Lenovo Z6 Youth Review: An Excellent Budget Phone

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Jun 10, 2019

Oclean X, which is the world’s first touch-screen electric toothbrush, recently went up for crowdfunding on Xiaomi YouPin. Now, the product has managed to bag more than 10 million yuan in crowdfunding.

From the listing, it is revealed that so far more than 41,450 people have backed this product and helped raise over 10,322,900 yuan, which is approximately $1.4 million. While the original price of Oclean X is 299 yuan (approx. $43), it is priced at 249 yuan (approx. $36) for the crowdfunding campaign.

In terms of design, Oclean X is not too different from the previous-generation products. With Oclean X, the company is using technology to improve the brushing experience and effects and is not just limited to vibrating. It claims to be introducing the concept of intelligence, customization, and rapidity.

It comes with a touch-screen display which can be used to set the mode of brushing teeth, notification when the brush head needs to be replaced. It also notifies the user when the brushing force is not enough or the brush needs to be adjusted to cover the blind area.

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Further, the user can also view the time, weather, choose brushing mode, check dental health information, brushing feedbacks and so on. The touch experience is very user-friendly and responsive.

The product keeps monitoring the brushing posture of the user for around 1,500 times a minute. All the data collected by this electric toothbrush then generates a data report and provides a detailed explanation on the mobile application.

It comes with Bluetooth 4.0 support and is compatible with phones running Android 4.4 or iOS 8.0 and higher. As per the company, with two hours of charging, the battery of the toothbrush can last for around 30 days.

UP NEXT: Xiaomi crowdfunds the Enchen Blackstone Razor with three-head design priced at ¥39.99 ($5)

How to Relock Bootloader of OnePlus 7 Pro?

By

Simranpal Singh

-

Jun 10, 2019

OnePlus is the most developer-friendly OEM among all other Android manufacturers. OnePlus always encourage third-party development without voiding the warranty of an unlocked device. The company’s policies have bolstered the confidence of developers and users to tweak the code. Starting with OnePlus One and up to OnePlus 7 Pro, developers are always eager to customize the device with new modifications.

To get full control over the device, users usually unlock the bootloader and root their devices. It gives the ability to flash custom modifications to improve performance, battery efficiency, and productivity. Along with many advantages of unlocking the bootloader, it comes with some flaws also. Unlocked OnePlus devices often get Widevine L3 Certification (rather than L1) which bars users from HD quality content from video streaming networks such as NetFlix and Amazon Prime.

Looking at the OnePlus’s software support, many users often relock the bootloader and resort to the Stock ROM. The users are required to relock the bootloader and unroot OnePlus 7 Pro to get the official upgrades.

Guide to Relock Bootloader of OnePlus 7 Pro

Prerequisites:

Download latest OnePlus USB drivers.
Download Fastboot and ADB Tool on your PC.
Backup important data via Nandroid or other tools.
Charge your device at least up to 70%.

Note: This method only works for OnePlus 7 Pro running stock recovery and stock ROM.

Steps: Relock Bootloader for OnePlus 7 Pro

Extract Fastboot and ADB Tool on PC, and Open Command Prompt in the extracted Folder with Shift+Right Click.
Turn on Developer Mode by heading to Settings> About, and then tapping “About Phone” for 7 times.
Now navigate to Settings > System > Developer options, and toggle “Enabled USB Debugging” option.
Reboot into Fastboot Mode (Bootloader).
Connect OnePlus 7 Pro with the USB cable.
Verify the device’s connectivity by issuing the following command:
```
fastboot devices
```
Execute the following command to proceed for bootloader unlocking:
```
fastboot oem lock
```
A verification window will appear on your mobile device asking to confirm the action. Just highlight “Relock Bootloader” using volume buttons and hit the power button to confirm.
A similar display will come to Relock Bootloader.
The phone will initialize to relock the bootloader. It will take some time to reboot after resetting the whole phone into a locked stage.
Your device is now locked again!

The above method only works if OnePlus 7 Pro is running on stock recovery and stock firmware. The ability to relock devices running custom recovery is expected in the next few weeks. We will update the article accordingly. If there’s any query or issue, let us know via the comments section below.

Up Next: How to Unlock Bootloader of OnePlus 7 Pro?

How to install TWRP on OnePlus 6 and Root with Magisk

By

Simranpal Singh

-

Jun 10, 2019

OnePlus is known for its affordable flagship devices carrying premium features. Similarly, OnePlus launched OnePlus 6 in 2018 with Snapdragon 845, a 6.28-inch Optic AMOLED display and a 16MP+20MP dual rear cameras. It is running on the latest Android 9.0 Pie with Oxygen OS on the top. Despite being running on the latest version, some users want to root OnePlus 6. Follow the guide to install TWRP on OnePlus 6 and root with Magisk.

OnePlus devices are always well supported by the development community. Every device from OnePlus One to OnePlus 5T have received tremendous support from third-party developers. Many ROMs, Kernels, and other MODs are available for every single OnePlus device.

After rooting, users can install custom ROMs with built-in advanced features. They can improve the performance, power efficiency, and overall productivity of the device after installing the custom ROM. We have detailed every step to install TWRP on OnePlus 6 successfully.

Note: Rooting device will void your manufacturer’s warranty. User can also brick the smartphone if steps are not followed carefully. GizmoChina.com is not liable for any damage to smartphone or data.

It will remove support for Widevine L1 Certification, limiting users to stream Netflix and other services at 480p.

Guide to Install TWRP on OnePlus 6 and Root with Magisk

Prerequisite:

Download ADB and Fastboot Drivers on your PC/Laptop.
Charge your device up to 70%.
The device should be running on official firmware.
Download TWRP Zip and TWRP Installer for OnePlus 6.
Download Magisk Framework ZIP.

Step1: Unlock Bootloader of OnePlus 6

It is a necessary step before attaining root access on any Android smartphone. To Unlock Oneplus 6 Bootloader, follow the steps below carefully:

Backup important data on another device as unlocking will wipe it.
Enable Developer Mode by going to Settings> About Phone and, then tap “Build Number” 7 times.
Head over to Settings> System> Developer options, and enable “OEM Unlocking” with a toggle.
In Developer Options, also enable “Advanced Reboot”.
Now long press Power Button and tap “Reboot,” then “Bootloader”.
Download and install ADB and Fastboot drivers.
Open command prompt in the extracted ADB and Fastboot folder.
Verify device connection with the following command:
```
fastboot devices
```
After successful verification, send this command to unlock the bootloader:
```
fastboot oem unlock
```
Verify by highlighting the ‘Unlock the Bootloader’ option using the volume button and then selecting it with the power button.
Now your device is unlocked!

We suggest not to set up any security settings if you want to root OnePlus 6.

Step 2: Install TWRP on OnePlus 6

Custom Recovery like TWRP gives Android smartphone’s ability to flash custom ROMs and tweak every part of the firmware. The GUI based recovery is the most used custom recovery for Android devices. Follow the steps carefully to install TWRP on OnePlus 6.

Download TWRP image and Installer for your OnePlus 6 from Prerequisites menu above.
Extract Fastboot and ADB drivers on desktop.
Connect your device to PC, and transfer both the ‘twrp-installer-enchilada-3.2.3-0.zip‘ to phone.
Move the ‘twrp-3.2.3-0-enchilada.img‘ file to extracted folder c:\Users\party\Desktop\platform-tools, or to the location where platform-tools are present.
Now Enable Developer option again and turn on the”Advanced Reboot” option.
Boot OnePlus 6 into bootloader mode using the power button.
Open command prompt in the same folder where you’ve extracted the platform-tools.
Once in the bootloader, type the following command to flash TWRP:
```
fastboot boot twrp-3.2.3-0-enchilada.img
```
The phone will reboot to TWRP recovery mode.
Swipe the slider resolve warning message of ‘Unmodified system partition.’
Once done, Tap Install and select the ‘twrp-installer-enchilada-3.2.3-0.zip‘ from internal storage.
Swipe the button to install TWRP on your OnePlus 6.
Reboot system and enjoy!

You’ve successfully installed TWRP on OnePlus 6. Now we will proceed to root OnePlus 6 using Magisk.

Step 3: Root OnePlus 6 using Magisk

Magisk is a popular root management app. It is the biggest competitor to SuperSu as it allows the user to grant or deny superuser privileges for every single app. It works well with apps which restrict usage if the device is rooted. Magisk can efficiently hide root status from Google’s SafetyNet. Follow the steps below to root OnePlus 6 successfully. Otherwise, you might up with a bricked device.

Download Magisk Installer Zip from above (Prerequisites section).
Connect it with the PC and move the downloaded file to internal storage.
Now detach the device and power it off.
Press Volume Down + Power button simultaneously to enter TWRP recovery mode.
After booting into recovery, tap the Install button and flash the ‘Magisk Installer zip‘ file from internal storage.
Swipe the button to flash Magisk on OnePlus 6.
Tap Reboot System after the process is complete.

Completing the process will bring root privileges on OnePlus 6. Magisk Installer zip also installs the companion app to control the root access. We recommend to update it before using the app. Several Magisk Modules are also available to extend the functionality of your device.

We hope our guide to install TWRP recovery and root OnePlus 6 using Magisk have helped you. Users can ask any query via the comments box below.

Xiaomi bags 8 out of 10 spots in best seller ranking on Jd.com during 618 shopping festival

By

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Jun 10, 2019

As per the data released by JD.com for its 618 shopping festival on 10th June, Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi has dominated the sales list. It shows that the Xiaomi’s Mi 8 Youth Edition was the leading single-selling product and became the best-selling smartphone.

It was followed by Redmi 6A, Mi 6X, Mi 8 SE, Xiaomi Mi MIX 3, Mi 8 In-display Fingerprint Edition for the second to the sixth position. Then the Apple iPhone XR got the seventh spot, followed by Redmi Note 7, Redmi K20 Pro, and Huawei P30 Pro.

As you can see in the list, eight out of ten products are from Xiaomi. The other two products are from Apple and Huawei — iPhone XR and P30 Pro, holding the seventh and tenth position respectively.

The results aren’t surprising given that on 10th June, during the sale, it was Xiaomi Brand Day on JD.com, where various smartphones from the company were sold at a discounted price. This must have helped Xiaomi lead the list.

For instance, the Mi 8 Youth Edition smartphone with 6GB RAM and 64GB storage was offered at a discount of 300 yuan (approximately $478) and also offered a 50 yuan coupon to the buyers, bringing down the cost to 1,049 yuan (~$152).

Xiaomi has enjoyed relatively good financial results in recent times compared to the disappointing 2015 and 2016. The company announced Q1 2019 revenue of 43.8 billion yuan (~$6.34 billion), making for a 27.2 percent improvement compared to a year ago.

Further, the company also reported net profit of 2.1 billion yuan (~$304 million) for the first quarter of 2019 — up 22.4 percent over Q1 2018. Xiaomi was still in fourth place for the quarter, but saw a 13 percent year-on-year decline in smartphone shipments. However, Xiaomi says its Chinese marketshare has actually increased for three consecutive months.

5G subscribers in South Korea are set to top 1 million this week

By

-

Jun 10, 2019

South Korea recently became one of the world’s first country to start offering commercial 5G services. Now, due to strong demand for the latest gadgets and aggressive promotion strategy, it will reportedly have more than one million 5G mobile subscribers this week.

For those who are unaware, South Korea was the first country in the world to launch full-fledged 5G commercial services on April 5, even before China. As of Wednesday, the number of subscribers to the service stood at around 800,000 and is now believed to have topped 900,000 over the weekend. The number of subscribers in May, around 778,000 represented a massive growth when compared to around 271,000 subscribers by the end of April 2019.

The 5G technology is aiming to provide super fast connection speeds, low latency and the ability to connect many more devices without the network being bogged down. However, there are still some issues over the coverage and the speed of this next-generation wireless communication system.

But the report indicates that the complaints were widely expected in the initial stages of the operations as the operators are still building 5G base stations and upgrading software to fix technical flaws and improve network efficiency.

The minimum cost or the starting price of the 5G tariff in South Korea is 55,000 won, which roughly converts to 325 Yuan or $48 for the three network operations — SK Telecom, KT, and LG U+.

While the basic package of 55,000 won from SK Telecom and KT offers 8GB of data, LG U+ offers 9GB of data. However, the data limited gets significantly increased when the user opts for the higher plan.

For instance, the package worth 75,000 won (approximately 444 Yuan or $66) offers 150GB on SK Telecom and LG U+ and the package costing 95,000 won (approximately 562 Yuan or $84) offers 200GB and 250GB data.

On the other hand, the third network operation — KT offers unlimited data service in packages worth 80,000 won and more, which roughly converts to 473 Yuan or $70. However, it then caps the speed in roaming.

The South Korea-based network operators weren’t going to set the minimum pricing for the 5G network but the government forced the companies to do so. Thus, in order to obtain the required government approvals to being the 5G service in South Korea, all the three companies decided to set 55,000 won as the minimum package pricing for the 5G network.

Lenovo Z6 Youth Edition could launch as K10 Note outside China

By

-

Jun 10, 2019

Lenovo recently launched the watered-down model of the Lenovo Z6 Pro in China, dubbed as Lenovo Z6 Youth Edition. Currently, the smartphone is limited to the Chinese market only but will soon make its way outside.

As per the reports, the smartphone could get launched as Lenovo K10 Note outside the Chinese market. The company’s device with model number L38111 has received certification from NBTC in Thailand and IMDA in Singapore hinting at its imminent launch.

The phone with same model number L38111 was launched in China as Lenovo Z6 Youth edition. So, the Z6 Youth and K10 Note both the smartphones share the same model number. Both phones are expected to have the same specifications. The devices will be identical and the difference will be in the moniker only.

Last month, Lenovo launched the Z6 Youth Edition smartphone in China, which features a 6.3-inch IPS LCD panel. The waterdrop notch styled display offers Full HD+ screen resolution of 1080 x 2340 pixels and an aspect ratio of 19.5:9. The display also carries support for HDR10 and offers a screen-to-body ratio of 93.07 percent.

Under the hood, it is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 710 octa-core chipset, coupled with up to 6GB of RAM and up to 128GB of internal storage. There’s also a microSD card slot that supports memory expansion on the smartphone.

The Lenovo Z6 Youth Edition has a triple camera setup with an LED flash. It includes a 16-megapixel primary sensor with f/1.8 aperture, an ultrawide lens of 8-megapixel with f/2.4 aperture and a depth sensor of 5-megapixel and f/2.2 aperture. For shooting selfies, there’s a front-facing camera of 16-megapixel with f/2.0 aperture.

Other features on the smartphone includes a rear-mounted fingerprint scanner, AI face unlock, microSD card slot, dual-SIM support, 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802.11ac, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS, USB-C, and 3.5mm audio jack.

It runs Android 9 Pie operating system with ZUI 11 user interface. The phone is also equipped with support for Dolby panoramic sound and 4D tuning system. For accurate location tracking, the smartphone comes with dual-frequency GPS technology. It houses a 4,050mAh battery that carries support for 15W rapid charging through USB-C.

(Via)

Galaxy Note10 Pro won’t have 45W fast charging; a different Samsung phone will

By

-

Jun 9, 2019

About a week ago, there was a rumor that the Galaxy Note10 Pro will come with 45W fast charge technology – the fastest for a Samsung device and nearly more than double the 25W fast charge technology of the Galaxy S10 5G. New info has surfaced and it quells that rumor and reveals new details.

A tweet by Max Weinbach (@mweinbachXDA), a host and writer for XDA-Developers, revealed that Samsung’s next stylus-toting flagship phone will not have 45W fast charging but 25W just like the Galaxy A80. That isn’t entirely bad news as 25W is still a significant improvement over the 15W fast charge technology of its predecessor, the Galaxy Note9.

According to my source, the Note 10 Pro will only have 25w charging, not the 45w previously leaked. The A90 is getting the 45w charging previously written about.

— Max Weinbach (@mweinbachXDA) June 8, 2019

However, the second part of the tweet confirms that Samsung is indeed working on a phone with 45W fast charge technology. That phone, according to Max, is the upcoming Galaxy A90. Yes, it appears the Galaxy A-series will again be the first to come with a key new feature before the Galaxy S and Galaxy Note series.

A Samsung device with model number SM-A9050 believed to be the Galaxy A90 was seen on Geekbench last week. It has 6GB of RAM, runs Android 9 Pie and is powered by the Qualcomm SM6150. In this case, it is the Snapdragon 730 as the base frequency is 1.80GHz and not 1.71GHz like the Snapdragon 675 which also appears as SM6150 on Geekbench.

Not a lot is known about the Galaxy A90 but there is a rumor that it may come with a pop-up selfie camera like the Redmi K20.

(Source, Via)

UP NEXT: Samsung and AMD announce partnership on mobile GPU

The Samsung Galaxy S10+ Park Hang Seo Limited Edition has a beautiful gradient finish and more

By

-

Jun 9, 2019

Samsung just announced the Cardinal Red Galaxy S10 series (S10 and S10+) and a Galaxy S10+-only Diamond Silver variant. Both color variants are only available in Switzerland and Hong Kong respectively. However, those are not the only two color variants that have just been announced. There is a third, with a stunning gradient finish but it is a limited edition variant – to be precise, the Galaxy S10+ Park Hang Seo Limited Edition.

For those who don’t know, Park Hang Seo is a former South Korean footballer that is now the head coach of the Vietnam national football team. This limited edition Galaxy S10+ was released to honor him and will be exclusive to Vietnam.

The phone not only has a different finish from the other variants, but it also comes in a special box along with additional accessories.

Editor’s Pick: Huawei no longer allowed to pre-install Facebook apps on its phones

Seeing the red box, one might presume the phone inside has the same color but it doesn’t. The color is actually called Prism Silver and is similar to that of the Honor 10 GT Lily White Edition but with a wider spectrum of colors, for lack of a better way to describe it. It sure will turn heads as it switches from purple to green to orange to pink. This limited edition has 8GB of RAM, 128GB of storage and dual SIM support.

Included in the box is a customized hard case in red. It is a sturdy case but the font and color used to write the veteran footballer’s name look off. The case has a few tricks of its own. Slap it on and you are prompted to download AR stickers designed to show your support for the Vietnamese team and a custom theme for the phone. There is also a prompt to get news related to the sports team and the coach.

[envira-gallery id=”257998″]

There is also a Samsung 10000mAh wireless battery pack included in the package. The power bank will allow you to charge the S10+ wirelessly while you use the port to charge another device. It has a Type-C port and also supports fast charge.

The Galaxy S10+ Park Hang Seo Limited Edition is priced at VND 23,990,000 ($1033) and will be available or purchase on June 16 at Samsung Showcase, at Samsung Stores, and on the official Samsung website.

(Source | Via: 1, 2)

UP NEXT: CAD-based renders show Samsung will remove the audio jack and the Bixby button on the Galaxy Note10

Redmi K20 Pro vs Xiaomi Mi 9 vs Black Shark 2: Specs Comparison

By

Michele Ingelido

-

Jun 9, 2019

Despite it is currently in the top 5 best smartphones brands of the global market, Xiaomi keeps releasing very affordable flagship phones by lowering its profit margins. The company recently launched the first flagship from its Redmi sub-brand: Redmi K20 Pro, and guess what, it is an affordable flagship. Now, we think that there is nothing better than comparing the new entry with the other affordable flagships from the Chinese company, in order to establish if it is really the best value for money Xiaomi flagship. The most powerful flagships with an affordable price tag released in 2019 by Xiaomi are the Mi 9 and the gaming-centric Black Shark 2. We exclude the Mi Mix 3 5G as it is way more expensive and not suitable for people who want the highest value for money. So here is a specs comparison between the best Xiaomi value flagships.

Xiaomi Redmi K20 Pro vs Xiaomi Mi 9 vs Xiaomi Black Shark 2

	Xiaomi Redmi K20 Pro	Xiaomi Mi 9	Xiaomi Black Shark 2
DIMENSIONS AND WEIGHT	156.7 x 74.3 x 8.8 mm, 191 g	157.5 x 74.7 x 7.6 mm, 173 g	163.6 x 75 x 8.8 mm, 205 g
DISPLAY	6.39 inches, 1080 x 2340p (Full HD+), Super AMOLED	6.39 inches, 1080 x 2340p (Full HD+), Super AMOLED	6.39 inches, 1080 x 2340p (Full HD+), AMOLED
PROCESSOR	Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, octa-core 2.84 GHz	Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, octa-core 2.84 GHz	Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, octa-core 2.84 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 – 8 GB RAM, 128 GB	6 GB RAM, 128 GB – 8 GB RAM, 128 GB – 12 GB RAM, 256 GB – 8 GB RAM, 256 GB
SOFTWARE	Android 9 Pie, MIUI	Android 9 Pie, MIUI	Android 9 Pie, MIUI
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 48 + 12 + 16 MP, f/1.8 and f/2.2 and f/2.2 20 MP f/2.0 front camera	Dual 48 + 12 MP, f/1.8 and f/2.2 20 MP f/2.0 front camera
BATTERY	4000 mAh, fast charging 27W with Quick Charge 4.0	3300 mAh, fast charging 27W with Quick Charge 4.0	4000 mAh, fast charging 27W
ADDITIONAL FEATURES	Dual SIM slot	Dual SIM slot	Dual SIM slot

Design

If we only judge by basing on the look, Redmi K20 Pro wins the design comparison thanks to its more futuristic form factor. It has a nearly borderless display with a pop-up camera placed on a motorized mechanism, as well as a stunning liquid finish on the back. However, if you are looking for the best build quality, then Xiaomi Mi 9 may be a better choice. It has a glass design protected by Gorilla Glass 5 as well as a 7000 series aluminum frame which is much more sturdy than Redmi K20 Pro’s frame. Xiaomi Mi 9 is even thinner. The Xiaomi Black Shark 2 has a gaming-centric aggressive design and it is far from being elegant. It even sports thick bezels around the display.

Display

Xiaomi Mi 9 and Redmi K20 Pro are slightly superior to the Black Shark 2 due to their support to the HDR standard which provides richer colors. However, you get an amazing AMOLED display in each case, so you should not mind so much about it. And in each case, you even get an under-display fingerprint reader, as well as a diagonal of 6.39 inches.

Hardware/Software

While each of these phones is powered by the Snapdragon 855 chipset providing the most awesome flagship-class performances in every scenario, what makes the difference on the hardware side is the memory configuration. In this trio, the Black Shark 2 is the only device to come with up to 8 GB of RAM, and it even comes with a more advanced cooling system. It is a gaming phone, so it is kinda obvious that it has to provide higher performances than normal devices. Xiaomi Mi 9, Redmi K20 Pro and Black Shark 2 run Android 9 Pie out of the box.

Camera

Due to its brighter aperture for three out of four sensors, the Xiaomi Mi 9 is the most convincing camera phone. It shots amazing photos in every light condition and it has fast and accurate autofocus. It can even record 4K videos at 60 fps and slow motion videos at 1080p and 960 fps, that is amazing. The second place goes to the Redmi K20 Pro which has a very similar setup.

Battery

Xiaomi Mi 9’s battery life is the weakest point of this handset. Redmi K20 Pro and Xiaomi Black Shark 2 have a way bigger battery capacity and so much longer battery life. But Xiaomi Mi 9 is the only to support wireless charging.

Price

If you want to grab a unit of the Redmi K20 Pro, you are willing to pay about €350/$400 in the Chinese market. It will soon hit the global market as the Mi 9T, but we still do not know its official price. Xiaomi Mi 9 and Black Shark 2 start from €450/$510 globally. My favorite one is the Redmi K20 Pro due to its better design and a bigger battery, despite the Mi 9 has better cameras/builds and the Black Shark 2 comes with more RAM in its high-end variant.

Read More: Xiaomi Mi 9T Pro Geekbench listing confirm it is rebranded Redmi K20 Pro

Xiaomi Redmi K20 Pro vs Xiaomi Mi 9 vs Xiaomi Black Shark 2: PRO and CONS

Xiaomi Black Shark 2

PROS

Higher performance
Advanced cooling system
Big battery
For gamers

CONS

Worse cameras

Xiaomi Redmi K20 Pro

PROS

Affordable
Very original design
Good cameras
Big battery

CONS

Nothing particular

Xiaomi Mi 9

PROS

Thinner design
Best display
Great cameras
Wireless charging

CONS

No MicroSD
Smaller battery

Samsung Galaxy Tab S5 appears on Geekbench, powered by Snapdragon 855

By

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Jun 9, 2019

Earlier this year, Samsung announced the Galaxy Tab S5e – an upper mid-range tablet with a Snapdragon 670 processor. It is also Samsung’s slimmest tablet so far. Now it seems the main flagship tablet – the Galaxy Tab S5 – is coming soon based on a new Geekbench listing.

The device which was benchmarked yesterday has the model number SM-T865. The benchmark result shows it has 6GB of RAM and runs Android 9 Pie. The tablet is powered by the Snapdragon 855 processor just like the Galaxy S10 series. Its single-core score is 3506 while its multi-core score is 9788. The latter is low compared to that of other devices powered by the same chipset as a lot of them score over 10,000 points.

We are in the dark with respect to the rest of the specs and even its design but we have a few guesses. First, the audio jack might be removed on the Galaxy Tab S5. Samsung already removed the audio jack in the Galaxy Tab S5e to achieve its impressively thin design, so there is a chance the Tab S5 may follow suit. The screen size may remain unchanged but the bezels may get smaller.

We are not sure if Samsung will bring back the fingerprint scanner and put it on the side like on the S5e. If it doesn’t, we will have to make do with an Iris Scanner. Lastly, When the tablet launches, it should also come with the new One UI interface.

(Source, Via)

UP NEXT: Samsung may be the first to launch a phone with a 64MP camera

Vivo announces new Symphony Summer Vivo X27 colour variant

By

Airyl Jaszly

-

Jun 9, 2019

The Vivo X27 has been out for quite a while now, but it seems like it’s doing well. Vivo have announced a brand new colour variant for the device, that being Symphony Summer. It seems to be very similar to a simple rose gold, but it’s also got some cool light refraction effects. It’s certainly very different from the other colours currently available.

The Vivo X27 has a 6.39-inch FHD+ Super AMOLED display with super thin bezels on nearly all of its sides. There are two variants – one is powered by the Snapdragon 675 with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage while the other is powered by the Snapdragon 710 processor with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage.

Editor’s Pick: Throwback Tech Thursday: World’s First Android Phone Revisited!

The Vivo X27 has a 16MP pop-up selfie camera that slides out in just 0.68s with colorful light strips flanking it on each side. The LED lights are customizable and can change between six different colors. On the back of the phone is a 48MP f/1.79 Sony IMX586 primary camera, a 13MP wide-angle camera, and a 5MP depth-sensing camera.

The phone runs FunTouch OS 9 based on Android 9 out of the box. The latest iteration of Funtouch OS has several new features. It runs a 4000mAh battery with support for Vivo’s own FlashCharge 22.5W fast-charging technology. There is Vivo’s 6th generation in-display fingerprint scanner for security as well. Not much else to add, it’s just the Vivo X27 again.

UP NEXT: Vivo iQOO has sold 1 million units since its launch

Qualcomm backs Sifive, open source alternative to ARM

By

Airyl Jaszly

-

Jun 9, 2019

ARM’s been in the news more and more lately. They are after all one of the leaders when it comes to processor instruction sets. Outside of Intel’s x86, we haven’t really seen any real competitor to ARM, at least until now. Sifive is a plucky startup that utilizes the open source RISC-V instruction set for their processors.

While they’ve been slowly growing over the past few years, the Californian company’s latest round of fundraising has been a staggering success. They managed to raise $65.4 million in a Series D round, the company said, bringing its total funding to more than $125 million. What’s most intriguing however is the listing of Qualcomm‘s venture group as an investor.

Editor’s Pick: Throwback Tech Thursday: World’s First Android Phone Revisited!

Qualcomm has long been of the biggest customers for ARM, so seeing them financially back a direct competitor is definitely very interesting. Granted, RISC-V can’t really compete with ARM yet when it comes to mobile phone processors. While RISC-V chips are becoming more prominent, they’re mainly used for IoT devices, smartwatches, network and wearables, and not smartphones and tablets.

Now, whether ARM should be worried about this recent development is another story. While RISC-V doesn’t post a threat to ARM right now, the sheer speed of RISC-V’s development could change this. On top of that, it’s clear that some part of ARM already sees the open-source architecture as a threat, so we can only imagine what they’re thinking now.

We’re eager to see more from SiFive in the future, as well as who else decides to invest in them. As of right now, we’ve got Qualcomm, as well as fellow chip manufacturer Intel and Korean giant Samsung. We expect more companies to push for the open source alternative soon. We could be in for some extremely interesting times in the tech world.

UP NEXT: Xiaomi Mi 9T vs Oppo Reno Z vs Motorola One Vision

Samsung exec reveals the Galaxy Fold may be released in July

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Jun 9, 2019

Samsung was obviously racing against time to become the first OEM to release a foldable smartphone. The tech giant was on the verge of a massive breakthrough when disaster struck. The Galaxy Fold units sent out to reviewers were being plagued by one issue or the other. This development prompted the tech giant to put off the sales plans unit the issues were resolved. Samsung is yet to officially reveal the release details for the device. However, the end of the wait seems to be in sight as a Samsung executive has been reported to have hinted that the Galaxy Fold may get released sometime in July.

This is the most specific disclosure we have gotten about the Fold’s release even though it still doesn’t confirm anything. The Fold will likely get different release dates for different regions. Samsung is expected to host an official conference where it could announce the July launch date soon.

EDITOR’S PICK: Xiaomi Mi 9T vs Oppo Reno Z vs Motorola One Vision: Specs Comparison

Samsung unveiled the Galaxy Fold alongside the Galaxy S10 models during the Galaxy Unpacked event held in March. The Fold has gained widespread attention due to the practicability of its design and the “protection” it offers the delicate flexible panel with the in-fold design it adopts.

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(source)

Zenfone 6 gets new camera feature in latest update

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Jun 8, 2019

The ASUS Zenfone 6 is receiving yet another update following its launch less than a month ago. This new update also brings a new feature and optimizations to the cameras.

The new update comes as version 16.1210.1904.133. The changelog says “Super Night Mode” is now enabled on the ultra-wide camera (the 13MP sensor). With this, owners will be able to take better wide-angle photos in low-light. The update also improves camera rotation stability.

Below is the rest of the changelog:

Get the weather displayed on the lock screen.
Optimize the translation string in the settings.
Improve system stability.
Optimize UI animation.
Optimize the headphone sound quality.

The update is rolling out gradually, so it might take a few days before it arrives on your device. If you don’t want to wait for the OTA, you can download the full firmware here, extract it into your phone’s internal storage and your phone should detect the update and alert you to install it.

(Via: 1, 2)

UP NEXT: ASUS Zenfone 6 gets 30th-anniversary edition with more RAM and storage

HMD Global to launch two 5G phones in Q3: one flagship and a likely Nokia 8.1 successor

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