Samsung Gear Fit 2 Pro, Gear Sport Smartwatch May Debut on August 30

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Aug 24, 2017

Alcatel or rather TCL is preparing for this year’s edition of IFA Berlin. A few days ago, there was a leak that revealed some of the phones expected to be showcased at the event. One of them is the Alcatel A7 XL, a 6-inch phablet with dual rear cameras. A smaller version called the Alcatel A7 has been seen on GFXBench.

The Alcatel A7 was actually benchmarked as the Alcatel 5090. Unlike the A7 XL which has a larger HD screen, this comes with a 5.5-inch full HD screen. Geekbench shows two RAM variants: a 3GB version and a 4GB version. Built-in storage is 32GB.

The Alcatel A7 is powered by a MT6750T, an octa-core chip clocked at 1.5GHz. It has a 16MP rear camera, an 8MP front facing camera and runs Android 7.0 Nougat with Alcatel’s own UI overlay.

Popular leaker Roland Quandt has provided images of the device which reveal more details. The phone comes in black with gold accents in certain places.

There is a front LED flash for brighter selfies and it also has dual front facing speakers. The latter isn’t something you usually see on a mid-range device. There is a volume rocker on the right, just above a textured power button. No image of the rear was provided but Roland Quandt said he believes it has dual cameras.

Google Pixel 2 Launches October 5, Will Come With Snapdragon 836

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Aug 24, 2017

Now that the Galaxy Note 8 is out of the way (check out the launch article and camera sample photos), another highly anticipated Android device is the Google Pixel 2 (and Pixel 2 XL).

We already have some details about both devices. The Pixel 2 will be made by HTC. It will have a 4.97-inch Full HD display and a squeezable frame just like the HTC U11. The larger Pixel 2 XL will be made by LG and will have a larger 5.99-inch QHD display. What we didn’t know was a release date, until today.

Google's second-generation Pixel handsets, powered by Snapdragon 836 SoC's, will be unveiled on October 5th.

— Evan Blass (@evleaks) August 24, 2017

Earlier this morning, Evan Blass tweeted that the 2017 Pixel handsets will be launched on October 5. He also mentioned that they will be powered by the Snapdragon 836. Now this is some exciting news!

The first gen Pixel devices were released on October 4, 2016. Exactly a day after the one year anniversary, the second gen Pixels will be released. It is also interesting to see another source confirm that the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL will be powered by the Snapdragon 836 chip.

Sony Xperia XZ1 Images Reveal Pink and Black Variants

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Aug 24, 2017

Sony’s next flagships are the Xperia XZ1 and Xperia XZ1 Compact. Both devices are scheduled to launch exactly a week from today at a special event in Berlin.

In the last few days there have been lots of leaks regarding the pricing details and specifications of both phones. Less than 24 hours ago, the Xperia XZ1 was listed on Amazon UK, revealing a black and pink variant. Though the images and other info about the device have been taken down, we were able to get our hands on the photos thanks to Roland Quandt.

The images are of both color variants mentioned above and give us a good look at the device before the official launch.

The Xperia XZ1 shares nearly the same design with the Xperia XZ Premium released earlier this year. The easily notable differences are the length of the speaker cut-outs up front; the design of the frame; and the position of the NFC chip. The NFC chip is placed in the middle of the phone on the XZ Premium but sits at the top in the Xperia XZ1. You can see the NFC logo that indicates the position of the chip sits next to the LED flash and laser focus module.

The rest of the design is the same. Power button, volume rocker and a dedicated camera button sit on the right and the SIM tray sits on the left.

OPPO R11 Is The Best Selling Android Phone In Taiwan For July 2017

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Aug 24, 2017

OPPO continues its strides in the International scene with the latest report from Taiwan showing the company has again recorded some success in the Taiwanese market. Market data released by Taiwan Science and Technology Media showed the smartphone sales for the month of July 2017 was topped by the OPPO R11 in the Android segment but Apple had the largest market share.

The statistical data contains the performance of the top 20 models in the Taiwan market and it shows that Apple made a strong showing with the iPhone 7 Plus 128GB re-emerging as the top selling model in the month under review. On the Android scene, the OPPO R11 emerged as the most popular Android phone in the entire country. Oppo also had two models on the list; the OPPO A57 and OPPO A77 which were ranked 7th and 9th respectively.

The most spectacular thing about the R11’s performance in Taiwan is that the device just went up for sale about a month before then and surprisingly the smartphone raked in enough sales to become the second highest selling brand.

Samsung fell from the top spot but still stayed in the top 5 spots with the Galaxy J7 Prime and J2 Prime clinching the third and fourth spots. They Korean giant, however, had the most models on the list with a total of five different models including the Galaxy S8+. This is closely followed by Sony with the Xperia XZ Premium, Xperia XA1, Xperia XA1 Ultra, Xperia XZ.

(source)

YotaPhone 3 is Official with $360 Pricing & Features Like Dual Screens, SD 625, 4 GB RAM

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Aug 24, 2017

In the previous week, the rumor mill had revealed the renders and pricing of the YotaPhone 3. It had been showcased at the China-Russia exhibition that was held in Harbin in June, but for some unknown reason the company decided to keep its details under the wraps. The smartphone has now been officially introduced. It has arrived to replace the YotaPhone 2 that had debuted in February 2014.

The YotaPhone 3, also known as YOTA3 in China and Asian markets, is fitted with a 5.5-inch AMOLED display that produces full HD resolution of 1,920 x 1,080 pixels. The backside of the smartphone is flanked with its USP of a 5.2-inch secondary e-ink display that supports HD resolution of 720 x 1,280 pixels. The secondary grayscale screen is an always on display that consumes less power and does not strain the eyes.

The company claims that over 100 specialists from China and Russia have worked for 10 months to develop the YOTA 3. The presence of the Snapdragon 625 chipset under its hood confirms that it is a md-range device. A fingerprint scanner can be seen below the display.

The rear side of the YOTA3 features a 13-megapixel camera and it is coupled with dual-tone LED flash. On the front is the 12-megapixel selfie snapper. The smartphone is running on YotaOS 3.0 that is a customized edition of the Android 7.1.1 Nougat OS. It also features a USB-C port. A 3,300mAh battery powers the YotaPhone 3.

The YotaPhone 3 will be available in two models. The base model has 4 GB of RAM and a native storage of 64 GB. The other model features 4 GB of RAM and an inbuilt storage of 128 GB.

The 64 GB YotaPhone 3 is priced at 2,398 Yuan (~$360) and the 128 edition of the smartphone carries a pricing of 3,098 Yuan (~$465). JD.com will begin the pre-orders of the Yota3 will start from Sept. 5. The actual sales of the smartphone will start from Sept. 18. It will be also made available in the market later on through offline stores.

The smartphone will be also hitting the Russian markets with a pricing of 21,500 RUB (~$365) and 27,900 RUB (~$473) respectively for the 64 GB and 128 YotaPhone 3 models. It is likely to hit the Russian markets by the end of this year. The company expects to sell one million YotaPhone 3 phones in the first year.

Samsung Galaxy Note 8’s Official Camera Samples Reveal Prowess of Dual Rear Cameras

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Aug 24, 2017

The Galaxy Note 8 is the first smartphone from the company that features dual rear cameras. Samsung has released the official camera samples to show the prowess of Note 8’s dual camera system.

The Samsung Galaxy Note 8’s horizontally aligned dual rear cameras includes a 12-megapixel wide-angle lens with f/1.7 aperture and a 12-megapixel telephoto lens with f/2.4 aperture with 2x optical zoom. Both the lenses come with optical image stabilization. No other dual rear camera sporting phone comes with OIS for both lenses. The frontside of the Galaxy Note 8 features an 8-megapixel f/1.7 aperture lens.

Like the Apple iPhone 7 Plus, the dual rear cameras present on the Galaxy Note 8 can snap photos by blurring the background and focusing on the subject. This feature is called Portrait mode on iPhone 7 Plus. On the Galaxy Note 8, this is feature is made available as Live Focus. The phablet allows the user to add the blurring effect before capturing the image. It provides a slider that can be adjusted to open f/1.7 aperture as wide as possible to get the desired blurring effect. On iPhone 7 Plus, Apple neither allows the user to edit the bokeh effect nor shows the soft focus in the viewfinder.

When the Live Focus mode is used to snap a photo, by default the Galaxy Note 8 makes use of the telephoto lens. However, there is a feature called Dual Capture that can be enabled or disabled by the user to use both the lenses to capture the same photo. After shooting a photo with blurring effect, users can also the view the same image without the bokeh effect and save it as an alternate image.

All the images shot through the Note 8 appear very clear and sharp even after zooming on them. Also, the dual rear cameras are capable of shooting impressive photos in dim-light conditions. This post includes two sets of image galleries. The first one shows the images shot using the main camera of the Galaxy Note 8 whereas the second gallery has photos snapped using the telephoto lens. Some of the images are cropped, but since they carry right amount of white balance and color reproduction, it shows the camera capabilities of the Galaxy Note 8. As of this writing, Samsung has not shared any images that were shot using the frontal camera of the Galaxy Note 8.

Samsung Galaxy Note 8 Camera Samples (F/1.7 Aperture, 12-Megapixel Wide-Angle Lens)

[envira-gallery id=”146319″]

Samsung Galaxy Note 8 Camera Samples (F/2.4 Apeture, 12-Megapixel Telephoto Lens)

[envira-gallery id=”146347″]

Sony Xperia XZ1 & XZ1 Compact Prices Leaked Ahead of Launch

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Aug 23, 2017

Sony is expected to go official with the Xperia XZ1 and XZ1 Compact on August 31 during IFA Berlin 2017. Before now, the Xperia XZ1 and its sibling have been making the rounds on leaks and severally on benchmark sites. The prices of the models have now leaked on Twitter courtesy of popular tipster @rquandt.

This is the first time we are seeing a leak concerning the prices of the flagship models whose specifications are already known. The leak reveals the prices both models would sell and from it, we can gather that the Xperia XZ1 will cost £599 which translates to around $770 while the Xperia XZ1 Compact will come in at £499 (~$640).
The leak also contains links to Amazon for both models, although the links are not working just yet.

Sony Xperia XZ1: 599 GBP. XZ1 Compact: 499 GBP
Amazon listings (soon):
XZ1 black https://t.co/d2BxzojIGj
XZ1 pink https://t.co/ewaKrVOzMN pic.twitter.com/8DELqqXKZg

— Roland Quandt (@rquandt) August 23, 2017

The Xperia XZ1 is expected to feature a 5.2-inch display with a resolution of 1920 x 1080p. The device is also coming with a Snapdragon 835 processor with 4GB RAM and 64GB UFS storage. Other listed details include a 13MP selfie shooter and a 19MP camera at the rear while there is also IP65/68 waterproof and dustproof properties. On the other hand, the Xperia XZ1 Compact features an unusual 4.6-inch 720p display on an SD 835 chip and a 2,800mAh battery, among others.

(source)

Samsung Galaxy Note 8 Revives The Phablet Lineup With Dual Cameras & Infinity Display

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Joel Joseph

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Aug 23, 2017

Phablet lovers, rejoice! Your beloved Samsung Galaxy Note series is back and this time around, it looks like the new Galaxy Note 8 is here to stay. For many, the wait has been frustrating. Given the sad fate of the Note 7, you were stuck with the old Samsung Galaxy Note 5 for nearly two years! But that’s no longer the case, as the new Galaxy Note 8 flagship has officially been announced and you can pre-order one as soon as tomorrow.

We already know a lot about the device, thanks to the hundreds of leaks in the past few months. So, let’s directly get on to the important stuff.

DESIGN

The Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+ were two beautiful flagships with its infinity displays up front. Things are pretty much the same with the new Galaxy Note 8. The company has used a 6.3-inch screen up front with curved edges. It’s similar to the S8+ in its size, but has sharper corners, making it look taller. I love the infinity display on the S8+, so I’m happy to see the design continue over to its Note series sibling.

While the front looks beautiful, I can’t say the same about the back. The Note 8 comes with a fingerprint sensor at the back and it’s placement is still as bad as the S8. Further, the black bar that houses the dual cameras, flash, and fingerprint sensor is in black, which means, it stands out in colors other than Midnight Black. There are three other colors available, Orchid Gray, Maple Gold, and Deep Sea Blue. To be honest, the Note 8’s design isn’t extraordinary, but that’s fine, because what you get inside is quite impressive.

Some things to note: The phone has a USB Type-C port, a 3.5mm headphone jack, MicroSD card slot, and also a dedicated Bixby button. And yes, the phone is IP68 certified.

DISPLAY

If you have seen Galaxy S8’s infinity screen, you’d know what to expect with the Note 8’s Quad HD 6.3-inch Super AMOLED display. It comes with a 18.5:9 aspect ratio as well. Important thing to note here is that the Note 8 continues with the pressure sensitive home button, first seen on the S8. So, you can press the bottom center of the device to get back to home, even when you are watching a video or working on an app.

SPECS

The Galaxy Note 8 comes in two versions as expected — a Snapdragon 835 powered model for the US market and an Exynos 8895 powered model for the other markets. The RAM is increased to 6GB and you get 64GB, 128GB, and 256GB storage options.

The battery is surprisingly smaller than even the S8+’s 3500mAh — just 3300mAh. Personally, I would have loved to see a larger battery on board, but can’t blame Samsung for playing it safe this year.

CAMERAS

While the design and display may not be unique, what’s interesting about the Note 8 are the new rear cameras. Yes, I said cameras, because it comes with two rear camera setup, one wide angle and another telephoto one. This is a familiar setup that we have seen on many phones before. So, there’s a 12MP f/1.7 primary sensor and another 12MP f/2.4 telephoto lens with 2X Optical Zoom. This means Samsung has finally joined the elite dual camera flagship club. But there’s more, the Galaxy Note 8 comes with OIS on each of these lenses, making it the first such smartphone in the market.

There are multiple camera features on board, the most prominent one being Live Focus. This is Samsung’s take on the portrait mode that we have seen on dual camera flagships in the past few months. What’s interesting about Live Focus is that it allows control over the amount of background blur, both while taking the shot as well as after you’ve taken it. Then there’s a special dual capture mode that takes both these shots simultaneously.

Coming to the front, you get an 8MP shooter with autofocus.

S Pen & Software

If you think the above features can be found on practically most flagships, this is where things change. The S Pen has been one loyal partner to the Note series and it makes a comeback in the Note 8 as well. Specs wise, it’s similar to the Note 7 with 4096 levels of pressure sensitivity, but software is really where the pen makes all the difference. Things like screen-off memo (take notes on your always on display) and Live messages (send gif like animated replies) make the S Pen unique and interesting. Given that there’s no real competitor to the S Pen in the smartphone market, the Note 8 is your best bet for a stylus equipped smartphone.

As for the software, you are still stuck with Android 7.1.1 with Samsung’s Experience UI on top. There’s a special App Pairs feature which launches two apps in a split screen format using just a tap. It aims to make full use of the phone’s large screen to increase productivity. Finally, there’s Bixby on board and with its dedicated button, the personal assistant is at your service 24 x 7.

Galaxy Note 8 Pricing & Release

The Note 8 goes on sale on September 15 and pre-orders start tomorrow. As expected, the phone isn’t cheap and starts at $930 unlocked in the US. That’s a premium price to pay for the dual cameras and S Pen stylus.

The Galaxy S8+ could be a pretty solid buy (~$200-$250 cheaper) instead of the Note 8 if you can give up on the stylus and dual cameras. What’s your take?

The New Lamborghini Alpha One Premium Flagship Costs $2,450. Buying?

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Aug 23, 2017

Luxury phone maker Vertu recently kissed the market goodbye after being enmeshed in huge debts but it seems the British phone company has got a quick replacement in Italian design firm Tonino Lamborghini. I’m sure the name sounds familiar even if you’re not a lover of luxury cars. Well, Tonino is the son of the Italian car maker Ferrucci Lamborghini and he has got a knack for manufacturing luxury goods. The company has just ventured into phone manufacturing with the Alpha One and as the name implies, the luxury phone is its first model.

Sporting a design that is unarguably luxurious and sleek, the Alpha One has a premium look with a smooth, high-class finishing and a body encased in premium leather. The smartphone sports 5.5-inch WQHD LCD display with a resolution of 2560 x 1440 pixels and Corning Gorilla Glass 4 protection. The device is powered by a Snapdragon 820 processor paired with 4GB of RAM and the Adreno 530 GPU fires up the graphics. There is 64GB of storage with a microSD slot for expansion up to 128GB.

On the camera end, the Alpha One packs a 20MP f1.8 rear sensor with dual image stabilization (OIS + EIS). There is also an 8MP selfie camera . The device also comes with two front speakers, dedicated DAC, HiFi recording processor, Dolby Atmos Digital Surround and more. Ther is also a rear fingerprint sensor and it uses dual Nano-SIM cards with a separate expansion slot. Keeping the lights on is a 3250mAh battery with QC 3.0. The phone is unlocked, runs Android Nougat and comes with GPS, 4G and other connectivity features. The Signature Alpha One comes with a premium leather pouch manufactured in South Korea using materials sourced from Italy.

You’ll have to part with $2450 to have the Lamborghini Alpha One, excluding V.A.T. The new Lamborghini-branded smartphone is available for purchase starting this week in the UK and UAE, where you can pick it up from Harrods and Dubai Mall, respectively. It can also be shipped overseas from Italy if you make the order via Lamborghini Mobile’s website. See more photos from below.

Meizu’s First Snapdragon Smartphone, the M6 Note, Finally Does Everything Right!

By

Joel Joseph

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Aug 23, 2017

A few days back, I wrote an in-depth article on how we can expect Meizu to bounce back in the coming months. At that time, I had assumed that the company would take at least a few months more to get things in order and release a Snapdragon powered smartphone in the market. It turns out, we don’t have to wait that long, as the company’s latest mid-ranger, the Meizu M6 Note comes with a Qualcomm chip, namely the Snapdragon 625 inside. This is the first ever Snapdragon smartphone from the company, which also makes it an important one.

But how good is the Meizu M6 Note? We try to find that out in this article!

At this moment, we cannot analyze the real feel and performance of the device but what we can do is see what it offers at a starting price tag of 1099 Yuan (~$165)

DESIGN

There’s nothing extraordinary about the Meizu M6 Note, at least, not in terms of design. But, with its all metal body, the phone is well built. There’s a 5.5-inch 1080p display up front along with a physical home button. I personally like having the fingerprint on the front, so extra marks for its mBack home button. The back features dual cameras in a simple vertical arrangement. But what’s unique about this phone is that it integrates the Quad-LED flash right inside the Antenna band. It may not be a significant design element, but it makes the design looks balanced.

Note that the dimensions 154.6 x 75.2 x 8.35mm and weight (173 grams) are very similar to that of the Redmi Note 4X.

And with a beautiful Peacock Blue option available, I’m sure design is not going to be an area where you’ll be disappointed.

CPU

At $165, the Meizu M6 Note makes no mistake getting the most popular mid-range chipset in the market today. The Snapdragon 625 is powerful enough to tackle everything that you throw at it and is efficient enough to give you a great battery life. So, Meizu mid-rangers are no longer inferior to Xiaomi’s offerings, as the latest Redmi Note series also come with the same SD625 chip inside.

MEMORY

The M6 Note starts at 3GB + 16GB. There are two other variants, 3GB + 32GB and 4GB + 64GB. There’s a MicroSD card slot as well. This is similar to what Redmi Note 4X offers in China. Right now, the Redmi Note 4X is available in 3+ 32GB and 4GB+64GB variants, priced at around $150 and $195 respectively.

PRICES

The Meizu M6 Note is priced aggressively, starting at 1099 Yuan ($165) for the 3GB+16GB version, 1299 Yuan ($195) for the 3GB + 32GB version and 1699 Yuan ($254) for the 4GB + 64GB version. If we were to directly compare the price of the Redmi Note 4X, you would see that the Xiaomi model is cheaper. You get 32GB instead of 16GB at $150. But the Meizu M6 Note manages to justify this additional price in the camera specs, making it a better choice for customers looking for the best value.

CAMERA

The camera is one major area where Meizu out classes the Redmi Note 4X. The phone comes with dual camera setup at the back in 12MP + 5MP arrangement. Note that the primary, 12MP sensor is the top-end Sony IMx362 / Samsung 2L7 with 1.4µm pixel size and f/1.9 aperture. To support the primary sensor, there’s a 5MP secondary sensor. Together, the dual camera setup should be able to give you good quality shots, even in low light situations.

In case you missed it, the IMX362 is one of the best sensors from Sony in the market today. This is the same sensor that powers HTC U11’s amazing rear camera. So, we can expect some great things from the M6 Note’s dual camera setup. Of course, the sensor is just one part of the story. We will have to see how the M6 Note processes these images, as it will determine the quality of images taken from the sensor. Meizu has partnered with Arcsoft to get customized software for its camera, but it’s best to wait for some real life samples to judge the camera quality.

Up front, there’s a 16MP f/2.0 camera.

BATTERY

Meizu has made no mistakes in this department, equipping the M6 Note with a large 4000mAh battery. There’s mCharge fast charging as well, which should be quick as it supports 18W charging.

SOFTWARE

In the software department, the Meizu M6 Note comes with Android 7.1.1 with Flyme 6 OS on top. The phone features OneMind AI as well.

Overall, as you can see, the Meizu M6 Note, at a starting price of $165 offers amazing value for money. The phone gives you the best in practically every department, like display, CPU, memory, camera, and even battery! There are hardly any mid-rangers in the market today that manage to do better than the M6 Note at its amazing $165 price tag. And if the IMX362/ 2L7 +5MP combination does as well as it should, there’s no reason why the phone won’t be a best seller.

My Meizu M6 Note vs Competition article (similar to the Nokia 8 vs competition article) should be out soon, so stay tuned for that.

Also, let me know your thoughts about the M6 Note down below.

The Micromax Canvas Infinity Has An 18:9 Full Vision Display for Under $200

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Aug 23, 2017

Indian smartphone manufacturer, Micromax adds to the list of phones with an 18:9 display with its latest phone, the Canvas Infinity.

The Canvas Infinity has a 5.7-inch Full Vision display with a 720 x 1440 resolution. The display is covered with a 2.5D glass and provides enough real estate for media consumption.

The Micromax Canvas Infinity is powered by the Snapdragon 425 mobile platform paired with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage. The display is not the only highlight of the device. There is a 16MP f/2.0 front camera with soft flash, bokeh effect, and beauty mode for amazing selfies. On the rear is a 13MP sensor with a f/2.0 aperture.

The phone runs Android 7.0 Nougat, has a rear fingerprint scanner that unlocks in 0.2s, and is powered by a 2900mAh battery.

The Canvas Infinity will be an Amazon India Exclusive device where it will compete with the likes of the LG Q6. It will be available starting September 1st for INR 9,999 (~$156). That is significantly cheaper than the Q6, which retails for INR 14,990 (~$234) but comes with a Snapdragon 435 and a smaller but sharper display (5.5” 1080 x 2160).

Meizu EP52 Sports Bluetooth Earphones And Everyday Bag Line Announced

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Aug 23, 2017

Meizu had a launch event in China a few hours ago for the M6 Note. However before unveiling the smartphone, it announced the Meizu EP52 Sports Bluetooth Earphones, successor to the popular EP51. The former mp3 player maker also announced a new bag line.

Meizu EP52

The Meizu EP51 was a success, selling more than a million units. The EP52 plans to build on that success by offering better features.

The design of the EP52 is a bit different from the previous model. Meizu calls it “Free-Edge” design. The earbuds and the in-line control have changed but it still doesn’t make the switch to flat wires. Meizu does say the wire that goes round the neck is of the memory type.

The Meizu EP52 Earphones has Bluetooth 4.1 and Qualcomm’s aptX™ technology. The battery life has been bumped up, providing up to 8 hours of continuous music playback and lasting 150 hours on standby. Since it is a pair of sports earphones, the EP52 is IPX5 certified to protect against water and sweat.

The Meizu EP52 will sell for ¥299 (~$45) and comes in Black and Red for now. Meizu has also reduced the price of the EP51 to ¥229 ($34).

Meizu M6 Note Launched: Snapdragon 625, Dual Cameras, Large Battery & More

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Aug 23, 2017

Meizu has finally taken the wraps off the M6 Note or Charm Blue Note 6 if you like in an action packed ceremony in China this afternoon. The Meizu M6 Note comes studded with lots of surprises, the most spectacular being that the mid-range smartphone features a Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 processor. We never saw this coming until very recently when a poster was spotted showing there will be an Helio P25-powered version and a Snapdragon 625 version as well. The device is thus, the first Meizu device to pack a Snapdragon processor ever and just the second Meizu model with a dual camera setup. The M6 Note also comes with a beautiful design, utilizing the nice quad-LED flash which made its debut on the Meizu E2 months back. Most of all, the device has a decent price tag which starts at 1099 Yuan (around $165).

Design & Specifications

The Meizu M6 Note comes with the traditional Meizu design on a metal unibody but with some little tweaking here and there that differentiates the device from previous models. It happens to be the first smartphone Meizu is releasing under the newly created Charm Blue Division and they did make sure the device dazzles both in design and specifications. It features the Meizu mBack button at the front which also functions as a fingerprint sensor. The fingerprint sensor is a fast one, touted to unlock the device in just 0.2 seconds and also supports AliPay fingerprint payment. At the back, the M6 Note has the dual cameras located at the middle while the Quad-LED flash is integrated with the upper antenna band. The edges are well curved to ensure that users can get a good grip.

Talking about the specifications, the Meizu M6 Note sports a 5.5-inch LCD display with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels. The device is powered by an energy saving Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 processor clocked at 2.0GHz paired with a GPU that brings a 71% efficiency over the previous generation. Apart from the performance, the processor also brings on Cat. 7 full Netcom support and an enhanced dual ISP image processing speed. The device is available in 3GB RAM + 16GB, 3GB + 32GB and 4GB + 64GB memory variants.

As far as the Dual cameras go, the M6 Note features a camera setup which would perhaps become the main focus of the device in the coming days. The rear camera consists of a 12 MP Sony IMX362 sensor with f1.9 aperture, 1.4um individual pixel size, and 6P lens, teaming up with a Samsung 2L7 secondary sensor. Meizu gave the M6 Note to two professionals photographers who captured a couple of sample photos with the camera and their reviews were all positive. The rear camera comes with Dual Phase Detection, Full pixel Dual-core focus, up to o.o3s fast. One of the reviewers, famous Photographer Amberly Valentine is reported to have described the camera’s picture quality and dynamic capture speed as amazing. Meizu even went as far as comparing the camera with that of the flagship Huawei P10. We’ll leave you to judge the performance(see the sample photos at the end of the article). The M6 Note also packs a 16MP front camera for stunning selfies.

The M6 Note also packs a large 4,000mAh battery which is said to be enough to withstand up to 10 hours of game play. The large battery capacity combined with the Snapdragon 625 chip ensures the device is power efficient. The device also comes with mCharge 18W fast charge support. The device also comes with dual SIM slots, 4G LTE and runs Flyme 6 with Meizu’s One Mind AI based on Android 7.1.2 Nougat.

Pricing & Availability

The Meizu M6 Note comes in Moonlight Silver, Champagne Gold, Blue and Obsidian Black colours and is priced as follows; 3GB + 16Gb variant -1099 Yuan (~$165), 3GB + 32GB version – 1299 Yuan (~$195) and finally the 4GB + 64 GB version will sell for 1699 Yuan (~$255). These are pretty decent prices for such a sleek device. The M6 Note will go on sale on Meizu Mall, TMall, JD.com, Suning and other online platforms as from September 1, 10.00 AM. While offline sales will begin on Meizu Store and other stores in China on September 2. Meanwhile, reservation for the first sale is already open on the online platforms.

Huawei Or Lenovo May Purchase Fujitsu’s Smartphone Business

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Aug 23, 2017

Japanese information technology equipment manufacturer, Fujitsu, is planning to sell its smartphone business unit. News has it that Chinese giants, Lenovo and Huawei are two of the likely buyers.

The smartphone arm of Fujitsu was made a separate company in February, 2016. Competition from foreign brands have caused most of the local companies to collapse. Out of the 11 Japanese companies that were in the market in the early 2000s, Only Sony, Sharp (now owned by Foxconn), and Kyocera remain. NEC, Mitsubishi, Toshiba, and Panasonic are examples of the companies that have exited the Japanese market.

Fujitsu’s decision to sell its mobile phone unit means it will be able to focus its resources on its IT services business. Nikkei reports that Fujitsu plans to retain a minority stake in the business and keep the brand alive.

Galaxy Note 8 Promotional Poster Leaks DeX Support

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Aug 23, 2017

Samsung had introduced the DeX (Desktop Experience) station dock for the Galaxy and Galaxy S8+ smartphones. A promotional poster of the Galaxy Note 8 reveals that the phablet will also carry support for Samsung DeX. Moreover, it is expected to be available for free to customers who pre-order it in Italy as well as in other European regions.

The above image shows that Galaxy Note 8 will be hitting the European (Italy, to be precise) on Sept. 15. The pre-orders of the Note 8 in Italy are expected to begin on Aug. 24 and will end on Sept. 14. The promotional image also contains a link to the pre-order or page that is currently defunct. It also shows the Galaxy Note 8 sitting on DeX with a widescreen TV mirroring the display of the phablet.

The Samsung DeX station is currently selling for 149 euros and in the U.S. it is now selling for $123.99 with a price cut of $26 over its regular price of $149. Even though the Samsung DeX allows users to connect the Note 8 to a view desktop interface on a TV. At the launch of Samsung DeX, it only supported 16 apps. It is likely that Samsung may add some improvements to the DeX with the arrival of Note 8. Popular leakster had revealed in the previous month that the Galaxy Note 8 would be available in the Europe for 1,000 euros ($1,175).

Talking about freebies, the Galaxy Note 8 in the U.S. will be available with a 256 GB microSD card and wireless charger or a 360-degree cam. In the home country of South Korea, Samsung is likely to release a 256 GB Galaxy Note 8. This variant is also expected to be available in China. However, other markets are expected to receive only the 64 GB and 128 GB models of the phablet.

The 64 GB Galaxy Note 8 in South Korea will carry a free Gear VR along with a remote control or a LED case along with a 5,1000mAh power bank with fast charging capabilities. The 128 GB Galaxy Note 8 in South Korea carries a free AKG Bluetooth speaker or a Nemonic speaker. The 2017 Unpacked event will begin today to unleash the Galaxy Note 8.

(source|via)

Samsung Galaxy Note 8 Unpacked Event Livestream & What to Expect on its Specs, Features, Pricing

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Aug 23, 2017

The Samsung Galaxy Note 8 will be unveiled today through the Unpacked event that will begin later today. Here is all that you want to know about the upcoming flagship phablet from Samsung.

Samsung Galaxy Note 8 Launch Event and Livestream

The 2017 Galaxy Unpacked for unveiling the Note 8 will begin today at 8 PM PT and 11 AM ET in the U.S and 4 PM GMT. The event will be held at New York and its livestream will be available through Samsung’s official site, Samsung Mobile YouTube channel and Unpacked 2017 apps for Android and iOS.

Samsung Galaxy Note 8 Specifications and Features

The Galaxy Note 8 will be the largest ever Note series phone that will be coming with a 6.3-inch S-AMOLED screen. The Infinity Display with its full-screen design will produce QHD+ resolution of 2,960 x 1,440 pixels along with an aspect ratio of 18.5:9.

The Galaxy Note 8 powered with Snapdragon is expected to arrive in the U.S. The Exynos chipset powered Note 8 is rumored to be available in the international markets. Both the variants are pegged to feature 6 GB of RAM. The Galaxy Note 8 is expected to be available in 64 GB, 128 GB and 256 GB storage models. The 256 GB model is rumored to be solely available in South Korea and China.

It will be the first ever smartphone from Samsung to come with dual rear cameras that will feature a 12-megapixel Dual Pixel RGB sensor and a 13-megapixel telephoto lens. It will come with features like OIS and 2x optical zoom. Leaked renders have revealed that the LED flash unit will be sit between the dual rear cameras and the fingerprint scanner. For shooting selfies, it is expected to house an autofocus enabled 8-megpaixel snapper. An iris scanner is also expected to be available on the Note 8.

It will arrive with Android 7.1.1 Nougat preinstalled and is expected to receive Android 8.0 Oreo within this year. It will be arriving with a S Pen stylus. A 3,300 mAh battery manufactured by Samsung SDI and Japan’s Murata Manufacturing will be available on the Note 8.

Samsung Galaxy Note 8 Color Variants

Well-known leakster Evan Blass has not revealed the specifications of the Galaxy Note 8 but also the multiple color variants that can be seen in the post. The Note 8 is expected to be available in colors like Midnight Black, Maple Gold, Orchid Gray and Deep Sea Blue.

Samsung Galaxy Note 8 Pricing and Release Date

The Galaxy Note 8 is expected to be available on pre-orders from Aug. 24 in the U.S. and its shipments are expected to begin on Sept. 15. In South Korea also, the Note 8 is expected to be available for buying from Sept. 15 after being available on pre-orders from Sept. 1 to 10. Samsung is pegged to provide some gifts like a 256 GB microSD card and wireless charger of a 360-degree cam for Galaxy Note 8 buyers in the U.S. In South Korea too, the 64 GB and 256 GB Note 8 models will come with attractive gifts.

In Europe, the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 is expected to be available with a pricing of 1,000 euros ($1.175). Customers who pre-order in the Europe are rumored to receive a free DeX dock. Other markets are expected to the Note 8 in October. The pricing for the Chinese market has also been revealed.

Samsung Galaxy Note 8 Orchid Gray Appears Few Hours Before Official Announcement

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Aug 23, 2017

Samsung is going to launch the Galaxy Note 8 later today and with few hours remaining for the unveil event to begin, a new leaked has revealed a new color variant of the phablet. Reliable leakster, Evan Blass has shared a new image of the Galaxy Note 8 in Orchid Gray version.

This is the first ever legitimate looking image of the Galaxy Note 8 Orchid Gray color variant. Previously, the smartphone has been seen in colors like Midnight Black, Maple Gold and Deep Sea Blue. The Samsung Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ smartphones that released earlier this year are also available in Orchid Gray option. The new image shows the same design detail as it was seen in the previous renders.

SGN8 in Orchid Grey pic.twitter.com/HOE3jVzJIq

— Evan Blass (@evleaks) August 23, 2017

As it can be seen in the above image, the rear side of the phone shows off the Orchid Gray color. The horizontal dual rear camera housing that accompanies the LED flash and heart rate monitor unit as well as the fingerprint reader are in black color. The Samsung logo can be seen below the camera housing and the Galaxy Note8 logo can be seen moving downwards. The S Pen stylus is also in Orchid Gray color. As far as frontside of the smartphone is concerned, it shows features the Infinity Display that measures 6.3 inches and carries support for QHD+ resolution of 2,960 x 1,440 pixels.

A leaked promotion poster of the Galaxy Note 8 that seems to have emerged from South Korea suggests that the Galaxy Note 8 would be coming in 256 GB storage model. In the home country, the 256 GB Galaxy Note 8 model will allow buyers to either take away an AKG Bluetooth speaker and a Nemonic printer for free. Samsung is also rumored to offer a Gear VR handset along with the 64 GB Galaxy Note 8 in South Korea.

The 256 GB Galaxy Note 8 is unlikely to be available outside of South Korea and China. Rumors have it that the highest storage of Note 8 that will be available in the U.S is 128 GB.

The Samsung Galaxy Note 8 Unpacked event will be held today in New York today at 11 AM ET. It is expected to be available on pre-orders from Aug. 24 and it is rumored to hit the stores on Sept. 15.

(source 1,2)

Multiple Meizu Models Upgraded to Android Nougat In Latest Flyme Update

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Aug 23, 2017

Meizu has officially released a new Developer version of its Flyme interface, version 6.7.8.22, with a couple of new features. The most spectacular feature which the new update brings is a kernel upgrade of some models to Android 7.0/7.1 Nougat.

Meizu Flyme 6 was initially released based on Android 6.0 Marshmallow at a time Android Nougat was already launched and now an update to Android Nougat is coming when Google just released Android 8.0 Oreo. However, good thing it is coming but it will only be available for the Meizu Pro 6 Plus, Pro 6, Pro 6s, Pro 5, MX6, Meizu E, M3 Max, M5 Note and M3 Note. It could be noticed that all the models are smartphones released within the last two years. The oldest is the Pro 5 released in September 2015 but the company did not reveal the reason for this.

Other models such as the MX5, MX4, MX4 Pro, Meizu X, Meizu U20, U10, and several others also got upgraded to the same Flyme 6.7.8.22 Developer ROM but their System kernel was not upgraded to Android Nougat.

The new Android 7.0 / 7.1 kernel brings some improvements in the system update speed and application installation speed. It also brings onboard several changes to the camera, system, connectivity, and basic settings of the Flyme OS including support for a number of new features such as payment authorization for several services via the fingerprint sensor, among others. Do note that this is the developer ROM, so all the features may not be fully functional on all the models but Meizu is working to fix all bugs before rolling out a Stable ROM.

(source)

Vivo V7+ Launching On September 7 With A Revolutionary Selfie Camera & More

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