LG Displays have showcased its latest thin, flexible, long-lasting OLED lights at the recent London DesignJunction show. The flexibility gives room for cool lamp designs. LG Display is well-renowned for its OLED screens which are used on some of the most high-tech televisions as well as the latest LGV30. LG also supplies flexible OLED panels to other smartphone manufacturers. The tech giant also utilizes the OLED technology in lighting and first showcased its OLED lamp in 2014 but the technology has greatly improved since then.
The lamps functions like single OLED pixels ripped from your OLED screen and then enlarged many times over. Since the flexible property is retained, the lamp thus provides a beautiful soft light in a flexible style. The lighting is produced using a fifth-gen production process while the previous models were manufactured using second-gen production lines.
The flexible OLED lamps come with an ultra-thin plastic body and will be available in three different light panel styles. There is a square version and two oblong-shaped versions having varying lengths. All versions come with a higher wattage than the 2014 version and their shelf life have been greatly improved as well. LG claims the oblong versions will work for between 30,000 and 40,000 hours before the light deteriorates to the point where it can’t be used. If the light is used for at least 10 hours daily, the time range translates to more than 13 years of use at ten hours a day. The flexible LED lights also come with an adjustable color temperature which can be adjusted to suit the environment, time of day, or use.
The use of the LG flexible OLED lamps offers so many opportunities in the aspect of creative light designs. Apart from its uses in homes, LG Display is working with car manufacturers to incorporate red and amber versions into tail lamps. The lights will only be ready for mass production early next year.
The Gionee M7 is now official. The new phone brings a bunch of exciting features, key ones being the 18:9 FullView display and the new Helio P30 processor.
Gionee M7 Design
The Gionee M7, as revealed in an early leak features a brushed metal back with concentric circles that originate from the fingerprint scanner. Dual rear cameras are positioned horizontally at the top left corner and are slightly raised.
The front is where the action is. The bezels have been greatly reduced to allow for the massive 6.01-inch FullView display. The top bezel still holds the selfie camera, a sensor, and the earpiece; while the bottom bezel has the Gionee logo. Gionee finishes the design with sandblasted sides.
Gionee M7 Specs
The Gionee M7 has a 6.01 FHD+ AMOLED display with a 2160 x 1080 resolution and an 18:9 screen ratio. The screen accounts for 85% of the front of the phone thanks to the smaller bezels.
The Gionee M7 is the first smartphone to come with the Helio P30 processor announced last month. The 2.3GHz 16nm octa-core chip is paired with 6GB of RAM and 64GB of expandable storage. Gionee says there are also two security chips in the phone – one for mobile payment and the other for data protection.
Just like the Gionee S10, the M7 features dual rear cameras. One is a 16MP f/1.8 sensor and the other is an 8MP sensor for capturing depth of field information for portrait images. The rear camera can also take 3D images and has improved multi-frame noise reduction. The selfie camera is also an 8MP sensor.
The Gionee M7 doesn’t end there. For the big screen, Gionee has managed to squeeze in a 4000mAh battery into the 7.2mm body. Users will be able to get up to 43 hours of call usage, 21 hours of video playback, and 123 hours of music playback. The phone also supports 9V/2A fast charge so you can refill the battery in the shortest time possible.
The M7 has a fingerprint scanner mounted on the back that supports mobile banking payments and bus payments. It has dual SIM support with full Netcom. There is a 3.5mm jack at the bottom and a USB Type-C port too.
Gizmochina along with Azdome is conducting a Azdome DAB211 Car DVR Recorder 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.
What’s special about DAB211 to make it much more appealing? Let’s see together the features of Azdome DAB211.
Well, first of all, DAB211 is equipped with Ambarella A12 chip, it is well known that Ambarella chip in dash cam will bring a better experience for users whether in CPU, operation speed, image or functions, which captures the heart of the vast majority of people.
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Last but not least, the video resolution and lens, DAB211 comes with 1440p and 150 degree ultra wide angle, which means a better overall experience for the users and will provide panoramic views of surrounding environment for people to enjoy the visual feast.
How to entry this giveaway? Just follow these steps:
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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.
The major trend this year has been smartphones with 18:9 displays. First made popular by the LG G6 and Samsung Galaxy S8 (18.5:9), the last few months have seen some entry level and mid-range smartphones with the same display come out of China.
Xiaomi Mi MIX 2 Sporting An 18:9 Display
While the mid-range smartphones with full screen displays like the Vivo X20 and X20 Plus are priced high, a large number of the entry-level ones in the market are clones. And since none of the big names have released an affordable phone with a full-screen display, those who can’t afford the pricier ones have to wait. But they may not have to wait for long as there is a rumor that a future Redmi phone will have an 18:9 screen. Before we dive into the details, let’s brief you on what led to the reveal.
The Xiaomi MIX 2 is actually the second Xiaomi phone with a bezel-less design. Initially, the display was said to have been supplied by LG, but it has been discovered that some screens are from JDI too. A Weibo user had mentioned that some displays are from Tianma, a China-based maker, but popular analyst, Pan Jiutang said the Mi MIX 2 doesn’t have and will not use a display from Tianma.
However, a representative of the domestic screen manufacturer revealed that the company is making 18:9 displays which is expected to appear in a new generation Redmi phone. The Redmi phone is still unspecified but the guess is it’s probably the Redmi Note 5 or at most the Redmi Note 6.
Xiaomi has announced the Redmi Note 5A and may soon announce the Redmi 5 Plus (and Redmi 5). The Redmi Note 5 may be released much later so as to get supply for the new 18:9 displays.
LEAGOO KIICAA MIX has been on sale since the past two months. During the presale, the smartphone was made available with $30 discount. Those who could not take advantage of the discounted pricing can now avail the handset with $30 price cut on Sept. 26 and 27.
The KIICAA MIX is a smartphone that houses a full screen FHD display from SHARP that measures 5.5 inches. The company claims that the handset offers a screen-to-body ratio of 90 percent. It is powered by MediaTek MT6750 chipset and 3 GB of RAM. The native storage provided on the smartphone is 32 GB. It features a 3,000mAH battery which can gain 35 percent power in 30 minutes through 5V/2A fast charging.
The handset features a 13-meapixel selfie camera. The rear side of the phone features dual-LED enabled 13-megapixel + 2-megapixel dual rear cameras. The handset is loaded with Android 7.0 Nougat OS. A fingerprint scanner is present on the chin of the phone. It does not feature a 3.5mm audio jack, but comes with a USB-C port for enjoying loseless music through USB-C headphones. For faster data connectivity, the LEAGOO KIICAA MIX features a Cat. 6 LTE modem.
On AliExpress, the KIICAA MIX will be selling with a discounted pricing on $109 on Sept. 26 and 27. Some of the Chinese retailers like GearBest are already selling the handset for $109. The handset is available in only one color of Elegance Black.
VKWorld is prepping up to launch new smartphones during the upcoming holiday season. The three rumored smartphones from the company are VKWorld Mix, T2 Plus and S8. Several details of the VKWorld S8 have already surfaced.
The VKWorld S8 is expected to feature a full screen design that will be supporting an aspect ratio of 18:9. However, the exact size and resolution of its display are not known.
The company claims that the screen of the VKWorld S8 is different from the other clones of Samsung Galaxy S8 as it features very thin bezels. Its top bezel is of 3.2mm only which houses an earpiece, light sensor and proximity sensor. The left and right bezels are even slimmer as they measure only 1mm. It seems that VKWorld S8 would be probably sporting the thinnest bezel in smartphones.
None of the full screen smartphones that have released so far feature large-sized batteries. The VKWorld S8 could be the first full screen phone to arrive with a mammoth battery of 5,000mAh capacity. It is Li-Po battery built by Sony. Li-Po batteries are said to be safer and durable than Li-ion batteries.
With minimal use, the battery is expected to last for 3 days and with normal use, users will be able to use the handset for 2 days. The huge battery of the VKWorld S8 will be complemented by MediaTek’s PumpExpress fast charging feature. The handset will be carrying support for 12V/2A fast charging.
As of this writing, there is no information available on the chipset that will be powering the smartphone. However, SoC of the S8 would be accompanied by 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB of storage.
The handset will be also sporting a premium design as it will be coming with 3D glass back. As it can be seen in the above, the VKWorld S8 would be arriving in four color choices such as red, silver/white, light blue and black. The rear side of the smartphone features dual cameras. However, the exact details of both the lenses are not available. The fingerprint scanner is placed on its rear side. The smartphone also features a USB-C port.
The Chinese firm will be holding VKWorld Carnival in October. It is expected to unleash the VKWorld S8 during the upcoming event. There is no information available on the pricing of the phone.
Whenever there is a discussion about dual screen phones, what readily comes to mind is the Yotaphone series. Although Meizu utilized the same design on its latest flagship Pro 7 and Pro 7 Plus, there are marked differences like the smaller-sized secondary display and the use of OLED on the rear instead of e-ink display panel. What you probably don’t know is that Chinese electronics manufacturer Hisense has got a phone with a screen design similar to Yotaphone. Hisense A2 has been in the market priced around 2,599 Yuan but the tech company has just unveiled its latest model dubbed Hisense A2 Pro.
The Hisense A2 Pro features a 5.5-inch FHD AMOLED display with 2.5D curved glass at the front while there is a 5.2-inch e-ink display at the rear just like the latest Yota 3. The device is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 processor backed by 4GB of RAM and there is 64GB of storage onboard. On the camera end, the device packs a 12MP Sony IMX386 sensor at the rear which should team up properly with the powerful processor to deliver a nice picture quality. The device equally sports a 16MP front camera which should ensure selfies are well-taken care of.
Further, the Hisense A2 Pro packs a decent 3,090mAh battery and has support for dual SIM cards/ dual standby. It comes with a fingerprint sensor which is located on the side of the device. The A2 Pro is already opened for booking on Jingdong and would go on sale on September 26. Unfortunately, there is no price tag attached to it just yet.
Nokia 2 that is still under the wraps is rumored to arrive as the cheapest smartphone from HMD Global. A screenshot showing a conversation between a fan and a representative from Nokia Myanmar has revealed that the Nokia 2 will be arriving in Myanmar in November.
Nokia 2 is rumored to arrive in two chipset models. Some markets are expected to get the Snapdragon 212 / 210 model whereas others are pegged to get MediaTek variant. There is no confirmation on which variant would be arriving in Myanmar.
Since the legitimacy of the above the screenshot cannot be confirmed, it can’t be said that the handset would be indeed arriving in November in Myanmar and other markets. It is also speculated that the Nokia 2 may get unveiled on Oct. 5 as a leaked render of the phone had carried the date on its screen.
Previous reports have revealed that the Nokia 2 would be arriving with a 5-inch display that would be supporting an HD resolution of 720 x 1,280 pixel. The SoC of the smartphone is speculated to be supported by 1 GB of RAM. It is expected to house a 4,000mAh battery.
The Nokia 2 is expected to feature an 8-megapixel rear camera and a 5-megapixel selfie snapper. Since the smartphone has been certified by Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in the U.S., it seems that its arrival is close at hand.
In related news, two new Nokia smartphones with model numbers TA-1041 and TA-1042 have received 3C (China Compulsory Certification) approval in China. These smartpho`nes are enabled fast charging feature. Among the Nokia phones that have launched this year, only the Nokia 8 carries support for quick charging.
The inclusion of fast charging suggests that TA-1041 and TA-1042 may not be entry-level smartphones. Well known leakster Roland Quandt, has claimed that the HMD Global will be also launching another Nokia phone apart from the Nokia 2. Speculations are rife that the TA-1041 and TA-1042 could be Nokia 9 or Nokia 7.
The Nokia 9 is speculated as an advanced version of the Nokia 8 flagship that will arrive with a full screen or dual edge curve design and dual rear cameras. There is no information available on Nokia 7, but it is now rumored to be stripped down version of the Nokia 8.
HMD Global’s Nokia 8 is just a couple of months in the open but rumours of the next generation Nokia 9 has continued to rent the air lately. We had first seen a couple of mock-up renders of the device and recently, another render emerged purported to be from a trusted source. The render showed the Nokia 9 would come with a bezel-less design and not only that, would also utilise an edge-to-edge design with 3D glass at the back.
Apart from renders, what is said to be the Nokia 9’s display panel has also appeared on China’s Baidu. The source of this display panel image is relatively new but it looks very much similar to the renders we have been seeing. Accordingly, the source also added that the display will be a 5.5-inch display which is similar to what had earlier leaked.Apart from the size, the Nokia 9 is expected with a QHD resolution as well as 3D glass back and the display will be an OLED panel. The 3D glass back is said to be included due to the incorporation of wireless charging on the Nokia 9.
In addition, the Nokia 9 is expected to feature a Carl Zeiss dual camera setup which the source claims are superior to the Nokia 8’s setup. The device isn’t expected to come with a physical home button under the display but will use virtual buttons. The Nokia 9 is rumoured to come with 6GB/8GB RAM, 128GB ROM, IP68 certification and it looks like there will be a rear fingerprint sensor. The flagship device may probably feature an Iris scanner. The device is expected to carry a price tag of around EUR 749 in Europe.
Samsung Galaxy X is the rumored foldable smartphone from the company. DJ Koh who heads the mobile division of Samsung has confirmed recently confirmed that it would be debuting a foldable smartphone next year. The arrival of the smartphone could to be inching closer as it seems that it has been certified by National Radio Research Agency (NRRA) in South Korea.
A Samsung phone with model number of SM-G888N0 has been NRRA. The same model had received Bluetooth SIG certification at the end of July. The handset has also been certified by Wi-Fi Alliance. Since the model number does not correspond to any of the smartphone that Samsung has released so far, it seems that the mysterious handset could either be a new line of smartphone from the company or the heavily rumored foldable phone.
There is no information available on the specifications of the smartphone and the South Korean company has not released any details on it. Previous rumors have revealed that the Galaxy X is a foldable smartphone that is codenamed as Project Valley.
DJ Koh has already confirmed during a recent interview Samsung is aiming to release a foldable Galaxy Note phone in 2018. There is no confirmation on whether this device will be launching as Galaxy X. Koh has said that it will be launched only if the company is able to successfully resolve its technical problems. He has also claimed that if the problems do not get resolved, the arrival of the foldable phone may get delayed.
The rumor mill has revealed that Samsung’s foldable phone is fitted with two AMOLED displays that are connected using a hinge with fold-out mechanism. It indicates that by unfolding the phone, users will be able to use it like a tablet.
Samsung had showcased a prototype of a smartphone with foldable display called Youm in 2013. It seems that the first ever foldable phone will finally arrive next year. Speculations are rife that the South Korean company may launch it in limited quantities and it may carry an expensive price tag of around $1,200.
The full screen display made available as Infinity Display on Galaxy S8, Galaxy S8+ and Galaxy Note 8 has been well-received by audience. The arrival of Samsung’s foldable phone suggests that the company would soon begin the trend of launching flexible smartphones.
Xiaomi has recently launched the Mi MIX 2 and Mi Note 3 smartphones and it seems that the company is soon going to unveil its upcoming Redmi 5 and Redmi Note 5 series of smartphones. An image of the Redmi 5 Plus has surfaced on Weibo. However, the image does not show the actual handset, but it looks like a closeup shot of the box package or a poster of Redmi 5 Plus.
The Redmi 5 Plus moniker suggests that it could be an advanced edition of Redmi 5. Since Xiaomi had released Redmi 4A has a lower variant of the Redmi 5, the company is likely to launch Redmi 5A also this year alongside Redmi 5 and Redmi 5 Plus. The Redmi 5A has been allegedly spotted on TENAA’s site which suggests that the company may soon debut the Redmi 5 series in China.
There is no information available on the specifications of the Redmi 5 Plus. Like the predecessor Redmi phones, the Redmi 5 Plus is pegged to feature a 5-inch display. It is likely that the Redmi 5 will sport the same design as the upcoming Redmi Note 5.
Recent leaks have revealed that the budget phablet would be driven by MediaTek Helio P25 and it would be coming in two variants such as: 3 GB of RAM + 32 GB of storage and 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB of storage. The handset is also expected to arrive in a Snapdragon chipset edition.
Speculations also hint that the Redmi Note 5 would be blessed with dual rear cameras that would include a 16-megapixel sensor and a 5-megapixel sensor. It is expected to house a 4,000mAh battery. Like the predecessor Redmi Note phones, the Redmi Note 5 is slated to arrive with a 5.5-inch display and it would be featuring a rear-mounted fingerprint reader. Other speculated specs of the phablet include 12-megapixel selfie snapper, MIUI 9 flavored Android 7.1 Nougat and a USB-C port.
The base model of the Redmi Note 5 is expected to arrive with a price tag of 999 Yuan (~$151). The higher model is rumored to be priced at 1,299 Yuan (~$196).
The Redmi 4X was launched with a pricing of 699 Yuan (~$106). Hence, the Redmi 5 Plus is speculated to cost around 899 Yuan (~$136) and the Redmi 5 may be priced around 799 Yuan (~$121).
The shipments of iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus shipments have started in the last week. Both the smartphones carry plenty of improved features compared to last year’s iPhone 7 and 7 Plus. For instance, instead of the metal unibody design, the iPhone 8 duo have metal and glass combination chassis. JerryRigEverything has carried out couple of tests on the iPhone 8 to evaluate its durability.
iPhone 8 Durability Test
According to Apple, the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus have the most durable glass on a smartphone. During the scratch test, the iPhone 8’s screen developed deeper grooves on level 7 of Mohs Hardness Scale. This shows that the durability of the iPhone 8’s frontal glass is on par with other flagships like Galaxy Note 8, Galaxy S8 and iPhone 7. However, it is recommended to use a screen guard to protect the front glass from micro-abrasions.
The Home button that houses the Touch ID sensor and the 7-megapixel selfie camera are placed under the front glass. Hence, they are unlikely to get scratched easily. The rear glass is also scratch-resistant. Since the Apple logo and iPhone text are placed under the rear glass, they won’t wear away with use.
The dual-tone LED flash sits under the rear glass and there is a metallic covering to protect the microphone that sits next to camera flash. When a razor that has a scratch level of 5 on Mohs scale is used on the sapphire glass of the rear camera, there are no scratches. This shows that the durability of the camera lens is same as regular glass. Sapphire glass usually develop scratches on level 8 or 9 of Mohs scale. However, the sapphire glass of the rear camera developed visible marks at level 6 and level 7 and deeper grooves at level 8.
It appears that the Cupertino company is using its proprietary version of sapphire, claims Zack Nelson from JerryRigEverything. According to Zack, Apple has used aluminum oxide which is one of the ingredients of sapphire, for the camera lens. Mohs Hardness Scale and an electron microscope show that Apple has used a lower grade material of sapphire glass to protect the camera lens. Sapphire in its purest form can be found on premium watches from Tissot and on the entire display of the HTC U Ultra sapphire edition.
There is a metal ring surrounding the camera lens. However, the lens protrudes out farther than the metal ring which means it can get scratched in due course of time if the phone is placed on its on its back on a flat surface. The sides of the iPhone 8 along with buttons are made of metal.
When the screen is treated with extreme heat for 10 seconds, the affected area goes black. However, once the affected pixels cool down, the screen becomes normal. The bend test of the iPhone 8 shows that it does not flex even with lot of pressure. At the end of the video, Zack says that the iPhone 8 has a thin strip of plastic between the rear glass and metallic frame which protects the glass during drops. Apple has also used a plastic cushion around the glass to protect that display of iPhone 8.
iPhone 8 Teardown
The above video is an iPhone 8 teardown video from IFixit. It reveals that replacing the display and battery of the smartphone is not difficult. iFixit has awarded a repairability score of 6 out of 10 to the iPhone 8 which means it is fairly easy to repair it.
Taiwanese tech company ASUS has officially announced the Zenfone 4 series smartphones which are comprised of five models, all with dual cameras and a couple of other distinguishing features. The series is made up of the Zenfone 4 Pro, Zenfone 4, Zenfone 4 Selfie Pro, Zenfone 4 Selfie and Zenfone 4 Max. Of the lot, the Zenfone 4 Pro is the flagship model but we’ll take a look briefly at the specs and features of the models.
ASUSZenFone 4 Pro
ASUS ZenFone 4 Pro features an advanced dual-camera system designed to take mobile photography to new heights. It comes with a 16MP Sony IMX362 main sensor with a large 1/2.55-inch size, 1.4µm pixels and a wide, f/1.7-aperture lens to capture brighter and clearer photos in low light. The phone comes with 2X zoom and a 10X total zoom that brings distant subjects closer, putting the main subject in sharp focus while background details are softened. The camera also comes with optical image stabilization (OIS) that enables blur-free handheld exposures of up to 1/4 seconds. With this powerful camera setup, the ZenFone 4 Pro is able to capture sharper, brighter and clearer photos at night and in low-light environments.
In other specs, the ZenFone 4 Pro is powered by the flagship Snapdragon 835 processor which is designed to deliver powerful performance. Te processor is backed by 6GB of RAM and the phone packs a front fingerprint sensor among other things.
ASUS ZenFone 4
The ZenFone 4 sports a 5.5-inch display and equally packs a dual camera setup where the main sensor is the flagship Sony IMX362 image sensor and with a large, f/1.8 aperture lens that offers incredible low-light performance to let users capture gorgeous photos at night or indoors. The camera also packs a 120° wide-angle lens.
The device is powered by the latest Snapdragon 630 mid-range processor backed by 4GB of RAM. The device also pack a high-capacity 3300mAh lithium-polymer battery with ASUS’ BoostMaster fast-charge technology.
ASUS ZenFone 4 Selfie
ZenFone 4 Selfie is one of the two members of the Zenfone 4 Selfie series and it features a high-quality, dual front-facing cameras and intuitive yet powerful image-processing software that enables users to easily capture beautiful selfies and super wide-angle. The selfie-centri model also comes with a new SelfieMaster app which lets users apply real-time beautification effects to selfies, videos, and live-streams. There are also several modes in the camera including Beauty mode which enables professional-quality adjustments — such as skin softening, eye enhancement and facial-feature balancing.
ASUS ZenFone 4 Selfie Pro
ASUS ZenFone 4 Selfie Pro is the flagship model of the ZenFone 4 Selfie series and it is touted as having the world’s most advanced selfie camera. It features a Sony IMX362 dual-pixel image sensor and there’s also a SuperPixel Engine that enables users to capture 2X brighter low-light selfies and astonishingly detailed 4K UHD selfie video. The ZenFone 4 Selfie Pro also comes with a 120° super wide-angle “wefie” camera that makes it easy to fit multiple people or the surrounding environment into the shot.
In addition to its dual selfie cameras, the ZenFone 4 Selfie Pro features a rear 16MP camera with a Sony image sensor and the SuperPixel Engine to let you capture every precious moment with vivid clarity and stunning detail. This rear camera also shoots video at up to 4K UHD resolution (3840 x 2160) which is 4 times the quality of Full HD. Further, the ZenFone 4 Selfie Pro is powered by a 64-bit, 2.0GHz Snapdragon 625 processor paired with a 4GB RAM. The ZenFone 4 Selfie Pro is available in three beautiful colors: Rouge Red, Sunlight Gold and Deepsea Black.
ASUS ZenFone 4 Max
ASUS ZenFone 4 Max wll be available in two different sizes in Europe; the ZenFone 4 Max (ZC554KL) features a 5.5-inch display and a high-capacity 5000mAh battery with ASUS PowerMaster technology for an incredible 46 days of 4G standby time. ZenFone 4 Max (ZC520KL) features a 5.2-inch display with a fast-charging 4100mAh battery for up to 37 days 4G standby. With the large battery capaciity, both Zenfone 4 Max models can double as a power bank for charging other devices. The phone is designed not to chrge when its own battery power is down to 30%.
The Zenfone 4 Max models either get their juice from a Snapdragon 425 chipset in the case of the 5.2-inch version and a SD 430 chip for the 5.5-inch model. Both versions are designed to be the perfect all-day photography companion, featuring a dual-rear-camera system with a 13MP main camera and a 120° wide-view camera.
Pricing & Availability
ASUS is yet to reveal the retail prices of the Zenfone 4 series models as well as details of their availability in the region.
A new report from Germany indicates that HMD Global has officially confirmed the launch of a top-end variant of its Nokia 8 flagship next month. Originally, the Nokia 8 was launched with 4GB +64GB storage but the new variant would come with 6GB RAM and a mammoth 128GB storage size. The Nokia 8 variant in question recently appeared in a US FCC document showing it has been certified by the US agency.
The Nokia 8 6GB + 128GB variant will be launched in Europe, specifically in Germany on October 20 this year. The variant will also be available only in Polished Blue color option. The device will carry a price tag of €669, which is €90 more than what the regular 4GB+64GB version carries.
Apart from the new memory type, all other specifications of the Nokia 8 6GB + 128GB variant are said to be similar to that of the first model. There is no word yet on when the new variant will launch in other markets.
On Monday, Gionee will unveil its first full-screen smartphone, the Gionee M7. There will also be another version called the M7 Power which will be launched in Thailand on September 28. We want to believe the Gionee M7 Power is the Gionee GN5007 seen on TENAA.
The Gionee GN5007 is a 6-inch smartphone with a 1440 x 720 resolution (2:1 aspect ratio). It has 4GB of RAM and is powered by a 1.4GHz octa-core processor. There is 32GB of storage with a MicroSD card slot that takes up to 256GB cards.
Unlike the Gionee M7 which has two rear cameras, the GN5007 has only one – a 13MP sensor. The front camera is an 8MP sensor. We believe the Gionee GN5007 is the M7 Power due its large 5,000mAh battery capacity.
Gionee has also taken to twitter to tease its upcoming smartphone as having a long lasting battery alongside a great selfie camera.
The Gionee GN5007 measures 156.3 × 75.6 × 8.6 (mm) and weighs 187g. It has support for VoLTE and runs Android 7.1.1.
The accompanying images reveals the phone has thin front bezels and its back has a two tone color design.The top where the camera sits is black as well as the base. The area with the fingerprint scanner has a gray color. Although TENAA says the phone itself is black.
Come Monday or Thursday, we should know if this is indeed the Gionee M7 Power.
Flipkart is running a promo currently, so also is Amazon India. Both online stores have several items on sale including phones. Yesterday, Xiaomi India announced via Twitter that it has sold 1 million phones on both platforms in just 48 hours!
Xiaomi also released the stats for the sales. The Redmi Note 4 was the highest selling smartphone on Flipkart. On Amazon, the lower priced Redmi 4 and Redmi 4A were the bestsellers.
The Redmi Note 4 has a discount of up to INR 2,000 (~$31) off on Flipkart. On Amazon, its the Mi Max 2 that gets INR 2000 (~$31) off on each variant. Other items that have been discounted include the Mi Air Purifier 2, Mi Routers, Mi Power Banks and earphones.
Just two months ago, Micromax announced the Seflie 2, an entry level mid-range phone. Yesterday, it launched its successor, the Selfie 3, which brings a bunch of upgrades for a higher price tag.
Just like its predecessor, the focus is on the selfie camera. This time it has a 16MP Samsung sensor with portrait mode and a 52MP Super Pixel mode. It still has the front flash but it’s now on the left. The rear camera remains a 13MP sensor with a fingerprint scanner below the LED flash.
The Selfie 3 is not just upgrades though as the screen is smaller at 5.0-inches but now has a full HD resolution. There is a Snapdragon 435 mobile platform on board and an Adreno 505 GPU. RAM is 3GB and there is 32GB of expandable storage.The Micromax Selfie 3 keeps the battery at 3000mAh. It runs Android 7.0 Nougat out of the box, has dual SIM support, VoLTE and Bluetooth 4.2.
A report carried by the Financial Times alleges that U.S online retail giant Amazon is working on its first wearable device and it is going to be a pair of smart glasses powered by its voice-activated Alexa assistant. Amazon has quite a large catalogue of products to its name and under the brand but its consumer electronics products include just the Amazon Kindle, Amazon Echo and Fire TV. The Amazon Echo smart speaker is the first product powered by the Alexa voice assistant but now the wearable will be joining the list.
The smart wearable would be designed just like a regular pair of spectacles and will come with wireless connectivity which will allow it to connect to a smartphone wirelessly. Also among its features would be a bone-conduction audio system which would allow the wearer to hear the voice prompt by Alexa even without having a headphone in his or her ears.
The rumour speculated that Amazon may be looking to enter the emerging market for “augmented reality” goggles. In addition, what readily comes to mind is Google’s own augmented reality glasses which was discontinued last year but has been re-introduced earlier this year. It may not feature a camera and virtual screen which created a storm of controversy for Google Glass but some of the personnel involved in its development have been closely associated with Google Glass in the past. There are also indications that Magic Leap, Apple and Facebook are working on various headsets that would display digital images in front of the viewer’s eyes.
Amazon is yet to comment on this report nor have they revealed such product is in development.
Xiaomi’s Redmi Note series has been one of the most successful among budget smartphones. I have the cheapest version of the Redmi Note 5a that costs just about $120 but it offers a lot of features for the price. Learn more in the full Xiaomi Redmi Note 5a review.
The phone ships in a rather unusual for Xiaomi red box. Inside of it, you can find all the usual stuff, no extras included.
DESIGN and DISPLAY
As far as design goes, the Redmi Note 5a is kind of plain looking and it is very similar to the Redmi 4a. The phone is made entirely of plastic and while it does not look or feel premium, the build quality is excellent.
The 5.5” display sports only 72op resolution but it is still quite sharp for everyday use.
We do have an IR blaster, a notification LED light and 5MP selfie shooter but the buttons are not backlit.
There is no fingerprint scanner on this phone whereas the Prime model has this feature.
As for the camera, we have a 13MP shooter with a single LED flash.
The sound quality via the headset jack is pretty good and the loudspeaker is not bad at all for the price of the phone.
HARDWARE and PERFORMANCE
The hardware configuration is not really impressive on the Redmi Note 5a but this is what you have to expect at this price point.
The phone has a Snapdragon 425 chip, just 2GB of RAM and 16GB of storage. What is awesome, is that there is a dedicated microSD card slot along with a dual-SIM card tray. I think this should become a standard feature on each phone.
The gaming performance is pretty good overall. However, you should expect some skipped frames in some of the 3D games if you play them on the highest graphics settings.
BENCHMARKS
USER INTERFACE
My Redmi Note 5a shipped with the original Chinese ROM, meaning that I had to install Google Services myself but it takes just a minute to do that. MIUI 8.5 is based on Android 7.1 and if you used any Xiaomi phone before, you will feel right at home as nothing has really changed much. We have the same looks, features, customization options and little tweaks to make the phone look your own.
I’ve installed a lot of apps as usual and I found the phone to be snappy and responsive all the time and that’s the most important thing on any phone.
IMAGE QUALITY
The image quality is quite good considering the fact this is a $120 phone. However, even at this price point, I would love to see more detail and sharpness in the pictures.
The low-light camera performance is quite good but again, this is a budget phone camera after all.
The selfies look nice and clear, I don’t have many complaints here.
The 1080p selfie video looks great. The sound recording quality could have been decent but there is a lot of background noise, which is caused by a poor implementation of noise reduction or other stuff.
As far as connectivity goes, I have no complaints.Everything, including Wifi, Bluetooth, and GPS works fine. Also, the call quality and signal reception are decent.
BATTERY LIFE
A 3080mAh battery performs very well, like on most of the Xiaomi phones. Depending on how you use the phone, you should expect to achieve 8 or 9 hours of screen-on time. Well, these were my results.
The phone supports Qualcomm® Quick Charge™ 2.0 technology but it ships just with a regular charger. It takes about 2 hours to fully charge the device.
CONCLUSIONS
The Redmi Note 5a is another budget phone made Xiaomi. Again, it offers quite a lot of value for the price but honestly, I don’t see any significant upgrades over the last generation models.
I would love to see a slightly better camera and a fingerprint scanner even at this price point but overall,I still think that the Xiaomi Note Redmi 5a is a solid phone for the price but you can also check out the older Xiaomi phones, as they are very similar to this one.
What do you guys think about the Xiaomi Redmi Note 5a?
The renders of a near bezel-less, full-screen Nubia phone recently made the rounds online which showed that ZTE’s elite Nubia brand was planning to release a full-screen phone. The model also appeared on TENAA very recently which gave us an idea of the specifications the device will come with. Again, the Nubia full-screen phone has appeared online, this time around in live shots.
The leaked photos could be seen as a teaser because the Nubia phone is encased in what looks like a protective shell which masks the extent of the side bezels the device comes with. Nevertheless, we can still see that the phone is far from being a bezel-less phone because apart from the reduced bezels on the chin, the top and bottom edges still have bezels which some will term as too much.
The Nubia phone appeared on TENAA with the model number NX589J and is rumoured to go by the name Nubia Z17s. The TENAA listing reveals the Nubia phone features a 5.2-inch 1080p display, 6GB RAM, 64GB expandable storage, a dual camera setup in which the main sensor is 13MP, a 16MP sensor, and a 3100mAh battery capacity. In addition, it runs Android 7.1.1 Nougat OS.
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