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TCL working to become a global leader in smart products and internet services

Chinese electronics company TCL Corp is well known overseas as a result of its ownership of the Blackberry and Alcatel brand name. But the company has a wide catalogue of products beyond smartphones to its name. It is well known as a manufacturer of home appliances in China and that is where this news focuses on. The home appliances maker has disclosed that it plans to shore up the technology innovation related to its refrigerator and washing machine products and to also manufacture intelligent products tailored to meet consumers’ demands.TCL Corp

A statement credited to Wang Xianju, general manager of TCL’s white goods department hinted that the company will continue to push forward with its Double Plus strategy. Double Plus strategy represents intelligence plus internet and products plus services, with a focus on technological innovation and users’ involvement.

TCL’s home appliances form the bedrock of the company. This year, over 1 million washing machines were sold in the first half of the year, according to the company’s official data. This ensured a 16.6 per cent increase in its revenue Year-over-Year. The company launched an all-in-one air-cooled refrigerator featuring fast cooling, narrowed temperature differences, energy savings and low noise output. In addition, TCL also released a dirt-free washing machine which protects clothing from dirt within washing machines and cross-contamination from other garments. TCL’s all-in-one inverter air-cooled refrigerator features fast cooling, narrowed temperature differences, energy savings and low noise output.

TCL’s brand management centre manager, Zhang Xiaoguang also disclosed that it aims to become a global leader in smart products manufacturing and internet services. He disclosed that the company is positioning itself to compete with international brands with a global vision and pattern, and accelerating Chinese brands’ efforts to go global in the new era. Earlier on, TCL’s CEO, Li Dongsheng had disclosed that it will continue to explore markets in Europe and North America by strengthening its market share and brand influence. He further stated that the company will ramp up its investment in key emerging countries such as India, Russia and Argentina to establish local industrial capacity.

Read AlsoTCL allegedly readying a new Palm smartphone called Pepito, New certifications surface

The two consumer products which the company focuses hold some prospects. According to stats from Beijing-based consultancy, All View Cloud (AVC), refrigerator sales revenue in the domestic market reached 54.9 billion yuan ($8 billion) from January to June, up 7.1% year-on-year. While sales of household washing machines peaked at an estimated 31 million units in the first half, representing an increase of 3.4% compared with the same period last year.

(source)

What’s new in Android 9 Pie on the Essential Phone?

Android 9 Pie was officially announced on Monday, 6th of August, two weeks earlier than the August 20 date it was expected to launch. The new version of Android started rolling out to Pixel devices immediately after the announcement, and in what can be termed a pleasant surprise, to the Essential Phone too.

Essential Phone Android Pie

I own the Essential Phone and have already updated my device to Android 9.0 Pie. So I’m going to share the new features the update brings to the phone.

First, if you own an Essential Phone and haven’t received the update, you should head to the settings menu and manually check for the update. I didn’t get a notification for the update myself but the update was available immediately I checked.

The update is about 1GB and you may want to switch to a Wi-Fi network if you are on cellular data. Once the update is done, you should restart your phone for the changes to take effect. Just before we dive into the new features, do note that the update comes bundled with August’s security patch even though it still shows as July. Essential has provided an explanation for that. It turns out they failed to update the patch string.

New Navigation and Recent Apps Menu

The biggest change you will notice after restarting your device is the new navigation mode. Gone are the back, home, and recent apps buttons and in their place is a new pill-shaped button and a small “back” arrow. Thankfully, Google has provided the option for users to switch to the previous navigation system. However, the icons are now like the ones on the Pixels.

If you want to go check your recent apps or switch between apps, all you have to do is swipe the pill icon upwards. Doing that brings you to the second visual change.

Android P screenshot (1)

In Android Pie, Google has switched from vertical arrangement to a horizontal layout. You can scroll between open apps by dragging the pill button but I find scrolling through the apps itself faster and better. Apps can be closed by swiping them upwards.

Getting into split-screen mode has changed too since there is no more recent apps button. Entering into split-screen mode now is still pretty simple as well.

Android P screenshot (3)

 

Can you see the icons above each app when you open the recent apps menu? Tap on it and a menu will show up. The menu includes app info, split screen, and pin. Apps that don’t support split screen won’t have the option listed. Select the split screen option and the selected app goes to the top half of the screen. You can select the second app from the rest of the open apps.

To quickly switch between apps, just drag the pill button to the far right and it’ll take you to the previous app.

 

 

Adaptive Battery and Adaptive Brightness

Adaptive Battery and Adaptive Brightness

These are two of the main features that come with Android Pie. Adaptive battery uses AI to improve your battery life. What it does is study your usage pattern and limits the resources allocated to infrequently used apps. This is supposed to improve battery life.

Adaptive Brightness also uses AI to automatically adjust brightness. The phone studies your environment and usage pattern to adjust display brightness. The system also studies the manual adjustments you make to the brightness slider.

Quick Settings Menu Android Pie

Notification Shade and Quick Settings Menu

The Quick Settings menu wears a new look now. On Android 9.0 Pie, the quick settings icons now sit in a circle. When a setting is activated, the icon takes on a green color or teal if the device theme is set to dark.

One complaint about the redesigned quick settings menu is that you have to completely drag it down to access the gear icon that takes you straight to the phone’s settings.

There is also an edit button along with the notification when you take a screenshot. So you can jump right into editing the screenshot.

Android Pie New Settings

Settings

The main phone settings looks better as Android 9.0 Pie brings much-needed colors to the icons. Also, the icons are now in a circle like those of the quick settings menu.

Android Pie Volume Control

Volume Controls and Bluetooth Audio Controls

Volume control has also been redesigned. The control slider is no longer at the top of the screen but now on the right where the volume buttons are. We don’t know if the position will be standard irrespective of where your volume buttons are since there are some phones with their volume buttons on the left.

There is a gear icon below the slider that takes you to sound settings where you can adjust volume for calls, alarms, media etc.

There is also an icon above the slider that you can tap to mute all sounds or put the phone in a vibration-only mode.

A neat feature Android 9.0 Pie brings is the ability to remember the volume level of each individual Bluetooth audio device. So you can set your speaker to the maximum level and your earbuds to 50% and the phone will remember the volume level for each individual device.

Android Pie screenshot button

Dedicated Screenshot button

Android Pie brings a dedicated screenshot button to pure Android. Rather than the usual volume down + power button combo to take a screenshot, you can hold down the power button for a few seconds and select the screenshot button that has been added to the power menu.

Android Pie Easter Egg

Easter Egg

The Android Pie Easter egg is fun and colorful and changes everytime you check it. To access it, go to Settings > System > About Phone > Android Version. Tap the Android Version (9) multiple times and it will open the easter egg. Be careful, this easter egg has the ability to hypnotize you.

What is missing?

Some features are missing in the update. Some are available on the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL and others are scheduled for release later.

  • Overview Selection – this allows you to copy text from one app to another while in the recent apps menu without you having to enter into any of the apps. It also allows you to share images too.
  • App Actions – App actions use machine learning and AI to predict the apps you need and at certain times of the day using the Pixel launcher. For example, you can have recommendations for playing a song when you connect your earphones
  • Slices – this brings features in an app to the surface (read search). So if you search for Uber or Lyft in search, part of the search results you get is the distance and duration to your home or if a driver is close by. This is already available on the Pixel and will be available for other phones by fall.
  • Digital Wellbeing – this is supposed to help you use your phone less than you currently do by allowing you set timers for app usage or switching to grayscale when it is near a preset bedtime. There is also a chart that shows you the duration spent per app and the number of times you unlocked your phone. Digital Wellbeing is available as a beta for Pixel devices running Android Pie. A stable version will launch this fall to Pixel, Android One, and other phones.

READ MORE: Xiaomi Mi MIX 2S Android 9 Pie beta update now rolling out; More Xiaomi phones to receive soon

HMD Global launches Nokia 5.1 and Nokia 2.1 in India, Nokia 3.1 gets 3GB RAM variant

HMD Global has scheduled a launch event in India on August 21, where the Finnish company is expected to launch the Nokia 6.1 Plus aka Nokia X6 that was recently launched in China.

Now, prior to the launch event, HMD Global has launched two new smartphones in India — Nokia 5.1 and Nokia 2.1, which are also known as Nokia 5 (2018) and Nokia 2 (2018) respectively. Further, the company has also introduced a 3GB RAM variant of the Nokia 3.1, which debuted in India last month.

HMD Global's Nokia 5.1, Nokia 3.1, Nokia 2.1

The Nokia 5.1 features a 5.5-inch Full HD+ display with 2160 x 1080 pixels resolution and 18:9 aspect ratio. It is powered by an octa-core MediaTek MT6755S SoC, paired with 3GB of RAM. It has 32GB internal storage and features a microSD card slot.

In the camera department, there’s a 16-megapixel rear sensor with PDAF, LED flash and an 8-megapixel front-facing snapper for taking selfies. There is a 3000mAh battery under the hood and being an Android One phone, it runs Android Oreo operating system.

The Nokia 2.1, which is the cheapest amongst the three models, comes with a 5.5-inch HD display with 1280 x 720 pixels, standard 16:9 aspect ratio and anti-FP coating. The device is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 425 processor, coupled with 1GB RAM.

In terms of camera specifications, the entry-level phone bears an 8-megapixel rear sensor with autofocus and an LED flash. On the front side, it features a 5-megapixel selfie camera. There’s an 8GB of internal storage with microSD card support up to 128GB.

The Nokia 2.1 is the second smartphone from the company that’s a part of Android Go program. It is Running on Android Oreo (Go Edition) OS and is fuelled by a 4,000mAh battery that promises 2-day battery life.

HMD Global's Nokia 3.1

The Nokia 3.1, which was launched in India last month with 2GB RAM and 16GB storage, now gets another variant which packs 3GB RAM. There’s a 5.2-inch HD+ display with 1440 x 720 pixels screen resolution and 18:9 aspect ratio with Corning Gorilla Glass protection. The handset is powered by MediaTek MT6750 octa-core processor.

The phone’s 3GB RAM model packs 32GB internal storage and support microSD card slot for expanding storage capacity. It sports a 13-megapixel rear camera with f/2.0 aperture, autofocus, and an LED flash. On the front side, it bears an 8-megapixel fixed focus sensor with f/2.0 aperture, 84.6-degree field-of-view.

The device is powered by a 2,990mAh battery. Just like the other two models, this one also runs on Android Oreo operating system out-of-the-box. HMD Global has also promised that all three models will receive Android Pie by the end of this year.

Read More: Nokia 7 Plus Android 9 Pie update seems to be rolling out now

In India, all three smartphones — Nokia 5.1, Nokia 3.1, and Nokia 2.1 will be available for purchase from August 12 through Paytm Mall and Nokia’s own website as well as through leading mobile stores across the nation.

Motorola will officially launch the Moto Z3 in China on August 15

Lenovo-owned Motorola brand recently launched the Moto Z3 flagship on August 9 in the U.S where it enjoys a loyal fan base. The Chinese company has officially disclosed that it would be bringing home the Moto Z3 to China soon. The device is scheduled to be launched in China on August 15. The smartphone is presently on reservation in China via Jingdong (JD.com) while it will go on sale at 10 AM on August 16.

The company released a promotional video which is a short clip of fans speaking about what they like about the smartphone. Obviously, the major feature mentioned and which Motorola is using as its major promotional tool is the 5G feature. In case you forgot, the Moto Z3 comes with a 5G Moto mod which means the device is the first 5G upgradable smartphone. Lenovo’s President added his voice that the 5G technology is 100 times faster than the present 4G. Suffice it to state that this feature could become useful in China first before Verizon unveils its 5G framework since China is well ahead to roll out its 5G infrastructure before the U.S.Moto Z3

Read Also: Motorola launches the Moto Z3 packing a side-mounted fingerprint scanner, 5G Moto Mod and more

To remind you of the specs, the Moto Z3 packs a 6-inch AMOLED screen and is powered by last year’s Snapdragon 835 flagship chipset. The chipset is paired with 4GB of RAM and there is 64GB of internal storage inside. In the camera aspect, the Moto Z3 packs dual cameras at the rear which are basically a 12MP + 12MP combo. For selfies, there is a single 8MP sensor. The flagship is crammed with a 3000mAh battery but the 5G Moto Mod delivers an extra 2,000mAh battery power when connected. Also, the device runs on the latest Android 8.1 Oreo OS out of the box but is expected to get a speedy update to Android 9.0 P when it arrives.

(source)

Oppo F9 Pro’s India launch event scheduled on 21st August

Oppo has scheduled a launch event in India on 21st August and has sent out media invites for the same. At the launch event, the company is expected to launch the Oppo F9 Pro smartphone in the Indian market.

The F9 Pro will be first launched in Vietnam and the Philippines as the Oppo F9 on 15th August. The specs and features of the device have already been listed online.

Oppo F9 Pro India Launch Invite

The phone features a “waterdrop” notched 6.3-inch Full HD+ display with 2280 x 1080 pixels screen resolution and 19:9 aspect ratio. Under the hood, the device is powered by the 12nm MediaTek Helio P60 octa-core processor paired with ARM Mali-G2 MP3 GPU.

It will be available in two variants — 4GB RAM with 64GB internal storage and 6GB RAM with 128GB onboard storage. There’s also a microSD card slot for further expanding the phone’s storage expansion up to 256GB. However, in India, only the 6GB RAM variant is expected to launch.

Coming to the photography department, the device will sport a dual-camera setup on the back, consisting of a 16-megapixel primary camera with LED flash and f/1.85 aperture, and a secondary 2-megapixel sensor. On the front side, there’s a 25-megapixel selfie camera with f/1.0 aperture and AI features.

The device runs on Android 8.1 Oreo operating system out-of-the-box with ColorOS custom interface. Connectivity options on the device include Dual 4G VoLTE, WiFi 802.11 ac (2.4GHz + 5GHz), Bluetooth 4.2, and GPS. It packs a 3,500mAh battery and comes with company’s own VOOC flash charging.

Read More: OPPO R17 images appear on TENAA; New OPPO PAGM00 / PAGT00 phones spotted

The Oppo F9 Pro will come in gradient colors — Sunrise Red, Twilight Blue, and Starry Purple. For the pricing information, we’ll have to wait for the company to officially launch the phone on 21st August.

Huawei Mate 10 Pro, P20, Honor 10 & V10 already being tested with Android 9.0 Pie

Google’s latest Android 9.0 Pie is already with us and users of the Pixel 2, Pixel 2 XL and Essential Phone are already rocking the loads of new features the new version has to offer. The manner Google suddenly rolled out the update for Android pie Stable ROM was, to say the least, surprising. Thus, the race is on for early adopters and already Xiaomi Mi Mix 2s and Nokia 7 Plus have reportedly started getting updates. There are also indications Huawei is planning to be one of the early bird.

The Chinese tech giant may roll out Android Pie on its latest smartphones soon. The company officially announced on its Pollen Club forum that it has started testing Android Pie on four of its smartphones. All the phones are flagship models and the models include Huawei Mate 10 Pro, Huawei P20 as well as the Honor 10 and Honor V10. We believe this will also include the Huawei P20 Pro since the P20 is listed.

Read Also: Smartphones booting Android Pie out of the box will feature Android Oreo rollback protection

The post did not reveal further details of when the new Android version will roll out on Huawei’s smartphones but indicated that Huawei engineers are working hard. Hopefully, we’ll hear something officially from Huawei soon.

(source)

Oppo F9 with VOOC fast charging to officially launch on August 15

Oppo has taken the curtains off its upcoming smartphone in the company’s F-series of devices — Oppo F9, which is scheduled to launch on August 15th in Vietnam and the Philippines.

Ahead of the phone’s official launch next week, several key details of the smartphone has already surfaced online. The phone is expected to come with a 6.3-inch Full HD+ display with screen resolution of 2280 x 1080 pixels and 19:9 aspect ratio.

OPPO F9

The company is reportedly calling the display “Oppo’s first Waterdrop screen”, which will have a screen-to-body ratio of 90.8 percent. On top of the display, there’ll be a small notch in a triangular shape, housing only the selfie camera.

Recent GeekBench listing of the phone revealed that it’ll pack MediaTek‘s Helio P60 chipset, coupled with 4GB/6GB RAM and 64GB/128GB internal storage. The phone will feature a 25-megapixel front-facing snapper while on the back side, there’ll be a dual-camera setup with 16-megapixel primary sensor and a 2-megapixel secondary sensor.

The phone will be running on the Android 8.1 Oreo operating system out of the box with the company’s own ColorOS custom interface. It will be fuelled by a 3,500mAh battery with support for Oppo’s VOOC fast charging technology that provides 50% of power in just 30 minutes.

After introducing the Diamond Black design in the Oppo F7 and Realme 1, the company is going a step forward with the Oppo F9 and is introducing gradient design. In this design, the color changes under light and not only on the back but on the sides as well.

Read More: OPPO R15 Neo full specifications leaked; Launch seems imminent

The phone will be available in three color options — Sunrise Red, Twilight Blue, and Starry Purple. Oppo says that the colors are inspired by nature, taking design cues from sunrise, twilight, and starry skies. While the phone is all set to debut in Vietnam and the Philippines, the global availability is not yet known.

Vivo confirms Android 9.0 Pie rollout in Q4 2018, Vivo X21 could be the first phone to receive it

Google has officially released the latest Android 9.0 Pie operating system and has rolled out the update to its Pixel-series phones. Now, Vivo has confirmed that it will also release the new version of Android update to its devices in the fourth quarter of this year.

However, the company has not yet provided a precise timeline for the Android Pie update. While the Chinese phone manufacturer has not provided the list of devices that will receive the update, it seems that the Vivo X21 could be the first device from Vivo to receive the Android 9.0 update.

Android 9.0 Pie

The company’s current flagship smartphone — Vivo Nex, which comes with the unique elevating front-facing camera, is also expected to be among the first batch of phones from Vivo that will receive the Android 9.0 Pie update. In a statement, the company said:

Designing for consumers’ needs continues to be Vivo’s top priority. Upgrading to the latest Android Pie operating system to deliver better mobile experience is therefore an area Vivo is working on bringing to consumers as soon as possible.

Apart from Pixel-series phones, the update has also been released by Essential for its Essential Phone soon after the official announcement. A few other phone manufacturers, including OnePlus, Nokia (HMD Global), Oppo, Vivo, and Sony have also announced to roll out the Android Pie update to their devices. Xiaomi‘s Android One phones — Mi A1 and Mi A2-series will also receive the update.

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

Read More: Vivo NEX with elevating front-facing camera Launched in India for Rs. 44,990 ($652)

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 personalized version of Android yet.

(Via)

WhatsApp vulnerabilities that can help scammers spread fake news discovered

Researchers at the research firm, Check Point have discovered a vulnerability in the popular messaging app WhatsApp could be exploited or manipulated by attackers to steer potential evidence in their favor and even spread misinformation. The vulnerability allows the attacker to intercept and manipulate messages sent by those in a group or private conversation.Whatsapp

The research firm demonstrated three possible ways the vulnerability can be exploited and one of them is by changing a reply from someone to put words into their mouth that they did not say. Another way is by quoting a message in a reply to a group conversation to make it appear as if it came from a person who is not even part of the group. Thirdly, by sending a message to a member of a group that pretends to be a group message but is in fact only sent to this member. However, the member’s response will be sent to the entire group.

The firm gave some visual illustration of how the attacks could play out in real life. With an active user base of about 1.5 billion as at early 2018, WhatsApp is a steady target of hackers who see the app as a verile ground to launch potential scams. If an hacker can manipulate the message of an influencial individual, such message could go viral if twisted in an attractive or surprising way. The app has been used in the past to send fake rumours and misinformations that have led to the killing of innocent persons, like the spate of lynching and murders of innocent victims witness in India. It was also used in spreading rumours about the dangers of receiving a yellow fever vaccine in Brazil in 2016, leading to  an epidemic that infected 1500 people and killed almost 500.

Read Also: AnTuTu’s top 10 best performance phones for July is led by Black Shark with nearly 300,000 score

Since the app is used for sensitive conversations ranging from confidential corporate and government information, to criminal intelligence that could be used in a court of law, it is important that the vulnerability be taken care of. WhatsApp is yet to issue any statement about the issue but users can prevent being used as tools for spreading misinformation by verifying news before sharing. It is recommended to cross check what you see on social media with a quick online search to see what others may be saying about the same story. Or even better, do not rely on social media websites at all for most of your news.

(source)

Xiaomi Pocophone F1 launching soon as POCO brand goes official in India

Recent reports have revealed plenty of information on the specifications and appearance of an upcoming Xiaomi phone called Pocophone F1. Today, Xiaomi’s Mi India Twitter account has officially confirmed the arrival of POCO brand in India. It seems that the Pocophone F1 will be the first smartphone in the new lineup for the coutnry.

Now that the POCO series has been introduced in India, the company may release more phones under the new brand in future. Xiaomi is yet to release an official statement on why it has decided to debut the POCO series in India.

Xiaomi’s Redmi series have gained immense popularity in India. The overwhelming response of Redmi phones have allowed it to dethrone Samsung to become the number one smartphone brand in Q4 2017 and Q1 2018. However, its premium smartphones have always received lukewarm reception from the Indian audience.

After the Xiaomi Mi 5 failed to attract Indian customers in 2016, the company had skipped the Indian launch for Xiaomi Mi 6 in 2017.  The Chinese manufacturer had launched Mi MIX 2S in China earlier this year. Soon after its launch, Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun had said that “I think the Mi MIX 2 might not be the best fit for some of the target audiences in India. It uses four-sided curved ceramic body, and 18K gold coating. A lot of these things might not necessarily be suitable for the Indian market. Actually, it’s a piece of art. The Indian market will still take some time to accept this product”. Hence, it seems that since Mi MIX 2 was another failure from the company in the Indian market and the company has no plans to launch Mi MIX 2S in India.

Read More: Here’s How You Can Win A Free Xiaomi Pocophone F1 Smartphone On ValueQ

With the introduction of POCO series, the company could be trying its luck to sell flagship phones through dual branding strategy. As far as Pocophone F1 is concerned, it has been already that it is packed with 5.99-inch FHD+ notched display, Snapdragon 845, 6 GB of RAM, 64 GB of storage, Quick Charge 3.0 enabled 4,000mAh battery, 12-megapixel + 5-megapixel dual camera and 20-megapixel front camera. Previous reports have claimed that the Pocophone F1 may first launch in Europe with 420 euros (~$486) pricing in September following Indian launch in October.

Honor V10 with 8 GB RAM launching on August 14

Today through its official Weibo account, Honor has revealed that it will be launching a new version of the Honor V10 on August 14. The handset will be arriving with 8 GB of RAM and 128 GB of storage.

Honor V10 8 GB RAM + 128 GB Storage

Honor had launched the Honor V10 smartphone in November 2017. At that time, it was introduced in two models such as 4 GB RAM + 64 GB storage, 6 GB RAM + 128 GB storage and 6 GB RAM + 128 GB storage. These models were launched with a price tag of 2,699 Yuan (~$395), 2,999 Yuan (~$439) and 3,499 Yuan (~$512). However, these models are now selling with discounted price tags such as 1,999 Yuan (~$292), 2,499 Yuan (~$366) and 2,799 Yuan (~$409).

The sale of the new 8 GB RAM variant of Honor V10 will begin at 10:08 AM on Aug. 14. However, the company is yet to reveal the pricing of this model. As it can be seen below, the company has already listed the 8 GB + 128 GB on Vmall, but its pricing is not mentioned.

Honor is currently selling two smartphones with 8 GB of RAM namely, Honor 10 GT and Honor Note 10. Both the phones are respectively priced at 3,299 Yuan (~$483) and 3,599 Yuan (~$527). So, there is a possibility that the Honor V10 with 8 GB of RAM could be priced at 2,999 Yuan (~$439) or 3,099 Yuan (~$454).

The Honor V10 was introduced in colors like Red, Gold, Blue and Black. It is not clear whether the upcoming 8 GB RAM Honor V10 will be also available in same color options.

Read More: Honor Play gaming-centric smartphone to launch in Pakistan this month

The Honor V10 features a 5.99-inch IPS LCD FHD+ display with 18:9 aspect ratio. It is powered by Kirin 970 SoC. For photography, it features 16-megapixel + 20-megapixel dual camera setup and a front-facing shooter of 13-megapixel. It draws power from 3,750mAh battery that is enabled with fast charging technology. The same smartphone is available as Honor View 10 outside of China.

Buy Xiaomi Smartphones At Discounted Price On LightInTheBox [Coupon Codes]

Looks like Xiaomi fans are in for a treat. If you’ve been waiting with bated breath to get your hands on a high-end smartphone from the Chinese handset manufacturer, we got good news for you.

While feature-laden smartphones don’t come cheap, LightInTheBox is giving cost-conscious buyers something to cheer about by giving discounts on 3 well-received smartphones from Xiaomi.

On top of that, we’ll show how you can effortlessly save more money at the time of checking out. Let’s head straight to the details.

Xiaomi MI A2 Smartphone

The global version of the MI A2 smartphone would normally set you back $533.95 on online stores, but LightInTheBox is currently selling it at a dropped price of just $350.99. This is a 34% decline in the phone’s retail price.

Apart from that, you can apply coupon code ‘BRLITBMIA2’ to save an extra $48. The promo is slated to end in 5 days and the coupon will be valid for a limited period of time only so follow this link to avail the discount and use the coupon before it expires.

Xiaomi MI Max 3 Smartphone

Launched in May 2016, the Mi Max smartphone comes with a big 6.44-inch touchscreen display with a resolution of 1080 by 1920 pixels. If you fancy using the big screen Mi Max phone but don’t want to spend a fortune, you’ve come to the right place.

LightInTheBox usually places a steep price tag of $649.99 on the MI Max smartphone, but much to the delight of budget-conscious buyers, the Beijing based international online retail company is now selling it at a lowered price of $454.99.


This is a 30% reduction in the phone’s retail price and it will be valid for the handset’s black color version. If you’re interested in saving more money, all you need to do is to apply coupon code ‘ZLXIAOMIMAX364’ at the time of checking out.

You’ll receive a coupon saving of $65. More importantly, this will bring your already reduced grand total further down to just $389.99. With the promo scheduled to end in just 5 days, you can head straight to this link to take advantage of the coupon before it expires.

Xiaomi Mi8 6.21 Pouces Smartphone

Equipped with a powerful Snapdragon 845 processor, the Mi8 6.21 Pouces boasts an impressive array of features that make it an irresistible smartphone. Brimming with top-end specifications, the phone carries a steep price sticker of $1267.41.

Bearing its popularity in mind, LightInTheBox is giving a noteworthy 45% off on the phone’s original selling price. As a result, you can now buy the Mi8 6.21 Pouces smartphone at a dropped price of just $696.59.

oneplus 6 vs xiaomi mi 8
You can save a considerable amount of more money while checking out by applying coupon code ‘ZVLITBXIAOMI8128.’ With the above-mentioned coupon, you can lower your grand total to only $440.99. You can follow this link to take the discount before the promo ends in 18 days.

Get 34% Off On Xiaomi MI A2 Smartphone

 

 

Get 30% Off On Xiaomi MI Max 3 Smartphone

 

 

Get 45% Off On Xiaomi Mi8 6.21 Pouces Smartphone

Meizu 16X with Snapdragon 710, cheaper pricing arriving in September

Through a launch event in China yesterday, Meizu had announced the arrival of Meizu 16 and Meizu 16 Plus smartphones. The new smartphones are equipped with in-display fingerprint scanner, high screen-to-body ratio, Snapdragon 845 SoC and up to 8 GB of RAM. The Meizu 16 has been introduced with an enticing starting price of 2,698 Yuan (~$395). Jack Wong, the CEO of Meizu has confirmed that another Meizu 16 series smartphone called Meizu 16X will be debuting in September.

Meizu 16X Proof

Before the launch of Meizu 16 and 16 Plus, Wong had teased the features of both the smartphones. He had also spilled some information on the Meizu X8 smartphone. He had claimed that the X8 will be powered by Snapdragon 710 which suggested that it could be arriving as a competitor for the Xiaomi Mi 8 SE. However, the company did not announce it at the Meizu 16 series launch event yesterday. In response to the concerns of netizens over the unannounced smartphone, Wong revealed that through official community forum that the upcoming Meizu phone with Snapdragon 710 is Meizu 16X and it will be launching in September.

Wong had previously called Meizu’s forthcoming Snapdragon 710 smartphone as Meizu X8. However, it seems that the company may have decided to include it in the Meizu 16 series.

According to the previous information shared by Wong, the Meizu 16X could be the first phone from the company to arrive with a notched screen. He had also said that the screen of the smartphone would be bigger than that of Mi 8 SE. Its fingerprint reader will be present on its back panel. Since the Meizu 16X will be arriving as a Meizu 16 series phone, there is possibility that its rear design could resemble with Meizu 16.

Meizu X8 leaked photo

Read More: Meizu 16 first camera samples highlight a great detail

Shown above is the leaked screenshot of the Meizu 16X that had surfaced in the previous month. The 4 GB and 6 GB RAM editions of the Xiaomi Mi 8 SE are respectively priced at 1,799 Yuan (~$263) and 1,999 Yuan (~$293). The Meizu 16X is confirmed to be priced between 1,500 Yuan (~$220) and 2,000 Yuan (~$293). Probably, it may carry a cheaper price tag than the Mi 8 SE.

Do you think that the Meizu 16X will be a better smartphone than Xiaomi Mi 8 SE? Share us your views by posting your comments below.

(via)

Here’s How You Can Win A Free Xiaomi Pocophone F1 Smartphone On ValueQ

Xiaomi’s Pocophone F1 smartphone has been floating around the rumor mill for quite some time now. The phone has been subject to all sorts of rumors, leaks and it was recently spotted on AnTuTu with a benchmark result of 287111.

Amid the hype surrounding the hotly-anticipated smartphone, ValueQ is giving Xiaomi fans an opportunity to get their hands on the Pocophone F1 without spending a dime. Let’s head straight to the details.

ValueQ, the online best deals community where consumers can share their coupons, deals and other stories will be offering the smartphone absolutely free to lucky consumers. All you need to do is to apply to get a free Xiaomi Pocophone F1 by filling up your details in the application.
You’ll be prompted to provide your first and last name, email address, the country you’re living in and your phone number. Next, you need to accept the ValueQ Giveaway terms and then click on the submit button.

You can even share your experience or review of the product. In order to boost your chance of winning a free Xiaomi Pocophone F1 smartphone, don’t forget to share links to your social media accounts.

The Pocophone F1 is a feature-laden smartphone that sports a massive 6.18-inch curved glass display with a screen resolution of 2240×1080 pixels. The phone is powered by Snapdragon 845 processor and it offers 6GB of RAM along with 128GB of onboard storage.

You can follow this link to check out the full specification and grab the opportunity to win a free Pocophone F1 smartphone. It is worth mentioning that 753 applications were already received by ValueQ at the time of writing and the promo is slated to end on September 7th.

Get A Free Xiaomi Pocophone F1 Smartphone

Huawei Mate 20 Pro’s huge battery teased; Could be of 4,200mAh capacity

Huawei is known for teasing the features of its new flagship phones before they are officially announced. Today, the Chinese manufacturer has released a new teaser to hint that the upcoming Mate 20 Pro would be equipped with a huge battery.

The below teaser shows that the Huawei P10 Plus that came in February 2017 featured a 3,750mAh battery. The Mate 10 Pro from October 2017 included a 4,000mAh battery. The same-sized battery is also available on the P20 Pro smartphone that was unveiled earlier this year. The right side of the teaser shows that Huawei has been consistently increasing of the battery on its flagship smartphones.

Huawei Mate 20 Pro Battery Teaser

There is a blank spot at the bottom which suggests the user to guess on the battery size of Huawei’s upcoming flagship phone. It hints that the Mate 20 Pro will be coming with the largest battery that the company has ever used in its smartphone. The older Ascend Mate 7 had featured 4,100mAh battery.

Read More: Huawei Mate 20 Lite full specifications leak reveals notched display, 4 cameras

In the previous week, XDA Developers had revealed through the leaked firmware files had revealed that the Mate 20 and Mate 20 Pro may arrive with 4,200mAh battery. Another leak had revealed that the Mate 20 duo will be carrying support for 40W fast charging.

The Mate 20 Pro is also expected to arrive with ultrasonic in-display fingerprint scanner. It is speculated that the Samsung Galaxy S10 arriving in early 2019 will be also featuring the same kind of fingerprint scanning technology. The Mate 20 Pro is also rumored to be equipped with 3D structured light module for 3D facial scanning. Hence, there is a possibility that the handset may feature a notched screen. It is likely to arrive with a massive AMOLED display of around 6.9 inches.

The Mate 20 Pro is expected to feature 40-megapixel + 20-megapixel + 8-megapixel triple camera setup engineered by Leica. It goes without saying that the Kirin 980 SoC that will be getting unveiled at the IFA 2018 at the end of this month will be driving force of the Mate 20 and Mate 20 Pro. The SoC is expected to deliver a maximum processing speed of 2.8 GHz. It will be preinstalled with Android 9 Pie flavored EMUI 9.0. T

(source)

Buy BlitzWolf BW-BR4 Music Receiver Transmitter Audio 2-in-1 Adapter For Only $34.99 On Banggood [Coupon Code]

The BlitzWolf BW-BR4 music receiver transmitter audio 2-in-1 adapter boasts a transmitter mode that can convert several devices including your television, computer, and laptop into a Bluetooth-enabled device. This lets you listen to the audio using your Bluetooth headset and play a game or watch your favorite series without bothering anyone.

On the downside, the feature-laden BW-BR4 doesn’t come cheap. In fact, it would normally set you back $44.99 on online stores. But if you’re on a tight budget and aren’t willing to spend that kind of money on a music receiver-transmitter, we got good news for you.

You can now buy the BlitzWolf BW-BR4 at a heavily discounted price on Banggood. The site that guarantees the best bang for your buck is currently offering a noteworthy 11% off on the coveted music receiver transmitter audio 2-in-1 adapter’s original asking price.

Thanks to the aforesaid discount, the BlitzWolf BW-BR4 is now up for grabs at a reduced price of just $39.99 on Banggood. The BW-BR4 is quite a bargain at this considerably lowered price, given that it is crammed with all sorts of useful features.
Moreover, you can get an extra discount simply by applying coupon code ’34BR4′ at the time of checking out. This helps you bring your already discounted grand total further down to just $34.99.

Powered by a CSR BC8675 chip, the BW-BR4 boasts an optical audio output with Bluetooth V5.0 for a genuine universal wireless solution. Moreover, it comes with a built-in antenna that extends a stable transmission of up to 100 meters (328 ft) so you can effortlessly share your favorite music or any other audio from indoors to outdoors.

You can follow this link if you’re interested in checking out more details about BW-BR4 music receiver transmitter and availing the discount. With 137 pieces already sold, it is worth noting that the promo is likely to end soon.

Get 11% Off On BlitzWolf BW-BR4

OPPO R15 Neo full specifications leaked; Launch seems imminent

Apart from OPPO F9 and OPPO R17 series, the Chinese manufacturer is also rumored to be working on another smartphone called OPPO R15 Neo. The same smartphone is expected to debut as OPPO AX5 in some other markets. The entire specifications of the smartphone have surfaced now which suggests that its arrival could be close at hand.

The new leak reveals that the OPPO R15 Neo (AX5) measures 156.2 x 75.6 x 8.2mm and weighs 168 grams. Diamond Blue and Diamond Pink could be the two color editions of the smartphone. It is likely to arrive with a 6.2-inch In-Cell HD+ resolution supporting screen. The presence of the notch suggests that it will be offering an aspect ratio of 19:9.

The Snapdragon 450 SoC is present under the hood of the smartphone. It is expected to arrive in RAM variants like 3 GB and 4 GB. Both the variants may carry an internal storage of 64 GB. For more storage, it features a microSD card slot. The Color OS 5.1 based Android 8.1 Oreo will be present on the smartphone. The handset may come packed with a battery of 4,230mAh capacity.

The back panel of the phone is expected to house f/2.2 aperture 13-megapixel + f/2.4 aperture 2-megapixel dual camera setup. It may feature a front-facing camera of 8-megapixel with f/2.2 aperture. For connectivity, the OPPO R15 Neo will offer features such as dual-SIM support, 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.2, microUSB and 3.5mm audio jack.

OPPO PBAM00 / PBAT00

Read More: OPPO R17 images appear on TENAA; New OPPO PAGM00 / PAGT00 phones spotted

The above specifications revealed that the OPPO R15 Neo (AX5) is the very same handset that has appeared as PBAM00 and PBAT00 on TENAA in the previous month. The TENAA images of the smartphone have revealed that the back panel of the phone only features a horizontally aligned dual camera setup. This confirms that the handset does not feature a fingerprint scanner.

There is no information available on the launch date and pricing of the OPPO R15 Neo or AX5. Now that the entire specs of the phone have surfaced, it may go official in this month.

(source 1, 2, 3)

Check Out GearBest’s ‘Tech Transformed Digital Evolution Series’ Promo Sale!


Tech buffs, rejoice. The ‘Tech Transformed Digital Evolution Series’ promotion sale has started on GearBest. The Chinese online store is doling out big discounts on a wide range of electronic items for gadget lovers who are on a tight budget.

Keeping in line with this, the category dubbed ‘The most frequently used Devices in the Future’ is crammed with all sorts of well-received electronic products. The section features the popular Mi A2 Lite phablet from Xiaomi, Creality3D Ender – 3 DIY Printer Kit and the Ninebot ES1 No.9 folding electric scooter.

More importantly, you can save a considerable amount of money on the aforesaid items’ steep retail price. For instance, the Mi A2 Lite would normally set you back $247.18 on an online store, but you can now buy it at a dropped price of just $189.99 in the section.
Likewise, you can get a noteworthy 23% off on the OnePlus 6 phablet’s original asking price in the next category called, ‘Lightning Flash Sale’. While the OnePlus 6 usually carries a steep price tag of $639.43, you can buy at a Flash Sale price of just $489.99 in this section.

Note that the Flash Sale price will only be valid for the remaining 250 pieces of the mirror black color version of the OnePlus 6 phablet. Moreover, the promo is slated to end in 8 days.

Aside from that, GearBest is giving Xiaomi fans an opportunity to avail combo deals. You can buy the Redmi S2 phablet at a discounted price of just $99.99 along with an equally well-received Xiaomi-branded smartphone.

For the sake of an instance, you can buy the Xiaomi Mi A2 4G phablet which normally sells for $307.41, at a reduced price of just $295.99. This is a 4% reduction in the device’s original selling price.
As a combo deal, you can buy the Mi A2 along with the Redmi S2 phablet at a considerably lowered price of just $395.98. Since the combo would set you back $471.98 without the discount, you end up saving $76 in this category.

In addition to the above-mentioned categories, GearBest has split many discounted products into various other categories including Smartest Wear, Smart Home System, and Creative 3D Printers, just to name a few.

You can follow this link to check out the rest of the products and avail the discount before the promo comes to an end.

Buy Electronic Items At Discounted Price On GearBest

Google Pixel 3 XL unboxing video, hands-on images leaked

The Google Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL is expected to go official by early October. However, a leaked unboxing video of the Pixel 3 XL that has surfaced now confirms that the handset is ready. The video shows the different accessories that will be available in its box package of the smartphone. Apart from video, some hands-on images of the Pixel 3 XL have also appeared.

The Google Pixel 2 XL did not come with a pair of headphones. However, the above video shows that the Pixel 3 XL will be coming with USB-C type headphones. The other accessories that are present in the box package of the Pixel 3 XL include a USB Power Delivery, a USB-C to 3.5mm audio jack, a USB-C to USB-C cable and a USB-C to USB-A adapter.

Google Pixel 3 XL Unboxing Google Pixel 3 XL Unboxing Google Pixel 3 XL Unboxing Google Pixel 3 XL Unboxing 1

The handset images of the Clearly White edition of the Google Pixel 3 XL show that it will be arriving with a notched screen. The bottom bezel of that features a front-facing speaker is thick. The notch houses the other speaker and it also seems to feature dual selfie snapper.

Google Pixel 3 XL Unboxing

The back panel of the Google Pixel 3 XL features a dual-tone design. There is a single camera along with its LED flash and a fingerprint scanner on the rear side of the Pixel 3 XL. Apart from Cleary White model, the Pixel 3 XL may also come in black version.

Google Pixel 3 XL Unboxing

One of the images shows of the specifications of the smartphone. It revels that the Pixel 3 XL is loaded with Android 9 and it is powered by Snapdragon 845 SoC. As Master Lu and Geekbench benchmarks had revealed, the Pixel 3 XL features 4 GB of RAM. The screen of the phone supports Quad HD+ resolution of 2960 x 1440 pixels.

Read More: Android 9.0 Pie is official, already available on the Essential PH-1

Plenty of information on the Google Pixel 3 XL have surfaced in the recent weeks. However, the rumor mill is yet to reveal more details on the smaller Pixel 3. Rumors have it that it will be arriving with an 18:9 aspect ratio display. It is also likely to be driven by Snapdragon 845 and 4 GB of RAM.

What do you think about the appearance of the Google Pixel 3 XL? Share us your views by posting your comments below.

(source|via)

The HOMTOM ZOJI Z9 Smartphone Goes Up For Preorder On TomTop

HOMTOM took the wraps off its hotly-anticipated ZOJI Z9 smartphone in July this year. Much to the delight of the Chinese handset maker, the phone propelled straight to popularity among smartphone lovers.

Sporting a big a 5.7-inch HD+ in-cell display with a screen resolution of 1440 x 720 pixels, the ZOJI Z9 is built to sweep tech buffs off their feet. The phone features a digitizer which is placed below the front glass, giving it a sharper and more vibrant appearance.

A Corning Gorilla Glass protects the front of the phone, while the rest of the body comes with an IP68 certification. In other words, the phone can be dunked in water without worrying about inflicting any sort of damage. It houses a mirror finish on the back which can be used as an actual mirror.


The feature-laden ZOJI Z9 is currently up for pre-order on TomTop bearing a price tag of $229.99. You can choose between 2 color option including orange and green. The pre-sale kicked off on August 7th.

The Z9 packs a powerful MediaTek Helio P23 octa-core CPU with a max clock of 2 GHz, along with an ARM Mali-G71 MP2, 700MHz, 2-Cores GPU, under the hood. The phone offers 6GB of LPDDR4x RAM and 64GB of onboard storage (expandable up to 128GB).

On the photography front, the ZOJI Z9 houses a 21MP rear camera and a 13MP selfie snapper with HDR and face beautify mode. The phone runs on Android 8.1 Oreo operating system and is backed by a robust 5500mAh battery with quick charging adapter.

You can follow this link to check out the full specification and pre-order the ZOJI Z9 before the presale ends on August 24th.

Preorder HOMTOM ZOJI Z9 Smartphone On TomTop