LeEco Le X920 Appears on Geekbench With Snapdragon 820, 4 GB RAM

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May 12, 2017

Meizu recently restructured its internal operations just as we reported, with Meizu president Jack Wong said to be in charge of the R&D for high-end phones while the Blue Charm division will be overseen by VP Li Nan. Now, the latest news is that the much anticipated Meizu full-screen phone will be coming in 2018. Recall that Meizu President Jack Wong had hinted that no full-screen phone will be coming from Meizu this year.

According to the report, the Meizu full-screen phone will only take one year to manufacture and would be priced around 4000 Yuan (around $580) or more. The device is tipped to have a stunning design which would take on Samsung and Apple models and isn’t comparable to what is obtained on the current Charm Blue models. As to the processor, the Meizu bezel-less phone will use a Qualcomm flagship chip and since Meizu and Qualcomm have put an end to their rift, this is very much possible.

In addition to the design that needs to be put up, Meizu also needs time to adapt the internals to Qualcomm’s processor, the source also hints. Concept renders of Meizu’s bezel-less phone has been a regular lately in leaks and that could be an affirmation that the company is actually planning for one. 2018 is still a while away and we don’t know if the said launch will be in the first or second half. So. we won’t advise you to get your hopes up just yet.

(via)

OnePlus 5 Price, Full Specs Listed on Geekbuying and GearBest

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Anvinraj Valiyathara

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May 12, 2017

OnePlus has recently confirmed that the OnePlus 5 moniker and its summer launch. However, in the previous week, the OnePlus 5 was found listed on OppoMart even though the flagship killer has not been officially announced. Today, other Chinese retailers like Geekbuying and GearBest have listed the OnePlus 5 with its full specifications and pricing.

The OnePlus 5 listing on Geekbuying states that it has a 5.5-inch screen that supports quad HD resolution of 2,560 x 1,440 pixels. The 64-bit Snapdragon 835 chipset that has a 2.35 GHz octa-core processor and Adreno 540 powers the OnePlus 5. The SoC is coupled with a whopping 8 GB of RAM and the native storage of the phone is 64 GB. It comes with support for microSD storage.

The listing further claims that it has a dual rear camera of 23-megapixel and a 16-megapixel front-facing camera. It has a front-mounted fingerprint scanner and a USB Type-C port. It is running on Android 7.1 Nougat OS and is packed with a 4,000mAh battery.

As far as pricing is concerned, the regular price of OnePlus 5 is mentioned as $621.99. The pre-order price of the phone is $449, but its shipping date is not mentioned. The retailer has listed only the black color variant of OnePlus 5.

GearBest too has listed the Global Version of OnePlus 5 with Arrival Notice button. The retailer has mentioned the price of the phone as $689. The OnePlus 5 specifications on GearBest is almost same as that on Geekbuying. However, GearBest has also mentioned the dimensions of the phone as 6.01 x 2.94 x 0.28 inches and its weight as 156 grams.

The Geekbuying and GearBest listing of OnePlus 5 cannot be completely trusted as some of the specs do not match with the rumored specs of OnePlus 5. Except for OnePlus X, no other OnePlus smartphone have featured a microSD card slot. Rumors have also claimed that the OnePlus 5 would continue to sport a full HD screen, but these retailers have mentioned that it features a quad HD display.

The listing of OnePlus 5 on aforementioned retailer sites cannot be trusted since OnePlus is yet to officially unveil the OnePlus 5. The company is expected to launch the OnePlus 5 in June or July this year.

(source 1,2|via)

Xiaomi Mi 6 Ceramic Edition Could Be Available in 11 Different Colors TENAA Listing Reveals

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May 12, 2017

When Xiaomi took the wraps off the Mi 6, it was announced that it would have a high-end ceramic version. It has been a few weeks since the Mi 6 went on sale and the ceramic version is still not available.

The main reason for the unavailability of the ceramic version is said to be due to the low capacity of ceramic CNC machining. In addition to that, an insider revealed that the Snapdragon 835 processor is still in short supply.

A recent TENAA listing of the Xiaomi Mi 6 appears to be that of the ceramic edition and hints at it being available in multiple colors. The reason we believe it is the ceramic version is because the images on TENAA show the phone with a reflective body. The reflective back is most likely ceramic, plus it even appears to be curvier.

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We can’t tell if it is the light bouncing off the surface that gives it that effect or the ceramic version truly has more curves. The image also shows a China Mobile branding on the back. We have added the images of the new listing and the one before the launch to show you what we are talking about.

Sharp Launching A Bezel-less Phone On May 24 in China?

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May 12, 2017

Japanese electronics giant Sharp has thrown up sort of a controversy with its latest press invite. The company recently released a poster hints at a launch event coming up on May 24 in Beijing, China.

The press invite didn’t state what the media event was for but it had the image of what looks like the edge of a bezel-less smartphone. The invitation also has as its theme a write-up which is in Chinese but talks about creating an unbounded media communication. The image and the caption of the invitation both points at the likelihood of a borderless Sharp smartphone coming.

Sharp is not new to bezel-less screen technology as its Aquos series have been rumoured severally to have a completely bezel-less phone coming. But the problem is usually that Sharp’s mobile phones are not readily available outside China. So, we cannot say if this is actually a new bezel-less phone coming. It could as well be another smart gadget like a SmartTV. We can’t say for sure so, we’ll have to wait until May 24 when the pack will be unwrapped. We do hope, though, that this is a bezel-less phone with Sharp’s awesome display technology at work inside.

iPhone 8 May Get World’s First 3D Facial Recognition Front Camera from LG Innotek

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Anvinraj Valiyathara

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May 12, 2017

Rumors have it that the upcoming iPhone 8 will be equipped 3D facial recognition feature. Fresh reports coming from South Korea has revealed that LG Innotek, a branch of the company that specializes in manufacturing electronic components, will be supplying world’s first 3D facial recognition camera modules to Apple. In order to manage Apple’s order, LG has reportedly invested $238.5 million on a completely new facility for manufacturing the new 3D camera modules.

The 3D facial recognition camera would be able to sense depth. This would allow users to unlock their smartphone in a more secure way. Samsung has already introduced facial recognition feature on Samsung Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+. However, the facial recognition feature available on the Galaxy S8 duo that relies on 2D technology are not that secure as it can be fooled easily by using a photograph of the subject’s face.

Since last year, Apple and LG Innotek are reportedly working together on a 3D facial recognition camera system that will not only work as security feature but also it can be used on entertainment applications and augmented reality. LG Innotek is the same company that provides dual rear cameras for the iPhone 7 Plus. The probable reason behind why LG has invested such a huge amount in a new facility for the 3D facial recognition camera for iPhone 8 is the new 3D camera will be smaller in size in comparison to the cameras on the iPhone 7 Plus.

The 3D camera will be slotted on the frontside of the upcoming iPhone. Considering the fact that the 3D camera will be smaller in size, there is a possibility that Apple may reduce the bezels on the iPhone 8 as it can be seen on Galaxy S8 and LG G6.

The iPhone 8 is speculated to come with a 5.8-inch edge-to-edge OLED display. The physical Home button is expected to be replaced by a virtual one. Recent reports had revealed that the Cupertino company had encountered problems in embedding the Touch ID sensor under the display. Hence, the rumor mill started claiming that the iPhone 8 would arrive with only have eye-based biometric recognition feature. These rumors have faded away but Apple is heavily pegged to bring retina scanning on the next iPhone.

(source|via)

Google Taimen Gets Benchmarked on Geekbench with Android O, Snapdragon 835, and 4 GB RAM

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Anvinraj Valiyathara

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May 12, 2017

A Google device with label “Google Taimen” has been spotted on Geekbench benchmarking site. It could be the third Google Pixel 2 device of the year apart from the other rumored models such as Walleye (codename for Google Pixel 2) and Muskie (codename for Google Pixel 2).

1.9 GHz octa-core SoC from It seems that someone having a prototype unit of Google Taimen has tested it on Geekbench. Even though the benchmark does not reveal the name of the chipset, but the Qualcomm driving the Google Taimen is speculated as the Snapdragon 835. The SoC of Taimen is accompanied by 4 GB of RAM and it is running on Android O which is the next version of Android OS after Android 7.0 Nougat.

The Google Taimen has recorded an impressive single-core score of 1804 and multi-core score of 6248 on Geekbench. The first news about the existence of Google Taimen had surfaced around two months ago. Google is known for codenaming its devices with names of fishes. Taimen is the largest salmonid in the world which hints that the Google Taimen would be a larger device than the Pixel 2 and Pixel XL 2 phones. The older report had claimed that the Google Taimen is a “separate” device hinting that it may be a non-Pixel device or it may be a tablet or a true successor of Nexus 6 that came with a huge display of 5.96 inches.

In the previous month, Walleye, Muskie and Taimen codenames were found on Android Open Source Project which confirmed the existence of the third Google device. And now it has appeared on Geekbench to further confirm the rumors on the existence of Taimen device.

The upcoming Google Pixel 2 and Pixel XL 2 smartphones are speculated to launch in October this year. There is a possibility that Google Pixel 2 phones may get announced a bit early. The upcoming Pixel 2 smartphones are rumored to come with waterproof chassis. These phones are also rumored to come with improved cameras that would include large-sized megapixels for shooting high quality images in low-light conditions. Rumors also claim that the Pixel 2 phones will not be featuring the standard 3.5mm headphone jack.

(source|via)

Huawei Mate 9 Gets Two New Trendy Color Options: Blue & Red (Pictures)

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May 12, 2017

Huawei has silently updated its flagship Mate 9 lineup, adding two new, attractive and trendy colours. Turns out the Huawei Mate 9 is getting two new colours which were very popular in the P8 and P9 series, namely, Red Agate and Topaz Blue. Huawei first introduced the two colours on the P9 and P9 Plus which already had a long array of colour options then and records show the two colour options were instant hits. Coincidentally, the P9 and Mate 9, both feature dual Leica cameras.

The two new Huawei Mate 9 Red Agate and Topaz Blue variants are only available on the 4GB + 64GB model and they both are listed to officially go up for sale on Huawei’s official flagship store on Jingdong (JD.com) for 3899 Yuan on May 14 at 10 AM. With this last additional two colours, the Mate 9 is now available in 8 different colours namely, Gold, Silver, Mocha brown, White, Gray, Black, and now Red Agate and Topaz Blue.

Other specifications are the same with the variants already available and as a reminder, the Mate 9 packs a 5.9-inch 1080p and is powered by a Kirin 960 chip. The Mate 9 features a dual camera setup designed by Leica at the rear which is a 12MP + 20MP combo. There is also a large 4,000mAh battery on board the device.

(source)

[envira-gallery slug=”huawei-mate-9-topaz-blue-red-agate”]

Report: Apple A11 Chip Production Using 10nm TSCM Process Commences

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May 11, 2017

The production of Apple A11 chip for iPhone 8 was scheduled to kick off in April but faced with yield issues, TSMC which may ultimately be the sole supplier of the 10nm chip for the upcoming iPhone, could not begin production of the chips. However, TSMC has finally officially begun the production of the next generation Apple SoC, set to feature in the iPhone 8 later this year, according to report from Taiwan.

The production process by TSMC was said to have been affected by some issues ranging from the stacking of components in the backend to the integrated fan-out packaging process. However, these setbacks have now been addressed and the company is ready to roll. With respect to performance, Apple’s custom CPU designs are the best in the smartphone industry and as is customary with Apple, they have designed the A11 chip pattern according to their specifications but the fabrication of the components will be done by TSCM. The A11 chip will be used on Apple’s next flagship, the iPhone 8.

Apart from the A11 chip, it is also expected that the new iPhone 8 would incorporate a 5-inch (could be slightly more) OLED display into the same physical case size as a 4.7-inch iPhone 7 with thin chins on the top and bottom edges. This means the device will have smaller bezels allowing the screen to dominate the front face. Other expectations from the iPhone 8 include a dual camera setup (12-megapixel and 7-megapixel sensors), a 3D front camera, better speakers, waterproofing and stainless steel will be used in the production with glass sandwich design. New information suggests that the AirPods will be bundled inside the box.

The commencement of mass production of iPhone 8 is uncertain, but a recent report by security firm KGI claim that it may not start until October or November. Another report has also suggested that the device may not go on sale until October.

(source)

The Planet Cup is A Cute Little Teacup With A Wooden Handle

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May 11, 2017

A few days ago, Xiaomi’s Mijia platform launched the Cottonsmith Underwear to keep you fresh and clean when you sweat. Yesterday, they released the Planet Cup whose unique design is its cute little wooden handle shaped just like a planet.

The Planet Cup has a diameter of 65mm and a volume of 140ml. It is made from porcelain and comes with a polished wooden saucer. But the cool thing about the teacup is its wooden planet-shaped handle made from rosewood, walnut, boxwood, or birch. The handle has a diameter of 28mm and is screwed to the body of the cup. So you shouldn’t worry about it falling off.

Xiaomi Has Sold Over One Million Mi VR Headsets in The Last Six Months

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May 11, 2017

Yesterday was the 10th China VR and AR International Summit and Xiaomi was recognized as the leader in the industry. Xiaomi’s foray into VR started last year with the launch of the Mi VR Play and Mi VR headsets. Last month, they followed it up with the Mi VR Play 2.

Today, the General Manager of Xiaomi’s VR platform announced via his Weibo account (@Don Mu Thomas) that Xiaomi has sold over a million Mi VR headsets in the last six months. This news follows Samsung’s announcement that it has sold 782,000 Gear VR units in Q1 2017 alone.

Xiaomi knows its not at the top of the industry chain but it isn’t doing badly. Don Thomas also states that statistics show users are willing to pay 13% more on their VR platform because of the quality of the games available.

Gionee S10 is Joining The Green Revolution, Green Coloured Variant Leaks

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May 11, 2017

Smartphone makers are adopting trendy new color variants for their high-end devices which usually come with a metal body. Gionee isn’t likely going to be left out of this trend as a set of images of the quad-camera packing Gionee S10 having a green paint job has appeared online.

The Green coloured Gionee S10 appears alongside the Gold variant in the images and is quite attractive. Even the antenna band seems to be coated in green also. Gren is one gentle colour and it plays out on the overall looks of the leaked green S10. The device looks super cool in this new paint job, and would be a hot selling one if actually, Gionee releases this.

With this colour variant, Gionee will be joining ranks with Huawei who released a green variant for the P10 and OPPO who recently added a new green variant to the R9s and R9s Plus. The Gionee S10 features a camera design that ordinarily would make it capture the headlines, a green coloured smartphone who further attract more attention to the device. The internal hardware is also not disappointing, as the S10 packs a 2.5GHz octa-core processor backed by 6GB of RAM while there is a 64GB storage onboard. You’ll get a 3,450mAH battery while the interface is provided by ANdroid’s latest Nougat OS. The Gionee S10 may likely come in other trendy colors, where there’s green, red is also likely present.

Samsung 5100mAh Fast Charge Power Bank Now Official in The US

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May 11, 2017

Just before the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ were launched, a list of official accessories for the phones leaked online. The list included a bunch of cases, chargers and a power bank. Today, Samsung officially launched the power bank in the US.

The power bank has a capacity of 5100mAh that Samsung says should provide up to two full charges. If you own the Galaxy S8, you sure wouldn’t be getting more than a full charge and half; and for the Galaxy S8+, maybe a little more than a full charge.

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Available in blue and white, the Samsung battery pack has a strap in the middle that makes carrying it around easy. While it can deliver up to 2A charging speed, it will also charge Samsung phones that support fast charge up to 1.5x faster.

The battery pack has a power button, a USB Type-C input port and a standard USB output port. There is a LED indicator that shows you how much charge you have left. It also comes with a micro USB cable and a USB Type-C adapter. The Samsung power bank supports pass through charging, so you can plug your phone to it while the power bank itself is charging.

Samsung is charging $59.99 for this battery pack and while you may want to buy it to compliment your Galaxy S8 or S8+, you should consider other power banks too. An example is Xiaomi’s Mi Mobile Power 2.

The Mi Mobile Power 2 has a 20,000mAh capacity, that is almost 4 times that of the Samsung power bank. That also means its a lot bigger but you’ll get more charge out of it. It also supports Quick Charge 3.0 (5.1V/2.4A, 9V/2A, and 12V/1.5A) via any of its two output ports and 5V/2A, 9V/2A input fast charging. The latter means you will spend less time charging the power bank.

ZTE Nubia Z17 AnTuTu Screenshot Reveals A Ridiculous 8GB of RAM Inside

By

Joel Joseph

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May 11, 2017

Even when 6GB of RAM is just getting standard on flagship smartphones, it looks like ZTE’s subsidiary, Nubia, is all set to take things to another level with its upcoming Nubia Z17 flagship. The phone is said to come with all the bells and whistles of a 2017 flagship device, but what will reportedly make it special is the amount of RAM inside — a whopping 8GB of RAM!

According to the screenshots obtained by Forbes’ Ben Sin, which by the way is said to be from a reliable source in Shenzhen, the Nubia Z17 scores an impressive 180,049 points on the AnTuTu benchmark test. That’s much higher than the already powerful Galaxy S8 with Snapdragon 835 inside. This score is actually not that surprising given that the phone is said to run on the latest Snapdragon 835 chipset and along with it, there’s 8GB of RAM to make it the multi-tasking king (at least on paper).

Now note that the screenshots confirm the model number to be: NX563J, which unsurprisingly is the same model that showed up on TENAA today and on Geekbench a few days back. With so many sightings, there’s very little doubt that the Nubia Z17 flagship will be announced in the coming weeks.

Nubia seems to have done a good job with its dual camera setup on the Nubia Z17 Mini (our review here!), but with the Z17 flagship, the company is said to take the dual camera setup to the next level with the use of a 23MP + 12MP camera combination. Further, the phone is said to feature the latest version of Android 7.1.1. And yes, the Nubia Z17 flagship is said to continue the bezel-less design seen on its predecessor, the Nubia Z11.

Overall, with 8GB of RAM, Snapdragon 835 and a powerful dual camera setup, the Nubia Z17 could turn out to be a formidable 2017 flagship giving high-end phones like the Galaxy S8 and Huawei P10 Plus a run for their money.

(source)

Samsung’s Refurbished Galaxy Note 7R Could Sell At Half The Original Cost

By

Joel Joseph

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May 11, 2017

Back when the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 launched in the market, it was very well received by reviewers and fans all around the globe. Now, if I were to tell you that the same phone, with its battery problems being fixed, would retail at less than $500, what would be your reaction?

Korea’s the investor was first to reveal this information to the public. The report from the website states that this premium phablet is widely rumored to be released at around 50% discount as compared to the original price tag. If true, this would take the Note 7R’s price tag to as low as $440 since the same phone launched at around $850 – $870 in the US and the South Korea. It’s interesting to note that the earlier rumors stated Note 7R’s price tag at around 700,000 KRW (~$620).

While a price tag of less than $500 would make the Galaxy Note 7R an attractive choice for Android lovers, it’s unlikely that Samsung would price it so cheap. The refurbished Note model is expected to feature the same premium specs as the previous generation, except for the battery, which is said to be reduced to 3200mAh capacity. Another change would be the new Android 7 version on the model.

Note that the investor’s report states that the “the phone is widely rumored to be priced about 50% cheaper” and does not directly confirm this super cheap price tag.

As for the release, the Galaxy Note 7R is currently in the stage of obtaining safety certification in South Korea, and we can expect the phone to be launched in the coming months, maybe around early June, a good few weeks before the Note 8’s launch.

So what do you think? Will Samsung take the leap and price the refurbished model at 50% discount than original? Also, would you be interested in the phone if the price is so low?

I sure would love to get my hands on the refurbished Note 7R if it’s below $500.

(Source)

Analyst Reveals Details About Mediatek’s Helio P23

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May 11, 2017

Qualcomm is Mediatek’s biggest competitor and it is usually a tough race between both rivals. Following the announcement of the new Snapdragon 660 and Snapdragon 630, Mediatek seems to be planning to announce a new processor that will rival both chips. According to tech analyst, Pan Jiutang, Mediatek’s new chip is called the Helio P23.

In his Weibo Post, Pan Jiutang says the Helio P23 is similar to the Helio X30. The latter which has been announced since last year is Mediatek’s 10nm chip but has failed to surface in phones more than 4 months after its announcement due to production issues.

Helio P23

The Helio P23 is built on a 16nm architecture but incorporates the main features of the Helio X30 such as the PowerVR 7XTP GPU. It will support Cat. 7 LTE, LPPDR4X RAM, up to 2K displays, and dual cameras. The Helio P23 will make use of eight core-A53 cores and will be easier and cheaper to make.

Mediatek is hoping that when the Helio P23 launches it will help it recover some of the mid-range market it has lost to Qualcomm. Last year, Mediatek had suffered a loss in market share due to the inability of its chips to support Cat. 7 LTE.

Gionee S10 Quad Camera Phone Launch Set For May 26

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May 11, 2017

Gionee has released a poster that teases the launch of its next smartphone which is identified as Gionee S10 billed to take place on May 26 in China. The Gionee S10 alongside its counterpart, the S10 Plus have been the subject of several leaked appearances both on benchmark websites and on TENAA. We have even had leaked images of the device before now.

One stand out feature on the leaks is the four cameras the S10 is shown to come with. The Gionee S10 has dual cameras at the front and at the rear, making it just about the second smartphone to feature such after the Alcatel Flash. The poster also teases the quad camera setup the S10 will launch with.

Fron the leaked images of the S10 and S10 Plus, both smartphones may likely feature the same design but will have different screen sizes. The device also comes with an all metal body and a U-shaped antenna design. there is also the likelihood of the device featuring a rear fingerprint sensor even though the likely location of the sensor looks like it’s just having a logo.

On the specs angle, the Gionee S10 is touted to be powered by a 2.5GHz octa-core processor backed by 6GB of RAM while there is a 64GB storage onboard. The device runs Amigo OS based on Android 7.0 Nougat out-of-the-box and packs a 3450mAh battery. The dual camera setup at the rear is said to be a 16MP + 8MP combo and the one in front is a 20MP+ 8MP sensor. The smartphone will likely come in black and gold but we can’t rule out the possibility of more colour variants, in keeping up with the trend. The leaked images on display here are those of a green and gold variant.

Nubia Z17 Mini Red Version Up For Sale In China Soon

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May 11, 2017

ZTE’s elite brand Nubia launched the Z17 Mini a couple of weeks back in China with a dual camera setup at the rear. The Nubia Z17 Mini isn’t a flagship device but it packs a design and specs lineup that makes it look like a flagship device. The smartphone comes in four different colours which include champagne gold, black gold, red and elegant black.

Nubia has now revealed that the red color version of the Z17 Mini will go up for sale on May 18. Already the reservation for the flash sale opened today and is currently on via Nubia’s website. Specs wise, the Z17 Mini pack a Snapdragon 653 processor which is backed by 6GB of RAM. There is also a Snapdragon 652-powered version with 4GB of RAM.

Perhaps, the most stand-out feature on the Nubia Z17 Mini is the dual camera setup at the rear, as well as the large pixel selfie shooter. The main camera is a powerful 13MP Sony IMX258 sensor and the secondary sensor is a black and white camera which is a depth of field camera. The dual camera supports 0.1s mixed focus and also 4K ultra-high definition video recording. It can also capture in slow motion and has time lapse feature.

The Red variant on sale carries a price tag of 1699 Yuan ($247), which makes this the 4GB + 64GB. The device is available on Nubia’s website.

Meizu E2 to Cost ¥200 More and Will Get New Panda Color Variant

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May 11, 2017

The Meizu E2 was released two weeks ago sporting a new LED flash design and a Helio P20 processor. Pricing for the Meizu E2 starts at ¥1299 ($189) but new report says buyers may end up paying more.

The info comes from a Weibo account who shared a screenshot from a dealer stating that the Meizu E2 will go on sale on Monday for ¥1499 ($218). That is ¥200 ($29) more than the original price.

There is no explanation for the increase but some are speculating that the recent restructuring at Meizu may be responsible. The official site still has the price as ¥1299 for the 3GB + 32GB version and ¥1599 ($232) for the 4GB + 64GB version.

There is also report of a new color option called Panda which has a black front and a white rear. The new version will be priced at ¥1499 ($218) for the 32GB variant. It is possible that this is the version that is generating the rumor of a price increase.