Author: Chris Eilers

On November 24th, Xiaomi launched Redmi Note 3, the company’s latest budget flagship. The device soon caught everyone’s attention. Here are 5 reasons why buying this handset could be a great choice…

5 reasons why Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 is the best choice for its money

Costing only a humble $140, the freshly-launched Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 comes with very convincing reasons for you to just go and grab it. Firstly, the handset features full metal casing, giving it a classy and much more premium appearance than its price group. Secondly, apart from the metal element, Redmi Note 3 has a great design in general: popular 5.5” FHD, beautiful 8.7 mm slim body. You will just love it from the moment you see it on your hand, I bet!

Thirdly, Redmi Note 3 by Xiaomi has very strong built-in specs to power the whole handset: 2/3GB RAM, powerful Helio X10 chip set and a big 4000 mAH battery. Too good for a $140 handset, don’t you agree with me? Next, there is always that one key feature that guarantees the sales of a device. For Redmi Note 3, it is definitely the camera sensor: 13MP main camera with Sony sensor and a decent 5MP selfie. Smartphone camera is becoming more and more important, and Xiaomi just got it right!

Last but not least, with $140, you can already buy the latest MIUI 7 operating system – signature of Xiaomi smartphones, installed together with Android 5.0 OS. If this can be later updated into Android 6.0, it would be just more than awesome for any Mi lover! Are you convinced by the 5 reasons I just mentioned above? Is there any other you would love to add in?

Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 – beating its competitors for quality

$140 is absolutely not a huge amount of money. It is interesting that for now, with that budget, we can already buy smartphones as good as this Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 beast. With all it has to offer, the Redmi Note 3 is there to beat its competitors of the same price group and is expected to be a new hit in the smartphone market of 2015-2016

Lenovo Vibe X3 and Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 are the newest smartphones of their manufacturers to be released this month. So, which one is better? Let’s find out the result together!

Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 vs Lenovo Vibe X3: Things you need to know

Both of them were launched in November, 2015 and have been drawing a lot of people’s attention. Besides, they also have the same 5.5-inch Full HD screen and 3GB RAM, but other specifications are pretty different. Specifically, we will look at the chip, camera and battery. However, firstly, we can easily see that Lenovo Vibe X3 is a bit thicker and heavier than Xiaomi Redmi Note 3. Anyhow, it won’t affect much the strength inside.

As for the chip, the Lenovo product uses a Snapdragon 808 processor which is also used in the flagship LG G4. Meanwhile, Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 equips their machine with a MediaTek Helio X10 one which is usually chosen for many powerful handsets such as Meizu MX5, Elephone Vowney, etc. With these chipsets, your phones are definitely able to deliver smooth performances.

In terms of camera, we have to say Lenovo Vibe X3 is stronger than its competitor since it sports a combo of an up to 21MP rear and an 8MP front-facing snapper. Those who love taking photos will fall in love with the X3. On the other hand, the Note 3 has a common set of shooters including a 13MP and a 5MP cam, which seem good enough capture pics. Nonetheless, the Note 3’s battery is totally the winner. It is capable of 4,000mAh while the X3’s just has 3,600mAh (yet it is also a great number when compared with other smartphones on the market).

So, overall, each device has its own advantages, so you base on your need to pick out the most suitable one. Of course you also should consider the prices which are presented in the next part! Check them out now!

Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 vs Lenovo Vibe X3: Price and Availability

Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 price is 899 Yuan ($140) for the 2GB RAM + 16GB ROM verion and 1,099 Yuan ($170) for the 3GB RAM + 32GB ROM ver. For the Lenovo Vibe X3 price, you have 2 options as well: 2,499 Yuan ($390) for the 32GB and 2,999 Yuan ($470) for the 64GB. Which one do you think is more reasonable? Tell us your champion!

We have been hearing many things about the flagship Samsung Galaxy S6‘s successor – Galaxy S7 – coming next year. And today, we’ve just got some more news about it to share with you: MicroSD card and Keyboard – will we see them on the S7 2016?

MicroSD card will come back and Physical keyboard will get on board?

To be honest, we think Samsung has a very good strategy of marketing for their product. Though Samsung Galaxy S7 launch has not occurred yet, most people have already been so familiar with this smartphone, including us. We are pretty sure that S7 will be the most gorgeous high-end handset to start 2016 and probably compensate for what Galaxy S6 and S6 edge could not give you this year. We mean the microSD card slot for memory expansion. Furthermore, some sources claim that Samsung Galaxy S7 edge will also come along with a 5.7-inch curved edge display and a microSD card slot as well. That can be a plus for both of them!

The second news is related to a keyboard, like the one we see accompanying Samsung Galaxy S6 edge Plus. It is likely that Samsung will bring this feature to their new products S7 and S7 edge to help people use the phones more comfortably, especially in typing. However, note that the keyboard is not fixed on the handset. It is actually an accessory that you can take off or put on anytime. Do you like the idea?

In general, it is pretty sure that Samsung Galaxy S7 launch will occur in the first quarter of 2016, or in February to be specific. We are looking forward to this powerful beautiful duo together with a microSD card slot and a physical keyboard. How about you?

Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 edge price

How much is this real beast couple of 2016: huge cores, strong unique processor, leading technology and beautiful camera sensor by Sony IMX 300? Since they are flagships, their prices can start from $900. Anyhow, let’s wait for the firm’s official announcements in the next weeks!

Nokia E1 VS Lenovo Vibe X3 are 2 awesome flagships from 2 of the biggest smartphone producers in the world, with super cool specs for surprisingly affordable price tags. Therefore, we now put them together in a comparison…

Nokia E1 VS Lenovo Vibe X3 Design 

Both Nokia E1 VS Lenovo Vibe X3 are catching huge attention for what they have to offer despite the affordable prices. Nokia E1, costing around USD 250, goes with a handy 4.9 inch display, 2GB RAM, Android 6.0 OS and more amazingly, a 20MP Pureview camera! Meanwhile, for a price tag of around USD 350, Lenovo Vibe X3 features some of the most premium specs you can ask for: 5.5”, 3GB RAM, 3600 mAH and a whooping 21MP rear camera! Hmm, you are loving them, aren’t you?

Though both are among top choices in our market nowadays, Nokia E1 VS Lenovo Vibe X3 obviously stands out from one another as well as other competitors. Nokia E1 will sell super well for being one of the first Nokia Android phones in their comeback 2016. The smartphone is also a design winner, which I am sure everyone will love at first sight. Lenovo Vibe X3, on the other hand, remarks itself for covering all of the best stuff in just one machine. It even comes with a huge internal storage and Dual SIM.

Lenovo Vibe X3 is definitely leading in terms of specs, with a bigger RAM, bigger battery and bigger camera. However, the fact that Nokia E1 is from the greatest smartphone legend in the world – Nokia, is already a huge advantage. Moreover, it seems that Nokia E1 will be slightly cheaper in price, which also contributes to your vote of the winner!

Nokia E1 VS Lenovo Vibe X3 – Very Affordable

Both smartphones are midrangers and the Nokia E1 Price will be from 200USD to 250 USD at Launch.  I have heard that a lot of people would buy the Nokia E1 because they are just in love with its Pureview camera. Meanwhile, it seems like many others are gathering money to grab the Lenovo Vibe X3 – for it is such a powerful beast with elegant design! With what they are packing on board, both handsets are cool enough to be saving for and waiting for, don’t you agree?

Usually, when mentioning Chinese smartphones, most of the time we only think of Xiaomi, Huawei, OnePlus, LeTV, and Meizu. However, there are more and today we would like to introduce 9 Chinese handsets perhaps you’ve not heard before.

1. Uhans U100

This phone has a very special design for the back since it is covered by a leather and a metal frame, which makes U100 look more premium. Some Uhans U100 specs include a 4.7-inch HD display, a Mediatek MT6735 chipset, 2GB RAM, 16GB ROM, a 2,200mAh battery, a 13MP Sony rear with LED flash and a 5MP camera. Besides, both cams can record 1080P FHD at 30FPS. The whole machine runs on Android 5.1 Lollipop OS out of the box with UHANS’ UI on top. So, if you are impressed with U100, you may feel the same for the Uhans U100 price of $119.99.

2. Macoox X7 Mini

Macoox X7 Mini has been just released in China very recently. Some people think X7 Mini design is similar to LeTV Le1S due to its gold upper and lower bezels and black border around the display. Spec-wise, this machine sports a 5.5-inch FHD screen (which is not really “mini”, right?!), a 13MP main shooter, Android 5.1 Lollipop OS, a 1.3GHz Mediatek quad-core chipset, 2GB RAM, 16GB ROM and a 2,050mAh battery. For those who have interest in this guy, Macoox X7 Mini price is 1,299 Yuan ($203) for the China Unicom FDD LTE model.

3. Blackview Omega Pro

Blackview is also a brand that has rarely appeared on Price Pony, but their products are pretty good in terms of specifications and prices. Blackview Omega Pro is a device like that and has just been announced lately and available on sale since 21 November, 2015. Blackview Omega Pro specs boast a dual SIM, a 5-inch HD display from LG, a Mediatek octa-core MT6753 chip, 3GB RAM, a 2,400mAh battery, and a combo of 13MP plus 2MP snapper to be basic. If you buy a Omega Pro, you can choose Pearl White, Violet Black or Rose Gold color with a Blackview Omega Pro price of $149.99 HERE.

4. Macoox MC-X7

Another entry from Macoox is a 6-incher that just so happens to look like the LeTV Le Max phablet. Macoox are obviously after a different customer to the Le Max and so have cut a few hardware corners here and there to make a more cost effective device.

The phone is an all alloy product with fingerprint scanner and 13 mega-pixel camera on the rear. The front is taken up by a 6-inch HD (720 x 1280) display. Specs also include an octacore Mediatek 1.5Ghz processor, 2GB RAM, 16GB memory, Hotknot and a 2850mAh battery. Pricing in China for the Maccox MX-X7 is 1699 Yuan ($265).

5. Small Pepper X5

For those who do not know about Small Pepper, they were the first to make budget dual-core phones and also the first to make budget quad-core ones. Their latest product is Small Pepper X5 that promises to bring users sleek experience. About the Small Pepper X5 specs, there are a 1GHz processor paired with 3GB RAM, a 2400mAh battery, a 5.5-inch HD display, an up to 8MP  front-facing and a 13MP primary camera. For the Small Pepper X5 price, it will cost 1,699 Yuan ($265).

6. Haier Hai Le 3

Next, we have Haier Hai Le 3 whose specs are a 5-inch display, a 5MP front plus an 8MP rear camera, and a 1,800mAh battery. As for the design, the phone is built with dual 2.5D glass panels and a thin 7.2mm chassis, easy to hold in your palm and put in your pocket. Yet, actually, we think this company will have to try more if they want to develop their smartphone brand besides their well-known large TV and electronics business. Haier Hai Le price is 998 Yuan ($156), which is very affordable for consumers.

7. Green Orange M4

This is a mid-range device built with a metal chassis and plastic back panels. There is a fingerprint scanner located right below its 13MP f/2.0 PDAF snapper. Other Green Orange M4 specs pack an octa-core MT6753 1.5GHz chip, 2GB RAM, 16GB ROM, and a 5-inch display. Green Orange M4 price is 1,599 Yuan ($250) yet only white versions are available at the moment.

8. Kingzone K2

Another 5.0-inch machine we want to mention is Kingzone K2. Spec-wise, it features a FHD screen along with 2.5D Corning Gorilla Glass panel up front, a square fingerprint scanner placed on the back together with a 13MP f/2.0 IMX214 shooter, a MT6753 octa-core processor, 3GB RAM, and a 2,600mAh battery to power all the smartphone. Specially, if you want to enjoy music on your own handset, K2 can satisfy you thanks to its Yamaha HIFI YDA 165 audio decoder.

9. Phicomm EX780

Last but not least, it is the flagship Phicomm EX 780. Looking like Vivo Xplay 3S, Phicomm EX780 specs also have the latest gen fingerprint scanner, a Snapdragon 801 processor, a 2900mAh battery, a 5.5-inch Full HD screen, a set of a 13MP and a 5MP cams, and 3GB RAM. Phicomm EX780 price is $238.99.

Wow, they are the 9 new Chinese smartphones we just found out. It somehow shows that apart from some famous manufacturers we’ve already known, there are still other potential ones. Do you like them all?  

(Source: gizchina)

Xiaomi Officially Launched the Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 Smartphone today. The 5.5″ Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 is super affordable and comes with a HUGE 4000mAH battery….

Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 design

The Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 is Xiaomi’s first all metal smartphone, and is including a fingerprint sensor as well. While being all metal, the Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 is just 4 gram heavier then the Redmi Note 2 and slightly thicker 0.4mm. While the design is very beautiful,  the biggest change, howeve, can be found from the Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 Specs. Xiaomi’s latest Smartphone boasts a HUGE 4000 mAH Battery. And more

Compared to the Redmi Note 2 with 3060mAh, 4000 mAH is really a very good improvement. Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 Specs include a 5.5″ FHD screen and Mediatek’s Helio X10 CPU. The Redmi Note 3 comes in 2 Versions with 2GB and 16GB ROM or 3GB RAM and up to 32GB ROM. Both versions get a 13MP Sony Rear Camera with PDAF and a 5MP Selfie Shooter. Of course you get Xiaomi’s MIUI 7 Android Operating System.

Xiaomi launched the Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 today officially, so lets hope the Redmi Note 3 will come to India and other markets fast. 5.5″ FHD, 3GB RAM, 13MP and 4000 mAH are surely a great deal at this price…

Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 Price – Surprisingly Affordable

The Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 Price is very competitive at just 140 USD for the 2GB RAM and 16GB Version. The Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 Price with 3GB RAM and 32 GB is 172 USD. Overall they come with very great specs and affordable price, what do you think?

Firefly 5S action camera is a tiny machine that fits in one hand, produced to be perfectly used for aerial filming and FPV flights. The Firefly 5S sports DV camcorder, competent of connecting to Wi-fi. At first glance, the camera looks undeniably like a GoPro. To give you a very quick idea and impression, before we move on to more detailed review, the Firefly 5S carries a Sony CMOS 12 MP sensor.

To find out what the differences between this Firefly 5S cameras and other action cameras are, keep reading on.

First of all, here is the summary of the bonuses I give to this Firefly 5S

• Handy (tiny), Light, 12MP HD camera
• Compatible with most GoPro 3 Camera accessories, making it super convenient.
• Boxed with AV Cable for FPV convenience, and helps power the camera.
• Auto off: immediately after your usb or aircraft is powered off ! [this deserves 5 stars!]
• MicroSD card slot relocated to the bottom
• Sony 12MP CMOS image sensor
• Video recording up to 1080p/30fps resolution

Next, here are Firefly 5S full specs:

• Measurement: 59 x 41 x 12mm – Weight: 70g
• Battery: 1600 mAh
• Working Time: 2.5h
• Charging Time: 2-3h
• Video/ Photo Format: *.MOV / *.JPG
• Wifi: built in, great for setting FOV angle and live monitoring
• To enable Wi-fi: download Firefly app using the bar code in the manual

• 

Firefly 5S build and usages

The camera has almost the exact same size with GoPro 3 camera, and has a solid body that looks decent and brings a sense of high-quality. There is a tiny OLED screen on one side of the machine, to help display necessary information like operation modes and menus. To minimize the use of space on the smartphone body, there are only 4 physical buttons: up, down, OK and power (ON/OFF)

Featured to be used in aerial photography, the Firefly 5S camera is packed with a time lapse mode. With that, the machine can automatically capture images every 3, 10 or 30 seconds, depending on your setting. You can also perform many levels of sharpness, IOS adjustment, color scheme (standard or vivid) and WDR mode (Wide Dynamic Range)

Thanks to the built-in Wi-fi, this camera can be remotely controlled via a standard Android and iOS mobile device. You can download the “Firefly app” and remotely start/stop the recording using your phone or tablet.

Firefly 5S camera: some draw backs

Different light conditions can be a challenge for this camera. Although the machine record and capture very good quality shots under good lights (most ideally outdoor), it reduces when the light fades or when you perform indoor shooting. One more thing is that, since the camera does not have a display screen, its hard for you to measure your shot when you capture normal shots.

Useful tips and notice

– When we first get the camera, we tried to test with a standard 8GB micro SD card but I had a warning that reads “too slow” on performance. After some research, I switched into a bigger 32GB card and it immediately connected and started to capture.

– Firefly 5S camera has an auto start feature. When the memory cards is near to full, the machine will automatically delete the oldest files to give space for newer files to be recorded. This could be very useful when used in drone or as a fly cam, when you have limited access with the camera. However, please keep in mind that, if we don’t have enough back-up, this could lead to losing your unsaved files.

So, what do you think about this tiny camera? 

Samsung China has just introduced their new product called Samsung W2016 recently. Specially, it is designed as a flip phone. The specifications also make us a bit surprised when being as strong as the flagship Samsung Galaxy S6. Wow, can you believe that?  

Samsung W2016 – A Samsung Galaxy S6 inside a flip phone

If we observe carefully, we will notice that a part of the Samsung W2016 looks similar to the Galaxy S6. In general, this is a flip phone whose top half contains 2 screens (3.9-inch 1280 x 768 pixels AMOLED display each), and bottom half has a T9 numeric keypad and a battery. The machine weighs 204 grams, measures 15.1 mm of thickness (when closed) and allows you to choose between gold or silver color.

In terms of Samsung W2016 specs, there are a Exynos 7420 chip, 3GB RAM, 64GB ROM, TouchWiz OS based on Android 5.1 Lollipop operating system, a dual SIM, and a 2,000mAh battery equipped with fast-charging tech (though, in fact it is smaller than Galaxy S6 batt). As for the camera combo, W2016 sports a 16MP primary and a 5MP secondary) to help you take quality photos.

Well, maybe the giant Korean smartphone maker is wanting to bring back the golden time of flip phones but at a higher level. We cannot deny that the Samsung W2016’s design and features are of an Android flagship. Therefore, Samsung W2016 can totally be the king of its kind at the moment. Do you agree?

Samsung W2016 price and avalaibility

Despite receiving a quiet official launch, W2016 is still a device we cannot ignore since it is so beautiful and powerful. Unfortunately, Samsung W2016 price and its eventual availability outside of China have not been unveiled yet. Let’s wait for the company’s announcement!

When choosing a new smartphone to buy, many are willing to pay a great deal, while others prefer smartphones that priced USD 200 or below. Here are 5 reasons why USD 200 smartphones are pretty much preferable!

USD 200 smartphone – 5 reasons you want to get one right way

Firstly, USD 200 is quite a small budget that most people can afford. It is easier for them to spend that amount on a device without having to save for too long or sacrifice many other needs. Secondly, though a mid-ranger handset won’t last very long, it is not a very big deal for users to get a new one after months of usage. It is also good that by the time this smartphone wears out, we can change to a new one with most current features and trendy specs.

Thirdly, cheaper smartphones usually are from smaller companies and have to face very intense competitions. In order to sell more, they need to equip their smartphones with latest trends in the market. That explains why you can find many smartphones nowadays with cool camera, nice design etc for only USD 200 or even less. Next, using a cheap smartphone can really save you from the unnecessary stress an expensive one can cause: will we break it, will we get stolen and etc.

Last but not least, having a smartphone of USD 200 or less will save you a bunch from buying accessories for it. If we really sit down and make a comparison, the accessories bought for an expensive smartphone altogether can cost even more than a whole budget smartphone. In short, an USD 200 smartphone means less burden and less worry about a mobile device.

USD 200 smartphone – less money doesn’t mean fewer choices

Smartphones in our market come with a wider variety of features for a wider variety of prices to target many different customers. Although we can not deny the joy and all advantages a high-end smartphone can bring, buying a cheaper one doesn’t always mean having less choice, or either less fun.

iPhone 6S and 6S Plus are still very new in the market, yet rumors about the upcoming iPhone 7 by Apple are already everywhere over the internet. This time, we are hearing that, iPhone 7 will be waterproof and comes with 3GB RAM….

iPhone 7: making a great leap with 3GB RAM

Do you still remember the breath-taking iPhone 7 concept designs we featured last time that you could not keep looking at? Right after that, research company TrendForce has just shared some more details about the device. Seems like Apple will be focusing on stronger RAM and more useful feature for their beast. That being said, iPhone 7 will sport a strong 3GB of RAM and comes with waterproof function. There are also hints about an iPhone 7 Plus variant with an even bigger RAM. Could it be up to 5 or 6GB?

In the same article, TrendForce also revealed that, we can actually expect the release of a new 4-inch iPhone in early 2016, like rumors have been suggesting. Meanwhile, the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus release could be sometime during the later half of the year. If 3GB RAM and bigger will come true, this could be a great indicator that iPhone 7 and 7 Plus will become the highlights of 2016’s year-end seasons, when smartphone sales always reach their highest performance possible.

Take the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus for example. Despite various flows of mixed comments, the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus still sold super well, shipping 13 million units in just the opening weekend. For next year, Apple is obviously expecting to beat their own sales record, with an estimated 260 million units for the iPhone 7 duo.

iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus: to Apple’s sale records

Though there is no word about the iPhone 7 camera spoken yet, we hope it will be a good one since many love Apple products for their high-quality camera sensors. Anyhow, it is nice to know that they will be more powerful in RAM and also feature waterproof function! Let’s see if the market in 2016 changes and if people still go crazy for this beast! For iPhone 7 price, you should totally be prepared for a USD 500 price tag or even more!

1. Huawei ShotX (aka Huawei Honor 7i)

According to latest reports, it seems like Samsung is developing their own image sensor, called BRITCELL, with amazing ability of taking pictures in low-light conditions. Wait until you see the difference…

Samsung BRITCELL: technology for future flagships

At its 2015 Electronics Investors Forum, Samsung spoke up about their next generation camera technology, developed for their Galaxy S7 and other future flagships. The most noticeable feature about this sensor is that, it uses a pixel technology to help enhance the light sensitivity and improve the quality of picture taking under low light. At the same time, the sensor will also reduce color artifacts. In terms of size, the sensor is only 5 mm in height with a reduced pixel size of 1.0um, suitable for any smartphone camera in the near future.

If you take a look at the demo picture below, you will see a significant difference. In order to maximize the BRITCELL’s light sensitivity, Samsung has re-arranged the pixel, to get as much light being absorbed by the sensor as possible. Samsung also claimed that, though onlyin 1.0um pixel size, the BRITCELL image sensor is made sure to have the same (or more) amount of sensitivity to light as any traditional smartphone camera sensor with 1.12um pixels. Right now, the company is trying to make up for the reduced sensitivity to green light.

To make it more complete, BRITCELL sensor has used smartphone WDR technology by Samsung, which gives the final picture a higher quality of better resolution. Something tells us that, it seems like Samsung is not negotiating with Sony to take over their IMX 300 image sensor used for the Xperia Z5 family products. Instead, we should expect Galaxy S7 to feature innovative BRITCELL technology, soon will go mass production.

Samsung BRITCELL sensor: featuring Galaxy S7?

Please keep in mind that, it is just our guessing about the use of BRITCELL image sensor in the upcoming Galaxy S7. They either confirmed or refused that their next monster will feature that one camera sensor by Sony, or this brand new BRITCELL instead. Who else is also interested in taking nice pictures even under low light? Like, of much higher resolution than what we know for now?