WhatsApp fingerprint authentication and ‘dark mode’ appears on Android Beta

By

-

Mar 28, 2019

WhatsApp keeps testing new features in the Android Beta version, and after endless refinements, they are made available on the stable release. Similarly, WhatsApp Beta 2.19.83 brings features like fingerprint authentication and ‘dark mode’. The Facebook-owned company is working on these features since a while now, and we soon expect it on the stable version.

Earlier last month, Facebook Messenger received the dark mode, and now it appears, the company is planning to induce the same feature on WhatsApp.

According to screenshots shared by the beta tracker WABetaInfo, the new ‘dark mode’ completely changes the look and feel of the app. It is limited to the Settings menu of the app and uses a dark grey background colour. It means AMOLED displays won’t be able to save battery effectively as they require pure black colours.

Fingerprint Authentication feature is also present in the new update. Users can enable it in Settings >Account >Privacy > Use Fingerprint to Unlock after registering your fingerprint. WhatsApp also gives users an option for a timeout after 1 minute, 10 minutes or 30 minutes. As like of Android system, too many failed attempts will lock out the app for a few minutes. The same feature is already available on iOS devices since the past year, apart from fingerprint authentication, users can also unlock using facial recognition via Face ID.

Read More: WhatsApp 2.18.380 finally brings PiP mode for stable version users

The new features needs some refinement before being made available on the stable build. Currently, both the features are limited to some users on the latest WhatsApp Beta version.

(source)

Gearbest Is Offering Great Discounts On The European And Non European Union Versions Of Umidigi F1 Phablet For Three Days

By

Vinay Patel

-

Mar 28, 2019

The Umidigi F1 was made available to the public in January this year. There are two versions of this recently launched 4G phablet. While those based in EU-28 countries can go for the European Union version of the F1, users outside the EU-28 countries can buy the Non-European Union Version.

As part of its latest flash sale, Gearbest has teamed-up with the Shenzhen based mobile phone firm to offer great discounts on both the aforesaid versions of the Umidigi F1 phablet.

The European version of the feature-laden phablet would normally set you back $273.07, but you can now buy it for a reduced price of $179.99 on Gearbest. This is a significant 34 percent discount which will be valid for the black-tinted European Union variant of the F1.

Alternatively, Umidigi fans based outside the EU-28 countries can get their hands on the other variant which is specifically designed to work in other areas. This version would usually retail for $273.31, but is currently available for a slashed price of just $179.99.
Aside from taking full advantage of the discounts, new Gearbest users can avail an extra PayPal discount, wherein they get an extra $3 off if their cart total is $50. It is worth mentioning here that the offer will only be valid for the first 4000 orders daily.

An absolute steal at this price, the Umidigi F1 boasts an impressive array of features that have been mentioned below:

6.3 inches LTPS IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen with 1080 x 2340 pixels
Helio P60 Octa Core 2.0GHz processor
Mali-G72 MP3 GPU
4GB RAM, 128GB ROM
16.0MP + 8.0MP rear-mounted cameras
16.0MP front shooter
Nano SIM card + Nano SIM card / TF card
Android 9.0 Pie OS
Built-in 5150mAh Li-ion Battery
Accelerometer,E-Compass,Face ID,Gravity Sensor,Gyroscope,NFC,Proximity Sensor

You can visit this link to check out the rest of the specifications and avail the discounts, which will be valid for the black, gold and lava red color versions of the phablet. With 49 pieces remaining, the promo is slated to end in just two days.

Get 34% Off On Umidigi F1 4G Phablet

Huawei Y6 Prime (2019) goes official; Specifications and Price

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

-

Mar 28, 2019

Earlier in this month, Huawei had launched the Huawei Y6 (2019) smartphone in China. The same phone has gone official in Pakistan as Huawei Y6 Prime (2019). The major highlights of the Y6 Prime (2019) include waterdrop-style display with big screen area and Helio A22 SoC.

Huawei Y6 Prime (2019) Specifications and Features

The Huawei Y6 Prime (2019) has arrived with a 6.09-inh IPS LCD panel that offers HD+ resolution of 720 x 1560 pixels along with an aspect ratio of 19.5:9. The smartphone offers a screen-to-body ratio of 87 percent. The TUV Rheinland certified display can effectively block harmful blue rays emitted from the screen. The Helio A22 chipset that comprises of 2.0 GHz octa-core processor and PowerVR GE8320 graphics drives the smartphone with 2 GB of RAM.’

The smartphone is equipped with a native storage of 32 GB. There is a microSD card slot on the device for extra storage. The EMUI 9.0 based Android 9 Pie OS comes preloaded on the device. The handset is equipped with a 3,020mAh battery.

An f/1.8 aperture 13-megapixel camera with autofocus and LED flash is available on the backside of the Huawei Y6 Prime (2019). Placed inside the selfie notch on the front is an 8-megapixel selfie snapper that is accompanied by a front flash toning light. A fingerprint reader is available on the rear shell of the device. The other features of the Huawei Y6 Prime (2019) include face unlock, built-in FM radio, Histen 5.0 audio technology and Party mode. The smartphone measures 156.28 x 73.5 x 8mm and it weighs 150 grams.

The Chinese manufacturer is known for launching same phones in multiple countries with different monikers. The Huawei Y6 Pro (2019) that was unveiled in Sri Lanka and Philippines in the recent months has same specs as Y6 (2019). However, the Pro model lack support for fingerprint scanner, but comes with 3 GB of RAM.

Huawei Y6 Prime (2019) Price

The Huawei Y6 Prime (2019) comes in three color options in Pakistan such as Midnight Black, Sapphire Blue and Amber Brown. The smartphone carries a price tag of PBR 21,499 (~$150) in the country.

Samsung releases fold test video of Galaxy Fold showcasing its durability

By

Jeet

-

Mar 28, 2019

Last month, in February, Samsung officially unveiled its first foldable smartphone — Samsung Galaxy Fold, which will be available for purchase in the first week of May.

The phone comes with a hidden hinge system with interlocking gears that allows you to fold and unfold the device. While most smartphone manufacturers are now jumping the foldable smartphones bandwagon, there are still some concerns about its durability.

Keeping those concerns in mind about the durability of foldable smartphones, Samsung has now released a new video which shows a few Galaxy Fold smartphones undergoing the folding test. It shows a contraption that Samsung created to open and close the Galaxy Fold over and over again.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=McdgS3Popjk

The company claims that Galaxy Fold, which has an in-folding display, holds up well for 200,000 folds. That turns out to be around 100 folds per day for five years, which is a much longer time than what people usually keep their smartphones for.

With the smartphone’s availability nearing, Samsung is now taking steps to ensure the phone’s durability. The Samsung Galaxy Fold will be released in the United States on April 26 and the company will begin taking pre-orders in Europe on that day. The phone will be launched in 15 countries on May 3rd.

Coming to the specifications, when open, the Galaxy Fold smartphone presents a 7.3-inch Infinity Flex Display with a 1536 x 2152 resolution. In this mode, you can use three apps at the same time which Samsung calls Three-app Multitasking.

When folded into phone mode, it offers a 4.6-inch 840 x 1960 display. It comes with a feature called App Continuity which automatically adjust an app when you switch screens. It is powered by a 7nm processor paired with 12GB of RAM.

For the first time in a smartphone, it comes with UFS 3.0 storage with a 512GB capacity. Samsung says there are six cameras – three on the back (when folded in phone mode), one in front (also in phone mode), and two inside (in tablet mode). The camera module is made up of a 16MP ultra-wide camera, a 12MP telephoto camera, and another 12MP wide-angle camera. The selfie camera is a 10MP sensor.

The Samsung Galaxy Fold runs the latest Samsung One UI with Android 9 Pie operating system out-of-the-box. It packs a 4,380mAh battery which is split into two units. The phone is expected to be available in four colors — Martian Green, Astro Blue, Space Silver, and Cosmos Black.

Sony closing smartphone plant in China, moving production to Thailand

By

Simranpal Singh

-

Mar 28, 2019

In a surprising move, Sony Corp is closing its smartphone plant in Beijing China. To reduce the burden from its loss-making smartphone business, the Japnese electronics giant is moving production facility to its plant in Thailand.

While talking about expenses reduction, the spokesperson clarified the decision is not related to the US-China trade war. Sony aims to halve expenses and turn loss bearing business into a profitable by the next year.

As like most of the smartphone manufacturers, Sony’s smartphone sales are also dwindling from the past few quarters. The company is bearing huge loss, and even market share is down to less than one per cent due to acute competition from Chinese manufacturers. Sony is bracing for a loss of 95 billion Yen (US$863 million) in the financial year 2018-19.

With no intention to sell the smartphone business, the company aims to focus and rebuild once again to garner from the upcoming fifth-generation wireless technology. Sony believes smartphones to act as a hub for all the new technologies in the future, and even facilitate networking across cars and other devices.

Only three Japanese smartphones manufacturers – Sony, Sharp Corp and Kyocera Corp left after last year Fujitsu Ltd’s sell-off to Polaris Capital Group.

Read More: Sony Mobile To Shut Down Businesses In the Middle East, Africa and Turkey

However, Samsung is also planning to cease operations in China amid declining smartphone sales. Apple is also struggling to maintain its market share in China as more consumers are moving towards local companies such as Huawei and Xiaomi.

source

Huawei P30 and P30 Pro China price leaked ahead of April 11 Shanghai launch event

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

-

Mar 28, 2019

The Huawei P30 and P30 Pro flagship phones were official unveiled on March 26 through a global launch event in Paris, France. For China, the company will be holding an exclusive event in Shanghai on April 11 to announce the P30 and P30 Pro for the home market. Well ahead of the launch, the Chinese manufacturer has already revealed the color variants and different storage and RAM versions of both handsets by listing them on Vmall. The P30 duo are now available on pre-orders through its official online store. A fresh leak has revealed the pricing of different editions of the P30

Huawei P30 Price for China

The Huawei P30 will be hitting the Chinese markets in three storage versions such as 64 GB, 128 GB and 256 GB. These variants will be equipped with 8 GB of RAM. According to the leaked images that have surfaced on Weibo, the 64 GB, 128 GB and 256 GB Huawei P30 variants will be respectively priced at 3,988 Yuan (~$590), 4,488 Yuan (~$665) and 4,988 Yuan (~$740).

Huawei P30 Pro Price for China

The Huawei P30 Pro will be coming to China in options like 128 GB, 256 GB and 512 GB. These models are also equipped with 8 GB of RAM each. Leaked information reveals that these models of the P30 Pro will be respective priced at 5,588 Yuan (~$820), 6,288 Yuan (~$935) and 6,988 Yuan ($1040).

The Huawei P30 and P30 Pro smartphones will be available in the five color options in China. These models include: Bright Black, Breathing Crystal, Aurora, Amber Sunrise and Pearl White. Both phones can be pre-ordered in China with a deposit of 100 Yuan (~$112).

Huawei P30 and P30 Pricing for Europe

In Europe, the P30 comes in a single version of 6 GB RAM + 128 GB storage and it is priced at 799 euros (~$899). The P30 Pro is available in three models in the Europe such as 8 GB RAM + 128 GB storage, 8 GB RAM + 256 GB storage and 8 GB RAM + 512 GB storage. They are respectively priced at 999 euros (~$1,124), 1,099 euros (~$1,237) and 1,249 euros (~$1,405).

The Huawei P30 and P30 Pro respectively features 6.1-inch flat OLED and 6.5-inch curved OLED displays that produce full HD+ resolution. The Kirin 980 SoC powers both smartphones. The P30 features a 3,650mAh battery with 22.5W fast charging support whereas the P30 Pro includes 4,200mAh battery with 40W rapid charging support. The P30 is equipped with 40-megapixel + 16-megapixel + 8-megapixel triple camera unit whereas the P30 Pro features a 40-megapixel + 20-megapixel + 8-megapixel + ToF sensor quad camera setup that carries support for 10x hybrid zoom. Both devices feature 32-megapixel front-facing cameras.

(source)

Xiaomi Mi 9 vs Vivo IQOO Camera Comparison: It’s a Close Battle

By

Joel Joseph

-

Mar 28, 2019

Vivo has stepped up its flagship game with the new Vivo iQOO. The phone takes on one of the best value for money flagships right now, the Xiaomi Mi 9. Both are capable smartphones and on paper, they have solid cameras too. Well, Mi 9’s camera is certified to be one of the best with DxOMark placing it in the Top 5 Smartphone Cameras in the market.

So, how does Vivo iQOO compare with this highly rated camera flagship from Xiaomi?

Let’s find out in this Xiaomi Mi 9 vs Vivo iQOO camera comparison.

Xiaomi Mi 9 vs Vivo iQOO: Outdoor Camera Comparison

Once you go above a certain price segment, most smartphones have excellent outdoor camera performance. So, it wasn’t surprising to see both Xiaomi Mi 9 and Vivo iQOO do well outdoors.

Their cameras managed to capture a lot of details as well as colors in well-lit conditions.

But the Xiaomi Mi 9 has a slight advantage when it comes to details in daylight photos. Plus, there’s a dedicated 48MP camera mode which ensures it does better than iQOO. Further, Mi 9 tends to take pictures with real-life colors, unlike iQOO’s samples which had higher saturation.

For example, take this photograph of the street. iQOO’s sample is brighter, but Mi 9’s sample offers slightly more details.

[envira-gallery id=”243044″]

Another good case for comparison would be of the TMALL building photograph.

In this particular case, I would actually pick iQOO’s sample over Mi 9 because the colors came out really well. Mi 9’s sample looks a bit washed out. However, in the 48MP mode on the Mi 9, the phone managed to capture a good amount of detail. It does come at a cost though, the resulting image was of 17Mb as compared to iQOO’s 4.5Mb file. Honestly, there isn’t a significant difference in the amount of details for such a size difference in its 48MP mode.

[envira-gallery id=”243088″]

So, it’s not like Mi 9’s camera came out significantly better than iQOO’s camera in outdoor photography. But in general, if you look at the details and colors (closer to real life), the Mi 9 seems to have done slightly better.

Xiaomi Mi 9 vs Vivo iQOO: Indoor Camera Comparison

However, when the lights go down, Vivo seems to do better on most occasions. Vivo has a warmer tint to its samples and sometimes the tint helps the colors to pop out well. In low light, there were cases when the shots were sharper on the Vivo model.

[envira-gallery id=”243046″]

For example, in the picture of the mall at 150 percent crop, it’s clear that iQOO managed to retain better details than the Mi 9. Even in the image of the bowl with food in it, I prefer iQOO’s sample because it’s much cleaner. Mi 9 has some noise in that sample.

[envira-gallery id=”243089″]

RELATED: Vivo iQOO vs Xiaomi Mi 9: Why I would prefer iQOO over Xiaomi’s new flagship

Xiaomi Mi 9 vs Vivo iQOO: Night Photography

Xiaomi Mi 9 was good at controlling exposures at night. iQOO didn’t do so well. But when it comes to details, iQOO seems to have a slight edge over Mi 9. We could see that the Vivo model captured slightly better details on most occasions. This was evident in the picture with multiple shops and street signs.

[envira-gallery id=”243045″]

But the difference is not really significant. So, it could end up being a personal preference. For me, Vivo’s night mode samples were slightly better than Mi 9.

[envira-gallery id=”243049″]

Xiaomi Mi 9 vs Vivo iQOO Portrait and Selfies

[envira-gallery id=”243099″]

In this particular department, I feel the Vivo iQOO does better than the Mi 9. The portraits had stronger blur than its Xiaomi rival and overall, samples from the Vivo phone came out very well.

And thanks to its warmer tones, iQOO does well in selfies too. In fact, even details from its 12MP camera were better than Mi 9’s 20MP shooter up front.

[envira-gallery id=”243093″]

Overall, I feel Mi 9 does pretty well when there’s ample lighting. But Vivo iQOO gets a slight edge when the lights go down, especially when it comes to the amount of detail in each sample. Mi 9’s samples often had a lot of noise, which is the main reason why I preferred iQOO’s low-light samples.

But in general, both the phones performed really well.

[envira-gallery id=”243094″]

Check out the full-size samples from Vivo iQOO and Xiaomi Mi 9 here. Let us know which one do you prefer.

Buy Links: Get Xiaomi Mi 9 on Giztop, GearBest, Banggood, GeekBuying

Get Vivo iQOO on Giztop, Banggood, GeekBuying, GearVita

Get Great Discounts On Kospet Hope Lite And Kospet Brave 4G Smartwatch Phones On GeekBuying [Coupons]

By

Vinay Patel

-

Mar 28, 2019

Unlike traditional timepieces, newfangled smartwatches do a lot more than just tell time. One of the USPs of these gadgets is their ability to keep track of your fitness and monitor various activities, helping you lead a healthier lifestyle.
On the downside, these smartwatches aren’t easy on the pocketbook. Much to the relief of those looking for a cost-effective smartwatch that doesn’t compromise on quality, Kospet has teamed-up with GeekBuying to offer two of its well-received smartwatches at lowered prices.

Aside from shedding light on the aforesaid discounts, we’ll show how GeekBuying users can avail extra discounts before placing their order. Keep reading for more details.

Kospet Hope Lite 4G Smartwatch Phone

Sporting a 1.39-inch AMOLED outdoor display with a high screen resolution of 400×400 pixels, the Kospet Hope Lite can display information on the easily readable screen even in bright sunlight. It comes with a heart rate monitor that checks your pulses along with active as well as passive resting heart rate changes to provide a professional heart rate report.

Bearing an IP67 professional protection level, the Kospet Hope Lite 4G smartwatch phone would normally set you back $199.99, but you can now buy it for just $109.99 on GeekBuying. You can extend this 45 percent discount by using coupon code GKBMEGA08.
The aforesaid coupon helps you get an extra $8 off. In other words, you can reduce the already lowered retail price of the smartwatch phone to just $101.99 simply by applying the coupon before placing your order.

You can visit this link to avail the discount, which will be valid for the black color version of the smartwatch. Note that the promo is slated to end in four days.

Get 45% Off On Kospet Hope Lite 4G
Smartwatch Phone

Kospet Brave 4G Smartwatch Phone

The Kospet Brave sports an eye-catching 1.39-inch display with a screen resolution of 240 x 240 pixels. Its ability to show crystal clear information in sunlight makes the Kosper Brave an irresistible smartwatch phone.

It runs Android 6.0 OS, coupled with an excellent interface. Aside from that, the Kospet Brave has a heart rate and blood pressure monitor. The device delivers an excellent waterproof performance, thanks to its IP68 rating. You can carelessly wear it while swimming, washing hands etc. as it can efficiently cope with various water scenes.

While a top-branded smartwatch phone offering comparable features would normally burn a hole in your pocket, the Kospet Brave 4G smartwatch phone is now available for a heavily discounted price of just $99.99 on GeekBuying. This is a 41 percent drop in the device’s original asking price of $169.99.

Moreover, you can use coupon code GKBMEGA2 and save $5 more at check out. The coupon helps you bring the retail price of the Kospet Brave smartwatch down to only $94.99. You can visit this link to grab the discount, which is available for the device’s black color version for four days only.

Get 41% Off On Brave 4G Smartwatch Phone

OPPO A1K launch nears as it receives NBTC certification

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

-

Mar 28, 2019

The OPPO A1K with model number CPH1923 has bagged approved from the NBTC body in Thailand. Previous leaks have revealed that the OPPO A1K is a mid-range phone from the company. In the past few weeks, the smartphone was also approved in Malaysia by SIRIM and in Indonesia by TKDN agency. It was also approved by Europe’s EEC authority in the previous week.

OPPO A1K Specifications

The NBTC certification of the smartphone hasn’t revealed any new information on the specifications of the smartphone. The smartphone is expected to debut as an inferior edition of the OPPO A1 smartphone that was announced in March 2018. The OPPO A1 is equipped with Helio P23 SoC and 4 GB of RAM. However, the OPPO A1K is tipped to arrive with Helio P22 chipset and 2 GB of RAM.

The OPPO A1K may house a 6-inch display with waterdrop-style notch. The Android 9 Pie OS customized with the latest ColorOS 6.0 could be available on the device. The phone may ship with a native storage of 32 GB and for additional storage it may feature a microSD card slot. It is likely to arrive with a big battery of 4,000mAh capacity. The OPPO A1K may arrive in color variants like Red and Black in the market. As of this writing, there is no information on the price tag of the A1K smartphone.

The OPPO A1 was introduced with a price tag of 1,499 Yuan (~$222) in China last year. There is a possibility the upcoming OPPO A1K could be costing around 999 Yuan (~$149) in the home market.

The Chinese manufacturer has recently launched the OPPO A5s smartphone. It is a different CPU version of the OPPO A5 phone that was announced in July 2018. Apart from featuring the new Helio P35 SoC, there is no signification difference between the OPPO A5 and OPPO A5s.

The OPPO A5s features a 6.2-inch waterdrop-style notched display that produces HD+ resolution. The Helio P35 SoC is coupled with 3 GB of RAM. It comes with an internal storage of 64 GB. The phone features a 13-megapixel + 2-megapixel dual camera setup and a selfie shooter of 8-megapixel. A battery of 4,230mAh fuels the smartphone. The ColorOS 5.2 based Android 8.1 OS comes preinstalled on the device.

(via)

Samsung dual folding smartphone design is quite similar to Xiaomi’s foldable smartphone

By

Jeet

-

Mar 28, 2019

Samsung was among the first smartphone manufacturers to launch a foldable smartphone. The South Korean giant has already launched its first foldable smartphone — Samsung Galaxy Fold. It will be available for purchase in early May.

While Samsung has already patented several types of design for a foldable smartphone, another design has now been published on the Global Design Database of the WIPO (World Intellectual Property Office), which was filed by Samsung Electronics in 2017.

The design sketch filed with the patent application shows that the smartphone has a large flexible screen that can be folded twice. When the screen is expanded or unfolded, it turns into a tablet. When the device is folded, there will be a display on both the sides — front as well as the rear.

Samsung’s Dual Folding Smartphone design is quite similar to Xiaomi’s foldable smartphone that the company has already teased. However, both smartphones differ in terms of thickness. While the Samsung phone is thicker on the sides and thinner in the middle, the Xiaomi smartphone has similar thickness throughout.

To prevent the display from bending when the entire screen is in use, Samsung has placed a support in the middle, along the entire axis of the screen. In the folded position, the support falls nicely between the two display parts.

The renders of the Samsung Dual Folding Smartphone, created by LetsGoDigital, shows that there are no screen edges and it has a full-screen display. Thus, it’s not yet known how the South Korean smartphone maker is planning to place the camera sensor and where.

With many details missing in the renders, such as ports and sensors, it’s possible that the design is at a very early stage. However, Samsung has already indicated that it plans to launch a foldable smartphone every year — tying it with the cycle of its existing flagship line of S-series and Note-series.

(Source)

Buy The International Version Of The OnePlus 6T Phablet For Just $549.99 On Gearbest

By

Vinay Patel

-

Mar 28, 2019

Even months after hitting the store shelves, the OnePlus 6T hasn’t stopped garnering huge popularity among loyal OnePlus fans.

Taking the phone’s undying demand into consideration, the Chinese smartphone manufacturer is now offering the international version of the OnePlus 6T for a considerably lowered price on Gearbest. So without further ado, let’s delve into the details.

The OnePlus 6T would normally set you back a pretty penny on both online as well as offline stores. In collaboration with OnePlus, the Chinese online store recently kicked off flash sale, giving its users a chance to buy the well-received OnePlus 6 successor for a lowered price of only $549.99.
This is a noteworthy 22 percent reduction in the device’s original asking price of $704.37. Aside from taking advantage of the aforesaid discount, new users can get an extra PayPal discount, wherein they can save $3 if their cart total is $50, This offer will only be valid for the first 4000 orders daily.

An absolute bargain at this price, the OnePlus 6T is an irresistible phablet that boasts an impressive array of features and top-end specs. You can check out what the device has to offer in terms of features below:

6.41-inch AMOLED screen, paired with the fastest screen unlock in the world
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 Soc
Adreno 630 GPU
20MP+16MP, OIS dual-camera setup at the back
16MP front selfie camera
8GB RAM + 128GB ROM
Nano SIM card + Nano SIM card
E-compass, Fingerprint Sensor, Gravity Sensor, Accelerator, Light Sensor, Gyroscope
Oxygen OS 9.0.5 base on Android 9.0 Pie OS
3700mAh battery, fast charging supported

You can click here to visit the promotion page to check out the rest of the specification and avail the discount, which will be valid for the midnight black color version of the OnePlus 6T phablet. With only 91 pieces remaining, the promo is slated to end in two days.

Get 22% Off On OnePlus 6T 4G
Phablet

Check Out 2019 Best Smartphone
Deals On Gearbest

OPPO Reno SD855 edition to feature copper tube liquid cooling

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

-

Mar 28, 2019

The upcoming Oppo Reno smartphone will be arriving in two models. The regular edition of the phone will be fueled by Snapdragon 710 chipset whereas the higher variant will have Snapdragon 855 mobile platform. OPPO VP Yiren Shen has confirmed that these two editions of the Oppo Reno will be equipped with different cooling technologies.

Through a new Weibo post, Shen has revealed that the Oppo Reno Snapdragon 710 edition will make use of heat-conducting gel and graphite sheet for heat dissipation. The Snapdragon 855 variant of the OPPO Reno will include a copper tube liquid cooling heat sink.

OPPO Reno Variants

It appears that there will be as many as three variants of the OPPO Reno phone. The Snapdragon 710 model could be unveiled as OPPO Reno Lite. The Bluetooth SIG certificationv of the Snapdragon 710 variant that has a model number of CPH1917 has revealed that it will be featuring a 6.4-inch display that will produce full HD+ resolution. For photography, it will be equipped with a 48-megapixel + 5-megapixel dual camera setup and a frontal shooter of 16-megapixel.

The Snapdragon 855 variant of the OPPO Reno that has a model number of CPH1919 has also received Bluetooth SIG certification. It has been revealed through the Bluetooth SIG approval that it will be arriving with a 6.65-inch display that will offer full HD+ resolution. The handset will be offering a screen-to-body ratio of 93.1 percent. On its rear will be a triple camera setup with 48-megapixel primary sensor, an 8-megapixel secondary sensor and a third sensor of 13-megapixel. It will include a periscope lens to bring support for 10x hybrid zoom. It will be also equipped with a 16-megapixel front-facing camera.

There will be a 5G edition of the OPPO Reno phone. Its model number is CPH1921. The OPPO Reno 5G will be probably feature the same specs as its 4G LTE variant. However, the SD855 SoC on the 5G variant will be accompanied by X50 5G modem. The other features of the SD855 edition of the OPPO Reno include 4,065mAh battery, NFC and VOOC 3.0 fast charging.

There is no information available on the pricing of the OPPO Reno phone. The handset will be hitting the market in color options such as Midnight Black, Sea Green, Nebula Purple and Pink.

(source)

Alleged Nubia Red Magic 3 (NX629J) 3C certification reveals 30W rapid charging support

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

-

Mar 28, 2019

A new Nubia phone with model number NX629J has bag 3C certification in China. It seems to be the successor of the Nubia NX619J phone that was introduced in the market as Nubia Red Magic Mars gaming phone. Hence, it appears that the newly spotted NX629J device could be the upcoming Nubia Red Magic 3 gaming smartphone.

The 3C certification of the Nubia NX629J reveals that it will be supplied a charger that supports up to 30W PD rapid charging. Nubia CEO Ni Fei had recently claimed that the upcoming Red Magic gaming phone will be equipped with a battery that starts with “5” which indicates it could be packed with at least 5,000mAh battery. With support for 15V/2A charging, the Red Magic 3 will take lesser time to charge completely.

The Red Magic 3 is likely to be powered by the Snapdragon 855 mobile platform and 12 GB of RAM. To keep the internal temperature under control, the upcoming gaming phone from Nubia will be equipped with hybrid cooling system that may possibly comprise of liquid cooling, air cooling and a turbo fan. It is said that the intensity of the fan will automatically change depending on the phone’s temperature and the different kind of tasks that are running on the device.

The smartphone is expected to deliver an impressive refresh rate for smoother gaming experience. The rumor mill is speculating that it may offer 120 Hz refresh rate like the Razer Phone. The handset will be arriving with enhanced eye protection features too. to protect the eyes from getting damaged due to prolonged gaming. For a more advanced haptic feedback during gameplay, it will be equipped with a 4D vibration system.

Now that the alleged Nubia Red Magic 3 has bagged 3C approval, it appears that its debut won’t be very far away. The smartphone may debt in the coming month. The Black Shark 2 gaming phone has gone official recently with a price tag of 3,199 Yuan (~$475). The Red Magic 3 that will be arriving as a major rival for it may carry a similar price tag.

(via)

ZTE posts a record $1 billion loss for the year 2018

By

Jeet

-

Mar 28, 2019

ZTE went through very rough times last year because of the ban imposed on the company by the U.S. Commerce Department in April 2018. The ban nearly forced the company to shut down but three months later, it reached to deal by paying fines.

However, that ban put a significant toll on the company’s finances. For the year 2018, ZTE — one the leading telecom equipment manufacturer in the world, reported an annual loss of whopping 6.98 billion yuan, which roughly converts to $1.04 billion.

While the loss is within the company’s own estimate of loss ranging from 6.2 billion to 7.2 billion yuan, but it’s worse than the 6.2 billion yuan predicted loss by the analysis of investment firms. The company’s annual gross is reported to be 85.5 billion yuan in 2018, down 21.4% from 2017.

It’s noteworthy that the company did manage to get the things back to normal during the last quarter of 2018, i.e. from October to December during which the company posted a 276 million yuan net profit, which roughly converts to $41 million, with revenue amounting to 26.7 billion yuan.

Shenzhen-based ZTE mainly attributed its biggest annual loss to the $1 billion penalties that the company paid to the US government last year as settlement for breaching the terms of an earlier deal on trade sanctions violations.

In order to rescind the ban, ZTE agreed to pay $1 billion in fines and put $400 million in escrow as a down payment against future violations. Further, the company also agreed to overhaul its board and executive team. For those who are unaware, the ban was imposed on ZTE for selling goods to Iran and North Korea, both of which were under U.S. Economic sanctions at the time.

Despite going through hard times, the company hasn’t given up on innovating. The company is working on two concept phones with a high screen-to-body ratio. While one uses a side sliding panel to house all cameras and sensors, the other uses a flap that juts out from the side of the phone to carry the selfie snapper. It is also working on a foldable smartphone.

According to the data released by Counterpoint Research, ZTE was the fourth most popular smartphone brand in the U.S. with an 11% market share in the first quarter of 2018. However, from the second quarter through the end of the year, ZTE fell out of the top five.

Going forward, the company is planning to ratchet up investments in 5G technology research and development, along with cybersecurity initiatives, to support the deployment of next-generation mobile networks around the world.

Via

Huawei Mate 30 testing begins; Company aiming for September or October launch

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

-

Mar 28, 2019

Earlier this week, Huawei had launched the P30 and P30 Pro smartphones to replace the P20 and P20 Pro smartphones from last year. An official information that was shared during the company’s press briefing in Malaysia has confirmed that it has started working on the Mate 30 series.

A company official confirmed that the testing process of Huawei Mate 30 has already begun. He also revealed that Mate 30 series will be made official in September or October. The Mate 30 family will include members like Mate 30 Lite, Mate 30 and Mate 30 Pro. These devices will be arriving to succeed the Mate 20 Lite, Mate 20 and Mate 20 Prov phones that were unveiled in October last year.

The Huawei P30 series have arrived as a major rival for the Galaxy S10 lineup by Samsung. The South Korean company has also introduced the 5G-ready smartphone called Galaxy S10 5G. The Chinese manufacturer has confirmed that it won’t be releasing a 5G version of P30 or P30 Pro. The reason behind it is that the company feels that the timing is not right to launch a 5G now since more countries are expected to support in the coming year.

Huawei CEO Richard Yu has recently stated that the company is considering releasing a 5G edition of the upcoming Mate series phone. While the Mate 30 Lite could be a mid-range phone with Kirin 710 or a similar processor under its hood, the Mate 30 and Mate 30 Pro are rumored to be powered by the forthcoming Kirin 985 chipset. The SoC is said to be manufactured through 7nm EUV process. The new chipset will not only deliver faster processing speeds, but it may take along Balong 5000 5G modem.

In January, a patent filing of the company that featured a smartphone design with massive cutout for the rear-mounted cameras. The patent images of the phone have given birth to rumors that the upcoming Mate 30 Pro may come with the same design. The huge cutout on the rear indicates that the device could be equipped with a penta-lens setup. An interesting thing about this advanced phone was that it includes a round-shaped cutout on its top edge. While some may feel that it the cutout could be for the 3.5mm audio jack, there is a possibility that it may belong to an IR blaster. Rumors are also claiming that the Mate 30 and Mate 30 Pro could be equipped with punch-hole displays.

(source)

Huawei P30 witnesses 10 times as many pre-orders as the P20

By

Jeet

-

Mar 28, 2019

Earlier this week, Huawei took the wraps off its latest flagship lineup — the Huawei P30 series smartphones. Both the smartphones — P30 and P30 Pro are available for pre-orders in China and are breaking records.

According to the data from online retailer Tmall, the pre-order for Huawei’s latest P-series smartphones are 10 times more compared to the pre-order of the Huawei P20-series smartphones last year.

The crown for the most pre-ordered smartphone is now taken away from the P20-lineup by the latest P30-series. The company also revealed that in one version, the entire P30 Pro batch was reserved in just 5 minutes.

The overwhelming response for the smartphones in China is noteworthy given that the company has not yet announced the pricing of the Huawei P30 and P30 Pro smartphones in China. While the numbers are from one retailer only, but it’s an indicator that the P30 series will outsell its predecessor.

The Huawei P30 has a 6.1-inch FHD+ OLED DCI-P3 HDR display with a 19.5:9 aspect ratio while the P30 Pro comes with a larger 6.47-inch FHD+ curved OLED display. The phone doesn’t have an earpiece, instead, it uses Acoustic Display Technology.

Both the phones are powered by the Kirin 980 chipset with up to 8GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. There is support for storage expansion using Huawei’s NM Card. The P30 comes with a triple-camera setup while the Pro model features a quad-camera setup.

The P30 has a 3,650mAh battery with support for 22.5W fast charging while the P30 Pro has a 4,200mAh battery with support for 40W fast-charging and support for 15W wireless fast charging. Both phones run EMUI 9.1 based on Android Pie.

The Huawei P30 is priced at €799 and that gets you 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. The P30 Pro starts at €999 for the 8GB RAM + 128GB version, jumps to €1099 for the 8GB RAM + 256GB version and €1249 for the 8GB RAM + 512GB version. However, as said earlier, the Chinese pricing of the smartphone still remains unknown.

Buy Link:

Get Huawei P30 (from $899) and Huawei P30 Pro (from $1199) on Giztop

Check out Huawei P30 on Banggood

Buy Huawei P30 and Huawei P30 Pro on GeekBuying

Pre-Order Top Variants Of The Huawei P30 Pro Smartphone On Giztop

By

Vinay Patel

-

Mar 28, 2019

Huawei recently took the wraps off its new flagship smartphone series dubbed, the Huawei P30 series during a launch event that took place in Paris, France. Sticking to its dual devices strategy, the Chinese consumer electronics manufacturer launched announced two phones including the Huawei P30 and the P30 Pro.
BOE Vice President Yuan Wei recently confirmed that BOE has provided the display panel for the P30 Pro. In other words, Huawei will not have to depend solely on one vendor for the display panels and can increase the productions if needed.

The larger sibling of the Huawei P30, the P30 Pro sports a mammoth 6.47-inch FHD+ curved OLED display. The phone replaces the traditional earpiece with Acoustic Display Technology. Moreover, it packs a powerful Hisilicon Kirin 980 processor along with a highly competent Mali G76 720MHz GPU, under the hood.

The P30 Pro ships with 8GB/12GB of RAM and offers ample storage space with 128GB/256GB/512GB onboard storage capacity. These variants of Huawei’s recently unveiled smartphone have gone up for pre-order on Giztop.
The 8GB RAM, 128GB ROM variant of the P30 Pro comes in amber sunrise, Aurora, pearl white, black and breathing crystal color versions bearing a $1,199 price tag. The slightly larger 8GB RAM, 256GB ROM model is available in the same color versions but would set you back $1,349.

Alternatively, you can pre-order the 8GB RAM and 512GB ROM variant that comes in amber sunrise, Aurora, black, breathing crystal, and pearl white color versions if you are willing to shell out $1,499. It is worth noting that the phone will be shipped within 2-3 weeks after you pre-order it.

Loaded with awe-inspiring features and top-end specs, the Huawei P30 Pro is likely to sweep smartphone lovers off their feet. Here’s what the phone has to offer in terms of features:

6.47-inch FHD+ curved OLED screen, paired with an in-display fingerprint reader
Hisilicon Kirin 980 Processor
Mali G76 720MHz GPU
6GB/8GB RAM, 128GB/256GB/512GB ROM
Leica Quad Rear Camera: 40MP+20MP+8MP & a ToF sensor
32MP selfie shooter
EMUI 9.1 base on Android Pie 9.0 Pie OS
4200mAh battery that supports 40W Super Charge and 15WFast wireless charging
IP68 rating

You can follow this link to check out the full specification of the Huawei P30 Pro and pre-order your favorite variant of the phone from Giztop.

Pre-Order Huawei P30
Pro

Huawei releases wireless charging case for the Huawei P30

By

Habeeb Onawole

-

Mar 27, 2019

One of the major differences between the Huawei P30 and Huawei P30 Pro is support for wireless charging in the latter. Yeah, it is indeed sad that Huawei decided not to add wireless charging to a phone that sells for €799 but that doesn’t mean you can’t charge the phone wirelessly.

Although there is no wireless coil built into the phone, you can still charge the Huawei P30 using a wireless charger thanks to an official wireless charging case made for the phone. The case not only allows you to charge the phone wirelessly, but it also provides enough protection for the edges and has a non-slippery texture to provide a firm grip when you hold it. Plus the design is really gorgeous.

The Huawei P30 Wireless Charging Case supports 10W wireless quick charging (using the Huawei wireless charger) which is slower than the P30 Pro’s 15W wireless charging. It also has a TÜV Rheinland safety certification and Qi certification. The case has a built-in permeable magnetic material that allows it to easily attach to the phone holder in your car. It is available in two colors – orange and turquoise/green. There is no info yet on the price and availability.

[envira-gallery id=”243148″]

Continue

Xiaomi’s foldable smartphone features in official video teaser

By

Jed John Ikoba

-

Mar 27, 2019

Xiaomi sent the tech media into a frenzy in January when the company’ VP Wang Zhang released a video of himself operating a Mi foldable phone that has had been in the works. After the dust generated by the media frenzy died down, it was disclosed that the phone would not be released anytime soon. Rightly so, since then, little has been heard from the firm concerning the double folding phone. Well, until now as Xiaomi has released a new video which teases the foldable device. This teaser may be a suggestion that the foldable phone may debut soon.

The teaser video is a short one, barely 10 seconds long. It is a demo of the phone, showing the device being operated while flat and then folded. As you may have known, the Mi foldable phone uses a double fold design. The video also shows the operator using it with gesture control which is more a feature of Android 9-based MIUI 9. Gesture controls are always handy with one-handed operations especially since the display will be very big.

The Mi Foldable smartphone is expected to pack a Snapdragon 855 chipset. The folding phone’s display is said to be co-developed with Visionox. The device is expected to be unveiled anytime in the second quarter of the year around April to June. The device is touted to adopt half the price tag of the Galaxy Fold which starts at $1,980.

(source, via)

An early user reveals some unannounced details of the Samsung Galaxy Fold

By

Jed John Ikoba

-

Mar 27, 2019

Interests in Samsung Galaxy Fold continues to grow by the day as we await the sales of the foldable phone to commence. When Samsung announced the model last month, not all the details of the model was revealed. The phone is yet to be released but apparently, Samsung has sent out some units to reviewers who are under strict instructions not to show pictures or videos of the phone but are not barred from sharing details about the model. One of the early users has hosted a Q&A on Twitter where some of the nitty-gritty details of the device were revealed.

Since the Galaxy Fold uses a hinge design, there have been concerns about the sturdiness of the hinge. So, a respondent asked if the phone can bend in the opposite direction if that happens accidentally. It was revealed that the Fold has a sturdy hinge and can’t accidentally bend the wrong way which could damage the device. In case you are still wondering, the Fold still has a crease on the display when it is unfolded. The user says it is noticeable but played down any concerns of it being a bad thing. He noted that it is difficult to notice when the screen is on and the brightness is set above 70%. In addition, the screen can only be used when fully opened. The screen turns off if it is not fully opened. So, no chance you can use it as a laptop. The Q&A also revealed some few flaws in the interface which we expect to be fixed before the official roll out. You can read the entire Q&A from the source link below.

The Galaxy Fold was also confirmed to hit Europe with a Snapdragon 855 chipset onboard with performance comparable to the Galaxy S10+. This is in line with earlier rumours that the model hitting Europe and Asia won’t feature an Exynos chipset. The device packs a 4,380mAh battery which will likely have fast charging technology considering the battery has to power up two displays. On the software end, it runs Samsung’s One UI 1.2 based on Android 9 Pie.

(source)