Google Pixel 2 XL receives a massive price cut in India, now costs Rs. 45,499 ($627)

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Sep 26, 2018

Google is all set to launch its next flagship smartphones — Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL on 9th October. Now, ahead of the launch of next-generation Pixel-series smartphones, the Pixel 2 XL has received a massive price cut in India.

With the new price drop, the Google Pixel 2 XL which was launched for Rs. 73,000 (approximately $1,005) in November last year, has now been reduced to just Rs. 45,499 (approximately $627), translating into a massive price drop of 40 percent. It is available for purchase online exclusively via Flipkart as well as offline retail stores across the nation.

The high-end variant, which comes with 128GB internal storage, still bears the price tag of Rs. 82,000 and has not yet received a price cut. However, we expect that this model too will soon receive a price cut, ahead of Pixel 3-series launch. We are also expecting a price cut for the Pixel 2 models soon.

To remind you of the specifications, the Pixel 2 XL features a 6-inch QHD+ P-OLED display having 2880 x 1440 pixels screen resolution and 18:9 aspect ratio. It is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor, paired with 4GB of LPDDR4X RAM and 64GB/128GB of onboard storage.

The phone flaunts a a single rear camera with a 12.2-megapixel sensor, having f/1.8 aperture and OIS/EIS. On the front side, there’s an 8-megapixel selfie camera with an f/2.4 aperture. Running on Android Oreo operating system out-of-the-box, the phone is backed by a 3,520mAh battery.

(Source)

Nokia 7 Plus Android 9.0 Pie update delayed due to certification bugs

By

Jeet

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Sep 26, 2018

HMD Global had earlier confirmed that the Nokia 7 Plus will be receiving stable Android Pie update by the end of September. A couple of weeks ago, the phone received an update, but that was another Android Pie Developer Preview Beta version and not the stable one.

With September coming to an end, HMD Global’s Chief Product Officer Juho Sarvikas has taken to Twitter to announced that the Android Pie update for the Nokia 7 Plus has been delayed due to “a couple of tricky platform specific certification bugs.”

However, he added that the bugs have been squashed and the company is “running final round of tests for quality assurance” of Android Pie for the phone. But he has not yet revealed the exact timeline for the rollout of the update.

We are expecting that the rollout of stable Android 9.0 Pie version should being next month. The phone was also a part of Google’s Android P Beta program, which is one of the reasons why HMD Global had announced that it would roll-out the Pie update in September.

The Android 9.0 Pie, which was available in beta phase since March this year, comes with a number of improvements, including new personalisation features, battery-saving optimisations, and tools that help tracking time users spend on the phone.

It also addresses the latest trends in smartphone designs with revamped navigational controls. It introduces a new gesture-based navigation system. There are also a number of other gesture-based shortcuts. It is also said to be the most personalised version of Android yet.

In terms of specs, the Nokia 7 Plus comes with a 6-inch Full-HD+ IPS display and is powered by Snapdragon 660 processor. It packs 4GB RAM and 64GB internal storage with expandable support. There’s a 12MP + 13MP dual cameras on the back and a 16MP front-facing camera. Running on stock Android Oreo, it is fuelled by a 3,800mAh battery with fast charging support.

(Source)

Vivo NEX Purple Star Trail color variant in pictures: couldn’t be more beautiful

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Sep 26, 2018

At a time when smartphone designs were becoming generic, Vivo wowed us with the launch of the Nex with a spectacular full-screen, notch-less design. Not yet satisfied, the company unveiled a new Purple Star trail colour variant a couple of days back. The new model poses before the camera in these pictures courtesy of Chinese blog Sina Technologies.

OEMs have been coming out with different colours patterns for smartphones and of recent, gradient colours seems to be gaining ground. The Vivo NEX Purple Star Trail color variant adopts gradient blue-violet color pigments on its back with star trails. The colors appear different at various angles of the light source. Overall, the multi-stripe colour variant looks very attractive.

The colour variant is what distinguishes this model from the regular NEX. It features a 6.59-inch display with a 91.24% screen ratio. The device also utilises an on-screen fingerprint sensor. The new variant packs a Snapdragon 845 chipset and comes with 8GB memory and 128GB storage. It is priced at 4298 Yuan (~$628) and is available from Vivo Online Store. See more pictures below.

(source)

Samsung Galaxy P30 release date nearing as it has bagged 3C approval in China

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Sep 26, 2018

Samsung SM-G6200 is an upcoming smartphone that is speculated to debut as Galaxy P30. It is speculated that the handset will be arriving with high specs along with cheaper pricing. The Galaxy P30 is rumored to be aimed towards markets like China and India. Smartphones are required to bag China Compulsory Certification (also known as 3C) before they are released in China. Today, the SM-G6200 has been spotted at 3C body in China which hints that the arrival of the Galaxy P30 may not be far away.

The SM-G6200 Samsung phone has received 3C certification from China. The 3C approval has only revealed that it carries support for 5V/2A charging. The appearance of the Galaxy P30 phone on 3C is an indication that the smartphone may debut soon. The smartphone is yet to appear on TENAA, the telecom regulatory body from China. Once it shows up on TENAA, its entire specifications and images will be revealed.

Recent reports have revealed that the Galaxy P30 will be equipped with an LCD screen instead of AMOLED panel that Samsung has been using on its smartphones since several years. There is no information available on the chipset that will be powering the smartphone. However, a leakster has revealed that it will be featuring 6 GB of RAM.

The Galaxy P30 is rumored to arrive in 64 GB and 128 GB storage models. Also, it is expected to be available in gradient color choices of black, blue, red and pink. The handset was previously speculated to debut as the first Samsung phone with an in-display fingerprint scanner, but that rumor has been debunked.

The South Korean company is currently mum on the existence of the Galaxy P30. Also, there is no information available on the pricing of the phone. Since the month of September will soon come to an end, it is likely that the Galaxy P30 will go official in the last quarter of 2018.

OnePlus 6T, Mate 20 Pro and Pixel 3 DxOMark scores have appeared before their official announcement

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Sep 26, 2018

DxOMark, a popular camera benchmarking platform is known for ranking smartphone according to their camera benchmark scores. A leaked photo of Dx0Mark scores of several unannounced smartphones such as OnePlus 6T, Huawei Mate 20 Pro, and Google Pixel 3 have surfaced on Weibo.

As it can be seen on the left side of the below image, the unreleased Mate 20 Pro is leading the pack with 116 score. The next unannounced on the list is the Google Pixel 3 with a score of 107. The Mate 20 is also mentioned below with the same score.

The Sony Xperia XZ2 Premium, Apple iPhone Xs Max, iPhone Xs, Meizu 16th Plus and the unannounced Honor V20 follows the Mate 20 in the list. The iPhone Xr and OnePlus 6T are also present on the list with respective scores of 100 and 99. The benchmarking reports of these phones are yet to appear on the website of Dx0Mark. There is a high possibility that the above leak nothing but fake.

A DxOMark score is a combination of photography and video recording scores. The the current ranking of smartphones according to their DxOMark scores is shown on the right side in the above image. The Huawei P20 Pro with its triple camera setup as at the numero uno position with 109 score. The HTC U12+ and Samsung Galaxy Note 9 are on second and third positions with respective scores of 103. As it can be seen, the newly released smartphones such as the new iPhones, Xperia XZ2 Premium, Meizu 16th Plus have not appeared on the list yet.

Since the leaked photo showing the DxOMark scores of unannounced and newly released phones appears fake, it remains to be seen how highly awaited phones like OnePlus 6T and Mate 20 Pro will rank on the list.

Vivo announces 4th-gen in-display fingerprint technology and DSP Acceleration Technology

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Sep 26, 2018

Earlier today, Vivo had a conference in China where it announced its 4th-generation in-display fingerprint technology. It also announced a new technology called DSP Acceleration, in collaboration with Qualcomm.

The 4th generation in-display fingerprint technology is said to be 40% faster than the previous gen which is found in the Vivo X21. It also unlocks faster under bright light – taking only 0.35s to unlock the phone. The new fingerprint scanner is said to be present in the newly announced Vivo X23 upper mid-range phone. It has a large F/1.5 aperture and a 720dpi ultra-high resolution.

Vivo also worked with Qualcomm on a new project called DSP Acceleration Technology to make in-display fingerprint scanners work faster and better while maintaining a high-security level.

Speaking at the event, Qualcomm’s Senior Director of product management, Tim Yates, said the new technology works with the Snapdragon 670 which brings a 1.8x increase in performance when compared to the Snapdragon 660. The chipset also comes with the Hexagon 685 DSP which is at the heart of the technology. This is the same DSP in the Snapdragon 845.

The DSP is faster at processing neural tasks and fingerprint data when compared to the CPU. By allocating the task of unlocking the phone via the fingerprint scanner to the DSP, the data is processed faster which means the phone is unlocked faster. The Hexagon DSP works with Qualcomm’s Trusted Execution Environment on the CPU for security and the result is DSP Acceleration Technology which is up to 3x faster than when it is just the CPU handling the task.

Vivo says DSP Acceleration Technology will roll out as an update to the Vivo X23 in October. It will increase the unlocking speed of the fingerprint scanner by up to 30% especially in conditions when the temperature is low and the fingers are dry or in conditions where there is strong direct light.

Vivo says it has been hard at work since it debuted the in-display fingerprint scanner on the Vivo Xplay6 last year and it has applied for over 140 patents relating to hardware and software of the technology, making them a leader in the industry.

Vivo released the first commercially available phone with an in-display fingerprint scanner, the Vivo X20 Plus UD in January of this year. At MWC 2018, it showed off the Vivo APEX which has an in-display fingerprint scanner that covers up to 40% of the screen.

Continue

Nokia 7.1 / X7 (aka 7.1 Plus) hands-on images reveal new color variant

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Sep 26, 2018

A recent report has revealed that HMD Global is prepping up to debut Nokia 7.1 and Nokia 7.1 Plus smartphones on Oct. 4. The Nokia 7.1 is expected to arrive with a notch-less screen whereas the 7.1 Plus will be equipped with a notched display. Like the recent Plus models from the company, the Nokia 7.1 Plus is expected to release as Nokia X7 in China. Freshly leaked hands-on photos of a new Nokia phone has surfaced today. Since the images only reveal the rear side of the phone, it is difficult to identity whether it is a Nokia 7.1 and Nokia 7.1 Plus.

The new images reveal that the handset is equipped with a glass rear and a metallic frame. It features vertical dual camera setup followed by a fingerprint reader on the upper half of the rear panel.

In the above image, the alleged Nokia X7 can be seen in silver white color. The rear design of the phone is not very different from the Nokia X6. The vertical dual camera setup did not sit flush on the rear of the phone. The images shown below suggest that the handset will be also arriving in a new copper brown color.

Read More: Nokia 7.1 and Nokia 7.1 Plus both rumored to debut with Snapdragon 710 on October 4

A recent report has revealed that the Snapdragon 710 chipset will be powering both smartphones. The Nokia 7.1 may sport a 6-inch display with 18:9 aspect ratio. Its SD710 chipset could be coupled with 4 GB of RAM. It may feature an internal storage of 64 GB.

The Nokia 7.1 Plus (X7) is expected to feature higher RAM and more of amount of inbuilt storage than the Nokia 7.1. The display size of the Nokia 7.1 Plus is not known, but it is very likely to feature a notched screen that will offer an aspect ratio of 19:9. The rumor mill is yet to leak the pricing of the Nokia 7.1 and Nokia 7.1 Plus..

(via)

Xiaomi Mi 8 Pro is now available for open sale in China

By

Jeet

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Sep 26, 2018

Xiaomi recently launched the Mi 8 Pro smartphone, an upgrade to its flagship smartphone, which comes with an in-display fingerprint sensor – a feature that was missing in the Mi 8.

Now just one week after the phone’s announcement, and days after it officially went on sale, the Xiaomi Mi 8 Pro is available for purchase in China through open sale.

The phone comes in two variants — 6GB RAM with 128GB internal storage and 8GB RAM with 128GB onboard storage. The 6GB RAM model is priced at 3,199 Yuan (approximately $465) while the 8GB RAM model costs 3,599 Yuan, which roughly converts to $524.

As said, the major feature on the Pro variant is that it comes with an under-display fingerprint sensor, which brings convenience for the users to unlock the device. The device is powered by Qualcomm‘s Snapdragon 845 processor.

The Xiaomi Mi 8 Pro features a 6.21-inch Super AMOLED display having 2248 x 1080 pixels screen resolution with a notch on top. In terms of camera, there’s dual 12MP sensors on the back with OIS and optical zoom. On the front side, there’s a 20MP f/2.0 camera sensor housed inside the notch.

Connectivity options on the device include Dual SIM, 4G, Wi-Fi, dual-band GPS, dual–SIM support, Bluetooth 5.0, NFC, USB OTG, and USB Type-C. Running on Android 8.1 Oreo operating system out-of-the-box with MIUI, the phone is powered by a 3,000mAh battery with support for fast charging technology.

(Source)

Vivo V9 Pro with notched display and dual rear cameras launched in India

By

Jeet

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Sep 26, 2018

After launching the Vivo V11 in the Indian market, Vivo has now launched yet another mid-range smartphone in India — Vivo V9 Pro, which is the upgraded version of the Vivo V9 launched earlier this month. The Vivo V9 Pro is the same phone that was recently launched in Indonesia as the Vivo V9 6GB.

The phone features a 6.3-inch FullView Display 2.0 with a screen resolution of 2280 x 1080 pixels. Qualcomm‘s Snapdragon 660 AIE octa-core processor powers the device, along with Adreno 512 graphics processor.

It packs 6GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage. There’s a dedicated microSD card slot, which enables users to further expand the phone’s storage capacity up to 256GB.

In the camera department, the device comes with a dual rear camera setup, consisting of a 13-megapixel primary sensor with LED flash and a f/2.2 aperture, and a 2-megapixel secondary sensor. On the front side, there’s a 16-megapixel sensor along with an f/2.0 aperture, and features like AI Selfie Lighting, AI Face Beauty, among others.

Connectivity options on the device include Dual SIM, 4G VoLTE, dual-band Wi-Fi (2.4GHz and 5GHz), Bluetooth v4.2, GPS/ A-GPS, a 3.5mm headphone jack, USB OTG, and a micro USB port for charging and data transfer.

The phone is running Android 8.1 Oreo operating system out-of-the-box with the company’s own FunTouch OS 4.0 and is powered by a 3,260mAh non-removable battery.

The Vivo V9 Pro will be available in Black color exclusively through Amazon India and Vivo Store. The phone is priced at Rs. 19,990 (approximately $275) in India but will be available at a special price of Rs. 17,990 (approximately $248) during Amazon India’s Great India Festival.

Samsung files trademark application for “Samsung Buds”

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Sep 26, 2018

The Gear IconX is the name of Samsung‘s truly wireless earbuds. However, a new trademark application has revealed Samsung may be changing the name or launching an entirely different line of wireless earbuds.

The Korean giant filed a trademark application for the name “Samsung Buds” at the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) last week. The application doesn’t mention if the name applies to a range of products but there are speculations as to what it might relate to.

Some say Samsung may be planning to rebrand the Gear IconX series into a more simpler name while others have said this may be Samsung’s own version of the Google Pixel Buds but with Bixby on it.

Continue

LG V40 ThinQ hi-res renders leaked ahead of October 3 debut

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Sep 26, 2018

The LG V40 ThinQ is launching on Oct. 4 in South Korea and on Oct. 3, LG will be announcing it in New York. The leaked renders of the smartphone that have surfaced through recent reports have revealed that it will be arriving with triple rear cameras and dual front-facing cameras. Today, reputed tipster Evan Blass has shared high-resolution renders of the LG V40 to confirms its design.

The LG V40 ThinQ will be coming with a notched display. The recently released notched phones by LG such as G7 ThinQ feature an option to hide the notch. The new renders of the V40 ThinQ show that its notch is hidden. Rumors have it that it will be featuring 6.4-inch OLED display with an aspect ratio of 19.5:9. It is expected to produce Quad HD+ resolution of 3120 x 1440 pixels.

LG V40 ThinQ for AT&T pic.twitter.com/uMsxdsnXf0

— Evan Blass (@evleaks) September 26, 2018

The snapshot belongs to the AT&T variant of the V40 ThinQ since the name of the carrier is mentioned in the taskbar. The notch of the phone houses dual selfie camera setup that may include an 8-megapixel sensor and a 5-megapixel sensor.

The left side of the phone features volume up and down buttons followed by a dedicated key to access Google Assistant. The chin of the device appears thin and its right edge is fitted with a power button.

The back panel of the V40 ThinQ is interesting since it features triple rear cameras. Recent leaks have revealed that the triple camera system of the V40 ThinQ features a 16-megapixel primary sensor, 12-megapixel wide-angle lens and an 8-megapixel telephoto lens. A fingerprint scanner is present on the back panel of the V40 ThinQ.

Read More: LG Q9 with Snapdragon 660 tipped to launch this year

The V40 ThinQ could be the first LG phone to arrive with Android 9 Pie preinstalled. The Snapdragon 845 chipset is expected to power the smartphone. The base model of the phone may feature 6 GB of RAM and 64 GB of native storage. A recent leak had revealed that it could be the first smartphone the company to come with 8 GB of RAM. The higher RAM variant may come with 128 GB of inbuilt storage. It is speculated to feature 3,300mAh battery that will carry support wireless charging and rapid charging.

Fan sues Xiaomi for failing to keep its promise of Dinner with co-founder Lei Jun

By

Jeet

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Sep 26, 2018

A fan of Xiaomi in China is suing the company over failing to keep its promise of hosting dinner with the company’s co-founder Lei Jun. The Haidian Court’s official website in Beijing reveals the case of a contract dispute and reports indicate that the case has been accepted by the court.

The case has been filed by Mr. Yang who believes that the content disclosed by Xiaomi on its official online store was unilaterally promised and is legally binding, and demand that the company should strictly offer the promised reward.

He adds that Xiaomi’s refusal to follow on its promise not only hurt his feelings as a “Mi Fan” but also constitutes a breach of contract. Further, he adds that he should be compensated for the losses caused, including a total of 24,000 yuan (approximately $3,491) in notary fees and legal fees.

Mr. Yang alleges that Xiaomi had publicly announced a contest in August 2017 for the sales of Xiaomi smartphone, where the reward was a dinner with the company’s co-founder and CEO Lei Jun. There were three options and the participated had to fulfil any one, which includes sale of over 300 units of Xiaomi Mi 5X, sale of over 300 units of Redmi Note 5A or the sale of over 400 units of Mi 5X and Redmi Note 5A combined.

He claims that he actively participated in the contest and fulfilled the criteria by selling 523 units of Redmi Note 5A phone during the contest period. He further claims that when he contacted the company for the reward, Xiaomi explicitly refused, even after repeated negotiations.

Read More: Xiaomi’s Viomi Technology, which makes IoT products for home users, goes public on Nasdaq: IPO priced at $9 per ADS

The plaintiff, Mr. Yang believes this is a breach of contract and has sued Xiaomi for compensation. Currently, the case is under hearing in the Haidian court in Beijing, China.

(Via)

Huawei has hired 200 employees in the US; Attempting to re-enter US?

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Sep 26, 2018

Huawei had reportedly attempted to make its Mate 10 and Mate 10 Pro flagship phones through AT&T in the U.S. It was blocked by the U.S. government on account of numerous issues such as espionage and leaking trade secret. Fresh information suggests that the company could be planning to enter the U.S. market in the coming year.

At present, Huawei stands as the world’s second manufacturer for smartphones by dethroning Apple to the third position in August this year. In order to bag the number one spot, it is very important for Huawei to gain market share in the U.S.

Currently, Huawei has around 1,200 employees working in the U.S. It seems that the Chinese manufacturer could be working some strategy to re-enter the U.S. market since it has added more than 200 job listings on various sites like Glass door, LinkedIn and its official website. The company is looking for professionals across various fields such as sales account managers, administrative assistants, OS architects, software engineers, data analysts and so on.

Next year, Huawei will be launching it will be launching its first foldable phone. It will also be the first 5G smartphone from the company. Moreover, the newly announced Kirin 980 SoC that will be powering upcoming flagship phones from the company is a 5G-ready chipset.

Read More: Huawei Exec explains why the company doesn’t supply Kirin processors to other brands

The U.S. will be one of the first one of the countries to support 5G connectivity starting from next year. Huawei could be certainly aiming to sell 5G smartphones in the U.S. from the coming year.

Since the company is hiring new software engineers and OS architects for the U.S., it could be planning to tweak EMUI for the U.S. audience or it could be making certain changes in the ROM to comply with U.S. policies. Unlocked Huawei phones are already available for purchase in the U.S. since several years. The company could be planning to partner with multiple carriers to enter the U.S. in 2019.

(source)

iPhone XS Max receives DisplayMate’s Best Smartphone Display Award

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Sep 26, 2018

Apple‘s latest flagship iPhone models comprising the iPhone XS, XS Max as well as the “cheaper” iPhone XR. The iPhone XS max and XS were released into the market last week. Although we can’t tell how the sales have one, the release means reviews of the two flagship iPhones will start hitting us and they have started. DisplayMate has published its review of the iPhone XS Max with a focus on the display. The top-end iPhone XS Max was awarded the firm’s “Best Smartphone Display Award”. The XS Max features a Super Retina OLED display panel and it got the highest A+ rating.

The smartphone’s display was tested out based on different factors such as a larger full-screen display, 2.7k resolution, industry-standard colour gamuts, automatic colour management, display power efficiency, True Tone viewing modes, Night Shift mode, and more. The iPhone XS Max features a 6.5-inch display and is the second-gen model to utilise an OLED panel with a 2.7K High Resolution of 2688 x 1242 pixels and 458 pixels per inch, and Diamond Sub-Pixels with Sub-Pixel Rendering for enhanced sharpness and higher Peak Brightness. The display also comes with support for HDR10 and Dolby Vision which set it at a higher pedestal than other flagships. DisplayMate says the XS Max can extend the Dynamic Range by up to 325 percent for HDR photos and up to 400 percent for HDR videos. The review also noted the device has a screen reflectance of 4.7 percent, which is “close to the lowest” that the company has measured for a smartphone. The phone also comes with a Night Shift Mode that allows the user to adjust and reduce the amount of Blue Light from the display for better night viewing and improved sleep.

Further, the new Super Dim setting on the iPhone XS Max was applauded for providing comfortable use in extreme low light conditions, taking the brightness down to just 2 cd per square metre. The phone’s peak screen brightness of 660 nits is slightly lower than the record 710 nits of the Samsung Galaxy Note 9. It’s not all positives, though, as there are a few minor issues which users may not even notice. One of such is that the iPhone XS Max has the largest colour shift of 6.2 JNCD a viewing angle of 30 degrees which DisplayMate claims is noticeable but not objectionable. The display also has a steep intensity scale which results in a high image contrast. It is an elaborate report and you can check out the full report from the source link below.

(source)

Pre-Order Bakeey N58 Fitness Tracker Smart Watch For Just $49.99 On Banggood

By

Vinay Patel

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Sep 26, 2018

Much to the delight of fitness-conscious people, the market is brimming with all sorts of fitness related gadgets that can monitor your health and keep track of your activities. On the downside, these devices don’t come cheap.

if you’re in the market for a cost-effective fitness tracker, it may interest you to know that Bakeey is currently offering the N58 fitness tracker smartwatch for pre-order at a dropped price of just $49.99 on Banggood. This is a 38% reduction in the device’s original selling price of $79.99 and it will be valid for both black and yellow color versions.

Before we divulge more details about the discounts, let us take a look at the N58 smartwatch’s mean features.

The Bakeey branded fitness tracker is compatible with Android 4.4 or above, iOS 8.0 or above and can work with a wide selection of newfangled mobile devices. It sports an easily readable 1.22-inch IPS display with a screen resolution of 240X204 pixels.

On top of that, the N58 comes with an IP67 rating so you can wear it even during rainy weather without worrying about inflicting any sort of damage to it. Moreover, the device is crammed with various features like the heart rate monitor, blood pressure monitor, and sleep monitor.

As if that weren’t enough, the device comes with multi-sports modes that support walking, running, riding, climbing and even ping-pong. You can follow this link if you’re interested in checking out the rest of the features and taking advantage of the aforesaid discount.

Regrettably, this discount will be limited to the first 50 pieces only, while the next 500 pieces will be up for pre-order bearing a slightly higher price tag of $54.99 and the remaining units will sell for S$79.99.

Get 38% Off On Bakeey N58 Fitness Tracker Smart Watch

Apple iPhone XS Max’s production cost estimated to be $443

By

Jeet

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Sep 26, 2018

Apple recently launched its new smartphones — iPhone XR, iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max. Now, Techinsights has completed a teardown of the iPhone XS Max A1921, revealing the components cost and production estimate.

It reveals that the estimated production cost of Apple iPhone XS Max 256GB model, which is said to be the most popular model, is about $443, about $50 more than the iPhone X 64GB model. In the cost breakdown, it reveals that the most expensive component is the display panel at around $80.50.

The phone is powered by the company’s new 7nm Apple A12 Bionic chipset, which reportedly costs around $72, with modems. The internal storage, i.e. 256GB storage, costs around $64 while the external housing costs somewhere around $58.

The device also comes with upgraded cameras, which costs about $44. Interestingly, the pricing of the camera module is same as that of last year’s iPhone X. Going by the pricing chart, every component is costlier compared to iPhone X launched last year, except for the assembly materials and the RF antenna.

Do note that Techinsights’s $443 pricing estimated for the 256GB model of the iPhone XS Max doesn’t include other manufacturing expenses such as Research & Development, Software, Logistics, and Marketing.

Techinsights says that the cost estimated provided are compiled using information available at the time of the initial teardown and where concrete data is not yet available, the company has made some assumptions. While the costing figure may not be accurate, it gives a picture about the phone’s production cost.

(Source)

Buy Meizu EP52 Lite Sports Headphone For Just $18.99 On GearBest

By

Vinay Patel

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Sep 26, 2018

In addition to manufacturing cost-effective, yet awe-inspiring smartphones, Meizu is known for creating top-notch audio accessories and devices. On September 19th, Meizu took the wraps off a few amazing items along with the much-awaited Meizu EP52 Lite sports Bluetooth headset during a new product launch conference.

Sporting an appealing neck-hanging design, the Meizu EP52 Lite features three-button remote control. Moreover, it is extremely lightweight with weighing in at just 2.3 grams single-sided. This makes it easy-to-carry everywhere you go.

While the modestly-priced Meizu EP52 Lite is already quite a bargain, the Chinese consumer electronics company is offering the feature-laden sports earphone at a dropped price of just $18.99. This is a noteworthy 23% reduction in the device’s original asking price of $25.99.
As an audio accessory, the Meizu EP52 Lite delivers an unmatched audio performance that makes it an irresistible earphone at the above-mentioned discounted price. Outfitted with an exclusively designed 10mm bio-diaphragm (dynamic coil) in the earphone cavity, the Meizu EP52 Lite boasts a specially optimized sound cavity structure.

According to Meizu, the general design of the EP52 Lite Sports Bluetooth headset adopts an ultrasonic assembly technology. It comes with a TPE skin-friendly wire and an IPX waterproof rating which lets you wear it even during rainy weather.

Moreover, the headphone supports Bluetooth 4.2 standard, which can be used over a 10-meter distance. If the Meizu EP52 Lite Sports Bluetooth headset has grabbed your attention and you’d like to know more about it, you can click here to visit the promotion page.

In order to ensure you receive the aforesaid discount, it is imperative for you to bear in mind that the promotion is slated to end soon and there were only 156 pieces remaining for the Flash Sale. First 50 buyers will be able to get their hands on the EP52 Lite at a dropped price of just $9.99.

Note that the discount will be valid daily starting at 9:00 UTC until Sunday, September 30th.

Get 23% Off On Meizu EP52 Lite Magnetic Bluetooth Sports Headphone

Get Up To 40% Off On Various Electronics And Security Items On AliExpress

By

Vinay Patel

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Sep 26, 2018

As part of its latest promotion sale, AliExpress is offering a wide selection of electronics and security items at a heavily discounted price. Dubbed as ‘Electronics & Security,’ the promo feature items bearing up to 40% off.

Keeping in line with that, the site is giving 22% off on the Genuine PINENG PN – 963 10000mAh portable battery, a 26% off on the PZOZ Xiaomi tempered glass full cover screen protector and a remarkable 41% discount on the Sound Intone H6 Bluetooth earphone. The rest of the items have been split into different sections.

The first category called ‘The Best Seller’ features a myriad of awe-inspiring items that you can buy without emptying your pocket. For instance, you can go for the Pocofone F1 smartphone which usually sells for $356.81, but is currently available at a discounted price of just $ $307.63.

You can avail big discounts on Doogee branded smartphones in the following category called ‘Top Stores.’ In addition to that, buyers can apply a $2 coupon code to save more money at the time of checking out.

Segotep is the other brand included in the aforesaid category. You can get discounts on select mobile phone accessories from UGREEN. In order to extend the available discount, you can use a $3 coupon.

If you buy one of Golddway-branded product, you not only get an outstanding discount but also save $2 extra by using a coupon code. Other top brands like Samsung, Suntaiho, BASEUS, Bluedio, and FLOVEME too offer extra discount coupons that are likely to expire in the near future.

With that being said, it is imperative that you visit the promotion page by clicking here before the coupon expires and the promo comes to an end if you’re interested in taking advantage of the discount.

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TENAA updates Honor 8C listing with images and new storage variant

By

Habeeb Onawole

-

Sep 26, 2018

The Honor 8C is a less-powerful variant of the Honor 8X and 8X Max. The device was seen on TENAA about a week ago but images weren’t provided. More network variants of the device are now listed on the agency’s website and thankfully, one of them has included images.

The model number of this new listing is BKK-AL10. Other than the images included, this variant also mentions a new memory version of the phone which will have 4GB of RAM and 32GB of storage. This means we should get two variants alongside the previously known 4GB RAM + 64GB model.

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The Honor 8C has a metal and glass sandwich design. Unlike its predecessor, the Honor 7C which has its dual cameras arranged horizontally, its own cameras are arranged vertically. There is a LED flash right below the sensors and the words “Dual Lens hybrid zoom” under the flash. There is also a fingerprint scanner in the middle of the device.

Up in front, there is a sensor, earpiece, and camera positioned in the middle. We are sure that’s where the notch is. The phone’s volume rocker and power button are on the right and there is a 3.5mm audio jack at the top of the phone.

The images provided are of the black variant but TENAA says it will also be available in purple, gold, and blue.

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Samsung develops patent to avert fake fingerprints

By

Simranpal Singh

-

Sep 26, 2018

Samsung is developing a new patent which will help to secure the fingerprint authentication with more complex mechanism. It will help combat fake fingerprints and will increase the overall security of an in-screen fingerprint module. As according to some documents from the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), it will help to identify the fraudulent fingerprints.

To identify the fake fingerprints, it will adjust light and will take second measurement to authenticate the fingerprint. It will bring multiple time authentication, where the first will take place if the sensor found an external object. Thereafter, the second will proceed with more light to check for the authenticity of fingerprint. Later, the two scans will be compared, and if any variation comes, the authentication will be rejected.

Nowadays, fingerprint scanners have become an essential part of the smartphone’s security. It is much convenient, easy and fast to use than the primitive authentication methods like PIN, password and pattern input. It is more reliable than the new face recognition system which is in its earlier stages right now.

Read More: Samsung patents self-repairing oleophobic coating for phones

With the increased use of an in-display fingerprint scanners, security thefts have risen. Users are now more prone to fake or “forged” fingerprints. In order to control the security lapses, new security measures are the need of an hour. We hope the new Samsung patent will protect against fake fingerprints and will help to tackle the issue of “forged” fingerprints in future.

If the patent gets approved on time, then we could be able to see it working on the Galaxy S10. It is a progression in the available technology of fingerprint scanners. We hope to see some more developments like this from Samsung in the near future.

What do you think? Do we need more secured fingerprint sensors?

(Via)