After a couple of interesting mid-rangers, the Nokia brand, under the leadership of HMD Global, has finally unveiled the big guns for 2017 — the Nokia 8. The company made the flagship smartphone official in London earlier today. The phone will be the first product as a result of the recent collaboration between HMD Global and Carl Zeiss.
The camera is the biggest selling point of the Nokia 8. The phone comes with dual 13MP cameras at the back along with a 13MP camera on the front as well. Before we head on to the details, note that both the back as well as the front cameras are capable of capturing videos in high-res 4K resolution at 30fps. The dual camera setup is pretty straightforward, a 13MP f/2.0 RGB color sensor paired with a dedicated 13MP monochrome sensor. Other features of the setup at the back include Laser Focus and dual tone LED flash.
In the software department, the Nokia 8 is no slouch, as it comes with a number of unique features. First, the phone has integrated live streaming options for Facebook and YouTube platforms. Another big feature is the new “Bothie”. You might have already guessed where Nokia is taking us with this naming — simultaneous recording from the front as well as the back cameras, shown in a split screen display. And guess what, you can live stream in the bothie mode as well, to impress your social media fans.
Bothie Feature Source: Nokia
The Nokia 8 is made out of 6000 series aluminum body and comes in multiple finishes including matte and steel. There are four colors available — Polished Copper, Polished Blue, Tempered Blue, and Steel. Coming down to the basic specs, the phone is powered by the mighty Snapdragon 835 chipset, which has become a standard among top-end smartphones. There’ll be just one memory variant at the moment, a 4GB + 64GB version. The display will be compact at 5.3-inches with 2560 x 1440 pixels. There’s a MicroSD card expansion slot (256GB) and you get a decent 3090mAh for battery. While the Nokia 8 isn’t waterproof, it’s IP54 certified, making it splash proof. Other features include a fingerprint sensor on the front, Android 7.1.1 Nougat (monthly security updates and Android O promised), USB Type-C 3.1, and a 3.5mm dedicated headphone jack. The software is said to be a lightweight version of Android Nougat.
HMD is also bringing some interesting technology from the present day Nokia company, into the Nokia 8 flagship. For example, the phone features high dynamic range microphones which utilize Nokia Ozo Audio algorithms to record surround sound. What’s even more interesting is that this virtual surround sound will be preserved even when you share it to your social media channels.
Nokia 8 will go on sale first in Europe and later in Latin American markets for a suggested retail price of €599, which comes close to $700. According to Gadgets360, the phone will come to India in early October. According to the CNBC, Nokia 8 won’t release in China or the US.
Taiwanese chip manufacturer, MediaTek, has started sending out invites for an event. The event scheduled for August 29 is for the announcement of the Helio P23 and Helio P30.
The Helio P23 and P30 are the new members of the P-series which is targeted at smartphones with slim profiles. They, like the other chips in the series will offer improved battery efficiency without skipping on performance.
The details available say the Helio P23 will be an octa-core 16nm chip built by TSMC. It will support 2K displays, dual cameras, and have Cat. 7 LTE.
The Helio P30 will also be manufactured by TSMC but using a 12nm process. The P30 will be one of the 12nm chips expected to be released this year. It will have four Cortex-A72 cores clocked at 2.0GHz and four Cortex-A53 cores clocked at 1.5GHz. It will also support Cat. 10 LTE speeds.
The battle for the middle-range is between Qualcomm and Mediatek. Both chip makers have new processors for that category: Qualcomm has the 14nm Snapdragon 450 and MediaTek has the 16nm Helio P23. To win clients, Qualcomm has reduced the price of the SDM450 to $10.50, a move that may force MediaTek to do the same.
Lowering the price isn’t easy for MediaTek. Samsung makes the Snapdragon 450 for Qualcomm and report says it has offered Qualcomm a wafer price of $2500. MediaTek on the other hand is charged over $3500 per wafer by TSMC.
Sources say the Helio P23 was previously priced at about $15. To secure orders from its-China based clients, the price was brought down to between $11 and $12. Now that the Snapdragon 450 is selling for $10.50, MediaTek, may have to lower prices further to keep its clients.
The Helio P23 is scheduled for a Q4 launch and it already has orders from OPPO, Vivo, Gionee and Meizu. MediaTek targets 5 to 6 million shipments per month for the chip.
Just a couple of days back, we brought you some details of Xiaomi‘s upcoming Mi Mix 2 and one of the details is that the smartphone goes by the code name Chiron. That name has popped up again in the unlikeliest of places, further fueling speculations that the device may soon be launched. The Mi Mix 2’s code name- Chiron has appeared on the database of Beijing Subway. The Beijing Subway is a rapid transit rail network that serves the urban and suburban districts of Beijing municipality. It is the world’s busiest subway in terms of annual ridership, with 3.66 billion trips delivered in 2016, averaging 9.998 million per day, with peak single-day ridership reaching 12.69 million. The network has 19 lines, 345 stations and 574 km (357 mi) of track in operation, and is the second longest subway system in the world after the Shanghai Metro.
The Beijing Subway lines are managed by two companies, one of which is state-owned (Beijing Mass Transit Railway Operation Corp) while the other is a private venture – The Beijing MTR Corp. The leak seem to have emanated from the second company’s database containing a list of mobile phone models accepted for cardless payment using NFC. Other Xiaomi models listed along with the Chiron is the Mi Mix, Mi Note 2, Mi 5S and Mi 5. We would never have needed any confirmation to know the Mix 2 would feature NFC but this confirms that its launch could be close by. We can’t say how it found its way into the database for sure but it is likely that someone made a cardless payment using the model and thus it was saved in the database. Don’t forget Lei Jun recently shared a picture with an aspect ratio that suggested it was from the Mix 2.
The Mi Mix 2 is rumoured to have got a September 12 launch date and the likely specifications have also been exposed recently in a leaked photo of what looks like the device’s source code. The leak identified as that of the Chiron lists the device as coming with a 6-inch JDI display and powered by a Snapdragon 835 processor. The device is said to feature a 12MP Sony IMX386 sensor at the rear as well as a 5MP Omnivision- OV5675 sensor for selfies. A 3,400mAh battery will keep the lights on while Android 7.1.1 Nougat with MIUI 9 skin will provide the interface. The Mi Mix 2 is also expected to feature a 6GB +128GB storage as its base variant and a higher 8GB + 256GB memory variant.
An official looking launch invitation by Huawei has appeared. The rumor mill has been claiming that the Mate 10 would be debuting in October. The invitation states that the flagship phone will be unveiled on Oct. 16.
The text on the invitation reads “meet the device worth waiting for” and does not contain the “Huawei Mate 10” moniker. However, in the backdrop is large-sized number 10 to hint the Mate 10’s launch. Hence, it appears that the Mate 10 may get unveiled on Oct. 16 in Munich, Germany. A Huawei logo can be sitting at the bottom.
Even though the invitation appears to be legitimate and the source claims that it has received it through “official means” there is no way to confirm whether the Chinese firm has released it two months ahead of the launch of Mate 10.
The Huawei Mate 10 renders have revealed that it would be coming with a bezel-less display. It will be housing a 6-inch full-screen display that will be dubbed as EntireView by the Chinese manufacturer. It is expected to deliver an aspect ratio of 18:9 and a screen resolution of 2,160 x 1,080 pixels.
The Huawei Mate 10 is heavily pegged to be powered by the AI driven Kirin 970 chipset and 6 GB of RAM. It is expected to come with a native storage of 64 GB. It is expected to come with EMUI skinned Android 7.1.1 Nougat OS.
The Mate 10 will continue to sport dual rear camera system from Leica. However, its exact configuration is not known yet. Speculations are rife that it would be coming with features like 3D sensing and iris scanner.
Huawei is also expected to debut a lighter version of the smartphone called Huawei Mate 10 alongside the flagship phone. Nothing much is known on the specifications of Mate 10 Lite. The rumor mill has revealed that the Mate 10 would be priced at $1,100 whereas the Mate 10 Lite would be coming with $550.
Huawei CEO Richard Yu has claimed that the Mate 10 will be powerful enough to take the heavily rumored iPhone 8. He has said that the Mate 10 will be coming with a full-screen display, quicker charging, better photography capabilities and longer battery life to take on the new iPhone.
IFA berlin officially begins on 1st of September and runs through to 6th. However, a number of manufacturers have launch events or keynote addresses scheduled a day or two ahead of the official opening day. One of them is electronics giant, Lenovo and they have released a teaser video of what we should expect.
The 51-seconds long video includes a wide variety of products, though most of them have already been released. First we see the Lenovo Yoga Tablet with its halo keyboard coming on. Then the Tango-based Phab 2 Pro makes an appearance.
The Moto Z2 Play is also spotted along with a Hasselblad camera mod, and the Moto Z2 Force with the 360° camera mod. If you are a gamer, you may want to visit Lenovo’s booth and check out their Y-series gaming laptop as one makes an appearance in the video.
At the 20-second mark, what appears to be a smart speaker can be seen. Although, Lenovo announced an Alexa-powered speaker early this year at CES, which is still not available for purchase yet by the way, this speaker has a different design. It also appears to have a display. Our guess is that this is Lenovo’s version of the Amazon Echo Show and we will have a first look at IFA Berlin.
ASUS will be announcing a couple of smartphones on Aug. 17. The Taiwanese company is expected to get unveil smartphones like ASUS ZenFone 4, ZenFone 4 Pro, ZenFone 4 Selfie, ZenFone 4 Selfie Pro and ZenFone 4V. Well-known leakster, Evan Blass has revealed renders of some of these smartphones
The above image is of the ASUS ZenFone 4. Popular leakster Roland Quandt had claimed that the smartphone would be available in colors like black and white. However, the above image shows that there will be another light blue color variant of the ZenFone 4.
The ZenFone 4 is expected to come in Snapdragon 630 and Snapdragon 660 chipset models. A 5.5-inch full HD display is rumored to be present on both the models along with dual camera system that includes a 12-megpaixel sensor and 8-megapixel sensor. Both the chipset variants of the ZenFone 4 will be coming with 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB of storage. A 3,300mAh battery is speculated to power the smartphone. It is rumored to cost 499 euros (~$584). The other image is of the already release ZenFone 4 Max.
The ASUS ZenFone 4 Selfie and ZenFone 4 Selfie Pro will be selfie-centric smartphones. The ZenFone 4 Selfie is expected to come with 5-inch HD display, Snapdragon 430 chipset, 4 GB of RAM, 64 GB of internal storage, 16-megapixel rear camera, 3000mAh battery and a 13-megapixel + a 5-megapixel dual front camera system. As the image shows, it is expected to be available in colors red, pink and black. It is expected to cost 299 euros (~$350)
The ASUS ZenFone 4 Selfie Pro is expected to arrive with a 5.5-inch FHD screen, Snapdragon 625 chipset, 4 GB of RAM, 64 GB of inbuilt storage, 16-megapixel rear camera, 3000mAh battery and a 20-mgapixel + 8-megapixel dual camera system. The above image shows that it would be coming in multiple colors like black, light blue, gold, pink and white. It is expected to sell at 399 euros (~$467). The rumor mill has also spilled plenty of information of the ZenFone 4 Pro. It is expected to arrive with a pricing of 550 euros (~$650).
Nokia fans having been eagerly waiting for the announcement of its flagship smartphone since the start of this year. The D-day is close at hand as Nokia 8, the first Android flagship smartphone from the HMD Global is scheduled to get announced on Aug. 16 in London. Here is all you need to know about the Nokia 8 flagship.
Nokia 8 Launch Event & Live Stream
Nokia 8 launch event will be held in London on Aug. 16 at 7:30 PM BST. The event will be live streamed on the official site of Nokia. With time conversion, the event will take place at 2:30 PM EDT on Aug. 16 in New York, U.S. The event will be viewable at 2:30 AM CST in Beijing, China and 12:00 AM IST in India. The official Nokia Mobile Twitter account has hinted that YouTubers Jonathan Morrison and MoreAliA may demo the Nokia 8
The Nokia 8 is expected to arrive in single SIM (model number TA-1004) and dual-SIM (model number TA-1012) variants. It is rumored to feature a 5.3-inch or a 5.7-inch Quad HD display. The Snapdragon 835 chipset will be powering the smartphone and it may be available in 4 GB and 6/8 GB RAM options. Speculations have it that it could be the first non-Google smartphone to come preinstalled with Android 8.0. Its native storage is speculated as 64 GB. The fingerprint scanner of the smartphone is expected to be present under the capacitive Home button.
The USP of the Nokia 8 will be that will be coming with Carl ZEISS branded 13-megapixel dual rear cameras that is expected to include a monochrome sensor and a RGB sensor. The front may feature an 8-megapixel selfie snapper. A 3,000mAh battery is rumored to power the Nokia 8.
The Nokia 8 has appeared in blue, silver and copper gold colors in leaked renders and images in the recent past. It is not known whether all of these color options will be available at the launch of Nokia 8. Speculations have it that it would be priced at 589 euros (~$689) in Europe.
Even though the rumor mill has spilled out plenty of information on the upcoming Nokia flagship, the accurate specs and features can be known only after its official launch. Stay tuned with GizmoChina to get all the information on the Nokia 8. Speculations have it that the entry-level Nokia 2 may also get unveiled alongside it.
The Galaxy Note 8 is expected to arrive in 4 colors. The Midnight Black, Maple Gold and Orchid Grey variants have all made an appearance in previous leaks save for the the new Deep Sea Blue color. We won’t have to wait till launch day to see it as Evan Blass has provided a press render for us to feast our eyes on.
This render doesn’t do the Deep Sea Blue justice as it doesn’t show the rear, though we can see the thin line of blue where the back meets the top and bottom bezel. However, the S-Pen gives us a good look at the new color.
Just like the other color variants, the camera area of the Deep Sea Blue Galaxy Note 8′ will be black as well. So you should be able to create a mental image of the rear of the phone.
Meizu will be launching the M6 Note on August 23 which is just about a week from now and the company has already started releasing teasers for the launch event. One teaser which has been released by Meizu points to the launch of a new wireless/Bluetooth headphone.
The poster specifically mentions the Meizu EP52 Bluetooth headset as the product and it will launch on August 23 at the Beijing Performing Arts Centre, same day and venue for the M6 Note launch. From the name, it is glaring the headset will be the successor to the EP51 Bluetooth headset which was launched last year with the M3 Note.
Meizu has reportedly sold over 1 million units of the Meizu EP51 Bluetooth headset and it is still performing strongly in the market as a result of its spectacular design and cool features. The EP51 has got lots of positive reviews and some of the features it came with include aptX support for CD-like sound quality over Bluetooth. The Meizu EP51 features a built-in microphone while also packs call and volume control buttons. The device is rated to deliver up to 6 hours of continuous music playback while it can fully charge in 2 hours. It supports Bluetooth 4.0 and weighs 15.3 grams. We expect the EP52 to come as an important upgrade over its predecessor in terms of the sound quality and perhaps, the design is expected to be more lovely. Keep a date with Meizu on this one if the M6 Note does sound interesting enough to you.
Today (August 16) marks seven years since Xiaomi‘s MIUI was first released and Xiaomi is celebrating that with fans on the MIUI Forum. In the past 7 years, the Custom ROM has evolved right from the first MIUI V1 to the present lightning fast MIUI 9. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that in the last 7 years, MIUI has undergone nine different changes with the resulting changes in the icons and more features added.
The evolution of MIUI is captured in these pictures of the different icons of the interface from version 1 to 9. The difference could be seen, not only in the color scheme but also in the icons themselves which have seen some changes, even though some still retain their looks from previous versions.
MIUI 2
The photos were released by Xiaomi today as part of celebrations for the 7th anniversary of MIUI. It should be noted that MIUI 1 was developed only for the Google Nexus One and came with more functionalities back then when compared to the Pure AOSP ROM. Version 2 came with support for more smartphones but MIUI, as we know it today, began with MIUI 3, released in April 2012. This marked a major milestone for MIUI ROM as themes were first introduced on Version 3 and it gave users the flexibility to customise how they want their ROM to look like. MIUI 3 was based on Google’s Android Mobile Operating System 2.3, named “Gingerbread” and the Mi 1 came pre-installed with MIUI 3.
MIUI 3
In terms of the appearance of the icons, MIUI 5 had the largest changes in its looks as it underwent a major GUI redesign and revamp, from the addition of notification at a swipe-down shade menu to system animations and desktop beautification, but yet retain the similar users’ experience and operations. It was on MIUI 5 that all Google Services were removed due to new regulations in China.
MIUI 6 also came with changes in the icons and saw a shift from flat icons to bold icons with a higher degree of recognition. The icons have continued to get slight changes since then until the current version but most importantly, more and more features became available on MIUI with the latest version said to be lightning fast and smooth. We’ve got photos of the icons of the remaining versions below.
Sony will be holding a IFA 2017 press conference on Aug. 31. It is expected to unleash the Sony Xperia XZ1 and Xperia XZ1 Compact flagship smartphones. The Xperia XZ1 is speculated as the successor of the Xperia XZ and Xperia XZs smartphones. Well-known leakster @OnLeaks and CompareRaja have worked together reveal the alleged renders of the Xperia XZ1.
The Sony Xperia XZ1 renders suggest that it resembles a lot with Xperia XZs. It has a simple metal body design but comes with large bezels above and below the screen. The top left corner of the rear panel features the main camera. The large-sized LED flash sit horizontal to the camera. Its placement is similar to that of Xperia XZ Premium, but more towards the middle.
The bottom side of the Xperia XZ1 has a USB-C port whereas the topside features a 3.5mm audio jack. The right side of the smartphone features a Power button that may probably come embedded with a fingerprint reader. The volume controllers are also present on the right side along with a dedicated button for launching the camera. The left side of the Xperia XZ1 does not feature any button, but includes a microSD / SIM card slot.
The dimensions of the Sony Xperia XZ1 are 146.8 x 73.4 x 7.6mm which makes it slightly bigger than the Xperia XZs 146 x 72 x 8.1mm. Also, the new XZ1 is smaller than the predecessor phone. Like the Xperia XZs, the successor smartphone is expected to come with a 5.2-inch display. It is expected to support full HD resolution of 1,920 x 1,080 pixels.
Previous rumors revealed that the Sony Xperia XZ1 will be powered by Snapdragon 835 chipset and 4 GB of RAM. It is expected to feature a 19-megapixel rear camera and a 12-megapixel front-facing snapper. It is expected to arrive preinstalled with Android 8.0 and it is pegged to come with a 3,000mAh battery. Its model number has been revealed by the rumor mill as G8441 and it is also rumored to be available in dual-SIM version.
The Xperia XZ1 Compact with model number G8341 is also expected to come with similar specs. Rumors have revealed that a 4.6-inch HD display will be present on it. Its other specs include Snapdragon 835, 4 GB RAM, Android 8.0, 19-megapixel rear camera and 12-megapixel selfie snapper and 2,800mAh battery. A mid-range Xperia X1 featuring 5-inch full HD display, Snapdragon 835, 2,800mAh and same set of cameras is also expected to get unveiled on Aug. 31.
The Google Pixel 2 has received certification from Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in the U.S. The rumor mill has been claiming that even though the Google Pixel 2 will be assembled by HTC, it will be sold as a Google product. The FCC documents contain various references for HTC. The FCC filing has revealed some key features of the Google Pixel 2 flagship smartphone.
A previous report on upcoming Google Pixel 2 and Pixel XL 2 phones had revealed that they will come equipped with pressure-sensitive frame. This feature is already available as Edge Sense on HTC U11. The Edge Sense feature allows users to launch apps and perform certain functions by squeezing the pressure-sensitive frame of the smartphone. The FCC filing has revealed that the Google Pixel 2 will be also enabled with this feature and it will be called Active Edge.
Some screenshots of the Google Pixel 2 that have surfaced through FCC filing has revealed that it would be arriving preinstalled with Android 8.0.1 Google is yet to officially debut the Android 8.0 operating system. Speculations are rife that Aug. 21 will be the day when Google will be declaring the official name of Android 8.0. The Google Pixel 2 duo will be the first smartphones to come preloaded with Android 8.0. FCC will be making use of Electronic version of the labeling system for the Pixel 2.
In the above screenshot, the description for “Languages, input & gestures” in System settings is “Active Edge on, squeeze for your assistant.” This shows that Active Edge can be used on Google Pixel 2 to activate Google Assistant by squeezing the frame of the phone. Also, the navigation buttons appear to be exclusively designed for the Google Pixel 2 and Pixel XL 2 smartphones.
It appears that the Google Pixel 2 duo may come with an internal storage of 64 GB instead of 32 GB available on the original Pixel phones. This can be understood through the above snapshot that shows that 21 percent space on the internal storage has been used and 50.66 GB is remaining which indicates that the Pixel 2 has 64 GB of internal storage.
The mentioning of mw8998 under Baseband version indicates that the Snapdragon 835 chipset will be powering the Google Pixel 2. The FCC documents contains several references to GO11A model number. The same model number was also spotted when a new HTC handset had appeared at Wi-Fi Alliance certification.
In 2016 and 2017, many smartphone OEMs have launched dual rear camera enabled smartphones in various price points. It seems that in 2018, Android smartphones will be coming with some new camera related features like iris authentication through front-facing camera and depth sensing. Qualcomm is working on in its next-generation Snapdragon mobile chipset. It has confirmed on the new features that it will be adding to its second-generation image signal processor named Spectra that will arrive along with the next mobile chipset.
Qualcomm had introduced the Spectra Module Program with Snapdragon 835 that provided manufacturers with pre-configured camera modules for smartphone OEMs that could be conveniently slotted into the smartphones using a Snapdragon chipset. The second-generation Spectra image processor will be bringing along three new features such as iris scanning, passive and active depth sensing.
The Galaxy S8, Galaxy S8+ and Galaxy Note Fan Edition are some of the smartphones that are equipped with iris scanners. The retina scanning technology on these smartphones were implemented by Samsung. Qualcomm’s iris scanning feature that will be available with the second-gen Spectra Module Program will be more accurate and it will be able to avoid spoofing techniques like using images or molds of people’s eyes.
Passive depth sensing will make use of two camera sensors with some gap between them. The two images shot by the respective camera sensors can be compared by the smartphone for disparity. When the object is closer, disparity will be larger. The depth can be determined by calculating how far the object is. It is the same way the human eyes function to determine how far an object is.
Active depth sensing comprises of an IR (infrared) illuminator, IR camera sensor and a 16-megapixel (or 20-megapixel) RGB sensor depending on the configuration. The IR illuminator will fire a light that makes use of a filter to create a dot pattern. The IR camera will detect and read the created pattern. The smartphone can measure the accurate depth by determining distortions in the dotted pattern. The regular camera can then pitch in to shoot a 3D image instantly.
The active depth sensing works more accurately than the passive system. Since it is uses infrared light, it functions accurately even in the dark.
The above video demonstrates shows the active depth sensing coming with second-gen Spectra Module Program in action. The video was shot from above, but it managed to accurately the measure the depth of the hands of a person playing the piano. The use of the next-gen Spectra image processor will offer accurate AR and VR experiences and secure facial scanning than what’s more available on existing smartphones. We may see smartphones enabled with new depth sensing feature from Qualcomm early next year.
The smartphone industry has evolved from the use of passwords to unlock the device to the use of fingerprint technology and then, there is iris recognition technology which does more things than just unlocking the device. Recently, we got words that Apple was developing a Facial recognition technology which would be used on the iPhone 8. It has now emerged that apart from Apple, Qualcomm and Xiaomi are also working on their own facial recognition technology which would feature on their flagship products. Xiaomi’s own facial technology is said o debut in the fourth quarter of this year, just in time for it to be used o the expected flagship Mi Mix 2.
Earlier reports had revealed that Apple’s own Facial Recognition technology will support 3D sensors and can achieve facial recognition in just milliseconds, meaning it is very fast. When Apple released the firmware for its HomePod smart speaker, developers were able to get information from the code regarding the iPhone 8’s facial recognition technology and that it won’t just unlock the device but will also support Apple Pay payment verification and other third-party applications, just like the Touch ID does.
This growing trend of using facial recognition instead of the fingerprint technology is predicted to grow wider due to the increasing use of full-screen display technology on most phones. Full-screen phones are gradually expanding and are seen as a trend which would occupy up to half of the entire mobile phone market in the foreseeable future. Reseach firn CINNO Research places the market share of large display smartphones at 6% this 2017 but projects that the figure will get up to 50% in 2018 and by 2021, it would hit 93%.
For now, not much is known as to how secure this technology is when compared to fingerprint recognition. We’ll find out more as time goes on but it must be noted that the emphasis on this technology is the 3D depth of field function and so a 2D photo taken in the past cannot be used to by-pass the system unlike fingerprint technology and thus, this improves security. No doubt, it sounds interesting and with Xiaomi adopting it so early, this might just keep fuel lingering talks of the company imitating Apple. What’s your take on this? Let us know in the comment section.
Gizmochina along with Banggood is conducting a Doogee BL5000 big battery phone as Giveaway gift to one of our lucky readers. Like always, you just have to follow the steps mentioned on the Gleam widget to get a chance to win this amazing phone.
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I have reviewed a lot of different gimbals over the time and they were great. However, they could be only used either with the phone or with an action camera and I sometimes ended up carrying two gimbals.The Zhiyun Crane M is the most versatile gimbal I’ve ever had. You can use it with a compact mirrorless camera, smartphone or any action camera. Learn more in the full Zhiyun Crane M review.
What is awesome is that the gimbal comes in a high-quality travel case where all the items are packed neatly.
Besides the gimbal, you get the USB cable, a carrying strap, USB charger with 2 batteries and depending on where you buy this gimbal, you may also get a mini tripod or some other accessories.
DESIGN and FEATURES
Since the Crane M is designed for many different cameras, it is a bit larger and heavier than e.g. Zhiyun Smooth 3 or Smooth Q gimbals that I have reviewed before. However, it is still quite compact but your hand may get tired after a while since the gimbal weighs 740g.
As usual to Zhiyun’s products, the build quality is top-notch. The gimbal is made entirely of metal, there are no plastic parts except for the buttons, which are clicky and don’t seem to break anytime soon.
In order to start using the gimbal, you have to mount your camera using the 1/4 screw, which is a standard size for most of the cameras. It is very important to balance the gimbal by adjusting the extendable axis on each side. It takes less than a minute to do that and you are good to go. I used the gimbal with my Panasonic G7 with 25mm prime lens and it works just great since gimbal has the max. load capacity of 650g.
You can also use the Crane M with any smartphone with the supplied cradle or any other camera as long as you are not over the load capacity limit. Even though the minimum load is 125g, I found the stabilizer to be working fine with a super light YI 4K action camera.
The ability to use any camera is the key selling point of the Crane M, in my opinion. As I said, I love filming with my phone or action camera but I don’t want to carry different gimbals. I think that the Crane M is a perfect solution for my needs.
This stabilizer has the same control system like any other gimbal made by the company. The mode button allows you to switch from one mode to another.
The default mode is called the pan following mode and I used it most of the time. If you press the mode button once, the gimbal will enter the locking mode, which is great for smooth pan or tilt shots if you want to film a particular object.
If you press the mode button twice, you will enter the pan and pitch following mode, where the gimbal moves towards the direction you point the camera to.This mode works pretty well too. Even if you move the gimbal quickly, you will get a smooth shot since all the axes move slowly. The last mode is the selfie mode and it is triggered by pressing the mode button 3 times.
You can also control the gimbal manually using the joystick and I found this feature to work great. However, I suggest you reducing the pan and tilt speeds in the app to get those nice slow cinematic shots. Honestly, I think that this gimbal can replace a tripod and fluid head if you are on the go and don’t want to carry all your heavy camera supports if you need to take just a few shots.
The 1/4 screw mount allows you to attach the gimbal to all sorts of accessories like tripods.
You can also control the gimbal with a remote control, which is sold separately. If you don’t want to spend the extra cash, you can control it using your phone via the Bluetooth, which is awesome if you want to avoid any shakiness in those slow pan ant tilt shots.
I love that both pan and tilt axis can rotate 360 degrees, so you can use the camera in any position you want. That’s a huge advantage over some smaller gimbals I’ve tested.
If you plan to use the Crane M with a phone, make sure to download the ZY Play app that allows you to take a full advantage of the control buttons. Obviously, you can take pictures or shoot videos, switch from the main to the front-facing camera and so on. You can also zoom in and out but I wish zooming was a bit smoother.
You can also adjust the gimbal speed settings, change the resolution, set the timer or use a manual mode. However, it is really frustrating that this app does not allow you to shoot in 4k for some reason but I was told that the application will be updated soon.
IMAGE QUALITY
Like any other Zhiyun gimbal, the Crane M does an excellent job reducing the shakiness as the footage looks stunning if you use the gimbal while walking or even running. The video looks really smooth either if I used the device with a camera or with a smartphone or with my action camera. Well, the footage may look a bit shaky under extremely windy weather conditions but that is the case with every gimbal I’ve tested.
BATTERY LIFE
The Crane M is powered by two 3600mAh replaceable batteries that allow you to use the gimbal for up to 12 hours, which is a very good result.
However, if you use the Crance M with a mirrorless camera, you should expect about 10-11 hours of battery life.
A dedicated USB charger can fully charge the batteries in just a few hours but you can also charge them directly via the gimbal’s micro USB port.
CONCLUSIONS
I was impressed by the performance and overall feature set of the Zhiyun Crane M and I think it will be the only gimbal that I will be using now since it supports my Panasonic G7 camera, any smartphones or action cameras.
Well, the gimbal could be a little lighter but I prefer sturdy all-metal build instead of the plastic one. Also, I hope the ZY Play app will have the 4k video recording feature soon.
All in all, I still find the Zhiyun Crane M to be a great gimbal for my work as I can use it with each camera or smartphone that I have. For the price of under $400, I can easily recommend it as this is my go-to gimbal for more than a month.
The Mi Note 2 was released last year and there are unconfirmed rumors that it will get a successor soon. Two months ago, Xiaomi reduced the price of the 4GB RAM + 64GB model to ¥2499 (~$374) from ¥2799 (~$419). If you are interested in purchasing it, you may want to check other sites as they have it for less.
Online store Gome is offering a ¥600 limited discount that brings the price of the 4GB RAM + 64GB version to ¥2199 (~$329). If you are not able to snag that, you may have to settle for a ¥400 discount that brings it down to ¥2399 (~$359).
JD.com has the Mi Note 2 in the same configuration above for ¥2399 (~$359). That is an extra ¥100 (~$15) savings compared to if you buy it from the official site.
Xiaomi announced a new model with 6GB of RAM and 64GB of storage for ¥2899 ($434) last month. So if you feel you need the extra RAM, you may want to settle for that.
The Mi Note 2 is still a more than a capable device. It has a 5.7-inch dual curved display and is powered by the Snapdragon 821. The 4070mAh battery is more than you will find on similarly sized flagships and there is an audio jack.
Xiaomi hasn’t released a new wearable this year but its Mi Band sales has pushed it to the top of the wearable shipment lists for Q2 2017.
The stats compiled by Canalys and Strategy Analytics shows the Chinese company beating its American counterparts to first place. For the last quarter, Xiaomi shipped 3.7 million units according to Strategy analytics. That is 700,000 more than that of the same quarter in 2016. Canalys puts the figure at 3.5 million units for Q2 2017.
Fitbit comes in at second place with 3.4 million units. They might be ahead of Apple but that figure is a sharp drop to the 5.7 million units shipped in Q2 2016. Canalys’ figure is a little less as it shows 2.7 million units for last quarter.
Apple on the other hand recorded a 1 million increase in shipments this year when compared to that of the same quarter in 2016. Apple’s share of the market sits at 13% and it is only a matter of time till it catches up to the others if it keeps growing at this pace.
News going round says the next Apple Watch will have LTE. If it is true, its release will likely boost Apple’s share of the wearable market. Canalys believes cellular smartwatches are going to be key in determining the future of the market. They say manufactures will have to offer more than just basic features for watches to appeal to buyers. They predict shipments of cellular smartwatches will reach up to 40 million units by 2021.
Speculations are rife that Apple is working on the successor of Apple Watch 2. In the next month, Apple is speculated to launch the iPhone 7S, 7S Plus and iPhone 8 smartphones. Rumors have it that Apple may also unveil the Apple Watch 3 alongside the upcoming iPhones. Fresh details have been shared by KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.
A Bloomberg report had reported earlier in this month that the third-generation Apple Watch would be arriving with support for LTE connectivity. This indicates that the Apple Watch 3 may arrive as a standalone device with an embedded SIM card. It would probably allow users to make calls as well as send text messages through the Apple Watch 3.
Corroborating on the same report, Kuo claims that the Apple Watch 3 would be available in two case sizes such as 38mm and 42mm like the Apple Watch 2 models. The third-generation Apple Watch will be coming in LTE and non-LTE variants. Major cellular operators of the U.S. will be providing add-on cellular service to the upcoming LTE-enabled Apple Watch 3. The data plans of the LTE Apple Watch are expected to similar to that of iPad data plans.
The LTE enabled Apple Watch is also expected to be available with an expensive pricing than the non-LTE model. LTE Apple Watch is likely to consume more battery power. Hence, Apple needs to find a solution to make sure that its next smartwatch offers decent battery life.
The Bloomberg report had also claimed that the Apple Watch 3 would be coming with an improved design. However, Kuo claims that there won’t be any remarkable change in the design of the next-generation Apple Watch. So, Apple Watch fans who are expecting to see a slimmer smartwatch from the company may probably have to wait until the launch of Apple Watch 3’s successor.
According to Kuo, in the second half of 2017, Apple will be shipping 8 to 9 million units of Apple Watch.0 And in the entire year, the Cupertino company is expected to ship 17.5 to 18 million Apple Watch units. However, he does feel that in order to drive more sales, the company should launch the Apple Watch with a radical form factor. Adding health and medical related apps as well as 5G commercialization can improve its sales.
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