TCL is said to be working on a new BlackBerry device currently known as Krypton. The BlackBerry Krypton has been seen on the FCC website and has also gotten Bluetooth and WiFi certifications.
The Krypton is rumored to be an all-touch smartphone and may even belong to the DTEK series. There have been no leaks with respect to its design until today. However, this images only reveal the back of the phone, leaving us in the dark as to what its front will look like.
The BlackBerry Krypton is shown in the image above with a single rear camera positioned in the top left corner. The upper part where the camera sits appears to be made of leather while the lower half is covered in carbon fiber.
A second image shows the phone along with the BlackBerry KEYone, and we can see that they have the same width.
In the early hours of today, the details of HTC and Google’s “acquisition” were made public. It turns out that it was more of a purchase of talent, similar to what happens between football clubs, with Google paying over a $1 billion for the HTC engineering team that worked on the Pixels. Reports says that is about $500,000 for each member of the team in addition to a separate non-exclusive license for HTC intellectual property.
With 2000 top engineers gone, some may be wondering if the deal made sense for HTC. The company says it still has an excellent R&D team which worked on its flagship, the HTC U11 and is preparing its next flagship phone.
Speaking at an interview, president of global sales for HTC, Zhang Jia Lin revealed that the company was working on a new flagship phone with a full-screen display which should launch not later than a month from now. Sources say it will be called the HTC U11 Plus.
The phone will have an 18:9 aspect ratio, a fingerprint scanner and be powered by the Snapdragon 835. It may also support facial recognition.
The Vivo X20 was unveiled today in China. The new smartphone is Vivo’s second full-screen smartphone, coming weeks after the announcement of the Vivo V7 Plus in India.
Vivo X20 and Vivo X20 Plus Design
The Vivo X20 and X20 Plus feature a 3D arc design that is designed to provide a comfortable grip in your palm. The 1.8mm U-shaped antenna lines are seamlessly integrated into the device using a new generation nano-injection molding process. The rest of the body is finished with an ultra-fine zirconium sand spray process that gives it a silky smooth feel.
Vivo X20 and Vivo X20 Plus Specs
The Vivo X20 has a 6.01 inch 18:9 display that occupies 85.3% of the front of the phone. It is powered by the Snapdragon 660 paired with 4GB of RAM. Owners will be able to choose between 64GB or 128GB of expandable storage. The X20 has an AK4376A for HiFi audio and packs a 3245mAh battery under the hood.
The Vivo X20 Plus has a larger 6.43-inch 2160 x 1080 super AMOLED display crammed in a 5.85-inch body. It is powered by the same Snapdragon 660 mobile platform and packs the same amount of RAM. However, storage is limited to 64GB but one can add up to and additional 256GB via a MicroSD card slot.
The X20 Plus also differs in the camera aspect as its sensors have OIS. It has an ES9318 DAC + amp for Hi-Fi audio. Due to the bigger screen, it packs a 3905mAh battery capacity.
There is dual SIM support, Bluetooth 5.0, dual band WiFi, and a micro USB port for connectivity on both devices. There are also fingerprint scanners on the back of the phones that support payment and can control the cameras too.
Both the Vivo X20 And Vivo X20 Plus run FunTouch OS 3.0 based on Android 7.1.1 out of the box. There is a built-in AI assistant that learns your usage pattern, channeling processing power to your most used apps.
There is also a new Vivo Game Engine that greatly improves game-play even for very demanding games. The game engine also makes sure that incoming calls or notifications do not affect game-play. If you need to respond to messages from chat apps, a floating and re-sizeable window of the app will appear. It seems only WeChat and QQ are supported for now.
Face Wake
There are two ways to unlock the X20 – using the fingerprint scanner or using the new Face Wake feature. Face Wake is said to unlock the device in just 0.1s. Vivo claims it detects up to 128 different facial features before proceeding to unlock the phone.
Vivo X20 and Vivo X20 Plus Cameras
Vivo like its sibling OPPO, makes camera-centric phones and the X20 and X20 Plus don’t disappoint. There are dual rear cameras on both phones in a 12MP + 5MP combination. The 12MP f/1.8 sensor is unique as it can take images up to 24MP. Pair that with the 5MP secondary sensor and you get high quality bokeh images. The 12MP f/2.0 dual-pixel front facing camera uses the same technology and also takes portrait images.
Vivo also says it has worked on an image sensor processor unit it calls Vivo Image Cube. This is actually a 256MB dual-core image sensor processor (DSP).
LG announced the LG V30 on August 31 and it came with an interesting and sleek design which has earned the device lots of positive reviews. One of the features which stood out is the camera which has the widest aperture you’ll ever find in a smartphone camera till date which is a f/1.6 aperture with optical image stabilization (OIS). You can have a closer look at the V30’s camera from this dismantling video uploaded by Jerry Rig Everything.
The video shows the V30 entirely taken apart and it shows the device comes with a fairly repair-friendly design. The device also comes with a non-removable battery, unlike previous V-series model. Don’t forget the device utilizes a bezel-less design which means a cracked screen can only be fixed with the entire front panel changed. You can watch the entire video from below.
To refresh your memories, the LG V30 features a 6-inch OLED display with a 1440 x 2880 resolution and 18:9 aspect ratio. It has 4GB of RAM that is paired with a Snapdragon 835 SoC. A 16MP f/1.6 sensor paired with a 13MP f/1.9 lens grace its back. Up in front is a 5MP f/2.2 sensor. The V30 also comes with an IP68 rating, packs a 3300mAh battery and runs Android 7.1.2 Nougat out of the box.
A new Nubia smartphone has been certified by the Chinese Telecoms regulatory agency TENAA and it looks like this is the full-screen phone Nubia is rumoured to be working on. The Nubia device has the model number NX589J and the photos attached to the TENAA listing shows a full-screen design with tiny bezels at the chin and a reduced bezels at the top and bottom bezels.
The Nubia NX589J model which is expected to be named Nubia Z17s is listed with a 5.2-inch 1080P display and would get its juice from a 3100mAh battery. The mobile phone will sport a dual camera setup at the rear, with the main sensor being a 13MP sensor. The device will also pack a 16MP camera up front. TENAA has not revealed the processor but it is listed as having a frequency of 2.0 GHz and should be a Snapdragon 835 chip. The Nubia full-screen phone also comes with 6GB of RAM and 64GB of native storage which is expandable. Providing the interface will be Android 7.1.1 Nougat OS while there are dual SIM slots inside.
OPPO is not new to special edition phones. It has been doing it for years just like its sister company, Vivo. The OPPO R11, its latest flagship has received two special edition models – a FC Barcelona Edition and a TFBOYS Edition. It will be adding a third next week – OPPO R11 King of Glory Edition.
King of Glory is one of the most popular online multiplayer battle games. Published by Tencent Games and with a report of 200 million active players monthly as at July 2017, it’s clear to see why OPPO will want to make a special edition of its R11 phone for the game.
The special edition phone will be launched on September 29 as a way to mark the anniversary of the game. A teaser image posted on OPPO’s Weibo page gives us a glimpse of what to expect.
Meizu yesterday officially launched yet another sleek smartphone, more of a smaller version of the M6 Note. The Meizu M6 utilizes a classic design and is available in four colors. One of the main features of the device is the camera setup, both at the front and rear aspects. At the front, there is an 8MP selfie camera with f/2.0 aperture, self-timer, and other features.
On the other hand, the Meizu M6 packs at its rear, a 13MP camera with an RGBW color sensor, f/2.2 aperture, 5P lens. Meizu has again worked with ArcSoft on image optimization algorithms to improve features like noise reduction and HDR photography. This improvement seems to have resulted in a powerful camera capable of capturing crisp clear shots. The Chinese tech company has now shared some samples shot by the M6’s main camera and just like the M6 Note, the photos are credible evidence of the potentials the M6’s camera holds.
Unfortunately, none of the pictures show us how the M6’s camera would perform in low light conditions because they all seem to have been captured on a sunny day. Apart from the capable camera, the budget M6 also utilizes a MediaTek MT6750 processor which is a 64-bit, Octa-core processor. This is paired with 2GB of RAM on some models and 3GB of RAM on some others. This also plays some role in the camera output of the Meizu M6. Here are some of the camera samples.
Google and HTC have both finally disclosed that a deal has been signed which would see Google become the new owner of HTC’s “Powered by HTC” Research and Development Division. The deal is said to be worth $1.1 billion USD and is definitely something to cheer about especially if you are an HTC fanboy because HTC will still continue manufacturing smartphones. In other words, HTC still exists as an independent smartphone manufacturing company while Google gets a non-exclusive license for HTC’s intellectual property.
The “Powered by HTC” R&D team is credited to be almost half of HTC’s overall R&D team and it is this same division which manufactures Google’s Pixel and Pixel XL phones. The team is also saddled with the task of manufacturing the upcoming Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL models. This disclosure puts paid to the numerous rumors and speculations concerning the ailing Taiwanese tech giant which was once among the top 5 smartphone manufacturers in the world.
Rumors were rife that Google would be buying the entire company and in the face of the rumors, HTC ‘s stock was suspending from trading on the Taiwanese Stock Exchange. But the $1.1 billion deal does not take HTC out of smartphone manufacturing entirely. HTC’s chief financial officer Peter Shen hints that the tech company will continue existing as a separate entity, designing and launching new models including its next flagship phone.
The deal no doubt is a much-needed life line for HTC that could help company bounce back to its glory days. HTC looks to use the $1.1 billion to stay afloat in the smartphone and VR markets. According to the company, the deal gives it “a more streamlined product portfolio, greater operational efficiency and financial flexibility”. For a company estimated to be valued at £1.4bn ($1.9bn), Google could be seen as generous with the terms of the deal considering that the deal does not give Google access to any of HTC’s manufacturing facilities. Google only gets the division’s employees and the IP portfolio. The deal is expected to be approved and sealed early 2018.
Vivo is expected to officially launch the Vivo X20 today, September 21 in China. Funny enough, it might all just be a formality because the specifications of the device are already known via its appearances of TENAA, benchmark apps and in several leaks. Now, the Vivo X20 has featured in a leaked hands-on video just before its launch.
The hands-on video is a short clip but showcases both the front and rear aspects of the device. It is not as if this is the first time we are seeing the real photos of the X20 but this is the first hands-on video we’ll be meeting. The X20 model captured in the video comes in light gray color which will likely be one of several color variants Vivo will make the device available in. The hands-on video shows a full-screen device with what would be a high screen-to-body ratio when compared to previous Vivo models but this is nowhere near a bezel-less smartphone. There are still bezels on all four sides but very much reduced in size. The two sides have ultra-thin bezels while the top edge gets its own fair share of bezels wide enough to accommodate the earpiece and dual selfie cameras.
The rear view shows the X20’s dual cameras will be located at the top left corner with the LED flash lying inwardly by its side. There is also a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor which seems to be bigger in size, perhaps to make it easy for the sensor to be accessed on the large-sized model. The X20 will feature a 5.8-inch AMOLED display with a 2160 x 1080p resolution and an aspect ratio of 18:9. The model will be powered by Qualcomm’s latest powerful mid-range chip- Snapdragon 660. This would be paired with a 6GB RAM. The X20 should also feature a 24MP dual camera setup on the back and a 24MP front shooter. It also offers facial recognition feature – dubbed Face Unlock – that’s claimed to unlock the device within 0.1s. The phone is expected to pack in a 3,500mAh battery.
Nearly 3 years after the release of the Yotaphone 2, its successor the Yotaphone 3, was unveiled in China yesterday. The third generation dual screen smartphone brings upgraded specs and a higher price tag.
Yotaphone 3 Design
The Yotaphone 3 has the same design language as its predecessors – a color display on one side and an e-ink display on the other side. But the dimensions and appearance have changed so you can say it is the same but different. In a nutshell, the Yotaphone 3 has ditched the small curvy form factor for a flatter and bigger body.
Yotaphone 3 Specifications
The AMOLED display is now bigger at 5.5-inches and is covered with Gorilla Glass 4. The secondary e-ink display has received some upgrades too. It’s now bigger at 5.2-inches and has a 720 x 1080 resolution. The bigger e-ink display should make reading a bit more comfortable.
The Yotaphone 3 comes with 4GB RAM standard and is paired with the Snapdragon 625 mobile platform. There is 64GB/128GB of storage with no expansion slot.
There is a single 12MP f/1.9 1.2um camera on the back of the phone positioned at the top left corner. The front camera is a 13MP sensor which is a huge upgrade from the 2.1MP camera in the Yotaphone 2.
The Yotaphone 3 runs Android 7.1.1 Nougat and packs a 3300mAh battery that supports fast charging via a USB Type-C port. It also has a home button that doubles as a fingerprint scanner. There is support for dual SIM slots (nano only) and it has NFC, Bluetooth 4.2 but no audio jack.
Yotaphone 3 Price
The Yotaphone 3 is pricey but we are sure the manufacturer will have reasons for the price. It starts at ¥3699 (~$563) for the 64GB model and jumps to ¥4299 (~$654) for the 128GB version or a 64GB special edition which has a stainless steel frame instead of aluminium and comes with some gifts in the box.
As October 16 draws nearer with each passing day, more news have been surfacing about the Huawei Mate 10 series. VentureBeat has gotten some exclusive info that sheds light on of the devices, the Mate 10 Lite.
Earlier today, Evan Blass tweeted the codenames of the Mate 10 devices and a new but familiar name popped up – Rhone. Rhone is the device we now know as Maimang 6 A.K.A Huawei G10, and according to the tweet A.K.A Mate 10 Lite. A follow up post on VentureBeat is where Evan explains it all.
For those of you keeping track, here's the updated list of codenames:
Mate 10 Pro – Blanc Mate 10 – Alps Mate 10 Lite – Rhone ? – Marcel
Giving source to an unnamed individual who has info on the company’s plans, the Huawei Mate 10 Lite (Rhone) will have a 5.9-inch screen with an 18:9 aspect ratio and an 83% screen-to-body ratio. The phone will have a FHD+ resolution of 1080 x 2160 which will be higher than that of the regular Mate 10 (Alps).
The Mate 10 Lite will be powered by the Kirin 659, an octa-core processor clocked at 2.36GHz. RAM will be 4GB, storage will be 64GB and battery capacity will be 3340mAh.
The Mate 10 Lite will have a 16MP + 2MP combo on the back and a 13MP + 2MP combo up in front with both sides having LED flash. The selfie cameras are said to feature a two-person bokeh effect.
Live Image of Mate 10 Lite
If those specs sound familiar that is because they are the same as that of the Maimang 6/G10 as it appeared on TENAA. The only difference is that the Maimang 6 will be launched on Friday in China but the Mate 10 Lite won’t arrive till October 16 and will also be a global release.
Xiaomi’s crowdfunding platform partner Aqara has announced a new product which adopts the moniker- Aqara Smart Bedroom Set. The product is a smart home connectivity kit which enables users to control the home’s smart gadgets such as air conditioner and others inside the room right from their bed. In other words, users may not need to get out of the bed if there is need to switch on a light or adjust the room temperature.
The device no doubt is an Internet-of-Things (IoT) gadget and the set is a collection of different gadgets which includes an automatic air conditioning system switch, a gadget that lets you turn off the lights while already in bed and turn it on later. There is also a temperature and humidity sensor, body sensor, smart wall sockets, and switches.
The temperature and humidity sensor measures the conditions inside the rooms and then prompt the smart socket to start the air conditioner or humidifier as the case may be. The smart bedroom set also lets users monitor other home appliances via an app on your smartphone.
About two weeks ago, we brought you a report which emerged from China and alleges that Google was in talks with HTC to buy the ailing smartphone manufacturing company. Looks like it is not just a mere rumor as reports emanating from Taiwan indicates that HTC’s shares are set to be suspended from trading on the Taiwanese Stock Exchange with effect from Thursday and the planned take over by Googl’s parent company Alphabet is fingered to be the cause of this suspension.
While no oficial statement has been issued either by Google or HTC or even the authorities of the Taiwanese Stock Exchange where the company is listed. HTC in a recent statement issued in response to an earlier report in the China Times, and a request from the Taiwanese Stock Exchange stated among other things that it “does not comment on market rumour or speculation”. It is unknown if the once bubble smartphone giant officially responded to the request by the TSE and if they did, what their response was. But the decision to suspend trading on HTC’s stock may be an affirmation that the deal is about to be sealed between both parties.
HTC has recently been struggling to grab a piece of the market share. The company happened to occupyy a lofty position a few years back. As a matter of fact, HTC was the world’s fifth highest grossing smartphone manufacturer just five years ago with a market share of about 9%. Now, the company’s shares stands at 1% of the entire market and no doubt debts would be mounting.
Apar from the smartphone arm, there is also the Vive business. The VR arm had earlier featured in rumors speculating that HTC would sell the Vive business or the entire business soon. It is likely Alphabet would get the entire portfolio if the deal sails through. However, what remains unclear is why Google wants to buy an ailing company even though the U.S giant worth $100 billion is well capable of inheriting HTC’s liabilities in addition to its assets. It remains tobe seen if Google will turn the company around or if it would be a repreat of the Motorola Mobility deal which Google bought for $12.5billion but sold the company to Lenovo three years later. But in this case, since HTC manufacture’s Google’s Pixel phones, Google may be looking to set up its own full-fledge smartphoe manufacturing arm which would no doubt be a wise move considering the software aspect is already taken care of with Google’s Android OS.
HTC’s shares closed at 2.5% higher on Wednesday, a pointer to speculatin that an official announcement could have seen a rapid surge in the share prices of the company as more persons ould have attempted to buy the company’s shares.
KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has shared fresh information on 2018 Apple iPhones. He has revealed that since the Cupertino company is still working on resolving the obstacles of in-screen fingerprint scanner, it will continue to invest more in Face ID.
The upcoming iPhone X is the first smartphone from Apple to arrive with Face ID biometric recognition feature. Kuo claims that if the Face ID feature is received well by the consumers, all the 2018 iPhones is likely to feature TrueDepth camera and face ID.
This suggests that Apple may not have yet decided to completely axe the Touch ID feature in favor of the newly introduced Face ID. The new biometric identification feature not only allows iPhone X users to unlock it but also make secure payments through Apple Pay. Apple claims that Face ID is very secure as the face data is encrypted and it never leaves the device. However, recent reports have revealed that Face ID can recognize only one face. On the contrary, Touch ID can recognize 5 different fingerprints which makes it easier to share the iPhone with family members.
Apple is still struggling to incorporate Touch ID sensor under the display of iPhones. The display panels of iPhones are equipped with 3D Touch module which increases the thickness of the whole display. This reduces the accuracy of the in-screen fingerprint scanner. Since Android phones are not equipped with pressure-sensitive display like the recent iPhones, other smartphone OEMs might be able to incorporate fingerprint sensor under the display of their devices.
A lot depends on the market response of the Face ID. If it fails to impress the users, the company may focus its attention on developing in-screen Touch ID. Nevertheless, Apple has to find ways to resolve the technical problems to make the in-screen fingerprint sensor workable.
Kuo has also added that if Face ID is appreciated by consumers, Apple’s Android rivals may also introduce smartphones with facial recognition feature. Hence, facial recognition component suppliers are likely to see a high growth in the forthcoming years.
Should forthcoming Apple iPhones feature Face ID as well as Touch ID? Share us your views by commenting below.
One Piece is one of the most popular manga series in the world. It appears we have some fans at Meizu as the manufacturer has announced a Meizu M6 Note One Piece limited edition model. The M6 Note is a fantastic device on its own, making a One Piece special edition is going to make fans go crazy!!
The M6 Note One Piece edition has a red back with yellow antenna lines. At the bottom is the logo of the Straw Hat Pirates in the same yellow color. The front of the phone is black but Meizu added a red accent to the mBack button.
The special edition device is also different on the inside. There is a wallpaper of Monkey D. Luffy and the icons are pirate-themed as well. There is a pocket watch icon for the clock, a chest for file manager, and a pirate map as the maps icon to name a few.
The Meizu M6 Note One Piece Limited Edition also has a special packaging. The box is black and has a picture of the entire Straw Hat Pirates. There is a branded protective case alongside a red cable and red wall charger.
The specs of the special edition is the same as the other variants. There is a 5.5-inch display, a Snapdragon 625 processor and a 4000mAh battery. It has dual rear cameras (12MP + 5MP), a 16MP front facing camera, and runs Android 7.1.2 out of the box
The Meizu M6 Note One Piece Limited Edition will sell for ¥1699 (~$258), the same price as the regular 4GB RAM + 64GB model but will instead have 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage. If you want the version with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage, that will cost you ¥2399 (~$365). It will be available for purchase on September 25.
Huawei’s upcoming Mate 10 flagship was leaked yesterday showing us the design it would adorn on launch day billed for October 16. The design showed the Mate 10 would have a full-screen design but with a considerable amount of bezels and a physical home button. The Mate 10 Pro was said to be the bezel-less model between the duo and would be launched alongside the Mate 10.
It might interest you to know that a couple of fresh leaks bothering on the Mate 10 and Mate 10 Pro’s display panels, specifications and price tag have appeared online. The screen for the two smartphones is pictured above and shows the Mate 10 will have the same height as the Mate 10 Pro but the Mate 10 Pro will be slightly wider. A front home key on the Mate 10 and wider bezels at the top and bottom edges differentiate the two from each other.
The leaker who leaked the display also shared the specifications and prices of the Huawei Mate 10 and Mate 10 Pro. The Mate 10 is expected with a 5.99-inch 2k EntireView display with 18:9 aspect ratio and is listed with a 4200mAh battery with fast charging support. The Mate 10 will come in three variants with 4GB RAM and 6GB RAM. The variant having a 4GB + 64GB storage combo will clutch a price tag of 4299 Yuan ($650). Secondly, the version with 6GB RAM + 128GB storage will go up for 4899 Yuan ($744) while the topmost model will have a 6GB + 256GB combo and would retail for 5599 Yuan ($850).
On the other hand, the Mate 10 Pro will feature a 6.0-inch 2K display with a similar 18:9 aspect ratio. Just like the Mate 10, it will have an IP67 certification and of course would be powered by a Kirin 970 chip, same as the Mate 10. It would pack a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor, curved edges and almost 90% screen-to-body ratio. The Mate 10 Pro will also get its juice from a 4,200mAH battery. Talking about the prices, the leaked data shows the Mate 10 Pro will come in four variants: 6 GB + 64 GB priced at 5,499 Yuan ($835), 6 GB + 128 GB with a price tag of 6,199 Yuan ($941), 6 GB + 256 GB for 6,899 Yuan ($1,042) and a topmost version having a monstrous 8 GB + 256 GB combo which would retail for 7,499 Yuan ($1,138). So, Huawei will be joining Apple and Samsung on the list of OEMs with smartphones priced above $1,000. With these price tags, do you think they stand a chance of grabbing some market shares from the two market leaders, especially in Europe? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section.
Motorola had unveiled the Moto X4 earlier this month during the IFA 2017 tech trade show in Berlin, Germany. It seems that the company is planning to launch the smartphone in India as Motorola India has released a tweet to confirm that Moto X4 will be arriving in the country on Oct. 3.
There is no information available on the Indian pricing of the smartphone. The following teasers have been released by Motorola India to confirm on the arrival of Moto X4:
With the arrival of a new Motorola phone, comes an #Xperience unlike any other. Guess which one’s being shown here and stand to win! pic.twitter.com/9mP1f9twRP
The Moto X4 that was unveiled on Sept. 2 and it is now available in Europe with a pricing of 399 euros (~$479). Lenovo had confirmed that the smartphone would be releasing in other markets like the U.S. in October. As of this writing, there is no confirmation on the Moto X4 launch date for the U.S
The Moto X4 that is driven by Snapdragon 630 sports a premium appeal with its metal unibody design. It comes in impressive colors like Sterling Blue and Super Black. The SoC of the smartphone is coupled with 4 GB of RAM and 32 GB of storage. It also includes a microSD. The handset is powered by 3,000mAh battery.
The handset features a 5.2-inch IPS LCD display that supports full HD display which is shielded by Gorilla Glass 4. The rear side of the phone features dual camera sensors that include 12-megapixel + 8-megapixel lenses. The frontside of the smartphone features a 16-megapixel selfie snapper. It is preinstalled with Android 7.1 Nougat.
Well-known leakster Evan Blass has recently claimed that Motorola is working on an Android One edition of the Moto X4. He has also stated that the handset won’t be having X4 in its moniker. It is speculated as the first Android One phone for the U.S.
A few years ago Meizu released its first set of power banks – the M10 and M8. Both have a 10,000mAh battery capacity with a beautiful two-tone design. However, only the M10 has support for fast charging. A few months ago the company released a Minion Yellow special edition of the power bank to mark the release of the Despicable Me 3 movie in China. Today it has announced the Meizu M20 Power Bank which has a similar design to the original with a few changes in addition to two-way fast charging.
Meizu M20 Design
The Meizu M20 has the same dual color design – a white half that is unique to all variants with the other part being red, green, gray or navy blue. It measures 148.5 x 75.7 x 17.5 mm.
There is still only one output port. Beside it is a micro USB input port and 4 LEDs that indicate the charge remaining. A new addition to the Meizu M20 is a power button which wasn’t present on the M8 and M10.
Meizu M20 Specs
The Meizu M20 keeps the battery capacity at 10,000mAh (Lithium-ion polymer) and supports two way fast charging. The output port can deliver up to 24W of power (5-6V/3A, 6-9V/2.6A, 9-12V/2A) while the input port supports 18W fast charge (5-9V/2A and 9-12V/1.5A). Meizu says you should be able to recharge the power bank in 3.5 hours using an 18W charger.
It also has a number of safety measures such protections against overcharging, high current and high voltage, extreme temperature and short circuiting.
As mobile devices continue to proliferate and newer products join the basket, it becomes a cumbersome task keeping all the batteries charged when they run down. Moving about with three or more chargers often times pose some problems with finding enough charging points for all the gadgets especially when you need to charge all of them at the same time. Moreover, you’ll have to deal with the problem of wires getting entangled with each other. This type of situation and others similar to this no doubt gave rise to wireless charging technology. The current crop of wireless technology is mostly based on the Qi standard and this requires placing the devices on the charging pad.
A new innovative tech is in town, developed by Pi and is said to be a truly contactless charging which can charge compatible gadgets that are some distance away. The charging device is compatible with phones, tablets, and upcoming devices from a variety of brands. It doesn’t require any cable and you do not need to put the gadget that is to be charged in contact with the Pi charging device. No more searching for the right type of cable for the right type of device.
The device comes with a cone shape and is based on the resonant induction technology present in the Qi standard, but it eliminates the need for a charging pad. The new innovative tech is able to achieve this using a beam-forming algorithm which allows the station to control and shape the direction of magnetic fields. All that needs to b done is to place the smartphone and other compatible gadgets within 30cm of the Pi station. It can charge up to four devices at the same time delivering a maximum speed of 10W. However, more gadgets can be added to the charging station but the overall charging speed will slow down as a result.
Another good thing about this technology is that it is compatible with smartphones that don’t even support wireless charging in the first place. Smartphones like the Galaxy S8, S8+, iPhone X, iPhone 8, Mate 9 and others which already support Qi-based wireless technology can be charged using the Pi charging station by placing them within range. All other smartphones that are not Qi-enabled will require a special Pi-compatible charging case.
The Pi charging station will be going on sale earlier than you might think. Pi is already accepting pre-orders for the device and it should be available sometime next year. The price isn’t certain but should fall around $200.
Samsung’s market share has been plummeting consistently in China which is the world’s largest smartphone market. After the Galaxy Note 7 fiasco, the company has been trying its best to reinstate its reputation across the world. The stupendous response for Galaxy Note 8 in South Korea and the U.S. clearly show that the customers in these countries are satisfied by the new phablet. However, the situation is quite different in China as the Chinese media is heavily criticizing the phablet.
According to a Business Korea report, the Chinese media is criticizing the Samsung’s latest flagship every day. The Chinese publications are comparing the pre-order numbers of the Galaxy Note 8 with that of iPhone 8. The iPhone 8 has received more than 4 million pre-orders in China. However, the Galaxy Note 8 has managed to receive only 20,000 pre-orders.
For pre-ordering an iPhone, customers in China do not need to make any payment. On the other side, Galaxy Note 8 customers are required to pay 100 Yuan (~$15) to pre-order it. Samsung has used this deposit system for Galaxy Note 8 pre-orders as it increases the chances of making actual purchase, claimed a representative from the South Korean company. He has also stated that the pre-orders of the Galaxy Note 8 are higher than the Note 7.
One of the major reasons behind the low pre-orders of the Note 8 could be its very high pricing. The phablet is priced at 6,988 Yuan (~$1,060) in the country. The Xiaomi Mi MIX 2 that features a bezel-less design and is powered by the Snapdragon 835 chipset carries a low pricing of 3,299 Yuan (~$501).
The implementation of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) has reportedly created an anti-South Korean sentiment among the Chinese citizens. Many consumers in the country are refraining from buying products from South Korean company such as Samsung, LG and Hyundai. This could be another reason that is affecting the sales of the Galaxy Note 8 in China.
A recent IDC research has revealed that Samsung has a market share of only 3 percent in China. In the previous year, it had a market share of 7 percent. The total market share of leading Chinese brands like Huawei, OPPO, Vivo and Xiaomi is 87 percent. Apple has a market share of 8 percent in China.
What do you think should Samsung do to become famous in China? Share us your thoughts by adding comments below.
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