Samsung Galaxy S9’s Rumoured Tagline Implies Awesome Camera Performance

By

-

Jan 22, 2018

Samsung’s upcoming flagship phones — Samsung Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9 Plus are expected to be announced on 26th February at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. We have already seen a lot of rumours and leaks related to the devices.

Now, a new rumour suggests how the company is planning to market these two new phones. A Twitter user @Ricciolo has reported that the tagline for the Galaxy S9 series will be “Film Your Story As You Intended”.

This suggests that the South Korean giant will be focusing on the Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus’ camera capabilities to sell these devices. Thus, it’s safe to assume that both the phone will come with super awesome camera performance.

According to the previously leaked specifications, the Galaxy S9 will sport a single rear-facing camera, while the Galaxy S9 Plus will feature a dual rear-facing camera setup. Some reports suggest that the company will be offering f/1.5 aperture instead of the f/1.7 aperture.

The display size will be same as of their predecessors — the Galaxy S9 will have a 5.8-inch display while the S9 Plus will feature a 6.2-inch display. Both the devices will be powered by Qualcomm‘s Snapdragon 845 processor in the United States and China, while the international variant will be powered by the company’s own Exynos 9810 chipset, which comes with improved CPU, GPU performance, artificial intelligence (AI), and deep learning.

The Samsung Galaxy S9 is expected to pack 4GB RAM and will be available in two variants based on the internal storage — 64GB and 128GB. On the other hand, the Galaxy S9 Plus will come with 6GB RAM and will have four storage variants — 64GB, 128GB, 256GB and 512GB. As per the reports, the 512GB internal storage variant will be available in select regions only that too in limited quantity.

Earlier this week, a leak from ANATEL, Brazil’s equivalent of the FCC, revealed that the Galaxy S9 will come powered by a 3,000mAh battery while the bigger variant, Galaxy S9 Plus will have a 3,500mAh battery — same as their predecessors.

(Source)

Xiaomi Mi 6X Render Suggesting 18:9 Display, Vertical Dual Camera Has Appeared

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

-

Jan 22, 2018

Xiaomi Mi 5X that was launched in July last year had received good reception in China. Few months later, it was launched as Xiaomi Mi A1 Android One in global markets. Recent leaks have suggested that the Chinese manufacturer is working on Xiaomi Mi 6X. A recent report had revealed the rear panel of the smartphone and now another leaked render showing the TPU soft case of the Mi 6X has also surfaced to reveal its front and rear design.

The below image corresponds with the previous leaks that claim that the Mi 6X will be arriving with vertically arranged dual camera setup like the Apple iPhone X. An LED flash is slotted between the two sensors. The back panel of the phone also features a rear-mounted fingerprint scanner.

The cutouts present on the bottom portion of the TPU soft case for the alleged Mi 6X phone seems to be featuring an external speaker grill, a USB-C port and a 3.5mm audio jack on the bottom side of the phone. The IR blaster could be placed on the top edge of the phone. The buttons for controlling volume and Power key appear to be fitted on the right side.

The image showing the front side suggests that the Mi 6X will be sporting a full screen design. It indicates that it be supporting an aspect ratio of 18:9. There is a possibility that the Mi 6X may house a 5.7-inch or 5.9-inch FHD+ resolution supporting screen. However, there are no details available on the specifications of the smartphone. Since the Mi 5X was launched in July 2017, it is speculated that the Mi 6X may get a mid-2018 launch.

Do you think that the Xiaomi Mi 6X will be coming with a full screen design? Let us know your views by posting your comments below.

(source)

Meizu 15 Plus Renders Leaked, Reveals A Beautiful Full Screen Design

By

Jeet

-

Jan 22, 2018

Meizu, the Chinese smartphone manufacturer which recently launched Meizu M6S is now gearing up to launch a new phone — Meizu 15 Plus. While the phone has been leaked a few times in the past with different designs, we now have the leaked renders of the Meizu 15 Plus.

The China-based manufacturer will be launching the Meizu 15 Plus as well as the Meizu 15 to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the company. The devices are expected to be available for purchase from March 2018.

The leaked images of the phone reveal that it will come with ultra-narrow bezels on the left and right size as well as at the bottom. The top bezel is, however, a little bit thicker compared to other sides. but it’s still considerably thinner than what we usually see. This suggests that unlike the Mi MIX, the front-facing camera will be on the top bezel, along with other sensors.

The design of the phone’s back panel has also been leaked, which reveals that it will come with a dual-camera setup, with lenses stacked vertically. Below that, there’s a ring-type design which could be flash and laser focus module or a fingerprint sensor.

The leak also mentions that the Meizu 15 Plus could be powered by Qualcomm‘s Snapdragon 845 processor or Samsung’s Exynos 8895. It further suggests that the device could get launched for a price tag of 3,599 Yuan (approximately $562) or more.

Previously, it was reported that the phone will be offered in two variants based on the memory configuration — one with 6GB RAM and 128GB internal storage while the other will pack 8GB RAM and 128GB internal storage.

The company’s founder Jack Wong had previously confirmed that the Meizu 15 Plus will be officially introduced next spring around China’s Spring Festival, which will take place in February. The phone is expected to be available from March this year.

According to the reports, Meizu is going to launch six new smartphones in the first half of 2018. While five of those phones are expected to be powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon processor, one phone will pack Samsung’s Exynos processor. With Meizu M6S already launched with Exynos chipset, there’s a high possibility that Meizu M15 Plus will be powered by Snapdragon 845 chipset.

Vivo X20 Plus In-Screen Fingerprint Version Will be Unveiled on January 24, Launch Invitation Released

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

-

Jan 22, 2018

At the recently held Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2018, Vivo had showcased the X20 Plus in-screen fingerprint version as the world’s first smartphone to feature under-display fingerprint scanner. At the start of this month, the smartphone had bagged 3C certification and around a week ago the smartphone had received certification from TENAA. Previous rumors had suggested that it would be launching as Vivo X20 Plus UD. Today, Vivo has officially confirmed that the Vivo X20 Plus in-screen fingerprint variant will be unveiled to the world on Jan. 24.

Vivo will be holding an unveil event for the smartphone in Beijing, China on Jan. 24. It will begin at 7:30 PM local time. The launch poster does not confirm on the specifications or pricing of the smartphone. However, previous leaks have revealed that its specs will be quite similar to that of the regular X20 Plus.

Vivo X20 Plus in-screen fingerprint version will be featuring Clear ID 9500 optical under-display fingerprint sensor by Synaptics. The sensor will be placed between the glass panel and the OLED screen. Apart from unlocking the X20 Plus in about 0.6 or 0.7 seconds, the in-display fingerprint scanner can be also used for authenticating payments.

Coming to the specs of the Vivo X20 Plus in-screen fingerprint version, it will be arriving with a 6.43-inch OLED screen. It will be supporting FHD+ resolution and 18:9 aspect ratio. The Snapdragon 660 chipset along with 4 GB of RAM will be present under the hood of the phone. It will be featuring a native storage of 128 GB. It will come pre-installed with Android 7.1.2 Nougat OS.

The dual camera setup featuring a 12-megapixel sensor and a 5-megapixel sensor will be residing on the back panel of the phone. It will be coming with a selfie snapper of 12-megapixel. A 3,800mAh battery will be powering the X20 Plus in-screen fingerprint version.

A previous report had revealed that the Vivo X20 Plus in-screen fingerprint variant would be carrying a price tag of 3,998 Yuan (~$625). This seems to be possible as the regular X20 Plus was introduced with a pricing of 3,498 Yuan (~$546).

Buy Teclast X22 Air PC For Only $289.99 On GearBest [Coupon Code]

By

Vinay Patel

-

Jan 22, 2018

Teclast X22 Air PC allows you to not only watch movies but also effortlessly edit photos, view documents and lots more. The all-in-one computer is currently up for grabs for $350.73 on GearBest.

The multifunctional device sports an awe-inspiring 21.5-inch FHD LED display and is powered by a robust Intel processor. The X22 Air boasts a massive 1TB of onboard storage, coupled with superfast graphics and a slew of other features that justify its steep price tag.

In terms of connectivity, the X22 Air offers an HDMI Output that allows you to connect the device to HD monitor or projector. Moreover, it packs 4GB of DDR3L RAM that ensures high-impact gaming experience, smooth operation, and faster internet speed.

Budget-conscious buyers can now get their hands on the powerful all-in-one PC by using promo code ‘HNYear409’ at the time of checking out. The promo code brings the device’s original selling price down to just $289.99.

The X22 Air All-in-one computer is available in white color option. The promo is valid for only 100 pieces and it kicks off on Monday, January 22 from UTC+8 00:00. You can head straight to this link to take advantage of the discount.

Buy Teclast X22 Air All-In-One Computer For Only $289.99 On GearBest

ZTE Axon 7 Starts Getting Android 8.0 Oreo Beta Update In The US

By

Jeet

-

Jan 22, 2018

Recently, we reported that ZTE Axon 7 will be getting the Android Oreo update. While the company didn’t provide any timeline for the update, it was reported that the update will be available as soon as April this year.

Now, according to the new reports, the ZTE Axon 7 has now started receiving the Android Oreo Beta update in the United States. The first beta build has already been rolled out to the users who have been a part of the company’s beta program.

According to a picture posted on the ZTE forums by a community manager, the latest beta build looks very much similar to the stock Android rather than a heavily skinned version of the operating system. ZTE is reportedly calling its new UI skin as “Stock+UI”, suggesting that it will be a stock version of Android with some added features.

Currently, we don’t have access to the full changelog for this new update. But, it seems that the update comes with the latest January security patch. While there is still no information when the final build will be released, it is assuring to see ZTE is working hard to keep its promise.

The Android 8.0 Oreo comes with several new features such as Picture-in-Picture, smart text selection, notification dots, Project Treble, and more. Going by the reported April timeline for the update, by the time the Android Oreo update starts hitting the Axon 7, the phone will be almost two years old, surpassing the two years time limit for rolling out major updates.

The ZTE Axon 7 features a 5.5-inch display with 2K resolution, 2.5D curved glass and a layer of Gorilla Glass 4 protection on top. The phone is fuelled by a 3,250mAh battery, which also supports Qualcomm’s Quick Charge 3.0 technology.

Under the hood, the device is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor, coupled with 4GB RAM and 64GB internal storage. It comes with a 20MP f/1.8 aperture camera with OIS and EIS on the rear side, while up front, there is an 8MP f/2.2 88-degree wide angle shooter.

(Source)

You Can Now Buy NO.1 F6 Smartwatch By Shelling Out Just $27.99 On GearBest

By

Vinay Patel

-

Jan 22, 2018

People are getting more and more health conscious and manufacturers are leaving no stone unturned in a bid to take advantage of their urge to be fit. As a result, there are all sorts of fitness gadgets up for grabs in the market, but only a few ensure you’re getting your money’s worth.

In addition to helping you understand your body condition better, the NO.1 F6 smartwatch keeps a track of your steps and shows whether or not your activities are in line with your goals. Moreover, the device allows you to share your data on social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter.

As part of its flash sale, GearBest is currently offering considerable discounts on the NO.1 F6 smartwatch’s original selling price, letting you monitor your fitness progress without spending a fortune. Let’s delve straight into the details.

You can now get your hands on this perfect personal health tracker by shelling out just $27.99. This is a 31% reduction in the NO.1 F6 smartwatch’s original selling price. The site is offering this price cut on both black and silver color versions of the NO.1 F6 smartwatch.

Alternatively, you can buy the NO.1 F6 smartwatch in combination with Excelvan C6 wireless Bluetooth 4.1 sports headset earphone, which bears a price tag of $10.48. In this combo, GearBest is offering the headset earphone for only $5.99.

The device is compatible with iOS 9.0 (or above) and Android 4.4 (or above). It features alarm settings, finding phone notification, and supports a slew of languages including simplified and traditional Chinese, English, Japanese, and Spanish just to name a few.

You can click here to buy the black or blue version of the NO.1 F6 smartwatch. It’s worth noting that only 44 pieces of the black-tinted NO.1 F6 smartwatch were left at the time of writing. Moreover, this promo will end in just 5 hours.

The silver color version of the NO.1 F6 smartwatch is up for grabs at a discounted price for 7 more days. However, only 94 pieces were left at the time of writing.

Buy NO.1 F6 Smartwatch For Just $27.99 On GearBest

Save Up To 80% On Multiple Items And Buy One, Get One Free On GeekBuying

By

Vinay Patel

-

Jan 22, 2018

Geekbuying is offering up to 80% off on various items. Moreover, when you purchase one of the newly-arrived items, you get one item absolutely free as part of the site’s latest promo.

Buy 1 Get 1 Free

This section of GeekBuying’s latest promotion features a slew of heavily-discounted electronic items. Apart from getting a considerable discount, you are eligible to receive one item absolutely free along with any item you buy from this category.
For instance, when you buy VOYO i8 Plus phablet, you not only save 28% on the device’s original asking price of $250.99 but also receive the original Stylus Pen for VOYO i8 Plus without shelling out a single extra dime.

Top 10 Best Sellings

GeekBuying’s top 10 best selling items are up for grabs at a lowered price in this category. For instance, you can buy Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus 4G LTE Smartphone for just $158.99. It’s worth noting this is a considerable 39% reduction in the phone’s original selling price of $259.99.

Similarly, you can buy Jumper EZbook 3 Pro by shelling out just $229.99 on GeekBuying. Thanks to this promotion, you save 26% on the device’s original asking price is $312.19.

Local Warehouses

This division of GeekBuying’s promotion is further divided into three categories i.e. Spain Warehouse, Germany Warehouse, and Italy Warehouse. More importantly, items shipped from the aforesaid warehouses carry heavily-discounted price tags.

Among a slew of other items, Spain Warehouse features Jumper EZbook 2 Ultrabook Laptop, which sports a 14.1-inch display and runs on Windows 10 Home operating system. The site is offering a massive 41% discount on the EZbook 2’s original selling price of $325.26.

Likewise, the other two warehouses feature several electronic items including Jumper EZbook 3SE notebook laptop, Xiaomi HUAMI AMAZFIT Pace sports-watch, LeTV LeEco Le S3 X626 smartphone and lots more at a slashed price.

Under $9.99

Products bearing a price tag of $9.99 or less are included in this category. Geekbes 2 Gang Touch switch that bears a price of $19.99 is currently up for grabs for just $8.99 in this section of the promo. Other items include Xiaomi Philips Smart LED bulb which is available for only $8.99, thanks to a massive 67% discount offered by GeekBuying.

$10-$99.99

Products carrying price tags ranging from $10 to $99.99 are covered in this section. You can buy Xiaomi Mija A&D E-Cigarette Healthy Sucker for just $39.99 and save 39% on its selling price of $65.91.
There’s a 45% discount on Xiaomi Wowstick electric screwdriver that brings its original selling price of $46.99 down to just $25.99. You can choose from a slew of other products displayed in this category.

Above $99.99

Products carrying a price tag above $99.99 are showcased in this category at a discounted price. This segment of the promotion includes products ranging from Xiaomi Mijia Multifunctional Baby Chair to Xiaomi Mi Notebook Pro.

You too can take advantage of this massive discount by heading straight to this link. However, it is imperative for you to bear in mind that the promotion is slated to end soon. On top of that, there were only a few pieces of some discounted items left at the time of writing.

Get Up To 80% Discount On 2018 New Arrivals On GeekBuying

Acer Iconia One 8 (2018) Tablet Specs & Schematics Seen on FCC

By

Habeeb Onawole

-

Jan 21, 2018

Tablet sales may be declining but that doesn’t mean those who still have need for them shouldn’t be able to get newer models. Acer is one of the few manufacturers who still churn out new models and this year’s Iconia One 8 just showed up at the FCC.

The Acer Iconia One 8 (2018) is an entry level-tablet as seen from the specs. As evident from the name, this is an 8-inch tablet with a resolution of 800 x 1280. It is powered by a MediaTek MT8167A processor clocked at 1.3GHz paired with 1GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage.

The Iconia One 8 (2018) packs a 5MP rear camera and a 2MP front facing camera. This won’t take great pictures but should be manageable for video calls. There is Bluetooth 4.0 and Wi-Fi b/g/n for connectivity. Battery capacity is listed as 4500mAh.

Continue

Smartisan To Announce Revolutionary Product on May 15

By

Habeeb Onawole

-

Jan 21, 2018

The IF Geekpark Innovation Conference is an annual event held in China. This year’s edition which began on Friday and ended today had a number of guests who are leaders in the tech industry. Amongst them is the CEO of Smartisan Luo Yonghao, who revealed an early info about their plans for 2018.

According to Mr. Yonghao, Smartisan has an event scheduled for May 15, 2018 at the beijing national Stadium which is also known as the “Bird’s Nest” thanks to its design.

While the event is still a good four months away, the CEO says the event is for the launch of a revolutionary product. This revolutionary product, according to him, will affect other products released in the next 8 to 10 years.

Earlier this month, a new Smartisan phone with model number OC106 was certified by the Chinese Communications Commission. Some say this might be the device launching in May but under the name Smartisan T3.

Much is not known about the device, however, this will most likely be their flagship of the year. We may also see the phone launch with a Snapdragon 845 processor according to this tweet from leaker @mmddj_.

Even Smartisan got SD845…

— 萌萌的电教 (@MMDDJ_) January 21, 2018

Continue

Apple Will Launch a 6.5-inch iPhone According to KGI Analysts

By

Michele Ingelido

-

Jan 21, 2018

As it happens every year, the marketing research firm KGI has released a report about the upcoming Apple devices through its analysts. KGI is one of the most reliable market analysis firms, so, even though their info is not official, there are good chances that they will be true. According to KGI analysts, Apple will release three new phones in 2018, which will feature different screen sizes. The first one will be a successor to iPhone X. The second one will be a device with a 6.2-inch panel and LCD technology.

This one might have a more affordable price than the iPhone X: it could cost somewhere between $650 to $750. The third iPhone, which also seems to be the most interesting, will sport a huge 6.5-inch panel with OLED technology. Obviously, all of these devices will have a borderless display with a very high screen-to-body ratio, or else they would be too big. The new phones are expected to be announced in the upcoming fall, just like every year. According to KGI, Apple will see 10% increase in shipments thanks to these iPhones. Actually, the industry year on year increase is 5 percent, so KGI thinks that the next phones will sell even more than the current ones.

Unfortunately, KGI did not release other info about the specs of the alleged three iPhones which will be launched in the fall. Recent leaks suggested that the design will not be so different from the one of the actual iPhone X, with a bezel-less display and a notch on the upper part of it. Artificial intelligence will be surely supported as it has become a trend, and we can also expect a more powerful Apple A12 SoC on the hardware side.

Do you think Apple will increase the price of its powerful smartphone even more if compared to this year?

(Via)

VAIO Will Launch New High-End Laptops With Intel 8th Gen CPUs, Long Battery Life

By

Michele Ingelido

-

Jan 21, 2018

Since the time Sony sold its share in VAIO, new products haven’t been impressive, even though it used to launch some of the best laptop PCs in the market. But this company has never abandoned the laptop market and now it is going to launch two new laptops with great hardware. The upcoming notebook will be called Vaio S11 and S13 and, to be accurate, they will be very compact ultrabooks, even though they will have flagship-level specs. Both the models will have a thickness of just 0.7 inches, while their weight will be 1.9 pounds and 2.4 pounds, respectively.

Vaio S11, as the name suggests, will sport an 11.6-inch monitor, while the S13 has a bigger 13.3-inch display. It will be possible to buy these laptops in multiple configurations, and you will be able to choose among two Intel 8th gen processors: Intel Core i5 8250U and Intel Core i7 8550U. Unlike the previous years, these processors are composed of four physical cores and eight threads, even though they do not belong to the HQ series. It will be possible to buy up to 16 GB of RAM and up to 1 TB of memory. Surprisingly, we are not talking about a hard disk: it will be an SSD.

Vaio S11 has a battery which can provide up to 15 hours of battery life, while the S13 lasts up to 12 hours on a single charge. The connectivity side includes three USB 3.0 ports, an HDMI port, an SD Card reader and 4G LTE (optional). They are surely among the most impressive ultrabooks of 2018, even though they do not offer a dedicated graphics card. But they are costly: their prices are going to start from $1365, and they should be made available to pre-order within this month. We do not have info about their availability on the global market.

(Via)

Alcatel 5 And 3V Show Up On Amazon France: Just Your Typical Mid-Range Phones

By

Michele Ingelido

-

Jan 21, 2018

TCL announced three new series of smartphones at CES 2018: Alcatel 1, 3, and 5. Two of these devices have just been spotted on the listings of Amazon France: Alcatel 3V and 5. But their specs are a bit disappointing, they are not the mid-rangers and high-end phones which you could have expected when the new series was unveiled at Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this month.

Even though it has an 18:9 display with a size of 6 inches and a Full HD+ resolution of 1080 x 2160 pixels, Alcatel 3V remains a low-end device. Under the hood, the phone sports a quad-core SoC, 2 GB of RAM and 16 GB of internal storage which is possible to expand with a micro SD card. On the rear side, there is a dual camera setup with a resolution of 12 MP, but note that the info about the resolution is yet to be confirmed as other parts of the listing mention a different resolution. According to Amazon France, the handset has Android Oreo installed out of the box and a battery with a capacity of 3000 mAh.

Even Alcatel 5 is not a high-end phone, but just a mid-ranger. It has a 5.7-inch display with an 18:9 aspect ratio and an HD+ resolution of 720 x 1440 pixels. On the hardware side, it has an octa-core SoC, 3 GB of RAM and 32 GB of internal storage, expandable with a micro SD. The battery has the same capacity of 3000 mAh, and weirdly the operating system installed is still Android Nougat. Alcatel 3V has a listing price of €230 on Amazon France, while the 5 has a price tag of €189.99. Amazon France shows that the phones will be officially available starting from February 26.

(Via)

Photo of Xiaomi Mi 6X Rear Panel Leaks

By

Habeeb Onawole

-

Jan 21, 2018

Last year, Xiaomi launched the Mi 5c and Mi 5X (Mi A1) as less powerful variants of 2016’s Mi 5 flagship. It appears we may be getting a successor to the Mi 5X, which is unsurprisingly called the Mi 6X.

A new leak regarding the upcoming device has surfaced in form of a photo of the phone’s rear. This is not the first time a leak of the Mi 6X has been seen. About a month ago, a photo of a TPU case was seen online.

Just like the first leak, the Mi 6X is shown sporting dual rear cameras arranged vertically and positioned on the left. This deviates from the horizontal arrangement of the Mi 5X. The image also shows the LED flash will sit in between the two lens, similar to Apple’s iPhone X.

However, there is another hole in the middle of the phone. It is obvious from its size that this is not for the fingerprint scanner and so we are in the dark as to what will sit in the hole.

The rest of the design is similar to that of the Mi 5X. It has the same antenna line design and the same curved sides too. It is also made of metal.

Continue

Xiaomi Mi Notebook Air 13.3-inch Gets A Refresh With 8th-Gen. Intel i5 & i7 Processors

By

Jed John Ikoba

-

Jan 21, 2018

Xiaomi has updated its Mi Notebook Air 13.3 laptop models, bring in the latest 8th-generation Intel Cre i5 and Core i7 processor on the two variants. The Mi Note Air was first launched in August 2016 in China and it came as a real challenger for the Apple iPad Air with a sleek design and equally stunning hardware setup. Since then, Xiaomi has added a new version with 4G LTE modem inside and has also upgraded the 12.5-inch model to include a seventh-gen Intel Core M3 processor which brought a 12% improvement in performance over the previous 6th generation Core M3. There is also a Mi Notebook Pro 15.6 inches model which was launched about four months ago. It should be noted that the new model packs the same Quad-core 8th-gen Intel Core i7 on the higher Notebook Pro.

Recall that Xiaomi last year upgraded the Mi Notebook Air 13.3 to a more powerful 7th gen Intel Core i7 processor clocked at 3.0GHz and also the second version to the 7th-gen Core i5 processor which brought some improvements in performance. Both models also were launched with fingerprint recognition technology. Now, Xiaomi has again upgraded the two 13.3-inch Mi Notebook models to the 8th-gen Intel Core i7 and 8th-gen Core i5 processors respectively. The processor is backed by a massive 8GB DDR4 memory and the laptop models also feature a 256GB PCIe SSD hard drive each, which can be expanded as well. It also packs custom AKG speakers like the previous models.

The new version comes with built-in NVIDIA GeForce MX150 graphic card with up to 2GB GDDR5 new memory standard as against the previous version with a NVIDIA GeForce 940MX and just 1GB GDDR5 new memory standard. The fingerprint recognition technology is added on the upper right corner of the trackpad. The screen uses the 1080p resolution and comes with a 5.59mm-wide ultra-narrow bezel. The models also come with an upgraded cooling system with the use of ultra-thin metal blades which effectively controls the temperature and increases the performance. In addition, the new Mi Notebook 13 models come with a thin 14.8mm body made of metal and weighing 1.3kg. The battery can deliver up to 9.5 hours of usage and they all run on genuine Microsoft Windows 10 and have installed Ms Office Home and Student 2016.

Pricing & Availability

As for their prices, the Mi Notebook Air 13.3 version with the 8th gen Intel Core i5-8250U5 chip, 8GB RAM, 256GB storage and NVIDIA GeForce MX150 is priced at 5,399 Yuan (~$843) and is presently on pre-sale on Mi.com. While the Core i7 version is not yet available and the price wasn’t disclosed. It comes in dark gray colour.

(source)

Nokia Sends Invitation To MWC 2018 Launch On February 25, Nokia 9 & Others Expected

By

Jed John Ikoba

-

Jan 21, 2018

HMD Global has released a poster which is an invitation to the Nokia unveiling event scheduled to hold on February 25, 2018, just before the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2018 commences. The event would take place between 4 pm and 5 pm at the Barcelona Museum of Contemporary Arts. The invitation also includes a link for those who are interested to attend the event to register for seat reservation.

HMD Global did not reveal the product that would be launched on that day in the poster, but the poster indicated that the event was for an intimate and exclusive unveiling of the next chapter of Nokia phone’s story. What we can grab from this is that we may likely see the launch of Nokia’s next flagship phone- the Nokia 9 among others. Earlier on Thursday, HMD Global’s Chief Product Officer Juho Sarvikas hinted that the company had something major planned for MWC 2018.

Sorry for radio silence. Been super busy planning #MWC2018 . Please expect it to be awesome 😎

— Juho Sarvikas (@sarvikas) January 18, 2018

Apart from the flagship Nokia 9, HMD Global could also take the wraps off Nokia 1 as well as the Nokia 6 (2018) for the global market, Nokia 3310 4G and perhaps, the Nokia 7 which has only been launched in China. It would be recalled that last year’s MWC saw a flurry of smartphone launch by the tech giant including the Nokia 3, Nokia 5, Nokia 6 and the redesigned Nokia 3310 feature phone. Apart from smartphones, the poster seems to suggest Nokia will launch a smart home product at the event. We are not so sure about that anyway, so we’ll wait until the event to find out.

Huawei Emerges As The Most Preferred Chinese Mobile Brand

By

Jed John Ikoba

-

Jan 21, 2018

Huawei is presently the leading smartphone brand in China and has won several awards as a result of its innovativeness and authenticity. Huawei was recently voted as the most authentic brand in China and bow, the tech giant has emerged as the winner of the China mobile phone industry most recommended brand in 2018. The award is based on the China Net Promoter Score (C-NPS) brand ranking and analysis and is collated by a leading brand rating agency in China known as Chnbrand.

This is the first time Huawei is clinching the award and to do that, it displaced Apple which had a good rating among consumers in China. C-NPS reflects the degree to which consumers with consumer experiences are willing to recommend business products or services to others. By surveying consumers nationwide, C-NPS deducts the proportion of active referrals among existing customers of a company’s products or services (-100 ~ 100), so as to get the net recommendation value.

The 2018 C-NPS survey covered 35 cities across China and surveyed residents who were between 15 and 64 years old. Random sampling was conducted based on sex, age, and income, with a total sample size of 2,450,026. This is another catalyst for Huawei to continue on its path to providing optimum consumer satisfaction. Huawei is no doubt a strong brand in China but one question that may still plague the minds of Huawei’s Executives is how and when will the company break into the highly sought after U.S market. That is turning out to be a million dollar question because there is no prospect of that happening soon.

(source)

Alleged Samsung Galaxy J8 (2018) Surfaces in GFXBench and Geekbench databases

By

Michele Ingelido

-

Jan 21, 2018

A new handset that is rumored to be the Samsung Galaxy J8 (2018) has been spotted on Geekbench and GFXBench’s listings. Thanks to these famous benchmarking platforms, we know all the main specs of the phone. It is identified by the code SM-J720F, and that is what makes us think that it is the J8. According to GFXBench, its display has the classic 16:9 aspect ratio and a size of 5.5 inches. It shows images at an HD resolution of 720 x 1280 pixels, which is a step back if we compare it with the J7 (2017).

The alleged Samsung Galaxy J8 (2018) has an octa-core Samsung Exynos 7885 chipset inside, which can run at a max frequency of 1.6 GHz. The RAM is 4 GB, while the internal storage is 32 GB. On the back side, there is a single rear camera with a resolution of 12 MP, while the secondary camera for selfies has an 8 MP resolution. Both the sensor can record videos with a maximum resolution of 1080p. The operating system installed is Android 8.0.0 Oreo; we do not have any info about the battery as this info never appears on benchmark listings. Samsung Galaxy J8 (2018) might be the first phone by the company to have Android Oreo installed out of the box.

We say this because it may arrive before MWC 2018, which is the trade show in which Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus will be official. We do not know if Samsung Galaxy J8 will be sold in Europe, but the chances are high. In the last period, Samsung launched another smartphone in Europe: Samsung Galaxy A8. It shares many things in common with the Galaxy S8, but it is sold at a more affordable price (the listing price for Europe is €499). If it is coming in Europe, the J8 will be even more affordable than the A8.

(Via)

Huawei Mate 10 Pro Is The Ultimate Winter Flagship: Works Inside A Frozen Lake

By

Jed John Ikoba

-

Jan 20, 2018

Huawei is putting serious effort into promoting its 2017 flagship Mate 10 series, especially the Mate 10. Just recently, we were thrilled by a video of the Mate 10 Pro surviving inside a freezer unscathed for 4 hours even as temperatures reached -24 degrees. Now Huawei has released another test showing the device under icy water in a frozen lake.

These tests seem to be targeted at Apple whose iPhones, iPads and other devices usually come with low-temperature protection such that when it is left is low temperatures below zero, a series of response occur which eventually result in the phone shutting down. According to Apple’s official website, the best operating temperature for iPhone, iPad, iPod and Apple Watch is between 0 ℃ and 35 ℃ while for the MacBook, it is between 10 ℃ and 35 ℃. That isn’t so for the Mate 10 as it has been shown to still remain functional even in the most extreme of temperatures. Huawei even indicated on its website that the optimal operating temperature of the Mate 10 Pro is 0-35 degree Celsius but this test and the previous one done in a freezer show that the Mate 10 Pro can survive in far lower temperatures.

In this case, the Mate 10 Pro was still able to accept an incoming call still inside the frozen lake. What more does Huawei need to do to prove the Mate 10 Pro is super powerful? Perhaps drop it from the third floor of a building? We don’t know if the device will survive that. All we know is that the Mate 10 Pro comes with an IP67 waterproof and dustproof body, coupled with an excellent full-screen design, a powerful SoC with AI capabilities and the latest EMUI 8.0.

(source)

Google and Tencent Form Alliance, Agree To Share Patents

By

Habeeb Onawole

-

Jan 20, 2018

While most tech companies have a rival(s), it is not unusual to hear of some of them forming partnerships. News has it that Google and China’s Tencent Holdings Ltd. are forming an alliance.

The result of the over $500 billion worth alliance is an exchange of patents related to a number of technologies and products. It will also see both tech giants collaborate on new technologies for the overall benefit of users.

One other major benefit it will bring for both companies is to help ease Google back into China and to expand’s Tencent’s business overseas.

Quite a number of Google services are blocked in China at the moment and Google itself pulled its search engine from the country in 2010 after defying China’s self-censorship rules.

Continue