Google Play Store Censored Edition Coming to China?

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Feb 6, 2017

OnePlus added the OnePlus 3T flagship as an upgraded version of the OnePlus 3 and it went official in November last year. Since then, the device has been eluding potential buyers because of the high demand for the flagship when compared with the availability. Thus, the 3T has only been available via flash sales.

However, it seems OnePlus is making things a lot easier as the OnePlus 3T has been listed on Jingdong (JD.com) for on the spot sales. The sale is only open for the 6GB + 64GB variant of the device and you get to choose between the Gunmetal and Soft Gold color options. The version with 128GB of storage seems not to be available at the moment but could join the fray later on. But if you’re keen on having the 128GB variant of the 3T, then check it out on Giztop.

As a reminder, the OnePlus 3T features a premium and sleek metal unibody with a 5.5-inch Optic AMOLED display and a Snapdragon 821 processor clocked at 2.35GHz. The device also has a larger 3,400mAh battery than its predecessor, as well as a 16MP front-facing camera and a rear camera with EIS and covered by sapphire glass. There is 6GB of LPDDR4 memory onboard with 64GB and 128GB storage versions available.

The OnePlus 3T is priced at 2699 yuan ($392) for the 6GB RAM + 64GB ROM variant which is now available on Jingdong, while the 6GB RAM + 128GB variant retails for 2999 yuan ($435) and can be gotten on Gizmochina’s e-commerce platform – Giztop.

LG G6 Release Date in US is April 7; MWC 2017 Invite Teases Huge Display

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Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Feb 6, 2017

In the previous month, LG has already teased the arrival of LG G6 at the upcoming Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2017 event. Now, it has sent an official invitation of the LG G6’s Feb. 26 launch event. Popular leakster, Evan Blass has revealed the LG G6 release date for South Korea and the U.S.

The South Korean company will be unwrapping the LG G6 on Feb .26 at Sant Jordi Club, Barcelona, Spain. The event will begin at 12 PM. The official invitation shows that the LG G6 would be arriving with a larger screen. And it also suggests that even though the phablet is arriving with a larger display, users will be able to hold it comfortably.

Previous reports have revealed that the LG G6 would be coming with a 5.7-inch display that will deliver an aspect ratio of 9:18 and it will carry support for a display quad HD+ resolution of 1,440 x 2,880 pixels. Several smartphones that support quad HD resolution of 1,440 x 2,560 pixels have 9:16 aspect ratio.

Hence, the LG G6 is expected to come with an elongated display and it will be sporting super-slim bezels. The company has confirmed that the quad HD+ display of LG G6 will be called “Full Vision” on release. The display for the LG G6 are supplied by LG Display. Several leaked photos of the LG G6 have surfaced in the recent past.

According to Blass, the LG G6 is slated to sell in South Korea on March 9. However, it will be releasing a month later in the U.S. as it is expected to launch on April 7. It is expected to be cost more than the LG G5 and is rumored to be priced around $700 for the unlocked model. The smartphone is speculated to be priced aggressively to rival the Galaxy S8 that will be releasing by mid-April in the U.S.

The LG G5 modular phone met with poor reception mainly because of its add-on accessories. Hence, LG G6 will be arriving without any modular accessories. It is expected to support IP68 certified metal unibody chassis and it will be fueled by Snapdragon 821 chipset and not by Snapdragon 835 that will power compatriot Samsung’s Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus smartphones.

(Source)

LG G6 Latest Images Captured from All Angles, G6 Hits GeekBench

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Feb 6, 2017

As the February 26 launch event of the LG G6 flagship draws nearer, we continually get inundated with multiple leaks about the device. The latest we are getting about the LG flagship are a set of images of the device thanks to case maker Ringke cases. The images give us ample view of the G6 captured from all direction.

The images are, no doubt, meant to promote the protective cases which Ringke will be supplying for the sleek device but they did tell a few stories about the G6. First, the renders look very much like those of the flagship earlier leaked, with the dual-lens rear camera and rear-mounted fingerprint sensor standing out. As earlier revealed, the LG G6 will have a clean front without any physical button to distort the smooth feel.

The LG G6 will likely have a clean front with no physical buttons and a large, 5.7-inch display with extra slim bezels. Another feature which is on display is the USB Type-C port at the bottom and then instead of yanking off the 3.5mm jack, LG retained it at the top edge of the smartphone. The volume rockers and power button are also visible on the left side of the phone.

In a related development, an LG smartphone recently popped up on benchmarking website Geekbench, only identified by the model number LGE LG-H871. The device is thought in some quarters to be the LG G6 but curiously, it packs a Snapdragon 820 chip listed as MSM 8996, along with 4GB of RAM.

Although we can’t be certain this is the G6, there had been rumors in the past that the LG flagship uses a Snapdragon 820. Perhaps, it could be for one of its variants which recently appeared in an LG trademark filing as G6 Lite, G6 Compact et al. The G6 itself is also touted to feature a Snapdragon 821 chip and to have two versions with 4GB and 6GB RAM respectively. We can say for sure, tough, if the device is the G6 but all will unravel at MWC 2017 in Barcelone. Once again, February 26 is the date.

(source 1, 2)

Samsung Changes Management following Bribery Scandal

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Feb 6, 2017

The Galaxy Note 7 fiasco wasn’t the only issue Samsung had to battle with in 2016. The South Korean corporation was caught up in a messy bribery scandal that led to the impeachment of the country’s President, Park Geun-Hye.

Samsung’s heir apparent Lee Jae-yong (Jay Y. Lee) and some other high-ranking officers have been named as suspects in the scandal. The corporation today has therefore announced that it will be making some changes in its business management strategy.

First, the company will be pulling out of the Federation of Korean Industries (FKI) which is the country’s largest lobbying organization. FKI is said to have played a major role in the scandal and is alleged to have acted as the middleman between the government and its own members. Samsung Electronics Co. has already withdrawn and the other arms of the corporation should follow suit.

Leaked Image Reveals HTC 11 Specs: Sporting Snapdragon 835 and 6GB RAM

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Feb 6, 2017

A few weeks ago, it was reported that HTC’s President of Smartphone and Connected Device Business, Chialin Chang said while the company is working on a new flagship for 2017, the device won’t be go by the name HTC 11. However, an image showing specification details of a device said to be the HTC 11 leaked online today. The image is actually a screenshot of the About Device page of the phone and reveals quite a lot of information.

First, the name of the device is HTC 11 and it is running HTC Sense 9.0 which is based on ‘Android 7.12’. The device is powered by the MSM8998Pro which is better known as the Snapdragon 835 processor. It doesn’t end there. The HTC 11 also sports a display with a weird 1556 x 2550 resolution, has 6GB of RAM and comes with 128GB of storage (112GB available).

Meizu M5S Box Casing, More Renders Leak, Revealing Key Details

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Feb 6, 2017

The Meizu product schedule that leaked weeks back had fingered the Meizu M5S as being the first Meizu smartphone which would hit the market this year. The schedule specifically listed the M5S as coming in February.

Ahead of what is likely a February launch, a set of renders of the M5S along with its box casing has appeared online showing us some key details of the device. As usual, the box casing comes with a few features of the device written on it. It clearly contains the name Meizu M5S written in Chinese, and the Meizu brand is also inscribed on the charger inside the packaging.

Among the details listed on the casing is a 3GB RAM + 32GB storage, Flyme OS, 4G LTE and it also confirms fast charging technology coming. As a reminder, the Meizu M5S is expected to feature a 5.2-inch IPS display as well as dualSIM/ dual Standby support.

Other details include 4G, Meizu mCharge fast charging technology, as well as Meizu’s mTouch fingerprint identification technology. The M5S is also teased as coming with an octa-core next generation CPU but there is no doubt that isn’t a Qualcomm chip onboard unless Meizu decides to spring us a surprise. The chip is likely a MediaTek MT6753 octa-core processor. In addition, the M5S is listed as coming with a higher 1,299 yuan ($189), different from the 999 Yuan ($145) tipped earlier.

The Lenovo A12 is a Downgraded Yoga Book with a Larger Display

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Feb 6, 2017

One of the devices that really caught my eye last year was Lenovo’s Yoga Book. The Yoga Book is quite an interesting device. The Yoga Book is a tablet that is designed like a 2-in-1 device. But unlike other 2-in-1s with a physical keyboard, the Yoga Book ditches the physical keys for a touch-sensitive surface that doubles as a writing pad and a Halo keyboard, giving you basically three input modes. The Lenovo A12 is not much different but skips some features.

Lenovo A12 Design and Specs

The Lenovo A12 comes with a 12.2-inch anti-glare 720 x 1280 display. For some folks that might be a good thing size wise but compare it to the Yoga Book’s 10.1 inch 1920 x 1200 display and you’d wish Lenovo had made it a FHD screen.

You can use the Lenovo A12 in laptop mode, tent mode, lay it flat out like a mat or fold the halo keyboard completely backwards into tablet mode just like the Yoga Book, thanks to the hinge design. The hinge system is however different in both devices. Instead of the watchband style in the Yoga Book and more expensive Yoga laptops, it uses a double hinge system. It does the job but chances are it is not as rugged as the watchband style.

The Halo Keyboard works practically the same way as in the Yoga Book. There is haptic feedback, artificial-learning software, and built-in prediction. One thing it doesn’t have is the writing pad function of the Yoga Book. This lets you place a sheet of paper over the halo keyboard and when you write or draw on it, it shows up on the screen. The Yoga Book is also bundled with a pressure sensitive stylus for writing directly on the keyboard surface.

Redmi Note 4X Spotted on TENAA with Snapdragon 625

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Feb 6, 2017

Earlier today, the official Xiaomi account on Weibo posted a teaser image of a gift set to be revealed on Valentine’s Day. The gift is rumored to be the Redmi Note 4X. Shortly afterwards, a new Xiaomi device was seen on TENAA and sources say it might be the Redmi Note 4X.

When we first heard of the Redmi Note 4X it was said the phone will launch with a Snapdragon 653 processor and have its RAM and ROM bumped up to 4GB and 64GB respectively. However, the new device seen on TENAA which looks very much like the Redmi Note 4 is equipped with a 2.0GHz octa-core processor but still has 4GB of RAM.

The Snapdragon 653 processor on the other hand is clocked at 1.95 GHz which means the chip in the phone is none other than the Snapdragon 625. The reason for not using the Snapdragon 653 processor is best known to Xiaomi but the only plausible reason we can think of is that they are saving it for a future device.

Right now, the only two devices that sport the Snapdragon 653 processor are the Samsung Galaxy C9 Pro and the OPPO R9s Plus, and both phones are equipped with 6GB of RAM.

Xiaomi Mi Mix White Going on Sale in China Soon

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Feb 6, 2017

Xiaomi unveiled the white variant of its award-winning Mi Mix concept flagship at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2017 held in Las Vegas, US last month. If Xiaomi fans outside of China had thought the launch at CES 2017 was an indication the Xiaomi Mi Mix would be available outside China, that thought was dashed with the announcement that the device would only be available in China.

Despite the disclosure that the device would be a China-exclusive, at least for now, the white version of the Mi Mix was still not made available in China after the launch. Instead what we got lately was a set of teased images by CEO Lei Jun of a coral blue variant that the company seems to be tinkering with.

However, the Xiaomi Mi Mix White may soon be available for purchase in China as an official listing for the Mi Mix White variant has appeared on Mi.com, with the 4GB + 128GB version listed. The price of the white version is set at 3,499 yuan, consistent with the black colored variant. However, the device is not yet ready for purchase as there is only a button that lets you set up sales alert. This would apparently ensure you get notified whenever the device is up for grab. The 6GB + 256GB version is not available in white yet, according to the listing.

Whenever the Xiaomi Mi Mix white goes up for sale, the flagship may very well outperform the sales record of the black colored version because of its sleek and more beautiful look. So, don’t expect to lay your hands on the Mi Mix white very soon, even though it may go on sale soon because the device won’t be easy to come by.

Xiaomi’s Pinecone Processor Details Emerge: Higher Version using 10nm Process

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Feb 5, 2017

It is no longer news that the Xiaomi Mi 5C would launch soon packing an entirely new self-developed processor by Xiaomi. A recent leak had revealed that the Pinecone chipset that would feature on the Mi 5C has a CPU with Cortex-A53 cores in an octa-core architecture said to be as powerful as the Snapdragon 808 chip.

Now, if you think that isn’t a good one for 2017, do not despair as more information has emerged about the Pinecone processor which is billed to give Xiaomi some level of independence in choosing the chip crammed its smartphones in the near future. According to the info, there are two models of the Xiaomi Pinecone processor which would hit the market this year. The two models go by the model numbers V670 and V970 and the Mi 5C would launch with the lower V670 model. The V670 is said to use four Cortex-A53 large cores and four Cortex A-53 small cores. The GPU is composed of the Mali-T860 MP4 GPU with a clock speed of 800MHz. The V670 is also said to be using a 28nm manufacturing process.

On the other hand, the higher V970 model is said to come in the fourth quarter (Q4) of this year and has a core parameter comprising four Cortex-A73 cores and four Cortex-A53 cores in an octa-core architecture. The CPU is said to have a minimum clock frequency of up to 2.0GHz and a maximum clock speed of 2.7GHz. The V970 is also equipped with a more superior Mali G71 MP12 GPU with a clock speed of 900MHz.

The source also hints that the Pinecone processor with model number V970 would be produced using the same 10nm process as the Snapdragon 835 chip. Incredible, isn’t it? There is still more, the high-end Pinecone processor is also said to feature in the Xiaomi Mi 6s and Mi Note 3. We’ll be on the look out for more details.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 4X Officially Teased as Coming Soon, Likely on February 16

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Feb 5, 2017

The Spring Festival holiday is over and Chinese smartphone giant Xiaomi is returning from the holidays with a bang. The company is set to launch another smartphone in the budget Redmi series, this time the Redmi Note 4X. The Xiaomi Redmi Note 4X has been the subject of several leaks, including those of its renders. The device also appeared on TENAA about a month ago and now, the company has officially teased what should be the launch of the device on February 16.

The teaser which appeared via Xiaomi phone’s Weibo account and was also shared on the Redmi phone Weibo account gave the idea that the company would be announcing a new celebrity spokesperson on the 8th of this month who will bring a special gift on Valentine’s day which is February 14. However, the presence of the enlarged number 16 on the teaser could be an indication that the Redmi Note 4X, which was also mentioned in the post, could be launched on February 16.

The Redmi Note 4X TENAA listing and earlier leaks hint at a device with a 5.5-inch 1080 pixels display which would be powered by a Snapdragon 653 processor and packing a 4,000mAh battery. The device would come in two memory version of 4GB RAM + 32GB of storage and 4GB RAM + 64GB of storage. So there you have it, another thousand yuan flagship on the way. The Redmi devices are known for their cheap price tag and the Redmi Note 4X is said to be no different.

Samsung Galaxy S8, S8 Plus Cases Reveal Positions of Rear-facing Camera, Fingerprint Scanner

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Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Feb 5, 2017

Several leaked photos of the Samsung Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus have surfaced in the past weeks. One of the leaked photos shared by well-known leakster, Evan Blass, alleged revealed a real Galaxy S8 phone. It not only showed the front of the phone but also the rear panel of the device with the camera and dual-LED flash and fingerprint scanner. Now, leaked images carrying rear cases for Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus have surfaced to confirm the positioning of the above features on the back panel.

The leaked photos that have surfaced on Chinese micro blogging site, Weibo has revealed the rear side of a purported Galaxy S8 phone. It features a rectangular cut-out for main camera as well as its dual-LED flash. On its right, there is another cut-out that will presumably house a rear-facing fingerprint reader.

Even though the rumor mill has revealed several images of the Galaxy S8, it seems the above photo matches only with the leaked photo from Blass who holds a consistent record of unearthing leaked features of upcoming phones. All the previous Galaxy S series phones have their fingerprint readers embedded under the Home button. However, it seems that in order to deliver larger screen-to-body ratio on Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus, Samsung has decided to place their fingerprint readers on the rear side.

One of the suspicious things on the Samsung Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus cases is the noise around the Samsung logo below the cut-out for camera module and fingerprint reader. It seems that the area around the Samsung logo has been edited. Also, the cut-out for fingerprint sensor appears to not large enough to easily allow a finger to touch the reader. Hence, Gizmo China readers are advised to take this rumor with a pinch of salt.

As far as specifications of both smartphones are concerned, the smaller Galaxy S8 is rumored to house a 5.7-inch screen whereas the Galaxy S8 would be probably featuring a 6.2 screen. Both are pegged to be fitted dual-edge curved screens with support for quad HD resolution.

The Snapdragon 835 is expected to power both phones. However, select markets are rumored to receive Exynos 8895 SoC powered models. Both phones are speculated to come in 4 GB and 6 GB RAM models. A 12-megapixel rear shooter and a 5-megapixel selfie snapper are rumored to be present on both phones.

Other features include a fingerprint scanner and a USB Type-C port. The Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus are speculated to respectively feature a 3,250 mAh and a 3,780 mAh battery. Even though the Galaxy S8 phones are slated to get announced on March 29 and be available for buying in April, there are rumors that hint that Samsung may run a Galaxy S8 preview at Mobile World Congress (MWC) on Feb. 27. Leaked information on the pricing of Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus along with their availability have also emerged.

(Weibo)

Huawei P10 and P10 Plus Pricing, Variants Leaked Before MWC 2017 Launch

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Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Feb 5, 2017

The release of the next flagships from Huawei, the P10 and P10 Plus are drawing near. A leaked promotional document carrying the pricing and storage variants of Huawei P10 and Huawei P10 Plus have surfaced ahead that are reportedly slated to launch on Feb. 26.

Huawei P10 and P10 Plus Pricing, Variants, Specs

The Huawei P10 would be arriving in three storage models such as a 32 GB variant with 4 GB of RAM, a 64 GB model with 4 GB of RAM and a high-end model of 128 GB with 6 GB of RAM. The three variants are respectively priced at 3,488 Yuan ($508), 4,088 Yuan ($595) and 4,688 Yuan ($683).

The Huawei P10 Plus is the larger edition of P10. It comes in storage models of 64 GB with 4 GB of RAM and 128 GB of RAM with 6 GB of RAM. The two variants are respectively priced at 4,988 Yuan ($726) and 5,688 Yuan ($828).

The Huawei P10 has a 5.2-inch flat display that reportedly produces that offers a full HD resolution and the Huawei P10 Plus is slightly bigger phone with a 5.5-inch dual-edge curved display that also is speculated to deliver quad HD resolution. However, other specs seem to be common between the two devices. The P10 and P10 Plus would be powered by HiSilicon Kirin 960 chipset.

Like the predecessor models, the P10 and P10 Plus are pegged to feature Leica lens 12-megapixel dual camera on their rear panel. These devices are also rumored to be equipped with 8-megapixel front-facing shooter. Both smartphones are said to rumored to come with Yamaha, Harman Kardon audio technology.

Some of the other common features of both phones include an iris scanner, a fingerprint reader and Android 7.0 Nougat OS. The Chinese manufacturer also seems to be working on a lighter edition for its next flagship that is dubbed as Huawei P10 Lite by the rumor mill.

Huawei P10 and Huawei P10 Plus Launch Date, Release

The Huawei P10 and Huawei P10 Plus are rumored to get announced on Feb. 26, a day before the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2017 event. The pre-orders of both smartphones are rumored to begin in March.

Tutorial: Turn Your OnePlus 3T into A Google Pixel

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Feb 5, 2017

One of the advantages Android has over other mobile operating systems is the high levels of customization available. You get the chance to experiment with a lot of features which you can decide to remove or keep whenever you like.

The OnePlus 3T runs Oxygen OS 4.0 which is a very pretty, neat and customizable version of Android. But for a reason best known to only you, you might want your OnePlus 3T to look like a Google Pixel and don’t know how to go about it. MilesT3CH of XDA Developers has got your back and has made a video explaining the process.

Things You’ll Need

Announcement of The Xiaomi Mi 5C Pinecone Processor Causes Huawei to Worry

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Feb 5, 2017

When we first heard of the Xiaomi Mi 5C last year, we were surprised at the choice of SoC it was going to have. It was not going to use a Qualcomm chip or one from Mediatek, neither was it going to sport Huawei’s Kirin processor or Samsung’s Exynos. Though we would still be surprised if it had used any of the last two. The Mi 5C was going to have a chip built by Xiaomi called Pinecone.

Pinecone is the result of a partnership formed in 2014 between Xiaomi-controlled Beijing Electronics Co. Ltd. and Leadcore Technology Ltd., a subsidiary of Datang Telecom. The partnership led to the formation of Beijing Pinecone Electronics Co. Ltd, a chip manufacturing company with Xiaomi owning 51% of the stake and Leadcore owning the remaining 49%. The new pinecone chip is actually not their first. It is said that the Leadcore L1860C in the Xiaomi Redmi 2A is the first chip from the company.

The Xiaomi Mi 5C will be the first device to launch with the new processor. Reports say there are two versions of the processor: one will be made up of 8 Cortex-A53 chips and will have a performance equal to Mediatek’s Helio P10 while the other called ‘Pinecone 2’ will be made up of 4 Cortex A73 chips and 4 Cortex A53 chips.

Rumor: Moto G5 Expected to Go on Sale Mid-March

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Feb 4, 2017

There is basically nothing hidden about the Moto G5 phone now save for the price. The most recent info is about a possible retail date leaked by a UK retailer.

The info was posted on twitter by Roland Quandt who tweeted about the BlackBerry Mercury’s camera about a week ago. The tweet includes a screenshot from the store some say is Clove Technology, a UK-based online shop that deals in smartphones, tablets and a bunch of other gadgets. The listing has the Moto G5 in Gold (MOT-G5GL) and Gray (MOT-G5GR) with 2GB of RAM and a mid-March date for availability. That puts it at roughly 2 weeks after MWC.

New Huawei Phone Spotted on GeekBench, Said to Be Huawei Maya

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Feb 4, 2017

Lately, a number of Huawei phones have been popping up on benchmarking site, Geekbench. New on the list is a phone said to be Huawei Maya with model number Huawei MYA-L03.

Judging from the specs, the Huawei Maya is a low mid-range phone. The device has 2GB of RAM and sports a quad-core MT6737T processor clocked at 1.4GHz. It also runs Android 6.0.

For the test scores, the Huawei Maya pulls in 658 points for the Single-Core test and 1815 points for the Multi-Core test putting it in the same category as the Snapdragon 425 toting Redmi 4A.

There have been comparisons between this new device and a similar one that was seen on the FCC’s website in December. The device on the FCC’s website whose model number is MYA-L23 is listed as a dual-SIM device with a 2920mAh battery and has support for LTE bands 2, 4, 5, and 7. A real image on the site also shows the device sporting a single camera with dual-LED flash.

ZTE Blade A2 Plus Released in India

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Feb 4, 2017

If you live in India and are on the search for a new mid-range phone, you should probably take a look at ZTE’s new phone, the Blade A2 Plus.

The ZTE Blade A2 Plus boasts the usual features you will find in an average mid-range device. There is a 5.5-inch full HD display, hybrid dual-SIM slots (nano only), a 13MP rear camera with PDAF and an 8MP front facing camera. However, while most of these mid-range phones offer very similar specs, ZTE has made an effort to stand out.

The Blade A2Plus’s has a fingerprint scanner mounted on the rear that is clickable. So apart from unlocking your phone, you can long press on it to turn on the flashlight; double click to take photos; and a single click will take screenshots. ZTE has also incorporated features similar to Google’s fingerprint gestures. So swiping down the fingerprint scanner on any screen will bring up your notification drawer and swiping up will bring up recent apps. The Blade A2 Plus also packs a massive 5000mAh battery.

ZTE’s Blade A2 Plus has a MTK6750T processor, 4GB of RAM and 32GB of built-in storage which can be increased via one of the SIM slots doubling as a microSD card slot. There is VoLTE, Bluetooth 4.0, a 3.5mm audio jack and a micro USB port.

Apple Soon To Commence Manufacturing iPhones in India

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