More Nokia 7 Unboxing / Hands On Photos: Even More Beautiful Than We Thought

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Oct 23, 2017

Here’s a fresh set of Nokia 7 unboxing and hands-on photos that comes to you courtesy IThomes. Do watch out for a comprehensive review of Nokia’s latest mid-range smartphone by Linus here on Gizmochina. Before that happens, we may as well make do with these photos which capture the device from all angles, including the packaging and the entire content in the box.

The Nokia 7 comes enclosed in a colourful and attractive packaging box. At the back of the packaging, the features of the device are printed there. Inside the box, you’ll find all the usual stuff that accompanies a new smartphone. There is the phone itself, a silicone protective cover, a charging adapter, SIM tray ejector and a USB-C cable.

This time around, we get a much closer look at the Nokia 7 and the device seems to look more beautiful than we thought. It features a glass body laced with a 7000-series aluminium frame and that gives it a premium look. The rear glass panel is a vacuum moulded 3D Gorilla Glass 3 panel. The device isn’t in anyway a rugged smartphone so don’t go thinking it won’t shatter. It isn’t shatterproof, neither is the device waterproof. It comes with an IP54 rating which is nothing more than a splash-proof body.

Apart from the Gloss Black variant on display here, the Nokia 7 is also available in a Matte White colour variant. Generally, the mid-range model sports a 5.2-inch IPS LCD display with Full HD resolution and Gorilla Glass 3 protection. Perhaps, the major new feature onboard the phone is the 16MP ZEISS lens at the rear with a f/1.8 aperture. The camera setup has a slight bump from the body of the phone and is located in the middle with the LED flash underneath it. By the way, we’ve seen some of the Nokia 7’s camera samples and even though it didn’t perform badly, they are nowhere near being spectacular. There is also a 5MP selfie shooter onboard.

In other specs, the device is powered by a Snapdragon 630 processor backed by 4GB of RAM on some models and 6GB RAM on others. There is 64GB of expandable storage on board. It gets its juice from a generous 3,000mAh battery with 18W fast charging. The device comes with a USB Type-C port. There is also a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor.

The first official sales would commence on October 24 in China with the 4GB RAM version clutching a price tag of 2,499 Yuan (~$377) while the 6 GB RAM variant costs 2,699 Yuan (~$407). Unfortunately. there is no word yet on its global rollout. Check out more of the Nokia 7’s hands-on photos below.

(source)

Samsung Galaxy S9 Reportedly Arriving with Neural Engine Processor for Al Capabilities

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Oct 23, 2017

The Kirin 970 that powers the Mate 10 has a dedicated neural processing unit (NPU) to deal with AI. The neural engine processing cores from the Apple A11 Bionic chip that powers the iPhone 8, 8 Plus and iPhone X is dedicated towards handling machine learning algorithms. Recent reports have revealed that Google has included a custom chip called Pixel Visual Core for improving photography experience independently of the Snapdragon 835 SoC that powers the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL chipsets. Rumors have it that Samsung is too working on a dedicated neural engine co-processor for its upcoming Exynos chipset.

According to a new report on Korea Herald, the South Korean company has invested huge money on DeePhi Tech, a startup from China that specializes in deep learning technologies. In October 2016, the South Korean company had invested $30 million on a UK-based Ai tech firm called Graphcore.

DeePhi Tech that was founded in 2016 has an impressive list of clients such as Amazon Web Services, MediaTek, Xilinx and Samsung. It is because of its neural network compression technology and neural network hardware architecture that major companies have shown interest in investing on it. SK Telecom, a leading carrier from South Korea has also shown interest in investing on the Chinese startup.

Deep Neural Network Development Kit (DNNDK) is a deep learning software development kit provided by the Chinese firm that can streamline and accelerate deep learning applications. Reports suggest that the South Korean company is interested in neural AI chips for speech recognition, neural language processing and things of that nature. Hence, there is a possibility that Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy S9 may include a dedicated neural AI chip alongside the Exynos 9810.

What do you think about the above rumor? Will Samsung introduce a neural AI chip on Galaxy S9? Share us your views by posting comments below.

(source)

Giveaway – Win A Jesy J9S US Military Standard Rugged Phone

By

Shine Wong

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Oct 23, 2017

Gizmochina along with JESY is conducting a Jesy J9s phone as giveaway gift to one of our lucky readers. Like always, you just have to follow the steps mentioned on the Gleam widget to get a chance to win this US Military Standard(both as MIL-STD-810G and IP-68) rugged phone.

How to entry this giveaway? Just follow these steps via Gleam widget:

Visit Jesy J9s on Giztop, find the your favorite features and leave comments under this post;
Share this promotion to your Facebook, Twitter, Google+ or other social media;

Buy Jesy J9s for $249 on Giztop, $100 Off

Terms & Conditions:

1. The giveaway is an international giveaway.
2. We are not responsible for lost shipments.
3. We are not responsible for any duties, import taxes that you may incur.
4. We reserve all rights to make any changes to this giveaway.
5. The prize will be shipped in a week when the giveaway end.

Just follow the steps mentioned in the Gleam widget to participate in the giveaway.
Once again, good luck.

Giveaway – Win A Jesy J9S US Military Standard Rugged Phone

New OnePlus 5T Images Surfaces Online Showing Full-Screen Display

By

Jeet

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Oct 23, 2017

OnePlus is said to be working on a new smartphone — OnePlus 5T, which is expected to launch soon. While there is no official confirmation from the company regarding the OnePlus 5T, recent reports seem to strongly suggest the phone’s existence.

Earlier, renders of the smartphone were leaked online, and now we have new images of the OnePlus 5T that have surfaced online, showing its design and the full-screen display.

The leaked images are the screenshot of the phone’s landing page on the company’s website. However, the landing page is not live yet.

The images reveal the phone’s design, which seems similar to that of Samsung Galaxy S8. There is a tagline on the landing page which reads “Larger Screen. Same Footprint.”

OnePlus 5T is believed to have a 6-inch full-screen display with 18:9 aspect ratio and rounded edges with thin bezels on each side. Given the tagline for the phone, it is likely that the dimensions of the phone will remain same as of OnePlus 5.

Many smartphone manufacturers from China have already launched a smartphone with a bezel-less display. Also, most of the flagship smartphones launched this year come with a full-screen display. But, OnePlus is yet to launch such smartphone and the OnePlus 5T is believed to be the one to fill the gap.

The smartphone is speculated to arrive with the same camera sensors that are available on OP5. However, we are expecting the company to add optical image stabilization to the rear dual cameras. On the front side, it may feature a 16-megapixel selfie camera.

Other than display, most of the phone’s specifications are believed to be same as OnePlus 5. As per the rumours, the upcoming smartphone may not feature the standard 3.5mm audio jack.

While there is no information about the phone’s availability or pricing, it is rumoured to be priced at around 3,000 Yuan (~$452).

(Source)

Sony Xperia XZ Premium Gets Android 8.0 Oreo

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Oct 23, 2017

Sony has begun rolling out an Android 8.0 Oreo update for the Xperia XZ Premium. If you own a unit, you should receive the update today or over the the next few days or weeks.

The update not only brings all the chocolatey goodness of Oreo but also new Sony-specific features. One is 3D creator which debuted with the Xperia XZ1 and Xperia XZ1 Compact. What it does is let you scan objects and faces in 3D which you can then share or 3D print. Sony had earlier announced this will come with Oreo back in August.

Sony also promised some camera improvements. So there is Predictive Capture which automatically starts taking pictures of the subject when it detects a smile. It then lets you select the best among them. You also get autofocus burst for focusing and capturing moving objects.

Other features are aptX HD support for compatible earphones, improved audio, and app shortcuts.

The roll-out is said to be gradual – “…a phased process” and “timing and availability will vary by market and/or operator.” says Sony. Nevertheless, Sony still gets the award for being the first manufacturer to release an Android 8.0 Oreo update for its phones as well as the first manufacturer to release a phone with Android 8.0 Oreo out of the box.

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Huawei Ramps Up Mate 10 Production As Supply Shortage Hits

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Oct 23, 2017

The Huawei Mate 10 was officially unveiled first in Germany on October 16, thereafter the flagship series was launched in China on Friday, October 20. The Mate 10 series were announced with a pricing regime cheaper than those of the models in the European market. In China, the Huawei Mate 10 comes in at 3,899 Yuan for the 4GB RAM and 64GB storage version while the 6GB RAM and 128GB onboard storage model costs 4,499 Yuan. The flagship Mate 10 went on sale immediately after its launch and the stock was exhausted in no distant time.

Turns out the Mate 10 stock wasn’t enough which resulted in it being sold out in a short while. It has now emerged that Huawei has ramped up production by 10% in order to meet up the demand. The Mate 10 will no doubt experience a surge in demand as a result of the sleek design it packs and the Kirin 970 AI chip onboard. Pre-orders for the Mate 10 was opened at VMall on October 17 ahead of its China launch and few days after, it had accrued over 588,000 preorders. In the end, the number of pre-orders was more than the available stock Huawei prepared for the first sale, leaving many persons disappointed.

Huawei’s Bruce Lee, who is the Vice President of Handset Business at Huawei Consumer Business Group, has now added his voice to the discussion on the Mate 10 production. In a Weibo post, Lee stated that the Mate 10 utilises a lot of new technology and faces more components supply compared to previous models. The production process also consumes more time. Also, he stated that the product is receiving much more attention than Huawei envisaged and all these have contributed to the shortage. On the bright side, he hinted that they are going all out to speed up production. The Mate 10 Pro and Mate 10 Porsche Design is billed to go on sale on November 15 and we expect no better result in terms of availability.

Meanwhile, you can pre-order the Mate 10 from Gizmochina’s official shop- Giztop and have it delivered as soon as it is available.

(source)

HTC U11 Could Get Android 8.0 Oreo Update Next Month

By

Jeet

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Oct 23, 2017

HTC has already revealed that it will release Android 8.0 Oreo update for HTC U11, U Ultra and the HTC 10 smartphones. But, other than confirming Q4 for the update, the company had not revealed a timeline for the update rollout.

But, as per the latest report, HTC is expected to roll out Android Oreo update for the HTC U11 smartphone as soon as next month, i.e. November 2017. Currently, the phone is running on Android 7.1.1 Nougat OS with Sense 9 UI on top.

A Twitter tipster LlabTooFeR has revealed that the update is currently in the final stages of its development, and will start rolling out in the November-early December time frame.

The HTC U11 features a 5.5-inch Quad HD display with Gorilla Glass 5 on top for added protection. It runs on Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 SoC and sports a 12-megapixel rear camera with UltraPixel technology, 5-axis OIS, EIS and f/1.7 aperture. It houses a 16-megapixel front-facing camera and is powered by a 3,000mAh battery.

Meanwhile, HTC is planning to announce a new phone on November 2. The company has already started sending out press invites for the launch event but has not yet confirmed the name of the device. It is expected to launch either an Android One edition of the U11 a.k.a. HTC U11 Life or the U11 Plus.

Apart from HTC, many other smartphone manufacturers have announced their plans to update their smartphones with Android 8.0 Oreo. Google is reportedly working with brands such as Essential, HMD Global (Nokia), Huawei, LG, Motorola, Samsung, and Sony, among others to bring the Oreo update to some of their devices.

(Source)

XDA Developer Ports Mi A1 ROM to Redmi Note 4/4X

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Oct 23, 2017

The Mi A1 is Xiaomi’s first Android One phone, which is actually the Mi 5X but with pure Android. If you own the Mi 5X and want to experience pure android, there is a ported ROM of the Mi A1 available for download. What if you own the Redmi Note 4/Note 4X? There is also a ROM for you.

XDA senior developer, GLokin666 has ported the ROM of the Mi A1 to the Redmi Note 4/4X. The ROM is based on version 7.9.21 of the Mi A1 and is sort of an alpha/beta build as some features such as the fingerprint scanner and infrared scanner are not working. There are also some camera features missing. However other features work well and Gapps come pre-installed. It also comes with September’s security patch and supports for multi-language.

If you want to give it a try, you can download it from the source page below. If you are also a developer, you can also give it a try and help fix the fingerprint scanner and IR blaster.

Continue

Oppo R11S To Launch In China On November 2

By

Jeet

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Oct 23, 2017

The launch date of Oppo‘s upcoming smartphone — Oppo R11S has been revealed. The company has announced that it will launch Oppo R11S smartphone on November 2 in Beijing. This is the successor of the Oppo R11 smartphone which was launched earlier this year.

The Oppo R11S will follow the trend of full-screen display. The smartphone will be a worthy upgrade compared to the original model. It is expected to come with a 6-inch display with an aspect ratio of 18:9 and screen resolution of 2160 x 1080 pixels.

Earlier, teasers of the phone were seen in the city of Shenzhen highlighting some of the features of the R11S smartphone. Through the advertisement, the company was teasing features like better screen, more efficient battery, faster operating system, dual cameras for better photography, more intelligent beauty mode and better night shots, among others.

Recently, the phone appeared on benchmarking platform AnTuTu which revealed the phone’s specification. As per the leak, it will be powered by Qualcomm‘s Snapdragon 660 mid-range processor along with Adreno 512 GPU. It is paired with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of onboard storage.

As of the camera department, the smartphone will come with a 20-megapixel primary sensor and a 16-megapixel secondary sensor at the back. There is also a 20-megapixel front-facing camera. The device will run on Android 7.1.1 Nougat operating system with the company’s own Color OS UI.

Oppo R11S’s four variants were recently seen on the Chinese Compulsory Certification website which revealed that it will have 5V 4A fast charging, which is the proprietary VOOC fast charging technology from the company. It is expected to pack 4,000mAh battery.

The China-based smartphone manufacturer is also set to launch another full-screen smartphone — the Oppo F5 in the Philippines on the 26th of October.

OPPO R11s Key Specifications Leaked On AnTuTu: Full-Screen Design Confirmed

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Oct 23, 2017

OPPO R11s is expected to be the next smartphone offering from OPPO and the frequency at which we see various promotional teasers indicates that its launch is imminent. The R11s is the successor to the midrange OPPO R11 released earlier this year. Part of the rumours bordering on the R11s include that it would utilise a full-screen design and several renders and real images have leaked in that regard. The key specifications of the OPPO R11s have now been revealed via a listing on AnTuTu’s Weibo page. The main highlight of the listed specs is the presence of a 2160 x 1080 pixels display which means the device will come with a full-screen design and an 18:9 aspect ratio.

The R11s has featured in a couple of promotional teasers lately showing the design of its rear aspect that is no different from that of the R11. The front design is still elusive but as stated earlier, several leaked photos show the design would be a full-screen design. We now know that is likely going to happen. Other specs details revealed by AnTuTu includes the presence of Snapdragon 660 mid-range processor which debunks claims of an earlier GeekBench appearance with the R11 packing a Snapdragon 835 chip. The SD 660 comes with an Adreno 512 GPU and is paired with 4GB of RAM while there is 64GB of storage onboard.

Further, the R11s is listed with a 20MP main sensor as well as a 20MP selfie camera. The R11s will come with a dual camera setup and that will be a 20MP + 16MP combination as used on the R11. The device will run on Android 7.1.1 Nougat with a touch of OPPO’s Color OS custom UI. No word yet on when the model would go official but we expect that to happen very soon.

(source)

HTC U11 Life with Snapdragon 660 Appears on Geekbench; [Update]

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Oct 23, 2017

Update: Roland Quandt had revealed the entire specs of the HTC U11 Life earlier this week. The following tweet from the tipster reveals that the Snapdragon 630 is incorrectly mentioned as Snapdragon 660 on Geekbench. Hence, the U11 Life will arrive with Snapdragon 630.

Remember, QC SD630 is wrongly identified as 660 quite often in Geekbench. So no, the HTC U11 life does not have a 660.

— Roland Quandt (@rquandt) October 23, 2017

Even though the rumor mill predicted that the HTC U11+ would be launching on Nov. 2, a recent report has revealed that the Taiwanese company would be debuting the U11 Life smartphone on the said date. The entire specs of the HTC U11 Life have been already revealed by the rumor mill. Previous reports have claimed that the Snapdragon 630 will be present inside the smartphone, but its Geekbench listing states that it will be fueled by Snapdragon 660.

The Geekbench listing of the HTC U11 Life show that it is powered by “sdm660” octa-core processor by Qualcomm that has a clocking speed of 2.21 GHz. It means that the Snapdragon 660 is present under the hood of the phone, instead of SD 630 chipset that the rumors have been claiming.

On Geekbench’s single-core test, it has scored 858 points and on multi-core test, it has scored 4,136 points. It has 3 GB of RAM onboard. It is running on Android 7.1.1 Nougat which also contradicts the claims that it would be coming with Android 8.0 Oreo preinstalled.

Some rumors have claimed that there could be two versions of the phone. The HTC U11 Life Android One edition could be the first Android Oreo enabled Android One smartphone that come with Snapdragon 630 chipset. The HTC U11 Life that does not belong to the Android One program may come powered with Snapdragon 660 chipset.

The HTC U11 Life is expected to arrive with a 5.2-inch FHD display, 16-megapixel rear-facing camera, a 16-megapixxel front-facing camera and a 2600mAh battery. It is expected to sport squeezable frame like HTC U11. It is expected to arrive with a pricing of around 400 euros (`$470). More details on the U11 Life is expected to surface as we head towards its launch.

(source)

New 360 Mobiles Phone with Full Screen Design Appears on TENAA

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Oct 23, 2017

More and more companies are now releasing smartphones with 18:9 aspect ratio. A new smartphone from 360 Mobiles with a model number of 1713-A01 has appeared on China’s TENAA certification body. Since it has a slender appear, it appears that it could be the first full screen phone from the company.

[envira-gallery id=”154762″]

The images of the phone that have surfaced through TENAA listing suggests that it will be coming with a metallic chassis. The rear side features a single camera sensor although the module appears like a dual camera setup. The rear side of the phone features a fingerprint reader. The screen may carry support for HD+ resolution.

The specifications of the 1713-A01 phone from 360 Mobiles are not known. The images also suggest that it could be a cheaply priced full screen phone that will arrive with mid-range specs.

(source 1, 2)

Essential Phone Price Slashed by $200, Probably to Rival iPhone 8, Galaxy Note 8

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Oct 23, 2017

The Essential Phone was launched in May this year with a price tag of $699. However, its shipments could start in late August. Few days ago, some retailers had begun offering $100 discount on the Essential Phone. Now, the Essential Products has announced a permanent price cut of $200 for Essential Phone.

There is no confirmation on why the company is now selling the Essential Phone with such a huge price cut. The smartphone was supposed to ship to its customers at the end of June when there were not many major flagships. Currently, there are many popular flagships in the market such as the LG V30, Samsung Galaxy Note 8, Apple iPhone 8, Google Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL. The Essential Phone could be probably struggling to rival with these phones. Another reason why it may not be selling is that it is only available through Sprint in the U.S.

However, Essential Products has described the new discount as “a massive TV campaign to capture your attention” and “we think making it easier for people to get their hands on our first products is a better way to get to know us.”

For existing customers of the Essential Phone who purchased it by paying the full price of $699, the company is providing a $200 “friends & family code” that can be used on the Essential Store to purchase an Essential 360 Camera or another Essential Phone. The existing customers are required to submit their details before Nov. 15 to get their $200 promotional code. s

The new discount is exclusively available in the U.S. and is applicable on both black and white color models of the Essential Phone. The company is expected to introduce a similar price cut in Canada in the near future.

Essential Phone features a bezel-less screen of 5.71 inches that produces an unusual aspect ratio of 19:10. It is fueled by Snapdragon 835 chipset, 4 GB of RAM and 3,040mAh battery. It has a native storage of 128 GB. Its backside features a dual camera system which includes a pair of f/1.85 aperture 13-megapixel sensors. It has a f/2.2 aperture 8-megapixel selfie camera. The rear side also houses modular pogo pins for attaching 360-degree camera or other modules that will be released in future. It has a titanium frame and a ceramic chassis that gives it a premium appeal.

Now that the Essential Phone’s price has been discounted to $449, will you be buying it? Share us your thoughts by adding your comments below.

(source)

Screen Burn-in Could be Pixel 2 XL’s New Issue, Google Release Official Statement on It

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Oct 23, 2017

Several reviewers have been criticizing the display of the Google Pixel 2 XL citing problems such as strange blue tint and poor color reproduction. A fresh report from Android Central claims that its Pixel 2 XL unit that has been in use since a week has encountered screen burn-in issue.

Screen burn-in is usually associated with OLED screens. It happens when a part of the screen remains longer to create a ghost image even after the screen is changed to view something else. The publication has released the following image of the Pixel 2 XL which shows the screen burn-in where the navigation bar is present.

That's some pretty wild OLED burn-in on the Pixel 2 XL after maybe 7 days of full-time use pic.twitter.com/EPJTs6D0Kg

— Alex Dobie (@alexdobie) October 22, 2017

Image retention or ghosting is another phenomenon that is usually related to LCD panels. It also causes certain portion of the screen to remain longer after viewing something new on the display. However, image retention is temporary, but screen burn-in is permanent.

One should be aware of the fact that screen burn-in can also happen on LCD panels and image retention can also occur on OLED displays. There is a possibility that the Pixel 2 XL’s new problem could be image retention. If it so, the issue may not be permanent.

Apart from Android Central, other leading tech portals like The Verge and 9to5 Google have come across screen burn-in issues on their Pixel 2 XL units. Many OLED panels are known to exhibit burn-in over several months or years. Hence, it is a bit strange to see such an issue to appear so soon on Pixel 2 XL.

Google has reached to The Verge to say that it is already investigating on the issue:

“The Pixel 2 XL screen has been designed with an advanced POLED technology, including QHD+ resolution, wide color gamut, and high contrast ratio for natural and beautiful colors and renderings. We put all of our products through extensive quality testing before launch and in the manufacturing of every unit. We are actively investigating this report.”

In the previous year, when users of original Pixel phones met with burn-in and display issues, they were granted with under warranty replacements immediately. Hence, Pixel 2 XL users who are facing screen burn-in problems could be eligible to receive a warranty replacement. However, it is also advisable to wait for Google to finish its investigation as there is no confirmation on whether the issue is temporary or permanent.

(source 1, 2)

Nokia 2 Will Sell for $99 In The US According To A Retailer

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Oct 22, 2017

The Nokia 2 isn’t officially out yet but an American retailer listed it early, revealing the price as $99. The Nokia 2 will be HMD Global’s cheapest Android phone since it gained the license to release phones under the famous brand.

The phone was listed by US retailer B&H Photo Video. The page has been pulled down though but the link confirms that it is the Nokia 2 with model number TA-1035 and dual SIM slots.

While the link was active, Winfuture.de was able to get some details of the phone. The Nokia 2 will be available in black and white and also have a dual SIM slot, a feature not common for smartphones launched in the US.

According to information from the FCC, the Nokia 2 will come with a large 4,000mAh battery. Geekbench also revealed that it will be powered by a Snapdragon 212 processor.

Pictures show that the Nokia 2 will have a single rear camera with a LED flash. Both the sensor and flash share a single vertical housing. At the bottom right corner is a slit for the speaker. The back is made of polycarbonate which should be strong enough to take some rough handling.

The front of the phone has very thick bezels even though the phone uses on-screen navigational buttons. The front camera sits at the top left followed by the sensor and earpiece.

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OPPO R11S Adverts Seen Around The City Of Shenzhen

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Oct 22, 2017

The OPPO R11 (and R11 Plus) was launched in June. Four months later, teasers of a successor have been seen gracing major landmarks in the city. The adverts tease a number of features of the successor called the OPPO R11S.

The OPPO R11S adverts can be seen at nine different locations around the city and tease features that roughly translate to “a better use of full screen”, “faster ColorOS”, “ 20MP dual cameras”, “clearer portrait” and “better night pictures” to name a few.

Four variants of the OPPO R11S were seen on the Chinese Compulsory Certification website last week. The certification site mentioned that it will have 5V 4A fast charging which is the proprietary VOOC fast charging technology.

The R11S is expected to launch with a full-screen display with an 18:9 aspect ratio. It will still have dual rear cameras but the fingerprint scanner will now keep the senors company at the back. The phone will be powered by the Snapdragon 660 processor and will come with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage.

The R11S will also have a bigger variant that will launch as the OPPO R11 Plus. It will have 6GB of RAM and its battery will be bumped up from the 3,200mAh of the R11S to 4,000mAh.

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Huawei Mate 10 Pro Is Only Second To Pixel 2 in DXOMark’s Rating, Scores 97 Points

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Oct 22, 2017

Huawei Mate 10 Pro has been revealed to have a DXOMark test score of 97 points, one point behind Google Pixel 2. As it stands, the Pixel 2 remains the highest rated phone camera according to DXOMark’s rating where it got a score of 98. This score shows that the Mate 10 Pro has the potential of being an outstanding smartphone for photography enthusiasts.

The Mate 10 Pro comes with an attractive design which includes a dual camera setup at the rear with the Leica badge. The rear cameras are a combination of a 12MP RGB sensor with a 20MP Monochrome sensor. This is a familiar setup which was used on the Mate 9 last year. The two sensors have f/1.6 apertures apiece with Leica optics. The camera also supports two times lossless zoom, phase detection autofocus (PDAF) and laser autofocus.

The summary of the DXOMark test shows that the Mate 10 Pro’s camera performed better in still photography than in the video aspect. The Mate 10 Pro recorded a sub-score of 100 points in the aspect of photos which matches the photo sub-score of the Galaxy Note 8. The key attributes which give the Mate 10 Pro camera its outstanding rating include its good exposures, particularly in indoor conditions; a very good wide aperture mode, which produces a mild, but attractive bokeh effect with few artefacts; and outstanding autofocus performance. The Huawei Mate 10 Pro also packs a capable video mode with a sub-score of 91 points. Check out more camera samples from the Mate 10 Pro below.

(source)

The Best Budget Bezel Less Smartphone 2017? Elephone S8 Review!

By

Linus

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Oct 22, 2017

If you follow the trend of the budget Chinese phones, you know that manufacturers just love that full-screen design. Honestly, I don’t mind that because phones just look great. The Elephone S8 is one of the most powerful full-screen phones for less than $240. Learn more in the full Elephone S8 review.

Buy Elephone S8 with a COUPON CODE: PTBRELES8

VIDEO REVIEW

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ByrtQkuPMs[/embedyt]

UNBOXING

The phone ships with all the usual stuff, no extras included.

DESIGN and DISPLAY

The 6” 2k resolution display is just gorgeous and probably the best I’ve seen on a budget all-screen design phone. It’s really sharp and it’s a great panel overall. Obviously, the tradeoff is that the phone is quite huge.

A nice glass back, a sturdy aluminum frame and precise buttons add quite a lot of a premium look and feel, and it’s just nice to hold the phone in the hand despite its huge footprint. One thing that bothers me is a hybrid SIM card tray that rattles just a bit.

There is a beefy 21MP camera and 8MP shooter for selfies that is implemented on the bottom right corner.

Now a few features as quickly as possible: there is no headset jack, which is a shame for a budget phone. The device uses USB C port, there is no LED notification light, the fingerprint scanner is fast and reliable but the display could light up a bit faster.

The loudspeaker quality is not the best but it’s significantly better than on other budget full-screen phones I’ve tested.

HARDWARE and PERFORMANCE

The Elephone S8 stands out from the crowd of budget full-screen phones because it’s a more powerful phone. The device has a deca-core Helio X25 chipset with the max. clock speeds of 2.5GHz, 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage, which is not expandable for some reason.

Even though all the specs sound impressive, I found that the phone stutters in some 3D games on the highest graphics settings. I can’t say that the phone lags but there are quite a few skipped frames. The phone gets quite warm but it does not overheat.

BENCHMARKS

USER INTERFACE

Where the phone does not stutter or lag, is the user interface that is based on Android 7.1. Well, there are some weird translations like a whitelist. Also, the blue light filter is called a night light and you cannot adjust the intensity of it.

Other features like gesture controls work just fine if you plan to use them. My most favorite part is that Elephone preserved that stock Android look and feel and the phone is really fast, no matter what you do with it.

CAMERAS

The camera department is where the Elephone is also better than other full display budget phones I’ve reviewed. Obviously, the pictures are not perfect as some of them lack sharpness, the colors look washed out and so on but in general, the daylight image quality is decent considering the price of the phone.

The night images are not that good but again, the quality is a bit better than I expected.

Selfies could look sharper but I think that will look pretty good on social media.

What is frustrating with all these full-screen phones is that they can shoot videos only in 480p. Still, the videos come out quite usable for social media or video chats. Obviously, you need to hold the phone upside down both when shooting videos or taking selfies.

Another con is that the phone uses HEVC format for videos, meaning that you need to convert it before you can use it. I know that’s easy to do but it is an extra step for a budget phone owner.

The quality of the video is pretty good but the footage could look sharper and have more detail. The sound recording quality is actually pretty good for a budget phone.

Download full resolution camera samples

CONNECTIVITY

The call quality is not bad but it could be better. I didn’t have issues with other connectivity options like wifi, Bluetooth or GPS. The phone has 13 sensors including a gyroscope, so you are all set if you want to use the device with VR headsets.

BATTERY LIFE

The phone rocks a huge 4000mAh battery that allows you to use the phone for an entire day or more. I could get about 6 or even 7 hours of screen on time even with quite a few apps installed and social media accounts that usually sync in the background.

It takes just over 1.5 hours to fully charge the phone with the supplied charger.

CONCLUSIONS

The Elephone S8 is the best budget full-screen phone I’ve tested so far. I just love its sharp 6” display, the overall build quality, the speed and fluidity, a great battery life and surprisingly decent cameras.

Obviously, you should consider the fact that the phone lacks a headset jack, there is no LED notification light, no NFC, no microSD card slot and the front camera shoots video only at 480p resolution.

If you can live with these shortcomings, the Elephone S8 is definitely one of the best full-screen phones on a budget.

Buy Elephone S8 with a COUPON CODE: PTBRELES8

Leaked Image of Nokia 9 Rear Cover Confirms Rear Fingerprint Scanner

By

Habeeb Onawole

-

Oct 22, 2017

The Nokia 8 is HMD Global’s flagship device for the year. It packs some impressive features such as dual cameras, a Snapdragon 835 processor, and dust and splash resistance. However, it has a regular 16:9 display. The upcoming Nokia 9 packs all that and swaps the display for one with an 18:9 aspect ratio.

The Nokia 9 has been in the news a lot even before the announcement of the Nokia 8. There have been a bunch of leaks lately and the latest is an image of the rear cover.

The picture confirms some of the features we expect to see in the new flagship. There is a cut-out for dual rear cameras, flanked on the right by a circular LED flash. Just beneath the camera is a cut-out for a fingerprint scanner confirming that the display takes up the front of the phone.

We can’t tell what the material used for the cover is but it appears glossy. Our guess is glass.

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The Harman Kardon Invoke is Microsoft’s First Cortana Speaker

By

Habeeb Onawole

-

Oct 22, 2017

Microsoft’s Cortana is one of the major AI assistants in the market. Its main rivals – Amazon’s Alexa and Google’s Assistant both have smart speakers – a bunch of them actually which have been available for a while now. However, Microsoft just announced its first – the Harman Kardon Invoke a few days ago, and it is set to take on the Echos and the Homes.

Design

The Harman Kardon Invoke has the same tower-design as the Amazon Echo but gets bigger towards the base. There is a metallic speaker grille that wraps around a large portion of the phone save for the base (plastic) and the top.

It has a touch-sensitive top that lights up when Cortana is listening as well as when you rotate the dial to adjust the volume. At the base are two buttons – one for muting the microphone and the other for pairing with Bluetooth devices.

Specs and Features

The Invoke stands at 242 mm tall. It is also pretty heavy at 1kg thanks to the three 45mm woofers and three 13mm dome tweeters under its metal and plastic body. At the top lies seven far-field microphones for picking up your voice from any corner of the room

Even with that weight, it doesn’t have a built-in battery. There is dual band Wi-Fi support and Bluetooth 4.1 for connectivity and a micro USB port at the bottom for power.

Like other smart speakers, you can ask Invoke to create reminders, lists, and answer questions. You can also make calls to landlines and mobiles using Skype. Got some smart home devices like thermostats and bulbs? Ask Cortana to turn the heat up or dim the lights.

Invoke can also stream audio from services like TuneIn, iHeart Radio, and Spotify. Although it is limited compared to what you have on other smart speakers, Microsoft says it is in talks to add more services.

Setting up the Invoke is easy. Plug it to an outlet, download the free Cortana app (Windows 10 PC or phone, Android 4.1.2+, and iOS 8.0+). Sign into your Microsoft account and you are ready to go.

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