Samsung Galaxy S8, S8+ and Note 8 to get Android 9.0 Pie soon

-

Nov 14, 2018

An unnamed Realme smartphone carrying model number RMX1833 has appeared on benchmarking portal Geekbench. The phone is powered by MediaTek’s Helio P60 chipset — the same one that powers the company’s first smartphone — Realme 1.

While the upcoming’s phone name is not yet known, it is believed to the be the Realme 3. This will be the second smartphone from Realme to be powered by MediaTek’s chipset. After the Realme 1, the company shifted from MediaTek to Qualcomm for the processor of its Realme 2, 2 Pro, and C1.

The RMX1833 that appeared on Geekbench is powered by MediaTek Helio P60 octa-core processor along with 4GB RAM and is running Android 8.1 Oreo operating system. As for the performance, the device achieved a single-core score of 1,560 points and a multi-core score of 5,926 points.

It is speculated that the RMX1833 could be the successor of the Realme 2 that was launched a few months ago. However, there’s no evidence available yet to support this claim. The phone could be launched early next year given that Realme India CEO Madhav Sheth had earlier said that the company plans to launch a couple of devices before March 2019.

MediaTek has recently launched the Helio P60 successor — MediaTek Helio P70. It is built using TSMC’s 12nm FinFET technology and comes with multi-core APU operating at up to 525MHz for fast and efficient edge-AI processing. The AI engine delivers a 10 to 30 percent AI processing boost compared to the Helio P60, says the company.

Soon after the Helio P70 became official, Madhav Sheth, CEO of Realme India had confirmed that the company will be the first to launch Helio P70-powered smartphone. He said, “The next Realme will be powered by P70 and it is coming soon.” He has also clarified that while the phone will be a game changer in its price segment, it is not the successor of the Realme 2 or 2 Pro.

(Via)

Honor Magic 2 gets update, replaces EMUI 9.0 with Magic UI 2.0

By

Habeeb Onawole

-

Nov 14, 2018

When the Honor Magic 2 was announced, it was revealed it would be running EMUI 9.0 out of the box. However, Honor said there will be an update which will bring a new user interface called Magic UI 2.0 to the phone. That update has started rolling out.

The update which is pretty small, just 214MB in size, not only brings a new UI but also comes with November’s security patch. The changelog says Magic UI puts the focus on AI. If you remember, the Honor Magic 2 has an AI assistant called YoYo with features like in-call live voice translation and a feature similar to Google Duplex.

Magic UI 2.0 also brings a new color scheme, icons, and fonts which means your phone will look really different after applying the update. Apart from that and the features YoYo brings, the guys at XDA-Developers say Magic UI 2.0 isn’t really different from EMUI 9.

[envira-gallery id=”222684″]

If you are the proud owner of the Honor Magic 2, you can go on and check for the update. If it isn’t available, you will have to wait since updates are usually released in batches.

The Honor Magic 2 has a slider design which lets it adopt a bezel-less screen. The front cameras and sensors are placed on the second half of the phone and are visible when you slide the phone down.

The screen is a 6.39-inch AMOLED display with a 19.5:9 aspect ratio. Powering the phone is a Kirin 980 processor with 6GB/8GB of RAM and 128GB/256GB of expandable storage. There are three cameras on the rear of the phone – 16MP + 16MP + 24MP and another three cameras in front – 16MP + 2MP + 2MP.

Continue

Buy Elephone U Pro Smartphone For Just $299.99 On CooliCool; Here’s How

By

-

Nov 14, 2018

The Elephone U Pro smartphone has gone up for sale carrying a significantly lowered price tag on CooliCool.

Staying true to its reputation for making budget-friendly smartphones that are loaded with impressive features, Elephone launched the U Pro smartphone this year in February. As expected, the phone became an instant hit among smartphone lovers after hitting the store shelves.

Taking its skyrocketing demand into consideration, Elephone is now offering the U Pro smartphone at an unbeatable price of just $399.99 on CooliCool. This is a noteworthy 20% reduction in the phone’s original asking price of $499.99. But there’s more for you to cheer about.

Elephone is giving cost-conscious buyers an opportunity to avail 40% off on the phone’s retail price. We’ll divulge more details about how you can get this unmissable discount and buy the U Pro for just $299.99 on CooliCool in just a bit.

It is imperative for you to bear a few things in mind if you’re interested in taking advantage of this discount. In order to avail the discount, you need to buy the phone as soon as the countdown displayed on the promotion page comes to an end.
This discount will be valid for one hour daily from 18:00 PM to 19:00 PM (Beijing time) and 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM (London time). Moreover, if you’re willing to shell out an extra $12.29, you can get shell case, quick charger or a screen protector for your U Pro smartphone.

The U Pro is an absolute bargain at this price, given that it sports an eye-catching 5.99-inches AMOLED, FHD+ 3D Curved display with a screen resolution of 2160×1080 pixels. The phone is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 processor and it packs a competent Adreno 512 GPU, under the hood.

This Elephone-branded smartphone ships with 6GB of RAM and it offers a hearty 128GB of onboard storage, which supports 128GB TF card expansion. On the photography front, the Up Pro houses a 13MP+13MP ArcSoft Algorithm dual camera setup on the back and an 8.0MP front shooter.

Furthermore, the U Pro runs on Android 8.0 Oreo OS and it draws its juices from a robust 3550mAh battery that supports wireless charging as well as QC3.0 Quick Charge feature. The dual-SIM smartphone has useful sensors including a G-sensor, P-sensor, L-sensor, Gyrometer, Hall, compass, and a fingerprint sensor.

You can follow this link to check out the full specification and avail the big discount before the promo ends.

Get 40% Off On Elephone U Pro Smartphone

Buy iLife A7 Robotic Vacuum Cleaner at an unbeatable price of $199

By

Get Huge Discount on iLife A7 Robotic Vacuum Cleaner

-

Nov 14, 2018

As the festive season is going on, major manufacturers are offering huge discounts on their daily use home products. Similarly, iLife has reduced the price for their iLife A7 Robotic Vacuum Cleaner with a discount of over 30%. Usually, it retails at the regular price of $229.99, but after rebate, you can own it at the offer price of $199.

It is a quite useful product, as it brings automation to your house and makes it smarter. When it comes to house cleaning, our smartphones, wearables and all other devices remains helpless until you own an intelligent Vacuum cleaner. Well, today is the chance to own an iLife A7 Robotic Vacuum cleaner at a discounted price of $199.99 from Amazon. Users can control this smart Vacuum cleaner with an App specially designed for both iOS and Android devices.

Along with smartness, it also carries a reliable motor with mechanical buttons. Talking about its features, iLife A7 carries a 3rd generation cyclone power cleaning system and an interchangeable rolled brush system. It easily handles, dust, debris, pet hairs, and all other small particles. It can be used either on carpets or hard floors.

It comes packed with the rubber and bristle brush to use it on different kinds of floors conveniently. It comes packed with varying modes of cleaning such as Auto, Spot, Edge, Path and Max mode. These modes can clean the surface as per the preset settings. It can automatically charge itself when it runs low on power. It can clear all kind of dirt by going underneath the different furniture which is made possible due to its low profile design.

In smartness, a user needs to download a specific app to control it remotely and automatically. Along with the smart control, there’s a mechanical button and remote control also. A user can schedule the cleaning process as per the need at any time of the day or week. A user can also control the direction, suction level and other functions of the device.

Read More: Get Big Discounts And Unmissable Deals On Mobile Phones And Tablets On GearBest

There are many other pros of having this beautifully crafted Robotic Vaccum cleaner at your premises. Currently, you can grab it for a discounted price of $199.99. Usually, it is available at the price of $229.99. You can head over to the Amazon button below to grab this unbelievable deal.

Motorola’s Moto X4 starts receiving Android 9 Pie update in India

By

-

Nov 14, 2018

Moto X4, an all-glass smartphone from Lenovo‘s Motorola that was launched in August last year, has now started receiving the Android 9 Pie update in India. The over-the-air (OTA) update is around 1.1GB in size and carries build number PPW29.69-17.

When launched, the phone was running Android 7 Nougat operating system out-of-the-box and received the Android 8.1 Oreo update earlier this year. The new Android Pie update is the second major update for the Moto X4.

It is likely that the new update is being rolled out in phases, so you may have to wait a couple of days to receive the update if you haven’t already. To install the update, go to Settings > About device > Software update > Check for update.

The Android Pie update should bring several new features to the year-old Moto X4, including the new gesture navigation, App Actions, App Slices support, Adaptive Battery, Digital Wellbeing, Dark Mode, among others.

The Moto X4 flaunts a 5.2-inch LTS IPS Full HD display with 1920 x 1080 pixels screen resolution and pixel density of 424ppi. Under the hood, the phone is powered by QualcommSnapdragon 630 octa-core processor clocked at 2.2GHz.

It comes in three models — 3GB RAM with 32GB internal storage, 4GB RAM with 64GB internal storage, and 6GB RAM with 64GB internal storage. There’s a 12MP + 8MP camera on the back and an 8MP front-facing shooter.

The phone supports Dual SIM, 4G VoLTE, USB Type-C port, NFC, Bluetooth 5.0, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n/ac, GPS, and GLONASS. The IP68 certified device is powered by a 3,000mAh battery with fast charging support.

Apart from Moto X4, the company has also promised Android Pie update for the Moto Z3, Z3 Play, Moto Z2 Force Edition, Moto Z2 Play, Moto G6, G6 Play, and G6 Plus. The Motorola One Power was recently spotted running Android Pie, so its safe to assume that the company will soon roll out Android Pie for the One Power.

(Via)

Jia Yueting announces Faraday Future IPO scheduled for 2020, mentions new FF81 model

By

Habeeb Onawole

-

Nov 14, 2018

Faraday Future, the electric vehicle company co-founded by Jia Yueting, which has been embroiled in a financial dispute with its main investor, Evergrande had an event this week where it announced some “good news”.

It turns out that the company’s financial troubles are getting resolved. Faraday Future has received an emergency relief from the Hong Kong International Arbitration Center against Evergrande which allows it to find other ways of financing. Its search for new funding has yielded results as it has begun talks with blockchain company, EVAIO.

Reports say the outcome of the talks will see Faraday Future get up to $900 million in funding over a three-year period. Also, quite a number of EVAIO executives used to work at Tesla before, so Faraday Future will benefit from their wealth of experience.

Jia Yueting also revealed that he plans to take out 64% of his personal equity to motivate workers and another 40% of equity shares to provide an incentive for partners and outstanding talents ahead of a planned IPO in 2020.

Continue

Buy Top Variants Of The OnePlus 6T Smartphone At Unbeatable Prices On GeekBuying [Coupons Inside]

By

-

Nov 14, 2018

If you’ve been waiting to get your hands on the OnePlus 6T without emptying your pocket, you’ve come to the right place. In collaboration with GeekBuying, OnePlus is offering various models of the OnePlus 6T smartphone at unbeatable prices.

Aside from taking advantage of the unmissable discounts, we’ll show how you can save a considerable amount of more money during the checkout process. So without further ado, let’s head straight to the details.

OnePlus 6T (6GB RAM+128GB ROM) – Mirror Black

The original asking price of the OnePlus 6T smartphone model that comes with 6GB of RAM and offers a hearty 128GB of internal storage is $812.99 on GeekBuying. Thanks to a 29% discount, the above-mentioned model can now be yours at a dropped price of just $575.99.

The discount will be valid for the mirror black color version of the smartphone for 3 days. You can follow this link to avail the discount before the promotion comes to an end.

OnePlus 6T (8GB RAM+128GB ROM) – Mirror Black

Designed for advanced multitasking like running your games, editing apps all at the same time, this version of OnePlus 6T smartphone ships with 8GB of RAM. The model offers 128GB of ample storage space so that you can save your favorite content like music, movies etc without worrying about running out of storage space.

You’d normally end up spending $855.99 on the aforesaid version; however, you can now buy it for just $645.99 on GeekBuying. You can extend this 25% discount further by using coupon code ONEPLUS06 that helps you save an extra $115.02 while checking out.

Your grand total reduces to just $584.99 after applying the coupon, which is likely to expire soon. You can follow this link to use the coupon and receive the big discount before the promo wraps up in 3 days.

OnePlus 6T (8GB RAM+128GB ROM) – Midnight Black

Alternatively, you can go for the awe-inspiring midnight black color version of OnePlus 6T that sports a mammoth 6.41-inch Optic AMOLED FHD+ display with 2340 x 1080 pixels resolution. While this model usually carries a steep $822.99 price sticker, it is now up for grabs for only $639.99 on GeekBuying.

In addition to doling out this 22% discount, GeekBuying is giving cost-conscious an opportunity to save more money by using coupon code ONEPLUS02 before checking out. The coupon helps you save an extra $100.02 by reducing your cart total to just $579.99.

On the downside, the promotion is slated to end in just 3 days. You can click here to receive the discount.

OnePlus 6T (8GB RAM+128GB ROM) – Purple

This purple-tinted variant of the OnePlus 6T smartphone would usually set you back $861.99, but you can now pre-order it for only $699.99 on GeekBuying. This model comes with 8GB of RAM and offers 128GB of internal storage.

You can save an extra $100 during the checkout process simply by applying coupon code ONEPLUS04 before you click the ‘Place Your Order’ button. You end up spending only $599.99 on this eye-catching model, which will be available for this reduced price for a limited period of time only. You can head straight to this link to grab this discount.

Meizu could be one of the first ones to use Snapdragon 8150

By

-

Nov 14, 2018

There are plenty of rumors about the upcoming Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 aka Snapdragon 8150 SoC. We have got reports that the Meizu’s new device will debut on the Qualcomm’s upcoming Snapdragon 855 chipset in December. Already, it has been touted to debut with the Galaxy S9 in the early next year with the 5G support and 7nm process. The new SoC will directly compete against the Kirin 980 which have dual NPUs and support for 5G, Apple A12 which is built on 7nm and is already here with new iPhone alterations, and the Samsung’s Exynos 9820 which is built upon the 8nm process.

Today a famous user on Weibo posted that the Meizu is set for debut with the Qualcomm’s 8150 chip. The new flagship device of Meizu will feature a similar design as that of the Meizu 16th. Only, its frame will be replaced by stainless steel. There will not be any significant change rather than some tweaks in the design of the Meizu 16th. There is a probability that it might acquire a different approach in design rather than the current full view display.

If the new report is to believe, then the new Meizu 16s or any other Meizu device will be an attraction among the buyers, and it will help them to get some good sales. Still, there are many illusions about the Snapdragon 855, but we have to wait for a month more before we compare it with the competitors such as Apple A12, kirin 980 and recently launched Exynos 9820.

Read More: Snapdragon 855 Geekbench scores appear; Crosses 10k points in multi-core test

As per the rumors, Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 will have three-clusters CPU, and the core cluster is designed similar to Kirin 980 and Exynos 9820. Further, there will be two super large cores, two large ones and the last will be small cores. It will come with the Snapdragon X24 4G LTE based (2GBps) modem. Though, there are rumors which are also pointing towards its 5G capabilities.

Still, there are still many unanswered questions on the web about Snapdragon 855. We have to wait for some time more for the official debut of it on any mobile device.

(Source)

Pre-Order Zeblaze THOR 4 Pro Watch Phone For Only $99.99 On Banggood

By

-

Nov 14, 2018

If you’ve ever explored the smart wearable market, then Zeblaze might just sound familiar.

Zeblaze is known for manufacturing high-end products for fitness purists who fancy monitoring their health and other activities. Staying true to its reputation, the Shenzhen-based company recently unveiled the THOR 4 Pro watch phone, which has now gone up for pre-order carrying a lowered price tag on Banggood.

The THOR 4 Pro would normally set you back a pretty penny, but you can now pre-order it without emptying your pocket. Keeping in line with that, Zeblaze is offering this feature-laden watch phone at a considerably lowered price of just $99.99 on Banggood.

This is a noteworthy 58% decrease in the original asking price of the THOR 4 Pro watch phone. On the downside, the aforesaid discount will only be valid for the first 500 pieces only. The next 800 pieces will carry a $129.99 price tag while the remaining 1200 pieces will sell for $179.99.
The THOR 4 Pro watch phone sports an easily readable 1.6-inch LTPS Crystal display with a screen resolution of 320×320 pixels. Moreover, it is housed in a sturdy case made using superior quality zinc alloy material.

Its rear case features DLC drilling carbon coating, which is further augmented with an eye-catching strap made from Italian leather and silicone layer. This Zeblaze-branded watch phone has a dimension of 46.7×46.7×15.7mm and it weighs in at just 76g.

The Zeblaze THOR 4 Pro comes in two color versions including brown and black and the aforesaid discount will be valid for both color variants.

In order to take full advantage of this great discount, all you need to do is to follow this link. Note that the pre-orders will arrive on December 3rd.

Get 58% Off On Zeblaze THOR 4 Pro Watch Phone

Apple iPad Pro (2018) now available for pre-order in India, goes on sale from November 16

By

-

Nov 14, 2018

Last month, Apple announced its new iPad Pro featuring a brand new design and the most powerful iPad internals ever. During the announcement, the company only said that the devices will be available in India later this year.

Now, the company has started taking pre-orders for the iPad Pro (2018) in India and will start shipping the devices from 16th November which is the official launch date in the Indian market.

The new iPad Pro comes in two sizes – 11-inches and 12.9-inches. Both feature the new Liquid Retina display with a 2388 x 1668 pixels resolution on the small one and a 2732 x 2048 pixels screen resolution on the larger one. Both displays have the same 264ppi pixel density and up to 600 nits of brightness.

Under the hood, the device is powered by the new Apple Bionic A12X chipset with an embedded M12 co-processor. Based on the internal storage, the tablet comes in multiple variants, including 64GB, 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB.

Coming to the camera, there’s a 12MP f/1.8 camera on the rear of the device and a 7MP f/2.2 camera in front that can shoot portrait images. The iPad Pro has 4 speakers and 5 microphones, and the device comes in two models — WiFi-only and LTE.

The Touch ID on the iPad has now been replaced by Face ID similar to the new iPhone models. It runs iOS 12 out of the box which supports gesture-based navigation. The 11.7- inch model has a 29.37 watt-hour battery and the 12.9-inch version has a 36.71 watt-hour battery, and both are claimed to last up to 10 hours on a single charge.

The iPad Pro (2018) 11-inch variant’s base model is priced at Rs. 71,900 (~$997) and goes up to Rs. 1,53,900 (~$2,133) while the 12.9-inch variant’s base model costs Rs. 89,900 (~$1,246) and goes up to Rs. 1,71,900 (~$2,382). The second-generation Apple Pencil costs Rs. 10,900 (~$171) while the Smart Keyboard Folio for 11-inch model costs Rs. 15,900 (~$220) and Rs. 17,900 (~$248) for the 12.9-inch model.

Xiaomi TV sales are twice as much as the second best brand in the recent 11/11 promo

By

-

Nov 14, 2018

Xiaomi’s $575 million worth of sales at this year’s double 11 Singles’ Day is also constituted majorly by Xiaomi TV sales. In a new report from the AVI Cloud, an online data monitoring company, it was found that Xiaomi TV sales were twice as much as the second best brand in the recent 11.11 sale event. It has witnessed huge TV sales and has constituted 28.9% overall TV sales and stood first in the distribution list. While, Skyworth stood at 13.8% followed by Hisense at 11.1%, TCL at 6.3% and many other major TV manufacturers in the remaining list.

In the data above, we can see the difference in sales between the Xiaomi and Skyworth which remained at the 1st and 2nd position in the distribution chart. As the sales have risen, it has led to a considerable increase in the earnings also. Xiaomi has grabbed 24% of the total sale amount share in TV sales at double 11 events. Similarly, Skyworth held the 2nd position with 13.5% percent chunk while Sony’s high-cost TVs has led them to earn 16.8% of total sales.

Even companies like Changhong has earned a good amount of sales worth 6.5%. While Hisense stood at 13.2%, TCL shelled 11.7% and brands like Haier and Sharp constituted ~6% of sale amount share.

From the numbers, it is clear that Xiaomi is a big winner here and has grabbed most of the sales in double 11 sale event. Even Xiaomi TV department official said that “Every one of the three TVs sold in the double 11 sales is a Xiaomi TV.”

Read More: Xiaomi apologizes for misleading Flash sale ad when only 10 units were up for grabs

Overall in comparison, the first four places remain unchanged while Xiaomi witnessed a little decline. Despite being on the bottom in the total number of sales, Sony managed to hit the 5th spot in the best brands table in terms of sales amount due to their high-cost TVs.

Well, it seems Xiaomi has got a lot of profit this time from the 11.11 sales. Xiaomi has gained sales worth $575 million in just 24 hours on the sale day.

(Via)

Realme 1 and Realme 2 confirmed to receive Android 9 Pie update ‘soon’

By

-

Nov 14, 2018

Recently, Realme announced that it’ll be releasing ColorOS 5.2 update for its Realme 1, 2, 2 Pro and C1 smartphones. Now the company has shed more light on its update rollout plans and has confirmed that the Realme 2 will get ColorOS 5.2 update by December-end.

Further, the company has also confirmed that the Realme 2 will be also be updated to Android 9 Pie. In a tweet, the company has confirmed that it would be releasing Android Pie for both the Realme 1 and Realme 2 smartphones ‘soon’.

However, the company has not yet revealed specific timeframe but it seems that the update will be released early next year. Since the ColorOS 5.2 for Realme 2 will be rolled out in December-end, we expect the Android Pie for the same to be available by the end of the first quarter next year.

Previously, the company had confirmed that the Realme 1 will be receiving the Android Pie update and it appears that the Android 9 Pie for the Realme 1 will be released a little sooner than the Realme 2. We expect the company to release more details regarding this in the coming weeks.

The company has still not revealed anything related to the Android Pie update for the Realme 2 Pro but given that the Realme 2 is confirmed to get Android 9 Pie, the 2 Pro should also be updated to the newer version of Android.

What is to be seen is if the company plans to roll out Android Pie update for the Realme C1, which is the most affordable smartphone from the company so far. The phone was priced at Rs. 6,999 (approx. $97) in India when launched, however, it received a price hike recently and is now retailing for Rs. 7,999, roughly $111.

Apart from Realme C1, the Realme 2 has also received a price hike. As for the 2 Pro, the company has confirmed that the phone will not get a price hike. Realme was created by Oppo as an online-only brand but the Realme phones are now available for purchase through offline channels in India, thanks to the company’s partnership with Reliance.

(Source)

Get Big Discounts On Different Versions Of The Huawei Mate 20 X Smartphone On Giztop

By

-

Nov 14, 2018

Huawei kicked-off pre-orders for the Mate 20 X this year in October and now, the recently released smartphone has gone up for sale bearing a heavily discounted price tag on Giztop.

Before we divulge more shreds of information about the aforesaid discount, let us take a look at the awe-inspiring features and top-end specs that make the Mate 20 X an irresistible smartphone. First off, this Huawei-branded phone sports a colossal 7.2-inch OLED, HDR display with a Full HD+ resolution of 2244 x 1080 pixels.

It packs the powerful Hisilicon Kirin 980 octa-core processor along with highly competent Mali G76 720MHz GPU and GPU Turbo 2.0, under the hood. You can choose between the midnight blue and phantom silver color versions of the Mate 20 X which comes is available in 6GB RAM+128GB ROM and 8GB RAM+256GB ROM variants on Giztop.

The midnight blue-tinted Mate 20 X smartphone with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage usually sells for $949, but you can now buy it for just $759 on Giztop. Likewise, the phantom silver color version of the phone with 6GB of RAM and 128GB ROM would normally set you back $899, but you can now buy it for only $709 on Giztop.
The slightly larger midnight blue color variant of the Mate 20 X which ships with 8GB of RAM and a hearty 256GB ROM carry a steep $1,199 price tag, but the official online store of GizmoChina is now selling it for just $1,009. The phantom silver color version having the same storage capacity also sells for $1,199 but can be yours at an unbeatable price of $1,009 on Giztop.

On the photography front, the Mate 20 X smartphone houses a 40MP+20MP+ 8MP triple-camera module with Leica certification on the back. Up front, there’s a 20 MP Leica Ultra Wide Angle Lens, which is ideal for capturing beautiful landscapes and shooting other macro shots.
Furthermore, this Huawei-branded smartphone runs on EMUI 9 based Android Pie 9.0 OS and draws its juices from a 5000mAh battery. The phone supports over 30 languages including English, German, Spanish, Portuguese, French, Italian, Russian, and Arabic just to name a few.

You can visit this link to check out the full specification of the Huawei Mate 20 X and buy the feature-rich smartphone at a considerably lowered price on Giztop before the promo ends.

Get A Great Discount On The Huawei Mate 20 X Smartphone

Xiaomi apologizes for misleading “Flash sale” ad when only 10 units were up for grabs

By

Jed John Ikoba

-

Nov 14, 2018

Xiaomi has just learned the importance of using the correct grammar when interfacing with English fans. The company recently officially made its online debut in the U.K with the launch of the Mi 8 Pro and a few other models. As a way of celebrating its new market and also to drum up patronage, the company rolled out a “flash sale” where the Mi 8 Lite and Mi A2 were offered for £1.

Interestingly, this was more or less a 10-unit giveaway but the fans had other ideas. Again, the company never disclosed the number of units that will be available for the “£1 flash sale”. So, some were left disappointed when the sales were concluded in a flash. Xiaomi at first offered three units of both phone models and then executed a follow-up with two units apiece. This brought the total units sold to 10.

Some fans took to Twitter to voice their anger over the immediate stock depletion, with one fan even going into the website code, revealing the page was programmed to show Out Of Stock once the Order button was clicked. Wilkin Lee, Sales and Marketing Director of Xiaomi UK clarified in a reply to a tweet that out of the thousands who clicked “Buy” simultaneously, the tie-breaker was done by random selection, even though the Terms & Conditions said winners would be selected on a first come, first serve basis. A complaint was even sent to UK’s regulator of advertising, the Advertising Standards Authority.

Apparently, the fans thought this was the usual flash sale with a sizable available stock. These misgivings have prompted the Chinese giant to issue an open apology. In an official statement, Xiaomi UK disclosed that the team “did not realize that the public associates this term (flash sale) with a very particular type of deal that Xiaomi has run in the past across different global markets, where more than 10 devices were available.”

Despite this hiccup, Xiaomi phones are now available in the UK via the company’s website as well as Carphone Warehouse, Three and other partners. In addition, Xiaomi will open its first Authorised bricks and mortar Mi Store on Sunday at Westfield London.

(source)

Global smart speaker shipments grew 197% in Q3 2018, Xiaomi takes the fifth position

By

-

Nov 14, 2018

A latest quarterly report from research firm Strategy Analytics shows that the global smart speaker shipments grew at an astonishing rate of 197 percent year-on-year, reaching a record 22.7 million units in the third quarter of 2018.

With such growth, it is on track to surpass 100 million units in use during the final quarter of this year. According to Canalys, the market grew 187 percent in Q2 2018, with shipments of 16.8 million units.

David Mercer, Vice President at Strategy Analytics, said:

The number of smart speakers in use globally will crash through the 100 million unit barrier this month and exceed 125 million by the end of the year. The market has reached this key milestone faster than pretty much any other consumer technology device to have launched over the past decade.

In Q3 2018, the category was led by Amazon with over 32 percent market share and 7.2 million shipments. The second position was grabbed by Google that holds around 23 percent market share and shipped 5.2 million units.

Alibaba ranks third with 9.5 percent market share and 2.2 million shipments. Another Chinese brand, Baidu, was the biggest mover in the quarter with an increase in its market share from 1 percent in Q2 2018 to 8 percent in Q3 2018 and 1.9 million shipments.

After Alibaba and Baidu, China-based Xiaomi stands fifth with 8.4 percent market and 1.9 million shipments — same as Baidu. This is a significant increase in shipments from Xiaomi as it reportedly shipped 0.1 million units in Q3 2017. Apple holds the sixth position with 4.8 percent market share and 1.1 million shipments.

China has emerged this year as the second largest market for smart speakers after the USA. Strategy Analytics is forecasting a twelve-fold annual increase in Chinese shipments for the year 2018. The North America market is still being dominated by Amazon and Google in this category.

From the report, it seems that the three Chinese companies — Alibaba, Baidu, and Xiaomi are in a three-way battle to get the pole position in the smart speakers market, with a heavy focus in the Chinese market which is mainly driven by low pricing and heavy discounting.

Pre-Order Doogee S80 Rugged Smartphone For Just $379.99 On Banggood And Win Free Gifts!

By

Get 21% Off On Doogee S80 Smartphone Download Banggood App To Get A 10% Of App Coupon

-

Nov 14, 2018

If you’re an adventure junky who fancies staying in touch with friends even during your adventurous outdoor activities, you might want to take a gander at the Doogee S80 rugged smartphone.

Marketed as the first digital and visual walkie-talkie rugged smartphone in the world, the Doogee S80 was launched this year in September. The device boasts an impressive array of features and top-end specs that make it a great choice for those who engage in thrill based activities.

While manufacturers would normally stick a steep price tag on the feature-laden smartphone that’s loaded with unique features, Doogee is offering its well-built S8 smartphone at a considerably lowered price on Banggood. You can pre-order the S80 for just $379.99 on the popular Chinese online store that guarantees the best bang for your buck.

In addition to receiving this 21% reduction in the phone’s original asking price of $479.99, buyers get an opportunity to win free gifts when they pre-order the S80 on Banggood. Moreover, you can apply coupon code 2018BF8% to extra discounts on the Toys Hobbies & Robots category.

Note that the aforesaid coupon will not be valid for the promotion featuring an 8% off. It is also worth noting that there were only 95 pieces of the orange and black color versions of the S80 remaining at the time of writing.
The sturdy S80 smartphone sports a big 5.99 Inch FHD+ display with a screen resolution of 1080×2160 pixels at a pixel density of 403PPI. It packs a powerful MT6763T, 8*Cortex-A53, up to 2.5GHz processor along with an equally competent ARM Mali G71 MP2 770MHz GPU, under the hood.

The Doogee-branded phone comes with 6GB of RAM and offers 64GB of expandable onboard storage (up to 128GB). Furthermore, it runs on Android 8.1 Oreo OS and is backed by a robust 10080mAh battery.

On the photography front, the S80 houses a 12.0MP+5.0MP dual camera module on the back and a 16.0MP front shooter with 80° wide-angle for selfies. It features multiple sensors including a proximity sensor, ambient light, compass, and a fingerprint sensor with 360° Identification.

You can click here to visit the promotion page and get the discounts and free gifts before the promo ends.

Huawei to release head-mounted AR glasses within the next two years

By

-

Nov 14, 2018

In order to deal with future prospects, Huawei is already working quite hard to bring AR, VR to their devices. Previously, they have added AI, AR in their latest flagship Mate 20 Pro. Although it seems Huawei doesn’t want to remain in just apps or smartphones market, they want to enter AR glasses market in the next couple of years. In an interview speaking to CNBC, Richard Yu, CEO of the company’s consumer group said that they are working on AR glasses and it would be ready for commercialization in the next few years.

On a broader perspective, Richard Yu confirmed that Huawei is working to bring AR experience to the next level by introducing wearable spectacles. It will directly resemble AR Google Glasses and Microsoft HoloLens giving a similar experience, but there will be a considerable advancement this time. Many new things have been refined over the past, and we hope Huawei to come up with more useful AR glasses.

Talking about it, Yu said, “With this AR, you can have AR glasses working with phone, maybe you can watch more of a large area.”

Richard Yu added that the AR would not see much use in the beginning but in future, you will see more value for it. It is the sole reason that Huawei has started to implement the new AR, VR techniques in its latest smartphones. Huawei wants users to become accustomed to it before scratching further into the AR.

Further, Yu Richard added that “In the beginning you may feel AR … is nothing. But in the future you will see more and more the value of that.”

Read More: Huawei AI Speaker debuts in China with its own virtual assistant, priced 399 Yuan (~$60)

Well, the renewed interests by major giants have again initiated talks about AR in the market. Along with Huawei, Apple is also in works on the AR glasses. Apple CEO Tim Cook talked about it at different events. Even, the Cupertino giant has acquired Akonia Holographic. Although, Facebook is also in works on AR glasses as last month Ficus Kirkpatrick has confirmed about the AR hardware product to TechCrunch.

Some experts over IDC expects 200,000 AR headset shipments this year, which will rise to 21 million in 2022. It means AR market is going to see a bump in the next few years. So, guys get ready for the next level of AR experience along with the 5G evolution.

(Source)

Honor 10 Lite key specifications leaked; Reservations begin on VMall

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

-

Nov 14, 2018

The Honor 10 Lite will be officially announced on Nov. 21. The handset has already appeared on TENAA, but its specs are yet to appear on the website of the Chinese telecom authority. Huawei’s sub-brand has already started with the reservations of the smartphone which will continue until its launch date. The reservations page of the Honor 10 Lite has reportedly revealed some of its key specs.

The Honor 10 Lite will be debuting as a lighter version of the Kirin 970 powered Honor 10 flagship phone that was announced in May this year. According to Android Pure, the Honor 10 Lite will be featuring a 5.84-inch display that will carry support for Full HD+ resolution. The Kirin 710 chipset is expected to power the smartphone. The handset is expected to arrive with Android 9 Pie OS along with EMIUI 9.0 preinstalled. The GPU Turbo technology that accelerates the GPU performance will be available on the device.

For shooting selfies, the Honor 10 Lite is expected to feature a 24-megapixel front-facing camera. The back panel of the phone is rumored to be equipped with an f/1.8 aperture 13-megapixel primary sensor and a 2-megapixel secondary sensor. It could be featuring a 3,320mAh battery.

The Honor 10 Lite has already appeared on TENAA with its front and rear images. Apart from dual cameras, the smartphone is equipped with a fingerprint scanner on its back panel. The smartphone is expected to arrive in attractive color gradient options.

Read More: Huawei flagship with quad cameras, 10x optical zoom coming in 2019

There is no confirmation on the authenticity of the aforementioned information since the specifications of the Honor 10 Lite are not mentioned on the reservations page. Apart from launching the Honor 10 Lite, the company may also unveil Honor 10 Lite Supreme phone.. The Chinese manufacturer has reportedly partnered with U.S. based skateboarding and clothing brand Supreme for the special version of the Honor 10 Lite. The handset will be featuring a red-colored rear panel with a large-sized “Sup” written on it. Probably, it could be featuring the same specs as the regular Honor 10 Lite.

(source 1, 2)

Samsung announces Exynos 9820 8nm chipset with NPU and 40% better GPU performance

By