Lenovo Z5 to Offer 45 Days Standby, Launch Invitation Arriving Soon

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May 23, 2018

Lenovo Group VP Chang Cheng has been teasing on the features of the upcoming Lenovo Z5 flagship phone since the past few weeks. Through the very first Lenovo Z5 teaser, Cheng had hinted that it will be offering a screen-to-body ratio of around 95 percent. He had also revealed that the Z5 would be arriving with an internal storage of 4 TB. Today’s teaser by Cheng reveals that the handset will be arriving with a massive battery.

Cheng claims that the Lenovo Z5 will be offering a standby time of 45 days without mentioning the size of its battery. This indicates that the smartphone will be packed with a behemoth battery. Cheng has also claimed that the company will be soon rolling out launch invitation for the Z5. It is speculated that the handset may get official on June 14.

According to Cheng, the Lenovo Z5 is packed with 4 technological breakthroughs and 18 patented technologies. Apart from featuring a comprehensive display and a huge native storage of 4 TB, the Lenovo Z5 is expected to deliver stellar photo shooting experience.

The camera samples of the Lenovo Z5 that were released recently have revealed the photography prowess of rear and front cameras. As of this writing, there is no information available on the specifications of the Lenovo Z5. There is a possibility that the Z5 could be running on ZUK UI.

Could be it arriving as a worthy competitor for the OnePlus 6 and Xiaomi Mi 8? Share us your views by posting your comments below.

(source)

Buy Lenovo Smart Watch 9 Sports Watch For Only $25.99 On LightInTheBox; Hurry, Discount Ends Soon!

By

Vinay Patel

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May 23, 2018

Lenovo designs, develops, manufactures and sells a slew of high tech gadgets including PCs, tablets, smartphones, and even smartwatches. The Chinese tech behemoth recently announced Lenovo S5, K5 and K5 Play smartphones along with its hotly-anticipated hybrid smartwatch dubbed Lenovo Watch 9.

Lenovo broke with tradition with the recently launched Smart Watch 9, which is actually an analog watch equipped with a slew of smart features. The gadget sports a superior sapphire glass on top which boasts a 9H hardness rating.

Apart from that, the Lenovo Watch 9 comes with a comfortable silicone strap and is housed in an eye-catching stainless steel shell. Moreover, it is waterproof for up to 50 meters.Despite lacking a dedicated display, the Lenovo Watch 9 is a powerful sports watch as it can still be connected to your smartphone, and the wearer can also use many of its features. Your alarm would not wake up others because it just vibrates in order to wake only you up. It also vibrates every time the wearer receives a notification.

Now that the Lenovo Watch 9 hybrid smartwatch has your attention, we’ll talk about the big discount LightInTheBox is currently offering on the device’s original asking price. Let’s delve straight into the details.

The Beijing based international online retail company is offering a massive 52% off on the Lenovo Smart Watch 9, bringing its retail price down to only $25.99. It’s worth noting that the gadget would normally set you back $54.23 on the site.

The aforesaid discount will be valid for the black color version of the Smart Watch 9. On the downside, the promotion sale is scheduled to end shortly.

If you’re interested in grabbing the deal before it wraps up, simply follow this link. Note that the Lenovo Smart Watch 9 Sports Watch will go back to its usual selling price as soon as the promo comes to an end.

Get 52% Off On Lenovo Smart Watch 9 Sports Watch On LightInTheBox

Check More Deals and Promotions From Other Shops

Buy HUAMI Amazfit Stratos Smart Sports Watch For Only $163.97 On LightInTheBox; Promo Slated To End Soon!

By

Vinay Patel

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May 23, 2018

There are all sorts of smartwatches available in the market today. While you can choose from a wide range of fitness accessories that help you keep track of impacts of all activities, they don’t come cheap.

If you’re a fitness enthusiast looking to buy a fitness tracker without emptying your pocket, we have good news for you. LightInTheBox is currently offering the Xiaomi HUAMI Amazfit Stratos Smart Sports Watch at a lowered price of $163.97.

The Beijing based international online retail company is giving a noteworthy 50% off on the retail price of the Amazfit Stratos, which has been developed by Huami in collaboration with Firstbeat Technologies. It’s worth noting that the device would normally set you back $329.99 on LightInTheBox.

At $163.97, the Amazfit Stratos is an irresistible smart sports watch, given that it comes with 5 ATM water-resistant rating. The device is 50 meters water resistant i.e. it can handle water pressure of 50 meters underwater. In other words, you can wear it while swimming and even record the data.
It sports a big 2.5D capacitive touchscreen display with an HD screen resolution of 320 x 300 pixels. Moreover, it features high-quality Corning Gorilla glass material on top for added protection.

The Amazfit Stratos adopts reflective display technology which keeps the dial always bright without the black screen. The dial brightness can automatically adjust according to the surrounding in a bid to deliver an unparalleled eye experience.

Aside from that, the Amazfit Stratos smartwatch boasts hand polished ceramic bezel which not only protects the gadget from scratch but also reflects its eye-catching gloss. Furthermore, it features stainless steel buttons that let you control different tasks without breaking much of a sweat.

The Xiaomi-branded smartwatch offers 11 types of sports patterns including running, walking, outdoor riding, swimming pool, swimming, open water swimming, indoor running, indoor riding, elliptical machines, mountaineering, and cross country running. Apart from that, the device comes with GPS and GLONASS support which allows you to record a slew of professional sports data such as your daily development, mileage, altitude, stride frequency, and pace.

If the HUAMI Amazfit Stratos has grabbed your attention and you’re interested in taking advantage of the discount, you can follow this link. Note that the device will go back to its retail price after the promo comes to an end.

Get 50% Off On HUAMI AMAZFIT Stratos Smart Sports Watch On LightInTheBox

Check More Deals and Promotions From Other Shops

Xiaomi Launches Roidmi Car Air Purifier with OLED Display Priced At 699 Yuan (~$109)

By

Jed John Ikoba

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May 22, 2018

Xiaomi has launched a new car air purifier under its crowdfunding platform with some improvement over the previous model and a competitive price tag. The Roidmi Car Air Purifier is a successor to the first-gen model which was launched in December 2016. It would be recalled that the original first-gen Xiaomi Car Air Purifier was elicited by a picture which made the rounds on Weibo back then of a man using the bulky Mi home air purifier on a high-speed train while on transit. The company launched the portable car model to cater for travellers.

This new car air purifier is manufactured by Xiaomi’s ecological chain company Roidmi, well known for its quality products like the Roidmi 2S/ 3S car chargers, magnetic air vent phone holder and several others. The device is even teased as having won the German Red Dot Design Award 2018. The Roidmi Car Air Purifier is distinct from the previous model as a result of the OLED display it packs as well as a more refined and polished design. The CADR value is also increased from 60m³/h to 80m³/h and as a result, the air inside the car is purified in just 2 minutes.

The new version also utilises double fans. In addition, it adopts a three-side circulation intake design to increase the area of the air inlet, so that the air in the vehicle is fully circulated and the purification efficiency is improved. It equally has integrated 360° barrel-shaped full-effect composite filter element that supports multi-effect combination of anti-mite, aldehyde removal. It also has anti-bacterial property as it utilizes a high-precision laser particle sensor to enhance purification capability.

The OLED display can accurately show the PM2.5 concentration, filter usage, Bluetooth connection and work mode, to keep the user abreast of the car air quality changes. Of course, it can be paired with a smartphone and the parameters can also be checked using the Roidmi app.

The car air purifier is presently on crowdfunding for 699yuan (~$109) and will ship on July 3, 2018.

Alcatel 3V Launched In The US Packing An 18:9 Display, Dual Camera & Priced At $150

By

Jed John Ikoba

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May 22, 2018

Chinese smartphone maker TCL who owns the Alcatel brand has launched the Alcatel 3V mid-range smartphone in the U.S. The phone is set to go on sale in the States on May 29 but the pre-order is live on Amazon with the price pegged at just $149.99 which is super cheap. The Alcatel 3V was unveiled earlier this year in Europe during the Mobile World Congres (MWC) 2018.

The Alcatel 3V features an attractive body made of metal and glass which gives the device a premium look that could pass for that of a flagship model. The device isn’t a flagship model, though, as it packs a MediaTek MT8735A quad-core processor under its hood clocked at 1.45GHz. The processor is paired with 2GB of RAM and there is 16GB of expandable storage onboard. The 3V equally packs a 3000mAh battery which should serve its purpose. On the software aspect, the smartphone runs on Android 8.0 Oreo operating system.

The Alcatel 3V sports a 6-inch full-view display with an 18:9 aspect ratio and a FullHD+ resolution of 2160 x 1080 pixels. The device has a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor placed just under the rear camera. Talking of the camera, the Alcatel model packs a dual camera setup at the rear. The main shooter has a 12 MP sensor, while the secondary camera is there just to assist in depth-perception tasks with a 2 MP sensor of its own. For selfies, the 3V packs a 5 MP camera with a front flash of its own. The device also adds the Face Unlock feature.

For the U.S market, the Alcatel 3V is unlocked and will work on GSM carriers -AT&T, T-Mobile, Cricket, Wireless, MetroPCS, among others. The device comes in Spectrum Black and as stated earlier, it is already on pre-order on Amazon but will be available to ship next week. The device will also be available to buy at Best Buy and Walmart stores in due course. You’ll agree the device is a good bargain for $149.99 considering the specs and design it packs. To increase its attractiveness, the device will come bundled with a free clear protective case and screen protector.

(via)

Xiaomi Mi 8 Real Pictures Leak Showcasing A Unique Transparent Glass Back Panel

By

Jed John Ikoba

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May 22, 2018

Xiaomi earlier on Tuesday revealed that it would hold a launch event on May 31 where the Mi 8 Anniversary flagship would be launched. The company is expected to announce a couple of products which could include the Mi Max 3 and Mi Band 3. Ahead of the launch, we may have just set our eyes on the real pictures of the Xiaomi Mi 8.

The pictures purported to be those of the Mi 8 appeared on China’s Weibo and they show the device in all its glory captured from the front and back. The front view aligns with the design of the leaked front panel which revealed the Mi 8 will come with a notch design on its display. The rear panel is where we find much of the admiration. The device has a glass back panel but interestingly, it is a transparent glass panel which shows the internal panel. We could make out the Snapdragon chipset on the motherboard, with Qualcomm’s logo printed on it. The device is also shown to pack a vertically aligned dual rear camera setup tilted to the upper left corner. However, we can’t say for sure if the pictures are really those of the Mi 8.

The Mi 8 is expected to sport a 6.01-inch OLED display with 3D facial recognition. The device will also be powered by a Snapdragon 845 chipset and will get its juice from a 4000mAh battery. The glass panel also throws up the possibility of the Mi 8 packing a wireless charging technology. There are also speculations that the device will come with under display fingerprint scanner but that isn’t certain.

(source)

Razer Launches Razer Blade (2018) Gaming Laptop, Starts At $1900

By

Habeeb Onawole

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May 22, 2018

Last week, we reported that Razer had a launch scheduled for today. The event which held in Beijing, China wasn’t for the Chinese launch of the Razer Phone but for the new Razer Blade Gaming Laptop.

The Razer Blade (2018) comes with a larger 15.6-inch display compared to its predecessor’s 14-inch screen. However, the bezels have been significantly reduced. Its small form factor gives it the title of the world’s smallest gaming laptop with a dimension of 355 x 235 x 16.8 mm. It also weighs approximately 4.5lbs (~2.04kg).

The Razer Blade comes in four different configurations. The base model has a GTX1060 GPU, a Full HD 60Hz screen, and 256GB SSD. It is followed by a $2200 model with a Full HD 144Hz screen, the same GPU above, and 512GB SSD.

The third model priced at $2400 has the same screen and storage as the second but a GTX1070 GPU while the 4th has a 4K touch display and the same GPU and storage capacity as the third. It is priced at $2900. Of all four models, only the third is available for purchase right now, the remaining three will be available in June.

All models are powered by an 8th Gen Intel Core 17-8750H processor with 16GB of RAM (expandable to 32GB). They also have an 80Wh lithium-ion polymer battery supplying juice. You can also expand the storage on all models up to 2TB.

For connectivity, there is Bluetooth 5.0, a 3.5mm audio jack, three USB 3.1 Type A ports, HDMI 2.0b port, a Mini DisplayPort, and a Thunderbolt port that allows you connect up to three external monitors.

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Vivo Apex Retail Launch Scheduled On June 12 In Shanghai, China

By

Jeet

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May 22, 2018

Earlier this year, Vivo unveiled its Vivo Apex concept phone in China which offers an impressive screen-to-body ratio of 91 percent, under-display fingerprint scanner, and a pop-up selfie camera. Now, it seems that the company is all set to launch the smartphone.

Vivo has revealed that it is holding a launch event in Shanghai, China on 12th June where it will launch the Vivo Apex smartphone. However, it is not yet clear if the phone will be launched as Apex or will get a new name.

The smartphone features a 5.99-inch OLED display with COF technology. To provide the full-screen experience, the Chinese manufacturer has embedded the ambient and proximity sensors under the display.

Further, the display also doubles up as earpiece and loudspeaker and are placed beneath it. Interestingly, the half part of the display is integrated with an in-screen fingerprint reader, unlike the Vivo X20 Plus UD which has only one spot on the bottom portion of the screen.

On the top edge of the display, there’s a hidden selfie camera that can be elevated when required. The front-facing camera takes only 0.8 seconds to pop-up, according to the company. The camera on the smartphone supports Super HDR that has a limited dynamic range of up to 14 EV.

The smartphone is powered by Qualcomm‘s flagship Snapdragon 845 processor, which powers most of the flagship smartphones launched this year so far. Apart from that, nothing else is known about the phone’s specifications. However, we are expecting the device to come with top-of-the-line specs. It’s known that the phone will come with USB Type-C port and a 3.5mm headphone jack at the bottom.

Recently, Vivo shared a commercial that the company is planning to air during the 2018 FIFA World Cup. The advertisement shows a smartphone that is very similar to the Apex concept that was showcased at Mobile World Congress.

A couple of months ago, the China-based company had revealed that the Apex will go into mass-production at some point during mid-2018. Notably, Vivo was originally marketing the Apex as just a concept smartphone, but the company later confirmed that it will be sold to the general public.

Currently, no more information is available related to the smartphone. We’ll have to wait a few more weeks to know what are the specifications of the Vivo Apex, how much it’ll cost and when it will be available for purchase.

(Source)

Micromax Launches Its First Android GO Phone In India For Just Rs. 4399

By

Michele Ingelido

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May 22, 2018

The first Android Go smartphone by Micromax has just debuted in India: its called Bharat GO and has been priced at just Rs. 4399, which roughly translates into $65/€55. Obviously, the handset comes with entry-level specs, but thanks to Android Go Oreo Edition it should run smooth as it has a lite version of the operating system installed which, according to Google, can run smoothly even on smartphones with 512 MB of RAM. Given that it is a very affordable phone, Micromax Bharat GO has a full polycarbonate design with thick bezels around the display.

The phone has compact dimensions due to the small 4.5-inch display which shows images at an FWVGA resolution (854 x 480 pixels). On the hardware side, it boasts a quad-core MT6737M chipset by MediaTek which integrates a Mali T720 GPU. The processor is accompanied by 1 GB of RAM and just 8 GB of internal storage, but it is possible to expand it with a micro SD up to 128 GB. The micro SD slot doubles as dual SIM slot. The version of the operating system installed is the 8.1, so, even though it is Android Go, you will get the latest version.

Both the main camera and the front snapper have a resolution of 5 MP, and both are equipped with a LED flash so that you can shoot selfies even in the dark. The battery has a capacity of just 2000 mAh: not much, but it should be enough due to the efficient low-end components. Micromax Bharat GO will be only available in the Black color and the Indian carrier Airtel has launched a promotion called “Mera Pehla Smartphone” which gives a cashback of Rs. 2000 on its purchase.

(via)

Here’s Why The OnePlus 6 Doesn’t Have Wireless Charging

By

Jed John Ikoba

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May 22, 2018

OnePlus finally went official with the much-anticipated OnePlus 6 last week and the device went up for sale for the first time today. The OP6 looks a lot similar to the OnePlus 5T except that the device presents with a more premium glass body instead of metal used on the 5T. The glass body of the OP6 apart from adding glitz and glamour to the looks also allows for ultra-fast gigabit data speeds where the carrier can support those speeds. Another feature that could have been added to the OnePlus flagship as a result of its glass body is wireless charging. Curiously, OnePlus left that out of the OP6’s features despite it being a feature of most of the flagship phones around presently.

OnePlus has now revealed why it didn’t include wireless charging on the 6. A reporter for U.K’s Business Insider quotes OnePlus representatives as simply stating that they didn’t really feel the need to add wireless charging. The officials were further credited to have stated that the company wasn’t going to add a feature just for the sake of it.

That may not be the real reason for the lack of wireless charging. Even though OnePlus listens to fan’s feedback, it didn’t stick with the result of feedbacks regarding fans’ disapproval of a notch design on the OP6. OnePlus could simply be saving the feature for the OnePlus 6T which may drop later this year. Be that as it may, wireless charging isn’t a feature that should get us very excited, considering that the charging speed is much slower than the wired chargers. Also, fans would have to buy the wireless chargers themselves. Moreso, OnePlus’ DASH charging technology delivers super fast wired charging.

(source)

The OnePlus 6 Is The Fastest Selling OnePlus Device, Gets New Update That Brings Slo-Mo & “Hide Notch” Feature

By

Habeeb Onawole

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May 22, 2018

The OnePlus 6 went on sale today and according to the OnePlus official Twitter account, it is the fastest selling OnePlus device ever. It seems the increase in the price of OnePlus’s latest flagship hasn’t deterred fans from rushing to pick up a unit.

True Flagship Killer. Record Breaker. The #OnePlus6 just became our fastest selling device ever. https://t.co/jadt5mSEHJ pic.twitter.com/zr6bOXzTzt

— OnePlus (@oneplus) May 22, 2018

That is not the only news. OnePlus has also released the first update for the device, one that brings two important features, May’s security patch, and more.

The new update now adds a toggle setting where you can hide or show the notch. If you dislike the notch, you will find this useful. The update also allows you to record in slow motion – 720p at 480fps and 1080p at 240fps.

Other new features include support for quick capture in portrait mode and more actions for recently deleted files from the gallery app. The update also brings the OnePlus Switch App which should come in handy for moving your files from your old phone to your shiny new phone.

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ZUK Phones Are Still Updating! Lenovo Rolls Out ZUI 3.5.376 Based On Oreo

By

Michele Ingelido

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May 22, 2018

Lenovo put an end to its ZUK sub-brand more than a year ago and the last ZUK phone was released at the end of 2016. But these phones are getting new updates, even in 2018! After updating ZUK Z2, Z2 Pro and Edge to Android Oreo (just to remind you, the first two phones were released with Android 6.0 Marshmallow out of the box!), the Chinese company has released a new minor stable version of ZUI, the custom user interface found on these handsets.

In case you don’t know, this UI is still being adopted by Lenovo on some of its recently-released smartphones. The new ZUI update based on Android 8.0 Oreo brings the number of version to 3.5.376 and, despite the fact that it is a minor version, it also brings several improvements. The update is available for ZUK Z2, Z2 Pro, and Edge and one of its main focuses is reducing energy consumption.

Indeed, in the changelog, the team has mentioned an “optimization of system power consumption” as well as an improvement of the adaptive brightness and the battery charging system. There are also several bug fixes in the new ZUI update, and graphics changes for a better user experience. Also, the U Health app has been improved as well.

(Via)

MediaTek Announces Helio P22 Chipset For Affordable Smartphones

By

Joel Joseph

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May 22, 2018

Mediatek might have given up on their high-end X series lineup, but the company is slowly but steadily expanding its mid-range Helio series. After seeing good response for its upper mid-range Helio P60 processor, the company has added a new chipset to the lineup, the Helio P22. Alongside the Helio P23 and the P30, the new processor will power mid-range smartphones.

The Helio P22 comes with eight Cortex A53 cores clocked at 2.0GHz. MTK boasts that it is one of the first chipmakers to bring 12nm processors to the budget segment. The chip features Mediatek’s Neuropilot tech which comes with support for TensorFlow, TF Lite, Caffe, and Caffe2. It can select the best available AI resource for developer efficiency.

Mediatek has made sure that the new chipset also comes with trending 2018 features. So there’s support for dual 13+8MP (up to 30fps) cameras and for up to 20:9 (720×1600 pixel) tall displays. The chip offers hardware as well as software based depth sensing. In fact, the P22 has a capable yet efficient hardware depth engine which brings real time bokeh previews to budget smartphones.

Other features include Bluetooth 5.0, Wi-Fi ac, 4G support on both the SIMs, and 4-satellite GNSS.

Mass production of the chip is already underway and smartphones featuring Helio P22 will hit the markets by the end of Q2 2018.

Vivo Showcases The Truly Full Screen Vivo Apex In Its FIFA 2018 WC Advert

By

Habeeb Onawole

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May 22, 2018

The greatest football tournament begins in less than a month and Vivo is one of this edition’s sponsors. The Chinese smartphone manufacturer has released a new advert for the FIFA World Cup 2018 that showcases its truly bezel-less smartphone – the Vivo APEX.

The Vivo APEX first appeared as a concept device at this year’s edition of MWC in Barcelona only to be officially announced later in China. Although you can’t purchase one yet until later this year when it goes on sale.

The APEX is a unique device as it has a screen-to-body-ratio of over 90%. Its 5.99-inch OLED screen doesn’t have a notch like Vivo’s recent releases. Instead, it buries the sensors under the display and hides the front camera in the metal frame. Open the camera app and the sensor slides out in style.

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It also has a fingerprint scanner embedded under the screen. While this may not be new as other Vivo phones have it, the one on the APEX is unique as it covers a much larger area of the screen.

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Vivo X21 FIFA World Cup 2018 Extraordinaire Edition Launched For 3,698 Yuan ($581)

By

Jeet

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May 22, 2018

Continuing its partnership with FIFA, Vivo has today officially launched a new variant of Vivo X21 — the Vivo X21 FIFA World Cup 2018 Extraordinaire Edition. The smartphone will be available in two color options — Classic Blue and Victory Red.

And it’s not just the name, the phone comes with an extraordinary design as well. The back panel of the smartphone has a four-dimensional gradient printing and a fancy pattern on top. At the bottom of the back panel, the company has opted to embed a three-dimensional 2018 FIFA World Cup logo.

This Vivo X21 World Cup Edition smartphone also comes with an under-display fingerprint sensor and the company has included a specially designed new visual effect indicating the unlock function. Further, the company’s own Jovi AI-based smart assistant can provide World Cup game previews, live links and notification/alarm for the gameplay.

Additionally, the smartphone also comes with a customized user interface, which has accents of red, blue and gold colors. The company has aimed to provide a new user interface that is simple, bright and visually appealing. Along with this, the phone comes with custom World Cup wallpapers and a custom Dusha TM font.

Besides this Vivo X21 FIFA World Cup 2018 Extraordinaire Edition, the company is also offering a limited edition custom-made protective shell case for the phone, representing Germany, Argentina, Brazil, and Portugal. To make the protective shell, the company claims to have used layered water paste printing and a matt UV topcoat process, which Vivo says creates strong color impact and excellent texture.

The phone’s specifications are similar to that of the standard Vivo X21 model. It features a 6.28-inch Full-HD+ display with 19:9 aspect ratio and a screen resolution of 2280 x 1080 pixels. The phone is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 processor, coupled with Adreno 512 GPU, 6GB RAM, and 128GB internal storage.

As for the photography, on the front side, the smartphone features a 12-megapixel shooter with f/2.0 aperture. On the rear side, it comes with a dual camera setup, consisting of a 12-megapixel primary sensor with f/1.8 aperture and a 5-megapixel secondary lens with f/2.4 aperture.

The smartphone runs on the custom version of FunTouch OS 4.0, which is based on Android 8.1 Oreo operating system. The smartphone is fuelled by a 3,200mAh battery, which comes with support for fast charging technology.

The Vivo X21 FIFA World Cup 2018 Extraordinaire Edition is priced at 3,698 Yuan, which roughly converts to $581. The Blue colored model will be available for purchase in China from May 26th while it will be available on pre-sale from 22nd May. On the other hand, the Red-colored variant will be available on sale from 1st June.

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Xiaomi Launches In France: Mi Mix 2S, Redmi Note 5, & Mi Electric Scooters Announced

By

Michele Ingelido

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May 22, 2018

Xiaomi’s European expansion continues: the Chinese company has just made its way in France and in two days it will officially land in Italy with its first physical store in the peninsula. The company has just held a press conference announcing its plans in France and it officially brought three products in the market. The first and the most important product in France is the smartphone Xiaomi Mi Mix 2S, which is the best flagship from the company alongside Xiaomi Mi 7 and Mi 8 which will be officially unveiled on May 31. Xiaomi Mi Mix 2S is being offered with a price tag of €499,90 for the base variant with 6 GB of RAM and 64 GB of internal storage, while it costs €599,90 for the 6/128 GB variant.

It comes with a 5.99-inch Full HD+ display which sports a tri-bezel-less design and an 18:9 aspect ratio. Under the hood, it has an octa-core Snapdragon 845 chipset by Qualcomm, while on its rear side there is a 12 MP dual camera setup and a fingerprint reader.

The second product brought in France is the mid-ranger Xiaomi Redmi Note 5. Note that it is not the Redmi Note 5 Pro with Snapdragon 636, but just a re-branded Redmi 5 Plus. It has a French price tag of €199,90 for the variant with 3 GB of RAM and 32 GB of internal storage, while it costs €249,90 for the 4/64 GB version. Its display has a size of 5.99 inches, an 18:9 aspect ratio and a Full HD+ resolution of 1080 x 2160 pixels. The SoC is an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 running at a max frequency of 2.45 GHz, while the battery has a capacity of 4000 mAh.

Besides smartphones, Xiaomi has also launched the Mi Electric Scooter in France, with a price of €349,99. The first French official store is located in Paris, (29 boulevard de Sébastopol, 75001).

(via)

Moto G5 Running Android 8.1 Seen On Geekbench, Update May Be Coming Soon

By

Habeeb Onawole

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May 22, 2018

You would think because Motorola phones run a near stock version of Android they would get updated faster. Sadly, that isn’t the case. Last year’s Moto G5 is still on Android 7.1 Nougat but it may not be for long.

A Moto G5 running Android 8.1 Oreo was seen on Geekbench yesterday which makes us think an update is coming soon. Fortunately, it is Android 8.1 and not Android 8.0, so that should make up for the delay.

The Moto G5 has a 5.0-inch FHD screen, a Snapdragon 430 processor and an Adreno 505 GPU. It comes in 2GB RAM and 3GB RAM variants with 16GB and 32GB of internal storage respectively.

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ZTE Ban May Be Lifted As China & US Work On Negotiations

By

Habeeb Onawole

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May 22, 2018

ZTE has had a rough couple of weeks since the US supply ban but it seems things may get better very soon. New reports say the Chinese and US government are having talks on how to resolve the issue.

According to Reuters, both governments are working on a deal that will see China remove import tariffs on American agricultural products and cars. The deal will also include an increase in the purchase of these agricultural products.

ZTE, on the other hand, may be slapped with hefty fines and required to change its top executives in exchange for a removal of the ban.

However, the deal may not be finalized as there are people who are of the opinion that ZTE’s action is a breach of law and can not be used as a bargaining chip in the trade war between both countries.

US Senator Marco Rubio, is reported to have said that fines and changes to ZTE’s leadership won’t prevent the company from “spying and stealing” from the US. He has pledged that the Congress will block any deal made with the company.

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Honor 10 Sales Crossed 1 Million In Less Than A Month

By

Habeeb Onawole

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May 22, 2018

The Honor 10 can be termed a cheaper version of the Huawei P20. It has nearly the same internals save for the Leica-Huawei co-developed sensors. Its cheaper price tag has paid off as Honor has announced that it has sold over a million units since it went on sale.

The Honor 10 was released on April 19 in China and went on sale online and offline on April 27. Less than 5 minutes after it went on sale, Honor said online sales had crossed ¥400 million.

Today, Honor’s President, Zhao Ming, took to Weibo to announce that they have sold over a million units of the Honor 10 smartphone. This figure is only for China and doesn’t include the new markets the Honor 10 launched in recently.

The Honor 10 has a 5.84-inch display with a notch at the top and a 2280 x 1080 resolution. It is powered by the Kirin 970 processor which has a dedicated NPU for AI tasks. The chipset is paired with 6GB of RAM and 64GB/128GB of storage.

The Honor 10 may not have the Huawei P20’s Leica cameras but its sensors also have AI features. The primary camera is a 16MP sensor and it is paired with a 24MP secondary sensor. However, it uses the same 24MP selfie camera as the P20 series which also packs a lot of features and supports Face Unlock.

The rest of the specs include NFC, a USB-C port, a 3.5mm audio jack, a dedicated Hi-Fi audio chip, and a 3,320mAh battery with support for Huawei’s Supercharge fast charging.

The 64GB Honor 10 is sold for ¥2599 (~$408) and the 128GB model is priced at ¥2999 (~$471).

(Source, Via)

Lucky Chaps: 56 Xiaomi Employees To Become Millionaires After IPO

By

Jed John Ikoba

-

May 22, 2018

It’s no longer news that Xiaomi has filed for an IPO in Hong Kong. The IPO which will soon go public could see the company’s valuation pegged at $100 billion which would potentially make the IPO the largest in four years since Alibaba Group raised $25 billion in its 2014 debut in New York.

More details have now emerged showing that Xiaomi Corp. isn’t the only beneficiary of the IPO. The first set of Xiaomi employees, 56 in numbers were able to pull together $11 million back in 2010 to invest in the startup. This was before Xiaomi sold a single smartphone. The story even has it that some had to dip hands into their savings and borrowed from parents with one receptionist tapped her dowry.

These lucky chaps which Bloomberg refers to as the Lucky 56 are about hitting the goldmine with the company prepping a blockbuster initial public offering. Xiaomi is presently one of the most successful smartphone makers in the world and their stake in the company may soon be worth $1 billion to $3 billion, depending on the stock sale. On the average, each of them could get $36 million.

Okay, eight years down the road, it looks easy but the road has been a tough one. The journey began with workers like Li Weixing, an ex-Microsoft Corp. engineer who was employee No. 12. When word spread back in 2010 that Lei Jun and his co-founders were racking up their own money for a venture financing round, Li and others wanted to join them. Lei Jun had hinted in an interview conducted in March that they had to let everyone in since they cant let only Weixing invest. The investments from the rank-and-file were capped at about 300,000 yuan each to limit risk and stop employees from taking out loans to invest. The employee who even took out her dowry of around 100,000 to 200,000 yuan ($16,000 to $31,000) was simply identified as employee No. 14, a receptionist now working in Xiaomi’s human resources office. That stake could be worth between $1 million and $8 million.

Collectively, the group stands to gain as much as $3 billion if Xiaomi floats 15 percent of the company at a $100 billion valuation when it goes public in Hong Kong later this year, according to calculations based on Xiaomi’s prospectus. A more conservative estimate would yield a $1.4 billion payout for the 56 employees if Xiaomi floats 25 percent of the company at a $50 billion valuation. In all, the lucky 56 employees stand to make roughly 200 times their original investment. Lei Jun and his co-founders will make even more with Lei Jun’s stake estimated to be worth $27 billion. None of this was obvious in 2010 but looking back, they’ll all be beaming with satisfaction for the life-changing decisions they all made in that tiny Beijing office.

(source)