LG’s Foldable Smartphone Patent Features Three Screens!

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Feb 8, 2018

South Korean tech company LG has successfully secured a patent for a tri-fold smartphone design from the World Intellectual Property Organization. The patent application was filed for inspection in December 2014 but the application just got approved last November and is coming out now.

The patented device is depicted in the sketches accompanying this post and it is shown to consist of three parts which look thin and can be folded outward like a leaflet. The tri-fold display patent has three display patterns. On one of them, the main screen is in the middle and is equipped with a physical home button just underneath the display. The second and third design patterns see the side displays standing as the primary one and the others lying behind in a way whereby they can be pulled out from underneath it.

The three displays can be used for multi-tasking when fully unfolded and it is believed the single screen can function when the other two are closed. The three screens can also be used as one large single display but the aspect ratio would be somewhat elongated. All the screens are touchscreens but there are no further details. We don’t expect to find this patent in a commercial smartphone anytime soon. The closest we have seen is the Axon M which was unveiled last year and can’t really be called a top-performing smartphone.

(source)

Panasonic P100 Entry-Level Smartphone Launched In India, Price Starts At Rs. 5,299

By

Jeet

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Feb 8, 2018

Panasonic has today announced a new entry-level smartphone in the Indian market. Dubbed as Panasonic P100, the phone’s pricing starts at Rs. 5,299. The phone will go on sale in India from today onwards, exclusively via online store Flipkart.

The phone features a 5-inch HD display with a screen resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels with a 2.5D curved glass on top and a layer a Gorilla Glass for protection from minor scratches.

Under the hood, the device is powered by 1.2GHz MediaTek MT6737 quad-core processor, along with Mali-T720 GPU. It packs 16GB of internal storage with support for microSD card slot, enabling users to further expand storage capacity up to 128GB.

The device is available in two variants based on the RAM — 1GB and 2GB. For photography, it features an 8-megapixel camera with LED flash and a 5-megapixel front-facing camera with selfie flash.

The phone is running Android 7.0 Nougat operating system out-of-the-box and is powered by a 2,200mAh battery which comes with a Duraspeed technology that the company claims will “save battery and data by intelligently optimizing unused background apps.”

Connectivity options on the device include Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, micro USB 2.0 and support for USB OTG. There’s also a fingerprint sensor on the back for added protection. As of the features, the phone comes with Multi-Modes for image editing, On Body Detection Mode, Bluetooth Unlock Mode, Trusted Places, Trusted Face, and Trusted Voice Modes.

The 1GB RAM variant of the Panasonic P100 is priced at Rs. 5,299, the 2GB RAM variant of the phone costs Rs. 5,999. It is available in four color options — Blue, Black, Gold, and Dark Grey. At this price point, the Panasonic P100 will be competing against the likes of Xiaomi Redmi 5A and Amazon’s 10.or D, among others.

Xiaomi Reveals Reason For Its 2017 Comeback & Unveils Lofty Plans For 2018

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Feb 8, 2018

Xiaomi recently held one of its most important annual events and it is its year-end gala night. During the event, Xiaomi’s CEO Lei Jun spoke about the company’s resurgence in the smartphone industry especially its amazing financial report for 2017 which includes crossing the 100 billion Yuan revenue threshold by October 2017. The CEO also unveiled the company’s lofty plans for this year.

Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun — Xiaomi’s CEO Lei Jun

Lei Jun attributed the company’s 2017 results that saw it nearly double its global shipments, to the firm’s dedication to innovation. He particularly made reference to the release of the Surge S1 in-house chip and the bezel-less Mi Mix 2 as proof of such internal efforts. Another contributor to the company’s success the CEO mentioned was the strides in India. Xiaomi also recored successes in other markets such as Russia. Lei Jun also hinted that Xiaomi managed to break into the top five largest phone vendors in 16 countries last year. Although he left off without mentioning the countries specifically, we are certain India and Russia are among those countries. Lei Jun noted that the core of Xiaomi’s business model was building consumer trust and this was acheved by the establishment of the Quality Control Committee in early 2017 and a generally increased focus on product improvements.

During the speech, Lei Jun also unveiled e company’s plans for 2018 and it involves a increase in its international expansion efforts. The company hopes to strengthen its existing foreign markets and establishing new ones. Already Xiaomi will soon storm Italy with its products and a launch has been scheduled for later this month. The tech giant is also said to be in talks with some U.S. carriers over a retail partnership in late 2017. We can’t be so sure a major deal would be sealed any time soon considering the brick walls that have met Huawei’s efforts in this regard in the past few years. Finally, Lei Jun disclosed his new goal for Xiaomi and that is to retake the number one position in China within ten quarters, which translates into 3 years from now (by June of 2021). You can read the CEO’s full statement from the source link below.

(source)

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

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Feb 8, 2018

Meizu has a new mid-range phone in the works. Called the Meizu E3, the phone is scheduled to arrive on March 6. However, there is a chance we may be getting two variants of the phone.

Yesterday, photos from an unknown factory surfaced online. In the photos are line workers packing frying pans into boxes. You may be wondering what a frying pan has got to do with a phone.

If you are familiar with Meizu, you should know the company never fails to make a statement with its invites. In the past, it has sent out old Nokia phones and even a pair of sneakers as invites.

Each frying pan in these photos has a Meizu sticker on it with details of the launch written on it. Apart from the date, the invite also mentions the device is the “E3 G” where G presumably stands for gaming or game. The text above also loosely translates into “gaming more fun”.

However, there is a second invite. Instead of a frying pan, this box contains a mug shaped like a Canon camera lens. Sources say this is the Canon 70-200mm zoom lens which sells for about ¥5000 (~$790).

On the body of the mug is the same launch date (03/06) but instead of “E3 G” like the case of the frying pan, it has “E3 P” written on it, where P is supposed to denote photo(s) or photography.

Continue

Huawei P20 Lite 3D Renders and Video Confirms Notched Display

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Feb 8, 2018

For its next flagship, Huawei is sure more than borrowing a leaf from Apple. Yesterday, a FCC listing confirmed that the Huawei P20 Lite will indeed have a notched display like the iPhone X. But it doesn’t end there. The camera setup on the rear is also in the same vertical arrangement as the iPhone X. While most people say it will house three sensors, a new 3D leak shows otherwise.

Popular leaker @OnLeaks has partnered with his friends at TigerMobiles to make 3D renders (and a video) of the upcoming Huawei P20 Lite. Looking at the images, we wouldn’t blame anyone that calls it an iPhone clone.

The Huawei P20 is home to a display that is said to be around 5.7” in size. Thanks to the FCC leak yesterday, we know it has a 19:9 aspect ratio and a 1080 x 2280 resolution.

Unlike the iPhone X which maintains the same bezel thickness all around, the Huawei P20 Lite has a much thicker bottom bezel and a thinnerer one at the top. The notch is home to the earpiece and is flanked on the sides by the front camera and sensor.

On the rear, the Huawei P20 Lite is covered with glass too. The cameras are raised and there are two sensors instead of three. Our guess is that the triple camera system is for the Huawei P20 and Huawei P20 Plus.

Beneath the slightly raised housing is a LED flash and about 2cm to its right is a fingerprint scanner. There is also a Huawei logo at the bottom left corner.

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

The Huawei P20 Lite is shown to have its SIM tray on the left, volume rockers and power button on the right, a USB-C port, speaker grille, and audio jack at the bottom, and a secondary microphone at the top.

A lot of the specs are still missing but we know it will come with a 2,900mAh battery and run Android 8.0 Oreo out of the box. The dimensions are also listed as 148.6 x 71.2 x 7.4 mm (8.4mm including camera bump).

Continue

Huawei’s MWC 2018 Event Likely to Unveil New Matebook, MediaPad Tablets, Watch 3

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Feb 8, 2018

Huawei has recently confirmed that it will be holding a press event on Feb. 25 at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain. The company is unlikely to launch Huawei P20/P11 series smartphones at MWC 2018 as it will be holding a dedicated event in March this year to launch them. Hence, the rumor mill is now speculating on the devices that Huawei may unveil on Feb. 25. A promotional video shared through a Weibo post by Huawei Consumer Business Group CEO Richard Yu suggests that the company may unveil a new Matebook at the event.

The “Experience New Horizons” text that can be seen in the video indicates that the upcoming notebook from the company may feature slimmer bezels that will allow it sport larger display. The Weibo post by Yu that carries translated text like “a new horizon, a new realm, a new era” also hint that the upcoming notebook will be sporting ultra-thin bezels.

At present, mainstream laptops are sporting bezels of around 6mm. There are some notebooks that have bezels of 4.5 mm and 5 mm. The recently unveil Huawei smartphones like Mate 10 and Mate 10 Pro have super-slim bezels. Hence, there is a possibility that the next-generation Matebook may arrive with slimmer bezels.

At MWC 2016, Huawei had launched the first Huawei Matebook with 2-in-1 laptop-tablet hybrid design. Last year, it had unveiled the MateBook X, MateBook E, Matebook D and D (2018) models. Huawei is silent on the market response of the Matebook devices. In a recent interview, Huawei Consumer Business COO Wan Biao revealed to the media that the market reputation and sales of the Matebook have met with internal expectations of the company.

The MediaPad M5 tablet is also speculated to debut at MWC 2018. Recent reports have revealed that it will be coming with an 8.4-inch QHD display, Kirin 960 chipset, 4 GB of RAM and Android 8.0 Oreo. It is speculated to debut the Huawei Watch 3 as a successor for Watch 2 smartwatch. There is a possibility that the company may announce some mid-range smartphones at MWC 2018.

Visit the source link below to check out the teaser video for Huawei’s upcoming Feb. 25 event.

(source)

Vivo’s Mysterious Phone Probably Featuring Flip-up Camera, In-Screen Fingerprint Sensor Appears Again

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Feb 8, 2018

A mysterious Vivo phone was spotted earlier this week with an incredible full screen design flanked with super-slim bezels. It has appeared once again today to give a second look at its amazing design.

The smartphone seen in the new photo has a very slim appeal. Except for the slightly thick bottom bezel, the other bezels surrounding the screen are very thin. The bezels are so slim that it is hard to imagine whether the smartphone will be featuring a selfie camera. However, there is a possibility that it may arrive with a flip-up camera on its rear camera that will double up as a selfie snapper.

The exact size of the unidentified Vivo phone is not known. The Vivo X20 and X20 Plus respectively feature a 6-inch and 6.43-inch display. Hence, the mysterious Vivo could be housing a 6-inch or 6.43-inch display. From the image, it is quite evident that it will be delivering a screen-to-body ratio that is close to 100 percent. The large-sized display on the unidentified Vivo phone could be featuring an in-screen fingerprint reader.

Vivo is reportedly working on Vivo X30 and Vivo Xplay 7 flagship smartphone. Leaked images of the alleged Vivo X30 has shown that it will be arriving with a notch-enabled full screen design like the iPhone X. The Xplay 7 could be the Snapdragon 845 powered smartphone from the company. These leaks are concrete not evidences. Hence, it is difficult to guess whether the mysterious phone is Vivo X30, Xplay 7 or some other phone.

What do you think about the design of the above phone? Could it be arriving as Vivo X30 or Xplay 7? Share us your views by adding your comments below.

Redmi Note 5, Not Redmi 5 Launching on February 14, Proof Found!

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Feb 8, 2018

Xiaomi has confirmed that it will be launching a new smartphone on Feb. 14. Some sources are claiming that the Chinese manufacturer will be launching the Redmi 5 and Redmi 5 Plus smartphones that were unveiled in China in December 2017. Other reports have claimed that due to the overwhelming popularity of Redmi Note series phones in India, Xiaomi will be launching the Redmi 5 and 5 Plus as Redmi Note 5 and Redmi Note 5 Prime. By scouring through the page code of the official event page on Mi.com, it has been found that the company is most likely to launch the Redmi Note 5 next week on Wednesday.

It has been also found that a Javascript code that manages the countdown timer for the upcoming smartphone on the Mi.com has a subdirectory titled as “redminote5.” Last year, Xiaomi had teamed up with Indian cricket all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja to launch the Redmi Note 4. The meta description of the event page contains multiple instances of the word “all rounder” word. It is likely that Xiaomi may advertise the Redmi Note 5 as an all-rounder smartphone.

These evidences suggest that the Redmi Note 5 could be the first Xiaomi phone that India will be receiving this year. As rumors have claimed, it could be a rebranded version of Redmi 5 or Redmi 5 Plus.

The Redmi 5 and 5 Plus respectively feature 5.7-inch HD+ screen and 5.99-inch FHD+ display. The Redmi 5 has Snapdragon 450 chipset, 2 GB / 3 GB RAM options, 16 GB / 32 GB storage options and 3,300mAh battery. The Redmi 5 Plus has Snapdragon 625 chipset, 3 GB / 4 GB RAM options, 32 GB / 64 GB storage choices and 4,000mAh battery. Both the phones are equipped with 12-megapixel rear camera and 5-megapixel front-facing camera.

Do you think that Xiaomi will launch the Redmi 5 or Redmi 5 Plus as Redmi Note 5 on Feb. 14? Share us your thoughts by adding your comments below.

(via 1, 2)

MIUI 10 Update’s Eligible Devices List Leaked; Find Out Which Xiaomi Phones Won’t Get MIUI X

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Feb 8, 2018

Xiaomi is now developing MIUI 10 as it is completing roll out of MIUI 9 to promised devices. Last week, the company had started a poll to let its users choose between MIUI 10 and MIUI X monikers for the next edition of MIUI. A leaked list has surfaced recently that has the names of the Xiaomi devices that are eligible to receive the MIUI 10 update.

In the past month, Xiaomi confirmed that the MIUI 9 update is coming to 40 Xiaomi devices which includes smartphones dating back to 2012. The Chinese firm had confirmed in November last year that the MIUI 9 Global Stable ROM will be the final major MIUI update for some older Xiaomi devices such as Xiaomi Mi 2,Mi 2S, Mi 4i, Mi Note, Redmi Note 4G, Redmi 2 and Redmi 2 Prime.

The MIUI 10 will not be coming to the aforementioned devices, but it is likely to be available for all the other Xiaomi devices. Hence, the following devices will be eligible to receive the MIUI 10 update:

Xiaomi Mi MIX 2, MI MIX, upcoming Mi MIX 2S
Xiaomi Mi 6, Mi 5S Plus, Mi 5S, Mi 5, Mi 5X, Mi 4S, Mi 4C, Mi 4, Mi 3
Xiaomi Mi Note 3, Mi Note 2
Xiaomi Mi Max 2, Mi Max Prime, Mi Max,
Xiaomi Redmi Note 5A, Redmi Note 4X, Redmi Note 4, Redmi Note 3, Redmi Note 3 Pro/Prime, Redmi Note 2, Redmi Note 4G Prime,
Xiaomi Redmi 5, Redmi 5 Plus, Redmi 5A, Redmi Y1, Redmi Y1 Lite, Redmi 4, Redmi 4X, Redmi 4 Prime, Redmi 4, Redmi 4A, Redmi Pro, Redmi 3S Prime, Redmi 3S, Redmi 3, Redmi 3X
Mi Pad 3, Mi Pad 2, Mi Pad

As of this writing, there is no information available on the new features and changes that will be arriving on the MIUI 10. The MIUI 9 was made official in July last year and it was rolled out to users in early November. The company is likely to adopt the same strategy this year for releasing MIUI 10 update.

(Via1, Via2)

2018 iPhones Again Rumored to Arrive with Smaller Notch, In-Screen Fingerprint Reader

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Feb 8, 2018

Multiple rumors have claimed that Apple will be launching three iPhones this year. Fresh information shared by a South Korean publication reveals that LG Innotek will be producing the TrueDepth Camera system for the upcoming iPhones. Also, like the Apple iPhone X, the upcoming iPhones may feature a smaller notch enabled full screen design as well as under-display fingerprint reader.

The publication claims that apart from LG Innotek even unnamed Chinese companies will be also roped in to produce additional camera modules. These companies will be replacing Sharp, the current secondary supplier.

Most of the recent leaks have revealed that Apple will be releasing 2 OLED iPhones and 1 LCD iPhone this year. A newer report has even claimed that because of the lackluster sales of iPhone X, Apple may launch 2 LCD iPhones and 1 OLED iPhone this year. Regardless of these rumors, the 2018 iPhones and even 2018 iPad Pro are expected to house TrueDepth Camera and Face ID for 3D facial recognition.

A report from Atherton Research states that the Cupertino company may launch 2018 iPhones with smaller notch compared to the iPhone X. It is rumored that Apple is already testing smaller TrueDepth Camera modules. Apple had removed the fingerprint scanner feature from the iPhone X. However, the research firm claims that the company will bring back the fingerprint scanner feature on the 2018 iPhones.

This does not mean that the traditional Touch ID sensor will be brought back. According to the research firm, the forthcoming iPhones will be arriving with in-screen fingerprint scanner. The probably reason behind it is that iPhone users still consider Touch ID sensor as a more convenient option than Face ID. Apart from these three iPhones, the Cupertino company is also speculated to debut the budget-friendly iPhone SE 2 in the first half of this year.

(source 1, 2)

Invens Launches Three Budget Smartphones In India

By

Jeet

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Feb 8, 2018

Invens, the China-based phone manufacturer, has launched three new budget phones in the Indian market with focus on women safety applications.

The three devices launched by the company include Diamond D2, Fighter F1 and Fighter F2. According to the company, all three devices comes with 2 years warranty and instant repair as well as replacement for any damaged parts.

The Invens Diamond D2 comes with a a 5-inch HD display with screen resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels and is powered by the 1.3GHz Quad-Core processor with 2GB RAM. The device runs on Android 7.0 Nougat operating system out-of-the-box.

There’s an 8-megapixel rear camera with LED flash and a 5-megapixel front-facing camera for selfies and video calls. Along with the usual set of connectivity options, the device also supports 4G VoLTE connectivity. The phone is powered by a 2,800mAh battery.

The Invens Fighter F1 features a 5-inch HD display with screen resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels. This one too is powered by a 1.3GHz quad-core processor along with 2GB RAM and 16GB onboard storage. There’s also a microSD card slot which enables users to expand storage capacity up to 128GB.

The phone packs 13-megapixel rear camera with an LED flash and a 5-megapixel front-facing camera. As of connectivity, it supports 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0 and GPS. There is also a fingerprint sensor at the back for added security. The phone runs Android Nougat OS and is powered by a 3,200mAh battery.

The third devices, dubbed as Invens Fighter F2 comes with a 5-inch HD display having screen resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels. The device is powered by a 1.3GHz quad-core processor and packs 3GB RAM and 32GB of internal storage with expandable memory support of up to 128GB.

It has a 13-megapixel rear camera with an LED flash and an 8-megapixel front-facing camera for taking selfies and video calling. The phone runs on Android Nougat and is powered by a 3,200mAh battery.

The Invens Diamond D2 is priced at Rs. 7,490, while Fighter F1 and Fighter F2 are priced at Rs. 8,990 and 11,490, respectively.

Huawei P20’s March 27 Launch Invitation Out & It Points At Triple Rear Cameras

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Feb 8, 2018

Huawei has invariably confirmed the coming of the P20 series smartphones would be on March 27. The tech giant has sent out press invitations to the launch event and the invitation contains a bit of a clue about the upcoming P-series flagship.

Huawei will be attending the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2018 in Barcelona but the company did hint that it would not be taking the wraps off the P20 at the event. Instead, the tech giant would hold its own press conference om March 27. The conference will hold at the Grand Palais in Paris, France. Although the invite wasn’t specific on the purpose of the pres conference, Huawei left off a clue that points at the P20. Huawei’s media invite asks us to “see mooore with AI”. The invite itself shows the Eiffel tower super-imposed with three large “O” symbols. These Os are also conspicuously present in the company’s spelling of “mooore”. What this implies is that the device that would likely be unveiled with a triple camera setup and also come with Artificial Intelligence (AI).

There have been several leaks and rumours concerning Huawei’s upcoming P-series models and one of the rumour is that the device woul have three camera lenses at the rear. The next-generation Huawei P-series is expected to be made up of three different models a P11/P20, and a bigger-sized P11/P20 Plus as well as a P11/P20 Lite. There is also rumors of a P11/ P20 Pro which would feature a display notch similar to that of the iPhone X with the 18:9 aspect ratio.

The upcoming models are also expected to arrive with a full-screen design similar to what Huawei did on the Mate 10 Pro. The models will equally be fueled by a Kirin 970 chipset which has AI capabilities. However, the Lite version may feature a different specs lineup. Huawei had made trademark applications for both the P20 moniker and later on P11. So, we’ll have to wait till it is officially unveiled to know the real name. We expect more details to be outed, though, before the March 27 launch date.

(Source)

Buy Chuwi SurBook 2-In-1 Tablet PC For Only $244.89 On GearBest [Coupon Code]

By

Vinay Patel

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Feb 8, 2018

Touted as the bitter rival of Apple iPad Pro and Microsoft Surface, Chuwi SurBook Mini delivers power-packed performance without burning a hole in your pocket. On top of that, GearBest is offering a considerable 24% off on the already low asking price of the tablet as part of its latest Flash Sale.

You don’t need to spend a fortune to get your hands on the robust 2 in 1 tablet PC from Chuwi. GearBest is selling the SurBook Mini for just $249.99 for a specific period of time. Let’s check out the details.

The SurBook Mini sports a 10-point touch FHD screen that breathes life into your photos and videos. Under the hood, it packs a powerful Intel Celeron processor to ensure seamless operation and deliver uninterrupted multitasking experience. It offers 4GB of RAM and 64GB ROM.

Moreover, it comes with dual-band 2.4GHz / 5.0GHz WiFi to facilitate high-speed surfing. It features a 125-degree-angle kickstand which allows you to present the screen to others. The SurBook Mini runs on Windows 10 operating system to give smooth user experience.

You can now buy this highly productive tablet PC at a massively discounted price on GearBest. Apart from that, you can use coupon code ‘GBFEB124’ at the time of checking out to get an additional discount.

After applying the aforesaid coupon code, your subtotal drops down to only $244.89. You can click here to take advantage of the discount before the flash sale comes to an end in 5 days. Also, there were just 131 pieces left at the time of writing.

Buy The Chuwi SurBook Mini For Just $244.89 On GearBest

Buy Xiaomi Mi Laser Projector For Just $1,636.30 On LightInTheBox [Coupon Code]

By

Vinay Patel

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Feb 8, 2018

As part of its Lightning Sale, LightInTheBox is currently offering a generous 51% discount on the original asking price of Xiaomi Mi Laser Projector, bringing its steep selling price of $3,829.63 down to just $1,892.30. Let’s check out the details.

The Xiaomi branded home theater projector delivers a 150-inch TV experience, coupled with over 85% NTSC color overlay to give fine details and reproduce natural color. It adopts DLP technology and comes with a native resolution of 1080P (1920X1080 pixels).

On top of that, the Mi Laser Projector boasts a 0.233:1 large depth of field lens and sports an ultra-short focal lens design. As a result, the laser projector needs to be placed only 50cm away from the wall in order to get a 150-inch projection. As if that weren’t enough, you can even adjust the projector’s display to fit your TV screen.

Touted as one of the best theater-class laser projection TV, Xiaomi Mi Laser Projector will be up for grabs for a heavily discounted price for a specific period of time on LightInTheBox. However, there were only 10 pieces remaining for Lightning Sale at the time of writing.

In addition to the aforesaid discount, you can save $256 more by using coupon code ‘MIPROJECTOR2’ at the time of checking out. But, it’s worth noting that the coupon is slated to expire soon.

You can take advantage of the discount and buy the Mi Laser Projector for only $1,636.30 by heading straight to this link before the Lightning Sale comes to an end.

Get 51% Off On Xiaomi Mi Laser Projector On LightInTheBox

ZTE Axon 7 Receives MiFavor 5.2 Update, Brings Android 8.0 Oreo

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Feb 7, 2018

ZTE didn’t release a successor to the Axon 7 in 2017, instead we got the foldable Axon M. A few weeks ago, the company began rolling out a beta Android 8.0 Oreo update for the Axon 7 in the US only for it to announce a stable Oreo update in China yesterday.

The update comes as an upgrade to MiFavor 5.2 – the latest version of ZTE’s custom user interface. The update brings a new interface, a smoother and faster system, in addition to all the goodies of Android 8.0 Oreo.

To check for the update, head to System Update under Phone Settings and tap the three-dot button to check if its available.

The Axon 7 was announced in May, 2016. It ran Android 6.0 Marshmallow out of the box but got an update to Android Nougat in March, 2017.

Other than the aging Snapdragon 820 processor, the Axon 7 is still a capable device. It has a 5.5-inches 2K AMOLED display with Gorilla Glass 4 on top. There is 4GB of RAM paired with 64GB of expandable storage.

Continue

Samsung Launches ISOCELL Dual: Better Dual Cameras For Non-Flagship Smartphones

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Feb 7, 2018

Yesterday, Samsung announced ISOCELL Dual, its total dual camera solution for entry level and mid-range devices. The camera solution brings flagship bokeh and low-light shooting to non-flagship smartphones.

What ISOCELL Dual does is to reduce the time it takes for OEMs to optimize camera sensors and the algorithm software required for the sensors. ISOCELL Dual is a combination of both the hardware and the sensor-optimization software. Think of it as a ready-to-use dual camera system.

For refocusing (bokeh) Samsung’s ISOCELL Dual will make use of one 13MP sensor and a 5MP sensor. On the other hand, low-light shooting will have two 8MP sensors. Depending on the one the OEM chooses, integration is supposed to be simple.

It is not much of a surprise that Samsung has provided a solution for non-flagship phones with dual cameras. After taking its time before joining the dual camera train itself, it has also come up with a solution for clients who use its sensors in their devices.

Continue

Two mysterious Nokia phones certified in Russia

By

Michele Ingelido

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Feb 7, 2018

HMD Global recently confirmed with a teaser image that it will hold an event at MWC 2018, which will reveal a new chapter of Nokia’s history. This teaser leaves us with no doubt: new important Nokia phones are going to be showcased at the most important trade show of the year for mobile devices. Now, two new devices by the Finnish company have been certified in Russia. Sadly, no info has been revealed about these devices, except their model numbers: TA-1043 and TA-1046. Probably the Nokia 8 Sirocco is not one of these devices, as its name has been trademarked with the model number TA-1005.

And maybe we are not even talking about the Nokia 1, the rumored entry-level handset which is said to launch with Android Go, a light version of the Android operating system for phones with a low amount of RAM (less than 1 GB). The Nokia 1 has allegedly been certified by the American FCC with the model number TA-1056.

So, which are the models certified in Russia? Among the most reliable hypotheses, there is Nokia 7 Plus, which should be the most advanced mid-range HMD Global’s smartphone, at least for the first half of 2017.

According to an advertising material that recently surfaced online, it will be the first phone by the company to sport a display with an 18:9 aspect ratio. The handset is rumored to come with a back cover made of ceramic and a metal frame. On the hardware side, there should be an octa-core Snapdragon 660 SoC by Qualcomm, paired with 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB of internal storage. The rear side should house a dual camera in a vertical configuration with resolutions of 12 and 13 MP, Carl Zeiss lens and 2x optical zoom. Under the camera, there will be a circular fingerprint reader.

We will probably know more about the certified devices in the next few weeks.

(Via)

Meizu Wants 10 Testers For Its Upcoming Gaming Phone: Is It The Meizu E3?

By

Michele Ingelido

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Feb 7, 2018

After the success of Razer Phone, other smartphone manufacturers seem to be planning to release new gaming smartphones. A few days ago Nubia’s CEO confirmed that the Chinese company will release a handset dedicated to games, and now it looks like even Meizu is interested. The company has just announced through a poster that it is looking for 10 testers for its upcoming gaming smartphone, which will belong to the Blue Charm line-up. The applications opened today, February 7, and they will close on March 7: in this period, 10 people will be selected and the company will send them a free sample of the phone to test.

The 10 testers will be asked to evaluate the performance of the Meizu device and to write a full review of the handset; then, they can keep the phone as a reward for their work. Unfortunately, the company did not reveal the name of the handset. If we consider the latest rumors and leaks, it may be the Meizu E3, as it is the only device for which there are rumors besides Meizu 15 and 15 Plus, which will unlikely be gaming phones.

According to the company, the gaming smartphone will support Game Mode 2.0, a special mode which will enhance the performance of the phone for gaming. Meizu phones from the E series have never been flagships, so, even if Meizu E3 is the phone we are talking about , it is hard to believe that it will be a gaming phone with stunning performance. According to some leaks surfaced about this phone, it will have an 18:9 display with narrow bezels and a full metal unibody design. It is also expected to sport a dual camera setup in a vertical configuration. Sadly, we do not know anything about its hardware side.

(Via)

ZTE Blade V9 Will Be Announced At MWC 2018 With Affordable Pricing: Rumour

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Feb 7, 2018

ZTE‘s Blade series is the company’s mid-range /budget segment and the Blade V9 is set o be the next model that would be unveiled from that angle. ZTE Blade V9 has been a regular in the rumour mill and in reality, the device was spotted last when it was certified by the US FCC, showing that the device will soon be launched. A new rumour has now surfaced which alleges that the Blade V9 would be announced at MWC 2018.

That means we’ll be seeing the Blade V9 later this month since MWC 2018 holds from February 27 in Barcelona, Spain.The source of this rumour also disclosed that the Blade V9 would come at a very affordable price and is expected to be considered as ZTE’ budget phone. Unfortunately, no exact figure was revealed concerning the price tag it would feature.

The Blade V9 is expected to be ZTE’s first smartphone with an 18:9 display aspect ratio. The device is expected to feature an all-glass body both at the front and back, with its display standing at 5.7 inches. The device will feature a Full HD+ resolution with the 18:9 aspect ratio. The device would be powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 processor and there would be three RAM sizes of 2GB, 3GB, and 4GB. The device will also come in 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB storage variants. At the rear, the ZTE Blade V9 will pack a dual camera setup consisting of a 16MP primary sensor with autofocus, an LED flash, and a f/1.8 aperture, and a secondary 5MP fixed-focus sensor. Up front, there would be a 13MP camera. Other details include; a 3.5mm headphone jack, a hybrid SIM slot, a rear fingerprint sensor, and a 3,200mAh battery.

(source)

ASUS Zenfone 5 To Have Notch In Its Display

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Feb 7, 2018

If you don’t like the notch in the iPhone X, you may want to ignore a lot of the phones coming out this year. There are multiple devices reported to be coming with the new display style and more will join as the year rolls by. According to popular leaker Roland Quandt, the ASUS Zenfone 5 will be joining the bandwagon.

2018 will be the "year of the notch". (Just not for Samsung.) You'll see at MWC. #ZenFone5

— Roland Quandt (@rquandt) February 7, 2018

For those who are confused, this is most definitely another member of the Zenfone 5 series seeing as renders of a Zenfone 5 surfaced last week and that didn’t sport a notch. Or to better explain it, this is the Zenfone 5 being referred to while last week’s model will likely launch with the Max suffix.

Like last year’s Zenfone 4, the Zenfone 5 should sport mid-range specs such as a Snapdragon 660 processor and dual rear cameras. However, it will ditch the traditional 16:9 aspect ratio.

Other phones that are expected to feature a notch include the Xiaomi Mi MIX 2S, the Huawei P20 Lite, Doogee V, and Vivo X30. There is an unconfirmed Nubia phone too but with a notch like that of the Essential PH-1.

The new Zenfone series are scheduled to arrive at MWC 2018. It should include Pro, Max, and Selfie versions.

(Source)