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Huawei Honor Magic: What To Expect At Tomorrow’s Big Event

Huawei has carved out a brand synonymous with quality and premium price tag. It’s a Chinese brand that is now competing with the likes of the top players like Samsung and Apple. So, when it was Xiaomi that actually managed to release a super awesome concept smartphone, the Xiaomi Mi Mix, it was indeed surprising for many. Of course, Huawei does have the mighty Huawei Mate 9 Porsche Edition, but we all know that it isn’t really the best that a company like Huawei can offer, especially considering its extravagant pricing.

This is where the Huawei Honor Magic comes into the picture. The name itself denotes that there is some magic in the phone, but what exactly can we expect on this mysterious magical device? Let’s find out.

First of all, before we go into the specs and design (based on previous rumors and comments from analysts), we should first understand why Huawei is using the Honor brand for the device. It could have simply called it the Huawei Magic and it would have still sounded interesting. But there’s something more at play here and it is said that Huawei actually wants to remove the budget tag that’s asssociated with the Honor brand name. So, releasing a flagship concept phone such as the “Magic” under it’s sub brand would definitely transform the way customers look at the brand.

Huawei Honor Magic

 

DESIGN

The Huawei Magic is said to be a very unique flagship. It has to have something special to be called as a concept phone and it is said that the phone could come with four curved display (instead of the traditional dual curved display). So, the display will be curved not only on the two regular sides, but also on the top and bottom. It would really make for a symmetrical design and I am excited to see how Huawei brings this design into reality.

There are reports about the phone having no physical buttons to spoil the design, not even a physically visible camera, but these are just rumors and we are not so sure about it. Only tomorrow will we come to know for sure.

Honor Magic Design

One good news for compact smartphone lovers is the display size. According to Pan Jiutang, who revealed that he got to play with the device recently, the Honor Magic will have a compact smartphone display that won’t be more than 5.5-inches. Given that the Xiaomi Mi Mix has a massive 6-inch+ display, this is definitely going to be a more compact option for customers. There’s a rumor about a 5-inch display with 2K resolution, which would give it some serious pixel density.

Unfortunately, we are not so sure about the body of the Honor Magic. It could be metal or even premium ceramic, but at the moment, there’s no specific news in this regard.

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honor-magic-phone-render

HARDWARE

 

If you are expecting the Honor Magic to feature the latest specs in the market, you could be disappointed. Analysts reveal that the development cycle of the Honor Magic was really long which means the phone could feature specs that are a generation old. So, we could see a processor like the Kirin 950 or 955 on the device, rather than the latest and greatest Kirin 960. The RAM is said to be just 4GB with 64GB storage and there could be dual 12MP cameras on the back as well as the front.

But there’s more.

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previously leaked Honor Magic Phone

For example, the Huawei Honor Magic is said to feature an ultra fast charging technology that will blow everyone else away. The battery is said to be of 2900mAh and reports say that the phone can charge from 0 to 48% in just 5 minutes, all thanks to its 40W charging! That would be amazing for sure!

There are even reports about a possibility of Iris Recognition onboard.

honor magic os

Further, there are some interesting things being said about the software. First of all, it is said that the Honor Magic will have an independent OS, that will support Android apps. Pan Jiutang was kind enough to say he was surprised by the software on the device, but he didn’t divulge more details. Another analyst said that the OS is still going to be Android. But it is said that the UI will be similar to Apple’s iOS and that this OS will be 50% more efficient as compared Huawei’s traditional EMUI software.

Xiaomi was one of the first to actually bring a concept smartphone to life with its Xiaomi Mi Mix, but it probably won’t be fair to compare these two directly. First of all, the pricing of the Huawei Honor Magic is said to be in the super premium category, so it won’t be affordable to most of us. But that’s expected, cause this is Huawei we are talking about here! I just hope that it’s no way near to the extravagant price the Mate 9 Porsche Design asks.

 

The Huawei Honor Magic will be revealed by the company at 3 O’Clock Beijing time this Friday. Stay tuned to Gizmochina for the latest coverage of the device.

The Days of Phone Numbers are Numbered Following The Popularity of Communication Apps Says Analyst

Following the popularity of communication apps such as Whatsapp, Facebook Messenger, Hangouts, Duo, Skype, and FaceTime, which all allow users to call their contacts without leaving the app, the percentage of traditional calls have tanked. An analyst at Oppenheimer, Tim Horan thinks that by the time more players get into the space of app-based voice communication, people might not need regular phone numbers anymore.

Communication Apps

Horan believes that the emergence of more players will see phone numbers replaced by profiles and names as already offered by apps like Skype and Facebook Messenger. This development will lead telecommunication companies to start offering packages that bundle voice, messaging, and video for their business customers.

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READ MORE: Synaptics Announces Its Own Under-Glass Fingerprint Scanner

Again White Lenovo ZUK Edge Render Leaks Ahead of Launch

Ahead of its December 20 launch, yet another render of the Lenovo ZUK Edge has leaked revealing both the front and rear views of the sleek device. The image is that of the white-colored variant of the ZUK Edge. The device is likely to come in white and all black variants.

lenovo zuk edge

The ZUK Edge, it could be recalled, was initially thought to be unveiled on December 7 but that didn’t happen and now a new poster pointing at a December 20 launch was spotted online. The Edge looks very much like the Xiaomi Mi Mix and could be termed Lenovo’s response to Xiaomi’s concept phone. It utilizes a design that sees the display occupying almost the entire screen. There are also ultra-narrow bezels at the sides.

Read More: The ZUK Edge will Launch on December 20

Specs wise,  the Lenovo ZUK Edge features a 5.5-inch 1080p display and is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 processor backed by 4GB of RAM. There will also be 64GB of internal storage as well as a 3,000mAh built-in battery with fast charging support onboard the flagship. In addition, the device is touted to come with USB Type-C interface, an 8MP front camera, 13MP rear camera, running Android Nougat and many other cool features.

OPPO UDP-203 is an Ultra HD Blu-Ray Player That Only Plays Physical Discs

OPPO phones might not be popular in North America but they are known for their other products such as Blu-ray players, headphones, and amplifiers. OPPO Digital is the company that makes the above mentioned items. Founded in 2004 and based in California, USA,  it is an independently operated division of the OPPO brand. The company just released it’s first Ultra-HD Blu-ray player called the UDP-203 which only plays physical discs.

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Some devices that support Ultra-HD playback, 4K for now, can do so either via streaming apps (Netflix and Amazon) or through physical discs or even both ways like the Xbox One S. The OPPO UDP-203 belongs to the class that only plays discs.

Apart from UHD discs, the player supports Blu-ray 3D, DVD, audio DVDs, audio CDs, and audio Super CDs.  According to the official website, in addition to suporting Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio formats, the OPPO UDP-203 also supports bitstreaming Dolby Atmos and DTS:X which are new formats that add overhead sound-effects to create a greater impression of 3D-dimensionality. OPPO has also promised that a software update next year will bring support for Dolby Vision HDR.

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For connectivity, the UDP-203 has two HDMI output ports (one of which is for audio only) and one HDMI input port. You also get two USB 3.0 ports, a LAN port and a RS232 port as well.

READ MORE: Qualcomm Official Confirms OPPO Find 9 Won’t Launch March 2017

Amazon’s Prime Air Delivers Its First Package

Back in 2013, Amazon CEO, Jeff Bezos announced that the e-commerce giant was going to begin testing a drone delivery service which would later be known as Amazon Prime Air. Three years later, the company has carried out its first drone delivery and it was nothing short of a success.

The test took place on the 7th of December, not in Amazon’s home country but  in the UK. Outside the university of Cambridge to be precise and close to Amazon’s drone testing facility.

Before the first trial, Amazon had to get an approval from the British Civil Aviation Authority which has told Amazon it will allow it deliver to rural areas once it has sufficient safety data

The order in question was for an Amazon Fire TV and a bag of popcorn which weigh less than a kg/lbs combined and is a lot less than the 2.26kg/5lbs maximum order weight for a Prime Air delivery. The order was placed from a location close to the testing facility and the duration from order to delivery took nothing less than 13 minutes in total. Amazon says it plans to add more people who live within a few miles to the testing program which has already made 2 successful orders. These customers will not be asked to pay extra so far their locations fall within a 30-minute drone delivery time frame.

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It is important to state that Prime Air Deliveries will only be carried out during the day and will be subject to weather conditions such as rain, snow, fog and any other factor that might affect visibility and flight.

READ MORE: JJRC H37 ELFIE, The world’s Cheapest Foldable Drone Offer From TomTop

HTC Ocean Note Back Cover Leaked: Features a Stylus Slot, No 3.5mm Jack

The HTC Ocean is an upcoming concept phone from the Taiwanese company. It is expected to arrive in three versions: HTC Ocean Smart, HTC Ocean Note, and HTC Ocean Master. Today, several leaked photos of the protective case of HTC Ocean Note have surfaced which indicates that it will carry support for a stylus.

HTC Ocean Note Case Leaked Photos

The HTC Ocean series has been in rumors since September this year. Initial rumors had suggested that all the three Ocean smartphones would be futuristic phones that will not feature any physical buttons.

The new leaked images of Ocean Note case features holes for physical buttons and camera key. The shape of the provided hole on the bottom edge of the cover indicates it won’t feature a 3.5 mm audio jack, but it will come with a USB Type-C through which users will be able to connect headphones.

Besides the USB Type-C cut-out on the protective cover, there is another gap available which seems to a dedicated jack for inserting the stylus. Previous rumors have also claimed that the HTC Ocean Note could a stylus-totting variant among the HTC Ocean series smartphones. The Ocean Note is also expected to feature a larger screen in comparison to Ocean Smart and Ocean Master.

Here are the HTC Ocean Note case leaked photos:

HTC Ocean Note Case

HTC Ocean Note Case

HTC Ocean Note Case

HTC Ocean Note Case

HTC Ocean Note CaseHTC Ocean Note Case

All HTC Ocean phones were rumored to house dual cameras on their rear sides. However, the leaked photos of the protective sleeve indicate that the Ocean Note would be featuring a single rear camera with a dual LED flash.

RELATED: HTC 11 Code Named HTC Ocean — Specs, Leaks & More Details

One of the leaked photos suggests that HTC Ocean Note will be sporting a design that is quite like that of HTC 10. In fact, all three Ocean smartphones are rumored to design cues from HTC 10.

HTC Ocean Note Case

HTC Ocean Smart, Ocean Master

The Ocean Smart variant is expected to be a midrange model whereas the Ocean Master is rumored as a flagship device. It is speculated that Ocean Master will be lacking physical buttons.

In the absence of physical keys, the Sense Touch feature will allow users can touch certain areas on the metallic frame to carry out actions like increasing and decreasing volumes and snapping photos. The smartphone would be able to recognize various hand and finger actions like swipe and tap to perform different actions.

Speculations are rife that the HTC Ocean lineup will be announced at CES (Consumer Electronics Show) 2017 at the Las Vegas in January 2017.

(Source)

NO.1 G6 Smartwatch Review – A Lot of Value for $28!

No. 1 is a company that is known for producing really affordable products. I just came across the G6 smartwatch, which offers a lot of value for the price of just $28. Learn more in our review.

Thanks to Gearbest for sending the NO.1 G6 smartwatch for a review.

VIDEO REVIEW

[embedyt] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXq3nTVJzQA[/embedyt]

UNBOXING

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The watch ships with the USB cable, an extra strap and some paperwork.

DESIGN AND DISPLAY

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When it comes to the design, the watch is surprisingly well-made considering its low price. However, we have mainly plastic used in the construction.

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As far as comfort, the watch is pretty comfortable to wear on the daily basis, which does not happen with all cheap watches.

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The watch can work independently or connected to your phone via the Bluetooth.

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As for the display, it is not the sharpest out there but it is readable both indoors and outdoors.

You can select from a few watch faces or you can download a few more using the app. However, the watch has only 32MB of internal memory, so you can really download much stuff.

FEATURES, USER INTERFACE

You can navigate through the menus using the touchscreen or the side buttons.

The watch runs on the custom-made UI, which has quite a few features and settings to play with. Just to name a few, you can use the watch as a dialer or read SMS messages, control your phone’s camera, receive notifications from Facebook, Whatsapp etc. Both pedometer and heart rate monitor sensors are pretty accurate as I compared the results with the Xiaomi Mi Band 2.

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The watch has all other standard features as a sedentary reminder, alarm clock etc.

One of the cool features that work great is the lift to wake. It is really convenient in practice.

THE APP

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You can also sync your fitness data with the FundoWear app, which is also used for other cheap China smartwatches.

Within the app, you can check your steps counter, sleep and heart rate patterns, adjust a few settings and so on.

BATTERY LIFE

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As for battery life, I could get just 2 days out of this watch, which is just an average result.

CONCLUSIONS

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The No.1 G6 is a really capable cheap smartwatch as it has been working fine so far. It costs just $28 but you are getting quite a lot of features that are packed in a nicely-designed body. It’s definitely not the best smartwatch in general, but it is definitely one of the best in this price range.

Smartwatches at GearBest

13% OFF Coupon: GBCE 

LeEco LEX622 with Helio X20, 3GB RAM Listed on Geekbench

A recent Geekbench listing for a LeEco phone has been spotted. The device is listed as LeMobile LEX622 and has in its arsenal, a MediaTek Helio X20 chip and 3GB RAM as the main highlight.

leeco lex622

As usual, Geekbench listing doesn’t really reveal much about the specs of the device but the LEeco LeMobile LEX622 is also listed as running Android 6.0 Marshmallow. As stated earlier, the LEX622 is listed as powered by a 1.39GHz Mediatek’s Helio X20 chipset with deca-core processor and backed by 3GB of RAM.

Read More: The Snapdragon 652 LeEco Le 2 Gets a Price Cut, Now ¥899 ($130)

On the single core test, the device is listed to have polled a total of 1575 points while it score 5229 points in the multi-core test. Other details like launch and availability are still sketchy but as always we’ll keep you updated as more details unravel.

Huawei Honor Magic to Offer Surprises through its Customized Android OS, EMUI

Huawei will be holding a press conference this coming Friday to officially announce the Honor Magic flagship. The concept phone that is dubbed as Huawei Honor Magic is a “future phone” with bezel-less design. It is expected to deliver best software experience through its modified Android OS.

honor magic phone render
previously leaked Honor Magic Phone

Honor Magic to Deliver Unique Software Experience

There is no confirmation on whether it will be running on the latest Android 7.0 Nougat. However, the analyst has added that in the Honor Magic will carry a few surprises software department. New details suggest that it will be running on a new kind of software that will support Android apps.

Popular analyst, Kevin Wang has stated that the Huawei Honor Magic will be running on Android OS. It is likely that the Android OS will be heavily modified along with new features of EMUI.

Huawei Honor Magic

Huawei Honor Magic Design

According to well-known Weibo user, Mocha Rq, the Huawei Honor Magic could be the most controversial phone smartphone of 2016-17. One of the reasons behind it is that Honor Magic will be coming with a stunning design that features a display that is curved on all four edges.

The teaser images and leaked photos of the Honor Magic suggest that it won’t be featuring any physical buttons. The Huawei concept phone is expected to feature a waterproof chassis.

Previous rumors have suggested that it will be sporting 3D glass on its rear side. The Honor Magic has a slim design and it features a gold colored metallic frame.  Noted analyst, Pan Jiutang who has claimed to have used the device has praised Honor Magic for its wonderful design and hardware. In the recent past, he had stated that the Honor with its pocket-friendly design offers good grip.

Huawei Honor Magic

Huawei Honor Magic Specifications

Its 5-inch curved screen carries support for 2K resolution. Since it is a powered by Kirin 950 chipset and not the more powerful Kirin 960 SoC, it can be said that it won’t be a flagship smartphone. Using the old chipset is probably due to its long development period, wherein the chipset was finalized a while back. The chipset is said to be supported by 4GB of RAM.

Other expected features of Huawei Honor Magic include 12-megapixel dual front-facing and rear cameras. Other features include iris scanner, NFC, stylus support and a fingerprint reader embedded under the display. Its 2,900 mAh battery is rumored to support wireless charging and super fast charging.

Huawei Honor Magic Price

Jiutang had mentioned earlier on Weibo that the Huawei Honor Magic will be carry an expensive price tag. Recently, the smartphone was listed on JingDong online mall with a whooping price of 9999 RMB ($1442). But that’s probably not true and the final price should be much cheaper than the above figure.

Xiaomi Gifting 24K Golden Rabbit Awards To Employees Completing 5 years in the Company

Most large companies usually hold their staff get-together towards the end of the year which is a time for fun and merriment. It is also a time when awards are doled out to hardworking and dedicated staffs. In recent times tech companies have device exceptional ways of rewarding members of staff that have worked for years. Recently Huawei rewarded its loyal staffs with shares in the company running into millions of Yuan.

xiaomi

Xiaomi has also been revealed to have a package lined up for its staff who have spent 5 years in the company. This was disclosed by Xiaomi’s director of public relations Liu Fei via a Weibo post. The innovative Chinese startup will be rewarding loyal staffs who have spent five years in the company with a golden rabbit award (pictured).

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The picture of the awards the Xiaomi official shared shows that there are lots of awards to be given, an indication that a good number of the staffs have spent five years working at Xiaomi. Does that mean Xiaomi’s employees are happy with the company? That’s what it seems like.

xiaomi-golden-awardss

 

New MIUI Calculator with Enhanced Features Released

Xiaomi‘s MIUI officially announced recently that it would be releasing a separate MIUI calculator and true to that, MIUI today officially released a new calculator app for Xiaomi phones. The app is already available the popular domestic Android app store and can be downloaded by searching “Xiaomi Calculator”. Just head to this link (in Chinese) to download the new MIUI calculator.

miui calculation

A top Xiaomi official had in May this year talked about an upgrade to the calculator app which he said would bring in an expanded function and enhance the user experience with more operational convenience. The calculator app is different in lots of ways from the traditional calculator.

miui calculator

When the Xiaomi calculator is opened, the difference might not be too glaring but while using the calculator it all become bare. Calculations are displayed in a vertical direction as against the usual horizontal display of figures on the traditional calculator. Also, an error can be corrected so as to arrive at the correct result without wiping out all the inputted data, thus saving you the stress of starting afresh.

Read More: MIUI 8 Patch ROM Bringing MIUI 8 To Non-Xiaomi Phones Released

In addition, the new MIUI Calculator offer more complex calculations such as exchange rate conversion, mortgage calculation, personal income tax calculation etc. Since these types of calculations are not frequently in use they are accessed from a drop down sub-menu on the calculator main interface. It also saves you the stress of searching for a converter online before conversions can be done.

 

Unopened First Gen Apple Ipod Carries Hefty $200,000 Price on eBay

Apple first released its first iPod in 2001 and it has turned out to be one of its most successful product which propelled the US-based company as an innovative startup. The iPhone is equally another innovative gadget from Apple and recently a sealed-in-the-box first generation Apple iPhone was spotted with a hefty $22,000 price tag on eBay and now the Apple iPod, first gen of course, has been spotted listed as collector’s edition on eBay with a monstrous $200,000 price tag.

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The original Apple iPod was perhaps a glorified MP3 player, holding just 5GB of storage space and having a long lasting battery that can last for up to 10 hours. The device also carried a 2-inch monochrome display.

apple-ipod

We are thus bewildered why the device carries such huge price tag that even get the diehard, super rich Apple iPod fans sulking under their breath. That’s way more expensive than a house, man! Besides you can get that same original iPod on some other listing for 10% that amount or thereabout. The iPod would perhaps gather a great deal of dust on the owner’s shelf except we in 2050 when it would have turned to a true and rare artifact.

(via)

Gizmochina Giveaway – Win a Free PIPO W1 Pro Tablet

gizmochina giveaway

Gizmochina along with Banggood is conducting a PiPo W1 Pro Giveaway to gift a brand new device to one of our lucky readers. Like always, you just have to follow the steps mentioned on the Gleam widget to get a chance to win this amazing Windows tablet.

PIPO W1 pro is a 2 in 1 deformation of the design of digital products. In addition to being available as a tablet, you can also use a dedicated hard shell hinge keyboard t o form a mini-notebook computer. PIPO W1 pro also supports handwriting input, with the standard electromagnetic pen, allowing you to work handy. With a 10.1 inch IPS screen, the resolution up to 1920×1200 pixel.

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Just follow the steps mentioned in the Gleam widget to participate in the giveaway. Good luck!

Gizmochina Giveaway – Win A Free PIPO W1 Pro Windows Tablet

Samsung Galaxy S8 Might Be The first Phone To feature Bluetooth 5.0

The Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) was formed in 1998 as a non-profit group that oversees the development of Bluetooth standards and licensing of Bluetooth technologies. The group recently adopted Bluetooth 5.0 as the latest version of the technology. As it stands, the upcoming Galaxy S8 might be the first device to come with the new bluetooth version.

bluetooth-5-0-sig

First, what does Bluetooth 5.0 do differently from the previous Bluetooth 4.0 version?

According to the information on the Bluetooth website, Bluetooth 5.0 has quadruple the range and double the speed of Bluetooth 4.0. In addition to that, the capacity of connection-less data broadcasts have also been increased by up to 800%, which will change the way bluetooth devices transmit information. To explain how that will work, just imagine not having to download an app for a bluetooth device just because you need to use the device.

bluetooth 5.0

The increase in operation range will also allow users connect to IoT devices that extend beyond the walls of homes, therefore providing a more reliable Internet of Things connection.

READ MORE: Samsung galaxy S8 Will Only Have a Curved Variant

Beautiful Huawei Mate 9 Porsche Design in Real Photos

Huawei Mate 9 Porsche Design is a limited edition model from Huawei which was announced recently along side the Mate 9 and Mate 9 Pro. Huawei recently revealed the Mate 9 Porsche Design would go on sale along with the Mate 9 Pro in China on December 15 and ahead of the launch, beautiful images of the Huawei flagship have surfaced online, giving us a glimpse once more of the sleek design the smartphone features.

huawei Mate 9 Porsche design

The Huawei Mate 9 Porsche Design comes as a ready answer to fans who have been waiting for a Huawei phone with curved display. The device features a dual curved edge display similar to the Galaxy S7 Edge. he design is said to have been crafted by the popular Porsche Design studio and the display panel is made of AMOLED. The Mate 9 Porsche features a symmetrical design which sees it getting curved at the back as well. There is also the Porsche logo at the back of the device which is just 3mm thick.

huawei Mate 9 Porsche design

The smartphone comes with a fingerprint sensor which is embedded under the front home button. The Mate 9 Porsche also sports a 5.5-inch 2K display and is powered by the latest Kirin 960 chip. The device equally packs a mammoth 6GB RAm as well as 256GB storage. The camera is also the same setup as the regular version — 20MP + 12MP with Leica branding. Also, despite being smaller in size, the Mate 9 Porsche design battery is still 4000mAh.

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Read More: Camera Samples of Huawei Mate 9 Porsche Design

Beautifully designed and well studded smartphones don’t come cheap, neither does the Mate 9 Porsche come cheap. The device carries a 1,395 Euros price tag of the Porshe Design, which translates closely to $1547.  Still the device is expected to be a hot selling one when it goes on sale and remember it is a limited edition.

huawei Mate 9 Porsche designhuawei Mate 9 Porsche designhuawei Mate 9 Porsche designhuawei Mate 9 Porsche designhuawei Mate 9 Porsche designhuawei Mate 9 Porsche design

 

Xiaomi Hybrid Pro Earphones Review – The Best Cheap Earphones for under $25

We all know that the Xiaomi produces all sorts of gadgets and the earphones the company make are definitely one of the best for the price. I just came across the brand new Xiaomi Hybrid Pro earphones that are better than ever. Learn more in the full review.

VIDEO REVIEW

[embedyt] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_IbmA3OyMpY[/embedyt]

UNBOXING

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You will be pleasantly surprised that the earphones come in a really premium packaging. It comes in a plastic box and the earphones are wrapped very neatly around a high-quality rubber base. Also, you are getting 3 different sizes of earbuds, which is a really nice touch given a low price tag. Finally, you get a nice-looking travel pouch.

DESIGN

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As far as the design goes, the Hybrid Pro earphones are made almost entirely of metal and they just scream premium.

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Also, there are controls like volume up/down, play/pause and the microphone for a hands-free calling. I have to say that the quality of the mic and its noise cancelling ability is probably the best in this price range.

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Most of the cable is made of tangle free material and at the end of it, you can find a 3.5mm headset connector.

Xiaomi Pistons 3 Review: SOUND QUALITY

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As far as the sound quality, I’m pretty sure you will be blown away by it. To be honest, I’ve tested at least 5 different $25 earphones made by Sony, Phillips, JVC and so on and I can say that the Xiaomi Hybrid Pro are miles ahead.

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The sound is crisper, it has a lot more rich tones and depth in it. Also, I’m impressed with the amount of bass and the volume output they can produce.

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Honestly, if these were made by Sony, they would cost at least $80.

Xiaomi Pistons 3 Review: CONCLUSIONS

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So here it is, the Xiaomi Hybrid Pro earphones and I believe these could be the best earphones for under $26. They come in a premium packaging with a nice travel case, a premium-looking pouch and different sizes of earbuds.

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What is more important is that they have a great build quality, remote control with a mic, which works on 5 different smartphones I’ve tested.

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Finally, The sound quality is just amazing and as I told you, these are probably the best sounding earphones under $26.

HOT Headphones & Earphones Promo

Headphones & Earphones at GearBest

13% OFF Coupon: GBCE

Synaptics Announces Its Own Under-Glass Fingerprint Scanner

Synaptics isn’t a new name in the tech industry. Known mainly for building the technology behind the touchpad on your notebook PC, the company also has its hand in other pies. The company recently announced its new under-glass fingerprint scanner which works in a similar way to Qualcomm’s Ultrasonic fingerprint scanner present in the Xiaomi Mi 5s.

Synaptics new optical fingerprint sensor called the Fs9100 can scan fingerprints correctly when embedded under cover glass that is at most 1mm thick. Since your finger isn’t touching the scanner directly, it won’t matter if it is wet. The scanner will also be able to last longer since it is protected from scratches.

Synaptics Fingerprint Scanner

The Synaptics FS9100 sensor like Qualcomm’s Ultrasonic scanner does not require cutouts but like Xiaomi demonstrated with the Mi 5s, you might still need a kind of groove to help guide users to the area the fingerprint scanner covers especially when they are using their phone in the dark.

Apple and Samsung are two of the biggest names when it comes to smartphones and based on leaks, their next flagships are rumored to ditch the home button which also serves as the fingerprint scanner. If that happens, they will be settling for a new type of fingerprint sensors that can be hidden under the display. While Apple is probably working on its own technology, we can’t rule out the fact that they may look towards Synaptics for the sensors they need since both companies have worked together in the past.

READ MORE: iPhone 8 to Feature Under-Glass Fingerprint Scanner Similar to Xiaomi Mi 5s’

Samsung on the other hand has gotten its supply of fingerprint sensors from Synaptics for a while now. If we are to compare the time of launch of the Galaxy S8 which is expected to be delayed, it should coincide with the time Synaptics says their new sensor will go into mass production. Which means the Galaxy S8 may be the first device to sport the new scanner.

Xiaomi Mi Pad 3 Coming Soon? Bigger Screen, Bigger Battery, and More

Tablet sales are dwindling every year but some manufacturers still manage to push out a couple of new models in the hope that those who want to upgrade their old tablets still have a list to choose from. Xiaomi which is known for its mobile phones already has two tablets under its belt: the Mi Pad which launched with an Nvidia Tegra K1 chip back in 2014 and the Mi Pad 2 with its Intel Atom processor released in November, 2015. It is over a year since the Mi Pad 2 was released, and there has been no news of a Mi Pad 3 until today.

Mi Pad 3

It is important to mention that Xiaomi has not released any statement about a new tablet launch, so please take this with a pinch of salt.

The Mi Pad 3 news comes in form of a leaked presentation. The new tablet is bigger than the previous ones, as it now sports a 9.7” retina display (2048 x 1536) compared to the 7.9” screen size of previous generations.

Mi Pad 3 Screen mi-pad-3-design

The body of the Mi Pad 3 is still an all-metal device but is now thinner at 6.08mm. However, it weighs more (380g) due to the large screen and bigger battery which has been bumped up to 8290mAh and has quick charge 3.0 support. There is a USB Type-C port on the bottom which is flanked by speaker grilles on both sides.

Xiaomi is still working with Intel on this one and have equipped the Mi Pad 3 with a 7th Gen Core M processor (m3-7Y30) and an integrated Intel HD Graphics 615 GPU. The document also says the RAM has received a massive bump to 8GB and users will be able to choose either 128GB or 256GB of storage. The Mi Pad 3 will also come with a fingerprint scanner.

Mi Pad 3 SoC Mi Pad 3 battery Mi Pad 3 Camera

While a tablet is not really the device you might want to pull out to take a picture, that doesn’t mean it shouldn’t have a good camera for those moments when you have no other device nearby. Xiaomi’s Mi Pad 3 is getting hooked up with a 16MP rear camera with dual-tone flash and an 8MP front facing camera for video calls and selfies.

The Xiaomi Mi Pad 3 is expected to launch with Windows 10 and come pre-installed with the MS Office Suite and Cortana. It will also have an additional keyboard dock in case you need to use it for serious work. There is no mention of an android version and we are not going to be surprised if there isn’t one on the long run. Since Microsoft is Xiaomi’s new best friend, we guess the decision to make this a windows only device stems from the recent partnership between both companies.

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READ MORE: Xiaomi Launches Second Gen Wi-Fi Amplifier for ¥49 ($7)

Pricing for the Mi Pad 3 according to the document will start at ¥1999 (~$289) for the 128GB version and ¥2299 (~$333) for the 256GB version. The additional keyboard dock will cost just ¥99 (~$14).

The Mi Pad 3 is expected to be released on the 30th of December.

What do you think about the new Mi Pad 3? Let’s read your opinion in the comment box.

The ZUK Edge will Launch on December 20

The launch for the ZUK Edge has been teased a couple of times in the past few weeks. Today, the Vice-President of Lenovo Group has announced that the phone will now launch on the 20th of December. The event will take place at Wuhan and will kick off at 1400hrs (GMT+8).

The ZUK Edge has generated a lot of controversy based on the fact that leaked images of the device does nothing to justify the ”Edge” name. And we can’t blame those who are displeased since the word Edge in a device has become synonymous to a curved display, a feature the ZUK Edge clearly lacks.

ZUK Edge

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ZUK is redefining the word ”Edge” by launching a phone with a flat screen and slightly thinner bezels than usual. Images of the ZUK Edge leaked in the past have shown a device that does look sophisticated in black but lacks that wow factor in the white version.

READ MORE: Lenovo-Owned ZUK Announces Android Nougat Roll-out Plans for its Devices

When it launches next Tuesday, the ZUK Edge is expected to feature a 5.5” FHD screen, a snapdragon 821 processor, 6GB of RAM, 64GB of storage and Android 7.0 Nougat. It will also sport a 13MP rear camera, an 8MP front facing camera, and a fingerprint scanner.

Huawei Mate 9 Pro & Porsche Design Go On Sale December 15 in China

Huawei had released the Mate 9, Mate 9 Pro and Mate 9 Porsche Design in China on November 14, barely a month ago but the smartphones have been making waves both on the local and foreign scenes. The Mate 9 has been on sales since then, recording catastrophic sales figures. On the other hand, the Huawei Mate 9 Pro and Porsche design which both have curved displays are yet to it store shelves nationwide. Well, that is about to change as the sleek Huawei Mate 9 has been revealed by the Chinese company to enter sales on December 15 by 10.08am.

huawei mate 9 proAccording to a source on Weibo, the Huawei Mate 9 Pro would only see 6,000 units up for grab on that day while 10,000 units of the Mate 9 Porsche Design would be on sales on December 15. The Mate 9 which itself has a beautiful design sold over one million units since inception and considering the sleek and sturdy design of the Mate 9 Pro and Porsche Design, records are expected to be broken, expectations exceeded when the sales commence. Predictably, the Mate 9 Pro would likely be sold out in just few seconds. Even the high price tag on the Porsche Design may not be enough to prevent it from being sold out in seconds.

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Related: Huawei Mate 9 Porsche Design Comes With A Crazy Price Tag, Features Dual Curved Display

In a related news, the Mate 9 has been revealed to enter the US market soon. According to tipster @evleaks, the Huawei flagship would be available in the US market on January 6 next year. The Mate 9 is already on sale in Europe, Malaysia, Thailand, UAE and several other countries where sales is reported to have been successful. This may finally be Huawei’s year of capturing and stamping its foot on the highly lucrative US market. Samsung and Apple may just need to keep watching their back.

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