Meizu To Focus On The High-End Market This Year, Partnering With Qualcomm & Samsung

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Jan 15, 2018

Meizu today held a media event in Beijing, China where they unveiled its plans for 2018 as well as gave a summary of last year’s performance. During the Yang Zhe is reported to have shared some of the adjustments the company would be making this year to the media. The company plans to rebuild the brand image and also create a new design style.

The Meizu Exec also disclosed that the company wants to re-engineer its high-end market and would focus more on the high-end market. In terms of products, Meizu plans to collaborate with Qualcomm and Samsung in 2018 in order to propel its ambitious drive to target the market with high-end products this year. The focus here would be on the aspect of chipsets. Last year when Meizu ended its dispute with Qualcomm, the company disclosed that they will release more smartphones with Qualcomm chips this year. While some models could pack Samsung’s Exynos chipset. The upcoming Meizu M6S is expected to feature an Exynos 7872 chipset.

In addition, Yang Zhe also disclosed that the Meizu 15 Plus is the company’s first flagship phone for the year and one worth looking forward to. he device is expected to feature a 6.0-inch LCD3 display with FHD+ resolution (2160 x 1080 Pixels). The device will be powered by an Octa-Core 1.8GHz ARM Cortex-A72 processor with the Qualcomm Adreno 510 GPU. The device also features a 6GB RAM while there are 64GB storage variant and another with 128GB among others.

According to its recent report, Meizu was only able to ship 20 million units last year but sales were said to have surpassed 20 billion Yuan and that is considered a profitable one for the company. The bid to focus on the flagship models is likely a reflection of Meizu’s President, Huang Zhang’s vision of designing stunning flagship models. The company isn’t expected to abandon its mid-range and budget segments, though, as they also hold the ace to shoring up its profits this year.

(source)

Xbox Elite 2 Controller Details Leaked: Type-C Port, Built-in Battery & Bluetooth Support

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Jan 15, 2018

Yes, we know its unusual for us to cover gaming-related hardware. Is this a new direction for Gizmochina? Hmmmmm! No comments. Back to the article. Details and images of the Xbox Elite 2 Controller have leaked online and it sure brings a number of interesting features.

The Xbox Elite Controller is one of the best gaming controllers in the market. With additional buttons, swappable analog and D-pad buttons, as well as button mapping via the Xbox Accessories app, the Elite Controller is the holy grail for gamers. Nearly three years after its release, it is getting a successor.

The Xbox Elite 2 Controller is said to come with a built-in lithium battery. The original Elite Controller uses 2 AA batteries. So this is a huge upgrade. The battery will reportedly last for 20 hours on a single charge and can be recharged via a USB-C port that replaces the micro USB port.

Another big upgrade coming to the Xbox Elite 2 Controller is Bluetooth support. Even with all its features the original Elite Controller doesn’t have Bluetooth. If you need to use it with a PC, you have to buy the Xbox One Wireless Adapter. That will no longer be required with the Elite 2 Controller.

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Last but not the least is button mapping. The new controller will be able to save three different button configuration instead of two. This should most likely remain a hardware switch above the D-pad.

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Nokia Announces Its Under-The-Bed Sleep Tracking Accessory — Nokia Sleep, Costs $99

By

Jeet

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Jan 15, 2018

At Consumer Electronics Show (CES) this year, Nokia added a new accessory to its portfolio of sleep-tracking device — the Nokia Sleep. The device is able to track your slumber patterns, as well as adjust the lighting and temperature when the user is gettings in or out of bed.

The Nokia Sleep is a thin under-the-mattress accessory that has built-in movement sensors, which are used to track metrics like sleep length, heart rate, sleep quality, and snoring. The collected data can be viewed in the accompanying Health Mate. Data is synced to the user’s smartphone using Wi-Fi.

It provides Sleep Score in the Nokia’s Health Mate app that shows users if their night was restorative. In the mobile application, users can also take advantage of the Sleep Smarter program for further improving their nights over time.

The app provides data history, personalized advice and coaching programs, including one developed specifically around sleep. The company says that along with seamlessly delivering personalized sleep analysis, the device also offers smart home control through IFTTT integration — an automation service for all internet-connected things.

Nokia also announced the integration of its Health Mate app with Alexa, the cloud-based voice service from Amazon, providing users with data and insights on their activity, sleep and weight.

The Nokia Sleep is priced at $99 and will be available shortly. This new device from Nokia is similar to Beddit’s iPhone-connected sleep tracking system. It’s noteworthy that Apple acquired Beddit in May last year for an undisclosed amount.

mBlu S6’s Leaked Promotional Poster Confirms Exynos Processor And Side Fingerprint Sensor

By

Jeet

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Jan 15, 2018

Meizu, the China-based smartphone brand is all set to make a comeback this year. The company is slated to launch a series of devices this year and one of them is mBlu S6, which will be launched on 17th January. The phone has been leaked a few times, revealing some of the key specifications.

Now, a promotional poster of the mBlu S6 has been leaked, which confirms some of the phone’s specifications and features which were leaked earlier. The latest development confirms that the phone will be powered by Samsung‘s Exynos chipset. Earlier, it was reported that the device will pack Exynos 7872 chipset.

Samsung’s Exynos 7882 is 14nmm chipset that is designed for low-budget phones. It is a hexa-core SoC that comprises four cores of Cortex A53 and two cores of Cortex A73 and Mali G71-MP3 graphics. It includes a Cat. 7 LTE modem that offers a maximum download speed of up to 300 Mbps and upload speed of up to 100 Mbps.

The leaked poster also confirms that the phone will feature a fingerprint sensor on the side, as reported earlier. The phone is rumoured to come with a large 5.7-inch display with 1440 x 720 pixels screen resolution and 18:9 aspect ratio. It packs 3GB RAM with 32GB of internal storage and is fuelled by a 3,000mAh battery that also supports 9V/2A 18W fast charging.

Recently, a video of the phone was leaked, which revealed that there is a mBlu logo on the back panel, confirming that this will be the first mBlu branded smartphone to be released by the company. To accommodate the full-screen display, the company has decided to let-go its popular mBack home button. Also, there is no capacitive touch button and users will have to rely on the on-screen navigation buttons.

Last week, the mBlu S6, which is also being referred as Meizu M6S passed through TENAA, a Chinese certification agency. Looking at the phone’s specs, it seems that the device will directly compete against Xiaomi’s Redmi 5 Plus.

OnePlus Records Over $1.4 Billion in Revenue With Healthy Profits

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Jan 15, 2018

OnePlus CEO Pete Lau, revealed in an interview with The Telegraph that the company crossed the $1 billion mark. Since it was founded in 2013, this is the first time OnePlus has crossed this mark.

According to Pete Lau who is also a co-founder, the company recorded over $1.4 billion in revenue, doubling that of 2016. He also added that the figure comes with “healthy profits”. This is the first time the company will reveal its revenues in 4 years. Mr. Lau said the decision to be more transparent about revenues is “to send a signal that we’re a healthy company.”

It is no surprise that OnePlus had a great 2017. Its OnePlus 5 flagship phone received generally positive reviews. It was then followed by the OnePlus 5T in November, which is currently one of the best value for money phones in the market.

OnePlus’ plan for 2018 includes partnering with mobile carriers. For now, the company sells its phones unlocked in the US and Europe. However, carrier availability plays a huge role in the success of a company in these markets too.

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Xiaomi Reportedly Kickstarts MIUI 10 Development; May Be Called MIUI X

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Jan 15, 2018

Xiaomi has reportedly started the development of its next generation of MIUI custom ROM. This was made known during a live Q & A session conducted by MIUI on Mi Live and the disclosure was made by no less a person than the vice-president of the MIUI software division, Huang Longzhong. Mr. Huang confirmed that MIUI 10 or MIUI X will be released by Xiaomi later in this year.

Huang revealed that the development of the upcoming MIUI next major version has commenced and it is named, named as MIUI 10 or MIUI X tentatively. The Xiaomi VP also interacted with Mi Fans and sought for their opinion and feature request for MIUI 10.

This really isn’t coming out as a surprise despite the fact that the MIUI 9 Stable ROM just rolled out Stable ROM just came onboard. Currently, more than 27 Mi or Redmi devices have received MIUI 9 updates and that is enough to move on to the next big thing. Huang also told the audience that MIUI developers are gearing up to commence pushing updates for MIUI 9 to the third batch models. In an earlier interview, Xiaomi’s Hong Zhong had hinted that MIUI 10 will be focusing on artificial intelligence. However, it is still unsure whether it will be called MIUI 10 or MIUI X.

(source)

Master Lu Chipsets Benchmark Result Puts Kirin 970 At The Top

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Jan 15, 2018

Chinese benchmarking tool, Master Lu has released its benchmarking results for 2017. We already covered for the top 10 smartphones for 2017 here. This article is for the top Android chipsets in terms of performance.

According to the results, Huawei’s Kirin 970 is the top chipset for 2017. It scored 75,507 points in the GPU test, a slight increase over the Adreno 540 in the Snapdragon 835. For CPU, the Kirin records 48,707 points and this time beats the SD835 by almost 2000 points.

Third on the list is Samsung’s Exynos 8895 that powers the Galaxy S8, S8+, and Note8. Scoring 46,264 and 75,068 points in the CPU and GPU tests respectively, the Exynos 8895 is just a tiny bit behind Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 835.

The fourth, fifth, and sixth positions are occupied by the Kirin 960, Snapdragon 821, and Snapdragon 820 respectively. All three chips powered the flagships of 2016.

MediaTek’s Helio X30 clinches the 7th spot. It beats the Exynos 8890 by no small margin in the CPU score but slightly scores less in the GPU test. The Snapdragon 660 is another mid-range chip that has performed well. It also beats the Exynos 8890 in the CPU test but scores less in terms of GPU performance. Its total score put it above the Kirin 955 and 950.

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Micromax Bharat Go, First Android Go Phone Launching in January End

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Jan 15, 2018

Earlier in this month, an Indian publication had revealed that Micromax will be launching the first Android Go (Oreo edition) smartphone in this month. Fresh information suggests that the Micromax Bharat Go will be unveiled by the end of this month.

As of this writing, there is no information available on the specifications of the Micromax Bharat Go entry-level smartphone. Rumors have it that it would be priced around Rs. 2,000 (~$30). Speculations are rife that the smartphone would be launched around India’s Republic Day (Jan. 26).

Google had unveiled Android Go in May 2017 during the I/O 2017 event. It is a customized version of the Android OS that is designed to run on low-end smartphones featuring as low as 512 MB of RAM. Such smartphones will be aimed towards emerging markets. Two of the major chipset makers such as Qualcomm and MediaTek have confirmed that they will be supporting Android Go.

The search engine giant had confirmed in the previous month that the Android Go will be based on Android 8.1 Oreo. Smartphones running on Android Go will be featuring toned-down version of apps for Play Store, Google Go, Gmail Go, YouTube Go, Maps Go, Google Assistant Go and so on.

Indian smartphone makers have lost their market share in India thanks to increased popularity of smartphones from Chinese brands like Xiaomi, OPPO and Vivo. Android Go is expected to allow Indian smartphone manufacturers to regain their market share in the country. After Micromax, other Indian brands such as Lava, Karbonn and Intex are also expected to release Android Go smartphones.

In March, HMD Global is expected to debut the Android Go driven Nokia 1 smartphone. Also, Huawei is also rumored to be working on an Android Go handset.

Meizu Sold 20 Million Phones in 2017, Less Than 2016

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Jan 15, 2018

Ahead of its first product release in Wednesday, Meizu held a press briefing today in Beijing. At the meeting, the Chinese company revealed its sales figure and revenue for 2017.

Senior Vice-President Yang Xun, who was at the event revealed that Meizu sold close to 20 million phones in 2017 in a total of 40 countries. He added that the revenue from sales also exceeded ¥200 billion.

Back in 2016, Meizu sold 22 million phones. Even though the company says it achieved full profits for 2017, it still sold less smartphones than the preceding year. However, this decline in sales is not unique to Meizu alone as stats have shown that smartphone sales declined in China in 2017.

Statistics from the Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology have revealed that the Chinese market suffered a whopping 32.5% decrease in sales.

Notwithstanding, some of Meizu’s phones also did not sell as much as expected last year, like the dual-screen Pro 7 and Pro 7 Plus even. Things later turned around with the launch of its first Snapdragon-powered phone, the M6 Note.

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HTC U11 EYEs Officially Launched with Dual Selfie Cameras, Face Recognition

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Jan 15, 2018

HTC has unveiled the U11 EYEs as its first smartphone for the year 2018. The USP of this mid-range smartphone is that it comes equipped with dual front-facing cameras and it is the first phone from the company to arrive with facial recognition feature. Also, it features a full screen design and a massive battery.

HTC U11 EYEs Specifications and Features

Measuring 157.9 x 74.99 x 8.5 mm and weighing 185 grams, the HTC U11 EYEs comes in three color choices of Red, Silver (with bluish tint) and Black. Like the other U11 series phones from HTC, the U11 EYEs also features a reflective 3D glass panel that gives it a premium appeal. It is a dustproof and waterproof device as it features a IP67 rated chassis.

The U11 EYEs is fitted with a Super LCD 3 display that measures 6 inches. It offers an aspect ratio of 18:9 and a Full HD+ resolution of 2160 x 1080 pixels. The display is protected by a layer of Gorilla Glass 3.

The U11 EYEs inherits the same 12-megapixel UltraPixel 3 rear-mounted camera that is available on the HTC U11. It comes with features like f/1.7 aperture, dual-LED flash, ultrafast autofocus, fast HDR, back-illuminated sensor (BSI), Optical Image Stabilization, slow-motion video shooting, and 4K video shooting.

At the front, it houses an f/2.2 aperture 5-megapixel + 5-megapixel dual camera setup that is designed to capture vivid selfie shots. It is enabled with features like, beauty mode, fast HDR, voice selfie, full HD video recording and bokeh mode that allows users to adjust depth of field in real-time. Apart from facial recognition, the handset also includes a rear-facing fingerprint scanner.

Since it belongs to the U11 family, the U11 EYEs comes equipped with squeezable Edge Sense pressure-sensitive frame. By squeezing the phone, users can perform customized tasks on the phone such as starting an app, snapping a photo and more. The U11 EYEs is running on the Android 8.0 Oreo OS that is customized with the latest HTC Sense UI. HTC is providing the users of the U11 EYEs with USonic Smart Sonar headphones that features advanced sonar-like technology that can analyze the inner shape of the ear to deliver the best audio experience.

The Snapdragon 652 chipset and 4 GB of RAM are present under the hood of the U11 EYEs smartphone. It has an internal storage of 64 GB and it also features a microSD card slot. A 3,930mAh battery found inside the HTC U11+ flagship phone powers the U11 EYEs. The phone supports Quick Charge 3.0. The other features of the U11 EYEs include dual SIM support, NFC, Bluetooth 4.2, Wi-Fi 802.11ac, 4G LTE and GPS. The handset does not feature the standard 3.5mm audio jack.

HTC U11 EYEs Pricing and Availability

HTC has started the pre-orders of the U11 EYEs in China from today. It carries a price tag of 3,299 Yuan (~$512) in China. The shipments of the pre-ordered units will begin from Jan. 25. The smartphone has been also unveiled in other markets like Hong Kong and Taiwan. In Hong Kong, it is priced at HK $3,898 (~$498) and in Taiwan, it is available with a pricing of 14,900 TWD (~$505). During pre-orders, the buyers of the U11 EYEs will in these markets will be receiving some accessories such as HTC Rapid Charger 3.0 with USB-C, a protective cover, a screen protector, USB-C to 3.5mm plug adapter and an HTC 20 t-shirt. The freebies may vary depending on the market

What’s your opinion on the HTC u11 EYEs? Share us your thoughts by commenting below.

CHUWI Hi10 Pro CWI529 Tablet PC Is Available For Just $195.99 On GearBest [Coupon Code]

By

Vinay Patel

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Jan 15, 2018

CHUWI CWI529 2-in-1 ultrabook-tablet PC sports a 10.1-inch IPS display with a screen resolution of 1920 x 1200 (WUXGA) pixels. On the photography front, the CHUWI-branded tablet PC feature dual cameras i.e. 2MP front camera and a 2MP rear-mounted camera.

You can now buy the CWI529 2 on GearBest without spending a fortune. The site is currently offering two versions of the device including a gray-tinted Intel Cherry Trail X5-Z8350, which carries a price tag of $204.84. By shelling an additional $6.05, you can go for US PLUG+Intel Cherry Trail 5-Z8350 version, which bears a slightly higher price tag of $210.89.
But if you want to buy the X5-Z8350 version of this dual OS tablet PC without burning a hole in your pocket, we have good news for you.

Before checking out, you can use coupon code ‘HNYear274’ and buy Intel Cherry Trail X5-Z8350 version of CHUWI Hi10 Pro CWI529 2 tablet PC for just $195.99. It’s worth noting that the coupon code is valid only for 50 units. Head straight to this link and take advantage of the discount before it comes to an end.

Buy CHUWI Hi10 Pro CWI529 Tablet PC For Just $195.99 On GearBest

Korean Firm Develops Self-Healing Material That Restores Cracks & Could Be On Future Phones

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Jan 15, 2018

The advent of smartphones brought with it a great chance of cracked screen as a result of the large surface area which the display now occupies. This is even more complicated by the adoption of the full-screen design which sees the bezels getting reduced. Somewhere in the world right now, someone has just dropped his or her phone accidentally and the screen has shattered. But this may soon be a thing of the past as a team of Korean researchers have developed a new self-healing material dubbed “Elastomer,” which can restore dents and cracks within 30 minutes.

Ordinarily, an elastomer is a polymer with viscoelasticity (having both viscosity and elasticity) and very weak inter-molecular forces, generally having low Young’s modulus and high failure strain compared with other materials. The new material comes with double the highest level of existing tensile strength which means it is resistant to breaking under tension. This has been a problem with self-healing materials in the past. The Elastomer is also able to heal itself under room temperature and has a tensile strength good enough to make it commercially viable. The team also disclosed that the new material can be used as a protective layer on mobile devices and it automatically restore any outside cracks within 30 minutes.

This isn’t the first time we’re hearing of a self-healing material for smartphones. Late last year, a team of researchers from the University of Tokyo in Japan reportedly discovered one. Earlier in 2017, a self-healing material was discovered by chemists at the University of California at Riverside and the University of Colorado that could not only stitch itself back together within 24 hours but also it could stretch 50 times its original size. In August 2017, Motorola was granted a patent for a glass-like plastic polymer can restore on its own when cracked. However, the use of self-healing materials for phone screens may still be a long time from becoming a reality.

(source)

You Can Preorder THL Knight 2 Smartphone For Only $149.99 On Banggood

By

Vinay Patel

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Jan 15, 2018

Much to the delight of budget-conscious smartphone buyers, the Knight 2 4G smartphone is currently up for preorder on Banggood at a heavily discounted price.

As part of its promotion sale which kicked off on Sunday, January 14, Banggood is offering a considerable 10% discount on Knight 2’s original asking price of $165.99. In other words, you can now get your hands on this already-affordable smartphone by shelling out just $149.99.

Despite bearing a relatively low price tag, the Knight 2 smartphone is brimming with a slew of top-drawer specs and features. For instance, it packs an all-powerful MediaTek MT6750T processor, which is coupled with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of onboard storage.
Moreover, THL’s recently launched Knight 2 smartphone sports a 6-inch HD+ display with a screen resolution of 1440 x 7220 pixels. On the photography front, it sports 13MP + 5MP rear-mounted cameras and an 8MP front snapper for selfies. It is backed by a robust 4,200 mAh Lithium-Polymer battery.

You can choose from two color versions of the Knight 2 smartphone including blue and black. It’s worth noting that only 63 pieces were left at the time of writing. Also, the promo is slated to end on January 22.

In addition to earning 149 Banggood points, you also get a free wireless charger when you’ll preorder THL Knight 2 smartphone by heading straight to this link.

Preorder THL Knight 2 Smartphone For Only $149.99 On Banggood

Samsung’s Forthcoming Galaxy, Gear Devices May Feature Metal 12 Magnesium Alloy Chassis

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Jan 15, 2018

The recently unveiled Samsung Notebook 9 (2018) 2-in-1 laptop-tablet hybrid is made out of “Metal 12,” a durable and lightweight alloy of magnesium and aluminum. The South Korean tech giant has recently trademarked “Metal 12” with European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO). Its filing has revealed that the new alloy would be used on upcoming Galaxy smartphones and Gear smartwatches.

The lightweight Metal 12 gives a sophisticated appeal to the Notebook 9 (2018). Hence, magnesium-aluminum alloy body that not only weighs less but also adds a premium appeal is expected to arrive on forthcoming flagship devices from Samsung.

Before the launch of Samsung Galaxy S7, the rumor mill had predicted that it would be coming with a magnesium alloy chassis. However, the Galaxy S7 was launched with glass chassis like its predecessor model. The South Korean tech giant is expected to continue using the glass chassis for the upcoming Galaxy S9, Galaxy S9+ and Galaxy Note 9 that will be releasing this year. The Samsung flagship phones that will be arriving in 2019 may feature Metal 12 chassis

Do you think that Samsung should ditch the glass design and embrace Metal 12 alloy for its forthcoming smartphones? Share us your views by posting your comments below.

(source|via 1, 2)

Vivo X20 Plus UD With Under Display Fingerprint Sensor Said To Go On Sale This Month For 3698 Yuan

By

Jeet

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Jan 15, 2018

Vivo X20 Plus UD, which is believed to the world’s first smartphone to feature an under-display fingerprint sensor, will reportedly go on sale later this month in China for a price of 3,698 Yuan, which roughly converts to $574.

At Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2018 in Las Vegas, Vivo showcased the world’s first commercial phone to feature a fingerprint scanner under the display. However, the company refrained from revealing the phone’s name as well as its specifications and design.

It is said that the China-based company has already started mass production of the device and is expected to launch it soon. While we were expecting the device to get unveiled at the upcoming Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, the phone might get announced sooner. If the latest reports are to be believed, then the phone, which is believed to be the Vivo X20 Plus UD, will go on sale from this month itself.

Alex Feng, Senior Vice President at Vivo had revealed that the phone will be officially announced in early 2018. He further added that the device provides a more comfortable authentication experience. The phone packs an in-display fingerprint technology by Synaptics which only works with OLED displays, and thus, the handset will feature an AMOLED display.

The fingerprint scanner will be placed between the glass panel and the OLED display panel. When the finger touches the glass panel, the OLED panel illuminates the fingerprint area and the chip inside processes the beams of light emitted.

The Vivo X20 Plus UD recently received 3C certification. Previous leaks have suggested that the phone will be similar to the Vivo X20 Plus in terms of design as well as specifications. It is said to feature a 6.43-inch full-screen display with 18:9 aspect ratio. The phone will be powered by Qualcomm‘s Snapdragon 660 processor, coupled with 4GB RAM and 128GB of internal storage. The device is also said to be fuelled by a 3,900mAh battery.

One major concern about this new fingerprint scanning technology is the speed of recognition. The prototype showcase had the response time of about 0.6s – 0.7 seconds, which is a bit slower than the regular fingerprint sensors. However, we expect the response time to improve by the time phone makes its debut.

Alcatel Said To Announce Three New Models This Week

By

Michele Ingelido

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Jan 15, 2018

Alcatel has teased 3 new series of phones at CES 2018 which will be called with simple numbers: 1, 3, and 5. According to the famous leakster Roland Quandt, three smartphones from these series will be officially announced next week. The most reliable hypotheses suggest that each of the handsets which should be launched by TCL (the Chinese company that acquired the French smartphone manufacturer) may belong to different series. So we may see a phone from the 1 series, one from the 3 series and another from the 5 series.

Alcatel 1 is a series of budget phones which will be sold with price tags under $100, the 3 series will be sold under $200, and the 5 series will contain the most powerful phones by the company which will still be affordable compared with the best flagships, as they will cost under $300. All the series should be equipped with bezel-less displays which will have an 18:9 aspect ratio. Obviously, the resolutions will change depending on the prices of the various phones.

Some renders related to new Alcatel phones have already surfaced at CES 2018, and they show three models: Alcatel 1x, 3v and 5.

The first is the most entry-level one, but even though it will cost less than $100, it has a fingerprint reader on the back side. 3v should be the mid-range device and it is equipped with a dual camera setup on its rear side. However, the fact that it has a dual rear camera does not prove that the phone will have good camera performance. Under the dual camera, there is a fingerprint reader as well. The Alcatel 5 is the most powerful one and it seems to have the highest screen-to-body-ratio.

Next week we will probably know all their specs.

(Source)

Samsung’s New Smartphones Series Will be Sold Exclusively Online to Rival with Xiaomi in India

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Jan 15, 2018

At present, Xiaomi is not among the top three smartphone brands in China. However, the Chinese smartphone manufacturer has been doing quite well in India as International Data Corporation (IDC) research firm’s market survey for Q3 2017 revealed that it is the number one smartphone brand in India. Xiaomi and Samsung respectively held a market share of 23.5 percent in Q317. The stupendous popularity of Xiaomi in India is mainly because of its strategy of selling its smartphones with aggressive pricing online. In order to regain the numero uno spot in the country, Samsung India has decided to launch a new lineup of phones that will be sold online exclusively.

Samsung’s forthcoming smartphones that will be sold online will contain impressive specifications and they will be priced between Rs. 5,000 to Rs. 15,000 to take on the bestselling smartphones from Xiaomi. Currently, the Galaxy On series of smartphones from Samsung are only available for purchase online in India. The recently launched Galaxy A8+ (2018) with Infinity Display design that is exclusively available on Amazon India with a pricing of Rs. 32,990 is a direct competitor for the Xiaomi Mi MIX 2 flagship phone that carries a price tag of Rs. 32,999.

According to Counterpoint Technology Market Research firm, the significant popularity of Xiaomi phones in India is mainly because there is no major competition from any other smartphone brand in the online space. Xiaomi accounts for around 50 percent share of online smartphone sales in the country.

Samsung is now looking forward to rival with Xiaomi by increasing its e-commerce sales in the country. As far as offline sales are concerned, the Samsung has around 1.5 lakh offline stores across India whereas Xiaomi has recently started to build its presence offline.

The South Korean tech giant is of the view that Xiaomi will take some time to build a huge offline network. In order to concentrate on selling its smartphones online, it has reportedly reduced the number of trade partners to 2-3 from 10-12 earlier.

(via)

Nokia 6 (2018), Nokia 7 Android 8.0 Oreo Update Rollout Has Started, Nokia 6 Oreo Update Coming Soon

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Jan 15, 2018

Around two months ago, HMD Global rolled Android 8.0 Oreo update for the Nokia 8 flagship phone. In the previous month, it also began Android Oreo beta program for Nokia 6 and Nokia 5 smartphones. Today, on the official Weibo account, the Finnish firm has confirmed that it has started rolling out Android 8.0 Oreo update for the newly unveiled Nokia 6 2^nd Gen smartphone and the Nokia 7.

Before releasing the stable Android 8.0 Oreo update for the Nokia 8, the Finnish company had released the beta version. However, the company seems to have skipped beta version of Android 8.0 Oreo for the newly announced Nokia 6 (2018) and Nokia 7 that was unveiled in October 2017. The Weibo post that confirms the rollout of Oreo update for these phones also claims that the first-generation Nokia 6 will be also upgraded to Android 8.0 Oreo very soon.

Currently, the Nokia 6 (2018) and Nokia 7 are only available in China. However, it is speculated that HMD Global will be bringing the Nokia 7 to India later this month.

The Nokia 7 is the first smartphone from the company to come with glass chassis and it is also first device from the company to feature Snapdragon 630 chipset. It features a 5.2-inch FHD display, 64 GB storage and comes in 4 GB and 6 GB RAM variants. It has a rear-mounted camera of 16-megapixel and a selfie snapper of 5-megapixel. It includes a 3,000mAh capacity battery.

Nokia 6 (2018) that is powered by Snapdragon 630 borrows some features like OZO audio recording and Bothie camera mode from Nokia 7. It has a 5.5-inch FHD display and includes 4 GB of RAM. It is available in 32 GB and 64 GB storage models. It has a 16-megapixel rear camera and an 8-megapixel frontal snapper. It is fueled by a 3,000mAh battery.

(source)

Xiaomi Chooses Morgan Stanley And Goldman Sachs Group For Its IPO

By

Jeet

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Jan 15, 2018

According to the latest reports, Xiaomi — the China-based technology company, has selected Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs Group for its planned initial public offering (IPO). Along with them, Credit Suisse Group AG and Deutsche Bank AG have also been selected to work on the IPO.

The report, which comes from Bloomberg, cites people with direct knowledge of the matter as its source. The report further adds that the China-based company is targeting a valuation of $100 billion. Earlier, there were rumours suggesting Xiaomi seeking $200 billion valuation, but that is highly unlikely.

However, reports suggest that the company is still considering its Chinese underwriters, as well as the timing and location of the share sale. Xiaomi’s IPO could be the biggest IPO since Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.’s $25 billion debut.

Xiaomi was valued at around $45 billion when it last raised a funding round in 2014. Once, it held the title of the world’s most valuable technology company. Xioami also successfully achieved its annual revenue target of 100 billion Yuan ($15 billion) in October 2017. The company broke its target by 18 percent and recorded as much as $1 billion in net profit. For 2018, Xiaomi has set a target of $2 billion in profits.

The China-based technology company bounced back from a disastrous 2016. The company, which mastered the online sales model, is now focusing on the offline channels to boost its sales. The company has strengthened its position in emerging markets like India, where it is now the largest smartphone vendor, ahead of Samsung.

In line with the company’s renewed strategy, Xiaomi is now looking to establish its presence in the offline market. Having launched more than 300 Mi Stores in China, the tech giant plans to open over 1,000 physical stores in different Chinese cities by the year 2020.

There are also reports suggesting that Xiaomi is also planning to enter the US market and is currently in talks with some network carriers to sell its flagship devices from this year. While the company is in talks with AT&T and Verizon, there is no assurance if the deal will happen.

Recently, Huami — the makers of the Amazfit smartwatch line as well as Xiaomi’s Mi Band line, filed for a $150 million IPO in the United States. The company filed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission on Friday.

In its filings, Huami reveals that Xiaomi, which owns 19.3% of the company’s shares, is the sole customer and distribution channel for Xiaomi wearables. Sales of Xiaomi products contributed 97.1% in 2015, 92.1% in 2016, and 82.4% for the nine months ended on September 30 in 2017 to its revenue.

(Source)

Vivo X20 Dreamy Pink Version Priced at 2,998 Yuan (~$465) Will be Available on Pre-Sale from Tomorrow

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

-

Jan 15, 2018

Vivo X20 was launched in October 2017 in three color choices like Gold, Rose Gold and Matte Black. Soon after making the smartphone available for buying in China, the X20 was available in various color choices such as Black/Gold, Blue and Red. On its official Weibo account, Vivo has confirmed that it will start the pre-sale of the Dreamy Pink color from Jan. 16 in China

The images of the new Pink edition of the Vivo X20 shows that this color variant is different from the Rose Gold model that also a slightly pinkish appeal. Targeted towards the women, the Pink Vivo X20 carries a pricing of 2,998 Yuan (~$465). Apart from different color variants for the Vivo X20, the company launched it in various special edition models such as Swarovski Gift Box version, King of Glory Edition and FIFA World Cup Edition

As far as the specifications of the Pink colored Vivo X20 is concerned, it will be coming with the same hardware that is available on the other color variants of the Vivo X20. It houses a 6.01-inch AMOLED display that supports full HD+ resolution and an aspect ratio of 18:9. The Snapdragon 660 chipset lies under the hood of the phone. The SoC is supported by 4 GB of RAM and it has a native storage of 64 GB.

The rear panel of the Vivo X20 houses a pair of 12-megapixel + 5-megapixel dual camera setup. For snapping selfies, it includes a 12-megapixel selfie camera. It is packed with a 3,250mAh battery and it runs on Android 7.1.1 Nougat OS.

It appears that its larger version, the X20 Plus won’t be available in the Pink color option. It is speculated that the company may launch an under-display fingerprint model of the X20 Plus in the near future.

What do you think about the new Dreamy Pink edition of the Vivo X20? Share us your views by posting your comments below.

(source)