iPhone 8 Front, Rear Panels Appear in Live Photos to Reveals Like Edge-to-Edge Display, Dual Cam

-

Jun 13, 2017

Huawei‘s elite Honor brand yesterday launched the Honor 9 flagship in China and immediately the device opened for reservation on Jingdong. Barely 2 hours after, the Honor 9 reservation is almost getting to 400,00, pegged at 365,066 as at the time we grabbed the screen shot from Jingdong. In a few minutes, the figure had reached 367,349.

Apart from Jingdong, the Honor 9 would also go on sale via Huawei Mall (Vmall), Lynx, Suning and on Amazon.cn but the data is just for Jingdong alone. What this implies is that the Honor 9 reservation may just be over 1 million presently. Thankfully, Huawei hinted that the Honor 9’s release was delayed in order for the company to increase the produced stock before its launch. So, even though the reservations may not translate into sales or demand but the figures show the demand would be high and there is just a good deal of stock to satisfy the demand. The Honor 9 is still expected to be sold out in seconds, though, when it goes on sale.

As a reminder, the Huawei Honor 9 features a 5.15-inch 1080p display and is powered by a Hisilicon Kirin 960 chip with 4GB /6GB RAM as well as 64GB /128GB storage versions. The device also packs a 3200mAh battery and a dual 20MP + 12MP camera similar to the Mate 9 and Huawei P10’s but without the Leica branding. Up front is an 8MP sensor. The Honor 9 comes in Sea Blue, Amber Gold, Black and Seagull Gray colours and starts at 2299 Yuan (∼$338).

Huawei Honor 9 Release Was Delayed By A Month To Ensure Adequate Stock

By

Zhen Wan

-

Jun 13, 2017

Huawei’s Honor 9 has officially been released in China and judging from the immediate specs, we are looking at a fit contender to Xiaomi’s Mi 6.

Spokesperson Hu Ge stated that Zhao Ming, President of Huawei Honor brand, has responded to the feedback on previous launches of Honor models; reassuring there is a sufficient amount of stock to meet consumer demand.

According to NetEase’s reports, the Honor 9 release conference was postponed for one month to assure consumers that there was an adequate supply of devices available after the announcement.

Other smartphones have suffered from the demand for new 2017 Snapdragon 835 devices. Mi 6, and other expected smartphones, powered by the Snapdragon 835 and equipped UFS Storage, have been affected by stock shortages due to the tight supply chain distributing to the manufacturing of the Samsung S8.

The Honor 9 seems to be unlikely to be affected due to being powered by Huawei’s in-house CPU Chipset, Kirin 960; found in last year’s flagship models such as the Mate 9. This is expected due to reports of stable, consistent production and high successful yields.

Making the Honor 9 a very attractive rival to the Mi 6, this including the included 3.5mm headphone jack, MicroSD expansion, and dual camera setup. The likely swing factors being a choice between UIs and the market prices.

The Honor 9 release will be in Sea Blue, Amber Gold, Black and a new Seagull Gray color. Pre-orders start on 13^th, ending 15^th and official sales in June. For more details, click here.

Is the Honor 9 a perfect contender to the Mi 6? Which one is better? Share your thoughts and comments below.

(via)

Oneplus 5 Camera Sample in Black & White Released by CEO

By

-

Jun 13, 2017

The OnePlus 5 flagship is expected to come with a powerful camera setup, apart from the powerful Snapdragon 835 chip and 6GB / 8GB RAM it is already revealed on benchmark website as featuring. The flagship device has been revealed as featuring a dual camera setup at the rear and really, we have seen a couple of sample images purportedly shot by the OP5’s camera. A couple of days back, OnePlus CEO Liu Zuotu posted a night shot which made bare the OnePlus 5’s camera capability in low light condition.

OnePlus CEO has again shared another sample photo captured by the company’s upcoming flagship device but this time around, the image is a black and white photo. The CEO did not give any details which would tell us if the OnePlus 5 camera will come with a monochrome sensor or if the picture was captured using the monochrome mode of a regular camera. However, a leaked sample photo had earlier surfaced which suggested the presence of a monochrome sensor and this may just have confirmed that. The device is expected with a 16MP dual camera setup but the details of the sensors are still unofficial.

The OnePlus 5 is expected to be announced on June 20 when all the details of the flagship will be made bare. Keep a date.

LG Reportedly Working on AI Technology; LG G7 May Come Enabled with AI Assistant

By

-

Jun 13, 2017

A South Korean publication has revealed that LG has reportedly started the research and development of its Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology. The South Korean company is said to have created a new division consisting of two research centers that will dedicatedly work on the development of AI tech. The AI tech is expected to be available on the wide range home products by LG. It is also likely that the company may be preparing to introduce its AI assistant on LG G7 flagship phone that will release next year.

As mentioned above, apart from smartphones, the LG AI tech will be coming to various kinds of home appliances and auto parts that are manufactured by the South Korean company. The new division built for AI consists of two wings, one will be providing AI tech in the robotics industry and the other wing will be mainly dealing with AI. Both the research centers will be supervised by the office of Chief Technology Officer.

The research center for robotics will be plainly concentrating on making core technologies for smart robotics. The research center for AI will be devoted towards research and development for deep learning. It will comprise of research wherein a computer will be able to emulate the functioning of the human brain.

Earlier this year, the South Korean company employed the concept of deep learning in some of its home appliances. The smart refrigerator from LG Is aimed towards providing more convenience to the users by recognizing their usage and eating patterns. With deep learning, the devices will be able to predict the activities of the user on the basis of their past behavior. The robotic vacuum cleaner is able to identity objects in the room by capturing images. This way it will be able to remember obstacles to avoid them.

Samsung introduced its Bixby AI assistant on the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ flagship phones. The company is expected to make the feature available on more number of smartphones such as the Galaxy C10 in the near future. LG is already rumored to be working on LG G7 that is speculated to come powered with the upcoming Snapdragon 845 chipset. The LG G7 could be its first smartphone to arrive with its own AI assistant.

(source|via)

OnePlus CEO: OnePlus 5 Is Coming With UFS Storage

By

Zhen Wan

-

Jun 13, 2017

Confirmation from the OnePlus CEO, Liu Zuohu, revealed that the OnePlus 5 will be released with UFS-type storage; providing more comfort for fans that OnePlus will not be using current alternatives for their internal storage. This reassurance comes after the unveiled scandals from Huawei’s Mate 9 and Samsung’s Galaxy S8’s mislabeling of storage types of EMMC instead of UFS 2.0 and UFS 2.0 instead of UFS 2.1, respectively.

Liu said in his Weibo post that UFS storage has surprisingly become a selling point. What he probably wants to hint from this post is that UFS should be standard inside flagship phones and it’s surprising to see companies are making it as a selling point.

UFS 2.1 is currently the fastest option available, found in some high-end flagship smartphones, UFS 2.0 being its predecessor and the EMMC as UFS’ slower competitor. These exposures have led to smartphone manufacturers to become more vigilant with their marketing and small text details in their tech spec pages.

Liu Zuohu’s comment brings us a clearer idea that OnePlus are about to release an all-star, near bleeding-edge “Flagship Killer” this month. Expect something like a UFS-type 128GB internal storage and Snapdragon 835 paired with 8 GB RAM. We are expecting OnePlus not to disappoint this summer.

For 1080p band camp and general users, the 1080p display will certainly remain ideal for everyday use and video playback. There is no confirmation whether OnePlus will be sticking to AMOLED panel (which they probably would — Optic AMOLED ), however, if they do, we will expect to see improved color reproduction from the OnePlus 3/T.

What other things don’t we know?

If the internals are accurate, we are still missing confirmation for several features: a 3.5mm headphone jack, the specification of the USB-C and speaker’s quality. From the OnePlus’ Twitter account, we can see the power button and SIM card are located on the right side; a logical guess would be OnePlus’ signature alert slider and volume control will be on the opposite.

Does the confirmation by Zuohu improve your opinion about the Oneplus 5?

(Source)

Huawei Claims It Outsold Apple in December 2016

By

-

Jun 13, 2017

Chinese smartphone maker Huawei has laid claims to figures which it says proved that the company recorded more sales volume than US-based tech giant Apple. The Chinese market leader currently sits at the third position in the global ranking but according to Huawei’s India director for product centre, Alex Wang, Huawei overtook Apple in the month of December 2016.

According to the Huawei director, the company’s shares for December 2016 reached 13.2% globally whereas Apple posted a figure in the range of 12%. Huawei claims to have shipped a total of 139 million smartphones last year which unfortunately didn’t transform into a very profitable venture for the company. The Huawei exec also hinted that although Samsung still maintains its lead in the global market in terms of sales volume, Huawei did overtake the Korean giant in some markets. In addition, the Honor brand is now the number one online smartphone brand in the world which sells across 74 countries, including India.

Curiously, market share reports for Q1 2017 still shows Huawei occupy the third position in sales volume with a record 34.55 million units sold. We also couldn’t find any report from the major market research firms to corroborate this claim by the Huawei exec. However, the company still maintain the number one spot as the highest grossing brand in China with OPPO and Vivo following closely.

Google Pixel XL 2 Muskie Cancelled? Reportedly Replaced by Larger Google Taimen

By

-

Jun 13, 2017

Since a few months, the rumor mill has been claiming that Google will be releasing three smartphones this year. Two of them is expected to be successor phones for Pixel 2 and Pixel XL 2 and the third one is said to be larger phone. However, newer information coming from Android Police suggests that the Google Pixel XL 2 that is codenamed as Muskie has been cancelled.

The publication had reported earlier this year that apart from Walleye (Pixel 2’s successor) and Muskie (Pixel XL 2’s successor), Google is also working on another large-sized phablet that is codenamed as Taimen. The new information revealed by the publication suggests that it will be releasing only two Google Pixel phones this year as Muskie has been replaced by Taimen.

As of this writing, there is no confirmation on how big the Google Taimen will be. Previous reports say that since Taimen is the largest salmonid in the world, it is speculated it may come with large screen of around 6 inches like the Nexus 6 from 2014.

Interestingly, in the previous week, the alleged Google Pixel XL 2 had appeared on GFXBench benchmarking platform. Since the codename of the phone was not revealed in the listing, the Pixel XL 2 may be the Taimen device and not Muskie. In the previous month, Google Taimen was spotted on Geekbench with Snapdragon 835, 4 GB of RAM and Android O.

The Pixel XL 2 GFXBench listing revealed that it features a 2,560 x 1,312 pixels resolution support screen of 5.6 inches. If the navigation bar is included then the Pixel XL 2 could be supporting a QHD resolution of 2,560 x 1,440 pixels. Hence, the Google Pixel XL 2 may arrive with a screen size of 5.7 inches. The original Pixel XL came with a 5.5-inch screen. Rumors have it that the Pixel 2 duo would be coming with super-slim bezels.

What could be the reason behind axing the Muskie phone? The regular Galaxy S8 sports a large 5.8-inch screen and its Galaxy S8+ sibling has an even bigger screen of 6.2 inches. Hence, instead of launching a 5.5-inch handset with “XL” naming, Google may have decided to launch with a larger screen. Even though the Pixel XL 2 has been spotted with Snapdragon 835, rumors are rife that it may be powered with the upcoming Snapdragon 836 chip.

Meizu Pro 7 Gets 3C Certification, Reveals 24W Fast Charging and Rumored Possible July Release

By

-

Jun 13, 2017

The Meizu Pro 7 has been in the news quite frequently lately due to its unique design. While still unconfirmed, the phone is expected to feature a secondary e-ink display at the back that displays notifications.

The Meizu Pro 7 was seen on China’s 3C certification website listed as the Meizu M792C and M792Q smartphones. Unlike TENAA, the 3C site doesn’t reveal much. The only info is that the phone will have 24W fast charging.

The Meizu Pro 7, according to previous leaks is expected to have a 5.2-inch AMOLED display that may be FHD or QHD. It will be powered by Mediatek’s 10nm chip, the Helio X30. We will keep our fingers crossed on this last bit as no phone has launched with the chip up till this moment.

Snapdragon 845 Likely to Deliver 1.2 Gbps Download Speeds with Snapdragon X20 LTE Modem

By

-

Jun 13, 2017

Qualcomm is reportedly working on Snapdragon 845, the successor chip for Snapdragon 835. The SD 845 will be powering the flagship phones that will launch in the next year. It has been found that the Snapdragon 845 will be featuring Snapdragon X20 LTE modem that will be able to deliver download speeds of up to 1.2 Gbps.

A LinkedIn profile of a Qualcomm Senior Staff Engineer has revealed that the company is working on Snapdragon 845 SoC and it will be equipped with Snapdragon X20 LTE modem. Here is the snapshot of the LinkedIn profile revealed by famous leakster, Roland Quandt:

If you were wondering what SoC that new Qualcomm X20 modem will end up in with its 1.2 GBit/s downlink. Yep, Snapdragon 845. (from LinkedIn) pic.twitter.com/lMd5lcovJf

— Roland Quandt (@rquandt) June 11, 2017

The Snapdragon X20 LTE modem was first announced in February this year. It features a Category 18 LTE modem that is capable of producing downlink speeds of up to 1.2 Gbps. Apart from gigabit downlink speeds, the Snapdragon X20 can deliver maximum upload speeds of 150 Mbps through its 2 x 20 MHz carrier aggregation. Like the powerful Snapdragon 835 and the upcoming Snapdragon 845, the Snapdragon X20 is also built with 10nm FinFET manufacturing process. However, some rumors have claimed that it is a 7nm chip.

According to Qualcomm, the Snapdragon X20 has been built to support 5G networks that will soon become a reality in the near future. The company has already provided smartphone OEMs with the samples of X20 modem at the beginning of this year.

Reports suggest that Qualcomm has been actively developing the Snapdragon 845 SoC. This year, Samsung managed to get the initial stocks of Snapdragon 835 for Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+. This made other smartphone OEMs to wait for the launch of the Galaxy S8 duo in order to launch Snapdragon 835 powered smartphones.

Since the initial stock of Snapdragon 835 went to Galaxy S8 duo, LG had to settle with Snapdragon 821 SoC for LG G6 which was released before the Galaxy S8 and S8+. However, a recent report has revealed that LG has already managed to strike a deal with Qualcomm to ensure that the LG G7 is powered by Snapdragon 845.

The Snapdragon 845 chipset is expected to debut in January 2018. At present, Qualcomm is also rumored to be working on Snapdragon 836, an improved edition of Snapdragon 835. The upcoming Samsung Galaxy Note 8 is rumored to launch as the first Snapdragon 836 powered smartphone.

Samsung Galaxy Note FE Rumored to Launch on July 7

By

-

Jun 12, 2017

Samsung is releasing two Galaxy Note series smartphones this year. The Galaxy Note 8 flagship smartphone of 2017 is expected to debut in August or September. Before the Note 8 arrives, Samsung would be launching the refurbished Galaxy Note 7 with Galaxy Note FE (Fandom Edition) moniker. Previous rumors have suggested that the Note FE would be unveiled at the end of this month. However, newer information available on ET News, a South Korean publication, claims that the Galaxy Note FE may get official on July 7.

According to the publication, the Galaxy Note FE was expected to launch in the South Korean market by June 30. However, the company has decided to delay its launch by one week. One of main reasons why Samsung has delayed the launch of the refurbished phablet is that it wants to increase the number of Galaxy Note FE units available from 150,000 to 450,000.

The Note FE is expected to be available with a pricing of about $620 in the home country of Samsung. It is rumored to be available in colors like Blue Coral, Gold Platinum, Silver Titanium and Black Onyx. The original Note 7 was also available in the same four colors.

Raed More: Samsung Galaxy Note 8 Will Be World’s First SD836 Phone: Rumor

In order to attract more buyers, the South Korean company is also rumored to include Bixby AI assistant. an official from a cellular operator company revealed. However, a representative from Samsung has said that it cannot be confirmed whether the Note FE will feature Bixby AI. He further stated that the firm will work in various ways to ensure that the expectations of consumers are set. The Galaxy Note FE would be arriving first in South Korea. It won’t be coming to the U.S., but the phablet will be arriving in other markets soon.

Previous leaks have revealed that the Galaxy Note FE has a distinctive ‘R’ letter mentioned on its rear side to let the buyers easily understand that it is refurbished edition of Note 7. One of the major changes that is arriving on the Galaxy Note FE is that it features a smaller battery of 3,2000mAh capacity. This seems to be a sensible move as the faulty 3,500mAh battery caused the original Samsung Galaxy Note 7 to explode. Rest of the specs of Note FE are rumored to be as that of the original Note 7.

(source|via)

[Updated] Motorola USA Announces The Moto E4 and E4+, Will Be Available on June 22

By

-

Jun 12, 2017

UPDATE: RAM, ROM and CPU specifications have been updated for both phones.

Motorola USA just dropped a massive reveal on the Moto E4 and Moto E4+. The announcement was made on Twitter a short while ago, saying both phones will be available on June 22. A link to a blog post was included but now it no longer opens. However we were able to get the juicy details for our readers.

Moto E4

The 4th gen Moto E has a 5-inch HD display, 2GB RAM and 16GB ROM. There will be two processor variants: one with a Snapdragon 425 and the other with a Snapdragon 427, both are quad-core chips clocked at 1.4GHz . There is an 8MP f/2.2 main camera and a 5MP shooter for selfies. The front camera is listed as having a front flash on the US site.

Motorola says the 2800mAh battery should last you for hours. The phone also has a water repellent coating and runs Android 7.1 Nougat

Moto E4 Price and Availability

Where it gets interesting is in the multiple versions available. There is the North American Variant and a variant for the rest of the world.

North America Version

It will be available in Fine Gold and Licorice Black in NA and will come in two variants. One will have a fingerprint scanner and the other won’t. Both variants won’t have NFC.
It will also be available to buy from Verizon Wireless in the same colors as above but without a fingerprint scanner.

Rest of The World

The rest of the world will get an additional color. There is Blush Gold, Iron Gray and Oxford Blue. There will be two variants: those with NFC and those without NFC. All will have fingerprint scanners.

The Moto E4 will start at $129.99/€149. It will also be available as an Amazon Prime Exclusive Phone with a different price that hasn’t been revealed yet.

Moto E4+

The Moto E4+ has a 5.5-inch HD display. It is powered by a Snapdragon 427 processor clocked at 1.4GHz and comes with 2GB RAM and 16GB/32GB ROM.

The E4+ lives up to its name with a massive 5000mAh battery that supports 10W fast charging. It also features a splash resistant metal body. There is a 13MP camera on the rear and a 5MP front camera with its own flash. The Moto E+ runs Android 7.1 out of the box.

Moto E4 Price and Availability

Moto E4+ North America:The Moto E4+ will come in Fine Gold and Iron Gray. Both have fingerprint scanners but there is no mention of NFC.
Moto E4+ Rest of The World:The rest of the world will get the E4+ in Blush Gold, Iron Gray and Oxford Blue. It will also have a fingerprint scanner but there is no mention of it having NFC too. Another subtle difference is that the international variant has its front LED flash on the left unlike the NA version which is on the right.

The Moto E4+ will start at $179.99/€199. There is no Verizon variant neither is there a mention of an Amazon Prime Exclusive model.

[envira-gallery id=”135972″] [envira-gallery id=”135971″]

Huawei Mobile Wifi Pro 2 Out of the Box Tour – 32 Users at a Go

By

-

Jun 12, 2017

Huawei released a new 4G LTE Mobile WiFi modem recently which it called the Huawei Mobile WiFi Pro 2 and which replaces the first-generation Mobile WiFi Pro. The Huawei Mobile WiFi Pro 2 is a portable WiFi device that can successfully fit into a trouser pocket. The device can securely connect up to 32 wireless devices at the same time whereas its predecessor only support 10 users.

The WiFi Pro 2 features a sleek design with an OLED-LCD display upfront. Apart from that, the Huawei Mobile WiFi Pro 2 can also function as a mobile power bank to charge other electronic gadgets such as smartphones, tablet and others with its large 6400mAh battery which can last up to 25 hours and standby time of up to 1600 hours. The design is such that the lanyard used to hold the device also doubles as the USB port for charging .

The Mobile WiFi Pro 2 is configured to deliver high-speed internet connection, packing LTE Cat6 band which offers up to 300 Mbps internet connection speed and a more secured and stable Internet connection even in various mobility situations. The router provides multiple frequencies for Wi-Fi networks it creates and it is compatible with all the frequency spectrum such as 2.4G / 5G and various Wi-Fi standards including 802.11a / b / g / n / ac to suit all user needs. Mobile WiFi Pro 2, a connection can be established and devices can be identified using NFC technology or QR code and Huawei’s application HiLink without the need to search for the network and enter password to join the Wi-Fi network. By connecting the device to the router via NFC or using the QR code, various devices can be connected to the Internet directly.

The Huawei Mobile WiFi Pro 2 is currently on sale for 899 Yuan on Huawei’s official store. But the device presently supports only the 3G/4G networks of China telecom, China mobile and China Unicom. The price is just 100 Yuan higher than the previous model despite the ramped up specs. The following are a couple of unboxing / hands-on images of the device courtesy mydrivers.

Huawei Enjoy 7 Render, Specs and Pricing Surface Online

By

-

Jun 12, 2017

Huawei released a number of entry-level phones in recent weeks. Among them is the Enjoy 7 Plus, announced in April with a 4000mAh battery and a Snapdragon 435 SoC. Since the above is the Plus variant, it is not surprising to hear that the Enjoy 7 is on the way.

Details of the Huawei Enjoy 7 alongside a render image have surfaced online. The Enjoy 7 seems to have a metal back plate like the Plus variant. It has its fingerprint scanner at the back as well as visible antenna lines.

Where it differs is in the rear camera. This time, it is positioned on the left corner along the top antenna line. The design looks like what you will find on dual camera phones but it is actually a single sensor.

You have the volume rocker and power button on the right and the SIM tray on the left. The front camera and proximity sensor are positioned on the top left corner and there is Huaweí’s name sitting on the lower bezel. There is an audio jack at the top and a micro-USB port at the bottom flanked by two speaker grilles. this is a budget phone so don’t expect stereo speakers.

For specs, the Huawei Enjoy 7 will have a 5-inch 720p screen, a Snapdragon 425 processor and an Adreno 308 GPU. It will come with either 3GB of RAM paired with 32GB of storage or 2GB RAM and 16GB ROM. Huawei’s EMUI 5.1 based on Android 7.0 will come pre-loaded.

ZUK Edge Gets A New Lifeline Via Flyme OS

By

-

Jun 12, 2017

Meizu‘s beautiful Flyme OS interface was announced to become available for third-party models last month with the OnePlus 3T, Xiaomi Redmi Note 3, Nexus 6P, ZUK Z2 and a host of other Qualcomm phones billed as the first set of models which will have compatible versions of the new Meizu interface. Today, Meizu’s Flyme 6 OS has the honour of welcoming a new third-party model, the ZUK Edge.

Although Lenovo refuted claims that it is killing its own brand for the Motorola brand, the company indeed disclosed that it would be resting the ZUK brand. What this means is that the ZUK Edge is the last model that would be released under the ZUK brand. Although the ZUK Edge comes pre-installed with the latest Android Nougat the chances of regular updates hitting the model is low, even though Lenovo promised it would continue providing updates. However, the Flyme ROM for ZUK Edge gives users of the ZUK model sort of a lifeline, a second option of changing the interface from the company’s ZUI to Meizu’s latest Flyme 6.0.

Flyme 6 stable ROM for Lenovo’s ZUK Edge is available on the Flyme website but it must be noted that it requires some bit of expertise on flashing a phone’s ROM to do this. Also, it is important to note that Flyme 6 downgrades the ZUK Edge to Android 6.0 Marshmallow which the Flyme 6 is based on whereas the ZUI is already on Android 7.0 Nougat. But then, you get a whole new interface, a cool one at that with a couple of custom Meizu features. You can get details on how to download from here.

Xiaomi’s 89th Crowdfunding Product Launching Tomorrow, Cloak?

By

-

Jun 12, 2017

Xiaomi continues its drive to shore up its sales for the year with the barrage of new releases we have seen so far. The company seems to be on course as its shipment for the second quarter of the year showed some improvements. In continuation of its sales drive, Xiaomi will release its 89th crowdfunding product under the MIJIA brand in China tomorrow May 13.

The product, which brings the crowdfunding products released this year just one number short of 90 different products, seems to be a personal protective clothing which is aimed to keep the cold away. It is summer time now but it won’t be long before the rains come running down and the accompanying cold. Xiaomi MIJIA shared two teaser posters on its official Weibo handle and both posters hint at a product meant to keep the cold away. One of the posters suggests it is likely a cloak with buckle while the other one gives the impression that it will be a portable one, such that it can fit into a lady’s handbag.

The product will be unveiled Tomorrow June 13 by 10 AM. Keep a date to find out what the new crowdfunding product is.

The Honor 9 is Official: 3D Glass Back, Kirin 960, Hi-Fi Audio & Dual Cameras

By

-

Jun 12, 2017

Almost year ago, Huawei released the Honor 8 to worldwide acclaim. It received positive reviews in the West for its combination of an impressive build quality, flagship performance and affordable price tag. Today, the Honor 8 gets a worthy successor in form of the Honor 9

Honor 9 Design

The Honor 9 improves greatly on the design of its predecessor. It still maintains that beautiful mixture of metal and glass but its now curvier. Thanks to the 3D glass back that replaced the 2.5D glass on the Honor 8.

The reflective back makes a comeback on the Honor 9 too. The design became popular with the Honor 8 and has been adopted by Xiaomi fr the Mi 6 and by HTC for the U 11 this year. Though HTC takes it to another level and calls it Liquid Surface.

Honor 9 Specs

The Honor 9 has a 5.15-inch Full HD display. It is powered by the Kirin 960 and comes with 6GB of RAM and either 64B or 128GB of storage. There is also a 4GB RAM + 64GB model.

The rear mounted-fingerprint scanner has been moved to the front, doubling as a home button beneath the display. The Honor 9 also has a Hi-Fi audio chip tuned by Grammy Award winner, Rainer Mailard. Honor says listening to audio files is like listening to a live performance. There is NFC, an audio jack and a 3200mAh battery on board.

The phone runs Huawei’s EMUI 5.1 which is based on Android 7 and features a bunch of intelligent features such as resource allocation management and smart prediction.

Honor 9 Cameras

The Honor 9′ rear cameras are configured the same way as the Huawei P10 but lack the Leica branding. It is a combination of a 20MP monochrome sensor and a 12MP RGB sensor. The cameras have what is called hybrid zoom which lets you zoom in on objects and not lose details. There is a dual LED flash and a laser focus module right beside the cameras.

Honor says night shots will be superb thanks to the monochrome sensor that takes in more light. The Honor 9 will also be able to shoot images in portrait mode but not out of the box. The feature will come as a OTA update. The front camera is an 8MP f/2.0 sensor.

Android 7.0 Nougat for OnePlus 2 Will Not be Released, Confirm OnePlus

By

-

Jun 12, 2017

In the previous month, OnePlus confirmed that OnePlus 3 and OnePlus 3T smartphones would be upgraded to Android O. What about OnePlus 2 users? They are still using Marshmallow OS on their handsets. In the previous week, OnePlus customer support that OnePlus 2 will not be getting any major software updates which meant it won’t be getting Android Nougat update. Today, Android Authority has received confirmation from OnePlus that Android N will not be released to OnePlus 2.

OnePlus 2 was introduced in July 2015 which means it falls in the minimum 2-year time bracket that allow smartphones to receive the latest Android version. OnePlus had also promised on releasing Nougat update to OnePlus 2 users. Earlier this year, OnePlus 2 was spotted on Geekbench with Android 7.1.1 Nougat OS. This indicated that the company could be testing the Nougat OS before releasing it to OnePlus 2 users. However, fresh information suggests that OnePlus will not be releasing the Nougat update mainly because the handset is incapable of handling such an update. It seems that the company has fulfil its promise.

OnePlus has said to the publication that its customer support team has been informing about not issuing Nougat update for OnePlus 2 for “a little while.” The Chinese firm further said to the publication that “when we built the OnePlus 2 we didn’t have the software infrastructure team in place we do now.” With no major software update coming to OnePlus 2, it appears that it has now become a dated device.

OnePlus 2 has a 5.5-inch full HD display. It is powered by Snapdragon 810 chipset and it came in two models, namely 3 GB RAM + 16 GB storage and 4 GB RAM + 64 GB storage. A 13-megapixel snapper is sitting on its back whereas the front features a 5-megapixel selfie camera. It is packed with a 3,300mAh battery. The phone came preinstalled with Android 5.1 Lollipop and after some delay, it was upgraded to Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow. Sadly, the Nougat update is not coming its way.

(source|via)

Xiaomi’s Second Quarter Shipments Show Improvement

By

-

Jun 12, 2017

Supply chain insider, Kevin King has revealed that Xiaomi’s shipment for the second quarter in 2017 has improved. Last quarter, the company had recorded 13 million units in smartphone shipments. According to Kevin, they are set to exceed 20 million this quarter.

The info was revealed via his weibo account @Kevin King’s Diary. The reason for the increase in sales is attributed to Xiaomi’s performance in India where its Redmi phones are doing very well and also the recent release of the Mi 6 in its home market.

Kevin King believes the increase in shipments will continue to rise as Xiaomi still has a number of “star products” hitting the market soon. Last year, Xiaomi suffered a decline in sales, causing it to drop in ranking in China. It is good to see things are getting better for them.

Samsung Galaxy C10 Press Renders Finally Appear; Release Imminent [UPDATE]

By

-

Jun 12, 2017

UPDATE: These images belong to concept design created by Concept Creator. They are not press renders.

Original post: At the beginning of May, Chinese leakster mmddj_China had revealed that Samsung’s first smartphone featuring dual rear cameras will be the Galaxy C10 and the Galaxy Note 8. Since then, several details of the alleged Galaxy C10 have surfaced. In the past week, its key specs and pricing were revealed and today, its leaked press renders have surfaced.

Samsung Galaxy C10 Press Renders

The Galaxy C10 press renders that have surfaced shows that the phablet would be available in two color choices such as rose gold and black. The phablet appears to sport a metallic chassis with a vertically aligned dual camera module sitting on the back panel. A dual-LED flash is available on the right of the dual camera system.

The phone is rumored to feature a dedicated button for Bixby AI. This could be the button sitting on the right side of the Galaxy C10. The left features volume rockers and a Power key.

The top and bottom portions of the rear panel feature the antenna bands. The front side of the phone has a selfie camera sitting on the top bezel and a Home button that is most likely integrated with a fingerprint scanner is seen on its bottom bezel. The phablet sports narrow bezels on its left and right sides. A leaked video that had surfaced around two weeks ago matches with the press renders of the Galaxy C10.

Samsung Galaxy C10 Specifications, Pricing, Release Date

In the previous week, a South Korean publication had spilled the beans on the specifications and pricing of Galaxy C10. The upcoming phablet is said aimed towards China in order to resurrect Samsung’s market share in the country. It features a huge 6-inch screen that carries support for full HD resolution of 1,920 x 1,080 pixels. It is driven by Snapdragon 660 chipset and 6 GB of RAM. It would be featuring an internal storage of 64 GB. It includes a big battery of 4,000mAh capacity.

Samsung may also launch a Galaxy C10 Plus that will feature an 8 GB of RAM along with identical specs available on Galaxy C10. The Galaxy C10 is pegged to cost 3,499 Yuan (~$515) at launch. It speculated to launch either in this month or early in the third quarter of this year.