Lenovo S5 Specs Rumor Roundup: What To Expect From The Redmi Note 5 Killer Tomorrow

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Mar 19, 2018

Last week, a report surfaced online that the upcoming Meizu E3 will be powered by the Snapdragon 636 mobile platform. AnTuTu just verified that news is accurate.

The Meizu E3 has been benchmarked and it not only reveals the processor but also some other features.

The Meizu E3 runs Android 7.1.1 Nougat. It is powered by the Snapdragon 636 with an Adreno 509 GPU. It also packs 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. AnTuTu also confirms the 5.99” display has a 2160 x 1080 resolution.

Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 636 and the 6GB of RAM sees the Meizu E3 score 112478 points on the benchmarking site.

Vivo X21 Launched In China, Packs 6.28-Inch Display, Snapdragon 660 SoC And 6GB RAM

By

Jeet

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Mar 19, 2018

After launching the Vivo X20 Plus UD and announcing the Vivo Apex smartphone, the Chinese smartphone manufacturer has today launched its new flagship smartphone — Vivo X21. The company has also announced another variant of the phone named Vivo X21 Screen Fingerprint.

The Vivo X21 comes with the traditional fingerprint sensor at the back of the phone while the Vivo X21 UD comes with an under display fingerprint sensor similar to the recently launched Vivo X20 Plus UD. Apart from this fingerprint sensor, rest of the specifications are same on both phones.

The Vivo X21 features a 6.28-inch Full HD+ display with 2280 x 1080 pixels screen resolution and an unusual aspect ratio of 19:9 because of the presence of a notch on the top side. The display covers majority portion on the front panel and has ultra narrow bezels around the display.

Under the hood, the device is powered by Qualcomm‘s Snapdragon 660 octa-core processor clocked at 2.2GHz. It packs 6GB RAM and comes in two storage options — 64GB and 128GB. The phone also supports microSD card slot, which enables users to further expand the phone’s storage capacity up to 256GB.

As of the camera department, the phone comes with a dual camera setup at the back which consists of a 12-megapixel camera lens and a 5-megapixel secondary lens with an LED flash. On the front side, there’s a 12-megapixel camera sensor for taking selfies and video calling. The camera comes with artificial intelligence and Vivo’s own Rubiks Cube technology.

The phone also supports face unlock feature. One of the interesting offerings of the phone is a smart assistant. The company has introduced Jovi, which is Vivo’s assistant based on artificial intelligence technology. For enhanced audio experience, Vivo has included AK4376A Hi-Fi chip.

Connectivity options on the device include 4G LTE, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Dual-band Wi-Fi (2X2MIMO), Bluetooth v5, GPS, and microUSB. The phone runs on Android 8.1 Oreo operating system with company’s own FunTouch OS 4.0 custom skin on top. Both versions of the phone are fuelled by a 3,200mAh battery.

The Vivo X21 will be available in three colors — Aurora White, Drill Black, and Ruby Red. However, the Vivo X21 Screen Fingerprint version will be offered in only two colors — Drill Black and Ruby Red. It will be available from March 24th.

The 6GB RAM and 64GB storage model of the Vivo X21 is priced at 2898 Yuan (approximately $458) while the 6GB RAM and 128GB storage variant cost 3198 Yuan (approximately$505). The Vivo X21 Screen Fingerprint variant, which comes with 6GB RAM and 128GB internal storage is priced at 3598 Yuan, which roughly converts to $568.

How Much Does It Cost To Build The Galaxy S9+?

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Mar 19, 2018

How much do you think it costs to build a Galaxy S9+ (Exynos)? Someone at TechInsights has made a chart comparing the cost of building Samsung’s latest flagship against other phones like the Galaxy Note8, S8+, iPhone 8+, and iPhone X.

The chart gives a breakdown of every major component that is in the phone and some of the details are surprising. Do note that the price of each material for each phone was taken when the device was initially analysed.

The display for the Galaxy S9+ costs $72.50 but for the S8+ it is $78.50. Both devices use practically the same display with a few minor changes but the display of the S9+ costs $4 less. Even the iPhone X’ notched display costs less than that of the Galaxy S8+.

Of all the devices, the Galaxy S9+ has the highest camera cost at $48. It is understandable for the S8+ and iPhone 8 Plus since they both have single rear cameras.

The Exynos 9810 which has an integrated LTE modem costs $68. It is slightly lesser than the Galaxy Note 8’s $68.50 price and more than the $64.50 price of the iPhone X and iPhone 8 Plus when you combine the price of the Bionic 11 chip ($52) and Qualcomm MDM9655 LTE modem ($12.50).

The Galaxy S9+ comes with a 3500mAh battery and that costs $5.50. The iPhone X’s smaller 2716mAh battery costs $6.50. The iPhone X also costs more in non-electronics – $46 as against the Galaxy S9+’ $29.

In summary, the Galaxy S9+ is Samsung’s most expensive phone yet in terms of components with the total bill of materials coming to $379.50. However, it is still less than Apple’s iPhone X which costs $389.50.

Nokia 8110 4G to Launch with Jio in May in India; Nokia 8 Sirocco, 7 Plus and Nokia 1 Arriving in April

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Mar 19, 2018

HMD Global had unveiled the Nokia 6 (2018), Nokia 7 Plus, Nokia 8 Sirocco, Nokia 1 and Nokia 8110 4G phones at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2018 in the past month. The company is now making these phones available in wider markets. Fresh information claims that the Finnish firm is prepping up to launch these phones in India starting from next month.

India is one of the top three markets through which HMD Global is generating its revenue. Hence, HMD Global CEO Florian Sieche is aiming to rank Nokia among the top five phone brands in the country. This year the company will be investing more on retail presence, consumer engagement and advertising.

HMD Global India head Ajay Mehta is of the view that offline channel is the core strength of the company. Hence, the firm will be aiming to increase the visibility of the brand this year by increasing the retail presence by 10 percent. He added that online sales is around 30 percent of market, but it is integral to sell its devices through e-commerce sites to become of the top ranking smartphone brands in India. At present the Finnish firm is in talks with its manufacturing partner Foxconn to ramp up the manufacturing of existing Nokia smartphones and feature phones in India.

Starting from April, the company aims to launch Nokia 8 Sirocco, Nokia 7 Plus and Nokia 6 (2018) and Nokia 1 phones in India. According to Sieche, India is a vast market for 4G feature phones. Hence, it is planning to launch the Nokia 8110 4G phone in collaboration with Reliance Jio in May. Both the firms will be aiming to sell the Nokia 8110 4G feature phone to around 500 million basic phone users of the country who have not upgraded to high-end smartphones.

Meizu E3 Hands-On Photos, Pre-sale Pricing Leaked

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Mar 19, 2018

Meizu will be announcing the Meizu E3 smartphone on March 21. Leaked hands-on of the gold and black variants of the Meizu E3 have appeared on Weibo. These images show the entire front and rear design of the Meizu E3. Also, a leaked photo showing the pre-sale price of the phone has also appeared on the Chinese microblogging site. It reveals that the E3 may be coming with a costlier pricing compared to the predecessor Meizu E2 phone.

As it can be seen in the below images, the Meizu E3 seems to be wearing a metal unibody design with matte finish. The vertically arranged dual rear cameras are placed on the top-left corner of the rear panel. The “mblu by Meizu” branding that was seen in previously leaked photos are not present on the new images. The upper and lower edges of the phone feature the antenna bands.

The right edge of the phone features a Power key at the top followed by a depression for the side-mounted fingerprint reader. The volume rocker is placed on the left edge of the phone. The frontside of the Meizu E3 is mostly occupied by the 18:9 aspect ratio display. The upper bezel of the phone houses a selfie camera, an earpiece and some other sensors.

A recent report had claimed that the 32 GB and 128 GB storage models of the Meizu E3 would be respectively priced at 1,499 Yuan and 1,799 Yuan. However, a leaked photo showing the pre-sale price of the phone reveals that the Meizu E3 will be costing 2,299 Yuan (~$363). Interestingly, early rumors had claimed that the handset will be available with the same pricing. It appears quite expensive compared to the 1,299 Yuan (~$205) pricing of Meizu E2.

The Meizu E3 is expected to arrive with Snapdragon 636 chipset and 6 GB of RAM like China’s Xiaomi Redmi Note 5. The Note 5 highest configuration model featuring 6 GB RAM and 64 GB of storage carries a pricing of 1,699 Yuan (~$268) which is quite low than the Meizu E3’s 2,299 Yuan (~$363).

The E3 is pegged to feature a 5.99-inch display that will produce FHD+ resolution of 2160 x 1080 pixels along with an aspect ratio of 18:9. It may arrive with 20-megapixel + 12-megapixel dual rear cameras that may include the Sony IMX363 sensor. Its 32 GB model and 128 GB storage models may respectively feature 4 GB and 6 GB of RAM. It may house a selfie camera of 8-megapixel. A 3,300mAh battery coupled with 20W fast charging may power the phone. The company is also expected to launch Meizu E3 Special Kumamon Bear Edition on March 21.

(source|via)

Xiaomi Launches OCooker Multipurpose Electric Cooker Priced At 199 Yuan (~$31)

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Mar 19, 2018

Xiaomi has launched the OCooker Multipurpose Electric Cooker under the crowdfunding platform. The interior cooking surface of the electric cooker is manufactured using 304 stainless steel. While the cooker comes with a split design where the pot is separate from the heating surface. This is quite different from the design of the first OCookr Kitcher cooker which has the pot integrated with the heating surface.

The OCooker electric cooker also comes with the ability to retain heat, making it possible to leave hot food on top of the hotpot and still meet it hot several hours later. There is also the ability to adjust the firepower or heat intensity. The cooker comes with control buttons for switching on and also increasing or decreasing the heat intensity.

Design wise, the hot pot uses a 2.0mm thick aluminium heating surface for efficient heat transfer. The heating surface also comes with two layers of non-water sticking coating which prevents corrosion. The stainless steel pot can b detached from the electric cooker and other pots mounted on top for other cooking purposes. For first time usage, the manufacturer advises that water is heated on the cooking pot and then thrown away in other to get it cleaned. Also, like all electric cookers, there is need to remove the plug from the wall-socket before cleaning.

The OCooker Electric cooker is priced at 199 Yuan (~$31) and is available on Xiaomi’s Youpin platform. The cooker is presently listed as sold out but we believe a new stock will arrive soon. If you are outside China, we can’t say when this product will be available to buy.

Xiaomi Mi MIX 2S Appears in Real in Official Teasers to End the Mystery Behind its Design

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Mar 19, 2018

Images showing the Xiaomi brand ambassador Wu Yifan (Kris Wu) holding the Mi MIX 2S have been officially shared on the company’s Weibo account. There have been lot of speculations on the design of the Mi MIX 2S, but the official images that has been released on Weibo confirms what sort of appearance it will be arriving with. Also, the company has released special invitations for the March 27 launch event of Mi MIX 2S that includes special tickets to the Pompidou museum in France. The unveil event will be held at Shanghai.

The above images show that the appearance of the Mi MIX 2S will not be very different from the predecessor model. Hence, these images completely debunk the rumor that claim that Mi MIX 2S will be equipped with a notched display. Wu Yifan has been made to tactfully cover the bottom bezel of the phone in all the above images. Hence, the exact placement of the selfie camera cannot be judged. One of the recent reports had claimed that it could be placed at the center of the bottom bezel.

It appears that the major change that will be arriving on the MI MIX 2S is the presence of the highly potent Snapdragon 845 chipset. The other USP of the phone could be its AI driven dual rear cameras that will carry support slow-motion video shooting in Full HD quality. It is speculated that the Sony IMX363 could be the primary sensor of its dual camera setup.

The highest configuration model of the phone may feature 8 GB of RAM and a native storage of 256 GB. The other rumored features of the phone include wireless charging enabled 3,400mAh battery and MIUI 9 flavored Android Oreo OS.

The following images showing the invitation for the unveil event of the Mi MIX 2S have been also released on the official Weibo account of the company. Last year in December, the Mi MIX concept phone and Mi MIX 2 will added to Centre Pompidou museum in French. It is one of the prestigious museums of modern art in the world that houses masterpieces from Picasso and Duchamp. Along with the invitations, Xiaomi has also prepared special commemorative tickets for Centre Pompidou. It will be giving 10 round-trip Beijing-Paris tickets for free to let people the Mi MIX phones showcased at the Centre Pompidou museum.

(source 1, 2)

Nubia N3 Goes On Sale March 21 For ¥1799 (~$284)

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Mar 19, 2018

On March 8, the Nubia N3 was unveiled as the latest device in Nubia’s N-series. Like its predecessors, the N3 packs a 5000mAh battery and other specs that puts it in the mid-range category. However, a price tag wasn’t announced until today.

The Nubia N3 will sell for ¥1799 (~$284) according to the listing on the official Nubia online store. It will go on sale at 10 AM on March 21 and not March 24 as earlier reported.

Although the phone was announced in Obsidian Black, Space Gold, and Nebula Red, the official store has only the black variant listed.

The Nubia N3 has a 6.01” 2160 x 1080 display with 2.5D glass on top. It is powered by a Snapdragon 625 processor with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage.

It has a 16MP f/2.0 selfie camera and a 16MP + 5MP dual camera combo along with its NeoVision 7.0 camera software with features like time lapse and multiplicity photography. There is a hybrid dual SIM slot (nano only + MicroSD card). It also runs Nubia UI 5.1 specially made for the N3 and based on Android 7.0 Nougat.

Gearbest 4th Anniversary Promotion

Check Out GearBest 4th Anniversary Promotion & Shopping Guide

By

Vinay Patel

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Mar 19, 2018

GearBest’s Anniversary 4th Flash Sale is just around the corner. The site is giving a considerable 15% off on remote control toys, 10% off on consumer electronics and a 10% discount on computer and networking accessories along with coupon codes to get up to 50% off on a broad range of items.

Check Out Your Shopping Guide On GearBest

Up to 80% off, crazy discount on smartphones clearance sale

Anniversary Flash Sale

This segment features limited stock products that you can get your hands on for the lowest price at 02:00 UTC and 09:00 UTC on GearBest. For instance, you can get a 20% off on the original asking price of the Xiaomi Mi A1 4G phablet.

There’s also a 27% off on the black-tinted English version of the Xiaomi Huami AMAZFIT Sports smartwatch. In other words, you can now buy the device for just $125.24.

The red color version of the smartwatch, on the other hand, is up for grabs for only $99.99. This is a considerable 42% reduction in the device’s original selling price.

Birthday Boxes 4 You

In this category, you can buy the CUBOT X18 Plus 4G phablet at a lowered price of just $169.99. GearBest is giving 12% off on the black as well as blue color versions of the device. However, it’s worth noting that the discount will only be valid for 1 day.

Mega Vouchers

GearBest is giving buyers an opportunity to save $3, $8 and $20 on a slew of products in the form of coupon codes. For instance, the Alfawise S2 smartwatch, which normally sells for $34.67 on the site can be purchased at a discounted price simply by using the coupon code, ‘GB4th$3’ at the time of checking out.

Cool Add-Ons

If your order exceeds $60, you’d be eligible to get 1 add-on by paying an extra $1.44. If your order is over $100, you can get an add-on for only $8.44.

Brand Store

This section has further been divided into a broad range of brands such as Vernee, MSI, Oukitel, Teclast and lots more. Each brand features a few devices that you can buy without spending a fortune.

For instance, you can get 24% discount on the original quoted price of Vernee Mix 2 4G phablet, and bring your grand total down to just $215.99. It is imperative for you to bear in mind that the promo is slated to end in just 2 days and there were only 75 pieces left at the time of writing.

Epic Category Deals

This section of the promo has been split into multiple categories including mobile phones, consumer electronics, tablet PC and accessories, appliances, computer and networking, and apparel just to name a few. If you’re smartphone lover waiting to buy a high-end smartphone without spending a lot of money, you’ve come to the right place.

The aforesaid category is brimming with heavily discounted smartphones manufactured by popular handset makers such as Xiaomi, OnePlus, and ZTE. In this segment, you can get 19% off on the gray color version of the Xiaomi Redmi 5A 4G smartphone.

With the discount, you can buy the well-received Redmi 5A smartphone for just $94.99. In addition to the gray color version, there’s a golden and rose madder color version of the device as well.

You can visit this link in order to check out the GearBest promo before it comes to an end. You can follow this link for your GearBest shopping guide.

Gearbest 4th Anniversary Promotion

Check Out Your Shopping Guide On GearBest

Sony Xperia XA1, XA1 Plus and XA1 Ultra Starts Receiving Android Oreo Update

By

Jeet

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Mar 19, 2018

After rolling out Android Oreo for its premium segment devices, Sony has now finally started seeding Android Oreo update to its mid-range phones. The company has started rolling out Android 8.0 Oreo update for its XA-series of smartphones which consists of Sony Xperia XA1, Xperia XA1 Plus, and Xperia XA1 Ultra.

While the Xperia XA1 and Xperia XA1 Ultra were launched in Mobile World Congress last year, the Xperia XA1 Plus was launched in August last year during IFA in Berlin. All three devices run Andriod Nougat operating system out-of-the-box.

This new Android Oreo update for the Xperia XA1-series brings build number 48.1.A.0.116 and is about 884MB in size. The update also comes with the February security patch, which is disappointing given that March security patch is already available.

While the changelog for this new update is not available, we expect the update to have standard Android Oreo features, including notification channels, picture-in-picture mode, smart text selection, notification dots along with faster boot times and more. However, Sony had previously stated that the Android Oreo update will remove the Night Light feature for the Xperia XA1 series.

The Xperia XA1 has a 5-inch HD display whereas the Xperia XA1 Ultra has a 6-inch full HD edge-to-edge screen. Both smartphones are powered by MediaTek Helio P20 chipset. The XA1 has 3GB RAM and 32GB internal storage whereas the Ultra variant has 4GB RAM and 64GB storage. On the other hand, the Xperia XA1 Plus comes with a 5.5-inch Full-HD display and this one too is powered by Helio P20 processor having 3GB/4GB RAM and 32GB/64GB storage.

All three models feature a 23MP Exmor RS rear camera. The Xperia XA1 and Plus variant packs an 8MP front-facing camera while the Ultra variant packs a 16MP front camera with OIS. The Xperia XA1 comes with 2,300mAh battery whereas XA1 Ultra includes 2,700mAh battery. The Xperia XA1 Plus ships with a 3,430mAh battery that supports Quick Charge 3.0 and MediaTek Pump Express Plus 2.0.

Sony recently rolled out Android Oreo update for its Xperia R1 and R1 Plus smartphones in India. Recently, at this year’s MWC, the Japan-based company launched the successor of the XA1-series which includes Xperia XA2 and XA2 Ultra.

Lenovo S5 Reservations Begin; Official Sales to Start on March 23

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Mar 19, 2018

Lenovo VP Chang Cheng has been aggressively teasing the upcoming Lenovo S5 that will be made official tomorrrow. The Chinese manufacturer has already started receiving the reservations of the Lenovo S5 on its official website. It has also confirmed that the official sales of the phone will begin on March 23.

The description of the S5 phone on Lenovo’s site states that the handset will be equipped with dual rear cameras and full screen design. Also, the S5will be arriving with an affordable price tag. As of this writing, there is no official information available on pricing of the Lenovo S5.

Shown below is the new teaser that Cheng has added on his Weibo account. It reveals that the smartphone would be unveiled at 2 PM tomorrow in China. The Weibo post that accompanies it states that Lenovo S5 will be equipped with Smart Dual Camera.

A recently released teaser from the company had confirmed on some of the key features of the Lenovo S5 such as metallic chassis, full screen design AI smart engine, facial recognition, secure payment, long battery life and latest ZUI version. Cheng also recently claimed that the ZUI, a customized version of Android Oreo can produce smooth performance like iOS and it will also possess capabilities. The Lenovo VP had mocked the Redmi Note 5 by saying that the Lenovo S5 can deliver better performance. However, there are no details available on the chipset that will be fueling it.

It is speculated that the Lenovo K520 phone that was spotted on TENAA in the recent past could be officially announced as Lenovo S5. According to TENAA, the K520 phone features a 5.65-inch FHD+ display, 2 GHz octa-core processor, 4 GB / 6 GB RAM, 32 GB / 64 GB storage models and 3,000mAh battery.

Do you think that the Lenovo S5 will be a good competitor for China’s Xiaomi Redmi Note 5?

(source 1, 2)

LG G7’s Notched Display May Not Be An OLED Panel

By

Michele Ingelido

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Mar 19, 2018

Thanks to their brilliant colors and deep blacks, OLED displays have become a trend in the smartphones market. Even though they are generally less durable due to issues like the burn-in effect, most users prefer them over the classic LCD panels. But if you are waiting for the next LG flagship and you love OLED displays, you may be left disappointed. The LG G7 will reportedly adopt a classic LCD panel. According to a Korean market analyst, the upcoming Korean flagship will not have an OLED display because the company needs to cut costs.

OLED display can be as much as 2x-3x costlier than LCD panels, which is why the latter is used in affordable smartphones. Even though LG generally makes good profit in the hi-tech market, LG Mobile is struggling; last year, the company shipped fewer units than in the previous year. The LG G6 did not have the expected success and it has been overshadowed by other flagships like the Samsung Galaxy S8. Another thing to note is that the G series have always had LCD displays, so it is not totally a surprise that LG G7 may not be equipped with an OLED panel.

According to the latest leaks, LG G7 will have a very high screen-to-body ratio with very narrow bezels and an iPhone X-like notch which will house the front camera and the earpiece. The device, which may not even be called as G7 since the company is expected to rebrand the lineup, revealing the device sometime in April or May. It will sport the best Qualcomm SoC: the octa-core Snapdragon 845 running at a max frequency of 2.9 GHz. In the meantime, the V30S and V30S+ ThinQ were announced at MWC 2018 and will hit the shelves with Snapdragon 835, AI and 6 GB RAM.

(Via)

Huawei Nova 3e Pricing, Full Specs Appear on China Telecom Site

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Mar 19, 2018

Even though the Huawei Nova 3e is officially launching on March 20, it is already available for pre-orders in some of the European countries. Recent reports have revealed that the Nova 3e has a model number of ANE-AL00. The very same has been spotted along with its specifications and pricing on China Telecom’s e-surfing site.

Huawei Nova 3e Specifications

The Nova 3e that features a glass rear and an aluminum frame measures 148.6 x 71.2 x 7.4mm and its weight is 145 grams. The handset houses a 5.84-inch IPS LCD display that offers FHD+ resolution of 2280 x 1080 pixels.

The Kirin 659 chipset is present under the hood of the phone. It includes an octa-core processor that clocks at 2.36 GHz. The handset comes in two storage models such as 64 GB and 128 GB. For more storage, users can add a microSD card to the phone. Both the storage variants are packed with 4 GB of RAM. The Android 8.1 Oreo is present pre-installed on the Nova 3e along with EMUI 8.0.

The front panel of the phone features a 24-megapixel selfie camera. Its rear is equipped with 16-megapixel + 2-megapixel dual camera setup and a fingerprint reader. The 3,000mAh battery of the Nova 3e will be arriving with support for 9V/2A fast charging. The handset is also equipped with 3.5mm audio jack and a USB-C port. It lacks support for NFC but comes with usual connectivity features such as dual-SIM support, 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi and GPS.

Huawei is known for launching its smartphones with different names in different markets. The Mate 10 Lite was made available with different monikers like Maimang 6, Nova 2i and Honor 9i. It appears that the Huawei P20 Lite will be coming to Europe and China as Nova 3e. The photos o the Nova 3e that have appeared on China Telecom’s website yet again confirms that it will be sporting a notched display like the iPhone X.

Huawei Nova 3e Pricing

The 64 GB and 128 GB storage models of the Huawei Nova 3e are respectively priced at 2,099 Yuan and 2,299 Yuan on the China Telecom site. It will be coming in colors like black, pink, gold and blue.

What do you think about the pricing of the Huawei Nova 3e? Share us your views by posting your comments below.

OPPO R15, R15 Dream Mirror Officially Launched With 2,999 Yuan (`$473) and 3,299 Yuan (`$520)

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Mar 19, 2018

OPPO had recently confirmed that it would be launching the OPPO R15 and R15 Dream Mirror edition on March 31. However, the Chinese manufacturer has surprisingly announced the OPPO R15 duo through a media event in Beijing, China today. The entire specifications of both the smartphones along with their pricing were disclosed at the event.

OPPO R15 Dream Mirror

The OPPO R15 Dream Mirror features a 6.28-inch OLED Super View Full Screen display that features a notch at the top. It offers a Full HD+ resolution of 2280 x 1080 pixels and an aspect ratio of 19:9. It delivers a screen-to-body ratio of 90 percent.

The Snapdragon 660 chipset is present under the hood of the OPPO R15. The SoC is supported by 6 GB of RAM and it includes 128 GB of storage. For more storage, users can make use of up to 256 GB of microSD card on the device. It receives power from 3,400mAh battery that carries support for VOOC fast charging technology. It is running on Color OS 5.0 flavored Android 8.1 Oreo. A fingerprint scanner is present on the backside of the OPPO R15 Dream Mirror.

The R15 Dream Mirror’s dual camera setup includes a 16-megapixel Sony IMX519 sensor and a secondary20-megapixel sensor. The dual cameras offer features like bokeh effect, AI scene recognition, HDR and EIS. For snapping selfies, it features AI Smart Beauty enabled front-facing camera of 20-megapixel sensor that can 296 individual facial features to capture amazing portrait shots. The AI Wisdom Beauty can be used for snapping enhanced group selfies.

OPPO R15

The OPPO R15 also houses the same 6.28-inch FHD+ 19:9 screen that is available on the OPPO R15 Dream Mirror. Its rear panel is made out of 2.5D glass panel.The newly announced MediaTek Helio P60 powers it along with 6 GB of RAM. It is also equipped with an inbuilt storage of 128 GB. Its external storage slot supports up to 256 GB of microSD card.

The R15 is fueled by VOOC fast charging enabled 3,450mAh battery. It also loaded with Color OS 5.0 based Android 8.1 Oreo. The back panel of the phone houses 16-megapixel Sony IMX519 sensor + 5-megapixel secondary sensor. The R15 features the same AI Smart Beauty and AI Wisdom Beauty driven 20-megapixel selfie camera like R15 Dream Mirror. It is fitted with a rear-mounted fingerprint reader.

OPPO R15, R15 Dream Mirror Pricing and Availability

The OPPO R15 carries a pricing of 2,999 Yuan (`$473) in China. It will be available in color like White, Red and Purple. The OPPO 15 Dream Mirror that features a 3D glass rear will be hitting the market in colors like Red and Ceramic Black. The Red variant will be carrying a price tag of 3,299 Yuan (`$520) and the Ceramic Black will be arriving with a costlier price tag of 3,499 Yuan (~$552).

The OPPO R15 duo will be go on sale starting from April 1. The company is currently receiving the reservations of both phones. The Chinese manufacturer will also be keeping a launch event on March 31 at 8 PM (local time). The event will be broadcasted live on Zhejiang Satellite TV.

Later today, Vivo will be also launching the Vivo X21 and Vivo X21 UD smartphones in China. Stay tuned with GizmoChina to know everything about the Vivo X21.

Xiaomi Mi AI Speaker’s Mini Edition Could Launch Alongside Mi MIX 2S

By

Jeet

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Mar 19, 2018

Xiaomi, which is all set to launch its new smartphone Mi MIX 2S at a launch event on 27th March. However, it seems that the Mi MIX 2S isn’t the only device that will be launched at the event.

According to the new reports coming in, the company is also gearing up to launch a new version of its Mi AI Speaker, which is currently called Little Love Student MINI Edition. The images of the said speaker have also been leaked online.

The leaked images of the speaker, which were uploaded on Chinese microblogging platform Weibo, shows us the device’s design. The speaker looks like a miniature version of the Xiaomi Smart Rice Cooker. On the top side, there’s an interaction pad with four buttons placed on four sides.

There are two buttons for increasing and decreasing the speaker’s volume and two more buttons for play/pause and changing track. Along with playing music, it is also expected to offer radio-on-demand, talk shows, audiobooks, educational materials and a voice assistant. Currently, no more information is available regarding this speaker.

This will be the second smart speaker from Xiaomi after the company launched its Mi AI Speaker in July 2016 and comes with a six-microphone array. While not yet confirmed, we are expecting this upcoming speaker to be the hub for all of Xiaomi’s smart home products, just like the Mi AI Speaker.

Although Xiaomi already has a smart speaker, it seems that the China-based company is aiming for the budget segment with the mini version. Amazon has also done the same with its Eco lineup of smart speakers, covering three different price segments — a strategy that seems to have worked for the company.

While there are lots of smartphone speakers out there and with tech giants like Google, Amazon, and Apple jumping in, there will be a fierce competition to get the pole position in the smart speaker market.

Qualcomm Reveals Smartphones With Quick Charge 4.0 Support

By

Michele Ingelido

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Mar 19, 2018

Hardware components inside smartphones and their displays are becoming more energy-demanding, so manufacturers need to insert bigger battery inside them. But a bigger battery takes more time to charge completely, and most people hate to wait for more than an hour to fill up their smartphone batteries. Fast charging has become standard among mid-range and high-end phones and Qualcomm’s Quick Charge is the most famous fast charging technology in the smartphones market which is currently upgraded to QC 4.0.

Thanks to Quick Charge 4, smartphones can reach up to 50% of battery charge in just 15 minutes of charging, and in just 5 minutes of charge a device can get up to 5 hours of talk time. Through a list on its official site, the San Diego-based company has confirmed the smartphones which actually support its latest fast charging technology. Actually, the list contains just one device: surprisingly, according to Qualcomm’s website, Razer Phone, the first real gaming smartphone, is the only device to feature Quick Charge 4.0. The fact that Nubia Z17 is not included in the list is weird, given that ZTE’s sub-brand confirmed that the phone supports Quick Charge 4 at its launch.

QC 4.0 is a very useful technology on the Razer Phone as it has a huge battery with a capacity of 4000 mAh. And you need a solid fast charger to ensure that your battery is topped up quickly especially on a device like the Razer Phone which specializes in mobile gaming. Even though the list actually contains just one model, it’ll be probably updated with the names of the upcoming phones with Quick Charge 4.0. You can access the page on the official site at the link below.

(Source), (Via)

Asus ZenFone 5Q Pre-orders Begin in Taiwan with NT$9,900 (~$339) Pricing

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Mar 19, 2018

During the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2018 that was heled in February, ASUS had launched the ZenFone 5Q (also known as ZenFone 5 Lite) alongside the high-end ZenFone 5 and 5Z smartphones. The Taiwanese manufacturer has started its pre-orders in the home country from March 15 with a pricing of NT$9,900 (~$339). The handset will be available for buying from March 22. Customers who pre-order will be able to ZenPower (10050) powerbank for free.

The pre-orders of the ZenFone 5Q (model number ZC600KL) has begun on various platforms such as the official website, ASUS Store PChome 24h Shopping, Yahoo! Shopping Mall, momo Shopping Mall, Shelfish Mall, Dongsen Shopping, FriDay Shopping Online Platform and offline stores of ASUS. It will be available in colors like Starry Black and Moonlight White at the beginning. As of this writing, there is no confirmation on when the Taiwanese manufacturer will be releasing the Rouge Red color edition of the ZenFone 5Q in Taiwan. Starting from March 1, the handset will be available through Far EasTone Telecommunications (FET) in the country.

Unlike the ZenFone 5 and 5Z smartphones that feature 6.2-inch notched display, the ZenFone 5Q is fitted with a smaller display of 6 inches that does not feature a notch. The dual front-facing cameras of the ZenFone 5Q include the 20-megapixel Sony IMX376 sensor that offers an 85.5-degree field of view as the main sensor. The secondary sensor that accompanies it offers 120-degree field of view.

The dual rear cameras of the ZenFone 5Q features a 16-megapixel primary sensor with 80-degree field of view and the same secondary sensor that resides at the front. The Snapdragon 630 chipset is present under the hood of the ZenFone 5Q. The 5Q features 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB of native storage. For more storage, it includes a microSD card.

The handset is running on ZenUI 5.0 flavored Android 8.0 Oreo. It is equipped with a 3,300mAh battery. The other features of the 5Q are rear-mounted fingerprint reader, facial recognition, microUSB, NFC, GPS, Bluetooth, 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi and dual-SIM support.

The Taiwanese company is planning to launch the Snapdragon 636 powered ZenFone 5 upper mid-range handset and Snapdragon 845 SoC driven ZenFone 5Z flagship phone in the second quarter of this year. The 5Z may hit the Taiwanese market in June with a pricing of NT$15,000 (~$513). It is an enticing price for a Snapdragon 845 powered flagship smartphone that features an impressive design.

ASUS is aiming to release the ZenFone 5 series in over 10 markets across the world in Q3 this year. The Taiwanese company expects that its smartphone division will start making profits from the same quarter.

Get Massive Discount On VKworld S8 Smartphone On Sunsky

Buy VKworld S8 Smartphone At Heavily-Discounted Price On Sunsky

By

Vinay Patel

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Mar 19, 2018

The VKworld S8 Android 4G smartphone was launched in October 2017. The phone boasts an array of awe-inspiring specs and features that propelled it straight to skyrocketing popularity among smartphone users.

On the downside, the S8 doesn’t come cheap. As a result, it didn’t garner huge demand among buyers who weren’t willing to shell out a lot of money for a handset. But that’s about to change.

Much to the relief of cost-conscious buyers, Chinese wholesalers of electronic products, Sunsky is offering big discounts on the VKworld S8 smartphone’s original selling price. Let’s delve straight into the details.

First off, it is imperative for you to bear that the aforesaid discount is on bulk orders wherein a buyer can go for 10 cases, with each case comprising 20 units. This is highly advantageous particularly because if you purchase a single unit, you’d need to shell out $159.58, but if you buy 2 units your grand total drops down to only $158.79. In other words, the more units you buy the bigger discount you get.

If you’re willing to spend $158, you can go for 1/4 case, or buy 1/2 case for only $157.21. Apart from that, Sunsky is giving buyers an opportunity to save a considerable amount of money by allowing them to go for 1 case, 4 cases, and even 10 cases.

The discount is currently valid for black and blue color versions of the smartphone, which offer 4GB of RAM and a hearty 64GB of onboard storage. Despite bearing a slashed price tag on Sunsky at the moment, the S8 is crammed with astonishing specs and features.

First off, the phone sports a big 5.99 inches IPS, FHD+ display with a screen resolution of 2160 x 1080 pixels. It comes with Corning glass 4 for added protection.

The S8 packs a powerful MediaTek MT6750T, 64-bit processor along with an ARM Mali-T860 MP2 GPU (graphics processing unit), under the hood. At the back, it sports a 16 megapixels+5 megapixels dual camera setup and has a 13-megapixel front camera for selfies.

The device runs on Android 7.0 Nougat operating and is backed by a robust 5,500 mAh Lithium Polymer battery. Moreover, it offers a slew of sensors including accelerometer, ambient light, proximity and a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor.

You can follow this link in order to check out the full specification on Sunsky and take advantage of the massive discount offered by the site. It’s worth noting that the S8 is likely to retain its original asking price on Sunsky as soon as the promo comes to an end.

Xiaomi Releases Android 8.0 Kernel Source Code For Mi A1

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Mar 18, 2018

After over two months after it released Android 8.0 for the Mi A1, Xiaomi has released the kernel source code for the phone.

The release of the kernel source code is good news for those developers willing to create custom ROMs based on Android Oreo for the phone. The source code is available on GitHub.

The Mi A1 is Xiaomi’s first Android One Phone. It is actually the same phone as the Mi 5X but with stock android instead of MIUI. The phone has received positive reviews since its launch and is one of the most recommended phones in the $200 category.

The Xiaomi Mi A1 has a 5.5” FHD display, a Snapdragon 625 processor and 4GB of RAM. It is available in 32GB and 64GB variants with expandable storage.