For less than $250, you get really impressive specifications that are hard to beat. The Snapdragon 820 may sound outdated for some but it is still plenty powerful and it can handle even the most graphically intensive tasks without any issues. If you pair it with 6GB of RAM and whopping 128GB of internal storage, you are looking at a beast of a phone that can be still called a flagship. Remember, the LG G6 was released with the Snapdragon 821, which is basically a slightly more powerful version of the Snapdragon 820 chip.
Since the phone was designed to be a flagship, it has great build quality and it uses premium materials like metal and glass in its construction, metal buttons, and 2.5D display.
Other key specs include a capable 13MP camera with a bright f/1.8 aperture lens, blood oxygen, and heart rate sensors for healthy lifestyle enthusiasts, 5.2″ 1080p display, and 3000mAh battery. The only shortcoming would be the outdated Android 6.0 out of the box but we believe that the phone will receive the Android 7 Nougat update soon.
If you consider the overall package you get, this phone is one of the best bangs for the buck. The deal is limited to only 200 units and it will last till July 3rd.
The Moto Z2 is the 2017 flagship phone from the Motorola. It will be coming out as a successor for the original Moto Z that was launched last year. Rumors have it that the Moto Z2’s launch is close at hand. This has become all the more evident as the Moto Z2 has appeared on GFXBench benchmarking platform to reveal its flagship specs.
According to Moto Z2 GFXBench listing, it features a 5.5-inch screen that produces a QHD resolution of 2,560 x 1,440 pixels. It is powered with Snapadragon 835 chipset that includes a 2.45 GHz octa-core processor and Adreno 540 graphics. The SoC is coupled with 4 GB of RAM. The native storage of the phone is 64 GB. It is likely to feature a microSD card like the original model.
Like the first generation Moto Z, its successor is also rumored to come with a pair of camera sensors on its rear panel. However, the GFXBench listing only reveals that it features a single camera of 12-megapixel which is capable of shooting 4K resolution videos. Its front-facing camera is of 5-megapixel. It is running on Android 7.1.1 Nougat OS.
Also, like the original Moto Z, the Moto Z2 is expected to carry support for Moto Mods accessories. Motorola had axed the 3.5mm audio jack on the Moto Z. However, it is expected to bring back the feature on the Moto Z2. Rumors have it that the Moto Z2 Force may also get unveiled alongside the Moto Z2. The Z2 Force is expected to come with similar specs like the Moto Z2. However, the Moto Z2 Force will be featuring a Shatterproof screen.
Motorola was expected to announce the Moto Z2 on June 27. However, it did not happen. Now, the Moto Z2 is expected to get unveiled on June 30 as the company is holding a launch event on that day.
A leakster had predicted that the Moto X4 would be launching on June 30. However, he later updated his fans that the launch of Moto X4 may have delayed because of production issues with Snapdragon 660 chipset. Apart from the aforementioned phones, Motorola is also expected to unveil the Moto G5S and Moto G5S+ smartphones in the near future.
There have been speculations that Lenovo will keep ZUK alive by pre-installing ZUI on Motorola phones released in China. Those speculations are correct as a screenshot of the Chinese variant of the Moto Z2 Play shows the device running ZUI 3.0.
A few months ago, Lenovo announced it was shutting down its sub-brand ZUK after just 1.5 years in the market and four devices in total. Following that announcement were rumors that Lenovo was going to keep the UI of the ZUK phones and load it on Motorola phones launched in the country.
Now that it has been confirmed, it is safe to assume that all other Moto phones released in China will get the same treatment. The ZUI version number the Moto Z2 Play is running is 3.0 and its based on Android 7.1.1 too. This is a new version of the OS as the last version before the brand was shut down was ZUI 2.5.
There are still a few questions to be asked about the move. Will Lenovo make this exclusive to China alone or will it extend it to other Asian countries like India? Or even all Moto phones released globally? Will other Moto phones previously released in China receive ZUI updates or remain on the default Moto UI?
The Moto Z2 Play goes on sale on July 5 for ¥3299 (~$484).
The Mobile World Congress Shanghai 2017 began yesterday June 28 and it began with a bang. BBK subsidiary Vivo took the centre stage when it showcased a prototype of its latest full-screen phone which comes with a spectacular “under display” fingerprint sensor. Photos of the device had first leaked a few weeks back with speculations that it would be unveiled at MWC Shanghai. The speculations were right after all as the company has now unveiled what could be a technology which Apple is tipped as planning to include on the iPhone 8.
The fingerprint technology is actually developed by Qualcomm as a successor to its ultrasonic fingerprint technology unveiled last year. Vivo happens to have provided the prototype smartphone on which it is first being featured. The prototype is a modified version of the Vivo XPlay 6 with the under display fingerprint technology located beneath the 1.2mm thick OLED display panel. The new fingerprint scanner uses Qualcomm’s new ultrasonic technology which sends a pulse through the finger, some of which gets reflected while some get absorbed. These vibrations are then detected by a sensor which builds up a fingerprint.
Apart from penetrating the 1.2mm thick OLED, the sensor is said to be capable of penetrating a 0.8mm glass, and 0.525mm metal which is a great improvement over capacitive fingerprint sensor. Capacitive fingerprint sensor cannot function effectively under wet hands and in dusty conditions. But the new technology is reputed to function well under wet hands or dust.
Qualcomm’s new ultrasonic solution will ship to OEMs in two forms. The Fingerprint Sensors for Glass and Metal will reportedly start shipping to OEMs this month and will only work with Snapdragon 660 and 630 processors while the fingerprint sensors for display will start finding its way into smartphones in the fourth quarter of the current year and will work with non-Snapdragon chip packing smartphones as well. The video demo of the under display fingerprint technology can be watched from below.
Only recently, we got a leak that hinted that the elusive Meizu Pro 7 will finally be launched on July 26 which is barely a month away but that is yet to be confirmed by the company. While we may still be sceptical about that date, a new leak from a popular tech blogger on Weibo has restated that the Pro 7 will indeed be launched along with the Pro 7 Plus on July 26. The tipster claims the rumour has over 95% accuracy, meaning the Pro 7 may actually make its debut towards the end of next month.
Already we have seen the real renders of the Pro 7 revealing both the front and the rear design, including the secondary e-ink display located at the rear. The flagship model is expected to feature a well-studded specs lineup in addition to the nice design it has been revealed to come with. Among the rumoured specification is an Helio X30 chip, a 5.5-inch display, mBack home button and fast charging technology.
The Meizu Pro 7 is expected to feature a dual camera setup which is tipped to be composed of a Sony IMX386 main sensor and a Sony IMX286 secondary sensor. This would make the Pro 7 Meizu’s first dual camera phone. There are rumours of an Exynos 8895-powered version coming also. Other specs include a 16MP front camera, 3.5mm audio jack as well as a USB Type-C port and more. Meizu will offload the full package next month, that is if the rumours of a July 26 launch turns out to be true. Nothing has officially been revealed in that regard as at this moment so don’t get your expectation too high.
I’ve always looked for a great yet cheap solution that can extend the Wifi coverage in my apartment. You see, there are some dead Wifi spots and a little gadget like a Wifi extender helps a lot.
All you have to do is plug in this device into the wall outlet and keep it there, and the Wifi extender will do the job.
The device has max. LAN Data Rate of 300MBS, it supports the transmission frequency of 2.4GHz and supports IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g, IEEE 802.11n transmission standards.
You can now get this Wireless WiFi Repeater for just $9.49 from lightinthebox.com.
Meizu had a major restructuring early this year resulting in the company having three main divisions. The three divisions are: Meizu, Blue Charm and Flyme.
Rumor has it that Meizu may be planning on making Blue Charm an independent sub-brand just like Huawei’s Honor. Following this info is the recent sighting of a new logo for Blue Charm on Weibo.
The new logo is like a blue wavy line with the words Blue Charm written next to it in Chinese. There have been complaints regarding the lack of creativity associated with the design and some folks made a few mock-ups which in my own opinion are terrible too.
ASUS is set to announce its new Zenfone 4 lineup next month but a new teaser poster mentions a future release date for one of them.
The teaser poster was released to the press earlier today and shared on Twitter by Roland Quandt. There are a lot of hints in the image and we will analyze each one.
First there is the text that says “Take A Walk On The Wide Side”. Then there are the two overlapping smartphones sitting in a camera frame that form the alphabet “V”. Last is the phrase “Frame The Date”.
We think all these point to one of the phones in the list from yesterday, the Zenfone 4V. The overlapping phones show the letter V. We also think its a dual camera smartphone. See the two circles on the smartphone on the left?
The “Take A Walk On The Wide Side” statement hints at one of the lenses being a wide-angle lens and “Frame The Date” just reinforces the fact that its a camera-centric phone.
You might be wondering why ASUS is planning to launch another dual camera phone since it already has the Zenfone Zoom S/Zenfone 3 Zoom. The Zenfone Zoom S dual rear cameras do not offer wide-angle shots.
Xiaomi’s Mi band and the Mi Band 2 were manufactured for Xiaomi by Huami which is now an independent company of its own with Xiaomi owning some stakes in the outfit. Huami has gone on to popularise the Amazfit brand, making in-roads into the U.S and other regions. Back home, the smart wearable maker has also been selling its line of smart wearable. Huami recently launched a new fitness band and is now set to launch another smart band with a long lasting battery.
The gadget is likely a Huami smart band youth edition and according to a Weibo post by the company’s CEO, the smart band will offer up to a month of use without the need to charge the wearable. The smart band is also teased as coming with GPS feature and with some level of durability.
Other details of the smart band are still sketchy but the device will be officially launched on July 4 at 19.00 CST. The smart band seems to have gone on presale on the Amazfit official flagship store on Jingdong (JD.com) upon deposit of 1 Yuan.
A few years ago, fingerprint scanners were reserved for high-end phones. Now, don’t be amazed to find a fingerprint sensor in a phone priced under a $100. The technology continues to evolve and the focus now is to make scanners that can sit directly under displays. Qualcomm just announced it has joined the race at this year’s MWC Shanghai.
The chip manufacturer announced that it is working on making under-display sensors and is even already making samples. This scanner will be able to sit under OLED panels that are up to 1200µm thick.
An image provided by Qualcomm shows that their scanners will cut across three main categories:
Under-display scanners will be used for premium phones.
Under-metal and glass scanners will be used for high-end phones and will be able to scan through glass of up to 800 µm or aluminium of up to 650µm.
Under-glass scanners for mid and low tier phones that can scan through glass 800µm thick.
Qualcomm said the Scanners for Metal and Glass will be compatible with the new Snapdragon 630 and Snapdragon 660 mobile platforms while the Scanners for Display, Glass & Metal are designed to be compatible with future Snapdragon 800 series, 600 series, 400 series and 200 series mobile platforms. They will also work with non-Snapdragon processors and as standalone sensors.
Qualcomm says their scanners will be able to detect fingerprints underwater and also heart beat and blood flow for a more secure authentication.
Qualcomm and Vivo Partnership
The highlight of the announcement is the partnership with Vivo. Qualcomm says it is working with the Chinese manufacturer and will display modified versions of the Xplay6 sporting Qualcomm Fingerprint Sensors for Display at the Shanghai Mobile World Congress.
This announcement is the final piece of the puzzle that makes everything clear. It turns out that Vivo won’t be announcing a new phone with an under-display scanner but will be demoing Vivo Xplay6 units with the technology. Plus that video we saw is genuine but probably a demo unit.
We all have heard and seen 360° photos and videos on the internet, but how many of you have actually used a 360° camera before? I believe the concept of 360° content production is still pretty new for a lot of readers out here and the Xiaomi Mi VR camera is here to help you start your journey. It’s far from being the best 360° camera in the market, but for its relatively affordable price tag of under $250, the Mi VR 3.5K Panorama camera manages to produce some good looking 360° photos and videos.
The Xiaomi Mi VR 360° camera comes in an elegant black shade. You get a matte like texture on the front as well as the back, while the sides get a smoother finish. I love the overall compact design of the device and the fact that it’s hard to get scratches on the body makes me love it even more! Often while taking 360° pictures or videos, you have to keep the camera in rocky terrains or sandy beaches and so far, my Mi VR camera has managed to survive them all without any significant scratches. Of course, I have not yet dropped it to see if it survives, but I don’t have the courage to see what’ll happen in such a situation. But don’t be shy to expose your Mi VR camera in different terrains to get the perfect 360° shots.
The mini tripod comes with the camera itself and does a fine job of keeping the camera study in different terrains. Even when it was raining and things were a bit slippery, the tripod managed to keep the camera intact. This along with the protective sleeve (which is also included in the box) makes up for the perfect pair of accessories for the camera.
Note that the camera uses a standard 1/4 inch mount, so you can use any tripod or accessory with this connector.
Xiaomi has kept the design simple, with three buttons on top — a Record button (in red), a Wi-Fi button and a Power / Mode button. The buttons are tactile and give good feedback when clicked. On one of the sides, you have the MicroUSB port used for charging as well as a MicroSD card slot. Note that the camera is IP67 certified, which means its dust and waterproof. Hence, the slots are covered.
There are three notification lights, all located on one side of the device (on the opposite side of the Mijia logo). The battery indicator glows blue and red (when the camera has low charge). Then there’s a camera as well as a video notification indicator in blue. The video indicator starts blinking in red when you are recording.
Overall, I’m happy with the camera’s elegant design and sturdy built quality.
Xiaomi Mi VR 3.5K 360° Camera Specs
The Mi VR camera is made up of two 190° Fish Eye lens with 2 x IMX206 sensors. With this configuration, along with the Amabrella A12 chipset inside, the Mi VR camera manages to capture up to a max resolution of 3.5K at 30 fps. You can even capture 60 fps videos in lower resolution. You can capture in 3.5K for about 75 minutes in a single charge, but make sure to keep a large memory card handy. Speaking of memory cards, the camera takes MicroSD card up to 128GB. Do note that it is recommended to use a Class 10 or up memory card inside the device for the best performance.
There are three shooting modes (customizable in the app): Flat / Sphere / Planet. The cam supports time lapse and comes with 6-axis stabilization as well, which keeps the videos relatively stable.
Battery Life
The 1600mAh battery on the camera is good for capturing photos for around a day on a single charge or videos for more than an hour. I personally used the camera for 30-40 360° pictures and a few videos a couple of times and I still had like 40-50% charge remaining on the device, which I feel is pretty good. The standby time is also good, as I would still see nearly 30-35% charge after switching the camera on the next day. Charging the camera takes around 2 hours.
Mi VR 360° Panorama Camera: How To Use
Since 360° cameras are a relatively new concept for many readers out here, I would give you a brief idea as to how to use the Mi VR camera.
Connecting the Camera to the App
Charge the camera first for an hour until you see the fully charged blue battery icon on the camera.
Hit the power button and turn on the camera.
Once the camera is on, you can either start recording or you can connect your smartphone.
If you want to connect your smartphone, make sure to download the Mi Sphere app first from this link.
To connect to your phone, just press the Wi-Fi button on the camera and connect your smartphone’s Wi-Fi to the camera’s network. It should be something like MJXJ-XXXXXX. Note that the default password for the camera’s Wi-Fi network is 12345678.
Open the Mi Sphere App (downloaded from the link above) and it has all the instructions that you need to connect to the camera.
Shooting Pictures / Videos Using the Camera (Without connecting to the App)
Once the camera is switched on, you’ll see the current shooting mode via the indicator icon. It can be either the camera mode or the video mode.
You can switch between the two modes via the power button.
You can capture pictures or videos by clicking the record button once. You’ll hear a light beep which indicates whether the pictures was captured or the video shooting started.
Shooting Pictures / Videos With the Camera App
Once your camera is connected to the phone, turn on the app and you’ll see a yellow camera icon. Click on it to take you to the camera interface. You’ll be greeted with a large preview screen as well as a few additional options such as settings (on the top right corner), gallery (bottom left corner), capture button (bottom center) and camera / video toggle mode (bottom right). There’s a timer setting as well (the one which looks like a clock icon).
Click on the capture button to take pictures or videos.
You can fiddle with a few settings as well like white balance, exposure, ISO, and resolution.
Once the photo / video is captured, you can select different viewing modes as well such as Mirror Ball, Flat, Little Planet, and Pano. Further, there’s an option for single screen view as well as 2 screen view (for VR headsets).
Further, there are four filters that you can apply to the photos — original / fleet / youth / film. Not the best filter options, but at least you can do this directly in the app itself.
Note that there’s a share button integrated right inside the app (you have to go to the app’s gallery and click on the image to get this option on the top right corner). Available sharing options include Facebook, Messenger, Twitter, WeChat, Weibo etc. No option to share videos directly to YouTube (which is disappointing) but there’s a way you can share it to youtube.
Download the video to the phone first and then using YouTube Metadata injector or any other video editor, insert 360 metadata (helps them identify this as a 360 video). Once done, you can upload it to YouTube or any other 360 supported platform. You can actually try an app called VRFix for Android that reinjects the 360 metadata to videos.
Mi VR App Settings
Mi VR App Settings
Resolution settings
White Balance Settings In Mi Sphere App
Mi Sphere App Basic Settings
More settings menu
Mi VR App Photo Filters
Mi Sphere App Filter
Mi Sphere app Video editing options
video filter options
vid editing in app
Mi Sphere App Sharing Options
Sharing Settings
I know this turned out to be a very long review because of these instructions, but I hope it makes your lives easier with the Mi VR camera.
Xiaomi Mi VR 3.5K Camera & Video Quality
The Mi 3.5K VR camera managed to capture 360° photos and videos with sufficient levels of detail. Well, you might find them a bit grainy for your taste but when compared to other VR cameras in the same range, Xiaomi’s 360° device does quite well.
Actually, the bar itself is quite low for 360° photos, so the content captured by this camera comes out quite better than other cheap alternatives. The image size ranges from 6-14Mb while a 30-second video would be like 100Mb in size. The dynamic range is pretty good and the colors are quite accurate as well. 360° photo stitching is also good but it’s not completely seamless. Do note that Xiaomi’s app does a fine job of getting the two pictures together for a complete 360° picture.
As for video quality, there are two resolutions available and thanks to the 6-axis stabilization, your videos come out less shaky, even when you are walking and recording.
Overall, for under $250, the Xiaomi Mi VR 3.5K camera does pretty well in terms of quality as compared to its competitors.
Or you can see a couple of live uploaded photos down below.
Verdict
It might take some time getting used to the world of 360 photos, but with the Mi VR 3.5K camera around, things are pretty straightforward. We are seeing a flood of 360 content these days and cameras like the Mi VR 3.5K enables regular users to join the 360° club with good hardware for starters. I would definitely recommend it for those who wish to take good quality 360° photos without breaking their wallets.
Have you received your OnePlus 5 already and you are a bit sad that it doesn’t have EIS for 4K videos? Or are you having WiFi issues?
OnePlus announced at a Reddit AMA session that a fix for the WiFi issue and addition of EIS will come via a future update. How soon that update will roll out is currently unknown. The OnePlus 5 has received two OTA updates since its release last week. There was one on launch day and another one about two days ago.
OnePlus also revealed a few interesting details about the company. First, there are no plans to launch devices with microSD card expansion at the moment. So if you have been hoping the feature will make it to future models, you may want to discard that thought.
They also mentioned that the company has no tablet in its product map. This is funny because I believe at one point in time, the company considered making one. It is sad I do not have proof anymore.
Today, Xiaomi held a Mi Ecosystem event at Beijing and announced two new products. One of the products is the Ninebot Plus, a successor to 2015’s Ninebot Mini.
For those of you who don’t remember Xiaomi and Ninebot’s history together, here is a short refresher. Back in April 2015, Ninebot acquired Segway, the American self-balancing scooter manufacturer. That acquisition was made possible by Xiaomi, a major investor in Ninebot.
The new Ninebot Plus brings a number of new features and a higher price tag.
Ninebot Plus Design
The Ninebot Plus features two 11-inch inflatable non-slip tires and a new magnesium alloy elastic frame. It weighs 16kg and measures 57.7 cm × 28 cm × 62cm. Unlike the Ninebot Mini, it comes only in white.
1. Remote: a new addition to the Ninebot Plus is its new remote control. With the remote control, you can unlock the scooter, summon it to come to you, turn on or turn off the scooter’s lights or even activate a “follow me” mode. The remote control is rechargeable and has a 9-hr battery life depending on if you frequently use its vibration alarm. Its 680mAh battery should charge in 3.5hrs via USB.
2. Load Mode: another feature the Ninebot Plus has is a load mode feature that lets you turn it into a sort of trolley to carry items. Thanks to a self-adjusting gravity function, the Ninebot Plus will automatically find its balance when you load it with items. Maximum load weight is 20kg.
3. Ninebot Plus Camera: this is the most interesting feature of the scooter. If you are into making videos, the scooter can come in handy. Just fit in the Xiaomi PTZ Camera into the special slot between the seat and your scooter doubles as a professional track slider. The camera has 3-axis OIS, records in 1080p and has a 104° wide angle sensor.
Ninebot Technical Specs
The Ninebot Plus has a maximum speed of 18km/h and features two 400W motors. Both motors can supply a turbo boost of 2500W combined. The scooter has an IP54 rating and supports a maximum load of 100kg when in riding mode.
Its 329Wh battery system is made up of 42 18650 high power lithium batteries that can last up to 35km on a single charge. Charging time comes in at 5.5hrs.
Ninebot Price & Availability
The Ninebot Plus is priced at ¥3499 (~$514) and will go on sale on July 11 at 11:oo AM. It will be available on the official Mi website, at Mi Home stores, and Jingdong Mall (JD.com). It is not clear if the
Xiaomi has announced what could be termed its 2017 flagship product under the MIJIA brand and it turns out to be a Laser projector that can be used as a TV at home. The product is christened Mi Laser Projector and it presents with an expansive 150-inch display size. The product was unveiled during the Xiaomi MIJIA annual conference held today in Beijing. The idea of a cost-effective Laser projector was born out of the discovery of a fancy Laser Projection TV by Xiaomi’s VP Liu De priced at 100,000 Yuan. The unaffordability of the product was what spurred the tech giant to venture into its own research and development of an affordable laser projector.
The Mi Laser Projector comes with a 0.233:1 large depth of field and has an ultra-short focal lens design. The projector screen can be placed in the TV cabinet with the size adjusted to fit in. The wall can also be used as the screen and so, it does not occupy too much indoor space. The design also eliminates the cumbersome problem of wires scattered everywhere. The Laser projector itself only needs to be placed 50cm away from the wall in order to deliver 150-inch screen projection. You don’t need to manually focus the lens as it fine tunes itself.
Xiaomi claims the laser light inside the projector has a shelve life of 25,0000 hours. That translates to up to 34 years usage if the projector is used for 2 hours daily. A daily usage of up to 4hours can still guarantee up to 17 years of usage, meaning the laser is ultra-durable and long lasting. The projector’s two core technologies are the light source technology manufactured by the Light Peak photoelectric company while the imaging technology chip in use was made by Texas Instruments and Guangfeng photoelectric custom R&D.
Picture quality is assured as a result of the use of advanced laser fluorescence display technology (ALPD 3.0). The projector provides a red light ratio of 16% to 18%, wide color gamut, color quasi, with contrast comparable to the laser studio 3000: 1 screen contrast. The light source brightness can reach up to 5000 lumens which is of theater screen level. The projector also diffuses its direct light source, allowing for more eye protection.
For the sound, quality sound is assured through the use of Xiaomi TV’s custom speaker system with built-in high-power, dual full-frequency and dual high-frequency high-fidelity speakers. The sound system supports three kinds of external audio. The Mi Laser 150″ projector is capable of providing theatre-level audio-visuals right in the comfort of the sitting room.
In addition, the Mi Laser Projector also comes built-in with all the content available on the Xiaomi Mi TV. The Laser projector has its own remote control which supports the Xiaomi universal remote control app. That means the Xiaomi universal smart remote can be used to operate the sophisticated device.
Now, to the most interesting aspect, the price. The Mi Laser Projection TV will sell for 9999 Yuan ($1,470). That is a fairly decent price tag which is far cheaper than Samsung’s most expensive The Frame smart TV models with prices ranging from $1,999 for the 55-inch model to $2,799 for the 65-inch model. The Mi Laser TV will go on sale on July 4 via Xiaomi Mall, and MIJIA app. Outside China, the projector is only available via online retailers like GearBest and LightInTheBox and it is priced at around $2,000.
Qualcomm has today introduced a new family member to its Snapdragon 400 mobile platform – the all new Snapdragon 450. The new Snapdragon SoC has been unveiled at the Mobile World Congress Shanghai 2017 event. The Snapdragon 450 SoC is the successor of the Snapdragon 435 chipset that is present under the hood of some popular mid-rangers such as ZTE Blade V8, ZTE Nubia M2 Play, Xiaomi Redmi 4X (Redmi 4), and OPPO A57.
Snapdragon 450 Specifications
The Snapdragon 450 chipset is the first Snapdragon 400 series SoC to be built with 14nm FINFET manufacturing processor. The chipset is made for powering mid-range smartphones. It is an octa-core chipset featuring four Cortex A53 cores working 1.8 GHz and another set of four Cortex A53 cores gunning at 1.8 GHz. It includes Adreno 506 graphics which is also present inside Snapdragon 625.
It supports one 32-bit LPDDR3 RAM. Its dual ISP can support a pair of 13-megapixel camera sensors. It can support a max of 21-megapixel single camera. It can encode 1080p content and decode H.264 and HVEC media. For data connectivity, its Cat. 7 X9 LTE modem that makes use of 2x20MHz carrier aggregation. It supports USB 3.0 that brings support for Quick Charge 3.0.
Snapdragon 450 Features
The Snapdragon 450 chipset brings four major improvements:
Enhanced CPU and GPU Performance
The Snapdragon 450 offers 25 percent better computing performance than its predecessor. Also, it churns 25 percent increase in GPU performance than SD 435.
Better Battery Performance
The Snapdragon 450 brings up to four hours of extra battery usage time than Snapdragon 435. It consumes 30 percent less power while playing games. The support for Quick Charge 3.0 allows a Snapdragon 450 phone to charge from zero to 80 percent in around 35 minutes.
Camera and Multimedia
The Snapdragon 450 powered mid-range phones are capable of supporting real-time bokeh effect. It allows users to record 1080p (Full HD) videos at 60 fps. It also supports slow motion capture. The SD 450 chip supports 1,920 x 1,080 screens along with Hexagon DSP which brings improved performance for camera and multimedia.
Connectivity and USB
The Snapdragon 450 is the first Snapdragon 400 series chipset to feature Snapdragon X9 LTE modem that delivers 300 Mbps download speeds and 150 Mbps upload speeds. It supports wide range mobile networks through Snapdragon All Mode. It also carries support Wi-Fi 802.11ac along with MU-MIMO. It is also the first in Snapdragon 400 series to feature USB 3.0 for speedier data transfer.
The commercial sampling of Snapdragon 450 is pegged to begin in third quarter of 2017. Hence, the Snapdragon 450 enabled devices are expected to reach consumers by the end of 2017.
Samsung is usually known for releasing its flagship smartphones in its in-house Exynos chipset and Qualcomm’s Snapdragon chipset variants. A new report states that Samsung may employ 7nm Qualcomm chipset as well as 8nm Exynos chipsets on its upcoming Galaxy S9 flagship that will debut next year.
The Samsung Galaxy S8 is available in Snapdragon 835 and Exynos 8895 chipset models. Both are 10nm chipsets. However, the Galaxy S9 will be featuring smaller but more powerful Snapdragon and Exynos chipsets. Samsung had manufactured the Snapdragon 835 chipsets for Qualcomm. However, according to a South Korean publication, the South Korean company has lost the manufacturing order of the next-generation 7nm Snapdragon chipset to TSMC earlier this year.
The publication has further reported that Samsung will be using 8nm manufacturing process for its next-generation Exynos chipset. The reason behind it is that Samsung is still prepping up on the production of 7nm chipset. However, Qualcomm seems to be having an upper hand as it next-generation chipset that is rumored as Snapdragon 845 will be built with 7nm manufacturing technology. It is said to be more power-efficient and cost-effective than 8nm chipset.
According to the publication, an industry insider has said that Samsung is likely to the next-generation 7nm Snapdragon SoC built by TSMC because of its energy efficient and performance. Also, Snapdragon SoCs come with inbuilt networking support for various kind of network bands which makes it quite convenient for cellular operators and OEMs to build a device that functions flawlessly. On the other side, the network support in Exynos chipsets mainly caters to international audience including South Korea.
Then, why is Samsung is producing an 8nm Exynos chipset which is not as efficient as the upcoming 7nm Snapdragon chipset? Another report from the same publication states that Samsung will significantly reduce the production of 7nm chipset in a bid to begin the production 6nm chipset in 2019. There are some rumors that the a 7nm Exynos chipset will be present under the hood of Galaxy Note 9.
This move could bring a momentary disadvantage of one year for Samsung as it will have to purchase Qualcomm chipsets manufactured by TSMC for its flagship smartphones. However, by 2019, the company is likely to have an advantage over TSMC. In the past too, Samsung has ditched 20nm chipsets to focus on 14nm chipsets. By skipping 10nm chipset, TSMC has attracted Samsung’s clients by manufacturing 7nm chipsets.
Once again, we have been treated to a new leak detailing the specs of the Xiaomi Redmi Pro 2. The Redmi Pro 2 is the tech giant’s second-gen model which is expected to take over from the Redmi Pro released last year. The Redmi Pro was Xiaomi’s first smartphone to feature an OLED display and a dual camera setup. A second-gen model is already due, considering the Redmi Pro was released in July last year.
The leaked specs sheet reveals the Redmi Pro 2 will feature an LCD display manufactured by TCL as against the OLED display the Redmi Pro uses. The display is listed to have a Full HD resolution but there are talks of a full-screen display on the Redmi Pro 2. The sheet also lists the device as packing a 3GB RAM manufactured by Samsung but there is no word on the processor. The Redmi Pro 2 was recently spotted briefly on Xiaomi’s official website with a Snapdragon 660 chip among other details.
On the camera aspect, the Xiaomi Redmi Pro 2 will pack two rear camera sensor comprised of a 12MP Sony IMX362 main sensor and a 5MP Samsung S5K4E8 secondary sensor. The device is also listed with a 16MP Samsung S5K3P8 sensor at the front for selfies. Other listed details include WiFi, Bluetooth, Accelerometer, Gyroscope. We can’t verify the authenticity of this leaked specs.
Samsung is yet to officially confirmed on the Samsung Galaxy Note FE (Fandom Edition) launch date. However, a report from the Wall Street Journal states that Samsung may debut the Galaxy Note FE in South Korea on July 7.
Even a previous report had hinted that the Galaxy Note FE would be launching on July 7. However, another report that surfaced after it stated that the Note FE’s arrival has been delayed and it will be debuting at the end of July. However, the fresh report from WSJ seems to confirm that the Note FE will finally debut in the next week.
Samsung will be introducing the Note FE in South Korea initially. The phablet will not be landing in the U.S., but it will be also releasing in some other countries. However, there is no information on the countries that will be getting the Note FE. In South Korea, Samsung will be selling 400,000 units of Galaxy Note FE that will be made available through the three leading carriers of the country. The company was initially rumored to sell 3 million units of the Galaxy Note FE, but it seems that considering the strong demand for the phablet, the company may have increased Note FE units for the native market. It will be selling with a price tag of 700,000 KRW (~$613) in South Korea.
The Galaxy Note FE is the refurbished edition of the Galaxy Note 7. It will be featuring the same internal changes albeit some changes like a smaller 3,200mAh compared to the 3,500mAh battery of the discontinued Galaxy Note 7. The Galaxy Note FE is also speculated to come loaded with Android Nougat OS and carry some support for Bixby AI.
The Galaxy Note FE will be hitting the South Korean markets few months after the release of Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ in the country. However, the South Korean company is of the view that the Galaxy Note FE’s sales will not disturb the sales of the Galaxy S8 duo. It is speculated that Samsung will not be manufacturing more units of Galaxy Note FE because it is already working on the launch of Galaxy Note 8 that is expected to get unleashed in August or September this year. It rumored to be debut with a costlier pricing of around $900.
Geotel is relatively new smartphone company from China that produces cheap devices. The Amigo is one of their latest models and it actually offers quite a lot value for the price of just about $100. Learn more in the full Geotel Amigo review.
The phone ships with all the usual stuff, no extras included.
DESIGN and DISPLAY
When it comes to the design, the Geotel Amigo is one of those rare compact phones that has 5.2” 720p display, which is actually great. It’s sharp and vibrant for both indoor and outdoor use.
The phone is made mostly of metal, except for the plastic top and bottom parts, the buttons do not rattle and in general, I don’t have any complaints about the build quality.
Just above the display, we have a 5MP shooter, which is coupled with the LED flash. Also, there is the LED notification light. On the bottom, there are on-screen navigation keys.
As for the camera, we have a 13MP shooter and dual LED flash. The fingerprint scanner may not be the fastest out there but it gets the job done and it unlocks the phone straight from the standby mode.
The loudspeaker is not going to impress you but it is decent for a $100 phone.
HARDWARE and PERFORMANCE
The phone sports pretty good specs for the price. The device ships with an octa-core MTK6753 chip (1.3GHz), 3GB of RAM and 32GB of expandable storage.
The gaming performance is pretty good if you play the 3D games like Asphalt 8 on medium graphics. However, you should expect quite a few skipped frames if you switch the graphics settings to the max.
BENCHMARKS
USER INTERFACE
The Geotel Amigo ships with a stock Android 7.0 out of the box.
There are a few added features like gesture and motion controls that work pretty well but what is the most important is that the phone is really fast, fluid and responsive all the time, even after installing quite a few apps.
CAMERAS
The Geotel Amigo can take some good-looking pictures in good lighting conditions. There is a good amount of detail, the pictures look quite sharp and in general, these are decent results from a $100 phone.
However, the camera falls apart in low-light scenarios.
Selfie pictures look bad and you will find a hard time using it for social media.
The front-facing LED flash lets you take selfies at night. Don’t expect great image quality but you may find it useful from time to time.
The 1080p video quality is just mediocre like on most of the cheap phones. Selfie video quality is kind of terrible.
When it comes to connectivity, the call quality is above average, the Wifi works fine and GPS is usable for navigation although it is not the most accurate out there.
BATTERY LIFE
The 3000mAh battery performs quite well. I was able to get over 5 hours of screen-on time, which is a good result considering the fact that I used the phone quite intensively.
CONCLUSIONS
The Geotel Amigo is actually a pretty good phone for less than $100 since it has a good build quality, decent specs and display and good overall performance. Also, the main camera can take decent images in daylight but it falls apart in low-light and the selfie camera is really bad.
If you don’t mind these shortcomings, the Geotel Amigo is a decent phone for the price considering the overall package you get for less than $100.
HMD Global’s first Nokia phone running on Android is the Nokia 6. The smartphone was unveiled first in China. As promised, the Finnish company is working on making the Nokia 6 in various markets across the globe. It has been found that the international edition of Nokia 6 is somewhat different from the Chinese version.
The Nokia 6 for China comes with 4 GB of RAM, but its international variant was confirmed in May to feature 3 GB of RAM. However, the letter that has been sent to Federal Communications Commission (FCC) by the Finnish company carries a list of hardware and software changes. One of the changes that can be seen on the international Nokia 6 is that it features 4 GB RAM and 64 GB of storage.
It seems that these changes were brought to Nokia 6 according to the feedback HMD Global received from the users. Since the company was making some changes on the international Nokia 6, it is because of this reason that some of the markets have not received the smartphone.
Here is the list of software changes on the international Nokia 6:
Fix RF Card configuration error
Not load FP driver when the device enter power off charging
Here is the list of hardware changes on the international Nokia 6:
Add 2nd source battery, HE335
Add 4G RAM / 64G ROM
Change L6219 & R6210 to NC to improve WiFi mask performance
Change L6220 to NC
Change R711, R707, R2207 to Murata Bead board to optimize camera de-sense
Change FPM to low voltage, add one diode + Low voltage FW to reduce FPM noise
Speaker Box SUS material change from 304 to 430 to resolve static magnetic issue.
Change coil material from FH5 to FH7 to improve coil heat resistant.
Here is the list of mechanical changes on the international Nokia 6:
Rear cover, Increase the thickness of Rib to improve the Main Cam deviation
Rear cover, Increase the chamfer to fit the change of battery tape
Rear cover, Decrease the thickness to increase the gap between Battery and Rear Cover
Camera Ring, modify the Rib of Camera Ring to avoid the interference
A Cover, increase the mark of PLE
Change front camera sponge to conductive sponge, to resolve defense issue
Power Key: modify the key dimension to improve key feeling
Rear cover, increase thickness of NFC pad
Rear cover, increase thickness to resolve the front cam deviation issue
Rear cover, modify the gap between rear cover & A cover to resolve assembly interference issue
Four variants of the Nokia 6 will be released in the near future. These variants will carry the model numbers such as TA-1025, TA-1039, TA-1021 and TA-1033. As it can be seen in the table below, the TA-1039 and TA-1033 are single-SIM models whereas the TA-1035 and TA-1021 are dual-SIM models. All these models carry support for different WCDMA and LTE bands. Only, TA-1025 and TA-1039 support HAC.
As far as the U.S. launch of Nokia 6 is concerned, the smartphone will be made available early in the coming month. It will be available through Amazon with a price tag of $229. The retailer giant will be selling the phone in color choices like Matte Black and Silver. Tempered Blue and Copper color variants of Nokia 6 will be introduced later through the summer. It seems that the Arte Black variant may not be arriving in the U.S.
Since the U.S. will be getting the dual-SIM edition of Nokia 6, it will not be compatible with the CDMA networks of Sprint and Verizon. It carries partial support for AT&T 4G LTE bands. However, T-Mobile will fully support the Nokia 6.
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