Concept LeEco Flagship Leaked With Bezel-less Display & an Amazing Design

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Aug 4, 2016

The Meizu E series smartphone has been in the news for some time now, with a media event scheduled for August 10 where Meizu is expected to unveil the new smartphone which is rumored to have a curved display and dual main cameras at the back. Of course, recent rumors have been a bit more modest, revealing a mid-range device, probably aimed at Xiaomi’s Redmi Pro series for competition.

Now, a recently leaked photo on China’s microblogging site Weibo has exposed what is said to be the live photo of the Meizu E series flagship which is also rumored to be called Meizu E. The Weibo leak is centred on the fast charge function of the Meizu E which is touted to cram a generous 31000mAh battery under its hood.

The flagship device is rumored to have an mCharge feature capable of mustering 18W charging power, and can achieve charge level of up to 90% in just 1 hour (60 minutes). Also, the mCharge brings to play a smart feature which adjusts the charge rate according to the temperature of the phone, the battery voltage , the level of data usage and it is reputed to be safe and fast.

The leaked photo of the Meizu E corresponds with earlier images and of the device that had been featured in leaked renders. The device sports full metal body and has a physical home button upfront.

The Meizu E is rumored to pack a 5.5-inch display with 1080p resolution and would be powered by an octa-core MediaTek processor with 3GB of RAM. The smartphone is also tipped to feature a 13MP rear camera and 5MP sensor up front.

Samsung Galaxy Note 7 China Edition listed on TENAA, sports 6GB RAM

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Aug 4, 2016

Samsung formally unveiled the Galaxy Note 7 is an action packed ceremony on August 2, thus effectively putting to rest the avalanche of rumors surrounding the device. But the rumor mills never go to rest, especially on this sleek gadget as there are news about a 6GB RAM of the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 in the works somewhere.

The Galaxy Note 7 was released with a 4GB RAM as the custom RAM size on all variants of the device but the Note 7 had earlier been rumored to have seen an upgrade from 4GB RAM to 6GB RAM. However the launch of the device was thought to have put to rest that rumor.

Now, facts have emerged from a recent filing on TENAA that there is actyually a 6GB RAM in the works. The filling revealed what could be a top-end version of the Chinese edition of the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 packing a 6GB RAM pairing up with a monstrous 128GB of built-in storage.

The TENAA listing was made public on August 4, with model number SM-N9300, and corresponds with a GeekBench posting about a device with similar model number, both showing the Galaxy Note 7 (SM-N9300) llistedas a 6GB RAM packing version.

Ordinarily, we had wondered the need for a 6GB RAM on the Galaxy Note 7 from the technical point of view, considering that apps are getting smaller in size, Android is also getting slimmer and running too many background apps would only drain the battery faster. But then, we are talking about China where a lot of mobile phone manufacturers have ventured into production of flagships with 6GB RAM in order to outwit competitors. The OnePlus 3 is the latest with such feature and it won’t be a bad idea if Samsung offers a 6GB RAM version on the Note 7 at least to ensure it doesn’t lose a few customers to the extremely strong competition in the country.

Xiaomi Mi Band 2 Causing Wrist burns?

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Aug 4, 2016

Xiaomi announced the Mi Band 2 in June this year and since then, the Mi Band 2 has been in hot demand, occasionally running out of stock over and again. Xiaomi even had to increase production but that still wasn’t enough to meet demand for the sleek wrist band.

Despite the success of the Xiaomi Mi Band 2, there are reports that the wrist band causes burns to the wrist. A Weibo user took to the social media platform to allege that use of the Mi Band 2 caused her wrist burns. The user alleged that she has had the burns more than once and after it occurred the second time she contacted Xiaomi’s after-sales desk to lay her complaints. According to the lady, staffs there examined the device and found nothing wrong with it. But she insists her wrist burns were caused by the Mi Band 2.

Close-up shots of the lady’s wrists reveal quite serious burns on her wrist. The burn marks seem to trace the shape of the Mi band display and could have resulted from excessive friction on the wrist by the wearable. The excessive friction may be the result of tightly fitted usage, but then some form of investigation is best to unravel the actual cause of the wrist burns. Xiaomi is yet to issue a statement about this incident which could adversely affect the Mi band 2’s sale.

While this report is definitely something to be investigated upon, don’t panic if you have bought the new wearable. These cases are extremely rare (in fact it’s first time for a Xiaomi wearable), and we are not even sure whether the burns were caused as a direct result of a malfunctioning / overheating Mi Band 2.

Metal Strap for Meizu’s Smartwatch Leaked On Weibo

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Aug 4, 2016

Meizu’s August 10 Event is approaching and while there are various leaks with regards to the phone, something different has popped on Weibo by popular leaker @kJuma. The leak is of a chain strap that is said to be for the Meizu smartwatch which is expected to launch alongside the E-series phone.

The company’s first teaser of the smartwatch was a sketch of several watch faces and straps which included a chain strap. We believe the straps should be easily replaceable, so you can swap them out depending on the occasion.

OnePlus 3 Mini Shows Up on GFXBench: 4.6” Screen, 6GB RAM, 64GB Storage

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Aug 4, 2016

Before the OnePlus 3 launch, many of us thought the company would release multiple variants of the device but surprisingly, only one model of the OP3 exists. It seems that is about to change as a device that is rumoured to be the OnePlus 3 Mini was spotted on GFXBench. This is still a speculation as it is possible that it might be a different device entirely.

OnePlus 3 Mini

The device has a 4.6” FHD screen, 6GB of RAM, 64GB of built-in storage, and a snapdragon 820 processor clocked at 2.2GHz. It is also sporting a 13MP primary camera that can shoot 4K videos and an 8MP front facing camera for selfies and video calls. The OnePlus 3 Mini has also got NFC (for Android Pay), a single SIM slot, and runs Android 6.0 Marshmallow.

Mediatek’s 4G Chips Shipments Increases, But It’s Not All Good News

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Aug 4, 2016

Mediatek and Qualcomm are the two major chip makers in the world, while we do have others such as Samsung’s Exynos and Huawei’s Kirin, majority of devices are sporting either a MTK chipset or a Snapdragon processor.

Qualcomm has always taken the lead in chip shipment in the Chinese mainland market, but analyst Pan Jiutang posted on his Weibo page that for the second quarter of this year Mediatek has claimed the top spot thanks to the success of the Helio series (save for the weak performance of the Helio P20 which has cost them OPPO and Vivo’s order) and more sales from online and offline brands.

pan jiutang MTK chip shipments

But the increase in shipments is not being celebrated as the company’s gross margin has dropped to its lowest level (35%) in a decade. The company is still facing issues with regards to performance, process, and average selling price. They are also still dealing with supply issues which will still show up in the second half of the year.

Xiaomi Mi Note 2 Seems To Have Passed 3C Certification

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Joel Joseph

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Aug 4, 2016

Xiaomi’s co-founder had previously revealed that the company was preparing the launch of a new flagship smartphone in August. While the company is yet to confirm that the new product launching is going to be the Xiaomi Mi Note 2, a new device has just passed the Chinese 3C certification website. Considering the charging specs of this certified device, it is a high-end smartphone model, which means it could be the Xiaomi Mi Note 2 flagship.

The listing reveals that the phone supports 5v 2.5A, 9V 2A and 12V 1.5A charging, which takes the maximum wattage to 18W. So, this means that the phone comes with fast charging support. Further, today’s listing of the device confirms that the phone will be manufactured by Foxconn.

Considering the above information, it looks like the device certified is a flagship model, which could be none other than the Xiaomi Mi Note 2 flagship. Previous rumors have said that the phone should be the first Chinese model to feature the Snapdragon 821 chipset. There should be 4GB / 6GB RAM variants and we could also see a curved screen display version.

While Xiaomi is yet to confirm that the Mi Note 2 is coming, the previous generation Mi Note models are no longer available for purchase from the official company store, which should be a good indication that a new model is coming.

If the launch is indeed in August, then we are quite sure that new information about the device will pop up on the internet pretty soon. So, stay tuned!

POLL: What Do You Think of Xiaomi’s Trend Of Updating A Lineup With A New Model Every Few Months?

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Joel Joseph

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Aug 4, 2016

We all are big fans of Xiaomi, a company which was given us so many great smartphones, from the budget segment to the high-end market. But in the past 12 months, the company has released so many smartphones in a lineup that it’s actually a bit confusing as to which model to buy.

But that’s not the worse part. What really is confusing is whether to buy the new model or wait a few months till another model in the series is launched. And from the models that have been announced in the past few months by the company, the new ones will be better than the models released before, and will cost almost the same price. So, you would probably end up getting more value for your money, if you are ready to wait.

While this means that consumers get better specced phones for their price, it also leaves the early smartphone adopters a bit disappointed. For some, the upgraded specs may not be a big deal, but for others, a slight difference in the specs would make a big difference in their buying decision.

So, we are wondering what you think is the ideal update policy for smartphone companies. Should companies update the lineup with a new model within a few months, or should they leave a gap of at least 6 months before releasing an update?

Tell us your views in the poll down below.

Xiaomi launches Luo Qing Umbrella under Mijia brand

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Aug 3, 2016

Xiaomi has launched a new product under it Mijia subbrand and the product is an Umbrella! Right, an umbrella. The company had teased us yesterday of a possible launch of what we rightly interpreted as an umbrella. The product as usual will be available via crowdfunding for just 69 Yuan ($11).

The umbrella is actually called Luo Qing umbrella product made from materials sourced from Taiwan which offer soft feel, durable and high strength sunscreen which doesn’t retain water. There’s also an additional Teflon coating with superior water resistance and ability to absorb UV rays.

The umbrella weighs just 228 grams and when folded becomes only 3cm thick making it suitable to be fitted inside a small bag. The entire umbrella is 24cm long and when opened, attains an expansion radius of up to 47cm. It also utilises no button design and the umbrella parachute can shrink easily when closed as there are anti-resistance fringes.

Xiaomi Mi VR Play unveiled: VR Glass, VR App, Zippers, Lycra covered design

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Aug 3, 2016

Xiaomi has unveiled its expected Xiaomi Mi VR headset dubbed Mi VR Play, which utilises a cardboard box design with the basic VR principles, and VR glass lenses .

Xiaomi had taken us through a roller-coaster ride for the past few days, first teasing about a possible VR headset launch coming up on August 1. But instead, all we got on that date was a video trailer which again pointed towards an August 4th release date and here we are, with the real deal which is just a Google cardboard look-alike still in beta testing stage.

The Xiaomi Mi VR Play is actually a cardboard box before VR glasses, somewhat similar to Google’s cardboard VR headset but with better design, more durable materials and a more secured phone holder with zippers. Acccording to Xiaomi, the Mi VR Play uses VR glasses with zipper design and is covered with lycra cotton material. Also, the VR headset can be adapted to fit in smartphones with display sizes ranging from 4.7-inches to 5.7-inches. The two-way zipper takes into account the position of the smartphone inside the headset and keeps the phone firmly fixed.

Apart from the VR headset (Toy version), there’s also an accompanying VR app software which provides panoramic video, 3D movies, games and other applications.

If you’re interested in grabbing this Mi VR Play, you may have to wait a little longer as Xiaomi has not indicated when the gadget will hit the market or the price tag it’ll adopt. The Virtual Reality box is still in the beta public testing stage in China and may not go on sale soon.

OnePlus 3 sales in 24 countries to get temporary Halt, OnePlus co-founder hints

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Aug 3, 2016

OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei has issued a statement that might come as a shocking one to some, especially if you’re in an affected country. According to Mr Pei, sales of the OnePlus 3 will be stopped temporarily for a little over a month in 24 countries in order to allow the firm build inventory back up of the device which is in hot demand. The temporary halt will take effect from August 9 at 6pm EDT and will terminate after 5.59pm EDT on September 12.

OnePlus 3

Affected countries include;

Austria
Belgium
Bulgaria
Croatia
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Estonia
France
Greece
Hong Kong
Hungary
Ireland
Italy
Latvia
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Malta
Netherlands
Poland
Portugal
Romania
Slovakia
Slovenia
Spain

Mr. Pei gave some clarification though, if you had placed your order before August 9, the sales halt will not affect you as your phone will get sent to you on the expected shipping date. Mr. Pei went on to disclose that OnePlus will create a web page where consumers can drop off their email address so they’ll get notified whenever sales resume.

Since OnePlus began its laudable goal project of putting affordable premium smartphones in the hands of many persons, the company has evolved from an unknown Chinese startup to a successful company which has now become a global player in the industry. The company had before now relied on the invite system to sell its smartphones for fears that supply might outweigh demands thus leaving them with so many unsold phones.

The Chinese innovative start up however ditched that system for the OnePlus 3 and that has made the smartphone its fastest selling and most successful brand till date. Demands for the flagship device is so high that OnePlus has had to extend the shipping date on new orders, especially in mainland Europe. The company is also running out of inventory in certain markets especially in Europe, hence this decision to temporarily halt more orders. The sales halt gives the company time to build more phones so that it can balance supply and demand.

(Source)

ZeroTech Dobby: Pocket Quadcopter Drone

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Frank Tu

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Aug 3, 2016

The wave of mini drones or quad-copters for taking pictures and videos, mainly as a personal asset, in the market is fairly a new concept. And yet it is progressing at a fast pace, as can be seen in the latest “ZeroTech Dobby” (What the heck is this?). That is the name of a pocket-sized quadcopter!

ZeroTech Dobby – The Pocket Quadcopter

ZeroTech-Dobby-Pocket-Drone-Pertama-Di-China

The latest discovery was presented recently in the field of Mini Drones, recently. And the result was really amazing that Dobby ZeroTech made eyes pop. Above all, the convenience of carrying a mini drone in our pocket (Did anyone even think of the idea?). Once out from the pocket, this tiny pocket-wonder is literally ready to fly.

ZeroTech Dobby- Pocket Drone - image

Have a look at the video for yourself. (Link – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_tX0NRmVN1I)

Small Yet Full

As evident from the video, it is coined “Selfies Drone” because of its unique features of a drone – the facial recognition, resulting in a shot where our face is clear. As if that is not enough, it would also be featuring video recording capability at 4K resolution and 30fps. ZeroTech Dobby has a camera of 13 megapixels that is stabilized in all 3 axes.

ZeroTech Dobby - image

This tiny apparatus can also be driven with voice commands which will make flying it much easier. Presently, all the quadcopters and drones need app to be installed on smartphone of the user for control and WiFi. Which means, you can fly it anywhere, even at places where there is no WiFi.

Hardware

ZeroTech Dobby is built with a 2.3GHz processor – Snapdragon 801 (Quad-core) that will also be having a Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) – Adreno. This is not all, it also has an internal memory of 16GB for the purpose of storing data – videos and images. It camera will have a 75 ° Field of View (FOV) which can be pointed 90 ° (downward) and 22.5 ° (Upward).

Weighting less than 200 grams, this pocket drone can also follow the GPS signals and other indoor positioning sensors.

Follow Me – Target Lock

The latest feature that can be found in Phantom 4 is the “Follow Me” where the drone can be made to lock on a target (you) and it will follow while recording. And that is there in ZeroTech Dobby too!

Battery And Duration

Of this tiny size, battery weight and power is surely a problem. Let us see how it is compensated. ZeroTech Dobby can be flown upto a distance of 100 meters. It is powered by a 970 mAh battery which can sustain for up to a duration of 9 minutes. However, the issues is conveniently resolved by its easy changeability to a spare battery.

ZeroTech Dooby - Battery Changeable - image Now you can buy ZeroTech Dobby from online retailers like oppomart.com or giztop.com.

Meizu patents new flagship design with All glass covering, metal fuselage

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Aug 3, 2016

While we were still waiting for the Meizu E-series device to pop on August 10, the Chinese tech company has thrown up another surprise with the spotting of a new Meizu smartphone design in China’s patent office.

Apart from a description of the device made available, images of the smartphone was also displays in a set of image renders revealing some stunning features of the phone. The registered patent filing shows the device features a transparent glass covering both on the front and on the back. The fuselage of the phone is nothing short of a flagship device, made of metal.

The image rendering of the device reveals a slim built device which is equipped with a a ring flash at the back, similar to the one found on the Pro 6. Curiously, there is a round hole at the back of the phone whose purpose is not known. The front design sports an unchanged design from other Meizu phone, retaining the custom Home button at the bottom edge of the display screen.

Since the patent was published today, the likelihood of the design featuring on the expected E-series is slim but this promises to be a thriller whenever it is unveiled.

Redmi 3s Launched in India for Rs 6999

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Aug 3, 2016

Xiaomi has officially launched the Redmi 3s and Redmi 3s Prime in India as successors to last year’s Redmi 2 and Redmi 2 Prime, bringing big upgrades over last year’s models.

They both feature an all-metal body, 5″ HD screen, Android 6.0 Marshmallow, snapdragon 430 octa-core processor, 13MP PDAF rear camera, 5MP wide-angle front camera for selfies, fingerprint scanner, and a 4100mAh non-removable battery.

The differences are in the RAM and ROM configuration. Where the Prime has 3GB of RAM and 32GB of built-in storage, the base model has 2GB of RAM and 16GB of storage. However the built-in storage can be expanded as one of the SIM slots doubles as a SD slot that can take up to a 256GB card.

Xiaomi To Launch an Umbrella?

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Aug 3, 2016

Xiaomi’s smart home brand, Mijia, teased a new product yesterday with a tagline that roughly translates to ”protection from UV”. The product is expected to launch tomorrow, 4th of August at 10:00 am.

Yesterday’s Teaser

Today, the company’s Weibo page uploaded another teaser image which shows a roof made of ceramic tiles. The post which is accompanied with a text that translates to ”a protection from rain” hints at an umbrella that can also block out UV Rays, if you merge it with yesterday’s teaser.

RELATED: Mijia Launces Refillable Pen

Mijia’s releases shouldn’t be surprising anymore as the brand seems to want to conquer the household and provide all the items you use in your everyday life. Last week, they announced a refillable pen; this week probably brings the release of an umbrella, in addition to the company’s smart rice cooker which was released in March.

What’s the next item you want the company to make? Do let us know in the comment box.

Cool Eco Phone: LeEco and Coolpad’s Official Weibo Page

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Aug 3, 2016

Yesterday, pictures of Coolpad and LeEco’s first jointly made phone called the Cool1 surfaced online with a release date set for August 10.

An official account, Cool Eco Phone, has been setup on Weibo for the new sub-brand which is a result of the collaboration between both companies. The account which teased the dual camera setup of their new phone has also announced a giveaway of the soon to be released device. Though details of the competition are still unknown.

Meizu’s Presumed E-Series Phone Shows Up in Leaked video

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Aug 3, 2016

UPDATE: Video seems to be unavailable at the moment.

UPDATE2: Video from another source added.

In exactly a week, Meizu will be launching a new device at the Beijing National Convention Center. Lots of speculations have come up online such as it being a high-end phone sporting Samsung’s Exynos 8890 SoC and having a dual curved display.

But a video that was leaked on Weibo shows the same phone whose pictures have been going around lately as the new Meizu E-Series phone.

The phone does feature a metal body, a round camera, straight antenna lines, and a home button that doubles as a fingerprint scanner. There is a hole on the left which is for ejecting the SIM tray. And on the right, we have the volume rocker and power button.

Reports say the E-series phone will run YunOS, have 3GB of RAM, a Full HD display, a 13MP rear camera, and be powered by a Mediatek MT6755M processor.

Since the authenticity of the video cannot be verified yet, it is best to take it with a grain of salt.

Meizu must definitely be enjoying the debate going on about what the device is as the company itself has not released any info that indicates it is even indeed a phone.

Lenovo Phab 2 Pro Chinese Edition hits TENAA: 6.44-inch 2K Display, Four Cameras

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Aug 2, 2016

Lenovo announced in January during the CES 2016 that it was teaming up with Google to manufacture the world’s first consumer Tango phone under Google’s Project Tango platform, thus giving birth to the Lenovo Phab 2 Pro. The Tango phone is capable of rendering augmented reality (AR) in real time, thanks to a team of rear cameras and a host of specialized tech on the inside.

The Phab 2 Pro was announced in June 2016 in the US and also became the first Lenovo-branded phone to come to the US. Now the Chinese edition of the Lenovo Phab 2 Pro has been spotted on TENAA, shedding more light on the specification which isn’t different from the US version.

The TENAA listing shows the smartphone has a thickness of 11.15mm, weighing in at 620g and it supports all networks. The Lenovo Phab 2 Pro Chinese Edition sports a 6.4-inch display with a resolution of 2560 x 1440p. The device also features a 4050mAh non-removable battery and comes in Gunmetal gray and Champagne Gold colors.

Furthermore, the Phab 2 Pro Chinese edition is powered by a Snapdragon 652 processor and comes with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage. The Tango smartphone features a total of four cameras, an 8MP front facing “selfie” camera, a 16MP main camera at the rear, a depth camera and also a motion tracking camera. The depth camera and motion tracking cameras function only along with the main camera to enable the phone to detect the surrounding environment for the best AR experience.

The listing on TENAA should mean that the device will hit the Chinese market soon even though the price of the Phab 2 Pro Chinese edition isn’t known. The Lenovo Phab 2 Pro carries a price tag of 3300 yuan ($499) in the US, so the price may hover around 3299 yuan ($499) or 3499 yuan ($528) and is expected to enter the market this September. Hopefully, the Chinese edition of the Lenovo Phab 2 Pro will be released at the same time with the US edition.

New Huawei smartphone with 5-inch AMOLED, 4000mAh battery lands TENAA

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