Panasonic Eluga C Tri-Bezeless Smartphone with Dual Rear Cameras Officially Unveiled

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Nov 30, 2017

Panasonic has unveiled a new tri-bezeless smartphone called Eluga C in Taiwan. The other USP of the phone is that it features dual rear cameras.

Panasonic Eluga C Specifications and Features

The 5.5-inch display of the Eluga C is surrounded by slim-sized bezels on its top, left and right sides. The screen that carries support for HD resolution of 720 x 1280 pixels offers 450 nits of brightness. Below the display is the physical Home button that is embedded with a fingerprint scanner that can be used to unlock the phone in just 0.3 seconds.

The MediaTek MT6750T chipset that features a 1.5 GHz octa-core processor powers the Eluga C smartphone along with 4 GB of RAM. The onboard storage available on the phone is 64 GB and it also carries support for up to 256 GB of microSD card on its external storage slot. It houses a 3,000mAh battery that can be charged using a 7.5W charger.

The Eluga C’s dual camera system features an f/2.2 aperture 13-megapixel senor and an f/2.2 aperture 5-megapixel sensor. The selfie camera of 8-megapixel is placed on the bottom bezel of the phone.

The tri-bezeless Eluga C features a metallic frame and it has a glass panel on its rear. The thickness of the smartphone is only 5.1mm. The smartphone is now available for pre-booking in Taiwan with a price tag of TWD 6,000 (~$199). It is available in Blue and Pink color options. As of this writing, there is no confirmation on the other markets that will be receiving the Panasonic Eluga C.

(source)

Galaxy A7 (2018) May Release in Limited Markets in Europe

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Nov 30, 2017

The Galaxy A5 (2018) and Galaxy A7 (2018) smartphones are speculated to get introduced with Infinity Display design either in the next month or January 2018. However, other rumors have claimed that these phones may get unveiled as Galaxy A8 (2018) and Galaxy A8 Plus (2018) and they would be marketed as midrange versions of the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ flagship phones. Samsung seems to be modifying its strategy for mid-range smartphones as fresh information suggests that the Galaxy A7 (2018) or Galaxy A8 Plus (2018) will not be made available in many markets in the Europe.

It means that the Galaxy A5 (2018) or Galaxy A8 (2018) could be widely available in the Europe. The release of the 6-inch Galaxy A7 (2018) is likely to be limited to three European markets such as Germany, Poland and Russia. However, it is expected to be widely available in Asia, where smartphones with large-sized displays are popular.

The Galaxy A5 (2018) that is rumored to feature a 5.5-inch Infinity Display is expected to be more popular in Europe. The rumor mill has been silent on the existence of Galaxy A3 (2018) which indicates that the Galaxy A5 (2018) may arrive as a primary Galaxy A in the market.

We advise our readers to digest the above report with the pinch of salt. The rumors surrounding the 2018 Galaxy A smartphones may sound confusing, but it seems certain that the South Korean company is reviewing its strategy for mid-range phones.

(source)

Video: Razer Phone Teardown Reveals Massive Heat Pipe, Easy-To-Fix Internals

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Nov 30, 2017

JerryRigEverything is keeping up with the name of his YouTube channel. The dude is sure ensuring every smartphone on planet Earth gets rigged. The latest smartphone to go through his durability test and teardown treatment is the newly launched Razer phone. The teardown video details the process for opening up the smartphone considering that there are absolutely no visible screws on the phone. The screws, a combination of Philips and T5 screws, are hidden under the plastic grill which covers the front-facing stereo speakers both at the top and bottom end. The phone is held in place using clasps and friction rather than with adhesive and so can easily be opened using a pry tool after all the screws have been removed.

Opening up the phone reveals the presence of a massive heat pipe found directly under the display consisting of quite a decent amount of copper, covered with a second copper layer. Thermal paste is also used to improve the heat conduction of the copper pipe with the chipset. This isn’t the first time we’re seeing heat pipe inside a smartphone but that of the Razer model is considerably larger than the ones on other smartphone and would invariably result in better heat dissipation. The ribbon cables connecting the battery and display to the motherboard were also observed to be detachable. This sure makes for an easy disassembly if peradventure the phone is to be repaired or screen changed as a result of damage.

The Razer phone comes with two speakers and from the inside, we can see that the speaker cones are made from rubber. this will prevent the sound quality from getting distorted even if moisture somehow finds its way inside the speaker housing. Both speakers are of almost equal sizes and should output similar sound quality. The charging port is located at the bottom of the smartphone, as well as the vibrator. The vibrator is somewhat smaller than those of other smartphones and could go unnoticed when the phone is set to vibrate only. You can check out the teardown video from below.

Sony To Launch A Bezel-Less Sequel To Xperia XZ Premium Next Year

By

Jeet

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Nov 30, 2017

The current trend in the smartphone market is the full-screen display with minimum bezels surrounding it. While most of the smartphone manufacturers are launching such devices, Sony is yet to embrace the new trends.

As per the reports, Sony is gearing up to launch a successor of Xperia XZ Premium smartphone, which is expected to comes with a bezel-less display. Recently, there were rumours that Sony is completely redesigning its smartphone lineup for the next year, and now more information regarding this design policy change is available.

An image has surfaced online which reveals the specifications of an upcoming smartphone from Sony with model number H8541. The smartphone in question is believed to be the next flagship device from the company.

The phone is said to feature a 5.7-inch 4K HDR TRILUMINOS display, which is the same technology used in Sony Xperia XZ1. For the protection of display, there is a layer of Corning Gorilla Glass 5 on top. As per the report, the smartphone will be powered by Qualcomm‘s Snapdragon 835 processor, along with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage.

Connectivity options on the device include Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0, NFC, GPS + GLONASS and USB Type-C. The phone is also said to be IP65/68 certified, ensuring dust and water resistance.

However, what’s interesting is the phone’s measurements. The upcoming Sony H8541 measures 149 x 74 x 7.5mm, which is smaller and thinner than the current Xperia XZ Premium, measuring 156 x 77 x 7.9mm. The slimness of the phone is intact, even though the upcoming device boasts a much larger display.

The smartphone will be running Android 8.0 Oreo operating system out-of-the-box and will be powered by a larger 3,420mAh battery which also supports Qualcomm’s Quick Charge 3.0 technology for fast charging.

It will be interesting to see the new design of the smartphones from Sony next year. We believe it’s just a matter of few weeks before we start seeing leaks surrounding Sony’s upcoming smartphones.

We are assuming that this Sony H8541 smartphone will be launched in early 2018 given that the flagship devices after MWC 2018 are likely to be powered by the Snapdragon 845 processor.

(Source, Via)

Huawei Daydream VR Headset May Launch Soon as Images of its Controller Have Surfaced

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Nov 30, 2017

In January, Google had confirmed that Huawei is working on its own Daydream Virtual Reality (VR) headset. However, since then, there has been no major update on the arrival of VR headset by Huawei. Now that the device has received FCC (Federal Communications Commission) certification in the U.S., the launch of the Huawei branded Daydream VR seems to be close at hand.

An item dubbed as “virtual reality handle” along with some images has surfaced in FCC documents. It seems to be a controller as it appears quite similar to the one that is available with Google’s Daydream VR. Its top portion could be touch-sensitive and it seems to feature buttons for Home, Return and volume.

The FCC documents reveals that apart from controlling the sound, the volume buttons can be also used for answering or rejecting phone calls while using the VR headset. This suggests that the upcoming VR headset by Huawei is not a standalone device, but it will require users to put their smartphone inside the device and use its screen to show Daydream compatible content.

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The FCC documents do not contain images of the VR headset. Even though Google had shown what the VR headset by Huawei would look like earlier this year, the Chinese manufacturer may have modified the design of the device.

As of this writing, only Mate 9 and Mate 9 Porsche Design are certified as Daydream VR ready phones by Huawei. It is likely that the recently launched Mate 10 and Mate 10 Pro would also bag the certification. Since there are not many Daydream ready Huawei phones in the market, its upcoming VR headset will be compatible with phones from other brands.

The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2018 will be held in January 2018. It is likely that Huawei’s Daydream VR headset may get showcased at CES 2018. If not, the company may make it official at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2018 event in February 2018.

(source|via)

Busted! Xiaomi’s Much Publicised Desh Ka Smartphone is the Redmi 5A

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Nov 30, 2017

Xiaomi India is gradually acquiring a reputation for generating media hype around its products and other of its activities, especially on Twitter. The brand has kept the media abuzz for a while now regarding a new smartphone that would be launched in India on November 30. The phone was simply identified as Desh Ka smartphone, a code-name which translates to “Country’s smartphone”.

Xiaomi India markets the product as a new one that would be hitting India on that day and some of its features include an affordable price, large RAM, a big battery and so on. Well, if you are looking out for a new smartphone, that may not happen as the identity of the Desh Ka smartphone has been uncovered. The smartphone is more or less the Xiaomi Redmi 5A hitting India for the first time. This latest information was spotted from the source code of Xiaomi’s teaser page for the event and it contains the “Redmi 5A” name.

Thebudget Redmi 5A is already on sale in China since October when it was quietly unveiled. Creating so much hype around the launch of a smartphone that was quietly listed up for sale in China is a pointer to how Xiaomi considers India as an important market in the entry-level and mid-range segment. This could also be Xiaomi way of trying to get into the consciousness of those who are yet to embrace the smartphone revolution, especially in rural India. Studies have shown that there are still many people in India using feature phones despite the enormous number of persons already using smartphones.

Read Also: Alleged Xiaomi R1 Appears in Real Skin in Fresh Images

We must point out that we couldn’t find the original article on the source link provided by GSMArena or set our eyes on the source code itself. The article seems to have been pulled down. But the Redmi 5A had all along been suspected as the smartphone that would be launched today in India. Well, except Xiaomi will be unveiling an entirely new model alongside the Redmi 5A. Whatever smartphone that would be unveiled today is already revealed as a Flipkart exclusive.

(via)

Samsung Kickstarts Mass Production of Its 2nd-Gen 10nm FinFET Process Technology

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Nov 29, 2017

Samsung isn’t all about smartphone as the world’s top smartphone vendor also has interests in electronics, display panels, and semiconductor manufacture. Samsung is even a leading name in advanced semiconductor technology and is responsible for the manufacture of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 chip using the first-generation 10-nanometer (nm) FinFET process technology. The tech giant has now announced that its foundry has started mass producing System-on-Chip (SOC) products built on its second generation 10nm FinFET process technology as well as a 10LLP (Low Power Plus).

The 10 LPP process technology further provides for up to 10% increase in performance as well as 15% lower power consumption when compared with the first generation 10nm process technology called 10LPE (Low Power Early). The new process is derived from the 10LPE technology which has already been perfected, the new technology offers competitive advantages by greatly reducing turn-around time from development to mass production. It also ensures significantly higher initial manufacturing yield.

The System-on-Chip (SoCs)designed with the 10LPP process technology will power digital devices scheduled to launch early next year. The process is also expected to become more widely available throughout the year as a result of the better yield and perhaps cheaper cost than the current flagship chips manufactured using the 10nm FinFET process technology. The tech giant also disclosed that they are still intensifying efforts to further pilot the evolution of the 10nm technology down to 8LPP to offer customers distinct competitive advantages for a wide range of applications.

Samsung has also announced that its newest manufacturing line, S3, which has been under construction in Hwaseong, Korea, is now ready to commence production of process technologies including 10nm and below. The S3 plant is Samsung Foundry’s third fab, the first being S1 located in Giheung, Korea and S2 in Austin, Texas, US. It is worthy of note that the much touted Samsung 7nm FinFET process technology with EUV (Extreme Ultra Violet) will also be mass produced at S3.

(source)

OnePlus 5T Lava Red Now Available For Pre-Order On Oppomart

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Nov 29, 2017

Yesterday, OnePlus launched the OnePlus 5T in China. While the launch comes 2 weeks after its release in New York, fans in China got a compensation.

The OnePlus 5T will not only be available in Midnight Black but will also come in a new Lava Red variant which will be exclusive to China. The Lava Red OnePlus 5T will however be limited to the 8GB RAM + 128GB ROM version.

If you are a fan of OnePlus and a lover of red, you can now pre-order the exclusive color variant from Oppomart. Price is $699 and estimated shipping date is beginning of December.

The OnePlus 5T is a refreshed version of the OnePlus 5. It brings a number of key upgrades such as a 6.01” Optic AMOLED FHD+ display with an 18:9 aspect ratio. It also swaps out the 20MP f/2.6 zoom lens from the dual camera combo on the rear for another 20MP sensor but with a larger f/1.7 aperture.

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ZTE Axon 7 Goes Out of Stock; Axon 8’s Launch Could Be Drawing Near

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Nov 29, 2017

The ZTE Axon 7 is no longer available for buying in the U.S. as it has gone out of stock. When a Redditor got in touch with ZTE’s customer service department to enquire on the restocking of Axon 7, he was told that it “will not be available for sale going forward.” The Axon 7 is a year and a half old now and since the Chinese firm had recently tweeted that it will be releasing a successor phone its 2016 flagship, the rumor mill is now speculating that the company may be preparing the launch of the rumored ZTE Axon 8 smartphone.

ZTE’s official US e-store is no longer selling the Axon 7. However, it is still available for purchase in limited quantities on Amazon through a third-party seller. The device is now listed as “Discontinued” on GearBest. The ZTE Axon 7 features a 5.5-inch QHD AMOLED display, Snapdragon 820, 4 GB RAM, 64 GB storage, 20-megapixel rear camera, 8-megapixel selfie camera and 3,250mAh battery.

In June, a device speculated as ZTE Axon 8 was spotted on GFXBench as ZTE A2018. The GFXBench listing had revealed that it features Snapdragon 821 and 128 GB storage, but most of the other specs were same as Axon 7. In May, the ZTE A2018 was also spotted on TENAA with dual rear cameras featuring a 20-megapixel sensor and a 12-megapixel sensor. It had also revealed that the smartphone is powered by Snapdragon 821 chipset.

Apart from the above mentioned GFXBench and TENAA listing, there is no fresh information available on the alleged ZTE Axon 8 smartphone. Hence, we will have to wait more for details to surface to confirm the existence of the Axon 8.

(source|via 1, 2)

Honor Magic Gets ¥1000 (~$150) Price Cut, First Since Its Launch Last Year

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Nov 29, 2017

Huawei released the Honor Magic as a sort of concept device. It has a beautiful and unique design as its eight edges are curved and is one of Huawei’s truly intelligent smartphones.

When it launched almost a year ago, the Honor Magic was priced at ¥3699 (~$560). For the first time since its release, the Magic has gotten an official price cut and a huge one at that.

The Honor Magic will now sell for ¥2699 (~$409). Interested buyers can purchase the Magic at the new price not only on the official Huawei online store (Vmall.com) but also on JD.com, TMall.com, and Suning.com.

For those who have forgotten the specs, the Honor Magic packs a 5.09” 2K AMOLED display, 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. It is powered by the Kirin 950 processor.

It has dual 12MP f/2.2 rear cameras in the monochrome + RGB configuration and an 8MP f/2.0 front facing camera. Battery capacity is 2900mAh with support for super fast charging (90% in 30 minutes).

The Honor Magic doesn’t have a MicroSD card slot but has an audio jack, a USB-C port, NFC, Bluetooth 4.2, and dual SIM support. It also has face unlock and a bunch of pretty interesting software features.

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Samsung Gear Fit 2 Pro And Gear Sport Launched In India

By

Jeet

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Nov 29, 2017

Samsung, in a move to expand its existing wearable devices lineup in India, has launched two new devices — Gear Fit 2 and Gear Sport. Both the devices were announced at IFA 2017 in Berlin.

The Samsung Gear Fit 2 has been priced at Rs. 13,590 while the Samsung Gear Sport costs Rs. 22,990. Both the devices will be available starting from December 11, while the pre-bookings for the same will open on December 4.

Interestingly, the Gear Sport will be available via Amazon India and Samsung’s stores, while the Gear Fit2 Pro will be available via Flipkart and Samsung’s stores.

The Gear Sport is water resistant up to 50 meters and comes with a 1.2-inch circular AMOLED display, which is protected by a layer of Corning Gorilla Glass 3 on top. The display has a resolution of 360×360 pixels, providing a pixel density of 302ppi.

Under the hood, the device is powered by a dual-core chipset clocked at 1GHz, paired with 768MB of RAM. There is also 4GB of internal storage. It runs on the company’s own Tizen OS.

On the connectivity front, it supports Wi-Fi, NFC, GPS and Bluetooth 4.2. The device is also NFC-enabled and thus, can be used to make payments via Samsung Pay. As of the sensor, it packs gyroscope, barometer, heart rate sensor, and ambient light sensor. The smartwatch weighs 67 grams with the strap and 50 grams without the strap.

There are several new features for fitness-related activities, including continuous heart rate monitoring, recording swimming sessions, among others. It also offers customizable tips with the personalised motivation.

The Gear Fit 2 Pro, on the other hand, comes with a slightly larger 1.5-inch Super AMOLED curved display, having a screen resolution of 216×432 pixels, and pixel density of 310ppi. This one is also water resistant, up to 50 meters.

It is powered by a dual-core chipset clocked at 1GHz, paired with 512MB of RAM. This one too comes with 4GB of internal storage. It packs 200mAh battery and supports Bluetooth 4.2, Wi-Fi and GPS as connectivity options.

On the software front, this one too runs on the Tizen OS and is compatible with Apple’s iPhone and Android smartphones. As for the sensors, the Gear Fit2 Pro features a heart rate sensor, gyroscope and barometer.

Purported Samsung Galaxy S9 Real Pictures Leaked, Flaunting Higher Screen Ratio

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Nov 29, 2017

Samsung’s next-generation Galaxy S9 smartphone is rumoured to likely drop in January next year alongside the Galaxy S9+. While we cannot be so sure about that, there is a strong chance of that happening. The tech giant may likely unveil the models at CES 2018 which usually holds in January. Expectedly, several renders of the Galaxy S9 have started appearing even long before now. However, we just have spotted the real pictures of the Galaxy S9 online.

The pictures which appeared on Twitter were shared by @venyagaskin1 who has a good track record with accurate renders even before the real phone gets unveiled. It wasn’t stated if the photos were real pictures of the Galaxy S9 but they look so real you’d hardly doubt if they are real. Another set of pictures also popped up on Twitter via Chinese tipster @UnverseIce. As for the design, the pictures reveal a continuation of the full-screen design first used on the Galaxy S8. The S9 is said to have an even more reduced bezel and a screen ratio of up to 90%. There is also a curved edge infinity display design on the Galaxy S9 and much of the change occurred on the chin where the bezels are narrower than that of the S8. The top bezel is also slightly reduced, leaving just enough room to hold the selfie camera, earpiece and other sensors.

The Samsung Galaxy S9 is expected to feature a Snapdragon 845 chip on one of its versions while a second version will be equipped with an Exynos 9810 processor. The pictures/renders did not show the rear view of the device but we expect the Galaxy S9 to pack a dual camera setup at the rear this time around. The device is also expected to come with an iris scanner, rear-mounted fingerprint sensor and would have facial recognition technology.

(source 1, 2)

LG Patents Phone Design With Similar Display To Essential Phone

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Nov 29, 2017

The Essential Phone is one of the uniquely designed phones we have seen this year. The circular cut-out at the upper part of its display has been well received seeing as it wasn’t the butt of jokes like the notch of the iPhone X. So well received that a recent LG patent has the same design.

Images of a new smartphone design patented by LG has surfaced online and the design is nearly identical to that of the essential phone. The phone has a tri-bezelless design with the upper part of the display featuring the same cut-out in the middle for the front facing camera. LG has however added its own flavor to the design.

While the Essential phone displays the usual icons for app notifications, network signal, battery level and clock on each side of the cut-out, the patent shows LG will use it as a sort of shortcuts for apps like messaging, dialer, music player, and also player controls. We presume it will function as a sort of secondary screen like that of the LG V20, rather than as a part of the whole display.

Other images from the patent shows that the phone will have a 3.5mm audio jack, a USB-C port and a single speaker grille at the bottom while the top will be bare.

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Google To Fix Random Reboot Issue On Pixel 2 And Pixel 2 XL In Coming Weeks

By

Jeet

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Nov 29, 2017

Recently, we reported about the random reboot issue being faced by the users of Google’s latest flagship devices, Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL. Now, Google has come out and said that the fix for the same should be rolled out in the coming weeks.

Google has assured that the random reboot issue will be fixed through an update that is expected to hit the devices in the coming weeks. However, the company has not provided any information about what is the cause of the problem and how it will be fixed. The issue is believed to have been caused by the LTE modem.

Also, there is no specific time-frame provided for the fix. The update, that is supposed to fix the issue, could either be bundled as part of a monthly security update or a future Android software release.

The issue was widely reported on Google Product Forum and Google’s Issue Tracker also highlighted the existence of the issue on a mas-level. While some users were facing the issue since the launch of the devices, many started facing it after installing the November security update.

While acknowledging the presence of random reboot issue, a Google spokesperson confirmed that the fix is currently in development, and further added that they “will be rolling out in the coming weeks.” The same message was reiterated by Google Community Manager Orrin Hancock on the company’s Product Forums.

Apart from the fix for this random reboot problem, the company is also gearing up to release the public build of Android 8.1 operating system. The latest Android version is expected to hit the Pixel 2 family in December.

Intex Elyt Dual Launches in India with Dual Selfie Cameras, Rs. 6,999 (~$108) Pricing

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Nov 29, 2017

On Tuesday, Intex announced a new budget-friendly smartphone called Intex Dual Elyt. The USP of the phone is its dual selfie cameras along with an irresistible low price of Rs. 6,999 (~$108).

Intex Elyt Dual Specifications and Features

The Intex Elyt Dual is a fitted with a 5-inch IPS display that carries support for HD resolution of 720 x 1280 pixels. The screen is placed under a layer of 2.5D curved glass. The modest Spreadtrum 9850 chipset that includes a 1.3 GHz quad-core processor powers the Elyt Dual along with 2 GB of RAM. It is packed with a 2,400mAh battery.

It has an internal storage of 16 GB and it also includes a microSD card slot. The handset is running on Android 7.0 Nougat OS.

The LED-enabled dual camera system fitted on the front side of the Intex Elyt Dual includes an 8-megapixel sensor and a 2-megapixel sensor. It has a LED-enabled rear-mounted camera of 8-megapixel. Both the front and rear facing cameras carry support for auto focus. The Elyt Dual features various camera filters and photography modes like Bokeh Effect, Background Change Effect and 3D Noise Reduction.

Intex is providing a Spy Cam feature on the smartphone through which users can discreetly snap and save photos in the gallery. There is a Dermabrasion feature that allows users to get rid of unwanted scars and acnes from the images snapped through Elyt Dual.

The Intex Elyt Dual measures 14.54 x 7.17 x 0.91cm and its weight is 149.6 grams. It is available in colors like Champagne and Black.

(source)

China’s BOE Aims to Secure a Huge Deal with Apple for OLED Panels

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Nov 29, 2017

Samsung Display has been dominating the OLED market since several years. Hence, it was chosen by Apple for its first OLED smartphone, the iPhone X. Since Samsung has reportedly earned huge profits by supplying OLED panels to Apple, other firms are also increasing the production of their OLED panels.

Apart from the recently launched iPhone X, all the iPhones that have launched so far feature LCD panels. Now that the Cupertino-based company has launched its first ever OLED panel, the rumor mill is speculating that it may release as many as release two OLED iPhones in 2018.

This could be the reason why manufacturers of OLED panels are looking forward to enter a deal with Apple. A report from the previous month had stated that Japan Display (JDI) that has been supplying LCD panels to Apple is looking forward to replace Samsung as the company’s OLED supplier through a $900 million deal.

BOE's iPhone X-like OLED panel — BOE’s iPhone X-like OLED panel (Reference: Screenshot of China Daily’s YouTube)

Fresh information claims that China’s largest display manufacturer BOE is also planning to strike a deal with Apple. It will reportedly dedicate its B11 and B12 factory units for the manufacturing of OLED panels for the Cupertino company.

According to ET News, 70 percent of the OLED displays that will be manufactured at B11 will be flexible panels and the remaining 30 percent will be foldable panels. BOE will reportedly invest $7.04 billion into its B11 unit. The B12 line is expected to manufacture both kinds of display panels at 50:50 ratio. During a media event in the previous month, BOE had showcased its OLED panel placed inside iPhone X-like device.

LG is another major company that has recently turned its focus towards making small and mid-sized OLED panels. However, LG’s OLED panels available on Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL have been criticized heavily by experts as these phones have encountered issues blue tint and screen burn-in. Japan Display and BOE may not be major threat for Samsung Display, but these companies can make it difficult for LG to secure a deal with Apple.

(source|via)

Xiaomi Redmi 5 Appears On TENAA As MDT1 and MDE1

By

Habeeb Onawole

-

Nov 29, 2017

The Xiaomi Redmi 5 has appeared on TENAA confirming the specs that were leaked by China Telecom yesterday. The phone will be available in two major models as it is listed as the MDT1 and MDE1 but will launch in up to 4 different memory configurations.

According to the TENAA listing, the Redmi 5 has a 5.7” 1440 x 720 display with an 18:9 aspect ratio. It is powered by an octa-core processor clocked at 1.8GHz. Sources say this is the Snapdragon 450 mobile platform with an Adreno 506 GPU just like the Snapdragon 625.

The key differences between the SD450 and SD625 are the former’s lower clockspeed and support for 18:9 displays.

The Redmi 5 with model number MDT1 will come in a single variant with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage. The MDE1 model will come in three variants – 2GB RAM + 16GB ROM, 4GB RAM + 32GB ROM, and 4GB RAM + 64GB ROM.

All variants will have 12MP rear cameras and 5MP front facing cameras. They will also run Android 7.1.2 Nougat out of the box, have rear-mounted fingerprint scanners, and pack 3200mAh batteries.

Dimensions for the Redmi 5 Plus is given as 151.8 x 72.8 x 7.7 mm and weight is 157g.

The Redmi 5 Plus already appeared earlier on TENAA as the MEE7 and MET7. It packs a 5.99” display with a FHD+ resolution, a 2.0GHz octa-core processor, and packs a 4000mAh battery. It will launch in 3GB RAM + 32GB ROM and 4GB RAM + 64GB ROM variants. Camera configuration is put at 12MP on the rear and 5MP up front.

Xiaomi announced today that the Redmi 5 and Redmi 5 Plus will launch on December 7. The official poster also hints that the phones will be available in blue, pink, gold, and green. However, the pictures provided for the Redmi 5 MDT1 are of a black variant.

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Huawei’s Honor Smartphone Shipments To India Doubled In 2017

By

Jeet

-

Nov 29, 2017

Smartphone maker Huawei’s sub-brand Honor is slowly gaining traction in India. The company claims to have doubled its smartphone shipments to India this year compared to the previous year.

The China-based smartphone company has launched devices in India that have been well-received by the users. It recently launched Honor 9i in India with four cameras. The company’s Honor 8 Pro and Honor 6X have helped the company in gaining momentum in India.

Honor’s President, George Zhao, said to Press Trust of India that the company has shipped 98.8 percent more device in India in the year 2017 than in 2016. He further added that Honor is now planning to introduce smartphones with artificial intelligence features in India early next year.

The company’s smartphone is mainly available through online retailers in India. With Honor’s smartphones gaining traction, the company is now also planning to increase its manufacturing capacity in India.

P Sanjeev, Vice President, Sales, Huawei Consumer Business Group, said,

India is a key market for Honor and we will bridge the gap between our global and India launches going forward. We are looking to time our India launches in tandem with the global launch and going by that, we should be seeing the new AI phones in India as soon as they are launched in the overseas market.

The company is all set to launch Honor 7X in India on December 5 at an “unbeatable price”, which will go on sale from December 7, exclusively through Amazon India.

The smartphone comes with a 5.93-inch Full HD+ display with thin-bezels and 18:9 aspect ratio. It is powered by an octa-core Hisilicon Kirin 659 chipset, along with 4GB of RAM and three internal storage options — 32GB, 64GB, and 128GB. The storage can be further expanded using a microSD card.

It comes with dual-camera setup, featuring a 16-megapixel and 2-megapixel camera sensors on the rear and an 8-megapixel camera sensor on the front. The smartphone runs on Android 7 Nougat based company’s own EMUI 5.1 custom skin and is powered by a 3,340mAh battery.

Indian smartphone market is the world’s second-largest market, after China. Since last few years, the Chinese smartphone companies have been gaining more and more market share.

Recently, Xiaomi was recently ranked at the top in the India, on par with tech-giant Samsung in terms of market share. Yesterday, an IDC report claimed that Xiaomi has taken over Samsung in terms of sales in 50 major Indian cities while recording growth of 120 percent in Q3 2017.

Samsung SM-W2018 Flip Phone Appears in Real Skin in Leaked Images, Video

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Nov 29, 2017

Samsung SM-W2018 is an upcoming flip phone from the company that is slated to get announced on Dec. 1. The flagship flip phone has now appeared in real skin in freshly leaked photos and video.

The South Korean company has been releasing W-series phones for raising charity funds since the past 10 years. It has already confirmed that it will be debuting the SM-W2018 phone on Dec. 1. The rumor mill has revealed that the upcoming Samsung SM-W2018 will be coming with flagship specifications.

Since the SM-W2018 is a flip phone, it has an outer display panel as well as an inner screen. Speculations have it that the flagship flip phone features a pair of 4.2-inch display that carries support for 1920 x 1080 pixels. The newly leaked images and video of the SM-W2018 show the flip phone in gold finish.

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The Snapdragon 835 chipset is speculated to power the W2018 with 6 GB of RAM. It is likely to feature an internal storage of 128 GB. A Chinese tipster has recently claimed that the SM-W2018 may house an industry first f/1.5 aperture rear camera of 12-megapixel. For snapping selfies, it is expected to feature a 5-megapixel frontal camera. The smartphone is pegged to come preinstalled with Android 7.1.1 Nougat OS.

The fingerprint reader is placed alongside the rear camera on the back panel of the Samsung SM-W2018. It is also rumored to feature an iris scanner and a dedicated button for accessing Bixby assistant. It is likely to house a 2,300mAh battery.

there is no confirmation whether the smartphone would be made available outside of China. The SM-W2018 is expected to arrive as a successor of Snapdragon 820 powered SM-W2017 flip phone from last year. As of this writing, there is no information available on the price tag of Samsung SM-W2018.

What’s your opinion on the premium appeal of the Samsung SM-W2018? Share us your thoughts by adding your comments below.

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Honor V10 Kirin 970 Antutu Score Is Really Impressive For A $400 Device! Rivals The Mate 10 Pro!

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Nov 29, 2017

Huawei announced the Honor V10 smartphone in China yesterday. The V10 was Huawei bringing the full-screen design to the mid-range segment once again after the Maimang 6 but this time around, they equipped the smartphone with the latest Kirin 970 flagship chip with AI capabilities. The chip was even paired with a 6GB of RAM. Despite the topnotch design and powerful specs lineup, the V10 came in at a cheap price starting at $400.

For a Kirin 970 smartphone to sell for $400, some may think that the smartphone may not be as powerful as the Mate 10 models which first utilize the flagship chip. Well, that isn’t the case as AnTuTu has released its benchmark score for the Kirin 970-powered Honor V10 and it is a marvel. The V10 scored 165587 points on AnTuTu which is in the same range with the Mate 10 Pro. The Mate 10 Pro’s AnTuTu score was revealed a few weeks back as 173757 points.

This marvellous performance of the Honor V10 is no doubt spurred by the Kirin 970 chip the device packs. Kirin 970 SoC is a 10nm chipset that is integrated with an exclusive Neural Processing Unit (NPU) for handling AI capabilities. The beasty Kirin 970 powers the recently introduced Mate 10 series smartphones. The AnTuTu benchmarks of Huawei Mate 10 and Mate 10 Pro that have surfaced recently also indicate that the performance of the Kirin 970 is at par with Snapdragon 835. But then, you now have the same top-flying model in the mid-range segment. We can say this is a flagship model with a pocket-friendly price tag. Huawei really got it right this time around and we see the V10 braking sales records globally soon. Let us know in the comment section if you’re convinced enough to consider buying the Honor V10 because of its price and specs.

(source)