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

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.

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

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.

Read Also: Samsung plans to release its 5G phone in April, but it won’t hit the US just yet

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

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.

Gearbest 5th Anniversary Sale
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.

 

 

 

 

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

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.Xiaomi Mi 9 Se

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.

Mi 9

 

Read Also: Lei Jun reveals Xiaomi phones will become more expensive

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

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.

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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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READ MORE: Full specs and render of OPPO A5s mid-range phone leaks

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

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.

 

Read More: Samsung reportedly has a budget flagship cheaper than the Galaxy S10e in the works

 

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

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.

Huawei 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.

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READ MORE: Huawei Nova 4e Geekbench listing confirms Kirin 710 SoC and 6GB RAM

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

 

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.

Vivo iQOO vs Xiaomi Mi 9

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.

 

 

 

 

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

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 ai

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.

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

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.

Read Also: Google sends invites to a GDC keynote for March 19, could launch a games console

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

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.

Nubia Red Magic

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.

READ MORE: Nubia Z17 to soon get Android 9 Pie beta update

Huawei P30 teaser highlights Surprises in its Night Photography

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.

huawei p30 huawei p30

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.

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

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.

Mi 9 features schedule

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

Mi 9 Game Turbo Mode

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

READ MORE: Xiaomi confirms Redmi 7 will launch alongside Redmi Note 7 Pro on March 18

OPPO Reno stunning camera samples pop up online

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. OPPO Reno

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.OPPO Reno

Read Also: OPPO Reno to come in four colors including Fog Green

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)OPPO Reno

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

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).XIaomi Mi Router 4A

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.XIaomi Mi Router 4A

Read Also: Xiaomi announces the affordable Mi Router 4C priced at 99 yuan ($14)

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)

Hisense HLTE216T hits TENAA with a big battery, may launch alongside U30

Hisense will announce the U30 upper mid-range phone tomorrow at the Appliances and Electronics World Expo (AWE). A new Hisense phone with model number HLTE216T has appeared on TENAA and we have a feeling it might also launch tomorrow.

The Hisense HLTE216T has a 6.217-inch 720 x 1520 display. It is powered by a 1.8GHz octa-core processor and will come with either 4GB or 6GB of RAM. There will be three storage variants – 32GB, 64GB, and 128GB and all three will support storage expansion.

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The phone has dual rear cameras – a 13MP primary sensor and a 2MP depth sensor. It has an 8MP camera in front for selfies and video calls. TENAA says the phone runs Android 9 Pie and will come in Champagne Gold and Junya Black.

The selling point of the Hisense HLTE216T will be its big battery which has a capacity of 5360mAh. That should get you through two whole days. The phone is a bit heavy at 198 grams and measures 156.98 x 75.54 x 9.36 millimeters.

TENAA has provided images of the phone too. The phone has a notch that houses the selfie camera. The rear seems to be covered in glass but it might just be an NCVM coating. The rear cameras are separated but are positioned on the left on top of one another.

READ MORE: Hisense U30 full specifications leaked on TENAA; Images confirm punch-hole display

Honor Powerbank 2 is up for testing, expected to launch soon in China

A few months ago, we reported about Huawei’s sub-brand Honor is planning to launch a new power bank in the market. However, there has been no progress regarding this since then. If you have been waiting for that power bank, here are some news.

The company has officially acknowledged a new powerbank from Honor — Honor Powerbank 2 is coming soon as the Chinese brand is looking for testers for this upcoming product. This indicates that the launch of this powerbank is not far away.

Honor Powerbank 2

Honor has announced it is looking for testers for the Honor Powerbank 2 and those who are interested can sign-up for the same. The company will then select a few applicants who will be provided the upcoming powerbank for testing.

Also, the company has announced rewards for the testers. Honor will evaluate the performance of the testers and will give them prizes accordingly, including Honor V20, Honor 8X, Honor FlyPods, Honor Router Pro 2, and Honor Smart Body Scale.

Currently, nothing much is known about this Honor Powerbank but previous reports indicate that it’ll have a 10,000mAh capacity and could come with support for 40W SuperCharge fast charging protocol. It’s said that the Powerbank 2 will be able to charge the Huawei Mate 20 Pro and the Honor Magic 2 at 40W and other supported devices at 22.5W fast charging thanks to the power bank’s backward compatibility.

 

Read More: Honor Magic 2 3D with 3D face unlock, graphene cooling and 512 GB storage launched in China

 

As of now, there’s no information about when the Honor Powerbank 2 will get launch or how much it will cost. But given that it’s up for public testing, the launch should take place in the coming weeks.

Xiaomi Product Director promises to reorganize MIUI ads policy

Although Xiaomi is already toying with the idea of increasing the prices of its phones, they are still relatively cheap. The Chinese company has always branded itself as an internet company and one way it recoups its revenue is through the MIUI custom ROM. The company serves ads on the app with the rate becoming more intense lately. Xiaomi even serves adds on its music app and other aspects of the custom ROM.Xiaomi

Xiaomi’s Product director and MIUI Experience General Manager recently floated a feedback forum on Weibo where he asked fans to mention the things they would like to see on MIUI. He also asked that they mention what they consider as a snag on the custom ROM. Among the responses, one that stood out was the one asking that Xaomi include a feature to turn of the ads. In response, the Xiaomi exec hinted that the company will include such feature but it would take some time. MIUI

Read Also: Xiaomi Says Its Overall Net Profit Margin For Hardware Business Will Never Exceed 5%

Allowing users to turn off the advertisement on MIUI will be counterproductive for Xiaomi as it stands presently. This is because MIUI is one of Xiaomi’s major cash cow and advertisement is the major revenue source from MIUI. Since the MIUI head has agreed that the company will rectify the way ads are being served, it could be that the company is planning to increase its revenue from smartphones by increasing the unit prices. That seems to be the most feasible alternative revenue source if the revenue from MIUI ads drops. Sure, if Xaomi includes a feature to turn off adverts, most users will use it and that will translate to a revenue loss of billions of dollars. So, we don’t see Xiaomi taking any action on that anytime soon. Perhaps, in the short term, the company could reduce the placement.

(source)

Moto RAZR foldable phone specs leak reveal 6.2-inch display, Snapdragon 710, 6 GB RAM and more

The Samsung Galaxy Fold and Huawei Mate X foldable phones that were recently announced are all equipped with flagship specs. Fresh information shared by XDA Developers publication reveals that the rumored Motorola RAZR foldable phone will come with upper mid-range specs. Here is all the information on the specs of the phone that has been shared by the publication.

Motorola-Razr-Patent-Feature-Image-1024x670

The Moto RAZR 2019 is speculated to be powered by the Snapdragon 710 SoC that includes an octa-core processor that works at 2.2 GHz and Adreno 616 graphics. The smartphone is expected to arrive in two variants such as 4 GB RAM + 64 GB storage and 6 GB RAM + 128 GB storage. It is expected to arrive with a 2,730mAh battery that may carry support for 27W TurboPower charging. There is no information on the cameras of the Motorola RAZR foldable smartphone.

As recent reports have revealed that it will be a clamshell phone. Opening it will reveal its elongated foldable display with a hinge placed underneath. On the inside, the phone will be equipped with an OLED panel of 6.2 inches that will carry support for 876 x 2142 pixels resolution. There will be a smaller outer display for checking notifications without opening the device. It carries support for 600 x 800 pixels resolution. However, there is no information available on its exact size. It is expected to hit the market in three colors like White, Black and Gold.

moto_razr_2019
Moto RAZR 2019 Concept Model

The publication claims that the above images that had appeared through Motorola’s patent filing with WIPO (World Intellectual Property Organization) show the accurate of Motorola’s upcoming foldable phone. The Wall Street Journal had published in a report that the Motorola’s foldable phone will have a starting price of $1,500.

(source)

Xiaomi Poco F1 price slashed massively on Flipkart (~$237)

India online retailer Flipkart is running a discount offer dubbed as Poco Days for customers who are interested in purchasing the Poco F1. The sale that began on March 12 will come to an end on March 18. Through the sale that includes an exchange offer and Rs. 1,500 price cut, the Xiaomi Poco F1 can be availed for as low as Rs. 16,499 (~$237).

Through the new offer, the Poco F1 variants such as 6 GB RAM + 64 GB storage, 6 GB RAM + 128 GB storage and 8 GB RAM + 256 GB storage can be respectively availed for Rs. 16,499 (~$237), Rs. 19,499 (~$280) and Rs. 23,499 (~$337) Customers will be able to avail the Poco F1 at such low pric/es only if they an ICICI bank card for making the purchase which bring an instant discount of Rs. 1,500 and an older phone to avail an exchange offer price cut of up to Rs. 3,000.

The Poco F1 is the cheapest Snapdragon 845 powered smartphone in the market. It is equipped with a 6.18-inch notched IPS LCD screen with an IR sensor for facial recognition in the dark. For photography, it is equipped with 12-megapixel + 5-megapixel dual camera setup and a 20-megapixel selfie shooter. The 4,000mAh battery of the Poco F1 carries support for 18W fast charging.

The MIUI 10 + Poco launcher enabled Android 9 Pie OS runs on the device. The phone has been recently treated with night mode photography, 960 fps slow-motion video shooting support and 4K video recording at 60 fps. It will be soon blessed with Widevine L1 update.

The Poco F1 was officially announced in August 2018. Probably, the Snapdragon 855 driven Poco F2 may go official around the same time this year.

Check Out Xiaomi Poco F1 6GB+128GB on Flipkart