Xiaomi Re-Launches Mi Power Bank Pro: Adds Soft Protective Cover and Micro-USB/Type-C Cable

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Oct 12, 2016

Xiaomi teased an image a few months ago about what we thought was going to be a new power bank or something related but that launch didn’t come….not until today. The company relaunched the Mi Power Bank Pro by adding a few extras and slamming a new price on it.

The new (old) Xiaomi power bank still keeps its 1000mAh capacity, Type-C input port and USB 2.0 output port. What Xiaomi is throwing into the package is a soft protective case and a Micro USB Type-C combo cable that has a Micro USB and USB Type-C connector on end and USB 2.0 at the other end. The power bank now sells for 169 yuan ($25) compared to the 149 yuan ($22) price for the version not having any of these accessories.

The cable will come in handy for those who have devices using USB Type-C ports and still have a device with the micro-USB port, saving them the extra luggage of carrying two separate charging cables.

xiaomi-new-teaser-08-aug — Teaser for Mi Power Bank Pro

Looking at it now, the image leaked back then was hinting at a cable and not a new power bank.

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Xiaomi CEO: No Plans to Launch Small Screen Phone

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Habeeb Onawole

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Oct 12, 2016

In the last 2 years or more large screen phones have become mainstream. Even manufacturers like Apple who used to make small screen phones have joined the bandwagon. However, that doesn’t mean there are no small screen phones anymore, it’s just that they seem to be a dying breed. The only small screen phone that comes to mind that was released this year is the iPhone SE with its 4.0 inches screen. Other flagships have decided not to go below 5 inches.

That takes us back the topic. Xiaomi’s flagship phones, the Xiaomi Mi 5 and Xiaomi Mi 5s both have 5.15” screens and they fit nicely when you hold them, allowing for a more comfortable grip and better one-hand use.

But Xiaomi decided to run a poll to determine if their fans prefer a phone with a 4 inches screen over a large screen phone. While the outcome of the phone favoured the small screen size, the margin wasn’t large 52.3% against 47.7%. The CEO, Lei Jun, then proceeded to post on Weibo that the company really has no plans to make a phone with a screen smaller than 5 inches. So if you were hoping to pick up a Xiaomi phone with a small screen, that will not be happening.

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First camera sample from OPPO R9s’ Sony IMX398 Sensor with f/1.7 Aperture

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Jed John Ikoba

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Oct 11, 2016

OPPO R9S has already been revealed to launch on October 19 and ahead of that event OPPO seem intent on wetting out throat with constant teasing of the R9S’ features. As we reported, the R9S would have its cameras as the main talking point just as the R9 had its fast charge technology. More details have now emerged on the features of the OPPO R9S.

OPPO has officially disclosed that along side the sapphire glass-protected Sony IMX398 sensor, the R9S camera would use an f1.7 large aperture which would allow more light through it, as against the usual f2.2 aperture that is found on most camera. this had earlier been rumored but it is now confirmed and this aperture size comes in handy in dark or low light conditions as it increases the amount of light that passes through bringing brighter and clearer image with less noise. In addition to the f1.7 aperture, the R9S had earlier been revealed to come with full-pixel dual-core auto focus which is said to accelerate focusing speed and provide more accuracy.

Furthermore, OPPO has disclosed that the R9S would feature a 16MP camera at the back and also a 16MP camera up front. We had already seen a leaked image said to be captured by the R9S’ camera and it is beyond stunning.

These features would team up with the already revealed ones like a new antenna band design, Snapdragon 625 SoC, Gorilla Glass 5, 3100mAh battery with VOOC fast charging and lot more. Sure, the OPPO R9S is one device to look forward to and we hope it comes with an amazing price tag as well.

Ahead of Mate 9 Launch, Huawei Mate 8 Gets Price Cut

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Jed John Ikoba

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Oct 11, 2016

Huawei’s next flagship device Mate 9 is expected to drop next month as the company push harder to meet its set target for the year. However, the launch has not been officially confirmed but changes in the prices of its soon to be predecessor, the Huawei Mate 8, seem to strongly suggest the launch may be very near.

The Huawei Mate 8 initially carried a 2999 Yuan price tag but we had seen that reduced to around 2699 Yuan before the IFA Berlin in September. Now the Mate 8’s price has been reduced further to 2199 Yuan on the Jingdong (JD.com) global buy. This price is for the version with 3GB RAM + 32GB of internal storage. In addition, the dual-SIM 4G version has also seen its price reduced to 2299 Yuan from 2699 Yuan, while the version with Full network options took a slight reduction to 2659 Yuan, down from 2999 Yuan.

That is not all, the Huawei Mate 8 China Unicom version with 4G, 3GB RAM + 32GB ROM has got the biggest of price cut seen so far, as it is listed with price tags of 1999 Yuan. Of course that is a hot buy and it is already sold out presently.

The Huawei Mate 9 is expected to come with Kirin 960 Processor, dual Leica cameras, iris recognition, 4GB RAM and 6GB RAM versions as well. The device is expected in three storage versions of 64GB, 128GB and the top most with 256GB which would only be available on the 6GB RAM version. As for the expected price, the Mate 9 would likely start at 3199 Yuan for the 4GB RAM + 64GB ROM carrier specific version, while the version with entire network support would come in at 3399 yuan. The 4GB RAM + 128GB version with full network support comes in at 3899 Yuan, while the 6GB RAM + 256GB ROM full network version starts at 4699 Yuan.

New Meizu Blue Charm Device Leaked, Most Likely Meizu M4

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Joel Joseph

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Oct 11, 2016

After the release of the Meizu M3 Max last month, we haven’t heard much about the company’s new products. However, earlier today, a weibo user seems to have got hold of a new Meizu handset on TENAA, which is likely a device in the company’s youth-oriented Blue Charm series. While we are not sure of the exact model name of the device, it is said that this new model could be the Meizu M4.

Meizu has a reputation of updating its lineup every few months. The Meizu M3 was announced back in April and later in June, the M3S model was announced. So, it won’t be surprising if we see an update in the lineup in the next few months.

Since we don’t have an official listing of the device on TENAA, we can’t confirm the specs of the device. However, the person who leaked these images adds that the body of the Meizu M4 is made out of metal with some plastic parts and it does not feature fingerprint sensor. Now, we can clearly see a physical home button, so it remains to be seen whether Meizu will remove such an important feature from the device. Further, he adds states that the pricing is 899 Yuan ($134), which is higher than that of the M3S.

Until we get the listing on TENAA, I would take this with a pinch of salt. Stay tuned for more updates till then.

OPPO R9s: To Feature a New Antenna Design, GeekBench Results

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Habeeb Onawole

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Oct 11, 2016

OPPO’s R9s is scheduled to launch on October 19 and it’ll be the first phone to feature Sony’s new IMX398 camera.

A new leak has revealed that the phone will also have a new antenna design allowing it to achieve an ultra-thin body made of 98.8% metal with a thickness of just 6.58mm.

The leak also adds that the screen of the OPPO R9s will be covered with Gorilla Glass 5 which hopefully someone is going to put to test just like they did with the Galaxy Note 7.

Other details mentioned include a Snapdragon 625 processor, a 3010mAh battery, VOOC fast charging, and an IMX398 camera with a large aperture of f/1.7 protected with sapphire glass.

In addition to that is the mention of OPPO launching a roaming service similar to what Samsung offers with their S Roaming service and Xiaomi’s Mi SIM and Mi Roaming which lets you access the internet without a SIM card.

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Purported Xiaomi Mi Note 2 Leak Reveals Vertical Dual Rear Cameras

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Oct 11, 2016

We’ve had tons of leaks regarding the Mi Note 2 which covered renders, release dates, and even news of it being cancelled. Recent rumours say the launch is now scheduled for November, but there is still no confirmed image of the Xiaomi Mi Note 2.

A new picture (more like a render) was released online recently of a phone said to be the Mi Note 2. The image which is of the rear of the phone shows the dual cameras positioned differently from previous leaks. In this image the cameras are positioned in the middle and stacked vertically in a single housing. You also have the LED flash flanking it on the right.

Another thing is the way the body of the phone curves to meet the screen in front hinting at the Note 2 having a dual curved display, but we have also seen some Chinese manufacturers ape that design and not use a curved screen.

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4-inch Xiaomi Phone Could be Coming Soon, Hot or Not? Xiaomi wants to Know

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Oct 11, 2016

Seems it’s a season of opinion polls for Chinese innovative tech company Xiaomi. In addition to the on-going poll as regards the Mi logo which was absent on the front screen of the Mi 5S and 5S Plus, Xiaomi is sampling opinions about its fans’ take on the 4-inch Xiaomi phone which leaked some time back.

In case you forgot, a 4-inch Xiaomi phone thought to be a smaller version of the Mi 5S made an appearance on Weibo a few weeks back, before the launch of the Mi 5S. No tangible details were leaked alongside the render of the device except that the phone will feature NFC and will support Xiaomi Mi Pay, which was announced about a month back. Now Xiaomi’s spokesman has taken to his official Weibo account to find out from fans what they think about a 4-inch Xiaomi phone. No doubt the company is thinking about the idea of a 4-incher under its kitty but they have tied the fact whether the phone gets out to the outcome of the polls, according to the statement by the spokesman. Already the result is still too close to call even though majority of respondents so far prefer a big display device instead.

The only device expected from Xiaomi this year is perhaps the Mi Note 2 according to the company’s CEO Lei Jun. The Xiaomi CEO also disclosed that he is personally monitoring the design of the Mi Note 2 and that the device will come out with lots of surprises. But from this recent poll, coupled with the earlier leaked render of the 4-inch phone identified as Xiaomi Small, it is likely that the Mi Note 2 isn’t going to be the only surprise we should be expecting from the innovative company. We may be seeing a Xiaomi smartphone with a 4-inch display as well. For the avoidance of doubt, Xiaomi’s current smallest displays are those of the Redmi 1 and Redmi 2 which come in at 4.7 inches.

Of course, you can hop into the Weibo poll and get your opinion to count on this one.

Huawei Honor Teases S1 Smartwatch Ahead of October 18 Event

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Habeeb Onawole

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Oct 11, 2016

October 18 is a big day for Huawei’s online sub-brand, Honor. The company is having a press conference in Xi’an where it is expected to unveil the new Honor 6X. However, it appears the phone is not the only product going to launch as they have released a teaser image of what appears to be a smartwatch.

The image which is of the face of a clock with the 12 hour markings has S1 written on it. We presume that will be the name of the watch. The Honor S1. There is a nice ring to it. The poster also has a Chinese text which loosely translates to ”See Changes”.

We don’t know know any other thing about the watch except we expect it to have a round face and be waterproof based on the image. And of course be cheaper since this is the Honor brand we are talking about.

This is not Honor’s first wearable. There is the Honor Band Z1 which is also known as the Honor Band Zero released last year.

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Mi Band 2 Could Get More Features Soon

By

Joel Joseph

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Oct 11, 2016

Xiaomi Mi Band 2 is possibly one of the best cheap fitness bands available in the market right now. I personally have been using the wearable for the past two months and it does everything it claims to, pretty well. You can set alarms, count the number of steps taken and calories burnt, measure your heart rate as well as check out the time and do much more, all in one device at a cheap price.

These are just some of the features of the Mi Band 2 and it looks like there could be more features added to the device. The CEO of Huami, the company which manufactures the wearable, recently asked users whether they would like to see new features like skipping (Jump Rope). However, he failed to say which wearable he was talking about. It could be either the newly released Amazfit smartwatch or even the Mi Band 2, as both are capable of getting such a new feature via an OTA update.

So, what do you think? Which feature would you like to see on your Xiaomi wearable?

Xiaomi Launches 99 Yuan ($15) Little Square Camera

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Oct 11, 2016

Remember the product Xiaomi teased a couple of days ago with the image of a dragonfly? It was officially launched today and its a 1080p smart home camera called Little Square that costs just 99 Yuan ($15).

Design

The camera which weighs just 100g is shaped like a cube measuring 5cm on all sides. The camera sits on a base that can be propped up to increase its height or lowered to flush with the body. The base can also be used to attach the cameras to walls and ceilings.

Specifications

The camera has a 1/2.7” CMOS sensor that records in full HD with support for 8x digital zoom. It also features night vision enhancement technology allowing it to pick up objects up to 9 meters away. The camera sports an IR-Cut dual filters which keeps out disturbing infrared light out of the sensor during the day.

Little Square has a 110° wide-angle lens that can record time-lapse videos. There is also a built-in motion and sound detector. As a part of Xiaomi’s smart home product, it can pair with the smoke and CO detector in the home alerting the owner of the house via a dedicated sound.

There is a 5V 1A port that powers the camera, and if you happen to have a power bank, you can hook it up to the camera which should provide about 12 hours of power.

The camera supports up to 64GB of expandable storage via a SD card slot and has a full sized USB 2.0 port on the back.

Need Little Square to have a wider viewing angle? That is not an issue as you can stack two units on top of each other via the magnetic base to give you a 180° super-wide viewing angle.

The camera is compatible with phones running Android 4.0 and above and iOS 7.0 and above. The crowdfunding page says shipments are expected to begin on the 22nd of November, so if you are interested, you can head to the crowdfunding page here and pledge your own $15.

OPPO R9S Sony IMX398 Camera Also Features Dual-Core Auto Focus

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Oct 10, 2016

One major selling point of OPPO’s highly successful R9 smartphone was the fast charging technology that the company launched the device with. The OPPO R9S which is expected to launch on October 19 has now been identified to have as its own main selling point, its rear camera technology.

Just recently, it was revealed that the R9S would feature Sony IMX398 sensors at its rear camera and that seem not to be all the camera would carry. It has now been revealed via OPPO’s official Weibo page that the R9S’ rear camera would also feature dual-core focus in addition to having Sony IMX398 sensor. What this means is that the device’s camera would have a great focus as well as high chip rate, and when combined with a powerful sensor, what users can only get is a powerful camera capable of delivering stunning pictures.

RELATED: OPPO R9S vs OPPO R9 Comparison

The Dual-core auto focus technology is said to be way superior to the phase detection auto focus system that is common in most high-end smartphones. The focus is more accurate and faster and this comes very handy in capturing shots in the dark or at night. It is at night, shooting moving objects or during fast shooting situations that the advantage of the dual-core focus can be well felt. It is predicted that this technology would become the standard on most mobile phones in no distant time and already OPPO is blazing the trail.

Xiaomi Conducts Poll To See If Fans Want The Mi Logo Up Front (Results)

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Oct 10, 2016

The recently launched Xiaomi Mi 5S and 5S Plus were unveiled without the customary Mi logo at the front which used to be the trademark of Xiaomi. The phones only had the rear Mi logo situated at the bottom of the device. However, a recent survey conducted by Xiaomi seems to suggest that the company may be tinkering about making that permanent but before they do that, they are sampling the opinions of fans.

The survey apparently became necessary because perhaps lots of complaints had so far trailed the removal of the logo that used to be on the front. Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun even weighed in on the matter and enjoined fans to hop into the Mi community forum and vote in the opinion poll.

So far, though, uncertainty has been the word. The poll have seen divergent views with respondents on Weibo toeing a direction different from that of those on the Mi forum. Most of the respondents on Weibo think it doesn’t matter whether the Mi Logo is there up front or not (Weibo pool results down below). On the other hand, a larger percentage of the respondents (57.05% so far) on the Mi Community forum think the Mi logo should remain at the front(Results up above).

The opinion poll is still open for voting and you can as well join in the fray and give your opinion.

Exclusive: OnePlus 3 Production Could Be Halted, Likely To Make Way For A New Model

By

Joel Joseph

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Oct 10, 2016

For the past few days, we have been reporting about the shortage in stock of the OnePlus 3 flagship. The company seems to be having a hard time keeping up with the demand for its brand new device, and users are reporting delivery times exceed four to five weeks! Given that this phone has been in the market since June, such late delivery period is simply unacceptable.

However, the company seems to be working on a solution to this problem. According to one of our supply chain sources, OnePlus is actually going to stop the production of the current OnePlus 3 flagship. He reveals that this move is necessary to make way for a new model, probably going to be called as the OnePlus 3S (or maybe the OnePlus 3 Plus, we are not sure at the moment). Further, he adds that gray version is already out of stock and only the gold version is available right now.

So, why would the company release a new model when the OnePlus 3 is still one of the best value for money phones in the market? Well, he says that the company plans to change the CPU inside, most likely use the newer and faster Snapdragon 821. Further, another reason for releasing a new model could be to shift from AMOLED to LCD panels, as AMOLED supply shortage seems to be one of the big reasons why OnePlus 3 is unable to keep up the production in tune to the demand.

OnePlus CEO had earlier said that the company wants to focus on just one smartphone this year. But given the supply shortage, it’s possible that the company releases the new OnePlus 3S model and scraps the old one, to make sure that the demand is met timely.

We are not 100% sure about this information, but since it comes from a trusted supply chain source, it’s likely that this information is true. Unfortunately, our source didn’t reveal when the company plans to release this new handset. We will try to get more details soon. Till then, stay tuned to gizmochina for more updates.

New iPhone 7 Explodes in Man’s Face While Shooting a Video

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Oct 10, 2016

It seems the curse of the exploding phones has spread to Apple. A man who reportedly bought a new iPhone 7 was injured shortly afterwards while he was recording a video with it. According to the man, the phone reportedly disintegrated sending glass flying across his face and causing one of his fingers on his right hand to swell.

While the case of the iPhone 7 is not as rampant as that of Samsung’s Note 7 replacements (up to 5 in just a week), this is just as important because the safety of consumers is paramount.

The man was said to have called Apple’s after sales support who then told him they were not authorised to handle such a case but proceeded to forward the complaint to the headquarters. The man didn’t state where he bought the phone from, however the case is currently under investigation.

Here’s the video about the incident (in Chinese), in case you want to check out.

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Huawei Honor 6X To Launch October 18, Press Invite Out!

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Oct 10, 2016

Barely two weeks after the Huawei Honor 6X hit TENAA for the second time revealing the render of the device, Huawei has started sending out press renders for the launch of the mid-range device. According to the poster, the Honor 6X would be unveiled on October 18 which is just close by.

We have already gotten a great deal of the specs of the device from its appearance on TENAA, spotted twice. According to the TENAA listing, the Huawei Honor 6X sports a 5.5-inch 1080pixel display and is powered by a Kirin 650 chipset along with 3GB of RAM. The device also features 32GB of internal storage and crams a 3340mAh battery under its hood. The main highlight of the Honor 6X should be the dual cameras at the rear the device is coming with comprising a 12MP primary sensor and a 2MP secondary camera. The device also features an 8MP front-facing camera for selfie snapshots.

In addition, the Huawei Honor 6X is said to come with support for all network operators in China and in terms of the price tag, the device is said to come in very cheap.

Samsung China Reveals Teaser For ‘The Next Big Thing’, Likely For the Galaxy C9 Phablet

By

Joel Joseph

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Oct 10, 2016

After temporarily stopping the production of the Samsung Galaxy Note 7, it looks like the company is keen to turn its focus on other devices. Earlier today, Samsung’s Chinese Galaxy account on Weibo revealed a new teaser, “the next big thing is coming”. While the teaser does not reveal the identity of the upcoming smartphone, it looks like Samsung could be hinting the release of the rumored Galaxy C9 smartphone soon.

The teaser also tells us a bit about the device “seamless, with great accuracy.” And then there’s a glimpse of the back of the device with curved corners. Considering the timing of the launch, as well as the words “the next big thing is coming”, it’s likely that the upcoming device is none other than the Galaxy C9 phablet.

We have been hearing about this particular smartphone, which is probably Chinese exclusive, for the past few weeks. The phone is said to come with a massive 6-inch 1080p display with Snapdragon 652 octa-core chipset inside. What makes this phone interesting is the 6GB of RAM inside, as revealed by the recent Geekbench listing. Other expected features of the device include 16MP cameras on the front as well as the back and Android 6 out of the box.

Considering the issue with the Galaxy Note 7 and the lack of a 6GB RAM phone from the company yet, the Galaxy C9 will be an important smartphone for the company. At 6-inches, it a bit bigger than the Note 7 and specs wise, with Snapdragon 652 inside, it is not nearly as powerful as the Note 7, however, the company could potentially market the C9 as a cheaper alternative to the Note 7. I personally wouldn’t mind having an S Pen with this 6-inch phablet.

No official release dates are out yet, but expect more details soon.

3C Certification Reveals Details of Meizu Pro 6S

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Oct 10, 2016

An image of a certificate issued by China Compulsory Certification reveals the details of the upcoming Meizu flagship, the Pro 6S. The certificate which mentions Meizu Technology Co. Ltd as the applicant and manufacturer also lists the factory handling the production as Langfang Ultrafine Communications Technology Co., Ltd.

The certificate includes a phone with model number M570Q-S. Since the Pro 6’s model number is M570Q, this new device is most probably the Meizu Pro 6S.

The certificate also shows the charge supported by the phone: there’s 5V 2A, 8V 3A, and 12V 2A. This means the Pro 6S will also support Meizu’s mCharge 3.0 (24W) technology.

The Meizu Pro 6S is expected to launch later this month with a Mediatek Helio P20 chip clocked at 2.3GHz, a Mali T880MP2 GPU, and a 5.2 inches display.

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Samsung Halts Production of Galaxy Note 7 After Reports Of Replacement Units Exploding

By

Joel Joseph

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Oct 9, 2016

After an amazing first half of 2016, Samsung seems to be in a lot of trouble recently. The flagship device of the second half of 2016, the Galaxy Note 7 has been in the headlines for all the wrong reasons and with the company recalling nearly 2.5 million Note 7 units for replacing a faulty battery, we would have thought the worst is over.

However, recently, reports about even replacement Galaxy Note 7 units exploding have surfaced online, which makes this issue even more serious. As a result, the Korean news agency, Yonhap reports that Samsung has temporarily halted the production of the Galaxy Note 7 units. This comes just after US and Australian carriers decided to stop selling replacement Note 7 units to its customers.

Samsung had said in a previous statement that the Note 7 explosions were caused by faulty batteries supplied by the company’s battery subsidiary. However, now that even the replacement units are said to be exploding, it looks like halting the production as well as sales of the Note 7 units is the best decision for the company right now.

If you are using a Note 7 in the US, carriers like Verizon and AT&T are offering different models and even refunds if you want to turn in your Samsung flagship.

Looks like the best option for the company right now is to kill off the Note 7 and limit its reputation damage. What it could do is focus on the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S8 flagship and make sure it’s not affected by this issue. Further, the company could even prepone the release of the Note 8 flagship next year. But at this moment, we will have to wait and watch how the company tackles this difficult situation.

Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 830 Chips (MSM8998) Spotted on Zauba

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Oct 9, 2016

Qualcomm’s next generation Snapdragon 830 chipset has been in the news quite frequently lately, with recent rumors alleging that Samsung would manufacture the chip on Qualcomm’s behalf. Seems, though the chip has gone up into production because it has been listed on India’s import/export tracking website, Zauba with model number MSM8998.

The Zauba listing for the Snapdragon 830 showed the device, listed as MSM8998, made several entries into India from September 12 to October 6 with a total of 80 units delivered to the Asian country, apparently for testing. The devices were listed to have originated from the US.

Zauba is notorious for sparing very little detail about the shipments but this one is generous enough to give us the idea that the prototype device with which the chip ships features 4GB of LPDDR4 RAM as well as 64GB of built-in storage. The value of each chip and prototype device shipped into India by Qualcomm was put at 102,641 Rupees (around $1,541).

Earlier rumors had speculated that the Qualcomm Snapdragon 830 processor will use the 10nm FinFET process and Kyro 200 architecture, sporting an Adreno 540 GPU, X16 baseband which is allegedly capable of download speed of up to 980Mbps and has LPDDR4X memory and 4K × 2K / 60fps video recording, dual lifting performance and functionality. There are also rumors that the next gen chip may not be called Snapdragon 830 but SD 835 instead and would feature first onboard some versions of the Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8 Edge billed for release in February 2017.

(source)