LeEco has officially unveiled a new TV box under its kitty, along with its Super TV range. The LeEco U4TV Box comes with a very portable shape and has a flat back and square shape. The device has a dimension of 100 × 100 × 10.8 mm and weighs 157 grams.
In terms of its configuration, the LeEco U4 comes equipped with an Amlogic S905 processor which is a quad-core processor clocked at 2.0GHz. The device also features a 750MHz Mali-450 GPU. There is equally 2GB of SSR3 RAM onboard and on the storage aspect you get two versions, one with 8GB of eMMC storage and another with 16GB of eMMC storage. The TV Box also packs a dual-band Wi-Fi 802.11ac and Bluetooth 4.1.
In addition, the LeEco U4 TV Box comes with video output support of up to 4K resolution as well as a wide range of video encoding formats and supported audio formats. The LeEco TV Box runs on EUI 5.8 based on Android Marshmallow 6.0 OS and features massive video content, and intelligent operations.
As for the prices, the LeEco U4 standard version with infrared remote control, 8GB storage and one month super sports membership subscription is priced at 299 Yuan. On the other hand, the U4 with infrared remote control, 8GB storage, one month super sports membership subscription and six months super cinema membership subscription starts at 399 Yuan. Finally, the U4 Pro Eco version with Bluetooth, voice remote control, 16GB storage, 1 month super sports membership, and 12-month super TV membership is priced at 499 yuan.
On Tuesday, Apple was granted a patent for a new type of slim-sized speakers system. It also received a patent for woven displays for smartwatch.
Hi-Definition Audio Through New Portable, Slimmer Speaker Systems
Mechanically actuated panel acoustic system with patent number 9,525,943 was filed with U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) in November 2014. The patent suggests that it will feature a large panel-type speaker that would include smaller sub-panels.
These smaller panels that are divided by backing frames will function as individual diaphragms and each one of them will be able to produce different resonant frequency. Voice call motors along with embedded permanent magnets produce the movement required to create sound.
An inbuilt audio converter will be able to send appropriate audio signals to each of the sub-panels with dedicated voice calls. This will assist in producing highly accurate acoustics.
If Apple makes use of this patent in its future portable devices like iPhone, the new audio system would consume lesser space. Moreover, this would allow the company to include a larger battery inside iPhone. Hence, future iPhones with the new audio technology would be able to deliver longer battery life.
Woven Display – A Secondary Screen for Wearable Devices
Woven display with patent number 9,521,885 was filed in May 2014 with USPTO. The patent filing states that light-transmissive fibers can be interwoven in conventional fabrics. When it is connected to a light source like LEDs, images can be rendered through these fibers.
It can serve as secondary screens on wearable devices such as Apple Watch. The secondary screen will carry low resolution that will be suitable for displaying readable information. This screen will be capable of showing multicolor symbols or alphanumeric characters as simple notifications to the users depending on the stitch.
HTC is pegged to unleash a new midrange smartphone, the HTC One X10 in January 2017. The alleged specs and pricing of the smartphone have already surfaced.
HTC X10 Specifications, Features
The HTC X10 is rumored to release as a successor model for HTC One X9, a midranger smartphone that was launched in December 2015. It is expected to feature a 5.5-inch display that will produce a full HD resolution of 1080 x 1920 pixels.
The MediaTek Helio P10 chipset featuring a true octa-core processor gunning at 2 GHz along with Mali-T860 GPU clocking at 700 MHz is expected to power the HTC One X10. The MediaTek SoC is rumored to be coupled with 3 GB of RAM.
A 13-megapixel camera enabled with OIS (optical image stabilization) is speculated to be present on the rear side of the smartphone. The details on the front camera and battery size are not known.
HTC One X10 Pricing
The HTC One X9 was launched with a pricing of 2399 Yuan ($345). However, its successor is pegged to come with a launch price of 2000 Yuan ($288).
Some speculations suggest that HTC may unveil the smartphone at the upcoming CES (Consumer Electronics Show) 2017 that will be held in Las Vegas from Jan. 3 to 8. Interestingly, the Taiwanese company has sent out invitations for a Jan. 12 launch event.
The invitation does not reveal much as it only contains “for U” text. Also, the HTC logo at bottom right has its C turned 90 degrees to make it appear as U. Since there are rumors of HTC One X10, it is expected to get unleashed on Jan. 12.
The Jan. 12 event seems to be big event and the company may not use such an event to unleash just a midranger. Also, in 2015, the launch event invitations for HTC One X9 carried a large sized ‘X.’ Hence, it is likely that may unleash its first smartwatch or HTC Vive 2 VR on Jan. 12.
What HTC unveil One X10 on Jan. 12? Do let us know your thoughts by adding comments below.
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Aside launching the ZUK Edge, Lenovo also unveiled its latest Tango enabled smartphone, the Phab2 Pro in China. The Lenovo Phab2 Pro was launched in the foreign market sometime around the middle of this year but this is the first time the powerful smartphone is being introduced to the local market in Lenovo’s home country- China.
Specification
As would be recalled, the Phab2 Pro is an AR (Augmented Reality) enabled smartphone and is in fact the world’s first use of Google’s Tango technology in a consumer device. The smartphone sports a 6.4-inch IPS display with 2K (QHD) resolution. It is also equipped with an array of sensors and sports three rear cameras for a better AR experience.
The Phab2 Pro is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 652 processor which is backed by 4GB of RAM as well as 64GB of internal storage, ensuring there is enough storage space for data. There is a large 4050mAh battery onboard the device which has support for fast charging.
As regards the camera specs, the Project Tango enabled Lenovo Phab2 Pro sports a 16MP main camera at the rear, as well as Tango motion detection and position sensors. There is also a rear fingerprint sensor just under the cameras. Up front, the Phab2 Pro features an ample 8MP front-facing camera for selfies. The device also comes with a Dolby Audio Capture 5.1 with Dolby Atmos audio system onboard.
Pricing
The Lenovo Phab2 Pro AR phone comes in gold and gray colors and carries a price tag of 3,999 Yuan (about $575). The phone will be available in Lenovo and Jingdong Mall from December 26
Lenovo Phab2 Plus – Specs & Price
Apart from the AR enabled Phab2 Pro, Lenovo also unveiled a non-AR phone – the Phab2 Plus. The Lenovo Phab2 Plus also sports a 6.44-inch IPS display but with an FHD resolution. The Phab2 Plus is powered by a MediaTek MT8783 chipset which is an octa-core processor and is clocked at 1.3GHz.
The Lenovo Phab2 Plus packs 3GB of RAM as well as 32GB of expandable storage. The Phab2 Plus also features a 13MP rear camera with LED flash and an 8MP front-facing sensor. The device equally packs a 4050mAh battery and is priced at 1399 yuan ($201).
People usually associate the brand Asus with computers or related accessories but the company has already proven that it is capable of producing some top quality phones. The Zenfone 3 is one of their latest models and it costs about $370. Is it worth the price? Learn more if this phone is any good in the full review.
The phone ships with all the usual stuff and some extras include a pair of earphones.
Asus Zenfone 3 Review: DESIGN and DISPLAY
The Zenfone 3 is a nice looking phone and it uses some premium materials like Gorilla Glass on the front and rear and a metal chassis.
Obviously, using glass has its tradeoffs as the phone is a huge fingerprint magnet.
However, the buttons are made of plastic and the hybrid dual SIM card tray rattles quite a bit.
On a positive note, the 5.5” 1080p display is just beautiful to look at. It is sharp, vibrant and bright both for indoor and outdoor use.
It’s great that we have an 8MP camera and the notification LED light but I don’t understand why Asus thinks that implementing the non-backlit capacitive buttons is okay. Also, I always love the back button on the right side.
The Zenfone 3 has a pretty powerful camera setup that includes a high-end 16MP Sony IMX298 sensor, 4-axis OIS, 6-axis EIS, hybrid laser/phase/contrast detection autofocus system and dual tone dual-LED flash. The fingerprint scanner is one of the best. It’s fast, accurate and it allows you to unlock the phone straight from the standby mode.
As far as audio, I love the quality of sound via the headset jack. Also, the loudspeaker is great. The volume output is good and the sound is crisp, and balanced.
Asus Zenfone 3 Review: HARDWARE and PERFORMANCE, BATTERY LIFE
When it comes to hardware, the Zenfone 3 ships with the midrange-level Snapdragon 625 chip, 4GB of RAM and 64GB of expandable storage.
The sheers specs may suggest the midrange nature of the phone but the Zenfone 3 is an excellent performer when it comes to 3D gaming. There are no skipped frames or stutter and the phone stays absolutely cold to the touch even after 30 mins of gaming. That’s really impressive.
In addition, I just love the Snapdragon 625 chip due to its power efficiency. The phone ships with the 3000mAh battery, which does not look impressive on paper but I could constantly get over 5 hours of screen-on time with the max. auto-brightness, using the phone quite heavily and having installed a lot of apps and 4 Google accounts.
Finally, the phone supports the Quick Charge 3.0 feature but it ships with a regular charger, so it takes about 2 hours to fully charge the phone.
Asus Zenfone 3 Review: BENCHMARKS
Asus Zenfone 3 Review: USER INTERFACE
The user interface is what makes the Asus phones unique. The phone runs on the Android 6.0 but we have a heavily customized ZenUI skin on top of it. Honestly, I didn’t like it at first but it started growing on me after 2 weeks of using this phone.
There are so many features, customization options and some little tweaks to make the phone look your own. Just to name a few, you can choose from a huge collection of themes, select from different icons packs and so on. Also, you can use some gesture and motion controls that work well. I’m not sure if you are going to use all the customization options since there are many more features to choose from.
Most importantly, the user interface performance is good on the daily basis. There is no stutter or lag despite all those extra features.
Asus Zenfone 3 Review: CAMERA
The camera app is a good example of how Asus looks into their smartphones. There are just so many shooting modes to choose from and I’m not really sure if an average user would use them all.
Firstly, you can tweak the image settings using the manual mode. Other modes that I found useful are super resolution mode that takes images at a whopping resolution of 66MP. Finally, I loved using the low-light and night modes.
Asus Zenfone 3 Review: IMAGE QUALITY
IT IS HIGHLY-RECOMMENDED TO DOWNLOAD FULL RESOLUTION CAMERA SAMPLES TO SEE THE ACTUAL IMAGE QUALITY. THE PICTURES UPLOADED ON THE WEBSITE ARE 50% SMALLER IN RESOLUTION.
When it comes to the actual image quality, the Asus Zenfone 3 can take some nice-looking photos that are pretty sharp, have a good amount of detail and accurate colors. Also, the white balance is usually spot on. My only complaint would be that some of the images look underexposed. Anyway, I tested the camera in the cloudy day.
As for low-light camera performance, it is actually very good. Sure, there is more noise but the camera takes some flagship-worthy night photos. The dedicated night mode will brighten up the image by lowering the shutter speed but the images usually turn out softer. The low-light mode takes 4MP images that have less noise but there is less detail too.
The selfie camera is usually good but the selfies I took came out slightly soft, so I may not have held my hand steadily.
The 4k video looks sharp and detailed, the color reproduction is accurate and the sound recording quality is decent. Also, the video stabilization works pretty well reducing the shakiness. A few complaints would be that there were a few noticeable video artefacts and the auto-exposure feature could work more gracefully.
When it comes to connectivity, I have zero complaints. The signal reception and the call quality are great using either SIM card as the phone comes with a hybrid dual SIM card tray.
Also, the GPS is very accurate, Bluetooth 4.2 and dual-band Wifi work absolutely fine.
Asus Zenfone 3 Review: CONCLUSIONS
The Asus Zenfone 3 is quite an interesting phone since it has a midrange-level chipset but the flagship-grade real life performance.
Also, the phone has a nice and premium-looking design, excellent display, great audio quality and a very capable camera
Even though the Snapdragon 625 chip is not as powerful as the 820-series processors, there is plenty of power under the hood to handle anything you throw at it. Also, a great power management of this chip leads to a good battery life.
I love that the user interface performance is great too. However, you may love it or hate it since you may not really need all those extra features, so you may end up using a third-party launcher.
Some more serious complaints would be the non-backlit capacitive keys, the SIM card tray rattles quite a bit and finally, the phone is an enormous fingerprint magnet.
At the end of the day, I still love the Asus Zenfone 3 after using it for a couple of weeks but it is up to you to decide if the midrange-level chip and the previously mentioned shortcomings are important to you or not.
UPDATE : LeEco Le 2 x620 / x620 Pro / x625 Pro baseband – imei repair
Here we are again, for another unbrick/rescue mission.
This time we will unbrick our LeEco Le 2 x620 / x620 Pro / x625 Pro series from so-called “Red light” brick. If you flash a wrong ROM using TWRP, your phone will have no sign of life, only a blinking red light when you plug USB cable and some Mediatek ports under your device manager (if you have drivers installed).
It was much easier for old MediaTek series like x600 or x500 from LeEco to flash an SP Flash tool ROM, but after Helio X20, things changed — there is secure boot protection and we can’t just flash like a regular MediaTek SP tool ROM. We need different “download agents” and a certain authentication file to bypass this protection. This guide works for both unlocked and YES for locked bootloaders. And there is a Youtube video that you can watch if reading can be confused sometimes, this is a tricky guide, but the only complete guide that will answer all your questions.
And there is a Youtube video that you can watch if reading can be confusing sometimes, as this is a tricky guide, but the only complete guide that will answer all your questions. There are less pictures in this guide, but the video shows every step, guide is written in the same timeline as the Youtube video.
Double click “flash_tool.exe” inside the x620_flash_tool folder. Choose “MT6797_Android_scatter.txt” in the ROM folder LeEco_x620_SP_Rom if you see an error, if you don’t, do it as the first step by clicking “Scatter-loading” tab right of the window. Next, click “Download Agent” above and choose “DA_PL_HIGH.bin” from “secureboot” folder in the flash tool program folder. Press CTRL + Alt + S to open “Authentication File” section in flash tool and browse to secureboot folder again and select “auth_sv5_letv.auth” file. Untick “recovery” and “boot” images from the list and make sure you have “Download only” selected. If you try to flash recovery and boot partitions too you will see an error like this:
Make sure your phone is completely off. Press “Download” (green arrow looking down), then just plug the USB cable without pressing any other button on the phone.
A new device will be found under device manager, use this driver to setup manually MediaTek Preloader VCOM USB port by selecting the inf file inside the driver folder.
Flashing will start like in the picture, if not, ignore any error, unplug the USB cable, press download again (green arrow looking down) and plug back USB cable in.
Wait until flashing is done, you will see a green “OK” sign showing its done.
Now, unplug the phone from PC. Next, we will flash recovery and boot partitions individually. We need to change download agent from DA_PL_HIGH.bin to DA_BR.bin as the first step here. Again, they are in the “secureboot” folder inside the SP flash tool program folder. Press “CTRL + Alt + V” to open “Write Memory” tab under “Window” menu above.
After you select “Write Memory” a new tab will come up looking like this:
We will flash boot image first, (the pictures are for recovery image flashing, don’t get confused, both will be flashed same way, only files and hex values be different) from “File Path” browse to the ROM folder and select “boot-verified.img” file.
Change the value in the “Begin Adress (HEX)” to “0xf900000” (copy paste from here), leave “Region” as “EMMC_USER”. Click “Write Memory” above (phone is unplugged and off).
Now this step is important: Press Volume + button on your Le 2 and plug in the USB cable, keep pressing Volume + button until flashing is done.
Keeping Volume + button constantly will open our desired MediaTek Preloader VCOM USB port, if you don’t, MediaTek USB port will open and flashing will give an error, if you keep pressing Volume + this will trigger Preloader port to open.
Look at the pictures to see port name.
From “File Path” browse to the ROM folder and select “recovery_stock_works _after_brick.img” file. Change the value in the “Begin Adress (HEX)” to “0x8000” this time (copy paste from here), leave “Region” as “EMMC_USER“. Rest will be the same as is described above.
Press Volume + button on your Le 2 and plug in the USB cable while phone is off, keep pressing Volume + button until flashing is done.
That’s it, now it’s time to power on our bricked Le 2 phone. Next guide will be Baseband and imei fix if you had lost them during brick.
Yet again, rumor about Apple‘s next generation iPhone 8 is hitting us despite the fact that the device isn’t expected until late next year. Even though we cannot verify the authenticity of the leaks and rumors we have heard so far, we can’t deny the possibility of some of them being true.
A Weibo user has revealed that Apple will release a total of three iPhones next year and they go by the model numbers D20, D21, and D22. Recall that the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus adopted the model numbers D10 and D20 respectively. It is likely that the D20 and D21 are the two upgrades of the iPhone 7 which are said to go by the names, iPhone 7S and 7S Plus.
The main highlight is said to be the D22 which is the iPhone 8 and the device is tipped as going by the code-name Ferrari. The device is rumored to feature a new design as well as a curved AMOLED display with a large screen ratio but retaining the same 5.2-inch size.
Internals
In addition, the source also hints that the iPhone 8 motherboard will be divided into the main board, the middle with a soft cable to connect the AP and AF part will have an independent design similar to that of the iPad. Apple is adopting this two-tier motherboard design in order to save space as it will be thinner than the original deign. This pattern also reduce s the difficulty to maintain. The CPU location is also moved to the hard disk opposite. Further, due to the new motherboard deign, the SIM card location is also changed in order to save space.
If this turns out to be true, it means the iPhone 8 holds a lot of surprises it will bring along with it. Apple has for long not changed the internal design of its iPhone o it will be a landmark change. Remember its the iPhone’s 10th year anniversary next year so we expect a spectacular iPhone 8.
This year is technically the year of Virtual Reality seeing as a number of the big players in the tech industry released their own VR headsets. While the affordable ones require you to use your phone as the engine behind the headset, the more expensive ones like the HTC Vive and PlayStation VR require a more powerful hardware and keeps you rooted to a particular area. However, there is a middle ground between those two categories: the VR headsets that have a built-in engine and provide the same freedom of mobility as the ones powered by a phone. That’s the category the Storm Mirror Matrix belongs too.
The Storm Mirror Matrix is a VR headset with a 3K display (1620 x 2880), a ppi of 705 and a 110° field of view. It is powered by a Snapdragon 820 processor and has 4GB of RAM.
The Matrix has adjustable focus to cater for those with myopia. You can change the focus by up to 600° via a knob at the top of the headset. Storm Mirror has put a 5000mAh battery that can last for up to 4 hours on a single charge in the Matrix. It also has Quick Charge 3.0 support, so you can recharge in a short time and get back to playing that game or watching that video.
Storm Mirror says the Matrix runs on a custom user interface called Magic UI 2.0. Sadly, they didn’t provide much details about it. The Storm Mirror Matrix is priced at ¥2499 (~$431) which is still expensive but not as pricey as the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive.
ZUK officially released the ZUK Edge after weeks of teases and leaks. Although it doesn’t have a bezel-less display like the Xiaomi Mi MIX, the ZUK Edge holds the title of the phone with the highest screen-to-body ratio in the company’s lineup.
Sporting the same 5.5-inch display as the ZUK Z2 Pro and a thinner body than the ZUK Z2, the ZUK Edge comes with the new ZUI 2.5 OS based on Android Nougat. It also features a Snapdragon 821 processor and an under-glass fingerprint scanner.
Available in Titanium Black and Ceramic white, I’m sure most will agree that the black is the more beautiful one, as it does a great job in highlighting the high level of craftsmanship of the device.
The ZUK Edge has a 2.5D glass in front. Underneath it lies the fingerprint scanner. The 8MP front facing camera sits a few millimeters from the top right corner. In the top part of the phone is the speaker grille which surprisingly doesn’t take up the whole length but just the right half.
Chinese company Lenovo has officially launched its much anticipated ZUK Edge smartphone today. The Lenovo ZUK Edge was launched via an online conference and even though the company didn’t roll out the drums to herald the launch of another sleek flagship, the ZUK Edge’s specs lineup and spectacular design speaks volume about the smartphone.
Design
The ZUK Edge adopts its own design as it looks nothing like the Xiaomi Mi Mix, the screen-to-body ratio isn’t as high as was found on the Mi Mix as the Edge comes with a physical home button and other features which differentiate both high-end smartphones. The display only accounts for 86.4% of the entire screen, according to the official statement and that is amazing. The device also has a dimension of 142.9 x 74.5 x 7.68 mm.
There is a front home button under which is embedded the fingerprint scanner aboard the ZUK Edge. It is Lenovo’s first smartphone to use an underglass fingerprint sensor. Just as we saw in leaks, the ZUK Edge comes in black and white color variants only and of the two, the black color has a more rugged, and sophisticated look. Both variants adopt an all-metal body build with 2.5D glass on top. The screen is a flat one despite the device being called the ZUK Edge.
Specification – Lenovo ZUK Edge
Taking a look at the specs, the Lenovo ZUK Edge sports a 5.5-inch 1080 pixels display and is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 processor clocked at 2.35GHz. The device comes in two storage versions, one having 4GB of RAM and another with 6GB of RAM. Both versions feature 64GB of internal memory which is likely expandable.
Camera wise, the ZUK Edge comes with a decent camera setup as the device features a 13MP rear camera with LED flash. There is also an ample 8MP front-facing camera for cool selfies. The ZUK Edge also has under its hood, a 3,100mAh battery and has support for dual SIM / dual standby as well as full network support.
In addition, Lenovo also launched a ZUK Edge L Model with a customized gift box. The L model is a customized version of the ZUK Edge with a Lee Min Ho themed gift box. In case you don’t know, Lee min Ho is a popular South Korean actor.
Pricing
As for the prices, the Lenovo ZUK Edge version with 4GB RAM + 64GB storage carries a price tag of 2,299 Yuan (around $330), while the version with 6GB RAM + 64GB ROM starts at 2,499 Yuan ($360). The customized ZUK Edge L Model carries a price tag of 2,499 Yuan ($360) as well. Reservations for the ZUK Edge is already on while the device will go on sale on January 1. You can also check out the full specs of the Lenovo ZUK Edge from here.
LeEco held an event today where they announced two new TVs: a 65-inch 4K Smart TV called the LeEco X65S that sells for 5699 Yuan (~$820) and an 85-inch Smart 3D TV with Dolby Vision technology named the uMax85 that costs a whooping (~$5755)!!! LeEco knows not every one can afford their new TVs but that doesn’t mean you should still miss out on the content they have to offer, so they launched a Smart Home Theatre TV kit that you can hook up to your ‘dumb” TV which costs just ¥1999 (~$288).
Specifications
The Smart TV kit features a 64-bit Cortex-A72 quad-core processor and an integrated Mali-T820 GPU. There is 4GB RAM and 32GB of built-in storage on board, bluetooth connectivity, and WiFi.
The speaker part of the system is a 7-unit 120W stereo broken into a unit with six forward facing speakers and an 80W wireless sub-woofer. So, while you won’t be enjoying the audio quality from the Harman Kardon unit in the uMax85, you should still get pretty great sounds from this unit.
8488 Phones, a known Chinese company that manufactures luxury smartphones has recently revealed 8488 Titanium Palace Edition that is not only decked in gold but also comes with impressive specs.
This special edition 8488 Titanium Mobile has been designed by the company by partnering with the Palace Museum in Forbidden City in China and designer Lawrence Xu. The smartphone that is priced at 19,999 Yuan ($2880) is aimed towards customers who want luxury smartphones with the ultimate premium design.
The smartphone is designed with calf-skin leather that features an 18K gold-plated dragon sculpture design on the rear side. It comes in multiple color choices like black, gray, pink and yellow.
8848 Titanium Mobile Specifications at a Glance
8488 Titanium Mobile features a 5-inch full HD screen and is powered by an octa-core chipset from Qualcomm along with 4 GB of RAM. Its other features include 128 GB native storage, 21-megapixel rear camera, 30-megapixel front-facing camera and dual SIM support. The size of its battery is not known yet.
Since the merger of Coolpad with LeEco, Coolpad seems to have gained some added momentum as the company has continued to churn out sleek smartphones and seems set to launch a Notebook PC soon. Of all the Chinese smartphone makers, only Huawei and Xiaomi have so far made in-roads into the Notebook market but Coolpad looks set to do that.
If you are still searching for the evidence that Coolpad is indeed working on a Notebook, here is it. A leaked photo of what looks like the box casing said to be for the Coolpad laptop was recently spotted online. The model number S505 is inscribed on the box casing, as well as words written in Chinese which translate as “Cool fashion a Quick ice”, “Notebook laptop” and so on.
According to the leak source, the Coolpad Notebook model S505 is expected with a processor that would deliver high performance and reduce heating of the gadget. A low-voltage version of the Intel CoreiU or ultra low voltage Core m-series is touted to power the device. We’ll have to wait for more details in order to confirm this.
Xiaomi has confirmed via the Xiaomi Notebook official Weibo page that a new Mi Notebook laptop would be joining its lineup on December 23. According to the Weibo post, the new Notebook is teased as coming with a high performance, is thin and light as well.
Earlier on, we had seen a leaked posted of the upcoming December 23 launch event and it is interesting to note that the poster released via the Xiaomi Notebook’s official Weibo post is consistent with the one leaked earlier. Aside a new, thin and light build being teased, Xiaomi has stylishly teased that the Mi Notebook will feature 4G LTE connectivity as that could be spotted at the bottom right side of the laptop’s screen.
Another interesting thing to note on the official poster is the China mobile logo that is included. The poster could be an indication that Xiaomi is partnering with China mobile and perhaps, the laptop will come with support for China Mobile SIM card without the need for an external modem. We are not so sure about that but suffice it to say that there is a partnership and it could see China Mobile getting the laptop for sale on their network for China Mobile customers to buy and pay in installment.
Presently, the Xiaomi Notebook Air 12.5-inch is priced at 3,499 Yuan while the 13.3-inch version starts at 4,999 Yuan. The expected price of the upcoming one isn’t supposed to be too much but we’ll get to see that on December 23 at 14.00.
Just yesterday, we saw leaked images of a device dubbed Nokia C1 sporting an amazing design and a decent specs lineup. Now a Nokia smartphone identified as Nokia Z2 Plus has been spotted on benchmarking website Geekbench where it had undergone testing.
The Geekbench listing for the Nokia Z2 Plus indicates it is a high-end device as it polled a single core test score of 2156 and a multi-core score of 5217. Also, as is usual with Geekbench’s listing, a couple of specs of the device is usually revealed. According to the listing, the Z2 Plus is equipped with a 1.77GHz Quad-core processor . The motherboard is listed as MSM8996 which is likely the Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 chip. The device is also listed as having a large 4GB of RAM onboard and would run Android 6.0 Marshmallow OS out-of-the-box.
That’s all we can get from the Geekbench listing but it is enough to give us an idea that this is likely one of the two Android phones Nokia is expected to launch in China soon. It had earlier been reported that the company which is now controlled by HMD Global Oy, is planning to release two high-end smartphones with one having a 5.2-inch display and the other a 5.5-inch 2K display. The Nokia flagships are expected to have a Snapdragon 820 chip onboard and that may even turn out to be a Snapdragon 821 SoC in the end. The expected Nokia phones were also touted to come in two RAM sizes of 4GB and 6GB and to have a Zeiss certified camera.
In addition, we had also seen leaked images of the casing of the two Nokia smartphones with all-metal back casing and a fused antenna band design just like on the OPPO R9S and iPhone 7. The device is also shown to have an oblong-shaped home button similar to those of Xiaomi and Meizu phones. We expect the Nokia smartphones to drop any time within the first quarter of 2017.
The MIUI 8 Android 7.0 Nougat closed beta is now being developed for the Xiaomi Mi 4c, Mi 4s, Mi Note and Mi Max smartphones.
Android 7.0 Nougat Closed Beta Now Available
Recently, MIUI Operations Manager @RanGer had revealed that the aforementioned smartphones will be the first set of Xiaomi devices to get Android 7.0 Nougat upgrade. Now, these phones are already receiving MIUI 8 flavored Android 7.0 Nougat closed beta.
Xiaomi Mi Max and Mi 4s are the smartphones that were released earlier this year. The Xiaomi Mi 4c is a midrange phone from 2015 and Xiaomi Mi Note is 2015 flagship smartphone. This indicates that Xiaomi is testing Android 7.0 Nougat on smartphones from this year and last year before rolling out to recent 2016 flagship smartphones.
Xiaomi Mi 5 users were treated with Android 7.0 Developer Edition after it was tested with beta version for a month. In the same way, these smartphones are expected to get Developer ROMs after one month of testing Android N closed beta.
Since it is a closed beta, the update is only available to restricted number of users by invitation. The Android 7.0 Developer ROM for Xiaomi Mi 5 brings version 6.12.8 MIUI 8 that weighs around 1.3 GB.
The GPU of Snapdragon 800 and 801 chipsets are not compatible with the Vulkan API integration found on Android Nougat. Reports suggest that Qualcomm will not be releasing graphics for these chipsets that powered several flagships from 2014 and 2015. Hence, such smartphones are unlikely to get official Android 7.0 Nougat update.
Earlier in this month, Lenovo had confirmed ZUK models that would be receiving Nougat update. In January 2017, the company aims to release Nougat beta for ZUK Z1 that is powered by Snapdragon 801. However, speculations suggest that even though Nougat beta will come to ZUK Z1, it won’t receive the final and stable Nougat upgrade.
It is interesting to see Xiaomi testing Android 7.0 Nougat beta on Mi Note that is powered by Snapdragon 801 chipset. Hence, it is likely that it may also not receive final edition of Nougat update.
ZTE is definitely one of the most respectable Chinese smartphone makers since our reviews have already proven that the company is capable of producing some high-quality products. The ZTE Axon mini was released more than a year ago and it used to cost $300. Now you can grab it for just $150 but you can find a $10 off coupon code at the end of the article. Find out if the ZTE Axon mini is still a decent phone for the price in our full review.
The ZTE Axon Mini comes in a premium looking packaging where all the items are packed neatly. Inside of it you can find the charging plug, USB cable, a pair of earphones, which actually sound pretty good; SIM ejector PIN, some documentation and a hard plastic case.
ZTE Axon Mini: SPECS
Display
5.2″ 1080p Amoled (Full-HD)
Processor
Qualcomm Snapdragon 616, 64-bit, octa-core (up to 1.5GHz)
143.5 x 70 x 7.9 mm (5.65 x 2.76 x 0.31 in) / 140g
OS
MiFavor 3.2.0 (based on Android 5.1.1)
Storage
32GB (expandable via microSD card slot up to 128GB)
ZTE Axon Mini: DESIGN
As far as the design, we are looking at a really premium and well-crafted handset. It is made almost entirely of metal except for those top and bottom parts on the back, which are made of plastic.
The front top and bottom parts may give you an impression that the Axon Mini sports a dual stereo speakers setup. However, the top part is dedicated only for the earpiece, a usual set of sensors, notification LED light and 8MP selfie snapper. The bottom is the place where you can find a front firing speaker along with the main mic. The speaker quality is really good considering the price of the phone.
It may look that the Axon mini has a dual camera setup but it actually has just a one 13MP shooter with dual-LED flash.
Underneath the camera, there is a fingerprint scanner, which is easy to setup, accurate and it unlocks the phone straight from the standby mode.
On the top, there is a headset jack and on the bottom – a regular micro USB charging port. On the right, we have a power key and a dual SIM card and the microSD card slot for storage expansion. On the left, there is a just a volume rocker.
Overall, the build quality is top-notch and I love an all-metal design of the phone. The Axon mini definitely feels great in the hand and I really appreciate the fact that it is easily manageable with one hand due to its 5.2″ display.
ZTE Axon Mini: DISPLAY
As far as display, we have a 5.2” 1080p Amoled panel, which is just gorgeous to look at. Honestly, it almost looks like an LCD display as it has all the good aspects like colour accuracy, brightness of liquid crystal displays but adds a little bit of punchiness and saturation, which is typical to Amoled panels.
ZTE Axon Mini Review: UI
The Axon mini comes with the MiFlavor UI, which is built on top of the outdated Android 5.1. It is a bit frustrating that the ZTE didn’t update this phone to Android 6.0.
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As usual to the Chinese skins, the MiFlavor has quite a few customisation options, gesture controls and a lot of little tweaks and extra features, which work pretty well but it depends on your habits if you will actually use them.
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For example, the Axon mini has the iris scanner but I’m not sure if this feature is actually needed since it uses the front-facing camera to scan your eyes, not the dedicated sensor. That means that this feature works well in daylight but not so great in lower-lit situations.
All in all, the UI runs fast and fluid but again, you have to live with the Android 5.1 for now but the good news is that the phone should receive the update to the Android 6.0 pretty soon.
ZTE Axon Mini Review: BENCHMARKS
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ZTE Axon Mini Review: HARDWARE and PERFORMANCE
ZTE Axon Mini comes with an octa-core Snapdragon 616 chip with the maximum clock speeds of 1.5GHz, 3GB of RAM and 32GB of expandable storage. The chipset may be showing its age but it can still handle a lot of stuff.
The 3D games work well but you have to make sure that any power saving features are off. The graphics look nice although not that spectacular like on flagship phones. I encountered with just a few skipped frames but nothing major. Finally, the phone doesn’t have any overheating issues.
ZTE Axon Mini Review: MULTIMEDIA
As far as multimedia consumption goes, the Axon mini is just fantastic. The front firing speaker is loud and it has quite a lot of depth in its sound. Also, listening to music via earphones is just a blast. The integrated Hi-Fi audio chips really make a difference if you love high-quality sound with lots of depth and rich tones.
ZTE Axon Mini Review: CAMERA
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As far as the camera app, it is fast, responsive and easy to use. It has a few shooting modes to select but the settings menu works only in the portrait mode for some reason.
The 13MP camera can produce some nice and sharp looking images but it is inconsistent.
The positive side is that you will usually get a good looking image, which has accurate colours, decent dynamic range and contrast. If you are not lucky, you may take some daylight images with softer focus and not that impressive level of detail.
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When it comes to the low light shots, some of them are pretty good but again, the camera is inconsistent as some of the images have a huge amount of noise and the level of detail is pretty low.
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8MP selfie shooter is pretty good and it will definitely do the trick for social media needs.
The phone can shoot videos at the max. resolution of 1080p. The most impressive thing is… the quality of sound recording. Other than that, the level of detail is decent but the auto-exposure is too aggressive as it is jumping like crazy. Also, the footage looks shaky despite the fact that I tried to hold my hands as steady as possible. See a video review for the video sample.
All in all, the Axon mini has a good camera but it has some shortcomings like most of the cheap phones.
ZTE Axon Mini Review: CONNECTIVITY
The signal reception has been excellent and the call quality of the Axon phone is good. Also, other connectivity options like Wifi, Bluetooth, GPS work absolutely fine.
ZTE Axon Mini Review: BATTERY LIFE
The 2800mAh non-removable battery performs very well both in terms of active usage and standby. I could constantly get over 4.5 hours of screen-on time using max. auto-brightness setting, browsing the web, checking emails and social media, taking pictures and so on.
ZTE Axon Mini Review: CONCLUSIONS
So, there you have, the ZTE Axon Mini after 1 year. I have to tell you that there is a lot to love about this phone for the price of just $140. A great design and all-aluminum body makes it look like an expensive handset.
Also, the Axon mini is very compact considering today’s standards as it has 5.2” display, which is just brilliant to look at.
Also, the phone has a great battery life, a microSD card slot, good performance, fast and accurate fingerprint scanner and a high-quality sound.
While the camera can take some nice-looking pictures, it is not always reliable, especially when it comes to the low-light photography or video recording.
The biggest frustration is that the phone still runs on the Android 5.1 but there are some news that the Andoid 6.0 update is just around the corner, which is a great move by the ZTE, considering the fact that the phone is more than 1 year old.
At the end of the day, the ZTE Axon mini may not be the most powerful device even in this price range and it has a few shortcomings you have to consider but it is still quite a solid offering for such a low price.
OPPO has launched a new special edition of its flagship R9S and it comes in a new, cool red color. The OPPO R9S Yang Mi Special Edition is a customized edition of the R9S manufactured for fans of celebrity Chinese actress and singer, Yang Mi. It comes with an autograph of the actress signed by her on the back cover of the device as well as with a few gifts inside the box.
The OPPO R9S Yang Mi Special Edition adopts the same design as the original R9S but it features specialized wallpaper and theme specially selected by Yang Mi herself. The red color gives the device a romantic and cool look. It does a good job of masking the fused antenna band such that they are nearly invisible.
On the specs end, the device packs the same lineup as the original R9S, sporting a 5.5-inch 1080p display with the latest Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protection which should provide better resistance against drops. Inside, the R9S is running the Snapdragon 625 chipset, a much better upgrade as compared to the Helio P10 chipset in the previous generation. This new chip should also ensure better GPU performance than the R9 model. As for memory, there is a 4GB RAM and 64GB of ROM setup.
Further, the R9S packs a 16MP Sony IMX398 sensor at the rear, which is said to be jointly developed by OPPO and Sony. The sensor is reportedly fast and “comparable to SLR camera speeds” and comes with tailored features. There is also dual-core focus and dual LED flash onboard. The device also features a 16MP sensor up front as well. As for the software, the OPPO R9S runs on the company’s ColorOS 3.0 version. Inside, there is a decent 3010mAh battery but with VOOC fast charging, the battery shouldn’t be an issue on the device.
The red colored OPPO R9S Yang Mi Special edition retains the same 2799 Yuan ($416)be seen as an added variant to the already available color options namely, gold, rose gold and black. The device would officially go on sale on December 23 at 10 am.
Xiaomi in the last couple of months started refreshing its power bank line. First, was the 10000mAh Mi Power 2 and now they have launched the 20000mAh Xiaomi Mi Power 2. I guess we should expect a 5000mAh and 16000mAh version soon.
The new Xiaomi Mi Power 2 20000mAh power bank is a great upgrade over the former as it now supports Quick Charge 3.0 output, small current charging for accessories like your Mi Band and bluetooth headset, and you can also use the new power bank to charge your USB Type-C notebooks.
The design is also different. The top side now has a rough surface that allows for a firm grip even when your hands are wet and slippery. Xiaomi says you can seven full charges for the iPhone 7 and 2½ full charges for the iPad Mini using the 20000mAh Mi Power 2.
Pricing for the 20000mAh Mi Power 2 remains the same as the first gen at ¥149 (~$22) but expect it to be jacked up by re-sellers. It is a pity it is only available in white though as a black version would have looked really nice.
There are indication that Samsung‘s next generation flagship, the Galaxy S8 may not be launched until April next year. This comes in as a new twist to the whole story surrounding the expected Samsung smartphone as it is already tipped to launch in February 2017 during the MWC 2017.
According to the source, ongoing investigations into the Note 7 battery issues are almost completed and the report would likely be released in January 2017. Thus, the company would need some more time to rebuild fans’ confidence in the brand hence the possible shift to April. Further details reveal that the Galaxy S8 would be released in a dedicated event on the new date.
The Samsung Galaxy S8 is expected to bring in a flurry of innovative technology when it launches next year even though Samsung continues to maintain a firm grip over leaks about the device. However, the device is expected to sport Qualcomm’s next gen flagship Snapdragon 835 as well as pack lots of high-end specs. We’ll take this latest rumor with a pinch of salt until Samsung officially releases a statement to that effect. Meanwhile, you can check out all our latest Samsung Galaxy S8 rumors and leaks.
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