ZTE Nubia M2 Official: Custom 13MP Dual Cameras from Sony, Two Other Models Launched As Well

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Mar 21, 2017

Nubia has just released three brand new devices in China, starting with the ZTE Nubia M2. Unlike earlier rumors which said that the phone will be called as the Nubia Z17 Mini, the company has decided to place this brand new device in their mid-range M series.

Nubia smartphones are always known for their beautiful design and stellar built quality. The Nubia M2 continues that tradition by using the company’s nubiArc design concept in a 7mm thin metal body. The front is adorned with 2.5D glass. The phone has a similar design as the other Nubia models in the market, which is actually a good thing considering we like Nubia’s design philosophy in general. The overall body is polished, sand blasted, and goes through 72 processes to create a soft baby skin like texture.

There are two color options available, black gold and champagne gold.

One interesting design feature of the phone (which we had already seen in the leaked posters a few days back) is that the M2 comes with an oval physical home button up front, but there’s a traditional Nubia red circle present as well. Personally, I didn’t like the red circle inside the oval button, but I am sure some fans will be happy to see the familiar circle present on the new device.

Nubia M2 Specs

Coming to the specs, the Nubia M2 features the Snapdragon 625 chipset under the hood with 4GB RAM and 64GB / 128GB ROM options. The phone supports MicroSD expansion as well. As for the screen, you get a 5.5-inch Super AMOLED display with 1080p resolution.

The highlight of the Nubia M2 is the 13MP f/2.0 dual cameras at the back. The company claims that they are using a custom depth camera setup from Sony. The basic setup is simple, with one RGB camera sensor and another being a black and white sensor. Another feature of the camera include a mixed focus mode comprising of PDAF + contrast focus. Up front, you get a 16MP camera for selfies.

Inside, the phone comes with a pretty large 3630mAh battery inside, which should be easily enough for a day’s usage. It supports NeoCharge fast charging @ 5V 5.2A = 26W. As for connectivity, the Nubia M2 boasts of full netcom 3.0 standard, which means support for all three networks in China. Other features include VoLTE, front facing fingerprint sensor, USB Type-C charging, Dolby Surround 7.1, and TruSignal Enhancement technology.

The Nubia M2 starts at 2699 Yuan ($391) for the 4GB + 64GB model and goes up to 2999 Yuan ($435) for the 4GB + 128GB variant.

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White Xiaomi Mi 6 Renders Surface, Sports Glass Body and Dual Rear Cameras

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Mar 21, 2017

When a new phone is on the verge of release, renders start springing up. They are usually created from a mixture of leaked details, a previous model and the artist’s imagination. The Mi 6 is Xiaomi’s next flagship phone billed to arrive in the coming weeks and there have been a number of renders released for it already. Today we have a fresh set showing the phone in white.

There is not much to these images. It just presents us with an idea of what the white variant with its double-sided glass body may look like. At the back, we can see the rumored dual-rear cameras positioned at the top left corner in separate housings and the LED flash beside it.

The front of the device looks unexciting. There is a fingerprint scanner at the bottom, and on the top bezel sits the front camera, earpiece and proximity sensor. The bezels are a bit big too and it will be nice to see Xiaomi trim them down.

This render still has an audio jack and there is an IR blaster positioned in the middle. Xiaomi is expected to release the Mi 6 with a glass and metal body but there are rumors of a ceramic variant. They did the same last year with the Mi 5 but had to stop the ceramic variant due to production challenges. Let’s hope they keep it up this time.

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Rumor Mill: Xiaomi Mi 6 to Ditch Headphone Jack but May Be Waterproof

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Mar 21, 2017

News about the Xiaomi Mi 6 keep on pouring in everyday. There have been lots of details about the upcoming flagship. There are rumors of it launching with two size variants; a Snapdragon 821 processor; and dual cameras. We have also heard of the launch date being pushed forward. Today’s info is a bigger surprise as it is a move we’ve never expected Xiaomi capable of making.

According to a Weibo post by an industry professional, Xiaomi’s Mi 6 will ditch the headphone jack and there is a high chance of it being waterproof. Surprised? We are too.

Xiaomi will not be the first Chinese manufacturer to ditch the audio jack. Last year, LeEco did the same with its phones. However, quite a number of people will rather not purchase a phone without an earphone jack as the trouble associated with its absence may not be considered worth it. Most people don’t want to shell out extra money purchasing a new pair of wireless earphones neither would they like the idea of attaching an adapter to use their existing wired ones.

If Xiaomi is indeed removing the audio jack, it may in fact be shooting itself in the foot. There are still major manufacturers that have retained the audio jack on their phones. LG is an example and so is Samsung and Huawei. If these options didn’t exist, then it would be a different case entirely.

Last year, Xiaomi didn’t do very well. Fellow Chinese brands Huawei, OPPO, and Vivo recorded more sales than it did. These companies didn’t follow the trend but rather came up with some very interesting developments especially in camera and battery technology. If Xiaomi wants to reclaim its position in China, then it should consider giving the people what they want.

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New Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 Concept Video Reveals A Sliding 12MP Front Camera Design

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Mar 21, 2017

Ever since Xiaomi hinted that the next generation Mi Mix 2 would still be designed by acclaimed French designer – Philippe Starck, we have been inundated with fan-generated concept renders of the device which gives an idea of some of the features the Mi Mix 2 would come with.

Some of the concept renders are based on rumored features of the upcoming device. As always, the final product may end up not having the same design as the concept renders but apart from the fact that they are a delight to behold, some of the features on the concepts may find their way into the actual device.

A new concept video render of the Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 has appeared online, putting on display some innovative features of the Mix 2. Already, the Mi Mix 2 is rumored as coming with a 93% screen-to-body ratio and that is well-represented in the video. But perhaps, the latest feature we are seeing in a Mi Mix 2 render is the 12MP front camera which slides in and out of the back of the device. This is likely due to the high screen-to-body ratio with little bezels at the top for the camera module to be located there. It is unclear whether Xiaomi would adopt such innovation considering it doesn’t look too feasible.

The Mi Mix 2 is rumored to come with a dual rear camera setup but this render doesn’t capture that. Instead, there is a single rear camera just like on the Mi Mix with the rear fingerprint sensor sitting just under the camera. The LED flash is by the side of the camera. None of these are certain, though, until Xiaomi takes the wrap off the next-gen concept device, which they may not be doing so soon. You can watch the full video from down below.

Meizu’s Super mCharge Delivers in Presence of a Reporter – 18 Minutes to Full Charge!

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Mar 21, 2017

Meizu unveiled at MWC 2017 its revolutionary product, the Super mCharge which was capable of delivery fast charge at supersonic speed. The company has once again demonstrated the capabilities of its Super mCharge fast charging technology. This time around, the mCharge was demonstrated at Meizu’s headquarters in the presence of a visiting Taiwanese reporter.

From the reporter’s perspective, he was able to record only 18 minutes and 12 seconds as the time it took a phone to go from 0 to 100%. The reporter also noted there was no heat despite the super quick charge delivered is a short burst. Meizu’s Research and Development official also hinted that the Super mCharge has a charging conversion efficiency of 98% which he said is close to the theoretical limit of 100%. This means very little energy is lost to heat and other factors during the charging process.

It is still not clear, though, when this new technology would get infused inside Meizu’s smartphones. Apparently, Meizu is still conducting a lot of battery cycle experiments to ensure it would work safely in smartphones before the technology finally gets inside its smartphones.

You can watch the video of the reporter’s visit to Meizu from here.

OPPO F3 Plus Unboxed Video, Live Images Surface Before Official Announcement

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Mar 21, 2017

The OPPO F3 and OPPO F3 Plus Selfie Expert smartphones are all set to get officially unveiled on March 23. However, the rumor mill has already revealed the full specifications of both smartphones. Now, a leaked unboxed video of the alleged OPPO F3 Plus has appeared before the official announcement.

OPPO F3 Plus Unboxing Video

The unboxing video that only lasts for a minute is available on Slashleaks YouTube channel. It only reveals the rear side of the phone. Also, it does not reveal any information on the specifications of the phone, but it shows what items are present inside the box of the alleged phone. It includes a wall adapter, charging cable, earphones, protective case and user manual.

The lady holding the phone in the video says that the OPPO F3 Plus is larger than OPPO F1s as she holds both the phones together. A leaked document that has the entire specs of OPPO F3 Plus revealed that the smartphone measures 163.63 x 80.8 x 7.35 mm and it houses a 6-inch full HD display. The OPPO F1s has a 5.5-inch screen and it measures 154.5 x 76 x 7.4 mm.

OPPO F3 Plus Live Images

Among the live images of the OPPO F3 Plus, its top-half can be seen and it seems to be sporting the rumored front-facing dual cameras. Leaked information has revealed that it would be sporting a 16-megapixel + 8-megapixel dual cameras on its front. The other images showcases the rear side of the phone and items that are available in the box package of OPPO F3 Plus. One of the images shows a person holding two OPPO phones which could possibly be the OPPO F3 and F3 Plus.

An image of the retail box of OPPO F3 revealed that like the F3 Plus, it would be also featuring dual selfie cameras. The OPPO F3 Plus is expected to feature 16-megapixel rear facing camera. The OPPO F3 is rumored to come with 5.5-inch full HD screen. The OPPO F3 and F3 Plus are speculated to be fueled by Snapdragon 653 chipset. The F3 Plus is pegged to contain 64 GB of native storage and carry support for up to 256 GB of microSD. They are rumored to be running on Android 6.0 Marshmallow OS that is skinned with ColorOS 3.0. The larger phone is expected to house a 4,000 mAh battery along with VOOC fast charging support and the OPPO F3 may come with a smaller battery.

(source)

Andy Rubin’s Smartphone Encounters Major Road Bump as SoftBank Pulls Out of $100 Million Investment

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Mar 21, 2017

Andy Rubin, the co-creator Android who is known as ”the father of Android” was rumored to launch his own high-end flagship smartphone as early as the oncoming spring to take on the likes of iPhone and Google Pixel smartphones. Fresh reports reveal that the Japan-based SoftBank that was supposed to fund the launch of Rubin’s smartphone has decided not to invest $100 million in Essential Products Inc, a startup company led by Rubin.

Rubin was supposed to launch his smartphone through Essential Products Inc, a new firm consisting of around 40 people that were previous employees of Google, Apple, or Samsung. SoftBank and Essential were reportedly working on the final stages of the contract, but the financing firm has decided to scrap the deal. Citing unnamed sources, The Wall Street Journal has reported that it was because of a conflict in interest that made SoftBank decide to not to provide funds to Essential.

SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son has plans to launch a tech-based investment group called vision Fund later this year with $100 billion in capital. Apple will be investing $1 billion in this fund. Son apparently felt that investing in Essential for Rubin’s smartphone could disturb SoftBank’s relationship with Apple.

SoftBank had acquired ARM chipmaker in September. The ARM-based processers are used in devices manufactured by Samsung, LG and other companies. Investing in a probable competitor like Essential could lead to restrained relationship with partnering companies. This is also considered to be another reason why SoftBank has withdrawn its investment decision on Essential.

Another report has revealed that Essential would be getting $100 million from unnamed investors instead of SoftBank. Essential is likely to close this deal soon which could possibly help Rubin to launch his smartphone by spring.

Rubin’s smartphone is expected to sport a 5.5-inch pressure-sensitive bezel-less display. It also speculated to carry support for modular accessories like the Moto Mods available for Moto Z series smartphones.

The smartphone was allegedly spotted with Essential FIH-PM1 moniker on Geekbench benchmarks with specs like Snapdragon 835 SoC, 4 GB of RAM and Android 7.0 Nougat OS. In single-core test, it recorded a score of 1,844 whereas it scored 5,426 on multi-core test. Speculations indicate that it is being assembled by Foxconn International Holdings (FIH) which can be seen in the moniker that appeared on Geekbench.

(Source)

Watch What Happens When The World’s Brightest Flashlight Meets The iPhone 7 (Hint: It’s Not Pretty)

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Mar 20, 2017

We just have to be plain here, this is a test we actually can’t figure out the importance in the real world but then, if you think it’s fun watching things get destroyed, you might enjoy this one. The only problem is the device is an Apple iPhone 7, a smartphone some will willing sell a kidney to acquire being subjected to the worse kind of extreme heat.

The test involves using the world’s brightest flashlight whose rays are so powerful they are capable of kindling a piece of paper and even plastic. The brightness is roughly 400 lumens. The flashlight was focused on the rear camera of the iPhone 7 and even though it was able to withstand the intense heat for some time, it caved in on the long run and was charred. The rear casing of the iPhone 7 is made of metal, so it was able to withstand the heat but the hotness was beginning to affect the internal panel before it was stopped.

Coming to the display, the flashlight’s rays were directed intermittently onto the display and despite the display gathering ink, the ink soon disappears as soon as the light is taken off the display. That is an indication that the iPhone 7 display was built to withstand a certain level of heat. However, when the light was left on the display for a while longer, it burned through the touchscreen into the display panel, charring it permanently. You can watch the entire video right here, from down below.

Samsung Galaxy S8 Battle Chips: Exynos 8895 Vs Snapdragon 835

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Mar 20, 2017

The tradition at Samsung is to release an Exynos and a Qualcomm Snapdragon variant of its flagship phone each year. This year is no different. Depending on the market, the Galaxy S8 will come with either the Exynos 8895 or the Snapdragon 835.

Apart from the difference in chipsets, there will also be size variants. One is the Samsung S8 with a 5.8-inch display and the other is the S8+ with a 6.2-inch screen. To not get you confused, the versions we are comparing are the S8 sporting the Snapdragon 835 (SM-G950U) and the S8+ with Exynos 8895 (SM-G955F). Both versions have the same amount of RAM and run Android 7.0 Nougat.

The Snapdragon 835 is clocked at 1.90GHz on the Galaxy S8. For the main tests, that is the single core and multi-core tests, it scores 1916 and 6011 points respectively. For the Galaxy S8+, the Exynos 8895 chip is clocked at 1.69GHz but it blows away the Snapdragon 835 with 1978 points in the single-core test and 6375 points in the multi-core test!!! We can just end the comparison here but lets further analyze the tests.

Other parameters that are important include the crypto score which is an evaluation of the encryption capabilities of a device. The Exynos 8895 scores 1255 and 5972 points for the crypto score in single core and multi-core performance respectively. The Snapdragon 853 on the other hand scores 1171 and 5803 points.

Another important parameter is floating point score. A device with a high floating point score will perform better when rendering graphics. The S8 with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon pulls in 1335 points in single-core performance and 5661 points in multi-core performance. Samsung’s Exynos 8895 floors the Snapdragon 835 again by scoring 1560 points in single-core performance and 6480 points in multi-core performance.

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AGM A8 Review – A Decent Budget Rugged Smartphone

By

Linus

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Mar 20, 2017

There are quite a few budget rugged smartphones out there and we just came across the AGM A8 device. It has decent specs, great build quality and it costs less than $140. Learn more in our full review.

Thanks to Giztop.com for sending the AGM A8 for a review.

VIDEO REVIEW

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NhFS5QCp36c[/embedyt]

UNBOXING

The phone ships with all the usual items. No extras included.

DESIGN and DISPLAY

The AGM A8 has the IP-68 rating and it is water, dust, shock and temperature-resistant. Naturally, all the ports are covered with flaps to avoid any water damage.

What I love about the A8 is that it is kind of sleek and slim for a rugged phone and the buttons that are on the right side, are clicky and tactile. Also, the metal sides add a little bit of a premium look and feel.

The 5” display has only 720p resolution but it is covered with the Gorilla Glass 3. It could definitely look sharper and the colors look a bit oversaturated but it’s a decent panel for a budget phone.

Just above the display, we have just a 2MP shooter.

There is no LED notification light but the capacitive buttons have a nice backlight.

When it comes to the camera, we have a 13MP shooter and a single LED flash.

The loudspeaker has a decent sound output but it has just a mediocre sound quality.

In order to open up the backplate, you need to use the supplied tool or any screwdriver. Underneath it, you can find 2 SIM card slots, microSD card slot, and a replaceable 4050mAh battery.

HARDWARE and PERFORMANCE

When it comes to hardware, the AGM A8 ships with a Snapdragon 425 chip, 3GB of RAM and 32GB of expandable storage. These are pretty good specs for the price considering this is a budget rugged phone after all.

The gaming performance is kind of mediocre. You can play games like Asphalt 8 just on medium graphics and there still be a few skipped frames.

BENCHMARKS

USER INTERFACE

AGM A8 ships with a purely stock Android 7.0 user interface and there are no added features to talk about.

Most importantly, I didn’t have any issues with the phone’s daily performance even after installing quite a few apps and I would say that the AGM A8 is a pretty fast performer.

IMAGE QUALITY

When it comes to the image quality, the AGM A8 can take some okay-looking images in daylight. I took most of the pictures on a cloudy day and there could be more detail in most of the shots. Also, some of the pictures look under-exposed. The camera does not really impress in low-light as there is quite a lot of noise and grain in the pictures.

As for selfie camera, the images will do the trick for social media but they could look sharper.

When it comes to the 1080p video, it is kind of mediocre as the footage could look sharper.

CONNECTIVITY

I didn’t have any connectivity issues with this device and even the GPS lock speeds and accuracy were okay. It’s worth mentioning that the phone has the NFC.

BATTERY LIFE

The 4050mAh battery performs really well on the daily basis. I could easily get a few days of moderate usage out of this phone, which is a really good result. However, it takes about 3 hours to fully charge the phone, which may be annoying.

CONCLUSIONS

The AGM A8 is a good rugged phone for the price, yet it is not perfect, like all budget phones.

Since it is rugged, you can be rest assured that it will work even under the harshest conditions. Also, I love that it is compact due to 5” display, the phone is well-built and it sits nicely in the hand. In addition, the Android 7-based user interface is smooth and fluid on the daily basis.

However, the Snapdragon 425 is kind of low-end chip that is not designed for gamers, the camera could better and we lack some pretty standard features like a notification LED light.

At the end of the day, I can still say that the AGM A8 is a pretty good phone since it was mainly designed for outdoor use under harsh conditions. Also, it definitely has more than pros than cons and therefore, the price of about $140 can be justified.

Buy AGM A8

Opinion: Why it doesn’t make any sense for Xiaomi Mi 6 To Use Snapdragon 821

By

Joel Joseph

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Mar 20, 2017

Ideally, the Xiaomi Mi 6 flagship should have been announced by now. But the company, for some reason, has decided to delay the release of the device until April or maybe even May. While this might give some time for the recent releases like the Xiaomi Mi 5S and the Mi 5S Plus, there is no denying that Xiaomi fans are getting impatient.

Can’t really blame them, because according to the earliest rumors, Xiaomi was supposed to release the flagship as early as February this year — around the same time the company released Mi 5 in 2016. That didn’t happen and now latest reports indicate a delay in the Xiaomi Mi 6 release to May! There are even rumors about the Mi 6 coming with a Snapdragon 821 version, but to be honest, that wouldn’t make any sense.

Why Snapdragon 821 powered Xiaomi Mi 6 Doesn’t Make Sense

Snapdragon 821 is Old!
Accept it or not, Snapdragon 821 is old. While the SD821 chip was only released in the later part of the second half of 2016, there are currently a lot of models powered by this chip. In fact, a few of Xiaomi’s own models released late last year, like the Xiaomi Mi 5S, Xiaomi Mi 5S, and even the Xiaomi Mi Mix use this upgraded Snapdragon 821 version. To top it off, they have 6GB RAM versions as well. Given that hardware has always been one of the biggest selling points for Xiaomi’s phones, it wouldn’t make sense to use the same config on a flagship that’s released 6 months later. This brings me to my next point.
Mi 6 is Primarily for the Chinese Market
Xiaomi is not LG! Yes, LG made a bold decision to go with Snapdragon 821 on its latest LG G6 flagship. And to a great extent, the move has received positive feedback from fans as well as critics. But Xiaomi and LG operate at two different levels. Xiaomi’s main market is China where specs play the most important role, along with its price. That’s exactly why we see many 6GB RAM phones in China and less outside! Even the Galaxy S8 is said to feature a 6GB RAM version just for the Chinese market. In such a market, launching your first flagship of the year with last year’s specs may not be well received by fans.
Hardware is the biggest selling point for Xiaomi
This brings us to another important point. Hardware has always been the selling factor for Xiaomi. The company is popular for releasing phones with the best specs at the best price. Xiaomi’s phones don’t have a great camera setup. Nor is its display or design out of the world which can solely drive its sales (except for the Xiaomi Mi Mix!). Now note that the LG G6 has a great camera. Even the display on board is one of its biggest selling points. So, the phone has a lot to offer apart from its internal specs, which is why having a capable but old chip like SD821 makes sense. But like I mentioned above, specs are everything in a Xiaomi phone and the company can’t simply compromise on its biggest selling feature.
Cheaper Snapdragon 821 Phones Around
Now, some might say that a low-end version of the Xiaomi Mi 6 with Snapdragon 821 is a good idea. But even that would make things more confusing. There are quite a few Snapdragon 821 phones selling for less than 1999 Yuan ($290). In fact, the Xiaomi Mi 5S (SD821 + 3GB RAM + 64GB) is selling for as low as $260 in China! Now, the starting price of the Mi 6 is expected to be at least $290. So, unless the Mi 6 brings something spectacular (unlike the usual incremental upgrades we see in new generation models) in some other department like camera or battery, it doesn’t give much incentive for customers to go for the Mi 6 low-end edition with SD821 that will cost higher.

So, I would personally be surprised to see a low-end Xiaomi Mi 6 running Snapdragon 821. I feel Snapdragon 835 is the only chip that should be inside the Mi 6!

What are your thoughts?

Camera Screenshot of LeEco Flagship With Dual Cameras Leaked!

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Mar 20, 2017

LeEco may be in a financial strait at the moment but that has not stopped the company from trying its hands on a couple of new innovative smartphones. Recently, a LeEco flagship with Snapdragon 835 and 6GB of RAM leaked in stunning images. Right now, another leak has surfaced online, said to be the screenshot of the camera interface of an unknown LeEco flagship.

The screenshots are said to be those of the professional mode and black and white mode. In the professional mode, users can manually adjust the shutter, ISO and so on. The camera interface also shows the LeEco flagship would come with a dual camera setup with a black and white sensor as well as a color sensor.

LeEco flagship-looking device with a weird-looking dual camera setup have often appeared on leaks since late last year and is even said to feature AI technology. Two leEco models with dual cameras had also been spotted on TENAA in the past but since then nothing has been heard about them until now. There is every likelihood that this would drop soon but if this is the flagship with Snapdragon 835 chip onboard, that won’t be so soon.

Sony Xperia L1 Budget Phone Unveiled; Official Images, Specs, Pricing, and Availability

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Mar 20, 2017

Sony Xperia L1 is a new budget smartphone from the Japanese tech giant. It is the fifth smartphone so far from the company in this year as it had announced the Xperia XZ Premium, Xperia XZs, Xperia XA1 and Xperia XA1 Ultra at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2017 in the previous month. The Xperia L1 reminds us of the Xperia L smartphone that was launched in 2013. However, it does bear any similarities with the older phone.`

Xperia L1 Specifications

The Xperia L1 measures 151 x 74 x 8.7 mm and its weight is 180 grams. It is a dual-SIM smartphone that comes in color options such as black, white and pink. Its front side appears flat and has sharp corners.

The L1 has a 5.5-inch LCD display that supports an HD resolution of 720 x 1,280 pixels. The budget phone features a MediaTek MT6737T chipset under its hood that has a 1.4 GHz quad-core processor along with Mali-T720 MP2 graphics. The SoC is coupled with 2 GB of RAM.

The Xperia L1 has 16 GB of native storage and carries support for up to 256 GB microSD card. It has a 13-megapixel rear snapper equipped with f/2.2 lens. The front side of the L1 houses a 5-megapixel f/2/2 aperture selfie shooter that features 24 mm wide-angle lens.

It comes loaded with Android 7.0 Nougat OS. Some of it other features include 4G LTE, Wi-Fi 802.11n, v4.2 Bluetooth, a-GPS, USB Type-C and 2,620 mAh battery that is enabled with STAMINA mode.

Xperia L1 Official Images

Xperia L1 Pricing, Availability

The Xperia L1 pricing has not been announced yet. However, it is said to arrive with “affordable pricing,” It would be available for purchase in April and it will be coming to select regions in Europe, Americas, Africa, Asia and Middle East. In select markets, Sony may release only the single SIM version of the smartphone.

Qualcomm 205 Mobile Platform Brings 4G LTE to Feature Phones

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Mar 20, 2017

Smartphones seem to have taken over the world and it is hard to see someone who doesn’t own one in most developed countries. In spite of the popularity of these devices, there are still some parts of the world where feature phones still have a strong grip. Qualcomm wants to cash in on that market and has released the Qualcomm 205, a new mobile platform (Qaulcomm’s new name for processor) for feature phones.

The new mobile platform brings Cat. 4 LTE with it, so users should be able to get up to 150Mbps of download and 50Mbps of upload speeds. It will also bring VoLTE and VoWiFi (Voice over WiFi) too. Other connectivity features includes support for Bluetooth 4.1, 2.4GHz 802.11n WiFi, and dual-sim.

The Qualcomm 205 is clocked at 1.1GHz with an unknown architecture. There is also an Adreno GPU on board, but since this is for feature phones, display support is limited to a 480p resolution and camera support maxes out at 3MP.

Qualcomm says the chip will work with Linux-based operating systems including Android. Battery life will be 45 days of standby time, 20 hours of talk time, and 86 hours of music playback.

The announcement of the new SoC makes us wonder if HMD Global did their homework well before releasing the new Nokia 3310 at MWC 2017. The new Nokia 3310 has gotten positive reviews mainly because of the feeling of nostalgia it brings. But sadly, the phone only supports 2G networks and won’t work in countries like the United States where 2G is starting to phase out. If HMD was aware of Qualcomm’s new chip, it would have made more sense to release the Nokia 3310 with it. Possibly even making it the first device in the world to feature it.

Qualcomm says the 205 mobile platform will start showing up in phones starting this quarter. Maybe we might see Nokia bring back another feature phone from the dead or rather just put it in newer models.

(Source)

Meizu’s Latest Accessory is a Selfie Stick – Tripod Hybrid, Costs A Dollar More Than Xiaomi’s

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Mar 20, 2017

Just about a month ago, Meizu went open with its Smart home products page on Weibo that looks to take on the Xiaomi MIJIA brand. The product page teases a number of Meizu smart gadgets and accessories such as headphones, floating speakers, and others.

The company looks certainly poised to chase the Xiaomi MIJIA brand as it has now launched a new Bluetooth wireless self-timer Selfie stick priced at 99 Yuan (14) just a dollar more than the Mi selfie stick which starts at 89 Yuan. The self-stick looks no different from the Xiaomi Mi selfie stick launched a couple of weeks back, except for the Meizu logo and perhaps the size of the remote trigger. Everything else is similar to the Xiaomi selfie stick. It comes with Bluetooth functionality and a handle that can be expanded and used as a tripod stand. Also, the Meizu Selfie stick comes with a self-timer functionality and a remote shooter for triggering the shooter. The phone holder can also rotate to any angle.

On the design aspect, the selfie stick features an extendable metal bar made from aluminum alloy with anti-wear resistant property. It is also not easy to bend or break. The handle area is covered with matte textured plastic which makes it difficult for the selfie stick to slip off the hands. It comes in three different color variants namely black, pink and blue. The stick is anodized, wear and scratch resistant. Furthermore, the wireless Bluetooth self-timer is compatible with Android and iPhone OS devices and packs a 60mAh battery which means it can shoot consecutively for up to 10,000 times.

US International Trade Commission Investigates Mediatek in AMD Patent Infringement Allegation

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Mar 20, 2017

In January of 2017, AMD levied an allegation against Mediatek, LG, Vizio and Sigma Designs over a GPU patent infringement. Two months later, the US International Trade Commission (USITC) has agreed to begin an investigation into the matter.

MediaTek MT6795 Phones

AMD says all four companies used visual processing infringing on its concepts for unified graphic shaders and parallel graphics pipelines. If AMD’s allegations turn out to be true, we could see a product ban placed on items manufactured by the affected companies. USITC says that the list of respondents includes LG Electronics USA, LG Electronics Korea, and LG Electronics MobileComm USA; Mediatek Inc. Taiwan, Mediatek USA; and Sigma Designs Inc. CA.

An official statement by USITC says “The USITC will make a final determination in the investigation at the earliest practicable time. Within 45 days after institution of the investigation, the USITC will set a target date for completing the investigation. USITC remedial orders in section 337 cases are effective when issued and become final 60 days after issuance unless disapproved for policy reasons by the U.S. Trade Representative within that 60-day period”.

(Source)

xWatch EX16 Sports Smartwatch Review – A lot of Value for $19.99!

By

Linus

-

Mar 20, 2017

The market of smartwatches is pretty crowded and most of them usually cost quite a lot. I just came across the xWatch EX16 smartwatch that does not even cost $20 but it has a lot of great features. Learn more in our full review.

UNBOXING

The watch comes in a simple box with just the instruction manual.

Buy xWatch EX16 at $14.99, Coupon Code: EX1650

DESIGN and FEATURES

When it comes to the design, the xWatch EX16 looks like a legit sports watch. Even though it is mostly made of plastic, the build quality is top-notch and the device does not feel cheap at all.

One of the key selling points is that the watch is water resistant (up to 50m under water), dustproof and shockproof.

A display has a nice backlight, which is triggered by pushing the upper left button.

I found the watch to be comfortable to wear even though it is bulky and it may look funny on my tiny wrist.

We have 4 buttons that help you navigate through the user interface, change modes, turn on the backlight, Bluetooth and so on.

FUNCTIONALITY

For a $20 watch, the xWatch EX16 has a ton of features. It supports 24 hours real-time sports monitoring: walking steps, distance, and energy consumption etc. It also has some other basic features like the alarm clock, stopwatch etc.

You can unleash even more features if you connect the watch to your phone via the Bluetooth 4.0 using the app. Within the app, you can track your fitness routines in detail. Also, the watch supports social app message push notification feature, meaning that you will be able to receive notifications from Facebook, Twitter, Instagram etc. Finally, the watch will display the incoming calls and SMS messages right on your wrist.

BATTERY LIFE

The watch has an incredible battery life. The normal standby time is 8 months and up to 12 months under power saving mode, which really is amazing.

CONCLUSIONS

ThexWatch EX16 smartwatch offers a lot of value for the price of just $20. It has a ton of features and so far all them have been working fine. The watch may be a little bulky if you have tiny wrists but that would be the only shortcoming worth mentioning.

Try out your luck winning a brand new xWatch EX16 in our latest Giveaway. Link below!

You Can Win The xWatch EX16 In Our Latest Giveaway. Click Here To Participate.

More Shades of Black: Vivo Finally Releases Matte Black Vivo Xplay6

By

Habeeb Onawole

-

Mar 20, 2017

Vivo announced the Vivo Xplay6 in November as a successor to the Xplay 5 released in March of the same year. Bringing a number of new features such as a dual-curved display, dual rear cameras, and an upgraded processor (Snapdragon 820), the Vivo Xplay6 could be termed as a late-comer to the flagship party.

When it was launched, the Xplay 6 was only available in Gold and Rose Gold. However, there was a black variant that didn’t get released but was available on one of the promotional posters. It appears that starting this week, you will now be able to purchase a matte black version of this dual-curved beauty. The announcement was made by Vivo a few days ago.

The specs for the new color variant remain the same. The curved display is a 5.46-inch Super AMOLED 2K display, 6GB of RAM, Snapdragon 820, 128GB of storage, and two 12MP sensors at the back. The front camera is a 16MP sensor and there is a fingerprint scanner embedded in the home button. Vivo has packed the Xplay6 with a 4080mAh battery with support for fast charging. There is also a dedicated Hi-Fi audio chip for improved audio quality.

The Vivo Xplay 6 runs Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow There is no news about a Nougat update yet though. But if you have been stalling on buying this phone because of its lack of a black variant, you should be able to do so starting later this week. Or you might just try and see if you can grab the matte black OnePlus 3T Colette Edition in Paris tomorrow. Last week Vivo released the same color variant for its X9 too, while that is priced at 2798 Yuan (around $406) which is the same price as the other color variants, there is still no price for the Xplay6.

Two New Nubia Smartphones, One Having iPhone 7 Plus-Looking Dual Cameras Hit TENAA

By

Jed John Ikoba

-

Mar 20, 2017

Two new Nubia smartphones have appeared on the website of China’s telecoms certification agency TENAA where they have been certified. The smartphones are listed with the model numbers NX551J and NX573J and both adopt with the same design language. The renders of the two Nubia devices shows both also has white front panels, with a round home button having a red circle design.

The renders of the two Nubia devices shows both have white front panels, with a round home button embedded with a red circle on top. At the rear, both the NX551J and NX573J are quite different in looks as one comes with a dual camera setup and similar U-shaped antenna similar to the one Apple features on the iPhone 7 Plus, while the other one sports a single camera with the antenna band running right through the camera (renders of this particular Nubia smartphone has actually leaked earlier on).

The listed specifications also show that one of the smartphones is a mid-ranger while the other is a high-end model. Of the two, the NX551J which uses a dual-camera and U-shaped antenna sports a 5.5-inch OLED display with Full HD resolution (1920 x 1080p).The device is equipped with an octa-core processor with a frequency of 2.0Gz and the processor works with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage which is capable of being expanded up to 128GB.

The camera setup is listed as a 13MP shooter at the front and a 16MP shooter at the rear. The device runs on Android 6.0 Marshmallow and packs a large 3,560mAh.

On the other hand, the second model NX573J sports a 5.5-inch TFT display 1280 x 720 pixels. It features an unnamed Octa-core processor clocked at 1.5GHz. The processor is backed by a 3GB RAM while there is 64GB of storage. Also, the device comes with a 13MP front camera and a 16MP rear shooter. The new phone also runs on Android Marshmallow while the lights would be kept on by a 2,900mAh battery.

We don’t know for sure when the smartphones would be released but we believe that wouldn’t be too far off. Already, Nubia had teased the launch of a dual camera smartphone believed to be the Nubia Z17 Mini scheduled for tomorrow March 21. That may just be the NX551J model dropping but we are not so sure about the name. A 5.5-inch Mini? Now, that’s an irony but it won’t be the first device have such strange naming pattern if that happens to be the case.

Xiaomi Mi MIX 2 Concept Render Shows 93% Screen to Body Ratio and Dual Rear Cameras

By

Habeeb Onawole

-

Mar 20, 2017

Xiaomi’s Mi MIX is still an awe-inspiring device. Just a few months after its release, the company announced that the concept-phone will get a successor called the Mi MIX 2 this year with Philippe Starck returning as designer.

For the Mi MIX 2, the focus is on how to further increase the screen-to-body ratio followed by the inclusion of flagship worthy specs. Xiaomi’s plan is to raise the screen-to-body ratio to 93%. To achieve that, the lower bezel will have to be shrunk further.

A new set of renders have been posted online showing what the Mi MIX 2 might look like. The renders which were put together by the guys at TechConfigurations shows the Mi MIX 2 sporting dual rear cameras and a rear-mounted fingerprint scanner instead of the in-display fingerprint scanner it is rumored to come with.

The full specs list says the phone sports a 6.4-inch 2.5D QHD AMOLED display with 3D touch, a Snapdragon 653 SoC, 6GB of RAM, and 128GB of ROM. The dual rear cameras are also said to be 16MP sensors with laser autofocus, OIS, and PDAF. The camera up front has been bumped up to an 8MP sensor while the body is still made from ceramic. At the base there is a USB Type-C port flanked on both sides by stereo speakers.

Continue

Nubia M2 Specs

OPPO F3 Plus Unboxing Video

OPPO F3 Plus Live Images

VIDEO REVIEW

UNBOXING

DESIGN and DISPLAY

HARDWARE and PERFORMANCE

BENCHMARKS

USER INTERFACE

IMAGE QUALITY

CONNECTIVITY

BATTERY LIFE

CONCLUSIONS

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