For the past three years, the Moto Z series has largely maintained the same design thanks to the modularity feature that lets users add extra features to the phone(s).
Initially, we thought Motorola would switch to an entirely new design this year which will mean the end of the Moto Mods but it appears that won’t be the case. A video render of the Moto Z4 Play has surfaced online that shows us the Moto Mods are here to stay, at least for another year.
The Moto Z4 Play render is from OnLeaks who has a trustworthy record when it comes to revealing early looks of a phone. For this video render he has collaborated with Indian tech blog, CompareRaja.
The Moto Z4 Play will come with a water-drop notch and have slimmer bezels compared to the Moto Z3 Play. The slimmer chin of the phone means the usual “Motorola” branding will no longer be there.
On the rear of the device, the Moto Z4 Play still has a circular camera housing with a bump so that it flushes when a Mod is attached. However, what is surprising is that the Moto Z4 Play will come with a single rear camera and not two sensors like the Moto Z3 Play. Below the sensor is a triple LED flash.
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The Moto Z3 Play has a side-mounted fingerprint scanner but that’s not the case with the Moto Z4 Play. Since it can’t be on the rear due to the Moto Mod, the only plausible place it can be is under the display.
The phone has the usual 16 connector pins for the Mods at the bottom. There is a 3.5mm audio jack and a USB type-c port at the bottom while the speaker grille is at the top alongside the SIM tray. The right side of the phone is home to the power button and volume rocker.
The specs of the phone are unknown but the display is said to be 6.2-inches in size and its dimensions are given as 158 x 75 x 7.25 mm.
If you haven’t received the update that brings Android Pie to the OnePlus 5 and OnePlus 5T, it will interest you to know that there is another update rolling out to both devices again.
OnePlus is rolling out OxygenOS 9.0.1 to the 2017 flagships. The update comes a week after Android Pie was released for both phones and fixes the bugs the last update brought. The full changelog is below:
System
Improved stability for Wi-Fi connection
Optimized sRGB display mode
Optimized Reading mode
Fixed issue with 4G VoLTE toggle missing
Fixed random reboots when Screen Casting
A screenshot shared by one of those who has already received the update shows it is 1748MB in size.
OnePlus began rolling out a new update to the OnePlus 6 a few days ago. The update brings improvements to the phone along with December’s security patch.
The update comes as OxygenOS 9.0.3 and is rolling out gradually to users. Those who have received the update say battery life has improved slightly. There are also camera improvements for Nightscape mode and slow-motion recording. Below is the full changelog:
System
Improved Wi-Fi stability for better connectivity
Improved Bluetooth stability for better connectivity
In the face of a saturated smartphone market, OEMs are deploying all the strategies in their arsenal to outwit the competition. BBK subsidiary OPPO used the Realme brand as its take on the entry-level smartphone market. The brand was announced in May this year and came out as sort of a surprise. The Realme 1 was the first phone released under the brand but since then, Realme has released four more devices.
Interestingly, the brand has been a huge success as the brand recently announced via its official Twitter account that it has sold 4 million phones in 7 months globally. This is a culmination of the successful outings the brand has enjoyed in various markets outside India. It was first launched in India but recently made its entry in China where it outsold Samsung and Xiaomi during Singles’ Day. The Realme brand also posted an amazing feat in Indonesia on popular online retailer Lazada. The low pricing of the models, as well as the promotional sales events, helped the brand reach the 4 million mark.
Your favorite #Realme smartphone is now just one step away from your place! 😍 Buy them from one of our REAL Partner stores offline. Check out the cities we are opening this month and tell us which city do you want us to come next. 😉 pic.twitter.com/UUpOmpzwn2
In addition, the Realme brand has also announced that it is now taking its phone sales from online sales only to incorporating offline sales. This is going to be happening in India where the models will be available in physical stores in a number of cities across India. The first set includes Mumbai, Banglore, Rajkot, Ahmedabad, Kolkata, Jaipur, Guwahati, Pun, Dehli, Noida, and Lucknow. Te brand equally disclosed that 50 cities will be added every quarter while it has set its target to make the Realme phones available in up to 20,000 retail stores in India this year.
Apple‘s Face ID has been a major success considering the level of adoption it has cornered among smartphones. Unfortunately, those on Android phones, including flagships such as Huawei Mate 20 Pro are not as accurate as Apple’s. In this regard, there is usually a disclaimer that Face ID doesn’t offer adequate security and shouldn’t be deployed for financial transactions. However, that should change soon as Sony is reportedly working on a new generation of face recognition technology which should be available on its phones in late 2019.
This disclosure was made last week by Sony sensor division chief Satoshi Yoshihara. He hinted that the company has developed a new 3D sensors for both front and rear cameras and they are trying to increase production. Several phone makers have reportedly shown interest in the technology hence the need to shore up production. The Sony exec stated among other things, “Cameras revolutionized phones and based on what I’ve seen, I have the same expectation for 3D. The pace will vary by field, but we’re definitely going to see adoption of 3D. I’m certain of it”.
The 3D cameras will likely perform different functions but enabling face recognition should be the most outstanding. Sony’s 3D face recognition promises to be even more accurate and reliable than the 3D scans that Apple introduced with Face ID and which phone makers like Huawei and Xiaomi have replicated. The mechanism of action of this 3D face recognition will be markedly different from that of Face ID which revolves around projecting dots of invisible light onto a user’s face and measuring the deformations in that grid. Sony’s new 3D cameras use pulsating laser signals and measure how long it takes for a pulse to bounce back. This is comparable to the way bats use echolocation in nature.
According to Sony, this new method creates a more detailed model of a user’s face and can work from as far as 16 feet (5 meters). The company has already hosted a dedicated Depth-sensing website where visitors can explore the possibilities of the new technology and its wide range of applications ranging from autonomous cars, drones, to robots and more. MAss production of the 3D camera sensors is billed to commence in late summer 2019 and it could be available in flagships that will be released in late 2019 and the following year. Could this be the technology that would make us forget in-display fingerprint? We’ll have to wait to see how this pans out.
Pop-up cameras, slider designs, artificial intelligence… 2018 was the year of innovation and 2019 is going to be the year in which this innovation will become mainstream. The latest aesthetic innovation has been brought by Huawei Nova 4, Samsung Galaxy A8s and Honor V20, the first smartphones with an in-display hole for the front camera. After comparing the first two ones, here we are comparing the Honor V20 with two other important flagships released recently: OnePlus 6T which is one of the actual best-sellers and the even-more-innovative Vivo NEX Dual Display.
Huawei Honor V20 vs OnePlus 6T vs Vivo NEX Dual Display Edition
Huawei Honor V20
OnePlus 6T
Vivo NEX Dual Display Edition
DIMENSIONS AND WEIGHT
156.9 x 75.4 x 8.1 mm, 180 g
157.5 x 74.8 x 8.2 mm, 185 g
157.2 x 75.3 x 8.1 mm, 199 grams
DISPLAY
6.4 inches, 1080 x 2310p (Full HD+), IPS LCD
6.41 inches, 1080 x 2340p (Full HD+), Super AMOLED
6.39 inches, 1080 x 2340p (Full HD+), Super AMOLED
Secondary display: 5.49 inches 1080 x 1920 pixels (Full HD), Super AMOLED
Dual 48 MP + TOF 3D Camera, f/1.8
25 MP f/2.0 front camera
Dual 16 + 20 MP, f/1.7
16 MP f/2.0 front camera
Triple 12 + 2 MP + TOF Camera f/1.8
BATTERY
4000 mAh, fast charging 22.5W
3700 mAh, fast charging with Dash Charge
3500 mAh, Fast Charging 22.5W
ADDITIONAL FEATURES
Dual SIM slot, in-display camera
Dual SIM slot
Dual SIM slot, dual display
Design
Most of the recent smartphones have a design similar to OnePlus 6T, so it offers nothing special or innovative to the market. Honor V20 is definitely better with its punch hole display: it has an in-display hole to maximize the screen-to-body ratio and it even has a stunning back with unique light effects. But in my opinion, the most incredible is the Vivo NEX Dual Display as it features two displays: one of the front side with a screen-to-body ratio close to 100 percent and one on the back allowing to use the rear camera setup as front cameras.
Display
As it features two wonderful AMOLED displays, Vivo NEX Dual Display wins the display comparison. Thanks to the secondary display, you can save energy and use the main cameras as selfie cameras, besides opting for a more comfortable one-handed use. OnePlus 6T has its advantages as well, with its AMOLED panel featuring the strong Gorilla Glass 6 protection and DCI-P3 coverage for accurate color reproduction. Honor V20 has a standard IPS LCD display which represents its weakest point, but it is still a sufficient panel.
Hardware/Software
The most advanced hardware side belongs to the Honor V20, with the new Kirin 980 chipset by Huawei providing faster performances and way higher benchmark scores. But OnePlus 6T and Vivo NEX Dual Display Edition are still among the best smartphones for speed and multi-tasking. A big disadvantage of the OnePlus 6T and Vivo NEX Dual Display Edition is the absence of a micro SD slot, while Huawei Honor V20 has a dedicated micro SD slot allowing to use the dual SIM slot even when the user inserts an external card slot inside it.
Camera
On the paper, the new Huawei Honor V20 has the most amazing camera. It comes with a dual camera setup that includes the new 48 MP sensor by Sony. It captures a huge detail and delivers a great lossless zoom. After Honor V20, the best camera phone of the trio is the OnePlus 6T with a bright f/1.7 aperture and good performance in every light condition. Vivo NEX Dual Display is an excellent camera phone too, but it lacks a front camera.
Battery
Huawei Honor V20 has the biggest battery with a capacity of 4000 mAh and it should be able to last more than all of its opponents. But note that you can get a lot more battery life by using the secondary display on the Vivo NEX Dual Display. Further, OnePlus 6T provides a full day battery life too, so no one of these devices is disappointing when it comes to battery life. OnePlus 6T has the fastest charging technology: Dash Charge. And this phone is also available in a special McLaren Edition with an even faster charging technology: the new Warp Charge which brings it to 50 percent in just 20 minutes (it reaches 30W).
Price
Huawei Honor V20 recently debuted in the Chinese market with a price tag of about €460 and it is the most affordable device of the trio. OnePlus 6T starts from €569/$569 in its base variant which comes with 6 GB of RAM and 128 GB of internal storage (not expandable), while Vivo NEX Dual Display Edition is available in China at about €700. Given the price, I would definitely choose Huawei Honor V20 because of its higher value for money. For just €460, you get a better camera department, potentially better performances, and even bigger battery life. Further, it is the only which sports a micro SD slot (that is also a dedicated one) to expand the internal storage. The only component which disappoints is the display, which can be considered a midrange-class panel. I would not choose the OnePlus 6T because it lacks the notification LED. Regarding Vivo NEX Dual Display, you mostly pay for the innovation. Which one would you pick? Would you award Vivo’s innovation with its dual display or opt for money saving by choosing Honor V20 or OnePlus 6T?
Each month, AnTuTu benchmarking platform releases the list of top 10 best performing Android phones. In November 2018, the top 10 best performance Android smartphones was dominated by Kirin 980 chipset powered Huawei and Honor phones. The other phones that made it to the list were fueled by Snapdragon 845. AnTuTu’s latest lists for December 2018 reveals has the Snapdragon 845 powered Nubia Red Magic Mars smartphone leading pack which is followed by Kirin 980 driven smartphones.
All the phones mentioned in the list below were benchmarked using AnTuTu version 7 between Dec. 1 and Dec. 31, 2018. The Nubia Red Magic Mars phone that is placed on the number one position recorded an average benchmarking score of 320,464. The next five phones in the list are all powered by Kirin 980 chipset. The Mate 20Honor V20, Mate 20 X, Mate 20 Pro and Honor Magic 2 have respectively scored 309,310, 303,525, 304,096, 302,872 and 300,978 points
The Xiaomi Black Shark Helo phone is on the seventh position with a score of 300,211. On eighth is OnePlus 6T with 296,278 score. The original Xiaomi Black Shark gaming phone and Nubia X have made it to the top ten list of best performance Android phones by respectively scoring 294,193 and 294,032 points.
In the coming months, multiple phones with Snapdragon 855 are expected to go official It remains to be seen whether it will be the Samsung Galaxy S10 or Sony Xperia XZ4 or any other phone will be the first Snapdragon 855 powered smartphone.
An unofficial listing of the Xperia XZ4 that was spotted earlier today revealed that it had scored over 395k points. Hence, it appears that Snapdragon 855 may start leading AnTuTu’s list of best performance Android phones by the end of first quarter of this year. Huawei is also rumored to be prepping up Kirin 985 chipset to power the Huawei P30 series that is expected to go official by the end of March. Hopefully, it could be a good rival for the Snapdragon 855 mobile platform.
Today, Xiaomi announced a lite version of its MIJIA Home Projector. The home projector is said to be an alternative to large screen TVs which a lot of people can’t afford. With the projector, you will be able to cast content at sizes much larger than the TV in an average home without breaking the bank.
The MIJIA Home Projector Lite has a projection ratio of 1.2:1. Although the recommended screen size for best quality is given as 120 inches, the maximum size it can cast is actually 200 inches. Xiaomi says the projector has autofocus to ensure clear and sharp pictures.
The projector uses a LED light source with a brightness of 500 ANSI lumens. It has a resolution of 1080p and support for HDR10. It is also soft on the eyes and great for kids.
The projector has Xiaomi’s MI TV built in so you can stream content from various platforms. The bundled remote has a microphone which can be used to activate the AI assistant. With the AI assistant, you can search for content online or even control other Xiaomi smart home products you have.
You can also stream audio content from your phone which is played using the projector’s built-in speakers. This way you don’t have to worry about getting a Bluetooth speaker if you purchase the projector. With Dolby audio and DTS two-channel virtual surround sound, audio quality should be good.
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The MIJIA Home Projector Lite supports dual-band Wi-Fi, has an audio jack, a USB 3.0 port, and an HDMI port in case you want to project content from an external source.
The market of smartwatches is pretty crowded and the Microwear H7 is one of the latest devices on the market. In fact, this is a phone/watch hybrid that combines best of both worlds in a compact package and it costs about $120. Learn more in the Microwear H7 review.
UNBOXING
The watch ships with some paperwork, a screwdriver and a charger.
DESIGN and FEATURES
Let’s talk about the design, which is always subjective, especially when we talk about watches. Many people prefer round-shaped watches but I think that square-shaped ones also look nice. I like that watch is sturdy and well-made, thanks to the aluminum alloy casing.
One of the highlights of the watch – a 5MP camera which is implemented on the right side of the device. It is a cool feature on a smartwatch but I didn’t really use it. It’s simply uncomfortable to take pictures from your wrist. However, it’s just me and you may like this feature.
On the left, you can find a home and back buttons.
The 1.54″ panel is not the sharpest out there but I found it to be decent for a smartwatch and the viewing angles are pretty good.
The rubber strap does not look expensive but I found the H7 to be comfortable on my wrist.
On the back, we have a heart rate sensor and a SIM card tray since this watch can act as a smartphone for calls, browsing the Internet etc. Microwear chose to implement proprietary charging solution that requires using the supplied cable which attaches to the magnetic dock.
As opposed to previous generation models, the H7 is water and dust resistant thanks to IP68 rating.
HARDWARE and SOFTWARE
When it comes to hardware, the watch has specs that are still used on some entry level phones. The device ships with the MTK6737 chip, 1GB of RAM and 8GB of storage.
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What can you do with all those specs? Well, you can install plenty of apps from the built-in Google Play store, which, however, does not always fit into a small screen of the watch. You can do all that thanks to Android 6.0 that has the Fun OS skin built on top of it. You can also make or receive calls since this watch can work as a standalone 4G smartphone with its dedicated SIM card slot. I found the call quality to be quite decent and the built-in loudspeaker can not only be used for calls but also for listening to music. The loudspeaker is not that great but it is usable. You can also choose from plenty of different watch faces and some of them look really nice. In addition, there are quite a few settings to play with. Obviously, you can track your fitness routines using a pedometer, barometer,or a heart rate monitor, which I found to be pretty accurate. I found the GPS to be pretty accurate since it is integrated into the MTK6737 chipset. There is also a built-in Wifi, so you can browse the web and so on. The overall performance is pretty good, the watch is fast and responsive all the time, and you can even try playing some games on this tiny display.
BATTERY LIFE
As for the battery, you should be ready to recharge the watch almost every single day or every two days, depending on how you use the watch. Not the best result, but this what you have to expect given the overall feature set.
CONCLUSIONS
All in all, I was really surprised by how good the Microwear H7 is and it has a ton of features for just about $120. I like its design, decent display, good overall performance, the ability to make or receive calls on the 4G network, decent GPS performance. Also, as many smartwatches, it makes you move a bit more since features like a pedometer, heart rate sensor motivates you to exercise (well, at least me).
Overall, the Microwear H7 turns out to be a very good smartwatch, especially if you consider all the feature set it offers for about $120.
Research and Development or R&D as it is commonly called is an important part of any industry. Every year, companies set a budget for the department whose job includes creating new materials, developing new solutions and lots more.
The European Commission has released a list ranking the top R&D investors for 2018 and the list shows China’s Huawei beating companies like America’s Apple, Qualcomm, and Facebook.
The EU list puts Huawei as the Chinese company with the highest investment in R&D with a sum of €11.33 billion (¥89 billion). Globally, Huawei ranks 5th on the list. However, Huawei’s investment in R&D is said to have decreased slightly compared to last year’s.
There are a total of 438 Chinese companies on the list and they all invested a total of €71.2 billion, an increase of 20% when compared to the preceding year. 44% of the companies invested in ICT, 11.4% invested in the automotive industry and just 3.4% invested in health-related research.
On the global scene, Samsung is top on the EU’s list with a figure of €13.4 billion and is closely followed by Alphabet, Google’s parent company. Germany’s Volkswagen comes in at the third spot and Microsoft is 4th. Apple is trailing behind Huawei and Intel and claims the 7th spot with a total investment of €9.7 billion.
Through the official Xiaomi MIX Weibo account, the Chinese smartphone maker has announced the arrival of the Sapphire Blue edition of the Mi MIX 3 right from the beginning of this 2019. The Sapphire Blue model of the smartphone comes with 8 GB of RAM and an internal storage of 128 GB. It carries a price tag of 3,599 Yuan (~$525).
Xiaomi introduced the Xiaomi Mi MIX 3 smartphone to the world in October last year. At the launch event, the company had confirmed that thee MI MIX 3 will be available in colors like Black, Sapphire Blue and Emerald Green. However, since its launch, Xiaomi has been selling only the Black edition of the phone. Beginning from today, the Sapphire Blue model is available for purchase in the home market. The company is yet to release its Emerald Green version.
The 6 GB RAM + 128 GB storage, 8 GB RAM + 128 GB storage and 8 GB RAM + 256 GB storage editions of the Xiaomi Mi MIX 3 are respectively priced at 3,299 Yuan (~$481), 3,599 Yuan (~$525) and 3,999 Yuan (~$584). These variants can be availed in Black while only the 8 GB RAM + 128 GB model can be bought in Sapphire Blue.
The Xiaomi Mi MIX 3 is fitted with a 6.39-inch Super AMOLED display. The notch-less screen supports full HD+ resolution and 19.5:9 aspect ratio. The Snapdragon 845 chipset is present under the hood of the device. The handset lacks support for microSD card and 3.5mm audio jack. The slider of the MI MIX 3 houses 24-megapixel + 2-megpixel dual camera setup. Placed on the rear shell of the phone is 12-megapixel + 12-megapixel dual camera module.
A fingerprint scanner is available on the backside of the Xiaomi Mi MIX 3. It is packed with a 3,200mAh battery that is enabled with support for Quick Charge 4+ and wires charging. Xioami has promised to release the Snapdragon 855 powered Mi MIX 3 5G edition in the first quarter of 2019.
The Xperia XZ4 is Sony‘s upcoming flagship phone for this year and it is expected to pack a punch with the Snapdragon 855 processor under its hood. If you want to know just how powerful the processor is inside the phone, then you should check out its AnTuTu score.
The AnTuTu score was shared on Twitter by @I_Leak_VN and the post says it is for a device with model number i8134 which is believed to be the Sony Xperia XZ4.
The device scored 395,721 points which is significantly higher than we have seen in other benchmark results of the processor. The Snapdragon 855 already beats the Apple A12 Bionic and the Kirin 980 on AnTuTu but this new result further widens the gap.
Unfortunately, other than the score there isn’t any info about the Xperia XZ4 that the benchmark app is known to reveal such as display resolution, RAM, storage and the version of Android it is running.
The Chinese smartphone was led by Huawei, Xiaomi, OPPO and Vivo brands in China in the previous year. Industry experts are of the view that the four companies will continue to maintain their lead in the home market in 2019.
Huawei, Xiaomi, OPPO and Vivo are expected to rank in as the top four smartphone vendors in China because of their strategy competing in the mid-rand and high-end smartphone segments. These four brands have contributed for over 80 percent shipments of smartphones in the home market in the previous year. Hence, they are going to make it in the list of world’s top 10 smartphone brands. Second tier brands such as Gionee and Smartisan as well as international brands like Samsung, ASUS and HTC will continue to struggle in China due to the dominance of Huawei, Xiaomi, OPPO and Vivo brands.
According to Digitimes Research, each of the four leading smartphone brands namely Samsung, Apple, Huawei and Xiaomi are expected to achieve over 100 million shipments and make it to the list of top four smartphone brands in 2019. OPPO and Vivo may slow down a bit in 2019 with respective shipments of 90 million and 70 million units. Still, both brands are likely to secure fifth and sixth positions in this year.
Based on the information that has surfaced from supply chain, Digitimes Research has reported that the worldwide shipments of smartphones may not exceed 1.5 billion milestone in this year. One of the reasons behind it is that the 5G technology has not had a wider presence yet to urge user to replace their existing device and an ecosystem for smart feature phones has not developed yet.
The commercial operations of 5G networks is expected to gain momentum in 2020. This may in turn stir users to replace their phones for 5G enabled smartphones. Also, emerging markets is expected to see significant increase in the sales of feature phones in 2019. As far as global shipments are concerned, it is expected to cross 1.5 billion units mark in 2020. In 2023, the global smartphone shipments will reach over 1.7 billion units.
This is the P60 – a powerful rugged phone made by Poptel – the manufacturer you may not have heard of before. Honestly, this is the first Poptel phone I’ve been using lately and I’m really impressed with the overall quality. However, it doesn’t mean it’s a perfect phone. Learn more in the full Poptel P60 review.
The phone ships with all the usual stuff and some extras include a tempered glass screen protector and a headphone jack extension cable.
DESIGN
Design-wise, it’s quite obvious the Poptel P60 is a rugged phone that can take a beating.
Its tough credentials include IP68 and MIL-810 certifications, meaning the phone is designed to survive even in the harshest conditions.
I tested the phone with lots of water, ice and I simply left it in the snow for half a day. This was an easy task to handle, the phone still works as new.
The overall build quality is excellent. There are no moving parts whatsoever and the phone is built like a tank. I like metal rails on the sides, sharp edges and nice glass and metal elements on the back of the device.
The phone is quite thin considering the rugged design and a massive 5000mAh battery that lasts for a long long time thanks to good power management.
I managed to achieve a ridiculous screen on time of over 30 hours while using the phone mostly for Youtube videos. If you use the phone more intensively, you should still expect to use the phone for days. Charging time is just 3 hours which is a great result considering the size of the battery.
The phone has two customizable buttons. You can use them for any app you want, use it as a camera launch and shutter key and last but not least, for the push to talk feature that requires Zello app.
Another highlight of the phone – the display. I found it to be really nice and sharp overall and I had no issues seeing it outdoors.
As for optics, the P60 ships with a dual camera setup on the back and an 8MP shooter on the front. The fingerprint reader is accurate but the display could light up a bit faster. There is also a face unlock feature that works quite well although it’s not the fastest out there.
One flaw about the phone – it uses a micro USB port instead of USB-c.
Other notable features include a hybrid dual SIM card slot, a bright notification LED light, a headphone jack and the loudspeaker that may not be the best I’ve heard but it’s decent for a budget rugged phone.
HARDWARE and PERFORMANCE
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Helio P23 chipset is at the core of this device. Couple it with plenty of expandable storage and a lot of RAM and you are looking at a powerful machine on a budget.
Gaming performance really depends on the game you play. For example, there were quite a few skipped frames on Asphalt Xtreme. Other games like Shadow fight 3 run fine. Finally, the Pubg is easily playable on medium graphics with just a couple of skipped frames but no lag. Pretty good overall performance considering the Helio P23 chipset.
USER INTERFACE
Poptel implemented a light skin on top of Android 8.1. That means that you get different-looking icons, a customized quick settings menu and some added features by the manufacturer.
For example, you can change the looks by selecting a different theme and choose from other customization options. What I like the most about this phone – it feels smooth out of the box and it’s very fast and responsive even after installing plenty of apps. Great overall performance.
IMAGE QUALITY
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Daylight image quality is quite good overall. The pictures are sharp and there is a good amount of detail despite the fact that shots were taken on a cloudy day. Portrait shots, however, do not really impress. Night image quality could be better but that’s expected at this price point.
Selfies usually come out nice and detailed. There is also a selfie portrait mode that does not take good pictures.
I wish 1080p selfie video was a bit sharper but the overall quality is okay for a budget phone.
CONNECTIVITY
Call quality and signal reception have been good and other connectivity options work fine.
The phone also has NFC and gyroscope among other sensors.
CONCLUSIONS
Overall, the Poptel P60 turns out to be a pretty good budget rugged phone but it also has a few flaws.
First, it uses a micro USB port instead of USB-C and portrait mode the using both main and front-facing cameras is not great.
Other than that, the P60 offers excellent build, IP68, and MIL810 certifications, great specifications, sharp display, good overall performance, a few customizable buttons, pretty good camera for daylight photography and last but not least, fantastic battery life.
At the end of the day, the Poptel P60 does have a few flaws to consider but overall, it is a pretty solid phone and it’s definitely one of the better options to check out if you are in a market for a budget rugged smartphone.
In October 2018, Huawei had launched the Huawei Y9 (2019) smartphone. The handset hat is packed with upper mid-range specs comes with a massive display and dual camera setup. The Chinese manufacturer is now working on bringing the same smartphone to India. Amazon India has a landing page for the smartphone.
The landing page of the Huawei Y9 2019 on Amazon India reveals that the handset is fitted with a 6.5-inch notched screen. It will be packed with 4,000mAh battery. For accelerated graphics performance, the handset will carry support for GPU Turbo technology. It also includes Histen 5.0 party mode.
Huawei Y9 2019 Specifications and Pricing
The Huawei Y9 2019 houses a 6.5-inch IPS LCD display that supports 19.5:9 aspect ratio and full HD+ resolution of 1080 x 2340 pixels. The Kirin 710 chipset is the driving force of the smartphone. The 64 GB and 128 GB storage editions of the Huawei Y9 2019 respectively features 4 GB and 6 GB of RAM.
The Android 8.1 Oreo OS with EMUI 8.2 is preinstalled on the Huawei Y9 2019. For photography, it features 13-megapixel + 2-megapixel dual selfie snapper and 16-megapixel + 2-megapixel dual camera setup. The 4,000mAh battery of the phone lacks support for fast charging. For security, there is a fingerprint scanner on the backside of the handset. It was announced in three color variants such as Midnight Black, Sapphire Blue and Aurora Purple. There is no confirmation on whether the Y9 2019 will be arriving in same color options in India.
In Asia, the smartphone is currently available in select markets such as Philippines, Thailand and Malaysia. These regions have received only the 4 GB RAM + 64 GB edition of the smartphone. Also, these markets haven’t received the Aurora Purple variant. The smartphone has landed in Philippines, Thailand and Malaysia with respective price tags of 12,730 Philippine Piso (~$242), 6,990 Thai Baht (~$216) and 899 Malaysian Ringgit (~$217). Hence, there is a possibility that only the 64 GB model of the Huawei Y9 2019 will land in India with a price tag of around Rs. 15,000 (~$214).
5G technology is set to go mainstream this year and many smartphone manufacturers have already announced that they are working on developing devices which are 5G-compatible.
While Samsung and OnePlus are said to be among the first companies to launch a 5G-enabled smartphone, LG is not far behind. The South Korean company is also working on a 5G smartphone which will be launched later this year.
A handset launch roadmap from LG reveals that the LG G8 won’t be the company’s first 5G smartphone. The company will be launching its 5G smartphone under new branding. This will enable the company to position the device appropriately and design a targeted marking campaign.
While an earlier report claimed that the LG will launch its 5G smartphone in South Korea and the United States in May 2019, a new product launch roadmap suggests that the device could get launch a month or two earlier than expected.
Despite the company raking up huge losses, it believes things will get better. The company is hope lies on the 5G revolution. Earlier, president of LG’s mobile division, Hwang Jeong-Hwan, said that LG is one of three manufacturers ready to launch a 5G-ready smartphone when 5G roll-out begins.
The company believes that the headstart in the 5G market should increase the company’s sales in the first half of 2019. The company already has a contract with Sprint which will see it release the carrier’s first 5G “shiny and distinct” smartphone in the first half of 2019. It is already in talks with other network carriers in South Korea, Europe and the United States for its 5G handset.
Sony one of the few companies that use the Consumer Electronic Show (CES) tech trade show platform to announce new smartphones. Last year, the Japanese tech giant had announced Xperia XA2, Xperia XA Ultra and Xperia L2. This year also Sony will be present at the CES 2019 event on Jan. 7. It is speculated that the company will announce the Xperia XA3, Xperia XA3 Ultra and Xperia L3 smartphones.
As it can be seen in the below invite, there is no information on the devices that will be announced at Sony’s CES 2019 booth. The event will take place at 5 PM on Jan. 7 at LVCC, Las Vegas.
Sony Xperia XA3 Specifications (Rumor)
Few months ago, at OnLeaks had shared the CAD renders of the upcoming Xperia XA3. It revealed that the handset will be sporting a tall form factor since it will be measuring 155.7 x 68.3 x 8.4mm. It is expected to feature a 5.9-inch full HD+ resolution notch-less screen with 18:9 aspect ratio. It is rumored to be fueled by Snapdragon 660 chipset and 4 GB of RAM. It may come equipped with 23-megpixel + 8-megapixel dual camera setup and front-facing shooter of 8-megapixel. For storage, it may feature an inbuilt storage of 64 GB. The handset may receive power from 3,600mAh battery. It will be preinstalled with Android 9 Pie OS.
Sony Xperia XA3 Ultra Specifications (Rumor)
The larger Sony Xperia XA3 Ultra is expected to come with a 6.5-inch display with full HD+ resolution with 18:9 aspect ratio. It may borrow some specs like chipset and dual camera setup from the Xperia XA3 model. The SoC of the smartphone could be supported by 6 GB of RAM. For capturing selfies, it may feature 13-megapixel frontal shooter. It may draw power from 3,700mAh battery. It could be priced around 519 euros.
The Xperia L3 is expected to house a 5.7-inch display. It could be fueled by Snapdragon 660 or lower chipset. The SoC of the smartphone could be coupled with 3 GB of RAM. Other rumored specs of the phone include 13-megapixel + 5-megapixel dual camera setup, 8-megapixel selfie camera and 3,400mAh battery. All the three phones are expected to feature side-mounted fingerprint scanner.
Huawei is gearing up to launch its Huawei P30 series smartphones. The P30 and P30 Pro both have leaked a few times and based on those leaks, Youtuber Waqar Khan developed the concept render of the Huawei P30 Pro.
As said, the concept render is in line with the previous leaks and showcases what to expect in terms of the phone’s design. The smartphone is expected to come with narrow bezels on the sides and a thin chin at the bottom.
On top of the display, it features a waterdrop notch and the screen is curved on the sides, thus it will offer higher screen-to-body ratio. Further, the phone is also said to come with an in-display fingerprint sensor. The power button and the volume rocker keys are placed on the right side.
Coming to the back panel, the phone is equipped with four camera sensors stacked vertically. The sensors are accompanied by dual-tone LED flash. The camera module is placed in the top-left corner while in the bottom-left corner, there’s Huawei branding.
The previous report indicated that only three of the four cameras on the Huawei P30 Pro can be used for taking pictures. The fourth is a ToF (Time of Flight) camera that will be used for 3D face scanning and modeling. However, one of the Huawei P30 Pro’s sensors is a telephoto lens with support for 10x optical zoom.
Early rumors claimed that the 38-megapixel Sony IMX607 sensor that supports topnotch low-light performance could be the phone’s primary camera sensor. Under the hood, the device is likely to be powered by Kirin 980 octa-core 7nm chipset. In terms of software, the phone will run Android Pie-based EMUI 9.0 out-of-the-box.
The phone is expected to come in gradient color along with solid colors. While the company has not yet revealed the launch date of the Huawei P30 series, we are expecting the phones to get launched in March this year.
The popularity of local brands from China such as Huawei, OPPO, Vivo, OnePlus and Xiaomi have surpassed Samsung in the past few years. The South Korean company is now working on covering the lost ground in China. In the recent past, the company has worked on launching phones that are customized for the Chinese markets and now its gearing up to release Android 9 Pie update for its devices. Today, Samsung China has released the Android 9 Pie update roadmap for its smartphones and tablets.
Samsung Galaxy S9 (SM-G9600 / G9608) and Galaxy S9+ (SM-G9650) models along with Galaxy Note 9 (SM-N9600) will be treated with Android 9 Pie update in February in China. In March, the Pie upgrade will be available for Galaxy A9 Star (SM-G8850).
The Galaxy A9 Star Lite (SM-A6050), Galaxy A9 2019 (SM-A9200), Galaxy A9 Star (SM-G8858), Galaxy S8 (SM-G9500 / G9508), Galaxy S8+ (SM-G9550) and Galaxy Note 8 (SM-N9500 / N9508) are scheduled to receive Android 9 Pie update in April In China. In May, the Galaxy A9 Start Lite (SM-A6068) smartphone and Galaxy Tab S4 (SM-T830 / T835C) tablet will be provided with Android 9 Pie OS update.
Samsung will be releasing Android 9 Pie update to W2019 flagship clamshell phone in August. In September, the latest Android version will be coming to Samsung Phoenix aka Galaxy A6s (SM-G6200), Galaxy S (SM-G8750), Galaxy Tab S3 tablet (SM-T820 / T825C) and W2018 clamshell phone (SM-W2018) will be upgraded to Android 9 Pie update. The Galaxy J8 (SM-J3300 / J3308) and 10.5-inch Galaxy Tab A 2018 tablet (SM-T590 / T595C) are scheduled to receive Android 9 Pie upgrade in October.
Samsung users will be receiving One UI along with Android 9 Pie OS update. Even though the South Korean company has released the aforementioned, the arrival of the update for some devices may vary if it is not ready for release.
After announcing the Mate 20 Pro smartphone at a launch event in London in October, the company started selling the smartphone in its home market. Last week, the company revealed that its smartphone shipments for the year 2018 exceeded 200 million units, which includes 5 million units of Mate 20 series which was launched a couple of months ago.
Currently, the smartphone is available for purchase in China but all the color options and variants are listed as ‘Sold Out.’ It is currently available in Bright Black, Sapphire Blue, Cherry Pink, Emerald Green, and Auror colors.
Now, two upcoming color variants of the Huawei Mate 20 Pro for the Chinese market has been leaked online. As per the reports, the phone will also be offered in Fragrant Red and Comet Blue color variants. However, the company has not officially revealed the launch date yet.
As for the specifications, the Mate 20 Pro features a notched 6.39-inch QHD+ AMOLED display with 3120 x 1440 pixels screen resolution. Under the hood, the device is powered by the company’s own Kirin 980 chipset, which is manufactured using the 7nm FinFET technology. It comes with 8GB RAM and 128GB internal storage with support for expandable storage up to 256GB.
For photography, it comes with Leica co-engineered triple camera resides on the backside of the phone. It includes a f/1.8 aperture 40-megapixel angles, a f/2.2 aperture 20-megapixel ultra wide-angle lens and a f/2.4 aperture and OIS enabled 8-megapixel telephoto lens with 3x optical zoom.
On the front side, the handset features a 24-megapixel RGB selfie camera with f/2.0 aperture. Housed inside the larger notch on top of the display, the camera sensors are paired with other sensors that are responsible for 3D face unlock feature.
The company says that the phone’s back is made using a Hyper Optical Pattern which prevents fingerprints. Further, the phone comes with an IP68 rating, making it water and dust resistant. As for the fingerprint sensor, Huawei has adopted the latest technology and is offering in-display fingerprint scanner.
Connectivity options include 4G LTE, Wi-Fi 802.11ac, dual-band Bluetooth v5.0, Bluetooth v5.0 LE with aptX, GPS/ A-GPS, GLONASS, and a USB Type-C port. It also comes with a dual speaker configuration, offering an immersive sound experience. It runs Android 9 Pie-based EMUI 9.0 and is powered by a 4,200mAh battery with 40W SuperCharge fast charging technology.
Recently, Huawei launched the Commemorative Editions of Huawei Mate 20 Pro and Huawei Nova 4 in order to celebrate the achievement of its new milestone of shipping over 200 million smartphones in the year 2018.
Check out our review of the Huawei Mate 20 Pro here.
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