Ever since we saw the Meizu M1 Note phablet in December, we were eagerly waiting to see what’s the next big thing from the company. And now that wait is finally over!
After so many leaks and teasers, we finally have official details about the Meizu M1 Note Mini smartphone. The specs and the design are more or less similar to what we saw in those leaks.
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First lets talk about the M1 Note Mini’s design. The device looks like a compact version of its elder brother, the M1 Note. Like rumored, the phone does take its design inspiration from the iPhone 5C. So, it comes with a smooth unibody design. There is gorilla glass 3 protection on the display, which should resist scratches and other damages. Finally, like the M1 Note, it comes in a number of colors – six to be exact namely two shades of blue, white, yellow, green and pink.
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Coming to the specifications, once again they are in line with what earlier reports predicted. The phone will have a quad-core MT6732 64-bit processor based on Cortex’s A53 cores clocked at 1.5GHz. There will be 1GB RAM on board with 8GB internal storage. And yes, the storage is expandable up to 128GB. This makes sure that the phone is better than any other models in the budget range. Meizu says that it will score about 30,000+ in the AnTuTu benchmark tests.
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On the front, there will be a 5-inch display with 1280 x 768 pixel resolution. This is surprising given that a recent GFXBench entry showed a 4.7-inch display. But this also makes the phone slightly bigger than the Redmi 2 model. However, even 5-inch is a compact size in this age of phablets and the 720p resolution will translate into a pixel density of about 300 ppi. For camera, there will be a 13MP rear sensor with f/2.0 aperture and single LED flash. On the front, there will be an 5MP shooter ideal for selfies. For connectivity, the phone supports 4G LTE, dual Band Wi-Fi and Glonass + GPS. A decent 2610 mAh battery will be inside to support these specifications.
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Meizu is directly targeting Xiaomi’s Redmi 2 for comparison and in most aspects the Meizu M1 Note Mini beats the Redmi 2. However, the highlight of the device is its price tag. The Meizu M1 Note Mini retails for the same price as the slower Redmi 2, which makes this phone a better option. So, in the coming weeks, you can purchase the Note Mini for just 699 Yuan i.e. ($112). Clearly, Meizu is taking things in the budget segment to the next level!
The company says that the device will be available for the said price from Meizu’s official website starting February 5, which is just a few days away.
At the event today, Manta revealed that the phone will be water, dust and even fall resistant to a certain extent. Also, the rear camera will have sapphire glass and a dual LED flash.
The Manta 7X will not be cheap and it will retail for 4080 Yuan, which comes to around $653. That’s much pricier than most Chinese phones in the market. There’s a cheaper version that’s coming soon, called as the Manta 7L which will cost 3380 Yuan i.e. $540.
Manta 7X boasted of being the first smartphone without any physical buttons. The company claimed that this experience made sure that the phone’s large 5.5-inch display was easier to handle as compared to other large screen phablets in the market.
The device has been up for pre-order for quite some time now and finally the company will announce the pricing, availability and other spec details about the phone at an event today. Manta has kept a special event in Shanghai called as the “Manta Born Event” where it will officially unveil the device. The company will reveal some important details about its flagship device like the pricing, which is something everybody has been patiently waiting for the past few weeks.
Some reports say that the company may also announce other devices in the Manta lineup at the event, however, it has not officially revealed any details about the same.
Manta 7X truly a revolutionary device without any physical buttons. It comes with many features and practical functions to ease up the process of operating the device. For example, the phone has special wisdom borders which can be used to unlock the device and return to home screen. Moreover, it has extensive customization options which will help users operate it with just one hand.
Even the specifications of the phone are top notch. It comes with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 chipset with 2GB RAM and 32GB ROM. There is a 5.5-inch Sharp ‘Hi-color’ 10802p display up front which is protected by a glass with 9H hardness. At the front as well as the back, there is a 13MP Sony IMX214 camera with dual LED flash. Finally, a large 4200 mAh battery will power these high end specs for more than a day.
The phone is a bit on the thicker side, around 9.8mm, but the 4200 mAh actually justifies its size. Moreover, the phone features a unibody design which makes it look very attractive and unique. The rear cover is made out of metal, which further gives it a premium feel. It supports 4G LTE networks and runs on Android 4.4 KitKat OS with MO7 UI on top.
As you can see, these specs are in line with what we usually see in a flagship device. The ‘no button design’ further gives it a clean look and enhances its beauty.
While we are just a few hours away from knowing its price, don’t expect it to come cheap. The phone packs in a lot of features and high end specs in its 5.5-inch form factor, so we expect a high-end price too!
Meanwhile check out our hands on with the Manta 7X.
So what do you think about the new Manta 7X. If the Manta 7X Price is around $400 would you consider buying it?
At the very beginning of 2015, we just spent our enthusiasm in welcoming the new start of the year. Blackview, the premium smart devices brand, made an announcement released about the launch of its latest stylishly designed Octa-core Android SmartphoneOmega, high on aesthetics and performance, in the most expensive version with a 5.0 inch FHD display introduced at $199.99 respectively very soon.
Comes with the business stylish design, Omega has 3 color options, which are Violet Black with Pacific Blue frame, Pearl White with Champagne Gold frame and Pearl White with Space Silver frame to let the consumers choose the one that meets their favor.
Each and every element of Omega has been carefully designed to make it convenient for a consumer to use the device. It comes with 3 classic colorful metallic frames plus the 3rd generation Corning Gorilla Glass set both in the front and rear of the body so that it further enhances the minimalism aesthetics of Omega in layout. Moreover, with the metallic frame and well-rounded smooth edges, which provide a very comfortable grip while playing games or watching movies for long hours. Designed to the last detail, Omega will be the perfect choice for those who’d like to decorate their taste in life.
Running on 1.7GHz Octa-core processor from MediaTek at the heart of Omega, the device makes higher technology more accessible, ascertains blazing-fast performance which are both intelligent and simplified.
Besides the standard 2G RAM + 16G ROM version, an even Better 2GB RAM + 32GB ROM version will be released .
Internally, the Omega comes with a MTK6592 1.7 Octa core processor, a 2GB of RAM plus 16G of ROM and a 4.4 Android. It is also equipped with a 18.0mp camera and a 8.0 Mp It can record video at 1080p. Last but never the least, the battery is a 2100 mAh combined with a ultra effective energy save mode, that allows for a long battery life.
Like many other Blackview phones, it supports two sim cards and a SD card to extend the phone’s 32G of internal memory. It also support dual standby.
Finally, the Omega comes with the usual Blackview’s additional software features, like Smart screen gestures, that you can conveniently wake up a series of functions of your phone by hand drawing a certain gesture on the screen, like drawing “c” to access camera, drawing “m” to play music and an “e” for Browser, etc.Double tap wake up is also included; If you want to keep your private information protected, the Omega enables program encryption with app locking software to encrypt your photos, videos, messages, contact numbers, even the whole phone, etc.And it supports gesture customization to encrypt your privacy with security. Needless to say, the more we dependent on technology, the more desirable we need for privacy been protected. that allows you to borrow your phone to other people without having to worry about what they may check on your phone.
A few days back, we reported that Meizu M1 Note Mini will probably come in three different OS variants. We already saw a picture showing off these three editions and now, we have another picture leaked which has the three models with their benchmark scores.
According to the image, which is not very clear, the three models have almost the same benchmark scores. On the extreme right lies the native Android running M1 Note Mini. This particular device scores about 30,978 which is almost the same as the model on the left running Meizu’s own Flyme OS. To their left lies the M1 Note Mini YunOS, which scores only slightly higher at 31,033 points. For comparison, we also see the larger M1 Note on the extreme left which scores about 41,600 points.
The Meizu M1 Note Mini benchmark scores look quite good. So, from these pictures, we can conclude that despite the budget placement, all the three editions will be powerful enough to carry out day to day tasks.
We have already seen the pictures of the upcoming device and the phone definitely looks better than most other competitors in its price range. Even before this leak, the specifications were spotted on GFXBench , giving us an idea what to expect in terms of performance. The phone will reportedly feature a 4.7-inch display with 1280 x 728 pixel resolution. Meidatek’s Mt6732 64-bit processor will power the device along with 2GB RAM. You can find more details in our previous article.
Expect official details by tomorrow evening as Meizu has an event in the afternoon. Stay tuned for more detailed updates.
HTC seems to be a lot of effort not only in its flagship One line of the devices, but also into more mid-range oriented line of Desire smartphones. As you may know, one of the latest members of Desire family is the HTC Desire 826, which was announced back in the beginning of January in CES 2015 show in Las Vegas.
It did not take too long and the company decided it is a great time to launch this device in the biggest smartphone market in the world – China.
We have some hands-on pictures here. As you can see, the device spots a typical Desire line design language. The typical, yet a bit unusual position of the front facing shooter is placed on this device again (same as the Desire Eye). What is more, you may not see it, but the device spots dual front facing BoomSound speakers. This time around, however, they are hidden, but should still provide you a great audio experience.
Here on the back you can see a camera (13mp) placed in the top right corner. Also, there is a single LED flash right underneath it. The device is made out of quality plastic material, which is non glossy, but may still attract some of fingerprints.
Configuration wise, the device has a 5.5-inch 1080p screen, it is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 64-bit eight-core processor, 2GB of Memory and 16GB of storage (can be expanded via Micro SD card slot). Also, there is a 4mp UltraPixel front camera and a 13mp rear camera. Moreover, it has a battery capacity of 2600mAh (non-removable) and it is running Android 5.0 operating system out of the box. In addition, it supports dual SIM dual standby and 4G networks (however, there may be some different carrier-based versions of the device).
The device is said to be on sale very soon – on January 29th. What is more, the pricing of it will be 2299 Yuan for a 16GB version and 2499 for a 32GB version. Some previous rumours said that the price will be just 1999 Yuan, but, however, it is a bit more expensive. Still, the price seems to be pretty reasonable if you consider the whole package you are getting.
From pictures from the launch can be seen in the gallery below:
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What do you think of the new HTC Desire 826, will it be a great hit in China? Let us know in the comment section below.
Apple’s products have always been popular for its design. So, its no surprise that many Chinese manufacturers try to bring its beautiful design at an affordable price tag with mid-range specs.
Last month, we saw Dakele 3 and the device was up for sale starting December 9. Now, we look at some of the real life images of the device and its as good as expected. We already know that the specs are top notch, much similar to the iPhone 6. Now, we can see that the device looks and feels just like an iPhone 6!
The Dakele 3 features a 5-inch 1080p display on the front with sapphire glass protection. Yes, you heard it right! This iPhone look a like has got the best screen protection in the market. The 1080p resolution translates into a impressive pixel density of 441 ppi. Next, the device will sport a 64-bit Mt6752 octa-core processor clocked at 1.7Ghz, Mali-T760 GPU, 3GB RAM and 16GB eMMC memory.
In the camera department too, the phone brings top end configuration. It features a 13MP Sony IMX214 sensor at the back and an 8MP Sony IMX219 sensor up front. It supports Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, TDD-LTE, TD-SCDMA/ GSM connectivity. Finally, there is a decent 2500 mAh battery to power all these specs.
Apart from the high end tech specs, the phone is built using premium materials. The outer frame is made of aircraft grade aluminum and the internal frame is made out of titanium. The company claims that this makes sure the phone will never bend. At 7.25mm thickness, its a slightly fatter than the iPhone 6 model, however the company says that this increased thickness has an advantage — the rear camera does not protrude!
Overall, the Dakele 3 is the best iPhone 6 clone till date. The specs and the features and the amazing 1499 price tag ($240) gives tough competition even to the real iPhone 6.
It would be interesting to see how Apple reacts to this high end iPhone clone. We’ll keep you updated in the coming weeks.
Meanwhile, check out the beautiful phone in pictures down below.
Xiaomi announced the Mi Note flagship device a few days back and its wasn’t surprising to see that both the versions of the phone managed to create a buzz in the market.
The company announced earlier that today at 12 noon in China, the first batch of Xiaomi Mi Note phones would be made available for sale. And just as predicted, all the models were sold out within minutes!
The official Weibo account of the company announced at 12.03 pm i.e. within three minutes into the sale, that the Mi Note got sold out. This is not a new thing for Xiaomi phones as we have seen in the past few months, the company’s flash sales don’t last for more than a few minutes.
However, like always, Xiaomi did not release the number of units that were made available for sale today. But given the market demand, the company must have brought in a large number of units. Yesterday, the company’s Vice President revealed that the reservation for today’s sale exceeded 220 million! So, its not at all surprising to see the phone sold out within several minutes.
However, those who couldn’t get their hands on one, can try out their luck once again on February 3rd, i.e. exactly one week after today’s sale. The company will be selling another batch of Xiaomi Mi Note units on that day.
Remember that this is the regular Mi Note version and not the Xiaomi Mi Note Pro high end model with Snapdragon 810. The Pro version is expected to be available for sale by the end of March 2015.
So, what do you think about the Xiaomi Mi Note? Would you buy this one or the wait for the Pro version till March?
Nowadays, its quite common for an upcoming smartphone to show off its internal specs on various benchmarking sites like AnTuTu and GFXBench. This is exactly what happened with the Meizu M1 Note Mini. Earlier today, the M1 Note Mini specs were spotted on the GFXBench revealing some of the internal configuration of the phone.
Unlike earlier predictions, which said that the phone will feature a 5-inch 1080p display, the M1 Note Mini will come with a 4.7-inch display with 1280 x 768 pixel resolution. Inside, a 64-bit 1.5GHz Mediatek MT6732 quad-core chipset based on ARM’s Cortex A53 architecture will power the device along with Mali-T760 GPU. There will be 1GB RAM onboard and 8GB internal storage. Also, the phone will run on Android 4.4.4 KitKat OS. Unfortunately, the entry doesn’t reveal any details about the camera or the battery, so we’ll probably have to wait for the official release to get those details.
As you can see, the Meizu M1 Note specs are similar to the recently announced Xiaomi Redmi 2. Both the devices feature 4.7-inch 720p display with a 64-bit quad-core processor based on Cortex A53 architecture. Also, the RAM and the memory configurations are the same.
It looks like the Meizu M1 Note Mini takes some inspiration from the Redmi 2. However, there is one major difference. The Note Mini looks much better than the traditional look of the Redmi 2. We have already seen some leaked pictures of the upcoming device and they look way better than most other smartphones in its price range. So, if the Meizu manages to get the specifications right (we still don’t know what camera is used), then Meizu M1 Note Mini will definitely pose a threat to the Redmi 2 budget smartphone.
However, end of the day, the deciding factor will be its price tag. Meizu has not yet revealed any details about this, but given that the original M1 Note retails for somewhere around $160, it won’t be surprising if Meizu managed to sell this mini version for a lot less, somewhere around 699 Yuan or $112!
We don’t have to wait too long to get more details about this device as Meizu has kept a special event tomorrow evening for its unveiling.
Last year, Samsung announced its Exynos 7 series processors which was said to be the company’s best offering yet. While the South Korean giant has not yet officially shown off the true power of its upcoming Exynos 7420 SoC, it was spotted on Geekbench earlier today revealing the true power of the processor.
According to the listing on Geekbench, the model “SC7 Full Android on avl7420” which could be the new Galaxy S6, scored extremely high in both single core and multi-core tests. Infact, in the multi-core tests, no Android smartphone came even near to its score of 5478. If this is the true Exynos 7420, then the second powerful SoC in the results page will be an octa-core Exynos 5433 processor clocked at 1.3Ghz. But there’s a huge difference between the two, as the 5433 scores only about 4000 (on an average) points which is almost 1500 points below this new 7420.
In the single core test, the Exynos 7420 managed a score of 1520 which is still considered very high. The HTC Nexus 9 still scores 1895, thanks to the NVIDIA Tegra K1’s 2.5Ghz cores.
Other than that, the benchmark result page reveals the phone runs on the latest Android 5.0 KitKat OS and comes with 3GB RAM. All these specs are in line with the configuration for Samsung Galaxy S6, so its more than likely that this phone is the S6.
So, what do you think about the results? Is this the Galaxy S6 with the new Exynos 7420?
Meizu seems to be all around the news lately with its recent announcements of new devices and then a bunch of leaks of the upcoming Meizu M1 Mini. This time around we have some news and the live picture of the upcoming Meizu M1 Note Mini in an interesting, but great looking electric green colour option.
This picture was posted on Weibo social network by the VC of Meizu Li Nan. One of the top executives again confirmed the upcoming press conference, which will be held on January 28th by the company.
As you can see the device’s colour is completely different from what we have seen so far in the company’s portfolio. What is more, the device sits next to the camera, which is in exact same colour. We wonder if it is a hint to some other device? Well, just a few days till we find out. Moreover, the colour options will differ from the Blue Charm Note line since this device will be offered in this green, yellow and other colours.
Since previous leaks we know that the upcoming device by Meizu will have a 5-inch display, quad-core processor equipped (most likely MT6732). Also, it will spot a 5mp front and 13 mp rear camera. Finally, the price may be only 799 yuan.
Are you excited about the Meizu M1 Note Mini? Let us know in the comment section below.
Earlier this month, Xiaomi unveiled the Redmi 2 budget smartphone. The device features great specs for a 699 Yuan ($112) phone, especially with its 4.7-inch 720p display and the 4G LTE connectivity. However, the 1GB + 8GB memory configuration was a bit on the lower side.
But it looks like Xiaomi is going to announce another device in the market, a higher end variant of Xiaomi Redmi 2 in the coming few days. The device recently hit TENAA and improves in the memory configuration section by incorporating 2GB RAM and 16GB ROM, which is double the amount of memory that you get on the existing Redmi 2.
This is definitely great news for all Redmi fans as the phone should now work much better and smoother than before. RAM and internal storage were the only two important drawbacks of the phone and now, even that is solved in this upcoming version.
Since the device has passed TENAA, it shouldn’t take much time for Xiaomi to announce this 2GB RAM Redmi 2 model.
The company is slowly diversifying its product portfolio in a number of industries, so this new version doesn’t come as a surprise. We have already seen two new Xiaomi Mi Note models, Xiaomi TV box as well as a new 99 Yuan Xiaomi Game controller in the past few weeks.
Kingsing is one of the companies that decided that taking a lot of inspiration from the so-called Apple of China (whether Xiaomi likes being called in that way or not) is a way to go for their business strategy. This time they decided to take we would say the whole concept from the Mi4 device and make a cheaper version of it. Meet the Kingsin T8 in our full review.
As you may see, the specs of this device are far from being to top the line. However, if you consider a very low price tag of just $99, it is quite good device.
Design
As you can see, the device comes in black and white colours. What is more, it has 3 capacitive buttons on the bottom. Also, there is a speaker grill along with the front facing shooter (only 2mp) and sensors on the top.
Here we can see that the device back is made out of plastic, which is not like Xiaomi Mi4, is matte. Furthermore, the volume up and down as well as power buttons are placed on the right side of the device.
What is more, the back of the device spots a 5mp camera with a single LED flash. If you take a look at the bottom, there is a KinSing logo, some certification marks and mono speaker.
Display
This device spots quite a low resolution panel (FWVGA-LCD, 854*480 pixels). Indeed, it is quite far from the best if you consider all those Quad HD panels in the market, but it is still enjoyable. The LCD technology makes it look sharp and vivid. Also, the colour reproduction is average, but viewing angles are decent. The sunlight legibility could be better, however.
User Interface
As you can see the UI is pretty basic and it is pretty much a stock Android experience. This differentiates this device from the Xiaomi’s offering. Also, being simple, makes it fast and responsive, without any noticeable lag whatsoever. In addition to this, the device spots a full pack of languages, so you do not need to worry about it.
Performance
The Kingsing T8 spots a MedieTek MT6592M (Octa-core 3G chip) Cortex A7 1.4GHz TSMC 28nm chip inside. It is backed up by 1 GB of RAM and ARM Mali-450MP4, 600MHz GPU chip.
As you can see from the synthetic benchmarks results, the device cannot compete with the latest and greatest flagships, but its performance is still surprisingly good. It managed to score a bit more than the HTC One M7, which is a two years old flagship device. Again, for the price tag of just $99, it is impressive.
Besides benchmarks, we did not have any issues with the daily use, which included scrolling through menu, playing games, surfing the web, watching videos and youtube and taking pictures or recording videos.
Camera
As camera is on the smartphones has become a very important factor to a lot of users, the Kingsing T8 may be a bit of a let down for you by offering just a 5mp shooter with a single LED flash on its back. However, you should consider the main purpose of the pictures you are taking and where you will use them. We think it should be enough for social media and other purposes.
We took some samples, so you can see the image quality.
As you can see, we took some camera shots in different lightning conditions. Some turned out to be pretty good for a 5mp shooter, but some of them, especially those in dark areas have a great amount of noise and the detail level is pretty low. What is more, taking low light shots requires to have a steady hand since the device does not have an OIS. In the end, we say that this device has a pretty good shooter for its price tag and should be a decent companion for your social media life.
Battery Life
The device has a 2150mAh battery inside. It is not really juicy according to today’s standards, but we should take into account a quite low resolution of the display. Therefore, without the need to push so too many pixels, we managed to reach the end of the day till we needed a recharge. Our test included some surfing the web, gaming, taking quite a lot of pictures, texting and calling.
Final Words
We have to say that the Kingsing T8 may not be the most innovative device as it has a lot of inspiration from Xiaomi’s Mi4 and looks almost exactly the same, but there are some significant differences. It starts with much lower specs sheet, but ends with a much lower price tag of just $99. What is more, the device spots a stock Android UI, which is far different than Xiaomi’s proprietary MIUI. We did not have any issues with its daily performance, which included both daily tasks like browsing the web, scrolling through menus, taking pictures and shooting video, and some gaming. Moreover, the battery life will easily get you through the day. Finally, the device is targeting the consumers, who look for a well-performing, yet low cost device. The Kingsing T8 may be just that one.
Remember a few days back, CoolPad’s Ivvi sub brand revealed a new poster which hinted about a phone that was just 4.7mm thin? We all thought that the device would steal away Vivo X5 Max flagship’s thinnest smartphone title. But it looks like, Vivo’s smartphone will stay the thinnest smartphone in the world as today’s TENAA listing reveals that the new Ivvi 4.7mm phone won’t be thin at all. In fact, according to today’s standards, we may even call it a bit thick!
According to the TENAA listing, the Coolpad Ivvi SK-01 comes with the body measurements 139*67.8*7.9mm, which makes it thicker than most other smartphones in the market. Vivo X5 Max and OPPO’s R5 were thinner than even 5mm and as you can see, this phone is noway near that mark. So, if this information turns out to be true, then Vivo and OPPO have nothing to worry about.
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But there is one peculiar thing about this smartphone. The pictures on TENAA reveal that the phone will have no bezels. Or the bezels are extremely thin and blend with the black color of the display. Whatever the case may be, it looks like the display covers the edges on the sides, much like Sharp’s Aquos Crystal smartphone (except for the bezels on top).
Other than this, the SK-01 looks like a lower mid-range device. The phone features a 4.7-inch display with a disappointing resolution of 960 x 540 pixels. That’s quite low even for a mid-range phone. Inside, there will be a 1.2Ghz quad-core processor with 1GB RAM and 8GB of expandable memory. The rear camera is of 8MP while the front shooter is of 5MP. The phone runs on Android 4.4 KitKat OS and supports 4G LTE, GSM,TD-SCDMA,TD-LTE,LTE FDD, 3G and 2G networks.
So looks like we will have to wait for some more time before a manufacturer releases a phone that’s thinner than 4.7mm!
LeTV is one of the leading companies, which provide video streaming services in China. They have on the news around lately with the introduction of their own Android ROM. Right now, however, we have some more interesting news as the company is ready to enter into smartphone market.
This time, the company is said to be working on the music-centric device, which reportedly has a hardware components to support the hi-end audio experience.
What is more, the company is said to have a few more interesting, but at the same time top of the line devices in its pipeline.
The company is said to enter the smartphone business with some pretty serious package. First, the S1 model is said to feature a 5.5 inches display, MTK6595 chip. All of this will be packed in a metal frame with a plastic back body and cost just 999 Yuan.
What is more, the hi-end devices portfolio will include the MX1, which will spot a super-sized 6.3 inches display, top of the line Snapdragon 810 chip, the 4mp/20.7mp cameras combo. All of this will be packed in a beautiful metal unibody and priced at 2999 Yuan.
Finally, another premium offering will be an X1 device with a 5.5 inches screen with a 2k resolution and it will be made by Sharp. Also, there will be a Snapdragon 810 chip and the 4mp/20.7mp cameras combo. All of this will be packed in a beautiful metal unibody and priced at more affordable 1999 Yuan.
Xiaomi is already a well established manufacturer in China and other Asian markets. We are hearing a lot of news about the company as they are growing at an extremely fast pace. We may see a lot of comparisons to Apple, which company uses even in its official product launches. What is more, sometimes it is really obvious that this company has taken a lot of inspiration from Cupertino based tech giant.
Some call them the “Apple of China”, others predict them to be the global smartphones leader in about 5 years time. To further support these predictions, we have some news about some aggressive marketing tactics, which will be used directly at Apple. We saw that coming, just did not know the exact type of implementation.
Xiaomi’s Media Development Director shared some thoughts about that. Right now it is obvious that Xiaomi, in order to allow iPhone users to make an easy transition to Xiaomi’s handsets, some hardware and software adjustments have been made.
The company stresses out its newest flagship – Xiaomi Mi Note, which has a dual-Sim dual-standby capabilities. One slot will be used for micro SIM cards, while another will be used either for Nano SIM cards or Micro SD cards for memory expansion. This hardware adjustment means that the iPhone users can make an easy transition without the need to replace their SIM card type and use it in Xiaomi’s device straight away!
In addition to this, Xiaomi development team is may be prepping an app, which will be placed directly into Apple’s App Store. This app will make everything easy to switch to Xiaomi: migrate data, sync contacts and will make easy merging and avoiding duplicate contacts.
Finally, what about a trade in program? That’s right! Xiaomi’s Media Development Director is happy to say that that the company may soon launch the trade in program! You may be able to trade in any iPhone 5s or older iPhone, whether it is good or bad condition, and you will get a free Xiaomi Mi Note! What is more, The iPhone 6 or 6 Plus trade in will get you a free top of the line flagship Xiaomi Mi Note Pro!
It seems pretty obvious that the Xiaomi wants start ruling not only in China, but other markets as well. In addition, they definitely want to expand the circle or new and loyal customers. That being said, they do everything by the online marketing means. We say it is quite impressive.
Do you think that Xiaomi will strike at Apple seriously? Let us know in the social poll or in the comments section below.
Oppo has been one of those Chinese companies, which, in our opinion, innovate. They presented the world a smartphone with a rotating camera (N1), then upgraded it and released the N3 model, where the rotation was even motorised. What is more, the company surprised the smartphone world by introducing a crazy thin R5 device, which was the thinnest smartphone on the planet for some time. We think that company strives for both innovation and great looking industrial design in its devices.
This time around, the company has a device, which we would say represents its design portfolio. It is an Oppo R1X, which has a great looking appearance and it includes a sandwich construction: glass on the front and the back, and metal on the sides.
Specs
Display
5.0 inches, 720 x 1280 pixels (~69.9% screen-to-body ratio)
140.6 x 70.1 x 6.9 mm (5.54 x 2.76 x 0.27 in) / 130 g
OS
Android 4.4,
Storage
16GB (can be expanded up to 128GB via Micro SD)
As we can see that Oppo R1X shapes up to be the upper mid range device as far as specs go. We have to remember though that the device’s main aspects are in the design, which include saphire crystal back panel, the thickness of 6.9 mm and relatively good screen-to-body ratio. All in all, it is not a true flagship device by Oppo, but we still like what we are seeing here.
Design
As you can see from the above picture, the device comes in colours. One is somewhat violet with and interesting, but good looking diamond shaped glass, which is actually either a Gorilla Glass 3 or sapphire glass on different models (the sapphire version will naturally cost more). What is more, there is a white version.
Both versions have a design, which is a bit similar to the Sony’ Xperia Omni Balance design language. Do not get us wrong by thinking that it is an Xperia clone, but certainly there are some inspirations from Sony. On the back top left corner we can see a 13mp camera along with the single LED flash. Underneath it there is an Oppo logo and some certification marks on the bottom.
If we flip the phone to the front we can see three capacitive buttons on the bottom. However, they are not backlit, so you better remember their placement to be able to operate in the dark. On the other hand, during the day time they have a great reflective layer, so you would not have any issues seeing them.
On the right hand side we can see a SIM/Micro SD card tray, which needs to be opened with a pin or needle. Also, there are two volume up/down rockers.
If we take the SIM/Micro SD tray out, we can see that one part of the tray can take Micro SIM cards and they would work both on all networks, including GSM, 3G and 4G. Another part doubles as a Nano SIM/Micro SD card slot. However, this slot only supports GSM networks, so may be better want to use the Micro SD (up to 128 gigs). On the other hand, it may be very useful while travelling.
At the bottom of the device there are nicely machine drilled dual stereo speakers along with the Micro USB charging port. Also, there are two plastic infusions on both sides, which work for better reception of radios.
The good thing about the camera on the back is that it is not protruding like some other devices. Oh, we forgot to tell you that if you tilt the device in the sunlight you will get that diamond blinking effect! That is a matter of personal taste, of course. What is more, if you cannot decide, which colour would suit you better, we recommend taking a white version since the blue/violet one is a true finger print magnet. Indeed, both colour options attract fingerprints and smudges, but at least the white one can mask them easier.
Overall, the screen size of 5 inches and the body thickness of 6.85mm did not cause us any issues operating the device in one hand. Also, we think that the handset looks beautiful and stands out of the crowd of plain looking devices.
Display
As we have already mentioned, the device has a 5 inches screen, has 720p resolution and pixel density of 294PPI. Also, the device uses the JDI’s “Pixel Eyes” technology, which lets produce a bit thinner screen and increase the overall clarity of the display.
In all the pics, the Oppo R1X is on the left. We did a screen comparison with the Oppo R5, which has a resolution of 1080p. We found the screen of the device a great to look at despite its lower resolution. Actually, we found the colours a bit more pleasing to the eye than the R5. Finally, the brightness and sharpness levels were adequate and we didn’t find any flaws even after comparison to the 1080p panel on the R5.
User Interface
User interface has become one the elements that helps manufacturers distinguish themselves in the variety of similar hardware offerings. Oppo knows that and they offer a proprietary Color OS on top of Android 4.4 Kitkat.
As you can see, the company left the flat and simplistic looks of it OS. Still, the icons have quite an animated look, but we are okay with that.
The pulldown notification menu is plain and simple. You have some toggles, which can be moved around as you wish. Also, you can set the screen brightness. Overall, it is plain and simple as any other Android skin.
We can also add that all the functions needed, for example flashlight, are included in notification menu’s toggles. Thus, you would not need to download any third party apps or widgets.
Performance
We ran through some benchmarks to see how the device performs with its 64-bit Snapdragon chip, which has an architecture of Quad-core 1.7 GHz Cortex-A53 & quad-core 1.0 GHz Cortex-A53.
As you can see, the device does not show a true flagship performance on raw benchmark tests, but still performs pretty great. Still, we have to take into consideration the fact that it still runs Android 4.4 Kitkat, which does not support 64-bit architecture. Thus, we have to wait till Oppo upgrades their OS to see the improved benchmark performance.
Besides benchmarks, we did not have any issues with the daily use, which included scrolling through menu, playing games, surfing the web, watching videos and youtube and taking pictures or recording videos.
Camera
As smartphones cameras are becoming our daily shooters, Oppo knows this fact. Thus, it equipped the device with a 13mp shooter, which has Sony IMX214 sensor with the aperture of 2.0.
The camera interface is the usual Oppo style. It looks like a simple solution, it is full of features, which include a bright night shoot, slow shutter speed mode, the ultimate beauty, professional mode, HD photo mode etc. Also, you can download additional modes as you wish.
One of the modes, which got us interested is Oppo’s signature HD mode, which lets you take the pictures of amazing 64mp pictures. Oppo is using some software tricks to stitch a few images to reach that high resolution.
A regular night shot using normal mode.
HD mode.
We think that HD mode produced a better picture with a bit less noise and better colour reproduction this time.
Also, we took a few daylight, indoors, night time shots using a normal mode, which is usually used by most of people. Please take a look:
Overall, we think that the picture quality is pretty good. Daylight shots have plenty of detail, exposure and white balance is okay. What is more, indoors shots are pretty good too. They have a bit more noise, but still, it is acceptable. Finally, the night shots, one of the most difficult scenes for smartphone cameras, turned out to be pretty good as well. The aperture of 2.0 helps to focus a bit faster than other devices. Also, the noise control seems to be pretty great. All in all, we say that this device has a a versatile, good camera, which has good picture quality.
Battery Life
We did not run any particular tests to measure the battery life, but what we can say is that the device should last you a full day for an average user. It is not not the battery around, but still, pretty reasonable considering the devices thinness.
OPPO R1X Review Final Words
In conclusion, Oppo R1X shapes to be a pretty good upper-midranger. It does not have flagship specs, but has a future-proof 64-bit architecture of the chip along with the 2 GB of Ram. We thought that combination to be able to handle the variety of tasks, which include gaming, watching videos, using camera and doing other tasks. What is more, we love the fact that Oppo has kept the Micro SD slot for the storage expansion. Also, the thing that the device is capable of reading two SIM cards is very useful if you are travelling. In addition to this, we found the Oppo R1X to be a pretty capable camera performer in different scenarios, including night photography. Finally, the battery life may not be the best, but still it is pretty good for quite thin device.
Landvo has many clones in the market, and we recently reviewed the Landvo L200S which turned out to be a great cheap smartphone.
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The new Landvo L600S too comes with modest specifications, but with the premium looks of the Huawei Ascend Mate 7 that we all love. You have the same design as the Mate 7, however the phone is much smaller and compact, thanks to its 5-inch screen. At the back, there is the camera on to top as well as the LED flash besides it. Interestingly there’s an area at the back which looks like a fingerprint sensor, but its probably for the gesture feature that the phone comes with.
The tech specs are modest. The Landvo L600S comes with Mediatek’s latest 64-bit MT6732 processor clocked at 1.5Ghz with Mali 760MP2 GPU. There’s is 1GB RAM onboard with 8GB internal storage which can be further expanded as well. For camera, you have 13MP rear sensor (Sony IMX135) with LED flash and a 5MP front facing shooter. Given its small display size, the 2500 mAh battery should be enough for a day’s usage. The L600S is an LTE enabled phone, so you can take advantage of ultra fast LTE networks! The supported bands are as follows: GSM+WCDMA+FDD-LTE networks: GSM 850/900/1800/1900MHz WCDMA 900/1900/2100MHz FDD-LTE 800/1800/2100/2600MHz.
As for software the device runs on Android 4.4 KitKat out of the box, but the company has promised the latest Android 5.0 Lollipop upgrade in the next few months.
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Overall, the device turns out to be a decent offering. The highlight is probably its looks, thanks to the inspiration from Mate 7 and the $150 price, which is pretty good for the specifications it provides.
A few days back, a leakster called as @leaksfly revealed that Qualcomm had kept an event for January 23. The leak was right indeed as the company’s event did happen today. However, couldn’t play around with any Snapdragon 810 devices as predicted. Instead, the event was all about the features and the technical specifications of the ultra fast Qualcomm chipset.
This probably means that the mass production of the chipset is still a few days away and fans will have to wait for a few more days before they see a real device running this processor.
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Coming to the event, Qualcomm’s Vice President of Marketing said that the new Snapdragon 810 is targeted at all high-end smartphones and tablets and will redefine the user experience with super fast chipsets.
The he went on to explain a few features of the new processor. The Snapdragon 810 will support 4K Ultra High definition videos and will produce professional level sound quality. The chip has microphone built in so that the audio recorded comes out realistic and much louder than competitors.
Moreover, in the imaging department, the new chipset brings over 14 pairs of image processors for the first time in the industry which will be able to produce ulra-high resolution high quality pictures up to 55MP in size.
Moreover, it comes with the latest Adreno 430 GPU which will reduce power consumption as compared to other GPUs without sacrificing on the power output. As for connectivity, the chip comes with Cat. 9 LTE network support with theoretical download speeds of up to 450 Mbps. Also, it supports the new MU-MIMO Wi-Fi ac 2.0 technology for three times faster data transfers. Finally, the company showed off the processors, WiPower Wireless Charging technology.
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As expected, Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 turns out to be one of the most advanced processors currently available in the market. Unfortunately, even though we have seen some 810 powered devices announced in the last few weeks, we probably won’t be able to see it in action until the end of Q1 2015.
It seems that the madness among the manufacturers continues. A lot of them one to be “the only” or “the best”, or “the first” in a certain department. Well, it seems logical in the technology sector as it is moving at an extremely fast pace. However, another thing, which is kind of a trend now, is a the thickness or we should better say the thinness of the smartphones.
We all know that the Cupertino company usually strives for making thinnest and lightest devices, but it seems that this trend is moved to China at the moment. Just recently, Oppo bragged about its R5 as being the thinnest smartphone in the world. Well, it was, but not for a long time. After that Vivo came up to steal the show with its amazingly thin Vivo X5 Max, which has the thinness of just 4.75mm.
However, Vivo may not be happy at the moment as we may have a new king of thinness in the smartphone world!
There is a smartphone brand called Ivvi, which is a sub-brand of quite popular Chinese brand Coolpad. It seems that they are ready to break the world’s record by introducing a 4.7mm device! That is “even” half a millimetre thinner than Vivo’s offering!
In addition to this, the the upcoming device is said to have only 4.7 inches display. That would make device not only extremely thin, but also very compact. What is more, the device seems to be made out of plastic (not metal like Vivo X5 Max), have a speaker grill on the bottom of the back. Lastly, it may have a protruding camera with a single LED flash on the back.
We can’t wait to see once the company releases this device. We have no doubts that there will be some tradeoffs like a small battery capacity, which would lead to a short battery life. That leads us to the never ending question: what is better, an extremely thin device or better battery life? Let us know in the social poll or in the comment section below.
5-inch Meizu Blue Charm M1 Note Mini will be officially unveiled at an even on January 28 by Meizu. We have already received lots of new information, leaked pictures and other details about the device. Just yesterday, we heard that the upcoming Blue Charm device will have three different versions, all the three running on different Android based platforms.
According to the leak, the upcoming device will have three different OS options. First will have the company’s own Flyme OS, the second version will have stock Android and finally the third version will run on Alibaba’s cloud based YunOS.
Today, we got to see the YunOS running Mi Note Mini alongside the Meizu’s other popular devices namely the Meizu MX4 and the M1 Note. The device looks like a protype model but still we can see the difference in their sizes. The M1 Note Mini looks a lot smaller and thinner than the other two models.
Anyways, we have already covered the specs of the upcoming device and you can check that out here.
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