Panasonic has launched its latest smartphone in the Eluga Ray series India — Panasonic Eluga Ray 800. The smartphone is now available for purchase in India through online and offline stores for a price of Rs. 9,999, which roughly converts to $143.
The Panasonic Eluga Ray 800 features a 5.5-inch Full HD IPS display with 1920 x 1080 pixels screen resolution and Gorilla Glass 3 protection on top. Under the hood, the device is powered by a 1.8GHz Octa-core SC9853I Unisoc processor with ARM Mali-T820 MP2 GPU.
It packs 4GB RAM and 64GB internal memory, along with a microSD card slot that allows users to further expand the phone’s storage capacity up to 128GB. As for the camera, the smartphone comes with a 13-megapixel rear camera and an 8-megapixel front camera, both with LED flash.
In the software department, the smartphone runs on the older Android 7 Nougat operating system, even after Google has released two major Android versions. It comes with Panasonic’s own AI assistant Arbo Hub that adapts to user-specific needs, interests and provides information.
Connectivity options on the device include Dual SIM, 4G VoLTE, WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, and GPS. The phone also comes with a rear-mounted multi-purpose fingerprint sensor. The device is fuelled by a 4000mAh battery.
At this price range, there are way better options available in India, including the recently launched Realme 3, Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 — both of which comes with a way better specifications compared to the Panasonic Eluga Ray 800.
In the previous week, the Vivo X27 moniker was spotted on Tmall which suggested that it could be the name of the successor of the Vivo X23. Then the gradient blue variant of the phone was recently spotted on a popular TV show in China. Today, the Chinese manufacturer has confirmed through Weibo that the Vivo X27 will be announced on March 19 through a launch event in China.
The Vivo X27 launch poster only confirms the unveil date but does not reveal any details on its specs. Rumors are rife that the Vivo phone model number V1829A/V1829T that was recently certified by TENAA telecom authority could be the Vivo X27.
The V1829A/T Vivo smartphone has a notch-less display like the Vivo NEX and Vivo V15 Pro. The 6.39-inch AMOLED screen of the phone is embedded with an under-display fingerprint sensor. The handset is powered by an octa-core processor that clocks at 2.2 GHz. It is speculated that it could be featuring the Snapdragon 710 mobile platform. The predecessor Vivo X23 was powered by the Snapdragon 670 SoC. The SD710 chip on the Vivo X27 will be assisted by 8 GB of RAM.
The purported Vivo X27 is preloaded with Android 9 Pie OS. The smartphone may draw power from a 4,000mAh battery that may carry support for 22.5W rapid charging technology like the Vivo X23. The top edge of the phone will be featuring a pop-up front camera of 16-megapixel. The 48-megapixel + 13-megapixel + 5-megapixel AI driven triple camera setup will be available on the rear shell of the phone. The Vivo X27 will be available in China in 128 GB and 256 GB storage models. However, there is no information available on the pricing of these variants.
The V1831A/T is another Vivo phone that has been approved by TENAA. The specs of the phone are identical to the Vivo V15 smartphone. The only major difference is that the Vivo V15 features a 32-megapixel whereas the V1831A/T has a 25-megapixel. It is speculated that the handset may get unveiled as Vivo Z5. Other rumors have claimed that it could be the first phone in the new S-series. Hence, it is also speculated to debut as Vivo S1.
The recently unveiled Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 has beyond an iota of doubt, lived up to our expectations in terms of specs and features. Regrettably, the phone isn’t easy on the pocketbook.
Xiaomi has teamed-up with China’s top online stores including Giztop, Sunsky, GeekBuying, Gearbest, and Banngood in order to make the global version of the Redmi Note 7 smartphone available to its loyal fanbase at best price.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 – Giztop
You can buy the black and blue color versions of the Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 smartphone for $219 on Giztop. This is a global version that ships with 4GB of RAM and offers an onboard storage capacity of 64GB.
You can follow this link to check out more details and buy the global version of the Redmi Note 7 smartphone.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 – Sunsky
The global official version of the Redmi Note 7 smartphone has gone up for sale on Sunsky. You can choose from 3GB RAM/32GB ROM, 4GB RAM/64GB ROM, and 6GB RAM/64GB ROM variants.
The phone comes in jet black, dream blue and twilight gold color versions.
For the sake of an instance, the jet black-tinted Redmi Note 7 with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage capacity retails for $219.09. But if you buy two pieces of the smartphone, you get each piece for only $218.55.
You can follow this link to check out more options and get your hands on your favorite version of the Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 smartphone.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 – GeekBuying
Known as one of China’s best online stores for electronic items, GeekBuying is now doling out a noteworthy discount on the 4GB RAM, 64GB ROM variant of the Redmi Note 7 smartphone that usually retails for $322.99.
Thanks to the aforesaid discount, you can now pre-order the Redmi Note 7 for a reduced price of just $239.99. Moreover, you can use coupon code AFUEVNPY and get an extra $36 off before placing your order. The aforesaid coupon helps you bring the already reduced retail price of the phone further down to only $229.99.
You can follow this link to avail the discount, which will be valid for the black color version of the Redmi Note 7 smartphone. The coupon is slated to expire on April 2nd.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 – Gearbest
The blue and black color versions of the Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 phablet are currently available bearing $279.99 price tags on GearBest.
As a phablet, the Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 sports a 6.3-inch FHD+ display with 2340×1080 pixels resolution. It packs a powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 Octa Core 2.2GHz processor, paired with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage capacity.
You can follow this link to check out the full specification and buy your favorite color version of the Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 4G phablet.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 – Banggood
Staying true to its reputation for offering the best bang for your buck, Banggood is giving its users a chance to buy the global version of the Redmi Note 7 smartphone for only $279.99. They can choose between blue and black color options.
An absolute steal at this price, Redmi Note 7 Global Version features 4GB of RAM and 64GB of onboard storage capacity. The phone houses a 48.0MP + 5.0MP dual-camera setup at the back and a 13.0MP front shooter for selfies and video chatting.
Furthermore, the Redmi Note 7 runs MIUI based on Android OS and draws its juices from a 4000mAh lithium-ion polymer battery that supports Quick Charge.
You can follow this link to check out the full specification and buy the Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 Global Version at an unbeatable price.
Redmi has a busy scheduled ahead in China. On March 18, it will be introducing the Redmi Note 7 Pro in the home market. Also, recent reports have revealed that the company may also launch the Redmi 7 smartphone. A fresh leak reveals that a new variant for the Redmi Note 7 will be introduced soon in China. The new model will feature 6 GB of RAM and 128 GB of storage.
The Redmi Note 7 is available in three variants in China such as 3 GB RAM + 32 GB storage, 4 GB RAM + 64 storage and 6 GB RAM + 64 GB storage. These variants are respectively priced at 999 Yuan (~$149), Yuan, 1,199 Yuan (~$179) and 1,399 Yuan (~$209) in China. Soon after the launch of the Redmi Note 7 in China, an official poll had revealed that Redmi fans are interested to see more storage and RAM on the phone. This could be the reason why the company could be gearing up to introduce Redmi Note 7 with 6 GB of RAM and 128 GB of storage.
It is speculated that the new variant will go official on the same day when Redmi will be announcing the Redmi Note 7 Pro in China. Apart from increase in the internal storage, the new variant of the Note 7 will be having the same specs as its regular models. The official poll that was carried out by Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun had carried 1,599 Yuan (~$239) price tag for the 6 GB of RAM and 128 GB of storage. Hence, it is very likely the new model may carry the same price tag.
There is no confirmation yet on the launch date of the Redmi 7 smartphone. The TENAA listing of the phone has revealed that it is equipped with a 6.26-inch HD+ display. The smartphone will be coming to China in multiple variants such as 2 GB RAM + 16 Gb storage, 3 GB RAM + 32 GB storage and 4 GB RAM + 64 GB storage. the Redmi 7 is speculated to be fueled by the Snapdragon 632 chipset.
The dual camera setup of the Redmi 7 may include 12-megapixel lens as the primary sensor. For shooting selfies, it may come with an 8-megapixel selfie shooter. It may include a 4,000mAh battery.
Huawei’s well-received sub-brand Honor includes a wide selection of smartphones, tablet PCs, and even wearables. The Chinese consumer electronics manufacturer is offering a slew of Honor-branded smartphones at lowered prices on its official store on Banggood.
The Honor Official Store has been split into multiple categories, allowing Banggood users to search for their favorite mobile device without breaking a sweat.
Keeping in line with that, you can get a 24 percent off on the Honor 10, 30 percent off on the Honor Play, 33 percent off on the Honor Note 10 (6GB RAM, 128GB RAM) and 32 percent discount on the Honor Note 10 (6GB RAM, 64GB ROM) smartphones under the ‘Hot Sale’ category.
Aside from smartphones, you can avail great discounts on a slew of other electronic devices. For instance, the Huawei Honor Watch Magic smartwatch that usually sells for $229.99 can now be yours for just $158.99 on the Honor Official Store on Banggood.
Likewise, you can buy the Original Huawei Honor Flypods Earphone for a reduced price of just $163.65. This is a noteworthy 9 percent drop in the device’s original asking price of $209.99. You can buy the Huawei Honor Band and Honor AM-H1C FlyPods Youth at reduced prices as well. If you have restlessly been waiting to get your hands on the ‘HONOR X series’ without spending a lot of money, we got good news for you. Select variants of the Honor 8X smartphones have now gone up for sale carrying reduced prices on the Honor Official Store on Banggood.
The rest of the smartphones have been added to the ‘HONOR Smartphone’ category. The section features multiple variants of the Huawei Honor 10, Huawei Honor V10, Honor Note 10 and Honor Play smartphones.
More importantly, the mobile phones included in the aforesaid sections will be up for grabs for lowered prices for a limited period of time.
You can grab great discounts on a slew of top-end accessories under the ‘HONOR Accessories’ section. The ‘All Products’ category, on the other hand, features varied items from the Huawei Honor brand.
The aforesaid segment comprises the Honor 8X Max, Honor Band 4 Running Version, Honor Note 10, Honor 10 Lite and other devices that will be available for heavily discounted prices for a limited period of time.
You can visit the Honor Official Store and take advantage of the discounts simply by following this link.
In the past week, a new Xiaomi Black Shark gaming phone was certified by the 3C authority of China. Also, Black Shark CEO Wu Shimin had revealed earlier this week that the Black Shark 2 will be launching soon with Liquid Cool 3.0 technology. Multiple listings of the “Black Shark AAA” smartphone have appeared on Geekbench. As usual, the Geekbench listing has revealed the key specs of the phone.
All the Geekbench listings of the rumored Black Shark 2 show that it is powered by the Qualcomm’s most powerful Snapdragon 855 mobile platform. The SoC is assisted by 12 GB of RAM. The Android 9 Pie OS is loaded on the device. In the single-core and multi-core benchmarking tests of Geekbench, the Black Shark AA handset has respectively scored 3516 and 11413 points.
In January, the purported Black Shark 2 was spotted with Snapdragon 855 chipset and 8 GB of RAM. In the single core test, it had scored 3494 and 11419 in the multi-core test. Hence, it appears that the smartphone will be available 8 GB and 12 GB RAM variants. These handsets may respectively feature 128 GB and 256 GB of native storage. The inclusion of Liquid Cooling 3.0 technology suggests that the Black Shark 2 may come with a larger cooling pipe.
The 3C certification of the Black Shark 2 had revealed that it will carry support for 27W fast charging like the recently unveiled Xiaomi Mi 9 flagship phone. A leaked hands-on image of the phone that had appeared recently had revealed that the phone will be sporting the identical design language as the predecessor models. The image had also revealed that the unlike the Black Shark Helo phone that has the vertical dual camera setup placed in the middle of the upper half of its rear shell, the upcoming Black Shark 2 will feature its vertical dual camera system at the top-left corner of its back panel.
The Chinese manufacturer is yet to confirm on the launch date of the smartphone. The original Black Shark phone had debut last year in April. Hence, the Black Shark 2 is likely to go official either in this month or April.
Looking for a cost-effective smartphone that doesn’t compromise on quality? You’ve come to the right place. One of China’s best online stores for electronic items, GeekBuying is now giving its users a chance to get their tech greedy hands on the Vivo iQOO and Lenovo Z5 Pro GT smartphones without emptying their pockets.
We’ll divulge more details about the aforesaid discounts and also show how you can save a considerable amount of more money before placing your order. So without further ado, let’s delve into the details.
Vivo iQOO Smartphone
The 6GB RAM, 128GB ROM variant of the recently announced iQOO mobile phone has gone up for pre-order bearing a reduced price tag of $655.99 on GeekBuying. This is a significant drop in the device’s original asking price of $734.99.
Moreover, you can apply coupon code GIZ_WOXANMPR and get an extra $56 off. In other words, you can bring the already reduced selling price of the Vivo iQOO smartphone further down to just $599.99 simply by applying the aforesaid coupon at checkout. In terms of specs, the iQOO sports a mammoth 6.41-inch FHD+ display with 2340×1080 pixels resolution. It is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Octa-core processor and packs an Adreno 640 GPU, under the hood.
The dual-SIM phone houses a 12.0MP+13.0MP+2.0MP triple camera set up at the back. Up front, there’s a 12.0MP front shooter for selfies and video chatting.
You can follow this link in order to check out more details about the Vivo iQOO smartphone and grab the discount. With 59 pre-orders already placed, the promo is slated to end in twelve days.
The well-received 6GB RAM, 128GB ROM model of the Lenovo Z5 Pro GT smartphone would normally set you back $666.99 but you can now buy it for just $575.99 on GeekBuying, thanks to a 14 percent discount available on the phone’s original asking price.
Aside from taking advantage of the aforesaid discount, you can save $66 more by using coupon code GIZ_JNPUDDIC. The coupon helps you reduce the retail price of the Lenovo Z5 Pro GT smartphone to only $509.99. An absolute steal at this price, the Lenovo Z5 Pro GT comes with an extra large 6.39-inch FHD display with a screen resolution of 2340×1080 pixels. It is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Octa-core, 2.84GHz processor and packs an Adreno 640 graphics processing unit.
On the photography front, this dual-SIM smartphone from Lenovo features a 16.0MP+24.0MP dual camera module at the back and houses 16.0MP+8.0MP front-mounted cameras.
The phone runs ZUI10 based on Android Pie OS and is backed by a built-in 3350mAh Lithium battery that delivers standby time of about 2-3 days.
You can head straight to this link and check out the full specification and grab the discount. Note that the promo is slated to end soon.
Over the past few months, the world has continued to watch as the US/China trade ties continue to deteriorate. China has always been on the receiving end but we expect Beijing to react in its own way. China made have commenced its own clampdown on US companies. A recent report in the media has shown that China’s auto import port customs have suspended the release of Tesla Model 3 even after several units have left the ports already. The Chinese customs says it will notify dealers who have already cleared their shipment not to sell or use the electric car.
The reasons given for the decision to withhold issuance of clearance for the Tesla Model 3 makes this all look like retaliation as the relationship between the US and China approaches its lowest level. Authorities say the logo on the car is out of specification. The Commodity Inspection Department of the General Administration of Customs issued a warning notice on March 1st, referring to the above requirements. According to the Commodity Inspection Department, Shanghai Customs found in the inspection of imported vehicles that four batches of 1600 Tesla Model 3 logos were not in compliance. In addition, the automotive brake fluid tanks on the 1600 models were said to have English warning signs without a corresponding Chinese translation. Ironically, most products from China that ship overseas most times come with Chinese texts on the user manual.
The reasons that were given for withholding customs clearance for the 1600 Model 3 also include such infractions like the absence of a vehicle nameplate or the vehicle model. The motor power indicator also didn’t match the actual power. This may very well be routine safety checks and may be unconnected to the simmering US/China trade dispute.
Gearbest has teamed-up with top brands to offer a wide selection of high-end electronic items at unbeatable prices for its latest promotion.
Dubbed as ‘2019 Gearbest Best Sellers Deals,’ the recently kicked-off promo has been split into multiple categories in order to simplify and expedite the search process.
Aside from doling out noteworthy discounts on select products featured on the promotion page, Gearbest is giving its users a chance to save a considerable amount of extra money in the form of coupons.
In addition to a slew of other electronic items, the Chinese online store is offering the Teclast P10 and Huawei MediaPad T2 phablets at heavily discounted prices on the promotion page.
Teclast P10 4G Phablet
Designed for daily use, the P10 phablet from Teclast sports a 10.1-inch touch screen display with 1280 x 800 pixels resolution. It packs an MTK 6737 Quad Core processor along with Mali-T720 GPU, under the hood.
The feature-laden phablet ships with 2GB of RAM and offers 16GB of internal storage capacity for you to save your favorite pictures, videos, and other multimedia content.
Moreover, it houses a 0.3MP + 2.0MP dual-camera setup for capturing memorable moments and video chatting with friends and family.While you’d normally end up spending a lot of money on a phablet offering comparable features, the Teclast P10 can now be yours for a reduced price of just $109.99 on Gearbest.
This is a 19 percent reduction in the device’s original asking price of $135.70. This discount will be valid for the white color version of the Teclast P10 phablet.
You can visit this link to avail the discount and check out more details about the Teclast P10 phablet. Note that there were only 300 pieces remaining for this flash sale, which is slated to end in just four days.
Looking for a cost-effective phablet for daily use? The MediaPad T2 might just fill the bill.
Equipped with a 7.0-inch touch screen display with 1024 x 600 pixels resolution, the MediaPad T2 is powered by Spreadtrum SC9830I Quad Core 1.5GHz processor and packs an ARM Mali-400 GPU for a superior casual gaming experience.
The Huawei MediaPad T2 comes with 1GB of RAM and has 16GB of onboard storage capacity that you can use to save your favorite content. It houses a 2.0MP camera for photos and face-to-face chat. While the aforesaid features justify the $162.47 price tag, the MediaPad T2 usually carries; you can now buy it for just $109.99 on Gearbest. This 32 percent discount will be available exclusively for the champagne gold color version of the phablet.
You can follow this link to grab the discount. Regrettably, there were only 200 pieces remaining for this flash sale at the time of writing. The flash sale ends in five days.
This year’s edition of the Mobile World Congress was mostly dominated by 5G and foldable smartphones. Talking of foldable phones, the Huawei Mate X and Samsung Galaxy Fold were the only models showcased at the event but the media attention generated was enough to ensure we keep talking about foldable phones for the rest of the year and beyond. Since Huawei announced the Mate X, debates have been ongoing as to which of the two models is the best foldable phone around. No doubt opinions will be sharply divergent on this question but a recent poll conducted by Android Authority has given us an idea of the model most fans prefer. The Mate X is crowned as the most preferred foldable model. The poll had over 60,000 respondents and was conducted across the blog’s website as well as its social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter and YouTube). In the end, about 39 percent of the respondents preferred the Mate X while 28 percent prefer the Fold. Surprisingly, about 30 percent of the respondents say they won’t be getting any of the models.
YouTube poll result
Yours sincerely agrees with the majority view in this poll as the Mate X represents what we consider as a foldable phone, at least while the concept was still brewing. A good number of those who responded think so too with some preferring the Mate X because of its lay-flat design and the larger display screen when in the folded state. The Matex X packs a 6.6-inch display which unfolds into an 8-inch tablet. On the other hand, the Galaxy Fold has a 4.6-inch outer screen and a separate inner screen which is 7.6 inches when unfolded.
Most of the respondents who prefer the Galaxy Fold cite the plastic screen which can easily get scratched for their decision to prefer the Fold over the Mate X. The design of the Fold ensures the folding screen is protected while the smaller screen is in use. However, the Mate X uses the foldable screen for its phone and tablet mode and this, some think can get damaged or scratched easily.
Opinions will continue to be divided but we believe that just like 5G, the foldable phone design and hardware will continue to evolve over time until it gets to a point where durability won’t be one of our worries.
The Huawei Enjoy 9 is a mid-range phone that was released in December 2018. Now a leaked poster has revealed it is set to get a new sibling called the Enjoy 9s.
The photo was shared on Weibo and it shows the upper part of the phone’s display and a few key specs. The Huawei Enjoy 9s will have a Dewdrop display just like the Huawei Enjoy 9. There is no mention of the screen resolution but the screen is 6.21-inches in size.
The poster also reveals the phone will come with an AI triple camera setup one of which is a 24MP ultra-wide sensor. The Enjoy 9s will have 128GB of storage and run EMUI 9.0 out of the box.
Relaxing is another mode of recharging yourself. For many people, relaxing is a word for listening to music; they always keep hogging for good earphones. Although there are many premium and excellent earphones available in the market but only a few fall in the category of being affordable. Today, Alldocube F40 Quad Driver has appeared as best affordable yet powerful earphones available in the market. The new headsets carry three dynamic drivers making the sound more deep and realistic. Similarly, there are many other refinements which make it sound more pragmatic.
Mainly talking about the Alldocube F40, it carries three dynamic drivers and one balanced armature to output a wide range of sound frequencies. All these non-destructive 4 frequency division technology has its own functionality in the earphones as detailed below:
NanoFiber Diaphragm Driver Handles The Bass
Composite Diaphragm Driver Responsible For The Midrange
Graphene Diaphragm Driver Handles The Treble
Exclusive Custom FLT K3 Handles Ultra High Frequency
The new accessory is quite affordable if we compare its features to the other competitors. For example, a similar model from 1more can burn a hole of $200 in your pocket. While you can get the same features at an affordable price of $71.99 with Alldocube F40 Quad Driver Earphones. Despite the facts, the company has revealed a new video of the accessory, which you can check below:
Its design will have a natural feel as the company is working to bring a unique and elegant pattern inspired by nature. Further, the device will carry the anti-oxidation copper core around the neck to keep vibration isolated from your ears. Users can use it with any Android or iOS devices such as tablets, laptops, and smartphones. It just needs a 3.5 mm headphone jack to fit in the port for smooth functioning of the earphones.
It would be better if you could use the earphones with Alldocube X tablet as it carries AKM HiFi sound chip. Its huge impressive display can make the experience more indulging. Although, users can buy the Alldocube F40 earphones for the price of $71.99 from Aliexpress once it gets available.
After learning about various new advancements at MWC 2019, Ulefone is here with a slew of new smartphones. Ulefone always stuns customers with different kind of devices. Recently, they have announced the Ulefone Power 3L with a huge 6350 mAh battery. In order to cater to a different set of users, the Chinese smartphone maker keeps on evolving new devices with a different set of features. Today, Ulefone S11 has leaked in a video flaunting its design and other specifications. just before its official launch.
As per the new video of Ulefone S11, the new device carries information about the triple rear camera module. If we believe the video, then it is sure that its predecessors purely inspire the new Ulefone S11 design. It is carrying the heritage of perfectly designed Ulefone S series.
Although, we can see a triple camera sensor along with an LED flash on the rear side of the devices. There’s also a speaker grill present on the bottom side of the device along with the Ulefone branding. Its camera module is firmly embedded into the middle of the device as like of various high-end devices. Ulefone S11 carries a gradient color on the rear side which is giving it a premium. From the video, it appears that the S11 will carry a glossy back which will surely make it more appealing.
On the front side, the device hosts a 6.1-inch ultra waterdrop display with a earphone grill on the top. Its huge display is undoubtedly going to provide users a vivid viewing experience. Ulefone S11 has got a rounded display with “chin” bezels on either side of the device
Moreover, we can see the User Interface of the device which seems to be fully refined. The physical keys can be seen on the right of the device.
Additionally, the video also showered some light on the hardware specs. Ulefone S11 will come with 6.1 inch HD display carrying high screen-to-body ratio. It is powered by an MT6580 processor and carries 1 GB RAM with 16 GB ROM. In the absence of a fingerprint sensor, the device incorporates face-unlock for secure and fast authentication. It carries NFC and Google Pay integration feature along with the usual WiFi, Bluetooth, and WiFi direct connectivity options.
In the camera section, the device carries a triple rear camera module of 12-megapixels + 5-megapixels + 5-megapixels sensors. Its camera devices are said to carry the ArcSoft algorithm for more clear and vivid photos. For selfies, Ulefone S11 comes with an 8-megapixel sensor.
It runs on the Android 9.0 Pie and will come in Black, Blue, and Twilight color options. The company has not stated anything regarding its launch, but we expect that it could happen soon.
Sony has garnered a towering reputation as a supplier of camera sensors used on many smartphones, including flagships till date. Despite this, the company has never really released a smartphone with powerful cameras that could compete with the best ones around in the past few years. Sony’s senior manager of global marketing, Adam Marsh, has now revealed the reason for this.
The Sony exec disclosed in a recent interview with Trusted Reviews that a rivalry between the mobile and Alpha mirrorless camera divisions of the company was responsible for the disappointing results. Marsh stated that “Even though we’re one company, there are still sometimes barriers that Alpha doesn’t want to give Mobile certain things because all of a sudden you have the same as what a 3,000-pound camera’s got.” He further disclosed that the barrier is gone to some extent, as the camera division now acknowledge that having a smartphone and camera that gives you the same experience was a good thing.
Marsh also disclosed that the change is connected to a recent reshuffle that saw Kimio Maki, formerly head of the Alpha division, take over as the head of Sony Mobile. The new mobile chief reportedly halted work on the expected Xperia XZ4 with the aim of revamping the company approach to smartphone design. The new approach saw Maki fostering collaboration between the various brands and the mobile division. As a result of this, experiences are now being shared across the Cybershot, Alpha and Xperia brands, the executive explained. He equally touted the possibility of software features from the Alpha cameras to come to the Sony Xperia line. Perhaps, Sony may just be the first to give us that DSLR camera experience on a smartphone we all crave for. Will we ever see that happening?
When the Redmi 7 showed up on TENAA earlier this week, the listing revealed it will come with an octa-core processor clocked at 1.8GHz. There have been guesses as to which processor that is and now two hands-on videos have revealed the chipset under the hood.
The hands-on videos are from the Vietnamese YouTube channels Tony Phùng Studio and Dương Dê. The former is actually a comparison between the Redmi 7 and the Redmi Note 7 but both videos reveal the phone is powered by the Snapdragon 632 as shown by the AIDA64 app.
https://youtu.be/2-G3RnAuhSM
The 14nm Snapdragon 632 has eight Kryo 250 cores clocked at 1.8GHz and an Adreno 506 GPU. It has a Snapdragon X9 LTE model and a Hexagon 546 DSP. It is the same chipset inside the Honor 8C. The second video shows the Redmi 7 scored 101949 points on AnTuTu.
With respect to design, the Redmi 7 in both videos is the blue variant. It has a waterdrop notch but its bezels are thicker than that of the Redmi Note 7. It also has a triple card slot which allows you to use a MicroSD card and two SIM cards at the same time.
The dual cameras are arranged vertically with an LED flash below the setup while a fingerprint scanner sits in the middle. The Redmi 7 also has a MicroUSB port at the bottom and an audio jack at the top.
If you thought that the long-awaited Redmi Note 7 Pro is the only 2019 upper-midrange that really deserves attention, you were wrong. Today, Oppo and Meizu announced their perfect answer to the new Xiaomi’s best-buy and they look impressive if compared to their prices. We are talking about the Oppo F11 and the Meizu Note 9: two incredible rivals that not everyone would easily expect this year. Which of these three devices can really be the dominator of the midrange segment? You can discover it and learn about all the differences between these handsets by going ahead with this hard but exciting comparison.
Oppo F11 vs Meizu Note 9 vs Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 Pro
Dual 48 + 5 MP f/1.8 and f/2.4
16 MP f/2.0 front camera
Dual 48 + 5 MP f/1.7
20 MP f/2.0 front camera
Dual 48 + 5 MP f/1.7 and f/2.4
13 MP front camera
BATTERY
4000 mAh, fast charging with VOOC 3.0
4000 mAh, fast charging with mCharge
4000 mAh, Fast Charging with Quick Charge 4
ADDITIONAL FEATURES
Dual SIM slot
Dual SIM slot
Hybrid Dual SIM slot
Design
Just choose depending on your tastes, because each of these phones offers a futuristic design with a waterdrop notch and a wonderful back available in gradient color variants. I would personally discard the Oppo F11 due to its bigger dimensions making it less usable with one hand and harder to keep in a pocket. Instead, I would award the Redmi Note 7 Pro for its water resistance. Despite its specs sheet does not mention any IP certification, teardowns revealed that it is indeed water resistant and the company confirmed it.
Display
We discarded the Oppo F11 from the design comparison because of its dimensions, but that goes in favor of the display. This device has a huge 6.53-inch panel that is much more comfortable for advanced users, gamers and productivity. Further, it comes with the LTPS technology that should help to deliver a better experience. Oppo F11 wins the display comparison, but given that we are talking about mid-rangers and usually there are very marginal differences between the displays of midrange phones, do not give too much importance to this.
Specs & Software
You get exactly the same hardware department for the Meizu Note 9 and Redmi Note 7 Proo: a Snapdragon 675 chipset paired with up to 6 GB of RAM and up to 128 GB of internal storage. Instead, Oppo F11 comes with a slightly less impressive Mediatek Helio P70. So, just like displays, it will even hard to notice the differences between the speed and reactivity of these phones, in every scenario. In each case, you get high-end performances as these devices are equipped with an upper-midrange SoC that is able to handle every task in a very good way. I would personally go for the Redmi Note 7 Pro because it is the only one to boast a micro SD slot allowing to expand the internal storage. Most of the people like its customized user interface more, even though this does not count so much.
Camera
The new Samsung’s ISOCELL Bright GM1 sensor with its resolution of 48 MP became mainstream among midrange devices and it allows a stunning level of detail even on phones that are a lot far from top camera phones, for both performances and prices. We still did not test all the cameras of these handsets, but we do not expect significative differences in photo quality, regarding the rear camera setup. What will probably change more is the selfie experience, in which Oppo F11 and Meizu Note 9 should offer something more. Oppo F11 may be the real selfie master here.
Battery
The huge batteries of these devices are probably what will distinguish these devices from most of their concurrence. All feature a huge 4000 mAh unit and all support a fast charging technology. Judging from the specs on the paper, Meizu Note 9 and Redmi Note 7 Pro may last slightly more than Oppo F11 due to their smaller and more efficient displays. But the software optimizations will have the last word here.
Price
With incredibly similar specs sheets, what makes the difference is the price, and this is a point for the Redmi Note 7 Pro and Meizu Note 9. They start from about €200/$225, while Oppo F11 starts from €250/$280. Overall, I would go for the Redmi Note 7 Pro.
Meizu went officially with the affordable and premium mid-range Meizu Note 9 today in China. The device happens to be the second model after the Redmi note 7 Pro to feature Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 675 chipset. until recently, Meizu phones hardly feature Qualcomm chipset so the Meizu Note 9 is a special phone. This is the most powerful Qualcomm chipset we’ve seen on a Meizu phone since the company settled its dispute with the US chipmaker.
On AnTuTu, the Meizu Note 9 recorded a lofty score of 180,381 which is pretty impressive for a mid-range model. The score is even higher than the AnTuTu score which the Snapdragon 675 posted when it was benchmarked a few months back. Back in January, AnTuTu posted a score of 174,402 points for the SD675. Thus, this new score is plain surprising.
We can’t tell why the score is higher now but it is possible the SD675 chipset onboard the Meizu Note 9 is clocked at the highest frequency. The Snapdragon 675 chipset is surprisingly more powerful than the Snapdragon 710 which had an AnTuTu score of 170K. It is equally more powerful than the Snapdragon 670 SoC which managed to score 150,000 points. In addition, Meizu’s Hyper Gaming technology for optimized gaming experience through GPU acceleration is also on the Note 9. This may also be responsible for the higher benchmark score.
As a reminder, the Meizu Note 9 features a 6.2-inch IPS LCD display with a waterdrop-style notch. It adopts the 19.5:9 aspect ratio with a screen ratio of 89.23%. The display has a full HD+ resolution of 1080 x 2244 pixels. The device comes with 6GB of RAM with 64 GB/128 GB storage options which can’t be expanded. There is a big 4000Ah battery onboard with support for 18W mCharge rapid charging technology. Meizu even included an 18w charger in the retail box. The phone runs Android 9 Pie OS customized with the latest Flyme 7.2 UI.
Today Xiaomi announced its new mid-range phone, the Redmi Note 7, is now available in Spain. It also launched the Mi Smart Sensor Set in the country.
The Redmi Note 7 first launched in China and was then unveiled in India last week. Now it has landed in Europe and Spain is its first destination.
The Redmi Note 7 has a 6.3-inch FHD+ notched display and is covered with Gorilla Glass 5 on both sides. It has a waterdrop style notch which is home to the selfie camera. Powered by a Snapdragon 660 processor, it has 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage.
The Redmi Note 7 has a 48MP camera on its back which is paired with a 5MP depth sensor. Its front-facing camera is a 13MP sensor. The phone has a rear-mounted fingerprint scanner and an IR blaster. Its battery capacity is 4000mAh and it has support for Quick Charge 4.
The phone also has a USB-C port at the bottom, an audio jack at the top and Bluetooth 5.0. It is available in Neptune Blue, Red Nebula, and Space Black.
The Redmi Note 7 will sell for €149 (probably for a limited time) instead of its original price of € 179. It will go on sale on March 14 at 1 pm (local time) and be available on Mi.com and AliExpress Spain. You can visit the official site to register to be notified.
Recently, Twitter leakster Roland Quandt had reported that Qualcomm was working on a new super low-end chipset that would power Android Go smartphones. The chipset which is known as Qualcomm Mobile 215 (QM 215) has now made an appearance on GeekBench aboard what is apparently a test model.
The GeekBench listing confirms a few details of the low-end processor as revealed earlier by Mr Quandt. These details include a Quad-core CPU clocked at 1.3 gigahertz and a GPU at 650 megahertz. This is almost on par with the present entry-level Snapdragon 410 and 425 chipsets. The chipset is basically for phones packing 1/2GB RAM and 8/16GB of storage and running Android Go. The test phone runs Android 9.0 Pie and is perhaps one of the next-gen Android Go devices.
A second GeekBench listing for a device with the codename UMX U505TL was also spotted. The device is powered by the QM215 chipset, paired with 2GB of RAM. It equally runs on Android 9.0 Pie, Android Go version obviously. The processor will likely bring more energy efficient to the low-end models. Apart from that, the processor may likely be cheaper and thus could bring down the pricing of Android Go phones in emerging economies such as India, South America, Africa etc.
Qualcomm is yet to officially announce the QM215 but we expected the US fabless chipmaker to do that soon.
Realme, the independent mobile phone brand of OPPO, announced a number of smartphones in 2018 like Realme 1, Realme 2 and Realme 2 Pro. These smartphones have clicked well with people living in Southeast Asia. Now, the latest release, Realme 3 is finally out. Let’s see what the phone has to offer in the mid-range segment.
Realme 3 Review Video
Contents of the box
The phone ships with a charger, USB cable, SIM ejector pin, and a soft TPU case.
Realme 3 Design
The Realme 3 has adopted a unibody design which has a pleasant feel to touch. The back is made out of plastic but comes in a premium gradient finish. I have got the gradient blue variant for review and the transition from dark blue to light blue is seamless and natural.
On the back, Realme 3 ships with dual cameras and a flashlight set up vertically on the left top corner. On the left bottom corner, there’s the realme logo. The phone also comes with the fingerprint sensor on the back of the device. For me, I prefer a rear placed fingerprint scanner as the sensor’s placement is convenient for my index finger to touch. What’s more, the Realme 3 carries support for facial unlock too.
[envira-gallery id=”239534″]
Like most smartphones, the handset’s speaker is placed at the bottom. The charging port and 3.5mm earphone jack are at the bottom as well. From left to the right lie the headphone jack, microphone, MicroUSB port, and speakers. I do like the fact that the phone ships with a 3.5mm earphone jack, as it gives me a choice to use Bluetooth earphones or a wired headset. For those who hate charging their Bluetooth headphones, a wired option is always a welcome addition
However, it is a pity that the box doesn’t come with headphones. But it is not surprising given that’s the standard these days. Unlike Vivo smartphones, OPPO places the volume buttons on the left edge side, where you also have a SIM card slot. The power button is placed on the right side.
[envira-gallery id=”239542″]
Realme 3 Display
Realme 3 comes with 6.22-inch of HD Full screen with Gorilla Glass 3, having the resolution of 720 x 1520 pixels. The display isn’t as sharp or detailed as higher-end models, but it does offer good colors and viewing angles. It comes with 19:9 aspect ratio, and offers a comfortable experience viewing the screen. So, most of you won’t miss a full HD display at its price.
With the popularity of the notch rising, most smartphones have followed notched design liked the iPhone X, or went with a water drop notch. The Realme 3 adopts the water drop screen which is like the OPPO R17 Pro. Compared to the big notch, I prefer this screen better because it’s much more compact. But there’s one weakness with this type of display — there’s no notification LED light on the Realme 3.
Realme 3 Performance
Powered by the 12nm Helio P70 processor and Mali-G72 MP3 GPU, the phone comes with 4GB RAM and 64GB internal storage. What’s great is that you can further expand this storage via MicroSD. The Helio P70 chipset, which performs close to Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 processor, ensures the Realme 3 is smooth and stable. You won’t find any visible lags or issues in performance, all thanks to this chipset.
Realme 3 could be described as a middle-range smartphone and the benchmark scores reflect this. It scores around 130,500 on the AnTuTu benchmark. The benchmark scores of most SD660 smartphones are about 130K, so the Realme 3 can be considered as good as an SD660 phone. In everyday use, launching applications and running tasks work well. Everything is smooth and quick. The 4GB of RAM is enough for daily use. I often launched several applications one by one, and everything was stable. As a budget handset, the 64GB of internal storage is fine with the external storage expansion option.
[envira-gallery id=”239546″]
CAMERA
The Realme 3 is equipped with 13MP+2MP AI dual rear cameras with f/1.8 aperture and a 13MP selfie camera with f/2.0 up front. There’re plenty of camera modes on the device but I still use prefer to stick to the auto mode as usual. The main reason being, the photos in auto mode looks sharp and detailed enough. With object recognition, the camera does a pretty good job of analyzing the subject and tweaking the great color balance accordingly. If you want to change the image’s style, you can always go for a filter.
[envira-gallery id=”239475″]
What’s more, Realme 3 features two new special modes that are marketed on the phone —Chroma Boost mode and Nightscape mode. Chroma Boost is the advanced version of HDR mode that makes the image more colorful. If you think the colors of the images taken by normal mode or HDR mode are darker than they should be, you could select the Chroma Boost to take a shot. Take a look at the comparison, the third image is brighter than the other pictures on the whole. However, the image taken by Chroma Boost is not as detailed as the image taken by HDR mode. I also took the picture with Chroma Boost + HDR mode to compare, and that turned out to be the best image of the lot. As the image is not overexposed, the details come out better than other modes.
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The following images are shot separately at 1x, 2x and 4x zoom. Focusing on the four words in the image, as a whole, the performance is not bad, however the photo did come out a bit blurred.
[envira-gallery id=”239483″]
The following images were shot in sunny daytime. As you can see, the pictures look great and show excellent details and focus at a close range. The background blur is pretty decent too. Also, the color balance is good. If you are going to take a picture on a sunny day, you might have to adjust the brightness in the viewfinder in order to avoid overexposure. But in general, the auto mode does pretty well on most occasions.
Take a look at the samples down below.
[envira-gallery id=”239490″]
Selfies look nice too, and they are sharp and detailed. The front-facing camera is amazing, the following images are taken separately at natural mode, smoothen mode and portrait mode respectively. Compared to the first photo, dark circles and the skin blemishes were eliminated in the second photo. As the name suggests, smoothen mode really makes my face skin smooth, even the scar beside my lips is fading. The object in focus stands out quite nicely from the background, giving it more prominence.
However, among these three modes, personally, I like the smoothen mode that makes me look like I am wearing foundation to cover the blemishes on my face. The portrait mode is good but I’m not used to giving more prominence to my face when I take a selfie. In the front-facing camera department, the performance of Realme 3 is similar to Redmi Note 7 in my view.
[envira-gallery id=”239498″]
The following photo was shot indoors (daytime).
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The following one is shot indoors in the evening. After zooming in, you notice that the photo isn’t really sharp. But in general, on the small screen, it looks pretty decent.
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The following photos were taken outdoors at night. The low-light image quality is not bad but there’s definitely room for improvement. Also, the exposure is not handled very well. For example, in the image below, the signboard lights are barely visible. In fact, Honor 8X night camera samples turned out to be better than Realme 3.
[envira-gallery id=”239512″]
The new feature on the Realme 3 is the Nightscape mode. Realme was excited to point out that its the first budget phone to feature hand-held night mode. But personally, I feel it needs a bit more work. You need to wait for at least five seconds after tapping the screen for the capture to complete. Personally, I found it hard to get a good blur-free shot in this mode.
However, if you can keep your hands steady, its definitely a must-have feature. Since the overall brightness is turned up, details can be seen in low light. You do lose a bit of color, with the addition of a little bit of noise, but on most occasions, you’d be happy with the result. It definitely gives this phone an edge over its budget competitors.
I find HDR mode pretty great too as the exposure is balanced. However, the images from the Chroma Boost mode were a bit overexposed.
The Realme 3 is running on ColorOS 6.0 version on top of Android 9 Pie, which is different from the Realme 2 model that runs ColorOS based on Android 8.1.0 Oreo. The user interface of Realme 3 is close to the Oneplus 6T. For example, go to the application page with all apps just through swiping up the screen from the grey line with the white arrow pointing upward. There is a transparent tool which is set on the right side of the screen edge, which offers you to choose between Quick Tools and Quick Apps. It is a terrific tool for me. For example, when I’m traveling and I grab the handrail with my left hand, I can use this feature to easily select the application I want to use. Sliding the screen down brings the Notification Center and the simple setup center. The phone is definitely easy to use, even with one hand.
[envira-gallery id=”239517″]
BATTERY
The Realme 3 is equipped with a large 4230 mAh battery, and it takes around 3 hours to charge from zero to full. Actually, I think the charging time is too long, but the low power consumption and large battery capacity serves me well. Battery life on this phone is quite good — no issues for daily use. You can easily go on for 1.5-2 days of moderate usage with its huge battery. It’s definitely a plus point for people who hate carrying a power bank or charger with them.
But if you compare, the Redmi Note 7 takes only around 125 minutes to charge from zero to full. Its fast charging version with 18W takes only about 103 minutes! So, despite its huge battery, 3 hours is quite long to charge completely.
CONCLUSION
The Realme 3 is priced at Rs. 8,999 ($127.00) for 3GB+32GB and Rs. 10,999 ($155.23) for 4GB+64GB. For this price, the phone offers a lot of value!
Personally, Realme 3 has offered much more than what I was expecting. I love the design, lightweight body, great overall performance, and the cameras. I also love the fact that holding the handset in one hand is comfortable enough. The camera is also not bad, especially considering its price. Daylight photos are sharp and colorful. Also, nightscape, when used appropriately, makes a big difference in night time photography.
But I do wish that charging wasn’t this slow. But at least the huge battery won’t have me looking for my charger often! Also, I might be probably asking too much when I say I would have been happier with an FHD display.
Hopefully, these two drawbacks of Realme 3 can be improved in the next generation Realme 3 Pro, which will be released in April.
By the way, Gizmochina is giving away 1 unit of the Realme 3 as a giveaway gift to one lucky reader. You can click here to get a chance to win this amazing phone!
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The aforesaid coupon helps you bring the already reduced retail price of the phone further down to only $229.99.
If you have restlessly been waiting to get your hands on the ‘HONOR X series’ without spending a lot of money, we got good news for you. Select variants of the Honor 8X smartphones have now gone up for sale carrying reduced prices on the Honor Official Store on Banggood.
One of China’s best online stores for electronic items, GeekBuying is now giving its users a chance to get their tech greedy hands on the Vivo iQOO and Lenovo Z5 Pro GT smartphones without emptying their pockets.
In terms of specs, the iQOO sports a mammoth 6.41-inch FHD+ display with 2340×1080 pixels resolution. It is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Octa-core processor and packs an Adreno 640 GPU, under the hood.
An absolute steal at this price, the Lenovo Z5 Pro GT comes with an extra large 6.39-inch FHD display with a screen resolution of 2340×1080 pixels. It is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Octa-core, 2.84GHz processor and packs an Adreno 640 graphics processing unit.
While you’d normally end up spending a lot of money on a phablet offering comparable features, the Teclast P10 can now be yours for a reduced price of just $109.99 on Gearbest.
While the aforesaid features justify the $162.47 price tag, the MediaPad T2 usually carries; you can now buy it for just $109.99 on Gearbest. This 32 percent discount will be available exclusively for the champagne gold color version of the phablet.
No doubt opinions will be sharply divergent on this question but a recent poll conducted by 
