OnePlus 5T Officially Teased in New Image

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Nov 6, 2017

OnePlus 5T is the next flagship phone from OnePlus. The Chinese company has released a new teaser image of the phone. It reveals what to expect from the design of the upcoming OnePlus flagship.

The image shared by the company through a tweet shows that the OnePlus 5T is placed under the OnePlus 5. It reveals that the OP5T phone would be measuring more or less like the OnePlus 5 phone. The recent listing of the OnePlus 5T on GFXBench benchmarking platform has revealed that the smartphone would be featuring a 6-inch display that carries support for a resolution of 2160 x 1080 pixels. This suggests that the OnePlus 5T that would be measuring like OnePlus 5 will be featuring a full screen design.

5Tacked. #OnePlus5 #OnePlus5T pic.twitter.com/lLNznnDYXb

— OnePlus (@oneplus) November 3, 2017

The OnePlus 5 is the first phone from the company to house dual rear cameras. Hence, the official site of the phone carries a tagline that reads “Dual Camera. Clearer Photos.” Since the OnePlus 5T is expected to arrive as its first smartphone with full screen design, the rumor mill has revealed that it has a tagline of “Larger Display, Same footprint.” This indicates that the phone’s dimensions would be same as OnePlus 5, but it may carry a bigger display.

The other thing that the Chinese manufacturer could be hiding in the new image is that the OnePlus 5T would be featuring a rear-mounted fingerprint because of its full screen design. Recent reports have also claimed that the design of the OnePlus 5T would be similar to the OPPO R11s that was unveiled recently with full screen design. Through a previous teaser image, the company has confirmed that it won’t be axing the 3.5mm audio jack feature on the OnePlus 5T. The smartphone is expected to get unveiled later this month and co-exist with OnePlus 5 that is currently out of stock.

(source)

Xiaomi Mi 6C May Arrive by Next Month with Full Screen Design, Surge S2 Chipset

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Nov 6, 2017

Xiaomi is speculated to debut the Redmi 5 and Redmi 5 Plus smartphones in this week. Also, the company may unveil the Redmi Note 5 smartphone in the next month. Apart from these phones, it is also rumored to be working on a full screen edition of the Xiaomi Mi 6 flagship phone.

Earlier in this year, Xiaomi had launched Mi 5C smartphone. It is the first smartphone from the company to be driven by its in-house chipset called Surge S1. Recent reports have revealed that the Chinese firm is allegedly working Xiaomi Mi 6C that will be featuring the all new Surge S2 chipset.

Previous reports have revealed that the mass production of Surge S2 began in Q3 this year. The rumor mill has revealed contradictory information on the configuration of the Surge S2 chip. Some rumors claim that it will be a 10nm chipset like the Snapdragon 835 which sounds too good to be true.

Other reports claim that it may be mid-range chipset like the Snapdragon 652 since it is speculated to be built with 16nm manufacturing processor. It is rumored to feature four cores of Cortex A73 clocking at 2.2 GHz and four cores of Cortex A53 working at 1.8 GHz.

Fresh information suggests that this phone would be debuting with a full screen design. It is expected to arrive with 5.65-inch display that will be delivering an aspect ratio of 18:9. The smartphone may either launch as Mi 6C or Mi 6X.

The rest of the specs of the alleged Mi 6C phone is expected to be same as Mi 6. Hence, the upcoming full screen version of the Mi 6 is speculated to arrive with a pair of 12-megapixel camera sensors on its back panel.

Since the rumored Mi 6C is going to arrive with a full screen design, it will be coming with a rear-mounted fingerprint scanner. Like the Mi 6 smartphone, the Mi 6C is also rumored to arrive with glass chassis. The Mi 6C may arrive with a pricing of 2,699 Yuan (~$406).

What do you think about the Surge S2 driven Xiaomi Mi 6C? Will the company debut it this year? Share us your thoughts by adding your comments below.

(source)

Gionee to Announce 8 Bezel-less Phones on November 26

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Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Nov 6, 2017

Several smartphone manufacturers have launched full screen design smartphones this year. Gionee too has launched the Gionee M7 and M7 Power (aka Steel 2 Plus in other markets) smartphones with full screen design in September. Recent reports have revealed that the company is working on a couple of smartphones like F6L and F205. Rumors are rife that these phones may arrive with full screen design as the company has confirmed to debut 8 bezel-less smartphones on Nov. 26.

The launch invitation for Gionee’s Nov. 26 has been shared on Weibo. It reveals that the unveil event is scheduled to take place in Shenzhen, China. The company has also confirmed that the event will be livestreamed on Shenzhen Satellite TV in the country. The Weibo post also confirms that the company would be unveiling 8 full screen design phones at the launch event.

Well-known leakster Evan Blass has recently revealed that the Gionee M7 Plus is the flagship phone from the company. Blass did not reveal any details on the specifications of the phone, but has shared the following images to reveal its design.

The Gionee F6L had appeared on TENAA in the previous week. It had revealed that the phone would be featuring a 5.7-inch HD+ display that will support an aspect ratio of 18:9. It may be driven by Snapdragon 430/435 chipset and may come in 3 GB and 4 GB RAM options.

The Gionee F205 was recently spotted on GFXBench with 5-inch HD+ display that produces an aspect ratio of 18:9. It will be fueled by MediaTek MT6739 chipset and 2 GB of RAM. The Gionee S11 and S11 Plus that have respectively appeared on GFXBench and TENAA are also coming with 18:9 display. These smartphones are going to be respectively powered by MediaTek MT6763 and Helio P25 chipsets.

The Gionee M2018 is also speculated to deliver an aspect ratio of 18:9. By launching 8 smartphones with full screen design, Gionee will have the most number of 18:9 aspect ratio supporting phones. We expect that the rumor mill will reveal more information on the upcoming 18:9 phones from Gionee in the coming weeks.

What’s your view on the current trend of full screen design phones? Share us your thoughts by adding your comments below.

(source)

First Shattered iPhone X Photo Appears & It Doesn’t Look Good

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Nov 5, 2017

Apple‘s iPhone X is unarguably a beautiful smartphone, far more beautiful than the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus. The device adopts a Full-view display design different from previous Apple iPhones and that seems to be the major selling point of the model just like the Galaxy S8. In addition to a full-screen design, the iPhone X also features a glass back panel. Granted, Apple says the glass up on the front and back are made from the strongest glass that’s ever appeared on a smartphone. You really won’t want to test how true Apple’s claim is as a couple of drop tests have proved otherwise.

Now, what could be the first broken iPhone X in the hands of a fan have appeared on a Russian Twitter handle. The photo was attached to a tweet and it shows the rear glass on an iPhone X that was completely shattered after its owner dropped the device same day it was bought. The tweeter did not give details of how the iPhone X got to sustain such massive damage but it is bizarre that such damage was the result of a single fall. It looks like what was smashed by a truck. This even looks worse than an iPhone X that had undergone the drop test routine.

https://youtu.be/QK0MCF2C67I

This doesn’t in anyway suggest the iPhone X isn’t a durable device but for a phone that sells for up to a thousand grand ($1,000). You’ll definitely want to prevent any damage from occurring by sparing a few extra bucks for a case to protect your investment. If you wish to have it unprotected in order to showcase its true beauty then be ready for a visit to the repair shop as soon as it drops from your hand. The phone doesn’t come cheap so, don’t expect a new body panel to come cheap.

(source)

Xiaomi Mi MIX 2 Full Ceramic Version Now Available for ¥4699 ($709)

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Nov 5, 2017

Xiaomi opened a new Mi Home store in Shenzhen today. While the event was a chance for the CEO to boast about the company’s sales figures – 70 million mobile phones and ¥100 billion in revenue; it was also an opportunity to officially announce the sale of the full ceramic version of the Mi MIX 2.

When the Mi MIX 2 was announced, Xiaomi said it will be available in two variants – a ceramic version with an aluminium alloy frame and a fully ceramic version. The ceramic version comes with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage unlike the other variants which come with 6GB of RAM and up to 256GB of storage. The fingerprint scanner and the rear camera also have an 18K gold ring around it.

The body of the fully ceramic version goes through a number of tests to see that it meets the desired standard. First, it is put through a temperature test of up to 1400°C and then a strength test of up to 240 tons.

Continue

Xiaomi Launches Mi Note 3 Wu Yifan Limited Edition

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Nov 5, 2017

Xiaomi’s brand ambassador is Chinese-Canadian actor and singer Kris Wu a.k.a. Wu Yifan. Tomorrow is his 27th birthday and to mark it, Xiaomi has made a special Wu Yifan edition of the Mi Note 3.

The limited edition smartphone will be presented to him as a “surprise gift” according to Xiaomi. However, we are not sure if it will be available for purchase to the general public.

The Wu Yifan Mi Limited Edition Mi Note 3 has the same color as the standard blue variant. However, the back of the phone has the actor’s name written in gold. There is a possibility it will come in a custom box with special gifts and also have some UI changes (custom theme). We will have to wait till tomorrow to find out if our guesses are right.

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Pixel 2 XL Charging Speed Doesn’t Surpass 10.5W With The 18W Charger

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Nov 5, 2017

The Google Pixel 2 XL ships with an 18W Power Delivery 2.0 charger for its 3,520mAh battery. However, a charging test has revealed that the charging speed doesn’t exceed 10.5W.

The slow charging finding was discovered by Nathan K and posted on Google Plus. A charging graph of the phone provided by him can be seen below.

The phone begins charging at almost 16W but less than 5 minutes later, it drops to 10W. It keeps charging at that rate for up to about 50 minutes before steadily declining till it reaches 100%. The result is 150 minutes of charging time from a 15% battery level.

According to GSMArena, they also realized the Pixel 2 XL charges slow even when the battery is depleted. While other phones will quickly charge in the first 30 minutes, the Pixel 2 XL was able to get to 35% after 30 minutes of charging.

Other phones switch between multiple voltages while charging depending on the battery level, some charge at 9V but up to 2A when the battery level is below 40 or 50%. However, from the graph, we can see the Pixel 2 XL keeps it between 1.1A and 1.2A (~10W).

Nathan K says a plausible reason for the slow charging is to prevent the Pixel 2 XL from suffering the same degradation issue as the Nexus 6P. It may also be that the Power Management chip in the phone is wrongly programmed.

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Confirmed: Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 White Ceramic Version Available Very Soon

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Nov 5, 2017

Xiaomi‘s mobile phone product marketing director has inadvertently confirmed the Mi Mix 2 will go on sale very soon. While he didn’t specify the exact date the new variant would be available to buy, there is a strong likelihood that it may launch this month.

The Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 White Ceramic version comes with 8GB of RAM. Not only does the new variant come with such large RAM size, it also adopts a new ceramic white colour. The Ceramic White edition have appeared severally online and it sure looks beautiful. we have seen the device a couple of weeks back on Weibo, shared by Xiaomi’s Cloud platform head. The new version would be available not just in Ceramic White but the black Ceramic version will also get an 8GB RAM version.

The Ceramic white edition is said to have been subjected to a temperature as high as 1,400 degrees centigrade within a 7 days period during its manufacture. The process is a complicated one but the product is a beautiful finishing. Already, Xiaomi has released the price tag the 8GB RAM version would sell and it is just about 700 Yuan higher than the 8GB RAM version. The 8GB RAM version will be priced at about 4699 Yuan (around $700).

(source)

Nokia Steel Smartwatch Gets A Limited Edition Available In Two New Colors

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Nov 4, 2017

HMD Global’s Nokia has unveiled two new variants of the Nokia Steel smartwatch that was first announced around July this year. The two new editions are limited editions and bring new colours to the mix and are now available on its website in addition to the already available Black and White models.

Apart from the new colour options, dubbed Full Black and Rose Gold pack the same specifications as the previous colour options. The two new colours are priced differently, with the Full Black option costing the same as the original two colours at $129.95, while the Rose Gold model is priced a bit higher at $149.95.

The Nokia Steel smartwatch has a traditional watch face but comes with sleep and activity tracking features. The mid-range smartwatch can also sync with a custom phone app and the Nokia smart weighing scale. There is a Steel HR which features a heart rate monitor, ability to receive text, calls and event alerts. The Steel HR also has a sleep cycle analysis tool. As for battery life, the smartwatch can last up to 25 days on a full charge, something which sets it apart from the Apple Watch. A third wearable gadget is the Nokia Go which is a basic activity tracker that comes in different colours with a rubber strap and looks similar to Fitbit wearable.

(source)

OnePlus 5T Seen on GFXBench: 6” 18:9 Display & Up To 8GB of RAM

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Nov 4, 2017

OnePlus has confirmed that there is indeed a OnePlus 5T coming. A blog post as to why they kept the audio jack was the official reveal. Another confirmation of the device’s existence was on Weibo. The micro-blogging site is known to show the device used in posting. And on Thursday, a post by OnePlus co-founder Pete Lau, revealed the device in use was a OnePlus 5T.

Today, the OnePlus 5T has been seen on GFXBench and the benchmarking site reveals some specification details of the upcoming phone. The listing itself isn’t on the official GFXBench site. We don’t know if it was pulled down or if this is genuine, so we advice you take this with a pinch of salt.

The OnePlus 5T is shown here running Android 7.1.1 Nougat and not Android 8.0 which is disappointing. We won’t be surprised if that is what it actually comes with out of the box. We saw the same scenario play out last year with the OnePlus 3T. Android Nougat was already out but it came with Android Marshmallow out of the box. Weeks later, it got upgraded to Nougat and it is up for an update to Oreo – its last major update. Hence fulfilling the unwritten rule of at least two major OS updates.

We hope OnePlus doesn’t pull the same trick with the OP5T. It will be disappointing as it is seen as a very lazy move.

The OnePlus 5T is shown as sporting a 6.01-inch display with a 2160 x 1080 resolution that translates into an 18:9 aspect ratio. The processor is the Snapdragon 835 with an Adreno 540 GPU, same as the OnePlus 5

For RAM and ROM, there will be a 6GB RAM model with 64GB ROM and an 8GB RAM model with 128GB of storage. Rear camera is listed as a 16MP sensor but we know it is a dual camera setup. The front camera has been bumped up from 16MP to 20MP.

There is no battery info, so we are still in the dark about that. However, if you have been waiting for wireless charging to come to the OnePlus, you will have to keep hoping. Pete Lau took to weibo to explain why they don’t see it happening soon.

According to him, as long as there is Dash Charge there is no reason for wireless charging. Whichever one you use, your device still stays in one spot while charging. He also adds that the wireless charging coil make phones thicker, which apparently is not what they are aiming for.

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Broadcom Plans To Acquire Qualcomm For Over $103 Billion

By

Jeet

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Nov 4, 2017

Broadcom is reportedly planning for an unsolicited bid to acquire smartphone chip maker Qualcomm for over $103 billion in what would be the largest acquisition deal in this space.

People aware of the development says that Broadcom is currently speaking to advisers about the potential deal and the bid could be announced in the coming days, probably creating a roughly $200 billion company.

While the valuation of the bid from Broadcomm has not been decided yet, it is believed that the offer of around $70 to $80 per share is being contemplated. At $70 a share, an offer would value Qualcomm at around $103.2 billion — a premium of around $27.5 percent.

This comes at a time when Qualcomm is trying to close its pending acquisition of NXP Semiconductors worth $38 billion. According to the sources, Broadcom is also prepared to buy NXP Semiconductors in addition to Qualcomm as it aims to emerge as a global chipmaking giant.

It is noteworthy that a source has also stressed that no final decision has been made yet related to the deal. So there is still a chance for Broadcom to not proceed with a bid.

The development also comes when Qualcomm is faces legal battles in multiple countries over its business practice. The company was recently fined a record NT$23.4 billion ($774 million) by Taiwan’s Fair Trade Commission.

Qualcomm has also been fined $854 million in South Korea and $975 million in China. It is also facing lawsuits from Apple and the FTC in the United States. The key matter in the allegation is that Qualcomm uses its dominant position to charge unfair royalty rates.

Broadcom has recently announced it would move its corporate headquarters from Singapore back to the US. The company is a major supplier of iPhone parts and counts Apple among its largest customers. It is not clear what would happen to Qualcomm’s legal fight with Apple if this deal goes through but it’s likely that Broadcom would settle the dispute.

However, getting clearance for such as huge deal is not an easy task, and apart from the financial challenges, the deal may also encounter close regulatory scrutiny. The combined entity would be the world’s third-largest chipmaker, just behind Intel Corp. and Samsung Electronics Co.

(Source)

Meizu M6 Note Gets 4GB RAM + 32GB ROM Variant

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Nov 4, 2017

The Meizu M6 Note is one of the popular mid-range phones released this year. When it first launched it was available in three variants – 3GB RAM + 16GB, 3GB RAM + 32GB, and 4GB RAM + 64GB. However, a new 4GB RAM + 32GB variant has been seen on Jingdong Mall (JD.com).

The new variant is for those who want that extra RAM but are fine with just 32GB of storage. The price is ¥1499 (~$226) and though it is currently unavailable, it will come in Peacock Blue and Obsidian Black.

The 4GB RAM + 32GB M6 Note also comes with some free gifts. There is a tempered protective glass, a flip case, and a pair of Meizu ME20 wired in-ear headphones.

Continue

Oppo R11s Crosses 300,000 Pre-Order Registrations Within 24 Hours

By

Jeet

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Nov 4, 2017

Oppo recently announced two new smartphones — Oppo R11s and R11s Plus, which will go on sale from November 10. The smartphones are basically an upgraded version of recently released Oppo R11 and R11 Plus that was launched in June this year.

The company has started taking pre-orders of the smartphone and has managed to cross the registration for pre-orders to over 300,000 within just 24 hours. Oppo started taking pre-orders for the smartphone shortly after announcing it.

Currently, the online retailer JD.com is showing that the registrations have crossed the mark of 381,000. The shipments for the phone will being from November 10 and given the fact that there is still about one week left, it won’t be surprising if the registration numbers for the Oppo R11s crosses the 1 million mark.

The Oppo R11s and R11s Plus were announced a couple of days ago, featuring a bezel-less design and comes with improved camera performance. The R11s has a 6.01-inch FHD display with Gorilla Glass 5 protection and 85.8% screen to body ratio.

It is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 chipset with 4GB RAM and 64GB of internal storage which is expandable up to 256GB via microSD card. On the rear, there is a dual camera setup, having one 16MP and another 20MP cameras with f/1.7 apertures, 2.0µm pixels and dual-LED flash.

On the front, it has a 20MP camera which comes with the company’s A.I. Beauty Recognition feature. The smartphone packs a 3,205mAh battery with support for VOOC fast charging technology. It runs on the new Color OS 3.2 based on Android 7.1.2 Nougat OS.

The OPPO R11s will be available in two color options — Black and Champagne Gold and is priced at 2,999 Yuan (~$455). A special Red colored variant is priced a bit higher at 3,199 Yuan (~$485) .

(Source)

Alleged Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus Renders Pop Up Online

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Nov 4, 2017

Xiaomi may be planning the launch of its main Redmi series model which is said to go by the name Redmi 5 Plus. The supposed box casing of the device had earlier been spotted online and we had even seen a couple of photos purported to be live photos of the model. Once again, new renders of the Redmi 5 Plus have appeared online and it shows what the front and rear views would look like. We can’t verify the authenticity of the leak but it bears semblance with the previously leaked real photos of the Redmi 5 Plus.

One major highlight we can pick up from the latest renders remains the full-screen design the device is said to feature. While there are still doubts in some quarters if Xiaomi will completely overhaul the Redmi series with the adoption of a full-screen design, there is a strong likelihood that would be the case. The barrage of leaks pointing at a full-screen design could well have confirmed the Redmi 5 Plus’ design.

Apart from the display design, the Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus is also seen to have a dual camera setup at the rear which is aligned in the vertical direction. The rear design looks very much like that of the Mi Note 3, except that it packs a dual camera setup with the LED flash located under the camera. There is also a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor. Specs wise, the Redmi 5 Plus is said to feature a Snapdragon 625/630 processor backed by a 3GB RAM while there will be a 32GB of internal storage. There may likely be another high memory variant. There is no word yet as to when the Redmi-series models would be launched but that won’t be too far away.

(via)

ZTE Confirms That It Will Launch Axon 7 Successor

By

Jeet

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Nov 4, 2017

When ZTE launched the Axon 7 smartphone last year, it was well received by the users as well as critics and thus became a major hit. It was among the most affordable premium flagship smartphones launched last year.

This year, everyone was looking forward to the successor of the Axon 7, but instead, the company launched ZTE Axon M last month — a smartphone that features a foldable dual screen.

The launch of Axon M confused many people who started wondering if the company will launch the Axon 7 successor or not. A Twitter users Andrew Wallace tweeted directly to ZTE USA and inquired about the launch of the Axon 7’s successor. And the response received from the company confirmed that it is working on the Axon 7 successor.

In its response, the company that “there will certainly be a follow on to the incredibly successful Axon 7.” However, apart from the fact that there will be a successor to the Axon 7, we don’t know anything about it.

To remind you of the specs, the ZTE Axon 7 comes powered by a Snapdragon 820 processor, coupled with 4GB RAM and 64GB internal storage. It features a 2K 5.5-inch display with 2.5D glass and Gorilla Glass 4 protection on top.

Under the hood, the device has a 3250mAh battery and supports Qualcomm’s Quick Charge 3.0 technology. It comes with a 20MP f/1.8 aperture camera with OIS and EIS at the back, while up front, it has an 8MP f/2.2 88-degree wide angle shooter.

Given that there are no leaks surrounding its successor, we don’t expect it to launch this year. However, it could be launched in early 2018 but we’ll have to wait sometime to get more information regarding the Axon 7 successor.

The Axon 7 was one of the best smartphone in the premium affordable segment, competing against the OnePlus 3 and later OP3T. Its successor is also expected to fall in the same category of affordable premium devices.

The development related to the Axon 7 successor comes at a time when OnePlus is gearing up to launch a successor to its flagship smartphone — OnePlus 5T. While the company has not yet revealed the launch date, a leaked teaser poster has revealed that the smartphone will be launched later this month, on 16th November.

(Source)

OPPO Dominates Q3 Shipments In China Despite Xiaomi’s Strong Showing

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Nov 3, 2017

Counterpoint Research has released its quarterly report on the smartphone market in China for the third quarter of 2017. The report comes with lots of surprises but most of all generally bright outlook for the major OEMs in China. Q3 2017witnessed a change of batton as OPPO overtook Huawei to occupy the top spot in market share for the period under review.

OPPO took the lead with an 18.9% market share, while Huawei and Vivo were neck and neck with each other with 18.6% market shares each. OPPO also recorded the highest growth Year on Year as it leapt from 16.5% last year to 18.9%. Fellow BBK subsidiary Vivo also recorded a substantial YoY growth of 2.5%. Xiaomi occupies the fourth spot despite a strong showing in Q3 but it grew from 10.3% share last year to 13.8% this year. U.S phone maker Apple completes the top 5 spot with a 10% share of the market, up from 8.5% last year.

While the top five brand experienced growth in their shipment compared to Q3 2016, the story isn’t the same for the other brands in China, including Samsung, whose cumulative growth in Q3 last year fell from 26.8% to 17.5% for this year. Tist isn’t a positive outlook as it shows the boom in the industry isn’t felt by all OEMs in China. There isn’t any indication that will change in Q4 as the quintet might continue their dominance with a lot of new, sleek models already released and even some more coming before the end of the year.

(source)

Qualcomm Vs Apple: Qualcomm is Suing Apple For Alleged Breach Of Contract

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Nov 3, 2017

The media is awash once again with news of a fresh lawsuit already in process between chipmaker Qualcomm and Apple Inc. This time around, Qualcomm is doing the suing, accusing Apple of breaching the software licence contract they had in order to benefit rival chipmaker Intel. Qualcomm claims Apple shared vital information about its broadband modems manufacturing process with Intels.

In the court document filed midweek at a San Diego court, Qualcomm claims Apple used its commercial prowess to demand unprecedented access to highly confidential software details, including source code and thereafter shared same with Intel. The lawsuit details that the U.S phone maker first demand for highly confidential information on how its chips work on an unidentified wireless carrier’s network. The chipmaker claims Apple copied an Intel engineer in the said email. The court document also detailed another case of a request for information between an Apple engineer working for Intel and an Apple engineer working with Qualcomm in order to obtain technical information from Qualcomm.

Apple has declined to comment on the lawsuit but it is instructive to note that the phone maker started using Intel broadband modem chips on the iPhone 7 and is reportedly planning to completely stop using Qualcomm’s modem chips next year. Qualcomm and Apple are already locked in multiple lawsuits in the U.S and even in China and this just keeps straining their relationship.

(via)

Apple iPhone X Teardown Reveal 2,716mAh Dual Batteries, Radically Small Logic Boa

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Nov 3, 2017

The Apple iPhone X sales have started from today. Fresh reports have revealed that the iPhone X buyers have formed large queues outside Apple stores across the world. iFixit has done a teardown of the iPhone X to reveal what’s present inside of the iPhone X. It has revealed that Apple has included a pair of batteries inside the smartphone and a surprisingly small-sized logic board.

From inside, the iPhone X does not appear very different any other iPhone. However, there are some noticeable changes under the back panel of the phone. First of all, the iPhone X includes two batteries that are arranged in L shape. The total size of the battery is 2,716mAh. The Cupertino company may have split the battery in a bid to fit other components around the batteries.

Another thing to not is that the iPhone X has a smaller motherboard. The size of the logic board is 70 percent the size of the motherboard of iPhone 8 Plus. The reduction in the size of the motherboard may have allowed the company to include larger capacity battery inside the iPhone X which is slightly bigger than the 4.7-inch iPhone 8.

Also, the teardown video shows that the Apple has added a bit of water-proofing foam inside the iPhone X. During the launch event of iPhone 8, 8 Plus and Phone X, Apple had announced that these phones feature IP67 certified chassis.

The Cupertino company has used a new bracket for the rear-mounted dual cameras which provides cushion to the sensors. The Lightning connector is also reinforced with a wider bracket. The earpiece of the iPhone X has been moved down a bit to house the TrueDepth camera system that include IR illuminators, dot projectors and cameras. It appears that the iPhone X features a vertically stacked dual rear cameras to accommodate the TrueDepth Camera system.

The Apple iPhone X teardown by iFixit also reveals the Apple A11 Bionic chip and SK Hynix-branded LPDDR4x 3 GB RAM. Toshiba has supplied the 64 GB internal storage for the iPhone X and it also features a Snapdragon X16 LTE modem that springs into action for high-speed data connectivity.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eu573kI_JXo

Apart from iFixit, a Chinese site has also created a teardown video of the iPhone X which has been embedded above.

(source 1, 2)

Nokia TA-1054 Spotted; Will it Launch as Nokia 9?

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Nov 3, 2017

HMD Global has recently unveiled the Nokia 7 mid-range and Nokia 2 entry-level smartphones. Fans of the Finnish firm are eagerly waiting for the launch of Nokia 9 flagship that is expected to arrive with a full screen design compared. A new Nokia phone with model number TA-1054 has received 3C certification. It is speculated that the TA-1054 device may launch as Nokia 9.

In the previous month, the Nokia TA-1041 and TA-1042 smartphones had received 3C certification. HMD Global had launched the TA-1041 phone as Nokia 7. However, the Nokia TA-1042 seems to be under the wraps. Rumors suggest that it could be a variant of the Nokia 7 or that of the Nokia 8 that is heading to China. Hence, the TA-1054 could be the rumored Nokia 9 phone.

The Nokia 7 had launched around a month after it had received 3C certification. Since the TA-1054 received 3C approval on Sept. 26, the arrival of the phone seems to be close at hand. The back panel of the alleged Nokia 9 had appeared around two weeks ago. It revealed that it would be coming with vertical dual rear cameras like the Nokia 8. The back panel also features a cut-out for a fingerprint reader which suggests that the rumored Nokia 9 would be supporting an aspect ratio of 18:9.

The recently unveiled Nokia 7 phone has a glass rear. Hence, the rumor mill claims that the alleged Nokia 9 is speculated to house a glass back. Some of the renders of the Nokia 9 that have surfaced in the recent past have also revealed that the phone would be coming with a bezel-less design.

It is difficult to speculate on the arrival time of Nokia 9 flagship because the Nokia 8 was unveiled recently in August. The arrival of Nokia 9 can cannibalize the sales of Nokia 8. The rumor mill has revealed that it will be arriving with a Snapdragon 835 chipset along with 6 GB and 8 GB RAM variants. Other rumored features of the Nokia 8 include 128 GB storage, IP68 certified chassis and iris scanner.

(source|via)

HTC to Launch Around 6 Smartphones in 2018, Next Flagship May Feature Dual Rear Cameras

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Nov 3, 2017

In 2014, HTC had launched the One M8 smartphone with Duo Camera feature. The rear panel of the phone featured a dual camera setup that included a main UltraPixel camera of 4-megapixel along with a secondary depth sensor. It was the world’s first smartphone ever to feature a dual camera that could shoot depth information. The following flagship phones from the Taiwanese company have featured single cameras. After the launch of HTC U11+ phone in Taipei, Chialin Chang who is President of the company has confirmed that it will re-enter the dual camera smartphone market in the next year.

“We’ll definitely be releasing a dual-camera phone next year, but we’ll need to figure out how to make this feature stand out,” said Chang. The Taiwanese company has recently focused more on improving the camera experience on its new flagships. Hence, the HTC U11 that was launched in May this year managed to record an impressive score of 90 on mobile camera benchmarking platform, DxOMark. The newly unveiled HTC U11+ features an improved version of the same of U11 Plus camera.

Flagship phones from Huawei and Essential feature monochrome sensor as secondary camera lens. Samsung and Apple are using wide telephoto along with the primary camera. LG is making use of a wide-angle lens to assist the main sensor. There is no information on the dual camera configuration that the Taiwanese company will adopt on its 2018 flagship phone. If company decides to use the same dual camera system that was made available on HTC One M8, the 2018 flagship phone from the company may feature secondary telephoto lens.

Chang has also confirmed that HTC will be releasing around five to six smartphones in 2018 like it did this year. Instead of just releasing high-end phones, the company also plans to take on the 2,000 Yuan smartphone market in China in 2018. He added the acquisition of HTC’s Pixel team by Google is in process and the deal may close in early 2018.

Fresh information suggests that HTC was supposed to make the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL smartphones. However, since the latter was cancelled by Google, the Taiwanese company redesigned its iteration of Pixel 2 XL to launch it as U11+. When Chang was asked whether the HTC U11+ is the cancelled Pixel 2 XL he replied by saying that he does not know how to answer the question. He said that because of the relationship between HTC and Google, he can’t comment on Google’s products.

He commented on the HTC U11+ by saying that, “we actually started planning it as such around end of last year, like the way we sourced its key components and whether they made sense, it was planned that way at the time. We are also very happy that our U11+ used these parts.”

After the HTC One Max from 2013, the U11+ is the first phone from the company to feature rear-facing fingerprint reader. This is another indication that the phone U11+ may have been original planned to debut as Pixel 2 XL. According to Chang, the positioning of the fingerprint reader on the rear panel seems more sensible on the U11+ as it features an elongated 18:9 display. He added that if HTC had really built the two similarly specced phones, it could have used the same rear positioning of the fingerprint scanner on both devices.

(source)