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Buy TicWatch C2 Smartwatch At A Lowered Price Of $199.99 On GeekBuying [Coupon Inside]

While those looking for fitness gadgets like smartwatches, and fitness bands are highly unlikely to run out of choices, these devices aren’t necessarily easy on your pocketbook.
In a bid to ensure even the cost-conscious buyers can get their tech greedy hands on top-end smartwatches, GeekBuying has launched the ‘Smartwatches of HUAWEI New Arrivals’ promotion.

As part of the aforesaid promo, the Chinese online store will be offering a wide selection of HUAWEI-branded smartwatches at considerably lowered prices.

Moreover, fitness purists can grab a chance to save a considerable amount of extra money by using specific coupons at the time of checking out.

Keeping in line with that, first lucky fifty buyers will qualify for an extra $10 off on the Huawei Honor Magic smartwatch, which can be achieved by applying coupon code CLGIERYD.

Hundred other buyers can get an extra $5 off on the Honor Magic smartwatch when they apply coupon code MHZYWCOP before placing their order. Regrettably, the coupons are slated to expire on February 15th.

Aside from that, the promo features a slew of other well-received smartwatches; however, we’ll be taking a gander at the TicWatch C2 smartwatch which has gone up for sale carrying a dropped price on GeekBuying.

We’ll even show how you can save a considerable amount of extra money at checkout in just a bit. So without further ado, let’s head straight to the details.

TicWatch C2 Smartwatch

The TicWatch C2 sports an easily readable 1.3 Inch AMOLED screen with a high resolution of 360 x 360 pixels for a more vivid viewing experience.

The device comes with a dynamic heart rate monitor that’s capable of accurately monitoring pulses as well as the changes in the active and resting heart rate and even generates a professional heart rate report.

Designed to keep a track of your health and monitor your various activities, the TicWatch C2 comes with a built-in GPS, accelerometer, and gyroscope.

You can make contactless payments using just the smartwatch via Google Pay. In other words, you do not need your wallet or your phone in order to make a payment at the cashier.

It packs a powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon W2100 processor, paired with a 512MB of RAM. The smartwatch offers a hearty 4GB of internal storage capacity so that you can download and access your favorite apps through Google Play.

Ticwatch C2
Since it is backed by an international standard rating of IP68, the TicWatch C2 can be carefully worn even while swimming. However, it is imperative for you to bear in mind that it ideal only for the normal cold water environment.

The smartwatch draws its juices from a 400mah battery that delivers standby time of up to 36 hours. The watch is compatible with Android 4.4 (or above) and IOS 9.3 (or above).

While you’d normally expect a top-branded smartwatch offering comparable features to carry a steep price tag, the TicWatch C2 can now be yours for an unbeatable price of just $221.99 on GeekBuying.

This is a 26 percent drop in the device’s original asking price of $299.99, and you can extend it further by applying coupon code GIZ_GGBUZKXP during the checkout process.

The aforesaid coupon helps you get an extra $22 off by bringing the already lowered retail price of the smartwatch further down to just $199.99 before you click the ‘Place Your Order’ button.

You can visit this link to avail the discount, which will be valid for the rose gold, platinum and black color versions of the TicWatch C2 smartwatch for a limited period of time.

 

 

 

 

Get Up To 50% Off On ISUDAR Branded Products, Big Coupons And Free Gifts On AliExpress

Isudar has teamed up with AliExpress to offer up to a whopping 50 percent off on a wide selection of its products that include car DVD players, car GPS, car multimedia systems and car DVR cameras.

In addition to doling out the noteworthy discount, the company is offering its loyal fanbase a chance to save a considerable amount of extra money at checkout.

Keeping in line with that, those who end up purchasing items worth $120 or more can apply a $3 off coupon, while buyers whose cart value is $168 or more can use a $6 off coupon.

On top of that, everyone buying a DVD player will qualify to get a free gift. You can win an 8GB TF card, a touch pen, installation tools or a non-slip mat.

The recently kicked-off promo features the Isudar Car Receiver with Touch 7 Inch Screen For Cars, the H80 Car Multimedia Player, the Universal Original Car Navigation, the 1 Din Car Radio and a slew of other Isudar-branded products that you can buy without emptying your pocket.
For the sake of an instance, the Isudar H80 Car Multimedia Player would normally set you back $415.94, but you can now buy it for just $278.87 on AliExpress. You can avail a bigger discount via AliExpress application.

Likewise, the Isudar Car Touch Screen 7-Inch screen that usually sells for $225.68 can now be yours if you are willing to shell out only $162.49 on AliExpress.

Aside from grabbing this 28 percent discount, new users can apply a $3 off coupon before placing their order.

There’s a 29 percent off on the Isudar Head Unit for Android 8.0. This 7-inch touchscreen which is a great choice for FORD cars including Focus, Mondeo, S-MAX, C-MAX and the FORD Galaxy is now up for grabs for just $248.49 on AliExpress, while it usually retails for $349.99.

You can click here to visit the promotion page and check out the rest of the products that you can buy at lowered prices. Note that the promotion was on the verge of wrapping up at the time of writing.

Banggood’s 7 Days Only Home Appliances Festival Kicks Off With Great Snap Up Deals, Big Discounts And Coupons!

Given that home appliances have become an inseparable part of our fast-paced society, we hardly shy away from spending a lot of money on devices that simplify and expedite time-consuming daily chores.

Banggood Home Appliances Festival
Much to the delight of those who aren’t willing to spend a fortune on these steeply-priced devices that come in handy in day to day life, Banggood has launched a new promo wherein the Chinese online store will be offering a wide selection of home appliances at lowered prices.

The recently kicked-off promo is dubbed as ‘Home Appliances Festival’ and it is split into five categories including Brand Goods Flash Deal, The Best Selling Area, New Arrive & Free Gift, Exclusive Coupon and Featured Brands.

You can find three well-received items from Digoo in the first section dubbed, ‘Brand Goods Flash Deal.’

The section features the DG-FR200 smart alarm clock, DG-YS22 3 electric toothbrush, DG-FCR-1 Garden Porch Patio LED Lamp along with PUPPYOO WP511 vacuum cleaner.

The aforesaid items would normally set you back a pretty penny, but you can now buy them lowered prices on Banggood.

For example, you can win a Digoo DG-FR200 snap-up and get a chance to get this smart LED digital display alarm clock for just $0.01. This is a noteworthy reduction in the device’s original asking price of $15.99.
There are more top-branded items included in ‘The Best Selling Area’ category. More importantly, all products featured in the aforesaid section are currently up for grabs for heavily discounted prices.

Keeping in line with that, there’s a thirty percent off on the Xiaomi Circle Joy CJ – EKPQ02 USB Charging Automatic Electric Bottle.

This item usually carries a $28.66 price tag, but you can now pre-order it for just $19.99.

Under the same section, you can get the BlitzWolf BW-AS2 wireless speaker and the Xiaomi Sothing Mini Heater at lowered prices.

Moreover, the two items carry specific coupon codes that you can use to save a significant amount of extra money during the checkout process.

Banggood users who buy a product from the ‘New Arrive & Free Gift’ category before January 31st, will be eligible to get a Digoo fan worth $10.99 for free.

Those who purchase two items from the above-mentioned category will qualify to get two fans, while buyers who go for a single item will receive only one fan.

You can get extra discounts on items featured in the next category called ‘Exclusive Coupon.’ Each product has been associated with a specific coupon that you can use to save more money, provided your cart value exceeds a specific amount.

For the sake of an instance, you can apply a $10 off coupon if you spend $50 or more. If you spend $100 or more, you can use a bigger coupon and get an extra $20 off before placing your order.

If you are a brand-conscious buyer, you can head straight to the ‘Featured Brands’ category, which is packed with products from popular brands.

In this section, you can find products from Xiaomi, BlitzWolf, JIMMY, and Dibea. These brands have collaborated with Banggood in a bid to give their loyal fanbase a chance to buy their items at lowered prices.

You can click here to visit the promotion page and take a gander at the rest of the products. It is imperative for you to bear in mind that this is a 7-days only promotion and will come to an end soon.

Xiaomi trumps Samsung to emerge as India’s top smartphone brand – Counterpoint

Since its foray into the Indian market in 2014, Xiaomi has made tremendous progress in that terrain. The rise of the company known as the “Apple” of China, underscores the business model it operates, in terms of offering premium models at an affordable price, fits the needs of the middle class and low-income earners. The growth was so dramatic that by 2017, Xiaomi was already contending with Samsung who sat at the helm of the market for quite a while. Xiaomi even succeeded in shipping more phones in one of the quarters but that wasn’t enough to equal Samsung’s 24% market share. 

However, data from market research firm Counterpoint shows that Xiaomi may have finally beaten Samsung to the crown as the number one smartphone vendor in India for 2018. Counterpoint’s data showed that Xiaomi has an estimated 28% market share, a leap from the 19% recorded in 2017. On the other hand, Samsung experienced some stagnation in its growth as its market share remained at 24% just like the previous year. The rest of the top 5 smartphone vendors also saw their growth stagnated YoY. On the other hand, other smartphone makers not on the top 5 equally had a reduction in their shipment from 34% in 2017 to 25% market share in 2018. Considering the stagnant growth of Samsung and the other three brands of Vivo, OPPO and Micromax, it is safe to say that the smaller OEMs are hit the most by Xiaomi’s rising market share.xiaomi india

In total, 330 million smartphones were shipped in India last year and smartphones only accounted for 44% of this figure. The rest of the shipments were feature phones which still sells hot in India. In the feature phone segment, Jio maintained a wide lead with a tremendous 38% market share as against 11% in 2017. Samsung slumped fro 21% share of the market to 12%. Other brands in the top 5 include iTel, Nokia (with a slight 2% growth YoY) and Lava.

Read Also: Xiaomi India celebrates 5th anniversary with massive discounts on smartphones

Xiaomi is expected to consolidate on this lead in India with its Pocophone and Redmi brands alongside the Mi brand. In the same vein, Samsung will be looking to reclaim lost ground with the launch of several powerful and affordable midrange models such as the new Galaxy A series models.

(source)

Samsung planning to acquire company behind OPPO’s zoom technology

You may not have heard of the company called Corephotonics before but they are the guys behind OPPO‘s 5X zoom technology. The company is based in Israel and has big-name investors which include Samsung Ventures, MediaTek, SanDisk, and CK Telecom. New reports say Samsung wants to acquire the company.

Corephotonics featured

Corephotonics works with all of the large smartphone companies, so it is no surprise that they worked with OPPO on its “lossless” zoom technology. The company designs cameras which are then built by their partner companies.

Samsung is planning to pay between $150 – $160 million for the company which has developed a triple camera technology that has up to 25x zoom. If the deal goes through, we may see Samsung phones with much better zoom technology hit the market in the near future. Corephotonics is also said to be planning to venture into drones, vehicles, and security cameras segments.

READ MORE: Samsung files trademark application for “Neuro Game Booster”, is this its version of GPU Turbo?

While we’re still waiting for 5G, LG commences plans for 6G technology

The year 2019 is already pencilled down to be a year for 5G technology. We’ll soon start seeing the commercial roll-out of 5G phones from major smartphone vendors. LG is one of the front-runners who will launch a 5G phone early this year. But that isn’t why the tech giant is in the news. Apparently, the company has started putting plans in motion to prepare for 6G! No, that wasn’t a mistake. lg

LG, this week, announced the opening of a dedicated research center located in the Yuseong District of Daejeon, South Korea. The new research centre isn’t for development of 6G products. Rather, the Korean giant is aiming to “lead global standardization and secure new business creation opportunities.” The research institute is established in partnership with the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology.

Read Also: LG Mobile rumored to cease operations in the Philippines

LG estimates that it will take up to 10 years before a transition from 5G to 6G could happen but it wants to “prepare for the future industry”. The company has bet big on 5G technology which it believes could help it ailing smartphone arm. Korea’s three major wireless service providers, including LG Electronics sister company LG U Plus, have already deployed their 4G LTE replacements.

(source)

Redmi GM: Honor V20 has sold less than one-third that of the Redmi Note 7

The Honor V20/View20 and Redmi Note 7 are two very different phones.  The former is a flagship while the latter is a mid-range phone but they both have 48MP rear cameras. The V20 launched last year in China and the Redmi Note 7 launched earlier this month but sales stats on online retail sites have revealed the Redmi has sold many more units than the Honor.

Redmi Note 7 Sale Figures

Redmi’s General Manager took to Weibo to brag about the sales of its latest phone. He shared screenshots of the number of units of each phone that has been sold on the online store, Tmall. As at the time he made the post, the Redmi Note 7 had sold 97,994 units while the Honor V20 had sold just 3,765 units. When you take into consideration the fact that the Honor V20 went on sale earlier than the Redmi Note 7, then you understand why the Redmi executive is bragging about the figures.

As stated above, both phones belong to different categories and Mr. Weibing does acknowledge in his post that the Redmi Note 7 has sold more units because of its price.  The base model of the Redmi Note 7 sells for a third of the price of the base model of the Honor V20.

[envira-gallery id=”234191″]

READ MORE: Redmi X leaked poster hints February 15 launch

Redmi Go will be available in Europe in February, will sell for under €80

The Redmi Go is Xiaomi‘s first Android Go smartphone which is expected to launch very soon. Last week, specs and an official render surfaced online. Xiaomi Philippines also teased the device’s arrival. More details have surfaced about the phone and its availability outside Asia.

Redmi Go Blue

A post from Winfuture.de has revealed that the Redmi Go will be available “right from the very beginning” in Europe which is around February. This means there wouldn’t be a gap between its launch in Asia and in Europe.

The post also says the Redmi Go sold in Europe will have support for LTE band 20. This isn’t new info as the official spec sheet already revealed the supported LTE bands and the above band was listed among.

With respect to price, the Redmi Go will have its price tag under €80 (~$90/¥616). That is significantly lesser than the Nokia 2.1 which is currently priced between €110 and €120. However, the Nokia 2.1 packs a larger screen, bigger battery capacity, and stereo front-facing speakers.

Redmi Go Black Redmi Go Blue

The Redmi Go will pack a 5-inch HD display, Qualcomm’s 28nm Snapdragon 425 processor, 1GB of RAM and 8GB of expandable storage. It will have an 8MP rear camera, a 5MP front-facing camera, and a 3,000mAh battery. Pre-installed on the phone is Android 8.1 Oreo (Go Edition).

READ MORE: Xiaomi’s latest stunt sees the Redmi Note 7 being used as a chopping board

Realme C1 (2019) vs Honor Play 8A vs Xiaomi Redmi 6A: Specs Comparison

If Android Go phones are too entry-level for you, but you still need a very cheap handset, then you can go for the new Realme C1 (2019). It is the new low-end handset from Oppo’s new sub-brand focused on affordable phones, and it comes with better memory configurations compared to the original C1 released in 2018. But besides this new device that just debuted in the Indian peninsula, there are some more interesting entry-level phones sold at ridiculous prices that may intrigue you: the Honor Play 8A and the Xiaomi Redmi 6A. They are among the most important entry-level phones in the last months and here we will compare them with the new Realme C1 in order to establish whether or not Oppo’s sub-brand did a better job.

Realme C1 (2019) vs Honor Play 8A vs Xiaomi Redmi 6A

Oppo Realme C1 2019 Huawei Honor Play 8A Xiaomi Redmi 6A
DIMENSIONS AND WEIGHT 156.2 x 75.6 x 8.2 mm, 168 grams 156.28 x 73.5 x 8 mm, 150 grams 147.5 x 71.5 x 8.3 mm, 145 grams
DISPLAY 6.2 inches, 720 x 1520p (HD+), 271 ppi, IPS LCD 6.09 inches, 720 x 1560p (HD+), 290 ppi, IPS LCD 5.45 inches, 720 x 1440p (HD+), 295 ppi, IPS LCD
PROCESSOR Qualcomm Snapdragon 450, octa-core 1.8 GHz MediaTek Helio P35, octa-core 2.3 GHz MediaTek Helio A22, quad-core 2 GHz
MEMORY 2 GB RAM, 16 GB  – micro SD dedicated slot 3 GB RAM, 32 GB – 3 GB RAM, 64 GB – micro SD slot 2 GB RAM, 16 GB – 3 GB RAM, 32 GB – micro SD dedicated slot
SOFTWARE Android 8.1 Oreo, Color OS Android 9 Pie, EMUI Android 8.1 Oreo, MIUI
CONNECTIVITY Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.2, GPS Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.2, GPS Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.2, GPS
CAMERA Dual 13 + 2 MP f/2.2 and f/2.4
5 MP f/2.2 front camera
13 MP f/1.8
8 MP f/2.0 front camera
 13 MP f/2.2
5 MP f/2.2 front camera
BATTERY 4230 mAh 3000 mAh 3000 mAh
ADDITIONAL FEATURES Dual SIM slot Hybrid Dual SIM slot Dual SIM slot

Design

The design I personally like more is the one of the Honor Play 8A. It is cleaner on both the rear and the front side, with a very small waterdrop notch and very narrow bezels around the display. It is a feature that is mostly present on high-end devices and not entry-level ones. Realme C1 2019 has very thin bezels as well, but I like the Honor Play 8A more because of its smaller notch. I do not like the Xiaomi Redmi 6A at all because of its thick bezels, but note that it comes with a more compact and lightweight body. So it will fit better in pockets and it is also easier to use with one hand.

 

Display

All the displays of these handsets are sufficient IPS panels, but their resolution is only HD, so do not expect a huge level of detail. My favorite display is the one of the Realme C1 2019 because it is slightly wider and it is protected by Gorilla Glass 3, so it is harder to crack and scratch. But when it comes to viewing quality, I cannot find noticeable differences between all the displays of these phones. So we suggest you choose only by basing on the dimensions and the build quality. In case you hate notches, note that Xiaomi Redmi 6A is notchless.

 

Specs & Software

Under this point of view, the chipset makes the difference. And the most powerful chipset is the one found on the Honor Play 8A. The new entry-level phone from Huawei’s sub-brand is one of the very first to be equipped with a MediaTek Helio P35 SoC, that is more or less at the same level as the Snapdragon 632 by Qualcomm. Unlike its rivals, this device also comes with up to 64 GB of internal storage and it supports a dedicated micro SD slot, so you do not have to renounce to the dual SIM functionality in order to expand the internal storage. The second place when it comes to hardware and performances goes to the Realme C1 2019 and its Snapdragon 450 chipset. Honor Play 8A is the only device to run Android 9 Pie out of the box, while its opponents are still based on Android Oreo, even though Realme C1 was released months after.

 

Camera

Honor Play 8A features a much better rear camera than Realme C1 2019 and Xiaomi Redmi 6A. Realme C1 2019 should be only better at calculating depth info with its secondary sensor, but Honor Play 8A shots brighter and more detailed photos. Even the front camera, with its 8 MP resolution, is a lot better on the Honor Play 8A. The worst camera phone is the Xiaomi Redmi 6A, but it still delivers a sufficient camera quality if we consider that it is an entry-level phone sold for less than €100.

 

Battery

Realme C1 2019 is one of the best phones in the whole market for battery life. It has a huge 4230 mAh battery and its hardware components are not energy-demanding. The HD display and the Snapdragon 450 chipset are very efficient and do not require a lot of energy even for the most demanding tasks. Realme C1 wins the battery comparison, while between Honor Play 8A and Xiaomi Redmi 6A there are just marginal differences in battery life, in every scenario.

 

Price

Realme C1 is definitely a great experiment. I would personally pick it from this trio because it has a much longer battery life, a better build quality, and decent performances. But I think that the Honor Play 8A would be better for a lot of people due to its better camera capabilities and its higher performances. If you care more about camera and performances, go for the Honor Play 8A, but if you want above-average battery life, that I define the most important thing for entry-level phones, choose the Realme C1 (2019). Honor Play 8A costs about €100/$115, Realme C1 debuted in India with a price tag slightly superior to €90/$102 and Xiaomi Redmi 6A costs about €90/$102.

 

Realme C1 (2019) vs Honor Play 8A vs Xiaomi Redmi 6A: PROs and CONS

Oppo Realme C1 2019

PROs

  • Bigger battery
  • Micro SD dedicated slot
  • Good build quality
  • Affordable

CONS

  • Limited availability

 

Xiaomi Redmi 6A

PROs

  • Very affordable price
  • Compact design
  • Micro SD Dedicated slot
  • Wide availability

CONS

  • Low-end hardware

 

Huawei Honor Play 8A

PROs

  • Very affordable
  • Good cameras
  • Nice hardware
  • Android Pie

CONS

  • Slightly more expensive

Going green: Samsung products to feature packaging made from sustainable materials

South Korean electronics giant and global smartphone leader Samsung has announced that it will start utilising materials that are environmentally friendly on its future products. The company has put structures in place to start replacing plastic packaging materials with paper and other environmentally sustainable elements.Samsung Galaxy A8s featured

According to details released by the tech company, its products and accessories, including mobile phones, tablet and home appliances will start using packaging made from sustainable materials. The materials will range from recycled and bio-based plastics to paper. Specifically, the company hinted that phones, tablets, and wearables will be packaged in pulp moulds instead of holder trays made of plastic. In addition, bags wrapping accessories will be made of eco-friendly materials. The tech giant says it also plans to redesign the charger of its phones and will also replace the glossy exterior with a matte finish, thus removing completely any plastic protection films to reduce the use of plastic.

Read Also: BOE technology edges past LG as it coasts closer to Samsung in AMOLED panel supply

For the box packaging, the paper that will now be used will be made of fibre materials certified by environmental organizations. The new arrangement will go into force from the first half of 2019 and a special task force is saddled with the implementation. The task force will see to the design and development, marketing and quality control for packaging.

Samsung Galaxy M10 and Galaxy M20 with Infinity-V display launched in India

As expected, Samsung has today launched its two new budget smartphones under the all-new Galaxy M series — Samsung Galaxy M10 and Samsung Galaxy M20.

Both the smartphones will be available for purchase exclusively through Amazon.in and Samsung India e-Store. It will go on sale from 5th February and both the phones will be available in two color options — Charcoal Black and Ocean Blue.

As for the pricing, the 2GB RAM model of Galaxy M10 is priced at Rs. 7,990 (approximately $112) while the 3GB RAM model costs Rs. 8,990 (approximately $126). The 3GB RAM model of Galaxy M20 costs Rs. 10,990 (approximately $155) and the 4GB RAM model is priced at Rs. 12,990, which roughly converts to $183.

Samsung Galaxy M Series Launch

Coming to the specifications, the Galaxy M10 features a 6.2-inch HD+ Infinity-V display with 720 x 1520 pixels screen resolution and 19:9 aspect ratio. Under the hood, the device is powered by Exynos 7870 chipset, along with 2GB/3GB RAM.

It comes with 16GB/32GB of internal storage and comes with a microSD card slot for expanding the phone’s storage capacity up to 512GB. As for the camera configuration, the device features a 13-megapixel primary sensor along with an f/1.9 aperture and a 5-megapixel secondary, ultra-wide sensor. For selfies, there’s a 5-megapixel front-facing sensor. It has an ultra-wide mode to support landscapes, cityscapes, and group photos.

The smartphone runs Android 8.1 Oreo operating system out-of-the-box with the company’s own Samsung Experience 9.5 UX. Connectivity options on the device include Dual 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 5, GPS + GLONASS, and USB Type-C port. It is powered by a 3,400mAh battery that supports three times faster-charging.

Samsung Galaxy M20

On the other hand, the Galaxy M20 comes with a 6.3-inch Full-HD+ Infinity-V display with 1080 x 2340 pixels screen resolution and 19.5:9 aspect ratio. Under the hood, it is powered by the company’s own Exynos 7904 chipset, paired with Mali-G71 MP2 GPU and 3GB/4GB RAM.

The 3GB RAM model packs 32GB of internal storage while the 4GB RAM model comes with 64GB of internal storage. The phone also comes with a microSD card slot which enables users to further expand the storage capacity up to 512GB. There’s a fingerprint sensor on the back and the phone also supports Face Unlock feature.

For imaging, the Galaxy M20 comes with a dual rear camera setup along with a 13-megapixel primary sensor that has an f/1.9 aperture and a 5-megapixel ultra-wide secondary sensor. On the front side, it comes equipped with an 8-megapixel sensor along with an f/2.0 aperture.

 

Read More: Samsung Galaxy A9 Pro 2019 with Infinity-O display and Snapdragon 710 SoC announced in South Korea

 

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

Honor 7X to get Android Pie, beta build released for China version

The Honor 7X launched in 2017 with Android Nougat out of the box. It later got an update that brought Android Oreo. Now Honor seems to be working on releasing EMUI 9.0 based on Android Pie for it.

Honor 7X Flame Red

The Chinese variants of the phone recently received a beta build of EMUI 9 which means a stable update should arrive in the near future. The Chinese variants that have gotten the beta build have model numbers BND-AL00, BND-TL10, and BND-AL10. Below are the build numbers for each of them:

  1. BND-AL00C00E42R2P2B43-log (9.0.1.43)
  2. BND-TL10C01E42R1P2B43-log (9.0.1.43)
  3. BND-AL10C01E42R1P2B43-log (9.0.1.43)

Huawei still hasn’t issued an official statement about Android Pie coming to the Honor 7X but we do not think they would go through the stress of releasing a beta build if there isn’t a plan to release a stable version.

READ MORE: Android Pie stable update rolls out to the Huawei Mate 9

Canalys Chinese smartphone market data for 2018 shows significant decline

Market research firm Canalys today announced its annual shipment data for the Chinese smartphone market for 2018. The data shows that the  Chinese market experienced the most dramatic decline in shipment in its entire history. The industry recorded an estimated gross shipment of 396 million units, shrinking the overall market size to the level before 2014.

The data shows the top five mobile phone manufacturers still continue to grow, obviously at the detriment of smaller OEMs. Their combined market share grew significantly from 73% in 2017 to 88% in 2018. Despite the decline, Huawei still ranked number one in market share with an estimated 15% increase in shipment YoY.  Another company whose shipments increased tremendously is Vivo with a 9% growth compared to 2017. OPPO still maintained its second spot but the gap between OPPO and Vivo shrunk from 10 million to 2 million units. Vivo’s rise is strongly connected to the company’s innovative products such as the Vivo NEX etc.

Read Also: Redmi X leaked poster hints February 15 launch

Xiaomi came in at the fourth spot with a slight increase in its market share from last year. While Apple is the only international brand still making a mark in the Chinese market but with a decline in its market share. Apple’s gross shipments fell for the third consecutive year and this is linked to the rise of Chinese brands who offer quality flagship phones at almost half the price of Apple’s own flagships.

(via)

Pop-up selfie camera phone, the Vivo NEX “discontinued” in India

The Vivo NEX is known for its selfie camera which slides out the top of the device thanks to an electric motor. The design was Vivo’s solution to an all-screen device with “no-bezels”. Reports say Vivo will no longer sell the phone in India.

Vivo NEX Ruby Red

The NEX is imported into India but a source revealed to 91Mobiles that Vivo will no longer bring it into the country. Vivo is also planning to clear the remaining stock it has on its hands. Seeing as the NEX is less than a year old, it is surprising why Vivo has decided to stop selling it. Our guess is that it was probably not well-received as they expected. However, there are reports that it is because another pop-up selfie camera phone is on the way.

The second pop-up selfie camera phone is the Vivo V15 Pro, a successor to the Vivo V11 Pro. We do not expect the V15 Pro to be a flagship phone since its predecessor isn’t one. The V11 Pro does pack some high-end features such as a Super-AMOLED display and an in-display fingerprint scanner but it is powered by the Snapdragon 660 processor which is a mid-range chipset.

READ MORE: Vivo APEX 2019 announced: Full-screen fingerprint unlock, Glass unibody, 5G, Snapdragon 855, 12GB RAM & Magnetic Charger

Nubia executive confirms 5G smartphone will launch this year

Some Chinese smartphone manufacturers have already confirmed they will launch 5G smartphones this year. Xiaomi, Vivo, and Huawei are examples. Today, Nubia has also announced it will launch a 5G phone this year.

Nubia-X-featured
Nubia’s next flagship may be its first 5G phone

The announcement was made by Ni Fei, CEO of Nubia, at an interview. According to the top executive, Nubia has been working on 5G technology as far back as 2016 and has received patents for some of its technologies. They had a test run last year and are ready to launch a product for consumers this year.

He also revealed they worked with Qualcomm during development and were able to achieve some key technological breakthroughs with the Snapdragon 855 and Snapdragon X50 5G modem.

READ MORE: Nubia Red Magic Mars to launch in the US (and Europe) for $399 on Jan. 31

Redmi X leaked poster hints February 15 launch

The Redmi Note 7 is the first smartphone to go official after the Redmi brand was established as a separated brand. In the coming month, the Chinese manufacturer will be announcing the Redmi Note 7 Pro smartphone. A leaked poster of the Redmi X smartphone has surfaced on Weibo. The poster only reveals two things about the smartphone. First, it will come equipped with an in-display fingerprint scanner and the second is that it will be announced on Feb. 15.

The Chinese text below the large-sized Redmi X translates to “national screen fingerprint scanner mobile phone.” There is no information available on the specifications of the smartphone. Redmi is reportedly working on a Snapdragon 855 mobile platform powered smartphone.

Could it be the Redmi X phone? There is no direct evidence to prove it. Since the leaked poster only highlights the in-screen fingerprint scanner feature than the performance prowess of the Redmi X, it does not seem to be a SD855 powered flagship phone. However, it could be a better phone than the Redmi Note 7 or Note 7 Pro that feature rear-mounted fingerprint scanners. The Snapdragon 660 chipset powers the Note 7 whereas the Note 7 Pro could be fueled by Snapdragon 710 chipset. Probably, the Snapdragon 710 could be the chipset that will power the Redmi X phone.

Redmi is yet to confirm on the existence of Redmi X phone. Hence, it is recommended to wait for newer reports to confirm whether such a really exists. Also, Redmi is yet to confirm a launch date for the Redmi Note 7 Pro.  The smartphone will come equipped with 48-megapixel Sony IMX586 sensor instead of the 48-megapixel Samsung ISOCELL GM1 sensor found on the Note 7.

The Redmi Note 7 has a notched display of 6.3 inches. The Snapdragon 660 powers the phone with up to 6 GB of RAM. It comes with an internal storage of up to 64 GB. The MIUI 10 based Android 9 Pie is available preinstalled on the device. The rear side of the phone features 48-megapixel + 5-megapixel dual camera setup. For shooting selfies, it has a selfie camera of 13-megapixel. It is packed with a 4,000mAh battery that is enabled with support for rapid charging through USB-C. Redmi is expected to debut the new 4 GB RAM + 128 GB storage edition of the Note 7 with a price tag of 1,399 Yuan (~$203) later this week.

OnePlus 6T users complaining of sudden battery drain

It seems, nowadays OnePlus devices are running from some bad days. Recently, OnePlus 5/5T devices got bootloop issues after updating to Android 9.0 Pie. Now, OnePlus 6T users are complaining about a sudden battery drain inside their handsets. There are many different complaints that users have posted on the Reddit.

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Some users have complained that they are having this issue for a couple of days. Their device’s battery has been cut off in half over the past few days. Users even troubleshooted their device using appropriate steps and guides, but nothing availed to respite. Mainly, users tried to enable background restrictions, clearing cache, updating phone to the latest build and a few other things.

While other user revealed that his total screen-on time has tremendously decreased from 6-7 hours to about 4 hours. Another user said that his OnePlus 6T is also suffering from heating problem along with sudden battery drain. Although in the end, some users managed to solve the issue by factory resetting their phone.

Overall, many users are reeling from similar kind of problems on OnePlus 6T. Despite the fact that it carries the largest battery of 3700 mAh capacity on any OnePlus device, the overall standby time has reduced significantly.

The reason is still unknown, but the users are continuously sharing their problems on Reddit. There might be some underlying issue that is causing such a battery discharge. We expect OnePlus to roll out an update fixing this battery bug. Moreover, users who don’t want to wait for an official update, they can factory reset their device to cure the sudden battery discharge on OnePlus 6T.

Well, how many users are having a similar problem on their OnePlus 6T device?

(Source, Via)

Xiaomi users want battery life to be a priority in the next MIUI 11 iteration

Xiaomi has once again revealed that MIUI research and development has commenced and was seeking the opinion of fans on what they expect from the new system. One of the respondents mentioned battery life and power saving as the two most important features he expects the new MIUI version to come with. That comment turned out to be a very popular one as it has generated over 11000 likes.MIUI 11

The popularity of the comment isn’t really much of a surprise as those are some of the most important considerations for most phone users. Most times, a new operating system version usually brings new features, some of which lead to quicker battery drain as a result of new tasks for the phone to handle. Other respondents mention features such as night mode, smarter OS, and features similar to iOS shortcuts among others.

Read Also: Xiaomi reveals MIUI 11 development has commenced; a “new and unique OS” coming

Xiaomi had earlier hinted last year that its focus will be on real needs of users in the development of MIUI 11. The company further stated that the focus on MIUI 11 will not be on making a big difference in the user interface between MIUI 10 and MIUI 11. Instead, the design will be focused on the real needs of consumers. The rollout is still months away but we believe the next-gen custom ROM will bring impressive features.

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Xiaomi Mi 9 February launch hinted; May debut with triple rear cameras and in-screen fingerprint sensor

Xiaomi President Lin Bin and CEO Lei Jun have constantly teasing the number “9120” on Weibo. The Weibo post by Xiaomi’s Product Director Tang Weng Thomas that reads “the year of 9102 will be Mi 9 (translated text)” has sparked to rumors that the Mi smartphone will be debuting on Feb. 19.

Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun has been releasing hits new Weibo posts through an unknown Mi device which suggests that the company could be gearing up to introduce the Mi 9. Rumors have it that compared to previous years, the Mi 9 will be debuting earlier this year. At the same time, leaked Mi 9 teasers are now doing rounds on Weibo. The teasers do not neither reveal the exact launch date nor the February arrival of the Xiaomi Mi 9. However, the leaked posters do reveal the key features of the Xiaomi Mi 9.

The below posters show that the Xiaomi Mi 9 will be arriving with triple rear cameras. Also, it will be equipped with an in-screen fingerprint sensor. Earlier this month, Lei Jun had teased that the Mi 9 would be equipped with faster charging technology.

Xiaomi Mi 9 teasers

Previous leaks have revealed that the Xiaomi Mi 9 with 6.4-inch AMOLED display. The Snapdragon 855 will power the phone with up to 6 GB of RAM. It may include 3,500mAh battery. It may feature Sony IMX586 48-megapixel + 12-megapixel + 3D ToF lens equipped with triple camera setup and 24-megapixel frontal shooter.

Xiaomi Mi 9 renders by Benjamin Geskin

The Feb. 19 date is just ahead of Samsung’s Feb. 20 unveil event that it will be using to announce the Galaxy S10 series. Some rumors claim that the South Korean company will also unleash its first foldable phone to the world. Samsung’s foldable phone may look like a conventional smartphone, but when opened like a book, its 7.3-inch inner display. There is a possibility that Xiaomi will debut its foldable phone on Feb. 19 before Samsung reveals its foldable device. Xiaomi’s foldable device has a unique dual-folding design which makes it possible to fold it from left and right sides. There is no confirmation on whether Xiaomi’s foldable device will be called Xiaomi Mi Dual Flex or Xioami Mi MIX Flex or will have some other name.

It remains to be seen whether Xiaomi introduces Mi 9 or its foldable phone on Feb. 19. Hence, it is advisable to wait for further teasers from the company to know more on Feb. 19 launch.

LG Mobile rumored to cease operations in the Philippines

Amid of various futuristic smartphone announcements with leading technologies, LG is expected to pull-off its mobile operation chords in the Philippines. According to a Filipino source, it has been revealed that LG is set to cease its mobile operations in the country. As per the source, LG hasn’t revealed any new device after the LG G7 ThinQ, and even LG V40 ThinQ didn’t get introduced in the Philippines.

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LG has not confirmed anything but a company’s executive has dropped some beans on the latest developments. As per executive, LG will soon officially make an announcement regarding the current situation. If LG goes away officially, then the Filipino fans won’t be able to enjoy the latest phones from the company. They have to get it from a third party seller which will be a costly affair.

From past some months, LG’s mobile division has been struggling to churn out some profits. It is the only division of LG which is running negative. Now, these developments have cleared the surface from LG Mobile’s deteriorating financial condition.

Although, globally LG is speculated to be coming with a foldable display device at MWC 2019. They will even showcase 5G enabled device packed with 4000 mAh battery and Snapdragon 855 at an event in Barcelona next month. Later this year, LG G8 ThinQ is also set to unveil with Snapdragon chipset and a notched display. It will come with a significant revamp than the LG G7 ThinQ which was launched last year.

There are no more details available regarding the speculated LG Mobile’s exit from the Philippines.

(Via)