Since its financial troubles became public knowledge, Chinese smartphone giant LeEco has been on the quiet side, only managing to pop into the news a few times since the beginning of the year. But one smartphone that has failed to leave our presence is the LeEco flagship with a weird-looking dual rear camera. This device which has been the subject of series of leaks is touted to be of a flagship stock and would even feature AI technology.

There is a new information now, call it rumour if you like, that the LeEco flagship would be launched this April, specifically on April 11. The rumour emanated from a Weibo user who also revealed that the flagship device would use a dual-lens camera setup which he predicts would be the flagship standard going forward despite the Galaxy S8 not having one.  We don’t know the other details of the flagship but there is a rumor that it would sport dual cameras at the front as well as at the rear. Previously we were expecting a Snapdragon 821-powered flagship but we don’t know if that would change since there is a new Sheriff in town now.

Read Also: Camera Screenshot of LeEco Flagship With Dual Cameras Leaked!

Another revelation by the Weibo tipster is that the LeEco smartphone would come with artificial intelligence (AI), making it a true flagship. Incase you are at a loss here, the AI technology will likely function as a voice assistant similar to Samsung’s Bixby. And if indeed the smartphone comes with an AI technology, that would make it the first LeEco smartphone to feature such.

April 11 is just two weeks away, while it is unlikely that LeEco will launch a smartphone on that day, we’ll keep our fingers crossed and hope they do.

(source)

The post LeEco’s New Flagship Launch Date Leaks: April 11 appeared first on Gizmochina.

First, there were single camera smartphones. As smartphone cameras progressed, the MegaPixel count increased, as did the aperture size. Then came the craze for dual camera phones. The craze died down for a while and this year, all thanks to a few companies like Huawei and LG, dual cameras are back in action. But looks like this time, dual cameras are here to revolutionize the smartphone camera segment as almost all major smartphone companies are reportedly working on a dual camera phone this year.

Xiaomi unveiled its first ever dual camera smartphone, the Redmi Pro, a few days back and like always, the phone brings tremendous value for your money. But LeEco was very quick to fight back, and now, we have an even cheaper dual camera device, the Cool1 Dual, released by LeEco in collaboration with Coolpad. We know both LeEco and Xiaomi are top notch Chinese companies and they have changed the way we look at budget smartphones.

Now that you have two dual camera smartphones available in the mid-range price segment, it’s quite hard to choose between the Cool1 Dual vs Redmi Pro. This is where the article comes into the picture, as today we compare the key specs and features of the Cool1 Dual vs Redmi Pro to see whether any particular model has an edge over the other. Turns out, there are a few key differences and some major ones which could affect your buying decision.

Cool1 Dual vs Redmi Pro: DESIGN

As always, design is going to be something that’s based on your personal preference. Both are pretty good looking smartphones and there will be some who prefer the Xiaomi Redmi Pro’s design and some others who like the Cool1 Dual’s Design.

Both feature metal bodies but the LeEco Cool1 Dual comes with a smooth texture. On the other hand, the Redmi Pro has a brushed metal texture. Personally, I like the brushed metal finish on the Pro but I am sure there will be some readers who’ll disagree.

There are other differences as well. The Cool1 dual comes with capacitive keys, while the Redmi Pro comes with a home button up front with two capacitive buttons. As you might have guessed, this means that the fingerprint sensor is also on the front of the Redmi Pro. On the other hand, the Cool1 Dual features a fingerprint sensor at the back of the device. The dual cameras are arranged vertically on both the models, but the Cool1 Dual’s module is integrated in one single housing, while you will clearly see two separate sensors on the Redmi Pro. Both have USB Type-C port as well.

Cool1 Dual Dimensions: 152 x 74.8 x 8.2mm Weight: 173 grams

Redmi Pro Dimensions: 151.5 x 76.2 x 8.15mm Weight: 174 grams

Considering both are 5.5-inch smartphones, they have very similar dimensions. Even the thickness is almost the same, measuring around 8.2mm. As for the weight, it’s once again surprisingly similar, as you can see above.

So, looks like LeEco Cool1 Dual was made for taking on the Redmi Pro from the start. Can’t really pick out a winner here, as both have very similar figures.

Cool1 Dual vs Redmi Pro: DISPLAY

These two phones are using very different displays.

The Cool1 Dual comes with a 5.5-inch 1080p IPS display with 72% NTSC and 450 nit brightness. On the other hand, the Redmi Pro comes with a 5.5-inch 1080p OLED display with 100% NTSC color gamut but with a brightness of 350 nits. Redmi’s OLED panel should be richer in color but the Cool1 Dual should have a brighter screen.

Cool1 Dual vs Redmi Pro: HARDWARE

Once again, both smartphones have different specs. The Cool1 Dual comes with the Snapdragon 652 octa-core chip (4x Cortex A72 + 4 x Cortex A53) clocked at 1.8GHz. Since we want to level the playing ground, in this comparison, I am going to consider the mid-range variant of the Cool1 Dual that features 4GB RAM and 32GB of internal storage, costing 1499 Yuan, exactly as the Redmi Pro’s standard edition.

The Redmi Pro, on the other hand, comes with MediaTek’s Helio X20 chip clocked at 2.15GHz (2xA72 + 4xA53 + 4xA53) with 3GB of RAM. Yes, the base variant of the phone, which retails at 1499 Yuan comes with just 3GB of RAM. There’s 32GB of internal storage as well.

Now, at this point, the Cool1 Dual really looks like the better smartphone with SD652 and 4GB RAM. However, there’s one major flaw in the Cool1. The phone does not have a MicroSD card slot, which is a big disappointment. So, for the two variants (which have just 32GB ROM) of the device, you will be stuck with 32GB of internal storage. On the other hand, the Redmi Pro has an edge in this department, considering it comes with MicroSD card slot (although a hybrid one) expandable up to 128GB.

Now, it comes down to your choice. Either you can opt for a faster processor (better GPU), larger RAM and better third party ROM support (hail Snapdragon!) by choosing the Cool1 Dual (i.e. if you can somehow be satisfied with 32GB internal storage), or you can choose the Redmi Pro, whose Helio X20 is also quite a good performer and comes with expandable storage.

In case you are wondering, both have eMMC 5.1 storages.

Cool1 Dual vs Redmi Pro: Cameras

Now, this is one area which I am sure everyone is interested to see. Once again, the two companies have used different technologies on their respective smartphones. Both have dual cameras and both are aligned vertically, however, the technology is different.

The Redmi Pro as we know comes with two camera sensors, a primary Sony 13MP sensor along with a 5MP sensor from Samsung that acts as a secondary sensor for depth information. The setup is said to take amazing Bokeh images, replicating similar quality as a DSLR.

Other features of the Redmi Pro’s camera module include 5P lens, f/2.0 aperture, PDAF, and color temperature flash. The phone is capable of capturing 1080p and 720p videos at 30fps. Slo-motion videos are captured at 720p @ 120fps. Up front, you get a 5MP shooter with f/2.0 and 85-degree wide angle lens.

Coming to the Cool1 Dual, it uses a slightly different setup. There are two 13MP sensors in the module, one RGB sensor and another monochrome sensor. Information from both the sensors are combined to create images, which should technically feature less noise and better clarity, especially in low light conditions.

Other features of this module include 4K and 1080p video support at 30fps, Slo-mo videos at 720@120fps, f/2.0 aperture, PDAF, 6P lens and color temperature flash. Up front, you get an 8MP f/2.2 aperture sensor with 80-degree wide angle lens.

On paper, the Cool1 Dual seems to have an edge over the Redmi Pro. In fact, during the announcement, LeEco had mentioned that its phone uses dual camera 2.0 technology (RGB + Monochrome setup) as compared to Dual Camera 1.0 tech used by Redmi Pro (Primary cam + Depth sensor). Cool1’s ability to take 4K videos is also a big advantage.

So, at least on paper, Cool1 Dual’s camera could have an edge. We hope that real life images taken from both the phones will confirm this.

Cool1 Dual vs Redmi Pro: BATTERY

As I mentioned above, it’s clear that the company is targeting the Redmi Pro, trying to beat the competition in the segment. So, even in this department, they both have almost identical specs. The Cool1 Dual comes with a 4060mAh battery while the Redmi Pro comes with a 4050mAh battery. Both have fast charging, so it won’t take too long to fill the juice up to 100%. Can’t really choose a particular model in this department.

Cool1 Dual vs Redmi Pro: CONNECTIVITY

Both have very similar specs, with Bluetooth 4.1, Wi-Fi Direct and Wi-Fi display, Infrared sensor, GPS, AGPS, GLONASS, Beidou, USB Type-C common on the two models. However, the Cool1 Dual comes with 5GHz Wi-Fi ac standard which is faster than the Wi-Fi n standard on the Redmi Pro.

Both have fingerprint sensors, with Redmi Pro having it on the front, embedded into the home button, while the Cool1 having it at the back of the phone.

Both the models come with Android Marshmallow running out of the box. The Cool1 Dual features EUI 5.6 while the Redmi Pro, as tradition comes with MIUI 8.

There are two color options for the Cool1 Dual — Silver and Gold, while there are three colors available for the Redmi Pro — Gray, Silver, and Gold.

Cool1 Dual vs Redmi Pro: PRICING

Cool1 Dual is priced cheaper than the Redmi Pro, starting at 1099 Yuan ($167). There are two other variants, retailing at $226 and $257. On the other hand, the Redmi Pro starts at 1499 Yuan ($226) and goes on till $300.

Cool1 Dual vs Redmi Pro: VERDICT

It’s actually easy to pick out a winner in this comparison. The LeEco Cool1 Dual would be a great option if you want a phone which is cheaper, probably with a slightly better camera, 4K video support and Wi-Fi ac.

On the other hand, if you can’t live with 32GB storage (a major deal breaker), want a richer OLED display and love MIUI, then Redmi Pro would be a good buy.

If not for the non-expandable storage, the LeEco would have been the ultimate Redmi Pro killer bringing 4K video support, Wi-Fi ac and better graphics performance at a cheaper price tag.

What do you think?

The post LeEco Cool1 Dual vs Redmi Pro: Why LeEco’s New Phone Is the Redmi Pro Killer! (Almost) appeared first on Gizmochina.

Today is a big day for Xiaomi and their fans. The company is launching their first PC, the much awaited Mi Notebook and their first dual-camera phone, the Redmi Pro. Our focus is however on the Redmi Pro.

We have got a bunch of official photos which we want you to feast your eyes on and dissect with us.

The Redmi Pro is all shades of gorgeous. It appears to be narrower and taller than the Redmi Note 3, looking more like the HTC 10. Xiaomi has removed the speaker from the back and put it at the base flanking the USB Type-C port (this is new for the redmi series) on both sides. The button placements are the same though: volume rocker at the top and the power button below so your hand can easily reach it.

The top part of the Redmi Pro still features a 3.5mm audio jack, a noise-cancelling microphone and an IR blaster.

READ MORE: Xiaomi Redmi Pro Official With Helio X25

The most important change is the replacement of the fingerprint scanner which usually sits below the LED flash with a second camera. The fingerprint scanner has been moved to the front. This might be a deal breaker for some folks who prefer having it at the back. It will actually take time to get used to especially if you are switching from the Redmi 3 series. We believe the fingerprint scanner also doubles as a physical button. It also seems Xiaomi has ditched the back and recent apps button or maybe just redesigned them as dots like it is on the Mi 5.

These pictures are of the grey and silver version but there’s a third gold version as well.

The post Xiaomi Redmi Pro: All Official Images of The Dual Camera Flagship appeared first on Gizmochina.

There’s no doubt that dual cameras are the new fad in the smartphone market, with companies equipping their mid-range and flagship phones with two cameras to bring the best camera experience to their devices. Huawei is one company that has taken dual cameras pretty seriously this year, first partnering with the renowned Lecia for its Huawei P9 flagship and later, releasing the Honor V8 and Honor 8 (confirmed to feature dual cameras). But Huawei isn’t the only Chinese company interested in using dual cameras on its smartphones as recent reports have said that LeEco and Xiaomi are also going to release dual camera phones.

Now, we might have our first glimpse of the real image of a Xiaomi smartphone with dual cameras at the back. Unlike other dual camera phones, it looks like Xiaomi’s new smartphone will come with two large sensors aligned vertically. In between the two camera sensors, we can see dual LED flash.

RELATED: Rumor Mill: Xiaomi Redmi Note 4

As for the design, the phone comes with a brushed metal finish. Both the sides are curved, which should ensure better grip and we can see the volume and power buttons are located on the right side. Further, there’s the Mi logo on the back, revealing that this is a Xiaomi phone.

So, if you look closely, the raw design of this leaked handset is very much similar to the Xiaomi Redmi Note 3. But instead of the fingerprint sensor at the back, in its place, we have the second camera sensor. This probably means that this particular model comes with a home button embedded sensor up front. This could also mean that this is a Redmi model and not the company’s flagship Mi series. Could it be the Redmi Note 4? It’s too early to say anything right now, but it is a possibility.

RELATED: Dual Cameras On Xiaomi & LeEco phones Could Be Supplied By Samsung

This image of the Mi device comes just a few hours after a leaked image of the young Chinese actor Haoran Liu holding this leaked dual camera Xiaomi phone cropped up online. Considering that Liu was just signed as the official spokesperson of Xiaomi’s Redmi lineup, it is very much possible that the phone we see in the image is the upcoming Redmi Note 4.

What do you think?

The post Metal Xiaomi Phone With Dual Cameras Spotted, Could Be Redmi Note 4 appeared first on Gizmochina.

Dual cameras seem to be the new trend in the market. While Huawei has embraced this technology on almost all flagship smartphones of 2016, other Chinese firms like Xiaomi are also reportedly working on dual camera smartphones scheduled for launch in the second half of 2016. And guess who’s going to supply these Chinese companies with these modules? Samsung!

According to a new report from South Korea, Samsung will start supplying dual camera modules to two major smartphone companies, namely Xiaomi and LeEco from July this year. This fits perfectly with the rumors that we have been hearing about the Xiaomi Mi5S flagship and its dual camera setup. However, these two may not be the only manufacturers getting the module from Samsung, as even OPPO, whose smartphones are doing very well in China, is said to be a potential client.

RELATED: Galaxy S8 said to feature 4K screen and dual cameras

So, it looks like the market will soon be flooded with dual camera flagships. We have already heard rumors about the Mi5S and Mi Note 2 flagships coming with this setup, and now it looks like LeEco and OPPO phones are also going to feature dual cameras. While these phones may have the same supplier, i.e. Samsung, what would be really interesting to see is the optimizations done by each company in order to improve the pictures taken from the module.

Huawei has proved that it knows how to make the best out of its dual camera module, but we will have to wait and see Xiaomi, LeEco and OPPO’s take on this setup.

Xiaomi’s first dual camera phone should be the Mi5S, and we should see the smartphone sometime in the second half of this year.

(Source)

The post Dual Cameras On Xiaomi & LeEco phones Could Be Supplied By Samsung appeared first on Gizmochina.