Instant cameras used to be really popular before the word “selfie” came into existence. Now we have smartphones with cameras that can compete with some DSLRs and tons of image sharing sites. So you’d think instant cameras are dead and buried, right? Turns out Fujifilm, one of the biggest names in photography at a time thinks there is still a market for them. The Japanese corporation recently announced the Instax Mini 9, its latest instant camera.
The Instax Mini 9 is an upgrade to the well-received Instax Mini 8 released back in November 2012. Both cameras actually share the same design. The new model brings new features such as High Key Mode which lets you take brighter images; a selfie mirror; and a detachable close-up lens.
While those upgrades sound pretty nice, what may get people to buy the Instax Mini 9 are the cute colors options it has. There is Cobalt Blue, Flamingo Pink, Smokey White, Ice Blue, and Lime Green. When it goes on sale on April 9, the Cobalt Blue and Smokey White variants won’t be available for purchase. You will have to wait till June to get your hands on them.
The competition just keeps getting keener and more interesting by the day. Smartphone manufacturers are daily experimenting with different ways they could outwit each other in the race to the top. The competition is now on all fronts; RAM size, processor, display size and type, design and now the smartphone color options consumers get to choose from are ever increasing.
Basically, statistics have shown that the most popular smartphone color around is black and that is followed by white color. Apart from these two smartphone colours, which have been regulars, the past year saw a number of new colors emerging which left the norm and surprisingly they’ve been receiving widespread acceptance. The new color options we have seen the past one year are quite many but basically, we’ll be looking at those used on smartphones with the all-metal body, particularly the flagships. During this period we have seen smartphones in green, blue, red, rose gold colors and there was also the Mocha brown variant we saw on the Huawei Mate 9 but that wasn’t popular per se.
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BLUE
Blue has been one stand out color option during this period under review. A couple of years back, we would have thought colors like blue were only reserved for low-end and mid-range smartphones with a plastic body but flagships like the Honor 8 sported a blue variant and that didn’t make it look less premium. Calling it Sapphire blue only added some flavor to the name. Google Pixel and Pixel XL also came with a bright, vivid blue variant. Samsung also added a Coral Blue variant to the Galaxy S7 Edge lineup recently and it added more sleekness to the flagship.
RED
One of the smartphone colors that has become trendy within the last one year is red and this is a popular one. Just recently, Apple introduced a red variant to the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus and the response was tremendous. OPPO also gave the OPPO R9 and R9 Plus a red paint job that looks very attractive. Earlier on, HTC had released the HTC 10 and Desire 830 with one of the available color options being red on both models. Perhaps the most defining smartphone which made red phones a lot more special is the red variant of the Huawei P9 which received lots of positive appraisals. Huawei chose to continue the same trend on the P10 by including a red variant to its range. Red seems to be hot in 2017 and expect a few more models in this shade in the coming months. If you missed, even the local manufacturer UMi has a Red UMI Z variant.
GREEN
Another popular color which was found on smartphones this last year was Green. There seems to be an ongoing green revolution presently. Huawei also included a green color variant on the P10 which was also done on the P9. Just days back, OPPO added a new green variant to the R9 and R9 Plus. At CES 2017, Xiaomi unveiled three new color variants for the Mi Note 2 and one of them was a green but all three are yet to be available commercially. So, it won’t be surprising if we see more green colored smartphone in 2017.
We could go on and on, there are colors aplenty which stood out during the last one year. Remember Xiaomi also unveiled a purple variant of the Mi Note 2 at CES as well as a pink variant? Rose gold is another shade of gold which is more like pink and has become a regular option on smartphones in the past couple of years. The Mi Note 2, Meizu Pro 6, iPhone 7, OPPO R9 and R9 Plus, Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge and several other high-end smartphones featured a rose gold variant in their lineup. This trend will continue in 2017 as well.
We look forward to several more unique color options in the upcoming smartphones. Already, there are rumors presently that Xiaomi is planning to make the Mi 6 available in a range of color options and we really can’t wait to see that happen. Perhaps, you too can tell us in the comment section, the color option that catches your fancy presently.
The last may not have been heard about the ill-fated Samsung Galaxy Note 7 which was subjected to a global recall following the battery defect that resulted in several recorded explosion cases. It was reported recently that Samsung had confirmed plans to sell refurbished units of the Galaxy Note 7 in select markets around the world. The Korean giant did not reveal specifics as to when the device will ship or the price and regions where it would be sold.
A new report has, however, revealed some details about the proposed launch and its likely price. According to the report aired on China’s CNTV, the refurbished Note 7 would hit the market by June this year and the product will sell in emerging markets like India, Vietnam, Africa and so on where customer place more emphasis on price than any other consideration. That is not to say safety would not be a priority, Samsung has added an extra level of security to forestall any mishap in the future.
The report also gave some insight on the likely price tag of the Galaxy Note 7 and it is expected to be 3 to 5% cheaper than the original price. For a refurbished smartphone, the price may still be too high but that may not play a big role in the long run. However, the figure may be inaccurate, we hope it would be available for up to half the initial price.
While some may be wondering why Samsung chose to use the Note 7 again, the report also revealed that they were compelled by Korean environmental law. Under Korean laws, the metal components used on smartphones must be recycled and used twice. So, if Samsung had crushed all the recalled units as some would have wanted, the company could face a huge fine. We are talking about over 4 million units here.
Today is a big day for Samsung and for Samsung fans and other tech enthusiasts. Today, Samsung takes off the wraps on its new flagships, the Galaxy S8 and the Galaxy S8+. It has been like an endless wait for ages with all the teases and leaks and juts right before the launch, we get another leak. This time revealing a nearly complete specification sheet of both phones.
The info comes from TENAA (China’s equivalent of the FCC) and it answers all the question about the phones’ specifications.
Samsung Galaxy S8 Specs
The Galaxy S8 is the smaller of the two variant and can be termed the direct successor to the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge. According to the TENAA listing, it sports a 5.8-inches (Super) AMOLED display with a resolution of 2960 x 1440 (WQHD+). This resolution is said to be user adjustable based on a recent leak. Owners of the S8 will be able to switch from the above resolution to either FHD+ (2280 x 1080) or HD+ (1480 x 720).
There will be two memory configurations: a 4GB RAM + 64GB model and a 6GB RAM + 128GB model. Both models can be expanded via a MicroSD card slot that accepts up to 256GB cards. Since this is the Chinese variant, the Galaxy S8 is powered by the Snapdragon 835 chipset clocked at 2.45GHz.
Samsung has equipped the S8 with a 3000mAh battery and pre-installed the phone with Android 7.0 Nougat. The phone weighs 152g and has a dimension of 148.9×68.1×8.0 (mm).
The listing also shows what’s in the box alongside the phone. Buyers will get a charger, a data cable, an OTG adapter, and a pair of earphones. The earphones are definitely the AKG earphones rumored to come with the device.
According to the information on TENAA, only the black variant of the Galaxy S8 will be available in China.
Samsung Galaxy S8+ Specfications
The Galaxy S8+ sports the same resolution as the S8 but gets a larger 6.2-inch display. It is powered by the same 2.4GHz processor and comes with same memory configuration mentioned above. It’s own listing however reveals the camera details. The S8+ will have a single 12MP sensor on the rear and an 8MP sensor in front. Chances are that these are the same sensors on the Galaxy s8 too.
Looks like Xiaomi‘s smart home brand will be unveiling two new products tomorrow March 30 at 10 AM. Yesterday we reported on an upcoming MIJIA product which is likely a heart rate or blood pressure monitor and is the brand’s 73rd product. The 72nd crowdfunding product is also on its way and Xiaomi has repeatedly teased posters about the upcoming product.
It is sometimes a herculean task grabbing what Xiaomi is pointing at with the teasers and this is one of such times. However, from what we can gather from the three different posters that have so far being released about the product, the product is likely another of Xiaomi’s health and fitness product, perhaps a smart body scale. The body scale will measure vital statistics such as weight, water level (hydration), bone mass, visceral fat, basal metabolic rate, body mass index (BMI), and other parameters.
The product will likely be a smart gadget that will be able to connect to the Mi app via a smartphone. We’ll get to know more about the product tomorrow when it will launch.
The list of new features the expected Xiaomi Mi 6 is rumoured to launch with keep getting bigger by the day. Indeed, the Mi 6 holds lots of expectations from Xiaomi fans since it is the company’s first flagship for the year and there seem to be surprises aplenty.
Just yesterday, we got a leaked image said to be the Mi 6’s SIM card tray which reveals a stunning detail about the Xiaomi flagship. The SIM tray showed us that the Mi 6 would likely be water resistant and in effect be without the 3.5mm audio jack. While we are yet to digest that, a new rumour has emerged on Weibo hinting at the presence of an iris recognition technology among other features on the Mi 6. To buttress this, a set of leaked photo of the Mi 6 display glass panel and tempered glass protective cover were shown, revealing openings for the iris scanner at the front.
Also, the Xiaomi flagship is said to use a ceramic body which is similar to what the Mi Mix and a version of the Mi 5 featured. Although Ceramic glass will give the Mi 6 a more premium, sleeker look, it is slow to produce, so fans may experience scarcity of the device. We hope it gets featured on perhaps the topmost model only while we get a metal clad variant which is likely the case since the flagship is also rumoured to come with a colourful body.
Since the Mi 6 would be waterproof, it means the charging port has to be taken care of, literally covered up and Xiaomi will likely do that by making the Mi 6 charge wirelessly. A wireless charging feature is another innovative feature the Mi 6 is rumoured to pack. We don’t know for sure if that means it won’t have a wired charging feature, anyway.
UMDIGI’s new phablet, the C NOTE can be pre-ordered now. With an affordable pricing of $139, the smartphone offers comes with metal unibody design and impressive specs.
The C NOTE has a 5.5-inch Sharp IGZO 2.5D arc display that offers a full HD resolution of 1,920 x 1,080 pixels. Its sports narrow bezels and provide a high screen-to-body ratio.
The MediaTek MT6737T chipset featuring a 1.5 GHz quad-core processor is present under the hood of this phone. The chipset is accompanied by 3 GB of RAM. The native storage offered by the UMIDIGI C NOTE is 32 GB and for additional storage, it supports up to 256 GB of microSD card.
UMIDIGI has included a 13-megapixel camera Samsung S5K3L8 sensor on the rear panel of the phablet. It is coupled with features like Phase Detection Autofocus technology and dual-LED flash. The company claims that its “Professional Camera Mode” feature for its rear camera can shoot DSLR-like photos. For snapping selfies, it comes with a 5-megapixel frontal shooter.
It is a dual-SIM smartphone that carries support for 4G LTE connectivity. It features a front-mounted fingerprint scanner that is fast enough to unlock in 0.1-0.3 seconds. The C NOTE features the stock version of the latest Android 7.0 Nougat OS,
Even though it is a low-priced smartphone, the C NOTE sports a well-crafted aluminum alloy unibody design boasts a precise curve. it has a slim profile of 8.3 mm even though it houses a 3,800 mAh battery. According to the Chinese manufacturer, the battery that is manufactured by Sony is large enough to last for up to 2 days. It measures 154.7 x 76.6 mm and its weight is 172 grams.
The actual price of the UMIDIGI C NOTE is $150, but for customers who pre-order can avail it under a discounted pricing of $139. It is available in color choices like Gray and Gold.
Samsung has been in the news since several months. In the second of 2016, it was in the headlines for the Galaxy Note 7 debacle. And from the last quarter of 2016 until today, the rumor mill has been consistently revealing leaked photos and specifications of the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ that are going to be officially unveiled today. The Seoul-based tech giant is also in the news today for denying a replacement device for a faulty Galaxy S7 Edge to a Singaporean man unless he signs a non-disclosure agreement that states that he won’t be publicly criticizing Samsung over the faulty device.
Lim Dao Qing Brian From Singapore had purchased the Galaxy S7 Edge on Feb. 17. The S7 Edge could last only till Feb. 23 as it died after overheating. It could never turn on again. He went to the Samsung store to get it exchanged under warranty. However, in order to avail an exchange, Lim was asked to sign a non-disclosure agreement, which includes the following text:
“By accepting the Mobile Device, you agree not to directly or indirectly (including anonymously or by pseudonym) make, issue, release, disseminate, publish or re-publish to the media (including without limitation, Facebook, Twitter, or in any other way on the internet) or to any person or entity any statement, comment or remark that would tend to disparage, derogate, criticize, embarrass or humiliate Samsung (including, Samsung products, services, employees, agents or executives).”
Even though Lim was trying to avail a replacement as his S7 Edge is in warranty, Samsung’s NDA states that it “is a gesture of goodwill” on its part to provide him with an exchange. Here is the snapshot by Lim that shows Samsung’s NDA:
Since Lim refused to sign the NDA, he was not provided with a replacement phone for this faulty Galaxy S7 Edge. On sending an email to Samsung to address the issue, he was assured that someone was looking to the matter. On March 24, Lim contacted Samsung Mobile Singapore on Facebook and he was told that the customer care will look into the issue and get back to him next week.
Since there was no update from Samsung, Lim sent an image of the NDA to Samsung Mobile Singapore on Facebook. He was replied that the “this is a standard agreement and procedure between Samsung and our customer as one-to-one exchange is only applicable under special circumstances such as your case.”
The text on the NDA clearly suggests that after the Galaxy Note 7 fiasco the South Korean company does not want to get publicly criticized and get into a new controversy for a faulty device. It is not known for how long the company has been asking its customers to sign a NDA to exchange a faulty phone. Also, it is yet to be known whether Samsung’s customers outside of Singapore have also been also been asked to sign such an agreement.
The Samsung Galaxy S8 is coming to town soon and so, we expect the rumour mill to remain agog every hour until the flagship drops. The latest news, call it rumour if you like, we are getting about the Galaxy S8 comes in from South Korea and isn’t a cheering news. There are indications that Samsung may not have enough units after all to meet the potentially high global demand for the smartphone.
This is said to be as a result of the slow production rate of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 chipset which debuts on the Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus. The Snapdragon 835 is manufactured on a smaller but more efficient 10nm wafer which is slower than on the 14nm or higher processes. Accordingto industry sources familiar with Samsung’s operations in South Korea, even the Exynos 8895 faces similar shortage issues since it uses a similar 10nm FinFet technology process.
This production snag may result in both versions coming out short of the expected number of units that would at least meet some of the demands for the smartphones. The Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8 plus are expected to launch with some topnotch features, including an iris scanner, Samsung’s AI assistant named Bixby, a large display with high screen-to-body ratio and virtual control buttons. We don’t know how true this latest information is because earlier reports had hinted that the SD 835 chip’s production wasn’t experiencing any shortage and that Samsung even plans to sell up to 60 million units of the Galaxy S8 globally.
Well-known leakster, Evan Blass has revealed that the next flagship smartphone from the company is called HTC U. In January, HTC had released a Snapdragon 821 powered HTC U Ultra smartphone. So, if the regular phone from the Taiwanese tech giant is called U Ultra, it is likely that the flagship phone would be arriving as HTC U. It is codenamed as HTC Ocean.
HTC had released HTC U Play alongside the HTC U Ultra smartphone. If HTC releases HTC U flagship smartphone, it would become the third smartphone to from its new U series of smartphones. According to Blass, the HTC U would be arriving with a 5.5-inch screen that will carry a quad HD resolution of 2,560 x 1,440 pixels. Since it’s a flagship phone, it would be fueled by Snapdragon 835 chipset.
A feature that will set the HTC U apart from other flagship phones is present in its metallic frame. The feature is called Edge Sense that depends on the sensors present on the metallic frame of HTC U. These sensors can be used by users for carrying various kinds of customizable gestures like squeezing, swiping and pinching on the left and right sides of the phone.
The HTC U will be running on Android 7.1 Nougat that is customized with HTC Sense 9 UI. For photography, it will be coming with a 12-megapixel Sony IMX362 sensor on its rear. The front-side of the phone would be featuring a 16-megapixel Sony IMX351 sensor. It is expected to come in two storage models of 64 GB and 128 GB. It would be also featuring a microSD card slot. There is no information on the battery of the phone.
According to Blass, the HTC U is slated for an announcement in the middle or at the end of April. The phone is expected to be available for purchase by May.
Samsung may soon become synonymous with fire both literally and figuratively. The company’s products are hot selling like burning flames, it has its tentacles spread around the world like wildfires and its products are going up in flames. Well, the last one is a little bit exaggerated, pun intended. The Galaxy Note 7 fire issue is still very fresh in our mind and now, a Samsung experience centre in Singapore is reported to have gone up in flames Tuesday morning.
This is happening just a day before Samsung officially unveils its revolutionary flagship which it hopes will help us forget the Note 7 and its penchant for going up in flames. The cause of the store’s fire outbreak was yet to be ascertained as at the time of reporting but it wasn’t a serious one. Shops around the mall where the Samsung Experience centre was located had to close temporarily, though. This was more of a safety procedure than for any other reason.
The expected Galaxy S8 & Galaxy S8+
The fire occurred in the early hours before opening hours but was extinguished by the shop’s water sprinklers. A statement issued by the Korean giant acknowledge the incident and disclosed that investigations are ongoing in conjunction with the authorities to determine the cause of the fire and to ascertain the level of damage.
Meanwhile, the shop will remain closed temporarily while the investigation is on but should open in time for the Galaxy S8 sales which would likely not commence immediately after the launch but sometime in April.
Smartphones with foldable displays are showing prospects of being a trend that would take the industry by storm in the near future. Samsung first unveiled its own foldable phone at CES 2013 called Galaxy X and ever since we had seen patent filings, leaks and rumors but no launch date yet. LG also has a patent for a foldable smartphone, also OPPO, Nokia and a host of others are also working on their foldable phone. Now, Chinese innovative tech company Xiaomi seems to be thinking in that direction.
A recent patent filing in China has revealed that Xiaomi has got a foldable smartphone in the works. From the details contained in the document, the phone has two displays which can be folded together. It includes an input section for typing and a display section. The device won’t open up flat as it an only be opened up to 160 degrees and not 180 degrees.
The patent filing only reveal that Xiaomi has got a foldable smartphone in development but as to when it would be launched, that we can’t tell. Already, the company has got a flexible display technology which it used on the Mi Note 2 so it may be easier to adapt that technology in the development of a foldable smartphone.
So you don’t like any of the eight colors available for the Huawei P10, right? We are not judging you, some people just have special preferences. We have got another option for you. Gold. 24 carat gold actually. Yeah, we knew you’d like that.
Legend is a Finland-based company that deals in bespoke luxury electronics. Over the years they have released custom versions of popular phones, tablets and watches. This year, they have picked the Huawei P10 as the device that gets the gold custom treatment and they are making just eight units.
The custom Huawei P10 will wear a coating of 24k gold and have a 3D dragon on the back with VVS1 red diamonds for its eyes. Legend says each of the 8 phones have been handcrafted in Finland.
If you are able to order one, you will be provided with the option to choose from either 24K gold, rose gold, or platinum. Depending on what you choose, expect your bill to fall between $2900 t0 $3030. You can also choose the design you want for the dragon or add a luxury leather pouch. Legend will ship the phone in a wooden box with a special certificate and warranty cards too.
The Xiaomi Piston line is definitely Xiaomi’s most popular earphones but not everyone knows they also make headphones. Last year they released the Xiaomi Mi Headphones Light Edition which is a cheaper variant of the Mi Headphones released back in 2015.
The Mi Headphones Light Edition was originally released only in white but they it is now available in orange and mint green. That brings them to three color variants. The new colors are pretty and will appeal to the younger generation.
The headphones are designed to cover the ears completely, eliminating outside noise. The earmuffs are made of PU leather so you might want to clean them once you notice you are sweating. The plastic parts are made of food grade silicone and the wire is made from TPE. All the materials are durable and said to be skin-friendly.
Colors are going to be playing a major role in phones this year. In recent weeks, a number of manufacturers have released new color variants for some of their phones. We have also seen newly launched phones sport unique color options. An example is the Huawei P10 which comes in green and blue. Samsung’s Galaxy S8 and S8+ which will launch tomorrow will also be available in blue, pink, and purple. A new leak suggests that Xiaomi will be joining this colorful bandwagon with a pink Mi 6.
The Xiaomi Mi 6 is rumored to launch in April and pictures we have seen so far have shown the phone in black. It is therefore good to know that alongside the usual black (and white) color variants, Xiaomi might be adding a pink variant too.
I’m using the word “might” because these images bring up a lot of questions. First the build and design are different from previous leaks. Instead of a glass back, this “pink Mi 6” sports a metal back just like the Xiaomi Mi 5s Plus.
The design is also different. It lacks the curves present on the Mi 5 series and doesn’t even appear to be brushed metal like the Mi 5S Plus. Another confusing part is that it sports the same dual camera design we have seen on recent leaks. And those antenna lines…..Aarrgggh! I thought we left that in 2016.
This device may actually be a Redmi phone, probably the Redmi Pro 2. But even at that, Xiaomi has changed the design of the Redmi series. I seriously hope this is not the Xiaomi Mi 6 or 6 Plus. I’ll assume it is the upcoming Redmi Pro 2.
A new Nubia smartphone said to be the Nubia Z17 Mini has appeared on TENAA where it has undergone certification. The Nubia smartphone is listed with the model number NX569J and among the features that are visible, is a dual rear camera setup.
On the design aspect, the Nubia Z17 Mini or NX569J uses a fused antenna band design that runs at the top and bottom edges. The dual cameras and LED flash are situated at the upper left edge on the same plane with the antenna band. There is also a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor for unlocking the device. Up front, the device isn’t bezel-less but there seems to be an absence of a physical home button under the display juts a round-shaped icon at the centre which would likely house a virtual button.
The specifications listed with the device doesn’t show prospect of it being a flagship device as it sports a 5.2-inch TFT display with 1080p resolution. It is powered by a 1.8GHz believed to be either the Snapdragon 653 or Snapdragon 625 processor and that is backed by 4GB of RAM. The Nubia NX569J is also listed with a 64GB storage.
On the camera end, the Nubia phone sports a 13MP rear camera but since it is a dual setup, this would likely be that of the main sensor. The front camera is a 16MP selfie shooter wich should do justice to our selfie needs. Keeping the lights on would be a 2,930mAh battery. All these points at the Nubia Z17 Mini being a mid-ranger.
We don’t know for sure when the device will be launched but appearing on TENAA indicates it would soon be unveiled. But Nubia released a new poster today which points at a launch event slated for April 6. Perhaps, the Nubia Z17 Mini will be launched alongside the large battery-packing Nubia Z17 on that day.
The new focus for phone manufacturers is on making phones with little or no bezels or displays that nearly covers the entirety of the front. We have seen this trend start to pick up following the announcement of the Xiaomi Mi MIX. LG adopted something similar for the LG G6 and Samsung’s Galaxy S8 and S8+ are on the train too. Latest report coming in says Meizu is cooking something up as well.
The news comes from the official Meizu forum where it was reported that the Chinese manufacturer has applied for a patent for a new display. An excerpt from the patent filing shows a dis-assembled phone similar in design to that of the Galaxy S8 with the display stretching from top to bottom. A rough translation of the text mentions that the phone will use bone conduction technology for the speakers just like the Mi MIX that’s why there are is no cut-out for the earpiece. There is also no mBack button/fingerprint scanner, neither does the rear case show a cut-out for a fingerprint module. This points at a likelihood of it using on-screen buttons and sporting a biometric scanner embedded underneath the display.
Yesterday, we reported that the company seems to be working on an optical fingerprint scanner that will sit right under the screen. The hint was based on a screenshot of VP Li Nan forwarding an article on Apple’s optical fingerprint technology to a group of friends.
OnePlus has released Android 7.1.1 Nougat customized with OxygenOS 4.1.0 skin for OnePlus 3 and 3T users earlier in this month. The update is expected to soon arrive to OnePlus 2 users as it has been spotted with Android 7.1.1 Nougat on Geekbench benchmarking platform.
Since OnePlus 2 with Nougat update has appeared on Geekbench, it seems that the Chinese manufacturer is testing the new software update on the flagship phone from 2015. At present, the most recent update for OnePlus 2 brings Marshmallow flavored OyxgenOS 3.5.8 that also includes Android Security Patch for this month.
OnePlus is expected to be more careful in launching a stable Nougat update for OnePlus 2. The reason behind it is that the Chinese firm’s first iteration of Android 7.0 with OxygenOS 4.0.1 update that arrived at the end of December 2016 for OnePlus 3 and OnePlus 3T was riddled with bugs.
In mid-January, OnePlus had released OxygenOS 4.0.2 update to fix issues like fluctuating Wi-Fi connectivity problems and Google Play Store download bug. The OxygenOS 4.0.3 that arrived in February brought improvements to Wi-Fi connectivity, camera app and more.
It took nearly 3 months to release a stable version of Nougat to OnePlus 3 and 3T users. It seems the arrival of Nougat update for OnePlus 2 got delayed as the company seems to have prioritized on releasing stable Nougat update for its 2016 flagship phones. The Android 7.1.1 Nougat update with the latest OxygenOS may possibly arrive to OnePlus 2 users in April or May. OnePlus 2 users will also get Google Assistant update.
The older OnePlus X and OnePlus One do not quality for Nougat update as their Snapdragon 801 processors do not support the graphics driver of Android 7.0 Nougat.
In the recent years, malware infections have significantly increased on mobile phones. The bi-annual “Threat intelligence Report” for 2016 from Nokia has revealed that the infection rates have shot up by 400 percent and as many as 85 percent devices were infected.
According to the report, phones and tablets running on Android OS are highly vulnerable to malware infections. Hackers mostly attack Android devices as there are huge number of devices that are powered by Android OS. Hence, among all the mobile devices, 81 percent malware infections were carried out on Android devices and 15 percent attacks were found on devices running on Windows. And 4 percent of Apple’s iOS devices were also infected with malware.
The last Threat Intelligence Report that was released in September 2016 stated that the number of infections doubled between January to July compared to the number from the second half of 2015. In April 2016, the monthly rate of infections was at 1.06 percent, but it peaked to highest level of 1.35 percent since Nokia started reporting on security threat in 2012.
In September and October, the Mirai botnet caused massive DDoS attacks which revealed how susceptible the Internet of Things (IoT) can be. Hence, the security of IoT devices has become a matter of big concern and there is an urgent need to add security measures to such devices. Nokia’s report also revealed that some smartphones whose software updates are being managed by Shanghai ADUPS Technology were found to pass private details of the user as well as SMS text messages to servers operated by ADUPS.
Nokia’s report further states that the smartphone malware infection rates increased by 400 percent in 2016. Mobile devices have been found to be infected by various kinds of malware attacks such as ransomware, SpyPhone applications, Trojan SMS, adware and theft of personal information. The Threat Intelligence Report was generated by the Finnish company by accumulating data from millions of devices across numerous networks that deployed NetGuard Endpoint Security solution in regions like Europe, North America, Asia Pacific and the Middle East.
Users of OnePlus 3 and OnePlus 3T running on OxygenOS 4.0.2 will be surprised to know that security bugs like CVE-2017-5624 and CVE-2017-5626 on both phones can allow hackers to make use of malicious chargers to slyly access sensitive information without their consent.
Aleph Security has released two videos that demonstrate how the OnePlus 3 and 3T can be hacked. The attack is carried out in such a way that their owners have no clue about it as the hack can be implement in just few seconds when the device is momentarily turned off after connecting a malicious charger.
As it can be seen in the videos, a malicious charger is first connected to OnePlus 3T and within few seconds the device turns off automatically. The attack which is already in progress provides device’s root access by exploiting CVE-2017-5624 and CVE-2017-5626.
The hackers have access to root until the next time the OnePlus 3/3T is rebooted provided that the malicious charger is not plugged on to it. The attack installs a malicious system partition to replace the original one.
The first step of the hack attack provides hackers with access to root, but does not provide prompt access to user data as the partition is unmounted and encrypted. However, it is only after finishing the second step of replacing the system partition by a malicious one by exploiting CVE-2017-5626 that attackers can compromise sensitive information.
By exploiting CVE-2017-5624, hackers can prevent the device from showing warning messages about modification of the system partition. If the bootloader of OnePlus 3 or 3T is unlocked, the malicious charger will not need to exploit CVE-2017-5626.
As of this writing, OnePlus 3 and 3T are the only phones from the Chinese smartphone maker that are vulnerable to the hack demonstrated above. As mentioned before, the attack is only possible on OnePlus 3 and 3T devices that are running on OxygenOS 4.0.2. However, the older OnePlus 2 running on the same OxygenOS 4.0.2 is not vulnerable to the attack. OnePlus was notified about the security exploit by Aleph Security. The latest OxygenOS 4.0.3 carries a patch to fix the problem.
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