Chinese benchmarking outfit Master Lu has now released the list of best mobile chipsets in terms of AI performance for the first half of 2019. The list of combined processors for Q1 2019 was topped by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 chipset, followed by the Snapdragon Apple A12 and the Kirin 980 chipset from Huawei.
As is expected, we’ve got the Snapdragon 855 in the lead, followed by Apple’s excellent A12 chip. Then, we’ve got the MediaTek Helio P90. Yes, you heard that right, MediaTek has managed to get the Helio P90 up there, and it’s apparently a pretty great performer when it comes to AI performance.
According to Master Lu, while the Helio P90 isn’t exactly the most powerful chip around, the AI performance on it is above most other competitors. With this, it has managed to officially knock Huawei‘s Hisilicon Kirin 980 off the third spot in AI ranking. This is a pretty big achievement for MediaTek, beating the king of AI itself.
The rest of the list is pretty much just Snapdragon chips. You can see the top 10 above, and it’s pretty much exactly as you’d expect it to go. The only big surprise is the Helio P90, but it’s definitely one of the biggest surprises that could’ve happened. We can expect to see other benchmarks from the outfit soon.
China Information and Communications Research Institute has recently released a domestic smartphone market analysis report for June 2019 which shows that 34.31 million units were sold in China in June 2019, which is down by 6.3 percent year-on-year.
It further reveals that around 32.262 million devices sold were 4G smartphones, which is down by 5.2 percent year-on-year, and accounted for around 96.9 percent of the total shipments during that period.
Also, around 38 new smartphone models were listed for sale in the domestic smartphone market, which is down by 48.6 percent year-on-year. Also, the new smartphone models listed include nine 2G phones, 28 4G phones, and one 5G smartphone.
In June 2019, the shipments of smartphones made by the homegrown companies come down to 32.68 million units, down around 4.1 percent year-on-year and accounted for 95.2 percent of the total shipments during the same period. 37 new smartphones models of Chinese companies were listed, down 47.1 percent YoY, accounting for 97.4 percent of the total number of devices listed in June 2019.
As for the report for the first half of the year, i.e. from January 2019 to June 2019, 186 million units of smartphones were shipped, which is down by 5.1 percent year-on-year. Of these, 178 million were 4G devices, down by 4.2 percent YoY and accounted for 95.6 percent of the smartphone shipments.
However, the shipments of devices from domestic brands come to 172 million units, which is down by 1.8 percent year-on-year and accounted for 92.7 percent of the total shipments in the first half of the year.
While the smartphone shipments in China is declining, the decline for the Chinese smartphone brands is lower than the overall decline of the smartphone market in China, one of the biggest markets in the world.
Xiaomi has officially confirmed today that it has rolled out Xiaomi Mi 9 MIUI Android Q Beta Priority Experience version in China. At the beginning of this month, the Chinese firm had recruited closed beta testers for the Mi 9 smartphone in the home market. Now, the Priority Experience version has been made available for Mi 9 beta testers.
The Xiaomi Mi 9v Android Q beta users can download and get the first experience of the latest Android Q 10.0 OS. In May, Google had officially Android Q beta for as many as 21 smartphones from across 13 brands. Among them, Xiaomi Mi 9 becomes one of the first handsets to upgrade to Android Q beta. The Mi 9 will also be one of the first phones to get treated with the final version of Android Q when it arrives in August.
Mi 9 beta testers in China who are using Android Q developer version can try the Android Q Beta Priority Experience Version through OTA. Those who are on stable version of Android P will have to unlock bootloader and clear data before flashing the new version.
Xiaomi’s Director for Mobile Phone System Software Department shared a screenshot of MIUI 10 based Android Q to give a glimpse of the latest edition of MIUI. The screenshot shows the interface face style of MUI 10 for Android Q is not very different from Android Pie. This indicates that the major changes to user interface will be brought on MIUI 11.
Android Q focuses on enhancing the privacy features for users. Users with Android Q phones will have the power to decided whether an app can access the location while it is running in the background. When an app starts accessing location data, a microphone or a camera, Android Q will show a corresponding icon in the notification bar to tell the user which app is using the permission. Android Q comes with native support for Dark Mode. This feature is currently integrated in MIUI 10.
Xiaomi‘s MIUI is still one of the most well known Android UIs around the Android community. While opinions tend to differ when it comes to preference, it’s undeniable that MIUI is still one of the better UIs around. Despite all the ads, it’s still a very polished experience, and gets frequent updates. Now, they’re finally testing MIUI 10 based on the latest Android Q.
With this, we’ll optimally be getting some of the new Android Q features on new MIUI versions. This means MIUI users can expect all the new security and privacy features from Android Q. By extension, that also means there’s a chance MIUI will get a dark mode, though we’re not optimistic on that one. It seems like that one would have to come from Xiaomi’s side rather than Google.
Over on Weibo, it’s a bit surprising to see a lot of Chinese MiFans aren’t too eager for Android Q. There’s a rather large divide, with a lot more Chinese MiFans preferring to see MIUI 11 over Android Q. This makes sense for them, seeing how most Google services are banned in China. On top- of that, there’s the fact that MIUI 10 pretty much entirely covers up anything Android related on the OS, and it’s not hard to see why they’re not too enthused.
Regardless, it’s great to see Xiaomi taking Android updates more seriously as of late. It’s a huge improvement over the old Xiaomi, and makes recommending their devices much easier. Android Q is a huge update over the older versions, making it a top priority for smartphone manufacturers. We hope more companies begin pushing for Android Q on their devices.
If you prefer standing out in a crowd, while making a good impression without spending a lot of money, you might want to give this Unisex LED dynamic backpack a test drive.
It comes with multiple ad modes and supports a wide range of text images and animations that can be published on the LED display. Aside from catching everyone’s attention, the backpack is waterproof to provide added protection to the content kept inside the bag.
The Unisex LED dynamic backpack is made using high-quality fabric, and the anti-wear design are selected from high-density, wearable, and exquisite fabrics. In terms of storage capacity, the backpack offers ample space, allowing you to keep your pencil case, cell phone, notebook, and other files. It also has a power supply USB interface.
Moreover, you can show your creativity with the help of the built-in screen by displaying your favorite creative content. You can effortlessly edit the content using the app, and choose from four appealing colors for your content.
While the market is rife with backpacks that offer comparable features, they don’t come cheap. The Unisex Creative Design LED Display Screen Backpack, on the other hand, will set you back just $79.99 on GeekBuying. This is an eleven percent reduction in the original asking price of the backpack.
Aside from taking full advantage of the aforesaid discount, you can use coupon code 3EBQVUUJ for an extra $10 off. In other words, you can bring the already reduced retail price of the Unisex Creative Design LED Display Screen Backpack further down to only $69.99 simply by applying the coupon at checkout.
You can follow this link in order to avail the discount, which will be valid for the blue, yellow and gray color versions of the backpack for a limited period of time.
It is no secret that brushing your teeth is important for good oral care. In order to remove oral plaque, you can either use a manual or an electric toothbrush; however, the vibration produced by an electric toothbrush generates more micro-movements, helping you avoid decay more efficiently.
While there’s no dearth of electric toothbrushes in the market today, these wireless devices aren’t easy on the pocketbook. In a bid to make a feature-rich electric toothbrush available to cost-conscious buyers, Xiaomi is now offering the Soocas SO WHITE Sonic Electric Toothbrush for a lowered price on Banggood.
While the Xiaomi Soocas SO WHITE Sonic Electric Toothbrush would normally set you back $89.90, you can now get your hands on it for just $15.35 from the Chinese online store. You can choose between blue and pink color options.
In order to avail this 83 percent discount, all you need to do is to follow this link without wasting time.
Known for offering the best bang for your buck, Banggood introduces amazing promotions from time to time. Here are four promotion sales that you need to check out before they come to an end.
Banggood Summer Prime Sale
The Summer Prime Sale on Banggood features the Free Order & Gifts campaign, which will run July 12th 16:00. During this campaign, Banggood is giving its loyal users a chance to win free orders and gifts every hour. You can click here to visit the promotion page.
You can participate in this event by visiting the product details page, and then visiting the order payment page by placing your order. You need to invite a friend, who will use your shared link to open the app and join the team.
The idea is to ensure enough of your friends participate before the countdown ends. The winning team will be eligible for the lucky draw. You can check out the activity page by heading straight to this link.
Banggood is offering an unmissable $0.99 snap up for a wide selection of household and fashion items. Moreover, you can take advantage of big coupons, and win 250 gifts before the promo comes to an end on July 12th (UTC+8).
On top of that, there’s a Lucky Draw, wherein you can win great discounts or coupons and use them for products available on the promotion page. You can follow this link in order to check out more details and avail the discounts.
Banggood is giving its brand-conscious users a lot to cheer about in the form of its recently kicked off Banggood 2019 Top Brand Sale. In a bid to simplify and expedite the search process, a slew of heavily discounted products have carefully been added to multiple categories.
You can grab 10% and 15% off coupons that will be valid for popular brands such as Eachine, BlitzWolf, and Bakeey. In addition to that, you can participate in the snap up and get a chance to get big discounts on amazing products.
If you are interested in receiving these noteworthy discounts before the promo comes to an end, simply check out the promotion page by following this link.
Car DVR dashboard camera can prove to be a highly advantageous device when it comes to safe driving. You can find all sorts of car DVR dash cams in the market; however, if you are living on a tight budget, you might want to check out our top five low-priced car DVRs.
Alfawise G70 F1.5 Car DVR Dash Cam
Powered by the NOVATEK 96658 chipset, the Alfawise G70 F1.5 is quite a handy car DVR dash camera that won’t set you back a pretty penny. While it normally retails for $65.99, Gearbest is offering the Alfawise G70 F1.5 for a lowered price of just $42.99.
Moreover, you can extend this 35 percent discount with the help of coupon code GBAFF062709. The coupon helps you get an extra $3 off by reducing the original asking price of the Alfawise G70 F1.5 Car DVR Dash Cam to just $39.99 even before you place your order.
Aside from that, you can get an extra 10 percent off if you order more than two items. If your cart total exceeds $49.99, you’d be eligible for a free gift.
You can follow this link in order to get the discount and use the coupon, which will be valid for the first 1000 pieces only. The coupon is slated to expire on July 31st. With 100 units already sold, the promotion sale will end in just four days.
The 70MAI comes in three versions including the EU version, RU version, and US version. As part of the promotion sale that kicked off on July 8th, Banggood is doling out a noteworthy 48 percent discount on all three versions of the Xiaomi 70MAI Smart Midrive D01 Car DVR.
As a result, you can now buy this coveted car DVR for a dropped price of just $30.99. It is worth noting that it normally retails for $59.99 on both online as well as offline stores. An absolute steal at this price, the Xiaomi 70MAI Smart Midrive D01 Car DVR captures important details in 1080P full-HD for clear visibility.
It comes with a strong voice control feature that makes driving more interesting. Moreover, it allows the user to adjust basic function settings and camera videos via voice. It packs a powerful MSC 8328P processor and is backed by a built-in 240mAh LI battery.
You can follow this link to check out more details about the 70MAI Smart Midrive D01 Car DVR and place your order. Note that the promo will end on July 12th.
70mai Dash Cam Pro 1944P HD Car DVR Camera 140 Degrees FOV – Black without GPS
The 70mai Dash Cam Pro is a feature-rich in-car DVR that offers a safer driving experience. It boasts an impressive array of features including advanced driver-assistance system, parking surveillance, day and night vision, easy playback and download via the app, voice control and more.
The 70mai Dash Cam Pro usually carries an $83.43 price tag, but you can get your hands on it for a lowered price of just $59.99 from Gearbest. In addition to getting this 28 percent discount, Gearbest users can apply coupon code ICRM1L9ZPB to save $1 more at checkout.
After applying the coupon, the original selling price of the 70mai Dash Cam Pro drops to just $ 58.99. It is worth mentioning here that the coupon is valid only for the first 1000 pieces and it will lapse on July 31st.
Seventy-four pieces were already sold at the time of writing and the promo ends in three days. You can follow this link in order to avail the discount.
The JADO D330 usually sells for $ 49.99 – $121.49, but AliExpress is giving its loyal users a chance to buy this HD portable DVR for a reduced price of $39.99 – $97.19. This is a noteworthy 20 percent reduction in the device’s original selling price.
The JADO D330 is loaded with highly advantageous features such as GPS tracking, dual camera setup, parking monitoring, time-lapse video, app playback and more. You can play the recorded video anytime, anywhere using your mobile phone.
To check out more details about the JADO D330, all you need to do is to follow this link without wasting time. If you are a new user, you can take advantage of a $3 off New User coupon and save more money.
Sporting a 4-inch display screen that can show two cameras at the same time, the KATUXIN A32 uses a high-performance and low illumination CMOS HD photographic chip. Moreover, it adopts built-in high dynamic range (HDR) image processing system for a clearer and reliable image whether you are driving your car at night or in high light.
You’d normally need to shell out $41.37 in order to get your hands on the KATUXIN A32 car DVR; however, you can now buy it for just $34.99 from Gearbest. This is a significant 15 percent reduction in the device’s retail price.
You can follow this link to avail the discount, which will be valid for the black color version. Note that 68 pieces were already sold and the promo is slated to end in just three days.
Xiaomi acquired Meitu smartphone project in 2018, which was considered as a clear signal that Xiaomi was going to include the youth especially females as their target customers. Meitu is the most famous software producer in mobile beauty experiences in China.
Xiaomi CC9 review video:
Appearance & design
At first glance, both the phones are the most similar if we ignore their rear colors. They both share a similar appearance mainly because of the fact that their displays and rear design are identical. Both the phones feature a 6.39-inch Super AMOLED 2340 x 1080p display up front with a waterdrop notch. The flagship-level display makes the screen-to-body ratio result to 91%. After comparing the detail of these two displays, it’s pretty sure that Xiaomi CC9 offers a flagship-level display, though nothing surprising if we look at the specs in Mid-2019.
1 of 2
32MP Front camera
Notch
chin: 3.6mm
Looking back to the rear setups, both the phones feature a triple-camera setup in an identical vertical arrangement. All these factors contribute to their similar looks. Meanwhile, the back was advertised that it uses a holographic, all-curved design, which did contribute a better hand-on feeling. But similar Mi9’s back, it is also a fingerprint collector.
1 of 2
Meitu Fairy
CC9 Blue Planet
The Xiaomi Mi9 was released as a true flagship and positioned as a premium product with a bargain price, while the Xiaomi CC9 has a more specific mission. Xiaomi is aiming to portray the CC9 as a fashion smartphone for youth, especially those youth who admire beautiful appearance and love taking photos. It’s also the reason for Xiaomi to call it CC series, which means Chic & Cool. In addition, Xiaomi continuously adapts its pricing strategy on the CC9 to expand its market share. But as we mentioned before, how could it please the youth who especially admire the appearance with the only Mi9 looks? Their solution here is to give more vibrant color versions. This time, including the highest MEITU version, Xiaomi CC9 has 4 color versions on the table: White Lover, Blue Planet and Black Prince for Standard versions, and a Fairy color for Meitu version.
CC9 vs Mi9
Although Xiaomi’s product manager spent much time on introducing how complicated the vibrant-color technology is, it’s still an individual experience and preference. Do you want to have your smartphone shining all the time?
Cameras
Besides Chic & Cool, the CC has another meaning, ‘Camera & Camera’. As a typical smartphone for youth, Xiaomi boosts their back & front cameras to a top level. However, we can also see its compromise due to cost control. Rear camera setups are as below:
48MP SONY IMX586, 48MP, 0.8μm，f/1.79, No OIS
8MP Ultra-wide camera 120°, No OIS
200MP depth camera, No OIS
Triple Cameras
Compared to Mi9, it maintains the main camera for most photography but cuts the 16MP telephoto camera and reduces the wide camera resolution to 8MP.
The true improvement is the front camera. It is a 32MP Samsung camera that can shoot photos with a 6560×4928 resolution. So, probably Xiaomi assumes that CC9’s target users were young groups and they much value the front portrait shooting.
32MP Front camera
Compared to other flagships, Xiaomi CC9 doesn’t present a wonderful dynamic range here. so, you’d better turn on the HDR mode here to enhance it. Under high-contrast and low-light conditions, it shows a pretty good quality at color reproduction and contrast though, the poor noise control over the shadow area doesn’t lead to a satisfactory result. While under a lower-contrast scene, the noise problem is less obvious and the general image looks pretty good with much detail. At night scene with the extremely low-light condition, with an auto-exposure mode, there is nothing to praise, while with the super-night mode on, the general brightness is improved significantly.
1 of 2
In conclusion, it seems that Xiaomi CC9 tends to product a lower-saturation image style under low-light conditions. But, meanwhile, it does boost general brightness significantly through a high ISO, generally at a figure over 3200. As we are working on the smartphone test, more information and sample results of cameras performance are coming soon by Gizmochina video review team. Please stay watching for our latest update.
About its video shooting, Xiaomi CC9 can shoot up to 4K 30p video. In terms of a lack of OIS, the video shooting does not reach a good stabilization under most conditions,
Image & beauty features
Another feature worth talking is the Mimoji. Right now, it’s an exclusive feature for Xiaomi CC9 but not including the Meitu version. Due to the similar looks to Apple Memoji, Xiaomi has been mired in controversy of idea plagiarism. According to the Xiaomi official explanation, the Mimoji generating process is different from the Memoji. Mimoji can automatically generate a Mimoji from your real image, while you only can create a Memoji manually. But, if we compared the final effects, the animated facial expressions with various hairstyles, we have to admit that there should have some relevance between them. Most probably would regard it as stealing, while some may just call it ideal-borrow.
Back to the smartphone, Mimoji looks well with showing multiple expressions like winking, smiling, sticking tongue out, month action and so on. It is not limited to Mimoji-covered photos. It also supports a 15-second short video shooting, which is ready for social media.
Xiaomi Mimoji
Xiaomi also mentions a ‘magic sky wiper’ (not official English title) feature, which basically is to help you change the sky-type of your image with one click. The scenarios usually are about landscape photography under bad weathers, or you just want a significant sky to cover your memory. The effect is so impressive and much better than our expectation. The edges were recognized well as the whole image tone was adjusted by covering a filter (see below). But there are only several sky-types for choices now, which means that using the fixed types, you probably would be found out making a fake-sky through the software on social media.
1 of 6
Orignial-1
Orignial-1
Sky-1-3
Sky-1-2
Sky-1-1
Orignial-2
Orignial-2
Sky-2
Performance
The Xiaomi Mi9 offers a flagship processor of Snapdragon 855, while the Xiaomi CC9 is a mid-ranger with Snapdragon 710. Snapdragon 710 has proved itself as a sub-flagship processor. It can handle most phone games without problems and support a good system fluency. After playing 40min PUBG Mobile with highest graphics settings, though it fluctuated frequently, the frame rate remained at average 50fps. The gaming fluency is even at the first-tier among all the Snapdragon 710 devices, though comparing to flagships with snapdragon 855 there is still a remarkable gap.
Antutu Benchmark
average 50 fps
Battery & Charging
The Xiaomi CC9 has a 4030 mAh battery which is even larger than its brother, Xiaomi Mi9. Such a large battery usually leads to a bulkier size. The CC9 is no exception. It’s 8.67mm thick, while the figure of the Mi 9 is only 7.61mm. But the CC9 doesn’t feel much heavier, as it weighs 179g. Looking at the battery life, the phone can last for around 8-10 hours under a high frequency of use (e.g. music, video, social media), while it can last for 4-5 hours as a gaming machine. In our test, the Xiaomi CC9 can charge from 10% to 47% with included 18W charger in 30min. The test results of battery are not bad but nothing surprising.
Conclusion
Some additional features like NFC and ‘infrared remote controller’ are much useful and delightful. It is not core advertised features though, these slight stuff definitely increase the user experience and provide a good impression.
After experiencing the Xiaomi CC9 as my main phone these days, it’s no doubt that the CC9 is a balanced mid-ranger. If we leave the copy controversy and the similar Mi9 design alone, we are willing to give positive comments on it. But the controversy is objectively threatening the Xiaomi brand image. These kinds of controversy have lasted for years. Some critics regard Xiaomi as a copy recidivist among tech companies. Such voices definitely are harmful to the market performance of Xiaomi CC9.
Considering some features like audio and camera experience that would be much more intuitive to show in video, we decide to put the full review with more detail in our review video. If you are interested in the Xiaomi CC9, please stay watching our YouTube channel.
Oppo will launch its mid-ranger K3 in the Indian market in a few days. Those days when Oppo was a China-based manufacturer selling offline in the Chinese market only are gone: now it is a global brand and it is a potential menace to Samsung and the other best manufacturers all around the world. If you are looking for a midrange phone released from this company this period is perfect for you as Oppo launched a lot of affordable devices. Given that Oppo K3 launches as soon as next week, here is a comparison with the other Oppo midranges which are more or less at the same level in similar price tags: Oppo Reno Z and Oppo A9x.
Oppo K3 vs Oppo Reno Z vs Oppo A9X
Oppo K3
Oppo Reno Z
Oppo A9x
DIMENSIONS AND WEIGHT
161.2 x 76 x 9.4 mm, 191 grams
157.3 x 74.9 x 9.1 mm, 186 grams
162 x 76.1 x 8.3 mm, 190 grams
DISPLAY
6.5 inches, 1080 x 2340p (Full HD+), 394 ppi, AMOLED
6.4 inches, 1080 x 2340p (Full HD+), 403 ppi, AMOLED
Dual 16 + 2 MP f/1.7 and f/2.4
16 MP f/2.0 front camera
Dual 48 + 5 MP f/1.7 and f/2.4
32 MP f/2.0 front camera
Dual 48 + 2 MP f/1.7 and f/2.4
16 MP f/2.0 front camera
BATTERY
3765 mAh, fast charging 20W wih VOOC 3.0
4035 mAh, fast charging 20W with VOOC 3.0
4020 mAh, fast charging 20W with VOOC 3.0
ADDITIONAL FEATURES
Dual SIM slot
Dual SIM slot
Dual SIM slot
Design
Oppo K3 has the most stunning form factor. Despite it is not part of the Reno line-up, its back cover looks like the ones on Reno devices. And it even comes with a pop-up camera which helps to minimize the bezels without the aid of a classic waterdrop notch. If we exclude the K3, I personally prefer the Reno Z because it offers a cleaner glass back thanks to its in-display fingerprint reader. The design of the A9x looks more outdated due to the presence of a single module for the dual camera setup and a rear-mounted fingerprint reader. It even comes with a lower screen-to-body ratio.
Display
The level of detail offered by these handsets’ displays is pretty much the same, but the overall performance changes when it comes to color reproduction. Oppo K3 and Oppo Reno Z are way better because they sport an AMOLED display, and the Reno Z wins the comparison due to the support to the HDR10 technology. On the other hand, you should note that the Reno Z has a slightly smaller display than K3 and it comes with a waterdrop notch, unlike the K3. Oppo A9x still comes with an above-average display, but it looks like an inferior IPS panel.
Specs & Software
Despite the MediaTek Helio P90 found on the Reno Z is a more recent chipset with a higher base frequency, the Snapdragon 710 by Qualcomm which you can find on the Oppo K3 is a more powerful SoC. Further, the K3 is equipped with up to 8 GB of RAM and up to 256 GB of internal storage in its most expensive configuration, while Reno Z stops at 6 GB of RAM and 256 GB of internal storage. The A9x has an even less powerful chipset than Reno Z: an older Helio P70 and just 6 GB of RAM. Unlike its rivals, it sports a micro SD slot, but it loses the comparison because of its weaker hardware side. Each handset has both Android 9 Pie and Color OS 6 out of the box.
Camera
While Oppo K3 has the best hardware, it definitely comes with the worst camera department. The winner here is the Oppo Reno Z with its 48 MP dual camera, a bright f/1.7 aperture and a 5 MP depth sensor. Oppo A9x still offers a 48 MP dual camera, but the secondary sensor is an inferior one with a lower 2 MP resolution. Further, the Reno Z has a way better selfie camera with a resolution of 32 MP. So, there is no challenge, Reno Z is way more interesting.
Battery
With a capacity of more than 4000 mAh, Oppo Reno Z and A9x have the biggest batteries. But which one lasts more? Well, the Reno Z offers a longer battery life in a lot of scenarios because it comes with a smaller and more efficient AMOLED display, as well as a more efficient chipset. Oppo K3 is equipped with an AMOLED display as well, but its battery is smaller with a 3765 mAh capacity, so there is no way it can reach the overall battery life of the Reno Z.
Price
Here is the element which should mostly influence your final decision. As you had the chance to understand, the Oppo Reno Z is an overall better device under most of the point of views. It rocks a better display, way better cameras, and even higher battery life, despite it is powered by a lower-end chipset and less RAM than the Oppo K3. But it costs a lot more: the Reno Z starts from €330/$370, while Oppo K3 costs just €210/$235 and Oppo A9x starts from €260/$290 (we are referring to listing prices). That is why at the end of the day I would go for the Oppo K3: it has a worse camera, but also a better design, a much higher value for money, better performances and a still good battery life.
Chinese manufacturer SZ DJI Technology is unarguably the world’s largest drone manufacturer when it comes to consumer drones. The company’s customer base extends beyond China to the US, Europe and several other countries. In the US, DJI drones are deployed by not just the consumers but by the government agencies such as the police and military. According to Jan Gasparic, director of strategic partnerships at DJI, US public safety agencies are rapidly adopting unmanned aircraft from the Chinese drone maker even as the Trump administration voices security concerns that the devices could be sending sensitive surveillance data back to China.
At the RISE tech conference held in Hong Kong, the DJI exec stated; “Between 2015 and 2018 we have seen 500 per cent growth of drone adoption by public safety agencies in the US.” He stated further, “The reason for such a fast rate is because this technology has a transformative impact on the type of work they do.”
DJI is taking proactive measures to reassure the US authority and end users that its drones are no security risk just because they are manufactured in China. This is a proactive measure before the security concerns gather steam and become another Huawei/US imbroglio. The company says it will assemble its Mavic 2 Enterprise Dual drones in Cerritos, California after the US Customs and Border Protection determines that the US-produced value of its drones will qualify under the US Trade Agreements Act. That designation should make it easier for some US government agencies to buy the drones, the company said. In addition, Gasparic hinted that the company is taking different approaches to put core technologies into new products and product categories.
DJI currently controls up to 80% of the drone market in the US.
After the successful release of its first pop-up camera phone, Elephone U2, the Chinese manufacturer seems ready to continue releasing cutting edge phones. Two photos of a new device surfaced today, showing a phone featuring a punch-hole selfie shooter and a dual rear camera.
1 of 2
No further details were revealed by the company and the only thing we can tell for sure is that it will come with a gradient glass back as well as a rear-placed fingerprint sensor. The front of the device looks impressive with thin bezels and small bottom chin. We assume that more information will be available very soon.
At the same time, the current mid-range pop-up camera flagship is still on promotion on Geekbuying where you can get the 6GB/128GB version for just $249.99 until July 16th. Meanwhile, the Giveaway results are out on the company’s Facebook page! If you are interested, you can see all the details about it on the official product page and Elephone’s YouTube channel and get the chance to participate in future giveaways.
Huawei is expected to announce the Mate 30 series around September this year. As usual, the rumour mills will be kept buzzing with leaks concerning the device. Over the past few years, the Mate 30 Pro has always stolen the show and this year isn’t going to be different. A leaked screen panel said to be for the Mate 30 Pro shows the device will adopt a rather unique design.
The screen panel shared by popular Twitter tipster @Iceuniverse shows the device will have curved sides with the curvature almost making an angle of 90°. The device is expected to utilise a 6.71-inch OLED panel which will probably make holding the phone without your palm touching the side of the screen impossible. That shouldn’t be a problem, though, as it will likely be taken care of with Palm rejection feature.
This leak is in sync with a recent report from Huawei’s factory which says the company is experimenting with a glass unibody, which will join the curvatures of the front and back glass panes. We could see that materialize on the Mate 30 Pro. However, we have no idea how Huawei hopes to take care of the side capacitive keys. With a curved edge glass panel, there isn’t a chance the device will have physical keys. That can only happen if the manufacturer wants to make the device bulky which isn’t going to happen. It is possible the device will use virtual buttons on the curved edge.
Mate 30 Pro notch
In addition, the tipster also shared an image showing the silhouette of the Mate 30 Pro’s notch and it is a big one. At a time, fans are looking for notch-less phones, this may be disappointing to some.
Back in 2003, Nokia was basically the Samsung of today, selling more phones than any other manufacturer. So, the Finnish phone giant thought this was a good time to experiment. Well, we have seen Nokia experiment before and some of them have been crazy (take the lipstick phone for example), but this time, the company wanted to fancy its chances in the gaming market.
Remember that back in 2003, phones were not gaming devices. Snake was probably the most popular game back then. So, launching a gaming smartphone hybrid wasn’t a mainstream idea. But Nokia was the largest phone manufacturer in the world and it could afford to make mistakes. This led to the birth of the legendary N-Gage lineup.
N-Gage was no ordinary phone and you could tell that just by looking at its design. The phone had a 2.1-inch display, which is really small by today’s standard, that was flanked by D-pad and several quick keys on the left and an alphanumeric keypad and other quick buttons on the right. If not for the buttons on the right, you would have easily mistaken it as an handheld gaming console.
Yet, the Nokia N-Gage was a true phone. You could make calls, send and receive texts, and even access calendar and other media applications. Further, you had Bluetooth and a WAP browser! So, it was a pretty decent phone for its time. One thing that was a bit awkward was the way you had to make/receive calls. Because the speaker was located on the side, when talking on the phone, you had to keep it sideways. Well, I’m sure not a lot of people were eager to talk on this device!
If you somehow could ignore this design aspect, the N-Gage offered some really good features on the gaming side. First, big names such as Sega, EA, and Ubisoft brought their popular titles to the N-Gage platform. Games like Call of Duty, FIFA, Sonic, and Tomb Raider were available to play on the phone. All you had to do is insert the gaming cartridge in the device and you were set for your gaming session. To top it off, the N-Gage supported Bluetooth wireless multiplayer and came with an onboard mp3 and video player too which was a big deal in its time!
However, despite the popular titles available on the phone, it didn’t garner enough sales. One big reason could have been its expensive price tag of $299. In contrast, the Gameboy was cheaper! Another reason could have been its design and usability issues. I mean, you had to switch off the phone and remove the battery every single time to replace the gaming cartridge.
No wonder PC Mag described the N-Gage in these words — “a poorly implemented great idea.”
Despite the criticisms it received, the concept of a gaming phone, as we know it today, was established by the N-Gage. So when you see flagship smartphones like the ASUS ROG, Nubia Red Magic, or even the Xiaomi Blackshark, do remember the legendary Nokia N-Gage which conceptualized this idea!
Still interested in the Nokia N-Gage? Check out this video!
Did you ever use the Nokia N-Gage? Do you still have it with you?
As the Samsung Galaxy Note 10 inches towards its official launch date in August, the rumor mill is working overtime to leak the design and specifications of the flagship smartphone. A couple of new renders claiming to be of the Galaxy Note 10 and the Note 10+ have just surfaced, revealing quite a lot about the design of the flagship duo. Also, another leak has revealed the different variants of the Galaxy Note 10 5G.
The base variant of the Galaxy Note 10 5G gets 256GB of internal storage. The high-end versions of the phablet will come with 512GB and 1TB of native memory. The RAM capacity of the Note 10 5G are expected to vary with the internal storage of the device.
While the top-of-the-line variant of the Note 10 5G gets 12GB of RAM + 1TB of storage, the lower-spec version with 8GB of RAM is expected to feature 256GB and 512GB of internal storage. Like the Galaxy S10 5G smartphone, the Note 10 5G may not feature a microSD card slot.
Galaxy Note 10
Previous reports have revealed that the LTE-only version of the Galaxy Note 10+ will come with 256 GB base model and storage variants up to 1 TB. The LTE-only Note 10 is expected to come with a base model of 128 GB.
Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Specifications and Features:
Reports have revealed that the Galaxy Note 10 has a 6.3-inch Super AMOLED display with HDR 10+ support along with QHD+ resolution. On the other side, the Note 10+ features a larger quad HD+ 6.7-inch AMOLED display with HDR 10+ support. They reveal a centrally-placed punch-hole camera with thin bezels on all four sides. Both smartphones feature a curved display, but miss out on a dedicated Bixby button.
Galaxy Note 10+
Both devices also miss out on a physical fingerprint scanner, confirming the presence of an in-display fingerprint sensor. While the silver variant of the smartphone is seen with a blue S Pen stylus, the black variant gets a body-colored stylus.
The Samsung Galaxy Note 10 duo gets a vertically-aligned triple camera setup, which is a major change from the centrally-positioned horizontal setup found on their predecessors. The Galaxy Note 10+ gets an additional sensor at the rear, which could be a 3D ToF sensor. The Samsung Galaxy Note 10 duo misses out on the 3.5mm audio jack. Hence, the Note 10 series may arrive with a new pair of USB Type-C wired earphones with noise cancellation feature..
The Galaxy Note 10 and Note 10+ models are expected to feature Snapdragon 855 or Exynos 9825 depending on the market. The predecessor Galaxy Note 9 came with a 4,000mAh battery. Rumors have it that the Note 10 series may feature bigger batteries with support for 25W fast charging, wireless charging and reverse charging.
The Samsung Galaxy Note 10 and Note 10+ will be officially unveiled on Aug. 7. The South Korean company is also expected to announce Snapdragon 855 powered Galaxy Tab S6 flagship tablet around the same time.
In September 2018, OnePlus confirmed that it will foray into TV market in this year. In April, OnePlus CEO Pete Lau had again confirmed that the company is working on a smart TV. A report from the previous month had claimed that the Chinese firm will be soon debuting its first smart TV. Thanks to All About OnePlus, a OnePlus remote control that has a model number of RC-001A has been spotted on the database of Bluetooth SIG certification body. The spotting of OnePlus remote control is big hint that the arrival of OnePlus TV is close at hand.
The below shown Bluetooth SIG listing for RC-001A remote control show that it carries support for Bluetooth 4.2 In the recent past, Lau has claimed that the existing TV removes are outdated, and he is of the view that AI can greatly assist in showing relevant information to the user. It appears that the Bluetooth enabled OnePlus TV remote control will feature a dedicated button for accessing AI assistant.
Previous reports have revealed that OnePlus TV will receive software updates for five years after its launch to ensure that it remains futureproof. The OnePlus TV is expected to sport a premium design like the OnePlus smartphones, and it will be powered with its own AI engine. The company is reportedly focusing more on the image and video quality of its upcoming smart TV. The OnePlus TV and smartphone will be able to connect with each other seamlessly. It is also expected to come with a built-in camera.
Xiaomi TVs are highly popular in India. During the launch event of the OnePlus 7 in the country, OnePlus India Head Vikas Agarwal had claimed that the OnePlus TV is the firm’s next focus for the India market. The OnePlus TV will be exclusively available through Amazon India in the country. It is expected to arrive with a competitive price tag. Rumors are rife that it could be equipped with 4K LED display and it function as a smart home controller.
With the official launch of Android Q getting closer, more manufacturers are already developing beta versions for their devices so that they can roll out an update in time. Today, ZTE has announced that the Axon 10 Pro will soon get a beta version of Android Q.
The Axon 10 Pro in China runs MiFavor UI – a custom version of Android, while the international version runs a near stock version of Android. The announcement was made on Weibo in form of a teaser poster shared by the official Mi Favor account.
The poster has a QR code at the bottom corner. Those interested in testing the new beta version are required to scan the code and apply to join the program.
There is no info on when a beta version of Android Q will be available for the global version though it did say it hopes to update the phone to Android Q and Android R.
The Axon 10 Pro was released this May. It has a 6.47-inch curved AMOLED display with a 1080 x 2340 resolution and HDR10 support. There is a Snapdragon 855 processor under the hood paired with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. It has a MicroSD card slot for storage expansion. It also uses the F2FS file system format and is the first Snapdragon 855-powered phone to do so.
The display has a notch that is home to a 20MP sensor while the back houses a 48MP f/1.7 primary camera, an 8MP telephoto camera, and a 20MP ultra-wide angle camera. The Axon 10 Pro doesn’t have an audio jack like its closest competitor, the OnePlus 7 duo but it has stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos. Other features are a 4000mAh battery with support for Quick Charge 4+ and wireless charging, an in-display fingerprint scanner, and a USB Type-C port.
Infinix Mobile has unveiled a new smartphone called Infinix Note 6. The major highlight of the smartphone is that it comes equipped with a X Pen stylus. It is also blessed with decent features like large-sized display, big battery, triple cameras and nominal pricing. It has arrived as a successor for the Note 5 Stylus smartphone.
Infinix Note 6 Specifications
The Infinix Note 6 features a 6.01-inch AMOLED display that produces full HD+ resolution. It carries support for Always-On Display functionality. The Note 6 with conventional bezels offers an aspect ratio of 18:9.
The MediaTek Helio P35 chipset that includes an octa-core processor that works at 2.3 GHz is present under the hood of the device along with 4 GB of RAM. It has a native storage of 64 GB. There is a hybrid SIM slot on the device that can be used for adding a microSD card.
The Note 6 has an LED flash enabled triple camera setup on its rear. It features a 16-megapixel main lens, an 8-megapixel ultrawide lens and a 2-megapixel depth senor. The front-facing camera of 16-meagpixel carries support for AI beautification features. The XOS 5.0 based Android 9 Pie OS runs on the device. The smartphone features a 4,000mAh battery which carries support for fast charging. A fingerprint scanner is available on the backside of the Infinix Note 6.
Coming to the main highlight of the AI and AR powered X Pen stylus which is the major highlight of the Infinix Note 6, it can be used to make immersive sketches and notes. The X Pen can be also used for measuring real objects by using the AR Measure feature. The handset features a compartment for the X Pen stylus at its bottom side.
Infinix Note 6 Price
The Infinix Note 6 is available for purchase in few African markets with a pricing of around $200. It comes in color editions like Midnight Black, Mocha Brown and Aqua Blue. The latter features a gold-colored power button.
In February, Samsung had launched the Galaxy A50 mid-range smartphone. The handset is available with a price tag of 349 euros in European markets. In the first half of 2019, Samsung has launched Galaxy A10, A20, A30, A40, A50, A60, A70 and A80 smartphones. Recent reports have revealed that the South Korean company will be releasing new versions of the A-series in the latter half of 2019. A new Samsung phone with model number SM-A507FN is rumored to be in works. It is speculated to debut in the market as Galaxy A50s. The arrival of the phone seems to be close at hand as it has been spotted on Geekbench and AnTuTu benchmarking platforms. Different variants of the rumored Galaxy A50s has also received approval from Wi-Fi Alliance body.
Alleged Galaxy A50s on Geekbench and AnTuTu
On Geekbench, the SM-A507FN has scored 1685 in single-core test and 5446 in multi-core test. The handset is loaded with Android 9 Pie OS. The Exynos 9610 chipset that includes a 1.57 GHz octa-core processor fuels the smartphone. It comes with up to 4 GB of RAM.
The AnTuTu listing of the SM-A507FN also confirms that it is fueled by Exynos 9610 chipset, 4 GB of RAM and Android 9 Pie OS. The size of the display of the phone is not mentioned on AnTuTu. It carries support for full HD+ resolution of 1080 x 2340 pixels. The handset has an internal storage of 64 GB. It has recorded an average benchmarking score of 151,136.
The Wi-Fi Alliance certification body has approved two new listings for SM-A561F and SM-A562F. The listings that were first spotted by MySmartPrice reveals that the handset carries support for Wi-Fi 802.11ac. These could be the two variants of the rumored Galaxy A50s phone. No other details on the smartphone are available yet.
All the specs of the purported Galaxy A50s that have appeared so far are identical with Galaxy A50 handset. The A50 that has a 25-megapixel + 8-megapixel + 5-megapixel triple camera setup and a front-facing camera of 25-megapixel was recently benchmarked on DxOMark with a decent score of 83. Probably, the Galaxy A50s could be arriving with improved camera capabilities.
Samsung Galaxy A50 Specifications
The Galaxy A50 has a full HD+ 6.4-inch S-AMOLED display with in-screen fingerprint scanner. The Exynos 9610 chipset of the phone is assisted by 6 GB of RAM. It is available in 64 GB and 128 GB storage versions. The handset is packed with a 4,000mAh battery that carries support for 15W fast charging. The handset is available in color edition such as Black, White, Blue and Coral.
Amazon Prime Day represents the biggest sales you’ll find all summer if you are a Prime Member. As every year, ahead of the 48-hour deals marathon, an Early Prime Day will take place including laptops, video games, 4K TVs, phones and, of course, Amazon’s own Echo products. This is Amazon’s way of securing more Prime memberships. The sales are already up and the Echo Dot gets a 50% price cut costing just $24.99. On the list, you can even find Apple products like the AirPods, the entry-level iPad, Fitbit, and Roomba. XIDU is also taking part in the sale on July 14th with a laptop up to 40% off. The official sale will begin on July 15th and its going to get a bit chaotic so let’s see some details.
Amazon Prime Day starts on Monday, July 15th just after midnight (at 12:01 am PDT) and ends on Tuesday, July 16th (at 11:59 pm PDT). This is West coast time so some deals may appear online as soon as 3:00 am ET. Also, the best tactic to follow during Prime Day is to make your purchases during the presale offers so that you have time to make any returns in case you find a better price later on.
Laptop Deals
Deals appear gradually over the period of these 4 days (including the “warmup” period) so for example, the XIDU PhilBook will go live on July 14th 00:00 PDT with a deal price of $215.99 instead of $269.99 while the PhilBook Max will cost as low as $339.99 instead of $439.99.
History of Prime Day
Prime Day first launched four years ago and has grown into the biggest shopping day of the year with last year’s even surpassing Cyber Monday and Black Friday with 89 million visitors logging on to the site with 100 million products purchased during the sale event. Globally it was the biggest day of sales in Amazon’s history, and Amazon Prime Day 2019 is going to be even bigger.
Realme will launch two new phones on Monday, July 15 – the Realme X (not counting the Spider-Man Edition) and the Realme 3i, bringing its lineup for the year to six. With the year still having five months to go, more devices are expected to launch and it appears the Realme 4 and Realme 4 Pro might just be among.
Three new Realme phones with model numbers RMX1921, RMX1927 and RMX1971 were recently certified by the Eurasian Economic Commission in Russia and they are believed to be the Realme 4 and Realme 4 Pro. While the certificates don’t outrightly say those are their names, the model numbers of two of the phones hint at them being successors to the Realme 3 and Realme 3 Pro whose model numbers are RMX1821 and RMX1851 respectively. We are not sure about the phone with model number RMX1927 but that may be a successor to the Realme U1.
[envira-gallery id=”263706″]
The Realme 4 duo should come with new processors, upgraded cameras, and new designs. We also expect one, if not both of them will have a USB Type-C port. Android Q should be already official by the time they arrive but they will most likely run Android 9 Pie with an update to Android Q scheduled for later.
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
