Back in October 2011 when Samsung launched the first Galaxy Note, it took the market completely by surprise. The Galaxy Note 9 was the first smartphone with such a large (by 2011 standards) 5.29-inch display. Since then, along with the display size, the specifications of the Samsung Galaxy Note series has seen a major overhaul. The latest smartphone in the series is the Samsung Galaxy Note 9. And, it seems like the leaks for the device just keep on coming. The latest leak is by Evan Blass, showing a press render of the smartphone with the all-new S Pen. The leak was posted on Twitter in a reply to a tweet by Marques Brownlee, otherwise known as MKBHD.
The other leak was posted by the Twitter user Ice universe showcasing what is potentially the live images of the Samsung Galaxy Note 9. In recent years, Samsung has stopped making major design changes to their smartphones and the Galaxy Note 9 may be following the same trend. Except for the placement of the fingerprint sensor below the secondary camera, there isn’t much of a difference between the Galaxy Note 8 and Note 9. This puts the previous rumours of a screen embedded fingerprint sensor to rest.
I once said, don't believe in exaggerated renderings, Note9 and Note8 are very similar, in fact, I am right. pic.twitter.com/gebEP3KApO
The Galaxy Note 9 may come with a 6.4-inch Super AMOLED display with a 2960 x 1440 px resolution and an aspect ratio of 18.5:9. The pixel density for the Note 9 could peak at about 514 ppi. Samsung has been using Corning Gorilla Glass for most of its smartphones and the Note 9 may also feature Corning Gorilla Glass 5.
There may be more than one SoC variant for the Samsung Galaxy Note 9. There could be a US variant with a Snapdragon 845 SoC as well. The other could be an EMEA (Europe, the Middle East, and Asia) variant with an Exynos 9810 octa-core chipset.
If the leaked images are anything to go by, then the camera setup for the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 may feature dual rear-mounted sensors. This flagship could also feature an 8MP front-facing camera. This is similar to the camera setup found on the Galaxy Note 8.
Samsung Galaxy Note8
Samsung will have to make sure that the Note 9 packs a punch. Especially since the company’s market performance has been a little underwhelming despite the Galaxy S9 and S9+ doing well. The launch of the device is right around the corner on August 9.
Facebook, the social network which bought the messaging service, WhatsApp back in February 2014, has been updating the platform. The new beta update for the app brings stickers to its users. Though the WhatsApp beta version has been around for a while, Facebook has never tested this feature for the app before. There are many other messaging platforms which have already embraced this concept. It will be the first time that WhatsApp will introduce stickers to its users.
The new WhatsApp beta update will bring a lot of interesting sticker packs. A Twitter post shows two sticker packs, Unchi & Rollie and Bibimbap Friends.
WhatsApp beta for Android 2.18.218: 1) Sticker preview! 2) When the WhatsApp Sticker Store has a new updated sticker pack, there will be a green dot on the “+” button. 3) Added the update button.
Previously, WhatsApp gave its users the option to send GIFs and emojis. The addition of stickers will probably help the app gain more traction. There are several other rumours which claim that the beta update will also provide a sticker store. Whether the store will have region-specific stickers like those found on Hike messenger is unclear.
The WhatsApp beta update was announced at the F8 conference in May 2018. The beta version with the sticker will be available in the version 2.18.218. The current beta update provides group voice chat and video call features.
Stickers will have separate categories depending on the type of emotion they depict. Some of the categories are Lol, Wow, Love, and Sad. The developers haven’t confirmed the official release date for this update yet. We are certain, however, that the WhatsApp Beta Stickers update is just around the corner. So if you haven’t already, now will a good time to signup for the Beta release of the app.
WhatsApp is one of the most downloaded messenger apps of all time. It is natural for Facebook to keep the users engaged with new features.
Meizu is a Chinese electronics manufacturing company, has made its name in the smartphone industry. Its latest upcoming smartphone is expected to be the Meizu 16. The first leak for the device was the front panel glass leak. Posted on Weibo, the panel features thin Samsung-like bezels. This may be the first phone from the company to feature an almost bezel-less display. The latest leaks reveal the benchmark score of the smartphone.
The leaks reveal that the Maize 16 scored a whopping 291,866 while OnePlus scored 284,642 on AnTuTu. Similarly, a smartphone marketed for gaming, the Mi Black Shark also scored 288,222. This score is far less than that of Meizu’s new device. The company launched the Meizu 15 in April of 2018, to which this smartphone will be a successor.
Meizu 16 Benchmark Score
Although not much is known about the device, we speculate that Meizu 16 could feature a 6.1-inch display. The display resolution of the device could be 2960 x 1440 px with an aspect ratio of 18.5:9. The company might use an OLED panel for the smartphone. This smartphone could be the company’s 2018 flagship.
The smartphone might run on the latest Snapdragon 845 SoC paired with the Adreno 630 GPU. Powering the smartphone could be a 3,600 mAh Li-Ion battery. There is no word on the types of storage or colour variants of the device. However, the leaked photos suggest the device may launch with some form of black and white colour variants.
Smartphone manufacturer, Huawei, has partnered with the British automobile company, Rolls Royce to launch a new device. The latest leaks show a hands-on image of the Honor Note 10 Rolls Royce Edition. The smartphone could launch on 26th July in China. The image only shows the rear panel which houses the Rolls Royce logo and has a glossy metallic finish.
The image also shows what seems like a USB Type-C slot and a single speaker grill at the bottom. Although it would be too early to say anything for sure, from the looks of it, the smartphone may not feature the headphone jack. The rear also houses a fingerprint sensor and a dual-camera setup.
The Honor Note 10 Rolls Royce Edition might launch at a price of ¥9998 (approx $1495). The smartphone could follow the same limited stock trend of other special edition devices. At this point, we cannot say for certain if this device will launch in India.
The Honor Note 10 will also come in color variants other than the special edition. While we don’t have the official name of these colors yet, we do have an alleged image showing them.
Honor Note 10 Color Variants
The Honor Note 10 Rolls Royce edition could have the same specifications as the other color variants except for maybe the storage size. The smartphone could feature a 6.9-inch Super AMOLED display with 3120 x 1440 px resolution and an aspect ratio of 19.5:9. This puts the pixel density at about 498 ppi.
Huawei is known for using their own Kirin chipset for their smartphones. The Honor Note 10 could feature the flagship Hisilicon Kirin 970. This is an octa-core chipset with 4 cores running at 2.4 GHz and the other four at 1.8 GHz.
As the live-images showed the smartphone will feature a primary dual-camera setup. The setup consists of a 16 MP sensor with f/1.8 aperture and a 24 MP Black and White sensor with f/1.8 aperture. There is still no word on whether the camera will feature OIS. The secondary camera will be a 16 MP sensor.
A marketing strategy like releasing a special edition of smartphones could either work wonders for a company or it could be seen as a gimmick. We would keep an eye out to see which way things go for Huawei with the Honor Note 10 Rolls Royce Edition, so stay tuned to iGyaan.
In the latest leak from the company, Samsung has accidentally released an advertisement for the Galaxy Note 9. The news comes from the tipster twitter handle, Ice universe. The account shared a photo of a full-page ad of the Galaxy Note 9.
The page advertises the Note 9 as “The new super powerful Note 9”. Not sure where Samsung was going with that but the overall design of the smartphone though not new, still looks impressive. What is expected to be new, is the revamped S-Pen which will now feature Bluetooth capabilities.
A Galaxy Note 9 design render video was posted on YouTube. The video shows an elegant design which follows the same design pattern as the Galaxy Note 8. The only noticeable difference is the placement of the fingerprint sensor, which sits right below the rear-camera module.
The color variants suggested by the video are Onyx Black, Navy Blue, Lilac Purple, and Brown Gold. The Galaxy Note 9 might have a 6.4-inch Super AMOLED display with 1440 x 2960 px resolution and an aspect ratio of 18.5:9. The pixel density for the Note 9 could peak at about 514 ppi. The display will be protected with Corning Gorilla Glass 5.
The SoC for the Note 9 could vary from region to region. For instance, EMEA (Europe, the Middle East, and Asia) may see a Galaxy Note 9 with an Exynos 9810 octa-core chipset. Four of these eight cores will run at 2.7 GHz and the other four at 1.8 GHz. The second variant could launch with a Snapdragon 845 SoC, for USA and China.
The camera setup for the Galaxy Note 9 may feature dual rear-mounted sensors. The rear-camera setup is speculated to have a 12MP sensor with an aperture of f/1.5 and another 12MP sensor with f/2.4 aperture. This flagship may also feature an 8MP front-facing camera. The primary sensor could have OIS capabilities and 2x optical zoom.
Samsung has been lagging behind the competition for a while. Especially after massive a sales dip last year. All eyes are glued to Samsung as the Galaxy Note 9 release is around the corner. Stay tuned to iGyaan for further updates.
Leaks have revealed the name of Android P and the fans are going nuts (pun intended). The leak was first posted on a Polish website. The website shared screenshots of a conversation between a Huawei representative and a customer. The customer was inquiring about the Android 8.0 Oreo update for the Huawei P9 Lite.
Huawei Live Chat Screenshot
Though it is highly unlikely for Google to reveal the official name for its Android P. This news still steers the thought process and speculation to a new direction. Other rumors about the name suggest that the name could be Android Pistachio Ice-cream.
Android P
Android usually uses names of sweet treats or desserts. For Google to use a “nutty” name will be quite surprising. In this case, the name Pistachio Ice-cream would make more sense. From Cupcake to the to Oreo the names have always been based on a candy or dessert. One should keep in mind that during its testing phase Android 8.0 was just called Android O.
There is again a catch to Android Pistachio Ice-cream as the name “Ice-cream Sandwich” has already been used. This naming convention could sound redundant which further creates a doubt about the entire leak.
Android P is the ninth installation of Google’s Android OS. Many devices including the OnePlus 6 have already received a Developer Preview of the Android P. This new version brings subtle UI changes like the redesigned notification panel when triggered by the volume rockers. The new update also brings better battery optimization, dark and light theme modes, and the ability to toggle between multiple wallpapers.
Pistachio tastes quite good but, whether Google names Android P after “these nuts”, remains to be seen. With the official announcement about a month or so away, we will monitor this thread closely so stay tuned to iGyaan for any further updates.
The year 2018 has given the world a ton of exciting new smartphones so far. With smartphones like the OnePlus 6 and Huawei P20 Pro, the anticipation of what’s to come in the future is really high. OnePlus managed to essentially sell more than Rs. 10 Crore worth of devices in the first ten minutes during the OnePlus 6 flash sale. Then the Huawei P20 Pro came in and disrupted the market with a triple camera setup. Naturally, we had to compile a list of the top upcoming smartphones in the next couple of weeks.
1. Oppo Find X
The Oppo Find X is expected to release in India on July 12th and is expected to have a hefty price of Rs. 78,500. Oppo has managed to catch a lot of attention with the Find X. Even though it is not the first device without a notch and an almost bezel-less a display, Oppo Find X is still an exciting smartphone.
The way Oppo got rid of the notch, was by introducing a motorized part which eloquently hides the front and rear cameras. The Oppo Find X features a 6.42 inch 2340 x 1080 pixel display with an aspect ratio of 18.5:9. This translates to about 87% screen-to-body ratio.
The Oppo Find X runs on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 chipset along with the Adreno 630 GPU. The primary camera on the Find X is in the pop-up mechanism, consisting of a dual camera setup with a 16MP 1/2.6″ sensor and a 20MP 1/2.8″ sensor both with an f/2.0 aperture. The primary camera setup will have Optical Image Stabilization. The front facing selfie camera is also housed in the pop-up mechanism and is a 20MP sensor with an f/2.0 aperture.
The Find X has two colour variants namely, Bordeaux Red and Glacier Blue. The interesting design of the phone make it one of the most exciting and worth top upcoming smartphones this quarter.
2. Vivo NEX
Vivo NEX
The Vivo NEX with a similar pop up camera design is expected to launch on 19th July in India starting at a considerably lower price Rs. 47,999. The Vivo NEX is yet another smartphone with an almost entire screen at the front of the device. Here, it uses the same concept of a motorized part for the camera only to achieve a notch-free and a nearly bezel-less display much like the Oppo Find X above. However, Vivo decided to only house the front-facing camera which comes out of the top of the phone and slides back in when not in use.
Vivo Nex With Camera Deployed
The Vivo NEX features the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 chipset which is paired with the Adreno 630 GPU. The smartphone sports a Super AMOLED 6.59 inch 2316 x 1080 pixel display with an aspect ratio of 18:9.
The camera setup on the Vivo NEX consists of dual 12MP and 8MP camera with f/1.8 and f/2.4 aperture respectively. The secondary camera is a single 8MP sensor with f/2.0 aperture. The primary camera on this device also features OIS. A motorized part in a portable device is a risky move, regardless, the Vivo NEX is still one of the most exciting upcoming smartphones.
The BlackBerry Key2 is all set to go on sale from 13th July in the United States and is expected in India Mid-End July. BlackBerry launched the Key2 on June 7th after the KeyOne incurred a price cut. This is again among the exciting upcoming smartphones, and the only modern smartphone with a full physical QWERTY Keyboard.
The BlackBerry Key2 has a 4.5 inch 1620 x 1080 pixels IPS LCD display with an aspect ratio of 3:2. The Key2 is expected to launch in two storage variants; 64GB or 128GB paired with 6GB of RAM. The processing speed is provided by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 chipset and the Adreno 512 GPU, faster than the SoC of the KeyOne. The Key2 sports a relatively large 3,500 mAh battery. An exciting option for those who love tactile feedback.
After being surrounded by rumors and speculations, the Nokia X6 is finally launching Globally on 19th July and is expected to come to India soon after. It could be among the top upcoming smartphones of this month. Nokia has tapped into the notch trend with the X6. Despite its premium look, the Nokia X6 was launched in China at a rather affordable CNY 1,499 ( Approx Rs. 15,500). Hopefully Nokia will keep similar pricing for global and Indian launches.
The Nokia X6 has a 5.8 inch IPS LCD display with 2280 x 1080 pixels and a 19:9 ratio. Because of the notch, the screen to body ratio of the Nokia X6 is approximately 80.3%. The device runs the Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 chipset and the Adreno 509 GPU. Powering the phone is a 3,060 mAh Li-ion battery.
Samsung is ready to launch a new smartphone in its Galaxy Note lineup. The Galaxy Note 9 is expected to arrive on 9th August and it is also one of the top upcoming smartphones. According to some reports,the Note 9 will follow the Note 8 in the design department but, there could be some minor changes in its aesthetics.
As suggested by the Twitter user Ice Universe, the S Pen for the Galaxy Note 9 could be first of its kind with Bluetooth connectivity and will users to control long-range self-timer, control music playback.
We can expect that the Galaxy Note 9 will have a 6.4 inch Super AMOLED display with at least 2960 x 1440 pixel resolution and an 18.5:9 aspect ratio, similar to the one found on the galaxy Note 8. Ice Universe also speculated that the Galaxy Note 9 will pack a 4,000 mAh battery.
Motorola claims that it has sold over 70 million G series phones worldwide and now the company is planning to release yet another G series phone in India, the G6 Plus. The phone is expected to be launched end July.
The Moto G6 Plus has a 5.9 inch IPS LCD display with a 2160 x 1080 pixels and an aspect ratio of 18:9. The Moto G6 Plus might launch in two variants in India, one with 4GB RAM and 64GB internal storage and the other with 6GB RAM and 128GB internal storage. The SoC on the G6 Plus 6GB variant is allegedly going to be the Snapdragon 660 ( for the Indian market) along with the Adreno 512 GPU.
The innovation in the smartphone industry has picked up the pace in the recent years. If 2018 is anything to go by, then the next few years will be very exciting for any smartphone enthusiast. So, stay tuned to iGyaan to also catch the latest tech news and trends.
A new leak about the Samsung Galaxy S10 and S10+ has revealed the device specifications and expected the release date. This leak comes from a Korean website names Dubell which says that the Galaxy S10 and S10+ are all set to release sometime next year.
What makes this news even more eye-catching is that the S10+ will be equipped with a total of five cameras. Two of these cameras will be mounted at the front while the secondary camera setup will house three lenses. To get an idea of how the dual camera setup may look like we can take hints from the setup found on the Galaxy A8 and A8+.
Samsung Galaxy A8+
Although a dual front-facing camera setup is nothing new for a Samsung phone, we speculate that the camera setup on the Galaxy S10+ may feature some AI capabilities. A Twitter user by the name Ice Universe has tipped that the next generation of Samsung’s premium line of SoCs will be named Exynos 9820. As per the tweet, the Exynos 9820 will be an octa-core chipset with two cores of Exynos M4, two Cortex-A75 or Cortex-A76 medium cores, and four cores of Cortex-A55. The GPU paired with this chipset will be the new Mali-G76 MP18.
Samsung's next-generation Exynos 9820 will use the 2+2+4 DynamIQ architecture, 2xExynos M4 is the big core, 2xCortex-A75 (or A76) is the medium core, and 4xA55 is the small core. pic.twitter.com/3T5AUbcWhV
The Dubell website suggests that there will be more than two phones in the Galaxy S10 lineup, apart from the S10 and S10+. The cheaper variants are rumored to be released with a watered down version of front-facing cameras while the more expensive variants could have 3D face unlock capabilities.
Samsung’s sales figure show that the last couple of years for the company have been a roller-coaster ride. The company has not changed their design for the Galaxy S lineup since the S8 and the software has not seen any out-of-the-box innovations either. These may have been among the top reasons why their sales in the second-quarter suffered a dip. With the new Galaxy S10 lineup, Samsung will surely try to get back in the game. To follow this news further stay tuned to this iGyaan thread.
Microsoft while a primary software and OS developer, has in the past forayed into hardware. And while the company has played with many smartphone ideas, no real “Microsoft Made” hardware for a smartphone has yet been launched. However, according to some internal email leaks from Microsoft, the company may be working on a Microsoft Surface Phone allegedly code-named Andromeda, aimed at being “pocketable”. Microsoft released its Surface line of devices to allow the users to have both portable and stationary workstations. While the Surface Pro and the Surface RT caters to the users who demand a portable workstation, the Surface Studio works more or less like iMac.
The Microsoft Surface Phone is code-named “Andromeda” which allegedly will be running on a new Operating System for the device with the same name. Microsoft has reportedly been working on a project under the code name of Andromeda for the past two years.
As suggested by the leak, the device which Microsoft is allegedly working on, will not be a tablet, laptop, or a PC. This means that the only viable option left is a smartphone.
For the Microsoft, the Surface Phone could be a smart move as many manufacturers have already started producing foldable smartphones. The ZTE Axon M was released last year and is among the latest foldable smartphones featuring dual 5.2 inch 1080p LCD panel. These dual screens combine to form a 6.75 inch single screen display.
The leaked email intercepted by The Verge says,
“It’s a new pocketable Surface device form factor that brings together innovative new hardware and software experiences to create a truly personal and versatile computing experience”
This email provides a little insight on what Microsoft has in mind with the Surface Phone aka Andromeda. The phone may feature an entirely new software experience and a set of hardware which Microsoft is claiming to be innovative.
Microsoft had previously been working on a portable Surface device which was allegedly canceled almost a week before its release date. So we cannot say for sure when and if the Surface Phone or the Andromeda will be released but stay tuned on iGyaan as we will keep looking further into this story and keep you posted with the latest updates.
Xiaomi is ready to unveil yet another smartphone globally and the rumor is, that the launch will be for India first. Xiaomi is currently one of the leading smartphone brands in India, this new flagship, according to the leaks, is code-named Beryllium. This phone is expected to have the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 SoC, making it the third phone from the Chinese manufacturer to feature this chipset. The FCC filing of a similar device reveals that Xiaomi may call this the “Xiaomi Pocophone”.
Xiaomi is known for using code-names for its devices, for instance, the Xiaomi Mix 2s was code-named “Polaris” and the Mi 8 launched on 5th June in China, was code-named “dipper”.
Since Xiaomi has kept the device under wraps, not much is known about it but, the speculations suggest that the smartphone may have a notch display. Not unlike the current smartphone trend. The notch would give the phone at least an 18:9 aspect ratio. The specifications of this Xiaomi device were extracted from the firmware files of the MIUI Global ROM. There is a high likelihood, however, that the specifications may vary when the device is officially launched. Regardless, the following are the alleged specifications of Beryllium as found on a post on XDA Developers.
After the launch of a flagship under the Black Shark name, the Chinese manufacturer has trademarked yet another brand by the name “POCOPHONE”. This could mean that Beryllium may launch under this brand name.
For the Indian customers looking forward to a new flagship from Xiaomi, there is another piece of information which was extracted from the firmware code which may be found only in the Indian variant of the device. The following is a snippet which shows the same. This code checks certain build properties and would return a true value only if it is “India”.
Most of the information about the smartphone is speculated and there has been no official word from the company about its global or even Indian release date for that matter. But we will be keeping an eye out for any further details for the device so stay tuned.
A smartphone case maker out of New York, Ghostek has leaked a design render of a smartphone case which shows an iPhone with a single rear-mounted camera and a display panel with a notch which looks same as the one found on the iPhone X. Apart from the beautiful case, what is also worth noting is that the phone follows the iPhone X design pattern yet it is rumored to be relatively cheaper. While there is no word on what the device will be called, we speculate that it could be the iPhone 9.
iPhone 9 Case Renders
Apple may have finally decided to bring up to speed the entire iPhone lineup, as suggested by image of the Ghostek case. The new device will be priced similar to the iPhone 8 while still retaining features from the iPhone X, primarily the notch.
This is exciting news for the people who wanted the iPhone X experience, but were not willing to spend the high price of the flagship. The iPhone 9 ( as we call it) will still miss out on a few features of Apple’s 2018 flagship, like the decision to stick with a single camera and other features like the portrait mode. It is also rumored that the iPhone 9 will have FaceID but it won’t be the same as the one found on the more expensive 2018 devices.
A few schematics of the phone show that the notch is a little more highlighted on this new iPhone and it will also sport a larger 6.1 inch display in comparison to the iPhone 8’s 4.7 inch display. The dimensions of the phone are said to be about 147.12 x 71.52 mm. To no surprise, the render does not show a headphone jack on this iPhone either.
It should be kept in mind that the device will be released alongside the new flagship iPhone. Nonetheless, we will be closely covering this story till both the phones are released in September this year.
The Xiaomi Mi A2 has been subject to a lot of speculations over the past few weeks. With the Mi 8 launch in the past, the Mi A2 is the next big smartphone to launch in global markets, especially India. The successor to the Mi A1 has been highly anticipated in India and will be one of the most sought-after budget devices. A new leak has revealed the colour and storage variants of the Mi A2 which will be available in India and other countries.
According to the leak, the Xiaomi Mi A2 will be available in four variants. The most affordable one will have 4GB of RAM and 32GB of onboard storage, the second on the list will have 64GB storage and the same RAM. The third variant on the list will have 6GB of RAM and 64GB storage while the most premium variant will have 6GB RAM and 128GB of onboard storage.
It is worth noting that the Mi A2 will essentially be the recently launched Mi 6X but, with stock Android. It does appear that Xiaomi has tweaked things for the global variant since, in China, the Mi 6X did not launch in a 32GB storage variant. This also means that we might see the beloved 3.5mm headphone jack make an appearance on the Mi A2. The Xiaomi Mi 6X does not have a headphone jack and in India, this might not go down well with the consumers.
Mi 6X Pink Variant
Another aspect of the Xiaomi Mi A2 revealed in the leak is the colour options. The smartphone will be available in Gold, Blue and Black colour variants in India. In China, the Mi 6X also available in a Red and Pink colour variant which might not make their way to the Indian market. However, looking at the marketing strategy of many smartphone makers, Xiaomi could launch a special red colour edition a couple of months after the Mi A2 launch.
While the company has not officially confirmed the launch of the Xiaomi Mi A2, a July 25th launch is scheduled in Spain. The Mi A2 is expected to be the star of the show while the Mi Band 3 could also see its global unveiling.
In the second half of 2018, Samsung will host one of the three most anticipated global launch events. On August 9th in New York, the Samsung Galaxy Note9 will be unveiled. By the leaks of it, the Galaxy Note9 doesn’t look like much of an upgrade over the Galaxy Note8. The design is expected to remain similar while the specifications will get the usual upgrade. However, it appears that the S Pen will get a huge upgrade over its previous version.
The documentation filed by Samsung with the FCC reveals that the S Pen will have Bluetooth connectivity. This is a feature we haven’t seen in the stylus before and should open a huge prospect for the S Pen and its usage. A popular Samsung leaker, Ice Universe also delved into the possible feature of the S Pen.
The Galaxy Note9 SPen can be used to control long-range self-timer, control music playback, because it is a Bluetooth device, it will do something unrelated to the pen. pic.twitter.com/WPS83xUskq
As mentioned in the tweet, the S Pen for the Galaxy Note9 will do much more than editing or writing notes. Thanks to Bluetooth, it can be used to control music playback and timers, among other things. The S Pen could also be paired with third-party devices that can use a stylus, or have features that can be controlled with a button. The button could also be used to trigger Bixby. And maybe, Samsung will get rid of the Bixby button although, renders suggest otherwise.
Apart from the S Pen upgrade, the Galaxy Note9 will follow in the footsteps of the Galaxy S9. The Galaxy S9 for a mere incremental upgrade over the Galaxy S8 and similarly, the Galaxy Note9 will also be an incremental upgrade. That is if the leaks so far turn out to be true. Nothing is official until Samsung’s launch event kicks off in just over a month’s time.
The Xiaomi Mi A2 is one of the most anticipated budget smartphones in India. Its predecessor, the Mi A1 was one of the best budget devices of 2017 hence, a lot is expected from the Mi A2. Xiaomi appears to be moving at its own sweet pace in making the smartphone official even though we have had a number of leaks confirming almost everything there is to know. A new leaked image reveals the ‘About’ screen of the Mi A2, revealing the Android version it’ll run and a few other details.
The image confirms that the Mi A1 successor will indeed be the Mi A2 and not Mi A1 (2018) which many suspected. This makes sense for Xiaomi especially if the company wants to make this a prominent series of smartphones in India. Just changing the year in the moniker of the device will be cumbersome. The image also confirms that the Mi A2 will run the latest version of Android, Android 8.1 Oreo.
We already know that the Xiaomi Mi A2 will essentially be the Mi 6X but, with stock Android. This means that the smartphone will run on the Snapdragon 660 chipset. The image is also in line with this assumption. The Mi A2 will have bezels like the Redmi Note 5 Pro and the one in the leaked image has white bezels around the display.
The Xiaomi Mi A1 was launched in India in September 2017. However, the Mi A2 is expected to go on sale in India in the month of August. This means that the smartphone should be announced sooner rather than later. With the budget smartphone market seeing new entrants like the Realme 1 and Asus Zenfone Max Pro, Xiaomi will have to nail the pricing of its Android One smartphone.
The smartphone industry is moving towards that ultimate bezel-less smartphone. It looks more and more likely that a smartphone maker will soon unveil a working prototype of a futuristic smartphone and a few companies are at the forefront of that. Vivo recently launched the NEX S, based on its Vivo NEX concept with a pop-up front camera to further reduce the size of the bezels. It appears that this could be a trend that will catch on and Xiaomi might be the next in line. The Xiaomi Mi MIX 3 is rumoured to launch with a pop-up front camera to attain a very high screen-to-body ratio.
A new image posted on Weibo appears to be a promotional poster of an upcoming Xiaomi smartphone. In the image, the pop-up camera is clearly visible, although, the name of the smartphone is nowhere to be found. However, Xiaomi’s Mi MIX lineup has been the company’s outlet for futuristic designs and pushing that screen-to-body ratio to its limits. The Mi MIX 3 could well beat OPPO Find X’s record for the highest screen-to-body ratio if the rumours turn out to be true.
While the design looks aesthetically pleasing and does help smartphone makers reduce the top bezel (or the bottom bezel in Xiaomi’s case), it has its sceptics. It is not a secret that having moving parts in a smartphone can be a recipe for a disaster waiting to happen. There are plenty of scenarios where moving parts can be cumbersome, and not to forget, expensive. The Vivo NEX S and OPPO Find X look great but, how they fair in the long run is yet to be seen.
Over the years, Xiaomi has become famous for its reliable hardware and software. If the company does go ahead with a pop-up camera, it’s fair to assume that it would be a well thought out decision. What this will do to the affordability of the Mi MIX lineup is anybody’s guess as of now.
