Sirin Labs’ Finney, the world’s first blockchain smartphone, is now available for purchase

Get A Big Discount On Xiaomi Mi 8 Global Version

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Nov 30, 2018

Following in the footsteps of its well-received predecessors, the Mi 8 garnered huge popularity among smartphone lovers after hitting the store shelves this year in June.
If you have restlessly been waiting to buy this recently launched phone without emptying your pocket, it might interest you to know that the global version of the Mi 8 smartphone has gone up for sale carrying a lowered price tag on Giztop. There’s more for you to cheer about.

The global version of the Mi 8 smartphone would normally set you back a pretty penny on both online as well as offline stores, but you can now buy it for only $399 on Giztop. This is a big discount considering the phone usually carries a steep price tag of $439.

You can head straight to this link to check out the phone’s full specification and avail this discount before the promotion comes to an end.

In addition to offering the Mi 8 at an unbeatable price, Giztop is giving buyers an unmissable chance to get their hands on global versions of all Xiaomi-branded smartphones without breaking the bank. In order to avail the discount, all you need to do is to apply coupon code MGLOBAL at the time of checking out.
The aforesaid coupon provides an extra 3% off when applied. For the sake of an instance, the global version of the Mi Max 3 smartphone is currently available carrying a $259 price tag of Giztop, but you can use the above-mentioned coupon to save $7.77 more.

In other words, you can use the coupon to bring your grand total down to just $251.23. You can head straight to this link to check out the Xiaomi global smartphones that you can buy for a lowered price using the coupon.

Buy Global Versions Of Xioami Phones At Lowered Prices

Oppo successfully attempts WeChat video calling using a 5G smartphone

By

Jeet

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Nov 30, 2018

Today, Oppo’s Vice President Shen Yiren announced on Chinese microblogging platform Weibo that the company has successfully conducted the world’s first WeChat video call using a 5G smartphone.

Announcing this development, he said in a Weibo post, “Hello Oppo! Hello 5G! Sharing an exciting news. At 0:57 on November 30, we successfully made the world’s first 5G mobile phone-based WeChat video call. Oppo’s six major research institutes are connected globally and 5G is one step closer!”

The announcement from the company suggests that the video call was made using a completed and commercially available form of a 5G smartphone with fully integrated 5G supporting components, to demonstrate the ability of a 5G-enabled smartphone.

Oppo is one of the leading contributors to the 5G standards and is reportedly providing a large amount of support to ensure that the standardization work gets completed on time. The China-based company is aiming to become a leading promoter of 5G product development and commercialization.

The company had established its 5G Communication Standard team at the beginning of 2015. It is also among the fore-front members in the international standard organization 3GPP, based on the number of documents submitted by the company.

Earlier in May, the company had announced that it had successfully implemented the first 5G video call demonstration using 3D structured optical technology. The demonstration based on FPGA prototype verification platform carried out downlink 1.4Gbps and uplink 160Mbps transmission rate.

Oppo recently announced the completion of 5G signaling based on commercial mobile phones and the connection of data links, determining the basis for 5G mobile phones to achieve reliable communication functions. Recently, Oppo also announced the completion of the first 5G Internet access.

Meanwhile, Oppo’s Product Manager Chuck Wang has reportedly confirmed that the company will announce its first flexible smartphone at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, in February next year.

Poco F1 Armored Edition for 64 GB and 128 GB editions tipped to launch soon

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Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Nov 30, 2018

Xiaomi had introduced the Poco F1 budget-friendly flagship phone in August. The highest version of the smartphone that features 8 GB of RAM and 256 GB of storage is priced at Rs. 28,999 (~$416) in India. The same model also comes in Armored Edition that features a premium looking Kevlar rear. This model is priced at Rs. 29,999 (~$430). Fresh information reveals that Xiaomi may soon release Armored Editions for the other variants of the smartphone.

According to the latest information, the 6 GB RAM + 64 GB storage and 6 GB RAM + 128 GB storage models of the Xiaomi Poco F1 will be also coming in Armored Edition. Currently, these models are only available with polycarbonate rear.

There is no information available on the pricing on the upcoming Armored Edition variants of the Poco F1. Since the Armored Edition of 8 GB RAM + 256 GB storage model costs only Rs. 1,000 more than its regular model, there is a possibility that the Armored Editions of 6 GB RAM + 64 GB storage and 6 GB RAM + 128 GB storage models could be priced at Rs. 21,999 (~$315) and Rs. 24,999 (~$358). At present, the regular versions of these models are selling for Rs. 20,999 (~$301) and Rs. 23,999 (~$344).

Read More: Xiaomi to soon launch Qualcomm Snapdragon 675-powered smartphone

The Poco F1 is the cheapest Snapdragon 845 chipset powered smartphone. The handset features a 6.18-inch IPS LCD notched screen that supports an aspect ratio of 18.7:9 and full HD+ resolution of 1080 x 2246 pixels.

The 12-megapixel + 5-megapixel dual camera setup is placed on the rear side of the phone. For shooting selfies, it is equipped with a 20-megapixel front-facing shooter. For security, the Poco F1 is equipped with a rear-mounted fingerprint reader. For easy unlocking under dim light conditions, the phone carries support for IR face recognition. The Poco F1 is packed with a 4,000mAh battery that carries support for Quick Charge 4.0. The handset is available in color choices like Graphite Black, Rosso Red and Steel Blue.

Would you be interested in buying Armored Editions of 64 GB and 128 GB Poco F1? Let us know your thoughts by adding your comments below.

Avail Great Discounts On EU Stock TV Boxes On GeekBuying [Coupons Inside]

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Check Out GeekBuying’s TV BOX EU Stock Sale

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Nov 30, 2018

TV boxes can transform any regular television into a Smart TV and that’s exactly why the device is in high demand. While there’s no dearth of feature-rich TV boxes in the market, they don’t come cheap.

GeekBuying is leaving no stone unturned in a bid to make TV boxes available even to the cost-conscious buyers. As part of its latest promotion, the Chinese online store is offering a chance to save a considerable amount of money by bringing the steep retail prices of all EU stock TV boxes down and offering coupons that give extra discounts.

Dubbed as ‘TV BOX EU Stock Sale,’ the promo has been divided into numerous categories so that buyers can effortlessly find they’re favorite TV box. You can use coupon codes to get extra discounts, provided you spend a specific amount of money.

For instance, you can use coupon code OCTTV1 to save $3 extra if your grand total is more than $50. If you shop for over $100, you can apply coupon code OCTTV2 to get an extra $10 off.

Likewise, when your cart value goes above $70, you can use coupon code OCTTV3 to get an extra $6 off. The coupon code OCTTV4 can get you an extra $15 discount if you end up spending more than $180 on the site.

Under the ‘Featured Deals’ section, you can buy the XIAOMI Mi Box S 4K TV Box (Italy & Poland Stock) and the Beelink S2 Gemini Lake N5000 Fanless Mini PC (EU Stock) at unbeatable prices.

Xiaomi Mi Box S TV Box
While the Mi Box S usually sells for $126.74, you can buy it for just $89.99. This is a noteworthy 29% reduction in the device’s original selling price and you can extend it further by using coupon code OCTTV3. The coupon helps you save an extra $6 by reducing your grand total to just $83.99.

You can visit this link to grab the discount before the promo ends.

Beelink S2 Mini PC

The Beelink S2 Gemini Lake N5000 Fanless Mini PC would normally set you back $338.92, but can now be yours if you’re willing to shell out just $276.99. This 18% discount will only be valid 8GB LPDDR4 RAM+128GB SSD variant for a limited period of time.
You can use coupon code OCTTV2 to get an extra $20 while checking out. The coupon helps you reduce your cart total to just $256.99 without breaking a sweat.

You can visit this link to grab the discount. Note that the promo was on the verge of wrapping up at the time of writing.

MX10 HDR TV Box

Marketed as one of the first models to pack the Rockchip RK3328 SoC which was launched during the CES, the MX10 is quite an irresistible TV Box. It is capable of playing 4K videos with H.265, H.264 and VP9 codecs. Moreover, it comes with HDR, HDMI 2.0, USB 3.0 etc.

The MX10 with 4GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage usually sells for $91.97, but this version has now gone up for sale carrying a heavily discounted price tag of just $54.99. Aside from receiving this 40% discount, you can use coupon code OCTTV1 to save $3 more.
Thanks to the aforesaid coupon, your grand total drops to just $51.99. You can visit this link to avail the discount before the promo comes to an end in 1 day.

Mecool KIII PRO TV Box

The KIII PRO TV box comes with an integrated DVB-T2 and DVB-S2 digital TV tuner that facilitates the reception of over-the-air standard as well as high definition digital TV transmissions. It packs an ARM Mali-T820MP3 GPU and is powered by an Amlogic s912 processor that has a maximum clock speed of 1.5 GHz.

While its top-end specs justify the steep $198.95 price tag it normally carries, you can now buy the KIII PRO TV Box for a dropped price of just $115.99 on GeekBuying. This is a significant 42% drop in the device’s original asking price.
On top of that, you can use coupon code OCTTV2 to save $10 more while checking out. As a result, your grand total decreases to just $105.99. You can visit this link if you’re interested in getting this discount.

MediaTek Helio P90 flagship chipset is reportedly launching on December 13

By

Jeet

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Nov 30, 2018

Rumors were making rounds online suggesting that the Taiwan-based chipset maker MediaTek will soon launch the Helio P80 chipset after the launch of Helio P60 and Helio P70. However, the company recently revealed that it will soon launch the Helio P90 chipset, essentially confirming that it’s dropping the Helio P80 nomenclature.

Now, the latest report suggests that the MediaTek Helio P90 will be officially launched on 13th December at a launch event in Shenzhen, China. In conversation with 91Mobiles, MediaTek’s General Manager – Wireless Communication, TL Lee revealed that the upcoming flagship chipset will be unveiled at a launch event in China on December 13.

While the chipset will be announced in the first half of December, we don’t expect to see the commercial utilization of the Helio P90 anytime soon. TL Lee suggests that the devices powered by the Helio P90 SoC could make their way to the market in Q2 of 2019.

According to MediaTek, its upcoming Helio P90 flagship chipset “changes everything” and the “powerful” and “efficient” processor is also claimed to feature “groundbreaking AI”. Currently, nothing more is known related to the upcoming chipset.

Explaining the rationale behind skipping the Helio P80, Lee reveals that the reason the brand is choosing to skip the launch of P80 is to highlight that the P90 SoC is significantly better and not just an iterative upgrade of the recently-launched Helio P70.

Recently, details about the Helio P80 chipset had emerged online, suggested that it will be manufactured using TSMC’s 12nm process but the architecture will be upgraded and the AI performance will be greatly improved. It was speculated that the AI performance on Helio P80 could be even stronger than Huawei ‘s Kirin 980 processor despite being a mid-range chip.

The claim related to the AI performance was further buttressed by the AI benchmark results which placed Helio P80 and Snapdragon 8150 above the Kirin 980. In addition, the Helio P80 processor was said to be the one used on OPPO’s R19 which is planned to launch next year.

(Source)

Buy CHUWI Hi9 Air Tablet For Just $159.99 On Banggood [Coupon Inside]

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Get 36% Off On CHUWI Hi9 Air Tablet

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Nov 30, 2018

While the market is brimming with high-end tablets that support 4G network, these devices usually carry steep price tags.

If you’re looking for a 4G tablet that doesn’t cost a bomb, you might want to take a gander at the Box CHUWI Hi9 Air tablet. In a bid to make it available to cost-conscious buyers, CHUWI is now doling out a noteworthy discount on the coveted tablet’s retail price.

We’ll shed more light on the aforesaid discount and even show how you can save a considerable amount of extra money during the checkout process. So without further ado, let’s head straight to the details.

Like numerous other 4G tablets available in the market today, the Hi9 Air doesn’t usually come cheap, but you can now get your hands on the CHUWI-branded 4G tablet for a considerably lowered price of only $179.99. This is a 36% reduction in the device’s original asking price of $279.99.
An absolute bargain at this price, the Hi9 Air sports an extra large 10.1 inch 10-point IPS touch display with 2560 x 1600 pixels resolution for lifelike images and videos. It is housed in a sturdy metal frame that provides protection and enhances its overall cosmetic appearance.

It packs a powerful MediaTek Helio X20 (MT6797) processor and an ARM Mali-T880 MP4, 700 MHz, 4-Cores GPU, under the hood. The tablet comes with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of onboard storage that you can use to save your favorite content.

On the photography front, the Hi9 Air houses a 5.0MP rear-mounted camera and a 2.0MP selfie shooter. Moreover, it runs Android 8.0 Oreo operating system and draws its juices from a built-in 8000mAh Lithium-Polymer battery.

In addition to taking advantage of this discount, you can use coupon code 8ae2a4 to save an extra $20 before proceeding to checkout. In other words, the coupon helps you to bring your already lowered grand total further down to just $159.99.

Regrettably, the coupon will only be valid for today. If you’re interested in receiving the discount and using the coupon, all you need to do is to follow this link without wasting time.

Two Versions Of The Elephone A5 Phablet Goes Up For Pre-Order Bearing Heavily Discounted Price Tags On GearBest

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Pre-Order Elephone A5 4G Phablet

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Nov 30, 2018

Elephone took the wraps off its long-awaited A5 phablet earlier this month. Loaded with an impressive array of features and top-end specifications, the A5 is an irresistible phablet that you can now pre-order on GearBest at an unbeatable price.

There are two versions of the Elephone A5 phablet including the one designed specifically for the European region and one that’s made suit the varied needs of users based in other areas.

Elephone A5 4G Phablet European Union

You can now pre-order the Elephone A5 European Union version for just $229.99 on GearBest. This is a significant 15% drop in the phablet’s original selling price of $269.62. Note that the discount will only be valid for the Twilight color model.

Elephone A5 4G Phablet Other Area

Elephone fans living outside the EU-28 countries can go for the A5 phablet model that’s designed exclusively for other areas. While it normally carries a $264.01 price tag, you can now pre-order for only $229.99 on GearBest. This is a 13% discount that will be limited only to the Twilight color version of the phablet.
As a phablet, the Elephone A5 sports an extra large 6.18-inches IPS, FHD+ multi-touch display with a screen resolution of 1080 x 2246 pixels. It packs a powerful MediaTek Helio P60 MT6771, 64-Bit processor along with an equally competent ARM Mali G72 MP3 800MHz, 3-Cores GPU, under the hood.

Both European Union and Other Area versions will ship with 4GB of RAM and offer 64GB of onboard storage for users to save their favorite content. On the photography front, the A5 4G phablet adopts a five-camera technology that comprises 12.0MP + 5.0MP + 0.3MP cameras on the back and 20.0MP + 2.0MP front shooters.

Moreover, the phablet runs Android 8.1 Oreo OS and draws its juices from a robust 4000mAh battery. Aside from that, the device features a slew of useful sensors including the G-sensor, P-sensor, L-sensor, Gyro, compass, hall, and fingerprint sensor.

You can click here to visit the promotion page and take full advantage of the discount. Note that the promo is slated to end on December 16th.

Get Big Discounts On Top-Branded Products Shipping From Oversea Warehouses [Coupon Inside]

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Check Out GeekBuying’s Cyber Monday Local Stock Promo

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Nov 30, 2018

As part of its recently kicked-off ‘Cyber Monday Local Stock’ promotion, GeekBuying is doling out noteworthy discounts on overseas stocks.

The promo has been split into multiple categories comprising DE stock, ES stock, IT stock, PL stock, and UK stock. The rest of the products have been divided into Top 10, Best Deals, Recommended and Hot Phones sections.

Each section is brimming with heavily discounted items that will be shipped from a warehouse based in one of the aforesaid locations. You can buy items like smartphones, laptops, TV boxes, wearables and lots more at heavily discounted prices.

Aside from taking full advantage of the discounts, you can apply coupon code FRIDAY2018ES to get an extra $11 off if your grand total exceeds $100. Note that the site-wide coupon will be valid for all smartphones shipping from overseas warehouses.

SJRC Z5 GPS 2.4G WIFI FPV Foldable RC Drone

If you’re a drone enthusiast looking to get your hands on a high-end RC drone without spending a lot of money, you’ve come to the right place. The feature-laden SJRC Z5 foldable drone has gone up for sale carrying a lowered price sticker of only on GeekBuying.
While the SJRC Z5 GPS drone would normally set you back a pretty penny, you can now buy it for just $129.99 on GeekBuying. This is a 28% drop in the drone’s original selling price of $180.99, and you can extend it even further by applying coupon code MNLFFCGJ.

The coupon helps you save an extra $44 by bringing your grand total down to just $119.99 before you place your order. You can follow this link to avail the discount before the promo ends today.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Smartphone

Looking for a top-branded smartphone that doesn’t cost a bomb but is loaded with an impressive array of features? You might want to take a gander at the Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 smartphone which is now up for grabs for just $199.99 on GeekBuying.

While the Redmi Note 5 smartphone usually sells for $289.13, Xiaomi is offering a 31% off on the phone’s retail price in collaboration with the popular Chinese online store. On top of that, you can use coupon code ZIRTNCAT to save an extra $64 during the checkout process.
After receiving the extra discount your cart total reduces down to just $189.99. This discount is valid for the 4GB RAM+64GB ROM model that packs a powerful Snapdragon 636 processor, under the hood. You can visit this link to avail the discount. Note that the promotion is slated to end in just 2 days.

Xiaomi Dafang Smart 1080P WiFi IP Camera

Equipped with an F 2.3 aperture lens, Dafang IP camera delivers a 120-degree viewing angle. You can rotate its gimbal to capture exceptional photographs either by 36 or 93 degrees and it takes just 3 seconds to scan all state of your home.

While you’d normally associate a steep price tag with a high-end IP camera that offers comparable features, the Xiaomi Dafang IP camera can now be yours if you’re willing to spend just $34.99 on GeekBuying. it is worth noting that the device would normally set you back $75.88.

Moreover, you can use coupon code CWIUKIMI to save an extra $13 before clicking the ‘Place Your Order’ button. As a result, your already lowered grand total reduces to just $32.99.

In order to take advantage of this discount, you can visit this link. It is imperative for you to bear in mind that promo is slated to end in only 3 days.

REDPAWZ R020 BLAST RC Drone

Designed to deliver an unparalleled aerial photography experience, the REDPAWZ R020 BLAST houses a 120° wide-angle camera that can capture superior quality images and videos. Moreover, its Altitude Hold mode facilitates precise locking and stable hovering.

You’d usually end up spending a lot of money on a high-end drone capable of doing what the REDPAWZ R020 BLAST does effortlessly. Much to the delight of cost-conscious drone lovers, the BLAST R020 is now available for a considerably reduced price of $52.99 on GeekBuying.
In addition to this 34% discount, you can use coupon code GLEQZAVO and save an extra $11 before proceeding to checkout. After using the coupon, your grand total comes down to just $48.99. You can follow this link to grab the discount before the promo ends in 2 days.

Pre-Order The Xiaomi Mi 8 Pro Smartphone For Only $527.99 On Banggood [Coupon Inside]

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Pre-Order Xiaomi Mi 8 Pro Smartphone

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Nov 30, 2018

Xiaomi announced the Mi 8 Pro smartphone this year in September. Much to the delight of Xiaomi fans, the handset has now gone up for pre-order on Banggood.

We’ll not only divulge more details about the recently unveiled smartphone but also show how you can save a considerable amount of money at the time of checking out. So without further ado, let’s head straight to the details.

Sporting an extra large 6.21 inches Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen display with 1080 x 2248 pixels resolution, the Mi 8 Pro is likely to become an instant hit among those who fancy watching their favorite videos on a big-screen mobile device. Moreover, the phone is housed in a 7000 series aluminum frame and has Corning Gorilla Glass 5 on top for added protection.

Under the hood, The Mi 8 Pro packs a powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 Octa Core, max to the 2.8GHz processor along with a highly competent Adreno 630 710MHz GPU. This model of the Mi 8 Pro smartphone will ship with 8GB of LPDDR4x RAM and offer a hearty 128GB of onboard storage (non-expandable).
On the photography front, the smartphone houses a 12.0MP+12.0MP dual-camera module on the back and a 20.0MP front shooter for selfies and video chatting. It runs MIUI 10-based Android 8.1 Oreo OS and is backed by a built-in Li-Po 3000 mAh battery.

You can pre-order this powerful smartphone from Xiaomi if you’re willing to shell out $649.99. You can apply coupon code 12BGM8PG and save $122 while checking out. In other words, you can bring your grand total down to just $527.99 simply by applying the aforesaid coupon.

If you’re interested in getting your hands on the Xiaomi Mi 8 Pro smartphone at an unbeatable price, all you need to do is to follow this link before the coupon expires.

Surface products roadmap revealed: includes Surface Pro with USB-C, AMD Surface Laptop and Andromeda dual-screen tablet for H2 2019

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Nov 29, 2018

If you are curious about what new products Microsoft plans to release in future, it will please you to know that they have now become public knowledge.

The source of the info is Brad Sams, an author who is known for having insider info on upcoming Microsoft products. He has a new book titled “Beneath the Surface” which covers the history and future of Microsoft’s Surface products and also has a chapter on future Surface devices.

According to the author, the following devices are planned for 2019 and 2020:

Surface-branded ambient computing device – Spring 2019
Surface Pro with USB-C and smaller bezels – Q4 2019
Surface Laptop with AMD processor – Q4 2019
Andromeda foldable tablet with dual screens and LTE – H2 2019
New Surface Book – Q1 2020
Surface Monitor/Studio – 2020

There are some devices that we already knew about such as Andromeda which has been in development for a while. It is also interesting to know Microsoft will finally be making the switch to USB-C for the next Surface Pro.

For the Surface Laptop with AMD processors, it appears Microsoft is planning to reduce its dependence on Intel chips. However, there will likely still be Intel versions of the computer.

Realme 1 gets ColorOS 5.2 stable update, brings lots of new features

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Nov 29, 2018

Realme announced a few weeks ago that it will begin pushing out a new update to its phones. Today it announced it is now the turn of its first smartphone, the Realme 1. The update arrives as ColorOS 5.2 which is also rolling out to some OPPO phones.

ColorOS 5.2 brings lots of new features and fixes to the phone. It also includes October’s security patch. Below are some of the new features:

One swipe dismiss for notifications.
Headset icon in the status bar.
Status bar does not flash with developer options and accessibility activated.
New desktop icons.
Smart bar for seamless multitasking
October security patch.
Added “Game Space”. This is Realme’s version of the game modes we have seen on other phones which optimizes performance and activates DND mode.
Support for audio playback mode in the video player.
New boot animation.
New lock screen interface.
Long press power button for 0.5s to launch Google Assistant.
Added “Smart Scan” to translate text by photo.

Realme says this is a staged rollout that will only hit a limited number of devices today. The wider rollout will begin on December 3 if no critical bug is found.

MediaTek confirms Helio P90 is coming soon, promises groundbreaking AI

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Nov 29, 2018

Today, Realme announced the U1, the first Helio P70-powered smartphone in the world. We also know there is a Helio P80 coming soon as seen in an AI benchmark test even though MediaTek itself has not said anything about it. However, the chipmaker has confirmed the existence of a more powerful chipset called the Helio P90 and it is coming soon.

MediaTek took to Twitter to announce the name of its next chipset and also tease some of its features. MediaTek is pretty confident about its chipset as you can see from the tagline in the image above.

Coming Soon! The MediaTek Helio P90. Powerful. Efficient. Groundbreaking AI. #MediaTekHelioP90 #thischipchangeseverything pic.twitter.com/HiALFuRWHZ

— MediaTek (@MediaTek) November 29, 2018

According to MediaTek, the Helio P90 is powerful, efficient and features groundbreaking AI and we have no reason to doubt MediaTek’s claims.

The Helio P60 proved it can offer a balance of performance and efficiency and the new Helio P70 improves upon that. We also saw the Helio P80 come second on the AI benchmark result, beaten by the Snapdragon 8150. So it should be pretty easy for the Helio P90 to surpass Qualcomm’s flagship chipset.

Galaxy A8s could be first Samsung phone to ditch 3.5mm audio jack

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Nov 29, 2018

The Galaxy A8s could be Samsung’s first high-end smartphone to launch by the end of this year. Plenty of information on the specs of the smartphone have surfaced in the recent past. Fresh information shared by a reliable tipster from China has revealed that the Galaxy A8s will be lacking a 3.5mm audio jack.

The leakster has claimed that the reason why Samsung wants to axe the 3.5mm audio jack is that it wants to reduce the thickness of the Galaxy A8s. If this rumor turns out to be true, the Galaxy A8s could be Samsung’s first phone to lack a 3.5mm audio jack.

Starting with Galaxy A8s, forthcoming smartphones from the company may not feature 3.5mm headphone jack. Recent reports have revealed that the Galaxy S10 series will be retaining the 3.5mm audio jack. There is a possibility that the galaxy Note 10 may not feature the audio jack

A recent report had revealed that the Galaxy A8s will be equipped with a 6.39-inch Infinity-O LCD display. The upper left corner of the screen features an in-display camera hole for housing 24-megapixel selfie shooter. The handset will be arriving with 25-megapixel + 5-megapixel + 10-megapixel triple camera setup.

The Galaxy A8s will be fueled by Snapdragon 710 chipset. The SoC will be supported by 6 GB of LPDDR4 RAM. It will be arriving with an internal storage of 128 GB. For more storage, it will be featuring a microSD card slot for more storage. The handset is expected to arrive with a 3,400mh battery.

The dimensions of the Galaxy A8s are 159.11 x 74.88mm. It is expected to sport a slim profile of 7.38mm probably because the handset lacks a 3.5m audio jack. It is expected to sport black-grey gradient color.

Read More: Nine persons docked for selling info about Samsung’s flexible OLED panels to Chinese entity for $13.85 million

There is no information available on the pricing of the smartphone. Probably, the handset will be initially available for purchase in China and it may arrive in international markets few weeks later.

What’s your opinion on the removal of 3.5mm audio jack from the upcoming Galaxy A8s phone? Share us your views by posting your comments below.

Nine persons docked for selling info about Samsung’s flexible OLED panels to Chinese entity for $13.85 million

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Jed John Ikoba

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Nov 29, 2018

Despite the rise of CHiese brands in the smartphone industry, spurred by the cheap pricing of the models andin some cases, the innovativeness, there is no denying that the Chinese OEMs are good at copy. Huawei’s P20 Pro and a bunch of others are almost a replica of the iPhone X. Even on the software end, Xiaomi’s custom MIUI interface could almost be confused for Apple’s iOS. Samsung has seen the design of its Galaxy models replicated by several smaller Chinese phone maker and that isn’t going to end soon as the company gears up for the launch of foldable phones. Reports emanating from Korea indicates that procesutors in South Korea have slammed criminal charges on nine persons for illegally trading documents describing technology developed by Samsung.

Samsung Galaxy F fodlable phone concept — Source: Concept Creator

Wonder where the recipient of this information comes from? China, of course! You see, Samsung is way ahead in the race to release a true foldable screen phoe and as the leading phone maker, infromation about the company’s production process is usually highly courted by competitors. The nine accused persons apparently decided to catch in on this by creating a shell company through which they sold information about the equipment being used in Samsung’s factories and drawings of flexible OLED panels. The undisclosed buyer in China paid an hefty $13.85 million for these bits of information.

Samsung’s factory production process are usually top secrets. The company’s factory isn’t open to the media and this has led to several accusations of substandard industry safety practices which usually slip off the regulator’s watch due to lack to access to the company’s factories. The information were actually gathered by the Chied executive and eight employees of Toptec Co Ltd, a company that provides manufacturing equipment for mobile phone displays, including Samsung’s. So, they could easily have gotten the information which they are aware can’t be shared. Thus, the creation of a shell company for the criminal purpose, as alleged.

In a statement released by Toptec, the company stated: “Our company has never provided Samsung Display’s industrial technology or business secrets to a Chinese client. Our company will fully cooperate with legal proceedings to find the truth in court”. We can’t say for sure if the denial is true or false but the accused will sure have a lenghty outing in court. The controversy has dealt a severe blow on the company’s finances, though, as its shares plummetted by 20% in the wake of this saga.

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

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Nov 29, 2018

A leaked image and an official poster from earlier today revealed that the Lenovo Z5s will come with a hole in its display just like the Samsung Galaxy A8s and Huawei Nova 4/Nova 3s. However, unlike Samsung and Huawei, Lenovo has put the hole in the center of the phone much like a webcam on a computer. If you are eager to see what it looks like in action, then you are in luck as someone has uploaded a short hands-on video of the phone.

In the video, one can see the Lenovo Z5s has a hole in the center of its display close to the top. The hole is pretty small and is home to the front camera. While there is a bit of bezel at the bottom, there is practically no bezel at the top. The bezels on the sides are also pretty thin or even non-existent.

Apart from the video, Lenovo itself has released another official poster for the phone. And like the one we saw in the morning, it only says the phone will launch next month but doesn’t state the exact day. The caption for the photo also asks fans to guess what the “s” in the phone’s name stands for.

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

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Nov 29, 2018

Ailing Chinese smartphone manufacturer Gionee was on course to wrestle a slice of the Chinese smartphone market share off competitors like OPPO, Vivo and Xiaomi until the company ran into troubled waters. Gionee’s financial woes were in no way related to inadequate phone sales, as the innovation driven company was doing good in that aspect. Unfortunately poor financial management was the cause of the company’s downward spiral. This is traceable to the company President who was rumoured to have an addiction for gambling and was even rumoured to have lost 10 billion yuan during his exploits.

Gionee’s Founder and CEO Liu Rong has now opened up, almost a year after news of the company’s ailing financial position and his gambling rumour surfaced. This is also the CEO’s first public appearance all this while. Mr Rong was reported interviewed at the lobby of Hong Kong’s Shangri-La Hotel. He personally admitted to participating in gambling, but denied the rumor of losing 10 billion yuan to gambling. He was however silent when asked to disclose the sum he lost to gambling. He hinted, though, that it was more than a billion yuan, apparently in a cumulative sense and not just in a sitting. In adition, the ompany’s founder also denied claims that he misappropriated up to 6 billion yuan in company funds but admitted spendings running over a billion yuan. This he attributed to the fact that since founding Gionee 16 years ago, the company has been his only source of income. Thus, it is inevitable that some of the company’s funds will be used for his private affairs.

Liu Rong was reportedly extremely remorseful about his gambling behavior. He acknowledged the adverse effect of gambling, pointing out that it influences one’s conduct and can lead to bankruptcy. Recent reports indicate that Gionee is about going bankrupt as it is unable to meet its obligation to its suppliers. The founder confirmed that, hinting that the company may enter bankruptcy reorganization process next month and the relevant accounts will be made public.

OPPO confirmed to launch foldable phone at MWC 2019

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Nov 29, 2018

Samsung, Huawei and LG are the three companies that are expected to unleash foldable smartphones early in the coming year. The other company that will be launching a foldable phone at the start of the coming year is OPPO. OPPO’s Product Manager Chuck Wang has confirmed that the company will be using the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2019 tech expo platform in February to announce its first foldable smartphone. Wang only confirmed the arrival of the OPPO’s foldable phone without sharing information on its specifications and release date. Hence, there is no confirmation on whether the foldable phone from OPPO will be equipped with fold-in design like Samsung’s foldable phone or fold-out design like Huawei’s foldable phone. A report that had surfaced coupled of months ago had suggested that Samsung may allow OPPO and Xiaomi to use its Infinity Flex Display. Hence, there is a possibility that OPPO’s foldable phone may support fold-in design. Wang has revealed that the company will be launching its first 5G smartphone in the starting six months of 2019. It is speculated that the upcoming Find series smartphone with flagship specs may carry support for 5G connectivity. Europe will be the first market to receive it.

Read More: OPPO R17 Pro will be up for pre-order from December 1 in India

The other vital information that has been shared by Wang is that the company is working on a new design of screen embedded front-facing camera. The innovative display is expected to be ready until 2020. Recent reports have revealed that other Chinese smartphones like Xiaomi and Lenovo are also working on smartphones with foldable displays. Hence, it appears that 2019 will be the year of foldable displays. By the second half of the year, a greater number of phones may come with support for 5G connectivity. (source|via)

Honor 20A, 30A 20X, 30X trademarks proves Huawei is “unifying” the names of all its devices

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Nov 29, 2018

Just last week, Huawei filed applications to trademark some names which we believe are for future Honor smartphones. It has again applied for new trademarks but this time in Argentina, and they too are likely for future Honor devices.

The new trademarks can be grouped into three:

20A, 30A, 40A, and 50A which we believe are future models of the Honor A series whose latest member is the Honor 7A.
20X, 30X, 40X and 50X most definitely future models of the Honor X series which has the Honor 8X and Honor 8X Max as members.
20C, 30C, 40C, and 50C which should be successors of the Honor 8C.

Based on these trademarks, one can deduce that Huawei’s plan is to “unify” the naming scheme of its smartphones irrespective of whether they are released under the Honor or Huawei brands.

Leaked Poster teases Huawei’s Infinity-O-styled smartphone launching this December

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Nov 29, 2018

While the industry is yet to fully milk the display notch or waterdrop notch designs that have been gaining grounds in recent times, a ewinnovation seems to be in the offing. Recently, Samsung was rumoured to be working on an Infinity-O display design which would create a higher screen to body ratio with much more trimmed down bezels. The Korean giant was later rumoured to have started mass production of the display panels. Later on, Huawei was also rumoured to be working on the same display style. A Huawei model said to be the Nova 4 was spotted in a leaked picture recently with the same design.

Right now, an official Huawei poster teasing the display with an opening on the screen for the selfie camera has leaked. The poster which was obtained by GSMArena urges us to take One Step Further to See the Future. The icture is that of a bright sky with the moon signifying the hole in the display similar to Samsung’s Infinty-O opening. The poster also suggest that the device will drop in December.

If indeed Huawei launches the device in December, it would beat Samsung to hod the record as the first OEM to launch a model with a hole in the display. The hole will obviously house the seflie camera and on the leaked render, it is on the same line as the network and notification icons. The position of the hole should be less distracting compared to a notch but the phone’s software should behave the same way it does for notched phones i.e black bars at the sides when watching a video. We may still have to wait for more details to emerge.