Meizu today held a 2017 New Year media event in Beijing, where the company shared the statistics relating to the company’s performance last year. The most shocking of the data revealed is perhaps the news that the company achieved a total of 22 million units in smartphone sales last year.
Of this figure, overseas sales accounted for about 2 million units and these include sales in Eastern Europe where the Meizu brand seems to be popular. The company also disclosed that smartphone sales exceeded 4 million yuan a day. Last year’s double 11 sales record also was awesome, with Meizu phone sales exceeding 1.1 million units.
The company has however decided to reduce the number of news conferences it would hold this year. Instead, smartphones may sometimes be launched using live streaming events, apparently to cut cost. We’re sure no one saw this coming but if the company can achieve such feat, then their avalanche of smartphone releases each year wasn’t wasteful.
The LG G6 is already taking form in our minds with the string of leaks coming out lately. We already know that it won’t be modular, thanks to an interview by an executive of the company. We also know it will not have a removable battery. New detail revealed says the flagship will sport a display with an aspect ratio of 18:9.
The info comes from LG Display who announced today in South Korea a new phone display with Quad HD+ resolution (1440 x 2880). It also confirmed that the new display will make its way into LG’s next flagship, the LG G6.
LG G6 Render
The display is 5.7-inches and has a pixel density of 564 ppi and its unique aspect ratio will allow for an ”immersive viewing experience”. I can already imagine pairing the phone with the new LG Tone Studio Wearable Speaker.
The new display will also enhance the split-screen multi-tasking feature of Android Nougat.
ASUS released a new Zenfone Zoom over a year after the last model. The new phone called Zenfone 3 Zoom ZE553KL was announced at this year’s CES with a new design that looks like that of the iPhone 7 Plus.
During the launch, ASUS didn’t reveal a lot of details about the new phone especially the price. Yesterday at the launch of the new Pegasus 3S in Taiwan, the pricing for the Zoom 3 was revealed.
The Zenfone 3 Zoom will be available in three storage variants: a 128GB version, a 64GB version and a 32GB variant. Sadly, only the price of the 128GB version was released. The Zenfone 3 Zoom 128GB will cost ¥3699 (~$534), so the 64GB and 32GB version will definitely cost less.
There is no arguing about the fact that the Zenfone 3 Zoom will be priced higher when it launches in North America and Europe.
LeEco has joined the league of action camera manufacturers. The company just released it’s first action camera called the Liveman C1. It can be seen that LeEco is clearly on the heels of its Chinese rival, Xiaomi.
The Liveman C1 enters the action camera market as an alternative to Xiaomi’s (Yi) and GoPro’s action cams. The new camera can record 4K videos at 30fps via its 16MP sensor. The LIveman C1 has a g-sensor, a 140° field-of-view and a 1.8-inch touchscreen. You also get Wi-Fi, a SD card slot, a HDMI port and a 1050mAh battery.
Although the Liveman C1 is not waterproof, LeEco bundles it with a waterproof case that lets you shoot videos up to 40m under water. The box also contains 2 self-adhesive mounts, a USB cable for charging and a number of extensions.
Last year ZUK, which is a Lenovo-backed company, released a rather compelling Z2 model, which had some pretty powerful internals and a nice design. Right now the prices have dropped significantly and you can get it for just $185.89 from lightinthebox.com, which sound like a pretty good deal.
ZUK Z2 is a rather compact phone, which uses a very high quality and sturdy metal frame around the device. I lovethe fact that all the buttons and a dual SIM card tray are on the right and all other stuff is on the bottom. Thus, other sides of the phone look clean.
Also, we have Gorilla Glass 4 on the front and rear. A great thing is that the phone has some sort of anti-fingerprint coating and it does its job very well.
The ZUK Z2 is one of the rare phones that has just a 5″ display (1080p resolution). It’s worth mentioning that it is covered with the Gorilla Glass 3 for scratch resistance.
ZUK Z2 sports some powerful internals that includes a Snapdragon 820 chip, 4GB of RAM and 64GB of on-board storage without the microSD card slot. Sure, there are some slightly more powerful smartphones out there but this combo of specs can handle anything you throw at this phone, whether it would graphically demanding 3D games or just scrolling through the user interface.
You can now get the ZUK Z2 for just $185.89 from lightinthebox.com, which sound like a pretty good deal, considering the overall package it offers. In fact, the ZUK Z2 is definitely one of the most powerful phones you can get at this price point.
Just a few weeks after we got wind that the Xiaomi Redmi 4X was in the works, leaked details have also revealed the existence of a new Xiaomi model, most likely a new version of the Redmi Note 4 smartphone. This Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 could be a Snapdragon-powered version of the Redmi Note 4 that was released in August 2016.
The new Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 is said to have appeared on the US FCC website where it received certification. The certification website reveals a basic image of the device, which is similar to the Redmi Note 4. According to the information, the Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 will sport a 5.5-inch display with a rear fingerprint sensor. The device will also pack a large 4,000mAh battery under its hood with 5v, 2A charging support but no fast charging technology.
The phone could come with a Snapdragon chip like Snapdragon 652. However, at this moment, the specs of this particular are not very clear.
Xiaomi’s Redmi series have a trademark of being thousand yuan smartphones with studded features. The Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 came as a successor to the highly successful Redmi Note 3 which dominated the domestic thousand yuan smartphone category in China back then, but the Redmi Note 4 was unable to match the success of the Redmi Note 3. Perhaps the new Redmi Note 4 version can re-capture the thousand yuan smartphone category for Xiaomi. It is not known when the device will be released, but popping up at FCC perhaps indicate a release outside China. The device may likely be launched at the MWC 2017.
The Mi 6 is undoubtedly the next big thing expected from China’s Apple, Xiaomi and as rumored, the device might be launched in February. As the date draws nearer, more and more leaks are emerging out of the blues. The latest rumors surround the Mi 6’s versions and specifications. According to an online source, the Xiaomi Mi 6 will come in two versions, one with a flat display and another one with a curved screen display. Both versions are said to be equipped with the flagship Snapdragon 835 processor but neither of them will have dual-lens cameras at the rear.
Further, the leak source also reveal that the flat screen version of the Mi 6 would have just 4GB of RAM inside while the curved screen version will be topnotch, with 6GB of RAM which places it as the high-end version among the lot. The leakster also gifted us the likely price tags of the Mi 6, stating that the flat screen model with 4GB of RAM would come in at 1999 yuan, while the curved screen model with 6GB of RAM will retail for 2,499 yuan, 500 yuan higher.
Before this latest leak, an industry analyst had revealed that the Mi 6 trial production is expected to begin this month. He also disclosed that the device is expected with a dual-curved screen on both sides with a front fingerprint sensor that isn’t an ultrasonic one. There is also likely to be a 4,000mAh built-in battery crammed inside, with support for Qualcomm Quick Charge 4.0 fast charging technology. The device is also said to use the latest LPDDR4x memory chip with support for UFS2.1 standard.
There has been news about Verizon acquiring Yahoo. The deal appears to be progressing but not all parts will be sold to the network carrier. The remaining part of the company not being sold off will now be called Altaba Inc.
Yahoo has a 15% stake in Alibaba and a 35.5% stake in Yahoo Japan. Both assets will stand alone as an investment company under the name Altaba Inc. while Verizon takes over the rest. Altaba was nicknamed Remain Co before. There are reports that only the investment part of the brand will be called Altaba and the main company will still be called Yahoo. But we will have to wait for an official company statement for clarification.
The move will see Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer step down and may take on a new unannounced role when the company joins Verizon. Five of the current board members will remain at Altaba while the rest will step down too.
The name change was seen in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The filing is an indication that Verizon is still interested in the company. Last year, Yahoo suffered security breaches that affected more than a billion users.
Huawei is looking to consolidate on the success it recorded last year and they started off the year by staging an appearance at CES 2017. Now, attention is shifting to the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2017 slated for February in Barcelona, Spain. Huawei P10 is tipped as one of the major highlights that would pop up during the congress and as it draws nearer, more leaks are emerging surrounding the flagship.
Recently, high-definition renders of the Huawei P10 were leaked online and along the process some key specs of the device also leaked as well. When compared to a few leaked images said to be of the P10 we had seen before, these high-definition renders reveal a more sleek looking design with refined and well-trimmed design. The edges look well-designed, same for the display as well as the back where there is a dual-lens camera setup and a fingerprint scanner. The display is curved and just under it lies an elliptical-shaped home button.
On the specs angle, the Huawei P10 is listed as having a 5.5-inch QHD AMOLED display and is powered by an Hisilicon Kirin 960 chipset with an octa-core processor clocked at 2.3GHz. It will be powered by a Mali G71 GPU. Also listed as coming with the P10 is 6GB of RAM sn 256GB of storage. There may likely be more than one storage versions, with this one being the topmost. The P10 will also feature a dual edge design, along with a metal fuselage.
In addition, the Huawei P10 had earlier been rumored as coming with an artificial intelligence (AI) technology, and would continue the Leica dual-lens camera design. The device is also said to support wireless charging and will have an IP68 waterproof and dustproof level.
Traditionally, the P10 should launch in April but there rumors that it would be unveiled at MWC, 2017. Perhaps it gets announced at the Mobile congress, we might still have to wait till April before it will start shipping.
Motorola, a Lenovo owned company, is rumored to be working on Moto G5 Plus. Its full specs and photos have surfaced as its prototype is available for purchase on online marketplace in Romania.
Moto G4 and Moto G4 Plus was announced in May 2016. It seems that the company may launch successor models, Moto G5 and Moto G5 Plus soon as a prototype of G5 Plus has been spotted on sale OLX (online marketplace like Craiglist) in Romania.
The seller on OLX Romania is selling the alleged Moto G5 Plus with model number XT1685. The listing of the smartphone on OLX has been taken down. However, its entire specifications, photos and pricing have been shared on Reddit.
In the leaked photos, the device has “Motorola confidential property, not for sale” mark on its chin. Hence, the seller did not reveal any information on from where he obtained the Moto G5 Plus.
Moto G5 Plus Specifications
Moto G5 Plus will be allegedly sporting a 5.5-inch full HD display. The OLX Romania listing revealed that it will be driven by Snapdragon 625 chipset along with 4 GB of RAM.
Its native storage is rumored as 32 GB and it will deliver Android 7.0 Nougat out-of-the-box experience. It is rumored to include a 13-megapixel rear camera and a 5-megapixel frontal camera.
The Moto G5 Plus is expected to include a 3,080 mAh battery and it features a front-facing fingerprint scanner.
The seller has revealed that the smartphone would go on sale officially in March. Hence, it is likely that the smartphone would be unveiled to the world at the MWC (Mobile World Congress) 2017 that is expected to be held next month.
On OLX Romania, it was being sold without accessories with a pricing of RON 1,650 ($389). Lenovo has not revealed any information on the successor models for Moto G4 and G4 Plus.
The Moto G5 Plus photos seems to resemble the recently leaked renders of the Moto X (2017). It is likely that these two may be different smartphones but sport the same design with different features. The smartphone in the photos do appear real. However, if the Moto G5 Plus is pegged to launch in March, more details are expected to surface in the coming weeks.
Gaming PC manufacturing company, Razer, exhibited some very cool devices at the just concluded Consumer Electronic Show in Las Vegas. One of its products called Project Valerie is the world’s first laptop with triple (4K) displays that caught the eye of several attendees. Sadly, two Project Valerie prototypes were stolen at the event.
The CEO of the company, Min-Liang Tan announced the theft on Facebook. The prototypes were stolen at Razer’s CES press room at about 1600hrs on Sunday, January 8, 2017. In his initial Facebook post, the products stolen were not identified but now he has confirmed that they are actually the Valerie laptop. .
Mr. Tan says he is not ruling out industrial espionage in this case as that is seen as cheating and the company does not tolerate that. He says the penalty for the crime is grievous and considers the person who stole the prototypes as not being smart.
Razer is offering a $25,000 (~¥173,370) reward to anyone who has information that will help them identify and catch the culprit. The company says the weight of the information provided will determine if the informant gets any reward and how much they get. Hence, Razer says it may only pay a portion of the reward offered. Any information regarding the theft should be sent to [email protected]. The reward offer is good for one year starting from the date announced unless the company decides to extend it.
HTC’s revenue is dipping rapidly. In December 2016, the Taiwanese company met with a 16.4 percent month-on-month and 1.7 percent year-on-year decline.
The total revenue generated by HTC for the entire year of 2016 is NT$78.16 billion. This number is not impressive as it is 35 percent dip compared to the revenue generated by the company in 2015. Moreover, it is the worst annual figure in the past 11 years. The highest annual figure it generated was in 2011 when it earned NT$465.7 billion.
HTC has reached NT$22.2 billion revenue in the last quarter of 2016. In the third quarter, the company announced a net decline of NT$2.18 per share when the generated revenue was almost same it recorded in the fourth quarter.
In the last quarter of 2016, HTC is expected to continue to record losses. If it happens, it will the seventh consecutive quarterly loss for the company.
The poor sales record of HTC shows that the HTC 10 that was well-received by critics and audience did not help in improving its revenue. The company even manufactured the Google Pixel and Pixel XL smartphones. Even though the Pixel smartphones are sold as Google products and not as HTC devices, the Taiwanese firm did generate some revenue for it but even that has not helped in bettering its revenue.
HTC has couple of smartphones up it sleeves that can help the company to record better sales. On Jan. 12, it is expected to unveiling a stylus totting HTC U Ultra phablet and its smaller sibling, HTC U Play. Both the smartphones will not be featuring the standard 3.5mm audio jack. The HTC U Ultra is expected to feature a 6-inch display whereas the U Play may arrive with a 5.2-inch screen.
HTC One X10, an upgraded version for last year’s HTC One X9. It is expected to be a midrange device with features like 5.5-inch full HD screen and an octa-core MediaTek SoC. It is also rumored to be working on HTC Vive smartphone.
HTC’s next flagship, the HTC 11 that is slated to replace HTC 10 from 2016 is also under the wraps. It is rumored to get unleashed in the first quarter of 2017 with features like 5.5-inch quad HD display and Snapdragon 835.
The forthcoming smartphones do appear promising. Only time will tell whether these devices help in recording better revenue this year.
AnTuTu’s list of the top 10 smartphones that offer best value in terms of price when compared to the performance for December 2016 is out. If you are planning to shop for a new budget smartphone, you just might want to take a look at this list because it might be helpful.
The list shows the Lenovo ZUK Z2 still topping the chart. That really isn’t surprising as The ZUK Z2 offers great value for just 1190 yuan ($171) for the 3GB + 32GB version. The device packs a Snapdragon 820 flagship chip and a decent 3500mAh battery, a 5-inch IPS display with FHD resolution.The device also packs a 13MP main camera and features support for fingerprint recognition.
Next in line is the Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 which packs a 2GB + 16GB combo and is priced at just 799 yuan ($115). The Xiaomi Mi 4C is another decent buy at just 699 yuan ($100). Another Xiaomi smartphone makes it into the top four this December priced at 899 yuan ($129). Of the three Xiaomi smartphones, the Redmi Note 4 released mid-2016 is the one with the highest performance, though.
The rest of the list is made up of the LeEco Le 2 999 yuan ($144), Le Pro 3 with a price tag of 1799 yuan ($259) and then another LeEco smartphone makes the cut – the Le Max 2 with a 1599 yuan ($230) price tag. The Le Pro 3 is the latest and most powerful in terms of performance among the three LeEco smartphones on the list. The 360 N4 with a price tag of 999 yuan ($144) as well as the Meizu Metal – 699 yuan ($100) and Xiaomi Mi 5S – 1899 yuan ($273) completes the list.
Just so we’d be clear, AnTuTu based its top 10 ranking on just the device’s AnTuTu benchmark data and the price. Other indices like design, quality of build and photo quality, and other physical factors were not considered.
LeEco had a rough year in 2016. The issue with the Chinese company doesn’t have to do with its phones but rather is a matter of its financial health. The company’s money troubles started after its US launch and became public when an internal letter from the CEO stating that the company was facing a cash crunch leaked. It appears tings are still not well at the company as one of its vendors just sued it.
Zhejiang Haosheng Electronic Technology (Haosheng) is the Chinese vendor that supplies LeEco with the speakers it uses in its smartphones and it is suing the company over its unpaid bills which totals ¥51.74 million. The dispute is being resolved outside the courtroom with the Shanghai International Economic &Trade Arbitration Commission.
Haosheng says they signed a contract with LeEco in November to supply speakers on the agreement that a payment of ¥11.02 million and $5.93 million (¥41.12 million) will be paid in 9 installments with a 6% annual interest rate. LeEco however missed the payment of its first installment last December.
Haosheng isn’t the only company LeEco currently owes. AAC Technologies Holdings, Taiwan’s Truly International Holdings and Compal Electronics have disclosed to the public the debts owed by LeEco’s subsidiaries says a report published on thepaper.cn.
Xiaomi released the Redmi Note 4 last August and is available in multiple RAM and processor variants. Four months later, another model called the Redmi Note 4X was seen on TENAA.
The Redmi Note 4X is said to be a beefed up version of the Redmi Note 4 and will sport the new Snapdragon 653 processor. While awaiting its official release, leaked photos of what is said to be the Redmi Note 4X have surfaced online but these pictures have us wondering if it is really the Note 4X or a different phone entirely.
The images were posted on Weibo by @kjuma and show the front and back of the device. There is no doubt that this is a Xiaomi Redmi phone as it shares design similarities with the new Redmi 4/Note 4. The front of the phone has a physical home button which definitely doubles as a fingerprint scanner, just like it is on the dual-camera Redmi Pro. At the top you have the usual sensor, speaker, and front facing camera.
On the rear of the phone, there is an antenna line and directly below it is the rear camera and LED flash. At the bottom is the Xiaomi Mi logo and another antenna line.
These images are confusing because the ones seen on TENAA (above) show a phone with a rear mounted fingerprint scanner and also doesn’t sport a physical home button.
Nokia was at one time the favorite of not a few globally, many of whom are still endeared to the brand long after its long hiatus from the mainstream mobile phone market. Retrospectively, earlier Nokia phones don’t really tickle because of their sleek look but more especially because of their rugged, durable body build. They come so rugged that there have been reports of Nokia phones stopping a bullet from piecing the holder. If you are wondering if the Nokia 6 is as durable as earlier phones, here is the answer.
With the release of the Nokia 6, Nokia has stated via its official Weibo page, that the mid-range device features a military grade body which can withstand a wide range of extreme condition. Conditions the device is touted as capable of withstanding include extreme temperature, high humidity, snow, water etc, according to the Weibo post.
Nokia phone’s build quality has always been top of the pack and Nokia under HMD Global Oy, is looking to maintain that high standard. Even under Microsoft, the Nokia Lumia still maintained the tradition as can be seen from the Nokia Lumia 900 whose stress tests video is featured at the end of this article.
The pocket-friendly Nokia 6 is likely going to go on sale during the Chinese spring festival which is coming up later this month. It carries a price of 1699 yuan ($245 USD), which we had felt was on the high side. However, with these features it just might be worth that price.
Even if you are not a Xiaomi fan, you should recognize it’s Mi Bunny mascot. The Mi Bunny has now evolved from being a mascot to being a smart assistant speaker named Kuri.
Kuri was released at this year’s edition of CES which has seen a lot of manufacturers including automobile makers debut products that have voice control or some sort of artificial intelligent assistant built-in.
The smart speaker works as a kids’ companion that reads stories out loud to them and helps them develop their speech and social interaction. Xiaomi says it can read from a database of 10,000 different books. In addition to that, you can also use it send and read messages on the WeChat messaging app and use it to access Xiaomi’s voice assistant.
When you talk to Kuri it’s ears lights up, and while it’s facial expression is sort of fixed it is welcoming and will be loved by kids. Kuri gets better at speech recognition as interactions become more frequent and you can also pair it with the Kuri companion app.
Apple released only one tablet last year, the iPad Pro 9.7. Almost a year later, they are set to release not one but three new models. The news comes from Mr Ming-Chi Kuo, an analyst at KGI Securities who is known for his track record of come-true apple rumors.
According to him, Apple is working on an updated 12.9-inch model; a 10.5-inch version with a narrow bezel; and a lower-priced 9.7-inch model. The first two models are expected to be powered by the A10X SoC which is a more powerful variant of last year’s A10 found in the iPhone 7 while the lower-priced 9.7-inch iPad will use a modified version of the A9 chip present in the iPhone 6s. All three models are said to launch in the second quarter of the year.
Although overall shipments have reduced by 10% each year, Mr Kuo believes that the newer iPads will have better average selling prices which will in turn boost revenue with the 9.7-inch model representing more than 60% of this year’s shipments.
A new report emanating from South Korea has revelaed that Samsung has set a sales target of 60 million units for the expected Galaxy S8 flagship. According to the source, the market leader has instructed its partners to supply parts based on the 60 million units figure that has been set.
This figure raises the bar for the tech giant as it far out-paces the Galaxy S7 with an estimated shipment of 48 million. The 2015 flagship-Samsung Galaxy S6 also only managed a total of 45 million units in shipments, same for the 2014 Galaxy S5. Only Samsung’s estimated sales in 2012 (65 million units) and 2013 (70 million units) surpassed this figure.
This latest rumor further lends credence to rumors of a shift in the Galaxy S8’s launch date from March, as the company would sure need some time to build up its stock to ensure adequate supplies.
Huawei‘s senior VP Richard Yu, also known as Yu Chengdong had revealed last week that Huawei’s shipment for 2016 did hit the 140 million mark and even surpassed it. The VP also hinted that the Huawei P9 contributed to this figure by pulling a total of 10 million units, a figure considered a milestone for a flagship device.
Mr Yu, while speaking recently at CES 2017, hinted that the company is preparing to release much more better products and they would fall this spring. The VP also went on to revealed some details of the upcoming products which he named as the Huawei P10 and P10 Plus. Both flagships will feature Amazon Voice Assistant – Alexa and is said to also support Google DayDream platform, just like the Mate 9 US version. The P10 flagship is also revealed by Mr Yu as coming with an artificial intelligence technology.
The Huawei P10 is also rumored to feature a 5.5-inch 2K display and will be powered by a Kirin 960 chip supported by a 4GB / 6GB RAM. The device is rumored to have seen some improvements in its cameras from the P9 which would improve its performance in low light conditions. There are rumors of a shift in the traditional April launch date forward to March towards the end of the MWC, 2017.
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