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MediaTek Helio P70 Fueled World’s First Smartphone, the Ulefone T2 Pro, Launching at MWC 2018

Recent reports have suggested that MediaTek would be introducing Helio P70 and Helio P40 chipsets at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2018 event in the coming month. Ulefone, a domestic smartphone brand from China has now confirmed that it will be introducing the Ulefone T2 Pro as the world’s first smartphone powered by MediaTek Helio P70. Below is the official MWC 2018 invitation for the launch of Ulefone T2 Pro.

Ulefone T2 Pro MWC 2018 Launch

The above image shows that the Helio P70 chipset will be seen first on a Ulefone smartphone that sports a notch enabled full screen design like the iPhone X. The company has confirmed the name of the device as Ulefone T2 Pro.

Shown below is the render of the upcoming Ulefone T2 Pro. It reveals that the smartphone would be sporting an impressive full screen design with a notch that is smaller than iPhone X. Because of the notch, the screen of the T2 Pro will be delivering an aspect ratio of 19:9 and screen resolution of 1080 x 2280 pixels like the iPhone X. As of this writing, there is no information available on the other specs of the phone. The handset will be sporting glass panels on front and rear sides with a metallic frame placed in between. The rear panel has a horizontally arranged dual camera setup.

Read More: MediaTek Helio P38 Rumored to be in Works, Specs Leaked; Expected to Power ~$125 Priced Phones

The Helio P70 from the Taiwanese chip maker is said to be a 12nm chipset manufactured by TSMC. The octa-core chipset has four cores of Cortex A73 running at 2.5 GHz and four cores of Cortex A53 clocking at 2.0 GHz. The chipset also rumored to feature Mali-G72 MP4 800 MHz graphics and carry support for eMMC 5.1, UFS 2.1 dual-channel LPDDR4x 3733 RAM of up to 8 GB and Cat. 12 LTE modem. It is also expected to come with some support for AI capabilities.

The MediaTek Helio P70 powered Ulefone T2 Pro is expected to deliver stellar performance as the chipset was recently spotted with an impressive average benchmarking score of 156,906 on AnTuTu. The performance of the Helio P70 seems to be much better than Snapdragon 660 by Qualcomm. It appears that the Helio P70 has been designed to take on the upcoming Snapdragon 670 chipset.

 

 

Xiaomi Is Coming To Italy: The First Mi Store Will Open In Milan

The expansion of Xiaomi is becoming aggressive: the company is going to open the first Mi Store in my country: Italy, and the company has started hiring people to work inside it. The store will be opened in Milan, North Italy. The company has officially confirmed its arrival in Italy through a post on its official Facebook page with an image attached. In the image, we can read “Ciao Italia” that means “Hi Italy”. The Chinese giant is currently searching a Store Manager and four sales clerks.

xiaomi

The company wants a Store Manager with at least five years of experience in structured tech companies and sales clerks with at least two years of experience. An in-depth knowledge of Xiaomi’s ecosystem is needed too, as well as a knowledge of the main technology trends. The candidates must be able to entertain interpersonal relationships with international customers. So, just knowing the Italian language will not be enough: English is required too. Problem-solving and dedication to work are among the other qualities required by Xiaomi. Unfortunately, the date in which the Mi Store will be opened in Milan is still unknown.

We do not even know which products will be sold in this physical store, even though there is a high chance that we will see Mi and Redmi phones. We may learn more about it at MWC 2018, seeing that the company will attend the Mobile World Congress this year. Italy is not the first European country in which Xiaomi has arrived: the Chinese giant has already opened stores in Greece and Spain. Further, it is actually possible to purchase some Xiaomi phones in Italy through Amazon (Mi A1 and Mi Max 2 are among these devices), even though prices are way higher than the ones in China.

(Via)

Sony Xperia XA2, XA2 Ultra And L2 Will Be Available In The US From February

At the Consumer Electronics Show earlier this month in Las Vegas, Sony unveiled three smartphones — Xperia XA2, XA2 Ultra, and L2. While the company had unveiled the devices, the pricing and availability information was not revealed.

Now, the company has announced that all three smartphones will go on sale in the United States from February. The Sony Xperia XA2 and Xperia XA2 Ultra will be available from February 16 while the Xperia L2 will be available from 9th February from Amazon. Later, from 4th March, the phones will also be available through BestBuy and other retailers.

In the US, the Xperia XA2 is priced at $349.99 while the XA2 Ultra is priced at $449.99 and Xperia L2 is priced at $249.99. The devices went up for pre-orders in the United States a few weeks ago.

Sony Xperia XA2 Ultra

For the Xperia XA2 series, the company has ditched MediaTek processor and has instead opted for Qualcomm‘s Snapdragon 630 chipset. While the Xperia XA2 features a 5.2-inch Full HD display, its bigger sibling XA2 Ultra comes with a 6-inch Full HD display.

The Xperia XA2 packs 3GB RAM and 32GB of internal storage with a microSD card slot for further expanding the storage capacity. On the other hand, the Xperia XA2 Ultra comes with 4GB RAM and two variants based on the internal storage — 32GB and 64GB. This one too comes with a microSD card slot for storage expansion.

Both devices feature a 23-megapixel camera sensor with f/2.0 aperture, hybrid autofocus, and support for 4K video recording and 120fps slow-motion shooting. On the front, the Xperia XA2 comes with an 8-megapixel ultra wide fixed-focus camera for taking selfies and video calling. The Xperia XA2 Ultra features a dual-camera setup on the front with an 8-megapixel camera sensor and a 16-megapixel camera sensor with less extreme FOV, 16:9 aspect ratio, autofocus, and OIS.

Sony Xperia XA2

Running Android 8.0 Oreo operating system out-of-the-box, the XA2 is powered by a 3,300mAh battery and the XA2 Ultra is fuelled by a 3,580mAh battery with both devices supporting Qualcomm’s Quick Charge 3.0 fast charging technology.

The Sony Xperia L2 features a 5.5-inch HD display with 1280 x 720 pixels screen resolution. It is powered by a 1.5GHz quad-core MediaTek MT6737T processor, coupled with 3GB RAM and 32GB internal storage with support for expanding storage using microSD card.

Read More: Sony’s Next Xperia Flagship May Arrive with Flexible OLED Displays

There is a 13-megapixel rear camera and an 8-megapixel front-facing camera. The phone features a fingerprint sensor on the back, same as XA2-series. It runs Android 7.1 Nougat operating system and is fuelled by a 3,300mAh battery.

 

Nokia 6 (2018) Price Slashed By 200 Yuan, Nokia 7 Now Available with 1,000 Yuan (~$158) Discount

HMD Global had launched the Nokia 6 2nd Gen smartphone at the start of this smartphone in China. At that time, it had introduced the 64 1,699 Yuan (~$268). Within a month of its launch, the Finnish firm has slashed the price of the smartphone as its 64 GB variant is now selling for 1,499 (~$237) on Jingdong Mall. The Chinese retailer is also selling the Nokia 7 with a priced cut of 1,000 Yuan (~$158).

Nokia 6 (2018)

Currently, the 64 GB Nokia 6 (2018) is now available at a lowest price of 1,499 Yuan (~$237) by using 200 Yuan coupons. There is no information available on whether it is a temporary or permanent price cut.

Nokia 7

Two weeks ago, the retailer had introduced a discount of 900 Yuan (~$142) on the 4 GB and 6 GB RAM variants of the Nokia 7. Both the variants were launched with respective pricing of 2,499 Yuan and 2,699 Yuan, but their pricing were recently reduced to 1,599 Yuan (~$252) and 1,799 Yuan (~$284). Updated listing of the 6 GB RAM variant now shows that the retailer has further slashed its price by 100 Yuan (~$15.8) as it is now selling for 1,699 Yuan.

The Nokia 7 was introduced in China in October and its price has been slashed by 1,000 Yuan within few months after its launch. There is no official announcement on why the company has decided to sell it with reduced pricing. Even though the smartphone is yet to be made available outside of China, recent reports have revealed that the Finnish firm is working on an advanced model called Nokia 7 Plus that is driven by Snapdragon 660. It is speculated that it could be aimed towards international market.

 

 

Vivo X20 Under Display Fingerprint Version Teardown: Here’s All What Lies Inside

Vivo recently launched the Vivo X20 Plus Under Display fingerprint version which is the world’s first smartphone that would pack an in-display fingerprint sensor. The X20 Plus UD fingerprint edition comes with a refreshed design slightly different from the initial X20 Plus in that, it packs ann in-display or under display fingerprint sensor. Thus, the X20 Plus UD does not have a fingerprint sensor at the rear. Now, we have spotted the teardown photos of the flagship and in case you have been wondering how it looks on the inside, here it is.Vivo X30 Plus

The Vivo X20 Plus UD fingerprint version doesn’t seem to be difficult to dismantle. All that is needed is a pry tool, suction cup, screwdrivers and other relevant tools. The suction cup and pry are used to take off the display panel wherein lies the Under Display sensor. The rear panel is held in place by screws which can be removed using a hexagonal screwdriver. Of course, you’ll need to remove the SIM card tray before embarking on this exercise.Vivo X30 Plus

Read Also: Vivo X20 Plus In-Screen Fingerprint Version Unboxing Pictures: Slightly More Of The Same!

Since there is no rear-mounted fingerprint sensor on the under display sensor, the front panel and the rear are not connected by any wire. Thus, all the main components of the device are attached to the display panel. The motherboard and other internals are protected with graphite layer and are well arranged. In all, the Vivo X20 Plus UD fingerprint version boasts of a good design on the outside and internally.

(source)Vivo X20 Plus UD TeardownVivo X20 Plus UD Teardown

Vivo X20 Plus UD TeardownVivo X20 Plus UD TeardownVivo X20 Plus UD TeardownVivo X20 Plus UD TeardownVivo X20 Plus UD TeardownVivo X20 Plus UD TeardownVivo X20 Plus UD TeardownVivo X20 Plus UD Teardown

 

No Android 8.0 Oreo For Essential PH-1, Will Get Android 8.1 Instead

The Essential PH-1 has been on Android 8.0 Oreo beta for over a month. For a device that runs close to stock Android, one would think it should have received a stable update instead. Unfortunately that update hasn’t come and will never come.

Essential Phone Android 8.0 Oreo

In a tweet via its official account, Essential has announced that the PH-1 will not get a stable Android 8.0 Oreo update. The reason is said to be due to several stability issues in Android 8.0 Oreo which they believe will be addressed in Android 8.1.

So rather than releasing Android 8.0 riddled with bugs, the Essential PH-1 will instead receive Android 8.1 Oreo. However, this will add a couple of weeks to when the device finally gets updated to Oreo.

Essential says it will release the Android 8.1 beta update in the meantime while they work on the build.

While this may be a bit disappointing for those who have been waiting endlessly for the update, we can all agree that waiting for a stable version that is bug free isn’t all that bad. You wouldn’t want to end up in the same boat as users of a certain Android One device, right?

READ MORE: You Can Now Purchase Accessories For The Essential Phone On The Official Site

Alcatel 5: Full Specs, Photos & Price

For 2018, TCL has refreshed the Alcatel lineup by splitting them into three categories. There is the Alcatel 1 series for entry level devices, Alcatel 3 series for lower mid-range devices, and Alcatel 5 series for the flagship (read mid-range) category.

Alcatel 5

Full details of the Alcatel 5, which is still the only phone we have seen in the 5 series, have surfaced online ahead of official unveiling at MWC 2018.

The design of the Alcatel 5 should be familiar by now. After having first surfaced about 4 months ago when Evan Blass leaked the complete lineup, the phone has leaked many more times afterwards. However, we’d quickly run through it again.

Alcatel 5 Design

Alcatel is taking a different approach to the bezel-less trend. Rather than reducing the size of both bezels like the Samsung Galaxy S8, or completely shaving the top bezel off like the Essential PH-1, the Alcatel 5 has a shaved chin (not completely) and rocks a big forehead.

Flip the phone to the back and you are greeted with a gold or black brushed back with curved sides and a chrome finish at the top and bottom.

Personally, the device looks better from the rear than it does from the front

Alcatel 5 Specs

The Alcatel 5 has a 5.7” HD+ IPS FullView display. It is powered by a MediaTek MT6750 processor paired with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of expandable storage.

The large forehead is home to dual front facing cameras. One is a 13MP f/2.0 sensor with 5P lens and the other is a 5MP 120° wide-angle camera. The second camera is for those wide-angle selfies with more than two friends or when you want to capture the view behind you.

On the rear there is a 12MP f/2.0 sensor with a LED flash and fingerprint scanner positioned below it. The phone also supports face unlock. The Alcatel 5 has a 3000mAh battery, a USB-C port, Bluetooth 4.2 and runs Android 8.0 Oreo.

READ MORE: Alcatel 3C Launched In Italy: 6” HD+ Display, 3000mAh Battery & €130 Price

LEAGOO S9 Aims To Be The World’s First Display Notch-Packing Android O Smartphone

Apple is no doubt one of the most popular smartphone manufacturers in the world, apart from being one of the most valuable. The company enjoys a large followership globally and in China, the followership is optimum. Thus, it is no surprise we usually see Chinese OEMs releasing smartphones with designs similar to Apple’s models. One model whose look-alikes will soon burst into the scene is the iPhone X and one of them is the LEAGOO S9.LEAGOO S9

The flagship X is Apple’s most expensive smartphone to date and is quite popular, so this shouldn’t be a surprise. The Apple flagship is one of the full-screen models to come with a U-shaped display notch which is considered by some as a futuristic and alluring design. The iPhone X runs on iOS but we are yet to see an Android smartphone with a similar U-shaped display notch design. This will soon change as LEAGOO is aiming to beat others to launch the first Android smartphone with a display notch which is as wide as that of the iPhone X. Do note that the Essential phone had just a tiny notch housing the selfie camera so that doesn’t count. The LEAGOO S9 doesn’t only run on the Android platform, it is also tipped to come with the latest Android 8.1 Oreo OS. This would make the LEAGOO S9 probably the world’s first phone with a display notch running on Android 8.1.   You can check out the LEAGOO S9 design from the trailer video below.

LEAGOO S9 Official Trailer Video:

LEAGOO S9 will be officially launched in at the Mobile World Congress (MWC 2018) in Barcelona this February! The device will also be on exhibition at Leagoo’s booth during the event. You can also participate in the LEAGOO S9 official discussion activity and stand a chance to win one efree unit of the LEAGOO S9 which the company will be giving away soon. You can find the discussion page here.

Blackview P6000 Review – A Very Beautiful Smartphone

Blackview has made quite a few phones lately and the P6000 is a device that has great specs, huge battery and much more that is packed into a beautiful metal and glass body. We have used the Blackview P6000 for quite some time and here the full Blackview P6000 review.

VIDEO REVIEW

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gj-nV6TtoNs[/embedyt]

UNBOXING

The phone ships with all the usual items and there are quite a few extras included. You get a screen protector, a pair of earphones, 3.5mm headset adapter, a mini holder, USB OTG cable and last but not least, a soft TPU case.

DESIGN, DISPLAY, BATTERY LIFE

I’ve reviewed a lot of Blackview phones and this may be the best-looking one. We have a very well-made device that uses metal chassis and curved glass on the back and on the front. I really like this blue color as it looks nice and the fingerprints are not that visible.

Since the phone sports a huge battery, you can feel that the device is a bit heavier but it preserves a relatively thin profile, which is quite impressive considering the size of a power bank.

That battery performs really well. I was able to use the phone for a couple of days and that translated to about 17h of screen-on time, which is a ridiculously good result. It takes about 2 hours to fully charge the battery with the supplied fast charger.

I also found buttons to be in the right place and overall, it’s comfortable to hold the phone in the hand.

The display is really good both for indoor and outdoor use.

The dual-camera setup is one of the highlights of the phone and it is accompanied by a dual LED flash.

We also have an 8MP selfie shooter, which sits next to the LED notification light.

The home button works as a back key and you can also assign other features to it. The fingerprint scanner is accurate but, however, the display could light up faster. There is also a face unlock feature that works quite well but I still think that the fingerprint is a faster way to unlock the phone. There is no headset jack but the quality of sound via the supplied adapter is decent. The loudspeaker is placed on the back and the quality of sound is just about average as it lacks depth and punchiness.

HARDWARE and PERFORMANCE

If you consider the price of the phone, the Blackview P6000 ships with very good specs.

Gaming performance is very good. I was able to play my favorite 3D titles without any issues like lag or stutter and the phone does not overheat. It gets a little warm on the upper portion though but I’m not worried about that.

BENCHMARKS

IMAGE QUALITY

The overall image quality is pretty good even if you take pictures on a cloudy day like I did. There is plenty of detail thanks to the 21MP shooter. Obviously, there are some issues with the dynamic range but I’m happy with the results since this is a budget phone after all.

The portrait shots are also surprisingly good in comparison to most of the budget Chinese phones I’ve recently tested.

The night image quality, however, does not impress as there is a lot of noise and grain.

On a positive note, selfies taken with the 8MP camera look pretty good.

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

1080p video quality is kind of average. There could be more detail but a good thing is that continuous auto-focus features work fine.

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLdQx1gGmQQ[/embedyt]

1080p selfie video quality could be better. Sound recording quality does not impress either.

Download full resolution camera samples

USER INTERFACE

The phone runs Android 7.1 but we have the Blackview’s skin built on top of it, which changes the looks in quite a few ways and adds a few extra features. For example, you can change the colors of LED notification light, customize the navigation bar in a variety of ways or use gesture controls that work well. Some animations one this phone could be faster but in general, I found this device to be pretty fast and responsive on the daily basis.

CONNECTIVITY

In terms of connectivity, I have no complaints. all quality and signal reception are really good, Wifi and Bluetooth work fine.

There are quite a few sensors, including a gyroscope, meaning that the phone is compatible with VR headsets and 360 content. Finally, the phone supports USB OTG, so you can connect external devices.

CONCLUSIONS

Blackview P6000 is a beautiful-looking phone that has powerful internals, great overall performance, and a fantastic battery life. Also, you can take decent daylight pictures with the phone’s dual camera setup. However, you should know that there is no headset jack, the camera performs poorly in low light and the loudspeaker quality is average.

At the end of the day, the Blackview P6000 still offers a lot of value for the price but as always, please consider all the pros and cons before making the purchase.

Thriller! Xiaomi Mi MIX 2s Rumored To Be The World’s First Snapdragon 845 Phone

In what could be termed to be a surprising disclosure, a fresh rumor has emerged that the much-anticipated Xiaomi Mi Mix 2s would be the world’s first Snapdragon 845-powered smartphone. This contrary to widely held expectations that the Samsung Galaxy S9 would have that honor just as the Galaxy S8 was one of the first smartphones to pack a Snapdragon 835 chip. We won’t forget, though, that the Sony Xperia XZ Premium was the first commercial smartphone that was announced with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 chipset at MWC 2017 before the Galaxy S8 and S8+ were launched.

Xiaomi Mi Mix 2S
Xiaomi Mi Mix 2S Renders

Just recently, we brought you a report where a popular tipster had alleged that the Mix 2s may likely be released even before MWC 2018. The Weibo tipster who made this assertion based his disclosure on reports from the components supply chain. The tipster had asked his followers to guess which device would be the first SD 845 smartphone. We should have known that he left a clue with that question. This latest rumor has now made that bare. The source of the new rumor also stated that the Mix 2s will be the first device to be announced packing Qualcomm’s latest chip but Samsung would get most of the chips for its Galaxy S9 series.

Read Also: Alleged Xiaomi Mi MIX 2s Renders Surface; Looks Like iPhone X

The Xiaomi Mi Mix 2s is expected to pack the same full-screen bezel-less design as the Mi Mix 2 as well as an 18:9 aspect ratio. Before now, the chipset that would be onboard the flagship model was unknown but we now know that the device will likely pack a Snapdragon 845 chip. Other details of the device are still unknown as of this moment. By the way, this is just another rumor about the Mi Mix 2s, so don’t take it too seriously until Xiaomi officially confirms it.

(via)

Xiaomi Mi A1’s Android Nougat Kernel Source Code is Now Available

Xiaomi has always been quite slow when it comes to releasing kernel sources. During the launch of the Mi MIX 2 flagship phone in India in October 2017, the company had stated that it would be releasing quality kernel sources within three months after the launch of a device. When Xiaomi had launched the Mi A1 as its first Android One device, it was also expected to release its kernel sources soon. However, the Chinese manufacturer has now managed to release the kernel sources four months after its launch.

Even though Xiaomi has released Android Oreo update for the Mi A1, it’s a bit disappointing to know that the company has pushed out the kernel sources for Android Nougat. It is a known fact that Linus kernel’s GPLv2 license requires companies that manufacture Android phones to publish kernel without delay. However, it has taken nearly five months for Xiaomi to release kernel source code of Mi A1.

Having early access to the source code allow Android developers to build custom software builds for the phone. Since the source code has been pushed out with such a delay for the Mi A1, it may not get the attention from developers as it would have received if it was released few weeks after the launch.

Xiaomi Mi A1

Read More: AnTuTu’s Top 10 Favorite Smartphones Of 2017 Feature 3 OnePlus & 4 Xiaomi Models!

There is no confirmation on why Xiaomi released the source code for M1 A1 on this Tuesday. It could be because certain publications like XDA Developers, Ars Technica and Android Police demanded for it. There is a possibility that its release could be according to Xiaomi’s roadmap. The following link can be visited to download the kernel source from GitHub.

(source|via)

 

AnTuTu’s Top 10 Favorite Smartphones Of 2017 Feature 3 OnePlus & 4 Xiaomi Models!

Popular benchmarking website AnTuTu.com has released its top 10 charts of most popular smartphones for 2017. Last year was a very busy one for the industry and a remarkable one at that because it heralded the proliferation of full-screen smartphones right from the flagship models to budget phones.ANTuTu

The top 10 chart is comprised of the most popular Android smartphones based on fans’ rating in China. The most spectacular aspect is that three OnePlus models are among the 10 listed smartphone models. OnePlus 5 emerged as the number one most popular smartphone in 2017 based on AnTuTu rating with a 95.37% score. The second spot is occupied by OnePlus’ 2016 model, OnePlus 3 with a 94.28% rating. Th third spot is occupied by the flagship MeizuPro 6 Plus, one of Meizu’s most popular products till date. The fourth spot is occupied by yet another OnePlus model, the OP 3T which was also released in 2016. Xiaomi joins the list at the fifth spot with the phablet Mi Max. Three other Xiaomi models were also on the list, the Remi Note 3 at the 7th spot, Mi 6 at number 9 and the Redmi 4 completes the list at number 10. AnTutu

Read More: AnTuTu Releases The Top 10 Android Phone Chipsets For 2017 – Qualcomm Dominated

 

 

Samsung didn’t perform excellently in China last and that is reflected in the ranking as the popular Galaxy S8 was only able to hop into the list at number 6 spot. The large size Galaxy S8+ came in at the 8th spot but the Galaxy Note 8 was nowhere to be found. In all, Xiaomi and OnePlus are the biggest winners as they both have the highest number of models that are fans favorites.

(source)

 

Leaked Meizu 15 Plus Live Photos Shows Amazing Screen To Body Ratio

There have been a steady stream of Meizu 15 Plus leaks in the last couple of weeks and we expect more to surface until the official release. Today, the leaks are live photos that show the front and rear of the device and yes, they do look good.

[envira-gallery id=”170326″]

The first photo gives us our closest and best look yet at the front of the upcoming flagship. Meizu sure has done a good job keeping those bezels as small as possible. Although, it comes at the expense of the removal of the mBack button. The top bezel, which is a bit thicker, is  home to the earpiece, usual sensors, and front camera.

The rear is a bit less exciting though. The metal back is bare save for the vertically stacked dual cameras which sit a few millimeters above the signature ring flash. There is a Meizu logo beneath the flash but it has been blurred out. There is also a U-shaped antenna line at the top and bottom.

READ MORE: Meizu M6s Looks Different From Its Predecessors In The First Teardown

Xiaomi Teases New Camera-Based Product Launching February 1

Xiaomi’s Mi Home will on Thursday, February 1, launch its 153rd crowd-funded product. Little is known about the product save for a few hints from the teaser poster and Weibo posts.

Mi Home 153rd teaser poster

The teaser poster hints at a camera related product as a rough translation of the text on it has the phrases “human eye” and “120 frames/second”. The Weibo post also has the same words in addition to “AR” and “photos”. The hints do not end there.

[envira-gallery id=”170317″]

The teaser poster was also shared by Shanghai Hantu Technology (XPRINT), a top company in China’s VR industry. From their own posts we able to make out the words “AR technology”, “photo”, “mobile phone” and “video”.

READ MORE: Users Complain Latest Xiaomi Mi A1 Update Causing Battery Drain

Smartisan Nut Pro 2 Pure White Limited Edition is Official, Starts At ¥2299

After leaking yesterday, Smartisan has today announced the Pure White limited edition version of the Nut Pro 2. The new variant comes with a white coat that extends to the bezels in front.

Smartisan Nut Pro 2 Pure White featured

Smartisan has released the Pure White Nut Pro 2 in just two variants – 6GB RAM + 64GB ROM and 6GB RAM +128GB ROM. Price starts at ¥2299 (~$364) which is the same for the 6GB + 64GB model of the other color variants.

Pre-orders will begin at 10:00 AM (local time) tomorrow. Since this is a limited edition model, you may want to hurry tomorrow as there is no way of knowing how many units are available for purchase.

Smartisan Nut Pro 2 Pure White price

The Smartisan Nut Pro 2 has a 5.99” 1080 x 2160 display. It is powered by a Snapdragon 660 processor which draws power from a 3500mAh battery. With quick Charge 3.0 support, you shouldn’t have to worry about spending hours recharging your phone.

READ MORE: Smartisan BS2000 Bluetooth Sports Earphones Launched For ¥299

Meizu Announces Flyme 6 Stable Spring Edition, Will Roll-Out To 34 Models

Today, Meizu officially announced the stable version of its Flyme 6 Spring Edition OS. The new release brings a number of new features and will be available on devices running Android Nougat, Marshmallow, and Lollipop.

flyme os

Meizu says they have optimized memory and processor frequency for an overall stable and responsive system. There is also an optimized game mode for a better gaming experience.

A total of 34 phones will get the new Flyme update. They include the Meizu MX4, MX4 Pro, MX5, MX6, PRO 5, PRO 6, PRO 6s, PRO 6 Plus, PRO 7, PRO 7 Plus, M1 Note, M2 Note, M3 Note, M5 Note, M2, M3, M3s, M5s, M1 Metal, Meizu X, Meizu E2, Meizu MX, M3 Max, U10, and U20.

Not all features will be available on all the models. For example, the Meizu PRO 7 and devices running Android N will receive an overall system optimization, power management optimization, a “quick application” function, and fixes for stability issues.

READ MORE: Meizu M15 Plus Renders Leaked, Packs iPhone-Like Home Button, Ring Flash & More

LG G6 and LG Q6 Get New Color Variants

There were reports LG was planning a release of a new color variant for its G6 flagship. Surprisingly, rather than a new color variant, LG has announced three new colors including two new ones for the mid-range LG Q6.

LG G6 new colors
LG G6 in Raspberry Rose, Moroccan Blue, and Lavender Violet

The LG G6 now comes in Moroccan Blue, Lavender Violet, and Raspberry Rose while the LG Q6 adds Moroccan Blue and Lavender Violet to its available color range.

LG Q6
LG Q6 in Moroccan Blue and Lavender Violet

The LG G6 was initially launched in Astro Black, Ice Platinum, Terra Gold, Marine Blue, Mystic White; with three new colors, you should have no problem choosing a color that resonates with your personality. The Q6 on the other hand now boasts 7 color variants in total.

READ MORE: LG Says G7 Is On Schedule, Will Launch “When The Time Is Right”

Google Working On Own Custom Chips, But Next Few Pixels May Use Qualcomm Processors

The 2nd-gen Pixel phones are the first phones to feature a Google custom-made chip. The Pixel Visual Core chip not only improves the camera experience but it also compiles HDR+ images at a faster speed while consuming less energy than the main application processor. The Pixel Visual Core chip is just the beginning for Google.

Pixel Visual Core Chip
Google Pixel Visual Core present in the Pixel 2

Google is in a race with Apple and to win that race, it needs to do things a little more differently. Apple is able to integrate its software seamlessly with the hardware in its devices because they (devices) use its own custom chips. Google wants the same with its devices and third party chips won’t give it that flexibility. Its plan is to make more of its own custom chips.

The advantages that come with making your own chips are a lot but only if you have the money to invest in research and development, which clearly Apple and Google have.

What does this mean for suppliers like Qualcomm? It is surely a loss for them when a manufacturer decides to make its own chips. Imagination Technologies – makers of PowerVR GPU chips, and long-time Apple supplier, suffered hits on their stock value when the Cupertino-based company cut ties with them.

The switch to a Google SoC will not be instantaneous. While it is confirmed that we will see more Google custom chips with dedicated functions in the next generation of Google devices released in the next few years, Qualcomm may still supply the main SoC for a while.

READ MORE: Google Fuchsia OS Shown Running on Pixelbook

Smartisan Nut Pro 2 White Variant Appears in Multiple Photos

Smartisan Nut Pro 2 smartphone was launched in color options like Red Wine, Carbon Black and Pale Gold in November last year. Few hours ago, a leaked image showing only the rear side of the white variant of the phone had appeared on Weibo. The existence of the white model seems to be a real thing as several photos of the variant have appeared on the Chinese microblogging site.

Smartisan Nut 2 Pro White 1

Smartisan Nut 2 Pro White

Smartisan Nut 2 Pro White

 

The new photos give a clear look at the front and rear sides of the white Smartisan Nut Pro 2. The images reveal that not only the rear side of the phone is in white, but also its front panel sports the same color. However, compared to the below image of the new variant that appeared few hours ago, the handset shown in the fresh images do not appear pure white. This could be because of the quality of the image.

Smartisan Nut Pro 2 White

Previous rumors have reveal that the company had planned to launch the white edition of Smartisan Nut Pro 2 earlier, but its arrival has been delayed due to the issues associated with is mass production. Now that the Nut Pro 2 white model has shown up in multiple photos, it seems that the company has resolved the production issues and is now getting ready to launch it. Speculations are rife that the Chinese manufacturer may launch the new color variant around the Spring Festival in China. It is expected to be arrive in multiple RAM and storage options like its other color variants.

What’s your opinion on the Smartisan Nut 2 Pro’s upcoming white variant? Share us your thoughts by posting your comments below.

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

While HMD Global is gearing up to launch new Nokia devices at the upcoming Mobile World Congress, we’ve been witnessing leaks and rumours related to another smartphone from the company — the Nokia 10. While the phone won’t be making its debut at the MWC 2018, it has been a subject of many leaks in the past weeks.

Now, the phone’s concept render has been seen online, which shows the design of the phone similar to what we’ve seen so far in recent leaks. The new render of the Nokia 10 shows that the phone will come with a dual-camera setup at the back and the camera sensors will be vertically aligned. It’s a design similar to what we have seen on Lumia phones like the Lumia 1020.

Nokia 10 Render

The camera module sits on a circular base, along with an LED flash on the left side and another sensor on the right side. The previous leak related to the device suggested that the center lens will be working as the main camera while the others will be hidden inside a module and may be rotated to change the focal length and will work in combination with the main camera.

Just below the camera module, there’s a fingerprint sensor for added security. The camera sensors used in the phone are said to be Carl Zeiss certified. On the front side, the phone features the trendy full-screen display with 18:9 aspect ratio. The bezels around the phone are quite thin, even on the top side as well as the bottom. On the top bezels, there are various sensors, along with a dual front-facing camera.

Nokia 10 Render (Front)

On the software front, the device is said to run Android Oreo operating system out-of-the-box. The phone is also said to be powered by the Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 845 processor.

It is said that the concept Nokia 10 will come with a 5.8-inch 4K Super AMOLED display. It will pack 4GB/6GB RAM with 64GB/128GB internal storage and microSD card support up to 256GB. The device will have a 3,500mAh non-removable battery with Quick Charge 4.0 fast charging support.

 

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While this is just a concept render, if the Nokia 10 does exists, then expect a launch only near the end of the year. The first half should be dominated by the rumored Nokia 9 flagship. But given the recent rumours about the phone’s camera, we are definitely excited to see how the Nokia 10 will turn out in real life.

(Source)