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MWC 2018: Qualcomm Snapdragon 700 series chipsets announced

GadgetByte

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March 1, 2018

MWC 2018: Qualcomm Snapdragon 700 series chipsets announced

In the matter of chipsets powering the Android devices, Qualcomm is quite a leader in the business. And despite the presence of Exynos (Samsung), Kirin (Huawei), and MediaTek processors, Qualcomm is users’ favorite among the bunch. Smartphone manufacturers also have partnered with Qualcomm often times to power their devices with Snapdragon chipsets. And we can see Snapdragon 400, 600, and 800 series chipsets respectively in budget smartphones, midrange handsets, and the top-tier flagship smartphones. Now with a view of bridging the gap between mainstream midrange (600 series) and flagship chipsets (800 series), the company announced the Qualcomm Snapdragon 700 series chipsets at MWC 2018 for the premium-tier devices.

Also Read: Things to consider while choosing smartphone SoC

“The Snapdragon 700 Mobile Platform Series will bring premium tier technologies and features into more affordable devices, something our global OEM customers and consumers are demanding,” said Alex Katouzian, senior vice president and general manager, mobile, Qualcomm Technologies. “From our cutting-edge Qualcomm AI Engine to superior camera, device performance and power, the Snapdragon 700 Series is optimized to support the experiences consumers have come to expect from the most advanced mobile devices at a lower price point.”

Qualcomm Snapdragon 700 Series chipsets: What’s inside?

With a number of variants already existing in the 600 and 800 series chipsets, it was least expected from the Qualcomm to bring a new series of chipsets. However, Qualcomm clarifies this move as an attempt to enhance the potential of the high-tier smartphones, which previously was prevailing only in the 800 series flagship chipsets. With the tremendous advancements in the field of Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and the Internet of Things (IoT), the chipset maker finds it a high time to deliver a superior performance, power efficiency, and AI capabilities even in the affordable handsets. And below are the list of advancements, we can see on the new Qualcomm Snapdragon 700 series chipsets.

Artificial Intelligence

Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 chipset launched in May last year. The chipset was considered quite capable for the AI needs during that time. Now with new 700 series, Qualcomm promises to deliver 2X improvements over the 660 chipset in terms of AI capabilities. For that, the chipmaker will use multi-core AI Engine. The company has also planned to employ a new architecture and intended to achieve the desired AI performance through heterogeneous computing.

Camera

Even in the photography department, there will be pleasing improvements because of the AI and super slow video capturing potential. And through the Qualcomm Spectra ISP in new chipsets, the company promises to include professional grade camera features.

Also Read: Understanding Camera Terms

Performance and Battery

Employing new architecture in new chipsets, the chipmaker will include Qualcomm Spectra ISP, Kryo CPU, and Adreno Visual Processing subsystem. With this setup, the company has assured 30% improvement in power efficiency over the Snapdragon 660. And there will also be an impressive boost in performance and better battery life. Qualcomm also promises to include Quick charge 4+ in these new chipsets. With this fast charging technology, the smartphone replenishes with 50% charge in a mere time of 15 minutes.

Also Read: Understanding Smartphone Processor Cores

Connectivity

To present the 700 series as the capable chipsets, the company will furnish them with the advanced features of wireless technologies with ultra-fast LTE, carrier Wi-Fi features, as well as enhanced Bluetooth 5.

Availability

The chipmaker hopes to deliver these new chips to the customers within the first half of 2018. So we can expect smartphones with these chipsets to be available at the end of 2018 or in early 2019. And since the most of the features of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 700 series chipsets are still under the veil, we have to wait till the chipset’s launch to discover its full potential.

For More MWC 2018 Coverage Click Here!

MWC 2018: ASUS unwraps four smartphones with Full View display and AI capabilities

Pratima Adhikari

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March 1, 2018

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MWC 2018: ASUS unwraps four smartphones with Full View display and AI capabilities

With various companies are launching their latest offerings at MWC, it seems Asus is no less, as it made the ASUS ZenFone 5 series public yesterday. The phones in the ZenFone 5 series go by the names ASUS ZenFone 5, ASUS ZenFone 5Z, ASUS ZenFone 5 Lite, ASUS ZenFone Max M1. These devices look very sleek in design and have their own vertical camera setup at the back. What else is there to seek about these new releases, let’s have a look.

ASUS ZenFone 5:

Starting with the ASUS ZenFone 5, it is a 6.2-inch giant with 1080p display resolution protected by 2D curved glass. It also features a Snapdragon 636 processor and AI capabilities accompanied by Android 8.0 Operating system. Similarly, the phone features a dual 12MP + 8 MP rear f/1.8 camera with Sony Flagship IMX363 image sensor. The secondary camera is an 8 MP f/2.0 shooter. The camera is said to have AI capabilities.

ASUS ZenFone 5 specifications:

Display: 6.2-inch IPS LCD 1080p display with capacitive touch screen with 18:5:9 aspect ratio
Processor: Octa-core Snapdragon 636
Battery: 3,300 mAh non-removable Li-Ion
RAM: 4/6 GB
ROM:64 GB expandable upto 400 GB
OS: Android Oreo 8.0
Rear Camera: 12 MP f/1.8 + 8 MP f/2.0 with geo-tagging, touch focus, dual-LED flash, phase detection, HDR, panorama
Front Camera: 8 MP f/2.0
Sensors: Fingerprint, Accelerometer, Gyro, Proximity, Compass

ASUS ZenFone 5Z:

Next, in line, we have the ASUS ZenFone 5Z. Like the ASUS Zenfone 5, this one too sports a 6.2-inch IPS LCD 1080×2246 display only with a slight change in protection, which in this case, is Corning Gorilla Glass. The processor on this one is an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, 2.20 GHz processor which coupled with Adreno 630 GPU.

ASUS ZenFone 5Z specifications:

Display: 6.2-inch IPS LCD 1080×2246 resolution with 18:5:9 aspect ratio
Processor: Octa-core Snapdragon 845 with Adreno 630 GPU
Battery: 3,300 mAh non-removable Li-Ion
RAM: 4/6/8GB
ROM:64/128/256 GB
OS: Android Oreo 8.0 with ZenUI 5.0
Rear Camera: 12 MP f/1.8 + 8 MP f/2.0 with geo-tagging, touch focus, dual-LED flash, phase detection, HDR, panorama
Front Camera: 8 MP f/2.0 1080p
Sensors: Fingerprint, Accelerometer, Gyro, Proximity, Compass

ASUS ZenFone 5 Lite

Next up, ASUS has uncovered the ASUS ZenFone 5 Lite. This is the next impressive device with a 1080p display. There are two versions of processor available, one with Snapdragon 630 and another one with Snapdragon 430 coupled with Adreno 508 and Adreno 503 GPU respectively. Similar to the others on the list, this also comes with Android Oreo out of the box.

ASUS ZenFone 5 Lite specifications:

Display: 6.0-inch 1080p display with 18:5:9 aspect ratio
Processor: Octa-core Snapdragon 630/430 with Adreno 508/503 GPU
Battery: 3,300 mAh non-removable Li-Ion
RAM: 3/4 GB
ROM:64 GB
OS: Android Oreo 8.0
Rear Camera: 12 MP f/1.8 + unknown MP camera with geo-tagging, touch focus, dual-LED flash, phase detection, HDR, panorama
Front Camera: 20 MP f/2.0+ unknown MP
Sensors: Fingerprint, Accelerometer, Proximity, Compass

ASUS ZenFone Max M1:

Lastly, there is the ASUS ZenFone Max M1 which is applauded for its high battery capacity. It has a 5.5-inch HD display along with 4,000 mAh battery. It also features Dual rear cameras (one wide-angle) and Snapdragon 430/425 processor with Adreno 505 GPU. This device is available in 3/32 GB storage or 16/32 with 2GB storage. It can give up to 36 hours of talk time.

ASUS ZenFone Max M1 specifications:

Display: 5.5-inch IPS LCD 720x1440p display with capacitive touch screen and 18:5:9 aspect ratio
Processor: Octa-core Snapdragon 636
Battery: 4,000 mAh non-removable Li-Ion
RAM: 2/3 GB
ROM:16/32 GB for 2GB RAM and 32 GB for 3GB RAM
OS: Android Oreo 8.0
Rear Camera: 13 MP f/2.0+8 MP with geo-tagging, touch focus, dual-LED flash, phase detection, HDR, panorama
Front Camera: 8 MP f/2.2
Sensors: Fingerprint, Accelerometer, Proximity, Compass

For More MWC 2018 Coverage Click Here!

MWC 2018: Vivo Apex with highest screen to body ratio and In-screen fingerprint sensor launched

GadgetByte

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February 28, 2018

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MWC 2018: Vivo Apex with highest screen to body ratio and In-screen fingerprint sensor launched

MWC 2018 has paved the way for bezel-less future showcasing near bezel-less displays on every consumer products that come with a display attached. But the bezels are there for a reason as they hold a significant amount of hardware for functionalities. On a smartphone, going bezel-less means finding a different spot for the earpiece, proximity sensor, the ambient light sensor and more importantly the front-facing camera.

Vivo recently showcased a concept smartphone – the Vivo Apex, which has different tricks up its sleeve to handle the shortcoming of a truly bezel-less smartphone.

Vivo-Apex-Concept-Phone-Display-MWC-2018 — Image: Pocket-lint

The Vivo Apex comes with a 6-inch Full HD+ display with 18:9 aspect ratio. It has one of the highest screen to body ratio of almost 96%. On three sides the bezels measure at 1.8mm while on the bottom it’s 4.3mm. Vivo claims the screen to body ratio of 98% can be achieved if it can bring down the bottom bezels to 1.8mm. Even so, the phone looks absolutely stunning with no ugly notch popularized by the iPhone X.

Also, the use of flexible OLED panel has enabled the manufacturers to fit in a flexible circuit board. So what does it result in? A proximity sensor inside the display that detects whether the phone is idle or picked up. And for the earpiece, Vivo has used Screen SoundCasting Technology which vibrates the display to produce sound. Compared to traditional loudspeakers, this audio solution for bezel-less smartphones conserves power, reduces sound leakage, and optimizes low to high pitch sound for a better and more balanced audio experience.

Vivo-Apex-On-Screen-half-screen-finger-print-sensor MWC 2018 — Image: theverge

Since we are talking about Vivo here – the one that made a huge splash at CES 2018 with the first on-screen fingerprint sensor (Clear ID) in Vivo X20 Plus UD. This time, they have incorporated an even larger optic fingerprint sensor on the display. The sensor occupies almost ⅓ of the display meaning you have more freedom on where to place your finger when unlocking the device. With a large sensor, why do you have to be ordinary and use just one finger to unlock the phone right?

Vivo-Apex-On-Screen-Fingerprint-Sensor-Dual-Fingerprint — Image: Pocket-lint

Well, that’s what Vivo thought and the Apex has been equipped with an option to use two fingers to unlock the device.

With the public’s concern for privacy, the future gadgets seem to be full of hidden cameras. The earlier launched MateBook X Pro kept a front facing camera hidden inside a key on the keyboard. Likewise, the new Vivo Apex has an elevating 8MP front facing camera which is hidden inside the phone. When you switch to the front shooter, the camera pops up and takes about 0.8secs to get ready and take a picture. The camera then goes right back in whenever you switch to rear camera or exit from the camera app. In similar fashion, a big LED flash hidden inside the phone can greatly enhance low light selfies as well. Is there a possibility that elevating camera gets stuck due to system lag or error?

On the side of the elevating camera is the ambient light sensor that usually sits along with the proximity sensor.

As you might have noticed from the pictures, the phone has no navigation bar. Well, that seems like another thing in the smartphone that we have to get used to. For navigation, gestures are used like in the iPhone X. To be more precise, it uses almost all the current gestures of the iPhone X for navigation. The debate of if the back button should be on the left or the right is finally coming to an end on Android!

Vivo Apex also offers headphone jack with dedicated DAC. For DAC it uses Vivo’s new System in Package technology. It eliminates the use of circuit board resulting in more space for battery!

Vivo-Apex-Rear-Camera-Glass-Back — Image: iGyaan

On the rear, the phone sports a glass back and metal frame in between. It also has dual camera setup. Vivo didn’t bother to put an LED flash there since it’s a concept phone.

Bottomline

Vivo has brilliantly showcased unique measures to achieve maximum screen to body ratio without compromising on functionalities. Since it’s a concept phone the choice of internal hardware including CPU and GPU is arbitrary at this point. Then again, it’s a concept device which may or may not see the light of day in the future. But we can hope to see some of these technologies being implemented on future smartphones.

For More MWC 2018 Coverage Click Here!

MWC 2018: MediaTek Introduces Helio P60 with AI Chip

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GadgetByte

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February 28, 2018

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MWC 2018: MediaTek Introduces Helio P60 with AI Chip

The hype of Artificial Intelligence is escalating like never before. You see AI integrated into every piece of technology out there. Not to forget the single most technology that we hold dear – smartphones! Our smartphones are already capable of handling AI related functionalities but with the advancement of AI systems, you’ll need a dedicated hardware to accelerate the process and bring out more features. Today MediaTek has introduced the latest SoC under its P Series at MWC – the Helio P60 that comes with a dedicated Neural Processing Unit (NPU).

The Helio P60 is the successor of P30 and has brought a significant amount of changes which explains the jump in number. It uses the ARM big.LITTLE architecture in an octa-core setup with four Cortex A73 cores (big) and four Cortex A53 cores (little) both clocked at 2.0GHz. It is a big upgrade from the P30 as it only used the Cortex A53 cores which is ideal for small tasks compared to Cortex A73 capable of handling heavy jobs.

The new P60 processor with its Cortex A53 and Cortex A73 combination can switch tasks between big and little cores depending on the processing power it requires which makes it more efficient. Adding to the efficiency chart, it is based on 12nm FinFET technology making it one of the most powerful and power efficient chipset in P-Series. This shift has resulted in 70% boost in CPU performance.

This powerful CPU has been coupled with the Mali-G72MP3 GPU clocked at 800MHz. The GPU has improved clock speeds compared to last gen Mali G71-MP2 used on P30. It has a larger L1 cache (on-chip cache) and larger tile memory buffer (image separation into fine tiles) which helps in enhancing the performance. It has several improvements to refine Machine Learning Inference and depicts core functionality of Machine Learning Algorithms. The GPU overall also has 70% improvement.

The feature highlight of Helio P60 is the dedicated NPU with NeuroPilot AI system at work. This enables deep learning facial recognition, object and scene identification, user behavior-informed performance and other AI and AR application enhancements. It can handle AI operations seamlessly at 280GMAC/s, maintaining twice the power efficiency of GPU-based AI processing. The sole purpose of using a dedicated NPU is to accelerate the AI processes without putting much load on the GPU. The MediaTek’s NeuroPilot SDK supports a vast array of AI frameworks. This makes it easier for developers to bring out AI applications optimized for this hardware.

Coming to the optics support, it can handle a dual camera setup of 20+16MP or a single 32MP sensor. The 32MP sensor can capture full HD videos at 30fps while the use of 16MP sensor will enable 90fps recording. The P60 depth mapping engine that can produce real-time bokeh effect. It uses three Image Signal Processors that equates to 18% power efficiency compared to P30 meaning taking loads of pictures all day won’t be harsh on the battery. It also offers Phase Detection Auto Focus (PDAF), Electronic Image Stabilization (EIS), Real-time HDR recording/viewing, face detection, scene detection, and multi-frame noise reduction.

On the connectivity side, the P60 offers dual 4G LTE which ensures both the SIM used are connected to 4G networks. The LTE technology is optimized to offer stronger connection, faster call setup and better sound quality. For data connectivity, it has Cat-7 (Download) and Cat-13 (Upload). It supports dual-band ac Wi-Fi but unfortunately lacks the Bluetooth 5.0.

Specification of MediaTek Helio P60

CPU: Octa-core with four ARM Cortex-A73 up 2.0 GHz and four ARM Cortex-A53 up to 2.0GHz
GPU: Arm Mali-G72 MP3 at 800MHz
Memory: Up to 8GB, dual-channel LPDDR4x @ 1800 MHz
Storage: eMMC 5.1 / UFS 2.1
Camera: Up to 16+20MP or 32MP
Display: Up to Full HD+ 20:9
Connectivity: 802.11ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.2 and FM radio
Cellular: Cat-7 (DL) / Cat-13 (UL); Dual 4G VoLTE; TAS 2.0; Global IMS
Multi-GNSS: GPS/GLONASS/Beidou or GPS/GLONASS/Galileo co-receive
MediaTek CorePilot 4.0: Energy Aware Scheduling, thermal management and UX monitoring
Fabrication: TSMC 12nm

For More MWC 2018 Coverage Click Here!

Gionee M7 Power Review: High and Dry!

GadgetByte

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February 28, 2018

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The Gionee M7 Power has launched at a time when the mid-range price segment is getting more competitive than ever. After months of waiting, Gionee Nepal launched the device last month. The M7 Power sports an HD display for a price of Rs. 29,999, which could come as a bummer for the buyers. However, with a huge 5,000 mAh battery and a FullView display, the M7 Power certainly stands out from the rest of the crowd. But is battery and design everything the smartphone has to offer? Let’s find out in this review.

Gionee M7 Power Specifications:

6-inch HD+ (1440 x 720) display with 18:9 aspect ratio, 2.5D Glass
Android 7.1 Nougat with Amigo OS 5.0 on top
Hybrid Dual Nano SIM slots, Dual Standby
Fingerprint Sensor (Rear)
1.4GHz octa-core 64-bit Snapdragon 435 processor with Adreno 505 GPU
4GB RAM
13MP Rear Camera with f/2.0 aperture, PDAF, 1080p @30fps
8MP Front Facing Camera
64GB internal storage, expandable up to 256GB
Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, Wi-Fi Hotspot, Bluetooth V4.2, micro USB V2.0, USB OTG
5000 mAh Polymer Lithium-Ion battery with Fast Charging (9V/2A)
Price: Rs. 29,999

Battery

The Gionee M7 Power has a huge 5,000 mAh battery which is certainly the USP of the device. The battery coupled with the HD display of the smartphone runs easily for two days straight!

These days, OEMs have started to focus on making their smartphones slimmer than ever. That step has taken a hit on phones’ battery life. But Gionee has managed to do both – pack a massive 5,000 mAh battery in a comparatively thin body. I did compare the Gionee M7 Power’s dimension with other smartphones that house a big battery, and the M7 Power was certainly the star!

The major advantage of having a battery that big is that you can charge other smartphones if you ever happen to run out of power.

Being a battery-focused smartphone, the Gionee M7 Power is meant for a particular user. It is a device which will fulfill of, say, a businessperson who is in need of a secondary smartphone which he won’t have to worry about charging time and again. It is meant for someone who isn’t that into multimedia and gaming but has to make a lot of calls and send lots of texts as the day passes.

Design

One of the interesting features of the Gionee M7 Power is its design. The device’s huge 6-inch form factor is cloaked by a slightly textured aluminum at the back. The M7 Power certainly feels premium on hands and the Chinese manufacturer has done a commendable job by including a huge 5,000 mAh battery in such a sleek body. I was really surprised that Gionee had managed to include a big battery in a comparatively thinner design.

The feature of the Gionee M7 Power’s design is certainly the huge slab of a display up front. The display is sandwiched between minimalistic bezels that make up for an 18:9 aspect ratio in terms of display. There is a secondary camera up top with the primary lens housed at the rear side. The power button and the volume rockers are placed in such a manner that even people with smaller hands can reach them comfortably. However, since the device is a metallic smartphone, it slips – a lot. So, I advise you to cover the back with a case!

Display

The 5,000 mAh battery powers up a 6-inch FullView display of the smartphone. Priced at Rs. 29,999, Gionee could have easily gone with a display with Full HD resolution. However, that’s not the case here as the Gionee M7 Power sports a 720p display. Now I know that the device has focused on providing a display with minimalistic bezels to its users but at a time when even some of the cheaper smartphones have started featuring a 1080p display panel, it is really strange as to why the M7 Power has a HD display.

The M7 Power’s display, with its HD resolution, is certainly bright though. However, if you happen to watch videos on your smartphone, you will notice the difference in quality against, say, the Huawei Nova 2i, the Samsung Galaxy J7 Pro or the Xiaomi Mi A1, which are the rivals of the M7 Power in the current Nepali smartphone market.

Performance and Software

The Gionee M7 Power packs an octa-core Snapdragon 435 processor alongside 4 GB of RAM and Adreno 505 GPU. Now I am not saying that the Snapdragon 435 chipset is below par by any means, but for the price tag, Gionee should have at least opted for a Snapdragon 625 chipset or MediaTek Helio P23, which definitely provides a better performance.

Under real-life usage, the Gionee M7 Power does a great job handling all the multitasking needs with its 4 GB RAM. I only faced stutters when I was trying to do too many tasks at once, and that happened very rarely! There were only a couple app crashes, though. Even long sessions of gaming on the device felt really enjoyable with the 6-inch display of the device. The Gionee M7 Power does get warm at the back but that’s nothing to worry about.

Gionee M7 Power Antutu Benchmark
Infogram

On the benchmark side of things, the Gionee M7 Power with its Snapdragon 435 SoC, scored higher than some of its competitors such as the Vivo V7 and the Samsung Galaxy J7 Pro on Antutu. However, the Huawei Nova 2i edged out the device by a slight margin. The Xiaomi Mi A1 and the Oppo F5 look like a better option if benchmarks are considered!

Now talking about the software side of things, the Gionee M7 Power runs on Android 7.1 Nougat with Amigo OS 5.0 skin on top. Amigo OS looks like a copy of Apple’s iOS but there are a few features here and there. However, for someone who is into a stock-Android experience, I didn’t enjoy the UI of the device. But unlike the Oppo F5, which focused on blatantly copying iOS, Gionee has included few extra features here and there to make up for a rather different UI. I really liked the shortcuts (eg. Double tap to wake and sleep) the M7 Power offered and don’t really think it’s all gimmicky.

Camera

On the optics department, the Gionee M7 Power houses a 13-megapixel rear-facing and an 8-megapixel front-facing camera. Let’s start with the front-facing camera. The selfie camera on the smartphone takes some pretty decent images, but with beautification enabled. The “normal” mode itself beautifies the selfies a little bit, so, personally, I didn’t really dig it.

And maybe the secondary camera could have saturated the pictures a little bit. If you look closely, the selfies from the M7 Power come out with a slightly warmer touch, whose preference depends completely upon a user. Oh, and there is a software-powered portrait mode in the camera which blurs the surrounding of your picture!

The primary camera measuring 13-megapixel is nothing extraordinary. The pictures it takes have good details and a bit a decent color reproduction but failed to maintain a good contrast level. And even this camera captures pictures with a warmer tone which isn’t my cup of tea. And the colors didn’t really pop due to the lack of ample saturation.

During night time, the cameras captured a lot of noise in the images. The color reproduction, which is decent at best during night time, fails to live up to the mark in low-light conditions. It also lacks ample details in the images.

But then again the camera isn’t really what Gionee is focusing in on this smartphone. So, if you are into taking lots of pictures via your smartphone throughout the day, maybe you should look somewhere else.

For more high-quality camera samples of the Gionee M7 Power, click here.

Hardware

The Gionee M7 Power features 64 GB of onboard memory with an option to expand up to 256 GB. This is an ample storage for anyone who is into saving a lot of videos, movies or audios on their smartphone. On the rear side of the device rests a fingerprint scanner which can unlock the device in an instant. I had no issues with the fingerprint scanner whatsoever.

When we gave the Gionee M7 Power to an audiophile for the review here is what he said about the speaker quality, “However, one thing that really bugged me is the how the bottom firing speaker sounds. Gionee has followed this trend of smartphone manufacturers not focusing on the sound quality of their smartphones’ speakers. Yes, it does get little loud but as an audiophile, I really wasn’t impressed with it.”

Conclusion

Like I said before, the Gionee M7 Power with its price tag goes up against the smartphones of the mid-range price segment which is getting more competitive than ever. If performance, camera, and display are considered, there are already lots of devices that can provide the best of experiences. And for the price of Rs. 29,999, the smartphone isn’t that interesting at all and seems slightly overpriced. So, is the Gionee M7 Power a miss? No, not really. Gionee launched this battery-focused smartphone targeting a particular group of people which mainly consists of businesspersons who are in search of a secondary smartphone.

However, if you don’t fall into that category and want a smartphone that fulfills your performance, multimedia and photography needs, you should look somewhere else. For camera and display purpose, the Samsung Galaxy J7 Pro and the Huawei Nova 2i seem like a better option, while if you are after performance, you should get the Xiaomi Mi A1, or wait for a month and buy the Xiaomi Redmi 5 Pro.

Pros	Cons
Battery Life	HD Display
Sleek Design	Average performance for price
Minimalistic Bezels	Unsatisfactory camera performance
Ample Storage

MWC 2018: Leagoo S9 “World’s First Android iPhone X” Announced

GadgetByte

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February 28, 2018

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MWC 2018: Leagoo S9 “World’s First Android iPhone X” Announced

MWC (mobile world congress) this year held in Barcelona experienced a lot of new smartphone ideas for the year 2018. However, there’s something Leagoo, a Chinese phone manufacturer has come up with which is unheard of. Well, Chinese companies never fail to surprise us. Do they?

Leagoo had tried its fortune in Nepali market last year which was not as successful and a year later, the name is still unheard of to most of us. Following which it paved back its way back from Nepal.

Something that’s the best of both worlds. “World’s First Android iPhone X” is what the company claims it to be. A low-budget combination of two flagship phones. Samsung meets apple. S9 by name and iPhone X by its outlook. A perfect blend of humor and technology. They said, “any publicity is good publicity” and the Leagoo people took it seriously and applied it to their business.

Not just the outlook but it features some other features like the iPhone does. They are:
1. The face access feature which reportedly unlocks within 0.1 second
2. The ‘famous’ iPhone X notch
3. The iPhone X (swipe up to home) user interface

What does it have in similarity with the Samsung Galaxy S9 apart from its name? the android Oreo. The Leagoo will also have the android Oreo 8.1. other than that? Nothing really.

Furthermore, if the users are not that fond of face identification unlock system, they will have a rear-mounted fingerprint scanner as well. Now that’s what we call best on both worlds in the actual sense.

On the storage part, 4GB of RAM and 32 GB of internal storage along with SD card slot is what it consists of. 4GB of RAM is now early 2017 concept but not when we actually come to know about its price.

A 5.85-inch screen with full HD+ IPS display. 3000mAh battery. Dual 13-MP rear cameras and 8 MP front camera are not that bad of a deal.

It boasts an octa-core processor with all cores running at 1.5GHz. Well, how smooth the processing is will be examined once the phone launches. As far as the specification shows, the processor will be pretty decent as well.

Lastly, this phone will be priced at US$ 150 (approx Rs 15,500).

Therefore, comparing its features with the price which is quite affordable, the phone might have high chances of being a gimmick. Let’s hope this presumption will be proven by the phone. Whether or not will it be perceived by the public as “World’s First Android iPhone X” as the company claims or not is a question that has been making rounds inside our heads.

Leagoo is to launch yet another smartphone this year. It is named power 5. While most of the specifications are not known some of which we know is the 7000 mAh big battery and 18:9 bezel-less display.

Leagoo S9 Specifications:

Display: 5.85-inch Full HD+ IPS
OS: Android Oreo 8.1
Back Camera: 13MP + 2MP Dual (Sony)
Front Camera: 8MP (Omni Vision)
Sensor: fingerprint, face unlock
Processor: octa-core 1.5 GHz (unnamed)
RAM: 4GB
Storage: 32GB; microSD support
Battery: 3300mAh
Price: US$150 (Rs. 15,500)

For More MWC 2018 Coverage Click Here!

MWC 2018: Lenovo Yoga 730 and 530 launched with built-in Amazon Alexa

GadgetByte

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February 27, 2018

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Lenovo is the biggest laptop manufacturer according to unit shipments since 2013. They do make pretty compelling laptops, with the best of all, the Yoga series. At MWC 2018, they have launched two new Yoga laptops namely the Yoga 730 and 530.

Lenovo Yoga 730

The Yoga 730 is available in either a 13″ or a 15″ variant. They come with either a Full HD or an Ultra HD (4K) IPS panel with a maximum brightness of around 300 nits. Lenovo didn’t reveal any color coverage numbers, but it’s up there with the best. Also, these laptops are touch and feature 360-degree hinges.

Both the laptops come with 8th gen intel core i5 or i7 processors. The laptops are available with up to 16GB of DDR4 RAM alongside up to 1TB of flash storage on the 15″ laptop. The 13″ however only gets a maximum of 500GB of flash storage.

Also Read: MWC 2018: ZTE launches Blade V9 and V9 Vita

On the graphics front, the smaller 13″ gets an Intel 620 graphics card. The bigger one, however, gets up to a Nvidia GTX 1050 graphics card, which is optional. Thanks to the same GTX 1050, the 15″ model is a bit thicker and understandably heavier.

The Yoga 730 features a premium all-aluminum design, just like the 720 but a bit better. The top edge is slanted rather than flat, which Lenovo says helps with one hand usage. The 13″ weights in at 1.12kgs whereas the 15″ come out a bit heavy at 1.89kgs.

Lenovo claims a battery life of 11.5 hours for the 13″ and 11 hours for the 15″. These numbers are for the FHD based displays. The battery life with the UHD display comes out at 9 hours. These laptops also feature rapid charging which provides 2 hours of usage with just 15 mins of charging.

The bigger variant is packed with two full-sized USB A, HDMI, USB C, charging port and a headphone jack. The smaller variant gets a pair of USB C, headphone jack and a full-sized USB A port. The smaller one also uses a USB C to charge whereas the bigger one employs a Lenovo proprietary port for charging.

Both the laptops come with Amazon Alexa built-in, aided by four microphones. The microphone helps with better voice commands even in a fully crowded noisy room. Expanding on the design a bit, the laptop features a very minimal bezel display. Just like on the XPS lineup, but with the webcam on top.

Also Read: Huawei Matebook X Pro Laptop Launched

The laptop supports a stylus, and those willing to use one will need to buy the Lenovo’s active Pen 2 separately. The Pen 2 comes with 4096 levels of sensitivity and is priced at $69.99. The laptops also come with Windows 10 and Windows Hello fingerprint reader.

The laptops will go on sale starting April this year, although exact dates are yet to be announced. Pricing starts at $879 for the 13″ and $899 for the 15″ variant and will exponentially rise if you decide to go for dedicated graphics options.

Lenovo Yoga 530 (Flex 14)

The Lenovo Yoga 530, also known as Flex 14 in the US is the affordable one among the two. It’s only available in 14″ variant, with a plastic build and the same 360 degrees and stylus support perfect for students. It also weighs in at just 1.6Kgs so portability won’t be an issue either.

The Flex does come with 8th Gen Intel processors, with up to 16GB of RAM and 512GB of SSD. It does lack Alexa and the display caps out at FHD, with about 60-70% of color coverage. With the low res display, Lenovo claims about 10 hours of battery life.

On the graphical side, you can bump up to an MX150 dedicated graphics card with 4GB of DDR5 memory. Port-wise it features both USB A and a USB Type C alongside a full-size HDMI port. The laptop will go on sale sometime in the middle of April with a starting price of $549.

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Samsung expanding the J-series; Galaxy J6 leaks online

GadgetByte

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February 27, 2018

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Samsung expanding the J-series; Galaxy J6 leaks online

Samsung is planning to expand its J-series line-up this year. This was quite clear when the Galaxy J4 and Galaxy J8 leaked online a couple of weeks ago. But Samsung isn’t planning to stop in just the two new devices. The Korean giants are in line to launch another member of the J-series – the Galaxy J6. The device’s benchmark is listed on Geekbench’s listing right now.

The listing is tagged under the title of SM-J600F which is the model number of the J6. The smartphone is a mid-range device that is powered by a 14nm octa-core Exynos 7870 processor with 1.6 GHz of clock speed. The Exynos 7870 chipset has powered devices such as the Galaxy J5 (2017) and the Galaxy J7 (2017) in the past.

According to Geekbench, the Galaxy J6 will feature 2 GB of RAM to help with performance and multi-tasking. And as for the software purpose, the device that ran the Geekbench tests ran on Android v8.0 Oreo, so we can expect the J6 to feature the latest and greatest from Google. It has scored 726 (single-core) and 3643 (multi-core) on Geekbench. We are yet to receive any news on the pricing and availability of this device.

Samsung is currently making headlines due to its newest flagship device – the Galaxy S9. It boasts a camera setup with a changeable aperture. The device comes with AR Emojis – Samsung’s weapon against Animojis and has AKG tuned Stereo Speakers.

Samsung Galaxy J6 2018 Leaked Specifications:

CPU: 1.6 GHz Octa-core Cortex A-53
Chipset: Exynos 7870
RAM: 2 GB
Operating System: Android v8.0 oreo

MWC 2018: ZTE launches Blade V9 and V9 Vita with 18:9 display and Dual Rear Cameras

GadgetByte

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February 26, 2018

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MWC 2018: ZTE launches Blade V9 and V9 Vita with 18:9 display and Dual Rear Cameras

Smartphone manufacturers usually use the platform of MWC to showcase some of their products and ZTE, one of the biggest Chinese smartphone company, has done the same. ZTE has added two new mid-range smartphones to its arsenal. The ZTE Blade V9 and V9 Vita follow the trend of smartphones sporting an 18:9 display ratio, all while packing some interesting features.

ZTE Blade V9

A more premium of the two devices launched, the ZTE Blade V9 is a smartphone that features glass on both the front and the back of the device. There is a metallic rail sandwiched between the glasses. Specs wise, the ZTE Blade V9 has a 5.7-inch LCD display with Full HD+ resolution and minimal bezels on the top and bottom. It is a mid-range smartphone that packs a 16-megapixel alongside a 5-megapixel dual rear-facing camera that is capable of capturing images with shallow depth of field which can be adjusted later on. This camera also helps in Augmented Reality purpose. The ZTE Blade V9 boasts Phase Detection Autofocus 2.0 which can apparently focus 40% faster. Up front sits an 8-megapixel secondary lens for selfies.

The Blade V9’s performance front is handled by an Octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 processor that is coupled with 3 or 4 GB of RAM. ZTE has also offered two variants of storage: 32 GB and 64 GB. This device runs on the latest Android Oreo which is a welcome addition. All of this is backed by a 3,100 mAh battery. The ZTE Blade V9’s pricing starts from €269 in the international market.

ZTE Blade V9 Specifications:

Display: 5.7-inch Full HD+ 18:9 display
CPU: 1.8 GHz Octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 Processor
GPU: Adreno 506
RAM: 3/4 GB
OS: Android v8.1 Oreo
Storage: 32/64 GB, expandable via MicroSD card (Uses SIM 2 slot)
Rear Camera: 16 MP + 5 MP, PDAF 2.0, dual tone LED flash
Front Camera: 8 MP
Sensors: Fingerprint (rear-mounted), Accelerometer, Gyro, Proximity, Compass
SIM: Dual Hybrid SIM with 4G support
Battery: 3,100mAh
Price: Pricing starts from €269

ZTE Blade V9 Vita

The ZTE Blade V9 Vita is a light variant of the Blade V9. It has a smaller display measuring 5.45-inch. This display has HD+ resolution and an 18:9 aspect ratio. The Blade V9 Vita is powered by an Octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 435 processor with 3 or 2 GB of RAM according to a user’s preference. The 3 GB RAM variant has 32 GB of internal memory while the 2 GB variant comes with 16 GB of storage. Just like its brother, the Blade V9 Vita runs on Android v8.1 Oreo.

In terms of photography, the device comes equipped with dual primary cameras (13-megapixel + 2-megapixel) and a 5-megapixel secondary camera. It has a rear-mounted fingerprint scanner and packs a 3200 mAh battery.

ZTE Blade V9 Vita Specifications:

Display: 5.45-inch HD+ 18:9 display
CPU: 1.8 GHz Octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 435 Processor
GPU: Adreno 505
RAM: 2/3 GB
OS: Android v8.1 Oreo
Storage: 16/32 GB, expandable via MicroSD card (Uses SIM 2 slot)
Rear Camera: 13 MP + 2 MP, PDAF, dual tone LED flash
Front Camera: 5 MP
Sensors: Fingerprint (rear-mounted), Accelerometer, Gyro. Proximity, Compass
SIM: Dual Hybrid SIM with 4G support
Battery: 3,200mAh
Price: €179 (2 GB + 16 GB) / €199 (3 GB + 32 GB)

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MWC 2018: Sony Xperia XZ2 and XZ2 Compact Launched With An Odd New Design

GadgetByte

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February 26, 2018

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MWC 2018: Sony Xperia XZ2 and XZ2 Compact Launched With An Odd New Design

Sony is one of those smartphone makers that has been struggling the past couple of years. Nevertheless, they have yet to give up on the business. At the MWC 2018, the Japanese manufacturer launched two new smartphones, the Sony Xperia XZ2 and the XZ2 Compact.

Sony has clearly put a lot of effort into making these smartphones. And we can clearly see their R&D team’s hard work at full glory here. These new devices flaunt a totally new and much-needed design language, and Sony calls it the “Ambient Flow” design.

Sony Xperia XZ2

Starting off with the Xperia XZ2, it sports a 5.7-inch FHD+ 18:9 aspect ratio display with Gorilla Glass 5 protection. On the inside, it features the Snapdragon 845 SoC with just 4GB of RAM and 64GB of UFS. It also comes paired with the new Adreno 630 GPU and a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor. What it does not come with is a headphone jack.

The highlight here is the “Ambient Flow” design, with curved edges, arching backs, and a 2.5D Gorilla Glass back, which makes it capable of wireless charging. And yes, this is the first and the only Sony smartphone capable of wireless charging till date. The new design does keep a lot of features from the “Loop face” and “Omni balance” concepts while still putting out a completely fresh new design.

The XZ2 shares the same camera sensors with the last generation’s Xperia XZ1. It’s a 19MP 1/2.3″ Sony IMX400 camera with a f/2.0 aperture. The camera is packed with predictive hybrid laser/phase detection/contrast AF, burst AF, IR sensor for white balance, LED flash, dedicated hardware shutter key and BIONZ for a mobile image-processing engine.

All these features help with better color rendition, detail reproduction and noise handling in low light. The smartphone is also capable of 4K HDR recording and 960fps@1080p. At the front, there is a 5MP f/2.2 camera with EIS capable of up to 1080p video recording.

The Xperia XZ2 comes with a 3180mAh battery, Bluetooth 5.0, USB 3.1 Type-C, an 802.11ac Wi-Fi and Android 8.0 Oreo. The device is also IP65/IP68 certified dust and water resistance for better protection. The Sony XZ2 will be available in Liquid Black, Liquid Silver, Deep Green, and Ash pink color options.

Sony Xperia XZ2 Specifications

Display: 5.7 inches IPS LCD with Gorilla glass 5 (front and back) protection
Resolution: 1080*2160 pixels, 18:9 aspect ratio
OS: Android Oreo 8.0
Chipset: Snapdragon 845
RAM: 4GB
Storage: 64 internal storage, Expandable up to 256GB (Uses SIM2 slot)
Rear Camera: 19MP, f/2.0, EIS, laser autofocus, LED flash
Front Camera: 5 MP, f/2.2
Connectivity: Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 5.0, A-GPS, 3G, 4G LTE, USB Type C 3.1 reversible connector
Sensors: Fingerprint (rear-mounted), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer
Battery: 3180mAh non-removable battery
Color Variants: Liquid Black, Liquid Silver, Deep Green, Ash pink

Sony Xperia XZ2 Compact

The XZ2 Compact is a bit different from the regular sized XZ2. It’s has a 5-inch FHD 16:9 minimum bezel display design. It also comes with the same Gorilla Glass 5 protection at the front. However, the back isn’t glass so wireless charging isn’t available for this one alongside no headphone jack. On the inside, the smartphone features the same Snapdragon 845 SoC paired with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of UFS.

Almost all the aspects of the phone are identical to the 5.7 inch Xperia XZ2 including the 19MP back and 5MP front cameras. The only aspects that are different are the smaller 2870mAh battery and the slight design variations of the smartphones. This particularly small but very capable phone will be available in Black, White Silver, Moss Green, and Coral Pink color options.

Sony Xperia XZ2 Compact Specification

Display: 5.0 inches IPS LCD with Gorilla glass 5 (front) protection
Resolution: 1080*1920 pixels, 16:9 aspect ratio
OS: Android Oreo 8.0
Chipset: Snapdragon 845
RAM: 4GB
Storage: 64 internal storage, Expandable up to 256GB (Uses SIM2 slot)
Rear Camera: 19MP, f/2.0, EIS, laser autofocus, LED flash
Front Camera: 5 MP, f/2.2
Connectivity: Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 5.0, A-GPS, 3G, 4G LTE, USB Type C 3.1 reversible connector
Sensors: Fingerprint (rear-mounted), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer
Battery: 2870mAh non-removable battery
Color Variants: Black, White Silver, Moss Green, Coral Pink

A unique feature present on both the smartphones is their haptic actuator. Basically, the device responsible for vibration is a bit more noticeable than other average smartphones. The special feature here is, Sony has an algorithm in place that processes the audio output and vibrates the phone at appropriate moments to enhance the audio experience. We do not know how well this works, but it is a feature nevertheless. Also, the loudspeakers itself are 20% louder than before.

So, what do you think about the new Sony flagship for 2018? There is no question that these are very capable smartphones and can even compete with the Samsung Galaxy S9 if marketed correctly. The XZ2 compact is definitely the device to get if you want a small sized smartphone and the bigger XZ2 is also not that bad. The question now is how much importance will Sony gives these two new smartphones and how good their availability is going to be.

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