AnTuTu Top 10 Most Popular Smartphones For March 2017

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Apr 19, 2017

Huawei has silently launched two new tablets, the 7-inch MediaPad T3 and the 8-inch MediaPad T3. Around two weeks ago, the rumor mill had revealed the leaked specs of 7-inch, 8-inch 10-inch MediaPad T3 and 10-inch MediaPad T3 Lite tablets. However, among these rumored devices, Huawei has only made the 7-inch and 8-inch MediaPad T3 official so far.

Huawei MediaPad T3 7 Specifications

The 7-inch MediaPad T3 is a Wi-Fi-only device that comes with a 7-inch IPS display that carries support for a resolution of 1,024 x 600 pixels. It is powered by MediaTek MTK8127 chipset that features a quad-core processor clocking at 1.3 GHz. The 8 GB model comes with 1 GB of RAM whereas the 16 GB variant is packed with 2 GB of RAM.

The front and rear sides of the 7-inch MediaPad T3 feature 2-megapixel cameras. The Android Marshmallow OS running on it is customized with EMUI 4.1 skin. It comes with a 3,100 mAh battery. It comes in color choices such as Space Gray and Moonlight Silver. It measures 179 x 103.68 x 8.6 mmm and its weight is around 250 grams.

Huawei MediaPad T3 8 Specifications

The 8-inch MediaPad T3 features an 8-inch IPS screen that produces a resolution of 1,280 x 800 pixels. The Snapdragon 425 SoC featuring 1.4 GHz quad-core processor is present under the hood of this tablet. its 16 GB model has 2 GB of RAM whereas the 32 GB variant has 3 GB of RAM.

For photography, it features an autofocus enabled rear camera of 5-megapixel and a fixed focus 2-megaixel front camera. The tablet is loaded with Android 7.0 Nougat OS modified with EMUI 5.1. It includes a 4,800 mAh battery. As far as connectivity is concerned, it carries support for Wi-Fi 802.11n, LTE-FDD, TD-LTE, UMTS and GSM. Its color options include Space Gray and Luxurious Gold. Its dimensions are 211.07 x 124.65 x 7.95 mm and it weighs around 350 grams.

Huawei has just listed these tablets on its website. However, it has not given out any information on the pricing and availability 7-inch and 8-inch MediaPad T3 models. However, leaked information that surfaced around two weeks ago revealed that the 7-inch model would sell for 129 euros ($138). The 8-inch MediaPad T3 Wi-Fi only model with 2 GB RAM and 16 GB storage is pegged to cost 219 euros ($235). The same storage variant with LTE support is rumored to be priced at 239 euros ($256). As mentioned above, Huawei may also unveil a 10-inch MediaPad T3 as well as 10-inch MediaPad M3 Lite in the near future.

(source 1,2)

Sharp Announces Snadragon 835 Powered Aquos R: Brings 2K Display, Emopa AI Assistant & Smart Dock

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Apr 18, 2017

Japanese smartphone and display manufacturer today announced its new flagship phone, the Aquos R.

Sharp is a display manufacturer and what better way to show it than in their phones. The Aquos R sports a 5.3-inch 2K HDR IGZO display with a 120Hz refresh rate. The rest of the specs are top notch too. The RAM is 4GB and paired with a Snapdragon 835 processor. Storage is 64GB but there is no mention of a MicroSD card slot for expansion.

The Aquos R has a 22.6MP f/1.9 primary camera with OIS, high-speed autofocus and LED flash while the front facing camera is a 16.3MP wide-angle sensor. There is Android 7.1 Nougat pre-installed and a 3160mAh battery with Quick Charge 3.0. The Aquos R also has a fingerprint scanner embedded under the home button.

Sharp has also joined the AI train with its own assistant called Emopa. Èmopa will provide useful details such as news and weather reports according to the location of the user. It will also study the owner’s usage habits and remind you to set alarms.

Emopa isn’t the only cool stuff about the Aquos R. There is also a smart charging dock called Robokuru that works with Emopa. If a call comes in, the dock rotates and searches for the face of the owner using the front facing camera. You can also activate the AI Assistant by simply saying “Hello Emopa” when the Aquos R is docked in Robokuru.

Blackview BV7000 Coming With NFC, Android 7.0 Nougat & A Cheap Price Tag

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Apr 18, 2017

Blackview is one company known for its solid reputation of manufacturing rugged smartphones which are usually received with admiration. Not too long ago, the Chinese smartphone giant released the BV7000 Pro which is reputed to be the “world’s thinnest business rugged smartphone”. Right now, the company has again revealed that a new device dubbed Blackview BV7000 is coming.

The Blackview Bv7000 is coming with a slightly trimmed down specs lineup when compared to the Bv7000 Pro, something which makes it a potentially affordable phone. Despite the trimming, the Bv7000 still boasts of a decent specs lineup consisting of a MediaTek MT6737T processor as against the MT6750T on the BV7000 Pro. The device will feature a memory combination of 2GB RAM + 16GB storage. Recall the BV7000 Pro comes with 4GB of RAM and 64GB storage.

The upcoming Blackview BV7000 will have an 8MP rear camera as well as a 5MP front-facing selfie camera whereas the BV7000 Pro sports a bigger 13MP rear and 8MP front camera sensors. That is just about where the BV7000 differs from the BV7000 Pro. It sports the same 5-inch display as its predecessor, same IP68 water resistant build and packs a generous 3500mAh battery as well as other features. Perhaps, the most spectacular thing about this model is that it comes with NFC and runs Android 7.0 Nougat out-of-the-box.

The Blackview smartphone also comes in Space silver, Mocha Gold and Stardust Grey colours and would hit the market soon with a cheap price tag. How about that? Meanwhile, you can buy the BV7000 Pro and check out other Blackview smartphones from here.

New Meizu E2 Real Image & First Camera Sample Leak

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Apr 18, 2017

A new image said to be the real live image of Meizu’s upcoming ME2 has leaked. An image said to be the Meizu E2 without a rear camera flash had first appeared online recently but there were reasons to believe that image was fake. But this one comes with the prospect of being the real deal, even though the design slightly tilts away from Meizu’s design language.

The image is that of the rear view of the device and from the look of things, it comes with a re-designed rear camera. The camera and flash are arranged in a horizontal plane and in a rectangular shaped housing located close to the top left edge of the device. The Meizu E2 also comes with a fused antenna band design sited at the top and bottom end of the phone and this points at the likelihood of the device coming with an all-metal body. There is no rear fingerprint sensor, so the mBack home button may still be retained up front.

In addition to the E2’s image, the camera sample of the upcoming Meizu phone was also leaked. The leaked sample image is a crisp clear image of a female and the quality of the image gives us a clue that the camera will likely be a powerful one. We still don’t know much about the likely specs of the Meizu E2 but the price is rumoured to be around 1699 Yuan ($246).

Leaked Poster Reveals Xiaomi Mi 6 Blue & Black Colors Along With Specs!

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Joel Joseph

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Apr 18, 2017

Xiaomi Mi 6 is officially meeting us tomorrow, at 2 PM China time.Now, just a few hours before the release of the handset, the Mi 6 has been spotted in multiple color options along with its specifications. The Xaiomi Mi 6 Blue, White and Black variants have been revealed and these renders are in line with what we have seen in the past few weeks.

The blue is definitely an interesting color addition to the lineup. Maybe we’ll see a metallic red version too in addition to this Mi 6 Blue version?

As for the design, the display is flat and we can see four curved design at the back. So, this is what the company’s teaser was talking about a few days before. The renders also reveal dual cameras on the top left corner along with dual LED flash. The bezels look quite thin on the sides, but the top and bottom bezels are still pretty thick. Hopefully, the real phone would have a better front design, limiting the bezels on all the sides. We can also see the under glass ultrasonic fingerprint sensor enabled home button up front.

As for the specs, the poster reveals that the Xiaomi Mi 6 will come with Snapdragon 835 inside and 6GB of RAM, 5.15-inch display. The phone is said to go on pre-sale from April 20, but we still don’t know when it’ll be up for sale. Probably a week after the pre-sale starts, i.e. April 27.

So, that’s all for this leak. It pretty much confirms what we already know about the flagship. Stay tuned to gizmochina for more updates in the coming hours.

Also, you can read all about the Xiaomi Mi6 specs, price and other summary from this article.

Gionee S10 Appears on TENAA: Better Dual Cameras, Bigger Battery & Android Nougat

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Apr 18, 2017

Less than six months ago, the dual camera Gionee S9 hit the market. Those who picked it up might be sad to learn that a successor is already on the way. The Gionee S10 was seen getting certified on TENAA. While the upgrades are not a lot, it still hurts to see a phone get refreshed less than a year after launch.

The Gionee S10 has the same 5.5-inch FHD display as the S9. The RAM and storage have also been kept at 4GB and 64GB respectively. Where the Gionee S10 begins to differ are in the cameras, battery and software.

The dual rear cameras are now both 13MP sensors while the front-facing camera is a 16MP shooter. The rear cameras have been redesigned as they now sit at the left corner and are raised. The battery capacity has also been increased to 3700mAh. The TENAA listing shows that the Gionee S10 runs Android 7.0 Nougat but there is no information if it will be Amigo OS 4.0. The processor wasn’t specified but it is still a 2.0GHz octa-core SoC.

Ivvi K5 Launched: 3D Display, Curved Glass Body, 4GB RAM But No Snapdragon 835 Chip!

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Apr 18, 2017

Chinese smartphone manufacturer Ivvi has released its much-touted Ivvi K5 mobile phone that comes to challenge top-end models with its premium design and amazing specs lineup. We can’t really get too excited because the K5 doesn’t feature a Snapdragon 835 chipset as the device had been tipped to do. It doesn’t even feature a Qualcomm chip instead, it packs an octa-core MediaTek chip.

The Ivvi K5 comes with a premium body that goes beyond the usual metal body but instead, it features a curved glass body both at the front and back. The glass used on the body is said to have been manufactured using new and improved composite materials which are not only lighter, but also makes the phone durable and not fragile.

On the specs end, the Ivvi K5 sports a 5.5-inch 1080p display and is powered by an undisclosed MediaTek SoC which is an Octa-core CPU. The device comes with a single memory version comprising a 4GB RAM and 64GB of internal storage. On the camera end, the K5 packs an 8MP sensor at the front and at the rear, there is a 13MP shooter. There is also a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor on the smartphone. Keeping the lights on is a 3000mAh battery and the phone comes with dual SIM/ dual standby support as well as entire network support.

Perhaps the most spectacular feature on the phone is the 3D function it comes with. The LCD display on the device is capable of displaying images with 3D effects. Thus, 3D videos, 3D games and other 3D contents can be viewed on the smartphone. This is really not a surprise, considering that Ivvi’s new owners SuperD is one of the leading manufacturers of 3D display in China.

As for the price, the Ivvi K5 will sell for 2,199 Yuan ($319) and would be on sale as from April 19 via Ivvi mall and Lynx.

Grab The Ulefone Power 2 for $169.99 With $40 Worth of Free Gifts on Aliexpress

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Buy Ulefone Power 2 on AliExpress

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Apr 18, 2017

Every Tuesday is Tech Discovery Day on Aliexpress. A select list of tech related items are on sale for a week and the discounts are worth taking advantage of. Today’s Tech Discovery items includes the battery monster Ulefone Power 2.

The Ulefone Power 2 is a 5.5-inch phone that packs a 6050mAh battery. That is sufficient to last you up to 2 full days on a single charge. Another cool thing about it is that, you can use the Power 2 to charge your other devices via USB OTG.

The Power 2 has 4GB of RAM, 64GB of storage and is powered by a 1.5GHz MTK6750T octa-core processor. There is a 16MP camera on the rear, a 13MP shooter in front, and a fingerprint scanner embedded under the home button. The Power 2 also comes pre-installed with Android 7.0 Nougat.

Some Users Are Complaining of A Reddish Tint on Their Samsung Galaxy S8 Screen

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Apr 18, 2017

Some users in Korea are reporting a reddish tint on their Galaxy S8 screen. The report comes from the Korean Herald. The affected users had complained on the Samsung forum about the red tint and the failure to remove it after adjusting the display settings.

The Samsung Galaxy S8 is set for a Friday release globally but the users who are complaining are those who pre-ordered in Korea. Samsung itself has acknowledged the reddish tint and said “It is not a quality problem and it can be adjusted with the phone itself. If the color still appears to be reddish, customers can change it at the service center.”

Last Minute Xiaomi Mi 6 Leaked Images: Gives Us A Glimpse At The Blue Variant

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Apr 18, 2017

The Xiaomi Mi 6 is launching tomorrow. It will be the first Chinese smartphone to launch with the Snapdragon 835 SoC unless the Ivvi K5 launches today.

Asides the new processor, the Xiaomi Mi 6 will also have dual rear cameras, a 3D curved glass back, a 2.5D display, and an ultrasonic fingerprint scanner. Some say the promotional poster also points to other features such as the fact that it will also have a 6GB version and be available in blue too.

New pictures of the Xiaomi Mi 6 have leaked online. The images are most likely from photo-shoots for tomorrow’s launch. The first image shows a silver Mi 6 with dual cameras while the second image shows the blue variant in a box. If you look closely at the second image, you can make out the ultrasonic fingerprint sensor.

Sino 2016 Research: Huawei, OPPO & Vivo Did Very Well

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Apr 18, 2017

Chinese market research and information company Sino Research has released its 2016 smartphone micro-report which is based on quantitative analysis of the data obtained in 2016 from phone users online. The report is basically a study of the smartphone user trend in China and from the look of things, Huawei, OPPO and Vivo now have a stronghold on the top three spots as having more persons using their brands.

The report shows that global market leader Samsung experienced a decline in its hold on the Chinese market. So too, Apple continues its freefall in the market despite still the second highest ranking brand globally. The number of active iPhone users was shown to have declined from 37% to 35%, while the number of new users also dropped from 33% to 27%. The number of persons switching fro Android phones to iPhones also dropped, year on year.This could be attributed to innovations brought in by the local Android phone manufacturers like Huawei, OPPO and Vivo who are also making inroads into the global market. We have seen innovations in a larger RAM size, faster charging, dual-lens and more powerful cameras and more.

On individual models, most of Apple users switched either to the Huawei P9, OPPO R9 or Vivo X7. Huawei P9 got the lion share of defectors with a total of 38% of users switching over from Apple iPhone. The OPPO R9 received 22% of Apple users switching over to it while the Vivo X7 got 20% of Apple users. However, Apple still continues to maintain its advantage in terms of loyal users who still stick with the brand.

At the end of 2016, Huawei, OPPO and Vivo together accounted for a growth rate of 34% in their market share which is greater than the sum total of all the other Android smartphone brands put together. Their growth is significant because it represents a rise in smartphone sales when compared to previous years.

On a gender basis, most Huawei and Xiaomi users are male while the vast majority of OPPO and Vivo users are females.

Xiaomi Sold 6.3 Million Phones in March, May Exceed Annual Target

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Apr 18, 2017

Tomorrow is a big day for Xiaomi as their much awaited flagship, the Mi 6 will be unveiled. Asides that, the Chinese manufacturer has another reason to be excited.

An insider @Kevin King’s diary revealed that last month Xiaomi sold 6.3 million smartphones. The info was revealed in a Weibo post yesterday . The post goes on to state that Xiaomi is restructuring its phone business.

Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun had said earlier this month that they had discussed restructuring the phone business at the first general meeting after the 7th anniversary celebration. The focus this year will be on three key things: innovation – working on breakthroughs in core technologies; quality – products that have a quality higher than that of competitors; and delivery – finding a solution to its recurring supply issues.

Andy Rubin’s Essential Android Phone Specifications Surface on GFXBench

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Apr 18, 2017

One of the most awaited smartphones of this year is the flagship Android smartphone from Andy Rubin, the co-founder of Android OS before Google acquired it. The flagship phone would be released through his company named Essential Products, Inc. Rubin has already teased the first look of the phone and now its specifications have appeared on GFXBench benchmarking platform. In January, the Geekbench benchmarks had also appeared.

The smartphone has appeared with a model number of Essential FIH-PM1. FIH stands for Foxconn International Holdings which indicates that Foxconn could be manufacturing the phone.

It bears a screen size of 5.5 inches and it offers a resolution of 1,312 x 2,560 pixels. The display provides an aspect ratio 80:41 which is similar to 18:9 on the LG G6. The Snapdragon 835 SoC that is present under the hood of the device features a 2.2 GHz octa-core processor and Adreno 540 graphics. The SoC is supported by 4 GB of RAM. The native storage provided on the phone is 16 GB.

It has a 12-megapixel rear-facing camera and a frontal shooter of 8-megapixel. The GFXBench listing suggests that the back camera does not feature autofocus. The phone is preloaded with Android 7.0 Nougat. On Geekbench, the phone has scored 1,844 points on single-core test and 5,426 on multi-core test.

I'm really excited about how this is shaping up. Eager to get it in more people's hands… pic.twitter.com/LRzQCFSKTm

— Andy Rubin (@Arubin) March 27, 2017

According to Essential, its upcoming smartphone has “the ability to gain new hardware feature over time.” Speculations have it that the Essential phone would arriving with some modular capabilities and the already teased bezel-less display is expected to carry support for a function similar to 3D Touch on Apple iPhones. One of the rumored modules will allow users to snap high resolution 360-degree photos with the Essential phone. Speculations have it that the Essential flagship smartphone may get announced in the second half of this year.

(source|via)

Huawei P10 Flash Memory Issue: Official Response

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Apr 18, 2017

Huawei‘s latest P10 flagship was recently revealed to have some discrepancies in the flash storages installed on several of the units in China. This led to varying results in Androbench benchmark test where some of the storages were noticed to be faster than others thus fueling speculations that Huawei used UFS 2.1 storage on some, UF 2.0 on others and even eMMC 5.1 storage on some units.

The Huawei P10 is a flagship device that retails for more than $500, so any suggestion of low-end flash memory as claimed to have been noticed on some models could be judged to mean that the company is cutting corners in order to rip off customers. Of course, eMMC 5.1 memory would be cheaper than others. The tech giant apparently realises the damage such notion can cause and has come out to clarify that its flash memories are supplied by a number of credible suppliers who have a guideline set by the company. The statement also hinted that the user experience is controlled by several factors spreading from software to hardware. The statement added that the in-house Kirin chip, EMUI, camera and other software, as well as hardware, have always been upgraded in order to help users get a great user experience.

According to Huawei, the performance of the flash memory in a user’s run-time test using software which tests the performance of a single flash device cannot accurately tell the performance of the flash memory within the system. The smooth running of the flash memory isn’t a single component decision but the combined effort of the powerful chips and other components ensures the device runs smoothly in all aspects. In essence, they are saying there is no inferior memory on an of the P10 models.

iPhone 8’s Touch ID Integration Issue May Result in Production Delays

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Apr 18, 2017

Fresh information suggests that Apple is finding it difficult to integrate the Touch ID sensor beneath the edge-to-edge 5.8-inch OLED screen of the upcoming iPhone 8. According to Pacific Crest Securities equity research analyst, Andy Hargreaves, if the company is unable to resolve this issue soon, it may end up eliminating the Touch ID feature on the rumored iPhone 8 smartphone or delaying the production of OLED iPhone.

Touch ID is one of the essential features of Apple iPhones as it not only allows users to unlock the device, but also it is used for making secure payments through Apple Pay. If the company decides to remove the Touch ID biometric recognition feature, it may provide users with other options such as 3D facial recognition or iris scanning.

In the previous week, another analyst, Timothy Arcuri from Cowen and Company had revealed some information on the Touch ID issue for iPhone 8 based on the details he acquired through the supply chain. According to him, if the Cupertino company is not able to embed the Touch ID sensor under the screen of iPhone 8, it could end up in three scenarios.

The first one would be that Apple end up removing the feature and use other biometric recognition features as mentioned above. However, he added that it may not happen as iris or face scanning are not very secure methods and is likely to lead to problems with Apple Pay.

The second thing could happen is that Apple may place the fingerprint scanner on the rear side of the iPhone 8. The Galaxy S8’s rear-mounted fingerprint scanner is not very easy to access. Hence, iPhone 8’s rear-facing Touch ID sensor may be positioned in such a way that would be easier to access. Arcuri is of the view that it may not be an optimal solution.

The third thing Apple may do is announce the 5.8-inch iPhone 8 alongside the other rumored 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch iPhones, but delay its production. The newer information from Hargreaves is line with these first and third options. According to him, Apple has not given orders to its fingerprint module provider for the production of Touch ID sensor. The biometric identification feature is deeply integrated with different services from Apple. Hence, it seems unlikely that Apple may not feature it on the rumored iPhone 8 that will be reportedly launched in celebration of the 10^th anniversary of iPhones.

(source)

New LeEco Le X920 Model Hands-on Images Leaked

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Apr 18, 2017

LeEco’s pace in the mobile phone market has no doubt been affected by is financial troubles. As a result, the company seems to have slowed down the frequency at which it releases new smartphones. A good number of LeEco models that appeared in leaks and were thought to be closer to their launch date were never heard of till date. But there are signs the company is about to get its groove back. Not long after the Le Pro 3 AI edition was launched, a new Le X920 model has appeared online.

This isn’t the first time the LeEco Le X920 is making an appearance in leaks. The possibly high-end model had earlier appeared in a leaked video detailing its design a few weeks back. This latest leak not only gifts us a preview of the design of the smartphone, it also reveals some of its specifications. The device seems to have a front flash accompanying the selfie camera at the front.

Among the listed specifications is a Snapdragon 820 processor which shows that this was likely a model that should have been released last year. The device is also shown to run on Android 6.0 Marshmallow with EUI 5 hovering on top. Earlier leaks had revealed the Le X920 would sport a 6.3-inch 2K display and indeed, the size of the device points at a large phablet.

Read Also: LeEco Le Pro 3 AI Edition With Dual Cameras: Hands-on pictures

In addition, the Le X920 is suspected to be the expected LeEco Le Max 3 and it would come sporting a dual camera setup at the rear. This latest images did not reveal the rear view of the device but we had seen that the X920’s dual cameras are aligned in the vertical plane along with the LED flash. We really can’t say when this model would be launched bu we hope it would be sooner than later.

(s0urce)

Oppo Find 9 Leaked Shot Stuns With Impressive Design; Arrival Drawing Near?

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Apr 18, 2017

The OPPO Find 7 was launched in 2014 with topnotch specs. Since 2015, the rumor mill is speculating the arrival of its successor model, the OPPO Find 9. However, leaked photos and information of the mysterious OPPO Find 9 has been surfacing since quite some time. A new render of the alleged smartphone has surfaced to reveal its design.

The OPPO Find 9 image that has appeared on Weibo appears more like a concept model. The device can be seen sporting a curved bottom which almost appears as if it is smiling. The OPPO logo can be seen sitting on its chin. The phone does not sport curved edges on the display which suggests that it may come with super-slim bezels, but it is not difficult make out from the leaked image.

The OPPO Find 7 was a flagship phone. Since its launch in March 2014, the Chinese firm has not released a flagship smartphone as it is has concentrated more on releasing feature-rich mid-range and upper mid-range phones. This strategy has helped the company to grab the second spot in the Chinese smartphone market.

In January, the rumor mill had predicted that the OPPO Find 9 would release this year in two CPU variants of Snapdragon 835 and Snapdragon 653. The SD 653 variant is speculated to come with 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB of storage whereas the SD 835 model is rumored to feature 6 GB of RAM and 128 GB of storage.

Reports had also stated that the Oppo Find 9 would be coming with “borderless technology” based design created by OPPO. The new render does give us a hint that the phone sports ultra-thin bezels. As far as the details of the screen are concerned, the Find 9 may feature a 5.5-inch quad HD resolution supporting display. For photography, the mythical flagship is rumored to feature a 21-megapixel rear camera and a 16-megapixel selfie camera. It may be arriving with a 4,100mAh battery.

Rumors from the start of this year have claimed that the smartphone would be unveiled in the first of the year. However, the company has been reportedly delaying its arrival. Hence, there is a possibility that the phone could get unveiled in the second of this year.

(source|via)

OPPO R9S is Top Selling Smartphone by a Chinese Manufacturer

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