It has been quite a while now since Google announced the Android Oreo OSand presently, the list of OEMs adopting the latest Android version is increasing. However, Xiaomi hasn’t shown much interest in Android 8.0 Oreo since it is still focusing on pushing upgrades to its latest MIUI 9 to all eligible models under its kitty.
It was reported about a week ago that Xiaomi has started recruiting Closed Beta testers for Android Oreo update based on MIUI 9 but there wasn’t any official confirmation for that news. Xiaomi has officially announced the commencement of Android Oreo Closed Beta program for the Xiaomi Mi 6 only. The tech giant has listed the requirements for applying for the Closed Beta. Of course, it is meant for the Mi 6, so you must own one.
This is good news is that the commencement of the Closed Beta is an indication that Android 8.0 will soon be available for Xiaomi models. After the Closed Beta program, an Open Beta program will commence and thereafter MIUI 9 Development ROM based on Android Oreo will roll out for Xiaomi Mi 6 models. The statement also disclosed that the MIUI team have been working on adapting Android Oreo for Xiaomi models since after the announcement of the ROM in August.
Android Oreo brings a number of new features to the mix such as picture-in-picture mode, Bluetooth battery level indicator, Autofill, Notification dots, and instant apps. We can’t say when other Xiaomi models will join the party but that won’t be too far away.
Currently, Mi Mix 2 is the only smartphone with a full-screen display from Xiaomi. That will change on December 7 as the company is all set to launch the much anticipated Redmi 5 and Redmi 5 Plus smartphone on that date.
The company is holding a press event on December 7 where it will launch the Redmi 5 and Redmi 5 Plus. Along with that, the company has also revealed three major features of the device — Full-Screen Display, Soft Selfie and 4,000mAh Battery.
While the company has not revealed the phone’s specifications, previous leaks give us hint about what to expect. The Redmi 5 smartphone is expected to come with a 5.7-inch HD+ display with screen resolution of 1440 x 720 pixels and an aspect ratio of 18:9. Under the hood, it will be powered by the Snapdragon 450 processor.
Qualcomm‘s Snapdragon 450 is a new chipset from the company which was launched in June this year. It is the first chipset in the Snapdragon 400 series that is using a 14mm process technology. It is positioned as an upgrade to the Snapdragon 435 processor.
The smartphone is expected to pack 3GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage. There will be another variant with 3GB RAM and 32GB onboard storage. The device will come with a 12-megapixel camera sensor at the back and a 5-megapixel front-facing snapper.
On the other hand, the Redmi 5 Plus is expected to feature a 5.99-inch screen that will carry support for FHD+ resolution of 2160 x 1080 pixels and an 18:9 aspect ratio. It will be powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 processor, the same one that is powering the Redmi Note 4 smartphone.
This one is expected to come with a dual camera setup at the back, featuring a 12-megapixel primary sensor and a 5-megapixel secondary sensor. It will run on Android 7.1 Nougat operating system based company’s own MIUI.
As of the pricing, the Redmi 5 is reportedly going to be priced at 699 Yuan (approximately $106) while the Redmi 5 Plus could be priced at 999 Yuan (approximately $151).
Reports that have surfaced in this week have revealed that Meizu M6S or Blue Charm 6S could be the upcoming budget-friendly from the Chinese company. Fresh information suggests that it won’t be featuring a MediaTek chipset, but it will be powered by Samsung’s Exynos SoC.
Even though the rumors have claimed that the MediaTek MT6793 SoC will be present under the hood of the Meizu M6S, fresh information claims that the Exynos 7872 will be powering the smartphone. According to previous reports, the Exynos 7872 is a midrange chipset that is built with 14nm FinFET processing technology.
The Exynos 7872 features two cores of Cortex A73 CPU and four cores Cortex A53 CPU along with ARM Mali-8730 MP2 graphics. It is said to feature fully-integrated modem for improved network support. The Exynos 7872 chipset had received Bluetooth SIG certification in the previous month.
As far as other specs of the Meizu M6S are concerned, the rumor mill has leaked that the smartphone would featuring a 5.7-inch display that will deliver an aspect ratio of 18:9 aspect ratio. Since it will be budget-friendly phablet, its screen is rumored to support HD+ resolution of 720 x 1440 pixels.
The Exynos 7872 chipset on the Meizu M6S is likely to be coupled with 3 GB of RAM. For photography, it may house a 13-megapixel rear camera and a 5-megapixel selfie camera. It is expected to arrive preloaded with Android 7.0 Nougat.
Leaked photos of the Meizu M6S has revealed that it would be arriving with a full metallic chassis along with a side-mounted fingerprint reader. It is rumored to debut on Dec. 20 with a pricing of 999 Yuan (~$150).
Meizu is also rumored to be working on a high-end full screen smartphone that will feature an FHD+ resolution supporting display and Snapdragon 660. It is likely to get unveiled in January 2018.
Last year, Motorola revived its Moto X lineup of smartphones. Now, it has been confirmed that the series is here to stay. Apparently, the successor of Moto X4 is already in works and has been named as Moto X5.
The reliable leaker Evan Blass has tweeted an image of the Moto X5 smartphone branding, which is very similar to that of Moto X4. While Evan Blass has not revealed any more information regarding this, we expect more details will now follow.
We are expecting that the Moto X4 successor will come with some subtle improvements such as an updated camera sensors, new processors, and possibly a bump in RAM or storage.
Considering that the Lenovo-owned Motorola’s Moto X4 was introduced in August and released in October, we expect the company to follow a similar schedule for the Moto X5 as well. However, there is a possibility that we could see an early announcement of the phone, before the end of the Summer of 2018.
Recently, Evan Blass suggested that the 6th generation of Moto G smartphone will see the return of the Google Play Edition variant. Along with that, the company’s cheapest smartphone series — the Moto E series will also get a Play variant for the first time.
The information regarding the Moto X5 comes just a couple of months after the Moto X4’s rollout. The Moto X4 is available in the US in three variants — Android One variant with Project Fi, Unlocked variant and Amazon Prime Exclusive variant.
The Moto X4 features a 5.2-inch LTPS IPS LCD screen with a screen resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels and a layer of Gorilla Glass 4 on top. Under the hood, it is powered by a Snapdragon 630 chipset with 3GB/4GB RAM. The 3GB RAM model comes with 32GB storage while the 4GB RAM packs 64GB of internal storage.
It has dual camera setup at the back, with a 12-megapixel lens with f/2.0 aperture and an 8-megapixel secondary lens with f/2.2 aperture. The lenses are coupled with features like phase detection autofocus, 4K video shooting and dual-LED flash.
The smartphone comes with Android 7.1 Nougat operating system out-of-the-box and comes with Google Assistant as well as supports Amazon Alexa. It is powered by a 3,000mAh battery which can be fast charged using Motorola’s Turbo Charging technology.
OnePlus 5T was unveiled for the Chinese market on November 28 and turns out OnePlus saved the best for the last. That is because the company launched a new Lava Red colour variant for the “bezel-less” flagship. This gives buyers the option of choosing between the Midnight Black colour option and the Lava Red option. We spotted some pictures of the Red variant and thought they are worth sharing because they look so cool. This is where a beautifully designed smartphone gets an attractive paint job, the result is an elegant and radiant beauty for a smartphone.
Apart from the paint job, the Red variant isn’t any different from the Midnight Black variant and you won’t have to cough out some extra bucks to snag this variant. It is available only on the 8GB RAM + 128GB storage top-end version and comes with a price tag of 3,499 Yuan (~$530) just like the 8GB RAM + 128GB ROM Midnight Black variant. Sales would commence on December 17 but the reservation is already ongoing.
The OnePlus 5T prides itself on having an 80.5% screen-to-body ratio on top of a 6.01-inch FHD+ AMOLED display. The device comes with minimally curved corners (the radius of curvature is smaller than what’s found on devices like the Galaxy Note 8 and Galaxy S8, for example). We should be looking at a better display than the OP 5 especially as we are told the jelly scrolling issue on the OnePlus 5 display isn’t present on the 5T. The device also packs an improved dual camera setup at the rear and as is powered by a Snapdragon 835 chip. Check out some more photos of the Lava Red OnePlus 5T variant, standing side-by-side with the equally elegant Midnight Black colour version.
Asus is now joining the full-screen 18:9 display bandwagon as the company is all set to launch Asus Zenfone Max Plus (M1) smartphone. Earlier, the company had launched Asus Pegasus 4S smartphone, boasting full-screen display, but it is limited to Chinese market only.
The upcoming Zenfone Max Plus (M1) smartphone is very much similar to the Pegasus 4S in terms of design as well as specifications. However, unlike Pegasus 4, the Zenfone Max Plus (M1) will be available in the international markets.
The smartphone features a 5.7-inch IPS LCD screen with a screen resolution of 1080 x 2160 pixels. Under the hood, the smartphone is powered by a MediaTek 6750T chipset which comes with eight Cortex-A53 cores. This is the same chipset that was used in Zenfone 3S Max.
It will be available in two variants based on the memory — 2GB RAM and 16GB of internal storage and 3GB of RAM and 32GB of onboard storage. There is also a microSD card slot, allowing users to expand the storage capacity.
As for the optics, the smartphone will feature a dual-camera setup at the back. It comes with a 16-megapixel primary sensor and an 8-megapixel secondary sensor which has a wide-angle lens. There is also an 8-megapixel front-facing camera. The front camera also supports facial recognition based phone unlocking.
There is also a fingerprint sensor at the back of the phone, for added security. Connectivity options on the device include dual-SIM, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth and GPS.
The phone runs on Android 7.1 Nougat operating system based ZenUI 4.0. It is powered by a 4,130mAh non-removable battery which supports the company’s PowerMaster technology, but there is no fast charging support.
Currently, there is no further information available regarding the Asus Zenfone Max Plus (M1) smartphone, including the pricing and availability details. However, it is expected that the smartphone will be available in three colour options — Silver, Gold and Black.
Samsung seems to be toying with possible designs for the Galaxy S9 as the tech giant has filed a number of design patents with the Korean Intellectual Property Rights Information Service. The document showing the patent filing was unravelled recently and it contained sketches of the designs, all showing a full-screen device with the antenna band placed on different locations on the various sketches.
The designs may not be for the Galaxy S9 as Samsung is known for patenting designs that may not necessarily be used in the near future. But the patents shows that Samsung may be thinking of changing the antenna placements on its smartphones going forward. This isn’t the first time we’re seeing such antenna designs but then, Samsung may have devised a way to deal with issues associated with some of the placements. The iPhone 4, for instance, was known for its “antennagate” issue whereby there were reported issues of dropped calls and network connections as a result of the design of the model’s antenna.
The patent’s sketches also reveal a full-screen design on the phone just as we expect on the Galaxy S9. The Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ are rumoured to sport a 5.8-inch and 6.2-inch Infinity Display, respectively with a screen-to-body ratio of up to 90%. The screen ratio doesn’t leave a lot of room for the antenna. So, it makes sense to speculate Samsung is taking a look at its options for the Galaxy S9 antenna band before the final design. The 2018 flagship is also expected to pack a Snapdragon 845 processor and a pressure-sensitive Home button.
Roses are red and so are these phones too. Manufacturers have been more experimental with colors this year. Rather than the boring gold, old gray, and classic black, we have seen phones launch in different shades of blue, green, pink, and red.
Of all the new colors, it is the red variants that actually stand out. Pull out a red phone from your pocket and you will definitely get people asking questions. It has always been the color that stuns and catches attention – that’s why it is easy to remember the lady with the red lipstick, red dress, or red car.
This post is a list of our favorite red phones released this year and is not in order of preference.
iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus (Product) RED Special Edition
The iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus originally launched in Jet Black, Black, Silver, Gold, and Rose Gold. Then in March of this year, Apple partnered with (PRODUCT)RED , a non-profit organisation that raises funds for the awareness and elimination of HIV/AIDS in Africa, to release both phones in red.
The reception in China was massive. JD.com is reported to have recorded nearly 500,000 reservations ahead of the March 24 release date.
OPPO F3 Red/OPPO F3 Diwali Edition
When the OPPO F3 was released in May, it was available in Gold and Rose Gold. However, a Facebook post by the manufacturer’s Philippines’s branch teased a red variant set for release in August.
The red variant has gold antenna lines instead of silver and the OPPO is also written in gold. A similar variant was released in India in October to celebrate the Diwali festival.
Xiaomi Mi 5X
The Xiaomi Mi 5X is a mid-range smartphone but with flagship cameras. It was originally released in black, gold, and rose pink when it launched in July. Xiaomi then announced a new red variant for it last month.
If you can get your hands on this red variant, good for you as the Mi 5X is the same phone as the Android One Mi A1. However, markets where the Mi A1 are sold only have it in gold, rose gold, and black.
Meizu M6 Note Red/M6 Note One Piece
The Meizu M6 Note was well received when it launched. It is the manufacturer’s first smartphone to be powered by a Snapdragon processor and also packs dual cameras. The phone already looked stunning with its quad-LED flash and Peacock Blue variant, then Meizu dropped a fiery hot Flame Red variant and a One Piece Special Edition variant.
Xperia XZ Premium Rosso
If you dislike Sony’s thick bezel design, it is understandable, but you can’t deny that the Xperia XZ Premium Rosso is enthralling. The new color variant was announced last month and should make a good holiday gift for yourself or that special person.
OPPO R11S
The OPPO R11S is the second OPPO phone on this list. It is one of the full-screen smartphones the manufacturer has launched in recent weeks.
Announced in Black and Champagne gold, OPPO also released a special red variant. One cool feature of the red variant is the way the red seems to bleed from the back into the bezels in front.
Smartisan Nut Pro 2
The Smartisan Nut Pro 2 is one of my personal favorites this year. Not only does it have impressive specs but it kills the competition with its gorgeous design and pricing.
The Nut Pro 2 looks good in black and gold, but it’s the red variant that shines the most.
Samsung Galaxy S8 Burgundy Red
The Galaxy S8 is the oldest Android phone on this list but also one of the best. It launched in Midnight Black, Orchid Gray, Arctic Silver, Coral Blue, and Maple Gold but Samsung has also added a Rose Pink variant, and more recently Burgundy Red.
Some of these colors are exclusive to certain markets. The Burgundy Red for example is available in South Korea only but we hope Samsung launches it in more countries.
OnePlus 5T Red Lava
OnePlus launched the 5T in China today but unlike other countries that get the phone in Midnight Black, China also gets a Red Lava variant. The Red OnePlus 5T is to mark the 4th anniversary of the smartphone company.
This is OnePlus’s first red phone and it is love at first sight.
Honor V10
The OnePlus 5T is not the only full-screen smartphone that launched in China today. Honor also took the wraps off its V10 flagship.
The Honor V10 has got a lot going for it. It packs nearly all the features of the Huawei Mate 10 and Mate 10 Pro and at a much lesser price. It also comes in a beautiful red variant which we totally love.
The Mi MIX 2 is the only Xiaomi phone with an 18:9 display but that will be changing soon with the upcoming release of the Redmi 5 and Redmi Note 5. Pictures and full specification details of the former have been accidentally leaked by China Telecom ahead of its rumored release tomorrow.
Design
The photos of the Redmi 5 leaked is of the gold variant. The design isn’t really different from that of the Redmi Note 4X. The key change is the front which now has slightly smaller bezels to accommodate the full-screen display.
Xiaomi has kept the IR blaster and audio jack at the top of the device while the bottom is home to the micro USB port and speaker grilles. Buttons are on the right and SIM tray is on the left.
Specs
The Redmi 5 is said to have a 5.7-inch 1440 x 720 display. It will have 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage which can be expanded by up to an additional 128GB.
The processor is listed as the MSM8953 Lite which is confusing. The Snapdragon 625 is actually the MSM8953 but we are not aware of a Lite version of the chipset. Though the processor is clocked at 1.8GHz instead of 2.0GHz like other Snapdragon 625 phones, so that may be where the “Lite” comes in.
The Redmi 5 has a single 12MP rear camera and a 5MP front facing camera. The phone has dual SIM support but there is no mention of if it is a triple-card slot like that of the Redmi Note 5A or a hybrid slot.
Surprisingly, the Redmi 5 is said to run MIUI 8.5.1.1 based on Android 7.1.2 Nougat rather than MIUI 9. Battery capacity is put at 3300mAh.
OnePlus 5T was made official in India by live broadcasting the launch event at different multiplexes across India. It was then briefly made available for buying through flash sales on Nov. 21 and Nov. 24. However, from today the smartphone is available for purchase on Amazon India and OnePlus Store online.
The 64 GB OnePlus 5T with 6 GB RAM costs Rs. 32,999 (~$512) in India. The 128 GB OP5T with 8 GB RAM is priced at Rs. 37,999 (~$590). The 64 GB and 128 GB models of the predecessor OnePlus 5 smartphone was also made available with same pricing.
Both Amazon India and OnePlus Store online are providing various kinds of attractive offers for OnePlus 5T buyers. Some of the offers include Rs. 1,500 (~$23) cash back for owners of HDFC credit and debit cards, 12-month accidental damage insurance coverage from Servify for free, 1,000 GB 4G data for Idea subscribers, 1-year Gold membership on Zomato for free, Rs. 500 credit on Kindle store, Rs. 300 Amazon Pay balance for Amazon Prime customers. and Rs. 250 Amazon Pay balance for streaming video through Prime Video app.
The Referral Leaderboard campaign from OnePlus that is running between Nov. 21 and Nov. 30 provides 200 redeemable points and Rs. 1,000 (~$15) discount on OnePlus branded accessories to referred OP5T purchasers on online store of OnePlus. For detailed information on the above offers, we advise our readers to visit online stores of Amazon and OnePlus.
The OnePlus 5T is only available in Midnight Black in India. However, the company is expected to add new color variants in the near future. The smartphone was also unveiled in China today through an exclusive unveil event. Apart from Midnight Black edition, OnePlus will be also selling a special Red Lava color variant from Dec. 17 to celebrate the fourth anniversary of the company.
Xiaomi India has been very active lately. If there isn’t a new smartphone joining the fray, it will be a new record has been set by the company which is just 3-years-old in India. India has played a key role in the resurgence of the Mi brand after a dismal performance last year. Considering the huge potential the Indin market has, Xiaomi is intent on cementing this new found love for its products in India. The Chinese company is set to launch a new smartphone designed specifically for the Indian market.
The smartphone has featured in a number of teasers shared by XIaomi India’s CEO Manu Jain and also on the official Mi India Twitter account. The device is simply identified as Desh ka smartphone. For the avoidance of doubt, Desh Ka is a Hindi phrase which translates as (Country’s). Thus, the Desh Ka smartphone may just refer to a smartphone designed for the Indian market with the peculiarity of the market put into considerations. Some of the teasers which have been circulating on Twitter over the past few days suggest the device will feature a big battery and decent specs. There are speculations in some quarters, though, that the phone may be the Redmi 5A which is already official in China.
Also, Xiaomi has confirmed that the smartphone will be Flipkart exclusive. The online retailer has already created a product page for the Xiaomi smartphone. No, there are no specifications listed on the page, in case you are wondering. We’ll have to wait till November 30 to get the full details of the device.
Huawei’s sub-brand Honor has today confirmed that it will launch the Honor 7X smartphone in the Indian market on December 5. The smartphone, which will be Amazon exclusive in India, will go on sale from December 7.
The company is hosting an event in London on December 5 where the Honor 7X launch will be announced, along with the global launch of the Honor V10. The event will also be live streamed in India through the Honor India Facebook page at 8 pm IST on December 5.
The smartphone was launched in China at a media event. Earlier, the smartphone was also teased by the company to debut in the Indian market with an “unbeatable price” tag. Recently, the company started taking registrations for the smartphone on its own website and on Amazon India.
The Honor 7X flaunts a 5.93-inch Full HD+ full-screen display with thin-bezels and 18:9 aspect ratio with a screen resolution of 1080 x 2160 pixels. The phone is powered by an octa-core Hisilicon Kirin 659 chipset, along with 4GB of RAM.
The smartphone comes in three options in terms of internal storage — 32GB, 64GB, and 128GB, and also supports storage expansion through microSD card up to 256GB.
Honor 7X comes with dual-camera setup, featuring a 16-megapixel and 2-megapixel sensors on the rear and an 8-megapixel camera sensor on the front. The smartphone packs a 3,340mAh battery and runs on Android 7.0 Nougat-based company’s own EMUI 5.1 custom skin.
In India, the phone is expected to be available in Gold, Aurora Blue and Black colours. The company has also planned for several offers for the users who have registered to buy the smartphone.
On the landing page for the phone, Amazon India mentions that Honor will be giving away 150 power banks of 10,000mAh capacity and 850 earphones with a mic, to select registrants. The winners for the same will be announced on January 8, 2018.
Further, the company said that there will be twenty winners who will receive Honor 7X devices after taking part in the ‘Amazon Registration and Amazon App Event’. For the bumper prize, seven registered users will win holiday packages from Yatra.
This year Motorola added a bunch of new phones to its lineup. In addition to the Moto E, Moto G, and Moto Z series, we saw the launch of the Moto C series and the return of the Moto X. Motorola also refreshed the G series six months after it launched. However, one phone the didn’t get a release this year is the Play variant of the Moto G series.
Moto G4 Play
The first iteration of the Moto G Play was released last year as part of the 4th generation Moto G series. It packed less powerful specs than the Moto G4, such as a smaller display and battery.
Next year will see the return of Play to Lenovo's Moto G lineup in the form of the Moto G6 Play (alongside the G6 and G6 Plus).
According to Evan Blass, the 6th generation Moto G will see the return of the Play Variant. The Moto E series will also get a Play variant for the first time. So that is two extra phones for next year’s lineup. The lineup for both series according to Evan is as follows:
The Maimang 6 is Huawei’s first full screen smartphone that was unveiled in September this year was made available only in Black and Gold versions in China. However, today Huawei has confirmed that the Aurora Blue edition of Maimang 6 will be available for purchase starting from Nov. 30. Here is the official poster that confirms the arrival of the new color variant for Maimang 6.
The company had confirmed at the launch of the Maimang 6 smartphone that it would be arriving in three colors like Obsidian Black, Streamer Gold and Aurora Blue. The Blue variant that was not made available at launch is finally arriving on Nov. 30. As far as the pricing of the Aurora Blue is concerned, it costs 2,399 Yuan (~$363) which is the same amount for other color variants of the Huawei Maimang 6.
The Maimang 6 features a 5.9-inch display that produces 18:9 aspect ratio and carries support for FHD+ resolution. It is driven by Kirin 659 chipset and 4 GB of RAM. The native storage of the Maimang 6 is 64 GB. It includes a 3,340mAh battery.
It features a 13-megapixel + 2-megapixel dual selfie cameras. The backside of the phone houses a 16-megapixel + 2-megapixel dual snappers. Lastly, it includes a rear-facing fingerprint sensor. The very same smartphone is available with other names like Honor 9i, Nova 2i and Mate 10 Lite in different markets.
Huawei’s elite Honor brand has gone official with the Honor V10 in a ceremony held in China today. The Honor V10 has been a regular on leaks and rumours and most of the rumours turned out to be correct. For one, the device utilizes a fullscreen design and is powered by the latest Kirin 970 chip. Let’s take a look at the design and specifications of the Honor V10.
Design & Specifications
The Honor V10 features a 5.99-inch FHD+ display with a resolution of 2160 x 1080 pixels. This gives the device an 18:9 aspect ratio. As you would expect, the device packs a metal body crafted using modern Korean technology and it has a width of 74.98mm. The V10 also features an ultra-slim body which is just 6.97mm thick. The most spectacular aspect of the Honor V10’s full-screen design is that it also features a front-mounted fingerprint sensor which also doubles as the home button.
As stated, the V10 is powered by a Kirin 970 chip which has a built-in Neural Processing Unit (NPU). The phone is said to have a visual, auditory, learning, cognitive, computing, and decision-making ability. It also has the ability to identify up to 33 images per second and brings 25 times performance improvement when compared to the previous generation chip. The new chip brings on several other features to the smartphone which we’ll not go into. You can read up our article on the Kirin 970 chip.
Furthermore, the smartphone is available in up to three memory variants. There is a 4GB RAM + 64GB storage version, as well as a 6GB RAM + 64GB version and finally a top-end 6GB RAM + 128GB storage version. The camera aspect is piloted by a 20Mp + 16MP dual camera setup at the rear while selfies are taken care of by a 13MP shooter with AI features. Another cool feature is that the smartphone runs Android-Oreo-based EMUI 8.0 from the go. It also packs a 3750mAh battery with 5V/4.5A super fast charge. It comes with dual SIM slots and both slots are 4G VoLTE enabled.
Prices & Availability
The Honor V10 comes in Magic Black, Aurora Blue, Beach Gold and Charm Red colour variant. As for the prices, the 4GB + 64GB variant will sell for 2699 Yuan (~$409). The price goes up to 2,999 Yuan (~$454) for the 6GB + 64GB version while the 6GB + 128GB version carries a 3,499 Yuan (~$530) price tag. The prices are quite competitive and so, we’d predict a good outing for this sleek model. Reservations for the smartphone has already commenced while it will go on sale on December 5 at 10.08 via Huawei Mall, Jingdong, Lynx, Suning Tesco and Gome.
OnePlus had held a global unveil event on Nov. 16 to introduce the OnePlus 5T smartphone. Today, the Chinese firm has introduced the OP5T in the home country through an exclusive launch event. In other countries, the OnePlus 5T is available only in Midnight Black color. Since Dec. 16 marks the fourth anniversary of OnePlus, the company will be selling OP5T in a China-exclusive Red Lava color option starting from Dec. 17.
OnePlus 5T China Pricing and Availability
The 64 GB OnePlus 5T that includes 6 GB of RAM is carrying a price tag of 2,999 Yuan (~$454). The 128 GB variant of OP5T has 8 GB of RAM and it is priced at 3,499 Yuan (~$530). The 64 GB and 128 GB OnePlus 5T will be available in Midnight Black color starting at 10 AM on Dec. 1 in China.
OnePlus has already started receiving registrations on its official website. Its retailing partners like JD have also begun with registrations. On Dec. 17, OnePlus 5T Red Lava model featuring 128 GB of storage and 8 GB of RAM will be available for buying. It will can be purchased for 3,499 Yuan (~$530). Here are the official images of the OnePlus 5T Red Lava model.
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OnePlus 5T Specs and Features
OnePlus 5T for China features the same specifications as global variant. It is fitted with a 6.01-inch Optic AMOLED display that covers the major portion of the front panel as it offers a screen to screen-to-body ratio of around 80 percent. The screen produces FHD+ resolution and an aspect ratio of 18:9. It has a rear-mounted fingerprint scanner.
For photography, the OnePlus has a rear-mounted dual camera system that features a f/1.7 aperture 16-megapixel sensor and a f/1.7 aperture 20-megapixel sensor. It has a f/2.0 aperture selfie snapper. The smartphone is running on Android 7.1.1 Nougat flavored Oxygen OS 4.7. Both the storage models of the OnePlus 5T are powered by Snapdragon 835 chipset. It is packed with a 3,300mAh battery that is coupled with Dash Charge fast charging technology.
The 360 N6 Pro is official and it just might be the best mid-range phone (in terms of value for money) released this year. 360 Mobiles is known for releasing phones that pack more value than the price, and the N6 Pro keeps to this tradition.
360 N6 Pro Design
The N6 Pro on first look appears to have a double-sided glass design but its actually only the front that has glass. The rear is metal but has a non-conductive vacuum (NCVM) coating that gives it a smooth and highly reflective finish similar to glass.
The glass up front is 2.5D and it covers not only the display but also the bezels at the top and bottom. The bottom of the phone is home to the micro USB port, speaker grille and microphone while the top houses the 3.5mm audio jack.
The overall design of the N6 Pro doesn’t look bad but we wish it was available in more colors.
360 N6 Pro Specs
The N6 Pro’s selling point is its display. It is a 5.99” screen with the popular 18:9 aspect ratio and a 2160 x 1080 resolution. The bezels have been cut to make way for the screen, resulting in a phone with an 84.5% screen-to-body ratio.
Under the phone’s metal body is a Snapdragon 660 processor, a more than capable processor that should handle anything you throw at it. The N6 Pro comes in three RAM and ROM configurations. The base version has 4GB RAM + 64GB ROM; there is a 6GB RAM +64GB model, and the high-end version comes with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. All three models have support for storage expansion.
360 Mobiles has also gone all out in the camera department as the N6 Pro comes with dual rear cameras. The primary camera is a 16MP sensor paired with a 2MP sensor for capturing depth of field information for portrait photos. There is also an 8MP f/2.2 sensor up front for selfies.
Beneath the dual camera setup is a fingerprint scanner. The position of the scanner has always been the rear for 360 phones, so this isn’t a design change. The phone has a 3.5mm jack, Bluetooth 4.2, and dual SIM support (nano only).
The N6 Pro wraps its specs up with a massive 4050mAh battery with support for Quick Charge 3.0. 360 Mobiles say the battery should last up to two days on a single charge.
China-based internet giant Baidu and smartphone manufacturer Xiaomi have announced that they have formed a strategic partnership under which both the companies will work together for developing technologies in the domain of Internet of Things and Artificial Intelligence.
This was announced today at Xiaomi’s first developer conference in Beijing. This alliance marks the coming together of third most valuable publicly traded Chinese technology company — Baidu, and one of the world’s most valuable private company — Xiaomi. The alliance is intended to advance China’s smart manufacturing capabilities using AI, IoT and big data.
However, exact details regarding the tie-up have not been disclosed as of now. But, both the companies said that will immediately explore opportunities in voice recognition, deep learning and computer vision, in addition to more work with DuerOS.
Baidu’s vice chairman, group president and COO, Qi Lu, said,
The two companies have joined forces in forming a strong partnership to make users’ experience more compelling, moving on to the next stage in AI development. Xiaomi has accumulated solid experience in smart hardware, big data and established a smart devices ecosystem. Baidu has strong technological fundamentals in AI systems, with our conversational AI system DuerOS, to support the development of the IoT industry.
In July, Baidu launched the DuerOS, which is a conversation-based AI system to support the development of the IoT industry. The open platform aims to help developers create voice-enabled devices that can hear, understand and follow commands given by the user. Since its launch, the DuerOS has added more than 130 partners and is embedded in products including smartphones, TVs, speakers, smart watches and home appliances.
They will also leverage Xiaomi’s experience in applications and its large number of active users, along with the smart device ecosystem, in order to enhance applications that are able to better understand real scenarios, users and their needs.
Baidu has been on the global technology stage and its reach extends into robotics, AR, VR and self-driving cars. These technologies could also be areas of joint cooperation in the future.
After Xperia XZ and XZs, another Sony smartphone is now getting the latest Android 8.0 Oreo update. The Sony Xperia X Performance, the smartphone that was launched last year, is now receiving the latest Android version build.
With this, the Xperia X Performance has become the fourth smartphone from Sony to be updated to the latest Android Oreo operating system. Prior to Xperia XZ and XZs, the company had released Android Oreo for Xperia XZ Premium in October.
The software version build for the Sony Xperia X Performance is 41.3.A.0.401. This is the same build number as the Oreo update for the Xperia XZ and XZs.
The update comes with the latest November Android security patch as well as all of the new Oreo features such as Picture-in-Picture, Smart Text selection, Auto-fill, App shortcuts, Notification dots, and more.
There are several new Xperia features included, such as Xperia Actions, and Reminders. The update is reportedly around 1.2GB in size. So, make sure you are on a stable Wi-Fi connection.
The Sony Xperia X Performance was launched with Android 6.0 Marshmallow and was updated to the Android 7.1 Nougt operating system in November last year.
The latest Android Oeo update is available over-the-air (OTA) and is being rolled out in phases. So if you have not yet received the update, don’t worry as it should be available to everyone in around one week. Both single SIM and dual SIM variants – with model number F8131 and F8132, respectively – are getting the update.
Sony is one of the very few smartphone manufacturers which is actively rolling out Android updates to their devices. Recently, Nokia rolled out Android Oreo for Nokia 8 and promised to roll out the same for Nokia 5 and Nokia 6 smartphones.
Since the competition for market shares is intensifying between Samsung, Apple and Chinese smartphones OEMs, it is forecasted that the new smartphones may debut earlier next year. Fresh information suggests that the Samsung Galaxy S9 and LG G7 may debut in January 2018.
It is speculated that the Galaxy S9 duo would be arriving early to disturb the sales of the immensely popular Apple iPhone X that has gone on sale in various markets recently. The Galaxy S9 and S9+ are expected to arrive with 5.8-inch and 6.2-inch S-AMOLED Infinity Display, Snapdragon 845 chipset, vertically arranged dual rear cameras and a repositioned fingerprint scanner.
LG too is rumored to be prepping up to launch the LG G7 in January 2018. The LG G5 and LG G6 smartphones were unveiled at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) event that was in late February each year. It seems that the LG is working on introducing the LG G7 a month earlier than its preceding phones. The LG G7 is speculated to feature an OLED display and Snapdragon 845 chipset.
Meanwhile, Apple seems to be building the alleged iPhone SE 2 in India. The compact-sized iPhone will be reportedly aimed towards emerging markets like India, Indonesia and Southeast Asia. It is likely to debut in March next year. Its rumored specs include Apple A10 chipset, iOS 11, 2 GB RAM, 32 GB storage, Touch ID fingerprint sensor and 12-megapixel rear camera.
Do you think that the Galaxy S9 and LG G7 will debut in January 2018? Will iPhone X encounter poor sales because of the early arrival of Galaxy S9 and LG G7? Let us know your views by adding your comments below.
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