There’s no denying that LeTV One Pro, nearly six months after its release is still one of the most value of money device in the market right now. The all metal built and powerful specs, makes it the OnePlus 2 killer. However, since the phone was essentially released for the Chinese market, many were disappointed with price that they had to pay via third party retailers.
However, now would be a good chance to get the smartphone as OPPOMART is offering this powerful flagship for just $319. That’s a great price for a phone with such powerful specs.
To recap, the LeTV One Pro comes with the octa-core Snapdragon 810 chip with 4GB of RAM on board and 32GB of storage. You get a 5.5-inch 2K display from Sharp, which should be vibrant even under sunlight. There’s a 13MP OIS camera at the back, and support for FDD-LTE networks. OPPOMART informs us that the model will work in Asia, Europe and Australian continents. Dual SIM support, USB Type-C port and 3000mAh makes sure that the phone outperforms its competitors.
We think for $319, the LeTV One Pro is a great buy! Let us know if you feel the same.
Also, remember that this deal is only till October 20, so make sure to avail this offer as soon as you can if you are interested.
Many of us have already seen the Cubot X11, which was one of the best looking phones from the company till date. Now, Cubot is back with its next generation version, called as the Cubot X16. This particular device will carry the beautiful looks of the X11, with a few updates, making it look all the more premium.
According to the latest information, the Cubot X16 is going to be a super slim device, measuring just 6.2mm in thickness. So, people who love slim phones should definitely take a look at the upcoming device. You get a 2.5D curved glass front on a zinc alloy body, which is reportedly is strong and comes with a pearl like texture. The phone weighs just 145 grams which is also pretty good.
One of the highlights of the device is the glass back which is reportedly scratch proof. So, you don’t have to worry about damaging the back in your day to day usage. Further, you get two color options, White and Gold. The premium colors, pearl like texture and round corners makes the phone looks premium.
As for the specs, it is said that you can expect a decent mid-range chip like quad-core MT6735. So, the price is likely to be quite affordable as well.
We will update you guys with more details pretty soon. Stay tuned to the website for more details.
LeTV is slowly transforming itself into a major smartphone maker in the past few months. Since the launch of its first smartphone back in April, the company has been busy with new launches, the latest one being the Sapphire glass protected premium LeTV Le Max model. Now, renders of the next generation LeTV model has just leaked out, revealing some interesting aspects about the device.
First of all, from the images, it looks like the phone will have a dual curved display. The display extends to the sides, adding more real estate to the device. The phone is practically like a pebble, curved from all sides for a seamless design experience.
While this make the device quite unique and interesting, there’s more. The renders show that the new LeTV model will feature a rotating camera. But it won’t be rotating upwards like the OPPO N3, rather it will move laterally. And it is said that the camera unit can take a crazy 360 degree turn.
Everything looks crazy about this phone! To make the camera experience interesting, the phone will reportedly feature Sony IMX300 23MP sensor with support for RAW output. It looks like LeTV is going to market this device as a camera powerhouse.
The phone will be extremely thin, which is evident from the renders above. So, I wonder how the company will practically incorporate a 360 degree rotating camera inside such a thin body.
As for the specs, the new LeTV model will reportedly come with Snapdragon 820, with 4GB RAM, 32GB memory, 5.7-inch 2K display and Qualcomm’s QC Quick Charge 3.0 tech.
As for the time of release, it is said that the phone will launch sometime early 2016. While I would personally love to see such a device in real life, its quite possible that these concepts remain as renders for a foreseeable future.
What do you think? Can such a device launch in 2016?
Thanks to the numerous leaks in the past couple of months, we know for sure that Xiaomi is working on a new product, the Xiaomi laptop which will reportedly launch sometime early next year. Now, Lao Yao, the secretary general of the China Smartphone Alliance has just revealed a key development.
A few hours ago, he revealed via his Weibo page that Xiaomi has hired an ex-senior official from Lenovo’s Laptop business. This comes at a time when Xiaomi is preparing for the launch of its first laptop. Given the immense experience of this senior official, Mr. Lao says that he could play a crucial role in the development and release of the product.
Further, Lao adds that Xiaomi could also offer MIUI on this new laptop, which will mark the UI’s entry into the computer software industry. However, we still don’t know whether we can expect a Windows 10 powered variant of the laptop as well.
According to a previous report, Xiaomi’s Laptop will be quite different than the existing laptops available in the market. Unfortunately, we don’t know what the CEO of Inventec, Mr. Lee meant by this statement. It could be customization in the software or even the design, but we will have to wait for more information to get some idea about the company’s plans.
Well, with the new official on board the team, we can expect some great stuff from the company in the coming months. Stay tuned for more details.
The model OnePlus E1001 was spotted on the Chinese Quality Certification website. While the certification doesn’t reveal the name or the specs of the device, considering its timing, we expect this to be the OnePlus X model.
Things are really getting interesting this month. After the CEO’s teaser about a device named X, Oneplus also started sending out invites to the media in India for an event called “the Next Big Step”. This particular event will be hosted by the company’s GM in India, Vikas Agarwall as well as co-founder Pete Lau. So, it could be for the launch of the OnePlus X.
Considering these hints, we could very well see the OnePlus X in the next few days, most likely at the event on October 12.
As for the specs, we can expect the phone to feature a 5-inch display and Snapdragon 801 / Helio X10 chipset on board. The pricing is expected to be around $249. We will keep you guys updated with more information in the coming days. So stay tuned.
First of all, OnePlus CEO Liu Zuohu posted a new teaser on his Weibo page late last night. And guess what, it shows the letter X. So, we have very good reason to believe that the name OnePlus X is almost confirmed.
Secondly, OnePlus has started sending out invites for a new launch event in India next week on October 12. According to the invite, the event will be hosted by the co-founder Pete Lau and Vikas Agarwall (GM of OnePlus India). The event is titled, “The Next Big Step” and is most likely for the launch of the OnePlus X handset.
Although the company is yet to directly confirm the launch of OnePlus X at the event, given the timing of these teaser and the event, there is a very good chance that we will see the OnePlus X pretty soon.
As for the specs, our sources had revealed that the OnePlus X will come with 5-inch display and Snapdragon 801 chipset. While recent rumors have also said that the display will be of 5-inches, they claim that the chipset inside will be the new Helio X10 MT6795. We will have to wait and see which one turns out to be true. As for the pricing, you can expect the phone to retail somewhere around $249.
Anyways, since the event is only about a week away, we expect more information about the handset (hopefully pictures too) pretty soon. So, stay tuned.
We have all heard of Xiaomi’s Pistons series earphones. Also, the 3rd Gen of Pistons has been released quite a while now but I haven’t had a chance to get my hands-on with them. Well, better than never, here is my review.
You will be pleasantly surprised that the earphones come in a really premium packaging. It comes in a plastic box and the earphones are wrapped very neatly around a high quality rubber base. Also, you are getting 3 different sizes of earbuds, which is a really nice touch given a low price tag.
Xiaomi Pistons 3 Review: DESIGN
As far as the design goes, the Xiaomi Pistons 3 combine plastic and metal materials and they have a great build quality.
Also, there are controls like volume up/down, play/pause and the microphone for a hands-free calling. I have to say that the quality of mic and its noise canceling ability is probably the best in this price range.
Most of the cable is made of tangle free material and at the end of it you can find a 3.5mm headset connector.
Xiaomi Pistons 3 Review: SOUND QUALITY
As far as the sound quality, I’m pretty sure you will be blown away by it. To be honest, I’ve tested at least 5 different $20 earphones made by Sony, Phillips, JVC and so on and i can say that the Xiaomi Pistons are on the next level.
The sound is crispier, it has a lot more rich tones and depth in it. Also, I’m impressed with the amount of bass and the volume output they can produce.
Honestly, if these were made by Sony, they would cost at least $50.
Xiaomi Pistons 3 Review: CONCLUSIONS
So here it is, the Xiaomi Pistons 3 and I believe these could be the best earphones for under $20. They come in a premium packaging with a nice travel case and different sizes of earbuds.
What is more important is that they have a great build quality, remote control with a mic, which works on 6 different smartphones I’ve tested.
The sound quality is just amazing and as I told you, these are probably the best sounding earphones under $20.
A few shortcomings would be that the entire cable should have been made of tangle-free material and the shell of the earphones could have been made of metal. However, these are minor disadvantages, which are far from the deal breaker considering the overall package you are getting for this price.
As we near the end of the year, more and more information about Xiaomi’s upcoming flagship, the Xiaomi Mi 5 have started circulating on the internet. From the recent rumors, it looks like the Mi 5 will come with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 820 chipset on board along with some high-end specs. Given that this is going to be a powerful smartphone, we expect the pricing to be quite high as well.
Earlier leaked Mi5 render
However, according to the leakster, Leaksfly, Xiaomi might price the device at the same figure as the Xiaomi Mi4 at launch. That’s like 1999 Yuan which roughly comes to around $320. While we would advise you to take this leak with a pinch of salt, anything close to this figure will be quite impressive.
The rumored specs of the Xiaomi Mi 5 have been quite high-end. You can expect the flagship to feature a 5.2-inch full HD 1080p display with a powerful chip like Snapdragon 820 on board. Recent rumors have said that the release might be as soon as November or December 2015. If this is the case, then we may see some other chip like the deca-core Helio X20 MT6797 on board the Mi 5. Qualcomm Exec had earlier said that the first phones with Snapdragon 820 will only be available by Q1 2016, which is why we think there’s quite slim chance that the phone will feature this chip at launch.
As for the other specs, the Xiaomi Mi 5 is rumored to come with 4GB of RAM with multiple storage versions. There should be a 16MP at the back and an 8MP up front. Also, you should get the latest MIUI 7 OS based on Android 5.1.1 Lollipop at launch. As for the body, the phone is expected to feature a metal design.
As you can see, the specs are expected to be pretty high-end. So, its unlikely that the Mi 5 will be priced at just $320. But then, Xiaomi has managed to surprise us all in the past (like the Redmi Note 2), so its best to wait for some more concrete information in the coming days.
Most popular Chinese E-Commerce online store, Gearbest announced a Super Flash Sale from October 6 to October 8. All the products selling at flash sale event discounted at a huge margin. Highlight in this Flash sale event is the vast category of products.
They didn’t stop with the famous flash sale products like Smartphone, Tablets etc. Gearbest expanded it to Remote Control Toys and Gadgets, Watches, Cameras, Computer and Network Accessories, Smart Home Equipment and Accessories, LED lights and Flashlights, Smartphones, Tablet PCs and Mobile Accessories. Along with this, Electronic Accessories for Car, Bike, and other automobiles are also added in the epic deals section.
How Gearbest Super Flash Sale Event working?
Totally 10 category of products added in this Flash sale.
Cellphones – Mostly Smartphones
Radio Control – Remote Control Toys and Equipment
Tablet PC – Phablets and Tablets
Watches – Smartwatches and Traditional and Modern Watches
Audio and Video – Action Cameras and Sports Cameras
Computer and Networking – Computer Accessories and Spare parts
SmartHome – Includes WiFi CCTV, Bluetooth Bulb, Robot Vacuum Cleaner, Security Alarm etc.
Mobile Accessories – Bluetooth, Earphones, Lens etc.
LED Light and Flashlight – Rechargeable Flashlights and LED lights
Epic Deals – Includes Bike, Car and Automobile accessories and Ethernet & Development boards.
From the first 9 categories, 2 products will be available for sale per day. For 3 days, totally 6 products will be available with a huge discount in this flash sale. Along with this, one special product will be announced in each of this categories with huge discount. From the 10th category Epic Deals, 3 Products will be available for sale per day.
Other than the 10 categories Gearbest added Super Flash Sale Special, which will announce one special product per day for flash sale at discounted price. The Two Flash sale per day aforementioned will be announced at 10.00 UTC and at 16.00 UTC every day.
But, the Flash sale is not over with this, All the 10 Categories having a “Bestselling Products at Hot Price” tab. It shows the best selling products with heavy discounts. To know the full details, you must take a look at Gearbest.com website.
Here is a short list of Products from Smartphone and Tablets Category.
The OnePlus One is a flagship killer in the year 2014. The design is top notch, it has a Sandstone back cover. The company also reduced the weight of the device using the aluminum alloy in the body. The OnePlus 2 is a good mix of things from OnePlus One. The top end variant of OnePlus 2 features a 4GB RAM and is powered by Quad-core 2 GHz Cortex-A57. There is also 3GB RAM model available and features a Quad-core 1.5 GHz Cortex-A53. For graphics, the company packed an Adreno 430 GPU. The phone comes with 16/64GB storage and there’s no microSD card slot. All things considered, I would personally pick this one up for myself and for friends as well.
Sparking, Shining, Slimy and Awesome. This is how anyone can describe the Appearance of Infocus M810T. The Phablet comes with Aluminium Metal alloy frame with 6.99mm thick and protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 3. In the hands, the Phablet is very light and compact. On the left, we see Power button and Volume buttons while the right keeps 2 slots for SIM and micro SD Card.
Dooggee Y100 Pro 4G Phablet
Mlais M7 Plus 4G Phablet
Cubot X15 4G Phablet
Oukitel U8 Universe Tap 4G Phablet
Takee 1 Holographic 3G Phablet
Chuwi Hi8 Android + Windows 10 Tablet PC
Cube i7 Stylus Windows 10 Tablet
Chuwi Vi7 – 7inch Phablet
Chuwi Vi8 Android + Windows 8.1 Tablet PC
Teclast X98 Air Windows 10 + Android 5.0 Phablet
Cube I10 Windows 10 + Android 4.4 Tablet PC
Cube T8 Android 5.1 8inch 4G Phablet
Check the complete list of products and their discounted prices at Gearbest. Don’t forget the Flash sale is for 3 days only. And only limited products are available at Flash sale. So, Rush to the store and grab your product soon.
MXQ S85 and EM6Q-MXQ are two main Full HD H.265 Android media players based on Amlogic S805 currently selling on Chinese online stores. I’m lucky enough to have received both, and I’ve already completed the review for EM6Q-MXQ, so today I’ll complete MXQ S85 review and compare both devices. I’ve already taken picture of the device, accessories, and checked out the board’s components in my unboxing post, so in this post, I’ll focus on the user interface, evaluate performance, and test most hardware features of this media player.
First Boot, Settings and First Impressions
I’ve started by a quick test of the IR remote control, and it works as expected after inserting two AAA batteries, before switching to Mele F10 Deluxe air mouse for convenience. I’ve connected all ports of the device except the S/PDIF output: Ethernet cable, HDMI and AV cables, micro SD card, USB hard drive, USB webcam, and a USB hub with two RF dongles for my air mouse and gamepad. I’ve connected the power, pressed the power button opn the top of the box, a Blue LED turns off, “Google TV” icon appears on TV and in a little more than 40 seconds the boot completes. It’s not quite as fast as higher RK3288 TV boxes (20s), but it’s much better than the boot time on EM6Q-MXQ (1m 50s), so the flash must be faster.
The user interface is the Android Home screen, but you can also switch the MediaBox launcher with a Metro-style user interface found in many Amlogic S80X TV boxes, by going to the “Home” section in Android settings. The box automatically selected 1080p60 Hz video output, and the user interface resolution is 1920×1080 as you can infer from the screenshot above. I’ve noticed that switching to 720p still keep the user interface to 1920×1080 resolution, so there’s no performance gain doing so.
The “Setting” menu is based on the same Metro-style interface as EM6Q-MXQ with four sub menus: Network, Display, Advanced and Other. I’ve highlighted difference in bold.
CVBS Mode Setting: 480 CVBS or 576 CVBS (if Composite output selected on TV).
Hide or Show status bar
Display Position
Screen Save (Never, 4, 8 or 12 minutes)
Advanced:
Miracast
Remote Control (app)
CEC Control
Location for weather (Chinese cities only)
Screen Orientation settings
Digital Audio Output (Auto, PCM, S/PDIF pass-through, or HDMI pass-through)
Other – System Update: Local file or OTA (not working), Backup, and “More Settings” for standard Android Settings.
So it’s exactly the same as EM6Q-MXQ, except the current firmware also supports 1080p @ 24 Hz.
I’ve also tested composite output, and both 480 CVBS and 576 CVBS settings worked fine. There’s no component (YPbPr) output in this box.
I have not made a video for MXQ S85, because it’s very similar to EM6Q-MXQ, except you have the option to switch between the Android home screen or MediaBox launcher, 1080p24 is supported, and S85 is a little more responsive. But you can watch the video I shot for EM6Q-MXQ if you haven’t already where I walk through the user interface and settings, XBMC user interface (1920×1080 UI rendered at 30 fps), and show H.265 video playback in MX Player.
MXQ-S85 comes with an 8GB NAND flash with a single partition (8.00 GB – black magic again…), and at the end of the review I still had 4.01 GB free. Looking into “About MediaBox” section, we can find out that the model number is “S85″, and the system runs Android 4.4.2 on top of Linux kernel 3.10.33. The firmware is rooted, and after I started the review I found firmware 106k4 (an updated to version 105k4 used for the review), which you can probably flash with Amlogic USB flash tool, but I have not tried.
All apps I needed for the review could be installed with Google Play Store including Antutu, 3D Mark, ES File Explorer, MX Player, Beach Buggy Blitz, A1SD benchmark, Sixaxis Controller, etc… However, as I scrolled through the list of apps installed on other Android devices, there were a few incompatible apps notably some messaging apps (Facebook Messenger, Whatsapp), Instagram, Google Translate, and a few others. But you can usually work around these issues by spoofing your device name with an app (paid), or changing build.prop. I’ve also downloaded and installed Amazon AppStore, in order to play Riptide GP2.
Albeit the box features a power button, power handling is not perfect, as a clean power off is not possible. You can either use the remote control power button to enter and exit standby, and the power button on the unit, can be used to achieve real power off, and to turn the device on, but it’s and hardware power off which powers off the device immediately, Android does not cleanly shuts down. The device temperature is pretty cool: 40°C and 46°C measured with an infrared thermometer respectively on the top and bottom of the box, right after running Android 5 benchmark. And after playing Riptide GP2 for about 10 minutes (at which stage the game froze), the maximum temperature on top and bottom reached 42°C and 46°C… which is pretty standard temperature for these type of devices.
The system very pretty stable, but just like with EM6Q-MXQ, attempting to play a 4K video in XBMC will freeze the system requiring a hard reboot. However, the flash is fast enough no to experience various slowdowns, or making apps randomly exit. Android did pop up the “app not responding” windows at load time for some games, so it’s not perfect, but answering “wait” will start the games normally. Nevertheless, although it’s clearly not as snappy as the latest Amlogic S802 or Rockchip RK3288 based mini PCs, I did not find MXQ S85 frustrating to use, unlike EM6Q-MXQ.
Video Playback
Videos were playing from SAMBA share in Ubuntu 14.04 over Ethernet using XBMC 13.1 pre-installed in the system, switching to MX Player for videos that failed to play. I had no problems connect to SAMBA with XBMC and ES File Explorer.
I started with videos from samplemedia.linaro.org, H.265/HEVC videos by Elecard, as well as a (low resolution) VP9 video:
Real Media (RMVB) – RV8, RV9, and RV10 – OK but not that smooth (S/W decode)
WebM / VP8 – 480p OK, 720p some rare parts in slowmo, 1080p plays in slow motion all the time.
H.265 codec / MPEG TS container
XBMC – Audio only
MX Player – OK (H/W decode), but seeking does not work properly. It will switch to S/W decode, and the video becomes unwatchable.
WebM / VP9 (no audio in video)
XBMC – Won’t even start
MX Player – OK (H/W decode).
Then I played some higher bitrate videos:
ED_HD.avi – XBMC: audio only; MX Player: black screen only, no audio.
big_buck_bunny_1080p_surround.avi (1080p H.264 – 12 Mbps) – OK.
h264_1080p_hp_4.1_40mbps_birds.mkv (40 Mbps) – OK
hddvd_demo_17.5Mbps_1080p_VC1.mkv (17.5Mbps) – OK, but could be smoother, and XBMC reports skipped frames regularly.
Jellyfish-120-Mbps.mkv (120 Mbps video without audio) – OK (Played from USB hard drive)
Videos with high definition audio codec could be played in XBMC (with performance issues), but not in MX Player (except AC3):
AC3 – OK
Dolby Digital 5.1 / 7.1 – OK
TrueHD 5.1 & 7.1 – OK
DTS-MA – OK
DTS-HR – SAMBA: Audio completely cuts after a few seconds. USB: No problem with audio, but video feels slow.
A Blu-ray ISO video (Sintel-Bluray.iso) played perfectly in XBMC.
Although S805 does not support 4K video playback, I tried to play two 4K videos in XBMC, and each time the system will freeze. This should not happen.
I tested over a dozen other videos from my library (AVI, MKV, FLV, VOB/IFO, and MP4 containers), and they could all play with any A/V sync issues. I also watched a complete 1080p video (1h50 / MKV / 3GB), so no problem with stability either.
Links to various video samples used in this review and be found in “Where to get video, audio and images samples” post and comments.
Network Performance (Wi-Fi and Ethernet)
A 278 MB file between a SAMBA share (Ubuntu 14.04) and the internal flash, and vice versa, repeating the test three times with ES File Explorer. Wi-Fi transfer speed is still pretty good @ 2.95 MB/s on average, although not quite as fast as EM6Q-MXQ media player.
Ethernet worked at 100 Mbps connected to my Gigabit Ethernet switch, with performance similar its competitor. Tronsmart Orion R28 Meta is way ahead, simply because it’s the only box I have that actually supports Gigabit Ethernet.
For a raw benchmark of Ethernet performance, I ran iPerf app using “iperf -t 60 -c 192.168.0.104 -d” command line. It does not quite maxes out Fast Ethernet bandwidth like Rockchip RK3288, but results are similar to EM6Q-MXQ just like with the test above.
TCP window size: 136 KByte (default)
————————————————————
[ 6] local 192.168.0.104 port 57781 connected with 192.168.0.106 port 5001
[ ID] Interval Transfer Bandwidth
[ 4] 0.0-60.0 sec 476 MBytes 66.5 Mbits/sec
[ 6] 0.0-60.0 sec 566 MBytes 79.1 Mbits/sec
Miscellaneous Tests
Bluetooth
Contrary to the version of EM6Q-MXQ I reviewed, MXQ S85 comes with Bluetooth.
I could transfer pictures from my Android phone to the box over Bluetooth, Sixaxis Compatibility Checker appeared to support PS3 wireless gamepads, but my controller was not recognized.
Bluetooth LE (Smart) was tested with Vidonn X5 activity tracker, but unfortunately the app could not locate the device over BLE.
Storage
FAT32 formatted micro SD card and USB flash drive could be recognized and properly mounted by the system
Only NTFS and FAT32 partition on my USB 3.0 hard drive could be mounted and accessed. That’s common to all Android mini PCs I tested, except A80 OptimusBoard which could mount the EXT-4 partition too (but in read-only mode).
File System
Read
Write
NTFS
OK
OK
EXT-4
Not mounted
Not mounted
FAT32
OK
OK
BTRFS
Not mounted
Not mounted
A1 SD Bench was used to benchmark USB hard drive and internal flash performance. The read speed was 16.92 MB/s, and the write speed of 21.87MB/s fore NTFS partition in /storage/external_storage/sda1, both results being weak.
The NAND flash speed is clearly not outstanding at 15.8 MB/s (read) and 6.83 MB/s (write), but still better than EM6Q-MXQ, and apparently good enough for a smooth operation of the device most of the time.
USB Webcam
I had troubles with both Skype and Google Hangouts with my USB webcam. I did manage to see the image in Skype once, but never long enough to make a phone call. The camera is not detected at all in Hangouts.
Gaming
Candy Crush Saga, Beach Buggy Blitz, and Riptide GP2 could run on the box. I played Candy Crush Saga with my air mouse, and switched to Tronsmart Mars G01 wireless gamepad for Beach Buggy Blitz and Riptide GP2. For each game, the system showed up pop up with “App XXX is not responding. Do you want to close it?”, but selecting “Wait” could load the games just fine. Beach Buggy Blitz framerate felt good using the default settings (low res), but I did notice some very short freezes (<1s) from time to time. Riptide GP2 is not really enjoyable with default settings (high resolution), but lowering the resolution makes it relatively enjoyable to play. Riptide GP2 freezing I encountered on other Amlogic s802/S805 devices, and Allwinner A80 development board occurred yet again, after just around 10 minutes of play time. I’m not sure if the game itself is buggy, or the GPU drivers/libraries are. I checked the maximum temperature on the top and bottom of the device at that time, and I got 42°C and 46°C.
Even if games can run, the gaming experience is not great, and you should really consider spending more to get a Rockchip RK3288, or not as good, Amlogic S802 devices if you are really interested in playing games. Nvidia Tegra K1 devices should even be better but in a completely different price category.
MXQ S85 Benchmarks
CPU-Z shows the device is indeed powered a quad ARM Cortex A5 processor clocked between 24 MHz and 1.49 GHz, but instead of using a performance governor, MXQ S85 is using a hotplug (on-demand). The board is m201, which can be a useful thing to know in case you download firmware files. FYR, EM6Q-MXQ is based on hd18t board.
The devices gets 16,448 points in Antutu 5.1 which is consistent with the score I got with EM6Q-MXQ (16,647).
There are some differences in Vellamo 3 however, with a lower Browser score (812 vs 1061), a higher multicore score (1319 vs 1139). The metal score is about the same.
Ice Storm Extreme test in 3DMark is about the same with 2,308 points (vs 2,325 for EM6Q-MXQ), and clearly shows the relatively low performance of the quad core Mali-450MP GPU used in S805 compared to high-end SoC with better GPUs.
Conclusion
MXQ S85 is actually a pretty good device and performance considering the price (<$50). Wi-Fi and Ethernet are pretty decent, video codecs/containers is quite good in XBMC, and H.265 can be played in MX Player, but not yet in XBMC. The firmware is pretty stable, and I did not come across massive slowdowns like in EM6Q-MXQ.
PRO:
The firmware is stable, relatively smooth to operate, and only hung when trying to play 4K videos
Good XBMC support.
HEVC/H.265 hardware video decoding support. Working in MX Player, but not with XBMC (yet)
Very good price/performance ratio.
Good Wi-Fi, and decent Ethernet performance
Video Output – Supports 1080p24/50/60 (but no 25/30 Hz), and composite output (NTSC/PAL).
CONS:
Despite having a power button, power off is not perfect (no clean power off)
Bluetooth Low Energy (mostly used for wearables) is not currently supported.
OTA firmware upgrade is not working
USB / NTFS storage performance is disappointing.
USB webcam did not work reliably for me in either Skype and Hangouts.
“App xxx not responding” message may appear while loading large apps such as games.
We have been hearing a lot about the upcoming UMi Zero 2 flagship. The latest information on the handset says that the phone will feature 4GB of RAM, which will make it the first such device from the company till date. While the specs are turning out to be quite impressive so far, earlier today we came across some new information about this upcoming handset. And its quite interesting too.
According to the latest rumors, the UMi Zero 2 will come with a premium Liquid Metal body. I am sure you would have heard of this alloy which is reportedly tougher than any other material used for a smartphone housing. Its extreme durability and strength has made this alloy quite popular. In fact, Apple has been using the same Liquid Metal for some of its small components. Even though its been years since we first heard about this alloy, smartphones have not yet used this material on a wide scale. In fact, only the Turning Phone can boast of featuring a Liquid Metal body till now. So, it would really be surprising to see a local Chinese manufacturer like UMi use this material for its own device.
Of course, nothing is confirmed so far, so its still very early to make conclusions about the phone’s body. Even if the phone doesn’t come with Liquid Metal body, other specifications are sure to impress the masses, especially when priced right. Lets wait for more information about the UMi Zero 2 which should hopefully debut sometime before the end of this year.
Being one of the most popular Android TV Boxes in the US, the latest version U BOX i one (i828) has made its way into the marketplace. Since its arrival, it has been a big impact, and stands above the rest when it comes to specifications. In this review, we’ll take a look at whether the U BOX i one (i828) performs as well as it looks and says.
In A Nutshell
Well-Constructed – Looks aren’t everything, but the U BOX i one (i828) will look like the perfect fit for a nice home with its sleek black appearance. It’s constructed of soft touch plastic (reminiscent of the Apple TV) but feels solid and slightly heavy, which indicates that it’s well made.
Top of the Range Specifications – Packed with a 2.0 GHz Quad-Core Cortex A9, Octa Core Mali 400 GPU and 1GB or 2GB RAM, the U BOX i one (i828) is quicker and more powerful than nearly all other Android TV Boxes currently on the market.
Fully Loaded – The U BOX i one (i828) is pre-loaded with the award winning XBMC media player and entertainment hub, along with everything plugin that’s remotely useful. Expect to access a huge range of music, videos and other digital media.
Big Storage – You can store plenty of your movies, music, games and other files with the integrated 8GB ROM, twice as much as the next best Android TV Boxes.
Good Connection to 3rd Party Devices – The U BOX i one (i828) works really well with third party devices such as , game controls, remote controls (which is included) and wireless keyboards and mouses.
Performance
The functionality of the U BOX i one (i828) is much better than most other Android TV Boxes. The integrated 1.6 GHz Quad-Core Cortex A9 processor, Octa-Core Mali 400 GPU and 1GB or 2GB RAM ensures that you can have the most demanding applications and HD videos running without the actual device slowing down or lagging. That is very rare considering the amount of under-powered options out there at a similar price range.
A variety of different webcams work very well, which is used for various online communication apps such as Skype and Viber. As you flick through the different menus and apps, you’ll notice that it’s very quick and smooth.
Also, the Wi-Fi signal is strong thanks to the antenna add-on. It’ll pick up on a wide range of wireless networks and also, is able to set up a Wi-Fi hotspot, something many other Android TV Boxes have difficulty doing.
Running the benchmarks on AnTuTu (which assesses the whole system’s specs) on the U BOX i one (i828) churns out a good solid score that beats the majority of other Android TV Boxes.
Interface
The home screen of the U BOX i one (i828) is pretty much just the Android 4.2.2 OS (Jelly Bean) interface. It’s very easy to navigate and if you’ve ever used an Android device, then you’ll be familiar with all the options. There’s also an option to change the default launcher into something a lot more basic.
Just like with all other Android TV boxes, you’ll find navigating and typing a lot easier using a wireless keyboard with a touchpad. Otherwise, you would be forced to use the remote to type out everything, which can be very time consuming not to mention frustrating.
The great thing about the included remote control is that it has a working power button (which is lacking in most other Android TV Boxes) which sends the device to sleep like a mobile phone or TV. This uses only 1 watt or less of power.
XBMC Media Hub is already pre-installed with the best add-ons, so you can be sure that you’ll have your time occupied with the best movies, TV shows and music from around the world.
Our Conclusion
Fast and powerful device that is capable of running the most demanding apps and HD videos, something that slows down most other Android TV Boxes.
Excellent storage capabilities, having 8GB internal storage and the ability to read external storage devices such as 32GB SD Cards and 2TB HDDs with no problems.
We love the fact that Wi-Fi signals are very strong and maintains a strong connection to far away networks.
There’s a reason why the U BOX i one (i828) is our top pick. As a matter of fact, there are several reasons as mentioned above. Although the price point is above many other Android TV Boxes, it’s definitely worth it as it outperforms them easily.
There are two variants of the U BOX i one (i828), the 1GB Ram model with 8GB EMMC Storage and the 2GB RAM model with 16GB EMMC Storage options. They are available form GearBest.com. Click one of the below buttons to go to GearBest.com to buy the model of your choice. However, we think that the 2GB RAM model with 16GB of storage option will be the better choice.
Huawei is all set to unveil at least one new device on October 10. Unlike its previous offerings in this year, this particular device will target the low-end market with an affordable price tag. While we are still unsure of the official name of the upcoming device, we expect it to be called as the Huawei Honor 5X Play.
As for the specs, they are quite decent with a quad-core 1.3GHz MT6735 chipset, 2GB RAM, and 16GB of expandable storage. There will be a 5-inch touchscreen with 720p resolution. At the back, the phone will feature a 13MP camera with LED flash, while up front, you can expect a 5MP shooter. The highlight of the device will be its super large 4000mAh battery which will make sure that the phone runs throughout the day in a single charge.
The company is said to attract the young generation crowd with its new Honor 5X Play handset. The phone will reportedly come in multiple color options as well. Given its large battery, TENAA reveals that the 5X Play will feature a 9.7mm thick body and will weigh about 159 grams. It will support 4G LTE network as well as dual SIM dual standby. As for the pricing, it is expected that the Play 5X will retail for less than 999 Yuan which comes to around $160. Not bad for an entry level device with a large battery.
Today we have lots of phones that look nice and they sport premium materials but usually if you drop them, they suffer from severe damage. No.1 – a Chinese manufacturer – has made quite a few rugged phones and we are looking at one of them today. Meet the X6800.
The No. 1 X6800 comes in a box, which is full of accessories that include USB brick, two micro USB cables, which have a longer than usual plug meaning that regular USB cables will not work with this phone. This is a huge disadvantage in my opinion. Also, we have a screen protector, some documentation and lastly there is a multifunctional some kind of survival kit…
No. 1 X6800 Review: DESIGN and DISPLAY
First of all, the phone is very huge, thick and heavy due to its ruggedised IP68 rating properties and 5.5” display. Speaking of which, it is far from the best panels we’ve seen. It is not bright enough and the sunlight visibility is just terrible. Also, the colours are not very accurate and the sharpness could be better.
On the top we have an interpolated 5MP camera, earpiece and the notification LED. On the bottom there are 3 non-backlit capacitive buttons.
The back (the same as the whole device) is made of rubberised plastic. O the top we have an interpolated 13MP shooter with the LED flash and on the bottom there is a loudspeaker.
In order to remove the backplate, you have to unscrew 6 screws, which can take at least a few minutes. A funny thing is that the company did not include the screw driver and the included multifunctional tool is not comfortable to use for this purpose.
Under the hood there is a removable 6000mAh battery and two SIM card slots. I found it very complicated to remove the SIM card with my fingers. Also, the phone has a built-in 800Mah battery as a backup in case the main one dies.
On the left we have a power key and on the right there is a volume rocker, which are very hard to press and inconvenient to use. This is probably the worst buttons implementation I’ve seen in a while.
On the top we have a headset jack and on the bottom we have a charging port and they are both covered by the flaps as the phone is water and dust resistant. However, the charging port’s flap is really hard to open up and I always end up using a screw driver.
Overall, the phone is very huge and it literally feels like a brick. It is very inconvenient to carry in the pocket and hard to open flaps don’t make life easier either.
No. 1 X6800 Review: UI
The No. 1 X6800 runs on outdated Android 4.4 Kitkat version. It is a pretty much stock Android experience. It is running smoothly but I encountered with occasional stutter and lag especially after pressing a home button.
The only gesture control is a double tap to wake, which is really essential given a large footprint of the phone and the fact that the power button is the hardest to press I’ve seen.
However, double tap to wake feature doesn’t work all the time and if it works, it is very slow.
Overall, the UI implementation is not the best but not the worst either.
No. 1 X6800 Review: BENCHMARKS
1 of 5
No. 1 X6800 Review: HARDWARE and PERFORMANCE
The phone has a Snapdragon 410 chip, 1GB of RAM and only 8GB of expandable storage.
The 3D games work okay but nothing to be impressed about. There are skipped frames, a bit of stutter and the graphics don’t look good.
No. 1 X6800 Review: MULTIMEDIA
Multimedia experience is below average due to mediocre screen quality and a silent, and sounding loudspeaker.
No. 1 X6800 Review: CAMERA
The 13MP interpolated camera does not impress. While it can take some usable images for social media, most of the shots lack in details, sharpness, the sensor sometimes struggles focusing and so on.
No. 1 X6800 Review: CONNECTIVITY
1 of 1
The connectivity options like GPS, Bluetooth and Wifi seem to be working fine.
No. 1 X6800 Review: BATTERY LIFE
1 of 5
The No.1 declares that the phone has a built-in 800mAh and a removable 6000mAh battery. However, everything is not as good as it sounds on paper. Firstly, I suspect that the battery capacity may not be real as all the test apps show that it has only 4000mAh capacity. While it may be the software recognition issue due to the unusual dual battery nature of this phone.
No. 1 X6800 Review: CONCLUSIONS
No. 1 X6800 is a super rugged phone with the IP68 rating with waterproof, dustproof and shockproof properties. It is clearly a niche product and it is not for everyone.
The phone is very big and thick and it is a burden to carry it in the pocket.
The idea behind the No. 1 X6800 is that it can be used in extreme situations and it may be great for some users.
The display quality is far from the best and the direct sunlight visibility is a little poor.
All in all, the No.1 made a big rugged phone that it has a big battery.
Its been just a few days since Google announced its latest Android 6.0 Marshmallow version. But developers have already started working on the new update for existing devices. According to the new Weibo post from the active Chinese developer, Ivan, we could see the first developer version of Android 6.0 Marshmallow on Xiaomi Mi3 real soon.
Of course, you may have to wait for a few more weeks until the first usable version is available, but its still good to see that thanks to such active developers, you can try out the latest Marshmallow Android update months before the official release.
Ivan notes that he’s still fixing bugs on the his Xiaomi Mi3. And once he’s done with the Xiaomi Mi3 model, he will move on to the flagship Xiaomi Mi4. So, Mi4 users also have something to cheer about. Further, he adds that he will also try to install it on the three year old Xiaomi Mi2 model as well (if possible) and finally move on the the Xiaomi Mi Note standard edition.
You can check out the few screenshots of Android 6.0 Marshmallow running on Xiaomi Mi3 from down below.
Xiaomi unveiled its mid-range flagship, the Xiaomi Mi 4C a couple of weeks back. The phone came with pretty good specs for a great price tag — under $230. This makes it one of the most sought out phones in the market right now. Unfortunately, Xiaomi is selling the device only in China at the moment. Those who would like to get their hands on this model will have to rely on retailers like giztop.
Despite being a value for money device, it looks like Xiaomi has put in a lot of efforts in manufacturing it. The company recently released a video in China showcasing the manufacturing process of the Xiaomi Mi 4C in the factory. The later part of the video also shows us how the company tests the device for various kinds of damages from factors such as shocks, scratches and water.
You can check out the video from Xiaomi below.
In case, Youku isn’t working for you, we also found the same video on YouTube, so you can check that out from down below.
Thanks to a report last month from the Times of India, we kind of knew that LeTV was planning to extend its presence to the Indian shores in the coming months. Now, the company has further confirmed its plans by launching its official LeTV India Facebook page and LeTV India Twitter account.
In both the accounts, the company is using the hash tag #disruptivefuture, which probably hints at the company’s aim to disrupt the Indian market with its products. Further, it looks like LeTV India’s official mascot is the fierce Royal Bengal Tiger. We can see this majestic animal in almost all of the company’s posts till now.
While we are expecting LeTV to launch their Le series smartphone lineup pretty soon, there might be other products too that could be launched in India. For example, the latest teaser from LeTV India page says a few words about the company’s TV: Not just a TV, but your gateway to the #DisruptiveFuture. Could it mean that the company plans to launch its TV in the country?
Well, it might be too early to say this for sure, but LeTV does seem to be preparing for a launch in India. We still don’t know an exact date for the release, but hopefully it will be in the next few months. Its not easy for a company to just jump and release their products in a new market, so we may have to wait a bit for its launch.
According to a recent release from the company, LeTV plans to sell its streaming services in the country as well. Not surprising, since its basically a content streaming company and it would naturally use its years of experience in the Chinese market in other overseas markets like India.
“Most people in India probably haven’t heard of LeTV yet, but indications are that LeTV would soon build up a presence here to tap into one of the fastest growing markets for smart phones and other smart devices, with plans to start selling its streaming service and devices,”
With a market capitalization of around $12 billion USD on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange and a library of over 1,00,000 TV series and 5,000 movies, LeTV’s entry into the market could further intensify the competition in the already packed Indian market.
Xiaomi has been steadily gaining market share in India, which is currently the world’s third largest smartphone market. For a company which started selling smartphones in India just last year, it has made tremendous progress in the country. Now, Lei Jun, the CEO of Xiaomi while talking to WSJ revealed that the company aims to be the top smartphone brand in India in the coming three years. This means, the company will have to overtake the likes of Samsung and Micromax who currently dominate India’s market.
Xiaomi has used the same business model that worked wonders for the company back in China. Lei Jun adds that the company aims to prove that their model works overseas as well, at least in one market. He further said that online models don’t work everywhere. The company has to be a highly influential player in the country or region in order to monetize. Given the immense size of India’s population, an online model should help the company monetize in various ways once they get a significant part of the market share.
Of course, the road to the top won’t be easy, especially since a lot of new Chinese smartphone makers have entered the country in the past few months. This should further intensify the competition in the budget and mid-range segment making this target even more challenging.
Reaching the top in this highly competitive market won’t be easy, so we will have to wait and see what Xiaomi does to achieve its goal within the next three years.
Ever since the launch of the OnePlus 2 flagship, we have been hearing about a second smartphone that will reportedly launch before the end of the year. Most of the leaks, including our sources have said that the phone will be called as the OnePlus X. But now, another new leak has given out almost all of the specs of the device, and it is said that the phone will be called as the OnePlus Mini.
According to a source of gforgames, the OnePlus Mini will come with the Helio X10 chip clocked at 2.2GHz on board instead of the Snapdragon 801 as previously rumored. There will be 2GB of RAM on board along with 32GB of eMMC 5.0 storage. At the back, there will be a 13MP camera unit (Sony IMX258) with f/2.0 aperture and dual tone LED flash. Up front, you can expect a 5MP wide-angle front facing shooter.
The display could be of 5-inches with 1080p resolution and the battery around 3000mAh with support for quick charge. Even NFC and IR blaster are said to be included in the device, which will be a surprise given that the flagship model lacked these features. Finally, there will be a fingerprint sensor at the back along with a 1.2W front-facing speakers. Also, the phone will have an all plastic design with IP67 certification for water and dust resistance.
For all these features, the company is said to price the device at just $250, which is exactly what our source said earlier. Even the specs are more or less the same, except for the chipset inside. While this new report says that you can expect the launch sometime in November- December period, our source had said earlier that it could as soon as October. Since we are already five days into October, lets wait and see if the company releases the device this month.
Let me know your thoughts about the upcoming OnePlus Mini / OnePlus X handset.
Just a few days back the comparison between two affordable Chinese flagships – OnePlus 2 and Letv Le One Pro was made and I decided to make an in-depth camera review, so it would be easier for you guys to decide which device is worth your attention.
I have already told my opinion about each phone’s camera in the full comparison but this time around I wanted you to share your thoughts either in the comments section below this article or under the Youtube video.
Both OnePlus 2 and Letv Le One Pro X800 have similar but at the same time different camera hardware. OnePlus 2 uses a 13MP Omnivision sensor with OIS. It is supplemented with the dual single tone LED flash and a laser auto-focus system for that blazing fast focusing.
The Le 1 Pro is no slouch either as it uses a 13MP Sony IMX214 sensor with OIS and a dual tone dual LED flash. A really awesome thing is that the cameras are not protruding on neither of the devices. Despite lacking laser auto-focus, the Le 1 Pro still has blazing fast focus and capture speeds.
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.
