Vernee Apollo Lite To Feature The Samsung S5K3P3 16MP Camera Sensor, Launch Delayed

By

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May 4, 2016

Although Vernee Apollo is the real flagship smartphone of the company, its slightly toned down brother, the Vernee Apollo Lite is no slouch and comes with pretty powerful specifications as well. The company has been throwing some light on the phone’s body and specs for the past few weeks and now, Vernee has revealed yet another interesting feature of the Apollo Lite smartphone. The company confirms today that the Vernee Apollo Lite comes with the Samsung S5K3P3 sensor.

The company is touting the device as the first Helio X20 powered smartphone in the market with this camera sensor on board. Nothing special about this claim, but still it will interesting to see how well the camera performs on the device. This Samsung ISOCELL sensor comes with 1.0μm pixels with 16MP and supports PDAF, 4K video recording. Moreover, it is just 5mm thick, ensuring that the unit won’t be protruding out of the body.

Rest of the specs of the Vernee Apollo Lite are impressive as well. The phone comes with the Helio X20 MT6797 deca-core processor with a 5.5-inch FHD Arch Sharp IGZO display. There will be 4GB of RAM on board along with 32GB of internal storage. Up front, the phone comes with a 5MP shooter. As for software, there’s Android 6.0 Marshmallow OS on board. Other features of the device include USB Type-C port, dual SIM (hybrid), compass, gyroscope etc.

The company had earlier reported that the Apollo Lite would be announced in May. However, now the company reveals that the launch has been delayed to June.

Coupon Code: APOL30, $30 OFF at Oppomart

OnePlus 3 Detailed Specs & Price Leaked: SD820, 16MP Rear Camera & More

By

Joel Joseph

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May 4, 2016

Given that most manufacturers have already announced their flagship phones for 2016, our attention is now towards the Chinese manufacturer OnePlus who is reportedly preparing the launch of its new generation flagship model, the OnePlus 3 sometime around May 18. The smartphone market is nothing like when OnePlus entered back in 2014, with the competition intensifying with the entry of more Chinese handset makers into the international market. So, there is no doubt that the company will have to step up its game this year.

Thanks to a leak from a popular user on Weibo, KJuma, we now have a lot more details about the OnePlus 3 flagship. From what we can see, the phone will offer tremendous value for the money you put in, starting at just $310. In fact, the pricing and the memory details are in line with what we had leaked exclusively a few days back. So, let’s look at what the OnePlus 3 would most likely offer.

Every year, OnePlus makes sure that their flagship phone comes with the best chipset in the market. This year too, the company is said to continue the tradition, using Snapdragon 820 inside the OnePlus 3. The new leak reveals two memory variants. The standard version will come with 4GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage. On the other hand, the high-end variant should come with 6GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage. At this point, we don’t know whether the storage will be expandable or not. As for the display, it should have a 5.5-inch panel with 1080p resolution.

As for the camera, the phone should come with a 16MP rear sensor with a large aperture which reportedly takes amazing bokeh effect photos. Well, we did see a camera sample from the OnePlus 3 revealed directly by the company CEO and it looked good. Up front, you can expect an 8MP shooter. Inside, there will be a 3500mAh battery and for software, Android 6.0 based Hydrogen OS 2.0. There was no mention of fast charging tech in this new leak, but earlier today, we saw a new OnePlus A3000 phone certified with OPPO’s low voltage 5V 4A charging support, which should end up on the OP3.

oneplus 3 concept 01 — oneplus 3 concept

Now, coming to the pricing, the OnePlus 3 will start at 1999 yuan ($310) says the leak for the 4GB RAM + 32GB version. The high-end 6GB RAM + 64GB storage variant will retail for 2499 Yuan ($384). If true, these are some aggressive prices for the specs the phone comes with. To recap, one of the best value for money handsets in the market right now, the Xiaomi Mi 5 also starts at $310, but it comes with 3GB RAM and an underclocked CPU.

We haven’t really seen the new OnePlus 3 handset in real life, so we don’t know how the phone will end up looking. But we can expect the company to cook up a great design for their most important smartphone of this year.

Stay tuned for more details.

OPPO R9 Plus Top-End Version With 128GB ROM Goes On Sale In China For $554

By

Joel Joseph

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May 4, 2016

OPPO R9 series smartphones have been doing well in China ever since it was announced back in March. The company managed to sell nearly 180,000 units in the first day of launch alone. Later in April, even the OPPO R9 Plus variant with a larger display, battery and better specs went on sale. Now, the company has just released the top-end variant of the OPPO R9 Plus and it will go on sale in China from today.

This top-end model comes with a massive 128GB of storage inside, making sure that you never run out of memory on the device. Rest of the specs are pretty impressive as well. The OPPO R9 Plus comes with the Snapdragon 652 octa-core processor inside with 4GB of RAM. The ROM is further expandable via MicroSD card up to 128GB, clearly making sure that you can store a lot of stuff inside the smartphone. Further, there will be a large 4120mAh battery with the company’s low voltage VOOC fast charging tech. This will make sure that the 6-inch 1080p display on board won’t be an issue for battery life.

Coming to the camera department, the phone comes with 16MP front and rear cameras. The front camera is ideal for selfies with f/2.0 aperture and 5P lens, while at the back, you have the Sony IMX298 with 1.12u pixel sensor and f/2.0 aperture. Other camera features of the phone include support for 4K videos and HDR.

The OPPO R9 Plus 128GB edition will go on sale in China from today for a price tag of 3599 Yuan. This comes to around $554.

So, what do you think about this large storage offering from the company?

Huawei G9 Lite Smartphone & MediaPad M2 Tablet Official In China

By

Joel Joseph

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May 4, 2016

Like expected, Huawei unveiled the Huawei G9 Lite and MediaPad M2 7.0 tablets in China today. The company had revealed teasers for the launch of the two devices, so it doesn’t come as a surprise.

Chinese companies often have the tradition of keeping two different names for one smartphone. The company is using a similar strategy here as the Huawei G9 Lite (for China) is actually the Huawei P9 Lite (international name). Most of the specs were already revealed earlier. So, the G9 Lite version come with a 5.2-inch 1080p display with the new Kirin 650 chipset under the hood clocked at 2GHz. There will be 3GB of RAM on board and 16GB storage which is further expandable via MicroSD.

While you won’t get the dual camera setup found on the flagship P9 series, the new G9 Lite comes with a single 13MP rear sensor and an 8MP front facing shooter. There will be a fingerprint sensor at the back as well that unlocks in 0.5 seconds. The phone will be available for 1699 Yuan in China, which comes to around $260. There will be three colors available, white, gold and black.

Along with the new smartphone, Huawei also unveiled new tablets, the MediaPad M2 7.0 and 10.1 models today. This new models in the company’s M2 series features 7-inch and 10.1-inch displays with 920 x 1200 resolution. They come with a fingerprint sensor, 1080p display and Snapdragon 615 chipset under the hood. Other specs of the tablet include 3GB of RAM, 13MP rear camera with LED flash and selfie 5MP front facing shooter. Also, there will be a decent 4360mAh battery on board.

The MediaPad M2 7.0 will go on sale for 1599 Yuan ($245) for the 16GB model and goes up to 1799 Yuan ($276) for the 32GB model. The 10-inch model starts at 1499 Yuan ($230) (16GB) Wi-Fi only and for the SIM card version, 16GB starts at 1899 Yuan ($292) and 32GB for 2099 Yuan ($322).

Pre-order start from today and these two models will go on sale in China from May 19.

OnePlus 3 Certified In China, Comes With 5V 4A Fast Charging Tech

By

Joel Joseph

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May 4, 2016

Although OnePlus is yet to reveal a final date for the release of its new OnePlus 3 flagship, rumors state that the phone will be announced this month itself. Now, it looks like the rumors does have some backing as the model OnePlus A3000 most likely the OnePlus 3 was just certified in China. In case you are wondering, it was not certified by TENAA, but rather the phone received 3C certification.

oneplus 3 3c certified

This gives us some insight about the charging specs of the OnePlus 3 and here’s where things get really interesting. The certification listing reveals that the phone will support fast charging at 5V 4A, which translates into a maximum wattage of 20W. This would really speed up the charging process. But what’s even more interesting is that it the phone is said to come with OPPO’s low voltage charging technology instead of Qualcomm’s Quick Charging tech.

So, how did OnePlus manage to use OPPO’s fast charging tech inside its new flagship smartphone? At this moment, we have no answer, but we wil have to wait for the official unveiling event of the OnePlus 3 to get more answers.

In related news, we had seen the company trademark the name “Dash Charge” recently. Judging from the name, we expected it to be some kind of fast charging technology from the company. However, we are not quite sure whether the fast charging on the new OnePlus device will end up being called as this.

As for the specs, the OnePlus 3 is expected to come with Snapdragon 820 chipset with 4GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage. There would be another version with 6GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage. Pricing would be competitive as well, expected to start at 1999 Yuan translating into just $310. This would make it one of the best value for money smartphone in the market right now, even beating Xiaomi Mi 5 which features just 3GB RAM on the base model.

oneplus 3 phone

OnePlus is rumored to release the new flagship sometime around May 18. However, we haven’t seen any official teasers or invites for the same till now.

Meanwhile, you can check out the first camera sample from the flagship from here.

Vernee Thor Comes With A Better Charger, Teardown Video Released

By

Joel Joseph

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May 4, 2016

Vernee Thor, the company’s first smartphone turned out to be quite successful, thanks to its cheap pricing and competitive specs. The company has been promoting its new device via stress test videos recently, and now, Vernee has revealed more information on the charger used by the Thor smartphone.

According to the company, users often neglect the importance of chargers, which plays a key role in the charging speed as well as the safety. But the company has given due attention to the Vernee Thor’s charger, making it durable as compared to other chargers. In fact, the company just released a new video tearing down the charger as well as comparing it with competitive products. You can check them out from below.

Vernee Thor comes with pretty good specs for its price. The phone come with the 64-bit MT6753 octa-core processor with 3GB of RAM and 16GB of expandable memory. There will be a 13MP rear camera and a 5MP front facing shooter. Inside, the phone features a 2800mAh battery with support for 5V 2A fast charging.

Overall, its a value for money product and you can currrently get it via different online retail stores for $119.99.

So, what do you think about the new device from Vernee?

LeEco Le 2 Unboxing and First Impressions

By

Linus

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May 4, 2016

LeEco (formerly known as Letv) may be still considered as a newcomer to the smartphone game but they have released quite a few high-quality smartphones in a short amount of time. LeEco Le 2 is one of the latest offerings by the company and it indeed looks like a nice phone for a reasonable price. Learn more in our unboxing and first impressions article.

Thanks to Oppomart for sending LeEco Le 2 for a review.

Buy LeEco Le 2 from Oppomart

LeEco Le 2: UNBOXING

The phone ships with some paperwork, USB type C cable, SIM ejector pin, a fast charger and last but not least USB type C to 3.5mm headset jack adapter since the LeEco Le 2 does not have a classic headset jack.

LeEco Le 2: SPECS

Display	5.5″ 1080p (Full-HD)
Processor	Mediatek 6797 Helio x20, 64-bit, octa-core (up to 2.3GHz)
RAM	3GB
Camera	8MP Front/16MP Back
Connectivity	Bluetooth, 3G, 4G, GPS, WIFI, GSM,EDGE, GPRS, UMTS, HSPA, HSPA+, dual-SIM.
Battery	3.000 mAh (non-removable)
Dimensions	151.1×74.1×7.7mm / 153g
OS	EUI 5.6 (Android 6.0)
Storage	32GB (non-expandable)

LeEco Le 2: DESIGN and FIRST IMPRESSIONS

The first impressions once we took the phone out of the box – it is just gorgeous. An excellent all-metal build quality, nice and tactile buttons and the rose gold colour looks awesome.

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 a better audio experience via the USB type C. We will test it out in our full review.

We have the same 5.5″ 1080p display, which is nice and sharp, nicely backlit capacitive buttons, notification LED and 5MP camera on the front. Design-wise, Le 2 very similar to the Le 1s, which is also a great looking phone.

The metal surface is very nice to the touch. We have a 16MP camera, dual tone dual-LED flash and a fingerprint scanner on the back.

LeEco Le 2 in pictures:

LeEco Le 2 shapes up to be a great phone. It has a powerful processor, premium look and feel, and it is working fast and fluid as all LeEco smartphones. As usual, stay tuned to Gizmochina for our full review.

Buy LeEco Le 2 from Oppomart

Lenovo Lemo K3 Flash Sale just $89.99

By

shanos

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May 4, 2016

Gearbest holding a flash sale for Lenovo Lemo K3 at just $89.99

If you fancy a cheap fun 5″ Android phone, you can currently pick up the Lenovo Lemo K3 for just $89.99 over at gearbest as part of their current flash sale promotion.

Whilst the phone is not cutting edge tech, it would make a great second phone or handset for a relative that does not need high end features.

5 inch IPS capacitive screen, HD 1280 x 720 pixels
Qualcomm MSM8916, Cortex A53 quad core, 1.2GHz
Android 4.4 OS, 1GB RAM + 16GB ROM
Dual Cameras, front camera 2.0MP back camera 8.0MP
Dual SIM card dual standby, two micro SIM card
Support 4G/3G/GPS/Wifi/Bluetooth/Miracast
Networking:
2G: GSM 900/1800/1900MHz
3G: WCDMA 900/2100MHz
4G: FDD-LTE 1800/2100MHz

lenovo lemo k3 front lenovo lemo k3 sims

You can pick up the phone here for just $89.99 but be quick as it is a flash sale (currently there are just 93 left at this price)

Regards Shane

Three New Meizu Models Spotted On TENAA, Should Be Meizu Metal 2 & MX6

By

Joel Joseph

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May 3, 2016

Meizu was quite busy last month, unveiling three new smartphones, including the flagship Pro 6. But the three earlier handsets won’t likely be the end of the company’s smartphone launches this year, as there are a couple of the other phones we can expect to see in the coming months.

Now three new smartphones from Meizu have just been spotted on the TENAA certification website. They haven’t been fully listed yet, so we have very limited information about their specs at the moment. However, since they have been listed, we can expect a lot more information soon. The first two models were also listed on the 3C certification website recently, you can read about that from here.

So, there are L681M, L681Q and Y685M models. The first two naturally are of the same phone but different variants. Our guess would be Meizu Metal 2. The Y685M should be the Meizu MX6 flagship.

As per earlier rumors about the MX6 flagship, it is said that the phone will come with Helio X20 chip inside with 3GB / 4GB RAM options and a 5.5-inch 1080p display on board. Other possible specs include a 3000mAh battery and 21MP rear camera. Along with the specs, we also have the rumored pricing of the handset. The MX6 16GB edition will reportedly start at 1499 Yuan ($230), 32GB at 1799 Yuan ($276) and 64GB at 1999 Yuan ($308).

Yesterday, we also saw a leaked image claimed to be of the MX6 flagship. It’s a plain looking design in metal and seems like an early prototype. You can see the picture from above.

Unfortunately, we don’t have much information about the Meizu Metal 2 handset right now.

Bad News Folks, Mi Band 2 Wearable Won’t Be Meeting Us Soon

By

Joel Joseph

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May 3, 2016

Xiaomi has confirmed that it will be announcing the Xiaomi Max phablet in May in China. However, the company is also expected to announce MIUI 8 as well as the Xiaomi Mi Band 2 wearable at the event. We have seen the new band a couple of times in pictures, and I am sure everyone is excited to meet the new wearable.

However, we have some bad news today.

Today evening, Huami CEO, Huang Wang, revealed via his weibo account that the mass production of the Mi Band 2 was facing problems. This meant that the company couldn’t manufacture the new band in large quantities which is a must for a product like this. Xiaomi’s products are highly popular in China, so in the absence of the availability of stock in large quantities, online sales would be a disaster.

Even Xiaomi’s CEO has confirmed the delay in the release of the new Mi Band 2. He revealed via his Weibo account that increasing the production of the Mi Band 2 wearable was difficult at the moment, which is why he estimates that the new band will be released around a month later. So, if you were keeping high hopes for getting the new wearable from Xiaomi anytime soon, you may be disappointed.

We have already seen the new Mi Band 2 in real life pictures. It will be an upgrade to the earlier generation model with a display on board. The band should also feature a heart rate sensor like the Band 1S.

So, are you disappointed to hear that the Mi Band 2 is delayed?

Huawei G9 Will Be A Toned Down Version Of the Flagship P9 Series, Launching Tomorrow

By

Joel Joseph

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May 3, 2016

If you had checked our Facebook page recently, you would have seen our post on the Huawei G9 smartphone. We had reported a couple of days back that the Chinese smartphone giant was planning to release the Huawei P9 Lite as the Huawei G9. And today, the company has confirmed the details to some extent.

Huawei has just announced that it will release a new Huawei G9 smartphone tomorrow. The company even released a teaser image for the launch, wherein we can can see the back of the device. And from the image, the G9 will sport a very similar design as the Huawei P9 series. However, like expected the phone will not come with a dual camera setup, instead we can see just a single rear camera on board. The image also confirms that there will be three colors available for the device, namely white, black and gold. Just by the teaser, it’s hard to say whether the Huawei G9 comes with a plastic body, but recently the phone had passed through TENAA, which confirmed the plastic back on the device.

Along with the mid-range Huawei G9, we can also expect a new tablet from the smartphone maker. For now, we only know that the tab will be of 7-inches, but expect more details after tomorrow’s launch event.

Thanks to the TENAA listing, we know that the phone will come with a 5.2-inch 1080p diplay with an octa-core chip inside which should most likely be the Kirin 650. In case you missed, I have detailed all the important features of the new Kirin 650 chip here, so make sure you check that out. Other specs of the phone include, 3GB of RAM, 2900mAh battery, 13MP rear camera, 8MP front shooter and Android 6.0 Marshmallow OS on board.

Pricing is also supposed to be decent according to Huawei’s standard. The Huawei G9 Standard Edition is expected to retail at 1688 Yuan ($261) while the high-end G9 should go for 1988 Yuan ($307).

So, what do you think about the Huawei G9?

Xiaomi & Huawei Are Preparing Curved Smartphones This Year

By

Joel Joseph

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May 3, 2016

We have been hearing from multiple sources that Chinese manufacturers like Xiaomi and Huawei are planning to release curved smartphones this year. Now, similar rumors have cropped up online in China revealing some more information about the company’s plans for the same. These Chinese handset makers are reportedly going to use curved displays supplied by South Korean rivals LG and Samsung.

So, when can we expect these curved phones to hit the market? According to the source, both Huawei and Xiaomi will release curved phones in September.

Xiaomi’s first curved smartphone could end up being called as the Mi Edge or the Mi Note edge. The company will reportedly use the curved display panel from LG and not from Samsung. We have already seen the company’s take on curved displays with the LG G Flex, however, the Flex series didn’t get anywhere near the attention as the Galaxy Edge lineup. While it is still unclear how Xiaomi might design the Mi Edge smartphone using LG’s flexible display panels, it is possible that the company might use a new shape of the curved screen.

Now, coming to the curved screen smartphone from Huawei, it is said that the device will be called as the Mate Edge. Huawei will use Samsung’s curved display panels, but we are not sure whether the phone would be dual edged. Whatever the case might be, don’t expect the phone to retail for cheap.

In fact, we do have an initial set of specs and pricing for both the devices. The Xiaomi Mi Edge phone is expected to feature Snapdragon 820 chipset under the hood with 4GB of RAM, and 16MP rear camera. The pricing will be competitive, around 3000 Yuan which comes to $462. On the other hand, the Mate Edge phone is rumored to come with the Kirin 950 chipset with 4GB of RAM and a much high price tag of 4000 Yuan which comes to $617.

September is still a good few months away, so expect more details in the coming months.

Honor V8 Launch Invites Come With Camera Samples Inside

By

Joel Joseph

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May 3, 2016

May 10 is an important day for Chinese smartphone lovers not only because we will meet the Xiaomi Max phablet that day, but also because Huawei will also unveil the new Honor V8 series smartphones the same day. The company has already sent out invites for the event next week and we can be sure that the major highlight of the phone is going to be its camera at the back.

Thanks to the numerous teasers posted for the Honor V8, we already know that the phone will be yet another device from Huawei with a dual camera setup. While the Honor series isn’t new to dual cameras since the Honor 6 Plus came with such a setup, this should be the next generation technology from the company. The company seems to have tremendous confidence in the camera setup of the upcoming phone, which is probably why it decided to send out camera samples in the invites for the event. So, there is no doubt that the company will focus on the phone’s camera during the event.

As for the specs, the Honor V8 is expected to come in two variants, a standard model, and a high-end version. The difference between the standard and the high-end model is going to be in terms of the display resolution and the processor. The standard one will come with a 5.7-inch 1080p display and Kirin 950 chip while the high-end version is expected to feature a 5.7-inch 2K display with Kirin 955 chip. Other similar specs include 4GB of RAM, 32GB of storage, 12MP dual rear cameras, 8MP front camera and a 3400mAh battery inside a 7.75mm body.

We are still not sure about the pricing of the handset, but given the dual camera setup on board and the premium specs, expect it to be upwards of $400.

Xiaomi CEO: We Will Reveal The Ideal Phablet Screen Size On May 10

By

Joel Joseph

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May 2, 2016

Xiaomi is all set to unveil its first true phablet on May 10, namely the Xiaomi Max. We have been hearing about the phone for the past few days, and we have already seen multiple renders as well as specs of the device.

Since this is going to be a large screen phablet, there’s always the question of how big of a screen is good enough. Most customers would want to have as much screen real estate as possible on their smartphones without severely affecting the user experience. But that may differ from person to person. So, manufacturers often have their take on the ideal large screen size. In fact, Xiaomi CEO revealed earlier today that the company has thought about this and it would reveal their take on the ideal screen size on May 10, when the Xiaomi Max phablet is released.

“We do not want the phone too much, but we all want a screen as large as possible. Phone screen is much critical point? This problem has troubled us for a long time, May 10 press conference I will tell you the results of our thinking” revealed Xiaomi CEO via Weibo today.

Late last month, Lei Jun had revealed via his official Weibo account that he got to spend a few months with the Xiaomi Max engineering model and he was impressed with it. He enjoyed using the device and the large screen experience was unmatched.

So, we are all excited to see what Xiaomi has in store for us with its new phablet. As for the specs, earlier leaks have revealed that the phone will come with a 6.4-inch 1080p display, Snapdragon 650 hexa-core chipset, with 2GB / 3GB RAM options and 16GB / 32GB storage options. There should be a 16MP rear camera and a 5MP front shooter. The pricing is said to be cheap, somewhere around 1299 Yuan ($200).

So, what’s your ideal phablet screen size? I think 6-inches would be ideal, but I want to know your thoughts.

VKWorld T1 Is A Super Cheap Aluminum UniBody 6-inch Phablet, Cost Just $59.99

By

Joel Joseph

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May 2, 2016

Thanks to innovative Chinese smartphone manufacturers, we have some beautiful low-cost smartphones in the market right now. However, one of the biggest drawbacks of cheap devices is the small display on board. Now, for most, that’s not an issue. But for some, who want a big screen smartphone, there aren’t many cheap options in the market and definitely not in the sub-$100 segment. This is where VKWorld is aiming to change things. The company is reportedly working on a new smartphone called as the VKWorld T1 and this particular device will feature a massive 6-inch body. So, what about the cost? It is said that the phone will be sold for just $59.99, which is insanely cheap for such a large screen smartphone.

And what about the body? VKWorld T1 will also reportedly come with good looks and a sturdy body thanks to the use of aluminum. The phone’s body is diamond cut with double chamfered edges, and goes through abrasive blasting, and anodic oxidation for a premium finish. There will be three colors available, silver, gray and gold.

Along with the details about the body, we also have some information on the specs of the device. For display, the VKWorld T1 features a 6-inch 2.5D screen with Corning Gorilla Glass protection. There will be a quad-core chip inside with 2GB RAM and 16GB of internal storage. At the back, you can expect a 13MP camera while up front, a 5MP shooter. All the known specs of the T1 are listed as below.

6-Inch 2.5D IPS Display
Quad-Core Processor
2.5D Corning Gorilla Glass
13MP+5MP Camera
2G RAM+16G ROM
Micro SD Card Expansion
Dual SIM

We still don’t know some details like the resolution of the screen or the name of the chip inside. Hopefully, we can get those details pretty soon.

So, are you interested in a low cost, good looking phablet?

Meanwhile, you can read about the flagship model from the company, the VKWorld T6 from here.

Ulefone Future Flash Deal On Wednesday At $199.99, Limited Units Offered

By

Joel Joseph

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May 2, 2016

If you have been keeping track of the Chinese smartphone market, you would know that Ulefone has announced the Ulefone Future bezel-less smartphone. The phone will be offered for sale for a price tag of $239.99, however, a limited number of lucky customers can get this device for even less, for an amazing price tag of $199.99.

Ulefone has informed us that there will be 2000 units available for purchase during the flash sale on May 4, i.e. Wednesday. The flash sale will start at GMT +8 17:00 and will continue till all the 2000 units are sold out. One tip, the company says that more number of units will be offered on Aliexpress during the flash sale than standalone websites, so you may have a better chance of bagging the phone from there.

Now, there is a good chance that you might not be able to get hold of one of the units of the Ulefone Future during the Flash sale on May 4. Even then, don’t be disappointed. The bezel-less device can still be yours for a slightly higher price tag of $239.99. For this price, you get some additional accessories, 7 in total, instead of just USB Type-C cable offered alongside the device during the flash sale on Wednesday.

As for the specs, the Ulefone Future comes with a 5.5-inch FHD bezel-less display, with a side mounted fingerprint sensor, Helio P10 chipset, 4GB RAM, 32GB of ROM, 16MP Samsung sensor, USB Type-C and a 3000mAh battery with 9V / 2V ~ 3A fast charging.

Pre-sale link:

http://ulefone.com/page-future-presale.html

Since this is a yet to be released device, Ulefone has also released a number of pictures of the Ulefone Future as well as videos for consumers to check out the device before purchase. You can see them all from down below.

New video:

Introducing the Ulefone Future:

Meizu Pro 6 Could Have a “Lite” Version With 3GB RAM

By

Joel Joseph

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May 2, 2016

Meizu surprised us all last month by unveiling not one, but three new handsets. After keeping quiet for the initial three months of the year, the company decided it was time to update all of the three major lineups in April, namely Meizu M3, Meizu M3 Note and Meizu Pro 6. While these three phones are already announced, there could be more. We have heard rumors about the Meizu MX6 launching sometime in the second half of this year and now, thanks to a Geekbench listing, it looks like there is a possibility of a Meizu Pro 6 Lite version as well.

The Geekbench listing reveals that there is a slightly toned down Meizu Pro 6 variant, with 3GB RAM on board. In case you remember, the Pro 6 flagship is the first phone in the market to run on the new Helio X25 chipset which is an overclocked and faster version of the X20. While we would expect the toned downed version to feature the slower Helio X20 chip, it looks like the phone has the same MT6795T i.e. Helio X25.

The scores are pretty amazing, with the model scoring 2061 in the single-core test and an impressive 6691 in the multi-core test. Both the test scores are better than the original Pro 6’s score, which gets only around 1800 in the single-core and 6200-6300 in the multi-core test.

However, we are not quite sure whether this would end up being announced as the listing is of March 22, which is way before the Pro 6 was officially announced. It is possible that this is a prototype model that was being tested before launch. So, we better wait for some more concrete details about the device.

Xiaomi Max New Render Surfaces, Should Come With A Metal Body

By

Joel Joseph

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May 2, 2016

Next week, on May 10, Xiaomi will officially announce the Xiaomi Max phablet, the company’s first phone that will feature a 6-inch+ display. We have been hearing a lot about the device in the past few days, including the specs and the features of the device, and now, a new alleged render of the phone has surfaced online.

The new Xiaomi Max phablet is said to come with a 6.4-inch display. This would make it a true phablet, which means it will be quite big. The new render does give us an idea about the form factor of the device, along with some other details. It looks like the Max will be designed a bit different than the Mi 5, abandoning the front facing fingerprint sensor embedded in the home button. Instead, there will be three capacitive keys. This could actually be a good sign, since for such a large device, home button isn’t the ideal fingerprint location. Also, on top, you can see that the placement of the sensors are quite symmetrical, as revealed by earlier leaks.

The frame of the phone is made out of metal and from the antenna lines seen near the bottom of the back cover, it looks like the device will feature a metal body. This could be a necessary move by the company since we saw earlier in a stress test video, Xiaomi didn’t last long under pressure. So, for a phablet of this size, metal would be ideal to keep it sturdy and strong.

As for the specs, the Xiaomi Max phablet is expected to come in two variants, one with 2GB RAM + 16GB ROM and another with 3GB RAM + 32GB ROM. There should be the hexa-core Snapdragon 650 chipset inside. Also, the screen size is expected to be of 6.4-inches with 1080p resolution.

The company will officially announce the device along with the new MIUI 8 OS on May 10. So, stay tuned for more details.

Huawei CEO: 2K Displays Are Unnecessary & Barely Enough For VR

By

Joel Joseph

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May 2, 2016

Since last year, Huawei’s CEO Richard Yu has been pretty outspoken on the use of 2K displays on smartphones. He stated earlier that it was unnecessary for manufacturers to use such high-resolution displays on their flagship models, since a regular consumer won’t be able to distinguish between a 1080p panel and a 2K panel. But recently, he revealed that Huawei was going to release 2K resolution smartphones this year, which came as a surprise. Through his Weibo account, he did explain the change in his decision. He revealed that such high-resolution screens were necessary for VR, which is why the company will launch 2K phones in 2016.

So, is Richard Yu now a fan of 2K display smartphones?

Not exactly. In fact, recently, he further explained why 2K screen is not necessary for smartphone displays. He revealed that 2K screen on a screen of size 6.5-inches or less would not make much sense since the human eye won’t be able to distinguish the difference between 2K and 1080p. So, using such high-resolution screen would just be a gimmick and wouldn’t add any real value to the device in terms of display experience. Further, a high-resolution screen also means more power consumption, which is bad for the battery life of the device.

So, at the time Honor V8 hit TENAA, I was wondering why Huawei decided to use the high-resolution 2K screen on the Honor series and not on the Huawei P9 flagship models. Now we know why. Richard added that the only reason Honor series gets a 2K phone is because of the need to keep up with the latest tech advancements, mainly VR. And because Huawei didn’t want any gimmicks on the flagship Huawei P9 series, the company decided to stick with 1080p resolution. So, it looks like only the Honor series will be getting 2K screens for now.

He also said earlier that Huawei has perfected 2K display technology. While he didn’t reveal what he meant by this statement back then, later on, he explained that the Kirin 950 chipset and its GPU was powerful enough to power a 2K resolution screen. Further, the chip is not only powerful but also efficient, making sure that the battery life was decent as well.

But if you are thinking that 2K display smartphones are the perfect companion for VR headsets, then you are wrong. If you have ever tried VR, you would immediately realize that even in 2K, the images look a bit pixelated. This is because the resolution is split between your two eyes and the actual image you see is much bigger than the smartphone screen size. So, although 2K might be okay for VR, it is definitely not the best option out there.

This brings us to the question, so is 4K resolution screen the solution to this problem? Possibly, but then imagine the power consumption by the panel, which would make existing batteries run out in just a few hours, which is not acceptable. So, for now, 2K seems to be the logical solution for VR, but expect things to change in the months to come.

Samsung Galaxy Note 6 : New Rumor reveals 256GB ROM, 5.8-inch Display & More

By

Jitendra Soni

-

May 2, 2016

After the success of S7, Samsung will be releasing its next generation large screen device Galaxy Note 6. This will be launched in August 2016 around the launch of its main competitor flagship device Apple iPhone 7.

Samsung Galaxy Note 6’s configuration were leaked out again on Weibo. While we knew some of the configurations, few of them were heard for the first time. First of all, Note 6 will be powered by a 5.8-inch screen (5.77 inches, to be precise), and the resolution should also be 2K. It will have a Qualcomm Snapdragon 823 processor is an upgraded version of the current processor Snapdragon 820 found in all the current flagships. There are talks about the another version of the Note 6 which will house the latest Exynos processor.

Continuing the trend of latest flagships, like Vivo Xplay5 and LeMax 2, Note 6 will indeed have a 6GB ram. This device will be supported by Samsung’s DRAM production line, hence production capacity and supply should not be any problem.

Going by the leaks, Note 6 will have 256GB internal memory. We are not sure if it will support extendable memory. However, with 256GB already in your device, we don’t think anybody will ever need to extend it further.

Battery life should also not be a problem on galaxy Note 6 as a 4200 mAH battery will power the device and will come with fast charge support. S7’s award-winning IP68 waterproof and dustproof technology will be extended to Note 6 as well, and underwater operation certainly will not be an issue.

In terms of screen, like the S7, Samsung is likely to continue with the same tradition of 2 variants, one with a curved screen, dubbed as the edge, other with a plain surface. But for the exact specifications, we will have to wait till the launch date nears.

LeEco Le 2: UNBOXING

LeEco Le 2: SPECS

Display

5.5″ 1080p (Full-HD)

Processor

Mediatek 6797 Helio x20, 64-bit, octa-core (up to 2.3GHz)

RAM

3GB

Camera

8MP Front/16MP Back

Connectivity

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

Battery

3.000 mAh (non-removable)

Dimensions

151.1×74.1×7.7mm / 153g

OS

EUI 5.6 (Android 6.0)

Storage

32GB (non-expandable)

LeEco Le 2: DESIGN and FIRST IMPRESSIONS

LeEco Le 2 in pictures:

Gearbest holding a flash sale for Lenovo Lemo K3 at just $89.99

So, is Richard Yu now a fan of 2K display smartphones?