Essential Phone Release Date to be Announced Next Week; To be Available Through Amazon, BestBuy & Sprint

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Aug 10, 2017

The shipment of pre-order Essential Phone units were expected to begin on June 30. However, Andy Rubin’s company, Essential Products failed to begin the shipments in July. On July 21, the official Twitter handle of Essential revealed a vague confirmation that the Essential Phone would be releasing in “a few weeks.” Its release seems to be drawing near as it has got listed on Best Buy earlier in this week. Amazon will be also selling the Essential Phone and Sprint will be the only carrier selling the Essential Phone in the U.S. Still, the company is silent on its release date.

Earlier in this month, Rubin confirmed that the mass production of the Essential Phone has already started. He added that the company is prepping the release of the smartphone to retailers and service providers across the U.S. Essential Products has confirmed that its investors have pumped $330 million to the company. Some of the well-known investors that invested in Essential Products like Foxconn, Alexa Fund from Amazon and Tecent Holdings from China.

Niccolo De Masi, the president of Essential Products has confirmed to the Wall Street Journal that the company will be announcing the Essential Phone release date in about a week. In the beginning year, the Essential Phone will be selling in single digit millions and its distribution will be also limited. In Canada, the smartphone will be available through the U.S. Telus Corp. The Essential Phone will be sold unlocked through Essential.com, Best Buy and Amazon. The unlocked Essential Phone will be usable on any carrier network. The company will be announcing international carrier relationships later this year.

He has said that the U.S. release of the Essential Phone will happen in a few weeks. As mentioned above, Rubin has also said in the previous month that Essential Phone would be arriving in a few weeks. This indicates that the Essential Phone will be hitting the market at a time when popular smartphone brands will be releasing be highly anticipated flagship phones in the coming weeks.

The Samsung Galaxy Note 8 would be unleashed would be Aug. 23 and the LG V30 will be launched at the end of this month. And Apple will be unveiling the iPhone 8 will be announced in the next month. The Essential Phone will face stiff competition from these smartphones that will be available through multiple carriers in the U.S.

(source)

ASUS Zenfone 4 Selfie and Zenfone 4 Selfie Pro Details and Images Leak, Brings Dual Front Cameras

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Aug 10, 2017

The ASUS Zenfone Selfie was released in 2015 and came with a 13MP front facing camera. Two years later, it will be getting a successor and doubling the number of front cameras. Thanks to leaker, Roland Quandt we now have the specification details and a bunch of high quality images of the Zenfone 4 Selfie.

The Zenfone 4 Selfie will be available in two variants: there will be a standard edition and a high end version with the Pro Suffix.

Zenfone 4 Selfie

The Zenfone 4 Selfie will come with a 5.5-inch IPS screen with a 1280 x 720 resolution. It will be powered by the quad-core Snapdragon 430 mobile platform clocked at 1.4GHz. Just like Xiaomi’s Redmi 4X Prime, the Zenfone 4 Selfie will have 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage.

The device will use capacitive buttons with a fingerprint scanner embedded beneath the home button. Power button and volume rocker are on the right and the SIM and microSD card tray sits on the left.

The standard variant gets the dual front camera treatment. One of the cameras is a 20MP sensor and the other is an 8MP sensor. No details have been provided about how they will work, though we presume the smaller sensor will capture depth of field information.

The front cameras are positioned at each end and also have a dedicated LED flash. The rear camera on the device is a 16MP sensor and maintains the square design of the Zenfone 3.

The Zenfone 4 Selfie will have two SIM slots and a dedicated microSD card slot like the Zenfone 4 Max. The Zenfone 4 Selfie weighs 144 grams and is 7.85 mm thick with the non-removable 3000mAh battery.

Price for the Zenfone 4 Selfie is €299.99 (~$352).

[envira-gallery id=”144400″]

Zenfone 4 Selfie Pro

The Zenfone 4 Selfie Pro looks a bit like the standard variant but packs a lot more features. The display is 5.5-inches too but is AMOLED and has a FHD resolution.

The front cameras, a 24MP sensor and a 5MP secondary camera are positioned on the right while the LED flash is on the left. At the bottom of the display are capacitive buttons, with the home button doubling as a fingerprint scanner. The rear camera is also 16MP but it may be a different sensor from that of the standard variant.

The Zenfone 4 Selfie Pro has 4GB of RAM and 64GB of expandable storage. It is powered by the old but manufacturers’ favorite Snapdragon 625 mobile platform.

The rest of the specs are same as that of the standard variant. However it weighs less at 145g and less thick at 7mm. The ASUS Zenfone 4 Pro will sell for €399 (~$468).

Below are images of the Zenfone 4 Selfie Pro in Red and Gold.

[envira-gallery id=”144410″]

(Source)

LG V30 Officially Confirmed to Come with Widest Aperture Lens

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Aug 10, 2017

A report from the previous week has revealed that the LG V30 will be arriving with topnotch multimedia features. Also, it has been rumored that the LG V30 will be coming with an amazing dual rear camera and one of its camera sensors will be f/1.6 aperture. The South Korean company has now officially introduced a new camera lens with largest aperture ever that wil be arriving on the LG V30.

The Samsung Galaxy S8 and HTC U11 come with f/1.7 aperture camera sensors. The LG G6 has a f/1.8 aperture lens. According to LG, compared to f/1.8 aperture lens, a f/1.6 aperture can bring 25 percent more light to the camera lens. Also, it is equipped with features like laser detection autofocus, optical and electronic image stabilization. This makes the LG V30 a well-suited smartphone for shooting photos and videos.

The f/1.6 aperture lens is coupled with Crystal Clear Lens that will also assist in collecting more light compared to a plastic lens and support better color reproduction. In comparison to shooting wide-angle images on LG V20, the f/1.6 lens will reduce edge distortion by a third. This will make it possible to snap wide-angle groupies and expansive landscapes.

Also, the dual rear camera module arriving on the LG V30 will be 30 percent smaller than the one present on LG V20. The LG V30’s camera will be easier and convenient to use compared to the LG V30.

The LG V30’s camera is also rumored to come with DSLR-like features such as LG-Log for specific logging and Graphy for histogram features. It will be also equipped with Cine Video and Live Zoom effects.

LG has also confirmed through another press release that the LG V30 will be arriving with HD TouchSense technology from Immersion. The high-definition haptics, users will be able to feel as if they are touching real buttons on the display of a smartphone. While playing games like car race, gamers will be able to feel the G-forces applied while taking a turn at an S curve. Also, while watching movies, users will be able to enjoy percussion of an explosion.

The LG V30 is slated to get announced on Aug. 31 and its pre-orders are rumored to begin on Sept. 17 in the U.S. It is expected to be available in the market for buying for Sept. 28.

(source 1,2)

Samsung Galaxy Note 8 Pre-order, Release Schedule Appears

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Aug 10, 2017

Samsung had already confirmed in the previous month that it will be holding a launch event on Aug. 23. The Galaxy Note 8 will be unveiled at the upcoming unveil event. Latest information that has surfaced on a South Korean online publication has revealed the entire pre-order and release schedule of the highly anticipated Samsung phablet.

The above image reveals the official release roadmap for the Note 8. It states that the Galaxy Note 8 launch event will be held on Aug. 23 in New York. In South Korea, interested customers will be get hands-on experience of the Galaxy Note 8 between Aug. 23 to 31 through Samsung Digital Plaza and retail outlets of South Korean cellular operators selling the Note 8.

The Galaxy Note 8 will become available for pre-orders from Sept. 1 to 10. A celebrity event will be organized on Sept. 11 for the activation of the first Note 8 handset by the leading carriers of South Korea. The activation of pre-ordered units of Galaxy Note 8 will happen between Sept. 11 to 14. And, the Galaxy Note 8 will finally release in South Korea from Sept. 15.

The 10-day pre-sale period is one day shorter than that of Galaxy S8 in April, but the gradual activation period is one day longer. This will allow the South Korean company to prevent any issues related to Note 8 activation if one of its color variants gains more popularity than the color options.

Since the Galaxy Note 7 from last year met with a premature end because of its faulty battery, the upcoming Galaxy Note 8 will be the first Galaxy Note phablet in two years. The South Korean company is of the view that the Note 8 will meet huge demand and it is ready for it. A representative from the company said, “the company is fully ready, so there aren’t any setbacks regarding sales of the phone.”

During a recent press conference, Samsung had confirmed that South Korea, the U.S. and the U.K are the first batch of markets to receive the Galaxy Note 8 in September. Other regions are expected to get the Galaxy Note 8 in October. The entire specifications of the Galaxy Note 8 phablet has been already revealed by popular leakster, Evan Blass. It is expected to sell with a pricing of about 1,000 euros (~$1,170).

(source)

LeEco Closes Only Shop In Moscow, Exit From Russia Looming

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Aug 10, 2017

Just when we thought things couldn’t get any worse for embattled tech giant LeEco, the company’s financial troubles seem to be getting worse. LeEco has reportedly closed its only store in Russia’s capital Moscow and may be on the verge of exiting Russia entirely. With an eye firmly set on global expansion, LeEco had entered Russia around May last year as its third international market after the successful launch of its services in India and USA.

LeEco le pro 3 — LeEco is known for well-designed phones with affordable price tags

LeEco planned to invest over USD 100 million in Russia and market its unique vertically-integrated ecosystem to Russian users with an all-new experience delivered through the Internet, smart devices, smart applications, and cloud. But that plan may have hit the rock as a source familiar with the matter claims LeEco may be preparing to leave Russia entirely. According to the source, the move for an early exit is caused by LeEco’s financial troubles which have made the company unable to service the loan it took last year in a bid to expand to newer markets.

Jia Yueting (Left) recently resigned as CEO & Chairman

LeEco’s financial imbroglio came to the limelight late last year when its CEO Jia Yueting sent an internal memo around hinting that the company was facing a cash crunch. The financial trouble is closely related to LeEco’s investment in U.S-based electric car manufacturing company Faraday for the Faraday Future electric car as well as other investments aimed at divesting into new markets. The expansion drive proved to be too rapid and it is on the verge of crumbling the once thriving business empire. A representative of LeEco has, however, disclosed that the closure of the Moscow store doesn’t mean the company is planning to exit the country but is instead trying to revamp its general business strategy. The company is reportedly developing a new strategy that would help improve the performance of its foreign operations, including its Russian concerns, a company exec had disclosed.

Sales in the Russian market have been far less than LeEo’s expectations. LeEco’s Russia arm had announced that it was planning to sell one million devices in Russia in 2017, but that isn’t possible anymore. The company only managed to rake in an estimated 19,400 units in sales during the first quarter of 2017 and an estimated 21,000 units in the second quarter. With such abysmal record, sales may not even get up to 100,000 units this year if indeed the company stays in Russia, especially as its major store in Russia’s capital has now been shut down. The company only sold 27,500 units in Q4 2016 so, don’t expect any better record this year. We do hope the company make a come back into the smartphone market sometime soon.

(source)

Samsung Galaxy Note 8 to Support 3D Touch for Accessing Hidden Menus

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Aug 10, 2017

The Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ does not feature a pressure sensitive display, but they carry limited support for it in the portion where the pressure sensitive virtual Home button is located. Earlier rumors had suggested that Samsung would be introducing pressure-sensitive screen on the upcoming Galaxy Note 8. Fresh information revealed by the South Korean media reveals that the Note 8 will be coming with a pressure-sensitive “force touch” screen that will allow the display to respond in a different way according to pressure applied by the user.

Apple had introduced pressure-sensitive display on Apple Watch in 2014 and in 2015, the feature was brought to the iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus smartphones. The feature was introduced as 3D Touch by Apple. The Galaxy S8 duo has the feature only in the Home button. The new information coming from South Korean media only claims that force touch will be available on Note 8, meaning that it does not clearly mention whether its entire screen will be a pressure-sensitive one or it will come with a force touch Home button. The latter seems to be possible since the Note 8 will be also lacking a Home button. However, it would be even better if the massive 6.3-inch display of the Note 8 responds differently to different pressures of taps and presses.

The report also reveals that instead of just using the feature for navigation, the Galaxy Note 8 will allow users to access hidden menus that will let users to open shortcuts and other features. This may result in the mainstream adoption of force touch on Android devices. The Huawei Mate S from 2015 was the first Android smartphone to adopt the feature, but it only allowed users to carry simple tasks like zooming on images present in the gallery.

Samsung is slated to debut the Galaxy Note 8 on Aug. 23 in New York and it is expected to release on Sept. 15 in South Korea. It is expected to be available on pre-orders between Sept. 1 to 10. It will be driven by Snapdragon 835 or Exynos 8895 depending on the market it releases. It will feature a dual rear camera and will be packed with a 3,300mAh battery.

The Galaxy Note 8 will be coming as a successor for the ill-fated Galaxy Note 7 that was re-launched as Galaxy Note Fan Edition in July. Samsung had released it in limited edition of 400,000 units to ensure that it sells out before the Galaxy Note 8 makes its debut.

(source)

Gizmochina Giveaway – Win A Free Leagoo Kiicaa Mix Phone

By

Shine Wong

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Aug 10, 2017

Gizmochina along with Leagoo is conducting a Legaoo Kiicaa Mix 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.

Here is the main features of Leagoo Kiicaa Mix:

Display: 5.5 inch, 1920 x 1080 Pixel screen
CPU: MTK6750T Octa Core 1.5GHz
System: Android 7.0
RAM + ROM: 3GB RAM + 32GB ROM
Camera: 13.0MP front camera + 13.0MP + 2.0MP back cameras
Sensor: E-Compass, Gravity Sensor, Proximity Sensor, Touch Sensor
SIM Card: dual SIM dual standby. Nano + Nano SIM
Feature: GPSA / GPS
Bluetooth: 4.0
Network:
2G: GSM 850/900/1800/1900MHz
3G: WCDMA 900/2100MHz
4G: FDD-LTE B1/B3/B5/B7/B8/B20 TDD-LTE B40

Here is a coupon code to save $30 to pre-order the Leagoo Kiicaa Mix phone: GBLKMIX

Buy Leagoo Kiicaa Mix on Gearbest, $30 Off with Coupon: GBLKMIX

How to entry this giveaway? Just follow these steps via Gleam widget:

Visit Leagoo’s Facebook and Twitter, follow them;
Share this article to your Facebook, Twitter, Google+ or other social media;

Terms & Conditions:

1. The giveaway is an international giveaway.
2. We are not responsible for lost shipments.
3. We are not responsible for any duties, import taxes that you may incur.
4. We reserve all rights to make any changes to this giveaway.
5. The prize will be shipped in a week when the giveaway end.

Just follow the steps mentioned in the Gleam widget to participate in the giveaway.

Once again, good luck.

Gizmochina Giveaway – Win A Leagoo Kiicaa Mix phone

The K8 Note Is Official & Lenovo Kills It With The World’s First Helio X23 Smartphone

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Aug 9, 2017

So far this year, Lenovo has launched ten smartphones. However, all those phones were released under the Motorola brand name. Today, it has taken the wraps of its own Lenovo branded phone, the K8 Note.

Lenovo K8 Note Design

The K8 Note employs a mixture of polycarbonate and metal for its body which is not unusual for a mid-range phone. The metal back (and frame) is of premium quality and has two thin antenna lines that appear like silver bands adorning the phone. Lenovo has adopted a vertical setup for the dual rear cameras and the housing is slightly raised from the rest of the body.

Up front, the K8 Note doesn’t hide its huge top and bottom bezels, though they appear less imposing on the black variant. There are capacitive buttons gracing the lower bezel; and a camera, earpiece and LED flash adorning the top.

The power button sits on the right just like the volume rocker but has a textured feel to let you distinguish one from the other. On the left side is a programmable music key that is painted red on both color variants and has a Play and Pause symbol inscribed on it.

Lenovo K8 Note Cameras

Like the newly announced Moto G5S Plus, the K8 Note comes with dual rear cameras. The configuration is a 13MP PureCel® Plus sensor paired with a 5MP secondary sensor that captures depth information. This allows for real-time bokeh effects and SLR-quality portrait images. The front facing camera is a 13MP sensor with a beautification mode and a dedicated LED flash for night-time selfies.

Lenovo K8 Note Specs

The K8 Note is the first smartphone to come with the Helio X23 processor. The deca-core chipset was announced in December 2016 along with the Helio X27 as successors to the Helio X20 and Helio X25. Eight months later it appears in its first phone. The tri-cluster chip is clocked at 2.3GHz and has a Mali-T880 GPU. Mediatek says it offers a 20% overall increase in performance.

The Lenovo K8 Note has a 5.5-inch display with a 1080p resolution and Gorilla Glass protection. It comes with either 3GB of RAM and 32GB ROM or 4GB of RAM and 64GB ROM. Both versions have dedicated microSD card slots for up to 128GB of extra storage.

Just as Lenovo promised that its phones will henceforth come with stock Android, the Lenovo K8 Note is the first to do so. It runs Android 7.1.1 out of the box with Google Assistant. Lenovo also adds that the K8 Note is guaranteed to get updated to the next version of Android.

The K8 Note has dual SIM slots with support for 4G LTE (special emphasis on bands 3, 5, and 40 for the Indian market) and VoLTE. There is a fingerprint scanner below the dual cameras and a 4,000mAh battery with 15W turbo-charging. The 15W turbo charge isn’t the only leaf Lenovo has borrowed from its Motorola brand. The K8 Note also has a splash proof nano-coating.

Other features include dual band WiFi, Bluetooth 4.2, a 3.5mm audio jack at the top and a micro USB port at the bottom. There is also Dolby Atmos for improved audio quality, and TheatreMax for an immersive experience when watching videos with a pair of VR glasses.

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LG Q6 Now Official In India, Priced At INR 14,990 (∼$235)

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Aug 9, 2017

The LG Q6 can be said to be the mid-range version of the LG G6 released earlier this year. One thing both phones have in common is the 18:9 Full-Vision display. The Q6 was first released in South Korea last month, and as part of its global roll-out, was launched in India today.

The LG Q6 will be an Amazon India exclusive and will sell for INR 14,990 (∼$235). It packs a 5.5-inch 1080 x 2160 display in a compact body, has a Snapdragon 435 processor clocked at 1.4 GHz, and 3GB of RAM. Storage is 32GB and is expandable via a dedicated microSD card slot (2TB max.).

For optics, there is a 13MP rear camera and a 5MP wide-angle front facing camera. It runs Android Nougat 7.1.1, has dual SIM slot (nano only) and packs a 3000mAh battery. The LG Q6 is available in Astro Black and Platinum Ice.

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Rumour From China: Meizu MX7 Will Not Be Launched This Year

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Aug 9, 2017

Meizu is surprisingly picking up the pace with the rate at which it is launching new devices this second half of the year. The first half of 2017 saw quite a few models released by the tech giant but now, soon after the launch of the Pro 7 and Pro 7 Plus as well as the Meizu Flow headset, the company has sent out press invites for the launch of the M6 Note. There are more to come including a Snapdragon-powered model perhaps, but one phone that may likely not be launched this year is the Meizu MX7. There is a rumour out of China that Meizu will not be launching the flagship MX7 this year.

The Meizu MX7 is supposed to be the successor to the MX6 which was launched around July last year packing an Helio X20 chip and a powerful 12MP Sony IMX386 rear camera sensor. The MX7 was expected to launch in September this year packing an Helio P30 chip, according to the leaked Meizu product schedule for this year that has so far been fairly accurate. The MX series was hitherto Meizu’s flagship series before the birth of the Pro series but the company has continued to released MX models which usually come with a pocket-friendly price tag. The MX6 sells for around $276 presently which is fairly decent. But we may have to make do with the M6 Note this year as Meizu is rumoured as planning to use the M series, U series or the X series to fill the void the lack of a decent MX model would create.

The reason for the shift of the MX7 from this year’s itinerary wasn’t disclosed by the tipster who has a fair credibility rating from his antecedence. The shift could be as a result of the need to provide enough space for the Pro 7 and the mid-range offerings the company has got lined up for this year to sell well instead of its products competing with each other. The Meizu MX7 is expected with a premium, near bezel-less edge design and would feature a 21MP rear camera and a 5MP sensor up front. The device is also expected to sport a large 5.7-inch display with a 2K resolution and it will have a USB Type-C port and 3.5mm audio jack.We can’t be so sure about this, though, so take it with a pinch of salt.

(source)

Rumor Mill: Xiaomi Mi Note 3 May Arrive This Month Or Next

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Aug 9, 2017

There are two Xiaomi flagship devices expected to launch later this year. One is the bezel-less Mi Mix 2 and the other is the Mi Note 3. While the Mi MIX 2 has sort of been confirmed by Xiaomi, there has been no official word on the Mi Note 3.

Rumor has it that the Mi Note 3 will be launched by the end of August or early September. If that is true, it means Xiaomi has changed the release schedule for the Mi Note series. If you recollect, the Mi Note 2 came nearly two years after the original Mi Note.

The Mi Note 2 was released alongside the Mi MIX in November 2016. Though the former stole the show, the Mi Note 2 was praised for having a global LTE variant and also got people talking about its nearly identical design to the ill-fated Samsung Galaxy Note 7.

If the Mi Note 3 is launching so soon, it may mean that we will be getting a separate event for the Mi MIX 2 later. It may also be a strategy to grab some of the market share Samsung and LG are aiming for with the Galaxy Note 8 and LG V30.

Leaked details of the Mi Note 3 say the smartphone will have a 2K display that is curved on both sides. The display is reported to be supplied by LG, since Samsung and Apple need all the AMOLED they can get. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 will power it, paired with 6GB of RAM. Expect the Mi Note 3 to come with MIUI 9 out of the box and also have a global variant.

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Xiaomi’s 90 Points Launching Jacket Next Week, Priced Under ¥300

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Aug 9, 2017

90 Points is Xiaomi’ line for lifestyle products. Some of the products released under the line include suitcases, smart running shoes, backpacks, and t-shirts. Next week it plans to add a jacket to its list of products.

The jacket is the down and feather variety, specially made to keep you warm when the weather is cold. They are also the choice of jackets for skiing and snowboarding. Skiing is actually one of Lei Jun’s hobby, so we won’t be wrong to presume he thought of this during his last skiing trip.

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HMD Reveals Nokia 8 Real Photo In A Video Marking The International Cat Day

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Aug 9, 2017

The Nokia 8 flagship is expected to be unveiled in London on August 18 and as usual, we expect the leaks to keep coming out in droves. The latest leak about the Nokia 8 centres on its real picture and it comes out from Nokia itself. In what could be seen as a teaser, Nokia revealed the Nokia 8 real life looks by featuring the flagship in a video meant to commemorate the International Cat Day held on Tuesday.

The video which we have added after this post did not specifically identify the Nokia smartphone featured as the Nokia 8 but the look is aptly consistent with the ones we have seen lately in leaks (see photo below). This goes to confirm that the Nokia 8 will come with a display that has very thin bezels at the sides while we get big bezels at the top and bottom. The photo only shows the front of the device but the rear will likely be as captured in the photo below since the front is similar.

As a reminder, the Nokia 8 is expected with a 5.7-inch 2K display with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor powering it up as well as up to 4GB / 6GB of RAM and 64GB of expandable internal storage. The device is also expected with a dual rear camera setup which is made up of a 12MP main sensor with the module manufactured by renowned German optics company Carl Zeiss. The device is also expected to pack a 3000mAh battery and will run Android 7.1 out of the box. See the video below.

(source)

Because who doesn't love cats?! 😻 #InternationalCatDay #Nokiamobile

Posted by Nokia Mobile on Tuesday, August 8, 2017

Interesting! Beta Testers Can Get The Xiaomi Mi AI Speaker For Just 1 Yuan

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Aug 9, 2017

Xiaomi has disclosed that the Mi AI Speaker will be going up for beta testing on August 10 via Mi Mall. The company also revealed that Beta testers who are successfully accepted into the programme will only need to pay just 1 Yuan to get the smart gadget. That is like getting it for FREE and the application is open to everyone provided you are in China. All that is needed is to apply via the Mi Mall app and then use the password “small love students” to get access to the application.

The Xiaomi Mi Ai Speaker was launched along side the Mi 5X on July 26 and comes with a design that looks very much like the Mi Air Purifier. The smart speaker has 6 omnidirectional microphones that are capable of picking up sounds up to 16 meters away. The device also comes with three speakers in all. One is a 360° speaker at the base and there is a speaker on two of the four sides. You can connect to the speaker via Bluetooth, DLNA, or WiFi. Among the functions of the Smart speaker is the ability to play music, get traffic/weather report, listen to entertaining stories and jokes, work as an alarm and also, it can be used to remotely control other smart gadgets in the home. The smart assistant is also built to be used by every member of the household, including kids.

The Mi AI Speaker has a price tag of 299 Yuan (~$44) and we don’t know when the sales will start. But as stated earlier, application for the Beta testing programme will open on Thursday, August 10 and will end on August 16. So, if you’re interested, download the Mi Mall app now. Xiaomi doesn’t ship outside China presently so, that means this application is only open to those in China.

(source)

Smartisan Gets $150m Funding To keep It Alive

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Aug 9, 2017

Smartisan Technology Co. LTD is a Chinese smartphone company known for its uniquely designed phones. Founded in 2012, the company has launched about 7 phones so far including the Smartisan Nut Pro released this year.

Smartisan CTO Wu De Zhou (L), and Smartisan Founder, Luo Yonghao (R)

The Nut Pro might have been the last smartphone from the manufacturer as the company was fighting collapse. But thanks to fresh funding, Smartisan will remain in the market.

The co-founder and CEO, Luo Yonghao revealed at the Geek Park’s Rebuild 2017 conference that they have raised ¥1 billion (∼$150 million) from investors. The money according to the CEO will be used to ramp up production, resulting in it releasing five to six smartphones that cover every category instead of the usual two per year.

Last year, Smartisan was at the verge of collapse and rumors were floating round that Xiaomi was going to acquire them. While no details about the investors were made public, it won’t come as a surprise to learn Xiaomi is one of them.

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Meizu M6 Note Will Launch on August 23, Press Invite Out

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Aug 9, 2017

Meizu has unexpectedly started sending out press invites for a launch event scheduled to take place on August 23. The launch event will take place at the Beijing Performing Arts Centre by 11 AM and it comes with the theme- “Stay True” which is already the subject of series of memes on Weibo. The posters and launch invite clearly reveal that the Meizu M6 Note is the model that would be unveiled during the conference.

The Meizu M6 Note only popped up online recently in a couple of leaked photos showing some of its specifications. The leak reveals M6 Note will sport a 5.5-inch IPS LCD Full HD display and will be powered by MediaTek’s latest mid-range Helio P25 (MT6757T) chip with the Mali-T880 GPU firing up the graphics. The processor will be backed by 3GB of RAM on some models while others will have 4GB of RAM while there will either be a 32GB and 64GB storage variant respectively. The M6 Note will also come with a dual camera setup which is tipped to be like the Xiaomi Redmi Pro’s setup, that is a Sony IMX 258 main sensor. One of the posters shows the rear view of a smartphone which is likely the M6 Note and it packs a dual camera setup.battery.

In addition, the M6 Note is tipped as coming with an all metal unibody and it will get its juice from a 4,000mAh battery. The leak also pitches the 4GB RAM variant of the M6 Note as coming with a 1,599 Yuan price tag (around $237) which is a decent price for a mid-range Helio P25 packing smartphone.

(source)

Xiaomi MIJIA Teases Launch of What Looks Like A Smartphone Teardown Kit

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Aug 9, 2017

After the launch of a smartphone, one aspect which elicits a lot of attention here on Gizmochina is the teardown aspect. Although we don’t carry out the tear down ourselves in most cases, whenever one is spotted online, it is served pronto and they usually are attention grabbing topics. That is perhaps because our curious nature is always at play, wanting to find out what lies inside those beautiful models that get launched every now and then. Looks like in the near future we won’t have to wait for a practical teardown session to pop up online but instead, you can do it yourself (DIY). This is because Xiaomi is likely launching a smartphone teardown kit today August 9.

The tech giant recently shared a post on the MIJIA Weibo page pointing at a launch on August 9 by 10 AM. The product that will be launched wasn’t disclosed but the poster contains a photo of a completely ripped out Mi smartphone which looks like the Mi 1, with all the components well-arranged side by side each other.

There is no doubt the product will be a teardown kit or tool set which we believe will contain the necessary tools needed to rip apart any smartphone model. Of course, the procedure for opening up phones differ, while some are only held with screws, other are glued together in some parts just like the Honor 9 whose teardown revealed a lot of double-sided adhesives. In most cases, theses adhesives need to be removed before such models can be opened. In addition, some parts are so tiny they require special tools to be dismantled and we believe Xiaomi will put all that into consideration when setting up the tool kit. We expect the product to come with a cheap price tag in Xiaomi’s usual style.

(source)

Lei Jun Likely Using A Xiaomi Smartphone With 18:9 Aspect Ratio, Mi Mix 2?

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Aug 9, 2017

Xiaomi‘s CEO Lei Jun may have accidentally shared a key detail of the company’s upcoming flagship. The CEO recently shared the news that the Mi Powerbank 10,000mAh currently priced at 79 Yuan ($12) in China was being sold for as high as 1,500 Yuan ($224) in New Zealand and thus emphasized the need for the company to spread its tentacles outside China. The thing is, Lei Jun shared a photo of the Mi Mall sales page for the Mi Power band and that is where lies the juice.

The photo was supposed to be a screenshot of the Mi Powerbank sales page on Mi Mall and it captures the entire screen of the device being used by Lei Jun.Surprisingly, the photo comes with an unusually large size especially the length. Now, the proportion of the screenshot is usually consistent with the size of the display on the smartphone and in this case, the device comes with an unusually long aspect ratio that looks like an 18: 9 aspect ratio. Even though Weibo may have compressed the resolution of the photo, the dimension will still be retained thus fueling speculations that this may be a new Xiaomi phone. Also, the phone in use isn’t revealed by Weibo meaning it is an unannounced Xiaomi model.

The only Xiaomi model which is expected with an 18:9 aspect ratio is the Mi Mix 2. The Mi Mix 2 display may not really be larger in size but the screen-to-body ratio is expected to be increased to 93% as well as the aspect ratio as indicated in previous leaks. The Mi Mix featured a virtual navigation key and also uses a Cantilever piezoelectric ceramic technology which replaces the traditional earpiece. On the Mix 2, Xiaomi is said to partner with AAC technologies who will develop a better, new generation technology known as AAC actuator which would be used for the ear piece sound output. The AAC actuator is said to achieve a better screen sound, especially at low frequency. It also works better with the 3GPP standard. So, is this revelation an indication that Xiaomi will soon launch the Mi Mix2? That the CEO is testing the model? We’ll find out about that soon.

(source)

Dual Camera Xiaomi Smartphone Launching In India Next Month

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Aug 9, 2017

Xiaomi has released four dual camera smartphones so far. There is the Redmi Pro, the Mi 5S Plus, the Mi 6 and the newly announced Mi 5X. One of these four devices will be launching in India next month according to the Managing Director of Xiaomi India.

From the looks of it, the Mi 5X is the most likely choice seeing as the Redmi Pro is no longer in production; the Mi 5S is “old”; and Xiaomi already said the Mi 6 won’t be released in India. The Mi 5X will also be a good compensation for the Xiaomi fans in India since it has the same camera sensors as the Mi 6.

Can't wait for you guys to check out Xiaomi's first dual-camera phone in India! Coming next month! ☺️

Can you guess which one? pic.twitter.com/UhtFphm0GT

— Manu Kumar Jain (@manukumarjain) August 8, 2017

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LG Sends Out Invites for V30 Launch On August 31

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Aug 9, 2017

Everyone already knows that the LG V30 will be released at a pre-IFA Berlin event on August 31st. A teaser image that was released back in July showed a phone with the date on the screen.

Yesterday, report reached us that LG began sending out official invites to members of the press. The invite confirms the launch will hold on August at 9 AM at the Maritim Hotel in Berlin.

There are just a few details we do not know about the LG V30. We already know what it looks like and that it will feature a single 6-inch Quad HD+ POLED display and a Snapdragon 835 processor. The display will be curved on both edges and feature thin bezels at the top and bottom.

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