Sony Mobile To Shut Down Businesses In Middle East, Africa, & Turkey

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Jun 28, 2018

It is no news that Sony’s mobile division has been struggling in recent years. So it doesn’t come as a big surprise to hear that it is shutting down operations in a few regions.

Popular leaker Evan Blass (@evleaks) revealed in a tweet yesterday that the Japanese electronics giant will be closing its mobile business in the Middle East, Turkey, and Africa by October. That is just four months away.

Shutting down operations in these markets means business must be really bad and there are a bunch of reasons for that. Sony phones are expensive when compared to the competition and when it comes to features and innovation, Sony phones are lagging behind. Also, in markets like Africa, feature phones and entry-level to mid-range smartphones are what sells, and Sony is missing out in this category.

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Lenovo Z5 Indigo Blue Edition Sold Out In 50 Seconds!

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Jun 28, 2018

Lenovo Z5 wasn’t the ultimate flagship we were expecting but the device isn’t a bad one either. The Z5 has gone on sale in China and the model has repeatedly gotten sold out in record time. Now, Lenovo recently added an Indigo Blue Edition of the Z5 in China with the new colour variant billed to go on sale today. Interestingly, the sale of the Indigo Blue Edition only lasted for just 50 seconds before all available units were sold out.

While we don’t know the number of units made available for the maiden flash sale, there is no doubt the device still remains a popular one. The new Indigo Blue Z5 variant comes with a 1,399 Yuan (~$211) price tag which is super affordable.

The Lenovo Z5 packs a 6.2-inch full-screen display with 19:9 aspect ratio and FHD+ resolution of 2240 x 1080p. The display is covered with a 2.5D Corning Gorilla Glass and the screen has a 90% screen-to-body ratio which is pretty impressive. At the rear, we find a glass back with a vertically arranged dual camera setup on the left and a fingerprint sensor at the centre. The dual camera is a powerful 16MP+8MP setup with AI technology while there is an 8MP selfie shooter at the front. The device is powered by a Snapdragon 636 chipset paired with 6GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage. A 3300mAh battery keeps the light on.

(source)

Huawei Opens EMUI 8.1 Beta Testing With GPU Turbo For Huawei P20 And P20 Pro

By

Jeet

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Jun 28, 2018

Huawei has announced that it is soon opening its beta testing program for the EMUI 8.1 for the users of Huawei P20 and Huawei P20 Pro smartphones. However, the beta testing program is currently limited to the users in China only.

The company has also stated that in order to be eligible for the EMUI 8.1 Beta testing on P20 and P20 Pro, the device should not be rooted. The program is allowing 2,000 participants with the P20-series smartphones.

Most of the changes for the EMUI 8.1 are minor but the update also brings Huawei’s “breakthrough technology” GPU Turbo which promises double-digit gains in performance and efficiency. The company claims that the technology provides 60 percent better graphics performance and 30 percent better SoC power consumption.

Earlier, the company had officially announced the EMUI 8.1 beta testing for the customers using the Mate-series, P-series, Honor V10, Honor 10 and Honor 9i smartphones. After the P20-series, the users of Honor 9, Honor V9, Honor Play 7X, and Honor 9 Youth Edition will get their hands on this new feature.

The Huawei P20 Pro comes with a 6.1-inch AMOLED display that supports 2240 x 1080 pixels resolution and an aspect ratio of 18.7:9. It is powered by Kirin 970 chipset, coupled with 6GB of RAM and 128GB internal storage.

It is the first smartphone ever to feature a triple camera setup that includes a 40-megapixel RGB sensor, an 8-megapixel telephoto sensor, and a 20-megapixel monochrome sensor. On the front side, there’s a 24-megapixel snapper for taking selfies and video calling.

On the other hand, the Huawei P20 has a 5.8-inch LTPS IPS LCD screen with the same resolution and aspect ratio like P20 Pro. It is powered by Kirin 970 SoC along with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of onboard storage.

It features a dual camera setup consisting of a 12-megapixel RGB sensor and a 20-megapixel monochrome sensor. On the front side, this one too comes with a 24-megapixel sensor for taking selfies and video calling.

Both smartphones are running Android 8.1 Oreo operating system out of the box. While the P20 is powered by a 3,400mAh battery, the P20 Pro is powered by a 4,000mAh battery with 4.5V/5A fast charging technology.

(Source)

Buy The Koolnee K1 Trio Smartphone For Only $159.99 On CooliCool

By

Vinay Patel

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Jun 28, 2018

Koolnee made its long-awaited K1 Trio smartphone available to the public in December last year. The phone became an instant hit among tech buffs after hitting the store shelves thanks to an array of awe-inspiring specs and features it boasts.

Like any other high-end, feature-laden smartphone, Koolnee K1 Trio didn’t come cheap. In fact, the device would set you back a pretty penny on online stores.

The K1 Trio normally sells for $289.99 on CooliCool. But much to the delight of cost-conscious buyers who have restlessly been waiting to get their hands on the powerful smartphone, the Chinese online electronics store is currently doling out a 45% off on the phone’s steep retail price.

As a result, smartphone enthusiasts who are on a tight budget can now buy the K1 Trio smartphone at a slashed price of only $159.99. This is an exceptional reduction in the phone’s original asking price, given that it sports a big 6.01 Inch 2.5D Incell 18:9 FHD+ display with a screen resolution of 2160 X 1080 pixels.

The K1 Trio packs a powerful Helio P23 MTK6763 2.0GHz Octa Core processor along with an equally robust Mali-T860 MP2, 650MHz GPU, under the hood. The phone offers 6GB of RAM which is paired with a hearty 128GB onboard storage.

On the photography front, the Koolne K1 Trio smartphone houses a 16MP+2MP with dual LED and AF on the back. Up front, there’s an 8MP camera for selfies and face-to-face video chatting.

The K1 Trio runs Android 7.0 Nougat operating system and is backed by a 4200mAh Lithium-ion battery. Moreover, the phone is crammed with all sorts of useful sensors such as a proximity sensor, accelerometer, ambient light, gyroscope, e-compass, and a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor.

It’s worth noting that the discount will be valid for black and blue color versions of the Kolnee K1 Trio smartphone. You can follow this link if you want to buy the powerful handset at a discounted price and check out its full specification.

Get 45% Off On Koolnee K1 Smartphone On CooliCool

Buy Robolife Ozone Generator Air Purifier For Only $39.99 On Amazon [Discount Coupon Inside]

By

Vinay Patel

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Jun 28, 2018

It’s no secret that an air purifier is important, especially when you have elderly people and kids at home. While the market is brimming with all sorts of air purifiers that claim to eliminate harmful airborne particles such as pollen, dander, and dust, these devices don’t come cheap.

If you’ve restlessly been looking for a powerful air purifier but aren’t willing to spend a fortune on it, you’ve come to the right place. We’ll show you how you can save a considerable amount of money while buying the Robolife Ozone Generator air purifier.

The Ozone Generator air purifier that dissolves contamination and boosts water oxygen level is currently available for $73 on the online store for Robolife at Amazon. But if you’re on a tight budget you can apply discount coupon ‘LONTNXG6’ to save an additional $33.01 during the check out process.

Using the aforesaid coupon code will bring your grand total down to only $39.99. The code was initiated on June 27th at 08:01 am (U.S. time) and it will expire on July 15th at 11:59 pm (U.S. time).
The multipurpose Robolife Ozone Generator is a highly useful device that can effectively eradicate pesticides and agricultural chemicals that are often found in vegetables and fruits. Aside from air purification, the device features deodorization functions that come in handy for home or office.

Furthermore, it maintains freshness and refines air whether it is placed in your office or home. The Robolife Ozone Generator is also capable of killing bacteria on various surfaces and dishwares that are used for setting a table.

As if that weren’t enough, the device can also remove a slew of injurious gases such as painting, smoke, toluene and even formaldehyde. You can install it in a variety of places including hospital, restaurant, kitchen, office and of course your home.

It is imperative for you to bear in mind that the opportunity to get an extra discount will be valid only for a limited period of time since the above-mentioned coupon code is slated to expire soon. If you don’t want to miss the chance to save some more money on a remarkably useful air purifier, follow this link without wasting time.

Get A Big Discount On Robolife Ozone Generator Air Purifier On Amazon

Redmi 6X, 6S, Mi A2 Lite and Mi 8 Pro Have Received EEC Approval Along With Other Xiaomi Phones

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Jun 28, 2018

In the previous month, the Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC) had certified several existing and unannounced smartphones from Xiaomi. The smartphones approved by EEC are expected to debut in Europe in future. Few more Xiaomi handsets were also certified yesterday by the EEC.

Smartphones such as Xiaomi Mi A2 Lite, Mi 8, Mi 8 Explorer Edition, Mi 8 SE, Mi 8 Pro, Redmi 6, Redmi 6 Pro, Redmi 6A, Redmi 6S and Redmi 6X were certified by the EEC yesterday. As it can be seen, some of these smartphones have already launched in China, but Mi A2 Lite, Mi 8 Pro, Redmi 6S and 6X are yet to go official. EEC certificate was issued to these smartphones on June 14, 2018 and it is valid until January 2027.

The Mi A2 Lite with a model number of M1805D15SG was spotted at the Singapore’s Communications Authority in the previous month. Apart from this, there is no other information available on this smartphone.

Among the recently introduced Redmi 6 series, the Redmi 6 Pro features a notched 19:9 display whereas the Redmi 6 and Redmi 6A phones have notch-less 18:9 display. Since the Redmi 6 and 6X are not “Pro” models, there is a possibility that they arrive with full screen design like the Redmi 6 and 6A smartphones.

The Mi 8 Pro was not announced at the launch event of Mi 8, Mi 8 Explorer Edition and Mi 8 SE that was held at the end of May. There is a possibility that the Mi 8 Pro could be nothing but the highest storage variant of the Mi 8 that features 256 GB of storage.

Apart from the aforementioned devices, smartphones like Mi 7 Lite, Mi Mix 2s, Mi Mix 3S, Mi S1, Mi S2, Mi S3, Redmi S1, Redmi S3, Redmi A1, Redmi A2, Redmi Note 6, Redmi Note 6A, Redmi Note 6A Prime, Redmi Note 6 Prime, Redmi 6 Plus, and Redmi 6A Plus were also approved by EEC in May. Xiaomi made its foray into the Eastern Europe earlier this year including its launch in Russia and it is also working on expanding its business in Western Europe. Hence, it appears that all the Xiaomi phones that have been approved by EEC recently may soon begin launching in Europe.

(via)

LG X2 With 5-Inch HD Display And 2GB RAM Launched In South Korea

By

Jeet

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Jun 28, 2018

After launching the LG X5 (2015) in South Korea, LG has now launched its latest budget smartphone in South Korea — LG X2. The smartphone has been priced at KRW 198,000, which roughly converts to $176.

The device will be available for purchase in South Korea through telecom operators such as SK Telink, KTM Mobile, CJ HelloVision and U-Mobi. Apart from the telecom operators, the device can also be purchased through LG Best Shop and other e-commerce sites. The LG X2 will be available in Aurora Black color only.

The smartphone comes with a 5-inch HD display with screen resolution of 720 x 1280 pixels and is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon quad-core processor clocked at 1.3GHz. It packs 2GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage. There’s a microSD card slot, enabling users to further expand the phone’s storage capacity.

Coming to the cameras, the device comes with an 8-megapixel camera at the back with LED flash. On the front side, there’s a 5-megapixel snapper for taking selfies and video calling. The back camera features ‘Auto Shot’, which recognizes faces automatically when the user takes a self-portrait. It also comes with ‘Quick Share’ that allows users to share pictures instantly via SNS or messages

Connectivity options on the LG X2 include 4G LTE, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.2, FM radio, and GPS. In terms of software, the device runs Android 7.1.2 Nougat operating system out of the box. The smartphone is fuelled by a 2,500mAh battery.

While the smartphone has been officially launched in South Korea, there is no information available about the phone’s launch in other markets.

Honor 9i Purple Fantasy Color Variant Goes on Sale on July 2

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Jun 28, 2018

Huawei’s sub-brand Honor had announced Honor Play flagship phone and the mid-range Honor 9i in June. The glass-bodied Honor 9i was introduced in multiple colors like Magic Night Black, Charm Sea Blue, Jade Green and Purple Fantasy. Among these models, only the Blue and Black variant have been available for buying in China. Today, the Chinese manufacturer has confirmed that it will begin the sales of the Purple Fantasy edition of the Honor 9X from July 2 at 10:08 AM. It will be available with a price tag of 1,399 Yuan (~$211).

The Honor 9i that has a notched display design features a 5.84-inch IPS LCD screen that supports Full HD+ resolution of 2280 x 1080 pixels along with aspect ratio of 19:9. The mid-tier Kirin 659 SoC is present under the hood of the smartphone. The 64 GB and 128 GB storage models of the Honor 9i feature 4 GB of RAM.

The Honor 9i also features a microSD slot. The handset is loaded with Android 8.0 Oreo and EMUI 8.0 skin. It includes a 3,000mAh battery. The frontside of the Honor 9i features a 16-megapixel selfie camera. The rear panel is flanked with 13-megapixel + 2-megapixel dual camera setup. A fingerprint scanner is placed on the backside of the Honor 9i.

The other selling point of the Honor 9i is that it will be blessed with Huawei’s GPU Turbo technology after July 30. GPU Turbo technology is a hardware-software integrated graphics processing acceleration technology that can enhance the overall efficiency of graphics on a smartphone. It can bring significant improvements to the image processing performance on low-end and mid-range smartphones.

A recent report has revealed that the Honor 9i will be also be launching in India in the coming month. Since Huawei had released the Mate 10 Lite as Honor 9i in India, it is speculated that the smartphone could be rebranded as Honor 9X in the country. It is likely to arrive with a price tag of Rs. 15,000 ($217).

Xiaomi Launches Mi Mouse Pad And Mi Smart Mouse Pad With Wireless Charging Support

By

Jeet

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Jun 28, 2018

After launching several gaming-related products such as gaming headphones and gaming mouse, Xiaomi has today launched two new mouse pads — Mi Mouse Pad and Mi Smart Mouse Pad.

The Xiaomi Mi Smart Mouse Pad comes with support for wireless charging as well as RGB lighting effects based on the lighting effect of the Mi Gaming Mouse. The company says that the Mi Smart Mouse Pad has also won the German Red Dot Design Award in 2018.

For wireless charging, it comes equipped with Qi Wireless Charging module which is capable of charging wireless mouse as well as a mobile phone at any time with 7.5W. The company claims that it has a charging efficiency of 75 percent.

There’s a built-in intelligent management chip that can identify if the device placed on the charging area is a rechargeable device. Further, there’s also a built-in temperature control technology that automatically shuts off charging after the device is fully charged.

In the upper right corner, there’s an aluminum alloy knob to change the lighting mode. It can be rotated left or right to change the RGB light color, with support for about 16.8 million colors. Once it is connected to the computer using Bluetooth, it can also be used to control the computer’s volume.

The surface coating on the Mi Smart Gaming mouse provides smooth performance and can respond quickly and accurately, claims the company. On the bottom, it has a TPU anti-slip mat. It measures 420mm x 260mm. The Xiaomi Mi Smart Mouse Pad is priced at 259 Yuan, which roughly converts to $39.

On the other hand, the Xiaomi Mi Mouse Pad, designed for gaming purpose, comes with a surface coating that enhances sensor performance as well as mouse speed tracking. It has a suction cup design at the bottom that prevents the Mi Mouse Pad from shaking during operation.

It measures 355mm x 255mm and just 2.35mm in thickness, and weights at 196 grams. The Xiaomi Mi Mouse Pad is priced at 49 Yuan, which roughly converts to $7. Both mouse pads from Xiaomi are now available for purchase through Mijia Mall.

Xiaomi Mi 6X Hatsune Miku Special Edition Launched in China for 2,099 Yuan (~$317)

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Jun 28, 2018

Today, Xiaomi has introduced the Xiaomi Mi 6X Hatsune Miku Special Edition smartphone. This limited-edition smartphone comes with a special box package that features a customized handset and couple of other items. The Mi 6X Hatsune Special Edition is priced at 2,099 Yuan (~$317). The Chinese manufacturer will be selling a limited number of 5,000 units of the smartphone.

The box package that is dubbed as a gift box includes a turquoise colored Xiaomi Mi 6X with an image of the Hatsune Miku on its rear, metal nameplate, custom-made transparent and soft plastic cover and a 10,000mAh custom-designed power bank. Each Mi 6X Hatsune Special Edition smartphone has a unique global number that is written below the rear image.

Last year too, Xiaomi had sold Redmi Note 4X Hatsune Miku Edition. Since it had met with overwhelming response, the Mi 6X Hatsune Miku Special Edition that is packed with better specifications is also expected to meet good reception from the buyers.

Like the regular Mi 6X, the Xiaomi Mi 6X Hatsune Special Edition smartphone features a 5.99-inch IPS LCD screen that produces Full HD+ resolution of 2160 x 1080 pixels. The display offers an aspect ratio of 18:9.

The Snapdragon 660 SoC is present under the hood of the phone. It features a vertical dual camera setup on its rear which comprises of a primary 12-megapixel Sony IMX476 sensor that is accompanied by 20-megapixel Sony IMX376 sensor. It is fitted with a front-facing camera of 20-megapixel. The handset is loaded with Android 8.1 Oreo that is overlaid with the latest MIUI 9 skin. The 3,010mAh battery of the smartphone carries support for fast charging through USB-C.

Even though the regular Xiaomi Mi 6X comes in multiple storage and RAM versions, its Mi 6X Hatsune Miku Special Edition is only available in a single variant that includes 6 GB of RAM and 64 GB of internal storage. The handset that carries a pricing of 2,099 Yuan (~$317) is now available on for reservations in China. The Mi 6X Hatsune Miku Special Edition will be available for buying from July 3 at 10 AM exclusively through Xiaomi Mall.

Would you be interested in purchasing this special edition Mi 6X? Share us your thoughts by posting your comments below.

(source)

Samsung Introduces ISOCELL Plus Technology To Improve Photos In Low-Light Conditions

By

Michele Ingelido

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Jun 28, 2018

Low light-condition has always been the weakest points in smartphone photography. It has always been very hard to shoot good photos when there is not much light as the noise starts appearing and the details decrease drastically. Samsung is one of the few smartphone manufacturers who has been able to solve this problem and it is still doing it. The company has just unveiled a new technology called ISOCELL Plus which is able to improve low-light photography even more than before. Thanks to this technology, light isolation has been improved with a new material developed by Samsung in cooperation with Fujifilm.

This new material will be used instead of the metal inside the sensors and it will increase light sensitivity by reducing light leaks. In detail, the next-gen sensors based on the ISOCELL Plus technology will be 15 percent more sensitive to light, even though the pixel size will remain the same. So, in order to achieve better results with low-light conditions, the company will not need larger sensors and the space occupied by them will not vary. The new technology will also improve the color accuracy and sharpness of mobile photos. A very smart and efficient solution which will let smartphones be closer to professional cameras.

This is not the first innovative technology unveiled by Samsung this year. With the Galaxy S9 duo, the company has launched the first sensors for mobile devices to feature a variable aperture (it can switch from f/1.6 to f/2.4). Samsung will showcase the new ISOCELL Plus technology at MWCS 2018 (Mobile World Congress Shanghai 2018) in the upcoming days. The first phone to sport this technology should be either the Galaxy Note 9 coming in August or the Galaxy S10 line-up which will be unveiled in the first half of 2019 (most likely the S10 series).

(via)

Qualcomm Announces Snapdragon Wear 2500, Specially For Children’s Smartwatches

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Jun 28, 2018

There have been requests for Qualcomm to announce a new chipset for smartwatches to replace 2016’s Snapdragon Wear 2100. On Tuesday, Qualcomm did announce a new Soc – the Snapdragon Wear 2500 – but with a caveat.

Qualcomm in its official press release revealed the new Snapdragon Wear 2500 is specifically made for kids’ smartwatches. The mobile platform like Qualcomm likes to refer to its chipsets was announced at the on-going Mobile World Congress Shanghai.

Snapdragon Wear 2500 For Kids Smartwatches Announced

According to the San-Diego based chipset company, the Snapdragon Wear 2100 is already widely used in the kids’ smartwatch segment by more than 10 OEMs. In order to drive development in the segment, it announced the Snapdragon Wear 2500.

The Wear 2500 offers up to a 14% increase in battery life (standby and active modes) compared to older generation models. It also has a 38% smaller PMIC and a 5th gen 4G LTE modem. Qualcomm says the chipset has an optimized version of Android for kids’ watches that is based on Android Oreo. The version of Android reportedly fits into a 512MB memory (most definitely RAM in this case since Wear 2100 smartwatches have 768MB RAM).

The new watch platform also supports NXP’s next-gen NFC for secure payment so kids can use their watches for paying for things in school. Snapdragon Wear 2500 also supports gesture-based gaming and apps.

Qualcomm says Huawei is the lead customer it is partnering with on the new chipset. So expect the first smartwatch with the new chipset to come from the Chinese giant. It is also working with Invensense Inc. on sensor algorithms.

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Preorder The BlitzWolf BW-WP1 Powerbank For Only $18.99 On Banggood

By

Vinay Patel

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Jun 28, 2018

Finding your smartphone empty or even low on the battery can be quite an unpleasant scene, especially when you’re on the go. The last thing tech buffs who rely heavily on their handheld device would want is not having enough juice for the battery. This is exactly where power banks come into the picture.

While there’s no dearth of portable power banks in the market today, these devices don’t come cheap. Bearing the importance of the power bank for people who are either always busy or simply traveling in mind, Banggood is offering buyers an opportunity to save a considerable amount of money on the BlitzWolf BW-WP1 battery power bank.

The BW-WP1 is currently up for preorder on Banggood carrying a lowered price tag of just $18.99. This is a noteworthy 21% reduction in the device’s original asking price of $23.99.

The aforesaid discount will be accessible only to the first 100 buyers, while the next 500 buyers will need to shell out $19.99 in order to get their hands on the BW-WP1 power bank. Note that the remaining pieces will go back to its retail price.

Equipped with wireless inductive charging, the BW-WP1 works with all Qi-enabled devices. You can charge your mobile devices simply by placing it on the Biltzwolf-branded power bank.

On top of that, BW-WP1 can support Type C, Micro USB and wireless charge output at the same time. In other words, you can charge 3 devices simultaneously without breaking much of a sweat. It also protects your mobile devices from short circuit, overcurrent, overvoltage, and overcharge while enhancing the charge-discharge efficiency.

If you’re interested in taking advantage of the discount before the BlitzWolf BW-WP1 power bank retains its retail price, head straight to this link. You also earn 18 Banggood points that you can redeem later.

Get 21% Off On The BlitzWolf BW-WP1 Powerbank On Banggood

Mysterious Nubia Flagship Has Dual Screen, Side-Mounted Fingerprint Sensors and Notch-less Display

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Jun 28, 2018

Nubia CEO Ni Fei had recently revealed that the next flagship would be arriving with Full Screen 3.0 design which means that the handset will offer a higher screen space to the user. The Nubia Z17S smartphone that was launched in October last year offer a screen-to-body ratio of 90.36 percent. This indicates that the Nubia Z18 flagship smartphone that is expected to debut soon may offer an impressive screen-to-body ratio. Fresh set of photos of a mysterious Nubia flagship have appeared on SlashLeaks today. The new renders reveal that the smartphone has a very high screen real estate as it features a notch-less screen that is surrounded by super-slim bezels from all sides. Could it be the Nubia Z18?

As it can be seen in the new images, the screen-to-body ratio of this mysterious Nubia phone is very high its features a narrow forehead and chin. The slim bezel at the top features an earpiece. However, the selfie camera of the phone is not visible. The upper side of the phone seems to be barren and does not seem to show any kind of motorized mechanism for pop-up selfie camera like the one that is present on the Vivo NEX.

The bottom edge of the unidentified Nubia smartphone features a 3.5mm audio jack, a USB-C port and an external speaker grille. The handset does not feature a fingerprint scanner on its rear. The depression present on the left and right sides suggests that the fingerprint reader could be present on both the sides of the smartphone.

The rear view of the smartphone is quite interesting. The circular clock present on the back suggests that the handset could be equipped with a dual screen function. The dual-LED enabled horizontal dual camera setup sits flush on the backside of the phone. Hence, there is negligible camera bump on the device.

The very same handset might have appeared in real skin in the past week. There is a possibility that it may not be the Nubia Z18, but another flagship phone from the company. The reason behind it is that leaked schematics of the Z18 smartphone have revealed that it features a bezel-less display with a round notch and a rear-facing fingerprint scanner.

What do you think about the design of the mysterious Nubia phone? Share us your views by posting your comments below.

(source|via)

Sony Xperia XZ2 Premium with $999 Pricing to Release on July 30 in the U.S.

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Jun 28, 2018

Back in April, Sony had launched the Xperia XZ2 Premium flagship phone. At the unveil event, the Japanese tech giant did not confirm on its pricing and release date. Today, the company has confirmed that the Xperia XZ2 Premium will be releasing in the U.S. on July 30 with a price tag of $999.

Amazon and Best Buy will start receiving pre-orders of the Xperia XZ2 Premium from July 9. Pre-ordering the smartphone from Amazon will allow customers to receive a pair of Xperia Ear Duo wireless headphones for free. Since the handset will be available unlocked in the U.S., customers will have to spend $999 at one shot to avail it.

The Xperia XZ2 Premium will be arriving with a 5.8-inch 4K HDR display that supports a conventional aspect ratio of 16:9. The Snapdragon 845 that powers the phone is coupled with 6 GB of RAM. It is the company’s first flagship smartphone to arrive with a dual camera setup on its rear. It includes a 19-megapixel primary RGB sensor and a 12-megapixel monochrome sensor that can capture impressive shots in dim light conditions. A couple of photos that were snapped using the smartphone had surfaced earlier in this month to reveal its photography prowess.

For shooting selfies, it features a 13-megapixel front-facing camera. It is loaded with Android 8.0 Oreo and is packed with a 3,450mAh capacity battery. For storage, it offers an inbuilt space of 64 GB along with a microSD card slot.

Sony is also expected to begin the pre-orders of the Xperia XZ2 Premium in China starting from July 2. However, it is yet to confirm on the pricing of the smartphone for the Chinese market. In Taiwan, the Japanese firm will be holding a press meeting on July 5 to announce the arrival of the smartphone in the country.

In related news, Sony is reportedly working on a successor for the XZ2 Premium. It is speculated to sport an 18:9 aspect ratio display.

What do you think about the pricing of the Xperia XZ2 Premium? Share us your views by posting your comments below.

(via)

Giveaway – Win a Blitzwolf 10000mAh Power Bank

By

Shine Wong

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Jun 28, 2018

Gizmochina along with Banggood is conducting 1 unit Blitzwolf 10000mAh Power Bank as giveaway gift to a lucky reader. Like always, you just have to follow the steps mentioned on the Gleam widget to get a chance to win this amazing gift.

Biltzwolf BW-WP1 Power Bank Features:

Compatible With Qi Devices:
Biltzwolf BW-WP1 is compatible with any Qi-enabled device and supports wireless inductive charging. Charge your device by simply placing it on the powerbank.

Device	Charging Time
For iPhone 8	4.5-5.5h
For iPhone X	4-4.5h
For Samsung S7edge	3-3.5h
For Samsung S8	4.5-5h

Simultaneous Charging:
BlitzWolf BW-WP1 simultaneously supports both Type C, Micro USB and wireless charge output, charging 3 devices at the same time.

Quality Assurance:
BlitzWolf BW-WP1 not only protects from overcharge, overvoltage, overcurrent, and short circuit but also enhances the charge-discharge efficiency.

An 18-Month Warranty:
We believe in our products, and we back them all with an 18 months warranty. You can also reach out to us at any time for friendly and helpful product support.

The Umidigi Z2 has a $50 discount on Coolicool now:

Buy Blitzwolf 10000mAh Power Bank on Banggood, $18.99, $5 off

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

Visit Blitzwolf 10000mAh power bank on Banggood;
Share this giveaway contest on Facebook, Twitter and Reddit;
Download Banggood App on Google Play: https://bit.ly/2tBvb9P(optional);

Terms & Conditions:

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

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

Once again, good luck.

Giveaway – Win a Blitzwolf 1000mAh Power Bank

The Snapdragon 660-Powered Xiaomi Mi Pad 4 Gets Unboxed

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Jun 27, 2018

After several months of speculations, Xiaomi finally launched the Mi Pad 4, its fourth-gen tablet model. The Xiaomi Mi Pad 4 adopts a design style different from those of its predecessors and on top of that it comes with an LTE version! Here are some pictures of the Mi Pad 4 getting unboxed by the guys at Chinese blog – Sina Technologies.

The Xiaomi Mi Pad 4 sports an 8-inch display just like its predecessors but in this case it adopts a 16:10 screen which ensures the device isn’t as wide as the previous models. Thus, the tablet can easily be held with one hand. The slab also has a resolution of 1920 x 1200 pixels. The top and bottom bezels seem to have been trimmed and are looking thinner than the predecessors. The device still comes with a centrally-placed selfie shooter while the home button is now designed to be inside the display.

The rear design also adopts a design which is slightly different from the previous models. It is an all-metal design but since there is an LTE version it became imperative that space be created for the antenna band and that was done at the top edge. The speaker grills at the back of the earlier Mi Pad models are also missing at the back. Instead, the device packs a design with the speaker grills located on either side of the USB Type-C port at the bottom. There is a single rear camera located at the top left corner. The design also includes the Mi logo at the back.

The major upgrade on the Mi Pad 4 is on the internals. The device is powered by the efficient Snapdragon 660 premium mid-range chipset paired with 3GB/4GB of RAM while there are 32GB/64GB storage versions. Xiaomi may release a 2GB RAM + 16GB model later on. The device will get its juice from a 6000mAh battery which is reputed to provide continuous music playback for up to 16 hours and streaming of up to 15 episodes of TV series.

The Mi Pad 4 starts at 1099 yuan ($166) for the 3GB+32GB WiFi version while the LTE version is only available in 4GB +64GB priced at 1,499 yuan ($227). There is also a 4GB + 64GB WiFi version with a 1399 yuan (~$211) price tag. Meanwhile, check out more unboxing pictures of the Mi Pad 4 from the gallery below.

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Samsung Sends Out Invitation For August 9 Galaxy Note 9 Launch Event

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Jun 27, 2018

Samsung is out again with yet another invitation for its famous Galaxy Unpacked event. This is coming just about four months when it held one where the Galaxy S9 models were launched. The event is billed to hold on August 9 and the Korean giant is expected to unveil a new Galaxy phone. Of course, the phone expected to launch is the Galaxy Note 9 phablet.

Samsung wasn’t explicit enough to name the device which is expected to be launched but all clues point to the next-gen Galaxy Note series model. One of the clues is the picture of a stylus similar to that of the Note series. Of course, the timing of the event only points to the launch of the Galaxy Note 9.

The Galaxy Note 9 recently got certified by US FCC which is an indication that its launch was imminent. The device is expected to arrive with a 6.4-inch S-AMOLED Infinity Display, Exynos 9810 / Snapdragon 845 SoC, 6 GB of RAM, 256 GB of storage and 3,850mAh battery. Samsung may even release a 512 GB model of the Note 9 in some countries.

Meitu T9 Summer Palace Limited Edition Adds Even More Beauty To The Sleek Phone

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Jun 27, 2018

Chinese OEMs are mostly accused of copying the designs of popular brands like Apple and Samsung. But these guys deserve lots of accolades for some innovations brought into the smartphone industry, one of which is the trending full-screen design. Some will be quick to point out that full-screen design style predates the Mi Mix and has been used by Sharp. However, Xiaomi Mi Mix came with a full-screen design that has revolutionized the industry, turning the concept into reality. One brand that has got uniqueness in its designs is Meitu. The company launched the Meitu T9 last month with a unique and attractive looking hexagonal design as well as a powerful hardware.

The company has now added a new classic edition dubbed Meitu T9 Summer Palace Limited Edition. In case you don’t know, the Summer Palace is a vast ensemble of lakes, gardens and palaces in Beijing. It was an imperial garden in Qing Dynasty. The customized edition adorns airframe motifs design inspired by the green and turquoise green colours of Chinese traditional colours. Apart from the beautiful artworks done on the back, the Summer Palace Limited Edition also comes with customized accessories including a phone case whose design is inspired by the design of one of the Summer Palace’s classic collection. There is also a similar design on the charging adapter and the packaging box.

Specifications

The specifications of the Special Edition wasn’t revealed but they are not expected to be different from the regular model. As a reminder, the T9 packs a 6-inch OLED display with FHD+ resolution and 18:9 aspect ratio. The device is powered by a Snapdragon 660 processor paired with 4GB/6GB RAM while there is 64/128GB internal storage. The Meitu T9 Summer Palace Limited Edition is most likely to have a 6GB RAM + 128GB ROM combo. It is fuelled by a 3100mAh battery and runs Android 8.1 out of the box.

The Meiutu T9’s major stand out feature apart from the design is the camera. The device features dual pixel dual cameras both on the front and rear aspects. Both the front and back camera setups come with Optical Image Stabilisation (IOS) which is pretty impressive. The phone also packs lots of beautification features on board which reduces blemishes and improves your skin quality in the pictures.

Pricing & Availability

Meitu didn’t reveal the price of the T9 Summer Palace Limited Edition. We’ll have to wait until August when the new edition will officially go on sale to find out. However, the regular editions are priced at 3,399 yuan ($514) for the 4GB + 64GB version and 4199 yuan ($636) for the 6GB + 128GB version. The new version may come in at a slightly higher price.

Xiaomi Mi Max 3 Price Leaks Ahead Of Launch

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Jun 27, 2018

Xiaomi has an event scheduled for July 3 and there are speculations it may unveil the Mi Max 3 on that day. The device already appeared on TENAA baring all its specs. However, the price has been a mystery until now.

Earlier today, a screenshot surfaced online revealing the price of the Mi Max 3 as well as some of its specifications. The screenshot also shows the device and it is near identical to previous leaks.

The image reveals the Mi Max 3 will sell for ¥1699 (~$257). The specs listed on the image mentions the device has 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage which should get you excited.

The 4GB RAM + 64GB Mi Max 2 launched for the same ¥1699 price while the 4GB RAM + 128GB version had a ¥1999 (~$303) launch price. While it isn’t surprising that Xiaomi is keeping the price from last year, what is exciting is we are getting more RAM and double storage for that price. TENAA already revealed there will be 3GB RAM+ 32GB and 4GB RAM + 64GB models too.

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