ZOPO 3X Review(MT6595m): The affordable ZP999(MT6595m) (Just $299)

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Nov 17, 2014

ZOPO recently announced the ZOPO ZP999 Lionheart smartphone for $399, which is a great price for a device with high end specifications. But for those, who are looking for something cheaper but as powerful as the ZP999, the new ZOPO 3X looks like the ideal candidate.

The device comes with the same specifications as the ZOPO ZP999 but with a smaller internal memory, which is something that I am sure, many wouldn’t mind given that it comes with a MicroSD card slot too which can be expanded up to 64GB.

So, it’s basically the same ZP999 that we reviewed earlier but with a smaller storage and a much cheaper price. At present, you can pre-order the ZOPO 3X for only $299, which is an insane price for a device with 3GB RAM and an Octa-Core Processor.

Well, luckily, we have got the device in our hands today and so we take a look to assess whether the ZOPO 3X is as good as its elder brother, the ZP999.

DESIGN

To start with, ZOPO 3X comes with the same design as the ZP999, so you get a large 5 inch display up front with three capacitive buttons at the bottom. The back cover is made up of plastic but you get a shiny metal frame which makes the device look a lot premium.

On the back, there’s the 14MP camera along with the LED flash just below it and around the middle, you have the ZOPO logo. At the bottom, you have the 4G LTE logo (Yes, it support 4G networks as well) and below it you have the speaker grill.

The device is large, but it’s comfortable to operate. Overall, we liked the design on the new ZOPO 3X.

DISPLAY

Once again, ZOPO 3X borrows the same 5.5 inch FHD 1080p screen from its elder brother. So, the display is bright and vibrant even in broad daylight and images and videos on the device looks crisp and clear.

Thanks to its 1080p screen, the pixel density goes way up to 401 pixels per inch even with a screen of this size. Hence, we were impressed with its display and we are sure, even you’ll like it.

HARDWARE & PERFORMANCE

ZOPO has made sure this is one of the best devices in this price range by incorporating top of the line specifications on this $299 device.

You get a 2.2GHz MediaTek MT6595 octa-core processor with GPU: PowerVR G6200 clocked at 600MHz. There’s 3GB RAM onboard with 16GB ROM which should be more than enough to run multiple apps on the phone smoothly. The problem of low internal storage is solved with a MicroSD card slot which supports cards up to 64GB in size.

Unlike other affordable devices which come with a very small battery (less than 2500mAh), the ZOPO 3X comes with a 2,700 mAh battery which should be enough to run the device for at least a day.

With these high end specifications, you can imagine how good the performance will be on this device. The apps opened up pretty fast and we did not experience any lag while operating the device. However, like the ZP999, we were not mind blown with its performance.

So, in short the performance is better than other phones in this price range, but still we feel it could have been a little better given the specifications.

CAMERA

ZOPO 3X comes with a 14 MP f/2.0 sony IMX214 rear camera which takes great pictures in good lighting conditions.

The rear camera managed to capture pictures which were rich in colors. In fact, all the pictures taken outdoors reproduced colors almost as good as in real life. There was very little noise and the images turned out to be detailed.

Even images captured in low light were not bad, but it did have a little noise. Still, for a smartphone camera, it performs really well.

On the front, you have a 5MP shooter, which is pretty good for everyday selfies and video calls.

SOFTWARE & CONNECTIVITY

The ZOPO 3X runs on Android 4.4 Kitkat OS, but it does have some specific features which sets it apart from other smartphones in this price range.

For example, you can double tap to wake up the device, draw the letter C to open up the camera and so on. For taking calls, you just have to put the device near your ear and for muting it, just place it on a desk with the display facing down. You can even change images in a gallery or use apps by moving your hand above the front camera. Like the ZP999, these features work quite well but can be deactivated too, if you do not find it useful.

As for the connectivity, you get two MicroSim card slots which support GSM, WCDMA (HSUPA, HSDPA), & 4G LTE FDD. The above networks support the following bands: GSM 850/900/1800/1900MHz, WCDMA 900/1900/2100MHz and FDD-LTE 800/1800/2600MHz.

We did a GPS test on the device and we were quite impressed with the results. The device managed to lock in 21 satellites of which 9 were in use at one time. On the other hand, the Meizu MX4 and Xiaomi Mi4 only managed to lock in just 15 and 8 satellites respectively. The GPS was quite accurate too as the location was accurate up to 16 feet which was the same as the MX4.

VERDICT

In short, ZOPO 3X is as good as the ZP999, with the same high end specifications and features that you get in the top end model for a very affordable pricetag.

The ZOPO 3X is available for $299 from Oppomart, which we feel is a great value for money proposition.

So, what do you think about ZOPO 3X? Would you be willing to sacrifice on internal storage for a much cheaper price?

If you want a larger internal storage, you can always opt for its elder brother, the ZOPO ZP999 Lion Heart. We have already reviewed the device in detail a few days back, so check out the post here, if you want more details.

World’s Thinnest Phone Vivo X5Max Can Accommodate 3.5mm Headphone Jack

By

Frank Tu

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Nov 16, 2014

Vivo going to launch world’s thinnest Smartphone is no more a secret to the public; the leaked photos and related news have been going on for a while. Well then, how far Vivo can go?

From the leaked news, , Vivo X5 Max’ thickness is only 4.75mm, much thinner than R5. Most importantly, X5 Max can accommodate a 3.5mm headphone jack. Is it real?

Recently, Mr. Lei Feng, the Chief Marketing Officer of Vivo, has divulged through his Weibo that the upcoming X5 Max will supposedly keep its 3.5mm audio jack so it will guarantee users experiencing Hi-Fi class sound quality. Vivo will not compromise on the thickness, which is the best proof towards ” Perfection”.

How did Vivo achieve this thickness? Vivo explained that 90% of the chips have been moved along one side of the screen, among which 700 pieces of 786 components. This comes with a thickness of 1.77mm only.

A 4.75mm Smartphone accommodates with a 3.5mm headphone jack is truly unbelievable! Does mobile phone need to continuously slim down to less than 4mm? Let’s have a look at it…

Coolpad Dashen F2 review

By

Frank Tu

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Nov 14, 2014

Before we start this review, here are the basic specifications:

Name	Coolpad Dashen F2
CPU	MTK MT6592, MT6290 baseband chip, octa-core, 1.7GHz
GPU	Mali-450MP4
Memory	RAM:2GB; ROM:16GB (can be expanded to 32GB)
Display size and pixel density	5.5-inch, 720p, 267ppi/inch
Camera	Front-facing: 5mp; rear-facing: 13mp
Connectivity	2G (GSM), 3G (TD-SCDMA), and 4G (TD-LTE)
Operating System	Android 4.2 Cool UI 5.7
Battery	2500mAh, removable
SIM	Micro-SIM

As you can see from the table, the Coolpad Dashen F2’s hardware is more advanced than its predecessor. This phone sports a 5.5-inch display screen like the Xiaomi Redmi Note and Huawei Honor 3C. Its connectivity specifications were upgraded as well as it now supports 4G internet. The ROM has also been increased from 8GB to 16GB. Now, let’s get this review started.

Appearance

The Coolpad Dashen F2 sports a 5.5-inch 720p display screen, which is bigger than its predecessor’s, the Dashen F1. Some may worry that this may make it less comfortable to hold with one hand, which is reasonable. But, the Coolpad Dashen F2’s screen size is kept in such a way that it is still comfortable to hold with one hand, so there is no need to worry about that.

The Coolpad Dashen F2’s design is the classic black-front-white-back design. When the phone is off or in sleep mode, the entire front is completely black, while the back is all white. On the top are the 13mp rear-facing camera with an F2.0 aperture and LED light. We’ll discuss more about the camera later.

The craftsmanship is also excellent. The cover and body are held together very tightly with no clear cracks and crevices. The two buttons on both sides, the volume switch and the power button, are well-designed too.

The Dashen F2 is a dual-SIM 4G smartphone. And so, there are two SIM slots. It also supports a Micro-SD memory card (up to 32GB).

Regarding the battery, the Coolpad Dashen F2 is powered by a 2500mAh battery. If you do not use the phone much, it can last for a day and a half. If you use it often to play games, watch videos, and make calls, it can still last for a day. Those who use their phones a lot should bring along a spare battery.

Cool UI 5.7

The Coolpad Dashen F2 uses the Cool UI 5.7 operating system. Those familiar with Coolpad should know that this is the result of upgrades made on the Cool UI 5.5.

The multi-task manager has been redesigned with the tabs with each program displayed as cards. It makes it easier for users to search for them. If you want to close all the apps in the background, just press the button with the broom picture at the very bottom to close all the apps.

One feature that should be mentioned involves the notification bar. One problem with Android phones is that you are constantly sent all types of news on the notification bar. Some are important. Some aren’t. It can be quite unbearable.

Now, in the Cool UI 5.7, users may customize and select what will appear in the notification bar, which is much more convenient. If you want to receive notifications from WeChat regularly, you can set it like that.

When you swipe your hand to the right in the home screen, you can access Coolpad’s newsfeed where you can look at the latest news updates in entertainment, finance, sports, etc. There are 16 topics to choose from.

There is a feature that allows you to not only can you change the theme, you can also get access to different ring tones and many different fonts. You can use this feature to customize your phone’s OS in any way you like.

The weather feature has also been greatly upgraded with a new wallpaper and more detailed weather reports. It now provides us with more reliable information than before.

Entertainment: Camera, videos, and music

The Coolpad Dashen F2 also has some great features for entertainment. First, let us take a look at its 13mp rear-facing camera. Check out the photos of the interface below, then the sample shots taken using this phone.

Besides the camera, the video and music features for the Coolpad Dashen F2 are pretty impressive as well. They not only support the usual codecs and formats for video and music files, but also have support for HD videos.

In the Coolpad Dashen F2’s video and music app, you can stream music and watch videos online. When you’re online, you will get a lot more choices for entertainment to choose from.

Lastly, the Dashen F2 retains its smart split screen feature where you can watch a video while also chatting online. Neat, huh?

Connectivity and Performance

Here is the second to the last part of the review where we check out the Coolpad Dashen F2’s connectivity specifications and performance. This phone uses MediaTek’s MT6592 octa-core processor (1.7GHz). It uses eight ARM Cortex-A7 cores. It also has the MediaTek MT6290 baseband chip. Not only does the MTK MT6290 baseband chip support FDD-LTE and TD-LTE, it also has support for DCDC-HSPA+, TD-SCDMA, EDGE, GSM, and GPRS voice and data communication. In other words, when you take or make phone calls, you can still use 4G, 3G, and 2G internet without any problems. According to tests that were done, making regular phone calls did not affect the 4G internet speed.

Now, for the benchmark scores:

AnTuTu: 29066

Ludashi (cellphone performance): 38510

Ludashi (web browsing): 26883

NenaMark2: 59.5fps

Asphalt 8 works perfectly.

Winning Soccer also works perfectly.

Based on these benchmark scores and the writer’s experience in playing these two large-scale games, the Coolpad Dashen F2’s hardware performance works really great.

Conclusion

Overall, the Coolpad Dashen F2 surpasses its predecessor, the Dashen F1, in every aspect, whether it is the hardware of UI design. Furthermore, it’s powerful media and camera specifications, as well as its support for 4G internet and dual-SIM card make it worth its 999 RMB (162.91 USD) cost.

Xiaomi Mi5: Could these screen panels belong to the Mi5?

By

Frank Tu

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Nov 14, 2014

Since Meizu is planning to release the Meizu MX4 Pro, it is impossible for Xiaomi to compete with just the Xiaomi Mi4. What could they possibly do? Now, photos of cellphone front panels have been leaked online. These panels supposedly belong to the so-called Xiaomi Mi5. From the photos, it looks like it has a narrower chassis. According to some internet users, these photos were first leaked in a forum back in July. Supposedly, the Xiaomi Mi5 will use the Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 processor and will sport a 5.7-inch 2K display screen. It is also said to include a fingerprint sensor.

Xiaomi to release two cellphones with 2.5D curved display screen

By

Frank Tu

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Nov 14, 2014

The other day, Weibo user, @包子玩机, said that Xiaomi’s next generation device will sport a 2.5D display screen. Not long ago, analyst Bo Jiutang revealed that Xiaomi was planning to release two high-end phones at the end of the year or early next year. We can guess that both of these phones will sport a 2.5D curved display screen.

Right now, the Apple iPhone 6, Samsung Note 4, and most of Nokia’s Lumia series use 2.5D curved screens. The Chinese cellphone, IUNI U3, also has one.

Daway Chocolate: Meet the Smallest cellphone in the world!

By

Frank Tu

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Nov 14, 2014

While many people buying cellphones prefer to buy big cellphones with big display screens, some may prefer to buy small ones. If you are one of those looking for a small cellphone, then look no further. Let me introduce you to the smallest cellphone in the world, Daway Chocolate. How small is it? Its dimensions are just 88 x 55 x 4mm and it only weighs 35g (with battery). As the name suggests, it is chocolate brown. It may have something to do with the fact that it is chocolate brown.

Now, let’s talk about the specifications. It sports a 1.0-inch color display screen with a wide viewing angle. It is a single SIM card-supported phone that has support for GSM (850, 900, 1800, 1900MHz, Unlocked) networks. It has a standby time of about 4 days and 3.5-4 hours of talk time. It is powered by a 320mAh battery. Its features include Bluetooth 2.0, TF-memory card (up to 4GB), micro USB, etc. It does not have GPRS. Languages that it supports are English, Russian, French, Spanish, Swedish, Dutch, Malay, and Vietnamese.

Meizu MX4 vs. Huawei Honor 6 vs. Xiaomi Mi4 vs. OnePlus One: Which Chinese smartphone has the best camera?

By

Frank Tu

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Nov 13, 2014

Which Chinese smartphone can take the best shots? A lot of you may have argued with each other about this. Today, I give you several sets of photos taken by four different Chinese cellphones that cost 2000 RMB (326.51 USD) to compare. They are the OnePlus One, Xiaomi Mi4, Huawei Honor 6, and the Meizu MX4. The latest software these phones had was from before November 10, 2014. You guys compare these photos and decide which smartphone has the best camera.

Scene 1

Order: DSLR camera, MX4, Honor 6, Mi4, OnePlus One

Close-up: 650D DSLR, MX4, Honor 6, Mi4, OnePlus One

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Close-up

Scene 3

Scene 4

Scene 5

Close-up

Scene 6

Order: MX4, Mi4, Honor 6, OnePlus One

Scene 7

Close-up

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Scene 9

Doogee DG850 Hitman Review

By

Frank Tu

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Nov 13, 2014

We have seen a number of releases from Doogee lately. Most of its phones come loaded with good specifications and an affordable pricetag which has attracted a lot of local as well as international customers to its smartphones.

Today, we will be reviewing the Doogee DG850 Hitman model, which is actually a Xiaomi Mi4 clone at zeaplus for $99. This puts the device in the same category as the numerous Mi4 clones that have made it to the market recently, which have been capitalizing on the success of the Xiaomi’s flagship model.

So, without wasting any more time, lets take a look at what the Doogee DG850 offers to its buyers.

DESIGN

Like always, we start off with the design of the phone. Given that its a Mi4 clone, you don’t have to imagine what it will look like. The phone comes with almost the same dimensions as the Mi4 i.e. 139.3 x 68.5 x 8.8mm. You get a metal chassis on the device which makes it look premium and well built like the Xiaomi model. So, if you liked the Mi4, then you will definitely like the new Doogee 850.

On the front, you have the 720p display with the camera and the sensors on top. Below the display lies the three capacitive buttons. On the left side is your volume up and down buttons and the power button, while on the right lies the sim card tray. The back is pretty clean too, with just a camera, LED flash and the Doogee Logo placed at the bottom.

DISPLAY

On the front, you have a 5.0 inch IPS display panel with a resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels. This is ofcourse much lower than the 1080p display found on the original Mi4, but we have seen that previous Doogee phones with 720p displays have been quite clear and bright, so we expect this too to be good enough for your daily use.

HARDWARE AND PERFORMANCE

Coming to the hardware, the phone sports the MT6582 Quad Core processor clocked at 1.3GHz. Doogee has always used Mediatek chipsets on their phones to keep its price down, hence its not surprising to see this chipset on the device. However, we would have loved a better processor, especially when a similar Mi4 clone like the Elephone P4000 comes with an Octa Core processor clocked at 1.7Ghz.

There’s 1GB RAM onboard, which should be enough for basic multitasking along with 16GB internal storage which can be expanded via a MicroSD card.

Given the Quad core processor and 1GB RAM, performance should be good. We don’t expect out of the ordinary results, but earlier Doogee models have performed quite satisfactorily, so we expect the same from Doogee DG850.

CAMERA

You don’t buy a Chinese phone like Doogee for its camera, but recently manufacturers have been paying some attention on the camera quality, which means you should be able to click decent pictures from its 8MP rear camera. On the front, you have a 2MP sensor, which should just be enough for regular video calls and selfies.

As mentioned above, the camera should be enough for your daily use, but don’t expect extra ordinary results from it. Like most other cameras out there, the performance outdoors in bright sunlight was pretty good. Pictures captured were clear and rich in colors and even if the sensor is just of 8MP, its enough for outdoor capture.

However, things are not that good when it comes to moving pictures and low light. The camera failed to focus on fast moving objects which resulted in blurry images and the night time pictures were unclear.

Still, Doogee DG850’s camera performs at par with other competitors in the market, so we are not complaining.

BATTERY

This is one area where we were disappointed with the new Doogee DG850. It comes with a 2,500 mAh battery which is actually small for a phone of this size. The 5 inch screen will squeeze a lot of charge from the battery quite fast, which means it may not even make it till the end of the day. Unfortunately, we haven’t yet tested the device for its battery, so we can’t confirm exactly how long will it last. But we will update more details pretty soon.

SOFTWARE

The device runs on Android 4.4 Kitkat, which has become the standard among all smartphones released these days.

Like all other Doogee models, the DG850 Hitman also comes with a range of gesture features to unlock and open up apps. For example, you can go to the music player just by drawing the letter ‘M’ on the screen when its off , drawing ‘O’ for calls and ‘E’ for the browser. You can even unlock the device when its display is turned off with just a slide up on the screen as shown above.

The UI looks responsive and intuitive, and for a Quad Core processor, it scored around 19,250 in the AnTuTu benchmark rating which makes its performance even better than Samsung’s Galaxy S3 flagship.

You also get a rear touch panel, which is once again common in recent Doogee phones along with an IR remote control.

VERDICT

The phone has all the features that you would like in a mid range smartphone. It comes with premium looks, a decent processor and camera along with some innovative software features. The only major flaw that we could find was its battery, but that’s actually a problem with most Android phones these days. So, better carry a charger with you all the time, or an external battery pack like Xiaomi’s 16000 mAh battery pack that we reviewed a few days earlier.

So, overall, we like the device. We like the smooth Mi4 like finish which makes the device look premium even though its cheap to buy. Other than its metal chassis, there’s nothing extraordinary about the phone but then, when you are paying less than $140 for a device, what more do you want.

Hence, we did a comparison article “No.1 Mi4 vs Doogee DG850: War of the Xiaomi Mi4 Clones“, and concluded No.1 Mi4 might be a better option of the Xiaomi Mi4 clone.

Buy Doogee DG850 for 129.99

DJI Inspire 1 camera takes off

By

Frank Tu

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Nov 13, 2014

Two days ago, DJI released a promotional video for the DJI Inspire 1 that implied that it was going to make its debut on the 12^th. Now, it’s finally here. Unexpectedly, it has a white body and a 3-axis stabilized 4K camera. According to DJI, the Inspire 1 uses its newest Lightbridge technology, and can give users a real-time video feed (720p), and transmit within a 2km (about 1.25mile) distance. Of course, you need to use a supported secondary controller.

The Inspire 1 can record 1080p videos at 24 to 60fps or 4K Ultra HD videos at 24 to 30fps. It has a 12mp CMOS sensor, a 94 degree field of view, and a 360 degree unobstructed aerial movement.

The DJI Inspire 1 flying camera is now on sale. You can order it with dual-remote for 3399 USD (it looks like there is a 150 USD discount), and with single-remote for 2899 USD. Shipping starts on December 1.

OPPO N3 Review

By

Frank Tu

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Nov 13, 2014

Last year OPPO surprised us with its release of the OPPO N1 which had a rotating camera. This year, on October 29, OPPO once again tried to surprise us with its newest phone, the OPPO N3, and it looks like they just did. Here, we will do a full review of OPPO’s latest release.

First, here are its specifications:

CPU	Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 (MSM8974AA), 2.3GHz, quad-core
GPU	Adreno 330
RAM	2GB
ROM	32GB (can be expanded to 128GB)
Display	5.5-inch display screen, 1920×1080, 403PPI, LTPS
Camera	16mp 206° motorized rotating camera, F/2.2aperture, dual-LED
Operating System	Color OS 2.0.1(Android 4.4.4)
SIM type	Dual: Micro SIM +Nano SIM (and TF card too but it’s either this or the Nano SIM)
Battery	3000mAh(fixed)
Connectivity	TD-LTE/TD-SCDMA/WCDMA/GSM/FDD-LTE
Dimensions and weight	77mm×161.2×8.7mm 192g
Special feature	Motorized rotating camera, fingerprint sensor, O-Click 2.0
Price	3999 RMB/652.70 USD (Goes on sale this month)

Appearance

The OPPO N3’s design is actually quite similar to the OPPO N1’s. Both have the classic black-on-white design. Among the new additions to the OPPO N3’s design though is the fingerprint sensor and the use of a chassis made of 7075 aluminium alloy, which are outstanding.

Another difference in the design is the screen size. While the OPPO N1 sports a 5.9-inch display screen, the OPPO N3 sports a 5.5-inch display screen and has a very narrow frame. As a result, this phone is smaller than its predecessor, but is also easier to carry.

The most appealing thing about the OPPO N3 is its camera. Like the N1, the N3 sports a rotating camera, but this time it comes with a motor, the first cellphone in the industry to do so. On top of it are also the receiver and a sensor. If you want to take a selfie, just turn the camera towards you with the motor.

The microphone and a speaker are also located at the hollow underside of the phone.

On the left side are the lock button and Micro SIM slot. There is also a nano SIM/memory card slot (up to 128GB) there. On the right side are the volume switch and a 3.5 earphone jack.

The phone’s charging port is also at the bottom. This phone has support for VOOC charging technology. The package also comes with a VOOC mini charger. This charger has received well-deserved praise and it was a good idea for OPPO to use it.

As for the camera, the OPPO N3 sports a 16mp motorized rotating camera with a 1/2.3-inch sensor. It also has an f2.2 aperture and dual-LED sensor. It can rotate 206 degrees which many users should be happy about.

Furthermore, the OPPO N1’s touch area was replaced with a fingerprint sensor which can be used to unlock the cellphone, encrypt files, etc. It can also be used to rotate the camera.

Display screen

Although the OPPO N3 has a smaller display screen (5.5 inches) than the N1 (5.9 inches), it is still common among many phones and makes it easier to hold the phone. I would say it was a wise and reasonable decision for OPPO to do this. The N3 uses an LTPS display screen with a 1920 x 1080 resolution. It has a pixel density of 403ppi and a 1000:1 contrast ratio. You can see the quality of the screen in the shots below:

These images show how great the OPPO N3’s screen is. The colors and the pixelation are great. Users should not have any problem with it.

Tear-down

Motorized rotating camera

Even though the camera has a motor, you can also rotate it with your hand.

If you want to use the camera, the first step is to turn it on. If you had the OPPO N1, just take out the camera with your hand like in the N1, and the camera interface will appear. When you exit the camera interface, the camera will automatically close.

Next just move your finger on the screen to adjust the angle.

Pure Image Processor 2.0

One thing that helps the OPPO N3’s camera is OPPO’s in-house image processor, the “Pure Image 2.0” which can adjust the lighting and coloring in every environment so that the camera can take the best pictures.

You can install different kinds of camera features

When you swipe your finger upwards in the camera screen, you can see all types of camera modes that you can download and use.

Panorama shots

You can take shots in panorama mode by having the camera in a fixed position. That way, you can take panorama shots without your hand shaking.

OPPO N3 OPPO N3 OPPO N3

For the best panorama shots, you can even put the camera on a tripod. Here are shots taken using the OPPO N3’s camera:

Color OS 2.0.1

OPPO has done some upgrades for its new in-house operating system, the Color OS 2.0.1. This is based on the Android 4.4.4. Its tabs, interface, etc. have all been redesigned to look better than before.

Color OS 2.0.1

At the launch, it was pointed out that you can use the O-Click accessory to take photos with the OPPO N3. The phone’s OS lets you synchronize it with the phone.

The OPPO N3 comes with a fingerprint sensor which is located at on the upper part of the phone’s back. It can be used to unlock the phone or encrypt files. It is also very simple to put your fingerprints into the phone. Just press your finger on the sensor and it will record your fingerprints.

Snapdragon 800　

At the launch, OPPO did not mention a lot of things about the OPPO N3’s hardware. After all, its biggest feature is its camera. Nevertheless, the OPPO N3 has the kind of hardware that you would expect from a flagship phone. It uses the Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 (MSM8974AA, 2.3GHz) quad-core processor. It also has the 450MHz Adreno 330 GPU, 2GB RAM, and 32GB ROM (which can be expanded to 128GB with a micro SD card). Here are the benchmark scores:

Dalushi: 43611

AnTuTu 5.1.5: 38355

3D Mark: 15723

Vellamo: HTML5 (1972), Metal (1190)

Conclusion

The OPPO N3, with its creatively designed motorized rotating camera and excellent appearance, has shown the best the cellphones today have to offer. It’s also one of the most expensive Chinese cellphones around. Still, considering its powerful specs, it should not be surprising that it is so expensive. Overall, it is an excellent phone that is worth considering.

Meizu MX4 Pro: hands on photoes leaked

By

Frank Tu

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Nov 13, 2014

As the launch date (November 19) of Meizu’s newest phone, the Meizu MX4 Pro, approaches, more news about this phone have been coming out. Recently, a Weibo user, @魅友社, has posted several photos of the Meizu MX4 Pro online. Because the MX4 Pro has a fingerprint sensor, Meizu decided to abandon its old classic small white circular Home capacitive button, replacing it with a physical button.

The front still has a very thin frame. There is a rounded rectangular physical button below the screen.

The rear-facing camera comes with dual-LED flash.

The MX4 Pro and MX4’s rear covers. As you can see, the MX4 Pro’s rear cover is longer.

OnePlus One: Android 5.0 firmware released

By

Frank Tu

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Nov 12, 2014

Yesterday, OnePlus released its first Android 5.0 firmware in its official forums. The uploader pointed out that because this is the first version of the Android L, there are still a few bugs to fix. For example, Bluetooth cannot be used.

ROM：http://pan.baidu.com/s/1pJlwJbX

Recovery http://www.oneplusbbs.com/thread-433595-1-1.html

How to Install (First, make sure that the Recovery file is installed):

Download the ROM but don’t extract it or change the file name. Just copy it to your phone’s SD card.
Close your phone. Hold down the volume button and the power button. Then release it to enter Recovery mode.
Select “Factory reset (full wipe)” and wait for it to be completed.
Select “install zip from SD card”.
Select “choose zip from SD card” and look for the ROM zip file.
Select the ROM.
Wait until it’s finished installing. Afterwards, press the return button to go back to the Recovery interface.
Restart the device.

OPPO N3 camera and screen review

By

Frank Tu

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Nov 12, 2014

This October, OPPO launched the latest member of its N flagship smartphone series—the OPPO N3. OPPO has made a lot of improvements on this device by adding features such as a motorized rotating camera, the new VOOC charger, a fingerprint sensor, etc. These features make OPPO a force to be reckoned with, and also show that the company is trying to branch out overseas. Here’s the writer’s review of the OPPO N3. First, let’s discuss its specifications.

In the front, the OPPO N3 sports a 5.5-inch 1080p HD touchscreen. It has a 16mp motorized rotating camera, a quad-core Snapdragon processor, 2GB RAM, and 32GB ROM. Its operating system is the Color OS 2.0.1.

Appearance and Display Screen

Front

The OPPO N3’s body is made of aerospace aluminum. It sports a 5.5-inch LTPS touchscreen with a 1920 x 1080 resolution. Its pixel density is about 403ppi. The quality is very clear and sharp.

Right side

Left side

SIM slots

Because the OPPO N3 has a rotating camera, the earphone jack and volume switch are placed on the right side, while the open switch and SIM slots are on the left side. As you can see from the photos, there are two SIM slots. One SIM slot is for 4G Micro SIM cards, while the other is for Nano SIM or TF cards.

Motorized rotating camera

The motorized rotating camera is a 16mp camera with dual-flash. It is also integrated with the speaker and sensor.

OPPO N3’s back

Furthermore, the OPPO N3’s back has a built-in fingerprint sensor. Just press it like a button to unlock your phone. It is very easy and convenient to use. It is also important to point out that it uses the VOOC rapid charger. It can be charged up to 75% in just 30 minutes.

Motorized rotating camera

At the launch, people were mostly concerned about the OPPO N3’s motorized rotating camera. How does it work? How long can it be used? How does it help the user? Here, the writer will answer these questions as well as others.

Rotating the camera is quite easy. Just lightly swipe your finger on the screen and the camera will automatically rotate. Furthermore, users can set the camera in different angles using the fingerprint scanner on the back, O-Click, etc.

As for how long the camera can be used, OPPO’s product manager has said that it can be rotated 250,000 times.

Of course, the good thing about a motorized rotating camera is that it has changed the way scenery photos are taken. Now, you can just hold the phone steady and let it take care of the rest. You can now take very good scenic shots with this type of camera.

Camera interface

Now, that we have talked about the OPPO N3’s new feature, let us talk about its camera interface.

At first, the OPPO N3’s camera interface looks pretty simple. The top left button allows the user to make the camera look forward or backward. The next button turns on the flash. The last one opens the settings menu. The top right button opens the photo album. Below it is the “Shoot” button. Lastly, there is the video camera button.

When you lightly press the “+” button, you can see more camera modes. Just click and install them.

Sample shots

Here are some photos taken using the OPPO N3’s camera.

The quality of the outdoor shots is pretty good.

The pixelation is great for photos taken a taken at a long distance. They are not as clear but they are still pretty good. You can still see the outline of the objects clearly.

The camera’s special features

Here are some pictures taken with the OPPO N3’s camera using its special features.

These shots were taken using “Automatic Panorama” mode, which is one of the OPPO N3’s biggest camera features, because of its use of the motorized rotating camera. When you want to take a photo of the entire scenery, just hold the phone in a fixed position and leave the rest to the phone.

You can also take 6524 x 4893 photos like the photo above.

This photo was taken using follow focus where you take the shot first and then focus.

Conclusion:

Now that I have introduced the OPPO N3, everyone should already have a basic understanding of this phone, as well as its very useful and fun rotating camera. The resolution and pixilation are great. It is one device that is worth considering.

Meizu MX4 Pro: Leaked photos show that small round Home button is gone

By

Frank Tu

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Nov 11, 2014

As the launch date of the Meizu MX4 Pro approaches, more details are coming out regarding Meizu’s latest release. Recently, photos of what appear to be the MX4 Pro’s chassis were leaked on the internet. From these pictures, it seems that the MX4 Pro is bigger than the Xiaomi Mi4 and that Meizu has done away with its classic small round Home button, replacing it with a Home button similar to Samsung’s smartphones. This confirms rumors that they changed the Home button because of the MX4 Pro’s use of a fingerprint sensor.

Regarding the MX4 Pro’s other specifications, it will sport a 5.4-inch 2K display screen and use the Samsung Exynos 5 octa-core chip and Mali-T628MP6 GPU. It will also have a 20.7mp Sony rear-facing camera, 5mp front-facing camera, and 3GB RAM. It is rumored that three versions will be released: a 32GB version, 64GB version, and 128GB version.

Xiaomi Power Bank 16000 Tear-down

By

Frank Tu

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Nov 11, 2014

Xiaomi recently released a 16000mAh power bank, and it only costs 99 RMB (16.15 USD). See how it looks like disassembled in this tear-down.

Xiaomi’s power banks (10400mAh version and 16000mAh version)

The package

This package is twice as big as the old one.

The Power Bank, USB cable, and warranty card

The 16000mAh version is slimmer than the 10400mAh version.

The biggest change is that the 16000mAh version now has two USB ports, allowing users to charge two devices at the same time.

The design style has not changed with the exception of the additional USB charging port.

Front: Battery cells (LGABE11865 LG, 3200mAh, 4.35V)

Back

MicroUSB port and power display button

Texas Instruments’ BQ24195

At most, it has an electrical current of 2.1A.

Does mobile phone need to continuously slim down to less than 4mm?

By

Frank Tu

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Nov 11, 2014

In the Smartphone era, consumers’ concerns are not only limited to the processor, memory, resolution and other configurations, but rather mostly care about the thickness of the phone body. The reason is that, with the development of the technology, the appearance of Smartphones almost have identical straight shape. Different brands can barely be distinguished from each other through the phone appearance. Hence the mobile phone manufacturers work hard on the body thickness. After all, becoming the world’s N°1 Slimmest mobile phone carries out a win-win solution that not only draws consumers’ attention to remember their own brand, but also increased the distinction level.

At the end of October 2014, OPPO released 2 models of supper Smartphone N3 and R5, which OPPO R5’s 4.85 mm ultra slim body broke the continuous record of Gionee ELIFE Series as the World’s thinnest Smartphone. Therefore, OPPO R5 officially leads Smartphone entering into 4mm era. Consequently this has triggered the discussion around the topic of phone thickness. Some people think the thinner phone is easier to carry while others worry that the slimness makes the phone more fragile. So being “ultra-slim” becomes a hot topic again in the mobile forums.

In fact, being ultra slim as a trend of Smartphone drives technology development and users’ needs take a big part of it. Without consumers support, manufacturers would not take the phone thickness as a vital factor in the market competition. In today’s mobile phone industry, most of the consumers still value more on the thickness, so the manufacturers are highly motivated in trying hard to become the “World N°1 Slimmest” Smartphone. However, at the time of R5 bringing us into the 4mm era, many people wonder if Smartphone will continue to slim down?

Last month at the OPPO new product launch, he has recalled the evolution history about ultra-slim mobile. At the earlier time in China when the mobile phone started to be introduced into the market, “Brick Phone” was the mobile communication terminal; its bulky body was impressive and inconvenient to carry with. So slimming down the thickness became an inevitable mission and development focus for the manufacturers back then. Certainly there are many ways to make phones smaller, besides slimming down the thickness; we can make the phone shorter, narrower etc.

Nevertheless, in the Smartphone era, making the phone shorter or narrower is difficult to achieve since the big touch screen mobile is the trend setting design in the consumer market. Being “slim” is the only way out that makes the big-screen phones easy to be carried with. This development direction is also for other electronic products such as notebook, iPad, monitors etc.

The common point for the Non-Smartphone and Smartphone periods is that manufacturers have been always endeavored to minimize the thickness to improve the portability and make it a true mobile communication terminal. Speaking of which, you might be interested to have an overview about the latest classic ultra-slim phone products in Chinese domestic market.

Firstly, at the time when mobile phone was seen as a luxury product, Ericsson launched T28SC with a thickness of 15.9mm, which is thinner than the antenna. It quickly became a must-to-have model for most of the mobile lovers. Later on, manufacturers turned the focus onto the built-in antenna technology development.

Secondly, Motorola V3 presumably was the most well-known ultra-slim model. The birth of V3 was the beginning of the mobile phone industrial design peak. Its 13.9mm thickness and the stylish flip appearance were still fresh in consumers’ memory. Nowadays, as long as people talk about the ultra-thin mobile phone from that time, Motorola V3 is always one of the sounding iconic roles

Few years after Motorola V3, other international brands have also released their ultra-thin mobile products, such as NECN900, Samsun X828, Toshiba TG01 etc, these models limited their thickness no more than 10mm that had unexpected repercussion national wide. With the continuous improvement of the intelligence system and straight touch screen, the thickness of ultra-slim mobile decreased from initial dozen mm to 4.85mm today. This achievement doesn’t come from finger flip, but rather based on over a decade development.

Finally, people may ask why the manufacturers work so hard to make the phone thinner and what the motive is. What the advantages are. Eventually the motive is to meet consumers’ need on the light weight and convenient portability. So a stylish light weighted ultra-thin Smart phone with a smooth hand touch feeling attracts a lot of consumers’ attention, meanwhile, it strengthens the brand awareness and becomes more competitive in the market.

As we all know that nothing is perfect. While the phone gets thinner, more problems come out; especially before the battery and screen changing their flexibility. So over slimming down the phone body will possibly impact on the hand feeling and quality. Apple has been doing great in this aspect by adjusting the thickness every two years. Even though it is not the thinnest, it feels good in hand. On the other hand, the phone will risk the issues like being broken, being bent and having short battery life if it is too thin.

But for those manufacturers who pursue the perfection will definitely continue to develop much thinner Smartphone. Recently a new model namely Vivo X5 Max L has been granted the MIIT network license. According to the data shown on the websites, this phone body is only 4.75mm, which is the World’s thinnest phone so far. It is still unknown about the official launch date, but the thickness of this model has broken the current phone thickness records and is likely to refresh the limit constantly.

At this point, we presume that the thickness of 4mm is not the end of ultra-thin mobile phone. When the phone battery and screen can be bent like paper, Smartphone thickness will be even much thinner. By then, mobile phone might be like shown in the science fiction movies that you can wear on the wrist or put in the wallet like a business card. Regardless the phone should be much thinner or not, manufacturers should not ignore the users’ need as well as the technology development because these two factors are complementary to each other.

ZOPO Lion Heart ZP999 pro (mt6595m) review

By

Frank Tu

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Nov 11, 2014

Very soon ZOPO will again try to expand to the smartphone indursty witth the ZP999 Lion Heart. The show-off product of this series will be the ZP999 Lion Heart, which is very well equipped and makes itself to be a high-end device by the chinese producer. Since the Xiaomi Mi4, the Oneplus One and the Meizu MX4 were already presented on the market as chinese flagships, we can definitly say that the ZOPO ZP999 Lion Heart exceeded all expectations. By the end of 2014 we are positively surprised by such a Lion Heart!

We recieved the ZOPO ZP999 Pro directly from ZOPO this morning, so we instantly do a review for you.

Technical Equipment

First some word about the specifications. The data sheet looks very persuasive. A 1080p-FHD-Display, 3 GB RAM and an Octa-Core MediaTek MT6595m processor. Also the great battery with 2.700 mAh and the camery make us hope for a very good performance. The processor by MediaTek is called MTK MT6595m and is the best SoC they have to offer.

Display	5,5” IPS-LCD, 1080p- 1080 * 1920 resolution (480 ppi )
Processor	MediaTek MT 6595m Octa-Core, PowerVR Rogue Han GPU with OpenGL ES 3.0
Memory	32 GB internal (per microSD expandable to max. 64 GB), 3 GB RAM
Cameras	14 megapixel Sony IMX214/F2.0 main camera Support: 1080p videos at 60fps, Slow Motion Video (90-120 fps), picture in picture mode,the trajectory mode ,scene photo mode , 40/ 99 shooting, zero-delay camera, noise reduction, anti-shake , face recognition, automatic scene detection 5 megapixel front-facing camera
Battery	2.700 mAh Li-Po (removable)
Size and Weight	151.6mm76.3mm9.2mm, 148 grams
OS	Android 4.4.2
Connectivity	LTE Cat.6, HSPA+, WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, A-GPS, GPS, Glonass ( GLONASS )and China ‘s Beidou satellite navigation system

Sensors

NFC, Accelerometer, Gyro, Proximity, Compass, Direction, G-, Light, Linear Acceleration, Rotation Vector

Glass, valuable and compact

Just after the first sight one thought cought me: The ZOPO ZP999 Lion Heart looks like a mix between the Samsung Galaxy S4, the iPhone 4 and the Samsung Galaxy Note 3. The front consists completely of glass and looks like a big iPhone 4 without Home-Button, the recess fits the ZOPO-owned style with a ZOPO logo and 4g LTE, the design on the left and right hand side strongly reminds me of the Samsung Galaxy S4 and I personally have to think of the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 when holding it in my hand as a general feeling.

But in reverse this does not mean, that design, value and such things are not good, because actually it is the opposite: The device feels very valuable and solid due to the anti-skidding back and also the covers that are made of plasic make a good impression. Even though in my opinion the silver grey aluminium frame fits best to the whole concept. Still the size is pretty compact for a device with a 5.5“-display and can be handled very comfortably.

The ZP999 Lion Heart is mainly based on the rounded edges. ZOPO completely concentrated on rounded elements in this series, which made the competitive models very handy. For me this is more than Nizza, because for many years I rather hold smartphones in my fingers instead of the whole hand. But many users like to cover the device with their whole hand and then you defititely notice the rounded and handy edges.

Sharp or made-to-last

Just like the shell the display is also surprisingly good. 1920 x 1080 pixels on a 5.5 inch display result in a very sharp and crystal clear font and thanks to ClearMotion it is also very bright, so it can be read in daylight. Its white is quite nice and the angle stability also does a good job.

I can only criticize the value of the black colour, since it is much better in the competitive models – you can especially see that in dark surroundings. After all you can configure the colour-temperature as you like in the system configurations MiraVision by MediaTek.

Practically you will notive the sharp texts and pictures during FHD-films and gaming. Yes, I am convinced that the display of the ZP999 Lion Heart is one of the best there is.

UI-Design by Flat Design

The ZOPO ZP999 comes with a pre-installed Android 4.4.2 and has been adjusted by ZOPO. The latter presents some functions, which indeed can by useful, but all this is put into a User Interface, which is designed by Flat Design. That definitly is a downside.

While Samsung, LG, HTC and so on constantly improve their own User Interface and modernize it optically, ZOPO did not do a good job on its ZP999. That is a pity, because it does look beautiful, but the interface is confusing and cluttered on some important parts. For example the notification bar. They almost did not change anything compared to the original Android OS 4.4.2.

As it is with many Andoid-adjustments in asia the Asian OS also comes without an App-Drawer. Luckily the function is still available on the ZP999 Lion Heart, you can use it without any problem on Google Now Launcher.

Android OS can be useful

Some functions are useful in other areas. The telephone manager comes with an authorization control, which can be used to authorize App-Permissions very detailed. Furthermore you can use a control which does the same with App-Notifications.

When the smartphone is being moved, sensores start different actions as part of movement control, which is very nice. For example calls can be taken by holding the phone close to your ear. Sounds are muted when the ZP999 Lion Heart is put on the desk with the front side down. If you can not touch the phone, you can select apps or widgets by moving your hand in front of the camera or you can move pictures in the galery, take pictures, add songs to a playlist, control the browser. All this functions work very well, but can also be deactivated individually.
I like to use the Smart Wake Function. With a double click on the turned off display I wake the ZP999 Lion Heart and write „C“ on the display to use the camera, with „W“ I can use the torch. You can define the applications manually.

Smoothness – that is the question

If you rely on the data sheet, you could think that the ZOPO ZP999 Lion Heart simply flies through the system. 3 GB RAM definitely are a huge number and also the MediaTek MT6595M Octa-Core 2.0 GHZ processor with top production is meant to have best values. I immediately startet a test on Antutu Benchmark v5.2.0 and the ZOPO Lion Heart gets unbelievable 46249 points (according to the last test it was reduced to 37416 points) and beats the HTC One M8T, Xiaomi Mi3 W, Samsung Galaxy S5 and Vivo Xplay 3S. The GPU of the device is by PowerVR Rogue Han and provides many points with the 3D-test, which earned 8214 points, then come the CPU Integer and Loat-Point with 4874 and 5195. Mulitasking is the highlight of the Lion Heart 6475 and the reason why it is a flagship.

So far so good, right?

Through most of the using-time the theory also meets the practical use. The device runs fine, but does not feel on top of the world. I really am no gamer, but just for interest I tried on the CPU how the processor works when gaming. I did not notice one single problem, Asphalt 8 is a lot of fun and runs very quickly.

Insofern also alles in Ordnung, oder?

Camera, Battery and Speakers

After only a few days I can not provide good information about the Battery. Also I only used the device in WLAN at home, so I can not rate the battery life in mobile data-connectivity. So I will not provide you with any results according to the battery, but I guess that in average you can use the smartphone one and a half days.

I am a little disappointed by the speakers. They sound very thin and since they are placed on the back, the sound goes into the wrong direction. When lying on the desk the sound also gets very damp. The sound of the Sony Xperia Z3 is way better.

NFC, HotKnot and Gaming performance

HotKnot works by the NFC chip on the back. With this function I share any website or app with my Sony Xperia Z3 with only one click. That is an interesting function, but I almost never use it to share files. I did not try to pay with my phone yet.

Result until now

After my first days with the ZOPO ZP999 Lion Heart I do like this device. The body is compact and nice, value and processing are just right, the battery seems to by fine, too. Furthermore the display has a good quality and the ZOPO-adjusted OS provides some interesting functions. The possibility of NFC, HotKnot and Mobil Paying did not appear to be available on any other chinese smartphone.

On the other hand the Android-adjustment is everything else but beautiful and the camera does not seem to be more than average. Videos can be captured in Full HD i.e. upto 1920 x 1080 pixel resolution at 60fps, since it comes with the MT6595M processor instead of the MT6595 processor which support 4K videos. The performance of the 3D-gaming and FHD-videos is perfect. Compared to the Meizu MX4 for 360 € and only 2GB RAM, the ZOPO ZP999 Lion Heart is available for about 300 € on China Online Shops – you have to recommend it with such a price. I do like the ZOPO ZP999, especially due to the quality case, which looks noble and well-done.

If I have more to say to the ZOPO ZP999 in the future or some aspects change (positively and negatively), I will present it in another report. You can leave questions and comments under this blog. I will try to answer them as good as I can.

Elephone G6 vs Doogee DG900: In Depth Comparison

By

Frank Tu

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Nov 11, 2014

We have seen a number of devices from both Elephone and Doogee in the past few months. However, Elephone’s G6 and the Doogee DG900 have been particularly popular among buyers. That’s why we decided to put the G6 against the Doogee Turbo2 DG900 to see which one comes out as the winner.

We will be comparing both the devices on a number of different aspects like design, battery life, display etc. So, without wasting any more time, lets take a look at the similarities and the differences between the two Chinese handsets.

DESIGN

The first thing you notice about a phone is its overall design and hence, it seems right to start with this category first.

Elephone G6 and Doogee DG900 have two different design profiles, which make them harder to compare. While the G6 features a traditional design, that we have seen in many recent smartphones i.e. a rectangular body with soft touch plastic (quite similar to the OnePlus One), the Doogee DG900 comes with curved sides on a rectangular body. There are some additional lines on the back alongside the camera which gives it a distinct look.

So, on the design front, we can’t really pick out a winner. Both the devices are well built and looks premium too, hence we guess its a tie.

If you loved the OnePlus One’s design, you’ll love the G6. But if you like a Lumia kind of design, then you will most likely prefer the DG900.

DISPLAY

Now, lets take a look at the second most prominent part of a phone i.e. its display.

Both the smartphones come with a 5.0 inch display, however the resolutions are significantly different. Doogee DG900 comes with a higher Full HD 1920 x 1080 pixel resolution while the Elephone G6 just features a HD 1280 x 720 pixel resolution screen. So, DG900 is much more sharper than G6. However, even with a higher resolution screen, the colors on the DG900 looks washed out. On the other hand, Elephone G6’s display is more natural looking and rich in colors.

So even though the DG900 comes with a better resolution, we personally like Elephone’s 720p display. Therefore, this category goes to the Elephone G6.

There’s another reason we picked the G6’s display over DG900 but we’ll reveal that in the next section i.e. hardware.

Meanwhile, take a look at displays on both the devices. The left one is the Doogee DG900 while on the right is the Elephone G6.

HARDWARE & PERFORMANCE

Both the DG900 and the Elephone G6 sport similar hardware, but there are some areas where the DG900 has an edge over the latter.

Both come with Mediatek MTK6592 Octa Core CPU with Cortex A7 Cores clocked at 1.7Ghz. The G6 comes with a slightly better GPU– Mali 450 as compared to the Mali 400 found on the Doogee model. However, the DG900 comes with a much larger RAM module, a 2GB one unlike the 1GB found on the G6.

As for storage, you get 16GB on DG900 and 8GB on G6. Both have external memory card slots which support cards up to 64GB in size.

While the hardware on the DG900 is much better than on the G6, especially due to its 2GB RAM, the MTK6592 chipset on the Doogee phone struggles to power the Full HD 1080p screen. As a result, even with the extra RAM, on personal experience, we have seen that the G6 is much more responsive than DG900. There’s only a slight difference between the performance of the two, but its noticeable.

Also, with the extra pixels that the Doogee model has to power, the device gets heated up too pretty easily.

On our initial Doogee DG900 review, the Doogee DG900 scored well over 30,000 as compared to Elephone G6’s score of 25,886. However,to our surprise after a few days of usage, when we tested the phone again, the DG900’s Benchmark score fell to 25,227. That’s around 5000 points lower than the initial figure which worried us. Also, the phone became slower with use. It may have been an issue with this specific model but still we were dissapointed.

As a result, even with the better 2GB RAM onboard, we prefer the Elephone G6 when it comes to hardware and performance.

CAMERA

Camera is yet another important aspect of a smartphone and in this category, Doogee DG900 is slightly better than the G6. This is due to the fact that, DG900 comes with a 13MP Sony IMX135 sensor as compared to the 13MP found on the G6. For the front camera too, the former comes with an 5MP shooter while the latter comes with just a 2MP sensor.

Images from the DG900 are much better and natural looking than the G6. The images captured on the Elephone model are quite darker than the Doogee phone, so low light pictures especially look better on the latter.

We have included a few sample pictures below for comparison.

DG900

G6

DG900

G6

DG900

G6

DG900

G6

As you can see, the pictures captured by the G6 are not that bad and quite comparable to Doogee DG900, but still the DG900 takes better pictures majority of the time and hence, this section goes to the DG900.

BATTERY

The DG900 comes with a larger 2500 mAh battery as compared to the 2250 mAh one found on the G6. But in real time usage, Elephone G6 managed to squeeze in much more than 7 hours that we got from the DG900.

However, the Doogee model does have a fast charge feature which enables it to charge fully within 2 hours.

It hard to pick a winner in this category especially because of DG900’s fast charge feature. So, we leave that for you to decide what you want, a slightly better battery or a faster charging option.

CONNECTIVITY, SOFTWARE & FEATURES

Both the phones feature standard connectivity features like Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, AGPS, Proximity, Gravity sensors, 3G, Dual Sim support etc.

As for the software, both run on Android 4.4 Kitkat version.

However, the Elephone G6 does have an added advantage. It comes with a finger print sensor which clearly gives it an edge over the Doogee Turbo2 DG900. In fact, this particular features makes it a much attractive option than many other costlier alternatives in the market.

However, instead of a finger print sensor, the DG900 has a rear touch panel which can be used to open up the camera and click pictures.

OUR VERDICT

Both the phones have similar specifications with the Doogee DG900 having better specs in some areas. However, when it comes to real life performance, the cheaper Elephone G6 manages to match DG900’s performance. In fact, it’s even better than the latter in some areas like display, performance and battery life. Elephone G6 is priced at $119, which is almost $100 cheaper than Doogee DG900, if you don’t want to spent more for the same specs on a phone for it’s design, then Elephone G6 must be a good choice.

Koobee H1S unboxing

By

Frank Tu

-

Nov 11, 2014

The Koobee H1S is not exactly a new cellphone in the truest since. Actually, it is just an upgraded version of the Koobee Halo, but the upgrades are very obvious as you would see after trying it out.

The Koobee H1S sports a 5-inch 720P (1280 x 720) IPS display screen. This screen is also backed up by OGS technology. The resolution and clarity are much better here.

Its dimensions are 141.8 x 70.5 x 8.6mm.

To let users take high-quality selfie shots, Koobee not only included an 8mp front-facing camera, but also an LED light as well.

The Koobee H1S’ rear-facing camera is also 8mp. Below it are another LED flash and noise-cancelling microphone.

The Cube H1S is dual-Micro SIM supported. It also supports TD-LTE networks.

Vivo X5 Max: New poster of phone released; is 4.75mm thick

By

Frank Tu

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Nov 11, 2014

Today, Vivo has posted a promotional poster of its upcoming phone, the Vivo X5 Max. This phone had recently received its network license at the Ministry of Information and Industry Technology’s website and it might be the thinnest cellphone I have ever seen. According to its entry at the MIIT website, its dimensions are 153.9 x 78 x 4.75mm.With a thickness of 4.75mm, it is slimmer than the OPPO R5 which is 4.85mm thick.

As for its specifications, the Vivo X5 Max sports a 5-inch 1080p display screen and has a 1.7GHz octa-core processor (MT6752), 2GB RAM, 16GB ROM, a 5mp front-facing camera, and 13mp rear-facing camera. It also runs the Android 4.4.4 operating system. No word on its battery as of now. Reportedly, it may be launched this December.