Meizu Note 9 with Snapdragon 675 and 48-megapixel dual camera goes official for 1,398 Yuan (~$208)

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Mar 6, 2019

After nearly a year since it got a beta version of Android 8.1 Oreo, the stable version of the update is now rolling out to the Nokia 2.

The Nokia 2 is an entry-level phone that was released by HMD Global Oy in 2017. The phone has only 1GB of RAM and 8GB of storage just like a lot of Android Go devices but it launched before the Android Go platform kicked off and unfortunately, it isn’t possible to migrate it to Android Go.

Juho Sarvikas, the chief product officer for HMD Global revealed last month that the update to Android Oreo will eventually arrive but there will be a trade-off on snappiness due to the phone’s entry-level specs.

The manufacturer has also revealed that the update will not be available to all users but just those whose mobile networks have approved the update. The official statement from HMD Global also said some applications may not be supported. The list of countries and operators where the update will not be available are as follows:

Countries: Albania, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Chile, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Georgia, Greece, Hungary, Indonesia, Ireland (Except Vodafone Ireland), Israel, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Peru, Poland, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Ukraine, United Kingdom, and Uruguay.
Operators: Movistar Ecuador, Tigo Guatemala, Greece Cosmot, Telekom Romania, DiGI RO, Orange Romania, and Swisscom.

Xiaomi CEO reveals Redmi Note 7 Pro’s retail box that matches the phone’s gradient finish

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Mar 6, 2019

Xiaomi’s newly independent Redmi brand launched its first smartphone in China in January — Redmi Note 7, which has been very well received in China. Recently, the company launched the Redmi Note 7 Pro in India.

The company has already confirmed that the Redmi Note 7 Pro will make its way to China on 18th March. However, the phone is expected to launch in China with minor changes in terms of specs and features and the company has said that it has “more surprises.”

Now, ahead of the phone’s official launch in China on 18th March, Lei Jun, co-founder of Xiaomi, has posted an image of the Redmi Note 7 Pro’s retail box in gradient color on Chinese microblogging platform Weibo, teasing the arrival of the phone in China.

To remind you, the Redmi Note 7 Pro boasts a 6.3-inch Full HD+ display with 19.5:9 aspect ratio, 450 nits brightness and 15000:1 contrast ratio. The bezels surrounding the display measures just 1.95mm and it comes with Sunlight Display mode and Reading mode.

The device comes with a 2.5D curved glass on the front as well as back, which is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 5 on both the sides, protecting it from minor scratches. Under the hood, the device is powered by the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 675 octa-core chipset which is manufactured using the 11nm FinFET process, coupled with Adreno 612 GPU.

It comes in two variants — 4GB RAM and 6GB RAM, packing 64GB and 128GB of internal storage respectively. There’s also a microSD card slot that enables users to further expand the phone’s storage capacity up to 512GB.

In the camera department, the smartphone features a dual camera setup on the back, consisting of a 48-megapixel primary Sony IMX586 sensor with f/1.79 aperture and a 5-megapixel secondary sensor for depth sensing along with an LED flash and AI-powered Steady handheld night photography mode.

On the front side, it is equipped with a 13-megapixel front-facing camera with AI Beautify, Studio Lighting. Scene Detection, Portrait Selfie, etc. It also supports AI Face Unlock feature. The phone has retained the 3.5mm headphone jack and comes with a USB Type-C port as well as an IR blaster.

In terms of software, the phone is running the company’s own MIUI 10 based on Android 9 Pie operating system out-of-the-box. The Redmi Note 7 Pro is powered by a 4,000mAh battery with support for 18W Quick Charge 4 fast charging support.

Xiaomi has scheduled a launch event in China on March 18 at 2 PM (Beijing Time) for the launch of Redmi Note 7 Pro. We’ll have to wait for the official launch in China to know what “surprises” the company has to offer for the smartphone.

Meizu CEO responds to the crowdfunding failure of Meizu Zero smartphone

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Mar 6, 2019

Meizu got the much-needed attention early this year when the company announced its Meizu Zero concept smartphone, which bears no holes or ports. Later, the company kicked-off plans to commercialize the smartphone and started crowdfunding on Indiegogo.

However, as we reported yesterday, the company failed to raise the amount of $100,000 in the specified time limit. Since the company chose the fixed goal route for the crowdfunding, the campaign only receives funding when the goal is reached within the deadline.

Now, Meizu CEO Huang Zhang responded on the company’s official forum to the news about the company’s failure of crowdfunding Meizu Zero smartphone. He shifted the blame to the company’s marketing department and said that the phone was only a pre-research project. Below is his statement.

This crowdfunding is carried out by the marketing department. The non-porous mobile phone is only a pre-research project of the development department. We never intended to mass-produce this project.

Many users have pointed out that the response of Huang Zhang lacks sincerity and is somewhat shameful and unfriendly to those who had decided to back the project.

As per the reports, the phone was considered in March 2018 and took almost a year to go to crowdfunding. The company had dubbed the smartphone as “Exclusive Engineer Unit”, priced at $1,299, and was said to be handmade by Meizu’s engineers.

There was also another version tagged “Exclusive Pioneering Unit” and with a $2,999 price tag but that version is sold out as just a single unit was available. The smartphone was to be offered in Black and White color options.

The Meizu Zero had a 5.99-inch curved OLED panel with full HD+ resolution of 2160 x 1080 pixels and was equipped with mSound 2.0 technology, making it possible for the smartphone to emit sound from the screen which eliminates the need for the earpiece and external speaker.

The screen of the smartphone is also embedded with an in-display fingerprint sensor and the device also comes with an IP68 certified for dustproof and waterproof to keep it completely sealed and there’s no opening on the device.

Since there’s no holes and buttons, the smartphone was equipped with linear motor-powered pressure-sensitive virtual buttons for power ON/OFF and volume up/down functions. The rear panel of the smartphone is made up of ceramic. Since there was no SIM card slot on the device, it carried support for eSIM.

Xiaomi Mi MIX 3 5G Edition can play 8K UHD videos online

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Mar 6, 2019

Xiaomi Mi MIX 3 5G, the China-based company’s first 5G smartphone is claimed by the company to support 8K video streaming, thanks to the use of Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 chipset and Snapdragon X50 5G modem.

The company says that it has successfully tested using Unicom 5G in Shanghai that the phone can play 8K ultra-high definition videos online. It also says that the end-to-end 5G network solution provided by Nokia Bell is the first multi-vendor 5G live network communication base on the 3.3GHz frequency in China. With the ultra high-speed provided by the 5G network, its possible to stream 8K UHD videos on a smartphone.

As said, the Mi Mix 3 5G is Xiaomi’s first 5G smartphone and one of the few 5G phones that have been released so far. While the company has announced the pricing and release itinerary for Europe during MWC 2019 in Barcelona, it is expected to soon launch the smartphone in China.

The smartphone features a 6.39-inch Super AMOLED with a 1080 x 2340 resolution, 19.5:9 aspect ratio and 93.4 percent screen-to-body ratio. Under the hood, it is powered by Snapdragon 855 SoC, coupled with Snapdragon X50 modem, Adreno 630, and 6GB RAM.

It comes with a dual rear camera setup which consists of two 12-megapixel sensors with AI-based features. On the front side also, it features dual cameras – a 24-megapixel primary snapper and a 2-megapixel depth sensor. The front-facing cameras are placed on a pop-up magnetic slider.

Read More: Xiaomi Mi 9 tops Antutu’s Android Smartphone Performance Chart for February 2019

It packs a 3,800mAh battery with support for Quick Charge 4+ and 10W wireless charging. It also has a dedicated Google Assistant button. The Xiaomi Mi MIX 3 5G will be available for purchase in Europe from May with a starting price of 599 Euros.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 first sale in India begins today at 12 PM; Price and launch offers

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Pre-order Vivo iQOO Smartphone on Giztop

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Mar 6, 2019

The Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 and Redmi Note 7 Pro smartphones were unveiled on Feb. 28 in India. While the Note 7 Pro smartphone is scheduled to go on its first sale on March 13, the Note 7 handset will be available for buying for the first time in India starting at 12 PM from today.

Redmi Note 7 Price and Launch Offers

The Redmi Note 7 comes in two variants such as 3 GB RAM + 32 GB storage and 4 GB RAM + 64 GB storage. They are respectively priced at Rs. 9,999 and Rs. 11,999. Its three color options include Onyx Black, Ruby Red, and Sapphire Blue.

The Note 7 will be available for buying at 12 PM from today through various platforms such as Mi.com, Mi Store app, Flipkart, Mi Home stores. The handset will be available at local retail outlets soon. On Flipkart, the smartphone is available with a 5 percent discount for Axis Bank Buzz credit card users. Flipkart is also offering Rs. 5,500 Buyback value at Rs. 99 and EMI plans starting at Rs. 333 per month. Airtel and Reliance Jio are offering double data benefits for the buyers of Redmi Note 7.

Read More: Xiaomi Mi Mix 3 5G edition likely to be launched soon in China

Redmi Note 7 Specifications and Features

The Redmi Note 7 smartphone that features a glass rear features a 6.3-inch IPS LCD panel that offers full HD+ resolution. The waterdrop-style notch screen offers 19.5:9 aspect ratio. The Snapdragon 660 chipset powers the phone along with up to 6 GB of RAM. Apart from the internal storage of up to 64 GB, it comes with a hybrid SIM slot for adding a microSD card.

The dual camera setup of the Redmi Note 7 comprises of the Samsung ISOCELL Bright GM1 48-megapixel sensor and a 5-megapixel depth sensor. It has a front-facing camera of 13-megapixel. The 4,000mAh battery of the phone supports 18W fast charging. The MIUI 10 based Android 9 Pie OS comes loaded on the device. A fingerprint scanner is available on the backside of the phone.

Buy Redmi Note 7 on Flipkart

Where To Pre-order Vivo iQOO Smartphone

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Cheky Zhu

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Mar 6, 2019

Vivo has announced the new independent brand called iQOO months ago, and the latest phone of it has been released officially last week.

Vivo iQOO is powered by Snapdragon 855 with Adreno 640 GPU, the latest processor for Android phone. Coming with 6.41-inch dewdrop AMOLED display, the resolution of iQOO is 1080 x 2340 pixels. In the camera department, there are 12MP+13MP+2MP triple rear camera with IMX363 sensor. The handset carries support in-screen fingerprint sensor and facial unlock, also supports NFC. Different from the Vivo family, the charging slot of iQOO is Type-C. What’s, more, the battery capacity of the phone is 4000mAh with 44W fast charging. It should be noted that the iQOO of 6GB+128GB comes with 27W fast charging.
Several online shops are starting to do the pre-order, let’s see where to pre-order the Vivo iQOO.

At the Giztop, the price of Vivo iQOO starts from $549, which is the good price for you to choose. You can click the button to get the terrific phone on Giztop.

The Mobile Phone Mall in Aliexpress starts to preorder the Vivo iQOO. You can get the smartphone with 6GB of RAM and 128GB internal storage at $549.99. Otherwise, it is priced at $549.99 of choosing to add wireless headset, and $579.99 of adding Xiaomi Mi Band 3.

Check Out Vivo iQOO Smartphone on Aliexpress

Here is the coupon code for preordering the Vivo iQOO on GeekBuying. The original price of it is about $734.99, and now the price is $655.99 that the reduction is close to $80. You can get the phone at $599.99 with the coupon code GIZ_WOXANMPR.

Pre-order Vivo iQOO Smartphone on GeekBuying, coupon code GIZ_WOXANMPR

Lava Z40 Android Go phone launched: Specifications, features and price

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Mar 6, 2019

To target first-time smartphone buyers, Lava has launched the Lava Z40 Android Go phone. The entry-level smartphone comes with modest specs and it carries an attractive price tag of Rs. 3,499. Here is all the information on its specifications and features.

Lava Z40 Specifications and Features

The Lava Z40 that runs on Android Go version of Android 8.1 Oreo OS is fitted with a 4-inch display. The smartphone delivers a resolution of 400 x 800 pixels along with a conventional aspect ratio of 16:9. The display of the phone is shielded by a Gorilla Glass layer.

The Z40 is driven by an octa-core processor that works at 1.4 GHz. The SoC is supported by 1 GB of RAM. The native storage available on the device is 8 GB of RAM. The smartphone supports up to 64 GB of microSD card. The device comes with support for 10 Indian languages. The Go edition of different apps consume less space on the device. Moreover, there is a Data Saver feature for cutting down the mobile data consumption.

The Lava Z40 features a single camera of 2-megapixel on its rear which is assisted by an LED flash. Placed on the front is an LED enabled 2-megapixel selfie shooter. The modest phone carries support for bokeh mode for capturing photos with blurred effect. It is packed with a 2,250mAhbattery. The other features of the Lava Z40 include dual 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.2, GPS, microUSB, 3.5mm audio jack and theatre-like sound output. The handset measures 125.5 x 63.9 x 11.65mm and weighs 120 grams.

Read More: Lava Z81 with 5.7-inch HD+ display and Helio A22 SoC launched in India

Lava Z40 Price

The Lava Z40 that carries a price tag of Rs. 3,499 comes with 1-year warranty. The handset can be purchased in two colors such as Black and Gold.

Huawei P30 Pro’s periscope “super zoom’ camera officially confirmed

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Mar 6, 2019

Huawei P30 Pro renders and leaked photos that have surfaced recently have revealed that it will be arriving with four rear-mounted cameras. A recently released teaser had hinted that the smartphone may carry support for 10x zoom. According to Android Central, Huawei’s Vice President of Global Product Marketing, Clement Wong has confirmed that the P30 Pro will be arriving with a periscope-style zoom camera that will offer “super-zoom” capabilities.

The Huawei P20 Pro from last year offered 3x optical zoom and up to 5x hybrid zoom. While Wong did not confirm on the exact zoom details of the P30 Pro, it is speculated that it will offer up to 10x zoom. Huawei CEO Richard Yu had shared an image of the moon that was snapped using the P30 Pro in the previous week. According to Wong, the image was captured handheld with no external help like tripod.

The renders of the Huawei P30 Pro had revealed that it features a triple camera module on the top-left corner of the back panel. Alongside it is a 3D (Time of Flight) sensor, a laser autofocus and dual LED flash. It is speculated that the periscope camera could be the third sensor that has a squarish design. Describing the photography prowess of the P30 Pro, Wong stated that it will offer “something nobody has done before.”

The Huawei P20 Pro was praised for its low-light photography performance. Wong has confirmed that the P30 Pro will offer enhanced low-light shooting experience. Google Pixel 3 and other phones that offer impressive night scene photography rely on software-based algorithms. Wong has added the P30 Pro’s night mode will be better than the software-only approach of competitors. This indicates that the P30 Pro will be equipped with unique camera hardware.

Read More: Huawei P30, P30 Pro RAM and storage variants revealed in fresh leak

He did not share any information on the camera prowess of the Huawei P30. It goes without saying that the Chinese manufacturer may have designed it to deliver stellar photography experience like its Pro sibling. Reputed tipster Evan Blass had claimed in December that the P30 will deliver 40-megapixel maximum resolution and 5x loseless zoom.

The Huawei P30 and P30 Pro smartphones are slated to go official on March 26. Both phones will be equipped with OLED displays, Kirin 980 SoC, 40W fast charging (P30 Pro) technology and more.

(source)

Samsung Galaxy A60 images leak full design and key specifications

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Mar 6, 2019

Through a recent leak it was revealed that Samsung will be debuting the Galaxy A60 smartphone on April 19. It will be equipped with a massive display, a big battery and a triple camera system. Through a fresh leak, the front and rear design of the smartphone has been revealed. Moreover, the new leak has also confirmed some of the key specs of the Galaxy A60.

The rear view of the upcoming Samsung Galaxy A60 reveals that it could be equipped with a 3D Glasstic body like the Galaxy A50. In other words, the phone could be featuring a polycarbonate rear with a shiny appeal like glass. There is a vertical triple camera setup placed at the top-left corner followed by an LED flash.

The frontside of the Galaxy A60 features an Infinity-U Super AMOLED display of 6.7 inches. Placed under the display is an in-screen fingerprint sensor. Its selfie notch includes a 32-megapixel camera. The screen resolution of Galaxy A60’s massive display is not mentioned. Needless to say, it will carry support for full HD+ resolution.

A volume rocker and a power key are located on the right side of the handset. The bottom edge of the smartphone features a 3.5mm audio jack, a microphone, a USB-C port and an external speaker.

The Galaxy A10, A30 and A50 smartphones that have launched recently are all powered by Samsung’s Exynos chipset. The Galaxy A60 is rumored to be fueled by Snapdragon 675 SoC. The new leak states that the phone will be packed with a 4,500mAh battery and it will be available in 6 GB and 8 GB RAM variants. Both models are expected to include 128 GB of native storage.

Read More: Lego releases the Lego Fold tablet to take on Huawei and Samsung, sort of

The above specs are quite good for Galaxy A60 upper mid-range phone, but it would have been better it came with a glass or metallic rear. There is no information on the pricing of the Galaxy A60. The Snapdragon 675 powered Redmi Note 7 Pro with impressive 48-megapixel Sony IMX586 has a fabulous price tag of Rs. 13,999 (~$199). Being an upper mid-range phone, the Galaxy A60 has better specs than the Redmi Note 7 Pro. The Galaxy A50 has been introduced with a price tag of Rs. 19,990 (~$285) in India. Hence, the Galaxy A60 may cost under Rs. 30,000 (~$452).

What’s your opinion on the specifications and design of the upcoming Samsung Galaxy A60? Share us your views by posting your comments below.

(source)

Huawei P30, P30 Pro RAM and storage variants revealed in fresh leak

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Mar 6, 2019

The Huawei P30 and P30 Pro smartphones will be unveiled on March 26 in Paris, France. The mid-range P30 Lite phone is also coming, but it may debut separately in European markets. Popular tipster Roland Quandt had revealed through a tweet that the base model of the P30 Lite will be arriving with 128 GB of internal storage along with a price tag of 369 euros. Through another tweet, he has also shared the configurations of the P30 and P30 Pro models arriving in Europe.

According to Quandt, the Huawei P30 will be landing in Europe with 6 GB of RAM and 128 GB of inbuilt storage. There is no information available on whether the European markets will be higher RAM and storage editions of the phone.

The Huawei P30 Pro will be available in three variants such as 8 GB RAM + 128 GB storage, 8 GB RAM + 256 GB storage and 8 GB RAM + 512 GB storage. He has added the configurations and color variants of the P30 series may vary depending on country. Last week, the tipster had shared the renders of the P30 and P30 Pro smartphones. Both phones are expected to be available in colors like black, sea green and electric blue. There is no information available on the pricing of the P30 and P30 Pro handsets.

Read More: Huawei P30, P30 Pro with flat-cut edges could be able to stand upright

The Huawei P30v will be equipped with a 6.1-inch flat OLED display embedded with an in-screen fingerprint sensor. The P30 Pro will be featuring a 6.5-inch curved OLED screen along with an in-display fingerprint reader. The Kirin 980 SoC will be powering both the handsets. Some reports have claimed that there will be a 5G version of the P30 Pro with 12 GB of RAM onboard. So far, Quandt has not revealed any information on its existence.

The P30 will be arriving with triple rear cameras that may deliver a maximum resolution of 40-megapixel. The P30 Pro will have an additional 3D ToF (Time of Flight) sensor. The P30 will be equipped with a 3.5mm audio jack whereas the P30 Pro will be lacking it. The exact configurations of the batteries that will be driving the P30 and P30 Pro are not known. However, the 3C certifications of both devices have revealed that the P30 will carry support 22.5W fast charging and the P30 Pro will offer 40W rapid charging.

Elephone A6 Mini new video flaunts its design and User Interface

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Simranpal Singh

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Mar 5, 2019

Elephone A6 Mini is in the news from past few months, earlier it was seen in various leaks and rumors. Recently, Elephone launched it officially with 5.71-inch waterdrop display and MTK6761 SoC. There are many other improvements that the Elephone has made in the latest offering. It has added high performing hardware with many software advancements in the Elephone A6 Mini. Despite carrying mid-level specs, the device is made available for the price of $99.

Although, for the users who want to have an insight into the device before ordering it, then you can watch the above video for your satisfaction. The new video showcases the design language of the device more precisely and gives us a fresh look at how its User Interface look. Further, in the video, we can see its dewdrop display incorporating a front camera with a tiny speaker grill on the top. Its side fingerprint sensor, volume button, and power button placement make it easily accessible at any time. Further, it carries fully furnished User Interface running on Android 9.0 Pie. It carries a simple camera App UI focusing on the main features of the module.

As far as the specs are concerned, Elephone A6 Mini comes with a dual rear camera of 16 megapixels + 2 megapxiel. On the front, there’s also a 16-megapixel camera with inbuilt AI features. It carries 5.71 inches of dew drop display featuring 19:9 aspect ratio. The A6 Mini hosts the MTK6761 SoC accompanied by 4GB of RAM and 32GB of storage. In order to charge its 3000 mAh battery, the company has added a secure supercharging technology.

Read More: Elephone A6 Mini launched on official website, reserve to get it for $99.99!

To facilitate its customers, the device comes with a fingerprint sensor as well as Face ID recognition. It is available in three different colors for the price of $99.

Huawei P30 Lite base model to have 128GB storage and cost €369

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Mar 5, 2019

The Huawei P30 Lite is the least powerful model in the upcoming Huawei P30 series but it will still be packing some pretty interesting specs. Images of the phone on TENAA have revealed it will come with a triple rear camera setup. Now there is info that the base model will have plenty of storage.

According to Roland Quandt of Winfuture.de, the base model of the Huawei P30 Lite will have 128GB of storage, double that of its predecessor, the P20 Lite. But that’s not the best part.

tidbit: Huawei P30 Lite gets 128 GB base model, so 2x the memory for the same price as last year (369 Euro MSRP)

— Roland Quandt (@rquandt) March 5, 2019

Even with the double storage, the Huawei P30 Lite will sell for the same price as its predecessor. This means you get overall better specs for the same price as last year’s model which sold for €369 (~$417). No extra charges, no hidden fees. Sounds great, right?

UMIDIGI S3 Pro specifications detailed: Know every aspect of the device

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Simranpal Singh

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Mar 5, 2019

UMIDIGI always tend to focus on new innovative smartphones with high-end specs at affordable pricing. UMIDIGI S3 Pro is another device which has received a huge applaud from the audience at Indiegogo crowdfunding platform. About a month ago, UMIDIGI listed the S3 Pro at Indiegogo after details about the specifications and other features of the device. Surprisingly, it has received a massive flow of funding and has even crossed the 201% of its funding goals.

UMIDIGI S3 Pro: Camera

Recently, UMIDIGI launched the flagship camera-centric device. It carries a 48 MP Sony IMX586 primary camera + 12 megapixels secondary camera on the rear side of the device with a dual LED flash. It has the ability to shot crisp photos even in the low light environment. Its 4-in-1 light fusion technology makes photos more beautiful, clear, bright and contains less noise.

On the front side, there’s a 20-megapixel Sony IMX 376 selfie camera. It will allow users to snap vibrant, dazzling selfies. UMIDIGI has improvised the software which makes the photos even more beautiful. Its both the rear and front cameras are capable of capturing exceptional details in every photo.

UMIDIGI S3 Pro: Design & Display

In terms of design, UMIDIGI S3 Pro has a premium ceramic material coated on the body. It carries the glossy metal frame for better durability and even facilitates better signal reception. UMIDIGI has added a highly durable aluminum alloy which makes it light in weight. It purely matches the Galaxy S10+ design with its premium build material.

On the rear side, the device carries a dual camera module along with a fingerprint sensor. Further, you can see a UMIDIGI branding at the bottom giving an elegant look. On the right side of the device, users can easily access the power button and volume rockers.

There’s a 6.3-inch FHD+ display with waterdrop notch. It outputs 2340 x 1080 pixels of resolution with 19.5:9 aspect ratio. Its display is paired with the LTPS technology which can provide higher resolution and gives vivid contrast picture experience.

Additionally, unlike the other manufacturers, UMIDIGI has added 3.5 mm jack along with YSB Type-C Port.

Performance

It is powered by Helio P70 Processor which is coupled with 6GB RAM and 128 GB internal storage. Its Mali G72 MP3 GPU can easily handle high-end games and graphics intensive tasks more efficiently. The new MediaTek Helio P70 processor is optimized for Advanced AI processing efficiency and carries various other improvements over P60.

Along with the hardware, UMIDIGI has enhanced its software for improved performance. It runs on Android 9.0 Pie with various new tweaks that optimizes its performance further. About network connection, the S3 Pro supports global bands and Dual 4G VoLTE and it can support almost all network around the world.

Connectivity and other features

UMIDIGI has added a multi-function NFC support for Google Pay to ease out payments. In order to keep it running for a straight couple of days, the company has added a 5150 mAh battery with 18W fast charging technology.

Due to its growing popularity and to answer the backers’ aspirations, UMIDIGI has published a new hands-on video of the device depicting the magic of its 48-megapixel camera. It has allowed the backers to know the inner details of the device. Even though, the company has showcased the magic of UMIDIGI S3 Pro’s 48-megapixel dual cameras. The rear camera sensors have proved that the device can shoot detailed photos. It’s Helio P70 processor has also helped the 48-megapixel camera to function seamlessly.

Read More: UMIDIGI S3 Pro is really capable of shooting 48MP photos (video)

Pricing and Availability

The UMIDIGI S3 Pro is set to go on sale on March 18th for $279 which roughly translates to 1853 Yuan. Moreover, the company is giving away 10 units of UMIDIGI S3 Pro, one for each user who will win. If you wish to join the giveaway, you should head over to their official website.

Although, you can watch the hands-on video over here to know more about the device. If you wish to see old videos of the device, then you can watch them here.

LG X4 (2019) specs discovered in Android Enterprise Device catalog

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Mar 5, 2019

LG has a number of entry-level and mid-range series but a lot of them are usually exclusive to its home country of South Korea. One of such phones is the LG X4+ which launched in early 2018. A new report has revealed it will be getting a successor this year called the LG X4 (2019).

Details of the LG X4 (2019) was found in the Android Enterprise Device Catalog and it includes some key specs. The phone will have a 5.7-inch display, which is significantly bigger than the 5.3-inch screen of its predecessor. There is no mention of the display resolution.

There is 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage but the processor isn’t specified. The LG X4+ is powered by a Snapdragon 425 processor which is pretty old already. Our guess is that the new model will come with a newer processor in the Snapdragon 400 series, maybe the Snapdragon 429. LG may also surprise us and use a MediaTek chipset.

Oppo F11 with MediaTek Helio P70 chipset and 4GB RAM announced in India for Rs. 19,990 ($283)

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Mar 5, 2019

Today, at a launch event in Mumbai, Chinese smartphone manufacturer launched its latest smartphone — Oppo F11 Pro. Along with that, the company has also announced its lighter variant — Oppo F11, which comes with similar specifications.

To differentiate the Oppo F11 from the Pro variant and ensure lower pricing, the company has opted for a waterdrop display instead of the “Rising Camera” mechanism for housing the front-facing snapper. The phone is priced at Rs. 19,990 (approximately $283) and will be available for purchase from 15th March through online and offline stores.

The Oppo F11 features the same 6.5-inch Panoramic display with Full HD+ (2340 x 1080 pixels) screen resolution as the Pro variant. Under the hood, the MediaTek Helio P70 octa-core 12nm chipset is powering the smartphone.

It packs 4GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage. This is interesting given that the Pro model comes with 6GB of RAM but just 64GB of internal storage. It also has a microSD card slot that allows you to further expand the phone’s storage capacity.

Coming to the camera side, the smartphone has a 48MP + 5MP dual rear cameras setup along with an LED flash. It comes with several AI-based features ensuring better photography results, along with an Ultra Night Mode aimed at low-light photography.

On the front side, the smartphone comes equipped with a 16MP snapper. There’s a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor, ensuring additional security. Connectivity options on the device include Dual 4G VoLTE, WiFi 802.11 ac (2.4GHz + 5GHz), Bluetooth 4.2, GPS/GLONASS, and micro-USB port.

In the software department, the handset runs the latest ColorOS 6.0 custom operating system out-of-the-box, which is based on Android 9 Pie. The phone is fuelled by a 4,020mAh battery that comes with VOOC 3.0 Flash Charge support.

Oppo F11 Pro with 6.5-inch FHD+ display and Helio P70 SoC launched in India for Rs. 24,990 ($354)

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Mar 5, 2019

Oppo has today finally launched its latest premium mid-range smartphone in India — the Oppo F11 Pro. As expected, the smartphone comes with an impressive design and the trendy pop-up front-facing camera.

The Oppo F11 Pro is priced at Rs. 24,990 in India, which roughly converts to $354. It will be available in two color options — Thunder Black and Aurora Green — both comes with a gradient design. The phone, which is now open for pre-orders, will be available for purchase from 15th March through online as well as offline stores across India.

The smartphone features a 6.5-inch Full HD+ Panoramic display offering a screen resolution of 2340 x 1080 pixels, 19:9 aspect ratio and 90.9 percent screen to body ratio. The phone does not feature any kind of notch and instead comes with an elevating camera that houses the front camera sensor.

Under the hood, the device is powered by the popular mid-range chipset from MediaTek — Helio P70. The octa-core processor is manufactured using a 12nm process. The phone also features a Hyper Boost technology that basically optimizes the phone’s performance.

Coming to the camera department, the smartphone features a dual rear camera setup, consisting of a 48-megapixel primary sensor and a 5-megapixel secondary sensor along with an LED flash, f/1.79 aperture, and 6P Lens. It comes with an Ultra Night Mode for better low-light photography and a few other AI-powered features.

On the front side, the smartphone comes with a 16-megapixel snapper with an elevating mechanism, which the company prefers to call “Rising Camera.” It supports AI-based features as well as Face Unlock feature. There’s also a fingerprint sensor placed on the phone’s back panel.

Connectivity options on the device include Dual 4G VoLTE, WiFi 802.11 ac (2.4GHz + 5GHz), Bluetooth 4.2, GPS/GLONASS, and Micro USB Port. As for the software, the smartphone runs on Android 9 Pie-based ColorOS 6. The smartphone is powered by a 4,000mAh battery which comes with the VOOC 3.0 Flash Charge technology for fast charging.

Lego releases the Lego Fold tablet to take on Huawei and Samsung, sort of

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Mar 5, 2019

How about getting a Tesla Model S for $500? That sounds downright ridiculous I know, but Tesla has a Model S for kids which sells for around that amount. The popularity of the kids’ version is no doubt buoyed by the real Model S. That is the sort of marketing Lego intends to explore with its latest product – a folding tablet. Oh well, not a real tablet but a pop-up storybook.

The “tablet” is dubbed Lego Fold but in reality, there is nothing to portray it as an electronic gadget. The past few weeks in the tech sphere have been dominated by foldable phones. Samsung first announced its own Galaxy Fold and not long after, Huawei came out with the Mate X. Lego, which manufactures toy building blocks, yesterday tweeted about the launch of its own Lego fold which is a 5-inch cover display that unfolds into an 11-inch pop-up storybook. The brand even teased that the storybook provides endless creative play that never runs out of battery. That isn’t because it packs a big battery but it doesn’t use a battery.

A stunning 5-inch cover display unfolds into an 11-inch pop-up story book. For endless creative play that never runs out of battery. pic.twitter.com/yodboV2aEK

— LEGO (@LEGO_Group) March 4, 2019

The Lego Fold comes with a price tag of just $69.99, way less than the $2,000 price tag for the Galaxy Fold. That is clear because this is just a toy made from ABS plastic and nothing more. The marketing strategy only shows the growing popularity of the Galaxy Fold and other upcoming foldable phones.

Huawei Mate 20 Pro vs Sony Xperia 1 vs Samsung Galaxy S10+: Specs Comparison

By

Michele Ingelido

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Mar 5, 2019

MWC 2019 took place a few days ago and most of the important smartphones manufacturers unveiled their main flagships of 2019 during the same month. Here, we compared the most impressive Chinese flagship of the moment with two of the best flagships unveiled in February. We are talking about Huawei Mate 20 Pro which remains the most complete Chinese phone in the market despite the launch of the Xiaomi Mi 9, simply because the Mi 9 focuses on the price. The new flagships we chose for this comparison are the Samsung Galaxy S10+ and the Sony Xperia 1 as we think they are among the 5 most interesting ones announced in 2019 until now.

Huawei Mate 20 Pro vs Sony Xperia 1 vs Samsung Galaxy S10+

	Huawei Mate 20 Pro	Sony Xperia 1	Samsung Galaxy S10+
DIMENSIONS AND WEIGHT	157.8 x 72.3 x 8.6 mm, 189 g	167 x 72 x 8.2 mm, 180 g	157.6 x 74.1 x 7.8 mm, 175 g
DISPLAY	6.39 inches, 1440 x 3120p (Quad HD+), AMOLED	6.5 inches, 1644 x 3840p (Ultra HD+), 21:9 ratio, OLED	6.4 inches, 1440 x 3040p (Quad HD+), Dynamic AMOLED
PROCESSOR	Huawei HiSilicon Kirin 980, octa-core 2.6 GHz	Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, octa-core 2.8 GHz	Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, octa-core 2.8 GHz Samsung Exynos 9820, octa-core 2.7 GHz
MEMORY	6 GB RAM, 128 GB – nano SD slot	6 GB RAM, 64 GB – 6 GB RAM, 128 GB – micro SD slot	8 GB RAM, 128 GB – 8 GB RAM, 512 GB – 12 GB RAM, 1 TB – micro SD slot
SOFTWARE	Android 9 Pie, EMUI 9.0	Android 9 Pie	Android 9 Pie, One UI
CONNECTIVITY	Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS	Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS	Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS
CAMERA	Triple 40 + 20 + 8 MP, f/1.8 + f/2.2 + f/2.4, OIS, Laser AF 24 MP f/2.0 front camera	Triple 12 + 12 + 12 MP, f/1.6 + f/2.4 and f/2.4 8 MP, f/2.0 front camera	Triple 12 + 12 + 16 MP, f/1.5-f/2.4 and f/2.4 and f/2.2 Dual 10 + 8 MP f/1.9 and f/2.2 front camera
BATTERY	4200 mAh, fast charging 40W, wireless charging 15W	3330 mAh, fast charging 18W	4100 mAh, fast charging 15W, Qi wireless charging
ADDITIONAL FEATURES	Dual SIM slot, waterproof (IP68), 3D facial recognition	IP68 certification	Hybrid Dual SIM slot, IP68 certification, S Pen, iris scanner

Design

Even though tastes always play the main role when it comes to the design, we decided to give the first award for the aesthetics to Samsung Galaxy S10+. We chose it because of its higher screen-to-body ratio as it features an innovative Infinity-O Display that gets rid of the notch and other silly solution to minimize the bezels. It even comes in a more expensive version with an even more attractive ceramic body. And it has a sturdy build quality thanks to the IP68 certification and Gorilla Glass 6 protecting all the glasses. The second place goes to the Sony Xperia 1 for the originality, thanks to its ultra tall aspect ratio.

Display

It is a very hard fight between Samsung Galaxy S10+ and Sony Xperia 1. Samsung Galaxy S10+ is currently considered as the best phone when it comes to the display quality. It has a perfect color reproduction, the highest brightness, and perfect contrasts. Unfortunately, Sony Xperia 1 is still not on the shelves, so we can not test it thoroughly in order to compare it with the Galaxy S10+. It borrows several technologies from Sony’s TVs and it has the world’s first 4K OLED panel.

Hardware/Software

These devices are among the most expensive ones ever launched, so it is obvious that they come with an excellent flagship-class hardware department and it is hard to notice the differences between their performances. Samsung Galaxy S10+ wins the comparison simply because it comes in a way better memory configuration. We are talking about the variant with 12 GB of RAM and 1 TB of internal UFS 2.1 storage, while Sony Xperia 1, which takes the second place, has just 6 GB of RAM. Huawei Mate 20 Pro has a Kirin 980 chipset that is not at the same level as the Snapdragon 855 or the Exynos 9820 found on the Xperia 1 and Galaxy S10+, so it takes the last place despite it boasts up to 8 GB RAM.

Camera

Samsung Galaxy S10+ and Huawei Mate 20 Pro can be easily considered the best camera phones out there, and it will be hard for the Sony Xperia 1 to provide a similar photo quality, despite it being the first triple camera phone by Sony. I would personally go for the Samsung Galaxy S10+ even though its rear cameras are as impressive as the ones of the Mate 20 Pro, simply because it has a better front setup composed of a dual selfie camera able to record 4K videos.

Battery

Both Samsung Galaxy S10+ and Huawei Mate 20 Pro come with battery capacities above 4000 mAh and they are among the best flagships for battery life. We found Samsung Galaxy S10+ slightly more efficient as it lasts a bit more in some scenarios, while Huawei Mate 20 Pro comes right after.

Price

Samsung Galaxy S10+ wins the comparison because of its better overall camera department, better display, and great overall performances. It starts from less than €950, while Huawei Mate 20 Pro actually costs about €800 and Xperia 1’s price is still unknown as it did not hit the shelves yet and Sony did not reveal anything about its availability.

Read More: Huawei unveils Mate 20 and Mate 20 Pro: Kirin 980, triple rear cameras and more

Huawei Mate 20 Pro vs Sony Xperia 1 vs Samsung Galaxy S10+: PRO and CONS

Huawei Mate 20 Pro

PROS

More affordable
Big battery
Great camera
Stereo speakers
Reverse wireless charging

CONS

Nothing particular

Sony Xperia 1

PROS

Great display
Good camera phone
21:9 aspect ratio
Stereo speakers

CONS

Smaller battery

Samsung Galaxy S10+

PROS

Borderless design
Most powerful hardware
Big battery
Great cameras
Reverse wireless charging

CONS

Price

Black Shark 2 gaming phone will come with Liquid Cooling 3.0, launching soon

By

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Mar 5, 2019

Black Shark is developing its next gaming smartphone which should launch as the Black Shark 2. The phone showed up on Geekbench early this year as the “Black Shark Skywalker”. It is powered by the Snapdragon 855 processor and has 8GB of RAM. Today, Black Shark has revealed a new feature that the phone will have.

The CEO of the company shared a promotional video on Weibo this morning. The teaser video didn’t reveal any detail about the phone but the caption did say the Black Shark 2 will come with “Liquid Cooling 3.0” technology.

Based on a rough translation of the post, we think Liquid Cooling 3.0 will cover a larger area inside the phone or maybe have a larger cooling pipe. The official Black Shark account also reshared the original post and confirmed in the caption that the phone will be called Black Shark Gaming Phone 2.