DXOMark is gradually emerging as a worthy benchmark for cameras with its test results being bandied about whenever a new flagship phone is released. Some still dispute the authenticity of its results especially the Apple fanboys who may not agree that there are Android phones which trumps the latest iPhones in the camera aspect. Presently, the Huawei P20 Pro beat the Galaxy S9 and other to emerge as having the best-rated cameras.
This article isn’t about DxOMark, though, but about its former parent company DxOLabs. It is reported that DxO Labs is in financial trouble in its native France. DxO Labs makes image editing software such as DxO PhotoLab and the DxO One camera add-on for iPhone and Android. But now, sources suggest the company is bankrupt and is now in receivership. A letter which a customer was sent by the French company read thus; (translated from French):
“Hello sir,
In fact, the company has recently been placed under a regime of judicial administration, the time to reorganize.
Although we can not comment on this situation, we can nevertheless assure you that the company is absolutely not in liquidation and that we are confident that our customers will not be affected by this procedure.”
Apart from the letter, a second evidence was shown and it is a legal notice (also translated from French) which talks about a judgment “declaring the opening of a bankruptcy proceeding.” It’s possible the translation might have distorted the meaning of the statement but it is likely that all is not well with the company. This will, however, not affect DXOMark since it is no longer a part of DxO Labs.
360 Mobiles is known for the sleek designs of its smartphones. The Chinese tech giant ventured into the full-screen segment with the launch of the 360 N6 Pro in November 2017. Barely five months after, it has emerged that the company is planning to release yet another premium smartphone. The screenshot of a laptop screen with a powerpoint document affixed with 360’s logo recently appeared online.
The PPT document showed the new 360 Mobiles flagship model is already being mass produced. The mass production started on April 18 while the finishing touches will be put in place by May. The source also hinted that the 360 Mobiles phone will be released in May which is next month.
There are no further details about the device at the moment. But recently, an unknown 360 model running Snapdragon 670 chip was spotted on GeekBench. The company has since distanced itself from the chipset the device runs. However, the device will likely not use a Snapdragon 630 chip since that was used n the 360 N6 Lite. A lower Snapdragon 626 chipset may also likely not be used on the device. Thus, the buck still falls on the Snapdragon 670 chipset. We can’t say for sure but other specs details revealed on GeekBench include 6GB of RAM, and Android 8.1 Oreo operating system. We expect the device to also come with cost-effective pricing just like previous N-series models but the tipster claims the model will be more expensive than previous N-series models.
OnePlus has already unmasked the design of its next flagship – the OnePlus 6 and the design screams “Apple”. Well, not entirely but the OnePlus 6 is expected to feature a notch design at the top of its display. The design has been met with lots of criticism from fans and this had prompted OnePlus’ CEO Pete Lau to make some clarifications on why the company had to settle for a notch design despite the disapproval of such by the majority of its fans.
Pete Lau has now released yet another essay which explains the company’s overall design philosophy. The CEO began with an insight into the major feature of a product which in his opinion is burdenless user experience. Pete Lau believes excellent industrial design should give people a sense of ease, which is best embodied by a burdenless feeling. The drive to achieve this is a long process which, according to the CEO, requires work on a daily basis to refine the subtle details, even if those details may seem minor.
By the way, Pete Lau also hinted that he isn’t only the CEO of OnePlus but also the product manager. So, he is in a good position to discuss. Curiously, the philosophical analysis talked about pursuing an “honest design” which will perfectly serve the function of the product and even embody the product itself rather than tacking on additional elements just for the sake of hype. While we tend to agree with the CEO, the statement seems to sacrifice innovation on the altar of “honesty”. Ironically, the OnePlus 6 is having a design similar to the iPhone X. While we look for the perfect smartphone, users are also known to gravitate towards innovation just like the full-screen revolution ignited by the Xiaomi MIX and fuelled by the Galaxy S8.
Pete Lau further created a controversy with his opinion on the smartphone design which we ordinarily see as something that should be different from the other smartphone, at least to some extent. The OnePlus CEO thinks we misunderstand industrial design. He opined that a truly good design does not deliberately pursue the exaggeration of the external form but may even extend to a prioritization of the internal form: the material, the craftsmanship, and the tiny details. With this kind of opinion, we’ll agree with the CEO that as the CEO and product manager, his greatest responsibility for the product lies in making tough but ultimately necessary decisions. I the long run, if the decisions are well-founded with principled reasoning, the end result will stand up on its own. Afterall, every decision the company claims it makes is based on countless rejections, resulting in a quick, continually iterative process.
The essay also touches on the OnPlus 6 design which he said also went through a similar process of continual iteration before reaching its current state. The company maintained its signature horizon line and precise curve to the back of the device which has remained as important elements of OnePlus’ design language right from the OnePlus One to the OnePlus 5T. He again reiterated that the device will come with a glass body. The company’s design team tested over 70 glass prototypes before selecting the best one and the device will have 5 layers of Nanotech Coating instead of 3 which give the back of the device a stronger impression of depth.
With the Redmi Note 5 Pro, Xiaomi has launched a mid-ranger which is the perfect balance between performance and price. With this handset, the Chinese company has stopped equipping its mid-rangers with the Snapdragon 625 SoC providing something more powerful in the same affordable price range. But if you thought this is the only value for money mid-ranger this year, you were wrong: another newly-announced device is going to affect its popularity, and its name is the Asus Zenfone Max Pro M1. This device has all the potentialities to become the best-seller of 2018, and in this Asus Zenfone Max Pro M1 vs Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro specs comparison, we will show you how.
Asus Zenfone Max Pro M1 vs Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro
Dual 13 + 5 MP f/2.2
Dual 16 + 5 MP f/2.2 (6 GB RAM version)
8 MP f/2.2 front camera
16 MP f/2.2 front camera (6 GB RAM version)
Dual 12 + 5 MP f/2.2 + f/2.0
20 MP f/2.0 front camera
BATTERY
5000 mAh
Fast charging 5V / 2A
4000 mAh
ADDITIONAL FEATURES
Dual SIM dedicated slot, front-facing LED flash
Hybrid Dual SIM slot, front-facing LED flash
Both Asus Zenfone Max Pro M1 and Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro have exactly the same display size and resolution, but at least on paper, the M1 has a slightly better display due to its 85% NTSC color gamut and 1500:1 contrast. When it comes to the hardware side, it is the same in both models, but Asus Zenfone Max Pro M1 also features a micro SD dedicated slot which is not present on the Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro: so you can use the dual SIM slot and the micro SD at the same time. While Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro comes with a customized UI (MIUI 9), Asus Zenfone Max Pro M1 offers a stock Android experience (based on 8.1 Oreo), unlike all other Zenfones. Cameras have similar specs, but even though we did not test Asus Zenfone Max Pro M1, we believe Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro should shoot slightly better photos.
On the opposite side, Asus Zenfone Max Pro M1 has a bigger battery with a huge capacity of 5000 mAh. Not only will Asus Zenfone Max Pro M1 last longer than its opponent on a single charge, but it may also be the phone with the longest battery life among devices from mainstream brands.
The launch price of Asus Zenfone Max Pro M1 in China is about $165/€134 for the 3/32 GB version, $195/€159 for the 4/64 GB configuration and $225/€183 for the 6/64 GB variant. Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro has been introduced in the Chinese market with a price tag of about $218/€177 for the 4/64 GB version and $265/€216 for the 6/64 GB configuration. On paper, Asus Zenfone Max Pro M1 wins this comparison with its monster battery making the big difference along with a pure Android experience.
So, which one would you pick?
Asus Zenfone Max Pro M1 vs Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro: PROS and CONS
Given how much innovation and originality Meizu brought to the mobile phones sector in the past few years, we believe the company deserves more respect. Meizu 15 is the yet another example of greatness from a company which has never given up: it has always invested in order to make revolutionary devices. The secondary display of the Pro 7, pressure sensitive halo button, the old mBack button, mCharge etc are all examples of innovation from this relatively small Chinese company.
The handset you are seeing in the photos below has a full metal unibody design with a refined stainless painting and suggestive antenna bands with an Aztec-like pattern decorating them. When it comes to the front panel, you won’t find an 18:9 display like most of 2018 flagships. The company has been everything but conformist and it has decided to opt for a classic 16:9, but it was still able to minimize the bezels. The front panel features a symmetrical design with a front camera placed exactly at the center of the upper portion, an almost invisible earpiece, and a circular Home key with an integrated fingerprint reader below the display.
The rear side houses a dual camera setup in a vertical configuration and a ring-shaped six-LED dual-tone flash surrounding a laser autofocus mechanism. The dual camera has resolutions of 12 + 20 MP and it includes a Sony IMX380 sensor which is the same as Huawei P20. Even though it has the same design, Meizu 15 is not a flagship device like its Plus variant, as it features an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 chipset. The SoC is paired with 4 GB RAM and 64 or 128 GB of internal storage depending on the variant you will choose to buy.
OnePlus is gearing up to launch its next-generation “flagship killer”, which is named OnePlus 6. Now, the company has announced a new programme through which the company’s fans will have to chance to experience the device ahead of its official launch.
The company has announced OnePlus 6 Lab Community Review Programme, under which the Chinese manufacturer has invited interested buyers to sign up for the programme. It will allow users to use the latest flagship smartphone before its release and write a detailed community review of OnePlus 6.
OnePlus has revealed that the submissions to become a participant in this programme are open till 10 pm EDT (7 am IST) on May 2 and the final reviewer squad will be announced by 10 pm EDT (7 am IST) on May 12.
The upcoming OnePlus 6 smartphone has already been leaked several times in the past and the company itself has been teasing the phone’s feature to create hyper around the phone. Recently, Amazon India put up a landing page of OnePlus 6 on its website and has started taking registrations for the same. It also revealed that the device will be exclusively available in India through Amazon India.
Previous leaks related to the OnePlus 6 has revealed that the phone will come with a 6.28-inch AMOLED display with Full-HD+ resolution and 19:9 aspect ratio. The company has already confirmed that the smartphone will come with a notch and there’ll be an option to disable it.
Under the hood, the smartphone has been confirmed to be powered by Qualcomm‘s Snapdragon 845 processor coupled with 8GB RAM along with an internal storage of 256GB. Other than the 8GB RAM variant, the phone is also expected to arrive in two other options — 6GB RAM with 64GB storage and 6GB RAM and 128GB storage.
The device will come loaded with Android 8.1 Oreo operating system out of the box with the company’s own OxygenOS on top. Under the hood, it is speculated to be powered by a 3,450mAh battery which will also carry support for Dash Charge V2 that may let its users use it for the entire day just by charging it for 20 minutes.
Recently, it was reported that the OnePlus 6 may get unveiled on May 18. If that turns out to be true, the company will be launching its next-generation flagship one month earlier than the OnePlus 5, which was introduced in June last year. The company will also be releasing OnePlus 6: Avengers Infinity Wars Limited Edition variant.
HMD Global has a launch on April 27 for a new phone called the Nokia X. Based on the current naming scheme, there are rumors that the Nokia X is actually the Nokia 10 and therefore will be a flagship device. Probably, even the most powerful device from HMD Global. New reports show that this may not be true.
Two new devices with model numbers TA-1099 and TA-1109 have been certified by the Chinese Communications Commission (3C). Unlike TENAA, 3C doesn’t reveal much about the specs of the phone but it does list the type of charger that will come with the device.
For both Nokia phones, they come with a 5V/2A (10W) charger. This is the basic charger that ships with most entry-level and mid-range devices that do not support fast charging. One of both phones is likely to be the Nokia X and for it to have a 10W charger, it is proof that it is not a flagship phone.
Xiaomi launched the Mi Pad 3 in April last year after a two-year hiatus and the third-generation Mi tablet was well received. The month of April is almost running out yet we haven’t heard anything about a successor to the Mi Pad 3. This is despite the confirmation of Lei Jun, Xiaomi’s CEO that the next-gen tablet is in the works. It is interesting to note that the Mi Pad 3 and even the Mi Pad 2 have been out of stock for a while now both in China and on several online e-retail platforms. Xiaomi even removed the product details entirely from its website, thus fuelling speculations that it may have concluded plans to rest the product line.
However, well-known Chinese tech analyst, Pan Jiutang has hinted that the Mi Pad 3 successor is very well in development and it is coming with lots of expectations. The analyst was responding to an enquiry by a Mi fan who disclosed his anticipation for a new i Pad. By the way, it is not known if Xiaomi would call the next-generation tablet Mi Pad 4 but that may likely be the product’s name eventually.
Nothing is known about the likely features the Mi Pad 4 will come with but we’d smile at a full-screen display design and a SIM card slot on the tablet. However, in an era the tablet market is gradually withering and considering that it took two years before the Mi Pad 2 got a successor in the Mi Pad 3, we don’t expect Xiaomi to expend too much energy on the tablet line or to drop this one very soon.
Gionee has been under the radar since last year. The last we heard of the Chinese manufacturer is that it was laying off its workers and has unsettled debts. It appears things have gotten better as the manufacturer has announced an event for April 26.
Gionee took to its official Twitter page to announce that it will launch a new product in India on Thursday. The teaser image shows the outline of the upper part of a phone. From the image, we can tell it will come with an 18:9 display which Gionee has termed FullView.
We have an idea of the product that may be unveiled at the event and it is one that you are already familiar with. Our guess is the Gionee S11.
Back in December, it was reported that the Gionee S11 would be available in India in January 2018. Unfortunately, it wasn’t announced. If things are back on track for the company, then there is nothing stopping them from launching the phone now.
The Gionee S11 has a 5.99” FHD+ FullView display. It is powered by an Helio P23 processor paired with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage.
The selling point of the S11 is its dual front and rear cameras. The front cameras are 16MP and 8MP sensors while the rear cameras are a 16MP + 5MP duo. It has a rear-mounted fingerprint scanner, runs Android 7.1 Nougat, and a 3,410mAh battery.
Xiaomi had launched the Mi 6 and Mi MIX 2 flagship phones in China last year. However, among the two phones, India only received the Mi MIX 2. This year, Xiaomi has already launched the Mi MIX 2S smartphone in China. Fresh information revealed by none other than Xiaomi co-founder and CEO Lei Jun suggests that the country will not be receiving the Mi MIX 2S flagship phone. He has stated that Mi A2 is one of the forthcoming phones for India.
While speaking to reporters at the newly built headquarters at Bangalore, Jun said that “I think the Mi Mix 2 might not be the best fit for some of the target audiences in India. It uses four-sided curved ceramic body, and 18K gold coating. A lot of these things might not necessarily be suitable for the Indian market. Actually, it’s a piece of art. The Indian market will still take some time to accept this product. So with regards to whether we should work on the Mix or not, I and Manu (Manu Kumar Jain, Xiaomi’s Global VP and Indian Managing Director) shared different opinions. I always insist that we should not just blindly take all products to India. That might not be appropriate.”
Through Jun’s word it can be understood that the Mi MIX 2 was not received well by the Indian audience. It includes some features like the wireless charging which is not something Indian buyers will purchasing a high-end phone.
In the past too, the Xiaomi Mi 5 flagship had received poor reception in India because of which the company had reportedly decided to skip the launch of Mi 6 in the country. The company has been doing very well in India in the past two years, but it has failed to attract buyer to purchase its premium phones. Xiaomi is currently leading the Indian market mainly because of its highly popular mid-range phones.
According to Jun, “It’s mainly due to the fact that we’ve been operating in India for a relatively short period of time. We need to do things step by step. We already have five successful lines. Our next logical focus would be between 15,000 and 20,000. Then 20,000 and 30,000. Then 30,000 and above. We’ll introduce them step by step. We believe in the next two years you’ll find us present in these three price bands.”
Jun added that, “Our team has limited bandwidth, so right now there are no plans to bring the Mi Mix 2S to India.” He also confirmed that India will be receiving an Android One phone. This could be the rumored Mi A2 phone that is pegged to replace the Mi A1, Xiaomi’s first Android One phone that was launched in September last year. As far as premium phone for the country is concerned, Xiaomi CEO believes that a flagship smartphone designed for Indian users will be available in 2019 by the same period.
The Nokia brand is now being controlled by HMD Global Oy and the performance of the brand has been pretty impressive since the release of the Nokia 6 last year. We won’t forget in a hurry Microsoft’s failed efforts at reviving the Nokia brand both on the smartphone and smartwatch end. The company gave up on both the smartphone and smartwatch business after the Lumia 950s and second generation Microsoft Band devices. But the company was at some point very committed to the smartwatch industry, but the company eventually decided to leave the wearable market.
Before quitting the wearable market, Microsoft and Nokia tested a prototype smartwatch called “Moonraker” but the company eventually didn’t release it. Nokia Moonraker had all the features of an advanced smartwatch and existence of such a device is a living proof that at some point Microsoft was very committed to this particular business. There have been series of leaked pictures of the Nokia Moonraker showing the design and features of the smartwatch, but a new video has emerged online giving us a closer look at the last firmware update released for the device. The video also shows the entire design of what could’ve been Microsoft’s first smartwatch under Nokia brand.
Previous reports have suggested that Microsoft planned to release the Nokia Moonraker smartwatch alongside the Lumia 930 Windows Phone but that didn’t happen eventually. The smartwatch featured the signature live tile-based interface similar to the one on the Lumia handsets. It also comes with a single physical button which could be used to toggle between two screens like apps and the home screen. The device also had support for the popular gestures which would have allowed users to have a quick look at notifications and more. The smartwatch also has an app called “My Phone” which looks like a tool to pair it with a phone.
The Nokia Moonraker has a square LCD display with a resolution of 240×190 pixels, and it also had such features as NFC, gyroscope and some other sensors. A Windows Phone app could have allowed users to customize the watch remotely. Too bad we’ll never see this watch in real skin anymore since Microsoft has left the smartwatch market entirely and has also abandoned the Moonraker project.
OnePlus 6 will be exclusively available through Amazon India. The Indian launch of the OnePlus flagship seems to be getting closer as Amazon India has started a registration page for the phone. The registrations page does not contain any information on the specs and pricing of the OnePlus 6. However, it only reveals that the OP6 is “coming soon.”
GizmoChina readers can visit the source link to access the OnePlus 6 registrations page. Users can click on Notify Me button to sign up for updates. The webpage also features the “The Speed You Need” commercial. One of the recent teasers released by the company suggests that the company will be also releasing Avengers: Infinity War Limited Edition variant of the OnePlus 6.
According to Amazon India’s statement that was released on Sunday, the OnePlus 6 will be offering more screen space for immersive viewing experience. The company has already confirmed in the recent past that the OnePlus 6 will be coming with a notched display. It is speculated that it will be housing a 6.28-inch AMOLED display that will offering 19:9 aspect ratio and Full HD+ resolution.
The backside of the phone is rumored to be made out of glass, but there is no confirmation whether it will carry support for wireless charging. A recent teaser from the company suggests that OnePlus 6 will carry certain level of waterproofing. Rumors have it that it could be available in a new color option of Coral Blue.
As far as the speed and performance of the OnePlus 6 is concerned, its confirmed to feature Snapdragon 845 and 8 GB of RAM along with an internal storage of 256 GB. The handset is also expected to arrive in other variants like 64 GB storage + 6 GB RAM and 128 GB storage and 8 GB of RAM. The 3,450mAh battery of the OnePlus 6 is expected to carry support for Dash Charge V2 that may let its users to use it for the entire day just by charging it for 20 minutes.
The OP6 will It will come loaded with Android 8.1 Oreo and the most recent edition of OxygenOS UI. The rear side of the phone is expected to feature 20-megapixel + 16-megapixel dual camera setup. OnePlus CEO Pete Lau seems to have already shared the impressive camera samples of the OP6.
A recent report had revealed that OnePlus 6 may get unveiled on May 18. This suggests that the company will be launching its next-generation flagship one month earlier than the OnePlus 5 that was introduced in June.
Xiaomi’s next event is on Wednesday, April 25, and it is for the launch of the Mi 6X. Just ahead of the launch, the device has been seen on the official Android website which contains a list of Android devices from different manufacturers.
The Mi 6X is a successor to last year’s Mi 5X and packs some significant upgrades. The display is now larger at 6.0-inches and has an 18:9 aspect ratio. It also has a more powerful Snapdragon 660 AIE processor and improved rear and front cameras.
According to Android.com, the phone has 4GB of RAM and 32GB/64GB of built-in storage. It also runs Android 8.1 Oreo and has a fingerprint scanner.
TENAA already revealed it packs a 2910mAh battery, a 20MP selfie camera, and a 20MP primary rear camera.
Android Go is a special ultra-light fork of Android that lowers the barrier for low-end smartphones to run the world’s most popular operating system. So if you were tired of your budget Android phone being slow, Android Go is your answer. It is basically a slimmed down version of Android that can run on phones with even 512MB of RAM. Android Go isn’t fancy, but it is something that will open up the world of Android to billions of new users, thanks to its ability to power super affordable smartphones.
Meizu could use Android Go to enter newer markets. The company’s operations is primarily focused in China at the moment, but with an Android Go smartphone, it could target international regions like Europe. Many consider Meizu’s Flyme OS as its biggest disadvantage, but with its tie-up with Google, things could be different. It doesn’t necessarily have to release a very low-end device. Instead, a cheap device with SD4XX series chip, 1/2GB RAM, and an extremely cheap price could be a hit in the international markets. Unfortunately, the company hasn’t revealed any more details about the device, except that it will released sometime later this year.
Huawei’s Android Go smartphone is also confirmed to release in the coming weeks, likely in May. It is said to be a part of the company’s Y-series. So, budget customers will have a lot of cheap Android Go options to choose from in the coming months.
Lately, HMD Global has been releasing the source codes for its Android phones. Just a few weeks ago, it released the kernel source codes for the first-gen Nokia 6 and the Android Go Nokia 1. They have now been joined by the Nokia 8 flagship.
The released kernel source code will allow developers create custom ROMs for the Nokia 8. The kernel source code is available for download here and is less than 200MB in size.
There are still six more Nokia devices from HMD Global whose source codes have not been released.
Razer has also released the source code based on Android 8.1 Oreo for the Razer Phone. This is impressive as it is coming just a week after the device was officially updated to Android 8.1 Oreo. Back in December, it released the source code based on Android Nougat.
The gaming hardware manufacturer has also released the factory image for the update. While most people should have already gotten the OTA, those who haven’t can proceed to download the factory image and install on their device. However, you have to unlock your bootloader before you can do so.
On Wednesday, Xiaomi Mi 6X smartphone will be unveiled in China. The entire specs of the phone along with its images have surfaced through its TENAA listing. Today, leaked information on the pricing of its two variants have also surfaced.
Rumors surrounding the upcoming Xiaomi Mi 6X has revealed that it will be fueled by the Snapdragon 660 SoC. Also, the Mi 6X is expected to be available in models like 4 GB RAM + 64 GB storage, 6 GB RAM + 64 GB storage and 6 GB RAM 128 GB of storage. Fresh information reveals that the 64 models with 4 GB and 6 GB of RAM could be respectively priced at 1,799 Yuan (~$285) and 1,999 Yuan (~$317). There is no information available on the pricing of the 128 GB variant.
The Mi 6X pricing leak reveals that it will be available with an expensive price tag compared to its predecessor, the Xiaomi Mi 5X. The Chinese manufacturer had launched the Mi 5X smartphone last year in July with a price tag of 1,499 Yuan (~$237) for its base model that is packed with 4 GB of RAM, 64 GB of native storage and Snapdragon 625. In August 2017, its 32 GB storage + 4 GB RAM model powered by the same SoC was introduced with a pricing of 1,299 Yuan (~$206).
Like the Xiaomi Mi MIX 2S that was unveiled in the previous month, the Mi 6X is also expected to feature the Xiao AI smart assistant. It will be featuring a 5.99-inch display that will carry support for Full HD+ resolution of 2160 x 1080 pixels. The Mi 6X is expected to be powered by 2,910mAh battery that may carry support for fast charging. It will come loaded with Android Oreo and the latest edition of MIUI 9 skin.
For photography, the Xiaomi Mi 6X is equipped with 20-megapixel front-facing camera. The rear side of the phone is likely to house 12-megapixel + 20-megapixel dual camera setup. The handset will be equipped with a rear-mounted fingerprint scanner. In the previous week, Xiaomi had confirmed that the Mi 6X would be available in multiple colors such as Cherry Pink, Red Flame, Sand Gold, Glacier Blue and Black.
Today, through an unveiled event in Delhi, ASUS has launched the ZenFone Max Pro M1 smartphone in India. The new ASUS mid-range phone that includes the trendy 18:9 aspect ratio screen is packed with the same chipset and 6 GB of RAM that powers the Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro. Moreover, it also includes an impressive dual camera setup and an LED flash enabled selfie snapper. The new ASUS phone is a major competitor for Redmi Note 5 Pro which is packed with similar specs. Here is all the information about the newly announced ZenFone Max Pro M1:
ASUS ZenFone Max Pro M1 Specifications and Features
The ZenFone Max Pro M1 features a 5.99-inch Full View display that delivers a great cinematic experience as it offers features like Full HD+ resolution of 2160 x 1080 pixels, support for 85 percent NTSC color gamut, 450-nits brightness and a contrast ratio of 1500:1. The display is placed under a layer of 2.5D arc glass.
Like the Redmi Note 5 Pro, the new ASUS phone is driven by the Snapdragon 636 SoC. Its highest configuration model has 6 GB of RAM and a native storage of 64 GB. Apart from dual-SIM slot, it features a dedicated slot for adding a microSD card. With an AnTuTu score 116618, the ZenFone Max Pro M1 is 54 percent faster than the Redmi Note 5 Pro, claimed the company at the unveiling of the phone.
The high-density 5,000mAh battery of the ZenFone Max Pro M1 offers up to 199 hours of music playback, up to 25.3 hours of Full HD video playback, up to 28 hours of Wi-Fi browsing and up to 42 hours of 3G talk time. The behemoth battery of the ZenFone Max Pro M1 also supports 10W fast charging and it takes 2.42 hours to charge it to the brim.
During the launch event of the Max Pro M1, the company also claimed that with the same charging rate, the Redmi Note 5 Pro 5’s 4,000mAh battery takes 3.2 hours to charge completely. ASUS claims that the ZenFone Max Pro M1 that is the world’s thinnest smartphone with 5,000mAh battery. Its body that is made out of metal measures 159 x 76 x 8.61mm and it weighs 180 grams.
In terms of photography, the ZenFone Max Pro M1 features a vertically arranged dual camera setup equipped with Softlight LED on its rear panel. It comprises of 13-megapixel primary sensor with f/2.2 aperture and a secondary 5-megapixel sensor for depth sensing. The features offered by the dual rear cameras include faster autofocus, PDAF and 4K video shooting. For snapping selfies, it is fitted with a Softlight LED enabled 8-megapixel front camera that has been optimized to capture selfie shots with bokeh effect.
ASUS phones usually feature ZenUI, but the ZenFone Max Pro M1 is the first phone that offers stock Android experience. It runs on pure version of Android 8.1 Oreo OS. One should be aware of the fact that it is not an Android One device like Xiaomi Mi A1 and Nokia 6 (2018) which means it includes some apps and features by ASUS.
The ZenFone Max Pro M1 has been made to deliver impressive audio output as it includes 5-magnet speaker and NXP smart amplifier. The Taiwanese company will be also offering passive amplifier accessory called Max Box for the Max Pro M1, but its pricing and availability was not confirmed at the launch event of the phone. The MaxBox can amplify the sound output of the phone by 2 times. Its other features include rear-mounted fingerprint reader, 3.5mm audio jack, microUSB 2.0, Bluetooth 5.0, 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi and GPS.
ASUS ZenFone Max Pro M1 Pricing and Availability
The ZenFone Max Pro M1 carries an exciting price tag of Rs. 10,999 (~$165) for the base model. The 64 GB storage + 4 GB RAM and 64 GB storage + 6 GB RAM editions are respectively priced at Rs. 12,999 (~$195) and 14,999 (~$225). The handset can be availed in color choices like Deepsea Black and Gray. The handset will be exclusively available through Flipkart from May 3.
The Indian retailer giant also introduced Complete Mobile Protection plan with an introductory pricing of Rs. 49 against its regular price of Rs. 999. It covers issues like broken screen, liquid damage, hardware and software issue for 1 year with easy pick up and drop service along with other features such as one helpline service for all queries and 10-days guaranteed resolution. Flipkart will be also offering other launch-day offers like no cost EMI on all credit cards and Bajaj Finserve and Rs. 1,000 additional discount over regular exchange value on select phones.
Vodafone will be providing its consumers who purchase the ZenFone Max Pro M1 amazing offers up to Rs. 3,200 (~$48). For prepaid users with 199 plan and above and postpaid users on RED 399 plan and above, Vodafone will be offering 10 GB of additional data per month for a year. For customers with RED 499 plan and above, the mobile operator will be giving free Vodafone RED Shield device security insurance for 2 years along with 10 GB additional monthly data for 1 year.
Do you think the ASUS ZenFone Max Pro M1 is better phone than the Redmi Note 5 Pro? Share us your views by adding your comments below.
Huawei joined the virtual assistants business as far back as 2013 when it launched its virtual assistant in China. It is similar in functions to Siri, Cortana, Alexa and Google Assistant. Huawei’ virtual assistant is presently being used daily by 110 million people and thus, the tech giant is looking to enhance it with software which enables the use of emotional AI.
Huawei has hinted that it is working on software that will use AI to help its own virtual personal assistant interact with users on an emotional level. The virtual assistants presently available relays information and handle tasks in a robotic manner without any emotions as the response remains the same regardless of the current emotional state of the user. But that may not be the case in the near future as Huawei has disclosed that it is working on software that will use AI to help its own virtual personal assistant interact with users on an emotional level. This was made known by Felix Zhang, vice president of software engineering at Huawei’s Consumer Business group.
A recent report by research firm Gartner earlier this year had revealed that emotion AI will be able to use analysis to detect people’s moods and respond with more personalized answers. Gartner’s research vice president Annette Zimmerman had hinted that by 2022, our personal device will know more about our emotional state than our own family. The personal assistants will have the ability to read facial expressions, analyze the user’s voice and behaviour. Virtual assistants will be able to understand the context of the commands they receive and respond with an answer that is more in line with the emotions of the user. These virtual assistants with the ability to read emotions will find applications in automobiles and health-care. Cars outfitted with such a digital helper would be able to decide whether a driver is tired, stressed, angry or frustrated, and control the car in a manner that would make the ride safer. In health-care, a virtual assistant with emotion AI could monitor a person’s mental health 24/7 and alert caregivers if a problem is detected.
Meizu officially unveiled the Meizu 15 and 15 Plus alongside the Meizu M15 on April 22 and both models came with some dose of surprises in the design and specifications. Without argument, the Meizu 15 Plus is the flagship product, sporting a Samsung Exynos 8895 chipset. While the Meizu 15 features a Snapdragon 660 chipset, thus setting up as one of the premium midrange phones released this year.
The AnTuTu benchmark results of both models have now surfaced and as would be expected, the score of both models are pretty impressive. The Meizu 15 pooled a total of 134,170 points which is consistent with the score of other models running on Qualcomm’s SD660 chipset. The CPU usage and other parameters measured on the benchmark test also show some impressive results. On the other hand, the Meizu 15 Plus powered by last year’s Exynos 8895 chipset scored 184,706points. This is also consistent with the score of the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy Note 8 models which are the only models running on the Exynos 8895 chip.
As a reminder, the Meizu 15 and 15 Plus both feature a similar design and the major difference between them is the processor. The models both have a 12MP+20MP dual camera setup as well as built-in horizontal linear motor mEngine, extremely narrow frame and what could be regarded as the world’s smallest fingerprint recognition module. The 15 models equally come with a stainless steel aluminium body and run on the new Flyme 7 OS based on Android Nougat, unfortunately. The prices of both models are also quite impressive. Meizu 15 is priced at ¥2499 ($396) for the 4GB + 64GB model and ¥2799 ($444) for the 4GB + 128GB model. The Meizu 15 Plus is ¥2999 ($476) for the 6GB+64GB and ¥3299 ($523) for the 6GB+128GB model.
Xiaomi Redmi S2 is speculated to arrive as an upcoming budget phone with dual rear cameras in markets like China and India. Its leaked firmware files have already revealed plenty of information in the past week. A new Xiaomi phone with model number M1803E6E has received certification from TENAA. Its specs suggest that it could be the upcoming Redmi S2 phone. Also, M1803E6E matches with the internal codename present in the firmware files, claims XDA Developers. The “IS_E6” seems to be Redmi S2’s codename.
According to the TENAA listing, the alleged Redmi S2 measures 160.73 x 77.26 x 8.1mm and it weighs 170 grams. The handset features an 18:9 aspect ratio supporting display of 5.99 inches. Since it supports HD+ resolution of 720 x 1440 pixels, it can be assumed that it will be arriving as a low budget phone. It receives power from a 3,000mAh battery.
Leaked firmware files had revealed that the Redmi S2 is driven by Snapdragon 625 SoC that features a 2.0 GHz octa-core processor. The TENAA listing has also revealed that the alleged S2 is fueled by a chipset that offers the same clocking speed.
The M1803E6E Xiaomi phone is expected to hit the Chinese market in RAM variants like 2 GB, 4 GB and 6 GB. These models will respectively feature internal storage of 16 GB, 32 GB and 64 GB. The handset will also feature a microSD card slot. It will be running on Android 8.1 Oreo and is expected to arrive with the latest MIUI skin.
For photography, the handset is equipped vertically arranged dual rear cameras on its rear panel. The TENAA listing reveals that it will include 12-megapixel + 8-megapixel dual camera setup and a front-facing camera of 16-megapixel. Through the firmware files, it has been revealed that the Redmi S2’s dual cameras are expected to be come with features like Electronic Image Stabilization (EIS) and Portrait Mode. Also, the selfie snapper is pegged to carry support for facial recognition feature. The handset is expected to be available in multiple color choices such as Black, Blue, Gold, Gray, Pink, Red, Rose Gold, Silver and White.
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