Qualcomm To Release Snapdragon 850 Early: Exclusive To Windows 10 on ARM Devices

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May 30, 2018

A few days ago, we reported that Snapdragon 845-powered Windows 10 on ARM devices were coming soon. There was even a Geekbench listing that showed the chipset was clocked higher than the regular SD845. New reports say that chipset is actually the Snapdragon 850.

According to Winfuture.de, Qualcomm will release the Snapdragon 850 early but there is a catch. The SD850 chipset is just a higher clocked Snapdragon 845 (just the way the SD821 is a higher clocked version of the 820) but one that will be used for Windows 10 devices powered by ARM.

Although the chipset will be clocked higher, it will come with the same X20 modem and offer Gigabit LTE. Below are Geekbench results of a test device from Qualcomm and one from Lenovo.

New Devices That Will Be Powered By The Snapdragon 850 Chipset

Winfuture.de was able to get info on the devices in development that will come with the new chipset. HP is said to be working on its second device which is codenamed Chimera 2. The Snapdragon 835-powered HP Envy X2 was codenamed Chimera. Production for the Chimera 2 will be handled by Taiwan’s Quanta.

Lenovo is also working on a new device codenamed ELZE1. Its first ARM PC, the Lenovo Miix 630 is still listed as coming soon. Taiwanese ODM, Compal, is said to be handling production for Lenovo. ASUS is also working on a new device codenamed Thanos.

While the aforementioned manufacturers are returning for the second-gen models, a new player is joining the game. It has been reported that Dell is also making a Windows 10 on ARM device.

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Alcatel 3V With 3GB RAM And 32GB Storage Launched In India For Rs. 9,999 ($148)

By

Jeet

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May 30, 2018

Alcatel has launched its new smartphone — Alcatel 3V in India at a launch event in New Delhi. The smartphone was originally unveiled at Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2018 in Las Vegas and were launched at Mobile World Congress 2018 in Barcelona.

The Alcatel 3V will be available for purchase in India exclusively through online marketplace Flipkart and will go on sale from Thursday, i.e. 31st May. The smartphone has been priced at Rs. 9,999, which roughly converts to $148.

The smartphone features a 6-inch Full-HD+ IPS display with screen resolution of 2160 x 1080 pixels, 18:9 aspect ratio, and 2.5D curved glass on top. Under the hood, the device is powered by MediaTek MT8735A processor, coupled with 3GB of RAM. It’s noteworthy that the global variant comes with 2GB RAM.

It packs 32GB of inbuilt storage while the global variant comes with 16GB of internal storage. There’s also a microSD card slot, which enables users to further expand the phone’s storage capacity up to 128GB. It also has a fingerprint sensor on the back panel.

The Alcatel 3V sports a dual camera setup at the back, consisting of a 16-megapixel primary sensor and a 5-megapixel secondary camera sensor, along with an LED flash. On the front side, there’s an 8-megapixel snapper with LED flash for taking selfies and video calling. The camera comes with various features, such as Bokeh, EIS, PDAF, ZSL, Face Beauty, a Social Mode, and Instant Collage, amongst other features.

The smartphone also supports Face Key, which is the company’s name for face recognition based phone unlocking. Connectivity options on the Alcatel 3V include 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, Bluetooth v4.2, GPS/ A-GPS, Micro-USB 2.0, and 3.5mm headphone jack. Running on Android 8.0 Oreo operating system out of the box, the smartphone is powered by a 3,000mAh battery.

Notch-less LG V35 ThinQ Launches As An AT&T & Project Fi Exclusive

By

Habeeb Onawole

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May 30, 2018

We don’t know what is going on at LG but its new release schedule seems like a bad idea. After launching the LG V30S ThinQ at MWC this year and following it with the G7 ThinQ earlier this month, LG has announced yet another flagship – the LG V35 ThinQ.

Releasing three flagships phones in 5 months doesn’t seem to be the right way to go if you say you plan to launch phones “when it is needed”. Nevertheless, if you are undecided about LG’s other two flagships, then you should read on and see if the V35 ThinQ ticks your boxes.

LG V35 ThinQ Design

When it comes to design, the V35 ThinQ shares a striking resemblance to the V30S ThinQ. There really isn’t any physical difference that sets them apart. You could simply say the V35 ThinQ is the V30S ThinQ with a Snapdragon 845 processor.

LG V35 ThinQ Specs

The V35 ThinQ has a 6-inch OLED QHD+ display with HDR. If you hate the notch on the LG G7 ThinQ, it is missing here. If you like it….. Since this is available on AT&T, this should be great for the network’s DirecTV service.

Inside the device is Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 845 mobile platform and it is paired with 6GB of RAM and 64GB of expandable storage. There are two 16MP cameras on the rear. One is a super wide-angle sensor with a f/1.9 aperture, and the other is a standard sensor with a f/1.6 aperture. At the top left corner of the display is an 8MP wide-angle selfie camera.

The LG V35 ThinQ has AI features baked into its camera software. So you get all the AI features of the other two flagships such as scene recognition, Google Lens, and Super Bright Camera mode.

The phone runs Android 8.0 Oreo, has a Hi-Fi Quad DAC, 3D surround sound, face recognition, a rear-mounted fingerprint scanner, wireless charging support, and an IP68 rating. It is also MIL-STD 810G compliant. It draws juice from a 3,300mAh battery with Quick Charge 3.0 support.

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OnePlus 6 Face Unlock Feature Bypassed Using A Printed Photo

By

Jed John Ikoba

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May 30, 2018

OnePlus first introduced the Face Unlock feature on last year’s OnePlus 5T. The phone lacked depth sensing and 3D face mapping so OnePlus utilized a custom solution developed by a Chinese security company called SenseTime which has a pedigree in facial recognition.

The OnePlus 5T’s Face Unlock feature was discovered to be unsecure as it was discovered to lack the ability to differentiate a real face from a printed photo despite being capable of unlocking the device in record time. Some users were able to register a face from a printed photo but not actually unlock the device. The feature was thus included on the OnePlus 6 and it seems the flaw still lingers and is even worse.

I printed my face to unlock my OnePlus 6 for the lulz… it worked ¯_(ツ)_/¯ pic.twitter.com/rAVMq8JKBr

— rik (@rikvduijn) May 29, 2018

A Twitter user @rikvduijn posted a video on Tuesday which showed the OnePlus 6 being unlocked with a paper cutout of his face. Interestingly, the method apparently works with a black and white photo as well. The video captures one of the user’s friends holding a photo of his face and showing it to the OnePlus 6. This instantly granted the user access to the OS, meaning the Face Unlock feature can be fooled.

OnePlus is quick to respond to this flaw and the response is really not different from what we know about Face Unlock. The statement released by the company stated thus; “We designed Face Unlock around convenience, and while we took corresponding measures to optimise its security we always recommended you use a password/PIN/fingerprint for security. For this reason, Face Unlock is not enabled for any secure apps such as banking or payments. We’re constantly working to improve all of our technology, including Face Unlock.”

(source)

What Do You Think Of These Xiaomi Mi 8 Camera Samples?

By

Habeeb Onawole

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May 30, 2018

Ahead of the release of the Mi 8 (and Mi 8 SE) tomorrow, Xiaomi’s CEO Lei Jun has released camera samples of the phone. The photos are of the same location (probably Beijing Skyline) but at different times of the day.

The first photo was taken during the day and highlights the HDR feature of the camera. The second was taken at sunset and the third which was taken at night shows us how the camera fares in low-light.

[envira-gallery id=”193887″]

The Xiaomi Mi 8 will come with dual rear cameras and is reported to be Xiaomi’s best camera phone to date. A hands-on review will confirm if that statement is true. The cameras will have AI features that will help improve performance and fine-tune settings for the best results.

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OnePlus Has No Plans To Launch A Mid-Range Smartphone Until 2021

By

Jeet

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May 30, 2018

OnePlus managed to carve a niche for itself with its “flagship killer” smartphones. In the year 2015, the company branched out and launched a mid-range smartphone named OnePlus X. However, in 2016, the company said that it’s done making mid-range smartphone and won’t be releasing the successor of the OnePlus X.

As a result, the company has been launching only flagship smartphones from last few years. Since the company launched OnePlus 3, it has been launching two “flagship killer” smartphones every year. After OnePlus 3, the company launched OnePlus 3T, OP5, OP5T and most recently, it launched the OnePlus 6.

Now, Pete Lau, CEO of OnePlus has confirmed that the company will stick to its current plan of launching only flagship smartphones and has no plan to launch a mid-range smartphone at least until 2021. So, for the next three year, there won’t be a successor of the OnePlus X or any other mid-range phone from the China-based company.

OnePlus has decided to focus on its flagship phones and attempts to shift any/all remaining stock ahead of the next release. The company is avoiding having old handsets be sold alongside its new ones, as the demand for the older devices isn’t high enough to warrant them to continue making along with its newer ones.

Sticking with its policy of just one smartphone at a time, the company is obviously limiting its growth but the overall strategy seems to be working for the Chinese manufacturer. OnePlus was the best-selling premium smartphone brand in India in the first quarter of this year. The OnePlus 5T was placed second in terms of flagship shipments in India, only behind the combined shipments of Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus from Samsung.

Even by the company’s internal metrics, the OnePlus 5T was a big success, says Pete Lau. OnePlus, like many other manufacturers, uses the net promoter score (NPS) to measure consumer satisfaction for a product. The OnePlus 5T had an NPS of 78, the highest for any OnePlus smartphone so far.

Snapdragon 710 Pops Up on GeekBench With Impressive Flagship-grade Score

By

Jed John Ikoba

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May 30, 2018

Recently, the Mi 8 SE was tipped to launch with a Snapdragon 710 chipset as well as the Vivo NEX. Not much is known about the Qualcomm processor but it is a midrange chipset which is obviously more powerful than the SD 660 chipset.

The Snapdragon 710 chipset has now been spotted on the database of benchmark website GeekBench. The chipset scores a single core test score of 1875 and a multi core test score of 5886 points. The SDM710 chip was compared with the Exynos 8995 chipset used on the Galaxy Note 8. The result shows the midrange chipset coming with a powerful performance which is on par with the Exynos 8895 chipset. The Snapdragon 710 mobile platform is a 10nm chipset that offers two fold better AI performance than the Snapdragon 660 and borrows some features from Snapdragon 845 flagship chipset.

The Snapdragon 710 chipset includes two cores of Kryo 360 Cortex A75 that clocks at 2.2 GHz and six cores of Kryo 360 Cortex A55 that offers a processing speed of 1.7 GHz. The octa-core processor is coupled with Adreno 616 graphics that promises 35 percent better rendering of graphics.

(source)

Hisense HLTE510T Hits TENAA With iPhone X-Styled Rear Cameras

By

Habeeb Onawole

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May 30, 2018

Chinese electronics maker, Hisense, appears to have a new phone coming soon, one that takes a few design inspirations from the iPhone X. The phone has appeared on TENAA as the Hisense HLTE510T.

The Hisense HLTE510T has a 5.84-inch display with a resolution of 1080 x 2280 resolution. The resolution shows that the phone sports a notch though it isn’t visible in the images provided.

The phone is powered by an octa-core processor clocked at 1.8GHz. It also has 6GB of RAM and will come in 64GB and 128GB models. For optics, there is a 12MP+5MP combo arranged vertically on the rear. It also has a 20MP front-facing camera.

[envira-gallery id=”193855″]

The Hisense HLTE510T runs Android 8.1 Oreo, has a 2920mAh battery and a rear-mounted fingerprint scanner. It measures 148.59 × 71.22 × 7.93 mm and weighs 148.9 grams. When it launches, it will come in Delicate Gold and Magic Blue.

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HMD Global Confirms Android P Update For Every Nokia Smartphone

By

Jeet

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May 30, 2018

Today, HMD Global launched three new smartphones — Nokia 5.1, Nokia 3.1, and Nokia 2.1. Prior to the launch, Neil Broadley, the company’s global marketing manager, confirmed that the latest major version of Android — Android P, will come to the entire Nokia portfolio.

He confirmed that the upcoming Android P version will be rolled out to every Nokia smartphone, including the newly launched three phones. He added that this is the part of company’s commitment to the “pure, secure, and up-to-date” mantra.

All of the Nokia devices running Android One, which includes the Nokia 8 Sirocco, Nokia 7 Plus, Nokia 6.1, Nokia 5.1, and Nokia 3.1 — are all within the two-year guarantee period that Google demands for flagship updates. The company had previously promised that the first generation of Nokia phones — the Nokia 3, 5, 6, and 8 — will all be updated to the Android P version.

This covers all the smartphone from the company except three — the Nokia 2 and the Android Go edition phones — Nokia 1 and the recently launched Nokia 2.1. However, HMD Global has confirmed that all three will get the latest OS upgrade, and the Android Go edition will get the streamlined version of the OS.

HMD Global is one of the leading manufacturers when it comes to providing the latest Android update to its users. Nokia is usually among the first manufacturers to roll out Android version update for its portfolio devices as well as security patches.

With Android fragmentation still a broader concern, it’s great that Finland-based HMD Global is fully committed to providing timely updates for its entire portfolio. The company’s Nokia 7 Plus is also one of a small number of phones that is compatible with the Android P Beta.

How “Waterproof” Is The OnePlus 6?

By

Habeeb Onawole

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May 30, 2018

The OnePlus 6 is the first device from OnePlus to have water resistance. However, OnePlus doesn’t state the degree of protection though they do warn on the official website not to take it for a swim.

The statement from OnePlus means the OnePlus 6 is splash resistant at best. Nevertheless, there is no harm in seeing the protection OnePlus has put in the device. Teardown and device test expert JerryRigEverything, decided to rip apart the OP6 to confirm its protection level.

In the six-minute long video, it is revealed that there are water-resistant meshes covering microphone holes and ports. However, there is no way of telling if these meshes will keep water out if the water has a much higher pressure.

OnePlus has put water damage indicators inside the phone to tell if you submerged your device in water or any liquid. The indicators are white and turn red when in contact with water.

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Xiaomi Mi Band 3 Image Leaked; Xiaomi Confirms its Tilt to Wake Feature

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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May 30, 2018

The same source that had revealed the leaked press renders of the Xiaomi Mi 8 and Mi 8 SE has also revealed an image of the real Mi Band 3 fitness tracker that will debuting tomorrow. Like the predecessor Mi Band 2, the successor edition sports a monochrome OLED screen which puts to rest those rumors that had claimed that it would be equipped with a color display. Ahead of its official announcement, Xiaomi has released a new teaser that reveals that the Mi Band 3 will be equipped with a new Tilt to Wake feature.

The below image shows the Mi Band 3 device without its strap. One of the major improvements that the Mi Band 3 is expected to feature over the predecessor is that it will be equipped with a touch-sensitive OLED panel.

Rumors have it that the Mi Band 3 will carry support for couple of gestures. It has been revealed through leaked shots of its companion app and user manual that it will sliding up and down on the screen will allow users to switch between items while swiping up and down will let users to browse items. The other features that are expected to arrive on the Mi Band 3 are support for Bluetooth 4.2 and NFC connectivity. Like the Mi Band 2, it is expected to feature an IP67 rated splash-proof body. Probably, the Mi Band 3 may feature a slightly larger battery than the 70mAh found on the Mi Band 2 (HRX Edition).

Shown below is the latest Mi Band 3 teaser from Xiaomi. It confirms that the wristband will carry support for Tilt to Wake, a feature that is also available on the predecessor model. When the feature is enabled, it will let Mi Band 3 users to raise their wrist to wake up its display.

A leaked screenshot of an official listing of the Mi Band 3 has revealed that it will be available in China with a price tag of 169 Yuan (~$26). The fitness tracker alongside Mi 8, Mi 8 SE and MIUI 10 tomorrow through an unveil event in Shenzhen, China that will begin at 2PM (local time).

(source|via)

Lenovo Z5 Render Shows Gradient Glass Back; Will Mark The Rebirth Of The ZUK Series

By

Jed John Ikoba

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May 30, 2018

Lenovo‘s Group VP Chang Cheng has been very vocal about the company’s upcoming flagship. The VP recently confirmed officially that the device will be launched on June 5 in China. The latest detail coming from the Lenovo exec is a render of the device which showcases the back design.

From the image, we can see that the Lenovo Z5 will come with a curved gradient glass back and will also have an Aurora hue as one of its variants similar to what we saw on the Huawei P20 series. The Huawei P20 and P20 Pro were the first smartphones to launch with a glass backplate boasting gradient colors. One of the gradient hues launched is Aurora, which appears as a special combo of purple and green. The colours change depending on how the light reflects on the elegant glass back. The Aurora variant added some aesthetics to the P20 series and there is no doubt it will do same for the Z5. The render also confirms the rumour that the Z5 will come with double-sided glass design with a metallic mid-frame.

The Lenovo Z5 seems to come with high expectations. There has been a lot of hype concerning the device bothering o its design and hardware. The launch invitation Lenovo sent out also tips the device to come with several cool and hot features. The letter specifically made reference to the ZUK brand series listing the ZUK Z1, Z2 Pro, Z2 and ZUK Edge right to the Z5 in a statement that suggested this is a rebirth. We don’t expect a return of the ZUK brand but Lenovo may have channelled that same technological proficiency that the ZUK models brought to the Z5. Let’s just play down the hype and wait to see what the flagship has to offer in real life situation.

(source, via)

Outfone Earphones Review – Prevent Phone Calls From Being Tapped

By

Linus

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May 30, 2018

Security and privacy are more important than ever in this day and age. If you are concerned about your phone calls’ privacy, the Outfone has come up with a unique solution as it uses sophisticated data transfer algorithm to prevent your phone calls from being recorded. At the moment, you the headphones are on the Indiegogo campaign. Learn more in our review.

The headphones ship in a pretty nice box and all the contents are packed neatly. You get all the cables, a charger and last but not least, a high-quality travel case, which is made of leather.

The overall build quality seems to be pretty good. The headphones are made of plastic and they use a kevlar tangle-free cable.

The Outfone encrypted earbuds have a dedicated remote controller that allows you to turn it on/off and answer/end calls.

I found the headset to be pretty comfortable to wear.

The Outfone encrypted earbuds are said to be the first truly secure and private earbuds for the smartphone without any compromises. Your phone callings and audio messages sent via text are end-to-end encrypted.

According to the creators of the headset, the “The cryptography used in phone calling encryption is OTP(One-Time Pad) encryption key. OTP is automatically generated on-the-fly by digit encryption algorithms from the group encryption keys. It will self-destroyed at both Outfone encrypted earbuds when the phone ends, without being stored or recorded by anybody, including yourselves. And any other Outfone earbuds can not eavesdrop or insert the conversation once the two parties are paired in a phone call”.

As for the sound quality, it is quite good. I found the mids and highs to be quite pronounced and there is a decent amount of bass.

During the testing period, I found the call quality to be pretty good but I could not test if the encryption truly works but given the technology inside the device, I felt much safer than just using a regular headset. It’s not like that I’m paranoid about my calls being tapped, it’s just nice to know that the Outfone offers this technology at an affordable price.

Check out the Outfone headphones Indiegogo campaign page to learn more

Xiaomi Mi 8 Hands-On Images Emerge; Will Debut as World’s First Phone with Dual GPS Module

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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May 30, 2018

Xiaomi Mi 8 is launching alongside the Mi 8 SE tomorrow, and the rumor mill has become quite active in leaking new details on both phones. A leaked press renders of the Mi 8 and Mi 8 SE that was published few minutes ago revealed that these phones will be available for buying respectively from June 5 and June 8. Freshly leaked hands-on photos of the Xiaomi Mi 8 have appeared on SlashLeaks.

The press render of the Mi 8 has revealed that the corners of its display will be more rounded than the smaller-sized Mi 8 SE smartphone. The same can be seen in the hands-on images of the Mi 8. Also, as one of our readers have spotted, the handset features a slightly thick chin.

The temporary protective layer of plastic on the Mi 8’s display reveals some of its key features. The handset will be equipped with AI dual camera and its primary sensor will be of 20-megapixel. The Snapdragon 845 mobile platform equipped with Artificial Intelligence Engine will be powering the phone.

Also, the Xiaomi Mi 8 will be the first smartphone that will come equipped with dual GPS module for accurate location tracking. Earlier today, a new video was released by Xiaomi on Weibo. The video is titled as the final spoiler video of Xiaomi Mi 8. It shows the inaccuracies of the GPS positioning and navigation in the most common scenarios that are faced by smartphone users in daily life. It is another proof that Mi 8 users will not problems related to GPS navigation.

Xiaomi will be revealing more information on the dual-GPS feature tomorrow at annual press event that will begin at 2 PM in Shenzhen, China. The Chinese manufacturer will be also launching Mi Band 3 and MIUI 10 through the same event. Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun has claimed that the company will be also announcing some other new products.

(source|via|source 2)

Xiaomi Mi 8, Mi 8 SE Press Renders, Pre-order Details Appear Ahead of Launch

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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May 30, 2018

The Xiaomi Mi 8 and Mi 8 SE smartphones are launching tomorrow. An official image showing the pre-order details and press renders of the Mi 8 and Mi 8 SE have surfaced just ahead of their launch. Also, the other leaked photo that seems to show a Mi Home store in China reveals that the Chinese manufacturer has already started advertising the Xiaomi Mi 8 smartphone offline.

The above image shows that the blue-colored Mi 8 being advertised at a Mi Home store. The handset features a notched display, a rear-mounted fingerprint scanner and a vertical dual camera setup. The text mentioned on the left is the same one that was seen in the previous leaks. It reveals that the Mi 8 is packed with dual GPS module, Snapdragon 845, AI dual camera and IR face recognition.

The below image reveals the availability of the Mi 8 and Mi 8 SE smartphone. After getting unveiled on May 31, the pre-sale of the Xiaomi Mi 8 will begin on the very same day tomorrow at 6 PM (local time) in China. The official sales of the smartphone will start on June 5 at 10 AM (local time). There is no information available on the pre-sale period of Xiaomi Mi 8 SE. It seems that the handset will be directly available for buying starting from June 8.

Recent leaks have suggested that the Xiaomi Mi 8 SE will be less powerful than the Mi 8. Hence, the Mi 8 SE could be the smaller device in the above image.

The press renders of the Xiaomi Mi 8 and Mi 8 SE reveal that both the smartphones will be coming with notched display design along with support for 3D face recognition. The corners of the display of the Mi 8 are more rounded compared to the Mi 8 SE.

Xiaomi is heavily rumored to launch a device under-display fingerprint scanner. Recent reports have revealed that the Mi 8 will be coming with a rear-mounted fingerprint scanner. The Mi 8 SE is likely to arrive as a cheaper device than Mi 8 and it may be priced around 2,000 Yuan (~$310). Hence, it appears that the Mi 8 SE may not feature an in-screen fingerprint scanner.

Since Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun has himself hinted that the forthcoming flagship features under-display fingerprint scanner, there is a possibility that there could be a more powerful and costlier edition of Mi 8 that may come with the advanced fingerprint scanning technology. Mystery surrounding the Mi 8 duo will be revealed through tomorrow’s event that will also serve as a platform for other products like Mi Band 3 and MIUI 10.

(source|via)

Xiaomi’s Mi 6X Gets 4GB RAM And 32GB Storage Variant In China

By

Jeet

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May 30, 2018

Last month, Xiaomi started selling its Mi 6X smartphone in China. Ahead of the phone’s official global rollout as Mi A2, the company has now launched a new variant of the phone which comes with 4GB RAM and 32GB internal storage.

This new 32GB storage variant is priced at 1,499 Yuan, which roughly converts to $233. However, as a part of Xiaomi’s 8th Anniversary Sale offer, the phone will be available with a discount of 100 Yuan, with an effective price of 1,399 Yuan (approx. $218).

This 4GB RAM + 32GB internal storage model will go on sale in China from 1st June. When launched, the Mi 6X was available in three variants — 4GB RAM with 64GB internal storage, 6GB RAM with 64GB internal storage and 6GB RAM with 128GB of onboard storage.

The smartphone comes with a full-screen design and features a 5.99-inch Full HD+ IPS LCD display with screen resolution of 2160 x 1080 pixels and 18:9 aspect ratio. Under the hood, it is powered by Qualcomm‘s Snapdragon 660 processor along with Adreno 512 GPU.

There’s a dual camera setup present on the back panel, consisting of a f/1.75 aperture Sony IMX486 sensor with a pixel size of 1.25μm and a secondary 20-megapixel front-facing camera that features a f/1.75 aperture Sony IMX376 sensor with a pixel size of 2μm.

On the front side, there’s a Sony IMX376 20-megapixel front camera, which comes equipped with a soft-light LED flash. It also comes with facial recognition feature and thus, also supports Face Unlock.

The dual cameras have been optimized to enhance the sharpness of the portrait shots by automatically switching to the 12-megapixel camera as the main sensor during the daytime and at night, it makes use of the 20-megapixel camera as the main sensor to capture images with more light.

Thanks to the AI, the camera setup can recognize up to 206 kinds of scenes with different optimizations to snap richer photos. Also, it can perform real-time translations for English, French, German Japanese, Korean, and Indian languages.

As for the software, the smartphone runs on MIUI 9.5 which is based on Android 8.1 Oreo operating system with support for full-screen gestures. Further, the phone comes with Xiao AI voice assistant that was introduced with Mi MIX 2S. The smartphone is fuelled by a 3,010mAh battery with support for Quick Charge 3.0.

Xiaomi Mi 8 Teaser Poster Tips The Flagship To Launch Globally In 8 Other Countries

By

Jed John Ikoba

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May 30, 2018

Xiaomi presently enjoys cult followership is several regions of the world. Despite that, it is often difficult to get the Chinese manufacturer’s products outside China immediately after launch. Xiaomi has been trying to tackle this snag with the rollout of its Mi Store in several countries including France and Italy lately. The tech giant is rapidly expanding its reach.

The Chinese company will be taking the lid off the Mi 8 alongside the Mi 8SE and Mi Band 3. A recent poster for the 8th-anniversary launch spotted on Reddit seems to suggest that the Mi 8 will not only be launched in China but may also be unveiled in at least eight different countries.

The teaser poster does not state when that will happen but the poster contains landmarks in some countries which should serve as clues to the countries it will likely launch. The countries seem to include Egypt, France, India, Italy, India, Russia, Spain, and Vietnam. Incidentally, Xiaomi has its presence in all of these countries with one or two Mi Stores. in major cities. Since the Mi 8 isn’t just its annual flagship but also commemorates its 8th year anniversary, the Chinee company may likely be launching the product officially in these 8 countries while it may still rollout in other countries.

(source)

Motorola One Power Leaked Photo Reveals Notched Display Design, Vertical Dual Cameras Like iPhone X

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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May 30, 2018

An official render of the unannounced Motorola One Power smartphone has surfaced today. The image of the device reveals that it will be yet another Android smartphone that will be borrowing notched display and vertical dual camera design from the iPhone X. According to Android Headlines, the Motorola One Power will be hitting the market as Android One smartphone.

As it can be seen in the image below, the official render does not contain “moto” branding. This indicates that the Motorola branding may finally return after a long break.

Like the Moto X4 Android One smartphone from last year, it will be an Android One device that will enjoy faster software updates. Also, it could be the first Android One smartphone to arrive in the U.S. The handset is also likely to release in other markets.

There is no information available on the specifications of the Motorola One Power smartphone. However, its leaked photo reveals that its has a notched display design. Compared to other Android devices that have adopted the notched design from the iPhone X, the Motorola One Power seems to be featuring a wider notch. The bezel lying below the display has the “motorola” branding.

The rear side of the phone has a vertical dual camera setup at the top-left corner. Its LED flash is placed below the camera module. The back panel also features “M” batwing logo that could be embedded with a fingerprint scanner.

Moto X5 Leaked Render — Moto X5 leaked render that surfaced in January 2018

At the beginning of this year, the rumor mill had revealed that Lenovo will be launching Moto X5 smartphone with iPhone X-like notched screen this year as a successor for the Moto X4 smartphone. However, reports that appeared in the past few months have suggested that Lenovo has no plans to release the Moto X5. Could this be because the Moto X5 might be rebranded as Motorola One Power? The publication claims that it may not be the case as there are some differences in the design of One Power and the leaked Moto X5. The main difference is that the Moto X5 was rumored to arrive with round-shaped camera module with horizontally arranged dual camera setup while the One Power has vertical dual rear cameras. Hence, the two phones seem to be unrelated.

(source)

Xiaomi Mi 8 SE’s First Camera Sample Reveals its Low Light Photography Prowess

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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May 30, 2018

Multiple sources have revealed that there will be special edition Mi 8 smartphone that may hit the market with Xiaomi Mi 8 SE moniker. It was speculated that like the Mi 8 smartphone, the Mi 8 SE will also feature the Snapdragon 845. However, a leaked document has revealed that it will be fueled by the newly announced Snapdragon 710 mobile platform. The very same document has also revealed that the Mi 8 SE is equipped with AI dual camera with 1.4μm pixel size and LED flash enabled 20-megapixel front-facing camera. It seems that the Mi 8 SE will deliver stellar photography experience. A camera sample shot through the Mi 8 SE has leaked on Weibo. It reveals how good it is when it comes to low-light photography.

The watermark present on the image states that image has been snapped using the AI dual camera of Mi 8 SE. The overall quality of the photo is quite good as the buildings and surroundings have been captured with rich details. Since the smartphone is said to be powered by Snapdragon 710, it could be positioned under Xiaomi Mi 8. Hence, it may get introduced with a pricing of 2,000 Yuan.

There is no information available on the other specs of the Xiaomi Mi 8 SE. In April, it was revealed that Comet and Sirius are the two codenames of the upcoming Xiaomi Mi series smartphones. Their leaked firmware files had revealed that they are fitted with OLED panels with Always on Display feature.

The Comet phone could be featuring a regular display, but the screen of the Sirius phone is expected to feature a notch. Since the Xiaomi Mi 8 SE is speculated to feature a notched screen, there is a possibility that it could be the Sirius phone. Some of the features that have been revealed through the firmware files of the Sirius phone include 3,120mAh battery, Portrait mode for photography, Android 8.1 Oreo, dual-SIM support and IR blaster. This handset lacks support for microSD card and NFC.

Xiaomi’s 2018 annual product launch event will be held tomorrow. It will be announcing new devices like Xiaomi Mi 8, Mi 8 SE, MIUI 10 and Mi Band 3 fitness tracker. The accurate details on Mi 8 and Mi 8 SE smartphones are still under the wraps. Hence, Xiaomi fans will have to wait until tomorrow to know everything about the Mi 8 duo.

(source)

Samsung Galaxy A9 Star Appears In A Leaked Hands-On Video And Live Photos

By

Jeet

-

May 30, 2018

Samsung’s upcoming smartphone, Samsung Galaxy A9 Star which carries model number G8850 has surfaced online in a short hands-on video. Also, some live images of Samsung’s smartphones have also leaked online which are said to be the Galaxy A9 Star and Galaxy A9 Star Lite.

According to the TENAA listing, the smartphone comes with a 6.28-inch Super AMOLED infinity display with screen resolution of 1,080 x 2,220 pixels. From the leaked images, it is clear that the smartphone will feature a dual camera setup at the back. The cameras are stacked vertically and placed on the top-left corner. There’s also a fingerprint sensor on the back, placed at the top-center position.

The dual camera setup is said to feature a 24-megapixel primary sensor and a 16-megapixel secondary sensor. On the front side, it’ll come equipped with a 24-megapixel snapper for taking selfies and video calling. It is expected to pack 4GB RAM and 64GB onboard storage, along with a microSD card for expanding storage capacity.

While the Galaxy A9 Star is expected to be powered by Qualcomm‘s Snapdragon 660 processor, the A9 Star Lite variant could be powered by Snapdragon 450 SoC. The smartphone will be running Android Oreo operating system out of the box.

Reports indicate that the Galaxy A9 Star Lite model will be available in three color options — Black, Grey, and Blue while the Galaxy A9 Star will come in just two color options — Black and White. Further, the A9 Star is expected to be powered by a 3,700mAh battery.

While the Chinese version has model number SM-G8850, the non-Chinese version carries model number SM-G885F. The A9 Star is expected to be available in Cambodia, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Vietnam, among others.

(Sources – 1, 2)