Andy Rubin’s Essential Phone was the topic on the front burner last week when it was unveiled officially to the public. The Essential Phone-1 dazzled with the sleek design it came with as well as the powerful specs it features. The major highlight was no doubt the Snapdragon 835 chip it would launch packing. Another spectacular feature is the rear camera setup.
The Essential PH-1 packs two 13MP f/1.85 lenses on its rear panel arranged in a horizontal manner, one of which exclusively captures monochrome (black and white) images, while the other one records colours. The two work in conjunction to deliver high-quality photos that would hardly be achieved with conventional single-lens mobile camera setups.
Apart from the dual cameras, the device has a module from where a 360-degree camera can be clipped on the device to enable a whole different kind of phone-based photography. Essential President Niccolo de Masi has now given us a glimpse of what the 360-degree camera and the dual camera samples look like. Interestingly, the dual camera sample photos look quite grainy with lots of image noise all over. The two sample images don’t look like what have been captured by a flagship phone. We may even find much better samples from budget phones. The two sample photos have since been deleted from his Twitter account but the crisps clear panoramic video apparently captured by the Essential Ph-1 is still on his timeline.
We really can’t say why the Essential Phone’s camera samples came out bad bot we’re sure the company will reveal better samples soon. But then, if much better ones surface, it becomes difficult knowing what’s true and what’s not.
Mark your calendars! The highly-anticipated OnePlus 5 launches on June 20. The announcement was made by OnePlus CEO Pete Lau via his official Twitter account. A few minutes later, the official OnePlus Twitter account also made the announcement.
The event like all other OnePlus launches will be live-streamed at 12:00 PM EDT (4:00 PM GMT). Should we expect new VR glasses this year? We can’t say yet.
There will also be pop-up events holding at various locations. It will hold in New York on the same day at 7:00 PM at the Meatpacking District. OnePlus Co-founder Carl Pei and popular YouTuber MKBHD will be present.
It will also hold in Paris on June 21 at 11:00 AM at 213 Rue Saint Honore. Other locations are listed on the page created for the event.
Yesterday, the date leaked online via an image but was disproved and said to be for the OnePlus 2. Turns out that while that date might have truly been for the OP2 (April 20, 2015), whoever posted it again was giving us a hint.
The OnePlus 5 will be powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 835 processor. A picture posted by OnePlus hints at the device being smaller than the OP3T. The main feature most people are looking forward to is the camera which is rumored to be dual sensors. Heck! The official launch poster even teases it with the phrase “Focus On What Matters”.
There even appears to be a hint buried in the event page. The box holding the text “Focus On What Matters” moves slightly in both directions like a panorama. Try moving around with your cursor and you should notice it.
Every Tuesday, Xiaomis Mijia Platform announces at least one new product. Over the weekend, they teased two new products which we thought were sports-themed but turns out we were wrong. One of them is destined for the kitchen and that is the Red Dot Prize Stainless Steel Pot Series.
The Red Dot Prize Stainless Steel Pot Series consists of a soup pot, a sauté pan, and a milk pot. All three are made by Wu Yi Technology Co., a company based in Shenzhen, China that will also handle shipping and after-sales services.
The pots are made from SAE 304 stainless steel and sport glass lids with red handles. They can be used on induction cookers, gas stoves, electric stoves, and even electric furnaces and are non-stick pots.
There are a number of neat features on the pots. For example, the handles on the lids are designed to hold turning sticks and ladles and the inside of the pots have markings for measurement.
Samsung is working on a new 14nm chip called the Exynos 7872. The new mid-range chip has a number of features going for it, key feature being full network support. Although the chip is yet to launch, Meizu already has plans to release a phone powered by the chip.
Previous details revealed about the chip says it will have six cores: 4 Cortex-A73 and 2 Cortex-A53 cores, paired with a Mali-T830 GPU. According to a Weibo post by @Grass Grass Grass, there has been a change. Instead of the T830, the GPU has been swapped for a Mali-G71 MP1.
This is a high performance ARM GPU and a variant of the one found in the Kirin 960 (Mali-G71 MP8). The difference lies in the number of cores. The MP1 has just a single display core while the MP8 as the name suggests has 8. The Mali-G71 actually maxes out at 32 cores.
We had thought Sharp was planning to launch a bezel-less smartphone in China on May 25 but that never happened. The Japanese tech giant had shared a teaser pointing at an event slated for May 25. The date has long come and gone but that has not stopped the leaks surrounding the expected Sharp bezel-less phone from abating. The rumours started resurfacing since Sharp reopened its Weibo page, something that is seen as a sign that the company is preparing to make a comeback in the Chinese market.
A Weibo user has shared a couple of photos said to be renders of a bezel-less Sharp model. On a closer look, it could be noticed that the device comes with a design having very narrow bezels at the sides.The display covers the entire screen with just a small cut out in the upper edge for the selfie camera. The screen to body ratio is way higher than those of the Samsung Galaxy S8 or the Xiaomi Mix. Now, we would have thought this is a fan generated render that might not see the light of day but that perception was changed by the Mi Mix and other bezel-less devices that have hit the market since Xiaomi unveiled the Mix last year.
Still talking about the design, the bezel-less Sharp phone features a dual camera setup at the rear, aligned in a vertical direction. The device also has a ultra-thin body and looks more like the recently unveiled Essential Phone 1. Since there is no rear fingerprint sensor, the device will likely feature a front fingerprint sensor. In the absence of any form of bezel under the display, the sensor may be an onscreen sensor.
OnePlus is known for releasing stellar flagship smartphones with affordable pricing. However, the one department that the company needs to improve is customer service. In order to ensure that the customers are provided with the best customer service, it has released a new video that reveals how the company has improved its customer service department and how important is aftersales service for the company.
The video with the title “OnePlus – A Closer Look at the Customer Service” states that the company started in 2013 with 5 people in its customer care department and now it has more than 500 employees for customer support. The customer care team of OnePlus is reachable through various channels such as phone, live chat, social media and forum. Apart from repair centers in the U.S. and Europe, the Chinese firms has numerous local support teams and repair centers across the globe. The video also talks about the different steps involved in dealing with the problems of the customer. Here is the video:
The video has been released just before the impending launch of OnePlus 5 flagship phone. This indicates that the company wants its customers to know that what sort efforts it is making to overcome its weakness. OnePlus has been consistently releasing teasers on its upcoming flagship, the OnePlus 5. The video seems to be one of the strategies to build the hype around the OnePlus 5 that is pegged to launch this month.
The Chinese firm has already confirmed that the Snapdragon 835 will be present under the hood of OnePlus 5. Rumors have revealed that the OnePlus 5 would be coming with dual rear cameras. And OnePlus has also confirmed that it is working with DxOLabs (best known for DxOMark benchmarking platform for cameras) to deliver the best photography experience on OnePlus 5.
The OnePlus 5 is expected to sport a thinner chassis than the predecessor models. It is rumored to come with a 5.5-inch FHD screen. It is expected to be available in 64 GB and 128 GB storage options along with 6 GB RAM of RAM.
OnePlus is still silent on the launch date of OnePlus 5. Speculations hint that it may launch on June 15 and there are other rumors that it may get unveiled later in this month. It is expected to arrive with a costlier price tag than its predecessor.
It appears that Microsoft hasn’t shelved its dream of making a Surface Mobile. A video accidentally uploaded on video sharing website, Bilibili via the official Microsoft account has revealed details about the upcoming phone.
The video is titled “1706 Engineering Equipment”and its description contains info about the Surface Mobile. Although the video has been deleted, someone managed to get a screenshot of the video’s description. After it was translated, we were able to make out key info about the device.
Surface Mobile Code Names: Surface Peking and Surface Slovania
Apparently, there will be two variants. One is called the Surface Peking (Beijing used to be written as Peking) and the other is called Surface Slavonia. They might differ in terms of screen sizes and or internal configuration.
Surface Mobile Design, Processor and Features
The Surface Mobile will be powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Mobile Platform. This will most likely be the Snapdragon 835. Microsoft is already working with Qualcomm and a bunch of other hardware partners to release SD-835 laptops. If its powering Windows laptops, its definitely powering the Surface Mobile.
The Surface Mobile will have an exclusive Surface Pen with a dedicated key that brings up OneNote. The phone itself will have a hinge design that bends up to 185°.
A recent Microsoft patent showing a hinged device may provide a hint as to what the Surface Mobile will look like. This device has two displays and can be seen to flex to different angles.
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This is a different design entirely from what we are used to seeing. And based on what CEO Satya Nadella said in an interview a few months ago, the corporation has been working on personal computing devices with new form factors.
There is also the mention of new “ONTO TABLE” Projection Continuum function that lasts up to 1 hour of desktop work.
Xiaomi announced its new chip, the Surge S1 this year and the first phone to be powered by it is the Xiaomi Mi 5C. Initially priced at ¥1499 (∼$220), the Mi 5C has now gotten an official price cut….that lasts just one day.
The Mi 5C will now sell for ¥1299 (∼$190) before returning to its old price. The price cut is for the on going 618 promotion. So what does a $190 phone have to offer?
Like the name says, the Mi 5C is similar to the Mi 5. It has the same display size and resolution, and shares the same fingerprint scanner design and location. However, that is more or less where the similarities end.
There is 3GB of RAM on board and 64GB of storage with no support for expansion. Its octa-core processor is clocked at 2.2GHz and it has a Mali-T860MP4 GPU. The main camera is a 12MP f/2.2 sensor from OmniVision that takes pretty impressive shots. You also get a 8MP shooter in front.
The Xiaomi Mi Max 2 was unveiled on May 25 to replace the last year’s MI Max 2. Since its launch, the Xiaomi phablet has been only available in the home country of China. However, within weeks of its official announcing, the Mi Max 2 has landed in Malaysia with a pricing of RM 1,499 (~$350) with GST included for the 64 GB model.
A Malaysian retailer, DirectD has listed the 64 GB Xiaomi Mi Max 2 in gold color. The Mi Max 2 was also announced in 128 GB storage options which is not listed on the Malaysian retailer site.
The Xiaomi Mi Max comes with a 6.44-inch full HD display that produces a resolution of 1,920 x 1,080 pixels and is powered by Snapdragon 625 chipset and 4 GB of RAM. It comes in two storage choices of 64 GB and 128 GB. The phablet comes preloaded with Android 7.1.1 Nougat OS with MIUI 8.2 overlaid on it. It also includes a microSD card slot, a USB Type-C slot and a rear-facing fingerprint scanner.
For photography, Xiaomi has included a stellar 12-megpaixel Sony IMX386 sensor which features large pixels that measure 1.25 microns. It’s the same camera sensor available on Mi 6. The camera is capable of shooting high quality photos in low light conditions. It features an 85-degree wide angle 5-megapixel selfie camera. Here is a comparison camera shots taken from Xiaomi Mi Max 2 and the dual rear cameras of Mi 6.
The phablet is also equipped with stereo speakers. It is powered by 5,300mAh battery that is coupled with Quick Charge 3.0. In China, its 64 GB and 128 GB models are respectively priced at 1,699 Yuan (`$250) and 1,999 Yuan (~$294). Speculations are rife that it would be arriving on July 23 in India.
ZTE’s elite brand Nubia launched the Z17 flagship on June 1 with the first sale slated to hold on June 6 on Jingdong as well as on Nubia’s official store. The Nubia Z17 did indeed go on sale today as schedule and the record of the sales from Jingdong indicate that the Z17 was sold out in record time and quantity. Jingdong says it sold 10K units of the Z17 in just 51 seconds. That isn’t all, the Nubia flagship only needed four minutes before breaking Jingdong’s single product first sales figure in the mobile phone category.
The Z17’s sales performance isn’t much of a surprise considering the strong specs lineup it launched with. The Nubia Z17 is perhaps the most spectacular Snapdragon 835-powered smartphone around presently as a result of the massive 8GB RAM it features on its topmost model. That makes it one of the first smartphones in the world to feature such, second only to the Zenfone AR. The Z17 is also the first device to utilise Qualcomm’s latest Quick Charge 4+ fast charging technology even though users won’t get a supported charger for now. The flagship device also packs a dual camera setup at the rear which is a telephoto and wide angle lenses. The flagship also has waterproof properties.
Another quality that may have triggered the record sales the Nubia Z17 achieved may be its competitive price tag. The 6GB + 64GB Z17 version retails at 2799 Yuan ($411) while the 6GB + 128GB variant retails at 3399 Yuan ($500). Surprisingly, the topmost 8GB + 128GB variant costs just 3999 Yuan ($587). This price makes the Z17 well positioned to take on the Xiaomi Mi 6. The next round of sales would commence on June 12 at 10 AM (CST).
The size of the HomePod is less than 7 inches, but it is packed with a seven-tweeter system at its bottom and at the top is a 4-inch woofer with auto bass EQ designed by Apple. it is equipped six microphones to recognize voice even the music is playing at high volume. The entire speaker system is powered by Apple A8, the same chipset that is present under the hood of iPhone 6. It is very easy to setup a HomePod as it only requires the user to hold the iPhone close to the HomePod and it is smart enough to detect it and start playing music.
With spatial awareness onboard, the Apple HomePod can automatically detect the spaces and features of the room where it is placed and accordingly it can adjust the sound and deliver optimized sound output. If two HomePods are kept in the same room, both the devices can detect each other and function together to deliver the best sound experience without any ads.
The Apple A8’s prowess is coupled with Siri AI which transforms HomePod into a smart speaker system. The HomePod is integrated with Apple Music which makes it possible to listen to wide array of 40 million songs from its library. Siri can serve as a musicologist for music lovers as it can quick provide answers to questions like “Who is singing this song?” and “Who is playing the drums in this song?”
With Siri intelligence, the HomePod offers various features such as listening to news, unit conversions, setting reminders, send messages, control other smart devices, weather updates and more. When the HomePod users is not at home, he/she can use the Home app on an iPhone or iPad and access its features remotely.
As far as availability of Apple HomePod is concerned, it will be available in December starting with regions like the U.S, the U.K. and Australia. More countries will be added later on. It will be priced at $349 and will be available in color choices like White and Space Gray. The HomePod is compatible with iDevices running on iOS 11 and iPhone 5s and above.
Here is the official introduction video of Apple HomePod:
At the ongoing Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) 2017, Apple has finally unveiled the all-new 10.5-inch iPad Pro to replace the 2016’s 9.7-inch iPad Pro. It has also announced a refreshed 12.9-inch iPad Pro as a successor for the original version that was launched in 2015.
10.5-inch, 12.9-inch iPad Pro Specifications and Features
Apple has managed to include a 10.5-inch screen into the same form factor of a 9.7-inch iPad Pro by cutting down on the bezels by 40 percent. The weight of the tablet is only 1 pound. The new 10.5-inch and the refreshed 12.9-inch iPad Pros come with True Tone screens that can automatically adjust the temperature of the color on the basis of lighting conditions.
The displays also offer a maximum refresh rate of 120 Hz which means users can take advantage of smooth scrolling and responsiveness along with 20ms latency for Apple Pencil. The ProMotion feature enhances display quality by consuming less power and automatically adjusts the refresh rate. Other features of the display include wide color gamut with HDR video support, ultralow reflectivity and 600 nits brightness.
The new iPad Pros are fueled by Apple A10X Fusion chipset that features a hexa-core processor which includes three high-performance cores and three high-efficiency cores. It also includes a 12-core graphics that delivers 40 percent better graphics performance than Apple A9X. The new iPad Pros can deliver a battery performance of up 10 hours along with fast charging support.
The 10.5-inch iPad Pro and the refreshed 12.9-inch iPad Pro also feature the same 12-megapixel with f/1.8 aperture rear-facing camera sensor that is available on the backside of iPhone 7. It carries features like Optical Image Stabilization, quad-LED true tone flash, and 4K video shooting support. It has a 7-megapixel FaceTime HD camera.
The new iPad Pros are also fitted with quad-speaker audio system. For connectivity, the two devices offer features like embedded Apple SIM, Wi-Fi 802.11ac, and LTE Advanced. The Touch ID sensors on both devices can be not only used for unlocking but also for authenticating transactions on Apple’s online stores
The all new iOS 11 comes preloaded on the new iPad Pros. It brings a plethora of new features such as a full-sized onscreen keyboard, a customizable dock that gives access to frequently used apps and documents from any screen, a enhanced multi-tasking, revamped app switcher, a new Files app that gives access to iCloud Drive, Dropbox and other online storages, a new drop-and-drop feature between apps and a document scanner for scanning single or multiple documents. The Apple Pencil supports inline drawing, PDF annotation, drawing on screenshots, Instant Markup support for easily signing on documents, and a simple tap on the Lock Screen launches the Notes app instantly.
The 10.5-inch and 12.9-inch iPad Pro color variants include Silver, Space Gray, Gold and Rose Gold. The Wi-Fi only 10.5-inch iPad Pro with 64 GB storage is priced at $649. Its Wi-Fi + Cellular model is priced at $779. The Wi-Fi only variants of 256 GB and 512 GB storage variants are respectively priced at $749 and $849.
The Wi-Fi only 12.9-inch iPad Pro with 64 GB storage is priced at $799. Its Wi-Fi + Cellular model is priced at $929. The Wi-Fi only 256 GB and 512 GB variants are respectively priced at $899 and $1,099. The 12.9-inch iPad Pro is available in colors like Silver, Space Gray and Gold.
The new iPad Pros are available from online stores and authorized resellers of Apple in the U.S. and other countries like Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK. Countries like India, Turkey and UAE will be receiving the new iPad Pros later this month followed by Brazil, Mexico and South Korea in July.
The Apple Pencil is priced $99 and Charcoal Gray Smart Keyboard for 10.5-inch iPad Pro costs $159. The Smart Keyboard for 12.9-inch iPad Pro is priced at $169. Apple is also new Leather Sleeve, Apple Pencil cases, and Smart Covers for the new iPad Pros.
There are indications that Samsung may be working on a new mid-range chipset which is said to go by the name Exynos 9610. Samsung already has the Exynos 8895 chip featured on its latest high-end Galaxy S8 models which also use Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 835 chip. The Exynos 9610 is said to be due to the release of the Snapdragon 660 chip which is a mid-range chip. The Exynos 9-series will be a new series on its own, according to the source. Recall that Samsung had teased the launch of an Exynos 9-series chip some time ago but instead launched the Exynos 8895. But the Exynos 9610 is tipped as the true Exynos 9 series eve though we wonder why the 9 series would be a mid-ranger.
Configuration wise, the Exynos 9610 is said to be manufactured using the 14nm LPP process and integrates the entire network baseband. The chip is made up of four Cortex -A73 cores and eight Cortex-A53 cores. The Exynos 9610 is also said to feature a G72MP3 GPU which looks like a Nvidia GPU.
Further, the Exynos 9610 is expected to debut in the fourth quarter of this year and may likely be used by Meizu first. We had earlier heard that the Exynos 7872 chip which was spotted on the specs sheet of a Meizu phone will also debut this year and that rumour joins this as well. We can’t say how true this is anyway. Already, OPPO is gearing up to utilise the Snapdragon 660 chip and should be launched any moment from now. We may likely be seeing the chip in benchmarks if this rumour turns out to be true.
Xiaomi announced the Xiaomi Mi Max 2 a few days ago in China. Apart from the processor inside, the phone got some decent upgrades in the camera and battery department. Since Snapdragon 625 inside the Mi Max 2 isn’t going to turn any heads, our focus is on the camera on the smartphone. The Xiaomi phablet has the same Sony IMX386 sensor as the Xiaomi Mi 6 at the back, so it’s definitely interesting to see whether the performance is as good as the dual camera equipped flagship.
We recently got our hands on the Mi Max 2 and the first thing we did was to compare the pictures taken on the phone along with the ones taken from the Mi 6. Before we head on to the detailed picture by picture comparison, note that the Mi Max 2 has similar performance to the Xiaomi Mi 6 but only under certain conditions. The phone’s IMx386 sensor can stand on its own as a pretty good camera but it may not be as good as the Mi 6 in low light situations.
What we can see from the images below is that the Mi Max 2 manages to keep up with the Mi 6 in places where there’s pretty good lighting. The Mi 6’s samples come out warmer and lively, while the Mi Max 2 manages to take a decent amount of detail with deeper blues and greens. That’s why the photos taken from the Mi Max 2 come out a bit darker. In terms of details, owing to the same sensor inside, both capture a similar amount of details in the pictures. Most of the times, the warmer color shade from the Mi 6 might look a bit better but there are a few instances, like the image of the rock sculpture where Mi Max 2’s sample looks more natural. The lack of OIS is evident in the images, as even a slight shake would result in blurry photos. You can actually see the difference of OIS in the closeup portrait image of the guy in the parking lot. Here, Mi 6 shines with its dual cameras and 4-axis OIS while the Mi Max 2 struggles to take a good picture.
Mi 6 on the left vs Mi Max 2 on the right
The difference in the performance of the two phones is more evident in low light and artificial lighting conditions, wherein the Mi 6 seems to take better photos than the Mi Max 2. Also, the Mi 6 is faster than the Max 2 in focusing and capturing the images.
But if we were to judge the performance of the Xiaomi Mi Max 2 by itself, then it definitely has a good camera at the back, even better than last year’s Mi Max model.
What do you think?
Just check out the images down below to see how the samples compare. The Xiaomi Mi 6 samples have watermark while the ones from the Mi Max 2 don’t. That’s how you identify the phone used to capture the sample.
It is becoming clearer by the day that Chinese smartphone manufacturer OnePlus will soon launch the OnePlus 5 flagship. Previously, the device was leaked as launching on June 15 but a more recent leak tips the OnePlus 5 as coming on June 20. Ahead of its impending launch, OnePlus 5 wallpapers have been released for fans of the brand to download and have a feel before the device drops.
The Plus 5 wallpapers were said to have popped up in a OnePlus forum online and were added recently. They are quite different from the ones added when the midnight black edition of theOnePlus 3T was added, hence the suggestion that the wallpapers are for the OnePlus 5. The designs of the wallpapers are abstract and consistent with previous wallpaper style. Unfortunately, there are no information embedded on the leaked wallpapers from which we could scoop the EXIF data.
However, OnePlus 5’s main leakster Liu Zuotu earlier shared screenshots of the OP5 which was revealed through the image’s EXIF data to still be a Full HD resolution. You can check out more of the wallpapers from down below and if you wish to download the OnePlus 5 wallpapers, they are available here.
Around two weeks ago, OPPO had released a video trailer to reveal the June 10 launch date for OPPO R11. OPPO has surprised us all by officially listing the OPPO R11 today for registrations on OPPO’s store. The listing states that the company will be holding a June 10 press conference and the product page of OPPO R1 will be soon updated. The product details section on R11’s page has revealed the features of the smartphone.
The product page reveals that the OPPO R11 is powered by the newly introduced Snapdragon 660. The listing reveals that the OPPO R11 has a dual rear camera system along with a LED flash placed at the top-left corner of its back panel.
The dual camera system includes a 16-megapixel wide-angle lens and a 20-megapixel telephoto lens. It offers a 2x optical zoom and is powered with Qualcomm Spectra Image Sensor Processor of Snapdragon 660. The OPPO R11 is capable of snapping images with bokeh effect. It features a Portrait mode that blurs the background by focusing on the subject. The frontside of the OPPO R11 features a 20-megapixel selfie camera.
The OPPO R11 is listed in three color options such as Gold, Rose Gold and Black. The smartphone has a very thin metallic chassis. Rumors have revealed that it has a 7.6mm. The pricing of the phone is not mentioned, but the listing states that there will be one year screen damage insurance that will be priced at 129 Yuan (~$19). There is a six-month extended warranty at 79 Yuan (~$12)and a one year extended warranty service at 129 Yuan (~$19).
The OPPO R11 has a 5.5-inch display that offers a full HD resolution of 1,920 x 1,080 pixels and it produces a pixel density of 401 ppi. The SD 660 chip is coupled with 4 GB of RAM and its internal storage is 64 GB. It is preloaded with Android 7.1 Nougat OS that is overlaid with Color OS from the company. It is packed with a 2,9000mAh battery. Rumors are rife that the OPPO R11 will be selling with a price tag of $485.
OPPO upcoming device the OPPO R11 is expected to be launched alongside the OPPO R11 Plus. While we have seen a generous amount of leaked regarding the R11, the R11 Plus has only featured in a couple of them. Now, the device has been certified by TENAA ahead of its launch. It is not that this is its first appearance on TENAA, but this time around the photo of the OPPO R11 Plus is featured along with its specifications.
Before we delve into the specification, it is just right we analyse the photo of the R11 Plus to see how it compares with the R11. It comes with a black color at the back while the screen is colored in white. White has a way of revealing display bezels but this time around, the phablet device seems to have an ultra-thin bezel on both sides. There is a front home button and basically, the design resembles the R11. The difference may just lie in their sizes.
On the specs end, the OPPO R11 Plus is listed with a 6-inch TFT display with Full HD resolution (1920 x 1080p). The device features a slim build with a thickness of only 7.8mm. It is listed with a huge 3880mAh battery which, perhaps, explains its 188g weight. The R11 Plus will also be powered by a Snapdragon 660 chip ad packs 6GB of RAM with 64GB of expandable storage. This should be the base variant as there may likely be a model with a bigger storage.
The R11 Plus is also coming with the same dual-camera setup as featured on the R11, that is a 20MP + 16MP camera combo and will also have a 20MP selfie camera. The device will be available in Black, Gold and Rise Gold color variants.
LeEco has been taking things slow in the last couple of months following its financial troubles. Its CEO, Jia Yueting has stepped down from one of his positions and the US branch has seen a massive cut in workforce. In spite of all the troubles, the Chinese company saw its revenue increase in Q1 2017. It also seems to be preparing to release a new phone under its Cool sub-brand.
The new phone with model number CVC-A0 was spotted on TENAA today. Apparently, the phone was issued its certification late last month.
The specs of the Cool CVC-A0 point to a mid-range phone. It has a 5.2-inch HD display and is powered by an octa-core processor clocked at 1.4GHz. This is probably the Snapdragon 430 or Snapdragon 435 system-on-chip. The phone is available in three RAM configurations: 2GB, 3GB and 4GB of RAM; and two storage options: 32GB and 64GB.
Where the Cool CVC-A0 stands out is in its rear camera design. The 13MP camera is positioned in the middle of the phone but inset in a black band that runs from side to side. The design reminds one of a belt-strap. Beside the camera is a LED flash, but it sits outside the silver chrome box that houses the sensor.
There is a 5MP camera up front and sitting on the chin is a physical home button. There is no mention of a fingerprint scanner so don’t get your hopes high. Since the display is small and the resolution doesn’t get past 720p, the phone gets a 2800mAh battery. It is exciting to see that the phone runs Android 7.1.1.
IBM has announced that it has achieved a major breakthrough in the development of a process to build silicon nanosheet transistor which would enable the manufacture of 5nm chips. The process which is an industry first was developed in collaboration with its research alliance partners Global Foundries and Samsung. Although details of the process employed in the manufacture are yet to be revealed, it won’t be long before we’ll get to find that out. IBM will unveil the process at te 2017 Symposia on VLSI Technology and Circuits Conference in Kyoto, Japan.
When the 7nm node manufacturing process capable of housing 20billion transistors was developed less that two years ago, it would ordinarily have been thought to be a revolutionary process. We are yet to even see a processor built on the 7nm process and now we have a 5nm chip which would enable even more transistors (up to 30 billion switches) on a smaller silicon wafer. The new chip is just about the size of a fingernail. When also compared to the 10nm which is the leading edge technology presently available in the market, the 5nm technology is capable of delivering 40 percent performance enhancement at fixed power, or 75 percent power savings at matched performance.
More transistors will translate to an increase in performance which would help accelerate cognitive computing, the Internet of Things (IoT), virtual reality, AI systems and other data-intensive applications delivered in the cloud. The chips would also be able to manage power up to two to three times more efficiently. This power savings property means smartphones’ batteries and those of other mobile products could last two to three times longer than the models availabe presently, before needing to be charged.
The research team achieved the breakthrough by using stacks of silicon nanosheets as the device structure of the transistor, instead of the standard FinFET architecture, which is the blueprint for the semiconductor industry up through 7nm node technology. It is not known when this technological breakthrough will reach the point where it can be commercialised as it has only been shown to be possible. We are yet to even see smartphones with chips built on the 7nm process. However, IBM thinks its commercialization is not too far off in the future.
Barely 3 days after a leaked image of the Meizu Pro 7 surfaced along with the specifications, another leaked image said to be the real-life image of the Pro 7 has appeared online. The image only shows the upper edge aspect of the device as well as the rear cover with only just a few details.
While we cannot authenticate if this leaked image is real or not, there are a few features which caught our attention. The device is notice to feature both a USB Type-C port as well as a 3.5mm audio jack, with both lying close to each other. There is also the speaker grill and a U-shape fused antenna band design. The device which seems to be a prototype has the Meizu logo written on the back showing it was designed by the tech giant.
Meizu has hinted that the Pro 7 will have a spectacular design but there is really nothing spectacular about this design. There isn’t much to see, though, but from what we can see, the shape looks like that of a device that holds lots of promises. We still don’t know much about the specs but the Pro 7 is said to feature a 5.2-inch display and may likely be powered by an Exynos 8895 chipset. A recent leak also suggested the Pro 7 would feature a secondary display and would debut alongside the Pro 7 Plus.
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