Tag: leaks

There Will Be No Xiaomi Redmi Note 5

The Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 is one of the most popular smartphones in India. The budget smartphone with a big battery and decent camera became the benchmark of budget smartphones over the past year. While Xiaomi and other brands have come out with similarly priced devices, a lot of consumers are waiting for the Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 to launch. The sad news is that Xiaomi might not be launching the Redmi Note 5 and instead, the recently launched Redmi 5 Plus will be the only big screen device from Xiaomi, as of this moment.

According to a Supermoderator on the MIUI forum, the Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus is going to remain the company’s only large-screened affordable option. This is not an official confirmation but, it as close as it gets to one.

The Redmi 5 Plus was launched in China along with its smaller sibling, the Redmi 5 on the 7th of December. It is possible that Xiaomi will launch the Redmi 5 Plus in India as the Redmi Note 5, considering the Redmi Note 4’s immense success in the country.

Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus

It has a 5.99-inch display with a 2160 x 1080px resolution which again, translated to an 18:9 aspect ratio. Similar to the Redmi 5, its display also has rounded corners.

Under the hood, the Redmi 5 Plus has the Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 chipset, 2.0GHz octa-core processor, Adreno 506 GPU, 3GB or 4GB of RAM, and 32GB or 64GB of onboard storage which will be expandable via microSD card. The fingerprint sensor sits at the back of the device which has become a Redmi signature irrespective of thin or thick bezels.

The Redmi 5 Plus is powered by a massive 4000 mAh battery which, according to Xiaomi, has a standby time of up to 17 days. The device has a micro USB port for charging and data syncing along with a 3.5mm headphone jack.

The Redmi 5 Plus has a 12MP primary camera and a 5MP secondary camera with beautify 3.0 software.

December 20, 2017
Samsung Galaxy S9 And Galaxy S9+ Design Leaked

As we approach the end of 2017 and the possible launch of the Samsung Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+, the rumours and leaks will come thick and fast, We recently unearthed the specifications and benchmark scores of the Galaxy S9+ and this new leak reveals the design of the Samsung Galaxy S9+ and its smaller variant.

For weeks, it was rumoured that the Galaxy S9+ would sport a dual-camera setup at the back while the smaller sibling, the Galaxy S9 will have a single camera. This new leak of the case for both the phones is very similar to the renders that were revealed a few days ago. The leak confirms that the camera setup for both the devices will be different.

Another welcome change from the Galaxy S8 and S8+ will be the repositioning of the fingerprint sensor. Just like the fingerprint sensor on Galaxy A8 and Galaxy A8+, the fingerprint sensor is now placed under the camera and not next to it like their predecessors.

A recent leak also revealed the specifications of the Samsung Galaxy S9+.

The RAM shown in the spec sheet is 5GB which means that the device in question here has 6GB of RAM as benchmark websites get the specifications wrong a number of occasions. Another interesting aspect here is the operating system. According to leak, the Galaxy S9+ will run Android 8.0 Oreo which is a positive, considering the company announced the Galaxy A8 and A8+ with Android 7.1.1 Nougat even though the devices will be launched in January.

Galaxy S9+ Renders

If Samsung goes the Google Treble route, then the Galaxy phones might get faster updates compared to the umpteen amount of time that Samsung takes to update even its flagship phones. To put things into perspective, Android 8.0 Oreo was officially launched back in August, and the Galaxy Note8 along with the Galaxy S8 and S8+ are still running Android 7 Nougat.

The Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+ are expected to look very similar to their predecessors with slightly thinner bezels and a repositioned fingerprint sensor. Unlike last year when there was barely anything to differentiate between the Galaxy S8 and its bigger sibling, Samsung will introduce a few changes in the lineup to justify a bigger price tag of the ‘+’ model. The Samsung Galaxy S9 is expected to sport a single camera at the back while the Galaxy S9+ will have a dual-camera setup at the back.

The Samsung Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ are expected to be launched at MWC in late-February 2018.

December 20, 2017
Renders Of The Bezel-Less Nokia 9 Leaked

Ever since its return to the fore, HMD Global-owned Nokia has had a flourishing restart in the smartphone industry with a slew of launches in 2017. The most noticeable one in India was the launch of the Nokia 8 back in August with its dual-camera setup and vibrant colour variants. However, the design of the Nokia 8 did not represent the trend of 2017, thin bezels and a tall display. It appears that Nokia will rectify that with its early-2018 launch of the Nokia 9.

The image was leaked on the Chinese social networking website, Weibo and represents the design shift that Nokia will make in order to have a more modern-looking smartphone. While there are phones with a better screen-to-body ratio, the trimmed bezels will be a welcome change for all the Nokia loyalists waiting to upgrade to the Nokia 9.

The other noticeable aspect of the phone here is the front-facing dual-camera setup. We have already seen the Galaxy A8 and A8+ launching early next year which sport two cameras on the front and the Nokia 9 might be the next phone in line.

According to a recent FCC filing, the Nokia 9 will have a 5.5-inch OLED display.

Under the hood, the Nokia 9 will have the Snapdragon 835 chipset and 128GB of UFS 2.1 storage.

Powering the device will be a 3250 mAh battery with 18W fast charging. The device will run Android 8.0 Oreo out of the box with very little customisations.

The listing reveals a 12 MP + 13 MP dual-camera setup at the back and a 5MP front-facing camera which could be the resolution of one of the front-facing cameras.

It’s impossible to tell from the picture if the Nokia 9 will have a glass back or metal. The Nokia 9 is expected to be launched on the 19th of January, although the company has not announced or hinted at any event as of now.

December 20, 2017
Samsung Galaxy S9+ Benchmark Scores Leaked

The Samsung Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ are expected to be launched at MWC 2018 or at a special event in March. While there have been plenty of rumours of about the fingerprint sensor placement or what the camera setup will be like on both the devices, it is certain that the Galaxy S9 and S9+ will have the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 chipset. A new leak has revealed that benchmark scores of the Samsung Galaxy S9+ and they look impressive.

The model number in the Benchmark results is SM-G965U1, which corresponds to the larger S9 model just as the Galaxy S8+ and Galaxy S7 edge both had model numbers that ended in “5”. The single-core score gets a commendable 27% bump over the Snapdragon 835’ while the multicore score gets is 31% higher than that of the Snapdragon 835. While the numbers are impressive when compared to Snapdragon 835, the A11 bionic chip is way ahead of the competition.

As is visible, the device in question here has the Snapdragon 845 chipset and similar to what happened in early-2017, Samsung will have exclusive access to the early batch of the flagship chipset thanks to its agreement with Qualcomm. This means that the LG G7, like its predecessor, will be powered by a year old chip, the Snapdragon 835.

The RAM shown in the spec sheet is 5GB which means that the device in question here has 6GB of RAM as benchmark websites get the specifications wrong a number of occasions. Another interesting aspect here is the operating system. According to leak, the Galaxy S9+ will run Android 8.0 Oreo which is a positive, considering the company announced the Galaxy A8 and A8+ with Android 7.1.1 Nougat even though the devices will be launched in January.

Galaxy S9+ Renders

If Samsung goes the Google Treble route, then the Galaxy phones might get faster updates compared to the umpteen amount of time that Samsung takes to update even its flagship phones. To put things into perspective, Android 8.0 Oreo was officially launched back in August, and the Galaxy Note8 along with the Galaxy S8 and S8+ are still running Android 7 Nougat.

The Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+ are expected to look very similar to their predecessors with slightly thinner bezels and a repositioned fingerprint sensor. Unlike last year when there was barely anything to differentiate between the Galaxy S8 and its bigger sibling, Samsung will introduce a few changes in the lineup to justify a bigger price tag of the ‘+’ model. The Samsung Galaxy S9 is expected to sport a single camera at the back while the Galaxy S9+ will have a dual-camera setup at the back.

December 20, 2017
Image Of The Bezel-Less Sony Xperia Phone Leaked

Sony has stuck to its trusted rectangular design for smartphones over the years even when the tall display and thin bezels became the norm in 2017. However, there have been several reports and leaks that have hinted at a major design shift in the upcoming Sony Xperia device. Recently, specifications of an upcoming Xperia device codenamed H8541 were leaked which revealed a tall display with 4K HDR resolution.

The image reveals a design similar to the Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 with three sides of the device having minimal bezels and the top housing all the sensors and the secondary camera. Although the Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 has a thicker chin, the Xperia phone has a thicker forehead. The phone appears to have the power button on the side, most likely with a fingerprint scanner embedded. There is also a volume rocker and dedicated camera button on the right side.

Leaked Image Of The Alleged Sony Xperia Phone

Just like any other leaked image, it is fair to assume that this could easily be a doctored image and the real device could have a completely different design. But, until the time Sony announces the device itself, it is a good design cue for the company. Recently, images of two Sony Xperia phones were leaked along with a few specifications. Just like the image, these images also reveal the design shift that Sony will make in 2018 for all its flagship phones in 2018.

Leaked Image Of The Alleged Sony Xperia Phone

The next Xperia device could be unveiled at the upcoming CES or MWC event where a lot of other smartphones are also expected to be announced, most notably the Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+.

December 19, 2017
Amazon To Compete With Flipkart’s Billion Capture+ With Its Own Smartphone

Flipkart and Amazon are the two big players in the e-commerce market in India. Both the companies are always trying to one-up the other, either with new sales or advertisements. Flipkart recently launched the Billion Capture+ smartphone, an Android phone with a dual-camera setup priced at Rs. 10999. But, a couple of months before Flipkart’s move, Amazon launched two budget smartphones called Tenor E and Tenor G. New reports claim that Amazon will be launching its own smartphone in January next year under the brand name Tenor.

Manish Tiwary, VP at Amazon India told ET:

We leverage the customer data and feedback to understand the gaps in the selection, pricing and reach out to our vendors or OEMs to manufacture relevant products.

While Flipkart labels its Billion brand as ‘Made for India, in India’, Amazon labels its brand as ‘Crafted By Amazon’. Both the companies have launched products and product lines on their private labels. Amazon has a diverse portfolio under the ‘Amazon Basics’ moniker while Flipkart has Smart Buy, a brand for electronics and electronic accessories and MarQ for large appliances.

The budget smartphone industry in India is seeing an exponential rise right now and most of it is dominating by Chinese brands such Xiaomi and Honor. Experts believe that the private label market in India for smartphones is fairly nascent.

The overall mobiles and tablet market would be at $8.5-9 billion annualised run rate in terms of gross merchandise volume. The smartphones private label would be targeting the local, low-brand and mid-brand strength of smartphones which make up almost 20% of the market, thereby making it a $2-billion opportunity for these private labels.

While there are plenty of budget smartphones, a good phone at a competitive price will always receive the attention and persuade buyers to try out a new brand, that is how Xiaomi gained popularity in India. Will you buy an Azom-made phone if the specs are spectacular?

December 19, 2017
Samsung Galaxy S9 Leaked In Live Images

Samsung is planning to launch the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ at MWC in late-February. While smartphone makers try hard to keep their upcoming phones under wraps, it’s become harder to do that with every person now having a camera phone with them. Recently, the renders of the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ were released which show very little design change from 2017’s Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+.

Now, two new leaked images reveal the front and back of the Galaxy S9 and the S9+. The images of the front glass reveal the size of the bezels and the camera and sensor cutouts. While people expected a nearly bezel-less design, these images reveal that the bezels will be ever so slightly shrunken in the 2018 iteration of the Galaxy S lineup.

The other image is of the back panel of the Galaxy S9. The image falls in line with previous reports that the Galaxy S9 will continue to sport a single camera setup at the back and have a repositioned fingerprint sensor which will now be placed under the camera lens. The Galaxy S9+ is expected to have a dual-camera setup which will justify the steeper price tag of the bigger sibling.

While the Galaxy S9 and S9+ are expected to be launched at MWC 2018, it will be interesting to see if India will be one of the first few countries to see the launch of the new flagship phones considering the Galaxy S8 and S8+’s popularity in the country. Both the devices are expected to be launched at the same price as the Galaxy S8 and S8+ were launched back in early-2017.

December 19, 2017
Huawei P11 To Be Launched At MWC 2018

Huawei launched the Huawei P10 in 2017 at Mobile World Congress, and it appears that its new iteration, the P11 will be launched at MWC in 2018.

So the Huawei P11 seems to be a Q1 2018 thing (again). We were just promised "exciting new products" with a focus on camera and AI for Q1 at a local german Huawei Xmas event. Could be MWC like the P10.

— Roland Quandt (@rquandt) December 15, 2017

A reliable online leakster has also claimed that the Huawei P11 flagship would be debuting in Q1 2018. In addition, he claimed that the company will be focusing more on a stellar camera and AI experience on the upcoming flagship Huawei P11.

There have been a few rumours that have indicated towards a number of functionalities and features of the upcoming Huawei P11. A recent advertisement design was leaked which revealed that an upcoming Huawei phone will have a triple-lens camera at the back. According to the images, the next generation P11 will feature a 40MP Leica triple-lens camera setup with 5x hybrid zoom and a 24MP front-facing sensor.

Huawei announced its new facial recognition technology and claimed that it is faster and more accurate than Apple’s Face ID. While it did not reveal which smartphone will be the first one to feature this technology, many speculate that the Huawei P11 might be the first phone to come with Huawei’s own rendition of Face ID and the famous animojis.

There are rumours that just the iPhone X, Huawei P11 will also have a notch at the top of the display to house all the sensors required for facial recognition.

The tweet also suggests that Huawei will concentrate on AI this time around. The P11 will, in probability, have the the Kirin 970 chipset that has a dedicated neural processing unit (NPU). The P11 may arrive with more AI capabilities than the Mate 10 smartphones which were launched in October.

December 16, 2017
New Galaxy S9 Renders Might Be The Closest Thing To Reality So Far

The Samsung Galaxy S9 will be the most talked about smartphone of early-2018. It will be a revision of the Samsung Galaxy S8 and there are conflicting reports as to how the Galaxy S9 might turn out to be. While there are leaks that suggest that it will be an incremental upgrade over the Galaxy S8 and the bigger sibling, the Galaxy S9+ will be the one packing all the new features, some suggest that there will be barely any design differences between the S9 and S9+.

A new render from a reputed online leaker suggests that the Galaxy S9 at least, won’t be that different from the Galaxy S8. The renders reveal shrunken top and bottom bezels, and a new placement for the fingerprint sensor. This will be a welcome change for all the Galaxy S9 aspirants as the Galaxy S8 and S8+ had an awkwardly placed fingerprint sensor. No matter how advanced the iris scanner will be on the Galaxy S9, a majority of users will choose to unlock their phone using the fingerprint sensor instead. However, Synaptics recently announced that it had started the mass manufacturing of its in-display fingerprint sensor with one of the top 5 OEMs. A lot of people have speculated that it could be Samsung and if this render is true, then the Galaxy S9+ could be the device which comes with this feature.

Apart from that, there is a single camera at the back which, just like the Galaxy S8, might be an incremental upgrade over its predecessor. This detail falls into place with a previous report that suggested that the Galaxy S9 will have a single camera while the Galaxy S9+ will have a dual-camera setup at the back.

The Galaxy S9 is expected to have the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 chipset (for the US and South Korean market) and Exynos 9810 (for the rest of world) under the hood. The Galaxy S9 could be launched at a price similar to the Galaxy S8+ and the Galaxy S9+ could break the thousand dollar barrier and be priced similarly to the iPhone X.

December 15, 2017
This iPhone X Clone Might Have One Thing That iPhone X Doesn’t

The Apple iPhone X was launched in September after months of anticipation and speculation. The iPhone X was a huge departure in terms of design from all the previous iPhones launched over the course of 10 years. While the design of the phone is extremely modern with thin bezels and a tall display, it has a notch on the top of the display which people love to hate.

iPhone X

However, as is with every iPhone, the iPhone X and its notch is well on its way to start the trend of notches on smartphone displays even though the Essential Ph-1 was launched way before and had a cyborg-like cutout on the display to house the front camera. A few days ago, we reported that the OPPO R13 phone might be the iPhone X clone you were looking for but, this new leak of a smartphone from LEAGOO might be the closest thing to an iPhone X yet. And, it has one thing that even the iPhone X doesn’t have.

The images reveal the design of what could be the LEAGOO S9. It is uncannily similar to the iPhone X and even has a fingerprint sensor placed on the back of the phone. While the bezels are thicker than the ones found on the iPhone X, the notch and the vertically placed dual camera resemble the iPhone X.

Unlike the OPPO R13, the LEAGOO S9 (tentatively named) has a fingerprint sensor, something which a lot of iPhone loyalists asked for from Apple. So, is this the ultimate iPhone X you were looking for? Let us know in the comments!

December 12, 2017
This Could Be The Xiaomi Mi Mix 3

In 2016, Xiaomi grabbed a lot of eyeballs with its then-futuristic tri bezel-less design of the Mi Mix. in 2017, it followed that up with a more polished and flagship phone worthy Mi Mix 2 and it appears that the Mi Mix 3 which will launch in 2018 might have a different design altogether. A new leak has revealed that unlike the previous two iterations, the new Mi Mix 3 will have rounded corners and a dual-camera setup.

In the image above, the most noticeable aspect of the back panel is the vertically placed dual-camera setup. Unsurprisingly, it looks uncannily similar to the iPhone X. The fingerprint sensor cutout appears to be at its normal spot and the ‘Mix Design’ text also reinstates that this could indeed be the upcoming Xiaomi Mi Mix 3.

Mi Mix 2

This is not the first time that Xiaomi will opt for vertically placed dual cameras as it was previously found on the Mi 5s Plus as well. However, the design implementation on the Mi 5s Plus was completely different from what we see in this leaked image.

Mi Mix

It is still early days for the Mi Mix 3 rumours and this image might as well be a prototype of the Mi Mix 3.

December 12, 2017
Samsung Galaxy S9 Iris Scanner Will Work In The Dark

The Samsung Galaxy S9 is expected to be a revision to the Popular Samsung Galaxy S8 which was launched in early 2017. We have seen several leaks so far, including one which mentions a record-breaking screen-to-body ratio. Samsung Galaxy S9 may be an incremental upgrade as far as design is concerned but, there might be a few monumental upgrades as far as hardware and software are concerned. A new report claims that Samsung will upgrade the iris scanner on Galaxy S9 to 3MP from the 2Mp scanner found on the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy Note8.

An industry source familiar with the matter told the publication that the iris scanner in the Galaxy S9 will have an improved camera lens and functions to help it better recognise users’ eyes. This move, as much as it is an upgrade, can be attributed to the rise in popularity of Apple’s Face ID and Huawei’s unveiling of its own facial recognition technology.

The source said:

The iris lens will be improved to 3-megapixels from 2-megapixels of Galaxy S8 and Galaxy Note 8 to capture clearer images. The scanner will better recognize users’ irises even when they wear eyeglasses, move their eyeballs or are in a too dark or too light environment.

Samsung is expected to introduce the iris scanning feature in its upcoming mid-range phones as well, such as the Galaxy A8+. A leak revealed that the Galaxy S8+ will have an infinity display, which was exclusive to Samsung’s flagship phones so far. Introduction of iris scanner in the Galaxy A series might not be far-fetched.

Samsung Galaxy S8+

“Iris scanner is the safest biometric authentication (among iris, fingerprint and face recognition) and we will continue to improve the system for upcoming smartphones for safer banking transactions,” a Samsung spokesperson told the publication, without making any reference to the Galaxy S9.

The Samsung Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ are expected to be launched at either MWC in February or at a separate event in March (similar to the Galaxy S8 and S8+).

December 11, 2017
Samsung Galaxy A8+ Specs Leaked

Samsung introduced the first infinity display in 2017 with the Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+ and also used it with the Galaxy Note8. In 2018, it is expected that the infinity display feature will trickle down to Samsung’s mid-range smartphones as well, and the upcoming Samsung Galaxy A8+ appears to be one of them. A new video reveals what the Galaxy A8+ will look like and the user in the video also goes through the specifications of the phone.

In the video, the user goes through the camera app and clicks a sample photo. There is a dual-camera setup at the front of the phone, which is a first for a Samsung device. At the front is a 16MP+8MP camera setup, the 8MP camera will allow for live focus portrait shots similar to the Galaxy Note8.

According to the video, the Galaxy A8+ will have a 6-inch 2220 x 1080 px display. We can expect it to be a Super AMOLED display similar to the previous generation Galaxy A phones.

Under the hood, the device will have the Exynos 7885 SoC, an octa-core processor with two 2.2GHz high-performance cores and six 1.6GHz low power cores, 6GB of RAM and 64GB of onboard storage which will be expandable via microSD card, presumably up top 256GB. The Galaxy A8+ will also have an IP68 rating for water and dust resistance.

Powering the device will be a 3500 mAh battery which will charge via USB Type C which suggests that it will support fast charging.

Another major change in the design will be the fingerprint sensor placement. Unlike the Samsung Galaxy S8 and Galaxy Note8, the fingerprint sensor on Galaxy A8+ is placed below the rear-mounted camera and it might hint at a major design change for the upcoming flagship ‘S’ and ‘Note’ lineup as well.

The back of the phone also houses a 16MP camera. Detailed specifications of the camera were not listed in the video.

The Samsung Galaxy A8+ is expected to be launched in January 2018 with the prices ranging from US $300 – US $350 (Rs. 21000 – Rs. 26000 in India)

You can watch the entire video here.

December 11, 2017
Samsung Galaxy S9 To Launch With The Same Display As The S8 In A Smaller Size Shell

The Samsung Galaxy S8 is the most successful smartphone of 2017. Rumours and leaks pertaining to the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S9 and its bigger sibling, the Galaxy S9+ have just started to pick up their pace. A new report from a Dutch outlet has revealed that the Samsung Galaxy S9 phones will have the same screen size as its predecessors but, in a smaller body.

This report corroborates a previous leak that suggested that the upcoming Galaxy S9 devices will have a whopping 90% screen-to-body ratio. However, there have been rumours that the devices will sport a 21:9 aspect ratio display which, this new report quashes. It claims that the S9 and S9+ will have the same 18.5:9 aspect ratio with a smaller footprint.

This claim seems legitimate as the two new devices are expected to be an incremental upgrade over its predecessors rather than drastic new phones with a host of new things to offer. The Samsung Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ are expected to have a 5.8-inch and 6.2-inch Super AMOLED displays, respectively.

It has been reported earlier that the upcoming flagship phones from Samsung might be unveiled at CES 2018. However, Samsung came out and said that it is ‘unlikely‘ to happen, which means that the S9 and S9+ may be unveiled either at MWC in February or at a separate event in March, just like the Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+.

December 11, 2017
New Samsung Patent Reveals A Different Foldable Phone Design

As the smartphone industry moves toward a bezel-less era of phones, the fears of a stalemate in terms of design are slowly creeping up. Samsung, however, will soon launch a phone which might be the next big thing in the smartphone industry. The foldable Samsung Galaxy X is expected to be launched early in 2018. While there have been concepts and patent leaks which reveal a futuristic design for the Galaxy X, this new patent of a foldable phone from Samsung might not be an ideal design.

According to the patent, when in an open position, the device looks like someone placed two similarly sized phones next to each other. The frame joining the two displays is made of metal, so it’s not part of the screen. The design is nowhere near the futuristic design that we expect from the Samsung Galaxy X and somewhat resembles the recently launched ZTE Axon M.

ZTE Axon M

While this patent is new, there have been previous leaks that reveal a more impressive design of the Samsung Galaxy X.

A report from the South Korea Herald suggested that the production of the Galaxy X would be on 100,000 orders, making it an extremely limited edition device. If this happens, the Galaxy X would be the most difficult Galaxy phone to get your hands on.

The foldable smartphone is being touted as the “next big innovation” in the smartphone industry, which has been stagnant for a while in terms of exciting innovations.

Samsung is most likely to start small, with a smartphone that folds halfway like a wallet. Another design, in line with Samsung’s prototype unveiling, could see the phone unfold into a full-size tablet.

Samsung is expected to launch the Samsung Galaxy X either with the Galaxy S9 phones or before them at CES 2018 in January.

December 9, 2017