A survey carried out by Counterpoint Research revealed that two out of three mobile phone users in India plans to change their phone in the next one year. The desire to upgrade to a new smartphone stems from wanting a device with 4G capabilities. The survey also revealed that one in every three persons wants a smartphone with a fingerprint scanner and a better front facing camera.
A research director at the firm, Neil Shah says that Chinese brands that offer phones which meet these standards in the sub-$200 category will benefit. However, bigger brands like Apple will have to wait a bit longer before they can benefit, probably post-2018. The reason is because by then, the user base would have matured, 4G network will be everywhere and people will want to upgrade to a better device.
“In the longer term you will have a bigger user base who will want to upgrade to a better phone. Apple will benefit post-2018 with a maturing user base and the 4G network will be available everywhere. People will be using more services. In the next two years it would be a good idea for Apple to roll out their retail footprint and invest in manufacturing.”
Apple CEO,Tim Cook said earlier this year that the company had an “all-time record revenue results” in India last year. The American company is planning to have an assembly plant in India which should help reduce the cost of their devices. The cheapest iPhone at the moment is the iPhone SE and it sells for Rs 27,000 ($420.50). That is higher than the cost of the Xiaomi Mi 5 which sells for Rs 22,999.
The Xiaomi Mi 6 is now available for global pre-order at GIZTOP.com, meaning you are free to pre-order this flagship from anywhere around the world. This is coming six days before the flagship is officially unveiled by Xiaomi in China.
GIZTOP is a reputable online shop where you can buy a wild range of smartphones, especially the top brands manufactured by Chinese OEMs. The cool thing about GIZTOP is that it ships orders Worldwide so it doesn’t matter if you are in the Americas, India, Europe or even in the Artics, GIZTOP will ship your order to you in record time! In addition, each product ordered from GIZTOP comes with 2 years warranty. The Mi 6 is listed with a $399 price tag but we don’t know if that price will reduce or increase when the device is finally unveiled. Nevertheless, be rest assured that you’ll be among the first to get the device whenever it goes on sale.
The Mi 6 is Xiaomi’s 2017 Mi-series flagship which is expected with Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 835 chipset. At the moment, only Samsung Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ are available with Qualcomm’s latest flagship chip and they are super expensive but the Mi 6 promises to be super affordable in Xiaomi’s usual manner. The flagship device is also expected to sport a beautiful design with a dual-lens camera sitting at the rear. A big 3500mAh battery will keep the lights on and will come with Quick charge support.
The Xiaomi Mi 6 would be officially launched on April 19 in China thereafter GIZTOP will begin shipping out orders by the beginning of May 2017. Interested? You can check this out the pre-order page from here.
You might have heard about the rising star in the Chinese smartphone arena, Qihoo 360 and if you haven’t, you should definitely keep an eye on them as they are dubbed “The New Xiaomi”. They’ve started off well this year, with the launch of the new phone model N5 with 6GB of RAM, the successor to last year’s 360 N4 model. Qihoo 360 is popular for their anti-malware business, browser and more recently, by entering the smartphone market. We know you guys have been wanting to see the 360 N5 Review for some time now and as promised, here it is!
Fast as an airplane 360 N5
We were so excited about the 6GB RAM that we took it to Thailand and made a 360 N5 video review titled ”Super Fast Phone 360 N5”. With 5.5 inch display, metal back case and availability in gold or black, the phone feels sturdy and well built. The screen is full HD resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels and supports multi-touch.
The red box includes all the standard contents – product manual, warranty card, the plug, USB 2.0 charging cable. The available versions are 6GB of RAM with 32 GB or 64 GB internal storage. It has 2 card slots, 1 nano, and 1 micro slot, so you can either use 2 SIM cards or 1 SIM and 1 SD card.
360 N5 Review: Design & Display
The metal back case feels great in the hand and because it’s not sand blasted, you definitely have a better grip. The phone is available in 2 colours – gold, which is very discreet gold colour and black with some golden elements. The fingerprint sensor is at the back and runs pretty fast to unlock your phone. The 5.5-inch display is in Full HD IPS LCD Capacitive touchscreen with a resolution of 1080 x 1920 pixels. Pixel density is 401 ppi, which gives pretty good colours in environments with less light. It is quite reflexive in full light, but scrolling the bar on your phone to full brightness will save you the trouble.
360 N5 Review: Specs
It is powered by Qualcomm’s 64-bit Snapdragon 653 MSM8976 Pro octa-core processor, which consists of four Cortex A72 cores, four Cortex A53 cores and Adreno 510 GPU. The 360’s N5 runs on OS UI base Android 6.0 (Marshmallow) out of the box, but you can update it to a newer version.
Sunburned box of 360 N5
360 N5 Review: User Interface
The first thing we’ve noticed is that the phone defaulted with a bunch of apps that are really useful for Asia. If you are not a big fan of them, most of them can be uninstalled and if you find any persistent ones, you can put them in the ‘Freezer’ to speed up your phone. There are also Themes that you can get for free or very small amounts to style up your interface – Manga, Panda, Space, Ink Painting and more.
Interface themes for 360 N5
There are also some pretty nice functions like the “FastZone” shortcutting you to your favorite apps. “Transform” that helps you multitask and “Infinity” that lets you clone apps as well as open up an infinite number of apps without any lag. Just as an example, you can clone WeChat app and log in with multiple accounts, which is an amazing feature for us living in China, as we are almost life-dependent on it.
Rear camera with 13MP is capable of taking some pretty good photos, with a lot of colors and texture to it. The Macro function takes photos close to the object, but not with much crisp and clear details, but still very good in comparison to the similar phones with that price tag. The 8MP selfie camera is doing a good job, especially with the beautify function that we’ve shown in the video.
Gold version of 360 N5
The photo colours and contrasts are great, in full light or in almost complete darkness with the maximum resolution is 4160 x 3120 and supports HDR. The video is not so great, it doesn’t produce as much details as photos do. Overall, great performance of the camera if you are not looking for a great video recording performance.
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360 N5 Review: Battery
The battery is non-removable one with the capacity of 4,000 mAh, which will run a whole day for an average user. It supports Quick Charge 3.0 and it took us less than 85 minutes to fully charge the battery, which is fantastic!
The only downside with 360 phones is that they don’t support Global ROM yet, but the word is going around town that it will happen and that it will happen soon!
To find out more about the phone or purchase the 360 N5, head out to Giztop.
The official announcement of Xiaomi Mi 6 and Mi 6 Plus will happen on April 19. It has been confirmed that Mi 6 duo will be driven by Snapdragon 835 SoC which is the primary SoC that is speculated to be present under the hood of several flagship phones of this year.
According to Geekbench listing, the Xiaomi Mi 6 is powered by msm8998 which is nothing but the Snapdragon 835 chipset. The Mi 6 has recorded a score of 2006 points on single-core test and it has scored 6438 points on the multi-core test on Geekbench. Even though the Xiaomi Mi 6 used for Geekbench testing has recorded brilliant scores, the test unit was not running on the highest processing speed of the chipset.
According to the official page of Snapdragon 835, it can work at a maximum speed of up to 2.45 GHz. The Xiaomi Mi 6 and Mi 6 Plus are expected to deliver impressive battery performance as they not only feature a power efficient chipset but also they are expected to come with full HD screens rather than using quad HD screens like flagships from other smartphone OEMs.
The Geekbench listing of Xiaomi Mi 6 reveals that the smartphone is running on Android 7.1.1 Nougat OS. It will be skinned with the latest version of MIUI. The test unit has 6 GB of RAM onboard. It is also expected to be available in 4 GB RAM option.
Speculations are rife that the Xiaomi Mi 6 that features a 5.15-inch screen would be coming with 19-megapixel rear camera and 8-megapixel UltraPixel selfie camera. On the other side, the Mi 6 Plus featuring a 5.7-inch display is speculated to house a 12-megapixel dual rear camera and an 8-megapixel UltraPixel selfie snapper. Both phones are rumored to arrive in UFS 2.0 storage choices like 32 GB, 64 GB and 128 GB. The Mi 6 may come with a 3,200 mAh battery and the Mi 6 Plus is pegged to house a 4,500 mAh battery. The Mi 6 and Mi 6 Plus are speculated to be available with a respective starting price of 2,199 Yuan ($319) and 2,699 Yuan ($392).
ZTE’s elite brand Nubia officially launched the Nubia Z17 Mini last week in China but the smartphone went up for its first sale today after reservations have been closed. Reports coming out from the first flash sale is that the Z17 Mini was sold out in just a minute. The sales within the period was also a record figure with the total exceeding 100 million Yuan across all channels. The device went on sale simultaneously on Jingdong (JD.com), Tmall, Suning and on Nubia’s official website.
The Nubia Z17 Mini isn’t a flagship device but it packs a design and specs lineup that makes it look like a flagship device. The smartphone comes in four different colours which include champagne gold, black gold, red and elegant black. The design is complement by a slim metal build and the absence of a physical home button.However, there is an attractive red ring marking at the front where the virtual home button lies.
The Z17 Mini doesn’t disappoint in the specs angle either, packing a Snapdragon 653 processor which is backed by 6GB of RAM. There is also a Snapdragon 652-powered version with 4GB of RAM. Perhaps, the most stand-out feature on the Nubia Z17 Mini is the dual camera setup at the rear, as well as the large pixel selfie shooter. The main camera is a powerful 13MP Sony IMX258 sensor and the secondary sensor is a black and white camera which is a depth of field camera. The dual camera supports 0.1s mixed focus and also 4K ultra-high definition video recording. It can also capture in slow motion and has time lapse feature.
In September 2016, LeEco had released Le Pro 3 smartphone powered with Snapdragon 821. Now, the Chinese firm has announced Le Pro 3 AI Edition which is its first dual rear camera phone that is equipped with Artificial Intelligence and its two models are driven by MediaTek Helio X23 and X27 chipsets. Both smartphones have been compared here to know the distinguishing features on the new Le Pro 3 AI Edition.
LeEco Le Pro 3 AI vs. LeEco Le Pro 3: Design
The Le Pro 3 has a full metal-clad body that measures 151.4 x 73.9 x 7.5 mm and weight 174 grams. It is available in colors like rose gold, gold, silver and gray. The Le Pro 3 AI also sports a metal unibody design and its dimensions are 152.4 x 75.1 x 7.5 mm and its weight is 168 grams. It comes in color choices such as rose gold, gold, and black.
One of the most striking changes that can be seen on the Le Pro 3 AI Edition is the presence of dual rear cameras on the back panel. Both phones also feature rear-mounted fingerprint scanners and they do not feature the standard 3.5mm audio jack.
LeEco Le Pro 3 AI vs. LeEco Le Pro 3: Display
The Le Pro 3 and its newer AI edition are both packed with IPS LCD screens of 5.5 inches. Both screens offer a full HD screen resolution of 1,920 x 1,080 pixels. The Le Pro 3 offers 80% NTSC color gamut and 500nit brightness whereas the Pro 3 AI edition produces 85% NTSC color gamut and 600nit brightness. Both the displays are flanked with 2.5D curved glass. The Le Pro 3 offers a screen-to-body ratio of 73.8 percent whereas the Le Pro 3 AI Edition delivers 72.69 percent screen-to-body ratio.
LeEco Le Pro 3 AI vs. LeEco Le Pro 3: Specs
CPU
The Le Pro 3 is fueled by Snapdragon 821 SoC that includes a 2.35 GHz quad-core processor and Adreno 530 graphics. The Le Pro 3 AI Edition Standard model is powered by MediaTek Helio X23 chipset that includes a 2.3 GHz deca-core processor and Mali-T880 MP4 graphics The Eco variant of the phone has Helio X27 chipset inside it that is comprised of a 2.6 GHz ten-core processor and Mali-T880 MP4 graphics.
RAM, ROM, and Storage
The Le Pro 3 has 6 GB of RAM for its 128 GB storage model. Another 6 RAM variant with 64 GB storage is also available. Its 32 GB and 64 GB variants include 4 GB of RAM.
The Le Pro 3 AI Edition comes with 4 GB of RAM for both Standard and Elite models. However, the Standard variant features 32 GB of storage and its Eco edition has 64 GB of storage. Neither the original Le Pro 3 nor its AI Edition feature a microSD card slot.
Battery
A 4,070 mAh battery is present under the hood of the Le Pro 3. The Le Pro 3 AI Edition has a slightly smaller battery of 4,000 mAh capacity. These phones carry support for fast charging through USB Type-C port.
LeEco Le Pro 3 AI vs. LeEco Le Pro 3: Software
The Le Pro 3 runs on Android 6.0 Marshmallow OS overlaid with EUI 5.8 interface. The new AI Edition phone has the same OS but it is customized with a newer EUI 5.9 interface. The Le Eco Pro 3 AI Edition is the first phone from the company to arrive with its LeLe AI assistant that is integrated with LeEco apps and some third-party apps. It can be activated even through the display is turned off and carries support for several voice driven functions. It is smart enough to learn users’ interest over time and thereby provide better results with more usage.
The Lele AI assistant is not present on Le Pro 3.
LeEco Le Pro 3 AI vs. LeEco Le Pro 3: Camera
A 16-megapixel rear camera with f/2.0 aperture is present on Le Pro 3. For shooting selfies, it is packed with an 8-megapixel f/2.2 aperture frontal camera.
Apart from Lele virtual assistant, the other USP of the phone is its dual rear camera setup that includes a pair of 13-megapixel camera sensors with one sensor for shooting in monochrome format and the other one for capturing in color. The twin camera supports features like f/2.0 aperture and dual-LED flash. An 8-megapixel f/2.2 aperture shooter is present on the front side of the phone for snapping selfies.
LeEco Le Pro 3 AI vs. LeEco Le Pro 3: Pricing & Availability
The 4 GB + 32 GB and 4 GB + 64 GB of Le Pro 3 respectively cost, 1,799 Yuan ($261) and 2,499 Yuan ($362). Its 6 GB + 64 GB and 6 GB + 128, are respectively priced at 1,999 Yuan (290) and 2,999 Yuan ($434). The Le Eco Pro AI Edition Standard and Eco models are respectively tagged at 1,799 Yuan ($261) and 2,399 Yuan ($348). As far as availability is concerned, the Le Pro 3 AI Edition will be available for purchase from April 14.
April 19 is just six days away and as expected, Xiaomi has started its usual daily teasers ritual. The teasers will highlight the major selling points of the upcoming flagship device one after the other each day before the launch day.
The first in the pack is a video teaser released today on the official Xiaomi smartphone Weibo account. The teaser announces that the Mi 6 would come with a number of big upgrades and one of them is the dual camera set. This has been the subject of several leaked renders and supposed live images of the Mi 6 where the phone is captured with a dual camera setup at the rear. The main camera sensor is touted to be the same Sony IMX378 sensor used on the Mi 5S which means the camera will be super powerful.
You can check out the video teaser from here but we must warn, it’ll be difficult understanding it except you understand Chinese. It is a teaser, so it is not straightforward but comes with some comic relief. The bottom line is that the Mi 6 will have dual cameras at the rear. Famous Chinese comedians Joe Shan and Xiu Rui were featured in the video.
We expect more teasers in the coming days before the official launch.
Sharp Mobile has unveiled its first smartphone of the year, the Sharp Z3, as a successor model for Sharp Z2 from 2016. The smartphone seems to be aimed towards Taiwanese market as its official video is available on the YouTube channel of Sharp Mobile Taiwan. Since Sharp smartphones are not sold usually in the U.S., the Sharp Z3 may not arrive in the country.
The Sharp Z3 has a molded metallic chassis and its surface is made from diamond sandblasting process. The phone is available in a single color of champagne gold. The rear side of the Sharp Z3 bears resemblance to iPhone 7 as it antenna strips on the top and bottom edges. The thickness of the phone is 7.78 mm. It measures 157.9 x 78.5 mm and its weight is 185 grams.
The Sharp Z3 has a 5.7-inch IPS LCD screen that produces a quad HD resolution of 2,560 x 1,440 pixels. It offers a maximum brightness of 520nits and promises easily readability under direct sunlight. The physical Home button below the display is embedded with a fingerprint scanner. The bottom side of the Sharp Z3 features an external speaker, a microUSB port and a microphone. The topside has a 3.5mm audio jack and another microphone.
The rear side of the phone has a 16-megapixel camera that comes with features like PDAF, OIS and dual LED flash. Its font-facing camera is of 13-megapixel that supports PDAF and 80.7-degree wide-angle shooting.
The Sharp Z3 is a dual-SIM phone that is driven by Snapdragon 652 chipset that features a 1.8 GHz eight-core processor. The SoC is coupled with 4 GB of RAM. It provides users with a native storage of 64 GB and it comes loaded with Android 7.0 Nougat OS. It is packed with a 3,100 mAh battery. Its sales will begin from April 15 in Taiwan through Synnex dealers and PChome shopping online. It will be hitting the carrier stores as well as Asia-Pacific markets by May. The device is priced at NT$ 1,3990 ($462).
During the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2017 event in February, Huawei had unveiled the Huawei P10 and Huawei P10 Plus flagship smartphones. Two months after the launch, guys at MyFixGuide have completely torn down the blue colored version of Huawei P10 to reveal its innards.
The tear down of the Huawei P10 begins by removing its SIM card tray. The phone features an irreversible SIM tray which means users can insert it only in one direction. The next thing to be removed is the back panel which is secured with screws and clips. After removing the rear panel, it can be seen that the cable for volume and power buttons are still attached to the main board.
The internal design of the Huawei P10 is quite different from that of its predecessor phone, the Huawei P9. In Huawei P9, the cables for LCD and main FPC are placed below the battery. However, in Huawei P10, these cables are placed above the battery.
The frontal camera and rear camera are removed after unscrewing six screws and by removing three metal sheets followed by disconnection of the battery connector, and cables for LCD and motherboard FPC. The dual camera (20-megapixel RGB sensor + 12-megapixel monochrome sensor) module is quite thin and it does not protrude which gives the Huawei P10 a smoother appeal. The 8-megapixel selfie connector is secured by using a small metal sheet and adhesive tape.
The RF coaxial cable can then be disconnected from the mainboard. By doing this, the mainboard can be removed. Huawei has used metal shields to cover the various chips on the P10. The SoC is also covered by a metal shield along with a layer of thermal grease. The P10 contains SK Hynix 4 GB RAM, HiSilicon Kirin 960 octa-core processor, 64 GB flash memory from Samsung, and other components as shown in the image.
The bottom portion contains modules for external speaker, USB Type-C port (with a rubber ring to prevent water and dust from entering inside) and vibrator motor. The phone includes a 3.82V 3,200 mAh capacity, 12.23Wh Li-ion battery.
Even though MyFixGuide has torn down the Huawei P10, they have not provided a reparability score for it as iFixit provides it. The tear down also confirms all the hardware components as mentioned in the specs sheet of the phone. However, as the Chinese manufacturer has used individual hardware components in building the P10, it can be concluded that it is fairly easy to repair it.
In the past few days, there have been a number of leaks related to new phones Motorola has been working on. We have seen details of the Moto E4 and Moto E4 Plus and have also gotten info on the new Moto C series. In addition to those two, we now have a leaked image of the flagship Moto Z2 Force courtesy of Slashleaks.
This year, Motorola is using more or less the same design language for all of its phones. The new design first appeared on the Moto Z Force and was used for all the other phones in the Z series. The design has been replicated on the Moto G5 and Moto G5 Plus.
The Moto Z2 Force doesn’t look much different from last year’s model but it does have some new improvements and additions. First, there are now dual cameras on the rear. This is a major change and it remains to see how Motorola incorporates the two sensors. However, the combination of the dual rear cameras and arc-shaped LED flash makes the whole setup look like a robot’s face. Sadly, the camera hump still remains.
Motorola has also redesigned the fingerprint scanner. Instead of the square-shaped one from last year, it is now shaped like a pill. The scanner also appears to be indented in the phone, so it probably won’t press like a button.
The rest of the design remains the same. There are still Moto Mod connectors on the back and the front camera still has its own LED flash.
AnTuTu has released its top 10 most value for money smartphones which topped the chart in the month of March 2017. The list is only a little different from that of February, with a few new entrants to the chart. The chart is made mostly of flagships that have been in the market for a while.
The top 3 spot is still inhabited by the same models from last month, that is the Lenovo ZUK Z2, The LeEco Le Max 2 and Le 2 in the same order. It is really no surprise that the Lenovo ZUK Z2 still tops the chart as it still offers flagship specs at a budget price tag. The ZUK Z2 (3GB + 32GB) which is equipped with Snapdragon 820 processor is currently priced at 1199 Yuan. This price tag makes it the cheapest flagship and arguably offers the best value for your money. The ZUK Z2 is closely followed by the LeEco Le Max 2 (4GB + 32GB) which is priced at 1399 Yuan. The third position is occupied by the LeEco Le 2 (3GB + 32GB) whose price has further dropped to 899 Yuan.
The LeEco Le S3 is a new entrant, pushing the Le Pro 3 out of the fourth spot to the fifth. The Le Pro 3 may have dropped to the fifth position because of the 100 Yuan increase in its price tag which now sits at 1899 Yuan. With a Snapdragon 821 processor + 4GB RAM, the price is still a bargain.
The rest of the list is made up of the Xiaomi Mi 5 at the sixth spot while the Snapdragon 821-powered Smartisan M1 is at number 7. LeEco and Coolpad’s collaborative work, Cool1 Dual occupies the number 8 position. At number 9 is the Smartisan M1L packing a Snapdragon 821 chip and finally, the Xiaomi Mi Note 4 completes the top 10 chart.
While the list might look like it is packed with smartphones that are unavailable outside of China, a good number of these cheap flagships can actually be purchased by intending buyers from different countries around the world. They can then be shipped to your location and sometimes the shipping is free of charge. One amazing online shop in China that stocks most of these veteran flagships is GIZTOP. You can give it a try and be rest assured of the safety of your order.
Ahead of the April 19 official launch of the Xiaomi Mi 6, there is yet another leak of the expected flagship. This time around, an image said to be the live front view of the bigger Mi 6 Plus has appeared on China’s Weibo.
The latest rumour about the Mi 6 Plus is that the design might be different from that of the Mi 6, with its design tilting towards that of the Mi Mix that is, a full-screen display. The front home button may also not be an ultrasonic technology. The latest leaked image seems to lend some authenticity to the rumour, except that we are not even sure that this is actually the Mi 6 Plus.
The clues we would have looked out for to tell whether this is even a Xiaomi device or not were stylishly masked. In reality, the leaked image is very much different from the earlier images we had seen of the Mi 6 or even the Mi 6 Plus. The display is a full-screen display with a small part reserved for the home button at the extreme edge just like on the Mi MIX. The design of the home button is obviously different from that of the Mi 5S with its ultrasonic fingerprint sensor. The body seems to be manufactured using ceramic glass and it is relatively thick. In addition, the device uses the USB Type-C interface.
We are not sure about this leaked image and the new details it brings to the table but there is a precedent. The Mi 5S and Mi 5S Plus did not exactly look alike. The Mi5S ultrasonic fingerprint sensor was missing on te 5S Plus while the Mi 5S Plus features a dual camera setup as opposed to the single sensor on the Mi 5S. It is not certain the same scenario will play out on the Mi 6 and Mi 6Plus but we’ll keep our fingers crossed and watch out for further details.
Xiaomi has recently confirmed that it will be unveiling the much-hyped Xiaomi Mi 6 flagship smartphone on April 19. The Chinese firm is still a couple of days away from the launch of Xiaomi Mi 6 and the rumor mill is already brewing up with fresh information on the next generation Mi Note series phablet.
An anonymous Chinese source has revealed that the upcoming Mi Note 3 will be packed with lethal specifications. The most powerful smartphone chipset from Qualcomm, the Snapdragon 835 is rumored to fuel the phablet with a mammoth 8 GB RAM. It is expected to be available in native storage options such as 128 GB and 256 GB.
The Xiaomi Mi Note 2 features a dual edge curved screen that measures 5.7 inches. Its successor is also expected to arrive with a same sized display. Like the Mi Note 2, its next generation model is pegged to be equipped with a identical battery of 4,070 mAh capacity.
Even though the Xiaomi Mi Note 2 is one of the most impressive smartphones from the company, there is no fresh information available on its market performance. The reason behind it is that the Mi Note 2 has reportedly encountered production issues.
Just as Samsung faced production problems with its first dual-edge curved phones, Xiaomi too is allegedly facing a similar issue with the production of dual-edge screens for Mi Note 2. However, the company seems to be well prepared in improving the production of curved displays for the Mi Note 3.
The Xiaomi Mi Note 3 is rumored to get unveiled in the second quarter of this year. However, this piece of information cannot be confirmed as the company has not followed a consistent refresh cycle for the Mi Note series phones. The Mi Note and Mi Note Pro phones were unveiled in January 2015. The Mi Note 2 arrived in October 2016. If Xiaomi has improved the building process for Mi Note 3, it may consider canning the Mi Note 2 to launch a successor phone with killer specs quickly.
For those of you who don’t remember, Ivvi used to be a sub-brand of Coolpad but is now owned by a different company, SuperD. Coolpad itself is now controlled by LeEco. Ivvi has released a number of phones since it changed ownership, most notably the Ivvi i3 which was the first phone to launch with the Snapdragon 430 chipset.
The Ivvi K5 is their next phone and its said to launch with a Snapdragon 835. This is a big deal for Ivvi as the K5 will likely be the third Chinese phone other than the Xiaomi Mi 6 and Gree Phone 2 to be powered by the chip.
The other cool thing about the Ivvi K5 is it’s design. Pictures of the flagship have been posted online and it shows it sporting a curved glass back. The design is reminiscent of the Honor 8 as it’s reflective too.
The Ivvi K5 is rumoured to sport a 5.5-inch FHD display, 4GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. It will also have a 3500mAh battery under the hood. The pictures show that there’s a single camera on the back and a fingerprint scanner too.
Ivvi has an event scheduled for April 18, a day before the Xiaomi Mi 6’s launch. It appears that Ivvi is not only a competition for Xiaomi in terms of launching a Snapdragon 835-powered phone but it is also set on being the first Chinese manufacturer to do so.
Google announced the first Android O Developer Preview just 3 weeks ago but seems phone manufacturers are trying to stay ahead of the game. The developer preview is officially only available for select Google Nexus and Pixel phones users but Google usually releases the source code to its Android partners in order for them to be able to update their own software ahead of when the source code would enter the public domain.
Despite this known fact, it still is a surprise that Huawei is already testing the Android O builds on its flagship devices. Fans love it when updates hit their phones earlier than later and Huawei would obviously like to catch in on that. Internal testing builds of Android O for the Huawei Mate 9 was recently revealed by a Mate 9 user on XDA forum, revealing that the Chinese company is already working to update its latest EMUI version in order to bring in all the enhancements that Android O has to offer.
As you should know, developer preview isn’t for everyday use but for developers and this isn’t different. The Mater 9 user noted that it came pre-rooted but it has a number of issues. Applications like Google Play Store does not work except Google Play services are sideloaded. It is missing all language options apart from Chinese (Mandarin) and English and also does not feature a System Update app or eRecovery, WiFi seems to have some issues working well too, among several other issues. However, a few new things are said to have been noticed on the build such as a new files app and new developer options.
It is not as if the build is expected to be complete, considering that it is likely an internal testing build meant for Huawei engineers to test Android O on their flagships. But it is a cheering news to Huawei phone users because this is a signal that Huawei is already working on Android O for the Mate 9. We can’t be so sure about this, though, because not all the evidential details were not posted by the source.
When the Deputy Chairman of a company’s Investment Review Board sees no future for a product which his company has invested heavily on and is in its second generation, it usually leaves us in a state of confusion. That is the case with the Huawei smartwatch presently. According to South China Morning Post, Huawei CEO Eric Xu has expressed his doubts about the prospects of smartwatches in the face of the booming smartphone market.
Mr Xu, who also doubles as Rotating CEO, was responding to a question on whether the development of end-user products like smartwatches would stifle its smartphone business. This was at the company’s Global Analyst Summit 2017 held in Shenzhen on Tuesday. “I am always confused as to what smartwatches are for when we have smartphones…..Therefore, when the smartwatch team in Huawei presents their ideas to me with great excitement, I keep reminding them to consider whether there are tangible needs [for these products] in the market,” the CEO was quoted to have said.
But come on, Huawei has two smartwatches in its kitty! The latest version, Huawei Watch 2, was released barely a month ago packing Google’s latest Android Wear 2.0. Perhaps, Mr Xu’s confusion stems from the fact that the smartwatch comes with a SIM card slot and so can be used to make or receive calls. The first generation of Huawei smartwatch powered by Android Wear was released in 2015.
Moreso, the smartwatch market has not grown as fast as it was anticipated to do and similar views have repeatedly been expressed by many analysts and smartphone company executives, who are still wondering when, or even if, smartwatches will catch on with the general public. Hopefully, that breakthrough moment would land soon and Huawei wouldn’t like to be left out of the party when the boom time arrives. Perhaps, that is what is sustaining its current efforts in the development of more wearables.
Nokia is expected to launch the recently launched Nokia 3, Nokia 5, Nokia 6 and the new Nokia 3310 in around 120 countries within the second quarter of this year. The Vice-President of HMD Mobile India, Ajey Mehta has spilled some interesting information on the new set of upcoming Nokia phones. According to Mehta, ”We should launch our next set of phones by the end of Q2 this year.”
In an interview to the Times of India, Mehta has said that Nokia wants to make its phones available in various price points to different kinds of customers by the coming year. The company wants to offer its loyal fans with services like exchanging of old phones as well as credit facilities. To make the Nokia phones available to its customers, the Finnish company will be relying on its 400 distributors and 80,000 retailing partners. It will be also selling the phones through its online store.
The upcoming Nokia phones that are now poised to launch by the end of second quarter of 2017 will include both smartphones and feature phones. Mehta added that feature phones comprise 55 percent of the cell phone market and 11-12 million feature phones are sold in each month. Since there is so much demand for feature phones, Nokia will also continue to sell feature phones.
Previous rumors have revealed that Nokia will be releasing around 6 to 7 Android phones this year. Rumors are now hinting that the Finnish company may be working on Snapdragon 660 chipset driven Nokia 7 and Nokia 8 smartphones. Moreover, other speculations hint that Nokia 9 could be the Snapdragon 835 chipset driven flagship that Nokia fans are waiting for. Recent news suggest that Nokia 9 could get unveiled in Q3 this year with a pricing of $699.
If someone were to do a search on crowdfunding platforms, you are sure to come across some pretty interesting discoveries.An example is this smartphone called Trinity that runs Android but also functions as a full Windows PC. This is different from a dual-boot device that has both Android and Windows installed. It has separate hardware for both operating systems and can run Windows and Android simultaneously even letting you switch between both, without shutting one down.
Trinity is being developed by Shane Lewis and now he wants you to crowdfund his idea so he can start shipping by the end of the year. The specs for the device are not mind-blowing since Lewis is working with old components. It will run Windows 10 and unspecified version of Android. It is also really thick at 17.5mm with a possibility of reaching 19mm when finished.
Samsung is working on testing a prototype phone with dual displays, and according to industry sources production will begin soon. Both OLED screens will be connected in the middle by a hinge and will open and close like a clam-shell phone.
This device is quite different from the Galaxy X which is expected to use a single flexible OLED screen that can be folded in half. Samsung is reported to have placed orders for components to make about 2000 to 3000 units for the dual-screen phone in H1 2017.
This dual screen phone is probably a preliminary phase for the Galaxy X. And data gotten from the tests will be used to develop its foldable phone which Samsung plans to release in limited quantities in H2 2017. Since both the dual screen phone and the Galaxy X will be manufactured in limited quantities, they will only be available to a select few.
US tech company Misfit is renowned for its stylish fitness trackers that have minimalist designs but could easily be confused for jewelry. Today, the company has added another wearable device, this time an entry-level, cheap fitness tracker dubbed Misfit Flare.
The Flare is quite different from other Misfit wearables in that it is designed to track steps, distance, calorie burned as well as sleep quality but it can’t tell you what time it is because there is no time feature. Since there is no time feature, there’s the likelihood that the device wouldn’t have the alarm feature also. The wearable device can track various activities, like walking, running, yoga, soccer, basketball, and swimming but specifically tracking laps while swimming will require you to buy a $9.99 in-app.
On the design, the Misfit Flare comes with an aluminium outer case which is mounted on the socket in a black band. It has a round shape and there is a capacitive touch sensor with a LED located underneath the fitness device which is used to track activity progress throughout the day. The fitness tracker has a sensitive face as well which when double tapped, causes a LED indicator to flash. The flash has different types and interpretations. A single flash means a user is 25 percent of the way towards an activity goal, a double flash is 50 percent, and a triple flash is 75 percent. A light animation indicates the activity goal for the day has been reached. Still talking about the features, the Misfit Flare packs a replaceable, non-charging battery which is touted to last up to four months. The device is also water resistant and can withstand water up to a 50m depth.
Still talking about the features, the Misfit Flare packs a replaceable, non-charging battery which is touted to last up to four months. The device is also water resistant and can withstand water up to a 50m depth. It can be paired with an iPhone and can even be used as a remote device to take a selfie with an iPhone. It can also be used to wirelessly control music, advance slides in a presentation, control household devices, and more.
All these you can get for $59.99 and it is already available for purchase on Misfit’s website. When compared to the Xiaomi Mi Band 2, the Misfit Flare falls short in not having a time feature. The prices are also different as the Mi Band 2 still looks like the King of cheap fitness wearable devices. With the Mi Band 2, you’ll likely be getting much more for less since its price varies between $19.99 – $25.99.
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