Take Advantage Of Up To 60% Discount On Multiple Items On GearBest

By

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Jan 20, 2018

If you’ve restlessly been waiting to get your hands on some top-notch products without spending a fortune, we have good news for you. As part of its latest promo, GearBest is offering up to 60% discount on last year’s top sellers and a slew of other selected items.

The original Samsung UHS-3 64GB Micro SDXC memory card is up for grabs for just $21.99 on GearBest, thanks to a considerable reduction in its original selling price of $33.33. The site is also offering coupon codes for some already-discounted items.
For instance, Alfawise S95 TV Box is available at a discounted price of $32.99 on GearBest. You can use coupon code ‘TOPCN4’ at the time of checking out and get an additional price cut that brings the already reduced price tag down to only $29.99.

Buy 1 Get Free Gifts

When you purchase an item under this category, you’d receive another product for absolutely free. Like when you buy XGIMI Z4 700 ANSI lumens DLP projector at a discounted price of $649.00 on GearBest, the site will offer $23.43 worth Original XGIMI DLP Link shutter 3D glasses free of cost.

Furthermore, you get Alfawise DY – 1 TV Box Bracket free when you buy Tanix TX3 Max at a discounted price of $39.99, and Assassins AW100 wireless mouse at no additional cost when you buy Ajazz AK33 NKRO mechanical keyboard, which is up for grabs on GearBest for a slashed price of $39.99.

New Arrivals

Buyers are even entitled to receive a discount on some recently arrived items for a limited period of time. As part of its flash sale, GearBest is selling H96 MAX – H1 TV Box for a discounted price of $59.99. This is a considerable 15% reduction in the device’s original selling price.In addition to that, the site is giving discount on Mini M8S Pro – C TV box, HIGOLE D2 mini PC stick, Huion GT drawing tablet, Xiaomi Power strip socket portable plug adapter, KingDian P10 portable SSD (solid state drive), Alfawise X 3200 Lumens HD 1080P Smart Projector, and Haier LEU49V300S 4K Ultra HD LED TV.

Top Deals

GearBest is offering a discount on a myriad of categories including Top Sales, TV Box, Mini PC, Speaker, Memory Card, PC Component, Protectors, and TV, under the Top Deals section.

Epic Brands

Products manufactured by popular brands such as Xiaomi, Alfawise, Beelink, Mecool, Tanix, Yeston, Motospeed, and Ajazz are up for grabs at a considerably reduced price on GearBest. This section features items such as the XiaoMi Bluetooth speaker, which is available for a decreased price of only $38.21.

Office & School Supplies

You can now buy different items that come in handy at school and office without burning a hole in your pocket. Thanks to the GearBest promo, you can get the MEMOBIRD Photothermal printer, which originally bears a steep price tag of $79.25 for just $36.99.

You can head straight to this link to check out rest of the items that are available at a heavily-discounted price on GearBest and take advantage of the coupon codes before they expire. It’s also worth noting that only a few pieces were left at the time of writing.

Get Up To 60% Discount And Other Offers On Various Items On GearBest

Samsung Was The Most Cloned Smartphone Brand in 2017: AnTuTu’s Special Report

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Jan 19, 2018

Most people have had the experience or heard the story from someone who has fallen victim to sellers of cloned smartphones. They are almost in all major cities, on the busy street corner where they offer buyers the latest iPhone or Samsung at rock bottom prices. This offer sweeps some out of their feet and before they realize the phone isn’t real, the seller is gone. Well, AnTuTu has released as part of their annual smartphone data, a list of the top most cloned smartphones.

The data was for 2017 and it contains among other things, a distribution chart of cloned smartphones according to the affected brand. AnTuTu claims that an estimated 17,424,726 mobile phones were shipped in 2017 and out that tall figure, cloned smartphone accounted for 2.64%. Of course, who would want to clone a relatively unknown brand? So, it is no surprise that Samsung emerged as the most clone brand last year with a cumulative total of 36.23%. Apart from being the world’s top smartphone maker, Samsung also happened to have released a couple of stunning models last year. But the most cloned model last year is revealed as the Galaxy S7 Edge Europe edition. The China version of the Galaxy S7 Edge emerges as the second most cloned phone. Other Samsung models that were cloned last year include the Galaxy W2016, Galaxy W2017, Galaxy S8+

Apple is also another brand that suffers from cloning, especially in markets like China where iPhones are in hot demand. Apple ranked second with 7.72% and quite interesting is the discovery that most of the iPhone clones are usually equipped with Android OS. The iPhone 7 Plus is the most faked iPhone last year, ranking among the top 10 most faked smartphones of 2017 as compiled by AnTuTu.

Chinese tech giant Xiaomi also ranked as the third most cloned smartphone brand with 4.75%. This is closely followed by OPPO with 4.46% and Huawei with 3.40%.

(source)

LG Patents Two Foldable Phones Which Can Transform Into Tablets

By

Michele Ingelido

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Jan 19, 2018

A new and innovative patent has been found at WIPO (World Intellectual Property Organization). LG has patented two types of foldable phones which may rival the alleged Samsung Galaxy X, which is rumored to be the first phone with a foldable display to hit the market. Both the phones can transform into a tablet with a much bigger screen.

When folded, the first model can show information like the time on an external display, which should have the size of a typical smartphone display. The screen size could be smaller, given that we can see a camera sensor at the bottom. There are two cameras on this model, on opposite sides. The one with the flash is likely the primary camera.

The second LG smartphone patented is similar to the first one, but has an additional element. It seems that it will not be possible to see a normal display when the phone is folded. When the phone is folded, there is only a sort of sidebar on the outside (instead of a larger sized screen as seen on the first model) which can show the time and probably the notifications. You can see what we are talking about in the images above.

These may not be the first patents we are seeing of foldable smartphones, but it does prove that different companies are developing such smartphones and a commercial release could be possible in the near future. We had seen another foldable design from LG back in January 2017, you can check them out from here.

(Via)

360 N6 Pro Special Promotion By Jingdong Makes It The Cheapest Snapdragon 660 Smartphone

By

Michele Ingelido

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Jan 19, 2018

360 N6 Pro‘s price has dropped from 1699 Yuan to 1499 Yuan in China: the phone has just become the cheapest device with a Snapdragon 660 SoC inside.Well, its not exactly a price cut from the manufacturer, but JD.com is offering a special discount of 200 Yuan for JD Plus members, who can get the phone for just 1499 Yuan.

It is actually one of the greatest last-generation devices if you want great performance but you do not want to spend much. In case you are not from China, the actual price roughly translates into $191/€155. The offer is available on the famous Chinese store Jingdong Mall, but it is limited to Plus members. The configuration available discounted on JD is the one with 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB of internal storage, which is expandable with a micro SD.

The rest of the specs of 360 N6 Pro includes a border-less display with an 18:9 aspect ratio and a size of 5.99 inches. The display can show images with a Full HD+ resolution of 1080 x 2160 pixels. Under the hood, as mentioned above, there is a Snapdragon 660 SoC, which is actually the best mid range processor ever released by Qualcomm, and it can almost be considered a near flagship chipset. It is an octa-core chip composed of 8 x Kryo 260 custom cores, which can run at a max frequency of 2.2 GHz. It also includes a powerful Adreno 512 GPU that can deliver blazing fast performance in video games.

On the rear side, 360 N6 Pro has a dual camera setup with resolutions of 16 and 2 MP, which can capture depth of field information to shoot photos with bokeh effect. On the front side, the phone sports an 8 MP snapper with a f/2.2 aperture. Under the camera, there is a fingerprint scanner as there was no space to embed it on the front side. 360 N6 Pro also has a very big battery: according to 360 Mobile, thanks to its capacity of 4050 mAh it should be able to last up to 2 days on a single charge. It supports Quick Charge 3.0 for fast charging.

(Source, Via)

Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+: New Leak Reveals Innovative Components

By

Michele Ingelido

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Jan 19, 2018

A new leak has revealed very interesting details about the components of the Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+. The leak comes from the famous website ETNews, which has confirmed some specs revealed in the previous leaks and gave some new details. According to ETNews both the upcoming flagships by Samsung will sport rear cameras with a 12 MP resolution and a variable aperture. It will be possible for the cameras to switch between a f/1.5 aperture (the smallest ever seen on a phone) and f/2.4.

This will make the flagship shoot much better photos in different lighting conditions. It is also rumored that Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus will support slow-motion videos at 1000 fps, just like the latest flagships from Sony. The front camera should have an 8 MP resolution and it should integrate an iris scanner on the Galaxy S9, while on the Plus variant the iris scanner should be a separate sensor. According to ETNews, there will be a brand new circuit board called substrate Like printed circuit board (SLP circuit board), which will allow saving more space inside the phones. However, this board will only be present in the European variant of the phones, so the ones with the Samsung Exynos 9810 SoC.

Another innovative technology which might be present on Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus is Y-OCTA for the display, which integrates the touch layer of the OLED display in its encapsulation layer. To be accurate, this is not a new technology: it was already present on Galaxy S8, but not on S8 Plus. This year, it should be integrated into both Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus. The display of the standard version should have a size of 5.77 inches, while the Plus variant should have a 6.22-inch Super AMOLED panel. There likely won’t be a fingerprint reader under the display, it will be placed on the back, and expected to be provided by Aegis Technology, a company from Taiwan.

(Source, Via)

HTC U11 Eyes vs OPPO R11S: Specs Comparison

By

Michele Ingelido

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Jan 19, 2018

Premium midrange smartphones are a new category of smartphones which is making great success in the past couple of years, especially in Asia. They are not flagships, but they usually have high-end features and good cameras. HTC U11 Eyes and Oppo R11s are two of them, and in this HTC U11 Eyes vs OPPO R11S comparison we will show you the difference between these handsets and which one has the best value for money — after all VFM is the most important thing when it comes to mid-range Android devices.

HTC U11 Eyes vs OPPO R11S

	HTC U11 Eyes	Oppo R11s
DIMENSIONS AND WEIGHT	157.9 x 75 x 8.5 mm, 185 grams	155.1 x 75.5 x 7.1 mm, 153 grams
DISPLAY	6 inches, 1080 x 2160p (Full HD+), 402 ppi, 18:9 ratio, Super LCD3	6 inches, 1080 x 2160p (Full HD+), 401 ppi, 18:9 ratio, AMOLED
PROCESSOR	Qualcomm Snapdragon 652, octa-core 2.2 GHz	Qualcomm Snapdragon 660, octa-core 2.2 GHz
MEMORY	4 GB RAM, 64 GB – micro SD slot	4 GB RAM, 64 GB – micro SD slot
SOFTWARE	Android 8.0 Oreo, HTC Sense UI	Android 7.1.1 Nougat, Color OS 3.2
CONNECTIVITY	Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 4.2, GPS	Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 4.2, GPS
CAMERA	12 + MP, f/1.7 OIS Dual 5 + 5 MP f/2.2 front camera	Dual 16 + 20 MP, f/1.7 20 MP f/2.0 front camera
BATTERY	3930 mAh, Fast battery charging (Quick Charge 3.0)	3200 mAh, Fast Battery Charging (VOOC Flash Charge 5V / 4A)
ADDITIONAL FEATURES	Hybrid Dual SIM slot, IP67 standard, facial recognition	Hybrid Dual SIM slot

Don’t expect completely different devices, these two phones are similar enough to make this comparison challenging. We like the design and the build quality of HTC U11 EYEs better, which is more beautiful and it is also waterproof, unlike its opponent. On the other hand, in terms of display and hardware Oppo R11s is better. It has a very nice AMOLED display and a more powerful SoC. The Snapdragon 660 is a more recent, powerful and efficient chipset compared with the Snapdragon 652. The camera departments are both really good and, until we see some camera samples of HTC U11 EYEs, we can not judge the handset’s camera (it has just been unveiled, so it is still not possible to see how it captures photos).

Even though HTC U11 EYEs has a dual selfie camera, Oppo R11s should make better selfies with its 20 MP resolution and its f/2.0 aperture. Both the devices feature facial recognition through the front camera, but HTC U11 EYEs might be safer thanks to its secondary sensor. HTC U11 EYEs should have a much longer battery life due to its 3930 mAh lithium unit, while its opponent has just an average battery with a 3200 mAh capacity. While HTC U11 EYEs has just been made available to pre-order with a price of about €500, Oppo R11s has a listing price of about €450. I would personally pick the HTC U11 EYEs because of its bigger battery, its more interesting build quality, IP67 certification, and Android Oreo installed out of the box.

HTC U11 Eyes vs OPPO R11S: PROS and CONS

HTC U11 EYEs

PROS

Potentially better primary camera
Waterproof
Original design
Big battery

CONS

Higher price

Oppo R11s

PROS

More interesting display
Better hardware
Hi-res selfie camera
More affordable price

CONS

Nougat out of the box

Samsung Exynos 7872 vs Snapdragon 630: Specs & AnTuTu Benchmark Comparison

By

Michele Ingelido

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Jan 19, 2018

Even though Qualcomm leads the smartphone SoCs market, there are other companies which make mobile processor that are as good as the ones by Qualcomm. One of these is the newly-announced Samsung Exynos 7872, a SoC which has been made for midrange smartphones and that will power the Meizu M6s. The most important competitor of this processor is surely the Snapdragon 630 by Qualcomm, which is already powering some of the best midrangers in the market. Let’s discover which one is potentially better than the other in this Samsung Exynos 7872 vs Snapdragon 630 comparison.

	Samsung Exynos 7872	Qualcomm Snapdragon 630
CPU	4x ARM Cortex A53, Clock frequency: up to 1.6 GHz – 2x Cortex A73, Clock frequency: up to 2 GHz – 14 nm, 64 bit	8x ARM Cortex A53, Clock frequency: Up to 2.2 GHz, 14 nm, 64 bit
GPU	Mali G71 MP1	Adreno 508
Camera	Up to 21.7 MP rear camera Up to 21.7 MP front camera	Up to 24 MP single camera Up to 13 MP dual camera Optical zoom
Video	Up to Full HD 120fps encoding and decoding	Up to 4K Ultra HD at 30 fps (video recording) Up to 4K Ultra HD (video playback)
Display	Up to Full HD WUXGA (1920×1200)	Up to Full HD 1920 x 1200 pixels
Connectivity	Wi-Fi 802.11n Bluetooth 5.0 Cellular Modem: LTE Cat.7 2CA, Download speed: 300Mbps – Cat.13 2CA, Upload speed: 150Mbps	Wi-Fi 1×1 802.11ac with MU-MIMO. Max speed: 364 Mbps Bluetooth 5.0 NFC Cellular Modem: Snapdragon X12 LTE, up to 600 Mbps, upload speed up to 150 Mbps
Audio	/	Qualcomm aptX codec technology Qualcomm Aqstic audio technology
Location	GPS, GLONASS, Beidou, Galileo	GPS, GLONASS, Beidou, Galileo, QZSS, SBAS
Battery Charging	Fast battery charging	Qualcomm Quick Charge 4

Even though we still haven’t personally seen the new Meizu mid-ranger in action, we believe there shouldn’t be a big difference in terms of performance between the Samsung Exynos 7872 and Qualcomm Snapdragon 630. However, thanks to its 2 Cortex A73 cores, Samsung Exynos 7872 should be slightly more powerful, even though Snapdragon 630 has a higher clock frequency.

But AnTuTu benchmark shows both the chipsets to be almost equal in performance. For example, here are the AnTuTu benchmarks for Exynos 7872 in Meizu M6S and SD630 in the Nokia 6 2018. The SD630 and Exynos 7872 are very close to each other in the benchmark.

samsung exynos 7872 — SD625 (Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus) vs Exynos 7872 (Meizu M6s) benchmark

SD630 Nokia 6 AnTuTu — SD630 inside the Nokia 6

Other differences include the Snapdragon 630 featuring a better modem which can reach higher download speeds. It supports Quick Charge 4 which is one of the fastest charging technologies. Qualcomm Snapdragon 630 also supports 4K video playback and video recording, while Exynos 7872 only supports Full HD. Further, you would have more modding opportunities with Snapdragon 630. So, between the two, if I had to choose, I would personally pick the SD630 for my phone.

Samsung Exynos 7872 vs Snapdragon 630: PROS and CONS

Samsung Exynos 7872

PROS

More powerful Cortex A73 CPUs
Good connectivity
1080p 120 fps playback

CONS

Limited availability

Qualcomm Snapdragon 625

PROS

Power-efficient
Great modem
Modding capabilities
4K playback and recording

CONS

Nothing special

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

By

Michele Ingelido

-

Jan 19, 2018

A new version of HTC U11 has been launched: HTC U11 Eyes, with a more affordable price tag and lower-end specs. We think it is time to compare it with the costlier version of the flagship, U11 Plus, which is exactly the opposite: a more powerful variant with a more expensive price tag. Is it worth choosing the higher-end version of the mid-range variant is enough for your needs? Let’s discover it with a HTC U11 Eyes vs HTC U11 Plus comparison of their specs.

HTC U11 Eyes vs HTC U11 Plus

	HTC U11 Eyes	HTC U11 Plus
DIMENSIONS AND WEIGHT	157.9 x 75 x 8.5 mm, 185 grams	158.5 x 74.9 x 8.5 mm, 188 grams
DISPLAY	6 inches, 1080 x 2160p (Full HD+), 402 ppi, 18:9 ratio, Super LCD3	6 inches, 1440 x 2880p (Quad HD+), 538 ppi, 18:9 ratio, Super LCD6
PROCESSOR	Qualcomm Snapdragon 652, octa-core 2.2 GHz	Qualcomm Snapdragon 835, octa-core 2.45 GHz
MEMORY	4 GB RAM, 64 GB – micro SD slot	4 GB RAM, 64 GB – 6 GB RAM, 128 GB, micro SD slot
SOFTWARE	Android 8.0 Oreo, HTC Sense UI	Android 8.0 Oreo, HTC Sense UI
CONNECTIVITY	Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 4.2, GPS	Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS
CAMERA	12 + MP, f/1.7 OIS Dual 5 + 5 MP f/2.2 front camera	12 MP, f/1.7, Dual Pixel PDAF, OIS 8 MP f/2.0 front camera
BATTERY	3930 mAh, Fast battery charging (Quick Charge 3.0)	3930 mAh, Fast Battery Charging (Quick Charge 3.0)
ADDITIONAL FEATURES	Hybrid Dual SIM slot, IP67 standard, facial recognition	Hybrid Dual SIM slot, IP68 certified

The big difference between HTC U11 Eyes and U11 Plus is obviously in the hardware department. The first has a Snapdragon 652 SoC, while the second has a Snapdragon 835 which is a much more powerful chipset, as we are talking about a midrange SoC vs the best flagship SoC currently in the market. HTC U11 Plus has also more RAM in its most expensive variant (6 GB). So the Plus version is much faster and smoother in every scenario. The rest of the specs and potentialities are not so different, even though the U11 Plus looks slightly better in each of them. The display has a higher resolution, the main camera is slightly better, and there is also a better certification for water-resistance in the Plus model. But there’s an element in the EYEs which is not present in the U11+ — the dual front camera with face recognition.

The real advantage of HTC U11 Eyes is the price, as it has been launched in China at about $512, while its opponent has a listing price of €800 (almost $1,000). But note that it is possible to find the standard HTC U11 model with Snapdragon 835 (the one with bezels) at less than €600. It means that at this moment U11 Eyes is still not a great option to buy.

HTC U11 Eyes vs HTC U11 Plus: PROS and CONS

HTC U11 EYEs

PROS

More affordable price
Dual front camera
Face recognition
Waterproof

CONS

Old Midrange SoC

HTC U11 Plus

PROS

Flagship-level components
Better camera
Better display

CONS

Very High Price

Small Pepper 7X Released With An 18:9 Display, Facial Recognition, And 899 Yuan ($140) Price Tag

By

Jeet

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Jan 19, 2018

Today, China-based Pepper Technologies, a little-known smartphone manufacturer has launched a new smartphone — Small Pepper 7X. The mid-range smartphone, which offers all the trendy features, is priced at 899 Yuan, which roughly converts to $140.

The phone features a 5.5-inch TFT full-screen display with 18:9 aspect ratio. Under the hood, the device is powered by a MediaTek MT6750 octa-core processor that uses 28nm HPM technology and consists of four 1.5GHz A53 cores and four 1.0GHz A53 CPU cores and is coupled with Mali-T860MP2 350MHz GPU.

It packs 4GB RAM and comes with 64GB of internal storage. There’s a microSD card slot, allowing users to further expand the phone’s storage capacity. Connectivity options on the device include and supports LTE Cat.6 dual card full Netcom, Battery capacity 2800mAh.

On the back, there’s a dual camera setup, which offers features such as panoramic mode, night mode, facial recognition as well as watermarks with eleven other such modes. The camera module consists of 13-megapixel sensors. On the front side, there’s a 5-megapixel selfie shooter with support for various beauty enhancement modes.

According to the company, the camera comes with a “Virtual SLR Mode” which we assume is the company’s term for manual mode. There is also a facial recognition to unlock the phone. As of the software, the phone runs on Android 7.0 Nougat operating system based Freeme OS.

The Small Pepper 7X will be available in three colour options — Blue, Black and Gold. The device is currently available for pre-order from Chinese online retailer JD.com, for a price of 899 Yuan (approximately $140).

(Source)

Samsung’s Future Flagship May Offer Very Close to 100% Screen-to-Body Ratio

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Jan 19, 2018

It appears that Samsung may work on a flagship smartphone that will deliver very close to 100 percent screen-to-body ratio by embedding the sensors under the screen. This has been revealed through a recent patent filing by Samsung with World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).

Samsung has been known for launching flagship phones with innovative display design. The Galaxy S6 Edge is the first dual edge screen smartphone from the company. The Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Edge were the first Samsung phones to feature Infinity Display design. Rumors have it that it is working on a smartphone with a foldable display. The new patent shows that Samsung’s may launch a smartphone in the future with highest screen-to-body ratio.

First spotted by Lets Go Digital, the patent application shows that the screen of the smartphone features tiny holes for sensors and hardware such as front-facing camera, iris scanner and speakers. In other words, it won’t be featuring any sensor or hardware on the bezel of the phone. Moreover, it will be sporting a bezel-less design.

The Galaxy Note 9 arriving later this year is expected to debut as the company’s first phone with in-screen fingerprint scanner. Since the aforementioned design may arrive in future phone by Samsung, it may also an under-display fingerprint scanner.

What do you think about the new display design that has been revealed through Samsung’s patent filings? Will be seen on the Galaxy 10 or Galaxy Note 10? Share us your views posting your comments below.

(source|via)

LG V30 Advanced Edition May Arrive at MWC 2018; LG G7 Unlikely to Get Unveiled

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Jan 19, 2018

LG had introduced the LG V30 flagship smartphone at IFA 2017 in September last year. Citing industry sources, a South Korean publication states that the company may announce an upgraded edition of the LG V30 with enhanced AI (Artificial Intelligence) capabilities at the Mobile World Congress (2018) on Feb. 26.

The rumor mill had predicted earlier that LG would be launching the LG G7 with Snapdragon 845 chipset at that MWC 2018. However, recent reports have claimed that the company is redeveloping the upcoming LG G series flagship from scratch after the LG CEO Jo Seong-jin said at Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2018 that the company won’t be releasing smartphones to just because its competitors are doing so. Hence, the LG G7 is unlikely to debut at MWC 2018. Another report claims that the launch of the LG G7 could be delayed to March or April.

Even though LG won’t be showcasing the LG G7 in the next month, it will be holding a press conference on Feb. 26 to unveil the new edition of the LG V30 that is expected to launch as “V30+‘α’.” The publication claims that it will be coming with “new technologies and functions.”

The probable reason behind launching an advanced model of LG V30 is that the company is now putting into practice its new strategy of retaining existing premium phones for longer period. The arrival of the upgraded V30 could also mean that G7 may launch after several months.

The LG V30 comes loaded with Korean edition of Google Assistant. Considering the relationship between LG and Google, the new version of LG V30 may arrive with AI functions based on Google Assistant. Since it is an advanced model of the “Plus” edition of V30, it may feature 4 GB of RAM and an internal storage of 128 GB. As of this writing, there is no information available on its pricing.

(source)

Meizu Confirms That It Has Not Abandoned MediaTek

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Jan 19, 2018

In the past, Meizu has mainly used MediaTek chipset for most of its smartphones. However, some of its high-end phones have featured Exynos chipsets from Samsung. Since the newly unveiled Meizu M6S budget phone features the modest Exynos 7872 chipset, the rumor mill has speculated that Meizu will no longer sell phones with MediaTek chipset. Jeffery Yang who is Meizu’s senior Vice-President has confirmed that his words have been misinterpreted by media that the company is abandoning MediaTek. He refuted the rumors by saying that the company will continue to launch Meizu phone with MediaTek chipset.

On Weibo, Yang clarified that Meizu will be making processor choices according to the need and popularity of the chipset. Hence, it appears that Meizu may use chipsets from Samsung and Qualcomm for its high-end phones. However, its low-end phones may continue to feature MediaTek SoCs.

The flagship chipsets from MediaTek have failed to gain big clients. Hence, it has mainly concentrated its business on manufacturing chipsets for low-end smartphone market. The Meizu M6S powered by Exynos 7872 is priced around $200. So, if we are to see an MTK powered Meizu phone, it would probably retail for a much cheaper price tag, around $100 to $120. Some rumors had claimed that Meizu may also release a MediaTek variant of the Meizu M6S for markets outside of China. However, there is no official confirmation on it.

Do you think that Meizu should launch more budget phones with chipsets from Qualcomm and Samsung? Let us know your views by adding your comments below.

(Source)

Mysterious ZTE Phone Wi-Fi Certified; Could it be ZTE Axon 8?

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

-

Jan 19, 2018

A mysterious new smartphone from ZTE has been certified by the Wi-Fi Alliance. It is speculated that this could be the rumored ZTE Axon 8 that may get unveiled at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2018 in the next month.

The Wi-Fi certification of the smartphone has revealed that it has a model number of Z2321U and it is running on Android 8.1 Oreo. This version of Android Oreo is currently only available on Google Pixel and Nexus devices. The smartphone is yet to receive approval from other certification entities like FCC, TENAA or Bluetooth SIG.

ZTE is no longer selling the Axon 7 smartphone. However, the company has promised to launch a worthy successor for it. In November 2017, it was speculated that the successor of Axon 7 may get unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) or MWC 2018 this year. Hence, it is speculated that the Z2321U phone could be Axon 8.

Do you think that ZTE will unveil Axon 8 at MWC 2018? Let us know your views by posting your comments below.

(source|via)

LG X4+ Rugged Phone with LG Pay, Snapdragon 425 and $280 Pricing Unveiled

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

-

Jan 19, 2018

LG has introduced a new smartphone called the LG X4+ in South Korea. It is a rugged phone that comes loaded with mid-tier specs.

The LG X4+ includes a 5.3-inch IPS display that produces 720 x 1280 pixels resolution. The Snapdragon 425 SoC fuels the smartphone with 2 GB of RAM. It comes with an inbuilt storage of 32 GB and it also features a microSD card slot. It is driven by a 3,000mAh battery.

It has a main camera of 13-megapixel and has a selfie camera of 5-megapixel. It comes preinstalled with Android 7.0 Nougat and it also features support for LG Pay. The connectivity features available on the smartphone include Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.2, NFC and USB-C.

The LG X4+ also features a fingerprint scanner on its back panel. For immersive audio experience, the phone features Hi-Fi DAC (digital to analog converter). The highlight of the smartphone is that it comes with MIL-STD 810G rating which ensures that it can withstand impact, vibration, extreme temperatures, thermal shock and humidity.

The rear panel of the LG X4+ is made out of aluminum and it measures 148.6 x 75.1 x 8.6mm and weighs 172.3 grams. It will be coming to the market in color choices like blue and violet. The LG X4+ will be releasing in South Korea by the end of this through the top 3 carriers with a price tag of 300,000 won (~$280).

(source)

Buy Xiaomi Redmi 5A 4G Smartphone For Just $89.99 On GearBest

By

Vinay Patel

-

Jan 19, 2018

After hitting the store shelves in December last year, Xiaomi Redmi 5A propelled straight to popularity among smartphone enthusiasts. Three different color versions of the very well-received smartphone are currently available at a discounted price on GearBest.

Sporting a 5-inch display with a screen resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels, the Redmi 5A smartphone boasts an array of awe-inspiring specs and features. It packs 2GB of RAM and 16GB of internal memory, and a robust Snapdragon 425 processor, under the hood.

The popular online electronics seller, GearBest is offering massive discounts on the Redmi 5A smartphone’s original selling price. You can choose from three color options including golden, gray and rose madder.

The site is offering 36% discount on the golden and rose madder color versions of the Redmi 5A, which brings their original selling price down to just $89.99. Only 257 pieces of the golden and 279 pieces of the rose madder color versions were left at the time of writing.

You can also get your hands on the gray version of the smartphone by shelling out $95.99, which is a considerable 18% reduction in the device’s original asking price. It’s worth noting that only 260 pieces were left to be sold.

While the promo for both golden and rose madder color versions of the Redmi 5A smartphone is slated to end in 7 days, the discount on the gray-tinted Redmi 5A smartphone will end in just 1 day. You can head straight to this link and take advantage of the discount before it comes to an end.

Buy Xiaomi Redmi 5A 4G Smartphone For Only $89.99 On GearBest

Samsung Galaxy S9 And S9 Plus Chinese Edition Will Be Cheapest In The World

By

Jeet

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Jan 19, 2018

At the upcoming Mobile World Congress, South Korean giant Samsung will be announcing its latest flagship devices — Samsung Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9 Plus. Recently we reported that the devices will be launched on 26th February.

While we’ve seen a lot of leaks surrounding the Galaxy S9 series, not much information is available regarding its pricing. However, it seems that the pricing for the Galaxy S9 series will be lowest in China compared to other regions.

Recently, Gui Xian, Gui Xian, President of Samsung for China revealed in an interview that the pricing of the Galaxy S9 in China will be the lowest in the world. However, he has not revealed any numbers.

The Galaxy S9 series is expected to get launched on 26th February — the first day of the Mobile World Congress. According to the previous report, it will be available for pre-order from 1st March and will start shipping from 16th March. But the company has not yet confirmed these dates.

The Samsung Galaxy S9 is expected to pack 4GB RAM and will be available in two variants based on the internal storage — 64GB and 128GB. On the other hand, the Galaxy S9 Plus will come with 6GB RAM and will have four storage variants — 64GB, 128GB, 256GB and 512GB. As per the reports, the 512GB internal storage variant will be available in select regions only that too in limited quantity.

Both the devices will be powered by Qualcomm‘s Snapdragon 845 processor in the United States and China, while the international variant will be powered by the company’s own Exynos 9810 chipset, which comes with improved CPU, GPU performance, artificial intelligence (AI), and deep learning.

The display size will be same as of their predecessors — Galaxy S9 will have a 5.8-inch display while the Galaxy S9 Plus will feature a 6.2-inch display. The phone is rumoured to sport a single rear-facing camera, while the S9 Plus will feature a dual rear-facing camera setup.

Earlier this week, a leak from ANATEL, Brazil’s equivalent of the FCC, revealed that the Galaxy S9 will come powered by a 3,000mAh battery while the bigger variant, Galaxy S9 Plus will have a 3,500mAh battery — same as their predecessors.

While the Galaxy S9 series won’t be offering much compared to the Galaxy S8 series, the pricing of the S9 series is still expected to be higher in comparison.

Razer Phone 2 May Launch at IFA 2018 with Project Linda

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Jan 19, 2018

In 2017, Razer entered the world of smartphone business by launching the gaming-friendly Razer Phone that is packed with a 120 Hz display and a massive battery. A French publication has revealed that Razer is working n a second-generation smartphone that will probably arrive in the market with Razer Phone 2 moniker in September this year.

During the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2018, Razer had demonstrated Project Linda. It is a laptop dock that features a 13.3-inch display, battery of 53.6 Wh, 200 GB of internal storage and some connectivity features like USB-A, USB-C and 3.5mm audio jack.

Users of Project Linda can place the Razer Phone in a slot where the touchpad is normally present. This way the Razer Phone when placed in the laptop dock can function as a touch pad. Its processor and RAM will be driving force for the laptop dock. Moreover, it can also function as a secondary display as shown in the image in this post.

Razer Project Linda Featured

It took around two-three month to build Project Linda before the CES 2018 and the company was able to design it in a short span of one month. The general design of the laptop dock has been borrowed from Razer Blade Stealth notebook. As far as software is concerned, Razer had teamed up with Sentio, a company that specializes in turning Android smartphones into laptops.

It is speculated that the Razer Phone 2 may get unveiled in September this year through the IFA 2018 tech trade show. As of this writing, there is no information available on the specifications of the upcoming Razer Phone 2 smartphone. The company is expected to launch the Project Linda laptop dock alongside the smartphone. An internal source has revealed that the company would be taking a call in the next days to decide on the launch of Project Linda. Recently, Razer CEO Min-Liang Tan had hinted to Marques Brownlee on Twitter that the company may launch Project Linda.

Are you looking forward for the Razer Phone and its laptop dock? Share us your views by adding comments below.

(source)

HMD Global Could Launch Nokia 9 At Mobile World Congress 2018

By

Jeet

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Jan 19, 2018

After announcing the Nokia 6 (2018) a couple of weeks ago, HMD Global is now expected to launch a range of devices, including Nokia 9, at the upcoming Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2018 in Barcelona which will be held later in February.

HMD Global’s Chief Product Officer Juho Sarvikas said in a tweet that the company has been “super busy” planning for the Mobile World Congress and at the end of the tweet, he said, “please expect it to be awesome”.

While he has not revealed any details regarding what we’ll actually see from the company at the upcoming MWC 2018, looking at the previous leaks and reports, the company could announce a range of devices, including Nokia 9 and a revamped Nokia 8.

The Finland-based company is also expected to showcase the 4G variant of the Nokia 3310 feature phone. Notably, the company launched the 2.5G model last year during MWC 2017.

According to the previous leaks, the upcoming Nokia 9 phone will feature a 5.5-inch display with 2K resolution and will be powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 835 processor, coupled with 6GB RAM. It is expected to come equipped with a dual-camera setup featuring a 12-megapixel lens and a 13-megapixel lens.

The phone will be running on Android 8.0 Oreo operating system. The FCC listing of the device had revealed that there will a 5-megapixel front-facing camera and 128GB of internal storage. It is expected to come powered by a 3,250mAh battery that will support the fast charging technology.

While the leaked specifications show Snapdragon 835 SoC instead of the latest Snapdragon 845 processor, rest of the specs confirms that it will be the company’s flagship device. It was previously reported that along with Nokia 9, the company could also launch Nokia E71 (2018) 4G Feature Phone.

However, nothing has been confirmed by the company yet. We’ll just have to wait until the Nokia’s event at the upcoming MWC in Barcelona to see what the company has planned for this year.

(Source)

Buy Nubia And Tronsmart-Branded Items At Heavily-Discounted Price On GeekBuying [Coupon Codes]

By

Vinay Patel

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Jan 19, 2018

The popular e-commerce platform, GeekBuying is currently offering considerable discounts on the original selling price of various Nubia and Tronsmart-branded items as part of its ‘Nubia-Tronsmart Bundle Deals’ promo. Let’s delve straight into the details.

Bundle Deals

GeekBuying has slashed the price of some selected Nubia smartphones for a limited period of time. For instance, you can get your hands on the Global Version ZTE Nubia Z17 Lite at a discounted price of $279.99.

It’s worth noting this is a considerable 44% reduction in the phone’s original selling price of $503.99. You also get Tronsmart Encore Flair IP56 Bluetooth earphone worth $19.99 without shelling out even a single dime extra. This promo is slated to end in just 1 day.
When you spend $304.99 to get your hands on the ZTE Nubia Z17 Lite smartphone, you also get Tronsmart Element T6 Bluetooth speaker worth $39.99 at no extra cost. As if that weren’t enough, you also save a considerable 54% on the handset’s original selling price of $669.99. The promo will come to an end in just 1 day.

Bearing a discounted price tag of $269.99 under the Bundle Deals section, the ZTE Nubia Z17 Lite smartphone has been paired with $7.99 worth 2 Ports Quick Charge 3.0 car charger. You save 40% on the handset’s original selling price of $449.99. This promo ends in 4 days.
Alternatively, you can buy the ZTE Nubia Z17 Lite smartphone with $19.99 worth Tronsmart Mars G02 wireless game controller for just $287.99. With this bundle deal, you save 36% on the mobile phone’s original asking price of $449.99.

The Nubia Z17 Lite is also available bundled with Tronsmart C4N1 4-in-1 Type-C cable for just $271.99. The USB cable costs $8.99 but as bundles deal, you get a 42% discount on $466.99, the phone’s original selling price. This promo ends in 1 day.

More Nubia Offers

In this category, the $554.99 worth Nubia Z17 4G LTE smartphone is available at a discounted price of only $432.99. This promo ends in 1 day but they still had 469 pieces left at the time of writing.

You can also buy the Nubia Z17mini smartphone, which is available at a discounted price of $269.99 on GeekBuying. The site is offering multiple options including 4+64GB Black Gold, 4+64GB Blue, and 4+64GB Red to name a few. Only 193 pieces were left at the time of writing and this promo will end in 4 days.

The ZTE Nubia Z17miniS smartphone is comes bearing a $319.99 price tag on GeekBuying. The site is offering 36% discount on the phone’s original selling price of $499.99. This promo ends in 4 days and it is also important for you to bear in mind that only 183 pieces were left at the time of writing.

You can use coupon code ‘NUBIAZ17LTE’ at the time of checking out to get an additional discount. However, the coupon code is not valid for orders less than $369 and is applicable to some specific items.

More Tronsmart Offers

This section of GeekBuying’s Nubia-Tronsmart Bundle Deals promo features a slew of Tronsmart-branded items including Tronsmart 60W USB-C desktop charger, Tronsmart Arc wireless Bluetooth headphones and lots more.The electronic items featured in this category are up for grabs at a considerably lowered price. If you’re planning to take advantage of this promo, click here before it comes to an end.

You can use coupon code ‘NUBIAZ17LTE’ for the Nubia phones at the time of checking out to get an additional discount. As far as the bundle deals are concerned, you can apply coupon code ‘NUBIAZ17S’ to get an additional discount.

Take Advantage Of GeekBuying’s Nubia And Tronsmart Bundle Deals

Vivo X20 Plus UD’s Realistic Renders Surface; Pricing and Launch Date Leaked

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Jan 19, 2018

During the recently concluded Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2018, Vivo had showcased a smartphone under-display fingerprint scanner. It was later revealed that it could be the upcoming the Vivo X20 Plus UD, a variant of the X20 Plus with its fingerprint scanner embedded under the screen. The alleged smartphone has been recently certified by TENAA which indicates that its launch could be drawing near. A leakster has revealed realistic renders of the smartphone and he also revealed its pricing and launch date.

ZyadAtef who has a consistent track record of revealing leaked information and renders of the forthcoming phones has recently shared new images of the upcoming Vivo X20 Plus UD. The smartphone shown in the new images does not feature a front-facing or a rear-mounted fingerprint reader. This indicates that the biometric recognition feature could be placed under the screen. The handset features Clear ID in-display fingerprint scanner by Synaptics.

The new renders of the X20 Plus UD resembles with the images that had surfaced through its TENAA listing. It bears resemblance with X20 Plus as it is supposed to be its variant.

The TENAA listing of the phone has revealed that it would be coming with a 6.43-inch OLED panel that will be supporting Full HD+ resolution. The Snapdragon 660 chipset and 4 GB of RAM will be powering the smartphone. It has a native storage of 128 GB.

For photography, it includes 12-megapixel + 5-megapixel dual camera setup on its back panel. It has a front-facing camera of 12-megapixel. It is fueled by a 3,800mAh battery. The dimensions of the phone have revealed that it will be slightly smaller than the X20 Plus.

A previous report had suggested that the smartphone would be debuting at the end of this month with a price tag of 3,698 Yuan (~$578). However, the information shared by the leakster states that it would be debuting with a pricing of 3,998 Yuan (~$625) on Jan. 25. If this information is true, Vivo will be announcing a launch event for smartphone very soon.

(source)