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Top 5 Upcoming Smartphones of 2018

2017 was a great year for smartphones. The bezels shrunk, dual cameras became a norm, and AI gained a few strides. 2018 promises to be another great year for a smartphone enthusiast and the early leaks and rumours are very promising. Let’s take a look at the top five upcoming smartphones of 2018:

Samsung Galaxy S9/Galaxy S9+

The first big launch of 2018 will be that of the Galaxy S9 and the Galaxy S9+. The smartphones will be launched at MWC 2018 and will possibly be the first to run on the Snapdragon 845 chipset. After weeks of renders and leaks, Samsung will finally unveil two of the most anticipated smartphones of 2018.

Design wise, the two phones won’t look different than their predecessors which is not a bad thing. The Galaxy S8 and S8+ are still two of the most stunning devices on the market. The top and bottom bezels will be slightly thinner and the fingerprint sensor will be repositioned. Unlike last year’s, the fingerprint sensor will now be placed below the camera module instead of next to it. That is a great design change which was called for by many Galaxy S8 and Note8 users.

To compete with Apple’s Face ID, Samsung is rumoured to introduce Smart Scan as well. Apparently, the new feature is a combination of face and iris scanning. This extra layer will improve accuracy and security of the system in extremely dark or lit up environments. These are the situations where iris scanning and facial recognition systems fail. There have been reports that suggest the Samsung Galaxy S9 devices might have a 3D sensor equipped front-camera for improved biometrics.

Read: Samsung Galaxy S9, Galaxy S9+: Everything We Know So Far

Xiaomi Mi A2

Mi 6X Could Be Powered By The Snapdragon 670

There are no rumours or leaks about an upcoming Xiaomi Mi A2 or Mi A1(2018). However, considering the popularity of the Mi A1 in India, the company will be hard-pressed to launch a successor in 2018. The Mi A1 had a more 2016 design with thick bezels but, with budget smartphones also moving on to an 18:9 aspect ratio, the Mi A2 will also have a modern design.

The Xiaomi Mi A1 was launched as the Mi 5X in China and the Mi 6X could be the Mi A2 in India. So far, there have been a few leaks pertaining to the Xiaomi Mi 6X. According to leaked images, the Mi 6X will have an iPhone X-like vertically placed dual-camera setup along with fingerprint sensor and an aluminium unibody build.

Up until the Xiaomi Mi A1 was launched, Motorola’s Moto G5 Plus and G5s Plus had the best cameras in the segment. However, the Xiaomi Mi A1 had a great dual-camera setup as well and the Mi A2, in order to sway customers will have to have a great camera performance as well. The Xiaomi Mi A2 is expected to have the same “wide-angle and telephoto lens” combination for the primary cameras. The dual-camera setup on the front is becoming popular as well, meaning the Xiaomi Mi A2 could also have a dual-camera setup on the front as well.

If Xiaomi does launch the Mi A2 or Mi A1 (2018) in India, it is expected to do well, considering budget smartphones from Honor will have EMUI and a lot of consumers still prefer stock Android OS.

Read: Xiaomi Mi A2- What To Expect?

OnePlus 6

The OnePlus 5 and OnePlus 5T saw a rise in price which many people weren’t happy about. There was also no water resistance even though OnePlus decided to increase the price of its new flagship considerably. However, early rumours of the OnePlus 6 are in and it appears that the company will be refreshing its smartphone lineup earlier than expected. A report from Android Marvel claims that the OnePlus 6 will be launched in March of 2018 and have a few new features which the OnePlus 5T is missing.

Inspired by Face ID, the OnePlus 6 will also have its own version of facial recognition. The OnePlus 6 is expected to have a camera hardware setup similar to the iPhone X, complete with a 3D camera module that will use infrared light to measure depth. However, the OnePlus 6 will not have an iPhone X-like notch. Instead, the handset is expected to have a full top bezel where the extra sensors should be found.

The OnePlus 6 is expected to have the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 chipset under the hood along with 6GB or 8GB of RAM. Storage options will most probably be the same with 64GB or 128Gb variants of the phone. OnePlus has shown its tendency to launch limited edition variants of its devices and it is fair to assume that the company will do something similar with the OnePlus 6 and possibly, the OnePlus 6T.

Apple iPhone X Plus

2018 Apple iPhone lineup

It’s tentative but, we might see a bigger version of the iPhone X in September of 2018. The iPhone X, launched in September 2017 saw a radical shift from the traditional iPhone design we were accustomed to, since the launch of the iPhone 6. While the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus were similar to their predecessors, the iPhone X was the special 10th-anniversary device, billed as the true successor to the original iPhone which was launched back in 2007.

Early reports claim that Apple will continue the trend and launch three new iPhones in 2018. While two of them will continue to have an OLED display, the smallest of the three iPhones will be cheaper thanks to the LCD display. However, the design of all the three iPhones will be similar to the iPhone X with the notch at the top of the display and vertically placed dual cameras.

Under the hood, an upgraded A12 (tentatively named) chipset is expected which will, as always, perform better than the previous generation and go toe-to-toe with the Snapdragon 845 chipset.

Apple made it clear that it will emphasise a lot on the use of AI and machine learning with the introduction of ARKit. This is expected to be taken a notch higher with the next generation iPhones. What will be interesting to see is the nomenclature of all the three iPhones.

Google Pixel 3/Pixel 3 XL

The Google Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL launched amidst a lot of anticipation. Google was expected to deliver two of the best Android phones of the year and while the software and AI integration of the two phones was commendable, Google lost the race in the hardware department.

In 2018, especially after having the HTC smartphone personnel on board, Google will be expected to rectify those mistakes and deliver great Android devices which will compete with the likes of the Galaxy S9 and the OnePlus 6.

Similar to the Pixel 2, the Pixel 3 and its bigger sibling will focus a lot on AI and machine learning, and deliver smooth software experience thanks to the stock Android OS. 2018 will see the launch of Android P and the Pixel 3 devices will be the first Android phones on the planet to run o the new Android OS.

The Pixel 2 smartphones had the best camera on smartphones and achieved dual-camera capable features on their single camera setup thanks to Google’s incredible machine learning and AI implementation. We expect similar results from the Google Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL.

Which smartphone are you most excited about?

February 10, 2018
Apple iPhone X Lookalike Sharp Aquos S3 Leaked In Live Images

Ever since 2018 rolled around, the density of smartphones with an iPhone X-like notch has been increasing. From Chinese smartphone makers like Doogee to established companies like Huawei, many devices are expected to be launched in 2018 with a notch. A few weeks ago, images of the Sharp Aquos S3 surfaced and new images of the device confirm the design’s inspiration from the iPhone X.

Leaked in live images, the Sharp Aquos S3 has an iPhone X style notch on top which probably doesn’t house a bunch of 3D sensors. In the images, it visible that the notch houses a front-facing camera along with an earpiece. Also, unlike the iPhone X, the notch is much smaller which gives the phone an odd look.

The bezels are thin but, the bottom bezel is thicker than the rest which has been a trend for a lot of smartphones. Even the leaked renders of the Huawei P11 Lite and Huawei P11 Plus reveal a thick bottom bezel. It will be interesting to see if a smartphone releasing in late-2018 will get rid of that odd thickness of the bottom bezel.

On the back of the smartphone is again, a familiar design language. The two cameras are placed vertically on the back and the positioning is very similar to the iPhone X. Where the Aquos S3 one-ups the iPhone X is in the fingerprint sensor department. Apple got rid of Touch ID in favour of Face ID and although Face ID has held up pretty well, a lot of people miss the fingerprint sensor.

Early Leaks

The Sharp Aquos S3 does not leave out the fingerprint sensor. 2018 will also see a lot of smartphones integrating a more secure form facial recognition which is more than just software based. Huawei already unveiled its technology in late-2017 and the Huawei P11 and P11 Plus are expected to have facial recognition which can be used for banking.

The Sharp Aquos S3 is expected to be unveiled at MWC 2018.

February 10, 2018
Xiaomi Mi 7 Specifications Leaked

The build-up to Xiaomi’s event at MWC 2018 is very confusing. While companies like Samsung have confirmed the rumours and announced that the Galaxy S9 and S9+ will be launched at MWC, Xiaomi has been rather quiet about it. It was believed that the company would launch the Mi 7 at MWC but, recently, rumours about the Mi Mix 2S have picked up.

However, a new leak focuses on the next ‘Mi’ flagship device, the Mi 7. A screenshot, believed to be a Mi 7 device, reveals a few key specifications of the upcoming smartphone. It claims that the smartphone will have 8GB of RAM and 128GB of onboard storage. Powering the device will be a massive 4480 mAh battery, a considerable upgrade over the Mi 6’s 3,350 mAh battery.

As expected, it runs on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 chipset and will have an 18:9 aspect ratio. What is a bit disappointing is that it has a resolution of 2160 x 1080 px instead of 1880 x 1440 px. Considering the fact that it is a flagship phone, the company should be pushing higher resolution for the device.

Early Mi 7 Renders

On the OS front is where the things get a bit sketchy. Xiaomi recently rolled out MIUI 9 for devices that were launched over 4 years ago but, the Mi 7 in this screenshot still runs MIUI 8. While it could be possible that MIUI 8.1.30X means the build is 30th January, and not an old UI, nothing is certain for now. What is certain is that any Xiaomi smartphone launched in 2018 will run MIUI 9 and not an older version.

February 10, 2018
Moto Z2 Force To Launch In India On 15th February

Motorola’s 2017 flagship, the Moto Z2 Force will launch in India on the 15th of February. The company has sent out press invites for the event in Delhi which doesn’t mention any pricing details. However, with the launch of the device happening so late in India, we expect the company to price it competitively.

The Moto Z2 Force was launched globally in July 2017 and its entry in India has been long overdue. The Moto Z2 Force could be priced in India to compete with the likes of the OnePlus 5T and LG V30+. To sweeten the deal, Motorola could add the Moto TurboPower mod as well.

Moto Z2 Force Overview

The Moto Z2 Force has a 5.5 inch P-OLED display with a 2560 x 1440 px resolution. The Moto Z2 Force does not have Corning Gorilla Glass on top, instead has a plastic shattershield coating on top. This means that the Moto Z2 Force will survive drops more than a regular device with Corning Gorilla Glass. However, thanks to the presence of a plastic coating, it would be more susceptible to smaller scratches.

Under the hood, the device has the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 chipset, 4GB of RAM and 64GB of onboard storage. The storage is expandable up to 256GB via a microSD card. The fingerprint sensor is placed on the front of the smartphone as it retains the size and design of a ‘Moto Z’ device. This is done to maintain compatibility with Moto Mods.

Moto Mods Compatible With Moto Z2 Force

Powering the device is a 2730 mAh battery with support for QuickCharge. Out of the box, the smartphone will run Android 7 Nougat but, it is expected to get Android 8 Oreo update soon.

The smartphone has a dual 12MP f/2.0 camera setup on the back. One of them has an RGB sensor while the other one has a monochrome sensor. On the front of the smartphone is a 5MP camera with a dual-tone LED flash.

February 9, 2018
LG V30s Along With LG Lens To Debut At MWC

LG and its smartphone business, in particular, has been going through a rocky patch of late. The smartphone maker has been rumoured to take drastic steps in order to shake things up a bit and change the outlook of its smartphone portfolio. One such step was to not follow a launch pattern and bring in new versions of existing phones rather than new phones altogether.

With that in mind, it was speculated that the company would launch the LG V30+ Alpha with AI capabilities at MWC 2018. However, a new report coming out of South Korea has claimed that the company would launch the LG V30s at MWC 2018. Along with that, it would also unveil the LG Lens. An AI camera app that will work similar to the Bixby camera and Google Lens.

LG V30

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The LG V30s will have 256GB of onboard storage and over the 64GB found in the regular LG V30. This will also be double the storage found in the LG V30+ which was launched in India in December. The price of the smartphone is expected a little over one million won (US$ 918). With an older chipset and LG’s custom skin, it might not be the best decision to increase the price of the device so much.

The LG Lens will be the marquee addition to the LG V30s over the previous versions. The LG Lens is expected to let users search and shop for items using the camera. Along with that, it will possess a language translation service and augmented reality functionality that uses both the camera and the phone’s GPS.

Google Lens

How much of an appeal the LG V30s will have over the Galaxy S9 and S9+ is yet to be seen. The Galaxy devices will have a newer chipset, design and in all probability, better cameras. The LG V30s is also expected to be priced higher than the previous variants although, it is cheaper than the LG V30 Signature.

February 9, 2018
Xiaomi Mi Mix 2S Design And Specifications Leaked

It is becoming increasingly plausible that Xiaomi will announce the Mi Mix 2S at MWC 2018. A few renders have revealed a very interesting design of the Mi Mix 2S with a notch. A new leak has now shed some light on what could be possible design and specifications of the upcoming flagship smartphone from Xiaomi.

The leaked image shows off a similar odd placement of the front-facing camera. Also, the leak claims that the fingerprint sensor will be placed under the display which, seems a bit unlikely. The bezels are even around the display and the top bezel also houses a small earpiece. To the back, it will have a four-sided curved ceramic unibody.

The leak also reiterates that the Mi Mix 2S will be the first device to be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 chipset. Even if the device does have the Snapdragon 845 chipset, it might not be the first one as Samsung will launch the Galaxy S9 and S9+ on the 25th of February. Along with the Snapdragon 845 chipset, it will have an 8GB LPDDR4X RAM along with 256GB of onboard storage.

Mi Mix 2s Render

Xiaomi Mi Mix 2S

Even after all the leaks, it still looks like the smartphone could be a thing of imagination.

An earlier render of the Mi Mix 2s showing a notch on the display looked a photoshopped iPhone X photo.

Mi Mix 2s Early Renders

The image shows evenly trimmed bezels all around the display. The Mi Mix 2 had a small chin which housed the front-facing camera. The front facing camera here is placed in the top right corner. It is fitted awkwardly which results in a weird notch on the top right corner. Although this looks like a design prototype that would’ve been buried in the back burner, the design does look new and different.

Ever since then, there were have been more leaks that support this design with a weird notch on top. Xiaomi will be present at MWC 2018 and could announce the Mi Mix 2S right after the Galaxy S9 launch.

February 9, 2018
Leaked: Huawei P11 Plus Renders With Triple-Camera Setup

Huawei is expected to launch a few smartphones in the coming weeks. While there were reports that Huawei won’t be present at MWC 2018, the company has confirmed that it will indeed be there. This means that the company could launch the Huawei P20/P11 Plus Lite at MWC 2018 and save the marquee launch of Huawei P11 Plus for the March event.

We recently got a glimpse at what the P11 Plus Lite might look like. From the same source, we now have comprehensive renders of the Huawei P11 Plus/P20 which will be launch on the 27th of March. The renders of the smartphone look stunning and again, has a few interesting features. The build quality looks similar to the P11 Plus Lite, which means an all-glass build with a metal (possibly aluminium) frame.

On the front of the smartphone is the noticeable iPhone X-like notch. Now, Apple did not patent this sort of design but, it is the most popular smartphone right now that possesses a notch on the top. This means that every smartphone with a notch will be compared to the iPhone X and the functionality of the notch. The iPhone X houses all the hardware used for Face ID inside that notch.

Huawei, being one of the biggest smartphone makers won’t just go ahead and imitate an iPhone feature. This means that the Huawei P11 Plus or P20 will have a Face ID like facial recognition system that might use two cameras. Hence, the presence of a notch would seem justifiable. Also, the company claimed that its facial recognition system is ten times better than Face ID, which means it is more than just a software gimmick.

On the back of the smartphone is where the most-anticipated feature lies. Similar to the iPhone X, it has slightly protruded dual-camera setup. However, just underneath the dual-camera setup is another camera, which means this smartphone will be the smartphone in the world to have a triple-camera setup on the back. This feature has been rumoured for a while and Huawei’s press invite also has a few hints regarding the feature.

The Huawei P11 Plus/ P20 will be powered by the HiSilicopn Kirin 970 chipset which means it will have all the AI functionalities like the Honor View10. More leaks will follow as we move closer to the launch date.

February 9, 2018
Qualcomm Snapdragon 670 Specifications Leaked

Qualcomm announced the Snapdragon 845 chipset in late-2017. The flagship chipset will power most of the flagship devices in 2018 but, the smartphone industry comprises a lot of budget smartphones. Hence, the onus is on Qualcomm to consistently produce great budget chipsets like the Snapdragon 625.

A couple of months ago, there were leaks surrounding the existence of Snapdragon 670 chipset. Now, a new leak has revealed all the specifications of the chipset. It is also expected to be announced at MWC 2018. The Snapdragon 670 will be a 10nm chipset that will not be based on the classic big.LITTLE architecture. Also, the chipset will comprise six low-end cores and two high-end cores. This is different from the usual four low-end and four high-end CPU cores.

Mi 6X Could Be Powered By The Snapdragon 670

The low-end cores, dubbed as Kryo 300 Silver will have a maximum clock speed of 2.6GHz. In a nutshell, the Kryo 300 Silver is just an adapted version of ARM Cortex A55. The high-end cores, called Kryo 300 Gold, is a custom version of ARM Cortex A75. The Kryo Gold will have a maximum processing speed of 1.7GHz.

Supporting the graphics will the Adreno 615 that works at 430MHz or 650MHz however, it can also reach 700MHz dynamically. The smartphones running on the Snapdragon 670 chipset will be expected to have top-notch performance. The Snapdragon 670 will support maximum download speeds of 1Gbps, thanks to the Snapdragon X2X modem. The chipset will offer support for UFS 2.1 and eMMC 5.1.

If the chipset is announced at MWC 2018, there are chances of OEMs adopting the chipset for their smartphones that are scheduled to launch in mid-2018 or later, like the Mi 6X.

February 9, 2018
Honor 7X Red Limited Edition Goes On Sale Today

Honor 7X was launched in India in December 2017 at a starting price of Rs. 12999. At the time of the launch, the Honor 7X was available in Blue, Black and Gold colour variants. Now, the company has launched a special edition red colour variant of the Honor 7X at the same price as the other variants.

While 2017 saw the trend of shrinking bezels and taller displays catch on, another trend seems to be egging on at this time. A lot of smartphone makers have launched a special edition red colour variant of their popular devices. Companies like Xiaomi, OnePlus, Apple have all released a limited edition variant of their devices and Honor is the next one on the list.

While many people anyway use a case to protect their phones, a different colour does make sense. Smartphones have become increasingly similar nowadays in terms of specifications and sometimes, a different colour option can sway a customer to your device. Honor seems to have done the same and the Honor 7X is also the cheapest smartphone in the market available in a red colour variant and has an 18:9 aspect ratio.

Buy it here

Honor 7X Specifications

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The Honor 7X has a 5.9 inch LTPS IPS LCD display with a 2160 x 1080 px display which translates into an 18:9 aspect ratio.

Under the hood, the Honor 7X has the HiSilicon Kirin 659 chipset, Mali-T830 MP2 GPU, 4GB of RAM and 64GB onboard storage. The onboard storage is expandable up to 256GB via microSD card. The device is powered by a 3340 mAh battery which charges via a micro USB slot. Since the device has thin bezels, the fingerprint sensor is placed at the back of the below the dual-camera setup.

The Honor 7X runs Android 7.0 Nougat with EMUI 6.0 on top which gives a user more options for customising their phones.

The smartphone has a dual camera setup at the back. One of the cameras is equipped with a 16MP sensor while the other one is a 2MP depth sensor. The camera setup at the back has PDAF and records 1080P videos at 30fps. On the front is an 8MP camera which also records 1080P videos.

February 9, 2018
Mysterious Android Device Running Snapdragon 845 Shows Up On GeekBench

Qualcomm launched the Snapdragon 845 chipset in late-2017. It will be the next flagship chipset for all Android devices and is expected to power the likes of Galaxy S9, OnePlus 6, Galaxy Note8 and more. While it has been confirmed that the Galaxy S9 and S9+ will be launched on the 25th if February, there are a few question marks around the launch of other Snapdragon 845-powered devices.

A new smartphone has shown up on GeekBench 4 running on Snapdragon 845 chipset. Unfortunately, the model number and even maker have been scrubbed. This means that there is no way to tell if this is the Mi Mix 2S, Xperia XZ Pro, Galaxy S9 or a different device altogether. The leaked device is also running Android 8 Oreo which means that the smartphone will at least have the latest OS out of the box.

Many rumours have hinted that Xiaomi will launch the Mi Mix 2S before MWC 2018 and that it will be the first ever 845-powered device in the world. However, with MWC about two weeks away, Xiaomi has not yet confirmed a launch event. This means that the company is confident about the Mi Mix 2S not being overshadowed by the launch of the Galaxy S9.

Along with Xiaomi and Samsung, Sony is expected to launch a flagship device as well at MWC 2018. The Sony Xperia XZ Pro will also be powered by the Snapdragon 845 chipset and run Android 8 Oreo.

February 9, 2018
Huawei P11 Lite Leaked In Live Images

It looks like after a period of silence, Huawei leaks have started in full swing. Only yesterday, Huawei P11 Lite was leaked in 360º renders by a popular tipster on Twitter. It has been rumoured that the Huawei P11 Lite will be launched at MWC 2018 while the Huawei P11 will be launched at a special event on 27th of March.

Right after the renders were leaked, new images of the Huawei P11 out and about in the wild have surfaced. The images show the exact design of the device that was leaked in renders and has a couple of interesting features. For starters, it has an iPhone X-like notch on the top of the display. A notch on top seems to be catching on as a trend since even Mi Mix 2S could have a slight notch if and when it is launched.

Leaked Renders

While initially, it looked like the notch will house all the hardware necessary for Huawei’s facial recognition, this doesn’t seem like the case now. In all probability, the Huawei P11 Lite will have a dual-camera setup on the front which will have some sort of Face Unlock feature. The notch is expected to house the two cameras along with sensors and an earpiece.

To the back of the smartphone is a dual-camera setup that looks similar to the iPhone X. This setup is expected to consist of an RGB sensor and a monochrome sensor, similar to a lot of other Huawei smartphones. The fingerprint sensor sits on the back which means that it has still not implemented Clear ID.

The Huawei P11 Lite could be powered by the Kirin 970 chipset which means it could have a lot of AI functionalities. However, since it is a “Lite” version, Huawei could go with the Kirin 659 chipset to place the device as a budget smartphone in countries like India.

February 9, 2018
Samsung Galaxy S8, S8+ Owners Rejoice! Android 8 Oreo Rollout Begins

Earlier, we reported that Samsung accidentally rolled out Android 8 Oreo update for the Galaxy S7 Edge. While that appeared to be a mistake, this news is official and a good one. Android 8 Oreo update for the Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+ has started rolling out in Germany. Samsung had promised that Beta testers would get the Android 8 Oreo 24 hours before everyone else and the company has delivered.

The update will soon make its way out of Germany however, the exact timeline has not been shared by the company. long with Android 8 Oreo, the update also brings Samsung Experience 9.0 to the fore. Samsung Experience 9.0 has new features like a new keyboard, colour lens for display, improvements to Bixby and more.

It was expected that Samsung would release the final build of Android 8 Oreo to older devices only after launching the Galaxy S9. It recently launched the Galaxy A8+ in India that still runs on Android 7 Nougat, more than four months after the official launch of the Android 8 Oreo. For context, OnePlus has already updated its smartphones to Android 8 Oreo while the Pixel devices are running Android 8.1 Oreo.

February 8, 2018
Honor View10 Review

Launched at a price of Rs. 29999, Honor took everyone by surprise with the pricing of the Honor View10. With a flagship HiSilicon Kirin 970 chipset, the Honor View10 has the potential to be the best smartphone in the under Rs. 30,000 price category and even compete with the likes of the OnePlus 5T and Mi Mix 2, both of them although, are priced much higher.

The Honor View10 brings in a few things that no other smartphone in this category or even a bit pricier than the View10 offers. With Honor’s focus on AI and superior camera quality, does the Honor View10 deliver on its price and is it the ultimate flagship killer? Let’s find out.

Honor View10 Full Review

February 8, 2018
Smartphone With 10GB RAM Might Have The Thinnest Bezels Yet

A few days ago, it rumoured that Vivo would continue its streak of launching industry-first smartphones. After introducing a smartphone with an in-display fingerprint sensor, Vivo was rumoured to launch the X Play 7 with 10GB of RAM. While the initial rumours revolved around the specifications of the device, a new leaked image reveals that the smartphone will also have an impressive design.

While smartphones have slowly become the game of specifications, it is fair to say that design of a phone still holds a lot of importance. In today’s market, almost all devices of a certain price provide similar specifications but, what differentiates them is the design. The Vivo Xplay 7 could have a great design to compliment the whopping 10GB of RAM.

According to the leaked, image seen above, the Vivo Xplay 7 will have thin uniform bezels all around the display. With Clear ID already implemented in a Vivo phone, the company is expected to use it for the Vivo Xplay 7. While devices like the iPhonen X have a notch on top of the display, the Xplay 7 will uniform bezels and could have the best screen-to-body ratio currently.

Vivo Xplay 7: Expectations

The Vivo Xplay 7 is expected to be the next high-end offering from the Chinese smartphone maker. While previous reports claimed it will have a completely bezel-less design, the new images reveal a different story. According to the latest leak, the Vivo Xplay 7 will have a 4K display panel. It will also sport an impressive 92.9% screen-to-body ratio.

Under the hood, the Xplay 7 will have the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 chipset. It will also have a whopping 10GB RAM which seems like an overkill for any smartphone right now. For storage, Vivo will offer two variants, one with 256GB onboard storage while the other one will have 512GB of storage. There were reports that even Samsung will launch a special edition Galaxy S9+ variant with 512GB of onboard storage.

Making sure that it is up-to-date with all industry trends, the Xplay 7 will also feature facial recognition. Reportedly, it will have the Face Unlock 2.0 which is the next generation of Vivo’s facial recognition technology. The smartphone will also come equipped with a dual-camera setup on the back which will be capable of 4X lossless zoom.

Thanks to its nearly bezel-less design, the fingerprint sensor will be embedded inside the display. This essentially means that the Vivo Xplay 7 will have a 4K AMOLED display panel. Vivo will use the Clear ID technology which was first introduced in the Vivo X20 Plus UD.

February 8, 2018
Leaked: Huawei P11 Lite Renders With iPhone X-Like Notch

Huawei is expected to launch the Huawei P11 Lite (tentatively named) on the 27th of March. While the name is not yet confirmed and it could be named the Huawei P20 Lite as well, new renders reveal the key design elements of the upcoming device. Huawei announced in late-2017 that it was working on its own facial recognition technology gave a glimpse of it in the Honor View10 as well. However, this upcoming device is expected to have the final version which will be secure enough to store passwords and transactions.

Prolific leaker on Twitter has released a 360º render video of the device which reveals a few interesting details. First off, the front of the smartphone has an iPhone X-like notch on the display. While we have seen a lot of iPhone X knock-offs make this move, Huawei is one of the biggest smartphone makers in the world. If it decides to go for a notch, it must have a valid logic behind it.

One reason to go for a notch could be facial recognition. In order to make a secure facial recognition system, Huawei would need more than a front-facing camera and this notch could house all the hardware. This is similar to what Apple did and seems like a good option. The presence of a notch means that we will definitely see Huawei’s much-hyped facial recognition system in play.

If the notch wasn’t enough, the renders also reveal a vertically-placed dual camera setup identical to the iPhone X. However, the LED flash is placed beneath the camera module instead of between the two cameras. So far, Huawei has implemented an RGB+Monochrome dual camera setup and we could see something similar on the Huawei P11 Lite as well.

The front of the device also houses an almost edge-to-edge display with a small chin at the bottom. The device appears to have an all-glass design with a metal frame which means Huawei could also implement wireless charging in their marquee smartphone. This leak quashes the rumours of Huawei introducing a triple-lens setup on its upcoming flagship. We even saw a case renders that were leaked a few days ago.

Probably, the triple-camera setup is reserved for a flagship device that will succeed the Mate 10 Pro or the Huawei P11/P20. While OnLeaks has a great track record of leaking devices, you should always take these renders with a pinch of scepticism. The launch of the smartphone is over a month away and more leaks are expected to follow.

Case Renders Of Huawei P11/P20

Expected Specifications

With bezels getting thinner, the standard size of a smartphone has increased from 5.5 inches to 6 inches. The Huawei P11 Lite is expected to have a 6 inch display with a 2880 x 1440 px resolution. Just like the Mate 10, Huawei could use an OLED panel as well. As seen in the renders, the corners are curved which means an OLED panel is expected on the Huawei P11 Lite as well.

Under the hood, it will have the HiSilicon Kirin 970 chipset along with 6GB or 8GB of RAM.

More specifications of the device are expected to b revealed as we move closer to the official launch.

February 8, 2018