Redmi Note 7 Pro 6 GB RAM + 128 GB storage first sale to begin on April 10 in India

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Apr 9, 2019

The Huawei P30 series of smartphones sans P30 smartphone have gone official today in India. The company has unleashed P30 Pro and P30 Lite to replace the P20 Pro and P20 Lite phones from 2018. Here is all the information on the specifications, features and pricing of the Huawei P30 Pro and P30 Lite phones.

Huawei P30 Pro, P30 Lite Specifications and Features

The Huawei P30 Pro flagship phone sports a premium design with glass panels on both side and a metallic frame in between. It’s an IP68 certified dustproof and water-resistant device. It features a 6.47-inch curved OLED panel with waterdrop notch. It carries support for full HD+ resolution, 19.5:9 aspect ratio, HDR 10, DCI-P3 color gamut and in-screen fingerprint reader. The smartphone can emit sound through the display of the phone.

The 7nm Kirin 980 SoC coupled with 8 GB of RAM powers the Huawei P30 Pro. Even though the smartphone comes in multiple storage choices in Europe, India has received only its 256 GB storage version. There is a nanoSD card slot on the device for expanding its memory. The smartphone includes a graphene cooling film to maintaining the internal temperate.

There is a vertical triple camera system that includes an f/1.7 aperture 40-megapixel main sensor along with f/2.2 aperture 20-megapixel ultra wide-angle lens and an OIS enabled periscope telephoto lens of 8-megapixel is placed at the top-left corner on the back panel of Huawei P30 Pro. Alongside it is a dual-LED flash, a laser autofocus unit followed by a ToF 3D camera. The Leica engineered quad camera setup of the P30 Pro carries support for 5x optical zoom, 10x hybrid zoom and 50x digital zoom. There is a 32-megpixel selfie shooter placed on the frontside of the device.

The Huawei P30 Pro is powered by a 4,200mAh battery. It is equipped with support for 40W SuperCharge fast charging. Also, it supports 15W wireless charging and reverse charging. The other features of the P30 Pro are motion-controlled gaming through ToF lens, EMUI 9.1 based Android 9 Pie OS, dual SIM support, 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802.11ac, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS, NFC and USB-C. There is no 3.5mm audio jack on the phone.

The Huawei P30 Lite is an upper mid-range phone that also features a glass and metal combination body. It houses a 6.15-inch IPS LCD display with waterdrop notch that offers full HD+ resolution. The Kirin 710 SoC fuels the smartphone along with 6 GB of RAM. The native storage of the P30 Lite is 128 GB and there is a microSD card slot for more storage.

The triple camera module on the Huawei P30 Lite features a 24-megapixel f/1.8 aperture wide-angle lens, an 8-megapixel ultra wide-angle sensor and a 2-megapixel f/2.4 aperture depth sensor. The handset borrows the 32-megapixel selfie snapper from P30 Pro. The Android 9 Pie OS flavored EMUI 9 comes preloaded on the smartphone. The other features that are available on the handset include a rear-mounted fingerprint reader, dual-SIM support, 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802.11ac, Bluetooth 4.2, USB-C, GPS and 3.5mm headphone jack.

Huawei P30 Pro and P30 Lite Price and Availability

The Huawei P30 Pro carries a price tag of 71,990. Paying extra Rs. 2000 will allow P30 Pro buyers to get Huawei Watch GT worth Rs. 15,990. The 4 GB RAM + 128 GB storage and 6 GB RAM + 128 GB storage are respectively priced at Rs. 19,990 and Rs. 22,990. Both smartphones come with no cost EMI, up to 5 percent cashback and Reliance Jio cashback and data benefits.

The P30 Pro comes in color option such as Aurora and Breathing Crystal. On the other side, the P30 Lite can be bought in colors like Peacock Blue and Midnight Black. Amazon India will begin the sales of the Pro 30 on April 16. Prime customers will have early access for it on April 15. The retailer giant will begin the sales of the P30 Lite from April 26 while Prime members will be able to avail it from April 25. The Huawei P30 series of smartphones will be also available through Croma stores across the country.

Meizu 16s render shows 6.2-inch display and 48 MP dual rear cameras

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Jeet

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Apr 9, 2019

Meizu’s upcoming smartphone, Meizu 16s is likely to go official in this month because the device has been leaked multiple times in recent weeks. Moreover, the smartphone has appeared on TENAA as Meizu M971Q model number along with full specifications.

Now, the company’s executive has shared a render of the smartphone design in the white color variant, confirmed what the smartphone will look like and offer. In terms of design, the phone will continue to offer Meizu’s style of simple and sleek design language.

It’s visible that the phone comes with minimal bezels surrounding the display, meaning that it will offer higher screen-to-body ratio. On the back side, the smartphone features a dual camera setup with sensors aligned vertically in the top-left corner.

The previous leak has confirmed that the smartphone will come with a 6.2-inch Full HD+ AMOLED display with 2232 x 1080 pixels screen resolution and will be equipped with an in-display fingerprint sensor.

The smartphone will be powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 855 octa-core chipset clocked at 2.8 GHz, which will be coupled with 8GB of RAM. The AnTuTu and Geekbench listing of the phone had revealed that the Meizu 16s will be arriving with 6 GB of RAM.

As for the camera configuration, the rear-mounted dual camera setup will include an OIS enabled 48-megapixel Sony IMX586 primary sensor and 20-megapixel secondary sensor. The latter could be the Sony IMX350 sensor that will be also available on the front for capturing selfie shots.

The device runs Android 9 Pie OS with Flyme OS. The Meizu 16s will come packed with a minimum capacity battery of 3,540mAh. Its typical size could be 3,600mAh and its 3C certification had revealed that it will carry support for 24W fast charging.

Pre-Order Redmi Note 7 Global Version For Only 189.99 On Banggood [Coupons]

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Apr 9, 2019

Redmi, the popular Xiaomi sub-brand unveiled the Redmi Note 7 smartphone in January this year. The phone’s awe-inspiring features propelled it straight to skyrocketing popularity among Xiaomi’s loyal fan.
Taking the Redmi Note 7’s undying demand into consideration, the Chinese electronics company has teamed up with Banggood in an effort to make the well-received phone available to cost-conscious buyers as well.

The blue-tinted global version of the Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 smartphone would normally set you back $303.35, while the black color version of the phone retails for $283.35.

As part of the promo, Gearbest is giving its users a chance to reduce the phone’s original asking price to just $189.99 in the form of coupon code 4BGRN7.

The aforesaid coupon will be valid for the 4GB RAM, 64GB ROM variant of the phone. It is also worth noting that only the first 500 buyers will be able to take advantage of the coupon.
Those who end up missing this opportunity can still stand a chance of winning a free gift. Note that there are only 1000 pieces of free gift.

Alternatively, you can go for the slightly larger model that ships with 4GB of RAM and offers a hearty 128GB of internal storage capacity. This model usually carries a steep $399.99 price tag, but you can now buy it for just $371.76 on Banggood.

In addition to taking advantage of this 7 percent discount, you can use coupon code 4BGN7128 and bring the already lowered selling price of the phone further down to just $225.99. The coupon will be valid only for the first 500 pieces.

As if that weren’t enough, you can stand a chance to win a free order. Gearbest will be randomly choosing two orders daily among those who ordered the Redmi Note 7 Global Version.

Note that placing your order before April 12th increases your chances of winning. Winners will be announced on April 18th. The Redmi Note 7 is an irresistible smartphone that offers the following features:

3 inches IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen with 1080 x 2340 pixels
Snapdragon 660 Octa-core, 2.2Ghz processor
Adreno 512 GPU
4GB RAM, 64GB ROM (expandable up to 256GB)
0MP + 5.0MP rear-mounted cameras
0MP front shooter
MIUI based on Android 9.0 Pie OS
4000mAh lithium-ion polymer battery

You can visit the promotion page by following this link.

Buy The Redmi Note 7 Global Version

Get Up To 60% Off On Portable Audio And Video Devices On Gearbest

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Apr 9, 2019

Gearbest continues living up to its reputation for offering China’s best products at unbeatable prices by launching amazing promotions from time to time.

Keeping in line with that, the Chinese online store has launched a new promotion called “Portable Audio & Video.” As part of the promo, Gearbest will be offering up to a whopping 60 percent off on a wide selection of newly arrived items.

The promotion page is cramped with all sorts of products that have been split into multiple categories such as Best Seller, New Arrival, Headphones & Earphones, etc. More importantly, Gearbest users can buy these items without emptying their pockets.

Aside from that, you can grab noteworthy discounts on a slew of audio devices under the ‘Portable Audio’ section. Brand conscious buyers can purchase devices from leading brands like QCY and Dareu at lowered prices on the promotion page.

The ‘Portable Audio’ category includes products from other equally-renowned brands. For the sake of an instance, you can buy the FIFINE K058 USB Stereo Microphone for PC laptop for a heavily discounted price of just $24.99, under this segment.

This is a 12 percent drop in the device’s original asking price $28.37. Likewise, you can also avail a 5 percent discount on the BM-800 Professional Studio Condenser Sound Recording Microphone, which usually retails for $17.94.

Thanks to the aforesaid discount, you can now buy it for only $16.99. On the downside, there were only 50 pieces of the black color version remaining for the promo, which is slated to end in just two days.

The next category called ‘Exclusive Deals’ offers a myriad of unmissable deals on coveted items like the Gocomma i12 TWS Touch Control Bluetooth 5.0 Headphones, Alfawise A7 TWS Wireless Mini Earbuds, etc. at considerably reduced prices.

You can follow this link to visit the promotion page and check out the rest of the products before the promo comes to an end.

Check
Out Gearbest’s Portable Audio & Video Promotion

Samsung may surprise fans with four Galaxy Note 10 variants

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Apr 9, 2019

The initial reception of the Galaxy S10 series of smartphones has been paid. It appears that Samsung’s new strategy of diversifying in S10 lineup by launching four models such as Galaxy S10e, Galaxy S10, Galaxy S10+ and Galaxy S10 5G has worked well for it. Fresh information coming from South Korea reveals that Samsung is now working on four models for the upcoming Galaxy Note 10 series.

A recent report had claimed that owing to the popularity of the Galaxy S10e, Samsung is considering introducing a smaller version of the Galaxy Note 10. The report had claimed that the smaller Note 10 will be borrowing the 6.4-inch display from the Galaxy Note 9 smartphone while the larger edition will be coming with a massive 6.7-inch screen.

The new report that has surfaced from South Korea states that Samsung is hoping to replicate the strategy it applied for Galaxy S10 series. The report reveals that the company may announce as many as four Note series of smartphones this year. There will be two phones featuring 6.28-inch displays and triple rear cameras. One of them will support only 4G LTE network whereas the other will be a 5G-ready device.

There will be two bigger models featuring 6.75-inch displays. These phones will be fitted with four rear-mounted cameras. Again, one of them will support only 4G LTE connectivity and the other one will be a 5G device. The new leak suggests that the Galaxy Note 10 series variants may not differ much in terms of specs. There is no mentioning of the battery capacities of the different editions of the Note 10.

Read More: Samsung confirms Galaxy J series will be replaced by the Galaxy A series

A recent report had also claimed that the Galaxy Note 10 will come with a button-less design. Instead of buttons, the phablet may sport pressure-sensitive touch controls for controlling volume, power and Bixby assistant. There is no information on other specs of the Note 10. It can be speculated that the phone will be available in Snapdragon 855 and Exynos SoC variants. The Exynos edition of the Note 10 may feature the Exynos 5100 5G modem enabled Exynos 9825 chipset. Samsung is expected to announce the Galaxy Note 10 series in August.

(source|via)

Pre-Order the Xiaomi Mijia Handheld Cordless Powerful Vacuum Cleaner For Just $319.99 On GeekBuying [Coupon]

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Get A Great Discount On Xiaomi Mijia Handheld Cordless Powerful Vacuum Cleaner

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Apr 9, 2019

Household chores like doing the laundry, vacuuming, sweeping and dusting can prove to be backbreaking. While there are various devices to handle these arduous tasks, certain items like Vacuum Cleaners aren’t easy on the pocketbook.
If you aren’t willing to spend a lot of money on a top-branded vacuum cleaner, you usually end up compromising on the quality.

Much to the relief of those looking for a cost-effective vacuum cleaner that doesn’t disappoint in terms of performance, the Xiaomi Mijia Handheld Cordless Powerful Vacuum Cleaner has gone up for pre-order bearing a lowered price of just $329.99 on GeekBuying.

This is a noteworthy reduction in the device’s original asking price of $329.99. On top of that, you can extend this discount by using coupon code QJBZEFQJ at checkout.

The aforesaid coupon helps you save $10 more by reducing the already lowered selling price of the Xiaomi Mijia Handheld Cordless Powerful Vacuum Cleaner to only $319.99 before you place your order.

Capable of delivering a powerful suction of 25Kpa, the Mijia Handheld Cordless Powerful Vacuum Cleaner is backed by a Mijia brushless digital motor that spins up to 100,000rpm per minute, capturing even the deep-down dirt.

You can head straight to this link in order to check out the full specifications of the Xiaomi Mijia Handheld Cordless Powerful Vacuum Cleaner and avail the discount. The product is expected to ship in about 19 days.

Check Out Mi Fan Festival 2019 on GeekBuying

Buy Umidigi F1 Play Android 9.0 4G Phablet For Just $99.99 on Gearbest [Coupon]

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Apr 9, 2019

Known for offering China’s best electronic items at unbeatable prices, Gearbest is giving its buyers an unmissable chance to get their hands on the Umidigi F1 Play 4G phablet without emptying their pockets, as part of its latest promotion.

Moreover, in collaboration with Chinese Mobile Phone firm, Gearbest is doling out noteworthy discounts on select smartphones from Umidigi. Dubbed as ‘Umidigi F1 Play Deals $99.99’ the promotion also features accessories that you can buy at lowered prices.

Still riding high on the success of its One Series, Umidigi introduced another mid-level series with the F1 Play being the first handset of the sort. Marketed as a reasonable lead smartphone, the F1 Play was launched in March this year.

The F1 Play comes in two versions including one designed for those living in EU-28 countries, and the other which can be used by those outside EU-28 countries. Gearbest is giving its loyal users a chance to grab a 26 percent discount on both models that usually sell for $269.14.

Thanks to the aforesaid discount, the well-received phablet can now be yours for only $199.99. On top of that, you can use coupon code GBMPUMIF1 and get an extra discount. In other words, you can reduce the retail price of the device to only $99.99 at checkout.

It is worth mentioning here that the coupon will be valid for the first five units of the black color version daily. The coupon is slated to expire at 10:00 UTC on April 14th.

With only a limited number of the black and red color versions of the F1 Play phablet remaining, this promo will come to an end in six days. You can avail discounts on a slew of other Umidigi-branded handsets such as the S3 Pro, One Pro, A3 Pro, etc.

In order to take full advantage of the discounts, all you need to do is to visit the promotion page by clicking here. The simply irresistible F1 Play phablets offer the following features:

6.3 inch, 2340 x 1080 FHD+ Pixel Screen
Helio P60 Octa Core 2.0GHz processor
Mali G72 MP3 GPU
6GB RAM, 64GB ROM
8.0MP rear camera + 16.0MP front camera
Android 9.0 Pie OS
5150mAh non-removable battery Get 26% Off On Umidigi F1 Play Android 9.0 4G Phablet

Realme Yo! Days sale brings discounts on Realme 2 Pro, Realme U1, Realme C1 and more

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Apr 9, 2019

Realme brand was introduced with the launch of Realme 1 smartphone in May last year. The company is yet to celebrate its first anniversary and it has already managed to achieve more than 6 million phone sales. To celebrate the new achievement, the company is now offering attractive discounts on Realme 2 Pro, Realme 1 and some accessories between April 9 and April 12.

Celebrating 6 Million users!#realmeYoDays
👉#realme2Pro -₹11,990 +1K off on prepaid on @Flipkart
👉#realmeU1 -₹9,999 +1K off on prepaid on @amazonIN
👉#realme Tech Backpacks at ₹1, free #realme Buds with realme2Pro & realme U1 on https://t.co/HrgDJTZcxv
Starting 9th April. pic.twitter.com/eFxzZahOVR

— realme (@realmemobiles) April 8, 2019

Realme 2 Pro

Realme 2 Pro variants are now available with Rs. 1,000 discount on Flipkart. With the new price cut, the 4 GB RAM + 64 GB storage, 6 GB RAM + 64 GB storage and 8 GB RAM + 128 GB storage editions of the Realme 2 Pro can be respectively availed for Rs. 10,990, Rs. 12,990 and Rs. 14,990.

Before the introduction of the Realme Yo! Days sale, these models were respectively available for Rs. 11,990, Rs. 13,990 and Rs. 15,990. The above offer is only available for prepaid buyers on Flipkart. On Realme.com, the handset is available without the price cut. However, it comes with a pair of Realme Buds for the first 500 customers.

Realme U1

Realme U1 models are also available with Rs. 1,000 discount on Amazon India. From today, its two variants 3 GB RAM + 32 GB storage and 4 GB RAM + 64 GB storage are respective available for Rs. 8,999 and Rs. 10,999. Before the new discount, these models were selling for Rs. 9,999 and Rs. 11,999. This offer is only applicable for prepaid customers on Amazon.in.

From tomorrow, the company will begin the sales of the new Realme U1 variant with 3 GB RAM + 64 GB storage. The smartphone is priced at Rs. 9,999 and its first sale will kick off tomorrow at 12 PM on April 10. The first 500 customers of the new variant of Realme U1 will be provided with a pair of free Realme buds.

Realme C1 (2019)

Realme is offering 20 percent discount on the all the variants of Realme C1 (2019) on all payment modes on April 9 at 12:00 PM. It will be available with a starting price of Rs. 5,999. This offer is only available on Realme.com.

Read More: Alleged Realme 3 Pro specs leaked: will have Snapdragon 710 SoC, VOOC 3.0

Realme Tech Backpack at Re.1

The Real Tech Backpack is usually priced at Rs. 2,399 in India. However, during the Realme Yo! Days sale, it can be bought for Re. 1 on April 9 and April 10 from the online store of Realme at 11:50 AM. It could be a limited period offer.

Huawei is now open to sell its 5G modem to Apple

By

Jeet

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Apr 9, 2019

There are very few smartphone manufacturers who make their own chipsets and one of them is China-based Huawei. The company develops its own processors for the Huawei and Honor branded smartphones.

But, the company chipsets are not sold to other smartphone makers and are limited to Huawei and Honor smartphones only. However, that is about to change, if the new reports are to be believed.

Engadget has reported, citing a source aware of the development, that Huawei is open to selling its 5G Balong 5000 chipset to only one company — Apple. This is surprising given that chipset sales is not Huawei’s forte and the company’s executive had previously said that the Huawei chipsets are for its own internal products such as phones and IoT devices.

However, it is not yet known if both companies have started conversations regarding this. It is surprising that Huawei is ready to offer its products to its biggest rival at a time when the company is aiming to dethrone Apple and Samsung to grab the top spot in the global smartphones market share.

Huawei’s Balong 5000 modem chip supports both mmWave and sub-6GHz 5G networks. It is also compatible with 4G LTE, 3G, and 2G networks. The Balong 5000 5G modem chip will debut on Huawei’s first phone to support the next generation of wireless connectivity — Mate X, which also happens to be the company’s first foldable smartphone.

The development comes at a time when Apple is in a tight spot with its current chipset supplier — Intel which supplies wireless modems for iPhones and iPads. It’s 5G-ready XMM 8160 modems would be available for its customers in the second half of 2019. But a report claims that Apple has “lost confidence” in Intel after the world’s largest chipset manufacturer failed to meet certain development deadlines.

The news about Huawei being open to supply its chipset to Apple comes at a time when Qualcomm and Samsung both have refused to provide their 5G modems to Apple. While Qualcomm’s denial is understandable given their ongoing legal battle, Samsung refused by citing lack of supply for its Exynos 5100 chips.

(Source)

Buy Honor Band 4 Standard Version For Only $25.99 On JoyBuy [$2 Off Coupon]

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Apr 9, 2019

Fitness purists who fancy keeping a track of their fitness and monitoring various activities usually end up spending a lot of money on fitness gadgets such as a fitness band, and top-branded smartwatches.

If you are in the market for a fitness tracker that boasts an impressive array of features without carrying a steep price tag, the Honor Band 4 Standard Version might just fill the bill.

The Honor Band 4 Standard Version comes in ochre black, midnight blue and pink color versions and normally retails for $34.99.

Much to the relief of cost-conscious buyers who aren’t willing to spend that kind of money on a fitness tracker, the Honor Band 4 is now available for only $27.99 on JoyBuy. The discount is valid for all three color versions.

In addition to doling out this noteworthy discount, JoyBuy is giving its users a chance to save $2 more before placing their order. If your cart value is over $25, you can use a $2 off coupon until (GMT+8) today. Note that the coupon is valid only for specific items.

After applying the $2 off coupon, you can bring the already lowered retail price of the Honor Band 4 Standard Version further down to just $25.99. Regrettably, the coupon is slated to expire soon.

You can visit this link in order to check out the full specification of the Honor Band 4 standard version and avail the discount. It is worth noting that the promo was on the verge of wrapping up at the time of writing.

Get A Great Discount On Honor Band 4 Standard Version

Honor 20i and MagicBook 2019 to debut on April 17

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Apr 9, 2019

Honor has shared a new video through its Weibo account to confirm that it will be launching a smartphone named Honor 20i on April 17 in Beijing, China. The video reveals that its key feature will be its AI driven 32-megapixel selfie camera. At the same unveil event, the Chinese firm will be also debuting the Honor MagicBook 2019 to succeed the original Honor MagicBook laptop from last year.

The Honor 20i teaser has not revealed any information on the specs of the phone. However, it does confirm that the phone will be featuring a waterdrop-style notched display. It seems to be the Honor HRY-TL00T / AL00T / AL00Ta that was recently approved by China’s TENAA telecom authority. According to the TENAA listing, the smartphone will be arriving with a 6.2-inch display that will offer full HD+ resolution of 1080 x 2340 pixels.

The 2.2 GHz octa-core processor that powers the phone could be the homegrown Kirin 710 SoC. It will be available in 4 GB and 6 GB RAM options and it is expected to be available in 64 GB and 128 GB storage choices. For additional storage, it will come equipped with a microSD card slot. The latest EMUI based Android 9 Pie OS will come loaded on the device.

The minimum capacity of the battery that powers the smartphone is 3,320mAh. Its typical capacity could be 3,400mAh. The rear shell of the phone will be featuring a triple camera setup with 24-megapixel primary sensor, an 8-megapixel secondary sensor and a 2-mgeapixel third sensor.

The Honor 20i will be the first Honor 20 series phone to go official in the country. The Honor 20 series will also include Honor 20 and Honor 20 Pro flagship phones that are expected to go official by the end of this month. It is speculated that the Honor 20i may go official in European markets with Honor 20 Lite moniker. It is likely to land in Europe with a price tag of around 280 euros. Interestingly, the same phone had gone official as Honor 10i in Russia.

Read More:Honor 8X sales globally have exceeded 10 million barely six months after launch

As mentioned above, Huawei’s sub-brand will be also announcing the Honor MagicBook 2019 notebook alongside the Honor 20i on April 17. The specifications of the device are currently under the wraps. However, it is believed that it could be a small upgrade over last year’s model.

Samsung confirms Galaxy J series will be replaced by the Galaxy A series

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Apr 9, 2019

While Chinese manufacturers have adopted the idea of having sub-brands, some of the bigger phone manufacturers have stuck to having multiple series that can sometimes get confusing. Samsung is an example, but the Korean giant has been doing some cleaning up.

Samsung’s lineup was originally made up of the Galaxy S, Galaxy Note, Galaxy A, Galaxy J, Galaxy C, and Galaxy On series, with the last two being a region-specific series and an online-only series.

Last year, Samsung canceled the Galaxy On and Galaxy C series and this year it launched the Galaxy M series. Yesterday, it revealed the Galaxy J series will be no more and will now be replaced by the Galaxy A series.

The Galaxy A series was originally a sort of upper mid-range series for Samsung but it still couldn’t measure up to the competition with respect to specs and value for money.

The new Galaxy A series will no longer be limited to upper mid-range devices which used to cost a lot compared to the competition but will also have affordable models such as the Galaxy A10, A20, A20e, and A30. There is also the upcoming Galaxy A2 Core which is an Android Go phone. The upper mid-range models for the new A-series are the Galaxy A50, Galaxy A70, and Galaxy A90 and should be joined by the Galaxy A60 and A80 in the future.

The announcement was made via an official video posted on YouTube by Samsung Malaysia. The video explains the change and all the new features the “new” series brings such as bigger batteries, new Infinity Displays, more cameras, and even on-screen fingerprint scanners.

Leaked renders and specs reveal Honor 20 Lite will have 3 rear cameras too

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Apr 9, 2019

The Honor 20 Lite will be the least powerful model of the upcoming Honor 20 series. While we expect it to have a less powerful processor and even pack less features, leaked renders have revealed it will share some features with its more powerful sibling, the Honor 20.

The leaked renders (and specs) which were first shared by Winfuture.de show the Honor 20 Lite will also have triple rear cameras albeit in a different arrangement from the cameras on the Honor 20 as seen in its own leaked render.

The cameras are also arranged vertically on the left of the phone but unlike those of the Honor 20 which are separated, all the sensors of the Honor 20 Lite share the same housing. There is an LED flash below the cameras and in the middle of the phone is a fingerprint scanner. The Honor 20 has its own fingerprint scanner buried under the display.

The main camera is reported to be a 24MP f/1.8 sensor and it is paired with an 8MP ultra-wide-angle camera with a 120° viewing angle. The third camera is a 2MP depth sensor. The Honor 20 might have the same number of cameras but its sensors are different – a 48MP primary sensor, a 20MP secondary sensor and an 8MP with 3x optical zoom.

The leaked Honor 20 render didn’t reveal the front of the phone but the renders of the Honor 20 Lite show the phone will have a waterdrop notch and a display with curved corners. The display is a 6.21-inch 2340 x 1080 panel and the notch is home to a 32MP sensor.

[envira-gallery id=”245675″]

The phone will be powered by the Kirin 710 paired with 4GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. It will have a triple card tray for two nano-SIMs and a MicroSD card. It also has an audio jack at the bottom and a MicroUSB port that charges a 3400mAH battery.

Samsung updates Galaxy J8 to Android Pie

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Apr 8, 2019

Samsung is extending its Android Pie roll-out to its mid-range phones. The Galaxy J8 which was released last year is the latest member to get updated.

The new update not only brings Android Pie but also One UI and April’s security patch. It has started rolling out to the phone in Russia and should arrive in other regions in the coming weeks.

The Galaxy J8, which is also available as the Galaxy On8 in India was released in August last year. It has a 6.0-inch HD+ display, a Snapdragon 450 processor and up to 4GB of RAM and 64GB of expandable storage.

It has dual rear cameras – a 16MP f/1.7 primary sensor and a 5MP f/1.9 sensor for capturing depth details. It also has a 16MP f/1.9 selfie camera with its own LED flash. The Galaxy J8 also has a rear-mounted fingerprint scanner in the same design as that of the Galaxy S9 series.

Tencent launches WeGame X platform allowing international users to play local Chinese games

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Apr 8, 2019

Chinese internet giant Tencent is known for its range of popular games such as Playerunknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG), King of Glory and several others. As interests in Tencent’s games continues to rise, the internet giant had promised to launch a more international games platform. That it seems to have done with the surprise launch of the “WeGame X” game platform. The platform is said to be the international edition of the WeGame storefront which serves the China market.

Tencent is reportedly testing the storefront and its global servers presently, which may mean that a more auspicious official launch is on the way. But the WeGame X platform is available for download internationally. The platform presently has 29 games, most of which were developed by independent Chinese developers, with some of Tencent’s in-house studios accounting for the rest. Some of the listed games include; Deep Silver, Larian, Kingdom Defend: Frontline, E-sports Legend, Possia Time and Hello Game. The popular game Fortnite is not listed but with the listing of some globally popular titles like Deep Silver, it seems clear more big western titles will be available on the platform soon.

Currently, the platform supports English, Traditional Chinese and Simplified Chinese, and Japanese and Russian language support will be added soon. However, it remains to be seen how well WeGame X does with international players. Tencent is viewed with some suspicion by gamers outside of China, especially due to the notion that the company could share user data with the Chinese government.

(source)

Best Camera Smartphones of Q1 2019: Single Camera to Penta Cameras, they all make the list!

By

Michele Ingelido

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Apr 8, 2019

In the past couple of years, smartphone manufacturers have worked extremely hard on their flagship cameras. As a result, smartphones have become so powerful that you can shoot professional photos and videos, even without edits. There are a lot of cases where professional cameras are becoming increasingly unnecessary.

So, let’s take a look at the best smartphone cameras available in Q1 2019, for both photo quality and innovation.

1Huawei P30 and P30 Pro

In our opinion, at least when it comes to rear cameras, Huawei P30 Pro simply has no competition in Q1 2019. Huawei reimagined mobile photography on the Huawei P30 Pro by adding a quadruple camera with a main 40MP sensor. The primary sensor replaces the green color in RGB with yellow, in order to achieve better performance in low light conditions. And the results were amazing: with low light, the handset performs even better than Google Pixel 3 and its advanced Night Sight mode, capturing a huge amount of light. Its secondary sensor is a 20 MP ultrawide lens, while the third sensor is a periscope lens with 5x optical zoom and up to 50x digital zoom. Last but not least, there is a TOF 3D camera which captures depth info in a very accurate way.

The vanilla Huawei P30 seems to have a similar camera setup but it is not exactly so. While it still comes with a 40 MP RYYB sensor, it lacks the TOF camera, it has different focal apertures and its optical zoom goes up to 3x. But it is still among the most impressive camera phones out there, especially at its cheaper price tag.

2Samsung Galaxy S10+

If we were asked to choose the very best camera phone of Q1 2019 excluding the Huawei P30, we would definitely go for the Samsung Galaxy S10+. In order to capture a higher quantity of light for stunning photos in the dark, the main sensor of its triple camera setup has a variable aperture borrowed from its predecessor, the Galaxy S9 Plus. Further, it comes with a telephoto lens providing a 2x optical zoom and an ultrawide 16 MP sensor. Besides having one of the best rear camera departments, it is definitely the camera phone with the best selfie camera. It sports a dual front camera with a 10 MP main sensor which can record 4K videos (at 30 fps, while the rear camera goes up to 4K at 60 fps) and a secondary depth sensor with an 8 MP resolution.

3Huawei Mate 20 Pro

In a few months, Huawei Mate 20 Pro will probably become one of the best camera phones in terms of quality-price ratio, as well as an affordable alternative to the Huawei P30 Pro. Unlike its newer sibling with four cameras, the Mate 20 Pro features a triple camera setup. Despite its age, even today, most of the smartphone cameras won’t be able to beat its amazing performance. Its rear camera setup is similar to the one you will find on the Huawei P30 with the only difference being the secondary ultrawide lens which has a lower resolution on the P30 (20 MP vs 16 MP). On the other hand, Huawei P30 comes with a better front camera boasting a higher 32 MP resolution. If you are asking yourself whether you should go for the Huawei Mate 20 Pro or the Huawei P30, read our in-depth specs comparison.

4Nokia 9 PureView

At the launch of the Nokia 9 PureView in my country, HMD Global’s general manager for Italy was quite clear: Nokia 9 PureView is a phone for photography enthusiasts. It is the world’s first smartphone to come with a Penta-camera setup and it is able to churn out 60MP of imaging data and combine them using CPU, GPU, ISP, and DSP found on its Snapdragon 845 chipset in order to provide amazing photos. The Penta-camera setup consists of 2x RGB sensors and 3x monochromatic ones, including a TOF camera. According to HMD Global, the smartphone is able to capture 10x times more light than a single sensor of the same kind. And there is even an imaging co-processor defining the exposure and the white balance of every sensor.

Read More: Nokia 9 PureView Teardown video shows the internals including the Penta camera sensors

5Xiaomi Mi 9

Cameras were essentially the weakest point of Xiaomi devices until a few years ago. But now, things have totally changed. The Chinese company has put a lot of efforts on its flagships’ cameras since the Mi Mix 2S, and this year, it has released one of the best camera phones: the Xiaomi Mi 9. Despite its affordable pricing, the phone offers one of the best camera experiences out there. The only disadvantage is the fact that it lacks optical stabilization, especially in low light conditions. Apart from that, the camera comes with a 48MP Sony main sensor, a 16 MP ultrawide lens and a 12 MP telephoto lens with 2x optical zoom. On the front, you get a 20 MP selfie camera enclosed in a waterdrop notch.

6Google Pixel 3

Google Pixel 3 is the only phone in this list to feature a single camera sensor at the back. Big G has often proved that you do not need a high number of rear cameras in order to take great shots. For the Mountain View giant, software and algorithm are two of the most important components in photography, even more than the sensors. Indeed, the 12.2 MP sensor is able to capture very bright photos, and a huge amount of light, all thanks to the Night Sight feature with accurate depth info, and an amazing level of detail. While the rear camera is composed of a single sensor, on the front side you get a dual selfie camera which is among the best selfie departments you can get in Q1 2019. It consists of 2 sensors with 8 MP resolutions (wide and ultrawide) and an f/1.8 focal aperture.

7Apple iPhone Xs Max

Despite its disappointing sales this year, iPhone Xs Max remains one of the better camera phones in the market. Apple did not bet on a high number of cameras as the iPhone Xs Max comes with a simple dual camera setup composed of a 12 MP main sensor and a 12 MP telephoto sensor with 2x optical zoom. While the low light photos could be better, the phone manages to take stunning samples in most cases, supported by its solid optical stabilization. The rear cameras can record videos up to 4K resolution at 24, 30 or even 60 fps. Unfortunately, this device is all but affordable, but you also get an outstanding build quality and blazing speeds thanks to the iOS optimization, as well as a stunning AMOLED display with 120Hz refresh rate.

Overall, it’s good to see that this list is not dominated by one or two manufacturers. More and more smartphone companies have been able to successfully develop and optimize powerful mobile cameras in recent times. This means that a potential smartphone user has a lot more option to choose from when they are looking for a high-quality camera experience.

HTC removes a bunch of its apps from the Play Store

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Apr 8, 2019

HTC, once a top mobile phone manufacturer has been struggling for years now. The manufacturer hasn’t released any phone this year though it said it will. When it does launch its first phone this year, a number of HTC apps may no longer ship with it.

The Taiwanese company has unpublished a lot of its apps from the Google Play Store which means these apps will no longer be available on its phones. The company’s activity on App Brain shows that it has unpublished 14 of its apps from the Play Store.

These apps include HTC Sense Home Launcher, HTC People, HTC Mail, HTC Speak, HTC Calendar, and HTC Dot View. A number of these apps haven’t received updates in months, so HTC is cleaning house. However, apps like HTC Mail, HTC People, and HTC Calendar are apps that come pre-installed with its phones as alternatives to Google’s own apps.

Meizu global users complain over lack of software support

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Apr 8, 2019

Meizu makes really good phones but a lot of them are available only in China. The Chinese brand has begun expanding its portfolio to other regions and has started releasing global versions of its phones that can be purchased from online stores in China. The Meizu Note 9 for example already has a global version. However, there are complaints about Meizu’s lack of support for the global version of its phones.

A Meizu user based in France reached out to us to lament about the situation. Alexandre who is also a reseller of Meizu smartphones wrote a post on the official Meizu forum complaining about the company’s poor software support for the global version of its phones.

Citing the Meizu 16th which he owns as an example, he said the 2018 flagship has only been updated once since its release and the said update fixed just a single bug.

In his post, he disclosed how the admins of the global forums don’t listen to user complaints or collect details on bugs. He also mentioned that forum admins have revealed on private groups that Meizu’s global department is “almost dead” and developers no longer care about the brand.

It is sad to see Meizu is failing to provide great services for its users. Software support is very important and makes for an important aspect of after-sales services for a phone. If a manufacturer is known for poor software support or after-sales services in general, buyers will avoid patronizing them.

If Meizu is serious about its business and respects its fans, we expect it to address these issues as quickly as possible.