Exynos 9820’s Mongoose 4 CPU Performance to be Much Better than Snapdragon 855 with Cortex A76

By

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Jun 12, 2018

Recent reports have revealed that the upcoming Exynos 9820 by Samsung will be built with 7nm FinFET process. Rumors have it that the SoC will be equipped with Samsung’s Mongoose 4 CPU. Popular leakster Ice Universe has today revealed the performance of the Mongoose 4 processor that will be present inside the Exynos 9820 would be more powerful than recently unveiled Cortex A76 by ARM.

The Cortex A76 can deliver a maximum processing speed of 3.30 GHz. However, according to the Chinese leakster, the Mongoose 4 will be far beyond A76 and also it will deliver better energy efficiency.

The upcoming 2018 iPhones will be powered by Apple A12. It is a 7nm chipset designed by the Cupertino company and mass produced by TSMC. The unannounced SoC was spotted last month on Geekbench benchmarking platform with an outstanding multi-core score of 13,000. If the performance of the Mongoose 4 is supposed to be far better than A76, it is likely that the Exynos 9820 chip may end up clocking close to the benchmarking scores of Apple A12. By the way, initial reports of A12 have revealed that it consumes 23 percent more energy than its predecessor. This issue will be fixed before the official unveiling of the new iPhones in September this year.

The Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ smartphones that were unveiled earlier this year are powered by the Exynos 9810 SoC. The same chipset is expected to fuel the Galaxy Note 9 that will be arriving in Q3. The Exynos 9820 chipset may get official by the end of 2018 and the first phones to feature it could be the Galaxy S10 and Galaxy S10 Plus.

Rumors have it that Samsung may debut the Galaxy S10 duo at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2019 in Las Vegas, US. The CES 2019 tech trade show will take placed in January. The S10 phones are expected to debut earlier next year as the company’s first foldable phone may get unveiled at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2019 in February.

(source)

Samsung Galaxy A8 Star Is Official In The Philippines, But It’s Just A Rebrand

By

Michele Ingelido

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Jun 12, 2018

Samsung Galaxy A8 Star has been officially launched in the Philippines, but unfortunately, it is not a new smartphone. Less than a week ago, the Korean giant unveiled two new mid-rangers for the Chinese market: Galaxy A9 Star and A9 Star Lite. Well, the A8 Star is just a rebranded version of the A9 Star, so it has exactly the same specs sheet and it will be available in the Philippines with a similar price tag (it costs CNY 2,999 in China). No information is available about the Lite version, at least for now. Neither the listing price in the Philippines has been revealed, but we can just recap the specs.

Samsung Galaxy A8 Star has a premium glass sandwich design with a metal frame and it measures 162.4 x 77 x 7.6 mm. Its display is a wide 6.3-inch panel, even bigger than Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus. It is an Infinity Display with a Full HD+ resolution of 1080 x 2160 pixels and no notch. There are also Dolby Atmos speakers for an excellent multimedia experience. The handset can be unlocked through facial recognition, but the authentication system is not hardware-based like the iPhone X, so it is not as safe.

The hardware side includes an octa-core Snapdragon 660 chipset by Qualcomm, 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB of internal storage expandable up to 400 GB with a micro SD. On the rear side, there is a dual camera in a vertical configuration with resolutions of 16 and 24 MP, a f/1.7 aperture and a LED flash. The front camera has a massive 24 MP resolution and a f/2.0 aperture, but it is not paired with a LED flash. Samsung Galaxy A8 Star boasts a battery with a capacity of 3700 mAh and fast charging which can be charged through a USB Type-C port. There is also an NFC module, an audio jack and Bluetooth 5.0.

Check Out The Mid-Year Sale On Banggood; Get Big Discounts, Coupon Codes And Lots More!

By

Vinay Patel

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Jun 12, 2018

The Banggood Mid-Year Sale is just around the corner. In fact, we are just about 6 days away before the exposition kicks off.

The upcoming promotion has been split into different sections that will be valid for a specific period of time. For instance, the Warm-UP period started today, June 12th and will run until June 18th. Similarly, from June 19th to June 26th, products will be On Sale and a 48-hour only Big Bang Sale will commence on June 27th and it will wrap up on June 29th.

Grab Coupons

This category features 3 coupon treats. As part of the promo, if you have got a registered Banggood account that’s more than 3 months old, but less than 2 years, you qualify for a $5 off coupon. If your Banggood account was registered more than 2 years ago, you’ll be eligible for both, the $5 as well as the $10 off coupon. But if your Banggood account is more than 3 years old, you can get all coupons.

Early Bird Sale

This section of the promo is brimming with all sorts of electronic items. More importantly, you can get considerable discounts on select items.

For instance, you can get a noteworthy discount on the retail price of the URUAV UR65 FPV Racing Drone. The device would normally set you back $109.99 on Banggood, but the Chinese online store is doling out a 25% off on its original asking price.In other words, you need to shell out just $82.99 in order to get your hands on the power-packed racing drone. Moreover, you can choose between Flysky receiver with 1 battery and 3 batteries, or go for Frsky receiver with 1 or 3 batteries.

Brands Land

Brand-conscious consumers are in for a treat as well. You can find a broad range of electronic items made by famous companies at a lowered price in this category. For the sake of an example, you can buy the gold, black or blue color version of the Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 for a reduced price of just $229.99.

The phone usually sells for $283.21 on Banggood, but the site is doling out a 19% off on its original selling price. Likewise, you can get a 37% off on the Newwear Q8 SmartWatch which is currently available in silver, gold, blue and black color versions on Banggood.

If you’re interested in checking out rest of the products and taking the advantage of the Mid-Year Sale promotion, head straight to this link.

Check out Banggood Mid-Year Sale

Check More Deals and Promotions From Other Shops

OPPO Find X is Coming with SD845, 8 GB RAM and 256 GB Storage

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Jun 12, 2018

OPPO Find X that will be debuting on June 19 will be the most advanced smartphone ever released by the company. The last time OPPO had launched a flagship phone was in 2014 when it had released the Find 7 smartphone. Rumors have it that the Snapdragon 845 will be fueling the Find X. The appearance of the smartphone on China’s TENAA body had revealed that it is powered by 2.8 GHz octa-core processor. The TENAA listing did not reveal the exact name of the SoC, but the processing speed of the octa-core CPU suggested that the SD845 may power the phone. Today, the Chinese manufacturer has released an official poster to confirm some of the key specifications of the phon. It confirms that the Snapdragon 845 will indeed fuel the Find X.

The below poster reveals that Snapdragon 845 SoC will be accompanied by 8 GB of RAM on the Find X flagship. Also, it will be equipped with a large internal storage of 256 GB.

The TENAA listing had also revealed that the Find X will be also available in an internal storage edition of 128 GB. The other specs of the phone include dual camera setup featuring a 6.4-inch OLED display, 16-megapixel sensor and a 20-megapixel sensor, 25-megapixel front-facing camera, Android 8.1 Oreo and 3,645mAh battery.

Apart from the aforementioned specs, the OPPO Find X will be also equipped with some advanced features. A recently released poster by the company suggests that the Find X will be arriving with a notched OLED display with curved edges. The cameras of the phone are expected to carry support for 5x loseless zoom. The battery of the phone may come equipped with support for Super VOOC fast charging technology. Also, it is pegged to arrive with 3D structured light module for 3D facial scanning feature.

The Find X flagship will be unveiled through a global launch event on June 19 at 8:45 PM (GMT+2). The event is scheduled to take place at The Louvre in Paris, France.

Get $110 Off On The Xiaomi Mi MIX 2S Smartphone On Banggood [Discount Coupon Inside]

By

Vinay Patel

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Jun 12, 2018

Xiaomi took the wraps off its long-awaited Mi Mix 2S smartphone in April this year. Much to the delight of smartphone lovers, the Chinese electronics giant is giving a big discount on the original asking price of the recently debuted Mi Mix 2S smartphone on Banggood.

While you’d normally have to shell out $599.99 in order to get your hands on the Mi Mix 2S on Banggood, the smartphone is currently up for preorder bearing a considerably reduced price of just $518.99. This is a 14% reduction in the phone’s retail price.

But if you’re on a tight budget and would like to save extra money apart from getting the discount, you’ve come to the right place. You can use discount coupon ‘6BGMIX2S’ at the time of checking out to reduce your grand total to just $489.99. You end up saving an additional $29.

The Mi Mix 2S smartphone adopts Art X technology, which alludes to an eye-catching 5.99 inches full-screen display, coupled with curved ceramic design. The phone is housed in an equally appealing curved aluminum frame.

It packs a powerful Qualcomm SDM845 Snapdragon 845 processor along with an equally robust Adreno 630 GPU, under the hood. This global version of the Mi Mix 2S smartphone offers 6GB of LPDDR4x RAM and 64GB of non-expandable onboard storage.

The Mi Mix 2S smartphone houses a 12MP + 12MP dual camera setup with dual PD and flashlight on the back. Up front, there’s a 5MP camera with AI Beautify, Selfie countdown, Face recognition, Mirror, HDR for selfies and 1080p video call with real-time Beautify.

The phone runs MIUI 9 based Android operating system and is backed by a non-removable Li-Ion 3400 mAh battery. On top of that, it is crammed with a slew of useful sensors including fingerprint (rear-mounted), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, and compass.

Note that the presale price will be valid only for a limited period of time. It is also worth noting that the coupon code is likely to expire soon. If you’re interested in taking advantage of the promo, head straight to this link.

Get 14% Off On Xiaomi Mi MIX 2S Smartphone On Banggood

Check More Deals and Promotions From Other Shops

OnePlus To Host Its First Open Ears Forum In India On July 7

By

Jeet

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Jun 12, 2018

After launching its flagship smartphone OnePlus 6 last month, the China-based company is now all set to host its first Open Ears forum in India on 7th July. According to the company, the forum will be heavily focused on the product.

OnePlus has a big community of users in India and with Open Ears, the company is offering a chance to its users to voice their opinions and suggestions directly to the company. The feedback from the event could also help shape up features on the next line of devices and software updates coming out of the company.

The first Open Ears forum was held in September last year in London and served as an avenue for OnePlus to meet selected members of its community to get feedback and improvement ideas for its products and software. After the Open Ears forum in London, OnePlus took the platform to Hamburg and San Francisco in April. While the Hamburg event was focused on the camera, the topic of discussion in San Francisco was OxygenOS.

For its first Open Ears forum in India, the company has already started taking applications for the 30 attendees it plans on getting to the event. While OnePlus has not yet disclosed the venue, it does mention that the travel and accommodation for the attendees will be paid for.

If you’re interested, you can apply for the event, then head over to the company’s official website. Entries are open till June 12 midnight. Post that, OnePlus will start contacting all the participants starting June 15.

Mysterious Snapdragon 680 Appears on Geekbench with Impressive Scores

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Jun 12, 2018

Qualcomm has recently launched the Snapdragon 710 as an updated version of the Snapdragon 660 SoC. The Snapdragon 710 is the first SoC in the all new Snapdragon 700 series. It seems that the U.S.-based chip maker is still not done yet with the Snapdragon 600 series as a mysterious Snapdragon 680 SoC has been found listed on Geekbench.

Following is a screenshot of Qualcomm’s test device that is running on the unannounced Snapdragon 680 mobile platform. In single-core and multi-core tests, the test device has scored 1940 and 5153 points. The SD680 chip on the test device is supported by 6 GB of RAM and it is running on Android 8.1 Oreo.

The above scores suggest that the Snapdragon 680 sits between Snapdragon 710 (18XX | 60XX), Snapdragon 660 (16XX | 5970) and Snapdragon 630 (8XX | 41XX). The Geekbench listing also that the SD680 is a hexa-core SoC that clocks at 2.15 GHz. After the Snapdragon 650, the Snapdragon 680 seems to be the second hexa-core SoC in the Snapdragon 600 lineup. The single-core score of the new SoC is almost similar to SD835 SoC that powered flagship phones in 2017. Hence, it seems that the Snapdragon 680 is a powerful chipset that is designed for upper mid-range smartphones.

The Xiaomi Mi 8 SE is the first smartphone to feature the new Snapdragon 710 chipset. The Vivo NEX phone that will be launching today could be the next handset to be driven by the same SoC. It is an octa-core chipset built with 10nm architecture. Some of its key features include Artificial Intelligence Engine (AIE), 3D depth sensing, Cat. 15 LTE and QC 4.0+ fast charging support.

The Snapdragon 680 chipset could be 14nm SoC like the SD660. As of this writing, there are no rumors available on the phones that will be powered by it. Also, there is no news on when Qualcomm will be launching the mysterious SoC.

(source|via)

Check Out the Xiaomi Bestsellers Flash Sale at Gearbest

By

Linus

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Jun 12, 2018

Xiaomi is known for making all sorts of products and you can now get them for very low price at the Gearbest’s flash sale.

You can get great discounts on smartwatches, sound bar and all sorts of gadgets.

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ilmJFSdkrms[/embedyt]

One of my favorite gadgets that I use every day is the Amazfit Bip. After using the Amazfit Bip for more than 3 months, I can see two shortcomings – the silicone band wears off quickly and GPS can get the position a little bit faster.

Besides these two shortcomings, I definitely love my Amazfit Bip. I like the design, comfort, insanely good battery life, display, user interface and the Mi Fit that syncs with the watch.

Is the Amazfit Bip worth the price? Absolutely yes. I will continue using it every single day as it has never let me down. Therefore, I can easily recommend it to anyone after using this tracker for more than 3 months. You can now get the Amazfit Bip for just below $60 which is an amazing deal.

Buy Amazfit Bip

Obviously, this is just one of the great Xiaomi deals you can get at the Gearbest flash sale.

Check Out the Xiaomi Bestsellers Flash Sale at Gearbest

Quad Camera-Packing ASUS Zenfone 5Q Officially Released For The U.S Market

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Jun 11, 2018

Taiwanese smartphone manufacturer ASUS has officially released the mid-range Zenfone 5Q in the U.S. The ASUS Zenfone 5Q has been on pre-order in the States for about two weeks now. But the tech giant has cut the red tape to open the sales of the device in the U.S market. The Zenfone 5Q is now available to buy on Abt, B&H, Best Buy, Newegg and Amazon.

The ASUS Zenfone 5Q is basically an affordable model, coming in at just $299. The device isn’t among the notch display gang but it packs a 6-inch FullHD+ display with a resolution of 2160 x 1080 pixels. It display adopts the 18:9 aspect ratio, and has Bluelight filter for eye care.

Onboard the Zenfone 5Q, you get a Snapdragon 630 chipset along with Adreno 508 GPU, 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage. The storage is expandable up to 2TB if you are ever going to need that. Alternatively, you can avail yourself of the 100GB cloud storage for 1 year through Google Drive which ASUS is offering.

Further, the Zenfone 5Q comes with a dual camera setup on the back as well as the front. On the back side, there’s a 16-megapixel primary sensor with an 80-degree field of view while the secondary camera sensor offers a 120-degrees field of view. The dual front-facing cameras include a 20-megapixel SonyIMX376 main sensor that offers an 85.5-degree field of view and a secondary sensor that offers a 120-degree field of view. The device runs on ZenUI 5.0 based on Android Oreo operating system. Keeping the lights on is a 3,300mAh battery. The Zenfone 5Q will be available in Midnight Black, Rouge Red, and Moonlight White. Unfortunately, the beautiful Rouge Red variant isn’t available to buy at this moment.

Xiaomi MIJIA DC Inverter Floor Fan Keeps You Cool This Summer For Just 349 yuan ($54)

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Jun 11, 2018

It’s summertime already in China and in some other countries like the U.S. The heat sometimes gets so irritating especially if there’s a power outage or the cooling system at home or in the office is somehow faulty. That is where Xiaomi‘s latest product comes in. The MIJIA DC Inverter fan is obviously designed for use this summer and it has just been launched on Mi Home.

Xiaomi recently launched a portable handheld USB fan in case you are looking for a more portable model. But the MIJIA DC Inverter fan is a bigger and more powerful model which can utilize DC power supply like a rechargeable solar battery or any other DC power supply. The MIJIA DC floor fan will also work when connected to an AC power source.

The fan comes with seven blades and the air flows in the same way natural breeze will hit you. The body design is consistent with the quality MIJIA products are known for. It features an all-white design. The outer body is made by injection moulding using anti-ultraviolet ABS material which won’t turn from white to yellow as the product ages or when it is exposed to sunlight for a long time. The pole is an aluminium tube with a round base.

The fan itself uses a brushless DC motor with a silent bearing. The sound is quite low at just 33dB. The brushless motor ensures the fan consumes minimal energy while working, just 1.8W. The control buttons are on the plastic cover concealing the DC motor. In addition, the DC fan can be controlled using the Small Love AI speaker with voice command or via the MIJIA app on a smartphone.

The Xiaomi MIJIA DC Inverter floor fan is presently available on Mi Home for just 349 Yuan ($54). We don’t know when the product will be available outside China. With more of such quality and essential products coming out from Xiaomi’s ecosystem daily, we just can’t help but wish the Chinese company will hasten up efforts to get more of its products to interested buyers outside China. Unfortunately, third-party retailers like Banggood and GearBest, where the Mijia DC fan is already stocked, are our only option for getting some of these products and the prices are usually higher than the recommended retail price.

(via)

UMIDIGI Z2 Offers Insane Value and Beautiful Body for just $249.99 Presale Price!

By

Linus

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Jun 11, 2018

Umidigi is known for making phones that are inspired by the big brands. The Umidigi Z2 has a gradient color finish and it looks very similar to the Huawei P20 Pro. However, the phone has a much lower price tag than the flagships but it has killer specs.

The pre-sale of the Umidigi Z2 has officially started at Gearbest and you can now get it for just $249.99 which is $50 off the retail price.

The phone has the notch design, just like most the Android flagships in 2018. In addition, it is available in different colors but the Twilight is definitely the best-looking one. We have a glass on the back and front and a metal trim that goes all around the device.

In addition, the phone has killer specs for the price and here is the complete spec sheet and comparison to the Xiaomi Mi 8:

	UMIDIGI Z2	Xiaomi 8
DIMENSIONS AND WEIGHT :	153.4* 74.4* 8.3 mm, 165 grams	154.9 74.8 7.6mm, 175 grams
DISPLAY	6.2 inches, 1080 x 2246p (Full HD+), 403 ppi, 19:9 ratio, IPS LCD	6.21 inches, 1080 x 2248p (Full HD+), 402 ppi, 19:9 ratio, AMOLED
PROCESSOR	Helio P23 octa-core (4 x 2.0GHz Cortex A53 + 4 x 1.5GHz Cortex A53)	Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, octa-core 2.8 GHz
MEMORY	6 GB RAM, 64 GB, micro SD slot	6GB RAM, 64 GB – 6GB RAM, 128 GB – 6 GB RAM, 256GB – micro SD slot
SOFTWARE	Stock Android 8.1 Oreo	MIUI 9.5 based on Android 8.1 Oreo
CONNECTIVITY	Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac,GPS	Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac,GPS
CAMERA	Front/Rear Camera 16MP+8MP, F2.0	Rear Camera 12MP+12MP, F1.8+F2.4, Front Camera 20MP
BATTERY	3850 mAh, 18W fast charging	3400mAh, 18W fast charging
VARIANTS	Twilight, Twilight Black, Phantom, Black	Gold, Blue, White, Black
PRICE	$249.99	$550

Overall, the Umidigi Z2 looks like a compelling offering for the price and we can’t wait to review this phone.

The pre-sale of the Umidigi Z2 has officially started at Gearbest and you can now get it for just $249.99 which is $50 off the retail price.

Buy Umidigi Z2 with $50 OFF

Xiaomi Mi Max 3 Likely Spotted Receiving 3C Certification

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Jun 11, 2018

Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun had confirmed in the previous month that the company would be announcing the Mi Max 3 smartphone in July. A new Xiaomi phone with model number M1807E8S enabled with support for fast charging has been approved by 3C certification body in China. It is now being speculated that M1807E8S could be the upcoming Mi Max 3.

As it can be seen in the below image, the M1807E8S Xiaomi device is carries support for 5V / 3A, 9V / 2A and 12V / 1.5A. It means that the handset will be equipped with support for up to 18W fast charging.

Leaked firmware files of the Xiaomi Mi Max 3 smartphone had surfaced four months ago had revealed that it would be equipped with an 18:9 aspect ratio supporting screen. It is also speculated that the handset will be lacking a 3.5mm audio jack.

Also, the phablet is pegged to feature a dual camera setup. It is speculated that Sony IMX363 will be its primary sensor which can be also found on premium phones like Xiaomi Mi MIX 2S and Mi 8. Some of the other features that are expected to arrive on the Mi Max 3 include support for wireless charging and iris scanner.

Some rumors are speculating that the Snapdragon 710 chipset would be powering the Mi Max 3 phone. Leaked firmware files that had surfaced in April had revealed that Comet and Sirius are the codenames of the two upcoming Xiaomi phones that are powered by the all new Snapdragon 710 SoC. The Sirius smartphone was recently unveiled as the Xiaomi Mi 8 SE phone. The Comet phone has specs like OLED display, Android 8.1 Oreo and 3,100mAh battery which suggests that this SD710 powered device could be some other Mi phone and not the Mi Max 3. There is a possibility that Xiaomi may power the Mi Max 3 with SD660 chipset.

Xiaomi will be launching the Redmi 6 series on June 12. The series is expected to include Redmi 6A, Redmi 6 and Redmi 6 Pro/Plus smartphones. It seems that the Chinese manufacturer will start teasing on the features of the Mi Max 3 after the announcement of the Redmi 6 series.

Huawei Mate 20 Pro Reportedly Coming with Massive 6.9-inch OLED Screen

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

-

Jun 11, 2018

Huawei, the number one smartphone manufacturer in China and world’s third largest smartphone maker is now preparing premium phones with highest screen size ever, claims The Bell, a South Korean publication. The report has revealed that it has ordered 6.9-inch OLED panels from Samsung Display. The Chinese manufacturer is reportedly planning to use the large-sized OLED panels on phones that will be in launched in Q4 this year or Q1 2019.

Citing industry sources, the publication has claimed that Samsung Display is currently providing samples of flat 6.9-inch OLED panels to Huawei. Full fledged supply of the OLED screens is expected to begin by the end of Q3.

Last year, Huawei had launched the Mate 10 and Mate 10 Pro in Germany on October 16. The timing of the supply suggests that the Chinese manufacturer may use OLED panels on Huawei Mate 20 and Mate 20 Pro smartphones that are expected to debut in the last quarter of this year. The Mate 20 may feature a 6.1-inch display like P20 Pro whereas the Mate 20 Pro may house the largest ever smartphone display of 6.9 inches.

The Samsung Galaxy Note 9 is rumored to arrive with a 6.38-inch OLED screen whereas one of the upcoming iPhones may house a 6.46-inch OLED display. Huawei is now speculated to overpower its rivals by launching a 6.9-inch Mate 20 Pro.

An AnTuTu listing of the Mate 20 phone had surfaced in April. It had revealed that Kirin 980 chipset powered Mate 20 had scored 350,000+ on the benchmarking platform. Hence, the Mate 20 and Mate 20 Pro are most likely to feature the powerful Kirin 980 SoC. A report from the previous month had revealed that it would be a 7nm chipset like the Apple A12 SoC that will be powering the 2018 iPhones.

Since the smartphone has already launched the Huawei Mate RS phone with under-display fingerprint scanner, initial rumors suggest that the Mate 20 will be equipped with an advanced biometric recognition feature.

(source|via)

LG Stylo 4 User Manual and Flyer Leaks Online, Reveals It’s A Rebranded LG Q Stylus α

By

Habeeb Onawole

-

Jun 11, 2018

Last week, LG announced the Q Stylus line of phones which includes the Q Stylus, Q Stylus Plus, and Q Stylus α. It mentioned that availability and pricing will be announced in destination markets such as the US and Asia. If you live in America and have been waiting for the Q Stylus α, direct your searchlight at MetroPCS LG Stylo 4.

A user manual and flyer of the LG Stylo 4 has surfaced online and judging from the specs and design, we believe it is the same device as the LG Q Stylus α.

[envira-gallery id=”195815″]

The Stylo 4 comes with a 6.2-inch FullVision display with a 2160 x 1080 resolution. It is powered by an unnamed Qualcomm Snapdragon octa-core chipset clocked at 1.8GHz which we believe is the Snapdragon 450.

The Q Stylus α has 3GB of RAM but LG has put 2GB of RAM in the Stylo 4. However, storage remains 32GB and can be expanded via a MicroSD card slot. For optics, there is a 13MP sensor on the rear and a 5MP wide-angle sensor above the display. The camera can take portrait photos and capture fast moving objects. There is even a Google Lens-like feature called Q Lens, and DTS:X 3D surround audio.

The phone runs Android 8.1 Oreo and has a 3,300mAh battery and a rear-mounted fingerprint scanner. Like the name says, the device comes with a stylus but don’t expect features like those found on Samsung’s Galaxy Note series. Nevertheless, you should be able to write with the stylus instead of typing with the on-screen keyboard.

[envira-gallery id=”195812″]

The user manual shows the position of the sensors, ports, and buttons. There is a micro USB port at the bottom along with a 3.5mm audio jack, a speaker grille, and a primary microphone.

Continue

Vivo NEX Appears in Real Skin Hours Before it Gets Official

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

-

Jun 11, 2018

The Vivo NEX smartphone is launching tomorrow and the rumor mill seems to have gone berserk as plenty of information have surfaced on it in the past 24 hours. Apart from a report on the leaked hands-on video, most of the recent leaks have only revealed the specs and pricing of the Vivo NEX, NEX A and NEX S smartphones. Earlier today, a Chinese leakster had shared new photos of the phone on Weibo. The new images have surfaced to show the Vivo NEX in real skin before its official launch.

The rear side of the phone has a vertical dual camera setup that is placed at the top-left corner of the phone. Its posterior also features a squarish fingerprint scanner. This could be the “Vivo NEX” variant that had momentarily appeared with a rear-mounted fingerprint reader on the official website in the previous week. The backside of the handset seems to be made out of glass.

The other two images give a clearer view of the frontside of the Vivo NEX. The pop-up camera is clearly in one of the images. The handset is expected to arrive with a massive display of 6.59 inches. The leaked photos suggest that smartphone will indeed offer an impressive screen space. As it can be seen in the image, the chin of the device is a bit thicker than other bezels that surround the screen. It is speculated that the Vivo NEX will deliver a screen-to-body ratio of around 91 percent.

Recent reports have revealed that the Vivo NEX and NEX A are both powered by Snapdragon 710. The Vivo NEX has SD710 SoC and 6 GB of RAM whereas the Snapdragon 845 variant is likely to arrive as Vivo NEX S and it expected to feature 8 GB of RAM and 128 GB of storage.

Earlier this week, a report had revealed that there is an advanced variant that of the phone features Snapdragon 845, 8 GB of RAM and 256 GB of RAM. This model is expected to be priced at 4,498 Yuan (~$703). The SD710 edition is likely to cost 3,798 Yuan (~$593).

There are conflicting rumors on the variants and pricing of the Vivo NEX phone. This suggests that Vivo may unleash the Vivo NEX in multiple variants to target flagship and upper mid-range phone buyers. The exact information on the Vivo NEX variants will be confirmed tomorrow through its launch event.

(source|via)

You Don’t Need To Shell Out So Much For The Mi 8 Explorer Edition With This ¥29 (~$4) Translucent-Looking Casing

By

Jed John Ikoba

-

Jun 11, 2018

Xiaomi Mi 8 Explorer Edition was launched alongside the Mi 8 and Mi 8SE and the smartphone turned out to be the high-end model among the lot. All three models come with almost similar designs but in the case of the Mi 8 Explorer Edition, it features a translucent glass back which shows the internal components in a beautiful way. The device equally comes with an in-display fingerprint technology and of course, a steep price tag.

The Xiaomi Mi 8 Explorer Edition comes only with 8 GB of RAM and 128 GB of storage and it is priced at 3,699 Yuan (~$577). This is quite modest for a Snapdragon 845-powered flagship but the Mi 8SEis way cheaper at 1799 yuan (~$280) for the 4GB + 64GB version. Even the 6GB + 64GB version is still affordable at 1999 yuan(~$312). So, if you fancy the glass panel of the Explorer edition but won’t want to spend so much on a smartphone, this casing could be your saviour. A third-party protective casing has been spotted in China. The casing comes with a translucent glass back just like the Mi 8 Explorer and it fits the Mi 8SE perfectly. The casing cost just 29 yuan (~$4).

So, for just 29 yuan ( $4), you can pick up the casing and get to upgrade to the Mi 8 Explorer Edition. We don’t know about the material used for the casing or its weight but it looks like a laminated vinyl phone skin. We do hope this gets available outside China.

(source)

Nokia 6.1 With 4GB RAM And 64GB Internal Storage Launched In Europe

By

Jeet

-

Jun 11, 2018

Earlier this year, in February, HMD Global launched a new version of its Nokia 6 smartphone, dubbed as Nokia 6.1 (or Nokia 6 2018) during the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. The phone went on sale in April this year.

While the company had earlier confirmed the 4GB RAM model of the Nokia 6.1 along with 64GB internal storage, there was no news about the phone going on sale. However, the company has now quietly launched the Nokia 6.1 with 4GB RAM and 64GB storage which is now available for purchase in Germany.

In Germany, the smartphone is now available for a price of €302 or $355 through retailer ComStern. Additionally, Amazon Germany is also offering the smartphone for purchase, but at a higher price tag of €302, which roughly converts to $380. The shipments are expected to start in the coming days, while Amazon suggests June 19.

The phone is not a huge departure from the previous-generation model, but there are few meaningful changes that could improve the experience. The company claims that the smartphone is over 60 percent faster compared to its predecessor.

It comes with a 5.5-inch 2.5D display with ‘damage-resistant’ Corning Gorilla Glass on top. It features Full HD display with 1920 x 1080 pixels screen resolution, having a pixel density of 401ppi. Under the hood, the device is powered by Qualcomm‘s Snapdragon 630 processor clocked at 2.2GHz. There’s also a microSD card slot, which enables users to further expand the phone’s storage capacity.

There’s a 16-megapixel camera on the back which has f/2.0 aperture, phase detection autofocus, and dual-LED flash. The phone also features an 8-megapixel front-facing camera with a 1.12um sensor and f/2.0 aperture for taking selfies and video calling. There’s a fingerprint sensor placed on the back panel for added security.

On the connectivity front, the phone offers hybrid Dual SIM slot, 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth v5, GPS, USB Type-C port, 3.5mm audio jack, FM Radio. It also features dual speakers, dual smart amplifiers, and Dolby Atmos.

The phone is running on Android Oreo operating system. Given that it’s an Android One device, there is no bloatware on the phone as well as no custom user interface from the company. The Nokia 6 2018 is powered by a 3,000mAh non-removable battery.

(Sources – 1, 2)

Vivo NEX Specs Leaked Once Again; Including Details of the Nex A

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Jun 11, 2018

We really have had enough of leaks already about the Vivo NEX and would prefer to finally meet the device. That would happen in a couple of hours time as the NEX models will go official on June 12. Ahead of that, we have sotted another leaked details of the NEX.

Previous leaks about the Vivo NEX had shown that there will be a NEX, NEX S and NEX A model but the specs of the NEX A has been elusive. In this case, the key specs of all three models are listed. This new leak indicates that NEX A and NEX S are both Snapdragon 710-powered variants while the Vivo NEX is the Snapdragon 845 flagship model. All three models will come with a full-screen bezel-less design which is one of the major highlights of the NEX models. The screen ratio is said to go p 95%. There is also a pop-up camera on all models, a feature that is already confirmed.

The leaked specs sheet shows the models will come with a 4000mAh battery and the charging interface is a USB Type-C interface. This could be the first Vivo model to come with Type-C since the Vivo APEX is yet to go official, that is if it will ever be commercialized. There are rumours that the NEX is the commercial version of the APEX but Vivo is yet to confirm that. The phones are also expected to come with Vivo’s JOVI AI technology. The cameras will also have AI capabilities and this includes the dual rear cameras. The Vivo NEX will redefine bezel-less concept with its design and we just can’t wait to see if its design is exactly as we have seen in leaks and official renders.

(source)

These Are The Xiaomi Devices Getting Single Camera Portrait Mode With MIUI 10

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Jun 11, 2018

With the emergence of dual camera phones came portrait mode. However, some manufacturers like Google have proved that you do not need an extra camera to take portrait photos. Xiaomi seems to have also figured out how to achieve portrait mode with only one camera and has announced the feature will roll out along with MIUI 10.

If you own a Xiaomi phone with a single camera, then you should check out the list of supported devices below to know if you will get the feature:

Xiaomi Mi MIX 2
Xiaomi Mi 5s
Mi 5S Plus (has dual cameras but no portrait mode)
Xiaomi Mi 5
Xiaomi Mi Note 2
Xiaomi Mi Max
Xiaomi Mi Max 2
Redmi Note 4 (India)
Redmi Note 4X
Redmi Note 3
Redmi 5
Redmi 4
Redmi 4X

Do note that the above devices will only support portrait mode on the rear camera. However, Xiaomi says the Mi 6 and the Redmi Note 5 (India) will get front camera portrait mode.

Xiaomi says other devices will be supported soon but there is no time frame yet. So if your device is not on the above list, there is a chance it may get the feature later.

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Huawei Is Working On Kirin 710 Processor To Take On Qualcomm Snapdragon 710

By

Jeet

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Jun 11, 2018

Qualcomm recently launched its new smartphone chipset in the Snapdragon 700-series — Qualcomm Snapdragon 710. Now, Huawei’s HiSilicon Technologies is reportedly working on Kirin 710 processor, which will take on Snapdragon 710.

According to the report, the HiSilicon Kirin 710, a mobile chipset for the mid-tier market could get launched in July this year. Sources aware of the development have said that it will directly compete with the Snapdragon 710.

The Kirin 710 will be an upgrade of its predecessor Kirin 659 CPU and will come with Huawei’s own chipset architecture based on the Cortex A73 CPUs. It is reportedly being built using a 12nm process at Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC).

In comparison, the Snapdragon 710 chipset from Qualcomm is built using the 10nm node at Samsung Electronics and feature a multi-core AI engine and neural network processing capabilities.

The chipset includes two cores of Kryo 360 Cortex A75 clocked at 2.2GHz and six cores of Kryo 360 Cortex A55 that offers a processing speed of 1.7GHz. The octa-core processor is coupled with Adreno 616 graphics that promises 35 percent better rendering of graphics.

There are a few smartphones announced recently which are powered by the Snapdragon 710 processor. Xiaomi recently launched Mi 8 SE and the Vivo is using the same chipset for its upcoming Vivo NEX smartphone. Further, companies like HMD Global (Nokia) and Google are also said to be working on a phone powered by Snapdragon 710.

While not much information is known about this upcoming chipset, the first Kirin 710-powered model is likely to be Huawei’s Nova 3 (which is codenamed Paris) or Huawei P20 Lite. The smartphone is expected to be launched in July, featuring 19.5:9 all-screen display and the dual-lens camera.

The company is also working on two other models with serial numbers PRA-AL00 and PRA-TL00. The phone has been verified for meeting 3C (China Compulsory Certification) standards. This year, the company is expected to ship over 140 million smartphones in 2018. According to the source, the mid-range smartphone from the China-based company accounts for at least 50 percent of its total shipments.