New Nokia Phones Coming at MWC 2017, including the Legendary Nokia 3310

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Feb 13, 2017

There are reports that Finnish company HMD Global Oy is planning to release some new Nokia smartphones which will likely go by the names Nokia 3 and Nokia 5 at MWC 2017. The company is also said to be planning to use the springboard to launch the Nokia 6, which had been China-exclusive before now, in the European market and also to launch a modern version of the legendary classic Nokia 3310.

Already, HMD Global has confirmed its impending presence at MWC 2017 where it was tipped as planning to unveil a device with flagship specs. But according to a source familiar with the matter, the Nokia 3 and Nokia 5 are a pair of budget smartphones which would be powered by Android 7.0 Nougat.

On the specs table, while the Nokia 6 came with a 5.5-inch Full HD display (1080p), SD 430, 4GB of RAM and a 16MP rear camera, the Nokia 5 is rumored with a 5.2-inch HD display (720p) but powered by the same SD 430 chip but with just 2GB of RAM, and a reduced 12MP rear camera. The reduced specs will, in turn, lead to a reduction in the Nokia 5’s price tag from that of the Nokia 6. Also, the Nokia 3 is expected with entry level specifications and also a far cheaper price tag than those of the Nokia 6 and the expected Nokia 5.

One interesting news emerging from this rumor is the existence of a modern version of the Nokia 3310 which is said to be in the works. Though only a feature phone, the Nokia 3310 is one of Nokia’s most iconic devices till date. Launched around 2000, the Nokia 3310 came with a durable build, cheap price tag, strong and long lasting battery and several features that made it stand out. It is, however, not clear how Nokia hopes to reinvent the 3310 without messing up the reputation of such a legendary device. We’ll wait till MWC 2017 to find out more about that.

(source)

Meizu M5S Parts Cost Leaked: Two Versions have Significantly Different Costs

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Feb 13, 2017

Meizu has already indicated that it would launch the M5S, its first smartphone release for the year, on February 15 which is just two days away. Ahead of the launch event, a leaked screenshot of a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet has revealed what it likely a part of the cost for Meizu to produce the M5S.

As would be recalled, the Meizu M5S is said to come with fast charging technology and the fast charge would be in two distinct versions. One of the versions would have a power rating of 5V / 2A / 10 W while there is a higher version with 9V / 2A / 18W charging specification. The higher version is in the real sense the one with the fast charge technology.

According to the leaked document, a part of the cost (a few things mentioned in the excel sheet include PCB, a bunch of transistors, diodes, and regulators — total components in the sheet adding up to 46 items) for the lower version with 5V / 2A / 10W charging specs goes up to 48.6320 Yuan, while the part cost for the higher version with 9V / 2A / 18W charging specification goes up to 77.7920 Yuan.

We can’t say for sure if these excel documents are authentic and even if they were to be, this cost should ideally contribute to just a small part of the price tag. 48.63 Yuan comes to just around $6 and his document most likely does not consider other significant hardware components as well as things like royalty, tax, patent rights etc. They have to be factored in the long run to determine the cost of production.

Earlier leaks had tipped the Meizu M5S with 10W fast charge, 2GB RAM + 16GB as price around 999 Yuan while the 18W fast charge version with 3GB + 32GB storage is said to have a higher price of 1,199 Yuan. Both versions are also expected with a 5.2-inch display, a MediaTek MT6753 octa-core chip, 13MP rear camera, 5MP camera up front, 2,930mAh, entire network support and Meizu custom mTouch fingerprint sensor.

Xiaomi Mi 6 To Feature 5.2-inch Flat Display; No Curved-Screen Variant

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Feb 13, 2017

Xiaomi’s first phone for the year is the Redmi Note 4X but the Xiaomi Mi 6 is actually the one fans are looking forward to. Rumors have been flying round as to what features the Mi 6 will have and which ones it won’t.

One feature most people are eager to know about is the display of the Mi 6. Last year there were speculations that the phone will look like a smaller version of the Xiaomi Mi Note 2 which we all know has a dual-curved AMOLED display. Today, Weibo user @Mocha Socialist Workers has disproved the statement.

According to his post on the micro-blogging site, the Xiaomi Mi 6 will have a flat 5.2-inch 1080p TFT LCD display and not an OLED display with dual-curved edges.

Now we will advise not to rush and swallow this statement as Xiaomi hasn’t confirmed the display type of the Mi 6. The Xiaomi Mi 6 might have a flat IPS display but there is no assurance that the “Mi 6 Pro” or “Mi 6 Plus” won’t have an OLED display that is curved.

Judging from what Xiaomi did with the Mi 5s and Mi 5s Plus, and the differences between the two phones and even differences between storage variants of each of the phones, You will understand why we are not quick to dismiss earlier reports.

@Mocha Socialist Workers doesn’t stop there. He also clears the air on the rumor that the Xiaomi Mi 6 will feature a Pinecone processor. His post says the Mi 6 will indeed feature a Snapdragon 835 chip.

There is indeed mention of a higher-end Pinecone chip (Pinecone V970) built on the 10nm node. The chip is said to be made up of 8 cores (4x A73 cores clocked at 2.7GHz and 4x A53 cores clocked at 2.0GHz) and sports a Mali-G71MP12 GPU clocked at 900MHz. Sounds powerful but it won’t be making it into the Mi 6 but might be used in the Xiaomi Mi 6s or Mi Note 3.

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Huawei Honor V9 Official Press Invite Reveals Feb 21 Launch Date

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Feb 13, 2017

Huawei‘s elite brand Honor has confirmed that it would hold a launch event on February 21 in Beijing where it would launch the Honor V9. The official press invite for the launch event has been outed and it shows that the Honor V9 would launch along with the Honor 8 Youth Edition.

From the press invite, it can be gathered that while the Honor 8 Youth Edition would come with a lower price tag than its senior sibling, the Honor 8. Also, the Honor V9 is tipped as coming with a super fast camera which had earlier been leaked as a dual camera setup.

Earlier leaks reveal the Honor V9 would sport a 5.7-inch 2K display and would be powered by a 2.4GHz octa-core processor believed to be the Kirin 960 chipset. The device comes with two memory variants, one with 4GB of RAM and another with 6GB of RAM. Both versions pack 64GB of expandable storages. The dual camera setup at the rear is said to be a 12MP + 12MP setup with f/2.2 aperture, while there is an 8MP front-facing camera as well. Keeping the lights on will be a generous 3,900mAh battery with fast charging support and providing the interface would be the Android 7.0 Nougat-based EMUI 5.0.

Huawei Watch 2 Launching at MWC 2017?

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Feb 13, 2017

There have been rumors of Huawei launching the Huawei P10 and P10 Plus on February 26 at MWC 2017 but those rumors have so far been unsubstantiated officially. Well, not until now. Huawei’s VP has indeed hinted that the company will be having a launch event at MWC 2017 but the device he tips as launching at the event isn’t the P10 or P10 Plus but the Huawei Watch 2.

The VP in his Weibo post used some hashtags to tease the impending product, some of which are #HUAWEIWATCH2. #MADE FOR FREE SPIRITS, #Huawei MWC2017. We don’t need a soothesayer to tell us that the product is most likely coming at the Mobile World Congress. The teaser also suggests that the Watch 2 would likely be for sports persons.

Not much is known about the Huawei Watch 2 but it is definitely the next gen version of the Huawei Watch released last year. The Watch 2 is rumored to come equipped with Android Wear 2.0 operating system and a 1.4-inch display. The Watch 2 is also expected with a rubber and a leather strap, two distinct types to choose from. There is said to be a 42mm diameter dial on the device and perhaps the mst spectacular is that the device would come with SIM card compatibility, enabling users to make and receive calls. In addition, the VP also hinted that Huawei will be releasing a couple of large capacity mobile power bank which would have fast charging support.

The LG G6 Also Gets Treated to Colorful Cases

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Feb 13, 2017

The LG G6 is another flagship device that is greatly anticipated. It is scheduled to launch early so as to get ahead in sales before Samsung releases the Galaxy S8.

The LG G6 is launching later this month, February 26 to be precise according to latest rumors. That’s still two weeks from now. However we have images of the device rocking some pretty nice cases. The pictures don’t reveal much but at least we are sure of the dual-rear cameras and rear-mounted fingerprint scanner.

LG’s new flagship is taking things differently this year. Following the failure of the LG G5 and its modularity design. LG has gone back to the drawing board for the G6. The new flagship will no longer use modules and will no longer have a removable battery. The latter feature will allow LG slap in dust and water resistance, a feature likely to be present in virtually all flagships for 2017.

LG has also redesigned the body of the LG G6. A promotional image released weeks ago hints at the device having a larger screen but a smaller body. The new screen is said to be a 5.7-inch display with a unique 2880 x 1440 resolution and an 18:9 aspect ratio.

One thing the LG G6 is sadly not getting is the Snapdragon 835 processor. The reason for that is because available stock of the new chip which is manufactured by Samsung is going to the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+. Other manufacturers will have to wait till they get stock before they release their device. LG will rather not wait, so its settling for the Snapdragon 821 instead. That way it can release the LG G6 weeks ahead of Samsung and get enough sales in.

The Snapdragon 821 processor is the most powerful chip you will find in a phone at the moment. Combine it with the new features in the LG G6 such as Quad DAC for better audio quality, dual rear cameras, a larger display and waterproofing and the LG G6 still looks like a winner.

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New Images Shows The Galaxy S8 Wrapped Up in Colorful Cases

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Feb 13, 2017

Samsung’s next flagship is the Galaxy S8. It will be available in two variants: a 5.8-inch variant called the Galaxy S8 and a 6.2-inch variant called the Galaxy S8+. Both devices will feature a similar design but one that is different from their previous flagships.

Today we have a new set of images showing the Galaxy S8 in colorful cases. The cases makes the device look a bit bulky though but should offer enough protection in case of an accidental drop. The images confirms some of the details we have mentioned in the past such as the position of the fingerprint scanner.

The Galaxy S8’s biggest change is the removal of the physical home button, allowing for the bezels to be thinner and a higher body-to-screen ratio. The fingerprint scanner has been moved to the back and now flanks the rear camera on the right. While fans of front-mounted fingerprint scanners might not be happy about this change, others say the position is a good one as the index finger naturally rests at that spot when holding your phone.

The Galaxy S8 will also be getting a new personal assistant called Bixby. Bixby is said to be more accurate than S-Voice and even has a dedicated physical button.

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Redmi Note 4X High-End Variant May Have a Different Processor

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Feb 13, 2017

In the early hours of today, Xiaomi revealed the price for the Redmi Note 4X. The prices announced are for the basic version and Hatsune Miku variant which both have 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage. There is, however, a third variant, a 4GB RAM + 64GB model whose price is unknown and has a specification that differs from the 3GB variant.

The Redmi Note 4X has a 5.5-inch display, a Snapdragon 625 SoC, a 13MP rear camera and a 5MP selfie camera. There is dual-SIM support and a 4100mAh non-removable battery. Those are the specs on Xiaomi’s website. But for the 4GB RAM variant, there are no specifications listed. Xiaomi is keeping the specifications as a surprise probably until tomorrow’s launch.

Some people have speculated that apart from the memory upgrade, the 4GB RAM variant is likely to feature a different processor too, probably the Snapdragon 653 processor which is more powerful than the Snapdragon 625.

The snapdragon 653 was released last year as a successor to the Snapdragon 652. It is an octa-core processor built on the 28nm node unlike the 14nm node used for the Snapdragon 625. The major difference is in the CPU Cores. The Snapdragon 653 uses a combination of 4x ARM Cortex A72 cores and 4x ARM Cortex A53 cores compared to the Snapdragon 625’s 8x ARM Cortex A53 cores. So while the Snapdragon 625 is focused on power management, the Snapdragon 653 focuses on performance as a result of the A72 cores it has.

The high-end Redmi Note 4X is expected to be priced at around ¥1300 (~$189) when it is released.

ZUK Edge 2 Luo Tianyi Edition Leaked

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Feb 12, 2017

Xiaomi recently took the smartphone market by storm by announcing an Hatsun Miku Limited edition for the Redmi Note 4X. That announcement seems to have generated some interest in the release of smartphone editions themed after famous Vocaloid characters. Presently, what is said to be a ZUK Edge 2 Luo Tianyi Edition has leaked showing its customized box casing.

In case you don’t know, Luo Tianyi is a Chinese Vocaloid formerly developed by Bplats, Inc. under the YAMAHA Corporation, and was created in collaboration with Shanghai HENIAN. She was released in July 2012 for the VOCALOID3 engine. Unfortunately, no other details about the leaked ZUK Edge 2 Luo Tianyi Edition are known.

No doubt, though, that the ZUK Edge 2 would be a successor of the ZUK Edge which was released in November last year. Even at that, the ZUK Edge 2 has not featured in leaks and we haven’t seen the likely specifications of the device so we don’t know if it really exists.

(source)

Two New Xiaomi Smart Home Products Launching on Feb 14

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Feb 12, 2017

Xiaomi has announced via its Mi Home Weibo page that two new smart home products would be launching on February 14. The two new products would be Xiaomi 60th and 61st smart home products. While the 60th product is likely a smart guitar, the 1st product looks like a child wristwatch with GPS functionality, perhaps for tracking the location of the child.

The teaser for the Smart guitar launch points at the fact that the guitar will likely be able to teach new learners how to play in just 10 minutes. Although that looks nearly impossible, that is what we can grab from the teaser. The current crop of smart guitars in the market are priced around 1,000-2000 yuan and they come with an app which helps with stuff like metronome timer, auxiliary tuning function etc.

Also, when the instructional video is being played, as the instructor plays his guitar on the video, there are LED lights on the guitar that lights up simultaneously showing the real-time fingering. Such an advance product, but we don’t know what price it would launch with. Both products would meet with us on February 14 by 10am.

360 Mobiles N5 N-series Smartphone Launching on February 22

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Feb 12, 2017

In the previous week, a leaked photo of a probable Nokia series smartphone had surfaced. Lee Soon, CEO of 360 Mobiles (previously known as Qiku) had posted on Weibo on Feb. 10 that the leaked photo belongs to the N series smartphone from his company and he would be revealing more information on Feb. 13. Today, he has revealed fresh information on the forthcoming N series phone from 360 Mobiles.

Soon has confirmed today through a new Weibo post that the company would be announcing a new phone named N5. Since the N5 launch teaser carries the text “N series once more,” it is likely that the N5 would arriving to introduce its new N series of smartphones. Some people who have reportedly received the Feb. 22 launch event invitation from the company have said that the it includes an image of the older Nokia N81 phone.

Even though the rumor mill has stated the 360 Mobiles N5 would appear like Nokia N series like Nokia N81 and Nokia N95, the listing of N5 with TENAA certification body from China has revealed the images of the smartphone. However, the images on N5 on TENAA suggests that it would not be sporting a form factor like the older N series phones from Nokia.

As far as the design of the upcoming N5 smartphone is concerned, the TENAA images suggest that it would be coming with a full metallic chassis and it houses traditional touch-sensitive buttons at the bottom of the display.

The TENAA listing of 360 Mobiles N5 has revealed that it has a model number of 1605-A01 and it features a 5.5-inch full HD display. The smartphone will be fueled by 1.8 GHz Snapdragon 653 chipset and 6 GB of RAM. It will be running on Android 6.0 Marshmallow OS.

The native storage of 360 N5 is 32 GB and its expandable storage supports up to 128 GB of microSD card. It will be packed with a 3,290 mAh capacity battery. Although the fresh rumors suggest a pricing of around 2000 Yuan ($290) for 360 Mobiles N5, previous rumors have hinted that it may cost around 3,000 Yuan ($435).

Xiaomi Redmi Note 4X Pricing Officially Announced

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Feb 12, 2017

Xiaomi seems to have ditched rolling out the drums for the Redmi Note 4X launch, instead details about the phone came out in trickles. Now, the company has released the pricing for the mid-range smartphone which would start going on sale on February 14, Valentine’s Day.

The Xiaomi Redmi Note 4X was tipped as coming in three memory versions but for now what we have is a 3GB + 32GB version which would possibly be the base version and it retails for 999 Yuan ($144). On the other hand, the Redmi Note 4X Hatsune customized version comes with a price tag of 1,299 Yuan ($188). The Hatsune edition seems to pack the same specs as the regular version but buyers also get a limited edition mobile power bank, a customized casing for the phone as well as the opportunity to download Hatsune theme in the future.

Basically, the Xiaomi Redmi Note 4X comes with a 5.5-inch 1080p display and is powered by a Snapdragon 625 processor backed by 3GB of RAM as well as 32GB of internal storage. There is a 13MP rear camera as well as a 5M front-facing camera along with a large 4,100mAh battery onboard. The phone also come with dual SIM card / dual standby, and full netcom support. The Hatsune Miku limited Edition comes in green, while there is also a Matte black, gold, Cherry Powder, and Grey color variants. It will go on sale on February 14 at 10AM via Xiaomi Mall, Mi Home, Suning Tesco, Lynx official, and Jingdong and only the gold and grey variants will be available on that day. The Hatsune Limited edition will come in later at 2PM on the same February 14.

Diamond Display Enabled Smartphones with Competitive Pricing Releasing By 2017 End

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Feb 12, 2017

The highest configuration model of the recently launched HTC U Ultra features sapphire crystal glass. After sapphires, diamonds are one of the hardest substances in the world. Akhan Semiconductor, a firm that manufactures diamonds that can be used on electronic products, is expected to release a smartphone that features a screen built with diamond glass.

The Mirage Diamond Glass manufactured by Akhan Semiconductor will be sturdier, tougher and cleaner than conventional displays, says Adam Khan, the CEO of Akhan Semiconductor. Even though the company is in discussions with well-known device manufacturers, it will be able to provide Mirage Diamond Glass to one smartphone maker and one wearable.

There are some reasons why the company has decided to work with few companies initially. One of the reasons is shortage of supply and the other one is that it wants to provide the selected companies to exclusively boast of diamond glass screens. In its current standing, Akhan Semiconductor will be build diamond glass for 10 million to 30 million smartphones. For wearables such as smartphones and fitness bands, it would be able to provide less than 1 million diamond glass.

Conventional displays can break or get cracks easily after frequent drops. Also, screens can get scratched with things like keys. In order to prevent displays for breaking or getting scratched easily, smartphone OEMs make use of stronger Gorilla Glass that sits on top on regular displays. Using diamond glass on top of regular screens can increase its strength by 6 times and also make them 10 times harder.

Because of its natural feature of resisting dirt and water, diamond glass screens can be cleaner than conventional screens. Devices that will feature diamond glass screens can remain 800 times cooler. Smartphones featuring it is likely to feature costlier a pricing. However, according to Khan, its pricing will be similar to the Moto ShatterShield technology made available on smartphones like Moto Z Force Droid and Droid Turbo 2. At present, it costs up to $120 per phone smartphone for Motorola to use Shatterfield screen technology on its smartphones.

(source)

LG G6 with Snapdragon 821 Releasing Earlier than Galaxy S8 for Better Sales

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Feb 12, 2017

LG G6 is all set to get unveiled on Feb. 26. A confidential snapshot of a LG presentation slide taken at Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2017 from January has revealed that the LG G6 will be fueled by Snapdragon 821 chipset. The LG G6 rumors that had been doing rounds since last year had claimed that it would be featuring Snapdragon 835 chipset.

Qualcomm has collaborated with Samsung for the mass production of Snapdragon 835. A report from the previous month had revealed that since Samsung has been allotted the initial stock of the Snapdragon 835 chipset by Qualcomm, none of the high-end smartphones that are aimed to release before Samsung Galaxy S8 would be powered by Snapdragon 835 chipset.

The Samsung Galaxy S8 is slated to get announced at March end and it is expected to go on sale in April. This indicates that any smartphone OEM will have to wait until May or June to release Snapdragon 835 powered smartphone. If LG wanted to release LG G5 with Snapdragon 835 onboard, it would have to launch it couple of weeks after the release of Galaxy S8.

The Snapdragon 821 chipset is very potent chipset. Some of the smartphones that are running on this chipset include Google Pixel, Pixel XL, OnePlus 3T, Xiaomi Mi 5s, Xiaomi Mi 5s Plus, Xiaomi Mi Note 2, LeEco Le Pro 3 and Asus ZenFone 3 Deluxe. The LG G6 could be the first smartphone from the South Korean company running on Snapdragon 821 chipset.

Opting for Snapdragon 821 for LG G6, the company can aim at releasing the smartphone in March after announcing it on Feb. 26. This could possibly help the LG G6 to arrive several weeks ahead of the release of Galaxy S8 in April. By releasing the LG G6 earlier, it would be able to achieve higher sales than the Galaxy S8.

LG has confirmed that it will not be using the modular design on LG G6 that it introduced on its predecessor phone. Even though LG G6 is coming with a less potent than the one that powers the Galaxy S8, the company is expected to bring some impressive improvements such as a 5.7-inch ‘Full Vision’ display that would be supporting a display resolution of 2,880 x 1,440 along with an aspect ratio of 18:9.

The smartphone is pegged to come with a water and dust resistant chassis and a dual camera sensor on its rear panel. In certain markets, it is expected to feature quad DAC and it is speculated to house a non-removable battery.

Huawei Sold More Smartphones and Achieved Less Profits in 2016

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Feb 12, 2017

In China, Huawei holds the largest market share in the smartphone industry with 16.4 percent and it is currently the third largest smartphone manufacturer in the world. It aims to take over the top position by dethroning brands likes Apple and Samsung that are currently on the first and second positions.

In comparison to the sales result in 2015, Huawei managed to sell 30 percent more smartphones in 2016 even though the smartphone sales have been consistently declining. An interesting thing to note is that the more of smartphones that Huawei sold last year brought lowered profits to the company, The Information reported.

In 2015, Huawei made $2.2 billion in profit, but despite of selling 30 percent more smartphones last year, it could achieve a profit of $2 billion. In other words, its sales profit dropped by 10 percent in 2016. Last year, the revenue generated by the consumer business wing of Huawei rose by 42 percent to $26 billion.

This shows that while there was a significant increase in revenue, its expenses also increased. It is speculated that rising prices of components and a huge increase marketing expenses could have caused Huawei to encounter such a dip in profits.

For 2017, Huawei has reportedly set a strict aim of increasing its consumer group profits by twofold to reach $4 billion. To achieve it, it will be trying to cut costs in areas such as marketing and retail sales channels. This could be mean that the Shenzhen-based company that in a bid to achieve higher profits, the company may not invest more on aggressively markets its devices.

Recent rumors have also hinted that its upcoming flagship smartphones, the Huawei P10 and P10 Plus would be available with a higher pricing compared to its predecessor models. This could be one of its strategies to increase shipments as well as its profits. Moreover, Huawei has managed to increase its visibility in Western markets. This could also help it in achieving more profits this year.

(source)

Xiaomi Reported to Be Working on A Snapdragon 660 Phone

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Feb 11, 2017

Xiaomi will be launching its first phone for the year in a few days. The device which is the Redmi Note 4X is more like the Redmi Note 4 with a new chip. So there’s no much excitement around the device. There is however news of a new Redmi device in the works with a Snapdragon 660 SoC.

The info comes from a Weibo user ‘@grass digital’ who says Xiaomi has launched Snapdragon 660 projects likely to be Redmi phones or a new Xiaomi series similar to the Xiaomi Max.

If Xiaomi is working on a Snapdragon 660 Redmi phone, it should probably be the Redmi Pro 2 whose spec leaked a few weeks ago.

Snapdragon 660

The new chip which we first heard of last year has model number MSM8976 Plus. This is similar to that of the Snapdragon 652 (MSM8976) and Snapdragon 653 (MSM8976 Pro). While the model numbers might be similar, the chip is quite different. It is said to be built on a 14nm process unlike the Snapdragon 652 and 653 which were built using the 28nm process.

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Why Xiaomi’s Decision to Make Its Own Chip is A Good One

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Feb 11, 2017

The major processors in the mobile market are Qualcomm’s Snapdragon, Mediatek’s Helio, Samsung’s Exynos and Huawei’s Kirin. Soon, Xiaomi will be joining the ranks with its Pinecone processors. We don’t need to go over the history of how Pinecone came to be, so let’s skip ahead to the main topic.

Qualcomm is the main chip supplier in the world. Quite a number of smartphone manufacturers use their chips in their phones. Even Samsung that has its own Exynos line still releases phones with Snapdragon processors. But there are times that Qualcomm releases a chip that doesn’t live up to expectation. An example is the Snapdragon 810 processor released in 2015. Even though there were fantastic devices like the Nexus 6P, the overheating issue of the chip was the bane of such phones.

Samsung was able to dodge the bullet by releasing the Galaxy S6 with its Exynos processor, but manufacturers like Google, OnePlus and LG who don’t have their own chips were left at the mercy of Qualcomm. In case something like that happens again, Xiaomi will have its Pinecone chip to fall back too.

Another case is the chips used for new products like smartwatches. LG and Google’s Android Wear 2.0 watch, the LG Watch Sport uses a Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 2100 SOC. Reviews say the battery life and performance is poor and the chip is the likely culprit. The processor is built on a 28nm process which Qualcomm last used in phones released in 2013. It’s not like Qualcomm can’t manufacture a better chip but there is a probability that the company still doesn’t see the market as profitable, hence its lack of investment.

The Samsung Gear S3 smartwatch on the other hand uses a 16nm Exynos chip and the same applies to Apple’s Watch Series 2 which uses a custom 16nm Apple S2 chip. Both devices perform better, are smaller in size and offer superior battery life. If Xiaomi decides to expand its wearable line beyond its partnership with Huami, a custom chip built on a more-recent fabrication node will be better than what Qualcomm currently offers.

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Xiaomi Phones Costlier in Indonesia: Redmi 4A is $113

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Feb 11, 2017

Xiaomi is currently expanding its footprint across the globe. Following its entry into India, the next port of call is Indonesia. The smartphone giant has established an assembly factory on the island of Batam. The factory currently has a capacity to assemble more than 100,000 phones per month.

You might think that since the phones are assembled in Indonesia, they should be priced less or equal to that of China. Sadly, that is not the case. The Redmi 4A is the device currently assembled by the factory. It is priced at 1.49 million Indonesian Rupiah which is roughly ¥770 (~$113). The Redmi 4A sells for ¥599 (~$87) on Xiaomi’s official website, though you will find it selling for a slightly higher-price on third-party sites.

The decision to assemble devices in Indonesia comes as part of a new condition put in place by the government. The requirement is that 4G LTE smartphones sold in the country by foreign manufacturers must be made up of 30% local content. It is said that assembly, packaging, design, software, and R&D investment counts as part of the percentage. Xiaomi’s decision was to assemble its phones while Apple made a $44 million investment in R&D.

The Redmi 4A has a 5-inch 720p display, 2GB RAM, 16GB ROM and a Snapdragon 425 SoC. There is a 13MP sensor at the back and a 5MP shooter up front. Xiaomi ships the phone with a 3120mAh battery and MIUI 8 based on Android Marshmallow. The device has dual SIM slots (nano + micro) with SIM 2 doubling as a microSD card slot. The Redmi 4A will be sold by Erafone, Xiaomi’s retail partner in the country.

(Source: 1, 2)

Only The High-End Meizu M5S will Have Fast Charging

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Feb 11, 2017

The Meizu M5S is generating a lot of buzz with its fast charging feature. The mid-range device is set to launch on the 15th of February and judging from the teaser image released by Meizu, the device should launch with fast charging technology. The official invitation for the event also includes a 9V/2A charging adapter, further confirming the feature.

However, earlier this week a Weibo user posted pictures of the device and the included charger which surprisingly is a 5V/2A (10W) adapter. The conclusion was that it doesn’t have fast charging. But we all know there are fast chargers with that same power rating, so the assumption was that it was just a slower form of fast charging. Upon testing the charger, he was able to get 10% charge in a span of 10 minutes which sadly is slow, ruling out the case of it being a fast charger.

So how come the invitation has a 9V/2A charger and the phone doesn’t ship with one? It turns out that there are two variants of the Meizu M5S and the higher-end variant is the one with the fast charger.

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FENwatch Review – A Blend of Chinese Culture and Technology

By

Linus

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Feb 11, 2017

The market is full of watches and smartwatches but most of them look similar. The FENwatch aims to bring something different to the crowd. It is a hand-made watch that has a live Kickstarter campaign, so make sure you check it out.

UNBOXING

The watch comes in a pretty simple yet neat packaging.

DESIGN

The FENwatch aims to bring something new to the watch market by producing the world’s first porcelain watch. In fact, it uses the classic blue and white colours that are usually associated with the Chinese porcelain goods like premium plates etc.

In addition, the watch uses a great combination of Swiss movement and smart technologies, so the battery is said to last up to 365 days, which is a great feature to have considering a short battery life of today’s smartwatches. Also, the watch uses the K1 glass with sapphire coating.

The watch uses a stainless steel housing that helps assure the water resistance of up 50m under water.

The strap is made of high-quality lamb leather, which is nice to the touch.

On the side, we have a multifunctional button that allows you to pair the watch with your smartphone via the Bluetooth and select from different fitness-related features.

FEATURES and FUNCTIONALITY

The main features of the watch include your movement data with the help of step tracker, monitors your sleep patterns and provides exercise tips to help you improve your health. Also, there is a UV index level sensor, remote shutter, call alert, call reject, phone locator services and so on. All those features can be managed with the help of the app, which is compatible with both Android and iOS.

Even though the watch is mainly designed for the female users, I was the only one in our review labs to test the comfort of the watch. It is comfortable to wear and it did not irritate my skin after wearing the watch for a couple of days.

CONCLUSIONS

The FENwatch aims to be different and it succeeds in quite a few ways. Indeed, it is the world’s first watch that is hand-made from the porcelain. The design language aims to depict the traditional Chinese culture and the watch has a great overall build quality.

You can get the FENtwatch at the discounted rates if you pre-order it via the Kickstarter campaign, which still has 8 days to go.

Check out the FENwatch’s Kickstarter campaign