Vivo just announced their flagship Vivo X200 series in China today at the famous Water Cube, a.k.a. the National Aquatics Centre, in Beijing. We got the device a couple of days in advance, so our team had some time to play around and test it before an in-depth review.

In case you were wondering how the phone feels in real life, here’s a quick first impression of the Vivo X200 Pro.

The Vivo X200 Pro is Sleek but Chunky

The X200 Pro feels premium right out of the box. With its flat edges and metal frame, it gives us some serious flagship vibes. We’ve got the Blue Sapphire model, which mimics the ocean waves under light. I’m not sure if everyone would love this, but it definitely stands out.

The almost-flat display is a refreshing change from the curved screens we’ve been seeing everywhere. It’s got a nice heft to it, striking a balance between solid and comfortable—that is, until you get to the camera bump.

So let’s address the elephant in the room: that camera island is huge if we still take it as a Pro model. It’s big enough to be called an “ultra,” dominating the back of the phone, especially when we learned that the camera also inherited quite a lot from the X100 Ultra. While it houses a triple-lens setup, there’s an extra ‘lens-like’ circle up top that’s more for show than function. It balances out the look, but don’t be fooled — it’s not a fourth camera.

Camera App goes all in on AI

The camera app on the X200 Pro has gotten a serious glow-up. Vivo has added a bunch of AI features that make shooting a breeze. But note that almost all the fantastic custom features were developed for domestic users with various Chinese applications. For overseas markets, the brand has to work with Google’s Gemini. But there’s no doubt that OriginOS 5 intrigues me significantly more.

What if add some AI features to portrait mode? The X200 series gives you the answer. There’re four-season styles plus a Chinese style for auto post-modification. It makes the camera look fun, but only if you wait a minute or two.

The portrait mode is smarter than ever, and the landscape mode? It’s like they took the best bits of all the modes related to non-figure photography such as super night mode, pano mode, and star trails mode, and mashed them together. The software manager’s logic I guess is that they want to differentiate the custom modes into two categories, one for portrait and one for landscape. They’re like two folders, with the benefit of being easy to tell apart. The downside is that you have to ‘open’ them first (switch to them) – a step that may already be difficult for average users. One of my favorite features among the upgrades is the Zeiss Perspective Correction. When you look up a bit to shoot certain scenes, especially like architecture, you’ll always be annoyed by the perspective. On the X200 series, it would automatically crop and generate a horizontal perspective for users in real-time. It can instantly enhance the look and composition of your photos.

Further, video capabilities have taken a giant leap forward, especially in dark environments. We’re talking 4K at 120fps and even 8K at 30fps, which are all working well for dark scenarios. And for all you vloggers out there, there’s a new portrait video mode that’s bound to up your game. Initial quality of the videos was quite impressive but we want to test out the camera in detail for our final verdict. More importantly, it has a lot of fun that we couldn’t experience all in a moment.

The main camera is shifted to a brand-new sensor, SONY LTY818, sized at 1/1.28″. It’s claimed to have even better video-shooting capabilities. The 3.7x (85mm focus length & F/2.67) telephoto lens comes with the same setup as the vivo X100 Ultra’s – the impressive Zeiss 200MP APO telephoto lens.

Under the Hood: Dimensity 9400 Powerhouse

Powering all this goodness is the latest MTK Dimensity 9400 chip. We’re still running some benchmarks (Antutu Benchmark: the first mobile chipset exceeds 3,000,000), so stay tuned for the nitty-gritty performance details. But so far, the phone has been very smooth, we can expect the chip to deliver.

One of the coolest features we’ve played with on the phone is the BlueLM AI large model. You can actually download the local algorithm package for offline use, such as Image Stylization and Document Summarization, which is pretty neat. We’ve been having a fun time with image generation, text recognition, and instant translation. Another new software feature that caught my interest is ‘Circle to Search’. Just circle any objects or items on the display to search for their information. It can be triggered in any app while just holding two fingers on the screen for a few seconds. The results? Surprisingly accurate most of the time.

If you missed our X200 launch article, let me remind you that there’s a Pro Mini model as well. It has a very unique placement (compact in size), which is a refreshing change from all the Ultras and the Pro Maxes we’ve been seeing. We also have a detailed article explaining the entire Vivo X200 series, which will be out very soon.

In addition, Vivo and MediaTek have jointly developed and globally premiered the kilometer-level network-less communication technology, which realizes point-to-point and long-distance communication through Bluetooth connection in a network-less and signal-less environment. Supports SOS text broadcasting, one-to-one voice/text intercom, map location display, etc. Within a certain distance, you can form a local network of communication with other Vivo users by turning your phone into a walkie-talkie.

To sum up, the Vivo X200 Pro is shaping up to be a serious contender in the high-end smartphone market. With its focus on photography, powerful chip, and AI capabilities, it’s clear Vivo is gunning for the top spot. Sure, that camera bump is huge and might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but if you’re all about that photo and video life, this is definitely a phone to check out.

As for the battery, I would draw my conclusion first here – it feels like the premium phone with the longest battery life I’ve ever used. More details will be revealed in our in-depth review.

Please stay tuned for our full review, where we’ll dive deeper into the benchmarks, battery life, and how it holds up in day-to-day use.

In the meantime, what feature of the X200 Pro are you most excited about?

The post Hands-On with the Vivo X200 Pro: An Ultra-level Photography Powerhouse with AI Smarts appeared first on Gizmochina.

A new leak has just offered us a hands-on look at the highly anticipated OnePlus Open/Oppo Find N3, which are a pair of foldable smartphones. The leaked video arrives mere days after the OnePlus Open was spotted in the hands of an Indian actress, Anushka Sharma.

OnePlus Open/Oppo Find N3 Hands-On

For those unaware, the Oppo Find N3 and OnePlus Open are basically the same device with different branding. So the latest leak basically offers us a look at both of the models. It was shared by a user on the Chinese social media platform, XiaoHongShu. In the image, we can see Wang Chi holding a smartphone with a circular camera module, which appears quite similar to the new Oppo and OnePlus foldable phones.

But this wasn’t the only sighting, as another video surfaced on YouTube, showcasing the device and its foldable display. The video was uploaded by Jagat Review, offering us a look at the crease in the upcoming Open or Find N3 foldable phone. The YouTube noted that the crease on the foldable phones isn’t as prominent as the one found in the one seen in the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5. Keep in mind that this is just his speculation, so it isn’t completely clear.

Although, the crease on the Oppo Find N3/OnePlus Oppo is expected to be around 37 percent smaller compared to the Find N2. Talking about the device itself, the smartphone may sport a 7.82-inch AMOLED panel and a 6.31-inch AMOLED external panel. Under the hood, the device is equipped with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SoC, which is paired with up to 16GB of RAM and 1TB of internal storage.

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(Via)

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Ahead of the highly anticipated Galaxy Unpacked event, hands-on images of the upcoming Galaxy Z Fold 5 have surfaced online. The leaked images, shared by tipster Ahmed Qwaider, provide a glimpse into the phone’s redesigned hinge and rear camera layout.

One notable improvement apparent from the leaked images is the absence of any noticeable gap between the two folding halves of the Galaxy Z Fold 5. This represents a significant advancement compared to previous iterations of the Galaxy Z Fold series. Samsung appears to have adopted a new waterdrop-shaped hinge, similar to those seen in other foldable phones, which eliminates the gap and minimizes creasing on the internal screen.

Galaxy Z Fold 5 hands-on images

The leaked images also reveal the rear camera setup of the Galaxy Z Fold 5. Consistent with its predecessor, the Galaxy Z Fold 4, the phone boasts three rear-facing cameras. However, Samsung has made a change in the positioning of the LED flash, which now resides on the right side of the camera sensors. Expectations point to a primary 50MP camera, a 12MP ultrawide camera, and a 10MP telephoto camera featuring 3x optical zoom.

In addition to the camera setup, the images unveil several key features of the Galaxy Z Fold 5. The bottom section of the phone reveals a loudspeaker, a USB Type-C port, and a microphone. The top section boasts three microphones and another loudspeaker, indicating a potential stereo loudspeaker setup, bolstered by four microphones in total.

According to previous leaks, the Galaxy Z Fold 5 is expected to offer a 6.2-inch 120Hz Super AMOLED cover screen and a 7.6-inch 120Hz internal foldable Super AMOLED screen. Powering the device will be the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 For Galaxy processor, coupled with 12GB of RAM and storage options of either 256GB or 512GB.

The Galaxy Z Fold 5 is expected to feature IPX7 rating for water resistance along with a 4,400mAh battery and support 25W fast charging, as well as fast wireless charging. Additional features include Samsung DeX and Samsung Pay.

Samsung is set to officially unveil the Galaxy Z Fold 5, along with the Galaxy Z Flip 5, during the upcoming Galaxy Unpacked event, generating considerable excitement among tech enthusiasts.

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(Source, Via)

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HP had just announced a couple of new thin and light laptop models for the Indian market. The new HP and Pavilion series notebooks arrive to fulfill a variety of different requirements for the modern youth and we had the opportunity to try these out ourselves. So here’s our hands on and first impressions of these laptops.

HP 14 & 15

Starting off the new launches, the company announced the new HP 14 and 15 models. These new notebooks arrive as the latest entry level models. As the name suggests, the two laptops feature a 14 inch and 15 inch displays. But despite their affordable price tag, the two models still feature a thin and light design along with a metallic build quality, which is great for its affordable starting price tag of 39,999 INR.

The HP 14 weighs just 1.4 kilograms, while the 15 weighs around 1.6 kilograms for portability. While it was quite light, the laptop still felt pretty solid with an added premium touch thanks to its metallic build. Although, these models didn’t feel as robust as their more expensive Pavilion series models. I tried out the typing on these laptops and it was surprisingly a good experience. These also felt quite responsive which is likely thanks to their 13th Gen Intel Core processors.

Pavilion x360

The Pavilion x360 series has been a popular entry in the Pavilion series thanks to its 360 degree hinge, which enables it to offer a 2 in 1 laptop form factor. The 2 in 1 basically implies that the Pavilion x360 can function as a regular laptop and even in a tablet mode thanks to its touchscreen display. In our hands on with this model, the user experience was pretty smooth. The laptop was snappy and its 360 hinge meant that we also got to test out the touchscreen.

Having used 2 in 1 laptops in the past, I know that such models are quite versatile and the Pavilion x360 offers a great experience in both its tablet and laptop mode. Again, the typing experience was top notch on this model as well and its metallic build quality also offered a good premium experience overall. Notably, this model still weighs just 1.41 kilograms, which is quite light. The Pavilion x360 has a starting price tag of 57,999 INR.

Pavilion Plus 14

Finally arriving at the most expensive model that was announced today, the HP Pavilion Plus 14 was announced with some notable specs and features. The new model features a great metal build quality that offers a true premium feel and design. One of the biggest features of this model is the inclusion of the OLED display that offers great colors and image quality. This 14 inch OLED panel also offers 2.8K resolution and up to 90Hz refresh rate.

Simply put, the higher refresh rate and better display panel basically offered an impressive viewing experience. Apart from this, the only other aspect I really got to play around with was the keyboard and it was a decent experience overall. One thing that was odd is that this laptop was the only model that runs on the older 12th Gen Intel Core processors while the rest on the 13th Gen processors. This model is the most expensive out of the four new models, and starts from 81,999 INR.

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Infinix had just held a launch event to announced two new smartphones in India. During this conference, the company unveiled its first ever flagship smartphone for the Indian market. So here is our hands on and first impressions of the Zero Ultra. Keep in mind that this is not a full review and just a first look.

With the Zero Ultra model, it is clear that the two highlighting aspect of the smartphone that immediately stand out (apart from its whopping 180W fast charging) is undoubtedly its design and display. We were invited to the launch event and had the chance to test out the device in our hands. The Zero Ultra model is available in two variants, namely Coslight Silver and Genesis Noir, with both of them featuring a different rear panel and color palette. We used both of the devices and let’s just say the Genesis Noir is the star of the day.

The Coslight Silver had unique grooves on a white panel that shimmered under the light. This panel was surrounded by a metallic frame, which adds to its premium feel and experience. On the other hand, the Genesis Noir also features a similar frame but with a dual tone back that consists mostly of a glossy glass panel along with a textured leather like material. This makes it look quite elegant and feels great in your hands. Meanwhile, the front sports a tall 6.8 inch Curved AMOLED display that has a high 120Hz refresh rate.

Curved screens aren’t as common even in flagship devices, and for a price tag of 29,999 INR, it makes this model feel a lot more premium. We didn’t get to use the device for too long, but we did play around with the cameras as well. In this segment, the Infinix Zero Ultra is the only model to offer a large 200 megapixel primary camera, which is a Samsung sensor and also offers OIS (Optical Image Stabilization). While a proper camera review wasn’t possible, initial images showed great details in each shot despite the low light environment. So do look out for this model as it drops on December 25 on Flipkart.

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Huawei had recently teased a new smartwatch called the Watch GT Cyber, which is set to launch with the P50 Pocket S foldable smartphone. But ahead of the official announcement, the hands on images of the upcoming smartwatch have been leaked. So let’s have a look.

The news arrives from a known tipster @RODENT950 who shared hands on images with the Watch GT Cyber on Twitter. Looking at the image, we can we that the new smartwatch will come with a sporty look. Furthermore, the design language also makes it appear a bit bulky as well. Although, the live images showcase that the Chinese tech giant did not exaggerate anything in the marketing materials, so the design is exactly what was teased before.

The most interesting aspect of the Watch GT Cyber is the disconnecting dial, which can be dismounted from its external case. These leaked images show that this external part is quite big and would even dwarf the Apple Wach Ultra. The images also showed a digital crown with a crown guard, but no other physical buttons are visible. It is also unclear if the new smart wearable will support replaceable straps and other accessories.

As of right now, the Huawei Watch GT Cyber is only expected to be launched in China. So, it is unknown if the brand will be releasing this model outside of its home market. But if the company does go for a global launch, it will take at least a few months. The Watch GT Cyber is set to launch alongside the P50 Pocket S foldable phone, with the annuncement set for November 2.

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While the Oppo Reno 8 series was first announced in China back in May 2022, the smartphone is just now making its way to the Indian market. But prior to its release, the hands on images of the Indian variant of the Reno 8 5G has been leaked, which showcases the design of the device in all its glory.

The hands on images were shared by known tipster Mukul Sharma, who posted the images on Twitter. Looking at the tweet, we can see multiple images of the upcoming Reno 8 5G model from the front, back, and even the side. This reveals the complete design of the handset, with the front featuring a punch hole selfie camera on the top left corner while the rear houses a triple camera setup on a large island module.

The Reno 8 5G model seen in the hands on images is the black color variant. Talking about the smartphone itself, the base model of the series is confirmed to be equipped with a MediaTek Dimensity 1300 SoC that will arrive with up to 12GB of RAM and up to 256GB of internal storage. As per a previous leak, the device will be offered in India in two color options, namely Shimmer Gold and Shimmer Black.

The handset sports a 6.43 inch AMOLED display that features FHD+ resolution. Meanwhile, the rear features a triple camera setup that consists of a 50 megapixel primary sensor, 8 megapixel ultra wide angle lens, and a 2 megapixel macro shooter. The device will be powered by a 4,500mAh battery pack that supports 80W fast charging. Oppo’s Reno 8 series is set to be unveiled in India on 18th July 2022, so stick around for more as we will be covering the launch event.

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Last week, Redmi debuted the highly anticipated Redmi K50 and Redmi K50 Pro smartphones in China. The devices come with impressive spec sheets and feature new SoCs from MediaTek, so we at the Gizmochina team got our hands on these new devices as fast as we could to share with you our first impressions.

Redmi K50 and Redmi K50 Pro Unboxing:

Redmi K50 Pro full review:

The devices come with similar minimalist packaging to the previous generation and have the K50 and K50 Pro model names printed on the box. On the side, the box informs us of the charging capabilities and the screen resolution of the devices. Redmi’s fire-breathing dinosaur mascot Kino greets you when you open the box, and below it, we find the smartphones themselves. The box also includes USB type-C cables and a 67W charger for the K50 and a relatively bigger 120W charger for the K50 Pro.

Coming to the phones themselves, the K50 and the K50 Pro look very similar to each other in terms of screen and design. The only thing that differentiates the two is the main sensor’s camera resolution, which is written below the camera module. Additionally, the camera module looks pretty similar to devices like the iQOO 8 series and the Xiaomi CIVI but with a different camera arrangement. The devices feel pretty comfortable in the hand. However, it is worth mentioning that the side frames of the devices are made of plastic, which doesn’t feel as good as the metal frames.

On the front, the two devices are indistinguishable as they both feature a flat 6.7-inch 2K (3200x1400p) 120Hz Samsung AMOLED display with pretty narrow bezels and a small punch hole for the selfie camera centered at the top. The phones slightly disappoint as they don’t have an in-display fingerprint sensor and are rather fitted with a side-mounted one on the power button.

The 2K display on the vanilla K50 makes it especially attractive as it also offers Dolby Vision and supports HDR content with a max brightness of 1200nits just like the Pro variant. Both the K50 and K50 Pro have Gorilla Glass Victus protection for their screens. The devices get a dual speaker setup for stereo audio output that comes certified by Dolby Atmos.

Coming to what’s under the hood, the K50 comes with the newly launched MediaTek Dimensity 8100 SoC, which has been receiving much praise as of late. The SoC is based on TSMC’s 5nm node, which gives it better thermals and power efficacy than the Snapdragon 870, while the SoC is churning out performance close to that of the Snapdragon 888.

The K50 Pro, on the other hand, houses a Dimensity 9000 chipset which goes head to head with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chip while outperforming it in various metrics.

Redmi K50 & K50 Pro benchmark results

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We quickly ran some benchmarks on the two devices to get an idea of their performance. In the 3DMark Wild Life test, the Redmi K50 Pro scored 7983 points while the vanilla K50 managed a score of 5705 points. In the more CPU-intensive Geekbench 5 tests, the K50 Pro scored 1299 on the single-core test and 4454 on the multicore test. Coming back to the vanilla K50, it scored 982 points on the single-core test and 3734 points on the multi-core test.

The power solution on these devices is also interesting, as the K50 gets a bigger 5500mAh battery with a comparatively slower 67W fast charging support, the K50 Pro features a 5000mAh battery with super-fast 120W charging.

Last but not the least, the camera setup on both devices feature optical image stabilization for the main lenses. The Pro version features a 108MP primary snapper accompanied by an 8MP ultra-wide camera and a 2MP macro camera. The vanilla version gets a 48MP primary coupled with an 8MP ultrawide and a 2MP macro shooter.

The smartphones genuinely seem quite amazing as far as first impressions go, and they might turn out to be true flagship killers of the current generation of smartphones. However, we would like to conduct more tests on it, like testing out the battery performance, the performance of the devices under prolonged use, the camera quality in various scenarios, and also the sound quality of their stereo speakers. For all this and more, stay tuned for the upcoming detailed review of the Redmi K50 and K50 Pro devices.

We are also giving away the Redmi AirDots 3 Pro Genshin Impact limited edition TWS earbuds, so if you are interested, you can participate by following this link.

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It has become quite difficult to get good quality ANC headphones under $40 budget. In the era of earbuds, there are still a handful of quality headphones available at an affordable price. Zeaplus Studio wireless headphone is among those sound accessories which can offer you a decent sound experience carrying excellent design for $39 $29.99 (coupon: ZS10ANC until Dec. 31). We have got the Zeaplus Studio and here’s our first impression and hands-on experience of the product.

Must See: Zeaplus Studio Wireless headphones with Active Noise-Cancelling available for $39

Zeaplus Studio vs Sony WH-1000XM4

The beautifully designed Bluetooth headphones offer an immersive sound experience using 40mm audio driver. It resembles Sony WH-1000XM4 in design and features too. Zeaplus Studio offers 26 hours of battery backup while the Sony WH-1000XM4 gives 30 hours of standby. Both the headphones offer Bluetooth 5.0 support for better connectivity and efficiency. The presence of Active Noise Cancellation also sets it apart from the similar priced non-ANC offerings. Zeaplus Studio ANC headphones works up to a range of 10m.

Design

The ergonomic design of Zeaplus Studio makes it easy to wear comfortably. It also carries an extended headband for better usability as the user can adjust the size accordingly. Zeaplus Studio headphones carry memory foam cushions around the speakers to enhance the audio experience and aids in better noise cancellation.

It comes with a headphone cover to keep it safe and sound from sudden impacts and dust. The joints are 90-degree rotatable both horizontally and vertically making it best-fit for varying sizes. Moreover, the dedicated cushioning on the top side enhances its overall experience as it acts as support on the head. The quality cushioning material present on all the sides gives it a more premium look.

The device features four different buttons for better device control. Its Multi-function button allows the user to pause/play, call/redial/reject, and power on/off the device. The volume buttons allow to change the track along with the usual volume control. However, the pairing is also controlled using the MFC button. There’s a dedicated ANC button at the side of the speaker to toggle the Active Noise Cancellation feature.

Features

Zeaplus Studio is a 2-in-1 headphone as it can be used both via a wire and even wirelessly. Its 5000 mAh battery provides a battery backup of up to 16 hours if the ANC feature is turned on, and 25 hours if it is disabled. Meanwhile, the wired connection using 3.5mm AUX can give you a battery backup of up to 40 hours.

On the right side of the device, you will get all the physical buttons to control the Zeaplus headphones. The ANC toggle, AUX port or 3.5mm jack, volume rockers, and MFB buttons are present on the right side. Meanwhile, the USB-Type C charging port resides on the left-side speaker.

Price

The Sony WH-1000XM4 lookalike, Zeaplus Studio is available for the affordable price of $39 $29.99 (coupon: ZS10ANC until Dec. 31). The new Zeaplus Studio can be a really attractive over-ear headphone in its price segment, especially because of its features, audio quality, and comfortable design. You can grab it for $39 $29.99 (early bird discount) from its official website in Black color.

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The OnePlus 8 series has already garnered a lot of hype. And now, a YouTube content creator by the name of MKBHD (AKA Marques Brownlee) brings us the first hands on video of the OnePlus 8 Pro. This arrives just before the official launch event, while a leak reveals promotional poster images for the base and Pro variants.

Here’s my OnePlus 8 Pro

Stay tuned for the full review: https://t.co/mcJj2dJUan pic.twitter.com/HS4d2zeOMP

— Marques Brownlee (@MKBHD) April 13, 2020

In a tweet by the tech channel, Marques shared a short video where he showcased the OnePlus 8 Pro. Unfortunately, while the company gave MKBHD the exclusive right to reveal the hands on video before its launch, they had him cover every part of the phone except its display. For those unaware, the OnePlus 8 Pro features a QHD+ (1440p) display with a high refresh rate of 120Hz and a 240Hz touch sampling rate.

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OnePlus apparently wanted the focus of the video to be the display and it clearly is, with its curved AMOLED screen that also supports HDR 10+. The in-display fingerprint scanner also made a return and according to MKBHD, the display is “noticeably brighter than last year’s phone.” Interestingly, the cutouts for the ports of the device, however, revealed a bright blue color underneath. Furthermore, even the camera bump is in line with previous leaks that we have reported on. So, it is highly likely to be the same designs that have been covered.

Another set of leaked promotional poster images (via stufflistings) has also surfaced online recently as well. The images reveal the OnePlus 8 Pro with the same curved edge display. Notably, unlike the MKBHD video which had the top portion of the display being covered, the poster images clearly depict a punch hole camera on the front. The images showcase both the base version and the high-end Pro version as well, with the difference being the additional sensor on the premium variant.

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Vivo has just launched the latest iteration of its Apex concept smartphone series, the Apex 2020. It arrives with top notch specs and some very unique and one of its kind features. So here’s a couple of hands on images of the newly unveiled device.

Waterfall Display and a Unique Aesthetic

Right off the bat, the most prominent feature one will notice on the Vivo Apex 2020 is its display. The entirety of the front is mostly covered by its display, which the company has dubbed as the “FullView Edgeless Display.” It is an extension of its Waterfall display which was also seen in the Nex 3, a commercial version of the Apex 2019. However, what differs from the latter is that the degree of curve, which is an impressive 120 degrees over the 88 degrees found in the previous iteration.

This alongside the under display selfie camera on the front allows Vivo to offer a completely immersive viewing experience. The notch on the top and the chin on the bottom are barely noticeable while the sides are wrapped by the display. It also means that the company has achieved a very high screen to body ratio. For dimensions, the Apex 2020 is 157.25 × 66.2 × 8.8mm and weighs 169 grams in total.

The Gimbal Stabilized Camera and Colors

Another great innovation found in the Vivo Apex 2020 is its primary camera module on the rear. Being inspired by a chameleon’s eyes, the company built a camera system that offers a complete optical zoom of 5x to 7.5x thanks to its moving lenses. This, in turn, has the rear camera module being housed in a circular format. Notably, the company has made the device in both Black and White colors.

Editor’s Pick: Vivo Apex 2020 is finally here, features a unique Camera, 60W Wireless fast charging and Curved display

Here is where things get interesting, the white variant clearly highlights the camera module on the rear. Thus, the Apex 2020 resembles an advanced and 2020 version of the Nokia Lumia 1020. The latter was known to feature a whopping 41 megapixel camera, something that was not seen until years after. Nokia’s Lumia 1020 represented innovation and possible growth in smartphone photography, and the Apex 2020 is another perfect example of the same.

Apart from this, a recurring aspect of the Vivo Apex series also makes a return here. The Apex 2020 has no seams, ports or buttons. Meaning, the smartphone is almost completely made out of a single cut, giving it a very minimalistic design as well. No ports include no charging port either, and this where the company pulled out its trump card of 60W wireless fast charging.

Quick Specs

The Vivo Apex 2020 features Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 865 SoC under the hood. For memory, it houses 12GB of RAM and 256GB of internal storage. It sports a 1080p resolution and runs the latest Android 10 OS. Its front camera is a 16 megapixel sensor while the rear houses a 48 megapixel primary lens and a telephoto lens with varying optical magnification capabilities.

UP NEXT: Vivo Z6 5G with SD765G, 48MP quad cameras, 5,000mAh battery for 44W fast charging launched for 2,298 Yuan

(Source:1,2)

The post Vivo Apex 2020 Hand on Images showcase the Waterfall curved display and new Camera module appeared first on Gizmochina.

Huawei launched an event for releasing Huawei P30 series in Shanghai yesterday. This latest series was released weeks ago in Paris, but the event still attracts lots of people to focus. Now we get the Huawei P30 Aurora variant and Huawei P30 Pro Breathing Crystal variant. Let’s check out the Huawei P30 series hands-on!

The packaging boxes of Huawei P30 series are white color with Huawei’s logo, the product name, Leica logo and other hot stamping words. It’s very simple.

Huawei P30 series come with dewdrop display with narrow bezels, so the screen-to-body ratio is quite good. Huawei P30 has a 6.1-inch OLED screen, and the Huawei P30 Pro comes with 6.47-inch OLED screen with a double 3D curved glass body.

Look at the fantastic rear panel.As we all know, P series is the high-end flagship of Huawei, which takes fashion, art and technology into account. And the Huawei P30 series follows the fashion and absorbing of P series.

Like Huawei P20, P30 series still keeps the gradient color design. The Huawei P30 and P30 Pro in my hand are adopt gradient color design, which will show a brilliant color change effect with the different angle of light. The Breathing Crystal is the new color tending to be pink-white, but it will turn to lavender with different angle of light. The official said that the idea comes from nature.

The sides of the P30 series come with premium stainless steel with polished surface that the unity of glass panel and sides is quite good.

On the top of the Huawei P30, there are an antenna partition and a noise-cancelling microphone. A speaker, an antenna partition, a USB Type-C port, a speaking microphone and a 3.5mm earphone jack are placed on the bottom side. The SIM card slot is at the left side and the volume key and the power key are at the right side. Following the Huawei P20, the red elongated groove in the power button is eye-catching.

Different from the P30, there are a volume key and a power button at the Huawei P30 Pro’s right side, but there is no physical button at the left side. Also, the SIM card slot is set on the bottom side. In addition, Huawei P30 Pro has an infrared emitter on the top side. Different external design means that they have different interior design.

In conclusion, Huawei P30 series has more mature design. After the accumulation of multi-generation products, fashion and elegance have become the labels of P series, and Huawei P30 series is the best performance of these labels.

Check out more photos of the Huawei P30 series down below!

Huawei P30

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Huawei P30 Pro

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The post Huawei P30 and P30 Pro Hands On: Beautiful, Elegant and Attractive Phone! appeared first on Gizmochina.

OnePlus 6T is officially here and China is the only major market where the phone is yet to release (November 2). For the past few years, the company has consistently manufactured best sellers. In recent years, the popularity of its phones have grown ten fold. But will the OnePlus 6T, a phone that replaces the five-month-old OP6, live up to our expectations?

Short answer is that it does! I managed to play around with the device at launch in India yesterday and things look really good. The phone is essentially the OP6 at heart. It’s a more refined version of an already good device, making the 6T an excellent find at its aggressive selling price. In simple terms, if the OnePlus 6 was modular, you would just have to replace a few parts to get to the OnePlus 6T. I sympathize with the OP6 owners, I mean, we really need a modular OnePlus device. Wouldn’t it be awesome if we could just swap out some parts instead of having to buy a brand new phone to keep ourselves updated?

That said, what’s a really good question is whether the OP6T is worth upgrading from the OP6.

Well, in a lot of ways, the OnePlus 6T has a lot to offer, even for existing OnePlus 6 users! You won’t get a long list of changes as compared to its predecessor, but these changes, albeit few, future proofs the phone for quite some time.

Let’s see these changes in detail in the OnePlus 6T hands on down below.

OnePlus 6T Hands-On

OnePlus 6T hasn’t changed much in terms of its looks when compared to its predecessor. In fact, when you hold the phone, it feels exactly like the OnePlus 6. The two variants, Midnight Black (Matte) and Mirror Black (high gloss) are the same as the older model. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t any differences.

The notched display is much better looking. Waterdrop really works for me personally, much better than the standard ugly notches. When I was reviewing the OnePlus 6, I started to ignore the notch after a day or two, and it became just an extension of the display. But every now and then, I would look at that notch and would hope that there was a better alternative to it.

Fast forward a few months and we saw OPPO refine what essential did with the notch, and OnePlus (unsurprisingly) hooked the 6T to this design. Until we get to a point where front cameras go under the display, the waterdrop notch seems to be our best alternative. Before you start talking about slider phones, personally, I don’t think they are here to stay. Adding moving parts to a smartphone-like device is never a permanent solution and this will likely be just a phase before we move on to in display cameras or something better.

The second change is the fingerprint sensor that goes from the back of the phone to the front, right inside the display.  I didn’t get a lot of time to play around with the sensor in the demo area, but the initial experience was pretty positive. OnePlus seems to have improved on the available in display fingerprint technology to make it usable for everyday purposes. I say usable because it’s still a bit slower than a traditional fingerprint sensor. But in display sensors are the way forward and the OnePlus 6T could definitely be the phone that brought this technology to the mass market. Samsung is also going to jump to this technology next year and I’m sure pretty soon, it will become standard among flagships.

You’d definitely miss the headphone jack. But that’s another step forward than backward. I know many here would disagree with this statement but Bluetooth seems to be the future. As smartphones become more advanced and compact, companies will try to squeeze out things that have alternate options. Bluetooth headphones have come a long way and they have a lot more to go, but this is probably a good time to switch.

OnePlus 6 came with gesture support and it was good enough for daily use. The new OnePlus 6T improves the same gestures with better animations making the overall navigation fluid and quick.

In the camera department, there are two major improvements. One is ‘Nightscape’ for better low light photography (it essentially boosts ISO and exposure) and the other one is studio lighting for better selfies. Both need to be tested extensively to determine whether they are really new features or just gimmicks. But in general, don’t expect anything out of the ordinary in comparison to the older model.

The bigger battery is really going to boost that battery life. It’s not that the OP6 had a bad battery life, but the 6T is going to take things to the next level, leaving behind expensive competitors like S9 or even the Pixel 3 XL. Also, did you notice the About Phone section (picture in the gallery below)? That’s different than any other UI out there!

Overall, the OP6T feels like a worthy update to an already good device. We’ll look at the phone in detail in an in-depth review soon!

Till then, more OnePlus 6T Hands-on pictures are down below!

[envira-gallery id=”220318″]

The post OnePlus 6T Hands On: You’ve got Solid Reasons to Upgrade appeared first on Gizmochina.

The launch of the Nokia 6 smartphone marked the brand’s re-entry into the ever competitive mobile devices market. It was an important phone for HMD Global, and to some extent, the phone managed to do well in multiple markets. Agreed, the specs were unimpressive, with a low-end SD430 powering the device, but all its flaws in the hardware department would be forgiven for its stellar built quality and experience.

Now, the new generation Nokia 6 2018 is here, and this time around, the company has made some important upgrades. The hardware gets a much needed boost, and the design gets a few changes like thinner bezels, bringing it closer to recently launched smartphones. But not too close, since it still features a 16:9 display.

So, the company has retained what was good about the first generation Nokia model and added a few optimisations, like in the camera department.

HMD Global has carried forward the strong built quality of the first generation model, using a 6000 series aluminium alloy body with CNC moulding. As you can see in the Nokia 6 Hands on pictures, the metal frame gets orange accents, and so do the camera housing and fingerprint sensor. This adds a splash of color to the black body. The quality of workmanship remains the same, so the built quality is sturdy and strong. This is what we expected, since the first gen. Nokia 6 was one of the most durable smartphones of 2017.

Though the built quality is as strong as ever, there are a few changes in the design of the new generation Nokia 6 2018. The phone ditches the physical home button up front, making way for a 16:9 display. Note that the screen size remains the same, which also means that the device has become more compact. The phone features the following dimensions: 148.8 x 75.8 x 8.2 mm which makes it smaller than the first gen. model with dimensions: 154 x 75.8 x 7.9 mm. Yes, the new model is a bit thicker, but overall, the phone feels like a compact 5.5-incher.

Since you no longer have the fingerprint sensor up front, it goes to the back of the phone. The placement of the sensor is comfortable for everyday use, but there are times that you might accidentally touch the flash instead of the sensor that lies below. But don’t worry, this happens only in the initial period, until you get used to the placement of the sensor.

On the right side, you have the power and volume buttons, while the left side has the hybrid dual SIM card slot. The top features the dedicated 3.5mm headphone jack.

At the bottom of the phone, you have a USB Type-C port along with speakers. Note that the first gen. model had a MicroUSB 2.0 port, so this is an upgrade.

Overall, the new design builds on what was already good about the first generation Nokia 6. With a solid SD630 processor and 4GB of RAM powering the new model, the performance is pretty snappy as well. We are currently taking a few samples from the device and those should be up very soon.

Meanwhile check out more Nokia 8 2018 hands on images down below.

The post Nokia 6 2018 Hands On: A Refreshing Upgrade To A Solid Design appeared first on Gizmochina.

A week ago, Xiaomi unveiled its first affordable phone with an 18:9 near-borderless display. The Xiaomi Redmi 5 was also announced alongside Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus. Someone might already think that the Plus version, due to its mid-end specs and its wide display, will replace the Redmi Note 5. In this article, you can find our first Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus Hands on pictures to see its design in a detailed way.

The screen is surely the biggest innovation of this phone if we compare it with its predecessor. While Redmi 4 Pro had a small 5-inch panel, this handset offers a huge 5.99-inch display (just like Xiaomi Mi Mix 2!) with an 18:9 aspect ratio and a Full HD+ resolution of 1080 x 2160 pixels. Even though the display is big, the phone remains quite compact due to its narrow bezels which reminds me of LG G6 (dimensions: 158.8 x 75.45 x 8.05, weight: 179.5 grams). If you buy the Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus, you will have to say goodbye to capacitive keys outside the screen, while the front camera remains at the same place, alongside the front speaker for calls.

The body of Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus is entirely made of aluminum and it is not so different from the one of Xiaomi Redmi Note 4, but the look and the ergonomics have been improved with more rounded borders. The rear side houses a single camera with a resolution of 12 MP which has a gold rim as you can see in the photos, but it is not gold-plated like the one of Xiaomi Mi Mix 2. Under the camera, you can find a dual LED, dual-tone flash, and a circular fingerprint reader just like other midrange Xiaomi phones. On the upper side, Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus has a 3.5 mm audio jack for headphones and an IR sensor to use it as a remote.

On the left side, there is a dual SIM tray: the phone sports a hybrid dual SIM slot, you can choose to use the second slot as an additional SIM slot or a micro SD slot to expand the internal storage. On the right side you can find the volume rocker and the power key, while on the lower part there is a micro USB port to charge the battery (yes… still micro), the mono speaker and the microphone. The Gold variant in the photos is not the only color option, there is also a Rose Gold variant, a Black, and a Blue one. Other specs include a Snapdragon 625 SoC, 3 or 4 GB of RAM, 32 or 64 GB of internal storage (depending on the variant) and a 4000 mAh battery. The listing price in China goes from 151 to 196 dollars.

More Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus hands on pictures below!

The post Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus Hands On: Full Screen For Cheap! appeared first on Gizmochina.

The most interesting phone Alcatel had to show at MWC was the Alcatel A5 LED model.

The highlight of the phone is the back panel, which can light up in a lot of different ways. Alcatel calls the Alcatel A5 LED “The world’s first interactive LED-covered smartphone”.

That means that the LED will light up when you receive all sorts of notifications e.g. phone calls, messages etc.

Also, the LEDs will light according to the music you listen to. In addition, you will be able to customize the LED lights in a lot of different ways.

Another key feature is the 5MP front-facing camera that has the LED light for night selfies.

Although the phone is made of plastic, it looks and feels great in the hand.

The key specs include a 5.2” 720P display, an octa-core Mediatek MT6753 CPU, 2GB RAM and 16GB of expandable storage. Also, the phone has an 8MP camera on the back. Finally, the device has a 2800 mAh battery.

I spent just 15 mins with the device but so far it seems that the UI is clean and fast, there are no hiccups or lag.

The A5 LED will be available in Europe from May onwards for 199 EUR.

The Alcatel A3 is aimed at budget-minded users. The phone will be available in Europe from May onwards for 149 Euros.

The device is made of plastic but it has nice metal frame that goes all around the device.

The key specs include a 5.0” 720P display, a quad-core MediaTek MT6737 CPU, 1.5GB or RAM and 16GB of expandable storage. Also, the phone has a 13MP camera on the back along with the fingerprint scanner. Finally, the device has a 2460 mAh battery.

Another device that Alcatel released carries U5 model name. The Alcatel U5 will be available in Europe from May onwards for 99 Euros.

It is one of the cheapest phones the company has made and therefore, it has low-end specs like Mediatek MT6737M chip, 1GB of RAM and just 8GB of expandable storage.

Still, the phone has a textured back cover and it feels great in the hand. The user interface has preserved most of the stock Android looks and so far it seems nice and fast.

We will soon get the phones for the review, so stay to Gizmochina!

The post Alcatel A5 LED Hands On: The world’s first interactive LED-covered smartphone appeared first on Gizmochina.

Moto G lineup has been one of the most successful in the budget segment of smartphones. Lenovo just launched the G5 and G5 Plus at MWC Barcelona, let’s take a quick look at them.

Although the design has changed a little, you can clearly see that the phones follow Motorola’s design language.

The Moto G5 may feel a bit plasticky compared to the G5 Plus since it uses more metal in the construction. Still, both phones look and feel substantial in the hand and comfortable to hold.

In addition, the G5 Plus is a tad bigger since it has a 5.2” display as opposed to the 5” screen found on the G5. Both panels are covered with the Gorilla Glass 3 for scratch resistance.

Also, the G5 Plus has more sheer power as it uses a Snapdragon 625 chip in comparison the 430 processor used in the G5.

The G5 will have 16/32GB storage options and 2/3GB of RAM while the G5 Plus will come in the either 32 or 64GB storage options.

Another department where the G5 Plus takes the lead is the camera. The phone uses a 12MP shooter with a f/1.7 lens whereas the G5 has a 13MP snapper with f/2.0 lens.

One of my favorite features on both phones is the software. Each device runs on the stock Android 7.0 out of the box with a few added features. For example, we have the gesture controls that work very well. There’s also support for the new Google Assistant, so you’ll be able to send messages, make calls, navigate, manage everyday tasks and more, just by holding the Home button.

Both devices will launch internationally but only the G5 Plus is going to make it to the U.S market. The G5 will cost about 199 EUR in Europe while the G5 Plus will cost around $250 in the US. Both devices will be available for purchase some time in March.

So far both phones have been very fast and responsive, they look and feel great but these are just the first impressions. Make sure to stay tuned to Gizmochina for the full reviews.

The post Lenovo Moto G5 & G5 Plus Hands On: Improved Built, Stock Android UI appeared first on Gizmochina.

Xiaomi surprised everyone today, not with the Xiaomi Mi Note 2, but with a new concept smartphone, the Xiaomi Mix. While initially, we thought that this was just a concept device that we may never get to see in real life, the company soon revealed that the phone is real and will be up for sale as well.

Till now, we have seen a few amazing renders of this full screen (except for a small portion at the bottom) smartphone, but the company also seems to have showcased the device at the event location. We have got some hands on images of the Xiaomi Mix, and it looks like a great smartphone.

READ MORE: Xiaomi Unveils A Smart VR Headset for 199 Yuan

We have already mentioned all of the specs and features of the Mix in detail, which you can check out from our launch article. To recap, the Mix comes with Snapdragon 821, 6GB RAM, a huge 6.4-inch display and a 16MP rear camera.

Below, you can check out the Xiaomi Mix hands on images.

The post The Amazing Xiaomi Mix Hands On Images: Full Screen Beauty With Ceramic Body appeared first on Gizmochina.

Teclast has been known for making some pretty good cheap Android Tablets. The X98 Plus II is one of their latest offerings and it brings quite a lot of value to the table for less than $150. Learn more in our full review.

Thanks to Bangood.com for sending Teclast X98 Plus II for a review. 

We are happy to provide Gizmochina readers with a generous $30 off coupon code that you will find at the end of this review.

Teclast X98 Plus II Review: VIDEO REVIEW

[embedyt] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6DUzSRDL7I[/embedyt]

Teclast X98 Plus II Review: UNBOXING

The tablet ships with a charging brick, which has the power output of 2.5A, some paperwork and USB OTG cable. In addition to the regular micro USB cable, Teclast included a proprietary cable for fast charging.

Teclast X98 Plus II Review: SPECS

Teclast X98 Plus II Review: DESIGN and DISPLAY

The Teclast tablet sports a 9.7” display, which makes the tablet similar to the iPad Air in terms of the size.

Speaking of the display, we have a 2048×1536 IPS LCD panel, which is sharp and has a decent colour reproduction. However, the display is a little bit reflective if you use the tablet outdoors.

Just above the display, there is a 2MP selfie camera. The tablet has only on-screen navigation buttons like many other cheap tablets.

The tablet sports a metal backplate, which adds a little bit of a premium look and feel. It has a somewhat textured coating and thus, it does not attract fingerprints so easily.

On the top, there are all the ports that include a headset jack, DC power input, HDMI and micro USB ports, and the microSD card slot.

As far as camera, we only have a 2MP shooter.

The loudspeakers sit on the back and I was not blown away be the quality of sound as it lacks depth and balance. On the other hand, most of the cheap tablets have mediocre sounding speakers.

All the buttons are on the right side of the tablet. Although they feel a bit plasticky, the buttons have a good tactile feedback.

Overall, the tablet is well-built and the addition of metal in its construction, makes it look even a bit more expensive than it is.

Teclast X98 Plus II Review: BENCHMARKS

Teclast X98 Plus II Review: HARDWARE and PERFORMANCE

The tablet has really good specs for the price. It sports a quad-core Intel Cherry Trail Z8300 chip with the max. clock speeds of 1.8GHz, 2GB of RAM and 32GB of expandable storage.

I am very impressed with the way this tablet handles 3D games given the fact that the device has to push a lot of pixels.

Games like Asphalt 8, Modern Combat 5 run absolutely fine on the highest graphics. The tablet gets just a little warm but this fact does not alter the performance even after 40 mins of intensive gaming.

Teclast X98 Plus II Review: USER INTERFACE

The downside of the Teclast tablet is that it runs on the outdated Android 5.1. On the other hand, the device runs fast and fluid on the daily basis.

We have a pretty much stock-looking Android interface and there are not many added features to talk about. However, I was disappointed that the tablet ships with some Chinese bloatware. Also, the OTA updater app does not seem to work for some reason.

Teclast X98 Plus II Review: CAMERAS

Both cameras on this tablet are quite terrible. I understand the fact that there aren’t too many people who use their tablets for taking pictures with the back camera but I want to see a better front facing cameras even on the cheapest tablets.

You may get some usable photos with this tablet but the image quality will not impress you.

Teclast X98 Plus II Review: CONNECTIVITY

I have the Wifi-only version of the tablet and I don’t have major complaints about connectivity. However, the Wifi range could be slightly better.

Teclast X98 Plus II Review: BATTERY LIFE

The tablet sports a generous 7800mAh battery that performs quite well.

I could get over 5 hours of screen-on time when I used the device for browsing the web, playing a few 3D games and running benchmarks, so I would say that the battery life is pretty good.

Teclast X98 Plus II Review: CONCLUSIONS

The Teclast X98 Plus II is a good tablet for less than $150.

It has a nice and sharp display, although it could be a bit less reflective when using outdoors. Also, the device is fast whether you just browse the web or even play some graphically intensive games. Other great features include a good build quality and great battery life.

However, you have to know that the tablet ships with a few pre-installed Chinese bloatware apps, the loudspeakers are far from the best and the cameras will definitely not impress you (like on any other cheap Chinese tablet).

At the end of the day, the Teclast X98 Plus II is still a great cheap China tablet for the price. Sure, it has some shortcomings that are common to most of these cheap tablets but in general, it definitely has more pros than cons.

Currently, Banggood has a generous $30 OFF Coupon: 82abff, which makes the Teclast X98 Plus II tablet a rather compelling offering at the price of just $120. 

The post Teclast X98 Plus II Review – A Solid Cheap Android Tablet! appeared first on Gizmochina.

Last year we finally saw Samsung doing the right thing with its design. The company made the phones that look premium and expensive. This year we have the upgraded Galaxies and the S7 Edge is one of them. Will it once again be one of the best smartphones on the market?

This review is brought to you by TechLineHD.

VIDEO REVIEW:

[embedyt] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KEfBGXWe5zg[/embedyt]

Samsung Galaxy S7 Review:

[embedyt] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vKx1VmuOl_c[/embedyt]

Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge Review: DESIGN and DISPLAY

When it comes to the design, we are looking at the device that has a gorgeous 5.5” 2K display. We all know that Samsung have had one of the best screens on the market and the S7 Edge is no exception. The panel that is covered by the Gorilla Glass 5, is sharp, vibrant, bright and definitely on of the best on any smartphone. 

You will be able to see this great screen even under water as the Galaxy S7 edge is IP68-certified, meaning that it can be used for 30 mins up to 1.5m under water. Also, it can survive a little bit of dust, too. I would say that is a huge advantage over the majority of the competition.

We have a really cool innovation – always-on display and this feature is really neat. Basically, what it does, it shows the clock, calendar and some useful stuff, and this feature uses a very low amount of energy. To be honest, it took me a few days to get used to it as I wanted to turn the display off manually but I really love this feature. 

As the name implies, the display has edges on both sides and it adds a lot of character to the design. Sometimes it even makes an impression that the display is bezel-less.

Of course, there is a functional part of those edges. For example, you can create shortcuts to some tasks, quickly access contacts, news, apps and so on. 

If you swipe your finger along the edge screen while the display is off, you’ll get some other useful info too.

On the front, we have a 5MP selfie shooter, notification LED and other usual stuff. On the bottom, there is a classic Samsung’s button layout – nicely backlit capacitive keys and the physical home button, which also doubles as a fingerprint scanner.

Speaking of which, it is very fast and accurate but I am disappointed that it does not work straight from the standby mode, meaning that you should press the home or power key first.

The back is made of another sheet of Gorilla Glass 5 and the edges of it are also slightly curved. I gotta tell you that those curves make a huge difference in terms of comfort and ergonomics while holding the phone in the hand. 

The camera has 12MP, which sounds like a downgrade but we have all sorts of tech going on here. It has a dual-pixel tech to assure crazy fast auto-focus and believe me, it is the fastest I’ve seen. Also, the camera has OIS, PDAF and a whopping very bright f/1.7 aperture. 

Next to the camera we have the LED flash and a heart rate monitor to help you track your exercise routines.  

The power button, which is on the right along with volume keys, which are on the left, are very clicky and responsive. 

On the bottom, we have the regular ports, the loudspeaker, and neither of them are covered by flaps despite waterproof properties of the phone. 

On the top, there is a secondary mic and the nano SIM and microSD card tray. Yes, Samsung finally brought a cheap storage expansion option and you can add up to 200GB of local storage.

It is quite an interesting choice that we don’t have the IR blaster anymore. Well, I’ve never used it anyway but it was cool knowing it was there on the Galaxy S6. 

Overall, the phone looks amazing and I love the design ot it. It screams premium and it sits comfortably in the hand despite being a device with 5.5”display. However, keep in mind that the glass back attracts fingerprints and smudges very quickly.

Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge Review: UI

See the video review for the UI performance.

When it comes to the UI, we have Samsung’s Touchwiz, which is built on top of Android 6.0 Marshmallow. 

If you’ve used a Samsung device before, you will feel pretty familiar with the user interface. Most importantly, everything is running smoothly most of the times and I didn’t have any lags.

We have a bit cartoonish looking icons, a lot of quick settings toggles and what has become usual to the South-Korean manufacturer, quite a lot of features and customisation options.

Just to name a few, you can quickly launch the camera by double clicking the home button. Also, you can trigger one handed operation if click the home button three times.

There is pop-up window mode or split-screen feature for those who can’t live without multitasking.

There are some other features too. Some of them may sound gimmicky, while others are even called experimental. 

Finally, you can customise your Galaxy device with a variety of different themes, wallpapers and so on.

All in all, the Touchwiz UI runs fast and fluid and I had a pleasant overall experience. However, it uses around 8GB of internal storage, which is too much I would say. 

Also, the RAM management is not yet perfect. Seriously, this is 4GB RAM phone and there is only 1.2GB of RAM free after killing all the background tasks? Hopefully, this is what Samsung is going to fix with the software update soon.

Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge Review: BENCHMARKS

Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge Review: HARDWARE and PERFORMANCE

The Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge has a few hardware modifications but you can be rest assured that either model will have bleeding edge specifications.

My review unit is the EU model and it sports a home-brewed octa-core Exynos 8890 chip with the clock speeds of up to 2.6GHz, 4GB of RAM and 32GB of expandable storage. 

See the video review for gaming performance.

If you are wondering what this combo of specs is capable of, all 3D games just fly. There is no stutter or any skipped frames, the graphics look awesome and the games load amazingly fast. 

In addition, there is a dedicated Game Tools app that provides some convenient features like the ability to turn off alerts during the game or record the gameplay.

Also, the phone does not heat up at all even after extensive periods of gaming and that is thanks to the Volcano API and liquid-cooling system. 

Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge Review: MULTIMEDIA

When it comes to multimedia consumption, the sound quality via earphones is near excellent and the volume output is loud. However, the external speaker could be slightly louder and it sounds a little bit muffled. I believe that may be due to its waterproof properties. 

Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge Review: CAMERA

CHECK OUT IN-DEPTH CAMERA VIDEO REVIEW:

[embedyt] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQz47PXFxFk[/embedyt]

Once you fire up the camera app, you will be blown away by the blazing fast auto-focus speeds in any light. 

What we have here is typical Samsung, which brings quite a few settings and shooting modes, and you can even download more modes  if you wish. 

One thing I was really disappointed by is that the sensor uses a native 4:3 aspect ratio, meaning that the images will not be full screen if you shoot at the maximum resolution. 

Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge Review: IMAGE QUALITY

When it comes to the actual image quality, it is definitely on of the best in class. The daylight pictures look sharp, have lots of detail, the colour look natural and other aspects like dynamic range and exposure and handled well. 

It is a similar story with indoor and macro shots as the camera manages to capture a great amount of detail despite worse lighting conditions.

The low-light camera performance is fantastic. It not only focuses very fast but also manages to produce great looking photos. Naturally, there is less detail but the level of it is still very good. Also, the noise levels are kept to minimum. The only shortcoming is that the auto post-processing leads to a slight yellow tint in some of the pictures.

The front facing camera takes very good selfies even in low light and that is thanks to the bright aperture.

Both 1080p and 4K videos look stunning. The footage is sharp and very detailed, the OIS does its job very well and the videos are one of the best I’ve seen.

See video review for video samples or see in-depth camera review.

Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge Review: CONNECTIVITY

All the connectivity options that include Wifi, Bluetooth and GPS are working fine. Also, the signal reception is excellent and the call quality is good.

Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge Review: BATTERY

The S7 Edge has a 3600mAh battery and I was curious how it performs with the always-on display.

I gotta tell you that I was quite impressed with the results. I could get over 5 hours of screen-on time while taking lots of pictures, shooting a lot 4k videos, gaming, browsing the web and so on. 

If you need to top up the battery, the phone charges up really fast and that is thanks to the fast charging feature. Also, there is an embedded wireless charging feature that helps cut a few wires.

Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge Review: CONCLUSIONS

So, there you have it, the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge. This is the best Samsung phone ever and definitely on of the best on the market. 

The design is really flashy, the curved screen with the always-on display feature is fantastic, the UI is running fast and the phone has one of the best specs currently available that can handle even the most demanding tasks without a sweat or overheating.

Also, the S7 Edge has awesome camera, a great battery life and yeah, this thing is fully waterproof.

On the other hand, the glass backplate is a huge fingerprint magnet, the UI takes a lot of storage space and uses lots of RAM, and the current state of software does not support Android 6.0’s adaptable storage.  Also, the camera sensor has a native 4:3 aspect ratio and oh boy, this phone is expensive. It costs around $800 and perhaps not everyone is going to buy it.

All in all, the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge is a fantastic phone and it will be one of the best devices out there for months ahead despite having a few shortcomings. Just remember, premium phone comes at a premium price.

This review is brought to you by TechLineHD.

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We were expecting a flagship smartphone from ZTE at MWC 2016, but the company surprised us all by unveiling two new mid-rangers in its popular Blade series. Like the other models in the lineup, the ZTE Blade V7 comes with mid-range specs with a premium design, attracting customers who are looking for a good looking, value for money smartphone.

We had the opportunity to get our hands on the ZTE Blade V7 at MWC 2016 and here’s our initial impressions.

The first thing you notice when you take the Blade V7 in your hands is that the phone looks strikingly similar to the new iPhone models. It comes with 2.5D curved screen up front, with a slightly curved back as well. Further, the positioning of the speakers and microphones gives it a similar look to the new iPhone 6S Plus.

Don’t get me wrong, the phone is well built and fits well in your hand, but its just that it reminds you that the design is not exactly original. But once you get over it, the device as a whole starts to impress.

The power button is located on the right side and the SIM card slot lies on this side as well. The slot is hybrid which means you can insert a MicroSD card in one slot, which transforms your phone into a single SIM device.

The Blade V7 comes with a compact 5.2-inch display with FHD 1080p resolution. Under the hood, the company went with the MT6753 octa-core chipset clocked at 1.3GHz. This is a tried and tested processor, that powers most Chinese mid-rangers in the market. There’s 2GB of RAM on board, 16GB storage and 13MP rear camera with PDAF and dual LED flash. You get a 5MP front facing shooter as well. The phone comes with the latest version of Android 6.0 Marshmallow and features 2500mAh battery.

The post ZTE Blade V7: Hands On With The All Metal Mid-ranger appeared first on Gizmochina.

We had reported a few months back that ZTE was working on a 3D Force Touch smartphone called as the ZTE Axon Mini. However, we had little details about the device since the company decided to keep it a secret till now. Since then, we have seen Force Touch on Huawei Mate S as well as a similar technology branded as 3D on the new iPhones.

Now, more details on the ZTE Axon Mini is official, and the specs show that this will be a upper mid-range device. First of all, the phone will be powered by the Snapdragon 616 octa-core chip with Adreno 405 GPU. There will be a 5.2-inch AMOLED display with 2.5D curved glass and full HD resolution. To aid the processor, it will come with 3GB of RAM and 32 of storage. There will be a 13MP camera with PDAF and 5P Lens at the back and an 8MP sensor up front. Finally, the phone will sport a decent 2800mAh battery at the back.

As you can see, the phone features quite impressive specs. The body is made out of aircraft grade aluminum and looks wise, its almost the same as the other Axon family smartphones. You also get the powerful AKM4961 Hi-Fi audio chip inside. Other highlighted features include voice search, biometric fingerprint and eye print authentication.

The phone will be available in three colors, Ion Gold, Chromium Silver at a starting price tag of $379 & Rose Gold at $399. There’s an NBA themed design option as well, but we have not yet received more details about the customization options available.

We had a quick hands on with the ZTE Axon Mini earlier. You can check out the few pictures down below. We hope to bring you a full review of the device real soon.

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Here, we take a look at the Xiaomi Mi4 Black Edition smartphone.

Unboxing

The Xiaomi Mi4 uses the Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 CPU which has four Krait 400 cores (2.5GHz). It increases operating speed by 14% and offers stronger performance.

This phone’s GPU is the Adreno 330 which is API-supported, and uses OpenGL ES 3.0, OpenCL, Rederscript Compute, and FlexRender.

The Xiaomi Mi4 sports a SHARP/JDI display screen with a high color saturation. Whether you are browsing photos, watching videos, or using certain Apps, the colors in the screen are well-handled.

The Xiaomi Mi4 is 139.2mm long, 68.5mm wide, and 8.9mm thick. It sports a chassis that is made of stainless steel.

This phone sports a 8mp Sony front-facing camera.

The Xiaomi Mi4’s chassis, especially the black version’s, looks pretty good. On the upper right side of the front is an infrared sensor.

On the right side of the phone are the power and volume switches.

On the lower left corner is a Micro USB port.

Here is the speaker.

The Xiaomi MI4 sports a 13mp Sony rear-facing camera.

On the left side is a Micro-SIM slot.

Operating System

The Xiaomi Mi4 uses the new MIUI V6 OS.

The lock screen interface and the usual icons.

So far, this phone’s OS is the MIUI V6 1.2.0 KXDCNBJ (newest stable version) which is based on the Android 4.4.4.

The Xiaomi Mi4’s notification bar

The one we are reviewing is the 16GB version. After restoring it to factory settings, there is about 13.1GB left. For the regular user, 13.1GB is enough to do a lot of things, but for gamers, this might not be enough. They would be better off getting the 64GB version.

The MIUI V6’s phone call interface. Swipe your finger the icons upwards to receive and cut calls.

Benchmark Scores

The Xiami Mi4 Black Edition received a score of 43288 in the AnTuTU benchmark test, which is not really considered a lot now. It also received a 34255 in the Ludashi benchmark test. In the Ludashi HTML5 benchmark test, it received 25173. Finally, it received 10 points in the Ludashi capactive touch test.

Next is the Ludashi screen brightness test.

During the test, a little bright dot was spotted on the lower right side of the screen.

Here is a close-up of it on the green display.

To ensure that it was not just the test’s problem, the reviewer also tested the screen with the Antutu benchmark. The bright dot was still there. Hopefully, Xiaomi can better inspect their products next time.

It received 6681 in its 3D test.

Camera

Here are some sample photos taken using the Xiaomi Mi4 black.

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