GeekBuying’s Black Friday Sale Brings Up To 80% Off On High-End Tech Items [Coupons Inside]

Get The Excelvan YG300 Home Mini Projector For An Unbeatable Price

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Nov 17, 2018

Looking for a cost-effective projector that’s not only suitable for private theater but also comes in handy in children education? The ingenious YG 300 Portable Mini projector might just fill the bill.
A highly compact yet efficient mini projector that fits into your bag, the YG 300 is designed to meet your varied needs. This Excelvan-branded mini projector fuses modern technology with awe-inspiring features and top-end specifications.

The YG300 projector is not only a great choice for private theater but is also suitable for outside use, thanks to its handheld size. Moreover, it can be easily charged using a power bank that you can carry everywhere you go.

As far as its display quality is concerned, the YG300 projector delivers 50 lumens brightness, coupled with 320 x 240 native resolutions for an unmatched viewing experience.

This LED mini projector support 1080 pixels physical resolution with both 16:9 and 4:3 aspect ratios, making it ideal for cinephiles who fancy enjoying large-sized screen without spending a lot of money.

The YG 300 Portable Mini Projector lets you watch movies, display images or computer screen on a smooth surface. It delivers a projection size of up to 60 inches with a projection distance from 1 to 3.8m.

It features numerous interfaces such as HDMI, USB, AV, SD card slot and comes with a built-in speaker so you do not need to worry about connecting it to an external speaker. The YG300 is perfect for home theater and an ideal toy projector for kids play or education.

While you’d normally end up spending a fortune on a mini projector that offers comparable features, the powerful YG300 Portable Mini Projector can now be yours at an unbeatable price of $42.22 on GearBest. There’s more for you to cheer about.

Staying true to its reputation for offering a wide selection of electronic items at affordable prices, GearBest is giving buyers an opportunity to avail a $5 off coupon if your cart total exceeds $50. Moreover, you can qualify for getting an add-on for just $1 if your grand total is more than $20.

If you’re one of the first 2000 new customers, you can avail an extra PayPal discount and get $5 off over $50. Alternatively, you can buy the Gocomma Projector Screen which carries a $14.59 price tag together with the YG300 mini projector to save a considerable amount of money.

While your total price with the two items added to your shopping cart will be $56.72, you pay only $55.81, saving $0.91 at the time of checking out.

You can visit this link if you’re interested in taking advantage of these discounts, which will be valid for the yellow-white color version of the min projector for a limited period of time.

Win A Xiaomi Mi 8 Smartphone, Epic Coupons And Other Cool Prizes On GearBest

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Nov 17, 2018

With Black Friday just around the corner, GearBest is giving its users something to cheer about in the form of its latest promotion.

The Chinese electronics online store is giving buyers an opportunity to win epic free gifts or coupons as part of its recently kicked-off ‘Black Friday Lucky Wheel’ promo. On top of that, some lucky users will be able to get their hands on Xiaomi’s well-received Mi 8 smartphone.

In order to stand a chance to win free gifts, all you need to do is to participate in the Lucky Game by clicking the ‘Start’ button on a spinning wheel. You can get only one free spin each day. Note that the game is slated to end on November 21st @ 07:00 UTC.

The coupon winners will be avail additional discounts using their coupons until November 26th. The Lucky Wheen can give you various other prizes including a top-branded smartwatch, a drone etc. You can even win an 8% off coupon or a chance to save $5 over $50.

Furthermore, the promo has been split into multiple categories that feature heavily discounted items. Keeping in line with that, the ‘Prize Leaderboard’ section is brimming with all sorts of items like the YEELIGHT Smart Light Bulbs, Xiaomi Redmi 6 4G Smartphone etc.
More importantly, these products have gone up for sale bearing considerably lowered price tags on Banggood. Likewise, the ‘Top Sellers’ category is brimming with high-end electronics items that you can buy without burning a hole in your pocket.

The category comprises A1 Folding Walking Machine Gym Equipment Fitness from Xiaomi, LETV X522 4G Phablet, Xiaomi Redmi 6 4G Smartphone, NO.1 F18 GPS Sports Smartwatch and a wide selection of other popular items. Note that recently arrived products such as Xiaomi Amazfit 1.3 inch smartwatch, CHUWI HI9 PLUS CWI532 4G Phablet etc. have been included in the ‘New Arrivals’ category.

If you’re a brand conscious buyer, you can head straight to the ‘Top Brands’ section that features products from leading brands like Excelvan, Tanix, Jumper, Lenovo, GEEETECH and JJRC. Each brand features select items that you can now buy at unbeatable prices.

You can click here to visit the promotion page and take advantage of the aforesaid discounts and participate in ‘Lucky Game’ to win some cool prizes.

Check Out GearBest’s Black Friday Lucky Wheel Spin Promo

Enjoy Free Shipping For Select Countries On Any Order Exceeding $39.99 On Banggood

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Enjoy Free Shipping On Banggood Download Banggood App To Get A $100 Off App Coupon

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Nov 17, 2018

We oftentimes find a great product online but choose not to order it since shipping it to your country is almost twice its price.
Taking this into consideration, Banggood is offering its users an unmissable opportunity to get free shipping. This enjoyable shopping experience will be available for SEA area on any order that meets the minimum order amount required.

The Chinese online store that guarantees the best bang for your buck is offering free shipping on any order that exceeds $39.99. This free shipping is valid for many countries including India, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, and the Philippines.

If you’re based in South Africa, your order value needs to be greater than or equal to $59.99. The free shipping will be valid on all qualifying orders for the above-mentioned countries, except wholesale or dropship.

On top of that, Banggood is offering fast, trackable shipping while guaranteeing comprehensive delivery. Buyers are expected to receive their orders up to 30% faster and will be able to check the status of their package in real time.

You can head straight to this link to check full details and get the product that you’ve restlessly been waiting to get your hands on delivered to you without spending even a single dime on shipping. All you need to do is to select Air Parcel Register Or Direct Mail.

The promotion page also features a category dubbed, ‘You May Like’ wherein you can buy top-branded smartphones at unbeatable prices. For the sake of an instance, there’s a 27% off on the Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus smartphone that usually sells for $259.99 on online and offline stores.

Thanks to the aforesaid discount, you can now buy the Redmi 5 Plus at a considerably lowered price of just $189.99 on Banggood. This discount will be valid for a limited period of time on the gold, black and rose gold color versions of the smartphone.

Hands-on photos and specs of the Pixel 3 Lite (Sargo) leaks, sports an audio jack

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Habeeb Onawole

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Updated Nov 18, 2018

Up until last week, we only knew of the development of a third Pixel device that would be less powerful and apparently, cheaper than the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL. However, a teardown of the latest version of the ARCore APK revealed there will be two devices – Bonito (which we knew about first) and Sargo (which showed up for the first time in the APK teardown). Hands-on photos and specs of Sargo have now leaked online.

The pictures are from the Russian site Rozetked.me which leaked the Pixel 3 XL ahead of its official launch. (Appears Google hasn’t plugged its leaks yet).

The Pixel 3 Lite looks a lot like its siblings with its two-tone Clearly White color but unlike the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL, its back is made of plastic and not glass. It also has a yellowish-green power button.

The front of the phone looks a lot like that of the Pixel 3 save for the lack of dual front cameras and front-facing stereo speakers. It has an 18:9 display but the bezels are still pretty thick. On the back sits a single camera, an LED flash, and a fingerprint scanner.

The phone is said to have a 5.56-inch display with a 2220 x 1080 resolution. Apart from ditching the glass back and removing one camera from the front of the phone, Google has also settled for LCD instead of OLED for the display panel. We are pretty sure a lot of folks wouldn’t mind that since the device, thankfully, doesn’t have a notch.

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With respect to the rest of the specs, Sargo is powered by a Snapdragon 670 processor which means Bonito should get the Snapdragon 710 as rumored. The chipset is paired with 4GB of RAM and 32GB of storage. We believe there will be other configurations when it launches.

The cameras are said to be the same as that of the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL – a 12MP rear camera and an 8MP front-facing camera. Excited? We are too. The Pixel 3 XL rounds it off with a 2915mAh battery, a USB-C port, and……. an audio jack! Yes, there is a 3.5mm port at the top of the phone.

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Xiaomi Mi A2 and Motorola One Power both receive Android Pie update in India

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Habeeb Onawole

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Nov 16, 2018

Do you live in India? Do you own the Xiaomi Mi A2 and or the Motorola One Power? If your answer to both questions is yes, then you should check your phone(s) for your slice of the Android Pie update.

Both the Mi A2 and the Motorola One Power are Android One phones and run a stock version of Android. We are not a bit surprised that both phones are getting a stable Android Pie update now.

At the beginning of the week, the Mi A2 was reported to have gotten an Android Pie beta update while a version of the Motorola One Power running Pie was seen on Geekbench a few weeks ago.

The update for the Mi A2 is 1067.7MB in size and it brings features like Adaptive Battery and Adaptive Brightness, a new navigation system, and recommended apps and actions based on users’ context.

For the Motorola One Power, the update is said to bring longer and improved battery life, a brand new user interface with a redesigned quick settings menu and revamped split-screen. You also get the new swipe-based navigation, Dual SIM Dual VoLTE support, an improvement in camera performance (panorama and low-light images), and a simplified volume control.

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Oppo A7 vs Vivo Y95 vs Xiaomi Mi 8 Lite: Specs Comparison

By

Michele Ingelido

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Nov 16, 2018

2018 was the year of mid-range phones’ evolution. Now, there are several budget phones with innovative features, great aesthetics and even decent cameras. And you can even get them for less than $300 easily. Oppo A7 is the latest Oppo’s mid-ranger and it brings important improvements to performance and battery life compared to its predecessor. In this article, we will compare it with the new Vivo Y95 and one of the most wanted mid-rangers in the actual market: Xiaomi Mi 8 Lite. Will the Oppo A7 be able to take its consistent slice of the market by competing with these titans?

Oppo A7 vs Vivo Y95 vs Xiaomi Mi 8 Lite

	Oppo A7	Vivo Y95	Xiaomi Mi 8 Lite
DIMENSIONS AND WEIGHT	155.9 x 75.4 x 8.1 mm, 168 grams	155.1 x 75.1 x 8.3 mm, 163 grams	156.4 x 75.8 x 7.5 mm, 169 grams
DISPLAY	6.2 inches, 720 x 1520p (HD+), 272 ppi, IPS LCD	6.22 inches, 720 x 1520p (HD+), 270 ppi, 19:9 ratio, IPS LCD	6.26 inches, 1080 x 2280p (Full HD+), 403 ppi, 19:9 ratio, IPS LCD
PROCESSOR	Qualcomm Snapdragon 450, octa-core 1.8 GHz	Qualcomm Snapdragon 439, octa-core 1.95 GHz	Qualcomm Snapdragon 660, octa-core 2.2 GHz
MEMORY	3 GB RAM, 32 GB, 4 GB RAM, 64 GB – micro SD dedicated slot	4 GB RAM, 64 GB, micro SD slot	4 GB RAM, 64 GB – 6 GB RAM, 64 GB – 6 GB RAM, 128 GB
SOFTWARE	Android 8.1 Oreo, Color OS	Android 8.1 Oreo, Funtouch OS	Android 8.1 Oreo, MIUI
CONNECTIVITY	Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.2, GPS	Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.2, GPS	Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS
CAMERA	Dual 13 + 2 MP f/2.2 and f/2.4 16 MP f/2.0 front camera	Dual 13 + 2 MP f/2.2 and f/2.4 20 MP front camera	Dual 12 + 5 MP f/1.9 and f/2.0 24 MP front camera
BATTERY	4230 mAh	4030 mAh	3350 mAh, Fast Charging with Quick Charge 3.0
ADDITIONAL FEATURES	Dual SIM slot	Hybrid Dual SIM slot	Dual SIM slot

Design

A sure thing is that all of these phones come with outstanding designs, with impressive reflective backs and a very high screen-to-body ratio. For me, the most attractive is Vivo Y95 as it has a higher screen-to-body ratio due to its smaller waterdrop notch and a thinner chin. Further, it is available in beautiful gradient colors. Oppo A7 is very similar, but it has a slightly different texture on the back and a slightly lower screen-to-body ratio. Xiaomi Mi 8 Lite has a very attractive back as well, but its notch is bigger and the body is thinner.

Display

Xiaomi Mi 8 Lite has the best display. On a screen which measures more than 6 inches, a resolution lower than 1080p means a low level of detail, and that is exactly the case of Oppo A7 and Vivo Y95. Xiaomi Mi 8 Lite has an average IPS panel, but still better than its opponents. On the other hand, the lower resolution of Vivo Y95 and Oppo A7 makes the battery last longer.

Specs & Software

Xiaomi Mi 8 Lite is the most performing device because it comes with a way better processor than Vivo Y95 and Oppo A7. Further, it has a variant with more RAM and more internal storage. The Snapdragon 660 is much more powerful than any SoC from the Snapdragon 400 series, so there is no challenge: Xiaomi Mi 8 Lite is the best. But unlike its opponents, it does not feature a micro SD slot. All of these handsets come with a customized Android version.

Camera

Despite being the most affordable handset, Xiaomi Mi 8 Lite has even a better camera department than Vivo Y95 and Oppo A7. It features two rear cameras with brighter apertures as well as a selfie camera with a higher resolution and auto HDR. Oppo A7 and Vivo Y95 are at the same level, with the former featuring some AI-backed features which seem more advanced for selfies, and the latter having a higher resolution for the selfie camera.

Battery

Oppo A7 has the biggest battery and it will be able to last very long thanks to the HD display and the very efficient chipset. Vivo Y95’s battery is just slightly smaller and its components are efficient as well, so its battery life is excellent as well. Xiaomi Mi 8 Lite has a 3350 mAh unit which can only deliver an average battery life.

Price

Even though it has the best performance and camera department, Xiaomi Mi 8 Lite is available at a more affordable price: about €200/$228. Oppo A7 and Vivo Y95 cost about €270/$307 and €250/$285 respectively, but I would still prefer the Oppo A7 due to its very long battery life. And even though it has a lower-end SoC compared to Xiaomi Mi 8 Lite, it features the new HyperBoost technology which is able to enhance CPU and GPU performance by up to 31 percent.

Read More: Vivo Y95 is now official; Specifications, features and pricing

Oppo A7 vs Vivo Y95 vs Xiaomi Mi 8 Lite: PROs and CONS

Oppo A7

PROs

HyperBoost technology
Big battery
Micro SD dedicated slot
Original design
FM radio

CONS

HD display

Vivo Y95

PROs

High screen-to-body ratio
Big battery
Great design
FM radio

CONS

Lower-end SoC
HD display

Xiaomi Mi 8 Lite

PROs

Wonderful design
More affordable
Good performance
Better display

CONS

No micro SD
No FM radio

Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2 gaming smartphone to launch on December 11

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Nov 16, 2018

Asus has today confirmed that it will launch the Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2 gaming smartphone at a launch event in Indonesia on 11th December. The phone will be the successor of the Zenfone Max Pro M1, which has been well-received by the users.

Interestingly, the Zenfone Max Pro M2 is first getting launched in Indonesia whereas its predecessor was first launched in India. Also, the company is claiming that the Zenfone Max Pro M2 is a gaming smartphone.

While the company claims it to be a gaming smartphone, it’s likely that the phone will have a gaming-focused software features similar to the Honor Play instead of features on an actual gaming phone like ROG Phone.

Previous reports suggest that the phone will feature a 6-3inch IPS LCD display having a Full HD+ screen resolution. The device is expected to pack 4GB of RAM and will have two models based on the internal storage — 64GB and 128GB. We are also expecting another variant with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage.

Under the hood, the phone will be running on an octa-core 14nm Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 AIE processor under the hood, which offers an impressive improvement in graphics performance compared to the Snapdragon 636 chipset that powers the current model.

For photography, the phone is expected to feature a triple-camera setup on the back, where the primary camera sensor will be of 13-megapixel. As for the software, the phone will be running the latest Android 9 Pie operating system out-of-the-box.

While the company has not revealed, there’s a possibility that Asus could also launch the Zenfone Max M2 along with the Zenfone Max Pro M2 next month. The phone is also expected to be available in India soon after Indonesia launch if not before.

OPPO A7 is official with waterdrop notch display, SD450 and 4,230mAh battery in multiple markets

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Nov 16, 2018

In September, OPPO had launched the Helio P60 chipset powered OPPO A7X smartphone in China. Today, the Chinese manufacturer has launched the OPPO A7 smartphone with less powerful Snapdragon 450 chipset in multiple Asian markets such as China, Nepal and Sir Lanka. It is also equipped with a waterdrop notch display and an impressive battery.

Oppo A7 Specifications and Features

The OPPO A7 for China has a glossy finish for the back panel whereas the non-Chinese edition of the smartphone has a textured appeal. Measuring 155.9 x 75.4 x 8.1mm and weighing 168 grams, the OPPO A7 mid-range phone houses a 6.2-inch IPS LCD notch screen that offers a screen space of 88.3 percent. The big display has anti-reflective coating and Corning Gorilla Glass protection.

The 1.8 GHz Snapdragon 450 SoC and 4 GB of RAM powers the OPPO A7. The native storage of the phone is 64 GB. It carries support for microSD card. In some of the other countries, the smartphone is equipped another model that includes 3 GB of RAM and 32 GB of inbuilt storage.

The 13-megapixel + 2-megapixel horizontal dual camera setup is present on the rear of OPPO A7. It can capture studio-quality portrait shots with bokeh effect through AI beauty technology. For capturing vivid videos, it carries support for multi-frame image stabilization technology. The HDR mode enabled 16-megapixel wide-angle lens is fitted inside the front notch of the phone. The handset includes support for AR stickers.

The ColorOS 5.2 based Android 8.1 Oreo OS is available preloaded on the phone. It includes a huge battery of 4,230mAh battery. The handset features AI battery management for extending its battery performance. The other features that are available on the OPPO A7 are 4G VoLTE, support for dual SIM cards, Bluetooth 4.2, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, USB OTG, microUSB 2.0, GPS and 3.5mm headphone jack.

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

Oppo A7 Price and Release Date

The OPPO A7 costs 1,599 Yuan in China. The reservations for the smartphone have started on the official OPPO shop online store in the home market. The handset is scheduled to hit the market on Nov. 22 at 10 AM. It can be availed in colors like Fresh Pink, Lake Light Green and Amber Gold.

In other regions, the OPPO A7 comes in Glaring Gold and Glaze Blue colors. Rumors have it that the smartphone will be announced in India on Nov. 22.

Xiaomi Redmi 6 Pro to soon get Rose Gold color option in India

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Nov 16, 2018

A few months ago, Xiaomi launched Redmi 6 Pro smartphone in the Indian market. The phone is currently available in four color options — Black, Blue, Gold, and Red. If the latest report is to be believed, then the Chinese company will soon add a new color option — Rose Gold.

However, there’s no information available regarding the launch date of the Rose Gold color option for the Redmi 6 Pro. But it’s certain that apart from the different color, the phone’s specifications will remain the same.

The Redmi 6 Pro is the most advanced phone in the Redmi 6 family that also consists of Redmi 6 and 6A. The phone features a 5.84-inch full-screen IPS LCD screen that supports Full HD+ resolution of 2280 x 1080 pixels.

Under the hood, the device is powered by Qualcomm‘s Snapdragon 625 processor clocked at 2.0GHz and comes in two models based on memory configuration — 3GB RAM with 32GB internal storage and 4GB RAM with 64GB internal storage.

As for the camera, the handset features a 12-megapixel f/2.2 aperture primary camera sensor and a 5-megapixel f/2.2 aperture secondary camera on the back. On the front side, it comes with a 5-megapixel snapper for taking selfies and video calling.

Connectivity options on the device include Dual 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, microUSB and 3.5mm audio jack. The phone runs Android 8.1 Oreo operating system out-of-the-box with the company’s own MIUI 9.6 on top and is backed by a 4,000mAh battery.

Meanwhile, Xiaomi has sent out media invites for a launch event on 22nd November in India, where the company will launch the Redmi Note 6 Pro. It was first launched in Thailand and has already made its way to Indonesia.

Qualcomm allegedly sponsoring anti-Apple campaign with same firm Facebook used

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Nov 16, 2018

A report was published yesterday by the New York Times which bothered on Facebook and several aspects of the company’s operations. The report dwelt on several issues like the company’s poor response to Russian abuse of its platform during the last US general election, Mark Zuckerberg’s disdain for Tim Cook, and more. The report also alleges that Facebook had worked with a public affairs firm, Definers Public Affairs, to spread negative information about competitors.

The report also mentioned that the PR firm also got funding from a “third technology company” to spread negative reports about Apple. A new report carried by Business Insider seems to have revealed the identity of the third tech company as US chipmaker Qualcomm. The report alleges that Qualcomm is also a client of the notorious PR firm, Definers Public Affairs and is in fact, the third technology company the NYTimes source referred to. This same allegation was also made by NBC News. Business Insider’s Kif Leswing disclosed that he was approached by the west coast head of Definers, Tim Miller, about a possible story related to the fines Apple “was incurring related to the legal action” between it and Qualcomm. Leswing says that Miller approached other reports at Business Insider about Qualcomm and Apple stories, as well.

This is coming on the heels of a protracted legal battle that Apple and Qualcomm are engaged in, with Apple having dropped Qualcomm as a supplier for modems used in the latest iPhone models. Qualcomm recently accused Apple of leaking its modem technology to Intel, an allegation Apple denies. Apparently, the legal battle isn’t going to end soon.

(source)

Xiaomi Mi 8 Lite 4 GB RAM + 128 GB storage goes on first sale in China

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Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Nov 16, 2018

Xiaomi had recently confirmed that it will be selling the new 4 GB RAM + 128 GB storage version of Xiaomi Mi 8 Lite smartphone from Nov. 16. The first sale of the phone kicked off today morning in China at 10 AM.

During the recent 11/11 Singles’ Day sale in China, the Mi 8 Lite sold like hotcakes on Tuning and Suning Chinese retailer platforms. Hence, the Mi 8 Lite is one of the best-selling phones from Xiaomi. The Chinese manufacturer has now introduced the 4 GB RAM + 128 GB storage variant for the Mi 8 Lite with a price tag of 1,799 Yuan (~$259). It joins the other three variants of the smartphone.

The base model of the phone features 4 GB RAM + 64 GB storage model of the Xiaomi Mi 8 Lite is priced at 1,399 Yuan (~$201). The second model has 6 GB RAM + 64 GB storage and it costs 1,699 Yuan (~$245). The highest variant of the smartphone has 6 GB RAM + 128 GB storage and it carries a pricing of 1,999 Yuan (~$289). Apart from Deep Gray, handset comes in two color gradient choices such as Twilight Gold and Dream Blue.

The 4 GB RAM + 128 GB storage edition of the Xiaomi Mi 8 Lite is available in only two colors such as Deep Gray and Dream Blue. Probably, the Chinese manufacturer will be introduced its Twilight Gold edition some time later.

Read More: Test shows the Xiaomi Mi Mix 3 slider can slide 600,000 times without any issues (Video)

The Mi 8 Lite comes with a 6.26-inch display that carries support for Full HD+ resolution of 2280 x 1080 pixels. The Snapdragon 660 chipset powers the smartphone along with 4 GB / 6 GB of RAM. Apart from 64 GB / 128 GB storage, users can add a microSD card to the device for additional storage.

For shooting selfies, the Mi 8 Lite possesses Sony IMX576 24-megapixel front-facing camera. The dual camera setup residing on the rear side of the phone has a 12-megapixel primary sensor and a 5-megapixel secondary sensor. The 3,350mAh battery of the Mi 8 Lite is equipped with support for 18W fast charging.

(source)

Test shows the Xiaomi Mi Mix 3 slider can slide 600,000 times without any issues (Video)

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Nov 16, 2018

Xiaomi Mi Mix 3 slider design was one of the major attractions of the flagship model when it was announced last month. The design afforded the Chinese phone manufacturer an opportunity to further trim the bezels around the phone’s display. So the Mi Mix 3 comes with the highest screen to body ratio on any Xiaomi phone. However, the slider design which is somewhat mechanical gave rise to concerns about its durability especially as a result of persistent usage. Fair enough, Xiaomi has assured that the slider is durable and isn’t like the slider technology that was in use in the past. That claim has now been reaffirmed with an independent test carried out to ascertain the durability of the Mi Mix 3 slider.

The slider test is the second one that the Mi Mix 3 has been subjected to. The slider was reported slid 350,000 times in the first test. This one almost doubles the first test at 600,000 times. Even after the milestone has been achieved, the phone was slide vigorously tested hands-on and it still came out unscathed.

Thus, users are assured that the slider is the least problem they should worry about on the Mi Mix 3. Instead, with such mammoth display, users should be more concerned about not dropping the phone by accident as we are not sure the display screen will survive a single drop.

(source)

Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus gets Android Pie-based Samsung One UI Beta update

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Nov 16, 2018

During its Samsung Developers Conference earlier this month, Samsung unveiled its new user interface — Samsung One UI and said that it’ll soon be available in beta phase for select devices.

Now, Samsung has started One UI Beta program for the users of Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus in South Korean and the United States. It is also expected to be soon available in Germany, Europe, and Asia. The stable release of the Android Pie-based Samsung One UI will be available in January next year.

To receive the One UI beta update, you’ll need to enroll into the One UI beta program through Samsung Members/Samsung+ app by tapping the “Notices” button. You can then download the newest Android Pie build by going into Settings > Software updates and tapping on “Download updates manually.”

The update, which is about 1896MB in size, brings official Android Pie to Samsung’s flagship lineup together with all of One UI’s newest improvements, both in the looks department as well as all in terms of features. It also comes with the latest November security patch for Android.

One UI brings a lot of new features such as a redesigned interface, redesigned notifications with the ability to reply directly from the notification panel, new Unicode 11.0 emojis, adaptive themes, Device Care and power saving features, new clock styles for the Always On display, improved Bixby search, redesigned Phone app, and more.

Samsung has also introduced a system-wide Night Mode that enables a dark, AMOLED-friendly theme throughout the UI and Samsung’s apps. The new Samsung One UI will also theme itself to match the color of the phone, similar to what Samsung offered on Galaxy Note 9 with its new S-Pen. You will be able to use Samsung DeX with supported HDMI adapters, without the need for a DeX station.

Comparing to the Samsung Experience UX which requires two hands to operate, the new One UI is claimed to have been built for a “more natural and comfortable” one-handed use cases. Samsung said that it has been working on the new experience for the past year, and the prime target is to make the interface less cluttered.

The focus of Samsung One UI is on keeping the most relevant content in the most useful place — bottom of the screen. All of Samsung’s apps have adopted a bottom bar layout for smaller navigation elements alongside larger header elements. Menus also pop-up at the bottom of the screen instead of the center.

(Via)

Realme confirms U-series smartphone powered by MediaTek Helio P70 SoC

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Nov 16, 2018

Last month, after MediaTek launched Helio P70 chipset — the successor of MediaTek Helio P60 — aimed for the mid-range smartphone, Realme had announced that it’ll be the first brand to launch MediaTek’s Helio P70-powered smartphone.

Recently, we reported that Realme is preparing to launch a new U-series smartphone in India. Now, the company has officially confirmed that the U-series smartphone will be the first globally to be powered by MediaTek’s Helio P70 chipset.

Apart from the fact that the Helio P70-powered phone will be a part of the company’s new U-series of devices, nothing more has been revealed by Realme. However, earlier it was reported that the U-series will be focused on offering selfie-centric smartphones.

Given that the Helio P70 comes with a dedicated APU for AI-based tasks, we expect that the front-facing camera of the upcoming smartphone will have several artificial intelligence-based features to justify the tag of a selfie-centric phone.

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

It has four ARM Cortex-A73 core clocked at 2.1GHz and four ARM Cortex-A53 cores clocked at 2.0GHz in an octa-core big.LITTLE configuration. It has ARM Mali-G72 MP3 GPU operating at up to 900MHz, which promises a 13 percent performance improvement compared to the Helio P60.

The chipset supports up to a single 32-megapixel camera or 24-megapixel +16-megapixel dual cameras. It also has a hardware warping engine for electronic image stabilization (EIS) that saves 23mA per second instead of assigning it to the GPU. Compared to Helio P60, the MediaTek Helio P70 chipset uses 35 percent less power and provides 7 percent DOU in games that require higher processing power.

The development comes a few days after an unnamed Redmi smartphone with model number RMX1833 was spotted on the Geekbench benchmarking portal. The phone is powered by MediaTek Helio P60 SoC, along with 4GB of RAM and was runs Android 8.1 Oreo out-of-the-box.

Xiaomi announces Rs. 1,000 price drop for Redmi Note 5 Pro, Mi A2, and Redmi Y2

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Nov 16, 2018

Xiaomi has today announced a price drop on a number of smartphones in the Indian market, including Redmi Note 5 Pro, Mi A2, and Redmi Y2. Explaining the reason behind the price drop, the company said that the cost of components for some of Xiaomi’s phones have reduced.

Further, the company said that it has a philosophy of honest pricing where they have capped their profit margin to 5 percent for a hardware product. So, if the company makes more profit, it gives back to the Mi Fans, and this development is a part of that philosophy.

The company has permanently dropped the prices of Redmi Note 5 Pro, Mi A2, and Redmi Y2 by Rs. 1,000, which roughly converts to $14. The 4GB RAM model of Redmi Note 5 Pro now costs Rs. 13,999 (~$195) while the 6GB RAM model costs Rs. 15,999 (approx. $223).

On the other hand, the Mi A2 4GB RAM model is available for Rs. 15,999 (~$223) and the 6GB RAM model is available for Rs. 18,999 (approximately $264). The selfie-centric Redmi Y2 will now be available for Rs. 11,999 (approx. $167).

Moreover, Xiaomi was announced as the number one smartphone vendor in India for the 5th consecutive quarter, as per IDC Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker. Xiaomi said that as a celebration of that achievement, it has announced the price drop.

This development is contrary to what the company had said earlier in September. During the Redmi 6 line-up launch in India, Xiaomi hinted towards price hike because of fluctuating currency and said that it’ll wait for a few months to see how INR performs against USD before taking such a move.

Meizu Note 8 Plus leaked photo reveals four rear cameras [Update]

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Nov 16, 2018

Update: Meizu CEO Jack Wong has confirmed that the image is fake and Meizu won’t focus on adding more sensors to the setup. Rather, it will use its own approach to improve camera performance.

Original Story:

Last month, Meizu had launched the Meizu M8 Note smartphone with “national camera phone” tagline in China. The handset had carried an enticing starting price of 1,298 Yuan (~$187). It appears that the company could be planning to launch an advanced version of the same phone with Meizu Note 8 Plus moniker. Internationally, the handset is most likely to carry Meizu M8 Note Plus moniker. A leaked photo of the alleged phone has appeared on SlashLeaks. What’s interesting about the phone is that the handset is equipped with four rear-mounted cameras.

The SlashLeaks listing for the below shown leaked photo reveals that the Meizu handset has a model number of M1823. It seems to feature a metallic chassis with red paint job. A square-shaped camera module that houses four camera sensors resides above the fingerprint scanner.

It is speculated that the quad camera setup of the Meizu Note 8 Plus may borrow M8 Note’s Sony IMX362 main sensor. It will could be coupled with a depth sensor, a super wide-angle lens and a telephoto lens. Samsung has recently the Galaxy A9s smartphone as the world’s first smartphone with four rear cameras. Since Meizu shares a healthy business relation with Samsung, there is a possibility that it may adopt Samsung’s quad camera solution.

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

There is no information available on the specifications of the Meizu M8 Note. It could feature similar specs that are available on the M8 Note smartphone. The latter is equipped with a 6-inch IPS LCD display that supports FHD+ resolution and 18:9 aspect ratio. The Snapdragon 632 chipset powers the 4 GB and 6 GB RAM variants of the phone. It includes 64 GB of native storage and it also features an external storage slot.

The back panel of the phone has a 12-megaprixel + 5-megapixel dual camera module. It is equipped with a selfie shooter of 8-megapixel. The handset is loaded with Flyme UI based Android 8.1 Oreo OS. It is backed by 3,600mAh battery that carries support for 18W mCharge rapid charging technology. The handset is available in China in four colors like Black, Gray Blue, Smoker Purple and Flame Red.

(source)

Nokia X7 gets a new update in China with November Patch & Better Camera Performance

By

Simranpal Singh

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Nov 16, 2018

Today, Nokia took to Weibo to officially announce the Nokia X7 update equipped with the November Security patch and some other fixes in China. The same update was halted a few days ago when some users reported bricking of devices after updating to the November security patch. It seems now the bugs have been stabilized, and Nokia has again started to roll out the update to Nokia X7 aka Nokia 7.1 Plus in China.

As per the official changelog, the new update carries camera optimizations which will improve the image quality. As like of the Huawei and Pixel, Nokia is also implementing its function to make night shots more attractive. There is some change in the AI experience of the device by improving the camera scene recognition feature. There are many fixes and stable patches which will improve the overall fluency and stability of the device. It will also enhance its capability to handle the applications.

Nokia also said that the same update would be rolled out to other models shortly. Users who faced problem while installing the same update can now install it without any hitch. The HMD Global has stabilized it by fixing the bugs in the update.

Nokia X7 aka Nokia 7.1 Plus carries a 6.18 inch LCD having a resolution of 2246×1080 pixels. Its display supports intelligent AI features, with 86.5% of screen-to-body ratio and supports DCI-P3 color gamut display. It is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 710 SoC coupled with a 6GB LPDDR4X RAM and 128 GB internal storage. Users can even expand its storage by means of microSD card of 128 GB. It supports 18W fast charging which takes around half an hour to fill its 3500 mAh battery. The phone retains a 3.5 mm audio jack and supports dual 4G VoLTE with Type-C USB.

Read More: Vivo X21s vs Oppo RX17 Neo vs Nokia X7: Specs Comparison

Further, it runs on Android 8.1 Oreo and is soon expected to receive the latest Android 9.0 update. In the camera department, it carries 12 megapixels + 13-megapixel dual cameras with f/1.8 aperture. It hosts Optical Image Stabilisation (OIS), AI features, dual-core focus, dynamic photos, etc. On the front, Nokia has added a 20 megapixel shooter for selfeis equipped with AI beautify.

The update is currently rolling out in China, and you can soon expect it in other regions too.

(Via)

Amazfit working on a bunch of new Watch Faces for its smartwatches

By

Simranpal Singh

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Nov 16, 2018

Today, Huami Technology CEO Huang Wang took to Weibo to showcase some new Watch Faces for the Amazfit smartwatches. A total of eight new dials can be seen in different images posted on Weibo. Though all the designs are still in draft and we can’t confirm which one or how many are going to be made available after final revision. Huang Wang said that they are extremely serious about designing some beautiful and useful dials for the Amazfit watches.

Huami Technology has shared some new drafts of the Watch Faces which looks extremely good. You would have fallen in love with all of the newly drafted dials. The new Watch Faces are giving full information in a refined way for functions such as weather and heart rate. The new dials are entirely different from the already present user interfaces among the Amazfit watches.

We can see the new Watch Faces on the newly launched Amazfit smartwatch which was released in September this year. It supports multi-function NFC, heart rate monitoring, abnormal heart rate alarm and a round dial just for 79 Yuan. Already, the Amazfit smartwatch is equipped with 13 different watch faces, including three dials designed in collaboration with Territory studio based in San Francisco. Now, in an update, Huami seems to addon some more dials to the Amazfit watches.

Read More: Xiaomi Amazfit Olympic Marathon shoes gets two new colors, priced at 269 Yuan (~$39)

It is excellent news for Amazfit watch users, as they are going to get some more exclusive watch faces very soon. These watch faces brings-in additional advantage as these carry more information on the same screen. These will help users to be more productive with ease of accessibility for relevant information.

How many of you have already started looking for these new dials and which is your favorite?

Buy Xiaomi Mi Band 3 Smart Wristband For Only $23.39 On Banggood [Coupon Inside]

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