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Huawei P20 Plus’ Triple Camera Sensor Revealed Up Close, Different Arrangement

Huawei refreshed the P series back in 2015, getting rid of the Ascend tag, and going with just the P moniker. It’s been three years since this change and the strategy seems to have worked for Huawei as the new ‘P’ series is the company’s face for camera centric smartphones. And after slapping the premium Leica branding on its P series flagship smartphones, the P series models have become a favourite for buyers who are looking for a good flagship camera phone.

huawei p20 plus camera focused close

With most smartphones featuring dual camera setups, it’s has become necessary for Huawei to innovate in order to stand out of the crowd. And it’s almost confirmed that this innovation comes via the addition of yet another sensor to the setup, making it a triple camera module. So, the Huawei P20 Plus and even the Huawei P20 model is expected to feature not two, but three camera sensors at the back. While we have seen some good renders of the triple camera setup on the P20 Plus, what we’ve got today is a closer look at the three-camera sensor arrangement.

It’s worth noting that the alleged Huawei P20 Plus’ triple camera setup in this image is a bit different than previous renders. Moreover, there’s no guarantee that this leak is legit, showing the P20 Plus up close. So, make sure you take it with a pinch of salt.

This picture shows a real life P20 Plus’ camera up close with two camera sensors, one unknown sensor below them, and one more large camera sensor down below arranged vertically. This is different from the other renders in the sense that the flash is placed outside the housing, right on top of the setup. Another render from Onleaks had revealed the triple camera sensor arrangement as two in the housing and one outside. So, this definitely looks different from what we have seen before.

Huawei P20 Plus 3D Render
P20 Plus render by on leaks

With such a powerful setup at the back, it looks like it will protrude quite significantly. The Huawei P10 did well to keep the design neat and clean and this protruding design might not go well with some fans. But still, if the third camera sensor manages to work wonders for the phone, it might just be worth it. In fact, there are phones like the Pixel XL 2 and the iPhone 8 who manage to capture great images with their single camera setups, so it will be interesting to see how a triple camera setup improves the camera experience.

 

READ MORE: Huawei P20, P20 Plus Spotted on TENAA

 

We don’t know how the third camera works. The first two camera sensors could be a regular sensor with monochrome + color sensor combination while the third one could be a telephoto one. Unfortunately, this is just a speculation. The complete setup is said to bring out the best of smartphone camera with 40MP resolution pictures and 5X optical zoom. But we’ll have to wait until March 27 to know what’s really in store for us. While the functionality of the third sensor is still a big mystery, we know one thing for sure — the Huawei P20 Plus will definitely have a three camera setup. The March launch event teasers were kind enough to confirm this and now, our wait begins to know what these smartphone cameras are capable of.

Huawei P20 invitation

 

 

(Source)

Samsung Galaxy S9 Real Device Appears in Leaked Hands-On Photo

Press renders of the different color variants of the Samsung Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ have appeared in the recent weeks. Freshly leaked images showing the front and rear sides of what appears the actual Galaxy S9 handset have appeared.

The Galaxy S9 model that has appeared in new images is the Midnight Black variant. The overall design of the phone is not very different from the Galaxy S8 from 2017. The boot screen shows the moniker of the phone and it also reveals that it is equipped with Samsung Knox security.

It sports the same Infinity Display design like the Galaxy S8. The slim bezel at the top houses a selfie snapper and an earpiece. Compared to the top bezel, the bottom bezel is slightly slim. On the left side is the volume rocker and dedicated button for accessing Bixby. The power key is on the right edge of the S9.

Galaxy S9 Midnight Black Hands-on 1

Galaxy S9 Midnight Black Hands-on 2

The backside of the Galaxy S9 features a glass panel. The fingerprint reader was placed beside the camera sensor on the Galaxy S8. Hence, many users had complained that they ended up smudging the camera lens while accessing the fingerprint sensor. The leaked image of the Galaxy S9 shows that the fingerprint sensor is now placed below the camera lens. Here is a leaked press render of the Midnight Black.

Samsung Galaxy S9 Midnight Black

Rumors have revealed that the Galaxy S9 would be arriving with a 5.8-inch S-AMOLED Infinity Display. It will be arriving in Snapdragon 845 and Exynos 9810 chipset models. The SoC is likely to be supported by 4 GB of RAM. It may feature a native storage of 64 GB.

Read More:  Samsung Galaxy S9, S9+ Release Date Could be March 16

The rear camera of 12-megapixel is rumored to offer a variable aperture ranging from f/1.5 to f/2.4. The autofocus enabled selfie camera is expected to be available on the front panel of the S9. It is pegged to arrive with fast charging and wireless charging enabled 3,000mAh battery. Other rumored features include Android 8.0 Oreo with Samsung Experience 9.0 UI, iris scanner and face recognition. Midnight Black, Lilac Purple, Titanium Gray and Coral Blue are the rumored color variants of the Galaxy S9.

(source)

 

Samsung Begins Mass Production of Industry’s Largest 30.72TB SSD

Samsung continues to blaze the trail in many aspects including Solid State Storage drive. The South Korean tech giant has announced the commencement of mass production of a new 30.72TB Solid State storage drive called PM1643 built out of the latest V-NAND chips. The new SSD improves on the massive 15.36TB  storage which was unveiled two years back.Samsung SSD

Apart from the large storage capacity, the storage drive is also touted to come with blazing performance as it promises a speed of up to 2,100MB/s sequential read and 1,700MB/s write (400K/50K IOPS for random reads/writes respectively). To achieve such performance numbers, Samsung had to combine 32 of the new 1TB NAND flash packages, each comprised of 16 stacked layers of 512GB V-NAND chips. These super-dense 1TB packages allow for approximately 5,700 5-gigabyte (GB), full HD movie files to be stored within a mere 2.5-inch storage device.

Read More: Samsung Planning To Bring The Full-Screen OLED Design To Its Midrange Segment

In addition, the drive is built for use on next-generation enterprise systems and has protection from memory loss in the event of sudden power shutdown and there’s ECC to maintain integrity. In terms of its durability, Samsung touted the new SSD as capable to handle 30.72TB of data written on it daily for five years. The mean time between failures is 2 million hours. No word yet on the pricing and availability but Samsung did hint that smaller capacities with be available later on. Thus, we’ll see 7.68TB, 3.84TB and so on all the way down to 0.8TB models.

(source)

Nokia TA-1071 Suspected To Be Nokia 1 Certified By FCC, Launch Imminent!

Nokia has already revealed that it would hold an event at MWC 2018 where the company is expected to unveil a number of products including its smartphones. It is almost confirmed that the Nokia 9 would be among the debutants and very recently, the Nokia 1 and Nokia 7 Plus built under the Android Go project popped up online. A new Nokia model identified as Nokia TA-1071 has now been certified by FCC. Nokia 1

The FCC listing was accompanied by a sketch of the device having its dimension written as well. The outlines and dimensions have all the dressing of the Android One-powered Nokia 1 based on the press render we had seen in the past. Talking about the dimensions, the Nokia 1 will be 134 mm tall and 50 mm wide with a diagonal of 136 mm, equivalent to around 5.35 inches. The Nokia 1’s display may, however, come in at around 5 inches considering that bezels would occupy some part of the screen. The FCC listing also shows the presence of  Bluetooth 4.0, 4G LTE and WiFi 2.4 GHz availability.Nokia 1 featured

Read Also: First Official Renders Of Android Go’s Nokia 1 & Android One’s Nokia 7 Plus, Teases Release Date

The Nokia 1 is expected to be an entry-level device which should make it very cheap, perhaps cheaper than the $99 price tag of the Nokia 2. The device will feature a 16:9 display, a single rear camera with LED flash as well as a selfie shooter. Other details are still sketchy as of now.

(source)

Huawei to Rival Qualcomm, MediaTek By Launching More Smartphones with HiSilicon Kirin Chipsets This Year

The flagship and mid-range smartphones from Huawei are powered home-baked HiSilicon Kirin chipsets. However, the company has also launched smartphones powered by MediaTek and Qualcomm chipsets in the past. Fresh information reveals that the Chinese manufacturer will be launching more smartphones with Kirin chipsets this year.

In 2017, Huawei had shipped 153 million smartphones. However, only 70 million units of its flagship phones were fueled by Kirin chipsets. In other words, less than 50 percent of the 153 million shipped phones were powered by Kirin SoCs.

The remaining number of Huawei devices that includes entry-level and mid-range phones featured chipsets from other manufacturers like MediaTek or Qualcomm. Last year, Huawei had launched MediaTek powered devices like Honor 6C Pro, Honor 6 Play, Honor V9 Play, Huawei Y5 Lite (2017), Huawei Y6 (2017), Huawei Y5 (2017), Huawei Y3 (2017) and MediaPad T3.

The Chinese manufacturer will be reportedly placing more orders of its Kirin chipsets with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) in a bid to take on the likes of Qualcomm and MediaTek. The ratio of Huawei phones driven by HiSilicon chipsets is expected to cross 50 percent mark this year. Last year, Huawei had launched AI driven Kirin 970 for powering flagship phones whereas the Kirin 658 and 659 chipsets had fueled mid-range phones. There is a possibility that it may launch multiple chipsets this year.

kirin 970

Read More: Huawei Achieves 3 Gbps Speeds in 5G Trials in Italy

According to IC Insights, Qualcomm is the world’s leading chipset maker for smartphones. Last year, it had generated a revenue growth of 11 percent compared to 2016. MediaTek that is sitting on the fourth spot encountered a revenue decline of 11 percent on year in 2017.  In comparison to 2016, HiSilicon had gained a revenue of 21 percent last year.

(via)

 

 

Samsung Galaxy S9, S9+ Release Date Could be March 16

The highly anticipated Samsung Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ flagship phones will be unveiled on Sunday. A fresh report by a South Korean publication has revealed that the Galaxy S9 duo will be releasing in the global market on March 16.

According to The Investor, the pre-orders of Galaxy S9 and S9+ will be carried out by mobile operators like SK Telecom, LG Uplus and KT in South Korea from Feb. 28. However, a previous report had claimed that the Galaxy S9 and S9+ will be available for reservations in South Korea from March 2 to 8.

However, the latest report from the publication states that the customers who pre-order the Galaxy S9 or S9+ in the country will be able to receive their handsets between March 9 to 15. As far as the global roll out is concerned, it will begin on March 16.

Samsung-Galaxy-S9-Plus-Leak-1519034681-0-12

As far as European launch is concerned, well-known tipster Roland Quandt had recently claimed the pre-orders begin on Feb. 25, the day when the S9 duo will be unveiled. Samsung is expected to officially confirm on the sales schedule and price at the launch event.

The tipster has also revealed that apart from the reduced lower bezel and repositioned fingerprint scanner, there won’t be any major change in the design of the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ compared to their predecessor models. Both the smartphones are expected to arrive with AKG tuned stereo speakers and stellar camera with variable aperture.

The Galaxy S9 will feature 5.8-inch S-AMOLED Infinity Display, Snapdragon 845/Exynos 9810 chipset variants, 4 GB RAM, 64 GB storage, 3,000mAh battery, 12-megapixel rear camera and an 8-megapixel front camera. The Galaxy S9+ will be arriving with 6.2-inch S-AMOLED Infinity Display, Snapdragon 845/Exynos 9810 chipset variants, 6 GB of RAM, 64 GB storage, 3,500mAh battery, 12-megapixel dual camera setup and 8-megapixel selfie snapper.

Samsung-Galaxy-S9-Leak-1519034154-0-12

Read More: Galaxy Tab S4 HTML5 Benchmarks Reveal 16:10 Aspect Ratio Supporting Display, Android 8.0 Oreo

Other common features include Android 8.0 Oreo with Samsung Experience 9.0 UI, animated emoji, facial recognition, iris scanner and wireless charging. Both phones will be available in color choices like Midnight Black, Coral Blue, Titanium Grey and Purple Lilac Compared to the Galaxy S8 and S8+, the upcoming Galaxy S9 and S9+ are rumored to arrive with 10 percent increased pricing.

(source)

ASUS Joins The Mixed Reality Game With Its Own $429 Headset

Taiwan’s ASUS is the latest to join the Windows mixed reality (MR) train. The manufacturer has announced its own headset called the ASUS HC102 with a $429 price tag.

ASUS HC102

The ASUS HC102 has roughly the same specs we have seen on other MR headsets. It has dual 2.89” LCD displays, each with a 1440 x 1440 resolution and a 90Hz refresh rate. Its field of view is stated as 95°.

There is inside-out tracking thanks to the two front facing cameras with six degrees of freedom (6DoF) and the 32 LED lights on each of the controllers. It also has a proximity sensor, accelerometer, gyroscope, and magnetometer. For connectivity, there is a HDMI 2.0 port, a USB 3.0 port, and a 3.5mm audio jack.

In terms of design, the ASUS HC102 is still the best looking MR headset in the market. Unlike the boring white design of the Dell Visor or the blue coat of Acer’s headset, its front has a polygonal design that makes it stand out.

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwxloWy2wTo[/embedyt]

ASUS has also made it possible to flip the headset without removing it completely just in case you want to take a brief look at the real world.

Selling price for the ASUS headset is $429 and it is available for pre-order on B&H. It is not the most expensive if you compare it to the price of the other MR headsets on the Microsoft store. But it is the most expensive when you realize you can get the others for less on Amazon. The online shopping giant has a sale on MR headsets currently.

READ MORE: ASUS X00RD Seen on Geekbench May Be An Android Go Phone

Galaxy Tab S4 HTML5 Benchmarks Reveal 16:10 Aspect Ratio Supporting Display, Android 8.0 Oreo

At the end of the previous week, the upcoming Samsung Galaxy Tab S4 with model number SM-T835 was spotted on GFXBench. The same tablet has appeared on HTML5 benchmarks to reveal the aspect ratio it will be supporting.

The Galaxy Tab S3 that was launched last year at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2017 supports an aspect ratio of 4:3. It features a 9.7-inch screen that supports resolution of 1536 x 2048 pixels. The HTML5 benchmarks of the forthcoming Samsung SM-T385 reveals that it offers a resolution of 800 x 1200 pixels.

The GFXBench listing of the Galaxy Tab S4 had revealed that the device supports 2560 x 1600 pixels on its 10.5-inch display. The HTML5 benchmarks confirm that the device will be offering an aspect ratio of 16:10. The original Galaxy Tab S had also featured the same aspect ratio. The Galaxy Tab S2 and its successor had arrived with 4:3 aspect ratio display. The Galaxy Tab S4 with 16:10 aspect ratio will deliver a good viewing experience while watching movies on it.

Galaxy Tab S4 HTML5

Read More: Samsung Could Launch Its New Social Network Along With Galaxy S9

The Galaxy Tab S4 is also seen running on Android 8.0 Oreo in HTML5 benchmarks. This is an indication that the company may release it in the first half of the year. The Samsung devices such as Galaxy Note 9 arriving in the second half of the year are pegged to feature Android 8.1 Oreo. Other rumored specs include Snapdragon 835 chipset, 4 GB of RAM and native storage of 64 GB. Like the Galaxy Tab S3, it may carry support for S Pen stylus and keyboard.

There is no information on whether Samsung will be debutingt the Galaxy Tab S4 at MWC 2018 in the next week. It goes without saying that the launch of Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ will be one of the major attractions of the MWC 2018

(source|via)

 

 

Moto G6, G6 Plus, G6 Play Codenames Leaked

Lenovo-owned Motorola is expected to soon announce the Moto G6, Moto G6 Plus and Moto G6 Play. The rumor mill has already revealed plenty of information on the specs of these phones. Leaked renders of the Moto G6 family members have also surfaced in the recent past. Today, well-known leakster Evan Blass has revealed the codenames of the Moto G6 series phones.

According to Blass, the Moto G6, G6 Plus and G6 Play are respectively codenamed as Blaine, Teller and Ashley. Just as the Moto G5 and G5 Plus phones were unveiled at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in February last year, it is speculated that the Moto G6 series may get announced at MWC 2018 in the next week. As of this writing, Motorola is yet to confirm on the launch event for the Moto G6 series phones.

Leaked information has revealed that the Moto G6 will be featuring a 5.93-inch display that will supporting FHD+ resolution and 18:9 aspect ratio. The Snapdragon 450 chipset may power the phone. The 32 GB and 64 GB models of the phone may feature 3 GB and 4 GB of RAM. It is expected to feature a 12-megapixel + 5-megapixel dual camera setup and a front-facing camera of 16-megapixel. It is likely to feature a 3,000mAh battery and a rear-mounted fingerprint reader. It is pegged to cost R. 15,000 (~$231). It may be available in colors like Rose Gold, Black and Silver.

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

The advanced Moto G6 Plus is also rumored to house an 18:9 aspect ratio supporting FHD+ display of 5.93 inches. The Snapdragon 630 chipset may power the handset.  It may arrive in RAM variants like 3 GB, 4 GB and 6 GB and storage options like 32 GB and 64 GB.  It is expected to feature 12-megapixel + 5-megapixel dual camera setup and aa selfie snapper of 16-megapixel. It could be equipped with 3,200mAh battery and front-mounted fingerprint scanner. It is expected to hit the market with a pricing of Rs. 17,000 (~$262). Dark Teal, Black and Silver could be its color variants.

Read More: Key Features of Motorola’s 2018 Smartphones Leaked; 2018 Moto C, C Plus May Not Launch This Year

The Moto G6 Play is expected to arrive as an entry-level model featuring 5.7-inch 16:9 aspect ratio screen, Snapdragon 430 chipset, 3 GB of RAM, front-mounted fingerprint scanner and 4,000 mAh battery. It may cost around Rs. 12,000 (~185). The G6 Play may arrive in color options Dark Charcoal, Deep Blue and Gold.

(source)

 

 

ZTE Blade X2 Max Image Leaked, Pegged to Launch Soon

ZTE Blade V9 is rumored to get unveiled at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2018 in the coming week. Apart from the Blade V9, the U.S. also receive another new phone from the company – the Blade X2 Max. A leaked image of the phone has been revealed by Android Authority. It claims that the image has been provided to it through a reliable source. The handset is speculated to launch in late spring this year.

The Blade X2 Max will be arriving to replace the Blade X Max smartphone from last year. The original phone was launched in May 2017 through Cricket Wireless in the U.S. The same carrier is rumored to sell the Blade X2 Max in the country. Since it is speculated to debut in late spring, it is likely that it may start selling in May this year.

The original Blade X Max came with specs like 6-inch Full HD display. It was powered by Snapdragon 435 chipset and 2 GB of RAM. Its other specs include support for microSD card, 32 GB inbuilt storage, 13-megapixel rear camera, 5-megapixel front-facing camera and 3,400mAh battery. It was launched with a pricing of $149 through Cricket Wireless.

ZTE-Blade-X2-Max-coming-soon-to-Cricket-Wireless (1)Read More: ZTE Blade V9 Seen On Geekbench Ahead of MWC Launch

There is no information available on the specs of the Blade X2 Max, but it is likely to feature a 6-inch Full HD display. The image of the phone suggests that it will be arriving with a traditional 16:9 aspect ratio display. The Snapdragon 450 chipset may fuel the smartphone. Its SoC may be accompanied by 2 GB or 3 GB of RAM. It may come with at least 32 GB of native storage. It is likely to house a larger battery and also feature a USB-C port.

Since the handset does not seem to have a front-mounted fingerprint scanner, it appears that the biometric recognition feature could be placed on its rear. The handset may come preinstalled with Android 8.0 Oreo. It is likely to be priced around $150 to $200 in the U.S.

(source)

 

 

Meizu X2 With Snapdragon 845 Launching in 2018 End for 2,999 Yuan (~$473), Confirms Meizu VP

Meizu had launched the Meizu X powered by Helio P20 chipset in November 2016. However, the company did not launch the Meizu X2 as a successor phone for it in 2017. Today, Meizu VP Li Nan finally gave out some vital information about the arrival time, specs and pricing of the phone.


The Meizu X had arrived in 2016 with a premium appeal as it featured 2.5 curved glass flanked with double ceramic crystal coating. It also featured impressive specs. Hence, Meizu fans were earnestly waiting for the launch of Meizu X2. Today, Li Nan confirmed that the arrival of the Meizu X2 was delayed and the company is now aiming to launch it at the end of this year.

Meizu X2 Li Nan

Li Nan had previously claimed the second-generation Meizu X won’t be a mid-range phone, but it will be packed with flagship specs. Today, he has revealed that the Snapdragon 845 chipset will be powering the Meizu X2 and it will be arriving with a price tag of 2,999 Yuan (~$473).

Meizu has recently launched the Meizu M6S with full screen design. Recent reports have revealed that the upcoming Meizu phones like Meizu E3, Meizu 15, Meizu 15 Lite and Meizu Plus will be also sporting a full screen design. Hence, the Meizu X2 is also pegged to feature an 18:9 aspect ratio display. Early rumors had claimed that the rear panel of the phone may feature a round-shaped secondary display.

Read More: Meizu E3 Will be As Powerful as Smartisan Nuts Pro 2, Claims Meizu VP Li Nan

He added that the company will be launching Meizu E3 to fill in the void by arriving with high-end specs and affordable pricing. The Meizu E3 is slated to get announced on March 6. It is rumored to be as powerful as Snapdragon 660 powered Smartisan Nuts Pro 2. Rumors have it the forthcoming MediaTek Helio P70 chipset may power the E3 smartphone.

(via)

Buy Ulefone Power 3S Smartphone For Only $169.99 On Banggood

Ulefone Power 3S Android 4G smartphone was launched in January 2018. As expected, the phone’s awe-inspiring specs and features propelled it to enormous popularity among smartphone lovers.

Despite reaping noteworthy fame, the Power 3S failed to sweep budget-conscious buyers who weren’t willing to spend a lot of money to get their hands on the well-received smartphone. But that’s about to change.

If you’ve been restlessly waiting to buy the Power 3S without burning a hole in your pocket, we have good news for you. Let’s check out the details.

Banggood is offering a massive 21% discount on Ulefone Power 3S smartphone’s original asking price of $215.41. You can now preorder the coveted Power 3S smartphone by shelling out just $169.99. The discount is valid for gold and black color versions of the phone.


In terms of specifications, Ulefone Power 3S offers 4GB of RAM and 64GB of expandable memory. Under the hood, the device packs a powerful MediaTek MT6763 (Helio P23), 64-bit processor.

On the photography front, it sports a 16 Megapixels + 5 Megapixels dual camera setup at the back and 13 Megapixel + 5 Megapixels dual front cameras. The Power 3S comes with a 6.0 inches IPS, FHD+ display with a screen resolution of 1080 x 2160 pixels.

You can head straight to this link to take advantage of the promotion sale before it comes to an end on February 26. It is also worth noting that there were only 54 pieces left at the time of writing.

Meizu E3 Will be As Powerful as Smartisan Nuts Pro 2, Claims Meizu VP Li Nan

Earlier this month, a Meizu phone with model number M851Q was spotted at TENAA. It could be the Meizu E3 smartphone that is slated to debut on March 6. Today, Meizu VP Li Nan has said that the Meizu E series will be as powerful as Smartisan Nuts Pro series. Recent leaks have suggested that it will be powerful enough to support high-end gaming.

Now that Meizu VP has given out some more information on the Meizu E3, it appears that the smartphone will be featuring high-end specs like the Smartisan Nuts Pro 2.  The TENAA listing of Meizu E3 has revealed that it would be featuring a 5.99-inch FHD+ display. It will be fueled by an octa-core processor that works at 1.8 GHz.

The Smartisan Nuts Pro 2 is powered by Snapdragon 660 which is the next best chipset after the Snapdragon 835. The SD660 chipset will be succeeded by Snapdragon 670, but Qualcomm has not officially announced it yet. Recent reports have revealed that the MediaTek Helio P70 will be announced at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2018. The Helio P70 was recently spotted on AnTuTu with performance that could easily rival with the upcoming SD 670. Hence, the Meizu E3 may feature the Helio P70 chipset.

The Meizu E3 is expected to arrive in RAM variants like 4 GB and 6 GB and it will be also available in storage choices like 32 GB, 64 GB and 128 GB. The dual camera setup residing on the back phone features a 12-megpaiel sensor and a 20-megapixel sensor. It has a selfie camera of 8-megapixel and it is powered by 3,330mAh battery.

Meizu E3 TENAA

Read More: Leaked Meizu E3 Invites Points At Two Variants – Gaming and Photography

The images of the Meizu E3 that were revealed through its TENAA listing show that it has a design that is quite similar to the Meizu 6S that was officially launched recently as its first full screen design smartphone. The Meizu E3 features an 18:9 aspect ratio supporting display. It is packed in a metallic body and the placement of the antenna bands on it rear side is similar to that of Meizu PRO 6.

It features a vertically arranged dual rear cameras and the “mblu by Meizu” branding can be seen on the bottom-right corner of the back panel. It features a side-mounted fingerprint reader. The Super mBack function will be also available on the Meizu E3. The handset is expected to cost around 1,799 Yuan (~$283) and 1,999 Yuan (~$314).

(source)

 

Samsung Could Launch Its New Social Network ‘Uhssup’ Along With Galaxy S9

Last month, it was revealed that South Korean giant Samsung had filed for a trademark of a location-based social network platform called ‘Uhssup’. While not a lot of information is available about this service, a new report suggests that it could get launched next week along with Samsung’s Galaxy S9 series.

The report says that Uhssup is location-based social network developed by Samsung which will allow users to share their location in real-time as well as comment on the locations of other users. The service is also expected to offer messaging capabilities.

To get more information about this new social media platform, we’ll have to wait for the company to officially launch it. However, it’s not a long wait as it is reportedly launching at Mobile World Congress 2018. However, the company has not yet said anything regarding the launch of this Uhssup platform.

It will be interesting to see if this new social media platform from Samsung would be enticing enough for users to start using yet another social network on top of multiple other networks that most of them already use.

While the company had registered the name “Uhssup” with the European Union Intellectual Property Office, this new report suggests that the company has also registered both “Uhssup” and “Samsung Social” in the domestic Korean market.

During Mobile World Congress, the South Korea-based Samsung is going to launch its flagship devices — the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+. The Samsung’s Galaxy S9 duo would be sporting the Infinity Display and will come equipped with improved innards, stellar cameras, and better audio capabilities.

While the US and China models will be powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 845 processor, other regions will get the Exynos 9810 variant of the phone. The devices will be running on Android Oreo-based Samsung Experience UI 9.0.

Read More: Samsung Is Targeting Sales Worth $10 Billion In India This Year

Launching on 25th February, the pre-orders for the Galaxy S9 series are expected to start from the same day, with delivery expected to start from 8th March.

(Source)

 

Sony Xperia XZ2, Xperia XZ2 Compact Pricing, Release Date and Key Specs Leaked

Sony is expected to announce the Xperia XZ2 and Xperia XZ2 Compact in the next week through its press conference on Feb. 26 at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2018 in Barcelona, Spain. A Swedish website has revealed information like pricing, release date and key specs of both the smartphones.

According to Swedroid, Xperia XZ2 is packed with a 5.7-inch display that is protected by a layer of Gorilla Glass 5. It produces an aspect ratio of 18:9. It is likely that the handset may support Full HD+ resolution of 2160 x 1080 pixels.

The Snapdragon 845 chipset will be powering the phone along with 4 GB of RAM. The Android 8.0 Oreo OS will come pre-installed on the phone and it will be lacking the 3.5mm audio jack. It is rumored to include a native storage of 64 GB. The website claims that the handset would be priced around 799 euros (~$985).

The Xperia XZ2 Compact could be a smaller edition of the Xperia XZ2. It is speculated to arrive with a 5-inch display that will be producing Full HD+ resolution and an aspect ratio of 18:9. Like the XZ2, it won’t be featuring a 3.5mm audio jack. It is expected to arrive preloaded with Android 8.0 Oreo. It is also rumored to feature Snapdragon 845 and 4 GB of RAM. It may debut with a price tag of 599 euros (~$738).

sony mwc 2018 teaser

Read More: Sony Xperia XZ2 Compact Prototype Appears Online, Could Launch At MWC 2018

The Xperia XZ2 and Xperia XZ2 Compact are rumored to hit the shelves on March 6 after getting showcased at MWC 2018. Previous leaks have revealed that the Xperia XZ2 Pro premium flagship phone with 4K OLED display may also get announced at MWC 2018. However, it is likely to arrive in the market by June this year with a pricing of around 6,000 Yuan (~$945).

(source|via)

 

 

Xiaomi’s Upcoming Gaming Smartphone ‘Blackshark’ Spotted On AnTuTu, Reveals Key Specs

A new smartphone packing top-end specifications has surfaced online on benchmarking website AnTuTu. This could be the device from Black Shark Technology Incorporated in which, China-based Xiaomi has invested.

The phone, which is codenamed “Blackshark” features specifications which you would expect from a flagship phone in 2018. The company was established in August 2017 and its Weibo account reveals that it is a mobile phone maker.

Blackshark Gaming Smartphone

The AnTuTu listing reveals that the phone will feature a Full HD+ display with 18:9 aspect ratio and 2160 x 1080 pixels resolution. Under the hood, it is said to be powered by Qualcomm‘s Snapdragon 845 processor along with Adreno 630 GPU and 8GB RAM.

It packs 32GB of internal storage but we expected the device to have a microSD card slot, allowing users to further expand the storage capacity on the phone. We are also expecting either 64GB storage model or 128GB internal storage variant as well.

The device will be running on Android 8.0 (Oreo) operating system out-of-the-box. While there is no more information available at this time regarding the phone’s display, the phone might come with a 120Hz display in order to compete with the Razer Phone that was released last year.

The phone has scored 270680 points in AnTuTu — on-par with the upcoming Nubia NX606J that also shares a similar set of specifications. However, the Nubia’s device has 6GB of RAM while this Blackshark device packs 8GB of RAM. The impressive score of 270,680 is better than the alleged 265,267 score recorded for the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S9+.

Earlier reports suggested that Xiaomi has been working on a gaming phone. However, the company has not confirmed if they are working to offer a gaming phone under a sub-brand. It seems that we’ll have to wait to get more information about this phone.

Read More: Xiaomi Will Not Increase Pricing of its Smartphones Despite Low Margins, Confirms Xiaomi India MD

Apart from Xiaomi, Taiwanese manufacturer ASUS is also rumored to be working on a gaming phone that is expected to launch later this year. It would be interesting to see if this becomes a new trend in the industry.

(Source)

 

Moto G6 Play Geekbench Listing Confirms Snapdragon 430 Chipset

There is only little we do not know about the Moto G6 series at the moment. 3D renders, official renders, and specs have all been revealed in the last couple of weeks. However, there is still more news. The Moto G6 Play has been seen on Geekbench and it confirms some of the features we already know.

The device was benchmarked earlier today as the motorola moto g(6) play. It runs Android 8.0.0 Oreo, is powered by the msm8937 a.k.a Snapdragon 430, and has 3GB of RAM.

Moto G6 Play Geekbench

The Snapdragon 430 was announced in 2015 but we are not surprised it is still appearing in phones just like its sibling, the Snapdragon 625. Unlike the newer SD450, its cores are clocked at 1.4GHz and its GPU is the Adreno 505.

READ MORE: Moto Z2 Force Launched in India for Rs. 34,999 with ShatterShield Display, Dual Cameras, MotoMods Support

ZTE Blade V9 Seen On Geekbench Ahead of MWC Launch

ZTE’s Blade V9 first surfaced online in December 2017. The mid-range phone was seen on the Spanish ZTE website but didn’t officially launch then. It is expected to be unveiled at MWC 2018, but before then, the device has surfaced on Geekbench.

ZTE Blade V9

According to the benchmark site, the ZTE Blade V9 is running Android 8.1 Oreo. This means when when it launches it should come with the latest version of Android. It also has 3GB of RAM and is powered by an octa-core processor clocked at 1.8GHz.

Based on the specs from the early reveal last year, this is the Snapdragon 450 – the current king of the 400 series. The chipset comes with an Adreno 506 GPU and has support for FHD+ displays.

Blade V9 Geekbench

The phone scored 772 points in the single-core test and 3931 in the multi-core test. These are similar to the scores (769 and 3548 respectively) of the Redmi 5, another phone powered by the same chipset.

However, ZTE’s Blade V9 packs a lot more than Xiaomi’s Redmi 5. It has an 18:9 5.7” display too but with a FHD+ resolution unlike the Redmi 5’s HD+. It also has dual rear cameras, a front camera with a higher pixel count, and runs a newer version of Android.

READ MORE: ZTE Axon 9 Images, Specifications Leaked; Launch Nearing?

Spotify Reportedly Working On A Smart Speaker

Spotify is the most famous service for music streaming and one of the biggest databases of music ever seen. According to a new report, the company is planning to expand in the hardware sector as well, to make its customers listen to the music with a better user experience. The following sentence has just been found in a new job listing by the company: “Above all, your work will impact the way the world experiences music”. This job listing lets us think that the company is working to realize connected hardware, and the most reliable hypotheses are suggesting that the first product may be a speaker.

spotify

The one from Spotify should not be just a traditional speaker — there are tons of them in the market which are able to play songs from the famous music streaming services. Spotify may be working on a smart speaker which will compete with the likes of Amazon Echo and Google Home. The speaker is expected to be based on artificial intelligence, but at the moment there is not any info about the alleged Spotify’s AI technology. To make a smart speaker, the company has two ways to proceed:

  1. Creating a digital assistant from scratch, which will be able to recognize and elaborate vocal commands by the user.
  2. Use an existing digital assistant like Amazon Alexa found on the Echo speakers, Google Assistant from Android, Siri by Apple or Cortana by Microsoft.

Creating a digital assistant from scratch is not an easy thing, that is why there isn’t many assistants in the hi-tech market. Further, it is very likely that if a Spotify smart speaker is to be released, it will be available only in the U.S initially.

Do you think that Spotify is really working on a smart speaker? If yes, is it working on its own digital assistant?

 

(Via)