Google Pixel XL 2 May Arrive with Always-on Display; Pressure-Sensitive Frame

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Jul 14, 2017

Google is expected to debut the Pixel 2 and Pixel XL 2 that are respectively codenamed as Walleye and Taimen in Q4 this year. A couple of renders of the 2017 Google Pixel XL have surfaced this week. In the previous, several details on the hardware configuration of both the upcoming Pixel phones had surfaced. Today, XDA Developers has revealed some more interesting features of the upcoming Pixel XL 2.

So far, it is known that the Pixel XL 2 will be arriving with a 5.99-inch OLED screen by LG that will support a resolution of 1440p. The display will be similar to LG G6 that has a tall screen flanked with slim bezels. The Snapdragon 835 SoC will be present under its hood. Rumors are rife that LG would be manufacturing the Pixel XL 2. Here are the new features that will be arriving on Google Pixel XL 2:

Always-On Display

The Google Pixel 2’s OLED panel will make it possible to support “Always On” function. This feature will allow users to see desired notifications on the screen even when then the phone is locked or idle.

Pressure-Sensitive Frames

Earlier this week, AndroidPolice claimed that the Pixel XL 2 would be coming with squeezable frame that will function like the Edge Sense pressure-sensitive frame on the HTC U11. However, it will be able to function even when the screen is off. It will let users to launch the Google Assistant not only when the display on, but also when it is off. Users will be able to configure the squeezing intensity threshold that will make it possible for the users to determine the most suitable level of pressure for launching shortcuts. The search engine is also rumored to new functions to the squeezable frames such as putting the phone on silent

Multiple Display Profiles

The upcoming Pixel 2 duo will provide users with multiple display profiles that will be accessible through the Display Settings. sRGB display profile that is found buried in Developer Menu will be present here along with Vivid Colors option.

Other Improvements

There are several other improvements that are going to arrive on the Google Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 phones. The color palette of the system UI would be reverted to darker theme as default. The light them that arrive with Android O DP3 was introduced only for testing. While starting the Pixel XL 2 for the first time, it will take the user to g.co/pixelphonetour (presently not accessible). Google is also expected to introduce a new font on the upcoming Pixel phones. An undocumented feature that will have no major function on the phone is an octopus in the ocean.

(source)

Vertu’s UK Manufacturing Wing Shuts Down, Around 200 Employees Laid Off

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Jul 14, 2017

Vertu, the luxury phone brand, has been in a debt of £128 million. Its current owner, Hakan Uzan who had planned to rescue the company from getting bankrupt could only manage to pay £1.9 million ($2.4 million) to the creditors. This has resulted in the shutting down of the UK manufacturing wing, leading to laying off of around 200 employees.

Few weeks ago, an issue had brewed up around the company and its transfer of ownership. Vertu was sold to Hakan Uzan, a Turkish business In March by Gray Chen who is a Hong Kong based hedge fund manager. Chen was supposed to receive £50 million ($61 million) for the deal. On the side, Uzan wanted to resurrect Vertu by investing £1.9 million ($2.46 million) on it.

When Vertu was sold to Uzan, the company was already had unpaid bills, pending salaries and debts of £128 million ($165.5 million). Both the parties threatened on filing legal case on each other. All this while, the jobs of around 200 employees in the U.K. manufacturing operation was in danger. Since the company has gone into liquidation, about 200 employees have lost their jobs.

It is not known whether Uzan has managed to clear the debts. Vertu has been sold several times in past. Uzan is an exiled businessman from Turkey who is now living Paris acquired Vertu in March and has plans to resurrect it. He retains the ownership of the company, technology and licenses.

The U.K wing had several skilled employees that created phones decked with various materials such as jewels and precious stone. The phones manufactured by the company did not feature latest hardware, but because of the precious items that were used to designed, these phones carried exorbitant pricing as high as $10,000 for the Vertu Constellation smartphone that had released in January this year. Vertu allowed customers to speak to the people who have built their phone. It also provided round the clock concierge services to the users such as delivering the phone through helicopter.

Nokia had founded Vertu in 1998 and then it was acquired by EQT VI, an equity group in 2012. It was sold to Godin Holdings in 2015. Now the fate of the company is in the hands of Uzan. However, the future of the company seems bleak after the recent layoffs.

(source)

Huawei CEO Seems To Have Confirmed EMUI 6 Based On Android 8.0

By

Zhen Wan

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Jul 14, 2017

Based on sources, Huawei’s CEO Yu Chengdong, has confirmed during his speech at the China Internet Conference in Beijing, the upcoming Emotion UI (EMUI) 6 will be shipped based on Google’s future Android 8.0. This will apply to both Huawei and Honor branded smartphones.

This hasn’t come to our surprise as the current EMUI 5/5.1 are based on Android Nougat (7.0). The source has stated that the EMUI 6 will provide a more ‘enhanced user experience’ in comparison to the preceding EMUI 5, which is certainly welcoming, even though EMUI 5/5.1 has already provided notable smooth experiences for both current Huawei and Honor users.

Yu Chengdong (Richard Yu) has also confirmed that Huawei is already working on Android 8.0 for its future EMUI, however, the source was not clear about what current devices will get the upgrade. We can speculate that the current latest devices should expect an Android 8.0 update, for example, Huawei Mate 9 and the Honor 9.

The CEO has also claimed that the EMUI 6 will run far smoother than Xiaomi’s MIUI 8, however, specifics were not exchanged in the conference. We currently know that the EMUI 5 comes with a large collection of features in comparison to stock Android Nougat, thus we are expecting the EMUI 6 to also pack a similar experience of mass feature choice. We will also expect Huawei to provide additional features into the upcoming EMUI 6 that Android 8.0 will also provide.

If we take Google’s several released developer previews of Android 8.0 as a base of our assumptions, we can predict the possible features that may come to Huawei’s EMUI 6. For example, the improved notification shade and picture-in-picture feature. A more notable improvement we expect to see in EMUI’s adaptation is improved battery consumption on Google’s Android 8.0.

As a result, the major changes we expect to see from EMUI 5 to EMUI 6 are likely to be the changes made from Android 7.0 to Android 8.0. Yu Chengdong hasn’t confirmed this; however, according to the source, Google is expected to release Android 8.0 “O” before the launch of Google Pixel 2 line-up, leading to the possibility of Huawei/Honor devices to come with Android 8.0-based EMUI 6 before the turn of this year.

Will EMUI 6 feature the most important Android 8.0 features? Share your thoughts and comments down below.

(Source)

Leaked Image Point To Bezel-Less Honor Note 9 Coming Very Soon

By

Zhen Wan

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Jul 14, 2017

Our source has shown a newly leaked image claiming to be Huawei’s upcoming Honor Note 9. Our team had already covered the device which surfaced roughly four months back, however, since then the Honor Note 9 has been flying under the radar.

The new leak shows a reassuring bezel-less design resembling the recent Honor 9 sibling. The bezels on the sides of the phone remain super-thin like the Honor Note 8. There is also the assumption that the device will come in 2.5D glass protecting the screen. The top and bottom bezels are notably thicker than the side bezels, however, remains very narrow relative to other flagship devices. It appears that the volume buttons and power button are located on the right of the Honor Note 9.

The Honor Note 9 is expected to be shipped with a significantly larger display, keeping in precedence that the Honor Note 8 stands with a giant 6.6-inch display, the Honor Note 9 will certainly come at 6+ inch display. If previous leaks are followed through (even though we busted the rumor that the earlier leak was, in fact, the Honor V9/Honor 8 Pro), we are expecting a dual-camera setup paired rear-facing facing fingerprint scanner, considering the current trends with flagship smartphones.

The specification of the device is most likely to be powered by the Kirin 960, the same processor on the Honor 9. The Kirin 960 is the most powerful processor that Huawei has available and in stock currently. The device is expected to be paired with either 4GB or 6GB RAM and multiple storage options. In terms of operating system, the device will come with EMUI 5 (Android 7.0) but should be listed for the EMUI 6 upgrade (Android 8.0)

In terms of a release date, the Honor Note 8 was announced in August last year, however, there is a possibility that the Honor Note 9 will be announced by the end of this month and release later.

Will the Honor Note 9 closely resemble the Note 8 or Honor 9 or both? Share your thoughts down below.

(Source)

Gizmochina Giveaway – Win A Free Nomu S30 mini Rugged Phone

By

Shine Wong

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Jul 14, 2017

Gizmochina along with Nomu Official is conducting a Nomu S30 mini rugged 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 Nomu S30 mini:

IP68 Water, drops, and dust proof
Real waterproof USB Port
Android 7.0
Super Tough Carbon fiber battery cover
3GB RAM+32GB ROM
4.7” HD touch screen with Gorilla Glass 3, supporting Glove mode and smart gesture
8.0MP Sony Rear camera+2.0MP front camera
Enhanced MTK6737T quad core 1.5GHz Processor
3000mAh Li-Po battery
5V 2A quick charging
Charging Led supported
GPS/AGPS+GLONASS
Bluetooth: BT 4.0
WIFI: 802.11 a/b/g/n
Network:
2G: B5/B8/B3/B2
3G: B5/B8/B2/B1
4G FDD-LTE: B1/B3/B7/B8/B20
4G TDD-LTE: B38/B39/B40/B41

More specs and features about Nomu S30 mini rugged phone, please click here

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

Visit Nomu’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 Free Nomu S30 mini Rugged phone

Snapdragon 845-Powered Galaxy S9 Appears on Geekbench As Samsung SM-G9650

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Jul 13, 2017

The Samsung Galaxy S9 isn’t expected to launch till next year, so you should understand our surprise when we saw it appear on Geekbench today.

Seeing the Galaxy S9 is half of the surprise as it brings along the yet-to-be announced Snapdragon 845 (sdm845). Qualcomm has switched back to a quad-core for the 845 and it is clocked at 1.78GHz.

The chip is said to be built on a 7nm node but will be made by TSMC instead of Samsung. Reason for that is because Samsung is switching to 8nm and not yet ready for 7nm.

The device is benchmarked as the samsung SM-G9650. It runs Android 7.1.2 and has 4GB of RAM. We can’t tell the performance of the new chip but we get to see a render script score of 7371 points. The score is low compared to that of the Galaxy S8 which is over 9000 points.

Continue

MIUI 9 Screenshots Leaked, Split-Screen Is Coming

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Jul 13, 2017

Xiaomi’s custom version of android, MIUI is expected to get a new release soon. The new version called MIUI 9 has been in development for nearly a year and is rumored to launch next month.

Earlier this week we got to see what the new lock screen will look like. The image was posted by an individual on Weibo and was confirmed by the official MIUI account. Today,we have some screenshots courtesy of Androidhits that reveals some additional details about MIUI 9.

The first image is a screenshot of the about section of the phone. You might be wondering why it says MIUI 8.7.7.6 and not MIUI 9. The version number is the alpha build of MIUI 9. This is also not unusual as the non-stable version of MIUI is one figure behind the stable version.

The “About Phone” section now wears a new look. The specification details such as the screen size, resolution, battery capacity and CPU have been given icons. As you can see in the image, this is the Redmi Note 4X.

The second screenshot is of the recent apps menu. The main addition there is the split-screen icon at the top left corner. Split-screen multitasking is now a default in Android Nougat but Xiaomi has added it to MIUI 9. Reports say it will be available to devices running Marshmallow that get the MIUI 9 update.

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Honor 9 Black Variant Released, Goes On Sale July 18 At VMall

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Jul 13, 2017

Honor‘s latest flagship Honor 9 was launched about a month ago and was officially available in four colour variants – Sea Blue, Amber Gold, Black and Seagull Gray color. The Honor 9 has since gone on sale with only the Sea Blue, Amber Gold, and Seagull Gray variants available across the different e-commerce platform. The Black color variant of the Honor 9 has now been released on Vmall, Huawei’s official e-commerce platform.

The Honor 9 Black is an exclusive edition of the sleek flagship that will only be available with 6GB RAM and 128GB storage. In terms of appearance, the Black variant brings a whole new perspective to the looks of the Honor 9 due to the darker tone it adopts, different from the other colors that are lighter. Apart from the colour difference, the new variant comes with entirely the same design as the other variants.

As far as the specs go, the Honor 9 features a 5.15-inch 1080p display and is powered by a Krin 960 chip. The processor is backed by either a 4GB RAM or 6 GB like n this vriant. It also comes with a 64GB or 128GB storage variant. On the camera end, the Huawei Honor 9 comes with a 20MP + 12MP dual camera setup at the rear while there is an 8MP shooter up front. The device gets its light from a 3200mAh battery and runs EMUI 5.1 based on Android Nougat. The Honor 9 Black variant’s price is set at 2,999 Yuan (∼$441) and the sales will commence on July 18 at 10.08 AM via Vmall.

White Xiaomi Mi 6 Goes On First Sale Tomorrow For ¥2499 ($368)

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Jul 13, 2017

After months of waiting, the White Xiaomi Mi 6 will eventually be available for purchase, starting tomorrow 14th of July.

Xiaomi released the Mi 6 a few months ago in four different colors. There is the standard black, blue, white and ceramic black special edition. However only the black has been available for purchase. Now that the white variant is available, those who prefer it can pick it up.

The price for the White Mi 6 is set at ¥2499 (~$368) and Xiaomi says it will be available both online and offline. At the moment, it will only be available for the 64GB model.

The Xiaomi Mi 6 is the company’s flagship for the year. It has a 5.15-inch FHD display, a Snapdragon 835 processor and 6GB of RAM. It isn’t waterproof but it is splash proof. There is also no earphone jack though there is an adapter and Xiaomi has launched a pair of USB type-C earphones.

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Xiaomi Releases Android 7.1.1 for Mi 5C Via MIUI 8.5.3.0 Update, Promises Android O

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Jul 13, 2017

As promised a few months ago by the MIUI team, a stable Android 7.1.1 update is now rolling out to the Mi 5C.

The update which comes via a MIUI 8.5.3.0 update is over 1GB in size. You can decide to wait for the OTA or grab the file via the link provided below.

The beta version was already available for over three months already but is only now rolling out as a stable version.

Apart from the bump in version number, the update brings a number of new features and optimizations. For example, the number of system apps that autostart has been reduced by 41. A bug that affects the brightness when you switch from auto to manual has been fixed. There are also updates to the calculator and clock app.

The exciting part of the announcement is the promise to upgrade the Mi 5C to Android O. While the update might not come in time, it is still good news to know it will get it.

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Leaked Meizu Pro 7 Rear Display Hints At Touch Input Support

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Jul 13, 2017

The Meizu Pro 7 is becoming more and more interesting by the day, not just because of the powerful dual cameras which it is touted to feature, or the attractive and innovative secondary display but also because it will afford us the opportunity to get a first-hand experience of MediaTek’s Helio X30 chip which it is billed to launch with. MediaTek recently confirmed the Pro 7 will be the first smartphone to pack its deca-core flagship chip and also that the Helio X30 is manufactured specifically for extreme gamers.

Talking about the secondary display, the Pro 7’s display isn’t new to us but all along it is thought to be an e-ink display that would only show notifications and maybe time and date. But recently, leaked photos of the Pro 7 shows that it would like have more features than we were thinking. Once again, it looks like the rear display isn’t likely going to be an e-ink display as a new leaked photo of the Meizu Pro 7 rear screen has appeared online from China’s Weibo. The leaked Pro 7’s rear display again shows the screen can display colors which means it would likely be an LCD panel.

In addition, the display could be seen to be running a game which looks like the legendary Pac-Man. This points at the strong possibility of the rear display coming with touch input support since the game can only be controlled using the screen. This also lend credence to earlier leak pointing at the presence of Meizu’s Flyme interface on the device. Another thing is that the Pro 7 will likely be available in black and gold, the two colors the leaked model appeared in. It is possible that there will be more than just two color variants, though.

(source)

Xiaomi’s Smallest Mi TV Just Got Its 3C Certification

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Jul 13, 2017

Xiaomi offers its smart Mi TV line in varying sizes. At the moment, the largest Mi TV is 65-inches and the smallest is the 40-inch Mi TV 2. A new Xiaomi TV seen on the 3C website hints at a new TV smaller than 40-inches.

The new Xiaomi TV has model number L32M5-AZ1 and is manufactured by Beijing Xiaomi Eletronics Co.Ltd although the factory is listed as TCL Overseas Electronics (Huizhou) Co. Ltd.

Based on the model number, we think the TV has a 32-inch display which will make it the smallest Xiaomi TV ever made.

The average 32-inch TV is priced at ¥1299 (~$192) and Xiaomi’s cheapest smart TV is the 43-inch Mi TV 4A priced at ¥1899 (~$280). Xiaomi may decide to price the new TV at ¥1299 or even lower so that it can be affordable to a lot more people, most especially millennials or those living in small apartments.

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Motorola’s New Invite Is The Confirmation We Need For The Moto Z2 Force Launching On July 25

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Jul 13, 2017

Motorola has an event scheduled for July 25. Though it hasn’t said anything about what devices will be launching, its latest poster sort of confirms the Moto Z2 Force is one of them.

The invite for the event tagged #Hellomotoworld has the tagline “get ready to shatter your expectations” hinting at the shatterproof feature of the Moto Z2 Force.

Motorola’s ShatterShield technology which first appeared in the Droid Turbo 2 in 2015 and then the Moto Z Force Droid Edition in 2016 makes the display shatterproof. It will be making its next appearance in the Moto Z2 Force where it is expected to be more refined and better integrated with the display.

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Sketchy Xiaomi Redmi 5 Leak Attempts To Reveal Full Specs, Design and Pricing

By

Zhen Wan

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Jul 13, 2017

Amid the recent leaks of Xiaomi’s Redmi 5, we were able to get some unconfirmed data covering the specifications of the Redmi 5 and the possible design of the device.

The design according to the source’s leaked advert, show that the fingerprint scanner will be positioned at the rear of the device with capacitive buttons located at the bottom of the device, the menu, home and back button, respectively, (on the front of the device). This stick to Redmi series’ current button and sensor layout, much similar to the Redmi 4.

Other similar designs include a single firing camera at the back of the device and a front-facing selfie shooter. The device will also come in a metal frame, a unibody design with rounded corners.

The design remains unconfirmed just like the specifications mentioned below.

The specifications appear to be very promising, the Redmi 5 will be powered by mid-level processors such as a Snapdragon 625 or a Snapdragon 630, a jump from the entry-level Snapdragon 435 in the predecessor’s hood.

Furthermore, the source states that the device will be run with a relatively 3,680 mAh, noting that this is a significantly small battery compared to Redmi 4’s 4,100 mAh comparison. A reassuring feature is the Redmi 5 will support Quick Charge 3.0, quickly replenishing low battery levels. Another low-demanding power feature is the Redmi 5-inch display with an HD display (1280 x 720).

The device will be paired with either 3GB or 4GB RAM with LPDDR3 technology, we’re also expecting the devices to come in 16GB, 32GB and 64GB storage, running at “eMMC 5.1” speeds.

The pricing has also been unveiled by the source, starting at ¥859 (~$125) for the 16GB + 3GB and the 32GB + 3GB for ¥1,039 (~$152), both these models will be powered by a Snapdragon 625. The higher-end models will allegedly start at ¥1,299 (~$191) for the 64GB + 4GB variant powered by a Snapdragon 630.

Could these leaks be the final confirmed details of Xiaomi’s Redmi 5? We are unsure, but let’s see.

(Source , via)

Get OnePlus 5 for just $444.99! (limited stock: only 30 units)

By

Linus

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Jul 13, 2017

Each year OnePlus manages to create a huge hype about their upcoming smartphone and they did that again with their OnePlus 5. This is the most mature, the most powerful and the most expensive OnePlus the company has ever made. You can now get it for just $444.99! (limited stock: only 30 units) from Gearbest which sounds like a bargain since the phone sells for a much higher price on the official store. Use the COUPON: PlusKH4G at the checkout.

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-kWCLbAzv-A[/embedyt]

When it comes to hardware, the OnePlus 5 is one of the most powerful phones the money can buy.

I have a 6GB of RAM and 64GB of storage model but if you pay extra, you can get a phone with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of non-expandable storage.

When it comes to optics, we have one of the most powerful setups that are available on the market, well, at least on paper. The OnePlus 5 sports one 16MP shooter with f/1.7 aperture lens and EIS that is based on the gyroscope sensor. There is another 20MP camera with f/2.6 aperture lens, phase detection autofocus, 2x optical zoom and dual-LED flash.

Other key specs include a fast and accurate fingerprint scanner, super fast Dash charge technology, 5.5” 1080p AMOLED display and Android 7.1 out of the box.

You can now get it for just $444.99! (limited stock: only 30 units) from Gearbest which sounds like a bargain since the phone sells for a much higher price on the official store.

Use the COUPON: PlusKH4G at the checkout.

Buy OnePlus using a COUPON: PlusKH4G

FCC Reveal ASUS ZenFone 4V Listing, Possibly A Verizon Exclusive

By

Zhen Wan

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Jul 13, 2017

The FCC has published a new ASUS smartphone, listed on record, as the ZenFone 4V. This is a strong indication that ASUS will be shipping the ZenFone 4 into the US as a carrier exclusive, notably network carrier Verizon as ZenFone 4V (under the assumption the ‘V’ in ZenFone 4’V’ represents the carrier’s initial).

From the image, we can see that the ZenFone 4V’s model number is A006, this model has already been recorded by other benchmarking sites as the ZenFone 4V.

Currently the source, we ourselves and other reporters have yet to know much about ASUS’ ZenFone 4 line-up apart from leaks and rumors. As reported in my previous entry, ASUS is expected to unveil their line-up this month and available for purchase in August, despite delays.

Furthermore, the source image also indicates that the ZenFone 4V will be running Android 7.0 with May 1 security patch, however, ASUS may provide an updated Android OS, out of the box when it becomes available in the US.

We are also expecting ASUS to provide a large collection of variants of the ZenFone 4, similar to its preceding ZenFone 3 and ZenFone 2 smartphones. An interesting point to note is the not all variants may be available as variants such as the ZenFone 3 Zoom has only been on sale for a few weeks, thus a fourth ‘Zoom’ installment may come later than its other siblings.

ASUS has sent press invites for an upcoming September 21 event in Rome, Italy, however, there is a stronger indication that the ASUS ZenFone 4V will be released far earlier, in the coming weeks, instead of months. This is mostly due to the FCC certification process, that we can see on the image. FCC tend to test devices that are set to be released very soon for customers.

What are your thoughts about the ASUS ZenFone 4v?

(Via)

HOMTOM HT50 offers 5500mAh and Good Specs for just $99!

By

Linus

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Jul 13, 2017

There are plenty of smartphones out there but most of them have the same issue – a poor battery life. Quite a few Chinese phone makers solve this issue by cramming in a huge battery into a compact body of the phone. Homtom HT50 is one of those phones as it offers 5500mAh and Good Specs for just $99!

Besides a huge battery, the phone sports a 5.5″ 2.5D glass 720p display. As for the hardware, the device ships with the quad-core MTK6737 chip, 3GB of RAM and 32GB of expandable storage. These are definitely great specs considering the fact that the Homtom HT50 does not even cost $100.

Other keys specs include a 13MP camera on the back and another 13MP shooter on the front, a fingerprint scanner and lastly, the phone ships with the fast charge to charge that huge battery.

Buy Homtom HT50

Google Pixel XL 2017 Renders in Very Silver, Really Blue Surface to Reveal What to Expect for Pixel XL 2’s Design

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Jul 13, 2017

Yesterday, AndroidPolice had revealed a render of the upcoming 2017 Google Pixel XL phone from an unnamed source. The render had showed the alleged Pixel XL 2 in Quite Black. A reputed designer and tipster, Benjanim Geskin, has created a render of Google Pixel XL 2 in two other colors like Very Silver and Really Blue based on the render published by AndroidPolice.

According to the publication, the Google Pixel XL 2 will be more or less based on the render it has released. The Pixel XL 2 can be seen with full-screen display. Rumors have it that the Pixel XL that is codenamed as Google Taimen would be equipped with a 6-inch screen.

LG would be building the Pixel XL 2. However, it will be sold in the market as “made by Google.” Speculations have it LG would be adding its Full Vision display on the Pixel XL 2 that offers an aspect ratio of 18:9 on LG G6. The renders reveal that the side bezels are quite thin. The upper and lower bezels are slightly thick but thinner than conventional flagships.

The renders show Very Silver and Really Blue editions of the Pixel XL 2 in two-tone color design that is also available on the original Google Pixel. On the rear side, the upper part that houses a single LED flash and the camera is made of up glass. The remaining part is made from metal and it houses the fingerprint scanner. The publication has claimed that the 2017 Google Pixel XL may also feature squeezable frame that is available as Edge Sense feature on the HTC U11. The below image compares the 2017 Google Pixel with original Pixel phone which is on the left and the Pixel XL on the extreme right.

One of the disappointing things of the Pixel XL 2 is that it does not feature a dual camera feature. The upcoming Samsung Galaxy Note 8, LG V30, Moto Z2, Moto Z2 Force, Apple iPhone 8 and the recently released Xiaomi Mi 6 and OnePlus 5 are all decked with dual rear cameras. Last year’s Google Pixel phone has the second highest rating of 89 on DxOMark benchmarking platform. The HTC U11 is leading the chart with a highest score of 90. Interestingly, both the smartphones feature single rear camera.

(source)

Get Xiaomi 4K TV Box for just $56.39!

By

Linus

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Jul 13, 2017

The market of Chinese TV boxes is crowded but we all know that Xiaomi usually makes high-quality products for a low price. Enter Xiaomi with the Mi Box: a small, nondescript black box offering a full Android TV experience, 4K HDR video and a remote for the current price of just $56 — easily the lowest price for one of these devices running a fully sanctioned version of Android TV.

Inside the Mi Box is a very run-of-the-mill spec arrangement, with a 2GHz quad-core (Cortex-A53) processor, 2GB of RAM and 8GB of storage — the latter of which capable of being expanded via a full-sized USB-A port on the back.

Xiaomi, like other Android TV makers, offers a “Mi Box recommends” section on the home screen showing some content apps that you’ve heard of before, but that’s it in terms of customizations.

Xiaomi TV Box has quite a lot to offer for the price of just $56.39 and you can now get it from lightinthebox.com.

Buy Xiaomi TV Box

Samsung Budget & Mid-Range Phones To Have Storage Saving Feature Soon

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Jul 13, 2017

South Korean technological giant Samsung is always on the look out for new innovations that it would put on its flagship models in order to stay ahead of the competition. Looks like Samsung isn’t focused on upping the ante on its flagship but also its mid-range and even budget models. The company is reportedly working on a new “Storage Saving” feature which will bring new options that would help users free up storage on their devices. The major function that would come to play in the Storage saving option is its ability to automatically delete local copies of all photos and videos that have been backed up to Samsung Cloud. This may not be very useful now, though, because Samsung’s cloud service has a limited amount of free storage.

The feature is said to be a dedicated one which Samsung is relying on in order to make storage management features more visible and easier to access. Samsung recently released the Device Maintenance feature as a standalone app and the new Storage Saving feature will use the app as one of its options. It will act as a central hub for all the stuff that is related to the phone’s storage and performance.

Samsung’s budget and mid-range models do not really offer top notch performance but these features could make the models more appealing to users as they will be able to keep things running smoothly on their phones without having to worry much about limited storage space. The exact modalities for the new feature are still not known because there are speculations that it could be on budget phones only just like the Ultra Data Saing Mode. The feature could even find its way into Samsung’s flagship models but we are not entirely certain about that.More details will surely emerge when Samsung unveils the new Storage Saving feature.

(source)