Category: Mobile

Smartphone News and Reviews, Latest Cellphones, Accessories, New Launches, Specifications, Details with Image and Video from Apple, Samsung, Lenovo, Moto, HTC, Xiaomi, Oneplus, Meizu, Sony, Lava, Micromax Yu Mobile and More.

Meizu Pro 7 and Pro 7 Plus Launched With A Secondary Display

Meizu’s new Pro 7 and Pro 7 Plus dual screen rumours caught our attention a while back, thanks to the super AMOLED touchscreen on the back. Proving that the rumours were true, Meizu recently sent invites for the announcement of its Pro 7 lineup on 26th of July.

Meizu announced the Pro 7 and Pro 7 Plus in a tweet on Wednesday. The Pro 7 and Pro 7 Plus were launched with an interesting feature – dual super AMOLED display for the front as well as the back of the handsets. Designed by the design studio “Frog,” the 1.9-inch screen lights up when flipped over and can be used to display notifications, weather, time, playing music or maybe for a quick selfie session using the rear camera. Unlike LG and HTC’s “Second Screen” iterations, Meizu Pro 7 phones may be more practical and cooler versions of the dual screen setup. Priced at $430 and $530, the Pro 7 and Pro 7 Plus are expected to go on sale from 5 August 2017 in China.

Have a look at the red Meizu PRO 7. pic.twitter.com/rxdJwB8ce0

— Ard Boudeling (@ArdCB) July 26, 2017

Pro 7

The 5.2-inch Pro 7 features a 1920 x 1080 pixel Super AMOLED display and is powered by Helio P25 chip. 4 GB RAM and 64 GB onboard storage brings the phone to par with 2017 flagships. The Pro 7 has a 3000mAh internal battery and support for ‘mCharge 4.0’for faster charging. Meizu claims that mCharge 4.o technology will provide upto 67 percent battery charge in 30 minutes.

A high edition version is also available for the Pro 7 with an extended 128 GB memory and the Helio P30 chip which has a 10-core processor made by 10 nm manufacturing process, making it the first smartphone to use the technology. The higher version of Pro 7 also has IMG PowerVR 7XTP GPU.

Pro 7 Plus

For an extra $100, the Pro 7 plus boosts almost all those specs in the Pro 7 variant. A slightly larger variant of the Pro 7, the Pro 7 Plus offers a 5.7-inch QHD display, 6GB of RAM, a Helio P30 processor, and a choice of 64GB or 128GB of storage. Unlike the Pro 7, the Pro 7 Plus offers a slightly larger 3500mAh battery and offers support for ‘mCharge 3.0’. The phone also has a 10nm chipset including 10 cores made up of three clusters — two Cortex A73 cores that go up to 2.6GHz, four Cortex A53 cores clocked at 2.2GHz, and four energy-efficient Cortex A35 cores at 1.9GHz and a IMG PowerVR 7XTP GPU.

Both the smartphones have M touch fingerprint sensors, run Android Nougat 7.0 based Flyme skin and have Hi-Fi audio. The phones are decked with Sony’s IMX386 imaging sensors and 12 MP dual-camera setup – a primary RGB sensor and a secondary monochrome sensor with f/2.0 aperture for improved low-light performance, as well as a 16MP front-facing camera.

Though the phones are set to be up for sale on 5th August in China, no information about the release in other countries have been disclosed yet. Implying that the wait may be a bit longer than we expected. Meizu also announced the ‘Meizu Flow headphones’ along with the unveiling of the smartphones indicating that unlike Apple, the phones has decided keep the 3.5mm headphone jack.

July 27, 2017
Moto Launches Moto Z2 Force With Shattershield Display

Lenovo-owned Motorola has launched its flagship for the year, the Moto Z2 Force with a shatterproof display technology. With a lot of high-end specifications, the 2nd-gen Moto Z phone will be the flag-bearer for Moto this year. It goes on sale in the USA on August 10th and is already available for pre-orders.

Moto Z2 Force has got the hardware to compete with any flagship device this year with 4 GB of RAM, 64 GB of storage and a Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 chipset. It has Android Nougat out-of-the-box with a promised update to Android. Let’s just say, pretty standard stuff for an expensive 2017 flagship device. The USP of Moto Z2 Force is three-fold. It has a shatterproof display that won’t crumble after a few regular drops thanks to a shatter-resistant coating on the display. Next up are the Moto Mods, which is why the design and the feel of the phone have been retained, except that it’s much thinner now thanks to a 2,730 mAh battery. The previous gen Moto Z had a 3,500 mAh battery, so to ship a new phone with that big a slump in battery size, just to make it thinner seems like a tricky decision. What’s also missing is our beloved 3.5mm headphone jack, so if you’re still living in the good ol’ days of wired headphones then you need to either make a shift to the wireless universe or live the dongle life, a USB C dongle is included in the box. Another significant change is the camera setup. It now has a dual-lens camera setup with dual 12MP sensors with an f/2.0 aperture. One camera shoots in monochrome, and the other shoots in colour, similar to what we saw on Huawei devices and recent Nubia M2. The Z2 Force also has laser AF, phase detection but no mention of optical image stabilisation. Similar to Apple’s portrait mode, the dual-lends setup has allowed Moto to implement a depth-of-field effect on the Moto Z2 Force.

The Moto Z2 Force doesn’t have the edge-to-edge display from the Galaxy S8 or a huge / relatively large battery one would expect, but with a price tag of $720 (roughly INR47,000), it competes with the big boys of the current flagship market aka the Samsung Galaxy s8 and its bigger sibling the S8+, Apple’s iPhone 7 and 7 plus. The release date in India has not been specified and it is likely that the phone may not launch in India at all as the company stayed away from the Force variant last year.

July 26, 2017
Nokia 8, HMD’s First Android Flagship Is Launching On August 16th

HMD Global is gunning to unveil Nokia’s first android flagship- the Nokia 8 on August 16th. The phone maker has started sending out media invites to an event in London on August 16th. What’s interesting is that this invite comes just days after the Nokia 8 was leaked. Prepare for a pleasant throwback because Nokia 8 is set to become the first smartphone with Nokia’s branding to ship with the Carl Zeiss optics. Expect a spec’d out smartphone with the prospect of owning a premium Nokia branded phone in the longest time!

The Nokia 8 is rumoured to have a dual-camera setup which has become a standard now on flagship devices. Expect dual 13-megapixel cameras with Carl Zeiss Optics. The Nokia 8 is rumoured to be sporting a 5.3-inch display (2560 x 1440), Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor, 4 or 6 GB of RAM and 64 GB internal storage and dual-SIM options.

Expect a snappy fingerprint scanner and an iris scanner on Nokia’s latest phone. The Nokia 8 is expected to ship with a large 3,800 mAh battery with quick charge. While the price is nowhere near certain, it is rumoured to be priced much like a premium flagship, carrying a hefty price tag of $675 (INR 44,000 approximately). They phone may be launched in several colours including Blue, Steel and Gold-Copper colours.

The date is set and in just a little more time, we will have the first ever Nokia branded premium Android smartphone! Who’s ready for the throwback ride?!

July 25, 2017
Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 Allegedly Bursts Into Flames

Last year was all bout smartphone fires and about the infamous Samsung Galaxy Note 7 which was LIT (pun intended)! Long story short, lots of Note 7 handsets started randomly catching fire and Samsung recalled all the units and hence, the ‘Note 7 bursting into flames’ jokes came into being. In a rather bizarre news, a Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 was caught on tape bursting into flames in a shop in Bengaluru.

As the shopkeeper was trying to insert a Sim card in the phone, it caught fire after an explosion and burned the handset’s entire body. In the video, you can see that the phone isn’t connected to any charger or an accessory and quite astonishingly burst into flames while the retailer was handling the phone. A lot of similar cases are a result of overheating due to charging, so this is a rather rare case and quite bizarre.

Image via TechCase

In a yet another Firegate incident, the Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 bursting into flames seems like an isolated incident and although it is scary, no one in the incident got hurt. After Samsung Galaxy Note 7, this news comes in as a shock as we expect all the smartphone makers to be on top of their stop-the-phone-from-catching-fire game. We will reiterate that this is an isolated incident and doesn’t necessarily indicate and serious or inherent problem in the Xiaomi Redmi Note 4.

Late on Monday, Xiaomi released a statement which indicates that it believes the video is of an unrelated incident. Here’s Xiaomi India’s statement on the incident:

At Xiaomi, customer safety is of utmost importance to us. We investigated the Redmi Note 4 in the images, and concluded that it was a case of damage due to a faulty third-party charger used by the customer. Nonetheless we worked with the Poorvika store where the unit was bought, and replaced the customer’s damaged unit with a brand new Redmi Note 4. However, after a thorough investigation, we cannot validate the source of this video, as it has no relation to this case, and was not from the Poorvika store. In fact, it is unclear if this separate and unrelated incident depicted in the video involved a Xiaomi device.

Note- It appears that the video is fake and iGyaan has received the following statement from Xiaomi

At Xiaomi, customer safety is of utmost importance to us.

Recently, a video has been shared across a few news publications claiming that a Redmi Note 4 unit experienced an explosive scenario. We would like to state that this video has no relation to the concerned Redmi Note 4.

After an internal investigation, we found that the only recent incident of a burnt Redmi Note 4 stemmed from a Bangalore based customer – Arjun. He had purchased a Redmi Note 4 from a Poorvika store in Bangalore on 1st June 2017. His phone was damaged at his home on 17th July 2017, following which he took the phone to the aforementioned Poorvika store on the same day.

As soon as we were alerted to this incident, we took the device back. After a thorough technical investigation, we found out that the damage was caused due to a faulty third-party charger used by the customer. In addition, there were signs of physical damage on the phone as well.

We advise our customers to only use Xiaomi authorized chargers and accessories.

Regarding the video being circulated, we would like to clarify the following points:
(1) The video was attained from a random WhatsApp group, and has nothing to do with this recent Redmi Note 4 case.
(2) In fact, there is no evidence in the video to suggest that the device is a Redmi Note 4 or any other Xiaomi phone.
(3) The video is not from the aforementioned Poorvika store, or any other Poorvika store. On further investigation, we found that the CCTV video was from a retailer in Anamangad, Kerala. Xiaomi India only started selling devices at 3G and Fone 4 stores a few weeks ago in Kerala.
(4) The CCTV video was recorded on a different date, not 1st June (when Arjun bought the phone) or 17th July (when his phone got damaged).
(5) The customer in the video is not Arjun. He has confirmed to Xiaomi that the people in the video does not include or represent him or any of his relatives.

It is unfortunate that a member of the technology blogging fraternity used a video of an unrelated incident attained from a WhatsApp group, and merged it with the above-mentioned case involving Arjun, without doing any investigation. We find this behaviour very irresponsible and disturbing. We are currently evaluating legal action against this publication.

To all our Mi Fans, we would like to re-emphasize that safety is of utmost importance to us! All of our devices go through stringent quality tests to ensure that you get the best quality. We will once again encourage everyone to only use Xiaomi authorized chargers and accessories.

July 25, 2017
Samsung Galaxy Note 8 To Launch August 23rd

Samsung has finally made it official that the Galaxy Note 8 will be launched at 11 a.m. ET on the 23rd of August in New York’s Park Avenue Armory.

Samsung sent out the press invites and made the announcement that the Unpacked event would focus on “Samsung’s newest mobile device.” The invitation teaser shows an image with the silhouette of a device with an Infinity Display (similar to the one featured on the Galaxy S8) and thin bezels on the top and bottom. The S-Pen-like stylus in the teaser is also a big giveaway.

Though the name “Note 8” was to be seen nowhere on the unpacked event invitation, it was quite obvious from the “Do Bigger Things” and the outline of a phone.

Find out what it means to do bigger things on 08.23.2017. pic.twitter.com/xsbqdP0QBM

— Samsung Mobile (@SamsungMobile) July 20, 2017

The Galaxy Note 8 is said to feature a 6.3-inch Super AMOLED curved infinity display, a Snapdragon 835 a massive 6GB RAM with 64GB on board storage. The device is also rumoured to have horizontally placed dual cameras, which are expected to be 12MP.

The Unpacked event is extremely important for the company, considering the last year’s Galaxy Note 7 lineup was recalled thanks to faulty batteries. While Samsung has been extra cautious and playing it safe all this time, the last year’s recall of the Note 7 handsets still has the company dealing with losses in excess of US$ 5 billion.

Samsung was also recently reported to recycle the recalled Galaxy Note 7 devices as the Note FE and salvage about 157 tons of rare metal like gold, cobalt and copper. By staying true to its promise of recycling faulty devices, the company has earned much appreciation.

Samsung also regained consumer trust with the introduction of Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus in March. None of the devices have had any battery related troubles since they went up for sale. The launch of the Galaxy Note 8 will be a major milestone for the company.

July 24, 2017
Everything We Know About JioPhone
The recently launched “JioPhone” has taken the internet by storm. The handset was introduced as “India Ka Smartphone” with 4G-enabled features and was launched at an “effective price” of Rs. 0. Available for pre-booking from JioPhone will be available from August 24 and here is everything we know about JioPhone.

Launch And Availability

The phone was announced at Reliance Industries 40th annual general meet in Mumbai yesterday. The handset will be available on August 15 – for limited testing and will be up for pre-booking from August 24 onwards via the MyJio app or at Jio offline stores. Those who pre-book the JioPhone will be available to get their hands on the device September onwards. The company targets to make 5 million phones available every week at a first come first serve basis.

Price

Price is one of the major attractions of JioPhone. Mukesh Ambani announced that the phone will be effectively for free with one time deposit of Rs 1500 which is refundable after 3 years on return of the handset. The release of the JioPhone will also be a step forward for the company in tapping the estimated 50 crore feature phone users who have not been able to join the Jio 4G bandwagon due to high-priced smartphones.

Plans

JioPhone users will have different plans on a monthly, weekly or daily basis to suit their needs.
- For the price of Rs 153 per month, users will get free voice and SMS, and unlimited data (high-speed data FUP is 500MB per day)
- Rs. 309 per month for free voice, SMS, unlimited data and the support for mirroring your screen on a TV.
- Rs. 24 for two days users will get free voice and SMS, and unlimited data (high-speed data FUP is 500MB per day)
- Rs. 54 per week users get free voice and SMS, and unlimited data (high-speed data FUP is 500MB per day)
Features and Specifications

The JioPhone was introduced by siblings Akash and Isha Ambani, revealing standard feature phone functionality along with phone’s support voice commands. The design looks familiar and is easy to use, unlike the complex smartphones available in market. The handset also comes preinstalled with a browser and Jio apps like Jio Cinema, Jio Music etc.

Despite the price, the feature smartphone is loaded with specs.

Here’s a list of these features –
- 2.4-inch QVGA display.
- 2MP Rear Camera and a VGA front camera.
- Multilingual Alphanumeric Keypad.
- 512 MB RAM.
- Runs on KAI OS (OS version of the Firefox OS).
- Dual Sim Feature.
- 4-Way Navigation.
- Supports digital payment via NFC (to be enabled with software update)
- Voice Commands to call, message, open apps and more.
- JioPhone will support 24 Indian languages including English and Hindi.
- 2000mAh battery (Upto 10 Hours).
- 4GB Internal Storage along with SD card slot for upto 128GB expandable memory.
- Supports 4G VoLTE for calls and data.
- Offers SOS support button which can be accessed by long-pressing the ‘5’ button on the keypad to send a distress message. The message includes the location details of the user.
- Torch light, Headphone Jack, Video playback and pre-installed Jio Apps.
- Wireless networks – Bluetooth v4.1 +, Wi-Fi and FM Radio.
- Phones shipped November Onwards will be fully Made in India.
The “India ka smartphone” with 4G VoLTE support, unlimited voice calls, dual sim feature and the unbelievable price makes up for the few misses. With the launch of JioPhone, Mukesh Ambani has made it possible for every Indian to purchase a smartphone and access the 4G VoLTE support.
July 22, 2017
Andy Rubin’s Essential Phone PH-1 Is Almost Ready For Sales

The Essential phone which was announced last month by Andy Rubin is almost ready to hit buyers. Emails went out from Andy Rubin to those who ordered the Essential phone, confirming that the devices will be shipping in a few weeks.

Hi Bharat,

I personally wanted to thank you for putting your name down for our first phone. We’ve been hard at work getting everything ready and the good news is that we’re now going through certification and testing with multiple US and international carriers.

You might be getting impatient to get your hands on your new Essential Phone (and I’m also impatient to get it to you!) but rest assured that you will have a device in your hands in a few weeks.

Andy

The essential phone has a full front 5.71 inch display with radiused corners, a 19:10 aspect ratio, 2560 x 1312 QHD resolution and a brightness of 500 nits. The back has 13 MP dual cameras with one RGB sensor and one Monochrome sensor and f/1.85 aperture lenses. The front has an 8 MP camera and both cameras are capable of shooting 4k video at 30fps. The Essential phone also has a 3040mAh battery and supports fast charging using USB, but also has a cordless dock that allows you to lay flat the phone while it charges.

The Essential phone costs $699 and has flagship specifications like a Qualcomm 835 processor, 4GB of RAM, and 128GB of storage.

July 22, 2017
Samsung May be Making A Bixby Powered AirPod Competitor

Recent announcement of Samsung’s Bixby voice support being available to Galaxy S8 and S8+ owners in US has kept Samsung in news. The latest rumour is that Samsung might be working on making AirPods-like headphones powered by its smart assistant Bixby. The headphones are expected to feature noise-cancelling tech and are expected to be launched alongside the Galaxy Note 8 launch next month.

The Bixby powered earphones are also reported to also allow users to talk to Bixby and ask the voice-activated assistant contextual questions, thanks to Bixby’s recently released voice support.

While Samsung’s Smart assistant is still in works and requires many updates, releasing a pair of expensive Bluetooth earphones might not be the best decision. Bringing Bixby to be up to par with the Alexa, Siri, Google Assistant might take some time.

Samsung is also reportedly working on a Bixby speaker, designed to compete with Google Home, Amazon’s Alexa-powered Echo and Apple’s HomePod. But the recent rumours suggest that the project might have been scuttled.

The rumours also state that the device isn’t fully ready yet, therefore, there are chances that the launch might not happen as soon as the Note 8 launch. Which, may also buy Samsung the time it needs to work on it’s smart assistant and launch with a much improved device.

It is all heresy till the end product is officially announced by Samsung. For now, their focus should be on the Note 8, as they have some really angry people to please in the Note world..

The Note 8 is expected to have a horizontally placed dual camera setup with 12MP dual pixel sensors each. Expected to run on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 with a 6GB RAM and 64GB on board storage, the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 will reportedly run Android 7.1 from the get go and is said to have a 3,300mAh battery pack. Recent reports also suggest that the Note 8 will feature a 4k borderless Super Amoled display design and a newly designed S-Pen with improved features.

July 22, 2017
Reliance JioPhone 4G VoLTE Feature Phone Launched in India
Reliance Industries Limited chairman Mukesh Ambani announced the ‘JioPhone’ at Reliance Industries 40th annual general meet in Mumbai, terming it as ‘India Ka Smartphone’.

We are all set to unfold a new chapter of the #JioDigitalLife. Join us at the Reliance AGM 2017, tomorrow at 11 AM. #RILAGM2017 pic.twitter.com/1nqd5z9nKx

— Reliance Jio (@reliancejio) July 20, 2017

Adding a new 4G feature phone to its array of products, Mukesh Ambani said that the phone will be “effectively for free” with a one time security deposit of INR 1500. The deposit will be refundable after three years at the time of return. The phone will be available for beta testing from August 15 and for pre-booking from August 24.The company targets to make 5 million phones every week at a first come first serve basis. Along with a lifetime of free voice calls, ‘JioPhone’ will also have free unlimited data from August 15 with an affordable monthly plan of Rs 153.

At a plan Rs 153 a month, it is only 3 per cent of the existing price putting an end to unaffordable data for all Indians forever;- Mukesh Ambani

Similar weekly and two-day plans will also be available for Rs 54 and Rs 24. Further adding to the list of features, Ambani said “Users will be able to connect Jio Phone to any TV, not just smart TVs but even the old CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) TVs that some still own. All Jio Phone users can enjoy viewing their Jio content from their phones on their TV screens” Aside from the basic features like calling, texting, Internet surfing etc. the JioPhone also has
- 2.4-inch display
- Supports digital payment via NFC
- SD card slot for extended memory
- Torch light
- Supports 4G VoLTE for calls and data
- New set of data plans, starting at Rs 153 for the device
- Comes with preloaded Jio apps like Jio Cinema, Jio Music etc.
Major Attractions of JioPhone
- Unlimited 4G data for Rs 153 a month
- JioPhone will be effectively free of cost
- One time security deposit, refundable at the time of return after 3 years
- Available for advance booking from 24 August
- Long press number 5 on the JioPhone and a distress message will be sent to all registered contacts.
- PM Modi’s podcast Mann Ki Baat on the Jio feature phone will be available.
- Most likely, NaMo app will come pre-loaded on the device.
The phone has been created by Indian engineers for an Indian audience, Mukesh Ambani said, “made in India for Indian users”.
July 21, 2017
Samsung To Recover 157 Tons of Rare Earth Metals From Recalled Galaxy Note 7 Devices

Staying true to its promise made in March, Samsung will recycle parts from then recalled exploding Note 7 devices . Sales of the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 were suspended last year, due to the poorly manufactured batteries. As stated in the reports released in March, Samsung has recently released refurbished Galaxy Note 7 FE in Korea. Even with all the refurbished handsets for sale, Samsung will still be left with the heaps of devices to recycle.

Samsung will kick start its phone recycling process this month and is expected to recover 157 tonnes of rare metals like gold, cobalt and copper. Samsung also plans on utilising the existing parts like OLED display modules, memory chips, and camera modules from the unsold refurbished handsets as replacement parts for repairs. New reports have surfaced stating that Samsung might pair with local (in Korea) and international companies for the recycling initiative, though the names of the companies have not been disclosed.

Samsung’s Note 7’s failure cost the company a loss of US $5.4 billion. Though the rare materials like gold, cobalt and copper from salvaging the scraped Note 7 might not be enough to cover the losses, it will still offers some respite, to Samsung and to the environment. In a recent statement made by Samsung, the company has “actively lead the industry in terms of environmental protection and resource recycling.” and is working on discovering new ways to recycle materials from the products in an environmental friendly manner. Apple, amongst many others have followed the lead to recycle and reduce their impact on the planet by figuring out a way to use only renewable materials in its products. And while Apple’s Robot Liam helps them deal with the reduction of the company’s footprint, Samsung’s Note 7 recall has offset the company’s carbon footprint for the worse.

While Samsung’s Note 7 recycling efforts will be appreciated, it seems that the company has timed the announcement just around the soon to be launched Galaxy Note 8, being one of the crucial launches for the company. Good PR we’d say !

July 18, 2017
New Nokia 8 Leak Shows That It Is Ready For The Big League
Nokia may have been playing in the low, to mid range since its relaunch with HMD Global, but, it looks like that may be about to change soon. A new leak shows off the Nokia 8 smartphone design which includes an all metal design along with a dual camera setup with Zeiss branding.

HMD Global run Nokia, had already announced its plans to re-invigorate the relationship between them and Zeiss. Aside from the design new specifications for the upcoming Nokia 8 have also surfaced which include the new Snapdragon 835 chipset and a 5.3 inch QHD display.
- 5.3-inch, QHD, 2560 x 1400 px display.
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 chip
- 4 GB /6 GB of RAM.
- A dual-camera setup on the back, with both cameras set at 13-megapixels. Zeiss Lenses
- Android 7.1.1 Nougat
According to VentureBeat, Nokia may be gearing up for a July 31 announcement for the Nokia 8 which will be priced at €550 (€589 including taxes) which makes the phone approximately $633 or Rs. 41000. The report claims that the phone will be sold in blue, steel/silver, gold/blue, and gold/copper color variants. How the phone stands up against like of Samsung, LG and even OnePlus is yet to be seen. The Smartphone generation hasn’t truly known Nokia, and with its big comeback this year, the market seems to be warming up.

Markets like India are still struggling and while the phone are yet to be officially available in India, buyers seem eager, even at prices much higher than international markets.
July 18, 2017
Apple iPhone 8 May Face Major Delays

The rumor mill is awake with the recent reports of delays and production struggles faced by Apple for its new iPhone 8 lineup. Earlier, a report suggested that Apple has taken the manufacturing of iPhone 8’s key parts in it’s own hands for device’s timely release.

A more recent report suggests that the three new iPhones, the iPhone 8, the iPhone 7s and iPhone 7s Plus are yet to start mass production. While this might come as a shock for many, the reports suggest that the production for new ‘7s’ iterative with 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch phones might ramp up in August. Whereas, the iPhone 8 with the OLED 5.8-inch display, no bezel design with the “all new glass body” may not be available until November.

Even though, Foxconn, Pegatron and Wistron will reportedly be manufacturing the new Apple iPhone lineup hand in hand, the iPhones are still not expected to be at a level that may be considered mass production. Multiple reports have also indicated problems with features like wireless charging and the 3D front sensor said to replace TouchID.

It is also said that due to one of the suppliers walking out on the company, Apple resorted to purchasing and providing manufacturers with the production equipment required for manufacturing of the rigid flexible printed circuit board (connects chips with every part of he handset), a key component of the iPhone.

The production of iPhone 8 will be further the delayed as one of the three suppliers for manufacturing the RFPCB has recently backed out of the agreement. The only way Apple can hope to hasten the production process is by purchasing its own equipment and leasing it to its suppliers.

Apple may also ship the new iPhones with few key features disabled at first, while others say that the delays might just push back the release altogether. The Apple iPhone launch is expected to be bigger than ever, and if the leaks are accurate, the launch of three new models on the iPhone’s 10th anniversary will get industry excited.

July 17, 2017
KFC Has Its Own Smartphone

You truly have to love your fried chicken to order a bucket on the new limited edition “KFC edition Huawei Enjoy 7”.

https://www.facebook.com/iGyaanIn/videos/1610000879019628/

Order your finger lickin’ fried chicken with the new KFC smartphone.

KFC is celebrating its 30th anniversary in China by releasing a fire-engine red, limited edition smartphone – “KFC edition Huawei Enjoy 7”. KFC has partnered with Huawei for the phone’s release. The limited edition phones will cost $162 and only 5000 devices will be available. The smartphone is reported to have Colonel Sanders embossed on the back with the year “1987” and Huawei logo. The year marks the opening of KFC’s first store in China.

The phone comes with a pre-loaded KFC-branded music app, which can be used to pick songs to play on the speakers at KFC restaurants in China. It also offers an additional 100,000 K-dollars, the restaurant’s digital currency. As per the smartphone’s specs, the $162 limited edition Huawei Enjoy 7 has a 5.5-inch LCD 1280 x 720 px display. The Android based KFC Huawei 7 Plus comes in KFC’s signature red color and is powered by Snapdragon 425 processor. The smartphone also features 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage with an option of up to 128GB of expandable memory. At a price of $162, roughly Rs. 10000, the Huawei Enjoy 7 has a fingerprint scanner at the back and an inbuilt 3,020mAh battery.

This is not the first time KFC has launched a product other than the good old fried chicken. In May last year the company launched a range of KFC nail polish, which was, of course, edible and chicken flavored. Taking the “finger lickin’ good” slogan quite literally. The success of the chicken flavored edible nail paint was followed up three months later with the chicken-scented sunscreen. Yeah it smells like chicken in here!

July 17, 2017
Xiaomi 5x will Launch Alongside LanMi announcement

Xiaomi is all set to launch it’s sub brand LanMi to compete with the offline giants Oppo and Vivo. While the official announcement is expected end of July, a leaked poster of the upcoming Xiaomi 5X shows the phone will launch on 26th July and most likely be launched alongside the LanMi X1. This new model, the Xiaomi 5x, will be equipped with a Snapdragon 625 chipset with 4GB RAM and 64GB of storage. The image appears to show a man holding a phone with a dual camera setup, which could also mean that the Mi 5x is simply the online only variant of the LanMi X1.

More leaks suggest that the Mi 5X will have dual OmniVision sensors, the OV12A10 OmniVision sensor + OV13880 OmniVision sensor , along with a front facing 5MP camera with a S5K5E8 sensor. The design of the phone is a lot like the OnePlus 5 or the Oppo R11 which are considered to be iPhone 7 plus design copies.

The LanMi X1 is expected to feature a Snapdragon 660 chipset, with options of 4GB/6GB RAM and 64GB/128GB storage. While no hard evidence of the LanMi launch exists, Xiaomi has recently shown a lot of interest in the Offline market launching several POS stores in it’s main markets including one in India. This move, which is unexpected from a “online only” brand, hits at a possibility of a sub brand launch, which could enable to company to deploy more products at various price tiers.

For India, Xiaomi is running far behind with no announcements for the Mi6 and the launch of the Mi Max 2 set for 18th July, the company may launch their sub brand by the end of the year, if not early 2018. The Mi 5X according to the poster will be priced at RMB 1999 which is roughly Rs. 19,000.

July 17, 2017
Vertu Is Dead

The luxury smartphone maker, catering to the elites, stars and the rich is dead. Established in 1998, Vertu, originally a part of Nokia, hit bankruptcy as a result of firm’s £128 million debt. The bankruptcy is reported to cost Vertu it’s UK’s manufacturing operation along with the 200 job cuts. The company changed hands before finally being acquired by the exiled businessman Murat Hakan Uzan in March. According to reports, Uzan plans to bring Vertu back from the dead.

The luxury smartphone provider manufactured phones which ran an older version of android and last year’s processors. But the precious metals, Sapphire Crystal Screens, fine hand-cut ostrich leather, precious metals, snake skin and jewels made up for the antiquated technology. The extravagant luxury smartphones were priced from $11,000 to excess of $30,000, offering a 24/7 concierge services as a freebie in the price. Given the hype created at its recent launches, it’s surprising that Vertu struggled to find a customer base for its high end luxury phones.

Even the launch of Vertu’s latest luxury device “The Constellation” in January 2017 couldn’t do much to save the company from hitting a dead end. Maybe the handmade exquisite anodized aluminium, wrapped in soft leather with a 5.5 inch Quad HD display and fingerprint reader wasn’t enough this time, and the high end world seems just happy with the iPhones and the edgeless Samsung Galaxy S8.

July 15, 2017