smartphone News - Page 22 of 75 - CNX Software

August 28, 2018August 28, 2018 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 9 Comments

Xiaomi PocoPhone F1 Snapdragon 845 Smartphone Launched for $300 and up in 65 Countries

Several manufacturer have launched Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 powered smartphones, including Samsung with Galaxy Note9 and Galaxy S9/S9+ models. Those premium smartphones are normally pretty expensive with pricing starting at $720 to well over $1,000. Xiaomi Mi MiX 2S released last March brought down the price somewhat with price starting at 3,299 CNY ($525 ) in China, but the company’s PocoPhone F1 is breaking all premium phone price barriers with the Snapdragon 845 smartphone launched for about $300 in 65 countries. PocoPhone F1 specifications: SoC – Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 octa-core processor @ up to 2.8GHz with Adreno 630 GPU up to 710MHz, LiquidCool Technology Memory / Storage options 8GB LPDDR4X dual channel memory + 256GB UFS 2.1 flash 6GB + 128GB 6GB + 64G Display – 6.18″ display with 2246 x 1080 resolution (18.7:9 aspect ratio) 403 ppi; 500-nits (typ) brightness; 1500:1 contrast ratio Cameras AI rear camera Primary 12MP rear […]

August 16, 2018 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments

Android 9 Go Edition Uses Less Storage, Boots Faster, and Improves Security

Android Go Edition was first launched with Android 8 (Oreo) in order to provide an operating systems and Google apps optimized for low-end hardware with less than 1GB RAM. Since then more than 200 Android Go smartphones have been introduced in over 120 countries for as low as $30. Follow the release of the “full” Android 9.0 Pie operating system last week, the company has now announced Android 9 Go Edition with several new features. Android 9 Go Edition brings the following improvements at the OS level: Up to 500MB extra storage – So as shown above you may have 5.5GB free instead of 5.0 GB in Android 8 in a phone with an 8GB flash. Faster device boot times Better security features like verified boot Dashboard for tracking and monitoring data consumption The company also made several improvements to Google Go apps with for example, Google Go being able […]

August 15, 2018August 15, 2018 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 3 Comments

Apexel “Telescopes” Add 8x to 20x Optical Zoom to Smartphones for $8 and Up

Smartphones are getting better at taking photos, and cameras in high-end phones are are getting almost as good as DSLR cameras in many cases. However, one advantage of DSLR cameras is that you’d normal fit a zoom lens allowing you to take photos further away. Mobile phones are normally limited to 3x optical zoom and 5x hybrid zoom, but I’ve seen Banggood is now offering some Apexel “Telescopes” that you can clip on a phone or tablet and adds 8x to 20x optical zoom for about $8 and up. Let’s have a look at Apexel APL-18XTZJ monocular lens with 18x zoom since it’s a new arrival product. They have not provided many specific details, but the focal length is also adjustable, and it is compatible with most phones. The main thing is whether it can be mechanically clipped on top of your phone’s camera. It ships with a clip, and […]

August 10, 2018August 10, 2018 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 5 Comments

Samsung Galaxy Note9 Launched with Exynos 9810 or Snapdragon 845, 4,000 mAh Battery, S-Pen

Samsung has just launched a new version of their Galaxy Note smartphone with Samsung Galaxy Note9, and it’s always interesting to check out the specifications and features to see if they’ve brought forward some innovations, beside improved performance and features. Samsung Galaxy Note9 specifications: SoC (one or the other depending on market) Samsung Exynos 9810 octa-core processor with 4x Exynos M3 @ up to 2.7GHz , 4x Arm Cortex A53 cores @ up to 2.8 GHz, Arm Mali-G72MP18 GPU Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 octa-core processor with four Kryo 385 performance cores @ 2.8GHz, 4x Kryo 385 efficiency cores @ 1.7GHz, Adreno 630 GPU Memory / Storage Options 6GB LPDDR4x, 128GB UFS, microSD slot up to 512GB 8GB LPDDR4x, 512GB UFS, microSD slot up to 512GB Display – 6.4″ Quad HD+ Super AMOLED with 2960×1440 resolution (516ppi). Default is Full HD+, but that can be changed to Quad HD+ in the settings […]

August 9, 2018 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

Snapdragon 670 Launched with Better Performance and Camera Capabilities, Artificial Intelligence Tech

Qualcomm has just introduced another of their “Mobile Platforms” with Snapdragon 670. The chipset comes with eight Kryo 360 cores, a Snapdragon X12 LTE modem for download speeds up to 600 Mbps, as well as Qualcomm AI engine and Hexagon 685 DSP for accelerating artificial intelligence workloads. The Qualcomm Spectra 250 ISP found in the SoC is said to enable most of the premium camera features found in professional cameras including noise reduction, image stabilization, and active depth sensing. Snapdragon 670 specifications: CPU – Octa-core processor with a cluster of 2x Kryo 360 performance cores @ up to 2.0 GHz, and a cluster of 6x Kryo 360 efficiency cores @ up to 1.7 GHz Visual Processing System (aka GPU) – Adreno 615 GPU with support for Open GL ES 3.2, Open CL 2.0, Vulkan, DirectX 12, H.264/H.265/VP9 Ultra HD video playback, DisplayPort over USB Type-C DSP – Hexagon 685 DSP […]

August 7, 2018 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment

Android 9 “Pie” Released – Download Firmware Images and AOSP Source Code

After several Android P developer previews and Android P beta releases, Google has now officially released Android 9 “Pie” operating system which brings new features leveraging artificial intelligence such as adaptive battery, app actions or slices, as well as support for WiFi RTT indoor positioning, displays with notch, a new neural API, and so on. I’ve already covered the new features in previous posts, so I won’t go over them again in this post. There’s however a new service/app called Digital WellBeing, which I had not heard of before, and which aims at helping you taking time away from your phone. It will officially launch this fall, but Pixel phone owners can apply for the beta version. You can install Android 9 on your phone by downloading the firmware images (or via OTA) if you own one of the following phones “Google Pixel 2 XL “taimen”, Google Pixel 2 “walleye”, […]

August 1, 2018 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 3 Comments

Xiaomi Mi A1 Android One Smartphone Sold for $159.99 (Promo)

Xiaomi Mi A1 was the first Android One smartphone by Xiaomi. It’s been my main phone for nearly a year, and with a Snapdragon 625 processor, 4GB of RAM, 64GB of storage, and a decent 5.5″ full HD display, I’m pretty satisfied with it, especially I’m getting firmware updates nearly monthly, including security updates and new version of Android. But an updated model, Xiaomi Mi A2 (Lite) has just been launched, so it should come as no surprise that Mi A1 is getting some discount, and that’s exactly what Banggood has done by offering Xiaomi Mi A1 phone for $159.99 shipped with coupon BGA164BMY. Here’s a quick reminder of the specifications: SoC – Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 octa-core processor up to 2.0 GHz with Adreno 506 GPU @ up to 650MHz; 14nm FinFET process System Memory – 4 GB RAM Storage – 64 GB internal storage, micro SD slot up to […]

July 22, 2018 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 7 Comments

Xiaomi Mi A2 Lite Android One Phone Now Up for Pre-order for $181.99 and up

Xiaomi Mi A2 Lite is the successor of Xiaomi Mi A1 smartphone, which will also run the latest Android 8 Oreo firmware, and receive regular firmware updates for at least 18 months since it’s part of Android One program. Mi A2 Lite phone is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 processor coupled with 3 to 4GB RAM, and 32 to 64GB storage. It will officially be announced on July 24th together with its big brother Xiaomi Mi A2 powered by Snapdragon 660 processor and a larger 5.99″ display, but some companies are already taking pre-order with Banggood starting at $199.99, and GeekBuying offering it for $181.99 shipped and up.. Xiaomi Mi A2 Lite specifications: SoC – Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 octa core Arm Cortex A53 processor @ up to 2.0 GHz with Adreno 506 GPU System Memory – 3GB or 4GB RAM Storage – 32GB or 64GB RAM, micro SD card […]