Apple iPhone 6 Plus Catches Fire at Night while Owner was Asleep

By

-

Feb 2, 2017

From Palm Harbor, Florida comes a shocking story about how a couple escaped being consumed by an inferno when the wife’s iPhone 6 Plus that was left in the nightstand suddenly caught fire. According to the story, the woman had left the Apple phone on the nightstand which was close to her head and both herself and her husband were fast asleep when the smartphone went up in flames.

Usually, most of us like keeping our smartphones close to us while we are asleep and the woman ‘s case wasn’t different as her nightstand was located close to her head by the side of the bed. Luckily, she wasn’t a deep sleeper as the flames quickly woke her up. She, in turn, alerted her husband who put off the fire by smoldering it with a shirt. If not for their quick response, the story has it that the curtain close by might have been set on fire by the burning iPhone 6 Plus. In a curious coincidence, the couple’s neighbor also told the news station that his own iPhone 6 Plus refused to charge one of the nights, and the next day the battery was all swollen. Luckily, that one didn’t explode or ignite.

This isn’t the first time one of Apple’s flagship device is catching fire and in particular, isn’t the first time the iPhone 6 Plus is getting caught up in this kind of scenario. A couple of months back, an iPhone 6 Plus belonging to a student was reported to have exploded while in his back pocket. The student, Darin Hlavaty, in his words said he felt this crazy hot burning in his leg right as class was starting, only for him to see his pocket smoking and realized it was on fire. He said he was able to remove the phone and kick it away. The fire was already out before the fire service arrived and there was no reported case of an injury.

There were several other reports of exploding iPhones last year mostly related to the battery but make no mistake, it isn’t limited to iPhones as other brands have been enmeshed in cases of battery explosion. The most prominent among the lot was the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 which topped the headlines last year. It is hoped that OEMs would get busy in developing smartphones with safer batteries just like LG says it is doing on the upcoming flagship- LG G6. But before that happens, it is best we keep our phones far away from our sleeping area, keep devices in well-ventilated areas and if a bulge or swelling is noticed on the battery, do well to replace it as soon as possible.

(source)

LG G6 Could be Priced $50 Higher than LG G5 at launch

By

Jed John Ikoba

-

Feb 2, 2017

The media is reverberating presently with news concerning the two major smartphone makers in Korea, taking about LG and Samsung. LG is expected to launch its next-gen flagship LG G6 on February 26 and we have been fed daily with leaks concerning the flagship.

The rumor mill is agog once again with news that the LG G6 would launch with a higher price tag than its predecessor. The increment is said to be to the tune of between $40 – $50 and the reason for this is said to be tied to the new features the G6 brings along with it. One of the rumored inclusion is an IP 68 certification which allows the G6 to be able to withstand submersion in water of 5 feet depth for up to 30 minutes. The G6 is also rumored to come with a premium glass chassis with a sealed battery compartment. Don’t forget also that the G6 is touted as packing a battery that just won’t explode even under heat.

Related: LG G6 Real Live Render Revealed Showing Large Display with Less Bezels

Further, the LG G6 will sport a 5.7-inch LCD display with 1440×2880 pixels resolution which would also have an unorthodox Univisium aspect ratio. The device would also feature ultra thin bezels at the top and bottom which would allegedly be shrunk to take up only 4mm of space at the front in total, giving the device a very high screen-to-body ratio. There is also likely to be a dual camera setup and of course, a fingerprint scanner. The latest rumor monger also tips the G6 as coming with similar 32-bit audio DAC that featured on the V20.

(source)

Honor 6X Durability Test: Scratch, Bend and Burn!

By

Habeeb Onawole

-

Feb 2, 2017

When you purchase a phone, you expect it to be able to survive the occasional falls and scratches. But how do you know a phone is durable? You can’t go buying a phone just for the sake of knowing how durable it is unless you are JerryRigEverything.

Popular Youtuber, JerryRigEverything whose real name is Zack puts the Honor 6X through a durability test. The results are astonishing.

First let’s run through the specs of the device. The Honor 6X is a mid-range dual camera phone with a 5.5-inch 1080p display. It has 4GB/3GB of RAM and 64GB/32GB of built-in storage. There is a 12MP and 2MP camera combo on the rear for depth of field images and an 8MP shooter in front. Huawei has equipped it with a fingerprint scanner on the rear and a 3340mAh battery. The Honor 6X comes with Android 6.0 out of the box but will be upgraded to Android Nougat.

Back to the test. First on the list is the scratch test. If you noticed, I didn’t mention any form of protection for the display above. No Gorilla Glass nor Dragontrail Glass. The result shows that you will be wise to invest in a tempered glass as the display starts scratching from level 4. Do make sure that the screen protector covers the front camera too.

The scratch test also includes the glass covering the rear cameras which fares well, and the fingerprint scanner which fails to work anymore.

Continue

Apple is Building Its Own MacBook Chip to Reduce Dependence on Intel

By

Habeeb Onawole

-

Feb 2, 2017

There have been rumors in the past that Apple is building its own chips for use in MacBooks. The reason for doing so is explained in a report by Bloomberg reporters Mark Gurman and Ian King who have been provided details by unnamed sources.

The report says Apple’s chip codenamed T310 will be based on the T1 chip used in the new MacBook Pro to power the Touch Bar. The T310 which is built on ARM technology will carry out low-power functions currently assigned to Intel chips. Some of these functions which include email and calendar syncing, and installation of software updates are carried out when the MacBook is in a state called Power Nap.

These tasks are currently carried out by Intel processors and consume little battery life, but the switch to an ARM chip like the T310 will require a lesser amount of power. And most will agree that the new MacBook Pro would do well with a better battery life.

Continue

Samsung Galaxy J7 (2017) Benchmarked Ahead of MWC 2017 Announcement

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

-

Feb 1, 2017

Samsung Galaxy J7 (2017) with a model number of SM-J727A has been spotted on GFXBench. The smartphone that is pegged to get unveiled at Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2017 is also expected to debut in the U.S.

On GFXBench, the Galaxy J7 (2017) is listed with a 5.5-inch display that offers an HD resolution of 1,280 x 720 pixels. It will be fueled by Exynos 7870 chipset that includes a 1.5 GHz octa-core processor and Mali-T830 graphics. The SoC is coupled with 2 GB of RAM.

The native storage of the device is of 16 GB. It is pegged to feature an 8-megapixel rear camera and a 5-megapixel selfie camera. Other rumors indicate that it will be featuring a 13-megapixel rear camera. It will be arriving with Android 7.0 Nougat OS.

Earlier in this month, the smartphone was spotted on Geekbench benchmarking platform with Snapdragon 625 chipset onboard along with 2 GB of RAM and native storage of 16 GB. Hence, rumors indicate that the Exynos and Snapdragon chipset editions of Galaxy J7 (2017) would be available in different markets. It will be packed with a 3,000 mAh battery.

A video based on leaked renders of Galaxy J7 (2017) suggests that it will be coming with a revamped design compared to the predecessor model. It seems to sport a horizontal metallic strip on the place where the rear camera is located. The smartphone is expected to come in color choices of dark grey and white.

There is no information available on the pricing and the availability of Galaxy J7 (2017). The smartphone has been recently certified by Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in the U.S. Well-known leakster, Evan Blass, has revealed that it would be arriving with AT&T, U.S. Cellular and Verizon.

The smartphone is slated to get announced at MWC 2017. The Seoul-based firm has teased that it will be announcing the much-awaited Galaxy Tab S3 tablet during the Feb. 27 press conference. The company is also rumored to run a preview video of Galaxy S8 flagship smartphone at the upcoming press meet.

(Source)

LG’s Latest Design Patent is a Smartphone with Wrap Around Display

By

Jed John Ikoba

-

Feb 1, 2017

A fresh set of LG patent filing has been revealed, giving an insight into what the Korean company has on the drawing board. The patent filing shows LG is working on a display design where the screen wraps around the body of the phone.

Previous patent filings had revealed LG’s intent on exploring the numerous possibilities which curved OLED display brings to the table, so this recent filing isn’t much of a surprise. The design, which sees the display wrap around the upper body of the smartphone, results in a two-screen looking display. There are no physical buttons for power and volume controls at the sides, while the bottom part features a circular element which could likely house the home button or even fingerprint sensor.

Although we wouldn’t mind having this concept looking design come out someday soon, the patent filing doesn’t really mean that LG will release a smartphone with this design in the near future. But we sure look forward to a surprise from LG, after all, we have seen quite a lot of patents on flexible and curved displays from the Korean company.

(source)

Sony Xperia Z5 Premium 2017 Edition Codenamed as Yoshino to be Unveiled at MWC 2017

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

-

Feb 1, 2017

Sony has confirmed that it would be showing its latest innovations at its press conference at Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2017 later this month. Previous rumors have stated that the Japanese tech giant would be unveiling a flagship smartphone at the event. However, a leakster has now confirmed that the company is indeed working on a premium flagship and it is expected to be shown to select at MWC 2017.

Ricciolo, a leakster who is known for revealing details on upcoming devices has referred to this high-end smartphone as “premium flagship” and he has included hashtags for Xperia, Sony, Z5 Premium and successor indicating that its 2017 edition is in works.

He has also stated that the alleged Xperia Z5 Premium 2017 edition won’t be unveiled to the public at MWC 2017. Hence, Sony may showcase its prototypes to the media and investors in a secret meeting.

PREMIUM flagship is coming… but don't hold your breath for #MWC #mwc17 , except the secret rooms… 😉 #xperia #Sony #z5premium #successor

— Ricciolo (@Ricciolo1) February 1, 2017

In the previous month, a Georgian tech blog had revealed that Sony would be releasing 5 smartphones soon and one of them that is codenamed as Sony Yoshino will be arriving with premium specs. It is expected to feature a 5.5-inch screen that offers a 4K resolution of 3,840 x 2,160 pixels. The Xperia Z5 Premium that was released in 2015 also includes a 5.5-inch 4K display.

Yoshino is rumored to be powered by a Snapdragon 835 SoC and it may either feature 4 GB or 64 GB of LPPDD4 RAM. For topnotch photography, it will be equipped with the latest Sony IMX400 sensor.

Speculations have it that since Qualcomm will be driving the initial stock of Snapdragon 835 chipset to power Samsung’s Galaxy S8 smartphone that will be unveiled in March, other flagships running on the same SoC will not be released in the market before April. Hence, after getting secretly unveiled at MWC 2017, the Xperia Z5 Premium 2017 may become available for purchase by the end of Q2 this year.

As far as Sony’s MWC 2017 event is concerned, the company is likely to unveil midrange Android smartphones that are codenamed as BlancBright, Keyaki, Hinoki and Mineo. The Sony press conference will begin at 8:30 AM CET on Feb. 27.

Samsung to Preview Galaxy S8 & Launch Galaxy Tab S3 at MWC 2017

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

-

Feb 1, 2017

Samsung has confirmed that it would be holding a press conference at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2017 event at the end of this month. The South Korean company has also confirmed that it won’t be launching the much-awaited Galaxy S8 smartphone at MWC 2017. However, speculations indicate that in order to build more hype around the Galaxy S8, the company may run its teaser at the press meet.

Samsung’s invitation for its Feb. 26 press meet at Barcelona, Spain contains an outline of a tablet. Rumors have it that the company would probably announce the Galaxy Tab S3 tablet at the event. The Korean media are also reporting that Samsung may run a one-minute preview video of Galaxy S8 at its upcoming press conference.

It is likely that the company may tease some features of the Galaxy S8 through the teaser video. Recent rumors have stated that it may unveil the flagship phone on March 29 and make it available for purchase by mid-April.

As far as the Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 is concerned, the device is expected to feature a 9.7-inch display. Benchmarking tools have revealed that the tablet exists in two CPU variants of Snapdragon 820 and Exynos 7420. These CPU variants may be aimed towards different markets.

The SoC of the Galaxy Tab S3 will be coupled with 4 GB of RAM. It will be offer a native storage of 32 GB and is pegged to carry support for microSD card. For photography, it is rumored to house a 12-megapixel rear shooter and a front-facing snapper of 5-megapixel.

It will be shipped with Android 7.0 Nougat. Other features include front-mounted fingerprint scanner and a USB Type-C port.

The tablet was speculated to get announced at IFA tech trade show in September 2016. However, it is said that the Galaxy Note 7 fiasco pushed the Galaxy Tab S3 release date to Q1 this year. Samsung’s Feb. 26 press conference will begin at 7 PM CET.

Newer Version of Redmi Note 4 May Come with Snapdragon 625, New Antenna Design & Cheaper Price

By

Habeeb Onawole

-

Feb 1, 2017

The international variant of the Redmi Note 4 sports a Snapdragon 625 processor unlike the Chinese variant which has a Mediatek Helio X20 chip. According to an internal source, the Chinese market might be getting a Snapdragon version too.

The source says Xiaomi is planning to release a new Redmi Note 4 for the Chinese market that will feature a Snapdragon 625 SoC. That just sounds like the international variant will be available in China, right? Actually there is more to it than just the chip. Apart from the new processor, the phone will also be getting a new antenna design and will use a new manufacturing process which is less expensive.

The cheaper manufacturing process means the new Redmi Note 4 may be priced less, falling between the range of ¥900 – ¥1300 (~$131 – $189).

The news of a newer model isn’t much of a surprise. If you remember, when the Redmi Note 3 was released back in November of 2015, it launched with a Helio X10 chip. Fast forward to February 2016, Xiaomi released a Snapdragon 650 variant and later stopped production of the Mediatek model. Chances are that the Helio X20 Redmi Note 4 will face the same fate. The Snapdragon variant of the Redmi Note 3 not only came with a better processor but also featured SD card support and an upgraded camera.

Continue

Honor 8 Lite Pre-orders Begin; Photos, Full Specs, Pricing Revealed

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

-

Feb 1, 2017

Yesterday, several leaked photos of Huawei Honor 8 Lite, a low-end version of Honor 8 had surfaced. The photos showed the smartphone in a protective case. Now, a Finland based site has revealed fresh photos of the rumored Honor 8 Lite along with specs and pricing.

Honor 8 Lite Pre-orders, Price, Photos

The Huawei Honor 8 Lite is now available on pre-orders in Finland and its sales will being from Feb. 17. It is priced at EUR 269 ($289). It is available in color choices like black, white, gold and blue. Starting from today, the black and white variants of Honor 8 Lite will be available for and the other color options are expected to arrive at the end of March. As of this writing, there is no official confirmation on the availability of Honor 8 Lite in other markets.

Honor 8 Lite Specifications, Features

The Honor 8 Lite features a 5.2-inch full HD LTPS display that is flanked with a 2.5D curved glass. It is running on the in-house Kirin 655 chipset that features an octa-core processor. The SoC of the phone is supported by 3 GB of RAM. The native storage of the device is 16 GB and its hybrid SIM slot carries support for microSD card on its second SIM slot.

The smartphone is preinstalled with Android 7.0 Nougat OS that is customized with EMUI 5.0. It has a single LED enabled rear camera of 12-megpaixel with f/2/2 aperture and its also features a 77-degree wide angle selfie camera of 8-megapixel. It has a rear-facing fingerprint reader. It is equipped with a 3,000 mAh battery.

The Honor 8 Lite measures 147.2 x 72.94 x 7.6 mm and weighs 147 grams. The power button and volume rockers seems to be present on the right side of the device.

The Honor 8 that was launched in U.S. in August 2016 also includes a 5.2-inch full HD LTPS display and is driven by a powerful Kirin 950 SoC and 4 GB of RAM. It comes in storage choices of 32 GB and 64 GB. It also features a hybrid SIM slot and runs on Android 7.0 Nougat OS. However, its USP is its 12-megapixel dual camera on its rear panel. It also packed with an 8-megapixel selfie camera, a rear-mounted fingerprint scanner and a 3,000 mAh battery.

Leaked Shots of Mysterious Lenovo A Smartphone Surface

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

-

Feb 1, 2017

New images of a mysterious Lenovo A series smartphone have surfaced on Weibo, the Chinese microblogging site. Speculations indicate that the unknown smartphone will be announced at Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2017.

Just as the Lenovo Vibe X2 sports a three-layer design, the unknown device revealed through the leaked shots suggest that it also sports a similar design Even though it appears to be a slightly premium device with metallic chassis, it seems that the smartphone will be featuring a polycarbonate body with metallic finish.

Since budget smartphones are now graced with metallic bodies, it is likely that the unknown Lenovo A series phone may indeed come with a metallic body. The rear-facing camera and the placement of the speaker indicates that it will be a budget-friendly smartphone. The tipster who has revealed the images of the device has not given out any information on its specs.

Related: Moto Z (2017) Likely Featuring Iris Scanner, Motorola Patent Filing Reveals

Early speculations indicate that it may arrive as a successor of Lenovo A7000 Turbo, a smartphone that was released in January last year. Hence, it is likely to feature a 5.5-inch full HD display, a MediaTek octa-core processor, 3 GB of RAM, and a 3,000 mAh battery. It may launch with a pricing of 10,000 INR ($148).

Apart from this mysterious Lenovo A phone, the Chinese manufacturer is expected to reveal several devices at the upcoming MWC 2017 event. On Feb. 26, it is pegged to unleash the Moto G5, Moto G5 Play and Moto G5 Plus. It is also rumored to also unveil Lenovo Tab3 8 Plus tablet.

The tablet that will be fueled by Snapdragon 652 chipset is expected to come with 8-inch full HD screen. It is expected to come in two internal storage sizes of 32 GB and 64 GB along with support for expandable storage. It will be coming with Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow OS. It will include a single LED enabled 8-megapixel rear camera and 5-megapixel selfie camera. It will be equipped with a 4,250 mAh battery.

(Source)

New Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus Dimensions Released

By

Habeeb Onawole

-

Feb 1, 2017

A few weeks ago, there was a leak revealing the dimensions (and model numbers) of the upcoming Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus. The leak compared the dimensions of both devices to that of the S7 and S7 Edge respectively and gave us an idea of what to expect.

You might want to put those dimensions aside as a fresh set said to be “based upon a(n) eyewitness’ account” have been released online. These new figures are entirely different and give the Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus new designs.

Samsung is ditching the physical home button in the S8 and S8 Plus and reducing the size of the bezels. Naturally, this means that the phones should have a smaller size even if it will use the same display size or a larger one.

The Galaxy S8 will be 131.58mm long and 68.05mm wide even with its purported 5.8-inch display (5.6-inch flat area) according to this new render. That is considerably smaller than the S7 which is 142.4mm long and 69.6mm wide and sports a 5.1-inch display.

The Galaxy S8 Plus on the other hand which will have a 6.2-inch display (6.08-inch flat area) will be quite long at 159.53mm but not considerably wide at 73.37mm. Now compare that to the previously leaked dimensions that puts it at 152.9mm long and 78.5mm wide. It will still make for a large device but you should still be able to hold it in one hand. So we are looking at a device that will be considerably smaller than the Xiaomi Mi MIX which actually has a larger 6.4-inch display and is 158.8mm tall and 81.9mm wide but has no bezels on three of its sides.

Continue

Xiaomi Mi 6 Could Feature Lower Clocked Snapdragon 835 chips

By

Jed John Ikoba

-

Feb 1, 2017

It gradually getting beyond doubt now that Xiaomi Mi 6 flagship would feature the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 chipset. The device is said to be the first Chinese brand that would feature the latest Qualcomm flagship chip. The device is also rumored as launching next month but that has only heightened our confusion as a recent rumor tips that Samsung would reserve the first batch of SD 835 chip for its Galaxy S8 flagship, thus leaving no room for any other brand to use the latest chip early on.

However, a recent rumor hints that the Xiaomi mi 6 may use a clocked down version of the Snapdragon 835 chip in order not to be delayed by Samsung’s use of the full clocked version of the SD 835. Apart from the Xiaomi Mi 6 and Samsung Galaxy S8, the LG G6 is also rumored as coming with a Snapdragon 835 chipset and is already billed for release n February 26. But because of the shortage of the SD 835, the G6 is even now rumored as packing a Snapdragon 821 chip instead.

If infusing a clocked down SD 835 CPU ends up being the case, the Mi 6 would not be the first Xiaomi smartphone with a clocked down flagship chip. The Mi 5 was released with a clocked-down Snapdragon 820 chip and that didn’t in anyway hamper the success of the Mi 5.

(source)

Huawei P10 Lite Seen on Geekbench Sporting Kirin 655 and 4GB RAM

By

Habeeb Onawole

-

Feb 1, 2017

It has become a tradition for Huawei to announce alongside its flagship, a toned-down version that gets the ‘Lite’ suffix. Although this year’s flagship, the Huawei P10 is yet to be released, a toned-down version is already in the works. A few days ago, a device said to be the Huawei P10 Lite was spotted on Geekbench.

The phone with model number HUAWEI WAS-LX1A runs Android 7.0, has 4GB of RAM and is equipped with an octa-core processor clocked at 1.7GHz. For the benchmark results, the device scores 779 points in the single-core test and 3023 points in the multi-core test. The results are similar to what you will get from other mid-range devices like the Redmi 4 Prime.

Earlier this month, another Huawei device with model number WAS-AL00 was certified by TENAA. The device also has 4GB of RAM, 64GB of storage and runs Android 7.0, though its chip is clocked at 2.1GHz.

We don’t know if Huawei will be giving the P10 Lite any of the special features from the flagship but the chances are pretty slim. Take for example dual cameras. Fitting the P10 Lite with dual cameras will put it in direct competition with the Honor 6X. So Huawei might want to play safe and just leave it with a single camera. One thing we are sure it will have is NFC as the P9 Lite (select models) has it. Another feature we presume might make it to the P10 Lite is USB Type-C

(Source)

OnePlus & Meizu Allegedly Cheated on AnTuTu and Geekbench Results

By

Jed John Ikoba

-

Feb 1, 2017

Benchmark platform Geekbench and Android forum XDA have both accused two of China’s top OEMs in the smartphone niche of manipulating the test results of some of their handsets when running benchmark apps. The two companies in question are OnePlus and Meizu and the smartphones which are on the hot seat are the OnePlus 3T and the Exynos 8890-powered Meizu Pro 6 Plus.

According to the report, both the OnePlus 3T and Meizu Pro 6 have the capability to detect when they are under benchmark test and so will run at a seamless pace in order to achieve a better score. The modification is also reported to occur when the devices run through AnTuTu benchmark as well as other benchmarks.

However, in defending its position, OnePlus did not categorically deny the allegation but did reveal that in order to attain some improvement in the user experience on some graphically intensive games, it “implemented certain mechanisms in the community and Nougat builds” allowing the CPU to run faster. In other words, the processor runs faster when certain apps that task the CPU like extreme games are being used, and the mechanism is included in the OS. In that case, the result posted by the OnePlus 3T when it hit AnTuTu might be inaccurate. The device might not run at the same speed when the smartphone isn’t running an extreme app. OnePlus has promised to remove the trigger which causes the CPU to run faster when certain apps are in operation, though. The changes would accompany future builds of OxygenOS for the OnePlus 3 and 3T. On its part, Meizu is yet to respond to the allegation that the Pro 6 manipulates its benchmark test.

This isn’t the first time such accusation is coming out among smartphone makers. A few years ago popular smartphone makers like Samsung and HTC were discovered to be targeting benchmark apps by boosting CPU frequency when those apps are detected. AnTuTu even got around to creating a separate app so users of the Galaxy S5 and the HTC One M8 could accurately test the true benchmark data of their phones. Perhaps, we just can’t rely on benchmark tests anymore to determine the firepower inside a smartphone since the result can be modified. What do you think?

(source)

Apple Beats Samsung to Occupy Top Spot in Global Smartphone Market Share in Q4 2016

By

Jed John Ikoba

-

Jan 31, 2017

A recent statistical data of global smartphone shipments for last year has shown that Apple did beat Samsung to emerge as the top brand last year. If you are a fan of Apple, don’t start jubilating just yet. Apple only edged out Samsung in the fourth quarter of 2016, recording a total of 78.3 million iPhone sales as against 77.5 million recorded by Samsung during the same period.

The huge sales figure gave Apple control over an estimated 17.8% of the entire smartphone market in Q4 2016, while Samsung came in second with 17.7% share. However, in the analysis of smartphone shipments for the entire year, Samsung maintained its strong grip of the market leadership, coasting home with 309.4 million shipments in 2016, giving it a 20.8% control of the entire market. Apple still retained her second position despite losing out its leadership of the Chinese market, with an estimated total shipment of 215.4 million units, representing 14.5% of the entire market share.

Despite the huge figures, the duo of Samsung and Apple saw a slight decline in the number of shipments made in 2016, when compared to the figure achieved in 2015. Samsung shipped 10.3 million fewer handsets last year, while Apple delivered 16.1 million fewer phones when compared to 2015. Both tech giants did lose some of their market shares to Huawei and emerging brands like OPPO and Vivo, which also made the list of the top five global smartphone company last year in terms of shipments. Huawei occupied the third position with a 9.3% share. BBK subsidiaries, OPPO and Vivo finished fourth and fifth with 5.7% and 4.8% of the market, respectively.

In general, global smartphone shipments rose by 3% to reach 1.5 billion units during the 12 months of the year. According to Strategy Analytics, strong demand for smartphones in China and Africa provided the platform for the increased shipping figures for the industry.
(source)

Leaked LG G6 Prototype Photos Capture the Flagship’s Front & Rear view

By

Jed John Ikoba

-

Jan 31, 2017

A group of three photos said to be those of LG‘s expected G6 flagship have appeared online gifting us a more detailed view of the device. The prototype photos capture the LG G6 from three different angles, one showing the front view, another the rear view, and yet a third which shows the bottom edge where the USB ports and speaker grills are situated.

It is quite apt that the leaked prototype looks very much similar to the earlier leaked images of the G6, just that the LG G6 prototype is not yet in the finished state. Despite the unfinished state, we still get to see the device in its true outlook, especially the ultra-slim bezels around the screen. The screen isn’t a curved one but the device features a high screen-to-body ratio. There is no front home button, instead, the LG logo sits under the display and it may perform some virtual button functions.

The back view reveals, even more, details of the LG G6 flagship, showing the horizontally aligned dual rear cameras on the device. The dual lenses are separated from each other by the LED flash which sits at the middle in a spectacular design. The fingerprint sensor is also clearly visible at the rear, lying just under the cameras.

The third and final leaked prototype photos captures the device from the bottom edge revealing the presence of a USB Type-C port as well as an opening for the mouthpiece and speaker grills. February 26 is the set date for the G6’s release and hopefully, before then, more leaks would surface.

(Source)

ZTE Blade A610 Plus Features in Video Teaser, Coming Soon!

By

Jed John Ikoba

-

Jan 31, 2017

Chinese smartphone maker ZTE has released a video, via its Twitter handle, which teases an upcoming smartphone whose name was kept in the dark. The device is billed to go official in India any moment from now but has been revealed to be the ZTE Blade A610 Plus.

The ZTE Blade A610 Plus moniker wasn’t explicitly mentioned in the video but the design which gives the idea of the device in question. According to report, the Blade A610 Plus comes with a spectacular 5,000mAh battery which would no doubt be one of its strongholds when it goes official.

The smartphone is also tipped to launch with a 5.5-inch display with Full HD resolution (1080 pixels) while there is a MediaTek MT6750T chipset onboard. The device comes with 2GB of RAM as well as 16GB of storage space. Camera wise, there is a 13MP rear camera and an 8MP front camera on the smartphone, while the interface is provided by an Android .0 Marshmallow OS. The device also comes with support for 4G LTE.

"Hello again, India!" pic.twitter.com/kwFj0EGOoS

— ZTE India (@ZTEIndiaSocial) January 30, 2017

The ZTE Blade A610 Plus was teased by ZTE India on its official Twitter handle, and earlier on the company had scheduled a February 3 launch date. The Blade A610 Plus is expected to hit the India market as the main attraction of the launch event.

(source)

Xiaomi Redmi Pro 2 Specs Leaks: Single Camera, Larger Battery

By

Habeeb Onawole

-

Jan 31, 2017

The Redmi Pro is the top of the Redmi line. Launched in August and the first Xiaomi phone to sport an OLED display and dual cameras, this phone has been missing from Xiaomi’s website for a while now. The reason for that seems to be because Xiaomi has been working on the Redmi Pro 2.

Earlier today, leakster @Kjuma who is gradually building a reputation for genuine leaks posted a snapshot revealing tons of details of the upcoming device.

Redmi Pro 2 Specs

First, there is a camera change. The Redmi Pro 2 will not have dual cameras. It seems people weren’t too pleased with the performance of the dual camera combo of the Redmi Pro, so Xiaomi is ditching it for a single sensor. The new camera is actually a Sony IMX362 with a 1/2.55” sensor and a 1.4µm pixel. The camera has also got Dual Pixel autofocus.

The big change for me is actually the processor. The Redmi Pro launched with a Helio X25 SoC. The Helio X25 is actually a great processor but some of us wanted a Snapdragon variant but sadly there wasn’t one. The Redmi Pro 2 will be launching with a Snapdragon 660 processor this time. The Snapdragon 660 aka MSM 8976 Plus will take over from the 653 and 652 as the mid-range chip for 2017.

Another major change is the battery capacity which Xiaomi has bumped from 4050mAh to 4500mAh. There is no mention of a change in screen size though the display appears to be bigger than 5.5-inches. Notwithstanding, the larger battery should suffice even if the displau is bigger.

Redmi Pro 2 Price

The Redmi Pro 2 will be available in two storage variants according to the image. There will be a 4GB RAM variant with 64GB of built-in storage priced at ¥1599 (~$232) and a 6GB RAM variant with 128GB of storage priced at ¥1799 (~$262). Expect the prices to go higher when it launches though.

There is no mention of a release date but we are really excited about the new device. What do you think about the specs of the Redmi Pro 2?

(Source)

Samsung Galaxy S8 & S8 Plus Likely Battery Capacity Leaked, Impressive?

By

Jed John Ikoba

-

Jan 31, 2017

The Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus battery capacity is the subject of one of the latest report emerging from South Korea. According to the report, Samsung has decided to infuse a 3,250mAh battery inside the Galaxy S8 and a 3,750mAh battery inside the S8 Plus.

This revelation is in contrast to the 3,000mAh and 3,500mAh battery capacities tipster Evan Blass had hinted would feature on the Galaxy S8 and its Plus variant respectively. This new leak, however, places both batteries at almost the same capacity with the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge which came in at 3,000mAh and 3,600mAh . This is despite the curved AMOLED display and larger screen sizes at 5.8 inches and 6.2 inches respectively. Perhaps, the device would come with a better power management considering that there would be a Snapdragon 835 chipset inside.

Also, the batteries are said to have similar dimensions but the source hints at the possibility of the battery capacity getting altered at the long run in order to bring in some increase. But that may not likely happen since the company would want to tread the path of caution, ala Samsung Note 7. The Galaxy S8 is expected to be launched on March 29 while it may go on sale in mid-April.

(source)