Anker Launches Kettlebell-Shaped Zolo Model Zero Smart Speaker With Google Assistant

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Jan 12, 2018

CES 2018 has been a sort of battle ground for the two major smart assistants – Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. Last year’s edition was a big win for Amazon but this year, Google played catch-up. One of the newest Google Assistant-powered device announced at the event is the Anker Zolo Model Zero smart speaker (quite a mouthful, right?).

The first thing that strikes you about the Model Zero is its design. Zolo (Anker’s audio brand) has settled for a kettlebell/handbag design. This makes it stand out from other smart speakers in the market which are mainly cylindrical. Anker itself has two speakers with a cylindrical design – the Alexa-powered Zolo Halo and the Zolo Mojo with Google Assistant.

We know you’d want to know if its lack of a cylindrical design does affect its audio reproduction. Anker says its radial design “creates the optimal angle for the high-end drivers to deliver superior sound performance”. It is said to actually have five speakers in total.

The cut-out in the Model Zero not only serves as a handle for carrying the speaker around, but its inside is home to the volume control buttons and LED lights. The rest of the buttons are on the side. There are also LED lights in front that light up when Assistant is activated.

The Zolo Model Zero is a mixture of aluminium and fabric. It comes in three color configurations – black and silver, black and bronze, and white and gold.

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Xiaomi Launches 59 Yuan (~$9) Digital Thermometer Hygrometer With E-Ink Display

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Jan 12, 2018

Xiaomi isn’t just your ordinary mobile phone OEM but is intent on becoming a brand with products which cuts across several categories including smart home gadgets. The tech giant has launched a new product, this time around it is a digital thermometer hygrometer with an ultra-cheap price tag of 59 Yuan (~$9).

The Xiaomi Digital Thermometer Hygrometer measures both the temperature and humidity of the room and the parameters are displayed on a screen. The device features an e-ink display which ensures it conserves battery power. It has a dimension of 64.5 x 64.5 x 9.7mm and is manufactured using environmentally friendly PC / ABS + PMMA material which does not contain harmful substances. The e-ink display uses a 3D curved display screen, with beautiful curves on all fours and well-chamfered edges. Apart from showing the temperature and humidity, the Xiaomi Digital Thermometer Hygrometer also comes with 6 kinds of notifications which shows the state of the room using facial expressions on the display.

The Xiaomi Digital Thermometer Hygrometer features built-in Swiss high-precision digital sensors with temperature measurement accuracy of 0.3 ℃, humidity measurement accuracy of 3% RH. There is also the option of viewing the temperature reading in Celsius or Fahrenheit. There is also a CR2032 button battery crammed inside and it is reputed as capable of lasting up to one year. There three ways to mount the Digital Thermometer hygrometer; there is a vertical base or the use of wall stickers. It can also be mounted using soft magnets. The device is suitable for the baby room, bedroom, desk, flower room, kitchen, bathroom and other locations within the apartment.

(source)

MediaTek Announces AI-Driven Chipsets For Media And Smart Home Devices

By

Jeet

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Jan 12, 2018

At Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2018, MediaTek announced a bunch of new chipsets which are driven by artificial intelligence that supports smart home devices. The company also showcased its current AI solutions for voice assistants, TVs and autonomous cars.

For the devices in the home entertainment sector, MediaTek is launching MT8695 — a system-on-chip for 4K dongles. Along with that, the company has also introduced an AI-friendly system-on-module called the MT8516 for an integrated smart display solution.

The MediaTek MT8695 SoC is claimed to the industry’s first 12nm SoC, built especially for media streaming dongles for supporting 4K content. It will allow users of 4K displays access to the affordable and convenient solution for streaming content.

The ultra-low power usage chipset supports 4K media at up to 60 frames per second, along with HDR10 and Dolby Vision. It is able to support the finest 4K content in a dongle-like device, similar to Google’s Chromecast or Amazon’s Fire TV Stick.

While other new chips from the company focus on artificial intelligence, this particular chipset isn’t focusing much on AI. The company is emphasising more on streaming rich media smoothly with the most conservative resource usage possible. However, it supports onboard AI with voice capabilities.

The more AI-focused chipset from the company is MT8516, having most of its resources offered with native AI, bringing more AI-based capabilities to any device it’s put in. According to the company, the new MT8516 chipset will give device designers and manufacturers an easier route to enabling the AI-based voice capabilities of form factors such as alarm clocks, fire alarms and other home appliances.

MediaTek also introduced its smart display solution based on MT8176 and MT8173. Both the chipsets support AI vision capabilities, for both home entertainment and surveillance systems.

HTC 10 Updates to Android 8.0 Oreo in the U.S.

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Michele Ingelido

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Jan 12, 2018

After apologizing for the delay of the Android 8.0 Oreo update for HTC U11 in Europe, HTC 10 has started to receive the update to the latest version of the OS in the U.S. The company had promised to bring Android 8.0 Oreo on this flagship in 2017, and the promise has been kept. The update carries the number of version 3.16.617.2 and it is actually coming to the unlocked units in the U.S.

We still do not have any info about when the carriers-branded U.S. units and the European units will update to Android Oreo, but it shouldn’t take much time. The RUU file of the update can already be download at this link, but the company alerts that if you have an unlocked bootloader on your HTC 10 you may risk of damaging your handset by flashing this update.

The update to Android Oreo brings many new features, as well as the security patch released by Google in the month of December. Among the most important features brought on the HTC 10, there are new background limits, notification channel, a feature to snooze notification, autofill APIs, adaptive icons and the picture in picture mode to reduce apps as small floating windows on the display.

(Via)

ZTE Axon M Will Have A Successor: The Company Will Release Another Foldable Smartphone

By

Michele Ingelido

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Jan 12, 2018

ZTE Axon M is a unique and revolutionary product: it is the first and only phone which has a dual display and can be folded to transform it from a smartphone to a sort of tablet. But even though it is a very innovative device, the public feedback hasn’t been entirely positive. Despite this, the company has declared, through its marketing VP Jeff Yee, that it will keep experimenting with foldable phones, and this means that the Axon M will likely have a successor.

The company is working to innovate the series even more, so you can expect to see a foldable smartphone which, unlike ZTE Axon M, has a bezel-less display. You can also expect a real foldable display instead of two separate displays which merge with each other. The next foldable phone will obviously be a flagship, so it will not be sold with a low price tag. The Axon M has been launched in the U.S. with a price of about $730 and it is available through AT&T. Soon the handset will launch in China too, and we hope that it will obtain more success in the home country of the company.

The device is composed of two displays with a size of 5.2 inches which can form a 6.75-inch screen if you unfold the phone. Under the hood, ZTE Axon M sports a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 SoC with a max frequency of 2.35 GHz: it is not the best one from Qualcomm, but it is the best one launched in 2016. It is possible to run two different apps on each screen, so, besides the comfort of having a smartphone which can turn into a tablet, this is also a great productivity phone.

Do you like this concept or you prefer the traditional smartphones?

[yop_poll id=”7″]

(Via)

Amazfit Cor Band Officially Up For Grabs In China For 299 yuan ($46)

By

Michele Ingelido

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Jan 12, 2018

Amazfit Cor Band has been officially made available to purchase in China. In case you do not know, it is a fitness tracker which combines the functionalities of a smartwatch and the ones of a smart band into a single device. One of the strongest points of this device is the color display with the IPS LCD technology and a size of 1.23 inches. Through this screen, it is possible to do many things, and we are not only talking about the standard features of a fitness tracker. The wristband allows reading WeChat messages, which is the most important messaging platform in China, as well as QQ messages.

It is possible to see the weather in real time and for the next days, you can set an alarm, a countdown, use the chronometer, and much more. Amazfit Cor Band can even be used for mobile payments through Alipay, which allows purchasing from AliExpress. Obviously, you will also find all the features of the fitness trackers. There is a pedometer, calories counter, and even a real-time heart rate sensor.

The design of the smart band is another excellent aspect of it. The body is made of stainless steel, while the display glass has a 2.5 D curvature which makes it even more elegant. Amazfit Cor Band is a waterproof fitness tracker and you can use it to swim without any issue: it is possible to put it underwater up to 50 meters deep. The smart band has been announced in four different hues: black, blue, gray and red. The price tag of Amazfit Cor Band in China is 299 Yuan, that is equivalent to about 38 euros or $46 dollars. It’s worth mentioning that apart from the black version, the other three models retail for a slightly higher price tag of 329 Yuan ($50). We do not have info about its availability outside of China.

Honor 9 Lite With Four Cameras To Launch In India On 17th January

By

Jeet

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Jan 12, 2018

Recently, Honor confirmed that its upcoming smartphone in the Indian market will be Honor 9 Lite and will be available exclusively through online retailer Flipkart. The company had said that the phone will be launched in India later this month.

Now, the China-based company has also revealed the phone’s launch date for the Indian market. The Honor 9 Lite will be launched in India on 17th January. The launch date was confirmed by a post on Honor’s official fan club page where the company confirmed hosting the launch event on 17th January.

In terms of looks, the Honor 9 Lite is very similar to the Honor View 10, with the only major difference being the placement of fingerprint sensor which is placed on the back. According to the company, the glass on the back features a 12-layer protection build which makes it tougher than normal glass found on other smartphones.

As the Honor 9 Lite has already been launched in India, we are familiar with the phone’s specifications. It features a 5.65-inch Full-HD+ display with screen resolution of 2160 x 1080 pixels and 18:9 aspect ratio and 2.5D curved glass on top. Under the hood, the device is powered by HiSilicon Kirin 659 processor, clocked at 2.36GHz and accompanied by Mali T830-MP2 GPU.

The phone was launched in three variants — 3GB RAM with 32GB internal storage, 4GB RAM with 32GB internal storage and 4GB RAM with 64GB onboard storage. It is not yet known if the company plans to bring all three models to India or not.

There four cameras on the phone — dual-camera setup at the back as well as on the front, with a combination of 13-megapixel primary sensor and a 2-megapixel secondary sensor. The rear camera comes with phase detection autofocus (PDAF) and LED flash.

As of Software, the Honor 9 Lite is running Android 8.0 Oreo operating system based EMUI 8.0. Connectivity options on the device include dual-SIM slots, 4G LTE, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and GPS. The device is fuelled by a 3,000mAh battery that is equipped with an intelligent power saving feature.

Samsung Galaxy S9 & Galaxy S9+ Full Specs Revealed

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Jan 12, 2018

Samsung recently disclosed that the Galaxy S9 and S9+ flagships would be launched at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona next month. Before then, the 2018 Galaxy S flagships were expected to be unveiled at CES 2018 but that didn’t happen. The Galaxy series was earlier rumoured to include a Galaxy X flagship but that isn’t likely going to happen. Samsung just can’t afford to look like they are imitating Apple. Now, here is a summary of the likely specs of the Galaxy S9 and S9+ as revealed by Chinese tech blog ifanr.com.

According to the details, the Galaxy S9 is expected to pack a 5.8-inch Super AMOLED display while the S9+ will pack a 6.2-inch Super AMOLED screen. Both models will be powered by a Snapdragon 845 chipset as well as an Exynos 9810 chip on some models. The two models are expected to be available in 4GB RAM + 64GB storage variant as well as 6GB RAM + 128GB storage and both are expandable.

The details also include that the Galaxy S9 will present with a 12MP single camera with f/1.5 aperture and OIS. While the Galaxy S9+ will come with a dual camera set up comprised of two 12MP sensors with f/2.4 and f/1.5 apertures respectively as well as double OIS. Both models are tipped to pack an 8MP selfie camera with f/1.7 aperture. Other expected features on both models include Cat 18 LTE band, Bluetooth, NFC, USB-C port, dual SIM cards and dual standby and so on. These specs are consistent with those on the retail box which appeared online recently.

(source)

Currently Crowdfunding On Kickstarter, BlitzWolf BW-AS1 Bluetooth Speaker Is Designed For Excellence

By

Vinay Patel

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Jan 12, 2018

There’s no dearth of wireless Bluetooth speakers as more and more brands continue to make an appearance in the market on a regular basis. However, the BlitzWolf BW-AS1 speaker is likely to sweep gadget buffs off their feet.

Housed in a case made from a single piece of aluminum, the BW-AS1 is silver-tinted with smooth rounded curves that will instantly catch your attention. This jaw-dropping design is coupled with a solid performance which makes the BW-AS1 one of the best 20W wireless speakers that debuted in 2017.

Speakers are usually built either bearing performance in mind or simply for looks. The BW-AS1 strikes a perfect balance between both by offering reliable performance and eye-catching appearances. The device is designed to not only be used indoor but also perform equally well outdoors.

Despite brimming with an array of awe-inspiring features, this BlitzWolf-branded Bluetooth speaker is surprisingly affordable. On top of that, it’s highly portable too, thanks to its compact form factor.

The BW-AS1 draws its juice from a robust 5200mAh battery, which offers 7-11 hours of wireless playback. Although it is relatively less portable than some smaller speakers available in the market, it compensates for the marginally bigger size with its performance.

BlitzWolf has a reputation for manufacturing great speakers and headphones along with some coveted smartphone accessories since 2015. It’s hardly surprising that the company quickly propelled to popularity on Amazon as one of the top brands as far as accessories are concerned. The BW-AS1 cements BlitzWolf as one of the best companies in manufacturing speakers.

The BlitzWolf BW-AS1 speaker is currently crowdfunding on Kickstarter. With a set goal of US$ 6,390, this product has already received US$ 1,707 and has 31 backers. If you’d like to back this project too, head straight to this link as there were only 28 days left at the time of writing.

Back BlitzWolf BW-AS1 Speaker On Kickstarter

HTC U11 EYEs Mid-Range Smartphone To Launch Next Week

By

Jeet

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Jan 12, 2018

HTC has sent out media ‘Save The Date’ invites for an event that the company is holding on 15th January. At the event, the company is expected to launch HTC U11 EYEs mid-range phone, which is codenamed Harmony.

While the invite doesn’t specifically mention that the HTC U11 EYEs will be launched, the accompanying post mentions ‘eye’, which pretty much confirms that it will debut at the 15th January event. Some report suggests that the phone will go on sale from 17th January in China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan.

Recently, Evan Blass shared the press renders of the phone and also revealed key specifications. The leaked images suggest that the HTC U11 EYEs will feature a curving glass back that comes in three colours — Red, Black, and a Blue-ish Silver.

The phone sports 5.99-inch Full-HD+ Super LCD3 display with 2160 x 1080 pixels screen resolution and 18:9 aspect ratio. Thanks to the fingerprint sensor on the back, the top and bottom bezels are now thinner. Under the hood, the device is powered by an octa-core Snapdragon 652 processor from Qualcomm with 4GB RAM and 64GB of internal storage.

There is also a microSD card slot, which enables users to further expand the phone’s storage capacity using a microSD card. While not much information is available about the camera specification, from the renders of the phone, it seems that there will be a dual camera setup on the front.

The phone is said to be running Android Nougat operating system out-of-the-box with the company’s own Sense UI on top. It also includes Edge Sense to trigger programmable actions by squeezing the phone. It is IP67 certified, meaning water and dust resistance. The device is fuelled by a 3,930mAh battery.

The HTC U11 EYEs is expected to be priced around 3,299 Yuan, which roughly converts to $510. Initially, the phone will be available in three countries — China, Hong Kong and Taiwan.

Samsung Galaxy S9 Retail Box Reveals Specifications

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Jan 12, 2018

At CES 2018, Samsung revealed that its next flagships – the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ will launch at MWC 2018. The event which will hold in Barcelona will run from Monday, February 26 till Thursday, March 1.

Ahead of the launch is a specification leak of the smaller-sized Galaxy S9. The leak comes in form of a photo of the phone’s retail box which has nearly all the key specs listed on it.

The Galaxy S9 will have a 5.8” display when measured as a full rectangle but measure 5.6” with rounded corners. The screen is a Quad HD+ Super AMOLED display.

Samsung is bringing its variable aperture technology from the Samsung W2018 to the Galaxy S series. The 12MP Dual Pixel camera with OIS will be able to switch from a F1.5 to F/2.4 aperture and vice-versa. The camera will also have a super slow-mo mode. For selfies, the Galaxy S9 will sport an 8MP autofocus camera.

The Galaxy S9 will pack 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage as standard. It will have an IP68 rating (water and dust resistance), an Iris Scanner, and support for wireless charging.

Another feature mentioned on the box is the audio power of the phone. The phone will have dual stereo speakers tuned by AKG and also come with earphones tuned by AKG. Sadly, it is not stated if the earphones are wired or wireless.

Continue

Xiaomi Mi Router 3C And Mi Wi-Fi Repeater 2 Gets Price Cut In India

By

Jeet

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Jan 12, 2018

Xiaomi has reduced the price of its Mi Router 3C and Mi WiFi Repeater 2 in India. The company has also revealed that this is a permanent price cut. With this, the effective price of Mi Router 3C is now Rs. 999 while the Mi WiFi Repeater 2 will now cost Rs. 799 for Mi WiFi Repeater 2.

Both the devices can be purchased through company’s own online store Mi.com, as well as other online retailers such as Flipkart and Amazon India. It is also available at Mi Home Stores across the country.

While Mi Router 3C was launched in India last year with a price tag of Rs. 1,199. This is the first router launched by Xiaomi in India. The device comes with four ‘high-performance antennas’ each with a dedicated PCB circuit and has a 2-transmit, 2-receive antenna design.

According to the company, it offers improved Wi-Fi range and signal stability. It comes equipped with 64MB of RAM and offers wireless speed of 300mbps. It can be used to connect up to 64 devices simultaneously.

Further, there is a Mi Wi-Fi application which enables users to track real-time usage. Apart from usage tracking, it also enables pre-configured guest sharing of Wi-Fi passwords as well as parental controls.

On the other hand, Xiaomi’s Mi Wi-Fi Repeater 2 was launched in India in June last year. The device allows users to extend the coverage of their Wi-Fi network. It can be used to connect 16 other devices at the same time.

According to the company, this wireless repeater is compatible with almost all popular router brands. This one too comes equipped with two PCB antennas that help to expand the signal range and improve download speeds. As per Xiaomi’s claims, the device can also help in auto-selecting optimal Wi-Fi channels for faster download speeds.

Samsung’s Foldable Smartphones with Fold-in, Fold-Out Design Showcased at CES 2018 Privately

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Jan 12, 2018

Samsung was present at the recently held Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2018 to not only unveil new devices such as smart TVs, computers and home appliances, but also to reveal its first foldable smartphones to select clients through a private meeting. The South Korean company has reportedly showcased foldable smartphones with both fold-in and fold-out design during the meeting.

The South Korean company is expected to commercially launch the infolding foldable smartphone first as it plans to begin its production from November. It is said that compared to the outfolding type, the infolding smartphone has a drastic curvature rate. However, the outfolding design is considered to be a more advanced technology.

Last year too, Samsung had reportedly shown a foldable smartphone through a private conference at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2017 event. It is speculated that the during the CES 2018, the South Korean company revealed the upgraded version of its foldable smartphone that it had shown at MWC 2017. In the meeting, Samsung invited different types of clients to gauge the response of customers.

One of the exhibitors who was present in the private viewing at CES 2018 said that Samsung’s foldable phone has a 7.3-inch foldable OLED screen. The smartphone with fold-in design has a bendable curvature of 1R whereas the model with fold-out design has a curvature of 5R. This suggests that both the foldable phones can be folded like a paper. Previous reports have suggested that such phones may not feature glass panel, but it may feature polymer OLED.

Curvature implementation is a difficult process and smartphones feature foldable screen can easily break if it falls on the ground. To ensure durability of its foldable phones, Samsung’s R&D department has reportedly dropped them 20 million times a day. The company has reportedly finished the development and is now raising expectations for the launch. It is likely that the company may unveil it at the end of the year or in early 2019. Apple is also reportedly working on a foldable smartphone and it is speculated that Samsung will be supplying the foldable screen for it.

(source)

You Can Now Pre-Order Newwear Q8 Smartwatch For Only $24.99 On Banggood

By

Vinay Patel

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Jan 12, 2018

Newwear’s Q8 smartwatch is ideal for health-conscious people who like to keep a real-time track of heart rate measurement, both static and dynamic. The Q8 smartwatch also proves useful for people who are always on the go as it comes with call reminders, alarm and a slew of other features that come in handy while traveling.

You can now pre-order the multiuse Newwear Q8 smartwatch for just $24.99 on Banggood. This is a significant 50% reduction in the device’s original selling price of $45.99.

But if that’s not good enough to sweep you off your feet, the site is also giving 24 Banggood points to those who pre-order Newwear Q8 smartwatch before the promo comes to an end. It’s also worth noting that the discount is only on the remaining pieces, which are likely to be sold soon.

Sporting a 0.95inch OLED colorful screen display with a resolution of 96*, the Q8 smartwatch offers an impressive 150 days standby time and is backed by 170mAh battery. Moreover, the Newwear-branded smartwatch boasts One Key Examination, remote camera, Time, DND mode, the option to reject a call on the smart band and lots more.

Banggood is offering the discount on silver, gold, blue, white and black-tinted versions of the smartwatch. You can head straight to this link in order to save 50% on Newwear Q8’s original asking price on Banggood.

Get A Massive 50% Discount On Newwear Q8 Smartwatch On Banggood

Xiaomi Mi A1 Android 8.0 Oreo Update Rollout Stopped Due to Bugs

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Jan 12, 2018

At the end of December 2017, the Android 8.0 Oreo update was rolled out for Xiaomi Mi A1 Android One smartphone that was launched in September last year. However, the rollout of the update has now been stopped as several users have complained about various bugs that have marred the performance of the phone. A screenshot showing a Xiaomi rep confirming that the company has temporarily halted the Oreo update for M1 A1 has also surfaced.

Users who have updated to Android Oreo on M1 A1 have primarily complained about poor battery performance. Reports suggest that the battery drain issue that has surfaced after Oreo update is associated with the Bluetooth function of the phone. Some users have complained that ambient display notifications are not working while others have said they are facing problems in receiving a call if the display is turned off.

The Android 8.0 Oreo update for Xiaomi Mi A1 that was released on Dec. 31, 2017 weighs 1,104.1MB. The update brought new features like notification dots, notification channels, Picture-in-Picture mode Autofill Framework, Smart text selection, new emojis and more.

As of this writing, there is no confirmation on when Xiaomi will be resuming the Android Oreo update for Mi A1. Before rolling out the final Oreo update, its beta version was released so that bugs could be ironed out. It appears that in a bid to quickly release the Oreo update for M1 A1, the company failed to kill all the bugs.

Google and Xiaomi had teamed up to launch the Xiaomi Mi A1 as the first Android One phone from the Chinese manufacturer. The Xiaomi Mi A1 is essentially the Mi 5X smartphone that was launched in China in July last year. The only difference between the two phones is that the Mi 5X has a layer of MIUI 9 on Android Nougat OS whereas the Mi A1 is running stock version of Android and it does not feature the MIUI skin.

Have you encountered any batter drain issue or any other problem after installing the Android 8.0 Oreo update on Mi A1? Share us your experience by adding your comments below.

(source|via 1, 2)

Huawei P11, P12 Test Pages Appear on Official Website

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Jan 12, 2018

Rumors have revealed that Huawei will be unveiling new P-series flagship phones at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2018 that will be held in the next month. The rumor mill is yet to confirm whether the upcoming P series flagship will be called P11 or P20. It seems that the company is prepping up on the launch of its P series phone as the test pages of unreleased phones like P11 and P12 have appeared as placeholders on Huawei.com

The listings for the P11 and P12 contain specifications of the older Ascend Mate 7 smartphone. The test pages do not contain any information on the alleged Huawei P20 flagship phone. Rumors have it that the next P series flagship from Huawei has a model number of EML-AL00 and it wi++ll be supporting an aspect ratio of 18.7:9. The screen resolution of 1080 x 2444 pixels suggests that it may sport a notch like the one present on the iPhone X. It will be running on Android 8.0 Oreo.

It is rumored to be powered by HiSilicon Kirin 970 chipset that is equipped with a dedicated AI chip. The SoC of the phone is likely to be coupled with up to 6 GB of RAM. It is expected to arrive with 3D facial recognition feature like the Face ID from Apple. It is also pegged to come with Leica branded 40-megapixel triple rear camera system with 5x hybrid zoom along with a 24-megapixel selfie camera. The upcoming P series phones is rumored to include four variants like Standard, Pro, Plus and Lite.

As mentioned above, there are conflicting rumors about the name of the forthcoming P series flagship. Since the MWC 2018 launch is more than a month away, the rumor is expected to reveal more information on the phone in the coming weeks.

(source 1, 2, 3 |via 1, 2)

Xiaomi, Huawei & Others Are Reportedly Shifting To Mini LED Displays This Year To Combat OLED Shortage

By

Joel Joseph

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Jan 12, 2018

OLED displays are used on most high-end smartphones in the market and every year, more and more companies are shifting from traditional LCD displays to premium OLED panels for their flagship models. Even Apple made the shift to OLED displays late last year with the launch of the iPhone X and it is said that the Cupertino giant could occupy more of Samsung’s production as the new generation iPhones of 2018 are expected to feature AMOLED displays.

Galaxy Note8 Star Pink — Galaxy Note 8 Featuring A Super AMOLED Display

Now that Apple is going to take up a lot of OLED display production, with reports suggesting that even LG is going to supply panels to the company, other manufacturers like Huawei, Xiaomi, and OPPO are said to be looking for alternative display technologies. In this regard, these companies have reportedly decided to adopt mini LED-backlit display panels instead of AMOLED panels to combat the shortage that could hit its supply this year. These Chinese companies have asked Taiwan based display makers to start producing mini LED backlit displays in the second half of 2018 (June), around the time Apple starts mass producing its new generation iPhones.

Digitimes report that over time, technological improvement in mini LED chip designs will help reduce their production cost thereby increasing the willingness of smartphone manufacturers to adopt this tech. So, we should likely see smartphones featuring mini LED displays sometime by the end of this year.

(Source)

GeekBuying Is Offering Up To 60% Discount On Home Theater And Audio Items

By

Vinay Patel

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Jan 12, 2018

Music lovers and movie buffs are in for a treat. As part of its New Year Sale, GeekBuying is offering a massive discount on various home theater and audio category items. Let’s delve straight into the details.

Best Offers

GeekBuying is selling Himedia Q10 PRO Media Player for just $145.99, which is a massive 60% discount on the device’s original asking price of $366.61. Similarly, the site is offering a 14% discount on Xiaomi Mijia Laser Projector, bringing its original $2199.99 selling price down to just $1899. This promo ends in 3 days.

Apart from that, this section showcases various other items including Beelink GS1 6K TV Box, Bluedio Vinyl Plus Wireless Bluetooth Headphones, Razer Leviathan Mini Bluetooth Speaker with Mic, and GP90 Portable LCD Projector at heavily-discounted prices.

Projectors

Despite bearing steep price tags, projectors are an important part of home entertainment. Thanks to GeekBuying’s latest promo, you can now get your hands on YG-300 Mini Pocket LCD Projector, Uhappy U58 LED Projector, D13 DLP Mini Pocket Projector and a slew of other projectors at a slashed price.It is imperative for you to bear in mind that the discounts are valid only for a limited time on the remaining pieces. In other words, the promo is valid only for a limited period of time.

TV Boxes

TV Boxes are equally important as far as home entertainment is concerned. You can now choose from various Television boxes on GeekBuying and get a considerable discount on the item’s selling price as well.

For instance, you can save 34% on H96 MAX RK3399 TV BOX. The device’s original price is $161.82, but with the aforesaid discount, it’s currently up for grabs for just $106.99 on GeekBuying.

Lining with this, there’s a considerable 57% discount on X96 MINI TV BOX, a 20% discount on ZIDOO H6 PRO TV Box, and 44% discount on MECOOL KIII PRO TV BOX for a limited period of time. A slew of TV boxes is also available at a lowered price.

Speakers

Good quality speakers can comprehensively enhance the home entertainment experience. Thankfully, you don’t need to spend a fortune to buy good speakers since GeekBuying is offering a massive discount on some top-notch speakers.

First off, there’s 23% discount on Tronsmart Element Mega Bluetooth speaker’s original asking price of $59.99. Xiaomi Square Box 2 wireless speaker is also up for grabs for just $23.99, which is a considerable reduction in the device’s original selling price of $44.99.

Headphones

Headphones are light, easy-to-use and they come in a wide variety of breed, but they can bear a steep price tag sometimes. GeekBuying is giving you an opportunity to buy good quality headphones without burning a hole in your pocket.

You can go for Xiaomi Mi IV Hybrid Earphones and save 51% since the site is selling it for only $15.99. You can also buy Tronsmart S6 Active Bluetooth Headphones by shelling out only $58.99, which is a 26% reduction in its original selling price of $79.99. In order to get up to 60% discount on home theater and audio items, head straight to this link.

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Nokia 8 Disappoints in DxOMark Benchmarks, Scores Lower Than Gionee S10L, Lava Z25

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

-

Jan 12, 2018

Nokia 8 is the first Android flagship phone from HMD Global that had debuted in August 2017. It is also the first Nokia Android phone to come with dual rear cameras. Even though the smartphone is packed with impressive internals like QHD display and Snapdragon 835 chipset, it has been criticized for its uninteresting design. The DxOMark benchmarks of the dual rear cameras reveals that the Nokia 8 is a disappointing phone when it comes to photography.

The Zeiss branded dual camera setup that resides on the backside of the Nokia 8 includes an f/2.0 aperture 13-megapixel RGB sensor and an f/2.0 aperture 13-megapixel monochrome sensor. It is equipped with features like dual-LED flash, PDAF, laser autofocus, 4K video shooting at 30 fps and optical image stabilization.

In the photography department, the Nokia 8 has scored 72 as it manages to shoot nice images with good exposure and accurate white balance in some conditions. Dynamic range is fine only when the Auto HDR mode is working. Images shot with Nokia 8 contain some levels of saturation and color shading.

The smartphone was also found to perform inconsistently in rendering colors in dim light conditions. There is visible noise even when there is bright light at the scene. It captures less details while shooting photos in indoor or dim-light conditions. The autofocus system that includes contrast detection, phase detection and laser manages to work accurately in most situations, but works poorly in low-light conditions. The digital zoom functions well until 2x zoom after which the images appear pixelated. The Nokia 8 manages to impress in shots with bokeh effect.

In the video shooting department, it has recorded a score of 62. When it comes to video capturing at night, the Nokia 8 fails to trigger autofocus. It records videos with less details and the OIS feature fails to create stable videos. It can shoot good videos only in bright scenarios or well-lit indoor conditions.

With an overall score of 68 on DxOMark, the Nokia 8 scores lower than the older phones like the Apple iPhone 6 and Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge. Even phones like Meizu Pro 7 Plus and Lava Z25 have outperformed it. The Google Pixel 2 is leading the pack at DxOMark with a score of 98. It is followed by Apple iPhone X and Huawei Mate 10 Pro that are tied at second spot with a score 97.

(source)

LG May Debut “Icon” Smartphone and “Iconic” Smartwatch In 2019

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

-

Jan 12, 2018

LG has been consistently encountering losses in its mobile business. Hence, it has decided to change its strategy for mobile business and it could be the reason why the company is likely to rebrand its G series of flagship phones. Recent reports have suggested that the successor for the LG G6 may launch as LG G7. However, since LG has filed trademarks for new names for smartphones and smartwatch, it is now speculated that LG may launch new series of smartphones in the coming year.

Well-known tipster Evan Blass has found new trademark listings for smartphone names such as LG Icon, LG Aicon, and LG Aiconn in the database of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). It appears that the LG Icon could be the name of a new high-end smartphone. The South Korean company has also filed a trademark for LG Iconic that may launch as a smartwatch. Hence, it appears that LG Icon could be the new line of mobile devices from the company.

Companies are known for not using all the product names that are trademarked by them. However, since the company is reportedly planning to re-strategize its mobile business, there is a possibility that the we may see Icon branded smartphones and Iconic smartwatches in the future.

Do you think that LG will Icon branded smartphones and smartwatches in 2019? Let us know your thoughts by adding your comments below.

(via)