Xiaomi could launch its wearable device, the Mi band by the end of 2014 in India, as soon as it passes the regulatory guidelines. The device is ultra affordable and is priced at a mere $13 which comes out as INR 700. Xiaomi’s global vice president, Mr. Hugo Barra made this announcement recently. It was said that the device relies solely on Bluetooth and has a standby life of 30 days.
As the device is to be worn like a watch, it is an added feature that the Mi Band is water resistant. It is equipped with a fitness monitor which syncs with the Xiaomi smartphone with help of the Mi and android app. However, the device does not display any metrics on itself as such and the user has to finally use the phone itself for details of the workout. It also comes with a sleep monitor. The Mi band app developed by Xiaomi can extract details from the device like the number of calories burnt, number of hours slept, etc.
For the fashion conscious, the Mi band comes in 6 colourful variants – blue, brown, pink, black, grey and purple. Another purpose solved by the device is that it can be used to unlock the Xiaomi smartphone without typing any passwords.
Samsung is the world leader in wearable smart devices and has three new products up for release – Gear 2, Gear 2 Neo and Gear fit. Other major players in this market are LG (G watch), Motorola (Moto 360) and the soon to be launched Apple’s iWatch. These products present a tough challenge in front of the Mi band. The other products have more features and are more power packed. The Mi band with very few features has only one shining quality i.e. its low price.
Ouya, the new-fangled contestant in the gaming market has some noticeably different plans in its head. The company is all set to take hold of the major share of the Asian gaming market with the help of Xiaomi. Xiaomi is a well established giant in Asia because of its unique and innovative smart gadgets. Xiaomi is a China based company and now has set its feet in the global market. Xiaomi’s has a wide range of products and recently has been also entered into the smart TV and set top box business. Ouya, a U.S. based video game service providing company will take up the help of Xiaomi to establish its brand name in Asia.
Sources of both the partners, Ouya and Xiaomi, shared with the Reuters that the recently launched “MiBox” and “MiTV” streaming boxes and smart TVs of Xiaomi will be used for providing Ouya gaming services to the customers of Asian market. Julie Uhrman, Chief Executive of Ouya informed that the devices of Xiaomi will have a channel, through which users will be able to download Ouya games. However any intricate details of the collobration have not been unveiled by both the partners.
The process is still on for planning of branding and marketing strategies. Different plans are there for the brand name of this joint venture. It is anticipated that Xiaomi will handle the marketing of this new endeavour and capital investments will be handled by both the partners.
The previous records set by Xiaomi are showing some positive hopes out of this project. However, everyone is eager to witness the outcomes this partnership of Ouya with Xiaomi.
Leagoo, the smartphone company which was established only a year back is growing pretty fast. The company recently unveiled its first generation of devices in the Lead lineup which includes four new smartphones, each designed with a specific set of users in mind.
Although Lead 1 is the flagship device, its brother Lead 2 is as powerful and capable as the flagship and the only major difference between the two is its screen size. While Lead 1 comes with a 5.5 inch IPS panel, Lead 2 is slightly smaller in size with a 5 inch display.
We recently got our hands on this value for money device and naturally we experimented with it to see whether it lives up to our expectations.
So, here’s our detailed Leagoo Lead 2 Review on Leagoo Lead 2 smartphone.
DESIGN
If we had to judge the phone just by its looks, then Leagoo Lead 2 would definitely be one of the best looking devices in its class. The phone comes with a sleek rectangular body with curved edges and a beautiful aluminum frame which gives it a premium feel.
The device is extremely thin, measuring only 5 mm in thickness. So, those who love slim phones are in for a treat. The overall dimensions of the phone are 145.3×71.2×6.9mm. The device just weighs 135 grams which makes it extremely light and easy to carry around. So, even with its large 5 inch screen, you won’t find it hard to operate the device.
The power button is situated on the right side of the device while the volume up down keys are on the left. You don’t get a dedicated camera button, but that’s something that we can live without.
DISPLAY
Lead 2 is tailor made for users who like large screens. The device comes with a 5 inch IPS panel with qHD resolution. While we would have loved to have atleast 720p display on the device, the 940 x 540 pixel resolution looks not too bad and images and videos turn out to be quite crisp and clear.
The pixel density count naturally falls down due to this low resolution, but even at 220 PPI, we were quite happy with the quality of display.
HARDWARE
The specifications of the phone are quite similar to Leagoo’s flagship model. The Lead 2 packs in a Quad Core 1.3 Ghz MediaTek MTK6582 SoC along with 1GB RAM and Mali 400 GPU. The Cortex A7 processor along with the Mali GPU is enough to run high end games on the device with ease. So, you’ll have a great time playing even graphic intensive games like Modern Combat 4.
You get 8GB internal storage, which is enough for storing your basic images, music and videos. However, if you feel that this isn’t enough for your needs, you can anytime upgrade the storage using an external MicroSD card which is expandable up to 64GB.
CAMERA
Camera is one of the essential components that consumers look for when buying a new smartphone and Leagoo Lead 2 won’t disappoint you in this area. Ofcourse, it’s no match for other high priced flagships in the market, but it also won’t be fair to compare this value for money device with them.
You get a 13MP Sony Exmor camera at the back which can capture pictures at a maximum resolution of 4128 x 3120 pixels. You can also take 720p HD videos at 60 fps.
On the front, there’s a 5MP shooter good for video calls and selfies.
As you can see, the phone manages to reproduce colors quite accurately. The image shown below is one of the samples that we took from the phone.
The blue color in the image is quite bright, just as it was in the real world and even in dim light, the phone managed to capture decent pictures. However, some of the pictures lost details especially in low light, but most of the times, the images captured were quite good.
CONNECTIVITY AND BATTERY
Lead 2 comes with standard connectivity features as seen in other smartphones in this price range. So, you have Wi-Fi, GPS, A-GPS, Micro USB, HSPA+, Bluetooth 4.0 and WCDMA / GSM Dual SIM dual standby support. You also get standard sensors like proximity, accelerometer and ambient light sensors.
Moving on, Lead 2 comes with a 2,200 mAh removable battery. This should be enough for a day at an average level of usage. The low power consuming Cortex A7 processors further increases its battery life, so you easily get around a day’s usage on the device.
SOFTWARE
Lead 2 comes with the latest Android 4.4.2 Kitkat version out of the box. There are certain OEM specific features too, like the on screen quick settings button that can be moved around. Clicking on that icon instantly opens up four different options namely Settings, Lock Screen, Favorites and Home.
Leagoo has also incorporated a special Wake Gesture feature on the device. You can access this feature from the phone’s settings menu.
Wake Gesture basically allows you to open up apps directly from the screen even when the display is not turned on. This will instantly give you access to your favorite apps like the camera app or your music player. All you have to do is draw the letter assigned to the app on the screen and the phone will recognize the gesture and take you to it.
For example, if you draw the letter ‘C’ on the display which is currently off, the phone will directly take you to the camera app. Similarly, ‘M’ takes you to the music player. You can even change these default apps to assign your favorite ones to these gestures.
PRICING AND AVAILABILITY
Coming to the best part about the device, Leagoo has priced Lead 2 at $108 which is an insane price for a device with such specifications. We honestly feel you get much more than what you pay for the device and if you are looking for a good Android smartphone, you should definitely consider buying this one.
The phone is available in white and black colors and at present can be bought from Deal Extreme and AnteLife websites for the said amount.
OUR VERDICT
Although Leagoo may not be an established brand in the market, the company has proved that it can make competitive and value for money devices like the Lead 2.
We personally feel that Lead 2 offers good specifications and features for a device just over $100 and it would be a great purchase for anyone who’s entering into the world of Android for the first time.
Hailed as the “Karaoke King,” The Vivo X5 is the latest in Vivo’s Hi-Fi super-slim X series.
Like the X3, the Vivo X5 follows a very slim 3D design. Its height is only 6.3mm. The only difference in the designs of both phones is that the X5 has a metal mid-frame like the Xshot.
As said before, the Xshot has a karaoke feature. It uses a Hi-Fi solution and is the first cellphone in the world to use Yamaha’s powerful digital surround-sound chip, the YSS205X-CZE2. The phone’s built-in karaoke system has music videos and allows users to record themselves as they sing along to their favourite songs. They can even have their own online concerts.
The Vivo X5 sports a 5-inch 720p display screen, uses the MTK MT6592 octa-core chipset, and has 2GB RAM and 16GB ROM. It is powered by a 2250mAh battery and sports a 5mp/13mp dual-camera (F2.0 aperture, Sony IMX214 sensor). It supports TD-LTE internet and costs 2498 RMB (406.30 USD).
Google has sent invitations for an event which is held on September 15 in India. The invite says block your date “More details closer to the date!”, This event could most likely open curtains for Android One smartphones.
The Android One project which is creating lot of hype with its X-factor of producing low budget phones which costs around 100$, by the time of its arrival, Google are planned to spend around Rs 100 crore for the advertising for this initiative.
The moto of Google is to get Android smartphones to people of emerging markets. The project was unveiled in June. It is said to start it’s journey in India and will expand into other territories.
Coming to spec sheet these phones may carry around 4.3-4.7 inch display, a Quad-core processor coupled with at least 1GB of RAM and a better battery. These phone are built up with stock android to give you nexus like experience and with v4.4 and will get at least 1 major update for sure.
Last week reports claimed that Micromax, Karbonn, and Spice may launch the first Android One handsets in India this September. So likely Google is going to release it’s first Android phone under this project.
Xiaomi India has announced the first flash sale of 40,000 units of its affordable smartphone, the Redmi 1s on Flipkart on 2nd September. Customers have already taken to the e-commerce site to register for this flash sale. Registrations will continue till midnight 1st September and reports suggest that nearly one hundred thousand people have already registered for this much awaited sale. Priced at INR 5,999, the phone fits the bill of a pocket friendly smartphone and will surely catch up quickly with the Indian population. The phone was initially launched at a price of INR 6,999 (Just around $100) but the company has slashed the price right before announcing the flash sale.
The Redmi 1S might be light on the pocket but is packed with decent features like:
4.7 inch HD (1280×720 pixels) display
powered by a 1.6GHz Snapdragon 400 quad-core processor with 1 GB RAM
8-megapixel rear camera and 1.6-megapixel front-facing camera with flash
It runs on Android 4.3 Jelly Bean
Internal memory of 8 GB, expandable up to 64 GB
Supports WiFi, GPS, Bluetooth and dual-Sim format
Redmi 1S will e pitted against the Motorola Moto E which is priced at INR 6,999. The former presents slightly better specifications like larger display, better camera specifications, slightly enhanced processor and a lower cost as compared to the Moto E. Competitive performance will, however, be judged when the phone lands in the market and finally reaches the consumer.
Starting last week, owners of the Mi 3 (China Unicom/China Telecom) and the Mi 4 could upgrade their OS to the new MIUI 6. Today, Xiaomi announced in MIUI’s official forums that closed-beta tests for the MIUI 6 with the Mi 3 China Mobile Edition will start this week. Users can sign up for the “closed beta fanclub” online. Based on the progress with the other phones, we can expect open beta tests after two weeks around Mid-Autumn.
Huawei recently released its latest instalment in its “Y” entry-level cellphone series in the market, the Y518. Users can already pre-order this phone for only 459 RMB.
The Huawei Y518 sports a 4.5-inch FWVGA display screen which is not as good as the Honor series’. It uses the MT6582M quad-core chipset and has 512MB RAM and 4GB ROM. It does not have a front camera but has a 5mp rear camera. It is powered by a 1730 mAh battery and uses the Android 4.22 OS.
The China Mobile logo confirms that the Y518 is a China Mobile phone. It supports TD-SCDMA+GSM dual-SIM. Its design is just ordinary and its measurements are 132 x 67 x 10.9mm. Its available in black and white.
Recently, in response to Samsung’s Gear S 3G smartwatch, Mlais launched its own flagship 3G smartwatch, the MX50, which people can use to make phone calls and surf the net.
The MX50’s features almost rival those of a regular smartphone. It supports China Unicom 3G SIM card (WCDMA) and GSM card. It also supports 3G internet and direct dial. It can also serve as a cellphone accessory by letting users synchronize information in both devices. It also supports WIFI, GPS, Blue Ray, etc. Its OS is the Android 4.04 which can be downloaded separately.
Like the majority of Chinese 2G phones right now, the Mlais MX50 uses a processor from MTK. In this case, it’s the 1GHz MTK6577 dual-core chipset. It sports a 1.54 IPS screen with 240 x 240 resolution and has 512M RAM and 4G ROM (supports memory card). It also has a 2mp camera and is powered by a 700mAh battery.
The Mlais MX50 will hit the market on September 2 and cost 666 RMB.
While Chinese manufacturers like Xiaomi are creating a stir in a growing market like India with their exceptionally priced value for money devices, it seems like OPPO is living in a totally different world. The company announced its OPPO Neo 3 budget offering yesterday for INR 10,990 or $181.
The device comes with just average specifications. For this price, you get a 1.3Ghz dual core CPU, 4.5 inch 480p display, 1GB RAM, 4GB internal memory, and 1,900 mAh battery. There’s a decent 5MP camera on the back along with a 2MP front shooter.
Connectivity features include 3G, GPS, A-GPS, Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi direct, OTG, and Bluetooth 2.1. You also get the HotKnot feature on the device which allows a user to share anything to another phone by simple screen touch.
Unlike budget offerings from other Chinese and local manufacturers which comes with the latest Android Kitkat version, OPPO Neo 3 will come the old Android 4.2 Jellybean version out of the box. Also, as you can see, the specifications of the device are no way near other rivals like the recently announced Redmi 1S. So, the company may find it hard to find buyers for the device unless it lowers the pricetag.
OPPO Neo 3 will be available from Flipkart as well as directly from offline retailers.
Today, Nibiru released two new devices, the M1 and J1, as well as the new Touch Os.
The Nibiru M1 is a very large phone tablet, sporting a 7-inch display screen with 1920 x 1200 resolution. The screen is made of LTPS material (16:10, 323ppi Retina level). It uses the 1.7GHz MT6592 octa-core chipset as well as Mali 450 GPU. It has 2GB RAM and 16GB internal memory space, and supports an expansion memory card. It is powered by a built-in 3500mAh detachable battery. The M1 also sports a 13mp rear camera (OV13850 sensor and LED light) and 2mp front camera. It also has a height of 8.5mm and supports WCDMA+GSM dual-SIM, Blu Ray 4.0 and OTG. The M1 costs 1288 RMB and goes on sale on September 8.
Another product that was launched was the Nibiri J1. It sports a 2.18mm frame and a 6.0-inch LG IPS screen. It uses the Snapdragon MSM8928 quad-core chipset (1.6GHz), has 2GB RAM, 16GB ROM, a 13mp rear camera (OV13850 and LED), and a 5mp front camera. It goes on sale in October and the price has not yet been announced. The J1’s OS is the new Touch 2.0 OS.
E-Life will soon release a very slim phone called the GN9005. The biggest highlight of this phone is its 5mm height. Other than that, its specs are only about average. It sports a 4.8-inch 720p display screen, uses a 1.2GHz quad-core chipset (Snapdragon 400), and has 1GB RAM and 16GB ROM. It also sports a 5mp front camera and mp rear camera. It is powered by a 2050mAh battery and runs on the Android 4.3 OS.
Recently, snapshots of the E-Life Gn9005 were leaked online. From the photo, you can see how slim the phone is and that its frame is completely metallic. Its screen ratio seems about average though.
Ever since its release, the OnePlus One has enjoyed critical acclaim for its powerful specs and excellent design. On September, OnePlus released the only App in China that grants phone owners to access OnePlus IT services whenever their phone has any problems, the OnePlus Doctor.
A lot of phone users have a hard time explaining what is wrong with their phone when they call customer service. They usually wish that they send a technician over to check it out. The OnePlus Doctor solves this problem by allowing OnePlus’ technicians to diagnose any problems with Phone’s settings or features even at a long distance. It is the only App of its kind in China right now.
Using the OnePlus Doctor is quite simple. Users just need to download it from Aijikong, install it, and set up long-distance features. For example, Technicians can see the phone’s screen to check for any problems with the software. Addressing stability and security concerns, OnePlus has stated that the OnePlus Doctor is absolutely safe. Their technicians will only be able to see the phone’s specs and other technical information. They cannot see private information and photos.
PIPO released a lot of new phone tablets at the Taipei Computer Expo. Among them was the “fake” tablet, the T8, which has finally hit the Chinese market. It sports a 6.44-inch screen from AUO and uses AHVA display technology which, like IPS technology, has a visible angle of more than 178 degrees. It also has OGS technology and has 1920 x 1080 resolution.
The PIPO T8 also uses the MTK MT6592 octa-core chipset which has 1.7GHz. It uses 2GB DDR3 RAM. As for the ROM, there is a 16GB edition and 32GB edition. It also supports a 2mp/13mp dual-camera which is very powerful and is fuelled by a 3000mAh battery. It also supports OTG, a gyroscope, and other features. It supports WCDMA/GSM networks and dual-SIM. Its OS is the Android 4.2.
This tablet is more like a phone. It has a narrower, more straight, frame around the screen and has a separate receiver, speaker, and other features that most tablets do not have in their design.
The 16GB edition costs 999 RMB while the 32GB edition costs 1099 RMB.
Today, China Mobile launched its second flagship 4G cellphone. It’s called the China Mobile M812, a follow-up of the M811. The M812 sports a completely metallic case and has a height of 8.5mm. It also sports a 5.5-inch 720p display screen, runs on the Qualcomm MSM8926 quad-core processor (1.2GHz), and has 2GB RAM and 8GB internal memory space (expandable).
The M812 also sports a 5mp/8mp dual-camera and has a built-in 3100mAh battery. It supports TD-LTE 4G networks.
As for the price, the M812 costs 1299 RMB and will go on sale starting on the morning of September 10.
Jimmy Lin, a celebrity who posted an iPhone 6 photo earlier, posted a photo of a HTC phone this time. He said:”Just got a phone who is the first to have a Qualcomm octa-core 64bit CPU. It’s butter smooth. It has the kind of speed that any racer would be addicted to. Also there is a special feature I like very much about this phone. Guess what it would be?”
As far as we know, HTC Desire 820 comes with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 octa-core 64bit CPU. It’s also likely to have a 5.5-inch 720p display, 1.5GB of RAM and 8GB of internal storage, a 8-megapixel font-facing camera, a 13-megapixel main camera, and a 2600mAh-power battery. We can think of it as an upgrade on Desire 816.
HTC have already said that Desire 820 will be released at IFA 2014. If everything goes well, it should be available in China after the announcement. And it’s likely to have the same price tag as Desire 816.
Lenovo is trying to be a forerunner. With IFA round the corners the event invite has been sent from most companies that are participating in the event already. Latest inclusion is Lenovo, it has sent an invite hinting Vibe X2 may be loaded with Android L.
Invitation from Lenovo
The invite even indicates that Vibe X2 will be center of attraction among Lenovo products that are planned to release on September 4th in IFA . As said earlier the invite also insinuate a picture of lolipop with Vibe X2 wordings inside it. It have even poked Apple indirectly with tag line “we can’t say anything either”, as Apple claimed wished it could say more.
The Lenovo Vibe X2 rumored to have a 2.2 GHz octa-core CPU, a 5-inch FHD display, 2GB of RAM, 32GB of built-in storage, a 13 MP rear camera with LED flash, and a 5 MP front cam from recent leaks.
Let us wait and mystery unfolds in this years IFA event.
Gionee is ready to launch some miraculous range of products this year. Earlier, it was World’s slimmest phone and this time it is Gionee Gpad G5 phablet. Gpad G5 is the descendant of Gpad G4 phablet. The most important thing which makes this launch more exciting is the price tag of Gpad G5. This phablet is available at a very user friendly price of Rs 15,000. Gionee avowed that Gpad G5 will be available in the market by next week.
The Gionee Gpad G5 has some exclusive and premium features which make it a strong competitor in the phablet market. Some of the key features are specified below.
Key features:
5.5-inch High Definition IPS display (720×1280 pixels).
Asahi Glass Dragontrail protection of screen.
Android 4.4 KitKat.
Cortex A7 1.5GHz hexa-core processor, ARM Mali-450 MP GPU.
Gionee Gpad G5 is equipped with 8 MP rear and 2 MP front camera.
It has expandable storage upto 32 GB.
2400mAh battery- provides standby time of 288 hours, 15 hours of talk time on 2G and 12 hours of talk time on 3G.
Arvind Vohra, Head of Gionee India, revealed that the basic motto for bringing this phablet in the market is to endow every person with latest and premium features at reasonable price.
Gionee has lot of expectations from this new product. The product is designed by keeping the need of users in mind, so it can be anticipated that it is going to be a smash hit.
The CCTV Quality Inspection Weekly Report disclosed a large amount of disqualified power banks on August 24th, and the 5200mAh Xiaomi power bank is one of them.
Xiaomi quickly responded to that. They said those Xiaomi power banks CCTV tested were not genuine. The State Quality Inspection Administration confirmed that yesterday.
So to help users avoid buying those fakes, Xiaomi has dedicated an instruction page on their official website just for that.
Method one: always buy from the the official website or authorized channels.
Method two: use the anti-counterfeit label to verify.
We have confirmed a lot things about MX4. One of which is that there will only be a MX4 standard edition at the annoucement conference at September 2nd.
Here is a list of all the thing leaked so far:
5.4-inch display ( resolution not confirmed yet)
MT6595 CPU
Not much difference in the font compared to MX3, the circular Home button is still there.
Bezels are thinner.
The material of the back is changed.
It’s running Flyme OS 4.0
What should be noted is that its main camera is gonna be 20.7 megapixels (the highest so far in China).
This afternoon a Weibo user posted some info of a sample picture taken by the font-facing camera of MX4, which says the resolution is 1088×1920 (around 2 megapixels) with aperture f/2.0. It also comes with a beauty mode. Flyme 4.0 is likely gonna add more beauty options.
Besides that, the model number of MX4 is confirmed to be K95V2 which is the same as what the leak said.
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