Here are the most Durable Smartphones of 2018 according to JerryRigEverything

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Jan 3, 2019

If you are out to find the durability of your smartphone, there’s a very good chance that you would have come across one of the videos from JerryRigEverything. He has become a sort of a standard among smartphone enthusiasts to check the durability of a mobile device, all thanks to his professional approach to the process. His tests also tell us a lot about the repairability of phones, which, unfortunately, seems to have taken a back seat among companies’ priorities these days.

We have seen him tear apart a lot of phones in 2018 and now its time to check out the most durable smartphones of the year. He just released his Smartphone Durability Awards 2018 edition and we’ve got no major surprises here. According to him, the most durable smartphone of 2018 was a special phone, the Kyocera Duraforce Pro 2. Well, it’s not really a surprise, given that the phone was meant to be a rugged device. If you are wondering which is the best budget durable smartphone, that award goes to the Nokia 7 Plus. In general, Nokia phones have fared very well in his tests and it’s no surprise that the same phone gets another award, best repairable phone of 2018.

RELATED: OnePlus 6T durability test shows the in-display fingerprint reader isn’t affected by scratches

Coming to the worst performers, the iPhone XS Max was the least repairable phone of 2018. In fact, he added that if you broke the glass on the back of the phone, it would cost you $599 (~ one 8GB OP6T) to get it fixed! Coming to the least durable phone, that award went to Mate 20 Pro and the P20 Pro models since they both were the only ones to crack in his bend test.

Make sure to check out his video as he has a lot to add about these phones, including a special award for the most musical phone. Yes, seriously! Also, Pixel 3 gets a special award too!

Motorola Moto G6 Plus soon to get Android 9.0 Pie update in India

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Jan 3, 2019

Motorola has updated the Moto G6 Plus changelog on its official website in India and part of the changes seen on it, is that the company will soon push Android Pie update for the Moto G6 Plus in India. The G6 Plus made its debut in India in September 2018 after the launch of the Moto G6 and G6 Play. The device was launched pre-installed with Android 8.1 Oreo just like its siblings but looks like the G6 Plus will be the first to get the Pie.

The changelog was first spotted by a Reddit user on Motorola’s website and apart from bringing Android Pie, the update will also bring the December Android security patch. However, Motorola is yet to officially disclose when Android Pie will roll out for the Moto G6 Plus. The changelog is an indication that it won’t be long before that will happen. When that happens, the Moto G6 Plus will be the second phone after the Motorola One Power Android One smartphone to officially get the Pie update. In addition, the Moto X4 was also reported to be receiving the Pie update but there is no official announcement in that regard.

It is quite impressive that the device will be getting updated to the latest Android version less than four months after its launch. The update is also timely, giving that the device is rumoured to get a successor in the Moto G7 line as early as February. The update will bring to the Moto G6 Plus Android Pie features like Adaptive Battery, Adaptive Brightness, improved Do Not Disturb mode, revamped split screen, new changes to the UI and new gesture navigation, among others.

(source)

LG will bring 8K TVs with the new HDMI 2.1 standard at CES 2019

By

Joel Joseph

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Jan 3, 2019

CES is still a few days away but LG would like you to know that they have some exciting stuff in store for us at the event. The South Korean consumer tech giant just confirmed that there are at least two 8K (one 88-inch OLED Z9 model and another 75-inch LCD SM99 model) TVs coming our way next week.

While 8K TVs still have a lot of time to become mainstream, not to mention the lack of such high-resolution content available in the market, the new 8K TV range from LG boasts of being the first set of TVs to support the latest HDMI 2.1 standard. The new HDMI standard brings new features as well as increased bandwidth allowing for 8K 60fps playback. However, what’s even more interesting is that the new standard also boosts 4K signals to 120fps, which should allow for better, blur-free playback. Other features of the new standard include an enhanced audio return channel (eARC), variable refresh rate (VRR), and an automatic low latency mode (ALLM).

RELATED: LG G8 rumored to come with “Sound on Display” technology

In addition to the built-in Google Assistant, the new LG 2019 TVs will come with Amazon Alexa and the company’s Thinq AI as well. There’s a dedicated Amazon Prime Video button on the TV’s magic remote to handle smart home as well as various other tasks like changing channels, setting up wake up calls, checking traffic information and so on, all using voice commands.

The company has a press conference scheduled for January 7, just before CES 2019 kicks off. For more details, hit the source link below!

(Source)

The Nokia 106 is HMD Global’s first phone in India this year

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Jan 3, 2019

HMD Global has launched a new phone in India today. However, it isn’t a smartphone but the Nokia 106 feature phone. The feature phone market is still a money-spinner and Nokia sits comfortably at the top of the list.

The Nokia 106 has a 1.8-inch color display, an alphanumeric keypad, and a curved polycarbonate body with an inherent coloring which means scratches won’t be very visible. It has dual-SIM support, 4MB of storage and a removable 800mAh battery which can last up to 21 days on standby and provide 15 hours of talk time. Charging is via a MicroUSB port.

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Leak reveals Motorola P40 will come with Snapdragon 675 SoC, 48MP rear camera and more

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Jan 3, 2019

Motorola will continue with its P-series this year and thanks to an early leak, we know what the Motorola P40 will look like. Specs of the phone have surfaced online and it reveals the P30’s successor will be packing some punch.

The leak is from Twitter user Andri Yatim (@HeyAndri) and according to him, the Motorola P40 will be powered by the Snapdragon 675 processor. The Snapdragon 675 is a new upper mid-range processor from Qualcomm designed for gaming smartphones. It is an 11nm chipset with eight Kryo 460 CPU cores clocked at 2.0GHz and an Adreno 612 GPU. Seeing as the Motorola P30 is powered by a Snapdragon 636 processor, the SD675 is a big upgrade.

#motorola #P40
SD675, 6.2" HD+ IPS, 6-64/128GB, Ai 48+5MP f1.75, Ai 12MP f1.8 FFC, NFC, 4132mAh,
ZUK (CN), 9.0 (RoW) pic.twitter.com/mtzUinjOZy

— Andri Yatim (@HeyAndri) January 2, 2019

He also said the phone will have a 6.2-inch display with an HD+ resolution which doesn’t sound right going by the rest of the specs. We want to believe that is an error and it is actually an FHD+ display. The Motorola P40 will also have 6GB of RAM and 64GB/128GB of storage.

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LG G8 rumored to come with “Sound on Display” technology

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Jan 3, 2019

The LG G8 should launch as LG‘s first flagship for the year and it appears it will be coming with an interesting feature.

According to OnLeaks, the LG G8 will come with a feature called “Sound on Display” based on info from a source. This isn’t the first time we have heard of this technology and to be honest, it isn’t even new. Last year, Samsung demoed a phone with the technology at a display event. It was rumored then that the feature will come with one of their flagships in 2019. It was also said that LG was working on bringing it to its mobile phones too.

According to my sources, #LGG8 will feature Sound on Display (SoD) technology…

— Steve H.McFly (@OnLeaks) January 3, 2019

LG already has TVs with the technology. Its Crystal Sound OLED TVs don’t have a traditional speaker, instead, sounds are produced by vibrating the display panel. The sound is actually produced by vibrations of the screen caused by what is called an exciter which is positioned behind the screen. The audio is actually very clear and loud and the vibrations do not affect the display. Now that technology has been shrunk down to fit into a phone.

The advantage this brings is that the top bezel where the receiver sits on your regular phone can be completely eliminated. The front camera already has multiple new homes, so that isn’t an issue.

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“Google” tweets it will start charging Chinese OEMs this year, then deletes it

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Jan 3, 2019

Google or rather the official Android Twitter account tweeted that it will begin charging Chinese manufacturers such as Huawei, Xiaomi and ZTE and several others starting Q3 2019. Moments later, the tweet was deleted. Confused? Don’t be.

First, some backstory. Last year, the European Commission fined Google €4.34 billion for breaching EU antitrust rules. The European Commission said Google had imposed illegal restrictions on Android device manufacturers and mobile network operators to cement its dominant position in general internet search. Google is said to have done this in three ways:

requiring manufacturers to pre-install the Google search app and Chrome browser as a condition for Google Play store licensing
paid certain large manufacturers and mobile network operators to exclusively pre-install the Google search app on their devices
prevented manufacturers wishing to pre-install Google apps from selling their mobile devices with forked versions of Android that were not approved by Google

The commission says these are all illegal under EU antitrust rules.

Google had to update its regional compatibility agreement in October 2018 to allow manufacturers to unbundle key services from the Android OS. However, if you wanted to unbundle some of these services e.g. Play Store, you had to pay a licensing fee. Manufacturers that want to include Google Search and the Chrome browser would not be charged. Apparently, the licensing fee for those who don’t want search and chrome is sort of payment for the development and free distribution of Android. These new rules apply only to devices shipped into the European Economic Area.

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Huawei Mate 30 Pro may feature up to 5 rear cameras, patent application reveals

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Jan 3, 2019

Huawei deviated from the norm when it released the P20 Pro with three rear camera sensor early last year. The P20 Pros camera setup stood tall on DXOMark benchmark as the best phone camera setup, with the Galaxy Note 9, iPhone Xs and others failing to topple it. The feat was repeated on the Mate 20 Pro which also packs three camera sensors at the back. Now, it seems the company is about taking things to a higher level. The hint about this comes in form of a Huawei patent application for a smartphone case filed to the China National Intellectual Property Administration.

The smartphone case suggests that the Huawei Mate 30 Pro will have a penta-camera setup. The case bears a larger cutout at the upper half of the case which is markedly larger than that of the Mate 20 Pro. Recall that the Mate 20 Pro packs three rear cameras and an LED flash. The larger cutout of the smartphone case only suggests that the Mate 30 Pro will have 5 sensors at the rear with an LED flash. However, we are not certain if the patented case is for the Mate 30 Pro but it is definitely for one of Huawei’s 2019 flagship. Perhaps, we could see it as early as on the P30 Pro.

Other details of the upcoming device that can be scooped from the Smartphone case patent include the absence of a rear fingerprint sensor. This suggests the device will likely feature an under-display fingerprint sensor. The device also has the power button and volume rockers located on the right side. At the bottom of the handset is the USB Type-C port, as well as the grills for the bottom-firing loudspeaker. If this turns out to be true, the Mate 30 Pro will join the Nokia 9 which also expected to feature a penta-camera setup.

(source)

Nokia 9 PureView launch, availability and pricing information leaks online

By

Jeet

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Jan 3, 2019

HMG Global‘s upcoming flagship smartphone — Nokia 9 PureView is one of the most anticipated smartphones. It will be the world’s first smartphone to feature five camera sensors on the back panel.

The Nokia 9 PureView has been leaked several times, revealing the phone’s design, features, and specifications. However, the phone’s launch and availability, as well as pricing information, was unknown, until now.

According to the new reports, the Nokia 9 PureView will be launch in late January, ahead of MWC 2019. This is in line with our previous report that indicated that the launch could take place in the last week of January. The Mobile World Congress (MWC 2019) is scheduled to take place in late February in Spain, Barcelona.

Another report suggests that Nokia‘s upcoming flagship smartphone will be first launched in the European market. It also adds that the phone will be priced at 749 Euros (approximately $851) and 799 Euros (approximately $908) depending upon the market.

While the Penta-camera setup on the back panel of the phone makes it interesting, the phone’s specifications aren’t exciting as it feels like a 2018 flagship phone rather than a 2019 one. It is said to be powered by Snapdragon 845 chipset, coupled with up to 6GB or 8GB RAM.

It is expected to feature an 18:9 aspect ratio screen and may carry support for Quad HD+ resolution. It could also be the first Nokia smartphone to feature an in-display fingerprint scanner. The phone is also expected to be powered by a 4,150mAh battery that may carry support for wireless charging.

We’ll get to know more about the Nokia 9 PureView as the launch nears. To know for sure about the phone’s pricing and availability, we’ll have to wait for the official launch event.

Vivo NEX gets Rs. 5,000 price cut in India, now available for Rs. 39,990 ($569)

By

Jeet

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Jan 3, 2019

Vivo NEX, introduced last year, was among the uniquely designed smartphone which aimed to offer higher screen-to-body ratio without a notched display. The phone was launched in India in July last year for Rs. 44,990.

Now, the Vivo NEX has received Rs. 5,000 (approximately $71) price cut in India, bringing down the phone’s effective pricing to Rs. 39,990, roughly $569. It is available for purchase through Amazon.in as well as offline retailers.

In India, the Vivo NEX comes in Star Diamond Black color that uses holographic technology and a metal frame. It features a 6.59-inch Super AMOLED Ultra FullView “Zero Screen” Display with a screen-to-body ratio of 91.24 percent and 2316 x 1080 pixels screen resolution. All the sensors on the device are hidden under the display and instead of an earpiece, the phone comes with a Screen SoundCasting Technology.

Under the hood, the device is powered by Qualcomm‘s Snapdragon 845 processor clocked at 2.8GHz, along with Adreno 630 graphics processor. It packs 8GB RAM and comes with 128GB of internal storage. There’s a dual camera setup on the back, consisting of a 12MP primary Sony IMX363 sensor with 1.4μm pixels, f/1.8 aperture, and four-axis optical image stabilization and a 5MP secondary sensor with f/2.4 aperture.

On the front side, there’s an 8MP snapper that comes with an elevating mechanism. The front-facing snapper automatically rises and hides on opening and closing the camera app, and also makes a sound to notify the user. This is done using micro-stepping motors with independent drive ICs and precision control algorithms.

The device comes with a third-generation in-display fingerprint scanning technology that improves the screen unlock time by 10 percent and increases the overall experience of phone unlocking. Connectivity options on the devices include Dual 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802.11 ac (2.4GHz / 5GHz) 2×2 MIMO, Bluetooth 5 LE, GPS + GLONASS, and USB Type-C.

The Vivo NEX runs on Android 8.1 Oreo operating system out-of-the-box with Vivo’s custom user interface FunTouch 4.0. The device draws power from a 4,000mAh battery which comes with 22.5W fast charging support.

Get Vivo NEX on GearBest

(Source)

Sony Xperia XZ4 Geekbench score surfaces online; packs SD855 SoC and 8GB RAM

By

Jeet

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Jan 3, 2019

Sony is gearing up to launch its upcoming flagship smartphone — Sony Xperia XZ4, which is said to be powered by Snapdragon 855 chipset. Recently, the phone’s AnTuTu score surfaced online and now Geekbench listing shows the phone’s benchmarks.

According to the Geekbench benchmark score of Xperia XZ4 posted by ‘Zackbuks’ on Weibo, the smartphone scored 3,497 points in single-core test and 12,801 points in multi-core test. The listing reaffirms that the device powered by SD855 SoC will pack 8GB RAM and will run Android 9 Pie operating system out-of-the-box.

The Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, manufactured using 7nm process, is an octa-core processor that features four power-saving cores clocked at 1.78GHz, three performance cores clocked at 2.42GHz and another special “gold” core for performance boost which is clocked at 2.84GHz. It is coupled with Adreno 640 graphics processor, which is expected to bring performance improvement.

A previous reported related to the device indicated that the phone will come with an unusually tall display having a 21:9 aspect ratio. The phone also said to have a 3.5mm audio jack and support for 46.5W fast charging.

Recently, CAD renders of the Xperia XZ4 surfaced online, showing the smartphone with an extremely thin bezel, without a notch, and cut out for the earpiece, including proximity sensor. There’s a tiny hole in the left end of the screen, presumably for the LED notification light.

On the back side, the phone features a triple camera setup with sensors placed vertically in the top-center position. On the right side of the device, there’s a volume rocker key, a fingerprint scanner and the power button alongside the camera shutter. On the bottom side, there’s a speaker and a USB Type-C port.

Save Up To 80 Percent On Electronics And Get $8, $12 And $20 Off Coupons On Banggood

By

Vinay Patel

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Jan 3, 2019

Known for offering the best bang for your buck, Banggood is now giving brand conscious buyers a lot to cheer about in the form of the ‘Big Brand Week’ promotion.

As part of the new promo, the Chinese online store will be giving its users an opportunity to save up to a whopping 80 percent, and grab $8-$20 off coupons that will be valid for products from Xiaomi, CHUWI and a slew of other globally recognized brands. But that’s not all by any stretch of the imagination.

Starting Sunday, January 6th, users will get an unmissable chance to get try their luck at Banggood ‘Wheel of Fortune.’ Lucky winners will be eligible to get a myriad of special goodies. There will 8%, 12% and 20% off coupons up for grabs.

Aside from that, Banggood users can get their hands on the coveted Xiaomi Mi 8 Lite smartphone and the CHUWI Hi9 Plus 4G tablet for considerably lowered prices. On top of that, they can use specific coupons associated with the aforesaid products to get additional discounts.
For instance, the Xiaomi Mi 8 smartphone usually carries a $319.99 price tag, but thanks to a 17 percent discount Banggood is offering on the handset, you can now buy it for just $269.99. Moreover, you can use coupon code 12M8L4G3 in order to reduce the device’s already lowered retail price.

The rest of the products have been split into four categories including Special Offer for New Arrive, Top Recommendation, Pick your Favorite, and Super Brand. Each section features a slew of heavily discounted electronic items that usually carry steep price tags.

For example, the XANES K8 smart bracelet that would normally set you back a pretty penny can now be yours if you are will to shell out just $12.99. This is a noteworthy 61 percent discount that Banggood is offering the fitness bracelet’s original asking price for a limited period of time.

Likewise, the next section dubbed ‘Top 9 Recommendations’ feature steeply priced products that you can now buy without burning a hole in your pocket. The ‘Pick Your Favorite’ and ‘Super Brands’ categories are where you can get big discounts on a slew of popular brands like Bakeey, Astrolux, CHUWI, DIGOO and lots more.

You can click here to visit the promotion page and check out the rest of the products and take full advantage of the discounts before the Big Brand Week promo comes to an end.

Check Out Banggood’s Big Brand Week Promo

Xiaomi Mi AirPOP PM2.5 Anti-Pollution Mask is now available for purchase in India for Rs. 249 ($4)

By

Jeet

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Jan 3, 2019

Expanding its product portfolio in the Indian market, Xiaomi has today announced the launch of yet another product that helps fight against air pollution. After launching Mi Air Purifiers, the company has today launched Mi AirPOP PM2.5 Anti-Pollution mask in India.

The Mi AirPOP Anti-Pollution mask will go on sale in India for the first time today at 12:00 PM, exclusively through the company’s official online store Mi.com. It is priced at just Rs. 249, which roughly converts to $4 and comes in Black color.

The mask seems compact and comfortable and wraps the face to provide protection. It also has an enlarged-diameter vortex breather valve. The company says that it is specifically customized for day-to-day usage in India conditions.

It comes with double particle protection and four layers of filtration, which includes a primary layer, support mesh, electrostatic micro-filtration layer, and water-permeable layer. The high-tech filters can combat air pollutants such as seasonal haze, dust storms, cold and flu pathogens, allergenic pollen, grease, smoke, exhaust, and contaminants.

The inner filter element of the mask adopts a 360-degree seal to form three-dimensional fully enclosed air bubble. The breather valve quickly discharges warm air and vapor while blocking out pollutants and also reduces eyeglass fogging.

Huawei Y9 2019 with huge display, quad cameras debuting on January 7 in India

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Jan 3, 2019

Amazon India has recently started a dedicated landing page for the Huawei Y9 2019 smartphone. The web page only contains information on the salient features of the smartphone. New information reveals that the company will be launching the smartphone on Jan. 7 in India.

The below poster reveals that Huawei will be holding a dedicated launch event for the smartphone in New Delhi, India on Jan. 7. The event will begin at 11:00 AM IST. The Chinese manufacturer has sent out invites for the launch event to the media.

Read More: Huawei will focus on Cyber Security and Privacy Protection in 2019: Founder

The Huawei Y9 2019 was announced in October last year and it has been available in some markets. It features a massive IPS LCD display of 6.5 inches. The waterdrop enabled display delivers full HD+ resolution of 1080 x 2340 pixels and a tall aspect ratio of 19.5:9.

The Kirin 710 that was designed to power upper mid-range phones is present under the hood of the Huawei Y9 2019. During its October launch, the company had announced that it would be available in two models such as 64 GB storage + 4 GB RAM and 128 GB storage + 6 GB RAM. However, most of the countries have received only the 64 GB edition of the phone. Hence, the Huawei Y9 2019 coming to India may only come in single storage version of 64 GB.

The rear side of the Huawei Y9 2019 features 13-megapixel + 2-megapixel dual camera. At the frontside of the phone is a 16-megapixel + 2-megapixel dual selfie shooter. The back panel of the phone also features a fingerprint sensor. The handset is packed with a 4,000mAh battery. However, there is no support for fast charging for the big battery of the Huawei Y9 2019.

In terms of specs, the Huawei Y9 2019 seems to be a good rival for the Redmi Note 6 Pro. The 64 GB storage + 4 GB RAM edition of the Redmi Note 6 Pro is selling in India for Rs. 13,999 (~$199). Probably, Huawei could be selling the Y9 2019 with a similar price tag. The handset will be exclusively available for purchase through Amazon India.

Get Up To 40% Off On A Slew Of DJI-Branded Products On GeekBuying

By

Vinay Patel

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Jan 3, 2019

The ‘DJI Winter Sale’ has launched on GeekBuying. As part of this promotion, the Chinese technology company that’s known for manufacturing top-notch unmanned aerial vehicles is giving buyers an opportunity to get up to 40 percent off on a wide selection of drones and a slew of other equally exciting products.
These DJI-branded products have been split into multiple categories including Big Discounts, EU Stock, Accessories and More Deals in order to expedite the search process. We will take a gander at the DJI Mavic Air and the DJI Osmo Mobile 2 3-axis brushless handheld gimbal stabilizer that usually carry price tags, but have now gone up for sale carrying lowered prices on GeekBuying.

DJI Mavic Air Foldable RC Drone RTF

The DJI Mavic Air strikes a perfect balance between top-notch engineering and a breathtaking design. Retaining everything the well-received Mavic series has to offer, the Mavic Air is an ultraportable and foldable drone that warrants an unmatched flight performance, coupled with awe-inspiring functionality for unbounded exploration of uncharted areas.

The feature-rich DJI Mavic Air would normally set you back a pretty penny on both online and offline stores, but you can now buy it for just $729 on GeekBuying. This is a significant 19 percent drop in the drone’s original asking price of $899.99.

Regrettably, the promo was on the verge of wrapping up at the time of writing. In order to take advantage of the aforesaid discount before the promo ends, all you need to do is to follow this link without wasting time.

DJI Osmo Mobile 2 Handheld Gimbal Stabilizer for Smartphones

Whether you are a frequent traveler or an adventure junky who loves capturing memorable moments on the go, the DJI Osmo Mobile 2 handheld smartphone gimbal is a great choice. DJI resorts to using a compact design for the Osmo Mobile 2, which is loaded with useful functions and backed by a long-lasting battery.
This highly efficient gimbal stabilizer for smartphones usually sells for $218.99 but much to the delight of cost-conscious buyers, DJI is now offering it for a dropped price of just $129 on GeekBuying. This is a 41 percent reduction in the device’s original selling price.

On the downside, the aforesaid discount will only be valid for a short period since the promo is slated to end today. You can visit this link to avail the discount and get your hands on the DJI Osmo Mobile 2 without emptying your pocket.

Check Out GeekBuying’s DJI Winter Sale

Xiaomi Poco F1 finally gets official TWRP support

By

Jeet

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Jan 3, 2019

Xiaomi’s Poco F1 (aka Pocophone F1) has been a prime target for modder because of its high value-for-money deal. This is evident with the number of custom ROMs available for the smartphone.

While the unofficial TWRP build for the Poco F1 were available for quite some time now, the smartphone has now finally got the official TWRP support. It can be downloaded from the official TWRP website and you can find it by going through the source link.

The TWRP recovery can be installed over USB, but if your device is already rooted, you can use the TWRP app from the Play Store. The developer has warned that the “build of TWRP will (probably) only work with devices using Full Disk Encryption (FDE)” and may not work with devices that have been converted to File-Based Encryption (FBE). It further adds that the FBE support may be added at a later date.

Xiaomi has promised to limit the bootloader unlock wait time for the Pocophone series to “only” 3 days, which is good compared to the company’s other phones but it’s still longer than devices from OnePlus and Google.

To remind you of the Poco F1’s specifications, the phone features a 6.18-inch Full HD+ IPS LCD display and is powered by Qualcomm‘s Snapdragon 845 flagship processor along with LiquidCool technology. The phone comes in three variants — 6GB/8GB RAM with 64GB/128GB/256 internal storage.

It comes equipped with a 12-megapixel Sony IMX363 primary sensor, coupled with a 5-megapixel secondary sensor on the back panel. On the front side, there’s a 20-megapixel selfie camera powered with artificial intelligence.

The smartphone runs on the company’s MIUI with Poco Launcher, based on Android 8.1 Oreo operating system and has started receiving Android Pie update. The device is fuelled by a 4,000mAh battery that supports Quick Charge 4.0 fast charging technology.

Get Xiaomi Poco F1(6+64GB) on Gearbest

Get Xiaomi Poco F1(6+128GB) on Gearbest

(Source)

Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun explains why the company decided to make Redmi brand independent

By

Jeet

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Jan 3, 2019

Earlier today, we reported that Xiaomi has announced to make ‘Redmi’ an independent brand. The new brand has already scheduled a launch event on 10th January in China where it will launch its first smartphone with a 48-megapixel camera sensor.

While the company announced that the Redmi brand will go independent, it did not reveal the reason behind taking such a step. Why did Xiaomi decide to make Redmi an independent brand when it was the most popular smartphone series of the company? Well, we now have answers. Xiaomi’s CEO Lei Jun has explained this in response to a user on Weibo.

Lei Jun explains that the primary reason behind separating both Mi and Redmi brands is the focus. While the Redmi brand focuses on value-for-money budget smartphones, the Mi brand is focused on high-end devices. Also, the Redmi devices are primarily sold through e-commerce platforms while Mi devices are not e-commerce focused.

Additionally, the separation of the Redmi brand will also be beneficial to Mi brand given that the company will be able to focus more on it. With this, the company now has three smartphone brands, each catering to a particular segment — Mi for premium phones, Redmi for budget phones, and Poco for ‘affordable premium’ phones.

The strategy being adopted by Xiaomi is similar to the one adopted by Huawei. While Huawei is focusing on high-end phones, its sub-brand Honor is focused on making budget phones. Oppo also started a new brand Realme last year, but within a couple of months, the brand split from its parent company to operate independently.

As said, Xiaomi is holding a launch event in Beijing, China on 10th January at 2:00 PM (local time) to launch the first under the newly independent brand. While the teaser image suggests a 48MP primary camera sensor, no more details about the upcoming smartphone are known yet.

Get Vacuum Cleaners From Top Brands For Considerably Lowered Prices On GearBest

By

Vinay Patel

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Jan 3, 2019

Uber hygienic people who prefer keeping their surrounding clean and tidy all the time usually end up spending a lot of money of appliances that claim to keep their homes free from dust and other impurities.
However, if you are in the market for a highly effective vacuum cleaner that doesn’t cost a bomb, we got good news for you. Deemed as one of China’s best online electronics stores, GearBest is now doling out noteworthy discounts on select vacuum cleaners that usually carry steep price tags.

Alfawise HC – 1D03 Rechargeable Cordless Handheld Vacuum Cleaner

This cordless ultralight vacuum cleaner from Alfawise is designed to facilitate quick and effortless tidying ups for your home. The device effectively cleans hard-to-reach areas like wall edges, under the bed etc. It is capable of meeting various needs thanks to the large 0.65L capacity dust bucket it features and different accessories that it includes.

While the market is brimming with steeply priced handheld vacuum cleaners that might not even meet your expectations, the feature-laden Alfawise HC – 1D03 can now be yours for a dropped price of just $79.99 on GearBest. This is a significant 36 percent drop in the device’s retail price of $124.65.

In order to grab this discount which will be valid for the chili pepper color version of the vacuum cleaner, all you need to do is to follow this link. With only 95 pieces of left, this promo is slated to end in five days.

ALBOHES Z5 Robotic Window Cleaner Automatic Glass Cleaning Robot

Still cleaning windows using your hands and a sponge? You might want to take a gander at the ALBOHES Z5 robotic window cleaner. The device adopts AI technology and uses a built-in smart window cleaning system to detect obstructions and identify windows.

This highly useful Z5 window cleaner is backed by a non-removable 600mAh 14.8V battery and it features two wheels that enable free movement on the window or wall surface. The market is brimming with similar devices, but they don’t come cheap.

The Z5, on the other hand, has now gone up for sale bearing an unbeatable price tag of $125.99. This is a 22 percent drop in the device’s original asking price of $161.15. Note that this discount will specifically be valid for the remaining 100 white-tinted pieces of the robotic window cleaner. You can visit this link to grab the discount before the promo comes to an end in twelve days.

Alfawise FJ166A Cordless Handheld Stick Vacuum Cleaner

The FJ166A is an elegantly designed cordless handheld stick vacuum cleaner that lets you clean every corner of your house without the inconvenience of tangling cords. Moreover, it comes with accessories that come in handy for specific cleaning tasks.

For the sake of an instance, it features a 2-in-1 wide brush which is ideal for curtain, furniture and sofa and a 2-in-1 crevice tube that is perfect for car, corners and other hard-to-reach places. The FJ166A would normally set you back $129.99, but Alfawise teamed up with GearBest to offer the handheld vacuum cleaner for a dropped price of just $109.99.
On the downside, this promo offering a 15 percent discount on the white color version of the vacuum cleaner is slated to end in twelve days. It is also worth noting that there were only 87 pieces remaining for this promo at the time of writing. You can visit this link to avail the discount before the promotion sale ends.

Check Out GearBest’s 2018 New Year Lighting Flash Sale

Check Out GearBest’s Exclusive Brand Sale

Huawei will focus on Cyber Security and Privacy Protection in 2019: Founder

By

Jeet

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Jan 3, 2019

At a time when most countries are concerned about security aspect related to Huawei’s products, the company’s founder Ren Zhengfei has sent a letter to all its employees talking about security and credibility and focusing on cyber-security and privacy protection.

The letter is titled “To Improve Software Engineering Capabilities and Practices, and Create Credible High-Quality Products.” In the letter, he says that the company is at a new starting point when it comes to cloud computing, AI, Software definition and other development trends.

He says that the company’s credibility will be an important factor for customers when they decide to buy and accept Huawei products and trust the brand. He added that credibility is not only a high-quality result of the external performance of the product but also a high-quality process inherent in the product.

Apart from that, he also talks about improving software engineering capabilities and practices in order to create credible and high-quality products. For this, Ren Zhengfei says that the company’s board has decided carried out the improvements in a revolutionary manner.

Huawei’s chairman Xu Zhijun has promised an initial investment of around $2 billion, which the company will be using over the course of five years in the field of ICT Infrastructure. As it is clear, the company is aiming to build credible and high-quality products. It says that Huawei’s mission is to bring the digital world to everyone, every family and every organization. To read the full letter, go to the source link.

In the year 2018, Huawei has seen both — growth as well as resistance. While the company surpassed $100 billion in revenue for the first time and crossed its goal of 200 million smartphone shipments, it is also facing strong criticism and legal hurdles in the west.

Last week, it was reported that the USA is considering to ban American wireless carriers from procuring equipment from the Chinese companies, a big blow to both Huawei and ZTE, which are the two largest producers of Telecom equipment. Huawei is also among the leading players when it comes to 5G technology.

(Source)

Huawei and Honor tops JD’s new year sales, Apple leads in terms of average price

By

Jeet

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Jan 3, 2019

JD.com, a China-based online retailer, has released the data related to the New Year’s Day sale. It reveals that during the sale period, Huawei and Honor emerged as the leading smartphone brands.

While Huawei and Honor got the first and second place respectively in terms of smartphone sales, Apple comes at the third position. However, Apple stands first when it comes to the average selling price of the smartphones.

In terms of smartphone sales, Xiaomi, Vivo, and Meizu grabbed the fourth, fifth, and sixth position respectively. Following them is Oppo, Philips, Samsung, and Yijia. Philips is in the list mainly due to two products — E108 and E171L.

Comparing the average highest selling price, after Apple, the second and third position were given to Honor and Huawei. Xiaomi and Vivo have also made it into the top five list in terms of average selling price.

Coming to the smartphones, Honor 9i was the bestselling model, followed by Honor 7A, Huawei Mate 20 Pro, Apple iPhone XR, and Honor 8A. While Meizu Note 8 also made it to the top ten list, Xiaomi was surprisingly absent from the list.

While the Huawei Mate 20 Pro was the leading smartphone when it comes to devices priced over 4,000 Yuan ($582), the Huawei P20 was leading in devices priced between 3,000 Yuan to 3,999 Yuan ($436-$582). In the price range of 2,000 Yuan ($291) to 2,999 Yuan ($436), Honor V10 was the leading device while Vivo Z3 grabbed the top spot in 1,500 Yuan ($218) to 1,999 Yuan ($291) range.