GeekBuying is offering music lovers a chance to grab unmissable deals and great discounts on music accessories such as earphones and speakers. We’ll shed light on how GeekBuying users can save $5 off orders over $50 in just a bit.
The Chinese online store is also doling out noteworthy discounts on Apods i10 Bluetooth 5.0 TWS Earbuds and Tronsmart Element T6 Plus 40W Speaker. Moreover, the aforesaid items have been assigned specific coupons that you can use to avail additional discounts.
Apods i10 Bluetooth 5.0 TWS Earbuds
The Apods i10 comes with a wireless charging case, which simplifies and expedites the charging process. There’s a front-mounted LED indicator on the case that shows the Apods are charging. Alternatively, you can charge it using a wire.
In order to get your hands on the Apods i10, you’d normally end up shelling out $43.99, but GeekBuying is giving its loyal users a chance to buy the white color version of the TWS earbuds for a lowered price of just $35.99.
You can extend this 18 percent discount by using coupon code AKQYLXDI at checkout. The coupon helps you save $1 more by reducing the retail price of the Apods i10 to just $34.99 before you place your order.
You can follow this link to grab the discount. Note that the promo is slated to end in just one day.
You get your hands on the Tronsmart Element T6 Plus 40W Speaker for a lowered price of only $83.99 from GeekBuying. This is a 28 percent reduction in the device’s original asking price of $116.59, but that’s not all.
Aside from taking advantage of the discount, you can use coupon code YIXEMUCB to bring the already reduced asking price of the Tronsmart Element T6 Plus 40W Speaker further down to just $69.99. In other words, you can get an extra $14 off simply by applying the aforesaid coupon at checkout.
You can follow this link to use the coupon before it expires and grab the discount without wasting time since the promo was on the verge of wrapping up at the time of writing.
If that doesn’t impress you much, it might interest you to know that you can save $5 if your order exceeds $50 on GeekBuying. This offer is valid for EU stock on all earphones and speakers. In order to get this discount, all you need to do is to apply coupon code XCGINNLY.
Redmi, the sub-brand of Xiaomi which is now working independently, has been confirmed to be working on a flagship smartphone powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 octa-core 7nm processor.
However, there are a lot of contradicting leaks and rumors surrounding the upcoming flagship smartphone. But, Lu Weibing, President of Redmi is quite active on social media and has been teasing the phone’s features.
He has now confirmed through Weibo that the phone will come with an ultra-wide camera sensor. Earlier, it was revealed that the smartphone will have a triple camera setup on the back, consisting of a 48 MP + 13 MP + 8 MP sensors — same as the Mi 9 SE.
It has also been said that the upcoming Redmi flagship will come with support for a 3.5mm headphone jack as well as NFC. Previously leaked information suggests that the phone will feature a 6.3-inch display with 2340 x 1080 pixels screen resolution.
Under the hood, it is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 octa-core SoC with up to 8 GB of RAM and 256 GB of internal storage. It is expected to come with a 32 MP front-facing snapper for taking selfies and video calling.
In the software department, we expect the smartphone to come pre-installed with the Android 9 Pie operating system based MIUI 10. It will also come with support for some sort of fast charging but battery capacity is not yet known.
As for the name, there were leaked about the phone being named Redmi X. But Redmi president Lu Weibing recently confirmed that it’s not Redmi X and the phone will have a better name.
This suggests that the Redmi X is some kind of an internal name or the name of another smartphone which is powered by the Snapdragon 730 chipset. Manu Kumar Jain, Xiaomi India MD and Global VP recently teased this smartphone for the India launch, but nothing much is know at this time.
Vivo has unleashed the Vivo S1 Pro as its second S-series phone after the Vivo S1 that was made official in March. The smartphone is equipped with a notch-less display and a pop-up selfie camera like the Vivo S1. However, it is packed with slightly better internals since it has arrived as a “Pro” version.
Vivo S1 Pro Specifications and Features
The Vivo S1 that features a glass back measures 157.25 x 74.71 x 8.21mm and it weigh 185 grams. The Vivo S1 has a 6.53-inch IPS LCD notch-less display whereas its Pro edition comes with Super AMOLED display of 6.39-inches. The notch-less screen supports full HD+ resolution and 19.5:9 aspect ration and it is integrated with an in-display fingerprint sensor. The smartphone offers a screen-to-body ratio of 91.64 percent.
The Helio P70 powers the Vivo S1 along with 6 GB of RAM. The S1 Pro has up to 8 GB of RAM and it is fueled by the Snapdragon 675 SoC. The highest configuration model of the S1 Pro has 256 GB of native storage. The S1 comes in a single storage version of 128 GB.
The Vivo S1 Pro has a triple camera system on its rear. It includes a 48-megapixel (f/1.78 aperture) lens, an 8-megapixel wide-angle (f/2.2 aperture) and a 5-megapixe depth sensor (f/2.4 aperture). It has a pop-up selfie camera of 32-megapixel. On the other side, the Vivo S1 has 25-megapixel pop-up selfie shooter and 12-megapixel + 8-megapixel + 5-megapixel triple rear-facing cameras.The Vivo S1 Pro draws power from 3,700mAh battery where is non-Pro edition has a larger 3,940mAh battery. The FunTouch OS 9 based Android 9 Pie is available on the device. For stutter-free gaming experience, the S1 Pro comes with Multi-Turbo acceleration engine. It also features Joi AI smart assistant onboard. The other features that are available on the Vivo S1 Pro are dedicated physical button for Jovi AI, dual-SIM support, dual 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802.11ac, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS, microUSB 2.0 and 3.5mm headphone jack.
The Vivo S1 will be hitting the Chinese markets on May 9 in two options such as 8 GB RAM + 128 GB storage and 6 GB RAM + 256 GB storage. Both variants will cost 2,698 Yuan (~$400). Love Blue and Coral Red are the two color variants of the Vivo S1 Pro.
Smartphone marketing campaigns are getting bigger and bigger with each new release cycle. In most cases, the company plans bigger campaigns for the flagship smartphone but China-based Xiaomi is doing such campaigns for a budget smartphone — Redmi Note 7.
In order to prove that the Redmi Note 7 is an “out of the world” device, the company literally sent the smartphone out of this world. Xiaomi Europe team sent the smartphone up in the space in a hydrogen balloon at the altitude of 33,375 meters and temperature of around -58°C.
The smartphone took photographs of the earth from the space and when it returned back to the base, the phone was still working properly, claims Xiaomi CEO in a post on Chinese micro-blogging platform Weibo.
Earlier, the company had claimed that the Redmi Note 7 is a “high quality” smartphone made using materials used for the manufacturing of a flagship smartphone. Further, the company is also offering 18-month warranty for the phone in China.
Xiaomi launched the Redmi Note 7 smartphone in China on January 10th this year, featuring a 6.3-inch display with 2340 x 1080 pixels screen resolution and 19.5:9 aspect ratio. It is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 octa-core processor and comes packed with 3/4/6 GB of RAM and 32/64 GB of internal storage options.
In the camera department, the smartphone comes equipped with a 48 MP primary sensor and a 5 MP secondary sensor on the rear side. A 13-megapixel camera is present on the front side for beautiful selfies and video calling. It runs MIUI 10 based on Android 9 Pie operating system and is powered by a 4,000mAh battery.
Korean market has been one of the leading in production of smartphones, thanks to home grown companies like Samsung and LG. However, it now seems that the once-bustling smartphone plans for productions are now about to fade out.
Both smartphone brands from South Korea — Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics are either shutting down their production lines in the home market or are curtailing domestic output, as per the report from industry analysts.
Nowadays, companies are moving their productions to third-world countries where the production cost is lower because of lower labor costs. This is important as the competition with Chinese smartphone makers such as Huawei and Xiaomi have made the smartphone market price competitive.
Going by the developments, it is being speculated that the smartphone production in South Korea could soon come down to zero. According to a report from Strategy Analytics, smartphones produced in Korea accounted for 11.4 percent of the total shipped in the global market in 2008, but the figure fell sharply to 1.3 percent in 2018.
The Korean production of smartphones is expected to fall further following LG Electronics’ decision to phase out work at its Pyeongtaek factory in Gyeonggi Province by the end of the year. It will now shift production to Hai Phong in Vietnam where the firm has operated a factory since 2014.
On the other hand, Samsung Electronics is also scaling down its output in Korea. The company produced about 60 million smartphones annually in Korea a decade ago, but is currently producing about 20 million. Samsung, which operates factories in Vietnam, Brazil, India and Indonesia, produces about 300 million devices a year in total.
As per the recent figures, Samsung produces almost half of its entire smartphones in Vietnam. The company is also planning to build additional factories in India, seeking to increase smartphone production.
TENAA telecom authority of China has approved a new OPPO phone with model number PCDM10 / PCDT10. The appearance of the phone suggests that it could end up as a Reno series device. The entire specifications of PCDM10 / PCDT10 smartphone have revealed through its TENAA listings. However, the exact name of the phone is currently under the wraps.
OPPO PCDM10 / PCDT10 Design
The PCDM10 / PCDT10 smartphone features a waterdrop-style notch display. The back panel of the phone has a gradient finish. The TENAA listing states that it will be available in four color choices of white, purple, red and black.
The rear design of the OPPO PCDM10 / PCDT10 phone is similar to the OPPO Reno and Reno 10x Zoom smartphones that were unveiled recently. The back panel of the phone lacks a fingerprint reader. It is equipped with a vertical dual camera setup followed by an LED flash. There is another LED flash like thing placed below it. The smartphone measures 157.3 x 74.9 x 9.1mm and it weighs 186 grams.
OPPO PCDM10 / PCDT10 Specifications
The PCDM10 / PCDT10 OPPO phone houses a 6.4-inch AMOLED display that produces full HD+ resolution of 2340 x 1080 pixels. It is equipped with an in-screen fingerprint reader.
The 2.2 GHz octa-core processor is present under the hood of the OPPO PCDM10 / PCDT10 smartphone. Probably, it could be featuring the Snapdragon 710 mobile platform. It comes with 6 GB of RAM and a native storage of 128 GB. There is no external storage slot on the device.
The OPPO PCDM10 / PCDT10 smartphone is packed with 3,960mAh battery (minimum capacity). It appears that there is no support for rapid charging on the device. The ColorOS based Android 9 Pie OS will come preloaded on the device. At the frontside of the phone is 32-megapixel selfie camera. Its backside is fitted with 48-megapixel + 5-megapixel dual camera setup.
Now that the OPPO PCDM10 / PCDT10 smartphone has bagged approval from TENAA agency, its arrival may not be far away. Hopefully, the smartphone may go official later this month.
It is imperative for you to ensure your phone camera remains steady at the time of capturing memorable moments, and that’s exactly where gimbal stabilizers come into the picture.
Choosing the right gimbal stabilizer for your device can prove to be a daunting task, but we got your back. Here are the best gimbal stabilizers that you can get your hands on without spending a lot of money.
DJI OSMO Mobile 2 Handheld Gimbal Stabilizer
Looking for a feature-rich gimbal stabilizer that allows you to instantly capture, and share memorable moments with your friends and family? You might want to give the DJI OSMO Mobile 2 Handheld Gimbal Stabilizer a test run.
Bearing a $174.20 price tag, the DJI OSMO Mobile 2 smartphone gimbal is available in the black color version on Gearbest. The device boasts an impressive array of functions including an intelligent following function, time-lapse video function, and smooth zoom function.
You can head straight to this link in order to check out more details about the DJI OSMO Mobile 2 Handheld Gimbal Stabilizer and place your order without wasting time.
Hohem iSteady Pro 3-Axis Handheld Stabilizer Gimbal
Designed to work with GoPro Hero series and a slew of other action cameras, the Hohem iSteady Pro employs the most advanced Stabilizing System Algorithm. Moreover, the iSteady Pro features a multifunctional slider that makes it an easy-to-operate stabilizer gimbal.While you’d normally associate a steep price tag with a stabilizer gimbal offering comparable features, the iSteady Pro will set you back just $123.55 on Banggood. You can head straight to this link in order to check out the full specifications and grab a chance to get free shipping if your cart value exceeds $39.99.
The Mijia SJYT01FM is loaded with highly advantageous features including a 3-axis stabilizer, time-lapse shooting, smart track, and long standby. Aside from that, it has a static delay, sliding zoom, slow motion and multiple other functions that superior shooting effect.
It is worth mentioning here that the shooting effect primarily depends on your mobile phone, given that some Android mobile phone users aren’t able to use all PTZ functions, for the time being. More importantly, you can purchase the Mijia SJYT01FM from GearVita for just $119.99. You can use coupon code GVSJYT01FM and get $40 off at checkout. In other words, you can reduce the retail price of the Xiaomi Mijia SJYT01FM Handheld Gimbal Stabilizer to just $79.99 simply by applying the aforesaid coupon.
You can visit this link to check out the rest of the details about the Xiaomi Mijia SJYT01FM and purchase this coveted gimbal stabilizer from GearVita.
In addition to offering extra support to Sony camera and water-proof housing, the G5GS adopts a splash-proof technology so that you can use it to capture important moments even in the rain. Housed in a compact frame, the G5GS is highly portable and an easy-to-detach gimbal.
The FeiyuTech G5GS Handle Gimbal has gone up for sale carrying a $199 price sticker on AliExpress. New users can take advantage of a $3 off coupon and save money before placing their order. You can visit this link to purchase the FeiyuTech G5GS Handle Gimbal 3-Axis Camera Stabilizer.
Marketed as a gimbal stabilizer that is ‘born for mobile filmmakers,’ the Smooth 4 brings a superior and seamless operation. You can press the FN switch button while shooting to zoom in or out and take close-up shots.
The black color version of the Smooth 4 would normally set you back $189, but you can buy it for a lowered price of just $99.99 from GeekBuying. This is a noteworthy 47 percent drop in the device’s original selling price. Alternatively, you can grab a 34 percent discount on the white color version of the Zhiyun Smooth 4 Handheld Gimbal Stabilizer, which usually sells for $179.99. Thanks to the aforesaid discount, you can now buy it for just $119 from GeekBuying.
You can visit this link to avail the discount. Note that the promo is slated to end in just one day.
Realme is celebrating its first anniversary in India and at the same time it is gearing up to launch its first smartphones in China. Last month, two Realme phones were spotted on the database of China’s TENAA telecom authority. Recent reports have revealed that these phones will be hitting the Chinese markets as Realme X and Realme X Youth Edition. The latter is expected to be Chinese edition of the Realme 3 Pro phone that went official in India in the previous month. Today, the company has confirmed through a Weibo post that it will be holding a launch event in Beijing, China on May 15 at 3 PM (local time). It is very likely that the company will be unleashing the Realme X and Realme X Pro smartphones through its upcoming unveil event.
While the Weibo post only confirms the arrival of Realme X phone, Jingdong Mall has early listings for Realme X Youth Edition alongside Realme X. This indicates that both smartphones may get announced on May 15. Apart from JD, the Realme X and X Youth Edition will be available through other online platforms such as Tmall and Suning in China.
Realme X Specifications and Price (Rumored)
The Realme X will be arriving with a notch-less full HD+ OLED display of 6.5 inches that will be embedded with an in-display fingerprint reader. The Snapdragon 730 mobile platform is expected to fuel the smartphone. However, some contradictory reports have claimed that it could be featuring the Snapdragon 855 chipset.
A battery with a minimum capacity of 3,680mAh battery may fuel the Realme X. The handset is expected to carry support for VOOC 3.0 flash charging technology. The back panel of the phone is expected to feature 48-megapixel + 5-megapixel dual camera setup. It ill be also featuring a pop-up front-facing camera.
The Realme X may release in China in three choices such as 6 GB RAM + 64 GB storage, 6 GB RAM + 128 GB storage and 8 GB RAM + 128 GB storage. These models may respectively arrive with price tags such as 1,599 Yuan (~$237), 1,799 Yuan (~$267) and 1,999 Yuan (~$297).
The Realme X Youth Edition or Realme X Lite seems to be a lower version of Realme X. It will be packed with identical specs as Realme 3 Pro. Hence, the Realme X Lite will arrive with a 6.3-inch waterdrop-style notched IPS LCD display that offers full HD+ resolution, Snapdragon 710 SoC, up to 6 GB of RAM, up to 128 GB of native storage, 4,045mAh battery with VOOC 3.0, 16-megapixel + 5-megapixel dual rear cameras and 25-megapixel front-facing camera.
OnePlus co-founder and CEO Pete Lau has confirmed through Weibo and Twitter accounts that the OnePlus 7 Pro will be arriving with UFS 3.0 storage. By this, it will be arriving as the first smartphone ever with UFS 3.0 storage. The new storage technology will offer faster performance than its competitors in various aspects such as lesser time for launching apps, quicker loading of apps, faster saving from the camera, better gaming experience with shorter loading times, faster boot time and better video experiences more.
"OnePlus 7 Pro having UFS 3.0 storage means it’ll just be overall faster than comparable smartphones."
On May 14, OnePlus will be launching the OnePlus 7 Pro smartphone in multiple markets. In India, the smartphone is expected to arrive with an expensive starting price of Rs. 49,999 (~$720). However, leaks and official details that have surfaced so far suggests that the company has packed the OnePlus 7 Pro with many advanced features to justify its price.
It is speculated that Samsung is supplying OnePlus with UFS 3.0 chips for the OnePlus 7 Pro. Speaking of Samsung, the Galaxy Fold smartphone that was announced in February is equipped with UFS 3.0 storage. However, the foldable phone from the South Korean company is yet to release in the market. The company has reportedly postponed Galaxy Fold launch after the review units that were sent out to various reviewers developed display issues. Hence, it appears that the OnePlus 7 Pro could become the first smartphone to release in the market with UFS 3.0 storage.
According to Samsung, UFS 3.0 storage promises twofold the speed that is offer by UFS 2.1 storage. It offers read speeds of 2100MB/s and consumes less power than UFS 2.1. There is no confirmation on whether the OnePlus 7 smartphone will be also equipped with UFS 3.0 memory.
OnePlus 7 Pro Specifications and Price (Rumored)
The OnePlus 7 Prov is expected to arrive with a 6.67-inch Fluid AMOLED notch-less display that produces quad HD+ resolution. It will be a curved screen that will offer a refresh rate of 90 Hz. The Snapdragon 855 SoC will be powering the phone along with up to 12 GB of RAM and 4,000mAh battery. The handset will carry support for 30W Warp Charge fast charging technology.
The OnePlus 7 Pro will be the first OnePlus phone to feature a rear-mounted triple camera unit. It is expected to arrive with an f/1.6 aperture 48-megapixel main sensor with OIS, an f/2.2 aperture 8-megapixel telephoto lens with OIS and an ultrawide 16-megapixel sensor with PDAF. For shooting selfies, it will be sporting a 16-megapixel pop-up selfie snapper.
The other features of the OnePlus 7 Pro are in-screen fingerprint reader and stereo speakers. It is expected to arrive in variants such as 6 GB RAM + 128 GB storage, 8 GB RAM + 256 GB storage and 12 GB RAM + 256 GB storage. These models are rumored to hit the Indian market with respective price tags of Rs. 49,999 (~$720), Rs. 52,999 (~$766) and Rs. 57,999 (~$838). The handset will be available in Nebula Blue, Mirror Grey and Almond color editions.
Xiaomi is reportedly working on a new smartphone that is codenamed as Hercules. Early information that has appeared through its source code have revealed the key specs of the smartphone. It has been found that the Xiaomi Hercules phone is powered by the Snapdragon 855 mobile platform. While the exact identity of the phone is under the wraps, it is being speculated that it could be the forthcoming Xiaomi Mi MIX 4.
According to leaked information released by Mishaal Rahman who is the Editor-in-Chief with XDA Developers, the Xiaomi Hercules will be arriving with triple rear-mounted cameras and a front-facing camera. The smartphone will carry support for wireless charging.
Among the connectivity features, the Xiaomi Hercules smartphone will be equipped with NFC. It will be also arriving with an in-display fingerprint reader. Well, these specs are also available on the Xiaomi Mi 9 flagship phone that was announced in February.
Probably, the Xiaomi Hercules phone could be the Xiaomi Mi MIX 4 flagship phone. If it is really the next Mi MIX series phone, it may arrive with some specs that are identical with Mi 9 along with a marvelous design. The Mi MIX series have been always known for its captivating full screen design. The Xiaomi Mi MIX 3 from last year is a slider smartphone with full screen design. It remains to be seen whether the Chinese firm retains the same design on the Mi MIX 4 or it uses an innovative design.
Xiaomi Mi MIX 4 hinted
In March, Xiaomi had released an early teaser for the successor of Mi MIX 3. The teaser carried the poster of the all the predecessor Mi MIX series phones such as Mi MIX, Mi MIX 2 and Mi MIX 3. The fourth phone in the image has no name, but it does suggest that it could be the Mi MIX 4 phone with full screen design. It remains to be seen whether Xiaomi settles for notch-less display design along with pop-up selfie camera for the Mi MIX 4 or some other design.
Even though the rumor mill is speculating that the Xiaomi Hercules could be the Mi MIX 4, there is a possibility that it could be some other device. Hence, it is advisable to wait for further reports to confirm the true identity of Xiaomi Hercules.
Last year, Xiaomiv had launched Android One phones such as Xiaomi Mi A2 and Mi A2 Lite. The Mi A2 smartphone was released exclusively in China along with MIUI as Xiaomi Mi 6X. XDA Developers had revealed earlier in this year that the “bamboo_sprout” and “cosmos_sprout” are the upcoming Android One smartphones. It is speculated that these devices could be the Mi A3 and Mi A3 Lite smartphones. The other rumored device that is codenamed as “pyxis” is believed to be the successor of Mi 6X. XDA Editor-in Chief, Mishaal Rahman has claimed through a tweet that all the three upcoming devices are powered by Snapdragon 7XX series.
Rahman is unsure whether the “bamboo_sprout”, “cosmos_sprout” and “pyxis” are powered by Snapdragon 710 or 712 mobile platform. Some rumors had claimed that the Mi A3 series could be featuring Snapdragon 730 mobile platform. However, it now seems these devices could be featuring SD710 or SD712. He did not share any other information on the specs of the Mi A3 series.
The Mi A2 and Mi A2 Lite phones were respectively fueled by Snapdragon 660 and Snapdragon 625. The Mi A2 Lite had featured a less powerful SoC. Hence, it was being speculated that Mi A3 Lite could be featuring Snapdragon 632 SoC. It is advisable to wait for further reports to confirm the processor details of the Mi A3 and Mi A3 Lite Also, the Mi A2 Lite had arrived in certain markets as Redmi 6 Pro. Hence, there is a possibility that the Mi A3 Lite could be releasing in some markets as Redmi 7 Pro.
Xiaomi Mi A2
The Xiaomi Mi A3 and Mi A3 Lite smartphones will be running on stock edition of Android 9 Pie OS. Some reports have claimed that the successor of the Xiaomi Mi 6X could be releasing in the market as Xiaomi Mi 9X. The alleged Mi 9X will have the same specs as Mi A3 and it will be featuring MIUI skin over the Android OS. However, there is no official confirmation on it yet.
The Mi A3, Mi A3 Lite and Mi 9X are expected to come equipped with in-screen fingerprint scanners. These phones are likely to arrive with 32-megapixel front-facing cameras. Last year, the Xiaomi Mi A2 and Mi A2 Lite phones were announced in July. Hence, the Mi A3 and Mi A3 Lite smartphones may go official in the same month in this year.
The OnePlus 7 Pro has been getting all the attention which is no surprise since it has better features than the OnePlus 7. However, new info has surfaced that reveals the OnePlus 7 (and OnePlus 7 Pro) will have a cool new feature.
OnePlus 7 Pro
Up until now, OnePlus phones have always come with a single speaker. That changes with the OnePlus 7 and OnePlus 7 Pro according to a OnePlus official on Weibo who goes by Acid Digital.
In a post from last week, he stated that the OnePlus 7 duo both have stereo speakers. He adds that it isn’t easy adding stereo speakers to phones with full-screen displays but they were able to pull it off and the result is an audio experience that will please users. He also said they had to redesign the position of the speakers so as to solve the problem associated with audio quality dropping when the phone is used in landscape mode.
Other than the stereo speakers, the OnePlus official also disclosed more details about the impressive display of the OnePlus 7 Pro. He revealed that the display is the first of its kind, not even Samsung’s own phones have used such a display before.
According to him, the technology behind the display wasn’t yet made as at the time the Galaxy S10 series was announced. He adds that the display is expensive because it is custom-made.
The OnePlus 7 Pro’s display is not the first with a high refresh rate but it is the first high-res (1440p) AMOLED smartphone display with a 90Hz refresh rate. The Razer Phone and Razer Phone 2 whose displays have a 120Hz refresh rate actually use Sharp’s IGZO’s IPS LCD display and the ASUS ROG Gaming Phone has a 1080p AMOLED 90Hz display.
The official name of the upcoming Snapdragon 855-powered Redmi phone is still unknown. It was initially referred to as the Redmi X but the company’s GM Liu Weibing disproved it. While we await the official name to be revealed, more details of the phone have surfaced.
[envira-gallery id=”251470″]
Screenshots alleged to be from the device were shared on Twitter today by Sudhanshu Ambhore (@Sudhanshu1414) and they reveal some key details. One of the images reveals the phone’s codename as “Raphael“. This isn’t actually the first time we have heard that codename.
cepheus is the Xiaomi Mi 9, andromeda is the 5G Xiaomi Mi Mix 3, and raphael is another unknown Xiaomi Snapdragon 855 device.
Back in March, Mishaal Rahman of XDA-Developers tweeted the codenames of Xiaomi phones powered by the Snapdragon 855. Raphael is one of the devices he mentioned while the other two are the Mi 9 (Cepheus) and Mi MIX 3 5G (Andromeda).
Before we move on to other details of the screenshots, it is important to mention that Mishaal stated back then that Xiaomi was working on a Snapdragon 855 phone with a pop-up selfie camera codenamed “davinci”. He added that of all the Snapdragon 855 devices, only “davinci” is included in the hardware test for the pop-up selfie camera. But current developments point to “raphael” being the one with the pop-up selfie camera.
When I say "only for davinci's front camera" I mean that no other device is included in this hardware test (including no cepheus, andromeda, or raphael, the other 3 Snapdragon 855 Xiaomi devices.) This suggests the hardware is unique to davinci.
Back to the screenshot, we also see the phone has 256GB of storage which is double the amount of storage of any Redmi phone. There will surely be other variants too with this being the highest configuration. The phone is also shown to be running a beta version of MIUI 10.
The second screenshot reveals that the Redmi flagship has a GPU overclocking feature. Don’t get too excited as this might be a feature open to beta users and not accessible on the stable version. Nevertheless, it is a feature to be excited about.
One of the flagships that launched in the first quarter but was overlooked is the LG G8 ThinQ. If you have not yet decided if you should purchase it probably because you don’t know how great the camera is, then DxOMark’s camera review should help you make that decision.
The LG G8 ThinQ has been reviewed by the camera review labs and their review is up for public viewing. The version they reviewed is the one with the triple rear camera setup – a 12MP f/1.5 primary camera + 16MP f/1.9 ultra-wide angle camera + 12MP f/2.4 telephoto camera. There is actually a second variant that has dual cameras (sold in the US). It doesn’t have a telephoto lens for optical zoom.
The LG G8 ThinQ has an overall DxOMark score of 96. This is broken down into 99 for photos and 89 or video recording. On DxOMark’s ranking, the G8 ThinQ sits at the 21st spot, above the OnePlus 6 which it ties with and under the Mi MIX 2S. The OnePlus 6 actually has a higher photo score of 100 but the LG beats it in video recording.
DxOMark says LG has improved the autofocus of its latest flagship. It is now faster and more accurate than that of the LG V40 ThinQ. They also praised its handling of exposure even in backlit conditions and its color rendering both indoors and outdoors. However, the presence of artifacts (conspicuous elements in the photo which are not in the real scene) is what lowers its score. The phone scores really low on Bokeh and zoom too which contributes to its overall low score.
For videos, the LG G8 ThinQ handles exposure and color reproduction well. It also scores high in stabilization. However, autofocus suffers, especially in low light. There is also a visible jello effect and a “noticeable frame-shift in walking scenes”.
Since Vivo NEX A and S hitten the shelves, pop-up cameras became one of the most innovative trends to get rid of bezels around the display. Yesterday, Vivo unveiled a brand new device with a pop-up camera: the S1 Pro, that is also one of the most interesting phones when it comes to quality-price ratio. It has all the requirements necessary to challenge the latest upper-midrange phones from the best brands. Among the best ones, there are definitely the Oppo F11 Pro which is the first Oppo mid-ranger with a pop-up camera, and the Galaxy A70 by Samsung with its huge battery and great performances. So here is a specs comparison that will help you to understand whether Vivo S1 Pro is worth the money asked or not.
Vivo S1 Pro vs Oppo F11 Pro vs Samsung Galaxy A70
Vivo S1 Pro
Oppo F11 Pro
Samsung Galaxy A70
DIMENSIONS AND WEIGHT
157.7 x 74.3 x 9 mm
161.3 x 76.1 x 8.8 mm, 190 grams
164.3 x 76.7 x 7.9 mm, 183 grams
DISPLAY
6.39 inches, 1080 x 2340p (Full HD+), 400 ppi, Super AMOLED
Dual 48 + 5 MP f/1.8 and f/2.4
16 MP f/2.0 front camera
Triple 32 + 8 + 5 MP f/1.7 and f/2.2 and f/2.2
32 MP f/2.0 front camera
BATTERY
3700 mAh, fast charging
4000 mAh, fast charging with VOOC 3.0
4500 mAh, Fast Charging 25W
ADDITIONAL FEATURES
Hybrid Dual SIM slot
Dual SIM slot, pop-up front camera
Dual SIM slot
Design
The absence of a pop-up camera and the presence of a classic waterdrop notch make the Galaxy A70 by Samsung way less attractive than Vivo S1 Pro and Oppo F11 Pro. While these devices have a lot of things in common when it comes to aesthetics, there is a detail which would make me go for the Vivo S1 Pro. I am talking about the fingerprint scanner: while Oppo F11 Pro has a traditional fingerprint reader placed on the back side, the Vivo S1 Pro has an in-display biometric sensor, so it has a cleaner and definitely more beautiful back cover. Another important difference is the position of the cameras: they are placed on the upper left part on the Vivo S1 Pro, while the Oppo F11 Pro has them at the upper center. Vivo S1 Pro is even more compact than the Oppo F11 Pro due to its smaller display.
Display
Samsung Galaxy A70 is equipped with a bigger and taller 6.7-inch display, and that is mainly the reason because I would choose it instead of its competitors. It comes with a rare but very elegant 20:9 aspect ratio and its colors are stunning. However, Vivo S1 Pro is still very nice as it is equipped with a Super AMOLED display provided by Samsung as well. Oppo F11 Pro is inferior due to its IPS panel, but it has a slightly bigger display than Vivo S1 Pro. That is also the reason why it does not have an in-display fingerprint scanner.
Specs & Software
Oppo F11 Pro falls way behind its competitor because of its less powerful Helio P70 SoC by MediaTek. The winner here is definitely the Vivo S1 Pro as it comes with the Snapdragon 675 chipset, up to 8 GB of RAM and up to 256 GB of internal storage. Samsung Galaxy A70 is powered by a Snapdragon 675 too paired with up to 8 GB of RAM, but its internal storage is just 128 GB. All the phones run a customized user interface based on Android Pie: we got Funtouch OS for Vivo S1 Pro, Color OS for Oppo F11 Pro and One UI (which I prefer) for the Samsung Galaxy A70.
Camera
Talking about camera quality, the final battle is between the Vivo S1 Pro and the Samsung Galaxy A70. While the former comes with a higher resolution for the main sensor (48 vs 32 MP), the latter has brighter focal apertures, and it can also record 4K videos and 1080p videos with a frame rate up to 240 fps. Both come with a rear triple camera and a 32 MP front camera, but for the specifications listed above, I personally prefer the Samsung Galaxy A70. Oppo F11 Pro lacks the ultrawide lens and it only comes with a dual camera. Further, its front camera is inferior with just 16 MP.
Battery
Samsung Galaxy A70 wins the battery life comparison with a huge 4500 mAh unit and an incredibly fast charging technology, followed by the Oppo F11 Pro and its 4000 mAh battery with a still fast 20W charging technology.
Price
Vivo S1 Pro debuted with a starting price of €350/$390, Oppo F11 Pro costs just €320/$360 and Samsung Galaxy A70 starts from €400/$450. Samsung Galaxy A70 wins this comparison with its bigger battery and amazing cameras, but some may prefer the Vivo S1 Pro for its better design and a still great camera department.
One of China’s biggest online stores, Jingdong a.k.a JD.com, has confirmed the official names of Realme’s upcoming phones as well as their release date. Realme will be making its entry into the Chinese phone market this month and it will be doing so in grand style by launching a flagship phone called the Realme X.
The brand which celebrated its 1st year anniversary a few days ago was originally exclusive to India. It has launched seven phones already which all belong to the mid-range category. However, for its first launch in China, Realme will be announcing the Realme X which will be powered by the flagship chipset, the Snapdragon 855. Jingdong has also revealed that it will bring along a sibling called the Realme X Youth Edition.
Jingdong not only has a page set up for the two phones already but the listing also reveals the phones will be officially unveiled on May 15, an info yet to be released by the manufacturer.
Actually, Realme plans to make an important announcement about the Realme X tomorrow at 10 AM (China time) and we definitely think it is about the launch date. However, JD.com has let the cat out of the bag early.
The online store will also run a competition that begins today and ends on May 14. Winners stand the chance of winning a phone, a backpack, or a branded T-shirt.
Nubia Magic 3 smartphone was published on April 28th priced at 2899 Yuan.
There are not so much phone manufacturers having a step in the gaming phone area. Nubia is one of the first batches, and Nubia Red Magic 3 is their third gaming smartphone. The features of the phone are not only the strong performance, but also the design, heat dissipation, battery life and so on.
Nubia Red Magic 3 comes with 6.65-inch OLED screen having the resolution of 2340 x 1080 pixels and 19.5:9 aspect ratio. The gaming handset is powered by Snapdragon 855 chipset, and offers 6/8/12GB of RAM and 64/128/256GB of internal storage. It is fueled by 5000mAh battery with 27W fast charging.
Design:
Red Magic 3 offers four colors, which are Black, Red, Camouflage and Red/Blue, and we got the Black variant.
The dominant tone of Red Magic 3 package is black.
There are the features and basic spec on the package back side.
Front Side of Red Magic 3
Because of the 19.5:9 aspect ratio, the handset is a bit longer than other phones. What’s more, the touch feeling is better with the transition processing of R angle.
As a gaming-focused smartphone, the screen of Red Magic 3 is incredible, which has 90Hz refresh rate, 1ms respond speed, DC dimming technology, HDR visual effects, and 87.7% screen-to-body ratio. The official says that the touchscreen polling rate can be automatic regulated between 120Hz to 240Hz combined with the practical application scene, and the touch latency is 40.02ms.
There is a front-facing camera, sensor and phone receiver on the front top bezel.
Back Side of Red Magic 3
The back panel of Red Magic 3 is made of nano-metal with radium carving, and it is continued to use the X style and symmetrical design with diamond cutting technology. The RGB LED strip also makes a comeback on the new model, and there is a Red Magic logo LED light called Red Magic Eye, which can be always on or flickered. In addition, the air duct is changed to the camera module below and side.
The weight of Red Magic 3 is 215g, so the handset is not suitable for holding with one hand.
From top to bottom are flash light, camera, air duct, fingerprint sensor.
RGB LED strip and Logo light
The new logo light can be always on or flickered, and the RGB LED strip can flicker when playing game, listening to music, charging and notification.
Right side of the phone
On the right side, there is the cooling hole, volume key, power button, and the two gaming buttons with U shape supporting all games.
Left side of the Red Magic 3
There is an e-sports button, a SIM card slot, and an e-sports magic box interface on the left side.
The e-sports magic box interface is convenient for users to use 3.5mm earphone, charging cable and other expanded appliances. You can push the e-sports button to open the game mode.
On the top of the Red Magic 3, it keeps the 3.5mm earphone jack. I like it.
On the bottom of the phone, there is a speaker, a Type-C port and a noise cancelling microphone.
Performance
Nubia Red Magic 3 is powered by Snapdragon 855 processor and UFS 2.1, and the most important is that the phone has a built-in ICE 2.0 multi-dimensional cooling system. What’s more, the Red Magic 3 built-in a fan with forced air cooling. When you open the cooling fan, you can hear the sound of fans running, but the noise is controlled under 32dBA in the 30m.
According to the officials, ICE 2.0 possesses 32000mm total effective cooling area, 14000 R.P.M fan speed and 0.26CFM, which can make the phone core temperature lower by 18℃, CPU core temperature lower by 5℃, and the phone’s surface temperature lower by 3℃.
The Antutu Benchmark of Nubia Red Magic 3 is up to 396885, which is the top of the ranking list. The high score is benefited by the super cooling capacity.
Game mode
When you turn on the e-sports button, the phone will get in the game mode which has network selection, gaming status, cooling fan, RGB LED strip and other options.
In addition, the built-in fan can automatically control and regulate temperature. For example, the fan will open at higher temperatures. And the fan will turn off automatically at the lower temperature. Of course, users can turn on the fan by themselves.
Lightning effects
On the phone’s back panel, there is a RGB LED strip and a logo light. The strip will gleam when the phone is charging, playing games, listening to music and other notification. Also, you can change the lightning effect by yourselves. The Red Magic Eye can be always on or gleamed.
Because of the gaming buttons on the bezels and rear fingerprint sensor, the operation of tester become faster and more flexible especially in the PUBG. After experience, games are run at full frame.
Camera
Red Magic 3 comes with 48MP rear camera with IMX 586 sensor having f/1.7 aperture, and 16MP front-facing camera with f/2.0 aperture.
Look at the camera samples shot in day light.
[envira-gallery id=”251418″]
As a gaming-centric phone, the camera of Red Magic 3 performs well. It’s worth mentioning is that the Red Magic 3 comes with Neovison algorithm, which supports ultra HD 8K video recording and 1920FPS 64x slow-motion video shooting.
Battery Life
Red Magic 3 is fueled by 5000mAh battery. The official said that the power consumption of running the fan continuously for an hour is less than 1%.
We tested the battery life by playing video continuously. After playing video for an hour, the battery decreased from 64% to 54%.
We played game for 30minutes with high effects and cooling fan, the battery decreased from 52% to 41%.
In addition, the phone charges from 10% to full in 85minutes.
Conclusion
There’s no doubt that Red Magic 3 is a gaming-centric smartphone. All details are designed for playing games, for example, the 19.5:9 aspect ratio offers comfort gaming holding feeling. However, the weight of 215g is not suitable for holding the phone by one hand.
The RGB LED strip and the Red Magic Eye make the phone more fantastic and e-sports style.
Red Magic 3 comes with 6.65-inch screen having the 90Hz refresh rate, and is powered by Snapdragon 855 processor. Also, the cooling system is combined with air cooling and liquid cooling, which makes sure the phone will have no lag in long playing time. What’s more, Nubia cooperates with game manufacturers to optimize and adapt games with Red Magic 3.
Red Magic 3 is fueled by 5000mAh battery with 27W fast charging. Through our test, it is enough for long playing game time.
Nubia Red Magic 3 is an incredible gaming smartphone. If you want to buy a gaming phone, it is a good choice for you.
As smartphones get re-engineered to enhance their aesthetics with features such as slim bezels, thin frame, glass/ceramic body and others, they become more fragile. But there are persons who desire their phones to be rugged while still having all the functions of a smartphone. Blackview satisfies the need of that segment with the BV series. The rugged phone maker sent in a unit of the Blackview BV9000 for review a couple of months back. Here you have it.
BlackviewBV9000 isn’t a relatively new model as it was launched a long time ago alongside the BV9000 Pro. The models are separated by just a few hardware features. I’ve had this phone for more than 4 months and it is always with me whenever I have to hit the road to a remote region or rough terrain or while it rains. So my take on the BV9000 won’t be based on assumptions but on practical results.
DESIGN
You won’t have to take a second look at the device to conclude that the device is a rugged phone as a result of its mammoth size and weight.
The rugged phone comes with a cool rubberised body with some metal plates to add some aesthetics. The metal band and rubberized backplate held up pretty well over time. I’ve noticed that if you scratch the rubberized surface, you can polish minor scratches away with a cleaning cloth, which is pretty cool. However, any scratch to the metal backplate remains there permanently but it won’t scratch easily except on hard surface like the floor. The backplate tends to provide protection to the rear cameras and fingerprint sensor which it wraps around.
The BV9000 comes with an IP-68 rating meaning that it is water and dust resistant. The device has the SIM tray slot at the top edge while the charging port is at the bottom. Both are covered with a rubber seal designed in such a way as not to allow water in. The port also has rubber seals around it as well as the SIM slot holds tightly when it is slotted in. Also, the rugged body assures that the phone will survive a few accidental drops. The phone did drop accidentally on a few occasions, sometimes from the hands of my kids. The rubberised body gives that feel of cushion effect to any damage that may occur. I also did put the phone under running water and even inside a bucket of water and it still worked fine. Even under the rain, the phone works fine, including the display but as usual, the fingerprint sensor won’t respond well.
I found the display to be very good overall. While the sunlight legibility is not the best, it’s pretty good. I also love the loudspeaker that can get really loud and the sound quality is pretty good for a budget device. Other features include the LED notification light and a hybrid dual sim card slot. I found the fingerprint scanner to be quite accurate even though the display could light up a bit faster. The device has its volume rockers, power button and a shortcut button at the right side of the display. The shortcut button can be set to take the user directly to launch a particular app with one, two and three presses.So,you can add three different commands.
Finally, the phone lacks headset jack, which means that you always need to bring a USB-C to 3.5mm adapter with you but the phone ships with an adapter in the retail box. You also get an earphone, USB-C cable, OTG cable, a screen protector and a fast charge charging adapter.
HARDWARE and PERFORMANCE
When it comes to hardware, the Blackview BV9000 Pro is one of the most powerful budget rugged phones out there.
The gaming performance is just great. All the 3D games work without any issues even if you play them on the very highest graphics settings, which is very impressive for a budget phone.
SPECIFICATIONS
The BV9000 packs a 5.7-inch display with FHD+ resolution and 18:9 aspect ratio. It offers a triple camera setup featuring a 13MP+5MP camera combination at the back and an 8MP front shooter for selfies. The device is a MediaTek MTK6757CD Octa Core 2.6GHz processor (Helio P25), under the hood. The chipset is paired with 4GB of RAM while there are 64GB and 128GB storage options. In addition, the phone runs Android 8.0 Oreo, has dual-SIM support and crams a non-removable 4180mAh battery under the hood.
USER INTERFACE
The gadget has been very quick consistently despite the fact that I’m not a gigantic aficionado of redesigned icons in the UI. I wish Blackview stayed with stock Android yet that is effectively fixable utilizing a third-party launcher.
IMAGE QUALITY
I also like that the Blackview BV9000 is one of those rare budget phones from China that can take decent daylight pictures even on the cloudy days. The portrait shots are also surprisingly good in comparison to most of the budget Chinese phones I’ve recently tested. Selfies look pretty good but the video quality using both main and front cameras does not impress, even after receiving a few software updates. Check out some of the camera samples.
TEST NOTES
I didn’t have any connectivity issues with this phone and battery life has been consistently good. I was usually able to get about 7 hours of screen-on time which is a good result.
CONCLUSIONS
In conclusion, I strongly hold that the Blackview BV9000 is a solid rugged phone on a budget. The phone has performed very well over time with awesome user experience. The design is great, it attracts a lot of attention wherever I go and the battery can take you several places without fear of running out of battery power. Even the camera output is pretty decent for such a model. However, the lack of a headphone jack is quite frustrating, making it impossible to listen to music and charge the phone.
Overall, the Blackview BV9000 is still one of the best options in this price range and I recommend you check it out if you’re shopping for a rugged phone on a budget.
IDC released a report on April 30 detailing the number of units phone manufacturers shipped in the first quarter of 2019. The stats revealed that Xiaomi shipped a total of 25 million units, 10% less than that of the same quarter in 2018. However, Xiaomi released a press statement faulting the figure as incorrect.
The Chinese tech giant said in the press statement that it actually shipped 27.5 million smartphones in Q1 2019. IDC has now announced it will republish the report with the new figure next week.
Xiaomi Mi 9
You might be wondering what the fuss is about. These figures are important to investors as they need to know how well the companies they back are performing. A lower number can influence the trust of investors in the business.
IDC’s report differs from that of similar agencies like Canalys, Counterpoint, and StrategyAnalytics. All three reported Xiaomi shipped 27.8 million, 27. 8 million, and 27.5 million units respectively which is much higher than IDC’s 25 million units.
It appears HTC has a new mid-range phone in development. The marketing name is unknown but the phone’s model number is 2Q741. It was spotted on Geekbench yesterday and its benchmark result reveals some key specs.
The HTC 2Q741 runs Android 9 Pie and has 6GB of RAM. There is a MediaTek MT6765 chipset a.k.a. Helio P35 processor under the hood. This is the same chipset that powers the Mi Play and the Honor 8A Pro. The advantage the HTC has over these two phones is its RAM. It’s twice that of the Honor and 2GB more than the Mi Play’s.
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