Xiaomi MIJIA Air Purifier/Ventilator goes on its first sale for 2499 yuan ($363)

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Dec 13, 2018

Xiaomi first launched the MIJIA Air Purifier/Ventilator last month in China during its Double 11 live broadcast. We had thought the device will go on sale during 11.11 but that didn’t happen. Rather the gadget was put on sale for the first time yesterday as part of 12.12 promotion. The device comes with a price tag of 2499 yuan ($343) and was apparently out of stock in no distant time. The device will go on sale again on December 19.

In case you want to know more about the Mijia Air Purifier/Ventilator, here are some details. The gadget looks very much like the Mi Air Purifier Pro, with a physical display at the front. However, an added features than the Mi Air Purifier Pro and that is the ventilator. The device will not only purify the air inside the room but will also ventilate the room. It has an elongated cube shape but isn’t designed to stand on its base. Instead, it is mounted on the wall and the wall mount will be carried by Xiaomi’s installers with a special equipment that would neatly create an opening on the wall. Apart from the wall bracket that will be used to mount the gadget to the wall, a round hole needs to be drilled at the back where a 16cm diameter pipe will pass outside to convey clean air from outside into the home. This will ensure the room is well ventilated.

The smart home gadget is said to also come with three independent filtration layers to remove allergens, PM 2.5 particulate matter, carbon dioxide, formaldehyde, dust and other pollutants in order to keep the air inside the room clean. The air purifier can filter as much as 300 cubic metres of air per hour. It uses electricity but the consumption is so low that you don’t have to bother about the electricity bills accumulating. In addition, it features an OLED panel at the front which can be used to control the gadget. Apart from the touchscreen controls, the gadget can also be controlled via the Mi app. In addition, the Mi Air Purifier/Ventilator comes with Xiaomi’s Xiao AI voice assistant for voice prompt control. This will obviously be useful for Chinese speakers. Soon, Xiaomi may start integrating Google Voice on its smart home gadgets as it strives to gain ground outside China.

(source)

Gionee India teases arrival of new phones; Could be relaunching Gionee F205 and S11 Lite

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Dec 13, 2018

Information that had surfaced at the end of the previous month had revealed that the China-based Gionee may soon shut down its operation since it is on the verge of bankruptcy. In India, Gionee had launched the Gionee S11 Lite and Gionee 205 smartphones in April. Since April, the Twitter and Facebook accounts of Gionee India have been inactive. However, the Indian wing of the company has confirmed through Flipkart that it will be launching two new phones in the country.

As it can be seen in the below image, the three main features of the first smartphone are full-view display, great camera and budget deal. Some of the specs of the smartphone has also been revealed. It includes 8-megapixel autofocus enabled camera, face unlock, HD+ resolution, 5-megapixel selfie camera, 2 GB RAM and expandable storage.

The name “F205” is also mentioned at the top. Moreover, all the aforementioned specs match with the Gionee F205 smartphone that was announced in April with a price tag of Rs. 8,999. This suggests that the company could re-launching the smartphone. Hopefully, the handset will be arriving in the market with a reduced pricing.

Coming to the second phone, its salient features are beautiful design, great performance and long-lasting battery. The smartphone is equipped with features like horizontal dual camera, a rear-mounted fingerprint scanner, 4 GB of RAM, full view display and Snapdragon octa-core processor.

The “S11 Lite” moniker is also mentioned in the launch teaser which indicates it could be also relaunched in India alongside the F205 handset. The Gionee S11 Lite was unveiled in India in April with a price tag of Rs. 13,999 which was too expensive for the specs it offered.

Read More: Gionee’s founder admits to gambling addiction but denies blowing 10 billion yuan

In July, some reports had claimed that Gionee may sell its Indian operations to Arvind Vohra who was the former Gionee India CEO and minority shareholder and is one of the promoters of Indian smartphone brand Karbonn Mobiles. As of this writing, there is no fresh information available on it.

Samsung Galaxy M20 cover image shows dual rear cameras and 3.5mm headphone jack

By

Jeet

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Dec 13, 2018

Samsung is soon going to launch an all-new M-series for budget and mid-range smartphones in the Indian market. As per the reports, the South Korean giant will launch two phones under its M-series, which could possibly be named Galaxy M10 and Galaxy M20.

Ahead of the official announcement, a couple of images of the Galaxy M20’s cover shows that the phone will come with a dual rear camera setup and a 3.5mm headphone jack at the bottom. Earlier, an image leaked online showcasing the phone’s front panel which revealed that it will have a notched display.

The camera sensors are placed vertically in the top-left corner along with an LED flash. There’s also another cutout in the top-center position, which possibly is for the fingerprint sensor. It is expected to come with a USB Type-C port at the bottom.

The Samsung Galaxy M20 is rumored to be powered by the Samsung’s own Exynos 7885 upper mid-range processor, coupled with 3GB RAM and 32GB of onboard storage. The device is said to feature a Full-HD+ screen resolution of 1080 x 2340 pixels with an unknown screen size and will be running Android Oreo operating system out-of-the-box.

The company has reportedly started mass production of both the smartphones in India, suggesting that the official launch of the Galaxy M10 and Galaxy M20 is imminent. Recently, we reported that the smartphones will be priced aggressively to win the highly-competitive budget smartphone segment in India.

According to the report, the Samsung Galaxy M10 could be priced under Rs. 10,000 (approximately $142) while the Samsung Galaxy M20 could be priced around Rs. 15,000, which roughly converts to $213. Considering the aggressive pricing, it won’t be surprising if Samsung keeps the M-series as an online-only smartphone series.

While the company has not yet revealed the launch date or availability information of the Galaxy M10 and Galaxy M20 smartphones, we expect the phones to go official early next year, possibly during CES 2019 or MWC 2019.

(Source)

Blackview announces new Helio P90 processor will first appear in its phones

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Dec 13, 2018

Yesterday, MediaTek announced its latest processor called the Helio P90. If you are wondering which manufacturer will first launch a phone powered by the new processor, then look no further than Blackview, the Chinese rugged phone maker.

In an email sent to us, Blackview says MediaTek’s new processor which boasts of a higher AI performance than Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 855 and Huawei’s Kirin 980 processors, will first appear in its phones. The phone maker also revealed the phones are the Blackview BV9700 and the BV9800 and they should launch in the first quarter of 2019.

The Helio P90 is a 12nm octa-core processor with its cores arranged in a 2 + 6 format. The two cores are high-performance Cortex-A75 cores clocked at 2.2GHz while the six cores are power-efficient Cortex-A55 cores clocked at 2.0GHz. MediaTek has also ditched the Mali GPU for a PowerVR GM 9946 GPU clocked at 960MHz.

The biggest selling point of the chipset is its AI feature. The chipset is the most advanced AI chipset by the Taiwanese chip maker thanks to its APU 2.0 AI architecture, which boasts four times more processing power than the previous generation P-series processors. It brings features such as 5-person human pose tracking, 3D pose tracking, full-body avatar AR, secure and accurate facial recognition, and multiple object and scene recognition.

Other features of the new chipset include Google lens and ARCore support, support for up to 8GB LPDDR4x memory, support for 21:9 displays with resolutions up to 2520 x 1080, Bluetooth 5.0, Cat. 13 LTE, 4×4 MIMI, 3 Carrier Aggregation, single or dual camera bokeh etc. So expect a lot of these features on the Blackview BV9700 and BV9800 when they are announced next year.

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OnePlus 6T Mclaren Edition Hands On: Papaya Orange Delight!

By

Joel Joseph

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Dec 13, 2018

OnePlus is known to release special editions of its flagship smartphones and the latest OnePlus 6T has got the same treatment in India. After unveiling the OnePlus 6T Mclaren edition globally on Tuesday, the company took the wraps off the same phone in India the next day. Officially, the phone will retail for Rs. 50,999 which is way higher than the priciest OnePlus 6T variant (8+256GB ~ Rs. 45999).

At its heart, the OnePlus 6T McLaren edition is the same model that was launched back in October. The big difference in hardware is the 10GB of RAM and 256GB of internal storage. This makes it the first OnePlus smartphone to feature 10GB of RAM memory. Another big addition is Warp Charge 30. This is the new 30W charging from the company and promises a day’s usage in just 20 minutes. Considering how we are already big fans of the Dash Charging tech from the company, this takes fast charging to a whole new level. The remaining specs are the same as the regular 6T model.

Coming to the exterior, the OnePlus 6T McLaren edition features the iconic Papaya Orange color accents on the phone’s back. The accents continue to the sides as well and slowly fade away. Note that the orange accents pop out nicely only in certain lighting conditions. So, it’s not like the accents are extremely bright. Further, there’s the McLaren logo near the bottom half of the back of the device to reveal its true identity. Apart from the orange accents, another big highlight of the McLaren edition is the carbon fiber texture that runs underneath the glass back. At certain angles, the texture really pops out well. It’s quite reflective as well, similar to the Mirror Black model of the regular 6T.

The exterior design additions are pretty subtle and on first glance, you could easily mistake the OP6T McLaren edition as the regular version, especially if you don’t look at the bottom half of the back. But what makes the McLaren edition really worth the money (if you are a McLaren fan), is the goodies that come inside. In the box, there’s an acrylic desk piece with McLaren carbon fiber logo, a carbon fiber case, and an AR-enabled Salute to Speed high-quality book that highlights the motor racing and smartphone history of the two manufacturers. Even the power cable and brick have McLaren design elements. The power cable, in particular, is special because it comes in the same iconic papaya orange color and has a braided cable design. Even the USB Type-C to 3.5mm headphone adapter has the same color. The power brick too features the McLaren logo as well as orange accents.

There are certain McLaren inspired elements in the software as well. In certain parts of the phone, like the settings menu, the phone comes in papaya orange accents. Overall, if you are a McLaren fan, you are in for a treat.

For others, it’s really going to be hard to justify the additional cost.

However, it’s worth noting that the OnePlus 6T McLaren edition is still way cheaper than OPPO’s Lamborghini edition or Huawei’s Porsche design edition. So, if you ever wished to get hold of performance automaker inspired flagship edition, this might be your cheapest bet.

Full OnePlus 6T McLaren Edition hands-on images below!

[envira-gallery id=”227562″]

What are your thoughts?

Next year’s iPhone XS Max may be cheaper as Samsung is revealed to supply cheaper OLED panels

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Dec 13, 2018

Samsung is known to produce the best OLED panels in the smartphone industry. Samsung Display International (SDI) supplied the first set of OLED panels Apple used on its flagship phone – iPhone X. The company was also responsible for the OLED panels on this year’s iPhone XS and XS Max. Unfortunately, the cost of the OLED panels took a good chunk of the overall production cost so Samsung is reportedly offering a more affordable option.

The affordable option which Samsung is touting for the next-gen iPhone XS Max doesn’t really mean the OLED panels would be of low quality. As a matter of fact, the panel known as Y-Octa panels were used on the Galaxy Note 9, S9 and S9+ and they make use of the in-cell touch technology. The technology allows for thinner, lighter, much cheaper. The cheaper panel will allow Apple to be more flexible with the XS Max pricing next year.

The source familiar with the industry also disclosed that the Y-Octa panels were offered by Samsung for the production of the 2018 iPhones but that didn’t go down well with Apple due to the yield. The yield may have increased tremendously hence the decision to use it on the iPhone XS Max 2019.

(source)

The Vivo Nex Dual Display Edition Goes Up For Sale Bearing A $899 Price Tag On Giztop

By

Vinay Patel

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Dec 13, 2018

The long-rumored Vivo NEX successor has finally hit the store shelves. Contrary to previously surfaced reports that suggested it will come bearing the NEX 2 moniker, the new Vivo-branded phone is dubbed Nex Dual Display Edition.

The reason behind the Chinese technology company giving its new phone that name is quite simple to understand. The Vivo NEX Dual Display Edition has two displays, one placed at the back and the other located on the front. However, it does not bear a striking resemblance to Yotaphone or the Meizu Pro 7.

The other unique selling point includes the 3D TOF stereo camera that the phone houses. Unlike its well-received precursor, the Vivo NEX, this Dual Display Edition phone does not feature a pop-up camera. Apparently, Vivo has dumped that design style or is gearing up to launch another model with the pop-up camera design next year.

The phone packs a powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor, under the hood. You can get your hands on the blue and purple color versions of the Nex Dual Display Edition on Giztop. The device ships with 10GB of RAM and offers a hearty 128GB of onboard storage for you to save your favorite content. Both the aforesaid color versions will set you back $899 on Giztop.
The Vivo NEX Dual Display Edition sports a mammoth 6.39-inch Super AMOLED bezel-less display with a screen resolution of 1080 x 2340 pixels and an aspect ratio of 19.5:9. According to Vivo, the phone will have a screen ratio of 91.63 percent.

On the photography front, the Dual Display Edition phone houses a 12.0MP+2.0MP and time-of-flight (TOF) 3D triple camera setup. The 2.0MP snapper will be used for low-light shots, while the TOF camera will be used for facial recognition and measuring distance and capturing great selfies. The Lunar Ring houses the dual camera sensors and there are two extra soft LED lights included on the Lunar Ring that activates at the time of taking selfies.

Moreover, the phone runs Funtouch OS 4.5 based Android 9.0 Pie operating system and is backed by a robust 3500mAh battery that supports the 10V/2.25A fast charging feature. There’s a fifth-gen in-screen fingerprint scanner that can unlock the phone in 0.29 second.

You can follow this link to check out more details about the Vivo Nex Dual Display Edition and buy it on Giztop, the official partner of popular technical blog GizmoChina.

Buy Vivo Nex Dual Display Edition

Huawei Nova 4 Honey Red edition image confirms 48-megapixel rear camera

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Dec 13, 2018

Huawei Nova 4 will be unveiled on Dec. 17 as the successor of the Nova 3 smartphone that was announced in July this year. The Huawei Nova 3 had arrived with a notched screen and it featured dual rear-facing cameras and dual front-facing cameras. The Nova 4 will be offering a higher screen-to-body ratio than its predecessor since it is expected to feature an in-screen camera hole display design. Also, it will be equipped with a single rear camera on the front and a vertical triple camera module on the rear. A recent leak had revealed that the Huawei Nova 4 will be featuring a 48-megapixel rear camera. The Chinese manufacturer has shared an image of the Honey Red version of the Nova 4. The image confirms that the smartphone will be indeed arriving with a 48-megapixel rear camera.

The Huawei Nova 4 Honey Red edition has a gradient color appeal. It is red at the top which gradually becomes purple towards the bottom. The handset features a fingerprint reader on the rear shell which seems to be made out of glass. The “48-megapixel AI Camera” words are etched below the LED enabled triple camera system. The Huawei branding is placed towards the bottom.

The Huawei Nova 4 is expected to land in China in standard and high versions. The high version will be including a 48-megapixel main sensor that will be accompanied by 16-megapixel and 2-megapixel sensors. The standard version will be featuring a 20-megapixel sensor, a 16-megapixel lens and a 2-megpixel sensor. The rest of the specifications of the standard and high versions of the Nova 4 are expected to be same.

Read More: Honor V20 (View 20) AnTuTu listing surface; Key specs and front image leaked

The 6.4-inch display with support for full HD+ resolution of 2310 x 1080 pixels is rumored to be present on the Nova 4. It is expected to offer tall aspect ratio of 19.25:9. The display hole of the phone is pegged to contain 25-megapixel camera.

The Kirin 970 chipset that powered the Nova 3 will also fuel its successor along with 8 GB of RAM. The handset may come with an inbuilt storage of 128 GB. The Nova 4 is speculated to borrow the 18W fast charging enabled 3,750mAh battery from the Nova 3 handset. It will be also equipped with support for 4G LTE. Apart from Honey Red, the smartphone is also rumored to arrive in other color gradient options such as Fritillaria White, Bright Black and Suyin Blue. The pricing of the smartphone is still under the wraps.

(source)

Worldwide smartphone shipments to decline 3% in 2018, will return to growth in 2019: IDC

By

Jeet

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Dec 13, 2018

According to the latest report from International Data Corporation (IDC), the worldwide smartphone shipments are expected to decline by 3 percent in 2018 before returning to low single-digit growth in 2019 and through 2022.

While the on-going U.S.-China trade war has the industry on edge, IDC believes that continued developments from emerging markets, mixed with potential around 5G and new product form factors, will bring the smartphone market back to positive growth.

As per the report, the smartphone shipments are expected to drop to 1.42 billion units in 2018, down from 1.47 billion in 2017. However, IDC expects year-over-year shipment growth of 2.6 percent in 2019. Over the long-term, smartphone shipments are forecast to reach 1.57 billion units in 2022.

The Chinese market, which represented around 30 percent of total smartphone shipments in 2017, is now showing signs of recovery. However, it is still forecast to be down 8.8 percent in 2018 — worse than the 2017 downturn but is expected to have a flat 2019 and then back the to positive territory through 2022. The U.S. market is also forecast to return to positive growth in 2019 after experiencing a decline in 2018.

The report adds that in Q3 2018, the 6-inch to less than 7-inch screen size band became the most prominent band for the first time with more than four times year-over-year growth. The research firm believes that larger-screen smartphones will lead the charge with volumes of 947.1 million in 2018, accounting for 66.7 percent of all smartphones, up from 623.3 million units and a 42.5 percent share in 2017.

It further reports that by the year 2022, shipments of these larger-screen smartphones will move up to 1.38 billion units or 87.7 percent of overall shipment volume. As per the IDC forecast, Android’s smartphone share will remain stable at 85 percent while the iOS smartphones are forecast to drop by 2.5 percent in 2018 to 210.4 million.

Samsung Galaxy S10, S10 Plus and S10 Lite pricing, variants and release date leaked

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Dec 13, 2018

Recent reports have revealed that the Samsung Galaxy S10 series that may go official in February next year will include Galaxy S10 Lite, Galaxy S10, Galaxy S10 Plus and Galaxy S10 5G edition smartphones. Citing information received from a major tech retailer, Gizmodo UK has shared some key information on the pricing and released date of the Galaxy S10 series.

Samsung Galaxy S10 Launch Date

Samsung is known for holding a dedicated event for unleashing its Galaxy S series flagship phone ahead of Mobile World Congress (MWC) tech expo each year. According to the publication, the South Korean company will be holding Samsung Unpacked event on Feb. 20 before the MWC 2019 to announce the Galaxy S10 series. The MWC 2019 tech trade show will be held in Barcelona, Spain between Feb. 25 and Feb. 28.

Samsung Galaxy S10 Pre-orders and Release Date

The Galaxy S10 Lite, Galaxy S10 and Galaxy S10 Plus are expected to be available on pre-orders after the Feb. 20 launch event. The S10 series will be hitting the market on March 8.

Samsung Galaxy S10 Pricing and Variants for UK

The Galaxy S10 Lite (SM-G70F) will be featuring a flat 5.8-inch Super-AMOLED screen that will support an aspect ratio of 18.5:9 and Quad HD resolution. This smartphone is unlikely to feature an in-screen camera hole. It will be featuring a single camera on the front and dual cameras on the rear. The publication has claimed that it will be priced at 699 pounds (~$882) in the U.K.

The Galaxy S10 (SM-G73F) will be featuring an in-screen camera hole designed display that measures 6.1 inches. It will be curved S-AMOLED screen that will produce QHD+ resolution and 19:9 aspect ratio. The S10 will be equipped with a single front camera and a triple camera setup on the rear. It is expected to arrive in 128 GB and 512 GB storage choices that may respectively cost 799 pounds (~$1,008) and 999 pounds (~$1,260).

The Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus (SM-G975F) will feature a display hole to house dual front-facing cameras. It will be equipped with triple rear cameras. The S10 and S10 Plus are tipped to feature standard, wide and telephoto lenses in their triple camera system. The smartphone is tipped to be fitted with a larger 6.4-inch S-AMOLED display that will QHD+ resolution and 19:9 aspect ratio. The S10 Plus is speculated to arrive in 128 GB, 512 GB and 1 TB storage sizes. These models are rumored to be respectively priced at 899 pounds (~$1,135), 1,099 pounds (~1,388) and 1,399 pounds (~$1,771).

Read More: Samsung Galaxy A8s announced with Infinity-O display, Snapdragon 710 processor, triple rear cameras but no audio jack

The Galaxy S10 Lite may feature a regular rear-mounted fingerprint scanner or an optical under-display fingerprint scanner. The S10 and S10 Plus are expected to come equipped with an ultrasonic in-display fingerprint sensor. The Android 9 Pie OS overlaid with One UI is expected to arrive preinstalled on the Galaxy S10 series. Depending on the market, the Galaxy S10 series will be coming in chipset variants of Snapdragon 855 and Exynos 9820.

Rumors have claimed that there will be a Galaxy S10 model with 6.7-inch screen and as many as six cameras. However, there is no fresh information on its existence. A 5G edition of the Galaxy S10 phone is speculated to debut alongside the Galaxy Fold foldable phone in March. It is expected to come equipped with 12 GB of RAM.

(source 1, 2)

LIEQI Lens turn your smart phone into a professional camera

By

Shine Wong

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Dec 13, 2018

The smart phone makers have always been trying to put strong camera modules on their devices. There is even an interesting category, namely cameraphones. Nowadays, it’s not actual. Any flagship should sport a strong camera. But the competition is very tough. On the other hand, all those smart phones that are packed with outstanding cameras cost a fortune. For all those cases when you don’t want to buy a new phone for its camera only, there are some tricks you can use and turn your smart phone into a real beast in terms of shooting photos.

LQ-185 5 in 1 Phone camera lens kit

If you have searched for a camera lens for at least one time in your life, you should be familiar with the brand of LIEQI. As the manufacturers are in pursuit of putting more lenses on their devices that affect the pricing, we decided to take a look at this company, which has been in this market for a while and knows how to make cheap and useful camera lens for smart phones.

LIEQI makes products for a few categories, including lens kit, wide angle lens, fish eye lens, macro shooting lens, selfie flash light lens, telescope lens and other more than ten kinds of lens. As they suggest, getting your hands on any of those lenses, you will turn your smart phone into a professional camera.

Tripod more stable, professional and varied when photographing.

LIEQI’s new product —LQ-185 5-in-1 phone camera lens kit,including a 185°fish eye lens, a 0.6x wide angle lens, a 1 5x macro lens, a cpl lens and a start lens.There are two colors.

Fall in love with photography: Fisheye Lens create funny circular pictures. Wide Angle lens allows you to capture larger scenes like city scene and group shot. Macro lens capture amazing close-ups like flowers. Star lens make the lights all come to life like magic with star filters. CPL lens eliminate reflected light and create beautiful color.

By LQ-185 fish eye lens shooting

Easy Clip on Lens Design: Simply attach any lens to your phone in seconds. It’s the perfect smartphone lens kit for iPhoneXs Max, iPhone Xs/X, iPhone XR, 8 Plus, 7 Plus, 6 Plus, 8, 7, 6, 6s, 5, Samsung Galaxy S8, S7, S7 Edge, Note 7, iPad and more. It’s also easy to carry.

By the way the phone camera lens of LIEQI passed the CQC and ISO9000, ROHS, the European Union SEDEX 4P inspection certification,quality assurance. Wholesale price was as low as $24.4.If you like doing photography via your smartphone, it’s highly recommended to visit LIEQI’s official website in order to get acquainted with its products or visit its Alibaba store to make purchases.

Micromax to launch its first smartphone with notch display on December 18

By

Jeet

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Dec 13, 2018

Indian smartphone manufacturer has started sending out media invites for a launch event on 18th December. The company is all set to launch a new smartphone and given the teaser image in the invite, it seems that Micromax will launch its first smartphone featuring a notched display.

The image shared by the company on social media platforms shows a silhouette of a smartphone with a regular rectangular notch. This comes at a time when most companies are moving away from a wide notch to the much smaller waterdrop notch.

This will be the first major smartphone release from Micromax in a while. The company, which once was among the dominating players in the Indian smartphone market, has now been sidelined as Chinese smartphone manufacturers have taken over the market.

Micromax is teasing the launch of this upcoming smartphone with a hashtag #AbovetheRest, suggesting that the phone could be a flagship device from the company. However, do not expect a premium smartphone from the company as it typically launches phones budget to mid-range phones priced under Rs. 20,000 which roughly converts to $280.

The company used to be the second largest smartphone vendor in India but was overrun by the Chinese brands which managed to establish their presence in the market, such as Xiaomi, Oppo, Vivo, and OnePlus. However, Micromax recently made its way in the top 5 smartphone vendors list for the Q3 2018. However, that was due to the company’s contract with a state government to supply entry-level phones.

Sony Mobile’s Swedish office cuts its workforce in a bid to reduce costs

By

Simranpal Singh

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Dec 13, 2018

Sony Mobile has shrunk over the past few years from the top 3 manufacturers of smartphones. It has considerably lost most of the market to the Chinese manufacturers who are scorching most of the profits in the smartphone industry. Today, Sony Mobile has reduced the staff by 200 employees at the Lund office in Sweden. It is in a bid to reduce the overall expenses of the Sony Mobile division in half over the next several years.

Some time ago, the same office at the Lund in Sweden was serving as the headquarter. Last year, the Japanese firm moved the Sony Mobile headquarters back to Tokyo, but still, there are around 1200 employees who are serving in the Sweden office. The exact details are not out yet but in total around 200 people have been cut in order to reduce the expenses.

After this, another group of 200 people will go by the end of March 2019.

“It is clear that Lund will be affected by cost savings. But how it goes and what kind of costs it will be about, we cannot say yet, because the work is still underway to look at all cost components,” said Stefan Olsson, Deputy Chairman of Sony’s Lund operations. Further, he added, “we have announced 200 services. I see it as being at risk of being dismissed, but hope it will be fewer. The goal is for everything to be negotiated and that individual individuals are informed until March 2019″.

Read More: Sony Xperia XZ4 Compact renders leak thin design and tall aspect ratio

Well, it is not a good thing happening to Sony employees in Sweden. Though, the reason can be the loss in the last some quarters.

(Via)

Get Great Discounts On Highly Useful Electronic Items on GeekBuying [Coupons Inside]

By

Vinay Patel

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Dec 13, 2018

There’s no dearth of appliances that help you efficiently handle everyday chores while enhancing your overall experience; however, these devices do not come cheap.

In a bid to make these products that come in handy in day to day life available to cost-conscious buyers, GeekBuying has launched a new promo called ‘Electronics That Make Homes Better.’ While the promotion page is split into three categories including Top Seller, Smart Home Gadgets and Local Stock, we have listed top items that you can buy at considerably lowered prices on GeekBuying.

Check Out GeekBuying’s Electronics That Make Homes Better
Promo

Xiaomi Mijia Roborock S50 Robot Vacuum Cleaner 2

Designed to handle the arduous task of keeping your surrounding clean and tidy all the time, the Roborock S50 comprises both sweeping and mopping functions. This irresistible Mi robot cleaner 2 features a high-precision LDS sensor that can check the room at 5 x 360 degrees per second.

Moreover, the robot adopts a SLAM algorithm to figure out the most advantageous cleaning route around the room. You can even customize the cleaning location directly on the map with the help of Mijia App and instruct the robot to clean the specified location.

The Roborock S50 would normally set you back a pretty penny on online and offline stores but you can now buy it for just $699.99 on GeekBuying. You can even extend this 37% discount by applying coupon code GIZ_NBWMGZDN at the time of checking out.

The aforesaid coupon helps you save an extra $270 by reducing your grand total to just $429.99. You can follow this link if you are interested in taking advantage of the discount and getting the extra discount, The promo will end in one day.

Buy Xiaomi Mijia Roborock S50 Robot Vacuum Cleaner 2 at $429.99, coupon code GIZ_NBWMGZDN

Xiaomi Mijia Smart Air Detector

There are various factors such as carbon dioxide, soot, cleaning and a slew of other unstable gaseous elements that considerably influence our breathing. These substances are usually produced when doors and windows are kept closed for a long time.

Designed to judge the quality of indoor air, the Mijia Smart Air Detector adopts three high-precision sensors that ensure accurate measurements. Apart from temperature and humidity, the device can separately measure PM2.5, TVOC, and CO2a in order to reflect the quality of air in a room.

This highly useful Mijia smart air detector usually sells for $115.99, but you can now buy it for an unbeatable price of just $79.99 on GeekBuying. This is a 31% drop in the device’s original asking price but if that doesn’t impress you much, you can use coupon code GIZ_JBYMVHMD to get an extra $7 off.

The coupon helps you bring your grand total down to just $76.99 during the checkout process. You can follow this link to grab the discount without wasting time since the promo was on the verge of wrapping up at the time of writing.

Buy Xiaomi Mijia Smart Air Detector at $76.99, coupon code GIZ_JBYMVHMD

Xiaomi Mijia IP Smart Camera

The market is brimming with all sorts of high-end IP cameras that usually carry steep price tags, but if you are living on a tight budget and aren’t willing to spend that kind of money, we got good news for you. You can buy the Mijia 1080P Home Panoramic WiFi IP camera that offers a slew of impressive features without emptying your pocket.

This Xiaomi-branded high definition camera usually sells for $75.99, but you can now buy it for just $48.99 on GeekBuying. This is a 38% drop in the camera’s original selling price. Aside from that, you can save $3 more by applying coupon code GIZ_ECVYXSNU before placing your order.

The above-mentioned coupon helps you bring your cart value down to $45.99. On the downside, the promo will come to an end in a little while. Just head straight to this link to grab the discount before the promotion ends.

Buy Xiaomi Mijia IP Smart Camera at $45.99, coupon code GIZ_ECVYXSNU

Desktop Intelligent Induction Ashtray Automatic Switch Storage Box Garbage Box

This intelligent box senses your hand to open and close automatically. Aside from using it as a garbage box, this item can be used as an ashtray or even a storage box to suit your fancy.

This multi-functional box sports a thoroughly enclosed design that keeps a lid on foul odor. The cover remains open until you move your hand from above it; however, the cover can also be opened manually if required.
This one-of-a-kind smart box normally carries a $43.99 price tag, but it can now be yours if you are willing to spend only $27.99 on GeekBuying. In addition to getting this 36% discount, you can apply coupon code GIZ_OENMHUBW to save an extra $3.

Thanks to the aforesaid coupon, you end up spending just $24.99 on this multi-functional smart trash can. You can follow this link to get the discount before the promo comes to an end.

Buy Desktop Intelligent Induction Ashtray Automatic Switch Storage Box Garbage Box at $24.99, coupon code GIZ_OENMHUBW

Honor V20 (View 20) AnTuTu listing surface; Key specs and front image leaked

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

-

Dec 13, 2018

The Honor V20 that is scheduled to go official on Dec. 26 has a model number of PCT-AL10. An AnTuTu listing of the same model number has appeared on Weibo. Apart from some of the key specs of the phone, an image showing the front design of the phone has also been leaked.

The Honor V20 AnTuTu listing has revealed that the smartphone has scored 291,244 points in the benchmark tests. This score is the total of CPU (106,755), GPU (109,251), UX (64,574) and memory (10,664) tests. Leaked information reveals that the Honor V20 is driven by Kirin 980 chipset and 8 GB of RAM. The smartphone is expected to arrive with an internal storage of 128 GB.

The top 10 list of best performance Android smartphones for November had four Kirin 980 chipset powered smartphones ranking at the top four positions. The fourth position was held by Honor Magic 2 with a score of 300,866. The Mate 20 Pro ranked third with a score of 302,871. The Mate 20 X came second with a score of 304,807 and the Mate 20 led the pack with 309,425 score.

The Xiaomi Mi 8 ranked tenth with 292,286 which is higher than what Honor V20 has scored on AnTuTu benchmarks. It is not clear whether the 292,244 score belongs to the prototype or final version of the Honor V20 smartphone.

As shown above, the Honor V20 will come equipped with a punch-hole display design. The exact configuration of the front camera is not known. The rear shell of the phone is expected to feature a triple camera setup that will include Sony IMX586 48-megapixel as primary sensor and a 3D ToF (Time of Flight) sensor. For better connectivity experience, the smartphone will support Link Turbo which combines LTE and Wi-Fi signals.

Read More:Huawei Nova 4 full specifications leaked; Reveals 6.4-inch display, Kirin 970, 8 GB RAM and 48MP triple camera

The Honor V20 is expected to land in China with a price tag of around 3,000 Yuan (~$435). The smartphone will be internationally announced as Honor View 20 on Jan. 22 in Paris, France. The View 20 will be also releasing in India in the coming month.

(source|via)

Nokia 8 starts receiving Android Pie beta with several new features

By

Simranpal Singh

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Dec 13, 2018

Nokia is working on the new software updates, after rolling out Android 9.0 stable update on Nokia 7, now it’s the turn for Nokia 8. The HMD powered company is now rolling out Android 9.0 Pie beta on Nokia 8 devices. Users who have already signed up for testing the software are now on the receiving end. However, the update has already got delayed due to some issues, but it is always better late than never.

Today, Chief Product Officer at HMD Global, Juho Sarvikas took to Twitter to formally announce the update. In the announcement, Sarvikas apologized for the delay in the update and asked the users to join the beta labs release. In actual words, he said, “Since you had to wait a bit longer than expected for Android 9 on your Nokia 8, we decided to make an immediate Beta Labs release. Please join us in finalising the commercial release – your feedback is extremely valuable.”

As per the changelog, the new update carries all the new features of the Android 9.0 Pie along with some additions from Nokia. The update also carries December security patch along with other features such as adaptive and optimized brightness, full-view screen adaptability, gesture-based navigation, and new sounds. The new Adaptive battery feature will help you to save some additional battery power by learning on the usage patterns. The feature helps to enhance the overall battery life of the phone. Actually, it learns from itself, and we can term it as AI based function which determines and improves itself.

The update weighs around 1.5 GB in size and carries version number V5.110.

In order to register for the beta update, you need to hit this link and sign up on the forum. Then you will need to provide IMEI number and other details to get into the beta update enrollment.

Read More: Nokia 8 Android Pie update delayed due to unresolved issues

Also, before starting to update your phone, keep it charged more than 70%. Also, make sure it is connected to WiFi network, as it may lead to additional charges on the carrier network.

Currently, the update is in beta, so don’t expect smooth experience, you will get some bugs and glitches while using the device. So, make sure if you really want to sign up for the beta update or not.

(Source)

Get Top-Branded Notebooks For Heavily Discounted Prices On GearBest [Coupons Inside]

By

Vinay Patel

-

Dec 13, 2018

Looking for a high-end notebook computer that offers an impressive array of features without emptying your pocket? You’ve come to the right place.

Touted as one of China’s best electronics online stores, GearBest is now doling out big discounts on top-branded notebooks that usually carry steep price tags. Aside from shedding light on the discounts, we’ll show how you can save extra money before checking out. So without further ado, let’s delve in the details.

Teclast F6 Pro Notebook

While a notebook that supports fingerprint recognition feature would normally set you back a pretty penny, the F6 Pro from Teclast has gone up for sale bearing an unbeatable $449.99 price tag. This is a noteworthy 25% reduction in the fingerprint identification feature-equipped notebook’s retail price of $602.16.

On top of that, you can use coupon code GBBFlaptop4 to get an extra $40 off before placing your order. In other words, you can bring your already lowered grand total further down to only $449.99 simply by applying the aforesaid coupon.

The aforesaid discount will be valid for the remaining 279 pieces of the silver-tinted F6 Pro notebook. You can follow this link to avail the discount without wasting time since the promo is slated to end in just 4 days.

Buy Teclast F6 Pro Notebook at $449.99, coupon code GBBFlaptop4

Jumper EZbook X3 Laptop (6GB RAM+64GB eMMC)

The renowned Jumper brand’s EZbook X3 laptop from sports an eye-catching 13.3-inch FHD display with a screen resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels. It packs Intel’s powerful Apollo Lake N3350 Quad Core 1.1GHz, up to 2.2GHz processor along with Intel HD Graphics 500 Integrated Graphics GPU, under the hood.

The EZbook X3 usually sells for $431.99, but taking its skyrocketing popularity into consideration, Jumper is now offering its feature-laden laptop for a lowered price of only $219.99 On GearBest. Moreover, this 49% discount can be extended further with the help of coupon code 0GFYB02URB.
The aforesaid coupon helps you save an extra $20 by reducing your order value to only $213.27 while checking out. In addition to that, you earn 199 GB points as well.

In order to grab this discount, all you need to do is to follow this link. There were only 285 pieces of the laptop’s gray color version remaining for this promo, which is slated to end in 4 days.

Buy Jumper EZbook X3 Laptop (6GB RAM+64GB eMMC) at $213.27, coupon code 0GFYB02URB

Xiaomi Mi Gaming Notebook (16GB RAM+256GB SSD+1TB HDD)

Avid gamers, rejoice. Equipped with the latest Windows 10 OS, the Mi Gaming Notebook lets you check e-mail, manage digital files and perform various other tasks without breaking a sweat. The device sports an extra large 15.6 inch IPS display with 1920 x 1080 pixels resolution and is powered by Intel’s Core i7-8750H Hexa Core 2.2GHz, up to 4.1GHz processor.

Moreover, the Mi Gaming notebook packs a highly competent NVIDIA GeForce GTX1060 GDDR5 6G Dedicated Graphics GPU, under the hood for faster and superior gaming and video watching experience. It ships with 16GB of DDR4 2666MHz RAM and offers a hearty 1T HDD + 256G SSD hard disk memory.

While you’d normally associate a steep price tag with a top-branded gaming laptop that offers comparable features, the Mi Gaming notebook is now up for grabs carrying a considerably reduced price sticker of $1399.99 on GearBest.

This is a 32% drop in the device’s steep selling price of $2048.03. But if this doesn’t impress you much, you can use coupon code GBNB06 to save $40 more at the time of checking out. After applying the coupon, your grand total reduces to just $1417.15.

You can head straight to this link if you are interested in grabbing this discount, which will specifically be valid for the dark gray color version of the Mi Gaming notebook.

Buy Xiaomi Mi Gaming Notebook (16GB RAM+256GB SSD+1TB HDD) at $1417.15, coupon code GBNB06

Xiaomi Mi Air Notebook (8GB RAM DDR4+128GB PCIe SSD)

If you’ve restlessly been looking for a cost-effective laptop that’s ideal for your daily use, you might want to take a gander at Xiaomi’s Mi Air notebook. The device features a13.3-inch FHD (1920 x 1080 pixels) display and has Intel Core i3 8130U Quad Core 2.2GHz, up to 3.4GHz processor along with an Intel HD Graphics 620 GPU.

Although it is loaded with awe-inspiring features, the Mi Air notebook will set you back $916.56 on online and offline stores. But if you’re living on a tight budget and aren’t willing to spend that kind of money on a notebook, you can use coupon code DWpNpuFD and save $296.57.
With the help of the coupon, you can reduce your order value to just $641.98 and earn 619 GB points before you click on the ‘Place Your Order’ button. To ensure you do not end up missing this opportunity, follow this link before the promo wraps up!

Buy Xiaomi Mi Air Notebook (8GB RAM DDR4+128GB PCIe SSD) at $641.98, coupon code DWpNpuFD

Lenovo Z5s camera samples released; Teased to deliver better photography experience than Xiaomi Mi 8

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

-

Dec 13, 2018

Lenovo is now building hype around the Lenovo Z5s smartphone that is scheduled to go official on Dec. 17. Yesterday, it had teased the mid-range Xiaomi Mi 8 Lite for having a Snapdragon 600 series chipset. With five days remaining for the launch of the smartphone, the company has released another teaser to take a jibe at the Xiaomi Mi 8 flagship phone. Through the new teaser, the Chinese manufacturer is claiming that the triple camera setup of the Lenovo Z5s offers better photography experience than the Xiaomi Mi 8.

Xiaomi Mi 8 is currently ranking on 9^th position with a score of 99 on DxOMark mobile photography benchmarking platform. In the photography and videography benchmarks, it has respectively scored 105 and 88 points. The smartphone is equipped with dual camera setup that includes a 12-megapixel wide-angle lens and a 12-megapixel telephoto lens. Sitting on the frontside of the Mi 8 is a 20-megapixel selfie shooter.

The images of the Lenovo Z5s have already appeared on TENAA through which it has been revealed that it is equipped with a triple camera setup. The arrangement of the triple camera sensors resembles with Huawei P20 Pro.

The configurations of the triple cameras are yet to appear on TENAA. Now that Lenovo is claiming that the Lenovo Z5s will offer better camera experience than Mi 8, it appears that the phone will be equipped with impressive camera sensors. Rumors have it that Lenovo has already sent the Lenovo Z5s smartphone to DxOMark. However, the benchmarking scores are not available yet.

Shown above are the camera samples shot through the AI triple cameras of the Lenovo Z5s. These images show that the smartphone can capture amazing portrait shots with impressive blurring in the background. The third image promises marvelous low-light photography experience on the smartphone.

Recent reports have suggested that the Lenovo Z5s is fueled by Snapdragon 710 chipset. The minimum specs of the phone that have surfaced through its TENAA listing reveal that it will be arriving with a 6.3-inch display and a 3,210mAh battery. The display of the phone will be featuring a hole at the top-center area for the front-facing camera.

Read More: Lenovo Z5s with hole in display appears in hands-on video, new official poster follows

The Lenovo Z5s will go official on Dec. 18 through an unveil event at the Lenovo Global Headquarters in Beijing. The Chinese manufacturer is also expected to release Zhu Yilong (Lenovo’s spokesperson) customized version of the Lenovo Z5s.

(source 1, 2)

Grab Big Discounts And A Chance To Get An Extra 10% Off On Select Items on Banggood [Coupon Inside]

By

Vinay Patel

-

Dec 13, 2018

Staying true to its reputation for offering the best bang for your buck, Banggood has teamed-up with PayPal to give its users a lot to cheer about.

The Chinese online store’s latest promotion dubbed, ‘Make The Most Of Your Money’ features unmissable Flash Deals and other great discounts that buyers can take advantage of for a limited period of time. Moreover, there’s a 10% off PayPal coupon that can be used on all items included on the promotion page.

This recently kicked-off promo has been split into multiple categories in a bid to facilitate the search process. There’s a ‘Flash Deals’ section that features products bearing big discounts. The next category is called ‘Deals UNDER $9.99’ and it is crammed with all sorts of items that you can get your hands on by spending less than $10.

Likewise, the following category called ‘Deals UNDER $19.99’ features a wide selection of amazing items that carry less than $19.99 price tags. There’s everything from KCASA Progressive Multi-focus Reading Glasses to Goral S5 Stylish Design Color Display Smart Watch Visible Messages Remind Smart Breathing Lamp Watch available in the aforesaid section.

For the sake of an instance, the Goral S5 lamp watch that would normally set you back a pretty penny is now available for a significantly reduced price of only $16.99 on Banggood. This is a noteworthy 58% reduction in the device’s original asking price of $39.99.

Similarly, you can get a 55% off on the Casual Women Solid Color V-Neck Pocket Long Sleeve Mini Dress, which normally sells for $43.07. Thanks to the aforesaid discount, this beautiful dress can now be yours for just $19.33.

In addition to taking advantage of the discount, you can use coupon code PPXmas10% and get an extra $1.93 off at the time of checking out. In other words, you can bring your already lowered grand total further down to just $17.40 simply by applying the aforesaid coupon.

If you are not willing to spend more than $29.99, you can head straight to the ‘Deals UNDER $29.99’ section wherein you can find a lot of useful items that have gone up for sale carrying unbeatable prices. Buyers who do not mind spending more than $30 can check out the ‘Deals Over $30’ category.

The ‘You May Like’ category features select items that are currently available for slashed prices. The section includes a DIY Electric Guitar Mahogany Wood Body Telecaster Thinline Style Body Part Single F Hole, Xiaomi Mijia Kaco LEMO Stapler 24/6 26/6 with 100pcs Staples for Stationery Office Accessories School Supplies and other equally useful items.

You can click here to visit the promotion page. It is worth noting that the above-mentioned 10% Off PayPal Only coupon will be valid until December 31st.

Avail Unmissable Deals On Banggood

Get Xiaomi Mi Pad 4 Tablet PC And The Mi Pad 4 Plus 4G Phablet At Unbeatable Prices On GearBest

By

Vinay Patel

-

Dec 13, 2018

Xiaomi made the long-awaited Mi Pad 4 available to the public in June this year. As expected, the feature-laden tablet PC became an instant hit among those who fancy using a big-screen mobile device to watch their favorite videos and play popular games.
If you’ve restlessly been waiting for the Mi Pad 4 prices to drop, we got good news for you. The Chinese electronics giant has teamed up with GearBest to offer the 3GB RAM + 32GB ROM variant of the well-received tablet PC at a considerably lowered price.

Xiaomi Mi Pad 4 Tablet PC (3GB RAM + 32GB ROM)

The Mi Pad 4 sports an eye-catching 8.0 inches IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen display with a screen resolution of 1200 x 1920 pixels and an aspect ratio of 16:10. The device is housed in a sturdy aluminum body for added protection.

This model ships with 3GB of RAM and offers 32GB of internal storage space for you to save your favorite photos, videos, music etc. While this variant usually sells for $223, you can now buy it for a reduced price of only $165.99 on GeekBuying.

This is a significant 26% discount on this variant’s retail price. On the downside, there were only 45 pieces left and the promo is slated to end in just 3 days. You can follow this link to grab the discount, which is valid for the black color version.

Get 26% Off On Xiaomi Mi Pad 4 Tablet PC

Xiaomi Mi Pad 4 Plus 4G Phablet (4GB RAM + 64GB ROM)

Alternatively, you can go for the slightly bigger model of the Mi Pad 4 that comes with 4GB of RAM and has 64GB of onboard storage. While this variant is up for grabs in gold and black color versions, there’s a noteworthy 28% off only on the black-tinted Mi Pad 4 Plus, which was launched in August this year.

The Mi Pad 4 Plus sports an extra large 10.1 inches IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen display with 1200 x 1920 pixels resolution and 16:10 aspect ratio. The device has an appealing aluminum body and front glass.
While the Mi Pad 4 Plus would normally set you back a pretty penny, you can now buy it for only $299.99 on GeekBuying. This is a significant 28% drop in the device’s retail price.

With only 133 pieces remaining at the time of writing, this promo is slated to end in 3 days. You can head straight to this link in order to avail the discount before the promo comes to an end.

Get 28% Off On Xiaomi Mi Pad 4 Plus 4G Phablet