New Nokia phone with a notch will launch in Dubai on December 5

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Nov 15, 2018

Yesterday, HMD Global took a break from announcing smartphones and unveiled the Nokia 106 feature phone. Today, it has announced that it will unveil a new smartphone on December 5 in Dubai.

The poster for the event shows the phone in three different color variants, one even has a copper-colored line running around the frame. Only a bit of the device is visible but if you zoom in close, you can see the device has a notch.

So what phone is this likely to be? Seeing as Nokia phones with a notch belong to the X-series/Plus series (excluding the Nokia 3.1 Plus) our guess is this phone will also have a Plus in its name. There are reports of a Nokia 2.1 Plus in development, so we won’t be surprised if this is the device.

The Nokia 2.1 has a 5.5-inch HD display and runs Android 8.1 Oreo (Go Edition). It has stereo front-facing speakers, a Snapdragon 425 processor, 1GB of RAM and 8GB of expandable storage. It also packs a 4,000mAh battery, an 8MP rear camera, and a 5MP front-facing camera. The Nokia 2.1 Plus may retain some of these specs.

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Moto G7 render reveals design, waterdrop notch and dual rear cameras

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Nov 15, 2018

Rumors surrounding the Motorola Moto G7 suggests that its arrival may not be far away. The 360-degree CAD renders of the upcoming Moto G7 had surfaced in the previous month. Today, a fresh render of the smartphone has appeared today to reveal its front and rear design.

The Moto G7 render reveals that the phone will be boasting a higher screen-to-body ratio since it is equipped with a waterdrop notch. This makes the smartphone look like the recent OPPO and Vivo phones with waterdrop notch displays. Except for the slightly thick chin with the company’s branding, the handset sports slim-sized bezels around the screen.

The rear side of the Moto G7 is made out of glass which curves towards the edges. The handset sports rounded corners. It is equipped with a circular module for the horizontal dual camera setup and LED flash. The Motorola batwing logo that is placed below the dual camera system is embedded with a fingerprint scanner.

The bottom edge of the Moto G7 is equipped with a 3.5mm audio jack, a USB-C port and a speaker grille. The power button and volume controllers are present on the right edge of the smartphone.

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

The alleged Moto G7 has appeared at FCC with some key specs. Through FCC filings, it has been revealed that the alleged phone is driven by Snapdragon 660 chipset and 4 GB of RAM. It may feature an internal storage of 64 GB.

The Moto G7 may come equipped with a 6-inch display. Rumors have that the phone could be equipped with 16-megapixel + 5-megapixel dual rear cameras. For shooting selfies, the front notch of the phone could be featuring a 12-megapixel snapper. It may feature a 3,500mAh battery with fast charging support. It is speculated that the Moto G7 or G7 Plus could be the first G-series phone from the company to support wireless charging. The smartphone is very likely to come loaded with Android 9 Pie OS.

The Lenovo-owned company had released the Moto G6, Moto G6 Plus and Moto G6 Play smartphones around six months ago. Now that the rumor mill has started leaking information on the features of the Moto G7, it appears that the smartphone may get announced in the coming month or early next year.

(source)

Xiaomi Smartmi Electric Heater Smart version sold out with massive 3385% crowdfunding rate

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Nov 15, 2018

Xiaomi recently launched the Smartmi Electric Heater Smart version under the Youpin crowdfunding platform and today, it has disclosed that the product is already sold out even before going on sale. Turns out that the smart home saw a surge in its crowdfunding with the patronage put at 3,385% higher than 100%. This ensures all available stocks have been sold out even before leaving the factory. The fair 399 yuan ($57) price tag must have played a role in this feat.

The new Smartmi Electric Heater smart version is the second of such product released by Xiaomi’s ecological chain company Smartmi, taking over from the Smartmi Electric heater that can be controlled only manually and is sold on Xiaomi Youpin for just 269 yuan ($38). As the name implies, this smart version comes with some improvements in its design and features over the first model. The major upgrade is the smart feature which is WiFi connectivity that allows the device to be controlled via the MIJIA app on a smartphone. Thus, you can remotely switch it on while at work so as to heat up the home before you get there. This will also afford users the opportunity to stay in bed and control the electric heater without having to step down. The app can also be used to adjust the heating temperature and set other features like child lock etc.

The new Smartmi Electric Heater smart version now has an LED display which shows the heating temperature. The gadget also comes with adjustable temperature support ranging from 16-32 °C. There is also a built-in dual temperature sensor, which stops the power when the ambient temperature reaches the preset value. This will help to reduce power consumption. As part of Xiaomi’s IoT gadgets, the smart electric heater can be connected to the Xiaomi AI speaker, Small love speaker mini and others for centralized control.

(via)

Realme unveils new logo, website gets a makeover

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Nov 15, 2018

Realme, the OPPO offshoot which entered into the market this year announced its new logo today. Not only does it have a new logo, it also has a new wordmark, and redesigned official and community websites.

The old Realme logo which also doubles as its wordmark had the company’s name in lower case with the “real” part of the name in red and the “me” in black. The new logo is a mashup of a lowercase “r” and an uppercase “R”.

The logo was designed by Eddie Opara, an award-winning designer who works for Pentagram. Pentagram is the world’s largest independent design consultancy and they are behind the design of the logos used by MasterCard, Tiffany and the logo for the 2017 Warner Bros/DC film, Justice League.

Eddie Opara says the inspiration for the uppercase “R” logo comes from the way people interact with their phones.

Realme also has a new wordmark which has the company’s name in lowercase with the “r” having the same design as the lowercase “r” of the logo. The name is written in gray against a yellow backdrop. Realme says the gray of the text stands for professionalism, calmness, and inclusiveness while the yellow, referred to as “Realme Yellow” stands for power, style, modernity, and timeless youthfulness.

The new logo, wordmark, and colors are already in use by the manufacturer’s official social media handles. The official website and community website have also been redesigned. Realme has also confirmed that they will be used for its products henceforth.

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Nubia’s second gaming phone may launch as the Red Magic Mars (not Red Magic 2), scores high in benchmark tests

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Nov 15, 2018

Last week, Nubia announced the crowdfunding of its second gaming phone. Originally thought to be called the Red Magic 2, new info has revealed it will probably launch as the Red Magic Mars. The phone has now been benchmarked on Master Lu and AnTuTu.

The phone appears on both benchmark apps as the Nubia NX619J. The Red Magic Mars is powered by a Snapdragon 845 processor and 8GB of RAM. Based on the crowdfunding page and the bunch of teasers, there will also be a 10GB RAM variant with 256GB of storage. Its display size isn’t given but the resolution is said to be 2160 x 1080, the same as that of the Red Magic.

The phone scored a total of 361,730 points on the benchmark app, surpassing not by a small margin, the benchmark score of the Nubia X (311,441 points) which is powered by the same processor and also has the same amount of RAM. If this is the score of the 8GB version, expect the 10GB RAM model to score higher.

The Red Magic Mars also scores high on AnTuTu. Its benchmark score of 319,781 points puts it ahead of the Kirin 980-powered trio of the Mate 20, Mate 20 Pro, and the Mate 20 X and also the Snapdragon 845-powered Black Shark Helo.

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Xiaomi Once Again Leads Indian Smartphone Market with 27 Percent Share in Q3, Topples Samsung

By

Andrew

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Nov 15, 2018

A new report from Internationa Data Corporation (IDC) revealed today, that Xiaomi has once again become the number one brand in India for Q3, 2018 with a market share of 27.3 percent. The Chinese smartphone maker has had a remarkable Q3 shipping 11.7 million units and has consequently toppled Samsung from first place. Moreover, the gap between the first and second now seems to be widening with Samsung garnering a 22.6 percent market share. Meanwhile, Vivo has retained its third position with a growth rate of 36 percent, said the report.

Xiaomi Store Spain — Xiaomi’s New Store in Madrid, Spain

The chief factor of Xiaomi’s resurgence can be attributed to e-commerce sales prior to the Diwali festive season. “eTailers continued to drive affordability with multiple financing options such as zero or low-cost EMIs (equated monthly installments), buyback guarantees and cashback on debit/credit cards,” said Upasana Joshi, Associate Research Manager, IDC India. A big part of these sales was due to Xiaomi’s hugely successful Redmi 5A and Redmi Note 5 Pro besides the newly announced Redmi 6/6A models. Samsung, despite losing first place, recorded an annual growth of 4.8 percent, thanks to its affordable new models like the Galaxy J6 with an Infinity Display.

READ MORE: Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 gets a huge price cut post-Redmi Note 6 Pro launch

The offline segment also clocked a growth of 6.6 percent in the same quarter. Overall, the smartphone market reached a new record high of 42.6 million unit shipments in the third quarter representing a 9.1 percent year-on-year (YOY) growth.
However, with such robust sales, a price hike from Xiaomi and Realme has also hit the industry. Due to the ever-depreciating rupee, both the above-mentioned OEMs have increased prices of a number of their products. Xiaomi increased the prices of the Redmi 6 and Redmi 6A while Realme hiked the prices of the Realme C1 and Realme 2 recently in the country.

Via

Sharp Aquos R2 Compact is official with dual notches and Snapdragon 845

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Nov 15, 2018

The Sharp Aquos R Compact from last year had feature a very small notch for the front-facing camera. The chin of the phone that housed the fingerprint scanner embedded home button was so thick that it was fitted with a smaller screen of 4.9 inches. Today, Sharp has announced the all new Sharp Aquos R2 Compact with dual notches. The upper notch is for the selfie camera and the bottom is for the home button. This novel design has allowed the Aquos R2 Compact a large display with similar dimensions as the predecessor model.

The Aquos R2 Compact measures 131 x 64 x 9.3mm and weighs 135 grams. It sports a dustproof and waterproof body. The compact-sized phone easily fits in the palm. It features an acrylic rear and an aluminum frame.

It features a 5.2-inch IGZO display manufactured by Sharp. It carries support for Full HD+ resolution and it is equipped with features like HDR10 support and Gorilla Glass 3 protection. The USP of the display of the Aquos R2 Compact supports 120 Hz refresh rate.

The Aquos R Compact was a mid-range device since it was fueled by Snapdragon 660. Sharp has not increased the display size on the Aquos R2 Compact, but also it has included the Snapdragon 845 flagship chipset. The SoC is supported by 4 GB of RAM. For storage, it features an inbuilt storage of 64 GB and a microSD card slot.

The 22.6-megapixel wide-angle rear camera and an LED flash is available on the rear side of the Sharp Aquos R2 Compact. The ProPix image quality engine can improve the performance by adjusting the exposure and white balance. The rear cameras support OIS, EIS and AI scene detection. An 8-megapixel selfie shooter is fitted inside the front notch of the phone. The display of the phone can function as flash while capturing selfie shots. The front-facing camera carries support for face unlock.

Read More: Sharp Aquos Zero vs Xiaomi Mi 8 vs Asus Zenfone 5z: Specs Comparison

The Android 9 Pie OS is loaded on the phone along Sharp’s EMOPA voice-assistant. The USB-PD enabled 2,500mAh battery is present under the hood of the device. The usual connectivity features such as 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802.11ac, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS, USB-C and 3.5mm headphone jack are available on the Aquos R2 Compact.

There is no information available on the pricing of the smartphone. The handset will be exclusively available for buying since mid-January. It can be availed in color variants such as Green, White and Black.

Do you find the design of the Sharp Aquos R2 Compact attractive? Express your views by adding your comments below.

Xiaomi Mi 8 Lite new variant with 4GB RAM and 128GB storage goes on sale tomorrow!

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Nov 15, 2018

Xiaomi has officially announced that the new Mi 8 Lite 4GB + 128GB version will officially go on sale tomorrow in China. The new version will be on sale at 10 AM UTC with a price tag of 1,799 yuan.

The Mi 8 Lite was announced in September as a trimmed-down variant of the company’s flagship smartphone Xiaomi Mi 8 launched in May. The Mi 8 Lite features a 6.26-inch Full HD+ display having a screen resolution of 2560 x 1080 pixels, 19:9 aspect ratio, and a notch on top of the display. Under the hood, the device is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 660 AIE octa-core processor, coupled with Adreno 512 GPU. The chipset is manufactured using an advanced 14nm FinFET process.

The phone was originally made available in three variants based on memory configuration — 4GB RAM + 64GB storage, 6GB RAM + 64GB storage, and 6GB RAM + 128GB storage. With this new 4GB+128GB variant, the Mi 8 Lite is now available in four different storage versions. The new variant is also available in three colour options just as the others— Dream Blue, Twilight Gold, and Black. Other configurations are also similar to those of the existing memory versions.

Huawei Could Showcase its first 5G Foldable Phone at MWC 2019

By

Andrew

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Nov 15, 2018

While the world prepares to enter the 5G era, smartphone OEMs are doing their part to introduce new handsets that will eventually become the gateway to this blazing fast Internet medium. The likes of Xiaomi have already introduced their very first 5G compatible handsets in the shape of the Mi MIX 3 while OPPO recently demonstrated a working R15 prototype with 5G. However, Huawei has just announced that it will be introducing it’s first 5G handset at the Mobile World Congress in 2019.

President of Huawei in Western Europe, Vincent Pang, made the announcement at the annual Huawei Innovation Day on 7 November 2018, in Rome, during an exclusive interview with Communications Today. What’s even more interesting is that Pang hinted that this could very well be the first foldable 5G smartphone. The announcement comes after Samsung demoed its own foldable handset at the annual developer conference a few days back but the handset is yet to make a true official appearance. The Korean giant will also be releasing the handset at some point in 2019. The first foldable 5G Huawei device will be made available to retail during the third quarter of 2019.

Apparently, Huawei believes that Europe is on track for a speedy deployment of 5G technology and infrastructure and hence the company is releasing a 5G handset early, suggested Walter Ji, President of Huawei’s Consumer Business Group, also present at the event. Besides the above mentioned innovative tech, Huawei has invested heavily in improving the camera and battery department as well.

READ MORE: Huawei And BOE Are Reportedly Teaming Up To Make 8-Inch Foldable Display Smartphone

The Chinese brand has done quite well with its recent two flagships – the P20 Pro and Mate 20 models – in Europe. As per an IDC report, The Chinese smartphone OEM is the second largest smartphone seller in the world displacing Apple.

(Source)

Vivo Y83 Pro gets price cut in India, now available for Rs. 14,990 ($208)

By

Jeet

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Nov 15, 2018

Vivo Y83 Pro, the upgraded version of the Vivo Y83, was launched in India in August this year for Rs. 15,990 (approximately $222). The phone has now received a price cut of Rs. 1,000 (approximately $14).

The price cut has been confirmed by the company and the phone is now available for purchase for Rs. 14,990, approximately $208. The device is available for purchase in India through online stores such as Amazon and Flipkart, as well as through offline stores.

The Vivo Y83 Pro features a 6.2–inch HD+ FullView 2.0 IPS display with screen resolution of 1520 x 720 pixels and 19:9 aspect ratio with a notch on top of the display. Under the hood, the device is powered by Mediatek‘s Helio P22 octa-core processor.

The device packs 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage. There’s also a microSD card slot which enables users to further expand the storage capacity of the device up to 256GB.

In the camera department, the handset sports a dual rear camera setup with a 13-megapixel primary sensor and a 2-megapixel secondary sensor. On the front side, the phone comes with an 8-megapixel selfie camera, and an AI Face beauty feature.

The phone has a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor for added security. On the software front, the device is running Android 8.1 Oreo operating system out-of-the-box and is powered by a 3,260mAh battery.

Redmi Note 6 Pro to launch in India on November 22

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Nov 15, 2018

The Redmi Note 6 Pro is gradually making its way across Asia. Following its launch in Thailand and Indonesia, it is now set to arrive in India and the date is November 22.

The Redmi Note 6 Pro does not offer much when it comes to upgrades. It has the same processor as the Redmi Note 5 (Redmi Note 5 Pro in India) and the same battery capacity. However, it is nowhere alike with its predecessor.

The Redmi Note 6 Pro has a 6.26-inch 1080 x 2280 display with a 19:9 aspect ratio and Corning Gorilla Glass on top. The notched display is bigger but the phone has the same form factor as the Redmi Note 5 Pro. It also has two cameras in front – a 20MP f/2.0 0.9μm sensor and a 2MP f/2.2 1.75μm secondary sensor. There is AI portrait selfie, Beautify 4.0, and face recognition.

Xiaomi has kept the dual rear cameras of the Redmi Note 5 Pro but they are not exactly the same sensors. The 12MP primary camera now has a 1.4μm f/1.9 aperture and the secondary 5MP camera has a 1.12μm f/2.2 aperture. There is dual-pixel autofocus, enhanced low-light photography, HDR, EIS, and dynamic bokeh.

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Samsung’s foldable phone 3D renders reveals its marvelous appeal

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Nov 15, 2018

At the Samsung Developers Conference (SDC) that was held in the previous week in San Francisco, Samsung showcased the Infinity Flex Display for its upcoming foldable smartphone. The company also released key information on the outer and inner displays of the smartphone. Lets Go Digital has shared 3D renders of the alleged Galaxy F foldable phone to reveal what the device may look like in reality.

Samsung has revealed that its upcoming foldable phone will be equipped with two screens that were namely referred to as Cover Display and Main Display. The frontside of the phone will feature 4.6-inch Cover Display that will carry support for 840 x 1960 pixels. When the device is opened, it offers a tablet-like experience through its massive 7.3-inch Main Display. The flexible OLED screen offers 1536 x 2152 pixels.

The prototype device with flexible screen that was displayed at SDC 2018 appeared quite thick. However, the actual device will appear quite thin as the current non-foldable phones. Like the recent Samsung phones, its upcoming foldable phone may sport rounded corners. The 3D renders shown shows how the foldable phone may appear in the tablet mode when the device is opened. When folded, the two screens do not touch each other and a small gap is created between them.

Samsung has been working on its foldable phone since several years. It has reportedly placed touch transparent polymide layer on the flexible OLED panel by using Optical Transparent Adhesive that can stretch when the device is folded or unfolded. It is equipped with 45 percent thinner polarizer.

Read More: Samsung Galaxy S10 to have three variants; components sourced from Chinese suppliers

Samsung has reportedly started the mass production of the Infinity Flex Display. Since it will be a limited-edition phone, the South Korean company will reportedly develop one million units initially. Since the company is expected to announce the Galaxy S10 series at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2019 tech expo in February. It is speculated that a 5G version of Galaxy S10 and Galaxy F foldable phone may debut in March. The latter could be priced around $1,800.

(source)

Honor becomes the top selling smartphone brand in Singles Day sale in China

By

Jeet

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Nov 15, 2018

Huawei‘s sub-brand Honor has announced that the brand was the top Singles Day performer in terms of sales volume and revenue under the Smartphone category on two of China’s biggest e-commerce platforms — Tmall.com and JD.com.

The company further said that this is the third consecutive year of Honor’s sales supremacy during the Singles Day sales. The company also surpassed Apple in sales in both stores. The company’s latest premium device, Honor Magic 2, was the best selling smartphone in the 4000 to 5000 Yuan category, roughly price range of $580 to $720.

Commenting on this, George Zhao, President of Honor, said:

I’m thrilled that Honor achieved these unbeatable results even under what has become a tough situation for the global smartphone industry. Global smartphone shipments in Q3 2018 represented a 6% YoY decline, the Chinese smartphone market is also declining and was down 11% in the first half of 2018. Our strategy and undiminished efforts in R&D have ensured Honor bucked this global trend, especially in key areas of smartphone technology innovation such as AI, GPU Turbo, and our excellence in smartphone design.

The Singles Day sale also helped extend Honor’s growing influence into Southeast Asia. In Indonesia, Honor became a best seller in Mobile Category and Electronics Category at shopee.com, selling over 8,000 units within 80 minutes.

In India, the company revealed that during the Diwali sales, Honor recorded 300 percent year-on-year growth and sold over a million smartphones. It also said that the company’s fanbase increased by 32 percent.

Meanwhile, the company is also set to launch its new smartphone, dubbed Honor 10 Lite at an event in Beijing on 21st November. At the event, Honor is expected to launch the Honor 10 Lite Supreme Edition as well.

Google Glass 2 hits FCC, formal announcement expected soon but launch might get delayed till 2019

By

Simranpal Singh

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Nov 15, 2018

Google Glass 2 Enterprise edition is all set to unveil here with a set of new features. It has appeared at FCC certification agency in the US. The new version for the Google Glasses aka. Google Glasses 2nd Gen. Enterprise Edition is all set to sail through the Global market by next year. It will bring upgraded features which will improve the overall usability of the Glasses. The new device bears a model number of A4R-GG2 and is certified by FCC in the US.

Although, there are very minimal details and information that has revealed at FCC website. Rather than the model number we have successfully figured its design from detailed preset. It will have the same button and hinge mechanism allowing the device to fold, a power button on the backside, and a Glass logo. Along with the similar design aspects, there might be some specs improvements also. It will have a good processor, battery life and improved core features.

We expect its formal announcement from Google side very soon as FCC has approved it in the US. It’s predecessor, and Google Glass Enterprise edition carries dual band WiFi, audible speaker, an LED, Intel Atom CPU, 32 GB storage and a 780 mAh battery. Well, Google Glass 2 Enterprise Edition will come with considerable improvements to make space for some new features. Despite new additions, there won’t be any 4G support as expected but will get Bluetooth and WiFi options.

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

Well, we think Google Glass 2 Enterprise Edition might launch in 2019, and even folks at MySmartPrice believes that it won’t hit the shelves in 2018. The pricing and other availability details are not yet available, but we expect it to be available for $1500.

Additionally, the AR market is evolving, Cupertino giant is also preparing a similar AR Glasses. Facebook has even started the development for the AR-based products, and moreover, Huawei has also jumped into the development of a similar AR based product.

How many of you are waiting for the standard Google Glasses?

(Via 1, 2)

Buy Bakeey-Branded Smart Watches And Watch Accessories At Unbeatable Prices On Banggood [Coupon]

By

Vinay Patel

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Nov 15, 2018

If you’re a fitness-conscious person who fancies keeping a track of your health and various other activities without spending a lot of money, you’ve come to the right place.

As part of its recently kicked-off promotion sale, Banggood is now offering a wide selection of smartwatches and watch accessories at unbeatable prices. On top of that, the Chinese online store is giving cost-conscious buyers an opportunity to get an extra 10% off on Bakeey-branded watch accessories.

The promo has been split into different categories so that buyers can easily what they’re looking for.

The ‘Highly Recommended’ section features the Bakeey M3 smart bracelet, the Bakeey N99 smartwatch, and the Bakeey H8 HR blood pressure smartwatch bracelet for women. More importantly, the aforesaid smart devices are currently available at considerably lowered prices.
You can find a myriad of Bakeey-branded smartwatches and smart bracelets under the ‘Hot Sales’ category. The section includes Bakeey’s X6, Q18, the B05 and other well-received smart bracelets that you can buy without emptying your pocket. The Bakeey Z60 smartwatch; however, carries its original selling price of $16.99.

Alternatively, you can take a gander at some recently introduced smart wearable devices under the ‘New Arrival’ category. The section is graced by the presence of the coveted Bakeey A6, the M30 and a few other smartwatches that have gone up for sale bearing heavily discounted price tags on Banggood.

If you’re in the market for Bakeey watch accessories, you might want to head straight to the last section called ‘Bakeey Watch Accessory.’ Aside from taking advantage of the regular discounts that Bakeey is offering on these watch accessories, you can use coupon code 471f27 to get an extra 10% off.

For instance, the Bakeey Anti-lost Design Mesh Stainless Steel Watch Band for Mi Band 3 would normally set you back $29.99 on online and offline stores, but you can now buy for just $12.99 on Banggood. You can extend this 57% discount by using the aforesaid coupon to get an extra discount.

You end up saving an extra $1.30 after applying the coupon and your grand total reduces to only $11.69. You can click here to check out the promotion page and take full advantage of the big discounts before the promo wraps up. Note that the coupon is slated to expire on December 31st.

Get Big Discounts On Bakeey Smartwatches And Smart Bracelets Download Banggood App To Get A 10% Off App Coupon

Huawei Preparing it’s Own Voice Assistant to Pitch Against Google Assistant

By

Andrew

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Nov 15, 2018

When we talk about virtual voice assistants, the two names that come to mind immediately are Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. While Google dominates the Android smartphone segment with its data-driven assistant, Alexa has carved out a niche of its own in the new smart speaker segment. However, if fresh news is to be believed, Huawei might soon join the race with the likes of Samsung and numerous other smartphone OEMs.

Richard Yu, CEO of Consumer Electronics at Huawei was quoted by CNBC in an exclusive interview as saying, ” In the beginning, we are mainly using Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa” for its AI Cube and smartphones, he said. “We need more time to build our AI (artificial intelligence) services … Later we will expand this outside of China.”

Huawei already has a China-centric voice assistant called XiaoYi, not to be confused with the similarly named Xiao AI of Xiaomi. The world number two brand also recently unveiled the Huawei AI Cube which is the company’s first AI-powered smart speaker. Yu stated that until their own voice assistant is ready for prime time, they will continue using Google and Amazon’s offerings in their global products.

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

Despite the executive’s statement, much about the voice assistant remains unknown. There’s no detail on what languages it will support on debut nor the time of its unveiling itself or even what it will be called outside of China. However, it seems the ever-growing popularity of voice assistants has attracted the Chinese giant’s attention and it wants a share of the pie.

(Source)

Xiaomi Bamboo Slate, a tablet like device to digitize paper content now on sale for 799 Yuan (~$115)

By

Simranpal Singh

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Nov 15, 2018

Xiaomi has started the sale of WACOM developed Bamboo Slate for the price of 799 Yuan (~$115) which roughly translates to $115. Users can own it via some online stores such as Amazon and official Youpin Store. Xiaomi powered Youpin store website already hosts various home products that are different from the majority of smart devices. Xiaomi publishes products of companies which are associated with them for sale and distribution.

Xiaomi Bamboo Slate is a digital notebook which translates all your paper notes and drawings into digital content with the help of technology. You can get the digital copy of your handwritten or crafted stuff with a press of a single button. It also helps you to export, edit and synchronize sketches, drawings, graphics on Android, iOS, and Windows with the help of WACOM Inkspace. Users can choose the format in which they want to export such as Jpeg, Png, PDF, and WILL.

It also supports digital modification function that is impossible on paper notes. There are many other features which makes it different from the normal tablets.

It works using the electromagnetic resonance technology which helps to produce the digital prints within a single button press. It constructs a stable and precise magnetic field on the bottom of the device. Further, the magnetic fields are displaced with the help of an electromagnetic pen which captures and records the writing signal in real-time. It helps to realize the writing and later redo it if needed.

In detail, WILL technology supports free handwriting trace and document splitting of digital documents. It also helps to edit, delete and even coloring the document in digital format. Users can also connect to any Bluetooth device with the help of a dedicated app to display paper writing in real-time. It can store the documents both online and offline. In offline storage option, the user can only store 100 pages at a time.

Read more: Xiaomi Mi Note Bamboo Edition hands-on pictures

It is portable, lightweight and supports pen storage with 100% handmade fabric design. Buyers can own it for the price of 799 Yuan (~$115) from different online stores.

(Source 1, 2)

GearBest Black Friday 2018 To Offer Big Discounts And Deals That You Don’t Want To Miss!

By

Vinay Patel

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Nov 15, 2018

With Black Friday just around the corner, it looks like shopaholics are in for a treat.

This hotly-anticipated retail bonanza has become an inseparable part of Thanksgiving celebrations and GearBest is all set to be included in the revelry. The Chinese electronics online store will be doling out unmissable deals and great discounts on a wide selection of products.

The 2018 Black Friday deals have been split into multiple categories in a bid to simplify the search process. These categories include products ranging from fashion, electronics, smart wearables and lots more.

The first section called ‘Fashion Style’ offers fashion conscious people who are living on a tight budget a lot to cheer about. The currently On Sale products include heavily discounted items like the AMAZFIT Outdoor Anti-slip Running Athletic Shoes for Couple, GUANQIN GJ16034 Men Auto Mechanical Watch and lots more.

The ‘Flash Sale’ category, on the other hand, is brimming with high-end electronic items. Under the Bu Now section, you can get big discounts on items like the LETV X522 4G Phablet, the NO.1 F18 GPS Sports Smartwatch, Xiaomi Mi Pad 4 Tablet PC, Dibea Cordless Vacuum Cleaner etc.

The ‘Pre-Order Sales’ category has further been divided into multiple sub-categories including Phones & Tablets, Computer & Office, Electronics, Smart Life, and Outdoor & RC Toys. More importantly, all items featured in this section are available at unbeatable prices.

For instance, the Redmi 6 smartphone that normally sells for $149.99 can now be yours at a dropped price of just $109.99. In order to get this $40 off, you first need to make a deposit of $10.

GearBest has not ignored brand-conscious buyers either. The next category dubbed, ‘Battle of the Brands’ feature a myriad of items from popular brands like Excelvan, Tanix, Jumper, Ulefone, Aqara, and Creality 3D just to name a few.

Moreover, new GearBest members whose net spend is $50 or more (after applying the discount), can get an extra $5 PayPal offers.

You can click here to visit the promotion page and check out all the products along with the Marketplace Deals and Warehouse Deals categories.

Check Out GearBest’s Black Friday 2018 Deals

Qualcomm Snapdragon 8150 scores 362,292 on AnTuTu, highest yet for an Android device

By

Jeet

-

Nov 15, 2018

Qualcomm is reportedly working on its new flagship chipset which is expected to be unveiled by the end of this year. The upcoming flagship chipset is the successor of the Snapdragon 845, is rumored to be called Snapdragon 8150 and not Snapdragon 855.

Now, ahead of the official announcement of the Snapdragon 8150, the chipset’s benchmark score has surfaced online through AnTuTu. The chipset has scored 362,292 points on AnTuTu, making it the first chipset running on Android platform to have crossed the benchmark of 360,000 points.

In comparison, the Huawei Mate 20 series devices running on Kirin 980 chipset managed to score an average of 311,840 points while the highest score so far for the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845-powered device is currently held by Xiaomi’s Black Shark Helo smartphone which scored 301,757 points.

Based on the results, it appears that the Snapdragon 8150 is providing 16 percent better performance compared to the Huawei‘s Kirin 980 and 20 percent better performance than its predecessor, the Snapdragon 845. The score of the Snapdragon 8150 could also increase after a bit of optimization by the manufacturers.

Recently, a Geekbech listing revealed that the chipset logged a score of 3,281 in the single-core test, and 11,023 in the multi-core test. These scores are higher than Snapdragon 845 that logged a score of 2,500 in single-core test and 8,900 in multi-core test.

The Qualcomm Snapdragon 8150 is expected to come with three-cluster CPU core design, similar to Kirin 980 and Exynos 9820. It will feature one large performance core running at a clock speed of 2.84GHz, three medium cores clocked at 2.4GHz, and four small efficiency cores clocked at 1.78GHz. It will pack Andreno 640 GPU that is claimed to offer 20 percent better performance compared to Adreno 630.

The chipset is expected to be manufactured using the newest 7nm process by TSMC and the die size is going to be 12.4 x 12.4mm. While the chipset is expected to be announced next month, the devices running on Snapdragon 8150 are expected to be available from the first half of 2019. Meizu is expected to be among the first to launch device powered by SD8150 SoC.

(Source)

OPPO A7 likely to debut on November 22

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Nov 15, 2018

OPPO A7 has been in the rumors since several weeks. The entire specs of the smartphone have surfaced through recent leaks, but OPPO is yet to confirm on its launch date. Fresh information suggests that the company may launch the smartphone on Nov. 22 in China.

The OPPO A7 is yet another mid-range phone from the Chinese manufacturer. The handset will be equipped with a 6.2-inch LCD screen that will feature a waterdrop notch. It is expected to carry support for HD+ resolution of 720 x 1520 pixels. The side bezels of the phone are thin, but its bottom bezel is a bit thick.

The low powered Snapdragon 450 will be at the helm of the device. The handset is expected to arrive in two models. The base model may feature 3 GB of RAM and 32 GB of internal storage. The higher variant is expected to be packed with 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB of native storage. The smartphone will also feature a microSD card slot for more storage.

A 13-megapixel + 2-megapixel dual camera arranged in horizontal design is placed on the backside of the OPPO A7. A fingerprint scanner is placed on the back panel of the phone. For snapping selfies, the handset features a front-facing camera of 16-megapixel. The handset receives power from a 4,230mAh battery.

The OPPO A7 appears to be rebranded version of the Realme 2 that is available for buying exclusively through online channels. The A7 could be aimed towards offline markets. The only difference between the two handsets is that the Realme features an 8-megapixel selfie shooter. The OPPO A7 is expected to arrive in color choices such as Glaring Gold and Glaze Blue.

Read More: Two new OPPO phones with big batteries and large displays appear on TENAA

OPPO is yet to confirm on the Nov. 22 launch date of the smartphone. The handset is expected to be priced around 1,599 Yuan (~$230) in China. Some rumors have claimed that the handset will be coming to India too. However, the social media channels of OPPO India is yet to reveal any information on its arrival.

(source)