New Leak Says Huawei Mate 10 Pro Will Have A f/1.6 Camera, Launch With Android Oreo

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Sep 10, 2017

A few days ago, Evan Blass of VentureBeat, released a ton of info about Huawei’s upcoming Mate 10 series. Citing marketing material provided by an insider, the details of the new Mate series further confirms some previous leaks.

Earlier, Evan Blasss had revealed via Twitter that the codenames for the Mate 10 and Mate 10 Pro are Marcel and Blanc respectively. However, the new leak mentions a third device code-named Alps.

Huawei Mate 10 Pro a.k.a Blanc

As revealed in previous leaks, Evan confirms that the Mate 10 Pro will have an 18:9 display based on its 1440 x 2880 resolution and 5.99-inch IPS LCD. It will also have 6GB of RAM paired with the new Kirin 970 and 64GB/128GB of storage.

The next interesting spec is the camera configuration. Huawei will be working with Leica again on the cameras. Blanc is said to have a 12MP + 20MP dual configuration on the rear. The sensors are said to have optically stabilized lenses with apertures comparable to the LG V30 i.e. f/1.6 aperture. We expect the 8MP front camera will also get the Leica treatment just like in the Huawei P10.

The Mate 10 Pro will have a thickness of 7.5 mm but will still manage to have a 4000mAh battery. It will also have an IP68 rating and a LTE Cat. 16 modem (what happened to the Cat. 18 modem?). The phone will be announced on October 18 but won’t ship till December with EMUI 6.0 based on Android Oreo on board.

Huawei Alps

Evan says the Mate 10 is codenamed Marcel so we don’t not know what will be Alps’ official name. Nevertheless, the phone is definitely a flagship and not a sort of Lite version of the series.

It has a 5.88-inch IPS LCD display with a 2560 x 1440 resolution. That’s a Quad HD display in the usual 16:9 aspect ratio format. Alps will also have the Kirin 970 powering it, the same camera configuration as Blanc and even the same 4000mAh battery capacity.

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Rumor Tips Xiaomi As Launching A New Notebook Alongside Mi MIX 2

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Sep 10, 2017

Xiaomi is set to officially unveil the Mi Mix 2 tomorrow and we already know the tech giant will also take the wraps off the Mi Note 3 on the same day. There are indications that Xiaomi will also launch a new laptop on that same day. The rumor tips the laptop as known as Mi Notebook Pro.

The Mi Notebook Pro is billed to come with a larger display which sits at 15.6 inches but this is still unconfirmed. The device recently received its 3C certification which is usually for the charger. It shows the Notebook comes with 20V/2.25A or 20V/3.25A power adapter and theoretically, the maximum power supply of this configuration is 45W or 65W respectively. From this, it is likely that this machine is not a gaming laptop because the high-end requirements of games would require an 80W or higher power adapter. In addition, the 3C notification shows that this notebook supports 4G mobile network.

Further details which have also emerged shows the Xiaomi Notebook Pro will support fingerprint recognition and 1080 Full HD screen. The Notebook will be powered by a dual core i78550U and i58250U processor coupled with 16 GB of RAM and 256 GB of internal memory. It also will run on Windows 10 and come with in-built MX 150 GPU with a 2G graphic capacity. We’ll get to know better if the device is indeed officially unveiled tomorrow.

(source)

LeEco’s Official U.S. Website Suddenly Shut Down

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Sep 10, 2017

LeEco is in the news once again and unfortunately, it is still not about the rebound of the company’s fortunes. Just recently, LeEco’s U.S office complex was photographed by a reported showing lots of empty office spaces with just a few workers left of what started out as a buzzing outfit hoping to make its mark in the lucrative U.S market. Now the U.S division of LeEco has suddenly taken down its official website. The web address www.leeco.com now redirects to the Chinese version and even when the www.leeco.com/us is entered, it displays a page showing the website is temporarily unavailable.

LeEco’s U.S website went online last year when the company launched its first products in the U.S. Specifically, it has been 11 months since that launch which took place in October last year. Since then, the company has been offering up its products like smartphones, TV and a few other services but has been struggling with the sales with the company shedding off some of its liabilities and chose to focus on a much smaller Chinese market with its products and internet services.

The company disclosed that the shutdown was made in order to carry out maintenance on the website and that it would be back online on September 15 which is this coming Friday. However, the shutdown is a reflection of the level of relevance of the website to LeEco. It is unusual for a tech company to shut down its website for a week-long maintenance, especially a sales website. But then, LeEco is all embroiled in financial difficulties and this may likely noyt be unconnected to that. We still do hope the company stages a comeback sometime soon.

Huawei Working On A Phone Code-named Rhone, Will Feature Dual Front and Rear Facing Cameras

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Sep 9, 2017

The Mate 10 series seem to be the focus of Chinese manufacturer, Huawei. However a new rumor on Weibo says the world’s second largest smartphone manufacturer is working on a new phone code-named Rhone.

Huawei Rhone

The info about Rhone at the moment is that the phone will have dual front and rear facing cameras. This is not unusual in a phone. There is the Alcatel Flash and the Gionee S10 but this will be Huawei’s first.

The Huawei Rhone is also said to be powered by the Kirin 659 processor, and will have a 3240mAh battery. That is as much as we know about the phone at the moment.

Continue

Leak Reveals The Moto X4 Will Have An Android One Variant

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Sep 9, 2017

When I first saw this leak, the scenario below played in my head:

Xiaomi Mi A1 – I am the Android One phone with the best specs.
Moto X4 – Hold my beer!

Yes, it appears the Moto X4 will have an Android One variant according to the leak from Evan Blass.

Well isn't this interesting… pic.twitter.com/QrC8bJz1pX

— Evan Blass (@evleaks) September 9, 2017

The Moto X4 was announced a week ago in Berlin at IFA. It marks the revival of the X series which used to be Motorola’s flagship but was replaced with the Moto Z last year.

Although it is no longer a flagship phone, the specs of the Moto X4 put it firmly in the upper mid-range category. It has a 5.2-inch 1080p display, 3GB of RAM and is powered by the Snapdragon 630 processor. It also has an IP68 rating, dual rear cameras, and a premium glass body. And let’s not forget, like other Motorola phones, it runs stock Android with some Moto additions.

Moto X4

Now why would Google want to put stock Android on a device that already runs stock Android? Beats us as it feels redundant. The only plausible reason is that the Android One Moto X4 will be available in countries and regions where the Xiaomi Mi A1 isn’t such as the US, Canada, Brazil and West Africa.

Continue

Meizu VP Reveals Blue Charm Line, Says Full-Screen Phone Will Be Priced At About ¥3000 (~$463)

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Sep 9, 2017

Meizu’s Blue Charm line became a stand-alone company a few months ago. Its latest smartphone, the M6 Note is said to have even overshadowed the main flagship, the Meizu Pro 7. Both phones have taken a different approach to the current trend of full-screen displays. The Meizu Pro 7 sports two displays and the M6 Note is one of the company’s few devices that ticks all the right boxes. Does that mean Meizu won’t release a full-screen smartphone? VP Li Nan answered that in a recent interview.

Meizu VP Li Nan — Li Nan, VP of Blue Charm Brand

The Meizu top executive had said in a previous interview that the current trend of full-screen smartphones is the future. He added that the ideal form for full-screen smartphones hasn’t been reached as there is still an issue with the position of the front camera which can’t be removed as no one will be willing to buy a phone without a front camera.

We guess he’s referring to a completely bezel-less design where only the screen occupies the front. For the issue with the front camera, the only possible solution is to adopt the camera design of the Honor 7i, where the rear camera can be lifted up and used as a front camera.

Mr. Li Nan then announced that Blue Charm will launch a full-screen device next year with a price tag of about ¥3000 (~$463) before releasing lower priced ones.

Is the ¥3000 full-screen phone the mblu Zero we saw a few days ago in a teaser poster? No it isn’t. Meizu’s head of global marketing, Ard Boudeling, took to Twitter today to say the image isn’t genuine and isn’t from them. He also confirmed that the company is indeed working on a bezel-less device set for a 2018 launch.

Yes, we're working on a bezel-less Meizu device. Coming next year.

No, this image is not real. It's not from us. https://t.co/AdVrh7CrFW

— Ard Boudeling (@ArdCB) September 9, 2017

Ending the interview, Li Nan disclosed that Blue Charm phones will fall into four major categories:

Blue Charm X – this will be the flagship series
Blue Charm E – the E series will be targeted at the youth and business class. It will be priced at over a ¥1000 (~$154). The Meizu E2 belongs to this category
Blue Charm Note – this is the note series and the main line of the company. Pricing will be pegged at ¥1,000 (~$154).
Blue Charm base series – this category covers the other Meizu phones such as the U and non-note M series.

(Source)

Live Images of Mi Note 3 Retail Box Leaks, Confirms Snapdragon 660 Processor

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Sep 9, 2017

Barely 24 hours after we covered the leaked specification details of the Mi Note 3, live images of its retail box have been posted online. The pictures posted on Twitter by @mmddj_china confirm some of the specs revealed yesterday, key being the choice of processor.

The retail box is black and is sealed, so this is probably a unit shipped out to licensed retailers ahead of the launch or a unit from Xiaomi’s own store. The design isn’t fancy like that of previous Mi phones. It doesn’t even have an image of the phone on it. The only other phone we have seen with a similar retail box is the Redmi Note 5A.

pic.twitter.com/9rSZ4rEHni

— 萌萌的电教 (@MMDDJ_) September 9, 2017

The second image which shows the back of of the box is where the action is. The most important detail is the processor which is listed as Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 660 mobile platform. Other key details mentioned include the RAM and storage which are 6GB and 128GB respectively.

[envira-gallery id=”148487″]

The retail box also confirms that the Mi Note 3 will have a 16MP front facing camera, dual rear cameras and a glass body. It will also ditch the 3.5 mm audio jack as there is a Type-C to audio jack adapter in the box.

Continue

Lowest Price Ever! Get OnePlus 5 for just $399.99! (limited stock: only 30 units)

By

Linus

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Sep 9, 2017

Each year OnePlus manages to create a huge hype about their upcoming smartphone and they did that again with their OnePlus 5. This is the most mature, the most powerful and the most expensive OnePlus the company has ever made. You can now get it for just $399.99! (limited stock: only 30 units) from Gearbest which sounds like a bargain since the phone sells for a much higher price on the official store. Use the COUPON: PLONGB at the checkout.

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-kWCLbAzv-A[/embedyt]

When it comes to hardware, the OnePlus 5 is one of the most powerful phones the money can buy.

I have a 6GB of RAM and 64GB of storage model but if you pay extra, you can get a phone with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of non-expandable storage.

When it comes to optics, we have one of the most powerful setups that are available on the market, well, at least on paper. The OnePlus 5 sports one 16MP shooter with f/1.7 aperture lens and EIS that is based on the gyroscope sensor. There is another 20MP camera with f/2.6 aperture lens, phase detection autofocus, 2x optical zoom and dual-LED flash.

Other key specs include a fast and accurate fingerprint scanner, super fast Dash charge technology, 5.5” 1080p AMOLED display and Android 7.1 out of the box.

You can now get it for just $399.99! (limited stock: only 30 units) from Gearbest which sounds like a bargain since the phone sells for a much higher price on the official store.

Use the COUPON: PLONGB at the checkout.

Buy OnePlus using a COUPON: PLONGB

Buy OnePlus using a COUPON: PlusKH4G

ASUS X018D Mid-Ranger Benchmarked With a 5-Inch 18:9 Screen

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Sep 9, 2017

Taiwanese electronics giant seems to have got a new device in the works and it has recently been spotted on benchmark website GFXbench. The device was only listed with the model number ASUS X018D and packs a specs lineup which places it in the mid-range category.

The ASUS A018D features a 5-inch display with a resolution of 1440 x 720pixels (HD+) and an aspect ratio. The phone is powered by a MediaTek MT6750T which was released last year and falls in the same category as the Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 chipset. The chip is a 64-bit processor with eight Cortex-A53 cores and maximum clock frequency of 1.5GHz. The processor is backed by a 3GB RAM and there is 32GB of internal storage on the device but there is no indication if it is expandable or not.

The ASUS X018D is listed as having a single SIM slot which is quite surprising, considering that dual SIM phones are the trend for a long time running, at least in the major markets like China and India. Well, expect the app failed to detect a second SIM slot. Further, the ASUS model packs a 16MP rear camera with LED Flash, autofocus, face detection and HDR support and at the front, there is an 8MP sensor. The device also comes with a host of sensors, including NFC and runs on Android 7.0 Nougat OS.

(source)

Video Display of Azdome GS65H Parking Monitor Function

By

Linus

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Sep 8, 2017

Dash cam is familiar to most drivers, such a small device helps us record every day’s driving route, and meanwhile, solves many traffic accident dispute for us. In addition to the basic function of recording, dash cam manufacturers also set parking monitor as one of the standard features, and Azdome, of course, is no exception.

It is known that all dash cams launched by Azdome are equipped with 24-hour parking monitor function to ensure 24-hour monitoring. Such as DAB211 with Ambarella A12 chip and dual lens dash cam GS65H.

Azdome announced a video of parking monitor, we can see from the video that Azdome GS65H will start and record the video automatically if there is any collision or vibration, and the recording file will also be saved and locked for us to find conveniently, and if the car is destroyed, the video can also be used as evidence for compensation.

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yM74GKVTHNQ[/embedyt]

GS65H will shut off by itself after the car is off when the car suffers the knock, the parking monitor function will be activated and record the video automatically, and will shut off automatically after recording for some time. As there is low power consumption of the GS65H battery in power off state, the built-in 450 mAH polymer lithium battery can easily meet the requirement of 24-hour parking monitor function.

Learn more about GS65H

Xiaomi Mi Note 3 Configuration Leaks, Packs Snapdragon 660 Processor and 6GB RAM

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Sep 8, 2017

Earlier today it was revealed that the Xiaomi Mi Note 3 will be announced alongside the Mi MIX 2, in a fashion similar to last year. Although there is still a few days from the launch date (September 11), we won’t have to wait till then before knowing the specification details of the Mi Note 3, as they have been leaked online.

The teaser poster for the Mi Note 3 launch shows Xiaomi’s brand ambassador for the Mi 5X, Wu Yifan, holding a dual camera phone that looks like the Mi 6. So

According to the leaked specs, the Mi Note 3 will have a 5.5-inch display. Not only is it smaller than the 5.7-inch display of the Mi Note 2, there is no mention of it being curved.

Since there is no Snapdragon 836, most folks will expect the Mi Note 3 to come with the Snapdragon 835. Sorry, to disappoint but that won’t be happening if these specifications are true. Instead, Xiaomi has settled for the next chip in line, the Snapdragon 660 mobile platform. As consolation, it will keep the 6GB of RAM.

The Mi Note 3 will be available in either 64GB or 128GB variants, though, there is no mention of a MicroSD card slot. Since the display has been cut down, Xiaomi has also decided to shave off the battery capacity to 3500mAh but have added Quick Charge 4.0 support. We hope it comes with a supported charger.

The Mi Note 3 will also come with dual rear cameras. The cameras will be the same configuration as that of the Mi 6. So you get two 12MP cameras in the wide-angle lens + telephoto lens configuration. The front camera is said to be a 16MP sensor.

Continue

Third Batch of MIUI 9 Developer ROM Open Beta Released

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Sep 8, 2017

Xiaomi has announced the roll out of the third batch of MIUI 9 Developer ROM for models not already captured in the first and second batches. This update is for the China ROM and this should be the open beta since Xiaomi had already rolled out the closed beta to its beta testers a few weeks back. To get the update, users of the models getting the update whose phones are installed with MIUI 8 Developer ROM will get direct OTA upgrade to MIUI 9. On the other hand, those running MIUI 8 Stable version will need to head over to the MIUI official website and apply for unlocking of the ROM. They’ll then manually download MIUI 9 and then flash the ROM into their model. In this case, they’ll need to back up personal data to avoid loss of important documents.

The list of models for the third batch of MIUI 9 closed Beta update include; Mi 3, Mi Note 3, Mi Note 2 / 2S, Mi Pad 3, Mi Pad 2, Mi Pad 1, Redmi Pro, Redmi Note 4X-MediaTek version, Redmi Note 4 (all versions), Redmi Note 3S / 3X, Redmi Note 3 (all versions), Redmi Note 2 (all versions), Redmi Note (all versions), Redmi Note 1S, and Redmi Note 1. This update is reputed to be the largest group update Xioami has ever done but there are still a few models whose upgrade will be delayed a little in order to fix some issues.

Xiaomi had already released MIUI 9 Closed Beta updates for the Xiaomi Mi 6, Mi 5X, and Redmi Note Note 4X (Qualcomm version) in the first instance. Later on the Mi MIX, Mi Note 2, Mi 5, Mi 5s, Mi 5s Plus, Mi 5c, Mi Max 2, Mi Max, Mi 4S, Mi 4c, Mi Note Pro, and Redmi 4X were among the second batch of models that got updates recently. The tech giant is expected to unveil the stable ROM by October. So, if you don’t have any idea how to root your device or flash a ROM, it is not advisable to attempt flashing the ROM because the phone can get permanently damaged. In such situation, it is best to wait for the stable ROM to drop in October.

(source)

Unlocked Galaxy S8 Active May Release Soon As SM-G892U Gets Wi-Fi Certification

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Sep 8, 2017

The Samsung Galaxy S8 Active was launched earlier this month in the U.S. The smartphone that has a model number of SM-G892A is exclusively selling through AT&T in the country. It appears that the South Korean company may gearing up for releasing the Galaxy S8 Active globally as a Samsung handset with model number SM-G892U has received Wi-Fi Alliance (WFA) certification.

Unlocked Galaxy S8 Active Wi-Fi Alliance Certification

Read More: Samsung Galaxy Note 8 Durability Tests; Find Out Whether it Fails Tests for Scratch, Burn and Bend

The SM-G892U was certified yesterday and since the model number is very similar to that of Galaxy S8 Active. The presence of “U” in the model number indicates that it could be an unlocked version of the Galaxy S8 Active.

The South Korean company has always sold the Active variants of the Galaxy S series exclusively through AT&T in the U.S. The Galaxy S6 Active (SM-890A) and Galaxy S7 Active (SM-891A) were sold only through AT&T in the U.S. However, the WFA certification of SM-892U suggests that Samsung may soon debut the first Active edition of its Galaxy S lineup.

There is no information available on the release date of the alleged unlocked Galaxy S8 Active. However, since it is Wi-Fi certified, its arrival may not be far away. Like the S8 Active, its unlocked edition will be coming with same specs as Galaxy S8 but may come with a different design.

It is expected to feature a MIL-STF-810G and IP68 certified full metallic body instead of glass chassis. Instead of full screen display, it is likely to feature a 5.8-inch S-AMOLED screen with Quad HD resolution and house a larger battery of 4,000mAh capacity. It is expected to feature Snapdragon 835 chipset, 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB of storage. The Galaxy S8 Active is available in unique colors like Meteor Gray and Tungsten Gold. The unlocked edition of the phone may feature the same two colors.

Will you be interested in buying an unlocked version of the Galaxy S8 Active? Share us your thoughts by adding your comments below.

(via)

Meizu’s Li Nan Reveals Bezel-less Phone Will Meet With Us Next Year

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Sep 8, 2017

The smartphone industry is presently witnessing a proliferation of bezel-less full-screen phones and it is a trend that has caught up with almost all major OEMs in the industry. Those that are yet to get on the train are either about to launch their’s or are still working on their own models. Meizu seems to be one of those still working on its bezel-less smartphone. The idea of a Meizu phone has been in the news for a while now and very recently, a bezel-less Meizu mBlu Zero was spotted online only revealing a part of the bezel-less display.

The Meizu mBlu Zero looks like a device from the Blue Charm product line which has been repositioned and has the premium M6 Note as its first model after the restructuring of the entire Meizu brand. The name very well suggests the device will be in the Blue Charm line and so, it wasn’t very surprising when Meizu’s Li Nan responded to the rumored mBlu device.

For the avoidance of doubt, Li Nan is the President of the Meizu Blue Charm division and he did confirm that they are working on a full-screen phone and it would be released next year. This is coming as an interesting piece of information because Meizu has repeatedly denied they were working on a full-screen phone when the rumor first emerged.

(source)

Google Said To Be In Final Stage Of Negotiation Of HTC Acquisition

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Sep 8, 2017

Before Lenovo acquired Motorola, the American company was owned by Google. Even though the period of ownership was a short one, it marked a turn around for Motorola as that was the time Motorola released the Moto G, Moto X, Moto E and Moto 360 which brought the company back its lost glory. Report has it that Google may want to perform its magic again on HTC, another dying phone giant.

HTC has faced a steady decline in the last couple of years. Its financial report says last month (August) was its worst in 13 years. The Taiwanese giant suffered a 51.5% drop in revenue compared to the previous month. That’s really bad and it appears it will continue to decline seeing as the company has no new phone in the pipeline.

Chinese media, Commercial Times, says Google is in “final stage of negotiation” with respect to HTC’s smartphone business. The search giant is considering either becoming a strategic partner or buying the smartphone unit entirely.

The result of the outcome of the negotiation is still unknown but one thing we can agree on is that Google needs its own hardware company if it plans to take on Apple. HTC has partnered with Google multiple times. It made the Google Nexus One, the Nexus 9 and the Pixel. It is also the company making the Pixel 2. So its fair enough to say that Google trusts their manufacturing capabilities.

You may be wondering why Google didn’t just stick to Motorola instead. Reports say the Motorola acquisition was for one key reason – to acquire its patents and keep them from competitors such as Apple and Microsoft.

Continue

New Water-Based Batteries that Does Not Explode Being Tested by Researchers

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Sep 8, 2017

One of the smartphone components that can explode on overheating is the battery. The very streamline design of the Galaxy Note 7 and its faulty battery caused those phablets to explode because of which Samsung had to carry out global recall. Hence, smartphone OEMs carry out numerous quality tests on the battery to ensure total safety to the user. Some companies are also researching on new technologies that can prevent exploding risks on batteries. A team of researchers from the University of Maryland are working on a water-based battery and have published their research in the journal Joule.

Smartphones usually make use of lithium-ion batteries that contain electrolytes that assist in moving ions between electrodes. Since these electrolytes are made from organic chemicals, they may ignite under some conditions. Water-based electrolytes that are fireproof do exist, but they are not very powerful since water is not very reactive in nature.

The researchers have devised lithium-ion batteries that makes use of water in place of organic chemicals. Moreover, these batteries are as powerful as tis organic chemical counterpart and they do not explode. The electrodes of these new batteries contain a coating that does not degrade when it comes in contact with water-based electrolyte. These newly developed batteries function better than the already existing water-based batteries.

There is one major issue associated with the new kind of battery is that it can only function for around 70 cycles. Batteries that are required for smartphones should have longer life of around 500 cycles. Hence, the researchers need to clear the next hurdle so the battery can be used on daily devices.

Once the above obstacle is cleared, we may soon see smartphones with water-based batteries. All the technical details of their research can be found in the source link.

(source|via)

Nokia 9 Concept Video Shows Off Its Thin Bezels & Dual Cameras

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Sep 8, 2017

HMD Global announced the Nokia 8 which is its first flagship Android phone since the return of the brand, about three weeks back. Th device featured a Snapdragon 835 processor as well as a Carl Zeiss camera among others. However, the Nokia 8’s design left some fans disappointed due to its close semblance to Nokia’s previous mid-range Nokia 6 which also looked like the Nokia 5 and Nokia 3. Apart from the dual cameras at the rear and a couple of other features, the Nokia 8 doesn’t look too spectacular for a flagship, it’s first at that.

Well, no need seething about the Nokia 9, just look forward to the next flagship Nokia 9. There is no chance we’d be seeing that anytime soon because the Nokia 8 is yet to even full roll out and go up for sale. But a Nokia 9 Concept video has popped up online cooked up by Concept Creators. The Concept video reveals a device with very thin bezels with side bezels completely absent. The Nokia 9 Concept also features a curved glass on top of its display. This gives the sides of the phone some bit of curvature and that is easily noticeable in the provided video. The Nokia 9 in question also doesn’t have any buttons up at the front as it features on-screen keys. The capacitive keys are all located on the right side of the device.

The Nokia 9 Concept suggests that Nokia may likely continue its parley with Carl Zeiss on the Nokia 9 as it features a vertically aligned 13MP dual camera setup on the back (Zeiss’ optics) with dual-tone LED flash just below the cameras. There is also a 3.5mm headphone jack located at the very top while it uses the Type-C port located on the bottom edge. You can check out other features from the Concept video below.

Apple Rules in Market Share in China as Samsung Slips to Sixth Position

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Sep 8, 2017

Samsung has been consistently losing market share in China. A new market survey has revealed that the South Korean company market share has dropped to such an extent it is on the sixth position in the list of top smartphone brands in China. The market trend in the country shows that customers prefer buying cheaper smartphones from local brands.

According to the Korea International Trade Association (KITA), Samsung has sold 48 million smartphones by the second quarter of this year. Apple is holding the first position with shipments of 171 million iPhones by Q2 2017.

The positions from second through fifth are occupied by smartphone OEMs from China. Huawei is sitting on the second place with shipments of 132 million units. The third position belongs to OPPO with a market share of 124 million units in the same quarter. Vivo and Xiaomi are respectively on the fourth and fifth position with market share of 108 and 68 million units in Q2 2017.

It has been found that around 63 percent smartphones that have been sold in China in the same quarter are low or mid-range devices that are priced less than 2,999 Yuan (~$305). Only 6.4 percent smartphone users in China invested in buying a 4,000 Yuan or higher premium phones, out of which Apple accounted for an absolute majority.

The market survey has also revealed that 50 percent of OPPO phones are bought by youth aging between 16 and 25 in China. However, only 25 percent users of OPPO and Vivo phones have said that they are interested in buying phones from the same brand again. Apple iPhone owners seem to be satisfied with their smartphones as 53.4 percent of its users that would an iPhone again. Buyers of Samsung phones seem to be disappointed as only 7.2 percent its users in China have shown interest in choosing the same brand again for their next smartphone.

Since the launch of iPhone 6, Samsung has failed to compete with iPhones with its Galaxy S or Note series phones. Since then, Samsung has stopped rivaling Apple as the latter has become a customer of the South Korean company for items like displays, chipsets and memory units. Despite poor track record in China since a couple of years, Samsung still holds the numero uno position in the second quarter 2017 across the world.

(source|via)

Apple iPhone Edition Specifications Yet to be Finalized?

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Sep 8, 2017

The Apple iPhone Edition (aka iPhone Pro or iPhone X) is speculated as the upcoming OLED panel enabled smartphone that will be arriving coming with some advanced specs. There have been mixed rumors on the launch and availability of the smartphone. A recent report has revealed that the specifications of the alleged iPhone Edition have not been finalized yet.

An anonymous representative from Apple’s local supplier has revealed that the shipments of the 2017 iPhones began from late August. He added that its firm has not received exact details on the supply volume as Apple is still finalizing on the specifications of the forthcoming iPhone that will feature an OLED panel.

Apple has already sent out its official invitation to the media on the upcoming launch event that will be held on Sept. 12. However, since most of the parts suppliers have begun with the shipments recently, the rumor mill is speculating that the OLED iPhone’s release would be delayed to November.

Another unnamed source has said that even if Apple debuts the OLED iPhone in the next week, it may be made available in very limited quantity. This prediction sounds similar to what KGI Securities analyst, Ming-Chi Kuo had claimed earlier. According to Kuo, the iPhone Edition would be launching in limited quantity of around 2 to 4 million in September.

The iPhone 8 and 8 Plus (previously referred as iPhone 7S and 7S Plus) that are expected to debut next week are expected to arrive with LCD panels. Reports have revealed that the supply chain start shipping the LCD panels from June so that the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus could become available in the market as soon as their unveiled.

Samsung Display is the sole supplier of OLED panels for the iPhone Edtion. LG Display is providing LCD panels for the rumored iPhone 8 and 8 Plus smartphones. The same source that has been mentioned has claimed that some of the partner of Apple are of the view that the iPhone revenue will almost grow twofold this year. The upcoming launch event could be the very first time for Apple to debut three iPhones at the same time. A previous report has stated the upcoming iPhones may turn Apple into a trillion-dollar company.

Rumor have it that the 2017 iPhones would be available on pre-orders on Sept. 15. And the new iPhones would be available at the stores by Sept. 22. According to Tony Sacconaghi, an analyst with Bernstein, if the arrival of iPhone X gets delayed by three weeks, buyers may switch to a smartphone from a different manufacturer.

(source 1, 2)

Alleged Huawei Mate 10 Pro Live Images Appear to Reveal its Full Screen Design

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Sep 8, 2017

Huawei’s Mate series flagship is slated to get announced on Oct. 16. Releasing smartphones with full screen design has been the trend this year. Huawei too is expected to debut its first full screen design on the Mate 10 Pro. Two leaked images of the Huawei Mate 10 Pro have appeared to show how beautiful its screen will be.

Recent reports have revealed that the Huawei Mate 10 will be sporting a regular display, but the Mate 10 Pro will be an advanced model that will feature full screen design. The first image that we have here has ultra-thin bezels. The top and bottom bezels are also thin.

The bottom bezel houses a Huawei logo. The second image is also reveals the same full screen design and it is much clearer than the first image. It shows the different apps that will be present on the device. Readers should be aware of the fact that there is no way to confirm whether these images are authentic.

Huawei CEO, Richard Yu had claimed in the recent past that the Mate 10 will be an almost bezel-free offering, devoid of any Home button. Probably he is talking about the Mate 10 Pro smartphone. A leaked shot showing the full screen design front panel of the alleged Mate 10 Pro has also appeared earlier in this week.

Reports have revealed that the Mate 10 will have a front-facing Home button and the Mate 10 Pro with bezel-less design will have a rear-mounted fingerprint reader. Rumors have that the Mate 10 Pro will be coming with a large-sized IPS LCD display of 6.3 inches that will deliver a resolution of 2,960 x 1,440 pixels. It is speculated to deliver an aspect ratio of 18:9.

The Kirin 970 chipset will be powering the Huawei Mate 10 Pro along with the 6 GB of RAM. It is speculated to house a dual camera system on its rear that is expected to include a 20-megapixel sensor and a 12-megapixel sensor.

The Huawei Mate 10 renders video that had surfaced earlier in this week features a Home button on the bottom bezel. The details that had surfaced along with the renders suggested that the Mate 10 has a 5.9-inch display and it measures 150.2 x 77.5 x 8.4 mm. The renders reveal presence of 3.5mm audio jack and a USB-C port.

(source 1,2)