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Blackview unveils rugged BV5500 Pro with 4G support, 3GB RAM, and Android 9.0 Pie at $89.99

The leading rugged Chinese smartphone manufacturer unveiled the BV5500 Pro – successor to BV5500 launched a few months ago. Blackview is known for its waterproof and military grade certified devices. Based on suggestions and feedback from the BV5500 users, the company announced BV5500 Pro. Their industrial rubber, dustproof design, and aviation-grade aluminum alloy make devices stronger and sustainable in adverse environments.

The latest Blackview BV5500 Pro comes with a sleek design and aesthetic surface texture. The “Born to be tough” device is powered with 3GB RAM, MediaTek MT6739 chipset and ARM Cortex-A53 processor. It can withstand usual drops, dust, water, and even extreme temperatures. There’s a 5.5-inch HD+ IPS display with an aspect ratio of 18:9, and having a resolution of 720*1440 pixels.

Its 4400 mAh battery can easily withstand continuous usage for up to a couple of days. Blackview BV5500 Pro comes with an improved NFC module for quick, safe and secure transactions, supports multiple payment networks. Unlike the Android 8.1 Oreo on BV5500, the upgraded version runs on Android 9.0 Pie out-of-the-box. Moreover, its GPS+Glonass dual satellite systems work together to improve the overall navigation experience on the device.

There’s a 5-megapixel f/2.4 aperture front camera for beautiful selfies. Whereas, it embeds an 8 megapixel f/2.0 shooter on the rear side.

In connectivity, thee’s a GPS, WIFI, Bluetooth 4.3, 2G/3G/4G and micro USB. It supports, FM, OTG and a 3.5 mm audio jack. Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protects its display, and it further includes Proximity, Light, Accelerometer, Compass, and Gyroscope sensors.

Blackview BV55000 Pro orders will go live from April 27th to May 6th for $89.99. Whereas, users have to spend more from May 7 to May 16th with a $1 increase per day. Blackview is giving a free complimentary tempered film along with every purchase. Interested users can choose between three color options- Black, Green, Yellow.

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OnePlus 7 Pro camera can compete with “first tier” phones, claims OnePlus imaging director

OnePlus is all set to launch its flagship smartphones — OnePlus 7 and OnePlus 7 Pro at a launch event on 14th May. The company has already revealed some key features of the smartphone, in order to build hype around the upcoming smartphones.

It seems that the company decided to mainly focus on two things for the upcoming flagship smartphone — display and camera. It has already been revealed that the phone will come with 90Hz display and has been rated A+ by DisplayMate.

Recent teasers from the company confirms that the OnePlus 7 Pro will come with a triple camera array on the back panel and a pop-up front-facing camera. Now, the company’s imaging director, who spoke with Wired, is shedding more light on the phone’s cameras.

Oneplus 7 Pro

Simon Liu, OnePlus Imaging Director, says that the camera of the OnePlus 7 Pro will provide competition to “first tier” smartphones. He adds, “I don’t think we can beat them, but the imaging world is always subjective.”

It will be interesting to see how the company has managed to improve its camera game for the flagship smartphone, given that the camera hasn’t been the strong point of the OnePlus smartphones.

The OnePlus 7 Pro will be featuring support for 10x digital zoom that too without Time-of-Flight (ToF) depth sensor on the device. Liu also notes that OnePlus users will notice a difference between images taken with older models and those snapped with the OnePlus 7 Pro. He says: “Our pictures are a lot more detailed compared to our previous phones.”

The smartphone will come with a triple rear camera setup, consisting of a 48MP primary sensor, an 8MP secondary sensor with 3x optical zoom, and a 16MP tertiary sensor with an ultra wide-angle lens.

On the front side, the smartphone will feature a 16MP selfie snapper housed inside a pop-up mechanism. This means that there won’t be any notches on top of the phone’s 6.7-inch Quad HD+ display.

Read More: OnePlus 7 Pro’s newspaper advertisement confirms notch-less display; pop-up selfie camera teased

Based on the previous known information, the smartphone will be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 Mobile Platform and will come in three different configurations — 6GB RAM with 128GB storage, 8GB RAM with 128GB of storage and 12GB RAM with 256GB storage. Running on Android 9 Pie, the device will be powered by a 4000mAh battery with 30W Warp Charge support.

(Source)

Redmi Snapdragon 855 phone may score high on AnTuTu benchmarks

On Weibo, Xiaomi co-founer and President Lin Bin has shared a screenshot of top performing phones on AnTuTu benchmarks. The first two positions in the list are occupied by Xiaomi Mi 9 series. In the same Weibo post, Bin has asked Redmi General Manager Lu Weibing to take the challenge. Weibing responded by saying that Redmi is ready for it. This suggests that the upcoming Redmi SD855 could be capable enough to record amazing scores on AnTuTu benchmarks.

In the below shown screenshot, the Xiaomi Mi 9 Exploration Edition has recorded an average benchmarking score of 372,072 and it is followed by Xiaomi Mi 9 has scored 371,878. Bin claimed that these scores are average benchmarking scores of the user in normal usage scenarios. Hence, they are more objective and fairer. It remains to be seen whether the upcoming Redmi Snapdragon 855 powered phone is able to rank higher than the Xiaomi Mi 9 series on AnTuTu benchmarks.

Recent reports have suggested that the Redmi SD855 flagship phone will be fitted with a 6.39-inch AMOLED display. Its SoC could be supported by up to 8 GB of RAM and may arrive with a maximum internal storage of 128 GB.

The Redmi SD855 smartphone could be packed with a 4,000mAh battery along with support for fast charging. It could be featuring a notch-less display embedded with an in-screen fingerprint reader. The handset is expected to arrive with a pop-up selfie camera module that may include a 32-megapixel lens. The rear shell of the phone could be equipped with 48-megapixel + 8-megapixel + 13-megapixel triple camera setup. The smartphone will be carrying support for NFC connectivity and 3.5mm audio jack.

The Redmi SD855 smartphone could be the cheapest Snapdragon 855 powered smartphone. Redmi is preparing abundant stocks of the phone to meet the expected huge demand. Some reports have claimed that the same phone could be made available outside of China as Poco F2.  The Redmi SD855 phone may go official in May or June.

Here are the top 10 bestselling smartphones of 2018

Counterpoint Research, a research and statistical analysis firm has published a report revealing the top 10 bestselling smartphones in the Chinese market for the year 2018. Surprisingly, Oppo emerged as the leading smartphone brand having five of its smartphones in the top 10 list.

The report shows that the company’s flagship smartphone — Oppo R15 was the bestselling smartphone in China for the year 2018 — taking the pole position. It was followed by Apple iPhone X in the second spot.

Bestselling Smartphones China

The third, fourth and fifth spot were occupied by Oppo A5, Oppo A83, and Vivo X21. Following them were Apple iPhone 8 Plus, Vivo Y85, Oppo A72, Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus, and Oppo R11s for the sixth to tenth position.

As for the international markets, the top 10 bestselling smartphones were Apple iPhone X, iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, iPhone 7, Xiaomi Redmi 5A, Samsung Galaxy S9, Apple iPhone XS Max, iPhone XR, Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus, and Samsung J6.

However, it’s surprising to see that none of the Huawei or Honor smartphones made it to the list of Counterpoint’s bestselling smartphones. This is quite odd given that Huawei is currently dominating the Chinese smartphone market.

Bestselling Smartphones Globally

According to the Counterpoint report, the sales of the previous generation iPhone models totaled around 100 million units while the iPhone XS Max and iPhone XR sold over 16 million units each. It also adds that Redmi 5A added 20 million units to Xiaomi’s shipments

Coming to Huawei — the company that didn’t make it in the list is said to have sold more than 13 million units of Huawei P20 Lite smartphone. However, the report doesn’t reveal which position it holds in terms of rankings of bestselling phones in 2018.

Read More: Huawei reports 39 percent YoY revenue growth in Q1 2019; ships 59 million smartphones

It seems that the numbers could be different for the current year. Huawei’s recently released financial report for the Q1 2019 claims the company managed to ship over 59 million smartphones, its highest ever first-quarter sales count. This year, it aims to sell over 250 million smartphones.

Kirin 985 mass production to begin in Q3; Likely to offer 20% better performance than Kirin 980

Huawei had introduced the Kirin 980 SoC as the world’s 7nm SoC at the IFA 2018 tech trade show in August 2018. The SoC was first seen under the hood of Mate 20 and Mate 20 Pro flagship smartphones. Since then, it has been used by the company to power other flagship phone such as Honor Magic 2, Honor V20, Huawei P30 and P30 Pro. The Chinese manufacturer is now reportedly working on an improved version of Kirin 980 SoC. A Weibo user has claimed that the company will be debuting 7nm Kirin 985 later this year and it will be powering the upcoming Mate 30 series of flagship phones.

Previous reports have reveled that the Kirin 985 chipset will be manufactured through Extreme Ultraviolet Lithography (EUV) technology. It is expected to deliver 10 to 20 percent better performance than the Kirin 980 SoC. TSMC is expected to produce the Kirin 985 through its N7 process. Apple A13 chip that will be powering the upcoming iPhones will be built by TSMC’s more advanced N7 Pro process.

kirin 980

The mass production of the Kirin 985 is now rumored to begin in the third quarter of the year, and it has now reportedly entered the designing stage. There is no confirmation on whether it will be a 5G-ready SoC. Probably, the Chinese firm will debut the Kirin 985 in August this year.

As far as Mate 30 series is concerned, there is no information available on the specs of the Mate 30 and Mate 30 Pro smartphones. A report from the previous month had revealed that the company has already started testing the Mate 30 handset. After Huawei Mate 20 X smartphone and Mate X foldable phone, the P30 Pro is rumored to be the next 5G-ready phone from the company. The Chinese manufacturer is also expected to announce a successor for the Kirin 710 SoC that has powered many of Huawei and Honor branded mid-range phones that have launched recently.

Buy UMIDIGI F1 and UMIDIGI F1 Play at Heavily Discounted Prices on Gearbest

Known as one of China’s best online stores for electronic items, Gearbest has launched the ‘Top Cellphones Brand Sale’ promotion.

As part of this recently kicked-off promo, Gearbest is offering up to 50 percent off on a wide selection of well-received smartphones from leading brands like Huawei, Xiaomi, OnePlus, and more.

In a bid to simplify and expedite the search process, all products have been added to specific categories including Hot Pick, Top Sellers, New Arrival, etc.

Much to the delight of UMIDIGI fans, Gearbest is offering the well-received UMIDIGI F1 and UMIDIGI F1 Play phablets at lowered prices for a limited period of time. Let’s delve straight into the details.

UMIDIGI F1 Play Android 9.0 4G Phablet

The F1 Play is available in two versions including the one designed for users located in EU-28 countries, and the other that works outside EU-28 countries. The UMIDIGI F1 Play EU version is available in black as well as red color versions, both carrying lowered price tags of $199.99.

This is a noteworthy 26 percent reduction in the device’s original asking price of $269.14.  With only 60 pieces remaining, this promotion is slated to end in just six days.

UMIDIGI F1 Play 6.3 inch Android 9.0 4G Phablet Helio P60 Octa Core 2.0GHz Mali G72 MP3 6GB RAM 64GB ROM 3 Camera Fingerprint Sensor 5150mAh Battery Built-in- Black EU VersionThe Non-EU version of the UMIDIGI F1 Play phablet retails for $269.14, but you can get your hands on it for an unbeatable price of only $199.99 on Gearbest. This is a significant 26 percent drop in the device’s original selling price.

You can follow this link to grab the discount, which will be valid for both red and black color options. Regrettably, there were only 60 pieces left for this promo, which is slated to end in just six days.

 

UMIDIGI F1 4G Phablet

Just like the F1 Play, the UMIDIGI F1 comes in European Union and Non-European Union versions.

Gearbest is doling out a noteworthy 31 percent discount on the UMIDIGI F1 European Union version that usually sells for $259.65. Thanks to the aforesaid discount, you can now buy it for a lowered price of just $179.99.

You can choose between multiple eye-catching color options including black, gold and lava red. It is worth noting that the six-day promo will be valid only for a limited number of units.

UMIDIGI F1 4G Phablet 6.3 inch Android 9.0 Helio P60 Octa Core 2.0GHz 4GB RAM 128GB ROM 16.0MP Front Camera Fingerprint Sensor 5150mAh Built-in European Union- Black European UnionThe other model that works outside EU-28 countries carries a $259.88 price sticker. Gearbest is giving its loyal users an unmissable chance to buy this version for a heavily discounted price of just $179.99. This 31 percent discount will be valid for the black, gold and lava red color versions.

You can visit this link to check out more details about the UMIDIGI F1 4G phablet and take advantage of the aforesaid promotion before it comes to an end in six days.

Huawei Watch GT Elegant Edition gets listed in China for 1,288 Yuan ($191)

Last month, Huawei had announced two new models in its smartwatch portfolio — Huawei Watch GT Active Edition and the Huawei Watch GT Elegant Edition. The latter of the two is designed for those with smaller wrist.

Now, the Huawei Watch GT Elegant Edition has been listed on China-based online retailer JD.com for a price of 1,288 Yuan, which roughly converts to $191. The pricing is cheaper than the €229 pricing in Europe.

Huawei Watch GT Elegant Edition

Coming to the specifications, the smart wearable device comes with a smaller 42mm ceramic bezel option. It features 1.2-inch AMOLED HD color touchscreen, which offers a resolution of 390 x 390 pixels.

It ditches some of the Huawei Watch GT’s more active aesthetic for a sleeker and stylish look. The company says that it comes with a dual-chipset and smart power-saving architecture that enables it to switch between performance and efficiency modes depending on an individual’s activity to maximize battery life.

The Elegant Edition of the Huawei Watch GT feature Triathlon mode in which three types of workout are supported, including open water swimming, outdoor cycling, and outdoor running. The smart watch can record the entire triathlon, including the transition time.

The device also comes with Huawei TruSeen 3.0 heart rate monitoring that supports continuous 24-hours heart rate monitoring tracking active and resting heart rates. This, combined with innovative PPG optical and hardware design and AI algorithms, can monitor the heart rate of users in real time with high precision.

Read More: Huawei P Smart Z fresh render reveals notch-less display, two-tone design and pop-up selfie camera

The smartwatch comes with a smaller battery capacity which lasts up to one week on a single charge, unlike the 46mm model which has a 2-week battery life. The wearable device comes in two color options — Black and White.

(Source)

Buy i18 and i12S TWS Bluetooth 5.0 Earbuds at Lowered Prices on GeekBuying [Coupons]

Smart devices and gadgets have become an inseparable part of our fast-paced lives, despite bearing steep price tags. Much to the relief of cost-conscious tech buffs, GeekBuying is now doling out up to a whopping 70 percent off on a wide selection of smart devices and gadgets as part of its latest promo.

Dubbed as ‘Happy Labour Day,’ this recently kicked-off promotion features top-end products that have been split into multiple categories like Top Picks, Smart Devices, Office Essentials, etc. Aside from gadget enthusiasts, the Chinese online store is offering music lovers something to cheer about as well.

i18 TWS Bluetooth 5.0 Earbuds

The i18 adopts the latest Bluetooth 5.0 technology to deliver an accelerated sound transmission, paired with a more stable connection. It is compatible with most devices including iPhone, iPad, Android smartphones, tablets, and other Bluetooth music devices.

The i18 TWS Bluetooth 5.0 Earbuds would normally set you back $29.99, but GeekBuying is offering it for a lowered price of only $22.99. Moreover, you can extend this 23 percent discount with the help of coupon code WQFSVMZP.

The aforesaid coupon helps you save $6 more by reducing the original selling price of the earbuds to only $16.99 even before you place your order. You can head straight to this link to avail the discount, which is valid for the black as well as white color versions of the i18 TWS earbuds.

 

i12S TWS Bluetooth 5.0 Earbuds

The i125 automatically powers on and pairs when taken out of the charging box. It works with four types of apps having 10 meters’ transmission distance, offering a barrier-free connection. It offers a seamless touch operation.

The i12S TWS Bluetooth 5.0 Earbuds usually carries a $29.99 price tag, but you can now get your hands on it for a lowered price of only $22.99 on GeekBuying. This is a noteworthy 23 percent drop in the device’s original asking price.
On top of that, you can apply coupon code DMXSACQG and get an extra $3 off. In other words, you can bring the already lowered asking price of the i12S TWS Bluetooth 5.0 Earbuds further down to only $19.99 simply by using the aforesaid coupon during the checkout process.

You can follow this link to avail the discount. Note that the promo was on the verge of wrapping up at the time of writing.

 

OnePlus 7 Pro newspaper ad confirms notch-less display, pop-up selfie camera teased

It’s just a matter of a couple of weeks for the official launch of the OnePlus 7 series smartphones. The company has already scheduled a launch event on 14th May which will take place at three locations at the same time.

Ahead of the phone’s launch, the marketing department of the company is leaving no stones upturned for creating hype around the upcoming flagship smartphone. Continuing to tease features of the smartphone, OnePlus has now confirmed the no notch display.

OnePlus 7 Pro Newspaper Ad

Today, a full-page teaser ad of the OnePlus 7 Pro smartphone appeared in the New York Times which confirms that the smartphone will feature a notchless design. The ad also teases the pop-up front-facing camera.

While the ad doesn’t flat out mention the pop-up selfie camera, the illustration of the smartphone shows it’s internal components, which reveals the mechanism for the pop-up front-facing camera.

Earlier, the company had shared a small video teaser on its social media profiles which confirmed that the smartphone will come with a triple rear camera setup, with sensors placed vertically in the top-center position.

OnePlus 7 Pro Advertisement NYTimes

Yesterday, the company revealed that the display of the OnePlus 7 Pro has been rated ‘A+’ by DisplayMate, making it the best display in any smartphone at this point in time. The full report of the same will be published on 14th May.

As per the reports, the OnePlus 7 Pro will feature a 6.7-inch Super AMOLED display that is curved towards the left and right edges. It will support Quad-HD+ resolution of 1440 x 3120 pixels and will have a refresh rate of 90 Hz.

Read More: OnePlus 7 Pro real machine photographed in the hands of OnePlus’ CEO

On the back side, the smartphone is expected to come with a 48MP primary camera paired with an 8MP f/2.4 telephoto lens and a 16MP f/2.2 ultra-wide angle lens. Running on Android Pie-based Oxygen OS, the phone is said to pack 4,000mAh battery with 30W Warp Charge fast charging support.

(Sources – 1, 2)

Realme X arriving with notch-less display and pop-up selfie camera

Last week, two new Realme phones with model numbers RMX1851 and RMX1901 were spotted for the first time on the database of China’s TENAA telecom authority with minimal specs. The images of the RMX1851 revealed that it is the Realme 3 Pro phone for the Chinese audience. The handset was recently introduced in India. However, the RMX1901 is an entirely new phone that features a notch-less display and a pop-up selfie camera. Today, Realme CMO Xu Qi has confirmed through his Weibo account that the name of the device is Realme X.

Xu Qi’s latest Weibo post was written through a new Realme phone named Realme X. The handset is described as “full screen dare to leapfrog” (translated text) which suggests that the phone will be delivering full screen experience. Yesterday, Realme had released its first theme song in which a mysterious smartphone with pop-up selfie camera and a notch-less display was seen. This phone will be hitting the Chinese market as Realme X.

The Realme X images on TENAA have revealed that it features a vertical dual camera setup and an LED flash on the rear. There is no fingerprint on the back panel of the phone.  Hence, it appears that the Realme X could be the company’s first phone to arrive with in-screen fingerprint reader.

The dimensions of the Realme X are 161.2 x 76 x 9.4mm. The large-sized phone features a big display of 6.5 inches that probably carries support for full HD+ resolution. Even though the handset features a slightly thick-sized chin, it will be offering a high screen-to-body ratio. The smartphone includes a minimum capacity battery of 3,680mAh. The rear shell has a gradient finish with black and blue colors. The top edge of the phone features a 3.5mm audio jack. There is no other information on the specifications of the phone.rea

Realme is yet to confirm the launch date for Realme 3 Pro and Realme X smartphones for the Chinese market. There is a possibility that both phones may go official in the home market by the coming month.

(source)

Google Pixel 3a appears on GeekBench ahead of official launch

Google is expected to finally unveil the much-talked-about Pixel 3a and Pixel 3a XL during its annual developer conference, I/O holding on May 7. As the date draws closer, it is just expected that more leaks will continue to emerge around the models. Recently, the press renders of the Pixel 3a adorning while and purple paint jobs were spotted online. No, the Pixel 3a has appeared on the database of Geekbench.Google Pixel 3a

As usual, GeekBench listing reveals just scanty details of the listed model. However, the leaked specs confirm some of the rumoured details we had seen in the past. The device is listed to be powered by a Qualcomm processor but the motherboard isn’t listed. However, turning to previous rumours, the Pixel 3a XL will pack a Snapdragon 710 chipset so the Pixel 3a will likely have a lesser SoC. There are speculation of a Snapdragon 670 chipset onboard. The  device will also come with a 4GB RAM variant. Further, it runs on Android 9.0 Pie which isn’t much of a surprise inclusion.

Read Also: Ninebot Kids Bike launched for 399 yuan ($59)

According to a past leak that originated from Google itself, the Pixel 3a’s screen resolution will be 1080×2220 pixels and it will have a display size of around 5.6″. We’ll get the full details in a week’s time.

(via)

ZTE Axon 10 Pro appears on TENAA, will have a 12GB variant

The ZTE Axon 10 Pro was announced back in February at MWC 2019. However, it is yet to be available for purchase. The phone has been spotted on TENAA’s database and the listing reveals some new details.

ZTE Axon 10 Pro 5G

The Axon 10 Pro (ZTE A2020 Pro) has a 6.47-inch AMOLED display with a 2340 x 1080 resolution and a waterdrop notch.  It is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 855 processor and will come in 6GB, 8GB, and 12GB RAM variants with 64GB, 128GB, and 256GB of storage respectively. The flagship will have a MicroSD card slot for adding up to an extra 2TB of storage.

The Axon 10 Pro has triple rear cameras – a 48MP primary sensor, a 20MP ultra-wide angle camera, and an 8MP telephoto camera. It also has a 20MP selfie camera. The phone will run Android Pie out of the box and have an in-display fingerprint scanner.

READ MORE: ZTE Axon S renders leaks: Horizontal slider, Triple rear cameras, Xenon flash and more

Lei Jun reveals the Mi 9 RUOK (Are You Ok) case

There are already a bunch of official cases for the Xiaomi Mi 9 owners can choose from. Yesterday, Xiaomi’s CEO, Lei Jun revealed a new one called the RUOK (read as Are You Ok) case.

Mi 9 RUOK case

The RUOK case has a two-color design available in five different color variants similar to the Lei Jun custom cases released earlier this month. The case which is made from a lightweight PC material is inspired by the CEO’s famous words at a product launch in India back in 2015.

The CEO, whose English speaking skills were less than average as at then, had told the audience they would get the Mi Band for free. In a bid to gauge their enthusiasm, he repeatedly asked: “Are you OK?”. That part of the launch became a meme on Chinese social media overnight. Now Xiaomi has made a phone case for the Mi 9 based on the occurrence.

Mi 9 RUOK case all colors

READ MORE: Xiaomi CEO reveals Snapdragon 730-powered phone is coming soon

Motorola E6 specs leaked, may be US exclusive

Motorola‘s Moto E series are less powerful than the Moto G series but they are also less expensive. This year, Motorola should unveil the 6th-gen models of the series. One of the expected models is the Moto E6, and some of its key specs have been leaked.

The source of the info is Mishaal Rahman (@MishaalRahman) of XDA Developers, and he took to Twitter to reveal some key details about the unreleased phone.

Moto E5
Moto E5

The Motorola Mote E6 is codenamed “surfna” and will be available in the US. The phone will actually be sold by carriers but there is no info on which ones will have it. The display size is said to be 5.45-inches and it will have a resolution of 720 x 1440. Mishaal said in the tweet that he’s not sure about the display.

The Moto E6 will be powered by the Snapdragon 430 processor, which is an old mobile phone SoC already. There will be 2GB of RAM and 16GBG/32GB of internal storage.

The phone will have a 13MP f/2.0 SK53L6 rear camera and a 5MP f/2.0 S5K5E9 selfie camera. It will also launch with Android 9 Pie. The battery capacity wasn’t revealed but seeing as the Moto E5 packs a 4,000mAh battery, we expect no less for the Moto E6.

READ MORE: Motorola RAZR (2019) foldable phone’ press renders leaked

Vivo Z3x with a 6.26” Full HD+ display, Snapdragon 660 launched, priced at 1,198 yuan (~$180)

BBK subsidiary Vivo has been pretty busy in the market these few quarters. Several of the company’s models have been spotted on TENAA including a mid-range smartphone. The midrange smartphone has now been launched as Vivo Z3x.Vivo Z3x

The Z3x looks a lot like the Vivo V9 and Vivo Z1 that have already been launched in that the specs seem to be similar. However, Vivo is launching it as a brand new model for the Chinese market.Vivo Z3x

As for the specifications, the device packs a 6.26-inch LCD panel with Full HD+ resolution and a notch. The phone is powered by a Snapdragon 660 chipset paired with 4 GB RAM and 64 GB storage. The device packs a 16MP F/2.0 selfie camera that is housed on the water drop notch on top of the display.  At the rear is a dual AI camera setup made up of a 13MP + 2MP combo. The device also packs a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor. For software, the Z3x runs on Android Pie-based Funtouch OS 9. The device also comes with several gaming-centric features like Game Turbo and System Turbo to allocate resources where they are needed the most.

As for the price, the Vivo Z3x is priced at 1,198 yuan (around $180) and comes in Red, Purple, or Black. Reservations are already rolling on Vivo’s official website in China (source link). The device is scheduled to go on sale on May 8 while pre-orders will commence on May 5.

(source)

Xiaomi Mi 9 flagship launching in the UK on April 30

The 2019 flagship model from popular Chinese tech giant Xiaomi, talking about the Mi 9 was first announced in China in February. Xiaomi has also released the device in a number of other markets. Now, the device will be hitting the UK market on April 30. The device will reportedly be sold on Vodafone as well as Mi.com and the Mi store in London.Xiaomi Mi 9 hands on (1)

The device will be available in the UK market in two storage versions, 64GB and 128GB with the 64GB version coming with a price tag of £499. The 128GB variant will have a £549 price tag. At these prices, we believe this is the 6GB RAM variant. For now, only the Black variant will be available in the UK when it finally goes on sale later today.

Xiaomi Mi 9
Xiaomi Mi 9

Read Also: Meizu 16s vs Xiaomi Mi 9 vs Lenovo Z6 Pro: Specs Comparison

As a reminder, the Mi 9 packs a 6.39-inch AMOLED display with a resolution of 2340 x 1080 pixels. The top of the display has a U-shaped waterdrop notch housing a 10MP selfie shooter. It is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 octa-core chipset coupled with 6/8 GB RAM. The Mi 9 also sports triple rear sensors comprised of a 48-megapixel Sony IMX586 sensor, a 12-megapixel telephoto lens and a 16-megapixel ultrawide-angle sensor with an f/2.2 aperture. It runs Android 9 Pie with Xiaomi’s MIUI 10 running atop and is backed by a 3,300mAh battery. It is the first handset which offers Qualcomm Quick Charge Wireless and Qi Wireless standard 20W charging technology.

(via)

Elephone P11 3D launched as glasses-free 3D smartphone for $169.99

Elephone always brings something intuitive and interesting features to its smartphones making them incomparable. In another addition to its wardrobe, Elephone launched glasses-free 3D smartphone named as Elephone P11 3D priced for $169.99. It will facilitate the users with cinematic 3D experience without the need for anaglyphic glasses. There is a lot of more that Elephone P11 3D offers at such minimal pricing.

Elephone P11 3D carries a 6-inch Full HD INCELL display with the resolution of 1080 x 2160 pixels and an aspect ratio of 18:9. It uses Rich 3D film source, new generation 3D technology, and wide color gamut to efficiently produce a 3D effect on the smartphone’s display. Its 2.75D display aids comfortable and broader viewing experience. Moreover, its evolutionary design with thin bezels improves the 3D experience as like icing on the cake.

It features a Deca Core Helio X25 SoC coupled with 4GB RAM for improved performance. Users can enjoy uninterrupted and lag-free advanced gaming, social media, and video consumption. The device is available with 64GB internal storage and 512GB expandable storage via a microSD card. Elephone P11 3D arrives with 16MP+2MP dual rear cameras with a dual color flash and PDAF focus support. An 8MP camera is present on the front side for beautiful selfies and video calling.

The device supports 3200 mAh battery equipped with fast charging capabilities. In connectivity, users will get support for GPS, Bluetooth 4.1, WiFi, LTE, USB Type-C and OTG support. For ease of authentication, Elephone added a fingerprint sensor on the front side.

Interested users can grab the Elephone P11 3D from Aliexpress and DX at a reduced price of $169. The promotional activity will remain active from 29th April to 12th May. To know more about the device, visit the official Elephone website.

Buy Now (Aliexpress)

Buy Now (DX)

OnePlus 7 Pro gets an early camera review, has 3x optical zoom

The OnePlus 7 launch is still two weeks away but the details don’t stop pouring in. OnePlus will launch a pro version which will be the actual challenger of phones like the Galaxy S10 and the Huawei P30 Pro. Display Mate already revealed the OnePlus 7 Pro’s display is the highest rated for a mobile device. Now a early review reveals the phone also packs impressive cameras.

Last week, OnePlus confirmed in a tweet that the OnePlus 7 Pro will have three rear cameras. There is the 48MP primary camera paired with an 8MP f/2.4 telephoto lens and a 16MP f/2.2 ultra-wide angle lens.

The guys at Wired were able to get hands-on access with a pre-production unit and they’ve got nice things to say about the upcoming flagship.

OnePlus 7 Pro 3x Zoom camera sample
OnePlus 7 Pro 3x Zoom camera sample

One of the biggest features the OnePlus 7 Pro’s camera setup has is 3x zoom. This is real zoom and not the gimmick it tried pulling with the OnePlus 5. This is zoom with the high details and low noise we expect from such a feature.

It doesn’t match up to that of the Huawei P30 Pro and OnePlus knows that. The aim is to have a shot at the big guys and it does it well.

“I think we have a shot at competing with the first tier phones. I don’t think we can beat them, but the imaging world is always subjective.” – OnePlus imaging director Simon Liu.

The OnePlus 7 Pro also has 10x digital zoom and videos recorded with the 3x zoom have some degree of stabilization says Wired. There are other improvements too. The camera is faster, Auto HDR is amazing – allowing you to take pictures directly facing the sun and not get unusable photos. It’s night mode is also better than that of the OnePlus 6T and just a teeny bit slower than regular mode. There are no AI features screaming at you. OnePlus says it happens behind the scene.

OnePlus 7 Pro camera sample
HDR has been improved on the OnePlus 7 Pro

“The portrait mode is more natural and the bokeh effect is closer to what you’d get from a professional lens” says Simon Liu.

OnePlus 7 Pro Night Mode
OnePlus 7 Pro Night Mode

Wired concludes the review by saying the camera performance of the OnePlus 7 Pro is indeed better than that of all its predecessors. While it doesn’t beat the Huawei P30 Pro and the Galaxy S10 5G, it does closes the gap between them.

READ MORE: Pete Lau: No OnePlus foldable phone anytime soon, focus is on smart TV and ecosystem

Realme 3 Pro first flash sale sees over 170,000 units sold in just 8 minutes

The budding Realme 3 Pro was launched in India last week, the company later added a new memory variant even before the device went on its first sale. The device went on its first sale today and it did that with a bang. Official data released by the brand on its Twitter page shows the over 170,000 units of the device were made available for the flash sale and the units were all sold out in just 8 minutes.

The second flash sale will also take place today and we expect even more units to get sold in record time.

The Realme brand has increasingly become a popular one within just two years of its existence. This is due to the quality products backed by an affordable pricing regime. The Realme 3 Pro is no different, with a solid build and cheap pricing starting at Rs. 13,999 ($200).

Read Also: Nubia Red Magic 3 vs Xiaomi Black Shark 2 vs Razer Phone 2: Specs Comparison

The device packs a 6.3-inch FHD+ display and is powered by a Snapdragon 710 AIE processor clocked at 2.2 GHz. There is a 16MP + 5MP dual camera setup at the rear and a huge 25MP front camera for stunning selfies. The phone crams an adequate 4045mAh battery boosted with VOOC Flash Charge 3.0 for fast charging. The device comes in 4GB+64GB, 6GB RAM+64GB storage and 6GB + 128GB variant.

(source)

Redmi flagship phone render based on leaks appear to reveal design

Earlier today, Redmi had released the first teaser of the upcoming Redmi flagship phone. The teaser had revealed that it would be arriving with a notch-less display and a pop-up selfie camera. A fan-made render of the smartphone based on the leaks surrounding it is now doing rounds on Weibo.

The below render shows that the Redmi flagship phone is equipped with a notch-less display that is surrounded by super-slim bezels. The bottom bezel of the device is slightly thick compared to other bezels. The top edge of the phone has a pop-up selfie camera. The official teaser had revealed that its elevating camera module placed towards the left of the top edge of the device. Hence, the center positioning of the selfie camera system on the render seems to be incorrect.

The vertical triple camera setup is placed on the top-left corner of the device. An LED flash is placed below it. The rear shell of the phone seems to be made out of glass that seems to be curved towards the edges. There is no fingerprint reader on the backside of the phone. Hence, the phone seems to be equipped with an in-display fingerprint reader.

There are contradictory rumors about the upcoming Redmi phone with pop-up selfie camera. While the rumor mill is speculating that it could be the Snapdragon 855 powered phone, there are some reports that it could be a Snapdragon 730 fueled phone.

Rumors have revealed that the SD855 Redmi phone will be arriving with a 6.39-inch AMOLED display, a 48-megapixel + 8-megapixel + 13-megapixel triple camera setup, a front-facing camera of 32-megapixel, up to 8 GB of RAM, inbuilt storage of 128 GB, NFC and 3.5mm audio jack. The smartphone will be offering a high screen-to-body ratio, impressive camera experience and it will carry an affordable price tag.

There is very less information available on SD730 Redmi phone. A recent leak had revealed that it could be equipped with 48-megapixel + 8-megapixel + 13-megapixel triple camera, a 4,000mAh battery and Snapdragon 730.

(via)