Recently, a leaked image showing Meizu’s product lineup for the year surfaced online. In that image we saw Meizu has plans to release a Snapdragon 626 device in December. That’s still a long time from now.

New report says we might be getting a Snapdragon phone earlier than that. The info comes from a source in the supply chain who says Meizu plans to start using chips from Qualcomm in Q3 2017. The Chinese manufacturer is aiming for 30% of its shipment for the year to be powered by Qualcomm.

The move is said to be as a result of its rivals, OPPO and Vivo reducing the number of Mediatek chips in their device since Q4 2016. Only 50% of OPPO’s 99.3 million shipments in 2016 were powered by Mediatek and only 20% of Vivo’s 77 million shipments contained Mediatek chips. Though these figures contributed about 30% to Mediatek’s revenue growth for last year, the chip manufacturer saw its gross margin drop by 35.6%. The drop is attributed to a keen price competition from Qualcomm in the low and mid-range category.

Meizu CEO, Li Nan had earlier revealed that one of its phones will sport dual-cameras and a dual-curved display and may have a Qualcomm chip. This phone will most likely be a flagship and the chip might be one of the Snapdragon 800 series. Asides that, there is still the one with a snapdragon 600 series chip.

READ MORE: New Meizu Pone with Model Number M741Y Receives Radio Transmission Approval

Meizu hopes to cover the mid-range and high-end category with these two new phones. One thing to note is that they may be more expensive. Meizu has previously lamented about the cost of Snapdragon chips. Add that to the increase in cost of materials and the final price of the phone is expected to go up.

(Sources: 1,)

The post Meizu’s Qualcomm-Powered Smartphone Scheduled for Q3 2017, More Snapdragon Phones on The Way appeared first on Gizmochina.

Xiaomi’s first phone for the year is the Redmi Note 4X but the Xiaomi Mi 6 is actually the one fans are looking forward to. Rumors have been flying round as to what features the Mi 6 will have and which ones it won’t.

One feature most people are eager to know about is the display of the Mi 6. Last year there were speculations that the phone will look like a smaller version of the Xiaomi Mi Note 2 which we all know has a dual-curved AMOLED display. Today, Weibo user @Mocha Socialist Workers has disproved the statement.

According to his post on the micro-blogging site, the Xiaomi Mi 6 will have a flat 5.2-inch 1080p TFT LCD display and not an OLED display with dual-curved edges.

Now we will advise not to rush and swallow this statement as Xiaomi hasn’t confirmed the display type of the Mi 6. The Xiaomi Mi 6 might have a flat IPS display but there is no assurance that the “Mi 6 Pro” or “Mi 6 Plus” won’t have an OLED display that is curved.

Judging from what Xiaomi did with the Mi 5s and Mi 5s Plus, and the differences between the two phones and even differences between storage variants of each of the phones, You will understand why we are not quick to dismiss earlier reports.

@Mocha Socialist Workers doesn’t stop there. He also clears the air on the rumor that the Xiaomi Mi 6 will feature a Pinecone processor. His post says the Mi 6 will indeed feature a Snapdragon 835 chip.

There is indeed mention of a higher-end Pinecone chip (Pinecone V970) built on the 10nm node. The chip is said to be made up of  8 cores (4x A73 cores clocked at 2.7GHz and 4x A53 cores clocked at 2.0GHz) and sports a Mali-G71MP12 GPU clocked at 900MHz. Sounds powerful but it won’t be making it into the Mi 6 but might be used in the Xiaomi Mi 6s or Mi Note 3.

READ MORE: Xiaomi Phones Costlier in Indonesia: Redmi 4A is $113

Sources say the news that Samsung is taking all the available Snapdragon 835 chips is greatly exaggerated. Samsung is only getting priority as the top Android manufacturer but other early manufacturers like Xiaomi will also get their supply of the chips.

The post Xiaomi Mi 6 To Feature 5.2-inch Flat Display; No Curved-Screen Variant appeared first on Gizmochina.

A real-life image of what is said to be the Samsung Galaxy S8 just leaked online. The image which shows the lower half of the device shares design similarities to a set of renders that were also posted online today.

The image shows the S8 does have dual-curved displays and lacks a physical home button, confirming the rumors and leaks. The lower bezel is also smaller meaning the Galaxy S8 would have a higher screen-to-body ratio.

The image also reveals the position of certain ports. There is the audio jack positioned on the left side of the phone, followed by the USB Type-C port and a primary microphone. We also have a single bottom speaker sitting on the right side of the device. Two antenna lines serve as borders for the ports, microphone and speaker grille. We can’t make out the color of the device but the metal frame between the bezel and the rear of the phone appears  to be painted rose gold.

READ MORE: Samsung Galaxy J7 (2017) Benchmarked Ahead of MWC 2017 Announcement

Samsung is expected to release two variants of the Galaxy S8. There will be a variant with a 5.8-inch dual-curved display and another with a 6.2-inch dual-curved display. Both are to launch with the latest Qualcomm processor, the Snapdragon 835.

(Source)

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There have been quite a lot of leaks this month alone relating to Samsung’s next flagship, the Galaxy S8. Today what we have comes from Samsung itself and it has to do with the launch of the phone.

The company’s mobile chief DJ Koh told Reuters today that the Galaxy S8 will not be announced during Mobile World Congress which is slated to hold between February 27 and March 2. While not giving a launch date, chances are that earlier rumors about the device being unveiled in late March might be true since MWC will have been wrapped up by then.

The Galaxy S8 is said to have two variants this year: the regular 5-inch version and a larger 6-inch variant. Both are expected to have dual-curved displays, 8GB of RAM, 8MP front facing cameras with autofocus, and stereo speakers.

READ MORE: Samsung Android Nougat Update News: List of Eligible Smartphones Revealed

The S8 is also likely to ditch its home button/fingerprint scanner and will instead have the scanner embedded under the front glass. Leaked pricing is also on the high side for the Galaxy S8 as rumors put it at starting at $849.

(Source)

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Planning to get a new phone and don’t want to settle for any of the ”cheap phones” in the market like the OnePlus 3T, the Samsung S7 Edge, or even the Google Pixel because any phone less than $1000 is ”cheap” right? Then you might want to narrow down your options to the Huawei Mate 9 Porsche Design or Gionee M2017. We want to help you spend your money  decide which one of these two phones is worth your hard-earned money.

Display

We know you’ve got a fat account, so a phone with a large display is what you need to show the world that you like big things.

The Mate 9 Porsche Design has a 5.5-inch 2K AMOLED display which is big enough but if you want bigger, the Gionee M2017 take the display size up to 5.7-inches with the same display type and resolution. Both displays are curved on both sides and should let you see your account balance in bright and vivid colors.

RAM, ROM, and Processor

The Gionee M2017 and Mate 9 Porsche Design both come with 6GB of RAM which is the highest you can get on any phone right now. The difference is in the storage option. Gionee let’s you choose either a 128GB model or a 256GB model, but Huawei on the other hand says its 256GB or nothing. But you want to know what we think? Go big or go home because 128GB is for cheapskates.

The processor is another important specification that we feel you should consider. The Gionee M2017 sports Qualcomm’s new mid-range king, the Snapdragon 653. This chip is synonymous to the Snapdragon 652 just the way the Snapdragon 821 is to the Snapdragon 820. The octa-core processor clocked at 1.95GHz should handle most tasks you throw at it but to be honest, it can’t hold a candle to the Kirin 960 present in the Mate 9.  The Kirin 960 apart from having a higher clock speed (2.4GHz) also uses the newer Cortex-A73 CPU core which is more powerful than the Cortex-A72 present in the Gionee.

Camera and Battery

We know you have the money and we believe you should flaunt it. You need to show your friends that your pre-ordered Faraday Future SUV has arrived and you need a good camera that captures the beauty.

Both phones have dual cameras but right now Huawei seems to be the boss when it comes to dual camera phones. The Mate 9 Porsche Design sports a 20MP+12MP combo at the back of the device. The sensors are made in collaboration with German camera manufacturer, Leica. The setup has got OIS, 2x optical zoom, and laser autofocus. Up front is an 8MP shooter for selfies. You can check out camera samples here.

The Gionee M2017 uses a combination of a 12MP and 13MP sensor with 2x optical zoom and you also get an 8MP sensor up  front for selfies. The Gionee M2017 just launched a few days ago and there are no sample pictures yet but we doubt if it can measure up to that of the Mate 9.

The M2017 is the champ here even before the fight starts. It packs a 7000mAh battery which dwarfs the 4000mAh battery inside the Huawei. Gionee’s phone has Quick charge 3.0 support while Huawei has equipped the Mate 9 Porsche Design with its own Supercharge feature.

Design and Extra Features

They are both luxury phones and their appearance reflects that. The Gionee sports a mixture of glass, aluminium and leather. The curved display meets the metal frame on one side and the leather back does the same on the other. You get calfskin leather for the 128GB model and crocodile leather for the 256GB version.

The Mate 9 Porsche Design  on the other hand is a beauty too. It shares design similarities to the Galaxy Note 7 of blessed memory which was known for its stunning looks. There is no leather on the back but the matte black coating looks really nice on it.

The Gionee M2017 has a security chip that encrypts data but lacks NFC. There is a fingerprint scanner up front but there is no earphone jack. It also comes with Amigo OS 3.5 based on Android 6.0.

The Mate 9 Porsche Edition on the other hand doesn’t have a security chip but has NFC and an IR blaster. It ships with Android 7.0 Nougat, has its fingerprint scanner in front, and an audio jack at the bottom.

READ MORE: Battle for Mid-Range: Meizu M5 Note vs Xiaomi Redmi Note 4

Price

The Huawei Mate 9 is priced at around $1547 while the Gionee M2017 is priced at $1007 for the 128GB model and $2446 for the 256GB model.

It’s a no brainer really. The Huawei Mate 9 has a more powerful processor, latest Android OS, better cameras definitely, comes with NFC, an IR blaster and an audio jack. It also offers the same storage amount as the Gionee M2017 256GB model at almost $900 less.

The post Huawei Mate 9 Porsche Design Vs Gionee M2017: Which Luxury Phone is Worth Your Money? appeared first on Gizmochina.

Sony’s next phone is called the Sony Xperia XZ (2017) and a real photo of the front panel has been leaked online. The photo shows the phone will come with a curved display and might have dual speakers judging from the cut-outs at the top and bottom of the panel.

The Xperia XZ is expected to feature a Snapdragon 835 processor and be the first Xperia flagship that breaks the 3GB RAM curse that has plagued Sony phones for years.

Sony has a conference scheduled for the 4th of January at CES 2017 but chances are that the Xperia XZ won’t surface at the event.

READ MORE: Sony Xperia Edge Concept Phone design with Bezel-less Display Leaks

The Xperia XZ should come with Sony’ signature feature which is water and dust resistance. We also expect that next year’s model will have a fingerprint scanner on all models as the gripe with this year’s model is the lack of a fingerprint scanner in the US version.

Source

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Huawei’s resources are probably focused on their first flagship device for next year, the Huawei P10. Since the Huawei Mate 9 was announced, the Huawei P10 has been the focus of leaks and rumors. The latest one comes from Weibo user @reviewer_Well who says the Huawei P10 will come with a dual-curved display.

The Huawei Mate 9 Pro is the company’s first device with a dual-curved display, so it wouldn’t be a surprise if the next flagship has a curved display as well.

He also mentioned that the Huawei P10 will have it’s fingerprint scanner in front instead of the back like the Huawei P9 and that the P10 might be the first Huawei phone to feature wireless charging. How the company intends to achieve that with an all-metal body still remains a mystery as phones with wireless charging are usually non-metal.

READ MORE: Own A Broken Huawei Mate 9 Porsche Design? Expect to Spend a Fortune on Repairs

All of these information have not been confirmed by Huawei but one feature we are sure about is the dual-rear cameras. That should remain and be better than that of the Huawei P9.

Source: Weibo

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It appears curved screen phones will become mainstream starting next year following the report by a South Korean media. The news is that Samsung, who is technically the pioneer when it comes to curved displays will not be releasing a flat-screen version of it’s Galaxy S8 flagship next year.

According to the source, the tradition of releasing a flat-surfaced variant and a curved-screen edition of their flagship will not be continued next year. Instead the S8 will only be available as a curved-screen phone.

Does that mean there will only be one Samsung Galaxy S8? No, there will still be two, as the source goes on to say that the S8 will be available in two sizes. A 5.7-inch model and a 6.2-inch model!!!

To be honest, a number of Samsung fans might not be happy with the new screen sizes. The S7 is a 5.1-inch phone and the Edge variant comes in at 5.5-inches. Quite a number of people like the small form factor of the S7 and would not be comfortable making a jump to 5.7-inches even though it will have a dual-curved display.

READ MORE: Samsung Releases 4-inch Galaxy J1 Prime in The US

While we understand Samsung might be trying to make up for the Galaxy Note 7 fiasco, they should not do that at the expense of those who are not fans of the note series.

What do you think about the S8 having only a curved-screen variant? Are you also happy that the screens will be getting pretty large?

The post Samsung’s Galaxy S8 Will Only Have A Curved Screen Variant appeared first on Gizmochina.

There is no end to the Samsung S8 news floating around the web and today the latest is in form of a render of the up-coming device. Already confirmed to be released at a date later than when Samsung usually releases its flagship device, the render shows some of the other rumors we have heard such as the removal of the physical home button.

The render shows the S8 with a dual-curved display and thin bezels on the top and bottom. The top bezel which used to have the Samsung logo atop the speaker grille, camera, and sensors now has only the speaker and is flanked on both sides by a camera and sensors. The lower bezel on the hand is now just a signboard for the Samsung logo. Taking the new design into consideration, the screen-to-body ratio should be about 90%.

The image which was posted on Weibo got the attention of a Samsung employee who praised the design but was quick to add that the Samsung S8 will not look like the device in the image.

READ MORE: Samsung Launches Black Pearl Variant of the S7 Edge

The Samsung S8 is expected to launch before the middle of next year with a Snapdragon 835 processor, 6GB of RAM, and a display larger than previous versions to cater for fans of the Note series.

The post New Samsung S8 Render: Sports Narrow Bezels appeared first on Gizmochina.

Smartphone makers are increasingly surprising fans at its launch event, releasing products in addition to what we expect. We know how Xiaomi managed to surprise us all with the Xiaomi Mi Mix concept phone at the Xiaomi Mi Note 2 unveiling and looks like Vivo has also done something similar at its Vivo X9 and X9 Plus launch event today. The company unveiled an additional flagship, the Vivo XPlay 6 coming with slightly upgraded features as compared to the previous generation Vivo XPlay 5.

Continuing the tradition, the new Vivo XPlay 6 also comes with a dual curved display on the front. The screen is of 5.46-inches and comes with 2K resolution. Inside, there is a surprise — Snapdragon 820. Yes, despite launching near the end of the year, the company has used Snapdragon 820 quad-core chip instead of the updated and slightly faster Snapdragon 821. There is 6GB of RAM on board and 128GB of internal storage. The battery is quite large as well, measuring 4080mAh in capacity with fast charging support. The company has somehow limited the thickness of the phone to just 5.2mm, despite this large battery.

As for the camera, Vivo has made sure that the XPlay 6 comes with powerful sensors, both up front as well as the back. The flagship comes with a 12MP Sony IMX362 sensor at the back along with another 5MP secondary sensor. So, it’s a dual camera setup. The camera module comes with 4-axis OIS, large f/1.7 aperture, 1.2μ pixels, 0.03s focus, and depth of field effect, thanks to the additional camera at the back. Up front, the phone features a capable 16MP sensor with soft lights.

Vivo’s smartphones are known for its Hi-Fi audio, and the Vivo XPlay 6 is no different. The phone comes with ES9038 + 3xOPA1622 audio chip to ensure top quality audio output. Other features of the phone include an all metal body, dual SIM dual standby and new Funtouch 3.0 OS.

Vivo’s premium smartphones are never cheap, and neither is the Vivo XPlay 6. The phone is priced at 4498 Yuan ($655) and will go on sale from December 12 via offline and online sales channels.

Here’s a promo video for the XPlay 6’s camera.

The post Vivo Announces the Vivo XPlay 6 with Dual Curved Display & Powerful f/1.7 IMX362 Camera appeared first on Gizmochina.

If you have been waiting for a dual curved smartphone from Huawei, then meet the Huawei Mate 9 Porshe Design. Huawei is calling it a limited edition model and there are some features that really make it stand out from the crowd. This is also the first dual curved smartphone from the company, making it special. But will you be willing to spend 1395 Euros for this beast? Yes, you heard it right! That’s the official price tag of the Porshe Design, which translates closely to $1547. So, let’s take a look at what you get at this crazy price.

First of all, as you may have guessed already, the Huawei Mate 9 Porsche Design is crafted by the popular Porsche Design studio. You get a dual curved flexible AMOLED display on the front. To make things symmetrical, the back is also curved, taking the minimum thickness of the phone to just 3mm. You get the Porsche Design logo at the back and that’s probably why the company decided to move the fingerprint sensor to the front.

Now, note that this edition comes with a smaller screen of 5.5-inches as compared to the 5.9-inches on the Mate 9 regular edition. But the AMOLED display will look amazing thanks to its 2K resolution. The processor is the same as the regular version — Kirin 960 but the RAM and ROM are upgraded to 6GB and 256GB respectively. The camera is also the same setup as the regular version — 20MP + 12MP with Leica branding. Also, note that the battery is still 4000mAh despite the reduction in screen size.

Overall, this is the most premium Huawei handset that we have seen till date and surely, it’s priced accordingly. Meanwhile, you can check out the Mate 9 launch article here.

So, what are your thoughts about the Huawei Mate 9 Porsche Edition?

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The rumor mills are still agog concerning the expected Huawei Mate 9 and Mate 9 Pro, both of which would likely get unveiled tomorrow in Berlin, Germany. Although we are very certain about the Mate 9 launch, what is not certain is the  Mate 9 Pro as it had featured in just a couple of leaks with no real live renders to back up the claim.

However, we have got another one, a fresh leak detailing what is said to be some of the specifications of the Huawei Mate 9 Pro. From the leaked information, the Mate 9 Pro sports a 5.9-inch 2K double-edge curved display, fired up by the Kirin 960 processor with a huge 6GB RAM in tow. The Mate 9 Pro vis also listed as featuring a massive 256GB of internal storage space and would run on Android 7.0 Nougat pre-installed from factory.

Apparently, the Mate 9 and Mate 9 Pro would feature the same dual Leica camera set up with 12MP + 20MP sensors at the rear. Furthermore, the flagship device is said to pack a front fingerprint sensor in addition to the rear mounted one. If true, then it would make the Mate 9 Pro the first Huawei smartphone to have a fingerprint recognition sensor at the front.

Read More: Huawei Mate 9 Chinese Edition Could Launch on November 9

We cannot verify the credibility of this information, though. Besides mass producing a device with display as large as 5.9 inches with 2K resolution and double curved edges isn’t an easy feat.

The post Huawei Mate 9 Pro Specifications Outed in Fresh Leak appeared first on Gizmochina.

After a long wait, which I think extends to a few years, Xiaomi has finally unveiled a smartphone worthy of taking on the premium competitors in the market right now. The Xiaomi Mi Note 2 is finally official and with it, we have got a flagship which we can directly compare with the likes of the Galaxy S7 Edge and the P9 series.

So, let’s take a look at what the Xiaomi Mi Note 2 brings to the table.

DESIGN

Design wise, Xiaomi has used the popular dual curved design, similar to what we saw on the Note 7. But with the phablet out of the picture due to its battery woes, the Xiaomi Mi Note 2 can shine with its familiar design.

The phone comes with 3D glass on both the front as well as the back. This means holding the phone is more comfortable due to its curved design. Further, for the frame, the company has used Aerospace grade 7 series aluminum, which gives it a smooth yet solid look.

There are two color options, Glacier Silver and Bright Black.

DISPLAY

The Xiaomi Mi Note 2 is the company’s first dual curved display smartphone. The company explains that it’s not easy to use 3D glass with an LCD display. Hence, the Mi Note 2 is using an innovative flexible OLED display which not only blends together with the curved glass up front, but the display also extends to the side. This is similar to what we see on other curved display phones.

The phone comes with a 5.7-inch curved display with 77.2% screen to body ratio, better than iPhone 7 Plus’ 67.7%. The panel further boasts of 110% NTSC color gamut and 100,000:1 contrast ratio.

In case you are wondering, Lei Jun also mentioned that this advanced flexible screen costs as much as six times a regular 5.5-inch FHD LCD panel.

HARDWARE

Like expected, Xiaomi has ensured the Mi Note 2 has the best hardware in the market right now. It comes with the Snapdragon 821 chipset clocked at 2.35GHz. As for memory, you have 6GB RAM of LPDDR4 dual channel RAM and 128GB of UFS 2.0 storage. Recent Xiaomi smartphones are known for its long battery life and the same continues with the Mi Note 2. The phone comes with a large 4070mAh battery and with Quick Charge 3.0, battery life is going to be its plus point. Other features of the flagship include AQSTIC HD Audio processor with Hi-Fi sound quality and low distortion (24 bit / 192KHz), NFC with fingerprint payments and improved SAP assisted GPS.

As for the camera, the Mi Note 2 comes with the powerful 22.56MP IMX318 EXMOR RS sensor at the back. While there is no OIS on board, the module does have 3-axis gyroscope and EIS (Electronic Image stabilization). The camera also supports 4K video image stabilization at the hardware level. Other features include f/2.0 aperture and PDAF.

Up front, there is an 8MP IMX268 EXMOR RS shooter with f/2.0 aperture and beauty 3.0 software which promises to bring more accurate and natural colors. Another interesting feature of the front camera is the built-in autofocus, which means you will get clear selfies at any distance.

One of the biggest highlights of the Mi Note 2 is the supports 37 LTE global bands! As for the software, the phone is running MIUI 8 out of the box.

PRICING

Expecting the price to be high? Xiaomi has surprised us once again by making the Mi Note 2 quite affordable. The pricing is as follows:

4GB + 64GB 2799 Yuan ($413)

6GB + 128GB 3299 Yuan ($487)

6GB + 128GB Special Global Edition 3499 Yuan ($516)

Note that the 3499 Yuan is the model with 37 Global LTE support, so that’s the model international users should be interested in.

The phone will go on sale on November 1.

The post Xiaomi Mi Note 2 Official: Dual Curved Display, 22.56MP Sony Exmor RS Camera & More! appeared first on Gizmochina.

Xiaomi has an event coming up on the 25th of August in Beijing and rumours say it is the launch for a new Xiaomi phone(s) and or watch. Some say it is the launch of the Redmi 4 which will come with a Snapdragon 625 others say it is for the Mi Note 2, yet another source says the company will be launching its first smartwatch this month. Whatever device launches on August 25, we will let you know.

Weibo user @KJuma has posted an image of Mi Note 2 that has dual curved 3D glasses. This version however has 6GB of RAM and 128GB of built-in storage. It also features a Snapdragon 821 SoC, a 5.5” OLED display, a home button/fingerprint scanner and dual cameras.

RELATED: Redmi 4 Rumoured to Cost $106

Pricing rumours say this 128GB version will cost 2799 yuan ($423) and the 64GB version with the same amount of RAM and same chip will cost 2499 Yuan ($377).

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