Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+ Officially Listed At FCC, Model Numbers Revealed

Buy Blackview BV9000 4G Phablet For Just $229.99 On GearBest

-

Jan 15, 2018

LG V30 is actually the best and most recent flagship released by LG, but it has not been launched with the latest version of Google’s operating system. The device has been launched in the market with Android 7.1.2 Nougat, but now, just four months after the launch, the final update to Android 8.0 Oreo is rolling out. According to some reports from Korea, some units of the device identified with the code V3000S have already been updated: the version of the firmware is Android 8.0.0 v19c.

For now, it is just a local roll out, as the American and European units of the LG V30 still run Android v10c Nougat. There is just a report from the U.S. by a fan who received Android 8.0 Oreo on the unlocked version of the device. But this guy may have taken the firmware from some other source, we do not think it is an OTA update. Anyways, the final update to Android Oreo should be coming soon in Europe and U.S. According to the latest info, the US99819f firmware based on Android Oreo is already in testing.

At this moment we do not know the exact date on which the update will start hitting all the units of LG V30 globally. In the meantime, you can check if the update has hit your device by heading to the Settings menu. Just tap on Device info, then on Software updates, to check if it is available or not. The update to Android Oreo will bring many new features on the LG V30. Among the most important ones there is an advanced picture in picture mode which will allow users to reduce apps as small floating windows on the display, so they can use other apps at the same time. Do you think LG V30 will update before or after Samsung Galaxy S8?

(Via)

Blackview BV9000 4G Phablet Is Up For Grabs For Just $229.99 On GearBest

By

Vinay Patel

-

Jan 15, 2018

Touted as the first 18:9 full screen and IP68 rugged smartphone, Blackview BV9000 4G phablet is currently up for grabs at a discounted price of just $229.99 on GearBest. This is a considerable 12% discount on the device’s original selling price.

Sporting a large 5.7-inch display as a phablet, the BV9000 offers a completely different visual experience that allows you to enjoy high-resolution images. It offers a triple camera setup featuring a 13MP+5MP camera combination at the back and an 8MP front shooter for selfies.

The BV9000 is crammed with features and specification that we usually associated with a phablet. For instance, it comes with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage. The handset also packs an MTK6757CD Octa Core 2.6GHz processor, under the hood.

Moreover, the dual-SIM phablet runs on Android 7.1 Nougat operating system and is backed by a non-removable 4180mAh battery. GearBest is currently offering the discount on the golden, gray and silver color versions of Blackview BV9000 phablet.

It’s worth noting that the promo is slated to end in just 7 days and only 198 pieces were left at the time of writing. Head straight to this link and take advantage of GearBest’s massive 12% off on the Blackview BV9000 phablet.

Xiaomi Mi Note 3 Does Well In Video Stabilisation Test Vs Galaxy S8, iPhone X & Mate 10 Pro

By

-

Jan 14, 2018

Xiaomi’s Mi Note 3 is a mid-range smartphone considering that it packs a Snapdragon 630 chipset but the device has all the qualities of a flagship model. First, it features the same design as the flagship Mi 6, except that it has a bigger size. The Xiaomi smartphone was recently revealed to have pooled an impressive score of 90 points on DxOMark’s benchmark test. That camera has been put to test in real life use and the Mi Note 3 comes out unscathed.

The test is meant to determine the image stabilization property of the Mi Note 3 in comparison with that of the iPhone X, the Samsung Galaxy S8 and the Huawei Mate 10. The short clip shows for different videos captured by the quartet of a lady flipping through the pages of a book while sitting inside a moving train. Only the Mi Note 3 and Galaxy S8 are able to withstand the shakiness of the train and still films the scene in a stable manner. That is likely due to the presence of Optical Image Stabilization (OIS) on the device. On the other hand, the Mate 10 Pro and iPhone ‘s recordings were affected by the vibration generated by the fast-moving train and thus the videos were shaky all through. What makes this all becomes confusing is that all four smartphones come with OIS! So, we can’t really say why there is a difference in their performance.

This does not in anyway mean the Mi Note 3 packs a better camera, all three models are flagship phones and have better DXOMark’s score than the Mi Note 3. So, we can’t verify if this video test was actually carried out with the mentioned models. That is not to say the Mi Note 3 cannot deliver stable videos in rough terrain. It can, due to teh 4-axis Optical Imaging Stabilization (OIS) it features. But we find it difficult to believe the iPhone X and Mate 10 Pro will perform that bad. You can watch the video from here.

(source)

HTC U11 EYEs Full Details & Press Renders Leaked Before Launch

By

-

Jan 14, 2018

Taiwanese smartphone maker HTC has already revealed that it would be launching the U11 Eyes on January 15 simultaneously in Beijing, Taipei and Hong Kong. The HTC U11 EYEs looks like one awesome device worth waiting for, going by the leaked renders we have seen. And now, the specification of the device has leaked ahead of its launch. Not only do we get an idea of the specs of the U11 EYEs, we also get to see the press renders of the model in all its glory.

The renders were official ones and they emanated from HTC Taiwan’s official Facebook page. Lately, HTC has been coming up with some good phones and this is probably one of them. The U11 EYEs and the U11+ both have a similar rear design with the body looked to be made of glass and the fingerprint sensor located just under the main camera. The difference between both models apparently lies in the front design. The upcoming HTC U11 EYEs packs a dual camera setup at the front. The device also has a full-screen design with tinier bezels at the top and bottom edges while those at the two sides look almost non-existent.

Apart from the press renders, the key specs of the U11 EYEs have also been exposed ahead of the launch and it comes courtesy of tipster Evan Bass.The details include a 6-inch display with a resolution of 2160 × 1080p and thus, an 18: 9 aspect ratio. In addition, the device is said to pack a Qualcomm Snapdragon 652 backed by 4GB of RAM while there is 64GB of storage onboard. From the press renders, we can gather that the U11 EYEs will pack a 3939mAh battery and will have an IP67 level dustproof, and waterproof build.

Furthermore, the device is expected to pack HTC’s Edge Sense and would run on Android Nougat out of the box. Another interesting feature expected to be on the device is facial recognition technology. The front dual cameras also come with three modes; rapid HDR, Bokeh mode and Beauty mode. The device will be available in Black, Silver, and Red colors. Finally, the device should come with a price tag hovering around 14900NT (about 32oo Yuan, ~$495).

(source 1, 2, via)

Master Lu Benchmark’s Top 10 2017 Smartphone Ranking Puts Nubia Z17 On Top, Above Mate 10 Pro!

By

Joel Joseph

-

Jan 14, 2018

Just like AnTuTu and Geekbench, Master Lu is another benchmark for devices like smartphones. Though it’s not as popular as the other two, we do see its benchmarks crop up once in a while and its benchmark listing usually gets attention among the western media especially when its of an unannounced model.

Despite being unpopular outside of China, the benchmark tool has a database of all the major smartphones released in the past one year, including the OnePlus 5, Nubia Z17, Mate 10 models and so on. So, when the benchmark app released its top 10 list of smartphones of 2017, it was worth checking who came out on top.

We all keep a close watch on AnTuTu’s top smartphones and unsurprisingly, the OnePlus 5 and the Galaxy Note 8 are the top two smartphones on the benchmarking app. The AnTuTu rankings are yet to be updated to include recent models and it seems that the ranking hasn’t been refreshed since October 2017.

However, in case of Master Lu’s top 10 smartphones list, there are quite a few recent models including the recent Mate 10 models. The Nubia Z17, though old, is right on top and followed by the Mate 10 Pro and the HTC U11. The OnePlus 5T model is way behind, at the eight spot. The Galaxy Note 8 is also down at the sixth spot, preceded by Google’s Pixel XL 2. Eight out of the 10 models were powered by Snapdragon 835, while Kirin 970 powered flagships occupied two spots in the list.

It’s worth mentioning that the first two scores are very close. The Huawei Mate 10 Pro (167467) with Kirin 970 scores almost as much as the Nubia Z17 (167988) powered by Snapdragon 835. So it looks like Master Lu’s benchmark puts Kirin 970 very close to SD835 in terms of performance.

Xiaomi Smartwatch Partner, Huami Files for $150 million US IPO

By

-

Jan 14, 2018

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

Huami which was founded in 2013 will list as HMI on Nasdaq. It is reported to have filed confidentiality in November, 2017. Credit Suisee, Citi, and China Renaissance are listed as underwriters.

In the SEC filing, Huami revealed that it is the sole partner of Xiaomi for the design and manufacture of Xiaomi-branded smart bands, watches, scales, and associated wearables with the exception of children watches and quartz watches.

Huami goes on to say 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.

Huami also sells its own products which are not made for Xiaomi under the “Amazfit” brand. Products under the Amazfit brand cater to the middle and high-end market.

It is also important to mention that Huami doesn’t handle the production (their’s and Xiaomi’s) themselves. According to the listing, the production of the Mi Band and Mi Smart Scale series is contracted out to a number of manufacturers while theirs is assigned to a corresponding manufacturer.

(Source| Via)

Meizu Teases M6s’ Cortex A-73 Processor & Navigation Buttons, Begins Pre-order Registrations

By

-

Jan 14, 2018

With only a few days left to the launch of the M6s, Meizu has been releasing teasers of the upcoming device daily. The teasers not only count down to the official launch but also tease one of the specs.

The teaser for yesterday focuses on the processor. In the image, Meizu reveals that the chipset will have ARM’s Cortex-A73 cores. The A73 was announced back in 2016. It offers a variety of performance and power saving improvements over the Cortex-A72.

For instance, the Cortex-A73 has about 10 to 15% performance increase alongside a 20% reduction in power consumption if it is built using the same node as the Cortex-A72.

If it is built on a smaller node such as the 10nm process, it provides a 30% increase in performance and a 30% reduction in power consumption. The Exynos 7872 hexa-core SoC which will power the Meizu M6s is built using the 14nm node process. While it won’t provide up to 30% increase in performance and power savings, it will at least not be lower than 15%.

On the other hand, the teaser for today teases the new navigational buttons for the Meizu M6s. The phone will ditch its physical mBack button for on-screen ones. Despite that, there are reports that there will be an option to activate a virtual mBack button that works just like the physical one.

To sum it up, Meizu has also began registrations for the phone on its official website. It is not unexpected that pricing and specification details are missing on the page.

Continue

New Leak Confirms Sony Working On Phone With OLED Display

By

-

Jan 14, 2018

There have been reports that Sony is working on a phone with an OLED display for release this year. There hasn’t been any concrete evidence, just reports and hearsay. That changes with this new leak.

A recent recruitment exercise by Sony for a Display Engineer is proof that the Japanese company is working on a phone(s) with an OLED display.

One of the job descriptions mentions “Drive display/OLED integration to mobile phone products (design/verification/production)”. The list of functional competencies is also another clue. Number two on the list requires experience in mobile phone products and adds that OLED experience is a must.

The job listing is said to have first been posted in November, 2017 and updated again on 12th January, 2018.

There is still no info as to which of its phones will have an OLED display but there is a high chance it will be a flagship device. Sony’s competitors have switched to OLED for a while now but it has stuck to LCDs, now it is also making the switch.

OLED displays will likely be a theme common to all flagships this year, most especially those that will want to incorporate the under-display fingerprint scanner. The new technology only works with OLED displays.

Continue

ZTE Plans To Launch 5G Smartphone in The US By 2019

By

-

Jan 14, 2018

At CES 2018, CEO of ZTE, Lixin Cheng revealed that the company plans to release a 5G smartphone at the end of the year or early 2019.

5G was one of the major topics discussed at the event this year. Its applications span several sectors and will change or greatly improve how we do things.

Mr. Cheng says the company may also add a 5G tablet or a wireless-internet hub for homes. Some carriers such as AT&T already announced plans to test 5G services in about 12 cities. Qualcomm is also already working on 5G chips that will drive devices. For ZTE to achieve its plans, it needs the carriers and also chips from Qualcomm.

However, things may not be so smooth. Authorities in the US are scrutinizing Chinese smartphone makers. Last year, ZTE was fined by the US for selling technology to Iran. Huawei also had its deal with AT&T fall apart this week. There are also reports that a proposed bill may ban devices and services from both companies

Some Chinese manufacturers do offer their phones in the US unlocked but working with a carrier helps boost their popularity among consumers. ZTE is not new to selling phones via carriers. Its latest phone, the Axon M is sold by AT&T. However, if the bill is passed, it will affect the scheme of things.

Continue

Nokia 6 (2018) Hands-On Photos Reveal Its Solid Design

By

-

Jan 14, 2018

After HMD Global showcased the new Nokia 6 (2018) at Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, we can finally show you the first hands on photos detailing the design, courtesy of ITHome. At first glance, it is already possible to notice that this is a device with a premium design and that HMD Global has put incredible efforts into the aesthetics of this handset. The body is entirely made of aluminum 6000 series with diamond-cut borders. In these photos, we can see it in the Black color with orange accents.

On the front side, Nokia 6 (2018) has a 2.5D-curved glass protected by Gorilla Glass 3 by Corning. On the right side, there is a volume rocker together with a power key, while on the left side we can see a dual SIM slot: the secondary slot can also be used to insert a micro SD in order to expand the internal storage. On the back side, there is a single rear camera paired with a flash LED, and under this setup, there is a fingerprint reader as there was no space on the front side due to the narrow bezels around the display.

The Nokia logo has been placed both on the front and the back side: on the front panel we can find it on the top right corner, horizontally, while on the rear side it is placed under the fingerprint reader, vertically. Nokia 6 (2018) has a 5.5-inch display with a Full HD resolution of 1080 x 1920 pixels. On the hardware side, it has an octa-core Snapdragon 630 SoC by Qualcomm, which can run at a max frequency of 2.2 GHz. The chipset is paired with 4 GB of RAM and 32 or 64 GB of internal storage, depending on the variant that you will choose to buy. The cameras have 16 and 8 MP resolutions respectively, while the battery has a capacity of 3000 mAh.

source

Sony Xperia XA2, XA2 Ultra and Xperia L2 Up For Pre-Orders In The US and UK

By

-

Jan 14, 2018

The newly announced Sony Xperia XA2, Xperia XA2 Ultra, and Xperia L2 have been officially made available to purchase both in the U.S. and UK. This means that we know the prices for each phone, at least in these countries. The standard XA2 costs $349.99 in the U.S. and £299 in the United Kingdom. The XA2 Ultra costs even more: $449.99 in the U.S. and £379 in the UK.

Sony Xperia L2 has been made available for pre-orders with a price tag of $249.99 dollars in the U.S. and £199 in the UK. The prices for the UK include VAT. The prices of Sony Xperia XA2, Xperia XA2 Ultra, and Xperia L2 are not so affordable, but they are a nice upgrade over their predecessors. In the U.S. the handsets will officially go on sale starting from February 16, while in the UK they will be available to purchase from the end of January through Clove UK.

Sony Xperia XA2 and XA2 Ultra are the first phones from the XA series to sport a Qualcomm SoC: the Snapdragon 630. They also have very powerful 23 MP cameras on the rear, while XA Ultra has a dual selfie camera. Sony Xperia L2 is the entry-level model and its strong points are the camera department and the battery life.

Xiaomi Mi6 Gets Android Oreo Global Beta ROM

By

-

Jan 14, 2018

Xiaomi has released the first beta version of Android Oreo for the flagship Xiaomi Mi6. We are talking about the Global Beta ROM in the version 8.1.11: in case you don’t know, it is the beta version of the international ROM with Google services installed. If you have the MIUI 9 Global Stable ROM and want to taste the latest version of the operating system on your Xiaomi device, you will have to switch to another ROM first.

To upgrade your handset to its first beta of Android Oreo from the Global Stable ROM, you have to upgrade it to the MIUI 9 Global Beta ROM v7.12.14 based on Android Nougat. Only then you will be able to install the Android Oreo beta successfully. Once you updated to v7.12.14, you will receive an OTA notification which will automatically update your device. If you are not an expert and you do not know how to flash a ROM, follow the link at the end of the article and you will head to a detailed guide for your Xiaomi Mi6.

We recommend you to backup all your important data before proceeding with the update, as you will lose everything. Note that the beta version of Android Oreo for the Xiaomi Mi6 might be unstable and it might also contain some issues. For example, a problem with localization has already been reported. So, do not take the Global Beta as a ROM for daily use. If you want to take the risk, click the link below and follow the guide which also contains the download links of the firmware. According to the first reports by some users, the firmware has been installed successfully after they followed the guide. At this moment, we do not have any info about the roll out of the Global Stable version.

(Source)

Samsung Galaxy On7 Prime 2018 Hits GFXBench, Launch Set For January 17 In India

By

-

Jan 14, 2018

Samsung is unarguably the king of the mobile phone industry. The Korean giant dominates the flagship segment but still intends to keep its presence very much visible in the mid-range category. That explains why we have seen a flurry of Samsung’s mid-range models lately. The tech giant is set to add another midrange smartphone to its collection and it is the Samsung Galaxy On7 Prime 2018. Latest reports indicate that the Galaxy On7 will be launched in India on January 17. Samsung has reportedly sent out media invites for the launch event in Gurugram for the device that has been revealed to be an Amazon exclusive.

In a related development, the Galaxy On7 Prime 2018 has been spotted on benchmarking outfit – GFXBench’s database. The listing shows the graphics capabilities of the Galaxy On7 Prime 2018 and it isn’t too impressive. The listing also shows the specifications of the device, which is more or less a reminder considering that the Galaxy On7 Prime 2018 is already listed on Amazon India with the specs in tow.

The Samsung Galaxy On7 Prime 2018 features a 5.5-inch touchscreen display with an FHD resolution of 1920 x 1080p. We’ll still have to wait some more to see Samsung bring the Galaxy S8 style of full-screen design to its mid-range segment. The device will be powered by a 1.5GHz octa-core Exynos 7870 14nm processor which it launched in 2016. The device is listed with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage but there will be a higher variant with 4GB of RAM and 64Gb of internal storage. The device also packs a microSD card slot, allowing users to further expand the storage capacity up to 256GB. On the camera end, the Galaxy On7 Prime 2018 is listed with a 12MP rear camera with f/1.9 aperture and LED flash while at the front it also features a similar 12MP f/1.9 sensor but without an LED flash. The device runs on Android 7.1 Nougat OS which would be modified with Samsung’s own UI.

(source 1, 2)

Meizu M6S Official Teaser Contains On-Screen Fingerprint Icon; In-Display Fingerprint Tech?

By

-

Jan 14, 2018

Meizu has commenced the release of daily countdown teasers for the M6S, also called mBlu S6, which is expected to be launched on January 17. The company has already released two teasers and the first could be of interest as it seems to point at the presence of an on-screen fingerprint sensor. Recall that a leaked video of the Meizu M6S in action had suggested that there may be a new unlock method which seems to be on the screen. This is despite the sighting of a side-mounted fingerprint sensor on the device.

It is very much unlikely that the Meizu M6S would feature two types of fingerprint sensors, one on the screen and another at the side. There could be another explanation for the teaser. The teaser noted a change in the fingerprint sensor due to the device having a full-screen design. Since the smartphone is a full-screen one, the trademark Meizu mBack home button which doubles as a fingerprint sensor is absent. The picture shows a fingerprint icon on the screen of the device and that is what sends the impression that there could be an on-screen fingerprint sensor. However, the way the hand grips the smartphone may also be indicative of the side-mounted fingerprint sensor while the fingerprint icon on the screen may just be there to give a clue that the teaser is referring to the fingerprint sensor. We already know Vivo is the first to use the in-display fingerprint technology from Synaptics on its smartphone but there hasn’t been any word on Meizu using a similar technology.

As a reminder, Meizu M6S or mBlu S6 is expected to feature an expansive 5.7-inch 18:9 display with an HD= resolution of 1440 x 720p. The back features the U-shaped antenna band design while at the rear is the mBlu logo, which confirms that the S6 will be the first mBlu branded smartphone to be released by the company. The volume rocker buttons are located on the left side of the device while at the right side, you’ll find a power button and side-mounted fingerprint sensor. The M6S will be fired up by an Hexa-core Exynos 7872 (4 x A53 + 2 x A73) chip which is also one of the teasers released by Meizu on its Blue Charm account. The graphic is powered by a Mali-G71 GPU while the processor is paired with a 3GB RAM and there is 32GB of storage. In addition, there is a 3000mAh battery with 9V / 2A 18W fast charging support. See the full teaser poster below.

(source)

Huawei’s CEO Reveals Its Next Flagships Could Bring a DSLR-like Camera Experience

By

-

Jan 13, 2018

Sometime around July 2016 when Huawei was promoting its P9 flagship, the company shared a photo on its Google+ page which was purportedly captured by the P9’s dual rear shutters. The photo was indeed stunning, with crisp clear details downright impressive for a smartphone camera. Unfortunately, it turned out the shot wasn’t taken by a smartphone camera but was actually from the all-powerful Canon EOS 5D Mark III shutter. The DSLR camera was worth $4500 back then. Well, it seems Huawei took that embarrassing incident as a challenge to develop a smartphone camera with DSLR-like quality as the company has hinted that they are working on it.

Huawei’s CEO Yu Chengdong (Richard Yu) made this known in an interview with Android Authority at the just concluded CES 2018. The CEO hinted during the interview that camera tech and AI integration were the next big battlegrounds and opportunities for all smartphone manufacturers. He specifically stated that the innovative company wants to bring DSLR like focal lengths and zoom to the mobile ecosystem. Of course, Huawei has made tremendous progress with AI integration, launching its latest Kirin 970 chip and EMUI 8.0 ROM with AI capabilities.

Huawei won’t be the first to launch a smartphone with a camera with DSLR-like experience, though. That has already been seen on Panasonic’s CM1 and Nokia’s Lumia 1020 but in modern times, we can’t say if the feature will become a trend. We’ll wait to see how that plays out. The feature could be on the next Huawei P20 flagship which is expected to be launched soon.

(source)

LG G7 Render Points At Ultra-Thin Bezels & Dual Selfie Shooters

By