Yet another patent application showing a foldable smartphone/tablet hybrid from Microsoft has surfaced today. The patent listing of the Microsoft’s smartphone/tablet hybrid with USPTO shows the three different technologies that the company is experimenting with to incorporate a big camera module in a compact body.
The first one is the Split-Camera Augmentation technology through which the camera module can be divided on each half of the device with one half housing the camera lens. Through micromechanics that are used for optical image stabilization, the hybrid device will be able to realign the camera accurately when the camera is required to be used.
Floating Camera Module is a less sophisticated technology in which thickness of the camera module is more than that of the device. Since it is a floating module, pushing it from the front will make it protrude from the rear side of the device. Pushing it from the back will not only the device to be laid flat on a surface but also it will protrude the camera module from the front.
Retractable Camera Cap will make the camera come out from the inner face of the device. The other half of the device has a corresponding pit that will work as a cap to cover the camera when the device is closed.
As mentioned above, a number of patent filings for foldable smartphone/tablet from Microsoft have appeared in the past. There is no confirmation on whether Microsoft is working on the highly anticipated Surface Phone device, but it appears that the Redmond giant is experimenting with multiple ideas for a mysterious device.
Do you think that Microsoft has a killer device to take on the likes of Apple iPhone X and Samsung Galaxy Note 8? Share us your thoughts by adding your comments below.
LeEco Le Max 2 garnered huge popularity among smartphone enthusiasts after hitting the store shelves back in May 2016. The Dual-SIM smartphone runs on Android 6.0 Marshmallow and is powered by Qualcomm MSM8996 Snapdragon 820 processor.
While LeEco Le Max 2 comes bearing a steep price tag of $671.13, Lightinthebox is currently offering a massive 78% discount on the smartphone’s original asking price. In other words, you can now get your hands on the 4G smartphone for just $149.98. As if that weren’t enough, you also earn additional 1% cash rewards in this order.In terms of specs, the handset packs 4GB of RAM, 32GB of internal memory and a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor. On the photography front, the LeEco Le Max 2 smartphone sports a 21MP primary camera with (f/2.0, 1/2.4″) OIS, phase detection autofocus, dual-LED dual-tone flash and an 8MP front shooter for the selfie addicts. LeEco Le Max 2 is available in Rose color option.
Click here to take advantage of the discount and buy LeEco Le Max 2 for only $149.98.
After confirming that the 360 N6 will get the Blue colour variant, 360 Mobiles is now all set to launch a new colour model of 360 N6 Pro.
The company has released renders of the upcoming Silver colour model of the 360 N6 Pro. In the post, the company says that they have tweaked the colour hue for over a month before finalizing.
While the company has confirmed that the Bright Silver colour model of the device will be launched, it has not provided any information regarding its availability. However, we are expecting it to get released soon.
The 360 N6 Pro was launched about a month ago, targeting the mid-range market. It comes in a metal body with a non-conductive vacuum (NCVM) coating which gives it a smooth and highly reflective finish.
It features a 5.99-inch display with a screen resolution of 2160 x 1080 pixels, 2.5D glass and the popular 18:9 aspect ratio. The bezels surrounding the display are minimal, resulting in a phone with an 84.5% screen-to-body ratio.
Under the hood, the phone is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 processor. It comes in three models based on RAM and ROM configurations. The base version has 4GB RAM and 64GB storage; another model comes with 6GB RAM and 64GB internal storage while the high-end version comes with 6GB RAM and 128GB of onboard storage.
All three models support microSD card for further expanding the storage capacity. The phone has dual camera setup at the back, featuring a 16MP primary camera paired with a 2MP secondary sensor for capturing the depth of field information. There is also an 8MP sensor with a f/2.2 aperture on the front side.
There is a fingerprint sensor just below the camera module. The phone runs Android 7.1 Nougat operating system based company’s own UI. It is fuelled by a 4,050mAh battery that supports Quick Charge 3.0 technology. According to the company, the battery should last up to two days on a single charge.
The original Nokia 6 that was launched by HMD Global in China in January 2017 had marked the return of the Nokia brand in the mobile phone industry. Today, the Finnish firm has unleashed the Nokia 6 2nd-generation smartphone with improved specs and design.
Design and Display
The Nokia 6 2nd generation has a strong build that is made out of 6000-series aluminum unibody with diamond cut beveled edges. The rear panel of the smartphone has been redesigned as it features a camera module that is similar to the one available on the Nokia 5. The fingerprint scanner is placed on the frontside of the original Nokia 6. However, the 2nd Gen Nokia 6 has a rear-mounted fingerprint reader.
Since it measures 148.8 x 75.8 x 8.15mm, it is slightly shorter and thicker than the original Nokia 6. It comes in color choices like black and silver. HMD Global has reduced the bezels surrounding the display of the 2nd Gen Nokia 6. This has allowed the company to feature the same 5.5-inch IPS LCD display in a slightly compact compared to the predecessor phone. The display supports an aspect ratio of 16:9 and screen resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels. It sits well protected under 2.5D Corning Gorilla Glass 3.
Performance and Variants
One of its major setbacks of the original Nokia 6 is that it includes a modest Snapdragon 430 chipset. After the Nokia 7, the Nokia 6 2nd Gen is the second smartphone from the company to be powered by Snapdragon 630 chipset that features a 2.2 GHz octa-core processor.
The chipset is supported by 4 GB of LPDDR4 RAM. The smartphone is fueled by a 3,000mAh battery. that can be charged to 50 percent in just 30 minutes through fast charging. It will be available in the market in 32 GB and 64 GB storage models. The hybrid dual SIM slot can be used to add a microSD card on the phone.
Camera and Other Features
The Nokia 6 2nd Gen features the same camera sensors found on the predecessor phone. At the rear is the dual-LED enabled 16-megapixel camera and an 8-megapixel 84-degree wide-angle selfie snapper is fitted on the front panel. The Bothie mode that is available on the Nokia 8 and Nokia 7 is also available on the new Nokia 6.
The Nokia 6 (2018) is preloaded with Android 7.1.1 Nougat. The Finnish firm has promised to release the Android Oreo update for it soon. The OZO audio recording that makes use of dual spatial microphones present on the phone can capture 360-degree surround sound. The connectivity features available on the smartphone include USB-C, 3.5mm audio jack, Bluetooth 5.0, Cat. 4 LTE modem and Wi-Fi. The original Nokia 6 supports NFC, but the official listing of the Nokia 6 2nd Gen does not mention whether it carries support for NFC.
Pricing and Availability
The 32 GB and 64 GB models of the Nokia 6 2nd Gen are respectively priced at 1,499 Yuan (~$231) and 1,699 Yuan (~$262). In China, it will be exclusively available through Suning. It is up for reservations on the Chinese retailer site and it will be hitting the shelves on Jan. 10.
Sporting a 5.5-inch touchscreen with a resolution of 1920 X 1080 pixels, Leagoo Kiicaa Mix is a big phone with smaller phone body. This easy-to-use smartphone is operable with just one hand since any place of the screen can be easily reached by your finger.
If you’ve restlessly been waiting to get your hands on a smartphone sporting a full-vision screen without shelling out a lot of money, we got good news for you. You can now buy Leagoo Kiicaa Mix smartphone at a heavily-discounted price on Cafago.
At the time of checking out, use coupon code ‘JPZ015’ to get a $44.23 discount on the handset’s original asking price of $154.21. You end up paying only $109.98 for Leagoo Kiicaa Mix smartphone which packs MTK6750T Octacore 1.5GHz processor, paired with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of ROM, under the hood.
The handset is available in black color option and is usually shipped within 24 hours from manufacturer’s warehouse based in China. You can head straight to this link in order to buy the Leagoo Kiicaa Mix smartphone at a discounted price.
While there are reports suggesting that Sony could bring in a new design for its flagship devices this year, it seems that the design of its low-range and mid-range offerings will follow the steps of its predecessors.
According to the newly leaked press renders of Sony’s upcoming mid-range and low-range phones — Sony Xperia XA2, Xperia XA2 Ultra and Xperia L2, there won’t be any major design change in these devices. The press renders were leaked by Evan Blass (@evleaks).
The phones are expected to be launched at the upcoming Consumer Electronics Show (CES) or at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) next month in Barcelona.
The Sony Xperia XA2 will be the third iteration in the XA series, following Sony Xperia XA and XA1. The phone’s specifications were leaked through the GFXBench benchmark listing. It will feature a 5.2-inch Full HD display with 1920 x 1080 pixels resolution while the XA2 Ultra will come with a 6-inch display.
If the leaked specifications are to be believed, then the device will now pack Qualcomm‘s Snapdragon 630s octa-core processor clocked at 2.2GHz, instead of a MediaTek processor. Both models will be available in 4GB RAM and 64GB internal storage and 3GB RAM with 32GB onboard storage.
The Xperia XA2 is listed to feature a 21-megapixel camera at the back, capable of recording 4K-resolution videos. There is also a 7-megapixel front-facing selfie camera. The XA2 Ultra is also reported to have same rear camera configuration, along with a dual 15-megapixel selfie cameras on the front. The devices are expected to run Android 8.0 oreo out-of-the-box.
On the other hand, the Sony Xperia L2 is expected to retain the 5.2-inch display with 1280 x 720 pixels screen resolution, just like its predecessor. Unlike the XA2 series, the Xperia L2 will come with Android Nougat operating system out-of-the-box.
While these models follow the company’s same old design language, Sony’s upcoming flagship smartphone — the Xperia XZ Premium 2 is expected to come with a new design as well as a full-screen display with minimal bezels on the sides and dual rear cameras.
Alcatel is expected to showcase around five new phones soon. Among the rumored upcoming phones from the company, the Alcatel 5 is speculated as a high-end device. Well-known tipster Evan Blass has shared a final design of the phone to reveal what to expect from its design.
Around two months, Blass had revealed the renders of all the Alcatel phones that will be releasing soon. The render of the Alcatel 5 that was revealed at that time is similar to the following new render.
The above render shows that the smartphone features dual front-facing cameras on the top bezel. The bezels on the bottom and sides of the screen are very thin. The rear panel of the phone has a camera sensor and a fingerprint scanner.
The Alcatel 5 has already received approval from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in the U.S. The images of the Alcatel 5 that have surfaced through its FCC listing revealed that it would be coming with a brushed metal rear and it will be housing a 3,000mAh capacity battery.
The Alcatel 5 is expected to arrive with a 5.7-inch display that will deliver an aspect ratio of 18:9. Leaked information has revealed that it could be powered by the MediaTek MT6750 chipset. It is likely to come loaded with Android 7.0 Nougat. It is pegged to come in color choices like Black and White
TCL is rumored to showcase the new Alcatel phones like Alcatel 1X, 3, 3C, 3V, 3X and 5 at the next week’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES) that will be held in Las Vegas, U.S. Some sources have claimed that these phones may get unveiled at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2018 in Barcelona, Spain in the next month.
The Feb. 26 date mentioned on the display of the new render is the starting date of the MWC 2018. This indicates that the Chinese manufacturer may debut the new Alcatel phones at MWC.
China’s Sohu reports that Lenovo Group’s VP Chang Cheng has just been transferred to the company’s MBG (Mobile Business Group) China and he will now be responsible for the product organization, research, and development work in the country. Don’t be surprised if you find this name familiar, as he has been in the news in the past couple of years as the CEO and co-founder of the popular ZUK sub-brand of the Lenovo group. Chang has been popular among tech media specially because he was never shy to talk or reveal renders of ZUK products before launch.
According to an internal mail, Chang has been entrusted with the responsibility of Lenovo and Motorola brand’s product planning management in China along with China Mobile Software ecosystem development. He will report to Qiao Jian, President of Lenovo MBG China.
Prior to this Chang Cheng was acting as the CEO of ZUK, a brand focused on the young generation with flagship like smartphones for an affordable price tag. ZUK was established back in December 2014 and ZUK’s first smartphone, the ZUK Z1 was released in August 2015. The company used its own Android based ZUI platform in China. However, around April in 2017, the company announced that the ZUK brand was no more. But ZUI continues to live, inside Motorola smartphones released and sold in China.
Ever since news about the ZUK brand shutting down, there have been rumors about its resurrection. In fact, Chang Cheng did seem to hint last year that a ZUK Z3 could be in existence. We haven’t heard anything about a new phone from the ZUK brand since, but his transfer as Lenovo’s Product Planning Manager in China sparks new rumors about the ZUK brand’s return.
In October 2017, HMD Global had launched the Nokia 7 in the home country of China. Since then the smartphone has been exclusively available in China. Fresh information suggests that the smartphone will be soon available in other countries from this month.
One of the readers of the Nokia Power User has revealed that the customer care department of Amazon has confirmed to him that the Nokia 7 will be debuting in India in the last week of this month and it will be exclusively available through Amazon India.
To confirm on the aforementioned information, the publication contacted its retail sources and came to know that the Nokia 7 will be landing in India by the end of this month. There is no information available on the pricing of the phone, but it is expected that it will be priced around Rs. 20,999.
It has been also found that the HMD Global is planning to sell the Nokia 7 in European countries by February. Quick Mobile, a Romanian retailer has already listed the Nokia 7 on its website. The retailer is selling the smartphone for 325 euros (~$392) along with 24-month warranty. It will be available in the country starting from Jan. 17.
Nokia 7 is the first Android smartphone from HMD Global to come with an elegant glass rear that is flanked with 7000-series aluminum frame. It is also the first Nokia branded phone to be powered by Snapdragon 630 chipset. It is available in China in RAM options like 4 GB and 6 GB. It has a native storage of 64 GB and it also includes a microSD card slot. It has a 5.2-inch display that supports full HD resolution and is packed with a 3,000mAh battery that carries support for 18w fast charging.
LeEco announced a deal that saw it become the largest shareholder in fellow Chinese smartphone maker Coolpad in 2016. The internet cum smartphone company held a 28.90% stake in Coolpad until recently. It is no longer news that LeEco is facing a serious cash crunch that has crippled the once bubbling smartphone maker. LeEco’s shares in Coolpad has become one of the latest casualty of its financial situation as it has announced the sale of 17.83% of its 28.90% shares in Coolpad. Thus, LeEco now has only about 10.95% shares in Coolpad and as a result, is no longer the highest shareholder in Coolpad.
LeEco’s rise to becoming the highest shareholder in Coolpad isn’t a one-off achievement. The company first invested 2.74 billion HK Dollars (around US$353 million) in June 2015 making it the second largest shareholder with an 18% shares. In June 2016, LeEco made another investment of $135 million USD which gave it an additional 11% shares and thus making it the largest shareholder. Both firms had even started releasing jointly designed smartphones under the Cool 1 series before LeEco slipped into financial troubles.
Now, LeEco has traded off 17.83% of its shares this January for HK $ 808 million (about 670 million yuan / ~ $103 Million USD). This is nowhere near the amount the company paid in 2015 to acquire its first 18% stake in the company. However, Coolpad cannot be said to have achieved tremendous progress since 2015 to date. Besides, the deal could be to repay some of its huge debt burdens. LeEco is reportedly in need of emergency cash and so, had to sell some of its stakes in Cooldpad despite making a significant loss in the process. Besides, the deal has to be based on Coolpad’s present market value which is also on the decrease.
This isn’t good news for those hoping to see LeEco rebound from its present sorry state. We do hope the spate of sales of assets would not continue.
Earlier this week, we reported that OnePlus could launch the Lava Red colour variant of its flagship smartphone OnePlus 5T in India on 26th January. However, there is a new report which suggests that the company could launch the device earlier than expected.
According to the report on Techook, the phone could launch on 23rd January to avoid the national holiday clutter. However, do note that the launch date is just a speculation and there has been no confirmation from the company.
To recap, the Lava Red colour variant was first launched in China and is currently exclusive to the company’s home country. Later, the company introduced Star Wars Limited Edition model of OnePlus 5T, which is available globally.
The OnePlus 5T, which is a successor of OnePlus 5, was launched in November last year in only one colour — Midnight Black. All the other variant — Lava Red and Star Wars Limited Edition, comes with same specifications as the standard model.
The OnePlus 5T flaunts a 6-inch Optic AMOLED FHD+ display with an 18:9 aspect ratio and a screen resolution of 2160 x 1080 pixels. The device is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor and is fuelled by a 3,300mAh battery that supports the company’s own Dash Charge — a fast charging technology.
The phone is running Android 7.1.1 Nougat flavoured Oxygen OS 4.7. The OnePlus 5T comes with a rear-mounted dual camera system that features a 16-megapixel camera sensor with f/1.7 aperture and a 20-megapixel sensor having the same f/1.7 aperture. There is a 16MP IMX 371 camera sensor with f/2.0 aperture.
As the recently introduced OnePlus 5T Star Wars Limited Edition device is priced same as the standard edition, the pricing of the upcoming Lava Red colour variant is also expected to remain unchanged.
OnePlus has also officially announced the Sandstone White edition of its flagship smartphone. As we earlier reported, the Sandstone White variant shares a similar look to the Star Wars limited edition variant sans the Star Wars logo.
As of now, it will only be available in 8GB RAM model. The phone will go on sale from Tuesday, i.e. 9th January, with price starting at $499 in the US; CA$659 in Canada; £449 in the UK; and €499 in the rest of Europe.
Meizu confirmed earlier today that the M6s will be its next phone with a scheduled January 17 launch. With nearly two weeks before its arrival, the phone has made an appearance on AnTuTu.
Benchmarked as the Meizu mblu S6, the phone does have an 18:9 aspect ratio judging from its 1440 x 720 resolution. It also has 3GB of RAM, 32GB of storage and runs Android 7.0 Nougat.
AnTuTu also reveals that the mblu S6 (Meizu M6s) is powered by a 6-core chip with a Mali-G71 GPU. According to rumors floating round, this is the 14nm Exynos 7872. The chipset has still not been officially unveiled.
Earlier leaks already revealed that the Meizu phone will have a 5.7” display. Now that we know the resolution is HD+, its 2930mAh battery sure doesn’t feel small.
Huawei had earlier revealed that the Honor View10 will be available for purchase in India from 8th January. Today, the China-based company has officially launched the device in the Indian market, at a price of Rs. 29,990 (approximately $473).
As stated earlier, the phone will go on sale for the first time in the Indian market on 8th January, exclusively through online retailer Amazon India. The registrations for the first sale are already open and have been live for over a week. The Honor View10 will be available in two colour options — Navy Blue and Midnight Black.
The Honor View10 features a 5.99-inch Full HD+ IPS LCD FullView display with a screen resolution of 1080 x 2160 pixels, 18:9 aspect ratio and 403ppi pixel density. The device runs on company’s own HiSilicon Kirin 970 processor, with four Cortex-A73 cores clocked at 2.36GHz and four Cortex-A53 cores clocked at 1.8GHz.
The processor is coupled with NPU (Neural Processing Unit) for AI-based tasks, 6GB RAM and 128GB internal storage. The storage capacity of the device can be further expanded up to 256GB, thanks to the microSD card slot.
Coming to the camera department, the phone comes with a dual camera setup on the rear side, featuring a 16-megapixel RGB sensor and a 20-megapixel monochrome sensor, complete with f/1.8 aperture, phase detection autofocus (PDAF) and Dual-LED flash. On the front, the device features a 13-megapixel camera sensor with f/2.0 aperture.
Connectivity options on the Honor View10 include 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n/ac dual-band (2.4GHz + 5GHz), Bluetooth v4.2, GPS/A-GPS, NFC, USB Type-C (2.0), and 3.5mm headphone jack. The phone features a Facial Unlock technology that can also be used to support payment-level authentication. As per the company, it can unlock the device in just 400ms.
The phone, which is running Android Oreo-based company’s own EMUI 8.0, is powered by a 3,750mAh battery. The company claims that the battery can provide up to 23 hours talk-time on 3G, and 22 days of standby time. It also comes with 5V/4.5A fast charging support.
I have tested quite a few charging stations, USB hubs and other charging solutions of the time but the problem is always the same – these gadgets are useful but they also create a huge mess of cables. I’ve been using the NTONPOWER charging docking station for more than 2 months and I have to say this is my favorite charging station I have tested so far. Learn more in our full review.
UNBOXING
The NTONPOWER charging docking station comes in a simple yet neat box. Inside of It, you will find a docking station itself, some paperwork and a quality cable.
DESIGN and FEATURES
At the first glance, this device looks completely different to other charging stations on the market. I’m sure there are similar models but this one can charge up to 10 devices at the same time.
The total output is 120W, meaning that it can charge up to 5V 2.4A per port, which means you can charge 10 phones/tablets or other devices simultaneously.
The manufacturer recommends using short USB cables for better aesthetics.
As you can see, I had just a few short ones while other cables were pretty long, so I had to roll them up. I will buy a pack of short cables soon.
However, if you have plenty of cables already, I suggest you simply turning the charging station around, so you will hide all the cable mess.
The device is made of quality plastic and it does not feel cheap at all. It has on/off switch and LED notification light on the sides.
On the bottom, the rubber pads prevent the device from sliding on the table. Finally, there is a smart cooling system, which senses if the charging station reaches a high temperature to automatically shut it down. It has never happened to me even if I charged all 10 devices at the same time, meaning that the station does not overheat.
The slits can easily fit any size smartphones (including thick rugged phones), tablets or other devices.
As most of the charging solutions on the market right now, the NTONPOWER charging docking station uses smart technologies to adjust and distribute optimal output for a safe and fast charging. Also, the built-in security chip prevents the charging station from overheating, overcharging the devices and so on.
CONCLUSIONS
Overall, I’m really happy with the NTONPOWER charging docking station as I’ve been using it for more than 2 months now. It made my life easier since I always have plenty of phones or other gadgets to charge. Now I can store them neatly and safely. The only thing that I would recommend you to do is to buy short USB cables, so all your gadgets look nice and neat while being charged. Other than that, $80 may sound steep for some but given the unique design, functionality and overall feature set, the NTONPOWER charging docking station is a very easy buying recommendation.
UPDATE: OnePlus has confirmed that the pricing is $559 and not $449.
OnePlus has taken to twitter again today, not to tease us but to officially announce the Sandstone White OnePlus 5T. The tweet includes a 40-second video that shows the phone in all its glory.
Despite what this poster says, company official has confirmed that the white sandstone model is priced at $559
Like we reported earlier today, the Sandstone White variant shares a similar look to the Star Wars limited edition variant sans the Star Wars logo.
The OnePlus 5T will go on sale on Tuesday January 9 starting at $499 in the US; CA$659 in Canada; £449 in the UK; and €499 in the rest of Europe. Sales will commence at 10:00 AM local time.
Seeing the price, it does appear as if OnePlus will be offering the new color variant in both the 6+64GB and 8+128GB variants. Sadly, that is not the case. Upon further digging, the new variant will only be made available in 8GB RAM+128GB ROM. We do hope it is later available in the 64GB variant.
Nokia is said to announce its first 2018 smartphone tomorrow (5th January). We are referring to Nokia 6 (2018), a mid-range phone which should offer some premium specs even though the phone will remain focused on the quality-price ratio. Fortunately, this phone is not shrouded in mystery, so we do not have to wait until tomorrow to know about its specs and design.
So, here is what to expect from the Nokia 6 (2018), according to the most recent leaks and rumors.
Nokia 6 (2018) Design
Last year, HMD Global re-launched the Nokia brand in the Android smartphones market, but till now, the company did not unveil any bezel-less phone with an 18:9 aspect ratio. That’s still not going to change anytime soon as according to a TENAA listing, HMD Global has adopted a 16:9 display again, even for the Nokia 6 (2018). But there’s some good news, it seems that the phone will still have narrow bezels. TENAA has published some renders (and we also saw some leaked images that you can find above) in which it is possible to notice these narrow bezels and a fingerprint reader placed on the back, unlike the original Nokia 6 which had it on the front panel. It is unclear from the image, but Nokia 6 (2018) might also have an additional sensor for the camera, as the glass which covers the main camera and the LED flash is longer and shows a larger empty space compared with the one of the original Nokia 6. The original Nokia 6 has been re-designed and its aesthetics have been improved: the only disadvantage, at least for some users, could be the fingerprint reader placed on the back.
Nokia 6 (2018) Specs
TENAA has already revealed the main specs of the Nokia 6 (2018). According to the Chinese regulatory agency, the handset will be equipped with a 5.5-inch display with 1080 x 1920 pixels. On the hardware side, it seems that there will be an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 630, which is the successor of the Snapdragon 625 and 626 chips and includes an Adreno 508 GPU. The phone will be released with 4 GB of RAM and 32 or 64 GB of internal storage depending on the variant that you will choose to buy. The memory will be expandable with a micro SD up to 128 GB. The resolutions of the camera will remain exactly the same as the original Nokia 6: 16 MP for the main camera and 8 MP for the selfie snapper. But expect the quality to be better in this year’s model, likely with the help of software optimizations. The battery should also be the same as the previous model with a capacity of 3000mAh and fast charging support. It should be enough for a good battery life if we consider that the Snapdragon 630 SoC is very efficient.
Nokia 6 (2018) Price and Availability
We still have no info about the price and the availability of Nokia 6 (2018), so we can only make speculations basing on the price and the availability of the previous model. The original Nokia 6 was officially launched with a price tag of about 230 euros (~$260). But this device was much less powerful and it had an entry-level SoC, while the new model will sport a mid-range processor. So we assume that Nokia 6 (2018) will be launched at a higher price tag. It will be surely available in Europe as HMD Global is a Finnish company, but we have no idea about its launch date.
Update: New images and info about specs and availability leaked. According to the leak, the phone has a 5.5-inch display with Corning Gorilla Glass protection, and its body is made of aluminum 6000 series. The handset has Android 8.0 Oreo installed out of the box and a 16 MP single camera on its rear side. Nokia 6 (2018) will be released in two colors: black with gold inserts and white with red inserts. You can see the images below.
Samsung has today launched a new budget 4G tablet in the Indian market — Samsung Galaxy Tab A 7.0. It will be available in two colour options — Black and White and will retail at a price of Rs. 9,500. It will be available through Amazon India as well as retail stores across the nation from 5th January.
The company further announced that Reliance Jio users will get an exclusive cashback of Rs. 2,000 in JioMoney account, on recharging with Jio Plan of Rs. 299 for 24 months.
The tablet comes with a feature named Kids Mode, which enables parental control that lets parents provide their children with a secure experience and can also restrict app access as well as set usage time limits.
The device comes with a 7-inch WXGA TFT display with a screen resolution of 1280 x 800 pixels and is powered by a 1.5GHz quad-core processor, coupled with 1.5GB RAM. There is just 8GB of internal storage, which can be further expanded up to 200GB using a microSD card.
The tablet features a 5-megapixel rear camera sensor with autofocus and a 2-megapixel front-facing camera sensor for taking selfies and for video calling. Connectivity options on the device include 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS/GLONASS, and FM Radio.
Commenting on the launch, Vishal Kaul, Director, Samsung India, said:
Consumer-centric innovation is at the forefront of our business. With Galaxy Tab A 7.0, we are providing our customers a device that is the perfect blend of refined design, Superior display great performance and non-stop entertainment. Galaxy Tab A 7.0 caters to consumers’ on-the-go and me-time needs thereby acting as a perfect companion for their active lifestyle.
The Galaxy Tab A 7.0 is running Android operating system and is powered by a 4,000mAh battery, which according to the company offers up to 9 hours of video playback a single charge.
A few months ago, Samsung had launched the mid-level Galaxy Tab A 2017 at a price of Rs. 17,990. It packs an 8-inch display, 1.4GHz quad-core processor, 2GB of RAM with 16GB internal and 5,000mAh battery.
Research firm Counterpoint has released its statistical data for the third quarter of 2017 and it cuts across all the regions of the world. The statistical data shows the global smartphone market shares for Q3 2017 as well as the mobile phone market shipment comprising both smartphones and feature phones. The stats showed that the global smartphone shipments grew 5% YoY and 9% QoQ.
Samsung maintains its stronghold on the smartphone industry, with a 21% control of the market shares while Apple retained its second spot with a 12% share of the market. Chinese tech giant Huawei slipped closely into the third position with 10% share of the market, narrowly losing out to Apple for the second spot. Huawei is closely followed by OPPO with 8% market share. Vivo and Xiaomi both completed the top 5 spot with 7% market share apiece. The data saw the surprise inclusion of Lenovo, including the Motorola brand, which raked in a 4% share of the market in Q3 2017. Counterpoint also noted that Xiaomi emerged as the fastest growing smartphone brand with a growth of 84% YoY.
Region wise, Apple maintained its leadership in North America with a 34% market share while Samsung came in second with 24% share. LG gained some ground in North America with a share of 17%. The top five spots are completed by ZTE – 11% and Lenovo- 5%. On the other hand, in Europe, Samsung holds the ace with a 33% share of the market while Apple came in at a distant second with 17% share. Huawei failed to gain ground in North America but was able to clinch the third place in Europe with a market share of 13%. Lenovo and ZTE completed the top 5 in Europe for Q3 2017. In Asia, the competition is stiffer as OPPO, Vivo, Xiaomi, Huawei and Samsung struggled unsuccessfully to outpace each other. The statistics also captured the emerging market in the Middle East and Africa and sure, Samsung grabbed the lion share and in second place we have a surprise entrant- iTel in a tie with Huawei and Tecno at 8% market share apiece. Counterpoint noted that one in three smartphones shipped were from Chinese manufacturers.
Smartphone manufacturers have put a lot of efforts into the design of their phones in 2017. Since Xiaomi Mi Mix was released back in 2016, the bezel-less trend kicked off and the increased screen to body ratio made the phones taller, narrower, and much more comfortable to hold. Metal unibody designs and back covers made of glass have completely invaded the smartphone market, and smartphones became very attractive for both men and women lately. In this guide, we will show you our selection of the most beautiful Chinese smartphones released in 2017. Beauty is often a subjective parameter and we know it, but we made this selection considering many objective factors, like the innovation brought by these phones, the materials used, and the feedback given by the public for the handsets’ designs.
Let us know with a comment if you agree with us or not. Which is the most beautiful Chinese phone in your opinion?
Most beautiful Chinese phones of 2017
Honor 9
Display: 5.15 in Full HD LTPS IPS LCD
Hardware: HiSilicon Kirin 960, 4/6 GB RAM, 64/128 GB ROM
Software: Android Nougat, EMUI 5.1
Camera: Dual 12 + 20 MP f/2.2
Battery: 3200 mAh
Honor 9 is a phone with one of the most attractive back covers ever. The frame is made of aluminum, while its rear side is made of glass and it creates impressive light wave design with colors changing based on the angle from where you see the phone. The price of this device is very affordable, but inside it, you will find great hardware: the same SoC as Huawei P10 and also the same quantity of RAM (even more if you choose the most advanced version). A powerful dual camera setup completes the beautiful body of the Honor 9.
PRO: Great hardware, nice dual camera, affordable price, compact
CONS: Bezels
Gionee M7 Power
Display: 6 in HD+ IPS LCD
Hardware: Qualcomm Snapdragon 435, 4 GB RAM, 64 GB ROM
Software: Android Nougat, EMUI 5.1
Camera: 13 MP f/2.0
Battery: 5000 mAh
The back cover of this phone shares many things in common with the Honor 9. It is simple, yet original. It is made of glass and it reflects light just like Honor 9, creating suggestive light waves. The frame is made of aluminum and, even though there is a monstrous battery with a capacity of 5000mAh inside this device, the profile remains quite thin (8.6 mm). The price is affordable enough, but the SoC is entry-level and the phone is sold only in Asia and cannot be purchased elsewhere. On the other hand, besides an incredible battery life this handset also offers ample RAM and storage, which are perfect for multi-tasking.
PRO: Monster battery, good price, wide display, ample RAM and storage
CONS: Entry-level SoC
Smartisan Nut 2 Pro
Display: 5.99 in Full HD+ IPS LCD
Hardware: Qualcomm Snapdragon 660, 4/6 GB RAM, 32/64/128/256 GB ROM
Camera: Dual 12 + 5 MP f/1.8
Battery: 3500 mAh
Smartisan Nut 2 Pro is a phone with a unique look. It has a glass back and a metal frame with round keys on the sides, and it has been released in very interesting colors that is hard to find in the market. The phone’s design is highlighted by its symmetry, which includes a front facing camera aligned in the center as well as a hidden ear piece. In terms of hardware, this is a high-end device but not a flagship. It has a Snapdragon 660 SoC paired with 4 or 6 GB of RAM, and it is possible to choose an internal storage up to 256 GB. On the rear side, there is a dual camera setup which has proved to provide high-quality photos, especially in low light conditions. A 3500 mAh allows to achieve one day of stressed use in every scenario.
PRO: Outstanding camera, nice battery, great hardware side, wide display
CONS: No availability outside China
Nubia Z17s
Display: 5.73 in Full HD+ LTPS IPS LCD
Hardware: Qualcomm Snapdragon 835, 6/8 GB RAM, 64/128 GB ROM
Software: Android Nougat, Nubia UI 5.1
Camera: Dual 12 + 23 MP f/1.8
Battery: 3100 mAh
Nubia Z17s is one of the most affordable flagship phones of 2017. It has the best hardware that you can expect from the most powerful phones on the market, yet its price remain incredibly affordable. The Snapdragon 835 SoC is paired with 6 or 8 GB of RAM depending on the configuration chosen, and this makes the phone one of the fastest and smoothest devices in the market. The display is bezel-less and its size is not large, so you get a compact phone with a wide display too. On the rear side, there is a pretty nice dual camera with a high resolution which can shoot very detailed photos. We expected a slightly bigger battery, but it is still a sufficient unit. Its design is composed of a suggestive glass back and a metal frame in a eye pleasing design.
Hardware: HiSilicon Kirin 960, 4/6 GB RAM, 64/128 GB ROM
Software: Android Oreo, EMUI 8.0
Camera: Dual 16 + 20 MP f/1.8
Battery: 3340 mAh
Huawei Nova 2s is a better, but also a more expensive version of Honor 9. It shares a similar glass back which is very beautiful, and in addition, it has an 18:9 display with narrow bezels which is not present on the Honor 9. The display is wide and comfortable and we like its quality. Another important advantage is the high-level hardware side, with a very powerful SoC and a large quantity of RAM. Android is updated to the latest version available and the battery is above-average. There is also a nice dual camera with a bright aperture.
PRO: High-end hardware, wide display, good camera, Android Oreo
CONS: Limited availability
Xiaomi Mi Mix 2
Display: 5.99 in Full HD+ IPS LCD
Hardware: Qualcomm Snapdragon 835, 6/8 GB RAM, 64/128/256 GB ROM
Software: Android Nougat, MIUI 9
Camera: 12 MP f/2.0
Battery: 3400 mAh
Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 is the successor of the bezel-less device which launched the trend of such displays late last year. Its screen-to-body ratio is very high, one of the highest in the market. This makes the phone good to hold even though its display is big (6 inches). The materials are among the best that you can ever find in a beautiful phone. Its back cover is made of ceramic, its frame is made of metal and there is a 18K gold rim around the camera. There is also a limited version entirely made of ceramic, but it is not easy to buy it. This phone is a real flagship with the best SoC of 2017 in the Android market: Snapdragon 835, supported by a huge quantity of RAM (6 or 8 GB depending on the variant).
PRO: Big display, flagship hardware, big battery, affordable price
CONS: Average camera
Huawei Mate 10 Pro
Display: 6 in Full HD+ AMOLED
Hardware: HiSilicon Kirin 970, 4/6 GB RAM, 64/128 GB ROM
Software: Android Oreo, EMUI 8.0
Camera: Dual 12 + 20 MP f/1.6
Battery: 4000 mAh
Huawei Mate 10 Pro is not only one of the best beautiful phones, but also the perfect flagship: it is beautiful, powerful and innovative. It is composed of a glass back with a very original look and a metal frame, and it is a waterproof phone thanks to its IP68 certification. It has a 6-inch AMOLED display with an outstanding viewing quality, and one of the best processors in the market which integrates a dedicated chip for artificial intelligence. Its software its updated to the latest version available (Android Oreo), it has one of the best cameras ever seen on a phone (the phone is in DxOMark’s top 3 of best camera phones), and we also got the biggest battery in a 2017 flagship with a 4000mAh capacity.
PRO: Incredible display, perfect hardware, big battery, excellent camera
CONS: Price
Another phone that we will not include in our ranking but deserves a mention is the ZTE Axon M because of its innovative display. It may not be a great looking smartphone of 2017, but it definitely deserves a mention for its innovative design.
It’s also worth noting that flagships like OnePlus 5T, OPPO R11S are all good looking devices, but given that their design has been replicated by multiple devices, we thought it was best not to include them in this list. For example, OPPO R11S, OP5T, Vivo X20 all have similar designs and they look good too, but they are too similar to each other.
So these were the best looking Chinese smartphones of 2017. Which one would you pick as the best looking phone? Or do you think there’s a different model that should make it to this list?
Last month, 360 Mobiles launched two mobiles — 360 N6, which sits somewhere in between 360 N6 Lite and 360 N6 Pro. When launched, it was available in two colour options — Black and Gold.
However, the company is now gearing up to soon offer another colour option — Blue. This was confirmed by Kai-Xin Lee, President of 360 Mobiles, in response to a user’s question on the microblogging platform.
The user inquired if there will be a blue coloured model of the 360 N6 phone and Kai-Xin Lee said that they started working on the same after tackling some difficulties. While he didn’t provide any timeline for the launch of the blue colour variant, he said that it will be launched soon.
The 360N6 comes with a metal-clad body. The phone features a 5.93-inch Full-Screen Full HD+ display with 18:9 aspect ratio and a screen resolution of 2160 x 1080 pixels. According to the company, even with the bigger screen, the phone feels like a 5.5-inch phone due to the smaller bezels.
Under the hood, the phone is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 630 processor. It is available in two models based on memory and storage configuration — one with 4GB RAM and 32GB internal storage while the other one with 6GB RAM and 64GB onboard storage.
The devices come with a single 13-megapixel rear camera with phase detection autofocus (PDAF) and dual LED flash. There is an 8-megapixel front-facing camera with f/2.2 aperture, an AI beauty mode and a camera assistant.
It runs on Android 7.1 Nougat with a layer of company’s own skin on top. The phone packs a massive 5,000mAh battery, which is rated to provide up to 3 days of battery life on single charge. It also supports Quick Charge 3.0 fast charging (9V/2A) technology as well as reverse charging.
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LeEco Le Max 2 garnered huge popularity among smartphone enthusiasts after hitting the store shelves back in May 2016. The Dual-SIM smartphone runs on Android 6.0 Marshmallow and is powered by Qualcomm MSM8996 Snapdragon 820 processor.
In terms of specs, the handset packs 4GB of RAM, 32GB of internal memory and a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor. On the photography front, the LeEco Le Max 2 smartphone sports a 21MP primary camera with (f/2.0, 1/2.4″) OIS, phase detection autofocus, dual-LED dual-tone flash and an 8MP front shooter for the selfie addicts. LeEco Le Max 2 is available in Rose color option.
