LineageOS is one the most popular Android custom ROMs available in the market. The project supports multiple devices, thanks to hardworking developers and maintainers. But unfortunately, as it has begun to work on Android 11 releases, the organization has halted development for Android 9.0 Pie. Due to this move, 24 devices are no longer supported by the LineageOS project.

LineageOS 16.0 based on Android 9.0 Pie was officially released in March 2019. A number of older devices and then newer devices were supported by developers and maintainers over the course of the next year.

Last year, when Android 10-based LineageOS 17.1 was released, select few devices running the previous version of the OS were updated to the latest one. However, 24 of those smartphones and tablets continued to remain on LineageOS 16.0 up until now.

Now, as the project is readying to release LineageOS 18.1 based on Android 11, it has dropped support for Android 9.0 Pie. As a result, the below listed 24 devices are stuck with LineageOS 16.0 unless any new maintainer shows up to update them to LineageOS 17.1 (Android 10).

• ASUS
  • ASUS ZenFone 3
  • ASUS ZenFone Max Pro M1
  • ASUS ZenFone Max Pro M2

• BQ
  • BQ Aquaris X2
  • BQ Aquaris X2 Pro

• HONOR
  • HONOR View10

• HUAWEI
  • HUAWEI P20 Pro
  • HUAWEI P20 Lite
  • HUAWEI P Smart

• Lenovo
  • Lenovo Yoga Tab 3 Plus Wi-Fi
  • Lenovo Yoga Tab 3 Plus LTE

• OPPO
  • OPPO F1 (Intrernational)
  • OPPO R5/R5s (Intrernational)
  • OPPO R7s (International)
  • OPPO R7 Plus (International)

• Redmi
  • Redmi 3S/3X
  • Redmi 4X

• Samsung
  • Samsung Galaxy Grand 2 Duos
  • Samsung Galaxy S5 LTE-A
  • Samsung Galaxy S5 Plus 
  • Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 8.0 WiFi (2016)
  • Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 9.7 WiFi (2016)

• Xiaomi
  • Xiaomi Mi5s

• ZUK
  • ZUK Z1

Anyway, it is worth noting that some of the above-mentioned devices do have unofficial newer LineageOS builds, in addition to other custom ROMs based on Android 10 or Android 11.

Hence, if you are still rocking any of these smartphones and tablets with LineageOS 16.0, it is time for you to switch to another ROM.

RELATED:

• OnePlus One will soon run Android 10, courtesy of LineageOS 17.1
• Xiaomi Mi 5 & Mi 5s Plus get updated to Android 11, thanks to LineageOS 18.0
• F(x)tec Pro 1-X is XDA’s first-ever Smartphone priced at $899, runs LineageOS out of the box

(Via)

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Years ago Chinese technology used to be despised. Not that it has completely changed now but a whole lot more people have warmed up to it. Quite a number of Chinese companies have also been pioneers of new technologies, some of which their western counterparts are yet to achieve, talk less of surpass. However, not all products or technology of Chinese origin have been a success. This post takes a look at 10 of those products and technologies that flopped or failed and are now buried in the tech graveyard.

1. HotKnot

HotKnot was announced back in 2013 by Goodix but most people associate it with MediaTek because it was available only on devices powered by MTK processors. It worked like NFC but required less hardware (no need for antennas and RF receivers).

With HotKnot users could transfer files between phones by touching the capacitive screens of the two devices together. Unfortunately, HotKnot was pretty slow with respect to transfer speeds and unreliable at times.

Now, there is hardly any phone that has HotKnot. Bluetooth is now much faster when it comes to file transfer and there are apps that allow you to share files over WiFi at incredible speeds.

2. MediaTek Pump Express

MediaTek’s Pump Express was the Taiwanese manufacturer’s answer to Qualcomm’s Quick Charge technology. Just like HotKnot, it was also a feature found mainly on devices with a MediaTek processor.

The last version of the fast charging technology was called Pump Express 4.0 and it launched in 2018. However, there are very few phones that support the fast charging standard, which is no surprise as most of the top manufacturers such as Huawei, Xiaomi, OPPO, Vivo, and OnePlus have developed their own fast charging technology while other manufacturers use Qualcomm’s Quick Charge technology.

3. Xiaomi Mi 5c

The Mi 5c was the first Xiaomi smartphone powered by an in-house processor – the Surge S1. The phone packed mid-range specs and a price tag of under $250. However, it wasn’t a success as Xiaomi didn’t release a successor neither did it release the long-awaited Surge S2 processor. It didn’t even get an update to Android Oreo and was only updated to MIUI 9. Based on Xiaomi’s decision to not support it further after just one year, it is safe to say the Mi 5c was a flop.

4. LeEco

LeEco might as well be one of the biggest Chinese fails of the decade. The smartphone company went under due to unpaid debts owed by its founder, Jia Yueting. LeEco’s problems started with its rapid expansion and its big dreams of conquering the overseas markets with smart TVs, a smart car, and an Android-powered smart bicycle. Part of the company’s woes includes its failed attempt to acquire the American TV maker, Vizio, and which has resulted in a 60 million USD lawsuit.

5. OnePlus 2

Following the success of the OnePlus One, fans of the new brand were eagerly awaiting the successor to the flagship killer, however, the OnePlus 2 was a disappointment.

The phone launched without NFC, a feature its predecessor had but was removed. OnePlus’s reason for its removal was that it was underutilized. The phone also had a buggy fingerprint scanner/home button, was powered by the ill-fated Snapdragon 810 known for its heating problems, and then OnePlus refused to update it to Android Nougat.

OnePlus did make up for its blunders the following year with the OnePlus 3 and OnePlus 3T; with the latter touted as one of its best phones ever.

6. Meizu PRO 5 Ubuntu Edition

Between 2015 and 2016, there were a handful of phones and tablets running Ubuntu Touch, and the Meizu PRO 5 was one of them. There was the Meizu UX4 Ubuntu Edition before it, making the PRO 5 its second Ubuntu Touch device. The PRO 5 was also the highest-configured Ubuntu phone.

Sadly, the phone was considered a failure due to its lack of apps and its slow performance caused by the OS even though it packed flagship specs.

7. Helio X30

Another MediaTek product appears on the list again. This time it is their 2017 flagship processor, the Helio X30. We had high hopes for the Helio X30 which was its first 10nm processor.

The deca-core (2 + 4 + 4) chipset was first announced in 2016 but didn’t show up in a device more than 6 months later. It was reported that the processor had performance issues and MediaTek was struggling with supply. By the time it was ready, most of the manufacturers that signed up for it such as OPPO, Vivo, Xiaomi, LeEco, DOOGEE, etc. had left leaving only Meizu and Vernee.

The processor eventually appeared in the Meizu PRO 7 series in 2017 as well as the Vernee Apollo 2 but no other manufacturer announced an Helio X30-powered phone other than these two.

8. Dual-Screen Phones (Vivo NEX Dual Display Style)

Dual-screen phones have been in existence for a while now in various designs. There are those that have a second screen for improved productivity allowing you to use the phone as a large tablet and there are those that actually have a display on each side. For the sake of this post, we are talking about the latter category.

This dual-display trend began with the 2017 Meizu PRO 7 series with its 2-inch AMOLED secondary display on the back. The following year, Nubia and Vivo joined the train with the Nubia X and Vivo NEX Dual Display respectively. Both of these phones have secondary displays that are more than double the size of the Meizu Pro 7 series’ secondary display.

Reviews of the Meizu Pro 7 said the secondary display didn’t add much in functional value and could be done without. For the Nubia X and Vivo NEX Dual Display, the design was one of the methods Chinese manufacturers adopted for a full-screen design. This means you had one display practically covering the whole stretch of one side for an all-screen appearance while the second and smaller display had bezels around it for the cameras and logo.

Thankfully, there are now better ways to achieve an all-screen design such as with the pop-up selfie camera design and the punch-hole display.

9. Slider Phones

Slider phones were a thing last year and were a delight as they brought a breath of fresh air to the way mobile phones look. The OPPO Find X, Mi MIX 3, Lenovo Z5 Pro, Lenovo Z5 Pro GT and the Honor Magic 2 were the slider phones of 2018 and they were actually one of the methods adopted to achieve a full-screen design.

However, no new slider phones were launched this year which means manufacturers have abandoned the design.

10. Meizu Zero

Earlier this year, Meizu showcased a smartphone called the Meizu Zero with no ports or “holes” and was called the world’s first holeless phone. The phone has an eSIM, so there is no need for a physical SIM tray; it supports only wireless charging; it has linear motors on the side rather than physical buttons, and it uses screen sound technology rather than a traditional speaker.

Meizu listed the phone on Indiegogo for crowdfunding with a price tag of $1299 but failed to meet its crowdfunding goal of $100,000. CEO and founder, Jack Wong, took to the Meizu official forum to say the product was a marketing stunt and was never intended to be mass-produced.

UP NEXT: Best Flagship Killer Phones of 2019

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Today, Lenovo Group Vice President Chang Cheng announced the long awaited ZUI 4.0 update for the company’s ZUK series smartphones, including ZUK Z2 Pro, Z2 and ZUK Edge.

He announced that the company will roll out ZUI 4.0 for the ZUK Z2 Pro and ZUK Z2 by the end of this week for beta testing while the same update for the ZUK Edge will start rolling out next week.

Earlier this year, in March, during the Lenovo S5 launch event, Chang Cheng had announced that the company’s newly updated ZUI 4.0 will start rolling out in July. However, the update got delayed and was finally rolled out with Lenovo Z5 in August.

The devices that are compatible with the company’s new ZUI 4.0 update include Lenovo S5, Lenovo K5, K5 Play, Moto Z-series 2018, Moto Z2 Play, and ZUK devices which includes ZUK Edge, ZUK Z2 Pro, and ZUK Z2.

The ZUI 4.0 comes with support for U-touch 4.0 features and full-screen gestures. It also introduces a brand-new function of artificial intelligence-based voice assistance. The company has added a feature called Game Line Network Acceleration that is aimed at providing faster gaming experience.

Read More: Lenovo S5 Pro stunning camera samples released as launch draws near

Further, the update has been optimised to provide faster and better user experience as well as to reduce the power consumption of the system and improve stability.

(Source)

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Lenovo put an end to its ZUK sub-brand more than a year ago and the last ZUK phone was released at the end of 2016. But these phones are getting new updates, even in 2018! After updating ZUK Z2, Z2 Pro and Edge to Android Oreo (just to remind you, the first two phones were released with Android 6.0 Marshmallow out of the box!), the Chinese company has released a new minor stable version of ZUI, the custom user interface found on these handsets.

In case you don’t know, this UI is still being adopted by Lenovo on some of its recently-released smartphones. The new ZUI update based on Android 8.0 Oreo brings the number of version to 3.5.376 and, despite the fact that it is a minor version, it also brings several improvements. The update is available for ZUK Z2, Z2 Pro, and Edge and one of its main focuses is reducing energy consumption.

RELATED: Lenovo Z5 Design Revealed in New Teaser; Hints More Than 95% Screen Space

Indeed, in the changelog, the team has mentioned an “optimization of system power consumption” as well as an improvement of the adaptive brightness and the battery charging system. There are also several bug fixes in the new ZUI update, and graphics changes for a better user experience. Also, the U Health app has been improved as well.

(Via)

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ZUK is back! yes, you read that right. Lenovo’s ZUK is back. After shutting down for a year, the sub-brand has resurrected.

The news comes from a post via the official ZUK Weibo account. The post which when translated reads “Return, June, Do #New national Flagship” is actually a response to the post on the upcoming bezel-less Lenovo phone that surfaced online yesterday.

What this means is that, not only is ZUK back but that mysterious Lenovo device is actually their upcoming phone and it will launch in June, on the 14th to be precise.

While this is definitely good news, it will be interesting to know what prompted Lenovo to bring back the brand. We’d also like to know what future plans are and we are sure fans of the brand would like to know too.

READ MORE: Lenovo Completes Merger With Fujitsu’s PC Arm

Are you excited about ZUK’s return? Do let us know in the comment box below.

(Source, Via)

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A few weeks ago, ZUK released the ZUI 3.5 update for the ZUK Z2 Pro. The update brought Android 8.0 Oreo to the device along with some other features and bug fixes. Now the update is rolling out to owners of the ZUK Z2 and ZUK Edge.

The ZUK Z2 originally launched with Android 6.0 Marshmallow but has now gotten two major OS upgrades. The Snapdragon 820-powered device is one of the few phones ZUK released in its short duration as a smartphone manufacturer.

The ZUK Edge on the other hand ran Android Nougat out of the box. It is however unknown if this will be the final update for the Snapdragon 821 device or if it will get updated to Android P.

READ MORE: Honor 8 Pro and Honor 9 Receive Android Oreo in The UK & India

ZUI 3.5 brings a revamped notification system, a new U-Health app, and a redesigned phone dialer and SMS interface. It also comes with the new features found in Android Oreo.

(Source)

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Lenovo may have finally rested the short-lived but popular ZUK lineup but the company isn’t forgetting the current ZUK smartphones just yet. ZUK CEO Chang Cheng has revealed via his Weibo handle, the release of the ZUI 3.5 UI for the ZUK Z2 Pro flagship smartphone.

Lenovo’s custom ZUK 3.5 is the latest version and it is based on Android 8.0 Oreo operating system. The CEO shared an image containing some details of the new update, although it is written in Chinese. The details include a new UI design, including for calls and text messages, a new Security Center with built-in Blacklist feature, a new U Health app, and a “Personal calendar” function. In addition, the new update brings many bug fixes such as the bug which affected the volume adjustment, loudspeaker, mobile data, media sharing and battery power saving optimization with apps.

Read Also: ZUK Z2 & Z2 PRO ROM Flashing + UNBRICK Guide

The ZUK Z2 Pro was first launched in 2016 running Android 6.0 Marshmallow. The smartphone’s OS was upgraded last year to a new ZUI version, bringing in Android Nougat and now, it is getting the latest Android OS. Presently, this ZUI 3.5 update is only available to ZUK Z2 Pro users in China but hopefully, the official ROM will become available to Z2 Pro owners outside of China soon. For now, you may be lucky to find an unofficial ROM on XDA Forum but that may likely have bugs in it.

(source)

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UPDATE: As one of our readers pointed out, this looks like the ZUK Z2 with a transparent case. So, it looks like we’ll have to wait for some time to get a glimpse of the rumored 2018 ZUK phone.

Recently, there were reports making rounds suggesting that the Lenovo’s subsidiary ZUK, which focused on offering affordable premium flagships, could be making a comeback in April this year.

In line with those reports, a new smartphone from ZUK has been spotted online through Chinese microblogging website Weibo. The leaked image shows a phone with a transparent but textured back panel, featuring a single rear-facing camera.

Also, there is no fingerprint sensor placed on the back panel. So, the phone could have a home button acting as a fingerprint scanner. Earlier, ZUK’s chief executive officer Chang Cheng had posted a photo of a smartphone on Weibo with Lenovo branding.

However, the earlier posted photo featured a metal build phone having a curved back panel with a reflective finish, while this newly leaked image shows a phone with a transparent back panel. However, there’s a possibility that this leaked image could be a prototype unit.

Recently, Chang Cheng, who is a Vice President of Lenovo Group, got transferred to the company’s MBG (Mobile Business Group) China. He is now responsible for the product organization, research, and development work in the country. This news sparked rumours about the brand’s return.

Sine last few weeks, there were rumours suggesting that the Lenovo sub-brand could make a comeback in April this year with its much delayed ZUK Z3 phone. This was reported after a discussion about the ZUK Z3 phone on Weibo and then some posters appeared with a message of April 23, which many started believing as the date when the company could announce a new product.

Read More: Lenovo Vital and Livermorium Slider Keyboard Are Motorola’s Latest Mods

The last smartphone announced by the company was ZUK Edge, featuring a 5.5-inch Full HD display with Corning Gorilla Glass on top. It is powered by quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 processor along with 4GB/6GB RAM and 64GB internal storage. The phone packs 3,100mAh non-removable battery and with the recent price-cut, it costs 1799 Yuan (approx. $264).

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ZUK, the subsidiary of Lenovo which focused on offering affordable flagship smartphones, has been inoperational since quite some time. However, there were rumours suggesting that the company could launch a new phone — ZUK Z3 later this year.

Now, Chang Cheng, who was the chief executive officer at ZUK, has teased a new smartphone on Chinese microblogging website Weibo. He has posted an image of a metal-bodied smartphone with a reflective finish. The back panel of the phone has a curved design.

What’s interesting about the image posted is that the phone features Lenovo branding and not the ZUK branding. This could mean that the phone is a product of Lenovo’s portfolio. But nothing has been confirmed yet. Currently, there is no information available regarding this teased phone.

Recently, Chang Cheng, who is a Vice President of Lenovo Group, got transferred to the company’s MBG (Mobile Business Group) China. He is now responsible for the product organization, research, and development work in the country. This news also sparked rumours about the brand’s return.

Last week, there were rumours suggesting that the Lenovo sub-brand could make a comeback in April this year with its much delayed ZUK Z3 phone. This was reported after a discussion about the ZUK Z3 phone on Weibo and then some posters appeared with a message of April 23, which many started believing as the date when the company could announce a new product.

Read More: Lenovo Mirage Solo Is Official, First Worldsense Standalone Daydream VR Headset

The last smartphone announced by the company was ZUK Edge, which features a 5.5-inch Full HD display with Corning Gorilla Glass on top. It is powered by quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 processor along with 4GB/6GB RAM and 64GB internal storage. The phone packs 3,100mAh non-removable battery and with the recent price-cut, it costs 1799 Yuan (approx. $264).

(Source)

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ZUK, a subsidiary of China-based Lenovo which was incorporated in 2015 with an aim to offer premium phones at an affordable price, has not been in operations since quite some time. However, as per the latest report, the company is all set to make a comeback later this year in April.

Last year, there were reports suggesting that ZUK Z3 will be launched and the company was expected to host three separate events to announce the phone. However, that didn’t happen last year and now fans are suggesting that the company could launch the device this year.

Along with the discussion about the ZUK Z3 phone on China-based microblogging platform Weibo, some posters have also appeared with a message of April 23, which many believe is the date when the company could announce a new product.

Last week, Chang Cheng, Vice President of Lenovo Group, got transferred to the company’s MBG (Mobile Business Group) China and has been given the responsibility for the product organization, research, and development work in the country. The news about his transfer as Lenovo’s Product Planning Manager in China also hints about the brand’s return.

While the company has stopped production of new devices, the ZUI — Android-based company’s own operating system is still in development. However, the company has not yet announced anything related to ZUK and there is a possibility that all this is just speculation. So, take this news with a pinch of salt.

Read More: Lenovo K320t is Official as the Company’s First 18:9 Aspect Ratio Supporting Phone

The last smartphone announced by the company was ZUK Edge, which features a 5.5-inch Full HD display with Corning Gorilla Glass on top. It is powered by quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 processor along with 4GB/6GB RAM and 64GB internal storage. The phone packs 3,100mAh non-removable battery and with the recent price-cut, it costs 1799 Yuan (approx. $264).

(Source)

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China’s Sohu reports that Lenovo Group’s VP Chang Cheng has just been transferred to the company’s MBG (Mobile Business Group) China and he will now be responsible for the product organization, research, and development work in the country. Don’t be surprised if you find this name familiar, as he has been in the news in the past couple of years as the CEO and co-founder of the popular ZUK sub-brand of the Lenovo group. Chang has been popular among tech media specially because he was never shy to talk or reveal renders of ZUK products before launch.

According to an internal mail, Chang has been entrusted with the responsibility of Lenovo and Motorola brand’s product planning management in China along with China Mobile Software ecosystem development. He will report to Qiao Jian, President of Lenovo MBG China.

Prior to this Chang Cheng was acting as the CEO of ZUK, a brand focused on the young generation with flagship like smartphones for an affordable price tag. ZUK was established back in December 2014 and ZUK’s first smartphone, the ZUK Z1 was released in August 2015. The company used its own Android based ZUI platform in China. However, around April in 2017, the company announced that the ZUK brand was no more. But ZUI continues to live, inside Motorola smartphones released and sold in China.

Ever since news about the ZUK brand shutting down, there have been rumors about its resurrection. In fact, Chang Cheng did seem to hint last year that a ZUK Z3 could be in existence. We haven’t heard anything about a new phone from the ZUK brand since, but his transfer as Lenovo’s Product Planning Manager in China sparks new rumors about the ZUK brand’s return.

(Source)

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Lenovo said goodbye to ZUK months ago, just a few months after the official launch of the latest flagship ZUK Edge with Snapdragon 821. Now, the focus on the company’s Moto brand. After redirecting the ZUK website to Motorola.com.cn, late November, the company logos have also been removed from the offices. But this does not mean that the company has completely stopped supporting ZUK devices: indeed, the ZUK Z2 Pro has just been updated to Android 8.0 Oreo in China.

It is still a beta version and it has only arrived in China, but it is an official firmware. The update to Android Oreo on ZUK Z2 Pro includes a new version of the ZUI user interface: 3.5.116, and it brings the Android security patch released by Google on November 5. We still have no info about the changelog of the update. You can see the leaked screenshot of the “Info about device” section below.

While there may not be any future for new ZUK devices, at least, people who bought a ZUK device can be happy that their smartphones are still getting updates.

(source)

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Lenovo still hasn’t officially announced that it has shut down its ZUK sub-brand but its actions since the beginning of the year have shown just that.

First, there haven’t been any new product releases this year. The brand’s user interface has also been adopted for the Motorola devices released in China, starting with the Moto Z2 Play.

The most recent is the redirection of the ZUK.com website to Motorola.com.cn and the shut down of the ZUK forums (bbs.zuk.com). The forum page now redirects to club.lenovo.com.cn where you have news related to Lenovo as a whole.

With all these going on, why doesn’t Lenovo just announce that it has shutdown the brand?

READ MORE: Lenovo TechWorld 2017: AI and AR Take Center Stage

If you still want to pick up a ZUK phone, you will probably find them available on online retail stores. Some of them even offer discounts from time to time. Our online store, Giztop, has the ZUK Edge for $316, Z2 for $215, and the Z2 Pro (6GB + 128GB) for $279.

The post Closure of ZUK.com And Its Forums Marks The End of ZUK Brand appeared first on Gizmochina.

A recent rumour had hinted that Lenovo was planning to collapse the ZUK brand and instead focus its smartphone business under the Moto brand. The company had debunked such rumours but it has continued to fester and the recent redirecting of the Lenovo China official website to Motorola.com.cn only fuelled the rumours.

From the look of things, there may be more to it than meets the eye. For one, Lenovo may indeed have rested its smartphone brand as the Lenovo and ZUK websites both redirect to Motorola.com.cn. The new website contains a link to navigate to Lenovo’s official China website where only laptops, tablets, Smart home gadgets, printers etc, are exhibited for sale excluding mobile phones.

But Lenovo former VP and presently CEO of the ZUK brand seems to have hinted via his Weibo page that the ZUK Z3 may be coming. The CEO had posted an interesting piece where he hinted that the company will be having 4 different events in the space of three months, precisely between July and September. The post attracted lots of comments with one particularly asking if the ZUK Z3 is coming and Chang Cheng’s response was affirmative. Although subsequent response by the CEO may not have been very explicit, he did not in anyway disclose that the brand is dead. But one uncommon thing we noticed is that he was shown as blogging from a Galaxy S8 smartphone.

Read More: The 6GB RAM ZUK Edge Gets A Huge Price Cut, Down To ¥1799 (~$264)

The ZUK Z3 is supposed to be the next ZUK mobile phone we’d be seeing. Recent rumours point at the Z3 coming as ZUK Z3 Nax, powered by the unannounced Snapdragon 836, 8GB RAM and 256GB storage. We are not so sure the rumour is fake. The likely turn of event is that Lenovo may have divested from ShenQi, the company which Lenovo invested in to make it the parent company of ZUK. So, it is possible ZUK mobile will be introducing its smartphones as an independent brand. Whatever it is, we expect to see four launch events within the next three months as hinted by the CEO. Until then, we’ll be on the look out for more details on this because the last has definitely not been heard.

(source)

The post ZUK Brand May Not Be Dead After all, CEO Hints At ZUK Z3 & More appeared first on Gizmochina.

ZUK is a Lenovo-backed company, which makes some great phones at affordable prices. Z2 Pro was released quite a while ago but it still sports some killer specs for the price considering that you can now get ZUK Z2 Pro for as low as $249 from Gearbest.

For less than $250, you get really impressive specifications that are hard to beat. The Snapdragon 820 may sound outdated for some but it is still plenty powerful and it can handle even the most graphically intensive tasks without any issues. If you pair it with 6GB of RAM and whopping 128GB of internal storage, you are looking at a beast of a phone that can be still called a flagship. Remember, the LG G6 was released with the Snapdragon 821, which is basically a slightly more powerful version of the Snapdragon 820 chip.

Since the phone was designed to be a flagship, it has great build quality and it uses premium materials like metal and glass in its construction, metal buttons, and 2.5D display.

Other key specs include a capable 13MP camera with a bright f/1.8 aperture lens, blood oxygen, and heart rate sensors for healthy lifestyle enthusiasts, 5.2″ 1080p display, and 3000mAh battery. The only shortcoming would be the outdated Android 6.0 out of the box but we believe that the phone will receive the Android 7 Nougat update soon.

You can now get the ZUK Z2 Pro for just $249 from Gearbest using a COUPON CODE: Z2SPro

If you consider the overall package you get, this phone is one of the best bangs for the buck. The deal is limited to only 200 units and it will last till July 3rd.

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ZUK‘s former CEO Chang Cheng has been pretty active on Weibo, often replying to fan’s questions. Recently when one of the fans asked him about the progress on the new ZUI update, he replied by saying that it would be close to stock Android, which is similar to the strategy adopted by the existing Moto brand’s UI.

ZUK’s software department is not new to the near-stock Android experience either, as in the past, the ZUK Z1 ran with the, now unsupported, Cyanogen OS 12.1; which also provided a custom stock Android UI. The popularity of in-house near-stock Android is increasing, for example, OnePlus’ successful OxygenOS and ZTE’s MiFlavor have become many non-Mainland Chinese UI favorites.

We will have to take this with a pinch of salt, as we may not be expecting the ZUI to be implemented on Moto devices, at least not outside China. However, with leaks that the defunct ZUK department was collaborating with the Moto team on a modular flagship device, we may see Lenovo release a modular phone with a new version of ZUI on it.

RELATED: ZUK Edge With 6GB RAM Gets A Major Price Cut!

What is also important to note is that ZUK’s ZUI is still new to the global market, as it was first used in the ZUK Z2, not Z1, globally. However, if the rumors are true, the ZUI can provide another take on the stock Android, with a hint of the remaining ‘ZUKesque’ feel.

Personally, I think that Lenovo should stick to concentrating on the Moto line whilst improving the current near-stock Android experience already used in their system.

What are your thoughts on these new ZUI rumors?

(via)

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Lenovo’s ZUK may have been a short-lived brand but during that period, it made a name as one of the cheapest flagship brands in the market. The last phone to come out of its factory is the ZUK Edge and there are still a number of stores that have it in stock. Jingdong Mall is an example and there is a huge discount available.

The ZUK Edge has a 5.5-inch FHD Super AMOLED display protected by Corning Gorilla Glass with an 86.4% screen-to-body ratio. It is powered by a Snapdragon 821 processor, paired with either 4GB or 6GB of RAM and 64GB of storage.

The rear camera is a 13MP sensor with a f/2.2 aperture and a 1.34 µm pixel size and the front camera is an 8MP f/2.2 aperture and 1.12 µm pixel size. The ZUK Edge run Android 7.0 out of the box and has a fingerprint scanner under its home button. Its 3100mAh battery is non-removable but supports Quick Charge 3.0.

READ MORE: ZUK Z2 Review after 1 year – The Best Budget Smartphone for $180?

When it launched, the ZUK Edge was priced at 2,299 Yuan (~$338) for the 4GB RAM variant and 2,499 Yuan (~$367) for the 6GB model. Right now, JD.com (Jingdong mall) has the white 6GB RAM variant for ¥1799 (~$264). That’s almost $75 off.

There is currently no Snapdragon 821 phone with 6GB of RAM priced under $300 neither is there one that has support for LTE bands 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8 and 20. If you are interested, you can pick up a unit here.

(Source)

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A few months ago, Lenovo announced that it was planning to integrate all its phone brands under one umbrella. The development stemmed from the challenges it was facing with Motorola Mobility. The plan would see it release all its phones under the Lenovo Moto brand starting with the Vibe line of mid-range phones. But what we didn’t expect was the inclusion of its ZUK Mobile brand since it was an independent part of the Lenovo group much like Honor is to Huawei.

The news is coming from webo user @Old Cool who announced that there will be no ZUK Z3. His post was then responded to by analyst, Pan Jiutang who confirmed that the ZUK hardware business was going to be shutdown. In his post, Jiutang says the company was a success and managed to amass a large fan-base during its short stint as a phone manufacturer.

ZUK Mobile was founded on May 28, 2015 and just a month from its 2nd anniversary, Lenovo is shutting it down. During its short stint as a mobile manufacturer, it announced three phones: the ZUK Z1, ZUK Z2, ZUK Z2 Pro, and the ZUK Edge.

Earlier this year, leaked images of a phone called the ZUK Edge II Special Edition surfaced online but as it stands now, the blue dual camera beauty will never hit the market. For fans of the brand, the ZUK Edge will be the most recent flagship they can buy.

Another Weibo post by @Zheng Jun reveals the new management at Lenovo following the merger of the mobile brands. ZUK co-founder, Chen Xudong will return to Lenovo’s PC business arm; Qiao Jian will be the new head of Lenovo Mobile China; and Kirk B. Skaugen will remain head of Lenovo’s data center operations.

READ MORE: Lenovo ZUK Z1 Joins The Nougat Train, Gets Android Nougat-Based ZUI 2.5 Stable Version

There is however a ray of hope for ZUK as Lenovo’s VP Alex Chen Yu announced a few days ago that the company’s ZUI will be used for upcoming Moto phones. If this will work out is still unknown.

One of the unique selling points of Motorola phones is the clean and almost stock version of android it comes with. Swapping this for ZUI in’t something that I see working out especially in the US and Europe. So it might probably be limited to the Chinese market just the same way OnePlus has a separate OS for its home market.

(Sources: 1, 2)

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Apparently, in a bid to revive the ailing Moto brand, Lenovo has disclosed that the upcoming Moto smartphones would feature the intuitive ZUI which is used on its ZUK brand. This disclosure is credited to have been made by Lenovo’s Vice-President Alex Chen Yu via his Weibo account*.

Before now, the Moto brand basically runs on native Android OS right from when Google acquired Motorola and even after the brand was purchased by Lenovo. With such setup, competing in a market where custom ROM like the MIUI, Flyme, EMUI, and others exist will be a minus on its part. Thus, the latest move could be a last dash effort to tweak things for the Moto brand and make it more appealing and competitive in the market.

Related: New Moto Z2 Force Renders Show Dual Cameras and Return of Audio Jack

The VP didn’t give details as to whether the ZUI will be on all Moto smartphones or on the flagship models.This year, we are already expecting the low-end Moto E as well as Moto C. Also, the next generation Moto Z flagship models are expected to be launched soon and if at all the ZUI will feature in a Moto smartphone, they are more likely candidates. We had seen render and leaks of Moto Z2, Z2 Play and Z2 Force, with the possibility of all making their debut this year and it will be more exciting if they come with top end specs in addition to the ZUI. The ZUI will likely be the latest ZUI v2.5.

(*Footnote: We couldn’t locate the post on Lenovo VP Chen Yu’s official Weibo page. We can’t say why but it is possible the post may have been deleted from his account or perhaps, this information isn’t actually from him)

(via)

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Usually when a new phone model is set for release, previous models usually get a price cut. However, that’s not the case for Lenovo’s ZUK Z2 smartphone. There is no news of a ZUK Z3 but the ZUK Z2 has been getting price cuts for months now.

If you are in search of a new phone, you might want to give the ZUK Z2 a chance. It is powered by the Snapdragon 820 processor, a still powerful chip even after two successors. Jingdong Mall currently has the 4GB RAM + 64GB ROM variant for just ¥1199 ($175). You read that right. Less than $200 will get you the ZUK Z2. It’s important to note that the price cut is limited to the white variant only

READ MORE: Lenovo ZUK Z1 joins The Nougat Train, Gets Android Nougat-Based ZUI 2.5 Stable Version

The phone has some other interesting features other than its low price, and more than ample storage and RAM. It is compact with just a 5-inch FHD display and packs a 3500mAh battery with support for fast charging. It packs a 13MP f/2.2 rear camera with a LED flash and an 8MP front facing camera. Lenovo has also released a new update for the phone based on Android Nougat. So what more are you waiting for? Head over to the site now and grab the deal.

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Lenovo‘s ZUK brand seems to have been missing in action for a while especially since the launch of the edgy ZUK Edge. The brand is back in the news with a bang, as it announced the final push of the latest ZUI 2.5 stable version for the ZUK Z1 and the upgrade of the kernel to Android 7.0 Nougat.

If you’d recall very well that the Lenovo ZUK Edge which was announced in December last year was the first Lenovo smartphone to run on the new ZUI 2.5 based on Android Nougat. The company in January announced upgrades for the ZUK Z2, Z2 Pro, as well as the ZUK Z1 to the latest Android Nougat. While the Z2 and Z2 Pro seem to have gotten Android Nougat stable version, the ZUK Z1 only received an open beta version of the update only.

Now, the Snapdragon 801-powered Lenovo ZUK Z1, ZUK’s first flagship smartphone, has started getting the stable version of the Android Nougat-based ZUI 2.5. The new operating system comes with the version number 2.5.406 and the update package volume is a little above 1,000MB. The upgrade brings lots of new features to the interface which includes the ability to lock the phone’s gallery, split screen, screen recording, U-Touch fingerprint function and many others.

Read Also: Lenovo Announces Nougat Update for ZUK Z2 Pro and Z1

At the moment, some users have started receiving an update prompt but ZUK is yet to officially indicate it has started pushing the stable version to Z1 owners. Since the updates have started rolling in, we expect an official statement from ZUK any moment from now.

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I know, you are surprised. We are just as surprised as you are, if not more. The Lenovo ZUK Edge is barely 2 months old and we are already getting leaks of not the ZUK Edge II but the ZUK Edge II Special Edition.

Yesterday we reported the first leak of the ZUK Edge II Special Edition and mentioned the similarity to the recently announced Redmi Note 4X Hatsune Miku Limited Edition. The latter’s theme is also based on a vocaloid called Luo Tianyi. Today we get first look at what the phone is reported to look like.

ZUK Edge II Special Edition Doubles It Up

Yes this is the ZUK Edge II and Lenovo literally doubles it up. The leaked images shows the phone will launch with dual rear cameras and a dual-curved display. The camera design is similar to that of the ZUK Edge which looks like a disc. They are housed separately and almost extend to the middle of the phone. There is a laser focus module below the camera setup and a LED flash sitting a good distance above.

While we were quite disappointed that the ZUK Edge didn’t feature a curved display, they seem to want to give it to us in full measure now. The display is curved on both sides but so also is the top and lower part of the rear plate.

The display size is unknown but the bezels are thin. Chances are that the display might be about 5.7 inches – 5.9 inches. To account for the large display, the power button and volume rocker have been brought lower to allow your fingers reach them easily.

READ MORE: Leaked Shots of Mysterious Lenovo A Smartphone Surface

The color variants of the ZUK Edge II Special Edition shown are blue, white and black. There is no news of a release date and Lenovo/ZUK have not confirmed the existence of the device yet. One thing I have come to realize is that nothing is certain. There is no news as to how the sales of the ZUK Edge is fairing. If they decide to release a successor so soon and stop production of the ZUK Edge, who can fault them?

(Source)

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If you own a ZUK Z2 Pro you should look forward to receiving the Android Nougat update today as some owners have started receiving it.

The Lenovo owned company had announced last month that it was planning a Nougat update for the ZUK Z2 Pro and ZUK Z1. The update was scheduled to start rolling out before the beginning of the Spring Festival next week. And true to their words, the update has started already.

The update comes as a ZUI 2.5.335 update based on Android Nougat. It will bring new features, security patches and bug fixes. The changelog is listed below:

• System optimization or system stability
• System security patches
• Split screen experience
• Fix system silent problem
• Repair off screen after a period of time to open the screen, WeChat “network connection is not available” problem
• Repair specific scenarios even accidental loud speaker problem
• Repair the occasional system color reversal problem
• A small tool to optimize the file manager performance
• Some basic Android Nougat changes

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The Snapdragon 820 might be a year old already but it is still a powerful processor and since new phones sporting the new Snapdragon 835  processor will soon be released, phones with the older Snapdragon 820 are getting price cuts. One of them is the ZUK Z2 Pro.

Lenovo’s ZUK Z2 Pro is the more powerful variant of the Z2 series. It has a larger 5.2-inch Super AMOLED full HD display, 4GB/6GB of RAM, and 64GB/128GB of storage. The rear camera is a 13MP f/1.8 sensor with OIS, PDAF, and dual LED flash; and there is an 8MP f/2.0 shooter up front. You also get a front-mounted fingerprint scanner and the built-in 3100mAh battery also supports Quick Charge 3.0. Unlike some other flagships released last year, the ZUK Z2 Pro has an audio jack and sports a version 3.1 USB Type-C port.

READ MORE: ZUK Edge Uses Display from Domestic Supplier, Tianma

That’s not all about the device. ZUK has equipped the Z2 Pro with a heart rate sensor and ultra violet sensor and have also announced a Nougat update for it. Now the interesting part is this. When the ZUK Z2 Pro first launched, the 6GB+128GB model was priced at ¥2,699 (over $400 then) but now you can get it for just ¥1,999 (~$288) on Amazon China.

(Source)

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Lenovo-owned ZUK announced its new flagship, the ZUK Edge, yesterday. The selling point of the phone is its thin bezels which results in the screen accounting for up to 86.4% of the surface area. Most people might have thought ZUK got the supply for the displays from big display companies like Samsung, JDI, or Sharp, but surprisingly the displays were supplied by a local company called TIANMA.

The finding was made by a Weibo user @老爆科技 (Old burst of Science and Technology) who made the discovery using system information app AIDA64. He has berated the company for settling to use locally made displays for a flagship device instead of screens from more popular display manufacturers. AIDA64 even shows the display as having a size of 4.97 inches instead 5.5 inches.

Some other Weibo users have actually praised Lenovo’s decision to settle for locally manufactured parts as a way to boost the industry and support its growth instead of going to other corporations based outside China.

READ MORE: Lenovo ZUK Edge Unboxing: Black is Beautiful

So far, the ZUK Edge has received positive first impressions reviews. However, an in-depth review will determine if the company’s new Snapdragon 821-toting phone is good enough to win consumers to its side.

Source: Weibo

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ZUK officially released the ZUK Edge after weeks of teases and leaks. Although it doesn’t have a bezel-less display like the Xiaomi Mi MIX, the ZUK Edge holds the title of the phone with the highest screen-to-body ratio in the company’s lineup.

Sporting the same 5.5-inch display as the ZUK Z2 Pro and a thinner body than the ZUK Z2, the ZUK Edge comes with the new ZUI 2.5 OS based on Android Nougat. It also features a Snapdragon 821 processor and an under-glass fingerprint scanner.

Available in Titanium Black and Ceramic white, I’m sure most will agree that the black is the more beautiful one, as it does a great job in highlighting the high level of craftsmanship of the device.

The ZUK Edge has a 2.5D glass in front. Underneath it lies the fingerprint scanner. The 8MP front facing camera sits a few millimeters from the top right corner. In the top part of the phone is the speaker grille which surprisingly doesn’t take up the whole length but just the right half.

READ MORE: ZUK Slashes Price of The ZUK Z2 Line: Becomes Cheapest Snapdragon 820 Phones Money Can Buy

The back has a simple design. All you have is a single camera followed by the LED flash and heart rate sensor and the ZUK branding close to the bottom. The ZUK Edge has its audio jack and main speaker at the bottom. You should get great sounds from it due to the built-in Dirac HD Sound which enhances the quality of the HiFi audio. The USB Type-C 3.1 port sits in the middle and the primary microphone flanks it on the left. The top is bare save for the noise cancelling microphone and antenna lines.

On the right hand side is the volume rocker and power button which are considerably thin. The left side houses the SIM tray which supports dual-nano SIM cards. It’s nt a hybrid slot so you can’t use a SD card. ZUK ships the phone with a pretty small charging adapter and a flat wire cable. You also get a SIM ejector tool and some paper work.

Source: mydrivers.com

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The features of the upcoming Lenovo ZUK Edge is being consistently teased by Lenovo on Weibo. New details suggest that the Lenovo ZUK Edge will be world’s first smartphone to feature under glass Home button enabled with features like fingerprint reader and support for multiple gestures.

Lenovo Group Vice President has now confirmed that ZUK Edge will feature an under-glass U-Touch Home button. The U-Touch Home button will not only support usual features like press & fingerprint scanning, but also add new gesture support.

Through a sliding gesture, users will be able to switch between tasks. This new information on the invisible Home button contradicts the Lenovo ZUK Edge leaked photos that have clearly revealed that it sports a rectangular shaped physical Home button below the display.  It is likely that a rectangular shaped Home button may be positioned below the display but may be integrated under the front glass.

In the previous week, Lenovo had teased on its Weibo account that the ZUK Edge would be coming with a screen-to-body ratio of 86.4 percent. The company had also announced that would be powered by Snapdragon 821 chipset.

Related: Lenovo ZUK Edge to Arrive with a Higher Screen-to-Body Ratio Than the Xiaomi Mi Mix?

Lenovo ZUK Edge Specs, Pricing

The Lenovo ZUK Edge is scheduled for unveiling tomorrow. Leaked specs details suggest that the smartphone would be arriving with a 5.5-inch full HD screen flanked with super slim bezels. Its SD 821 processor is expected to be coupled with 6GB of RAM.

Other features of ZUK edge include 64 GB native storage, 13-megapiel and 8-megapixel rear and front cameras, Android 7.0 Nougat OS, USB Type-C and a fast charging enabled 3,000 mAh battery.

Previous leaks have suggested the Lenovo ZUK Edge with 4GB RAM and 32GB storage would be costing CNY 2999 ($431). The 4 GB RAM variant with 64 GB storage would be costing CNY 3299 ($475). Its 6 GB RAM model should be coming with 128 GB of storage and it will be priced at CNY  3699 ($533).

What do you think about the killer features of Lenovo ZUK Edge? Do let us know your thoughts in the comments section.

(Source)

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The launch for the ZUK Edge has been teased a couple of times in the past few weeks. Today, the Vice-President of Lenovo Group has announced that the phone will now launch on the 20th of December. The event will take place at Wuhan and will kick off at 1400hrs (GMT+8).

The ZUK Edge has generated a lot of controversy based on the fact that leaked images of the device does nothing to justify the ”Edge” name. And we can’t blame those who are displeased since the word Edge in a device has become synonymous to a curved display, a feature the ZUK Edge clearly lacks.

ZUK is redefining the word ”Edge” by launching a phone with a flat screen and slightly thinner bezels than usual. Images of the ZUK Edge leaked in the past have shown a device that does look sophisticated in black but lacks that wow factor in the white version.

READ MORE: Lenovo-Owned ZUK Announces Android Nougat Roll-out Plans for its Devices

When it launches next Tuesday, the ZUK Edge is expected to feature a 5.5” FHD screen, a snapdragon 821 processor, 6GB of RAM, 64GB of storage and Android 7.0 Nougat. It will also sport a 13MP rear camera, an 8MP front facing camera, and a fingerprint scanner.

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Is it just me or are manufacturers taking updates more seriously now? In the last couple of weeks, we have seen a number of manufacturers roll out Nougat updates to their devices or announce a roll-out plan. Lenovo has joined the ranks and have announced a Nougat update for its ZUK  sub-brand.

The Android 7.0 update will come in form of a new version of their ZUI OS. The new ZUI  2.5 update is scheduled to roll out before the Spring Festival which falls on January 28.

ZUK is also keeping its promise of updating its first flagship, the ZUK Z1 to Android Nougat and will be the first Snapdragon 801 phone to get updated to the latest version of Android. The ZUK Z1 will only receive an open beta version of the update though, and it will be available before the Spring Festival too.

READ MORE: Huawei Announces Roll-Out Plan for Nougat Update

This news will definitely increase the sales of the ZUK Z2 Pro which already has a price cut and is one of the cheapest SD 820 hones in the market as at this moment. We are however surprised that the ZUK Z2 was not mentioned.

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The ZUK Z2 and ZUK Z2 Pro were launched six months ago and both phones have gone through price cut after price cut making them one of the cheapest Snapdragon 820 phones in the market right now.

It appears the Lenovo-owned company isn’t done slashing the price on their flagships as they have announced that the Z2 duo will now sell at a reduced price starting today the 7th, up till the 13th of December.

The AMOLED sporting ZUK Z2 Pro with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of built-in storage gets a ¥600 (~$87) price slash and now sells for ¥2099 ($~305) or you can pick up the 4GB + 64GB model which sells for ¥1999 (~$290).

If you prefer the smaller-sized ZUK Z2, the 4GB + 64GB variant has been slashed down by ¥400 (~$58) and now sells for ¥1399 (~$203).

The sweetest deal is the base version of the ZUK Z2 which has 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage but whose price makes it qualify for the ¥1000 flagship. For the period of the sales, the phone will sell for ¥1099 (~$160) after getting a ¥500(~$73) price cut.

READ MORE: New Image Shows The ZUK Edge in Black and White with Thin Bezels

The Snapdragon 820 chip in each of these phones makes it a good purchase. You also get Quick Charge 3.0, USB Type C 3.1, and an audio jack.

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The ZUK Edge is going to be launched this week according to the image uploaded earlier today on Weibo by the Vice-President of Lenovo.

The image shows the ZUK Edge in white with its so-called thin bezels which doesn’t appear any different from what we have seen from other ”thin-bezel” phones. The poster also reveals to us that the ZUK will go on sale on Jingdong Mall on the 7th of December at 3 pm.

The ZUK Edge will launch with a 5.5-inch Full HD display, a 2.35GHz Snapdragon 821 processor, 6GB of RAM, and 64GB of storage. It will also join the ranks of Huawei’s Mate 9 to be one of the few Chinese phones launching with Android 7.0 Nougat out of the box.

The ZUK Edge will have a 13MP primary camera on the back, and an 8MP sensor in front for selfies. The phone will be powered by a 3000mAh battery.

READ MORE: Lenovo VP Leaks iPhone 8 Detail: To feature 3D Glass Back

Although the white version doesn’t look bad, it doesn’t have that sophisticated look the black variant possesses which we believe should be the one the company is advertising and pushing in our faces.

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The ZUK Edge was seen on Antutu earlier today, giving us more than a glimpse into what it’ll feature when it launches. We have also seen a couple of pictures showing the white version of the phone with slightly thinner bezels than we are used to seeing on phones.

A new image leaked online confirms that the ZUK Edge will also come in black. If you remember, the first leaked detail of the phone was an image of the pack in white and black. Although the new picture is not a close-up one of the phone, but we can tell that the bezels will appear thinner on it compared to the white unit.

The ZUK Edge is already shaping up to be a nice device. It sports a 5.5-inch Full HD display, a Snapdragon 821 SoC, 6GB of RAM,  64GB of storage and runs Android Nougat. It is also expected to be affordable just like the ZUK Z2 when it was announced.

READ MORE: ZUK Z2 NowUp for 1149 Yuan ($169) – Cheapest SD 820 Phone

There are still some features that are unknown such as the battery capacity and if it will have any tricks up its sleeves. ZUK might also be able to win the hearts of customers outside China if it has global band support and if they iron out any issues they must have received with respect to their other phones.

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Lenovo’s ZUK seems to be working on a new smartphone, the Lenovo ZUK Edge, as revealed by the company CEO last week. First, we saw a new ZUK device, most likely the Edge on TENAA, now it looks like the phone has passed through the benchmarking website, AnTuTu, revealing its major specs.

The Lenovo ZUK Edge (Z2151) will come with the Snapdragon 821 chipset clocked at 2.35GHz with 6GB RAM and 64GB of internal storage. The screen size is unknown but the resolution will be 1920 x 1080p. At the back, there will be a 13MP camera while up front, there will be an 8MP shooter. Another interesting feature revealed by AnTuTu is that the phone will be running Android 7 Nougat. Other possible specs of the device, as revealed by previous reports, are a 5.5-inch display and 3000mAh battery. All this translates into a score of above 160K on AnTuTu, which is great!

Despite the name ZUK Edge, the phone most likely won’t be bezel-less. However, to justify this name, the device is said to feature super thin bezels and we already got a glimpse of the design via a leaked image last week.

Reports suggest that the ZUK Edge will launch via JD.com in China in three variants 4GB + 32GB (2999 Yuan ~ $435), 4GB + 64GB (3299 Yuan ~$478) and 6GB + 128GB (3699 Yun ~$536)

The post Lenovo ZUK Edge Visits AnTuTu: Scores Over 160,000 With Snapdragon 821 appeared first on Gizmochina.

UPDATE: Another photo popped up yesterday, this time clearly showing off its ultra thin bezels.

Yesterday, we reported that Lenovo-owned ZUK has a new phone called the ZUK Edge which might be released anytime soon. Today a leaked image of what is suspected to be the new device leaked online.

The new phone is called Edge and the general belief is that it should have a curved display, right? But surprisingly this phone doesn’t have a curved display. If we were to relate the name to it probably having no bezels like an edge-to-edge display, it still doesn’t fit as the phone still has bezels on all sides and the fact that this is a white unit also lets us see that black ugly bar that goes around the display. So why is the phone called the ZUK Edge? We have no idea.

However, one thing we can see from the image is that it sports a large physical home button. This is not surprising as the screen is said to be 5.5-inches in size, so using a large home button that can be easily reached irrespective of the size of the user’s hand is the right thing to do.

READ MORE: Lenovo to Focus Only on Moto Brand for Smartphones

The ZUK Edge is expected to have a 1080p display, Snapdragon 821, 4GB of RAM, and come in 32GB and 64GB storage options. The battery size is unknown but the main camera is said to be a 13MP sensor and the front facing camera is an 8MP shooter.

The post ZUK Edge leaks in Spy Photo: Sports Large Home Button appeared first on Gizmochina.

ZUK managed to release one of the cheapest Snapdragon 820 smartphones in the market today with the price of the ZUK Z2 going as low as 1499 Yuan ($219). While the company is known to make affordable flagship phones, it does have some powerful handsets in its lineup like the ZUK Z2 Pro with 6GB of RAM. Now, it looks like Lenovo’s ZUK brand is preparing to release another smartphone called the ZUK Edge.

Chang Cheng, the head of ZUK, recently revealed a new image which reveals the name ZUK Edge. This basically confirms the existence of the device, but he failed to reveal more details such as a release date. Since there are two colors shown in the image, it is likely that the ZUK Edge comes in black and white color options.

The timing of this image is interesting given that we found a new ZUK smartphone pass through TENAA a few days back. However, the ZUK Z2151 model, certified on the website doesn’t seem to feature a curved display. So, if this is the ZUK Edge, why is it called the ‘Edge’? Either this could be a different smartphone or there are some who say that the screen proportion of the model will be very high, justifying its Edge name tag.

TENAA revealed that the ZUK Edge will come with Snapdragon 821 chipset inside with 4GB RAM and 32GB / 64GB ROM options. There will be a 5.5-inch 1080p display, 13MP rear camera, and an 8MP front shooter.

As you can see, while these specs are pretty good, it still lags behind some flagships in the market like the OnePlus 3T, Google Pixel XL, and Mi 5S Plus. At this point, we can’t be sure that the model that passed through TENAA is indeed the ZUK Edge, so we better wait for more details.

The post Lenovo’s ZUK Edge Flagship Could Be Coming Soon appeared first on Gizmochina.

ZUK was launched in may 2015 as a spin-off of PC manufacturing giant, Lenovo. A year later, the company has already launched 3 phones: the ZUK Z1 which was released last year, and the Z2 and Z2 Pro  released this year. But as it appears, the company is not done for the year as a new ZUK phone has been spotted on TENAA.

The new phone sports Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 821 chip clocked at 2.35 GHz. ZUK is also going back to using a larger screen (5.5” 1080p) like they did with the Z1. There is 4GB of RAM on board and storage comes in 32GB and 64GB variants.

ZUK’s new phone is equipped with a 13 megapixel rear camera that protrudes and an 8 megapixel shooter up front. It runs Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow and is listed as having full network support. Some of the 4G bands supported include bands 1, 2, 3, 38, 39, 40 and 41.

The phone is equipped with a 3000mAh battery which is the smallest battery on a ZUK phone. The Z1 has a 4100mAh battery, the Z2 which has a 5-inch screen even has a 3500mAh battery, and the Z2 Pro has a 3100mAh battery. Looking at the pattern, the company is always using a smaller battery when they launch a new phone. While we can’t deny that the power consumption of newer processors has gotten better, but putting a 3000mAh battery in a 5.5” phone still doesn’t sit right with me. I guess it’s all about the thin profile as the new phone is just 7.68 mm thick and weighs 160g.

READ MORE: Samsung Galaxy C9 Pro Features Antenna Design Similar to OPPO R9s

There is no news of the price tag of the new phone but ZUK should take note of the fact that the cheapest SD 821 phone right now is the 4G+32GB LeEco Pro 3 which costs 1799 Yuan ($267), has a larger battery (4070mAh), and is even thinner at 7.5 mm.

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If you are fan of 5″ smartphones, you already know about the ZUK Z2. With its powerfull specs and elegant design, Z2 already became very popular among users and has many fan sites in a short time after it was released 2 months ago. With its $299 price tag it was already the cheapest Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 powered device and was strongest contender of Xiaomi Mi5 and LeEco Le Max 2 in this price range. Then we saw price cut of Le Max 2, being sold under $300, and now ZUK Z2 took this place, again, with the brand new Rio edition.

Specs are the same with ZUK Z2, except for RAM and ROM configuration which has been reduced to 3GB and 32GB. The original ZUK Z2 has 4GB RAM and 64GB ROM. Even the clock speed of the Snapdragon 820 stayed the same, 2.15GHz, not an underclocked version like we saw in Xiaomi Mi5’s 3GB/32GB version as 1.8GHz  ($329).

ZUK Z2 Rio Edition specifications

• 5-inch (1920 x 1080 pixels) Full HD LTPS 2.5D curved glass display
• 2.15GHz Quad-Core Snapdragon 820 processor with Adreno 530 GPU
• 3GB RAM with 32GB internal storage
• Android 6.0 (Marshmallow) with ZUI 2.0
• 13MP rear camera with LED Flash, f/ 2.2, 5P lens, ISOCELL sensor, PDAF, CAF dual-mode focus, EIS
• 8MP front-facing camera with 1.4μm pixel size, f/2.0 aperture, 78.9-degree wide viewing angle
• Dual (nano) SIMs
• Fingerprint scanner
• Dimensions: 141.65×68.88×8.45mm; Weight: 149g
• 4G LTE with VoLTE, WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (2.4/5 GHz), Bluetooth 4.1, GPS, USB 2.0 Type-C
• 3500mAh battery with Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0

Oh yes the price, only 1599 Yuan, $240 for this power house ! However if Chinese customers choose to order through selected online stores they will receive a 100 Yuan price cut making the phone just 1499 Yuan ($224) starting August 2.

That’s insane price for a Snapdragon 820 flagship!

The post ZUK Z2 Rio Edition (3GB+32GB): The Cheapest Snapdragon 820 Phone appeared first on Gizmochina.

Lenovo today announced the developer open beta ROM for its ZUK range of devices based on Android Marshmallow 6.0.1. The system update will have new ZUI for the ZUK phones and long screen shots apart from other important features. Additionally, ZUK Z2 will also receive exclusive one-button overclocking function which was promised at the launch of ZUK Z2.

Overheating is another pain point in smartphones. With ZUI 2.0, as announced at the time of launch, Lenovo has added a feature that will identify apps that cause overheating accurately and control the app, resulting in no overheating of the device.

The highlight of this update is the much awaited and talked about feature, one click overclocking . This will allow users to overclock the Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor clocked at 2.15 Ghz to be overclocked till 2.30 GHz giving the already powerful processor an instant performance boost when needed.

Lenovo additionally has also started a ZUK ZUI 2.0 beta program where beta users will receive a push notification of system updates. ZUK Z2 Pro, ZUK Z2 and ZUK Z1 will begin to receive the final version update ZUI 2.0 upgrade notification by this month itself.

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ZUK Z2 is one of the cheapest Snapdragon 820 powered smartphones in the market right now, which also makes it one of our favorite phones of the year. The phone is highly popular in China, and it got over 6 million registrations for the first flash sale a few weeks back. However, if you are someone who wanted to purchase the device online in China, you might have to wait for a couple of days for your order to be shipped.

The Senior Vice President of the Lenovo Group, Chen Xudong has just confirmed that Lenovo’s plant in Wuhan, China has been shut down due to floods and more than 2000 employees in this factory were transported to a safer location on Wednesday morning. What this also means is that the ZUK Z2 will face temporary shortages in supply, at least on the online stores in the country.

But the phone seems to be available at some offline Suning and Lenovo outlets. Hence Mr. Xudong has asked customers to check out these stores for purchasing the device.

READ MORE: ZUK Z2 REVIEW: Cheap Snapdragon Beast

We hope this doesn’t affect the supply of the ZUK Z2 smartphones being sold by online retailers internationally.

The post Floods in China cause temporary online supply shortage of ZUK Z2 appeared first on Gizmochina.

Now that we are officially into the second half of 2016, we can take a look at the top 10 smartphones in the first half of 2016. This is a list released by the popular benchmarking app AnTuTu. Unsurprisingly, there are a lot of Snapdragon 820 powered smartphones. Another thing to note is that 6GB RAM and 64GB ROM have become the standard among flagships this year. While this configuration would have sounded a lot last year, this year, it looks like there could be even 8GB RAM phones! But more on that later. In this article, let’s look at the top 10 list!

On top is the mighty OnePlus 3 flagship powered by Snapdragon 820, 6GB RAM and 64GB of internal storage. The phone managed to reach an average score of 140,288, which is the best average scores we have seen till date on AnTuTu. The phone manages to reach this level because the Snapdragon 820 chip inside is not throttled, unlike some other flagship phones, which unleashes its full potential. So, despite entering the market late June, the phone has topped the AnTuTu benchmark’s top 10 list.

Next up is another Chinese smartphone, the Vivo XPlay 5 Elite edition which was also the world’s first 6GB RAM phone. The phone managed to score 138,706 points on average on the benchmarking website, thanks to its top-end specs that include Snapdragon 820 and 128GB ROM. Another thing to note here is that it is also the first Chinese dual curved display smartphone.

Next up is the Le Max 2, another Snapdragon 820 + 6GB + 64GB ROM phone. Well, now there’s a 128GB ROM model as well. This particular device managed to score 138,026 on an average, which is pretty good and just below the XPlay 5 Elite model. In the fourth and the fifth position are two more Chinese flagships namely the ZUK Z2 Pro and Xiaomi Mi5. In all, there are seven Chinese models (including Axon 7 and ZUK Z2) in the top 10 list which clearly shows the dominance of these phones in the first half of 2016. Non-

Non-Chinese phones  that made it to this list include the Galaxy S7 Edge, iPhone SE and the iPhone 6S.

So, these were the top 10 smartphones of the first half of 2016! These scores were calculated from the data collected from January 1 to June 30 and with at least 2000 scores registered on the app (v6.0) for each model.

We have reviewed almost all of these smartphones. You can check out each model’s review from the links above.

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