Redmi 4X vs Redmi 4A vs Redmi 4 vs Redmi 4 Prime: Which 4 is Right 4 You?

By

-

Feb 28, 2017

Following the announcement of the Xiaomi Mi 5C came the unveiling of the Xiaomi Redmi 4X. The launch of the Redmi 4X should not come as a surprise to those familiar with Xiaomi. It was already obvious the Redmi 4 will get the X-treatment after the Redmi Note 4X was announced.

With the addition of this new phone, we now have a total of four Redmi 4 devices: the Redmi 4A, Redmi 4, Redmi 4X, and Redmi 4 Prime. You can call them the Fantastic Four if you wish.

All four phones are well made and are priced at less than $200. However, even though they share the same name, they differ in lots of ways. So if you are having a hard time deciding which is right for you, you should read this to the end.

Redmi 4A

Redmi 4X black

Redmi 4

Redmi 4 prime

Display: Same but Different

All the phones in the Redmi 4 line come with a 5-inch display making them perfect for one hand use. The difference lies is in their resolution. While the Redmi 4A, Redmi 4, and Redmi 4X have 720p displays, the Redmi 4 Prime has a 1080p screen. That translates into different PPIs too, 294 as against 441.

If you want your display sharp and crisp, you should look to the Redmi 4 Prime but if you don’t care much for that, the Redmi 4, 4A or 4X is fine.

Processors: Different Dragons

Xiaomi has settled for Qualcomm chips only. The Redmi 4A sports the Snapdragon 425; the Redmi 4 gets the Snapdragon 430, the Redmi 4X has the newer Snapdragon 435, and the Redmi 4 Prime uses the popular Snapdragon 625. The Redmi 4 Prime is basically the Redmi Note 4X with a smaller screen. Nothing more, nothing less. So I won’t compare its chip to the rest.

The Snapdragon 425 has a quad-core CPU clocked at 1.4GHz and an Adreno 308 GPU. The Snapdragon 430 and 435 on the other hand are octa-core chips clocked at 1.4GHz and have a more powerful Adreno 505 GPU. The advantage the Snapdragon 435 has over the Snapdragon 430 is in LTE speeds. The SD435 has Cat.7 LTE as against the SD430’s Cat. 4 LTE. That means you will get faster download speeds on the Redmi 4X.

RAM and ROM

The Xiaomi Redmi 4A and Redmi 4 ships with 2GB of RAM and 16GB of storage. The Redmi 4X is available in two variants: a 2GB RAM + 16GB ROM and a 3GB RAM + 32GB ROM. The Redmi 4 Prime is only available with 3GB RAM and 32GB of storage. All four devices support microSD cards of up to 128GB. If you want a larger RAM, the Redmi 4X or Redmi 4 Prime is your best option.

Continue

Xiaomi Surge S1 Antutu Performance inside the Mi 5C Revealed

By

Jed John Ikoba

-

Feb 28, 2017

After a long wait and a persistent spinning of the rumor mills, Xiaomi finally launched its in-house Pinecone Surging S1 processor. Along with the chipset came the Mi 5C actually powered by the SoC just as rumored.

The Surging S1 processor is the first of what would likely be a long line of chipsets. The processor comes with an octa-core architecture with 4 x Cortex A53 cores clocked at 2.2GHz and 4 x Cortex A53 cores at 1.4GHz. The chip will be built on a 28nm HPC+ process. The company claims the combination of four powerful and four efficient cores result in a perfect balance of performance and power efficiency. As for GPU, the chip is using ARM Mali-T860, which comes with 40% better power efficiency as compared to its predecessor, support for AFBC and ASTC image compression technology and the latest Vulkan standard.

But then, how does the Pinecone chip fare in benchmark tests. Apparently, we won’t wait for long to find that out as the Mi 5C benchmark score has been revealed online. A set of screenshots grabbed from what is said to be the Mi 5C running through AnTuTu benchmark have appeared online showing not just some details of the phone but also the AnTuTu score.

Xiaomi claims the Surge S1’s overall performance is slightly stronger than those of the Snapdragon 625 and Helio P20. The Mi 5C powered by the Surging S1 chipset was able to achieve 58323 points on an independent AnTuTu test which is not a bad score. This is, however, lower than Xiaomi’s listed score of 64,817 points as against 64,143 points which the Helio P20 scored and 60,948 polled by SD 625 chip. The guy who ran the test were quick to point out that the benchmark app was run when the device was having a battery capacity of 50%. We may have to wait for a confirmatory test before we judge. But that doesn’t take away the fact that Xiaomi has done a great job releasing their own chipset.

(source)

Xiaomi Mi 5C Camera Samples: Dual Noise Reduction & Light Enhancement

By

Habeeb Onawole

-

Feb 28, 2017

The Xiaomi Mi 5C is still fresh out of Xiaomi’s oven. The new mid-range device is the first phone to feature the new Surge S1 processor. Excluding the new chip, another interesting specification of the phone is its cameras.

The Xiaomi Mi 5C is equipped with a 1.25μm 12MP camera on the rear. Xiaomi calls it Night Eye and says it features high quality dual noise reduction algorithm that preserves detail in low light. The Surge ISP algorithm also helps to improve camera light sensitivity by up to 150%. So whether you are taking pictures under very bright light or under low-light conditions, you should end up with clean and clear images.

Continue

New Nokia 3, Nokia 5 & Nokia 6 will be Manufactured in India

By

Jed John Ikoba

-

Feb 28, 2017

Just a few days back, Nokia unveiled the Nokia 3, Nokia 5 and the Nokia 6 intended for the global market on the sidelines of the MWC 2017 in Barcelona. The three smartphones would join the refurbished Nokia 3310 in making their debut on the global turf in the second quarter of the year.

It has now emerged that the new Nokia smartphones meant for the global market will not ship from China but would be produced in India. As you would recall, the Nokia brand is controlled by HMD Global while production is in the hands of Foxconn, so the production would be carried out in Foxconn’s factory in India. This much was disclosed by HMD Global Vice-President for India, Ajey Mehta.

This, no doubt, is in recognition of the vital role the expansive India market plays in the survival of the Nokia brand under HMD. HMD plans to sell the phones in India via online and offlines sales channel and also has made arrangement for the establishment of a network of service centres to provide after-sales support in the local market. Sales of the Nokia phones will commence in June in the local market and very likely would start shipping immediately to other markets.

Nokia announced the Nokia 3 as going on sale for 139 Euros (~ $147) in Europe, while the Nokia 5 will retail for 189 Euros (~$199). The Nokia 6 will be available for 229 Euros (~$242) and Nokia 6 Art Black Edition for 299 Euros (~$316). The Nokia smartphones are expected to be cheaper in India since it is manufactured locally.

via

Xiaomi Redmi 4X Official: Octa-Core SD435 chip & Large Battery Offers Superb Value!

By

Joel Joseph

-

Feb 28, 2017

Xiaomi had an important event today in China and the company unveiled its first ever processor, the Pinecone S1 / Surge S1 along with a phone powered by this chip, the Xiaomi Mi 5C. Along with these two important announcements, the company also took the wraps off a budget smartphone in the Redmi series, the Xiaomi Redmi 4X. This is a logical move since we saw its bigger sibling, the Xiaomi Redmi Note 4X just a few days back.

The Xiaomi Redmi 4X comes with a 5-inch 720p display onboard with 2.5D glass on top and a smooth metal body, curved around the corners. The company claims that despite being a budget device, the Redmi 4X comes with flagship like design and built.

The phone is powered by an octa-core Snapdragon 435 chipset and comes in 2GB + 16GB and 3GB + 32GB memory variants. There is a large 4100mAh battery on board which will ensure at least two days of comfortable usage on a single charge. So, you do have a brand new Xiaomi phone that features a large battery, unlike the Mi 5C which comes with a small <3000 battery onboard.

The Redmi 4X comes with a slim 8.65mm body (despite featuring a large 4000mAh battery in a compact 5-inch form factor). At the back, you get a 13MP camera as well as a fingerprint sensor, which is a great addition at this price.

The company didn’t reveal too many details about the Xiaomi Redmi 4X at the conference today, but we expect full specs details very soon.

The Redmi 4X starts at 699 Yuan (~102) for the 2GB + 16GB model and goes up to 899 Yuan (~$131) for the 3GB + 32GB version. The phone will go on sale on March in a number of color options including gold and black. So, the Redmi 4X basically competes in the same category as the Redmi 4A, but with much better specs.

Xiaomi Mi 5C Official: Pinecone S1 Processor, 5.15-inch Display & Super Light Body

By

Joel Joseph

-

Feb 27, 2017

After so many months of leaks and rumors, the Xiaomi Mi 5C smartphone is finally officially. And just as expected, the Mi 5C is the first smartphone to feature Xiaomi’s newly announced Pinecone S1 / Surge S1 chipset. The phone is essentially a mid-ranger, but the design and the overall looks of the phone are pretty top-notch.

The Xiaomi Mi 5C comes in multiple color options, including gold, black, and pink. The phone looks a bit different than other Xiaomi smartphones in the market mainly because of its four curved corners and smoother metal finish. Xiaomi is known to equip its mid-range phones with a large battery, but for some reason, the company decided to keep the battery under 3000mAh. This, in turn, helps in making the Xiaomi Mi 5C super light, weighing just 134 grams and 7.09mm in thickness. The full measurements of the Mi 5C are as follows: 144.38 x 69.68mm x 7.09mm.

The phone comes with a 5.15-inch 1080p display from JDI with 550 nits brightness, 2048 intelligent brightness adjustments, and ultra-narrow 1.66mm bezels. The battery on the phone is just 2860mAh but the company claims that this is good enough for a day’s usage. The phone supports 9V/ 2A fast charging as well. Xiaomi has also promised Android 7.1 Nougat upgrade for the Mi 5C in March.

Coming to the camera, the Xiaomi Mi 5C comes with a 12MP sensor with large 1.25um pixels enabling better low-light photography. The dual ISP algorithm reportedly improves the camera speed by up to 150%. Also, the double noise optimization feature helps in reducing the noise in the images while retaining important details. With support for pixel level dynamic range adjustment, the pictures shot from the phone come out rich as well. Of course, these are the official camera details, only a real life test of Mi 5C’s camera will reveal its actual capability.

The Xiaomi Mi 5C goes on sale on March 3 at 1499 Yuan (~218) for the 3GB + 64GB version.

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

By

Joel Joseph

-

Feb 27, 2017

Xiaomi has always wanted to join the elite ranks of Apple, Samsung, and Huawei in designing in-house chipsets. That dream has just become a reality today as the company announced its first ever smartphone processor, the Xiaomi Surge S1. We expected the chip to be called as the Pinecone processor but the company is probably giving it a different name, the Xiaomi Surge S1. Now, now note that this is the direct translation of “澎湃S1” and the official English name could be Xiaomi Pinecone S1 or even Pengpai S1 (since 澎湃 is Pengpai in Chinese). We’ll get the official details on the name soon, but let’s focus on the specs and features of the Pinecone S1 chipset.

The Xiaomi Pinecone S1 or Surging S1 chipset comes with an octa-core architecture with 4 x Cortex A53 cores clocked at 2.2GHz and 4 x Cortex A53 cores at 1.4GHz. The chip will be built on a 28nm HPC+ process. The company claims the combination of four powerful and four efficient cores result in a perfect balance of performance and power efficiency. As for GPU, the chip is using ARM Mali-T860, which comes with 40% better power efficiency as compared to its predecessor, support for AFBC and ASTC image compression technology and the latest Vulkan standard.

The chip also comes with 32-bit DSP support, VoLTE, 14-bit dual ISP with support for dual noise optimized night picture improvement. Xiaomi also adds that the Pinecone S1 comes with its own chip-level security which is reportedly upgradeable via OTA. The chip also features mechanisms to prevent data leakage.

Now, something that many of you are interested about: the Xiaomi Pinecone S1 AnTuTu score.

The company revealed in the conference that the Pinecone S1 AnTuTu score was higher than that of Snapdragon 625 and even Helio P2o chipsets. Of course, AnTuTu scores don’t reveal the real life performance of the chipset, but we can expect the chip to be placed among these two mid-range processors in the market.

It took 28 months for Xiaomi to develop the Pinecone S1 from the project stage to mass production stage. The company’s ultimate goal is to mass produce high-end chips which attain a perfect balance of performance and power consumption.

For the first Xiaomi chipset, the company seems to have done a pretty good job. The Pinecone S1 will be first available on the company’s brand new Xiaomi Mi 5C smartphone. More details on the Mi 5C coming soon.

Xiaomi Redmi 4X Specs, Pricing & Release Details Leak

By

Jed John Ikoba

-

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

Habeeb Onawole

-

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

Anvinraj Valiyathara

-

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

Jed John Ikoba

-

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

Anvinraj Valiyathara

-

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

Anvinraj Valiyathara

-

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

Habeeb Onawole

-

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.

Continue

Xiaomi Mi 5C with Pinecone Chipset Pricing Detail Leaks

By

Jed John Ikoba

-

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

Joel Joseph

-

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

Joel Joseph

-

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

Habeeb Onawole

-

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.

Continue

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

By

Jed John Ikoba

-

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

Jed John Ikoba

-

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.