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.
Xiaomi Mi 5S | image source: anzhuo
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!
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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”.
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.
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!
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 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’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.
Xiaomi fans are eagerly waiting for the arrival of the Mi 6 flagship phone. New rumors have stated that its launch has been delayed to May. However, the rumor mill is still consistently spilling more details on leaked specs of Xiaomi Mi 6. A leaked photo of the “About Phone” screen has revealed key specs of the phone.
It is a known fact that the Snapdragon 835 chipset would be powering the Xiaomi Mi 6 flagship smartphone. The leaked shot reveals that the smartphone has a quad-core processor under its hood that works at 2.7 GHz. The snapshot does not mention that the smartphone is running on SD 835 chip.
The Snapdragon 835’s official webpage states that the octa-core processor of SD 835 can deliver a maximum clocking speed of up to 2.45 GHz. Some rumors hint that the low-end version of Mi 6 would be featuring Snapdragon 821 chipset that includes a quad-core processor. Its maximum clocking speed is 2.4 GHz. Hence, the Mi 6 in the leaked image could be running on SD 821 SoC.
Leaked information also hint that Xiaomi may be working on a MediaTek Helio X30 chipset variant of Mi 6 smartphone. However, MediaTek does not have a flagship chipset with quad-core processor. So, the alleged Mi 6 variant in the screenshot is unlikely the rumored model running on Helio X30.
The Mi 6 can be also seen sporting 6 GB of RAM along with a massive internal storage of 256 GB. It is running on Android 7.0 Nougat OS that is customized with Xiaomi’s MIUI 8.3.14 skin.
Rumors have it that the Xiaomi Mi 6 may arrive two screen variants, the first variant is expected to come with a 5.15-inch display and the other variant dubbed as Mi 6 Plus is pegged to feature a 5.7-inch screen. The larger Mi 6 model is rumored to arrive with rear-facing dual cameras.
Speculations hint that the Mi 6 would be arriving with a starting price of 1,999 Yuan ($289) and the larger Mi 6 Plus is expected to have a starting cost of 2,499 Yuan ($360). It was previously rumored to launch on April 16, but since the Snapdragon 835 chipset for Mi 6 is reportedly going to be available in April, its unveiling has been pushed to May.
A few years back, most of those who know about Chinese smartphone makers OPPO and Vivo are probably living in China with the brand relatively unknown outside the shores. But today, the BBK brands are global players, even ranking among the top 5 smartphone makers in terms of shipment last year. Perhaps, the biggest upset the brand pulled last year was throwing Apple off the top 3 spots in the Chinese market in the third quarter of 2016.
Duan Yongping
Just in case you are wondering how the twin BBK companies coasting at almost the same pace, were able to achieve this feat, OPPO CEO Duan Yongping has revealed how. Duan is the founder of BBK Electronics under which OPPO and Vivo fall under and he is literally a recluse when it comes to granting press interviews. But the CEO recently granted an exclusive interview to US-based media outfit Bloomberg where he revealed how the company was able to throw Apple out of the top 3 standings last year, the first time Apple was recording a drop in iPhone shipments in China.
According to the BBK founder, OPPO and Vivo adopted tactics Apple was reluctant to employ such as releasing cheaper smartphones with modest to high-end features. There is no likelihood Apple will employ this sort of strategy in the near future as that could affect its sales in other markets, especially its lucrative market. By the way, Apple shares are still very strong despite the loss recorded last year.
Further, Duan believes the US company is too stubborn sometimes, perhaps referring to its price regime. The Chinese market is currently getting flooded with high-end flagships with modest price tags but Apple iPhone prices are still going stronger, matching the price in the US and Europe. The 56-year-old electronics mogul is a fan of Apple, though, and even has shares in the US company. His revelation may be a little too early as we cannot say Apple is down and out until they release the next iPhone 8 and sales remains down in China. That is unlikely, considering the high-end features and premium design the iPhone 8 is said to come with.
Around two weeks ago, reports had revealed that LeEco has laid off 85 percent of its Indian employees. This led to rumors that the Chinese company may consider leaving the Indian markets soon. However, by releasing a statement that said, “India is one of the most strategic markets for LeEco,” the company confirmed that it had no plans to quit its business in India. Fresh news suggest that the Chinese firm wants to focus on its TV business in the country.
According to LeEco COO Alexi Li,” We will not exit India but work out a smart strategy to manage operations in India. We will be cautious with our investments for now.” Jia Yueting, the founder of LeEco had earlier confirmed that the company encountered a financially crunching situation as it tried expand rapidly across the world in a short span of time. It seems that the current financial situation has caused it to adopt a new approach to manage its operations.
The COO of the company is of the view that since the smart TV business in the country is predicted to capture a market of 1 million, LeEco can grow quickly through its TV business rather than selling smartphones. Li further added that, “We will focus on smart TVs only and look at ways to solidify our existing customer base.” To reach more customers, LeEco will be marketing its TVs offline.
LeEco is also expected to invest its forthcoming asset in the new Information Technology Development Region (ITIR) that is being built at 40 sq. km land at Pali, Rajasthan. The new asset could be a production or R&D facility. The company seems to be struggling as Li said that it has reduced its content development plans and it has a small team based in Mumbai to manage it. It would be looking for more partners from now on.
Even though Eros Now has recently ceased its content on LeEco smartphones, Li said that the company would continue to work with the on-demand entertainment network. Both companies are expected to discuss soon to resolve their issues.
LeEco also aims to generate more revenue through its accessories that are sold through its LeMall online store in India. The company won’t launch its electrics cars in the country this year. Also, it won’t be launching single-brand retail outlets in 2017. LeEco has said its turnover of Rs 1,400 crores comprises of revenues generated through the sales of 1.28 million smartphones and 12,000 smart TVs.
The world is set to mark the United Nation’s World Water Day on March 22 and this year’s theme is Wastewater. Apparently, the UN is concerned about the world’s inability to efficiently recycle our waste water into table water and as usual, Xiaomi is concerned. The company has teased the launch of a new product on March 21 that has got something to do with water.
The teaser was posted on the Xiaomi Mall official Weibo handle and had as its caption, “World water day, Think of Ta”. Obviously, the new product is related to water. The poster was also shared on the Xiaomi Water Purifier official Weibo handle which points to the likelihood of a new Mi Water Purifier.
Xiaomi has got a Smart Mi Water Purifier released in 2015 and an upgraded Smart Mi Water Purifier 2 released last year but it is possible the company will be released a new version of the water purifier perhaps with more features. As always, we expect the new product to come at an affordable price. There is no further detail about the new product so we’ll have to wait until tomorrow when the product will go official.
Ming-Chi Kuo, an analyst with KGI Securities, had revealed in the previous week that the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ flagship smartphones from Samsung would be coming in seven color options. Leaked photos of some of the color variants have now appeared.
Now, the well-known leakster, Evan Blass has revealed the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ in three colors like Black Sky, Orchid Grey and Arctic Silver. Another leakster #kksneaksleaks has the Galaxy S8 in a Purple version.
In another tweet, Blass has also revealed the alleged pricing of Galaxy S8 as 799 euros ($860) and that of Galaxy S8+ as 899 euros ($967). Kuo had revealed that both the upcoming flagship smartphones from Samsung would be arriving in seven colors like gold, silver, bright, matte black, blue, orchid and pink. Hence, it is likely that the upcoming leaks may reveal the color variants of S8 and S8+.
The Galaxy S8 and S8+ would be arriving with several common specs. According to Kuo, the Exynos 8895 edition of these phones will be released in the Europe and Asia and the Snapdragon 835 variants will be arriving in markets like the U.S., Japan and China. The internal storage on both phones will be 64 GB.
Both chipset models are expected to be coupled with 4 GB of RAM. Samsung is rumored to release 6 GB RAM option for both phones exclusively in China and South Korea.
Both phones reportedly feature 12-megapixel f/1.7 aperture rear-facing cameras and they are also expected to come with autofocus enabled 8-megapixel f1.7 aperture front-facing cameras. Both flagships are rumored to be arriving with 3.7-megapixel RGB sensor on the front for face detection and iris scanning. Both phones are preloaded with Android Nougat OS.
The Galaxy S8 is expected to house a 5.8-inch Super AMOLED display that carries support for 1,440 x 2,960 pixels. The S8+ is rumored to be fitted with 6.2-inch S-AMOLED display with the same display resolution. Both the displays are expected to support an aspect ratio 18.5:9. The S8 is rumored to house a 3,000 mAh battery whereas the S8+ is pegged to be packed with a 3,500 mAh battery. Both phones are slated to get officially unveiled on March 29.
The Galaxy S8 is coming. And its coming in April. Everyday there seems to be something new about Samsung’s upcoming flagship. Today, a video showing the Galaxy S8 being benchmarked on AnTuTu has surfaced online and the final result is amazing.
Samsung’s new flagship after being put through the usual tests comes up with a total score of 205284!!! Over 20,000 points more than Apple’s iPhone 7 which used to hold the top spot with 181,807 points, and a good 40,000 points more than the OnePlus 3T which held the position of top Android smartphone with 162,423 points.
There is no mention of the specific chip in the phone, so it might be the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 or Exynos 8895. Both chips will be present in the S8 depending on the region. Usually the Snapdragon variant is sold in the US and China while the Exynos version is available in its home country, South Korea.
Android Wear 2.0 launched last month and it first appeared on LG’s G Watch Style and Sport. However, you might not need to buy a new smartwatch to enjoy the new features of Android Wear 2.0 as Google says the update will be available to eligible devices, one of which is the Huawei Watch.
The Huawei Watch already has two successors, the Huawei Watch 2 and Watch 2 Classic, but like most Android Wear 2.0 watches we have seen, they disappoint. The original Huawei Watch is still the best looking android watch you can buy and the new update breathes new life into this 1½ year old watch.
We have been hearing about the Vernee Apollo flagship for a long time, maybe a bit too long. The company did takes its sweet time to launch the flagship smartphone, and after months of promotions, the device was officially released in December 2016. The Apollo was an important device, not just for Vernee but also for local Chinese smartphone enthusiasts. The flagship promised stellar build quality and performance but we know, not many promises are kept in this market. Hence, it was important to see, whether a new entrant like Vernee could live up to our expectations.
I have been using the Vernee Apollo for the past couple of weeks and I would like to thank Gearbest for sending in this phone for review. You can currently get the Vernee Apollo as low as $249 from the Gearbest store.
My overall experience using the Apollo so far has been positive. The company did keep most of its promises and you end up with a flagship smartphone that you can proudly flaunt as your daily driver.
Read on to know everything about the phone in this Vernee Apollo Review.
Vernee Apollo Unboxing
In the box you have the following:
Vernee Apollo Smartphone with Scratch Guard installed
A decent VR Headset
Strap for VR Headset
SIM Ejector Pin
Manual
Vernee Apollo Review: Design
Like I said above, the Vernee Apollo is extremely well built. I use the OnePlus 3T as my daily driver and I have to say the Apollo matches the OnePlus model in terms of design. The back of the Vernee Apollo is as good as the OnePlus and it looks beautiful. Coming to the front, after like a week of using the phone, I have seen that the scratch guard that comes with the phone isn’t too good. The basic front looks good, but make sure to change the scratch guard with something better. For a phone that’s marketed as a flagship, I would have expected better scratch resistant film up front. However, don’t worry, the screen underneath is protected by Gorilla Glass 3 and it is just the scratch guard that’s not up to the mark.
The Vernee Apollo feels good in hand. It may not be as thin or lightweight as some other flagships, but the difference isn’t too noticeable. You have the power and volume keys on the right side. At the bottom, there is a USB Type-C port along with dual speakers. On the left side, there are slots for MicroSD card as well as dual SIM cards. Finally, on top, you have a regular 3.5mm headphone jack.
Coming to the back, you have a slightly protruding camera hump with dual LED dual tone flash on its left. Just below it, you have a round fingerprint sensor that works well. Rest of the back is clean and polished, except for the Vernee logo down below. The gray antenna bands go well with the overall phone’s design language.
[envira-gallery id="124474"]
Vernee Apollo Review: Display & VR Performance
The Apollo comes with a 5.5-inch 2K display. Yes, the phone boasts of such high-resolution and joins the elite club of quad HD display flagships. The display on the Vernee Apollo looks pretty decent. The colors come out well and thanks to the super thin side bezels on the display, the overall display experience is good. Personally, I would have liked the display to be a bit warmer so that it’s more pleasant to the eyes.
However, note that the phone comes with onscreen buttons which eat up some space on the screen. Also, the bezels on the top as well as the bottom are a bit large, at least larger than what I would have wanted. I feel the display would have looked even better if the bezels were smaller in these areas.
Vernee is marketing the Apollo’s 2K Display as ideal for VR experience. This is exactly why you get a free VR headset inside the box which is a nice addition. The box is pretty well built for a freebie. The 2K display isn’t the best I have seen for VR but it does provide a decent VR experience. So for someone who wants to watch a few VR videos, the Apollo would be fine.
Insert the phone here
The doors open up to reveal two lenses
Vernee Apollo Review: Hardware and Performance
In the hardware department, the Vernee Apollo won’t disappoint most users. Like I said above, the Helio X25 chipset is a good performer and is more than enough to fulfill all your everyday needs. The UI is stock Android Marshmallow (yes, unfortunately, the phone isn’t on Nougat yet) and the UI is smooth and responsive.
Under the hood, the Vernee Apollo comes with 2.52GHz Helio X25 chip with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage. These are pretty decent specs for under $300 smartphone. Now we know Helio X25 is not as good as Snapdragon 820 in terms of GPU performance, but gaming was pretty smooth on the phone.
Vernee Apollo’s fingerprint works well. The phone unlocks in less than a second.
I played a few games on the Apollo, like Asphalt 8 and Subway Surfer. I found no missed frames or hiccups in the gameplay as the Helio X25 chip managed to render the graphics well. So, although on paper, the Snapdragon 821 beats the Apollo by a great margin, in real life, for everyday usage, the deca-core X25 should be enough.
Even browsing on the Apollo was a pleasant experience with no hiccups loading and scrolling through multiple pages.
Overall, the Vernee Apollo is a great mid-range smartphone. But if I had to point out a drawback of the device, then it would be its camera. Inside, the phone comes with a Sony IMX230 camera sensor with f/2.2 aperture. Now, this is a pretty good setup, capable of churning out good quality pictures. But the quality of images captured doesn’t just depend on the sensor inside, but also on the software optimization from the company. This is where I feel, the Apollo could have done better.
The default camera app takes a few seconds to focus on an object and sometimes it even takes multiple trials for a successful lock. Sometimes, especially indoors, the phone managed to capture grainy images. Given the slow focus speed and the grainy image result, I wasn’t too happy with the camera experience.
However, there’s a trick. If you can resist from focusing on an object, the camera turns out to be quite good. Don’t touch the camera screen when you are trying to lock in on an object. By default, the Apollo’s camera locks in on the object in front of you quickly. If you try to touch the area you want to focus, the camera app tries to focus again, which is where things get slow and grainy. So, I would suggest just Point & Shoot. Just point at the object/scenery you want to capture and shoot it quickly. You should be able to get better images.
As you will see in the samples added in the google drive folder, the Vernee Apollo did manage to capture decent pictures in ample lighting conditions. Don’t expect anything out of the ordinary but the camera is capable of capture average decent shots.
The video quality is also decent, nothing out of the ordinary. As for the front camera, it’s also average. I managed to capture decent selfies with the phone’s front shooter.
Vernee Apollo Review: Connectivity
I was continuously using the Vernee Apollo on Wi-Fi and I didn’t notice any drop in speed or signal. Pairing to speakers, wearables, and even other phones via Bluetooth was also pretty straight forward. No issues in these two departments. The call quality is decent and you won’t have issues talking on the phone for a while.
The speaker output is pretty good as the sound comes out loud and clear. The headphone output is also decent as you get clear audio through good headphones. I didn’t find any specific issues with GPS as well.
Overall, the standard connectivity features work well.
Vernee Apollo Review: User Interface
What you get is a stock UI experience. Almost everything is stock Android interface, so nothing special and nothing out of the ordinary. In fact, it’s good to see that Vernee went with vanilla Android experience as we have seen Chinese manufacturers mess up the interface when they try to add in their features.
What’s disappointing is that the Vernee Apollo comes with Android Marshmallow out of the box. I haven’t heard about the Nougat update for the phone yet (despite Apollo Lite and Thor getting them), but I am hoping that this company flagship gets the Android 7 update soon.
Vernee Apollo Review: Battery
Given that the Helio X25 is an efficient deca-core chipset, you easily get a day with the Vernee Apollo. Now, 3180mAh isn’t exactly big in today’s standard, but it manages to last an entire day with moderate usage. But what’s best about the Vernee Apollo is that the phone charges very quickly.
You keep the phone on charge for half an hour and the charge goes up from 15% to 50%+ in that time. That’s pretty impressive for a budget flagship smartphone. If you manage to charge the Apollo for like 30 minutes, you are set for an additional 4-5 hours of usage.
My Take
Vernee is definitely a company that we have to keep an eye on. The new entrant is here to change the way we look at local Chinese smartphones and the Vernee Apollo is just a glimpse of the kind of quality products we can get from them.
That being said, the Vernee Apollo is not without flaws. The display on board needs some tweaks in color temperature for the best result and the camera is decent but often captures grainy images.
What I like about the phone is its stellar built quality and finish, the efficient Helio X25 chipset inside with 4GB RAM, ample 64GB of storage with MicroSD expansion option and finally a fast charge equipped default charger. The Vernee Apollo has all the traits of a flagship smartphone, with its design being the biggest plus point.
Make note that the Vernee Apollo is no OnePlus 3T killer, but it definitely can stand on its own as an affordable flagship.
We first got to hear of the Mi Pad 3 early this year in the form of leaked slides showing the specification of the upcoming tablet. What we have today reveals more details and clear things up a bit.
For the Mi Pad 3, the source says Xiaomi will be launching two screen and OS variants. The first one will retain the original 7.9-inch display size like its predecessors but there is no mention of its screen resolution. It will have 4GB of RAM and will have 64GB and 128GB storage variants. The 7.9-inch Mi Pad 3 will come with Android 7.0 Nougat and will be priced at ¥1299 ($188) and ¥1599 ($231) respectively.
The second variant which will be called the Mi Pad 3 Pro will have a 9.7-inch display. Display resolution is unknown for this too but RAM and storage options are the same as the smaller one. It will be powered by an Intel 8750 (probably the Atom x7-Z8750) and will ship with Windows 10 on board. The price for the larger variant will start at ¥1699 ($246).
OPPO has scheduled March 23 as the day it unveils its OPPO F3 and OPPO F3 Plus smartphones. Both devices are going to launch with dual front cameras, taking the “Selfie Expert” tag to another level. The larger variant, the F3 Plus has showed up on GFXBench.
Like a previous spec sheet leak we saw last week, the OPPO F3 Plus comes with a 6-inch full HD display. There is 4GB of RAM on board and it is paired with 64GB of built-in storage. The OPPO F3 Plus is powered by the Snapdragon 653 SoC and the Adreno 510 GPU.
The GFXBench listing reveals the rear camera as a 15MP(16MP) sensor and only shows one of the front cameras which is another 16MP sensor. While the device does pack some impressive specs, the disappointment comes in the version of OS the F3 Plus comes with it. Instead of the more recent Android Nougat 7.0 (or 7.1), OPPO has installed its own custom version of Android 6.0 Marshmallow on the device.
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