Xiaomi, the Chinese smartphone manufacturer which recently filed for an initial public offering (IPO) in Hong Kong, has reportedly planned to kick off the US leg of its global offering this week. In order to attract attention, the company will fly drones in Central Park.
The news about the drones in Central Park in the US comes after the Hong Kong roadshow where some investors were left underwhelmed. According to the report, head of Hong Kong-based office of one of the leading New York investment group said that “they want the market to think they are a combination of Apple and Tencent, but they are not.”
Investors at the Hong Kong roadshow said the share pricing was expensive even at the lower end but Xiaomi and its advisers argued that it deserves a bigger multiple in recognition of its broader ecosystem. The company said that its business concern cut across hardware, e-commerce and internet services.
Recently, Xiaomi officially announced its intention to raise up to 6.1 billion US dollars through an IPO in the Hong Kong stock exchange. The company had initially set its sight at raising $10 billion but that was reduced after the company suspended its CDR offering in China.
During the conference held in Hong Kong, Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun said that the company has huge potential for growth in the future. The company also disclosed that it hopes to sell almost 2.2 billion shares to global investors during the IPO which will commence on Monday for between 17 and 22 Hong Kong dollars each (approximately $2.20 to $2.80).
It was disclosed that Xiaomi is valued at between $54 billion and $70 billion, which is lower than the valuation of close to $100 billion the company was reportedly seeking earlier this year.
The offer prospectus from the company says that Xiaomi is primarily an internet company. It further adds that “by first selling a wide variety of smart hardware products, we have built a massive and proprietary platform for the delivery of our diverse internet services.”
The company has further revealed that Lei Jun who has been Xiaomi’s CEO since inception has been awarded stock worth about $1.5 billion for his contributions to the company. The decision was reportedly taken in a consensus and is based on Lei Jun’s devotion over the last eight years to the company he started from scratch, for which he has not taken a salary.
Teclast has had a reputation for manufacturing powerful yet pocket-friendly tablets for quite a long time now. The popular Chinese digital brand has even launched two 2-in-1s and laptops that managed to sweep tech buffs off their feet.
Teclast took the wraps off its M89 tablet in a bid to take on Xiaomi’s feature-laden Mi Pad 4 before it hit the store shelves. Despite bearing a relatively low price, the M89 tablet included a slew of awe-inspiring features that even the Mi Pad 4 wasn’t expected to include when it launched.
If you’ve restlessly been waiting to get your hands on the long-awaited tablet, all you need to do is activate the ‘Alert Me On Arrival’ button on Banggood. The device would normally set you back $169.99 on the Chinese online store that guarantees the best bang for your buck. But if you aren’t willing to shell out a fortune for a tablet, we got good news for you.
First 10 buyers will have an opportunity to acquire the Teclast M89 tablet at a lowered price of just $84.99. Banggood will be placing a $149.99 price tag on 11th to 200th pieces of the tablet, while 200th pieces onwards, you’d need to pay $159.99 to purchase the M89 tablet.
The M89 is a powerful tablet that packs a MediaTek MT8176, 64-bit processor along with an IMG PowerVR GX6250, 700MHz GPU, under the hood. Furthermore, it offers 3GB of RAM and 32GB of onboard storage.
It sports a mammoth 7.9 inch 10-point OGS sharp screen display with a screen resolution of 2048 x 1536 pixels. On the photography front, the M89 tablet sports an 8-megapixel rear-mounted camera and a 5-megapixel front shooter for selfies and face-to-face video calling.
Moreover, it runs Android 7.0 Nougat OS and is backed by a built-in 4,840mAh Lithium-ion Polymer battery. The device’s dimensions are 199 mm X 136 mm X 7.4 mm and it weighs in at 400 grams.
If you’d like to grab the deal that is slated to kick off on Tuesday, June 26th afternoon at 3:00 PM (Beijing time), simply follow this link.
Xiaomi has just introduced the Redmi 6 Pro and Mi Pad 4. These devices will go on sale starting from this week. In the coming month, the Chinese manufacturer will be introducing the Mi Max 3 smartphone that has already appeared on TENAA with full specs. Xiaomi’s voice assistant Xiao AI that is currently available only in China has revealed that the company will be unveiling a new product on July 3. Even though Xiaomi fans are eagerly waiting for the arrival of the Mi Max 3, it is also being speculated that Xiaomi may debut the Hatsune Edition for the Mi 6X smartphone.
The below screenshot shows the Xiao AI showing a notification that confirms that the company will be launching a new device on July 3. Some may speculate that it could be hinting the arrival of Mi Max 3, but it seems unlikely that Xiaomi may launch it so soon after the newly unveiled Redmi 6 Pro and Mi Pad 4. Leaked information has recently revealed that the company will be soon launching Mi 6X Hatsune Edition. Hence, there is a possibility that the new variant of Mi 6X may debut on July 3 and Mi Max 3 may go official later in the same month.
Last year, Xiaomi had launched the Redmi Note 4X Hatsune Edition smartphone in turquoise color. It appeared sleeker than the regular Redmi Note 4 even though both handsets sported the same design. The handset was introduced in a custom casing and Xiaomi had also offered some downloadable Hatsune theme for its users. The Chinese manufacturer had also provided a limited-edition power bank with the handset. The rumored Mi 6X Hatsune Edition may arrive with similar offerings.
The Mi Max 3 is slated to debut next month, but there is no information available on its launch date. The TENAA appearance has revealed that it will be sporting an 18:9 aspect ratio display of 6.99 inches. The Snapdragon 636 SoC may power the phone, but there could be a higher model featuring SD660 or SD710. It will be coming with a huge battery of 5,400mAh capacity
The Mi Max 3 may arrive with up to 6 GB of RAM and up to 128 GB of storage. It will be featuring a front camera of 5-megapixel and a rear-mounted dual camera setup with 12-megapixel primary sensor.
After making a slew of rugged smartwatches available to the public, Chinese manufacturer No.1 took the wraps off its hotly-anticipated sport/business watch dubbed the F13. The smartwatch sports an eye-catching color, round display which is protected by a spherical (curved) glass and features IP68 certification that lets you dive up to 50m deep without worrying about damaging your smartwatch.
As expected, the feature-laden F13 smartwatch comes bearing a steep price tag. But with the device’s huge popularity in mind, GearBest is doling out a big discount on its original asking price for a limited period of time.
GearBest is currently offering a noteworthy 33% off on the No.1 F13 smartwatch, bringing its normally steep retail price down to just $26.99, but that’s not all. The big discount is valid for the gray, red, and venom green color versions of the coveted smartwatch.
Aside from being waterproof, the F13 boast an array of other awe-inspiring features that make it an irresistible smartwatch. For instance, it supports social media notifications, messages, incoming calls, sleep monitor, sedentary reminder, pedometer and 24/7 heart rate monitoring.
More importantly, you’d be able to use it irrespective of which operating system you use since it is compatible with both Android and iOS. While the F13 comes with Bluetooth support, there’s no support for mobile connectivity.
The device draws its juices from a 350mAh polymer lithium ion battery. Moreover, it supports a slew of languages including English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Simplified Chinese, Spanish, and Turkish.
If you’re interested in taking advantage of the discount, head straight to this link without wasting time since the promo is on the verge of wrapping up. It is also worth noting that there were only 184 pieces of the gray, 500 pieces of the red, and 499 pieces of the venom green color version left for the Flash Sale price at the time of writing.
Yesterday’s brief appearance of the Redmi 6 Pro and Mi Pad 4 on the official website of Xiaomi had revealed their entire specifications and features. This morning, the Chinese manufacturer has finally listed Redmi 6 Pro and Mi Pad 4 on its official site which confirms that these devices are now official.
Xiaomi Redmi 6 Pro Specs, Features, Pricing and Availability
The Xiaomi Redmi 6 Pro has a 5.84-inch FHD+ display with 19:9 aspect ratio. The phone comes with a software solution to hide the notch. The metallic rear of the phone houses 12-megapixel + 5-megapixel dual camera setup and a fingerprint reader. The front camera of 5-megapixel supports AI portrait mode and AI face unlock.
The Redmi 6 Pro is yet another phone with Snapdragon 625 SoC. It is fueled by 4,000mAh battery. It has a dedicated slot for adding a microSD card. Some of its other features include MIUI 9 based Android 8.1 Oreo, IR remote control, 3.5mm audio jack, 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802.11n and so on.
The Redmi 6 Pro will be available for buying in China starting from tomorrow (June 26) at 10 AM. The 32 GB storage + 3 GB RAM, 32 GB storage + 4 GB RAM and 64 GB storage + 4 GB RAM variants are respectively priced at 999 Yuan (~$153), 1,199 Yuan ($183), 1,299 Yuan (~$199). Its color variants are Rose Gold, Sand Gold, Lake Blue, Stone Black and Lake Blue.
Xiaomi Mi Pad 4 Specs, Features, Pricing and Availability
The Mi Pad 4 has an 8-inch screen that produces 16:10 aspect ratio and its rear panel is made out metal. Since the device is slightly smaller than its predecessor, it offers better grip for one-hand usage. The Snapdragon 660 chipset powers the Mi Pad 4. It receives power from 6,000mAh battery. It has a 13-megapixel rear camera with f/2.0 aperture and a 5-megapixel front camera with f/2.0 aperture. It is the first tablet from Xiaomi to support face unlock. The slate is loaded with MIUI 9flavored Android 8.1 Oreo.
For Mi Pad 4 users in China, Xiaomi is offering contents from channels like iQiui, Tencent video and Sohu. The preloaded Mi Video app supports live TV coverage. Also, there is a book reading app that provides access to huge library of novels, magazines and classics.
The Mi Pad 4 comes in colors like Gold and Black. The Wi-Fi only 32 GB storage + 3 GB RAM and 64 GB storage + 4 GB RAM editions of the tablet are respectively priced at 1,099 Yuan (~$168) and 1,399 Yuan (~$215). The LTE model that features 64 GB of storage and 4 GB of RAM is priced at 1,499 Yuan (~$230). The first sale of the Mi Pad 4 will begin in China on June 29 at 10 AM.
Looks like a good news for Xiaomi fans that have restlessly been waiting to get their hands on the Redmi S2 phablet without breaking the bank. GearBest is offering a significant discount on the Chinese tech firm’s recently launched flagship phablet.
While the Redmi S2 would normally set you back a pretty penny on other online stores, GearBest is giving tech buffs an opportunity to buy the well-received phone at a lowered price of just $159.99. This is a 17% reduction in the device’s original asking price.
But if you’re on a tight budget and aren’t willing to shell out even that kind of money on a phablet, we got good news for you. GearBest will be further reducing the selling price of the Xiaomi Redmi S2 smartphone to only $145.99.
In other words, you can buy the coveted phone which boasts a broad range of awe-inspiring specs and features without burning a big hole in your pocket. Let’s check out some of Redmi S2 phablet’s mean features.
First off, the Redmi S2 phablet sports a mammoth 5.99 inch IPS, LCD, HD+ display with a screen resolution of 1440 x 720 pixels. Moreover, the phone is housed in a robust metal mix body.
Apart from a finger scanner, the Redmi S2 houses 12.0MP + 5.0MP dual camera setup with AF and dual LED flash on the back. Up front, there’s a 16.0MP camera with Face Beauty, face detection, and panorama shot for selfies and face-to-face video chatting.
The Redmi S2 phablet is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 (MSM8953) processor and it uses an Adreno 506 graphics processing unit, under the hood. The phone offers 3GB of RAM, coupled with an expandable 32GB of onboard storage.
Furthermore, it runs the latest Android 8.0 Oreo operating system and is backed by a built-in 3080mAh Li-ion battery. As if that weren’t enough, the phone is crammed with all sorts of useful sensor including an accelerometer, ambient light, e-compass, gravity, gyroscope, and proximity sensor.
On top of that, you can choose from 3 color options including gray, gold and rose gold. With the discount slated to end in just 4 days, buyers will need to follow this link to grab the deal before it runs out.
Huawei P20 Pro is definitely the best camera phone out there. It is the only mobile phone to feature a triple camera setup with a 40 MP resolution and it can capture stunning photos in every condition. But one of its major weak points is video recording. According to XDA, video recording capabilities of the latest Huawei flagship will be soon improved through a software update.
The upcoming firmware will bring super slow-motion video recording which will make the device record videos at 960 fps. Note that this feature is not new as it is already present on some of the latest flagships such as the Samsung Galaxy S9 line-up and some Sony Xperia devices. According to the leaked info about the update, the super slow-motion mode will be available with a resolution of 720p (Sony Xperia flagship are able to record at 960 fps in Full HD).
There will also be another limitation: it will be possible to record for just 0.1 seconds in super slow-motion, that means five or six seconds when the video slows down. The update for Huawei P20 Pro will also bring a new zoom interface which will allow zooming through a simple swipe. The date by which the update will start rolling out on the Huawei P20 Pro is not known yet.
HMD Global has refreshed most of its line-up of affordable phones in May by unveiling Nokia 5.1, 3.1 and 2.1 in Moscow. The company has then announced that the most expensive 5.1 would be officially up for grabs starting from July. But starting from now, if you live in Russia, you can already pre-order a 5.1. The device has been added to Nokia’s official online store in Russia but, unfortunately, the listing price is not known yet. Alongside this device, another handset went on pre-order in the Russian official site of the Finnish brand.
We are talking about the “banana phone” Nokia 8110. Unlike the Nokia 5.1, this is a classic feature phone, a revisit of the old and iconic 8110. But despite being a feature phone, it features the 4G LTE connectivity thanks to which you can surf the web with blazing speeds. The price listed on the website is RUB 5,990 which roughly translates into $95. Unlike its bigger brother, this device has already been launched in several countries, while the 5.1 is still not in the market. While waiting for it to go on sale, it is worth reminding its specs. Nokia 5.1 is much better than its predecessor as it features a way more performing SoC.
It is equipped with an octa-core MediaTek Helio P18 chipset running at a max clock frequency of 2 GHz. It will be launched in two configurations: one with 2 GB of RAM and 16 GB ROM and another with 3 GB of RAM and 32 GB ROM. It has a full metal unibody design made of solid 6000-series aluminum, as well as a 5.5-inch display with an 18:9 aspect ratio, a size of 5.5 inches and a Full HD+ resolution of 1080 x 2160 pixels. The main camera is a single sensor with a 16 MP resolution, while the front camera has a resolution of 8 MP. Nokia 5.1 comes with a 2970 mAh battery and Android 8.1 Oreo installed out of the box.
Eleven days after its official announcement event, Vivo NEX has finally hit the shelves. For now, the launch is limited to the Chinese market: the handset has hit the shelves for the first time on June 23 and now we finally know its price. As we know since the official announcement, the handset has been launched in three variants: there are a NEX A variant and two configurations of the NEX S version. The first one carries a price tag of 3898 Yuan which roughly translates into $599. The NEX S in the configuration with 8 GB of RAM and 128 GB of internal storage costs 4498 Yuan (roughly $690), while the most expensive one with 8 GB of RAM and 256 GB ROM costs 5998 Yuan (about $769).
Note that Vivo NEX A is a lower-end version of the flagship as it features an octa-core Snapdragon 710 chipset by Qualcomm running at a max frequency of 2.2 GHz, while the other two variants pack an octa-core Snapdragon 845 flagship-level chipset with a max frequency of 2.8 GHz. The memory configurations are different as well: the NEX A is equipped with 6 GB of RAM and 128 GB of internal storage.
Going ahead the hardware side, each variant of the Vivo NEX has a glass back and an aluminum frame, as well as a full borderless display with a screen-to-body ratio superior to 91 percent. The device has an in-display fingerprint reader and a wide 6.59-inch screen with the Super AMOLED technology and a Full HD+ resolution of 2316 x 1080 pixels. The camera setup is composed of two sensors with 12 and 5 MP resolutions, respectively. Given that the display covers almost the whole front panel, the company has implemented a motorized pop-up front camera with an 8 MP resolution.
Xiaomi has officially announced its intention to raise up to 6 billion US dollars through an IPO in the Hong Kong stock exchange. The company made the announcement on Saturday in a press conference attended by all seven directors of the Chinese company. Xiaomi initially set its sight at raising $10 billion but that was reduced because the company suspended its CDR offering in China.
During the conference held in Hong Kong, XIaoi’s CEO Lei Jun expressed positivity that the company has huge potential for growth in the future. He also reiterated that the company’s business concern cut across hardware, e-commerce and internet services. The company also disclosed that it hopes to sell almost 2.2 billion shares to global investors during the IPO which will commence on Monday for between 17 and 22 Hong Kong dollars each ($2.20 to $2.80).
Goldman Sachs is one of the IPO’s sponsors and an Asia-Pacific president of the company, James Paradise, disclosed on Saturday that Xiaomi is valued at between $54 billion and $70 billion. This is notably lower than the valuation of close to $100 billion the company was reportedly seeking earlier this year. But Xiaomi’s Chief Financial Officer, Chew Shou Zi said at the news conference that the company never revealed how much it was valued.
Xiaomi also disclosed in a statement by Lin Bin, co-founder and President of the company that Lei Jun who has been Xiaomi’s CEO since inception has been awarded stock worth about $1.5 billion for his contributions to the company. The decision was reportedly taken in a consensus and is based on Lei Jun’s devotion over the last eight years to the company he started from scratch. Trading in Xiaomi shares on the Hong Kong stock exchange is expected to start on July 9 after the public offer. The money raised from the IPO will be ploughed into increasing its research and development and for global expansion.
Xiaomi is supposed to launch the Redmi 6 Pro tomorrow but the device is already live on the official website complete with specs and price.
Design
The first thing that catches your eye is the notch – the Redmi 6 Pro is the first Redmi phone to have one. Will it be the last? Your guess is as good as mine.
Even with the notch, Xiaomi’s latest mid-range offering still has a sizeable bezel at the bottom of the screen. It is large enough for capacitive buttons or even a front-mounted fingerprint scanner. But with MIUI 10 and Android in general moving to gesture-based navigation, and in-display fingerprint scanners or rear-mounted ones being the trend, the bezel has no use. There is even still a bit of bezel at the top.
The back has a design, which we all agree, Xiaomi has overused just like the Snapdragon 625 SoC present in the phone. There is a dual camera system arranged just like the iPhone X and a fingerprint scanner in the middle. Nevertheless, the design isn’t bad. It actually does look nice. The only problem is we are tired of seeing the same thing over and over again.
Redmi 6 Pro Specs
The Redmi 6 Pro has a 5.84-inch Full HD+ display with a 19:9 aspect ratio. It is powered by a Snapdragon 625 processor with 3GB/4GB of RAM and 32GB/64GB of storage.
There are dual rear cameras on the rear – a 12MP f/2.2 1.25um sensor and a 5MP secondary sensor for capturing depth of field details. Xiaomi says the camera app has an AI portrait mode, bokeh mode, night-scene enhancement, EIS, and HDR. It can record 1080p, 720p and 4800p videos at 30fps and also records 720p slow-motion videos at 120fps.
The front camera is a 5MP sensor with AI portrait mode, AI beauty mode, HDR, and support for AI face unlock.
The Redmi 6 Pro has a triple card slot which lets you use two nano SIM cards and a microSD card (256GB max) all at once. There is a 4000mAh battery powering the device with support for 5V/2A charging. For connectivity, the phone has a micro USB port, dual-band Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.2, and a 3.5mm audio jack. It also has an infrared sensor unlike the Redmi 6 and Redmi 6A.
Alongside the new flagship Mi 8, Xiaomi has also announced the latest iteration of its Android personalization: MIUI 10. The Chinese version of the new UI is currently in beta testing phase and it is slowly expanding to all eligible Xiaomi phones. Guys from XDA Developers have just discovered that the MIUI 10 Chinese beta allows recording videos in 1080p resolution with 60 fps on the Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro.
The feature is kinda rare on mid-range phones sold under $200 as they can usually record in 1080p at 30 fps at max. Note that after rooting the Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro it is even possible to record videos in 4K, but it is not an official features like the one contained in the latest MIUI 10 beta. Given that Xiaomi has added the option to record videos in 1080p at 60 fps in the Chinese Beta ROM, it is likely that we will see it in the global beta and in the final stable update. And there is also a chance that the company may add 4K video recording at 30 fps as well, given that the hardware side of this device would allow doing it.
The new Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro is the first handset from the Redmi Note series which features a dual camera setup on its rear side. It is composed of a primary sensor with a resolution of 12 MP and a f/2.2 aperture, and a 5 MP secondary sensor with a f/2.0 aperture. The front camera has a 20 MP resolution, a f/2.2 aperture and it is also equipped with a LED flash. Under the hood, the mid-ranger features an octa-core Snapdragon 636 chipset by Qualcomm running at a max frequency of 1.8 GHz. It is currently available in two configurations with 4 or 6 GB of RAM and 64 GB of internal storage which you can expand with a micro SD up to 256 GB.
Even with the plethora of smartphones being churned out daily, the feature phone segment is still doing well. In markets like Nigeria, India, and China, a large percentage of the phones sold annually are feature phones. So it is no surprise that HMD Global keeps reintroducing some of Nokia’s old classic feature phones. This year it announced the Nokia 8110 4G, a modern variant of 1996’s Nokia 8110.
The Nokia 8110 4G is already available in some markets across the globe. If you live in China and you have been waiting for it to be announced, there is a chance it will be happening soon as the device has been spotted on TENAA’s website.
The Nokia 8110 4G has a 2.4-inch screen with a 240 x 320 resolution. It is powered by a 1.1GHz Qualcomm 205 processor paired with 512MB of RAM and 4GB of storage. It even has a 2MP camera with LED flash.
The phone runs KaiOS and lets you sync your contacts via Gmail and Outlook. You can also use it as a portable hotspot for your other devices. It has dual SIM support, a MicroSD card slot for up to 64GB of extra storage, FM Radio, a 3.5mm audio jack, GPS, and Bluetooth 4.1.
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Powering the Nokia 8110 4G is a removable 1500mAh battery which should last up to 25 days on standby for the single SIM version and about 18 days for the dual-SIM model.
UPDATE: The Mi Pad 4 has been officially unveiled on the Xiaomi website. So rather than write a separate post and bore you, we updated the one from this morning.
Ahead of its official release tomorrow, Xiaomi has unveiled the Mi Pad 4. The Mi Pad 4 is Xiaomi’s 4th tablet and the first in the world to come have a Snapdragon 660 processor
Design
The Mi Pad 4 is a compact tablet. That is what it has going for it in terms of design. Even though the screen is just a tiny bit bigger at 8 inches over the Mi Pad 3’s 7.9-inch screen, it has a smaller body. Its dimensions are given as 200.2 x 120.3 x 7.9mm. Compare that to its predecessor which measures 200.4 x 132.6 x 7mm. Xiaomi says the smaller body makes the Mi Pad 4 easy to grip with one hand.
On the back of the device, the Mi Pad 4 strongly resembles the 2018 iPad with its two-tone color design. Its a nice design but it is a copy. Overall, the Mi Pad 4 looks great, particularly the black variant.
Mi Pad 4 Specs
The Mi Pad 4 has an 8-inch display with a 1920 x 1200 resolution. This is a lower resolution compared to last year’s model and this is partly because Xiaomi has switched to a 16:10 aspect ratio instead of 4:3. And to be honest, we don’t expect a 2560 x 1600 panel on a mid-range tablet.
Xiaomi has put a Snapdragon 660 AIE SoC inside the Mi Pad 4, making it the first tablet to be powered by it. There is 3GB or 4GB of RAM and 32GB or 64GB of storage. There is a storage expansion slot if you need extra space.
The Mi Pad 4 has a 13MP f/2.0 rear camera with HDR and beauty mode. It also has a 5MP f/2.0 front camera that supports face recognition.
There is a USB-C port, Bluetooth 5.0, and dual-band Wi-Fi for connectivity. The LTE model has GPS and a nano-SIM slot. Both models have a 6000mAh battery.
If you read Gizmochina chances are you love smartphones. However, not everyone can afford to buy flagships that can cost $1000. In this article, we are going to take a look at great budget phones that cost just about $200 or less but they bring a lot of value to the table. We honestly believe these are the best budget smartphones of 2018 yet.
As usual to Xiaomi, you get great specifications for the price. I have a lower-end model but I suggest you pay $30 more for an extra gigabyte of RAM and 64GB of storage. I just love the new Snapdragon 636 chipset since it both power-efficient and it can handle 3D games very well.
As far as design goes, we have a typical Xiaomi phone that is made out of metal and the overall build quality is excellent.
For the price of about $200, you get a premium-looking phone with excellent display, great specs, very good overall performance, one of the best cameras, a fantastic battery and many extras like the IR blaster, a headset jack, very good loudspeaker and so on.
Overall, the Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 is yet another great budget smartphone. Despite a few minor flaws, I can easily recommend this as one of the best budget smartphones you can buy at the moment.
Xiaomi Redmi 5 is one of the cheapest budget phones you can buy but it offers a lot of value for the price. The phone is made of metal and plastic, it has great specs, modern 18:9 aspect ratio display and nice cameras.
The phone handles graphically intensive games really well and it does not get very hot while gaming either. Really impressive considering the Snapdragon 400-series processor.
If you want a bigger and better version of the Redmi 5, the Plus model is worth checking out.
The Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus follows the trend of 18:9 displays by offering a large panel that is pretty sharp and vibrant for everyday use.
The highlight of the specs is the 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.
Even though the Xiaomi Redmi S2 is not our top recommendation when it comes to budget phones as we usually suggest taking a look at other Xiaomi phones, the device still has plenty to offer for the price. Same as other Xiaomi phones, the S2 offers a Snapdragon 625 chipset. It also has 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage. Moreover, the phone has a pretty good camera on the back and on the front. You can now get the Xiaomi Redmi S2 for just $159.99.
Nubia is the ZTE’s spinoff company that has been making phones for quite some time.
We don’t have a full-screen design but the Nubia M2 is just gorgeous. It’s all metal, it has nice a really nice combination of black color with gold accents and nicely chamfered edges. The display is easily one of the best in this price range. The AMOLED panel has deep blacks, punchy colors and good contrast. Snapdragon 625 is known not only for its superb power efficiency but also for great overall performance. You also get 64GB of storage and 4GB of RAM.
Overall, the Nubia M2 is a great budget phone. I love its design and excellent build quality, great overall performance, solid cameras and a very good battery life. The only thing that may disappoint you is outdated Android 6 but at least the phone is very snappy. To be honest, I didn’t expect much from this phone but after using it for a couple of weeks, I can easily recommend it as one of the best phones in this price range as it offers a lot of value for the price of just about $160.
Nubia Z17 Mini is yet another great budget option. The phone costs about $235 but it offers quite a powerful Snapdragon 652 chipset, 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage, a 5.2″ display and all of that is packed into a compact all-metal body.
We do not want to look like we are promoting Nubia brand but they have quite a few phones that were released some time ago but now they offer a lot of value for the price. The Z17 Lite is a great example. It is similar to the Z17 mini in a lot of ways but key differences include a larger 5.5″ display and a bit more powerful Snapdragon 653 CPU. In addition, you get 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. The phone now costs just $169.99 which is just a steal.
You may ask why you would want to buy an older phone but for less $200 you get a 5.7″ 2K resolution Amoled display, all-metal build, Samsung Exynos 8890 Octa Core processor, 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. Finally, you get an excellent 12MP Sony camera and a huge 3400mAh battery.
The Meizu M6 Note has a classic all-metal design, a huge battery, decent specs and more for less than $200.
The M6 Note does not follow the trend of the full-screen budget phones. Instead, it sports a more traditional design with a 5.5” 1080p LCD display that has reasonably small side bezels. Moreover, the phone has a rather compelling dual camera setup that consists of one 12MP shooter with bright f/1.9 aperture lens and another 5MP snapper. Other specs include a Snapdragon 625 chipset, 3/4GB RAM and 32/64GB of storage.
Lenovo is known for making laptops and other electronics but they are certainly capable of producing high-quality phones. The Lenovo S5 looks very similar to the budget phones made by Xiaomi, Meizu or Nubia but the company has their own take on the UI and other aspects of the device.
The S5 rocks a 5.7″ full-screen display, a Snapdragon 625 chipset, 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. Also, the phone is made of metal and the build quality is nothing short of a flagship. Other key features: the phone has a dual-camera setup that consists of two 12MP shooters. Also, there is a beefy 16MP snapper on the front. Finally, a 3000mAh battery keeps the lights on. You can now get the Lenovo S5 for just $199.99 which is a great value.
Asus Zenfone Max (M1) may not be the phone you’ve heard about but it actually offers a lot of value for the price of $199.99. The highlights of this device include a huge 4000mAh battery, a 5.5″ display that has 18:9 aspect ratio, Snapdragon 425 chipset, a dual camera setup and much more that is packed into a beautiful metal body. We think Asus Zenfone Max (M1) has a lot of value for the price and we definitely suggest you checking this phone out.
HUAWEI Honor 9 Lite is a solid budget phone made by Honor – the Huawei’s subsidiary brand.
As for the looks, We have a classic design as the phone uses a sheet of glass on the front and rear, a metal frame and buttons that are easy to press. It’s really comfortable to hold the phone in one hand due to that 18:9 aspect ratio display.
In terms of hardware, the phone ships with the Kirin 659 chipset, 3GB of RAM and 32GB of expandable storage.
We like this phone for its beautiful design and great build quality, solid all-around performance, great cameras, good battery life and the fact that the device still has a headset jack.
Honor 7x was released at the end of 2017 but it is still a pretty solid phone. The device sports a trendy 18:9 aspect ratio display with a good amount of brightness, punchiness, and sharpness. I love the all-metal design, excellent display, pretty good daily performance, good cameras and great battery life. Just like the Honor 9 Lite, this phone ships with Kirin 659 chipset, 3GB of RAM and 32GB of expandable storage. At the moment, this phone costs $219.99. It may not be the only budget option out there but it’s definitely worth checking out.
Keep in mind that we will update this article when the new devices come out so make sure to bookmark this page and check it out from time to time! Keep in mind that I have used and reviewed most of these phones and I can personally recommend them if you are looking for a great budget device. In this article, I state my genuine opinion and I do not have any intentions to promote any brand or model.
On Sunday, OnePlus released an update for the OnePlus 6. The update which comes as OxygenOS 5.1.8 is supposed to fix some system stability issues and optimize call quality. It is also supposed to fix issues with OxygenOS 5.1.6 for Indian users. Sadly, the new update comes with some serious issues.
According to some users, the OnePlus 6 is suffering from a serious battery drain. Battery life is said to have reduced by half since the update with the screen consuming more than usual. One user has also reported the device shutting down while in use with the battery still at about 50 %. Some have even complained about the camera app freezing.
Apart from the OnePlus 6, some OnePlus 3 and OnePlus 3T users have complained about a battery drain on their devices. The battery is said to drain in a few hours and doesn’t even give the usual battery low warning at 15%. The bug is said to be due to the most recent update.
It is not unusual for manufacturers to brag about sales especially when they have crossed a target within a short period of time. This time around, it is the turn of Xiaomi and the Mi 8 series.
The Xiaomi Mi 8 series – Mi 8, Mi 8 Explorer Edition, and the Mi 8 SE – launched on May 31. The three devices then went on sale on June 5. A little over two weeks later, Xiaomi says it has sold over 1 million units!
The announcement was made on Twitter by Donovan Sung, global spokesperson for Xiaomi.
The Mi 8 Explorer Edition is the top flagship with an in-display fingerprint scanner and 3D facial recognition. The Mi 8 comes with the same Snapdragon 845 chipset but skips on an in-display fingerprint scanner and has a less advanced face recognition. The Mi 8 SE is the world’s first Snapdragon 710 smartphone and comes with an AMOLED display and dual cameras.
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In other news, Xiaomi also announced that it is now the 3rd largest e-commerce platform in India based on smartphone shipments, coming after Flipkart and Amazon.
Alcatel recently unveiled the Alcatel 1x which happened to be it’s first Android Go smartphone. The 1x also rank as the first model to launch under the Android Go program. Apart from that, the phone comes with a budget pricing, available in the U.S for just $99. Alcatel has even taken its budget offering even further lower with the Alcatel 1 which has been spotted in Russia.
The specs and features of the Alcatel 1 was listed recently by a Russian blog but it’s still unclear when it will be launched or how much it will cost. However, it is likely going to be much cheaper that the $99 1x.
The new entry-level model also runs Android Oreo (Go Edition) just like its predecessor. This is perhaps the only spectacular thing about the model. All other specifications are rather uninspiring. The Alcatel 1 packs a 5-inch 18:9 touchscreen with a resolution of 480×960 pixels. The device gets it’s juice from a MediaTek MT6739 SoC, which has a 1.3 GHz quad-core Cortex-A53 CPU. MediaTek has basically turned into the go to guy when shopping for a entry-level SoC. The device is also equipped with 1GB of RAM and 8GB of expandable storage, which you should find barely workable with the special Go apps suite that takes up less space than you’d expect. In addition, the phone comes with Cat.4 LTE connectivity, although only up to Cat. (150Mbps down, 50Mbps up), GPS, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and dual-SIM functionality. Its dimensions are 137.6 x 65.7 x 9.8 mm and it weighs 134g.
The Alcatel 1 will be available in gold, blue, and black. The is presently no word yet on the pricing and availability.
Alongside the Redmi Pro 6 launching on June 25, Xiaomi will also announce a new tablet – the Mi Pad 4. While there have been leaks covering its specs and price in the last few days, Xiaomi has decided to confirm some of these features.
In a teaser poster for the Mi Pad 4, Xiaomi has confirmed the tablet will have an 8-inch screen with a 16:10 aspect ratio. This is slightly different from the 4:3 aspect ratio of the Mi Pad 3.
There are arguments for and against 16:10 aspect ratio, one advantage the aspect ratio has is it is great for gaming and watching movies while 4:3 is great for reading and web browsing.
With the Mi Pad 4 packing a Snapdragon 660 processor and rumored to have a gaming mode, it makes sense as to why they are switching to 16:10. With that aspect ratio, we expect the tablet to have a 1920 x 1200 aspect ratio like some of Samsung’s tablets.
Motorola has launched a new variant of its new mid-ranger Moto Z3 Play in Brazil. It is a higher-end version which will be sold at a higher price and will provide better performance. The new variant differentiates from the ones already in the market by having 6 GB of RAM and 128 GB of internal storage. It joins the other two more affordable variants sporting 3 or 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB of internal storage.
The new variant also comes in a new color variant: Onyx, that is a dark hue. In Brazil, the new version of the Motorola Moto Z3 Play carries a price tag of BRL 2,699 which roughly translates into $716. Just to remind you, the previous version has a listing price of BRL 2,299, roughly $610. The rest of the specs sheet remains the same, as well as the support to MotoMods.
Motorola Moto Z3 Play features a 6.01-inch display with a Full HD+ resolution and an 18:9 aspect ratio. The high memory is supported by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 chipset running at a max frequency of 1.8 GHz. As the main camera, the handset has a dual setup with 12 + 5 MP resolutions. The front camera is an 8 MP snapper, while the battery has an average 3000 mAh capacity.
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