Nokia 6 Scratch, Bend, Burn Tests Reveal How Durable It Is

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Mar 15, 2017

In January, HMD Global had relaunched the Nokia brand with Nokia 6 midrange smartphone. In the next month, it introduced Nokia 3, Nokia 5, and the updated Nokia 3310. However, the fans of the Finnish company are eagerly waiting to see a flagship smartphone. It seems that Nokia fans will have to wait a bit more as it is now rumored to be working on two new upper midrange smartphones that are labeled as Nokia 7 and Nokia 8. However, the source of the rumor has stated that these phones may release with different retail names.

The alleged Nokia 7 and Nokia 8 would be fueled by Snapdragon 660 chipset. One of them may come with a full HD display whereas the other Nokia phone may roll out as its first smartphone with quad HD display. The Nokia phone with full HD display may come with a smaller screen compared to the other phone.

Both phones will be sporting slimmer bezels and metal unibody design. Also, both will have different designs for their rear cameras. Nokia 8 may arrive with a Carl-Zeiss optics camera. Both smartphones are expected to house bigger sensors for their rear cameras. Other common features of these smartphones include fingerprint readers and fast charging.

Rumors have it that HMD Global would be releasing 6 to 7 Android smartphones this year. The three Nokia smartphones that it has announced so far do not feature powerful specs. However, the alleged Nokia 7 and Nokia 8 are expected to deliver stellar performances as they are driven by the new Snapdragon 660 SoC (leaked AnTuTu benchmark here) which is an upgraded version of Snapdragon 652 and Snapdragon 653 chipsets.

The Snapdragon 660 SoC was recently spotted on AnTuTu benchmarking platform with impressive scores like 105576 and 105584. The upcoming Xiaomi Redmi Pro 2 are expected to feature this new SoC. OPPO and Vivo are also rumored to release Snapdragon 660 powered smartphones in the near future. Now that the Finnish firm has been found working on upper midrange phones, it seems that all its smartphones will aimed towards customers with different price points.

Nubia Z17 Mini Picture Leaked: Sports Pill-Shaped Home Button

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Mar 14, 2017

Yesterday Nubia teased a dual camera phone it plans to release on March 21. Later we found out that the phone will be called the Nubia Z17 Mini and also got a full reveal of its specifications.

Today we have new details concerning the phone. The new info comes in form of a leaked image showing the front of the Nubia Z17 Mini. While there is not much in terms of design, the major reveal is the presence of a pill-shaped home button.

This is a deviation from previous Nubia phones which have the signature capacitive red circle as the home key. We can’t tell if this is a clickable button. We also do not know if there is a fingerprint scanner embedded underneath the button since there is no image of the rear. Fans of the Nubia line will be happy to see that the red circle is still there though.

Another thing we can see is that the Nubia Z17 Mini doesn’t get the nearly bezel-less sides like the Nubia Z11. Chances are they are saving that design for the Nubia Z17. We also think the top and bottom bezels could be thinner. At the top, there is the 16MP front facing camera, the proximity sensor, and the earpiece.

Xiaomi Releases A Brand New Multi-purpose Fitness Equipment Priced at 1299 Yuan ($188)

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Mar 14, 2017

Xiaomi has launched yet another crowdfunded product, this time around it is a smart fitness device. The multipurpose fitness equipment was developed by Eggplant technology and has been in development since July 2015. The product then entered trial production last month and now it is set for mass production.

The Xiaomi Smart fitness device has a design that is sort of a storage and the different equipment can be split into different fitness tools like elastic rope, abdominal wheel, push-ups, skipping rope, and other fitness equipment. Apart from the multipurpose fitness equipment, the Smart fitness gadget comes with seven different types of sensors which detect and record fitness data. The data can be monitored in real time via an app on smartphones.

Also, the Xiaomi multipurpose fitness equipment also comes with a professional fitness video tutorial which can serve as your fitness trainer. It carries a price tag of 1299 Yuan ($188) and is currently open for crowdfunding. The equipment is expected to ship on April 25.

(via)

Sony Xperia XZs China Release Date and Pricing Details

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Mar 14, 2017

Sony announced a bunch of new Xperia phones at MWC 2017, one of which is the Xperia XZs. The Xperia XZs does not qualify as a 2017 flagship and Sony is not advertising it as that. That title belongs to the Xperia XZ Premium. However, asides from the Snapdragon 820 processor, the XZs does feature some very 2017-ish features.

Sony launched the Xperia XZs in China today and have announced when the phone will be available as well as price details.

The Xperia XZs sports a 5.2-inch 1080p display. This is a Sony phone, so expect it to be different from your average 1080p screen. Like the Xperia XZ Premium which is Sony’s flagship, the XZs also has the same 19MP Sony IMX400 sensor. The IMX400 is the first sensor for smartphones with three-layered stacked CMOS with DRAM. There is Motion Eye tracking which captures images when movements are detected, making sure you don’t miss a thing before you press the shutter button. It also has support for slow-motion recording at 960fps. The front camera is a 22mm wide-angle 13MP shooter with an f/2.0 aperture.

For the Xperia XZs, Sony has gone for the Snapdragon 820 processor. Still a powerful processor but one we didn’t expect to see from a manufacturer like Sony, seeing as there is the more powerful Snapdragon 821 variant. The rest of the specs are still flagship level. There is 4GB of RAM, 64GB of storage with a SD card slot that accepts 256GB cards. The phone will come with Android 7.1 Nougat pre-installed.

Meizu’s Qualcomm-Powered Smartphone Scheduled for Q3 2017, More Snapdragon Phones on The Way

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Mar 14, 2017

For the most part of 2016, Meizu was embroiled in a legal tussle with chip maker, Qualcomm. The latter had sued Meizu over patent infringements and failure to pay royalties. While the battle raged on, none of the phones released by Meizu was powered by a Qualcomm chip. The case has been settled now and a new agreement signed. But the big question is when will we get a new Meizu phone with a Snapdragon processor?

Recently, a leaked image showing Meizu’s product lineup for the year surfaced online. In that image we saw Meizu has plans to release a Snapdragon 626 device in December. That’s still a long time from now.

meizu-2017-2

New report says we might be getting a Snapdragon phone earlier than that. The info comes from a source in the supply chain who says Meizu plans to start using chips from Qualcomm in Q3 2017. The Chinese manufacturer is aiming for 30% of its shipment for the year to be powered by Qualcomm.

The move is said to be as a result of its rivals, OPPO and Vivo reducing the number of Mediatek chips in their device since Q4 2016. Only 50% of OPPO’s 99.3 million shipments in 2016 were powered by Mediatek and only 20% of Vivo’s 77 million shipments contained Mediatek chips. Though these figures contributed about 30% to Mediatek’s revenue growth for last year, the chip manufacturer saw its gross margin drop by 35.6%. The drop is attributed to a keen price competition from Qualcomm in the low and mid-range category.

Meizu Dual-Curved Display

Meizu CEO, Li Nan had earlier revealed that one of its phones will sport dual-cameras and a dual-curved display and may have a Qualcomm chip. This phone will most likely be a flagship and the chip might be one of the Snapdragon 800 series. Asides that, there is still the one with a snapdragon 600 series chip.

Xiaomi & Warner Music Sign Partnership Agreement

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Mar 14, 2017

Atlantic Records, Warner Bros. Records, Parlophone Records. What do these three record labels have in common? They are all under the same parent company, Warner Music. And Xiaomi just signed an agreement with them.

Warner Music Group or Warner Music for short is the third largest recording company in the world. The recording company has what can be referred to as an endless list of record labels under its three main ones listed above. That means hundreds of artists and millions of songs, right? Yes, and with Xiaomi’s new partnership with them, that means access to this large digital music library.

Xiaomi has been working on expanding its music library for millions of Xiaomi fans out there. The partnership will solve this problem, allowing users to have access to songs from a wide range of foreign and local musicians. It will also serve as a way for the artists under Warner Music to access new distribution channels. In addition to Warner Music, Xiaomi also has access to songs from Universal Music, Sony Music, Decca Records and more than 30 others.

Snapdragon 660 AnTuTu Benchmark Scores Leaked: Great Performance For A Mid-ranger

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Mar 14, 2017

What is likely the AnTuTu benchmark performance of the expected Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 processor has appeared online. Recall that we had hinted at a rumor which says the Snapdragon 660 is in the works, along with a two other mid-range Snapdragon 630 and SD 635 SoCs.

The rumor places the Snapdragon 660 chipset in the mid-range cadre with Xiaomi tipped to use it in one of its upcoming Redmi-series smartphones. OPPO and Vivo top models may also feature the Snapdragon 660. The rumored specifications of the SD 660 is also given as an octa-core arrangement which may be a combination of the Cortex-A73 and A53 cores. The SD 660 is said to come with the Adreno 512 GPU and support dual-channel LPDDR4X-1866 memory, UFS 2.1 storage, up to 24MP camera, LTE Cat. 10 and three carrier aggregation. The chipset which would replace the Snapdragon 652 and 653 is also said to be manufactured using Samsung 14nm LPP process meaning power efficiency and heat control would be some of its features.

Even though we cannot verify the authenticity of the data, the said AnTuTu benchmark data showed the Snapdragon 660 polled a total of 105576 points on the whole. Individually, the CPU ran 31,982 points, the RAM polled a score of 7067, 3D 30827 points and UX 35,700 points. We don’t have details of the clock frequency on which the chipset ran and the RAM size of the device. So, it is possible the SD 660 chip may finally pull a more efficient score when it is optimized.

Xiaomi Mi 6 To Feature A Special Ceramic Edition

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Mar 14, 2017

The Mi 5 was only of Xiaomi‘s most popular flagship Mi-series smartphones till date, perhaps that explains why we now have the Mi 5S, Mi 5S Plus and of late the Mi 5C. Aside from the beautiful body design, the Xiaomi Mi 5 came with a well-studded hardware lineup crammed inside it. But one feature which made the Mi 5 stand out is the use of ceramic on one of the variants. The ceramic edition turned out to be very popular, such that Xiaomi now made it a routine in its flagships despite the low yield.

Now, popular analyst Kevin Wang has revealed via a Weibo post that the expected Xiaomi Mi 6 would feature a special edition with a ceramic body. Mr Wang who is the IHS Director of research in China isn’t known for frivolous tips but has some credibility, also revealed that US smartphone maker, Apple is also interested in using Ceramic glass on the iPhone and may do that next year.

As it stands, the production output for ceramic glass material is low but the post also hints at an increase in investment in ceramics in the industry, precipitated by the supply chain that would arise from the Mi 6 using the premium body material. Apart from the Mi 5, the Xiaomi Mi Mix also uses the ceramic glass body and there is no doubt it gave the device some class and added beauty. There is no doubt, the Mi 6 Ceramic edition would come on top of the pack but it is hoped that production capacity would be able to meet the demand it would generate.

The Xiaomi Mi 6 is billed as Xiaomi’s next big thing and is rumored to come with a Snapdragon 835 chip onboard and a 5.2-inch display which isn’t likely a curved display. The display resolution is likely to have a 1080p version and a higher version with 2K resolution. There are also likely more than one storage variants with 4GB + 32GB, 4GB + 64GB and likely a top-end version with 6GB + 128GB. For the full rumored specifications, you can check out our article on Xiaomi Mi 6 Rumor roundup: Price, Specs, Release, Features & More.

Vertu Is Now Acquired By An Exiled Turkish Businessman

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Mar 14, 2017

Vertu has established itself as a brand that manufactures and sells expensive luxury phones. Fresh reports have revealed that the British phone maker has been acquired by Baferton Ltd based in Cyprus for £50 ($61) million from its previous own, Godin Holdings, a holding company from Hong Kong,

Baferton Ltd is owned by a Turkish mogul, Hakan Uzan and after the acquisition Vertu will remain headquartered in the U.K. Hakan Uzan belongs to the dominant Uzan dynasty and he has been involved in legal battles with Nokia, Motorola and even President Donald Trump.

After borrowing funds from Nokia and Motorola, Uzan Group had established Teisim in 1994. During the dotcom crash, Teisim encountered financial troubles and it could not repay the loans. Reports claim that the Uzans used the loan amount to pay for its overseas properties and private jets. Nokia and Motorola were provided with multibillion dollar in damages.

In 2004, over 200 firms that belonged to the Uzan Group were seized by the Turkish government. Apart from Teisim, the Uzan Group once owned a bank, several power plants and broadcasting companies. After opposing the President of Turkey, Recep Erdogan, Uzan’s family has exiled from the country since 2009. The current whereabouts of the family is not known, but the family has allegedly receive political asylum in France.

After the foundation of Vertu in 1998 by Nokia, it was taken over by Sweden’s private equity group EQT VI in 2002 and in 2015, it was acquired by Gold Holdings. Since the acquisition of British manufacturer in 2015, Godin Holdings had never filed financial reports. Hence, a financial report from 2014 states that Vertu suffered a loss of £53 ($64) million on sales of £110 ($132) million. In 2015, Vertu had sold 450,000 phones with an average selling price of about $6,000.

There is no confirmation on why Vertu was bought by Uzan. Moreover, Vertu does not seem to be in a stable financial position. Hence, it remains to be seen whether the company would be able to earn profits under its new owners.

Blue OnePlus 3T Arriving Tomorrow?

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Mar 14, 2017

OnePlus 3T, that debuted in December 2016 as an updated edition of OnePlus 3, comes in two colors like Gunmetal and Soft Gold for its 64 GB model. Its 128 GB variant can be availed in Gunmetal color only. It seems that the company will be introducing a new blue color option for its existing flagship phone. The official tweet suggests that the company would be announcing it on March 15.

Something is about to go down with @oneplus & @coletteparis – stay tuned. pic.twitter.com/Z9ETg7ach5

— OnePlus (@oneplus) March 13, 2017

The tweet with blue background has the date mentioned in American format and below it are the logos for OnePlus and Colette Paris, a well-known fashion and accessory manufacturer. It suggests that OnePlus may announce a stylish blue variant for OnePlus 3T.

Since the 128 GB OnePlus 3T comes in only Gunmetal color option, there is a possibility that the rumored blue colored variant may be exclusive to this storage model. Other rumors hint that both the companies may have collaborated to announce some kind of accessory.

Related: Amitabh Bachchan is OnePlus India First Brand Amabassador

In the last week, well-known smartphone industry leaker, Evan Blass had revealed a new wallpaper that carried the text “Never Settle,” which is the company’s signature line. It indicated that the company would be making a new announcement soon. The new tweet that reveals that OnePlus will make an announcement tomorrow does not seem to have any connection with the leaked image.

Since OnePlus is reportedly going to announce its new flagship smartphone in June, some sources have claimed that the leaked image hints the arrival of OnePlus 5. Rumors have it that as the number 4 is considered bad omen in China, OnePlus would be skipping the number and launching its next flagship with OnePlus 5 moniker.

OnePlus 5 is expected to feature 5.5-inch dual-edge curved screen with Snapdragon 835 and 6 GB of RAM under its hood. Other rumored specs include 64 GB and 128 GB storage option, a microSD card slot, 23-megapixel rear snapper, 16-megapixel selfie camera, Android 7.0 Nougat OS and 4,000 mAh battery.

Xiaomi Mijia Smart Brand Details: Another Silent Cash Cow for Xiaomi?

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Mar 13, 2017

Xiaomi‘s fortunes have seen a rough tumble recently with the company failing to make the cut into the top three Chinese brands in recent years. Since the establishment of the innovative tech company in 2010, the Chinese brand has gone on to create astonishing records, garnering awards along the way. But now, the picture being painted is that of a struggling company.

Well, if you think Xiaomi is struggling financially, just like fellow Chinese tech giant LeEco who is neck deep in troubled waters, you may need to think again. In addition to the smartphone division which is its main preoccupation, Xiaomi also ventures into other lucrative businesses especially smart gadgets. The company has an ecological chain or Mi ecosystem where it partners with notable manufacturers in China who rides on Xiaomi’s wave of popularity, and financial prowess to get innovative gadgets out in the market. Xiaomi provides the finance for research and also ensures the products meet its standard in design and quality.

Xiaomi’s CEO Lei Jun recently disclosed the sales and revenue data from the sub-brand for 2016 and the figures were astonishing. According to records made available, Xiaomi has so far invested in 77 ecological chain companies, of which 30 released products during this period. This is aside Xiaomi’s core products like smartphones, MIUI software and others which form the core of the company. It was revealed that expected revenue from the Xiaomi smart products exceeded 15 billion Yuan in 2016.

A recent document revealed 28 of the companies which are under the Mijia partnership as well as their products and even the date of entry. The list contains names of tech companies based in Beijing and other Chinese cities, some formed as far back as 2013 while others are new entrants coming in last year, such as Viomi with its Filter Kettle L1 released last year. Huami is one brand that had a successful run under the Mijia platform, releasing the Mi Band and Band 2 before the company went solo with its own Amazfit brand. The Mijia products range from smart home gadgets like the robot vacuum cleaner, rice cooker to smartphone accessories and even non-connected products like the Mi Pen launched last year and many others. Even some of the products listed are yet to be launched.

As Xiaomi drives towards achieving its lofty goal of 100 billion yuan in revenue this year, the Mijia sub-brand holds the ace and this year could see a lot more products launching under the platform. Already, we have had a couple of smart product since the start of the year and it promises to be an exciting year with the rate of outflow of new gadgets thus far.

Nubia Dual Camera Phone said to Be Nubia Z17 Mini

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Mar 13, 2017

Nubia teased a dual camera phone earlier today set to launch on the 21st of March. The phone will be the first dual camera phone from the manufacturer. Turns out the device is called the Nubia Z17 Mini!!!

The name was leaked on Weibo by “@Kunamato Science” and also includes the full specs of the device. First, let’s talk about the name. Nubia released the Z11 series last year, so we are pretty surprised at the jump to 17. Apart from that, the name also hints that we will probably get to see a Z17 and probably a Z11 Max too.

The Nubia Z17 Mini will be available in multiple color variants with different configurations. There will be a black gold and gold variant with a Snapdragon 652 processor and 4GB of RAM and a Snapdragon 653 SoC + 6GB RAM respectively. There will also be a blue variant with 4GB of RAM and a Snapdragon 653 processor. Storage on all variants will be 64GB (eMMC 5.0).

All versions will have dual 13MP Sony IMX258 cameras on the rear and a 16MP camera up front for selfies. The Nubia Z17 Mini will sport a 5.2-inch 1080p display. A 3000mAh battery will power the phone and it will have support for Quick Charge 3.0. There will also be a USB Type-C port and pricing for the Nubia Z17 Mini will be capped at ¥1899 ($275).

The leakster also says that the Nubia Z17 Mini won’t have its camera design stacked side by side on the left. But will instead be positioned in the middle of the phone and stacked on top of each other.

What do you think about the Nubia Z17 Mini? Impressive but confusing specs sums it up.

(Source)

Qualcomm Announces March 22 for Snapdragon 835 Asia Launch. Expect Working Prototype.

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Mar 13, 2017

Qualcomm has announced via its Weibo page that it will unveil the Snapdragon 835 at an event in Beijing on the 22nd of March. The event is expected to be the Asian debut of the new mobile chip. We have also learnt that Qualcomm will have a working prototype of the chip on display.

The Snapdragon 835 is built using the 10nm node process and features eight custom Kryo 280 cores and a Hexagon 690 DSP. Four of these cores are clocked at 2.45GHz and the remaining four are clocked at 1.9GHz. The new chipset also has an integrated Adreno 540 GPU.

Qualcomm says the new chip features a new X16 LTE modem that offers up to 1 gigabit download speeds, the first for a mobile processor. The Snapdragon 835 is 50% smaller but has improved power consumption by 60%. It also features Quick Charge 4.0 which has an improved efficiency of 30% over Quick Charge 3.0.

ZTE Nubia Teases Launch of Dual-Camera Smartphone on March 21

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Mar 13, 2017

Nubia is a mobile sub-brand of ZTE Corporation. Unlike other sub-brands, Nubia kind of stands apart from its parent company, sporting a unique design language you won’t find on any other phone made by ZTE. The phone manufacturer announced a new phone, the Nubia N1 Lite at this year’s edition of MWC. Just barely two weeks after, they have teased a new device with dual cameras set to launch on March 21.

The teaser image was posted on the official Nubia Weibo page and has two spiral circles depicting the dual lens of the phone. There is also a catch phrase beneath it that translates to “See More”.

Some sources say the upcoming device was actually present at MWC 2017. The phone was said to be spotted in the hands of Ni Fei who is the CEO of Nubia, during an interview with China’s state television, CCTV.

If you look at the images below, you can see the phone is wrapped up in a case. It does have dual cameras positioned at the top left with the signature red coating around both sensors. There is also a pill shaped LED flash beside the camera setup.

Since there is no cut-out for a fingerprint scanner, the phone is expected to have one in front or on the side like the Nubia Z9. There is no news of how Nubia plans to incorporate its dual cameras, so we can’t say if it will work like that of the iPhone 7 Plus or like that of the Huawei P9.

New LeEco Flagship with Curved Edge display, SD 835 & 6GB RAM Leaks

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Mar 13, 2017

A new smartphone with flagship looks said to be a LeEco phone has appeared on China’s Weibo. The phone comes with a beautiful design, packing a curved edge or hyperboloid display and some powerful hardware. We must state, though, that there is no visible evidence like a logo to prove that this is a LeEco smartphone but the design has the features of a LeEco smartphone.

A look at the leaked images shows a smartphone with a curved display with a relatively slim body. There is also an absence of the volume rocker at the side and also the 3.5mm audio jack seems to be missing. This is likely replaced with a USB Type-C port. In addition, in a bid to optimize its upstream mobile sales, LeEco is said to continue to launch smartphones with flagship configuration. To this end, the LeEco smartphone is said to sport Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 835 chip backed by 6GB of RAM. The camera is said to also be a top notch dual lens setup made up of a black and white as well as color shooter.

There is no news as to when the new LeEco flagship would be released but in a couple of months from now, something should come up. We sure don’t expect to see the device earlier than Samsung Galaxy S8 or even the Mi 6.

Project Jacquard: Google and Levi’s Smart Jacket Launching this Fall

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Mar 13, 2017

Project Jacquard is a Google project that allows conductive yarn to be included in clothes, turning them into a device interface. The project was first made public at Google I/O 2015 by the Google ATAP (Advanced Technologies and Projects) team. Two years later, the first product, a smart jacket will be available for purchase.

The jacket is made in partnership with popular clothing company, Levi’s. The Levi’s Commuter Trucker Jacket has a touch-sensitive area that sends commands to your phone. With just a swipe you can answer calls, get directions, or control music playback without bringing out your phone. Who says geeks can’t look fly too?

The sensitive area is lined with the conductive yarn which is actually conductive alloys braided together with fabric fibers. The end product feels like normal yarn but is also strong. And the good thing about it is that, it can be included in any sort of fabric using existing industrial looms. So clothing companies do not have to worry about purchasing new equipment.

However, for the clothing to be able to communicate with your phone, other components need to embedded such as circuits and connectors. These components are small. The circuit for example is no bigger than the button of a jacket. For the Levi’s jacket, there is a Bluetooth cuff that pairs to your smartphone.

Samsung Galaxy S8 Gets 3C Certification: Uses Same Charger as Note 7

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Mar 13, 2017

Samsung announced today that it will hold an event on the 29th of March in New York at 2300hrs. The event is presumed to be the launch of its new flagships, the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+.

The Galaxy S8 has been spotted getting its 3C certification in China. The phone is listed as SM-G9500 and the manufacturer as Huizhou Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.

Other details revealed include the S8’s charger. The charger with model number EP-TA20 is a 15W charger with support for 9V/1.67A and 5V/2A charging output. This is the same as that of the Galaxy Note 7 from last year.

The China version of the Galaxy S8 and S8+ will come equipped with the Snapdragon 835 processor. Battery capacity is said to be either 3000mAh or 3500mAh with support for wireless charging. The S8 should come with 4GB of RAM, but a special edition with 6GB of RAM is expected to also launch in China.

The Galaxy S8+ whose model number is SM-G9550 was not seen but is expected to show up later.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 Gets A Top End Version With 4GB RAM!

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Mar 13, 2017

Xiaomi has continued its tweaking of the Redmi Note 4 in order to re-jig the device for better sales. This time around, the company has announced a new Redmi Note 4 version with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage.

The Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 is a successor to the highly successful Redmi Note 3 which courted global attention and recorded monumental sales figures earning it the record as one f the most successful Redmi sereis smartphones. Unfortunately, the Redmi Note 4 has been unable to make its mark since its release last year. This first prompted Xiaomi to look outside China with the launch of a Snapdragon 625-powered version of the Redmi Note 4. Xiaomi also recently announced the Redmi Note 4X, an upgraded and version of the Redmi Note 4.

According to the listing, the new Redmi Note 4 comes with a 4GB + 64GB combo and adopts a price tag of 1,399 Yuan ($202). Before now, there are two versions of the Note 4 having 3GB + 32GB priced at 999 Yuan ($144) and 3GB + 64GB priced at 1199 Yuan ($173) respectively. Other specifications are the same with the Chinese version which is powered by a deca-core Helio X20 chip clocked at 2.1GHz.

The Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (4GB + 64GB) will go on sale starting March 14 (tomorrow) simultaneously on Xiaomi Mall, Mi Home, Jingdong (JD.com), Lynx and Suning. This version is only available in elegant black and light blue color options.

Ming-Chi Kuo Reveals Galaxy S8, S8+ Specs, April 21 Release Date, 6 GB RAM Variants, Desktop Mode, 7 Color Variants and More

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Mar 13, 2017

KGI Securities analyst, Ming-Chi Kuo is well-known for spilling information on Apple products before they are officially announced. However, the analyst has also revealed a lot of information on the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 phones.

According to Kuo, the Galaxy S8 would be arriving in two models. The Galaxy S8 will have a 5.8-inch screen whereas its larger sibling, the Galaxy S8+ would be coming with a 6.2-inch display. Both the screens would be support WQHD+ resolution of 2,960 x 2,400 pixels. Kuo added that both phones will be sporting dual-edge curved screens. The S8 is expected to include 3,000 mAh battery whereas the S8+ would be packed with 3,500 mAh battery.

The analyst has claimed that the users in United States, Japan and China will be getting Galaxy S8 smartphones powered with Snapdragon 835 chipset. The European and Asian countries would be getting Galaxy S8 models fueled by Exynos 8895 chipset.

The rumor mill has been claiming since a couple of months that the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ would be arriving with 4 GB of RAM. However, Kuo is of the view that Samsung may release 6 GB RAM models of S8 and S8+ in countries like South Korea and China as “users in those two markets are particularly sensitive to DRAM specs.”

The analyst has claimed that because of “immature dual-camera ISP design, the Galaxy S8 and S8+ will not feature dual rear camera. Both phones are expected to arrive with 12-megpaixel rear camera and 8-megapixel selfie camera. The Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge did not feature USB Type-C port. Since the upcoming Galaxy S8 and S8+ smartphones will feature USB Type-C port, Kuo speculates that users will be able to take advantage of PC mode feature by using a dock.

Recent reports claimed that the Galaxy S8 release date has been pushed to April 28 from the previously rumored date of April 21. Kuo has said that the Galaxy S8 phones would be available for buying from April 21. Both phones are confirmed to get announced on March 29. The Galaxy S8 and S8+ are expected to be available in seven color variants such as gold, silver, bright black, matte black, blue, orchid and pink

Kuo has predicted that Samsung will ship 40 to 50 million Galaxy S8 units this year. This is comparatively lower than 52 million Galaxy S7 shipments in 2016. As far as Galaxy S8 and S8+ shipments are concerned, Samsung is expected to sell them at a ratio of 6:4.

There are two probable reasons behind more sales of Galaxy S7, the first one is that the Galaxy S8 would be available for purchaser later than its predecessor and the second is that apart from Galaxy S7 there was no other flagship smartphone in the previous year