Huawei P20 Pro Review – The Best Huawei Smartphone Yet

By

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Apr 11, 2018

It seems that every year the Chinese tech giant Huawei releases a new phone, there is a lot of hype. It’s the same thing this year with the P20 Pro and to be honest, this is one of the most exciting phones of 2018 yet mainly because of that triple Leica camera setup, really nice design and flagship-grade specs. At the first glance, this is a superb smartphone but as most of the devices, it also has a few caveats to consider. This phone has a premium price tag of about $900 or 850EUR. Learn more about the device at our detailed Huawei P20 Pro review.

VIDEO REVIEW

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l6WuUGzllW8[/embedyt]

UNBOXING

The P20 Pro ships just with a cable, a charger, a pair of earphones, a headset jack adapter and SIM ejector pin. Huawei didn’t include the case this time around, which is a bit disappointing.

DESIGN and DISPLAY

I don’t want to sound subjective at the very beginning of this review but the Huawei P20 Pro is one of the best looking phones out there. The Twilight gradient color is just beautiful and the phone changes the looks in different lighting. That’s why the phone may look a bit different in some parts of this review.

The overall build quality is excellent too thanks to a nice metal frame and premium-feeling buttons. I found the phone to sit comfortably in the hand thanks to nicely curved glass backplate. I was also impressed by the fact that Huawei managed to cram in a huge battery (4000mAh) into such a thin profile of the P20 Pro.

A triple camera setup looks really impressive on paper. It consists of one 40MP RGB sensor, 8MP telephoto shooter, and 20MP monochrome lens.

Here is more information about the cameras: the P20 Pro uses a 223% larger sensor than the competition, it has 5x hybrid zoom, 4 in 1 hybrid focus system, 4D predictive focus, it can achieve ISO levels up to 102400, and it can record 960fps slow-motion at 720p. Also, AI-powered Kirin processor makes the best out of this powerful hardware configuration. In other words, AI helps apply the best camera settings to take a nice-looking picture automatically.

Huawei also added a laser receiver to achieve fast auto-focusing speeds and a flash with the color temperature sensor that is used for white balance adjustment.

Huawei didn’t skimp on selfie shooter either as the P20 Pro uses a beefy 24MP camera. All the specs and numbers sound really impressive but we’ll see if the camera is truly great a bit later in this review.

Now, let’s talk about the display. Yes, it has the infamous notch but Huawei gives you an option to hide it. Honestly, I like the notch. At first, I was really skeptical about it and you may know that already if you follow me on Twitter but in practice, it looks quite nice to me. As for the display quality, it’s among the best on the market. Well, it may lack punchiness and vibrant colors of Samsung’s screens, but this is still one of the best displays on the market. It’s sharp, clear and easily visible even under direct sunlight.

After using the P20 Pro for a while, I have to say that the fingerprint scanner on the front is more convenient to me. I just love the fact that I don’t need to pick up the phone from the table to unlock it. Speaking of that scanner, it’s just blazing fast, super accurate and it unlocks the phone straight from the standby mode.

I was also really impressed by the face unlock feature. It’s ridiculously fast and accurate and it works well in any light and even if you wear glasses. All you have to do is press the power button before using this feature.

Other features you need to know: the phone has a nice LED notification light, IR blaster, dual SIM card slot but no microSD card support.

You should also know that there is no headset jack but the sound quality using a supplied adapter is excellent. Also, the P20 Pro has hi-fi wireless audio system that assures great sound quality via the Bluetooth.

There is a dual stereo speaker setup that is really good too. I like that the sound is deep, punchy and loudspeakers can get pretty loud. Finally, the Huawei P20 Pro is IP67-certified for water and dust resistance.

HARDWARE and PERFORMANCE

In terms of hardware, the P20 Pro is a beast. It ships with the latest home-brewed Kirin 970 processor and other powerful components (6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage) that in conjunction with the AI, assure excellent all-around performance.

That can be seen when playing the latest 3D games. All the titles I played run absolutely fine, no skipped frames, no stutter, and the P20 Pro does not get hot while gaming either. Flagship-grade performance.

USER INTERFACE

In terms of user interface, I can just repeat myself – performance is excellent thanks to no small part of Kirin AI chipset with integrated NPU unit that helps allocate resources to the specific task. As usual, I’ve installed a lot of apps, use many different social media apps, Google accounts etc but I’m yet to see the phone lag or stutter. This phone is almost stock Android fast, which is really impressive.

EMUI 8.1 is based on Android 8.1 and I know that many people still can’t get used to cartoonish and a bit different than stock Android look. Honestly, if you had asked me a year ago, I would have said the same thing. However, I got used to the Huawei’s user interface and even though it’s still not my favorite, I kind of like it.

The very first thing you want to do is bring back the app tray. Other stuff you can do: customize the phone in many different ways. As usual, you can choose from plenty of themes, change transition effects, adjust quite a few display settings, use one-hand mode and so on. There are quite a few ways to navigate through the UI. You can simply use navigation bar and swap the buttons of it. You can also use a navigation dock that I didn’t really it like because I found on-screen and off-screen navigation systems more comfortable to use. You can control your phone using just the home button which is pretty convenient and that’s probably my most favorite way of navigating through the UI. Finally, we have classic Huawei smart assistance features which are useful and work fine but it’s still a bit weird since Huawei thinks that using your knuckle is the most natural way of interacting with your phone.

CAMERAS

Just before we start talking about optics, we suggest you download full resolution camera samples since pictures on the website are resized to reduce page loading times.

Download full resolution camera samples

I found the stock camera app to be responsive and it can take pictures very fast. Also, you understand why Huawei keeps talking about the AI-assisted camera. Every time you take a picture using the auto-mode, AI recognizes the scene and adjusts the settings automatically. There are plenty of shooting modes to choose from but my favorites include a pro mode that allows you to adjust a lot of different settings.

The portrait mode now allows you to choose from different lighting effects and it works both with the main and selfie cameras. Photos usually look quite nice as the subject is separated accurately from the background. However, you can’t completely turn the beauty mode off but that’s not an issue for me, I think I need this mode. Also, I got a few soft-looking shots with both main and selfie camera but keep in mind that all portrait pictures were taken by myself.

Daylight image quality is usually very good thanks to 40MP sensor. There is plenty of detail and sharpness, and you have a lot of megapixels to play with. However, AI tends to adjust image settings in the way that pictures look nice on social media out of the box. Therefore, you may get oversaturated pictures with high contrast, especially if you tend to shoot a lot of landscapes.

If you want to use 5x hybrid zoom, you need to switch to 10MP resolution manually, which is quite frustrating. On a positive note, you can zoom in a lot and images remain nice and sharp, and you can clearly see details even at the maximum zoom level. However, I don’t understand why the first zoom option is 3 times. If I want to use just 2x zoom I need to pinch to zoom manually, which again, takes more time than just tapping on the zoom button. If we compare the quality of 40MP and 10MP pictures, we can definitely see that there is more detail, which is useful if you like zooming in or cropping the images.

Wide aperture mode allows you to photograph objects with a shallow depth of field effect and I found the overall image quality using this mode to be pretty good.

You can also take very nice black and white pictures but in general, I prefer color photography.

Finally, night image quality. If you use auto-mode, you can take nice pictures but I found the Samsung Galaxy S9 to be slightly better in some of the shots. However, if you use night mode, you can take long-exposure shots without the need of a tripod. Then, night image quality is one of the best on any smartphone. Really impressive results thanks to that AI image stabilization and large sensor.

Selfie camera usually takes pretty nice and detailed pictures that will definitely do the trick for social media.

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BfXXKKxI8gQ[/embedyt]

4k video is very sharp, detailed, continuous auto-focus is reliable and super fast but… video stabilization does not work in 4K mode and you end up with shaky footage. That’s really frustrating but hopefully, this can be improved with the future software updates since the hardware is there. I even enabled stabilization feature on the third party camera app called Open camera but the footage still came out shaky.

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FEKUiQpzk1Q[/embedyt]

If you don’t need 4K, 1080p video looks much better in terms of smoothness. The footage is very stable but obviously, you are losing the sharpness of 4K.

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U3pmorzMOtg[/embedyt]

1080p selfie video looks pretty nice as there is plenty of detail and sharpness, and the sound recording quality is good.

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxm9URTg0TM[/embedyt]

You can also record short clips at 960fps in 720p and the quality is quite decent.

Download full resolution camera samples

CONNECTIVITY

In terms of connectivity, I found the P20 Pro to be good and reliable in all aspects. Call quality is excellent and signal reception is actually better than most of the phones I’ve tested in the recent memory. Also, I found GPS to be very accurate, Wifi is fast and Bluetooth works fine. Finally, there are quite a few sensors on board, like on most of the flagships.

BATTERY LIFE

Battery life has been great. Firstly, I’m very impressed with excellent standby time as the phone drains almost no battery despite the fact that I used the P20 Pro with 2 SIM cards and reception in my apartment is kind of poor.

Also, I could use the phone for an entire day or even a few days, depending on the usage. That results in an average screen-on time of about 6 or even 7 hours while using the phone quite intensively. That is a very good result.

The supplied Huawei’s fast charger can fully charge the phone in just about 1,5 h. Unfortunately, there is no wireless charging, which is kind of disappointing.

CONCLUSIONS

The Huawei P20 Pro shapes up to be a solid flagship smartphone and there are many reasons to love it. In fact, this is easily the best phone Huawei has ever made. I like its design, excellent build quality, nice and sharp display, very good and innovative camera setup, great overall performance and solid battery life. I also like that the fingerprint scanner is on the front, Face ID works very well, there is a dual SIM card slot, IP67 certification and some other extras like the IR blaster and great stereo speaker system.

Now the cons. My biggest frustration is that there is no stabilization in 4K video mode. That’s important to me as I’m a huge video guy. You should also know that there is no microSD card slot, no headset jack, and no wireless charging. Finally, camera app needs a little bit of polishing and I think it will be improved over the time since the phone is still running on an early software build.

At the end of the day, can I recommend the Huawei P20 Pro? Absolutely yes. Obviously, there are some shortcomings to consider like on each and every phone but given the overall package the P20 Pro offers, this device can be easily called one of the best flagships of 2018 yet and definitely the best phone Huawei has ever made.

Get the P20 Pro on Oppomart

Check Out Crazy Good Smartphone Deals (Limited Time/Supply Offer)

By

Linus

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Apr 11, 2018

If you are in the market for a great budget phone, Gearbest has quite a few on sale. In fact, we have reviewed most of them and we can easily recommend as one of the best options for the price. Check out these good smartphone deals (Limited Time/Supply Offer).

Xiaomi Redmi 5

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IpMV5Et_6aY[/embedyt]

Xiaomi Redmi 5 is one of the best options if you can’t spend more than $120 for a phone. It has a nice design, pretty good specs for the price and a long lasting battery!

Deal price: $109.99, COUPON: GBphoneclear3

QUANTITY: 80

Buy Xiaomi Redmi 5 for just $109.99 with a COUPON: GBphoneclear3

Xiaomi Redmi 5A

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ugRUq8XLKQ[/embedyt]

Xiaomi Redmi 5A is even a cheaper phone than the Redmi 5 as it costs just over $80 with the Gearbest’s discount. As far as design goes, the Redmi Note 5a is kind of plain looking and it is very similar to the Redmi 4a. The phone has a Snapdragon 425 chip, just 2GB of RAM and 16GB of storage. What is awesome, is that there is a dedicated microSD card slot along with a dual-SIM card tray. I think this should become a standard feature on each phone.

Deal price: $85.99, COUPON: GBphoneclear2

QUANTITY: 80

Buy Xiaomi Redmi 5a for just $85.99 , COUPON: GBphoneclear2 Buy Xiaomi Redmi 5a US VERSION for just $85.99 , COUPON: GBphoneclear2

LeEco Le Pro 3 Elite

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0hSk8kTJ-JI[/embedyt]

LeEco Le Pro 3 Elite is yet another great phone for the price. I mainly like it for its all-metal design, high-quality display, and good daily performance. Notable specs include a Snapdragon 820 chip, 4GB RAM and 32GB ROM.

Deal price: $149.99, COUPON: GBphoneclear5

QUANTITY: 10

Buy LeEco Le Pro 3 Elite for just $149.99 , COUPON: GBphoneclear5

Xiaomi A1

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FC5bZg2rrE0[/embedyt]

Last but not least – Xiaomi A1. If anyone asks me which budget phone to buy – I usually recommend the A1 for its metal body, greats specs, huge battery, decent cameras and obviously, stock Android user interface. It ships with the most power efficient processor – Snapdragon 625. If you add 4GB of RAM and 64GB of expandable storage, you can be rest assured that the phone will perform well on the daily basis.

Deal price: $189.99, COUPON: GBphoneclear1

QUANTITY: 200

Buy Xiaomi A1 for just $189.99, COUPON: GBphoneclear1

Nubia M2

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iIoFWm_YP4Y[/embedyt]

Nubia M2 is one of my personal recommendations for a budget phone with a great camera. In fact, I believe this phone has the best cameras for the price. Even though there is no deal for this phone at the moment, I believe it offers a great package overall. The phone ships with a Snapdragon 625 chip, 4GB RAM and 64GB ROM.

Overall, the Nubia M2 is a great budget phone. I love its design and excellent build quality, great overall performance, solid cameras and a very good battery life. The only thing that may disappoint you is outdated Android 6 but at least the phone is very snappy.

Buy Nubia M2

Nokia 3 Gets Android 8.0 Stable Update, Nokia 7 Plus Moves To Android 8.1

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Apr 11, 2018

HMD Global has rolled out new updates to two of its devices. The Nokia 3 has now received an Android 8.0 Oreo stable update while the Nokia 7 Plus has been updated to Android 8.1.

The Nokia 3 which is over a year old already launched with Android Nougat out of the box. HMD Global revealed that all its phones will get updated to Android O and Android P. With the Nokia 3 getting its update today, that leaves just the Nokia 2.

You asked, we listened. Android 8.0 Oreo™ drops for #Nokia3 today. pic.twitter.com/8aci6KC1JV

— Juho Sarvikas (@sarvikas) April 11, 2018

If you own the Nokia 3 do check for the update and provide us with the change-log.

The Nokia 7 Plus also received an update that pushes it to Android 8.1 Oreo. The update is 590MB in size and brings along April’s security patch. New features include battery saving navigation buttons, a revamped power menu, new setting menu, and Bluetooth battery percentage.

The Nokia 7 Plus was released this year at MWC 2018. It has a 6” FHD+ display, a Snapdragon 660 processor, 4GB of RAM and 64GB of expandable storage. There are dual 12MP Zeiss sensors on the rear and a 16MP front-facing camera.

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This Foldable OLED Display May Be The Future of Smartphones

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Apr 11, 2018

A number of manufacturers are working on foldable phones to be released in the near future. There are rumors the first set of commercially available foldable smartphones will hit the market this year. While we wait, a Taiwanese research institute has released a video showing a working device with a foldable AMOLED display.

The display is manufactured by the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) in Taiwan and a prototype is shown in a 72-second long video.

The device doesn’t score any point for design as this is clearly a prototype but we get to see the screen in action. ITRI says they are “rapidly approaching commercial standards” with the display.

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CpxtDRgMOjQ[/embedyt]

The device when unfolded looks like a 7-inch tablet. It doesn’t fold into two equal halves and there is probably a reason for that. Rather than unfolding the device every time to check for notifications; with always-on-display, you can check new notifications in the visible part of the screen.

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Motorola’s New Stereo Speaker Mod Is Now Available For $59.99

By

Jeet

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Apr 11, 2018

Motorola has launched a new Moto Mod — Stereo Speaker Mod, which marks the fourth speaker mod to be released by the company. Priced at $59.99, this new Stereo Speaker Moto Mod happens to be the cheapest speaker mod released so far by Motorola.

It comes with two 28mm stereo speakers which can hit volume up to 80db at a distance of 50cm. This new mod helps to add a larger and louder speaker to the phone with enhanced bass and clarity. It uses power from the smartphone with which it is attached to, and thus, no charging is required.

The Stereo Speaker Mod measures 153 x 73 x 15mm in size and weighs 102 grams. It is available in three color options – Black, Blue, and Red and comes with a built-in kickstand on the back. This new speaker is available for purchase right now on Motorola’s official website and the company is also offering a finance scheme for $10/month via Affirm.

Apart from this new speaker mod, the company has already released three speaker mods — JBL Soundboost, Soundboost 2 and Amazon Alexa powered speaker mod. The JBL Soundboost and Soundboost 2 are priced at $79.99 while the Alexa-equipped speaker mod is priced at $149.99.

Leaving speaker mods aside, the company has also released several other interesting mods such as keyboard mod, Polaroid Insta-Share Printer Mod which is a snap-on photo printer, 360-degree cameras, etc. Earlier, there were reports making rounds that the Lenovo-owned company is preparing to launch Virtual Viewer Mod — a VR rig as a Moto Mod.

Nubia Joins The Smart Home Race With A ¥1599 (~$255) Smart Door Lock

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Apr 11, 2018

Nubia is known for its phones but the ZTE sub-brand has added a new segment to its portfolio. Apart from the Nubia Z18 Mini released today, it also released the Nubia Smart Door Lock.

The Nubia Smart Door Lock is made of zinc alloy with an electroplated surface. It has support for five different modes of unlocking. You can use the fingerprint scanner, enter a numerical password, swipe with a card, unlock it with your phone, or use a key.

The lock has a cover that slides up to reveal the keypad and fingerprint scanner. When covered, it just looks like a giant door lock save for the screen which gives it away that this is no ordinary door lock.

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Vivo Y71 Silently Launches in India For INR 10,990

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Apr 11, 2018

Vivo India has released a new phone without any fanfare. The Vivo Y71 packs mid-range specs and a full-screen display but may have a tough time selling in India.

The design of the Vivo Y71 is not one we haven’t seen before. It is an all-metal design with glass on the front. The front bezels are significantly smaller and the back is plain except for a single camera, LED flash, and the manufacturer’s name.

The Vivo Y71 has a 5.99” with a 720 x 1440 resolution. It is powered by a Snapdragon 450 processor paired with 3GB of RAM and 16GB of expandable storage.

There is a single 13MP rear camera with LED flash and a 5MP front-facing camera. It doesn’t have a fingerprint scanner but there is Face Unlock. This is the second mid-range phone in recent weeks that doesn’t have a fingerprint scanner. The first is the OPPO A1.

The Vivo Y71 runs Android Oreo out of the box and packs a 3360mAh battery. It is priced at Rs. 10,990 (~$168) and should be available for purchase soon.

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Nubia Z18 Mini vs Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro: Which Mid-Ranger Would You Pick?

By

Michele Ingelido

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Apr 11, 2018

The mid-range section of the smartphones market is becoming more competitive in the past couple of years. Nowadays, the difference between mid-rangers and flagshipsisn’t too noticeable, at least in terms of performance. Nubia Z18 Mini and Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro are two mid-end devices which are suitable even for advanced users, despite being mid-rangers. But which of these handsets is the best and which one has the best value for money? This Nubia Z18 Mini vs Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro specs comparison will let you know our opinion about them.

Nubia Z18 Mini vs Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro

	Nubia Z18 Mini	Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro
DIMENSIONS AND WEIGHT	148 x 70.6 x 7.6 mm, 153 grams	158.6 x 75.4 x 8.1 mm, 181 grams
DISPLAY	5.99 inches, 1080 x 2160p (Full HD+), 424 ppi, 18:9 ratio, LTPS LCD	5.99 inches, 1080 x 2160p (Full HD), 403 ppi, 18:9 ratio, IPS LCD
PROCESSOR	Qualcomm Snapdragon 660, octa-core 2.2 GHz	Qualcomm Snapdragon 636, octa-core 1.8 GHz
MEMORY	6 GB RAM, 64 GB – 6 GB RAM, 128 GB, micro SD slot	3 GB RAM, 32 GB – 4 GB RAM, 64 GB – 6 GB RAM, 64 GB – micro SD slot
SOFTWARE	Android 8.1 Oreo, nubia UI	Android 7.1.2 Nougat, MIUI 9
CONNECTIVITY	Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS	Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.2, GPS
CAMERA	Dual 24 + 5 MP f/1.7 8 MP f/2.0 front camera	Dual 12 + 5 MP f/2.2 + f/2.0 20 MP f/2.0 front camera
BATTERY	3450 mAh	4000 mAh Fast Charging (Quick Charge 2.0)
ADDITIONAL FEATURES	Hybrid Dual SIM slot	Hybrid Dual SIM slot

If we consider the aesthetics, Nubia Z18 Mini is definitely the winner among the two. It boasts an elegant and reflective glass back and an aluminum frame which makes it look like one of the most expensive flagships. Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro has a classic metal design, it is well-designed but nothing spectacular. Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro has a slightly bigger display which is more comfortable for multimedia and productivity, but its opponent has a better hardware side. With a powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 chipset paired with 6 GB of RAM, Nubia Z18 Mini should provide faster performance.

On paper, the rear dual camera of Nubia Z18 Mini seems better, but we have to see its photos to judge it in a definitive way. On the other hand, the selfie snapper is surely better on the Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro and it is also paired with a front-facing LED flash. At last, Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro has a bigger battery: with its 4000 mAh capacity, we believe it will last much more than its opponent. Nubia Z18 Mini has a better design and potentially better performance, but we define Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro a device with a slightly higher value for money. While Nubia Z18 Mini has just been launched in China with a price tag of $286/€230, Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro has been launched in India with a price tag of $265/€214.

Nubia Z18 Mini vs Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro: PROS and CONS

Nubia Z18 Mini

PRO

Better design
Potentially higher performance
Potentially better main camera
Compact dimensions

CONS

Higher price

Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro

PRO

Bigger battery
Better selfie camera
More affordable price
Bigger screen

CONS

More anonymous design

Which one will you pick?

Huawei’s Android Go Smartphone Confirmed To Be A Part Of Y-Series, Could Launch Next Month

By

Jeet

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Apr 11, 2018

Earlier this year, Huawei confirmed that it is working on a new Andriod Go smartphone which is expected to launch in the first half of this year. Now, an executive at Huawei has confirmed that the smartphone will be a part of the company’s Y-series of smartphones, which is a lineup of entry-level devices.

Zhao Likun, General Manager for Huawei South Africa’s Consumer Business Group said, “Our first Android Go smartphone (is) named Y-series 2018. This is the first (Huawei) product equipped with Android Go.” He further added that the phone will be launched in May in South Africa.

Revealing details about what to expect from the smartphone in terms of specifications, Zhao Likun said that the phone could come with 1GB RAM and 16GB of internal storage. The company’s aim is to provide good performance and the phone should be good for use for at least two years.

If the previous reports are to be believed, then the first Android Go smartphone from Huawei will be the Huawei Y5 Lite (2018). It is expected to pack MediaTek MT6737m chipset and carry a screen with a resolution of 854×480 pixels.

For those who are unaware, Android Go is Google’s lightweight take on its Android mobile platform, which is targeting entry-level devices with 512MB to 1GB of RAM and as little as 8GB of storage. The platform comes equipped with special Google’s Go apps, including Google Go, Google Assistant Go, Maps Go, YouTube Go, etc. as well as data-saving functionality enabled by default.

Several smartphone manufacturers have already launched Android Go smartphone, which includes ZTE Tempo Go, Nokia 1, TCL’s Alcatel 1X, and Lava Z50.

Exclusive: Leaked LG G7 TPU Cases Gift Us Another Look At The G7 Renders

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Apr 11, 2018

LG has been revealed as planning to launch the LG G7 on May 2. According to the popular Twitter tipster, Evan Blass, LG will unveil the G7 bearing the name LG G7 ThinQ and that has been confirmed. Ahead of the launch, a couple of TPU cases on the G7 have appeared online and along with them comes the opportunity to get yet another sneak preview of the LG flagship before it is officially launched.

The LG G7 protective cases come with an efficient anti-slip design. Eve in the event of a fall, the cases possess the ability to cushion the fall so that the device isn’t damaged. One of two different cases leaked has a clip for holding the smartphone firmly in the pocket and can even be used on the breast pocket. The case also comes with a covering for the display which would protect the screen from breaking if the phone falls and will also keep the screen protected from scratches by sharp objects like keys inside the pocket. The second protective case is obviously for the ladies as it comes in pink. Apart from the pink color, the case is designed with refractive stones all over the back.

Basically, the design is consistent with the previous renders of the G7 which we had seen previously. The device is expected to adopt a notch display design at the front which will house the selfie camera and an LED notification indicator as well as the front speaker. While at the back, there will be a vertically aligned dual rear camera setup and under the camera will sit a fingerprint sensor. The LG G7 ThinQ will feature a 6.1-inch display.

The LG G7 ThinQ has its power button and volume rockers located on the right side but there is also a button on the left which is said to be a dedicated AI button. Thus, LG may likely be playing the AI card as well. We’ll have to wait until the launch to find out what the AI button does but it may be similar to Samsung’s Bixby button. Specs-wise, the LG G7 ThinQ will be arriving with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 mobile platform, 4 GB of RAM and an internal storage of 64 GB. There may likely be a higher memory variant.

BLU Vivo One Plus Entry-Level Smartphone Features 18:9 Display And 4,000mAh Battery

By

Jeet

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Apr 11, 2018

Last month, BLU launched its first ever Android One smartphone — BLU Vivo XL3. Now, the company has launched yet another smartphone named BLU Vivo One Plus, which comes with slightly improved specs over the BLU Vivo One that was launched in February.

The smartphone comes with a 6-inch HD+ display with screen resolution of 1440 x 720 pixels while the previous model packs 5.5-inch HD display. Under the hood, the device is powered by a 1.3GHz quad-core MediaTek MT6739 processor.

The entry-level phone packs 2GB RAM and 16GB internal storage. There’s also a microSD card slot, allowing users to further expand the phone’s storage capacity up to 64GB.

Coming to the camera department, the BLU Vivo One Plus boasts a 13-megapixel camera sensor on the back, along with an LED flash. On the front side, there’s also a 13-megapixel snapper with an LED flash for brighter selfies.

There’s a fingerprint sensor placed on the phone’s back panel, ensuring added security measures. Connectivity options on the dual-SIM smartphone include 4G LTE, Wi-Fi b/g/n, Bluetooth, and GPS.

The phone runs Android 7.1 Nougat operating system out-of-the-box and comes with a split-screen feature enabling users to do two tasks simultaneously. We doubt if the phone will ever receive new Android version updates. It is powered by a 4,000mAh “monster” battery and supports 5V/2A quick charge.

Although the BLU Vivo One Plus has already been launched and listed on the company’s official website, the smartphone is not yet available for purchase and the company has not yet revealed its pricing information. It will be available in three colors — Black, Dark Blue, and Gold.

Xiaomi Launches 90Fun Passport Suitcase

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Apr 11, 2018

One of the companies under Xiaomi’s Mi Ecosystem is 90Fun (Shanghai Runmi Technology Co.). They are known for their backpacks, running shoes, jackets, and suitcases. The manufacturer’s latest product is the 90Fun Passport Suitcase and it does have some interesting features.

Most suitcases have one large compartment for your clothes and shoes and a few pockets to keep documents and gadgets. These pockets are not specially designed to hold your precious gadgets and documents just like a backpack and sometimes you have to open the main compartment to access them. The Passport Suitcase fixes that.

The suitcase has a separate compartment made just for your gadgets, travel documents, and any other personal items you need quick access to. There is a slot for your laptop, one for your phone, and a couple more for passports and wallets. The good thing is that the compartment has a high level of protection as it is said to be 100% crush-proof.

The compartment itself has a TSA lock separated from the main one.

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7D9OjgiOug[/embedyt]

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MediaTek Releases Q1 2018 Financial Report Showing Promising Improvement MoM

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Apr 11, 2018

Taiwanese fabless chipmaker MediaTek has released its unaudited financial report for the first quarter of 2018 showing the company’s sales revenue for January, February and March. The chipmaker continues to struggle to regain its profitability as a result of a decline in sales especially since losing out completely in the flagship chip segment to rival chipmaker – Qualcomm.

The financial statement shows that the company recorded a cumulative income of NTD 49,654 million (~$1.7 million USD) for the three months. This is 11.46% lower than the NTD56,083 million which the company posted in Q1 2017. However, the company can take out some positives from the improved sales Month on Month recorded in March, compared to January and February 2018. In January 2018, the company recorded a total of NTD 16,835 million in revenue which is an 8.07% drop Year on Year. Revenue recorded in February declined drastically to NTD 12,708 million representing a 25.03% slump YoY. However, the company’s fortunes rebounded in March with a revenue of NTD 20,110 million which is still 3.40% lower than the company’s March 2017 revenue. But the revenue in March represented a 58.24% Month on Month (MoM) increase in sales over February 2018.

MediaTek’s revenue is expected to continue improving this month, especially since its latest Helio P60 midrange chip is getting featured on more and more smartphones. Analysts believe the Helio P60 and perhaps the P70 will play key roles in boosting the company’s revenue in the second quarter.

(source)

Honor Magicbook Sporting Ultra-thin Bezels Will Launch As Honor’s First Laptop on April 19

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Apr 11, 2018

Huawei’s Honor division has gradually evolved from a brand focused on premium flagship phones to include midrange and even budget models. The Honor division has also seen the launch of sports band and other accessories in recent times. Now, the Honor brand has officially announced what is going to be its first laptop model dubbed Honor Magicbook. The laptop will be unveiled alongside the Honor 10 on April 19.

Honor had released a teaser video on April 1 which featured the Honor Magicbook but then it was thought t be an April Fool’s joke because of the sleek design and ultra-thin bezels. Indeed, the latest poster announcing the launch date also contains the render of the device and the major standout feature is the ultra-thin bezels on all sides. This is likely going to be nothing similar to the laptop models across different brands that are presently on the market. In this regard, the Honor Magicbook has the potential of being a hugely successful device. We could be looking at the first bezel-less laptop that will spark up a revolution similar to the one already sweeping through the smartphone industry.

However, the hardware configuration of the Magicbook is yet to be revealed. The success of the laptop will depend, to a large extent, on the specifications of the laptop. We expect Huawei to include the latest and best hardware lineup onboard the device. Also, don’t expect the laptop to come in with a cheap price tag but in typical Huawei style, it will still be affordable when compared to Apple’s MacBook models. It’s interesting to observe that the two names are similar.We don’t know if that will be the only similarity between the MagicBook and MacBook. We’ll keep you updated about the new laptop when it goes official on April 19.

(source)

Samsung Galaxy J7 Duo Goes Official in India with Rs. 16,990 (~$260) Pricing

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Apr 11, 2018

Through a press release, Samsung has officially launched the Galaxy J7 Duo smartphone. Some of its best features include dual rear cameras, front-facing LED flash for selfie camera and Face Unlock.

Galaxy J7 Duo Specifications and Features

The Samsung Galaxy J7 duo features a 5.5-inch S-AMOLED display that offers HD resolution of 720 x 1280 pixels. The press release states that the Galaxy J7 is powered by octa-core Exynos 7 series processor. However, leaked information that had surfaced before the launch of the Galaxy J7 Duo revealed that it is powered by 1.6 GHz Exynos 7870 SoC that is also found under the hood of older Samsung phones like Galaxy J7 (2017), Galaxy J5 (2017), Galaxy A3 (2017), Galaxy J7 Prime 2, Galaxy J7 (2016) and Galaxy J7 Prime.

The SoC of the Galaxy J7 Duo is supported by 4 GB of RAM and it is fueled by 3,000mAh battery. It comes loaded with Android 8.0 Oreo which brings along Bixby Home feature. The App Pair feature available on the Galaxy J7 Duo allows its users to work on two apps at the same time. It has a native storage of 32 GB. For more storage, users can make use of up to 256 GB of microSD card.

The Galaxy J7 Duo is the first J series phone from Samsung to feature dual rear cameras. It includes an f/1.9 aperture 13-megapixel sensor and an f/1.9 aperture 5-megapixel sensor. It is equipped with an LED flash and carries support for Full HD video shooting at 30 fps. The dual cameras can be also used for shooting images with bokeh effect. The LED flash enabled 8-megapixel selfie camera has an aperture of f/1.9. Some of the features of the front-facing camera include Face Unlock, Selfie Focus and Beauty Mode.

Below the display of the Galaxy J7 Duo is the fingerprint scanner enabled home button. It also includes other features such as 4G VoLTE, dual-band Wi-Fi 802.11ac, Bluetooth 4.2, GPS and GLONASS. It measures 153.5×77.2×8.2mm and weighs 174 grams.

Galaxy J7 Duo Pricing and Availability

The Galaxy J7 Duo carries a pricing of Rs. 16,990 (~$264). It will be available for buying starting from April 12. The handset can be availed in colors like Black and Gold

Unboxing Photos of The Celadon Blue Nubia Z18 Mini

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Apr 11, 2018

The Nubia Z18 Mini was announced a few hours ago and its launch heralds the arrival of the main flagship, the Nubia Z18. The Mini suffix is just an indicator that this is a less powerful variant of the main device and in no way means this phone can’t hold its own.

The Nubia Z18 Mini not only packs upper mid-range specs but matches it with an equally impressive design. Unboxing photos of the blue variant are now available for us to feast our eyes on.

The phone comes in a white box with the Nubia logo on it. There is nothing fancy about the packaging and it doesn’t even have the model of the phone on it. However, there is a chance the underside may have the model, IMEI number, and a few other info listed.

Pull off the top half of the box and you are greeted with a red inner box and the phone itself. Irrespective of the color variant you buy, the Nubia Z18 comes with black bezels on the front but you can see the outline of the color variant at the edges.

The box contains a charger, a USB cable, and a SIM ejector tool. There is also a quick start guide/warranty booklet inside.

Even though it has an 18:9 aspect ratio, the Nubia Z18 Mini still has moderately-sized bezels. The front camera is on the left side of the top bezel followed by the earpiece, and hidden on the right should be a sensor. The phone uses on-screen navigational buttons which are red just like they would be if they were capacitive buttons.

There is a SIM tray on the left and a dedicated voice assistant button. The key is textured and has a red accent on all variants. The volume rocker and power button are on the right. The phone also has antenna lines on the upper part of the sides and at the bottom.

The Nubia Z18 Mini has a USB-C port flanked on the left by an audio jack, and on the right by a speaker grille. The top is almost bare save for a secondary microphone.

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Live Photo of Unknown LG Phone With Full Vision Display May Be LG Q7

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Apr 11, 2018

With the LG G7 ThinQ already confirmed to launch on May 2, we wouldn’t be surprised if LG also launches new second-generation mid-range phones with Full Vision displays.

A live photo of an unknown LG phone was posted online yesterday by Roland Quandt (@rquandt). The phone has a display of an unknown size and resolution but an 18:9 aspect ratio. It doesn’t have a notch but the corners are curved.

There isn’t a fingerprint scanner in front, so it is likely on the rear or it might not even have one. Yes, we won’t be surprised since the LG Q6 trio released last year don’t have a fingerprint scanner. But let’s hope they don’t repeat that this year.

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Samsung’s Market Share in China is Now 0.8% Only

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Apr 11, 2018

In the last two years, none of the Samsung phones have made it to the list of top 10 bestselling phones in China. According to a recent market study carried out by Strategy Analytics, the South Korean held on to 12^th spot in China in the fourth quarter of 2017. Currently, the only foreign company that has managed to get listed in the top 10 smartphone brands in China is Apple that is now holding on to 5^th position after Huawei, OPPO, Vivo and Xiaomi. The research also reveals that Samsung’s market share has declined to 0.8 percent in the said quarter.

Between 2011 and 2013, Samsung was the number smartphone brand in China. However, local brands have managed to surpass Samsung’s popularity in the recent years. Analysts are of the view that some of the reasons that has led to declining of Samsung’s market share in China are its inability to meet the demands of consumers in China while local brands proactively launch cheaper smartphones, recalling of Galaxy Note 7 and the recent political tension between Seoul and Beijing.

On March 6, Samsung had introduced the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ smartphones in China. It has even signed up popular young actors from China, Zhu Yawen and Jing Boran to endorse the Galaxy S9 duo. The South Korean company is hoping to gain some market share through the arrival of S9 and S9+ in China.

Galaxy S9+ China featured — Samsung recently launched the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ in China

The 64 GB and 128 GB Samsung Galaxy S9 models are respectively priced at 5,799 Yuan (~$922) and 6,099 Yuan (~$970). On the other side, the 64 GB, 128 GB and 256 GB Galaxy S9+ variants respectively cost 6,699 Yuan (~$1,065), 6,999 Yuan (~$1,113) and 7,599 Yuan (~$1,209). In order to attract Chinese customers, it comes with enhanced video, audio apps and personalized emojis to attract social media users in China.

A recent report had revealed that Samsung is working on improving its market share in China. In 2017, it had replaced local heads and operations were streamlined. The company also plans to concentrate more on targeting users who purchase high-end smartphones. However, it won’t be easy for Samsung to regain its popularity in China as Huawei, OPPO, Vivo, Xiaomi and OnePlus are all selling flagship phones with cheaper pricing.

What do you think should Samsung do to rank among the top 5 brands in China? Share us your views by posting your comments below.

(via)

Nubia Z18 Mini Official With SD660, 5.7-inch FHD+ Display, & Android 8.1

By

Joel Joseph

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Apr 11, 2018

After teasing the new gaming brand yesterday, Nubia has officially taken the wraps off the Nubia Z18 Mini smartphone in China. It’s the first of the many models that are set to release sometime later this year in the Z series. Despite the ‘Mini’ branding, the new model is quite a capable smartphone that can take on the new age mid-rangers in the market.

Nubia is always known for its simple yet beautiful design. The same design philosophy is carried forward on the Nubia Z18 Mini. The phone features a 3D Gorilla Glass curved glass body supported by an aluminium alloy frame. The design is elegant and there are five different color options available, include a special edition. There are the standard four colors: Black, White, Pink, Blue. Apart from this, there’s a special Provence Edition coming in a Lavender shade, which will cost you a bit more than the other models. The 148 x 70.6 x 7.6mm body along with its 153 gram weight ensures that the phone is comfortable even for one handed use. Further, there’s a dedicated voice assistant button coming in textured red on the left side of the phone.

Coming to the specs, the Nubia Z18 Mini will feature the Snapdragon 660 AIE processor with 6GB of RAM and 64GB / 128GB ROM options. At the back of the phone, you’ll find a 24MP primary camera with a secondary 5MP shooter. The primary camera boasts of f/1.7 aperture with PDAF + Hybrid Contrast AF, 0.1s focus, and multi-point focus. The large aperture should ensure decent low light pictures from the Z18 Mini’s dual camera setup. Up front, you get an 8MP 80 degree wide-angle shooter to take care of your selfies.

The Nubia Z18 Mini comes with Android 8.1 out of the box with the company’s own Nubia UI. There’s a decent 3450mAh battery that should ensure more than a day’s worth of battery life. Other features include Bluetooth 5.0, Wi-Fi 802.11 ac, GPS, GLONASS, and 106 point Face Unlock.

The phone starts at 1799 Yuan ($286) for the 6GB +64GB variant and goes up to 2099 Yuan ($334) for the 6GB+128GB variant. The special Lavender Provence Edition will cost you a bit extra at 2199 Yuan ($350). The Nubia Z18 Mini goes on sale on April 19 and reservations start today. Meanwhile, you can check the full Nubia Z18 Mini specs here.

Xiaomi Mi 5, Mi MIX, Mi Note 2 Android Oreo Beta Testing Begins; Stable ROM Roll Out Could be Available Soon

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Apr 11, 2018

Few days ago, Xiaomi had released China Developer ROM based on Android Oreo for devices like Mi 5, Mi MIX and Mi Note 2. Today, the company has officially confirmed through its MIUI forum site that the it is now recruiting new fans for these handsets outside of China to test the Android Oreo Global ROM’s beta version.

Xiaomi is now in the process of making the MIUI 9.5 version available to as many as 30 smartphones. However, the update only brings the latest MIUI version, and it does not contain newer version of Android OS.

The Chinese manufacturer is also gradually rolling out the latest Android Oreo update to eligible devices. Xiaomi has already released Android 8.0 Oreo update to devices like Mi A1, Mi MIX 2, Mi 6, Redmi Note 5 Pro but there are a handful of eligible devices such as Mi Note 3, Redmi 5, Redmi Note 5, Redmi 5A, Redmi 5A Prime, Redmi Note 5A, Redmi Note 5A Prime Mi Max 2, Mi Note 2, Mi MIX, Mi 5s, Mi 5s Plus, Mi 5, Mi 5X, Mi 5C and Mi Pad 3 that are yet to receive the Android 8.0 Oreo update.

As mentioned above, it appears that the global ROM based on Android Oreo could be available soon for Mi 5, Mi MIX and Mi Note 2. These handsets are likely to receive the Oreo update within Q2 this year whereas most of the remaining handsets may get it Q3.

Users of Mi 5, Mi MIX and Mi Note 2 who wish to test the beta version of Android Oreo can visit the source link to know how to enroll as a beta tester. One should be aware of the fact that the deadline to become a test tester for these phones is April 11 until 11:59 PM (Beijing time).

The Xiaomi Mi 6 had received Android Oreo beta version in January this year and the stable global ROM was made available for it by February end. Hence, it is likely that the Mi 5, Mi MIX and Mi Note 2 users may get the global stable Android Oreo ROM by the coming month.

(source)