Xiaomi Mi Band 3 Explorer Edition teased in official photos; Arrival seems imminent

By

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Jul 15, 2018

Xiaomi had launched the Mi Band 3 alongside Mi 8, Mi 8 Explorer Edition and Mi 8 SE smartphones on May 31. Soon after the launch of Mi Band 3, the company had teased its Explorer Edition featuring a translucent rubber strap. Yesterday, Xiaomi’s sub-brand Mijia had shared fresh photos of Mi Band 3 with translucent band through its Weibo account. This suggests that the arrival of the Mi Band 3 Explorer Edition may not be far away.

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There is no information available on whether the main device of the Mi Band 3 Explorer Edition will feature enhanced specs. The appearance of the main device which features a touchscreen OLED display appears to be same as the regular version which suggests that the only major difference on the Explorer Edition could be the inclusion of translucent strap. Currently, the Mi Band 3 is available with three strap options such as black, orange and blue.

The Mi Band 3 is available with a price tag of 169 Yuan (~$25). The company has confirmed that it will be selling NFC enabled Mi Band 3 in September. This variant is expected to carry a pricing of 199 Yuan (~$29). There is no confirmation on whether the Mi Band 3 Explorer Edition is the NFC version of the fitness band.

Huami technologies that manufacturers smart bands has recently teased a customized version of the Mi Band 3 to mark its IPO offering. The customized edition has the “1810” stock code mentioned on its strap along with some Chinese text.

The Xiaomi Mi Band 3 is an IP67 rated dustproof and waterproof body that comes with a 0.78-inch OLED touchscreen. It includes a 110mAh battery. The fitness tracker offers various health-tracking features like heart rate monitor, calorie counter, steps calculator, sedimentary reminder and sleep tracker. Other features of the Mi Band 3 include weather forecast, notifications for calls and SMS, event reminder and find my phone.

(source)

Honor Note 10 Rolls Royce Edition leaks alongside all color variants

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Jul 15, 2018

There is a new trend in China which involves phone manufacturing companies partnering with luxury car brands for special edition models of their phones. In the last few years, Huawei has partnered with Porsche Design for special models of its P and Mate series phones. This year OPPO also joined the trend by partnering with luxury car brand Automobil Lamborghini for the special edition OPPO Find X Lamborghini Edition.

The latest report from China says Honor is partnering with British-owned Rolls Royce Holdings Plc for an Honor Note 10 Rolls Royce Edition. Images of the said phone have surfaced online already.

The Honor Note 10 Rolls Royce Edition will come in Mirror Silver with the Rolls Royce Logo engraved on the rear. Above the logo sits a vertical arrangement of two cameras, a LED flash, and a fingerprint scanner. There is also Honor’s own logo at the bottom of the phone.

The source says the Honor Note 10 Rolls Royce Edition will sell for ¥9998 (~$1495). For that price, we expect more than just a Rolls Royce logo on the rear of the device.

This is the first time Huawei’s sub-brand will be partnering with a luxury car brand. The Honor line is known for offering affordable versions of Huawei’s main lineup along with exclusive models of its own. It will be interesting to see how this is received when it launches.

Apart from the Rolls Royce Edition, an image showing all the color variants of the Honor Note 10 has also leaked online. The picture shows the phone in silver, black, red, blue, yellow, purple, and two twilight variants. The Rolls Royce Edition is also included.

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Microsoft Android smartphones releasing soon?

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Jul 15, 2018

Microsoft fans are eagerly waiting for the arrival of the Surface Phone, but the company is yet to arrival any official information on it. A recent report had suggested that the Redmond-based firm is prepping up to launch a Surface Phone in 2019. Fresh information reveals that the company may introduce a line of phones before it launches the elusive Surface Phone. A Microsoft representative’s chat has revealed that the company is planning to phones running on Android OS.

In the screenshots shown below, the representative is claiming that the engineers of Windows phone are now preparing to launch a new model. However, he is not sure about the type of models that Microsoft is planning to release since it won’t be running on Windows. 10. The mysterious phone belongs to a new line of Microsoft phones running on Android OS.

When Nokia Lumia phones were alive, the Finnish firm had launched the Nokia X and Nokia XL phones running on Android OS at the beginning of 2014. The Nokia X2 was introduced after the acquisition of Nokia Devices and Services by Microsoft in April 2014. Both the phones came with Android OS. However, there was no support Google’s apps including Play Store. These phones featured came with Microsoft services and Windows Phone-like UI. The Nokia X and X2 ended receiving lukewarm response from the audience.

Few months after the launch of Lumia 650 in February 2016, Microsoft killed the Lumia series and since then the company hasn’t launch a new phone. Microsoft has shifted its focus on bringing on its apps to Android OS and iOS.

When the Nokia X and X2 had launched, Microsoft apps and services were not that popular. However, in the recent past, apps like Microsoft Launcher, Edge browser, OneDrive, Skype, Office apps and more have gained good popularity on Android and iOS. Hence, the arrival of a Microsoft Android smartphone can be ruled out.

So, there is a possibility that Microsoft may once again try to launch an Android phone The Redmond firm may pack it with Microsoft apps and services. This phone may not feature Google mobile services.

Would you be interested in buying a Microsoft Android smartphone? Share us your thoughts by posting your comments below.

(source|via)

Amazon Prime Day 2018: Get Unmissable Deals On These Ecovacs Robot Vacuums

By

Vinay Patel

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Jul 15, 2018

Keeping your home or office clean and tidy all the time can prove to be a backbreaking task. Although the market is crammed with all sorts of floor cleaning vacuum cleaners and other appliances that claim to simplify this arduous gig, they either come bearing steep price tags or are simply ineffective.

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Bearing the importance of keeping your house and office space clean in mind, Ecovacs Robotics has developed a slew of devices including air purifier robots and robot vacuum cleaners. Keeping in line with this, the Ecovacs Robotics company designs intelligent robotic solutions that allow you to focus more on what you love rather than spend hours cleaning each day.

We’ll shed light on 3 robot vacuum cleaners that have been developed by Ecovacs Robotics. Aside from that, we’ll even divulge shreds of details about the devices and more importantly, reveal where you can buy them without burning a hole in your pocket.

Ecovacs Deebot N79S Robot Vacuum Cleaner

Sporting an eye-catching design, the N79S is an easy-to-set-up vacuum cleaner. Outfitted with a perfect cleaning mode for every task, it tidily cleans your floor. On top of that, you can control the N79S without breaking much of a sweat with the help of ECOVACS App or smart home system.

The N79S would normally set you back a pretty penny on online stores. But if you’re on a tight budget and aren’t willing to spend a lot of money on a vacuum cleaner, we got good news for you.

Much to the delight of cost-conscious buyers, the N79S will be up for grabs on Prime Day, which is a one-day-only global shopping event on Amazon. Note that only Prime members will be able to take advantage of the discounts featured in the event, which kicks off on July 16th.

The Ecovacs Deebot N79S robot vacuum cleaner is currently up for grabs on Amazon. You can follow this link if you’re interested in checking out more details.

Ecovacs Deebot 901 Robot Vacuum Cleaner

Deemed smarter than its siblings, the Deebot 901 smart vacuum can scan and map your home and doesn’t roam wherever it wants like some models from Roomba. The fully programmable 901 is designed for carpets as well as bare floors, and it is compatible with both Alexa and Google.

You can set up virtual walls in areas where you do not want the Deebot 901 to clean, unlike Roombas, wherein you need to create physical and high-priced virtual-wall modules that sit on the floor. The 901 employs the Smart Navi 3.0 technology to scan and map your home giving you the freedom to decide where you want to clean and when.

The Ecovacs Deebot 901 robot vacuum cleaner will be available as part of Amazon’s unmissable Prime Day deals. The event will comprise special discounts on various items that you can buy online.

Ecovacs Deebot Ozmo 601 Robot Vacuum Cleaner

Although the Ozmo 601 boasts relatively fewer premium features than the 901, it comes with a few tricks of its own. The Ozmo 601 is a robot vacuum and mop, and hence a user can add water and cleaner to the reservoir in order to make it mop hard surfaces.

Moreover, the 601 features OZMO Mopping System that manages water flow to deliver better mopping experience. You can choose from a broad range of cleaning modes, schedule cleaning sessions, receive alerts and even keep track of accessory status.

The fourth annual Amazon Prime Day will include the aforesaid robot vacuum cleaners from Ecovacs. However, it is imperative for you to bear in mind that you need to be an Amazon Prime member in order to grab the deal, but if you’re still not a member just head straight to this link and sign up for a free 30-day trial.

Buy Ecovacs Deebot N79S Robot Vacuum Cleaner On Amazon

Xiaomi Redmi 6 Review – Yet Another Good Budget Phone

By

Linus

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Jul 15, 2018

This is the Redmi 6 – yet another budget phone from Xiaomi. The device costs about $150 but as usual to Xiaomi, it offers quite a lot of value for the price. Stay tuned to the full Xiaomi Redmi 6 review.

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VIDEO

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ufQ3oJBRc4[/embedyt]

UNBOXING

The phone ships with all the usual stuff, no extras included.

DESIGN

In terms of design, the Redmi 6 looks very similar to other Xiaomi phones. The build quality is great but I’m a bit disappointed that the phone is made entirely of plastic. We have a 5.45” 18:9 display that I found to be pretty good overall but I wish it was brighter for outdoor use. Also, I wish it had 1080p resolution.

Just above the display, we have a 5MP selfie camera and LED notification light.

On the back, there is a dual camera system and a fast and reliable fingerprint scanner.

There is also a face unlock feature that works quite well but I always prefer using a fingerprint reader.

Other features you need to know: the phone has a hybrid dual-SIM card slot, a headset jack that provides good sound quality, the phone uses a micro USB port for charging and finally, the loudspeaker is pretty good for a budget device.

HARDWARE

The Xiaomi Redmi 6 ships with the Helio P22 chipset, 3GB of RAM and 32GB of expandable storage. There is also a more expensive model with 64GB of storage and 4GB of RAM.

The overall gaming performance is pretty good. Games like Asphalt Xtreme, Shadow Fight 3 run fine, with just a few skipped frames. If you plan to play games like Pubg, you should expect to see a bit of stutter and minor lag.

USER INTERFACE

My Redmi 6 runs on the MIUI 9.6 that is based on Android 8.1. Unfortunately, I have the Chinese model, meaning the phone comes with some bloatware apps and without Google Services. A good thing is that it takes just a few minutes to install Google Services and you can remove most of the apps.

If you have used a Xiaomi phone before, you will feel right at home. The device has plenty of features and customization options. Usually, the phone is quite fast but you may see a bit of stutter from time to time. I can’t really complain about that but more expensive Xiaomi phones like the Redmi Note 5 feel faster.

IMAGE QUALITY

The overall image quality is pretty good. You can definitely take some nice pictures with this phone. There is an auto-HDR mode which is great but I found some of the pictures to look a bit cartoonish. Portrait mode takes pretty nice looking pictures too with just minimal artifacts.

There is also a selfie portrait mode that takes nice pictures for social media. I think that portrait selfies look much better than the regular ones.

Night image quality, however, does not really impress.

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=an12DrSn-v8[/embedyt]

1080p video could look better. I tested the camera with the EIS feature on and that led to a lot of noise and jello effect in the video.

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o6cf0ka8k_A[/embedyt]

1080p selfie video looks pretty good overall and the sound recording quality is decent.

High-resolution camera samples

CONNECTIVITY

Connectivity department is where the Xiaomi Redmi 6 is very good. Call quality and signal reception are great, it takes just a few seconds for the GPS to find the location and other connectivity options work fine.

There is plenty of sensors on-board but there is no gyroscope which is a shame.

BATTERY LIFE

Most of the Xiaomi phones are known for great battery life and the Redmi 6 is no exception.

My record screen-on time was 10 hours. However, if you use the phone more intensively, you should expect to get about 7 hours of SOT.

It takes about 2 hours to fully charge the phone with the supplied charger.

CONCLUSIONS

The Redmi 6 is yet another good budget phone by Xiaomi.

The only complaints I have is that the phone is made of plastic, so it feels a bit cheap in comparison to other budget Xiaomi phones that are made of metal.

Also, I wish the device used a 1080p display and the screen was brighter. In addition, there is no gyroscope sensor which is a shame to Xiaomi. Other than that, you get a phone with good cameras, pretty good overall performance and solid battery life.

Overall, the Redmi 6 may not be the only budget option out there but it is definitely a solid cheap phone for the price, despite a few flaws.

Buy Xiaomi Redmi 6 from Giztop

Buy Xiaomi Redmi 6 from Gearbest

Motorola launches Moto E5 Play Android Go Edition

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Jul 14, 2018

Motorola brought back the Play series this year with the Moto G6 Play and Moto E5 Play. It has now announced a third – the Moto E5 Play Android Go Edition.

The Moto E5 Play Android Go Edition isn’t just the E5 Play with Android Go, it is actually quite different in terms of specs. Unlike the original which has a 5.2-inch HD display, the Android Go Edition has a 5.3-inch 18:9 MaxVision display.

Motorola doesn’t specify the processor, RAM, and storage in the Moto E5 Play Android Go Edition. However, it does keep the 8MP rear camera and 5MP front-facing camera with a LED flash from the regular variant. Battery capacity is also not stated but it still has a rear-mounted fingerprint scanner.

The phone runs Android Oreo Go Edition, so it comes with Android Go Google apps instead of the full ones which means more available space out of the box. Motorola also says there are fewer pre-installed apps. Motorola doesn’t say but we do not think it comes with Moto Actions.

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New Mi Max 3 teaser reveals its front, leaked retail box images confirms specs

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Jul 14, 2018

The Mi Max 3 is scheduled to launch on July 19. There isn’t much we do not know about the device already. The specs have already been listed on TENAA and there have been lots of leaked images revealing the design. However, until the device launches, there will always be something new.

Xiaomi itself has released an official poster that reveals the front of the Mi Max 3. There are also new leaked images of the retail box that confirm some of the specifications.

The new poster advertises the phone’s large display and how it is great for navigation. The front of the Mi Max 3 is shown in all its glory on the teaser.

Xiaomi has significantly cut down the bezels on all sides making the Mi Max 3 great for one-handed use. The side bezels are also pretty thin. The bezels on the top and bottom are of the same size.

The top bezel is home to the sensors, earpiece and front camera, same as in the predecessor. However, the bottom bezel is bare. Gone are the capacitive keys of the Mi Max 2 and the original Mi Max.

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The leaked photos, on the other hand, show the front and rear of the retail box. The image of the rear is actually what’s new as Xiaomi’s CEO already released an image of the front a few weeks ago.

The back of the box confirms the Mi Max 3 has a 6.9-inch display with an 18:9 aspect ratio. This is a big upgrade from the 6.4-inch 16:9 display of the Mi Max 2. It also confirms the phone will have dual cameras – a 12MP 1.4um sensor paired with a 5MP secondary sensor.

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New Smartisan Phone Gets Certified, Might Be Nut Pro 3

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Jul 14, 2018

Smartisan already announced three new phones this year. There is the mid-range Smartisan Nut 3 and there is the flagship Smartisan Nut R1. In between those two releases, it also announced the Nut Pro 2 Special Edition. It seems it has a fourth phone coming as a new phone just got certified.

The new phone has the model number OE106 and has support for 18W fast-charging according to the 3C certification page. There is not much else revealed.

There are speculations this may be the Nut Pro 3. While one may think it will be a successor to the Nut 3, the Nut Pro 3 will actually be a successor to the Nut Pro 2. One of the major changes it is expected to come with is a Snapdragon 710 processor replacing the Snapdragon 660 of its predecessor.

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Get Up To 60% Off On Phones And Accessories On GizModern

By

Vinay Patel

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Jul 14, 2018

There’s no dearth of cleverly-designed GPS navigator, video recorder, watch and other accessories that transform your regular smartphone into an indispensable traveling companion. Other popular accessories include USB chargers, phone cases, and charging docks just to name a few. On the downside, these accessories don’t come cheap.

If you’re a phone addict looking to accessorize your smartphone without spending a fortune, look no further. GizModern is doling out up to 60% off on a broad range of phones and accessories for a limited period of time. Let’s head straight to the details.

While the site also sells other cool gadgets, audio, car accessories, fashion, and wearables, we’ll take a gander at the phones and accessories category that comprises heavily discounted items. From an ultra-thin iPhone battery charger to a high-quality lightning cable designed for phone addicts, this section has it all.

For the sake of an instance, GizModern is offering a noteworthy discount on the Mini Fordable Keyboard for Phones/Tablets. The black, gold, and silver color versions of the item usually carry a steep price tag of $99, but the site is currently selling it at a lowered price of just $56.
Likewise, the world’s first magnetic cable for all devices, MAGBINE which would normally set you back $49 on GizModern can now be yours at a slashed price of just $19.90. The discount is valid for the 1.2m long, gold color version of the cable which comes with a reversible Lightning connector.
If you’ve been wondering how you can expand the battery life of your iPhone X smartphone without emptying your pocket, we got good news for you. GizModern is offering a big discount on the full-protection case with a built-in rechargeable battery which usually carries a price tag of $95 on the site.

Thanks to the aforesaid discount, this must-have accessory for iPhone X can now be yours if you’re willing to shell out just $65. The discount is valid for the black, blue, white color version of the 6,000mAh battery capacity.

Alternatively, you can go for a slightly larger 6,000mAh battery capacity which is now available at a reduced price of just $75. Note that this version will set you back $99 without the discount.

You can head straight to this link in order to check out the rest of the products and take advantage of the big discounts. Note that the phones and accessories will go back to their retail price as soon as the promo comes to an end.

Get Big Discounts On Phone And Accessories On GizModern

Buy Zizo-Branded Phone Cases And Accessories At Slashed Price [Coupon Code]

By

Vinay Patel

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Jul 14, 2018

Smartphones these days are thin and featherweight, which makes them extremely fragile. On top of that, a phone normally sets its buyer back a pretty dime and he/she takes it everywhere. Thus it is imperative to put a case to add some extra bulk to ensure your phone doesn’t break or bend.

While the market is brimming with all sorts of phone cases, finding the one that’s best for you can prove to be an arduous task. Likewise, there’s no dearth of phone accessories that you can buy online, but these items are usually low quality and come bearing steep price tags.

Phone Cases Designed for All Adventures

If you’ve been wondering where you can buy sturdy phone cases and other accessories without burning a hole in your pocket, you’ve come to the right place. Zizo offers a broad range of affordable phone cases or phone cover, wallet case, tempered glass screen protectors, and cases with a strap.

But if you’re on a tight budget and aren’t willing to spend a fortune on phone cases or accessories, we will not only shed light on discounts offered by Zizo but also show how you can effortlessly save a considerable amount of more money during the checkout process. Let’s head straight to the details.

Zizo manufactures phone cases for numerous top brands including Samsung, Apple, LG, ZTE, HTC, Alcatel, Motorola, Google, and Coolpad. More importantly, the company is currently doling out considerable discounts on these durable phone cases and other mobile phone accessories.

For the sake of an instance, the Zizo Static Case for Samsung Galaxy S9 (military grade drop tested) with built-in kickstand normally sells for $29.99 on Zizo’s official website, but the company is now selling it at a slashed price of just $ 17.99. In other words, you get a $12 off on the item’s original selling price.

As if that weren’t enough, you can choose from multiple color options including black, black/orange, black/blue, gold/black and lots more. You can buy cases for a slew of other flagship Samsung smartphones such as the Galaxy Note 8, Galaxy S8, Galaxy S8 Plus, Galaxy S8 Active, and Galaxy S7 Edge just to name a few.

Shop for Accessories

Smartphone accessories allude to any piece of hardware that is not required for the operation of a phone as designed by its manufacturer. Zizo offers some of the best mobile phone accessories including charging pads, portable chargers and lots more at unbeatable great prices.

Keeping in line with this, the Zizo Charging Pad which usually carries a price tag of $ 39.99 is now up for grabs at a lowered price of just $19.99. You end up saving $20 on the black color version of the charger that can charge a slew of compatible Galaxy smartphone and other Qi-compatible devices without requiring you to plug your device to a USB port or a wall charger.

As if that weren’t enough, Zizo is giving cost-conscious buyers an opportunity to get an extra 10% off on all orders. All you need to do in order to avail the additional discount is to apply coupon code ‘ZizoFam’ at the time of checking out.

You can head straight to this link if you’re interested in buying the phone cases and accessories at a heavily discounted price. It is worth noting that the aforesaid coupon code will be valid only for a limited period of time so use it to save more money before it expires.

Get Big Discounts On Phone Cases And Accessories On Zizo

Honor schedules an event in India on July 24, could launch Honor 9i as Honor 9X

By

Jeet

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Jul 13, 2018

Huawei‘s sub-brand Honor recently launched its Honor 10 as well as Honor 7C and Honor 7A smartphones in India. Now, the company is gearing up to launch another mid-range smartphone, Honor 9X, in the Indian market.

Honor has scheduled a launch event in India on 24th July and has already sent out media invites for the same. The invite reads #NOORDINARYBEAUTY in Blue and Purple colors, suggesting a smartphone in different colors and two O’s hints at the dual rear cameras.

While the company has not revealed which device is plans to launch, it seems that the smartphone is question is the Honor 9i (2018), which is the successor of the Honor 9i launched last year. However, the Honor 9i (2018) is expected to launch as Honor 9X in India.

The smartphone features a a 5.84-inch Full HD+ notched display with 2280 x 1080 pixels screen resolution and 19:9 aspect ratio. It is powered by Kirin 659 octa-core processor with MaliT830-MP2 GPU and packs 4GB RAM.

It comes in two different storage options — 64GB and 128GB and there’s also a microSD card slot which enables users to further expand the phone’s storage capacity up to 256GB. The phone has a 13-megapixel + 2-megapixel dual camera setup at the back with phase detection autofocus and a portrait mode.

On the front side, the device comes equipped with a 16-megapixel shooter with artificial intelligence features. Connectivity options on the device include 4G VoLTE, WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.2, and GPS / GLONASS. There’s also a fingerprint sensor for added security.

The phone runs on Android 8.0 Oreo operating system out of the box with the company’s own EMUI 8.0 custom interface. The smartphone is fuelled by a 3,000mAh battery.

In China, the Honor 9i (2018) is priced at 1,399 Yuan, which roughly converts to $209 and we expect the Honor 9X to be priced similarly in India. It is expected to come in four color options — Black, Blue, Green, and Purple.

Detailed Xiaomi Mi A2 renders and specs leaked from Poland

By

Michele Ingelido

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Jul 13, 2018

Another Polish e-commerce listed the upcoming Xiaomi Mi A2 and published detailed renders and specs of the handset ahead of the official launch set for July 24. The new renders show the device from every angle and they highlight a design identical to the one of the newly-announced Mi 6X. Indeed, just like its predecessor, the Mi A2 will be a variant of the Mi 6X for the global market, but it will differ from this device because it will have Android One installed instead of the MIUI.

And that is what the renders are showing: a clean and stock Android user interface. From the renders, we can see Xiaomi Mi A2 in the Black color variant with a full metal unibody design and U-shaped antenna bands. The display is tall but it has no notch and it has an 18:9 aspect ratio. On the rear side, there is a dual camera in a vertical configuration with a flash LED in the middle, and at the center of the backplate, there is a circular fingerprint reader.

According to the published specs, Xiaomi Mi A2 will boast a 5.99-inch display with a Full HD+ resolution, 4 GB of RAM and 32 GB of internal storage. The dual camera will have a 12 + 20 MP configuration, while the SoC will be the octa-core Snapdragon 660 and the battery will have a 3000 mAh capacity. Note that Xiaomi Mi 6X has been launched in China with prices starting from $253. Also, recent certifications hint that the Mi A2 will not be alone as it will be accompanied by a Lite version with Snapdragon 625.

(via)

ASUS ZenFone Max Pro M1 Coming to Taiwan

By

Michele Ingelido

-

Jul 13, 2018

The “Redmi Note 5 Pro killer” Asus Zenfone Max Pro M1 was expected to be released in the homeland of the known smartphone and PC manufacturer in mid-June, but it did not happen. According to a Taiwanese publication, the mid-ranger is going to be released in Taiwan starting from the end of July. The device should hit the Taiwanese market on July 24 or July 27. As we know, it has been announced in three variants which differ not only for the memory configurations but also for the camera department. But it is still unclear whether or not Asus Zenfone Max Pro M1 will be launched in Taiwan in both its variants simultaneously.

There is a cheaper version with 3 GB of RAM and 32 GB of internal storage and two more expensive ones with 4 or 6 GB of RAM and 64 GB of internal storage. While the first and the second one have a rear dual camera with resolutions of 13 and 5 MP (f/2.2 and f/2.4 apertures respectively), the third one has a dual camera with 16 and 5 MP resolutions (f/2.0 and f/2.4 apertures, respectively). Further, only the third variant comes with a 16 MP front camera, while the others sport an 8 MP f/2.2 selfie snapper. All the versions feature a front-facing LED flash.

The 3/32 GB variant will probably sport a price tag of 6990 TWD (which roughly translates into $228), while the 6/64 GB version costs 8990 TWD (roughly $293). Anyways, the company is rumored to launch a special discount at least for the initial sales. Among the other main specs of Asus Zenfone Max Pro M1 there is a 5.99-inch display with a Full HD+ resolution of 1080 x 2160 pixels. Under the hood, there is an octa-core Snapdragon 636 chipset by Qualcomm running at a max frequency of 1.8 GHz, while the battery has a whopping capacity of 5000 mAh. Android 8.1 Oreo is installed out of the box.

(via)

Xiaomi Mi Max 3 and POCOPHONE appear among 5 Xiaomi phones certified by EEC: it will come in Europe

By

Michele Ingelido

-

Jul 13, 2018

Despite being mainly an Asian company, Xiaomi managed to become one of the five best smartphone manufacturers in the world during the past couple of years. Then, it started expanding in other continents and now it has a consistent presence even in Europe. But only a few of its products have been launched in the Old Continent if we consider its whole portfolio. Recently, the EEC (Eurasian Economic Commission) has certified five upcoming devices from the Chinese giant. The fact that they have been certified by the Eurasian Economic Commission means that all of these five handsets will land in Europe.

The devices certified by the EEC are Xiaomi Mi A2, Mi A2 Lite, Mi Max 3, Mi 8 and POCOPHONE. We already reported the certification of Mi A2, Mi A2 Lite and Mi 8, while Mi Max 3 and POCOPHONE are new on the list. The first will officially debut on July 24 and probably its Lite variant will join it in the same presentation event. It will be the successor of the first device by the company with Android One installed. It will have the same specifications as the Mi 6X (recently launched in China with prices going from $253 to $316) with Android One instead of the MIUI as the main difference. So we should get a notchless display with a 5.99-inch size and a Full HD+ resolution, as well as a Snapdragon 660 SoC by Qualcomm paired with 4 or 6 GB of RAM and 32, 64 or 128 GB of internal storage without an expansion slot.

The Xiaomi Mi A2 Lite will be a lower-end model which should offer the same specs as the Redmi 6 Pro, with a notched display and a Snapdragon 625 SoC paired with 4 GB of RAM. The Mi Max 3 will be the biggest Mi phablet and it will be official on July 18. It will be released with a 6.99-inch Full HD+ display and probably an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 chipset, as well as a very big 5000+ mAh battery. POCOPHONE is expected to come as the first smartphone from Xiaomi’s sub-brand and it is still shrouded in the mystery.

(via)

Blackview BV5800 Review – Solid Budget Rugged IP68 Smartphone

By

Linus

-

Jul 13, 2018

This is the Blackview BV5800 – a budget rugged phone that costs just about $160. The device can take a beating, it is water and dust resistant and it has a massive 5580mAh battery. If you want to learn more about this phone, stay tuned to the full Blackview BV5800 review.

2018 World Cup Final Sale

VIDEO REVIEW

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6MgL5o_n08Q[/embedyt]

UNBOXING

The phone ships with all the usual stuff and some extras include USB OTG cable, a pair of earphones and a screen protector.

DESIGN

Once you pick the Blackview BV5800 up, you will immediately notice this is a rugged phone because of its sheers size and weight but I have to say this is one of the best-designed and well-built rugged smartphones, just like my previously reviewed Blackview rugged phones.

The build quality is excellent as the phone uses mostly rubber and metal in its construction. All the ports are covered with flaps which is understandable due to IP68 certification and I found them to be pretty easy to open.

I didn’t drop the phone on purpose but I tested the device underwater quite a lot and it’s still working fine.

The buttons are made of metal and they feel quite nice. There is also an emergency or PPT button, which can be programmed in the settings.

The 5.5” 18:9 aspect ratio display looks pretty good too. It would have been nice to have a slightly brighter panel but this is a budget phone after all.

This Blackview phone has a dual-camera system that I will talk about a bit later in this video.

Other features you need to know: the fingerprint scanner is quite accurate but it takes quite a bit of time for the display to light up. In addition, the phone has an LED notification light, 8MP selfie camera, a hybrid dual-SIM card slot and a headset jack. Finally, the loudspeaker can get really loud, so you will easily hear it outdoors.

HARDWARE and PERFORMANCE

In terms of hardware, you can definitely see this is a budget phone. Honestly, I expected to see at least 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage on this device.

The overall gaming performance is kind of average. It’s possible to play 3D games on the low or medium graphics but you should still expect to see quite a few skipped frames, stutter and even lag.

USER INTERFACE

In terms of the UI, this phone ships with a typical Blackview’s skin that is built on top of Android 8.1. That means we have redesigned icons and some added features but in general, you get a stock Android experience which is great.

I’m happy to say that the overall performance is pretty good despite the fact that the phone uses a mediocre chipset and just 2GB of RAM. The device feels quite smooth and fast on the daily basis as I just saw a few skipped frames in the UI but nothing major.

IMAGE QUALITY

The overall image quality is surprisingly decent considering this is a budget phone with rugged properties. Obviously, the pictures are not perfect as the colors are usually washed out, corners look really soft and so on but in general, they look quite good. Low-light image quality does not impress like on most of the budget phones.

Selfie image quality is pretty good as I was able to take okay-looking shots for social media.

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WPrmqd764W8[/embedyt]

1080p video quality is above average.

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fc1vNC8pxmQ[/embedyt]

720p selfie video is quite good for a budget device.

Download full resolution camera samples

CONNECTIVITY

I didn’t have any connectivity issues with this device as the call quality and signal reception are pretty good, and even the GPS lock speeds and accuracy were okay.

The phone has quite a few sensors including a gyroscope, so you will be able to use the device with VR headsets. Finally, the phone has NFC.

BATTERY LIFE

Battery life has been fantastic on this phone since we have a large power bank. I could get over 13 hours of screen-on time while using the phone quite intensively. It’s possible to get better results under moderate usage.

It takes about 2.5 hours to fully charge the device with the supplied charger.

CONCLUSIONS

The Blackview BV5800 shapes up to be a pretty good budget rugged device. The main shortcoming is obviously an underpowered CPU and just 2GB of RAM. That means this phone is not suitable for gamers.

Other than that, you get a well-built phone that can survive a few drops, it is water and dust resistant, the day to day performance is pretty good, cameras are surprisingly decent and finally, a huge battery assures that the phone will last you a long time.

At the end of the day, the Blackview BV5800 is a good budget option if you are looking for a rugged device, despite a few shortcomings.

Buy Blackview BV5800

2018 World Cup Final Sale

Oppo A3s with 6.2-inch 19:9 display and 4320mAh battery Launched in India

By

Jeet

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Jul 13, 2018

We earlier reported that Oppo is gearing up to launch its latest budget smartphone Oppo A3s in the Indian market. The phone is a cheaper variant of the Oppo A3 that was recently launched in China a couple of months ago.

The Oppo A3s comes in Dark Purple and Red color variants and carries a price tag of Rs. 10,999, which roughly converts to $161. It will be available for purchase in India from July 15th through online retailers Flipkart, Amazon, and Paytm, along with the offline stores acorss India.

The smartphone comes with a 6.2-inch HD+ FullView display with 1520 x 720 pixels screen resolution, 2.5D curved glass and 19:9 aspect ratio. The display also comes with a notch and 88.8 percent screen-to-body ratio.

Under the hood, the device is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 processor clocked at 1.8GHz along with Adreno 506 GPU. For comparison, the Oppo A3 is powered by MediaTek‘s octa-core Helio P60 chipset. The device packs 2GB RAM and 16GB internal storage, along with a microSD card slot that can be used to further expand the phone’s storage capacity up to 256GB.

The Oppo A3s comes with a dual rear camera setup that includes a 13-megapixel primary sensor and a 2-megapixel secondary sensor, along with an LED flash. On the front side, there’s an 8-megapixel sensor that supports AI Beauty Technology 2.0.

Connectivity options on the device include 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.2, GPS + GLONASS, and USB OTG. The device runs Android 8.1 Oreo operating system out-of-the-box with the company’s own custom interface ColorOS 5.1 and is powered by a 4230mAh battery which should provide enough power to last whole day.

BlackBerry KEY² gets updated in China, brings July’s security patch

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Jul 13, 2018

The BlackBerry KEY² was launched in China a little over a month ago. It has now received its first update which brings some optimizations as well as the latest security patch.

According to a translation of the changelog, the update brings July’s security patch and optimizes the voice assistant, camera, and information displayed in the status bar. It also fixes a compatibility issue experienced by Beijing bus card users. There are other bug fixes mentioned in the complete changelog.

The update is 513MB in size and should be hitting devices over the next few days. There is no info yet as to when the update will be arriving outside China.

The BlackBerry KEY² comes with a 4.5-inch 1620 x 1080 display, a Snapdragon 660 processor and 6GB of RAM. It also has 64GB or 128Gb of storage depending on the variant you buy.

The KEY² is also the first BlackBerry to have dual rear cameras – two 12MP sensors with the secondary camera being a telephoto lens with 2X optical zoom. The selfie camera is an 8MP f/2.0 sensor.

Continue

Xiaomi takes on the Lenovo Watch 9 with its new Mijia Quartz Watch

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Jul 13, 2018

Xiaomi has a new watch or smartwatch if you want to call it that. Called the Mijia Quartz Watch, it looks like an analog watch but once paired to your phone, you can “unlock” its smart features. Think of it as Xiaomi’s answer to the Lenovo Watch 9 or Withings Steel/Nokia Steel.

The Mijia Quartz Watch has a stainless steel frame while the dial is covered with mineral glass. It has a quick release interchangeable strap and comes in black, blue (with white dial), and gray.

The watch has a built-in calorie counter and pedometer. When paired with your phone, you can monitor your calories, steps taken, and distance covered. You can also set alarms and reminders. The app also comes in handy for setting the time.

The Mijia Quartz Watch is priced at ¥349 (~$52) and will go on sale on July 17th at 10 o’clock. It will be available on Tmall, the Mi Home app, and Mi online store.

Continue

Giveaway – win a Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus smartphone

By

Shine Wong

-

Jul 13, 2018

Gizmochina along with Lightinthebox is conducting 1 unit Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus as giveaway gift to a lucky reader. Like always, you just have to follow the steps mentioned on the Gleam widget to get a chance to win this amazing gift.

This Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus’s main features is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 chipset that has already proven to be a capable performer when it comes to gaming and especially when it comes to power efficiency. Other specs include 5.99″ large screen, 3GB of RAM and 32GB ROM. The device also has a 13MP camera on the back and a 5MP shooter on the front.

Buy Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus for $165.99 on Lightinthebox

How to entry this giveaway? Just follow these steps via Gleam widget:

Visit Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus on Lightinthebox;
Follow Lightinthebox on Facebook;
Share this giveaway contest on Facebook, and Reddit;

Terms & Conditions:

1. The giveaway is an international giveaway.
2. We are not responsible for lost shipments.
3. We are not responsible for any duties, import taxes that you may incur.
4. We reserve all rights to make any changes to this giveaway.
5. The prize will be shipped in a month when the giveaway end.

Just follow the steps mentioned in the Gleam widget to participate in the giveaway.

Once again, good luck.

Giveaway – win a Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus smartphone

MIUI 10 Developer ROM now available for second batch of Xiaomi phones

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

-

Jul 13, 2018

On May 31, Xiaomi had announced the all new MIUI 10 ROM. At the beginning of June, it had rolled out the Developer ROM closed beta in China for first batch of devices and the same devices had received public beta by the end of the month. Today, the Chinese manufacturer has released the developer ROM closed beta to the second batch of devices.

The first batch of devices that were treated with MIUI 10 Developer ROM included Xiaomi Mi 8, Mi 8 SE, Mi 6, Mi MIX 2S, Mi MIX 2, Mi MIX, Mi Note 2, Redmi S2 and Redmi Note 5. Since the registrations for the Developer ROM closed beta ended yesterday in China, the company has made it available to the second batch of Xiaomi phones starting from today. After the closed beta testing comes to an end, the public beta is likely to arrive for the same second batch of devices by the end of this month.

The second batch of 17 Xiaomi phones that are now receiving the MIUI 10 Developer ROM closed beta are Xiaomi Mi Note 3, Mi 5S Plus, Mi 5S, Mi 5X, Mi 5C, Mi 4C, Mi 4S, Mi Max, Mi Max Prime, Mi Max 2, Redmi Note 5A, Note 5A Prime, Redmi Note 4X (Snapdragon variant), Redmi 5 Plus, Redmi 5, Redmi 5A and Redmi 4X.

The company has stated that the arrival of the public beta of Mi 5X will be delayed. The specific release time for the smartphone will be announced through its social media channels. By this, Xiaomi is bringing the latest MIUI 10 to a total of 27 smartphones.

The MIUI 10 Developer ROM closed beta can be installed in two ways. Devices on MIUI 6, 7, 8 and 9 developer version can navigate to System Settings > My Device > MIUI version and then access the direct OTA update. It is recommended to back up devices on MIUI 6, 7, 8 and 9 stable versions are recommended ad then install the upgrade via fastboot with unlocked bootloader.

(source)