Xiaomi’s well-received Yeelight series features the YLDP05YL E27 10W smart LED bulb, which you can now buy without emptying your pocket. While you’d normally need to spend $38.97 in order to buy this feature-laden smart bulb, it is now available at a lowered price of just $22.89 on Banggood.
Before we divulge details about how you can save a considerable amount of more money during the checkout process, let us take a look at what makes the YLDP05YL E27 an irresistible smart LED bulb. First off, it lets you take full control of your lights using Domoticz, Tasker, IFTTT, MIJIA, Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa. Moreover, you can change its brightness, color temperature, and color without breaking much of a sweat. Yeelight smart LED bulb provides relatively more brightness than its predecessor. In fact, just one bulb can light your whole room.
It comes with wakeup mode wherein you can set the timer option to switch your smart controller on or off at whatever time. This function is perfect for those who struggle waking up early in the morning. Furthermore, you can fine-tune its color temperature from warm white to daylight to create the right ambiance.
If the Yeelight YLDP05YL E27 smart LED bulb has stirred your interest and you’re wondering if you can save more money, you’ve come to the right place. In order to avail an additional $10.90 off, all you need to do is to apply coupon code XML906 before proceeding to check out.
This will help you to bring your already lowered grand total further down to just $11.99. On the downside, the coupon is likely to expire soon so you need to follow this link without wasting time if you’re interested in using it for an extra discount.
The leaked images of the display panels of the upcoming HuaweiMate 20 and Mate 20 Pro phones had surfaced yesterday on Weibo. Couple of leaked renders have revealed the rear design of the Mate 20 Pro. Fresh photos showing the frontside of the same phone has surfaced today to reveal its front design.
The leaked images show that the handset is placed inside a protective case to hide its identity. The new images show that the Mate 20 Pro features a large-sized notch and its screen is curved towards the left and right edges. The probable reason why the handset could be equipped with a wider notch is that it may include all the necessary components for 3D facial recognition.
Recent leaks have revealed that the Mate 20 Pro will be arriving with a 6.9-inch AMOLED display with an aspect ratio of 18.7:9. Its UAProf has revealed that it will carry support for Quad HD+ resolution of 1440 x 3120 pixels. Coming back to the new images of the phone, it seems to be running on the latest EMUI 9.0 that is based on Android 9 Pie. The image showing the Settings page reveals that it is equipped with an inbuilt storage of 128 GB and it also carries support for NFC.
An AMOLED screen is necessary to support in-display fingerprint scanner. Rumors have it that the Mate 20 Pro will be equipped with an in-screen fingerprint reader. The back panel of the phone is expected to feature a triple camera setup and an LED flash packed in a squared-shaped module. It is rumored to come equipped with Leica certified 40-megapixel + 20-megapixel + 8-megapixel triple camera setup. The handset is expected to receive power from 4,200mh battery.
Huawei has already confirmed that there will be a launch event on Oct. 16 in London to announce the Mate 20 and Mate 20 Pro smartphones. These smartphones will be featuring the Kirin 980 which is the world’s first 7nm chipset.
Apart from having a reputation for manufacturing high-end smartphones, Xiaomi is also known for making gilt-edged accessories for mobile devices, cars etc. Taking the steep price tags these accessories usually carry into consideration, we’ll show how you can save a significant amount of money at the time of checking out.
Xiaomi Mijia SJYT01FM 3 Axis Handheld Gimbal If you’re a YouTuber or a social media influencer who fancies posting videos about your experiences various on social media platforms, you’re highly likely to have purchased a 3-axis handheld gimbal. While the market offers a wide selection of handheld gimbals, they don’t come cheap.
Keeping in line with that, you can get a noteworthy discount on the Xiaomi Mijia SJYT01FM 3-axis handheld gimbal using coupon code Mijia1FM. The device is currently up for grabs bearing a $139.99 price tag on Banggood, but you can bring this down to just $99.99 by applying the aforesaid coupon.
In other words, you can get a $40 off with the help of the coupon code. In order to use the coupon before it expires, all you need to do is to follow this link.
Xiaomi 2C 20000mAh Quick Charge Power Bank 2 Many of us tend to panic when it comes losing power on their phones, tablets, laptops or any other mobile device. In fact, some of us are even likely to drop everything feeling panicked and hunt for a spare charger.
You can buy the 20000mAh Xiaomi Power Bank 2C in a bid to handle this ‘Low Battery Anxiety’ condition effectively. Much to the delight of cost-conscious buyers, the device is currently available at a discounted price of on Banggood.
While it would normally set you back $48.96, the Xiaomi 2C 20000mAh Power Bank 2 can now be yours for just $29.99. This 39% reduction in the device’s retail price can be paired with coupon code 2cxiao2c for additional discount.
The aforesaid coupon will help you reduce your grand total to just $24.99. You end up saving an extra $5 without breaking much of a sweat. You can head straight to this link in order to receive the discount and use the coupon, which is likely to lapse soon.
Xiaomi ROIDMI 3S Bluetooth Car Charger The feature-laden ROIDMI 3S music Bluetooth car charger is compatible with all cars. Equipped with special close-field FM function, the device is capable of transmitting your favorite audio content from any Xiaomi phone, iPhone, iPad and a slew of other app audio into Car FM Audio device via wireless projection.
You’d normally need to shell out $18.99 in order to buy this Xiaomi branded Bluetooth car charger, but if you’re on a tight budget and wondering if there’s a way to receive a discount, you’ve come to the right place. You can apply coupon code 3scharger1 to save an extra $5 at the time of checking out.
The coupon helps you bring your grand total down to just $13.99. You can follow this link take to use the coupon before it expires.
The ZTE A2019 Pro TENAA listing reveals that its dimensions are 156.5 x 74.5 x 7.9mm and it weighs 179 grams. The handset sports a black front panel and it features a blue colored glass back. A fingerprint scanner is available on the back panel of the A2019 Pro.
The Axon 9 Pro is fitted with an OLED screen of 6.21 inches. The notched screen carries support for Full HD+ resolution of 2248 x 1080 pixels. Even though the phone is powered by Snapdragon 845 chipset, the TENAA listing only mentions the clocking speed of the octa-core processor that powers the smartphone. It is fueled by a 3,900mAh battery.
At the Axon 9 Pro launch event in IFA 2018, it was revealed that the handset has an internal storage of 128 GB and it has 6 GB of RAM. However, the TENAA listing of the phone reveals that apart from 6 GB RAM edition, China will be also receiving its 8 GB RAM variant. Also, it will be coming in storage choices like 64 GB, 128 GB and 256 GB in China.
For photography, the 20-megapixel + 12-megapixel dual camera system is available on the backside of the A2019 Pro. A selfie camera of 20-megapixel is available inside the front notch of the phone. It is preinstalled with Android 8.1 Oreo.
ZTE is yet to confirm the launch date of Axon 9 Pro for China. Now that the phone has bagged TENAA approval, it may get official get may later this month.
UPDATE: Sony clarifies that the phone doesn’t support 5G. The confusion was because of an incorrect previous tweet and hashtag about 5G.
We want to clarify an earlier tweet to confirm our Xperia XZ3 does not support 5G. Whilst we're not there just yet, we are excited about the future of 5G and Xperia.
No one could expect it, but Sony Xperia XZ3 is a 5G ready smartphone, and it should be the first 5G-ready phone to hit the shelves. That is what the Japanese company just confirmed on Twitter. The only other phone supporting 5G is the new Moto Z3, but it can only support it with the addition of a MotoMod. However, note that the new Sony flagship does not have the capabilities to reach the 2 Gbps max speeds promised by 5G networks as it does not have a 5G modem under the hood. Indeed, it is equipped with the Snapdragon X20 LTE integrated into the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 chipset. Further, 5G networks are still not available and they will debut in 2019. So, how is the Xperia XZ3 5G ready? Best guess going around is that the company will release a special 5G version of the Xperia XZ3 a few months later, maybe sometime early 2019.
So, at least for now, the fact that Sony Xperia XZ3 is 5G ready does not change anything. The flagship is still not in the market, it will start shipping from October 5 according to a listing surfaced on Amazon Germany. Besides being the first 5G ready phone, Sony Xperia XZ3 is also the first Sony device with an OLED display. The panel comes with a diagonal of 6 inches and a Quad HD+ resolution of 1440 x 2880 pixels.
The Snapdragon 845 is accompanied by 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB of internal storage, but in Taiwan, there will be a version with 6 GB of RAM, even though we do not know whether or not it will be made available in other countries. The curved rear back of the handset houses a single camera with a resolution of 19 MP and a f/2.0 aperture, while on the front side there is a 13 MP selfie snapper with a f/1.9 aperture. The battery has a 3300 mAh capacity and it supports Quick Charge 3.0 as well as fast charging. In Europe, it will be available with a listing price of €799.(
HMD Global has released a new teaser in Taiwan for an upcoming smartphone. The teaser does not directly mention the name of the phone, but it does carry its image. Still, it is not easy to determine the identity of the phone. However, it is now being speculated that it could be the upcoming Nokia X7 smartphone.
The Nokia X6 and Nokia X5 that have launched in the recent months are equipped with notched displays. It is very difficult to confirm whether the newly teased Nokia phone has a notch or not. If it features a notch, probably it could be the rumored Nokia X7 phone.
The rumor mill is yet to reveal the specifications of the Nokia X7 phone. However, a report from the month of June had claimed that the handset is codenamed as Phoenix and it is powered by Snapdragon 710 SoC. In the previous month, a leaked image of the front panel of the alleged Nokia X7 had appeared on Weibo. The image had shown that the handset would be sporting a wider notch. Probably, it may arrive in the market in 4 GB and 6 GB RAM options. It is also expected to sport a better build compared to the Nokia X6 and Nokia X5 phones.
Even though the Nokia X7 is an upcoming phone from the company, Nokia fans could be eagerly waiting for the arrival of the Nokia 9 flagship phone that is expected to arrive with five rear cameras. The rumor mill has recently leaked a hands-on image of what appears to be the real Nokia 9 phone. The handset has a model number of TA-1094, but no information is available on its specifications yet.
What do you think about the mysterious Nokia phone that has officially teased by the company? Could it be the Nokia X7 or some other handset? Let us know your thoughts by posting your comments below.
If you’re looking for an easy way to play music at home or even while on the go, you might want to consider buying a Bluetooth speaker. In order to play your favorite music anywhere, all you need to do is to charge it up and plug it into your smartphone.
While the market is currently crammed with all sorts of audio devices that claim to provide excellent sound quality, they oftentimes end up delivering weak and tinny sound. Thankfully, you can go for the Tronsmart Element Blaze 10W Bluetooth speaker which offers superior bass sound, along with an impressive array of other functions.
If you’re a cost-conscious buyer wondering if the Element Blaze will set you back a pretty penny, we got good news for you. The Shenzhen based company that believes in enriching users audio experience is offering its coveted portable wireless speaker at a dropped price on GeekBuying.
The Tronsmart Element Blaze normally sells for $79.42 on online stores, but thanks to the discount, you can now buy it at a reduced price of just $35.99 on GeekBuying. This is a noteworthy 55% reduction in the Bluetooth speaker’s original asking price.
An absolute bargain at this price, the Element Blaze offers a playtime of up to 12 hours. Moreover, its IPX56 certification allows you to take it outdoors during rain or when you go for a run as it can easily withstand water splashes and sweat.
If you’re interested in checking out more details about the Tronsmart Element Blaze Bluetooth speaker and taking advantage of the discount, just follow this link without wasting time. Note that the device will go back to its retail price as soon as the sale comes to an end.
Xiaomi fans are waiting for the arrival of the Mi MIX 3 flagship phone. Last year, the company had launched the Mi MIX 2 in September, but its successor is confirmed to go official in October. Multiple leaks have claimed that the Chinese manufacturer may hold an unveil event later this month to announce two new Xiaomi phones. It is speculated that the two upcoming phones from the company are Xiaomi Mi 8 Youth and Mi 8 Screen Fingerprint Edition. A tipster from China has shared an image that contains the specs of the alleged Mi 8 Youth.
According to the leak, the Mi 8 Youth phone will be equipped with a 6.26-inch screen. It will carry support for 1080 x 2280 pixels resolution which is indication that it will be featuring a notch.
Xiaomi has already launched Mi 8 SE with Snapdragon 710 SoC. The new leak suggests that the Mi 8 Youth will be the second phone from the company to feature the same SD710 chipset. The SoC will be assisted by 6 GB of RAM. The internal storage of the phone is not clearly visible in the image.
The front side of the Mi 8 Youth will be fitted with a 24-megapixel camera. For the rear panel, the leak mentions only 12-megapixel camera. Probably, it could be the main sensor of the dual camera system that reside on the rear side of the phone. The handset is expected to receive power from 3,350mAh battery.
Recently, an Indian tipster had leaked that the Mi 8 Youth will be coming in multiple RAM and storage models such as 64 GB storage + 4 GB RAM, 64 GB storage + 6 GB RAM and 128 GB storage + 6 GB RAM. He had also revealed that the handset would be releasing in color choices like Space Gray, Gold and Blue.
The leak does not contain any information on the pricing of the Mi 8 Youth, but a recent report has claimed that it could be priced around 1,999 Yuan. The rumor mill is yet to reveal any details on the Mi 8 Screen Fingerprint Edition. By the name of the phone it is quite evident that it could be arriving with an in-display fingerprint scanner. There is a possibility that it may carry the same specs as the Mi 8 phone.
As far as the launch event of these phones are concerned, it is speculated that Xiaomi is planning to unveil them either on Sept. 18 and Sept. 19. However, the company is yet to release a confirmation on it.
Google has officially revealed a date for its launch event. The date is October 9 and the venue is in New York. The venue is surprising since Google is known to host its launch events in California.
While the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL are the expected devices to be announced on that day, we are sure those are just two of all the new hardware that will be unveiled. Below is a list of other products that will also likely be announced:
1.Android TV Dongle (Chromecast Ultra’ successor)
Earlier this year, a Chromecast-like dongle was seen at the FCC. The dongle has Google’s “G” logo on it and an HDMI-out connector at one end. The FCC document referred to it as the “4K ATV” stick which means it supports streaming in 4K.
It has 2GB of RAM, 8GB of storage and is powered by an Amlogix S905X processor. The dongle also has a remote similar to that of the Mi Box but with a dedicated Google Assistant button. Our guess is that this is the successor to the Chromecast Ultra but with Android TV on it so you have no need for your phone, tablet, or PC.
2. Mi Box 2 (Mi Box 4)
The Mi Box is the Android TV version of the Mi Box 3 that is sold in China. Announced back in 2016, Google (and Xiaomi) may announce a successor at the October 9 event.
The new box which may be officially called the Mi Box 2 was seen at the FCC a few months ago. It has the same design as the Mi Box 4 sold in China but comes with a different remote. The remote has a dedicated Google Assistant key like that of the TV dongle above but also adds a dedicated Netflix button and another button for Live TV.
The design of the box and the new remote seems to be the biggest upgrades as the internals don’t seem to have changed at all. It still has 2GB of RAM and 8GB of storage. It also keeps the full-sized USB port in case you want to connect a USB flash drive or a wireless gamepad.
A test photo of the device at the FCC shows an interface similar to that of Android TV 8.0 Oreo. This is not surprising since Android TV 9.0 Pie isn’t yet available. By the way, Google has made a rule that Android TV boxes launched after December 15 must come with Android Pie.
3. A new Google Home with a display
A number of manufacturers have released smart speakers with displays. Lenovo’s Smart Display (8” and 10” models) and the JBL Link View are two examples. However, Google may launch its own smart display at the event.
Lenovo Smart Display
News of Google’s own smart display was first reported last month by Nikkei Asian Review. The smart display will launch before the holidays and is expected to challenge Amazon’s own Echo Show. Google is said to have set a target of 3 million shipments for the first batch.
The device which will likely be made by Taiwan’s Quanta Computer will be the latest member of the Google Home family when it launches.
4. Pixelbook 2
The Pixelbook is still one of the best Chromebooks on the market but it is already a year old which means its internals are a bit outdated. A new Pixelbook is said to be in development and goes by the codename “Nocturne”. It is said to be detachable, allowing it to be used as a ChromeOS tablet. Nocturne has also been reported to have a fingerprint scanner, a first for a Chrome OS device.
With respect to specs, Nocturne has a 2400 x 1600 screen, two USB-C ports, and is missing a MicroSD card slot.
However, it isn’t the only ChromeOS device in development by Google. A second device codenamed “Meowth” was also discovered in Chromium source code. It has been reported as being detachable and working with the same keyboard base as “Nocturne” and goes by the codename “Whiskers”. Meowth has also been reported to be less powerful than “Nocturne”.
The keyboard dock is detachable and has a backlight which adjusts automatically based on ambient light. It can also be folded to serve as a stand when “Nocturne” or “Meowth” is in tablet form. When in this form, the keys and touchpad are automatically disabled.
We don’t have further proof to back any of these findings yet but there is a possibility Google may announce at least one new Pixelbook.
The Xiaomi Mi 8 SE has been a best-selling model since it officially went on sale. Barely one month after the model got its first price cut for the 6GB + 64GB version, Xiaomi has activated another cut in the price of the mid-range model. This time around, the 4GB + 64GB version is on offer for 1699 yuan (~$248) which is 100 yuan lower than its launch price tag. The Mi 8 SE went on sale on June 8 with a starting price of 1799 yuan for the 4GB+64GB version while the 6GB+64GB sold for 1999 yuan.
The slight price reduction is likely going to be a limited time offer but there is no indication as to when it will end. However, we draw some optimism from these consistent price reductions to look forward to a slash in the price of the model outside China.
Xiaomi Mi 8 SE comes with a 5.88-inch AMOLED display, dual cameras and fingerprint sensor at the rear, as well as a powerful 3120mAh battery and more. Aside from having a beautiful design, the main standout feature of the Mi 8SE is definitely the Snapdragon 710 chipset onboard. This is Qualcomm’s latest premium mid-range chipset with some level of improved performance and energy efficiency over the Snapdragon 660 chipset. The device is available in 4GB + 64GB and 6GB + 64GB variants. A high-end 6GB+128GB memory variant was announced towards the end of July and went on sale a couple of weeks back for 2299 yuan (~$338).
With all its devices and the ones from its Honor sub-brand, Huawei is one of the most prolific smartphone manufacturers, besides being the second one in terms of sales in the last period. The Y series is known as the line-up with the most affordable Huawei devices, and now the Chinese company has trademarked a new device from this series in Europe. Its name is Huawei Y10 and the trademark has been filed at EUIPO (European Union Intellectual Property Office). This means that a new device may be making its way in the European smartphones market.
Judging from the model number, this could be the most powerful and expensive device from the Y line-up, but given that this is an entry-level series, we expect it to be a mid-ranger. However, this is in contrast with the latest reports suggesting that the company is planning the launch of a new gaming smartphone by the end of 2018. Someone is even thinking that Huawei Y10 is the upcoming foldable smartphone that, according to the company, will be launched in 2019. But there is to consider that a single trademark filed at EUIPO does not mean that a device called Huawei Y10 will be necessarily launched soon.
Alongside the Huawei Y10, the Chinese company has also trademarked other monikers: P66, P77, P88 and some mispronunciations of its brands such as Wawei, Honer, Huawey, Homor and more. At the moment, the closest device to the Y10 is Huawei Y9 (2018) and it has been announced back in March. It sports an all-metal design and a 5.93-inch display with a Full HD+ resolution of 1080 x 2160 pixels. On the hardware side, it has an octa-core Kirin 659 chipset alongside up to 4 GB of RAM and up to 128 GB of internal storage. It even has a dual camera (16 and 2 MP resolutions, f/2.2 aperture) and a big 4000 mAh battery.
A new Nokia smartphone suspected to be the Nokia 9 has been spotted online. The picture which was first posted on Chinese blog IThomes’ forum and was later published by the blog shows the device which is said to be the Nokia 9 with a five rear camera setup. This is quite an interesting one as the highest we have seen so far on a smartphone is the triple camera setup of the Huawei P20 Pro which was released earlier this year.
This isn’t the first time Nokia has been rumoured to be working on a Penta-lens camera-packing smartphone but this is the first time we are seeing a real-life prototype and not a concept render. While the tipster calls it the Nokia 9, IThomes believes it could be called Nokia 10. The phone comes with the model number TA-1094 and so could be called Nokia 9. However, we recall that several renders of the Nokia 10 concept made the rounds earlier this year. A tipster who claimed to have got knowledge of all the Snapdragon 845 smartphones equally released a list which contains the Nokia 10 as one of the models that would be launched packing Qualcomm’s 2018 flagship Snapdragon 845 System-0n-Chips. The Nokia 10’s schematics had also been the subject of a recent leak, pointing at a revolver-like camera setup but in this picture, the lenses are fixed.
The camera has the ZEISS badge which means it is manufactured by ZEISS. A recent ZEISS patent of the Penta camera setup perhaps gives an insight of how the setup will work. The patented technology utilizes an array of additional lenses having different focal lengths and mounted on a rotating lens base which sits between the camera sensor and a normal fixed lens. In this case, there is no rotating base and so it is possible software will do the work of changing from one sensor to another. The roles of the five lenses could be related to telephoto, black and white, color, blur, and multi-lens pixel synthesis but we are not so sure about that. There is no word on when Nokia will unveil its 2018 flagship but we expect that to happen soon.
UPDATE: After the below episode, some of the most important Huawei handsets have been delisted from the following benchmarking platforms: UL Benchmarks, Futuremark and 3DMark. Until now, devices removed are Huawei P20 Pro, Nova 3, and Honor Play.
It is an INCREDIBLY big deal that @HuaweiMobile has had some of its devices delisted from a respected and trusted benchmark group like UL/Futuremark with 3DMark. The P20 Pro, Nova 3, and Honor Play results are removed.
You should never completely trust benchmarks. Never. We are not telling this to you because benchmarking platforms are not reliable, and neither because benchmarks are not the only factor to consider in order to evaluate the performance of a smartphone. You should not trust benchmarks because faking them has become a common practice, especially among Chinese smartphones manufacturers. Or at least this is what the president of Huawei’s software division, Mr. Wang Chenglu thinks. Yes, after the accusations on OnePlus and Meizu last year, even Huawei and Honor phones have been caught cheating on benchmarks to achieve higher results.
The sad discovery has been made by the guys from Anandtech, who have detected weird results on benchmarks after testing Huawei and Honor flagships, so they decided to dig deeper. An initial test has highlighted that Huawei P20 and P20 Pro obtained an inferior score on graphics benchmarks compared with the predecessor Huawei Mate 10, even though they had the same SoC (the octa-core Kirin 970) and the GPU with the same frequency. After another test, they have noticed a similar result with the new Honor Play. In a few words, these flagships are able to detect when the user is running a benchmark app and they increase their performance temporarily to obtain higher scores.
The Chinese company also used to highlight these scores to promote the devices. Anandtech revealed that the handsets are able to achieve up to 50% better results on benchmarks thanks to the trick. But while the smartphone cheats, it heats much more and energy consumption gets way higher. Chenglu has implicitly admitted the guilt at IFA 2018 and promised more transparency in the future. According to him and as we said above, faking benchmarks has become a common practice in China (he also mentioned a known Chinese manufacturer faking benchmarks) and Huawei had to adapt.
It is never easy to find the exact status of smartphone updates on the web, but HMD Global had a wonderful idea to solve the problem. Now, it is possible to check in detail the status of updates on Nokia phones by heading to a page of the official website. This page is not new, but it has just been updated to include detailed info. Sadly, it only regards security updates, but still better than nothing.
Now, it is very easy to check which is the latest security patch rolled out on each Nokia phones, in each specific variant. You just have to click the source link at the end of this article, then select the desired phone to check the status of its security updates and even its major Android version.
The website will show you both the security patches and the maintenance releases rolled out, alongside the date when they have been made available. If you own a Nokia phone and you want to compare the update status of your devices with the one on the website, you just have to head to the settings and select the About device info, then compare the build numbers. Note that currently Nokia 5.1 Plus and 6.1 Plus are missing from the list.
Blackview BV9500 is quite a unique phone that costs just about $330 but it has a massive 10000mAh battery that is packed into a water-resistant and shockproof body. As always, I will go through all the pros and cons of this device, so stay tuned.
The phone ships with all the usual items and some extras include USB OTG cable, USB-C adapter, a pair of earphones, a screen protector and a tool to open up the SIM card tray.
DESIGN, DISPLAY, BATTERY LIFE
The Blackview BV9500 is a really big and heavy device but it has a few serious reasons for that: an insanely huge 10000 battery and rugged, water-resistant and shockproof body.
Let’s start with the battery. Obviously, the phone will last you forever on standby mode but if you use it on the daily basis, you should expect to get up to 24 hours of screen-on time, which is an amazing result, to say the least.
You can also charge it up in just about 2.5h thanks to the supplied fast charger. The phone supports wireless charging for added convenience and this feature works fine.
The overall build quality is excellent. The phone uses a hefty metal frame on the sides and shockproof rubber on the top and bottom, and on the back of the device.
The buttons are very nice and premium too. There is also a programmable key that can be assigned to open up an app you want. In addition, there is a dedicated PTT button, if you ever need to use the push-to-talk feature. On the top of the phone, there is what I believe a port to attach an external antenna. On the bottom, you can find USB-C port and a headset jack. There is a lanyard hole if you ever need to carry the phone around your neck.
The phone has the IP68 rating, meaning it is water and dust resistant. Also, the device’s tough credentials include MIL-SPEC 810G and Gorilla Glass 5 screen protection. That means that the BV9500 is salt, dust, humidity, rain, vibration, solar radiation, transport, and thermal shock resistant. In real life, you can rest assured that the phone will survive drops from up to 1.8 meters.
Obviously, to assure rugged properties of this device, Blackview had to make a few tradeoffs. For example, you need to remove a SIM card door with the screwdriver to access two SIM card slots and the SD card tray.
The display is very good overall. It’s plenty sharp and vibrant, and it is bright enough for outdoor use thanks to 500 nits of brightness.
As for cameras, we are looking at a dual-optics system. On the front, there is a 13MP selfie shooter and LED notification light.
The fingerprint scanner is implemented on the side and it’s really convenient to reach. Also, it is very accurate and fast. There is also a face unlock feature that actually works surprisingly well.
I found the headset jack to provide good sound quality. The loudspeaker is probably the best I’ve heard on any rugged smartphone. First of all, it can get really loud but most importantly, the sound is quite balanced and there is even a decent amount of bass.
HARDWARE and PERFORMANCE
In terms of hardware, we are looking at a well-specced out phone.
Gaming performance is quite good but not perfect. You will be able to run most of the 3D games but you should expect some stutter and skipped frames. Also, there is some lag in Pubg even on medium graphics but the game is still playable.
USER INTERFACE
As for the user interface, the phone ships with the Android 8.1 but it has the Blackview’s skin built on top of it. That means we have redesigned icons and some added features but in general, you get a stock Android experience which is great.
A few notable features include a toolbox that utilizes a variety of sensors inside the phone. There is also a new Blackview Note app and quite a few smart assist features like gestures, the ability to customize the phone and so on.
I’m happy to report that the overall performance of the UI is very good. The device feels fast all the time and I’m yet to see it lag or stutter.
IMAGE QUALITY
The overall image quality is actually pretty good. You can take some nice daylight pictures that have a good amount of detail and colors are fairly accurate. However, there are quite a few pictures were corners or a certain part of the image is out of focus. Portrait shots may look quite good on social media.
In terms of low-light performance, it’s not mind-blowing but you can take some decent pictures considering this is a budget rugged phone
Selfies look really nice. The pictures are very sharp and detailed and even low-light selfie quality is decent.
1080p video selfie video quality is quite good too. However, sound recording quality could be better.
CONNECTIVITY
I didn’t have any connectivity issues with this device as the call quality and signal reception are pretty good, and the GPS lock speeds and accuracy were okay.
The phone has quite a few sensors including a gyroscope, so you will be able to use the device with VR headsets. Finally, the phone has NFC and FM radio.
CONCLUSIONS
The Blackview BV9500 turns out to be a very solid rugged smartphone that offers a nice and sturdy design, great display, good overall performance, amazing battery life, very good loudspeaker, plenty of sensors and connectivity options, and even good cameras.
However, I wish we didn’t need to use the screwdriver to open up the SIM card tray. Also, there is no continuous auto-focus in video recording.
At the end of the day, these are just minor complaints. I believe the Blackview BV9500 is a very good super battery phone that has a sturdy rugged body and I can easily recommend you checking it out.
Earlier today, Vivo announced the Vivo V11 Pro smartphone in India and now it has unveiled the Vivo X23 phone through a launch event in China. The X23 has arrived with fourth generation in-display fingerprint reader and it boasts a premium appeal thanks to its 3D glass rear.
Design and Display
According to Vivo, the 3D glass back of the Vivo X23 has been constructed by engraving tens of thousands of silk ridges on a diaphragm of less than 80cm2 along with plasma polishing using a unique gas. The size of the metallic frame has been reduced to 2.6mm from 3.2mm when compared to the predecessor phone.
The phone comes in multiple color options such as color gradient Phantom Purple, Phantom Red which has a bright red appearance, Magic Night that has a touch of blue hue. There are two other color gradient models such as Fashion Purple and Fashion Orange that have large-sized Vivo branding across the rear panel. The handset measures 157.68 x 74.06 x 7.47mm and it weighs 160.5 grams.
The Vivo X23 features a 6.4-inch Super AMOLED screen with slim bezels and a reduced notch because of which it offers an aspect ratio of 19.5:9. Built with COF process, the display panel carries support Full HD+ resolution of 2340 x 1080 pixels. It offers an impressive screen-to-body ratio of 19.5:9. The display is slightly curved towards the left and right edges.
The fourth generation in-display fingerprint scanner is embedded under the screen of the phone. The improved biometric recognition technology can unlock the phone in just 0.35 seconds.
Chipset, RAM and Battery
The Vivo X23 is equipped with Snapdragon 670 chipset. It is assisted by 8 GB of RAM. It has an internal storage of 128 GB. The handset runs on Android 8.1 Oreo OS that is overlaid with FunTouch OS 4.1 skin. The device also includes Jovi AI assistant. The handset is fueled by 3,400mAh battery that carries support for 22.5W fast charging.
Vivo has introduced twin-turbo acceleration technology through the X23 which includes two features such as System Turbo and Game Turbo. The work of System Turbo is to improve the performance of the apps by 100 percent whereas the Game Turbo arranges the resources of the phone to ensure smooth gaming experience. Vivo has developed the Game Turbo in collaboration with Unreal Engine, Tencent Game Lab and Netease Game Lab in China.
Cameras and Other Features
The Vivo X23 has a front-facing camera of 12-megapixel with f/2.0 aperture. The back panel of features a vertical dual camera setup that includes a 12-megapixel Sony IMX363 primary sensor with f/1.8 aperture and a 13-megapixel wide-angle lens with f/2.4 aperture and field of view of 125 degrees. The X23 offers various photography features such as AI beauty, AI scene detection, AR stickers and more.
For Hi-Fi audio performance, the Vivo X23 is equipped with AK4377A audio chip. The handset supports facial scanning through the front camera. For facial identification in dark, the X23 is equipped with IR lens. The connectivity features available on the X23 include dual 4G VoLTE, Bluetooth 5.0, Wi-Fi 802.11ac, USB-C, GPS and 3.5mm audio jack.
Pricing and Availability
The Vivo X23 has arrived with a price of 3,498 Yuan (~$510) in China. The official sales of the smartphone will begin in the home market on Sept. 14. The special Vivo Logo Phone variants will be available in the market by Oct. 1. As of this writing, there is no confirmation on the other markets that will be receiving the X23 handset.
What’s your opinion on the specs and pricing of the Vivo X23? Share us your thoughts by posting your comments below.
The launch of the third device in the Motorola P30 series may be coming soon. The P30 series includes the P30 itself which was first unveiled last month, the P30 Note announced at the beginning of the week and the yet to be unveiled P30 Play.
For a short time today, the P30 Play was listed on the official Motorola website before it was taken down. Thankfully, details of the phone were saved before the page was taken down.
The phone has a 5.8-inch screen with a 1520 x 720 notched LCD display. It is powered by the Snapdragon 625 processor with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage which can be expanded.
There are dual cameras on the P30 Play – a 13MP primary sensor paired with a 2MP secondary camera. An 8MP sensor sits inside the notch for selfies and video calls. The cameras have AI features for portrait mode, beauty mode, and nighttime photos.
TCL is about to resurrect another popular phone brand. This time it is Palm, makers of the PDAs which ruled before iPhones and Android phones took over. TCL now owns the brand and it is planning to launch a new Palm phone.
Renders of the phone which is codenamed Pepito already leaked weeks ago along with details of the specs. A new render has surfaced which is of a higher quality and provides more details.
The Palm Pepito’s model number has been revealed to be PVG100. Although, the device doesn’t pack impressive specs, what it has going for it is its size. TCL most likely believes there are people who want really small phones seeing as the Palm Pepito has a 3.3-inch screen. The overall size will be close to a 4-inch device since there are huge bezels at the top and bottom of the screen.
There is a single camera on the back of the device and it is on the right which is unusual for modern phones. The camera sensor and LED flash share the same housing. We are not sure of the material on the back of the device though we can see it looks glossy. The frame is probably metal.
It has been a year since Huawei announced the Maimang 6 in China. So it comes as no surprise when it announced today the launch date for the Maimang 7. According to the official poster, the Maimang 7 will be unveiled on September 12 but that isn’t the only thing the poster revealed.
Huawei isn’t hiding anything with respect to the phone’s design as all the angles of the phone are shown on the poster. This isn’t surprising since the Maimang 7 is actually the same device as the Mate 20 Lite which is already official.
The Maimang 7 has a notched display and curved glass on the back. Just like its predecessor, the phone also has dual cameras on each side. The dual rear cameras are arranged vertically and are in line with the fingerprint scanner.
The Maimang 7 will come with a 6.3-inch 2340 x 1080 screen with a 19.5:9 aspect ratio. It will pack the new Kirin 710 processor paired with 6GB of RAM and 64GB of expandable storage.
An unidentified OPPO phone that has a model number of CPH1887 has cropped up on Geekbench benchmarking platform. The Chinese manufacturer has already launched the R17 Pro smartphone with Snapdragon 710 chipset. However, the newly spotted CPH1887 seems to be another SD710 phone from the company.
On Geekbench’s single-core test, the OPPO CPH1887 has recorded a score of 1817 and it has scored 5930 in the multi-core test. The Snapdragon 710 SoC is accompanied by 6 GB of RAM. The Geekbench listing is no longer available. It is difficult to determine the exact identity of the CPH1887 since no information on it is available through sources. The R17 Pro smartphone features Snapdragon 710 and 8 GB of RAM. Could it be a lower variant of the smartphone?
In the recent past, another OPPO phone labelled as PAGM00 with Snapdragon 710 and 6 GB of RAM was also spotted on Geekbench. The Geekbench listing of the CPH1887 and PAGM00 phones suggest that these could be the two upcoming Snapdragon 710 powered phones from the company.
The Oppo R17 that was launched alongside the R17 Pro is the first phone to feature Snapdragon 670. The R17 and R17 Pro are the first phones to feature Gorilla Glass 6. The handset is equipped with 6.4-inch AMOLED with waterdrop notch. The display offers FHD+ resolution and 19.5:9 aspect ratio. It receives power from 3,700mAh battery that is equipped with Super VOOC fast charging at 5V/10A.
The R17 Pro has an internal storage of 128 GB and it also includes a microSD card slot. For photography, 12-megapixel + 20-megapixel dual cameras on the rear. There is an additional ToF 3D stereo camera on ther rear panel for AR. The handset features a selfie shooter of the 25-megapixel. The handset is selling in China with a price tag of 4,299 Yuan (~$629).
The OPPO R17 Pro is fitted with an in-display fingerprint scanner. If the CPH1871 OPPO phone ends up as a lower edition of the R17 Pro, it may come with a regular fingerprint sensor on its back.
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Xiaomi’s well-received Yeelight series features the YLDP05YL E27 10W smart LED bulb, which you can now buy without emptying your pocket. While you’d normally need to spend $38.97 in order to buy this feature-laden smart bulb, it is now available at a lowered price of just $22.89 on Banggood.
Moreover, you can change its brightness, color temperature, and color without breaking much of a sweat. Yeelight smart LED bulb provides relatively more brightness than its predecessor. In fact, just one bulb can light your whole room.
If you’re a YouTuber or a social media influencer who fancies posting videos about your experiences various on social media platforms, you’re highly likely to have purchased a 3-axis handheld gimbal. While the market offers a wide selection of handheld gimbals, they don’t come cheap.
Many of us tend to panic when it comes losing power on their phones, tablets, laptops or any other mobile device. In fact, some of us are even likely to drop everything feeling panicked and hunt for a spare charger.
The feature-laden ROIDMI 3S music Bluetooth car charger is compatible with all cars. Equipped with special close-field FM function, the device is capable of transmitting your favorite audio content from any Xiaomi phone, iPhone, iPad and a slew of other app audio into Car FM Audio device via wireless projection.
If you’re looking for an easy way to play music at home or even while on the go, you might want to consider buying a Bluetooth speaker. In order to play your favorite music anywhere, all you need to do is to charge it up and plug it into your smartphone.
