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.
The mobile phone industry has come a long way in the last decade or so since the advent of mobile phones. Some may not appreciate the revolutionary changes that the industry has seen over the years except they have been actively involved in the process or have the opportunity to see vestiges which embody the changes that have taken place.
The Dobsina Museum of Old Mobile phones located in the town of Dobsina in Slovakia is the perfect place to get to understand the monumental changes that have taken place in the industry over the years. The museum houses a large cache of old mobile phones, including models which had ruled the airwaves in the past, long before the advent of smartphones.
The museum’s collection is made up of a total of 3,500 mobile phones, which are from 1,231 different models. They models cut across 14 different brands from Alcatel, Sagem, Siemens, ZTE, Ericsson, Samsung, Trium, Nokia, Panasonic, Motorola, Mitsubishi, Bosh, Sony-Ericsson right to Philips. These brands were all popular ack in the days but today a good number of them have closed shop or have been sold to bigger brands. Only brands like Samsung, ZTE, still exists as solid brands but the others have not been so lucky. Nokia has exchanged hands severally, Motorola was recently bought by Lenovo, Alcatel is now owned by TLC. The story goes on and on.
Presently smartphones hold sway and the advent of smartphones may be responsible for the demise of some of the brands. In a way, the museum shows the role played by Chinese brands in the entire process. If you take note, only ZTE and Alcatel are the Chinese brands which are among the collector’s items but presently, Chinese brands occupy strategic positions in the top 10 smartphone brands globally. Perhaps the model which would elicit nostalgia is the Nokia line up comprising models like the legendary Nokia 3310, Nokia E-series, N-series and other range of business phones which held sway before the death of the brand.
Make no mistake, the museum isn’t state-owned but the brainchild of 26-year-old Stefan Polgari who spent the last 2 years collecting a large number of the phones. Stefan bought someone’s collection of 1,000 old phones for a few thousands of euros 2 years ago and has been hunting for missing models to add to his already impressive collection ever since until he was able to amass 3,500 “ancient” mobile phones, about half of which still work.
So, want to travel down memory lane and bask in the euphoria of the feeling which enveloped you when you first had your first mobile phone? Even if you can’t head down to Slovakia, we have you covered with photos of Stefan’s collection.
Barely three weeks after unveiling the first Exynos 9 Series processor, the Exynos 8895, the processor has been spotted on benchmark website GeekBench database. The Samsung Exynos 8895 chip is built on the 10nm process, meaning more power efficiency and less heat generation.
Samsung SM-G955F (Exynos 8995)
The Exynos 8895 was seen onboard a Samsung new smartphone on Geekbench which carries the model number SM-G955F which is likely a version of the Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus. Recall that the Galaxy S8 Plus fired up by a Snapdragon 835 chip appeared on Geekbench with a similar SM-G955U model number. The device is clearly shown to be powered by an Exynos 8995 chipset backed by 4GB of RAM. On the single core test, the smartphone scored 1978 points while on the multi-core test it polled a total of 6375 points.
Snapdragon 835 vs Exynos 8995
When compared with the Qualcomm MSM8998 which is SD 835, the MSM8998 performed better both on the single core and multi-core tests but the difference is not too significant. Another factor that may account for the slight difference may be the higher 1.90GHz clock frequency at which the SD 835 ran.
Kirin 960 vs Exynos 8995
Also when the test score is pitched against the Geekbench score of Huawei Kirin 960 chipset, the result also reveal a slight difference. This time around, the Exynos 8995 performed better on the single core test but the Kirin 960 fared better on the multi-core test score. But then, there is no doubt the three flagship processors fall in the same category.
The Exynos 8895 chip brings a number of improvements such as a 27% increase in performance and a 40% decrease in power consumption. The SoC uses a combination of four second-gen custom CPU cores and four Cortex-A53 cores and also features a Mali-G71 MP20 GPU. The improvements are clearly evident when the Geekbench score of the previous generation Exynos 8990 chip is compared to the Exynos 8995.
Xiaomi has left us with a herculean task of figuring out how the heck a fighter jet is linked with its upcoming Mi TV product. Just yesterday, Xiaomi released a teaser which points to the launch of a new product looking like a new Mi TV scheduled to take place on March 21. The first teaser was that of a child decked in a Super man attire seemingly heading for the sky.
If the first teaser points at a smaller Mi TV with a lesser price and cool functions, we are not sure what to make of the fighter jet teaser. The teaser which is entirely in Chinese also has a question which translates as,”What do you want to send a Fighter jet?”. Perhaps, an indication of the speed of the processor the TV would use or the effectiveness of the product. There are even suggestions that the product is perhaps a video game but that is unlikely because it is shared on the official Xiaomi Mi TV Weibo account. In addition, there are feelers that the product is likely the Xiaomi Mi TV 4A with a slightly reduced 43-inch display from the 65 inches the top model of the Mi TV 4 uses. The product appeared on Xiaomi’s flagship store on Lynx ahead of March 21.
The new Mi TV product is open for pre-order already and each pre-order comes with an offer of 100 Yuan off the final price when buying. We’ll get to know the entire details on March 21. Keep a date.
ZTE’s elite brand Nubia has always reserved the Z-series for its flagship models but today Nubia official website in a strange manner teased an unannounced Nubia Z17 smartphone which sports a sleek design. As usual, Nubia’s smartphones come with spectacular designs that are always beauties to behold.
The Z17 doesn’t disappoint either, despite not really falling into the flagship cadre. But that isn’t the most spectacular thing about the teased smartphone. What stands out the most on the device is the mammoth 5,000mAh battery touted to be inside the smartphone which is sure going to keep the lights on for a long time. The device features a metal body which would likely be available in black and gold colors.
Specs wise, the Nubia Z17 sports a 5.5-inch LCD display with a resolution 1920 x 1080 pixels. The smartphone is powered by a mid-range MediaTek Helio P10 chipset backed by 3GB of RAM. This is a clear indication that the smartphone is a budget smartphone but some will be disappointed the phone isn’t having a Snapdragon chip. Further, the Z17 comes with 64GB of internal storage which can be expanded up to 128GB via microSD card.
On the camera department, the Z17 features a 13MP rear camera with 5P lenses, f/2.2 aperture and 3D noise reduction, LED flash and more. The phone also comes with dual SIM/ dual standby support and there is a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor.
The teaser also went further to include the price of the Nubia Z17 which is listed as 2699 Yuan ($390). The smartphone is quite pricey for an Helio P10-powered smartphone but then, it’s not been officially launched and could be withdrawn from the website any moment. Nubia has scheduled a launch event for March 21 and the company was initially billed to launch the Z17 Mini on that day. Perhaps, the Z17 would be officially unveiled also.
Smartisan is scheduled to hold a conference this Spring where they would release a high-end smartphone. Ahead of that, two new Smartisan smartphone models are shown to have received 3C certification in China. The models go by the model numbers OD103 and OD105.
A look at the certification data reveals that the two Smartisan models come with support for 18W fast charge and entire network support. As is known, the 3C certification details are usually scanty and this case isn’t different. The
We are not sure which series the new smartphones fall into, perhaps the T-series, but Smartisan CEO had earlier hinted that the company’s upcoming smartphone will use the same sleek design as well as round home button similar to those of Apple iPhones which the Smartisan M1 and M1L featured. Smartisan stunned the smartphone world by releasing the M1 and M1L powered by Snapdragon 821 chips, we wouldn’t expect anything less from these upcoming smartphones which would likely be separated by their display sizes. It is also too early to look at the prospects of the phones coming with SD 835 as that is unlikely. There are indications the company would hold a news conference in April where they are expected to release the two smartphones.
Xiaomi is known for producing all sorts of gadgets that offer great value for money. Besides smartphones, the company makes other means of communication – walkie-talkies. In fact, you can get them at the discounted price of just $54.88 from lightinthebox.com.
One of the key features of any gadget is the battery life and Xiaomi is known for doing it right on their smartphones. The walkie-talkies offer 8 days of standby time and 17 hours of normal use, which will be more than enough for the weekend-long hiking trip.
Another cool feature is that you can simply share your location with the press of the button and your friends will be able to track it on the smartphone app. Also, the Xiaomi walkie-talkies have the built-in FM radio tuner.
The Xiaomi walkie-talkies have a pretty good signal reception range, which is about 10km in sea level environment and about 6km in the urban area.
Finally, the device has the feature that allows you to quickly form the team of the member with just a click of the button.
You can now get the Xiaomi walkie-talkies at a very low price of just $54.88 from lightinthebox.com, which sounds like a great deal considering the Xiaomi’s history of high-quality communication devices.
Whenever there is a roll call of smartphone makers with highly innovative designs on their phones, Xiaomi should rank among the elite. Indeed the Chinese smartphone giant has again come up with another stunning design, this time on the upcoming Mi 6. What is said to be renders of the Xiaomi Mi 6 has appeared online, perhaps giving us our first glimpse of the much-touted Mi 6.
Xiaomi Mi 6
The images seem to be of the ceramic variant as well as a gray-coloured version of the Xiaomi flagship and they are images of the device captured from the front and rear view. On the whole, the images resemble those of the Mi Note 2, bringing to mind earlier rumor that the Mi 6 would get a design similar to the Mi Note 2. Where there is a noticeable difference is that the Mi 6 seems to use a flat screen display as against the curved edge spec the Mi Note 2. Despite not being a curved display, the design is one with an ultra-thin bezel and high screen-to-body ratio.
At the rear, the device packs a dual rear camera setup which is tilted to the left corner of the device. There is a LED flash by the side of the camera but there is visibly no rear fingerprint scanner. Perhaps, the physical home button up front will have the fingerprint scanner.
The Mi 6 is said to come with SD835, 8GB of RAM, likely on the top-end model and three storage versions of 64GB, 128GB, and 256GB. The top end model uses a premium 3D ceramic design. The rear camera is listed as packing a SONY IMX400 sensor with support for 5-axis optical image stabilization. Finally, the likely prices of the different versions were also listed as follows; 1999 yuan ($289) of 64GB version, 2299 yuan ($332) for the 128GB version, while the 256GB version carries a price tag of 2899 yuan ($419).
Earlier in this month, Huawei had released a patch to resolve the arbitrary memory read/write vulnerability issue on Huawei Mate 9 and Mate 9 Pro. Now, the Chinese firm has come across a vulnerability on Huawei P9 Plus that makes it possible for the hackers to access its vibrator service to cause the system to crash.
Huawei has also fixed the issue on P9 Plus by releasing the B386 software update. However, before the update was released, the vibrator service of the smartphone had a Denial of Service (DoS) vulnerability (assigned as CVE ID: CEV-2017-2731) because of a lack in checking parameters. It could allow hackers to use a malicious app installed on the P9 Plus to send a parameter to the vibrator service of the phone to cause the phone to freeze.
If the patch was not released quickly, hackers could have used the vulnerability to create ransomware that could have made the smartphone unusable unless their demands were met. Even though the issue has been resolved, there is no confirmation on how many P9 Plus smartphones were actually hacked through the vibrator service vulnerability.
Huawei P9 Plus owners should be aware of the fact that the hackers could successfully exploit the vibrator service vulnerability only after users were tricked to install a malicious app. A simple way to avoid such a hack attack is to be careful and install only those apps that are credible.
The vulnerability for Huawei Mate 9 and Mate 9 Pro could allow hacker with root access on both devices to read and write memory data anywhere. The hackers could also initiate an arbitrary code in the TrustZone. Only Mate 9 and Mate 9 Pro that are currently running on B156 or older version are vulnerable to the attack. However, the latest firmware for these phones are enough to resolve this exploit.
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