Motorola schedules an event on June 20 in India, could launch Motorola One Vision

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Jun 4, 2019

A new Samsung phone with SM-G889F model number has been benchmarked on Geekbench. The smartphone is powered by the Exynos 9810 chipset. It is the very same SoC that fueled the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ flagship phones last year. While the exact identity of the phone is not known yet, based on some past information it can be speculated that it could be the upcoming Galaxy S9 Active smartphone.

On Geekbench, the SM-G889F smartphone can be seen with Exynos 9810 chipset and 4 GB of RAM. It is preloaded with Android 9 Pie OS. In the single-core test, the handset has recorded a score of 3,130. It has scored 9,050 in the multi-core test. A variant of the same phone with model number SM-G889A was certified by Wi-Fi Alliance in January this year.

In February, popular tipster Roland Quandt had shared a video clip of Samsung SM-G889. He had described the phone as the rugged Galaxy S9. It was speculated that it could be the Galaxy S9 Active smartphone. Contradictory information shared by tipster Ishan Agarwal suggests that it could be a new premium mid-range phone from the company that will arrive as a successor of the Galaxy A8s smartphone. He had also claimed that the phone could be priced between $500 and $600.

Here's the Samsung SM-G889 ultra-rugged high-end phone – the rugged Galaxy S9 you can't have #MWC19 : https://t.co/E0dTFbi8Er

— Roland Quandt (@rquandt) February 27, 2019

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There is no fresh information available on the other specs of the alleged Samsung Galaxy S9 Active smartphone. Details that were leaked last year had revealed that it would be arriving with a 5.8-inch display that will offer quad HD+ resolution of 2960 x 1440 pixels and an aspect ratio of 18.5:9. Unlike the S9 that featured a dual-edge curved display, the S9 Active may come with a flat display surrounded with thick bezels.

The handset may come with an inbuilt storage of 64 GB. It may feature a 12-megapixel + 8-megapixel dual camera setup. The primary sensor may come with f/1.5 – f/2.4 variable aperture. It may come equipped with a 4,000mAh battery.

It would have been ideal if the Galaxy S9 Active had arrived last year since the Galaxy S9 was made official in 2018. Hence, there is possibility that S9 Active may debut with a different moniker.

(via)

UP NEXT: Samsung Galaxy A80 to debut with Rs. 39,990 (~$575) on June 15 in India, claims report

Vivo Y12 sale to begin this week in India; Arriving with triple cameras, 5,000mAh battery and Rs. 11,990 price

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Jun 4, 2019

Vivo has recently launched Vivo Y17 and Vivo Y15 smartphones to target offline markets in India. According to 91mobiles, the Chinese manufacturer has discreetly launched the Vivo Y12 smartphone in India. Citing information received from a Vivo dealership partner, the publication claims that the retail stores in the country will begin the sales of the Vivo Y12 from this week. The handset has arrived in the country with a price tag of Rs. 11,990. The official listing of the phone is yet to appear on the Vivo India website.

Vivo Y12 Price in India

The Vivo Y12 has arrived in India in two models such as 4 GB RAM + 32 GB storage and 3 GB RAM + 64 GB storage. These variants are respectively priced at Rs. 11,990 and Rs. 12,990. The Vivo Y15 that is a bit advanced phone the Y12 is priced at Rs. 13,990. The Vivo Y12 is currently cheapest triple camera phone from a mainstream smartphone brand in India.

Vivo Y12 Specifications

The Vivo Y12 comes with a 6.35-inch Halo FullView display that produces HD+ resolution. The waterdrop-style notch design allows the phone to deliver an aspect ratio of 19.3:9. The appearance of the phone is similar to the Vivo Y15 and Y17 smartphones. The MediaTek Helio P22 processor that includes a 2.0 GHz octa-core processor powers the phone along with up to 4 GB of RAM. It comes with a maximum inbuilt storage of 64 GB. The handset is equipped with a microSD card slot for more storage.

Editor’s Pick: How OnePlus 3 & 3T Became the Only Phones to Get Three Major Android Updates!

The Vivo Y12 has a triple camera setup featuring an 8-megapixel sensor with f/2.2 aperture, a 13-megapixel lens with f/2.2 aperture and a 2-megapixel sensor with f/2.2 aperture is present on the backside of the phone. The AI selfie snapper of 8-megapixel is assisted with AI Face Beauty mode for capturing enhanced selfie shots.

The FunTouch OS 9 based Android 9 Pie OS comes preloaded on the Vivo Y12. A massive battery of 5,000mAh capacity is packed inside the smartphone. It carries support for reverse charging. Other features of the smartphone include rear-facing fingerprint reader, face unlock, dual-SIM support, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, microUSB 2.0 and 3.5mm audio jack.

What’s your opinion on the specs and pricing of the Vivo Y12 smartphone? Share us your views by posting your comments below.

(via)

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Xiaomi Mi 9T confirmed to debut on June 12

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Jun 4, 2019

The Redmi K20 and Redmi K20 Pro smartphones were unveiled in China on May 28. Soon after the launch of Redmi K20 series, Xiaomi began teasing the arrival of Xiaomi Mi 9T smartphone for its global Twitter account. The premature appearance of Mi 9T on Italian and Bulgarian e-commerce sites have revealed that is rebranded version of the Redmi K20 smartphone. These listings suggested that the arrival of the smartphone could be close at hand. Xiaomi has now officially confirmed that it will be launching the Xiaomi Mi 9T smartphone on June 12.

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Xiaomi Mi 9T Specifications

While Xiaomi is silent on the specs of the Xiaomi Mi 9T, everything about the smartphone is known through its e-commerce website listings. The Mi 9T will be the first Xiaomi branded phone to arrive with a notch-less screen and a pop-up selfie camera. It features a 6.39-inch AMOLED display that supports full HD+ resolution and 19.5:9 aspect ratio. The display is embedded with a fingerprint sensor. The MIUI 10 based Android 9 Pie OS comes preinstalled on the device.

The 8nm Snapdragon 730 chipset is present under the hood of the device and it comes with up to 8 GB of RAM. The smartphone features up to 256 GB of native storage. There is no microSD card slot on the device.

The rear shell of the Xiaomi Mi 9T features a triple camera setup that includes a Sony IMX582 48-megapixel f/1.8 aperture primary sensor, an 8-megapixel telephoto lens with 2x optical zoom support and a 13-megapixel ultrawide lens. For capturing selfie shots, the Mi 9T is equipped with a 20-megapixel pop-up selfie camera. The smartphone is packed with a 4,000mAh battery that carries support for 18W rapid charging.

The Italian e-commerce listing of the Mi 9T had revealed that the smartphone will be hitting the market in color options like Carbon Black, Glacier Blue and Flame Red. It will be available in three color options such as 6 GB RAM + 64 GB storage, 6 GB RAM + 128 GB storage and 8 GB RAM + 256 GB storage. These models were listed with respective price tags of 359 euros (~$403), 379 euros (~$426) and 499 euros (~$561). There is no confirmation on whether the Chinese manufacturer will be launching the Xiaomi Mi 9T Pro (rebranded Redmi K20 Pro) alongside the Mi 9T on June 12.

UP NEXT: Xiaomi shares video of under display selfie camera, looks great!

Huawei Maimang 8 specifications leaked ahead of tomorrow’s launch

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Jun 4, 2019

Tomorrow, Huawei will be announcing the Maimang 8 smartphone in China. Ahead of the launch, the entire specifications of the phone have surfaced. The leak reveals that it is a rebranded version of the P Smart+ 2019 smartphone that was introduced in March for global markets. The handset will be arriving as the successor for the Maimang 7 smartphone from last year.

Huawei Maimang 8 Specifications

The Huawei Maimang 8 will be featuring a 6.21-inch IPS LCD display with a waterdrop notch. It is expected to deliver full HD+ resolution of 1080 x 2340 pixels and a tall aspect ratio of 19.5:9. The Kirin 710 chipset that includes a 2.2GHz octa-core processor may power the phone.

The P Smart+ 2019 came with 3 GB of RAM and 64 GB of native storage. The Maimang 8 will be a bit advanced model since the company has already confirmed that it will be arriving with 6 GB of RAM and an inbuilt storage of 128 GB. For more storage, the handset will be equipped with a microSD card slot. The EMUI 9 based Android 9 Pie OS will come preloaded on the device.

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The rear shell of the phone will be equipped with AI powered triple camera setup. It will include a 24-megapixel primary sensor. It may also feature an ultrawide lens of 16-megapixel and a depth sensor of 2-megapixel. For shooting selfies, it may come equipped with an 8-megapixel selfie. The handset may come packed with a 3,400mAh battery that may carry support for 10W charging.

As of this writing, there is no information on the specifications of the Huawei Maimang 8. Interestingly, the P Smart+ 2019 that was unveiled for the global audience was made available in China as Huawei Enjoy 9s. Hence, Maimang 8 may end up as an advanced version of the Enjoy 9s in the home market. As of this writing, there is no information available on the pricing of the phone. The Enjoy 9s variants such as 4 GB RAM + 64 GB storage and 4 GB RAM + 128 GB storage are respectively priced at 1,499 Yuan (~$217) and 1,699 Yuan (~$246). Hence, the Maimang 8 may carry a price tag of around 1,899 Yuan (~$275).

(via)

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Huami posts 48.3% gross profit with total shipments of 5.6 million in Q1 2019

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Simranpal Singh

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Jun 3, 2019

Huami – a popular Chinese wearable and biometric data-driven company published unaudited Financial results of Q1 2019. As like in the previous quarters, Huami generated RMB799.6 million (US$119.1 million) in revenue with an increase of 36.5% from the last quarter of 2018. Wang Huang, Chairman and CEO of Huami cites growing brand recognition as a significant reason behind ascent in sales and overall earnings.

“Strong revenue growth momentum continued in the first quarter, reflecting the effective leveraging of our rising global brand recognition, strategic relationships and consumer trust,” said Wang Huang, Chairman and CEO “In the first quarter, with enhancements to and the expansion of, our overseas sales channels and strategies, international version product shipments continued climbing.”

Huami shipped 5.6 million units in this quarter, increasing 17.9% from 4.8 million units in the first quarter of 2018. The majority of the shipments include Xiaomi wearable products and self-branded Amazfit products. The company witnessed a gross profit of RMB217.5 million (US$32.4 million) from RMB146.7 million in the first quarter of last year. However, the gross margin remained at 27.2% with an increase of 2.2% from the previous year.

The company is soon launching the new Mi-Band 4 with enhanced features. The new wearable will launch with different models targeting different global market segments. Huami is working on to improve the product portfolio to address the rapidly rising global demand for smartwatches.

The company has also broadened its portfolio of products. “We have also broadened our IoT life scenario capabilities, with Amazfit products now upgraded with full Amazon Alexa integration,” says Wang Huang.

Up Next: Huami’s launching a new Amazfit watch with full network eSIM support on July 11

Lenovo officially changes its name to Lenovo China on Weibo, Solidarity?

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Jed John Ikoba

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Jun 3, 2019

Chinese company Lenovo is a global brand with its business concern spanning various aspects of the tech industry. The company’s presently the biggest laptop brand globally. Thus, the company is seen as a major target in the US/China trade war. Thus, Lenovo’s posture in the face of the entire Huawei imbroglio was often questioned. Before now, the company has maintained relative silence regarding the dispute but not anymore. Lenovo’s latest actions suggest a show of solidarity to China.

The company’s official Weibo account which hitherto had the name “Lenovo” was renamed to “Lenovo China” recently. While the change may not really make any meaning to anyone outside China since Weibo is relatively a Chinese platform, the timing of the change raises some eyebrow. Apart from the name adjustment, the company recently released a promotional video extolling the technological exploits of China. Lenovo thinks China is the world’s future in terms of innovation.

EDITOR’S PICK: Redmi K20 series will keep their names in India, launches in 6 weeks

Before now, the brand had quietly moved its smartphone division and some other businesses out of China, choosing instead to launch phones under the Moto brand. That was short lived as the company had in recent times launched topnotch models under the Lenovo brand. The company did explain that with its international acquisitions, one of which is Motorola, it inherited a number of factories overseas. Thus, it was cheaper producing in those factories instead of shipping from China and paying high tariffs and duties. However, Lenovo Group announced in May that it will invest 300 million US dollars to build a new smart manufacturing plant in Shenzhen, which is projected to be completed in 2-3 years. Lenovo stressed that the new base in Shenzhen will form an iron triangle with two other manufacturing bases in Wuhan and Hefei, accelerating China’s smart manufacturing.

As for Lenovo’s latest antics of identifying with China and promoting its technology, we don’t see how it will affect its global business, especially in the US. The US government may decide to go after Lenovo if Huawei’s sanctions fail to make China succumb.

UP NEXT: AnTuTu’s top 10 best performing Android phones list for May 2019 released

Huami’s launching a new Amazfit watch with full network eSIM support on JUNE 11

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Jed John Ikoba

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Jun 3, 2019

Huami has been on a release spree lately, releasing the Amazfit Verge Lite and Amazfit Bip Lite in China. The company is set to unveil a new Amazfit watch soon. According to a teaser released by the company, the Watch will be announced on June 11 in China. The prelaunch poster also revealed some of the features it would pack.

First off, Qualcomm China disclosed that it is assisting Huami with the latest Snapdragon mobile platform on its next-gen Amazfit smart products. The smartwatch is said to come with full Netcom eSIM function that allows the smartwatch to be used to make calls independently. eSIM is still relatively new on smartphones with the Apple Watch series 4 being the most prominent smartwatch that came with full Netcom eSIM feature. eSIM allows smartwatches to be inserted without a physical SIM card, simply by setting up a contract with a telecom operator.

EDITOR’S PICK: Amazfit Bip gets a massive price cut on Amazon – Is a successor coming soon?

The prelaunch teasers adopt the mantra “I love you Three Thousand”. This is apparently in reference to the Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 3100 chipset that would power the wearable device. The Wear 3100 chipset was first announced in September 2018 and came with several improvements over the Wear 2100.

Huami’s vice-president, Wei Fandi had reported released a picture of the packaging box bearing the inscription “for internal testing of Unicom” in addition to confirming the name Amazfit Verge 2. In addition, Huami confirmed it will be teaming up with Marvel Avengers to launch an Avengers edition of the upcoming smartwatch. The colourful teaser poster has a silhouette of the letter V which again point at this being a next-gen iteration of the Verge.

UP NEXT: AnTuTu’s top 10 best performing Android phones list for May 2019 released

(source 1, 2)

Honor developing under-display camera technology, confirms George Zhao

By

Simranpal Singh

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Jun 3, 2019

As most of the smartphone manufacturers are working to place the front camera under-display, Honor has also jumped into the pursuit. While talking about the innovations in a recent interview, Honor president George Zhao confirms the development of in-display camera technology. Honor has already developed a prototype device featuring the under display camera though it is currently experiencing some problems.

He believes the under-display camera technology is not mature enough to exist on the Honor devices which are coming soon. However, he considers placing the new technology on the relevant commercial products in the near future.

According to Zhao, the punch hole display will become an essential part of the mainstream smartphone design in the future. Various devices such as Samsung Galaxy S10 and Honor 20 Pro already carries the new technology. Honor is the first smartphone manufacturer to use the punch hole camera design on the LCD display.

A few other manufacturers have already patented their own take on the new technology. Samsung and Xiaomi are also developing their own under display camera technology. The manufacturers are looking forward to innovating ways to improve the screen-to-body ratio on smartphones.

Up Next: Meizu CEO Jack Wong says hole-in display is not really the best solution

Nokia 3 (2017) finally gets Android Pie update

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Habeeb Onawole

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Jun 3, 2019

Released in February 2017, the Nokia 3 is an entry-level phone and one of the first set of Android smartphones from HMD Global. It has already gotten three successors – the Nokia 3.1, Nokia 3.1 Plus, and Nokia 3.2 but that doesn’t mean it has been abandoned. Juho Sarvikas, the chief product officer of HMD Global announced today that Android Pie is now rolling out to the 2-year-old device.

The Nokia 3 has modest specs – a 5-inch HD display, 2GB of RAM, 16GB of expandable storage and a 28nm MediaTek MT6737 processor. It also has an 8MP camera on each side and packs a 2630mAh battery.

The wait is over! Keeping up with our promise of 2 years of Android updates, Nokia 3 (2017) is now officially running on Android 9 Pie! Step up to Nokia smartphones, they Just Keep Getting Better! #GetSmart #Nokiamobile pic.twitter.com/Xz1JXt2Cet

— Juho Sarvikas (@sarvikas) June 3, 2019

When it launched, it ran Android 7.0 Nougat out of the box and later got updated to Android Oreo. HMD Global has promised two major OS updates for its devices and so far, it has kept that promise. The Nokia 3 is one of the last of its first phones to get the update. With it out of the way, the Nokia 1 is the only device left to get the Android Pie treatment.

Android Pie brings a new navigation system, a revamped notification style, adaptive battery, adaptive brightness, and Digital Wellbeing.

UP NEXT: Throwback Tech Thursday: Nokia N9’s Weird Selfie Camera Revisited

Redmi K20 series will keep their names in India, launches in 6 weeks

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Habeeb Onawole

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Jun 3, 2019

It is no longer news that the Redmi K20 will be sold in Europe as the Mi 9T. The Redmi K20 Pro is also expected to be sold as the Mi 9T Pro. However, there have been reports both phones will launch as the POCO F2 and POCO F2 Pro in India. New developments show that will not be happening and both phones will keep their original names in Xiaomi’s second largest market.

The MD of Xiaomi India, Manu Kumar Jain, shared photos on Twitter of billboard ads of the Redmi flagship killer erected in some parts of India. The billboards which are erected right next to those of the OnePlus 7 Pro mock the OnePlus flagship with the caption “Starkly Superior to the Latest One”. That’s a good play on words seeing as Robert Downey Jr. who is best known as the actor that plays Tony Stark (Iron Man) is the new brand ambassador for OnePlus.

"Starkly superior to the latest one!" +1 if you liked these punny ads! 🤓😁#RedmiK20 and #RedmiK20Pro coming soon! The #FlagshipKiller 2.0 🥊🥊

Have you noticed it yet? If yes, take a selfie and share it with me. 😎#Xiaomi ❤️ #Redmi pic.twitter.com/eFeQbw2uIq

— Manu Kumar Jain (@manukumarjain) June 2, 2019

Apart from the billboards which say the Redmi K20 is coming soon to India. Mr. Kumar Jain revealed in the caption for the tweet that the Redmi K20 and Redmi K20 Pro are coming soon, hence confirming the official names of both phones and disproving the rumor that both phones will launch as the POCO F2 and POCO F2 Pro.

Editor’s Pick: Redmi K20 Series Pop-up mechanism analysed: Designed to last a lifetime (300,000 cycles actually)

Mi fans! Here's a KNOCKOUT announcement! 📢 #RedmiK20 and #RedmiK20Pro are launching in India within 6 months.. ooops, I meant 6 weeks! 🥊🥊

It's time India experiences the true #FlagshipKiller 2.0! 🔥 RT 🔄 if you are excited about these amazing devices.#Xiaomi ❤️ #Redmi pic.twitter.com/QN0JxH1osg

— Manu Kumar Jain (@manukumarjain) June 3, 2019

In a separate tweet today, the company executive revealed in a video that both phones will arrive in 6 weeks, which should be around mid-July. Yeah, there is still a bit of waiting to do. Once again, he also confirmed both phones will arrive as the Redmi K20 and Redmi K20 Pro.

The K20 and K20 Pro are the first phones with pop-up selfie cameras from Xiaomi (Redmi). The K20 is powered by the Snapdragon 730 while the latter is powered by the Snapdragon 855. Both phones have triple rear cameras, in-display fingerprint scanners, and a battery capacity of 4000mAh.

(Sources: 1, 2 | Via)

UP NEXT: Can Xiaomi grab a 50% market share in India or is that a pipe dream?

AnTuTu’s top 10 best performing Android phones list for May 2019 released

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Jun 3, 2019

AnTuTu’s top 10 list of best performing Android smartphones for April was led by Xiaomi Mi 9 Explorer Edition, Xiaomi Mi 9 and Black Shark 2 gaming phone. The benchmarking platform the top 10 list of smartphones with topnotch performance for May 2019. Various flagship phones from China were tested between May 1 and May 30 to gauge their performance. Also, at least 100 units per model were tested using the latest edition of the AnTuTu benchmarking app to compile the list for the previous month.

As it can be seen in the list below, the Nubia Red Magic 3 gaming-focused phone has bagged number one position in the top 10 best performing smartphones list with an average benchmarking score of 380,921. Apart from the Red Magic 3, the ZTE Axon 10 Pro is also a new entrant in the list. The ZTE has managed to salvage the second position with an AnTuTu score of 376,916.

The next positions on the list are occupied by Xiaomi devices. The Xiaomi Mi 9 Explorer Edition is on the third place with an AnTuTu score of 376,092. It is followed by Black Shark 2 gaming smartphone with a benchmarking score of 374,736. Placed on the fifth position is Xiaomi Mi 9 with a score of 372,422.

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The Meizu 16s has occupied the sixth position with an AnTuTu score of 370,315. Another new entrant on the list is OnePlus 7 Pro. With an average benchmarking score of 368,834, the OnePlus phone is now sitting on the seventh spot on the list. The Lenovo Z6 Pro is on the eight position with a score of 363,399. The Galaxy S10 and Galaxy S10+ are on the ninth and tenth positions. They have respectively scored 362,450 and 361,394.

It is surprising to see the OnePlus 7 Pro only managing to secure seventh position on the list. AnTuTu has claimed that it is because of the high refresh rate of the display that consumes more power. So, the operating system running on the phone has been optimized for increasing its endurance and it does not completely take advantage of Snapdragon 855 mobile platform’s potential. Hence, the smartphone has acquired low average benchmarking score on AnTuTu.

The Vivo iQOO is no longer present on the list because its average benchmarking score is below 360k. AnTuTu has claimed that the AnTuTu score of the phone went down after the recent software update. All the ten phones that have made it to the list of top 10 best performing Android phones for May 2019 are powered by Snapdragon 855 chipset. None of the Kirin 985 SoC driven phone are present on the list. Probably, the upcoming Honor 20 and Honor 20 Pro phones may make it to the list in the next month’s AnTuTu’s top 10 list of best performing Android phone.

Strangely, the OPPO 10x Zoom Edition is missing from the list. Hopefully, it will appear along with some with other phones such as Redmi K20 Pro and OnePlus 7 in the next month’s AnTuTu list.

UP NEXT: Nubia Red Magic 3 Review: A stunning gaming smartphone comes with 8K video recording

Mysterious LG phone with triple rear cameras and affordable pricing to launch in India

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Jun 3, 2019

Chinese smartphone OEMs such as Xiaomi, Vivo and OPPO have gained good market share in the recent years in India. Samsung that was losing ground to market leader Xiaomi had recently launched the online-only available Galaxy M series as a new strategy to regain its popularity in India. Fresh information shared by 91mobiles reveals that LG too is gearing up to launch an India-centric smartphone that will be available for purchase only through online channels. The name of the smartphone is not known, but some of its details have been revealed.

A leaked poster of the mysterious LG phone has been revealed by the publication. It states that the three key features of the phone will be strong battery, AI triple cameras and FullVision Display. The handset has an exciting gradient finish on its rear. However, there is no confirmation on whether it features a glass or polycarbonate rear.

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A triple camera module can be seen at the top-left corner of the phone’s back panel. The third camera sensor has a red ring and an LED flash is placed below it. It will be the company’s first phone to sport a vertical design for the triple camera system. A fingerprint scanner can be seen on the rear of the smartphone. The company’s branding is present towards the bottom of the back cover. The right edge of the phone has a volume rocker and a power button.

According to the publication, its source has revealed that the new LG phone will be borrowing some key features from its G and V series of smartphones. Also, the above shown phone will be introduced as a new lineup. Over the past few years, customers in India have lost interest in purchasing LG phones. Probably, the South Korean company could be working on a new strategy to rival with the Chinese brands in India. The first phone in the new series is expected to go official in this month. More details on the smartphone is expected to surface in the coming days.

UP NEXT: LG announces its self-developed AI chip for smart home products

Xiaomi shares video of under display selfie camera, looks great!

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Editor’s Pick:Xiaomi patents phone with an in-display selfie camera!

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Jun 3, 2019

Who would’ve thought that Xiaomi would be the ones pushing for innovation in this day and age? Well, they’ve been doing it ever since the first MI Mix, and today they’ve got something special. Xiaomi co-founder and president Lin Bin shares a very interesting video showing a working under display selfie camera!

This comes just moments after Oppo’s video of the exact same tech, and the timing is impeccable. This reminds of back in the day when companies would rush to show off the latest changes as soon as they could. Both companies sharing under display selfie cameras on the same day, that’s pretty awesome.

Xiaomi’s video is a lot clearer and straightforward than Oppo’s however. While Oppo’s was very much a test from behind the scenes with a weird angle, Xiaomi’s is a straight up comparison. We can clearly see the Xiaomi Mi9, next to what appears to be a notchless Xiaomi Mi9. The video shows the lack of a notch, and then continues to showcase that the invisible selfie camera works just fine.

Now these are some exciting times! Between foldable phones, hidden selfie camera tech, companies racing to be first and the Huawei debacle, there’s been something interesting going on almost every day! It’s a great feeling to be able to talk about something new, instead of just the latest flagship release. We hope this trend towards new, innovative tech continues, it’s been great to write about.

UP NEXT: Xiaomi Chile Store gets great reception

First Xiaomi Store in Chile has been receiving great reception

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Jun 3, 2019

The first Xiaomi physical store in Chile was opened in Santiago on April 27. The 250-square-meter place offers smartphones, wearable devices, smart home supplies and other Xiaomi products. According to Xinhua, the store managed to get 1,500 customers in its first day! Very impressive all things considered.

The Chilean store was mainly another part of Xiaomi’s ongoing global expansion plan. The company began operations in Chile on December 2018, and they’ve been going strong since then. It’s not inaccurate to say that they’ve been doing well in the country, and this store is proof of that.

Editor’s Pick: Xiaomi patents phone with an in-display selfie camera

“Our users don’t just buy products; they become part of a global community. Common interests unite us, and we care about taking care of that relationship, as if it were with close friends,” said Felipe Villalobos, a social media manager with Xiaomi Chile.

One month later, Xiaomi now has 130 products available in Chile, including cellphones, security cameras, computers, robot vacuums, bicycles, electric scooters, and accessories. The company’s expansion over in Chile has been nothing if not impressive. The Latin American market is crucial and attractive for the brand – especially Chile, “a country that tends to adopt new technologies very rapidly”, a brand communication said.

As of now, Xiaomi plans to open six more physical stores in the country with their all their latest devices. On top of this, the company also wants to introduce the Mi Home ecosystem to Chile soon, which will be quite exciting to see. Xiaomi is taking an aggressive approach to expansion, and it’ll be interesting to see how it pans out for them.

UP NEXT: Xiaomi Mi 9T is already listed by a retailer in Bulgaria

HMD Global may launch the Nokia 6.2 on June 6th

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Jun 3, 2019

HMD Global, which owns the Nokia brand, will be organising a launch event in India on 6 June. Amongst the candidates of hopeful launches is the flagship device from the company called the Nokia 9 PureView smartphone. Apart from that, a new teaser from the company has also hinted a possible launch of the Nokia 6.2, which is allegedly a rebranded Nokia X71 from China.

The Nokia X71 features a ZEISS-certified 48MP primary camera sensor at the rear with f/1.8 aperture, an 8MP 120-degree super-wide angle lens and a 5MP depth sensor at the back as well. For selfies, the smartphone is fitted with a 16MP shooter that has an aperture of f/2.0. Stock Android 9 Pie and a 3,500mAh battery. It’s very much a solid mid-range device, not too many clear problems here.

Editor’s Pick: Revisiting the Nokia N9’s Weird Selfie Camera!

Nokia anew has posted a tweet which indicates that the Nokia 6.2 will launch with a price tag around $290, which is similar to the launch price of Nokia 6.1 in some markets. The tweet also mentions new colours, Zooming capability and dedicated night mode on the upcoming device. That’s nice, it always gives a good impression when you keep devices up to date.

Nokia has been doing quite well recently, at least in terms of recognition. The company’s rise from death to relevance is quite an impressive saga, and it’s almost inspiring. HMD Global’s been seeing some pretty good reception for most of their devices, so let’s hope they keep it up. We wouldn’t want to see a repeat of the first Nokia death again, do we?

UP NEXT: Nokia 3.2 launched in India with Snapdragon 429

Oppo shows off working prototype of under-display camera technology

By

Jeet

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Jun 3, 2019

Smartphone technology keeps growing at a rapid pace and with each new iteration, new technology is making its way. Nowadays, most smartphone manufacturers, including Oppo, are working on provided higher screen-to-body ratio.

With an aim to offer a full-screen smartphone, the companies have adopted various different solutions, including notches, punch-hole display, and pop-up front-facing camera. Now, the next step for the manufacturers is the in-display camera sensors.

Similar to the in-display fingerprint sensor, the camera sensor can be embedded into the display. China-based smartphone maker Oppo showcased an early engineering model of this technology which could be the world’s first under-display camera.

The video clip of this technology was shared by Oppo’s Vice President Brian Shen on Weibo, a Chinese microblogging platform, without much details. It shows a working front-facing camera that doesn’t need a notch, teardrop, hole punch, pop-up, or even sliding mechanism and keeps the edge-to-edge display uninterrupted.

For those seeking the perfect, notchless smartphone screen experience – prepare to be amazed. 📲

You are taking a very first look at our under-display selfie camera technology. RT! 🤯 pic.twitter.com/FrqB6RiJaY

— OPPO (@oppo) June 3, 2019

In a follow-up post, Brian Shen says that this under-screen camera technology is still in its early days. He added, “At this stage, it’s difficult for under-display cameras to match the same results as normal cameras, there’s bound to be some loss in optical quality. But, no new technology jumps to perfection right away.”

Currently, there’s no information about when this under-display camera technology will be mass-produced and when we can actually see a commercial smartphone using this tech. However, as per the reports, Oppo’s sister company Vivo is also working on similar technology, possibly for its next-gen Apex series smartphone.

Apart from Oppo and Vivo, South Korea-based Samsung, the leading smartphone company globally, is also working on under-display camera technology for smartphones. Last month, Samsung’s vice president of the display R&D group, Yang Byung-Duk hinted about the possibility of a ‘perfect full-screen’ display where all the sensors will be embedded into the display without hindering the viewing experience.

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