Meizu E3 Kumamon Bear Customized Edition Confirmed, Also Launching March 21

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Mar 12, 2018

Last week a sketchy picture of a Meizu smartphone having the Kumamon Bear drawn on the rear cover emerged and the model was rumoured as launching alongside the standard Meizu E3 version. Now, that rumour has gotten some confirmation as Meizu has released a poster which strongly suggests the Meizu E3 Kumamon Bear Customized Edition would be launched on March 21.

Kumamon is a popular mascot created by the government of Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan. It was created in 2010 for a campaign kickstarted to draw tourists to the region after the opening of a new rail line. Kumamon subsequently became nationally popular, and in late 2011, was voted top in a nationwide competition of mascots. The bear mascot is also a very popular icon in China and other Asian countries. Kumamon has also been a money spinner as a result of merchandising revenue. The government of Kumamoto in January this year announced moves to allow foreign companies use the bear’s image rights on their products and that is what Meizu seems to be doing. Also, it is 8 years since the mascot was first unveiled. So the Meizu E3 Kumamon edition could be to celebrate its 8th anniversary.

The poster which was spotted on Meizu’s Blue Charm official Weibo poster is designed using the three colours, White, Black and Red with which the bear is usually designed. It also contains an image which looks like a caricature of the mascot. Most of the comments on the page suggest this is the Kumamon custom edition of the E3 and Meizu Blue Charm also confirmed that the comments are correct. We expect this version to come with the same specifications as the standard edition. The difference may likely just be the Kumamon mascot’s design on the back casing and perhaps in the theme.

(source)

Nokia 7 Plus Could Soon Launch In India, Expected To Be Priced At Rs. 23,000

By

Jeet

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Mar 12, 2018

Nokia 7 Plus, which was launched at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona last month, is now reportedly making its way to the Indian market. According to the reports, HMD Global could soon launch the Nokia 7 Plus in India.

The phone recently went on sale in China and according to the company, it was sold out within just 5 minutes. While the India launch date is not yet known, we expect the phone to get launched in Q2 2018 for a price tag of around Rs. 23,000.

The Nokia 7 Plus finds a place between the company’s budget phone Nokia 6 and its flagship device Nokia 8. In China, the 4GB RAM + 64GB storage model is priced at 2,299 Yuan (approximately $364) while the 6GB RAM + 64GB storage model is priced at 2,499 Yuan (approximately $395).

The phone features a 6-inch IPS Full HD+ display with a screen resolution of 2160 x 1080 pixels. The display comes with a 500-nits brightness rating and Corning’s Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection on top.

Under the hood, the device is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 processor clocked at 2.2GHz, paired with 4GB/6GB RAM and 64GB of internal storage. Both models come with microSD card slot, which enables users to further expand the phone’s storage capacity up to 256GB.

Coming to the camera department, the Nokia 7 Plus packs a 12-megapixel wide-angle primary camera with f/1.75 aperture and 1.4-micron pixels, as well as a 13-megapixel camera with a f/2.6 aperture, 1um pixels, and 2x optical zoom.

The dual camera setup is aligned vertically and is accompanied by a dual-tone LED flash and Zeiss optics. On the front side, it features a 16-megapixel fixed focus snapper with a f/2.0 aperture, 1um pixels, and Zeiss optics.

Connectivity options on the device include 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802.11ac, Bluetooth v5.0, GPS/ A-GPS, NFC, USB Type-C (2.0). The phone runs on stock Android 8.0 Oreo operating system out-of-the-box and will soon be upgraded to Android 8.1 Oreo. The device is fuelled by a 3,800mAh battery, which the company claims is capable of delivering up to 2-day long battery backup on a single charge.

Samsung Galaxy J8 Plus Appears On Geekbench With Snapdragon 625

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Mar 12, 2018

Just a few weeks ago, the Samsung Galaxy J8 was seen on Geekbench powered by an Exynos 7870 processor and 3GB of RAM. Today, the Galaxy J8 Plus has also appeared on the site and it comes with a Snapdragon processor.

The Galaxy J8 Plus has model number SM-J805G. It runs Android 8.0 and is powered by the msm8953 a.k.a Snapdragon 625 paired with 3GB of RAM.

This is not Samsung’s first Snapdragon 625 phone. There is the Galaxy C7 and the Galaxy On7, both released back in 2016.

The J8 Plus scores 749 points in the single-core test and 3708 points in the multi-core test. These scores are similar to those of other Snapdragon 625 phones like the Xiaomi Redmi Note 4X.

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Motorola Plans To Boost Offline Presence In India With 1,000 Moto Hubs

By

Jeet

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Mar 12, 2018

Motorola is looking to expand its presence in India, one of the largest smartphone markets in the world. The company is especially planning to expand its offline presence where the company doesn’t have wide presence.

The Lenovo-owned company is reportedly planning to establish about 1,000 Moto Hubs across the country. Recently, the company launched 25 Moto Hubs in Kolkata and prior to that, it had opened 50 Moto Hubs in Delhi.

The Moto Hub store houses the entire portfolio of Motorola devices including all the online exclusives models such as the Moto X4, Moto Z-series and more. In addition to smartphones, the Moto Hubs will be selling accessories such as headphones, Moto Mods, shells and case covers. Further, the customers can also experience all the products and can even purchase these products.

Commenting on this development, Sudhin Mathur, Managing Director of Motorola Mobility India revealed that the hubs will surely boost the overall revenue from offline markets to 50 percent. However, Mr. Mathur believes that the can be achieved only after the establishment of 1,000 Moto Hubs. The company hasn’t provided an estimated time frame for the opening of the hubs.

Earlier, the company had partnered with Poorvika Mobiles across 43 cities in Tamil Nadu, Pondicherry, and Karnataka. It had also partnered with Big C and Lot Mobile across 55 cities in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana to provide retail access to consumers.

This is an interesting shift of strategy given that the company entered the Indian market a few years ago with an online-only business model in partnership with India’s homegrown online marketplace Flipkart. After Motorola, many companies adopted the same strategy in order to compete with the company’s value-for-money offerings in the budget segment.

Currently, Motorola is gearing up to launch its next-generation Moto G-series smartphones. The company will be launching three models in the G-series — Moto G6, G6 Plus, and G6 Play. Similarly, Motorola will be launching three models in the E-series as well, which includes Moto E5, E5 Plus, and E5 Play.

As of now, there is no information available regarding the launch date and pricing of the upcoming E5 and G6 series. But, we are expecting this new Moto E5 series to make its debut at some point in the second quarter later this year. On the other hand, the G-series devices from Motorola are also expected to launch in the Q2 2018.

Vivo’s Weibo Teaser Confirms Under Display on the Vivo X21 & Was Sent From The X21

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Mar 12, 2018

Vivo is given to serious innovativeness these days. The company recently stunned the industry when it announced the Vivo APEX concept flagship model packing a Snapdragon 845 chip, pop-up selfie camera and bezel-less design. The company recently started teasing a new model dubbed X21 which is billed to launch on March 19. Th company had earlier released a posted pointing at the launch date. Now, a new teaser has been released on the official Vivo Weibo page which confirms the presence of an under-glass fingerprint sensor on the Vivo X21.

Apart from confirming the presence of an under display fingerprint sensor like the one featured on the Vivo X20 Plus UD version, the Weibo post invariably reveals that the model is already in production. Weibo usually detects the smartphone from which a message was posted and in this case, the smartphone is identified as Vivo X21 Screen fingerprint phone. So, the model won’t be launched while we still have to wait a couple of months before it will go on sale just like the APEX.

Back to the teaser, the size of the fingerprint on the picture seems to also confirm speculations that the fingerprint sensor will cover up to half of the entire display. This is expected to be more flexible and an upgrade over that of the Vivo X20 which is restricted to just a part of the screen. The Vivo X21 is also expected to pack a 6.01-inch AMOLED display with a screen ratio as high as 94%. The smartphone is also expected to come equipped with Vivo’s newly developed Super HDR technology.

(source)

Will Android Go Breathe New Life To Old Devices?

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Mar 12, 2018

Google’s Android Go is a lightweight version of Android meant for devices with entry level features such as RAM of 1GB or less. Three phones have already been released under the program and more are expected.

While Google’s main aim is to use Android Go to capture its next 1 billion users which mainly belong to the demographic of those who have never used a smartphone, others have thought of another use for Android Go which is to give new life to older devices.

HMD Global’s Android Go Device – The Nokia 1

While the Android Go devices already launched may have a modern look, their internals are no different from flagships released in the early days of Android.

There are also a bunch of flagships and hundreds of mid-range devices from a couple of years ago that are stuck on older versions of Android. If they get a ported version of Android Go, one can have them up and running again.

Take for example devices like the 1st gen Nexus 7 which has 1GB of RAM and 8GB of storage or even the more powerful Nexus 5 with 2GB of RAM and 16GB/32GB of storage. Although they already have custom versions of Android that have been ported to them since software support ended, wouldn’t it be better if a less resource hungry version was made available?

Some XDA developers like AdrianDC are said to be working on a version of Android Go for older Sony phones. We may also see more developers working on other brands.

But even with this, there are a lot of Android smartphones that never get a more recent version of Android than what they launched with which leaves the fragmentation problem unsolved.

At the moment, only 1.1% of the Android devices in the market run Android Oreo (8.0 and 8.1). Compare that figure to Lollipop users with 24.6% and Marshmallow devices with 28.1% and you can see how bad it is.

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Xiaomi’s Manu Jain Hints 6 New Phones & 100 Exclusive Mi Stores Coming To India this Year

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Mar 12, 2018

Xiaomi India’s head Manu Kuma Jain has hinted that the company plans to open new exclusive Mi Stores in India and also to launch six new smartphones in the country this year. Mr Jain made this known in an interview which he granted Livemint.

This news is coming on the heels of recent disclosure that the company will explore the recently relaxed regulation on ownership of retail stores by foreign firms. The regulation allows for 49 percent foreign direct investment (FDI) in single-brand retail channels. That law was relaxed by the Indian government as from January this year, thus paving the way for OEMs to run fully-owned branded stores. The Chinese company looks set to catch in on this by opening its own Mi Home stores in various cities which would stock its products exclusively.

Xiaomi has had a highly successful run in India especially last year where it went on to emerge as the number one smartphone brand in the country ahead of Samsung in the third and fourth quarter of the year. The tech giant was able to achieve this feat using online sales via Mi.com, Flipkart and Amazon India together with offline sales using the numerous franchise partner stores it has in various cities of the country. The company’s success in India is also attributable to the affordable smartphones it offers in the market. That portfolio would be increased by 6 new smartphones this year. The tech giant has already launched the Redmi Note 5 and Redmi Note 5 Pro in India and is set to add the Redmi 5. We also expect the company to add the Mi 7 and Mi Mix 2s later this year to the lineup. Xiaomi will also look to expand its smart home gadgets in India. A couple of Smart TVs have already entered the market. Other products like the air purifier, Mi Robot Vacuum cleaner may join the fray this year.

(via)

Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+ Gets Its First Update With Latest Security Patch

By

Michele Ingelido

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Mar 12, 2018

Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus are still in the pre-order phase, but they have already received their first update, which is focused on security. The update has been reported from Germany and it is identified by the build number G960FXXU1ARC5 for the standard S9 and G965FXXU1A5C5 for the S9 Plus. Its almost 243 MB in size and, according to the official changelog it does not bring many changes. But it is still an important update because it includes important security fixes. The first update for Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus contains the March security patch, which is the latest released.

In case you do not know, Google releases a security patch every month to fix the most important vulnerabilities found on Android. The update also contains security fixes for Samsung’s firmware besides the ones by Google. From what the changelog suggests, the device stability has been improved and some bugs have been fixed as well. “New and / or enhanced features” have been implemented, but we do not know which features the changelog is talking about because they are not mentioned. At last, the log mentions further improvements to performance.

If you have the Samsung Galaxy S9 or S9 Plus, but if you still didn’t receive the notification you can check for the update by heading to Settings, then tap on Software updates and Check for updates. It is also possible to install the update via Samsung Smart Switch. Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+ will be soon available to purchase from all around the world: the pre-orders will end on March 15 and the devices will start being shipped from the day after. Among the best improvements in these devices, there are cameras with variable apertures which can adapt to every condition in order to shoot better photos with low light and much more.

(Source)

Huawei Nova 3e Launching on March 20 with Notch Design, Dual Rear Cameras

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Mar 12, 2018

The Huawei Mate 10 Lite smartphone was launched with in monikers like Maimang 6, Nova 2i and Honor 9i in different markets. In the same way, it is speculated that the upcoming Huawei P20 Lite may debut in select markets as Nova 3e. The Chinese manufacturer has confirmed that the Nova 3e will be made official on March 20.

The launch invite of the Huawei Nova 3e not only confirms its launch date, but also the Chinese text present states that it will be arriving with a new generation of full screen design. The actual Nova 3e could look like the P20 Lite shown below.

Since the Nova 3e is expected to borrow all its specs from the P20 Lite, it is expected to house a 5.84-inch display that will support FHD+ resolution of 2280 x 1080 pixels. The mid-range Kirin 659 chipset may power it along with 4 GB of RAM. It is rumored to come with a native storage of 64 GB. For additional storage, it may feature a microSD card slot.

The notch of the phone is pegged to feature a 24-megapixel selfie camera. The back panel that features a fingerprint reader is also equipped with 16-megpaixel + 2-megapixel dual camera setup. It will arrive preloaded with Android 8.0 Oreo OS that will be skinned with EMUI 8.0. The handset will be fueled by a 3,000mAh battery.

The Nova 3e is expected to come in color choices like Blue, Black< Rose Gold and Gold. The pricing of the phone is expected to get confirmed on its launch date. The Chinese manufacturer will be also launching the P20 and P20 Pro flagship phones on March 27.

(source)

Xiaomi Mi 7 May Arrive with Display Notch, 3D Facial Recognition

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Mar 12, 2018

In the previous month, the alleged firmware files of the Xiaomi Mi 7 had revealed some of its key features by XDA Developers. Today, the publication has come across newer firmware files of the Mi 7 through which it is now known that it may feature a notch display, IR (Infrared Camera) sensor and a larger battery.

Xiaomi was expected to launch the Mi 7 as the first flagship phone of the year. Instead, the company will be launching the Snapdragon 845 Mi MIX 2S before the Mi 7 on March 27. The arrival of the Mi 7 has been reportedly delayed as the company wanted to bring some important changes on it. The new firmware files of the Mi 7 suggest that it will be arriving with a new design featuring a display notch like the iPhone X.

The notch of the iPhone X features Face ID sensor along with TrueDepth Camera that can unlock it or authenticate payments through 3D facial recognition. The new firmware files contain many references to a display notch within the MIUI Camera, MIUI System UI and MIUI Settings. The code for the notch that has been found in these apps are responsible for modifying the height of the status bar and hiding the ability to modify the icons for battery indicator and notification in status bar settings of MIUI.

The MIUI Keyguard app is an app associated with the lock screen and its related features. It contains a new method that is dubbed as openIRCamera. It could be related to Face Unlock feature of MUI. Hence, it is speculated that the IRCamera could refer to the Infrared Camera sensor. This indicates that like the iPhone X, the Xiaomi Mi 7 may support 3D facial scanning.

The new firmware files corroborate some previously leaked information that the Mi 7 will be arriving with an OLED display along with Always-On Display function. It also confirms that the Snapdragon 845 will be present under its hood. Previous firmware files had claimed that the Mi 7 has 3,170mAh battery. Another change that has been spotted on new firmware files it the presence of a larger battery of 3,400mAh capacity.

Last month, well-known tipster Mocha RQ had also claimed that the Mi 7 may feature a display notch. He had revealed that it will be arriving with an in-screen fingerprint scanner. Few hours ago, the Xiaomi Mi 7 had appeared on Geekbench with SD845, 6 GB of RAM and Android 8.0 Oreo. It is also rumored to include support for 7.5W wireless charging. Lastly, the Xiaomi Mi 7 is rumored to get announced in June

(source)

Latest OPPO R15 Teaser Confirms 6GB RAM and 128GB Storage

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Mar 12, 2018

OPPO has released an official teaser for its upcoming phone and it confirms two of the key specs. The OPPO R15 is its next flagship and save for its processor(s) which is mid-range, every other feature is what you will find in high-end phones.

The new teaser doesn’t show the phone but confirms that it will have 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. While 6GB of RAM isn’t new to OPPO phones, 128GB of storage is still not common. The R9 Plus is the only other OPPO phone that comes to mind with that amount of storage.

The teaser also confirms the full-screen display which TENAA reveals to be 6.28” with a 2280 x 1080 resolution. The display will also have a cut-out at the top just like the iPhone X albeit smaller.

The OPPO R15 will come with a Helio P60 processor with a dual-core AI processor. It will also have a 20MP selfie camera, 16MP+5MP dual rear cameras, and a 3450mAh battery.

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Honor 7C Launched; 5.99 Full-view Display, SD 450, Smart Selfie Shooter, Starts at ¥899 (~$142)

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Mar 12, 2018

Huawei’s Honor brand has launched the Honor 7C in China and the smartphone comes with a number of surprises. The Honor 7C adopts the still trending Full-screen design with the 18:9 aspect ratio. The device also comes with a sleek design and dual rear cameras and the selfie shooter packs facial recognition feature and some smart features for better selfies.

Specifications

The Honor 7C sports a large 5.99-inch TFT LCD IPS display with an HD+ resolution of 1440 x 720 pixels. The device is powered by an unnamed 14nm Octa-core chipset clocked at 1.8GHz, with integrated Adreno 506 GPU. Huawei chose to keep the identity of the processor a secret but it is interesting to note that none of Huawei’s Hisilicon line of chipsets from the mid-range to the flagship chips integrates the Adreno GPU. The Honor 7C likely packs a Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 processor which is built on the 14nm silicon and comes with support for FHD+ displays. The chipset is clocked at 1.8GHz maximum and integrates an Adreno 506 GPU. Going further, the processor is paired with 3GB of RAM on the standard version while there is a 4GB RAM version. The 3GB RAM version houses 32GB of storage while the 4GB RAM models feature 64GB of storage. Both storages are expandable up to 256GB.

The 7C is a dual SIM smartphone and has the SIM card tray located on the left side of the display. There is also an independent microSD slot and so users won’t need to sacrifice a SIM slot for microSD as is the case with some models.

On the camera end, the Honor midrange model packs a dual camera setup at the rear. Design-wise, the camera is located on the top left corner and is aligned horizontally with an LED flash on the inner edge. All three sits on a bump which isn’t too high but is noticeable. The rear cameras comprise a 13MP + 2MP combination. The secondary camera is a bokeh camera which should create vivid shots with blurred bckground. At the front, the Honor 7C packs an 8MP selfie shooter with the display acting as a smart soft light which illuminates when selfies are to be taken. The brightness of the light is determined by the level of illumination of the environment. Honor shared some camera samples shot by the selfie cameras and it doesn’t disappoint. You can check out the pictures after the post.

Furthermore, the Honor 7C runs on the latest EMUI 8.0 based on Android 8.0 Oreo OS out of the box. The device also packs a 3000mAh battery which is optimised to provide longer battery life.

Pricing & Availability

The Honor 7C comes with a price that will shock you. The standard version having 3GB RAM+ 32GB storage is priced at just 899 Yuan (~$142) which is very affordable. On the other hand, the higher version with 4GB RAM + 64GB storage comes in at 1,299 Yuan (~$205). You’ll agree the smartphone is offered at a very cheap price considering the specification and premium build. The device will go on sale at 10 AM on March 13 via Huawei Mall, Jingdong, Tmall, Suning, Gome and Weipin. Presale is already ongoing on the various channels. There’s no word yet on when the model will roll out globally.

New Photos And Video Show Huawei P20 Lite With Its Notch And An Amazing Glass Back

By

Michele Ingelido

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Mar 12, 2018

The Huawei P20 line-up will be announced on March 27 in a dedicated event which will be held in Paris. Huawei P20 Lite will be the cheapest variant of the trio and it has just appeared in a new live photo which shows its rear side. With an outstanding glass back in Blue, the phone is reminiscent of the best-seller Honor 8 which has been one of the most attractive smartphones of recent years. The lucid glass back houses a dual camera in a vertical configuration with a LED flash under it, and a fingerprint reader placed centrally. The frame of the Blue Huawei P20 Lite seems to be made of metal.

The photo confirms the previously leaked shots, the press renders surfaced online and the images published by the Chinese regulatory agency TENAA after its official certification. Other photos and a hands-on video are showing the front side as well. On the front, Huawei P20 Lite will sport a bezel-less display with an 18:9 aspect ratio and an iPhone X-like notch. But even though there will be a notch, we will see a thicker bezel on the lower side. The display should have a size of 5.84 inches and it should show images at a Full HD+ resolution of 1080 x 2160 pixels.

Under the hood, we expect to see the octa-core Kirin 659 chipset, the same which powers the latest Huawei midranges like Honor 7X and Honor 9 Lite. The chipset will be accompanied by 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB of internal storage. The vertical dual camera should have resolutions of 16 and 2 MP, while on the front side there should be a single selfie snapper with a resolution of 24 MP. The battery should have a capacity of 2900 mAh, while the operating system installed will be Android 8.0 Oreo customized with the EMUI 8.0.

(Via)

Xiaomi Mi MIX 2S Dual Camera Teaser Could be Hinting Slow Motion Video Shooting

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Mar 12, 2018

Xiaomi is building hype around the upcoming Mi MIX 2S flagship phone by releasing the teasers on some of its key features on Weibo. Recently, it has confirmed that the Snapdragon 845 chipset would be fueling the Mi MIX 2S. The company has also teased that the smartphone would be equipped with AI dual cameras and wireless charging. Today, the Chinese manufacturer has released yet another teaser on Weibo to hint the camera prowess of the phone.

The Weibo post featuring a teaser image that show clapping hands asks Xiaomi fans to guess on the new camera feature that will be arriving on the Mi MIX 2S. As mentioned above, it has been already revealed that the handset will be coming with AI driven dual rear cameras. The clapping hands teaser suggest that the camera of the Mi MIX 2S may support fast focusing or slow-motion video shooting or both.

Last week, a leakster from China had revealed leaked photos of the Mi MIX 2S. He had shared the following watermarked image to show that the handset will indeed feature AI driveni dual cameras. The tipster had also claimed that the Mi MIX 2S will carry support for 960 fps.

The leaked photos of the phone that have surfaced recently have shown that its back panel will be featuring a vertically arrange dual camera setup. One of the recent teasers have suggested that both the camera sensors can work independently. Recent reports have hinted that the one of its dual camera sensors could be the Sony IMX363 sensor. All the teasers surrounding the camera of the Mi MIX 2S clearly hints that it will offer stellar photography experience.

As far as other specs and features of the phone are concerned, it expected to come with FHD+ display of 6.01 inches, 6 GB / 8 GB RAM, 64 GB / 128 GB / 256 GB storage options, Android Oreo, 3,400mAh battery and rear-mounted fingerprint reader.

Xiaomi will be unveiling the Mi MIX 2S through a launch event in Shanghai on March 27. As of this writing, there is no confirmation on its pricing.

(source)

You May Want To Stay Away From Sony’s Xperia XZ2 2-in-1 Dongle

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Mar 12, 2018

The alternate title for this post should be “How to not charge your phone while charging it” because that is practically what Sony’s Xperia XZ2 Type-C 2-in-1 cable does.

The flagship phone which was unveiled at MWC 2018 doesn’t have an audio jack. So you are left with listening to audio files over Bluetooth, through an USB-C audio dongle or via a pair of USB-C headphones. If you choose either of the last two, that means you can’t charge and use your headphones at the same time.

Sony wants you to be able to use your 3.5mm headphones and charge your phone at the same time (at least that’s the idea), so it made the USB Type-C 2-in-1 Cable EC270 – a dongle that has 3.5mm and USB-C input ports at one end for your earphones and charging cable respectively, and a USB-C connector that plugs into your phone at the other end.

All you have to do is plug in your earphone and charging cable to the dongle and connect it to your phone and you can listen and charge at the same time.

The problem is that while you will do the former, you may not be charging your phone seeing as the dongle’s power output is limited to 5V/0.5A (2.5W)! We don’t have to explain how that power rating practically doesn’t translate to your phone charging especially if you are using the phone at the same time.

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OnePlus 5 And OnePlus 5T Starts Receiving Android 8.1 Oreo Beta Update

By

Jeet

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Mar 12, 2018

After rolling out Android 8.0 Oreo update for its OnePlus 5 and OnePlus 5T smartphones earlier this year, OnePlus has now started rolling out Android 8.1 Oreo beta update for both the phones.

The OxygenOS Open Beta 6 for the OnePlus 5 and the OxygenOS Open Beta 4 for the OnePlus 5T is now based on Android 8.1 Oreo operating system.

The update is about 1.6GB in size and comes with the Android security patch for February 2018. The update will be available over-the-air (OTA) for those users who have already flashed a previous Open Beta build. However, for those who’ve not flashed Open Beta build, they’ll need to flash this new update manually by downloading it from downloads.oneplus.net.

It also comes with a new call pick-up gesture, enabling users to answer the call by raising the phone. Besides general bug fixes and improvements, the company has added more clock styles for ambient display and has added new optimizations in gaming mode for immersive gaming experience including power saving and pausing adaptive brightness.

For the OnePlus Switch, the company has also added support to migrate application data, allowing users to switch between devices seamlessly. Further, for the OnePlus 5T, the update also brings optimized full-screen gesture support.

Currently, the OnePlus 5T is the flagship smartphone from the China-based company, which was launched in November last year. It comes with a 6.01-inch Full HD+ Optic AMOLED display with an 18:9 aspect ratio and a layer of Corning Gorilla Glass 5 on top.

Under the hood, the phone is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor and is available in two variants — 6GB RAM with 64GB of internal storage and 8GB RAM with 128GB of internal storage. It comes with a 16-megapixel primary sensor at the back, with a wide-angle lens and large f/1.7 aperture.

Compared to its predecessor OnePlus 5, the secondary telephoto lens on the 5T has now been replaced by a 20-megapixel sensor with f/1.7 aperture for better low-light photography and improved depth-of-field. The phone is powered by a 3,300mAh battery which also supports Dash Charging.

(Sources – 1, 2)

Meizu E3 Could be Arriving as Redmi Note 5 Killer with Snapdragon 636, 6 GB RAM, Sony IMX363

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Mar 12, 2018

Last week, Lenovo Group VP had teased that that the upcoming Lenovo S5 phone would be a worthy competitor for the Xiaomi’s forthcoming Redmi Note 5 mid-range phone. Meizu has recently confirmed that it will be holding a launch event in Beijing on March 21 to announce the Meizu E3 smartphone. Fresh information reveals that the Meizu E3 will be also a Redmi Note 5 killer phone as it is speculated to include Snapdragon 636 chipset, 6 GB of RAM and Sony IMX363 sensor.

Last month, Xiaomi had unveiled the Redmi Note 5 Pro smartphone in India. It is the first Redmi Note phone to feature 6 GB of RAM. Moreover, it is also the first phone ever to be fueled by Snapdragon 636 SoC. Xiaomi has recently confirmed that the Redmi Note 5 that is debuting on March 16 in China will be powered by Snapdragon 636 and 6 GB of RAM. This is clear indication from the company that the Redmi Note 5 Pro that was launched in India could be heading to China as the Redmi Note 5 phone.

The Snapdragon 636 chipset that powers the Redmi Note 5 Pro includes a 1.8 GHz octa-core processor. The TENAA listing of the Meizu E3 has revealed that it is also fueled by 1.8 GHz octa-core processor. Fresh information suggests that the Meizu E3 will be also equipped with Snapdragon 636 SoC. It will be a Redmi Note 5 killer as it also expected to arrive with 6 GB of RAM like the Redmi Note 5 Pro.

The TENAA certification of the Meizu E3 has revealed that it will be equipped with a 5.99-inch IPS LCD display that supports Full HD+ resolution. The handset will be powered by a 3,300mAh battery.

Apart from 6 GB RAM option, the Meizu E3 will be also available in 4 GB RAM variant. The handset is also expected to be available in 32 GB, 64 GB and 128 GB storage choices. It will be arriving with a microSD card slot. The below render of the phone shows it will be equipped with a side-mounted fingerprint sensor.

The Android 7.1.1 Nougat will be available pre-installed on the Meizu E3. It will be arriving with a front-facing camera of 8-megapixel. The back panel of the phone will be fitted with 12-megapixel + 20-megapixel dual camera setup.

As far as the camera prowess is concerned, Meizu Li Nan had recently claimed on Weibo that the camera of the Meizu E3 will be better than Meizu Note 6. He had also shared a same image of the photo that was snapped using the Meizu E3’s dual rear cameras.

The Meizu Note 6’s dual camera setup comprises of Sony IMX362 and Samsung 2L7 sensors. Leaked information reveals that the Sony IMX363 that is available on the ASUS ZenFone 5 and ZenFone 5Z smartphones will be arriving on the Meizu E3 phone.

Rumors are rife that the Meizu E3 will be coming with a 2,299 Yuan (~$363). According to its TENAA certification, the handset is expected to arrive in Champagne Gold, Obsidian Black and Dark Blue.

(via)

Preorder ZTE Nubia M2 Smartphone For Only $199.99 On Banggood [Coupon Code]

By

Vinay Patel

-

Mar 12, 2018

The ZTE Nubia M2 smartphone was launched in June, last year. As expected, the long-awaited phone garnered huge popularity among smartphone lovers after hitting the store shelves.

While the Nubia M2 smartphone grabbed the attention of gadget buffs with its impressive specs, the phone failed to impress cost-conscious buyers who weren’t willing to empty their pockets to buy a smartphone. But that’s about to change.

Much to the delight of those who have restlessly been waiting to get their hands on the coveted phone without burning a hole in their pocket, Banggood is giving them an opportunity to save a considerable amount of money. Let’s check out the details.

The Nubia M2 is up for preorder on Banggood bearing a relatively steep price tag of $299.99; however, you can save a lot of money simply by using coupon code ‘BG128M2’ at the time of checking out. Here’s how.

You can save $100 while preordering the Nubia M2 smartphone by applying the aforesaid coupon code. In other words, you can bring your grand total down to only $199.99.

In terms of specs, the ZTE Nubia M2 smartphone sports a 5.5 inches AMOLED capacitive touchscreen display with a screen resolution of 1080 x 1920 pixels at a pixel density of 401 PPI. It uses Corning Gorilla Glass for added protection.

The Nubia M2 offers 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage. It packs a powerful Qualcomm MSM8953 Snapdragon 625 processor, paired with an Adreno 506 GPU, under the hood. The phone runs on Android 6.0 (Marshmallow) with Nubia UI 4.0 running on top.

You can click here to check out the full specification and use the coupon code before it expires. It’s worth noting that the coupon code will be valid for only 3000 pieces.

Save $100 On ZTE Nubia M2 Smartphone On Banggood

Sony Xperia R1 And Xperia R1 Plus Starts Receiving Android Oreo Update

By

Jeet

-

Mar 12, 2018

Last year, Sony made a come-back in the mid-range smartphone market by launching Xperia R1 and Xperia R1 Plus in the Indian market. The phones, which are exclusive to the Indian market, have now started receiving the Android Oreo update.

The Android 8.0 Oreo update for the Xperia R1 and the Xperia R1 Plus brings features like reminders for unfinished tasks such as emails in drafts and messages. It also comes with a new feature called Xperia Actions which intelligently suggests actions based on user’s usage with all new games and community features. Further, the update brings contextual menus for app shortcuts which on long pressing will show more options.

The new update also brings several core Android Oreo features including Picture-in-Picture (PiP) mode, Notification dots, Smart Autofill, redesigned Quick Settings menu, faster boot time, and other bug fixes and system improvements, along with a relatively new Android security patch.

The Android 8.0 Oreo update has build number S001011_180224. On the Sony forum, several users are complaining about the Wi-fi SSID connection and some third-party app crashes after Oreo update. Some users are unable to upload/download media from WhatsApp. A few users are also facing issues with Google Play Store showing notice of it being uncertified.

The Sony Xperia R1 and R1 Plus smartphones were launched in October 2017 at Rs 12,990 and Rs 14,900 respectively. At the time of launch, the Japan-based company had said that these phones are exclusively for the Indian market and will be manufactured locally.

The Xperia R1 features a 5.2-inch TFT LCD display with a screen resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels. It is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 processor with 2GB of RAM and 16GB of expandable storage with microSD card slot for storage expansion.

The phone comes with a 13-megapixel camera on the back with LED Flash and Sony‘s own Predictive Hybrid Autofocus which uses object tracking and motion prediction to focus on moving objects. On the front, there is an 8-megapixel camera that also has the same Predictive Hybrid focusing system.

Coming to the Xperia R1 Plus, it comes with the same set of specs except for the RAM and storage. It packs 3GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage. All the other specs, including display, processor and camera sensors remains same.

Both the devices run Android 7.0 Nougat operating system out-of-the-box and connectivity options include Dual SIM, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.2, GPS and 4G VoLTE. It comes with a USB Type-C port for charging and data transfer. Both phones are powered by a 2,620mAh battery.

(Source)

Nokia 8 Pro Pegged to Sport Impressive Specs With Cheaper Pricing

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

-

Mar 12, 2018

Nokia 8 Sirocco handset was introduced at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2018 tech expo in the previous month. It is nothing but an improved edition of the Nokia 8 flagship from last year. Recent leaks have revealed that HMD Global will be launching two Snapdragon 845 chipset flagship phones this year. These include the cheaper Nokia 8 Pro and the premium Nokia 9. The rumor mill has leaked some key details of the Nokia 8 Pro in the recent weeks.

The Nokia 8 Pro may arrive as upgraded edition of the Nokia 8 Sirocco. Some rumors have claimed that it may feature the same 12-megapixel dual camera setup that is available on the Nokia 8 Sirocco. However, some reports claim that it may feature a pair of 16-megapixel snappers. Also, it may feature a 13-megapixel selfie camera.

The Nokia 8 Pro may house a 6.01-inch display that will carry support for 18:9 aspect ratio and Full HD+ resolution. The Snapdragon 845 powered phone may come in two models. The base model may feature 6 GB of RAM and 64 GB of storage whereas the higher model may have 8 GB of RAM and 128 GB of storage.

The handset may feature a glass rear. This indicates that it may carry support for wireless charging. A 4,000mAh battery may fuel the budget flagship phone. It is expected to come loaded with Android 8.1 Oreo and it may be equipped with a rear-mounted fingerprint reader. Like the Nokia 8 Sirocco, the Nokia 8 Pro may also arrive as an Android One device. It is rumored to debut in August this year.

In September, the Finnish company may launch the Nokia 9 flagship phone. The premium flagship driven by the same Snapdragon 845 SoC may come with some topnotch features such as wireless charging, in-screen fingerprint scanner and penta-lens camera setup on its rear.

We advise our readers to digest this report with a grain of salt and wait for more information on the Nokia 8 Pro and Nokia 9 flagships through upcoming leaks.

(source)