Check Out March Mega Sale Gift Rain On GeekBuying; Here’s How To Win

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Mar 14, 2018

With no new Qualcomm chipset in the mid-range category more powerful than the Snapdragon 660 at the moment, Chinese manufacturers like Vivo and OPPO have no choice than to fall back to the same chip used in their last flagships.

The Vivo X21 which has been rumored to come with a Snapdragon 670 processor has appeared on Geekbench sporting a Snapdragon 660 SoC. Notwithstanding, we won’t rule out the possibility of a new processor when the phone launches on Monday, March 19. The phone is said to come in multiple variants and the one seen on Geekbench is the variant with an under-display fingerprint scanner.

The Vivo X21UD A was benchmarked early today. It runs Android 8.1 Oreo with the Snapdragon 660 and 6GB of RAM driving power under the hood.

Even though the processor is the same as last year’s, the RAM has been bumped up from 4GB and the fingerprint scanner is now underneath the display. It also runs Android 8.1 Oreo, the latest version of Android. These are significant changes no matter how you look at it.

Xiaomi Roidmi 3S Modernizes Your Car Stereo for less than $10!

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Linus

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Mar 14, 2018

The Xiaomi Roidmi 3S gadget is a must for every car owner who does not have a modern Bluetooth system in their car. You can now get the brand new Xiaomi Roidmi 3S FM modulator for less than $10 which is a limited time offer on Gearbest.

I’ve been using the previous generation Roidmi 2S for more than a year now and it works like a charm. In fact, this is my favorite car FM modulator that actually provides great sound quality (I use it in 2008 Honda Civic). Here is what I had to say about it in 2016 when I made a full review of it:

“I have to say that my search for the great budget FM modulator is finally over. I’ve tested some other cheap options out there but none of them could match the audio quality of the Roidmi 2s”.

Check out Xioami Roidmi 2s video review:

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

The Roidmi 3s seems like a revamped version of this tiny yet very useful car gadget and you can now get it for an incredibly low price.

Buy Roidmi 3s

Schematics of Meizu’s Under Display Fingerprint Patent Leaked

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Mar 14, 2018

Meizu may not be among the top 5 Chinese smartphone manufacturers but the company is known for innovation. We have seen Meizu experiment with various design styles like side fingerprint scanner, quad-LED flash, mBack button, secondary display etc. The company seems poised to explore the under glass fingerprint technology that would soon become a trend. The schematics of a recent Meizu patent has appeared on Weibo, revealing the presence of an under display fingerprint sensor technology.

Under display fingerprint technology isn’t really an innovation per se because it has made its debut commercially on the Vivo X20 Plus UD version. But Meizu’s own under glass technology performs dual roles. From the schematics, we can grab that the sensor may likely function as Meizu’s super mBack virtual button signified by a circle. The circle transforms into a fingerprint sign when there is need to use it.

The patent document shows that Meizu made the application on April 1, 2017. And the patent shows that in addition to unlocking the mobile phone, Meizu’s under-screen fingerprint recognition can be used for Meizu payment and other financial transaction that require fingerprint authentication. We can’t say if the patented technology would be featured on the upcoming Meizu 15 Plus flagship. Details of the Meizu flagship are still scanty at the moment.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro Launching In Europe Soon

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Mar 14, 2018

Xiaomi launched the Redmi Note 5 and Redmi Note 5 Pro in India as successors to the Redmi Note 4/4X, though the Redmi Note 5 is available in China and some other countries as the Redmi 5 Plus.

On Friday, March 16, the Redmi Note 5 Pro will leave the shores of India and launch in China as the Redmi Note 5 albeit with slightly different features. However, there is a report that China won’t be its only destination.

According to Roland Quandt (@rquandt), the Redmi Note 5 Pro is going international soon with Europe on the list. It will also have the required bands for respective markets. He also adds that when the phone lands in Europe, it will come in a 32GB version that will be priced around €230 and a 64GB model priced around €270.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro going international soon (= not just India/China). Coming to Europe incl. appropriate LTE bands, priced around 230 Euro (32GB) and 270 Euro (64GB).

— Roland Quandt (@rquandt) March 14, 2018

At the moment, the Redmi Note 5 Pro is only available in 4GB RAM + 64GB and 6GB RAM + 64GB configurations, so the 32GB model is a new variant.

Oppo R15 Listed On Oppomart In 4 Color Variants

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Mar 14, 2018

Oppo R15 has just been spotted on Oppomart, the OPPO store from which you can purchase its smartphones online. The device is listed in four color variants: Hot Red, Star Purple, Snow White and Dream Mirror Red which reminds of its most advanced version, the R15 Dream Mirror. Further, the page on Oppomart lists some of the key specs of the device. According to the store, it will sport a 6.28-inch Super-V display with the AMOLED technology and a 19:9 aspect ratio. The display will include a notch just like the iPhone X.

The processor is not mentioned, but the listing mentions the presence of 6 GB of RAM and 128 GB of internal storage. From the images found in the store, it is clearly noticeable that the handset has a glass back and a frame made of aluminum. Given the high screen-to-body ratio, Oppo R15 has a fingerprint reader placed on the rear side. It also sports a dual camera setup which is said to have resolutions of 16 and 5 MP. According to leaks, there will also be a 20 MP sensor for selfies which will support artificial intelligence to enhance the beauty mode.

The price in the listing is 99,999 Yuan, but it is surely a wrong price. The listing does not mention the SoC, but leaks have already suggested that the standard version of Oppo R15 will be equipped with an octa-core MediaTek Helio P60 chipset. Instead, the Dream Mirror Edition which will replace the R15 Plus will sport an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 processor. The phone is expected to have a battery with 3365mAh, while the operating system installed will be Android 8.1 Oreo customized with Color OS 5.0.

Meizu E3 Shows Up In A First Hands On Video Ahead Of Its Launch On March 21

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Mar 14, 2018

Meizu E3 will be officially announced on March 21, but we already know how the phone will be thanks to latest leaks. Now, the first hands-on video has surfaced online, and it confirms the design that we saw in the previously leaked images. In the video which comes from China, the host seems to be comparing the upcoming midrange with the Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus. Even though the price may be the only advantage of the E3 over its opponent.

Their dimensions do not seem to be so different: indeed, the device is tipped to come with a 5.99-inch display, while Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus has a slightly bigger panel with a 6-inch size. Meizu E3 appears with a full metal unibody design just like most of the actual midrangers in the market. On the rear side, it sports a dual camera setup in a vertical configuration which reminds of iPhone X. Under the sensors, there is a LED flash, but there is no fingerprint reader on the rear side because it will be side-mounted on the power key like Meizu M6s. According to previous reports, the handset might come in two variants: E3 G and E3 P, dedicated to gaming and photography, respectively.

Meizu E3 has already been certified by TENAA with an 18:9 aspect ratio and a Full HD+ resolution of 1080 x 2160 pixels. It should be launched in more than one configuration with 4 or 6 GB of RAM and 32 or 128 GB depending on the variant. The dual rear camera will have resolutions of 12 and 20 MP, while the single front camera will have an 8 MP resolution. The latest rumors suggest that this phone may be powered by the Snapdragon 636 SoC, so Meizu E3 may be the second smartphone by the company to feature a chipset by Qualcomm after the M6 Note launched in 2017 with Snapdragon 625.

Motorola Moto G6 and E5 Line-Ups Certified In Asia

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Mar 14, 2018

Usually, when smartphones get official certifications, their official launch is imminent. Today is the turn of the Motorola Moto G6 line-up and the Moto E5 series. The former, composed of Moto G6, G6 Plus, and G6 Play, has just received network certification in Thailand and Indonesia. The latter composed of Moto E5 and E5 Play has been certified in Indonesia only.

Moto G6, G6 Plus and G6 Play from left to right

Unfortunately, the certifications do not contain any info about the specs of these five upcoming affordable devices from the Lenovo-owned company. So, when it comes to their specs sheet, we have still to rely on rumors. Motorola Moto G6, G6 Plus, and G6 Play are tipped to come with a 5.93-inch display which will have an 18:9 aspect ratio, for the first time in the Moto G series.

The Plus variant will probably come with a Full HD+ resolution of 1080 x 2160 pixels and an efficient octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 630 processor, that is the successor of Snapdragon 625. The standard version should come with a less powerful Snapdragon 450 SoC, while the G6 Play should have a low-end Snapdragon 430. Moto E5 and E5 Play will be even cheaper than G6 and G6 Play, so we expect them to come with entry-level MediaTek chipsets, and 16:9 displays.

(Via)

OnePlus 6 Rumored To Support Super-Fast LTE Gigabit Connectivity

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Mar 14, 2018

OnePlus flagships have never been the best smartphones in terms of internet connectivity. OnePlus 3 and 3T had a slow Cat. 6 LTE modem which could reach a max speed of 300 Mbps, while OnePlus 5 and 5T which are the latest flagship devices supported a Cat. 12 LTE modem with a maximum speed of 600 Mbps. With the competition supporting LTE Gigabit connectivity, OP flagship did not guarantee the fastest network performance, but things might change with the upcoming OnePlus 6.

According to fresh rumors, OnePlus 6 will be equipped with a Cat. 16 LTE modem which will be able to reach a speed of 1000 Mbps (which is equivalent to 1 Gbps, that is why it is called Gigabit LTE). This may be possible thanks to its Snapdragon 845 SoC which will support a Cat. 16 LTE modem: the Snapdragon X20 LTE. According to Qualcomm, this modem can reach a max download speed of 1.2 Gbps and a speed of 150 Mbps in upload. We are still way far from the highest speeds which will be reached by 5G networks (with 5G it will be possible to navigate from 1 to 10 Gbps), but we are talking about super-fast LTE.

Actually, Gigabit-LTE connectivity is the fastest one ever implemented on a smartphone, so OnePlus 6 will be in line with other flagships from the market. From what the latest rumors suggest, OnePlus 6 will be equipped with a 6-inch panel which will have a 19:9 aspect ratio and a notch like Apple iPhone X. This panel is tipped to have a Full HD+ resolution and the Optic AMOLED technology just like its predecessors. The design may be similar to the one of Oppo R15 which has already leaked several times from unofficial and official sources. OnePlus 6 is also expected to have its own facial recognition technology. The official launch date and the listing price are still totally unknown.

(Source, Via)

Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus and Redmi Note 5A Launched in Mexico

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Mar 14, 2018

The Redmi 5 has been officially unveiled in India. However, India isn’t the only country that got a new Xiaomi phone today. Xiaomi also launched the Redmi 5 Plus, Redmi Note 5A, and Redmi Note 5A Prime in Mexico.

Redmi 5 Plus

The Redmi 5 Plus is actually the same phone known as the Redmi Note 5 in India. It has a 5.99” 18:9 display with a 2160 x 1080 resolution and is powered by a Snapdragon 625 processor. The version released in Mexico is the 3GB RAM + 32GB ROM variant.

There is a 12MP 1.25um camera on the rear and a 5MP front facing camera with selfie light. It has dual SIM slots, a rear mounted fingerprint scanner, and a 4,000mAh battery.

The Redmi 5 Plus will sell for MXN4,599 (~$247) and will come with an ultra-slim case. It will be available at Telcel starting next week.

Redmi Note 5A and Redmi Note 5A Prime

The Redmi Note 5A is more of a lower-level mid-range phone. It has a 5.5” HD display covered with Gorilla Glass, a Snapdragon 425 processor, and 2GB of RAM. It also comes with 16GB of expandable storage.

A 13MP f/2.2 camera with PDAF sits on its rear and in front is a 5MP f/2.0 camera. There is Bluetooth 4.2, an audio jack, IR sensor, and support for LTE bands 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 20, 38, and 40. A 3080mAh battery powers it.

The Redmi Note 5A Prime has the same display but a Snapdragon 435 processor. It also comes with a 16MP front camera with flash but the same rear camera. Unlike the Note 5A, the Prime version has a fingerprint scanner mounted on its rear. Battery capacity is the same at 3080mAh.

Xiaomi, OPPO, & Meizu To Adopt Helio P60 This Year

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Mar 14, 2018

MediaTek went official with its latest Helio P60 powerful mid-range chipset at MWC 2018. The company did not reveal the models that would feature the chipset but a recent report has revealed that three major Chinese smartphone makers OPPO, Xiaomi and Meizu have finalized talks with MediaTek to feature the chip on their smartphones.

According to the details, a MediaTek Helio P60 chip will be used on the OPPO R15 which is expected to launch this March. Meizu E3 is another model expected to feature a MediaTek Helio P60 chip. While the Xiaomi smartphone that would utilize the mid-range chipset is still unknown. An earlier rumour had tipped the OPPO R15 to come with a Snapdragon 660 chip on one version and an Helio P60-powered version as well. The Meizu E3’s specs also leaked recently showing the presence of a P60 SoC onboard.

The MediaTek Helio P60 is built on TSMC’s 12nm FinFET process which offers 15% reduction in power consumption over 14nm chips. The octa-core chip clocked at 2.0GHz uses the big.LITTLE architecture. That is 4 x Cortex A53 cores and 4 x Cortex-A73 cores. It also boasts of a new Mali-G72 MP3 GPU clocked at 800MHz which Mediatek claims offers a 70% boost in game performance over previous generation P-series. Like other chip manufacturers, MediaTek has also included a dedicated processing unit called NeuroPilot that handles AI-related tasks on the device. It is two times more power efficient than using a GPU and has a processing performance of 280GMAC/s. NeuroPilot will handle tasks like deep-learning facial detection, object and scene identification, real-time beautification and AR/MR acceleration. You can scoop more details from our article on the Helio P60’s MWC 2018 unveiling.

Feast Your Eyes On Sample AI Portrait Photos Of The OPPO R15 Dream Mirror Edition & More Official Images

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Mar 14, 2018

OPPO has started counting down to the launch of its new flagships the OPPO R15 and OPPO R15 Dream Mirror Edition. The manufacturer has taken to its official website to tease features of the upcoming phones. Today it has released sample camera photos in addition to more official pictures of both devices.

OPPO announced that the OPPO R15 duo will come with a new AI portrait mode for better portrait images. The AI portrait mode will improve portrait photos by combining dual camera bokeh and AI beauty mode.

The AI portrait mode will also help with lighting effects such as contour light, shadow light, and studio light. The result of these effects is a more professional-like portrait photo.

Below are sample photos taken with the OPPO R15 Dream Mirror Edition.

[envira-gallery id=”179163″]

OPPO has also released more official photos of both phones. The OPPO R15 is shown in Hot Red, Snow White, and Starry Purple while the OPPO R15 Dream Mirror Edition is shown in red only. It appears the ceramic black version will not be available at launch.

Apple’s WWDC 2018 Dates Announced: iOS 12 & Other Products Expected

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Mar 14, 2018

Apple has announced the dates for its World Developers Conference (WWDC) 2018. The conference is one of the most important events in Apple’s yearly calendar of activities. The event is used by Apple to showcase its new software and technologies for software developers. The event is expected to herald the birth of the next-gen versions of iOS and macOS and Apple may also tease new hardware during the occasion.

Ths year’s event will hold from June 4th to June 8th. The venue will be the same as that of last year, the McEnery Convention Center, San Jose, California. The event usually holds in San Francisco but this will be the second year in a row that Apple will use this facility. Developers who are interested in attending would need to first register for the event and the registration process will be open until Thursday, March 22, at 10am PT. After that, there’ll be a random selection as to who gets the chance to actually buy a ticket. The regular tickets will be sold for $1,599 and those selected will be notified by March 23 at 5pm PT. As usual, demand is expected to surpass the number of tickets available for the event.

Apple is expected to unveil iOS 12 and macOS 10.14 at the event, previous leaks have suggested that Apple may also launch its new 13-inch MacBook. That’s believed to replace the MacBook Air with better performance and a Retina display, among other changes.

MIUI 9 Global Stable ROM Officially Confirmed for 21 Xiaomi Phones in India Including Redmi 1S

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Mar 14, 2018

Xiaomi had introduced the MIUI 9 proprietary Android skin in July last year. The company began the roll out of the MIUI 9 Global Stable ROM from November. Xiaomi’s Global VP and Managing Director for India confirmed on Twitter earlier this week on the list of Xiaomi phones that are eligible to receive the MIUI 9 update. The eligible devise list reveals that even four-year old phones such as Mi 3 and Redmi 1S will be treated with the MIUI 9 update.

Here is the list of 21 Xiaomi phones that are eligible to receive the MIUI 9 update:

Redmi series: Redmi 1S, Redmi 2, Redmi 2 Prime, Redmi 3, Redmi 3S Prime, Redmi 4, Redmi 4A, Redmi Y1, Redmi Y1 Lite

Redmi Note series: Redmi Note 4G, Redmi Note Prime, Redmi Note 3, Redmi Note 4

Mi series: Mi 3, Mi 4, Mi 4i, Mi 5, Mi Max, Mi Max Prime, Mi Max 2, Mi MIX 2

Some of the aforementioned smartphones have already received the MIUI 9. Newer handsets such as the Redmi Note 4, Redmi Y1, Redmi Y1 Lite, Mi MIX 2, Mi Max 2 are receiving the Android Nougat flavored version of MIUI 9 update. However, some of the older phones such as Redmi Note 3 are receiving Android 6.0 Marshmallow flavored MIUI 9 update which lacks some of the features like split-screen mode.

The MIUI 9 Global Stable ROM should automatically arrive as OTA update on the above listed phones. Alternatively, users can manually check for the arrival of the MIUI 9 update by navigating to Settings > About Phone > System Update. It is recommended for users to perform the data backup for their device before installing the MIUI 9 Global Stable ROM.

Huami Has An Announcement Today, May Be Related To Mi Band 3

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Mar 14, 2018

Huami Technology is the company behind Amazfit smartwatches and fitness trackers. For those who don’t know, it is also the manufacturer of Xiaomi’s Mi Band series.

Earlier today, the manufacturer took to its official Weibo account to disclose that it has a major announcement tonight at 9:22 PM (local time). That’s less than 4 hours as at the time of writing.

There have been lots of guesses as to what the announcement is about but the most common is that it is related to the Mi Band 3. We do not think it is the launch of the fitness band itself but a reveal of the launch date. There is also a possibility it may be a different thing entirely.

Xiaomi Redmi 5 Priced at Rs. 7,999 Has Arrived In India with Full Screen Design

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Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Mar 14, 2018

In February, Xiaomi had launched the Redmi Note 5 and Redmi Note 5 Pro full screen design smartphones in India. Today, it has announced the Redmi 5 phone which also sports a full screen design along with a cheaper price tag. In December 2017, Xiaomi had introduced the Redmi 5 and Redmi 5 Plus smartphones in China. The Redmi 5 Plus had debuted as Redmi Note 5 in the Indian market while the Redmi 5 has arrived today with the same moniker in the country.

The Redmi 5 is dubbed as “Compact Powerhouse” in India since it comes with enhanced design, display and specs over the predecessor phone. The handset will be exclusively available for purchase on Amazon India starting from next week.

Redmi 5 Specifications and Features

The Redmi 5 features a 5.7-inch display that supports HD+ resolution of 720 x 1440 pixels. It is driven by modest Snapdragon 450 SoC. To control the internal temperature, the device includes two layers of pyrolytic sheet. Its 16 GB, 32 GB and 64 GB storage models respectively feature 2 GB, 3 GB and 4 GB of RAM. It also features a microSD card slot for additional storage.

The Redmi 5 comes loaded with Android 7.0 Nougat that skinned with MIUI 9. Like the Redmi Note 5 phones, the Redmi 5 will be also provided with full screen gestures function in the near future. It has a rear camera of 12-megapixel that has a pixel size of 1.25micron. The handset is capable of snapping impressive shots in low-light conditions.

It is equipped with features like LED flash and PDAF. Its selfie camera of 5-megapixel is also accompanied by soft-light flash. For snapping enhanced selfie shots, it comes with Beautify 3.0. The handset receives power from 3,300mAh battery that delivers an impressive standby time of 17 hours.

The Redmi 5 has a full metallic body that measures 151.8 x 72.8 and it weighs 157 grams. Since it has a thickness of only 7.7 mm, it is the slimmest ever Redmi phone. It comes in four color options such as Lake Blue, Gold, Black and Rose Gold. To safeguard the display of the phone, Xiaomi has reinforced the corners of the phone. For added protection, Redmi 5 comes with a free ultra-slim case.

Redmi 5 Pricing and Availability

The 16 GB storage + 2 GB RAM, 32 GB storage + 3 GB RAM and 64 GB + 4 GB RAM variants of the Xiaomi Redmi 5 respectively cost Rs. 7,999, Rs. 8,999 and Rs. 10,999. The handset will be exclusively available for buying through Amazon India from March 20. It will be also available through Mi.com, Mi Store app, Mi Home stores and all the other partnered offline stores.

Redmi 5 buyers can avail an instant cashback of Rs. 2,200 on Reliance Jio along with 100 GB of data. SBI credit card owners can avail an additional cashback of 5 percent. Also, Redmi 5 buyers will be provided a massive discount of 90 percent on Kindle ebooks.

What do you think about the specifications and pricing of the Xiaomi Redmi 5? Share us your views by posting your comments below

Sony Xperia XZ2 & X2 Compact Officially Launched in Hong Kong

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Mar 14, 2018

Japanese electronic/smartphone maker Sony has officially launched the Xperia XZ and Xperia XZ Compact in Hong Kong. The Xperia XZ2 and XZ2 Compact were first unveiled at the Mobile World Congress 2018. Both smartphones are the Japanese tech company’s first foray into the terrain of the trendy 18:9 aspect ratio. The models also fall among the first models that would pack Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 845 chipset.

The Sony Xperia XZ2 utilises a glass body both on the display segment and at the rear. The device sports a 5.7-inch display and also comes with the Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protection. The XZ2 Compact, on the other hand, features a 5.0-inch HDR display with a resolution of 2160×1080pixels and a screen aspect ratio of 18:9. The device also adorns a polycarbonate body which isn’t flashy but still is attractive.

Both models come with the FHD+ screen resolution but the compact has a higher PPI due to its smaller size. At the rear, both smartphones pack a fingerprint sensor located just underneath the rear camera. The XZ2’s rear fingerprint sensor is pushed down to the middle of the fuselage in a bid to make it easily accessible. Both models come with dual SIM, dual Standby features. On the Xperia XZ2, the SIM tray is located at the upper edge of the device, unlike the XZ2 Compact where it is located on the side.That aside, they both have NFC, Bluetooth 5.0, WiFi, and USB 3.1 Type-C ports. There is no audio jack on either phone but they come with front-facing stereo speakers. Sony has promised to ship both phones with a Y-shaped USB-C adapter that allows you charge and use a 3.5mm connector at the same time.

Furthermore, the XZ2 packs a 3180mAh battery with support for wireless charging while the XZ2 Compact comes with a 2870mAh battery without wireless charging support. Both smartphones come with single cameras with the XZ2 having the high configuration. The Xperia XZ2 will be available in Liquid Black, Liquid Silver, Deep Green, and Ash Pink while the XZ2 Compact will come in Black, Coral Pink, and Moss Green. As for the prices, the Sony Xperia XZ2 Compact is priced at 4,998 Hong Kong dollars (about 4,000 Yuan, $633) and will officially go on sale on March 23. On the other hand, the Xperia XZ2 Hong Kong version is priced at 6,198 Hong Kong dollars (about 5,000 Yuan, $791). Presale commenced on March 13 and sales will start on March 23.

The Fitbit Ace Is A $100 Fitness Tracker For Kids

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Mar 14, 2018

Yesterday, Fitbit launched a new wristband called the Versa but it wasn’t the only new product it announced. It also launched the Fitbit Ace, a fitness tracker aimed at kids.

The Fitbit Ace has activity tracking, sleep tracking, and a step counter. It is also showerproof and has a 5-day battery life. With the Fitbit app, parents can setup a family account and then an account for their kid(s).

Under the child account, parents can set it to a secure Kid View interface where the child can see their stats and choose from 10 different clock faces for their tracker.

[envira-gallery id=”179081″]

The Parent View lets guardians set activity goals and alarms, track progress, and set friendly reminders to encourage their ward to be active. There are also rewards and badges for reaching set targets.