Samsung Foldable Phone Will Feature An In-Folding Design, Launches in 2018

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Sep 29, 2017

It is no longer news that Korean tech giant Samsung is working on a foldable smartphone. Rumours surrounding the foldable device have been regulars on leaks for the past couple of years now and was even tipped to launch very soon. Samsung Electronics’ President in charge of Smartphone Business Ko Dong-jin has reportedly disclosed that indeed the company plans to release a foldable smartphone. The Samsung Exec is said to have made this disclosure during the launch of the Galaxy Note 8 in China on September 12. This is perhaps an official confirmation that we should be expecting a foldable smartphone soon.

Another aspect that has been hazy is the design of the foldable smartphone, especially the direction the device would fold towards. The latest rumour is that Samsung has reverted to an “in-folding” design for the foldable smartphone which would see the display fold inwards. The tech giant had earlier been tipped as working on an out-folding design for the display which as you can guess, folds outward. We don’t know the reason for the reversal back to in-folding design but since Samsung had already been working on this design model before, there are enough resources to implement it.

Samsung started out with an in-folding design when it first started developing foldable smartphones but later reverted to an out-folding design before they are now reverting back to the former design. The display uses a 3R curvature which shows how much a display is bent and it indicates curvature that covers a circle with a radius of 3mm. It had carried out many years of R&D on displays, parts, and materials that are related to the in-folding method, so it may likely not experience too much difficulty in adapting this method for commercial purpose.

We expect the Samsung foldable smartphone to drop next and Samsung’s president did reveal that the company’s goal is to release the model in 2018. He also added; “We are currently working on few problems and we will release the products once we solve these problems.” The tone of Mr Ko is markedly different from what he said last year during the Note 7’s launch where he indicated that the company’s foldable technology wasn’t up to the level that’ll offer customer satisfaction.

(source)

iPhone 8 Plus Reportedly Explodes While Charging in Taiwan

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Sep 29, 2017

The Apple iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus have been available for buying in various markets across the world including Taiwan since Sept. 22. Initial reports have revealed that apart from the crackling noise issue while making calls for which Apple will be releasing a software fix soon, the iPhone 8 duo do not have any other major problem. However, people in Taiwan may not be too excited about purchasing an iPhone 8 Plus as a case about its explosion is being reported by Taiwanese media.

According to Taiwanese media, a woman named Wu from Taichung City had purchased the gold variant of the 64 GB iPhone 8 Plus on Sept. 23. The phablet was working fine until Tuesday afternoon, when it exploded while it was kept on charging.

With 70 percent of the battery power left on the iPhone 8 Plus, the woman had kept it for charging by using the original charger. Reports claim that the handset exploded in just 3 minutes. The following images show that the impact of the explosion was such that it separated the display panel from its body.

Reports reveal that the woman has been an iPhone user since iPhone 4 and she has never encountered such a situation before. The Taiwanese media have also claimed that the exploded iPhone 8 Plus has been sent to the factory for investigation.

(source)

iPhone X Shipments May Begin in February or March Due to Its Production Issues

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Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Sep 29, 2017

At the launch event of Apple iPhone X, the company had claimed that its pre-orders will start on Oct. 27 and its shipments will begin on Nov. 3. However, since the smartphone is speculated to be manufactured in limited quantities, it seems that its shipments may not begin on Nov. 3.

The iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus have been available in the market since Sept. 22. However, since buyers are more interested in getting the iPhone X that features an edge-to-edge 5.8-inch screen and facial recognition feature, the consumer interest for the iPhone 8 duo has been low compared to prior years. However, as mentioned above, even though iPhone X is seeing huge demand, the Cupertino company may not be to fulfill its promise of releasing it in the market in November.

Fresh information reveals that the production of iPhone X is progressing at a slow pace. A recent report had revealed that the TrueDepth camera system that is required for the Face ID to work is causing the delay in the production of the iPhone X.

Apple is expected to receive millions of pre-orders for the iPhone X. However, the company is able to manufacture only tens of thousands of units each day. Reports suggest that Apple will end up manufacturing only 10 to 12 million units of the iPhone X by the end of 2017. This is surely insufficient to meet the huge demand.

The other component that is causing problem in the production of iPhone X is its OLED screen. The reason behind it is that Apple wants the OLED panels to be made in a certain way to accommodate the notch at the top of the screen. This notch houses the TrueDepth camera system and other sensors.

Former Apple analyst Gene Munster has claimed that the iPhone X may not release until January at the earliest. Jackdaw Research analyst Jan Dawson is of the view that the iPhone X will be in stock sometime in the first quarter. Hence, it appears that the iPhone X may not be in stock until March 2018.

If the iPhone X that costs $999 becomes available for buying in huge quantities in November, it can cannibalize the sales of iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus that are respectively priced at $699 and $799. Hence, the production problem of the iPhone X can help in driving the sales of the iPhone 8 duo.

(source)

Redmi Note 5 Renders Based On Early Leaks Reveal Dual Rear Cameras But Same Design As The Note 4

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Sep 28, 2017

Xiaomi smartphones are divided into two categories – the Redmi series which caters to the entry-level and mid-range category and the Mi series which are mainly flagships with the exception of the Mi Max series which is a mid-range phone.

The Redmi series is already in its 5th generation and the Redmi Note 5A is the first that has been announced. There was a leaked image a few days ago that hinted that a Redmi 5 Plus may soon launch but most people are eager to see the Redmi Note 5 which is the king of the series.

We have got our hands on some renders of the Redmi Note 5 based on early leaks. These images and specs are unconfirmed but may help in shaping your imagination of the upcoming smartphone.

The renders show that the design of the Redmi Note 5 will mostly remain the same as that of the Redmi Note 4 with a few additions. The display is expected to remain 5.5-inches with a metal body around it. Not only does the screen remain the same size but the capacitive buttons will also retain their spots. This design shows that an 18:9 full-screen display is not in the picture.

Physical button placements are the same as well as ports, speaker grille and SIM tray. However, the Redmi Note 5 is expected to make the switch to USB Type-C.

The Redmi Note 5 may follow the trend of its predecessors – first arriving with a Mediatek processor, Helio P25 in this case; and then a Snapdragon 660, though we presume the 630 looks like a more plausible choice. It will come in 3GB RAM and 4GB RAM configurations with 32GB and 64GB of storage respectively.

The renders show the phone with dual rear cameras in the same vertical design as the Redmi Pro. The difference between both will be in the position of the LED flash. While it sits in between the two sensors in the Pro, it is between the second sensor and the fingerprint scanner in the Note 5.

Continue

LeEco’s Bezel-less Poster That Popped Up Yesterday Is Actually Of A Powerbank

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Sep 28, 2017

LeEco popped into the news yesterday as a result of a new box casing initially thought to be that of a bezel-less LeEco smartphone which is in the works. The phone was rumoured to be the Le Max 3 which has been expected for several months now. The photo looks like a truly bezel-less device even though all that was on display was a render. Turns out the device isn’t a bezel-less phone, it isn’t even a smartphone but a power bank LeEco is perhaps working on.

The full poster has now appeared online showing the part where there is an inscription that it is a 10,000mAh battery capacity. The power bank also comes with a two-way fast charge. Apart from these little details, nothing much is known about the LeEco power bank. We don’t even know if it has been produced or how the once buzzing tech giant hopes to sell the gadget in the face of dwindling smartphone sales.

We still expect LeEco to go official with the Le Max 3, though, with a bezel-less full-screen design. The LeMax 3 is expected to sport a 6.3-inch QHD display as well as 6GB of RAM while there will be 128GB storage onboard. Further, the LeEco Le Max 3 will come with a 16MP selfie camera while the dual camera at the rear is said to be a 13MP dual camera. The device will get its power from a 3.700mAh battery. LeEco has been silent for a while now since the launch of the Le Pro 3 AI Edition in the first quarter of 2017. Thus, we can’t say for sure when the phone maker will release a new smartphone or even the power bank.

(source)

Vkworld Mix Plus Review – Bezel Less Beauty for less than $110?

By

Linus

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Sep 28, 2017

There are plenty of budget phones out there but not all of them have a full-screen design and decent specs for less than $110. Learn more in our Vkworld Mix Plus review.

Gearbest Gadget Sale

VIDEO REVIEW

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cOjC3qgZ1W8[/embedyt]

UNBOXING

The phone ships with all the usual stuff and some extras include a screen protector and a soft TPU case.

DESIGN and DISPLAY

Design is definitely the key selling point of this phone as it has an almost full-screen display. The phone looks gorgeous. That display sports only 720p resolution and its definitely not the sharpest out there but it gets the job done for a budget phone. There was no space on the top, so 8MP interpolated camera sits on the bottom.

As for optics, we have a 13MP interpolated camera on the back. There is also a fingerprint scanner that is pretty accurate but the display could light up a bit faster.

The screen takes so much space that there is no place for LED notification light and the loudspeaker quality is just mediocre.

Overall, the build quality is solid and a metal frame adds sturdiness and premium look. The only thing you would need to deal with is fingerprints – just like on any other glass-made phone.

HARDWARE and PERFORMANCE

You can’t really expect much at this price point when it comes to hardware but the Vkworld Mix Plus has decent specs for the price.

The phone ships with an MTK6737 chipset, 3GB of RAM and 32GB of expandable storage.

However, this kind of specs does not translate into a good gaming performance. Expect quite a bit of stutter even if you play 3D games on medium graphics settings.

BENCHMARKS

USER INTERFACE

When it comes to day-to-day performance, the phone is quite fast even though I installed quite a lot of apps.

There is a custom skin that is built on top of Android 7.0 that adds some features customization options. Just to name a few, you can change the transition effects or use gesture controls that work quite well. There are also some fingerprint gestures that I didn’t really use because I kept accidentally tapping the fingerprint reader.

IMAGE QUALITY

The camera can take pictures that will look okay on social media but in general, the results are mediocre. Sure, some photos look pretty good if they were taken in good light but the camera collapses at night. A usual scenario for all budget phones.

Since the camera is implemented on the bottom, you need to hold the phone upside down to take a selfie. Also, you need to learn how to take a better angle for that perfect selfie. The quality of pictures is again, just mediocre.

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gWaR33tduho[/embedyt]

The videos are being shot only at 720p resolution and the quality is just average.

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GiV8BXkTHdg[/embedyt]

Selfie videos are shot only at 480p and the quality is kind of poor.

Download full resolution camera samples

CONNECTIVITY

The call quality is not so great and the earpiece volume output could be better. Other connectivity options, including Wifi, Bluetooth, and GPS, work fine.

BATTERY LIFE

The phone ships 2850mAh battery that performs pretty well. I could get about 5 hours of SOT, which is a pretty much standard result. However, it takes about 2 hours to fully charge the phone.

CONCLUSIONS

The Vkworld Mix Plus is definitely one of the best-looking budget phones out there and it is built like a more expensive handset. It is also quite fast on the daily basis and has a decent battery life.

However, the phone is not your best choice if you love playing a lot of 3D games and the phone fails to impress with the basic stuff like the call quality.

Overall, the Vkworld Mix Plus offers exceptional design for the price that will draw a lot of attention but make sure to consider all the shortcomings, just like with any budget phone.

Buy Vkworld Mix Plus

Microwear H2 has a ton of features for $89.99

By

Linus

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Sep 28, 2017

Microwear may not be the first name that comes to your mind when you think of smartwatches but they have recently launched a rather compelling H2 model. You can now get it for just $79.99 which sounds like a pretty good deal considering the overall feature set.

One of the key features is that the watch sports IP68 certification for water and dust resistance. Also, it has replaceable watch bands to customize the look and feel. In addition, it supports 3G, so you can make calls right from your wrist.

What’s more, the Microwear H2 has quite a few connectivity options and sensors that include Wifi, Bluetooth, Heart Rate monitor, Pedometer, Sleep Monitor, Sedentary, Massage Reminder and so on.

Finally, the H2 has a 5MP camera.

You can learn more about Our H2 here

Check out the official product page

Other Brand smartwatches sold at Gearbest

Buy Microwear H1

Japan Display’s Full Active LCD Panels Likely to be Used on 2018 iPhones

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Sep 28, 2017

After the launch of OLED panel enabled iPhone X, speculations started swirling that all the next-generation iPhones coming next year would be feature OLED screens. However, according to a new report on The Wall Street Journal, some of the iPhones arriving next year would be equipped with full screen LCD panels from Japan Display (JDI).

The publication has reported that the Cupertino company has expressed interest in using Full Active LCD panel from Japan Display that was unveiled in June this year. The Full Active display technology can offer the features of OLED panels at a reduced price. This can effectively allow Apple to earn profits without investing more money on OLED panels for all iPhones.

JDI’s Full Active panel is a 6-inch flexible LCD screen that offers an aspect ratio of 18:9 and produces full HD+ resolution of 2,160 x 1,080 pixels. OLED panels have 1mm bezel, but Full Active LCD panels have slimmer bezels of 0.5mm. Moreover, it can produce deep black colors.

Full Active LCD panels are already present in some of the smartphones. The edge-to-edge display available on the Xiaomi Mi MIX 2 smartphone features the Full Active LCD panel. Hence, it sports a full screen design like OLED-based smartphones such as Apple iPhone X and Samsung Galaxy Note 8.

Apple is solely dependent on Samsung’s OLED panels for iPhone X because other manufacturers like LG and JDI are unable to mass produce OLED panels to meet the requirements of the Cupertino company. It is spending around $120 to $130 on each OLED panel from Samsung for the iPhone X. However, it is spending nearly $45 to $50 for LCD panels of iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus.

It is now speculated that until other suppliers such as LG and JDI do not start mass productions of OLED panels, the Cupertino company may continue to rely on Full Active LCD panels from JDI. Reports have revealed that JDI will be mass producing OLED panels in April 2019. This indicates that all the iPhones that will be launched in 2019 may come with OLED screens. As far as 2018 is concerned, one of the iPhones may possibly feature a 6-inch display.

(source)

Images of LeEco Le X7 Prototype Leaks But Don’t Expect It To Launch

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Sep 28, 2017

It remains to be seen if LeEco’s mobile and smart TV arms will rise again. These subsidiaries alongside a number of others have suffered heavy losses. Debts have been left unpaid and assets have been frozen. In the midst of all these negative news, leaks of smartphones that should have been launched have surfaced online. Today, we have images of a prototype LeEco Le X7 smartphone.

The LeEco Le X7 doesn’t have any bells and whistles that will make you wish for it to be released. The design is typical LeEco – bezels, a metal body, and the black bars around the screen to create a pseudo edge-to-edge appearance.

The top bezel has the sensor, earpiece and a front facing camera. There are no visible capacitive buttons on the chin, but if you are familiar with LeEco phones, you’ll know they are there but are just not lit up.

The unit is rose gold and there are antenna lines in the familiar U-design at the top and bottom. The phone looks like it has dual rear cameras but we think the circle at the bottom is a LED flash and not a second camera. The camera setup is a bit raised and below it is LeEco’s signature mirror fingerprint scanner.

The LeEco Le X7 has an IR blaster at the top sitting beside a secondary mic. Volume rocker and power button are positioned on the right. We can’t see the left side and bottom of the phone but they should house the SIM tray slot and USB Type-C port respectively.

One of the images shows the about section of the phone. We see that the model number of the Le X7 is LEX550. The phone is running EUI 5.8 based on Android 6.0 Marshmallow with a July 2016 security level patch. It also reveals the processor as a deca-core chip clocked at 2.3GHz.

Continue

Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL Screen Protectors Confirm Stereo Front Facing Speakers

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Sep 28, 2017

We have six more days before Google takes off the wraps on the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL. There have been a number of fresh leaks in the last few days about both phones.

One of the details mentioned in recent leaks says both the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL will have stereo front-facing speakers. Images of screen protectors for the phones have surfaced online confirming this info.

The pictures show that the Pixel 2 will have its stereo speakers embedded in the chin and forehead of the phone with bezels surrounding them just like the Nexus 6P. The Pixel 2 XL’s stereo speakers are closer to the edges similar to the design of the Nexus 9.

Continue

Huawei Honor 7X Pricing and Details Leaked, Starts At ¥1799

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Sep 28, 2017

Huawei released a poster confirming that its dual camera mid-ranger, the Honor 6X will be getting a successor come October 11. The new phone called the Honor 7X will keep the dual camera feature that made its predecessor popular. However, it won’t have the same low price tag though it does pack some interesting new features.

According to leaked info, the Honor 7X will have a much larger 5.93-inch full-screen display. It will be powered by the Kirin 659, the same chip in the Maimang 6. Unlike the Honor 6X that is available in three variants, the Honor 7X will be available in two – a 3GB RAM + 64GB model and a 4GB RAM + 64GB model.

The dual rear cameras are a 12MP + 2MP combo just like those of the 6X. The 2MP sensor is definitely for depth sensing when taking portrait images. Front camera is an 8MP sensor.

The Honor 7X will come with a 3240mAh battery with a 5V/2A charger. We are a bit concerned about the battery as it is smaller than that of the 6X and its powering an even larger screen.

The Honor 7X is codenamed Bond and its 3C-certification shows two variants – one has model number BND-AL10 and the other is BND-TL10.

Pricing for the Honor 7X has also been leaked ahead of the launch. The price was accidentally seen on the computer of a fellow in a bus who was working on a presentation slide for the Honor 7X. The Honor 7X will start at ¥1799 (~$300) for the 3GB model and rise to ¥2099 (~$315) for the 4GB model.

Continue

Xiaomi Launches 70 Minutes Smart Car Dashboard Camera Priced At 189 Yuan (~$28)

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Sep 28, 2017

Xiaomi has announced a new product under its MIJIA crowdfunding platform and the product happens to be Xiaomi’s 118th MIJIA product. The product is dubbed 70 Minutes Smart Car DVR camera and it comes with a fairly decent price tag of 189Yuan ($28).

The 70 Minutes Car Dashcam is equipped with a powerful Sony IMX323 image sensor which supports 1080p video recording and would deliver pictures with vivid clarity. The camera also comes with a 130 ° wide angle lens which can cover up to three lanes. The gadget comes with a conical shape with the camera located on the side of the cone. The camera itself has a spherical lens made wholly of glass with 7 layer coating which enhances the light transmission, reduces reflection and prevent the glass from cracking from extremely high temperatures.

The 70 Minutes Dashcam also comes with a rotating bracket which lets users rotate the tilt angle to that which soothes the glass angulation of the car. The dashcam also features voice support and can be controlled using voice prompt. The voice is said to have been tested using different persons in order to ensure that it recognises different accents. The camera power button is located at one end of the dash camera and is surrounded by light. The light indicator comes with three different colors, blue, green and red. The blue color indicates the device has been switched on and the green blinks when the camera is recording. The red color is indicative of an abnormal recording session.

The Smart Dashcam gets its power supply from the car’s cigarette lighter and has support for WiFi. the Wi-Fi enables the dashcam to connect with a smartphone and this allows for real-time viewing of the camera shooting session.

Gionee Launches The Steel 2 Plus As The M7 Power in Thailand

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Sep 28, 2017

On Monday, Gionee announced the M7 and the Steel 2 Plus. Both phones are the first to come with its 18:9 FullView display. In its plans to penetrate more markets, Gionee launched the Steel 2 Plus in Thailand today but under a different name – the M7 Power.

The M7 Power has a 6.0-inch HD+ display. It is powered by the Snapdragon 435 mobile platform and has 4GB of RAM. Built-in storage is 64GB but can be further increased via a MicroSD card slot.

Apart from the 18:9 display of the phone, another selling point of the M7 Power is its non-removable 5000mAh battery. This should be more than sufficient for a day.

The M7 Power has a 13MP rear camera and an 8MP front facing camera that can take bokeh selfies. Gionee has also pre-installed it with Android 7.1 Nougat with the latest version of its UI, Amigo 5.0 on top.

Continue

Nokia Android 8.0 Oreo Update for Nokia 3, 5 and 6 Arriving Before End of 2017

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Sep 28, 2017

HMD Global has already confirmed that the Android 8.0 Oreo update would be released for Nokia 3, Nokia 5, Nokia 6 and Nokia 8. In the previous week, HMD Global Chief Product Officer Juho Sarvikas had shared official images that revealed that the company is working on Android 8.0 Oreo update for Nokia 8. However, he did not reveal the exact timeline for the release of Oreo update. Today, the company has made officially confirmed that the Android 8.0 Oreo would be released for its smartphones before the end of 2017.

Mark Trundle who is the HDM Global’s General Manager for multiple regions like Australia, New Zealand and Indonesia has confirmed in a recent interview that the Nokia 3, Nokia 5 and Nokia 6 would be updated to Android 8.0 Oreo before the end of this year. This means that the Nokia 3 will become the cheapest smartphone to receive Android Oreo.

As far as Nokia 8 is concerned, since the company has hinted that it is testing Android 8.0 Oreo update for the smartphone, it is likely that it could become the first Nokia phone to receive the latest Android version. The Android 8.0 Oreo update is expected to be first available for unlocked variants of Nokia 3, 5, 6 and 8. Next in line would be the carrier variants of these phones.

The upcoming Nokia 2 entry-level phone is expected to come loaded with Android 7.1 Nougat. There is no information on whether it will be receiving the Oreo update.

(source|via)

Nokia 2 and Nokia MD-22 Wireless Speaker Likely to Debut Together

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Sep 28, 2017

The last quarter of this year will be starting soon and HMD Global is speculated to unveil couple of devices during the period. Apart from the rumors of the launch of a bezel-less Nokia 9 flagship phone, the Finnish firm is also expected to unveil Nokia 2 entry-level phone. Fresh information suggests that the company may debut MD-22 wireless speaker alongside the Nokia 2.

Well-known leakster, Roland Quandt had claimed that the Nokia 2 phone won’t be launched alone, and many speculated that the company would unveil Nokia 9 phone alongside it. Fresh information suggest that a wireless speaker would be accompanying the Nokia 2 phone.

In 2014, when Nokia smartphones were running on Windows Phone 8.1, the Finnish firm had unveiled MD-12 wireless speaker. The rumored Nokia MD-22 wireless speaker is said to arrive as a successor device for MD-12.

The MD-22 wireless speaker is expected to be priced between 30 euros to 40 euros. The MD-12 had arrived with a pricing of 39 euros. Its successor model is expected to be available in all the markets where HMD Global is selling its products.

The MD-12 offered wireless connectivity through Bluetooth and NFC and it also provided users with audio-out connector. The MD-22 is also expected to arrive with similar connectivity features.

Earlier in this week, Nokia Myanmar seems to have accidentally revealed that the Nokia 2 would be available in the country in November. However, some rumors have claimed that the Nokia 2 would be made official as early as Oct. 5.

The Nokia 2 is speculated to feature a 5-inch HD screen. It is rumored to feature Snapdragon 210 / 212 chipset and 1 GB of RAM. Other rumored specs include 8-megapixel rear camera, 5-megapixel front camera, and 4,000mAh battery. It is pegged to cost around $105.

As of this writing, the Finnish firm has not confirmed on launch events for the remaining months of this year. Since the Nokia 2 is entry-level phone, it may get announced through a press release.

(source|via)

Titanium-clad iPhone X Limited Edition Now Up For Pre-order For $4,500

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Sep 28, 2017

Smartphones with a customised body reminiscent of the Vertu models are very popular in some parts of the world despite the huge price tag they usually come with. One country where such premium smartphones are collectors’ items is Russia and it might interest you to know that Apple’s latest iPhone X is already available in a Titanium body in Russia courtesy of design outfit – Caviar.

The iPhone X will not be available for sale until November and isn’t even available to pre-order just yet. Apple will start receiving pre-orders for iPhone X on October 27 while the device will ship on November 3, 2017, but Caviar is open to receive pre-orders for the Titanium coated limited edition of the iPhone X priced at 202 900 R ($4,500). The Russian company has a reputation for manufacturing customised phones and its cache includes the Nokia 3310 Putin-Trump Summit Edition released a few months back. The iPhone X is made of titanium, a material used by the Russians to manufacture MiG-35 fighter jets, Satan ICBMs (missile launch platforms), and T-14 tanks.

Apart from the iPhone X, Caviar also has customised versions of the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus models up for pre-order. The iPhone 8 and 8 Plus is available for slightly reduced prices which start at around $3,000.

(source)

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Nokia 3310 (2017) 3G Model Launched with Refreshed UI and New Customizations

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Sep 28, 2017

Nokia had resurrected the Nokia 3310 feature phone by launching its revamped version during the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2017 event in February. Since the Nokia 3310 (2017) supports only 2G connectivity, its unusable in some markets like the U.S., Canada, Australia and Singapore. HMD Global has now launched the 3G edition of the phone and has confirmed that it will be available for buying from next month.

Nokia 3310 (2017) with support for 3G connectivity has been launched in Australia. The handset will be available for buying in the country with a price tag of AUD 89.95 ($70) starting from Oct. 17. It will be available through carriers like Optus and Vodafone in Australia.

It is expected to be available globally with a pricing of 69 euros ($81.17). Its global release is also pegged to happen in mid-October. There is no information on the specific markets that will be getting the Nokia 3310 3G. However, Singapore is the other market that will be getting it in October.

In February you asked for it. We got to work @nokiamobile and here it is. Iconic #nokia3310 now in 3G! https://t.co/2jJysyUwHh pic.twitter.com/CUdU4Zhzfp

— Juho Sarvikas (@sarvikas) September 28, 2017

The new 3G model is enabled with new customization options such as rearranging of icons and modifying color themes. It is also loaded with a refreshed customizable retro UI. The phone has been slightly redesigned as there is more spacing between the buttons.

As far as the 2G model is concerned, the Chief Marketing Officer of HMD Global Pekka Ranatala has claimed that the company sold “millions” of units of Nokia 3310 (2017). The specifications of the Nokia 3310 (2017) 3G version are same as its 2G variant. It will be coming in color choices like Azure, Charcoal, Warm Red and Yellow.

The Nokia 3310 (2017) has a 2.4-inch color display that supports 240 x 320 pixels resolution. It is running on “Feature OS powered by Java” and comes with 64 GB ROM and external storage support. It features a LED enabled 2-megapixel rear camera. It carries support for dual-SIM connectivity and is packed with a 1,200mAh battery that offers up to 27 days of standby time. For connectivity, it provides options like Bluetooth 2.1 and microUSB port. The phone comes preinstalled with the classic Snake game that is optimized for new color display.

(source 1, 2)

LG K7i Mosquito Repellent Phone Launched in India for Rs. 7,990 (~$121)

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Sep 28, 2017

LG has unveiled the LG K7i entry-level smartphone at the ongoing India Mobile Congress event in New Delhi. The smartphone has a very unique feature that can assist in controlling mosquito-borne diseases in the country.

LG K7i comes with a feature called Mosquito Away that uses ultrasonic sensor available on the backside of the smartphone to create 30KHz ultrasonic sound waves. These sound waves are not audible to humans. However, mosquitoes and insects are unable to withstand the noise which helps in driving them away. Hence, the LG K7i can protect its users from mosquito bites. At the launch event, the company said that there are no harmful chemicals on the phone and neither were any used while manufacturing it.

LG has launched air conditioners and televisions with Mosquito Away feature in the past and now the feature has been made available on a mobile phone. The company claims that the LG K7i is the first smartphone in the world that comes with an ultrasonic technology to shoo away the mosquitoes.

Coming to the specifications of the LG K7i phone, it features a 5-inch display that supports an HD resolution of 720 x 1,280 pixels. It is driven by an unspecified quad-core processor that clocks at 1.4 GHz. The processor is coupled with 2 GB of RAM and it comes with inbuilt flash storage of 16 GB. It can support up to 128 GB of microSD card. It features a rear-mounted fingerprint reader.

It is preloaded with Android 6.0 Marshmallow OS. The rear camera of the LG K7i is of 8-megapixel and it houses a frontal shooter of 5-megapixel. It includes a decent battery of 2,500 mAh capacity . The connectivity features of the LG K7i include 3.5mm audio jack, dual-SIM support, v4.2 Bluetooth, 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802 b/g/n and NFC connectivity. It sports a full plastic design that has a thickness of 8.1mm and it weighs 138 grams.

LG is also proving Mosquito Away stand along with the smartphone. Buyers who do not want the Mosquito Away feature can swap its rear cover with a normal one. The smartphone comes in brown color and carries a pricing of Rs. 7,990 (~$121). The handset will be available through offline retailers across India.

Do you think that the LG K7i smartphone will be well-received in India? Share us your thoughts by commenting below.

Xiaomi is Reportedly Working with Qualcomm on Optimizing Snapdragon 845 for Xiaomi Mi 7

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Sep 28, 2017

Earlier in this month, the rumor mill had revealed the key specs that would be arriving on the Xiaomi Mi 7. The report had revealed that the upcoming flagship phone from the company would be driven by Snapdragon 845 chipset. Today, an industry insider from China has claimed that the Chinese firm and Qualcomm are currently working on optimizing the Snapdragon 845 v2.

He has added the development progress is proceeding at a steady pace as Xiaomi is expected to begin the testing of Mi 7 in November this year. The final testing of Xiaomi’s upcoming flagship may happen in February next year. The Mi 7 may come with a large-sized OLED screen. However, the smartphone is unlikely to feature an in-screen fingerprint reader.

In June, reports had claimed that the upcoming Google Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL would be the phones to feature the new Snapdragon 836 chipset. However, newer information has revealed that the Snapdragon 836 chipset does not exist and the next premium SoC from Qualcomm would be the Snapdragon 845.

Rumors have it that the Snapdragon 845 is manufactured by Samsung through its 10nm Low Power Early (LPE) FinFET process. It is speculated to include a combination of Cortex A75 cores, Adreno 630 graphics and X20 LTE modem that is capable of delivering download speed of up to 1.2 Gbps.

The Xiaomi Mi 7 rumors suggest that it will be featuring a 6-inch OLED screen from Samsung. It is expected to support an aspect ratio of 18:9. The Mi 7 could be the first smartphone from the company to carry support for wireless charging.

When it comes to the design, the Mi 7 is expected to feature the same glass and ceramic chassis that is available on the Mi 6. As far as the pricing of the Mi 7 is concerned, it is pegged to cost around 2,999 Yuan for the 6 GB RAM model. Previous reports have suggested that Xiaomi may unveil the Mi 7 in the first quarter of 2018. Rivaling brands like Samsung and LG are also rumored to debut their respective flagships such as Galaxy S9 and LG G7 in Q1 next year.

(source)

Google Pixel 2, Pixel 2 XL Rumors: Updated Specifications Leaked

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Sep 28, 2017

A lot of information on the upcoming Google Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL smartphones have been revealed in the past weeks. Today, Android Authority has shared fresh details on the specifications of the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL that it has received from an exclusive source.

Google Pixel 2 XL Specifications

The Pixel 2 XL will be coming with a curved edge-to-edge display that will support QHD resolution. The display is expected to carry support for Wide Color Gamut. The publication claims that it is not sure of the exact size of the display for Pixel 2 XL. However, its source has stated that it will be supporting a screen-to-body ratio of about 80 to 85 percent. Previous rumors have claimed that it will be fitted with a 5.99-inch OLED panel from LG.

The Pixel 2 will be driven by Snapdragon 835 chipset and it is expected to arrive in 64 GB and 128 GB models. It is going to be equipped with a battery of 3,520 mAh capacity. The publication has added that the Pixel 2 XL won’t be featuring a 3.5mm audio jack, but it will be flanked with dual stereo speakers.

Just like the original Pixel phones, Google is expected to include stellar cameras on the Pixel 2 XL and Pixel 2. At least, one of the camera sensors of the smartphone is going to feature OIS. The Pixel 2 XL is going to feature a e-SIM card that would allow users to seamlessly switch between networks in the U.S.

The Pixel 2 XL is likely to feature Google’s second-generation fingerprint reader. As far as the durability of Pixel 2 XL is concerned, it will feature an IP67 certified dust and water-resistant along with Gorilla Glass 5 protection.

The Active Edge feature that will function like the Edge Sense feature on HTC U11 will be available on the left side of the Pixel 2 XL. Hence, squeezing the Pixel 2 XL will allow to launch Google Assistant or dismiss an alarm.

Google Pixel 2 Specifications

The Google Pixel 2 is expected to arrive with identical specs as its larger sibling. However, the Pixel 2 will have some key differences. Since the Pixel 2 will be arriving with a smaller display that supports FHD resolution, it is unlikely to support Wide Color Gamut. It will be featuring a battery of 2,700 mAh capacity. Previous reports have revealed that it will be coming with a 4.97-inch display.

Customers of Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL will be provided with unlimited Google Cloud storage for free until 2023. The Pixel 2 duo will be unveiled on Oct. 4.

(source)