LG joins the Android One program with the G7 One, announces the G7 Fit too

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Aug 28, 2018

Google had introduced the original Pixel and Pixel XL smartphones on Oct. 4 in 2016. The successor Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL phones were unveiled on the same date in 2017. Hence, the rumor mill has been speculating that the search engine giant will be debuting the upcoming Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL phones on Oct. 4 this year. However, a new report on Bloomberg has revealed that the company will announce the Pixel 3 duo on Oct. 9.

According to a Bloomberg report, people who are familiar with Alphabet Inc.’s have revealed that Google will be launching the new Pixel phones on Oct. 9 through an unveil event in New York City. However, Google is yet to confirm on the launch date. The slight delay from the expected Oct. 4 launch date sounds a bit strange since numerous leaks have revealed almost leaked everything about the Pixel 3 XL smartphone.

The Google Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL launch event will be used to announce other Pixel products such as a new Pixelbook and a Pixel Watch. The Pixel 3 duo will be the first phones to come preinstalled with Android 9 Pie OS.

The Google Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL phones respectively feature 5.4-inch and 6.7-inch OLED screens. The 5.4-inch Pixel 3 is expected to feature an 18:9 display whereas the 6.4-inch Pixel 3 XL will be coming with a notched screen. The Snapdragon 845 SoC and 4 GB of RAM are expected to power both the smartphones.

Like the predecessor Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL, their successor editions are expected to carry support for Active Edge feature. The Pixel 3 XL is rumored to feature a 3,430mAh battery whereas the Pixel 3 could be packed with a battery of around 3,000mAh capacity. Both the phones are pegged to feature single rear camera of 12-megapixel and dual 8-megapixel front-facing snappers. The Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL smartphones are pegged to hit the market with respective pricing of $649 and $749.

Realme 2 with 6.2-inch FullView display and 4,230mAh battery launched, pricing starts at Rs. 8,990

By

Jeet

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Aug 28, 2018

After the success of Oppo‘s Realme 1 smartphone in the Indian market, Realme got separated from its parent company to become an independent brand. Today, the brand has launched a new smartphone in India — Realme 2, which is the successor of the Realme 1 launched earlier this year.

The phone’s pricing starts at Rs. 8,990, which roughly converts to $128, making it the cheapest smartphone in the Indian market featuring a notched display. It’ll be available for purchase exclusively through online marketplace Flipkart from 4th September. The company has also teased a Realme 2 Pro, which should get launched next month.

In terms of design, the smartphone still features the diamond-cutting design that we saw on its predecessor. However, the company says that this time, it has used the 2nd generation of Diamond-cutting Design with improved reflecting effect and 12-layer nanotech.

The Realme 2 features a bigger 6.2-inch display but the company has downgraded the screen resolution from Full HD to 720p HD+. The FullView 2.5D curved glass display with 18:9 aspect ratio offers a screen resolution of 1520 x 720 pixels and is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass.

Under the hood, the device is powered by Qualcomm‘s Snapdragon 450 octa-core processor clocked at 1.8GHz, which is also a step backward compared to the MediaTek Helio P60 which powers the Realme 1. The phone has two variants — 3GB RAM with 32GB internal storage and 4GB RAM with 64GB internal storage. There’s also a microSD card slot for expanding the phone’s storage capacity.

The company has upgraded the camera configuration on the Realme 2 as it now comes with dual camera sensors on the back, featuring a 13-megapixel primary sensor paired with a 2-megapixel secondary sensor. On the front side, there’s an 8-megapixel shooter for taking selfies and video calling.

Unlike its predecessor, the Realme 2 comes with a fingerprint sensor on the back panel. It still has support for software-based Face Unlock feature. The phone runs on Android 8.1 Oreo operating system out-of-the-box with the company’s own ColorOS 5.1 custom interface.

Connectivity options on the device include Dual 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.2, GPS + GLONASS, and USB OTG. The phone is fuelled by a bigger 4,230mAh battery.

The Realme 2 will be available in three color options — Diamond Black, Diamond Red, and Diamond Blue. While the Black and Red color goes on sale from 4th September, the Blue color will be available from October.

The 3GB RAM model is priced at Rs. 8,990 (approximately $128) while the 4GB RAM model costs Rs. 10,990, which roughly converts to $156. At this price point, the phone will compete against the likes of Xiaomi Redmi Y2, Redmi Note 5, Asus Zenfone Max Pro M1, Honor 7C, among others.

CHUWI-Branded Items Go Up For Sale At Discounted Price On AliExpress

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Aug 28, 2018

CHUWI’s official store on AliExpress is currently brimming with tablets, notebooks and a broad range of other CHUWI-branded items that you can buy at the heavily discounted price. Let’s head straight to the details.

The popular brand’s annual Back-to-School promotion hosted by AliExpress kicked off on Monday. Much to the delight of its swarm of loyal customers, CHUWI is doling out unmissable deals and big discounts on its best selling products and a wide selection of recently-launched items as well.

The participating products include the CHUWI Hi9 Pro tablet PC, which packs a powerful MT6797 X20 Deca-Core processor, under the hood. Along with a 3GB of memory capacity, the well-received tablet PC offers 32GB of onboard storage.

While the Hi9 Pro would usually set you back $194.43, you can buy it at a dropped price of just $139.99. This is a 28% reduction in the device’s original asking price, but you can avail the discount only for 5 days.

Likewise, there’s a 28% off on the CHUWI LapBook SE that sports a big 13.3-inch display with a screen resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels. As a result, the ultra notebook’s steep retail price of $374.99 has been reduced to only $269.99.

The feature-laden LapBook SE notebook will be carrying the aforesaid lowered price for just 5 days. On top of that, you can avail a $10 New User Coupon to reduce your already discounted grand total.

If you’ve restlessly been waiting to get your hands on a high-end tablet that doesn’t burn a hole in your pocket, you might want to take a look at the CHUWI Hi9 Air. The power-packed tablet adapts an MT6797 X20 Deca Core processor with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of ROM.

If you’re on a tight budget, you can take advantage of the 34% discount AliExpress will be offering on the Hi9 Air tablet for 5 days. As a result, the well-received tablet can now be yours at a reduced price of just $181.49.

Alternatively, you can go for the CHUWI Hi10 Plus, which is a feature-laden tablet PC. More importantly, it is currently available at a dropped price of just $170.99 on AliExpress.

It is worth noting that the Hi10 Plus usually carries a $237.49 price tag. This 28% discount will be available on multiple bundles for 5 days.
In addition to these discounts, you can get an extra $8 off if your grand total exceeds $150 by using specific coupons that can only be spent in CHUWI store on AliExprees. Moreover, you can get $10 off coupon for an order of $159 or more and a $10 off coupon for an order of $189 or more.

To avail the discounts and check out the rest of the discounted products, all you need to do is to follow this link without wasting time.

Avail Big Discounts On CHUWI-Branded Products

OPPO F9 Pro bags TENAA approval; May release in China with different name

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Aug 28, 2018

OPPO smartphones with model numbers PBBT00 and PBBM00 have been approved by TENAA agency in China. Previous reports have revealed that these model numbers belong to the OPPO F9 Pro smartphone. Now that the F9 Pro has been approved by TENAA, it seems that it will be soon made available in China. OPPO has never sold F-series of smartphones in China. This suggests that the F9 Pro may hit China with a different moniker.

The OPPO PBBT00 / PBBM00 measures 156.7 x 74 x 7.99mm and it weighs 169 grams. Its color variants include white, black, blue and pink. The handset features a 6.3-inch display that produces Full HD+ resolution of 2340 x 1080 pixels. It includes a 3,415mAh battery.

An octa-core processor that clocks at 2 GHz is present under the hood of the smartphone along with 4 GB of RAM. It has an internal storage of 128 GB and carries a microSD card slot for more storage.

The rear side of the phone features a horizontally aligned dual camera setup that includes a 16-megapixel primary sensor and a 2-megapixel secondary sensor. The small notch present at the frontside of the phone features a 16-megapixel camera for capturing selfies. The back panel of the phone features a fingerprint reader.

OPPO has recently launched the F9 Pro in India. The same phone has arrived as F9 in other southeast Asian nations such as Vietnam, Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia. The PBBT00 and PBBM00 models that have surfaced on TENAA includes a lower front-facing camera of 16-megapixel when compared to 25-megapixel selfie shooter available on the Southeast Asian version of the F9/F9 Pro. Instead of the 3,500mAh battery on the F9/F9 Pro, it includes a slightly smaller 3,415mAh model.

Also, the Southeast Asian markets have received the F9/F9 Pro in color variants like Sunrise Red, Twilight Blue and Starry Purple, but the PBBT00 and PBBM00 models that has appeared on TENAA includes a new color gradient of pink. As mentioned above, it appears that the F9 Pro with slightly modified specs and a new color may land in the home country with a new name.

Get Big Discounts On The Power 5, Armor 5 And Other Ulefone-Branded Smartphones On AliExpress

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Aug 28, 2018

Thanks to a recently kicked off global shopping festival hosted by AliExpress in collaboration with Ulefone, cost-conscious buyers will get big discounts on high-end mobile phones manufactured by the Chinese handset maker. Let’s delve straight into the details.

As a token of gratitude, Ulefone is giving its huge fanbase an opportunity to avail up to 40% off on select smartphones. As if that weren’t enough, one lucky consumer will get a chance to buy the well-received Ulefone S1 smartphone at a slashed price of just $9.9.

The Official Ulefone Online Store on AliExpress is currently crammed with a wide selection of high-end smartphones that you can buy without emptying your pocket. For the sake of an instance, there’s a 24% off on the Ulefone Armor 5 smartphone, which usually sells for $269.99.

Launched earlier this year, the Ulefone Armor 5 sports a big 5.85 inches IPS HD+ display with a screen resolution of 720 x 1512 pixels. The phone is housed in an eye-catching polycarbonate body which is further augmented with equally appealing rounded edges.

Ulefone Armor 5
Furthermore, the Armor 5 is powered by a MediaTek Helio P23 MT6763V, 64-bit processor and it packs an ARM Mali-G71 MP2, 700 MHz, 2-Cores GPU, under the hood. The phone offers 4GB of LPDDR3 RAM and 64GB of expandable ROM (up to 256GB).

The phone houses a 13MP+5MP dual camera setup on the back. Up front, there’s an 8MP camera for selfies and face-to-face video chatting. It runs on Android 8.1 Oreo OS and is backed by a robust 5,000 mAh Lithium-Polymer battery.

The Power 5 smartphone, on the other hand, will set you back just $293.99 on AliExpress. This is a noteworthy 12% reduction in the phone’s original asking price of $364.08, but the sale will only be valid for 5 days.
Ulefone made the long-awaited Power 5 smartphone available to the public in April this year. The phone features a mammoth 6.0 inches IPS, LCD FHD+ (1080 x 2160 pixels) display and sports a leather and metal body design, coupled with rounded edges.

The phone packs MediaTek Helio P23 MT6763, 64-bit processor along with ARM Mali-G71 MP2, 700 MHz, 2-Cores GPU, under the hood. It offers 6GB of LPDDR4X RAM and 64GB ROM, which can further be expanded up to 256GB.

On the photography front, the Power 5 houses a 21MP+5MP dual camera setup on the back and 8MP + 5MP dual cameras on front. It runs on the latest Android 8.1 Oreo operating system and draws its juices from a non-removable 13,000 mAh Lithium-Polymer battery.

Aside from that, the coveted Power series and S series smartphones will be up for grabs bearing heavily discounted price tags. You can follow this link in order to check out the rest of Ulefone-branded smartphones that you can buy at a significantly lowered price on AliExpress.

Get Big Discounts On Ulefone Branded Smartphones

OPPO successfully completes 5G signal tests on a modified Oppo R15 with Snapdragon X50

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Aug 28, 2018

Beginning from 2019, various smartphone manufacturers will start launching phones that can connect to 5G networks and OPPO could be one of the first companies to do so. Today, OPPO has officially announced that it has successfully completed the connection of 5G signaling and data links on a commercially available smartphone.

OPPO has reportedly used a modified version of the OPPO R15 smartphone equipped with Qualcomm X50 5G baseband to test 5G connectivity. The successful 5G connection is based on 3GPP Release 15 NSA standard, using 10MHz bandwidth of 4G LTE Band 5 and 20MHz bandwidth of 5G NR n78 band.

Currently, the n78 band is the world’s most widely used 5G NR band. It could preferably be the world’s first 5G band to be deployed in the coming year. Hence, the said band is of great significance for the commercialization of the first batch of 5G products. OPPO Research Institute president Liu Chang has said that the company will speed up the development of their 5G phones based on the implementation of 5G signaling and data link connection on commercially available devices.

It goes without saying that 5G connectivity will offer better than 4G in all aspect such as speed, stability, reliability and low latency. Hence, 5G devices are expected to offer new experience such as 3D communication, 4K+ video playback, online AR/VR, cloud games and so on.

In May, OPPO had successfully demonstrated the world’s first 5G video call using 3D structured light technology, and the FPGA-based prototyping platform had successfully tested the peak transmission rate of 1.46 Gbps downlink and 160 Mbps uplink.

Now that the Chinese manufacturer has also conducted 5G signal tests on a commercially available device, a 5G OPPO phone from the company may not be far away. At the recently held OPPO R17 launch event, Shen Yiren who is the domestic marketing director of the company had said OPPO could one of the first brand to release 5G smartphones in the market. He had also stated that the company is currently focused on the application of ToF (Time-of-Flight) technology, how 3D information is presented through 5G and the specific and practical application of 5G which includes a combination of AR and VR technologies.

(via)

AliExpress Brands Shopping Week Hosts Poptel Big Sales; Details Inside

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Get 24% Off On Poptel P9000 Max Smartphone Buy Potel P10 Rugged Smartphone At A Dropped Price

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Aug 28, 2018

The AliExpress Brands Shopping Week kicked off on Monday, August 27th. The hotly-anticipated promotion offers customers numerous opportunities to save a considerable amount of money on different products.

In a bid to give its huge fanbase something to cheer about, Poptel has collaborated with AliExpress. Sticking to its reputation for offering excellent products at an unbeatable price, the young, dynamic and fast-growing handset maker is giving up to $60 off on its rugged smartphones including the Poptel P9000 Max and the P10.

Poptel P9000 MAX

The P9000 Max would usually set you back $249.99 on online stores, but you can now buy it at a dropped price of just $189.99 on AliExpress. This noteworthy 24% reduction in the phone’s original asking price will be valid for 5 days.

Aside from taking advantage of the discount, you can save an extra $2 off every $15 by using an additional coupon. You can save $10 more by applying a New User Coupon, Note that you need to be logged in to use the aforesaid coupons.

An absolute bargain at this price, the P9000 MAX sports a 5.5-inch display with a screen resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels. It comes with the third generation of Corning Gorilla glass for added protection.

Under the hood, the phone packs a compelling MTK6750V 64bit Octa-core processor along with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of onboard storage so that you never run out of space for storing your favorite content. It houses a 13MP rear-mounted camera and a 5MP front shooter for selfies.

The phone runs on Android 7.0 Nougat OS and is backed by a robust 9000mAh polymer battery that delivers long-lasting time. On top of that, the phone is IP68 waterproof, shockproof and dustproof, which makes it ideal for adventure junkies who like to carry their phones during their outdoor activities.

You can follow this link to buy the Poptel P9000 MAX rugged smartphone and avail the discount which will be valid for the black, orange and green color options. Note that the sale is slated to end in just 5 days.

Poptel P10

Alternatively, you can go for the Poptel P10 rugged smartphone, which normally carries a $229.99 price tag but will be up for grabs at a promotional price of just $189.99 on AliExpress. Apart from saving $40, you can get an extra $8 off every $150 spent and even avail a $10 New User Coupon discount.

The P10 is an irresistible phone that sports a big 5.5-inch display with a screen resolution of 1280 X 640 pixels. The phone is powered by an MT6763 Octa-core 2.0 GHz processor and it offers 4GB of RAM along with 64GB of expandable onboard storage (up to 128GB).

On the photography front, the P10 features a 13MP camera on the back and an 8.0MP front shooter with F2.2 aperture. Moreover, the phone runs on the latest Android 8.1 Oreo OS and draws its juices from a built-in 3600mAh battery.

You can head straight to this link in order to check out the full specification and take advantage of the discount before the promo comes to an end.

Poptel P8

The third rugged smartphone from Potel dubbed the P8 has hit the store shelves today, August 28th. The phone is marketed as the most budget-friendly rugged smartphone that packs the MT6739 quad-core CPU.

The P8 boasts an impressive array of features such as a FaceID unlock and 106dB loudest speaker. Furthermore, the phone comes with 2GB of RAM and 16GB of ROM memory for super fast reading and writing speed.

The outer layer of the Poptel P8 smartphone is made using Germany Bayer top protective material soft rubber and the phone is housed in a sturdy CNC metal. Apart from being bump and scratch resistant, the phone offers a wonderful touch feel for the user.

The phone runs on Android 8.1 Oreo OS that delivers a seamless experience. You can visit this link to check out more details about the recently unveiled Poptel P8 smartphone.

Meizu M8 Lite full specifications listed on TENAA

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Aug 28, 2018

The Meizu M816Q smartphone had popped up with its images on China’s TENAA certification body yesterday. Meizu CEO Jack Wong had recently confirmed that the Meizu X8 and Meizu X16 are the two upcoming phones from the company. Since Meizu M816Q had appeared without any specifications on TENAA yesterday, various tech sites have speculated that it could either be Meizu X8 or Meizu X16. Earlier in this month, a Meizu phone with model number M816H was certified by Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC) as Meizu M8 Lite. Hence, it is likely that the M816Q could be the Chinese edition of the Meizu M8 Lite. The M816Q listing on TENAA has now been updated with full specifications through which it can be confirmed that it is low-end smartphone.

The updated TENAA listing of Meizu M8 Lite M816Q reveals that the handset measures 148.09 x 73 x 8.4mm and it weighs 145 grams. The device is fitted with a 5.7-inch display that produces HD+ resolution of 720 x 1440 pixels along with an aspect ratio of 18:9. It receives power from 3,100mAh battery.

The Meizu M8 Lite is fueled by 1.3 GHz quad-core processor that is coupled with 3 GB of RAM. The handset features an internal storage of 32 GB and it is loaded with Android 8.1 Oreo. It is equipped with a microSD card slot for additional storage.

The back panel of the M8 Lite features a 13-megapixel rear camera and a fingerprint scanner. For shooting selfies, it is fitted with a front-facing snapper of 5-megapixel.

If the Meizu M8 Lite exists, there is a possibility that the company may also introduce Meizu M8 phone with slightly advanced specifications since it has been approved by EEC body. In the recent past, the EEC has also approved some other Meizu phone such as Meizu C9, Meizu C9 Pro, Meizu Note 9 and Meizu NoteX.

As of this writing, there is no information available on the launch date or pricing of the Meizu M8 Lite. Now that it has made its appearance on TENAA, its launch may not be far away.

Get Up To $70 Off On Select CUBOT-Branded Smartphones On AliExpress

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Aug 28, 2018

Looks like CUBOT fans are in for a treat. If you’ve restlessly been waiting to get your hands on a CUBOT-branded smartphone without emptying your pocket, we got good news for you.

You can now avail up to $70 off on a wide selection of phones from the Chinese Android smartphones manufacturer. Note that the heavily discounted mobile phones will be up for grabs on CUBOT official store on AliExpress for a limited period of time.

The ‘Brands Shopping Week,’ promotion kicked off on Monday, August 27th, offering several methods for consumers to save a considerable amount of money on high-end smartphones from CUBOT. Keeping in line with that, there are coupon codes that help buyers get an extra $8 off every $150, $2 off every $99, $5 off every $199 and $20 off on every $599 spent.

You can get a 35% off on the well-received CUBOT P20 smartphone that would normally set you back $199.99 on online stores. Thanks to the aforesaid discount, you can now buy it at a dropped price of just $129.99.
The P20 is quite a bargain at this price, given that it sports a mammoth 6.18-inch display with a screen resolution of 2246×1080 pixels. The phone packs a powerful MT6750T, Octa-core, 1.5GHz processor, under the hood and offers 4GB of RAM along with 64GB of onboard storage.

Alternatively, you can go for the equally well-received CUBOT Power smartphone, which can now be yours if you’re willing to shell out just $199.99. This is a noteworthy reduction in the phone’s original asking price of $249.99.

You end up saving $50 on the MT6763T ( Helio P23), 2.5GHz, Octa-Core processor powered smartphone that comes with 6GB of RAM and offers a hearty 128GB internal storage. The CUBOT Power smartphone houses a 16.0MP rear-mounted camera and an 8MP front shooter for selfies and face-to-face video chatting.

Aside from that, you can get $30 off on the CUBOT X18 Plus smartphone that usually carries a $169.99 price tag. In other words, the coveted smartphone can now be yours at a slashed price of just $139.99.

You can receive significant discounts on a slew of other smartphones including the CUBOT KingKong, R9 and R11, just to name a few. If you’re interested in taking advantage of the promotion which is slated to end on August 31st, just follow this link without wasting time.

Buy CUBOT Branded Smartphones At Dropped Price

Oppo Find X pop-up cameras improved with the first update

By

Michele Ingelido

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Aug 27, 2018

Oppo Find X was announced back in June as the second smartphone with a pop-up camera in order to reach a screen-to-body ratio close to 100 percent. Now, in late August, it is finally getting its first stable update. The firmware is identified with the codename CPH1871EX_11_A.07, it has a weight of 153 MB and it comes through an OTA notification. Just like the previous version, it is based on Android 8.1 Oreo and it is customized by Oppo’s Color OS user interface.

The most important improvements which this new update brings regard the above-mentioned camera department. According to the surfaced info, there are minor optimizations to photo capture, video recording, and various shooting modes, with improvements to camera stability and effect. The new update for the Oppo Find X is also rumored to include the security patch for the month of August, which is the latest one released by Google to improve the security of Android devices.

Given its dimensions, we suggest you download the update while you are connected to a Wi-Fi network. If you still did not receive it, you can try to force its arrival by heading to the Settings, then choosing Device info and Software update. If you get it, let us know if you notice any other improvement by using the comment box below.

TSMC to begin Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 mass production in Q4 2018

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Jed John Ikoba

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Aug 27, 2018

It seems U.S fabless chipmaker Qualcomm will eventually dump Samsung foundry in favour of the Taiwanese Semi-conductor manufacturing company (TSMC) for the manufacture of the next generation Snapdragon 800-series chipset. That is if the report by Taiwan’s Central News Agency is anything to go by.

The report alleges that the Qualcomm Snapdragon SoC that is expected to power 2019 flagship smartphones, likely called Snapdragon 855 will be manufactured by TSMC. It went further to reveal that Qualcomm’s Snapdragon chip orders are projected to account for 8% of TSMC’s total revenues in 2019. This will no doubt boost the foundry’s overall revenue for next year.

The chipset will be manufactured using the new TSMC 7nm manufacturing process and according to an earlier statement by TSMC CEO CC Wei, the foundry entered volume production of 7nm chips in the second quarter of 2018. While mass production is expected to commence in the fourth and final quarter of the year. The stipulated timeframe is consistent with Qualcomm’s recent disclosure on its upcoming system-on-chip. The U.S company confirmed that it is already in the sampling phase earlier this month, with a number of original equipment manufacturers already provided with prototypes that they’re currently testing.

In addition to grabbing the juicy Qualcomm orders, the report also cited investors as indicating that TSMC will remain as Apple’s contract chipmaker in 2019 as the foundry has obtained orders for the iPhones series next year. The Taiwanese chipmaker was also revealed to have grabbed 7nm chip orders from AMD.

(via)

Xiaomi TV teases upcoming event for August 28 on Weibo; New Mi TV coming?

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Jed John Ikoba

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Aug 27, 2018

Xiaomi TV official Weibo handle has released a new poster which hints at an event coming up on August 28. The event is tagged “Xiaomi TV strategy conference” and the company is expected to announce a couple of new products during the event which is just hours away. However, it is unclear what the company has to offer but there is the possibility of a new Xiaomi TV dropping on that day.

The Mi brand has a long line of TV models to its name. There is the flagship Mi TV 4 series and the less expensive Mi TV 4C, Mi TV 4S and 4A series. The brand released the Mi TV 4A 50-inch model earlier this year with a recommended retail price of 2199 yuan which has dropped to 1799 yuan since the middle of this month. This model is the sixth in the Mi TV 4A series which also has 32-inch, 43-inch, 49-inch, 55-inch and 65-inch models. The company also launched its largest TV yet, the Mi TV 4 (75 inches) about three months back. There have also been releases within this year from the Mi TV 4C, 4S and 4X series.

We doubt if Xiaomi will add another model to the Mi TV 4 series so early except it comes with some spectacular technology. So, we expect some interesting announcements. We’ll keep you updated on the outcome of the conference here on Gizmochina.

POCOPHONE F1 arrives Europe for €330, to launch in 40 more countries

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Aug 27, 2018

Xiaomi also announced the POCOPHONE F1 in France today. The launch was held simultaneously in Paris, Jakarta, and Hong Kong. We already covered the launch in Hong Kong and Indonesia here.

Going straight to the point which is pricing and availability, the 6GB RAM + 64GB POCOPHONE F1 will sell for €360 in France while the 6GB + 128GB model will have a €400 price tag. It will be available in Steel Blue and Graphite Black and will go on sale in September.

The POCOPHONE F1 will also make its way to Spain where it will be sold for €330 for the 64GB model and €400 for the 128GB model. Xiaomi is giving out a €30 coupon for the 64GB model. It will also be giving out F-codes to 10 lucky winners to allow them to purchase the phone before the flash sales.

The phone will sell for €329 in Italy. The price for the 128GB version is unknown but it should be €400 too. Availability will be announced later.

In Russia, the 64GB model will sell for 20,990 Rubles though the original price seems to be 23,990 Ruble while the 128GB model is priced at 25,990 Rubles. There is no info with respect to date it will be available for purchase.

So far these are the countries we know what the POCOPHONE F1 will sell for. However, it will be available in a lot more countries. Below is an image showing all the countries the POCOPHONE F1 will be sold.

The number of countries shouldn’t be a surprise as Xiaomi doesn’t sell its flagships in some of these countries, so the POCOPHONE F1 will be the most expensive phone there. Unfortunately, Xiaomi hasn’t set its sight on Canada and the USA for the release of the POCOPHONE F1.

Once Xiaomi announces availability and pricing in these countries, we’ll let you know.

(Via)

Asus Zenfone Max Pro M1 Blue color variant introduced in India, goes on sale from August 30

By

Jeet

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Aug 27, 2018

In May this year, Asus Zenfone Max Pro M1 3GB RAM and 4GB RAM variants went on sale in India in two color options — Deepsea Black, and Grey. Later, last month, the 6GB RAM variant was introduced. Now, the company has introduced a new Blue color option for the Zenfone Max Pro M1 in India.

The Blue color variant of the Asus ZenFone Max Pro M1 will be available for purchase in India from Thursday, August 30 in all three variants — 3GB RAM, 4GB RAM, and 6GB RAM, at a starting price of Rs. 10,999, exclusively on Flipkart.

The phone features a 5.99-inch Full View Full HD+ display with 2160 x 1080 pixels screen resolution and support for 85 percent NTSC color gamut, 450-nits brightness. It has a contrast ratio of 1500:1 and a screen aspect ratio of 18:9.

Under the hood, the device is powered by Qualcomm‘s Snapdragon 636 processor. It comes in three variants — 3GB RAM with 32GB storage, 4GB RAM with 64GB storage, and 6GB RAM with 64GB internal storage. It also supports microSD card, enabling users to further expand the phone’s storage capacity.

In terms of photography, the ZenFone Max Pro M1 features a vertically arranged dual camera setup equipped with Softlight LED on its rear panel. It comprises a 16-megapixel primary sensor with f/2.0 aperture and a 5-megapixel secondary sensor with f/2.4 aperture for depth sensing. The features offered by the dual rear cameras include faster autofocus, PDAF, and 4K video shooting. On the front side, there’s an 8-megapixel snapper with a Softlight LED, which has been optimized to capture selfie shots with bokeh effect.

While Asus smartphones usually feature the company’s custom interface ZenUI, the ZenFone Max Pro M1 is the first phone that offers stock Android experience. It runs a pure version of Android 8.1 Oreo operating system out-of-the-box but the device is not a part of Google‘s Android One program.

Connectivity options on the device include Dual 4G VoLTE, Bluetooth 5.0, Wi-Fi, GPS, 3.5mm headphone jack, and micro USB 2.0 port. There’s also a rear-mounted fingerprint reader for added security and the phone also supports Face Unlock feature.

It is powered by a high-density 5,000mAh battery that offers up to 199 hours of music playback, up to 25.3 hours of Full HD video playback, up to 28 hours of Wi-Fi browsing and up to 42 hours of 3G talk time. The battery also supports 10W fast charging and it takes 2.42 hours to charge it.

Nubia Red Magic Flame Red edition hitting the Official Store tomorrow

By

Michele Ingelido

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Aug 27, 2018

After the success of Razer Phone, even the former ZTE’s subsidiary Nubia has decided to launch its first and powerful gaming phone: Nubia Red Magic. According to new info coming from the company itself, the flagship will be launched tomorrow in a new color variant: Flame Red. The new version was already been made available for pre-orders on the official website of the company: it sells with a price tag of 2999 Yuan, which roughly translates to about $439 or €377. Not bad if we consider that it features an efficient air cooling system as well as a flagship-level hardware side.

The design of Nubia Red Magic is not for everyone as it is gaming-centric (it has even an RGB light strip on the rear side), and with the new Flame Red color variant, it is even less sober. Under the hood, the handset features an octa-core Snapdragon 835 chipset by Qualcomm, the best flagship SoC of 2017 running at a max frequency of 2.35 GHz. Unfortunately, the company has not decided to equip its flagship with a Snapdragon 845, even though the device has been unveiled in 2018. But together with the Snapdragon 835, we get up to 8 GB of RAM and up to 128 GB of internal storage which is excellent for video games (there is also a configuration with 6 GB of RAM and 64 GB of storage).

On the front side, there is a display with a size of 6 inches, an 18:9 aspect ratio and a Full HD+ resolution of 1080 x 2160 pixels, which is scratch and shock resistant. There is also an 8 MP front camera with a f/2.0 aperture. The back cover houses a single 24 MP camera with a bright f/1.7 aperture, an oval fingerprint reader, and the above-mentioned LED strip. At last, there is a 3800 mAh battery and Android 8.1 Oreo is installed out of the box, customized with the Nubia Red Magic OS.

Smartisan Nut Pro 2S launching in China tomorrow for 1798 Yuan ($263)

By

Michele Ingelido

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Aug 27, 2018

A week after the official announcement, Smartisan Nut Pro 2S is going to debut in the Chinese market. The new camera-centric upper-midrange phone will be officially available to purchase from tomorrow (on August 28) at 10:00 am local time in China. Its price tag will start from just 1798 Yuan for the base variant with 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB of internal storage, which roughly translates into about $263. The intermediate version with 6 GB of RAM and 64 GB ROM will be available for 1998 Yuan (that is equivalent to about $293) and the most advanced one with 6 GB RAM and 128 GB ROM will cost 2298 Yuan (about $337).

Given the qualities that Smartisan Nut Pro 2S offers, there is not a lot to complain about the official pricing. This is the first device from a non-mainstream Chinese brand to enter the top 15 best camera phones by DxOMark, which indicates a great camera performance. The device is equipped with a dual camera setup on its back with resolutions of 12 and 5 MP. The primary sensor of the dual camera is the known Sony IMX363 with a size of 1.4 um, while the selfie snapper has a resolution of 16 MP. The new handset retains the very original and beautiful design of its predecessor, even though there is to say that its upper and lower bezels around the display are not so narrow.

It has a reflective glass back and a symmetric front panel with the front-facing camera placed just in the middle. The display has a diagonal of 6.01 inches and it shows images at a Full HD+ resolution of 2160 x 1080 pixels, with the 18:9 aspect ratio. Under the hood, it carries the new octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 710 chipset: the first and only one from the Snapdragon 700 series. Smartisan Nut Pro 2S has a battery with a 3600 mAh capacity which supports fast charging at 18W.

Realme 2 Specs Rumor Roundup: Everything you need to know (Live Stream Link)

By

Joel Joseph

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Aug 27, 2018

Asian companies love splitting up their big brands into sub-brands. Xiaomi has the popular Redmi lineup, Huawei has the Honor lineup, Meizu has the Blue Charm lineup and now OPPO has its own Realme sub-brand. The past few years has proved us that sub-brands really help a company focus on a specific area of the market and grow at a much better rate than the big brand. We know how Honor has grown on to rival even Huawei phones and how Redmi’s Note series has taken over nearly all of Asia. So, it kind of makes sense why OPPO would jump on this trend and release a sub-brand of its own. The Realme brand is just a few months old and now that its officially split up from the parent company OPPO to run independently, it’s got even more power to take on the lower end segment of the market. Within three months of its release, the Realme brand is getting a new smartphone, the Realme 2.

Realme 2 DESIGN:

The Realme 1 had a basic design up front with a beautiful diamond pattern at the back. That changed with the Realme 2. If, for some reason, you were missing the infamous notch on the first gen. device, then you’ll be happy to know that the Realme 2 embraces the notch completely. In fact, in almost all of the promotional pictures, you’ll see the tagline “A Notch Above”. While we don’t know whether this phone is really a notch above other smartphones in its segment, what it does confirm is that it has the notch on top of its screen. This should take the aspect ratio closer to 19:9, a change from the 18:9 display on its predecessor.

Unlike most companies, the Realme 2 posters were real honest about the phone’s bezels around the display. I like that the company decided to show the thick bezels on the sides as well as the chin in the renders itself to free us from any unwanted surprises when we saw it in reality.

The official posters haven’t given us a look at the back side of the device, but leaked renders reveal the continuation of the diamond pattern back as well as the presence of a fingerprint sensor. Its good to see the fingerprint sensor make it to this phone considering how OPPO decided to skip it from the older model. Also, the new model comes with dual cameras instead of just one, placed horizontally which makes the overall design a lot neater than the iPhone X clones in the market today.

Realme 2 Specs:

The company has confirmed the display, and battery specs so far. So, we know for sure that the Realme 2 will feature a gigantic 4230mAh battery on board which will power its 6.2-inch display with 88.8% STB ratio. The battery is a solid upgrade from the already decent 3410mAh on the Realme 1 model. But we also have some insight into the possible specs of the device through a leaked poster. One of the biggest surprises revealed by the poster was the CPU inside. While Realme confirmed that the phone will feature a Snapdragon chipset, we were looking forward to a mid-ranger from the company. But if this leaked poster is to be believed, the Realme 2 could very well feature the entry-level Snapdragon 450 chipset. If you remember our detailed analysis of the Snapdragon mid-range 600 series, the SD450 is almost as powerful as the SD625. However, its still a big downgrade from the Helio P60 inside the Realme 1. Unless the company plans to price this phone much cheaper than the earlier model, it would be a downgrade at least in terms of performance.

Funny enough, the Realme twitter account promises spectacular performance from the Realme 2. Thats highly unlikely with a chip like SD450 inside, so we better wait and see what CPU is really in store for us inside the phone.

#Realme2 with @qualcomm_in Snapdragon processor is designed to provide you #ANotchAbove experience with spectacular performance, ultrafast speed, astonishing graphics, and a long lasting battery.
Like if you’re as excited for the launch as we are. pic.twitter.com/33a6LrOv52

— realme (@realmemobiles) August 23, 2018

For storage you have 3/4GB RAM and 32/64GB of ROM. There should be a 13+2MP camera at the back and an 8MP shooter up front. Even with the large battery inside, the thickness of the phone should be limited to 8.2mm. The weight is said to be around 168 grams which is again pretty decent. Other rumored specs include 4G VoLTE, Android 8.1, and three colors, Diamond Red, Diamond Black, and Diamond Blue.

Realme 2 Price, Live Stream, and Release:

Realme is expected to be priced to be priced around Rs. 10,000 ($143) at launch for the base model. This is just an educated guess, so we have to wait until tomorrow to get the real pricing.

The phone is launching tomorrow (AUG 28) at an official event in India at 12.30PM IST as a Flipkart exclusive device. You can watch the Realme 2 live stream directly on Facebook from this link.

Honor Band 4 to launch on September 5 alongside Honor 8X duo

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Aug 27, 2018

On September 5, Honor will announce two new smartphones – the Honor 8 and the Honor 8X Max. However, those two are not the only products the Huawei sub-brand will be unveiling.

A new image posted by the manufacturer’s Weibo account has revealed that it will also announce a new smartband – the Honor Band 4. The Honor Band 3 was released nearly a year ago, so it is no surprise a successor will be launching soon.

Just like the Honor 8X, the Honor Band 4 will also come in two variants – a regular version worn on the wrist like a regular smartband and a second variant called the Honor Band 4 Running Edition that can be attached to your running shoes.

A second teaser poster also released today teases some of the features the new smart band will have. It will have NFC (likely limited to the wrist version), sleep tracking, ability to track swimming and running activities, and it will also serve as a shutter button when taking pictures with your phone.

With respect to design, we can see the circular button from the Honor Band 3 will return. The accompanying text even mentions a color display.

Continue

Huawei will start Android Pie closed beta program for 9 models from tomorrow!

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Aug 27, 2018

Google unceremoniously released the Android 9.0 Pie operating system for the Pixel and Pixel 2 smartphones as well as the Essential Phone earlier this month. Since then, it has been speculations galore as to the third-party models that would get updated to Android Pie. Huawei was reported to have started testing the new OS on the P20, Mate 10 Pro, Honor 10 and Honor V10 and that it would announce the upgrade at IFA 2018. The Chinese firm’s Android Pie version is reportedly coming with EMUI 9.0 customization.

It has now been revealed that Huawei will officially open the Android 9.0 Pie internal test recruitment on August 28and that this recruitment of testers will be for 9 models. According to the details scooped from Huawei’s Pollen Club, the models are the Mate 10, Mate 10 Pro, Mate 10 Porsche Design, Mate RS Porsche Design, P20, P20 Pro, Honor 10, Honor V10, Honor Play. The beta upgrade plan for other models is still not known.

Android 9.0 Pie comes with several new features, one of which is a new navigation system. With Android Pie, navigation is now gesture-based. There is also a new feature called Adaptive Battery which uses machine learning to improve power management. Other features include adaptive brightness and a number of UI changes.