ZTE Hit By $343 Million Loss in 2016 After Paying Huge Fine for Selling Equipment to Iran, North Korea

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Mar 24, 2017

Earlier this month, we had reported that ZTE was fined a settlement pay of $892 million for violating U.S. laws by selling its products in restricted regions like Iran and North Korea. It was fined not only for violating the U.S. laws, but also for making false statement by claiming not guilt initially. This has caused the company to encounter a massive net loss for the last quarter of 2016.

The Chinese telecommunications equipment manufacturer ended up with a net loss of $760 million. It means that without the fine, ZTE would have recorded a net profit of $132 million in the final quarter of 2016. For the same period, the company was expected to make a profit of $557 million.

In the third quarter of the previous year, it had posted a profit of $158 million. However, because of the huge fine, ZTE has met with a $343 million loss for the entire year of 2016. Without the fine, it would have gained a profit of around $557 million. In other words, it would have earned an increased profit of around 19.2 percent compared to the revenue it generated in 2015.

If the company does not adhere to the conditions of the settlement, it will have to pay $300 million more. The agreement became effective from March 22. However, a positive thing for ZTE is that its quarter-to-quarter revenues increased by 24.6 percent and its year on year profits have rose by 1 percent.

In the U.S. ZTE is the fourth largest smartphone vendor and its smartphones are available through AT&T, T-Mobile and Sprint. The Chinese company is also working with leading U.S. companies such as Intel, Microsoft, and Qualcomm. However, if it fails to fulfill the conditions of the agreement, the U.S. government may ban ZTE from working with U.S. companies.

The Chinese firm has recently announced the all new Blade V8 series of smartphones earlier in this year and it is also recently launched the Nubia M2 phone. It is also rumored to release an entry-level ZTE Quartz smartwatch in the near future.

(source)

Geotel Note is available for $89.99 on Aliexpress now

By

Shine Wong

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Mar 24, 2017

Aliexpress anniversary festival on March 28 is approaching, some of Aliexpress stores will bring a huge sale offer. It is likely the best price you can get across the whole year. Geotel Note is one of best budget phones with acceptable specs and wonderful Metal Print surface technology.

The Geotel Note’s Metal Print body and shiny either Blue or Gold colors looks gorgeous. It’s own shiny surface on the back cover. Besides the build quality, the phone specs are also above acceptable as well. Here is the main specs:

5.5″ HD screen, 1280x720pixel display resolution
Powered with MTK MT6737 SoC, along with 3GB RAM and 16 GB of storage
Built-in 8MP rear camera and a 5MP front camera
3200mAh battery
Android 6.0 Marshmallow

Learn More About Geotel Note at Official site

Xiaomi Mi 6 & Mi 6 Plus Prices Leaked, Starts at 1999 Yuan ($290)

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Mar 24, 2017

This year promises to be a year of spectacular flagships competing at different planes – large displays, powerful hardware, top notch designs and more. The Xiaomi Mi 6 is one of such flagship which would lock horns with the Samsung Galaxy S8 as the first two Snapdragon 835-powered smartphones. The Mi 6 is rumoured to launch next month, after the Galaxy S8 must have been unveiled on March 29.

Xiaomi-Mi-6-Dual-Camera — mi 6 old render

Ahead of that launch, the Xiaomi Mi 6 pricing details have leaked online revealing the likely prices the various versions of the flagship device will sell for. The price list contains not just the Mi 6, but also the Mi 6 Plus which is probably the bigger 5.7-inch variant. Accordingly, the list reveals three memory versions for the Mi 6 and Mi 6 Plus. The Mi 6 comes in 4GB + 32GB which is listed to start at 1999 Yuan ($290). There is also a 4GB + 64GB version listed with a 2,299 Yuan ($333) price tag and finally, a 6GB + 128GB version priced at 2,699 Yuan ($391).

On the other hand, the Mi 6 Plus is listed with 4GB + 64GB on its base version which would retail for 2599 Yuan ($377), a 6GB + 128GB version priced at 2,999 Yuan ($435). Finally, the Mi 6 Plus is listed with a top-end version with a fiery 8GB RAM and 256GB storage priced at 3499 Yuan ($507).

We can’t verify these price listing but if true, then the Mi 6 would be the cheapest flagship around considering that it packs a Snapdragon 835 chip, dual cameras and several other top-end features. We don’t know if the base versions will pack Snapdragon 835 chip or a lesser Snapdragon 821. Also, there are rumours of the Xiaomi flagship equally coming with several colour variants including the unconventional colours like red. We have a feeling the long wait for the Galaxy S8 and Mi 6 would be worth the while.

(via)

Moto M Meets Midrange Segment Demand; 3 Million Units Sold in Just 6 Months

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Mar 24, 2017

Moto M, a new midrange smartphone from Motorola was launched in China in the last quarter of 2016. Later, it was also brought to select regions. Fresh information suggests that’ in as short span of six months the company has sold over 3 million units of Moto M.

According to The Jakarta Post, Adrie S. Suhadi who leads the Lenovo Mobile Business Group in Indonesia has said that the sales number of Motorola Moto M smartphone confirm that it has fulfilled the mid-range segment demand. The new smartphone was introduced to supplement its budget and premium smartphones that are already doing well in China.

Lenovo Group Ltd.’s global smartphone sales have increased by 20 percent because of the impressive sales of Moto M in China. After its launch in China, the phone was released in India and now it is also available in multiple markets such as Pakistan, Poland, Malaysia, Thailand and more. The smartphone is going to launch in Indonesia on March 27. Lenovo’s e-commerce partners will run pre-orders for Moto M from March 22 to 26.

The Moto M has a splash resistant body and it features a 5.5=inch screen that supports full HD resolution of 1,920 x 1,080 pixels. The MediaTek Helio P10 SoC is present under the hood of the phone. Some markets like India have received has received Helio P15 SoC variant of Moto M.

The 32 GB storage model of Moto M has 3 GB of RAM and its 64 GB storage variant has 4 GB of RAM. Its rear-facing camera is of 16-megapiexel LED flash and its frontal snapper is of 8-megapixel. It is loaded with Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow OS. It features a USB Type-C port and a rear-mounted fingerprint scanner. It houses a 3,050 mAh battery and it comes in color options such as Gold, Gray and Silver.

(source)

Snapdragon 835 vs Other Flagship Chips in Benchmarks- And the Winner is…..

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Mar 23, 2017

Qualcomm‘s latest Snapdragon 835 chipset continues to show prospect which indicates it indeed deserves its place as a next-generation flagship chip and the attention it commands is well earned. The flagship Snapdragon 835 was recently subjected to several benchmark tests but here, we consider its performance on PC Mark and GFXBench, two popular benchmark platforms.

The Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 uses four large Cortex-A73 core as well as four small Cortex -A53 cores in an Octa-core architecture. From the benchmark results, the SD 835 is revealed to have performed better than Huawei’s HiSilicon 960 chip and any other chip around in the multi-core test but in the Single core test, it performed slightly weaker. The Kirin 960 also posted a similar low score as the SD 835 on the single-core test.

When the result is compared to the previous generation Snapdragon chips, the SD 835 performed better thanks to the Adreno 540 GPU both in the 3D Mark and GFXBench tests. In the GFXBench test, SD 835 outpaced the Snapdragon 821 chip by 30% while in the 3D Mark benchmark app, its lead reached 40%.

However, when the flagship Snapdragon 835 test phone was benchmarked while running Video Editing 2.0 on PC Mark and the result was compared with the test score of different smartphones in the same flagship category, the Snapdragon 835 did not post a very spectacular result. The chip even scored less than some devices like the SD 820-powered Galaxy S7 and the Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 Pro powered by an Hexa-core Snapdragon 650 chip.

On the other hand, in the highly demanding T-Rex HD score, the Snapdragon 835 chipset topped the chart, displacing the iPhone 7 Plus which used to hold sway at the top with its powerful A10 chip. It also outpaced the Mate 9, Google Pixel XL, Samsung Galaxy S7 and many other high-enders.

So, the Snapdragon 835 is indeed a new generation chip capable of delivering in performance in all aspects even though it may struggle a little in the single-core operations. But an octa-core architecture, built on a 10nm wafer, means more efficiency and power management. In the end, we’ll have to wait till the chip finds its way into a smartphone before we’ll get its performance in a real life situation.

(source)

Xiaomi Releases Mi Internet Radio Enhanced Version

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Mar 23, 2017

Last year, Xiaomi released a cute little speaker called the Mi Internet Radio that lets you listen to online radio stations. Towards the end of the year, they followed it up with an internet speaker that is a bigger variant of the Mi Internet Radio with more features. Today, Xiaomi has announced an enhanced version of the Mi Internet Radio.

The major flaw of the original Mi Internet Radio was its lack of a built-in battery, so you had to leave it connected to a power outlet to use it. That problem has been solved in the enhanced version as it now comes with a 1000mAh battery. This means you can take it along with you anywhere and not have to worry about power. Sadly, Xiaomi has failed to give an estimated number of hours the battery is supposed to last.

Apart from the battery, every other feature remains the same as the original. You can still connect it to your phone via bluetooth (alongside WiFi connectivity) and you can configure it using the Mi Home App. Xiaomi says owners will get access to over 300,000 various online radio stations covering various genres.

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Heavily Blurred Xiaomi Mi 6 Real Image Confirms Rear Cameras and Flash Position, New Teaser Poster Leaks Too

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Mar 23, 2017

A real image of Xiaomi’s upcoming phone, the Mi 6 surfaced online today. While it doesn’t reveal much info because its heavily blurred, we can make out the design of the dual cameras.

Phones with dual cameras usually follow one of two main designs. The cameras are either stacked on top of each other in the middle of the phone or placed at the top left corner of the phone. Then you might see slight variations such as spacing between both sensors, position of the LED flash, and if the cameras share a single housing.

For Xiaomi’s Mi 6, we see they have settled for the second design. However, what is unusual about the setup is the position of the LED flash. Usually phones that adopt this design have the cameras sitting at the edge and the LED flash beside them but in this leaked image, the LED flash comes first before the sensors.

These image confirms previous leaks we have seen including the recently leaked silicone case. We can also make out the reflective surface of the phone but its hard to tell if the material is glass or ceramic.

Apart from the leaked image we also get a first look at a teaser poster. The image shows the Mi 6 with the same dual cameras and LED position. At the bottom of the poster is a text that translates to “In addition to black, what else?”. Is Xiaomi teasing other color options? We can’t tell.

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For 2017 Flagships, Glass May Be The New Design Material Not Metal

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Mar 23, 2017

In the last 2 years or thereabout, we have seen metal become the new favorite material for phones. Before then, plastic used to be the major material before a switch to glass for flagship phones. One analyst says we should expect a return to glass for flagships this year.

Analyst @Sun Changxu took to Weibo to announce that information she learnt from those involved in the supply chain says that this year’s flagship phones are either made of glass or ceramic.

It is reported that glass factories have increased production of 2.5D and 3D glass. They also say overall demand for the first half of the year have exceeded expectations.

Ceramic is another material that is starting to gain popularity. Xiaomi has played a key role in that regard. Its concept phone, the Mi MIX features a ceramic body and its next flagship, the Mi 6 is said to feature a special ceramic edition in addition to the standard variant that will have a glass back.

Last year, the Xiaomi Mi 5 had a ceramic variant but due to production issues, had to be cancelled. They also faced similar problems with the Mi MIX but have managed to keep up its production. There were rumors of a glass variant launching at CES but surprisingly it was a white ceramic version that was unveiled.

What do you think about the switch to glass? Do you prefer metal or are you indifferent?

Xiaomi Anti-Blue Light Sunglasses Launched, Priced at 249 Yuan ($36)

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Mar 23, 2017

Xiaomi has launched an anti-blue light sunglasses as its 70th product under the crowdfunded MIJIA sub-brand. The new product actually carried the Turok Steinhardt (TS) branding and was indeed manufactured by the company. The Xiaomi TS anti-Blu-ray sunglasses is capable of isolating blue and ultraviolet light and is comfortable to wear.

The Turok Steinhardt anti-Blue ray glasses is made of a yellow nano-material which offers three different level of protection. The glasses can be used for gaming and it protects the eyes from the powerful graphics which extreme games come with. It also offers usage for ophthalmic purposes, helping to absorb blue light rays up to 60%, thus protecting the eyes. It also protects the eyes against glares.

The glasses comes in three different design styles which soothe the facial features of Asians. The frame is ultra-light at 7.5g and is very durable. The glasses also comes with adaptable nose pad which adapts to different types of faces whether oval, square or round. The TS anti-Blue ray glasses costs only 249 Yuan ($36) and will start shipping from April 20.

(source)

Show Your Love for Mother Nature With The OPPO R9s Fresh Green Limited Edition

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Mar 23, 2017

Last week, OPPO announced it was going to release the R9s in green. The phone, called the OPPO R9s Fresh Green Limited Edition is now official and will be available for purchase starting on the 27th of March.

OPPO says the new color was inspired by its popularity during the International Fashion Week Show and the Grammy Awards. Fellow Chinese manufacturer, Huawei also has its latest flagship, the P10 available in the same color variant.

OPPO says the R9s Fresh Green Limited Edition retains the same design language present on the other color variants. Its metal body has undergone an anodic oxidation process and is also scratch and fingerprint resistant.

The R9s Fresh Green Limited Edition still comes with a 5.5*inch 1080p display, 4GB of RAM, 64GB of built-in storage, and is powered by a Snapdragon 625 processor. There is a 16MP sensor on the rear and another one up front. Under the hood is a 3010mAh battery.

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Samsung Exynos vs Qualcomm Snapdragon: Why Exynos Still Isn’t Commercial

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Mar 23, 2017

Samsung manufactures the Exynos chip which directly rivals the Snapdragon chip manufactured by US chipmaker Qualcomm. It is obviously a cost-saving measure for smartphone makers to have their own chip. Apple does that with its own A-series lineup, Huawei has got the Hisilicon Kirin range and then Chinese phone maker Xiaomi just joined the fray with its own Surge S1 chip which made ts debut recently on the Mi 5C. Despite the cost-saving nature of having its own Exynos chip, do you ever wonder why Samsung doesn’t use the Exynos chips on all its models? Or why the Korean giant doesn’t commercialise the powerful chip? Read on.

As it stands, the Exynos chips usually make their way to Asia and Europe while the US gets a Snapdragon variant, although sometimes these things change. Despite the fact that Samsung’s Exynos chips have always been shown on benchmark tests to be a little more superior than their Qualcomm contemporaries, Samsung may never be able to market this chip to other smartphone manufacturers. We rarely hear of other brands packing Samsung chips except recently on the Meizu Pro 6 Plus which used an Exynos 8890.

Samsung being the largest manufacturer of smartphones in the world, cannot meet its own demands for chips but even if thy were able to satisfy their needs, they cannot commercialise their chip. It has now been revealed that Samsung actually tried to sell its Exynos chipsets but Qualcomm blocked the smartphone giant. This was revealed by a report released by the Fair Trade Commission which accused Qualcomm of abusing its market power. Qualcomm does this through its stronghold in the 3G and 4G patent it controls. With these patents, Qualcomm was able to get Samsung to sign a license deal which prevents Samsung from selling modems and integrated chipsets for the next 25 years.

Qualcomm has been on the receiving end of accusation regarding anti-competitive practice. Now that this resolution is coming out from the Korea-based commission, it is hoped Qualcomm’s excesses could be curtailed in order to create a more competitive market. Who knows, we may find another which would dwarf the Snapdragon.

(source)

Red iPhone 7, 7 Plus Meets Stupendous Demand in China Before March 24 Launch

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Mar 23, 2017

Apple has launched the iPhone 7 and iPhone7 Plus in a color variant of red. An estimated number of 73,410 iPhone 7 and 7 Plus units are expected to be available in China. The (RED) iPhones will be available for purchase from March 24 in China. JD.com, an online retailer from China has received more than 3,55,000 registrations for the red colored iPhones.

Even though over 3,55,000 people have registered on JD.com for the (RED) iPhones, it is unlikely that all of them will purchase the red iPhone 7 and 7 Plus. Since these are not pre-orders, registering for it does not charge any money and no units are reserved.

These special edition iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus have the same specs as the original iPhone 7 models that were introduced in September last year. However, a diehard iPhone fan may not want to miss the opportunity of purchasing a special edition of iPhone 7 in red.

Apple has launched the red colored iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus in collaboration with a non-profit organization called Product (RED) that creates awareness and gathers funds for eradicating HIV/AIDS in Africa. In the past, Apple has worked with Product (RED) to release (RED) variants of accessories like iPhone cases, Apple Watch sports bands, and more. It has also released (RED) options for iPod Shuffle, iPod Nano and iPod Touch.

The (RED) iPhone 7 with 128 GB is priced at $749 and the iPhone 7 Plus with 128 GB storage is available for $869. in the U.S., Apple has confirmed that every customer who purchases (RED) iPhone 7 and 7 Plus phones will be provided with free Personal Setup in-store or online. Every purchase of (RED) products from Apple contributes directly to global fund to eliminate AIDS. So far, Apple has raised more than $130 million by selling its (RED) products.

(source)

Mysterious LeEco XiubalerR Phone Spotted with Android 7.1.2 Nougat, Helio X20

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Mar 23, 2017

A new LeEco smartphone has appeared on Geekbench benchmarking platform. The mysterious LeEco phone is listed with a codename of LeEco XiubalerR on Geekbench.

It seems to be running on Android 7.1.2 Nougat OS and it is fueled by MediaTek MT6797 Helio X20 chipset. The SoC features a deca-core processor that clocks at 1.85 GHz and it is coupled with 3 GB of RAM.

The LeEco XiubalerR mobile has recorded a score of 1,619 on single-core test of Geekbench. On multi-core test, it has scored 3,833 points. As of this writing, there is no information available on the display, camera and battery of the mysterious LeEco XiubalerR phone.

It is interesting to see Android 7.1.2 Nougat running on the phone as Google has released its second beta earlier this week. It is currently available to select devices like Pixel, Pixel XL, Pixel C, Nexus 6P, Nexus 5X and Nexus Player. Hence, rumors are also hinting that it may not be a new phone, but a LeEco prototype that is being tested with an upcoming Android 7.1.2 Nougat version.

Meanwhile, the Chinese manufacturer has started teasing a new smartphone that is pegged to deliver better performance and battery life. It is speculated to be driven by Helio X27 chipset that offers impressive performance with less power consumption. This new phone is expected to get official in the next month, but the company has not revealed any information on its upcoming smartphone. Other sources have revealed that the company would be launching a new device on April 11.

The LeEco Le X850 is another rumored smartphone from the Chinese firm. It has already received approval from TENAA and 3C certification bodies in China.

It is rumored to feature 2K resolution supporting 5.7-inch display and Snapdragon 821 SoC. It is pegged to come in RAM options like 4 GB and 6 GB. It is also speculated to be available in storage models like 32 GB, 64 GB and 128 GB. A 3,900 mAh battery is rumored to house the Le X850.

(source)

Two New Meizu Smartphones with 18W Fast Charge Support Receive 3C Certification

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Mar 23, 2017

Meizu has been receiving a lot of attention lately centred around the use of a Qualcomm Snapdragon chips on its smartphones this year. But that has been shown to be a product that would launch towards the end of the year. Right now, two new Meizu smartphone models have appeared online after receiving 3C certification, showing some details.

The two models include the Meizu M741Y which had earlier appeared online when it received radio transmission approval and the M714A which we are meeting for the first time. As usual, the 3C certification page often reveals very scanty details and in this case, it shows the two Meizu models would come with 18W fast charge. The identity of the two models are still not clear but they are believed to be two versions of a particular model.

Specifically, the smartphones are touted to be versions of the Meizu S which is likely to drop next month. While one of the versions may run on YunOS, the other one may be Android-based. Also, the radio approval showed the model M714Y will have entire network support which is likely applicable to the M714A. Even though we think this may be the Meizu S, there are sources who say that Meizu will launch the Meizu E2 next month with a MediaTek Helio P25 processor onboard. So it’s possible this would be the Meizu E2.

So it’s possible this would be the Meizu E2 equipped with the Helio P25 chip which MediaTek just announced recently. The Helio P25 is an upgrade over the P20 built on a 16nm manufacturing process. The chip is an Octa-core SoC which brings in a substantial increase in data transmission efficiency while also reducing heat and power consumption. We’re not sure how true this is.

Meizu sure seems to have a lot of surprises lined up for release this year and more details or rumours about their products are still coming out. The first Snapdragon-powered Meizu phone is said to likely pack a Snapdragon 625 chip which analyst Pan Jiutang believes is good enough. The analyst also thinks there may be other Snapdragon models but not likely any flagship SoC. The details keep getting more interesting. We’ll certainly serve you more details as they emerge.

Casio Pro Trek WSD-F20S, a Limited Edition Smartwatch Announced With Premium Features

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Mar 23, 2017

In January, Casio had announced the Casio Pro Trek WSD-F20 smartwatch running on Android Wear 2.0 at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2017. It is a rugged smartwatch that comes with MIL-STD-810G rating that can withstand harsh climatic conditions. Casio has now announced its new and powerful edition called Casio Pro Trek WSD-F20S smartwatch that is built for outdoor activities.

The WSD-F20S Casio smartwatch is a limited-edition model as the company has planned to produce only 500 units. It is fundamentally the same smartwatch as WSD-F20, but it now comes with some advanced rugged features.

The Casio Pro Trek WSD-F20S comes in a refreshed black case decked with blue elements and it is flanked with a sapphire glass display. The buttons, screen, buckle and free loop of the smartwatch is fortified with ion plating. The strap of the WSD-F20S has a semi-glossy appearance. These premium features have been added to the smartwatch to make it a scratch-resistant luxurious timepiece. Apart from these changes, its other specs are same as the original model.

The Pro Trek WSD-F20S has a 1.32-inch dual-layer screen with color and monochrome modes. It automatically switches to the monochrome mode when its battery goes low. It is packed with various sensors such as pressure sensor, compass, gyrometer, and accelerometer. It is water resistant smartwatch that can remain undamaged even if it is submerged in 50 meters deep water.

Like the original model, the Pro Trek WSD-F20S has a low-power consuming GPS with offline functionality. Since it is running on Android Wear 2.0, it is compatible with Android phones running on Android 4.3 Jelly Bean or higher and iPhones with iOS 9 or above. Once charged, the battery of the smartwatch can last for more than a day with normal use. It measures 61.7 x 57.7 x 15.1 mm and its weight is 105 grams.

The limited-edition Casio Pro Trek WSD-F20S will go on sale across the world from June 2017. The new Casio smartwatch is expected to be priced at $500 and it will be available in a special case with a triangle-shaped lid. It will be showcased at Baselworld in Basel, Switzerland later this week.

(source)

OnePlus 3T Midnight Black Limited Edition is Official

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Mar 22, 2017

Last week, OnePlus released a special edition OnePlus 3T made in collaboration with French fashion house, Colette. Only 250 units of the matte black phone was made and they were all sold at Colette’s store in Paris yesterday. Just when we thought we had seen the last of new color variants, OnePlus today announced another color option called Midnight Black.

The OnePlus 3T Midnight Black is a limited edition model. It will go on sale on the 24th of March, same day as Apple’s Product Red iPhone 7 and 7 Plus, as an early exclusive on Hypebeast’s website and just 250 units will be available for purchase.

CEO of OnePlus, Pete Lau said the decision to make an all black OnePlus 3T was a result of the high number of requests from fans all over the world.

The OnePlus 3T Midnight Black still retains the space-grade aluminium body of the other color variants. Every single unit features a triple-layer coating, each with a thickness of 14 microns. After which it undergoes a double sandblasting process to maintain that smooth feel when you hold it. We might have noticed from some other manufacturers that colors like these tend to be fingerprint magnets. OnePlus says you don’t have to worry about that as the phone has an anti-fingerprint coating.

OnePlus has also issued a warning informing users that why they are confident of the phone’s coating, it is still possible for micro-abrasions to happen from regular use without a case.

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VAIO Phone A Dual-SIM Android Smartphone Officially Unveiled

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Mar 22, 2017

The decline in the sales of PCs in the past few years led many companies like Lenovo and HP to enter the smartphone market. In 2014, Sony sold off its VAIO computer division to quit the PC business and focus on mobile. Last year, VAIO Phone Biz, a business-centric smartphone running on Windows 10 was launched in Japan. The phone has been relaunched now with VAIO Phone A moniker and it sports the same specs as Phone Biz. However, the Phone A is running on Android 6.0 Marshmallow OS.

The VAIO Phone A has a 5.5-inch display that supports full HD resolution of 1,920 x 1080 pixels. It is driven by Snapdragon 617 SoC ad 3 GB of RAM. The internal storage space available on it is 16 GB. It also features a microSD card slot.

For photography, it is equipped with single LED enabled 13-megpixel rear camera and a frontal snapper of 5-megapixel. It features the usual connectivity features like dual-SIM dual standby, v4.2 Bluetooth, GPS and Wi-Fi 802.11ac. It houses a 2,800 mAh battery. The VAIO Phone Biz running on Windows 10 Mobile is a single-SIM supporting phone, but the Phone A supports dual-SIM dual standby.

Apart from the similarities in specs, the VAIO Phone A also seems to sport the same aluminum design as Phone Biz. It measures 156 x 77 x 8.3 mm and its weight is 167 grams and it sports Silver color.

The phone will be releasing in Japan on April 7 with a pricing of 24,800 Yen ($223) excluding tax. Its pre-orders will begin from March 30 in the country. It is likely that the smartphone would be exclusively available in Japan. It supports 1/4/6/8/11/19 WCDMA bands and it also supports LTE bands like 1/3/8/9/21 LTE bands. It is likely that it may arrive in the U.S. and Europe at some point.

The VAIO Phone A is the second Android phone from the company. Its first smartphone was VAIO Phone that was released in March 2015.

(source)

No Flagship Snapdragon Chip For Meizu This Year Says Analyst

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Mar 22, 2017

Meizu and Qualcomm reached a settlement at the tail end of last year over the lingering patent infringement dispute which has seen both companies slug it out in courts in and outside China. With the settlement, Meizu fans who had before now been agitating for the return to the use of Qualcomm chips on their beloved brand were expecting that to happen soon.

However, well-known industry analyst Pan Jiutang has come out to disclose that the expected Meizu smartphone will not have a flagship series chip onboard. The Snapdragon 800 series is Qualcomm’s flagship series and the SD 835 is the latest in the pack. The analyst hinted that the upcoming Meizu smartphone will instead use a Snapdragon 600-series chip which was revealed to be a Snapdragon 626 in the product schedule.

Meizu has not left us in doubt that they would indeed release a Snapdragon powered Meizu phone but that won’t be anytime soon. A leaked Meizu product schedule pitches the Snapdragon-powered Meizu phone as coming in the fourth quarter of this year. Meizu VP Li Nan also added his voice in saying that a Meizu smartphone powered by a Snapdragon chip would be launched towards the end of this year, likely in December. So, if you’re looking forward to a Meizu flagship rocking a Snapdragon flagship SoC, you may have to wait till next year for that.

(source)

New Snapdragon 835 Benchmark Results: Crosses 180,000 Points on AnTuTu

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Mar 22, 2017

Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 835 processor has been put through a number of fresh tests. These new tests are also a comparison with other chips such as Apple’ A10, and the Snapdragon 820, 808, 805 and 800 chipsets.

First we see how the Snapdragon 835 compares against the other processors on GeekBench 4. Qualcomm’s new processor scores 2048 points in the single-core test and 6484 points in the multi-core test. Comparing it to the others, we see the SD835 ranks highest in the multi-core test. Only Apple’s A10 chip comes close with 5610 points.

However, the roles are reversed when it comes to the single-core test results. The SD835 does surpass its other Snapdragon comrades but it lags behind the Apple A10 which records a total of 3458 points.

The next benchmark test is PCMark Work 2.0. PCMark is a test that combines performance and battery efficiency of a device as a complete unit instead of as separate components. The test is broken down into Web Browsing 2.0 which measures the performance when rendering a page; Video Editing measures the performance when playing, editing, and saving a video; Writing 2.0 and Photo Editing 2.0 measures the time taken to open, edit and save a document and image respectively; and last is Data Manipulation which measures the time it takes to parse data from a variety of different file formats. The test will also help see how the Snapdragon 835 will fare when it starts showing up in Windows 10 devices later this year as the PCMark test for Windows is a bit similar to that of Android.

The result shows the Snapdragon 835 test device taking the lead with 8042 points. Next is the Snapdragon 820 toting Xperia X Performance with 5578, the Nexus 5X (Snapdragon 808) with 3346, the Galaxy Note Edge (Snapdragon 805) nets 3392 points, and the Xperia Z1 (Snapdragon 800) scored the lowest with 3101. There is no PCMark for Apple devices, so the A10 doesn’t feature.

The other tests include 3DMark Ice Storm (Slingshot) Unlimited and GFXBench v4 tests where the Snapdragon 835 comes out on top again.

We also see the Snapdragon 835 test device get benchmarked on AnTuTu. The device crosses the 180,000 mark with 181228 points ahead of the iPhone 7 Plus and iPhone 7 which scored 172644 and 170124 points respectively.

(Sources: 1, 2)

OnePlus 3, 3T Spotted With Tilted Rear Camera Bump

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

-

Mar 22, 2017

Do you own a OnePlus 3 or OnePlus 3T smartphone? If yes, you may be surprised to know that some of the owners of these phones are saying on Reddit that the rear cameras on these two smartphones have slightly tilted bumps.

The camera bumps are not present on all the OnePlus 3 and OnePlus 3T phones. Hence, it does not seem to be a widespread issue. However, some of these phones have more obvious tilt than what can be seen on others. It seems that none of the owners of OnePlus 3 and 3T have complained that the tilt has affected the performance of the camera. However, the presence of crooked camera bump does give an impression that it is poorly designed smartphone.

The issue was first spotted on the newly launched OnePlus 3T Colette Edition phone. One of the Redditors, @hyperjit has uploaded the following image to show the camera bump on the limited-edition phone that comes with 128 GB storage and $479 pricing.

Since then, many users of OnePlus 3 and 3T have started noticing the titled camera bump on their phones. Have you noticed a crooked camera bump on your OnePlus 3 or 3T phone? Do share with us by posting your comments.

(source)