Just as promised, Lenovo has officially taken the wraps of the Lenovo K4 Note flagship in India. This is the successor to the popular Lenovo K3 Note mid-ranger that was unveiled last year. The new model comes with a lot of upgrades, in specs and design, making it worthy of the slightly higher price tag of Rs.11,999 ($180).
The Lenovo K4 Note features a 5.5-inch FHD 1920 x 1080 pixel resolution display with Corning’s Gorilla Glass 3 protection. So, there’s no 2K screen as previously rumored. This translates into a pixel density of 441 ppi with 178 degrees wide angle viewing. Instead of the MT6752 octa-core chip, the company has gone with the newer MT6753 chip from Mediatek clocked at 1.3GHz along with Mali T720 MP3 GPU. Further, you get 3GB of LPDDR3 RAM on board. As for the internal storage, you get 16GB which is further expandable via a MicroSD card slot.
The phone features a slightly curved design with a maximum thickness of 9.1mm. The overall body will be made out of metal and there will be a fingerprint sensor at the back. Also, you will find dual speakers right up front. The overall design seems to be inspired from the previously announced Vibe smartphones.
At the back, the Lenovo K4 Note comes with a 13MP f/2.2 aperture camera with dual LED flash and PDAF. Up front, you will find a 5MP shooter ideal for selfies. Lenovo has also upgraded the battery on the device, to a larger 3300mAh capacity one. This will reportedly be enough for up to 22 hours of talk time in a single charge.
Among the other notable features are the 1.5W speakers which support Dolby Atmos, NFC, Bluetooth 4.0 LE, 4G LTE with dual SIM support, Wi-Fi 802.11 ac etc.
One of the additional highlights of the new Lenovo K4 Note is the ‘TheaterMax’ technology which can convert any normal multimedia content into VR. The company has also launched a VR headset in partnership with ANT VR for the phone, which costs Rs. 1299 ($20). Registrations start today from 3 PM IST exclusively on Amazon.in. The first batch available for sale will be for the K4 Note with the VR Bundle that will cost you Rs. 12,499 ($187). Not at all a bad deal, considering that you get a powerful phone along with a VR headset at this price.
Both Xiaomi and Letv had a great year of 2015 as the companies released plenty of awesome phones. The Redmi Note 3 and the Le 1s are the latest offerings in the budget or in affordable midrange smartphone categories. Find out which device is better in a full comparison review.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 vs Letv Le 1s X500 Comparison Review: DESIGN
Both phones are quite huge due to their 5.5” displays but they both sit comfortably in the hand.
On the front top, both devices have 5MP shooters, a usual set of sensors and LED notification lights. The Xiaomi phone has an edge here as its LED light can be highly customised.
Both Letv and Xiaomi devices have nicely backlit capacitive keys, which also have exactly the same layout.
Both companies chose some premium materials designing their phones as both devices sport premium all-metal design except for the plastic top and bottom parts for antennas.
As far as optics, we are looking at 13MP shooters with PDAF but only the Redmi Note 3 has a dual tone dual LED flash. Right below the cameras you can find fingerprint scanners and both of them are equally easy to setup, fast, accurate and work straight from the standby mode.
The Redmi Note 3 has the speaker on the back whereas the Le 1s has implemented it on the bottom, where you can also find a mic and the USB Type-C port. However, the Xiaomi phone still uses the regular micro USB port.
The Le 1s is a slightly thinner phone as it measures at 7.5mm whereas the Redmi Note 3 measures at 8.7mm. The button placement is the same on both phones and the keys have a great tactile feedback.
1 of 2
Both phones have dual SIM card slots, which are located on the left and both devices have 4G LTE support.
On the top both devices have a headset jack and the IR blaster.
Overall, both the Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 and the Letv Le 1s have great design, excellent build quality and premium choice of materials. However, the Le 1s is more attractive to me but it all comes to a personal taste.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 vs Letv Le 1s X500 Comparison Review: SPECS
Xiaomi Redmi Note 3:
Display
5.5″ 1080p (Full-HD)
Processor
Mediatek MT6795 Helio X10, 64-bit, octa-core (up to 2.0GHz)
Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 vs Letv Le 1s X500 Comparison Review: DISPLAY
Both phones have 5.5” 1080p panels and they are great to look at. The displays are sharp, vibrant, have excellent viewing angles but both panels could be a little bit brighter and they have just average sunlight legibility.
The Redmi Note 3 has an edge as it has a bit brighter panel. Still, I would call it a tie as both phones have great displays.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 vs Letv Le 1s X500 Comparison Review: UI
Xiaomi Redmi Note 3:
1 of 34
When it comes to the user interface of the Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 we have MIUI 7 out of the box, which is built on top of Android 5.0.
First of all, I am really happy to see a huge improvement over the MIUI 6 in terms of speed, performance, power and RAM management.
Everything is running smoothly with lots of apps running in the background, there are no major hiccups or lags. There have been a few times that apps loaded a bit longer but it hasn’t been much of an issue worth complaining about.
If you are not yet familiar with the MIUI, it has tons of customisation options, which include a wide choice of themes, wallpapers, fonts and so on. Also, you can customise the LED light, assign different tasks to capacitive buttons and so on.
All in all, I have to say that Xiaomi finally got the it right and although the Redmi Note 3 is not yet perfect but the overall user experience is mostly positive.
Letv Le 1s (unofficial International ROM. The device was tested with both official and unofficial ROMs and the conclusions are based on the official one):
1 of 18
Official eUI 5 Letv ROM:
1 of 26
As far as the Letv Le 1s, we have the eUI 5, which is also built on top of Android 5.0 Lollipop.
My review unit shipped with the unofficial international ROM, which has Google Play and multi-languages pre-installed, the Chinese apps removed but there are quite a few annoying apps that you can’t delete.
It is very easy to flash the original Chinese ROM back and if you want to see how it looks like, I will leave the links in the description of the previous Letv smartphones I’ve reviewed.
eUI is a highly customised version of Android and it usually runs smoothly without any hiccups or lags.
There are plenty of customisation options as it has become a standard on the Chinese phones.
Also, there are quite a few similarities with iOS, e.g. if you swipe from the top, you will open only the notification shade.
Pressing a left capacitive key triggers a window where you can access your recent apps or close them, quick settings menu, music player, shortcuts to some apps and so on.
All in all, LeUI is very fast and clean looking user interface with some great features and customisation options.
However, I’ve tried both official Chinese ROM (the only official version currently available) and this unofficial ROM. I have to say that you should stick with the official one.
The unofficial ROM is slower, it does not support OTA updates but most importantly it has some really annoying apps that you can’t simply delete like battery boosters, cleaners and so on, which simply slow your phone down.
All in all, the eUI is a bit faster user interface when it comes to daily performance. However, the difference is negligible. If I had to choose which UI I prefer for everyday use, I would probably pick the MIUI 7 as it has more customisation options, it is more user-friendly for international users and it has bigger international online community. However, this may change when Letv releases the official international ROM for its devices.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 vs Letv Le 1s X500 Comparison Review: BENCHMARKS
Xiaomi Redmi Note 3:
1 of 15
Letv Le 1s:
1 of 16
Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 vs Letv Le 1s X500 Comparison Review: HARDWARE and PERFORMANCE
Both smartphones have very similar specs as they have Mediatek Helio X10 chip, 3GB of RAM and 32GB of non-expandable storage. However, my review unit of the Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 is a lower-end model, which is cheaper but it comes with only 2GB of RAM and 16GB of non-expandable storage.
The 3D games run absolutely fine on both phones. The graphics look good, there are no hiccups or lags and the performance is identical. Also, there are no overheating issues on neither phone.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 vs Letv Le 1s X500 Comparison Review: MULTIMEDIA
Consuming media is a great experience on each device and there are no issues watching full HD or 4K content.
As far as the sound via loudspeakers, both phones have good implementations for budget phones. However, the Redmi Note 3 has slightly clearer and less tinny sound than the Le 1s.
Once you plug in the earphones, the sound quality is comparable and it is pretty good. Again, the Redmi Note 3 excels here with the slightly louder volume output.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 vs Letv Le 1s X500 Comparison Review: CAMERA
Xiaomi Redmi Note 3:
1 of 6
The camera app on the Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 is fast and easy to use, and there are a few shooting modes and settings to play with.
Letv Le 1s:
1 of 5
When it comes to the camera app of the Le 1s, we have the same app we’ve already seen on other Letv phones and it has a lot of inspiration from iOS. It is fast and responsive and it is very easy to use.
Also, both smartphones are equally fast when it comes to the capture speeds.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 vs Letv Le 1s X500 Comparison Review: IMAGE QUALITY
When it comes to the image quality, both cameras are capable of producing images with a decent amount of details in good lighting conditions. However, in one situation, the Redmi Note 3 captures more details while Le 1s manages to do it better in another shot. Still, I compared the images side by side on the 40” 4K monitor and the Le 1s tends to capture more details.
The colours tend to be a bit oversaturated on the Le 1s in some shots but in most of the images they look natural and similar to the colours reproduced by the Redmi Note 3’s camera.
As far as other aspects like contrast, dynamic range and so on, the images are pretty much comparable.
Most of the indoor shots are comparable in terms of the overall quality. However, Letv phone usually captures much better macro shots with more details and better sharpness.
When it comes to the night shots, the Redmi Note 3 is usually much better except for a few shots when it struggled with focusing. The images have more details and significantly less noise. However, the Le 1s has a more powerful LED flash for pitch dark environments.
The 5MP selfie snappers will definitely do the trick for social media but the Le 1s excels here as it has wider lens, meaning that you can fit more into the shot. On the other hand, the Redmi Note 3 has a better colour reproduction and higher quality sound recording for video chats.
As far as 1080p video quality, the Le 1s’s footage has more details. On the other hand, the sound recording quality is worse than the one found on the Redmi Note 3. Colour reproduction and auto-exposure is comparable on each phone.
Overall, both phones have one of the best cameras for the price but they are far from perfect. While the Xiaomi phone excel in one area, Letv phone is better in another. If you tend to take lots of daylight images, the Le 1s appears to be a better performer but the difference is not always significant. However, the night images shot by the Redmi Note 3 look much better. Finally, you have to consider how you usually use your phone’s camera before choosing either of this device.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 vs Letv Le 1s X500 Comparison Review: CONNECTIVITY
All the connectivity options like Wifi, GPS, Bluetooth and so on work fine on each device and I have no complaints.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 vs Letv Le 1s X500 Comparison Review: BATTERY LIFE
1 of 3
The Redmi Note 3 has a 4000mAh battery and I have to say that it performs very well. I could get almost 5 hours of screen on time (hereinafter – SOT) even though I used the phone quite intensively. If you are a light user and you mainly do basic tasks, you may even get over 6 hours of SOT. Finally, a great battery performance was confirmed by Geekbench 3 battery test as the phone managed to achieve over 10 hours of SOT with dim screen feature off.
1 of 5
The 3000mAh battery of the Letv Le 1s could perform better. I could get only around 3 hours of screen-on time (SOT) in real life conditions while using the phone mainly for daily tasks. The SOT time is a bit better in the Geekbench 3 battery test, where the phone was able to achieve over 5 hours of SOT with max. auto-brightness and dim screen features off.
A good thing is that the phone supports fast charging feature and you will love using it.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 vs Letv Le 1s X500 Comparison Review: CONCLUSIONS
So there you have it, two of one the best budget smartphones of 2015 and of a huge part of 2016.
Both Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 and Letv Le 1s have great all-metal design and good build quality, nice and sharp displays, and great overall performance.
While the cameras on each device are very good for the price, they both have their ins and outs. The Le 1s tends to take better images in one situation while the Redmi Note 3 excels in another. However, the difference is not always that significant.
One area where the Xiaomi phone is much better than the Le 1s is the battery life and that is thanks to a much larger capacity. On the other hand, the Le 1s comes with the quick charging feature which definitely comes handy once you have to charge the Letv phone more often.
At the end of the day, both smartphones are great choices for the money and you will make no mistake choosing either of them. However, Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 seems like a better overall package, especially if you care about a great battery life, better low-light camera performance and more customisation options in the user interface.
Day before yesterday, Huawei released a new teaser which showed off a device with a slim design and a speaker on the side. Judging from the design, we expected it to be a new Huawei tablet probably the Honor X3 tablet. Now, a couple of renders of the new tablet have surfaced online, further adding to the possibility that Huawei will show off this device at CES 2016.
According to the source who leaked these images, the tablet will have the model number DR-A01L and will feature a slim body with the measurements, 240 × 173 × 7.4mm. The tab will reportedly come with a large 10.1-inch display with 16:10 aspect ratio. There are rear and front cameras and virtual keys as well. It’s also said that the tablet will feature a front mounted fingerprint sensor. Further, like you saw in the teaser image, these renders also come with four speakers, two on each side.
As for the specifications, it is said that the new tablet will feature Kirin 935 octa-core chip instead of the new Kirin 950. Other than this, we don’t have any other information about the specifications of the device.
The source further states that Huawei will not launch any D series, M-series and P series devices at CES 2016. So, this new tablet could be the center of attraction for Huawei at the event.
Well, the company will announce the device later today in Las Vegas, where we will get more details.
CES 2016 is almost upon us, which means we will get to see the greatest innovations from the industry all at one place. Every year, we see interesting gadgets including smartphones showcased at the event and this year too, we expect a lot many announcements at Las Vegas.
Since we are mainly focused on the Chinese smartphone industry, we have picked the top three manufacturers to look out for at CES 2016. I agree, there aren’t many Chinese smartphone makers at the event, but still, we have some major players out there ready to unveil their big guns.
So, let’s take a look at which Chinese smartphone makers are ready to impress us at Las Vegas this year.
1. LeTV
LeTV’s journey into the smartphone market is nothing less than extraordinary. The company which released its first smartphone last year has grown to compete with the likes of comparatively established players like Huawei and Xiaomi. And it looks like the company is beating them in their own game of low cost yet premium quality smartphones.
This will be the first time LeTV is participating at CES and it’s all set to unveil one of the most powerful smartphones from the company yet. Thanks to today’s teaser, it’s almost confirmed that the company will unveil a Snapdragon 820 smartphone tomorrow. The phone is most likely the Le Max Pro, about which we have been hearing for the past few weeks.
The recent AnTuTu benchmark listing of the device revealed that it posted more than 133,000 on AnTuTu app, thanks to its high-end specs powered by Snapdragon 820. Other specs like 4GB RAM, 64GB ROM, 21MP rear camera, 4MP ultra-pixel camera will probably make it one of the favorite smartphones at CES 2016.
So, it’s no surprise that LeTV stands right on top of the list this year. At last, we will see the Snapdragon 820 chip in action!
2. Huawei
As of late, when it comes to smartphones, no list is complete without Huawei. This Chinese tech company has established itself as a premium smartphone maker releasing so many devices in 2015 (and shipping more than 100 million). The company is expected to follow the trend in 2016 as well, and what better place to kick off things than CES 2016.
Well, Huawei has confirmed a new product launch at the event, but it’s yet to reveal the model name. But taking a look at the teaser, it’s probably going to be the next generation version of the Huawei Mediapad X2 tablet, namely the Honor X3. We already have the possible specs of the device, and it includes a 2K display. Not a flagship product, but it’s still worth checking out for phablet lovers. You can read more about it from our earlier coverage.
What’s kind of unconfirmed at the moment is the upcoming Huawei P9 flagship. If Huawei releases this new model, it will be the center of attraction for Huawei fans at the event. It is said that the phone will feature dual 13MP Sony cameras at the back, with a whopping 6GB RAM module. There’s a lot of other high-end tech that’s going to come with the device and you can read more about it from here. However, given that Huawei is yet to tease/ reveal anything about it’s ‘P’ series smartphone, we may have to wait a bit longer to meet this powerful flagship.
Finally, it’s confirmed that we will see the Huawei Mate 8 flagship at the event, with Kirin 950 on board.
3. ZTE
ZTE has slowly established its presence in the US market and hence it’s no surprise that we will see some exciting products from the company at the Las Vegas event. The company recently sent out a teaser for a event on January 5, which has a background of a silhouette of an unknown smartphone with the words, “Hello World, January 5 New Release”. This could either be for the launch of the Z11 flagship or the new website which the company purchased for a whopping $2 million or both.
We hope to see the Z11 flagship at CES 2016 since recent renders and rumors have shown the device as a pretty high-end smartphone. For specs, the phone is expected to feature Snapdragon 820 with 4GB RAM, 128GB storage, and 20.7MP camera. The renders reveal a bezelless design like its predecessor. So, the Z11 is a phone that we are all excited to meet. Unfortunately, the company hasn’t revealed any concrete details about the device or the launch period.
Still, even if ZTE doesn’t showcase the Nubia Z11 at CES 2016, we can expect to see some other product announcements at the event. So, we better keep an eye on this manufacturer.
There are other Chinese manufacturers like Lenovo and OPPO present at Las Vegas this week, so we can expect some great products in the coming days.
Let me know, which product are you most excited about this CES 2016.
For the first time, LeTV will be present at CES, which is going to be held at Las Vegas, US. The event officially starts from January 6, but the company will be making a big announcement a day before. Now, LeTV’s Senior VP has just released a new teaser for tomorrow’s event which confirms a new smartphone launch.
The teaser, which was released late evening on Weibo reveals a new smartphone with thin bezels. We can see that on the dial pad, the numbers 820 are highlighted which clearly indicates that the new phone will come with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 820 under the hood. The teaser also confirms the launch tomorrow, i.e. January 5 at Las Vegas.
Our best guess would be the Le Max Pro. We have been hearing a lot about this flagship for the past few weeks. The rumored specs of the device till now have been pretty high-end. Apart from the powerful quad-core Snapdragon 820, the phone is expected to come with 4GB of RAM with 64GB of internal storage. At the back, there will be a 21MP camera while up front, a 4MP Ultrapixel shooter. The display will be of decent size, 5.5-inches with 2K resolution. We have already spotted the device on AnTuTu, and it managed to an amazing score of 133K.
Apart from the usual specs, the phone is also rumored to feature Qualcomm’s Ultrasonic fingerprint sensor. Also, you can expect it to come with the new Wi-Fi 802.11 ad standard which is much faster than the previous generations.
Unfortunately, apart from the Snapdragon 820 on board, we can’t be sure of anything at the moment. Even the model name is yet to be confirmed. But since the launch is just a day away, we will soon know all the features of the device.
Xiaomi officially revealed the MIUI 7 version last year. In a few matter of few months, most of the Xiaomi smartphones were updated to the new MIUI 7 OS, either based on Android Lollipop or the old Android 4.4. Now, the company will start rolling out the update to the existing version, namely MIUI 7.1 from tomorrow.
The roll out of the update starts from January 5 from 11 am for both Global Stable Builds and China Stable Builds. In case, you are using the developer version, you don’t have to worry about the new features as they are already inside your build.
Here’s the list of the Xiaomi models which will get theMIUI 7.1Global Stable Build update on January 5: Mi 3, Mi 4, Mi Note, Mi 4i, Redmi Note 4G, Redmi 2 / Prime, Redmi 1S, Redmi Note Prime, Redmi Note 2, Redmi Note 3G, Mi Pad.
In case you are using the China Stable Build, here are the devices which will get the update: Mi 3, Mi 4 3G/4G, Mi Note, Mi Note Pro, Mi 4c, Mi 4i, Redmi 1S, Redmi Note 3G, Redmi Note 4G Single SIM/Dual-SIM, Mi Pad 1/2.
As you can see, some of the models like theMi 2/2S, Redmi 2, Redmi Note 2, and Redmi Note 3 are left out from the update. But it is said that these devices will get the update later, on January 11.
As for the exact changelog of the new build, we will have to wait till tomorrow for the details. The first batch of updates should be out after 11 am tomorrow.
When it comes to a big battery mobile phone, appearance is always users’ prior concern. Will Ulefone let you feel easy with its new monster Power? You may partially learn the answer from the official photos released by the company today.
On Monday Ulefone launched Ulefone Power featuring 6050mAh Sony li-polymer battery, octa-core 64-bit MTK6753, 13MP Sony IMX 214 camera, AUO 1080P LTPS display and 3GB LPDDR3 RAM. Weight and thickness of the phone body were announced to be 189g and 9.5mm. Ulefone said they could have made the phone as thin as 8mm but added 1.5mm space for extra components and better cooling.
The back cover of Ulefone power is slightly curved to offer smooth touch feel and a plastic bezel has been added between the metal chassis and 2.5D glass as a buffer to avoid cutting the palm. As done on most stainless steel frames, 2 chamfers were carved on the frame of Ulefone Power to comply the tough feel delivered by the phone as a whole.
As the battery of Ulefone Power is not user-removable, the SIM and TF slot have been moved to a tray that can be inserted from the left edge of the phone. And what’s special with the Ulefone Power appearance is that you’ll see a round button near power key as camera starter and a infrared emitter on the tom edge.
Chuwi might not be a large tablet manufacturer, but this Chinese company has released some interesting products in the past few months. The company’s Chuwi Hi series have been known for their dual OS Windows + Android support at an affordable price tag. Now, Chuwi has just revealed more details on its upcoming Chuwi Hi12 dual OS tablet.
We have seen an 8-inch and even a 10-inch Chuwi Hi series tablet. The company is now expanding the screen size to 12-inches with the brand new Chuwi Hi12 tablet. So, if you were waiting for an affordable large screen tablet, this might be your best bet.
The Chuwi Hi12 comes with the Intel X5 Cherry Trail Z8300 chipset clocked at 1.84GHz, with the 8th Gen Intel Graphics chipset. There will be 4GB of RAM inside with enough storage, thanks to 64GB capacity. This can be further expanded up to 128GB via a MicroSD card slot, taking the total memory to 192GB! The 12-inch display will feature a resolution of 2160 x 1440 pixels with an aspect ratio of 3:2.
The camera has never been the selling point of the Chuwi Hi series tablets. So, this particular model too will feature a basic 2MP front facing sensor and a 5MP rear facing shooter. Battery is pretty large, of 11,000mAh capacity, which should be enough for running the device for up to a day.
As mentioned above, the Chuwi Hi12 comes with dual OS support. So, you can dual boot between Windows 10 OS and Android 5.1 Lollipop version. There will be two colors available at the time of launch, namely Champagne Gold and Space Gray. As of now, the release date of the device isn’t fixed, but we can expect to see a launch sometime in January itself.
Pricing and availability details are not known but the Chuwi Hi10 tablet retails for around $200 after discounts, so you can expect the retail pricing of the Hi12 to be a bit above this figure.
A few minutes earlier we reported that Huawei will most likely release its new Huawei P9 flagship at CES 2016. While we are not quite sure of the phone’s release this early, we have a product that we are quite sure will end up at the event. Thanks to a teaser from the company, it looks like Huawei will show off the Honor X3 tablet at CES 2016 in Las Vegas.
Yesterday afternoon, Huawei released a teaser showing off a thin metal device, with the following words on top “Rhythm x Entertainment”. The poster shows that the speakers will be located at the side and it will feature at least a metal frame, if not an all metal body. From the size of the device and the design, it looks like Huawei will release the Honor X3 tablet at the event.
Possible Specs of Honor X3 tab
Huawei may incorporate the same Kirin 950 chipset that debuted on the Huawei Mate 8 flagship. Thanks to the previous leaks, we kind of know the specifications of the device. The Honor X3 tablet is rumored to come with a 6.2-inch display with 2K resolution screen. Huawei has often stressed 2K resolution is unnecessary on a smartphone sized device. But the company may make an exception with the Honor X3, probably because it’s a large phablet/ tablet.
Under the hood, the X3 is said to come with Kirin 950 with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage. At the back, the device will reportedly come with a 20MP camera while up front, you can expect an 8MP sensor. As for the software, the X3 tablet is said to feature the all new Android 6.0 Lollipop update.
Since the teaser confirms the launch on January 5th, we don’t have to wait too long to get more details about the Honor X3. Pricing details are still unknown, but you can expect the tablet to retail for somewhere around $400.
CES starts this week, which means we will soon get to see the best products from tech manufacturers around the world. Even Huawei will be present at the event and according to the company’s CEO, Yu Chengdong, there will be some exciting new products that will meet us at the event.
At the moment, we are not sure which devices are going to be showcased at CES 2016. However, according to the analyst, Pan Jiutang, Huawei could show off its new Huawei P9 flagship at the event. In case you have been following us, we have reported about the P9 flagship a couple of times in the past, and it was rumored that the phone will come with dual cameras.
Now, the analyst further confirms the dual camera setup, as he thinks that the phone may come with two 13MP cameras at the back. What’s more, he also adds that Huawei P9 might feature 6GB of RAM inside, which if true, will be the first time a smartphone features so much memory. However, this is not the first time we are hearing about 6GB RAM smartphones, as future LeTV generation and even OPPO Find 9 are expected to come with such large RAM modules. As for the other specs, earlier rumors have said that the P9 flagship will come with a 5.2-inch display with 1080p resolution and Kirin 950 chip under the hood.
Before you get too excited, we have to add that the analyst is not entirely sure about this information. Also, given that previous rumors have hinted that the phone will launch around March-April period, around a year after the P8 flagship’s release, it’s unlikely that the company will showcase the smartphone as early as CES 2016. But then, if Huawei is getting into the US market, this would be the ideal opportunity for them to show off their latest products in the country.
So, as of now, we can’t be entirely sure that we will meet the Huawei P9 flagship at CES 2016. But we will be keeping a close eye on the event to see what all products are released by Chinese tech giants in the next few days. So, stay tuned!
Both Xiaomi and Letv had great year of 2015 and the Redmi Note 3 and the Le 1s are definitely great offerings. We have already made the Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 review and the Letv Le 1s review, so you may want to check them out.
However, a lot of you keep asking which device has a better camera, so we decided to put them for a head-to-head comparison. Find out more in the video below:
Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 vs Letv Le 1s X500 Camera Comparison
Both phones have 13MP cameras on the back with PDAF (phase-detection auto-focus) systems. That leads to the very fast focusing and capture speeds. However, there are some differences in camera sensors. Letv Le 1s uses the Sony IMX214 sensor we have already seen on lots of Chinese phones while the Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 has a 13MP sensor that is made by Samsung.
In case you missed it, we suggest you also checking out in-depth camera reviews of each device in the videos below.
Both Letv Le 1s and Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 have great cameras and they are definitely one of the best in this price category of the devices. One phone takes better pictures in one situation while the second phone is better at some other situations. However, we suggest you waiting for a full comparison review where we are going to tell the final thoughts about each phone’s camera and which is better overall.
Cubot has just revealed more details about its brand Cubot S600 smartphone. We already know most of the specifications of the device before it officially starts shipping. Now, the company has released new information about the large fingerprint sensor that lies on the back of the phone.
According to the latest information, the Cubot S600 will feature the No.GSL6163MSB2 fingerprint chip from the Shanghai-based fingerprint company, Silead. This is one of the biggest smartphone fingerprint sensors available in the market with a size of 12 x 12mm. It is said that the chip can optimize the unlocking process based on the different types of fingerprints. This helps in the identifying the fingerprint efficiently.
The company further adds that the sensor can unlock the phone in just 0.3 seconds. If true, this would really be impressive. That’s comparable to the unlock speeds from flagship level smartphones like Apple iPhone 6 and OnePlus 2.
You will also get to add a few custom features to fingerprint. It is said that Cubot S600’s fingerprint could be used to encrypt apps and for other functions like selfie, online payments etc. However, at this moment, we are not quite sure which functions will be available right from the start. Some features could be added in the upcoming updates.
As for the specs, the Cubot S600 will come with 2.5D glass and 5-inch HD 720p resolution IPS display, MediaTek MT6735A 1.3GHz quad-core chip with 2GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage, a 2700mAh battery, and dual-SIM dual standby with 4G LTE support.
The S600 is already available for pre-order at $129.99 and will start shipping from 10th January.
Umi has released quite a few phones in 2015 and Umi Iron Pro is probably the last we are unboxing this year. Find out more in our unboxing and first impressions article.
Umi Iron comes in a typical box for Umi. Everything’s packed neatly and the contents include a charging plug, USB Type-C cable and instruction manuals.
Umi Iron Pro: DESIGN
The phone has 5.5″ display and it makes the phone quite huge but it is easily manageable in one hand due to great ergonomics of the device.
On the front we have an 8MP shooter, LED flash and other usual stuff. On the bottom we have on-screen navigation keys. Also, there is a nice looking skyline-type pulsing notification LED light.
As the name implies, the phone is made almost entirely of metal (except for the top and bottom parts for antennas). I have to say that the choice of metal definitely makes the phone look and feel great in the hand.
As far as optics, we have a 13MP Sony IMX214 sensor, which is accompanied by dual tone dual LED flash. Right underneath it there is a fingerprint scanner. It was a bit cumbersome to setup but it works quite well in real life.
Umi Iron Pro: FIRST IMPRESSIONS
Overall, Umi Iron is well constructed device and I see an improvement over the older Umi Iron in terms of the precision in the build quality. For example, the top and bottom parts, which are made of plastic, are perfectly aligned with the metal backplate. The same goes for the sides and other parts of the phone. All in all, Umi Iron has an impressive build quality and great choice of materials especially if we think of the price point of this phone.
I have already spent a few days with the device, installed all the usual apps, played with the camera etc. So far, the performance has been good. However, I need to spend a bit more time with the phone (as usual) to tell you my final thoughts.
As of now, Xiaomi has established a strong presence in the budget and mid-range smartphone segments, both in China as well as some international markets. However, as many of you would already know, the margin in the low-end segment is close to nothing, which means those who primarily operate in these markets are not going to make much, despite selling in millions.
As a result, it becomes necessary for companies to extend its products over a wide price range, which is something that we have not yet seen from Xiaomi. Yes, many of you would argue that the company has the Xiaomi Mi Note lineup in the high-end segment. But the series isn’t as popular as its other products, and the increased competition in the upper mid-range market from companies like Samsung, Huawei and Apple is not really helping the company.
Xiaomi had previously hinted that it will enter the high-end smartphone market with amazing products in the coming months. Now, Lei Jun, Xiaomi’s CEO has revealed in an interview that the company is working these high-end products and will release them in 2016.
So, there are two flagship smartphones that can be the face of the company’s high-end lineup. First, it could be the Mi 5 flagship which has been making the rumor rounds for around a year. Another possible candidate that could compete in the 3000 Yuan ($460) segment is the successor to the Mi Note series, namely the Mi Note 2. While details about the device is scarce at the moment, Xiaomi could update the lineup with very powerful smartphones to take on the high-end segment.
Well, at this moment, this is all we know. Lei Jun adds that these 3000 Yuan phones are going to be amazing, so we can expect some great products from Xiaomi next year.
So which smartphone are you most excited about from the company in 2016?
OPPO and OnePlus have often been linked together. Last year, it was said that OPPO had a stake in OnePlus, which both the companies denied. A few weeks back, OPPO changed its corporate name to include ‘Plus’ which speculated rumors that OnePlus had merged with OPPO. Once again, both the companies released a statement saying that this was not true.
Now, to make matters even more interesting, two new smartphones have passed through the Chinese certification website TENAA, one from OnePlus, which is most likely the upcoming OnePlus Mini and the second one from OPPO, namely the OPPO A30. What makes them interesting is that both the smartphones look exactly the same! Now, is it a coincidence that apart from the company branding at the back, both the phones have the exact same design? Well, we leave it up to you to decide.
Here are a few pictures that directly compares the two smartphones. The one on the left is the OPPO A30 while on the right is the OnePlus E1000 (OnePlus Mini).
As you can see, the front looks exactly the same, except for minor color differences. The placement of the sensors on top and the capacitive buttons at the bottom are the same.
Coming to the back, once again, we see a striking resemblance in the two smartphones. Apart from the logo at the center, rest of the design is surprisingly similar!
You can check out the placement of the volume and power buttons and they are similar too. So, it’s basically the same smartphone with a different branding.
Even the specifications are the same on both the devices. So, they are powered by the Snapdragon 810 chip under the hood with 3GB RAM and 16GB of expandable storage. The screen size is the same at 4.99-inches and FHD 1920 x 1080p resolution. Both the phones have the same measurements as well 140×69×6.9(mm). At the back, you will find a 13MP camera while, up front, there’s a 5MP shooter. Both run on Android 5.1.1 Lollipop OS.
So, it can’t be such a big coincidence that two smartphones from different manufacturers end up looking exactly the same with the exact same specs.
Well, let’s hope the companies clear things out in the coming weeks about how this happened. We will keep you posted with updates in the coming days.
Xiaomi’s Redmi lineup is due for an update next year and looks like we have already got a glimpse of the upcoming Redmi 3 smartphone. The phone just passed through TENAA recently with the model number 2015815, revealing most of its specifications as well as the design.
The TENAA listing reveals that the Redmi 3 will feature a similar design as the Remi Note 3. The device seems to come with an all metal body, much like its elder sibling. So, it looks like Xiaomi is going to start a trend of releasing metal clad Redmi smartphones in the coming months. It’s not the thinnest of smartphones in the market, measuring 8.5mm, but it’s pretty decent for its size. Moreover, like the Redmi Note 3, we may see a large battery inside the device, which will justify its thickness.
As for the specs, the Redmi 3 handset will feature a 5-inch 720p display with an octa-core processor clocked at 1.5GHz. It could either be the Snapdragon 616 chip or the new Helio P10 MT6755 chip. There will be 2GB of RAM on board along with 16GB of storage. The phone will support dual SIM dual Standby with 4G LTE support. As for the software, the listing reveals the phone will run on Android 5.1.1, which should be based on the company’s MIUI 7 OS. Unfortunately, the listing reveals nothing about the phone’s battery capacity.
Overall, the Redmi 3 turns out to be a good handset in the budget category. According to the latest rumors, the phone should be priced at around 699 Yuan which comes to just $108. Not at all a bad deal, considering the phone’s looks and specs.
As for the release date, we can expect to meet the device sometime next year. The best guess would be a launch alongside the Xiaomi Mi 5 flagship in January. But as of now, nothing is confirmed.
A few days back, we heard that Samsung was developing a special variant in the Exynos lineup called as the Exynos 8870. The chip will reportedly be used in a number of smartphones from other manufacturers. It was said that Meizu could be the first manufacturer to use the chip. Now, latest rumors from Weibo state that Lenovo may also use the Exynos 8870 chip inside its smartphones next year.
Exynos 8870 is said to use the same mongoose architecture as the 8890, but the clock speeds are going to be slower. This means it will be slightly slower than the flagship chipset, yet powerful enough to be inside a flagship device. As a result, if Lenovo does use the Exynos 8870 in one of its smartphones, it will most likely be a flagship device.
As for the release time frame, the source revealed nothing. But considering that we expect the Meizu Pro 6 flagship (probably one of the first phones to feature this chip) and the Pro 6 Mini smartphones to be unveiled around the second quarter of 2016, one can expect an 8870 powered Lenovo device to be announced only after that.
It’s won’t be surprising to see a Lenovo device powered by an Exynos chipset. Like Meizu, even Lenovo has used Samsung’s Exynos chips inside its devices in the past. Remember the Lenovo K860 smartphone that was announced in 2012? Well, you probably won’t remember this device as it was not very popular back then, but it came with the quad-core Exynos 4412 chipset inside. So, Lenovo’s association with Exynos isn’t new.
At this moment, these are just rumors as both Samsung and Lenovo have not yet confirmed the existence or even development of such a device. But since there’s still time for its release, if the phone is real, we can expect a lot more information to crop up in the coming weeks.
Lenovo, the Chinese smartphone maker has been teasing its upcoming Lenovo K4 Note as a “Killer Device”. We already know for sure that the phone will feature 3GB of RAM on board. Fingerprint ID and even NFC is confirmed on the device. Now, Lenovo has just teased that the phone will feature a ‘Killer Display’.
While the term Killer Display is a bit vague, the hype created by the company seems to hint that the phone will come with a 2K resolution display. This is what the company said in its tweet.
“When is a display more than just a sum of its pixels?Get ready to thrill your senses with the K4 Note#KillerNote2016″
The display is expected to be the same size as its predecessor, the Lenovo K3 Note, around 5.5-inches. The company also released a teaser video in a tweet earlier today, which can be seen from down below.
When is a display more than just a sum of its pixels?Get ready to thrill your senses with the K4 Note#KillerNote2016 https://t.co/OnTMpyU0jY
If the Lenovo K4 Note does really end up with a 2K display, then the phone will turn out to be a powerful device. Under the hood, we expect to see the Helio X10 Mt6795 octa-core chip, with 3GB RAM.
Lenovo K3 boasted of being a mid-range device, but with the K4 Note, the company could take things a level higher. It would be interesting to see whether the pricing goes to the next level as well. The K3 Note retails for around $200 in India. We will have to wait and see whether the Lenovo K4 Note is launched anywhere near this figure. The launch is scheduled on January 5 in New Delhi, India.
The drone comes in a rather huge box and what you are getting inside of it includes a remote control, which is very comfortable to use and very responsive, and it has the a little display, which shows a lot of useful information like speed, signal strength, the battery power and so on.
Also, there is a removable battery, which may be tricky to install for the first time as you need to manage the cable to squeeze the battery inside the drone.
Other contents include a spare set of blades, a proprietary charger and instruction manuals.
Flymemo DM007 RC Quadcopter Drone Review: DESIGN and BUILD
The very first impressions you are going to get are that the Flymemo drone is very light and it feels kind of plasticky.
However, I’ve dropped it a lot of times on various surfaces and given the fact that some of the crashes were pretty hard, I’m surprised that the drone still works flawlessly. Naturally, there is some cosmetic damage but it can be very easily fixed by yourself or you can buy some spare parts for a very low price.
Both front and back sides of the drone have some nicely flashing LED lights which also allow you to fly the drone at night.
Keep in mind that my review unit came without the optional 2MP camera but you can order the one with the camera included or buy it separately as a spare part.
Overall, the Flymemo DM007 Quadcopter is well and thoughtfully built despite feeling very plasticky.
Flymemo DM007 RC Quadcopter Drone Review: FLYING EXPERIENCE, EASE OF CONTROL
I have to tell you that the Flymemo was my first drone ever but what I’ve learned is that it is really easy to control. Also, the remote controller is very sensitive and I had no range issues whatsoever. It takes just a little bit of practice and you will enjoy flying it.
It’s worth mentioning that the drone has the beginner and pro speed modes and I suggest you starting with the beginner. Also, I advise you going to the huge field with soft surface like grass if you are just learning how to fly the drone.
As far as the battery life, I could get around 7 minutes of flight time, which is the same as advertised.
The Flymemo DM007 is a nice and inexpensive drone, which is built in a way that it can survive numerous drops due to its protective construction. Also, it is really easy to fly it as it has a beginner mode with lower speed. I have to tell you that I really enjoyed playing with it.
In addition, the remote controller has a nice little display which shows a lot of useful information and I didn’t get any signal issues with the drone.
The embedded LED lights look very cool and they allow you to fly the drone even at night.
However, I didn’t like the way you need to install the battery as you have to squeeze the cable first and then it may take a few more seconds to fit the battery in.
All in all, the Flymemo DM007 drone is a pretty cool gadget for the price as it does all the things right, it is easy to control and it is a lot of fun flying it.
ZOPO’s Speed 8 flagship is shaping up to be a powerful smartphone. We already know that the phone will come with the 10-core Helio X20 chipset as well as 4GB of RAM on board. Now, the company has revealed that the device will feature a fingerprint sensor as well.
According to the teaser picture revealed by ZOPO, it looks like the Speed 8 flagship will come with fingerprint ID at the back. Its a round sensor, similar to the one we have seen on other devices. But at the moment, apart from the fact that the feature will be found on the device, we have no further details.
2015 was really the year of fingerprint sensors. Almost all major flagships came with fingerprint ID on board. Many of these companies released their first fingeprint sensor equipped device only this year. So, its not surprising that ZOPO Speed 8, which is supposed to be the flagship smartphone from the company comes with this feature.
The high-end Helio X20 and 4GB of RAM should ensure stellar performance. We are really excited to see the device in action since its going to be one of the first smartphones to come with a 10-core chip. The company has confirmed the release date to be on February 24 at MWC 2016. It will be personally showed off by the MotoGP Champion Jorge Lorenzo at ZOPO’s booth in the event.
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
