360 N5S Announced With Dual Front Cameras, SD653 & Android 7.1: Price Still Pretty Aggressive

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May 23, 2017

360 Mobiles had a big day today as the company announced the successor to the 360 N5 model that was released just a few months back. The new model, called the 360 N5S, comes with pretty good upgrades as compared to the earlier generation model. The company seems to have given priority to the design and the front camera in this new version, which makes it a great overall mid-ranger.

360 N5S Design

360 Mobiles continued with the same design language in the past few generations, which is why it was necessary for a quick overhaul in the design department of the new entrant. The 360 N5S ditches the traditional all-metal body in favor of 2.5D curved glass. So, you have 2.5D glass on both the front as well as the back with an aluminum alloy frame to keep things sturdy. Note that the back of the N5S has a mirror line finish which makes it look a lot like the Honor 8. The phone comes in Blue as well as Black colors and there’s a good chance that you might confuse the N5S with the Honor 8, especially its blue color edition. The fingerprint also lies on the back of the phone.

Dimensions: 153.5 x 76.9 x 8mm

Weight: 170 grams

So, the phone is similar to the dimensions of its previous generation model but with a thinner 8mm body. However, the phone’s weight has increased significantly, as it weighs 170 grams, much higher than the metal clad 360 N5′ 156-gram weight.

The buttons also have a textured pattern to make sure that you can easily find it.

360 N5S Specs

360 N5 was a pretty powerful mid-ranger. The company has made a smart decision to keep most of the basic hardware intact, which means the 360 N5S specs include the same Snapdragon 653 octa-core chip, 6GB of RAM, 64GB of internal storage and MicroSD expansion slot that support up to 128GB. There’s a standard 5.5-inch 1080p panel on board.

Now note that for some reason, probably to keep the weight and thickness lower, the 360 N5S comes with a smaller, 3730mAh battery on board. The previous generation model had a 4000mAh battery, so cutting down the battery capacity, even by a small figure isn’t something that we would have liked to see. However, the company claims that you still get 1.5 days of usage from the device. Further, the phone supports 9V / 2A fast charging, which should give you about 45% charge in 30 minutes. That’s pretty good.

360 N5S Camera

The front camera has received the biggest upgrade, now featuring a dual camera setup. The front setup is a combination of a 13MP CMOS Samsung sensor with f/2.0 aperture and a 2MP secondary sensor with f/2.4 aperture. The secondary sensor is responsible for additional depth of field data to ensure you can capture good looking selfies with background blur. The presence of PDAF (0.1s focus) on the front camera setup should further ensure a clear and focused shot.

Coming to the rear camera, the 360 N5S comes with a standard 13MP f/2.0 sensor. It’s same rear sensor as the N5 model. So, the setup supports 4K as well as 1080p videos.

360 N5S Software

On the software side, the 360 N5S comes with 360 OS 2.0 UI which is based on Android 7.1 Nougat. The company seems to be focused on making the UI as clutter free and simple as possible. So, the new OS omits unwanted apps and brings features such as split screen multi-tasking (with transform / drag drop), multiple apps (open 2 copies of the same app) etc.

The phone comes with a notification light as well. Now, you’ll see a Nubia-like red circle on the phone’s home button, which is also a breathing notification light.

360 N5S Price & Availability

The phone will go on sale on June 2 on the official i360Mall in China for 1699 Yuan ($247). There seems to be just one memory version 6GB RAM + 64GB ROM and two color options: blue and black.

Latest Xiaomi Mi Max 2 Leak Reveals Massive 5,349mAh Battery

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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May 23, 2017

Xiaomi Mi Max 2 is all set for an official launch on May 25. It specifications have already been leaked by the rumor mill and it has also appeared on GFXBench. The original Mi Max from May 2016 came with a massive 4,850mAh battery. Rumors have been claiming that the Mi Max 2 would be coming with a 5,000mAh battery. However, according to a Chinese leakster, Kumamoto, Xiaomi will be increasing the battery capacity by 500mAh on the Mi Max 2.

As it can be seen in the above Weibo post by Kumamoto, the Mi Max 2 will be coming with a 5,349mAh battery from Yan Wanda. He also claims that the phablet would be powered by Snapdragon 626 chipset. The mammoth battery and the energy chipset onboard will allow the Mi Max 2 to deliver stellar battery performance.

The original Mi Max came in Standard and High (or Prime) variants. The Standard model came with Snapdragon 650 chip, 3 GB RAM and 32 GB / 64 GB storage options. The Prime model came with Snapdragon 652 SoC, 4 GB RAM and 128 GB storage. The upcoming Mi Max 2 is also speculated to arrive in Standard and High models.

The Standard edition of Mi Max 2 is speculated to arrive with Snapdragon 626 chipset, 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB storage. The High model is rumored to be fueled by the newly launched Snapdragon 660 SoC, 6 GB of RAM and 128 GB storage.

Leaked information has revealed that the 12-megapxiel Sony IMX378 camera sensor that is present on flagship phones like Google Pixel and Xiaomi Mi 5S will be present on the rear side of the Mi Max 2. It is speculated to come with a 5-megapixel frontal shooter. The original Mi Max came with 16-megapixel rear snapper and a 5-megapixel selfie shooter.

Xiaomi is also expected to include a USB Type-C port on Mi Max 2. Like the original Mi Max, the successor phone will continue to feature 6.44-inch full HD display. The phablet would be running on Android 7.1 Nougat flavored with MIUI 8.

(source)

Nubia’s GM Teases Pressure Sensitive Display for Nubia Z17 and New Version of UI

By

Habeeb Onawole

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May 23, 2017

The Nubia Z17 may just be the phone to give the Xiaomi Mi 6 a run for its money. A video teaser by Ni Fei, the company’s General Manager, hints at the Z17 featuring a pressure sensitive display.

A pressure sensitive display allows you to perform functions akin to right-clicking on a PC. By applying the right amount of pressure on an app’s icon, additional functions are displayed. As you can see from the screenshots, pushing down on the calendar app, will show you the weather for the day, and an option to add new event without you having to open the app. Another example shown is when you long press the clock icon and you get presented with a sub-menu that includes a timer or stopwatch.

[envira-gallery id=”132574″]

Basically, the pressure sensitive display saves you additional taps by providing you access to functions you wouldn’t usually have access to if you don’t launch the app. The Xiaomi Mi 5s (128GB version only) launched with a pressure sensitive display but for reasons best known to Xiaomi, the Mi 6 doesn’t come with one.

The last example of the pressure sensitive display is for the settings app which lets you jump straight to the update page. This is where we see the second teaser. The Nubia Z17 in the video is running Nubia UI 5.0.

Continue

Samsung SM-G9298 New Dual Screen Flip Phone Leaked; Is It First Snapdragon 821 Phone from Samsung?

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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May 23, 2017

A mysterious Samsung smartphone with model number of SM-G9298 had recently received certification from Federal Communications Commission (FCC) at the end of the previous week. The smartphone has also received approval form Wi-Fi Alliance. Rumors had hinted that it may be a dual screen flip phone from the company.

By looking at the leaked image, it can be understood that the phone does not feature any sensor above the screen. Hence, it seems to be a flip phone. Speculations suggest that it could be a successor of the SM-W2017 flip phone from Samsung that was launched last year.

The predecessor of SM-W2017 had a model number of SM-W2016. Hence, the successor of SM-W2017 should have SM-W2018 model number. However, the model number of the leaked phone suggests that it could be a different product. Other rumors hint that it could be the first foldable smartphone from Samsung that is dubbed as Galaxy X by the rumor mill.

It has been found that the flip phone shown in the leaked image is driven by Snapdragon 821 chipset and it carries support for wireless charging. The WFA certification of the phone revealed that it is running on Android 6.0 Marshmallow OS. These older specs indicate that it may not be the Galaxy X which is expected to come with flagship specifications.

Samsung had released a flip phone with a model number of SM-G9198 in 2015. It was powered by Snapdragon 808 chipset which was the next best SoC in 2015 after the Snapdragon 810 that powered most flagship phones in that year. Its predecessor SM-G9098 was launched in 2014. However, in 2016, Samsung did not launch a successor for SM-G9198.

The new SM-G9298 will mostly likely roll out as a successor of SM-G9198. Since SM-G9198 was launched in August 2015, the SM-G9298 is speculated to release in the Q3 2017. The SM-G9198 was the first phone from Samsung to be powered by Snapdragon 808 chipset. The SM-G9298 could be the first smartphone from the company to be fueled by Snapdragon 821, the next best chipset after Snapdragon 835. Since the device has been certified by FCC in the U.S., it seems that the South Korean company is prepping up a new flip phone for its U.S. fans.

(source)

Sony Xperia XZ1, XZ1 Compact & X1 with SD 835 & SD660 Specs Leaked

By

Jed John Ikoba

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May 23, 2017

Just last week, Sony released the Xperia XZ Premium flagship in China with a premium design as well as premium price pegged at 5699 Yuan (~$827). The Xperia XZ Premium featured a Snapdragon 835 chip, 4K display, a Sony IMX400 camera, among others.

Barely five days after that launch event, a new leak has emerged of the specs of three Sony smartphones in the Xperia family. The smartphones go by the names Sony Xperia XZ1, Xpera XZ1 Compact and Xperia X1 adnd the three are said to be scheduled for release on September 1 at the 2017 IFA Berlin. Since Sony released the Xperia XA1 and XA1 Ultra at MWC 2017, the rumors may just have some credibility.

Specs wise, the Sony Xperia XZ1 is the top of the pack with 5.2-inch 1080p display and is powered by a Snapdragon 835 processor. The processor is backed by 4GB of RAM and there is a 3000mAh battery onbaord. On the other hand, the Xperia XZ1 Compact is listed with a compact build, sporting a 4.6-inch display with just an HD resolution (1280 x 720p). Surprisingl, the deviceis listed as packinga Snapdragon 835 chip as well as 4GB of RAm and a 2800 Mah battery. This doesn’t look like one device we’ll be meeting soon.

Finally, the third model dubbed Sony Xpera X1 has the listing of a mid-ranger, with a Snapdragon 660 chipset onboard. The Xperia X1 is also listed with a 5-inch Full HD display as well as a 4GB RAM and 2800mAh battery. All three models are said to use Sony’s new generation of camera technology.

(via)

Moto G5S Leaked Renders Surface to Sport its Full Metallic Chassis

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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May 23, 2017

Earlier this month, a leaked photo (courtesy of Evan Blass) that was allegedly snapped from a Lenovo event revealed the different Motorola Moto devices that would be launching this year. The leaked photo also showed that the company plans to launch Moto G5S and Moto G5S Plus this year. The leaked photos of the Moto G5S have surfaced now in three colors like gray, gold and dark blue.

The Moto G5S appears quite similar to the Moto G5 that was announced alongside the Moto G5 Plus at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2017 in February. The back panel of the Moto G5 is of aluminum and its sides are made of plastic. However, the Moto G5S sports a full metallic chassis. The changes that can be seen on it include the good old Motorola dimple near the center of the back panel. Instead of the plastic cut-outs on Moto G5, the G5S comes with antenna lines on the rear.

There is no confirmation on whether the Moto G5S will come with upgraded specs over the Moto G5. The image leaked by Blass had revealed that the Moto G5S would be coming with a full metal body and a 5.2-inch FHD display that supports a resolution of 1,920 x ,1080 pixels. The Moto G5 has a 5-inch FHD screen.

The Moto G5 is driven by 1.4 GHz Snapdragon 430 SoC and 2 GB of RAM. The native storage of the phone is 16 GB. It also features a microSD card and comes loaded with latest Android 7.0 Nougat OS. There is a 13-megapixel rear-facing camera. Since the Moto G5S has a larger screen compared to Moto G5, there is a possibility that it may come with slightly better specs.

The leaked shot from the presentation also carried information of another phone called Moto G5S+. This smartphone will be coming with a 5.5-inch display with support for FHD resolution. The G5S+ is also expected to feature a dual rear camera.

There is no information available on the launch of Moto G5S and Moto G5S+. Lenovo has recently launched the Moto C and Moto C Plus smartphones. The Chinese firm is also expected to soon launch smartphones like Moto Z2, Mzto Z2 Force, Moto Z2 Play, Moto X4, Moto E4, and Moto E4 Plus. Interestingly, there is no information available on whether the company will be launching a successor device for Moto M that was introduced last year.

(source)

OnePlus CEO Confirms Front Fingerprint on the OnePlus 5

By

Jed John Ikoba

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May 23, 2017

The rumors surrounding the OnePlus 5 keeps building by the day but it is obvious, in this case, that a good number of them are actually going to be on the OnePlus flagship. OnePlus founder Liu Zuotu has now confirmed that the OnePlus 5 would come with a front fingerprint sensor. The CEO made the confirmation while responding to a fan’s comment on Weibo.

Although a front fingerprint sensor has been a regular on previous OnePlus models, we can add this to the growing list of confirmed features the next-gen flagship will come with. For one, we now know already that OnePlus’s next smartphone won’t be called OnePlus 4 as some argue, but would adopt the moniker OnePlus 5. That has been confirmed by the company. Also, the OnePlus 5 is also expected to sport a dual-camera design but we don’t know for sure if the cameras would be aligned in the horizontal or vertical plane. There are also talks of multiple colour variant for the OP5 and OnePlus may have teased that but we cannot say if that’d end up happening.

Further, the OnePlus 5 is expected with a powerful hardware lineup marshalled by a Snapdragon 835 processor and backed by 6GB RAM. Words out there tips the OnePlus 5 of heralding a new era in flagship offering by releasing an 8GB RAM version of the OP 5. That’d be lovely if true and it sure would open up a new competition as other OEMS would jostle to have an 8GB RAM-packing model. The OP5 will be launched this summer, which is not too far away.

Vertu SIGNATURE Cobra Limited Edition is Priced at $360K, Along with Delivery Via Helicopter

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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May 23, 2017

Vertu SIGNATURE Cobra Limited Edition is the new “flagship” phone says Vertu that is known for marking most expensive and luxurious phones. According to the company, it is not a smartphone, but a regular cellphone. So, do not expect high-end specs from it. Since it is a limited edition phone, only eight units will be manufactured and sold exclusively through Jingdong Mall, the online retailer in China. Each unit is priced at $360k.

As the names goes, the phone is inspired by the original Vertu SIGNATURE phone. It is hand-assembled in the United Kingdom and is manufactured by a French-based brand called Boucheron that is famous for its royal jewelries. Hence, the phone is decked with 439 rubies that is designed such a way on the phone that it appears like a cobra around the front side of the phone. For its eyes, the French company has made use of two emeralds. However, the handset appears like a regular Vertu phone.

Vertu sells its phones through its branded stores in various countries. Some stories like Selfridges and Harrods that are in London provide the Vertu phones with concessions. Such an expensive phone is delivered through a special courier service. Vertu will be delivering the SIGNATURE Cobra Limited Edition through a helicopter to its customers. We hope that its limited edition 8 units reach safely to the respective customers

Vertu SIGNATURE Cobra Limited Edition can be availed with an upfront payment of 1000 Yuan ($145). Once the customer pays the remaining 2.47 billion, the Chinese firm will fulfil its promise of delivering the phone through helicopter. Here is the listing of the Vertu SIGNATURE Cobra Limited Edition phone on JD.com

Vertu, known for making elegant and luxurious phones were established by Nokia in 1998. In 2002, it was sold to private equity in Sweden. In 2015, it was taken over by Godin Holdings. Now, it is owned by Cyprus-based Baferon Ltd that belongs to Hakan Uzan, a Turkish mogul. Each handset made by the company is individually crafted by hand at the factory that is situated at Hampshire, England.

Get Portable Wireless Speaker Fidget Spinner with LED Light for $3.99!

By

Linus

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May 22, 2017

Fidget spinners seem to be a new craze right now. You can choose from quite a few different sizes, shapes and designs. We just came across a dirt cheap fidget spinner that does not even cost $4 but it has a lot of features!

This little device has built-in LED lights that make the spinner look awesome in the dark.

What is more interesting is that this fidget spinner has a built-in Bluetooth speaker. Obviously, you can’t expect great sound quality or anything but it is kind of amazing how much you get for less than $4.

Buy Portable Wireless Speaker Fidget Spinner with LED Light for $3.99!

MGCool Explorer Action Camera Review – 4K for $36.99?

By

Linus

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May 22, 2017

The market of cheap action cameras is pretty crowded but we just came across an affordable camera made by MGCool. It costs just about $60 but it has quite a few features like 4k video recording. Learn more in our full MGCool Explorer 4k action camera review. In fact, Gearbest has this camera just for $36.99 on a flash sale.

UNBOXING

As usual to most of the cheap action cameras, it comes with a ton of accessories that include all sorts of mounts, cradles and so on. A few notable accessories are a waterproof case and the bike cradle. However, there is no spare battery included.

DESIGN and FEATURES

The MGCool Explorer sports a classic action camera design. It’s made of plastic and it is very light.

The buttons are nice and tactile and we have a few ports that include the micro USB, micro HDMI, and the microSD card slot.

As for the camera, we have a 16MP SONY IMX 179 sensor with 170° wide angle lens. There is also Allwinner Technology V3 chipset that does the image processing.

A 2” display does not have the highest resolution but it gets the job done for an action camera.

FUNCTIONALITY

You can navigate through the menus using the buttons and the user interface is pretty straightforward.

You can adjust the resolution, play with the image settings and adjust quite a few different settings if you wish so but I guess that most of us just use the auto-mode. You can also view the pictures you took or the videos you shot straight on the camera display.

The camera also has a built-in Wifi and that means that you can connect it to your phone using the app.

The app allows you to use the phone as a viewfinder. You can also watch the videos you shot or adjust some settings.

IMAGE QUALITY

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3iWTHllY5qY[/embedyt]

In order to test the quality of the 4k and 1080p video, I used the Zhiyun Rider-M gimbal for action cameras. It stabilizes the footage of action cameras very well.

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ay1KelxiIVI[/embedyt]

As for still image quality, it is pretty good for a cheap action camera. However, I would love to see a bit more detail in some images and some of the shots came out slightly underexposed.

Still, the quality of the footage is great for cheap action camera and you simply can’t expect anything better at this price range. However, the 4k video is recorded only in 15fps, so the footage does not look very smooth. Finally, the sound recording quality is terrible, like on most of the cheap action cameras.

BATTERY LIFE

The 1050mAh battery performs great knowing the fact that the camera has a 2” display. I could get 1:20 h of 4k video recording and around 3 hours of total usage per charge.

CONCLUSIONS

All in all, the MGCool Explorer 4k action camera is a great choice for those who don’t want to spend hundreds for a GoPro but still want to have a small device that can shoot videos or take pictures.

Also, it has 2” screen, lots of settings, the battery life is good and this cheap camera comes with lots of accessories. However, you have to know that the 4k video is recorded only in 15 fps and the sound recording quality is bad.

For a price of just about $60, it is still a great bang for your buck, despite a few shortcomings that are common to all cheap action cameras. In fact, Gearbest has this camera just for $36.99 on a flash sale. For this price, it sounds like a bargain.

Buy MGCool Explorer 4k Action Camera

And now, the MGCOOL Explorer Pro begin sell on Giztop now:

Buy MGCOOL Explorer Pro at $39.99 on GIZTOP. (Listing price is $69.99)

Did OnePlus Just Tease The Colors of The OnePlus 5?

By

Habeeb Onawole

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May 22, 2017

Ever since the OnePlus 3 was released, I have used every opportunity available to beg OnePlus to release a red (and blue) variant. It never happened with the OnePlus 3 nor OnePlus 3T, but it just might happen with the OnePlus 5.

A tweet via the official OnePlus account seems to be the teaser for the color variants of the OnePlus 5. The colors include grey, a mixture of colors called vaporwave, red, and grey.

What 5hould the color of your next phone be? 😉 pic.twitter.com/5FevP1VSq5

— OnePlus (@oneplus) May 22, 2017

Does that mean we are getting 4 colors? Maybe, maybe not. OnePlus’ co-founder’s reply to the tweet is “5”. This could mean there is a fifth color variant that is being kept a secret or it could just be him trolling us.

5 https://t.co/ubrAsCPxr2

— Carl Pei (@getpeid) May 22, 2017

In as much as I am excited about a possible red variant, I am also curious about the vaporwave color. How do they plan to incorporate the mixture of colors without it coming off as ugly?

Continue

Zhiyun Smooth 3 Review – The New Best Smartphone Stabilizer of 2017!

By

Linus

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May 22, 2017

I have reviewed quite a few smartphone and action camera gimbals over the time and | can tell you that they have become one of my favorite gadgets that allow me to shoot professional looking videos. The Zhiyun-Tech Smooth III is by far the best smartphone gimbal we have ever tested. Learn more in our full Zhiyun Smooth 3 review.

Buy Zhiyun Smooth III

Check out Zhiyun’s YouTube channel

VIDEO REVIEW

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zWrz3l8FgA0[/embedyt]

UNBOXING

The gimbal ships with some paperwork, a charging cable and a strap that can be attached to a high-quality gimbal case that I found to be really handy once I’m on the go.

DESIGN and FEATURES

The gimbal is made entirely of metal and it just screams quality. Everything is precisely assembled and it is really comfortable to hold it in one hand. Also, I love those those red accents that make the gimbal match with my Manfrotto camera supports.

The Smooth III is thicker and a bit heavier than the previous generation Smooth II gimbal but it looks less bulky than the budget Smooth Q.

If you want to start using it, you just have slide your phone in, make sure it sits nice and tight, press the power button for a few seconds and you are good to go.

It’s worth mentioning that the Smooth III has a built-in counterweight system, meaning that you don’t need to use any counterweights like on some other gimbals. There is an extendable axis to balance the gimbal by just one step.

The gimbal holds the phone in landscape mode, which is the mode I used most of the time. If you want to use the phone vertically e.g. for some live streaming services, you simply need to unscrew the screw holding the phone cradle to change the position. That is a huge upgrade over some other gimbals like the Smooth II since you don’t need to buy any extra accessories.

In fact, I used to vertical mode to mount my action camera even though this gimbal is designed for smartphones. I can’t say it worked perfectly once I started moving the gimbal but it can get the job done for some shots. Anyway, you can buy an action camera plate to make the gimbal work perfectly with action cameras.

There are a few control buttons on the gimbal that are clicky and tactile. The mode button allows you to switch from one mode to another.

The default mode is called the pan following mode and I used it most of the time. If you press the mode button once, the gimbal will enter the locking mode, which is great for smooth pan or tilt shots if you want to film a particular object. If you press the mode button twice, you will enter the pan and pitch following mode, where the gimbal moves towards the direction you point the camera to. This mode works pretty well too. Even if you move the gimbal quickly, you will get a smooth shot since all the axes move slowly. The last mode is the selfie mode and it is triggered by pressing the mode button 3 times.

You can also control the gimbal manually using the joystick and I found this feature to work great. However, I suggest you reducing the pan and tilt speeds in the app to get those nice slow cinematic shots.

You can use the gimbal either with your stock camera app or with the ZY Play app that is an upgraded version of the Zhiyun Assistant app, and control the phone over the Bluetooth using the buttons.

Obviously, you can take pictures or shoot videos, switch from the main to the front-facing camera and so on. Also, the rotating wheel is really cool once you want to zoom in or out quite smoothly. Also, the ZY Play apps offers some new cool features like a time-lapse, slow-motion, long exposure or panorama modes. You can also use an object tracking feature, which works quite well with moving objects. See the video review for a more detailed look at the camera app.

I have to tell you that the footage looks just stunning as I was simply walking normally and I didn’t try to hold my hands steadily at all but the video still looks very smooth.

We made a quick comparison how the 4k video from my Samsung Galaxy S8 looks with the gimbal and without the gimbal while I’m climbing up and down the stairs. The difference was pretty obvious. I remember that the Smooth II gimbal started wobbling a little bit under very strong wind but the Smooth III now has 40% stronger motors and the gimbal works just fine even on a very windy day. That is really impressive.

I remember that the Smooth II gimbal started wobbling a little bit under very strong wind but the Smooth III now has 40% stronger motors and the gimbal works just fine even on a very windy day. That is really impressive. See the video review for video samples.

What I love is that the phone stays firmrly in the gimbal no matter how hard you move it, so you wont end up breaking your device. Also, the Smooth III is very silent since it uses brushless motors.

The 1/4 screw mount on the bottom of the gimbal allows you to attach the gimbal to all sorts of accessories like tripods. What I love about the Smooth III is that it can stay vertically without any tripods.

BATTERY LIFE

The Zhiyun Smooth III has a replaceable 4600mAh battery that performs just great. The official claims are about 14 hours of continuous use and I can assure you that I was able to achieve similar results. That means that you won’t need to charge the battery very often.

Speaking of charging, it takes about 3 hours to fully charge the gimbal. One of my favourite features of the Smooth III is that you can charge your phone from the gimbal. However, you need to use the microUSB to microUSB cable, which is sold separately and the charging speeds are just 1A.

CONCLUSIONS

The Zhiyun Smooth 3 is by far the best smartphone gimbal I have ever tested. I’ve used it for about a month and it has been working absolutely fine. I love that it looks and feels premium, it has a ton of features and most importantly it stabilizes the video very well even under poor weather conditions.

The main shortcoming would be that there is no microUSB to microUSB cable included in the packaging, so you would need to buy it separately.

At the end of the day, the price of about $300 may sound steep for some but the Zhiyun Smooth III has everything to be called a great smartphone gimbal and thus, I can easily recommend it.

Buy Zhiyun Smooth III

Here Are the 7 Amazing Product Launch Events Scheduled This Week!

By

Joel Joseph

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May 22, 2017

The past few weeks have been fairly busy with rumors and leaks, along with a few launches as well (like the HTC U11 or the Moto C Plus or even the OPPO A77). But this week, things are going to be even busier, as a number of Chinese manufacturers have scheduled multiple events. The first event of the week kicks off on Tuesday, May 23 and the events continue until Friday, May 26. So, you should expect a whole bunch of new and interesting products in this week. Note that the week will be dominated by Huawei and Huawei’s subsidiary, Honor.

Below are the 7 main events scheduled for this week.

May 23

1. New Honor Products:

Huawei’s Honor is going to kick off this week’s launch spree with not one but four new products. We had already reported about the four product launches this week and now, let’s try to figure out what they could be.

a. Honor 6A

Honor seems to be done with top-tier flagship launches for the first half of 2017. And with Honor 9 expected to launch around June end, it doesn’t make sense for the brand to release a powerful device this month. Instead, we can expect an entry-level device like the Huawei Honor 6A at Tuesday’s launch event. If you remember, a new Honor branded device with low-end specs passed through TENAA earlier this month. The phone is believed to be the successor to the Honor 5A launched about a year back, most likely called as the Honor 6A. TENAA reveals the specs to be entry-level, like a 5-inch 720p screen, 3GB RAM, octa-core chip and Android Nougat.

b. Honor Wearable / Watch

The second product at the event could be a new Honor wearable, like the successor to the Honor Band A1 launched in May last year or the Honor Watch S1 which was launched in October in 2016. So, you can expect the company to announce a new Honor Band A2 or Honor Watch S2 wearable.

c. Honor Pad 3

The third product most likely would be a new tablet, and it should be the recently certified Honor Pad 3. The new tablet should come with an all-metal body and an 8-inch 1280 x 800 pixel display. Inside, it comes with a quad-core chip, 4GB RAM, and a 4650mAh battery. Nothing extraordinary, but it should be an affordable tablet option.

We are not yet sure about the fourth product, but rumors state that it could be a new Honor router. Whatever it turns out to be, Honor is known for its youth-oriented products, which also means that the new devices should come under the affordable category.

2. 360 N5S

Although 360 Mobiles operate inside China, the company has a good fan following internationally because of its cost effective products. The 360 N5 was one of the cheapest 6GB RAM phones in the market and it still is super cheap (you can buy it on Giztop). Considering that it came with Snapdragon 653 and 6GB RAM at just $203, you should definitely be excited to see what’s in store inside the new 360 N5S.

The N5 was announced just a few months back and the phone is already pretty powerful. So, instead of significant upgrades in the specs department, what you can expect is changes in the design. It is said that the phone will come with a double sided glass design, instead of a traditional all-metal body found on the N5. Specs wise, the company may stick with SD653 or maybe jump to a faster SD660 chipset. 6GB RAM is almost confirmed since the N5 had it. Other details are not yet available, but the event is on the same day as the Honor launch, i.e. May 23. So, make sure to check out gizmochina on Tuesday for updates about these two events.

3. Huawei Matebook

Yes, even Huawei has a separate (international) event on May 23 and it has confirmed that it will launch new Huawei Matebook 2 notebooks. Well, we don’t know what it will be called, but earlier rumors said that there were three new Matebook laptops expected this year, called Matebook E, X, and D, one of them using the same convertible design as the first generation model (other two being traditional laptops).

It’s time to maximise your lifestyle. Join us LIVE from Berlin on 23 May 2017 at 14:00 CEST to meet our latest products… #HuaweiMateBook pic.twitter.com/iz9hfEXw7f

— Huawei Mobile (@HuaweiMobile) May 15, 2017

Huawei would probably announce these three Matebook laptop convertibles at the event in Berlin.

4. Meizu M5C

Meizu kind of revealed it late that it had a special event this week. The company revealed the letter “C” in the teasers, which hints that the upcoming device could be named the Meizu C or maybe Meizu M5C. Considering how a leaked screenshot of the company’s smartphone page revealed the yet to be announced Meizu M5C model (which was taken down very soon), it is likely that the phone will end up being called as the M5C.

Expect this to be a mid-ranger with decent specs. Now, Meizu has traditionally worked exclusively with MediaTek for its mid-range phones, but after its settlement with Qualcomm, could we expect a Qualcomm Snapdragon chip inside? Unlikely, given that Meizu’s VP has already revealed that a Snapdragon-based Meizu device would not release anytime soon.

May 24

5. Sharp’s New Bezel-less Flagship

Wednesday is going to be another interesting day for tech lovers as Sharp is all set to announce a brand new smartphone in China. Now, we are aren’t sure which model to expect at the event, but the teasers seem to indicate that this will be a bezel-less flagship.

Considering Sharp isn’t exactly a big player in the smartphone market who will announce multiple phones in a month, what we may see at the May 24 event could be the newly announced Sharp Aquos R. After its Japanese launch, China could be the next big region for the phone, especially with its high-end specs like SD835, and 22.6MP camera.

May 25

6. Xiaomi Mi Max 2

Probably one of the most exciting events of the month, the Xiaomi Mi Max 2 is confirmed to meet us on May 25. This will be the second generation model in the Max lineup, which debuted in May last year.

This year’s Mi Max 2 is expected to feature the same large 6.4-inch display with a 5000mAh battery on board. So, once again, you have a large entertainment friendly screen with an even better battery for hours of continuous media playback. However, things aren’t the same as last year for a phablet, given that phones like the S8 have proved that you don’t need a super large body to feature a super large screen. But if the leaked (~$230) pricing for the Mi Max 2 turns out to be correct, with these specs, the phone’s is definitely going to be an attractive offer. There are two processor versions expected — SD626 and SD660. You can read more about the phone as well as look at its renders from here.

May 26

7. Huawei Nova 2

As I said at the start of the article, this week is filled with Huawei’s announcements. Even on Friday, we have a new phone meeting us from the tech giant, the Huawei Nova 2. Now, this will be yet another Snapdragon 660 smartphone (we have already spotted the phone on TENAA revealing its specs: check it out here) and the phone, like most Huawei phones released this year, will have dual cameras at the back! Lime green, rose gold and a lot of different color options are expected for the device.

Expect the larger version of the model, the Huawei Nova 2 Plus at the same event. Apart from the larger screen size and battery, the rest of the specs of the phone should be similar to the Nova 2.

Make sure to stay tuned to Gizmochina as we cover all of these launches in the next few days!

Which launch are you most excited about?

Nokia 9 Gets Benchmarked as HMD Global TA-1004, Sports Snapdragon 835 and Insane Multi-Core Score

By

Habeeb Onawole

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May 22, 2017

A new smartphone from HMD Global was benchmarked earlier today on Geekbench. Listed as the HMD Global TA-1004, we want to believe it is the Nokia 9 seeing as its powered by a MSM8998 chipset a.k.a Snapdragon 835.

The results are insane as it puts the Nokia 9 firmly at the top of Snapdragon 835 powered phones. For its multi-core test, it records a total of 7770 points, crowning it king of the multi-core list. For its single-core test, it records 2255 points, coming in below the iPhone 7 Plus.

The benchmark results also shows the Nokia 9 has 4GB of RAM and runs Android 7.1.1.

[envira-gallery id=”132471″]

The Nokia 9 leaked in a promo video last week which contained another unreleased Nokia phone, the Nokia 3, and the Nokia 5. That was our first glimpse at the dual rear cameras until a set of original photos surfaced over the weekend.

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Nokia 3310 China Release Imminent As It Passes TENAA

By

Jed John Ikoba

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May 22, 2017

HMD Global Oy’s remodelled Nokia 3310 was first announced back in March as a redesigned version of the rugged, iconic feature phone. The device has already gone up for sale in some parts of Europe and the reception has been awesome. Nokia is yet to release the phone in China but it seems it is just a matter of time before it does. The Nokia 3310 has now been certified by China’s Telecommunications regulatory agency (TENAA).

The Nokia 3310’s TENAA appearance shows the device was manufactured by HMD Global Oy with model number TA-1030. The photos of the feature phone captured from all angles are also attached. There aren’t many details about the specs listed but the device is detailed as supporting GPRS function, dual SIM and dual Standby. The document also shows the Nokia budget phone isn’t manufactured in China but Vietnam.

We already know the Nokia 3310 is a 2G phone which comes with a 2.4-inch curved window screen with an entire dimension of 115.6 x 51 x 12.8mm. Other specs include a 2MP rear camera with LED flash, 16MB storage expandable up to 32GB, Bluetooth 3.0, Nokia Series 30+ operating system, 2G GSM connectivity, FM Radio, MP3 Player, 3.5mm headphone jack, a 1200mAh battery and MicroUSB 2.0. The device is available in four color options — Warm Red and Yellow with glossy texture and Grey and Dark Blue with Matte finish. The Nokia 3310 is presently on sales in some regions for €49 (~$52).

(source)

Exclusive Photos Shows The Dual Camera Power of The Gionee S10 and All Color Variants

By

Habeeb Onawole

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May 22, 2017

The Gionee S10 is a set to make a statement with its quad cameras when it launches a few days from now. Not the first smartphone to have dual cameras on both sides but it might be the one that ends up in your pocket judging from these camera samples we got our hands on.

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The Gionee S10 will feature a 5.5-inch FHD screen, 6GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. Its rear cameras include a 16MP sensor and an 8MP sensor. Gionee says both the front and rear dual cameras will be able to take professional level portrait mode images with real time depth of field thanks to the ISP present in the phone.

The front facing cameras is a combination of a 20MP sensor and an 8MP sensor. We presume the 8MP sensor is a wide-angle lens. The rest of the specs includes a 3450mAh battery and a 2.5GHz octa-core Mediatek processor.

We have also gotten official images of the Gionee S10 in the five colors it will launch in. Buyers will be able to choose from silver, green, red, blue, and black.

What do you think of the camera performance of the Gionee S10?

Samsung Galaxy J7 (2017) Refreshing New Design in Pink, Gold, Black, Light Blue Color Variants Revealed in Press Renders

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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May 22, 2017

Roland Quandt, who has a consistent record of revealing leaked information on upcoming smartphones has revealed all the color variants of the Galaxy J7 (2017). It suggests that compared to the predecessor Samsung Galaxy J7 models, the upcoming 2017 edition is going to arrive with a refreshed design.

The press renders of the Galaxy J7 (2017) shows that the smartphone has a uniquely design u-shaped antenna bands on the upper and lower portions of its back panel. The leakster has revealed that the smartphone would be arriving in four color options such as Pink, Gold, Black and Light Blue. The phone seems to feature full metallic chassis. Here are all the color variants of the Galaxy J7 (2017):

[envira-gallery id=”132371″]

The frontside of the Galaxy J7 (2017) has slim bezels on the left and right sides of the screen. Below the display is the physical Home button that features a physical Home button. The top bezel houses the earpiece, a selfie camera and its LED flash. The right side of the phone has a Power key whereas the left side features volume up and down keys. The left side also features a microSD card slot and a dual-SIM slot.

The specifications of the Galaxy J7 (2017) have already appeared on GFXBench. It revealed that the phone would be coming with a 5.5-inch Super AMOLED display that will support full HD resolution of 1,920 x 1,080 pixels. The phone is fueled by Exynos 7870 chipset that features an octa-core processor working at 1.5 GHz. The SoC is accompanied by Mali-T830 graphics and 3 GB of RAM. The internal storage of the Galaxy J7 (2017) is 16 GB.

The rear side of the phone features a single LED enabled 13-megapixel camera and the frontside also has a 13-megapixel shooter that features its own LED flash. The phone will arrive preloaded with Android 7.0 Nougat. It is packed with a 3,600mAh battery. It will also come enabled with connectivity features like Cat. 6 LTE modem, VoLTE and VoWiFi.

The Galaxy J7V was recently released in the U.S. by Samsung. However, the leaked renders that we see here in this post belongs to the actual 2017 edition of the Galaxy J7. Speculations have it that it will be announced in the next month with a price tag of €339 ($370).

(source 1,2)

Xiaomi Removes SMS Scheduling in MIUI 9, Cites Low Number of SMS Users as Reason

By

Habeeb Onawole

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May 22, 2017

It’s been months since Xiaomi announced it has begun work on the next version of MIUI. Most people thought the new version called MIUI 9 will be announced alongside the Mi Max 2, just as they announced MIUI 8 and the original Mi Max together. However, a Weibo post from the official MIUI account dashed their hopes, specifically stating that MIUI 9 won’t launch alongside the Mi Max 2 on May 25.

Today news about the new user-interface is about a feature that will no longer be available. SMS scheduling or Timed Messages is a feature that lets you send messages to contacts on specific dates and time chosen by you. It was first introduced in MIUI 2.3 and was particularly useful for sending holiday wishes.

All you had to do was compose the message, add the contacts you want it sent to, and configure the time and date you want it sent. Once it was exactly that time and date, the messages would be sent out.

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Xiaomi Mi 6 Ceramic Version (6GB+128GB) Finally Goes On Sale

By

Jed John Ikoba

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May 22, 2017

After the long wait, the much-anticipated Xiaomi Mi 6 Ceramic version is now set to go up on its first sales in China. Xiaomi disclosed this via a Weibo post accompanied by a poster showing the date and other details of the sale. The premium flagship will be on sale as from 10 AM on May 23, which is tomorrow. The Mi 6 Ceramic edition will be sold exclusively on Xiaomi Mall, unlike the standard version which sold simultaneously on Jingdong, Lynx, Tesco and others as well. This is obviously due to the limited quantity that is available.

The Xiaomi Mi 6 Ceramic version is the top-most model in the Mi 6 range. Apart from coming with a ceramic glass body, it is available in 6GB RAM + 128GB storage version only. The device also has an 18K gold-plated camera ring which adds to the already beautiful design. Do we need to remind you that the Mi 6 features a powerful Snapdragon 835 processor as well as a dual-lens camera at the rear?

Despite the premium build and well-studded hardware, the Mi 6 ceramic version is priced at 2999 Yuan (~$435). If you compare it with the price of the standard versions of the Mi 6 which are priced at 2499 Yuan and 2899 Yuan for the 64GB and 128GB variants respectively, you’ll agree the Mi 6 still remains a cheap flagship. Of course, you’ll definitely not get it at that amount outside China as third-party retailers will likely sell it for up to $100 more and even higher. That is if it becomes available in reasonable quantity to enable it to ship outside China. We expect the Ceramic version to be instantly sold out tomorrow.

(source)

The Nubia Z17 Does Have Impressively Thin Side Bezels in This Leaked Live Image

By

Habeeb Onawole

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May 22, 2017

Over the weekend, Nubia sent out invites for the launch of its flagship phone the Nubia Z17. We also got to see a number of press renders that teased the design of the phone. Today, a live image of the phone has surfaced online.

The image shows the phone face up in a bid to hide its dual rear cameras but gives us a chance to see the really thin side-bezels. Looking at the display, it appears to be larger than 5.5-inches, probably 5.7-inches.

Sitting on the bottom bezel is the signature holo home button, and at the top we have the front facing camera, the earpiece, and the light sensor.

When the Nubia Z17 launches, it will add to the growing list of Snapdragon 835-powered smartphones. Unlike the Xiaomi Mi 6, which is the only other Snapdragon 835 smartphone from a Chinese manufacturer for now, the Nubia Z17 will have an IP 67 rating. This means you can immerse it in water up to 1 meter deep for a period of 30 minutes.

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