Doogee Mix Review – Who Likes Bezels?

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Jul 1, 2017

All smartphone manufacturers appear to cut the corners of their displays and make them look bezel-less. There is not much practical use of that but those infinity displays just look great. The Chinese phone maker Doogee aims to deliver bezel less smartphone experience for just about $170. Stay tuned to find out if the Doogee Mix is worth the money in the full Doogee Mix Review.

VIDEO REVIEW

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-lGN6B6QCPI[/embedyt]

UNBOXING

The phone ships in quite a nice box and inside of it you can find all the usual stuff. Some extras include a case to protect the phone and a screen protector.

DESIGN and DISPLAY

The design is the key selling point of Doogee Mix but the main question is if the device is truly bezel-less. Well, there are tiny bezels along with the black bars but they are cut to the minimum. Even though I would not call the Doogee Mix a truly bezel-less phone, it is still one of the best-looking budget devices you can buy. Anyway, the Xiaomi Mi Mix is not fully bezel-less neither.

A Samsung-made 5.5” 1080p AMOLED display is just gorgeous to look at as it is punchy and vibrant. However, I found the colors to be slightly oversaturated for my taste. The sunlight legibility is not the best but it is quite decent.

The earpiece is on the top but the 5MP front facing camera is implemented on the bottom, so you would probably need to take selfies holding the phone upside down.

There are customizable on-screen navigation keys but you can also use a capacitive home key to navigate through the user interface and I found it really useful. The fingerprint scanner is not the fastest I’ve seen but it gets the job done to unlock the phone straight from the standby mode.

The overall build quality is good and the phone sits nicely in the hand. However, I found that the buttons a little bit rattle.

HARDWARE and PERFORMANCE

The Doogee Mix is not all about the looks as it is plenty powerful for the price. The device ships with an octa-core Helio P25 chip, 4GB of RAM and 64GB of expandable storage. You can also opt in for a slightly more expensive model that has 6GB of RAM.

The gaming performance is just great. I was able to run all the 3D games on the highest graphics settings without any issues, which is kind of impressive given the price of the phone. The device gets a little warm on the upper portion but that doesn’t impair the performance.

BENCHMARKS

USER INTERFACE

The Doogee Mix ships with the Android 7.0 out of the box but we have a proprietary skin on top of it that brings a little bit different look and it has quite a few extra features.

Just to name a few, you can read the latest news if you swipe to the left, choose from quite a few different themes or wallpapers, or use a floating gesture that I usually find annoying as it gets in my way. You can also choose from a variety of gesture controls that work pretty well or use one hand operation mode.

What is the most important for me on any phone is the speed and fluidity. I found the Doogee Mix to be quite fast but there is some occasional stutter if you simply swipe through menus back and forth. It just seems that some of the animations have some skipped frames. This is not a deal breaker but I believe we will see a software update quite soon since my device runs on an early software build.

CAMERAS

When it comes to optics, the Doogee Mix has quite an interesting dual-camera setup that consists of one 16MP shooter and another 8MP sensor. The camera app takes pictures really fast. There are some shooting modes to make the best out of dual camera setup like blur mode that takes pictures with the bokeh effect.

The pictures taken using this mode look quite okay but they are far from the flagship-grade quality.

The daylight image quality is disappointing for a $170 phone. I took most of the pictures under perfect lighting conditions but the images lack detail, sharpness, the colors are usually washed out and the dynamic range adjustment is kind of poor. Sure, you will be able to take some decent photos but you will usually see these shortcomings.

The low-light camera performance is just bad. There is plenty of noise and low amount of detail.

You can also utilize the secondary sensor to take pictures with up to 4x lossless zoom, at least this is what Doogee claims. Sure, the results are better than using just digital zoom but still, there is plenty of noise and the images lack detail.

You can also take black and white pictures, which look okay but I’m not a huge fan of black and white photography, anyway.

Selfie image quality is just mediocre. Sure, they are usable for social media but what bothers me the most is the red tint in most of the shots.

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=npKyUEuXCdY[/embedyt]

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t7L2ar4cWJQ[/embedyt]

The Doogee Mix can shoot videos in 4k resolution but I think this is just an upscaled 1080p footage. There is a decent amount of detail but in general, the videos don’t look good because there is a lot of choppiness and shakiness and the EIS feature does not help at all.

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JzEDB4NHr6w[/embedyt]

The 1080p video does not look as choppy as 4k and I would rate the quality as average. What disappoints me the most if the lack of continuos auto-focus feature and the footage could look sharper.

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ULG0ytClMyI[/embedyt]

The selfie video looks just horrible since it is only in 480p, at least this is what the stock camera app allows. Also, the sound is being recorded only to the left channel, which is again, really disappointing.

Download full resolution camera samples

MULTIMEDIA and ENTERTAINMENT

The Doogee implemented a loudspeaker on the bottom and the quality of it is just average, to say the least.

Same can be said about the quality of sound via the headset jack.

CONNECTIVITY

The Doogee Mix has a hybrid dual-SIM card tray that can take either 2 SIMs or 1 SIM and the microSD card. Also, the phone has most of the needed sensors like gyroscope, proximity and so on.

When it comes to connectivity, the Wifi speed and range are good and the GPS is accurate. The signal reception is good and the call quality is decent.

BATTERY LIFE

The phone has a 3380mAh battery that will let you use the phone for the entire day but not more, at least this was my experience. I can’t tell you the exact screen-on time due to a software bug but I would say that the phone will get you about 5 hours of SOT.

Finally, it takes about 1,5 h to fully charge the phone with the supplied fast charger.

CONCLUSIONS

So, there you have it, the Doogee Mix. The phone indeed offers quite a lot of value for the price but as usual to the cheap phones, it has a few shortcomings to consider.

The phone is definitely a looker, the gaming performance is great, the display is awesome and the battery life is decent.

However, I was not impressed by the overall camera performance, the user interface is not as smooth as it should be, the loudspeaker quality is mediocre and finally, I will let you decide if the phone is truly bezel-less.

In conclusion, the Doogee Mix is definitely an exceptional budget phone mainly because of its near bezel-less display but hopefully, we will see a few software improvements that will unleash a full potential of the phone’s hardware.

Buy Doogee Mix

HTC U11 Named Antutu’s Best Performing Smartphone in May 2017

By

Zhen Wan

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Jul 1, 2017

Antutu has officially published a list of May’s best performing smartphones by taking the average benchmark scores of every device over the duration of the month. The list revealed that an Android device, the HTC U11 has overthrown Apple’s iPhone 7 Plus as the fastest smartphone in the world.

The HTC U11 beats the iPhone 7 Plus’ Antutu average benchmark scores of 174,299, with an average score of 180,079. Xiaomi’s Mi 6 is in third place with 172,494 and Samsung’s S8 and S8+ claim the fourth and fifth spots respectively.

Back in April, the iPhone 7’s position was replaced by the Mi 6 and Galaxy S8/S8+. Antutu has reported the iPhone 7’s average performance score has in fact decreased, notably due to the aging of the device and the build-up of software updates. According to the source, the decrease in the iPhone 7’s benchmark has been notable since the iOS 10.3 update.

The HTC U11 comes with a 5.5-inch 2K display and is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 835. It is HTC’s second flagship of the year.

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Xiaomi Riva Appears on Geekbench, Runs Android 7.1.2

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Jul 1, 2017

A new phone called the Xiaomi Riva has been spotted on benchmarking site, Geekbench. Judging from the albeit limited specs, this is an entry-level/mid-range phone and will belong to the Redmi line when and if it launches.

The Xiaomi Riva is a 3GB RAM device and is powered by a Qualcomm quad-core processor clocked at 1.4GHz. This is either the Snapdragon 425 or Snapdragon 427 mobile platform. The phone is also listed as running Android 7.1.2.

Benchmark results show the Xiaomi Riva pulling in 560 points in the single-core test and 916 points in the multi-core test. However, the multi-core test is disappointing when compared to that of the Redmi 4A, an entry-level Snapdragon 425-powered phone.

Last month we came across a new Xiaomi device codenamed Jason on GFXBench. While some say the Snapdragon 660-powered phone will launch as the Mi 6X, Xiaomi has kept mum on the existence of the device.

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The Sharp X1 is A Japan Exclusive Android One Smartphone

By

Zhen Wan

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Jul 1, 2017

Japanese company, Sharp, has announced its latest addition, the Sharp X1, to its smartphone line-up.

The Sharp X1 adds to the list of Google’s not-so-successful Android One program. Although Google announced a new program called Android Go at Google I/O 2017, it says it isn’t a replacement for the Android One program.

The difference is that Android Go is aimed at the entry level market while Android One is for the mid-range market and the specs of the Sharp X1 confirms that.

The Sharp X1 is not Sharp’s first Android One device either, the Sharp Aquos 507SH is the company’s first and also the first Android One device in Japan, .

In terms of specifications, the Sharp X1 will be powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 435 paired with 3GB RAM and 32GB of internal storage with expansion via MicroSD.

The device will feature a 5.3-inch IGZO display, with FHD (1920 x 1080) resolution. The rear-facing camera is a 16.4 mega-pixel sensor with LED flash, whilst the front-facing selfie shooter is an 8 mega-pixel sensor with a wide-angle lens.

The main features that may entice consumers to purchase the Sharp X1 are the large 3,900 mAh battery and its IP68 rating. Sharp claims that the device will last up to four days of usage (we assume very light-usage).

The Sharp X1 will come with a front facing fingerprint scanner located at the bottom of the device. There is also a USB-C port for connectivity.

Another feature the Sharp X1 has is support for FeliCa, contactless payment solution from Sony.

The device will come in white, dark purple, and mint green with Android 7.0 (Nougat) as default operating system.

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LG Uplus Confirms Samsung Galaxy Note FE Launches on July 7

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Jul 1, 2017

You may be wondering what LG has got to do with Samsung’s Galaxy Note FE. Actually its LG’s carrier network LG U+, and it leaked the launch date for the refurbished Galaxy Note 7.

The carrier took to its official Facebook page to announce the launch date for the phone as July 7 but later took the post down. The date corresponds to what was reported earlier this week by Wall Street Journal.

Other info revealed by the post mentions a pre-order that starts today and runs through to July 6. It also states that there are limited quantities available.

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Moto X4 Now Scheduled for Q4 Release & Will Be Available on Project Fi

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Jul 1, 2017

Those who waited for the Moto X4 to launch last month like we thought it would must be heartbroken to find out it has been postponed. The sad thing is that it will be a long wait before it arrives.

According to VentureBeat’s Evan Blass, the Moto X4 will be announced in the fourth quarter. Some say the reason for the postponement is as a result of Qualcomm struggling to meet demands of the Snapdragon 660 chip which will power the device. While that is a genuine reason, it may also be a strategy to prevent the Moto X4 from affecting sales of the newly announced Moto Z2 Play.

Pricing for the Moto Z2 Play is between $400 and $450 depending on the location. Since the Moto X4 is a mid-ranger too, its pricing shouldn’t exceed that range. By releasing the Moto X4 in Q4, the company would have sold sufficient units of the Moto Z2 Play and probably even discounted it.

Aside its launch in Q4, the Moto X4 will also be the first non-Pixel or Nexus device to support Google’s Project Fi. The official Project Fi Twitter account revealed that a new mid-range device from one of its partners was going to join the network later this year. A source privy to both Project Fi and Motorola later revealed that the device is the Moto X4.

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Another Meizu Blue Charm Logo Leaks, Both Are Likely Fake

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Jul 1, 2017

A couple of days back, a logo purported to be for the new Meizu Blue Charm division leaked. Recall that we had reported a few months back that Meizu had officially announced the splitting of the company into three new divisions where they now have the Meizu brand, Blue Charm and the Flyme divisions. The new reorganisation also sees the reshuffling of the various portfolio with some execs moving upward. Meizu President, Huang Zhang, also known as Jack Wong, remains as Chairman and CEO of the company, overseeing the entire operations of the company. Mr Wang will also directly oversee the high-end Meizu products and the result of that is the awesome Pro 7 design we have seen in leaks.

The latest development is that another logo said to be for the Blue Charm division has leaked with an entirely different design. The new Meizu Blue Charm logo is even shown embossed on the rear body of the Meizu E2 but that may be fake. Quite honestly, the newly leaked logo looks nicer than the first one which looked like a spiral or wavy line that isn’t really creative. But the question which pops up is which of them is the genuine logo?

Well, someone who’s a well-known tech blogger in China known as Deng Deng went on to comment that both of the purported Blue Charm logos are not genuine. He may just be correct because it doesn’t make sense to split the brand identity so obviously. Fine, for ease of management the company is already three different divisions but the brand is best left as one Meizu with a single logo. Well, we really can’t predict what the new business model the media-shy Jack Wong brought back to try and grow the company. Nothing has been clearly disclosed. Curiously, even Li Nan who is the new head of the Blue Charm division and had been quite vocal on Weibo in the past has been unusually silent these days. Just bear in mind, though, that the two Blue Charm logos being bandied around might be fake.

(source)

Exclusive Images of iPhone 8 Cases Confirms Vertical Dual Rear Cameras

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Jul 1, 2017

Today marks the beginning of the second half of 2017 and one of the devices set to launch in the second half is Apple’s iPhone 8. In the past few weeks we have seen various leaks from genuine sources confirm the design of the next Apple flagship. One major focus of these leaks is the design of the phone’s rear camera. Today we have exclusive photos confirming the new design.

These fresh leaks come in form of cases for the phone and were gotten from a factory that makes iPhone cases. The cases come in various designs and colors but one thing that is common to them is the cut out for the cameras, buttons and ports.

Apple is definitely sticking to dual rear cameras but will now switch to a vertical setup instead of the horizontal setup on the iPhone 7 Plus. The cameras will still be positioned at the left hand side though. Button placements and position of ports are still the same.

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Rumour: Sony To Launch A Bezel-less Flagship Phone At IFA 2017

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Jun 30, 2017

A new rumour emanating from China has hinted that Sony is likely to launch a bezel-less smartphone at IFA Berlin 2017. Sony announced the Xperia XZ Premium at MWC 2017 with a nearly bezel-less design with bezels at the top and bottom but the new flagship which is said to launch at IFA will come with a large bezel-less display.

The Weibo post referred to JDI’s announcement earlier in June that they have started the mass production of their Full Active display technology. JDI was formed in 2012 through the consolidation of the display panel businesses of Sony, Hitachi and Toshiba and had announced the Full Active LCD display technology last year which would bring completely bezel-less displays to smartphones. As a result of the mass production, it is safe to say Sony is preparing something big sometime soon since it is the most active in the smartphone industry of the three which formed JDI.

JDI has struggled in recent times due to the proliferation of LCD manufacturers in China and the shift to OLED displays spearheaded by Samsung’s AMOLED panels which seem to achieve better resolutions than LCDs. But the recent technology uses a 6-inch display and an aspect ratio of 18:9 which would place it higher than the Mi Mix in terms of screen-to-body ratio.

As exciting as this may sound, you should take it with a pinch of salt as nothing in respect to a Sony IFA 2017 launch is confirmed yet. It may turn out to be true anyway, as bezel-less smartphones seem to be the way to go presently. We have got lots of them tipped to be in the works, like the iPhoen 8, Galaxy Note 8, Mi Mix 2 and a host of others. So, it makes perfect sense if Sony decides to release their own, using JDI’s latest LCD display technology.

(source 1, 2)

Leaked LG V30 Mid Frame Reveals Wireless Charging Module

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Jun 30, 2017

We have seen quite a number of flagship models that year, some thrilling and still, some were disappointing. One device which holds a lot of anticipation is the LG V30, perhaps due to the success of the V20. A new leaked photo has emerged showing the V30 will come with wireless charging technology. It’s predecessor, the V20 did not come with wireless charging feature but the LG G6 had wireless charging technology only on the models sold in the U.S.

The LG V30 design is expected to be such that would allow for a wireless charging technology onboard. The all-metal body featured on the V20 might have prevented the device from featuring wireless charging technology. However, the V30 is said to use a metal frame and a glass body which would allow for the feature to be included. The leaked mid frame shows the module for the wireless charging feature at the back of the frame and is sort of a confirmation of an earlier leak that pointed at wireless charging and a glass back.

In addition, the LG V30 is said to discard the secondary display which is the feature the V-series are known for it is getting known for. Instead, the V30 is said to come with an AMOLED display which may have an “Always on”feature. The device is also rumoured to launch sometime in the third quarter of the year which could be sometime around September.

Read More: The LG V30 Will Have A Glass Back & Support Wireless Charging

Specs wise, the V30 is tipped to pack a 5.7-inch display with QHD resolution and an 18: 9 aspect ratio. The device is also expected to pack 6GB of RAM and powered by the Snapdragon 835 chip. The interface is expected to be provided by LG UI based on Android 7.1.1 Nougat.

(source)

Q1 2017 Global Mobile Phone Shipments Released, Xiaomi in Sixth Position

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Jun 30, 2017

A new research data scooped up by China-based market research firm Risingsun has revealed the top 10 standing in terms of phone shipments globally and interestingly, the list is dominated by Chinese OEMs. Out of the top ten companies listed, seven are Chinese mobile phone companies with three of the Chinese OEMs sitting at the top five spots.

For the list of top 10 global smartphone shipments for Q1 2017, Samsung continues to dominate with an estimated shipment of 80 million units. U.S smartphone maker Apple maintains its number two spot with an estimated 51 million units shipped in Q1. Huawei snapped up the number 3 spot once again with an estimated 35 million shipments while OPPO came in at the fourth position with 26 million units shipped.

Oppo’s sister company Vivo shipped an estimated 19 million units to occupy the fifth spot. China’s Apple, Xiaomi moved up into the sixth position with 15 million units shipped. LG is also tied with Xiaomi at the sixth spot with 15 million units while Lenovo takes the 8th spot with 12 million units. ZTE occupies the 9th spot with 9million units shipped and finally, Gionee completes the top 10 with 8 million units shipped so far.

The data also reveals a drop in total shipments from 439 million in Q4 last year to 351 million in total this first quarter which is a huge reduction by 88 million units. But when compared to Q1 2016, there is a 5.4% increase year-on-year.

(via)

Samsung Galaxy Note 8 Coming in 64 GB, 128 GB Storages; Would be the Most Expensive Galaxy Note

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Jun 30, 2017

Samsung Galaxy Note 8 rumors is picking up pace as fresher information on the phablet is surfacing on daily basis. New information coming from a Chinese publication states that Samsung will be selling the Galaxy Note 8 in two storage editions of 64 GB and 128 GB.

The Galaxy Note 7 that was launched in August and discontinued in few months because of its faulty battery came in only one storage version of 64 GB. Even the Samsung Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ come with an internal storage capacity of 64 GB. However, in select markets, Samsung is selling the Galaxy S8+ with 6 GB of RAM with a native storage of 128 GB. In the same way, the Galaxy Note 8 which is rumored to be slightly bigger than the Note 7 will be also coming in 64 GB and 128 GB storage sizes.

Also, the Galaxy Note 8 will also come with an external storage feature that will let users to add up to 256 GB of microSD card. Well-known tipster, Evan Blass, had revealed in the previous week that the Galaxy Note 8 would be coming with a higher price tag of €999 (~$1,140).

The Chinese publication has also reported that the Galaxy Note 8 would be selling for about $1,000 in the home country of South Korea. In other markets like North America, South America and Europe, the Galaxy Note 8 is expected to sell for $1,100. Such a pricing will make the Galaxy Note 8 not only the costliest Galaxy Note phablet ever.

A lot of information on the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 have surfaced in this month. The Note 8 is rumored to arrive with a 6.3-inch full-screen Infinity Display like the one available on Galaxy S8 duo. It is expected to arrive in Snapdragon 835 and Exynos 8895 chipset models. The SoC will be coupled with 6 GB of RAM and the phablet will be running on Android 7.1.1 Nougat. It will be packed with a 3,300mAh battery.

A recent report suggest that the South Korean company has decided on placing the fingerprint scanner on the rear panel on the right side of the horizontally designed dual camera module and its LED flash. However, it was reported that the biometric recognition feature will be placed under the display. As far as Galaxy Note 8 launch date is concerned, some sources say it will be unveiling in August whereas other sources suggest that it will get announced in the second half of September.

(source|via)

OPPO R11 Plus Sale Goes Live on JD.com For 3699 Yuan ($546)

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Jun 30, 2017

After the OPPO R11 and R11 Plus were launched in China on July 10, the R11 went up for sale on July 16 and the R11 Plus was slated to start selling on July 30. The OPPO R11 Plus went up for sale today on Jingdong (JD.com) as scheduled.

The R11 Plus went up on sale at 10 AM today on Jingdong. Reservation for the sale had opened on June 23 on OPPO’s official flagship store on JD.com and was closed by 9 AM today (June 30). As at the time of writing, the device is presently on sale to those who made reservations and this will likely be on for a limited time frame. It comes with a price tag of 3699 Yuan ($546) and OPPO is offering some freebies like headphones, selfie stick with purchases while stock lasts.

When compared with the R11, the OPPO R11 Plus comes with three major changes. Going by the name, the model features a larger 6-inch 1080p display and there is equally a bigger 4000mAh battery and a bigger 6GB RAM onboard. Apart from these., the OPPO R11 and R11 Plus are similar. Both features Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 660 chip, a 20MP + 16MP dual rear camera setup, a 20MP selfie camera, Color OS 3.1, VOOC flash fast charging technology and lots more. The R11 Plus is available in Gold, Rose Gold and Black colors.

(source)

OnePlus 5’s Water Resistance Confirmed by CEO and Water Test, but OnePlus is Not Advertising it

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Jun 30, 2017

When OnePlus 5 was launched, the company did not mention whether it is a water-resistant phone. In the recent weeks, a French publication, some YouTubers and OnePlus CEO Pete Lau have all confirmed that the OnePlus 5 offers some degree of water resistance.

A YouTuber named Shaizor has done water test of OnePlus 5 on Techno Unboxing. He can be seen placing the OnePlus 5 in a bowl of water and starting a 60-second timer. He keeps on adding water until the OnePlus 5 is fully submerged. He tries to access the touchscreen screen of the phone but there is no feedback. However, the display remains on during the one-minute water test.

After the OnePlus 5 is removed from the bowl, its touchscreen functions properly and so are its Home button. There is no damage done to the camera. The OnePlus 5 successfully clears the water test.

OnePlus 5 teardown video released by JerryRigEverything reveals that the company has not used adhesive between screen and the frame. Also, there is no sealant around the SIM tray. This suggests that the OnePlus 5 may survive a water test of submerging it in a bowl of water, but it may not survive in real-world situations.

According to a French publication, OnePlus 5’s water resistance can be certified as IP67. A IP67 rated device can remain undamaged even if it is submerged in 1 meter deep water for 30 minutes. The Apple iPhone 6S also offers the same level of water resistance, but the company never marketed this feature. Likewise, the OnePlus is not promoting the water resistance of OnePlus.

During a recent interview to Indian Express, when OnePlus CEO Pete Lau was asked whether the company skipped waterproofing to provide better thermal dissipation on OnePlus 5, he replied this is one of the smaller factors. Lau said that he does not feel that waterproofing is a major requirement for the consumer. He added that waterproofing a device increases its weight and makes it thicker. And also, he did confirm that OnePlus 5 offers certain degree of waterproofing, but the company choose not to advertise it.

Do you think waterproofing is one of the important features on a flagship phone? Do let us know your thoughts by adding comments below.

(source 1,2)

Sharp Full Screen Models FS8016 & FS8010 Launching On July 17

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Jun 30, 2017

Since Foxconn bought a 66% majority stake in ailing Japanese tech brand Sharp, the Taiwanese company has made efforts to try to turn around the fortunes of Sharp. The investment by Foxconn resulted in Sharp’s first operating profit in three years, announced in April 2017 and attributed to the restructuring efforts by Foxconn. One area Foxconn is looking to revitalise, apart from the once budding Sharp TV business, is its smartphone business. To this end, Sharp is said to planning the launch of two mid-range phones next month.

Precisely, the rumour points at the launch of two mid-range models identified as FS8010 and FS8016 on July 17. Both models are said to feature a 5.5-inch display having a high screen-to-body ratio and resolution of 2048 x 1080pixels. The two models also come with a dual 12MP rear camera setup. The two models will sport different processors. While the FS8016 sports Qualcomm’s latest mid-range Snapdragon 660 chipset, the FS8010 features a Snapdragon 630 chip.

The FS8016 is obviously the top model of the two and for a mid-ranger, the Sharp smartphone is said to have a design similar to the Xiaomi Mi Mix. The bezel at the bottom of the display is said to be narrow and with the screen accounting for at least 91.3% of the entire device. Other leaked specs of the two Sharp mid-rangers include Android 7.1.1 Nougat OS, 4GB and 6GB RAM options. Recall that the Sharp FS8016 model has previously appeared on AnTuTu and GeekBench, revealing some of its specs and those specs are similar to the ones listed above.

The prices of the Sharp models are also said to be cheap. Note that we are not so sure about the source of the launch rumour as Sharp is yet to officially say anything about any launch event. So we’ll have to wait for words from Sharp. Also, the names will likely be different from the ones which have been making the rounds.

(source)

Motorola Verve Cam+ Silently Launched on Amazon with $108 Pricing

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Jun 30, 2017

Motorola has been in the news for launching couple of smartphones in the recent weeks such as Moto Z2 Play, Moto E4, Moto E4 Plus, Moto C and Moto C Plus. Motorola fans are eagerly waiting for the company to announce its Moto Z2 and Moto Z2 flagships. However, in the midst of smartphone releases, the company has silently unveiled the Verve Cam+ for livestreaming by making it available on Amazon.

The Verve Cam+ is a round-shaped camera that has been primarily built for livestreaming. It has come to replace the original Verve Cam that was showcased at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2016. The Verve Cam+ is usable with a smartphone through Wi-Fi or Bluetooth connection that will allow users to easily edit images and videos and livestream it on social sites like YouTube. Its smartphone app can be used to access its various features such as viewfinder and effects.

There is no inbuilt storage available on the Motorola Verve Cam+. Users can add up to 32 GB of microSD card on the livestreaming cam. Whether livestreaming or video shooting, the Verve Cam+ can shoot videos at 2.5K resolution at 30fps with a single click and supports up to 45 minutes of recording time. It is also equipped with a video stabilizer.

There is no information available on the capacity of the battery of Verve Cam+. However, it is equipped with a Li-Po battery. With its IP68 certified case, the camera remain undamaged even if it is submerged in 25 meters deep water for unspecified duration of time. It is equipped with a microUSB port.

The Motorola Verve Cam+ measures 2.2 x 2.2 x 1.1 inches and its weight is 1.1 pounds. It is priced at $108.65 on Amazon with free shipping. The listing on the retailer site says that the item usually ships within 1 or 2 months. There is no confirmation on whether any other online retailer will be selling the Verve Cam+. It comes with various accessories such as Waterproof Housting, Universal Mount, Bumper & Lanyard and Clip Mount. It is only available in white color.

In 2016, Motorola had announced couple of products from its Verve lineup such as VerveLoop, VerveOnes, VerveRider, and VerveRetrieve. There is no confirmation on whether the successors of these models will be introduced this year.

(source|via)

LG V30 May Not Feature its Most Unique Ticker Screen Feature

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Jun 30, 2017

One of the distinguishing features of the LG V series flagship phones is it secondary screen that can be used for accessing frequently used apps and for checking notifications. Fresh speculations suggest that the upcoming LG V30 may not feature the secondary ticker screen.

Although the secondary screen is a very unique feature which sits above the main screen on LG V10 and LG V20 phones, it seems that it failed to impress the consumers. According to XDA Developers that claims to have received information from a “trusted source,” the South Korean company may axe the secondary screen won’t be available on the LG V30.

In November 2016, well-known tipster had claimed that the LG V30 won’t be featuring a secondary ticker screen, but he had claimed that the LG V30 may still feature a secondary screen. XDA’s report does not clearly mention whether LG would be ditching the ticker or the secondary screen feature entirely from its upcoming flagship.

Most of the LG flagships that have released in the past have come with LCD panels. However, LG is expected to switch to OLED panel for LG V30 in this year. The probable reason behind removing the secondary screen from LG V30 is that its display may carry support for 18:9 aspect ratio that was introduced on LG G6’s Full Vision Display. Hence, the LG V30 may appear like a larger edition of the LG G6.

There is a possibility that the tall screen that will be arriving on the LG V30 may have a section at the top to display the contents of the ticker screen. OLED panel provides the ability to control each of its pixel which means the upper section of the screen may remain in always-on state while the other part of the screen can remain in sleep state to consume less battery.

The publication has further claimed that the Snapdragon 835 chipset will be powering the LG V30 along with 4 GB of RAM. It will be coming with a native storage of 64 GB. Previous reports have stated that it would be also available 6 GB RAM option. The upcoming flagship phablet from LG will also feature a microSD card slot.

As far as the launch date of LG V30 is concerned, it is speculated to get announced at the end of August. Also, it may get showcased at the IFA 2017 event that will be held between Sept. 1 to 6 in Berlin, Germany.

(source)

OnePlus Is Aware of The Scrolling Issue on The OnePlus 5, Says It’s Normal

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Jun 29, 2017

Some OnePlus 5 users have reported a glitch with their device when scrolling. The glitch which is said to behave like a stutter happens within any interface where you have to scroll vertically.

Some say it is the frame rate of the software not syncing with the screen’s refresh rate. Others say it is the screen not refreshing completely in all parts. One thing that seems to be clear is that it is most likely a software issue since both the OnePlus 5 and OnePlus 3T use the same Samsung display and the 3T doesn’t suffer from the same problem.

OnePlus says it is aware of the “issue” and that it is normal. An official statement from the company goes thus: “the OnePlus 5 uses the same level of high-quality components as all OnePlus devices, including the AMOLED display. We’ve received feedback from a small number of users saying that at times they notice a subtle visual effect when scrolling. This is natural and there’s no variance in screens between devices.”

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OnePlus 5 Sets Launch Week Sales Record on Amazon India

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Jun 29, 2017

If you are a serious manufacturer, you need to have India in your sight because that’s the next big market after China. OnePlus gets the idea and that’s why they made sure India was one of the first countries to get the OnePlus 5. That move paid off resulting in the new flagship setting a launch week sales record on Amazon India.

The Amazon exclusive OnePlus 5 according to the retail giant is the highest grossing phone in a launch week. OnePlus adds that the OP5 sold three times the amount of OnePlus 3T units sold within a week of its launch. Although a fairer comparison will be against the OnePlus 3 since the 3T is a slight upgrade.

The #OnePlus5 is now the highest grossing phone in the launch week on @amazonIN! A huge thanks to our community who made this feat possible pic.twitter.com/IodKYsFBpy

— OnePlus India (@OnePlus_IN) June 29, 2017

The OnePlus 5 units sold in India is made by OPPO’s factory in Uttar Pradesh. It is priced at Rs. 32,999 for the 6GB RAM + 64GB ROM variant and Rs. 37,999 for the 8GB RAM +128GB model.

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LG G6 Plus with 128GB Storage & G6 32GB Hitting South Korea on June 30

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Jun 29, 2017

Reports from South Korea has revealed that technology giant LG has scheduled the official launch of the LG G6 Plus and the 32GB version of the G6 for July 30. LG had announced the G6 Plus as well as the G6 32GB storage variant last week without disclosing when the new variants would become available in the market. But from all indications, the company would star selling both variants in its home country from June 30. The models will also start hitting other markets gradually. Also, the G6 Plus will come in Optical Astro Black, Optical Marine Blue, and Optical Terra Gold colours. LG had earlier disclosed that the Optical Marine Blue and Optical Terra Gold will also be available for the G6 64GB model.

The G6 Plus will come with a monstrous 128GB of storage and will be available in Optical Astro Black, Optical Marine Blue, and Optical Terra Gold colours. LG had earlier disclosed that the Optical Marine Blue and Optical Terra Gold will also be available for the 64GB model. LG also disclosed that the G6 will be getting a range of software upgrades that would usher in features like face print, low power consumption, and covered lens warning.

The LG G6 Plus will be priced a little higher than the G6 at 957,000 Won (~$839), while the G6 will sell for 819,500 Won (~$718). The prices may be slightly higher in other markets whenever LG decides to launch them outside South Korea.

(source)