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Leagoo latest flagship offers a dual-camera, 4GB of RAM for only $150

Alexandra Arici
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Since dual-camera phones are so in vogue today, Chinese device maker Leagoo is also following the trend with its latest flagship – the T5.

The phone its offered in sleek gold or matte black versions and comes with a pre-sale price tag of only $150 (after the pre-sale period it will sell for $200).

Don’t want to spend a fortune on a dual-camera phone? The Leagoo T5 might be just the product you need. What does it offer in terms of specs, you might wonder?

The flagship includes a 5.5-inch Sharp display with 1920 x 1080 resolution and a MediaTek 6750T SoC clocked at 1.5GHz, which offers relatively similar performance to the Snapdragon 625.

The phone is also paired 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage and relies on a 3,000 mAh battery, which is expected to be able to support 8 hours of video playback and 36 hours of “normal use”. The phone includes quick charge technology which allows the phone to charge up to 35% in 30 minutes.

Leagoo’s new flagship includes a 3.5mm headphone jack, microUSB data port (no USB Type-C) and a fingerprint scanner embedded in the physical home button.

In the photography department, the T5 features a primary dual camera setup which pairs a Sony 13-megapixel sensor and a 5-megapixel sensor used to measure distance. There’s also a Portrait mode that offers popular bokeh effect. As for selfies, there’s a 13-megapixel self-portrait snapper up in front.

The phone ships out with Android 7.0 Nougat out of the box. If you like what you see, you can head on to GearBest place a pre-order for the device right now.

Nokia 3310 Trump-Putin edition is unveiled to mark historic meeting at G20

Alexandra Arici
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Back in February at MWC 2017, Nokia introduced a new version of the popular Nokia 3310 feature phone. The phone currently sells for around $50, but in the weird land of Russia, a company has unveiled a limited edition of the same device that costs a whopping $2,500.

At this year’s G20 Summit – an international forum for the governments and central bank governors from 20 major economies – Presidents Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin met for the first time. And in order to commemorate this historic event, Russian luxury company Caviar released the premium Putin-Trump Summit edition.

A bunch of communists

The Nokia 3310 Putin-Trump Summit edition boasts a sturdy titanium body which is coated with a “Damascus Steel” pattern. And on the back, Caviar included a gold-plated circular emblem depicting the profiles of the two Presidents in the communist portrait fashion. Below it, a golden placard marks the date and venue of the event (07.07.2017)!

Putin-only Nokia 3310

If you don’t appreciate having Trump on your phone, then you should know Caviar also offers a Nokia 3310 Supreme Putin edition. Both phones come with the same exorbitant price tag of approximately $2,500.

And in the eventuality you’re not a fan of feature phones or Nokia in general, you have yet another alternative. Caviar also sells iPhone 7s that boasts the very same engraving on the back.

Check out this $1,200 smartphone with a holographic display made by RED

Alexandra Arici
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Known for its high-end cinema cameras, RED just made an unexpected announcement. The company introduced its first smartphone product called the Hydrogen One which comes with a holographic display.

You’re probably wondering what a holographic display can do. Well, according to RED’s press release the Hydrogen One’s 5.7-inch display employs the power of nanotechnology to “switch between traditional 2D content, holographic multi-view content, 3D content, and interactive games.”

It’s a bit vague, but it sounds like the phone will be able to tackle not only virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (VR) but also mixed reality, 3D and holographic content. RED founder Jim Jannard says there’s no good way to describe what the technology can do, you’ll just have to witness it for yourself. He also adds:

“Our display is technology you haven’t seen before. It is not lenticular, which is inferior tech in every way, has been tried many times before and failed for good reason.”

It sounds a bit pompous, but given RED’s expert reputation we it comes to cameras, we can’t wait to see what the Hydrogen One has to offer.

While most specifications are still a bit of a mystery, we’re told the Hydrogen One will be a modular product in the vein of the Moto Z lineup, which means it will support add-ons for shooting high-quality video and images. The phone will also be compatible with the company’s lineup of iconic cameras including EPIC, Scarlet, and Weapon.

And thanks to a proprietary algorithm embedded into the OS, the phone can covert stereo sound into multi-dimensional audio.

The Hydrogen One will also pack a USB Type-C port microSD card slot, as well as a headphone jack and will be offered in two versions – Titanium and Aluminum. Oh, and it will 3run Android.

The Aluminum version is listed on the official RED website with a price tag starting at 1,195, while the Titanium one will go on sale for $1,595. Although the company notes in the press release that they “will NOT guarantee these prices at the time of the release”.

At this point, the phone sounds intriguing, but we’d like to learn more details about the holographic display.

Motorola is hosting an event on July 25 in NYC, Moto Z2 Force probably incoming

Alexandra Arici
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While the Moto Z2 Play was unveiled last month, we were still left waiting for a flagship product from Motorola.

A few days ago a press renders showing the Moto Z2 Force for AT&T leaked online and we speculated the handset will be making an appearance soon. And it seems we were right.

Motorola has started sending out invites for an event scheduled to take place on July 25 in New York City. While the invite per se only includes the tagline #hellomotoworld, we can speculate the company is gearing up to unveil its flagship for the year, the Moto Z2 Force.

According to previous leaks, the Moto Z2 Force should make a debut with a 5.5-inch ShatterShield display with QHD resolution (2560 x 1440), a Snapdragon 835 processor and 4GB of RAM. It will include a dual-camera setup on the back, although the exact details are currently unknown.

There’s also a possibility the Moto X4 will be announced during the event, as well, although recent rumors indicate the phone will arrive in Q4 2017.

The company will probably be introducing some new Mods as well. Motorola recently showcased a few new Mods during an event in Africa including a Moto 360 Camera Mod, DirecTV Mod and DSLR Mod.

OnePlus 5 camera gets a DxOMark score of 87

Dan Bartram
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With every new smartphone that gets released the camera gets that little bit better than the device before it. A method of benchmarking the quality and performance of the camera on a smartphone is by DxOMark that provide a score based on a number of factors.

The recently released OnePlus 5 got the same benchmark treatment as all its competitors and scored an 87.

What does that mean?

With a score of 87, DxOMark puts the OnePlus 5’s camera on par with the likes of the Huawei P10, Moto Z, Galaxy S6 edge+ and Sony Xperia XZ.

DxOMark calls out specifically the white balance, colors, detail preservation in bright lighting and fast auto focus as standout performance on the device. However, it notes occasional strong loss of details outdoors, fine details lost in low-light scenes, and ghosting effect in some outdoor conditions.

In terms of where that places the OnePlus 5 on the entire scale, you’ll find the iPhone 7 at a single point lower with a score of 86. One point higher at 88 sits the Galaxy S8. The highest score is currently held by the HTC U11 with a score of 90.

So if the DxOMark scores are anything to go by then the OnePlus 5 has a pretty decent camera, especially considering its price. Of course, the scores are subjective and while well established, the perception of the quality of a camera is often down to the individual user.

Samsung launches Galaxy J5 Pro

Dan Bartram
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Despite unveiling the Galaxy J5 only last month, Samsung have already released an upgraded version of the device in the form of a Galaxy J5 Pro.

Debuting in Thailand, the Galaxy J5 Pro has 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage space whereas the previous J5 version had only 2GB of RAM and 16GB of storage. The remaining specs all remain unchanged lending curiosity to the pro naming.

Don’t Miss: What’s the difference: Samsung Galaxy Note7 vs Galaxy Note7 Fan Edition

Other specs of the J5 Pro includes a 5.2-inch Super AMOLED display with HD resolution and is powered by the Exynos 7870 chipset. It also comes with two 13 MP cameras (front and rear), both of which feature a LED flash. The smartphone supports expandable storage (up to 256 GB), and has a 3,000 mAh battery in a metal chassis.

The fingerprint scanner is located on the front of the device as is traditional with Samsung devices and will have dual-SIM support.

The Samsung Galaxy J5 Pro is available for THB 9,990 in Thailand, which is around $295, and will launch with Android 7.0 Nougat. There’s no word on when the device will come to the US.

Instagram Stories updated with photo and video replies

Alexandra Arici
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Instagram has issued a new update today which lets users reply to Stories by virtue of photos or videos. Previously you could only write a message as a reply.

Now when you’re watching a story you’ll notice a new camera button on the bottom left of the screen. Tap it to take a Boomerang or record a video reaction. Then customize it with stickers and send it on its way.

Your friend will be able to view the reply in their Instagram inbox accessible from the Direct icon located on the right-hand corner of the main screen. Like other ephemeral photos and video in Direct, your reply will vanish after it has been viewed. And you’ll be notified if someone takes a screenshot of your reply.

The update might not be a huge one, but it does help increase conversational engagement by offering new, interactive ways to reply.

Instagram continues its quest of updating Stories – one of its most popular features – and users are loving it. Last month, the photo-sharing app announced Stories hit 250 million daily users, which is up from the 200 million announced in April.

The new feature is rolling out in Instagram version 10.28 for Android and iOS users.

Nokia 6 vs Honor 6X (Smartphone Showdown)

Alexandra Arici
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With the Nokia 6 finally hitting the US on July 10, we thought now would be a good time to bring it back your attention. Launched a few months back in China, Nokia’s first comeback phone will soon become available in the States.

As a middle-range phone, the Nokia 6 will be competing for your heart with other affordably priced handsets, like the Honor 6X. In what follows we’ll highlight the differences between the two handsets in order to give you an idea of which one might be best suited to your needs.

Design and Display

The Nokia 6 has been created from a single block of 6000-series aluminum, so it’s a pretty sturdy device that gives an industrial metallic feel in hand.

As for the Honor 6X, it includes a metal back and frame, as well as plastic top and bottom edges. The front is plain and all glass.

When it comes to the display, the Nokia 6 includes a 5.5-inch fullHD display with 2.5D curved glass. The Honor 6X brings forth the same 5.5-inch display with fullHD resolution, so in terms of size, the two are very similar.

The Nokia 6 is a bit skinnier than the Honor 6X though, coming in with a 7.9mm frame as opposed to the latter’s 8.2mm figure.

The Nokia 6 also includes a fingerprint scanner embedded into the home screen, while the Honor 6X’s is living on the back underneath the cameras.

Internals

Like the majority of Huawei and Honor’s devices, the Honor 6X takes advantage of a homegrown chipset. This time we’re looking at a Kirin 655 –  an octa-core assembly comprised of four Cortex-A53 cores clocked at 2.1GHz and four Cortex-A53 cores clocked at 1.7GHz.

The product also includes 3GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage (with a microSD card slot available to expand memory up to 256GB).

As for the Nokia 6, it’s fueled by a Snapdragon 430 SoC (made of eight Cortex-A53 cores clocked at 1.4GHz) working in combination with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage. A microSD card slot is also available.

Both models are compatible with T-Mobile’s and AT&T’s networks in the US.

Cameras

If you’re looking for an affordable dual camera phone, the Honor 6X might just be what you’re looking for. The handset includes two paired sensors – a 12-megapixel one alongside a 2-megapixel unit with phase detection autofocus and LED flash. The selfie camera is of 8-megapixel variety and can shoot 1080p video.

The Nokia 6 is not part of the dual camera bandwagon. Nevertheless, it includes a worthy 16-megapixel primary camera with f/2.0, phase detection autofocus and dual-LED flash, while on the front sits an 8-megapixel selfie shooter with f/2.0.

Battery

The Nokia 6 relies on a non-removable 3,000 mAh battery – which according to the company, can deliver a steady 3G talk-time of 18 hours and music playback time of 22 hours.

As for the Honor 6X, it relies on a larger 3,340 mAh juice pack which should be good for 2.15 days of average usage and 1.5 days of very heavy usage on a full charge.

Other features

The Nokia 6 includes a 3.5mm headphone jack and boasts Dolby Atmos sound enhancements and dual speakers. It also includes Android 7.1.1 Nougat out of the box and is poised to receive frequent updates. Actually, the Nokia 6 was the first to receive the July security patch, ahead of Google’s own Pixels.

The Honor 6X also preserves the 3.5mm headphone jack and ships with Android 6.0 Marshmallow out of the box. Yet, customers can update it to Android 7.0 Nougat (with EMUI 5.0 on top).

Pricing

The standard version of the Nokia 6 will be available for $229 on Amazon come July 10. You can place a pre-order for the device now. However, if you’re willing to sign up for a Prime membership, the Prime Exclusive version with offers and ads from Amazon will cost you $179.99.

The Honor 6X is currently available on Amazon for $224 (down from $249.99). Price-wise the two phones are pretty comparable, but if you want a dual camera phone you’ll probably choose the Honor 6X.

But the Nokia 6 has Dolby Atmos, dual speakers, a sturdier build and is bound to receive the Android O update when it arrives. As for the Honor 6X, we’re really not sure whether the phone will be updated to Google’s next Android version.

The world’s thinnest charger can fit in your wallet

Alexandra Arici
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Tired of running out of smartphone battery and always having to carry your bulky charger in your bag no matter where you go? An Israeli startup claims to have the solution to this problem.

Introducing the Kado – the world’s thinnest wall charger for phones, cameras, tablets and more. Most chargers coming from manufacturers are oddly shaped or protrude in a manner that doesn’t allow them to be easily stowed. Kado removes this issue from our daily lives, by providing smartphone users with a 5mm thick charger that uses some fold-out charging prongs to cut down on size.

Kado can be combined with a (removable) Lightning, USB-C or microUSB cable, which wraps around the rest of the device to give it a tidier look. You can also plug the cables from the charger if you want to connect your phone to your computer for data transfers. The Kado charger can output 5 volts and 2.1 amps of power, which results in 10.5 watts of power and supports the QuickCharge 2.1A spec.

The wall charger works with most plugs including Type A which is used in the US and other countries in the Asia and Americas, and Type C/E/F for EU plugs.

At the moment, the world’s thinnest charger is up on Kickstarter gathering funds, so if you like the project, you can go ahead and make a pledge. $39 will get you a Kado charger + a cable of your choice. Throw in 5 extra bucks and get a Kado phone clip to stash the charger on the back of the phone.

Pixel users unable to install the July security patch

Alexandra Arici
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A few hours ago Google started rolling out the July security patch of the Pixels and Nexus phones.

The new update is said to bring critical bug fixes, as well as improve overall performance and stability of the devices. It sounds fairly standard, but there’s a problem. Pixel owners have taken to the Google Product Forums to complain they are greeted by a “Couldn’t update. Installation problem” message when they try to update.

Oddly enough, the patch works for users of the Nexus and Pixel XL phones. Adding to the mystery is the fact that the Pixel XL bundles basically the same hardware as the Pixel, save for its display size.

We do have some good news though – Google has already acknowledged the problem and is working on a fix which hopefully is made available to Pixel users soon enough.

If you are holding on to a Pixel XL, Pixel C or a Nexus 5X, Nexus 6P, Nexus 6, Nexus 9 or Nexus Player you can go ahead and install the July security patch without a problem. Both factory images and OTA files are live for you to install.

As for Pixel users, you’ll have a bit of waiting to do, as Google works to solve the issue. If we’re lucky it won’t take too long.

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