Xiaomi launches Redmi 5A in India, sales start December 7

Right on schedule, Xiaomi has announced the Redmi 5A in India.

The phone starts selling on December 7 at a price of INR 5,999 for the 2GB/16GB model (first 5 million units will sell at a INR 1,000 discount - INR 4,999) and the 3GB/32GB variant will retail for INR 6,999.

Both models come in either Grey or Gold.
The Xiaomi Redmi 5A was marketed as the Desh ka Smartphone - meaning the country's smartphone - and is Made in India.

The Xiaomi Redmi 5A launched in China in October.

Xiaomi to launch Redmi 5 and Redmi 5 Plus on December 7

We already saw the leaked press renders, but now we have official information about the Xiaomi Redmi 5. The manufacturer posted an image on Weibo, revealing the launch date of the Redmi 5 and the Redmi 5 Plus - December 7.

The phone will be introduced by members of the pop band SNH48. Twelve of them are pictured holding the Redmi 5. The front panel is mostly occupied by a FullView screen, while on the back we see one camera and a fingerprint scanner.

The headline of the poster says “A phone for a thousand”, implying the Redmi 5 will cost as low as CNY1,000 or about $150/€130. For comparison, the predecessor Redmi 4X costs around CNY800 in China.

India shipments for Huawei's Honor smartphones doubled this year

Chinese manufacturer Huawei has revealed that India shipments for its Honor-branded smartphones have nearly doubled in 2017. President George Zhao revealed a 98.8% increase for 2017 compared to 2016.
Aside from further ramping up its smartphone manufacturing in the Asian country, Huawei is also planning to launch handsets with AI technology that can sense who is using the unit, and based on that translate messages to suit individual preferences.

"We are looking to time our India launches in tandem with global launch and going by that, we should be seeing the new AI phones in India as soon as they are launched in the overseas market," the company said.

The latest Honor branded phone Huawei unveiled is the V10, and it's already available for pre-orders in China.

Best Buy discounts iPhone 7 and 7 Plus for Cyber Monday

Cyber Monday turned from a sprint into a marathon. Not that we’re complaining. For example, Best Buy has some sweet deals on the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus for AT&T, Verizon and Sprint.

AT&T

The iPhone 7 can be had for $13.33 a month on a 30 month AT&T Next program. For a 2-year AT&T Next Every Year contract, you’re looking at $16.66. This is for the 32GB model, the 128GB one does not participate in the promo.

The iPhone 7 Plus is $17.33 a month with AT&T Next or $21.66 for Next Every Year. Note that the Red color option is not available.

Verizon

For a Verizon phone, the price is $16.62 a month for the iPhone 7 (32GB), no early update deals.

The iPhone 7 Plus runs $21.62 a month.

Sprint

Moving on to Sprint, the iPhone 7 will cost you $16.66 a month for 2-years or $22.92 a month with the Sprint Flex 18-month lease.

The iPhone 7 Plus is $21.66 a month (24-month contract) or $27.92 a month with Flex 18-month lease.

For more deals, check out our Cyber Monday post, we keep that updated with new deals as they come in.

India pre-orders for Oppo F5 6GB RAM variant are now live

The 6GB RAM variant of the Oppo F5 smartphone is now available in India. The model comes in black and red color options and is already offered by etailer Flipkart.

The 6GB RAM Oppo F5 costs INR 24,990 ($385). For comparison, the 4GB RAM variant, which launched in the country earlier this month, costs INR 19,990 ($308).
Pre-order window closes December 1, with shipments beginning the same day. However, currently only the black model is available. The Chinese company says the red variant will be available through Flipkart around December 9.

Meanwhile, both colors are available to pre-order through offline channels (OPPO showrooms and some partner stores).

Gionee unveils six FullView smartphones, M7 Plus and S11S lead the charge

Chinese smartphone manufacturer Gionee unveiled six new smartphones at an event in its home country. The list includes S11S, S11, S11 lite, M7 Plus, M7 mini, and F205.

Gionee M7 Plus

The M7 Plus is the new Gionee flagship, coming with an ample 6.43 AMOLED screen and featuring the Snapdragon 660 chipset. Here's the list of its highlights:
Gionee S11

The S11 is Gionees's flagship product for overseas markets. It packs in a Mediatek Helio P23 SoC and a 5.99-inch, 18:9 FullView display with 2160x1080 pixel resolution.
Gionee provided much more details about this one:

5.99-inch FHD+ in-cell 18:9 FullView Display
MediaTek Helio P23 chipset with 2.5 GHz octa-core Cortex A53 CPU and 4/6GB RAM
Dual front camera - 16MP+8MP
Dual rear camera - 16MP+5MP; LED flash
64GB storage, expandable via microSD card slot
Gionee Amigo 5.0OS, based on Android 7.1
3,410mAh Li-Po battery
Hybrid second slot - Dual Nano SIM or Nano SIM+microSD
microUSB and 3.5mm jack
Dimensions: 159.5mmx77.7mmx7.8mm，170.5g
Colors：Blue, Gold, Rose Gold
Gionee S11 lite

Next up is the S11 lite - a more affordable device that's also targeted at overseas markets.

5.7" 18:9 FullView display with 1440x720 pixel resolution
Snapdragon SoC with 1.4GHz octa-core processor and 4GB of RAM
32GB storage, expandable via microSD
Dual rear camera - 13MP+2MP
16MP front camera
Amigo 5.0 OS, based on Android 7.1
Hybrid second slot - Dual Nano SIM or Nano SIM+microSD
microUSB and 3.5mm jack
Dimensions: 153.75x72.6x7.85 mm，141g
Colors: Gold, Dark Blue, Black
Gionee S11S

Gionee S11S is the most capable of the new S Series, but it's not leaving China. Full specs weren't detailed, but we still got the highlights.

6.01-inch FullView AMOLED display of FHD+ (2160x1080 pixel) resolution
MediaTek Helio P30 chipset with 6GB RAM
Dual rear camera: 16MP+8MP, autofocus
Dual front camera: 20MP+8MP, fixed-focus
64GB storage, expandable via a microSD card slot
3,600mAh battery with Intelligent Power
NFC support
Gionee M7 mini and F205

Those last two are clearly entry-level devices as also clear from their price tags, but Gionee shared no details about their specifications. So except for the 18:9 screen aspect, there's nothing we know about them.

Pricing and availability
Phone Price Availability
Gionee S11S CNY3,299/$500 December 2017
Gionee S11 CNY1,799/$270 December 2017
Gionee S11 lite CNY1,299/$200 January 2018
Gionee M7 Plus CNY4,399/$665 January 2018
Gionee M7 CNY2,799/$425 December 2017
Gionee M7 Power CNY1,599/$240 December 2017
Gionee M7 Mini CNY1,399/$210 December 2017
Gionee F205 CNY3,299/$150 December 2017

OnePlus 5T Sold Out Within 5 Minutes in Second Early Access Sale on Amazon India

Chinese smartphone maker OnePlus on Friday said it sold out its newly-launched OnePlus 5T within five minutes of the special one-hour preview sale on Amazon India, between 12pm and 1pm IST on Friday. The sale was also held on the online store of OnePlus India, and was open to all customers on both e-commerce platforms.

"We have seen unprecedented customer response to the early access sales, in India as well as globally. Hundreds of fans stormed our 'Experience Stores' in Bengaluru and Delhi," Vikas Agarwal, General Manager, OnePlus India, said in a statement.

"We are happy to announce that OnePlus 5T will go on open sale, starting on November 28, across all channels including Amazon.in, oneplusstore.in, select Croma stores and 'Experience Stores' in Bengaluru and Delhi," Agarwal added.

OnePlus 5T also broke the company's launch-day sales record on the first early access sale on November 21, and became the company's fastest-selling device in six hours, the company said. Back in India, at the same first early access sale, Amazon said the OnePlus 5T became the highest grossing product for a single day for Amazon Prime members.


The OnePlus 5T price in India starts at Rs. 32,999 for the 6GB RAM/ 64GB inbuilt storage variant, and goes up to Rs. 37,999 for the 8GB RAM/ 128GB inbuilt storage variant. It is only available in a Midnight Black colour variant.

Supporting dual-SIM cards, the OnePlus 5T runs OxygenOS 4.7 based on Android 7.1.1 Nougat. It sports Face Unlock feature which the company says is based on advanced facial recognition algorithms. There's a fingerprint scanner at the back panel as well. Notably, the OnePlus 5T foregoes the hardware capacitive buttons that have been a staple on the offerings from the Chinese company.

The OnePlus 5T features a 6.01-inch full-HD+ (1080x1920 pixels) Full Optic AMOLED with an 18:9 aspect ratio, 401ppi pixel density, and 2.5D Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protection. The display also supports sRGB and DCI-P3 colour gamuts. Just like the OnePlus 5, the OnePlus 5T is powered by an octa-core Snapdragon 835 SoC, clocked at up to 2.45GHz, paired with either 6GB or 8GB of LPDDR4X RAM.

The OnePlus 5T sports a primary sensor that is almost identical to the OnePlus 5, of 16-megapixel Sony IMX398 with 1.12-micron pixels, and an aperture of f/1.7. The secondary sensor is a 20-megapixel Sony IMX376K which replaces the 20-megapixel Sony IMX350 sensor which came paired with a telephoto lens. Both have the same focal length, of 27.22mm. Unlike OnePlus 5, the company is now targeting low-light conditions more than the portrait mode.

OnePlus also claims that the new 5T features 'Intelligent Pixel Technology' for capturing more light in low-light situations. At the front there's again a 16-megapixel Sony IMX371 sensor, also seen on the OnePlus 5. The OnePlus 5T is backed by a 3300mAh non-removable battery and supports the company's Dash Charge fast charging.

Apple, Samsung Form Virtual Duopoly in UK Smartphone Market: Counterpoint

Apple saw its UK smartphone market share decline sequentially in Q3 2017, while Samsung saw flat growth year on year, as a per a recent market research report. As per Counterpoint Research's Market Pulse service, Apple and Samsung are tied neck to in the market.

The two smartphone behemoths have nearly identical market shares, with Apple at 34.4 percent and Samsung at 34 percent. Huawei takes the third spot (13 percent), Alcatel is fourth (4 percent), while Lenovo's Moto brand captured 3 percent of the market. Other brands made up 11 percent of UK's smartphone market.

The Counterpoint report adds that UK smartphones sales remained flat annually in the third quarter this year, while the overall handset market (including feature phones) declined by 8 percent (year on year).

"The Chinese giant Huawei was the third largest brand, with consistent double-digit market share, leveraging a diverse portfolio across all price-tiers, but still some distance behind Samsung and Apple that represent something approaching a virtual duopoly," said Parv Sharma, Research Associate at Counterpoint Research.


"Like we see in the US market, Apple and Samsung together control more than two thirds of the UK smartphone market in sales volumes and more than 80 percent in sales value," Sharma added.

The Apple iPhone 7 was the bestselling smartphone and contributed to 15 percent of the total smartphones sold in Q3.

"Samsung's Galaxy S8 (9 percent) and Galaxy S8+ (6 percent) were second and third. Samsung also has a strong range across all price bands and it, together with Huawei, provided a strong volume platform that was resilient to attack from most other brands," said Research Director Peter Richardson. The top five smartphone list was rounded off by Samsung Galaxy J3 (6 percent) and Huawei P10 Lite (4 percent).

As for the premium smartphone market, Research Director, Peter Richardson, said, "The UK is one of the strongest markets for Apple globally and this is reflected in the premium segment's share of the market overall. Despite Apple being at the tail-end of a product cycle through most of 3Q, the premium segment (> $500 wholesale) still grew both in terms of volume and value, while the overall market volume fell. Apple dominated the premium segment and was the main contributor to overall market value share - especially as the Average Selling Price (ASP) of the newly launched iPhone 8 was higher than the iPhone 7's launch price. Samsung also enjoyed a strong position, accounting for almost one third of the premium market volume during the quarter. Apple and Samsung together leave very little room for other players."

Apple Files Patent for Foldable iPhone

Apple has filed a patent for an iPhone that may have a flexible portion that may allow the handset to be "opened and closed like a book." This comes soon after a report claiming Apple was working with LG on a foldable iPhone. Apple filed for the patent with the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) in 2014 and was granted this month. Critical to Apple's foldable design are the OLED panel and metallic hinge that will allow the display to be folded like clamshell mobile phones.

"An electronic device may have a flexible portion that allows the device to be folded. The device may have a flexible display. The flexible display may have a bending region that allows the display to bend along a bend axis when the device is folded," says Apple's patent application.

Earlier, reports said Apple has decided to go with LG and not Samsung (the latter's OLED displays are considered the best in the industry) owing to the fear that specifications could be leaked as Samsung is its arch rival.

Samsung is expected to launch a smartphone with foldable design in 2018, likely to be named Galaxy X. The foldable iPhone panel production could start from 2020.


Meanwhile, LG has reportedly completed its own foldable OLED panel prototype and has been upgrading the durability and the yield rate.

The company recently started its first OLED production for phones at its E5 plant in Gumi, North Gyeongsang Province.

Xiaomi India Cuts Prices of Mi Accessories

Xiaomi on Friday revised the prices of select Mi accessories as a result of the GST (Good and Services Tax) implementation in India. With the new development, the Mi Power Bank, Mi Business Backpack, Mi Charger, 2-in-1 USB fan, and various smartphone cases are now available with revised prices. The new announcement emerges days after the Chinese company announced the establishment of its third manufacturing facility in the country that has been designed to produce power banks.

"GST council announced a GST rate cut and it's time we pass on the benefits to our beloved Mi Fans. Now you can get your favourite accessory at the price you have been dreaming of," Xiaomi wrote in a post on its Mi Community forums.

Among the accessories that received the price cut, the 10000mAh Mi Power Bank 2 is now available for Rs. 1,099 (originally priced at Rs. 1,199), the 10000mAh Mi Power Bank Pro is available for Rs. 1,499 (debuted at Rs. 1,599), and the 20000mAh Mi Power Bank 2 is priced at Rs. 1,999 (previously available for Rs. 2,199). The price drop is also applicable to Mi Business Backpack that arrived in the country at Rs. 1,499. It is now available for Rs. 1,299.

The Mi Charger that comes with 5V/ 2A output is available for Rs. 349 (originally available for Rs. 399), whereas the Mi Car Charger is priced at Rs. 699 (launched at Rs. 799) and the USB Cable is available with a price tag of Rs. 179 (previously priced at Rs. 199). Further, the 2-in-1 USB cable that has a USB Type-C and Micro-USB port on one end and a USB Type A port on the other end is available for Rs. 249 (originally priced at Rs. 299. The Mi USB fan, which was launched back in October 2015 for Rs. 249, is now available for Rs. 229.

In addition to the price cut on Mi accessories, Xiaomi has reduced the prices of cases and screen protectors for its various smartphone models. For instance, you can pick a Redmi 4 Hard Case for Rs. 349 (originally available for Rs. 449), while a Redmi Y1 Perforated Case is available for Rs. 349 (previously launched at Rs. 399). The Smart View Flip Case and Software Case models of the Redmi Note 4 and Mi Max 2 have also received the new prices in the country.

All the accessories, cases, and screen protectors with the new price tags are available on Xiaomi's Mi India store. However, at the time of filing this story, Amazon.in and Flipkart are yet to update the prices of the listed Mi accessories.

Earlier this week, Xiaomi launched its new Mi Power Bank 2i range in India that has been manufactured through its third facility located in Noida, Uttar Pradesh, after the two initial factories in Sri City, Andhra Pradesh. The 10000mAh Mi Power Bank 2i is priced at Rs. 799, whereas the 20000mAh Mi Power Bank 2i is available for Rs. 1,499.

Nokia 8 starts getting Android Oreo

The Nokia 8 Oreo beta-testing program wrapped up two weeks ago and today the OS update started arriving to users in Finland and Poland. According to XDA Developers fan forum users, devices with model numbers TA-1004 and TA-1012 are among the lucky that get Android Oreo. HMD executive Juho Sarvikas confirmed the update.

The software upgrade brings new features like Picture-in-picture, detailed Notification dots for every app and Autofill passwords. It also comes with the November Security patch and faster boot times. Users share that YouTube runs seamlessly in the dual app mode, meaning you can watch videos and browse at the same time.

The camera performance was also improved. You still can’t set up the ISO and shutter speed manually, but the shutter can stay open for up to 0.5 seconds. Back in August, when the phone was announced, the AF had some issues, but now they are fixed.

Sarvikas says the update should arrive for everyone in two days, but if any carrier decides to review the upgrade one more time, some users might have to wait a week more.

OnePlus 5 to bring Face Unlock with Oreo update

OnePlus announced Android Oreo for OnePlus 3 and OnePlus 3T in the beginning of the week. Apparently OnePlus 5 is next in line for the new OS.

Along with the already expected picture-in-picture and notification dots, arriving at all devices with Oreo OnePlus 5 will also gain Face Unlock.

Face Unlock is a familiar feature to OP owners. The latest OnePlus 5T with Nougat 7.1.1 has it and it works seamlessly, as we already established, so it's great to hear that it's coming to the older model.
Source

Verizon is offering Asus Zenfone V for free

Asus Zenfone V was went official as a Verizon-exclusive in the US in September. The phone carried a launch price tag of $240, while the carrier has also been offering it on monthly plans for $10/month.

Now, as a part of the carrier's Black Friday promotions the device is offered for free when purchased on a contract.
You need to active a new line of service and shell out $240 initially. You'll however get promo credits worth that amount applied over the period of 24 months.

It's a limited time deal that ends today. For more info, head to the Source link below.

Source

Oppo R11s Plus is now available

Oppo announced the R11s and R11s Plus in the beginning of the month with the small version going on sale two weeks ago. Now, the Plus variant joins it on the shelves as the company announced the starts of its availability in China.

The Oppo R11s Plus shares plenty of hardware with the regular Oppo R11s. The chipset is the same - Snapdragon 660, as well as the 20 MP + 16 MP dual camera setup on the back.

The Plus in the name indicates bigger 6.43” screen, more RAM and mightier power cell. The memory combo is 6 GB + 64 GB, while the battery capacity is 4,000 mAh.

The price is also different - Oppo R11s Plus costs CNY3,699 (around $560), and is offered in Black or Champagne Gold.

Nokia 2 launched in India

HMD has announced the India launch date for its entry-level Nokia 2 smartphone. The device - which was officially unveiled in the Asian country late last month - will go on sale today, November 24.

The handset will cost INR 6,999 ($108). The phone will be available through offline retailers in Pewter/Black, Pewter/White and Copper/Black color schemes. There are also some launch offers for Reliance Jio and new Kotak bank customers.

Previously, the Nokia 2 launched in Russia, the US, and South Africa.

OnePlus 5T gets first update, KRACK fix and fingerprint/face unlock optimizations included

Just days after it went on sale, the OnePlus 5T has started receiving its first update. Weighing in at 107MB and arriving as Oxygen OS 4.7.2, the update brings along fix for the Wi-Fi WPA2 security issue (a.k.a the KRACK vulnerability).

Multiple other changes are also included, like optimizations related to fingerprint and face unlock and improvements related to EIS during 4K recording as well as accuracy for screen off gestures. Of course, some usual stability and bug fixes are there as well.

Razer Phone arrives in Asia, Singapore gets it first

After the US, UK, and a few other western markets, the Razer Phone is now available in Asia, with Singapore becoming the first market on the continent to get it. Pre-orders for the device are now live in the country through Singtel, with the window closing on November 26.

Razer's CEO had the following to say about it : "while we founded Razer in California, US, I’m a Singaporean still and I’m very excited to make Singapore the first country in Asia to release the Razer Phone."

First 200 pre-orders will get free Razer Hammerhead Bluetooth headset (worth $169). There's no clarity on exactly when the pre-orders will begin shipping. Officially, Razer will begin selling the phone in the country December 1 onwards.

Coming to pricing, the off contract tag is SGD 1,068, ($790). Of course, you'll have to pay less if you purchase the device on a plan.