After launching Elyte Dual entry-level smartphone, Intex has launched a new smartphone in the Indian market — Intex Elyte E6.
The smartphone, priced at Rs. 6,999, will go on sale in India from December 15, exclusively through online retailer Flipkart. The phone will be available in Black colour only.
The smartphone comes with a 5-Inch HD display with a screen resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels and a 2.5D curved glass on top. There is also a layer of Dragontrail glass on top for protecting display from minor scratches.
Under the hood, the Intex Elyte E6 is powered by a 64-bit quad-core MediaTek chipset which is clocked at 1.2GHz, along with 3GB RAM and 32GB internal storage. There is also a microSD card slot available, allowing users to further expand the storage capacity up to 128GB.
The phone comes equipped with a 13-megapixel rear camera with an auto-focus lens, accompanied by an LED flash. It also features an 8-megapixel front-facing camera which comes bundled with software features to enhance self-portrait shots.
Along with the usual set of connectivity options, which include Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and GPS, the Intex Elyte E6 also supports USB OTG for easier file transfers. On the software front, the phone is running on Android 7.0 Nougat operating system out-of-the-box.
The smartphone is fuelled by a 4,000mAh battery, which is rare in this price range. According to the company, the battery can delivery a talk time of up to 16 hours or a standby time of more than 12 days on a single charge.
At this price range, the Intex Elyte E6 competes against the recently launched Xiaomi’s Redmi Y1 and Redmi Y1 Lite smartphones in India, which also focuses on the selfie snapper.
This year 2017 has successfully coveted the crown as the year of bezel-less smartphones. We have lost count of the numbers of full-screen smartphones that have been launched this year. We even can’t say in clear terms what makes a smartphone “bezel-less”. Just as the full-screen models are numerous, so too are their designs. The flagship Samsung Galaxy S8 and Mi Mix 2 both utilises different designs. So too is the Sharp Aquos S2 and iPhone X having their own unique design.
Chinese smartphone maker Nubia, a brand of ZTE had also joined the full-screen race with the Nubia Z17s which was released earlier this year. It seems the tech giant is already working on a second bezel-less smartphone. The renders and schematics of the Nubia bezel-less phone have appeared in two separate leaks.
Th schematics and renders were said to have been spotted at the Chinese Patent Office which could be an indication that the phone might be hitting the market very soon. The design comes with a notch at the top just like that of the Essential phone. The round notch houses the selfie camera and is highlighted with a red ring. Aside from the notch, the device is completely bezel-less at the top and two edges.
At the rear, the device features a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor in the middle which takes the shape of Nubia’s logo with a dot at the bottom right corner. The device comes with dual rear cameras which are tilted to the left and have the LED flash lying inwardly by the side. The device will likely come as a flagship model, packing flagship hardware. We can’t say if the model will be Nubia first flagship for 2018.
If you are not an extremely advanced user, midrange smartphones should be enough for you. Nowadays flagship handsets are the top of the innovation, while midrange devices have become much better than the ones released some years ago. 360 N6 and Huawei Honor 7X are good phones in every aspect and they also offer a bit of innovation, at an affordable price. Let’s see with a specs comparison which one is better for you and your needs in this 360 N6 vs Honor 7X comparison.
What makes 360 N6 better than its opponent is, first of all, the display quality. It has a panel with a 100% sRGB gamut, so it should offer much better colors than Honor 7X, with the same size and the same resolution. Performances should be way better as well, at least in the most powerful variant with Snapdragon 630 and 6 GB of RAM. Both the handsets have a full metal unibody design and even though they are not so much different, I think that the one of Honor 7X is more elegant, and it is also thinner. On the other hand, 360 N6 is thicker but it has an incredibly huge battery with a capacity of 5000 mAh.
This means that the battery life will be surely longer than Honor 7X and its 3340 mAh unit. We still can not say much about cameras, but the one from Honor 7X seems more interesting as it is a dual setup. But note that 360 N6 has an AI beauty mode for selfies and a camera assistant. 360 N6 will be available in Asia only starting from 210 dollars (179 euros), while Honor 7X went on sale worldwide with a price of 299 euros in Europe and 199 dollars in the US (it may drop soon like many affordable Huawei devices). I personally prefer 360 N6 due to its much bigger battery, its price and its potentially outstanding display quality.
With 18:9 displays and other additional features, this year, even midrange smartphones have become innovative phones. 360 N6 and Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus are phones which proved that it is possible to release innovative device even at a very affordable price. While 360 is still an unknown company worldwide, Xiaomi is the most famous one together with Huawei. Is it better to prefer a less known device with higher-end specs or a famous one with slightly inferior specs? Let’s discover it with this 360 N6 vs Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus comparison.
As you can see, both the handsets are equipped with innovative 18:9 displays, but there is a difference. 360 N6 with its 100% sRGB gamut should offer better colors than its opponent. The hardware side is better as well, at least on the paper. 360 N4 offer an octa-core Snapdragon 630 SoC paired with 6 GB of RAM and 64 GB of internal storage in the most expensive variant, while Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus is equipped with an older processor: the Snapdragon 625 which has a lower frequency than SD630, and less RAM, even in the most powerful variant. We still do not know how 360 N6 has been optimized, so we can not tell you for sure which will have better performances, but on the paper, N6 wins.
We still can not compare cameras but it looks decent from these samples. Also, note that this device offers a beauty mode for selfies based on AI (and probably even a better selfie camera), while its opponent does not. At last, 360 N6 has a bigger battery: 1000 mAh more than Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus. The only aspect of the specs sheet in which we define R5P better is the software: we like MIUI 9 more, and it will be more supported in the long-term. Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus has been launched in China with a price that starts from 135 dollars (114 euros), while the price of 360 N6 starts from 210 dollars (178 euros) and the phone will be available only in Asia. 360 N6 is a much better phone but I personally prefer Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus because the price is a lot more affordable and it will be better supported by the company.
At the 2017 Snapdragon Technology Summit, Qualcomm unveiled Quick Charge 4+ wall and car chargers. The chargers though made by a third-party company are the first to be certified by Qualcomm. Below is an unboxing and quick review of the wall charger.
The charger comes in a blue and white box and is made by Ever Win (Dongguan Yi. Electronics) International Corp. The charger itself has a matte black flame retardant shell with an American plug. There is a USB-C output port on top and a Quick Charge logo below it.
On one side of the charger, the various charging outputs are listed. There is 5V/3A, 9V/3A, 11V/2.4A, and 12V/2.25. However, a test using a ChargerLAB POWER-Z USB voltmeter revealed that the charger also supports Quick Charge 2.0, Quick Charge 3.0, and USB Power Delivery 3.0.
Below is a table of various phones, supported charging technology and the amount of watts drawn when using the QC4+ charger.
The Huawei Mate 9 is able to charge at up to 17.69W. It is followed closely by the iPhone 8 Plus which charges at 9.09V/1.90A (16.27W), and the Meizu PRO5 at 9.10A/1.78A (16.20W). All the above mentioned devices support USB Power Delivery. However, the New MacBook Pro didn’t charge fast even though it also supports USB PD.
The charger also doesn’t supports Apple’s 2.4A fast charging protocol, so using this charger with your iPad Air 2 or iPhone 7 won’t give you the fastest possible charging speed.
For Quick Charge 3.0, the charger was able to charge the Sony Xperia XZ premium and the Xiaomi Mi 5.
Its interesting to know that the charger supports multiple charging protocols even though not all devices are able to take advantage of it.
The world is gradually moving towards the era of clean and sustainable energy and so also are the players in the e-commerce industry. One of China’s top e-commerce company JD.com, also known as Jingdong has hinted of its readiness to help keep the skies over Beijing clear by electrifying its fleet of delivery vans by Spring Festival next year. Richard Liu, founder and CEO of the leading online retailer made this known recently via a post on his Toutiao account.
The JD CEO disclosed that his company is already partnering with the world’s top research institutes so that every of its operational stage meets the sustainable standard. This will be done by turning all of its delivery vans in Beijing into electric cars. The company views it as their own contribution to solving Beijing’s air pollution problem. Beijing, just like most industrialized cities, is plagued by poor air quality. The Chinese authority views electric vehicles as one way to reduce the air pollution and has made subsidies available to players in the electric vehicle sector.
Already, JD’s logistic unit partnered with a group of electric carmakers to form an alliance for the change to electric vehicles. Spring festival is just two months away, it is left to be seen if the rollout will be right on schedule during the Chinese Lunar New Year holding on February 16. Rival company Alibaba is also working on its own electric delivery vehicles in partnership with several Chinese carmakers.
Over the last 11 months, Xiaomi has released tens of products via its Mijia crowdfunding platform. From sofas to refrigerators to cooking utensils, smart lamps, and TVs, Xiaomi is bent on taking over our homes and doesn’t plan to stop soon. This week, its latest product is the Vima Smart Lock Cylinder.
While smart door locks are not new, Xiaomi’s approach is a bit different. Rather than completely replace the door lock, this only requires you to change the cylinder of your current door lock.
The Vima Smart Lock Cylinder uses a dual unlocking mechanism (mechanical lock + 128-bit security chip). There are a total of 5 color-coded keys that come with the lock. Using the Mi Home App, users can program which of the keys get to unlock the door and when they get to do so. They also get real time alerts when a door is opened and when the lock’s built-in battery needs replacing.
The lock comes with a number of security features such as alarm beeps and app alerts in the case of a lock-picking attempt and the ability to delete any of the five keys in the case a key gets lost or stolen, thereby preventing it from gaining access rather than completely changing the lock.
It seems that after launching eight bezel-less smartphones last month, Gionee is now gearing up to launch a new entry-level smartphone. The China-based smartphone manufacturer’s upcoming smartphone, carrying model number F205L, has recently passed through TENAA certification.
The TENAA certification listing also reveals information related to the phone’s design as well as specifications. The phone will come with a 5.45-inch display with a screen resolution of 1440 × 720 pixels.
It will be powered by a 1.3GHz quad-core chipset but it is not known which chipset version will be used. The processor is coupled with 2GB of RAM and a 16GB of internal storage. The storage can be further expanded through a microSD card.
On the software front, the device will run the Android 7.1 Nougat operating system based company’s own Amigo OS. As for the imaging capabilities, the phone features an 8-megapixel rear camera and a front-facing 5-megapixel selfie snapper.
Connectivity options on the phone includes a dual-SIM card slot, 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 4.2, GPS, and a 3.5mm audio port. The phone measures 148.4 × 70.7 × 7.95mm in terms of dimensions and packs a relatively smaller 2,670mAh battery.
Specifications-wise, this Gionee F205L is almost similar to the recently launched Gionee F205, which is powered by the MediaTek MT6739 quad-core processor.
The device will come in three colour options — Liushajin, Ice Sea Blue, and Glass Red. However, it is not known when the company is planning to launch this smartphone. However, since the phone has already passed the TENAA certification, we expect Gionee to soon launch the device.
Vernee Active was announced recently as the world’s first 3D curved rugged smartphone. The Active is a powerful and amazingly rugged phone with a business style appearance. Now the Vernee Active is officially on presale. The presale is presently on and will run until December 18. During this period, you can buy the rugged smartphone at a $40 discount for only $279.99.
Vernee Active 3D video:
The Vernee Active comes with a well-studded specs lineup which is unusual for a rugged smartphone. It is powered by an Helio P25 Octa-core processor backed by 6GB of RAM. There is a massive 128Gb storage onboard the smartphone. This is perhaps, the device’s strongest selling point aside from the rugged design. With such a powerful lineup, you are such to get top-notch performance even for heavy gaming on the Active.
The Vernee Active features a 5.5” JDI incell display with an FHD resolution of 1980 x 1080). The display is covered by a dual-curved 2.5D glass which gives it a sleek and attractive design. The device takes a deviation from the traditional rugged phones which are usually bulky by adopting a slimmer and lighter body. So, you get a rugged smartphone that is still fashionable. Make no mistake, the Active is still actively water resistant and dustproof as it comes with an IP68 certification. The rating means the device can stay in water of depth up to 1.5 meters for 30 minutes. The device is also 99% dustproof and silt proof. It is also tough, as well as scratch and drops resistant. By the way, the back case of Vernee Active uses the Kevlar design.
Vernee Active factory testing video:
And more interesting is we can see a comparison forum between the Vernee Active and the rugged CAT S60, including the detail specs and the price. No matter in spec or appearance, the Vernee Active is even better. But the price is much cheaper than the CAT. Which one will you choose?
Now, the Vernee Active is on presale at only $279.99, you can buy it from here. Also, you can win the chance to buy it at $99.99 only or win the $1000 travel fee. Just leave a comment about what is your facorite part of the Vernee Active and you will have the chance to win the prize. For more details, please check Vernee’s official website.
The LG V30+ is the latest premium flagship smartphone that the South Korean company has unveiled in India today to take on the likes of the Apple iPhone X, Samsung Galaxy Note 8, Galaxy S8 duo, Xiaomi Mi MIX 2 and OnePlus 5T. LG will be not selling the LG V30 phone that features 64 GB of storage in India. Hence, the LG V30+ that has been launched in the country features a larger internal storage of 128 GB.
According to LG, the LG V30+ that has a thickness of 7.3mm and weight of 158 grams is the lightest 6-inch smartphone available in the market. The LG V10 and V20 smartphones that were respectively launched in 2015 and 2016 featured a secondary ticker screen. Since LG has switched to OLED panel on LG V30+ instead of LCD panel, the smartphone does not feature a secondary ticker screen. The purpose of the secondary screen is fulfilled by a new floating bar that gives access to frequently used apps, contacts, camera and notifications.
LG V30+ Specifications and Features
The 6-inch OLED display of the LG V30+ offers an aspect ratio of 18:9 and a resolution of 2880 x 1440 pixels. The display of the phone also supports HDR10 and Always-on Display feature and is protected by Gorilla Glass 5.
The Snapdragon 835 chipset that powers the LG phablet is accompanied by 4 GB of RAM. It includes a 3,300mAh battery that carries support for wireless charging. The hybrid dual SIM slot supports up to 2 TB microSD card. The back panel of the phone features a fingerprint reader.
The LG V30+ is equipped with 32-bit Hi-Fi Quad DAC. The audio performance on the LG V30+ is optimized by Bang & Olufsen Play. The LG phablet comes bundled with B&O Play earphones. It also features MQA audio codec for high-resolution audio streaming. It is running on Android 7.0 Nougat that is customized with LG’s UX 6.0 proprietary software.
For photography, it is equipped with a dual camera system that includes a f/1.6 aperture 16-megapixel lens and a wide-angle 13-megapixel lens. The dual rear cameras are equipped with features like laser autofocus, OIS, dual-LED flash and Gorilla Glass 4 protection. For snapping selfies, it is fitted with a f/2.2 aperture 90-degree wide-angle lens of 5-megapixel. When it comes to durability, the LG V30+ does not disappoint as it features a MIL-STD-810 rated and IP68 certified water and dust resistant chassis.
The LG V30+ is priced at Rs. 44,990 in India and its pre-orders are set to begin on Dec. 14. Its sales will begin on Dec. 19 exclusively on Amazon India. It will be available in color choices like Aurora Black and Cloud Silver. The South Korean company is expected to release the color variants of the LG V30+ at a later date.
LG is providing a one-time screen replacement worth Rs. 12,000 for free to the buyers of LG V30+. It is giving away a wireless charger that is priced around Rs. 3,000 and also it is offering Rs. 6,400 worth in-app purchases for the Beat Fever app. These two offers will be available until Dec. 19.
Yesterday, on December 12th, 360 Mobiles launched two new smartphones — 360 N6 and its “lighter” variant, dubbed as 360 N6 Lite. However, the specifications of both the smartphones are nearly similar.
The launch of these two new smartphones — 306 N6 and 360 N6 Lite now completes the trio. Earlier, the company launched the 360 N6 Pro.
The smartphone comes with a metal body but lacks the NCVM coating of the Pro version which gives it a mirror-like finish. At the top and bottom, there are antenna lines.
One of the major difference between the standard 360 N6 and the 360 N6 Lite model is the display. While the standard model comes with a full-screen display, the Lite model packs a traditional 16:9 aspect ratio display.
The phone features a 5.93-inch Full HD display with a screen resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels. On top of the display, there is a 2.5D curved glass, which makes holding and using the phone feels smooth and comfortable.
Internally, the 360 N6 Lite is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 630 SoC, with four 2.2GHz A53 cores and four 1.8GHz A53 cores. It is coupled with Adreno 508 graphics chip, which is said to be 30% faster than the previous generation chip. It packs 4GB LPDDR4X RAM along with 32GB of internal storage and support for storage expansion up to 128GB using a microSD card.
On the top part of the phone’s front side, above the display, there is a front-facing camera and a handset speaker. On the bottom chin, there are three capacitive touch buttons — Recent Apps, Home, and Back. The home button has a red backlight, ensuring easy operations during the night time.
The back of the phone consist of three main components — camera module, fingerprint scanner, and the company’s branding. The camera module sits at the top-left corner inside a golden rim. The camera sensor is accompanied by an LED flash.
At the top-center, there is a fingerprint sensor for added security features. The inside edges of the fingerprint scanner have been painted with golden colors — to give premium look on a black-colored surface. At the bottom, the company has placed its branding, which just reads “360”.
The power button and the volume rockers are placed on the right side of the phone. The buttons seem to have a glossy look, with the power button having a cross-grain texturing, to make it easily recognizable. The phone packs a 3.5mm audio jack and a micro USB port at the bottom.
Coming to the software, the phone runs on Android 7.1.1 Nougat operating system based 360 OS 3.0. While the standard 360 N6 and this Lite model runs the same software, gesture-based operating is now available in N6 Lite.
The company has tied-up with Xunfei Voice in order to provide voice assistant for performing various system and applications related tasks. Further, it also comes equipped with “game accelerator” which is a gaming mode that optimises gaming performance and enables do-not-disturb mode for games.
The camera module at the back packs a 13-megapixel sensor with f/2.0 aperture, phase detection autofocus, LED flash and an auto HDR mode. While the camera performance of N6 Lite seems good during daytime, the low-light camera performance is not as good. If you are into low-light photography, 360 N6 is naturally a better choice. On the front, there is an 8-megapixel camera sensor with f/2.2 aperture. The front-facing camera also comes with a new upgraded beauty mode ensuring better selfies.
The 360 N6 Lite is powered by a 4,020mAh battery, which should be sufficient for more than a day of usage. The device comes with a 5V/2A charger rather than the 5V/3A charger like the N6 and doesn’t support the Quick Charge technology.
The smartphone is priced at 999 Yuan (approx. $150) and comes Gold and Black. Pre-orders for the purchase of the phone have already gone live on the official 360 Mobiles website and on JD.com.
Essential Phone was launched in May 2017 with a price tag of $699. Even though the company had promised that the shipping of the phone would begin at June end, but it could manage to begin the shipments in mid-August. In September, it was reported that only 5,000 units of the Essential Phone were sold in the U.S. Since then the smartphone has been available with a significantly low price of $499 along with a $200 friends and family code that can be used by Essential Phone owners to avail discount on 360-degree camera module or another Essential Phone. Fresh information suggests that according to camera app download numbers from the Google Play Store, the company may have sold 50,000 units of Essential Phone.
The sales number of the Essential Phone calculated on the basis of camera app downloads may not be 100 percent accurate. However, it suggests that Essential Phone has met with increased sales in the past six weeks. Compared to the sales report of September, the company has managed to achieve impressive sales with the recent price cut on the Essential Phone.
Apart from $399 pricing and friends and family code, the Essential Phone and the 360 Camera were available with a bundled pricing of $399 during the recent Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals. These offers may have certainly boosted the sales of Essential Phone to achieve a mild success.
The company has previously claimed that it wants to compete with the likes of Apple and Samsung in the U.S. The bezel-less Essential Phone may not be a major rival for the Apple iPhone X and Samsung Galaxy Note 8, but the company seems to be determined to rival the top tier smartphone brands. In the previous month, the company had confirmed that it has already started working on Essential Phone PH-2. It had also said that it is working on improving display/glass durability on the PH-2 phone.
Chinese smartphone manufacturer 360 Mobiles recently launched the 360 N6 smartphone utilizing the 18:9 aspect ratio. The 360 N6 was announced along with the N6 Lite. Both smartphones join the N6 Pro which was launched last week to bring to three the number of smartphones already out under the N6-series.
The 360 N6 has as its major highlight, a full-screen design which is undoubtedly the trend for 2017 smartphones. It packs an all-metal body and the display is a 5.93-inch full-screen with a resolution of 2160 x 1080 pixels (FHD+) and 18:9 aspect ratio. There is no capacitive button at the front which means it utilises on-screen controls which are as a result of the full-screen design. At the rear, there is a single camera centrally positioned. Just under the camera sits the rear-mounted fingerprint sensor. You can check out the features on the hands-on pictures after the post brought to you courtesy PConline.
The rear camera is a single 13MP camera with PDAF and fast autofocus. While at the front, the near-bezel-less model packs an 8MP sensor with AI beauty mode and camera assistant. We have also spotted the camera samples captured from the device’s rear shooter and they are not disappointing.
The N6 camera’s nice outing isn’t due to the camera sensor alone but the device is powered by a capable Qualcomm Snapdragon 630 chipset and is available in two memory variants, a 4GB RAM + 32GB variant and a 6GB RAM + 64GB RAM variant. It also doesn’t disappoint on the battery aspect, packing a 5000mAh battery with Quick Charge 3.0 fast charging (9V/2A). The phone also supports reverse charging. The 360 N6 is a dual-SIM phone and there is a 3.5mm audio jack at the top, and a USB-C port at the bottom. See more photos from below. In addition to the Black variant on display here, there is equally a Gold-coloured variant. The device also comes with a cheap price tag, with the 4GB RAM variant priced at 1399 Yuan (~$210). The higher 6GB RAM variant goes for 1599 Yuan (~$240).
The Lenovo K320t seems to be an upcoming smartphone from the Chinese manufacturer. Its entire specifications have appeared on China’s TENAA certification body.
The TENAA listing of the Lenovo K320t has revealed that it measures 155.2 x 73.5 x 8.5mm and its weight is 153.8 grams. It would be coming in color choices such as Black and Silver. It could be company’s first full screen phone as it features a 5.7-inch screen that will be supporting an HD+ resolution of 1440 x 720 pixels.
The exact name of the chipset that will be driving the Lenovo K320t is not known. However, what is known is that the handset will be powered by 1.3 GHz quad-core processor and it would be coming in two variants. The 16 GB storage model may feature 2 GB of RAM whereas the 32 GB inbuilt storage model is likely to include 3 GB of RAM. Both the models will be equipped with an external storage slot.
It will be running on Android 7.0 Nougat OS. A 3,000mAh battery will be present under the hood of the Lenovo K320t. It has a selfie camera of 8-megapixel. The images of the phone suggest that dual rear cameras. However, its main camera information on the TENAA listing seems to be incorrect.
The Lenovo K320t could be the model number of the phone and it may arrive in the market with a different moniker. As of this writing, there is no information on launch date. The specifications of the phone suggest that it will be budget-friendly phone.
Most of the Chinese smartphone manufacturers have launched smartphones with full screen design this year. Meizu too was expected to launch its first full screen phone, the rumored Meizu M6S before the end of this year. However, fresh information claims that it will be postponing its launch until January as it has encountered some issue with its camera.
Meizu is reportedly facing debugging issue with the camera of Meizu M6S. Previous leaks of the phone have already that revealed it will be coming with an elongated display that will be supporting an aspect ratio of 18:9. It may feature an HD+ resolution supporting display of 5.7 inches.
The Meizu M6S will be equipped with a side-mounted fingerprint reader. It is rumored to be powered by 14nm Exynos 7872 chipset that will be coupled with 3 GB of RAM. It is expected to house a 13-megapixel rear snapper and a selfie camera of 5-megapixel. The M6S would be running on Android Nougat OS and its leaked shots have also shown that it features a round-shaped on-screen button that seems to be available on all the screens of the phone. This on-screen button is rumored to carry the capabilities of mBack.
Latest information has also revealed that the price of the Meizu M6S would be priced around 2,000 Yuan like the recently unveiled Smartisan Nuts Pro 2. However, this information contradicts earlier reports that had claimed that it would be costing around 1,000 Yuan (~$151). Considering the rumors that the Meizu M6S would be arriving as a competitor for Xiaomi Redmi 5 and Redmi 5 Plus, the 2,000 Yuan (~$302) pricing does not seem suitable for it.
In related news, Meizu is also rumored to be working on another full screen smartphone that will be powered by Snapdragon 660 chipset. It is also expected to arrive with round-shaped on-screen button and side-mounted fingerprint scanner.
Samsung’s recent Galaxy S flagship phones have gained huge popularity in the recent years. The company is now working on the launch of Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+. Fresh information coming from a South Korean publication has revealed that the firm is working on improving the performance of iris scanner on Galaxy S9 duo.
Iris scanner can identify the user by detecting the complex patterns of each iris. The Galaxy S8, Galaxy S8+ and Galaxy Note 8 smartphones are equipped with a dedicated 2-megapixel lens for iris scanning. After the launch of Galaxy S8 duo, hackers from Germany had revealed that the iris scanner available on both phones could be easily spoofed by using a photograph of the eyes or contact lens of the user. At that time, Samsung had retorted by saying that the hack is unrealistic as it requires hackers to steal the smartphone and snap a photo of the owner’s iris.
According to The Korea Herald, Samsung will be adding 3-megapixel iris scanning lens on Galaxy S9 and S9+ that will be able to identify users instantly even if they are wearing glasses or when they are in very bright or dim light conditions. A spokesperson from Samsung has said that compared to other biometric recognition feature such as fingerprint and facial authentication, iris scanning is the safest one when it comes to carrying out banking transactions on smartphone.
As of this writing, fingerprint and iris scanning are the only biometric recognition technologies that are available on Samsung Pay for authenticating payments. The South Korean company is reportedly working to bring more mobile banking apps to support the iris scanner feature. The company is also aiming to bring iris recognition feature on budget phones by late 2018 or early 2019.
In related news, Synaptics has recently announced the world’s first in-display fingerprint scanner called Clear ID. It is speculated that the company is mass producing Clear ID in collaboration with Samsung. Since then the rumor mill has been claiming that the new fingerprint scanning technology may be made available on the Galaxy Note 9 that is rumored to debut in the latter half of 2018. There is no confirmation on whether the in-display fingerprint scanner would be arriving on Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+.
Smartwatch maker Huami has announced the much-anticipated second-generation Amazfit Sports Smartwatch 2 in China via a live webcast. The company this time around sliced the smartwatch into two versions with a higher Smartwatch 2S having a higher price tag and slightly improved features and then the regular Amazfit Sports Smartwatch 2.
The Amazfit Sports Smartwatch 2 adopts an entirely changed outlook compared to that of the first generation model. There is a change in the design as this new versions both come with a more sporty and rugged look. This new design is a true representation of the numerous sports features the smartwatch comes with. It features different modes for various sporting activities including swimming. On the display aspect, both the Watch 2 and Watch 2S adorn a 2.5D tempered glass with hand-polished ceramic bezels. The buttons, as well as the charging, are made from 316L stainless steel. The watch body also comes with a 3D laser carbon fibre body as well as a glass-reinforced polycarbonate case. The Amazfit Sports Smartwatch 2S, on the other hand, presents with a screen made from Sapphire glass while it has leather straps instead of rubber. The leather strap is made of the same fluoro-elastomer material used on the Apple Watch.
Both smartwatches come with the ability to be used in water to a depth of 50 meters. The watch also comes with two swimming modes; a swimming pool and open water (river) mode. In the swimming mode, swimmers can check the number of laps covered, stroke efficiency index and it also identify the stroke style such as breaststroke, freestyle, backstroke and butterfly stroke. Apart from swimming mode, there are up to 10 other different modes such as running, walking, outdoor riding, indoor riding, indoor running (treadmill), swimming pool, elliptical machines, mountaineering, cross-country running, open water swimming and others. Huami also announced that it would exhibit the product at CES 2018 and would also unveil three new sports modes of golf, soccer, tennis at the event.
Furthermore, the Huami Amazfit Sorts Smartwatch 2 comes with GPS and a long battery life. The smartwatch can last up to 35 hours even with the GPS-tracking feature turned on. As such, it can easily be used to track athletes during cross-country races. There is also 24-hour heart rate monitoring feature. The watch 2 also supports the new Amazfit Watch app 2.0, Yue Run circle and other third-party APP. It can also be used to control Xiaomi’s smart home devices. It also supports Alipay offline payment and can control the Music player via Bluetooth. Furthermore, you can view call alerts, set alarm, monitor your sleep pattern and check the weather via the app.
As for the prices, the Amazfit Sports Smartwatch 2 is priced at 999 Yuan (~$150) which is almost similar to the price of the first-gen Amazfit Watch. On the other hand, the Amazfit Sports Smartwatch 2S comes with a higher 1,499 Yuan price tag obviously due to its more classic design and leather straps. The Amazfit Sports Smartwatch 2 is presently on pre-sale at Jingdong (JD.com) and Lynx. While the Amazfit smartwatch 2S will go on sale on January 9 via the same channels. No word yet on when it will roll out globally but you can get it from online retailer GearBest presently at a slightly higher price. We expect the device to be launched for the international market in March.
Nokia has been among the few smartphone manufacturers who have started rolling out the latest Android Oreo operating system to its devices. After providing Android 8.0 Oreo update for the Nokia 8, the company has now started providing Android Oreo beta update to the Nokia 5 users.
The company’s chief product officer Juho Sarvikas has mentioned that the Nokia 6 is next in line to receive the latest Android version update. Earlier, at the time of rolling out Android Oreo for Nokia 8, the company has revealed that the Nokia 5 and Nokia 6 will soon get the latest update.
To get started with the Oreo beta version update, you’ll have to sign up for HMD’s beta labs program and enter your device details. Once you are enrolled, you’ll receive beta builds as and when they’re available.
The Nokia 5 smartphone was launched in February this year. It is a mid-range smartphone that features a 5.2-inch HD IPS LCD display and is powered by QualcommSnapdragon 430 processor. The phone packs 3GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage, with support for expanding storage up to 128GB.
The phone features a 13-megapixel rear camera with PDAF and dual tone flash and also has an 8-megapixel front-facing camera with f/2.0 aperture. The device runs Android 7.1.1 Nougat out-of-the-box and is fueled by a 3,000mAh battery.
The Nokia 3 recently received its monthly update, as promised by the company, in the form of Google’s latest December Android security patch update. We are expecting other phones from Nokia to be updated with the same in the near future.
While the company has started rolling out Android Oreo beta version for the Nokia 5 smartphone, there is no specific time-frame available for the final update. Looking at the past record of the company, we are expecting the final release in about a month.
When OnePlus announced the 5T in its home country – China, it also announced a Lava Red variant that will be sold exclusively in the Asian country. The Lava Red OnePlus 5T, according to OnePlus, is a limited edition model released to mark its 4th anniversary.
The Lava Red variant will go on sale on Sunday 17th of December for ¥3499 (~$528) on the OnePlus China website and JD.com. For those who won’t be able to get their hands on a unit, we have gotten our hands on unboxing pictures for you to feast your eyes on.
The Lava Red OnePlus 5T comes in the same retail box as the Midnight Black variant. Lift up the top of the box and you are greeted by the 6.01-inch full-screen display. The bezels are black and significantly smaller. The longer screen has forced the fingerprint scanner to the back of the phone.
If you are a coming from a phone with a front-mounted scanner, it may take some time to get used to. Though you can also choose to use the face unlock feature which is one of the fastest seen on any device. Just lift up to your face and the phone unlocks.
Flip the phone to the other side and the red coat hits you like a volcanic eruption. See why it is called lava red? Save for the dual cameras (obviously the LED flash too) and the OnePlus logo, every other thing is red. Although the fingerprint scanner is said to change from orange to red depending on the angle you look at it from. The power button, alert slider and volume rocker are also covered in the same red paint.
While the USB cable and charger remain the same color as previous OnePlus phones, the Lava Red OnePlus 5T is the first OnePlus phone to truly match the red charging cable.
Vivo has again released another special edition of the Vivo X20 full-screen flagship phone. This new edition is a Special Christmas edition and it comes in an attractive red colour and a couple of other goodies. The new Vivo X20 Special Red Christmas edition joins the recently unveiled King of Glory edition. This brings to seven, the total number of colour variants fans have to choose from.
The Vivo X20 Special Red Christmas edition retains the all-metal body of the other versions but is coated with a bright and attractive red colour at the back. The entire back casing, including the antenna band, Vivo logo and the rear-mounted fingerprint sensor, is also covered in red. Vivo also bundles a special limited gift box along with the new edition as well as a customised Scalf and phone case.
Apart from the beautiful red paint job, the Vivo X20 Special Red Christmas edition is scarcely different from the normal edition but is available with 4GB of RAM while there is a 64GB and 128GB storage version. It features a similar 6.01-inch FHD+ display, Snapdragon 660 chipset, 12MP + 5-MP dual rear cameras, 12MP selfie shooter and a 3,250mAh battery. The new Christmas edition is priced at 3198 Yuan (~$483) and would be available on December 16. The device will go on sale via Vivo’s official mall, Vivo Lynx official flagship shop, Vivo Jingdong official flagship store,Vivo Suning official flagship store and is now open for booking on the above listed online platforms.
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