Chinese Tech

Xiaomi has taken wraps off its newest flagship model, the Mi 8. The Mi 8 comes with the latest Snapdragon 845 chip, dual cameras, and a dual GPS system. The Mi 8 gets launched in 8 other markets apart from China and packs most features found in other expensive flagships. While the design is reminiscent of the iPhone X, the smartphone looks to be priced quite competitively and should rake in good numbers for the Chinese major.

Starting at less than US$125, the new Meizu M6T is powered by the outdated MediaTek MT6750 processor, but its main selling point is the 13 MP + 2 MP main camera setup on the back. This 5.7-inch handset also has a 3,300 mAh battery and a traditional audio jack, but it is only available in China for now.

A report from the research company Gartner has stated that global sales of smartphones in the first quarter of 2018 have risen slightly from figures issued in the same quarter of 2017. Over 383.5 million smartphones were sold in 1Q18 compared to 378.5 million units sold in 1Q17. Samsung was the quarter’s largest vendor, with 78.5 million sales.

Although the OnePlus 6 has been well received and provides an excellent value, the fingerprint and the PIN/password remain the safest methods of unlocking it. A recent statement coming directly from OnePlus makes it clear that face unlocking alone cannot deliver an optimal level of security yet.

The foreign import bans imposed on ZTE are bound to shake things up in China, at least in a positive way. Tencent - one of the biggest video game company in China - is willing to take constructive actions in order to increase China's chip-making capacity and reduce the reliance on foreign component imports.

Huawei seems to be ready to join the gaming smartphone craze with its upcoming Honor Play model. The latest smartphone teaser posted by the Chinese company on Weibo emphasizes the AI functionalities that should bring a "groundbreaking" 4D gaming experience. However, it looks like the Honor Play might have been spotted at TENAA, but the specs are mid-range at best.

Google has partnered with Xiaomi to make ARCore apps available on the Xiaomi App Store in China. Google has not revealed any further details but these apps will be first made available for Xiaomi's latest flagship, the Mi Mix 2S, with more devices to follow soon.

OnePlus has removed the Always On Display setting in the new OnePlus 6 via a day 1 patch that installs after first boot. While users have been clamoring on the OnePlus Forums for the feature to return, the company replied that the feature had to be removed to save battery.

A report from a brand equity database shows that technology companies and tech-related brands currently dominate the ranking for top 10 most valuable global brands. At least eight out of the 10 brand names listed are directly involved in technology, with Google, Apple, and Amazon taking up the top three places, respectively. Chinese firm Tencent has also made a strong showing, coming in fifth position.

Lenovo Vice President Chang Cheng has, once again, teased the company's upcoming device on Weibo. This time, he clarifies that the device will be named the Lenovo Z5. The teaser paints the picture of a device with absolutely no bezels—and no notch.

Xiaomi's upcoming flagship, the Mi 7, has been spotted online. The device is expected to feature a Snapdragon 845, 6 GB of RAM, 64 GB of storage, 3D facial recognition, and wireless charging...and all of that could come with a US$450 price tag.

Maze was one of the upcoming smartphone companies in 2017. The company released devices like the Blade and Alpha and while both had their issues, they also offered great value for money. Sadly, it would seem that we won't be getting anything else from Maze, with the company appearing to have kicked the bucket.

A report by The New York Times has stated that the Trump administration has worked out a deal that would prevent ZTE from complete collapse. According to a source familiar with the matter, ZTE would have to comply with a number of demands from the US Department of Commerce but by doing so would be able to remain in business.

The innovative stacked display design developed by Mobvoi for the upcoming TicWatch Pro should provide a substantial battery life boost. While in standard mode, the battery may last around 2 days, but there is also an Essential mode that completely disconnects the OLED screen and turns off the Wear OS, leaving only the black/white LCD active.

Huawei has announced its decision to end official support for bootloader unlocks. Devices released after May 24 will not be eligible for unlocks, while those already released will have that option closed to them in 60 days.

BlackBerry Mobile has released a new teaser clip for the KEY² smartphone. The brief video shows that the device will feature a dual-camera system and reveals a new button on the keyboard that has fuelled speculation in regard to its purpose. Full details about the KEYone’s successor are expected to be given at the June 7 launch event in New York.

Huawei’s sub-brand, Honor, has issued a press release to announce that the Honor 10 flagship smartphone has already managed one million sales. This is an impressive feat, considering the device was only released in China on April 27 and received a limited global launch on May 16. The Honor 10 has been praised for offering high-end features for a mid-range price.

MediaTek has unveiled its new SoC, the Helio P22. The chipset is built on a 12nm manufacturing process and will offer stiff resistance to SoCs like the Snapdragon 450 and Kirin 659.

HTC has finally unveiled its new device, the U12+. The flagship sports a 6-inch QHD+ Super LCD display, a Snapdragon 845, IP68 certification, a quad camera setup, and a host of other features that make it one of the most impressive devices so far this year—on paper at least.

With the announcement of Nvidia's GeForce Partner Program, Asus thought it would be wise to differentiate its GPU brands into ROG (for Nvidia) and Arez (for AMD). Since the GPP was killed in its infancy, speculators were quick to proclaim that the Arez brand will cease to exist as well. Asus retorted promptly, dismissing any greatly exaggerated rumors.

Meizu is set to unveil its next device, the M6T, at an event in China, on May 29. The device will sport a dual rear camera setup and 18:9 device, and will go against Xiaomi's recently released Redmi S2.

CEO of Xiaomi, Lei Jun, has announced that the company's Mi Max 3 will be unveiled in July. Details of the device remain unconfirmed but it's expected to be powered by a Snapdragon 660.

The $300 USD gift card will apply to new purchases of the MateBook X Pro made through Amazon and NewEgg in an attempt to create buzz. The promotion will end after June 10. Huawei's latest 13.9-inch laptop is thicker than its last but also significantly more powerful to justify the larger dimensions.

According to data by Counterpoint Research, Xiaomi's Redmi 5A clinched top spot as the best-selling Android device in the world. The device, by its lonesome self, accounts for 1.8% of all smartphones sold in the world in March. This dominance extends all through Q1.

The Huawei Y5 Prime (2018) is now listed on Huawei’s website, indicating that it might not be long until it hits store shelves. The older Y5 (2017) released in June of last year, so this timing would match. With 2 GB RAM / 16 GB storage, this is undoubtedly a budget phone, but the inclusion of three card slots (2 SIM and 1 MicroSD) will be highly attractive in some markets.

According to a report by OnPhones, Xiaomi may have been using fake camera samples for its Redmi Y2 promotional content. This wouldn't be the first an OEM does something of the sort.

The Asus Zenfone 5 has made its way over to DxOMark, with the camera evaluation platform placing it alongside devices like the iPhone 8 and HTC U11. That's quite impressive for a US$400 mid-ranger.

ZTE may have found a way out of its current troubles, as word claims that Samsung is willing to sell its Exynos SoCs to the company, in a bid to expand its ARM processor business.

Promising to bring a "new attitude" to Europe, Xiaomi is ready to enter the French market. The Chinese brand will open its first Mi Store in Paris on May 22, but more are expected to follow in other French cities over the coming months. Two days later, Xiaomi will also enter the Italian market.

Not to be confused with the ZBox or XBox, the GBox mini PC targets home theater users and video streamers in a chassis just 0.98 L in volume and 1.5-inches thick. Chuwi is promising that the new Gemini Lake platform can bring a 60 percent performance boost over the last generation Apollo Lake while consuming less than 10 Watts for the entire unit. Prices and launch dates remain unknown.

The new Motorola Moto 1S is about the same device as the Moto G6 but comes with Lenovo ZUI 3.5 on top of Android 8.0 Oreo and ZUI branding on the back. This handset also sports a 5.7-inch full HD+ 2:1 display, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 processor, 4 GB RAM and 64 GB internal storage, a 12 MP + 5 MP main camera, and so on.

According to a report, it appears the US House Appropriations Committee does not share the same sentiment in regard to ZTE as President Donald Trump. Trump recently tweeted a message stating he wanted to help ZTE find a way to keep doing business. However, the Committee is in disagreement with the President and plans to uphold the ban on the Chinese company.

OnePlus has just unveiled the OnePlus 6 device and hot on its heels comes the Marvel Avengers Limited Edition version. This variant of the new flagship phone is delivered in an Avengers-themed box that even contains an Iron Man-style protective case and a medal. The device will initially be available for the Chinese and Indian markets, priced at 4,199 yuan and 44,999 Indian rupees, respectively.

OnePlus entered the market half a decade ago with the US$300 OnePlus One, their invite-only “flagship killer.” Since then they have released increasingly more expensive phones, and the OnePlus 6 represents their biggest redesign for the last few years. Equipped with a Snapdragon 845, up to 8 GB of RAM, and up to 256 GB of storage.

An image showing a list of upcoming Xiaomi devices have surfaced. While there are items on the list that make some sense—Redmi Note 6, Redmi Note 6A, Redmi 6 Plus—a few others cast doubt on the veracity of the entire thing.

HMD has unveiled its new device, the Nokia X6. The X6 is positioned between the Nokia 6.1 and the Nokia 7 Plus in the company's lineup of devices and comes with a brilliant design, powerful processor, and capable cameras.

A report by Canalys has shown Samsung's dominance over the African smartphone market. The company shipped 3.4 million smartphone units in Q1 2018, up 42% from the same period in 2017. Tecno puts the pressure on from second place.

While Xiaomi's worldwide growth has been worthy of accolades, the 8-year-old company's expansion in certain markets has been even more impressive. Case in point is the Indonesian market, where the company recorded a shocking 1500% year-on-year growth in shipment figures.

Honor released its latest flagship at an event in London yesterday. The device, the Honor 10, will be available across Europe—unfortunately not in the US—and offers a premium package at a mid-range price point.

Realme is Oppo's first brand created specifically for the Indian youth in search for a premium mid-range smartphone with affordable prices. The Realme 1 offers a large 2160 x 1080 6-inch IPS LCD screen together with a MediaTek Helio P60 octa-core SoC coupled with either 3/4/6 GB RAM and 32/64/128 GB storage. The camera setup includes a modest 8 MP selfie + 13 MP main.

Huawei sent out the full, stable Oreo update to users of the Honor 7X a few weeks ago. The next device on the list is the Huawei Mate SE, an upgraded Honor 7X designed for the North American market.

A new live image of the upcoming Nubia Z18 shows the device having no side bezels at all. Nubia's design game has been excellent in the past and we expect the Z18 to be the company's latest attempt at taking it up a notch.

Motorola is set to release the successor to the Z2 Play in the coming weeks. More renders of the device have surfaced, showing it in a brilliant, unconventional indigo colorway.

The Twitter account for BlackBerry Mobile has teased an announcement date for the aptly named successor to the company’s KEYone smartphone: the KEY². According to the tweet, the KEY² will be unveiled in New York on June 7 at 10 a.m. The message features the slogan “An Icon Reborn.”

Renders of Samsung's next smartphone, the Galaxy S8 Lite have surfaced. The S8 Lite is said to be set for a May 21 launch and will feature a Snapdragon 660. Going by the renders, the device's design is nigh-identical to the S8's, but will likely be much cheaper.

Xiaomi has unveiled its latest budget device, the Redmi S2. The S2 offers features like dual rear camera, EIS, and a Snapdragon 625...and comes with a US$160 base price tag. It could also be rebranded to be an Android One device in the near future.

With the same price as the Nokia 1, the Huawei Y3 2018 is now available for purchase in South Africa. Its specs include a 5-inch display with only 854 x 480 pixels, a quad-core MediaTek processor, 1 GB RAM, and 8 GB internal storage, 2 MP and 8 MP cameras, as well as a 2,280 mAh battery.

Today Lenovo announced the new IdeaPad 330 and IdeaPad 320S which they claim to meet the specifications, price, and looks that most consumers want in an affordable laptop. The Lenovo IdeaPad came about in the late 2000’s as a consumer-oriented counterpart to the hugely successful business-orientated ThinkPad. Dedicated GPU options include the MX110, MX130, MX150, and GTX 1050.

The Lenovo IdeaPad 530S is a relatively thin and light notebook compared to the screen sizes on offer and the price segment which it occupies. Equipped with a Core i7 (probably U-series), up to an MX150, and a 1440p display, this laptop will sit well with consumers who want a good looking and decently priced mid-sized computer.

It appears Lenovo may be working on a new flagship smartphone. A partial image of a bezel-less device has been published on the Weibo account for Chang Cheng, the Lenovo Group’s VP. There is seemingly no controversial notch present on the smartphone, and there is speculation that the device will be officially announced on June 14.