ASUS Unveils Three New Smartphones, Including ZenFone 3 Deluxe With SD820 & 6GB RAM

By

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May 30, 2016

ASUS may not be as popular as Samsung or Apple, but the company has established a reputation among mid-range customers for offering pretty good value for the money you pay for its ZenFone smartphones. Now, ASUS has just unveiled three new smartphones in the ZenFone 3 series and the three devices are targeted at different customers based on the specs and features they want.

ZenFone 3 Deluxe

First up is the powerful ZenFone 3 Deluxe. The company claims this is the first all-metal smartphone with invisible antenna lines. So, no ugly black bars on the back panel, which means, the phone is great too look at. The ZenFone 3 Deluxe is really the pick of the three smartphones announced today, coming with cutting edge specs and beautiful metal design to please the top-end market.

The phone features a 5.7-inch 1080p AMOLED display with 100% NTSC color gamut. The company has kept the bezels to a bare minimum, increasing the screen to body ratio to an impressive 79 percent. Under the hood, you get none other than the powerful Snapdragon 820 quad-core chipset with Adreno 530 GPU. Further, the company is going to offer up to 6GB RAM inside this new model, which means performance will be top-notch. Further, for connectivity, you get the X12 LTE model, which means fast data speeds.

In the camera department as well, the ZenFone 3 Deluxe is no slouch. It comes with a powerful Sony IMX318 23MP rear sensor with f/2.0 aperture lens and 4-axis OIS. You also get 3-axis EIS on the device for steady 4K video recording. The company claims that the phone’s camera setup can focus in just 0.03 seconds, thanks to the presence of 2nd gen Laser Focus, contrast detect focus and PDAF. As for the other features, the ZenFone 3 Deluxe model comes with a rear placed fingerprint sensor, Quick Charge 3.0 supported battery, USB Type-C, His-Res Audio support and powerful five-magnet speakers.

This particular model is truly a powerhouse and can be yours for a competitive price tag of $499.

ZenFone 3 Ultra

If you are looking for something big, I mean really massive, look no further than the ZenFone 3 Ultra. The phone features a massive 6.8-inch 1080p display with ASUS-exclusive Tru2Life+ video technology that reportedly uses 4K UHD TV grade processor to deliver stellar video playback. The Ultra is basically a tablet with phone functions targeted at users who will primarily use this device for entertainment. It comes with 2 x five magnet stereo speakers and NXP smart amplifier. Other entertainment boosting features include Hi-Res audio support and virtual 7.1 Channel surround sound with DTS Headphone:X.

The ZenFone 3 Ultra continues the no antenna design with metal body as the Deluxe model. The screen to body ratio is 79 percent which will make the massive 6.8-inch display look amazing. At the back, you get the same 23MP setup as the Deluxe model. Inside, you have an octa-core Snapdragon 652 chip with Adreno 510 and 4GB of RAM. You also get a fingerprint sensor, but it is located up front, below the display. You get a large 4600mAh body with Quick Charge 3.0. You can also charge other devices using the Ultra’s inbuilt battery at 1.5V.

The ZenFone 3 Ultra is priced at $479.

ZenFone 3

Coming to the least powerful, budget-friendly, yet competitive ZenFone 3, it sports a 5.5-inch 1080p display with 77.3 percent screen to body ratio and 2.5D glass with gorilla glass protection. At the back, you get a slightly downgraded 16MP camera sensor, but rest of the features like Laser Focus, PDAF etc are the same as the other two models.

ZenFone 3 is also the first smartphone in the world to feature the new Snapdragon 625 chipset, which is the successor to the popular Snapdragon 617 chip. The highlight of this chip is that it is manufactured on a 14nm FinFet process, which is a first for a mid-range processor. This really shows that Qualcomm is trying to take things to a new level in the mid-range segment with this new chipset. You get 4GB of RAM on board as well as a rear placed fingerprint sensor.

Pricing is expected to be $249, which is great for a device with these specs. It would be a real tough competitor to the existing Moto G4 Plus handset.

Still no word on the availability of these three handsets.

Xiaomi Mi5 Will Go On Open Sale From June 1, Available via Multiple Retailers!

By

Joel Joseph

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May 30, 2016

Xiaomi has often being criticized for the supply problem, given that most of the times, its new smartphones are not readily available for purchase, even in China. Xiaomi’s CEO, Lei Jun had revealed in an internal letter that he was going to personally take care of this department. Since then, we have heard some good things about the company’s production, which is said to have increased from 700,000 per month to 1 million. Now, it looks like the increased production has finally allowed the company to sell the Xiaomi Mi 5 without the flash sale model.

Xiaomi officially announced today that starting June 1, the Xiaomi Mi 5 will be available to purchase from a number of retailers in China, including company’s own website, JD.com, Lynx store, and Suning. It is said that there will be enough stock of the company’s flagship device. Also, both, the standard and the high versions of the Mi 5 will be made available for sale.

To remind you, the Mi 5 3D ceramic version still won’t be readily available for purchase. So, although it is said that the production of the 3D ceramic body has been stabilized, it looks like production on a large scale still can’t be met.

Meanwhile, the company is now offering the special 3D ceramic version in two colors. Today, the Mi 5 3D Ceramic Variant was sold in white color in a flash sale in China.

ASUS ZenFone 3 Specs & Renders Leaked, At least three new Models Launching Today

By

Joel Joseph

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May 29, 2016

ASUS will officially release the ASUS ZenFone 3 models today in Taiwan. Like the name suggest, this will be the third generation smartphone series from the company and will succeed the popular ZenFone 2 models. There are three models expected to be announced today, namely, the ZenFone 3, Zenfone 3 Deluxe and ZenFone 3 Max. And just before the launch, now, some specs of the three devices have been leaked, thanks to a new internal document revealed by a tipster on Twitter.

The ASUS ZenFone 3 model is said to come with the new Snapdragon 625 chipset (MSM8953) which Qualcomm had announced back in February this year. This will be the successor to the Snapdragon 617 ad 615 mid-range chipsets that powered many smartphones last year. While the new gen Snapdragon 625 chip continues the same octa-core Cortex A53 design as the previous generation, the company has increased the clock speed from 1.5GHz to 2GHz. Plus, the GPU is upgraded to Adreno 506, so there should be an increase in the overall chip performance. But what really is the highlight of the new 625 chip is that it is manufactured on Samsung/ GlobalFoundry’s 14nm FinFet process.

Moving on, there will reportedly be two versions of the ZenFone 3, one with a 5.5-inch 1080p display and other with a 5.2-inch 1080p panel. The former will have a 16MP rear sensor with OIS, Laser Focus , f/2.0 lens and 8MP front shooter while the latter comes with the same specs except for the Laser Focus. The battery on the larger model is of 3000mAh capacity while the smaller model comes with a 2650mAh capacity battery. Both phones have 3GB RAM inside.

The ZenFone 3 Ultra model comes with Snapdragon 652 octa-core processor with 4GB RAM, Cat. 6 LTE support, fingerprint ID, 4600mAh large battery and a surprisingly thin 6.8mm body. At the back, there will be a 23MP sensor with OIS and EIS.

There’s a Zenfone 3 Max model as well, which is said to come with a 6-inch FHD display, dual speakers, 13MP rear camera with OIS and Laser Focus, 8MP front shooter, and a fingerprint sensor.

Finally, coming to the ZenFone 3 Deluxe model, it will feature Snapdragon 820 chip with a 5.7-inch display, 6GB of RAM and a 23MP rear camera shooter.

We haven’t heard of the ZenFone 3 Ultra model before, but it could be announced alongside the three other variants. One thing to note here is that the source reveals this document is from February and could be outdated. So, we will have to wait for an official announcement to confirm the final specs.

Which one of these models do you think is the best?

(Source)

LeEco Le Max 2 Review – A Real Flagship Killer of 2016?

By

Linus

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May 28, 2016

LeEco released quite a few phones this year and the Le Max 2 is probably the best out of their smartphones’ portfolio. It has awesome looks, flagship-grade specs and a lot more to offer. Learn more in the full review.

Thanks to Letvmart.com for sending LeEco Le Max 2 for a review.

Coupon code for Le Max 2: LMT30 ($30 off on letvmart.com)

Buy LeEco Le Max 2 from Letvmart

LeEco Le Max 2: VIDEO REVIEW

[embedyt] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifnXV6g87mY[/embedyt]

[embedyt] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KEO5JJ55tVo[/embedyt]

LeEco Le Max 2 Review: UNBOXING

What you are getting in the box include a fast charger, USB C cable, USB C to 3.5mm headset jack adapter, SIM ejector and some paperwork. Last but not least you are getting a soft TPU case.

LeEco Le Max 2 Review: SPECIFICATIONS

Display	5.7″ 1440 x 2560 pixels (~515 ppi pixel density) (2k)
Processor and GPU	Qualcomm MSM8996 Snapdragon 820, Dual-core 2.15 GHz Kryo & dual-core 1.6 GHz Kryo, Adreno 530 GPU
RAM	4GB
Camera	8MP Front/21MP Back
Connectivity	Bluetooth, 3G, 4G, GPS, WIFI, GSM,EDGE, GPRS, UMTS, HSPA, HSPA+, dual-SIM.
Battery	3.100 mAh (non-removable)
Dimensions	156.8 x 77.6 x 8 mm / 185g
OS	eUI 5.6 (Android 6.0)
Storage	32GB (not expandable)

LeEco Le Max 2 Review: DESIGN and DISPLAY

In terms of the design, Le Max 2 is very similar to our previously reviewed Le 2 and make sure to check that review out.

The phone sports a 5.7” 2k resolution display, which is very sharp, vibrant and it has a decent sunlight legibility.

Because of a large display, the phone is quite huge and it is very hard to manage it in one hand.

We have an all-metal unibody design and the edges of the backplate are slightly curved and thus it is easier to hold it.

We have an 8MP front firing shooter and non-customizable LED notification light.

The capacitive buttons are nicely backlit but the backlight is not visible outdoors.

As far as optics, we have a beefy and slightly protruding 21MP shooter with OIS, f/2.0 aperture, PDAF and dual-LED flash.

The fingerprint scanner is very fast and accurate, and it works straight from the standby mode. Keep in mind that you have to update your software to the latest version as the early software build had some fingerprint scanner issues but right now the issue has been solved.

One of the most interesting aspects of this phone is that it does not have a headset jack. Instead, LeEco assures that this phone is capable of providing even better audio experience via the USB C port as it uses a new CDLA music standard. I have to tell you that the sound quality via the earphones is very good and the volume output is loud.

The IR blaster is here to control devices like TVs. The sound quality from the loudspeaker is significantly better than on Le 2. Sure, the quality is not ideal but the sound is crisp and it has a decent amount of depth. Also, the loudspeaker can get really loud. However, I don’t like the placement of it as you can easily cover it (bottom left).

The dual-SIM card tray can take 2 nano SIM cards and both slots support 4G networks. Unfortunately, there is no microSD card slot.

The buttons are made of metal too but, unfortunately, the volume rocker rattles quite a bit.

Overall, the phone looks and feels great. It is very well built, it has all-metal design and the only shortcoming is a rattling volume rocker.

LeEco Le Max 2 Review: HARDWARE and PERFORMANCE

When it comes to hardware, LeEco Le Max 2 is just a beast. In fact, our review unit is a lower-end model, which sports Snapdragon 820 chip, 4GB of RAM and 32GB of non-expandable storage. If you even better specs, you can opt in for a 64GB model, which has whopping 6GB of RAM.

When it comes to gaming, you can be rest assured that every game will just fly. Also, the graphics looked great on each game I tested and the phone did not heat up to uncomfortable levels. See a video review for gameplay/graphics performance.

LeEco Le Max 2 Review: BENCHMARKS

LeEco Le Max 2 Review: UI

When it comes to the user interface, we have the eUI 5.6, which is built on top of Android 6.0.

In fact, Letvmart.com shipped our review unit with fully debloated ROM with Google services and multi-languages pre-installed. I’ve tested this ROM for quite a while and it works great. If you don’t like it, you can always flash the original Chinese ROM.

What I love about the eUI is that you can quickly access settings toggles, adjust brightness, open or close your recent apps and so on, and you can do that all in one place by simply clicking a left capacitive button. As usual, we have some customization options, quite a few settings and tweaks to play with.

Most importantly, the UI is running fast, fluid and I didn’t have a single hiccup no matter how many apps were open in the background.

LeEco Le Max 2 Review: CAMERA

When it comes the camera, the stock app can take pictures very fast. We have some shooting modes, settings and some manual controls to play with.

LeEco Le Max 2 Review: IMAGE QUALITY

[embedyt] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1wRAKWo_YuI[/embedyt]

The daylight image quality is very good. There is a good amount of detail, colors look natural and the images look sharp. The only issue that I found is the dynamic range adjustment but the HDR mode, which has to be turned on manually, solves this issue pretty well.

The indoor and macro shots are great too. It may take a bit more time to focus but the images come out pretty sharp.

The low-light image quality is good when the objects are well-lit but the quality decreases dramatically when they are not. There could simply be more details and less noise in those shots.

I took images side by side with the Galaxy S7 edge and the difference is quite significant. On the other hand, the price difference of these phones is quite significant too. Also, I took a few shots side by side with the Letv Le 1 Pro and I can assure you that there is a significant low-light image quality upgrade.

The 4k and 1080p video quality is pretty good too except for the fact that it looks a bit shaky and there could be a little bit less noise in some of the videos. See a video review for a video sample.

An 8MP camera can take some great looking selfies but the selfie video is only 720p. Still, the footage looks quite sharp as the camera emphasized all the freckles I have on my face. Also, the sound recording quality is pretty good.

Full resolution camera samples are coming soon…

LeEco Le Max 2 Review: CONNECTIVITY

As for connectivity, I didn’t have any issues. The call quality is good, the GPS is very accurate, Wifi signal is good and Bluetooth works fine.

LeEco Le Max 2 Review: BATTERY LIFE

A non-removable 3100mAh battery powers up the phone and performance of it is good considering a low capacity and huge 2k resolution screen.

I could get over 4.5 hours of screen-on time on a mixed use, which is a decent result. However, the screen-on time reduced to around 3 hours if I used the phone very intensively (recording 4k videos, gaming, running benchmarks).

On the days when the phone ran out of juice, I could fully charge it up in 1:10 h with the supplied fast charger.

LeEco Le Max 2 Review: CONCLUSIONS

So, there you have it, LeEco Le Max 2. The phone costs less than $400 and it has a lot to offer for the price.

It all starts with a beautiful all-metal design and good build quality, very sharp display, flagship-grade specifications, stellar performance and great cameras.

However, the phone lacks microSD card slot for storage expansion, the volume rocker rattles quite a bit, and the loudspeaker is placed on the bottom left, so you can easily cover. Lastly, the phone lacks a traditional 3.5mm headset jack. It is not an issue for me as I use Bluetooth earphones but some users may not be happy about it.

Overall, LeEco Le Max 2 is a fantastic phone. Yes, it has a few shortcomings but they are far from a deal breaker. In fact, LeEco Le Max 2 is a device that can be highly recommended for those who look for a phablet with bleeding-edge specs, stunning looks, good cameras and great performance for a price to beat.

Coupon code for Le Max 2: LMT30 ($30 off on letvmart.com)

Buy LeEco Le Max 2 from Letvmart

Bluboo Maya Confirmed To Run On Android 6.0

By

Joel Joseph

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May 27, 2016

For the past few days, we have been revealing a few details about the upcoming Bluboo Maya smartphone. Now, we have got some more details about the device, this time, about its software. Bluboo seems to have confirmed that the upcoming Bluboo Maya will run on the new Android 6.0 Marshmallow version. This will make it the company’s first smartphone with the new Android version.

While Marshmallow version is basically confirmed on the Maya, the company is yet to reveal the exact features of the device when it comes to software. But it should definitely benefit from the efficient working of the new OS, reportedly lowering power consumption by 20 percent.

Bluboo Maya is expected to be announced and released via various online stores in June. The phone is also said to come with a similar diamond texture as found on the Bluboo Xtouch models. Other features of the upcoming device include a 5.5-inch display, quad-core processor clocked at 1.3GHz, 2GB RAM and 16GB of internal storage. The company is also betting on the good camera performance of the Bluboo Maya as compared to the competition in the segment.

Stay tuned as we bring more information about the new budget device from Bluboo.

Cubot S9 Is A High-End Flagship Which Comes in 6 Color Options

By

Joel Joseph

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May 27, 2016

Last week, we reported that Cubot was coming up with a high-end smartphone called simply as the Cubot S9. This will be the second major device from the company after announcing and releasing the Cubot Cheetah smartphone in partnership with Cheetah Mobiles. But unlike the Cheetah, the Cubot S9 is going to be a powerful flagship device, with real flagship specs. The company seems to be working on some powerful hardware for the device, and now, we have more details about the phone’s body and color options.

The Cubot S9 will reportedly come with a hard aluminum alloy coating (Al-Zn-Mg) which is usually used in industries like aerospace and military. Along with the strong surface coating, the company will also offer six color options for the upcoming device, namely, blue, gold, pink, red, silver and space gray. This will make sure you can find the perfect color for the device.

While we haven’t seen the device in real life, and most likely won’t for the next few months, the alleged specs of the device are going to be monstrous. The phone is said to feature the Snapdragon 823 chip which should succeed the existing SD820 chip. There will be 6GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage. The display is said to be from Sharp of 5.4-inches, but with unknown resolution. Cubot has a couple of slim handsets, and this will be an addition to the lineup with its thin 6.5mm body. Other features of the device include 2800mAh battery with Quick Charge, Android 6.0, semi-circular Touch ID, dual 16MP cameras and 8MP front facing one. What’s also interesting is that Cubot S9 probably will get rid of the 3.5mm headphone jack, in favor of a USB Type-C based headphone output.

These are some very powerful specs, which also means that you won’t probably see the Cubot S9 flagship anytime soon. Snapdragon 823 is still unannounced and there are some other features as well, which is yet to become mainstream. So, don’t keep you hopes too high thinking that you can get the device in the next couple of months.

Still, if Cubot is working on the S9, we would definitely like to see the company’s take on such high hardware. You can read more about this device from the official company page.

Huawei’s Honor 5A & 5A Plus Budget Devices Hits TENAA

By

Joel Joseph

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May 27, 2016

Huawei had revealed a while back that the company is not really interested in competing aggressively in the low-end budget segment like other Chinese smartphone makers. Instead, the company is interested in fighting for the mid-range and top-end market with the likes of Apple and Samsung. But that doesn’t mean the company has abandoned the low-end segment, as we have seen pretty decent offerings in this segment as well. Now, it looks like the company is preparing to refresh its low-end Honor lineup with two new models Honor 5A and Honor 5A Plus. Both these smartphones were spotted on the TENAA certification agency in China.

Specs wise, the Honor 5A comes with a 5-inch display with 720p resolution and a quad-core processor clocked at 1.3GHz. Further, the phone will feature 2GB of RAM and 16GB of ROM. At the back, the device will feature a 13MP sensor, which is an upgrade from 8MP shooter on the Honor 4A released last year. But the front camera remains the same 2MP. Other features include Android 5.1 Lollipop, 2200mAh battery, and 4G LTE support.

Coming to the larger model, the Honor 5A Plus, the phone comes with a 5.5-inch 720p display with an octa-core chip clocked at 1.8GHz under the hood. Inside, you get 2GB of RAM and 16GB of storage, same as the Honor 5A variant, but the battery has been bumped up to 3000mAh. Also, the front gets an 8MP shooter, while the rear features the same 13MP sensor.

Since these two phones have hit TENAA, expect a launch to be soon. Pricing for Honor 5A should be on the same lines as the Honor 4A, i.e. around 699 Yuan which comes to just $106.

A brief introduction to different WiFi standards of today

By

Alex Wang

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May 27, 2016

When you purchase a new phone, you probably take more time on studying the specs like SoC, memory, cameras etc. rather than WiFi Standards. However, WiFi standard of your next smartphone are crucial to your everyday smartphone usage.

You want the fastest WiFi experience for online movies, downloads and so on. By watching the short video below and you’ll get an idea of the current WiFi standards we’re using today and their different performance . Also, by the end of the video, there is a short comparison video of the smartphones with 802.11ac supported and those without the ac standard support.

https://youtu.be/2mEdrKTylMs

Doogee X5 Max With 4000mAh battery & Android 6 Available At $69.74

By

Joel Joseph

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May 27, 2016

Doogee is kind of a known name in the Chinese smartphone market. The company has released some interesting smartphones in the past and recently announced the Doogee x5 Max. Doogee already has a couple of smartphones in the series, namely the Doogee X5 and X5 Pro, and this should sit between these two models. In case you are wondering, the company is calling this the X5 Max because it comes with a massive 4000mAh battery to keep the phone running for days. Another major highlight of the device is fingerprint ID at the back, which is a feature usually not found in smartphones which are this cheap.

Now, the Doogee X5 Max is available for a price of just $69.74 from the retailer lightinthebox which is a good deal considering the specs and the design of the device. Looks wise, the phone comes with polished arc edges with a slightly curved back that fits well in your hand. Owing to the large 4000mAh battery on board and the compact form factor because of its 5-inch display, the phone is thicker than other handsets, measuring over 10mm. But for the price you pay, this may not be a big let down. Also, the battery is removable, which is another plus point.

The X5 Max comes with a 5-inch IPS display with 720p HD resolution. Inside, you get the quad-core MT6580 processor clocked at 1.3GHz with 1GB RAM and 8GB of internal storage, further expandable up to 32GB via MicroSD. At the back as well as the front, the phone features 8MP cameras, but don’t expect too much since they are software interpolated from 5MP. Another thing to note here is that this is a dual SIM phone but comes with just 3G connectivity. So, no 4G LTE for this model.

Finally, you have a fingerprint sensor at the back, which is a big plus. Another highlight is that the phone runs on Android 6.0 Marshmallow, unlike the other two X5 series models that are still on Lollipop.

Overall, at $69, the Doogee X5 Max is a pretty good handset with a super large battery, fingerprint ID and the new Android Marshmallow.

Buy Doogee X5 Max at $69.74

Xiaomi Unveils A New Mi Smart LED Desk Lamp for $26

By

Joel Joseph

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May 26, 2016

Xiaomi announced a brand new Mi smart LED lamp alongside the new drone on May 25. This will be yet another addition to the company’s vast number of smart home products and the company is continuing the tradition of keeping the price cheap. The Mi Smart LED lamp is priced at just 169 Yuan which comes to around $26.

The new Mi lamp comes with four modes for different lighting needs — focus mode, read mode, child mode and computer mode. Further, you can set the temperature and brightness of the lamp via the connected Mi smart home app. This is definitely handy for all your lighting needs.

As for the design, the lamp has a very minimalistic design. You get a super thin stand and a thin tube, so it should be easy to place it anywhere you want without taking a lot of space.

You can check out more pictures of the new Mi Smart LED lamp from down below.

mi smart led lamp 05 — mi smart led lamp

Nubia Z11 Max To Feature NeoPower 2.0, Improves Battery Life

By

Joel Joseph

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May 26, 2016

After announcing the ZTE Axon 7 flagship yesterday, ZTE’s Nubia smartphone division is now all set to release a new power flagship in the market, the Nubia Z11 Max on June 7. The company has been teasing some of the features of the device for the past few days, and now, Nubia’s GM reveals a few more details about the battery capacity and battery life of the upcoming device.

The Nubia Z11 Max is reportedly going to feature a new technology called as NeoPower 2.0 which will improve the battery life of the device, by optimizing a lot of components inside the device. So, the company won’t just increase the capacity of the battery inside, instead, it aims to optimize things inside like the camera, display etc which usually consume most of the battery life, thereby increasing the battery life of the device. With the use of the right components, like efficient Super AMOLED screen and camera modules, the battery life of the device is improved.

The company’s GM released a rather long article on his Weibo page explaining the NeoPower 2.0 battery technology used inside the Z11 Max. He further said that increasing the battery capacity is not the ideal solution since that translates into a heavier as well as a thicker phone. But the company has increased the density of the battery so that the thickness and weight of the phone are kept to a reasonable level without having to sacrifice on the battery life of the device.

Considering that the Nubia Z11 Max comes with a 4000mAh battery on board, we can expect pretty good overall battery life. The article further says that Nubia is using an advanced fast charging technology. It is said that fast charging will work with an ordinary charger as well.

As for the specs, earlier TENAA listing had revealed that the Z11 Max will come with a full metal body and a 6-inch 1080p display. At the back, it will feature a 16MP sensor while up front an 8MP shooter. The phone comes with Snapdragon 652 inside with 4GB RAM and 64GB storage. As for the battery, you get a 4000mAh capacity one inside.

If priced aggressively, the Z11 Max could be a real Mi Max killer. What do you think?

Top 5 Features Of UMi Super Aim To Enhance User Experience

By

Shine Wong

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May 26, 2016

UMi Super is the most popular flagship phone latest in the internet, which is pack with flagship-grade CPU from MediaTek Helio P10, 4GB RAM from SAMSUNG support upto 256GB external memory, 4000mAh battery from SONY with latest PE+ Quick charging technology, USB Type-C by FOXCONN. Panasonic 13MP camera claim to be a speed camera. 5.5-inch SHARP display sunlight screen for better vistion in the sun. Android 6.0 Marshmallow out of the box, while it’s expected to be on Android N in the future.

Yet, revealed by UMi website yesterday, there’re 4 interesting features of Super, aim to enhance user experience：

The most practical Sunlight display

UMi Super built-in Sung-light display by SHARP manufacture, which adjusts Pixel-level contrast for screen clarity in bring conditions. What’s remarkable about this technology is that it only adjusts the darker pixels, leaving the lighter pixels the same.

Custom button: Vitural or Physical button, Right or left all in one

UMi Super plays by your rules. Customize the functions of your device’s navigation buttons to build a smartphone experience tailored to you.

Personalized settings – Smart key：Short cut of your most used APP/ Mute your Super

Focus on what’s really important. Bringing new control to devices, our unique Smart key is a simple and intuitive solution. It allows you to set up any most used APP to this short-cut for your convenience. Or long press to mute all the sounds immediately for important meeting.

7 colors Skylight notification, Your way

UMi Super’s notification light is sitting along with the home button. It light up the home button to notify you. It allows you to customize different color of the light for any notification. For example, Missed call for Red, message for blue, what’sup for purple. You will notice excately

what is it coming from withtout lighting up screen as soon as you see the color

The Price Juggernaut

UMi has tasted success with its strategy, pack the phone to the brim with the latest top of the line hardware and price it half to the competition.

The affordability associated with the phone is something that makes the buyers chip in for the device and the fact that it shares most of its innards with say other premium flagships makes it a sweet deal. The $250 sticker price seems to be well justified for. Not to mention there’re a $70 off coupon you can get while it’s on presale period, we think there is very little that can go wrong.

You can find codes here: http://community.umidigi.com/thread-3169-1-1.html

Or subscribe at here to redeem one: http://umidigi.com/page-umi_super.html

ZTE Axon 7 vs Huawei P9: Two flagship Designs compared

By

Joel Joseph

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May 26, 2016

Since we got our hands on the new ZTE Axon 7, we also got the opportunity to compare the design of the Axon 7 vs Huawei P9 to see if we could pick out which ones better looking.

As you can clearly see from the comparison down below, Axon 7 and Huawei P9 have two different design philosophies. The Axon 7 uses a curvier design, with round corners, and curved back which fits well in your hand. On the other hand, the Huawei P9 goes for a rectangular flat body with a simplistic design which is equally good looking. Both phones are built to attract the top-end market, featuring rich colors and an all metal body which feels premium.

In real life as well as on paper, the Huawei P9 is much thinner, coming with a 7mm body. On the other hand, the Axon 7 comes with a 7.9mm body. But its curvier back does help in the grip to a certain extent. Also, like the CEO revealed a few days back, the Axon 7 comes with a new design without any screws.

Since the Huawei P9 features a smaller 5.2-inch 1080p display (as compared to 5.5-inch 2K screen on the Axon 7), it is a bit more compact. The exact dimensions of the P9 are as follows: 145 x 70.9 x 7 mm. On the other hand, Axon 7 measures: 151.7 x 75 x 7.9mm.

The dual speakers on the Axon 7 are located up front beside the display, while P9 features a single speaker at the bottom. Both have USB Type-C ports. Also the fingerprint sensors are located at the back on both the models as well. While ZTE Axon 7 has just a single 20MP camera module, the Huawei P9 comes with a dual 12MP camera setup certified by Leica which captures pretty good pictures.

Another major difference betwen the devices is the target market. While ZTE is aiming the top-end crowd who would like an amazing VR experience with the Axon 7, Huawei is targeting business and premium users who want a better user experience. So, Huawei limited the resolution on the P9 to 1080p while, the Axon 7 has a 2K display.

In the camera department, the P9 should have an edge with dual cameras and Leica certification. But in the audio department, Axon 7 should come on top with dual Hi-Fi chips from AKM and Dolby Atmos surround sound.

You can check out the images below for the comparison between Axon 7 vs Huawei P9.

Official ZTE Axon 7 Camera Samples Revealed

By

Joel Joseph

-

May 26, 2016

The company released the new Axon 7 flagship, marketing it as a phone meant for audio and camera lovers. While we know, on paper, the phone features pretty good hardware, what matters end of the day is the real life performance. This is true especially in the case of the camera on board, as we have seen devices with large megapixels and aperture, but only to disappoint us in terms of real camera quality.

On paper, the ZTE Axon 7 camera is powerful, featuring a 20MP rear sensor with f/1.8 aperture, OIS and PDAF. The company says that the camera functions are similar to professional level SLRs. So, the camera is expected to be quite impressive.

Now, ZTE has released some official pictures taken from the ZTE Axon 7 and they look quite good. The color reproduction is excellent and there doesn’t seem to be any visible noise.

You can check the Axon 7 camera samples from down below.

A word of advice, these are official camera samples released by the company, and hence, we better wait for real life camera performance test to check out the actual quality of images taken from the phone.

We hope we can capture some sample images and videos from the phone soon. So stay tuned for more updates.

Axon 7 AnTuTu Score Reveals Impressive Performance

By

Joel Joseph

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May 26, 2016

Like we mentioned previously, we were present at the Axon 7 unveiling and got some time to play around with the device. One of the first things that readers wants to know is the benchmark score of the device. Given that the Axon 7 comes with Snapdragon 820 chip inside, we knew that the benchmark scores would be amazing. So, we decided to run the AnTuTu benchmark test on the Axon 7 and like expected, the score that we got was pretty good.

In the Axon 7 AnTuTu test that we conducted, the phone got an impressive 134,861 points, which is just below the Xiaomi Mi 5 and Le Max 2 flagship models. This really shows that the phone has tremendous power inside and it even beats the Galaxy S6 Edge model, which is already a powerful device. To remind you, this is the 4GB RAM version of the phone and not the 6GB RAM version, which should score slightly better than this figure in the test. While Axon 7 AnTuTu scores reveal just one part of the picture, it is a good basic benchmark for the device’s performance capability.

To recap, the ZTE Axon 7 comes with the quad-core Snapdragon 820 chip inside with two memory options 4GB RAM + 64GB storage and 6GB RAM + 128GB storage. The phone sports a 5.5-inch 2K Quad HD display with Corning Gorilla Glass 4 protection. At the back, there will be a 20MP sensor with OIS and PDAF while up front, you get an 8MP F/2.2 shooter. The battery is also decent, of 3250mAh capacity and comes with support for QC 3.0.

The phone is made for audio lovers and comes with dual Hi-Fi chips from AKM and Dolby Atmos surround sound technology.

You can read more about the Axon 7 flagship from our launch coverage. Or check out the hands on with the device from here.

ZTE Axon 7 Hands On: All Metal Power Flagship In Gold!

By

Joel Joseph

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May 26, 2016

After a few months of silence, ZTE announced the brand new flagship, the ZTE Axon 7 today. The phone comes with a premium metal design, with dual speakers up front beside the 5.5-inch display. Overall, the design of the phone is built to give it a premium feel, and the gold color option surely adds to the posh feel of the device.

Up front, the phone comes with a 5.5-inch 2K panel, which is bright and the 558 ppi resolution makes the images and videos on the display stand out. You will find black borders around the screen, but they are reasonably thin, so as to not interfere with the overall experience of the device. On top of the display you have an 8MP front camera.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CT7biqcNzn4

Coming to the back, the phone features a 20MP sensor with dual LED flash and a fingerprint sensor. Also, you have the same “Designed in the USA” writing near the bottom of the metal back panel, like we saw in the Axon flagship last year. In fact, this year, the company worked with Designworks, a subsidiary of BMW group to design the Axon 7. You can read more about the specs and features of the device from our launch article.

But before that, check out our first Axon 7 hands on from below.

ZTE VR Announced, Will Support Google’s Daydream Platform

By

Joel Joseph

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May 26, 2016

To complement the newly announced Axon 7 flagship, ZTE also announced a new VR device, called simply as the ZTE VR. Like expected, this will be just like the other VR headsets we have seen in the market that works with a smartphone.

The company had revealed earlier that the Axon 7 was also was going to be a great device for VR, and this is basically why it decided to use a 2K screen on the flagship instead of just 1080p. Further, the phone’s advanced audio capability with dual speakers will be one of the biggest highlights of the VR experience with the new phone.

The ZTE VR comes with built-in 9 axis gyro sensor and a lens with 38mm diameter and 96 degrees field of vision. It weighs about 255 grams. ZTE also reveals that it is one of the first companies to support Google’s Daydream platform for high-performance mobile VR with the new Axon 7 model.

The ZTE VR is priced at 518 Yuan which comes to around $79.

In fact you can check out the specs of the new VR device from down below. A few actual images of the headset are also added below.

ZTE VR Specs:

Dimensions	185.3×85.3×76.7mm
Sensor functionality	Built-in 9-axis gyro sensor
Viewing adjustments	Lens effect distance: 8mm Vision: 0-600 degrees Pupil Distance: Auto adaptive
Lens	Field of vision: 96 degrees Material: PMMA Diameter: 38 mm Parameter: Aspherical lens
Material	Body: PC + ABS Face mask: TPU + sponge Belt: Artificial leather + diving cloth
Weight	255 grams (Only headset)

ZTE Axon 7 Official With Snapdragon 820, Hi-Fi Audio & Powerful 20MP Rear Camera

By

Joel Joseph

-

May 26, 2016

ZTE has been teasing its upcoming ZTE Axon 7 flagship for the past few days. Now, this beast is official, which means we know the entire specs and features of the device, and they are quite impressive.

We were present at the unveiling and also got to play around with the device for some time which means we have our first impressions of the device as well. Here’s all the details about the Axon 7.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z35TYn5bf2E

First of all, ZTE Axon 7 is built from the ground up for audio lovers. In fact, the company has made Lang Lang, a pianist famous in China as well as worldwide, the brand ambassador of the new Axon flagship. The company reportedly consulted with music professors and set up a dedicated lab to develop and perfect the phone’s audio quality. So, there’s no doubt that ZTE is targeting music lovers with its new device.

ZTE will continue with a similar design philosophy on the new Axon 7 as the previous generation flagships. So, you get the same dual speaker design up front, with a curvier back to ensure that the phone fits well in your hand. We got a good hands on with the gold version of the device and it looked attractive. Needless to say, you know this is an Axon flagship the moment you lay your eyes on it. The display looks good and the bezels are quite thin as well. You see thin black borders around the screen, but they blend well with the display. The company teamed up with Designworks, a subsidiary of BMW group to perfect the phone’s design.

The volume and power buttons are located on the right side of the device, while the dual nano SIM / MicroSD card tray lies on the left. The back feaures the 20MP sensor with dual LED flash and a fingerprint sensor. Down below, you have the USB Type-C port and on top, the traditional 3.5mm headphone jack. You get dual microphones on the new device as well.

Coming to the specification, the ZTE Axon 7 comes with the powerful Snapdragon 820 quad-core chipset inside with two memory variants, 4GB RAM + 64GB storage, and 6GB RAM + 128GB storage. Both the versions come with MicroSD expansion support up to 128GB. Up front, the phone features a beautiful 5.5-inch 2K AMOLED 2.5D glass display which is protected by Corning’s Gorilla Glass 4 generation. This translates into a pixel density of 558 ppi, which is quite impressive and ideal for VR.

At the back, the Axon 7 sports a large 20MP sensor with OIS and PDAF with f/1.8 aperture. The company claims that the camera comes with functions similar to SLR-quality camera to capture perfect pictures and videos. Up front, the phone comes with an 8MP shooter with f/2.2 aperture and smart beautification feature. Like we saw in the teasers, ZTE is focusing on the audio quality of its new Axon smartphone and it features built-in dual Hi-Fi (AK4961 + AK4490). Further, you get Dolby Atmos Suround Sound as well. So, expect the audio performance to be great. In fact, in the teaser, we got to hear the audio from the device, so check that out from here.

The phone runs on the Android Marshmallow version with Mifavor 4.0 on top. It has a fingerprint sensor located at the back and features NFC as well. What’s interesting is that ZTE has decided to add Force Touch feature on the top-end 6GB RAM + 128GB version of the flagship. Inside, the Axon 7 houses a 3250mAh battery which comes with QC 3.0 support. All this, inside a 7.9mm body.

As for the pricing, the ZTE Axon 7 starts at 2899 Yuan ($441) for the 4GB RAM + 64GB ROM model. The 4GB + 128GB model retails at 3299 Yuan ($503) while the top-end 6GB RAM + 128GB ROM model retails at 4099 Yuan ($625).

The phone will be first released in China, followed by other regions like United States and Europe. You can pre-order the device in China starting May 26 from JD.com, and the phone goes on sale online and in person at stores from June 2. You have two color choices, gold and silver.

OnePlus 3 Visits TENAA, Confirms Metal Body Design & Snapdragon 820

By

Joel Joseph

-

May 25, 2016

Evleaks gave us a first good look at the OnePlus 3 flagship smartphone a few days back. To be honest, it looked like the design was inspired by HTC. Now, OnePlus 3 has just passed through the Chinese TENAA certification website and guess what, the design we saw back then is almost confirmed today. TENAA reveals that the new OnePlus flagship will be going with the market trend by using an all metal design, a first for the company. Up front, the phone will feature 2.5D glass.

Design wise, the OnePlus 3 has a bit of an HTC feel, but overall the looks are not bad at all. You have a large camera sensor on the top center of the back panel, which for your information is protruding. Then, there’s a single LED flash and no laser focus, which is really surprising given that the OnePlus 2 had this tech. The black antenna bars are a significant part of the design and lies on top as well as near the bottom of the metal back panel.

Coming to the specs, TENAA confirms that the OnePlus 3 will feature a 2.15GHz quad-core Snapdragon 820 chipset with 4GB RAM and 64GB of internal storage. There’s no information about a 6GB RAM version, which we had heard about before. At the back, the phone comes with a 16MP camera while up front, there is an 8MP shooter. The screen size is also confirmed. It will sport a 5.5-inch panel with 1080p resolution. OnePlus 3 is quite thin as well and will measure just 7.3mm in thickness. In this body, the company has fitted a 3000mAh battery. This should be enough since previous 3C certification of the device had revealed that the phone could feature OPPO’s VOOC low voltage fast charging. The phone also supports dual SIM dual standby with 4G LTE.

While this particular model that hit TENAA was running on Android 6.0.1, it is said that the phone should be getting Android N version after it is officially released by the company.

Since the design of the OnePlus 3 is basically confirmed, what are your final thoughts about it?

Bluboo Xtouch vs Vernee Thor Hands-on Comparison

By

Alex Wang

-

May 25, 2016

We’re overwhelmed by the headlines of Galaxy S7, iPhone 6S, LG G5, Nexus 6P , but there are some well-made budget phones that serve your daily needs like communication, browsing, watching videos, positioning, photos and so on. Of course, you won’t get those cool features from the flagships, but do you really need all that? If you just want a decent smartphone for daily use without spending much cash, check out these two top cheap phones you can buy for around 125 dollars

You’ll get overall good performance, fast operation and comfortable design.

ZenFone 3 Deluxe

ZenFone 3 Ultra

ZenFone 3

LeEco Le Max 2: VIDEO REVIEW

LeEco Le Max 2 Review: UNBOXING

LeEco Le Max 2 Review: SPECIFICATIONS

Display

5.7″ 1440 x 2560 pixels (~515 ppi pixel density) (2k)

Processor and GPU

Qualcomm MSM8996 Snapdragon 820, Dual-core 2.15 GHz Kryo & dual-core 1.6 GHz Kryo, Adreno 530 GPU

RAM

4GB

Camera

8MP Front/21MP Back

Connectivity

Bluetooth, 3G, 4G, GPS, WIFI, GSM,EDGE, GPRS, UMTS, HSPA, HSPA+, dual-SIM.

Battery

3.100 mAh (non-removable)

Dimensions

156.8 x 77.6 x 8 mm / 185g

OS

eUI 5.6 (Android 6.0)

Storage

32GB (not expandable)

LeEco Le Max 2 Review: DESIGN and DISPLAY

LeEco Le Max 2 Review: HARDWARE and PERFORMANCE

LeEco Le Max 2 Review: BENCHMARKS

LeEco Le Max 2 Review: UI

LeEco Le Max 2 Review: CAMERA

LeEco Le Max 2 Review: IMAGE QUALITY

LeEco Le Max 2 Review: CONNECTIVITY

LeEco Le Max 2 Review: BATTERY LIFE

LeEco Le Max 2 Review: CONCLUSIONS