Xiaomi’s First Pinecone Chipset, the Surge S1 Released: Octa-core, Mali-T860, Dual ISP & More

-

Feb 27, 2017

Xiaomi launched the Redmi 4 and Redmi 4A smartphones last year with an ultra-cheap price tag, sleek design, and decent specs lineup. It seems the budget duo will soon get an additional sibling which would be known as Redmi 4X.

In addition to the Mi 5C, the Xiaomi Redmi 4X specs, pricing, and release details seem to have leaked online via Xiaomi Mall. The Mall listing details the Redmi 4X as having a 5-inch display and packing a large 4,100mAh battery. The Redmi 4X is expected to be powered by an unspecified octa-core Snapdragon processor and would be priced at 699 Yuan ($101). The smartphone will go on sale on March 3 at 12 AM, according to the poster.

The Xiaomi Redmi 4X is said to have appeared on TENAA sometime back as MAE136, and it was certified. The TENAA listing, as usual, gifted us a few specs & renders of the device. The details revealed by the TENAA appearance included a 5-inch display with a three-stage body design at the back. There is a rear fingerprint sensor as well. Further, the TENAA listing also reveals the Redmi 4X would feature a host of network bands like TD-LTE / LTE FDD / TD-SCDMA / WCDMA / CDMA2000 / CDMA 1X / GSM standard. The device will also come with dual-SIM/dual Standby support

ZTE Gigabit Concept Phone Hands Off: When a Phone is Not a Phone

By

-

Feb 27, 2017

5G is the new network standard and it probably won’t kick off till 2019. But there are some companies that are really excited about what it has to offer that they have started working on prototype technology to test the network. One such manufacturer is ZTE who announced the ZTE Gigabit, a 5G concept phone on Sunday at MWC.

The ZTE Gigabit’s selling point is its 1Gbps download speed. It sports a Snapdragon 853 processor and can also make 360° 4K videos. No other detail was given and that is not surprising since it is actually a test device. It is not even running any OS in particular.

You might wonder why we are even calling this a hands-on because the ZTE Gigabit was actually tucked away in a glass box. All we could see was the phone perform a number of speed tests to show the potential of 5G.

The bottom line is that the Gigabit is not really a phone but a piece of hardware put together to show us the future of internet speeds. From the design to the wires jutting out at the back, we can assure you that you probably won’t be getting your hands on this one.

Sony Xperia XZ Premium 960 Fps Super Slow Motion Official Video Samples

By

-

Feb 27, 2017

Sony Xperia XZ Premium that was announced on Feb. 27 at Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2017 features topnotch specs like 5.5-inch 4K display and Snapdragon 835 SoC. Another exciting feature of XZ Premium is that it is the first smartphone that is capable of shooting super slow motion videos at 960 frames per second.

The Xperia XZ Premium’s 19-megapixel rear camera can record videos four times slower than the conventional smartphones that can shoot slow motion videos. For instance, the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus can shoot two kinds of slow motion videos of 120 fps (1080p videos) and 240 fps (720p videos).

The Sony Xperia XZ can shoot 720 pixels resolution super slow motion videos at 960 fps. Here is an official video from Sony that shows some examples of super slow motion recorded at 960 fps on Xperia XZ Premium.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-MQ6UKVYlU

Dubbed as Motion Eye, the 19-megapixel camera features 1/2.3 image sensor, f/2.0 aperture and 25 mm equivalent lens. With 19 percent larger pixels, the rear camera can snap amazing photos in dim light conditions. It can record highly stable 4K videos with SteadyShot feature that provides 5-axis digital stabilization. The panorama mode has been improved to shoot higher resolution images.

The Predictive Capture begins buffering when the camera sensor detects motion even before the user hits the camera button. It makes it possible to shoot four photos in a second before the camera button is pressed. This function is similar to Live Photos available on iPhones. Samsung’s Motion Photo available on Galaxy S7 series also functions in a similar way. Its 13-megapixel frontal camera also features f/2.0 aperture and 22mm wide angle lens.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibzZ4fhP9x0

The Sony Xperia XZs that was announced alongside it also features the same 19-megapixel rear snapper and 13-megapixel front-facing camera. The Xperia XZs also supports 960 fps slow motion video shooting. The specs sheet does not include Predictive Capture feature for Xperia XZs.

The Sony Xperia XZ Premium pegged to cost around $799 is expected to be available for purchase in late spring. The Xperia XZs is slated to release on April 5 with a price tag of $699. Sony had also announced the Xperia XA1 and Xperia XA1 Ultra at Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2017.

Nubia N1 Lite with 5.5-inch Display Goes Official at MWC 2017

By

-

Feb 27, 2017

After releasing the budget Nubia N1 last year, ZTE‘s elite brand Nubia has unveiled the Nubia N1 Lite at the Mobile World Congress 2017 in Barcelona. The Nubia N1 Lite does not rub shoulders with flagships like the LG G6 and Huawei P10 which we had seen at the MWC 2017 already but it sure deserves some bit of attention.

The Nubia N1 Lite, as the name implies, is a trimmed down version of the Nubia N1 but surprisingly, the device sports a 5.5-inch display, same with the Nubia N1. However, the specs of the N1 Lite are a bit scaled down like the display resolution which comes in a 1280 x 720p (HD) on the N1 Lite while the N1 came with a Full HD resolution. The N1 Lite is said to pack an unspecified Quad-core processor backed by 2GB of RAM while there is 16GB of storage onboard.

Further, the Nubia N1 Lite features an 8MP main camera with f/2.0 aperture and dual-LED flash. Up front, there is a 5MP selfie camera which also has its own flash. There is equally a fingerprint sensor mounted at the rear, just underneath the rear camera. The fingerprint sensor is touted to unlock the smartphone in just 0.3seconds. The N1 Lite runs Android 6.0 Marshmallow OS from the go and comes with 4G LTE connectivity. Keeping the lights on is a capable 3,000mAh battery.

The Nubia N1 Lite will officially launch in March and would be available across Europe, specifically in Germany, Spain, Italy and Czech Republic. It will also go on sale in India, Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia. No word yet on the price and when it will hit China.

OnePlus 5 Specs Rumors: Dual-Edge Display, Snapdragon 835, 8 GB RAM, 4000 mAh Battery and More

By

-

Feb 27, 2017

Previous rumors have stated that OnePlus would be skipping “4” in the name of its next flagship as the number is consider unlucky in China. Hence, the OnePlus 3T’s successor is rumored to arrive with OnePlus 5 (or OnePlus Five) moniker. According to KoreaPortal, the 2017 OnePlus flagship is expected to feature an aluminum and glass combination chassis along with a dual-edge curved display.

As far as the design of OnePlus 5 is concerned, it is pegged to appear similar to the Galaxy S7 Edge. The source claims it is powered with Snapdragon 830 chipset. It should be noted that Qualcomm has not unveiled a chipset named as Snapdragon 830. Since the Chinese firm has already released Snapdragon 821 chipset powered OnePlus 3T, the OnePlus 5 is pegged to come loaded with Snapdragon 835 SoC.

OnePlus is expected to continue with 6 GB of RAM on its upcoming flagship. However, other sources claim that it may feature 8 GB of RAM. The OnePlus 5 is speculated to come in two storage models like 64 GB and 128 GB. It may feature for expandable storage that will support for up to 256 GB additional storage space.

For photography, the OnePlus flagship may feature a 23-megapixel rear snapper and a front-facing camera of 16-megapixel, the same one that is present on OnePlus 3. It is expected to feature a USB Type-C port. It will be running on Android 7.0 Nougat OS. A 4,000 mAh battery with Dash Charge fast charging support is rumored to power the OnePlus 5. Other sources also claim that the OnePlus 5 would be sporting chassis like Xiaomi Mi Mix.

The recently announced Sony Xperia XZ Premium is the first commercial smartphone to be powered by Snapdragon 835 chipset. Even though it was announced on Feb. 27 at the ongoing Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2017, the smartphone is expected to be available for purchase between March to May.

Previous reports have stated that Qualcomm has allotted the initial batch of Snapdragon 835 chipset to Samsung to power the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ flagships that will be announced on March 29. Both phones are rumored to be available for purchase by April 21. Hence, the Xperia XZ Premium and other flagships featuring Snapdragon 835 are rumored to release in the second quarter of this year.

The OnePlus 3 was announced in June last year. Hence, the OnePlus Five running on Snapdragon 835 is likely to be announced at the end of Q2 2017. The authenticity of the rumored OnePlus 5 specs revealed by the source of this news seems doubtful as the report contains inaccurate information like Snapdragon 830 and 400 mAh battery. Hence, we advise our readers to digest this report with the proverbial grain of salt.

(source)

MediaTek Helio X30 with Deca-core SoC, PowerVR Graphics Announced to Rival Snapdragon 835, Exynos 8895

By

-

Feb 27, 2017

There are many Chinese smartphones that are powered by MediaTek chipsets. The recently announced Sony Xperia XA1 and Xperia XA1 Ultra are also fueled by MediaTek’s Helio P20 SoC. With the company manufacturing advanced chipsets at a faster pace, it soon expected to take on market giants like Qualcomm’s Snapdragon and Samsung’s Exynos chipsets. The Taiwanese firm has now announced its newest and most powerful chipset – the Helio X30 chipset, at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2017.

The MediaTek Helio X20 from last year was the world’s first ten-core processor. Now the company has announced the Helio X30 SoC, an upgraded version of Helio X20.It is also features a deca-core processor built with 10 nm manufacturing process. After Snapdragon 835 and Exynos 8895, the Helio X30 is the third chipset to be built with 10 nm manufacturing process.

The SoC also includes PowerVR graphics. Compared to its predecessor, the Helio X30 consumes 50 percent less power and delivers 35 percent better performance than Helio X20.

The deca-core processor includes two Cortex A73 processors working at 2.5 GHz, four Cortex A53 processors functioning at 2.2 GHz and four Cortex A35 processors running with a speed of 1.9 GHz. For topnotch graphics, it includes PowerVR 7XTP-MT4 quad-core graphics working at 800 MHz.

Like Snapdragon 835 and Exynos 8895 chipsets, the Helio X30 also supports up to 8 GB of LPDDR4 RAM at 1866 MHz. It also supports UFS 2.1 storage. The smartphones powered by Helio X30 will deliver a max display resolution of 2,560 x 1,600 pixels.

For photography, it Helio X30 SoC can feature dual 14-bit ISPs to support 16-megapixel + 16-megapixel dual cameras that can shoot with a recording resolution of 3,840 x 2,160 pixels. The CorePilot 4.0 technology can determine the power usage and deliver optimum battery performance at the lowest power. It also features support for Cat. 10 LTE modem.

Jeffery Ju, MediaTek’s Executive Vice President and Co-COO confirmed at MWC 2017 that the Helio X30 would be powering less than ten smartphones this year. Rumors have it that the Vernee Apollo 2 would be the first smartphone that would be featuring the new chipset. It is slated to get unveiled at MWC.

(source)

ZTE Blade V8 Hands On: The Second in Line With Dual Cameras

By

-

Feb 27, 2017

The ZTE Blade V8 is the second phone in the Blade V8 line. Don’t be surprised, the Blade V8 Pro was announced before it and is even already on sale.

I’m going to be honest with you, the Blade V8 is the least attractive in the V8 line. I’m not saying it is ugly but it is not as good looking as the others. It doesn’t have the shiny silver/gold bands the V8 Lite has on its back; and since it sports an all-metal back-plate, it lacks that mesh-like design on the V8 Pro.

The Blade V8 might not be the most attractive one but it shares some similarities with its siblings. Take for example the camera housing. It is the same as that of the V8 Mini; and like the V8 Pro, also has its fingerprint scanner which also doubles as a home button sitting up front.

Where the Blade V8 is different from its siblings is in the design of its speakers. The speakers are positioned on the bottom and have circular cut outs (12 in total). The fact that there are two grilles doesn’t mean it has stereo speakers, that design is just to maintain symmetry. Sitting in between them both is a microUSB port. At the top is an audio jack and a noise cancelling microphone.

The front of the phone is covered in glass. The bezels are a bit large but that is expected for a phone in this price range. The top bezel is where the front facing camera, speaker, sensor and a front flash lies. At the bottom is the fingerprint scanner and navigational buttons that are sadly not backlit. The right hand side is has the power button and volume rocker and the left has the sim tray.

The Blade V8 sports a 5.2-inch 2.5D Full HD display and is powered by the more recent Snapdragon 435, unlike other mid-rangers in its class such as the Nokia 6, Nokia 5, and Moto G5 which all use the Snapdragon 430. There is 2GB/3GB of RAM, 16GB/32GB of storage and a 2730mAh battery.

Xiaomi Mi 5C with Pinecone Chipset Pricing Detail Leaks

By

-

Feb 27, 2017

Chinese innovative startup Xiaomi is all set to unveil its in-house processor named Pinecone tomorrow in a conference specifically slated for the unveiling. Rumor has it that Xiaomi will also unveil a new Mi 5C smartphone along with the SoC.

As a matter of fact, the Xiaomi Mi 5C had long been rumored to use Xiaomi’s in-house Pinecone chipset and that seems to have been confirmed when the Mi 5C appeared on benchmark website GFXBench packing an unnamed processor that fits the specs of the Pinecone processor.

Ahead of the expected launch, the Mi 5C likely price tag has leaked online via a screenshot which looks like it had been grabbed from Xiaomi mall. The leak reveals the Mi 5C would carry a price tag of 1499 Yuan ($218). We cannot verify the authenticity of this information, besides, Xiaomi does not release the price of their smartphone officially prior to its launch. So, we’ll likely rate this leak 30% as it may likely be a fake listing.

The Xiaomi Mi 5C is expected to come with a 5.5-inch 1080p display and would have 3GB of storage as well as 64GB of internal storage. There is also a 12MP rear camera as well as an 8MP front-facing camera. The smartphone runs MIUI 8 based on Android 7.1.1 Nougat.

via

Huawei P10 Camera Samples: New Generation Leica Dual Cameras Capture Great Daylight Images

By

-

Feb 27, 2017

Huawei’s P10 comes with an upgraded dual camera setup at the back supported by dual tone LED flash and laser focus. The camera setup now consists of a 20MP monochrome sensor for crisp black and white images along with a 13MP RGB color sensor.

From our time playing around with Huawei P10’s camera, the quality of images was quite satisfactory. The Leica branded setup can take some nice looking photos with a good amount of detail, great dynamic range adjustment and very accurate color reproduction. You can check out Huawei P10 camera samples down below.

Note that we haven’t tested the phone’s camera in detail and these images were taken during the time we got to play around with the handset at MWC 2017. Our thorough review of the P10 and the P10 should be coming very soon.

Meanwhile, check out the Huawei P10 camera samples from down below. You can also check out our hands-on with the phone from here.

Huawei P10 Hands On: Solid Compact Built, Super Fast UI & A Powerful Dual Camera Setup

By

-

Feb 27, 2017

Gizmochina’s Linas has been checking out all the new phones at MWC 2017. Huawei announced the new Huawei P10 and Huawei P10 Plus at MWC and we got our hands on the Huawei P10 flagship today. So, here are some great Huawei P10 hands on images of the device, directly from MWC, Barcelona.

The Huawei P10 gets an upgrade in terms of its design and looks, and now, it resembles like most other smartphones in the market. The corners are round and this makes the P10 look more like the iPhone 7 Plus. In fact, if you look closely, there’s a good resemblance to the Google Pixel series. Now, while some may complain about a lack of original design of the P10, Huawei has made sure that the phone has a solid built quality. The phone looks and feels great and the eight color and three different texture options help give your phone a separate identity.

We got our hands on the beautiful silver variant of the device and the overall built quality of the device was top notch. The front features 2.5D Gorilla Glass protection. The back now has antenna lines on the top and the bottom, similar to Meizu and iPhone’s design, which means they are less evident at the back. Then you have the new generation of dual cameras on the top as well as dual LED flash and laser focus.

Up front, you’ll notice that the side bezels are pretty thin, although there’s considerable bezel on the top as well as the bottom. The button like thing you see on the bottom bezel is the under glass fingerprint sensor. So, it’s not really a physical button but it accepts a number of gestures acting as an all-in-one Home / Back button.

The power button and volume buttons are tactile and the texture along with the red color highlight on the power button is a nice touch.

The USB Type-C port, 3.5mm headphone jack, and the speakers are all located at the bottom of the device.

From the time we got to play around with the device, the UI is super smooth and the gaming performance is also great, thanks to the powerful Kirin 960 chip inside with 4GB of RAM.

There’s a beautiful 5.1-inch display on the front with 1080p display. Under the hood, the phone has a 3200mAh battery with 4GB + 64GB memory combination. It’s running Android 7 Nougat out of the box with the company’s EMUI skin on top.

The dual camera setup at the back is improved and you can take great pictures especially in bright sunlight. We will soon upload the real life camera samples from the Huawei P10 soon, so check that out for more details on the camera quality.

More Huawei P10 hands on images are added below. Feel free to check them out.

Huawei P10 Hands on images:

Huawei P10 Silver — This color won’t be available in China

The OPPO 5X Precision Optical Zoom Might Just Make it The Smartphone Camera King

By

-

Feb 27, 2017

OPPO makes really nice phones with superb cameras. Their OPPO F1s is even tagged the “Selfie Expert”. Today, it announced a new dual camera technology it calls 5X Precision Optical Zoom and from the looks of it, the Chinese manufacturer has managed to outdo itself.

OPPO teased the new camera technology last week when it confirmed it will indeed be attending Mobile World Congress 2017. Achieving 5X optical zoom in a smartphone’s camera is pretty difficult but OPPO has managed to do that by using a dual camera combination.

The 5X Precision Optical Zoom uses a telephoto and wide-angle lens setup but also includes a prism to divert light via a periscope. Since the setup is like a periscope, the second sensor is hidden inside the rest of the camera module. OPPO says shifting the light from its natural path results in a high level of clarity at any zoom level

The refraction of light in this manner allows the camera to zoom in on far away objects without the need for large lenses. OPPO’s 5X Precision Optical Zoom contains 50 components and comes in at just 5.7mm.

The hardware is just a part of it. The software also plays its own role by stitching together image data from both cameras when you zoom to mid-way levels.

There is also a new optical image stabilization that fine tunes the telephoto lens. A precise rotation of the prism’s angle in 0.0025° increments results in the stabilizer having a 40% improvement in performance over previous generation and in turn produces images that are sharp even when zoomed in 5x.

Meet Alcatel A5, an affordable Modular Phone with LED-lit Back Casing

By

-

Feb 27, 2017

The Mobile World Congress 2017 is already living up to its billing as a surprise springer and one of the surprises that have sprung up at MWC is the Alcatel A5. Alcatel unveiled the A5 at MWC packing quite a number of spectacular features top of which is a modular build similar to the Moto Mod. The difference is that the Alcatel A5 is a budget Android smartphone and yet pack such high-end modular feature.

In case you are at a loss as to what a modular phone really is, it is a new smartphone design in which different pieces can be swapped out for different kinds of functionality. In a modular design, the main component is the main board to which other components such as cameras or batteries are attached. These are packaged in easy-to-remove modules which can be replaced as needed without having to rework the soldering. In this case, the module is basically a case for the phone with an embedded POGO connector that you snap on to the device.

The Alcatel A5 comes with three modules and one of the modules is an LED case which churns out colorful LED animations at the back of the device. The colorful light display at the back casing is activated via a Light Show app inside the phone and the light effect is customizable. It can be set to light up when you receive a notification on the phone. The company also showcased a second module which is a 3000mAh battery add-on and a third which is a speaker case with a kickstand that boosts the volume and quality of music playback.

On the hardware corner, the Alcatel A5 sports a 5.2-inch display with a resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels. The smartphone is powered by a MediaTek MTK 6753 processor and runs Android 6.0 Marshmallow out of the box. The budget modular phone equally crams a decent 2,800mAh battery under its hood.

The price of the Alcatel A5 is yet to be fixed and the availability date is also unknown as of now but Alcatel says the new handset falls into its pre-existing midrange Pop family of devices, which typically cost between $150 and $200.

AGM X2 Max with SD 835, 8GB RAM Tipped to Launch at MWC 2017

By

-

Feb 27, 2017

Chinese rugged phone manufacturing company AGM is officially present at the ongoing Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona, Spain. The company is set to become one of those to spring up surprises at MWC 2017. One of the major surprises that would come out from AGM’s stable is the AGM X2 rugged smartphone lineup which takes the baton from the AGM X1.

The specifications of the AGM X2, X2 Pro and X2 Max just leaked and really they all promise to be stunning devices packing top-notch hardware. Perhaps you are not a fan of rugged smartphones because they usually sacrifice a sleek design for ruggedness but with the AGM rugged smartphone lineup you can literally eat your cake and have it. The X1 comes with a classic design yet is a rugged smartphone that can withstand extreme conditions in the outdoors. The X2 lineup is expected with an even better, classic design which maintains AGM phones’ ruggedness.

According to the leak source, AGM would be unveiling the three smartphones at MWC 2017 and all three models are expected with flagship specifications including the Snapdragon 835 chip on the topmost model.

The “base model” AGM X2 is said to pack a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 SoC backed by 6GB of RAM with 64GB of storage. The X2 is expected to pack a 16MP dual-lens camera at the rear while there is a 12MP camera up front. The AGM X2 Pro, on the other hand, is fired up by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 chipset with a whopping 8GB of RAM and 128GB storage combo. The device is said to be powered by a 6000mAh. Too good to be true? Wait until you see the specs of the AGM X2 Max.

The X2 Max is said to feature Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 835 chipset supplemented by an amazing 8GB of RAM. The device has 256GB of storage onboard. The AGM X2 Max is a dual-camera packing smartphone having a 21MP dual-lens shooter and a 20MP front-facing selfie camera. The X2 Max will also come with Quick Charge 4.0 for fast charging and has IP68 Dustproof and Waterproof protection.

MWC 2017 is happening now and will run through to March 2. We’ll have to be on the watch for AGM as they take the wraps off these three amazing smartphones with killer features. You can check out AGM’s official website for their rich rugged smartphone lineup.

Doogee Flagship will sport Helio X30, Dual Front Cameras, and 8GB of RAM

By

-

Feb 27, 2017

Its been a couple of months since Mediatek announced its Helio X30 processor. But just like Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 835, there is still no phone in the market sporting the new chip. However, Doogee has revealed its plans to launch a new flagship and it is touting it as the first “worldwide MTK X30 processor” phone. With no release date at hand, that remains to be seen.

The Doogee flagship packs a number of impressive specifications. It will have a 5.7-inch 2K display, 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. Doogee is also going all out with the cameras. There are two 16MP cameras up front and a single 21MP sensor on the rear.

Gionee A1 & A1 Plus Launched With Large Batteries & Selfie Focused 20MP Camera

By

-

Feb 27, 2017

Gionee has launched two new smartphones at MWC 2017, the Gionee A1 and the Gionee A1 Plus. Like the name suggests, the latter is the larger variant of the two and comes with pretty good features and specs. Both the phones focus on providing a great selfie experience (both phones have flash on the front as well as back) along with large battery life. They both feature fingerprint sensors.

The Gionee A1 Plus comes with a large 6-inch 1080p display along with 4GB of RAM and Helio P25 chipset inside. There’s 4G LTE connectivity as well as 64GB of internal storage expandable up to 256GB. Given its large 4550mAh battery, the phone measures 9.1mm in thickness and weighs 226 grams. In the camera department, the Gionee A1 Plus comes with a large 20MP Selfie camera on the front along with a dual 13MP + 5MP setup at the back.

Coming to the less powerful Gionee A1, the phone comes with a 5-inch Full HD display and will be powered by the Helio P10 chipset. There will be 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage, again expandable up to 256GB. There’s a 5.5-inch 1080p display as well. In the camera department, there will be a 13MP sensor at the back (f/2.0) and a 16MP selfie shooter up front. The battery is large on this model as well and will come with 4010mAh capacity. The phone is 8.5mm thick and weighs 182 grams.

Both the phone will run on Android 7 Nougat and come with Amigo UI on top.

Pricing and availability details are yet to be announced.

Sony Xperia XZ Premium, Xperia XZs, Xperia XA1, XA1 Ultra Official Images, Price, Release Date

By

-

Feb 27, 2017

As the rumor mill had hinted, today Sony has unveiled four smartphones at Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2017 such as Xperia XZ Premium, Xperia XZs, Xperia XA1 and Xperia XA1 Ultra. Here are all the official images and information their pricing and release dates.

Sony Xperia XZ Premium Official Images, Specs, Pricing, Release Date

The Sony Xperia XZ Premium comes with fitted with a 5.5-inch 4K Tirluminos display coupled with Gorilla Glass 5. It is powered by Snapdragon 835 chipset and 4 GB of RAM. Its native storage is 64 GB along with external storage. Its 19-megapixel rear snapper can shoot 960 fps slow motion videos of 720 pixels. It has a 13-megapixel wide-angle selfie camera. It is packed with a 3,230 mAh battery. It runs on Android 7.1 Nougat OS and features a IP68 certified chassis.

The Xperia XZ Premium is expected to cost around $799. Since it is running on Snapdragon 835, it is pegged to launch in April or May. It will be available in two colors like Black and Silver.

Sony Xperia XZs Official Images, Specs, Pricing, Release Date

The Xperia XZs has a 5.2-inch full HD display and its powered by Snapdragon 820 chipset and 4 GB of RAM. Its internal storage is 64 GB and a microSD card slot. It features the same 19-megapixel snapper present on Xperia XZ Premium. It also features 13-megapixel wide-angle selfie shooter. It has a battery of 2,900 mAh capacity. It also comes preloaded with Android 7.0 Nougat.

The Sony Xperia XZs will be available for purchase in April with a pricing of $699. It also features a IP68 rated body and comes in color choices of Black, Silver and Blue.

Sony Xperia XA1 and Xperia XA1 Ultra Official Images, Specs, Pricing, Release Date

The Xperia XA1 has a 5-inch HD display whereas the Xperia XA1 Ultra has a 6-inch full HD edge-to-edge screen. Both smartphones are powered by MediaTek Helio P20 chipset. The XA1 has 3 GB of RAM and 32 GB of storage whereas its Ultra variant has 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB of storage. Both smartphones feature microSD card slots.

The XA1 and XA1 Ultra feature 23-megapixel rear cameras. The front-facing camera on XA1 is of 8-megapixel whereas an OIS enabled 16-megapixel selfie camera is present on Xperia XA1 Ultra. Both phones run on Android 7.0 Nougat OS. The Xperia XA1 comes with a 2,300 mAh battery whereas its larger sibling includes a 2,700 mAh battery.

The Sony Xperia XA1 will go on sale from April 26 with a price tag of $299. The pricing of Xperia XA1 Ultra was not announced at the launch event. It is pegged to be available for purchase by summer.

Would You Buy The New Nokia 3310 Feature Phone?

By

-

Feb 27, 2017

The legendary Nokia 3310 is back, and for most readers out here, it would have been one of the first phones that you every played with. There is no question about the importance of the old Nokia 3310 in the phone market, however, is a feature phone like the 3310 still relevant in the current market?

The Nokia 3310 comes with a refreshed design, in bright new colors (some of which I’m personally not a big fan of) and an increased battery life. Yes, the phone boasts of 22 hours of talk time and over 50 hours of music playback. Then there’s the legendary Snake game included in the phone that was probably the first game we played on our phones. All these things are enough for a healthy dose of nostalgia. But is it enough for fans to purchase the phone at $52?

Since most of the readers on gizmochina are obsessed with the best value for money smartphones, we would like to hear from you whether you would consider purchasing the refreshed Nokia 3310.

Huawei P10 Lite Live Images Leak Ahead of Launch

By

-

Feb 27, 2017

Huawei is set to add a lite version of the recently unveiled P10 flagship. The Huawei P10 Lite recently appeared on benchmarking website Geekbench revealing some of its specs. Now, the P10 Lite’s live images have also leaked online revealing its beautiful design features.

Ordinarily, we’d have thought the P10 Lite would pack trimmed down specs and design similar to those of the P10 but the flagship does not come with a design similar to that of the P10. The P10 Lite features an attractive design, nonetheless. For one, the P10 Lite packs a single camera at the rear and its entire design resembles that of the Huawei P8 Lite. The P10 Lite uses a metal frame with dual glass on both sides and a fingerprint sensor is also mounted at the rear.

On the specs angle, the Huawei P10 Lite will come with a 5.2-inch IPS display with full HD resolution. It is expected to be powered by an octa-core Kirin 655 chip with the Mali-T830 GPU firing up the graphics. The P10 Lite will pack 4GB of RAM inside as well as 32GB of expandable storage. The camera affairs would be piloted by a 12MP rear camera with f/2.2 aperture and LED flash while up front there’ll be an 8MP sensor. Huawei’s latest EMUI 5.1 based on Android Nougat is expected to provide the interface on the P10 Lite.

We won’t see the P10 Lite very soon as it is said to have a March launch date. The P10 Lite would be available in black, gold and white colors and is expected to be priced around €349 ( approx. 2,539 Yuan).

(source)

ZTE Launches Blade V8 Mini and V8 Lite with Dual Cameras & Android Nougat

By

-

Feb 27, 2017

The Blade series is ZTE’s line of affordable smartphones. This year, they have announced four Blade phones already: the ZTE Blade V8, Blade V8 Pro, Blade A2 Plus, and the ZTE Blade A610 Plus. They don’t seem to be done yet as they have announced the ZTE Blade V8 Lite and Blade V8 Mini at MWC.

Blade V8 Lite

The Blade V8 Lite is inspired by French upholstery. It sports a curved design and a slim metal body with Zircon sand blasting finish. There is a 5-inch HD display, 2GB of RAM, and 16GB ROM with SD card support (128GB max.) It is powered by an MTK6750 octa-core processor.

The V8 Lite has an 8MP autofocus rear camera with LED flash and a 5MP fixed focus camera up front for selfies. There is a non-removable 2500mAh battery under the hood,a fingerprint scanner, and a 3.5mm audio jack.

The Blade V8 Lite comes with Android Nougat out of the box, has Bluetooth 4.1, FM Radio and VoLTE support. It supports Bands 3, 7, and 28 FDD LTE.

Blade V8 Mini

The Blade V8 Mini is the more sophisticated one of the two. Like the V8 Pro and V8, the V8 mini also comes with dual cameras. ZTE says it is aimed at photography lovers who want to take bokeh pictures without buying a DSLR. The Blade V8 Mini also supports 3D photos. What it does is combine two pictures taken by the dual cameras into a single 3D image.

The ZTE Blade V8 Mini has the same 5-inch 720p display as the V8 Lite and even the same RAM and ROM. The processor however differs. ZTE has settled for the now popular Snapdragon 430 which is present in the Nokia 6, Nokia 5 and Moto G5 The dual rear cameras are a combination of a 13MP sensor and a 2MP sensor. The front camera is a 5MP shooter but has a moonlight flash to brighten up your selfies.

There is also a rear-mounted fingerprint scanner that does more than unlock your phone. You can configure it to open a certain app when you touch it when the screen is off. The V8 Mini also lets you create a sort of private space that encrypts your pictures, documents, messages and apps.

There is a 2800mAh battery powering the Blade V8 Mini. It runs Android Nougat with ZTE’s MiFavor 4.2 overlay and also supports VoLTE.

ZTE has not mentioned the price details for both phones or when they plan to hit the shelves.