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Honor 20i with 32MP selfie camera, triple rear cameras and Kirin 710 launched for 1,599 Yuan (~$238)

Huawei’s sub-brand Honor has announced a new smartphone called Honor 20i through an unveil event today in China. The USP of the phone is that it comes with a 32-megapixel selfie camera. The smartphone comes with other attractive features such as high screen-to-body ratio and triple rear cameras. Here is all the information on its specifications, features and price.

Honor-20i-colors

Design and Display

The Honor 20i that sports a 3D glass rear measures 154.8 x 73.8 x 8mm and weighs 164 grams. It houses a 6.21-inch IPS LCD panel with a u-shaped notch for the front camera. The smartphone supports full HD+ resolution and 19.5:9 aspect ratio. The chin of the device is a bit thick, but rest of the bezels are slim. This allows the phone to offer a screen-to-body ratio of more than 90 percent. The TUV Rheinland certified protects eyes from harmful blue light.

Selfie and Triple Rear Cameras

The 32-megapixel camera with f/2.0 aperture can be found inside the front notch of the Honor 20i. The smartphone offers with various face beautification features. The 4-in-1 pixel binning technology makes it possible for the Honor 20i to capture better selfie shots in low-light condition. Moreover, it also carries support for screen flash.

The AI powered triple camera setup available on the backside of the Honor 20i includes a 24-megapixel primary sensor with f/1.8 aperture, an 8-megpaixel ultra wide-angle lens and 2-megapixel depth sensor. The triple cameras offer features like nigh scene mode, anti-shake, super slow-motion video shooting, professional mode, panorama and portrait mode.

Performance and Other Features

The mid-range Kirin 710 SoC is present under the hood of the Honor 20i. The SoC is assisted by up to 6 GB of RAM. The highest configuration model comes with an internal storage of 256 GB. There is a microSD card slot on the device for more storage. The 3,4,000mAh battery fuels the smartphone, but there is no support for fast charging.

The Honor 20i features a rear-mounted fingerprint scanner. It can be used for authenticating WeChat payments. The smartphone also features face unlock. Honor claims that the handset stores face data on an inbuilt chip for better security. The EMU 9 based Android 9 Pie OS comes loaded on the device. There is Game Turbo 2.0 for optimized gaming experience. The other features of the phone include dual 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 4.2, GPS, microUSB 2.0, GPS and 3.5mm headphone jack.

Honor 20i Price and Release Date

Here are the variants of the Honor 20i along with their pricing:

  • 6 GB RAM + 64 GB storage – 1,599 Yuan (~$238)
  • 4 GB RAM + 128 GB storage – 1,599 Yuan (~$238)
  • 6 GB RAM + 128 GB storage – 1,899 Yuan (~$283)
  • 6 GB RAM + 256 GB storage – 2,199 Yuan (~$328)

The three color variants of the Honor 20i are Gradient Blue, Gradient Red and Black. The retail box of the device includes a free TPU case among other items. The pre-sale of the phone will begin at 10:08 AM on April 18 in China. The same phone is expected to release as Honor 20 Lite in European markets.

There is a limited version of the phone called Honor 20i AAPE It will come with 2,199 Yuan (~$328) pricing and will arrive with 6 GB of RAM and 256 GB storage. It will be available for purchase in May.

Get Great Discounts On Cubot-Branded Phablets And Win A Cubot Max 2 Smartphone [Giveaway]

In collaboration with China’s leading online store Gearbest, renowned phone maker Cubot is now offering the Cubot Max 2, Cubot X19 and Cubot Power smartphones at lowered prices.

Cubot X19

Cubot Max 2 4G Phablet on Gearbest

Cubot took the wraps off its long-awaited phablet dubbed, the Cubot Max 2 in February this year. As a phablet, the Max 2 sports an extra large 6.8 inches display with IPS technology and a screen resolution of 1080 x 2240 pixels.

This Cubot Max 2 would normally set you back $204.48, but Gearbest users can get their hands on this feature-rich phablet for an unbelievably lowered price of $149.99. This is a 27 percent drop in the device’s original asking price.

Regrettably, there were only 90 pieces of the twilight and 98 pieces of the black color versions of the phablet remaining at the time of writing. You can follow this link to avail the discount before the promo ends in six days.

 

Cubot Max 2 Giveaway on Giztop

Gizmochina has teamed-up with Gearbest to conduct a 1 unit giveaway to one of its lucky readers. In order to stand a chance to avail this opportunity, all you need to do is to follow the steps mentioned on the Rafflecopter widget.

For more details about winning the free Cubot Max 2 smartphone, you can visit this link without wasting time.

Cubot X19 4G Phablet on Gearbest

Cubot unveiled its first model dubbed Cubot X19 for 2019 in January. The already popular X series that comprises phones like the X18 and X18 Plus has garnered huge popularity for the Chinese brand of Android smartphones.

Taking the series’ undying demand into consideration, Cubot is now offering the Cubot X19 phablet for a reduced price of just $119.99 on Gearbest. This is a 24 percent drop in the device’s original asking price of $157.98.Cubot X19While the aforesaid discount will be valid for the remaining 181 pieces of the phone’s twilight color version, you can grab a 27 percent discount on the 165 pieces of the twilight color version of the phablet.

On the downside, the promo is slated to end in only five days. You can follow this link in order to take advantage of the discount.

 

Cubot Power 4G Phablet

The Cubot Power phablet was launched in May last year. The device boasts an impressive array of features and top-end specifications that are likely to sweep tech buffs off their feet.

The phone comes in two appealing color versions including earth blue and black. The above-mentioned color versions usually sell for $285.06, but you can now buy it for only $285.06 on Gearbest.Cubot PowerThis significant 37 percent discount will be available for the remaining 89 pieces of the black and 85 pieces of the earth blue color versions of the Cubot Power phablet. Note that the promo will come to an end in six days. You can to avail the discount.

Mi Fan Festival Launched On GearVita [Coupon]

GearVita has launched the Mi Fan Festival 2019 Sale with unmissable deals and up to a whopping 60 percent off on a wide selection of products that usually carry steep price tags.

The promotion page has been split into various categories such as Highly Recommended, Cell Phones, Consumer Electronics, Computers & Tablets, etc. We’ll be taking a look at the discounts you can avail on the global version of the Mi 9 SE and the Redmi 7 smartphones.

 

 

 

Xiaomi Mi 9 SE 4G Smartphone

This is the global version of the well-received Mi 9 SE smartphone from Xiaomi. Equipped with 6GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage capacity, this model would normally set you back $399.99 on both online as well as offline stores, but you can buy it for just $349.99 on GearVita.
This 13 percent discount will be valid specifically for the black color version of the phone. You can use coupon code GVM9SE64B. The coupon helps you save $38 more in addition to the aforesaid 13 percent discount.

An absolute steal at this price, the Xiaomi Mi 9 SE offers the following features:

  • 97-inch FHD+ display with 1080 x 2340 pixels resolution
  • Qualcomm Snapdragon 712 Octa Core 2.3GHz processor
  • Adreno 616 GPU
  • MIUI 10 OS
  • 3070mAh Li-ion battery that supports support 18W fast charger

You can visit this link in order to avail the discount before the promo comes to an end.

Xiaomi Redmi 7 4G Smartphone

Xiaomi announced the long-awaited Redmi 7 smartphone in March this year. Its awe-inspiring features and top-end specs are expected to propel the phone to skyrocketing popularity among smartphone lovers.

On the downside, the Xiaomi Redmi 7 doesn’t come cheap. In fact, the global version of the phone with 3GB RAM, 64GB ROM normally carries a $219.99 price tag. Much to the relief of cost-conscious buyers, GearVita is offering a 31 percent discount on the recently unveiled smartphone. As a result, you can now buy the Redmi 7 for a lowered price of just $151.99 on GearVita. This discount is specifically valid for the black color version of the phone. Alternatively, you can go for the blue and red color options if you are willing to shell out $219.99.

The Xiaomi Redmi 7 smartphone offers the following features:

  • 26 inch Water Drop HD+ display with 1520 x 720 pixels resolution
  • Snapdragon 632 14nm Octa Core, 1.8GHz processor
  • Adreno 506 GPU
  • MIUI 10 operation system
  • 12MP +2MP cameras at the back
  • 8MP front shooter
  • 4000mAh built-in battery with 5V/2A Fast Charging

You can follow this link to check out the full specification and take advantage of the discount, which will be available for a limited period of time.

 

 

 

China Unicom announces first batch of 5G products: 15 devices from 12 Brands

The year 2019 is the year when the 5G technology is slated to be commercialized. While many smartphone manufacturers have launched their 5G smartphones and many are slated to launch, the availability of 5G networks still remains a work in progress, even in major countries.

Recently, South Korea became one of the early adopters of the 5G technology and three of the companies network operators announced their 5G pricing, which starts at 55,000 won, which roughly converts to 325 Yuan or $48.

China Unicom 5G Devices List
Samsung Galaxy S10 5G

Now, China Unicom has announced the first batch of 5G smartphones that the company will provide support for 5G connectivity. The list includes 12 brands and 15 smartphone models and CPEs from companies like Huawei, Oppo, Vivo, Xiaomi, and ZTE among others.

Prior to this announcement, China Mobile and China Telecom had carried out corresponding 5G equipment testing and 5G network testing. Last week, the company had announced that it successfully made a call using a 5G smartphone on the Beijing 5G trial network.

Next generation 5G capability is expected to enable faster data transmission and lower latency features that will be vital for advanced technologies such as AI, ML, and autonomous driving.

Read More: Samsung Galaxy S10 5G receives complaints after launch in South Korea last week

After South Korea and China, US-based Sprint is planning to launch the country’s first commercial 5G services in May in four cities. But for most markets, including China, the nationwide commercial rollout is not expected until next year.

(Via)

DxOMark reviews Galaxy A9s quad camera phone

The Samsung Galaxy A9s launched as the first phone with quad rear cameras. There are other quad camera phones now like the Huawei P30 Pro and Galaxy S10 5G and both devices are currently the best camera phones money can buy, at least according to DxOMark. Nevertheless, the camera-review labs have also reviewed the pioneer of the quad-camera trend and the result is quite interesting.

Samsung Galaxy A9s

The Galaxy A9s has the same number of cameras as the Huawei P30 Pro and Galaxy S10 5G but it doesn’t perform as well as either of the two phones. Heck! it is not even as good as the  POCOPHONE F1 but it sure scores higher than the LG G7 ThinQ.

The Galaxy A9s quad camera setup includes a 24MP f/1.7 primary camera, a 10MP f/2.4 telephoto camera, an 8MP f/2.4 ultra-wide angle camera, and a 5MP f/2.2 depth sensor.

Galaxy A9s DxOMark

DxOMark has given the Galaxy A9s a total score of 86 which is split between 90 for photo and 77 for video. The A9s is praised for its accurate white balance (indoors and outdoors) and it is also great at capturing details when you use zoom outdoors. Where it falls short is in its limited dynamic range. It also doesn’t handle bokeh well, even blurring the subject in some cases.

For videos, the Galaxy A9s is said to have an effective stabilization and also controls noise well when shooting outdoors. However, the colors are unsaturated and the autofocus is slow.

The Galaxy A9s/Galaxy A9 (2018) actually has a good camera for a mid-range phone but with a price tag of INR 28,990 (~$415) for the 6GB + 128GB version, you are better off buying the POCOPHONE F1 which has a better camera, is much more powerful and costs much less. Unless you really need the ultra-wide angle sensor in the Samsung, we see no reason why you should pick it over the POCO F1.

READ MORE: Huawei P30 Pro to share DxOMark crown with Galaxy S10 5G

Redmi Note 7 to be available via open sale in India from today

A couple of months ago, Xiaomi launched the Redmi Note 7 smartphone in the Indian market, making it one of the best offerings in its price range. Till now, the phone was available for purchase through flash sales, which isn’t anyone’s favorite method.

Now, the company has announced that the Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 will be available for purchase in India through the open sale in India. The phones will be available for purchase through Flipkart, Mi.com, and Mi Home Stores across the country.

Redmi Note 7

As for the pricing, the phone is priced at Rs. 9,999 (approximately $141) for the 3GB RAM model while the 4GB RAM model costs Rs. 11,999 (approximately $169). The smartphone comes in three color options – Onyx Black, Ruby Red, and Sapphire Blue.

Coming to the features, the Redmi Note 7 flaunts a 6.3-inch Full-HD+ “dot notch” display with 2340 x 1080 pixels screen resolution, 19.5:9 aspect ratio, and 409ppi pixel density. Under the hood, it packs Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 660 octa-core processor, clocked at 2.2 GHz and coupled with Adreno 512 GPU.

The phone comes in two variants — 3GB RAM and 4GB RAM. The 3GB RAM model has 32GB internal storage while the 4GB RAM model comes with 64GB internal storage. There’s a microSD card slot for expanding the phone’s storage capacity up to 256GB.

Coming to the camera department, the smartphone features a dual camera setup on the back, however, the Indian variant has a different camera configuration than the one launched in China. It consists of a 12-megapixel primary sensor and a 2-megapixel secondary sensor with support for PDAF, Super Night Mode, EIS, Portrait Mode, AI Scene Recognition, and HDR.

Read More: Xiaomi president claims that the company is working hard for 100W Super Charge Turbo technology mass production

On the front side, the device features a 13-megapixel sensor with AI Portrait Mode, AI Smart Beauty, HDR, and AI Scene Recognition. The phone runs Android 9 Pie-based MIUI 10 operating system out-of-the-box. The device is powered by a 4,000mAh battery and supports Quick Charge 4.0 fast charging technology.

Realme 3 Pro pre-orders to begin on April 19 at 12 AM in India

Realme will be announcing the Realme 3 Pro smartphone on April 2. Few details on the specs of the phone have surfaced in the recent leaks. In the past few days, the company had released some teasers to confirm on the key features of Realme 3 Pro. Realme India has took to Twitter to confirm that company will be carrying out blind pre-orders for the smartphone form April 19. Blind pre-order probably means placing an order of the phone without knowing much about it.

The Realme 3 Pro pre-orders will begin at 00:00 hours on April 19 in India through realme.com. Customers who pre-order the phone will only know that it is fastest performing mid-range phone with impressive photography features such as night mode, burst mode, super slow-motion video shooting. Also, the phone will offer 60 fps for gaming and it will carry support for rapid charging.

Realme 3 Pro Pre-orders

Realme 3 Pro will be made official on April 22 at 12:30 PM through a launch event in Delhi University. Rumors have it that the smartphone will come equipped with a 6.3-inch IPS LCD display with waterdrop-style notch and it will carry support for full HD+ resolution.

The Snapdragon 710 mobile platform will be powering the smartphone. The Realme 2 Pro had come with 8 GB of RAM in its highest configuration model. Hence, there is a possibility that the Realme 2 Pro may come with up to 8 GB of RAM.

Realme 2 Pro
Realme 2 Pro

The Realme 3 Pro smartphone is expected to feature a 16-megapixel + 2-megapixel dual camera setup on it rear. The primary sensor of the phone could be Sony IMX519 which was available on the OnePlus 6T and OnePlus 6 smartphones from last year. For capturing selfies, the phone could be equipped with a front-facing camera of 25-megapixel. The smartphone will be a drawing power from a battery of around 4,000mAh capacity. It will be coupled with VOOC fast charging technology developed by OPPO. The Realme 3 Pro will be also available for purchase through Flipkart.

Realme is also expected to announce the Realme C2 entry-level phone alongside the Realme 3 Pro smartphone. The smartphone is expected to sport a waterdrop-style notched display, Helio P22 SoC, 13-megapixel + 2-megapixel dual camera setup, 8-megapixel front-facing camera and a 4000mAh+ battery. It could be arriving with a staring price of Rs. 8,000 (~$115).

Qualcomm and Apple drops all litigation; Intel exits 5G smartphone modem business

One of the most intense high tech legal battle in the recent has now finally come to an end. Smartphone maker Apple and chipset manufacturer Qualcomm has announced that the companies are settling their lawsuits.

Effective immediately, all litigation between the two companies has been dropped, and the companies have signed a new patent license and chip supply agreements. The companies have not shed light on the details as the agreement is largely a private matter.

The settlement includes a payment from Apple to Qualcomm as well as a chipset supply agreement, suggesting that Apple will buy Qualcomm chips for future iPhones. However, the companies did not say how much the payment will be.

apple qualcomm

It seems that Apple will be making a one-time payment to Qualcomm to cover any IP use since Apple cut off payments to Qualcomm in 2017. Apple has also signed a 6-year patent license agreement with Qualcomm, which is being backdated to April 1st. The agreement includes a further 2-year extension option, which if Apple eventually chooses to exercise it, would take the agreement through April 2027.

Apple will also resume buying chips from Qualcomm. The companies have also signed a separate chipset supply agreement and the official announcement doesn’t say for how long beyond the fact that it’s a “multiyear” agreement. This suggests that the Qualcomm is once again going to be supplying modems for Apple’s iPhones and iPads.

Soon after the announcement went public, Intel announced that it is exiting the 5G smartphone modem business. However, the company said that it will continue to invest in its 5G network infrastructure business. It’s noteworthy that Intel was the sole supplier for iPhone modems last year but the recent report said that Apple had concerns about Intel’s ability to supply next year’s iPhone models with 5G modems.

Read More: Qualcomm announces Snapdragon 665, Snapdragon 730, and Snapdragon 730G with focus on AI, Photography, and Gaming

After the news about settlement broke, Qualcomm’s stock rose more than 20 percent, boosting its market cap by about $14.5 billion to more than $84 billion. This seems to be Qualcomm’s best day since 1999. Further, Apple was up less than 1 percent but Intel sharply dipped.

Xiaomi working hard for 100W Super Charge Turbo technology mass production, claims Xiaomi President

By March end, Xiaomi had announced its 100W Super Charge Turbo technology. After its announcement, Redmi General Manager Lu Weibing had claimed that Redmi will be mass producing the 100W rapid charging technology. Xiaomi President Lin Bin has now confirmed on Weibo that the company is working hard to mass produce it.

Yesterday, a user had asked Lin Bin on Weibo on whether the company has started the mass production of 100W fast charging. Bin responded by saying that the company is working hard to mass produce it. However, he did not share a specific time frame for it.

Xiaomi 100W fast charging mass production confirmation

The Xiaomi Mi 9 flagship phone that was announced in February is the only Mi phone that supports the fastest wired and wireless charging. In fact, Mi 9 is the world’s first flagship to arrive with 20W wireless charging. During the launch of the Mi 9, the company had revealed that the 27W wired charging is 37 percent faster than the conventional 18W rapid charging. Also, the 20W wireless charging is also 37 percent faster than the traditional 10W wireless charging.

At present, the highest level of wired charging has been mass produced is the Super VOOC flash charging technology developed by OPPO. It offers 50W rapid charging on devices like OPPO Find X Super Flash Edition, OPPO Find X Lamborghini Edition and OPPO R17 Pro.

Xiaomi had demonstrated that its 100W fast charging can fully charge a 4,000mAh battery in just 17 minutes. In comparison, OPPO’s 50W Super VOOC flash charging could charge a 3,700mAh battery up to 65 percent. Since If Xiaomi manages to achieve mass production of 100W Super Charge Turbo technology, it will be a huge leap in rapid charging in the smartphone industry. The company is yet to reveal how it was able to develop such a high speed charging technology.

Xiaomi may want to introduce 100W Super Charge Turbo technology on a flagship smartphone. the Mi MIX 4 is expected to arrive next major flagship phone, probably it come with support for 100W charging. In future, a Redmi phone with 100W charging will be also released. It remains to be seen whether Redmi will release such a phone this year.

(via)

OnePlus 7 and OnePlus 7 Pro screen and camera details revealed

The OnePlus 7 series that will go official on May 14 will include OnePlus 7, OnePlus 7 Pro and OnePlus 7 Pro 5G phones. The renders of the OnePlus 7 Pro by OnLeaks that had surfaced at the beginning of this year had revealed that it will be arriving with a notch-less display, a triple camera setup and a pop-up selfie camera. The renders of the OnePlus 7 were released by an Indian publication in collaboration with OnLeaks to reveal that it will be equipped with a waterdrop-style notched display like OnePlus 6T along with dual rear cameras. Few hours ago, OnLeaks took to Twitter to share the preliminary differences between the two devices in terms of display and camera.

OnePlus 7

As recent reports have revealed, the tipster has also claimed that OnePlus will be holding a launch event on May 14 to announce the OnePlus 7 series. The OnePlus 7 phone will be arriving with a 6.4-inch flat display with waterdrop notch and it will be sporting a vertical dual rear camera with 48-megapixel primary sensor. The renders of the OnePlus 7 had revealed that it will be equipped with an in-screen fingerprint reader.

OnePlus 7 Pro

On the other side, the OnePlus 7 Pro will be a more advanced device with a 6.64-inch curved display with notch-less design and a pop-up selfie camera. The triple camera setup of the phone will include 48-megapixel primary sensor, a telephoto lens and an ultra wide-angle lens. It will also feature an in-display fingerprint scanner.

OnePlus 7 Pro 5G

The OnePlus 7 Pro 5G is likely to resemble the OnePlus 7 Pro smartphone in terms of design and specifications. As it can be guessed, the only major difference between the two devices could be presence of X50 5G modem on OnePlus 7 Pro 5G edition.

The OnePlus 7 variants may cost around $549 and $599 whereas the OnePlus 7 Pro could be priced between $699 and $749. The OnePlus 7 Pro 5G edition may cost as high as $899. The other details on the specs of the OnePlus 7 are expected to surface in the coming weeks.

(source)

Leaked Meizu 16s promo video reveals price

The Meizu 16s is will have its launch date revealed tomorrow. There are rumors that Meizu will only announce the Meizu 16s as the Meizu 16s Plus has been canceled. Ahead of the announcement tomorrow, an unfinished promo video for the phone has leaked online and it not only shows us what the phone looks like but also reveals the price.

The 36-second video shows an unfinished render of the phone. Early leaks have revealed the phone has dual cameras. The camera housing has a slight bump and there is an LED flash below the sensors. The primary camera is a 48MP sensor and it is paired with a 5MP depth sensor. Last week, camera samples comparing it against the iPhone X, Mi 9 and Galaxy S10+ were released online.

Meizu 16s price

 

The video reveals the Meizu 16s will sell for ¥3398 which converts to about ~$506. We are not sure about the RAM and storage configuration for this but it might be the base model. We can see from the video that there will be three color variants. We believe the three variants are white, black, and blue.

READ MORE: Meizu global users complain over lack of software support

OnePlus’ CEO hints at some news about the “new device” on Wednesday, OnePlus 7 launch date?

The rumour mills have been agog with leaks about OnePlus’ upcoming flagship(s). Usually, we would have expected the OnePlus 7 to drop alone but recent leaks suggest a OnePlus 7 Pro with an interesting design may drop as well. The date for the launch is still undisclosed but that may soon become public knowledge.

Oneplus’ CEO Pete Lau took to Twitter yesterday to acknowledge that he was aware of how much fans yearn for more information about the “new device”. He then hinted that we should check back to see his post on Wednesday. We can’t say for sure what the CEO has in the offing but we believe the launch date for the OnePlus 7 may finally be announced.

Read Also: OnePlus 7 Pro rumored to launch on May 14

The launch date may not be announced but the CEO may likely also release one of the major details of the device in the form of a teaser on Wednesday. We cant be so sure of that but thank goodness, Wednesday is upon us already. We’ll keep you posted when Mr Lau tweets.

(source)

 

Germany clears Huawei for 5G infrastructure

Germany has said it will allow Huawei to build 5G infrastructure in their country if the Chinese telecommunications giant meets security requirements.

Huawei

The info was revealed by Jochen Homann, the head of Bundesnetzagentur- Germany’s Federal Network Agency, in an interview with the Financial Times. Mr. Homann said no equipment suppliers “should, or may, be specifically excluded.”. He added that they haven’t found proof of Huawei being a security risk.

He also revealed that banning Huawei will affect Deutsche Telekom and its rivals which all work with Huawei technologies already. If they were to prevent Huawei from joining the race, it will slow down the roll-out of the new network technology.

The US which has banned Huawei from setting up 5G infrastructure in the States is urging its allies to do the same. While some like Australia, Japan, and New Zealand have followed suit, others like the EU have ignored the request. The US says it will reduce intelligence sharing with Germany if they allow Huawei to build their 5G equipment.

The UK, on the other hand, has confirmed there are indeed security risks, such as “poor software engineering” and a lack of “cybersecurity hygiene” which puts the networks at risk by anyone who can take advantage of them and not just the Chinese state government. However, it hasn’t issued a ban on the communications equipment manufacturer.

Germany is proposing a unified global convention is established that prevents all equipment suppliers from installing backdoors and also requires them to sign a no-spy agreement. CEO of Huawei, Ren Zhengfei said they are in support of the no-spy agreement with Germany in an interview on CNBC.

READ MORE: Huawei P30 & P30 Pro sales coast past 200 million yuan in 20 seconds

ZTE’s 5G smartphone manages to reach 2Gbps speeds in test

Chinese telecommunications equipment giant ZTE has released a video showing the company’s 5G test rate on Weibo. In the video, it can be seen that the 5G rate reached a massive 2Gbps, while the 5G peak rate reached 2018.14Mbps.ZTE

In January this year, ZTE teamed up with China Unicom to make the first call from a 5G mobile phone. The call which was carried out at the Shenzhen 5G scale test field utilised 5G solutions provided by ZTE, including end-to-end products such as wireless access network, core network, transmission bearer network, and intelligent terminal. The 5G smartphone used for the call was ZTE’s 5G smartphone prototype that supports both the sub-6GHz and mmWave 5G mainstream bands.

Read Also: ZTE Axon 10 Pro 5G sales to begin after May 1

With such successful tests, we expect a gradual rollout of the 5G services to commence in earnest soon.   ZTE is set to begin sales of its 5G smartphone – Axon 10 Pro on May 1 which shows the rollout of 5G services in China is imminent. The Axon 10 Pro was first unveiled at MWC 2019 packing a Snapdragon 855 chipset. The device is equipped with a 6.47-inch curved full-screen AMOLED display with an FHD+ resolution and 19.5:9 aspect ratio.  The Axon 10 Pro equally packs several flagships and powerful hardware under its hood, including a triple camera setup.

(source)

Full specs and retail box of Vivo Y17 leaks

The Vivo Y17 is a mid-range phone with a massive battery expected to launch soon. Earlier today, some of its key specs leaked alongside a poster. It has now been followed by a complete leak of its specs as well as an image of its retail box.

The phone’s selling point might be its 5000mAh battery but it has more than that to offer. The Vivo Y17 has a 6.35-inch 1544 x 720 display with a waterdrop notch for a 20MP selfie camera.

The Vivo Y17 will be powered by an octa-core processor said to be the Helio P35. There is 4GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. There is no mention of a MicroSD card slot but there is OTG support.

It also has triple cameras on its back – a 13MP primary camera paired with an 8MP wide-angle camera and a 2MP depth sensor. The cameras are arranged vertically and share the same housing. There is also a fingerprint scanner on the back.

Vivo will launch the phone with Funtouch OS 9 which is based on Android 9 Pie. The Y17 has support for dual SIM and 4G LTE bands 1, 3, 5, 8, and 40. It measures 159.43 x 76.77 x 8.92 mm and weighs 190.5 grams.

Vivo Y17 retail box

The retail box is white and has a picture of the phone in front. The battery capacity, RAM, and storage are also indicated on the retail box.

READ MORE: Vivo V1832A passes TENAA, has a 32MP selfie cam

Samsung Galaxy Fold benchmarked by Master Lu with the new 512GB UFS 3.0 Flash memory shining

Samsung Galaxy Fold is yet to hit the market but the level of interests it commands despite the pricing is admirable. While the focus has been on the design all this while, little attention has been paid to the internals. Master Lu has now released the benchmark test result for the Galaxy Fold on its platform, giving us an insight into the device’s internals. Samsung Galaxy Fold

Te galaxy Fold was recently confirmed to release in China with its certification by the country’s telecom’s regulatory agency TENAA. Thus, it is no surprise the predominantly Chinese benchmark app has got a hold of the device. The test touches several aspects ranging from the performance to the UFS storage speed, CPU, GPU and RAM speed.

Read Also: Samsung Galaxy Fold hands on video extensively shows the foldable phone in action

The Galaxy Fold model number is listed as SM-F9000. It is powered by a Snapdragon 855 chipset paired with a massive 12GB LPDDR4X memory. Thus, it is no surprise, the device has a total score of 417,716 points. The score is in consonance with those of other SD855 models. However, the UFS speed reached a record level, exceeding 50,000 points which is higher than the score of other flash memories. The Fold had a read speed of 976MB/s and a write speed of 310MB/s. Samsung is an expert in the manufacture of flash memory and so, the score isn’t much of a surprise. The device also utilises the new 512GB UFS 3.0 flash memory which makes it the first flagship product with UFS 3.0 flash memory.

(source)

Samsung galaxy Fold

Meitu launches the Meitu Spa smart skin cleansing instrument

Meitu may have bid farewell to smartphone manufacturing but the brand has just announced a new beauty product. The product is dubbed Meitu Spa and will officially go on sale from April 23 priced at 598 yuan (~$89).Meitu Spa

Meitu Spa is smart beauty product with a clamshell design. It is manufactured from food-grade silicone, the same type used for baby pacifiers. The metal parts are resistant treatment with sensitive materials and meet FDA standards. The device comes with four different skin care modes namely; Sonic Cleansing, Deep Derivation, Nourishing Import, and Sensitive Massage. The product also utilises an innovative AI integration known as AI depth customization, coupled with 12-speed intensity adjustment. With this combo, Meitu claims the device can achieve a cleansing experience for thousands of persons.Meitu Spa

Read Also: Xiaomi takes over Meitu’s phone business, will manufacture Meitu-branded phones and smart products

The device is a smart product and so can be connected with a smartphone where the support app is installed. The device supports up to a range of temperature massage which can be adjusted through the app. There are three temperature categories; 39°C, 42°C and 44°C. Further, the Meitu Spa runs on a built-in 850mAh battery which can be used for up to 344 times on a single charge. The battery charges through wireless induction technology and has charge protection features against high-current, high temperature, high voltage, short circuit, low voltage, and overcharging. The portable electronic spa also comes with IPX7 waterproof and dustproof build.Meitu Spa

With the advent of Xiaomi onboard distribution of the brand’s products, we expect the Meitu Spa to find its way overseas in the near future.

(source)Meitu SpaMeitu Spa

Huawei P30 Pro to share DxOMark crown with Galaxy S10 5G

A lot of folks do not trust the DxOMark Mobile ranking for mobile phone cameras because some manufacturers use it as a marketing tool for their devices resulting in these folks believing the results are influenced. DxOMark clarified the issue last year: saying its tests are free and fair and aren’t influenced by manufacturers.

The Huawei P30 Pro is the current king of smartphone cameras, taking the top spot from its older sibling, the Mate 20 Pro when it launched last month. The Huawei flagship will have to share its crown with a phone from its main rival, Samsung.

Galaxy S10 5G DxOMark

DxOMark has reviewed the Galaxy S10 5G and has given it the same overall score as the Huawei P30 Pro – 112. It also gave it a selfie score of 97, higher than that the P30 Pro’s 89, though that is understandable since the Galaxy S10 5G has dual front-facing cameras.

A breakdown of the total score shows the Samsung flagship is better at video recording than the Huawei P30 Pro but scores less when it comes to stills. DxOMark says the impressive 5x zoom of the Huawei gives it the edge in photos.

Huawei P30 Pro DxOMark score

Samsung Galaxy S10 5G DxOMark score

The Galaxy S10 5G uses the same cameras for video recording as the S10+ but it has a higher video score. The reason is because of the S10 5G recording in 4K by default which improves texture, noise and artifact scores. The ToF camera for bokeh videos is said to not have any effect on their rating as it is not a parameter they test. However, this is a feature to consider for whoever is purchasing either of both phones.

READ MORE: Samsung rolls out urgent fingerprint scanner update to Galaxy S10 and S10+

Huawei confirms No Contact With Apple for 5G Chips

In the past few days, there were a lot of rumors about Huawei talking to Apple for supplying 5G chips. To fuel this rumor, Huawei executive went on to say that it was open to selling chips to the Cupertino giant. However, the company has finally taken an official stand. Earlier today, at Huawei’s Analyst Summit 2019, the company dismissed this rumor.

Balong 5000
Huawei’s 5G chip is called Balong 5000

During a Q&A session at the event, Huawei was asked whether there was any credibility to the rumor about Huawei supplying 5G chips for next-gen iPhone. And this was Huawei’s official reply.

“We have no change in our chipset strategy, and no communication with Apple on 5G modems.”

So now we know for sure that Huawei hasn’t been in talks with the iPhone maker.

Well, it did make sense why some people would think Huawei was the ideal company to supply Apple with 5G chips. The Cupertino giant and Qualcomm haven’t been in the best of terms recently. In fact, their latest lawsuit kicked off earlier this week. Intel would have been the next logical supplier, but the company seems to be a bit behind in schedule in its 5G chip. That leaves Samsung and Huawei. We are not quite sure how well Samsung can handle its 5G chip mass production. So, Huawei was the next logical option.

OnePlus 5G Smartphone MWC 2019
OnePlus’s 5G smartphone is based on Qualcomm’s modem

But with Huawei out of the picture, Intel or Samsung could come to Apple’s rescue. Unfortunately, Apple is yet to comment on this matter.

OnePlus jets into the Top 5 premium phone brands globally for the first time

OnePlus‘ foray into the US market has started yielding fruits. A report by Counterpoint shows that the Chinese company made an entry into the top 5 highest selling phones globally in the premium phone category in 2018. This is the first time the company is achieving this feat and it is instructive to note that it is coming at the same time the company as making it into the top 5 rankings in the US in the same category. The company also made a dominant push in India in this category, ranking behind Samsung with a 36% market share.However, it is still nowhere near the top 5 in China where there are several competitors in that segment.oneplus us

China and US boast of the two largest markets for premium phones and both countries account for 50% market share for premium phones. Other OEMs in this category include Apple with a 51% market share, Samsung with a 22% market share, Huawei with 10% and OPPO with a 6% share, in that order. OnePlus completes the ranking with a lump 2% market share. Strong sales of the OnePlus 6T accounted for the increase in market share, with China, India, and Western Europe driving 90% of its global shipments. The report also showed that the top 5 firms accounted for nearly 90% of the total premium models shipped globally even though there are up to 40 OEMs catering to this segment.Oneplus

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

For clarity, the premium category is made up of phones selling for $400 and above. All through the year 2018, OPPO saw a massive 863% YoY increase in market share in this segment, with OnePlus coming in second with a 209% increase in market share. Xiaomi also saw a healthy 149% surge in market share in the premium segment, and overall the category accounted for 22% of all smartphone sales in 2018. It is worthy to note that Samsung and Apple’s market shares slumped slightly YoY while those of the remaining three OEMs, Huawei, OPPO and OnePlus experienced some gains YoY. We expect this trend to continue this year as interests in “affordable flagships” with powerful hardware and prices around $600 continue to rise. Huawei is hoping its premium phones will drive sales despite joining Samsung is selling its flagships above $1000. OnePlus is expected to consolidate on its gains by pumping in more phones. This year the company may likely launch more than the traditional two phones.  With the OnePlus 7, and OP7 Pro already leaked, the Oneplus 7T still remains a possibility as well. Even though the prices may be jerked up slightly, we don’t see them hitting the $1000 mark.

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