realme X has a 6.53-inch FHD+ display with no notch or punch hole. It has a motorized 16MP pop-up selfie camera that slides out from the top of the phone. There is a Snapdragon 710 processor powering the phone with 4GB/6GB/8GB of RAM and 64GB/128GB of non-expandable storage.

The phone also has dual rear cameras (48MP + 5MP), an in-display fingerprint sensor, an audio jack, Type-C port, and a 3765mAh battery with support for VOOC 3.0 (20W) fast charging. It runs ColorOS 6 based on Android 9 Pie.

UP NEXT: Realme 3 Pro gets 240fps slow motion and theme store in latest update

Zenfone 6 gets ARCore support, 8x Zoom and more in latest update

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Jul 2, 2019

The ASUS Zenfone 6 is getting a new update, the third since its launch in May. The OTA brings new features and updates the security patch.

The update is rolling out as version v16.1210.1906.156 and is nearly 400MB in size. It brings June 2019’s security patch, enables AR Core and enables 8x zoom in photo mode. Below is the full changelog:

Enabled ARCore
Improved Video Call Experience
Camera:

Enabled 8X zoom in Photo mode.
Removed the time limit for FHD video recording.
Added the function to start/stop video recording with the volume Keys in the Camera app.
Improved Photo Image Quality on Noice Reduction.
Improved Camera Flipping Stability.

Optimized Screenshot Stability and solved bug related to screenshot functionality.
Enabled TaiwanMobile VoWiFi.
Updated Security Patch to June 2019.
Updated Translation Strings in Settings.

The update is rolling out in stages and should be available to more users as time goes on.

ASUS has really stepped up its game with the Zenfone 6 or ASUS 6z as it is known in India. It runs a new version of ZenUI that is closer to stock Android and it is also guaranteed to get updated to Android Q and Android R.

The Zenfone 6 has 48MP dual rear cameras that flip forward to double as the front-facing cameras. This allows the phone to have a near bezel-less display without the need for a notch or punch hole. The phone also packs a massive 5000mAh battery, a Snapdragon 855 chipset, an audio jack, and a triple card slot that allows you to use dual nano-SIMs and a MicroSD card at the same time.

UP NEXT: OnePlus 7 gets June security patch and improvements in latest update

Battery comparison between Oukitel Y4800 and Redmi Note 7 Pro (video)

By

Dimitris Economou

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Jul 2, 2019

Oukitel just released their flagship killer in the mid-range segment, Oukitel Y4800, and Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 Pro found a worthy opponent in the fight for the top spot. Both come with a 48MP camera as well as beautiful design and powerful performance that we went through in previous news but how do they compare in terms of battery consumption? Since both feature a 6.3″ FHD+ display and 4000mAh battery, the winner will be determined by software optimization and chipset power consumption management. The Redmi Note 7 Pro comes with the Snapdragon 675 octa-core SoC that is manufactured using the 11nm process while the Y4800 comes with Helio P70 8-core SoC with 12nm process. Also, both come with Android 9 Pie, MIUI-based on the Redmi and stock Android on Oukitel. So, which does the best job? Let’s see.

The test is based on a 3-hour test that includes 1 hour of online movie playing, 1 hour of camera recording, and 1 hour of online music streaming. As we can see in the video, after 1 hour of online movie playing, the Y4800 has 88% power left while the Redmi Note 7 Pro has 78% power. After 1 more hour of video recording, the Y4800 has 70% power remaining and the Redmi Note 7 Pro has 55% power left. At the end of the test, Oukitel’s device still has 55% power left while the Redmi has 27% power left. This is what a clear winner looks like.

The killer feature of Oukitel Y4800 is definitely the 48MP camera but performance is also satisfying with no lag or stutter during daily tasks. If you combine these features with the well-optimized battery consumption, then it is safe to say that the category just found a new king with longer battery life than similarly configured devices.

Starting on July 22nd, Oukitel Y4800 is entering the Global First Presale period exclusively on Banggood. Besides the discounted price of $199.99, buyers will also get extra free gifts like a Xiaomi finger ring holder, Xiaomi Mi Band 4 (limited units), and more. You can use the “In Stock Alert” and “Add to Wishlist” services on Banggood to receive a notification for when the presale starts. Also, there’s a Giveaway that you can participate in.

Vivo iQOO Neo vs Redmi K20 Pro vs Honor 20: Specs Comparison

By

Michele Ingelido

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Jul 2, 2019

A brand new affordable flagship made its debut just a few hours ago. Its name is Vivo iQOO Neo and it is a very atypical midrange device as it is equipped with a flagship chipset from 2018. That is why it represents a very interesting choice for everyone who wants high performances at the lowest price. But there are also other last-gen devices you can choose if you desire a high speed and smoothness. The latest from Huawei and Xiaomi are the Redmi K20 Pro and the Honor 20. Does the price difference justify their purchase or the affordable iQOO Neo is a better choice? This comparison will let you find out.

Vivo iQOO Neo vs Xiaomi Redmi K20 Pro vs Huawei Honor 20

	Xiaomi Redmi K20 Pro	Vivo iQOO Neo	Huawei Honor 20
DIMENSIONS AND WEIGHT	156.7 x 74.3 x 8.8 mm, 191 g	159.5 x 75.2 x 8.1 mm	154.3 x 74 x 7.9 mm, 174 g
DISPLAY	6.39 inches, 1080 x 2340p (Full HD+), Super AMOLED	6.38 inches, 1080 x 2340p (Full HD+), OLED	6.26 inches, 1080 x 2340p (Full HD+), IPS LCD
PROCESSOR	Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, octa-core 2.84 GHz	Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, octa-core 2.8 GHz	Huawei Hisilicon Kirin 980, octa-core 2.6 GHz
MEMORY	6 GB RAM, 64 GB – 6 GB RAM, 128 GB – 6 GB RAM, 128 GB – 8 GB RAM, 256 GB	6 GB RAM, 128 GB	6 GB RAM, 128 GB
SOFTWARE	Android 9 Pie, MIUI	Android 9 Pie, Funtouch OS	Android 9 Pie, EMUI
CONNECTIVITY	Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS	Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS	Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS
CAMERA	Triple 48 + 13 + 8 MP, f/1.8, f/2.4 and f/2.4	Triple 13 + 13 + 2 MP, f/1.8, f/2.2 and f/2.4 12 MP f/2.0 front camera	Quad 48 + 16 + 2 + 2 MP, f/1.8, f/2.2, f/2.4 and f/2.4 32 MP f/2.0 front camera
BATTERY	4000 mAh, fast charging 27W with Quick Charge 4.0	4500 mAh, fast charging 22.5W	3750 mAh, fast charging 22.5W
ADDITIONAL FEATURES	Dual SIM slot	Dual SIM slot	Dual SIM slot

Design

As the Vivo iQOO Neo is a classic phone with a waterdrop design, Redmi K20 Pro and Honor 20 are way more interesting if we talk about aesthetics. The former is equipped with a pop-up front camera which allows the presence of very narrow bezels around the display, even though the display is notch-less. The latter has a punch-hole design, so a front camera inside a hole in the display. The rear side of the Redmi K20 Pro looks more suggestive to me due to its liquid finish, but a lot of people may prefer the Honor 20 due to its most compact size.

Display

There is no challenge here: Redmi K20 Pro wins the display comparison. The Honor 20 has a classic IPS display that you can find on most of the midrange phones. The Vivo iQOO has an AMOLED display, but just an average color accuracy. Redmi K20 Pro is much more accurate when it comes to color reproduction, and it is HDR10-compliant. Further, it has no notch and it sounds amazing. It is even protected by Gorilla Glass 5, so it is a more resistant panel.

Hardware/Software

Besides having the best display, Redmi K20 Pro also wins the hardware comparison. Its processor is definitely more powerful as it is a 2019 Snapdragon 855 chipset and it is paired with up to 8 GB of RAM. Vivo iQOO Neo has an old-gen Snapdragon 845 chipset, so there is no chance it can reach its rival. Honor 20 has a Kirin 980 which is less powerful than Snapdragon 855, and it only comes with 6 GB of RAM even in its most expensive variant. The story would be different if we talked about the Honor 20 Pro, but that is another handset.

Camera

If we exclude the processor, Vivo iQOO Neo is essentially a midrange and it does not feature a really impressive camera. The situation changes when it comes to Redmi K20 Pro and Honor 20 which come with impressive rear departments. Honor 20 is my favorite one with its dedicated macro camera and its amazing 32 MP selfie camera, but Redmi K20 Pro is still an awesome camera phone which is more or less at the same level when it comes to photo quality.

Battery

Finally, a side on which Vivo iQOO Neo wins: battery life. Due to its huge 4500 mAh unit, Vivo iQOO Neo will probably last more on a single charge with most of the usage patterns. But the Redmi K20 Pro charges faster thanks to a 27W power. Honor 20 is the most disappointing one with a just 3750 mAh capacity for its battery.

Price

Vivo iQOO is the most affordable: it starts from just €230/$260 in China. Redmi K20 Pro starts from €350/$395 in China, while Honor 20 costs €500/$565 on the global market. Overall Redmi K20 Pro is the most balanced phone and I would spend those €120 more to get it as it offers a better SoC and better cameras.

Read More: Honor 20 Pro Moschino Edition announced; goes on sale in China from July 2

Vivo iQOO Neo vs Xiaomi Redmi K20 Pro vs Huawei Honor 20: PRO and CONS

Huawei Honor 20

PROS

Punch-hole display
Compact
Great cameras
Worldwide availability

CONS

IPS display

Redmi K20 Pro

PROS

Very original design
Good display
Best performance
Great cameras
UD fingerprint reader
Faster charging technology

CONS

Nothing particular

Vivo iQOO Neo

PROS

Affordable
Huge battery
UD fingerprint reader

CONS

Worse cameras

Elephone A6 Max makes its first apperance after the Global Sources Exhibition in HongKong (photos)

By

Dimitris Economou

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Jul 2, 2019

Elephone demonstrated a series of future models during the Global Sources Exhibition in HongKong earlier this year. Recently, one of them (Elephone U2) was officially released featuring a pop-up front camera and a triple rear camera and is already on presale for a very affordable price, while a Giveaway is ongoing. Today, the company provided 2 photos of the Elephone A6 Max that was also demonstrated during the exhibition.

1 of 2

The Elephone A6 Max features a big waterdrop notch display and is expected to come at an affordable price. for the time being, the only information we have about it is the rear camera that is a dual setup accompanied by a dual-tone LED flash. Also, there is a fingerprint sensor placed on the back of the device. We expect it to hit the market soon since, judging from the photos, it seems like a ready product. As always, we’ll update you as soon as we have more info.

Latest 3DMark app update shows if Huawei phones were benchmarked in performance mode

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Jul 2, 2019

3DMark has released a new update to its app and among the features onboard is the ability to automatically detect if Huawei phones are running on Performance mode or not. In September last year, 3DMark removed Huawei’s mobile phones from the benchmarking platform over what was considered to be cheating. Huawei’s smartphones were discovered to run in performance mode whenever the 3DMark app was detected. As the name suggests, the Performance mode improves the performance of the device. Thus, the benchmark result may not be a true reflection of the phone’s daily performance. Huawei later agreed to give users the option to choose if to run the app on performance or normal mode.

The 3DMark Android v2.0.4608 now gives scores for Huawei devices in either performance or default mode. In addition, the update confers a 64-bit variant on the app, so as to work effectively with many newer phones. 3DMark also claims that this update fixes some compatibility issues that were in effect between the Sling Shot Extreme test and the ARM Mali-G72 and Mali-G76 GPUs. Ironically, however, this may mean that the benchmark scores for these chipsets will be reduced after running this benchmark compared to earlier reports attained on the same device.

EDITOR’S PICK: Xiaomi Redmi 7A is all set to launch in India on July 4

Finally, this new version of 3DMark for Android has a fix for a few bugs found in Sling Shot and Sling Shot Extreme, and now outputs result-files with a given workload-version number.

UP NEXT: Samsung announces Galaxy Note 10 launch event for August 7

The $260 SD845-powered iQOO Neo gaming smartphone redefines bang for buck

By

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Jul 2, 2019

Following the success of Vivo’s iQOO gaming smartphone, Vivo is back with another gaming smartphone – the iQOO Neo; and based on its specs and price which starts at under $300, this device may set new sales records.

To keep the price low, iQOO has trimmed down some features present in its first gaming smartphone but even at that, you will be hard pressed to find a phone that is as feature-rich as the iQOO Neo with its price tag.

The iQOO Neo (Neo is short for New Era is On according to iQOO) has a 6.38-inch FHD+ Super AMOLED display with a 19.5:9 aspect ratio. Between the display and the frame is a slit for the speaker. iQOO also managed to include a notification LED beside the speaker. There is an in-display fingerprint scanner and support for face unlock too.

One of the ways the iQOO Neo is able to have a low price tag is as a result of its processor. Rather than a Snapdragon 855 chipset, it uses last year’s Snapdragon 845 processor which is a beast nonetheless. It will handle anything thrown at it and with 6GB/8GB of RAM, you should be fine. Interested buyers will be able to choose between 64GB or 128GB of storage for each RAM variant.

On the back of the iQOO Neo sits a triple camera array. The first sensor is an 8MP f/2.2 ultra-wide angle camera and it is followed by the primary 12MP f/1.79 camera and then a 2MP f/2.4 depth sensor. Sitting inside the notch in the display is a 12MP f/2.0 sensor.

While the iQOO Neo does not pack as much processing power as its sibling, it does have a bigger battery capacity – 4500mAh which should last a full day even if you decide to burn some time playing PUBG. And with Vivo’s FlashCharge 22.5W fast charging technology, you should be back up and running in the shortest time possible. iQOO says the battery should provide up to 10 hours of gaming (King of Glory).

The iQOO Neo still has some interesting features. There is liquid cooling to keep the device’s temperature low when playing CPU-intensive games. It also has 4D Game Shock 2.0, anti-Bluelight eye protection, touch acceleration, a dedicated game mode, DC Dimming, dark mode with support for up to 300 different apps, and a dedicated Jovi Assistant button painted orange. It also has an audio jack and a USB Type-C port.

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The iQOO Neo runs FunTouch OS 9 based on Android 9 Pie. It comes in Carbon Black and Neon Purple. Below are the prices for the different variants:

6GB + 64GB = ¥1798 (~$260)
6GB + 128GB = ¥1998 (~$290)
8GB + 64GB = ¥2098 (~$305)
8GB + 128GB = ¥2298 (~$334)

The iQOO Neo is already available for pre-order on the official Vivo online store, at Tmall, JD.com, Suning, and several other retail partners. It will go on sale on the 8th of July at 10:00 AM.

With these specs and price, the iQOO Neo is already a winner.

UP NEXT: Vivo iQOO 5G to launch in Q3 2019, will also announce AR glasses, smartwatches, and smart headphones

Xiaomi Mi CC9, CC9e, CC9e Meitu Custom Edition unveiled; Specs, features and price

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Jul 2, 2019

The Xiaomi Mi CC9 series has gone official today in China. The CC9, CC9e and CC9 Meitu Custom Edition are the first phones born through Xiaomi’s collaboration with its acquired firm named Meitu. The latter is well-known for its selfie beautification apps and selfie-focused phones. The Mi CC9 series boasts trendy appeal and come with attractive specs and pricing. The CC9 Meitu Custom Edition is a premium phone whose camera capabilities are powered by Meitu’s imaging algorithms.

Xiaomi Mi CC9 and CC9e Specifications

The Xiaomi Mi CC9 and CC9e come with gradient colored curved 3D glass panels. The Mi CC9 features a 6.39-inch full HD+ resolution AMOLED display with dot notch. The Mi CC9e that is packed with inferior specs comes with a dot notch enabled 6.08-inch screen AMOLED display that supports HD+ resolution of 720 x 1560 pixels. They are also equipped with features like 19.5:9 aspect ratio, Always-On Display and latest 7^th-generation in-display fingerprint sensors.

The Snapdragon 710 chipset is present under the hood of the Xiaomi Mi CC9 smartphone. The SoC is coupled with up to 6 GB of RAM and it features up to 128 GB of storage. The Xiaomi Mi CC9e becomes the first phone ever to be fueled by 2.0 GHz Snapdragon 665 that tags along Adreno 610 GPU. The CC9 and CC9e run on MIUI 10 based Android 9 Pie OS. There is Game Turbo 2.0 for accelerated graphics performance for enhanced gaming experience.

The Mi CC9 and CC9e smartphones have LED flash enabled triple camera setups on their rear. It includes 48-megapixel Sony lens with f/1.79 aperture, an 8-megapixel ultrawide lens with 120-degree field-of-view and a 2-megapixel depth sensor. The rear cameras support features like handheld super night mode, portrait mode bokeh, panorama, professional, HDR, AI beauty, AI scene recognition and 960fps slow-motion video recording.

The Xiaomi Mi CC9 and CC9e are both fitted with 32-megapixel selfie snappers. It can shoot better selfie shots in low-light conditions as it can combine four pixels in one large-sized pixel. Using Mimoji, users can create animated characters from themselves by selecting from 165 kinds of hairstyles, faces and accessories. Mimoji can be applied to still photos and videos.

These handsets house 4,030mAh batteries that carry support for 18W fast charging. The usual connectivity features like dual-SIM support, 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802.11ac, v5.0 Bluetooth, GPS, NFC (not available on CC9e), IR blaster, USB-C and 3.5mm headphone socket are also available on the CC9 series of smartphones. The CC9 and CC9e phones are also equipped with face unlock feature.

Xiaomi Mi CC9 Meitu Custom Edition Specifications

The Xiaomi Mi CC9 Meitu Custom Edition that comes in a unique color of bears the same specs as the Mi CC9 smartphone. However, it comes in a single model that includes 8 GB of RAM and 256 GB of built-in storage. Also, the triple cameras and the selfie snapper of the Custom Edition are powered by Meitu’s imaging technology for capturing stunning portrait shots even in low-light conditions. A customized version of MIUI 10 + Android 9 Pie is available on the device.

The smartphone bears a “meitu” branding on its rear. Compared to Mi CC9 and CC9e phones that come in white colored retail box with colorful CC logo, the Custom Edition will be available in a big blue colored packaged with small CC logo on it. Also, Xiaomi is selling exclusive accessories like selfie mirror, bracelet, and transparent cover for the custom version.

Xiaomi Mi CC9, CC9e and CC9 Meitu Custom Edition Price and Release Date

Here are the pricing of the different variants of the Mi CC9 series of smartphones:

Xiaomi Mi CC9

6 GB RAM + 64 GB storage – 1,799 Yuan (~$260)

6 GB RAM + 128 GB storage – 1,999 Yuan (~$290)

Color Variants: White Lovers, Dark Blue and Black

Xiaomi Mi CC9e

4 GB RAM + 64 GB storage – 1,299 Yuan (~$188)

6 GB RAM + 64 GB storage – 1,399 Yuan (~$203)

6 GB RAM + 128 GB storage – 1,599 Yuan (~$232)

Color Variants: White Lovers, Dark Blue and Black

Xiaomi Mi CC9 Meitu Custom Edition

8 GB RAM + 256 GB storage – 2,599 Yuan (~$378)

Color Variant: Pearl White

The Xiaomi Mi CC9 series will be for reservations starting from today in China. The Mi CC9’s first sale will be held on July 5 whereas the Mi CC9e will be purchasable from July 9. The Mi CC9 Meitu Custom Edition will be also available from July 5. The Chinese firm didn’t confirm on the international arrival of the Mi CC9, CC9e and CC9 Meitu Custom Edition smartphones.

Lei Jun reveals the Xiaomi Mi CC9 will come with Sky Replacement camera feature

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Jul 2, 2019

Xiaomi is expected to launch the Mi CC9 today and quite a lot have been revealed about the device. One of the features expected to be onboard the phone is a sky replacement feature. The company’s CEO Lei Jun shared a couple pictures showcasing the feature recently on Weibo.

Going by the four pictures shared, the Mi CC9 camera settings can be tweaked to turn the bright day time sky to night time. It can also turn a cloudy sky to look sunny.

This feature isn’t a new one as it can be found on several third-party apps. However, with the integration on the Mi CC9, you won’t have to open a third-party app to tweak the picture.

We also recall that XDA Developers had reported a few months back that Xiaomi was working on a Sky Replacement feature as discovered through code investigation. The feature enables users to supplant the “sky” with various sky presets. The “sky replacement” effect will be included as part of the photo editing functionality within the MIUI Gallery application. With this forthcoming effect, users can take pictures with a transcendent sky component and swap it with a bundle of various presets that alters the sky in various scenes. The presets won’t just modify the look of the sky but will also add important lighting effects to the remainder of the picture and objects so as to make it match the time of day or weather condition that the sky depicts.

UP NEXT: Xiaomi trademarks “Xiaomi Express”, might be for its own delivery service

Lenovo Z6 full specifications officially revealed ahead of July 4 launch

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Jul 2, 2019

The Lenovo Z6 is scheduled to launch on July 4 in China. It is smartly positioned between the flagship Lenovo Z6 Pro, which is powered by a Snapdragon 855 chipset and the more affordable Lenovo Z6 Youth Edition that comes with a Snapdragon 710 SoC. Chang Cheng, Vice President of the Lenovo Group, announced the launch of the Z6 along with its entire technical specification, leaving little to the imagination, barely 48 hours before the official launch.

Based on what can be observed from the post, the Z6 resembles the Z6 Youth Edition in many ways. Starting from the waterdrop notch up front to the triple camera setup at the rear. However, unlike the Youth Edition, the Z6 has an in-display fingerprint sensor. Like the Z6 Youth Edition, the Z6’s roll cage is made out of a magnesium alloy, which Lenovo also uses on their ThinkPad Notebooks.

Lenovo Z6 Specifications and Features

According to the poster that was shared by Cheng on Weibo, the Lenovo Z6 features a 6.39-inch OLED display covering 93.1 percent of the smartphone’s body. This is possible thanks to the extremely thin bezels and the waterdrop-style notch. Lenovo uses an HDR10 certified display with full coverage of the DCI-P3 and the sRGB color schemes. Lenovo has also provided a sampling rate of 120Hz on the screen, which should help reduce in-game latency. The Lenovo Z6 also features the De-Mura screen coloring technology, along with Gorilla Glass certification for guaranteed safety.

The Z6 is powered by an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 730 chipset, based on the 8nm process with the Kryo 470 core that can run as high as 2.2GHz, along with the Adreno 618 GPU and 8GB of RAM. The device features 128GB of built-in storage and is expandable up to 512GB with a microSD card.

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The smartphone runs on the ZUI 11 OS and features a Game Turbo mode, which should help keep the frame rates high. The Lenovo Z6 draws power from a 4,000 mAh battery that supports 15W Quick Charge 3.0.

The device features a 24-megapixel Sony IMX576 sensor with an aperture rating of f/1.8, along with an 8-megapixel telephoto lens with 2x optical zoom and 8x hybrid zoom, and a 5-megapixel wide-angle sensor. The 4-in-1 pixel-binning on the primary camera is expected to help with low-light imaging.

Although, details regarding the Z6’s pricing is currently unavailable, the device will be placed between the flagship Z6 Pro, which is priced at 2,899 Yuan (~$422) and the more affordable Z6 Youth Edition priced at 1,699 Yuan (~$247). The handset may come in 6 GB and 8 GB RAM variants and these models could be priced between 1,999 Yuan (~$290) and 2,499 Yuan (~$363).

UP NEXT: Lenovo Z6 Pro 5G vs Nubia X 5G vs ZTE Axon 10 Pro 5G: Specs Comparison

Full specs and renders of Galaxy Tab A 8” 2019 leaks

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Jul 2, 2019

Samsung has already launched about three new tablets this year including the Galaxy Tab S5e, its thinnest tablet till date but it isn’t done yet. Renders and specs of a new 8” Galaxy Tab A has surfaced.

This Galaxy Tab A 8” doesn’t have an S Pen like the other 8” Galaxy Tab A Samsung announced back in March. It also has a different design, a Snapdragon processor and packs a bigger battery.

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According to Winfuture.de, the source of the leak, the Galaxy Tab A 8” 2019 has a 1280 x 800 LCD display. The screen is surrounded by thick bezels. There is a Snapdragon 429 processor inside it, paired with 2GB of RAM and 32GB of storage. A MicroSD card slot will allow you to add extra storage.

There is a square-shaped 8MP camera on the top left corner on the back of the tablet. The front has a 2MP sensor, so don’t expect a lot when it comes to picture or video quality.

The Galaxy Tab A 8” 2019 has an LTE version that supports up to 150Mbps download speeds. A large percentage of the back is covered in aluminum while the areas where the antennas are located are made of plastic.

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Other specs include a 5100mAh battery, Bluetooth 4.2, an audio jack at the top, and Android Pie with One UI pre-installed. Winfuture.de says the Galaxy Tab A 8” 2019 will come in Carbon Black and Silver Gray and should be official in a few days.