Adreno 330 Archives - Gizmochina

OPPO N3 Review

Frank Tu — Thu, 13 Nov 2014 13:45:31 +0000

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.

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.

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.

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Philips Aurora I966 review

Frank Tu — Tue, 21 Oct 2014 08:38:44 +0000

Recently, Philips released a new cellphone that uses the just-released YunOS 3.0. It is called the Philips Aurora I966, and it looks like this smartphone comes some of the best hardware around such as the Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 quad-core processor (8974AC, quad core, 2.5GHz), a 5.5-in 2K UltraHD screen, and a 20.7mp camera. It also has 3GB LPDDR3 and 32GB ROM. It is a shame that it does not support expanded memory cards. Many netizens have also focused on the phone’s design. Below is our review of this new phone.

Parameters

Philips Aurora I966 parameters
CPU	Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 8974AC, quad-core, 2.5GHz
RAM	3GB LPDDR3
ROM	32GB
Display	5.5-inch, 2560 x 1440
Camera	8mp wide-angle/20.7mp, dual-LED
OS	YunOS 3.0
Battery	3000mAh (undetachable)
Internet	TDD-LTE, FDD-LTE, TD-SCDMA,GSM, WCMA, 5 modes and 13 frequencies

Unboxing

Front and appearance

The Philips Aurora I966 sports a very good-looking appearance due to the big changes Philips did, such as the round design.

This phone is the first smartphone to sport a curved 3D glass screen.

Above the screen is the phone’s 8mp front-facing camera with a 28mm wide-angle lens, so you can have more people join you in your selfie.

At the bottom of the front side are the return, Home, and menu buttons. There is also a background light so that you can use your phone at night. The screen is not too touch-sensitive which is good.

On the top are the 3.5mm earphone jack and secondary noise-cancelling microphone.

On the base are the primary microphone and Micro USB port which are neatly placed.

The Philips Aurora I966’s frame and body are black. It has a thickness of 8.2mm and it does not disappoint. The volume and lock screen buttons are placed on both sides.

Back cover

The surface of the back is flows well with the front. It feels very slippery and sleek.

It also sports a 20.7mp Sony Exmor RS camera with F1.8 lens. It also comes with dual-LED light.

The cellphone’s battery is built-in and the rear cover cannot be taken off. As a result, the Micro SIM card tray is lookated at the side. This phone has support for TD-LTE Band38/39/40, FDD LTE Band7/3, TD-SCDMA Band34/39,WCDMA Band1/2/5, and GSM Band2/3/8.

Display screen

As stated earlier, the Philips Aurora I966 has a 2K screen (2560 x 1440). Its resolution 1.64 times that of the iPhone 6. It is also covered by Gorilla Glass 3. It also has a high scratch-resistance and is very durable.

This phone also enjoys a very high brightness (over 500cd/m2). Theoretically, this is 30% higher than that of a regular FHD screen. Even when you use it outside during a bright sunny day, the quality will still be good. Here are some samples.

With a size of 5.5 in and a resolution of 2560 x 1440, we can estimate that this phone has a pixel density of 534ppi, which already surpasses the standard for a Retina display screen.

YunOS 3.0

Here are some pictures of the user interface of the YunOS 3.0 which was launched along with the Philips Aurora I966 which uses this OS.

From the pictures, you can see that the rectangular icons have a similar style. Everything is organized neatly. The colors are also pleasing to the eye.

It also has a voice assistant like Siri. Even when you are offline, you can still use it to make calls or send a text.

The YunOS 3.0 also allows users to do type in different ways such as typing by voice.

This phone is also NFC-supported.

Camera interface and sample photos

The Philips Aurora I966 has an 8mp front-facing camera with a 28mm wide-angle lens which is good for taking group selfies. Its main camera is also a 20.7mp Sony Exmor RS camera (IMX220). It also comes with dual-LED lights.

There are many things you can do with this phone’s camera. Features include taking videos, panorama shots, etc.

Hardware and performance

The Philips Aurora I966 has some of the most advanced hardware right now. It has the Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 80974AC quad-core processor (2.5GHz) and Adreno 330 GPU. Its RAM is 3GB (LPDDR3) while its ROM is 32GB. It does not support expanded memory cards, however.

One way of grading its performance is by looking at its benchmark scores:

Dalushi: 42408
Antutu: 38979
Linpack: 417.081；699.862
Quadrant Advanced（10802）
Vellamo: 1763；1191
Multitouch tester: 10
Nenamark 1: 59.5fps
Nenamark 2.4: 59.4fps

Battery life

Like its predecessors, one of the biggest features of the Philips Aurora I966 is its battery endurance.

With the use of L&CABC stand-by technology, theoretically, the power used by the background light can be reduced by 60%. This goes well with Philips’ main standby technology (Smart Power Technology). It can also lower power consumption for gaming and net surfing. This phone also has support for the new QuickCharge 2.0 technology which can fully charge your phone faster.

Even when you close “power conservation mode”, you can still use WIFI and the screen at maximum brightness without any problems. It’s even better of course, when you turn it on. You can end up using the phone for about a day and a half.

Conclusion

The Philips I966 is a big improvement from its predecessors when it comes to design and hardware. Its use of the YunOS 3.0 has personalized this phone even further, enough to match its rivals.

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The Mi 3S GFX Benchmark Test results revealed

Frank Tu — Mon, 21 Jul 2014 09:13:28 +0000

Xiaomi will hold a launch event in Beijjing for its new products tomorrow (July 22). In addition to the Mi 4, the benchmark website, Android China recently found information on the new Mi 3S on the famous benchmark website, GFX Bench.

Leaked info on the Mi 3S’ hardware:

-5-inch 1080p display screen

-Qualcomm’s 2457MhzHz Snapdragon 800 procesor

-3GB RAM and 16GB ROM

-8mp/13mp (supports 4K video recording) camera

-runs on Android 4.4.3 OS.

We can also see that the Xiaomi Mi 3S still does not have an NFC feature. A more detailed description on the phone’s specs should come out tomorrow.

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