Samsung foldable phone will transform from tablet to phone, can fit in your pocket

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Oct 11, 2018

The Axon 9 Pro is the first smartphone from ZTE after the lifting of sanctions on the use of U.S technology by the U.S government. The device was first unveiled at IFA Berlin 2018 last month with a stunning design along with a hefty price tag. The device is yet to be launched in China but that won’t be for long. ZTE has officially rolled out reservation activities for the Axon 9 Pro for the Chinese market. The reservation page on ZTE Mall interestingly contains a countdown which ends in about 4 days time.

Something tells us the flagship phone will be launched on October 15 when the countdown will end. This falls in line with an earlier rumour that the device will be launched in China by mid-October. The reservation page only lists the price tag as x999 yuan for the 8GB+256GB variant meaning the price is still being kept secret. It will likely be announced officially during the launch. However, the 6GB+128GB variant was announced with a price tag of 649 euros (~$757) in Europe. The price in China will likely be slightly lower.

Some of the features that make the Axon 9 Pro tickle include the Snapdragon 845 chipset at the helms as well as its IP 68 level water and dust resistant premium-looking build. The camera setup also promises some firepower with a 20-megapixel + 12-megapixel vertical dual camera combo at the rear and a 20-megapixel selfie snapper up front.

(source)

Honor 8C Hands On pictures: A decent budget version of the 8X

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Oct 11, 2018

Honor launched the Honor 8C today and it basically a budget phone with a starting price of 1099 Yuan ($158). Despite the decent pricing, the Honor 8C comes with a capable Snapdragon 632 chipset which makes it the first device to utilise the new chipset from Qualcomm.

The Honor 3C design is very similar to the Honor 8X except that it is cheaper. To slice off the price, Honor utilised a plastic back panel for the design. There is also a lower SDM632 than the Kirin 710, Huawei’s latest mid-performer SoC used on the 8X. The device packs a lesser 6.26-inch display with an HD+ resolution of 1520x720p. The model uses a 19:9 aspect ratio meaning it actually has a body like a 5.5-inch device. It equally comes with only a small notch and a small chin on the front with a display Honor says has an 86.6% screen ratio.

The Honor 8C is available in 4GB RAM + 32GB storage and 4GB RAM + 64GB storage variants. It runs Android 8.1 Oreo-based EMUI 8.2 but we expect Android Pie update to hit the device soon. The camera design is also similar to the Honor 8X in design as it is aligned vertically with the LED flash underneath. There is also a badge under indicating the camera is an AI shooter. You also get a 4000mAh battery onboard the phone but there is no fast charging technology. Check out some pictures of the Honor 8C from below.

(source)

Nokia 2.1V is a Verizon exclusive version of the Nokia 2.1

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Oct 11, 2018

The Nokia 2.1 launched in May alongside the Nokia 3.1 and Nokia 5.1. The smartphone is an Android Go device, unlike its siblings which are Android One phones. It has been revealed that HMD Global will launch a special version of the phone called the Nokia 2.1V for US carrier, Verizon.

The info was revealed on Twitter by Evan Blass and he shared a photo of the Nokia 2.1V’s rear which has a Verizon branding at the bottom. There isn’t likely any changes going on inside the phone, so we expect it to share the same specs as the regular Nokia 2.1 down to the OS which is Android 8.1 Oreo (Go Edition). However, we do expect it to have a number of Verizon apps pre-installed.

The Nokia 2.1 has a 5.5-inch HD screen with stereo front-facing speakers at the top and bottom bezel. It is powered by the Snapdragon 425 processor which is paired with 1GB of RAM and 8GB of expandable storage.

We haven't seen a Nokia-branded handset on Verizon since the Windows Phone-powered Lumias. Now it's poised to make an Android-flavored return, with the Nokia 2.1V. pic.twitter.com/GBLtB5KGrT

— Evan Blass (@evleaks) October 11, 2018

The phone has a single 8MP rear camera and a 5MP front-facing camera. There is no fingerprint scanner but it has a 3.5mm audio jack and a more than sufficient 4000mAh battery.

Honor 8X arrives in the UK for £225 unlocked

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Oct 11, 2018

The Honor 8X is already making its way to countries outside China. It already landed in the UK yesterday and it will be announced later this evening in Prague, Czech Republic.

If you live in the UK, you can purchase the phone right away from Clove where it is priced at £187.50 (£225 including tax) for the 4GB RAM + 64GB model. The store has it in Blue and Black.

The official Honor online store also has it for sale but it won’t ship until October 16 and it costs more at £229.99. It is also available in only Blue and Black and the same configuration as above. It doesn’t seem as if Amazon will be stocking this model.

Razer Phone 2 vs Xiaomi Black Shark vs Asus ROG Phone: Specs Comparison

By

Michele Ingelido

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Oct 11, 2018

Gaming devices became a well-established niche in the smartphones world in just a year. The company which started the trend is Razer and today it has unveiled the successor of the first real gaming smartphone: Razer Phone 2. In order to understand its potentialities, we compared it with the most important gaming smartphones from other brands: Asus ROG Phone and Xiaomi Black Shark, both released this year with an outstanding hardware side.

Razer Phone 2 vs Xiaomi Black Shark vs Asus ROG Phone

	Razer Phone 2	Xiaomi Black Shark	Asus ROG Phone
DIMENSIONS AND WEIGHT	158.5 x 79 x 8.5 mm	161.6 x 75.4 x 9.3 mm, 190 grams	158.8 x 76.2 x 8.7 mm, 200 grams
DISPLAY	5.72 inches, 1440 x 2560p (Quad HD), 513 ppi, IGZO IPS LCD	5.99 inches, 1080 x 2160p (Full HD+), 403 ppi, 18:9 ratio, IPS LCD	6.0 inches, 1080 x 2160 pixels, 403 ppi, 18:9 ratio, AMOLED
PROCESSOR	Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, octa-core 2.8 GHz	Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, octa-core 2.8 GHz	Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, octa-core 2.8 GHz
MEMORY	8 GB RAM, 64 GB – micro SD dedicated slot	6 GB RAM, 64 GB – 8 GB RAM, 128 GB	8 GB RAM, 128 GB – 8 GB RAM, 512 GB
SOFTWARE	Android 8.1 Oreo	Android 8.1 Oreo	Android 8.1 Oreo
CONNECTIVITY	Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS	Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS	Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ad, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS
CAMERA	Dual 12 + 12 MP f/1.8 and f/2.6 8 MP f/2.0 front camera	Dual 12 + 20 MP f/1.8 and f/1.8 20 MP f/2.2 front camera	Dual 12 + 8 MP f/1.8 8 MP f/2.0 front camera
BATTERY	4000 mAh, Fast Charging with Quick Charge 4+	4000 mAh, Fast Charging with Quick Charge 3.0	4000 mAh, Fast Charging with Quick Charge 4.0
ADDITIONAL FEATURES	IP67 certification, RGB illuminated logo	Dual SIM slot	Pressure sensitive zones, water resistance

Design

Let your tastes decide, there is not a winner in terms of beauty as these are three gaming-centric phone with gaming-centric aesthetics. Razer Phone 2 is the soberest one with a clean design but also an RGB illuminated Razer Logo on the rear side. Asus ROG Phone has an aggressive design which I personally like more than Black Shark, and it also has three pressure sensitive areas on the back. Razer Phone 2 and Asus ROG Phone are water resistant, while Black Shark is not.

Display

Razer Phone 2 has the best display, even though it is an IPS panel. It has the IGZO and a high Quad HD resolution, as well as the 16:9 aspect ratio which the company defines more suitable for multimedia and games. Besides a high pixel density, it also has the highest brightness and the highest refresh rate (120 Hz). While Razer Phone 2 has the best display for detail and games, Asus ROG Phone should be better when it comes to color reproduction, thanks to its 108.6 percent DCI-P3 coverage, HDR technology, and the Super AMOLED panel.

Specs & Software

In its most expensive variant, Asus ROG Phone has a better hardware side than Razer Phone 2 and Xiaomi Black Shark. The Snapdragon 845 SoC which powers each of these handsets is overclocked on the Asus ROG Phone and this handset is the only one which comes with 512 GB of internal storage (not expandable, unlike Black Shark, but external SD cards have not the same performance as the internal storage).

Camera

Razer Phone 2 has the camera department which convinces us the most, but we will have to test it to confirm our thoughts. It comes with OIS, a wide-angle lens and a telephoto lens with 2x optical zoom. Both the rear and the front camera can record videos at 60 fps while keeping a 1080p resolution (the rear one can even record in 4K at 60 fps).

Battery

The battery capacity is the same for all of these devices: 4000 mAh. It is an above-average capacity and it is very important for gamers to have a long-lasting battery as games consume a lot. We still can not say for sure which one will last more, but the differences in battery life will be very marginal.

Price

Asus ROG Phone is definitely the winner of this comparison and it is the most complete phone of this trio, but it costs more than its opponents. You can get it for about $899/$776 in the U.S. while Razer Phone 2 will launch at $800/€850. Xiaomi Black Shark costs just €450/$520.

Read More: Razer Phone 2 gaming phone is official with Snapdragon 845, Chroma lighting and wireless charging

Razer Phone 2 vs Xiaomi Black Shark vs Asus ROG Phone: PROs and CONS

Razer Phone 2

PROs

Best display
Great hardware and cooling system
DAC dongle and stereo speakers
Big battery, fast charging, and wireless charging
Water resistant
Good cameras

CONS

Bezels

Xiaomi Black Shark

PROs

Flagship hardware and cooling system
Affordable price
Big battery
Stereo speakers
Dual SIM

CONS

No micro SD

Asus ROG Phone

PROs

Great hardware + cooling system
Affordable price
Stereo speakers
Outstanding display
Big battery and fast charging
Water resistant

CONS

Higher price
No micro SD

Essential is reportedly working on an AI phone that automatically responds to messages

By

Jeet

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Oct 11, 2018

Essential, a smartphone manufacturing brand from Android creator Andy Rubin, has so far launched only one device — Essential Phone PH-1. After launching its first phone last year, the company has not yet announced its plan for the next device.

Previously there were reports about the company working on its second smartphone as well as a smart home speaker. However, both were reportedly slashed because of the poor sales performance of the Essential PH-1.

Now, a report from Bloomberg suggests that the company is putting most of its projects aside and is instead focusing on developing a new kind of phone based on the artificial intelligence technology. The report adds that the phone will be able to mimic the user and will automatically respond to messages on behalf of the user.

According to the report, the design of the upcoming smartphone is not like the standard phone that we’ve seen seeing. Instead, there will be a small screen and the users will be required to interact mainly using voice commands, which will work on the company’s own AI-powered software.

It appears that the major aim for the said upcoming device from Essential is to offer work-related features like book appointments and respond to emails and text messages. However, the report adds that the users would also be able to make phone calls using this device.

While the idea may sound unique and interesting, it remains to be seen how practical this upcoming devcie from Essential is, based on the current limitations of the AI-backed voice assistants. This could also be the company’s last attempt to break into the consumer electronics market.

Essential is aiming to have the prototype of the phone finished by the end of the year so that it can be showcased to industry partners as soon as January at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas.

The news about the development of this AI-backed phone by Essential comes at a time when there’s no certainty about the company’s future. It has been clouded by workplace misconduct allegations involving Rubin’s time at Google. He also took a brief leave of absence from Essential last November. Earlier this year, the company was also up for sale.

Essential is backed by around $300 million, which makes it Silicon Valley’s most ambitious consumer-electronics startup in years. Essentials’s first phone — PH-1 pioneered an edge-to-edge design before the Apple iPhone X. However, the phone’s sales were disappointing due to its relatively high price and buggy software.

(Source)

Honor Band 4 gets a NFC version priced at 249 yuan (~$36)

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Oct 11, 2018

Apart from the Honor 8C and MediaPad T5, Huawei’s Honor brand also unveiled a new variant of the Honor Band 4 with NFC. This will enable contactless transactions using the smart band. The band will support subway and bus payments in over 165 cities in China.

The Band 4 was launched last month along with a cheaper Running edition. The smart band comes in three different colours according to the colour of the straps namely; Black, Blue and Pink. The strap is the product of a combined effort between Huawei and the French Academy of Aesthetics. It thus comes with an attractively designed textured look. The strap is dynamic and rhythmic, more in line with the sporting temperament of young people. The smart band can keep track of steps, swimming speed, calories burnt, and distance covered in addition to monitoring the heart rate. The wearable is waterproof up to 50 metres and it comes with a light weight of just 23 grams. This despite packing a durable battery which Honor claims can last up to 14 days and 6 days if continuous heart rate tracking is turned on.

As for the price, the Honor Band 4 NFC version is priced at 249 yuan ($36) and will go on sale at 10.08AM on October 15.

Vivo Z3i launched in China as rebranded version of Vivo V11i

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Oct 11, 2018

In the previous month, Vivo had launched the Vivo V11 Pro and Vivo V11 smartphones in India. Interestingly, some markets have received the V11 as Vivo V11i phone. Today, the Chinese manufacturer has launched the Vivo V11i smartphone with Vivo Z3i moniker in China. Even though the V11 and Z3i are same devices, there are certain features that sets them apart.

Vivo Z3i Specifications, Features and Pricing

The Vivo Z3i that features front and rear glass panels with a metallic frame sandwiched in between measures 155.97 x 75.63 x 8.1mm and it weighs 163.7 grams. The Vivo Zi comes in two color gradients options such as Millennium Pink and Aurora Blue. The Z3i features a IPS LCD panel of 6.3 inches instead of S-AMOLED screen available on the V11i. The waterdrop notch screen produces Full HD+ resolution of 1080 x 2280 pixels.

Like the V11i, the MediaTek Helio P60 chipset and 6 GB of RAM powers the Vivo Z3i. The V11i comes in 64 GB storage + 4 GB RAM and 128 GB storage + 6 GB RAM variants. However, the Vivo Z3i comes in a single variant that feature of 128 GB storage and 6 GB of RAM. It also features a microSD card slot.

Instead of the 16-megapixel + 5-megapixel dual camera setup on the Vivo V11i, the Z3i is fitted with 16-megapixel + 2-megapixel dual camera system. For snapping selfie shots, the Z3i features a front camera of 24-megapixel. The front camera can be also used for face unlock feature. A fingerprint scanner is available on the backside of the phone. The FunTouch OS flavored Android 8.1 Oreo OS is available preinstalled on the device. The handset draws power from 3,315mAh battery.

Read More: Vivo V11 gets Rs. 2,000 ($27) price drop in India just weeks after its launch

The Vivo Z3i is already available for buying in the home country. It is available with a price tag of 2,398 Yuan (~$347).

OnePlus 6T will pack an optical in-display fingerprint reader

By

Simranpal Singh

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Oct 11, 2018

OnePlus 6T is just a few days away from the official launch on October 30th. Ahead of its official launch, OnePlus is revealing some new information about its in-screen fingerprint sensor. The Chinese company took to Weibo to announce some details about the OnePlus 6T’s fingerprint sensor. The new device will feature an optical in-display fingerprint reader which brings higher accuracy and faster response times than the sonic based sensors.

Rather than just confirming about the in-screen fingerprint on OnePlus 6T, the Chinese firm has also provided some information about its fingerprint module. The optical sensor functions in a much better way than the sonic sensors but currently it’s new and is not adopted by various manufacturers. Vivo has used a similar optical-based sensor on Nex S, but it has not received excellent reviews. So, it would be interesting to see how OnePlus uses the same technology to get better results.

Despite being under the same parent company – BBK International, Vivo and OnePlus operate on a very different philosophy and aims. So, we can’t compare the Vivo Nex S performance or features with the upcoming OnePlus 6T. There can be different software optimizations or tweaked fingerprint reader on OnePlus 6T which can result in improved accuracy and faster response times.

Read More: OnePlus 6T leaked protective cases reaffirm its design

OnePlus 6T Specs

Additionally, OnePlus 6T will carry a Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 SoC with 6/8GB of RAM modules. It will host a waterdrop display with an in-screen fingerprint sensor. Unfortunately, there won’t be a 3.5 mm audio jack onboard the device. There will be a 3700 mAh battery with fast charging technology. Also, OnePlus 6T is expected to ship in a new retail box packaging. OnePlus giving away a free gift to users who will book OnePlus 6T from Amazon India in the next few days.

(Source, Via)

Render and specs of alleged Nubia Hipad gaming tablet leaks

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Oct 11, 2018

We are looking forward to the launch of the Nubia X dual-screen smartphone on October 31 but there is a possibility we may also get a new device from the manufacturer. A new leak has surfaced online and it is of a device called the Nubia Hipad.

The Nubia Hipad is a gaming tablet and the leak reveals the specs as well as an official render. The front of the tablet isn’t unusual – thick bezels on all sides – but the rear has a familiar design. The Nubia Hipad shares a similar design to the Nubia Red Magic gaming phone. It has red colored vents and a LED strip in the middle.

Coming down to specs, the Nubia Hipad has a 10.1-inch IPS screen. Unfortunately, the resolution isn’t stated. The tablet is said to be powered by MediaTek’s Helio X27 processor and has a Mali T880 GPU. RAM is 3GB and storage is 32GB. The storage should definitely be expandable.

The Nubia Hipad will have a battery capacity of 7000mAh and support for dual-band Wi-Fi. It will also run android Oreo. There is no mention of the camera configuration.

Nokia 8110 4G VoLTE phone powered by KaiOS launched in India for Rs. 5,999 ($81)

By

Jeet

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Oct 11, 2018

Along with the Nokia 3.1 Plus, HMD Global also launched its Nokia 8110 4G ‘Banana’ phone in India. The phone was originally unveiled at Mobile World Congress (MWC) at Barcelona earlier this year.

The feature phone is the company’s modern take on its original Nokia 8110 phone that was released in 1996. The original device was the first in the company’s ‘high-end’ 8000-series.

In the new Nokia 8110 4G phone, the company has retained the slider design and the curved body. The only that seems that the company has ditched is the antenna at the top. The slider design on the phone enables “slide to answer” and “slide to cancel” functionality.

As for the specifications, the phone flaunts a 2.4-inch QVGA curved display and is powered by Qualcomm’s 205 dual-core mobile platform. The device packs 512MB of RAM and comes with 4GB of built-in storage, which can be further expanded up to 32GB using a microSD card.

Coming to the software, the phone runs KaiOS — the same software that is present on the Jio Phone. Thanks to the presence of KaiOS, the phone provides access to select bunch of applications, which includes WhatsApp, YouTube, and a few Google apps. The company is also offering its iconic Snake game, albeit in a newly revamped version.

It features a 2-megapixel camera on the back, along with an LED flash. The phone’s connectivity options includes 4G VoLTE with hotspot, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth v4.1, GPS/ A-GPS, FM radio, a Micro-USB port, and a 3.5mm headphone jack.

The device also comes with IP52 drip protection. The handset is backed by a 1,500mAh battery which the company claims can deliver up to 9.32 hours of talktime on VoLTE, and 25 days of 4G LTE standby time.

In India, the Nokia 8110 4G is priced at Rs. 5,999, which roughly converts to $81. It will be available for purchase from 24th October, through online as well as offline stores, in two color options — Banana Yellow and Traditional Black.

Honor Magic 2 Pre-order page goes live on Jingdong

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Oct 11, 2018

The Honor Magic 2 doesn’t launch until October 31 but there is already a pre-order page that is live on the popular online store, Jingdong (JD.com).

If you are expecting to find out details about the phone from the pre-order page, you will be disappointed. There is no info whatsoever save for a picture of the launch poster. There is a ¥9998 price on the page but we know that is just a placeholder price.

The Honor Magic 2 will come with an AMOLED display which shouldn’t be surprising since it will have an in-display fingerprint scanner. It will be powered by the Kirin 980 processor and should come with GPU Turbo 2.0. Another feature confirmed for the phone is 40W super-fast charging.

Honor 8C is Official: first Snapdragon 632 phone, starts at 1,099 yuan (~$158)

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