Advertisement

Samsung Galaxy S9 Active Reportedly In Development, Code Name Revealed

According to a list of code names surfaced on XDA Developers, Samsung Galaxy S9 Active is in the making. The list comes from some XML files found in a beta firmware of Android Oreo for Samsung Galaxy Note 8, and it contains three models which confirm that the Active version of the S9 exists. The models in question are identified by the code names star, star2 and astarqlte. According to previous rumors, star and star2 are the Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus: so, if these rumors have to be believed, astarqlte must be another variant of the S9.

We are not completely sure that we are talking about the Active version of the S9, it might even be a brand new version of the device, but seeing that the only variant of the S series released in the past few years is the Active variant, it is the most reliable hypothesis. The alleged code name of the phone contains an initial letter “a” which is not present in the code names of S9 and S9 Plus. The letter A might stand for Active, while the letter Q after “star” might stand for Qualcomm.

READ MORE: Samsung’s Latest Patent Application Reveals Sliding Dual Touchscreen Displays

This means that it is the Samsung Galaxy S9 Active with the Snapdragon 845 SoC, so the one for the U.S. market. Every year Samsung releases an Active version of its main flagship, and probably this year will not be different. But Samsung Galaxy S9 Active might be announced months after the standard version which will be showcased at MWC 2018 (the official event will be held on February 25). Besides this device, the list also shows other upcoming Samsung devices: Galaxy C10, Galaxy C10 Plus, Galaxy Note 9, Galaxy Tab A 10.1 2018, Galaxy Tab E 2018, Galaxy Tab S4, Galaxy J2 2018, Galaxy J3 Neo, another unknown version of the J3, Galaxy J6, Galaxy J7, another variant of the J7, Galaxy J8 and other unknown code names.

(Via)

Honor 7X Red Limited Edition Gets Listed On Amazon India For Rs. 12,999

Honor, the sub-brand of China-based Huawei has launched a new variant of its Honor 7X phone in the Indian market that comes in Red color. The Honor 7X Red Limited Edition has been listed on online retailer Amazon India for Rs. 12,999.

While the phone has been listed online, the company has not yet revealed availability information. The red color variant was announced last month and only 20,000 units are slated to ship across all markets where it will be released.

Honor-7X-Red-

Apart from India, the Honor 7X Red Limited Edition will also be available in the United States, Russia, and Western European markets such as United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain. Honor 7X was originally launched in India in December 2017. It’s priced at Rs. 12,999 for the 32GB storage model while the 64GB storage variant is priced at Rs. 15,999.

Apart from the red-colored body, everything else on the phone remains same as the standard edition. The phone features a 5.93-inch Full-HD+ IPS display with 2160 x 1080 pixels screen resolution and 18:9 aspect ratio.

Under the hood, the device is powered by the company’s own HiSilicon Kirin 659 octa-core processor, coupled with Mali T830 MP2 GPU, 4GB of RAM and comes in three options in two variants based on internal storage — 32GB and 64GB. It also supports storage expansion through microSD card up to 256GB.

The phone comes with dual-camera setup, featuring a 16-megapixel and 2-megapixel sensors on the rear and an 8-megapixel camera sensor on the front. The smartphone packs a 3,340mAh battery and runs on Android 7.0 Nougat operating system based company’s own EMUI 5.1 custom skin.

Connectivity options on the device include 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.1, and GPS/GLONASS. There is also a fingerprint sensor on the back panel. Currently, the phone is available in three color options — Gold, Aurora Blue, and Black.

Read More: Honor 7X To Soon Receive Facial Recognition Feature

At the time of announcing the Honor 7X Red Limited Edition, the company had said that it will be giving away Honor Monster AM15 headphones as a special gift for the first 100 buyers. It is not known if the offer will be applicable in India. However, the product page mentions that buyers might be entitled to 90GB free data on Airtel, and 80 percent off on Kindle eBooks up to Rs. 300.

 

Buy Xiaomi MI A1 4G Smartphone For Just $219.99 On LightInTheBox

The re-branded Xiaomi Mi 5X phone dubbed, Xiaomi Mi A1 garnered huge popularity among smartphone lovers after hitting the store shelves in September 2017. LightInTheBox is currently selling the Android-powered 4G smartphone at a discounted. Here are the details.

The international online retail company, LightInTheBox is offering a considerable 27% off on the original $299.99 selling price of the Xiaomi MI A1. As a result, you can now get your hands on the well-received smartphone by shelling out only $219.99.

The discount is valid for both gold and black color versions of the phone. Let’s check out what the handset has to offer in terms of specification.

The Mi A1 smartphone sports a 5.5 inches display with a screen resolution of 1080 x 1920 pixels at a pixel density of 403 PPI (pixels per inch). There’s Corning Gorilla Glass 3 on top for added protection.

The phone runs MIUI 9 based on Android 7.1.2 (Nougat) operating system and is powered by Qualcomm MSM8953 Snapdragon 625 processor. Moreover, it offers 4GB of RAM and 64GB of onboard storage, which can further be expanded up to 128 GB.

On the photography front, the Mi A1 sports a 12 MP+12 MP dual camera setup at the back and a 5MP front camera for selfies and video chatting. You can check out the full specification and take advantage of the promo simply by heading straight to this link.

Get Heavy Discounts On The Original Selling Price Of Xiaomi Mi Note 2 4G Phablet On GearBest

If you’ve been waiting with bated breath to get your hands on Xiaomi Mi Note 2 4G phablet without burning a hole in your pocket, we have good news for you. GearBest is offering considerable discounts on two versions of the well-received phablet.

GearBest is selling the 6GB RAM / 128GB ROM version of the Mi Note 2 for only $319.14. This is a considerable 30% reduction in the device’s original asking price.

Likewise, the site is offering 18% off on the international version of the Mi Note 2, which offers 4GB of RAM and 64GB of onboard storage. This brings the phablet’s selling price down to only $309.99.

Housed in a 7-series aluminum frame, the Mi Note 2 sports a 5.7-inch flexible OLED display. It offers a screen resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels.

On the photography front, the phablet features a 22.56MP high-resolution camera on the back and an 8MP autofocus front camera for selfies. Moreover, the Mi Note 2 is backed by a robust 4070mAh battery that supports Quick Charge 3.0.

In order to check out the full specification and take advantage of the promo before it comes to an end, head straight to this link.

Samsung Android 8.0 Oreo Update Will be Arriving to These Galaxy Smartphones, Tablets

Samsung Galaxy Note 8’s leaked build of Android 8.0 Oreo has revealed the list of the forthcoming Galaxy smartphones and tablets that may launch this year. Also, it contains the names of Samsung’s smartphones and tablets that will be treated with Android 8.0 Oreo.

Various smartphone manufactures such as HTC, Motorola, Nokia and so on have started the rollout of Android 8.0 for their smartphones. Samsung is one of the smartphone companies that are quite slow at rolling out new Android version. It is yet to release to Android 8.0 Oreo update for its 2017 flagship phones like Galaxy S8, Galaxy S8+ and Galaxy Note 8. Here is the list of smartphones that will be receiving the Android 8.0 Oreo:

Galaxy Smartphones

Galaxy Note 8, Galaxy Note FE, Galaxy W2018, Galaxy S8+, Galaxy S8, Galaxy S8 Active, Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge

Galaxy A8 (2018), Galaxy A8+ (2018), Galaxy A3 (2017), Galaxy A5 (2017), Galaxy A7 (2017) and Galaxy A8 (2016).

Galaxy J7 (2017), Galaxy J7 Prime (2017), Galaxy J7+ (2017), Galaxy J7 Duos (2017), Galaxy J7 Max (2017), Galaxy J7 Neo (2017), Galaxy J5 (2017) and Galaxy J3 (2017).

Samsung Android Oreo update

Read More:Codenames of 21 Upcoming Samsung Galaxy Smartphones, Tablets Leaked

Galaxy Tablets

Galaxy Tab S3 SM-T825 (2017), Galaxy Tab A 8.0 SM-T380/T385 (2017), Galaxy Tab Active 2 (2017), Galaxy Tab A 10.1 SM-T580 (2016), Galaxy Tab E 8.0 (2016), and Galaxy Tab A 8.0 SM-T355 (2015) are the tablets that are likely to receive Oreo update.. The presence of the 2015 Galaxy Tab A tablet in the list seems out of place as it was launched with Android 5.0 Lollipop. Hence, it is unlikely to receive Oreo upgrade.

The following phones that are not listed above are expected to receive the Android 8.0 Oreo update since they were launched within the last two years: Galaxy C9 Pro, Galaxy C7 Pro, Galaxy J7 Pro, Galaxy J5 Pro and Galaxy S7 Active.

Some of the mid-range and low-end phones may not receive the Android 8.0 Oreo update this year. Samsung is yet to release an official statement on the Galaxy smartphones and tablets that are eligible to receive Oreo update. Since the Galaxy S8 and S8+ phones are going to receive the Oreo update in the near future, the company may release the official list of Oreo upgradeable devices soon.

(source)

 

 

Samsung Surpasses Intel As The World’s Largest Chipmaker

Intel, which has been dominating the chip manufacturing market for about 25 years, has now lost its crown to South Korean giant Samsung. According to the new reports coming in, Samsung Electronics has surpassed Intel in 2017 to become the world’s biggest chipmaker.

While Intel reported $62.8 billion in annual revenue, Samsung surpassed by the $69.1 billion generated by the company’s semiconductor division. However, it is not a straightforward comparison given that Intel mainly focuses on x86 processors and Samsung’s strength is in producing memory and flash storage.

Samsung

In the x86 processors market, Intel still remains the leader by a great distance. Intel’s chips may be used in about 90 percent of the world’s computers, but it missed the mobile boom. Samsung saw high demand for high-performance products like DRAM memory and NAND flash as well as for chipsets designed for “automotive electronics and AI.”

Currently, Samsung is among the top TV, home appliance, smartphone display, and smartphone vendors in the world. According to the company, one of the biggest contributing factor to its fourth-quarter earnings was “driven by the components business, with the largest contribution coming from the Memory business that manufactures DRAM and NAND.”

Overall, Samsung’s entire business reported a full-year profit of KRW 53.65 trillion (approximately $50.7 billion) on revenue of KRW 239.58 trillion (about $225 billion). For the final quarter of 2017, revenue was KRW 65.98 trillion (~$62 billion) with KRW 15.15 trillion (about $14 billion) in operating profit.

Now, the South Korean giant is trying to expand its business into areas such as cloud services, AI, and automotive technology. The company has also confirmed that it is now making hardware designed to mine cryptocurrencies.

Read More: Samsung Galaxy S9 And S9 Plus Press Render Leak Shows Minor Design Changes

The company has also said that it plans to adopt “cutting-edge technologies” like foldable displays for its smartphones. Samsung said also that it would continue to develop its smart services with a focus on its Bixby smart assistant and the upcoming 5G technologies.

 

Codenames of 21 Upcoming Samsung Galaxy Smartphones, Tablets Leaked

At the beginning of this year, Samsung unveiled the Galaxy J2 Pro (2018) smartphone. In the next month, the Galaxy Unpacked event will be held on Feb. 25 at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2018 tech expo to unveil the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ smartphones. Like every year, the South Korean company will be launching multiple smartphones this year. XDA Developers has unearthed a list of codenames for the Samsung smartphones that will be releasing this year. through the leaked Android 8.0 Oreo beta build for Galaxy Note 8.

The leaked build has codenames of numerous Samsung devices. Most of those devices are already available in the market. However, following is the list of codenames for 26 upcoming Samsung Galaxy smartphones ant tablets:

Codenames Actual Names (Speculated)
star Galaxy S9
star 2 Galaxy S9+
astarqlte Galaxy S9 Active (Snapdragon)
crown Galaxy Note 9
j2y18lte Galaxy J2 (2018)
j3topelte Galaxy J3 (2018)
j3neolte Galaxy J3 Neo
j4lte Galaxy J4
J6lte Galaxy J6
j7topelte Galaxy J7 (2018)
j7toplte Galaxy J7 variant
j8lte Galaxy J8
c10lte Galaxy C10
c10plte Galaxy C10 Plus
gtaxlad Unknown
lugelte Unknown
degasy18wifi Unknown
grandppirislte Unknown
gts4llte Galaxy Tab S4
gta2xl Galaxy Tab A10.1 (2018)
gtesy18lte Galaxy Tab E (2018)

Read More: Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+ To Have The Same Battery Capacity As S8 and S8+

Just as Samsung had released the Galaxy S7 Active in 2016 and Galaxy S8 Active in 2017, it appears that the company may launch the S9 Active phone this year. As it can be seen in the above list, there are some unknown devices. Samsung is rumored to debut a new line of smartphones that will be exclusively made available online. Hence, one of the unidentified devices could be a smartphone from the new series.

Previous reports have revealed that the “crown” codename belongs to the upcoming Galaxy Note 9. The same codename has been also found listed in the leaked Android 8.0 Oreo beta build for Note 8. Samsung China was rumored to debut Galaxy C10 and Galaxy C10 Plus smartphones in the previous year. The C10 series may debut this year with Snapdragon 660 chipset inside. The list contains multiple Galaxy J series phones, but Galaxy J5 (2018) seems to be missing. The unidentified smartphones could include the heavily rumored foldable smartphone from the company.

Update: The post has been updated according to the revisions found on the source link.

(source)

 

 

Xiaomi Is Back In The Top 5 Manufacturers List Thanks To The Incredible Growth In Q4 2017!

Popular research firm IDC has released its survey data which showed the fourth quarter 2017 global smartphone shipments. The global smartphone shipments peaked at 403.5 million which represents a 6.3% decrease YoY. In the fourth quarter, the data showed that Apple, Samsung Huawei, Xiaomi and OPPO emerged as the top 5 smartphone manufacturers in terms of market shares.

IDC q4 2017 report

Apple emerged as the over leader with a total shipment of 77.3 million units and this was no doubt buoyed by the release of its 2017 flagships; iPhone 8, 8Plus and iPhone X. Samsung followed closely with a gross shipment of 74.1 million. Chinese smartphone maker maintained its third position, shipping an estimated 41 million phones in Q4 2017.

Xiaomi displaced OPPO to emerge at the number 4 spot with a gross shipment of 28.1 million units. It is interesting to note that of all the OEMs on the list, only Xiaomi saw significant growth in its shipment when compared to the same period the previous year. Xiaomi recorded just 14.4 million Q4 shipments in a turbulent 2016 outing. However, the new figure means the Chinese innovative company’s global shipments grew by 96.9%. Other OEMs in the top 5 recorded an average of 6.3% reduction in their shipment volumes YoY. Even the cumulative shipment figures of Chinese phone makers like Vivo, Gionee who didn’t make it up into the top 5 in the fourth quarter of last year saw its shipment volumes drop from 183.7 million in Q4 2016 to 151.3 million.

Read Also: Xiaomi CEO Targets 100 Million Smartphone Shipments in 2018

With this encouraging results, Xiaomi will be spurred to continue ramping up sales with the release of new products this year and also expand its presence globally through online and offline stores. Last year, the company made inroads into Europe with launches in Russia and Spain and now Xiaomi will soon make an entry into Italy.

(source)

 

Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Concept Renders Show An Amazing Screen To Body Ratio

Every Xiaomi fan is looking forward to the release of the Redmi Note 5. One may even say Xiaomi enjoys keeping us waiting. While there has been no official confirmation of its release, there have been a number of leaks in addition to an alleged 3C certification.

Redmi Note 5

Some of the leaks we have seen show a device with bezels much thinner than what is on the Redmi 5 and Redmi 5 Plus. We have also seen photos that reveal a dual-camera setup on the rear with a fingerprint scanner beneath.

YouTube channel – Science and Knowledge has released a video of a concept Redmi Note 5 based on these details in addition to a few of their own expectations, and it is worth the watch.

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZqpyWJyK2QY[/embedyt]

The concept Redmi Note 5 is expected to come with a 5.99” 2160 x 1080 display with an 18:9 aspect ratio. The screen-to-body ratio in the video is amazing and the Redmi Note 5 will surely be a head-turner if it launches looking like this.

They also list a Snapdragon 636 processor with 3GB/4GB of RAM and 32GB/64GB of expandable storage. For cameras, this concept Redmi Note 5 has a 16MP + 5MP combo on the rear and an 8MP front camera.

READ MORE: Xiaomi Launches XPRINT Pocket AR Photo Printer For ¥399 ($63)

Nokia 8 Sirocco: HMD Global Trademarks A New Smartphone Name

HMD Global has trademarked a new name for an alleged flagship: Nokia 8 Sirocco, identified by the code name TA-1005. Until now, TA-1005 was rumored to be the Nokia 9, but after this trademark, there is a chance that this device will not be the next flagship launched by HMD Global. Sirocco is a name which reminds of Nokia 8800 Sirocco, so the variant of the model 8 might be a tribute to this old feature phone. In case you do not know, the 8800 has been one of the costliest phones ever released by Nokia. Build quality was one of its strong points as it had a sapphire glass, steel panels, and even a leather case.

This makes us think that Nokia 8 Sirocco might focus on the build quality, besides being a high-end phone. The device might be announced at the most important trade show of the year dedicated to mobile devices. We are talking about Mobile World Congress 2018 which will be held in Barcelona starting on February 26. HMD Global has already confirmed its presence to the event through an official teaser published on social networks, and the company has invited fans to prepare for the next chapter of the Nokia story.

Nokia 8

 

READ MORE: Nokia 10 Concept Renders Reveals A Zeiss Certified Lumia 1020-like Camera Module

 

Nokia TA-1005, that is the alleged Nokia 8 Sirocco, is expected to come with an OLED display provided by LG, unlike the LCD panel found on the standard version of the model 8. On the hardware side, it might sport an octa-core Snapdragon 835 processor by Qualcomm, running at a max frequency of 2.45 GHz. The flagship is rumored to spot four cameras: a dual camera setup on its back with resolutions of 12 and 13 MP, and a dual camera on the front side for selfies. The battery should have a bigger capacity than its predecessor with 3250 mAh. The rest of the specs should remain the same as the standard version of the phone.

 

(Via)

New HTC 2Q5W1 Phone Powered By Snapdragon 625 Seen on Geekbench

It appears HTC is prepping to launch another new mid-range phone soon. And just like the HTC U11 Eyes, this one won’t be using any of the new chips from Qualcomm but the two-year old tried and trusted Snapdragon 625.

HTC 2Q5W1 geekbench

The device which has been seen on Geekbench as the HTC 2Q5W1 runs Android 8.0.0. As mentioned above, it is powered by the msm8953 a.k.a Snapdragon 625. It also packs 3GB of RAM.

The HTC 2QW51 will be the brand’s first Snapdragon 625 phone. We have seen the chipset appear in a lot of devices most especially from Xiaomi. It is also the chipset in the Blackberry KEYOne and Blackberry Motion.

READ MORE: HTC U11 Eyes vs HTC U11 Plus: What’s the big difference?

Huawei MediaPad M5 Spotted On Geekbench With Kirin 960, 4GB RAM & Android 8.0

Huawei is expected to upgrade its tablet series with a new MediaPad M5. The MediaPad M5 would be a successor to the MediaPad M3 which was first launched in 2016. The device recently got the nod at FCC indicating a launch in the US is imminent. We have also seen the schematics of the device in a recent leak which suggests there would be a change in design. The Huawei MediaPad M5 has now been spotted on Geekbench and it pulls an impressive result.mediapad m3 huawei

The Mediapad M5 appeared on the benchmark platform with the model number Huawei SHT-AL09. The Geekbench listing reveals that the device will pack a Kirin 960 chipset, a detail which is already known. Also listed is an Android 8.0 Oreo operating system while the processor is backed by 4GB of RAM. The benchmark result shows that the device pulling a score of 6617 on the multicore test and a single core test score of 1905 points.

Huawei Mediapad M5

Read More: Huawei MediaPad M5 Clears FCC Packing a 4,980mAh Battery

The MediaPad M5 is expected to feature an 8.4-inch display with a resolution of 2560 x 1600 pixels just like the M3. The tablet would be powered by the last year’s flagship Kirin 960 chipset. The device will also feature a fingerprint sensor, USB Type-C port, stereo speakers, and Cat. 4 LTE modem. Providing the interface would be EMUI 6.0 based on Android Oreo. The device is expected to be launched anytime soon and was even tipped to drop at the recently held CES 2018. Thus, we cannot rule out an MWC 2018 unveiling even though Huawei is yet to officially disclose if that would happen.

(source, via)

Buy Oukitel K5000 Smartphone For Only £141.09 On Amazon [Coupon Code]

Amazon is currently offering a significant discount on the original selling price of the Oukitel K5000 smartphone, which was launched in October 2017. Let’s check out the details.

The Oukitel K5000 smartphone bears a price tag of £175.85 (about US$ 250), but the Seattle-based electronic commerce giant is offering a 6% discount on the phone’s real selling price. As a result, you now need to shell out only £165.99 (about US$ 236) to get your hands on the well-received smartphone.

On top of that, you can use coupon code ‘CRPS6UMK’ at the time of checking out to get an additional discount. After applying the aforesaid coupon code, your subtotal comes down to only £141.09, which converts to about US$ 201. Here’s a brief glimpse of what Oukitel K5000 smartphone has to offer in terms of specs and features.

The K5000 sports a 5.7 inches IPS, LTPS, HD+ display with a resolution of 720 x 1440 pixels at a pixel density of 282.45 PPI (pixels per inch). The Android-powered 4G smartphone packs a robust MediaTek MT6750, 64-bit processor, along with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of onboard storage, under the hood.

On the photography front, the Oukitel K5000 sports a 16 Megapixels Sony IMX135 with Dual-LED Flash and AF rear-mounted camera and a 16 Megapixel (Interpolated 21MP) Samsung 3P3 front shooter. Furthermore, it is backed by a massive 5,000mAh Lithium-Polymer battery.

It’s worth noting that there were only 13 pieces left in stock at the time of writing. You can take advantage of this promo before it comes to an end simply by heading straight to this link.

Acer Predator G6 Gaming Computer Tower Is Up For Grabs For Just $1099.99 On GearBest

 

Gaming desktops have a reputation for being grandiose, ridiculously excessive computer boxes, and the Acer Predator G6 not only follows suit but takes the trend to a whole new level. That being said, it’s hardly surprising that the larger-than-average mid-tower carries a steep price tag.

But much to the relief of avid PC gamers who do not want to shell out that kind of money for a gaming computer tower, GearBest is offering a considerable 17% discount on the Acer Predator G6’s original selling price as part of its latest Flash Sale.

The site’s Flash Sale Price is $1099.99, which is relatively cheaper than its original asking price. However, it is imperative for you to bear in mind that the promo is slated to end in just 2 days.

On top of that, the discount is only valid for the first 50 units. It’s also worth noting that only 10 pieces were left at the time of writing.

You can get your hands on Acer Predator G6 gaming computer tower at a discounted price by heading straight to this link before the promo comes to an end.

Honor 10 Will Feature A Full Screen Display, So Will Other Devices In The Lineup

I call 2017 “the year of bezel-less smartphones” and that is rightly so as the second half of 2017 saw the launch of a number of “bezel-less” full-screen smartphones by almost all the major OEMs around. These numbers included OEMs that don’t get swayed by such stuff such as Apple who also released the iPhone X with a full-screen design. Huawei came to the party with the Honor V10, Mate 10 series, Honor 7X, Enjoy 7s and a few others which all turned out to be popular with fans.Honor V10

It shouldn’t come out as a surprise therefore that Huawei is planning to continue with the full-screen design style on its flagship models this year. The Huawei P11/P20 is tipped to come with a full-screen display among other features. And now, popular Twitter tipster @rquandt has revealed that he Honor 10 which is expected to be released later this year will come with a full-screen design (18:9 aspect ratio) and that there will be no Honor phone from this point on that won’t feature a Fullview design. He credited the information to have come from Honor Germany.Honor 10

Read More: Honor 9 Lite With Four Cameras Launched In India, Price Starts At Rs. 10,999

Roland Quandt further quoted Honor Germany to have hinted that EMUI 8 which brings Android Oreo will come to the Honor 8 Pro and Honor 9 as from February but will hit the Honor 7X in the second quarter of the year. Recently, it was revealed that the Honor 8 will get EMUI 8 upgrade soon but the tipster hints that the update won’t bring Android Oreo. The Honor 10 is also expected to come with EMUI 8 based on Android Oreo out of the box and would run on the Kirin 970 chip. The device may come with a 6GB RAM and 8GB RAM version as well as IP67 waterproof and dustproof build.

(source)

Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 Starts Updating To MIUI 9.2, But There’s A Catch

It took some extra weeks, but now Xiaomi Redmi Note 3, one of the best selling phones by the Chinese brand, is finally updating to MIUI 9.2. The update is a nightly Stable build, so it is not the final version. But expect a Global Stable version soon. Indeed, users who tried this ROM have already reported that it is suitable for daily use: this means that it has no significant issues. With this update, the number of version jumps to 9.2.4.0.MHOMIEK and the size is 290 MB.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 3

Even though we are talking about MIUI 9.2, the firmware of Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 is still based on Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow instead of Nougat like the on the most recent Xiaomi phones which have been updated to MIUI 9. Among the most important things regarding the new update, there is the security patch for the month of January 2018. In case you don’t know, Google releases a security patch every month, and the one from January is the latest one released. The February patch will be released in a few days. In the update, there is also a fix for the KRACK WiFi vulnerability.

RELATED: Xiaomi VP Hong Feng, Officially Announces MIUI 10

A new Gallery app has been added to Xiaomi Redmi Note 3, and also the Mi Video app for multimedia uses. There is a new File Manager, Mi Drop and many more improvements. If you want to check the complete change log, head to the source link below. It’s really good to see that Xiaomi is supporting its older handsets, unlike some big brands. In the past few days, Xiaomi Redmi 1S and Xiaomi Redmi Note have been updated to MIUI 9 as well, even though they are four years old (they were released in 2014). The Chinese company has recently confirmed the arrival of MIUI 9 to more than 40 old and new devices.

(Source)

Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+ To Have The Same Battery Capacity As S8 and S8+

Photo leaks of the batteries that will be inside Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+ have just surfaced online. According to the leak published on Slashleaks, the batteries of the next flagships that will be launched by the Korean leader of the smartphones market will have exactly the same battery capacity as the previous generation. After the Galaxy Note 7 scandal, it was expected. Samsung seems to have decided not to take any risk by increasing the battery capacity on both its new flagships: the standard version will still have a 3000 mAh battery, even though 3000 mAh is actually considered a below-average capacity for a flagship.

The battery capacity of Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus will be 3500 mAh, the same as the Galaxy S8 Plus. The photos contain the model numbers of the devices: SM-G9600 and S9-G965F, and they have been published by a parts retailer. They are not official photos, so we still can not confirm the authenticity of this leak. If this leak has to be believed and the capacity is really the same as the previous generation, the battery life should not differ so much between Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus. But obviously, there could be a better optimization, so expect a little improvement at least.

According to the company, the Samsung Exynos 9810 SoC that will be inside the European version of the devices will have “high graphics performances with lower energy consumption”. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 (the SoC of the U.S. version) instead will be able to bring a reduced power consumption of up to 15% at the same performance. Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+ will be officially showcased at MWC 2018, in an event that will be held on February 25 in Barcelona. They will feature a high screen-to-body ratio and their cameras will have variable apertures for better performances in all light conditions.

(Source)

Nokia Records 4th Quarter Profits Boosted By One-off Patent Payment By Huawei

HMD Global Oy-controlled Nokia has released its financial results for the fourth quarter of the year and it shows a rise in its operating profit by 7% to berth at 1 billion euros (about $1.2 billion) thus raising the company’s shares by 15% or higher. The company’s profit received a big boost from Chinese tech giant Huawei who paid 210 million euros for Nokia’s patents. However, operating profits from its network business fell 25% year-on-year.Nokia

The telecommunications network business in reference is dominated by Huawei, Nokia and Sweden’s Ericsson. The industry is weathering the toughest part of a decade-long cycle due to a fall in demand for 4G gear. Spending on new, mass-market 5G networks is unlikely before 2019 or 2020. Nokia’s CEO Rajeev Suri disclosed that the company is coming back very fast, talking about the network business. The Chief Executive noted that the company had moved swiftly to fix internal problems it had convincing U.S. carriers to swap out existing Alcatel equipment for comparable Nokia gear – the main reason for its shares losing a quarter of their value since October. Recall that Nokia bought Alcatel-Lucent for €15.6 billion in 2016. Nokia and Alcatel-Lucent had surpassed Huawei and Ericsson in terms of total combined revenue in 2014 and the CEO is hopeful of a rebound of spending by operators in North America who have shown a desire to move to 5G.

Read More: Microsoft Transfers 500 Nokia Design Patents To HMD, Lumia Camera UI Included

In Q4 2017, Nokia disclosed that it generated 30% of network business sales in North America and that the sales were up slightly over the third quarter, while Asia-Pacific and Greater China declined. The company expects that for 2019 and 2020, market conditions would improve markedly, driven by full-scale rollouts of 5G networks. The Nokia CEO also disclosed that the company is gaining a major share of competitive bids for new business against its major European competitor, rival Ericsson of Sweden, not only in core wireless radio equipment but from a broader portfolio of products and services. No mention was made of the mobile phone business.

(source)

Nokia TA-1056 Entry-Level Smartphone Passes Through FCC

HMD Global is preparing to launch a new phone which carries model number TA-1056. The device has already passed FCC certification and from the listing, it seems that it will be an entry-level phone.

The device could possibly be the Nokia 1 — the Android Go smartphone that HMD Global is reportedly working on. The FCC listing reveals that the phone with model number TA-1056 is smaller in size compared to Nokia 2. While the Nokia 2 measures 143.5mm tall and 71.3 mm wide, this upcoming device measures 133mm tall and 68mm wide.

Nokia TA-1056

Going by the phone’s size, there’s a possibility that the device could come with the trendy full-screen display with 18:9 aspect ratio. Since the FCC info label is placed inside the battery compartment, it is expected that the phone will have a removable battery.

Based on the previous reports, the Nokia 1 is expected to be available from the first half of 2018. According to some reports, it will be available in Russia from March 2018 and could be priced around 5,999 rubles (approximately $104).

Previous leaks and reports suggest that the Nokia 1 could feature an HD IPS display with just 1GB RAM and 8GB of internal storage. Given that the device will be powered by the Android Go edition, and since Google has already announced watered down versions of its applications, the phone is expected to provide decent performance.

At this time, there is no information available regarding the processor. But the company could opt for either Qualcomm or MediaTek as both companies have announced their support for Android Oreo (Go Edition).

Read More: Nokia 10 Concept Renders Reveals A Zeiss Certified Lumia 1020-like Camera Module

HMD Global has sent out media invites for its event at Mobile World Congress, where the company is expected to announce a range of devices, including Nokia 9 and a revamped Nokia 8.

(Source)

 

You Can Now Get Your Hands On The ZTE Nubia Z17 Lite Smartphone For Just $249.99 On GeekBuying [Coupon Code]

ZTE Nubia Z17 Lite was made available to the public in September 2017. The phone boasts an array of jaw-dropping specs and features that propelled it straight to skyrocketing popularity among smartphone enthusiasts.

Despite brimming with exceptional specs and features, the Nubia Z17 Lite failed to lure budget-conscious buyers because it carries a steep price tag.  But GeekBuying is giving these consumers an opportunity to get their hands on the well-received smartphone without spending a fortune.

You can now buy the ZTE Nubia Z17 Lite smartphone by shelling out just $269.99 on GeekBuying. This is a massive 40% reduction in the phone’s original selling price of $449.99.

On top of that, you can save more $20 at the time of checking out by using the coupon code, ‘NUBIA2018.’ This brings your subtotal down to only $249.99.

By shelling out just $249.99, you get a ZTE-branded smartphone which sports a big 5.5 inches IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen display with a screen resolution of 1080 x 1920 pixels at a pixel density of 401 PPI (pixels per inch).


The Nubia Z17 Lite packs a powerful Qualcomm MSM8976 Pro Snapdragon 653 processor along with 6GB of RAM and 64GB of onboard storage, under the hood. The phone runs on Nubia UI 5.0 based on Android 7.1 (Nougat) operating system.

Click here to check out the full specification of the ZTE Nubia Z17 Lite smartphone and to take advantage of GeekBuying’s promo which is slated to end in just 4 days.