Samsung’s Foldable Smartphone May Feature Technology Similar To Apple’s 3D Touch

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Jan 5, 2018

Samsung‘s much-anticipated and talked-about Galaxy X foldable smartphone is expected to be unveiled this year. The device is expected to utilize a foldable display design and among the rumored features the device is tipped to pack, the latest one is a 3D Touch-like technology. Apple calls its own 3D touch while Huawei christened its own Force Touch.

Samsung had filed for a patent last year for a technology similar to Apple’s 3D Touch and Huawei’s Force Touch. The application is very much similar to what Apple implemented on its iPhones but it is applied to a flexible display instead. This is what fuels speculations that the technology could be utilized on the Galaxy X. This is obviously different from the pressure-sensitive technology which Samsung implemented on the Galaxy S8 and S8+ which is only present around the virtual home button.

There is no confirmation if this technology would actually feature on the Galaxy X foldable smartphone. Samsung would likely utilize such new technology on the flagship Galaxy S9 and S9+ thus, the speculation may not be true. However, we promise to bring you further details as they unfold.

(source)

Teclast P10 Octa Core Tablet PC Is Available For Just $99.99 On GearBest

By

Vinay Patel

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Jan 5, 2018

Teclast P10 Octa-Core tablet PC sports a 10.1 inch 10-point touch IPS screen that breathes new life into your photos and videos. Moreover, the device runs on Android 7.1 operating system that ensures a pleasant user experience.

Tech buffs that have restlessly been waiting to get their hands on Teclast P10 tablet PC can now take advantage of GearBest’s latest promo wherein they get a considerable 24% discount on the device’s original asking price. The white color version of the well-received tablet PC is currently up for grabs on GearBest for just $119.99.

It’s worth noting that the promo is slated to end in just 2 days and only 133 pieces of the Teclast P10 tablet PC were left at the time of writing.

You can also use coupon code ‘HNYear066’ at the time of checking out and buy the tablet for only $99.99. Click here to take advantage of the promo before it comes to an end or all the remaining pieces are sold out.

Buy Teclast P10 Octa Core Tablet PC For $99.99 On GearBest

Snapdragon 670 Appears on Geekbench With Impressive Scores

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Jan 5, 2018

Recent leaks have revealed that the Snapdragon 670 could be the new chipset from Qualcomm that will be arriving to succeed the Snapdragon 660 chipset. The alleged chipset has been spotted with impressive benchmarking scores on Geekbench.

It appears that Qualcomm could be gauging the performance of the upcoming Snapdragon 670 on a testing device as it has appeared on Geekbench. As it can be seen in the screenshot below, the test device is running on Android 8.1.0 Oreo and the sdm670 (Snapdragon 670) chipset is coupled with 6 GB of RAM.

In the single-core test, the Snapdragon 670 powered test device has recorded an impressive score of 1,863. It has scored 5,256 in multi-core test. The clocking speed of the chipset is mentioned as 1.71 GHz.

The leaked specs of the Snapdragon 670 have revealed that it will be capable of delivering flagship-like performance. Rumors have it that it is a 10nm chipset that includes four Kryo 360 Gold cores and four Kryo 385 Silver cores along with Adeno 620 graphics. Other rumored features of the SD670 chip are Snapdragon X16 LTE modem and Spectra 260 ISP with support for up to 26-megapixel camera or a pair of 13-megapixel camera. Recent reports have revealed that Qualcomm may also unveil the Snapdragon 640 and 460 chipsets alongside the Snapdragon 670.

The OPPO R11/R11 Plus, R11S/R11S Plus, Vivo X20, X20 Plus, Xiaomi Mi Note 3, ASUS ZenFone 4, Sharp Aquos S2, Smartisan Nut Pro 2, 360 N6 Pro and Elephone S9 are the upper mid-range smartphones from 2017 that are powered by the Snapdragon 660. In this year too, we may see a handful of Snapdragon 670 chipset powered upper mid-range phones from such smartphone OEMs. As of this writing, there is no information on the launch date of the Snapdragon 670.

(source|via)

Huawei To Increase Its Focus In the Low End Market, Expect Cheaper Models!

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Jan 5, 2018

Huawei recently disclosed that it shipped 153 million smartphones in 2017, 10 percent up from 2016’s figure. This was disclosed by the company’s CEO in his new year message. The company may be looking to increase that tally this year as it is said to have set its sight on the low-end market. Huawei’s President Ren Zhengfei is reported to have hinted at an internal meeting that he prefers to see a greater focus on low-end smartphones, marking the latest move to better tap into the global market.

Mr. Ren is credited to have stated that it was important to use low-priced products to defend its high-end smartphone market to make more profits. He noted that low-end smartphones cater for the needs of the general public and it accounted for 90% of the total consumers in the world.

This is an indication that the tech giant is gearing up for a major push towards claiming some shares from rivals like Apple and Samsung in the global smartphone market. Huawei presently lacks the ability to successfully challenge Apple and Samsung in the high-end market but could gain grounds on both companies using the low and middle-end market. This is said to be the company’s key strategies in 2018 in order to maintain growth.This could pose a problem, though, unless well managed as the low-end markets have lower profit margins. However, lowering its marketing costs by utilizing its channel advantages could help shore up sales and revenue. Already, the Honor brand aims to become one of the world’s top five smartphone brands in three years with expected investments targeting the U.S and Europe.

(source)

Vernee Thor E Is Up For Grabs For Just $90.99 On GearBest

By

Vinay Patel

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Jan 5, 2018

Vernee Thor E 4G smartphone sports a 5-inch display with a screen resolution of 720×1280 pixels and it packs Octa core, 1.3 GHz, Cortex A53 processor, 3GB of RAM and 16GB of onboard storage, under the hood. As part of its latest promo, GearBest is currently offering a massive 28% discount on this robust handset.

You can now buy Vernee Thor E 4G smartphone by shelling out just $98.99 on GearBest. The handset is available in black and gray color versions.

It is imperative for those interested in getting their hands on Vernee Thor E smartphone at this discounted price to bear in mind that only 93 pieces of the black version and 83 pieces of the gray version were left at the time of writing. Once ordered, the smartphone ships between January 8-January 10 as stated on the website.

The Thor E mobile is backed by a massive 5020mAh battery, which comes with an Endurance Mode and features 9V2A quick charging. Moreover, the 8.2mm thin handset runs on Android 7.0.

On the photography front, the Thor E smartphone sports a 5MP front snapper and a 13MP rear-mounted camera and both come with f/24 aperture. The device’s built-in beautification algorithm and ability to capture photos even in the low light environment makes Vernee Thor E an ideal smartphone for photography enthusiasts.

You can head straight to this link to buy Vernee Thor E smartphone on GearBest and take advantage of the promo before it comes to an end in 3 days. You can use coupon code ‘HNYear062’ at the time of checking out and buy the smartphone for only $90.99.

Buy Vernee Thor E For Just $90.99 on GearBest

Doogee Mix Lite Smartphone Is Currently Available On Lightinthebox For Just $89.98

By

Vinay Patel

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Jan 5, 2018

Shenzhen-based handset maker, Doogee managed to sweep smartphone aficionados off their feet with its solid smartphone dubbed Mix Lite. The Doogee Mix Lite smartphone can be deemed as a watered down version of its precursor, Doogee Mix.

Much to the delight of those who have been waiting with bated breath to buy the Mix Lite smartphone without burning a hole in their pocket, Lightinthebox is now offering the blue and black color variants of the smartphone at a discounted price.

There’s a considerable 55% off on both black and blue versions of Doogee Mix Lite which brings the handset’s original asking price of $199.93 down to just $89.98. On top of that, you earn additional 1% cash rewards in this order.

The device ships within 24 hours once the order is placed. You can also go for expedited express, which reduces shipping time to just 2-3 business days.

In terms of specs, the Mix Lite smartphone packs Quad-Core 1.250GHz ARM Cortex-A53 processor, 2GB of RAM, 16GB of ROM with up to 64GB of external memory support.

Click here to buy Doogee Mix Lite smartphone for just $89.98 and take advantage of the promo before it comes to an end.

Buy Doogee Mix Lite Smartphone For Just $89.98 On Lightinthebox

Huawei P11/P20 Plus Screen Protector Listed On Amazon, Appears With A Notch

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Jan 5, 2018

Huawei is expected to release the next-gen P-series flagship in the first quarter of 2018. The name of the device is still a contentious one, as it is said to go by the name P11, being the successor to the 2017 flagship Huawei P10. However, there is also a rumor that Huawei would change the naming order by adopting P20 as the new name and it will be launched alongside the Huawei P20 Plus. Now, an online retailer has listed the screen protector for the Plus version of the 2018 P-series flagship for sale on Amazon. The listing which appeared on Amazon France utilizes both names (P11/ P20 Plus) in contention, a move which could be seen as a tactical approach by the retailer who seems to be as confused as we are concerning the nomenclature.

The name isn’t the real issue concerning the listing but the design. The attached picture contains the render of the supposed Huawei P20 Plus/P11 Plus and the design is a full-screen, bezel-less design. The device is entirely bezel-less save for a slight notch at the top where the front speaker is located. The notch resembles the design style adopted by Apple on the iPhone X. However, while the P20 could come with a notch, we don’t expect a completely bezel-less screen design as suggested by the render.

The screen protector isn’t actually isn’t available right now but will arrive in stock on January 31, 2018. The price is set at €10.99 and this is after a €8 discount. According to a recent rumor, the P20 and P20 Plus are expected to be launched on February 26 at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2018.

(source)

Microsoft’s Patent Show How it is Experimenting to Add a Large Camera in Thin Smartphone/Tablet Hybrid

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Jan 5, 2018

Yet another patent application showing a foldable smartphone/tablet hybrid from Microsoft has surfaced today. The patent listing of the Microsoft’s smartphone/tablet hybrid with USPTO shows the three different technologies that the company is experimenting with to incorporate a big camera module in a compact body.

The first one is the Split-Camera Augmentation technology through which the camera module can be divided on each half of the device with one half housing the camera lens. Through micromechanics that are used for optical image stabilization, the hybrid device will be able to realign the camera accurately when the camera is required to be used.

Floating Camera Module is a less sophisticated technology in which thickness of the camera module is more than that of the device. Since it is a floating module, pushing it from the front will make it protrude from the rear side of the device. Pushing it from the back will not only the device to be laid flat on a surface but also it will protrude the camera module from the front.

Retractable Camera Cap will make the camera come out from the inner face of the device. The other half of the device has a corresponding pit that will work as a cap to cover the camera when the device is closed.

As mentioned above, a number of patent filings for foldable smartphone/tablet from Microsoft have appeared in the past. There is no confirmation on whether Microsoft is working on the highly anticipated Surface Phone device, but it appears that the Redmond giant is experimenting with multiple ideas for a mysterious device.

Do you think that Microsoft has a killer device to take on the likes of Apple iPhone X and Samsung Galaxy Note 8? Share us your thoughts by adding your comments below.

Via

Buy LeEco Le Max 2 For Just $149.98 On Lightinthebox

By

Vinay Patel

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Jan 5, 2018

LeEco Le Max 2 garnered huge popularity among smartphone enthusiasts after hitting the store shelves back in May 2016. The Dual-SIM smartphone runs on Android 6.0 Marshmallow and is powered by Qualcomm MSM8996 Snapdragon 820 processor.

While LeEco Le Max 2 comes bearing a steep price tag of $671.13, Lightinthebox is currently offering a massive 78% discount on the smartphone’s original asking price. In other words, you can now get your hands on the 4G smartphone for just $149.98. As if that weren’t enough, you also earn additional 1% cash rewards in this order.In terms of specs, the handset packs 4GB of RAM, 32GB of internal memory and a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor. On the photography front, the LeEco Le Max 2 smartphone sports a 21MP primary camera with (f/2.0, 1/2.4″) OIS, phase detection autofocus, dual-LED dual-tone flash and an 8MP front shooter for the selfie addicts. LeEco Le Max 2 is available in Rose color option.

Click here to take advantage of the discount and buy LeEco Le Max 2 for only $149.98.

Get A Massive 78% Discount On LeEco Le Max 2 Smartphone On Lightinthebox

360 N6 Pro Will Get Bright Silver Colour Model, Renders Revealed

By

Jeet

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Jan 5, 2018

After confirming that the 360 N6 will get the Blue colour variant, 360 Mobiles is now all set to launch a new colour model of 360 N6 Pro.

The company has released renders of the upcoming Silver colour model of the 360 N6 Pro. In the post, the company says that they have tweaked the colour hue for over a month before finalizing.

While the company has confirmed that the Bright Silver colour model of the device will be launched, it has not provided any information regarding its availability. However, we are expecting it to get released soon.

The 360 N6 Pro was launched about a month ago, targeting the mid-range market. It comes in a metal body with a non-conductive vacuum (NCVM) coating which gives it a smooth and highly reflective finish.

It features a 5.99-inch display with a screen resolution of 2160 x 1080 pixels, 2.5D glass and the popular 18:9 aspect ratio. The bezels surrounding the display are minimal, resulting in a phone with an 84.5% screen-to-body ratio.

Under the hood, the phone is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 processor. It comes in three models based on RAM and ROM configurations. The base version has 4GB RAM and 64GB storage; another model comes with 6GB RAM and 64GB internal storage while the high-end version comes with 6GB RAM and 128GB of onboard storage.

All three models support microSD card for further expanding the storage capacity. The phone has dual camera setup at the back, featuring a 16MP primary camera paired with a 2MP secondary sensor for capturing the depth of field information. There is also an 8MP sensor with a f/2.2 aperture on the front side.

There is a fingerprint sensor just below the camera module. The phone runs Android 7.1 Nougat operating system based company’s own UI. It is fuelled by a 4,050mAh battery that supports Quick Charge 3.0 technology. According to the company, the battery should last up to two days on a single charge.

Nokia 6 2nd-Generation is Official; Arrives With Improved Design, Snapdragon 630, OZO Audio

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Jan 5, 2018

The original Nokia 6 that was launched by HMD Global in China in January 2017 had marked the return of the Nokia brand in the mobile phone industry. Today, the Finnish firm has unleashed the Nokia 6 2nd-generation smartphone with improved specs and design.

Design and Display

The Nokia 6 2^nd generation has a strong build that is made out of 6000-series aluminum unibody with diamond cut beveled edges. The rear panel of the smartphone has been redesigned as it features a camera module that is similar to the one available on the Nokia 5. The fingerprint scanner is placed on the frontside of the original Nokia 6. However, the 2^nd Gen Nokia 6 has a rear-mounted fingerprint reader.

Since it measures 148.8 x 75.8 x 8.15mm, it is slightly shorter and thicker than the original Nokia 6. It comes in color choices like black and silver. HMD Global has reduced the bezels surrounding the display of the 2^nd Gen Nokia 6. This has allowed the company to feature the same 5.5-inch IPS LCD display in a slightly compact compared to the predecessor phone. The display supports an aspect ratio of 16:9 and screen resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels. It sits well protected under 2.5D Corning Gorilla Glass 3.

Performance and Variants

One of its major setbacks of the original Nokia 6 is that it includes a modest Snapdragon 430 chipset. After the Nokia 7, the Nokia 6 2^nd Gen is the second smartphone from the company to be powered by Snapdragon 630 chipset that features a 2.2 GHz octa-core processor.

The chipset is supported by 4 GB of LPDDR4 RAM. The smartphone is fueled by a 3,000mAh battery. that can be charged to 50 percent in just 30 minutes through fast charging. It will be available in the market in 32 GB and 64 GB storage models. The hybrid dual SIM slot can be used to add a microSD card on the phone.

Camera and Other Features

The Nokia 6 2^nd Gen features the same camera sensors found on the predecessor phone. At the rear is the dual-LED enabled 16-megapixel camera and an 8-megapixel 84-degree wide-angle selfie snapper is fitted on the front panel. The Bothie mode that is available on the Nokia 8 and Nokia 7 is also available on the new Nokia 6.

The Nokia 6 (2018) is preloaded with Android 7.1.1 Nougat. The Finnish firm has promised to release the Android Oreo update for it soon. The OZO audio recording that makes use of dual spatial microphones present on the phone can capture 360-degree surround sound. The connectivity features available on the smartphone include USB-C, 3.5mm audio jack, Bluetooth 5.0, Cat. 4 LTE modem and Wi-Fi. The original Nokia 6 supports NFC, but the official listing of the Nokia 6 2^nd Gen does not mention whether it carries support for NFC.

Pricing and Availability

The 32 GB and 64 GB models of the Nokia 6 2^nd Gen are respectively priced at 1,499 Yuan (~$231) and 1,699 Yuan (~$262). In China, it will be exclusively available through Suning. It is up for reservations on the Chinese retailer site and it will be hitting the shelves on Jan. 10.

Buy Leagoo Kiicaa Mix For Just $109.98 On Cafago [Coupon Code]

By

Vinay Patel

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Jan 5, 2018

Sporting a 5.5-inch touchscreen with a resolution of 1920 X 1080 pixels, Leagoo Kiicaa Mix is a big phone with smaller phone body. This easy-to-use smartphone is operable with just one hand since any place of the screen can be easily reached by your finger.

If you’ve restlessly been waiting to get your hands on a smartphone sporting a full-vision screen without shelling out a lot of money, we got good news for you. You can now buy Leagoo Kiicaa Mix smartphone at a heavily-discounted price on Cafago.

At the time of checking out, use coupon code ‘JPZ015’ to get a $44.23 discount on the handset’s original asking price of $154.21. You end up paying only $109.98 for Leagoo Kiicaa Mix smartphone which packs MTK6750T Octacore 1.5GHz processor, paired with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of ROM, under the hood.

The handset is available in black color option and is usually shipped within 24 hours from manufacturer’s warehouse based in China. You can head straight to this link in order to buy the Leagoo Kiicaa Mix smartphone at a discounted price.

Buy Leagoo Kiicaa Mix At A Discounted Price Of Just $109.98 On Cafago

Sony Xperia XA2, XA2 Ultra and L2 Press Renders Leaks Online

By

Jeet

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Jan 5, 2018

While there are reports suggesting that Sony could bring in a new design for its flagship devices this year, it seems that the design of its low-range and mid-range offerings will follow the steps of its predecessors.

According to the newly leaked press renders of Sony’s upcoming mid-range and low-range phones — Sony Xperia XA2, Xperia XA2 Ultra and Xperia L2, there won’t be any major design change in these devices. The press renders were leaked by Evan Blass (@evleaks).

The phones are expected to be launched at the upcoming Consumer Electronics Show (CES) or at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) next month in Barcelona.

The Sony Xperia XA2 will be the third iteration in the XA series, following Sony Xperia XA and XA1. The phone’s specifications were leaked through the GFXBench benchmark listing. It will feature a 5.2-inch Full HD display with 1920 x 1080 pixels resolution while the XA2 Ultra will come with a 6-inch display.

If the leaked specifications are to be believed, then the device will now pack Qualcomm‘s Snapdragon 630s octa-core processor clocked at 2.2GHz, instead of a MediaTek processor. Both models will be available in 4GB RAM and 64GB internal storage and 3GB RAM with 32GB onboard storage.

The Xperia XA2 is listed to feature a 21-megapixel camera at the back, capable of recording 4K-resolution videos. There is also a 7-megapixel front-facing selfie camera. The XA2 Ultra is also reported to have same rear camera configuration, along with a dual 15-megapixel selfie cameras on the front. The devices are expected to run Android 8.0 oreo out-of-the-box.

On the other hand, the Sony Xperia L2 is expected to retain the 5.2-inch display with 1280 x 720 pixels screen resolution, just like its predecessor. Unlike the XA2 series, the Xperia L2 will come with Android Nougat operating system out-of-the-box.

While these models follow the company’s same old design language, Sony’s upcoming flagship smartphone — the Xperia XZ Premium 2 is expected to come with a new design as well as a full-screen display with minimal bezels on the sides and dual rear cameras.

(Source)

Alcatel 5’s Final Design Revealed in Fresh Render

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Jan 5, 2018

Alcatel is expected to showcase around five new phones soon. Among the rumored upcoming phones from the company, the Alcatel 5 is speculated as a high-end device. Well-known tipster Evan Blass has shared a final design of the phone to reveal what to expect from its design.

Around two months, Blass had revealed the renders of all the Alcatel phones that will be releasing soon. The render of the Alcatel 5 that was revealed at that time is similar to the following new render.

The above render shows that the smartphone features dual front-facing cameras on the top bezel. The bezels on the bottom and sides of the screen are very thin. The rear panel of the phone has a camera sensor and a fingerprint scanner.

The Alcatel 5 has already received approval from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in the U.S. The images of the Alcatel 5 that have surfaced through its FCC listing revealed that it would be coming with a brushed metal rear and it will be housing a 3,000mAh capacity battery.

The Alcatel 5 is expected to arrive with a 5.7-inch display that will deliver an aspect ratio of 18:9. Leaked information has revealed that it could be powered by the MediaTek MT6750 chipset. It is likely to come loaded with Android 7.0 Nougat. It is pegged to come in color choices like Black and White

TCL is rumored to showcase the new Alcatel phones like Alcatel 1X, 3, 3C, 3V, 3X and 5 at the next week’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES) that will be held in Las Vegas, U.S. Some sources have claimed that these phones may get unveiled at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2018 in Barcelona, Spain in the next month.

The Feb. 26 date mentioned on the display of the new render is the starting date of the MWC 2018. This indicates that the Chinese manufacturer may debut the new Alcatel phones at MWC.

(source)

Lenovo Group’s VP Chang Cheng Transferred To MBG For Product Organization, Will ZUK Make A Comeback?

By

Joel Joseph

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Jan 5, 2018

China’s Sohu reports that Lenovo Group’s VP Chang Cheng has just been transferred to the company’s MBG (Mobile Business Group) China and he will now be responsible for the product organization, research, and development work in the country. Don’t be surprised if you find this name familiar, as he has been in the news in the past couple of years as the CEO and co-founder of the popular ZUK sub-brand of the Lenovo group. Chang has been popular among tech media specially because he was never shy to talk or reveal renders of ZUK products before launch.

According to an internal mail, Chang has been entrusted with the responsibility of Lenovo and Motorola brand’s product planning management in China along with China Mobile Software ecosystem development. He will report to Qiao Jian, President of Lenovo MBG China.

Prior to this Chang Cheng was acting as the CEO of ZUK, a brand focused on the young generation with flagship like smartphones for an affordable price tag. ZUK was established back in December 2014 and ZUK’s first smartphone, the ZUK Z1 was released in August 2015. The company used its own Android based ZUI platform in China. However, around April in 2017, the company announced that the ZUK brand was no more. But ZUI continues to live, inside Motorola smartphones released and sold in China.

Ever since news about the ZUK brand shutting down, there have been rumors about its resurrection. In fact, Chang Cheng did seem to hint last year that a ZUK Z3 could be in existence. We haven’t heard anything about a new phone from the ZUK brand since, but his transfer as Lenovo’s Product Planning Manager in China sparks new rumors about the ZUK brand’s return.

(Source)

Nokia 7 Arriving in India Later This Month, European Countries to Receive in February

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

-

Jan 5, 2018

In October 2017, HMD Global had launched the Nokia 7 in the home country of China. Since then the smartphone has been exclusively available in China. Fresh information suggests that the smartphone will be soon available in other countries from this month.

One of the readers of the Nokia Power User has revealed that the customer care department of Amazon has confirmed to him that the Nokia 7 will be debuting in India in the last week of this month and it will be exclusively available through Amazon India.

To confirm on the aforementioned information, the publication contacted its retail sources and came to know that the Nokia 7 will be landing in India by the end of this month. There is no information available on the pricing of the phone, but it is expected that it will be priced around Rs. 20,999.

It has been also found that the HMD Global is planning to sell the Nokia 7 in European countries by February. Quick Mobile, a Romanian retailer has already listed the Nokia 7 on its website. The retailer is selling the smartphone for 325 euros (~$392) along with 24-month warranty. It will be available in the country starting from Jan. 17.

Nokia 7 is the first Android smartphone from HMD Global to come with an elegant glass rear that is flanked with 7000-series aluminum frame. It is also the first Nokia branded phone to be powered by Snapdragon 630 chipset. It is available in China in RAM options like 4 GB and 6 GB. It has a native storage of 64 GB and it also includes a microSD card slot. It has a 5.2-inch display that supports full HD resolution and is packed with a 3,000mAh battery that carries support for 18w fast charging.

(source 1, 2|via)

LeEco Sells Off Significant Stake In Coolpad, Bears Heavy Losses

By

Jed John Ikoba

-

Jan 4, 2018

LeEco announced a deal that saw it become the largest shareholder in fellow Chinese smartphone maker Coolpad in 2016. The internet cum smartphone company held a 28.90% stake in Coolpad until recently. It is no longer news that LeEco is facing a serious cash crunch that has crippled the once bubbling smartphone maker. LeEco’s shares in Coolpad has become one of the latest casualty of its financial situation as it has announced the sale of 17.83% of its 28.90% shares in Coolpad. Thus, LeEco now has only about 10.95% shares in Coolpad and as a result, is no longer the highest shareholder in Coolpad.

LeEco’s rise to becoming the highest shareholder in Coolpad isn’t a one-off achievement. The company first invested 2.74 billion HK Dollars (around US$353 million) in June 2015 making it the second largest shareholder with an 18% shares. In June 2016, LeEco made another investment of $135 million USD which gave it an additional 11% shares and thus making it the largest shareholder. Both firms had even started releasing jointly designed smartphones under the Cool 1 series before LeEco slipped into financial troubles.

Now, LeEco has traded off 17.83% of its shares this January for HK $ 808 million (about 670 million yuan / ~ $103 Million USD). This is nowhere near the amount the company paid in 2015 to acquire its first 18% stake in the company. However, Coolpad cannot be said to have achieved tremendous progress since 2015 to date. Besides, the deal could be to repay some of its huge debt burdens. LeEco is reportedly in need of emergency cash and so, had to sell some of its stakes in Cooldpad despite making a significant loss in the process. Besides, the deal has to be based on Coolpad’s present market value which is also on the decrease.

This isn’t good news for those hoping to see LeEco rebound from its present sorry state. We do hope the spate of sales of assets would not continue.

(source)

OnePlus 5T Lava Red Variant Could Launch In India Earlier Than Expected

By

Jeet

-

Jan 4, 2018

Earlier this week, we reported that OnePlus could launch the Lava Red colour variant of its flagship smartphone OnePlus 5T in India on 26th January. However, there is a new report which suggests that the company could launch the device earlier than expected.

According to the report on Techook, the phone could launch on 23rd January to avoid the national holiday clutter. However, do note that the launch date is just a speculation and there has been no confirmation from the company.

To recap, the Lava Red colour variant was first launched in China and is currently exclusive to the company’s home country. Later, the company introduced Star Wars Limited Edition model of OnePlus 5T, which is available globally.

The OnePlus 5T, which is a successor of OnePlus 5, was launched in November last year in only one colour — Midnight Black. All the other variant — Lava Red and Star Wars Limited Edition, comes with same specifications as the standard model.

The OnePlus 5T flaunts a 6-inch Optic AMOLED FHD+ display with an 18:9 aspect ratio and a screen resolution of 2160 x 1080 pixels. The device is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor and is fuelled by a 3,300mAh battery that supports the company’s own Dash Charge — a fast charging technology.

The phone is running Android 7.1.1 Nougat flavoured Oxygen OS 4.7. The OnePlus 5T comes with a rear-mounted dual camera system that features a 16-megapixel camera sensor with f/1.7 aperture and a 20-megapixel sensor having the same f/1.7 aperture. There is a 16MP IMX 371 camera sensor with f/2.0 aperture.

As the recently introduced OnePlus 5T Star Wars Limited Edition device is priced same as the standard edition, the pricing of the upcoming Lava Red colour variant is also expected to remain unchanged.

OnePlus has also officially announced the Sandstone White edition of its flagship smartphone. As we earlier reported, the Sandstone White variant shares a similar look to the Star Wars limited edition variant sans the Star Wars logo.

As of now, it will only be available in 8GB RAM model. The phone will go on sale from Tuesday, i.e. 9th January, with price starting at $499 in the US; CA$659 in Canada; £449 in the UK; and €499 in the rest of Europe.

(Source)

Meizu M6s Appears on AnTuTu As Meizu mblu S6

By

Habeeb Onawole

-

Jan 4, 2018

Meizu confirmed earlier today that the M6s will be its next phone with a scheduled January 17 launch. With nearly two weeks before its arrival, the phone has made an appearance on AnTuTu.

Benchmarked as the Meizu mblu S6, the phone does have an 18:9 aspect ratio judging from its 1440 x 720 resolution. It also has 3GB of RAM, 32GB of storage and runs Android 7.0 Nougat.

AnTuTu also reveals that the mblu S6 (Meizu M6s) is powered by a 6-core chip with a Mali-G71 GPU. According to rumors floating round, this is the 14nm Exynos 7872. The chipset has still not been officially unveiled.

Earlier leaks already revealed that the Meizu phone will have a 5.7” display. Now that we know the resolution is HD+, its 2930mAh battery sure doesn’t feel small.

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Honor View10 Launched In India For Rs. 29,990, First Sale On 8th January

By

Jeet

-

Jan 4, 2018

Huawei had earlier revealed that the Honor View10 will be available for purchase in India from 8th January. Today, the China-based company has officially launched the device in the Indian market, at a price of Rs. 29,990 (approximately $473).

As stated earlier, the phone will go on sale for the first time in the Indian market on 8th January, exclusively through online retailer Amazon India. The registrations for the first sale are already open and have been live for over a week. The Honor View10 will be available in two colour options — Navy Blue and Midnight Black.

The Honor View10 features a 5.99-inch Full HD+ IPS LCD FullView display with a screen resolution of 1080 x 2160 pixels, 18:9 aspect ratio and 403ppi pixel density. The device runs on company’s own HiSilicon Kirin 970 processor, with four Cortex-A73 cores clocked at 2.36GHz and four Cortex-A53 cores clocked at 1.8GHz.

The processor is coupled with NPU (Neural Processing Unit) for AI-based tasks, 6GB RAM and 128GB internal storage. The storage capacity of the device can be further expanded up to 256GB, thanks to the microSD card slot.

Coming to the camera department, the phone comes with a dual camera setup on the rear side, featuring a 16-megapixel RGB sensor and a 20-megapixel monochrome sensor, complete with f/1.8 aperture, phase detection autofocus (PDAF) and Dual-LED flash. On the front, the device features a 13-megapixel camera sensor with f/2.0 aperture.

Connectivity options on the Honor View10 include 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n/ac dual-band (2.4GHz + 5GHz), Bluetooth v4.2, GPS/A-GPS, NFC, USB Type-C (2.0), and 3.5mm headphone jack. The phone features a Facial Unlock technology that can also be used to support payment-level authentication. As per the company, it can unlock the device in just 400ms.

The phone, which is running Android Oreo-based company’s own EMUI 8.0, is powered by a 3,750mAh battery. The company claims that the battery can provide up to 23 hours talk-time on 3G, and 22 days of standby time. It also comes with 5V/4.5A fast charging support.