Grab Your Oreo Or Oatmeal Cookies For The Android O Launch Tomorrow

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Aug 19, 2017

At the end of 2016, retail giant, Amazon, opened an unmanned convenience store that you could just walk into, pick up what you wanted and walk out. No cashiers, no queues. Payment was charged from your Account later. Amazon said it is the future of shopping and called it Amazon Go.

So far, the Amazon Go store in Seattle is the only one in operation for now. However, in far away China, tech companies small and big are embracing the unmanned store concept.

BingoBox, a tech-startup based in Guandong has about a dozen scattered across China for a trial operation. The unmanned stores are open 24 hours a day and work pretty much like Amazon Go. The store in Shanghai is stocked with items supplied by Auchan, a French supermarket.

Entrance is allowed by facial recognition making sure that only customers are allowed in. This arrangement means users will require an account that has their picture before hand. There are a plethora of cameras and sensors that identify the items in your shopping basket.

The cameras scan your face again on your way out and then charge your WeChat wallet account as you walk out. BingoBox says the plan is to have 5000 stores across China in about a year.

Alibaba is one of the big names giving the unmanned store concept a shot. Last month it announced its TaoCafe unmanned shop. TaoCafe works the same way as above and can even identify if you have put the shopped items into your bag already.

It also launched a new Grocery chain called Hema (pronounced Homer) which has 13 stores in major cities including Beijing and Shanghai.

Hema is said to be a mix of an offline and online retail experience. You sign up for a Hema membership via your AliPay or Taobao account and you can decide to shop, dine and order groceries with your phone. Payments are made via Alipay.

You can also walk into the store for a physical experience. The items on sale have barcodes that you scan with the app to reveal their prices and product information. Doing that will bring up suggestions of similar items. So you may be lucky to find the same product under a different brand for a lesser price.

Hema also has a live seafood section which seems to be its biggest attraction. You handpick what you want and can even have it prepared for you there. You can watch a video of the Hema store experience here.

The Nokia 8 Will Sell For Less In Europe Than Previously Announced

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Aug 19, 2017

HMD Global announced a few days ago its first Android-powered flagship, the Nokia 8. The Nokia 8 was announced with a price tag of about €600 but retailers are selling it for a little less.

In Germany, the Nokia 8 can be gotten for €577 on O2 and €579 on Mobilcom Debitel. If you pre-order it from O2, you also get a free Nokia Steel smartwatch worth €129.95.

Russian mobile operator, Megafon has the Nokia 8 in all the four color variants for 39,990 Rubles (∼€577) when you pre-order it. Depending on where you purchase it, you should get it for about €20 less than the announced price. Do note that the above prices are for the 4GB RAM + 64GB model.

The Nokia 8 has a 5.3-inch 2560 x 1440 display. It comes with either 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage or 6GB RAM + 128GB ROM.

The highlight of the phone is its dual 13MP rear cameras with Carl Zeiss lens, OIS, PDAF and laser focus. Up front is another 13MP rear camera for selfies and bothies. The phone also has a feature called Nokia Ozo Audio that includes 360° surround sound when you record and preserves it even after uploading to social media channels.

Patent Reveals Motorola Is Working On A Self-Healing Display

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Aug 19, 2017

The Moto Z2 Force was released last month and it brings new features such as dual rear cameras, a faster processor and Motorola’s signature ShatterShield display.

The ShatterShield display was first announced a couple of years ago in the DROID Turbo 2. Instead of using glass substrate for the display, Motorola swapped it for a plastic substrate that prevents the screen from damage when it hits the ground.

The ShatterShield display on the the Moto Z2 Force has gotten negative reviews due to the fact that it is easily prone to scratches. Motorola plans to change that and is reported to be working on a display that heals itself. This reminds us of the LG G Flex‘ self-healing back.

Motorola has been granted a patent for a smart glass technology that uses a “memory” glass-like polymer that remembers its original shape and reverts back to it. The interesting part is that it isn’t just a hardware process. The software side includes the phone detecting if there is a crack on the screen, prompting a healing process, and when accepted begins the repair.

Xiaomi Launches The Free Tie Leather Shoes Priced At 199 Yuan (~$30)

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Aug 19, 2017

Xiaomi continues to expand its product catalog under the MIJIA brand which has a rich array of products that attends to all aspects of our needs. The MIJIA sub-brand has now launched a new pair of leather shoes which adopts the moniker Free Tie Leather shoes. The pair of fashionable shoes maintains Xiaomi’s build quality and moderate pricing. It is just 199 Yuan (around $30) and is open for funding on Mi Home.

The Free Tie Leather shoe comes with a thickened first layer covering made of Nappa leather. Nappa leather is the general term for particularly soft, chrome tanned smooth leather of all animal skin types.So what you get is a soft outer body which contains ventilation pores for air to enter into the shoes and the spongy insole ensures it is comfortable to put om. The shoe is to a great extent completely handmade. It also has a cup-shaped rubber outer sole which protects against wear and tear. The outsole doesn’t have thread marks so it will leave no print on the floor, yet is non-slippery.

Internally, the leather shoe is built to provide a comfortable wear as it uses highly elastic polyurethanes (PU) skin on the inside which is soft and clings well to the feet. The shoe comes with LED light and also comes with a chip which functions as a sensor as well as Bluetooth 4.0. We can’t say what the function is but it can pair with the Smart Home app on a smartphone running Android 4.4 and iOS 8.0 or higher.

In addition, it comes in white and black colors and is available in different sizes. Males have a wider range of sizes from 39-45 while the female sizes are from size 35- 39. The shoe is also super light with a weight of just 9.6g.

Coolpad Set To Also Launch The Cool Play 6 In Dubai on August 20

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Aug 19, 2017

Coolpad is all set to launch the mid-range Cool Play 6 in Dubai on August 20 and to this end, invitations have been sent out to the media already. This is against the backdrop of the company launching the same smartphone in India on that same day, as revealed in an earlier invitation. This new disclosure could be seen as a bid by the company to gradually expand into new markets and it has so far been enjoying a good reception in markets outside China where it exists such as India. This is perhaps due to LeEco’s build quality which their phones come with.

The Coolpad Cool Play 6 isn’t a new smartphone per se because it has already been launched in China a couple of months back so we know its design and specifications. The Cool Play 6 comes with a hardware lineup which backs claims that it is a gaming smartphone. Its specs include a 5.5-inch display and a 64-bit Octa-core Snapdragon 653 processor accompanied by 6GB of RAM and 64GB of storage space. The mid-range device also comes with a dual camera setup which is comprised of a 13MP Sony sensor combining with a monochrome sensor while there is an 8MP sensor for selfies. A large non-removable 4,060mAh battery also joins the mix, promising hours of usage.

We can’t tell the price Coolpad will slam on the Cool Play 6 in the Middle East market but it launched with a price tag of 1499 Yuan ($217).

(via)

Gionee M2018 Appears on TENAA, Looks Nearly Like The M2017

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Aug 18, 2017

Remember the Gionee M2017? The dual-curved luxury smartphone with a 7000mAh battery and a $1000 starting price? It is getting a successor this year and it is called the Gionee M2018.

The M2018 has been seen on TENAA. Unfortunately, only images are available and it shows a device that looks almost identical to the M2017 save for some few changes.

First the M2018 has a single rear camera and not dual sensors like its predecessor. Also the LED flash is circular and not a quadrilateral. Other differences on the back include the type of leather material used and the color of the antenna lines which are black instead of white.

The sides are also different. On the Gionee M2018, the left hand side where the SIM tray sits is plain. The right side has the volume rocker, power button and nothing else. That means the M2018 will either have its SIM tray at the top or the bottom.

The front of the phone is slightly different too. The distance between the earpiece and sensor is smaller. Apart from that, the rest of the design seems to be the same. There is still a fingerprint scanner buried under the home button and the display is still curved.

Other details the TENAA listing reveals include support for LTE networks and dual SIM, and an August 14 certification issue date.

The M2017 launched as a luxury smartphone with mostly flagship specs except for the mid-range Snapdragon 653 mobile platform inside it. It has a 5.7-inch 2K AMOLED display, 6GB of RAM and a more than sufficient 7000mAh battery.

Yotaphone 3 Official Prices Listed, Starts At 2,398 Yuan (~$360)

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Aug 18, 2017

Yota came into the limelight when it announced the Yotaphone prototype in 2012 which was heralded as the world’s first dual-screen smartphone. The device featured a secondary display located at the rear which uses e-ink and stays on permanently. The Yotaphone 2 took over the reins in 2014 with improved specs and a similar e-ink display. The Yotaphone 3 has also been announced earlier this year by the company with some of its specs already out in the open except for e retail price. Now, the Yotaphone 3 price tags have been listed on the company’s official website in China.

According to the listing, the Yotaphone 3 will come in two storage variants and two colours. There will be a 64GB storage variant and a higher 128GB variant and both versions will be available in White and Black. In both instances, the Black variant is 100 Yuan higher than the white variant. Specifically, the 64GB White version comes in at 2,398 Yuan (~$360) while the black one will cost 2,498 Yuan (around $375). However, there is no word yet on when the device will go on sale since the links show there is no stock yet.

On the other hand, the higher-end version with 128GB storage costs 3,098 Yuan (around $465) for the one with a white paintjob and 3,198 Yuan (around $480) for the black colored models.

Apart from packing a similar secondary display on previous models, the Yota 3 sports a 5.5-inch Full HD AMOLED display at the front and a 5.2-inch E-ink display at the rear. The device is powered by a Snapdragon 625 processor (so many mid-range phones with SD 625, what happened to SD 660?). The processor is backed by 4GB of RAM and as stated there is a 64GB storage and 128GB storage variant. Both variants have space for microSD card. Keeping the lights on will be a 3200mAh battery while the photography aspect is piloted by a 13MP front camera and 12MP rear camera. The phone comes with USB Type-C port.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 5A To Feature A Front-Facing Soft Flash

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Aug 18, 2017

Xiaomi has already revealed that it would be launching the Redmi Note 5A in an online conference that would hold at 19.30 on August 21 in China, with company’s president Lin Bin as the host. The device has over the past month been a frequent visitor on leaks and had even appeared on TENAA but not all the features are known. Today, yet another feature of the Redmi Note 5A has been teased by Xiaomi showing that the budget device will feature a soft flash along with its front-facing camera.

This will likely make the Redmi Note 5A Xiaomi’s first smartphone to come with a front flash. The front flash is a feature which is finding its way gradually into smartphones as the selfie rave spreads. A front flash would enhance illumination and make capturing selfies at night or in dark areas better. Xiaomi’s CEO Lei Jun even shared a picture of the Note 5A shot while the soft flash was on.Apparently, it would be located on the opposite side of the ear piece from where the selfie camera is.

Apart from a selfie flash, the Xiaomi Redmi Note 5A is expected to feature a 5.5-inch HD display and will be powered by Snapdragon 425 chipset. don’t sulk, the Note 5A is a budget smartphone with a build similar to the Redmi 4A but having a larger display and so, would come with a cheap price tag. The device also features 2 GB of RAM and 16 GB of storage. There may be another variant with a Snapdragon 625 chipset as well as 3GB+ 32GB memory and 4GB + 64GB storage. It is expected to pack a 13-megapixel rear camera and a front-facing camera of 5-megapixels as well as a 3,000mAh battery and fingerprint scanner.

In addition, the Redmi Note 5A is expected to be priced at 999 Yuan (~$149) for the base model while the higher variant may come in at 1,199 Yuan (~$179). The device would also be available in multiple colors like black, gray, gold, silver, white, pink and red.

Oppo R11 FC Barcelona Edition Now On Sale Priced At 3,499 Yuan (~$522)

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Aug 18, 2017

OPPO officially unveiled the R11 FC Barcelona Edition just over a week ago with a disclosure that the special edition will go on sale from August 18.Indeed, the OPPO R11 FC Barcelona Edition has gone up for sale in China and is now available via Oppo’s Official Flagship store on JD.com and OPPO’s official online shop.

The R11 FC Barca Edition comes with a price pegged at 3,499 Yuan (~$522) and OPPO has indicated that the version has got limited stock available. The FC Barcelona version features a 18K gold-plated Barca logo at the back which is usually handcrafted. The device is coloured in a dominant Blue colour at the upper part and Red at the bottom aspect at the rear while the front part is just plain black. The two colours of Blue and Red are the official home colour of FC Barcelona and also the device uses an all-metal body. There is also a few texts at the red coloured part at the rear which indicates that OPPO is an official partner of the Catalan giant. The border between the red and blue coloured part adorns a strip of Gold coloured line which is 0.4mm wide and 0.1mm thick.OPPO R11 FC Barcelona Edition.

The OPPO R11 Barca edition still retains the Snapdragon 660 chipset which OPPO used on the normal version. The new version ships with 4GB RAM onboard and as a reminder, the rest of the specs include a 20MP + 16MP dual rear camera setup, a 20 MP selfie shooter, a 5.5-inch display, a 3,000mAh battery with VOOC fast charging technology and the Color OS 3.1 UI.

Samsung Galaxy S8 is the Highest Selling Android Phone in Q2 This Year

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Aug 18, 2017

Samsung is currently holding the numero uno position in the global smartphone market and the South Korean company has also attained record breaking sales in the second quarter of 2017. The company has managed to achieve impressive sales record in this year mainly because of the Samsung Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ flagship phones. A market research conducted by Strategy Analytics has revealed that the Galaxy S8 is the world’s bestselling Android phone in Q2 2017.

The market analysis by Strategy Analytics has revealed that 360.4 million units were shipped globally in the second quarter of this year. The research firm has revealed that Apple shipped 16.9 million units of iPhone 7 in the same quarter. This makes it the world’s most famous phone. The second spot belongs to the iPhone 7 Plus with shipments of 15.1 million units. This means that the top two smartphones in the world are the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus.

With shipments of 10.2 million units the Samsung Galaxy S8 is sitting on the third position. In other words, the Galaxy S8 is the world’s highest selling smartphone in Q2 2017. The Galaxy S8+ with shipments of 9 million units in Q2 makes it the fourth popular smartphone in the world.

Currently, the iPhone 7 has a market share of 4.7 percent and the iPhone 7 Plus has a market share of 4.2 percent. The Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ have respective market share of 2.8 and 2.5 percent. The fifth smartphone to make it to the list of bestselling smartphones in Q2 2017 is Xiaomi Redmi 4A with shipments of 5.5 million units and a market share of 1.5 percent. An interesting thing to note here is that the Redmi 4A is the only low-priced smartphone among the top 5 bestselling smartphones of Q2 2017 that is mainly occupied by flagship phones.

Apple and Samsung are both expected to achieve very impressive sales with their upcoming flagship smartphones. The IPhone 8 that is expected to debut as Apple’s tenth anniversary iPhone and it is speculated to turn Apple into the world’s first trillion dollar company. Looking at the impressive sales of the Galaxy S8 duo, the upcoming Samsung Galaxy Note 8 is also pegged to receive tremendous market response from the audience.

Mysterious Sharp Aquos Phone with Full-Screen Display, Front-Bottom Selfie Camera Appears in Leaked Images

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Aug 18, 2017

The Sharp Aquos S2 flagship smartphone was announced earlier in this month and it was sold out completely during its first sale on Aug. 14. The Japanese company seems to be working on another smartphone that will feature a bezel-less display. Leaked renders showing the front and rear sides of the mysterious Sharp Aquos smartphone have surfaced on Weibo.

The bottom bezel of the mysterious Sharp smartphone has a Aquos branding and the same bezel features a selfie camera. The appearance of the device is not very different from the recently released Sharp Aquos S2. It boasts a high screen-to-body ratio as it features a full-screen display.

The right edge of the mysterious Aquos phone has a Power key and there seems to be a dedicated camera key. The left side of the mysterious has a SIM card tray and buttons for controlling volume. The backside of the smartphone has a single camera coupled with dual-LED flash. The smartphone seems to be having a metallic frame.

The fingerprint scanner of the phone is not visible which suggests that it may come with an iris scanner. There is a possibility that it may feature an in-screen fingerprint reader. The appearance of the smartphone suggests that it could be a concept render created by a fan.

Since the smartphone appears to be thick, it is likely to feature a huge battery. The text present on the display of the smartphone suggests that this mysterious Sharp Aquos phone may get unveiled on Sept. 30.

In related news, Sharp Aquos S2 has met with amazing market response in China through its first sale on Aug. 14 as all the units were sold out within 24 hours. It will again go on sale in China on Aug. 18.

The Sharp Aquos S2 with 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB of storage is priced at 2,499 Yuan (~$374) on JD.com. There is an international edition of the same variant that is priced at 3,299 Yuan (~$493). The other model featuring 6 GB of RAM and 128 G of storage costs 3,799 Yuan (~$568).

It features a 5.5-inch IGZO display from Sharp that offers a resolution of 1,080 x 2,040 pixels and supports an aspect ratio of 17:9. It is available in Snapdragon 630 and 660 chipset options. It has a 12-megapixel + 8-megapixel dual rear camera system and a 3,020mAh battery.

iPhone 7 Emerges As Top Selling Smartphone in Q2 2017, Redmi 4A Makes Top 5

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Aug 18, 2017

Research firm Strategy Analytics has posted its latest research on the best-selling smartphones in the second quarter of this year and quite surprisingly, Apple’s 2016 flagship- iPhone 7 came out as the top selling model. Apple commanded a string showing which saw the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus occupying the top two positions with the Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus coming in at the third and fourth spots. The leading brand, Apple iPhone 7 sold 16.9 million units while the Plus-sized version had an estimated 15.1 million units in sales.Also, Samsung is reported to have sold 10.2 million units of the Galaxy S8 and 9 million units of the Galaxy S8+.

The list contains a stunning revelation, which is that the Xiaomi Redmi 4A is the fifth best-selling model for the second quarter of the year with over 5.5 million units sold worldwide between April and June alone. The Redmi 4A is a budget model with a premium design which has seen its price drop to the sub-$100 level such that it ships to all parts of the world. Much of that sales would likely have come from India where the model was launched earlier this year. Analysis by research firm IDC indicates that Xiaomi is the second largest smartphone manufacturer in India in the second quarter of 2017. only second to Samsung which occupies the top spot.

In all, smartphone shipments for the entire year stood at a towering 360 million units in Q2 2017 with the top 5 brands taking just a fraction of that amount. Other brands still commanded a total sale estimated to be 303.7 million units.

Xiaomi Mi MIX 2 Design Revealed By Mi MIX Designer Phillippe Starck

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Aug 18, 2017

Last year, Xiaomi had collaborated with a French designer named Phillippe Starck for designing the Xiaomi Mi MIX concept phone. In June, Starck had visited Xiaomi to discuss on the next generation Mi MIX. This confirmed that Starck would be designing the Mi MIX 2. The French designer has shared a new video of a bezel-less smartphone on its Facebook profile. At the bottom-right corner of the video is the text that reads Mi MIX 2 conceptual product design. Hence, the video is probably showcasing the stunning design of the Mi MIX 2.

As it can be seen in the video, the bezel-less display appears to be curved on the left and right sides. Moreover, it has a super-slim bezel at the top and a slightly thicker bottom bezel. The rumor mill has revealed that the Xiaomi Mi MIX 2 would be delivering a screen-to-body ratio of 95 percent.

The bottom bezel of the Xiaomi Mi MIX 2 in the concept design continues to feature the selfie camera. Rumors have it that the piezoelectric ceramic speaker that vibrated the entire phone would be replaced with a new an earpiece that consumes less space and power and delivers better sound quality. It may feature an in-screen fingerprint scanner. The bottom side of the smartphone seems to feature a pair of external speakers with a USB-C port placed in between.

The Xiaomi Mi MIX is speculated to be powered by Snapdragon 835 chipset and 3,400mAh battery. It is expected to arrive with a 6-inch screen from Japan Display. It is speculated to feature a 12-megapixel Sony IMX386 rear camera whereas its front may feature an 8-megapixel selfie snapper. The rumor mill has also revealed that the Mi MIX 2 would be coming in two models. The base model is expected to come with a pricing of 3,999 (~$600) and it is speculated to feature 6 GB of RAM and 128 GB of internal storage. The higher configuration would be coming with a price tag of 4,999 Yuan (~$750) and it is expected to feature 8 GB of RAM and 256 GB of storage. It is tipped to arrive in a new color of Bright Silver.

Apple is known for holding an iPhone launch event in the month of September. The popularity of iPhones is such that even major smartphone manufacturers avoid launching their flagship phones in the same month. The Samsung Galaxy Note 8 and LG V30 will be debuting before the end of this month. In September, Apple is expected to unleash the highly anticipated Apple iPhone 8. Rumors have it that Xiaomi may unveil the Mi MIX 2 flagship on Sept. 12 to take on the upcoming IPhone 8.

New Nokia Flagship in Works; Could it be the Nokia 9 Ultimate Flagship?

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Aug 18, 2017

On Aug. 16, Nokia announced the Nokia 8 Android flagship smartphone. Soon after its debut, representatives of HMD Global have hinted that the company may soon unleash a new smartphone that would be featuring a larger screen than Nokia 8. Since the Finnish brand is already selling the Nokia 6 that features a 5.5-inch screen, it is speculated that Nokia would be soon releasing a flagship phone with a larger display. Speculations are rife that it may debut as Nokia 9.

Few months ago, when the rumorsphere was speculating on the moniker of the Nokia flagship, various tech sites reported that it would be called Nokia 9. However, newer leaks had revealed that it would be debuting as Nokia 8. The Nokia 8 comes with a 5.3-inch QHD+ display which is smaller compared to other Snapdragon 835 chipset driven phablets that come with 5.5-inch or larger displays such as the Samsung Galaxy S8, Galaxy S8+, HTC U11, Motorola Moto Z2 Force, OnePlus 5 and the upcoming phablets like Galaxy Note 8, LG V30 and iPhone 8.

After the launch of Nokia 8, the Global Marketing Manager with HMD Global, Neil Broadley said that the company does intend to rival with market giants such as Samsung or Apple. Rather, the company would be concentrating on delivering what will be best for its users. The upcoming Nokia flagship that is pegged to come with a larger display will be made to meet the requirements of all users. However, there is no confirmation on whether this device will be releasing in this year or early 2018.

A report from July had stated that Nokia 8 would be the affordable flagship from the company to rival with the likes of OnePlus 5 and Xiaomi Mi 6. The report also stated that there would be another ultimate flagship from Nokia that may probably launch as Nokia 9. It may arrive with Snapdragon 835 chipset, 6 GB and 8 GB RAM options, 128 GB of storage, IP68 certified chassis and an iris scanner. There is no confirmation on whether it would be featuring an edge-to-edge display, but its design is expected to be quite different from that of Nokia 8.

The above shown alleged schematic of the Nokia 9 suggests that it would be arriving with a full-screen display and a rear-mounted fingerprint scanner. The Nokia 9 is likely to come with a 5.5-inch or a 5.7-inch QHD display. It may arrive with an expensive pricing of 749 euros in Europe and may sell for $699 in the U.S.

(source|via)

Galaxy Note 8 Leaked Brochure Highlights Features Like Infinity Display, Dual Cameras, S Pen & More

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Aug 18, 2017

Leaked brochure of the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 for the Australian market has surfaced with less than one week remaining for its official launch. The specifications and features of the Galaxy Note 8 have been revealed several times by the rumor mill. The leaked brochure of the phablet contains information that reveals what features are arriving on it.

The frontside of the Galaxy Note 8 brochure has “do bigger things” text which is also present on its official launch invitation. It features a 6.3-inch QHD+ Super AMOLED Infinity Display, a InteExpert S-Pen, a dual rear camera system with 2x optical zoom, robust security through iris scanning, IP68 water and dust resistant chassis and rapid wireless charging.

The Smart Switch will allow users to easily switch from another phone to the all new Galaxy Note 8 conveniently. The pressure-sensitive S Pen stylus is expected to deliver an experience that is similar to writing with a pen. The messages written with S Pen can be shared as a GIF with others. And, messages can be made to remain on the screen while the entire display is turned off through the Screen-off memo. Rumors have revealed compared to S Pen that came with Note 7, there won’t be any new features on the Galaxy Note 8’s S Pen.

Galaxy Note 8 Brochure

The dual rear cameras will allow users to shoot impressive close-up shots as it comes with 2x optical zoom along with optical image stabilization (OIS) for recording stable videos. The rumor mill had claimed the Note 8 would be coming with 3x optical zoom. The Dual Pixel Sensor and the f/1.7 aperture lenses ensure that the Galaxy Note 8 can be used in low-light conditions to snap amazing photos along with super-fast auto-focus.

The leaked brochure of the Galaxy Note 8 states that it would be arriving in Midnight Black and Maple Gold colors in Australia which indicates that the newly leaked Deep Sea Blue variant may not be made available for buying at the launch. There is no information available on the pricing of the Note 8’s brochure.

In a recent press conference, it was revealed that the first markets to get the Galaxy Note 8 in September are the U.S., the U.K., and South Korea. The second batch of markets which may also include Australia are expected to receive the upcoming Samsung phablet in October.

Images of iPhone 7s Plus and iPhone 8 Dummy Models Leaked

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Aug 17, 2017

Apple is set to release its next iPhone in September though there is no exact date yet. There have been endless leaks of the iPhone 8 but we have also seen a few ones of the iPhone 7s and iPhone 7s Plus.

Today we have images of dummy models of the iPhone 8 and iPhone 7s Plus said to have been provided by a former Foxconn employee, and they have features we have seen in other leaks.

[envira-gallery id=”145507″]

Starting with the iPhone 8, this dummy model has a glossy back. The image is dark so we can’t make out the position of the camera. Though we are pretty sure there is no fingerprint scanner laying anywhere there.

The second image shows the front and we can see the top and bottom bezels are smaller. There is no TouchID as the screen extends way further down. Unlike the other leaks we have seen in recent weeks, this version isn’t as bezel-less as they are.

There is a chance this was an early design and not the final one with the bezel-less design we have been seeing around.

The iPhone 7s Plus on the other hand doesn’t look much different. The dual camera setup with the slight bump is there and there is a LED flash next to it.

Th front is slightly different though. The sensor is a bigger and sits father left and the selfie camera sits on the right of the earpiece. Apart from those changes, everything else is the same.

(Source)

Coolpad Cool M7 Launched: iPhone 7 Plus Looks, SD 625, 4GB RAM & More

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Aug 17, 2017

Coolpad has launched a new smartphone in China with a design which looks very much like the iPhone 7 Plus. This isn’t the first smartphone we are seeing which looks like the Apple flagship, the OnePlus 5 did, as well as the Oppo R11 but the difference is that this model comes with a single rear camera designed just like the dual cameras on the iPhone 7 Plus.

Specifications

As far as the specs go, the Coolpad Cool M7 sports a 5.5-inch Full HD display with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels and a 2.5D curved glass on top. The phablet is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 2.0GHz octa-core processor accompanied by a 4GB RAMwhile there is 64GB of storage onboard which unfortunately is not expandable. On the camera end, the mid-range model features a 12MP rear camera with autofocus and an f1.8 aperture and LED flash while at the front, there is a 13MP fixed focus front-facing camera with f/2.2 aperture and 79.8-degree wide angle lens. The sample photos for both the front and rear cameras don’t look bad for a mid-range phone. In addition, the smartphone offers 4G/LTE, Hybrid Dual SIM, Wifi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.1, GPS, and a USB Type C and gets its juice from a 3,200mAh battery. Despite the large battery, the device comes with a thickness of just 6.9 mm and weighs 152 grams. The Coolpad Cool M7 runs on Android 7.0 Nougat modified with Coolpad’s Journey UI which brings a unique Dock bar to the phone and other cool features.

Design

On the design aspect, the Cool M7 features an all-metal body with a round home button under the display which is just like that of Apple iPhones. The edges are well chamfered and would make for easy grip. At the rear, the camera and flash are located at the top left corner encased in a manner similar to the iPhone 7 Plus’ dual cameras. There is the cool logo at the rear as well and the absence of a fingerprint sensor at the rear means it is embedded with the home button up front.

Coolpad Cool M7 Pricing & Availability

The Cool M7 comes in Black and Blue colours and carries a price tag of 2,699 yuan. The device will go on sale on August 26 by 10 AM on JD.com but it is presently open for reservation for the first sale. No word yet on when the device will be available outside China.

Top Smartphones On AnTuTu: July 2017 Edition, Snapdragon 835 Dominates

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Aug 17, 2017

AnTuTu has released a list of its top 10 performing smartphones for the month of July 2017 and as should be expected Snapdragon 835 flagships dominated the list. The list is a compilation of the top 10 models with the highest AnTuTu benchmark score in July.

Out of the ten models which made it into the list, seven of them are flagships using the Snapdragon 835 chip while one comes with the Snapdragon 821 chip, thus ensuring the list is dominated by phones using Qualcomm processor. As should be expected Apple’s A10 chip still has its footprint on the list but the top five spot is occupied by Qualcomm models. The OnePlus 5 sits at the number one spot with a powerful run which saw it averaging 181614 points on AnTuTu while the Nubia Z17 came closely at second with 179081 points. The HTC U11 with a score of 175987 points occupy the third position with the Samsung Galaxy S8+ at the fourth position with a score of 171101 points. The Galaxy S8+ scored about 1000 points more than Xiaomi’s flagship Mi 6 which completes the top 5 positions. The list continues with the iPhone 7 Plus at the sixth spot while the Xperia XZ Premium at the seventh. The Galaxy S8 comes in at a distant seventh position and the last SD 835 model on the list. The last two spots are occupied by the OnePlus 3T with a Snapdragon 821 processor and finally, the iPhone 7 156702.

AnTuTu also listed the top 10 highest performing iOS models and as would be expected, the iPad Pro (10.5) which launched earlier this year with an improved A10X Fusion chipset came top. The iPad Pro (10.5) is followed by the iPhone 7 Plus but with a difference of 56647 AnTuTu points between the two. Th iPad Pro (9.7-inch) with a slightly underclocked A10X chip sits at the third place with the iPhone 7 at the fourth and iPhone 6 Plus at the fifth position. The iPad (5th gen), iPhone 6s, iPhone SE, iPad Air 2 and iPhone 6 Plus completes the top 10 in that order.

Already, we have seen a couple of Snapdragon 835 models launch this August like the Nokia 8, so we expect the top 10 standing for all models to change slightly this month. However, a major shake up is imminent on both lists under review in September or thereabout when the iPhone 8, Galaxy Note 8, Mi Mix 2, Huawei Mate 10 and other flagships, some with new chips are launched.

Essential Phone Goes On Sale Starts At $699, Promises Updates For 2 Years

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Aug 17, 2017

After months of waiting, the Essential Phone is now available for purchase. This is the first smartphone from Essential, a company founded by Android Co-founder Andy Rubin.

Beginning today, you can order the Essential Phone from the official website, Sprint, and Best Buy (still listed as coming soon). It will set you back $699 for the unlocked version on the official website. For $50 more you can add the $360 camera to your purchase. That offer is for a limited time before it goes back to $199.

In an official blog post, it was revealed that the Essential Phone will receive guaranteed updates for two years. If our math is correct and we are interpreting this right, that means the phone will receive Android updates till 2019 (Android O and Android P guaranteed but not sure about Android Q). It will also get monthly security updates for 3 years (up until 2020).

Don’t be surprised, Essential is a different company and Andy Rubin believes changing your phone each year isn’t right. Not only because its expensive but because of the planet. (I like this company already).

The Essential Phone is a unique phone as it is made for you that is why you won’t find any branding on the device. There is also a limited amount of pre-loaded apps.

The Essential Phone is a premium flagship with a glass and titanium build. It has a 5.7-inch bezel-less display with a 2560 x 1312 resolution. The latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 powers it and it is paired with 4GB of RAM. Built-in storage is 128GB with no option for expansion.

The phone packs dual 13MP cameras on the rear in a monochrome + RGB format, and there is an 8MP camera up front. A fingerprint scanner is on the back and underneath the glass is a 3040mAh battery.