Android Q Beta 1 released for all Pixel phones; New features revealed

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Mar 14, 2019

Google has released the first beta edition of the Android Q for all the Pixel phones that have launched so far such as Pixel 3 XL, Pixel 3, Pixel 2 XL, Pixel 2, Pixel XL and Pixel. The beta build can be installed on the Pixel devices by enrolling in the Android Beta Program first.

Previously, the first preview build of predecessor Android versions were installable only through manual processor since it was aimed towards developers. However, the Android Q first preview can be received over-the-air. The Android Q Beta 1 is aimed towards the developers for testing their apps for the new version of Android. Coming to the Pixel phones, the original Pixel smartphones have already received the promised 2-year Android OS updates. Hence, it is surprising the arrival of Android Q for Snapdragon 821 powered Pixel and Pixel XL phones from 2016.

In May, Google will be holding its I/O 2019 conference to announce the key features of the Android Q. The successor of Android P comes with a new permission management setup for tracking location that provides users three options for apps to access device’s location all the time or allow it while the app is in use or deny.

Controlling apps that access photos, videos and audio files have become easier to manage on Android Q. Also, apps are required to use the system file picker inside the Downloads folder so that users can choose which files can be access by the app. The new version of Android prevents apps for opening activities in the background. Just as Android 9 Pie came with different kinds of display notch designs, the Android Q has been designed to better manage the contents on devices with foldable screens.

Also, the access to sensitive information such as IMEI number and serial number will be restricted on Android Q. The Wi-Fi stack in the new OS comes has been rebuilt to deliver enhanced privacy and performance. There will be a high-performance mode with low latency so that users can take advantage of stutter-free Wi-Fi connectivity while playing games, video and voice calls.

Other features of Android Q include new codecs such as AV1, Opus encoding and HDR10+ on supported devices, revamped Sharing Shortcuts, improved ART runtime and Dynamic Depth open source format that allow third-party apps to apply specialized burs and bokeh options.

Read More: Google’s latest teaser points to March 19 Gaming console launch

Google will be releasing six beta editions of Android Q. The first one will come in March and the second one will be arriving in April. The third build will be released in May and the fourth will be rolled out in June. These four builds are mainly meant for testing while the Beta 5 and Beta 6 are release candidates. The final edition of the Android Q OS is scheduled to arrive within Q3 this year.

(source)

Huawei P30 Pro red variant renders leaked; Key features also revealed in fresh images

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Mar 14, 2019

The design of the Huawei P30 and P30 Pro flagship phones have been revealed through their leaked renders that had surfaced in the previous month. Fresh renders that have been shared by WinFuture.de reveal that the P30 Pro will be arriving in a very attractive red color. Also, the new images have also revealed some key features of these phones.

Huawei P30 Pro Sunrise Red

Previously seen renders of the Huawei P30 and P30 Pro had revealed that it would be available in colors like Black, Aurora, and Ice White. However, the new renders show that the P30 Pro will be available in another color called Sunrise Red. The top portion of the new color is lighter and has an orangish appeal and it appears red towards the bottom.

The Sunrise Red option that will remain exclusive to the Huawei P30 Pro may not be available in all markets where the phone releases. The other images show that the P30 Pro will not be featuring a 3.5mm audio jack. On the other side, the bottom edge of the Huawei P30 will be featuring an external speaker, a USB-C port, a microphone and a 3.5mm headphone jack. The antenna lines are also noticeable on the bottom edge of the P30.

Huawei P30 top and bottom — Huawei P30 and bottom

The antenna bands are also visible on the top edge of the Huawei P30 and P30 Pro. Also, the P30 Pro will be featuring an IR blaster on the top edge of the device. The P30 handset won’t be featuring it.

Huawei P30 and P30 Pro Specifications

The Kirin 980 powered Huawei P30 and P30 Pro will respectively feature 6.1-inch flat OLED and 6.5-inch curved OLED displays with waterdrop notch design. The P30 will be coming with 6 GB of RAM and 128 GB of storage whereas the P30 Pro will have 8 GB of RAM and 128 GB of storage. Both phones are expected to carry support nanoSD card slots. The P30 Pro is also expected to come in 256 GB and 512 GB storage models.

Read More: Huawei Nova 4e hands-on images leaked few hours before launch

These phones are rumored to be fitted with 32-megapixel front-facing cameras. The triple cameras of the P30 may support 5x loseless zoom. The P30 that features an additional ToF (Time of Flight) sensor in its quad camera setup is expected to deliver 10x loseless zoom. The P30 Pro may offer 40W fast charging whereas the P30 may come with 22.5W rapid charging. There is no accurate information available on the batteries of these devices.

The pricing of the P30 and P30 Pro are still under the wraps. These phones along with the P30 Lite are slated to go official on March 26 through an unveil event in Paris, France on March 26.

(source 1, 2)

Get Up To 40% Off On Mobile Repair And Replacement Parts On Sunsky

By

Vinay Patel

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Mar 14, 2019

Smartphone owners usually spend a lot of money on mobile phone accessories in order to either enhance the appearance or boost the overall performance of their handsets. Keeping in line with that, the market is rife with all sorts of wireless chargers, batteries, Bluetooth headsets, phone cases etc.

If you are looking for cost-effective mobile phone accessories and parts that do not compromise on quality, Sunsky’s got your back! The popular mobile phone accessories whole-selling website is giving its users a chance to grab up to 40 percent discount on a wide selection of mobile repair and replacement parts.

The promotion page that features a slew of highly useful items has been split into multiple categories so that users can find the product they’re looking for without breaking a sweat. More importantly, all items included in the aforesaid categories carry heavily discounted prices.
For the sake of an instance, the ‘Special Offer’ category includes the Front Screen Outer Glass Lens for Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro(Black) that would normally set you back $0.65, but thanks to a 40 percent discount, you can now buy it for just $0.39. Aside from that, you can grab great discounts on the rest of the products included in this section.

iPhone users looking for repair or replacement parts for their feature-laden mobile devices can head straight to the next category called ‘iPhone Series Parts.’ You can buy spare parts for your iPhone 8 Plus, iPhone 7, iPhone XR and other well-received iPhone branded phones without emptying your pockets.

Samsung Galaxy’s loyal fans haven’t been ignored either. The promotion page features a ‘Galaxy Spare Parts’ category, wherein users can get their hands on various spare parts for their Galaxy J6, Galaxy J5, Galaxy J4+, and Galaxy S7 Edge phone just to name a few.

Likewise, Huawei phone owners can check out the ‘Huawei Spare Parts’ section. Here you can buy a myriad of spare parts such as a SIM card tray, back camera lens, charging port board, back facing camera etc. at considerably reduced prices.

The rest of the sections include spare parts for Xiaomi, OPPO, Vivo mobile phones. Moreover, you can buy repair tools at lowered prices as well. You can visit this link to check out the promotion page and take full advantage of the discount before the promo ends.

Get Great Discounts On Repair And Replacement Parts

Xiaomi Black Shark 2 Mobile Gaming phone Reservation opens on official website

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Mar 14, 2019

Xiaomi‘s Black Shark gaming phone recently got a rival in the sleek Vivo iQOO that was launched a couple of weeks back. In other to continue to maintain its grip of the market, the company is expected to rejig the gaming phone lineup with the Black Shark 2. The company has already revealed that the Black Shark 2 will be launched on March 18. Ahead of the official launch, the reservation page for the flagship gaming rig has gone line on lack Shark’s official store.

The Black Shark 2 reservation page affords interested buyers to indicate their interest before it goes official. In that way, they will be notified when the pre-order starts or it goes on sales. The price for the model is just listed as 9,999 yuan which is apparently a place holder. The actual price will be revealed when it is launched. The variants and colour options are also not revealed in the listing. We’ll have to stay put till the launch date.

The Black Shark 2 is expected to feature Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 855 chipset and will have up to 12GB RAM, likely on one of the variants. This much was revealed when the device appeared on GeekBench a week back. The device has also appeared on AnTuTu showing there will be a variant with 8GB of RAM and 128GB internal storage. The gaming phone will also come with a display resolution of 2340 x 1080 pixels. It will run Android 9.0 Pie out of the box.

(source)

Get Great Discounts On The Xiaomi Mi A2 And Mi 8 Lite Smartphones [Coupons]

By

Vinay Patel

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Mar 14, 2019

It looks like Xiaomi fans are in for a treat. The Chinese smartphone manufacturer has teamed up with Banggood to offer two of its well-received smartphones at reduced prices. Moreover, we’ll show how you can save extra money at checkout.

Xiaomi Mi A2 Smartphone (4GB RAM, 64GB ROM)

The Xiaomi Mi A2 smartphone was made available to the public back in July last year. Even months after hitting the store shelves, the phone continues to garner huge popularity among smartphone lovers.

Taking the phone’s undying demand into consideration, the Chinese electronics giant is now offering the Mi A2 smartphone at a reduced price on Banggood.
The aforesaid variant of the phone that ships with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage would normally set you back $309.99, but you can now buy it for only $229.99 on Banggood. You can extend this 27 percent discount by applying coupon code 3BGA24CL.

The coupon helps you save $60 by reducing the retail price of the Mi A2 smartphone to just $169.99 before you place your order. You can visit this link to grab the discount before the promo comes to an end. Note that the coupon will only be valid for 60 pieces only.

Get 27% Off On Xiaomi Mi A2 Smartphone

Xiaomi Mi 8 Lite (4GB RAM, 64GB ROM)

Launched in September 2018, the Mi 8 Lite is quite an irresistible smartphone that usually sells for $299.99. In a bid to make the Mi 8 Lite available to those living on a tight budget, Xiaomi is now offering the well-received handset for a reduced price of only $228.49 on Banggood.
This is a noteworthy 24 percent drop in the device’s original asking price of $299.99. On top of that, you can use coupon code 3M8LCL and bring the already lowered asking price of the Mi 8 Lite smartphone further down to just $198.79. In other words, you can get an extra $29.7 off simply by applying the coupon during the checkout process.

You can visit this link to avail the discount, which will specifically be valid for the black color version of the phone for a limited period of time. It is also worth noting that the coupon is slated to expire soon as well.

Get 24% Off On Xiaomi Mi 8 Lite Smartphone

Check Out Banggood March New Season Tech Event

Huawei Nova 4e hands-on images leaked few hours before launch

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Mar 14, 2019

Huawei will be announcing the Nova 4e smartphone later today. Few hours ahead of its launch event, leaked hands-on shots of the smartphone have surfaced to reveal its appearance in real.

Huawei Nova 4e Hands-On Images

The Huawei Nova 4e hands-on shots show that it will come equipped with a tall aspect ratio display along with a slightly thick chin. The waterdrop notched display design will allow it to deliver a screen-to-body ratio of nearly 90 percent.

The glass rear of the phone features a vertical triple camera unit followed by an LED flash. A fingerprint reader also resides on the rear shell of the device. The following image shows that the handset could be available in three colors such as Gold, Black and Blue. Its bottom edge will feature an external speaker grille, a microphone, a USB-C port and a 3.5mm audio jack. The leaked renders of the phone that surfaced yesterday had revealed that the phone would also available in White color option.

Read More: Camera samples showing the Huawei P30 Pro’s Super Zoom feature in action

Huawei Nova 4e Specifications

The Huawei Nova 4e is rumored to be fitted with a 6.15-inch IPS LCD display. It will be offering full HD+ resolution and 19.5:9 aspect ratio. The Kirin 710 chipset will be fueling the 4 GB and 6 GB RAM editions of the phone. Both models will be packed with 128 GB of native storage and a microSD card slot for additional storage.

The Android 9 Pie OS customized with EMUI 9 skin will come preloaded on the Huawei Nova 4e. It may come with a 3,240mAh battery to keep the lights on. The front notch will be housing a 32-megapixel selfie shooter and the triple camera setup on its rear may include a 24-megapixel main sensor, an 8- megapixel secondary lens and a 2-megapixel sensor. The handset is expected to carry support for 18W fast charging.

As of this writing, there is no information on the price of the Nova 4e. Huawei will be releasing the same phone as P30 Lite in the European markets.

(source|via)

China’s 5G said to be facing technical constraints that may slow down its rollout

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Mar 14, 2019

The next big thing in the tech industry is, no doubt, 5G technology. The race has been on between China and the U.S on who will be the first to roll out the technology. From the look of things, China has the upper hand and was billed to officially roll out its 5G network in Q1 2019. That may not happen soon as a report by US investment bank Jefferies says China’s next-generation 5G mobile network could be pushed back due to technical constraints. The report also cited signs of a more “rational view” by Beijing as another reason why the rollout may be delayed.

Jeffries reports that analysts have cut forecasts for China’s overall 5G capital expenditures (capex) by 8% or 57 billion yuan ($8.49 billion) in 2020 to 2022 and pushed expectations for peak capital expenditure out to 2023 from 2021 to 2022 in a recent report that re-evaluates 5G timing and rollout following a critical development in December. The Chinese government has already allocated radio frequency spectrum to China’s three telecommunications companies. This will enable the companies to embark on final trials before wide commercial implementation will commence in 2020. This action has spurred a round of financial re-assessments. Other factors that could play influential roles in the forecasts changes include recent 2G re-farming indicators as well as signs of moderating mobile data price pressure from the government.

Equity analyst Edison Lee stated in the report that even though the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) placed “accelerating 5G” as a top priority, the rollout will likely not happen as quickly as expected due to “…the likely lack of a range of affordable 5G handsets and attractive applications (both consumer and industrial).”At the moment, just a few OEMs have launched their 5G-enabled smartphones in China. Although a couple more 5G smartphones will hit the China market before the year runs out, we expect 5G to pick up the pace from next year. So, you may want to hold on for now if you’re thinking of emptying your wallet for a 5G phone.

(via)

Gearbest Celebrates Its 5th Birthday With Great Discounts And Unmissable Deals

By

Vinay Patel

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Mar 14, 2019

Gearbest is celebrating its 5th anniversary this year with a five-day long sale that offers 55 percent off to those who spend over $55.55 on the promotion page.

Aside from that, the Chinese online store is giving its loyal users to grab a 5 percent discount on cell phone accessories and a slew of other unmissable deals.

As part of its 5th birthday celebration, Gearbest is doling out noteworthy discounts on a wide selection of products that have been split into various categories.

Known for offering China’s best electronic items at unbeatable prices, Gearbest has introduced a ‘Pre-Order Sale’ category on the promotion page.

Gearbest users can deposit just $5 and get growth of $50. You can pre-order a slew of electronic items such as phones, tablets, RC toys, appliances etc. by paying a deposit before 6:59 UTC March 21 and pay balance between March 21st (7:00 UTC) to March 28th (6:59 UTC).

In other words, the payment will be split into two parts: first deposit and final payment. In order to ensure bigger savings, Gearbest will apply a free bonus dubbed “deposit expansion” in order to increase your deposit. The exact amount of the increase will depend on the product.

Likewise, the recently kicked-off promotion features a ‘Flash Sale’ section that comprises hottest deals on the Xiaomi Pocophone F1 and Mi A2 Lite phablets. As a result, you can get your hands on the Pocophone F1 for a reduced price of only $309.99 and the Mi A2 Lite for just $169.99.

In a bid to make top branded smartphones available to its cost-conscious buyers, Gearbest has introduced the Top Cellphone Brand Sale. The promotion features well-received smartphones like the Redmi Note 6, Mi 8 Pro, and Nokia X6 at considerably reduced prices.

The ‘Gearbest 5th Anniversary Sale’ promotion page also features items that are slated to arrive in just five days. More importantly, all items included in the aforesaid section are available for lowered prices. If you fancy buying more pieces of an item in a bid to save money, you can head straight to the next section called Buy More, Save More.’

Much to the delight of brand-conscious buyers, the promo features a category called ‘Brand Champions,’ wherein you can get your hands on high-end items from leading brands like go, comma, utorch, Beelink, Lenovo etc. without emptying your pocket.

You can visit this link in order to check out the promotion page and take full advantage of the discounts that will only be valid for five days.

Check Out Gearbest 5th Anniversary Sale

Deposit $5 And Get $50 Growth

Check Out Top Cellphone Brand Sale

Xiaomi Mi 9 SE is probably the last of its kind; Lin Bin hints

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Mar 13, 2019

Xiaomi’s president Lin Bin has disclosed that the Mi 9 SE will be the last model of its kind but it’s not what you think. The Chinese tech giant had hinted severally that it will stop releasing cheap flagships under the Mi brand soon. However, he wasn’t referring to the cheaper price tag of the Mi 9SE but was talking about the size of the phone.

Now, the Mi 9SE features a 5.97-inch display so you might be wondering what he was talking about. The display size looks big, no doubt, but when compared to a 16:9 aspect ratio smartphone, it is just barely the size of a 5.1 inches smartphone. The Mi 9SE utilises the 19:9 aspect ratio which makes for easy grip and one-handed operation. But Lin Bin is saying that with the present trend in 5G as well as demand for a more powerful camera, longer battery life and the need to keep the phone as thin as possible, it has become very difficult to manufacture small screen phones. Thus, Bin categorically stated that the Mi 9 SE might be the company’s last small screen flagship phone.

The Mi 9SE display size brings to mind the Mi 6 flagship which is the predecessor to last year’s Mi 8 flagship. The Mi 6 had a small display but was a popular product among fans, especially among folks who prefer small screen phones. But then, there’s hardly any fan who would mind having a big screen in other to get a bigger battery. Unfortunately, in addition to putting a halt to small screen flagship design, Xiaomi may likely not offer such cheap model under the flagship Mi series. The Mi 9SE comes with a 3,070mAh battery which is due to XIaomi’s desire to keep the thickness at its thinnest. Notwithstanding, the Mi 9SE is an impressive model packing a Samsung AMOLED screen with 2.5D curved glass on top. The device features an on-screen fingerprint sensor. It is powered by a new Qualcomm Snapdragon 712 chipset. The Mi 9SE will go on sale again in China at 10 am on March 15. At present, the number of reservations for the device on Jingdong is almost 400,000.

(source)

OPPO Reno camera samples show 10x zoom prowess

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Mar 13, 2019

Earlier today, we shared camera samples taken with the OPPO Reno. More photos have been released but these ones highlight the phone’s 10x zoom feature.

[envira-gallery id=”241042″]

The pictures were taken at China’s famous theme park, Window of the World, which is known for having miniaturized versions of famous locations over the world. There is a photo of Mount Rushmore, another of the Great Sphinx and pyramids of Giza, and one of the Christ the Redeemer statue among others.

Each of the photos shows a zoomed in part of the subject to highlight the capabilities of the phone’s 10x hybrid zoom. They are really impressive and the level of detail is pretty high from the distance the photos were taken.

Compared to those of the Huawei P30 Pro, the OPPO Reno blows it out of the water, though we would like to see how well the Huawei flagship performs in daylight too.

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Samsung Galaxy M20 with Exynos 7904 SoC and 4GB RAM launched in Europe for €229

By

Jeet

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Mar 13, 2019

Samsung launched its all-new Galaxy M-series of smartphones earlier this year in India. Under the lineup, the company has so far launched three devices — Galaxy M10, Galaxy M20, and Galaxy M30. After launching the Galaxy M20 in India, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Ukraine, the South Korean giant has now launched the phone in Europe.

The Samsung Galaxy M20 is currently made available two countries — Italy and Spain. The smartphone, which is priced at €229, is expected to soon be available in other countries in Europe.

The smartphone comes with a 6.3-inch Full HD+ Infinity-V display with a screen resolution of1080 x 2340 pixels,19.5:9 aspect ratio, and 90 percent screen-to-body ratio. Under the hood, it is powered by the company’s own Exynos 7904 chipset, paired with Mali-G71 MP2 GPU.

The phone will come in only one variant in Europe — 4GB RAM and 64GB internal storage. Another variant which packs 3GB RAM and 32GB internal storage has not been launched in the region. The phone also comes with a microSD card slot which enables users to further expand the storage capacity up to 512GB.

There’s a fingerprint sensor on the back and the phone also supports Face Unlock feature. For imaging, the Galaxy M20 comes with a dual rear camera setup along with a 13-megapixel primary sensor that has an f/1.9 aperture and a 5-megapixel ultra-wide secondary sensor. On the front side, it comes equipped with an 8-megapixel sensor along with an f/2.0 aperture.

Connectivity options on the device include Dual 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 5, GPS + GLONASS, 3.5mm audio jack, and FM Radio. The phone runs Android 8.1 Oreo operating system out-of-the-box with Samsung Experience 9.5 UX on top and is powered by a 5,000mAh battery with fast charging support.

Camera samples showing the Huawei P30 Pro’s Super Zoom feature in action

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Mar 13, 2019

Huawei has received backlash with respect to the promotional posters it put out that teased the Super Zoom feature of its upcoming flagship – the P30 Pro. In what we think is a move to shift the focus away from the negative news Huawei’s CEO has shared real camera samples taken with the P30 Pro.

The pictures were taken at a concert of the British boy band, Blue. The pictures which are divided into three, compare a normal shot against a close shot and then a super close shot. The last two employs the phone’s optical zoom function.

As you can see in the images, the P30 Pro does take impressive shots. Details are sharp and color reproduction is great. The close shots are pretty sharp too and there doesn’t seem to be a loss of details. However, the super close shot is noisy but we can still make out the faces of the subject in all of them. We believe the camera will perform better under well-lit conditions or outdoors.

[envira-gallery id=”241012″]

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

By

Joel Joseph

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Mar 13, 2019

The smartphone landscape is ever changing. Things that were relevant a few years back, may not necessarily be important today. Xiaomi was once the king of value for money smartphones. While it still is, it no longer enjoys the kind of dominance that it did a couple of years back.

There are new players that threaten its near monopoly over affordable smartphones. And the threat comes directly from its fellow Chinese competitor, Vivo, by the way of its brand new smartphone, the Vivo iQOO.

Both OPPO and Vivo have focused on the retail market in the past couple of years. So, when Xiaomi decided to grab a chunk of the offline market, both Vivo and OPPO had to do something about it. The answer from Vivo came in the form of the Vivo iQOO, its first smartphone in the iQOO series that infiltrates Xiaomi’s home turf. Taking on the Xiaomi Mi 9 was never going to be easy, given that it offers amazing value for money. But iQOO does really well to threaten Mi 9’s position, and I dare to say that it might actually be better than the Xiaomi flagship.

Both Vivo iQOO and Xiaomi Mi 9 offer tremendous value for money. Both start at 2999 Yuan (~447) for its 6+128GB models and feature the flagship Snapdragon 855 processor inside. Both have a nearly similar display, 6.41-inch FHD+ SAMOLED on iQOO vs 6.39-inch FHD+ SAMOLED on Mi 9. Both skip a physical fingerprint sensor, in favor of a screen fingerprint sensor. In fact, both are similarly sized as well (157.69 x 75.2 x 8.52mm — Vivo iQOO vs Xiaomi Mi 9 — 157.5 x 74.67 x 7.61mm). Seeing these similarities, it might be a bit confusing for consumers to choose between the two.

RELATED: We compare Gaming Phones: Vivo iQOO vs Nubia Red Magic vs Xiaomi Black Shark!

Even in terms of their designs, there are a handful of similarities. For example, both the models come with a waterdrop display and a triple camera (arranged vertically) setup at the back. The camera setup on the iQOO is more flush with the back, with a slight bump. On the other hand, the Mi 9 (our hands-on here!) has a pretty significant camera bump, mainly because it’s thinner than the former. But in terms of the back design, I prefer the Mi 9 over iQOO as personally, I feel, it looks a lot more premium. On the other hand, the thing that goes in iQOO’s favor (our hands-on here!) is its textured lines under the glass and the Halo LED strip, making it stand out.

Overall, if I had to pick between Vivo iQOO vs Xiaomi Mi 9, I would go with iQOO. And it boils down to a couple of big differences between the two models.

Vivo iQOO has a significantly large battery on board, a 4000mAh capacity battery pack instead of an average 3300mAh battery on the Mi 9. Further, the 8+128GB model comes with a 44W fast charging power brick. That would top up my large battery way quicker than what’s provided with the Mi 9 — an 18W charger. Yes, I know the Mi 9 supports up to 27W fast charging, but for that, I would have to buy a supported charger separately.
On paper, Mi 9’s 48MP+12MP+16MP setup looks superior to Vivo’s 12MP+13MP+2MP. However, I have checked out the cameras of both the phones and the real-life performance has a few surprises. We will bring a detailed iQOO vs Mi 9 camera comparison in the next couple of days, but to sum it up, the iQOO has a few advantages in the camera department, especially when the lighting goes down. Mi 9 did turn out to be better in some cases, but personally, I have come to like iQOO’s camera better than the Mi 9, for reasons which I’ll explain in the camera comparison article later.
Another thing that goes in favor of the iQOO is that its screen fingerprint sensor is slightly faster than the Mi 9’s sensor. This was a surprise for me given that Xiaomi claims its sensor is quite fast.
Things like Halo LED light, Virtual buttons and Gamespace with linear motors for feedback are exciting features for a gamer. Personally, I’m not a big gamer, but these features set the iQOO apart from the Mi 9. If you are a big gamer yourself, then the iQOO definitely looks more enticing.

Vivo iQOO vs Xiaomi Mi 9 screen fingerprint speed

Well, I explained why I would personally pick Vivo iQOO vs Mi 9, but to be fair, I’ll post a couple of things that go in favor of the Mi 9.

One of the big features missing from iQOO is Wireless Charging. And this is where Xiaomi Mi 9 does exceptionally well, thanks to its support for 20W Wireless Charging.
MIUI 10 will look and feel better than Funtouch OS on the Vivo iQOO for most users. Not to mention the tremendous support for its platform.
Xiaomi Mi 9’s camera has a bunch of tricks up its sleeve like 48MP super high-resolution mode and even a moon mode (added via a new update). As I said, the camera on the phone isn’t bad, and if you prefer these special modes, then it’s worth considering the Mi 9. By the way, the 48MP mode on the phone definitely captures more details than regular smartphones, but the resulting file is pretty large — close to around 20Mb.
And last, as I mentioned above, the Mi 9 does look quite premium in its design. I’m sure a lot of people prefer its design over the iQOO.

For me, the absence of a Wireless Charging is not a deal breaker. I would have definitely preferred MIUI over Funtouch OS but then I like iQOO’s raw camera and the large battery that tops up quickly. These reasons are good enough for me to lean towards the 8+128GB variant of the Vivo iQOO vs Xiaomi Mi9 since they are priced exactly the same (3299 Yuan ~ $495).

What’s your take? Which one would you personally pick?

Xiaomi ranks 11th in the world for AI patent applications, beats Huawei and Qualcomm

By

Simranpal Singh

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Mar 13, 2019

It’s important for smartphone manufacturers to focus on research and development to keep on evolving intentionally. Moving on par with the above saying, Xiaomi is effectively innovating to bring advancements in its smartphones and other smart devices. Now, Xiaomi CEO reveals that Xiaomi is ranked 11th in the world for AI patents applications, beating Huawei and Qualcomm.

Xiaomi ranking in AI research has improved a lot, as it moved from 85th place to 11th within a year, confirms Cui Baoqiu, Xiaomi’s chairman of the Technical Committee via Weibo. It applied for 684 patents in the AI field within the past 12 months reveals Lei Jun while congratulating Xiaomi AI department.

Cui Baoqiu is an AI expert who has extended its expertise to IBM, Yahoo, LinkedIn and is now actively heading Xiaomi Artificial Intelligence Department. As per official documents, he directly reports to CEO Lei Jun and is the vice president of the group and heads its technical committee as chairman.

According to official data from Nikkei Chinese network, Xiaomi stands second next to Baidu in domestic enterprise rankings. Xiaomi is keen to invest 10 billion Yuan in the next five years to create excellent AIOT products. In 2018, the Chinese giant invested around 4 Billion Yuan to boost up the AI development. Unsurprisingly, IBM, Microsoft, and Google are still leading the AI development with maximum patent applications coming from their side.

Read More: Almost 40% of AI Startups in Europe essentially have no AI

In Q3 2018, Xiaomi reported 132 million shipments of IoT consumer products, and around 100 million units were actively using Xiao AI Assistant. Xiaomi will surely benefit from this big leap in the AI industry in over next few years.

(via)

Google’s latest teaser points to March 19 Gaming console launch

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Mar 13, 2019

Google is expected to hold its annual Game Developer Conference 2019 from March 18-23. The tech giant recently revealed that it would hold an event on March 19. The purpose of the event wasn’t disclosed but the tech giant is expected to take the wraps off its first gaming console on that day but that was yet to be confirmed. Google has now released a new teaser video that lends credence to speculations that the tech giant will be unveiling a gaming product.

The teaser doesn’t explicitly show that the tech giant will be launching a gaming console but the scenes in the video which seem to be from different games suggest the product is a console. Besides, a recent Google teaser contained a link which directs readers to the Google Store. Google has never released any product that isn’t a hardware product on the store. The page offers fans the opportunity to pre-register to get news about the product when it is official. The last time Google did this was before the Pixel 3 models and speakers were launched.

We can’t be too sure about that but the listing is likely an indication that the product may become available for pre-orders immediately after it is launched.

(via)

Next gen Nubia Red Magic may have a built-in active cooling fan

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Mar 13, 2019

Last year, gaming was one of the main focal points of a lot of mobile phones. There were even phones made specifically for gamers such as the Nubia Red Magic, ASUS ROG Gaming phone, and the Black Shark Gaming Phone. This year, we expect the aforementioned phones to get successors starting with the Black Shark whose successor comes out this month. However, the successor to Nubia’s Red Magic might be one of the more interesting ones.

Virtually all of the gaming phones and flagships released last year have one form of cooling technology or the other to keep the temperature low when playing CPU-demanding games. The common cooling method is the use of cooling pipes but a patent shows Nubia’s next gaming phone might come with something different – a cooling fan!

Images from a patent filed by Nubia at the Chinese Patent Office shows a phone with a small cooling fan built-in. The patent was filed in October 2018 and was granted last month.

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The patent description says the CPU is covered by a copper heatpipe that is then connected to the opening of the air duct. There will be an outlet on the side of the phone. The fan itself might make the phone a bit thick but that should mean they should also be able to fit in a larger battery.

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Huawei P30 teaser highlights Surprises in its Night Photography

By

Simranpal Singh

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Mar 13, 2019

Huawei is regularly teasing its upcoming flagship lineup – P30 series ahead of its launch at an event in Paris, France on 26th March. Already it has been teased with “Super Zoom” capabilities, and portrait mode with four rear-mounted cameras. While we wait for the launch date, Huawei has once again teased its camera via a poster highlighting its night time photography capabilities.

Huawei took to Weibo to announce poster teasing “Super Bright” photo taken from P30 device. Similar to other manufacturers, Huawei is also seen emphasizing on the camera’s low light capabilities. The company is terming it a new surprise which will uncover veil of the night and restore its true colors.

According to new renders surfaced by a famous tipster, Roland Quandt, the new Huawei P30 will have triple rear camera module, while its sibling will host an additional ToF sensor. Both the devices will carry similar designs featuring dew-drop display. Surprisingly, it will be the first Huawei P series device which will debut with an in-screen fingerprint.

The Huawei P30 series is reported to carry Octa-Core Kirin 980 SoC, 8/12GB RAM, 40W fast charging and a dew drop notch. Also, Huawei P30 Pro will carry Quad rear camera module featuring 10x hybrid zoom capabilities, 6.5 inch OLED display and 5G support. Its sibling, P30 will host a triple rear camera, 24 MP front-facing camera, 8GB RAM and 6.1-inch OLED panel.

Read More: Huawei P30 Pro hits Geekbench with Kirin 980 and 8GB RAM

Recently, Huawei P30 Pro’s specs got confirmed via AnTuTu and Geekbench listings. It’s lighter version aka Huawei Nova 4e will be making debut in China on 14th March.

(Sources: 1, 2)

Mi 9’s dark mode, fingerprint animation and more to come to older models

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Mar 13, 2019

The Xiaomi Mi 9 comes with tons of new features that are not available on other Xiaomi phones. Some of these features include game turbo mode, dark mode, dynamic wallpaper. If you have been wondering when these features will be available on other phones, we’ve got good news for you.

Yesterday, Li Weixing, the General manager of Xiaomi Internet, shared on Weibo a table that shows which of the Mi 9’s features will be coming to older phones and when they will receive it. Below is a reproduction of the table in English:

Game Turbo Mode

End of March to Early April – Mi 8, Mi 8 Pro, Mi 8 Explorer Edition, Mi 8 SE, Mi MIX 3, Mi MIX 2S, Redmi Note 7, Redmi Note 7 Pro, Redmi Note 5, Redmi S2.
Mid-April – Mi 8 Lite, Mi 6, Mi 6X, Mi 5S, Mi 5S Plus, Mi 5X, Mi MIX 2, Mi MIX, Mi MAX 3, Mi Note 3, Mi Note 2, Mi Play, Redmi Note 6 Pro, Redmi Note 5, Redmi 6 Pro, Redmi 5, Redmi 5A, Redmi 5 Plus.

Dynamic Wallpaper

Late March – Mi 8, Mi 8 Pro, Mi 8 Explorer, Mi MIX 3, Mi MIX 2S.

New Fingerprint animation and Shortcuts

Mi 8 Pro, Mi 8 Explorer Edition.

New Always on Display design and features

End of March – Mi 8, Mi 8 Pro, Mi 8 Explorer Edition, Mi 8 SE, and Mi MIX 3.

Dark Mode

End of March – Mi 8, Mi 8 Pro, Mi 8 Explorer Edition, Mi 8 SE, Mi 8 Lite, Mi 6X, Mi MIX 3, Mi MIX 2S, Mi Note 3, Mi MAX 3, Redmi Note 7, Redmi Note 7 Pro, Redmi Note 6 Pro, Redmi 6 Pro, Redmi Note 5, Redmi S2.

New Charging Animation

April – All models

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OPPO Reno stunning camera samples pop up online

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Mar 13, 2019

In the face of a saturated market, smartphone manufacturers are devising different strategies to sell their phones. One pattern that is gradually turning into a trend is the launch of a new, independent brand focused on a particular niche. Vivo recently launched the iQOO focused on smartphone gaming. Xiaomi last year launched the cheap flagship Poco brand while OPPO has the Realme brand focused on certain markets in Asia. Another strategy is to release new models under a brand new series just like Samsung is doing with the Galaxy A series. OPPO recently teased a new series called Reno which would be hitting the market soon.

While we are still uncertain about the specs of the OPPO Reno, the company’s vocal VP Brian Shen has shared a couple of camera samples which he says were captured by the Reno’s camera. Specifically, the samples were shot using the 48MP main camera at the rear and the images were unedited. He did clarify that the device is still in development so the EXIF data will show the R&D code PBDM00. The samples are pretty stunning, exposure is superb even under low light condition as seen on the samples below. The pictures come out with clarity even under the poorly lit condition. OPPO VP also hinted that the camera is still being optimized so the device may even bring out better samples when it is launched. That sounds interesting.

The OPPO Reno will feature a 48-megapixel main camera with a second 5-megapixel sensor while there is a front-facing 16-megapixel snapper onboard. The device was earlier said to pack a Snapdragon 855 chipset but a recent Bluetooth SIG certification listing shows the device pack a Snapdragon 710 chipset. The phone is expected to be launched in April.

(source)

Xiaomi Mi Router 4A and Router 4A Gigabit Version launched, now available on Mi.com

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Mar 13, 2019

Xiaomi has launched a new set of router models with improved connectivity. The Mi Router 4A and the advanced Mi Router 4A Gigabit are even already available on the company’s official website. Their prices are also very much affordable with the Router 4A priced at 119 yuan (~$17) and the Router 4A Gigabit having a price tag of 169 yuan ($25).

The Mi Router 4A and 4A Gigabit provides two frequency bands of 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz without mutual interference. The dual-band concurrent wireless connection rate can reach up to 1167 Mbps. The 2.4GHz frequency band has longer transmission, better coverage and better wall penetration performance. The 5GHz frequency band uses 802.11ac technology, with less interference and high speed. It is smoother to watch high-definition video and play large online games. Externally, the two routers have the same design. Their outer casings are both made from environmentally-friendly matte plastic material and both have four external high-gain antennas. They both run MiWROM based on OpenWRT deep customization.

The Mi Router 4A is powered by a MediaTek MT7628DA chipset paired with 64MB RAM. There is also 16MB ROM onboard. It has one 100M WAN port and two 100M LAN ports. This model is suitable for families with broadband below 100M, and can stably connect 64 devices. On the other hand, the Router 4A Gigabit features an 880MHz dual-core four-thread processor and 128MB RAM. It provides super fast internet connectivity via the single Gigabit WAN port and two Gigabit LAN ports. Xiaomi says the router is suitable for 100M broadband homes and can stably connect 128 devices. They also come with specially treated metal substrates, combined with high-radiation nano-materials in other to achieve excellent heat-dissipating ability, thus effectively reducing the chip temperature and improving system stability.

You can check out the product pages from the source links below.

(source 1, 2)