HMD Releases Android Oreo Beta for Nokia 8, Promises Android 7.1.2 Update for Nokia 3

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Oct 25, 2017

If you own the Nokia 8, you can sign up to get a beta version of Android 8.0 Oreo now. There are no major requirements except owning the phone obviously.

The announcement was made on Twitter by Juho Sarvikas, HMD’s Chief Product Officer. Join the program called Nokia Phones Beta Labs by heading to this page, sign in (with Google/Facebook) and you should get an OTA in a matter of minutes or probably hours. This is quite similar to Google’s Android Beta Program.

This is a beta version, so there will most likely be issues. Though there is an app for sending feedback to HMD that comes with the update.

Mr. Sarvikas in a follow-up tweet says the Nokia 3, Nokia 5, and Nokia 6 will come up next. There is no mention of the Nokia 7 but since Nokia already said all its phones will be updated to Oreo and Android P, be rest assured it will get it in due time.

In a separate news, HMD Global says the Nokia 3 will get an update to Android 7.1.2. Earlier this month, the company pushed out updates to the Nokia 6, Nokia 5, and Nokia 3. While the other two got updated to 7.1.2 Nougat, the Nokia 3 didn’t.

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OnePlus 5T Specifications Revealed Via AnTuTu Screenshot Leak

By

Jeet

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Oct 25, 2017

Lately, we are seeing a lot of leaks related to the OnePlus’ upcoming smartphone — OnePlus 5T. While there is no official confirmation from the company yet, it is certain that the phone will be launched soon.

Recently, the phone’s design leaked online, revealing the full-screen display on the device. Prior to that, the landing page for the OnePlus 5T on the company’s official website was also leaked. And now, we have the phone’s specifications, thanks to the AnTuTu screenshot leak.

The latest leak reveals the specifications of the OnePlus A5010 model, which is believed to be the OnePlus 5T as OnePlus 5 had a model number A5000.

The phone is said to have a screen resolution of 1080 x 2160 pixels, suggesting an aspect ratio of 18:9. It will have a 6-inch full-screen display with narrow bezels. The fingerprint sensor will be placed at the back of the phone.

It packs 8GB of RAM and has 128GB of internal storage. As of the camera, the phone will feature a dual camera setup with a combination of two 20-megapixel sensors at back.

Under the hood, the smartphone will be powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 835 processor with Adreno 540 GPU. It will run Android 8.0 Oreo operating system out-of-the-box.

However, we advise you to take this report with a pinch of salt as we couldn’t verify if the leaked AnTuTu image is genuine or not.

The smartphone is rumoured to feature a larger capacity battery and may arrive without a 3.5mm audio jack. Other than the display, most of the specifications of OnePlus 5T are expected to be same as its predecessor.

While the company is yet to confirm the phone’s existence, it has already been listed for pre-orders on OppoMart. The listing suggests two models — 6GB RAM + 64GB storage and 8GB RAM + 128GB storage. The 64GB storage variant carries a price tag of $549 while the 128GB model has been listed for $649.

Currently, the OnePlus 5 smartphone has gone out of stock in most countries, except India. It appears that the company is discontinuing the OP5 before the arrival of OP5T. The company did the same ahead of OnePlus 3T launch last year.

(Source)

Huawei Nova 3 May Arrive in December with Kirin 670, Full Screen Design

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Oct 25, 2017

Huawei is now rumored to be a working on a new Nova series phone that is likely to sport a full screen design. Speculations are rife that it will hit the market as Huawei Nova 3 and may have a design that is very similar to the Nova 2i smartphone that was recently launched in Malaysia. The Chinese manufacturer has released the same smartphone as Mate 10 Lite in Europe, Maimang 6 in China and Honor 9i in India.

Leaked information reveals that the alleged Nova 3 may include a 5.93-inch display that will carry support for FHD+ resolution of 2160 x 1080 pixels. Since it is a full screen design phone, its fingerprint scanner will probably reside on its back panel.

Like the Nova 2i, the rumored Nova 3 will be equipped with quad cameras. The rear side may feature 16-megapixel + 20-megapixel dual camera system and its front may house 20-megapixel + 2-megapixel dual selfie cameras.

The Nova 3 is speculated to be driven by the new Kirin 670 SoC that is speculated to be built on a 12nm manufacturing process. Reports have revealed that it could be a hexa-core SoC featuring two Moscow custom cores working at 2.2 GHz and four cores of Cortex A53 processor gunning at 2.0 GHz along with Mali G72MP4 graphics.

The same chipset was speculated to be present inside the recently introduced Honor 7X. However, the handset was launched with Kirin 659 SoC. The Huawei Nova 3 is expected to include a 3,340mAh battery with 18w fast charging support. There is no information available on the RAM and storage variants of the Nova 3. Since it seems to be a midrange phone, it may arrive in 3 GB / 4 GB RAM options and 32 GB / 64 GB storage models.

The Nova 2 was sold with a starting price of 2,499 Yuan (~$375). However, since the average selling price of smartphones have been rising consistently, the Nova 3 is speculated to be priced around 2,999 Yuan (~$450). It is likely to launch on Dec. 5.

(source)

Samsung Android Oreo Update Won’t Arrive Till 2018

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Oct 25, 2017

Sony began rolling out the Android Oreo update to the Xperia XZ Premium yesterday. Other manufacturers like HTC, Huawei, and OnePlus are also expected to update eligible phones before the end of the year. Samsung on the other hand has said that the update won’t arrive till next year.

The info was revealed by Samsung Turkey. The source says that development is already underway but will not be ready till early 2018.

The first set of devices expected to get the update include the Galaxy S8, S8+, and Note8. Other devices are the S7, S7 Edge, S7 Active, Galaxy A7/A5/A3 2017, Galaxy J7/J5 2017, Galaxy Note FE, Galaxy C9/C7 Pro, J7 Prime (On Nxt) and Tab S3.

These year’s flagships will get the beta update before the end of the year before the stable update next year. The update schedule will also vary with respect to countries and carriers.

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Xiaomi Introduces Red Color For Mi 5X And Black For Mi Max 2

By

Jeet

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Oct 25, 2017

Xiaomi has introduced a new color variant for two of its smartphones — the Mi 5X and the Mi Max 2. The company has introduced Red color for the Mi 5X, while the Mi Max 2 will now also have the Black color option.

The newer variant of the Mi 5X comes with a Red colored back panel and black front panel. The smartphone was already available in three colors — Gold, Black, Rose Gold.

The first sale for the Red color variant of Xiaomi Mi 5X will start from November 1, and the pricing remains same — 1,499 Yuan (~ $226).

On the other hand, Xiaomi has also unveiled a new Black color version of Mi Max 2 smartphone. Having 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage, it will also go on sale on November 1 at a price of 1,699 Yuan (~ $256).

Currently, the Mi Max 2 is only available in one color — Gold. However, there are three models in terms of memory — 4GB RAM + 32GB onboard storage, 6GB RAM + 64GB internal storage and 4GB RAM + 128GB onboard storage.

The Xiaomi Mi 5X comes with a 5.5-inch Full HD display and is powered by a Snapdragon 625 processor. It has a 12-megapixel rear camera and a 5-megapixel front-facing camera. Powered by a 3,080mAh battery, the phone has a fingerprint sensor at the back.

The Mi Max 2 is the successor of the Xiaomi Mi Max. It features a massive 6.4-inch Full HD display and is powered by a Snapdragon 625 processor. This one too comes with a 12-megapixel rear camera and a 5-megapixel front snapper.

The smartphone is powered by a 5,300mAh battery which is rated to provide 57 hours of talk time, 18 hours of video playback, 9 hours of gaming and 10 days of audio playback.

Xiaomi has announced that the new color models are now available for pre-orders in China and along with online channels, they will also be available offline. While the new color variants will be available in China, the company has not shared information regarding its availability in other markets.

Lynky Is A Google Assistant Smart Home Hub With A Display

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Oct 25, 2017

Google Assistant is gradually making its way to non-Google devices. There is the Bose QuietComfort II headphones and then there is the Mobvoi TicHome Mini. There are more that have been announced but are not yet available for purchase yet. However, none of them has a display. Enter the Lynky, a smart home hub which not only comes with Google Assistant but also packs a touchscreen display.

Lynky is quite different from other AI Assistants as while those are smart speakers first with limited support for controlling other smart home devices, Lynky is a smart hub first before a smart speaker.

Lynky has support for multiple protocols. From Bluetooth to Zigbee to Wi-Fi. There is also support for IFTTT and more services can be added via its open API settings. You can also create custom scenes and modes with paired devices. The hub can control IoT devices from Philips Hue, IKEA, LIFX, Nest, Ring, August Home, TP-Link etc.

There are two versions of Lynky available – a desktop version that can be placed on any horizontal surface around the home and a wall-mounted version that can be connected to a light switch or fan switch.

Both let you control connected devices via the screen, voice, or the Lynky app. You can also decide to pair multiple Lynky units together if you have a large home. Since it comes with Google Assistant built-in, all assistant’ commands are available. You can ask questions, set reminders, set reminders and even stream music from the internet.

Lynky has a 5” HD display, 2 far-field microphones, and two 2W stereo speakers. There is also a button at the top to turn the microphone off. It has a quad-core cortex A7 processor and runs a custom version of Linux. The desktop version is powered via USB while the wall mount version draws power from the light switch.

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MIUI 9 Stable Upgrade Underway in China, Full Roll-Out Likely Before End of October

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Oct 25, 2017

Xiaomi is expected to release the Stable version of its latest MIUI 9 custom ROM any moment from now. We can authoritatively report to you that the release may take place even sooner than expected. A sizable number of Xiaomi phone users in China have started receiving the update to MIUI 9 Stable version. A number of them have taken to Weibo to share the good news and from the look of things, it started rolling out today. We were able to detect this sizable number by search the keyword “MIUI9” on Weibo.

Xiaomi had earlier hinted that the MIUI 9 Stable ROM should be expected at the earliest this month and that disclosure was made about two months back. It is possible the tech giant has commenced the roll out of stable ROM and in the coming days we could see a full release of OTA updates ushering MIUI 9 to compatible models. It is likely that the stable ROM update will be in batches just as was done during the release of the Developer ROM.

Th first batch may likely contain models like Mi 6, Rrdmi 4X, Mi 5X, Mi Max 2which were recently released. Don’t get your hopes too high, though, as the recent releases could be to test the Stable ROM. The Stable ROM is the final product so it is expected to come with most of the bugs fixed since is updated only once a month or twice or even longer unlike Developer ROM that gets weekly updates. So, XIaomi may not be in a hurry to push updates just yet but that would be done sooner than later.

(source)

Oppo R11S Camera Specs Revealed Ahead Of Official Launch

By

Jeet

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Oct 25, 2017

Oppo is all set to launch its latest smartphone — Oppo R11S in a launch event on November 2. However, ahead of the official unveiling, the company has revealed the camera specifications of the device.

On a microblogging website, Oppo has posted an image which confirms that the smartphone will come with a dual camera setup at the back. It also reveals that the camera will have a combination of a 20-megapixel sensor and a 16-megapixel sensor, with both lenses having an aperture of f/1.7.

The phone will also have a 20-megapixel front-facing camera. The company has suggested that the phone’s camera will have an intelligent identification system which can help take natural photos during daytime and clearer low-light photos.

Oppo has already revealed that the phone will sport a 6.01-inch display that will feel like a 5.5-inch screen due to the narrow body structure, thanks to the 18:9 aspect ratio. The display will have a screen resolution of 2160 x 1080 pixels.

It will have a full-screen design with a new technology called “Star Screen”. Other than the display and camera, most of the specs are expected to be same as Oppo R11.

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

It will run on Android 7.1.1 Nougat operating system with the company’s own Color OS UI. The phone will be powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 660 processor, along with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of onboard storage.

The Oppo R11S, which seems like a premium mid-range smartphone, will be launched on November 2 in China. The China-based smartphone manufacturer is also going to launch another full-screen smartphone — the Oppo F5 in the Philippines tomorrow.

IDC Predicts Huawei Will Likely Surpass Apple In Market Shares This Year Or Next

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Oct 25, 2017

Market research firm IDC is very well known for their research and analytics which cuts across several industries. The tech industry is one where the company is pretty active in monitoring smartphone shipments and OEMs’ growth based on market shares. The research firm has now predicted that Chinese brand Huawei will overtake Apple in global market share either this year or next.

This isn’t the first report that is predicting a shift of the balance in favour of Huawei. A report from the Taiwanese industry chain had earlier tipped that Huawei would pip Apple to emerge as the world’s second-largest smartphone manufacturer in terms of total shipments. The gap between Huawei and Apple has already been narrowed with a momentous performance Huawei posted in Q2 2017. The company recorded a total shipment of 38.5 million units representing an 11.3% share in global shipment, according to a report by research firm IDC. On its part, Apple is said to have recorded 41 million units (12% share) in shipments for the same quarter which is just 2.5 million units over Huawei’s shipment.

IDC believes that Huawei’s new AI chipset which features on the Mate 10, Mate 10 Pro and Mate 10 Porsche Design could boost sales of the Chinese brand enough to take the iPhone maker’s current second place in the rankings. Apple’s A11 chip comes with a dedicated AI circuitry but Huawei claims to have a better chip in the Kirin 970 which packs a dedicated Neural Processing Unit. In a TV interview with CNBC, Francisco Jeronimo, research director for European mobile devices at IDC opined that Huawei is today the biggest challenger to Apple and Samsung and is growing very fast. He believes they will probably overtake Apple in the smartphone business, either this year or next year.

Some analysts believe Huawei’s rise might be temporary and would dwindle when the iPhone 8 and iPhone X sales fully kick in but IDC thinks the rise of the Chinese telecoms equipment giant will be permanent. The company is not just focused on shipping more but also raking in more profits as this isn’t just about shipping boxes. Let’s remind you that IDC had once predicted that Windows OS would be bigger than iOS but that never happened, so maybe we wouldn’t take this too seriously.

(source)

Samsung’s Patent Filing Reveals Dual Wireless Charging to Take on Apple’s AirPower

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Oct 25, 2017

The iPhone 8, 8 Plus and iPhone X are the first smartphones from Apple to carry support for wireless charging. During the launch event of these phones, the Cupertino company had unveiled AirPower wireless charger that can charge multiple Apple devices simultaneously that are enabled with wireless charging. It appears that Samsung may also launch a similar wireless charger in the near future as it has recently filed a patent for a dual wireless charger.

Apple’s AirPower may launch sometime in the next year. As of this writing, there is no information available on its pricing. It can allow users to charge multiple Apple devices at the same time. For instance, a user would be able to charge an iPhone 8 or iPhone X, Apple Watch 3 and the new AirPods charging case simultaneously.

The above figure has been found through Samsung’s patent for dual wireless charger with USPTO. The images show that users can place more than one device on the charging bed. It appears that it can support only two devices at a time. The patent filing by Samsung suggests that it is likely to soon introduce a wireless charging feature to rival with AirPower.

Samsung’s patent for dual wireless charger relies on magnetic resonance and magnetic induction for charging the same product. It will be suitable for charging devices that conform to the Qi standard. The charging bed will be able to identify that device that is placed on it and it will automatically choose the appropriate magnetic charging to replenish the batteries.

There is no confirmation on when the South Korean company will be introducing its new dual wireless charging feature. It may get announced at the launch of the upcoming Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ that are speculated to debut in February next year.

(source|via)

BLU Vivo 8L with $149 Pricing, 20MP Selfie Camera, Huge Battery is Official

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Oct 25, 2017

Vivo is a well-known smartphone manufacturer from China and it is also a name of smartphone series launched by the U.S. based company, BLU Products. BLU has introduced a new a selfie-centric smartphone called Vivo 8L that carries a huge battery and affordable pricing.

BLU Vivo 8L Specifications and Features

The Vivo 8L is a lower and selfie-focused variant of the Vivo 8 smartphone that was launched by the company in August this year. The Vivo 8L has a 5.3-inch display that carries support for HD resolution of 720 x 1280 pixels. Its display is smaller compared to the 5.5-inch FHD display available on the Vivo 8. The screens of both smartphones are protected by Gorilla Glass 3.

The MediaTek MT6753 chipset powers the Vivo 8L along with 3 GB of RAM. It includes an internal storage of 32 GB and comes with a microSD card storage slot. The Vivo 8 includes MediaTek MT6755 SoC (Helio P10), 4 GB of RAM, 64 GB of storage and microSD card slot. Vivo 8 has a 4,010mAh battery and the newer Vivo 8L has a slightly smaller battery of 4,000mAh capacity that promises 32 hours of talk time. The Vivo 8L carries support for reverse charging which means its massive battery can be used for charging other devices.

The rear side of the Vivo 8L sports a 13-megapixel Sony IMX258 sensor with f/2.0 aperture. It is equipped with features like PDAF and laser autofocus.

Its frontside is enabled with a 20-megapixel Super-Selfie camera that is accompanied by a selfie flash. The selfie snapper of the Vivo 8L can receive 4x amount of light for amazing portrait shots and there are 7 beautification presets for selfie videos. The Vivo 8 has the same 13-megapixel rear camera and it features a 16-megapixel selfie flash enabled camera.

The Vivo 8L is preinstalled with Android 7.0 Nougat. A fingerprint scanner can be found on the backside of the Vivo 8L. The phone is equipped with MaxxAudio for theatre-like sound experience and it carries support for USB OTG. As far as dimensions are concerned, the Vivo 8L measures 150.5 xx 74.4 x 8.0mm and its weight is 161 grams.

BLU Vivo 8L Pricing

The mid-range smartphone is available with a pricing of $149 on Amazon. However, the original price tag of the phone is $199. It is an unlocked GSM phone that will work on networks like AT&T, T-Mobile, MetroPCS, Cricket and StraightTalk.

(source 1, 2)

Xiaomi Mi TV 4A 32-inch Model Gets A 200 Yuan Price Cut, Now 999 Yuan (~$150)

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Oct 25, 2017

Xiaomi has announced a 200 Yuan price cut for its cheapest TV. The 32-inch model of the Mi TV 4A was launched in July 2017 as the company’s cheapest smart TV model with a 1199 price tag (around $180). That price has further been reduced as the Mi TV 4A 32 inches is now officially sold for just 999 Yuan (~$150) with free shipping within Mainland China. This price regime seems to be a temporary one but is expected to run until the end of the month.

The Xiaomi Mi TV 4A (32 inches) uses a plastic housing with its entire body coming in black colour. As a result of the plastic body in use, the new Mi TV 4A comes with a highly reduced weight which is just 3.9Kg, making it suitable to be easily carried around. When the base is attached to the TV frame, the weight goes up to 3.94Kg.

the Mi TV 4A features a 32-inch display with a rather disappointing resolution of 1,366 x 768 pixels and refresh rate of 60Hz. The TV has a viewing angle of 178 degrees. It is powered by a Quad-core 1.5GHz processor having four Cortex-A53 cores. The graphic is powered by a Mali-450 MP3 GPU while the processor is supported by 1GB of RAM and there is 4GB of storage space available inside. The Mi TV 4A (32) also comes with two 5W stereo speakers while available interface includes two HDMI, an AV port, an S/PDIF output, DTMB, USB port and a connector. The Mi TV 4A 32-inch version also runs Xiaomi TV PatchWall system meaning it has some smart features such as content recommendation according to user’s habit, seamless streaming of content and others.

(source)

Google Pixel 2 Clicking Sounds Issue: Official Investigation Has Begun [Update]

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Oct 25, 2017

Update:

A Community Manager of the official Pixel forum has confirmed that Google has started investigating the low-frequency ticking or clicking sound problem on Pixel 2. He has further stated that the issue can be temporarily be resolved by turning off NFC. Also, he claims that those noises do not hamper the performance of the phone.

Original Post

Early users of the Pixel 2 XL have claimed that Google has used mediocre quality OLED panels from LG on the smartphone because of which it is suffering from issues like blue tint and poor color reproduction. Recently, some users have complained about other screen-related issues like black smear and screen burn-in. Durability tests that were carried on the Google Pixel 2 shows that the premium coating on the body of the phone can chip off easily with sharp objects and the phone’s back panel can break when it is flexed. Adding to the woes of the new Pixel 2 phones, early users are now reporting that their Pixel 2 units is making high-pitched clicking sounds.

One of the Pixel 2 users have explained the issue on Google’s products forums by saying that constant ticking sound can be heard when the handset is unlocked. However, the sound cannot be heard when the screen is off or when the screen is kept on while the device is locked.

Users have tried basic troubleshooting steps like restarting the device, factory reset, accessing the safe mode and so on but they were unable to find any success in killing the constant ticking sound issue. Some users have claimed that turning off the NFC feature can resolve the clicking sound problem, but the handset continues to make high pitched whining noise.

Google is yet to release an official statement on the issue. However, a support staff from the company has said that a software fix will be arriving sometime in the coming week. Some Pixel 2 XL users have also claimed that they could hear clicking sounds from the handset. However, reports claim that the ticking sounds are louder on Pixel 2.

Users who are unsatisfied by Pixel 2 can begin the process of RMA to avail a fresh replacement under warranty. A user has claimed on the thread that there are two kinds of RMA. The first one requires users to send the old device and in the second one, users receive a new device and the old device can be mailed back.

The first method is free and the process takes around 5 to 10 days to complete. It does not involve any authorization hold. The second method is also free, but there is a hold on authorization while the new phone is sent to the user.

(source)

Samsung Galaxy C8 Photo Tour: Here’s Samsung’s Second Dual Camera Phone Up Close

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Oct 24, 2017

Samsung got on the dual camera smartphone train a bit late. The tech giant left a number of its fans disappointed when they failed to include a dual camera setup on the flagship Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus. Samsung made up for that by launching the Galaxy Note 8 as its first smartphone with dual cameras. Samsung lately announced its second dual camera phone and it is a mid-range phone dubbed Galaxy C8.

The Samsung Galaxy C8 was launched in China and we still don’t know if it would be a China-exclusive model. Here is a couple of hands-on photos of the Galaxy C8 fresh out of the box. The photos offer an opportunity to view the device up close. The device features a 5.5-inch Super AMOLED display with a Full HD resolution (1920 x 1080p). The device features a home button just under the display and there is a front camera with flash at the top bezel. Apart from that, the C8’s front view looks very much like the design of other mid-range models from Samsung. The front camera is equipped with a single 16-megapixel f/1.9 sensor coupled with its own LED flash.

The major change, though, was at the rear where there is a dual camera setup aligned in a vertical direction with a LED flash at the bottom. The dual rear camera system on the Galaxy C8 consists of a 13-megapixel f/1.7 main sensor teaming up with a 5-megapixel f/1.9 secondary sensor. There is no rear fingerprint sensor on the C8 and that is because the home button up front has a fingerprint sensor embedded under it.

The Samsung Galaxy C8 is powered by an octa-core MediaTek Helio P25 chipset paired with 3GB of RAM on a variant and 4GB RAM on a second variant. The 3GB RAM variant has 32GB of internal storage while the 4GB RAM variant is accompanied by a 64GB storage. Both variants pack a 3,000mAh battery onboard. The Galaxy C8 is priced at 1,999 Yuan (~$30) and has already gone up for sale in China. Find more close up photos of the Galaxy C8 from below.

(source)

[envira-gallery id=”155027″]

HTC Teases U11 Plus Launch For The November 2 Event

By

Jeet

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Oct 24, 2017

HTC has launched two smartphones under its U series, and if rumours are to be believed, then the company will soon launch two more devices — HTC U11 Plus and U11 Life.

The company has already sent out press invites for an event on November 2 in Taipei where it is expected to launch HTC U11 Plus. While the invite had a big ‘U’ suggesting U Plus, the teaser image posted by HTC on Twitter shows the back side of the smartphone.

While it does not show the full backside, the image gives hints about the device’s design. The image shows a smartphone with a single camera setup and just below the camera module, there is a fingerprint sensor.

The HTC U11 Life is said to have a fingerprint sensor on the front while the U11 Plus will have fingerprint sensor at the back as it features a full-screen display. Going by this, we can positively say that the company is hinting at the launch of U11 Plus on November 2.

From the teaser image, it seems that the device will also have support for wireless charging. The smartphone in question has already been subjected to multiple leaks. So we already know what the HTC U11 Plus will bring to the table.

Recently, the HTC U11 Plus appeared on TENAA, showing off phone’s design. It revealed that the smartphone has very small bezels on the sides and thin bezels at the top and bottom.

The HTC U11 Plus will sport a 6-inch QHD+ display with an aspect ratio of 18:9. It will pack a 12-megapixel main camera with f/1.7 aperture and dual flash. The 4GB RAM model will have 64GB of onboard storage and the 6GB RAM variant will come with 128GB of internal storage.

Both the models will be powered by Snapdragon 835 chipset and will have a microSD card slot for expanding storage. It will be fueled by 3,930mAh non-removable battery that will also support Quick Charge 3.0.

It is said that the smartphone will come with IP68 certification, and will run Android 8.0 Oreo operating system out-of-the-box. It will also have Boom Sound audio as well as the Edge Sense.

It is just a matter of few days before we have confirmation about all this, as well as the smartphone’s availability and pricing details.

(Source)

Xiaomi Launches Bedside Lamp, Nearly Identical to Yeelight’s

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Oct 24, 2017

Remember the Yeelight Bedside Lamp from 2015? Xiaomi released its own version today with a few upgrades but without the Yeelight branding.

The new Xiaomi Bedside Lamp (MJCTD01YL) is nearly identical to the Yeelight lamp (XMCTD01YL). The dimensions are the same but the new one is a teeny weeny bit heavier at 284g against the 280g of the old one. The new one also comes only in gold and swaps the Yeelight logo for Mijia’s.

So what has really changed? There is now Wi-Fi (2.4GHz only) connectivity alongside Bluetooth 4.2 LE. It also has voice control support via the Mi AI assistant.

The Xiaomi bedside lamp works the same way as the Yeelight. Turn it on by tapping the center; cycle through preset modes by tapping the edge; slide your finger across the edge to increase brightness; and hold the center with one finger and slide the edge with another to change colors.

You can still pair it with your Mi Band, which will allow the lamp to automatically turn off when the band senses that you are already asleep.

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Motorola Launches Moto Z 2018 in China, Gets Kingsman Special Edition

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Oct 24, 2017

Motorola just took the wraps off its latest flagship in China. Called the Moto Z 2018, the fphone packs dual rear cameras, a 7000 series aluminium body and a 5.5” AMOLED ShatterShield display. Do the specs of the Moto Z 2018 look familiar? Of course! That is because it is the Moto Z2 Force with a different name.

Moto Z 2018 Design

With respect to design, the Moto Z 2018 is nearly identical to the international variant. It has the same brushed metal back design, all-round antenna line, redesigned moto mod connector pins, and a glass front. However, the Motorola batwing logo is gold instead of black.

Moto Z 2018 Specs

The Moto Z 2018 has a 5.5-inch AMOLED ShatterShield 2K display. Unlike the Z2 Force, this model packs 6GB of RAM and 128GB UFS storage but is still powered by the Snapdragon 835. There is also a MicroSD card slot for up to an additional 2TB.

The Moto Z 2018 has dual Sony IMX386 12MP rear cameras in the monochrome + RGB format. Above the display is a 5MP OmniVision 5695 selfie camera with its own flash.

The Moto Z comes with a 2730mAh battery but the phone comes bundled with a 3490mAh Moto Mod with TurboPower in addition to a Moto Style Mod that adds wireless charging.

There is a USB-C 3.1 port at the bottom with support for Motorola’s 15W TurboPower charging technology. The port also doubles for audio since the phone doesn’t have an audio jack. The Moto Z 2018 runs Android 7.1.1 Nougat out of the box.

Moto USB-C Hi-Fi Headphones

Motorola also announced its first USB-C earphones or like it says, the world’s first USB-C Hi-Fi headphones. It is the in-ear type with a 120cm long braided cable and an in-line control with volume buttons and a call button.

Kingsman VIP Special Edition

The Moto Z 2018 also has a Kingsman VIP Special Edition. It comes in box designed like a briefcase which holds the phone, a VIP Card, TurboPower battery mod, wireless charging mod, USB-C to 3.5mm audio adapter, leather flip case, 45th year anniversary notepad, the USB-C Hi-Fi audio headphones, and a warranty card.

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Full Screen Designs Going Ballistic: Analyst Reveals More Full-Screen Flagships Are Coming

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Oct 24, 2017

There is no argument that full-screen design was heralded with the launch of the Mi Mix by Xiaomi last year. But the popularity of the design was fuelled largely by the launch and subsequent success of the Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus earlier this year. Since then, we are gradually losing count of the number of full-screen phones that have been launched only in the second half of this year. The models range from flagships to mid-rangers to budget smartphones, most coming from China. That isn’t going to stop anytime soon.

As a matter of fact, we speculate that there will be more releases next year and this speculation has been given credence by an analyst who shared a Weibo post recently showing that more phones with 18:9 screen aspect ratio is in the work or on the drawing board. The blogger @Mocha RQ also disclosed that not only would we be seeing more of full-screen models, their display sizes would range from 5.8 inches to 6 inches. Already, the Vivo X20, Mate 10 Pro and OPPO R11s feature a 6-inch screen. Others like the OnePlus 5T and the Vivo Xplay 7 expected later this year would utilise a 6-inch display. The tech blogger also hinted that Huawei would next year ramp up the screen size of the flagship P-series, with the P11 expected to feature a 5.8-inch display, up from 5.1 inches. The Huawei P11 Plus, Mate 11, and Mate 11 Pro are all tipped to have screen sizes of 6 inches and above.

From the look of things, attention would gradually shift to full-screen designs but that doesn’t signify the death of other screen form factors Sure, we’ll still have 5-inch models but likely not on flagship models. In keeping up with the trend, flagship models may likely have displays ranging from 5.5 inches and higher. Unfortunately, there is no prospect that we’ll see a true bezel-less phone anytime soon. All the designs seem to have one thing in common and that is a high screen to body ratio with bezels but reduced bezels.

(source)

Nokia 7 Goes Out Of Stock Within Minutes In Its First Sale In China

By

Jeet

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Oct 24, 2017

HMD Global’s newest smartphone Nokia 7 went on sale today in China, and within minutes, it was out of stock. However, we couldn’t get information regarding the number of units that were up for sale.

The smartphone had received over 150,000 registrations for the sale that took place on local e-commerce sites JD.com and Suning. Retailer JD says that the shipments for the smartphone will begin from October 31.

The Nokia 7 is a mid-range smartphone that sits somewhere between the Nokia 6 and the flagship Nokia 8. It is available in two variants — 4GB RAM and 6GB RAM. While the 4GB RAM model comes at CNY 2,499, the 6GB RAM model is priced at CNY 2,699.

It features a 5.2-inch Full HD IPS display with a screen resolution of 1080 x 1920 pixels and 2.5D Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection on top. Under the hood, it is powered by Qualcomm‘s Snapdragon 630 processor clocked at around 1.8GHz.

As of storage, it comes with 64GB onboard storage and also has a microSD card slot that allows expanding storage up to 128GB. The device packs a 16-megapixel rear camera and a 5-megapixel front-facing camera.

The phone has a Dual-Sight mode that simultaneously captures images from the front and rear camera sensors. It is fuelled by a 3000mAh battery and runs on Android 7.1.1 Nougat operating system.

As per the company, the Nokia 7’s glass back cover has a 3D curve and has been moulded into the aluminium 7000 frame using vacuum moulded process.

Currently, Nokia 7 is only available in China. There is no information from the company regarding its availability in other regions.

However, HMG Global has sent out press invites for an event on October 31 in India where the company is expected to launch either Nokia 7 or Nokia 2. The invite reads that that company will unveil the next milestone for Nokia phones.

OnePlus 5T Pre-orders Begin with $549 Pricing on OppoMart Ahead of its Official Launch

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Oct 24, 2017

OnePlus is yet to confirm on the existence of the OnePlus 5T, but the rumor mill is consistently revealing leaked information on the rumored smartphone. One of our readers have tipped us that the alleged smartphone is already listed for pre-orders on OppoMart. The entire specifications and pricing of the OP5T phone is available on the Chinese retailer site. However, since the smartphone is yet to be officially unveiled, we advise our readers to digest the report with a pinch of salt.

OnePlus 5T Specifications

The listing of OP5T on OppoMart reveals that it has a 6-inch Optic AMOLED display that is tucked under 2.5D Corning Gorilla Glass. It carries support for a FHD+ resolution of 1080 x 2160 pixels and an aspect ratio of 18:9. The smartphone is driven by Snapdragon 835 chipset. It comes in 6 GB and 8 GB RAM LPDDR4X options and two UFS 2.1 storage models like 64 GB and 128 GB. It includes a 3,450mAh battery that is equipped with 5V/4A Dash Charging.

The dual camera present on the rear panel includes a 20-megapixel f/1.7 aperture Sony IMX398 sensor and 16-megapixel f/2.6 aperture Sony IMX350. It has a selfie snapper of 16-megapixel f/1.6 aperture Sony IMX371 sensor. It is preloaded with Android Nougat that is customized with OxygenOS and the listing suggests that it will be receiving Android Oreo. In the above image, the fingerprint reader is not present at the front as it features a large display. Hence, the biometric recognition feature is speculated to be placed on the rear panel of OP5T.

The above specifications reveal that the chipset, RAM, storage, dual rear cameras and selfie camera of OP5T are same as that of OnePlus 5. However, the major change on the OP5T is the inclusion of a full screen display and a bigger battery. Since it features a larger display, it measures 157 x 75.4 x 7.25mm and weighs 164 grams. On the other hand, the dimensions of OnePlus 5 are 154.2 x 74.1 x 7.3mm and its weight is 153 grams.

OnePlus 5T Pricing

The 64 GB OnePlus 5T has a pricing of $549 and the 128 GB variant is listed with a price tag of $649 on Oppomart. The listing shows the handset in a single color option of Grey. The Chinese retailer is accepting the pre-orders of OP5T, but the shipments are expected to begin at the end of November .

The 64 GB and 128 GB models of OnePlus 5 are respectively priced at $479 and $539. Well, both the models have gone out of stock on the official OnePlus store. It appears that the company may discontinue the OP5 with the arrival of OnePlus 5T.

Thanks for the tip!

(source)