Sony Xperia XZ2 and XZ2 Compact Outshine Galaxy S9/S9+ In Battery Test

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Mar 20, 2018

Pre-orders for Sony’s Xperia XZ2 and XZ2 Compact are already underway in different countries in Europe. For those wondering what the battery life for these two devices are, your question has been answered by the guys at Phonearena.

Before diving in, let’s revisit the battery capacities for each device. The Xperia XZ2 comes with a 3180mAh battery which is a significant upgrade over the Xperia XZ1‘ 2700mAh. The XZ2 Compact on the other hand comes with a 2870mAh battery. Its predecessor has a 2700mAh battery too.

The Xperia XZ2 is able to last 8 hrs 54 minutes on a single charge. That is over 1 hr more than the Xperia Xz1 which may seem small until you remember that the XZ2 has a larger 5.7” FHD+ display as against the 5.2” FHD screen of the XZ1.

The Xperia XZ2 Compact lasts 9 hrs and 13 minutes on a single charge. That is a good two hours less than that of the Xperia XZ1 Compact. However, the XZ2 Compact has a bigger 5.0” FHD+ display compared to the 4.6” HD screen of the XZ1 Compact.

When compared to the Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+, both of the new Xperia phones last longer. They also surpass the iPhone 8, iPhone X, and OnePlus 5T, but trail behind the iPhone 8 Plus.

A depleted battery needs to be recharged, so how quickly it does so is equally important. Sadly, the Xperia XZ2 and XZ2 Compact don’t do very well in this test.

The Xperia XZ2 takes 145 minutes to charge to full while the Xperia XZ2 Compact takes 144 minutes even though they both come with QC 3.0 chargers. Both phones still charge in less time than their predecessors.

However, they are no match for the Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+ which charge way faster. The OnePlus 5T is still the fastest thanks to Dash Charge.

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Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro Gets Android 8.1 Oreo Update With Project Treble Support

By

Michele Ingelido

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Mar 20, 2018

The Redmi Note 5 line-up has been released with different names in the two best markets for Xiaomi: India, and China. In the Indian peninsula, the handset has been announced in two variants: Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 and Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro. The standard variant is just a re-branded Redmi 5 Plus for the Indian market, while the Pro version is the real new phone. In China, the standard Note 5 is the Redmi 5 Plus, while the Note 5 Pro has been called Redmi Note 5. But keep in mind that it comes with two differences: a slightly different rear camera setup and a better version of the software based on Android 8.1 Oreo.

Well, now there is good news for the owners of the Indian Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro. A new firmware is available to download for this handset, and it is exactly the same firmware as the Chinese Note 5, based on Android 8.1 Oreo. It is not an OTA update but a firmware leaked on XDA Developers. But it is the MIUI 9.5 China Stable ROM and not a random beta firmware. Besides bringing the Android version number to 8.1 Oreo, this update brings the Project Treble support. According to XDA Developers, a member of their forums has tested the firmware through the Project Treble check app and found out that it is compatible with Project Treble.

In case you do not know, Project Treble can make the code of the Android operating system modular, allowing manufacturers to work directly and exclusively on certain parts of code instead of working on the entire operating system. This makes a lot easier to release software updates, which will be faster and more constant. Only a limited number of smartphones are actually compatible with Project Treble, and now Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro has joined the club. To install the new firmware which you can download at this link, you need to flash it manually using TWRP after unlocking your bootloader.

(Via)

Vivo V9 Gets Listed On Amazon India Ahead Of Official Launch On 23rd March

By

Jeet

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Mar 20, 2018

Vivo is scheduled to launch its flagship smartphone — Vivo V9 in India on 23rd March. However, ahead of the official announcement, the phone has been listed on Amazon India.

The listing suggests that the phone will be Amazon-exclusive in India. Further, the listing also mentions that it will be available for pre-bookings from 23rd March itself starting at 3:00 PM along with a few “special offers.”

The phone’s landing page on Amazon India mentions the tagline as “Perfect Shot, Perfect View”, suggesting that the company is focusing on the improvements in the phone’s camera department.

The listing of Vivo V9 on Amazon India has also revealed some key features and specifications of the phone. It is expected to come with Apple iPhone X-like design, featuring a notch at the top of the display. The full-screen Full-HD+ display on the phone is said to be of 6-inch and aspect ratio of 19:9.

Under the hood, the device will be powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 660 processor along with 4GB RAM. It is expected to pack 64GB internal storage and carry microSD card support for expanding storage up to 256GB.

Coming to the camera, the phone will be having a dual camera setup at the back, featuring 16-megapixel primary lens and a 5-megapixel secondary lens with 4K video support and AI Face Beauty feature among others. On the front, it is likely to sport a 24-megapixel snapper for selfies and video calling.

On the software front, we are expecting the phone to run on Android 8.1 Oreo operating system out-of-the-box with the company’s own FunTouch OS custom interface on top. The phone is likely to be fuelled by a 3,250mAh battery.

The Vivo V9 is expected to be priced around Rs. 25,000 (approximately $383) in India. However, we’ll have to wait a couple of days more to get official confirmation related to the phone’s specs and pricing as well as for availability information.

(Source)

Lenovo Watch 9 Hybrid Smartwatch Unveiled, Priced At 129 Yuan (~ $20)

By

Jeet

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Mar 20, 2018

Today, along with its three new smartphones — Lenovo S5, K5 and K5 Play, the China-based smartphone manufacturer Lenovo also announced a new hybrid smartwatch — Lenovo Watch 9. Unlike most other smartwatches, this one is an analog watch with smart features.

The Lenovo Watch 9 comes with a premium sapphire glass on the top which has 9H hardness rating. It also comes with a silicone strap and a stainless steel shell, and is claimed to be waterproof for up to 50 meters.

While the watch lacks a dedicated display, it can be connected to a smartphone and by using its dedicated application, users can also take advantage of many of its features. It vibrates for alarms or when the user receives any notifications.

Further, the watch can also be used to remotely capture selfies by shaking the watch. It also comes with fitness related features such as steps tracking, tracking calories burnt, sleep, and a few other information. Since it is water-resistant, the device can also be used while swimming.

The Lenovo Watch 9, which is compatible with both Android and iOS, is claimed to provide battery life of about 12 months on a single charge. It will be available in two color options — Black and White. Priced at 129 Yuan, which roughly converts to $20, the Lenovo Watch 9 will be available for purchase from 23rd March.

As said, during the same event, Lenovo launched its three new smartphones — S5, K5 and K5 Play. All three phones come with a 5.7-inch full-screen display with 18:9 aspect ratio. While the S5 has a Full HD+ screen resolution, the K5-series sports HD+ resolution.

Under the hood, the S5 is powered by Qualcomm‘s Snapdragon 625 processor while the K5 and K5 Play are powered by MediaTek MT6750V and Snapdragon 430 respectively. The Lenovo S5 comes in two variants — 3GB RAM + 32GB storage and 4GB RAM with 64GB storage.

The Lenovo K5 Play comes with 2GB and 3GB RAM variants with 16GB and 32GB of expandable storage respectively. On the other hand, the Lenovo K5 packs 3GB RAM and 32GB onboard storage. While the Lenovo K5 comes with 13MP + 8MP dual rear cameras, the K5 Play offers 13MP + 2MP dual rear cameras. On the front, both the devices come with an 8MP selfie camera. The S5 has 13MP + 13MP dual camera setup at back and a 16MP front-facing snapper.

While the registrations for all three smartphone models have already started and will go on sale from next month. Currently, all these devices are China-exclusive and there’s no information related to its availability in other markets.

Vivo X21 AnTuTu Benchmark Test Score in Real Life Lower Than AnTuTu’s Official Score

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Mar 20, 2018

Vivo yesterday added the Vivo X21 to the list of its models having an Under Glass fingerprint sensor. The X21 also packs the premium midrange Snapdragon 660 chipset. It also has 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage like the OPPO R15 and OPPO R15 Dream Edition.

AnTuTu had earlier revealed the X21 benchmark score to be 143707 points. However, the screenshot of a new benchmark test result for the Vivo X21 UD version shows a lower score of 137,967 points. That is a difference of 5,740 points. We can’t say why the difference but it is likely that AnTuTu tested the smartphone when there wasn’t any app installed because usually, the benchmark score gets affected when there are several apps installed or running on the smartphone. The screenshot also shows that about 3GB of the 6GB RAM space is already in use.

Despite the difference, the AnTuTu score of 137,967 points still falls within the range of other Snapdragon 660-powered models. The chip is thus well suited to handle heavy games and apps, coupled with a large 6GB RAM and 128 of storage space.

(source)

Huawei P20 Pro Seen On Geekbench

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Mar 20, 2018

It is exactly a week to the launch of the Huawei P20 series and there is little or nothing left that we do not already know. Earlier today, the camera specifications for the P20 Pro was revealed. It has also now appeared on Geekbench.

The Huawei P20 Pro was benchmarked yesterday as the Huawei CLT-L29 where CLT is short for Charlotte, its codename. It runs Android 8.1 Oreo and has 6GB of RAM. An unnamed 1.84GHz octa-core processor powers it but we already know it is the Kirin 970.

The phone scores 1921 points in the single core test and 6729 points in the multi-core test. These scores are not far off from those of the Mate 10 Pro which uses the same Kirin 970 processor.

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Nokia Phones Up For Grabs In India From Official Store

By

Michele Ingelido

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Mar 20, 2018

HMD Global has decided to make Nokia phones available to purchase in India from the official Nokia store. By purchasing a device from the official website you will get free shipping, secure payments through various payment methods and the right to return your device within 10 days. The official “Android phones” page on the store lists all of the Android smartphones launched by HMD Global, but only some of them are actually available to purchase in India. If you head to the official store you can actually choose among these models:

The models 2, 3 and 5 are cheap low-end devices and they are priced Rs. 6,999, Rs. 9,498 and Rs. 12,499, respectively. The first comes with a 5-inch HD display and an 8 MP rear camera. Its hardware side includes a quad-core Snapdragon 212 SoC, just 1 GB of RAM and 8 GB of internal storage, but the handset has a huge battery with a 4100 mAh capacity. The model 3 has still a 5-inch HD panel, but it offers a better hardware side composed of a quad-core MediaTek MT6737 chipset, 2 GB of RAM and 16 GB of storage.

On the other hand, its battery is smaller with a capacity of just 2630 mAh. Nokia 5 comes with a bigger 5.2-inch display, a more powerful octa-core Snapdragon 430 SoC, 3 GB of RAM and 16 GB of internal storage. The main camera is way better as well and the battery has a capacity of 3000 mAh. Nokia 8 is the flagship: it has a 5.3-inch Quad HD screen, a Snapdragon 835 processor, 4 GB RAM and 64 GB ROM in the available configuration. It is priced Rs. 28,999. Besides the phones, accessories are listed on the Indian official store as well, but they are not available to purchase yet. At the moment, we do not know when other HMD devices and original accessories will be available in the store. Head to the source link below to see the products on the official store.

(Source)

Teenage Girl Killed By Exploding Nokia 5233

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Mar 20, 2018

In a district in Odisha, India, a teenage girl was killed when her phone exploded while in use. Uma Omram was on the phone with a relative when her Nokia 5233 exploded. It is said that the phone was plugged in while in use.

The explosion resulted in injuries to her hand, chest, and leg and also knocked her out. She was taken to a hospital where she passed away.

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HMD Global is reported to have distanced itself from the incident as the phone wasn’t manufactured by them. Truth be told, the Nokia 5233 was manufactured by the Nokia company of old.

“While we have not been able to independently verify the facts of any of these reports, we can confirm that the mobile phone in question was not manufactured or sold by HMD Global, the new home of Nokia phones, set up in 2017 to create a new range of Nokia devices,” a Nokia spokesperson is quoted to have said. Investigations as regards the incident are ongoing.

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Alleged Samsung Galaxy J7 (2018) Certified By FCC With A 5.6-Inch Display

By

Michele Ingelido

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Mar 20, 2018

The J series is the most affordable line-up among Samsung smartphones. It includes low-end and midrange devices, and it seems that it will include a new version of Samsung Galaxy J7 as well. Until now, the J7 and its variants have been the most powerful devices in the J series, but in this year Samsung will also launch a Galaxy J8 and a J8+ which should be even better. Still, the company will not skip the J7 (2018), at least according to the American FCC.

A device identified by the model number SM-J720F has just been certified by FCC, and the model number suggests that we may be talking about the Samsung Galaxy J7 (2018). Not much has been revealed by FCC about its specs and after this certification, we only get an important detail: its dimensions. Samsung Galaxy J7 (2018) will have a width of 153 mm and a height of 76 mm. So, it will be slightly bigger than its older sibling launched in 2017. But it seems that it will also sport a slightly bigger display with a size of 5.6 inches.

According to FCC, the alleged Samsung Galaxy J7 (2018) supports FDD Band 5, Band 7, Band 38 and Band 41, alongside the Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity. These are the only details surfaced on FCC listings. At the moment we don’t know about its camera, neither its launch date and its possible listing price. But the supposed handset has already been spotted on Geekbench, even though the model number was different (SM-J737P). According to Geekbench, the device is powered by the octa-core Samsung Exynos 7885 chipset running at a frequency up to 2.2 GHz. The SoC is paired with just 2 GB of RAM, which makes us think the one spotted on Geekbench is just a cheap variant of the J7.

(Via)

Lenovo K5 And K5 Play With Full-Screen Display And Dual Rear Cameras Announced In China

By

Jeet

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Mar 20, 2018

Along with the Lenovo S5, the China-based company also announced two other smartphones — Lenovo K5 and Lenovo K5 Play. The latest addition to the K-series of devices seems to be the budget variants of the Lenovo S5.

The Lenovo K5, which comes with a glass back, features a 5.7-inch HD+ display with screen resolution of 1440 x 720 pixels and 2.5D curved glass panel. Under the hood, it is powered by MediaTek MT6750 64-bit octa-core processor clocked at 1.5GHz along with Mali T860 GPU.

The phone packs 3GB RAM and comes with 32GB of internal memory. There’s also a microSD card slot, which enables users to expand the phone’s storage capacity up to 128GB. However, it has a Hybrid card slot, which means that user can either use a microSD card or a secondary SIM card.

Coming to the camera department, the phone features a dual camera setup at the back, consisting of a 13-megapixel primary camera lens with f/2.0 aperture and a 5-megapixel secondary lens with f/2.2 aperture. On the front, there sits a 5-megapixel snapper with f/2.0 aperture. The phone also has a fingerprint sensor at the back.

Connectivity options on the device include 4G VoLTE, WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, and GPS. The phone is running Android 7.1 Nougat operating system out-of-the-box with ZUI 3.1 lite on top. The device is backed by a 3,000mAh battery.

On the other hand, the Lenovo K5 Play comes with the same 5.7-inch HD+ 18:9 2.5D curved glass display. However, instead of the MediaTek processor, this Play edition is powered by Qualcomm‘s Snapdragon 430 octa-core processor with Adreno 505 GPU.

This model will be available in two variants — one with 2GB RAM and 16GB internal storage while the other one with 3GB RAM and 32GB onboard storage. Further, it also supports microSD card up to 128GB for expanding storage capacity.

The phone has a dual camera setup at the back featuring a 13MP primary lens and a 2MP secondary lens. There’s also an 8MP front-facing camera for taking selfies and video calling. Along with the fingerprint sensor, this variant also comes with Face Unlock support.

Connectivity options on the K5 Plus include 4G VoLTE, WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.2, and GPS. While the standard variant runs Android Nougat, this one comes with a newer version of Android, i.e. Android Oreo with ZUI 3.7 on top. Just like the K5, this one too is powered by a 3,000mAh battery.

The Lenovo K5 and Lenovo K5 Play will be available in three color options — Black, Grey, and Blue. The Lenovo K5 is priced at 899 Yuan (approximately $142), the pricing for the K5 Play starts at 699 Yuan, which roughly converts to $110. Both the devices are currently exclusive to China. While the registrations have already started, the K5 will go on sale from 10th April and the K5 Play will be available from 17th April.

The Desire 12 and Desire 12+ Bring Full-Screen Displays To HTC’s Mid-range Line

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Mar 20, 2018

If you have been waiting for HTC to bring its full-screen 18:9 display to the mid-range category, then you should check out the newly announced HTC Desire 12 and HTC Desire 12+.

HTC Desire 12

The Desire 12 has a 5.5” display with a 1440 x 720 resolution. It still has bezels though, so there is no elaborate design on the front. But that is not to say the Desire 12 isn’t a beauty. It is.

HTC says it has renewed its liquid surface design, giving it a new streamlined look. It is still reflective but looks really nice in all the available colors. Plus having a purple variant similar to Samsung’s Lilac Purple for the S9/S9+ is a smart move.

The Desire 12 is powered by MediaTek’s MT6739 processor with 2GB/3GB of RAM and 16GB/32GB of expandable storage. A 13MP f/2.2 camera sits at the top left corner on the back, and a 5MP f/2.4 sensor sits in front for selfies.

HTC specifically doesn’t state the version of Android the phone is running but says that it may change after a software update. So there is a chance it runs Nougat but will receive Android 8.0 Oreo soon.

There is a 2730mAh battery with no fast charging (5V/1A), a micro-USB port, Bluetooth 4.2, dual band WiFi, a 3.5mm audio jack, and dual SIM slots.

HTC Desire 12+

The Desire 12+ is bigger with its 6” display but keeps the resolution at 1440 x 720. It shares the same design as the Desire 12 but with the addition of a fingerprint scanner on its back and an extra rear camera sensor.

The Snapdragon 450 is the chipset of choice here. There is also 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage which can be expanded by up to an additional 2TB.

On the back is a 13MP + 2MP combo. There is PDAF, face detection, panorama mode, and bokeh mode. The 8MP front camera also has a beauty mode and even has its own LED flash.

Unlike the Desire 12, HTC proudly announces that the Desire 12+ runs Android 8.0 with HTC Sense. Surprisingly, the spec sheet shows the Desire 12+ only supports 2.4GHz WiFi. It also has dual SIM support (nano only), Bluetooth 4.2, and a 3.5mm audio jack.

Powering the large display is a 2965mAh battery which charges slightly faster at 5V/1.5A via a micro-USB port.

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Meizu 16 Series to Debut Around August, Reveals Meizu Founder

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Mar 20, 2018

Meizu is expected to launch the Meizu 15, 15 Plus and 15 Lite smartphones in April. The founder of Meizu Huang Zhang has recently claimed that the Meizu 16 series will launch around August this year.

Without revealing information on the specs of the Meizu 16 series, Zhang stated that the Meizu 15’s successor will be a futuristic device. It seems that the founder is himself overseeing the manufacturing of the Meizu 16 series.

The rumor mill has been revealing conflicting information on the specs of the Meizu 15 trio and there is virtually no information available on the Meizu 16 series that is expected to arrive later this year. Will it feature Snapdragon 845 chipset? Few weeks ago, Meizu VP Li Nan had confirmed that the company would be launching the Meizu X2 driven by SD845 at the end of this year. It is pegged to arrive with a pricing of 2,999 Yuan. So, it may not feature the SD845 chip.

Meanwhile, the arrival of the Meizu 15, 15 Plus and 15 Lite is getting closer as these handsets have reportedly received 3C certification in China. However, the company is yet confirm on the launch date of Meizu 15 series. The probable reason behind it is that the company is busy preparing the launch of the Meizu E3 phone.

The Chinese manufacturer will be launching the Meizu E3 tomorrow. Its rumored specs include 5.99-inch FHD+ display, Snapdragon 636 chipset, 4 GB and 6 GB RAM variants, 32 GB and 128 GB storage models, 3,300mAh battery and side-mounted fingerprint scanner. Leaked photos have revealed that it may arrive in black and gold color options.

(via)

Huawei Launches HiKey 970 Development Board with AI & A Dedicated NPU Based On Kirin 970

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Mar 20, 2018

Huawei, teaming up with Linaro has launched the HiKey 970 AI development platform. The HiKey 970 was announced on March 19 at the Linaro Developer Conference in Hong Kong. The Rasberry Pi look-alike is built based on Huawei’s Hisilicon Kirin 970 chipset, the world’s first AI mobile processing platform integrated with a dedicated Neural Processing Unit (NPU).

The HiKey 970 97Boards are designed as alternatives to Raspberry Pi, using ARM mobile technology specifically for Android developers. The HiKey board is designed for creating apps, particularly on Android devices. Google designed the phone to be able to run on multiple architectures and the Linaro products are typically geared towards ARM-based system-on-chips, making it compatible with the handsets. They use the same operating chip as the Huawei Mate 10, meaning their operational power is said to be that of a high-end smartphone. It also comes with Huawei’s HiAI SDK.

It comes with a higher computing power and richer hardware interfaces. It also supports mainstream operating systems and artificial intelligence stacks. Its energy efficiency is up to 50 times more than that of CPU operations while the performance is up to 25 times more. The board also has an heterogenous resource management and is also integrated with a dedicated NPU just like the Kirin 970. Thus, it enables developers to develop deep learning algorithms, smart robots, automobile software and smart cities.

The HiKey 970 development board will be open to developers for sale in mid-April but the price is yet to be disclosed. However, we don’t expect it to be less than the $239 price tag the HiKey 960 adopted.

(source)

Moto E5 Plus Live Photos Leak Online Showing The Phone’s Design

By

Jeet

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Mar 20, 2018

Lenovo-owned Motorola is gearing up to launch three new smartphones under its entry-level E-series of devices. The phones are said to have been named Moto E5, E5 Plus, and E5 Play. Earlier, Evan Blass shared the press renders of the phone and now, the live photos of the upcoming Moto E5 Plus have leaked online, showing us the phone’s design.

In terms of design, the phone resembles its predecessor — Moto E4 Plus. There are no major design changes. The leaked image shows that the smartphone will come with the full-screen display having 18:9 aspect ratio, which is currently the trend. The display is surrounded by narrow bezels on both sides — left and right, and thin bezels on top and bottom.

The photo also shows the phone’s back panel, revealing that the camera module will be placed in the company’s usual ring-like design. It also appears that there will be another sensor along with the camera sensor, which we speculate to be a depth sensor for creating a bokeh-type effect. Below the camera module, there’s a fingerprint sensor which also carries the brand logo.

The Moto E5 Plus will be an advanced model in this Moto E5-series compared to the E5 and E5 Play. It will also become the first smartphone from Motorola to arrive with an 18:9 aspect ratio display.

Previous leaks related to the mobile have revealed that the phone will feature a 5.8-inch IPS LCD display with screen resolution of 720 x 1440 pixels. It will pack 3GB RAM and will have two options — 32GB and 64GB.

The phone is said to come with a 16-megapixel camera at the back having f/1.75 aperture. For shooting selfies, it will be coming with an 8-megapixel camera with f/2.0 aperture. The phone is also expected to feature a behemoth battery of 5,000mAh.

Currently, there is no information available regarding the phone’s launch date, pricing, and availability. Last year, the Moto E4 series was unveiled in June last year so we are expecting the Moto E5 series to debut at some point in the second quarter this year.

Smartisan Nut 2 Key Specs, Pricing Leaked; May Launch on April 9

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Mar 20, 2018

Last year in November, Smartisan had launched the Snapdragon powered Smartisan Nut 2 Pro. Fresh information reveals that the company may launch a mid-range and affordable version of Nut 2 Pro soon. Previous leaks have revealed that a mysterious Smartisan phone that is codenamed as Oscar may arrive in the market as Smartisan Nut 2. Previous rumors had claimed that the Nut 2 may launch in this month, but newer information states that the handset may get unveiled in the coming month.

New information states that Smartisan Nut 2 may feature the Snapdragon 636 which is the same SoC that powers the Redmi Note 5 and the upcoming Meizu E3. It is speculated that the Nut 2 won’t be arriving with an 18:9 aspect ratio display. This suggests that the smartphone will be sport a different aspect ratio. Following is a leaked photo that shows the alleged Smartisan Nut 2.

The above image shows that the Nut 2 has a thicker bottom bezel while its remaining bezels appear thin. The design of the phone appears similar to the Mi MIX 2. The thick bottom bezel on the Nut 2 features a physical home button that seems to be embedded with a fingerprint scanner.

The Smartisan Nut 2 is rumored to be fueled by a 3,000mAh battery. Its SD636 is likely to be assisted by 4 GB of RAM. It may come in storage models like 32 GB, 64 GB and 128 GB. These models are speculated to be respectively priced at 1,599 Yuan (~$252), 1,799 Yuan (~$284) and 1,999 Yuan (~$315). The Nut 2 may launch on April 9.

The Chinese manufacturer is also rumored to be working on Smartisan T3. A recent report had revealed that the upcoming T3 phone will be arriving with IPS LCD screen with a notch and horizontally arranged dual rear cameras. It is speculated to be driven by Snapdragon 845.

More information on the Smartisan Nut 2 and Smartisan T3 phones are expected to surface in the coming weeks.

Huawei Nova 3E Official: Features World’s First 24MP IMX578 Selfie Shooter

By

Joel Joseph

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Mar 20, 2018

Huawei announced the Nova 3E smartphone at an event in China today. It’s the second smartphone launch today, after the Lenovo S5 that was unveiled an hour ago.

Like most other smartphones in the market, the Huawei Nova 3E adopts the notch on the screen, trying to mimic Apple iPhone X’s design. This does help to keep the top bezel to a bare minimum, but the front features a thin bottom bezel that also features the Huawei logo. The phone doesn’t experiment with its design as it continues the trend set by the recent Huawei offerings. The phone measures 148.6 x 71.2 x 7.4mm and weighs 145 grams. So you get a 2.5D glass back design in four color options including Klein Blue, Cherry Powder, Magic Night Black, and Platinum Gold.

As for the specs, the Huawei Nova 3E features Kirin 659 inside (no surprise given that its being used by almost all Huawei mid-rangers) with 4GB RAM and 64GB / 128GB ROM options. On the front, you have a beautiful 5.8-inch display with 2280×1080 pixel resolution. In case you missed, this translates into 19:9 aspect ratio, which once again embraces the display trend set by recent notch smartphones.

The above specs are pretty much standard among Huawei devices these days. So what differentiates the Huawei Nova 3E? CAMERA! The phone is being marketed as a Selfie beast and it’s the world’s first smartphone to feature the 24MP Sony IMX578 sensor up front for stellar selfies. The new sensor boasts of a 20% increase in resolution, 33% decrease in noise in low light images, and a 26% increase in color reproduction. Given that the phone is a selfie beast, you get all the necessary features to improve your selfie shots like beauty algorithms, hardware level HDR, LCD smart light fill among other things. At the back, there’s a capable 16MP + 2MP dual camera setup that supports bokeh photos. But don’t expect anything extraordinary from its back camera.

The Nova 3E comes with Android 8 based EMUI 8. It supports face unlock, smart screen notifications, game mode, and intelligent voice assistant. The battery isn’t big, featuring just 3000mAh, but it does have 18W (9V 2A) fast charging to ensure you can quickly top up the battery when you are running low.

The Nova 3E starts at 1999 Yuan (~$315) for the 4GB +64GB model and 2199 Yuan (~$348) for the 4GB + 128GB model. Pre-sale starts today at 6PM while the first sale is on March 27.

Lenovo S5 is Official With 18:9 Display, SD625, 999 Yuan (~$157) Pricing Alongside Lenovo K5, K5 Lite Budget Phones

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Mar 20, 2018

Today, Lenovo had held a launch event to unveil the Lenovo S5 smartphone. The Chinese manufacturer has also announced Lenovo K5 and K5 Lite budget-friendly phones alongside the S5.

Lenovo S5 Specs, Features and Pricing

The Lenovo S5 comes with a full metallic body that is made out of series 6000 aluminum. The handset sports a smooth appeal since the metallic body is created by through 7 CNC processes, nano-injection molding followed by grinding, sandblasting, diamond trimming and anodizing. The handset can be availed in Red and Black color options.

The Lenovo S5 houses an 18:9 aspect ratio supporting IPS LCD display of 5.7 inches. It offers FHD+ resolution of 2160 x 1080 pixels. The Snapdragon 625 chipset is present under the hood of the phone. It comes in 3 GB and 4 GB RAM options and 32 GB, 64 GB and 128 GB storage variants. The handset is fueled by a 3,000mAh battery

A fingerprint scanner is present on the backside of the phone which also houses an LED enabled 13-megapixel dual camera setup. The dual rear cameras include a monochrome sensor and an f/2.2 aperture RGB sensor. The front-facing 16-megapixel can shoot good quality selfies by enhancing the facial features. The selfie camera can be also used for facial recognition.

Apart from snapping impressive shots, the camera app is able scan QR code and barcode. It is running on the latest ZUI 4.0, a customized version of Android Oreo. Instead of on-screen buttons, the ZUI offers Lenovo S5 users with U-Touch screen gestures.

As far as the pricing, the 3 GB RAM + 32 GB storage model of the Lenovo S5 is priced at 999 Yuan (~$157). The 3 GB RAM + 64 GB storage variant costs 1,199 Yuan (~$189). The highest configuration model featuring 4 GB RAM + 128 GB storage carries a pricing of 1,499 Yuan (~$236). Lenovo has already started the receiving reservations of the phone. The handset will be available for buying from March 23.

Lenovo K5, K5 Lite Specs, Features and Pricing

The Lenovo K5 and K5 Lite are the two low-end variants of the Lenovo S5. The Lenovo K5 includes an 18:9 aspect ratio supporting display of 5.72 inches that produces HD+ resolution of 720 x 1,440 pixels. Also, it comes with a 2.5D glass body. Instead of SD625, the K5 is fueled by MediaTek MT6750 SoC. It is equipped with 13-megapixel + 5-megapixel dual camera setup.

Also, it comes in models like 2 GB RAM + 16 GB storage, 3 GB RAM + 32 GB storage, 4 GB RAM + 32 GB storage and 4 GB RAM + 64 GB storage. It also includes 3,000mAh battery. The reservations of the phone have started from today in China and it will be officially released on April 10. It will be available with a starting price of 899 Yuan (~$142).

The K5 Lite that is houses in a polycarbonate chassis. It includes 5.7-inch HD display that supports 720p resolution and it is fueled by Snapdragon 430 chipset. Other features include 13-megapixel + 2-megapixel dual rear cameras and 3,030mAh battery. It will be available with a beginning price of 699 Yuan (~$110). Its reservations begin from today and it will be available for buying from April 17.

What’s your opinion on Lenovo S5? Will be a good competitor for China’s Redmi Note 5 and the upcoming Meizu E3? Let us know your thoughts by posting your comments below.

LG Zone 4 With 5-Inch Display And Snapdragon 425 Processor Launched

By

Jeet

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Mar 20, 2018

LG has announced a new budget smartphone in the United States for Verizon. Dubbed as LG Zone 4, the phone is priced at $115 and comes in Moroccan Blue color. It is the successor of LG Zone 3 which was launched in January 2016.

The phone features a 5-inch HD display with screen resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels and is powered by a 1.4GHz Qualcomm‘s Snapdragon 425 processor and Adreno 308 graphics processor. It packs 2GB RAM and 64GB internal storage.

There’s also a microSD card slot, which enables users to further expand the phone’s storage capacity. On the camera front, the phone comes with an 8-megapixel rear camera along with LED flash. For the front, there’s a 5-megapixel shooter for video calling and taking selfies.

The smartphone runs on Android 7.1.2 Nougat operating system, which is a bit disappointing given that it is an older version and the adaptation of Android Oreo is increasing. Connectivity options on the device include 4G LTE, VoLTE, Bluetooth 4.2, WiFi, and GPS.

On the back side, below the camera module, there’s a fingerprint sensor for additional security. The device is backed by a 2,500mAh battery which the company claims to be offering 16 days of standby time or up to 30 hours of usage time.

Currently, South Korea-based LG is gearing up to launch its next flagship smartphone. According to the reports, the company is aiming to launch the LG G7 by the end of next month. Hence, the smartphone is expected to arrive in the market by May this year.

Further, the report says that depending on the variant, the LG G7 is expected to be priced around $850 to $950. Its unveil event could be held in South Korea or the U.S. or Europe but nothing has been confirmed so far. Since the LG G7 is slated to be available from May, LG could postpone the launch of LG V40 from September to November.

Vivo Y85 is Almost Official as its Reservations Have Started on JD

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Mar 20, 2018

Vivo is known for launching new budget-friendly Y-series phone after it unveils a new high-end X-series phone. Yesterday, the Chinese manufacturer had debuted the Vivo X21 smartphone. It seems that the company has also officially launched the Vivo Y85 phone as almost everything from its specifications to pricing have been confirmed since it is has been made available for reservations on JD.com

Vivo Y85 Specifications and Features

The Vivo Y85 is yet another phone from China to arrive with notched display like the iPhone X. Its 6.26-inch IPS LCD display offers an aspect ratio of 19:9. The Y85 comes in a full metallic body that measures 154.81 x 75.03 x 7.89mm and it comes in two colors like Black and Champagne Gold. The handset features gold accents around the dual camera module and fingerprint scanner..

The Snapdragon 450 chipset is present under the hood of Vivo Y85. The 32 GB and 64 GB storage models of the Y85 feature 4 GB of RAM. It features a dedicated slot for adding a microSD card to the phone. The handset receives power from 3,260mAh battery.

The Vivo Y85 has a front-facing camera of 16-megapixel. With AI, it promises to capture enhanced selfies. The frontal camera also doubles up as Face Awake feature for facial recognition. The rear side of the Y85 features f/2.0 aperture 13-megapixel + f/2.0 aperture 2-megapixel dual rear cameras that is capable at snapping impressive portrait shots.

The handset is preinstalled with Android 8.1 Oreo that is skinned with FunTouch OS 4.0. It brings along Jovi AI virtual assistant for handling various tasks on the phone. It can intelligently learn the habit of the users and accordingly offer better suggestions. It also come with other features like split-screen mode, game mode and AR stickers. The other features available on the phone include 3.5mm audio jack, microUSB, Wi-Fi, 4G VoLTE, GPS, Bluetooth and rear-mounted fingerprint scanner.

Vivo Y85 Pricing

The 32 GB and 64 GB storage variants of the Vivo Y85 are respectively priced at 1,598 Yuan (~$252) and 1,798 Yuan (~$284). Customers who book this phone will be provided with a Bluetooth speaker from Vivo. As of this writing, there is no information available on the exact release date of Vivo Y85.

What’s your opinion on the specs and pricing of Vivo Y85? Share us your views by posting your comments below.

OnePlus 6 Coming with Under Display Fingerprint Scanner, 3D Facial Recognition?

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Mar 20, 2018

Yesterday, OPPO had launched the OPPO R15 and OPPO R15 Dream Mirror smartphones. On the same day, Vivo had also launched the Vivo X21 smartphone and its under-display fingerprint variant. The upcoming OnePlus 6 is expected to borrow design and some features from the Oppo R15 and Vivo X21 since these three brands belong to the parent company named BBK Electronics. In December, the rumor mill had claimed that the OnePlus 6 may arrive with under-display fingerprint scanner. After launching the Vivo X20 UD, Vivo APEX flagship phone and Vivo X21 UD with under-display fingerprint scanner, it seems that the OnePlus 6 may arrive with the advanced fingerprint scanning technology. Also, the OP6 may feature 3D face scanning feature like the Vivo X21.

The OnePlus 6 is rumored to arrive with a larger screen-to-body ratio than the predecessor model. Like the Oppo R15, the OnePlus 6 may feature a notched display that offers a screen-to-body ratio of 90-percent. The evidence of the notched design for the OnePlus 6 was recently spotted in its firmware files. Also, the screenshots of the AnTuTu app showing the benchmark scores of OnePlus 6 had also revealed an empty at its topside which again hinted that it would be arriving with a notch enabled display. This indicates that the OnePlus 6 may deliver an aspect ratio of 19:9 and FHD+ resolution of 2280 x 1080 pixels.

The Snapdragon 845 chipset is likely to power the OnePlus 6. Like the predecessor model, the 64 GB and 128 GB storage models may feature 6 GB and 8 GB of RAM. A recent report has revealed that the handset may carry support for super-fast LTE gigabit connectivity.

The OnePlus 5T that was launched in the last quarter of 2017 is the first phone from the company to come with Face Unlock feature. The OP6 may arrive with an advanced face scanning feature this year. The Vivo X21 has an IR emitter apart from the 12-megapixel selfie camera. It may not be as advanced the Face ID 3D facial recognition feature available on the iPhone X as it is also equipped with a fingerprint scanner. However, it seems to be a good hint that the OP6 may also arrive with some sort of 3D face scanning feature.

There are no details on the other specs of the OP6. However, since the OnePlus flagship is speculated to debut in June this year, the rumor mill is likely to reveal more information on it in the coming weeks.