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Xiaomi Phones To Land In The U.S. By The End of 2018 or Early 2019

Xiaomi‘s expansion continues. After joining the top 5 best smartphone brands in the world in 2017 and after entering the European market with some physical stores, the company seems to be ready to land in the US. During an annual conference which was held in Beijing, CEO Lei Jun declared that the Chinese giant may make its debut in the U.S. by the end of 2018 or at the beginning of 2019. The report comes from the Wall Street Journal and these are the exact words spoken by Lei Jun:

We’ve always been considering entering the U.S. market. We plan to start entering the market by end 2018, or by early 2019.

Xiaomi is already selling some products in the U.S. but smartphones are not included among them. At the moment, the company is only selling accessories and connected devices such as speakers, electronic scales, and cameras. But it will not be easy for Xiaomi to conquer the North American market. The U.S. customers are very demanding and the U.S. government is not exactly a fan of Chinese smartphone manufacturers. Among the reasons for this hostility, there are security risks such as data interception by Chinese authorities. Indeed, U.S. authorities such as CIA, FBI, and NSA have recently advised American people against purchasing Chinese handsets like Huawei and ZTE devices. According to the U.S. Intelligence, allowing Chinese companies like the above-mentioned ones enter the U.S. market in a consistent way may put the national security at risk.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro

Huawei’s answer to this statement was immediate: the world’s top Chinese smartphone brand said that governments and consumers in 170 countries trust Huawei and there is no more risk in using the company’s phones than the ones made by any other established manufacturer.

 

RELATED: Xiaomi Launches 6-Port 60W Charger For ¥129 ($20)

 

Do you think Xiaomi will succeed in the US market?

(Source, Via)

Meizu To Announce Something On March 6, Meizu E3 Launch Event Likely

After MWC 2018, where we saw a lot of new announcements from big manufacturers, Meizu is finally warming up for its own release. The company has confirmed via a teaser on its weibo page that it will announce something important tomorrow i.e. on March 6 at 10 am. While the company failed to give out any more details, it is said that Meizu will finally announce the conference for the rumored Meizu E3 smartphone. We have been hearing about this model for quite some time, and even today, we saw some detailed renders of the E3, and finally, we may get a release date tomorrow morning.

meizu teaser e3 likely
meizu teaser

According to leaks and rumours, the Meizu E3 will be an all metal smartphone featuring dual cameras arranged vertically and an 18:9 5.99-inch 2160 x 1080p FHD+ display up front. Unlike other manufacturers, Meizu will be using a side mounted fingerprint sensor. We saw the same design on the Meizu M6S, so this won’t be a new design element. As for the CPU, the phone is said to sport a 1.8GHz octa-core processor with 6GB + 128GB storage option in its best variant.

Meizu E3 Dark Blue

At the back, there should be a 12+12MP dual camera setup, while up front, there’s an 8MP shooter. The battery is said to be of 3300mAh which isn’t big, but should be decent enough for an upper mid-range device. Other expected features include the Super mBack button up front. If you don’t remember this name, then note that this is the same Halo button seen on the Meizu M6S.

 

RELATED: Meizu E3 Full Specifications Leaked Well Ahead of Launch Through TENAA Listing

 

As you can see, quite a lot is already known about the E3. So, we just wait for a launch date to make these details official.

 

(Source)

 

Samsung Galaxy S9 And Galaxy S9+ To Launch In India On 6th March

After launching its flagship smartphones — Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ at the Mobile World Congress 2018 in Barcelona last month, Samsung is now all set to launch both phones in the Indian market.

The company has sent out media invites for the launch event in New Delhi that is scheduled to take place on 6th March, i.e. tomorrow.

Samsung Galaxy S9, S9+ India Launch Invite

While the company usually launches its flagship device in India after one month of global launch, this time, the South Korean giant is introducing its flagship phones in India along with the global debut. The launch event will start at 11:30 AM IST and will be live-streamed on the company’s website (link).

Ahead of this official launch, Samsung India store had already opened pre-bookings for both — Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ right after the launch event. The devices were available for pre-booking for a price of Rs 2,000 (approximately $31). Globally, the devices will start shipping from 16th March, and we expect the company to follow the same dates in the Indian market.

As of now, the pricing of the devices in India is not yet known. The Galaxy S9 starts from $720 in the US, which roughly converts to Rs 47,000, while the Galaxy S9+ starts from $840, which is approximately Rs 54,000.

Galaxy S9 rear

This latest Galaxy S9-series comes with improved camera experience to take on the likes of Apple’s iPhone X and Google Pixel 2. DxOMark, which tests and rates smartphone cameras, has placed Samsung Galaxy S9+ as the best camera ahead of both its rivals.

Coming to the specifications, the Galaxy S9 features a 5.8-inch Super AMOLED display and packs 4GB RAM. It comes with a 12MP rear camera with dual variable aperture of f/1.5 and f/2.4. The camera is capable of super-slow motion video at 960fps at 720p resolution. On the front, there’s an 8MP camera for taking selfies.

On the other hand, the Galaxy S9+ comes with a 6.2-inch Super AMOLED display and packs 6GB RAM. Unlike the Galaxy S9, this one features dual rear cameras consisting of 12MP + 12MP sensors with dual OIS. On the front, there’s an 8MP snapper with f/1.7 aperture.

Read More: Samsung Launches Enterprise Edition Of Galaxy S9 and A8 In Germany: Promises 4 Years Of Guaranteed Updates

In India, both devices will be powered by company’s own Exynos 9810 processor and will be running Android Oreo operating system out-of-the-box with TouchWiz custom interface on top. While the Galaxy S9 is powered by a 3,000mAh battery, the Galaxy S9+ is powered by a 3,500mAh battery.

 

Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 Android Oreo Update Is Finally Here; Brings Face Unlock & Full-Screen Gestures

Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 has today received a new stable version of MIUI 9.5  which usher in Android 8.0 Oreo. The new Mi Mix 2 update comes with the version number 9.5.2.0 ODECNFA and after the update, the phone now runs Android 8.0 Oreo with a number of new features.Xiaomi Mi Mix 2

Top among the new features the new update brings is face unlock feature and screen gesture controls. The supported gestures including swiping up from the bottom of the screen to go to the desktop, sliding up and pause at the bottom of the screen to switch the recent tasks, sliding inward the screen either from left or right to return to the previous page, and sliding the left and right edges of the screen inward to trigger the application function.These features had only been available on the China ROM but now, it is available globally to those who upgrade to this new version. Apart from these features, Android Oreo also brings improvements which help increase battery life and speed by limiting background activity. The available memory space is bigger, 3.6GB or so out of 6GB RAM. Android Oreo also comes with features like picture-in-picture mode, Autofill, and a bunch of new emojis.

Read Also: MIUI 9.2.3 Android 8.0 Oreo Update Released for Xiaomi Mi 6; Kernel Source Code is Also Available

If you are yet to receive the OTA update, you can download the update file from here. The update package size is 1.4GB but you have to flash MIUI global beta 7.12.21 on your Mi Mix 2 as this is the only version the OTA update is available for. After the flash, you will get the OTA update or you can download and instal same from the About phone section.

(source)Xiaomi Mi Mix 2

LG X4 With 5.3-Inch HD Display And Snapdragon 425 Processor Launched

After launching the LG X4+ earlier this year, the South Korea-based company has now launched the LG X4 phone in its X-series of devices in its home market.

The phone features a 5.3-inch HD display with screen resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels. Under the hood, the device is powered by Qualcomm‘s Snapdragon 425 processor, along with 2GB RAM and 16GB internal storage. There’s also a microSD card slot that enables users to further expand the storage capacity.

LG X4

Coming to the camera, there’s an 8-megapixel rear camera with an LED flash and a 5-megapixel front-facing camera for taking selfies and video calling. Just below the camera module, there’s a fingerprint sensor which can also be used as a camera button to capture images.

Another feature added is the support for LG Pay, the company’s own payment solution. It also has HD DMB support for better mobile TV experience. Connectivity options on the device include 4G LTE, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth v4.2, GPS, and NFC. The phone, which runs on the older Android 7.1 Nougat operating system out-of-the-box, is powered by a 3,000mAh battery.

The LG X4+, which was introduced a couple of months ago, comes with a rugged design and MIL-STD 810G rating which ensures that the phone can withstand impact, vibration, extreme temperatures, thermal shock, and humidity.

Read More: LG G7 (Judy) Was Showcased Secretly at MWC 2018 Along with LG Q7, V35 and New Smartwatch

The LG X4 will be available in two color options — Black and Gold and the device is priced at 297,000 won (approximately $273). The phone is already available from all the three major carriers – SKT, KT, and LGU+ in Korea.

 

Xiaomi Mi 5 and Mi Note 2 Updated To Android Oreo With MIUI 9 Global Beta

After some of the most recent devices from Xiaomi were updated, even the older Xiaomi Mi5 and Mi Note 2 can now run the latest Android Oreo version. The update to Android Oreo has just been released under the Global Beta ROM. It is not the final stable update, so it does not arrive via OTA on the Global Stable firmware. Even if you own one of these two phones and you have the Global Beta ROM installed, you will still need to flash Android Oreo manually.

xiaomi mi5

On both the Xiaomi Mi5 and Xiaomi Mi Note 2, the update to Android Oreo is based on the MIUI 9 which comes in the version 8.2.1. The firmware includes the security patch from the month of February, which is very important because it fixes the Spectre and Meltdown vulnerabilities.

The update also includes several bug fixes for issues present in the previous version of the firmware. It is possible to flash the firmware manually via fastboot and TWRP, but you need an unlocked bootloader in order to do it. If you do not want to install the Global Beta on your Xiaomi Mi5 or Mi Note 2, you can wait for the final version which should come out in the next couple of weeks.

 

(Source, Source2, Via1, Via2)

The Banana Phone Nokia 8110 4G Could Launch In The U.S. In Q2 2018

When HMD Global announced the new feature phone Nokia 8110 4G, it did not give any information about its availability in the U.S. market. The company just confirmed that the banana-shaped feature phone will be launched in the European market with a price tag of €89, and it will be available starting from May. According to new rumors, the affordable device will launch in the U.S. as well, but its price tag is not known yet.

Nokia 8110 4G

From what rumors are suggesting, Nokia 8110 4G will be available starting from Q2, in May or June. The price is rumored to be under $100, so we do not exclude that it may cost $89 just like in Europe. Nokia 8110 4G will be available in two different hues: Yellow which makes it really look like a banana, and Black.

This device does not have Android and it does not have a touchscreen display. But it still supports the 4G connectivity to navigate the internet with blazing speeds by using its 3×4 old school keyboard. Under the hood, it has a dual-core Snapdragon 205 SoC which is perfect for a feature phone, paired with 512 MB of RAM and 4 GB of internal storage which can be expanded up to 64 GB with a micro SD.

(Via)

Digitimes: Full Screen Smartphone Shipments Will Account For 40% of the market in 2018

The year 2017 saw the steady influx of full-screen smartphone tailored after the likes of Xiaomi Mi Mix which could be termed as the pioneer of such a design. Th models invariably come with slightly reduced bezels but we cannot say they are bezel-less even though the definition of a bezel-less phone is still in contention. China-based market research firm All View Cloud (AVC) has released its projection for 2018 of smartphone screen sizes.Xiaomi

The firm projects that the adoption of all-screen displays for smartphones will extend from flagship models to mid-tier and even entry-level models in 2018. Also, the ratio of all-screen models will rise to over 40% of global handset panels shipments in the year. The company also predicts that almost all flagship models launched by major smartphone vendors in 2018 will feature all-screen displays in 6-inch and above sizes. AVC also predicts that the average smartphone display size will reach 5.6-inch in 2018.

Read More: Vivo APEX Officially Launched with Snapdragon 845; Mass Production Begins by Mid-2018

Samsung Display manufacturing arm was the largest beneficiary of the growing full-screen trend in 2017 with its shipments reaching 136 million units, or 64.6% of global shipments. Tianma Micro-electronics ranked second with 23 million units in shipments, and AU Optronics (AUO) was third with 13 million units, AVC data showed. Based on technology, shipments of all-screen AMOLED handset panels totalled 139 million units in 2017, reaching a penetration rate of 35.3%. Shipments of all-screen LTPS handset panels reached 46.1 million units or 6.7%, while those of all-screen a-Si models totalled 24.8 million units or 2.8%. The 5.X and 6.x size range were the most utilized full-screen sizes, accounting for 69.2% and 20.8% respectively. Specifically, 5.7-, 5.8-, 5.99-, 6.01- and 6.2-inch displays were mostly utilized.

(source)

Sony Is Reportedly Working On A Bezel-Less Smartphone With 4K Display

At the Mobile World Congress last week, Sony launched its flagship phone, Sony Xperia XZ2 along with its smaller variant Xperia XZ2 Compact. Now, a new report from China suggests that the Japan-based company is working on a new flagship device.

According to the report, the new flagship device will come with a bezel-less display as well as 4K resolution. The report further adds that the phone’s design will be based on Sony’s new “Ambient Flow” design language that the company recently talked about.

sony oled screen

The unnamed Sony flagship smartphone is said to feature a 5.5-inch display with 4,320 × 2,180 pixel screen resolution with an 18:9 aspect ratio. Under the hood, the device will be powered by Qualcomm’s flagship Snapdragon 845 processor — the same chipset that powers recently launched Xperia XZ2 series. The report further with at least 4GB of RAM and 64GB of onboard storage.

However, this won’t be the first mobile phone from Sony to feature a 4K display. Last year, the Japan-based company launched Xperia XZ Premium which packs a 5.5-inch display with 4K resolution with HDR support.

The company has not yet dropped any hints about another flagship phone, so take this report with a pinch of salt until more information about this upcoming phone surfaces. If the company is indeed working on another flagship device, we expect it to get launched in the second half of this year.

Xperia XZ2 Compact

Recently, Sony announced its two new smartphones at the Mobile World Congress 2018 in Barcelona — Xperia XZ2 and Xperia XZ2 Compact. These are the first devices from the Japan-based company to feature the trendy full-screen display.

The Xperia XZ2 and XZ2 Compact both sports 5.7-inch and 5.0-inch 18:9 displays and are powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 845 mobile platform along with 4GB RAM and 64GB of storage which is expandable up to 400GB via hybrid dual SIM slot.

The devices feature a 19MP Sony IMX400 f/2.0 sensor at the back with key features like 5-axis stabilization, hybrid laser-phase detection-contrast autofocus, and burst autofocus. On the front is a 5MP camera with f/2.2 aperture and 23mm wide-angle sensor. Just like the rear camera, it also supports the 3D creator.

Read More: Sony Xperia Ear Duo Wireless Earphones Announced For $280, Goes On Sale In May

Battery capacity on the Xperia XZ2 is 3180mAh with support for wireless charging while the XZ2 Compact comes with a 2870mAh battery without wireless charging support. Both phones are scheduled to arrive in late March or early April but pricing has not been revealed.

 

Honor Play 7C To Be Official On March 12 With Facial Recognition And A Great Selfie Camera

According to an official teaser published by the Chinese company on Weibo, the Honor Play 7C will be officially announced on March 12. The post contains an image with several objects in a smartphone-shaped arrangement, and these objects are suggesting several important features of the phones. The camera and lens at the bottom suggest that this device will have a pretty  innovative camera department, even though it is expected to be an affordable device. In fact, this handset is tipped to come with four cameras, two on the back and two on the front side.

honor 7c play teaser launch

Given that there is a mask in the teaser, we guess that Honor Play 7C will support facial recognition, and there will also be an enhanced beauty mode for selfies. It is not mentioned whether the facial recognition feature will rely on a depth sensor or will it be just like the software-based Face Unlock which has recently arrived on some Huawei devices through an update. A depth sensor like the one of iPhone X would surely make the facial recognition more secure and difficult to bypass but that’s unlikely considering its budget placement. The display will have a size of 5.99 inches with an 18:9 aspect ratio and narrow bezels. There are two SIM Cards and a micro SD on the top of the image.

 

READ MORE: Alleged Honor 7C TENAA Listing Reveals Full Specifications, Images

Alleged Honor 7C Pro TENAA

 

This means that the phone will have a dual SIM dual standby slot, and maybe even a micro SD dedicated slot which will not prevent the users from using both the SIM Card slots. About a month ago, an alleged Honor Play 7C was officially certified by TENAA in three variants with the model numbers LND-AL30, LND-AL40, and LND-TL30. In the renders surfaced it had a full metal unibody design an 18:9 display, a fingerprint reader placed on the back and four cameras.

 

(Source)

Meizu E3 Renders Show Off An Amazingly Beautiful Blue Variant

With less than 24 hours before the launch of the Meizu E3, official renders of the phone have surfaced online. The renders show off the phone in two colors – Obsidian Black and Dark Blue, but it is the latter that blows us away.

Meizu has not been one to shy away from flashy colors and the Blue Meizu E3 reaffirms that tradition. This is not Meizu’s first blue phone but what has gotten our attention is the red power button.

[envira-gallery id=”177045″]

Most manufacturers choose to keep things simple by keeping the colors of the buttons in a similar shade as the color of the phone. However, OnePlus proved that changing the colors of the buttons can help make a phone even look much better.

The OnePlus 5 JCC Limited Edition with its blue power button, red volume rocker, and yellow alert slider is an example. So also is the OnePlus 5T Star Wars Limited Edition which has a red alert slider.

The red power button stands out on the Meizu E3 just the way the red record button stands out on the old cassette players of old. Just a few millimeters below is a groove which houses the fingerprint scanner. There are also visible antenna lines in a slightly diffferent shade of blue. Thankfully, the front of the phone is black.

Meizu E3 Obsidian Black
Meizu E3 Obsidian Black

The Obsidian Black version looks good too but doesn’t stand out like the dark blue variant. There will also be a Champagne Gold variant available.

The Meizu E3 will launch with a 5.99” FHD+ display, up to 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. It will be powered by a 1.8GHz octa-core processor and a 3300mAh battery.

READ MORE: Meizu M6S With 6GB RAM and 128GB Storage Seen on TENAA

Huawei P20 Series European Price Leaked

We have been bomabrded with the specs and design of the Huawei P20 series for months now but one key detail that hasn’t been mentioned much is the price.

huawei p20 with 3 cameras

Poplular leaker @rquandt has provided the pricing details of all three versions of the P20. Do note that these are the prices for Europe, and also the memory configuration isn’t stated.

According to his tweet, the P20 will sell for €679 while the P20 Pro will have a price tag of €899. The Huawei P20 Lite which will surely launch in other markets under different names will retail for €369.

READ MORE: Alleged Huawei Enjoy 8 And Two Other Phones Revealed By TENAA

OPPO R15, R15 Dream Mirror Edition Seems to Have Appeared on TENAA; Full Specifications Revealed

Last month, the OPPO PAAT00 and PAAM00 smartphones were certified by 3C authority in China. Only the R-series of smartphones from OPPO carries support for fast charging. Since the PAAT00 and PAAM00 were found to be enabled with fast charging, these phones were speculated as the upcoming OPPO R13 Plus smartphone. However, the Chinese manufacturer had confirmed in the previous week that its forthcoming R-series phone is called OPPO R15 and the name of its advanced sibling is OPPO R15 Dream Mirror Edition. The probable reason why R13 moniker was canceled because the number is considered unlucky by some people. Fresh information reveals that OPPO PAAT00, PAAM00, PACT00 and PACM00 models that are believed to be the variants of the OPPO R15 and R15 Dream Mirror Edition have received TENAA certification at the end of the previous month.

OPPO R15 Dream Mirror Edition TENAA

The specifications of the OPPO PAAT00 that have surfaced on TENAA suggests that it could be the OPPO R15 Dream Mirror Edition (DME). Since the PAAM00 is also packed with the same specifications, it could be a network variant of R15 DME.

The dimensions of the OPPO PAAT00 are 155.3x 75 x 7.5mm and its weight is 175 grams. Black and Red are its two color variants. It is fitted with a 6.28-inch AMOLED screen that supports of 2280 x 1080 pixels. The handset receives power from an octa-core processor that clocks at 2.2 GHz. The SoC is coupled with 6 GB of RAM. Its inbuilt storage is 128 GB and it has a microSD card slot for more storage. It includes a 3,300mAh battery

The handset is loaded with Android 8.1 Oreo. For taking photos, its back panel features 16-megapixel + 12-megapixel dual cameras while a 20-megapxiel camera is available for snapping selfies.

OPPO R15 TENAA Front and Rear

The TENAA listing of PACT00 indicates that it could be OPPO R15 handset and the PACM00 model could be its network variant.

The dimensions of PACT00 are 155.1 x 75.2 x 7.4mm and it weighs 174 grams. A 6.28-inch AMOLED display that produces 2280 x 1080 pixels is available on it. It features a 2 GHz octa-core processor and 6 GB of RAM. It has the same native storage of 128 GB and it also includes a microSD card slot. It is driven by a 3,365mAh battery.

It will arrive pre-installed with Android 8.1 Oreo. It has the same selfie snapper of 20-megapixel like its other sibling. The back panel of features a dual camera setup that has a 16-megapixel sensor and a 5-megapixel sensor.

Read More: OPPO R15, R15 Dream Mirror Edition Official Page Appears, Reservations Begin; Likely to Debut Very Soon

The OPPO R15 and R15 Dream Mirror Edition feature notch-enabled display like iPhone X. Both phones offer 19:9 aspect ratio. The display seems to offer around 90 percent screen-to-body ratio. The back panel houses a dual camera setup and a fingerprint sensor. Apart from the different configuration for the rear camera, both phones seem to be powered by different chipsets. It is speculated that the OPPO R15 DME may feature Snapdragon 700 series SoC while the OPPO R15 may be driven by the newly unveiled Helio P60 chipset by MediaTek. Also, the rear view of the OPPO R15 Dream Mirror Edition suggests that its left and right edges are more curved which indicates that it may sport a better appearance than R15.

(source 1, 2, 3, 4)

Xiaomi Launches 6-Port 60W Charger For ¥129 ($20)

Carrying multiple chargers for your gadgets should be a thing of the past with the plethora of multi-port chargers in the market. If you still haven’t found the one that suits you best, you may want to take a look at Xiaomi’s new multi-port charger. The charger comes with 6-ports and should cover all your charging needs.

Xiaomi 6-port charger

One of the six ports is a USB-C port that supports Quick Charge 3.0 and USB Power Delivery. There are also five USB-A ports including another Quick Charge 3.0 port.

The multi-port charger has a glossy white finish which does look good but we would like it better it if it was available in black too. The sides are curved and there are hidden LED lights that become visible when it is plugged.

READ MORE: Xiaomi’s Smart Scale Manufacturer Releases The 69 Yuan (~$10) Yunmai Exercise Powerball

Moto G6 Play Images Surface Online Through Taiwan’s Certification Agency NCC

Motorola’s upcoming smartphones in the Moto G-series, as well as Moto E-series, have been leaked online. While we already know pretty much everything about the devices, except the pricing, another leak related to the Moto G6 Play has surfaced online.

Images of the Moto G6 Play have been leaked online through Taiwan’s certification agency NCC. Among other devices in the G-series, Motorola‘s Moto G6 Play is expected to be the most affordable model.

Moto G6 Play (Front)

Recently, the phone’s specifications were leaked online through benchmarking website Geekbench. The phone will feature a 5.7-inch HD display with screen resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels. Under the hood, it is expected to be powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 430 processor along with 3GB of RAM.

The phone will be running Android 8.0 Oreo operating system out-of-the-box and the device will be fuelled by a 4,000mAh battery. It will feature a 16MP camera on the back, as well as on the front panel. There’s also a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor.

One of the leaked images shows the box contents, including earphones. This suggests that the phone will retain the 3.5mm audio jack. The Moto G6 Play will be launched along with Moto G6 and Moto G6 Plus.

The company is also gearing up to launch new phones in Moto E-series. Lenovo-owned Motorola is expected to launch three models in this series — Moto E5, Moto E5 Plus, and Moto E5 Play. The Moto E5 Plus, along with Moto E5 has been certified by FCC in the previous month.

According to the latest report, the Moto E5 Plus could come in two variants — one with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 processor and another with a MediaTek MT675X processor. The report further suggests that the entire 2018 Moto E-range will come with dual rear camera setups.

Read More: Motorola RAZR is Coming Back Possibly With a Foldable Design

As of now, there is no information available on the launch date and pricing of the Moto E5 series. Given that the Moto E4 series was unveiled in June last year, we are expecting this new E5-series to make its debut at some point in the second quarter later this year. On the other hand, the Moto G-series devices are also expected to launch in the Q2 2018.

(Via)

 

Xiaomi First Airport Mi Home Store Opening March 10 At the Shenzhen Bao’an International Airport

Xiaomi did achieve a record high in shipment volume last year and also in the number of Mi Home stores opened across China. That feat is expected to continue this year and already the tech giant has kickstarted moves to ensure its products get to the hands of consumers. Xiaomi is now set to open its first airport Mi Home store located at the Shenzhen Bao’an International airport.Mi Home store

The Mi store will be officially opened on March 10 and the detailed address is Shenzhen Baoan Airport T3 Terminal F4 departure lounge (check-in island E rear). Apart from the airport-based store, the company will also open four other new Mi Stores at Changsha, Jiaozuo, Jinzhou, and Yuzhou. xiaomi airport Mi home

Read Also: Xiaomi’s New Retail Plan Bets Big On Offline Stores In China

Xiaomi had revealed in 2016 that it plans to open 1000 Mi stores across several cities in China by the year 2020. In order to achieve that target, the company’s CEO Lei Jun hinted back then that his company would open over 200 retail stores this year in 2017. The company ended up surpassing that target with its stores scattered across several cities in China. Apart from sales, the shops cater for after-sales service needs of customers as well as sales of accessories and technical support services.

(source)

 

Patent Reveals The Next Essential Phone May Come With A Pop-up Camera

The Vivo APEX has been getting lots of attention following its surprise MWC reveal. The phone’s unique feature is its over 90% screen-to-body ratio. To achieve that, Vivo decided to remove the camera from its usual position and make it pop up from the top, thereby providing more space for the display. It turns out that Essential already owns a patent with the same pop-up camera design.

https://twitter.com/RitterRav/status/969419186417016834

The public reveal of the patent was done in an unusual way. A fan had called Andy Rubin’s attention to an article of the Vivo APEX and the CEO of Essential replied with a link to their patent with the same design.

The patent reveals it was filed back in May 2016 before we knew about the company’s existence, and it was granted in August of 2017.

Essential Pop-up camera patent

One version shows the camera will pop-up from the right hand side of the top of the phone. It will protrude when the camera needs to be used and retract when inactive. In the image above, we can see the phone doesn’t have a notch and the screen reaches to the top. We can also see the outline for two rear cameras. The patent also says the retractable camera can be a front facing camera, a back facing camera, or even a 360° camera.

Essential integrated camera
Another embodiment showing the camera (700) integrated into the display and doubling as an icon too.

READ MORE: Essential Phone Could Soon Launch In India As Amazon-Exclusive For Rs. 24,999

Vivo APEX Officially Launched with Snapdragon 845; Mass Production Begins by Mid-2018

Vivo has officially unveiled the Vivo APEX concept phone in China. It not only offers an impressive screen-to-body ratio of 91 percent, but also it is powered by Snapdragon 845 chipset. The handset is also equipped with under-display fingerprint scanner and a pop-up selfie camera.

Vivo APEX hands-on

Vivo APEX hands-on

The Vivo APEX has a 5.99-inch OLED display with COF technology.  In order to deliver full screen experience, the Chinese manufacturer has embedded the ambient and proximity sensors under the display. The screen doubles up as earpiece and loudspeaker as both are placed beneath it. Unlike the under-display fingerprint sensor on the Vivo X20 Plus UD that is available only at one spot on the bottom portion of the screen, the half part of the display of the Vivo APEX is integrated with in-screen fingerprint reader. This technology is dubbed by the company as Half-Screen Fingerprint Scanning Technology.  It carries support for multi-fingerprint recognition.

Vivo APEX hands-on

Vivo APEX hands-on

The thickness of the left and right bezels is only 1.8mm whereas the bottom bezel is of 4.3mm. The handset sports a slim profile of only 7.8mm. On the top edge is the hidden selfie camera that can be elevated when required. It takes only 0.8 seconds for the front camera to pop-up from the top. The Snapdragon 845 chipset is present under the hood of the Vivo APEX.

With System in Package (SIP) technology, the Vivo APEX offers Hi-Fi audio experience. It is also equipped with three amplifiers and DAC. The camera of the phone supports Super HDR that has a limited dynamic range of up to 14 EV. It is based on the principles of multi-frame compositing and smart optimization, along with ultra-dynamic, multi-frame preferences, character optimizations, natural tones, and advanced AI Algorithm.

Vivo APEX hands-on

Vivo APEX hands-on

Vivo APEX hands-on

Read More: Vivo V9 Poster Spotted With Rear Dual Cameras & 24MP Selfie Front Shooter

Vivo is yet to disclose information on RAM, storage, front and rear camera configurations and battery capacity of the APEX smartphone. Through today’s unveil event, the Chinese manufacturer has confirmed two main things. The first is that the APEX phone will include the highly potent SD845 chipset and the other thing is that it will begin its mass production by middle of this year. As of this writing, there is no confirmation on the pricing of the Vivo APEX.

Are you looking forward for the Vivo APEX? Share us your views by posting your comments below.

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Vivo V9 Poster Spotted With Rear Dual Cameras & 24MP Selfie Front Shooter

After the launch of the Vivo X20 Plus UD edition with the synaptics Clear ID under display fingerprint sensor, the company is getting ready to announce the Vivo V9 smartphone. The phone was initially spotted on a billboard a few days back and now, the same phone has been spotted in another poster. Given that the company has kicked off the promotions for this new model, we can expect an official announcement anytime in the coming weeks.

vivo v9 poster

We don’t know much about the hardware of the Vivo V9 except for its 24MP selfie camera up front. The phone is unsurprisingly taking its design inspiration from Apple’s iPhone X, just like most other Android manufacturers in the market. ASUS did the same with its new Zenfone 5 series, OPPO with the new R15 models, and even Huawei with the P20 series. It looks like this year, the notch is really going to be a big trend among Android manufacturers, so it isn’t surprising that Vivo too is joining the party.

 

RELATED: Vivo APEX Concept Phone Launching March 5

 

Vivo’s V series has always been a mid-range lineup featuring modest specs for an affordable price tag. The most recent one, the Vivo V7 and Vivo V7+ that were launched back in September 2017 featured the entry level Snapdragon 450. This should give you an idea of the placement of the series. However, this time around, rumours claim that the Vivo V9 could be a more powerful model, featuring Snapdragon 660 with dual cameras at the back. We can confirm the dual cameras from the poster along with a rear placed fingerprint sensor. So, it looks like the V9 series won’t be having the under display fingerprint sensor. That’s likely reserved for the X series.

 

(Source)

 

 

 

Buy Xiaomi Mi 6 For Only $369 On GizTop

The Xiaomi Mi 6 smartphone was launched in April, last year. Following in the footsteps of previously debuted Xiaomi-branded devices, the Mi 6 too garnered huge popularity among gadget buffs despite bearing a steep price tag.

On the downside, the phone failed to grab the attention of budget-conscious buyers who weren’t willing to spend a lot of money for a smartphone. But that’s about to change.

Smartphone enthusiasts who have restlessly been waiting to get their hands on the well-received Mi 6 have something to cheer about in the form of a big discount on the phone’s original selling price offered by GizTop. Let’s check out the details.
GizTop is currently selling the Xiaomi Mi 6 smartphone for only $369 in a bid to set the stage for the Xiaomi Mi 7 which is expected to hit the store shelves soon. It’s worth noting that the site puts a much higher $469 price sticker on the phone without the discount.


In terms of specs, the Mi 6 sports a big 5.15 inches full-HD display with a screen resolution of 1920×1080 pixels. Moreover, it comes with Corning Gorilla Glass 4 for added protection.

The phone offers 6GB of RAM and 64GB/128GB of onboard storage. Under the hood, the Mi 6 packs a powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor.

On the photography front, the coveted Mi 6 sports a 12-megapixel camera in the back and an 8-megapixel front snapper for selfies. It is backed by a robust 3350mAh battery, which supports quick charge feature.

You can head straight to this link in order to check out the full specification of the Xiaomi Mi 6 smartphone and take advantage of the promo before it comes to an end.