Microsoft Transfers 500 Nokia Design Patents To HMD, Lumia Camera UI Included

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Jul 28, 2017

HMD Global Oy has shown some prospects already in its drive to reposition the Nokia brand for success and they continue to show that drive which could help achieve that. The company has already released the Nokia 3, 5 and Nokia 6 along with the revamped Nokia 3310 into the market and the result has been tremendous. In a couple of months time, the company will add the Nokia 8 to its lineup and from the look of things, there will be much more in the near future.

A recent report has revealed that Microsoft has ceded about 500 Nokia patents to HMD Global. Microsoft acquired Nokia’s devices business for $7.2 billion in 2013. By then, Nokia was already swimming in troubled waters, facing financial difficulties as a result of a late transition to Android phones. Although Microsoft had hoped to turn around the fortunes of the company, that didn’t happen as the Lumia brand just refused to fly. Microsoft has to let go of the excess luggage the Nokia brand was turning into and in came HHMD Global Oy, a Finnish phone maker. A couple of months after, Microsoft is revealed to have turned in around 500 patents for the Nokia which is in its possession.

The information scooped from the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) shows some of the patents now controlled by HMD Global that were formerly under Microsoft’s control. One of the prominent patents is the Lumia Camera UI which is reputed to be one of the most intuitive camera app around. HMD only has the license to use the Nokia brand name for 10 years, let’s see how they will put these patent to use before their time runs out. Ten years is a long time to turn around the fortunes of a company and they have shown their ability to do just that with the products released so far.

(source)

Meizu PRO7, PRO 7 Plus Registrations Cross 10,000 Mark

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Jul 28, 2017

After months of leaks and rumors, Meizu announced its PRO 7 and PRO 7 Plus flagship smartphones yesterday. Some of its bestselling features like dual rear camas and rear-facing second screen have built a lot of interest among smartphones. The PRO 7 duo will be available on flash sale from Aug. 5 in China. Currently, both the smartphones are up for registrations. The PRO 7 duo have met with over 10,000 registrations in less than day which indicates how popular these phones are.

Only customers who register for the Meizu PRO 7 or PRO 7 Plus can participate in the first flash sale that will start from Aug. 5 at 10:00. The Meizu PRO 7 with 4 GB of RAM + 64 GB of storage powered with Helio P25 is priced at 2,880 Yuan (~$426) and its higher variant feature 4 GB of RAM + 128 GB of storage fueled with Helio X30 costs 3,380 Yuan (~$500). The Meizu PRO 7 will be available in colors like black, red and gold.

The Meizu PRO 7 Plus featuring 6 GB of RAM + 64 GB of storage and Helio X30 is priced at 3,580 Yuan (~$530). And the higher model featuring 6 GB of RAM + 128 GB of storage and Helio X30 carries a pricing of 4,080 Yuan (~$604). It can be bought in colors like grey, silver, gold and black.

The Meizu PRO 7 and PRO 7 Plus is expected to arrive in 16 other countries where Meizu is officially selling its smartphones. Hence, the PRO 7 duo are expected to nations like Brunel, Cambodia, Egypt, France, Hong Kong, India, Israel, Italy, Kazakhstan, Myanmar, New Zealand, Russia, South Africa, Spain, Ukraine, and Vietnam. The U.S. and the U.K are not on the list which means Meizu fans in these regions can avail the PRO 7 and PRO 7 Plus through re-sellers.

The Meizu PRO 7 has a 5.2-inch FHD S-AMOLED screen and is houses a 3,000 mAh battery whereas the larger PRO 7 Plus has a 5.7-inch QHD S-AMOLED display. Both are equipped with a large-sized battery of 3,500mAh capacity. Both the phablets are equipped with a pair of 12-megapixel snappers, a 16-megapixel front-facing shooter and a 1.9-inch S-AMOLED screen at the rear that shows notifications and can be used as a camera viewfinder and for controlling music. The Chinese firm is also rumored to be working on a high-end smartphone that will debut before the end of 2018.

Source

Head of UX At Essential Joins Google Home

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Jul 28, 2017

Essential is a new company owned by Android co-founder, Andy Rubin. Back in May, it announced its first smartphone, the Essential PH-1 which should have started shipping to buyers but still hasn’t.

Since the announcement of the PH-1, two top executives have left the company causing people to wonder if there is something wrong. Latest report says another executive has taken up a new job at Google.

Liron Damir, Head of UX at Essential and Google Home

Liron Damir currently holds the position of Head of UX at Essential. His LinkedIn page shows he now holds the same position at Google Home. It doesn’t say he has left Essential as it is still written as its current employment alongside his new position at Google.

Before Liron Damir joined Essential in April of this year, he was VP of Design at Pebble. He has also worked for LG and HP, heading the webOS team in both companies.

Andy Fouché and Brian Wallace who held the posts of Head of Communications and Vice-President of Marketing respectively at Essential left following the announcement of the phone. It is unclear if Mr. Damir is leaving too or if he’s still there since his LinkedIn page says the latter.

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Huawei Ships 73 Million Phones In The First Half Of 2017

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Jul 27, 2017

The results are out, Huawei‘s shipments for the first half of 2017 have been released and it shows the company has made tremendous progress from last year till now. The results were reeled out on Thursday when Huawei Consumer Business unit held a media briefing in China. In total, Huawei revealed it shipped a total of 73.01 million units in H1 2017 and this represents a 20.6% growth over last year’s H1 shipments.

The increase in total shipments also resulted in an increase in the revenue posted for H1 2017 which stands at 105.4 billion Yuan. The revenue represented a 36.2% year-on-year increase over last year’s figure. Individually, the Huawei P10 is the most popular flagship model presently and the company has been able to sell over 6 million units since it was released a couple of months back. The Mate 9 and Mate 9 Pro still command some patronage with sales standing at 8.5 million units. In the mid-budget category, the Huawei Nova 2 sprang up some surprises with over 10 million shipments, just over a month after it was released. The Honor 9 has also recorded more than a million units in sales.

Huawei also disclosed that it is making progress in integrating brick and mortar stores in its sales plans in addition to offline sales. The number of physical stores is said to be 42,000 presently, a 19% increase over last year’s figures. The company’s popularity in various markets outside China has been on the increase and the company even predicts higher growth in the next 2-3 years.

(source, via)

Helio X30 Powered Meizu Pro 7 Benchmarked On AnTuTu

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Jul 27, 2017

We are all eager to see how the Helio X30 performs since its debut in the Meizu Pro 7 and Pro 7 Plus. The first of the benchmark results have been released online by a Weibo user.

The 4GB RAM Helio X30 Pro 7 was benchmarked on AnTuTu and the results are interesting. The device scored 141982 points on the app, putting it just behind the Snapdragon 821-powered Mi Note 2 and Mi MIX; and the Kirin 960 powered Huawei Mate 9.

If you are looking for the most powerful device out there, then the Meizu Pro 7 isn’t the device you should get but it will be unfair to undermine the work Mediatek has put into this new chip.

If you own a Snapdragon 821 powered-phone or one powered by the Kirin 960, then you will know it is more than sufficient to run any app you throw at it. Seeing Mediatek’s new chip rank among these two SoCs is no small feat.

The Helio X30 is their first truly high-end chip and hopefully subsequent ones will be better. But will they be able to catch up to Qualcomm and Samsung, not likely. Next year, Qualcomm is moving to 7nm chips and Samsung will be jumping to 8nm first before the move to 7nm in H2 2018. If Mediatek is still behind these two with its 10nm chip, it won’t catch up with them with their next generation chip unless a miracle happens.

The Helio X30 will be nice as a chip for high-end mid range phones but not for flagship devices. We expect it to show up in more devices before the year runs out.

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Sony To Release Three Phones At IFA This Year: Report

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Jul 27, 2017

Sony has been in the news for a while now, especially rumours of a launch event taking place at IFA Berlin 2017 on August 31. Speculations are rife as to whether the Japanese tech company would launch a full-screen phone or not. But according to a report on Japanse media outfit Sumahinfo, Sony will be launching not one, not two but three smartphones at IFA 2017. The report even went on to state the models as the Sony Xperia XZ1, XZ1 Compact and a yet to be identified Xperia model.

The three Sony models have been spotted at FCC when they were certified and were listed with model numbers PY7-56331Y, PY7-81775I and PY7-68552B. In addition, a Sony model G8341/SO-01K recently appeared on benchmark platform Geekbench showing the model packing a Snapdragon 835 chipset with 4GB RAM and Android Nougat OS. This is believed to be one of the flagship models that would be launched.

Before now, a Sony small screen flagship had leaked sporting a 4.6-inch 1080p display and powered by a Snapdragon 835 chip which is complemented by a 4GB RAM. The device also comes with 64GB of storage as well as a 3,000mAh battery and Android 7.1.1 Nougat OS. This is likely the model that appeared on Geekbench and the other two may likely be similar models with slight modifications. So, what do you think about a 4.6-inch flagship? That would be a rare one but then, we expect this to come with Sony’s iconic design language which would be a strong selling point.

(source)

HTC’s New Standalone SD835-Powered Vive VR Headset Is Heading To China

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Jul 27, 2017

Taiwanese tech giant HTC has announced a new standalone Vive VR headset for the Chinese market. The HTC Vive is a virtual reality headset developed by HTC and Valve Corporation. The headset uses “room scale” tracking technology, allowing the user to move in 3D space and use motion-tracked handheld controllers to interact with the environment with precision. The new version which seems to be developed specifically for the Chinese market is a standalone device that does not require to be connected to a PC or smartphone.

The new HTC Vive VR headset is indeed the first HTC VR that would be entirely mobile which is an advantage in a way. However, the hardware are most likely not identical with the existing Vive VR as this one looks like a trimmed down version. The new standalone Vive will be powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 mobile VR platform and would come with access to the Viveport platform. The Snapdragon 835 mobile VR platform was designed for standalone VR headset and has made this device independent of a smartphone or PC to function.

Apart from its standalone nature which makes it highly mobile, the HTC Vive standalone VR headset is expected to be affordable. Due to the fact that the device would not need additional hardware to function, the price would be way cheaper than the non-standalone Vive VR. However, HTC is yet to announce the price tag for the gadget but has indicated that the VR headset would be dropping later this year. When that happens, we’ll find out more details and the actual price of the device.

(source)

Meizu Flow Earphones Arrives For ¥599 ($89)

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Jul 27, 2017

The Pro 7 and Pro 7 Plus smartphones were not the only devices announced by Meizu yesterday. The Chinese manufacturer also launched the Meizu Flow Earphones.

The Flow Earphones is a collaborative work between Meizu Acoustics and Japanese ID Designer, Ping Jing Hao. They also worked with the Institute of Acoustics at the Chinese Academy of Sciences to fine tune the earphones.

Meizu has worked hard at making the Flow as great as possible. With its history as a MP3 Player manufacturer, expect the Flow to provide high-quality audio reproduction. The Flow has three main components to ensure this. There is a high fidelity moving coil unit that enhances the low-frequency dive degree, a high sensitivity dual-balanced mixing unit, and a professional tuning frequency unit.

Meizu has also focused on the design of the Flow making it comfortable to wear. Unlike previously reported, it doesn’t look like the AKG K3003. The earphones also has an in-line microphone and a gold plated 3.5mm connector.

The Meizu Flow Earphones is priced at ¥599 ($89) and is available in Moonlight Silver and Star Black. If you purchase it along with either the Pro 7 or Pro 7 Plus, you pay ¥499 ($74) instead. The earphones comes with 6 pairs of earbuds and a carrying case to keep it safe.

High-end Meizu Phone With Snapdragon Chip Coming By Late 2017

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Jul 27, 2017

Meizu took the wraps off its 2017 flagship models – Pro 7 and Pro 7 Plus yesterday in a well-organised ceremony in China. The launch of the Pro 7 models is a reflection of the new organisational structure which Meizu implemented a couple of months back. The restructuring did not affect JackWong who is Chairman and CEO of Meizu but Li Nan who was formerly Meizu VP for sales and marketing now heads the newly created Blue Charm division as President in addition to his duties as head of branding, sales and marketing. Bai Yongxiang who was Meizu CEO while Jack Wong was away, is now heading the Meizu division as President, reporting directly to Jack Wong. While Yang Yan, senior vice president of Meizu technology and president of Flyme division will continue to oversee the Flyme operating system.

After the conference, Meizu President Bai Yongxiang reportedly granted an interview to reporters and he disclosed that at present, Meizu is composed of three departments- Meizu Business department, Blue charm business unit and the Flyme business department. He also confirmed the portfolios just as we reported earlier. The Meizu president disclosed that the restructuring was to improve the efficiency of the company to help the Meizu brand transit completely to the high-end phone category. The Pro 7 happens to be the first high-end model from the Meizu division and CEO Jack Wong was reported to have been involved in the R&D process especially for major decisions like the secondary display. The media-shy Jack Wong was again absent from the launch event but Mr Yongxiang revealed that Jack Wong will make a formal appearance in next year’s conference to introduce a classic mobile phone from the company.

In the aspect of sales, the Meizu president disclosed that the company has ditched the idea of releasing many smartphones annually as was the case last year because it still doesn’t guarantee that they’ll hit their sales target. But the company may release just two products under the Meizu division while the Charm Blue division will also release a couple of models but not in a flurry anymore. Meizu will also be working on its offline sales channels in addition to selling online.

Finally, Bai Yongxiang acknowledged that many users ridicule the company’s products due to the use of MediaTek chips over the years. He then went on to reveal that Meizu will launch a high-end chip-packing Meizu phone in late 2017, of course using Qualcomm’s Snapdragon chip since Meizu and Qualcomm have settled their differences. Apart from the flagship Snapdragon chip, the Meizu phone will also come with a comprehensive design and is targeted at a 4,000 Yuan price tag. Do you think Meizu is going too fast especially with the pricing? The high-end Pro 7 Plus model did hit the 4,000 yuan mark, priced at 4080 yuan (∼$604). Let’s see how far they can go with this strategy.

(source)

Samsung May Release The Galaxy Note 8 Emperor Edition With 6GB Of RAM & 256GB Storage

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Jul 27, 2017

It is no longer unusual to see manufacturers release special versions of their flagships for China or Asia at large. Samsung did so with the Galaxy S8+ which has 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. Motorola also mentioned that the Chinese variant of the newly announced Moto Z2 Force will have 6GB of RAM. Rumor going round now is that there will be a Galaxy Note 8 Emperor Edition with 6GB of RAM and 256GB ROM.

Chinese leaker, Ice Universe, posted the info on Weibo yesterday. Initially he had written that the Galaxy Note 8 Emperor Edition will come with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage but later corrected it to 6GB of RAM.

Along with the special variant is a 6GB RAM + 64GB ROM standard edition and a 6GB RAM + 12GB model. He also added that the Galaxy Note 8 will arrive in blue, black and grey.

Samsung has announced the date for the Galaxy Note 8’s launch as 23rd of August. The Unpack Event will be held in New York with launches in other countries following later.

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iPhone 8 Release Rumored in October or November; Iris Scanner May Replace Touch ID

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Jul 27, 2017

The rumor mill is buzzing with information on the Apple iPhone 8 that is expected to come with an OLED screen enabled with super-slim bezels. It is expected to come with a bunch of new features that are unavailable on other iPhones. Recent rumors have revealed that the iPhone 8 will be announced along with the iPhone 7S and iPhone 7S Plus on Sept. 5 or 6, but the shipments of iPhone 8 may begin in October. Fresh information from sources in Asian supply chain suggest that the three upcoming iPhones will debut on Sept. 7, 8 or 9 and the iPhone 7S and 7S Plus will be released in the market on Sept. 17 and the shipments of iPhone 8 will start in October or early November.

The Japanese tech blog, Macotakara that was first to reveal the above information has also given out some information on the iPhone 8. Recent renders have revealed that the iPhone 8 has a longer Power button. Some of the recent speculations have claimed that since Apple is unable to place the fingerprint under the front glass, it may come embedded in the long-shaped fingerprint scanner. Fresh information coming from supply chain contradicts the news about fingerprint sensor inside side-mounted Power key.

Fingerprint identification was under-screen in testing machine. Maybe they done it successfully.

— Ben Geskin (@VenyaGeskin1) July 24, 2017

The official cases that are being built for the iPhone 8 does not have cut-out for the Power button. Hence, the Touch ID sensor is unlikely to present inside the Power button. It seems that Apple will embed the Touch ID sensor underneath the screen. Benjamin Geskin, a known designer and tipster has recently claimed that Apple may have successfully managed to place the fingerprint scanner under the display. However, there is a possibility that Apple may either place it on the backside of the iPhone 8 or skip it completely.

The probable reason behind skipping the fingerprint sensor on the iPhone 8 can be understood by looking at the image of its purported screen protector which shows that it will be equipped with a pair of iris sensors. This could mean that iPhone 8 would be coming with 3D facial recognition feature dubbed as Face ID.

The front panel of the iPhone 8 will be available in only black color. This suggests that it apart from color black, the iPhone 8 may not be available in other color options. As rumors have claimed, it will be sporting a glass rear that will make it possible to support wireless charging, a feature that is unavailable on any of the iPhones released so far.

(source|via)

Xiaomi May Dethrone Samsung in Indian Smartphone Market; Vivo & OPPO Also Growing Rapidly

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Jul 27, 2017

A market research conducted by in the previous month by Morgan Stanley revealed that India will overtake the U.S. in 2018 to become the second largest smartphone market by units in the world. Hence, India is a very important market for smartphone OEMs. A market analysis conducted by Canalys reveals that the Indian market is ruled by Samsung and Chinese smartphone brands.

Canalys has revealed the second quarter (April to June) smartphone market share in India for this year. In comparison to the second quarter of 2016, the year-over-year shipments have declined by 4 percent. The company claims that the Indian market is contracting as less than 27 million smartphones were sold in the second quarter of 2017 in India.

Samsung is leading the Indian smartphone market with 25 percent share. However, the above graph shows that Xiaomi is a major threat for Samsung as the Chinese firm shipped with 4.8 million smartphones which is four times more than the units it had shipped in the same quarter in the previous year.

Vivo and OPPO are the two Chinese smartphone brands that are rapidly increasing their smartphone market share in the country. Both the companies have been aggressively marketing their products offline. Vivo which is now in the third position had shipped with 3.4 million smartphones in Q2 this year. OPPO moved on to fourth position by taking over Lenovo that is now sitting on the fifth with 1.9 million smartphone shipments in Q2.

Samsung’s numero uno is under threat as Chinese brands like Xiaomi, Vivo, OPPO, Lenovo and Gionee account for 50 percent of smartphone sales in India. These Chinese smartphone brands are very popular for their mid-range and entry-level smartphones in India. Samsung’s J series smartphones are also quite popular in the country, but there is stiff competition for these phones by smartphones from aforementioned Chinese companies.

Samsung’s premium phones Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ are doing very well in India but it has to put more efforts to make sure that its mid-range phones are desirable. The Chinese smartphone market encountered a decline this quarter. Hence, the Chinese smartphone vendors are focusing more on the Indian market.

According to Morgan Stanley’s report, India’s smartphone market is expected to bloom at a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 23 percent in the coming year. In the same period, China is estimated to meet a 5 percent CAGR in units. India’s smartphone market is forecasted to grow five times faster than the world’s largest smartphone market, China.

(source)

Samsung W2018, Flagship Clamshell with SD 835, 6 GB RAM Arriving Soon?

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Jul 27, 2017

Samsung is rumored to be working on a new flip phone called W2018. Around two months ago, W2018 had appeared on the database of TENAA, China’s regulatory body. Earlier this week, a leakster spilled out some information on the key specs of the clamshell phone. The information revealed by the leakster is quite different from the specs of W2018 that had appeared on TENAA.

The W2018 will be arriving to succeed the Samsung W2017 clamshell from the previous year. According to the leakster, the Samsung W2018 that has a model number of SM-W2018 will be driven by Snapdragon 835 and the chipset will be accompanied with 6 GB of RAM. The native storage of the phone will be of 64 GB. These key specs are present on Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ flagships. Also, these specs will be also present inside the Galaxy Note 8.

Samsung W2018
SM-W2018
SD835+6GBRAM+64GBROM

— 萌萌的电教 (@MMDDJ_) July 25, 2017

everyone looks forward note8……but new leak I got is another high-end Samsung smartphone,but not GALAXY series…

— 萌萌的电教 (@MMDDJ_) July 24, 2017

In another tweet, the leakster has claimed that Samsung will soon releasing another flagship apart from Galaxy Note 8. However, it will not be a Galaxy branded phone. Almost all the smartphones are sold under Galaxy branding by Samsung. Hence, it seems that the leakster could be talking about the Samsung W2018 that is now rumored to arrive with flagship specs. The rumor mill is also talking about a Samsung flip phone with model number SM-G9289. Speculations hint that SM-W2018 and SM-G9298 are the same phones.

As mentioned the new information shared by the leakster is quite different from the specs of the W2018 phone that had appeared on TENAA. According to TENAA listing which probably contains older information had revealed that the W2018 would be equipped with a pair of 4.2-inch S-AMOLED screens that will produce full HD resolution of 1,920 x 1,080 pixels.

The TENAA listing had also revealed that W2018 would be driven by Snapdragon 821AB chipset, 4 GB of RAM, 64 GB of storage and Android 6.0 Marshmallow. It also revealed that it features a 12-megapixel rear camera and a front-facing camera of 5-megapixel. Also, it is packed with a 2,300mAh capacity battery. Interestingly, this TENAA listing is not accessible now.

Clamshell phones are quite popular in some Asian countries like South Korea and China. However, the demand for such phones are quite like less in the U.S. and Europe. Hence, the Samsung W2018 is speculated to arrive in South Korea and China in the near future.

(source|via)

MIUI 9 Developer ROM Update: Schedule & List Of Supported Models

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Jul 26, 2017

You must have known by now that MIUI 9 is now official and the Mi 5X is the first Xiaomi model that would run on MIUI 9 out of the box. Xiaomi also announced the list of models that would get the MIUI 9 Developer ROM and the dates the updates would be available.

MIUI comes in Developer ROM and Stable ROM and as the name implies the Developer ROM is still in development and gets updates weekly except on China’s National holidays. To be able to use the Developer ROM, users must have knowledge of how to successfully flash the ROM on their Xiaomi phones. On the other hand, the Stable ROM is the final product with most of the bugs fixed. The Stable ROM is updated only once a month or twice or even longer and users don’t need to know how to flash their smartphones.

From the release itinerary, the Xiaomi Mi 6, Mi 5X, and Redmi Note Note 4X (Qualcomm version) will get the Developer ROM on August 11 while the second batch will start rolling on August 25. The second batch will involve a whole lot of models including Mi MIX, Mi Note 2, Mi 5, Mi 5s, Mi 5s Plus, Mi 5c, Mi Max 2, Mi Max 32G, Mi Max 64G/128G, Mi 4S, Mi 4c, Mi Note Pro, and Redmi 4X. Then, from late September, MIUI 9 China Developer ROM for all other Xiaomi Mi and Redmi models, except Mi 1/1S and Mi 2A, will be released in undisclosed batches. Do note that this Developer ROM is the China ROM of MIUI 9 and not the Global ROM. Xiaomi is yet to disclose exactly when the Global ROM will start rolling.

(source)

Gizmochina Giveaway – Win A Free Leagoo Kiicaa Power phone

By

Shine Wong

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Jul 26, 2017

Gizmochina along with Leagoo is conducting a Legaoo Kiicaa Power phone as Giveaway gift to one of our lucky readers. Like always, you just have to follow the steps mentioned on the Gleam widget to get a chance to win this amazing phone.

Here is the main features of Leagoo Kiicaa Power:

5 inch HD screen, 2GB RAM, 16GB ROM
4000mAh huge battery
0.3s fast rear fingerprint sensor
8MP rear dual-camera

Now you can save $10 to purchase this budget killer on Aliexpress at only $59.99, please click here

Buy Leagoo Kiicaa Power on Aliexpress

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

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

Terms & Conditions:

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

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

Once again, good luck.

Gizmochina Giveaway – Win A Leagoo Kiicaa Power phone

Meizu Pro 7 And Meizu Pro 7 Plus Now Official: Dual Cameras, Dual Displays & Fast Charge

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Jul 26, 2017

Today has been an exciting one so far. Xiaomi unveiled its new phone, the Mi 5X; the latest version of its custom OS, MIUI 9; and its smart speaker, the Mi AI Speaker. A few hours later, it is Meizu’s turn and they have launched their latest flagship phones, the Meizu Pro 7 and Pro 7 Plus.

The biggest feature of the new phones are the secondary displays. Measuring 1.9-inches on both phones and positioned on the rear, it’s a whole new take on dual display technology.

Meizu Pro 7 and Pro 7 Plus Design

Meizu has partnered with American design company, Frog Design, and they are calling the result of their partnership an Omni-Dimensional Design. Unlike other manufacturers that have adopted glass as their material of choice, Meizu has settled for metal with a brush finish at the back.

Meizu has never been one to shy away from bright colors and the Pro 7 is an example. It comes in bright red alongside the usual black and gold.

Meizu Pro 7 and Pro 7 Plus Cameras

This is Meizu’s first dual camera phone and just like Motorola did with the Moto Z2 Force announced yesterday, the Pro 7 (and 7 Plus) have adopted the monochrome + RGB configuration. The sensors are 12MP Sony IMX386 with an f/2.0 aperture size. The result of this configuration is better night shots.

Up front sits a 16MP sensor for selfies though you can also use the rear cameras for selfies since there is a display at the back. Just swipe down and you enter the camera mode.

Meizu Pro 7 and Pro7 Plus Specs

The Pro 7 has a 5.2-inch Super AMOLED display while the Pro 7 Plus is 5.7-inches. The secondary display is Super AMOLED too. Powering the Pro 7 and Pro 7 Plus is Mediatek’s Helio X2 and Helio X30 processors.

There are two models of the Pro 7: one has 4GB of RAM and 64GB eMMC 5.1 storage and is powered by the Helio P25, while the other has 4GB RAM, 128GB of storage and a Helio X30 SoC.

The Pro 7 Plus gets 6GB of RAM with either 64GB or 128GB of UFS 2.1 storage and both versions are powered by the Helio X30.

Meizu says the Pro 7 is good for gaming and you do not have to worry about overheating. Tests show that the temperature stays at 34.6°C when playing Asphalt 8 and 40.4°C while playing NBA 2K17.

The differences don’t end there. The smaller Pro 7 has a 3000mAh battery with mCharge 3.0 and the Pro7 Plus gets a 3500mAh battery with mCharge 4.0. mCharge 4.0 charges your phone at 5V 5A (25W), taking it from 0 to 67% in just 30 minutes. It seems we might have a new fast charging champion.

There is a dedicated audio chip in each phone to make sure that your audio is crystal clear. Both phones run Flyme 6 based on Android 7.0 out of the box.

Continue

Xiaomi Mi 6 Silver Edition Goes On Sale On August 3: Only 100 Units Available

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Jul 26, 2017

Xiaomi announced two new products and its latest MIUI 9 ROM at its Beijing news conference earlier today with all products holding some form of interesting features. The MIUI 9 brings a refreshed look and some innovative features like the Picture-In-Picture and split-screen features, while the Mi 5X comes with a “flagship killer” design and price tag. On its part, the Mi AI Speaker ushers in a whole new era of artificial intelligence from China’s Apple.

As a parting shot, Xiaomi’s CEO Lei Jun disclosed a cheering news that the company would finally be releasing the silver variant of its Mi 6 flagship on August 3. The Xiaomi Mi 6 Silver edition is equipped with 6GB RAM and 128GB storage and would carry a lofty price tag of 3,999 Yuan (~$592), a thousand yuan higher than its black coloured contemporary. Quite sadly, Lei Jun did reveal that only 100 units of the model would be up for grabs on August 3. This is attributed to the low yield of the production process.

The Xiaomi Mi 6 Silver Edition comes with a special design which like the others is made of stainless steel but its own glass covering is a special ultra-reflective mirror finish. The Silver edition is said to come with a different feel from the other variants. The body is electroplated using a special electroplating process which is done in a vacuum chamber as just one speck of dust during the process renders the entire batch useless. As a matter of fact, Lei Jun says the yield is just 6%. Mind you, fragility may likely be another issue that users will have to contend with. Chances are that this variant won’t be available in large quantity soon and Xiaomi may likely jettison the cumbersome production process after a while and move on to other things.

Google’s VP May Have Finally Revealed Android O’s Real Name

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Jul 26, 2017

Google‘s upcoming Android version which is known by the code-name Android O is expected to be officially launched in the third quarter of the year which means it will drop any moment from now. But the actual name of Android O still remains a controversy that has persisted for a while now. The meaning has hovered between Oatmeal Cookies and Oreo for a long time now but Google’s VP Hiroshi Lockheimer seems to have hinted at another name entirely for the new Android version.

The Google senior VP who oversees Platforms and Ecosystem, including Android, shared a photo on Twitter which seems to suggest that the O on Android O may stand for Orangina. The photo contains a number of names including Onion and olive but Orangina is very much prominent than the others and is really the only sweet thing on the list. In case you don’t know, Orangina is a sweet carbonated orange drink found in France. The Google Exec didn’t disclose any thing else so we can’t be so sure about this. But if it eventually turns out to be true, this will be the first time Google’s naming convention would deviate from desserts and candies in the naming of Android. However, Oreo seems likely to be the name of the new Android OS, as the same VP had teased Oreo in the past. Google recently teamed up with Oreo to launched an Oreo minigame and also recently, Oreo cookies were laid out for the press at this year’s Google I/O event.

🇫🇷 #nocomment pic.twitter.com/N23o1vblsA

— Hiroshi Lockheimer (@lockheimer) July 25, 2017

Google has already confirmed that Android O will be available for AOSP and ecosystem releases in the third quarter of this year after the Fourth and final Developer Preview has rolled out. Although there is no specific release date yet, a number of sources are pointing to a release in August this year. Android 8.0 is expected to come with a number of new features, including support for picture-in-picture, application badges, notification dots, support for automatic filling, higher text selection, a substantial improvement of the notification system. There are also some changes seen in the Developer Preview already, such a new media notification, new icon and clock.

(source)

Xiaomi Enters The Smart Speaker Race With The Mi AI Speaker

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Jul 26, 2017

Xiaomi is starting to make it an habit to launch one product no one knew off before hand at its event. Last year, it pulled off the stunt with the announcement of the Mi MIX at the Mi Note 2’s launch event. Today it announced the Mi AI Speaker, at the launch of MIUI 9 and the Xiaomi Mi 5X.

It was only a matter of time before Xiaomi joined the growing list of manufacturers with a smart speaker. Xiaomi is not new to speakers as it has a number of internet connected speakers.

Mi AI Speaker Design

If you think the Mi AI Speaker looks like a small Mi Air Purifier 2, you won’t be chastised. The speaker does look a lot like the purifier with its rounded corners and speaker grille. There is a multi-color LED ring at the top that lights up when the speaker is on. You also have the controls sitting within the LED ring.

MI AI Speaker Functions

The Mi AI Speaker is designed to work with every member of the family irrespective of age. It will wake you up in the morning, read off your schedule to you, take notes, tell you about the weather and read your pre-configured news broadcast.

The interesting function of the Mi AI Speaker is its ability to control other Mi Home devices such as the Mi Kettle, smart plugs, lamps, and rice cooker to name a few. It will even call up the Mi Robot Vacuum when you leave the house to clean up after you and turn on the Xiaoyi security camera(s). If you have been stalling on buying Xiaomi’s smart home products, this may be the push you need.

You can have regular conversations with it, ask it questions, and even have it serve as a tutor for your kids.

Mi AI Speaker Specifications

The speaker has 6 omni-directional microphones at the top that pick up sounds up to 16 meters away. There are three speakers in all. One is a 360° speaker at the base and there are a speaker on two of the four sides. You can connect to the speaker via Bluetooth, DLNA, or WiFi.

There is also a skill center that allows third party functions to be added by developers, letting your speaker learn new tricks.

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Xiaomi Mi 5X Official: Mi 6 Dual Cameras, SD625, Priced At 1,499 Yuan ($220)

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Jul 26, 2017

Xiaomi has officially launched the Mi 5X with a top notch design, decent specs line up and as an icing on the cake, the device comes with a pocket-friendly price tag. The Xiaomi Mi 5X was launched along with MIUI 9 at the event today.

Design & Specification – Xiaomi Mi 5X

The Xiaomi Mi 5X has a dual camera setup at the rear which is similar in configuration to that of the Mi 6, a 12MP main sensor paired with a 12MP telephoto lens. We really can’t say if the camera will be as powerful as that of the Mi 6 as the Mi 5X comes with a less powerful Snapdragon 625 instead of SD835 on the Mi 6. But the camera also features a similar 2X lossless zoom and a Portrait mode which were all available in the Mi 6. Thus, we can safely say Xiaomi installed same camera sensors as the Xiaomi Mi 6 on this cheap model.

The device features a metal unibody with well-chamfered edges and fused antenna band design at the top and bottom edges. As far as other specifications go, the Xiaomi Mi 5X is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 processor backed by 4GB of RAM while there is 64GB of storage onboard. The mid-range device sports a 5.5-inch display with a resolution of 1920 x 1080pixels. There is an average 3,080mAh battery crammed inside for long operational duration and standby time. The Mi 5X runs on Xiaomi’s latest MIUI 9 which was launched in the same event, making it the first Xiaomi model to run MIUI 9 out of the box. There is also a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor on the Mi 5X and an improved audio system.

Pricing & Availability

Talking about the price, the Mi 5X will be sold for just 1,499 Yuan (~$220) and buyers will have the option of choosing from a Black, Gold and Rose Pink color variants. The device will go on sale in China in the coming weeks and with the price tag and design, this will be one hot-selling product.

Xiaomi seems to be trying hard to grab sales right off OPPO and Vivo in the mid-range segment with this new model but it has to make enough stocks available. Don’t expect this to roll out outside China soon but if it does, India will likely be its first port of call. As regards to when that will happen, we can’t say.