Huawei Mate 7 vs. Samsung Galaxy Note 3 international version: A comparison
When the average Joe prepares to buy a cellphone, he either cannot afford a flagship phone or believes that a phone that costs around 200 USD may not be good enough. In other words, choosing a cellphone is like deciding what to eat for lunch and dinner. How do you choose the best cellphone for yourself? Actually, there are some pretty good choices among phones right now in the 500 USD range. There are so many phones out there with great specifications and good-looking appearance. If you are looking for a phone that costs around 500 USD, then your best choices are either the Huawei Mate 7 or the Samsung Galaxy Note 3.
As Huawei’s big-screen hit of the year, the Mate 7’s specs make it one of the best flagship phones this year. Although the Note 3 international version was last year’s flagship phone, a year after its launch, the price has already gone down to 500 USD. It uses the Samsung Exynos 5 Octa 5420 ocat-core processor, and, like the Mate 7, has 3GB. As you can see, it’s not so easy choosing between them.
Appearance
The Samsung Note 3 sports a 5.7-inch Super AMOLED screen with a 1080p resolution. The Mate 7 continues to use its predecessor’s big screen and also a 1080p resolution with a few changes. Now, it is made of space-level/aluminium alloy.
The Huawei Mate 7’s black screen looks better than most big screen phones right now because the black frame and metal edge go so well together that it almost looks like it has a very thin chassis. As for the Note 3, Samsung added a metal frame on the edge making it wider than the Mate 7’s screen.
As for the camera, the Huawei Mate 7 sports a 5mp front-facing camera which is better than the Samsung Note 3’s 2mp front-acing camera.
Both phones sport a 13mp rear-facing camera from Sony.
The Huawei Mate 7 is the company’s first smartphone to have a fingerprint sensor which was provided by US-based Authen Tec like the iPhone 5s. Actually, you can even say that Huawei took it one step further, with its fingerprint sensor even surpassing the iPhone 5’s.
Samsung is not as fortunate as the Note 3 does not have a fingerprint sensor.
The Huawei Mate 7 supports dual-SIM cards which is the best choice for a unibody phone like this. Unfortunately, you need a tool to open the SIM dish. The Note 3, on the other hand, has a detachable rear case which is very convenient, especially for those who regularly change SIM cards.
3.55mm earphone jack
Regarding data transmission, the Samsung Note 3 has a USB 3.0 port. This port is also supports USB 2.0 connection. After testing both phones, the Note 3’s data transmission speed is faster than the Mate 7’s.
The Mate 7’s body is made of aluminum while the top and bottom ends are made of plastic to help the antennas to handle signals better. It has a more comfortable texture than the Note 3’s rear case. However, the Note 3’s rear case is detachable and the battery is replaceable. A lot of people may not like the fact that it is made of plastic but the only company of making a plastic chassis like this is Samsung.
The Mate 7 has an NFC sensor near the camera.
The Note 3 has support for wireless charging but it should be compatible with a rear case that has this function.
Regarding thickness, the Huawei Mate 7’s is 7.9mm while the Note 3’s is 8.3mm, but because the Huawei Mate 7’s rear case is made of metal, it is a bit heavier than the Note 3.
OS Performance
The Samsung Note 3’s lock interface and desktop
The Huawei Mate 7’s lock interface and desktop
The Samsung Note 3’s notification bar and shortcut icons
The Huawei Mate 7’s notification bar and shortcut icons
Samsung Note 3’s settings interface and OS information
Huawei Mate 7’s settings interface and OS information
Antutu benchmark scores: Huawei Mate 7 (43173), Samsung Note 3 (42007)
Huawei Mate 7’s video compatibility test results. The checks mean that they are supported. The last column shows video results. Most are normal while some do not have sound and images.
Samsung Note 3’s video compatibility test results. It does not have as much formats that work normally as the Mate 7’s.
It’s more comforting using the Mate 7’s Android 4.4.4-based EMUI 3.0 but the Note 3’s OS (also based on the Android 4.4.4) also offers a good drawing and writing experience with the S-Pen.
Screen performance
The Huawei Mate 7 sports a 6-inch 1080p LCD resolution with JDI and Gorilla Glass while the Samsung Note 3 international version sports a 5.7-inch 1080p screed with Super AMOLED and Gorilla glass.
The left bar represents the Huawei Mate 7 while the right bar represents the Samsung Note 3.
Blue
Red
Green
White
Black
Greyness test
The colors are more beautiful in the Note 3 because of its Super Amoled glass but look a bit more bluish. The colors are more accurate however in the Mate 7’s LCD screen. In a purely black environment, Super Amoled is unbelievable because the screen does not let out light, and becomes simpler and cruder, while light leaks out in the Mate 7’s screen.
Endurance
When it comes to endurance, it’s a tie because the Mate 7’s battery is bigger than the Note 3’s. The Mate 7 has already caught up to Samsung when it comes to hardware and power management.
Photo comparison
Mate 7
Note 3
Mate 7
Note 3
Mate 7
Note 3
Mate 7
Note 3
Mate 7
Note 3
Mate 7
Note 3
Mate 7
Note 3
Mate 7
Note 3
Looking at the daytime photos, it’s hard to tell which phone takes better pictures. Same goes for purity and color. The way both phones take night photos is another story. The Mate 7 does a good job maintaining small details in the photo as well as preventing noise.
Conclusion
As Huawei’ s flagship phone of the year, the Mate 7 is an excellent phone in all fronts, but as the third generation flagship phone of Samsung’s Galaxy Note series, the Note 3 is also great. Both phones have their pros and cons. Which would you rather buy?
Meizu responded that leaks about Meizu MX4 pro are all fake!
Recently, there are some rumors from the Internet, said that Meizu MX4 Pro would featuring a 5.4-inch 2560×1536 resolution display, with Samsung’s Exynos 5430 Processor, 13MP front-facing camera and 20MP rear camera, Hi Fi sound effects, finger scanner embedded in rectangle home button. The smartphone may cost 2,499 CNY (about $408) in China, will be launched on October 28th.
But in this afternoon, Linan, the senior VP of Meizu, pointed out that they are all fake news on his Weibo. He said that the release time is too early for MX4 Pro, customers cannot even buy a smartphone in market with higher specs and low price. Actually, we don’t want our customers put too more expectations in every aspects for MX4 Pro. He didn’t give any specific details for its specification, price and release time. However, we could predict that MX4 Pro may be with a 1920 x 1152 resolution display, it probably has a front facing camera lower than 13MP, the price maybe a little bit higher than 2,499 CNY (about $408). It’s been reported that MX4 Pro would be launched in the end of October or the early of November, but according to Linan, October 28th is too early for the launch of MX4 Pro, then it would be released in November.
Samsung Galaxy Note 4 tear-down
The Samsung Galaxy Note 4 is Samsung’s flagship phone of the year and went on sale on September for over 5000 RMB (813.39 USD). But just what is it made of? What secrets lie behind the design of this phone? Find out in this tear down.
Unlike its predecessors, the Note 4’ sports a metal chassis and can emit antenna signals through a hole in the phone. The chassis has been combined with the middle case.
The speakers and 3.5mm earphone jack are located at the top of the middle chassis.
Inside the phone are the L shaped motherboard and base motherboard. Both boards are connected using a circuit board and IPEX connector.
At the bottom are the micro-USB port, dual-microphone receiver, and antenna port. Of course, this is also where the fingerprint-recognition-supported Home button is located.
Samsung has said that the Note 4 sports the newest fingerprint scanner available.
The top includes the vibrator and receiver. The location of the processor in the magnalium-aluminium chassis is also covered by thermal barrier coating.
Most of the Note 4’s chips are on the L-shaped motherboard. All of them neatly and firmly held. Overall, it has a pretty nice design.
Here is a close-up of the Note 4’s 16mp rear-facing and front facing cameras. The latter comes with a light sensor and infrared sensor.
The Note 4’s 16mp camera is the first camera to use Sony’s IMX240 camera sensor and contains a built-in OIS.
Samsung is one of the few manufacturers that still use ISP. In the case of the Note 4, it uses the Winband Q32F. 
The Chinese release supports dual-micro SD, but the SIM and SD slots are not located in the motherboard but in blocks.
The Samsung Note 4 uses Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 805 processor and its corresponding SOC, marking it the Snapdragon 805’s Chinese debut. In the photo is Qualcomm’s new WCD9330 sound chip.
The SIMG 8620 MHL chip is a more advanced version of the S5’s SIMG 8420. It can support 2K video resolution.
The Qualcomm MDM9225M baseband does not have support for CDMA networks.
A close-up of the Skyworks 77597 radio frequency chip.
Close-up of the Snapdragon WTR1625L radio frequency chip.
The WACOM W9012 touch screen pad chip which has support for the 2048 sensor.
The ATMEL ATSAMG53 is based on the ARM Cortex M4 and consumes less power.
Samsung’s 3GB RAM chip and Qualcomm APQ8084 enclosed chip. The latter is actually said to be the Snapdragon 805.
Here is the the Qualcomm PMA808X power management chip.
A close-up of the Qualcomm QFE110 mobile ET chip.
A close-up of the Spreadtrum SC6500ES chip.
A close-up of the Avago’s signal amplifier chips.
That’s it. The entire family bows in gratitude for your patience in reading this tear-down. What do you think?
Meizu inWatch π hands on, the heat of steel and glass (Pictures)
When speaking of smartwatch, everybody will think of the the first round Android Wear smartwatch MOTO 360. But now the first round smartwatch in China is inWatch π. With its traditional design of wrist watch, inWatch π is also the first smartwatch which will extend its battery lifetime to six months.
It was planned to ship its products on today (September 30th), but its producer Yingqu Technology published an apology yesterday, said that new products have to delay its shipment till on October 10th because of the client issue. But its engineering machine has been leaked, now let’s take a look to unveil its face.
Meizu MX4 Pro to use sapphire fingerprint scanner and Exynos 5430
A few days ago, the specs of the upcoming Meizu MX4 Pro were leaked online. Supposedly, it sports a 5.4-inch 2560 x 1536 display screen, uses a smart octa-core chip from Samsung (Exynos 5430), and has support for Hi-Fi audio. It is also supposed to have a fingerprint scanner on the front, the first cellphone to do so in China, and cost 2499 RMB (406.53 USD).
Related: Meizu MX4 Pro to be launched on October 28 along with another product
It turns out that this was all a lie as Meizu vice-CEO Li Nan denied these reports saying that the specs are too powerful, the price is too cheap, and that the release date is too soon.
Now, new information was released by an analyst, @孙昌旭, that seems to be more accurate. Both the price and specs are said to be more reasonable and Li Nan has yet to deny them.
Furthemore, @孙昌旭 said that the Meizu MX4 would use a 5-mode baseband (GSM, TD-SCDMA, WCDMA, TD-LTE, LTE FDD) from Marvell and that it would sport a sapphire fingerprint sensor created by Shenzhen Huiding Co.
Video: Vivo X5（YAMAHA YSS-205） Song recording test
With build-in chip Yamaha YSS205, VIVO X5 is maximized its sound effect massively. Now let’s look at below functions of the legend chip Yamaha YSS205.
1. Real time sound-back-to-ear
When you are singing, your sound will be back to the earphone, the singer can adjust his/her status by their own sounds so that it can prevent the singer singing out of tune. As we can see in many concerns, singers would have a pair of earphone which is fitted in their ears. Actually, iPhone also has this function which is achieved by apps, and it would be delay when dealing with up-tempo songs, while VIVO X5 has solved this problem perfectly with build-in YAMAHA YSS205, you could almost ignore the time lag.
2. The reverberation sound effect
We know that the voice of amateur singers are a litter bit dull, so the sound effect of reverberation is very important for them. If you want the sound effect just like that you are in KTV, YAMAHA YSS205 could help you to achieve that effect. Though we can make it by visual functions of some softwares, but only VIVO X5 can integrate it by YAMAHA hardware. Therefore, its sounds are more clear and better.
Meizu MX4 Pro will be featured Ubuntu Touch OS?
When we are still enjoying our national holidays, the Ubuntu team ( @ubuntu ) has released its latest news about Meizu MX4 Pro. I believe that many people could guess what it is. Yes, Meizu is going to release its new product with Ubuntu Touch OS.
We have been heard many news about the cooperation of Meizu and Ubuntu since it released the last flagship product Meizu MX4, but after that both of them don’t have any moves. In fact, I am still can not confirm the reality of the source from Weibo. But the hardware parameters of leaked Meizu MX4 Pro could be truthful.
Koobee Max 3 hands on Photos
The Koobee Max 3 comes with a 5.5-inch screen with a 1920 x 1080 resolution, with very clear graphics and no grain whatsoever. It also has a built-in MediaTek MT6592 octa-core chipset with a frequency of 1.7GHz, as well as 2GB RAM and 16GB ROM. This processor was made using 28nm architecture and uses an octa-core ARM Cortex-A7 CPU. The Max 3 also has support for TD-LTE, FDD-LTE, TD-SCDMA, WCDMA, and GSM networks. As a matter of fact, you can see the word “TD-LTE” at the back. Take note that you can only access FDD-LTE and WCDMA networks in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Macau, and abroad.
Related: Koobee Max 3 unboxing
Having said that, here are photos of the Koobee Max 3. Enjoy!
Meizu leaked its Meizu MX4 Pro, square-shaped Home button
We have found several special pictures in the instruction book of Meizu MX4, which will probably be the coming released model Meizu MX4 Pro. As the pictures shown, the model is using square-shaped home button instead of circle-shaped as usual. The top of the model is equipped with sensor and front-facing camera, it seems that this model has two more holes than Meizu MX4.
Meizu had claimed earlier that MX4 Pro will featuring a fingerprint scanner. Generally speaking, the fingerprint scanner will probably be integrated in the home button just like the design of Sangsung Galaxy 5 and iPhone 5S. We can’t deny the design influence of Meizu M8, Meizu M9 and Samgsung 9100.
Meizu MX4 Pro to be launched on October 28 along with another product
Although it seems that pre-orders for the Meizu MX4 have soared, it does not look like MX4 has been able to produce as much phones as anticipated. Still, today, the launch date of the upcoming Pro version has been announced. The MX4 Pro is set to be launched on October 28. According to insiders, another new product from Meizu will also be introduced at the launch.
Insiders guess that Meizu’s new heavy-hitter may cost less than 2500 RMB (407.28 USD), possibly around 2399 RMB (390.83 USD). As for its specifications, its predicted to be an octa-core chipset from Samsung and also have a fingerprint sensor like the Mate 7. Stay tuned for updates.
ZTE Nubia Z7 will be on sale very soon
Three months after its launch, the ZTE Nubia Z7 has finally received its network license(which allows to be sold in China) from the Ministry of Industry and Information of China, and it looks like we’ll be seeing it soon. Priced at 3456 RMB (562.96 USD), the Z7 supports TD-LTE, LTE FDD, TD-SCDMA, WCDMA, cdma2000, CDMA 1X, and GSM networks as well as dual-SIM.
Hardware includes a 5.5-inch display screen with 2560 x 1440 resolution with RAM auto-refresh, the Snapdragon 801, 5mp/13mp dual-camera, 3000mAh unchangeable battery, 3GB RAM, and 32GB ROM. It also has support for 2-4G networks. The Z7’s 13mp rear-facing camera comes with a F2.0 aperture and OIS sensor.
Update: Oppomart accept pre-order now, here is the link: nubia z7
DOSS Alonso A5 BlueTooth Speaker review
Yesterday, DOSS Alonso released a multi-colored Blue Tooth speaker called the DOSS Alonso A5. Let’s take a look at it.
The design of this cone-shaped device is based on the re-entry capsule of the famous Shenzhou 7 spacecraft. The speaker is covered by black wires making it almost hard to imagine that this is a Blue Tooth speaker. 
Even though this is a “hornless speaker,” it has two 1.5-inch NdFeB magnetic components and a big low-frequency diaphragm. The Alonso A5 also has 72 LED lights that shine when turned on. 
The buttons are all located at the bottom side of the speaker. These include the power button and light switch. There are no volume or pause buttons. To adjust the volume, just swipe your hand on the logo at the top side of the cone. You can also pause the device if you press your hand on the logo. 
The speaker comes with 72 LED lights in three colors that can make a beautiful image. One LED light is equivalent to 1 pixel. 
The DOSS Alonso A5 can be connected to many current smartphones such as Apple’s, Android’s, and Windows’ by Blue Tooth. Once you turn on the speaker, it will search for the nearest smartphone which you can, then, connect it to. 
Next, we tested the sound quality by playing some music. The drumbeat is vivid and clear. Overall, it’s very good. There are no breaks or cracks in the sound. 
Meizu MX4 Pro leaked and to be released on October 28
It has been a big week for Meizu as more information has been released regarding the upcoming Pro version of the MX4. According to insiders, the MX4 will see its launch on October 28 and it will be Meizu’s last release of the year along with what is purportedly Meizu’s smart router. Hardware is said to include a 5.4-inch 2K screen, the Samsung’s Octa-Core Exynos 5430 chipset, 3GB RAM, a 20.7 megapixel camera, as well as a fingerprint sensor.
Coolpad Dashen F2 Tear Down review
Coolpad Dashen F2 is the pro version of Dashen F1 Powered with the latest 4G LTE version of Mt6592, and priced at just RMB999 yuan($162.7) in China.
Meizu MX4 vs. Vivo Xshot: Camera comparison
Vivo is designed as a camera phone, but Meizu MX4 got the latest Sony imx220, which cellphone has the better camera, the MX4 (20.7mp) or the Vivo Xshot (F1.8 aperture)? Let’s take a look at the following pictures.
Sample 1: Nankai University badge, Automatic mode
Meizu MX4
Vivo Xshot
These shots are of the school emblem of Nankai Univeristy which was founded in 1919. Back then, it was called the “Nankai Private School.” Premier Zhou Enlai was one of its alumni but only studied there for a short time.
The pixilation in both photos are both very good. The carving and rails are all very clear. However, the Vivo Xshot’s shot is slightly brighter than the MX4’s due to its larger aperture.
Sample 2: A statue of Mr. Yang Shixian, automatic mode
MX4
Xshot
There is more of a difference here than the last two photos. The MX4’s photo is a bit reddish but the Xshot has a more natural color. For me, the latter did a better job in capturing the image of the stature.
Sample 3: One corner of the school’s flower bed, automatic
MX4
Xshot
The picture taken by the MX4 looks really nice. The coloring looks more natural and the entire photo is very clear. In the Xshot’s photo, the yellow flower looks a bit dimmer, probably because of the aperture. It seems that having a big light aperture does not always help.
Sample 4: Tianjian University’s public bikes, automatic
MX4
Xshot
From Nankai University, we head straight north to Tianjin University’s grounds. Near the buildings are two rows of bicycles that the University loans to students. I did not see any problems with both photos. Both of them look very clear and natural.
Sample 5: Tianjin Water Park, maximum zoom
MX4
Xshot
These two photos were taken after doing a full zoom on both phones. Personally, I think the MX4’s shot looks better than the Xshot’s especially since the characters for “Water Park” look much more natural in the former.
Sample 6: The Zhou Enlai and Deng Ying Chao Memorial (Zhou Enlai’s plane), automatic
MX4
Xshot
The plane in these photos is Zhou Enlai’s personal plane that was given to him by the Soviets. He used this plane many times to travel to countries such as Vietnam and India.
There does not seem to be much of a difference between both photos. However, the MX4’s photo shows more of the plane than the Xshot’s. The size of the Xshot’s photo could be smaller. If you want to take full scenic photos, the MX4’s probably is probably your best choice.
The Zhou Enlai and Deng Ying Chao Memorial (a car given by the Soviets), automatic
MX4
Xshot
This is where the Vivo Xshot’s F1.8 aperture’s advantage shows. After taking in more light, it takes a bright and clear shot of the car. The MX4’s photo has a few dark spots in it, but does not have any noise.
Sample 7: Guestbook, macro mode
MX4
Xshot
I’ll just leave it up to you to say which one is better.
Sample 8: Haihe Square, automatic
MX4
Xshot
Conclusion: Meizu MX4 and the Vivo Xshot take pretty high-quality photos based on these shots. The MX4’s camera has improved a lot since being upgraded from having an 8mp lens in the MX3 to 20.7mp. Because of its F1.8 aperture, the quality of shots taken using the Xshot’s camera are bright and clear regardless of whether you are taking night shots or panoramic shots. Both are good and are worth buying.
Colorfly’s new pocket hifi C4pro leaked
One day before the end of September, a series of photos of a mysterious device were posted online, getting the attention of Pocket HiFi enthusiasts. There’s a strong possibility that these photos are Colorfly’s new Pocket HiFi in 2014.
Considering the size of the display it most likely to carry an OS for a smart device, probably Android. And colorfly used metal material on it, a sure sign of high end device of colorfly. Therefore, it has to be something more powerful than the Android. The device will carry a 4.7-5.2 inches touch screen, the gold metal design is totally different from the black or grey design in the mrket. 
These photos were leaked from a factory in Guandong which has strong ties with Colorfly which produced the first pocket hifi in China, the colorfy C4.
PiPO T8 camera shots review
A good camera phone requires good lens that can satisfy everyone who wants to take photos. Take the PIPO T8 phablet for example. Its camera is covered with a lens kit. Today, we are going to review the camera by taking photos with the lense kit.
I took shot outside the window for a start. As a 13 megapixel the picture quality is really good .
Then, I put the wide-angle lens on the camera and set a short focal length, creating a wider field of view. Compared to the original photo, the depth of focus is longer and the field of view is wider. It’s also still as clear.
To test the T8’s lens more professionally, we put on the fisheye lens which is considered to be an “extreme wide angle lens” since it has a very wide visual angle. Compared with the original, the photos taken with the fisheye lens are a bit more shaky. It has a longer depth of field and angular field of view.
Overall, the T8’s 13mp camera lens is excellent. These pictures prove exactly what its outer lens can do.
Meizu MX4 vs. MX3: head-to-head review
The Meizu MX4 has been one of the biggest hits this season since its launch on September 2 with its higher screen-to-body ratio, new Flyme upgrade, and excellent design. So what improvements have been made from the MX3? Here’s our comparison.
The MX4 looks bigger than the MX3 based on their measurements. The former’s are 144 x 75.2 x 8.99mm while the latter’s are 139.0 x 71.9 x 9.1mm. The MX4 also seems to be thicker than the MX3. The former’s screen makes up 80% of its front cover while the latter’s only makes up 74%.
The Meizu MX4 has kept Meizu’s classic small round circle home button except it’s bigger. Another difference is that while you can swipe your finger upwards on the MX3’s home button to unlock it, you have to double click the MX4’s screen to wake it up.
The design of the bottom sides of both phones are almost the same except that instead of using the MX3’s classic “panda” design (black front/white back), the MX4 uses a grey/black design.
The top sides for both phones are almost exactly the same except that the MX4’s antenna is more visible. Its signal is also stronger.
The MX4 sports a new 2mp front-facing camera with wide-angle lens, giving it a wider viewing range. Even though the MX3’s camera is also 2mp, they do not have a wide-angle lens. As a result, the quality of photos taken using the MX4 is much better than the MX3.
The MX4 sports a rear-facing 20.7mp Sony IMX 220 camera with an F/2.2 aperture. It also has dual-LED flash. On the other hand, the MX3 sports an 8mp camera with F/2.0 aperture and single LED flash.
The MX4 (8.9mm thickness) is only .2mm thinner than the MX3 (9.1mm).
You need a tool to open the MX3’s rear case. MX3’s back cover is much more difficult to take off. The batteries are not removable though.
MX4 uses the latest Flyme OS version — the Flyme 4.0 while the MX3 still uses the Flyme 3.8.
