【ca莽a nique】bigwin Jogabilidade

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2024-10-04 19:06:48

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The Blackview BV8000 Pro is probably the first rugged phone to come with the hardware you’d normally find on a mid-range device but encased in a super durable outer shell. This means you can get a proper and smooth Android user experience in pretty much any real life scenario, without the risk of getting your handset damaged.聽This all sounds good on a spec sheet, but how does it actually behave in every day use? Let’s find out in our full review!Blackview BV8000 Pro SpecificationsProcessorMediatek MTK6757 ProcessorDisplay5鈥 Full HDRAM6GBStorage64GB eMMC 鈥 microSD聽slotOperating SystemAndroid 7.0 NougatCameras16MP rear camera, 8MP frontBattery4180mAhPhysical Dimensions243g, 156.2聽x 79.2 x 13.2 mmBlackview BV8000 Pro UnboxingUnboxing the Blackview BV8000 Pro is an experience in and of itself. Being a smartphone out of the ordinary, the accessories you find inside its box are as well. More specifically we’re talking about the tiny screw driver and additional screws they provide you with. In the box you’ll also find an handy micro USB to USB type-C adapter so that you can use an older micro USB charging cable if you have forgotten the USB Type-C one.Micro USB to USB Type-C adapterOther accessories are pretty conventional, we go from the power adapter, to the USB Type-C cable, a pair of earphones and an OTG adapter. Everything neatly arranged in a premium looking聽鈥 at least on the inside聽鈥 package.Blackview BV8000 Pro聽Design &聽Build QualityBuild quality is probably the most important factor in a rugged phone and the BV8000 Pro doesn’t disappoint us, to say the least. The smartphone is really solid thanks to its metal frame and bits around the body, with some plastic parts which make it waterproof, dust proof and almost impossible to break, as we’ve seen in different videos released by the company.I didn’t go as far as throwing my phone to the ground but I’m quite confident it would take the hit like a champ. I did though bring the phone under the shower and, while I know that’s less demanding than completely submerging it under water, it didn’t give me any problems whatsoever; I must say I was actually surprised the smartphone was operable even with some water over the screen.The聽Blackview BV8000 Pro comes with a below-average 5-inch display but the overall footprint of the device is more than that of a 5.5-incher. That’s obviously what makes it so durable but it could bother users with smaller hands, it’s also quite heavy of course, at about 240 grams.Blackview’s smartphone features five total physical buttons, we have the power OFF/ ON button, the two volume rockers, a dedicated camera button and an additional PTT (push to talk) button which can be used to call for help when long pressed. Honestly I wish the buttons were easier to customize as it’s very unlikely I’m going to need the SOS function, plus the dedicated camera button doesn’t start the camera automatically unless you press it for 3 seconds, which is definitely too much. But most of these problems are fixable in a software update so I won’t complain too muchWhat bothers me slightly more is the capacitive touch back button. I’ve read of people saying it doesn’t always register your touch, but I honestly believe that’s not the issue. I think the problem is that the button is slightly offset to the right, that means if you use your muscle memory to go back, you’re probably missing it by few millimeters.Another minor issue I have is the notification LED, which in my opinion is too dim. That might be good at night, but during the day it’s quite hard to notice it if you are outdoors.What I definitely liked is the fingerprint scanner which has been placed on the right side of the device. It’s very accurate with a very high success rate and it never gives you “errors”, it just unlocks the device when it senses the correct fingerprint. This could be a minor security risk, but in a smartphone that can go underwater and get real dirty without worries, you don’t want it to constantly notify you of failed attempts and disable it altogether.As I mentioned in the first impressions a well, you should be aware that not all 3.5mm jack or USB Type-C connectors will plug-in flawlessly, as they’re both very deep because of the shock resistant outer frame. On the plus side, you don’t need any flaps to keep the smartphone waterproof, although the company suggests to dry up both ports before connecting external devices.Gizchina News of the week Join GizChina on TelegramBlackview BV8000 Pro聽DisplayI would rate the display as average. Sure it’s very sharp as it’s a Full HD display in a 5-inch size, but I’d have rather preferred have a brighter display than higher resolution. That said, the display is bright enough to be used out of the house, it’s just not as bright as I would have expected on a smartphone created for outdoors use.Other than that, colors seem to be accurate and viewing angles are quite good as well.Blackview BV8000 Pro聽Hardware & PerformanceThe聽Blackview BV8000 Pro is powered by a MediaTek 6757 also known as Helio P20, so we have enough juice to power through most apps and games. The company also added a whopping 6GB of RAM which some might consider overkill, but you probably aren’t paying much of a difference from a set of 4GB, thus you get two additional GB of RAM which we’re sure Android will find how to use. On the storage side, we have 64GB of internal storage, expandable via microSD to up to 256GB.Overall the smartphone is really snappy and I haven’t seen any slow downs. I got over 61000 score on AnTuTu, 3893 multi-core score on Geekbench and 841 for the single core.聽With the power efficient Helio P25 chip you’re also able to get more than 6 hours of screen on time; the smartphone fully charges in about two hours with the included 9V/2A charger.The “phone” part of the聽Blackview BV8000 Pro is definitely good, calls are clear and loud. GPS and 4G connectivity work perfectly as well, with GPS locking pretty much instantly and with high precision, and 4G sporting band 20 which is quite needed in Europe. The rear speaker on the BV8000 Pro is very loud but it doesn’t sound amazing, still having a loud speaker is a good achievement considering how waterproof phones usually sound.Blackview BV8000 Pro聽Camera聽The Blackview BV8000 Pro comes with a 16MP rear camera sporting F/2.0 aperture which can get some nice photos if you have a bit of patience. That’s because sometimes you might get over exposed photos or that are slightly out of focus, but if you play with the settings then you’ll be able to get better results.In low light situations the camera gets much worse as in many other smartphones in this price range; sharp photos with low noise are out of the way. But then you aren’t going to get night shoots with a rugged phone, are you?Either way, here below are some photo samples; judge for yourself! Blackview BV8000 Pro聽Gallery聽 Blackview BV8000 Pro聽ConclusionFor about $250 the聽Blackview BV8000 Pro is one of the best rugged smartphones you can get out there. It’s powerful, with good battery life and a durability which we haven’t seen on many smartphones, let alone devices with this kind of internal hardware.So, in conclusion, if you were looking for a rugged phone with good performance, there are no major reasons you shouldn’t consider getting the聽Blackview BV8000 Pro. If you don’t need a device this durable, then we’re sure there are better options in the market.o que significa cart茫o amarelo no futebolChuwi are best known for their notebooks (and now, their convertibles). That said, the company seems to be eyeing other segments in the consumer electronics market now.The Chuwi Hi-Dock, about which we’ve written before, is a brand new 4-port charging station that will be of use to probably anyone who’s reading this post. In essence, the Hi-Dock is an adapter with four USB ports (with support for Qualcomm QC 3.0). It outputs current in 3.6 – 6.5V 3.0A / 6.5 – 9.0V 2A / 9.0 – 12.0V 1.5A.You can purchase one from GearBest鑱絝or around the $21.It’s a no-nonsense kit that comes with a cable and the adapter. You can choose between US and EU plugs.Unboxing the adapter was a rather nice experience. It does not feel like you’re taking apart the packing of a $21 device… instead, it feels like something 3-5x the cost. Of course, not something you would solely purchase the device for, but a nice touch ufc dezembro 2019anyway.Overall, the adapter feels really well made. I’ve been using an Aukey 5-port adapter for a while (which varies hugely in design), but this one should be interesting to test. I quite like the design, and I think I’m going to be using double sided tape to secure it to one spot around my desk.Gizchina News of the week Join GizChina on TelegramTake a look at some photos right below to get a better idea. Notice how you can use the flaps to secure your phone on one side. Definitely something I’m going to be using a lot. That said, this exposes the need for double sided tape (just a piece of it) even more. Something like that would’ve made the Hi-Dock a lot more useful.Besides that, I don’t think I have any quirks or complaints with this neat piece of kit. Chuwi have done a great job making the gadget feel like it’s not a cheap piece of kit, and time will tell if the device will last the test of time.

【ca莽a nique】bigwin Jogabilidade

Chuwi are best known for their notebooks (and now, their convertibles). That said, the company seems to be eyeing other segments in the consumer electronics market now.The Chuwi Hi-Dock, about which we’ve written before, is a brand new 4-port charging station that will be of use to probably anyone who’s reading this post. In essence, the Hi-Dock is an adapter with four USB ports (with support for Qualcomm QC 3.0). It outputs current in 3.6 – 6.5V 3.0A / 6.5 – 9.0V 2A / 9.0 – 12.0V 1.5A.You can purchase one from GearBest鑱絝or around the $21.It’s a no-nonsense kit that comes with a cable and the adapter. You can choose between US and EU plugs.Unboxing the adapter was a rather nice experience. It does not feel like you’re taking apart the packing of a $21 device… instead, it feels like something 3-5x the cost. Of course, not something you would solely purchase the device for, but a nice touch anyway.Overall, the adapter feels really well made. I’ve been using an Aukey 5-port adapter for a while (which varies hugely in design), but this one should be interesting to test. I quite like the design, and I think I’m going to be using double sided tape to secure it to one spot around my desk.Gizchina News of the week Join GizChina on TelegramTake a look at some photos right below to get a better idea. Notice how you can use the flaps to secure your phone on one side. Definitely something I’m going to be using a lot. That said, this exposes the need for double sided tape (just a piece of it) even more. Something like that would’ve made the Hi-Dock a lot more useful.Besides that, I don’t think I have any quirks or complaints with this neat piece of kit. Chuwi have done a great job making the gadget feel like it’s not a cheap piece of kit, and time will tell if the device will last the test of time.Most of you know Cubot as the Chinese phone manufacturer that produces affordable smartphones with some rather good build quality, but that’s not all. Cubot also makes wearable devices, indeed the Cubot S1 we’ll be checking out in this review is actually their third fitness band, coming after the Cubot V1 and Cubot V2.Cubot S1 Fitness Band聽ReviewThe Cubot S1 is priced at around $50 and it packs most of the features you’d like to find on a聽fitness band; going from the heart rate monitoring to the sports activity tracking and other functionalities. Now that we have a general idea of what the Cubot S1 is, let’s get into the full review!Cubot S1 Fitness Band聽SpecificationsBuilt-in chip type: NRF52832Bluetooth Version: Bluetooth 4.0IP rating: IP65Bluetooth calling: Phone call reminderNotification type: Facebook,Twitter,Wechat,WhatsAppAnti-lost: YesAlert type: VibrationOther Function: Alarm,Altimeter,Barometer,ThermometerScreen: OLEDScreen size: 0.96 inchOperating mode: Touch KeyType of battery: Lithium-ion polymer batteryBattery Capacity: 85mAhCharging Time: About 60minsStandby time: 10 – 20 daysCubot S1 Fitness Band HardwareThe Cubot S1 is one of the more premium feeling fitness bands I’ve had the chance of trying, and I’ve tried many. The wristband is made of a nice TPU material which seems to be very durable, meanwhile the central piece is made of plastic and aluminum. The metal casing is a good touch but as you can see in the photos, in the black version of the band it’s really hard to distinguish it from the plastic anyway.Cubot’s fitness band comes with a WTHRM122聽heart rate monitor, a nRF52832 Nordic low-power Bluetooth chip, an advanced InvenSense 6-axis accelerometer and a聽ICM-30632 gyroscope. Lastly, the Cubot S1 features an 0.96-inch OLED screen with a resolution of 128 * 64.Cubot S1 Fitness Band User ExperienceLet’s begin with the last and probably most important piece of hardware we mentioned聽鈥 the display. As with many other fitness bands, the display is usually the weak point, they’re fine if you’re indoor but really hard to read outdoors; the display on the S1 is no exception.Sadly, display technology on these cheaper bands seem to be stuck in the past, and you can see the same even on much more expensive devices such as the聽Xiaomi Amazfit Health Zi聽Jin Cheng reviewed a couple weeks back. That said, you can get used to it and learn how to read it outside (creating a bit of shadow with your free hand).Gizchina News of the week Join GizChina on TelegramWhat about the rest of the hardware? Well, it does what’s it’s supposed to. The step counter / distance calculator is quite accurate thanks to the high quality聽InvenSense 6-axis accelerometer and ICM-30632 gyroscope they packed into the band. It can automatically understand when you’re running, walking or even riding a bike.The Cubot S1 features smart notifications for calls, messages, alarm, sedentary reminder, music control and remote camera. It also has a built-in altimeter, a thermometer and barometer.As far as the heart rate monitor is concerned, the sensor on the band appears to be accurate after being compared to some gym equipment with built-in heart rate monitors. I just found it odd that sometimes it’d notify me of abnormally high heart rate when I was resting, hopefully that’s a bug on the device side and not my body. The sleeping monitor is also one of the most accurate ones I’ve ever tried.Autonomy wise, the built-in 85mAh battery will power the band for about a week if the 24/7 heart monitoring is enabled, otherwise you could get up to a month.Cubot S1 Fitness Band SoftwareIn line with many other fitness bands, the Cubot S1 app features a rather uninspired user interface and a slightly complicated experience for first time users. That said, the app works fine and once paired with the band it logs all the info correctly.Through the app you can enable or disable all the different smart notifications as well as setting up the heart rate monitor to grab info all day long, which appears to happen every 30 minutes or so.Down below you can see what a whole day heart rate data logging looks like.The Cubot S1 app works on Android 4.3 and above, iOS 8.0 and above. It’s also available in English,French,German,Italian,Russian,Simplified Chinese and Spanish. Cubot S1 Fitness Band VerdictFor the price, the Cubot S1 is probably one of the best fitness band you can currently get, mostly because it just works as it’s supposed to. It’ll monitor your heart rate, sleeping and physical activities pretty accurately, it also has a bunch of additional sensors for those who want to know weather info and other details.Most of you know Cubot as the Chinese phone manufacturer that produces affordable smartphones with some rather good build quality, but that’s not all. Cubot also makes wearable devices, indeed the Cubot S1 we’ll be checking out in this review is actually their third fitness band, coming after the Cubot V1 and Cubot V2.Cubot S1 Fitness Band聽ReviewThe Cubot S1 is priced at around $50 and it packs most of the features you’d like to find on a聽fitness band; going from the heart rate monitoring to the sports activity tracking and other functionalities. Now that we have a general idea of what the Cubot S1 is, let’s get into the full review!Cubot S1 Fitness Band聽SpecificationsBuilt-in chip type: NRF52832Bluetooth Version: Bluetooth 4.0IP rating: IP65Bluetooth calling: Phone call reminderNotification type: Facebook,Twitter,Wechat,WhatsAppAnti-lost: YesAlert type: VibrationOther Function: Alarm,Altimeter,Barometer,ThermometerScreen: OLEDScreen size: 0.96 inchOperating mode: Touch KeyType of battery: Lithium-ion polymer batteryBattery Capacity: 85mAhCharging Time: About 60minsStandby time: 10 – 20 daysCubot S1 Fitness Band HardwareThe Cubot S1 is one of the more premium feeling fitness bands I’ve had the chance of trying, and I’ve tried many. The wristband is made of a nice TPU material which seems to be very durable, meanwhile the central piece is made of plastic and aluminum. The metal casing is a good touch but as you can see in the photos, in the black version of the band it’s really hard to distinguish it from the plastic anyway.Cubot’s fitness band comes with a WTHRM122聽heart rate monitor, a nRF52832 Nordic low-power Bluetooth chip, an advanced InvenSense 6-axis accelerometer and a聽ICM-30632 gyroscope. Lastly, the Cubot S1 features an 0.96-inch OLED screen with a resolution of 128 * 64.Cubot S1 Fitness Band User ExperienceLet’s begin with the last and probably most important piece of hardware we mentioned聽鈥 the display. As with many other fitness bands, the display is usually the weak point, they’re fine if you’re indoor but really hard to read outdoors; the display on the S1 is no exception.Sadly, display technology on these cheaper bands seem to be stuck in the past, and you can see the same even on much more expensive devices such as the聽Xiaomi Amazfit Health Zi聽Jin Cheng reviewed a couple weeks back. That said, you can get used to it and learn how to read it outside (creating a bit of shadow with your free hand).Gizchina News of the week Join GizChina on TelegramWhat about the rest of the hardware? Well, it does what’s it’s supposed to. The step counter / distance calculator is quite accurate thanks to the high quality聽InvenSense 6-axis accelerometer and ICM-30632 gyroscope they packed into the band. It can automatically understand when you’re running, walking or even riding a bike.The Cubot S1 features smart notifications for calls, messages, alarm, sedentary reminder, music control and remote camera. It also has a built-in altimeter, a thermometer and barometer.As far as the heart rate monitor is concerned, the sensor on the band appears to be accurate after being compared to some gym equipment with built-in heart rate monitors. I just found it odd that sometimes it’d notify me of abnormally high heart rate when I was resting, hopefully that’s a bug on the device side and not my body. The sleeping monitor is also one of the most accurate ones I’ve ever tried.Autonomy wise, the built-in 85mAh battery will power the band for about a week if the 24/7 heart monitoring is enabled, otherwise you could get up to a month.Cubot S1 Fitness Band SoftwareIn line with many other fitness bands, the Cubot S1 app features a rather uninspired user interface and a slightly complicated experience for first time users. That said, the app works fine and once paired with the band it logs all the info correctly.Through the app you can enable or disable all the different smart notifications as well as setting up the heart rate monitor to grab info all day long, which appears to happen every 30 minutes or so.Down below you can see what a whole day heart rate data logging looks like.The Cubot S1 app works on Android 4.3 and above, iOS 8.0 and above. It’s also available in English,French,German,Italian,Russian,Simplified Chinese and Spanish. Cubot S1 Fitness Band VerdictFor the price, the Cubot S1 is probably one of the best fitness band you can currently get, mostly because it just works as it’s supposed to. It’ll monitor your heart rate, sleeping and physical activities pretty accurately, it also has a bunch of additional sensors for those who want to know weather info and other details.The Chuwi Lapbook 12.3 was subjected to a decent amount of hype especially because of its Surface Pro 4 screen.Chuwi Lapbook 12.3 ReviewThe Chuwi Lapbook 12.3 looks like my perfect laptop, a Surface Pro 4 screen, pretty slim bezels (lies) and an adequate battery. I’ve been looking for a portable laptop with a 3:2 screen and this seemed like it fit the bill. It also has 6GB of RAM which is definitely a plus, so let’s dive right into the review.Return to form?Chuwi Lapbook 12.3 SpecificationsProcessorIntel Apollo Lake Celeron N3450Display12.3閳 2736×1824 IPS LCDRAM6GBStorage64 eMMCOperating SystemWindows 10Cameras0.3MP CameraBattery10,000mAhPhysical Dimensions1.38kg, 30.0 x 22.30 x 1.70 cmBig thanks to Gearbest for providing this review unit.Chuwi Lapbook 12.3 HardwareThe Lapbook 12.3 is very well built, its easily the most solid laptop Chuwi has produced so far, even rivalling the build quality of their Hi13. While this laptop is nowhere near a Thinkpad milspec level of endurance, it certainly can take a heavier beating than other lighter and less solid laptops. However, along with that solid build also carries along with it a hefty size and weight, its relatively heavy and large for a 12.3″ screen. Granted, the screen is a different aspect ratio which does result in a larger device, but this also means the laptop is quite far from the portability of a MacBook 12.The Lapbook 12.3 is a winner in terms of ports. We have two USB ports one of which is USB 3.0, Mini HDMI out, as well as a MicroSD card slot. We also have the rather unique addition of a Kensington lock on the laptop and a spare M.2 SSD slot that is incredibly easy to access.The laptop goes downhill (in terms of aesthetics) when you open up the laptop. You see large bezels around the screen, something we are not used to after the convention in so many Apollo Lake laptops has been slim bezels. You see a lot of unused space in general not only around the screen, but around the keyboard and trackpad as well, there is definitely space to expand the keyboard and trackpad. The hinge on the laptop screen is definitely a bit wobbly as well.Moving on to the keyboard, this is definitely one of the better keyboards Chuwi has produced, not only are the plastic keys higher quality than what we are used to from Chuwi, but the key travel and feedback are very tactile and satisfying as well. I do have two complaints about the keyboard, first the keyboard is small, especially when there’s so much unused space around the keyboard, and the other would be the location of the power button, its pretty easy to press. I would have wished Chuwi increased the force required to depress the power button here.The trackpad is not very big but its quite accurate. Multifinger gestures actually work very well on this laptop, I’m seeing increasingly better trackpads in laptops from CHina nowadays, they work quite well even in Chrome. However, you cannot turn off trackpad gestures, which is a bit strange.Solid, port filled, but unattractiveChuwi Lapbook 12.3 DisplayThe display here is quite incredible. Its not a touch screen, but the matte display looks gorgeous. Its about as drop dead gorgeous as the Cube Thinker and Chuwi Hi13, and I’m not sure if its placebo but it does look slightly less brilliant in terms of colours and pixels than the Surface Book screen. Images look lifelike, and average people are wowed by how real animals look on the screen. Almost everyone will be wowed by this display (unless you already own a Surface or a Retina MacBook).There are a couple of issues though. First, the software seems to restrict the maximum brightness to 50%, trying to increase the brightness anymore than that doesn’t do anything. I’ve seen my display driver crash on two occasions, but it hasn’t happened since. You also get severe letterboxing when watching movies which is an issue to some but not others.Apart from the issues I talked about in this display, its absolutely gorgeous.Gizchina News of the week Join GizChina on TelegramChuwi Lapbook 12.3 AudioThe audio in this laptop gets very loud, making it a perfect option for watching movies and TV. However, the mids and highs are quite overpowering. Its not that the laptop doesn’t have bass, its just that what little bass there was is completely overpowered by the mids and highs which sound OK but at max volume it is unclear and noisy. All that being said the speakers are still adequate.Chuwi Lapbook 12.3 BatteryAlthough the Lapbook has a 10,000mAh battery (37Wh), its also powering a high resolution 12.3″ display, so I don’t have high hopes for battery life here. I was able to get on average about 7 hours of screen on time and was only able to get 8 hours of screen on time on one occasion.During normal use (7 hours SOT), I was generally browsing the web using Chrome, watching YouTube, reading news, and general social media, no games. I was able to get 8 hours of screen on time by switching over to Edge from Chrome. Gaming sucks up battery life like a Hummer on gas, I got 2.5 hours of gaming time before the laptop died.Average battery lifeChuwi Lapbook 12.3 SoftwareWindows 10 is activated and it runs OK on this laptop. I ran CrystalDiskMark and while it got some pretty slow speeds, general performance was OK for an eMMC but definitely far behind SSD performance. However, where you start seeing major slowdowns because of the hard disk is when doing hard disk intensive tasks such as copying files. The act of copying files is definitely slower, but its not that slow. However, your computer slows to a crawl while doing anything like that and you have to wait until the operation is finished before your computer magically speeds back up. And with 64GB of storage, you really have no space to install anything after Microsoft Office and a game or two.Photoshop/GIMP runs OK, but still slightly slower than what you find on an SSD laptop.In terms of gaming, you can do some light gaming on this laptop but you won’t be able to play too many games because of two reasons; first you won’t have enough space on the hard disk since its so small, and second, the heat. The laptop doesn’t get blazing hot to touch but CPU-Z pegs the CPU at 98C after 1/2 an hour of gaming, which is quite high.I was surprised to shoot past 90C even with heavy Chrome multitasking (think 12 tabs, 3 video, 2 heavy HTML5). However the laptop only got warm with light Chrome, Microsoft office, and mail.I’m surprised that Chuwi recently announced full support for Ubuntu on the Lapbook 12.3, but they are not furnishing the laptop with a dual boot system, you would presumably have to install Ubuntu yourself (article here).Chuwi Lapbook 12.3 ConnectivityChuwi did a great job with connectivity. Not only do we have a positively dazzling array of ports, but we also have Wireless AC and WLAN transfer speeds are… surprisingly slow. The laptop also lacks a USB-C port, but the rest of the ports more than make up for that. The webcam is pretty horrible also, barely adequate for Skype.Chuwi Lapbook 12.3 VerdictOverall, the Chuwi Lapbook 12.3 is a great device, however, it has quite a few small faults and a big one. Let’s start with the big one, and those are the thermals. I saw temperatures past 90C during heavy Chrome multitasking and gaming, only light use saw temperatures below that.There are a bunch of other small issues I have with the laptop, such as a max brightness of 50%, a lack of a USB-C port, the large bezels, and the rather small and slow hard disk. If you’re looking for the best performance for your money, you should look elsewhere, the Chuwi Lapbook 14.1 is stil lgreat. However, there aren’t many laptops with such gorgeous displays and this is overall a good laptop if you are not one to push a laptop too hard. Buy the Chuwi Lapbook 12.3Gearbest LinkWell rounded laptop with a鑱絧roblem…Chuwi Lapbook 12.3 Video ReviewThe Chuwi Lapbook 12.3 was subjected to a decent amount of hype especially because of its Surface Pro 4 screen.Chuwi Lapbook 12.3 ReviewThe Chuwi Lapbook 12.3 looks like my perfect laptop, a Surface Pro 4 screen, pretty slim bezels (lies) and an adequate battery. I’ve been looking for a portable laptop with a 3:2 screen and this seemed like it fit the bill. It also has 6GB of RAM which is definitely a plus, so let’s dive right into the review.Return to form?Chuwi Lapbook 12.3 SpecificationsProcessorIntel Apollo Lake Celeron N3450Display12.3閳 2736×1824 IPS LCDRAM6GBStorage64 eMMCOperating SystemWindows 10Cameras0.3MP CameraBattery10,000mAhPhysical Dimensions1.38kg, 30.0 x 22.30 x 1.70 cmBig thanks to Gearbest for providing this review unit.Chuwi Lapbook 12.3 HardwareThe Lapbook 12.3 is very well built, its easily the most solid laptop Chuwi has produced so far, even rivalling the build quality of their Hi13. While this laptop is nowhere near a Thinkpad milspec level of endurance, it certainly can take a heavier beating than other lighter and less solid laptops. However, along with that solid build also carries along with it a hefty size and weight, its relatively heavy and large for a 12.3″ screen. Granted, the screen is a different aspect ratio which does result in a larger device, but this also means the laptop is quite far from the portability of a MacBook 12.The Lapbook 12.3 is a winner in terms of ports. We have two USB ports one of which is USB 3.0, Mini HDMI out, as well as a MicroSD card slot. We also have the rather unique addition of a Kensington lock on the laptop and a spare M.2 SSD slot that is incredibly easy to access.The laptop goes downhill (in terms of aesthetics) when you open up the laptop. You see large bezels around the screen, something we are not used to after the convention in so many Apollo Lake laptops has been slim bezels. You see a lot of unused space in general not only around the screen, but around the keyboard and trackpad as well, there is definitely space to expand the keyboard and trackpad. The hinge on the laptop screen is definitely a bit wobbly as well.Moving on to the keyboard, this is definitely one of the better keyboards Chuwi has produced, not only are the plastic keys higher quality than what we are used to from Chuwi, but the key travel and feedback are very tactile and satisfying as well. I do have two complaints about the keyboard, first the keyboard is small, especially when there’s so much unused space around the keyboard, and the other would be the location of the power button, its pretty easy to press. I would have wished Chuwi increased the force required to depress the power button here.The trackpad is not very big but its quite accurate. Multifinger gestures actually work very well on this laptop, I’m seeing increasingly better trackpads in laptops from CHina nowadays, they work quite well even in Chrome. However, you cannot turn off trackpad gestures, which is a bit strange.Solid, port filled, but unattractiveChuwi Lapbook 12.3 DisplayThe display here is quite incredible. Its not a touch screen, but the matte display looks gorgeous. Its about as drop dead gorgeous as the Cube Thinker and Chuwi Hi13, and I’m not sure if its placebo but it does look slightly less brilliant in terms of colours and pixels than the Surface Book screen. Images look lifelike, and average people are wowed by how real animals look on the screen. Almost everyone will be wowed by this display (unless you already own a Surface or a Retina MacBook).There are a couple of issues though. First, the software seems to restrict the maximum brightness to 50%, trying to increase the brightness anymore than that doesn’t do anything. I’ve seen my display driver crash on two occasions, but it hasn’t happened since. You also get severe letterboxing when watching movies which is an issue to some but not others.Apart from the issues I talked about in this display, its absolutely gorgeous.Gizchina News of the week Join GizChina on TelegramChuwi Lapbook 12.3 AudioThe audio in this laptop gets very loud, making it a perfect option for watching movies and TV. However, the mids and highs are quite overpowering. Its not that the laptop doesn’t have bass, its just that what little bass there was is completely overpowered by the mids and highs which sound OK but at max volume it is unclear and noisy. All that being said the speakers are still adequate.Chuwi Lapbook 12.3 BatteryAlthough the Lapbook has a 10,000mAh battery (37Wh), its also powering a high resolution 12.3″ display, so I don’t have high hopes for battery life here. I was able to get on average about 7 hours of screen on time and was only able to get 8 hours of screen on time on one occasion.During normal use (7 hours SOT), I was generally browsing the web using Chrome, watching YouTube, reading news, and general social media, no games. I was able to get 8 hours of screen on time by switching over to Edge from Chrome. Gaming sucks up battery life like a Hummer on gas, I got 2.5 hours of gaming time before the laptop died.Average battery lifeChuwi Lapbook 12.3 SoftwareWindows 10 is activated and it runs OK on this laptop. I ran CrystalDiskMark and while it got some pretty slow speeds, general performance was OK for an eMMC but definitely far behind SSD performance. However, where you start seeing major slowdowns because of the hard disk is when doing hard disk intensive tasks such as copying files. The act of copying files is definitely slower, but its not that slow. However, your computer slows to a crawl while doing anything like that and you have to wait until the operation is finished before your computer magically speeds back up. And with 64GB of storage, you really have no space to install anything after Microsoft Office and a game or two.Photoshop/GIMP runs OK, but still slightly slower than what you find on an SSD laptop.In terms of gaming, you can do some light gaming on this laptop but you won’t be able to play too many games because of two reasons; first you won’t have enough space on the hard disk since its so small, and second, the heat. The laptop doesn’t get blazing hot to touch but CPU-Z pegs the CPU at 98C after 1/2 an hour of gaming, which is quite high.I was surprised to shoot past 90C even with heavy Chrome multitasking (think 12 tabs, 3 video, 2 heavy HTML5). However the laptop only got warm with light Chrome, Microsoft office, and mail.I’m surprised that Chuwi recently announced full support for Ubuntu on the Lapbook 12.3, but they are not furnishing the laptop with a dual boot system, you would presumably have to install Ubuntu yourself (article here).Chuwi Lapbook 12.3 ConnectivityChuwi did a great job with connectivity. Not only do we have a positively dazzling array of ports, but we also have Wireless AC and WLAN transfer speeds are… surprisingly slow. The laptop also lacks a USB-C port, but the rest of the ports more than make up for that. The webcam is pretty horrible also, barely adequate for Skype.Chuwi Lapbook 12.3 VerdictOverall, the Chuwi Lapbook 12.3 is a great device, however, it has quite a few small faults and a big one. Let’s start with the big one, and those are the thermals. I saw temperatures past 90C during heavy Chrome multitasking and gaming, only light use saw temperatures below that.There are a bunch of other small issues I have with the laptop, such as a max brightness of 50%, a lack of a USB-C port, the large bezels, and the rather small and slow hard disk. If you’re looking for the best performance for your money, you should look elsewhere, the Chuwi Lapbook 14.1 is stil lgreat. However, there aren’t many laptops with such gorgeous displays and this is overall a good laptop if you are not one to push a laptop too hard. Buy the Chuwi Lapbook 12.3Gearbest LinkWell rounded laptop with a鑱絧roblem…Chuwi Lapbook 12.3 Video Review

My first 18:9 full display phone arrived today and I’m pretty chuffed that my first experience with such a phone comes in the form of the Vivo V7+.Vivo is becoming so well known that even my mother knows the brand! I have no idea how a lady in her 60’s knows about Vivo, but she does and it’s hardly surprising since Vivo has been visible in some of the biggest movies of the past few years and is the title sponsor of the 2018 Russian World Cup.Vivo V7+ Russia 2018 Title SponsorVivo V7+ UnboxingAs usual, Vivo has packaged their latest smartphone in s quality box which snuggly slots together. The front of the box shows the Vivo V7+’s FullView閳 18:9 display and highlights the 24-megapixel selfie photography features.Vivo is clearly marketing the V7+ as the perfect selfie phone, and along with the industry-leading鑱?4-megapixel front camera, the phone also boasts an LED flash up front and Face Beauty 7.0 to enhance skin tones and softness.Once you have slid the lid of the box off (be warned that it’s a tight fit) you’ll find the V7+ safely packed away in a clear envelope and sitting in a molded plastic tray. Under the tray is a small tool for removing the SIM tray from the left side of the handset.Lift the SIM tool accessory box out of the way (this box also contains a clear protective case for the V7+, we wish more phone makers would include a case like Vivo do) and you’ll find the rest of the included Vivo V7+ accessories.In my case, I received the UK, 3 pin plug, but depending on where the V7+ is bought a suitable charger will be included. Also included are a pair of Vivo in-ear earphones and a USB cable for charging the phone and transferring data.Vivo V7+ Hand On First ImpressionsAs I’ve only had the Vivo V7+ for a few hours it’s too early to give you full impressions of the phone and I鑱絟aven’t tried all the neat new photography features, but what I can comment on is the build, design and that 18:9 FullView閳 display.Gizchina News of the week Join GizChina on TelegramFirst off that display. The idea behind鑱紽ullView閳 is to offer a larger display in a small body and that’s exactly what Vivo has managed.The V7+ is only slightly wider than my OP5, yet the Vivo has a large 5.99-inch display with 18:9 aspect ratio compared to the OnePlus’ 5.5-inch panel.With an impressive 84.4% screen to body ratio, the Vivo V7+ is a seriously impressive thing to behold. Add that large display to slim 2.15mm bezels and you have a large screen phone that comfortably鑱絪its in your hand.Vivo uses onscreen buttons for navigating through the FunTouch OS 3.2 (based on Android 7.1) as the chin space on the phone is minimal, this also means that the fingerprint scanner has been moved to the rear of the handset and I’m happy to report this is your typical high-quality, and highly accurate unit on par with other Vivo phones. As this is the first impressions I won’t go into all the details here, but I will just mention that in addition to the fingerprint scanner you also have the option to use face recognition to unlock the Vivo V7+. I’ve been playing around with this feature and have found it to be fast and accurate.On the reverse side of the Vivo V7+ is a simple, elegant Vivo logo, fingerprint scanner and the main 16 megapixel rear camera. Yup, the front is a 24 megapixel sensor while the rear is a 16 megapixel model, however, it is capable of 64 megapixel shots when using the HD photo mode.Build quality is just as you would expect from a Vivo phone, which is to say that is top notch. There are few Android phones that I truly get excited about receiving for review, but there is just something special when it comes to Vivo, their attention to detail is second to none.For now, I’ll finish off this first impression with the specification highlights of the Vivo V7+ along with a gallery of photos of this new Vivo smartphone.My first 18:9 full display phone arrived today and I’m pretty chuffed that my first experience with such a phone comes in the form of the Vivo V7+.Vivo is becoming so well known that even my mother knows the brand! I have no idea how a lady in her 60’s knows about Vivo, but she does and it’s hardly surprising since Vivo has been visible in some of the biggest movies of the past few years and is the title sponsor of the 2018 Russian World Cup.Vivo V7+ Russia 2018 Title SponsorVivo V7+ UnboxingAs usual, Vivo has packaged their latest smartphone in s quality box which snuggly slots together. The front of the box shows the Vivo V7+’s FullView閳 18:9 display and highlights the 24-megapixel selfie photography features.Vivo is clearly marketing the V7+ as the perfect selfie phone, and along with the industry-leading鑱?4-megapixel front camera, the phone also boasts an LED flash up front and Face Beauty 7.0 to enhance skin tones and softness.Once you have slid the lid of the box off (be warned that it’s a tight fit) you’ll find the V7+ safely packed away in a clear envelope and sitting in a molded plastic tray. Under the tray is a small tool for removing the SIM tray from the left side of the handset.Lift the SIM tool accessory box out of the way (this box also contains a clear protective case for the V7+, we wish more phone makers would include a case like Vivo do) and you’ll find the rest of the included Vivo V7+ accessories.In my case, I received the UK, 3 pin plug, but depending on where the V7+ is bought a suitable charger will be included. Also included are a pair of Vivo in-ear earphones and a USB cable for charging the phone and transferring data.Vivo V7+ Hand On First ImpressionsAs I’ve only had the Vivo V7+ for a few hours it’s too early to give you full impressions of the phone and I鑱絟aven’t tried all the neat new photography features, but what I can comment on is the build, design and that 18:9 FullView閳 display.Gizchina News of the week Join GizChina on TelegramFirst off that display. The idea behind鑱紽ullView閳 is to offer a larger display in a small body and that’s exactly what Vivo has managed.The V7+ is only slightly wider than my OP5, yet the Vivo has a large 5.99-inch display with 18:9 aspect ratio compared to the OnePlus’ 5.5-inch panel.With an impressive 84.4% screen to body ratio, the Vivo V7+ is a seriously impressive thing to behold. Add that large display to slim 2.15mm bezels and you have a large screen phone that comfortably鑱絪its in your hand.Vivo uses onscreen buttons for navigating through the FunTouch OS 3.2 (based on Android 7.1) as the chin space on the phone is minimal, this also means that the fingerprint scanner has been moved to the rear of the handset and I’m happy to report this is your typical high-quality, and highly accurate unit on par with other Vivo phones. As this is the first impressions I won’t go into all the details here, but I will just mention that in addition to the fingerprint scanner you also have the option to use face recognition to unlock the Vivo V7+. I’ve been playing around with this feature and have found it to be fast and accurate.On the reverse side of the Vivo V7+ is a simple, elegant Vivo logo, fingerprint scanner and the main 16 megapixel rear camera. Yup, the front is a 24 megapixel sensor while the rear is a 16 megapixel model, however, it is capable of 64 megapixel shots when using the HD photo mode.Build quality is just as you would expect from a Vivo phone, which is to say that is top notch. There are few Android phones that I truly get excited about receiving for review, but there is just something special when it comes to Vivo, their attention to detail is second to none.For now, I’ll finish off this first impression with the specification highlights of the Vivo V7+ along with a gallery of photos of this new Vivo smartphone.Xiaomi is a tech company with an amazing background. What started boldly in China 6 years ago as a software house, providing a heavily modified Android version called MIUI, has now evolved into a global tech giant. She is fourth in China and fifth globally in smartphone sales. Not committing to mobile hardware and software, Xiaomi produces all kinds of electronics from televisions to electric scooters. Where the company excels is communication skills. Xiaomi chooses to have a close relationship with the customer. A random user can ask for an improvement in one of the many official forums around the world, and will usually see it within a couple of weeks on his smartphone. 聽Smartphones are supported for 3, sometimes 4 years, not only with security updates but also with the latest version of MIUI. Xiaomi is proud for MIUI and supports its superiority over stock Android or any other custom skin. But Xioami wouldn’t be in the position it is today if it wasn’t for the will to cross the boundaries of what is acceptable and what is possible to make.聽On the other side some people are selective in their needs over an Android smartphone, as they do not want the heavily modified skins or versions that usually make the user experience lost in delays and unneeded actions. They want stock Android (which many companies provide in our days) but with the updates and security features the moment Google provides the. These users had a single option and that was a Google made phone. The problem is that with the years passing by, the cost of the once-inexpensive Nexus series was increased and reached Apple iPhone pricing in the new Pixels line, making their purchase impossible for most. This reason motivated Google back in 2014 to initiate Android One program by providing stock Android versions updated by them, in entry level smartphones. The project turned to be a disaster with few sales, so this year Google decided to move on with a huge step with middle-class handsets and in a global scale. What Google was looking for, was a partner with excellent hardware in reasonable prices.One reason why the Android One did not go well in India, one of the world’s largest markets and Google’s prime and strategic goal was the entry of the Xiaomi Redmi / Redmi Note series. They became instantly best-sellers grabbing a huge proportion of the market in the entry and budget categories. This success was probably what pushed Xiaomi to seek global recognition and fresh sales (pushed by enormous domestic antagonism from Huawei and Oppo/Vivo). For Xiaomi a simple solution was ahead, for many inconceivable. She sacrificed MIUI in order to work with Google, having the latter鈥檚 global experience, marketing and partners. Xiaomi on September 5th announced a smartphone on the Android One project, the Mi A1. This device is the first of the project (and officially by Xiaomi) available in Europe and 36 other countries. Google stated that“(Google) is bringing a unified and consistent hardware and software experience to the developing world”.We see the unique situation where TWO giants promote a mobile device worldwide and this combination has already created hype and taken the marked by surprise. Let’s see what Mi A1 really brings to the smartphone world and to the end user.Xiaomi Mi A1 – Technical SpecificationsDisplay: 5.5 inch, 1920 x 1080 Pixel LTPS FHD screen, 450nm brightness, 403PISOC: Snapdragon 625 2.0GHz Octa CoreSystem: Android OneMemory: 4GB RAM + 64GB ROMCamera: 5.0MP front camera, 12.0MP + 12.0MP back camerasSensors: Accelerometer, Ambient Light Sensor, E-Compass, Gyroscope, Hall Sensor,Infrared Radiation, Proximity Sensor, Touch SensorSIM Card: dual SIM dual standby. Nano SIM + Nano SIMSatellite Guidance: GPS / GPS / GLONASS / BEIDOUBluetooth: 4.2Networks: 2G: GSM 850/900/1800 / 1900MHz – 3G: Band B1 / B2 / B5 / B8 – 4G: FDD-LTE B1 / B3 / B5 / B7Price and availabilityAt the cost of one third of a Google Pixel 2, Mi A1 enters global markets with a reasonable price around 230-300 USD, competing with Huawei’s P Lite / Honor series, Samsung’s Galaxy J series and devices from smaller manufacturers, taunting them with latest software right from the source. Google promotes heavily the device with its partners. Xiaomi gives full attention to the project, so the chance to see limited stock is very small.AppearanceThe mobile is a rebranded Mi 5X. The smartphone was the first camera-centric mobile in the entry class from Xiaomi. It has design touches from Apple’s iPhone 7 and OnePlus 5. Mi A1 is well made with very good quality, surpassing any other phone in the price era. The difference in design with Redmi Note 4 is obvious, with the Mi A1 overcoming the whole Redmi series in good looks. It is thin at 7.3 mm and lightweight at 165 grams.What’s the downside? In the year of bezel-less design, it has two big bezels at the top and bottom, strangely for the company that established the full screen hype this year with Mi Mix. It is curvy all over the body, allowing a good handle with one hand. It has a good feel too, not too heavy neither too light. The fingerprint censor is at the back panel at good position almost 2/5 of the panel鈥檚 length. At the bottom, it has a USB-C port, a speaker grill and a 3.5 mm audio jack.There is an IR blaster for remote handling your devices on top. It has three capacitive keys on the chin bezel, and two physical keys, power and volume on the side. On the left side is the SIM card tray. The double rear cameras have the same configuration as Mi 6 – a regular and a telephoto 鈥 and create a small hump at the back.Considering the cost and the category this mobile belongs to, it’s simply beautiful, that is, if you don鈥檛 mind the bezels. The black model, has a glossy front and a matte back. The display has a fingerprint coating and does a good job keeping the looks clean.Software – AndroidOne The main selling point of this device is Android One. The project was created originally to reduce the number of versions used worldwide creating huge security issues for Google. The search engine giant looked into the Apple practice for fully controlled limited versions. Secondly the project is a show off, an exhibition of how it should be an Android, skinless and bloatware free, mobile. Direct competition with Apple promoted the second part as the standard, with which these two companies compare software improvements and ability. The advantages of installing stock Android has not escaped the look of other companies. Nokia, Lenovo and Motorola provide devices with it as well. The difference is that Android One provides upgrades directly controlled from Google without any agreements between companies that contribute to update delays. Xiaomi itself provides a new version of MIUI at least 9 months after an official Android version launches, while giants such as HTC, LG and Samsung are following in the same time frame. Mi A1 will get Android Oreo by the end of the year, has regular upgrades, in time it will move on to Android P and we will probably see Android Q in the future!Gizchina News of the week Join GizChina on Telegram At this point the smartphone has Android 7.1.2 Nougat on and the security upgrade of October 1st. With Nougat you get all the extras like two applications simultaneously in split-screen multitasking, in-line notification answers, application shortcuts and more, like opening the camera by double-tapping the power key. It is possible to make the notification menu appear by dragging your finger on the fingerprint censor just like Pixel. The Mi A1 has Google Assistant by default so it can be used for your everyday tasks. One of the advantages Android 7.1 Nougat is the Seamless Updates as it has been featured on Google Pixel and Google Pixel XL. This means that the Xiaomi Mi A1 has two partitions, one being used when the device is active, while the other is powered on whenever a new update is to be applied. New updates are downloaded and installed on the idle slot, while the active one keeps the phone on and functional. When the installation is complete, the device is restarted to the updated slot with the other slot inactive. The user has an uninterrupted upgrading experience with minimum downtime except a simple reboot. Since the user data partition is shared between the slots, all the applications downloaded along with user personal data remain available for use by any of the sockets.A / B partitions have their own set of advantages and disadvantages. Having an extra partition, acts as a backup if the update is not properly done. If the device cannot boot to the updated partition within a few attempts, it will reboot to the other one and the user can continue to use the device while downloading the update from the beginning. An uninterrupted update experience also benefits users who no longer have to look at the Android’s Upgrading screen for a while, as they wait for the update to finish. On the other hand, the A / B partitions are basically two and the end user gets smaller storage space since a slot is reserved for the extra partition. This is not a problem with devices with large internal memory and I do not think the Mi A1 with the 64GB ROM has an issue here. The real issue is the switch to file encryption as they create various technical obstacles when it comes to develop ROM and kernels. Magisk still does not provide official support for Google Pixel and Google Pixel XL, but work is still in progress.Xiaomi has four mobile apps installed: Feedback, Mi Remote (control), File Manager and Camera. The Camera has many options 鈥 a Xiaomi app was chosen since Android One does not yet supports dual cameras. Compared to a Redmi Note 4X, a similar device with the same SoC, the speed of Mi A1 is visible and I can say it’s unique to the category.The sole disadvantage this smartphone has is stock Android itself. If you don鈥檛 like it, this phone is not for you. MIUI and other OS gimmicks are missing and I would really love to see some of them here.Performance – Comfortable, trouble-free multi-taskingThe device is the same Mi 5X we have seen, since its summer release, but radio app is missing. Mi A1 has absolutely no temperature issues, not even with 30 applications open or while charging. The battery life is simply excellent, it can take a day and a half with good use and has 5-6 hours SOT. I do not think another 3.080mAh battery device is doing so well and is something we have to thank Google鈥檚 optimization for. Fast charge is not in the package, no one knows why. Charging from 0% to 100% takes around an hour and forty five minutes. It is not fast but not slow either. The phone has a 10V sound amplifier even though it’s not targeting a media-centric audience. The result is a bit over average in quality but superb in volume, it is very loud (don鈥檛 use the maximum level for alarm!). The single speaker output is clear and the same result can be heard from Xiaomi Pistons 3 headphones. Calls are clear too, no issues with volume or hissing sounds. The signal reception is good too, used with two different networks for two weeks.The LTPS FHD panel is developed from Xiaomi鈥檚 LCD production line. The panel has good colors but not great and the resolution does not overwhelm with its media reproduction. During the day and with a good factory brightness (450nits) the display can be seen without the need to be shadowed. The display is one of the best going around for the price Mi A1 is valued for.Snapdragon 625 with stock Android is a treat for every user鈥檚 daily experience. Application to application transfers is comfortable 鈥 works with double taping the menu button too instantly. Multitasking is effortless. The 64GB internal storage is good for me but those who want more, they can use the second SIM place in the tray, optimized for microSDs cards up to 128GB. Using the Mi A1 for navigation or for maps is great, connection to satellites is fast and the processor keeps the mobile on for long trips and without high temperatures.Dual camera – good photos but software improvement is neededThe main feature of the Mi 5X is the dual camera. We are talking about the same camera which Xiaomi praised the whole summer. The company took the twin camera from Mi 6 and put it on the Mi 5X / Mi A1 lacking the small aperture. It has two 12MP sensors on the back: one is a wide-angle lens with 1.25-micron pixels and f / 2.2 aperture while the other is a 1.1-micron telephoto lens with f / 2.6 aperture that offers 2x optical zoom.The main camera offers pictures and realistic portraits in the day with good color and clarity. If you want good photos with minimal light the aperture surely does not help. I cannot say that I am satisfied either from the imaging software, it looks way worse from Mi 6 in night shots. Community has already ported Gcam application from Pixels. The results are astonishingly good when compared to the original images. I hope that both Xiaomi and Google will update the imaging software as soon as possible.The use of portrait mode in combination with the bokeh effect is good enough – it takes less than 2 meters and good lighting but has “noise” at the corners. Camera gives a watermark option with logo “Shot on Mi A1” seen in the bottom left corner of the images. Settings allow a lot of modes with 7 options for saturation, contrast, and sharpness. The camera is not stabilized (another difference from the more expensive Mi 6) and it needs a stable hand to take pictures or video.Video handles up to 4K with time lapse and slow motion extra options. The audio from the video is good but the lack of stabilization affects the final outcome.Front camera is an 8-megapixel snapper simple to use and with many special effects to play with. It provides filters and an option for group selfies. It is not anything special either but the phone is not selfie-centered either. If there’s ample light conditions then you can comfortably make video calls with Viber, Skype of Google Duo. Selfie mode has a gimmick that guesses age and sex.If you want to check all of our photos from the camera of Mi A1, click on the album below:Our impressionsThe Xiaomi Mi A1 aims basically towards the middle market segment with a good price and unique features. Simply said it has no opponent in hardware quality and build according to me.If you’re thinking for a reason not to buy it, then think no further that stock Android itself. In case you want more, Xiaomi’s Mi 5X and other devices can fill the gap, but not with the same UI speed or general snappy performance.Xiaomi is a tech company with an amazing background. What started boldly in China 6 years ago as a software house, providing a heavily modified Android version called MIUI, has now evolved into a global tech giant. She is fourth in China and fifth globally in smartphone sales. Not committing to mobile hardware and software, Xiaomi produces all kinds of electronics from televisions to electric scooters. Where the company excels is communication skills. Xiaomi chooses to have a close relationship with the customer. A random user can ask for an improvement in one of the many official forums around the world, and will usually see it within a couple of weeks on his smartphone. 聽Smartphones are supported for 3, sometimes 4 years, not only with security updates but also with the latest version of MIUI. Xiaomi is proud for MIUI and supports its superiority over stock Android or any other custom skin. But Xioami wouldn’t be in the position it is today if it wasn’t for the will to cross the boundaries of what is acceptable and what is possible to make.聽On the other side some people are selective in their needs over an Android smartphone, as they do not want the heavily modified skins or versions that usually make the user experience lost in delays and unneeded actions. They want stock Android (which many companies provide in our days) but with the updates and security features the moment Google provides the. These users had a single option and that was a Google made phone. The problem is that with the years passing by, the cost of the once-inexpensive Nexus series was increased and reached Apple iPhone pricing in the new Pixels line, making their purchase impossible for most. This reason motivated Google back in 2014 to initiate Android One program by providing stock Android versions updated by them, in entry level smartphones. The project turned to be a disaster with few sales, so this year Google decided to move on with a huge step with middle-class handsets and in a global scale. What Google was looking for, was a partner with excellent hardware in reasonable prices.One reason why the Android One did not go well in India, one of the world’s largest markets and Google’s prime and strategic goal was the entry of the Xiaomi Redmi / Redmi Note series. They became instantly best-sellers grabbing a huge proportion of the market in the entry and budget categories. This success was probably what pushed Xiaomi to seek global recognition and fresh sales (pushed by enormous domestic antagonism from Huawei and Oppo/Vivo). For Xiaomi a simple solution was ahead, for many inconceivable. She sacrificed MIUI in order to work with Google, having the latter鈥檚 global experience, marketing and partners. Xiaomi on September 5th announced a smartphone on the Android One project, the Mi A1. This device is the first of the project (and officially by Xiaomi) available in Europe and 36 other countries. Google stated that“(Google) is bringing a unified and consistent hardware and software experience to the developing world”.We see the unique situation where TWO giants promote a mobile device worldwide and this combination has already created hype and taken the marked by surprise. Let’s see what Mi A1 really brings to the smartphone world and to the end user.Xiaomi Mi A1 – Technical SpecificationsDisplay: 5.5 inch, 1920 x 1080 Pixel LTPS FHD screen, 450nm brightness, 403PISOC: Snapdragon 625 2.0GHz Octa CoreSystem: Android OneMemory: 4GB RAM + 64GB ROMCamera: 5.0MP front camera, 12.0MP + 12.0MP back camerasSensors: Accelerometer, Ambient Light Sensor, E-Compass, Gyroscope, Hall Sensor,Infrared Radiation, Proximity Sensor, Touch SensorSIM Card: dual SIM dual standby. Nano SIM + Nano SIMSatellite Guidance: GPS / GPS / GLONASS / BEIDOUBluetooth: 4.2Networks: 2G: GSM 850/900/1800 / 1900MHz – 3G: Band B1 / B2 / B5 / B8 – 4G: FDD-LTE B1 / B3 / B5 / B7Price and availabilityAt the cost of one third of a Google Pixel 2, Mi A1 enters global markets with a reasonable price around 230-300 USD, competing with Huawei’s P Lite / Honor series, Samsung’s Galaxy J series and devices from smaller manufacturers, taunting them with latest software right from the source. Google promotes heavily the device with its partners. Xiaomi gives full attention to the project, so the chance to see limited stock is very small.AppearanceThe mobile is a rebranded Mi 5X. The smartphone was the first camera-centric mobile in the entry class from Xiaomi. It has design touches from Apple’s iPhone 7 and OnePlus 5. Mi A1 is well made with very good quality, surpassing any other phone in the price era. The difference in design with Redmi Note 4 is obvious, with the Mi A1 overcoming the whole Redmi series in good looks. It is thin at 7.3 mm and lightweight at 165 grams.What’s the downside? In the year of bezel-less design, it has two big bezels at the top and bottom, strangely for the company that established the full screen hype this year with Mi Mix. It is curvy all over the body, allowing a good handle with one hand. It has a good feel too, not too heavy neither too light. The fingerprint censor is at the back panel at good position almost 2/5 of the panel鈥檚 length. At the bottom, it has a USB-C port, a speaker grill and a 3.5 mm audio jack.There is an IR blaster for remote handling your devices on top. It has three capacitive keys on the chin bezel, and two physical keys, power and volume on the side. On the left side is the SIM card tray. The double rear cameras have the same configuration as Mi 6 – a regular and a telephoto 鈥 and create a small hump at the back.Considering the cost and the category this mobile belongs to, it’s simply beautiful, that is, if you don鈥檛 mind the bezels. The black model, has a glossy front and a matte back. The display has a fingerprint coating and does a good job keeping the looks clean.Software – AndroidOne The main selling point of this device is Android One. The project was created originally to reduce the number of versions used worldwide creating huge security issues for Google. The search engine giant looked into the Apple practice for fully controlled limited versions. Secondly the project is a show off, an exhibition of how it should be an Android, skinless and bloatware free, mobile. Direct competition with Apple promoted the second part as the standard, with which these two companies compare software improvements and ability. The advantages of installing stock Android has not escaped the look of other companies. Nokia, Lenovo and Motorola provide devices with it as well. The difference is that Android One provides upgrades directly controlled from Google without any agreements between companies that contribute to update delays. Xiaomi itself provides a new version of MIUI at least 9 months after an official Android version launches, while giants such as HTC, LG and Samsung are following in the same time frame. Mi A1 will get Android Oreo by the end of the year, has regular upgrades, in time it will move on to Android P and we will probably see Android Q in the future!Gizchina News of the week Join GizChina on Telegram At this point the smartphone has Android 7.1.2 Nougat on and the security upgrade of October 1st. With Nougat you get all the extras like two applications simultaneously in split-screen multitasking, in-line notification answers, application shortcuts and more, like opening the camera by double-tapping the power key. It is possible to make the notification menu appear by dragging your finger on the fingerprint censor just like Pixel. The Mi A1 has Google Assistant by default so it can be used for your everyday tasks. One of the advantages Android 7.1 Nougat is the Seamless Updates as it has been featured on Google Pixel and Google Pixel XL. This means that the Xiaomi Mi A1 has two partitions, one being used when the device is active, while the other is powered on whenever a new update is to be applied. New updates are downloaded and installed on the idle slot, while the active one keeps the phone on and functional. When the installation is complete, the device is restarted to the updated slot with the other slot inactive. The user has an uninterrupted upgrading experience with minimum downtime except a simple reboot. Since the user data partition is shared between the slots, all the applications downloaded along with user personal data remain available for use by any of the sockets.A / B partitions have their own set of advantages and disadvantages. Having an extra partition, acts as a backup if the update is not properly done. If the device cannot boot to the updated partition within a few attempts, it will reboot to the other one and the user can continue to use the device while downloading the update from the beginning. An uninterrupted update experience also benefits users who no longer have to look at the Android’s Upgrading screen for a while, as they wait for the update to finish. On the other hand, the A / B partitions are basically two and the end user gets smaller storage space since a slot is reserved for the extra partition. This is not a problem with devices with large internal memory and I do not think the Mi A1 with the 64GB ROM has an issue here. The real issue is the switch to file encryption as they create various technical obstacles when it comes to develop ROM and kernels. Magisk still does not provide official support for Google Pixel and Google Pixel XL, but work is still in progress.Xiaomi has four mobile apps installed: Feedback, Mi Remote (control), File Manager and Camera. The Camera has many options 鈥 a Xiaomi app was chosen since Android One does not yet supports dual cameras. Compared to a Redmi Note 4X, a similar device with the same SoC, the speed of Mi A1 is visible and I can say it’s unique to the category.The sole disadvantage this smartphone has is stock Android itself. If you don鈥檛 like it, this phone is not for you. MIUI and other OS gimmicks are missing and I would really love to see some of them here.Performance – Comfortable, trouble-free multi-taskingThe device is the same Mi 5X we have seen, since its summer release, but radio app is missing. Mi A1 has absolutely no temperature issues, not even with 30 applications open or while charging. The battery life is simply excellent, it can take a day and a half with good use and has 5-6 hours SOT. I do not think another 3.080mAh battery device is doing so well and is something we have to thank Google鈥檚 optimization for. Fast charge is not in the package, no one knows why. Charging from 0% to 100% takes around an hour and forty five minutes. It is not fast but not slow either. The phone has a 10V sound amplifier even though it’s not targeting a media-centric audience. The result is a bit over average in quality but superb in volume, it is very loud (don鈥檛 use the maximum level for alarm!). The single speaker output is clear and the same result can be heard from Xiaomi Pistons 3 headphones. Calls are clear too, no issues with volume or hissing sounds. The signal reception is good too, used with two different networks for two weeks.The LTPS FHD panel is developed from Xiaomi鈥檚 LCD production line. The panel has good colors but not great and the resolution does not overwhelm with its media reproduction. During the day and with a good factory brightness (450nits) the display can be seen without the need to be shadowed. The display is one of the best going around for the price Mi A1 is valued for.Snapdragon 625 with stock Android is a treat for every user鈥檚 daily experience. Application to application transfers is comfortable 鈥 works with double taping the menu button too instantly. Multitasking is effortless. The 64GB internal storage is good for me but those who want more, they can use the second SIM place in the tray, optimized for microSDs cards up to 128GB. Using the Mi A1 for navigation or for maps is great, connection to satellites is fast and the processor keeps the mobile on for long trips and without high temperatures.Dual camera – good photos but software improvement is neededThe main feature of the Mi 5X is the dual camera. We are talking about the same camera which Xiaomi praised the whole summer. The company took the twin camera from Mi 6 and put it on the Mi 5X / Mi A1 lacking the small aperture. It has two 12MP sensors on the back: one is a wide-angle lens with 1.25-micron pixels and f / 2.2 aperture while the other is a 1.1-micron telephoto lens with f / 2.6 aperture that offers 2x optical zoom.The main camera offers pictures and realistic portraits in the day with good color and clarity. If you want good photos with minimal light the aperture surely does not help. I cannot say that I am satisfied either from the imaging software, it looks way worse from Mi 6 in night shots. Community has already ported Gcam application from Pixels. The results are astonishingly good when compared to the original images. I hope that both Xiaomi and Google will update the imaging software as soon as possible.The use of portrait mode in combination with the bokeh effect is good enough – it takes less than 2 meters and good lighting but has “noise” at the corners. Camera gives a watermark option with logo “Shot on Mi A1” seen in the bottom left corner of the images. Settings allow a lot of modes with 7 options for saturation, contrast, and sharpness. The camera is not stabilized (another difference from the more expensive Mi 6) and it needs a stable hand to take pictures or video.Video handles up to 4K with time lapse and slow motion extra options. The audio from the video is good but the lack of stabilization affects the final outcome.Front camera is an 8-megapixel snapper simple to use and with many special effects to play with. It provides filters and an option for group selfies. It is not anything special either but the phone is not selfie-centered either. If there’s ample light conditions then you can comfortably make video calls with Viber, Skype of Google Duo. Selfie mode has a gimmick that guesses age and sex.If you want to check all of our photos from the camera of Mi A1, click on the album below:Our impressionsThe Xiaomi Mi A1 aims basically towards the middle market segment with a good price and unique features. Simply said it has no opponent in hardware quality and build according to me.If you’re thinking for a reason not to buy it, then think no further that stock Android itself. In case you want more, Xiaomi’s Mi 5X and other devices can fill the gap, but not with the same UI speed or general snappy performance.

Bezelless is the buzzword for this year. Be prepared to only see such phones in this coming year and more. The KIICAA Mix is a super budget phone that almost anyone with a credit card can purchase.However, being a budget phone that’s been around for a while, Leagoo鑱絚ouldn’t incorporate an 18:9 display on the device which we feel is a bit of a shame.Anyway, let’s talk about that and more in the Leagoo KIICAA Mix review right here.Build and designThe Leagoo KIICAA Mix is really well built for what it costs. At the time of writing, the smartphone can be availed from most Chinese e-commerce sites for around the $110 mark, which isn’t much by any stretch of the imagination.At its core, the KIICAA Mix is a rip-off of last year’s Xiaomi Mi MIX. But like mentioned previously, the phone doesn’t feature an 18:9 display.The shift to 18:9 displays is鑱絞oing to be obvious, which is something that buyers of this phone will miss. Why? Because companies have managed to shrink bezels. This left them with two options: make the phone smaller with the same 16:9 displays, or change the display aspect ratio altogether.Now, if phones with super-slim displays and 16:9 come out, they look rather odd because we’re used to holding slabs which are of a certain ratio. To fix that, companies moved to 18:9. Now content is going to be built for 18:9, buyers of phones with 16:9 are going to miss out on some.Anyway, coming back to the phone per se, looking at it as a budget phone standalone, it’s quite a good device with respect to build鑱絨uality.It comes with a body that’s not really squeaky and inspires a bit of confidence for what you’d have paid for it. The downside, there’s no battery that you can take out of the phone’s body. But is that a downside, really?One thing that might not find a lot of fans is the front camera placement. Like the original Mi Mix, the KIICAA Mix features a front camera on the chin of the phone.What this means is that鑱統ou will have to flip the phone around to use the camera. While that is okay, the real issue is with app compatibility — you are bound to encounter issues every now and then.The phone also doesn’t feature hardware capacitive buttons, which is again something you will miss having since it’s still a 16:9 display. More about this in the software section. PerformanceLet’s take a look at the key specifications of the smartphone:5.5-inch display 1920 x 1080p displayMT6750T processor3GB RAM32GB ROM13 MP front camera13 MP + 2 MP rear cameraFingerprint sensor3000mAh batteryAndroid 7.0According to specs provided on seller sites, the phone comes with a coat of Corning Gorilla Glass 4. Not sure how believable it is, but the phone does feel like something solid on the screen side.Moving on to performance,鑱組ediaTek’s鑱組T6750T handles tasks quite well. It is accompanied by 3GB of RAM which seems like a decent combo, and again something that you shouldn’t be too worried about after paying $110.Moving on to the battery, we are quite impressed by what’s on offer here. The phone manages to provide over 4 hours of screen on time on a single charge with 4G on all the time. While this isn’t groundbreaking by any standards (the OnePlus One of 2014 offered over 7 hours), it is something that again doesn’t allow you to complain.Gizchina News of the week Join GizChina on TelegramWorth noting is the kind of usage that was tested: social media, email, browsing, chat, and maps. Speaking of, we did have issues with the phone’s compass. It had a tough time deciding which direction it was headed, which caused issues during navigation. It still remains a mystery why a lot of makers skip adding a decent compass to save a couple of USD.We’re quite impressed with the display, after the shortcomings that come with the aspect ratio. The device is super usable even in sunlight and thus pretty much anytime outdoors. Word is that Leagoo tried fitting an AMOLED display which didn’t really work out, which is a shame (because that would’ve been awesome).Viewing angles are fairly good as well, and even using the phone on high brightness doesn’t affect the battery life a lot.Surprisingly, the Leagoo KIICAA Mix does NOT feature a 3.5mm jack. From all we can imagine, this is something they’ve done only to make it a talking point — budget phones are supposed to have 3.5mm jacks, at least at this point.Audio on the phone is doable, usable, manageable… yadda yadda. It’s nothing to write home about; in fact, many will probably miss having a good bass and loud enough audio. Maybe we’re being overly critical, but that’s that.Essentially, the software on the phone is pretty much vanilla. Leagoo has, however, tried some basic skinning on the phone which thankfully doesn’t hamper the performance too much. We’re not sure how updates will work on the device, but we’re hoping for the best. Leagoo calls this ‘OS’ Freeme OS.As mentioned in the design section, there’s no hardware back/recent apps buttons on the phone. There’s only one button that is the home button plus the fingerprint sensor area.What this means is that you’ll have to make do with on-screen navigation buttons, which is honestly a bit of an inconvenience on a 16:9 display now that we have more 18:9 phones on the market.Moving on to the fingerprint sensor, it’s blazing fast and super accurate. In fact, it’s already one of our favourites!CameraThe phone comes with a 13 MP + 2 MP rear camera, which is supposed to be something that gets talked about regarding the phone. In our experience, it’s quite a decent camera, but only if you know what to expect.Like most other budget phone cameras, the KIICAA Mix struggles in dark situations but is fairly decent during the daytime.Have a look at some samples right here to get a better idea. ConclusionThe Leagoo KIICAA Mix is a decent phone for what it costs. To expect it to rival the quality of Xiaomi (hardware- and software-wise) would be a foolish thing to do; like most other things about budget things, you need to know what to expect. Do not compare it to what it’s trying to replicate.That said, Leagoo can build on what they’ve already made by providing good software updates and thus build an audience for their forthcoming devices. We would love to see a bit of innovation thrown in the next time around.That’s it for now, feel free to leave comments down below if there’s anything you have in mind regarding the phone.Dodocool are a maker that gets talked about quite a lot here at鑱紾izChina. The company is best known for its handy yet affordable gadgetry that almost anyone with a credit card can purchase.You probably didn’t know this before, but Dodocool also do a HiFi music player. Interestingly, almost the entire HiFi music player space is owned by Chinese players, many of which are super niche. We’ve tried a bunch of them before, and while it’s hard to classify oneself as an audiophile, we’ll take a quick look over the Dodocool DA106, which is probably one of the most affordable players that can do 192kHz/24-bit audio playback.Learn more about it here.First things first — this is an extremely affordable piece of kit (selling at around the $40 mark), so you need to keep that in mind when making a judgement of the product. So let’s get started.First, let us quickly tell you all that it has under its sleeve. The DA106 can play high-res audio, can record good quality audio and also features FM radio. The addition of FM radio is super awkward (or rather, uncommon) because that usually doesn’t happen in items in this category.Moving on, the device has an on-board storage of 8GB, which is expandable via the microSD card slot that it features. You will most likely need to keep the slot engaged, because high-res lossless audio files can often take a lot of extra space compared to compressed MP3 files that we’ve grown used to. Speaking of, it will be a good idea to get a class 10 microSD card to give the device super-high access speeds, which might be required in many cases. Moving on to audio, we’d say you get what you pay for… which is almost always the case. The DA106 doesn’t feature any of the high-end audio chips that you see on higher-priced competitors; which means audio is quite good but it doesn’t blow your mind.Gizchina News of the week Join GizChina on TelegramWhile reviewing the DA106, we happened to chance upon the VE Monks+ earphones鑱絘nd thought they made a great combo. To put things into context, you can get both, the DA106 and the Monks+ for under $50, shipped to your doorstep anywhere in the world!What we realized with the Monks+ was that you really needed an above-average source to drive them well enough, and the DA106 does exactly that. In the end, they make a great combo… which is super light on the pocket.The audio that the DA106 produces isn’t bass-heavy at all. There’s a higher focus on the mids and highs, which to some might sound a bit shrill at times. It’s also extremely important to use high-quality music files, for the DA106 can make a compressed file sound like crap (which we think is a good thing).We also tested the DA106 with some high-impedance Xiaomi headphones, and the device drove them no problems without the need for an external amp.Like every other device that does decent to good audio (basically, every other DAP), the UI on this one is absolutely horrendous too. It will take you a lot of time and a bit of pain to get used to how things work on the DA106. Interestingly, it features a dial that you can use to navigate between list items and the native homepage UI.One super annoying this about the player is that you will need to first turn the screen on (by pressing the power button up top) to be able to navigate between music files or even change the volume. This is super elementary and something that should’ve definitely been taken care of.About other aspects of the player — build, battery, etc., we’re rather impressed. It’s interesting what you can get out of just $45 in this day and age. The DA106 has a great build, and a battery life that you will definitely want to have on other gadgets of yours. It charges via a micro USB port, so you can use your power banks et al to give it a juice top up.

【ca莽a nique】bigwin Jogabilidade

According to many analysts, tablets are dead and have been dead for a long time, declining for 11 quarters in a row (except for Apple of course). With fewer and fewer tablets being released, good tablets are few and far between, and Teclast hopes to change that.Teclast Master T10 ReviewThe Teclast Master T10 is a 10.1″ tablet with midrange specifications, an MTK8176 hexacore processor, 4GB of RAM, and a high resolution 2560×1600 IPS LCD. There aren’t many tablets made anymore, let alone large 10.1″ tablets, and this is one of the few options released recently.Is it Good?Teclast Master T10 SpecificationsProcessorMediaTek MTK8176 HexacoreDisplay10.1″ Sharp 2560×1600 IPS LCDRAM4GBStorage64 ROMOperating SystemAndroid 7.0 NougatCameras8MP, 13MP CameraBattery8100mAhPhysical Dimensions553g,鑱?3.90 x 16.70 x 0.80 cmBig thanks to Gearbest for providing this review unit.Teclast Master T10 HardwareThe tablet doesn’t stand out with a rather generic silver metal body, it looks like every other tablet out there. However, the metal body does feel fairly good in the hand but unfortunately fingerprints are somewhat visible on the tablet. Flip the tablet around and we see fairly small bezels on this tablet, not bezelless no, as that would render the tablet unholdable.鑱絎e have a fair amount of ports here, a microUSB port, a microSD card slot, and a micro HDMI port as well.Fairly generic lookTeclast Master T10 DisplayWe have an incredibly high 2560×1600 resolution on the 10.1″ screen and I have to say this is quite a good LCD made by Sharp and this display is incredibly conducive to watching TV, reading comics, and reading Reddit. The screen produces some saturated colours and stuff looks good. The maximum brightness is good, topping out at 400 nits, making it easy to see in sunlight but not direct sunlight.Teclast Master T10 AudioThe tablet has stereo speakers, one on each side of the tablet and it does provide stereo sound to a certain extent, and audio volume is quite loud, loud enough for most situations. Audio quality is just average, there is a bit of bass but there is distortion at max volume that disappears if you lower it a notch.Gizchina News of the week Join GizChina on TelegramTeclast Master T10 BatteryAn 8100mAh combined with the MTK8176 processor provides some pretty good battery life. I was able to get 6 hours of screen on time consisting of mixed use, Chrome, Youtube, reading Manga and browsing Reddit with about 25% left.I also performed a video playback test and was able to playback 720p video at 200nits of brightness for 9 hours and 22 minutes before the tablet died, definitely a good media consumption device.Good battery lifeTeclast Master T10 SoftwareThe tablet runs stock Android 7.0 Nougat but unfortunately performance is not silky smooth. Swiping between home screens is quite smooth, definitely more than smooth enough for normal use, but its not as smooth as a high end Android phone or even the Mi Pad 3. There is a bit of stutter opening apps but multi-tasking is great with 4GB of RAM.I was able to play many games on the tablet, however Need For Speed: No Limits did not run properly because the entire screen was black except for the road signs. Many other games ran well also such as Hearthstone and Clash of Clans also.The fingerprint sensor is not that great, its fairly accurate but its not very fast.Teclast Master T10 ConnectivityWiFi performance is blazing fast, hitting incredible speeds however WiFi range is poor, cutting it in and out even a mere 15 feet away.Bluetooth works fine, and GPS performance is fairly slow.Teclast Master T10 CameraThe camera is actually fairly decent, especially for a tablet. The 8MP rear camera takes some fairly OK photos with some fair detail and colour saturation. The rear 13MP camera also takes some good photos as well, definitely more than good enough for video calls and selfies (but selfies with a tablet, seriously?).Teclast Master T10 VerdictTeclast’s still got it. They can still make good tablets, and even though tablets are dying, I hope they don’t stop. The Teclast Master T10 is definitely a good 10.1″ tablet, however, I don’t think I will ever use it in the long term as I still have my Xiaomi Mi Pad 3 which in my opinion is almost the perfect size. That being said, if you are looking for a 10.1″ tablet, this is it. Buy the Teclast Master T10Mijia, the Xiaomi subbrand that is known for making just about anything under the sun is in the action camera game now, and their first camera, the Xiaomi Mijia Action Camera Mini is a strong entry into the market.Mijia Camera Mini ReviewI don’t understand what Xiaomi’s strategy is here, allowing Mijia to create their own action camera when that has traditionally been the domain of Xiaoyi, Xiaomi’s dominant action camera arm. While this could present issues of cannibalization between both companies, its great for consumers such as us, more choice is never a bad thing.The Mijia Camera Mini is a 699RMB ($106USD) action camera that is capable of shooting true 4K, making it instantly one of the cheapest 4K action camera options out there. Granted, those who live outside of China are faced with higher prices from resellers (around $115USD), but that still represents one steal of a deal, assuming Mijia gets this right.A Mijia action cam instead of YiMijia Camera Mini SpecificationsProcessorAmbarella A12S75Display2.4″ LCD 960×480Lens7 Glass LensSensorSony IMX317Recording Modes4K 30fps, 1080p 100fps, 720p 200fpsAperturef2.8 aperture, 145 degree FOVBattery1450mAhPhysical Dimensions7.15 x 4.27 x 2.95 cm, 99gBig thanks to Gearbest for providing this review unit.Mijia Camera Mini HardwareThe body of the camera is made out of sandstone, albeit smoother sandstone than what you find on the Oneplus One. It feels solid and doesn’t show smudges at all. However, I wonder how easy it would be to clean the sandstone if it got dirty. The front of the camera is made of soft rubber with the lens housing made out of metal, the Mijia is definitely one solid little bugger.Apart from the build, the action cam is fairly minimalistic. There is an LED on the front, power/record button and mic on the top, and a microUSB port on the side that can be covered. On the bottom, the battery and MicroSD compartment. Do note that officially this action cam supports up to a 64GB microSD card, and mine does work, however I’m not sure if it supports 128GB/256GB microSD cards.There is no waterproof case accompanying this camera and neither are there any official cases for purchase, meaning you have to wait before using it underwater or in rain.Great build, great lookMijia Camera Mini DisplayThe display is a retina 2.4″ LCD with a resolution of 960×480, which works out to around 441ppi, definitely high enough to quality as a retina display. Quality wise the screen is nothing to write home about, colours are reproduced merely adequately and maximum brightness leaves much to be desired, especially in bright sunlight. The touchscreen itself is fairly responsive, so no complaints there.Mijia Camera Mini BatteryThe camera dies after one and a half hours of 4K recording and two hours of 1080p recording at 60fps, which is in line with what other action cameras such as Yi’s and GoPro’s offerings. Charging takes about an hour and a half.Normal battery lifeGizchina News of the week Join GizChina on TelegramMijia Camera Mini Software & PerformanceI wasn’t expecting English firmware on this device as it is an early unit, however I was very surprised to find the entire user interface in English. The interface works somewhat like a regular Android home screen, swipe left to access the gallery, swipe right to access video and photo options, and swipe down to access settings, WiFi and power options. The software is fairly well thought out, with many changeable settings such as EV, ISO, resolution etc. However, I could not find a setting for stabilization and am still searching for it as I did not see it anywhere.Mijia has seen fit to use minimal animations on the action camera, something I dislike, as it makes the experience of navigating through the camera slow and stuttery.You can connect the camera to the phone using the Mi Home app, and it requires you to connect your phone to the camera’s WiFi before being presented with a simple user interface. You can remotely start and stop recordings, view photos and video, and change a few basic settings like resolution.Mijia Camera Mini Camera QualityOn one hand, I’m surprised how crispy the 4K footage is for such a cheap action cam, and on the other hand I expected nothing less from Xiaomi (or Mijia in this case). Suffice it to say, You can take some fairly crispy 4K footage in good lighting, with lots of detail and good colour saturation. However, compare this to more expensive action cameras and you can definitely tell that the footage is slightly softer than those devices and the iPhone 7. The Mijia records at a bitrate of 60mbps, the same bitrate as the Xiaoyi Yi 4K Mirrorless camera and the GoPro Hero 5.Auto brightness compensation works fairly well, I found the Mijia frequently overcompensating slightly for changes in lighting conditions, but it would adjust and recompensate correctly. There is also some barrel distortion from this 145 degree lens, as you can see in the picture below. Filming moving objects does work well also, with no perceived screen tear. There is electronic image stabilization that is accomplished by using a 3 axis gyroscope and 3 axis accelerometer, and unfortunately its just about enough to stabilize any microtremors in my hand but not enough for stabilizing large movements such as walking, running, or jumping.Low light performance is poor, with plenty of noise and grain in videos and photos.There is also slow motion, with 1080p framerates rising to an impressive and rather unconventional 100fps, 720p framerates rise to an equally impressive and unconventional 200fps. I do not recommend using 720p slowmo as too much detail is sacrificed, 1080p is the minimum resolution you should drop to.Photo quality is fairly decent, with good colour saturation and decent amounts of detail, but there’s only so much you can do with an 8MP sensor.Mijia Camera Mini Camera Gallery Mijia Camera Mini VerdictThe Mijia 4K action camera is definitely a great buy. Mijia’s first foray into the action camera market is definitely well thought out and executed, crispy 4K footage, english software, and good build quality. At $115USD, there aren’t many other action cameras that can compete with the kind of video quality this Mijia outputs, a Yi Lite or Hawkeye Firefly 8S might come close, but the Mijia still takes the cake.If you’re on the hunt for a cheap but good true 4K action camera, the Xiaomi Mijia 4K Action Camera Mini is for you. Buy the Mijia Camera MiniAmazing value propositionMijia Camera Mini Video SamplesMijia, the Xiaomi subbrand that is known for making just about anything under the sun is in the action camera game now, and their first camera, the Xiaomi Mijia Action Camera Mini is a strong entry into the market.Mijia Camera Mini ReviewI don’t understand what Xiaomi’s strategy is here, allowing Mijia to create their own action camera when that has traditionally been the domain of Xiaoyi, Xiaomi’s dominant action camera arm. While this could present issues of cannibalization between both companies, its great for consumers such as us, more choice is never a bad thing.The Mijia Camera Mini is a 699RMB ($106USD) action camera that is capable of shooting true 4K, making it instantly one of the cheapest 4K action camera options out there. Granted, those who live outside of China are faced with higher prices from resellers (around $115USD), but that still represents one steal of a deal, assuming Mijia gets this right.A Mijia action cam instead of YiMijia Camera Mini SpecificationsProcessorAmbarella A12S75Display2.4″ LCD 960×480Lens7 Glass LensSensorSony IMX317Recording Modes4K 30fps, 1080p 100fps, 720p 200fpsAperturef2.8 aperture, 145 degree FOVBattery1450mAhPhysical Dimensions7.15 x 4.27 x 2.95 cm, 99gBig thanks to Gearbest for providing this review unit.Mijia Camera Mini HardwareThe body of the camera is made out of sandstone, albeit smoother sandstone than what you find on the Oneplus One. It feels solid and doesn’t show smudges at all. However, I wonder how easy it would be to clean the sandstone if it got dirty. The front of the camera is made of soft rubber with the lens housing made out of metal, the Mijia is definitely one solid little bugger.Apart from the build, the action cam is fairly minimalistic. There is an LED on the front, power/record button and mic on the top, and a microUSB port on the side that can be covered. On the bottom, the battery and MicroSD compartment. Do note that officially this action cam supports up to a 64GB microSD card, and mine does work, however I’m not sure if it supports 128GB/256GB microSD cards.There is no waterproof case accompanying this camera and neither are there any official cases for purchase, meaning you have to wait before using it underwater or in rain.Great build, great lookMijia Camera Mini DisplayThe display is a retina 2.4″ LCD with a resolution of 960×480, which works out to around 441ppi, definitely high enough to quality as a retina display. Quality wise the screen is nothing to write home about, colours are reproduced merely adequately and maximum brightness leaves much to be desired, especially in bright sunlight. The touchscreen itself is fairly responsive, so no complaints there.Mijia Camera Mini BatteryThe camera dies after one and a half hours of 4K recording and two hours of 1080p recording at 60fps, which is in line with what other action cameras such as Yi’s and GoPro’s offerings. Charging takes about an hour and a half.Normal battery lifeGizchina News of the week Join GizChina on TelegramMijia Camera Mini Software & PerformanceI wasn’t expecting English firmware on this device as it is an early unit, however I was very surprised to find the entire user interface in English. The interface works somewhat like a regular Android home screen, swipe left to access the gallery, swipe right to access video and photo options, and swipe down to access settings, WiFi and power options. The software is fairly well thought out, with many changeable settings such as EV, ISO, resolution etc. However, I could not find a setting for stabilization and am still searching for it as I did not see it anywhere.Mijia has seen fit to use minimal animations on the action camera, something I dislike, as it makes the experience of navigating through the camera slow and stuttery.You can connect the camera to the phone using the Mi Home app, and it requires you to connect your phone to the camera’s WiFi before being presented with a simple user interface. You can remotely start and stop recordings, view photos and video, and change a few basic settings like resolution.Mijia Camera Mini Camera QualityOn one hand, I’m surprised how crispy the 4K footage is for such a cheap action cam, and on the other hand I expected nothing less from Xiaomi (or Mijia in this case). Suffice it to say, You can take some fairly crispy 4K footage in good lighting, with lots of detail and good colour saturation. However, compare this to more expensive action cameras and you can definitely tell that the footage is slightly softer than those devices and the iPhone 7. The Mijia records at a bitrate of 60mbps, the same bitrate as the Xiaoyi Yi 4K Mirrorless camera and the GoPro Hero 5.Auto brightness compensation works fairly well, I found the Mijia frequently overcompensating slightly for changes in lighting conditions, but it would adjust and recompensate correctly. There is also some barrel distortion from this 145 degree lens, as you can see in the picture below. Filming moving objects does work well also, with no perceived screen tear. There is electronic image stabilization that is accomplished by using a 3 axis gyroscope and 3 axis accelerometer, and unfortunately its just about enough to stabilize any microtremors in my hand but not enough for stabilizing large movements such as walking, running, or jumping.Low light performance is poor, with plenty of noise and grain in videos and photos.There is also slow motion, with 1080p framerates rising to an impressive and rather unconventional 100fps, 720p framerates rise to an equally impressive and unconventional 200fps. I do not recommend using 720p slowmo as too much detail is sacrificed, 1080p is the minimum resolution you should drop to.Photo quality is fairly decent, with good colour saturation and decent amounts of detail, but there’s only so much you can do with an 8MP sensor.Mijia Camera Mini Camera Gallery Mijia Camera Mini VerdictThe Mijia 4K action camera is definitely a great buy. Mijia’s first foray into the action camera market is definitely well thought out and executed, crispy 4K footage, english software, and good build quality. At $115USD, there aren’t many other action cameras that can compete with the kind of video quality this Mijia outputs, a Yi Lite or Hawkeye Firefly 8S might come close, but the Mijia still takes the cake.If you’re on the hunt for a cheap but good true 4K action camera, the Xiaomi Mijia 4K Action Camera Mini is for you. Buy the Mijia Camera MiniAmazing value propositionMijia Camera Mini Video SamplesDo you fancy the Samsung S8 but you aren鈥檛 willing to spend $629 or more on one? The next most similar phone is probably the recently launched Bluboo S8, which as the name suggest is a Samsung S8 鈥渋nspired device鈥? If you don鈥檛 mind not having the real thing and are happy with just the thin bezels and 18:9 display aspect ratio, then keep reading!Blubbo S8 is one of those phones one has to be… ready to use, because its main feature is the similarity it bears to the original Galaxy S8 model. But if you manage to go through this issue (like I did) then you won’t have any problem spotting its awesome design, usability, the impressive built quality and obviously its gorgeous “Infinity style” display, with 18:9 aspect ratio and impressive brightness during day time.Bluboo promotes this model as one of the most impressive dual camera/full display smartphones and has serious expectations from its performance in the mid-range market. So how does this affordable dual camera model fare at the end of the day? What are its best attributes and where could we see it鈥 do a bit better?Let鈥檚 have a look at this Bluboo S8 review.18:9 aspect ratio, great displayBluboo S8 鈥 Technical specificationsSHARP 5.7鈥 HD+ display18:9 aspect ratio screen designMTK6750T octa-core processorDual Sony rear cameras: 16.0MP+3.0MP3GB of RAM, 32GB of ROM expandable up to 256GBZn-Ti alloy frame3450 lithium-ion polymer battery & fast chargeType C 2.0 interface360 OSdimensions: 149.5*70.6*8.4mmWeight: 193gBluboo S8 review: Design and general appearanceI have to be honest, I loved the basic design of the Bluboo S8 – and didn’t even pay attention to its similarity to the Galaxy S8 model. The phone is available in 3 color variants which are mainly: Black, Gold and Blue. It surely looks impressive however despite its semi-plastic build and its general 18:9 design that allows for excellent grip and usability.Note that the back side of the device is made out of plastic with a Zn-Ti alloy frame and a glossy finish on top, that may look beautiful but it turns out to be a fingerprint magnet, leaving fingerprint marks all over the place 馃檨If you are looking for a decent smartphone with an even better display, then the BLUBOO S8 is right up your alley. This phone comes with 1440脳720 resolution and has an 18:9 aspect ratio. This means that you will get a full screen without anything interfering with your ability to see clearly. The glass is 2.5D and curved, which allows for better color saturation and more vibrancy.聽One of its unique selling points is its 18:9 full display, with really small bezels on top and bottom – that look really impressive, similar (NOT the same) to the ones the Galaxy S8 flagship has. The one that makes the difference is the tiny top bezel which extends the display almost all the way to the top, leaving a rather small gap for the聽speaker and camera. There’s no home button placed in front. Instead you will find three on display keys on the lower side of the display, that work as planned and allow for complete operation of the device.If you’re looking for the fingerprint scanner, then you will find it placed just below the dual camera on the back of the device – at a position where you can easily touch it with your pointing finger. The scanner proves to be quite decent for what it’s worth.聽 It can unlock the phone in less than 0.1 second with almost 98% success rate. It can basically store up to 5 different fingerprints and can recognize them all from 360 degrees, something that鈥檚 a standard nowadays.Don鈥檛 know about you, but I am a fan of full display smartphones because I enjoy the available screen size whenever I can. The 18:9 aspect ratio allows for excellent grip, average single hand usage and impressive multimedia viewing – you can watch video clips and/or movies with no black borders at all – something you’ll really like I bet.聽The colors of the display may be rather washed, but the images are crisp, with good viewing angles and a fully responsive panel if I may add.聽All in all a decent display 鈥 especially for a smartphone on this price range.聽If you take a good look at the back side of the Bluboo S8 then you will see that it comes with a vertical dual camera – a setup聽pretty common in聽phones聽nowadays with the goal of helping you take better photos. There’s also a USB Type-C port placed at the bottom, along with speaker grilles. If you’re looking for a 3.5mm audio jack then you’re out of luck. The device however comes with a USB Type-C adaptor to 3.5mm audio jack if you want to use your regular headphones.Hardware & PerformanceIn terms of performance, despite its 3GB of RAM, the device DOES make a difference! I opened many apps, switched between them, watched videos, played a game (GT聽Racing聽2) and the performance is buttery smooth. Nothing felt sluggish, and there was no lag at all. It offers a rather impressive user experience with minimal lags and good multi-tasking, enabling users to keep several applications open in the background with no significant impact on its everyday performance. Oh and if you鈥檙e into checking benchmark results, this Bluboo model scored 43840 points in AntuTu but had average GPS reception. I didn鈥檛 have any issues with GPS related apps but it uses only a handful of the available satellites every time. It could be connected to more I guess, in order to offer even better results when scanning for our location.Gizchina News of the week Join GizChina on Telegram If you want to know about its battery聽life, then you’ll be pleased to know it can offer up to 4,5 hours of active display, which translates to almost a full day’s usage. So, on normal usage (reading emails, watching videos, surfing the Web, listening to music), I can easily get a day of usage for each charge. For聽streaming聽videos at full brightness and volume, it can last for 6 hours. Depending on your usage, it will have no problem lasting for a full day.There are a lot of very high-quality internal components to the Bluboo S8. As I told you before, there is 3GB RAM and 32GB ROM, which is expandable up to 256GB. Inside you will find an octa-Core MediaTek MT6750T processor @1.5GHz that may not be the best available SoC around but it is in the higher mid-range category, which gives you decent performance at a reasonably low price.Bluboo S8 review: Android software and UI performanceIf you like Samsung Galaxy clones, then you will surely gonna love the Bluboo S8 in terms of UI and software. The device comes with its own 360 OS (based on Android 7.0.1) which is surprisingly solid, fast and easy to use. Damn it’s much more stable and lag free than Samsung’s horrible UX interface, even with this average chipset and only 3GB of RAM! One thing I noticed however is that you cannot really use another launcher, because there’s no way to place it as default. The system always reverts back to its own launcher every time you press the (virtual) Home button. I tried to change Permissions, to make it autostart after reboot, but nothing.聽In any case, the Android 7.0 gives you more control on the smartphone and also lets you customize the phone just like any other Nougat based device. There are a few custom apps pre-installed in the phone, but they can be easily uninstalled if you have no intention of using them.聽Thankfully there is no bloatware but you will find some other unnecessary apps inside (that cannot be uninstalled). The device supports all the classic Nougat features and it also has a Themes support with 5 pre installed themes for us to use. I didn’t find a way to download more however. Other customization options include Float gesture, which is a floating ball that opens a radial view for you to quickly access various modes. I don鈥檛 find this useful, as it doesn鈥檛 allow me to customize the control items in the list.聽There is also the ability to lock apps with the fingerprint scanner which is common these days.Dual camera/Selfie camera performanceI guess we all know by now that the Bluboo S8聽is equipped with a Sony dual camera setup at the back composed of a 16MP main snapper and a 3MP secondary one. The secondary sensor is used to collect object and distance data and is mainly used during 鈥渂lur鈥 modes, such as Portrait. The main sensor uses phase detection autofocus and has an aperture of F/2.0. On the front, we have an 8MP selfie snapper.View more Bluboo S8 camera samples here (Flickr)The fact is it doesn鈥檛 translate to great photos. It can take decent photos, but they are generally whitewashed. Even with HDR mode, the quality of the photos is not any better. Note that one camera is used for creating the bokeh effect and other will capture the image with quite impressive portrait photos and decent performance in low light conditions.GOOD PHOTOS, AVERAGE VIDEOS but there’s potential!Both cameras have independent vision processing unit, which enables background blurring in real time. It also allows you to choose where to focus (touch focus) and where to blur, with the ability to adjust the intensity of blurring, too.Battery consumptionThe Bluboo S8 is equipped with a 3450mAh battery but numbers don鈥檛 mean anything in this situation. The device comes with an energy efficient processor and generally it performs well, providing more than a full day鈥檚 usage with no problems and works great in cooperation with the Android Nougat interface in order to block access to battery “hungry” apps, reduce energy consumption when possible and all those little things that make our lives easier when using a smartphone.If you’re a heavy duty user then you won’t probably be satisfied with the battery performance of the Bluboo S8, that’s for sure. If you expect to recharge your phone every night but enjoy several hours of multimedia experience, web browsing, several email messaging and social networking, then this is a phone for you, no doubt about it.Conclusion 鈥 Our opinionBeautiful, budget galaxy s8 cloneI really enjoyed this small beauty from Bluboo guys. It鈥檚 not featured as the super wow dual camera phone that everyone should buy, but as a budget Galaxy S8 clone with really impressive specs – given its current price tag of course which is just聽149,99$. It鈥檚 a decent dual camera phone, with acceptable photos in daylight conditions, average photos in low light conditions and鈥 average (shaky) videos. It offers however average battery consumption, good performance for an avid Android user and decent build quality.

Keep the music pumping no matter where you go with the powerful Anker SoundCore 2.Anker has been the go to brand for plenty of top quality accessories over the past few years. From phone chargers to speakers, Anker seems to have the accessory that you need and with availability through Amazon and other online resellers, their products are easy and affordable to buy too.Over the past few weeks, I’ve been testing one of Anker’s most popular speakers, the Anker SoundCore 2. This affordable speaker is available to buy through numerous online resellers and with a retail price of just $39.99 it’s much more affordable than similar products from Bose while retaining many of the same features.Anker SoundCore 2 Review – DesignThe Anker SoundCore 2 is a simple design. It’s your basic speaker shape with a rugged rubberized finish that helps to shrug off knocks, bumps, and scrapes that other speakers would easily pick up on a day to day basis.Measuring in at 2.13 x 6.5 x 1.77 (165mm*54mm*45mm) in and a reassuringly hefty weight of 1.74 lbs, this portable speaker is compact enough to fit in your pocket if need be, but most of us are going to carry the SoundCore 2 in a backpack where it hardly takes any room at all.Anker’s designers built the SoundCore 2 to surive a more rough and tumble life than most portable speakers, hence the rubberized finish, and the water resistant IPX5 nature of the speaker which includes a simple rubber door that protects the micro USB (for charging) and 3.5mm headphone jack.Looking at the speaker we find a high-quality metal mesh front with subtle Anker logo that sits over the subwoofer and dual-driver spekaers, while the very top of the speaker has simple, chunky, buttons to control the Bluetooth, power, playback, and volume of the device.Gizchina News of the week Join GizChina on TelegramAnker SoundCore 2 Review – FeaturesFor $39.99 the Anker SoundCore 2 is surpriginly feature packed. Bluetooth lets the speaker connect to your phone, tablet, laptop or other devices with a range of around 66ft.While Anker envisions that most users will use the SoundCore 2 for music playback they’ve also included a microphone in the design too so that you can still answer calls through the device too.While we don’t know the size of the battery in the SoundCore 2 the battery life is very very impressive. Anker claims 24 hours of playback from a single charge!Lastly on the audio sign of things the Anker comes with 2x 6W drivers which promise clarity and deep bass.Anker SoundCore 2 Review – PerformanceSo at $39.99 does the Anker SoundCore 2 have what it takes to battle in the portable speaker market? Well, in the bass department no it doesn’t. Bass is weak on the SoundCore 2, but clarity is very good and volume levels are more than enough to fill a good sized garden with clear music.On a recent camping trip, the SoundCore 2 provided 3 days solid evenings of audio and still has power leftover! And audio levels were more than adequate. What’s really impressive is that on some nights the Anker SoundCore 2 spent a good deal of the evening in solid rain yet it continues to operate as well now as it did fresh out of the box.Anker SoundCore 2 Review – ConclustionWe would have loved to hear the Anker SoundCore 2 had more powerful bass, but to be fair this is a $39.99 speaker, and the only products we’ve seen with more powerful bass are priced at well over $130 aren’t water resistant and has a much shorter batter life.The rise in popularity of the -not so new in the market- Leagoo is quite easy to explain. They currently produce several series of smartphones – a quite large portfolio of devices indeed鈥 like Alfa series, Elite series, M-series, Shark, T-series, V-series and Z-series, but each one of their models -within its price range- offers the best combination of good performance, interesting design and an affordable price tag, which 鈥 in some cases- could be considered as a bargain.Leagoo T5 is one of their most interesting – and worth buying- models, that offers quite adequate performance, running on Android 7.0 Nougat, along with a mediocre MT6750T chipset, 4GB of RAM and a dual camera setup on its back. It’s available at a really affordable price – when compared to its specs- and can easily become one of those models that belong into the聽competitive market. Let鈥檚 take a close look at its features and functions.Leagoo T5 – Technical specifications鈼 Display:聽5.5 inch, 1920 x 1080 Pixel FHD IPS screen鈼 CPU: MTK6750T Octa Core 1.5GHz聽鈼 System:聽Android 7.0鈼 RAM + ROM:聽4GB RAM聽+聽64GB ROM鈼 Camera:聽13.0MP front camera +聽13.0MP + 5.0MP聽back camera鈼 Sensor:聽Ambient Light Sensor, E-Compass, Gravity Sensor, Proximity Sensor, Touch Sensor鈼 SIM Card:聽dual SIM dual standby. Nano + Nano SIM鈼 Feature:聽GPS鈼 Bluetooth:聽4.0鈼 Network:聽2G: GSM 850/900/1800/1900MHz –聽3G: WCDMA 850/900/2100MHz –聽4G: FDD-LTE 800/850/900/1800/2100/2600MHz TDD-LTE B40Leagoo T5 review:聽Design and general appearanceI have to be honest, I enjoyed the basic design of the T5 model. The phone is available in 2 color variants which are mainly: Black and Champagne and I got the first one. It surely looks impressive thanks to its metallic build and its overall design that allows for excellent grip and usability. Note that the back side of the device is made out of matte aircraft-aluminum alloy which improves its durability and enhances the whole 鈥渁ppearance鈥 factor but its surely a fingerprint “magnet”, attracting a lot of unnecessary smudges.Leagoo has ditched the plastic casing and has given a chance to the CNC and NANO metal body, providing the device with聽7.9mm of thickness,聽15.30 x 7.61 x 0.79 cm dimensions and 160 gr. weight. On the front it has a front camera and a home button, on the back side, it has dual rear camera, LED flash light, very simple design, but superior quality.The device comes with a really impressive 5,5 inch display with 2.5D glass and FHD resolution (1920x1080p) with decent luminosity during sunny days, along with 178 degrees of viewing angle. It has a whopping 400.93 PPI with multi touch capacitive ability, however, it comes equipped with a scratch 鈥搑esistant screen and not a Gorilla Glass cover, so be careful – it’s not as durable as one would expect.The colors of the display may be rather saturated, but the images are crisp, with good viewing angles and a fully responsive panel if I may add. All in all a decent display 鈥 especially for a smartphone on this price range.Just below the display you will also find a fingerprint sensor which proves to be rather fast. It can unlock the phone in less than 0.1 second with almost 97% success rate. It can basically store up to 5 different fingerprints and can recognize them all from 360 degrees, something that鈥檚 a standard nowadays.Hardware & PerformanceWhen it comes to hardware, the Leagoo T5 has adequate specs for its price. It comes with a relatively old MTK6750T Octa Core (1.5GHz) processor, along with 4GB RAM and 64GB of internal storage, expandable via microSD card up to 256GB. The available RAM is plenty聽enough for you to run all your day to day apps very smoothly, and the gaming performance is decent if you play games like Asphalt 8 on medium graphics. Still, you should expect some skipped frames but no significant lag. It offers a rather decent user experience with good multi-tasking, enabling users to keep several applications open in the background with no significant impact on its everyday performance. To confirm our deductions, do have a look at the benchmark results of the device as they appear above, showing the Leagoo T5 scoring聽41615 points in AnTuTu. I didn鈥檛 have any issues with GPS related apps, as the phone was connected to more than 12-13 of the available satellites every time. It could be connected to more I guess, in order to offer even better results when scanning for our location. In any case it still offered great global positioning services, no complains at all.I guess you already know it, but I will say it one more time. The Leagoo T5 is a 4G/LTE smartphone with acceptable performance when it comes to LTE networks, achieving average data speeds of 45-55Mbps that surely offer a decent feeling when you use it, along with great performance in everyday use. It has good GSM/WCDMA/LTE signal reception with flawless handovers and no dropped calls 鈥 during my tests that is.Gizchina News of the week Join GizChina on TelegramLeagoo T5 review: Android software and UI performanceThe Leagoo T5 runs on Android 7.0 Nougat but we have no official confirmation on when (and if) the company plans to upgrade it to Android 7.1.2 or (one can hope) Android O. In any case, the Android 7.0 gives you more control on the smartphone and also lets you customize the phone just like any other Nougat based smartphone. There is no bloatware or other unnecessary apps inside, it supports all the classic Nougat features but the UI has been tampered a bit by Leagoo. There鈥檚 themes support with certain pre installed themes waiting for us when we first boot up, along with some few widgets for the weather, time etc. All in all this extra customization doesn鈥檛 seem to affect the performance of the device. Don鈥檛 forget it has 4GB of RAM, which is more than enough and offers decent everyday use for a novice Android user, as long as you don鈥檛 choose to put any extra pressure on it with severe multi-tasking, more than 6-7 apps opened simultaneously etc. It’s not a phone for the demanding power users, you’ve been warned.Dual camera/Selfie camera performanceI guess we all know by now that the Leagoo T5 comes with聽dual cameras on its rear which are 13.0MP and 5.0MP in resolution, with dual flashes too and on the front, there is a 13.0 MP selfie camera, a treat for selfie lovers. For the dual camera fans, note that one camera sensor is used for creating the bokeh effect and the other will capture the image with quite impressive portrait photos, but average performance in low light conditions. GOOD PHOTOS, AVERAGE VIDEOS, adequate LOW LIGHT PERFORMANCEThe OV 13MP sensor technology is the main reason why the camera turns the most lifeless things into jovial ones. A special soft light for the selfies is provided in the front camera of the phone. The soft light would help to have the brighter picture with the more defined look. You can shoot photos at 77.9 wide angles, and the 1.12um pixel size of the main sensor can result in good photos given its price tag. There is an extra instant beauty mode that would remove away all possible glitches from your selfies and turn them into highly beautiful ones. The selfie fans will surely love it.Both cameras have independent vision processing unit, which enables background blurring in real time. It also allows you to choose where to focus (touch focus/autofucus) and where to blur, with the ability to adjust the intensity of blurring, too.It鈥檚 quite easy to capture decent photos in daylight conditions, panoramic images with a helpful assistant that shows the way to do it correctly and the same goes for video capture. However when the sun goes down problems appear, such as low ISO, increased digital noise in photos and reduced framerate in videos.All of the above however are typical for this type of phones, and the final verdict is that using the Leagoo T5 you will be able to capture decent photos in daylight conditions but not that impressive photos during low light conditions.The LED flash works OK in close ups, portraits or distances up to 1 meter but it won鈥檛 do you any good if your subject is a bit further. Have a look at our photo samples by clicking on the image below:Battery consumptionThe Leagoo T5 is equipped with a relatively average 3000mAh battery but numbers don鈥檛 mean anything in this case. The device comes with an energy efficient processor and -in general- it performs well providing a full day鈥檚 usage with no problems and perhaps a bit more if you are able to be gentle with it.All in all we have a winner here, a mid-range smartphone with decent standby times if you鈥檙e an average user (6 hours of active screen) but the fact that it doesn鈥檛 support some type of quick charging is a bit disappointing. On the other hand it costs just聽129,99$聽so I guess it鈥檚 something we can live without聽?Conclusion 鈥 So what about it?Decent performance, impressive quality builtI really enjoyed this small beauty from Leagoo. It鈥檚 not featured as the super wow dual camera phone that everyone should buy, no. It鈥檚 an average dual camera phone, with good photos in daylight conditions, adequate photos in low light conditions and鈥 below average videos. It offers however excellent battery consumption, good performance for the average Android user and quite impressive build quality.I loved the display, some of its usability features, its battery performance and of course the price tag, especially when compared to its basic specs. If you’re in the market for an affordable 4GB RAM/64GB ROM, dual camera smartphone with impressive display and great build quality then the Leagoo T5 should definitely be among your top choices.The rise in popularity of the -not so new in the market- Leagoo is quite easy to explain. They currently produce several series of smartphones – a quite large portfolio of devices indeed鈥 like Alfa series, Elite series, M-series, Shark, T-series, V-series and Z-series, but each one of their models -within its price range- offers the best combination of good performance, interesting design and an affordable price tag, which 鈥 in some cases- could be considered as a bargain.Leagoo T5 is one of their most interesting – and worth buying- models, that offers quite adequate performance, running on Android 7.0 Nougat, along with a mediocre MT6750T chipset, 4GB of RAM and a dual camera setup on its back. It’s available at a really affordable price – when compared to its specs- and can easily become one of those models that belong into the聽competitive market. Let鈥檚 take a close look at its features and functions.Leagoo T5 – Technical specifications鈼 Display:聽5.5 inch, 1920 x 1080 Pixel FHD IPS screen鈼 CPU: MTK6750T Octa Core 1.5GHz聽鈼 System:聽Android 7.0鈼 RAM + ROM:聽4GB RAM聽+聽64GB ROM鈼 Camera:聽13.0MP front camera +聽13.0MP + 5.0MP聽back camera鈼 Sensor:聽Ambient Light Sensor, E-Compass, Gravity Sensor, Proximity Sensor, Touch Sensor鈼 SIM Card:聽dual SIM dual standby. Nano + Nano SIM鈼 Feature:聽GPS鈼 Bluetooth:聽4.0鈼 Network:聽2G: GSM 850/900/1800/1900MHz –聽3G: WCDMA 850/900/2100MHz –聽4G: FDD-LTE 800/850/900/1800/2100/2600MHz TDD-LTE B40Leagoo T5 review:聽Design and general appearanceI have to be honest, I enjoyed the basic design of the T5 model. The phone is available in 2 color variants which are mainly: Black and Champagne and I got the first one. It surely looks impressive thanks to its metallic build and its overall design that allows for excellent grip and usability. Note that the back side of the device is made out of matte aircraft-aluminum alloy which improves its durability and enhances the whole 鈥渁ppearance鈥 factor but its surely a fingerprint “magnet”, attracting a lot of unnecessary smudges.Leagoo has ditched the plastic casing and has given a chance to the CNC and NANO metal body, providing the device with聽7.9mm of thickness,聽15.30 x 7.61 x 0.79 cm dimensions and 160 gr. weight. On the front it has a front camera and a home button, on the back side, it has dual rear camera, LED flash light, very simple design, but superior quality.The device comes with a really impressive 5,5 inch display with 2.5D glass and FHD resolution (1920x1080p) with decent luminosity during sunny days, along with 178 degrees of viewing angle. It has a whopping 400.93 PPI with multi touch capacitive ability, however, it comes equipped with a scratch 鈥搑esistant screen and not a Gorilla Glass cover, so be careful – it’s not as durable as one would expect.The colors of the display may be rather saturated, but the images are crisp, with good viewing angles and a fully responsive panel if I may add. All in all a decent display 鈥 especially for a smartphone on this price range.Just below the display you will also find a fingerprint sensor which proves to be rather fast. It can unlock the phone in less than 0.1 second with almost 97% success rate. It can basically store up to 5 different fingerprints and can recognize them all from 360 degrees, something that鈥檚 a standard nowadays.Hardware & PerformanceWhen it comes to hardware, the Leagoo T5 has adequate specs for its price. It comes with a relatively old MTK6750T Octa Core (1.5GHz) processor, along with 4GB RAM and 64GB of internal storage, expandable via microSD card up to 256GB. The available RAM is plenty聽enough for you to run all your day to day apps very smoothly, and the gaming performance is decent if you play games like Asphalt 8 on medium graphics. Still, you should expect some skipped frames but no significant lag. It offers a rather decent user experience with good multi-tasking, enabling users to keep several applications open in the background with no significant impact on its everyday performance. To confirm our deductions, do have a look at the benchmark results of the device as they appear above, showing the Leagoo T5 scoring聽41615 points in AnTuTu. I didn鈥檛 have any issues with GPS related apps, as the phone was connected to more than 12-13 of the available satellites every time. It could be connected to more I guess, in order to offer even better results when scanning for our location. In any case it still offered great global positioning services, no complains at all.I guess you already know it, but I will say it one more time. The Leagoo T5 is a 4G/LTE smartphone with acceptable performance when it comes to LTE networks, achieving average data speeds of 45-55Mbps that surely offer a decent feeling when you use it, along with great performance in everyday use. It has good GSM/WCDMA/LTE signal reception with flawless handovers and no dropped calls 鈥 during my tests that is.Gizchina News of the week Join GizChina on TelegramLeagoo T5 review: Android software and UI performanceThe Leagoo T5 runs on Android 7.0 Nougat but we have no official confirmation on when (and if) the company plans to upgrade it to Android 7.1.2 or (one can hope) Android O. In any case, the Android 7.0 gives you more control on the smartphone and also lets you customize the phone just like any other Nougat based smartphone. There is no bloatware or other unnecessary apps inside, it supports all the classic Nougat features but the UI has been tampered a bit by Leagoo. There鈥檚 themes support with certain pre installed themes waiting for us when we first boot up, along with some few widgets for the weather, time etc. All in all this extra customization doesn鈥檛 seem to affect the performance of the device. Don鈥檛 forget it has 4GB of RAM, which is more than enough and offers decent everyday use for a novice Android user, as long as you don鈥檛 choose to put any extra pressure on it with severe multi-tasking, more than 6-7 apps opened simultaneously etc. It’s not a phone for the demanding power users, you’ve been warned.Dual camera/Selfie camera performanceI guess we all know by now that the Leagoo T5 comes with聽dual cameras on its rear which are 13.0MP and 5.0MP in resolution, with dual flashes too and on the front, there is a 13.0 MP selfie camera, a treat for selfie lovers. For the dual camera fans, note that one camera sensor is used for creating the bokeh effect and the other will capture the image with quite impressive portrait photos, but average performance in low light conditions. GOOD PHOTOS, AVERAGE VIDEOS, adequate LOW LIGHT PERFORMANCEThe OV 13MP sensor technology is the main reason why the camera turns the most lifeless things into jovial ones. A special soft light for the selfies is provided in the front camera of the phone. The soft light would help to have the brighter picture with the more defined look. You can shoot photos at 77.9 wide angles, and the 1.12um pixel size of the main sensor can result in good photos given its price tag. There is an extra instant beauty mode that would remove away all possible glitches from your selfies and turn them into highly beautiful ones. The selfie fans will surely love it.Both cameras have independent vision processing unit, which enables background blurring in real time. It also allows you to choose where to focus (touch focus/autofucus) and where to blur, with the ability to adjust the intensity of blurring, too.It鈥檚 quite easy to capture decent photos in daylight conditions, panoramic images with a helpful assistant that shows the way to do it correctly and the same goes for video capture. However when the sun goes down problems appear, such as low ISO, increased digital noise in photos and reduced framerate in videos.All of the above however are typical for this type of phones, and the final verdict is that using the Leagoo T5 you will be able to capture decent photos in daylight conditions but not that impressive photos during low light conditions.The LED flash works OK in close ups, portraits or distances up to 1 meter but it won鈥檛 do you any good if your subject is a bit further. Have a look at our photo samples by clicking on the image below:Battery consumptionThe Leagoo T5 is equipped with a relatively average 3000mAh battery but numbers don鈥檛 mean anything in this case. The device comes with an energy efficient processor and -in general- it performs well providing a full day鈥檚 usage with no problems and perhaps a bit more if you are able to be gentle with it.All in all we have a winner here, a mid-range smartphone with decent standby times if you鈥檙e an average user (6 hours of active screen) but the fact that it doesn鈥檛 support some type of quick charging is a bit disappointing. On the other hand it costs just聽129,99$聽so I guess it鈥檚 something we can live without聽?Conclusion 鈥 So what about it?Decent performance, impressive quality builtI really enjoyed this small beauty from Leagoo. It鈥檚 not featured as the super wow dual camera phone that everyone should buy, no. It鈥檚 an average dual camera phone, with good photos in daylight conditions, adequate photos in low light conditions and鈥 below average videos. It offers however excellent battery consumption, good performance for the average Android user and quite impressive build quality.I loved the display, some of its usability features, its battery performance and of course the price tag, especially when compared to its basic specs. If you’re in the market for an affordable 4GB RAM/64GB ROM, dual camera smartphone with impressive display and great build quality then the Leagoo T5 should definitely be among your top choices.As some of you may know, Nomu is a company specialized in making rugged phones. Their products range from older style cellphones to the latest smartphones running Android 7.0 Nougat. In the latter category we find the Nomu S30 Mini which we’ll be checking out today in our full review.Nomu S30 Mini SpecificationsProcessorMediatek MTK6737VWT 64bit quad-core 1.5GHzDisplay4.7″ LTPS HDRAM3GBStorage32GB eMMC 閳 microSD鑱絪lotOperating SystemAndroid 7.0 NougatCameras8MP rear camera, 2MP frontBattery3000mAhPhysical Dimensions181g, 144*74*12.6mmNomu S30 Mini UnboxingThe Nomu S30 Mini comes in a very simple packaging; inside the beige colored box we find the smartphone, a micro USB cable for charging and data transferring, and a power adapter with EU plug, in my case.Nomu S30 Mini Design and Build QualityAfter having reviewed the Blackview BV8000 Pro鑱絯hich is a monster both in his size and specs, I must say I prefer the path Nomu has taken. The S30 Mini is indeed much smaller and lighter, and sure you don’t get the same performance, but as you’ll see in the dedicated part of the review, that’s not an issue.So back to the phone itself. Would you believe me if I told you the only thing I didn’t like about the S30 Mini’s design is the placement of the power button and volume rockers? That’s because they’re positioned on the opposite side of where they usually are, so we have the volume rockers on the right side of the phone and the power button on the left.Similarly to that, the micro USB port has been placed on the top of the handset, I don’t understand why they did that as there seems to be enough space in the bottom chin, but so it is.All of that aside, I really like the smartphone, it feels really solid with its plastic and metal construction, it’s light at 181 grams (at least for me) and if you consider that it’s also IP68 rated and shock resistant then it’s not that bad.Nomu S30 Mini DisplayThe display on the Nomu S30 Mini is smaller than I’d like at 4.7-inch, meanwhile HD resolution is more than enough for the size. What bothers me is that the display isn’t as bright as I’d hoped for, this is a rugged phone after all and you’re supposed to use it outside most of the time.Gizchina News of the week Join GizChina on TelegramWell, being honest, compared to other Chinese phones it’s probably right in the average range, so it’s not too bad. You can see the screen even under direct sun light without problems. I just expected too much.Nomu S30 Mini Hardware and PerformanceThe Nomu S30 Mini behaves pretty well under normal load, it’s fluid and I haven’t had any problems this far. It’ll run most apps and light games effortlessly, without struggling.The Mediatek 6737VWT is a relatively good CPU for a smartphone this size and typology 閳 you aren’t getting a rugged phone to play games on it. It scores 34470 points over at AnTuTu and 1385 points on Geekbench. The S30 Mini also features a good 3GB of RAM, once again nothing amazing but I find it the right amount for phone’s category and potential use scenarios. As far as connectivity and GPS goes, great for the first and just “OK” for the second one. The phone works on 4G networks (Band 20 included) and as you’ll see in the screenshot below, speeds are quite good, on the flip side, GPS is somewhat slow and not that accurate. Battery life on the S30 Mini isn’t amazing and you can expect 1 day of autonomy maximum with average use.What surprised me the most about the Nomu S30 Mini (positively) is the speaker at the bottom of the phone. It’s indeed very loud and while sounds tends to degrade at max volume, it’s still remarkable given the phone’s IP68 rating and thus being entirely sealed.Nomu S30 Mini CameraThe camera department has been another good surprise for me. The smartphone doesn’t take amazing photos and they do have some issues, but what’s nice is the speed at which the camera app opens up; it’s the fastest I’ve seen on a Mediatek device, and probably ever as well.Photos quality is average and color reproduction is good, the problem in most images is noise, which is visible even at really low ISO, mostly when there’s sky involved. If you then use HDR image noise spreads even more. Either way, you can check the photos down below and judge yourself! HDR HDR HDR HDR Nomu S30 Mini Gallery Nomu S30 Mini ConclusionI must say the Nomu S30 Mini has been a pleasant surprise; it’s compact, well made and it simply works. If I were to buy a rugged phone as a secondary device, I’d definitely consider getting this one.

I鈥檝e been a champion of bezelless devices long before the Xiaomi Mi Mix came out, and now that I actually have one in my hand, it鈥檚鈥 underwhelming to say the least. It definitely has that wow factor that pretty much all bezelless phones have, but that鈥檚 about it.Maze Alpha ReviewIf the Maze Alpha wasn鈥檛 bezelless, it would be instantly lost in the sea of midrange MediaTek devices sporting a Helio P series chipset, a minimum of 4GB of RAM, and a large battery. However, the bezelless nature of the hardware easily catches the eye of the consumer, and deservedly so, bezelless phones are harder to manufacture.Bezelless?Maze Alpha SpecificationsProcessorMediaTek Helio P25 ProcessorDisplay6″ 1920×1080 IPS LCDRAM4GBStorage64 ROMOperating SystemAndroid 7.0 NougatCameras13MP/5MP, 5MP CameraBattery4000mAhPhysical Dimensions225g, 15.98 x 8.25 x 0.81 cmBig thanks to Gearbest for providing this review unit.Maze Alpha HardwareThe Maze Alpha is not very bezelless. There, I said it. While this phone might look bezelless from afar, the more you use the phone the faster you realize that the side bezels are actually quite large, a far cry from what you find on the Mi Mix or even the Galaxy S8+. However, the top bezel is definitely small compared to normal phones, measuring slightly larger than the side bezels. While the bezels are not small, it does give a “floating screen” effect that is quite entrancing to stare at. The bottom bezel is quite large, housing the fingerprint sensor and the selfie camera.The rest of the phone is non descript, its a rectangular slab of glass and metal, making it very fragile and combined with the size of the phone the Maze Alpha is the epitome of “droppability”.FragileMaze Alpha DisplayThe Maze Alpha’s display is boringly good. Good enough to avoid widespread hate and complaints, but not good enough to wow in any way. Colour saturation is good enough and so is brightness, its easy to see in sunlight.Maze Alpha AudioThe speaker is slightly sub-par. While it outputs decent volume, audio quality lacks in bass and speaker quality overall isn’t crisp. That being said, its still good enough for general use such as movies, TV, and music.Maze Alpha BatteryOne of the biggest surprises here is the battery life. 5 hours of 1080p YouTube playback and an hour of photos, gaming, and news dropped the battery to 38%, making it incredibly difficult to completely kill the phone here. While these numbers still do not match up to Snapdragon 625 devices, they still are more than sufficient for even the heaviest of users.Great battery lifeGizchina News of the week Join GizChina on TelegramMaze Alpha SoftwareMaze still has some work to do to optimize their software well. While they didn’t do a bad job, I still found the user experience to be slower as a whole versus UMiDiGi, Elephone, and Vernee (phones with comparable specs). There seemed to be a microsecond of hesitation on the Maze Alpha not found on the other companies that were just mentioned. This is only Maze’s second phone so they still have time to improve, and I have high hopes for now. The 4GB of RAM makes multitasking a breeze, however, the bottleneck is still the processor, not the RAM.I could play all games with no problem, and the fingerprint sensor works as well but not very fast or accurately. The sensor feels as slow as an entry-level device, and just about as inaccurate as well.Maze Alpha ConnectivityThe Maze Alpha has one of the highest 4G speeds I’ve seen on a device which is impressive, with reception being slightly less stellar. I found Bluetooth and GPS reception to both be rather average.WiFi fails to impress, with WiFi speeds being聽sufficient until you move 12 feet away from the router, where WiFi speeds seem to drop to dial-up speeds. Any sort of solid door decreases range even further.Maze Alpha CameraThe photos here are not the greatest quality, but I think Maze did a stellar job hiding that fact at times. Macro shots (close up shots) actually look very nice, until you blow it up on a larger screen where you start seeing quite a bit of background noise and oversharpening. Normal shots fare less well, with average detail and unflatteringly oversaturated shots. Moving objects prove a challenge for the Maze to capture, resulting in mostly blurry shots. Low light yields mostly unusable photos.The front facing camera requires you to flip the phone around to take a photo although you can take a photo right side up, that results in a rather Dell XPS 13 ‘esque webcam angle.The video tops out at 1080p and detail is not present, it’s challenging to take good video with this phone.Maze Alpha Camera Gallery Maze Alpha VerdictThe Maze Alpha is a rather average midrange MediaTek device with no bezels and fails to impress. If this phone wasn’t bezelless, I have no doubt this device would have fallen by the wayside rather quickly with many other better midrange devices to choose from. However, midrange bezelless devices (and bezelless devices in general) are few and far between, and if you want to get in on the bezelless craze, this is one of the only two options so far. If you do buy this because of the bezels, this is a rather average and uninspiring midrange device that will get the job done, but not well. Buy the Maze AlphaAn average phone with some bezelsMaze Alpha Video ReviewI guess there鈥檚 no doubt, that one of the most popular trends in smartphones for 2017 is the tri-bezel less design that Xiaomi Mi Mix first introduced in the market and most manufacturers quickly followed with their own creations – even though most of them were simply clones of the prototype. One of these clones managed to fall into our lap during the past couple of days and we got the chance to play with it and share our experiences. Meet Doogee Mix guys, a budget Mi MIX clone that comes with impressive specs (6GB RAM, 64GB ROM, Helio P25 SoC) but a decent price as you may notice: 179,99$ at the time this review was posted.Doogee promotes this model as one of the most impressive dual camera/bezel less smartphones and has serious expectations from its performance in the mid-range market. So how does this affordable dual camera model fare at the end of the day? What are its best attributes and where could we see it鈥 do a bit better?Let鈥檚 have a look at this Doogee Mix review.More than enough ram, great displayDoogee Mix 鈥 Technical specificationsCPU 鈥 Octa-Core 4x 2.5 GHz ARM Cortex-A53+ 4x 1.4 GHz ARM Cortex-A53Chipset 鈥 MediaTek Helio P25 MT6757TGPU 鈥 ARM Mali-T880 MP2, 850 MHz, 4-CoresCamera 鈥 16 Megapixels + 8 Megapixels聽Dual-LED and AF Dual Rear Camera | 5 Megapixel Front cameraMemory 鈥 RAM- 6GB | ROM 64GB External Memory Support up to 128GB (Uses SIM 2 Slot)Display 鈥 Screen size 5.5 inches Super AMOLED HD (1280脳720 Pixels)Battery 鈥 Non-Removable 3,380 mAh Lithium-PolymerSIM 鈥 Hybrid Dual SIM (Nano+ Nano/microSD)Sensors -Proximity Sensor, Accelerometer, Ambient Light, Compass, FingerprintOperating System 鈥 Android 7 NougatI/O Interface 鈥 1 x Nano SIM Card Slot, 1 x Nano SIM Card Slot or microSD/TF Card Slot, Micro USB Port, 3.5mm Audio Out Port, Power Button, Volume Button, Microphone, SpeakerDimensions 鈥 144 x 76.2 x 8 mmWeight 鈥 193 Grams (With Battery)More Feature 鈥 Aluminium Alloy Metal Body Design, LTE Cat 6 300 Mbps Download, 50 Mbps Upload, HSUPA 5.76 Mbps Upload, HSDPA 21 Mbps Download, EV-DO Rev.A (3.1 Mbps Download, 1.8 Mbps Upload), Computer Sync, Infrared, OTA Sync, Tethering, VoLTE Support, 2.5D Curved Glass Screen, Infrared, 3 Bezel-Less Design, Power Saving Mode, Fast Charging Technology.Doogee Mix review: Design and general appearanceI have to be honest, I really liked the basic design of the Doogee Mix. The phone is available in 2 color variants which are mainly: Black聽and Blue. It surely looks impressive however thanks to its metallic/glass build and its general design that allows for excellent grip and usability. Note that the back side of the device is made out of glass with some parts plastic which improves its durability and enhances the whole 鈥渁ppearance鈥 factor.One of its unique selling points is 鈥渂ezel-less,鈥 but in actual fact, there is a tiny bezel of 2.5mm around it. The one that makes the difference is the tiny top bezel which extends the display all the way to the top, leaving just a small gap for the聽speaker.聽There鈥檚 also a front facing camera placed at the bottom bezel, along with a home button (no it cannot be pressed) and a fingerprint scanner embedded there.聽The fingerprint scanner is quite decent for what it’s worth.聽 It can unlock the phone in less than 0.1 second with almost 97% success rate. It can basically store up to 5 different fingerprints and can recognize them all from 360 degrees, something that鈥檚 a standard nowadays.Unfortunately the one button you will find placed below the display doesn鈥檛 function as a “Home button” by default, though it can be configured to perform actions like Go Back, go to Home, or launch Recent list with a single tap or press and hold. It doesn鈥檛 have any capacitive buttons beside the fingerprint sensor, so there is some wasted space at the bottom area. So, if you’re looking for the 3 Android soft-keys you will find them at the bottom of the display, inside the menus.One thing about the selfie camera though: in order to use it you can聽rotate the phone 180 degrees and use it upside down. (The聽camera聽orientation will adjust accordingly.)Don鈥檛 know about you, but I am a fan of tri-bezel less smartphones because I enjoy the available screen size whenever I can. So the device comes with a really impressive 5,5 inch Super AMOLED display with 2.5D glass and HD resolution with decent luminosity during those sunny days here in Southern Europe, along with Gorilla Glass 5 protection (same as the back side) for those of you who prefer to use it with no screen protectors.The colors of the display may be rather saturated, but the images are crisp, with good viewing angles and a fully responsive panel if I may add.聽All in all a decent display 鈥 especially for a smartphone on this price range.聽if you have a good look at the back side of the Doogee Mix then you will see that it comes with a dual camera – a setup聽pretty common in聽phones聽nowadays with the goal of helping you take better photos. There’s also a micro USB port placed at the bottom, along with speaker grilles and a 3.5mm audio jack on top.Hardware & PerformanceIn terms of performance, the massive 6GB of聽RAM聽really makes a difference. I opened many apps, switched between them, watched videos, played a game (GT聽Racing聽2) and the performance is buttery smooth. Nothing felt sluggish, and there was no lag at all. It offers a rather impressive user experience with minimal lags and excellent multi-tasking (thanks to 6GB of RAM of course), enabling users to keep several applications open in the background with no significant impact on its everyday performance. Oh and if you鈥檙e into checking benchmark results, this Doogee model scored 59901 points in AntuTu but had really average GPS reception. I didn鈥檛 have any issues with GPS related apps but it uses only a handful of the available satellites every time. It could be connected to more I guess, in order to offer even better results when scanning for our location.Gizchina News of the week Join GizChina on Telegram Thankfully the聽battery聽life is great. On normal usage (reading emails, watching videos, surfing the Web, listening to music), I can easily get a day and a half (a whopping thirty-six hours) of usage for each charge. For聽streaming聽videos at full brightness and volume, it can last for eight hours. Depending on your usage, it will have no problem lasting for a full day. It comes with a quick-charge feature as well. It charged my聽battery聽from 20% to 60% in twenty minutes. A full charge will take about one hour.One thing that is glaringly missing from the phone is the notification聽LED聽light. There is none, and it almost made me crazy. For all the聽phones聽that I have been using, I depend heavily on the notification聽LED聽to inform me of any reminders and incoming alerts and messages. This should be a聽must-have聽feature in any聽smartphone聽in 2017.Doogee Mix review: Android software and UI performanceThe Doogee Mix runs on Android 7.0 Nougat equipped with a custom launcher that offers huge possibilities with theme support, hundreds of lockscreens/wallpapers etc. However it’s a bit laggy and buggy so it will need a bit of patience to use it in its full extend. Obviously you can always change it with something more powerful like Nova launcher, Pixel launcher or any other you prefer. In any case, the Android 7.0 gives you more control on the smartphone and also lets you customize the phone just like any other Nougat based device. There are a few custom apps pre-installed in the phone, like DG Xender for transferring files between devices without Internet connection and Parallel Space for you to connect two profiles of the same app. They can be easily uninstalled if you have no intention of using them. Thankfully there is no bloatware or other unnecessary apps inside, it supports all the classic Nougat features and it also has a News Section if you swipe left that brings up news in your own language with decent performance. It’s not editable however so you cannot really choose what type of news to see etc. Other customization options include Float gesture, which is a floating ball that opens a radial view for you to quickly access various modes. I don鈥檛 find this useful, as it doesn鈥檛 allow me to customize the control items in the list.聽There is also the One Hand FloatView where you can swipe in from the bottom right corner to reveal a floating list. Once again, I don鈥檛 find this useful as it often takes a number of tries to bring up to the screen.Dual camera/Selfie camera performanceI guess we all know by now that the Doogee Mix comes with a 16.0-megapixel main camera along and an 8.0-megapixel camera and a LED flash with generally acceptable photos as you can see for yourselves. On paper, the 16MP + 8MP dual聽camera聽on the back of the聽camera聽seems like a great setup.View more Doogee Mix camera samples here (Flickr)The fact is it doesn鈥檛 translate to great photos. It can take decent photos, but they are generally whitewashed. Even with HDR mode, the quality of the photos is not any better.Note that one camera is used for creating the bokeh effect and other will capture the image with quite impressive portrait photos and decent performance in low light conditions.GOOD PHOTOS, AVERAGE VIDEOS but there’s potential!Both cameras have independent vision processing unit, which enables background blurring in real time. It also allows you to choose where to focus (touch focus) and where to blur, with the ability to adjust the intensity of blurring, too. As we foretold you, the Doogee Mix comes with a 5MP selfie camera and a soft light that illuminates the background in order to capture the image and create bokeh effects there as well.Battery consumptionThe Doogee Mix is equipped with a 3380mAh battery but numbers don鈥檛 mean anything in this situation. The device comes with an energy efficient processor and in general performs well providing more than a full day鈥檚 usage with no problems and works great in cooperation with the Android Nougat interface in order to block access to battery “hungry” apps, reduce energy consumption when possible and all those little things that make our lives easier when using a smartphone.You will be satisfied with the battery performance of the Doogee Mix, that’s for sure. If you’re a heavy duty user then you can safely expect a little over 26 hours of battery life, but depending the way you use it you can easily get up to 2 days of usage 馃檪Conclusion 鈥 So what about it?ALL IN ALL, A DECENT mi mix clone鈥?/p>I really enjoyed this small beauty from Doogee. It鈥檚 not featured as the super wow dual camera phone that everyone should buy, but as a budget Mi MIX clone with really impressive specs – given its current price tag of course which is 179.99$. It鈥檚 a decent dual camera phone, with acceptable photos in daylight conditions, average photos in low light conditions and鈥 average (shaky) videos. It offers however excellent battery consumption, good performance for an avid Android user and decent build quality.

【ca莽a nique】bigwin Jogabilidade

While the old adage 鈥淧ractice makes Perfect鈥 might have been corrected to something more like 鈥淧ractice makes Permanent鈥? the spirit of that quote still applies to what Xiaomi is trying to do with their phones.Xiaomi Mi5X ReviewXiaomi has had lots of opportunities to create phones with the Snapdragon 625. This is their fourth phone so far with the same chipset and many of us were hoping for a chipset upgrade to the Snapdragon 660 or even the small step up to the Snapdragon 630. The Mi 5X doesn鈥檛 seem to offer anything the other Xiaomi devices offer except for a dual camera setup, and we鈥檒l see whether that alone is enough of a differentiating factor.The Mi 5X doesn鈥檛 seem to offer anything the other Xiaomi devices offer except for a dual camera setup, and we鈥檒l see whether that alone is enough of a differentiating factor.Practice makes perfect?Xiaomi Mi5X SpecificationsProcessorSnapdragon 625 OctacoreDisplay5.5″ LTPS FHD DisplayRAM4GBStorage64 ROMOperating SystemAndroid 7.0 NougatCameras12MP/12MP, 5MPBattery3080mAhPhysical Dimensions165g, 15.54 x 7.58 x 0.73 cmBig thanks to Gearbest for providing this review unit.Xiaomi Mi5X HardwareWith the release of the battery sipping Snapdragon 625, Xiaomi has seen fit to pack in a smaller battery to keep the girth of the Mi5X to a respectable 7.3mm. The slim profile of the Mi5X and its generous curves make this 5.5鈥 phone very easy to hold, very close to winning me over from a 5鈥 device. This device shares the same aesthetics as what you would find on the Oneplus 5 and it looks fine, from the back at least. On the front, we see regular sized bezels unfortunately and a black bar running around the entire screen that is mostly invisible on the black model as it blends in. The camera module on the back sticks out very slightly but it does have a metal lip guarding the glass.A nice looking phoneXiaomi Mi5X DisplayXiaomi has introduced a very colourful LCD display into the Mi5x which definitely looks good. Colours are deep and saturated while still being fairly accurate and the resolution definitely helps. The maximum brightness makes the screen easily viewable even in direct sunlight which is something some other devices have trouble with. I do have two complaints, first the white version of this phone has a visible black bar that is admittedly shrunk from previous Xiaomi versions, but it鈥檚 still visible. The second complaint is the lack of Gorilla Glass which is a big omission in my opinion.Xiaomi Mi5X AudioThe single audio speaker punches above its weight class, but compare it to dual speaker heavyweights and it doesn鈥檛 do as well. It鈥檚 very loud, no issues with volume, and speaker quality is not bad, it outputs some bass and rather clear mids and highs. It falls far behind dual speakers as mentioned before.Xiaomi Mi5X BatteryAlthough I鈥檓 disappointed with the reduction in battery capacity, the 3000mAh battery combined with the Snapdragon 625 still outputs above Redmi 3 levels of battery life. I was able to easily get over 6 hours of screen on time with 20% left, consisting mostly of YouTube streaming, a lot of taking photos and reading news. Charging the phone with a QuickCharge power brick takes around about an hour and a half to charge. This will satisfy heavy users, but those who are Redmi Note 4 enthusiasts like me will not.Charging the phone with a QuickCharge power brick takes around about an hour and a half to charge. This will satisfy heavy users, but those who are Redmi Note 4 enthusiasts like me will not.Good battery lifeXiaomi Mi5X SoftwareWith a Snapdragon 625 processor pushing Android 7.0 Nougat, I know exactly what to expect from the performance here, and surprise surprise, it鈥檚 the exact same as the Xiaomi Mi Max 2. Navigating MIUI9 is quite smooth, Xiaomi has done a good job continually improving their skin, but launching apps is where you start to see the Snapdragon 625 bottleneck the process.Gizchina News of the week Join GizChina on TelegramCompared to my time with the OnePlus 5, the Mi5X feels slow in comparison, with a delay of anywhere between half a second to a full second between tapping the screen and the app fully launching. 4GB of RAM keeps multitasking very easy even on the heavy MIUI9 skin. Gaming performance is good, all the most intense games playing at good framerates, some of them I had to bump down settings, but they ran well after that. The last thing I want to mention is the fingerprint sensor and its again one of the fastest sensors I鈥檝e used, slightly slower than the Oneplus 5 but not by much. Accuracy though is less accurate than what I鈥檓 used to and less accurate than the Mi Max 2 also.The last thing I want to mention is the fingerprint sensor and its again one of the fastest sensors I鈥檝e used, slightly slower than the Oneplus 5 but not by much. Accuracy though is less accurate than what I鈥檓 used to and less accurate than the Mi Max 2 also.Xiaomi Mi5X ConnectivityConnectivity here is good, I am able to get LTE speeds on this phone and reception is excellent also. I got great speeds that also ate up my data at a horrifying rate. WiFi reception is excellent, giving me great speeds even outside my house from my wireless AC router. Bluetooth works fine, GPS gets locks quickly also.Xiaomi Mi5X CameraI hesitate to say that the dual camera setup here is a marketing gimmick, as the Bokeh mode actually works quite well. As long as your subject doesn鈥檛 move, the camera adds Bokeh to the background in a nice, natural way. However, a moving subject will blur the photo completely. Exiting Bokeh mode and into normal mode, the camera takes some great macro shots, colour and detail being very well balanced and pleasing to the eye. Non-macro shots show off less detail and less colour saturation but are still not bad. Again, this camera is not good at taking photos of moving subjects.HDR mode here is not as good as I expected it to be. To be fair, the last Xiaomi phone I tested was the Mi Max 2 and that is an unfair comparison as that phone costs a lot more. However, HDR mode doesn鈥檛 improve the photo all the time, low contrast shots get washed out by the HDR while high contrast photos are vastly improved; Xiaomi has some work to do with the HDR here. Low light performance is still not Xiaomi鈥檚 strong suit, with photos coming out soft and noisy even in situations that are not considered 鈥渆xtreme鈥 low light. The front facing camera is 5MP and really not good, and I do have a working theory as to why Xiaomi refuses to improve the quality of the camera, but I want to flesh this idea out a little more before sharing it with you. Video quality is nothing to write home about either, it shoots in 4K, but the stock camera app will switch the recording resolution back to 1080p whenever you exit the camera app, forcing you to change to 4K whenever you want to shoot some video. The resulting 4K footage captures quite a lot of detail and colour reproduction is also good,Video quality is nothing to write home about either, it shoots in 4K, but the stock camera app will switch the recording resolution back to 1080p whenever you exit the camera app, forcing you to change to 4K whenever you want to shoot some video. The resulting 4K footage captures quite a lot of detail and colour reproduction is also good, however, there is a lot of artifacting in the video especially when you move the phone. There is one more caveat to the video, and there are autofocusing issues, the autofocus tries hunting every 10 seconds or so if you move your camera, the only way to avoid excessive hunting is to keep the camera still. In addition, the camera will occasionally focus on an excessively bright or excessively dark area and will overcompensate accordingly, resulting in blown out video.Xiaomi Mi5X Camera Gallery Xiaomi Mi5X VerdictSo does practice indeed make perfect? In the case of the Mi 5X, no. While the Mi 5X is a decent phone overall, it struggles to find a spot in Xiaomi鈥檚 arsenal of Snapdragon 625 phones. The incredibly similar Redmi Note 4X costs less than the Mi 5X,The incredibly similar Redmi Note 4X costs less than the Mi 5X, however, the Mi 5X does have one big advantage over the Note 4X, and that would be aesthetics. The Mi 5X does look a lot better than the Redmi Note 4X and while it might resemble the iPhone and the Oneplus 5, that鈥檚 not a bad thing. Buy the Xiaomi Mi5Xnowhere to squeeze this inXiaomi Mi5X Video ReviewWireless audio is nothing new, nor is ‘good’ wireless audio. However, getting both of these qualities in one single product is often hard to achieve.We’ve seen tonnes of wireless audio gadgets from China — we’ve also done a list of the best Apple AirPods alternatives — out of which, most have, on an average, been sufficiently good.However, if there’s still a market that’s rather unexplored, that of quality stereo Bluetooth earphones that sound good, and just… work.And that’s where Air by crazybaby attempts to hit jackpot. Lets have a look in this review to see just how far it gets.There happen to be a lot of market segments, mostly extremely price-sensitive, where the packaging and presentation doesn’t really hold much value. Air by crazybaby, certainly, doesn’t happen to fall in that category.What you’ll also be happy to find is that the gadget comes pretty nicely packed in a nice and small retail box. Inside, you find a very interesting-looking metal ‘capsule’ containing the business material including some other extras like earplug tips, literature, etc. stuffed on the bottom side of the box.In more ways than one, the experience of unboxing — and for the most part, using — Air by crazybaby remind you of using an Apple product. What’s appreciable is that they’ve managed to achieve similar levels of satisfaction without explicitly ripping Apple’s designs off.Coming to the technical side of it, the capsule also serves as a ‘power reserve’ besides being a fancy, handy storage box.These earphones are probably the most comfortable fit I’ve ever used. It’s certainly way more easy to use than a pair of IEMs, which don’t really go well with me. crazybaby also offer a ‘leash’ for people who are paranoid about losing/damaging the earbuds, which should be really hard to do in my opinion.As for the music quality, the buds offer a surprisingly rich sound. By ‘rich’ I don’t refer to bass-heavy sound, but instead something that sounds extremely natural and yes, with enough bass. I’ll be honest (while certainly attempting to not sound like I’m trying to sell these buds) in saying that I prefer the sound of these buds over a lot of wired earphones I’ve owned in the past, including some really expensive ones.I’m told the earbuds come with “0.20閳 (5.2 mm) Custom-made Hi-Fidelity MicroDrivers” which deliver the sound that I’ve come to love. Also, I’m pretty sure the buds required little or no ‘burn in’ to sound the way they do now.Gizchina News of the week Join GizChina on TelegramAccording to the tech spec of the product, Air by crazybaby also come with passive noise cancelation. And doesn’t it work well! Just to ensure I was right about it, I made a few others use the pair of earphones to check of the noise cancelation, and pretty much everyone had the same sentiment about the feature — it worked really well.The earbuds also come with a mic on them, which lets you take calls without having to shift to your phone. However, in my usage, the mic has been rather poor. I’ve had to switch to my phone in between calls, which isn’t the most convenient thing to do. For some reason, the earbuds’ built-in mic doesn’t catch voice well enough, which makes it pretty unusable for me during calls.Battery life on these buds has been very satisfactory too. According to the factory, you can get around 3 hours (music)/4 hours (talktime) on a single charge. On the other hand, the innovative battery capsule storage unit will afford you another 8-9 hours of usage. In my usage, I’ve been able to independently verify that the 3 hours claim is very well true, while it’s a bit difficult measuring 12+ hours with the capsule.In my opinion, the idea to have a ‘reservoir’ battery is a huge hit. We’re pretty much always using our gadgets these days, and it makes sense to extend the battery life of a gadget, albeit at the expense of longevity (I’m not even sure if that’s the case here, but let’s assume it in the worst case).Connectivity has been pretty good, but not as good as the rest of the package. The earbuds are really simple to use — you can press and hold the button on the back of the buds to turn them on and then they’re immediately available to pair. However, for some reason, the earbuds won’t work with my MacBook Pro. I’ve used them with a few other phones, and they work more or less flawlessly.There’s just this little stutter I hear on the right earbud at times, I’m guessing which happens only when the battery is low. These are the only two gripes I have with the connectivity part of Air by crazybaby. Air by crazybaby come with a retail price tag of $169 (I think they’re $30 a bit too steep at that). For the unaware, the gadget started as a crowdfunded project, which raised a total of $2,761,399 by the end of 2016… which is a lot of money. However, it’s nice to see the company deliver and in a rather satisfactory manner.You can learn more about Air by crazybaby here, where you’ll also find info on how you can purchase some for yourself.

The Elephone P8 Mini turned out to be an incredibly solid phone for its price, and we see the full size Elephone P8 take a step up in terms of specifications, performance, and price.Elephone P8 ReviewSpecifications wise, Elephone seems to have stuffed quite a few standout specs here, 6GB of RAM, 21MP back camera, 16MP front camera. It is accompanied by the Helio P25 processor and a moderately sized 3600mAh battery, lets see how good a job Elephone has done.6GB RAM, 21MP CameraElephone P8 SpecificationsProcessorHelio P25 Octa CoreDisplay5.5″ in-cell FHD DisplayRAM6GBStorage64 eMMCOperating SystemAndroid 7.0 NougatCameras21MP/16MPBattery3600mAhPhysical Dimensions186g, 15.39 x 7.55 x 0.95 cmBig thanks to Elephone for providing this review unit. You can buy one here.Elephone P8 HardwareIt has become common at this price point for Chinese phones to have great build quality, and the Elephone P8 is no exception. The body is finely machined, well crafted, and has some heft to it. My favourite thing about the body is the inclusion of the alert slider, a hardware key to move your phone into silent mode is truly reassuring, probably one of the reasons why Apple is one of the only companies to include one on every single phone they have produced. Elephone claims a 0.9mm side bezel which technically is true, but measured to the outside casing of the phone and it comes in a lot closer to 3mm, not thin by any means.I do have a couple of minor complaints, well I think it clocks in a lot closer to numerous. So first, the SIM tray can be heard rattling if you move the phone too fast, and while a hefty phone can add to a high quality feel, its a bit too heavy in my books. Next, the phone is also very thick considering whats inside the phone, I would understand if it was packing a massive battery, but it isnt. They cant even use the excuse of the high megapixel camera because the module is sticking out!There are also no capacitive buttons beside the home button, a perfect example of wasted space as those areas do nothing. It also utilizes a microUSB port instead of a USB-C port also. The last pet peeve of mine is the protrusion of the camera module on the back. It doesnt have a metal lip protecting the lens, and so you have to be extra careful when placing the phone on a surface.Large, quite largeElephone P8 DisplayA 1080p screen graces the front of the phone and while it definitely looks good for an LCD, it still pales (literally) in comparison to an AMOLED which easily show off vivid and saturated colours. That being said, the LCD display here shows off some very nice colours for an LCD, not many people will find items to complain about. Max brightness makes it relatively easy to see in direct sunlight. Touch response is responsive, but the screen has a tendency to mistake scrolls for taps, resulting in quite a few mistaps along the way. I dont know if this is a hardware or software issue (I hope its software for our sakes) but I hope Elephone can find a way to fix it.Elephone P8 AudioAudio quality here is about average, and volume is as well. There isnt anything particular spectacular or horrible about the speakers here.Elephone P8 BatteryThe 3600mAh battery is confusing. I obtained 3 hours of screen on time one day and then 8 hours the next. Both these days consisted of very heavy Youtube playback, so not light use by any means. However, battery life has started to stabilize in the direction of the 8 hours of screen on time, so I do believe that battery life should be good. That being said, take this section with a grain of salt.EDIT (August 08, 2017): Battery life seems to have settled in a lot better, I’m getting a consistent 6 hours of screen on time pretty easily with this phone. I occasionally hit 7 hours, but that’s cutting it pretty close.Good battery lifeElephone P8 SoftwareAndroid 7.0 is optimized moderately well on this device, with the stock launcher feeling very smooth, Google Launcher less so. What Im impressed with is how well they optimized the performance on the Elephone P8. Launching apps on the Elephone P8 is significantly faster than the UMiDiGi Z1 Pro which features the same processor and RAM. In fact, the Elephone P8 can battle effectively against the Redmi Note 4s Snapdragon 625 in terms of performance, losing only slightly.With 6GB of RAM, multitasking is not even a question, but 6GB of RAM is also completely overkill. I never went past 4GB, with my normal use barely breaching 3GB. However I will say one thing, turn off memory optimization! This setting causes the phone to automatically clear the RAM every time the screen goes off, the fact that this setting even exists on this phone baffles me. Gaming works fine, I could play every intense game except for Modern Combat, the game here was slightly laggy. The fingerprint sensor is moderately fast and accurate, enough for normal use but eating the dust of the Oneplus 5.Gizchina News of the week Join GizChina on TelegramElephone P8 ConnectivityReception is great, 4G connectivity is quite fast, eating through my data quicker than I would have liked. WiFi reception is OK, but too many walls or doors between the phone and the router and WiFi speeds slow to a crawl. Bluetooth works mostly fine, for some strange reason the volume keys cannot control the volume on my Bluetooth headsets, you have to do it manually. GPS reception is great though, very accurate though it took longer than usual to get the first lock.Elephone P8 CameraThe camera here is one of the most confusing cameras Ive tested, now dont take that in a bad way, the camera is a very interesting mix of good and bad.Lets start with the good; the rear facing 21MP camera is very capable of taking some great photos. Photos have great colour saturation, detail on photos is through the roof where Elephone is concerned, but almost on par with the Redmi Note 4X which is no small feat. In fact, there are certain ideal situations where I do see the Elephone P8s photos blow past the Note 4X overall which is an incredible achievement for Elephone. In addition, the HDR mode here is one of the most well implemented HDR modes Ive seen, easily topping the likes of Ulefone, UMiDigi, Vernee, etc. HDR mode on these chinese phones usually washes out a photo when turned on, leaving the HDR mode mostly useless. However, Elephone has improved vastly in this area. Elephones HDR engine actually took a slightly dark photo and improved it very significantly, giving this photo below a very dramatic look and feel while retaining the colour saturation on each area of the photo. It seems like Elephone has taken a large step in terms of its camera software. Now for the bad. HDR mode still washes out photos sometimes, it washes them out a lot less than other phone manufacturers, but it washes out some of them nonetheless.I also found that more often than not pictures were very slightly out of focus, not noticeable on a phone sized screen, but much more so on a 24 computer screen. With all this being said, these slightly out of focus photos are more than useable on social media. The third and final issue with the rear camera is its tendency to oversaturate colours on occasion. Every few photos or so, the camera takes photos with such bright and saturated colours that would put Instagrams filters to shame. The weird thing is that they dont actually look horrible this way. Yes, I personally prefer the colours in my photos a bit more down to earth, but I must say that these sorts of photos definitely appeal to a certain segment of users.Low light is still not Elephones strong suit. Pictures start coming out soft in poorly lit indoor situations, and noise completely takes over at night or in basements.The front facing camera is a lot more conventional. It is a 16MP snapper with a Samsung sensor and this camera takes rather average photos both in terms of colour reproduction and detail. It is also not a capable low light shooter either.The rear facing camera is capable of shooting in 4K, but the results arent great. 4K video retains good colour saturation but not so with detail. I found the video to look like an interpolated and oversharpened 1080p recording instead of a 4K video recording. You should treat any 4K footage as if its a 1080p video.Elephone P8 Camera Gallery Elephone P8 VerdictThis phone is definitely a little confusing. While Elephone has made great strides where it counts (performance optimization, camera and HDR software), it has also made quite a few small missteps, often in the same area where those large forward strides took place. If we compare any phone to the Xiaomi Redmi Note 4, it almost automatically loses in terms of price to performance, the Elephone P8 included.However, compare it to other phones with similar specifications and we find that the fight is a lot fairer; the Elephone P8 offers infinitely more value than the UMiDigi Z1 Pro. Where it struggles is against the new onslaught of bezelless phones. While I have yet to test one, the Doogee Mix and Maze Alpha offer similar specifications for the same or less money, with the added benefit of being bezelless.Giving this phone a score was actually incredibly difficult when there is so much good intermingled with bad. I tried my best to separate those two and figure out what score it rightfully deserves, but read the review for a full picture. Buy the Elephone P8Forward where it countsElephone P8 Video ReviewThe Elephone P8 Mini turned out to be an incredibly solid phone for its price, and we see the full size Elephone P8 take a step up in terms of specifications, performance, and price.Elephone P8 ReviewSpecifications wise, Elephone seems to have stuffed quite a few standout specs here, 6GB of RAM, 21MP back camera, 16MP front camera. It is accompanied by the Helio P25 processor and a moderately sized 3600mAh battery, lets see how good a job Elephone has done.6GB RAM, 21MP CameraElephone P8 SpecificationsProcessorHelio P25 Octa CoreDisplay5.5″ in-cell FHD DisplayRAM6GBStorage64 eMMCOperating SystemAndroid 7.0 NougatCameras21MP/16MPBattery3600mAhPhysical Dimensions186g, 15.39 x 7.55 x 0.95 cmBig thanks to Elephone for providing this review unit. You can buy one here.Elephone P8 HardwareIt has become common at this price point for Chinese phones to have great build quality, and the Elephone P8 is no exception. The body is finely machined, well crafted, and has some heft to it. My favourite thing about the body is the inclusion of the alert slider, a hardware key to move your phone into silent mode is truly reassuring, probably one of the reasons why Apple is one of the only companies to include one on every single phone they have produced. Elephone claims a 0.9mm side bezel which technically is true, but measured to the outside casing of the phone and it comes in a lot closer to 3mm, not thin by any means.I do have a couple of minor complaints, well I think it clocks in a lot closer to numerous. So first, the SIM tray can be heard rattling if you move the phone too fast, and while a hefty phone can add to a high quality feel, its a bit too heavy in my books. Next, the phone is also very thick considering whats inside the phone, I would understand if it was packing a massive battery, but it isnt. They cant even use the excuse of the high megapixel camera because the module is sticking out!There are also no capacitive buttons beside the home button, a perfect example of wasted space as those areas do nothing. It also utilizes a microUSB port instead of a USB-C port also. The last pet peeve of mine is the protrusion of the camera module on the back. It doesnt have a metal lip protecting the lens, and so you have to be extra careful when placing the phone on a surface.Large, quite largeElephone P8 DisplayA 1080p screen graces the front of the phone and while it definitely looks good for an LCD, it still pales (literally) in comparison to an AMOLED which easily show off vivid and saturated colours. That being said, the LCD display here shows off some very nice colours for an LCD, not many people will find items to complain about. Max brightness makes it relatively easy to see in direct sunlight. Touch response is responsive, but the screen has a tendency to mistake scrolls for taps, resulting in quite a few mistaps along the way. I dont know if this is a hardware or software issue (I hope its software for our sakes) but I hope Elephone can find a way to fix it.Elephone P8 AudioAudio quality here is about average, and volume is as well. There isnt anything particular spectacular or horrible about the speakers here.Elephone P8 BatteryThe 3600mAh battery is confusing. I obtained 3 hours of screen on time one day and then 8 hours the next. Both these days consisted of very heavy Youtube playback, so not light use by any means. However, battery life has started to stabilize in the direction of the 8 hours of screen on time, so I do believe that battery life should be good. That being said, take this section with a grain of salt.EDIT (August 08, 2017): Battery life seems to have settled in a lot better, I’m getting a consistent 6 hours of screen on time pretty easily with this phone. I occasionally hit 7 hours, but that’s cutting it pretty close.Good battery lifeElephone P8 SoftwareAndroid 7.0 is optimized moderately well on this device, with the stock launcher feeling very smooth, Google Launcher less so. What Im impressed with is how well they optimized the performance on the Elephone P8. Launching apps on the Elephone P8 is significantly faster than the UMiDiGi Z1 Pro which features the same processor and RAM. In fact, the Elephone P8 can battle effectively against the Redmi Note 4s Snapdragon 625 in terms of performance, losing only slightly.With 6GB of RAM, multitasking is not even a question, but 6GB of RAM is also completely overkill. I never went past 4GB, with my normal use barely breaching 3GB. However I will say one thing, turn off memory optimization! This setting causes the phone to automatically clear the RAM every time the screen goes off, the fact that this setting even exists on this phone baffles me. Gaming works fine, I could play every intense game except for Modern Combat, the game here was slightly laggy. The fingerprint sensor is moderately fast and accurate, enough for normal use but eating the dust of the Oneplus 5.Gizchina News of the week Join GizChina on TelegramElephone P8 ConnectivityReception is great, 4G connectivity is quite fast, eating through my data quicker than I would have liked. WiFi reception is OK, but too many walls or doors between the phone and the router and WiFi speeds slow to a crawl. Bluetooth works mostly fine, for some strange reason the volume keys cannot control the volume on my Bluetooth headsets, you have to do it manually. GPS reception is great though, very accurate though it took longer than usual to get the first lock.Elephone P8 CameraThe camera here is one of the most confusing cameras Ive tested, now dont take that in a bad way, the camera is a very interesting mix of good and bad.Lets start with the good; the rear facing 21MP camera is very capable of taking some great photos. Photos have great colour saturation, detail on photos is through the roof where Elephone is concerned, but almost on par with the Redmi Note 4X which is no small feat. In fact, there are certain ideal situations where I do see the Elephone P8s photos blow past the Note 4X overall which is an incredible achievement for Elephone. In addition, the HDR mode here is one of the most well implemented HDR modes Ive seen, easily topping the likes of Ulefone, UMiDigi, Vernee, etc. HDR mode on these chinese phones usually washes out a photo when turned on, leaving the HDR mode mostly useless. However, Elephone has improved vastly in this area. Elephones HDR engine actually took a slightly dark photo and improved it very significantly, giving this photo below a very dramatic look and feel while retaining the colour saturation on each area of the photo. It seems like Elephone has taken a large step in terms of its camera software. Now for the bad. HDR mode still washes out photos sometimes, it washes them out a lot less than other phone manufacturers, but it washes out some of them nonetheless.I also found that more often than not pictures were very slightly out of focus, not noticeable on a phone sized screen, but much more so on a 24 computer screen. With all this being said, these slightly out of focus photos are more than useable on social media. The third and final issue with the rear camera is its tendency to oversaturate colours on occasion. Every few photos or so, the camera takes photos with such bright and saturated colours that would put Instagrams filters to shame. The weird thing is that they dont actually look horrible this way. Yes, I personally prefer the colours in my photos a bit more down to earth, but I must say that these sorts of photos definitely appeal to a certain segment of users.Low light is still not Elephones strong suit. Pictures start coming out soft in poorly lit indoor situations, and noise completely takes over at night or in basements.The front facing camera is a lot more conventional. It is a 16MP snapper with a Samsung sensor and this camera takes rather average photos both in terms of colour reproduction and detail. It is also not a capable low light shooter either.The rear facing camera is capable of shooting in 4K, but the results arent great. 4K video retains good colour saturation but not so with detail. I found the video to look like an interpolated and oversharpened 1080p recording instead of a 4K video recording. You should treat any 4K footage as if its a 1080p video.Elephone P8 Camera Gallery Elephone P8 VerdictThis phone is definitely a little confusing. While Elephone has made great strides where it counts (performance optimization, camera and HDR software), it has also made quite a few small missteps, often in the same area where those large forward strides took place. If we compare any phone to the Xiaomi Redmi Note 4, it almost automatically loses in terms of price to performance, the Elephone P8 included.However, compare it to other phones with similar specifications and we find that the fight is a lot fairer; the Elephone P8 offers infinitely more value than the UMiDigi Z1 Pro. Where it struggles is against the new onslaught of bezelless phones. While I have yet to test one, the Doogee Mix and Maze Alpha offer similar specifications for the same or less money, with the added benefit of being bezelless.Giving this phone a score was actually incredibly difficult when there is so much good intermingled with bad. I tried my best to separate those two and figure out what score it rightfully deserves, but read the review for a full picture. Buy the Elephone P8Forward where it countsElephone P8 Video ReviewThe Oukitel U11 Plus is Oukitel’s latest offering in the sub $150 segment. Standing tall like a phablet should, the U11 Plus made its debut in the month of May this year. Priced at $149.99, the U11 Plus is one of the cheapest phablets on the market. It’s been a few weeks since I have been using the U11 Plus. How did it fare in the day to day tasks, let’s find out!Oukitel U11 Plus SpecificationsProcessorOcta core MediaTek [email protected] inch, IPS LCD, 1080p resolution, 377 PPI, multi-touch, capacitiveRAM4GBStorage64GB eMMC 閳 microSD鑱絪lotOperating SystemAndroid 7.0 NougatPrimary Camera13MP interpolated to 16MP with LED flash and AFSecondary Camera13MP interpolated to 16MP with LED flashBattery3700mAhPhysical Dimensions153g,鑱?51 mm x 51.3 mm x 7.3 mmConnectivity2G/3G/4G, Bluetooth,鑱絎i-Fi 802.11 b/g/n,鑱紸-GPS, GLONASS, micro usb 2.0Oukitel U11 Plus UnboxingThe Oukitel U11 Plus comes in a very elegant dark blue colored box with Oukitel branding on the front. As you open the box, the first thing you see is the U11 Plus sitting on top. Inside the box are the standard accessories, sim ejector pin, USB cable and an AC adapter. There were no headphones included in the unit we received. Other things included in the package is the instruction manual and the warranty card. Also included is a soft clear case for the U11 Plus.Oukitel U11 Plus Design and Build QualityThe U11 Plus might not look it, but is quite a big phone. The screen stands at 5.7 inches, making it fall in the phablet category. In the front, the selfie shooter sits on the top right corner with the LED flash on its left. Along with the sensors, there’s also a LED notification light that blinks for calls and texts, a feature sometimes much more utilitarian than an ambient display. The bezels on this one are pretty sleek. The rear is textured plastic, much like the rings on our fingerprints, with the centre converging at the fingerprint sensor. The fingerprint sensor is easy to access even with one hand considering the size of the phone. It isn’t the fastest on the market, but gets the job done. What I loved the most are the buttons. They are made of metal and have a satisfying click when pressed. Plus points to Oukitel for this.Above the fingerprint sensor lies the rear camera with the LED flash. The phone has a pretty solid build thanks to the metal mid frame. On the top lies the 3.5mm headphone jack and on the bottom, speaker grills, although only one serves the purpose of the speaker with the micro USB port in the center. The USB port is buried deep inside the mid frame. It is for this reason that the USB cable supplied with the phone has a longer connector. So if you lose the cable, you might have a tough time charging your device.All in all, the phone feels solid, albeit heavy. The build quality is solid. It does not feel like it is made out of cheap materials. The strong mid frame and the minimal use of plastic is very much appreciated.Gizchina News of the week Join GizChina on TelegramOukitel U11 Plus DisplayThe display on the U11 Plus is a 5.7 inch 1080p panel. And it does justice to the resolution. The screen is visible in outdoor conditions, although it could have been a bit brighter. A pixel density of 377ppi ensures a sharpness in the display. It has good viewing angles and thanks to the size, watching videos is a delight. The colors do seem to be a bit on the warmer side, but you can tweak them via the display settings. Overall, the display does what’s required of it and delivers.U11 Plus running Google Now LauncherOukitel U11 Plus Hardware and PerformanceThe U11 Plus is powered by the MediaTek MTK6570T, an octa core chipset with 4 ARM Cortex-A53 cores clocked at 1.5GHz and 4 ARM CORTEX-A53 cores clocked at 1.0GHZ. On the GPU front, the chipset has the Mali-T860 MP2 clocked at 520MHz. The U11 has 4GB of RAM, a pretty standard/flagship amount for any smartphone of 2017. So multitasking is not a problem. On the storage front, the smartphone comes with 64GB of onboard storage which is expandable up to 128GB via microSD card. The phone is not the fastest, but it’s not the slowest either. It’ll get you through any day to day task with ease. Zipping through apps, streaming videos, editing documents are a delight thanks to the large display, which also means that you’ll seldom find yourself using this phone with one hand. The phone runs Android 7.0 Nougat. It scored around 44592 on AnTuTu whereas it scored 2026 on the multi core test and 613 on the single core test on Geekbench 4.The U11 Plus has the usual suite of connectivity options. I did not experience any call drops and the call quality was clear, fulfilling the basic requirement of any phone. The phone has 4G but no VOLTE. GPS is accurate with fast enough locking. The phone has a loudspeaker on the bottom grill which loud enough and does not break at high volumes.The U11 Plus is fueled by a 3700mAh battery which gets you through a day of moderate usage easy. It takes about 2-2.5 hours to charge to full and on heavy usage needs a charge on the night.Oukitel U11 Plus CameraThe rear as well as the front sport the OV AR1335 13MP sensor which is interpolated to 16MP. Both the front and the back feature LED flash, with the back having a dual tone configuration. The rear camera is able to take sharp photos, albeit at the expense of being a little slow on the shutter speed. The camera works well in daylight and falters in low light conditions, something all the phones in the price range and higher suffer from. This is definitely not a camera phone. The photos can sometimes be noisy, but if you get around to using the camera, you can snap some pretty decent pictures. The front camera tells the same story. The rear camera is able to shoot videos in 1080p whereas the front camera has a limited resolution of 720p.Checkout the gallery to get a better idea of how the phone camera fares. Oukitel U11 Plus VerdictThe UMiDiGi Z1 Pro is the newest phone from UMi with lower specifications than the UMiDiGi Z Pro and here are my first impressions.UMiDiGi Z1 Pro SpecificationsProcessorMTK6757 Octacore ProcessorDisplay5.5″ 1080p IPS LCDRAM6GBStorage64 eMMCOperating SystemAndroid 7.0 NougatCameras13MP/5MP Camera, 5MP FrontBattery4000mAhPhysical Dimensions148g, 15.44 x 7.51 x 0.70 cmBig thanks to UMiDiGi for providing this review unit. You can buy one here.UMiDiGi Z1 Pro UnboxingThe unboxing experience is a different, the box flips open the same way a phablet phone case does, and the charger and power cable case flip out the other way, a little bit like a transformer transforming. The phone is located right at the bottom which in my opinion is a better idea since it protects the screen. The phone comes with a basic TPU case and a glass screen protector.Gizchina News of the week Join GizChina on TelegramUMiDiGi Z1 Pro Hands OnThe phone itself is very similar to the previous UMiDiGi phones, similar design and metal, however it for some reason feels less high quality than the Z Pro (thinner metal maybe or just placebo?). The red colour is gorgeous, chilli red and catches your attention. Using it in a case is most likely the right choice, but man does it look great without. Size wise its not small for a 5.5″ phone but its relatively thin.UMiDiGi Z1 Pro First ImpressionsI setup the phone very quickly and played around with the phone, the screen is very saturated with a very slight purple tint that is more visible on video and photos than in real life. The audio is very loud and OK quality, more bass would be appreciated but its good enough for most things.Video quality is a little strange, with framerate seeming to jump between 30fps to 10fps constantly, giving a slightly jittery effect. I’m seeing if this is a problem with settings before talking more about it.The Blackview BV8000 Pro is probably the first rugged phone to come with the hardware you’d normally find on a mid-range device but encased in a super durable outer shell. This means you can get a proper and smooth Android user experience in pretty much any real life scenario, without the risk of getting your handset damaged.聽This all sounds good on a spec sheet, but how does it actually behave in every day use? Let’s find out in our full review!Blackview BV8000 Pro SpecificationsProcessorMediatek MTK6757 ProcessorDisplay5鈥 Full HDRAM6GBStorage64GB eMMC 鈥 microSD聽slotOperating SystemAndroid 7.0 NougatCameras16MP rear camera, 8MP frontBattery4180mAhPhysical Dimensions243g, 156.2聽x 79.2 x 13.2 mmBlackview BV8000 Pro UnboxingUnboxing the Blackview BV8000 Pro is an experience in and of itself. Being a smartphone out of the ordinary, the accessories you find inside its box are as well. More specifically we’re talking about the tiny screw driver and additional screws they provide you with. In the box you’ll also find an handy micro USB to USB type-C adapter so that you can use an older micro USB charging cable if you have forgotten the USB Type-C one.Micro USB to USB Type-C adapterOther accessories are pretty conventional, we go from the power adapter, to the USB Type-C cable, a pair of earphones and an OTG adapter. Everything neatly arranged in a premium looking聽鈥 at least on the inside聽鈥 package.Blackview BV8000 Pro聽Design &聽Build QualityBuild quality is probably the most important factor in a rugged phone and the BV8000 Pro doesn’t disappoint us, to say the least. The smartphone is really solid thanks to its metal frame and bits around the body, with some plastic parts which make it waterproof, dust proof and almost impossible to break, as we’ve seen in different videos released by the company.I didn’t go as far as throwing my phone to the ground but I’m quite confident it would take the hit like a champ. I did though bring the phone under the shower and, while I know that’s less demanding than completely submerging it under water, it didn’t give me any problems whatsoever; I must say I was actually surprised the smartphone was operable even with some water over the screen.The聽Blackview BV8000 Pro comes with a below-average 5-inch display but the overall footprint of the device is more than that of a 5.5-incher. That’s obviously what makes it so durable but it could bother users with smaller hands, it’s also quite heavy of course, at about 240 grams.Blackview’s smartphone features five total physical buttons, we have the power OFF/ ON button, the two volume rockers, a dedicated camera button and an additional PTT (push to talk) button which can be used to call for help when long pressed. Honestly I wish the buttons were easier to customize as it’s very unlikely I’m going to need the SOS function, plus the dedicated camera button doesn’t start the camera automatically unless you press it for 3 seconds, which is definitely too much. But most of these problems are fixable in a software update so I won’t complain too muchWhat bothers me slightly more is the capacitive touch back button. I’ve read of people saying it doesn’t always register your touch, but I honestly believe that’s not the issue. I think the problem is that the button is slightly offset to the right, that means if you use your muscle memory to go back, you’re probably missing it by few millimeters.Another minor issue I have is the notification LED, which in my opinion is too dim. That might be good at night, but during the day it’s quite hard to notice it if you are outdoors.What I definitely liked is the fingerprint scanner which has been placed on the right side of the device. It’s very accurate with a very high success rate and it never gives you “errors”, it just unlocks the device when it senses the correct fingerprint. This could be a minor security risk, but in a smartphone that can go underwater and get real dirty without worries, you don’t want it to constantly notify you of failed attempts and disable it altogether.As I mentioned in the first impressions a well, you should be aware that not all 3.5mm jack or USB Type-C connectors will plug-in flawlessly, as they’re both very deep because of the shock resistant outer frame. On the plus side, you don’t need any flaps to keep the smartphone waterproof, although the company suggests to dry up both ports before connecting external devices.Gizchina News of the week Join GizChina on TelegramBlackview BV8000 Pro聽DisplayI would rate the display as average. Sure it’s very sharp as it’s a Full HD display in a 5-inch size, but I’d have rather preferred have a brighter display than higher resolution. That said, the display is bright enough to be used out of the house, it’s just not as bright as I would have expected on a smartphone created for outdoors use.Other than that, colors seem to be accurate and viewing angles are quite good as well.Blackview BV8000 Pro聽Hardware & PerformanceThe聽Blackview BV8000 Pro is powered by a MediaTek 6757 also known as Helio P20, so we have enough juice to power through most apps and games. The company also added a whopping 6GB of RAM which some might consider overkill, but you probably aren’t paying much of a difference from a set of 4GB, thus you get two additional GB of RAM which we’re sure Android will find how to use. On the storage side, we have 64GB of internal storage, expandable via microSD to up to 256GB.Overall the smartphone is really snappy and I haven’t seen any slow downs. I got over 61000 score on AnTuTu, 3893 multi-core score on Geekbench and 841 for the single core.聽With the power efficient Helio P25 chip you’re also able to get more than 6 hours of screen on time; the smartphone fully charges in about two hours with the included 9V/2A charger.The “phone” part of the聽Blackview BV8000 Pro is definitely good, calls are clear and loud. GPS and 4G connectivity work perfectly as well, with GPS locking pretty much instantly and with high precision, and 4G sporting band 20 which is quite needed in Europe. The rear speaker on the BV8000 Pro is very loud but it doesn’t sound amazing, still having a loud speaker is a good achievement considering how waterproof phones usually sound.Blackview BV8000 Pro聽Camera聽The Blackview BV8000 Pro comes with a 16MP rear camera sporting F/2.0 aperture which can get some nice photos if you have a bit of patience. That’s because sometimes you might get over exposed photos or that are slightly out of focus, but if you play with the settings then you’ll be able to get better results.In low light situations the camera gets much worse as in many other smartphones in this price range; sharp photos with low noise are out of the way. But then you aren’t going to get night shoots with a rugged phone, are you?Either way, here below are some photo samples; judge for yourself! Blackview BV8000 Pro聽Gallery聽 Blackview BV8000 Pro聽ConclusionFor about $250 the聽Blackview BV8000 Pro is one of the best rugged smartphones you can get out there. It’s powerful, with good battery life and a durability which we haven’t seen on many smartphones, let alone devices with this kind of internal hardware.So, in conclusion, if you were looking for a rugged phone with good performance, there are no major reasons you shouldn’t consider getting the聽Blackview BV8000 Pro. If you don’t need a device this durable, then we’re sure there are better options in the market.The Blackview BV8000 Pro is probably the first rugged phone to come with the hardware you’d normally find on a mid-range device but encased in a super durable outer shell. This means you can get a proper and smooth Android user experience in pretty much any real life scenario, without the risk of getting your handset damaged.聽This all sounds good on a spec sheet, but how does it actually behave in every day use? Let’s find out in our full review!Blackview BV8000 Pro SpecificationsProcessorMediatek MTK6757 ProcessorDisplay5鈥 Full HDRAM6GBStorage64GB eMMC 鈥 microSD聽slotOperating SystemAndroid 7.0 NougatCameras16MP rear camera, 8MP frontBattery4180mAhPhysical Dimensions243g, 156.2聽x 79.2 x 13.2 mmBlackview BV8000 Pro UnboxingUnboxing the Blackview BV8000 Pro is an experience in and of itself. Being a smartphone out of the ordinary, the accessories you find inside its box are as well. More specifically we’re talking about the tiny screw driver and additional screws they provide you with. In the box you’ll also find an handy micro USB to USB type-C adapter so that you can use an older micro USB charging cable if you have forgotten the USB Type-C one.Micro USB to USB Type-C adapterOther accessories are pretty conventional, we go from the power adapter, to the USB Type-C cable, a pair of earphones and an OTG adapter. Everything neatly arranged in a premium looking聽鈥 at least on the inside聽鈥 package.Blackview BV8000 Pro聽Design &聽Build QualityBuild quality is probably the most important factor in a rugged phone and the BV8000 Pro doesn’t disappoint us, to say the least. The smartphone is really solid thanks to its metal frame and bits around the body, with some plastic parts which make it waterproof, dust proof and almost impossible to break, as we’ve seen in different videos released by the company.I didn’t go as far as throwing my phone to the ground but I’m quite confident it would take the hit like a champ. I did though bring the phone under the shower and, while I know that’s less demanding than completely submerging it under water, it didn’t give me any problems whatsoever; I must say I was actually surprised the smartphone was operable even with some water over the screen.The聽Blackview BV8000 Pro comes with a below-average 5-inch display but the overall footprint of the device is more than that of a 5.5-incher. That’s obviously what makes it so durable but it could bother users with smaller hands, it’s also quite heavy of course, at about 240 grams.Blackview’s smartphone features five total physical buttons, we have the power OFF/ ON button, the two volume rockers, a dedicated camera button and an additional PTT (push to talk) button which can be used to call for help when long pressed. Honestly I wish the buttons were easier to customize as it’s very unlikely I’m going to need the SOS function, plus the dedicated camera button doesn’t start the camera automatically unless you press it for 3 seconds, which is definitely too much. But most of these problems are fixable in a software update so I won’t complain too muchWhat bothers me slightly more is the capacitive touch back button. I’ve read of people saying it doesn’t always register your touch, but I honestly believe that’s not the issue. I think the problem is that the button is slightly offset to the right, that means if you use your muscle memory to go back, you’re probably missing it by few millimeters.Another minor issue I have is the notification LED, which in my opinion is too dim. That might be good at night, but during the day it’s quite hard to notice it if you are outdoors.What I definitely liked is the fingerprint scanner which has been placed on the right side of the device. It’s very accurate with a very high success rate and it never gives you “errors”, it just unlocks the device when it senses the correct fingerprint. This could be a minor security risk, but in a smartphone that can go underwater and get real dirty without worries, you don’t want it to constantly notify you of failed attempts and disable it altogether.As I mentioned in the first impressions a well, you should be aware that not all 3.5mm jack or USB Type-C connectors will plug-in flawlessly, as they’re both very deep because of the shock resistant outer frame. On the plus side, you don’t need any flaps to keep the smartphone waterproof, although the company suggests to dry up both ports before connecting external devices.Gizchina News of the week Join GizChina on TelegramBlackview BV8000 Pro聽DisplayI would rate the display as average. Sure it’s very sharp as it’s a Full HD display in a 5-inch size, but I’d have rather preferred have a brighter display than higher resolution. That said, the display is bright enough to be used out of the house, it’s just not as bright as I would have expected on a smartphone created for outdoors use.Other than that, colors seem to be accurate and viewing angles are quite good as well.Blackview BV8000 Pro聽Hardware & PerformanceThe聽Blackview BV8000 Pro is powered by a MediaTek 6757 also known as Helio P20, so we have enough juice to power through most apps and games. The company also added a whopping 6GB of RAM which some might consider overkill, but you probably aren’t paying much of a difference from a set of 4GB, thus you get two additional GB of RAM which we’re sure Android will find how to use. On the storage side, we have 64GB of internal storage, expandable via microSD to up to 256GB.Overall the smartphone is really snappy and I haven’t seen any slow downs. I got over 61000 score on AnTuTu, 3893 multi-core score on Geekbench and 841 for the single core.聽With the power efficient Helio P25 chip you’re also able to get more than 6 hours of screen on time; the smartphone fully charges in about two hours with the included 9V/2A charger.The “phone” part of the聽Blackview BV8000 Pro is definitely good, calls are clear and loud. GPS and 4G connectivity work perfectly as well, with GPS locking pretty much instantly and with high precision, and 4G sporting band 20 which is quite needed in Europe. The rear speaker on the BV8000 Pro is very loud but it doesn’t sound amazing, still having a loud speaker is a good achievement considering how waterproof phones usually sound.Blackview BV8000 Pro聽Camera聽The Blackview BV8000 Pro comes with a 16MP rear camera sporting F/2.0 aperture which can get some nice photos if you have a bit of patience. That’s because sometimes you might get over exposed photos or that are slightly out of focus, but if you play with the settings then you’ll be able to get better results.In low light situations the camera gets much worse as in many other smartphones in this price range; sharp photos with low noise are out of the way. But then you aren’t going to get night shoots with a rugged phone, are you?Either way, here below are some photo samples; judge for yourself! Blackview BV8000 Pro聽Gallery聽 Blackview BV8000 Pro聽ConclusionFor about $250 the聽Blackview BV8000 Pro is one of the best rugged smartphones you can get out there. It’s powerful, with good battery life and a durability which we haven’t seen on many smartphones, let alone devices with this kind of internal hardware.So, in conclusion, if you were looking for a rugged phone with good performance, there are no major reasons you shouldn’t consider getting the聽Blackview BV8000 Pro. If you don’t need a device this durable, then we’re sure there are better options in the market.

Most of you know Cubot as the Chinese phone manufacturer that produces affordable smartphones with some rather good build quality, but that’s not all. Cubot also makes wearable devices, indeed the Cubot S1 we’ll be checking out in this review is actually their third fitness band, coming after the Cubot V1 and Cubot V2.Cubot S1 Fitness Band聽ReviewThe Cubot S1 is priced at around $50 and it packs most of the features you’d like to find on a聽fitness band; going from the heart rate monitoring to the sports activity tracking and other functionalities. Now that we have a general idea of what the Cubot S1 is, let’s get into the full review!Cubot S1 Fitness Band聽SpecificationsBuilt-in chip type: NRF52832Bluetooth Version: Bluetooth 4.0IP rating: IP65Bluetooth calling: Phone call reminderNotification type: Facebook,Twitter,Wechat,WhatsAppAnti-lost: YesAlert type: VibrationOther Function: Alarm,Altimeter,Barometer,ThermometerScreen: OLEDScreen size: 0.96 inchOperating mode: Touch KeyType of battery: Lithium-ion polymer batteryBattery Capacity: 85mAhCharging Time: About 60minsStandby time: 10 – 20 daysCubot S1 Fitness Band HardwareThe Cubot S1 is one of the more premium feeling fitness bands I’ve had the chance of trying, and I’ve tried many. The wristband is made of a nice TPU material which seems to be very durable, meanwhile the central piece is made of plastic and aluminum. The metal casing is a good touch but as you can see in the photos, in the black version of the band it’s really hard to distinguish it from the plastic anyway.Cubot’s fitness band comes with a WTHRM122聽heart rate monitor, a nRF52832 Nordic low-power Bluetooth chip, an advanced InvenSense 6-axis accelerometer and a聽ICM-30632 gyroscope. Lastly, the Cubot S1 features an 0.96-inch OLED screen with a resolution of 128 * 64.Cubot S1 Fitness Band User ExperienceLet’s begin with the last and probably most important piece of hardware we mentioned聽鈥 the display. As with many other fitness bands, the display is usually the weak point, they’re fine if you’re indoor but really hard to read outdoors; the display on the S1 is no exception.Sadly, display technology on these cheaper bands seem to be stuck in the past, and you can see the same even on much more expensive devices such as the聽Xiaomi Amazfit Health Zi聽Jin Cheng reviewed a couple weeks back. That said, you can get used to it and learn how to read it outside (creating a bit of shadow with your free hand).Gizchina News of the week Join GizChina on TelegramWhat about the rest of the hardware? Well, it does what’s it’s supposed to. The step counter / distance calculator is quite accurate thanks to the high quality聽InvenSense 6-axis accelerometer and ICM-30632 gyroscope they packed into the band. It can automatically understand when you’re running, walking or even riding a bike.The Cubot S1 features smart notifications for calls, messages, alarm, sedentary reminder, music control and remote camera. It also has a built-in altimeter, a thermometer and barometer.As far as the heart rate monitor is concerned, the sensor on the band appears to be accurate after being compared to some gym equipment with built-in heart rate monitors. I just found it odd that sometimes it’d notify me of abnormally high heart rate when I was resting, hopefully that’s a bug on the device side and not my body. The sleeping monitor is also one of the most accurate ones I’ve ever tried.Autonomy wise, the built-in 85mAh battery will power the band for about a week if the 24/7 heart monitoring is enabled, otherwise you could get up to a month.Cubot S1 Fitness Band SoftwareIn line with many other fitness bands, the Cubot S1 app features a rather uninspired user interface and a slightly complicated experience for first time users. That said, the app works fine and once paired with the band it logs all the info correctly.Through the app you can enable or disable all the different smart notifications as well as setting up the heart rate monitor to grab info all day long, which appears to happen every 30 minutes or so.Down below you can see what a whole day heart rate data logging looks like.The Cubot S1 app works on Android 4.3 and above, iOS 8.0 and above. It’s also available in English,French,German,Italian,Russian,Simplified Chinese and Spanish. Cubot S1 Fitness Band VerdictFor the price, the Cubot S1 is probably one of the best fitness band you can currently get, mostly because it just works as it’s supposed to. It’ll monitor your heart rate, sleeping and physical activities pretty accurately, it also has a bunch of additional sensors for those who want to know weather info and other details.Most of you know Cubot as the Chinese phone manufacturer that produces affordable smartphones with some rather good build quality, but that’s not all. Cubot also makes wearable devices, indeed the Cubot S1 we’ll be checking out in this review is actually their third fitness band, coming after the Cubot V1 and Cubot V2.Cubot S1 Fitness Band聽ReviewThe Cubot S1 is priced at around $50 and it packs most of the features you’d like to find on a聽fitness band; going from the heart rate monitoring to the sports activity tracking and other functionalities. Now that we have a general idea of what the Cubot S1 is, let’s get into the full review!Cubot S1 Fitness Band聽SpecificationsBuilt-in chip type: NRF52832Bluetooth Version: Bluetooth 4.0IP rating: IP65Bluetooth calling: Phone call reminderNotification type: Facebook,Twitter,Wechat,WhatsAppAnti-lost: YesAlert type: VibrationOther Function: Alarm,Altimeter,Barometer,ThermometerScreen: OLEDScreen size: 0.96 inchOperating mode: Touch KeyType of battery: Lithium-ion polymer batteryBattery Capacity: 85mAhCharging Time: About 60minsStandby time: 10 – 20 daysCubot S1 Fitness Band HardwareThe Cubot S1 is one of the more premium feeling fitness bands I’ve had the chance of trying, and I’ve tried many. The wristband is made of a nice TPU material which seems to be very durable, meanwhile the central piece is made of plastic and aluminum. The metal casing is a good touch but as you can see in the photos, in the black version of the band it’s really hard to distinguish it from the plastic anyway.Cubot’s fitness band comes with a WTHRM122聽heart rate monitor, a nRF52832 Nordic low-power Bluetooth chip, an advanced InvenSense 6-axis accelerometer and a聽ICM-30632 gyroscope. Lastly, the Cubot S1 features an 0.96-inch OLED screen with a resolution of 128 * 64.Cubot S1 Fitness Band User ExperienceLet’s begin with the last and probably most important piece of hardware we mentioned聽鈥 the display. As with many other fitness bands, the display is usually the weak point, they’re fine if you’re indoor but really hard to read outdoors; the display on the S1 is no exception.Sadly, display technology on these cheaper bands seem to be stuck in the past, and you can see the same even on much more expensive devices such as the聽Xiaomi Amazfit Health Zi聽Jin Cheng reviewed a couple weeks back. That said, you can get used to it and learn how to read it outside (creating a bit of shadow with your free hand).Gizchina News of the week Join GizChina on TelegramWhat about the rest of the hardware? Well, it does what’s it’s supposed to. The step counter / distance calculator is quite accurate thanks to the high quality聽InvenSense 6-axis accelerometer and ICM-30632 gyroscope they packed into the band. It can automatically understand when you’re running, walking or even riding a bike.The Cubot S1 features smart notifications for calls, messages, alarm, sedentary reminder, music control and remote camera. It also has a built-in altimeter, a thermometer and barometer.As far as the heart rate monitor is concerned, the sensor on the band appears to be accurate after being compared to some gym equipment with built-in heart rate monitors. I just found it odd that sometimes it’d notify me of abnormally high heart rate when I was resting, hopefully that’s a bug on the device side and not my body. The sleeping monitor is also one of the most accurate ones I’ve ever tried.Autonomy wise, the built-in 85mAh battery will power the band for about a week if the 24/7 heart monitoring is enabled, otherwise you could get up to a month.Cubot S1 Fitness Band SoftwareIn line with many other fitness bands, the Cubot S1 app features a rather uninspired user interface and a slightly complicated experience for first time users. That said, the app works fine and once paired with the band it logs all the info correctly.Through the app you can enable or disable all the different smart notifications as well as setting up the heart rate monitor to grab info all day long, which appears to happen every 30 minutes or so.Down below you can see what a whole day heart rate data logging looks like.The Cubot S1 app works on Android 4.3 and above, iOS 8.0 and above. It’s also available in English,French,German,Italian,Russian,Simplified Chinese and Spanish. Cubot S1 Fitness Band VerdictFor the price, the Cubot S1 is probably one of the best fitness band you can currently get, mostly because it just works as it’s supposed to. It’ll monitor your heart rate, sleeping and physical activities pretty accurately, it also has a bunch of additional sensors for those who want to know weather info and other details.

The Chuwi Lapbook 12.3 was subjected to a decent amount of hype especially because of its Surface Pro 4 screen.Chuwi Lapbook 12.3 ReviewThe Chuwi Lapbook 12.3 looks like my perfect laptop, a Surface Pro 4 screen, pretty slim bezels (lies) and an adequate battery. I’ve been looking for a portable laptop with a 3:2 screen and this seemed like it fit the bill. It also has 6GB of RAM which is definitely a plus, so let’s dive right into the review.Return to form?Chuwi Lapbook 12.3 SpecificationsProcessorIntel Apollo Lake Celeron N3450Display12.3閳 2736×1824 IPS LCDRAM6GBStorage64 eMMCOperating SystemWindows 10Cameras0.3MP CameraBattery10,000mAhPhysical Dimensions1.38kg, 30.0 x 22.30 x 1.70 cmBig thanks to Gearbest for providing this review unit.Chuwi Lapbook 12.3 HardwareThe Lapbook 12.3 is very well built, its easily the most solid laptop Chuwi has produced so far, even rivalling the build quality of their Hi13. While this laptop is nowhere near a Thinkpad milspec level of endurance, it certainly can take a heavier beating than other lighter and less solid laptops. However, along with that solid build also carries along with it a hefty size and weight, its relatively heavy and large for a 12.3″ screen. Granted, the screen is a different aspect ratio which does result in a larger device, but this also means the laptop is quite far from the portability of a MacBook 12.The Lapbook 12.3 is a winner in terms of ports. We have two USB ports one of which is USB 3.0, Mini HDMI out, as well as a MicroSD card slot. We also have the rather unique addition of a Kensington lock on the laptop and a spare M.2 SSD slot that is incredibly easy to access.The laptop goes downhill (in terms of aesthetics) when you open up the laptop. You see large bezels around the screen, something we are not used to after the convention in so many Apollo Lake laptops has been slim bezels. You see a lot of unused space in general not only around the screen, but around the keyboard and trackpad as well, there is definitely space to expand the keyboard and trackpad. The hinge on the laptop screen is definitely a bit wobbly as well.Moving on to the keyboard, this is definitely one of the better keyboards Chuwi has produced, not only are the plastic keys higher quality than what we are used to from Chuwi, but the key travel and feedback are very tactile and satisfying as well. I do have two complaints about the keyboard, first the keyboard is small, especially when there’s so much unused space around the keyboard, and the other would be the location of the power button, its pretty easy to press. I would have wished Chuwi increased the force required to depress the power button here.The trackpad is not very big but its quite accurate. Multifinger gestures actually work very well on this laptop, I’m seeing increasingly better trackpads in laptops from CHina nowadays, they work quite well even in Chrome. However, you cannot turn off trackpad gestures, which is a bit strange.Solid, port filled, but unattractiveChuwi Lapbook 12.3 DisplayThe display here is quite incredible. Its not a touch screen, but the matte display looks gorgeous. Its about as drop dead gorgeous as the Cube Thinker and Chuwi Hi13, and I’m not sure if its placebo but it does look slightly less brilliant in terms of colours and pixels than the Surface Book screen. Images look lifelike, and average people are wowed by how real animals look on the screen. Almost everyone will be wowed by this display (unless you already own a Surface or a Retina MacBook).There are a couple of issues though. First, the software seems to restrict the maximum brightness to 50%, trying to increase the brightness anymore than that doesn’t do anything. I’ve seen my display driver crash on two occasions, but it hasn’t happened since. You also get severe letterboxing when watching movies which is an issue to some but not others.Apart from the issues I talked about in this display, its absolutely gorgeous.Gizchina News of the week Join GizChina on TelegramChuwi Lapbook 12.3 AudioThe audio in this laptop gets very loud, making it a perfect option for watching movies and TV. However, the mids and highs are quite overpowering. Its not that the laptop doesn’t have bass, its just that what little bass there was is completely overpowered by the mids and highs which sound OK but at max volume it is unclear and noisy. All that being said the speakers are still adequate.Chuwi Lapbook 12.3 BatteryAlthough the Lapbook has a 10,000mAh battery (37Wh), its also powering a high resolution 12.3″ display, so I don’t have high hopes for battery life here. I was able to get on average about 7 hours of screen on time and was only able to get 8 hours of screen on time on one occasion.During normal use (7 hours SOT), I was generally browsing the web using Chrome, watching YouTube, reading news, and general social media, no games. I was able to get 8 hours of screen on time by switching over to Edge from Chrome. Gaming sucks up battery life like a Hummer on gas, I got 2.5 hours of gaming time before the laptop died.Average battery lifeChuwi Lapbook 12.3 SoftwareWindows 10 is activated and it runs OK on this laptop. I ran CrystalDiskMark and while it got some pretty slow speeds, general performance was OK for an eMMC but definitely far behind SSD performance. However, where you start seeing major slowdowns because of the hard disk is when doing hard disk intensive tasks such as copying files. The act of copying files is definitely slower, but its not that slow. However, your computer slows to a crawl while doing anything like that and you have to wait until the operation is finished before your computer magically speeds back up. And with 64GB of storage, you really have no space to install anything after Microsoft Office and a game or two.Photoshop/GIMP runs OK, but still slightly slower than what you find on an SSD laptop.In terms of gaming, you can do some light gaming on this laptop but you won’t be able to play too many games because of two reasons; first you won’t have enough space on the hard disk since its so small, and second, the heat. The laptop doesn’t get blazing hot to touch but CPU-Z pegs the CPU at 98C after 1/2 an hour of gaming, which is quite high.I was surprised to shoot past 90C even with heavy Chrome multitasking (think 12 tabs, 3 video, 2 heavy HTML5). However the laptop only got warm with light Chrome, Microsoft office, and mail.I’m surprised that Chuwi recently announced full support for Ubuntu on the Lapbook 12.3, but they are not furnishing the laptop with a dual boot system, you would presumably have to install Ubuntu yourself (article here).Chuwi Lapbook 12.3 ConnectivityChuwi did a great job with connectivity. Not only do we have a positively dazzling array of ports, but we also have Wireless AC and WLAN transfer speeds are… surprisingly slow. The laptop also lacks a USB-C port, but the rest of the ports more than make up for that. The webcam is pretty horrible also, barely adequate for Skype.Chuwi Lapbook 12.3 VerdictOverall, the Chuwi Lapbook 12.3 is a great device, however, it has quite a few small faults and a big one. Let’s start with the big one, and those are the thermals. I saw temperatures past 90C during heavy Chrome multitasking and gaming, only light use saw temperatures below that.There are a bunch of other small issues I have with the laptop, such as a max brightness of 50%, a lack of a USB-C port, the large bezels, and the rather small and slow hard disk. If you’re looking for the best performance for your money, you should look elsewhere, the Chuwi Lapbook 14.1 is stil lgreat. However, there aren’t many laptops with such gorgeous displays and this is overall a good laptop if you are not one to push a laptop too hard. Buy the Chuwi Lapbook 12.3Gearbest LinkWell rounded laptop with a鑱絧roblem…Chuwi Lapbook 12.3 Video ReviewThe Chuwi Lapbook 12.3 was subjected to a decent amount of hype especially because of its Surface Pro 4 screen.Chuwi Lapbook 12.3 ReviewThe Chuwi Lapbook 12.3 looks like my perfect laptop, a Surface Pro 4 screen, pretty slim bezels (lies) and an adequate battery. I’ve been looking for a portable laptop with a 3:2 screen and this seemed like it fit the bill. It also has 6GB of RAM which is definitely a plus, so let’s dive right into the review.Return to form?Chuwi Lapbook 12.3 SpecificationsProcessorIntel Apollo Lake Celeron N3450Display12.3閳 2736×1824 IPS LCDRAM6GBStorage64 eMMCOperating SystemWindows 10Cameras0.3MP CameraBattery10,000mAhPhysical Dimensions1.38kg, 30.0 x 22.30 x 1.70 cmBig thanks to Gearbest for providing this review unit.Chuwi Lapbook 12.3 HardwareThe Lapbook 12.3 is very well built, its easily the most solid laptop Chuwi has produced so far, even rivalling the build quality of their Hi13. While this laptop is nowhere near a Thinkpad milspec level of endurance, it certainly can take a heavier beating than other lighter and less solid laptops. However, along with that solid build also carries along with it a hefty size and weight, its relatively heavy and large for a 12.3″ screen. Granted, the screen is a different aspect ratio which does result in a larger device, but this also means the laptop is quite far from the portability of a MacBook 12.The Lapbook 12.3 is a winner in terms of ports. We have two USB ports one of which is USB 3.0, Mini HDMI out, as well as a MicroSD card slot. We also have the rather unique addition of a Kensington lock on the laptop and a spare M.2 SSD slot that is incredibly easy to access.The laptop goes downhill (in terms of aesthetics) when you open up the laptop. You see large bezels around the screen, something we are not used to after the convention in so many Apollo Lake laptops has been slim bezels. You see a lot of unused space in general not only around the screen, but around the keyboard and trackpad as well, there is definitely space to expand the keyboard and trackpad. The hinge on the laptop screen is definitely a bit wobbly as well.Moving on to the keyboard, this is definitely one of the better keyboards Chuwi has produced, not only are the plastic keys higher quality than what we are used to from Chuwi, but the key travel and feedback are very tactile and satisfying as well. I do have two complaints about the keyboard, first the keyboard is small, especially when there’s so much unused space around the keyboard, and the other would be the location of the power button, its pretty easy to press. I would have wished Chuwi increased the force required to depress the power button here.The trackpad is not very big but its quite accurate. Multifinger gestures actually work very well on this laptop, I’m seeing increasingly better trackpads in laptops from CHina nowadays, they work quite well even in Chrome. However, you cannot turn off trackpad gestures, which is a bit strange.Solid, port filled, but unattractiveChuwi Lapbook 12.3 DisplayThe display here is quite incredible. Its not a touch screen, but the matte display looks gorgeous. Its about as drop dead gorgeous as the Cube Thinker and Chuwi Hi13, and I’m not sure if its placebo but it does look slightly less brilliant in terms of colours and pixels than the Surface Book screen. Images look lifelike, and average people are wowed by how real animals look on the screen. Almost everyone will be wowed by this display (unless you already own a Surface or a Retina MacBook).There are a couple of issues though. First, the software seems to restrict the maximum brightness to 50%, trying to increase the brightness anymore than that doesn’t do anything. I’ve seen my display driver crash on two occasions, but it hasn’t happened since. You also get severe letterboxing when watching movies which is an issue to some but not others.Apart from the issues I talked about in this display, its absolutely gorgeous.Gizchina News of the week Join GizChina on TelegramChuwi Lapbook 12.3 AudioThe audio in this laptop gets very loud, making it a perfect option for watching movies and TV. However, the mids and highs are quite overpowering. Its not that the laptop doesn’t have bass, its just that what little bass there was is completely overpowered by the mids and highs which sound OK but at max volume it is unclear and noisy. All that being said the speakers are still adequate.Chuwi Lapbook 12.3 BatteryAlthough the Lapbook has a 10,000mAh battery (37Wh), its also powering a high resolution 12.3″ display, so I don’t have high hopes for battery life here. I was able to get on average about 7 hours of screen on time and was only able to get 8 hours of screen on time on one occasion.During normal use (7 hours SOT), I was generally browsing the web using Chrome, watching YouTube, reading news, and general social media, no games. I was able to get 8 hours of screen on time by switching over to Edge from Chrome. Gaming sucks up battery life like a Hummer on gas, I got 2.5 hours of gaming time before the laptop died.Average battery lifeChuwi Lapbook 12.3 SoftwareWindows 10 is activated and it runs OK on this laptop. I ran CrystalDiskMark and while it got some pretty slow speeds, general performance was OK for an eMMC but definitely far behind SSD performance. However, where you start seeing major slowdowns because of the hard disk is when doing hard disk intensive tasks such as copying files. The act of copying files is definitely slower, but its not that slow. However, your computer slows to a crawl while doing anything like that and you have to wait until the operation is finished before your computer magically speeds back up. And with 64GB of storage, you really have no space to install anything after Microsoft Office and a game or two.Photoshop/GIMP runs OK, but still slightly slower than what you find on an SSD laptop.In terms of gaming, you can do some light gaming on this laptop but you won’t be able to play too many games because of two reasons; first you won’t have enough space on the hard disk since its so small, and second, the heat. The laptop doesn’t get blazing hot to touch but CPU-Z pegs the CPU at 98C after 1/2 an hour of gaming, which is quite high.I was surprised to shoot past 90C even with heavy Chrome multitasking (think 12 tabs, 3 video, 2 heavy HTML5). However the laptop only got warm with light Chrome, Microsoft office, and mail.I’m surprised that Chuwi recently announced full support for Ubuntu on the Lapbook 12.3, but they are not furnishing the laptop with a dual boot system, you would presumably have to install Ubuntu yourself (article here).Chuwi Lapbook 12.3 ConnectivityChuwi did a great job with connectivity. Not only do we have a positively dazzling array of ports, but we also have Wireless AC and WLAN transfer speeds are… surprisingly slow. The laptop also lacks a USB-C port, but the rest of the ports more than make up for that. The webcam is pretty horrible also, barely adequate for Skype.Chuwi Lapbook 12.3 VerdictOverall, the Chuwi Lapbook 12.3 is a great device, however, it has quite a few small faults and a big one. Let’s start with the big one, and those are the thermals. I saw temperatures past 90C during heavy Chrome multitasking and gaming, only light use saw temperatures below that.There are a bunch of other small issues I have with the laptop, such as a max brightness of 50%, a lack of a USB-C port, the large bezels, and the rather small and slow hard disk. If you’re looking for the best performance for your money, you should look elsewhere, the Chuwi Lapbook 14.1 is stil lgreat. However, there aren’t many laptops with such gorgeous displays and this is overall a good laptop if you are not one to push a laptop too hard. Buy the Chuwi Lapbook 12.3Gearbest LinkWell rounded laptop with a鑱絧roblem…Chuwi Lapbook 12.3 Video Review

The rise in popularity of the newly founded Chinese company Geotel is quite easy to explain. They may not have a quite large portfolio of devices – yet – but each one of their models -within its price range- offers the best combination of good performance, interesting design and an affordable price tag, which – in some cases- could be considered as a bargain.This is one of these “cases” as the Geotel Amigo will be available for just 99,99$ starting tomorrow until the 26th of June, offering impressive performance for the amount of dollars you’re gonna pay. The device is well built, has decent specs for the average user, offers an adequate camera and excellent software inside, along with very good battery times.Its name (Amigo) means “friend” in Spanish and I can safely admit that it has become my “friendly” companion for all the days I used it聽as my main phone, leaving my OnePlus 3T aside to rest a bit. I enjoyed its 5.2 inch display, its extended usability and the pure Android UI, but surely the most attractive feature you’ll find on this device is its…“Friendly” price for an impressive performance.Geotel Amigo – Technical specificationsDisplay:聽5.2 inch, 1280 x 720 pixels HD 2.5D Arc screenCPU:聽MTK6753 Octa Core 1.3GHzSystem:聽Android 7.0Camera:聽5.0MP front camera + rear camera 13.0MPSensor:聽Light Sensor, Proximity Sensor, Gravity SensorSIM Card:聽dual SIM dual standby, Micro SIM + Micro SIMFeature:聽GPS, A-GPSBluetooth:聽4.0Network:聽GSM聽850/900/1800/1900MHz – WCDMA聽900/2100MHz –聽FDD-LTE聽800/900/1800/2100/2600MHzUNBOXINGI guess one can say that Geotel has been influenced by OnePlus when designing the packing of the Amigo, as the whole thing looks like a clone of a budget OnePlus smartphone – which is not at all bad. After all I already own an OnePlus 3T and this seemed quite familiar. :pYou won’t find anything disappointing聽inside the main package, just the usual stuff:the Geotel Amigo with a non-removable 3000 mAh batteryA screen protectora micro USB cablea travel chargerquick start guideThat’s all guys, who would expect more at a price of 99,99$ (limited time offer) ?Geotel Amigo review: design and displayWhen it comes to the design, the phone is made entirely of metal with some plastic parts, showing impressive quality built for its price. It does not feel cheap at all and for the price you’ll pay, it’s surely a bargain to have a full metal body in your hands. The 5.2 display has only 720p resolution but honestly, this is one of the best HD panels Ive seen on a budget phone. Even the sunlight legibility is decent.聽The colors of the display may be rather saturated, but the images are crisp, with good viewing angles and a fully responsive panel if I may add.聽All in all a decent display – especially for a smartphone on this price range.聽On the back side of the device you will also find a聽fingerprint sensor which proves to be rather fast. It can unlock the phone in less than 0.1 second with almost 97% success rate. It can basically store up to 5 different fingerprints and can recognize them all from 360 degrees, something that’s a standard nowadays.Just above display you’ll find a 5MP front-facing camera with wide angle view and decent images during the day, along with an ambient light sensor and a proximity sensor.聽The backplate is matte and it looks great when it is clean. The device has a non-removable 3000 mAh battery inside, along with one SIM tray for two micro SIM cards and one microSD slot. 聽As for optics, we have a 13MP shooter along with a single LED flash.The buttons are made of metal (I think) too but they are clicky and tactile.聽As for loudspeaker, the quality is kind of average and the volume output could be better.Hardware & PerformanceWhen it comes to hardware, the Geotel Amigo has some decent specs for its price. It’s聽powered by an 8-core MediaTek MTK6753 SoC clocked at 1.3GHz, along with 3GB RAM and 32GB of internal storage with a microSD card (thankfully). Thanks to a Mali T720 MP3 GPU the gaming performance is decent if you play games like Asphalt 8 on medium graphics. Still, you should expect some skipped frames but no significant lag. It offers a rather decent user experience with good multi-tasking, enabling users to keep several applications open in the background with no significant impact on its everyday performance. To confirm our deductions, do have a look at the benchmark results of the device as they appear above, showing the Amigo scoring 37153 points in AnTuTu.Gizchina News of the week Join GizChina on TelegramI didn’t have any issues with GPS related apps but it uses only a handful of the available satellites every time. It could be connected to more I guess, in order to offer even better results when scanning for our location.I guess you already know it, but I will say it one more time. The Geotel Amigo聽is a 4G/LTE smartphone with average performance when it comes to LTE networks, achieving average data speeds of 45-55Mbps that surely offer a decent feeling when you use it, along with聽decent performance in everyday use. It has good GSM/WCDMA/LTE signal reception with flawless handovers and no dropped calls – during my tests that is.Geotel Amigo聽review: Android software and UI performanceOur “friendly” smartphone from Geotel runs on Android 7.0 Nougat but we have no official confirmation on when (and if) the company plans to upgrade it to Android 7.1.1 or (one can hope) Android O. In any case, the Android 7.0 gives you more control on the smartphone and also lets you customize the phone just like any other Nougat based device. There is no bloatware or other unnecessary apps inside, it supports all the classic Nougat features but the UI has been tampered a bit by Geotel and offers several gesture controls like SmartWake, Double Tap to Wake, Five Fingers Back, Three Fingers Screenshot etc.Thankfully there’s no theme support, so there’s no significant impact on the everyday performance of the device, and its available RAM is almost always between 1GB and 1.5GB after the first boot up. This means that it can offer decent everyday use for a novice Android user, as long as you don’t choose to put any extra pressure on it with severe multi-tasking, more than 8-9 apps opened simultaneously etc. It’s not a flagship guys, just a mid-range Android smartphone, don’t over-do it. 馃槈Camera performanceI guess we all know by now that the Geotel Amigo comes with a 13.0-megapixel main camera along with a 5.0-megapixel camera and a LED flash with generally acceptable photos as you can see for yourselves. The camera software is typical of what you will see in most Chinese smartphones, with settings for exposure, ISO, white balance, image resolution, HDR, Panorama shots, video capture etc.GOOD PHOTOS, AVERAGE VIDEOS BUT DISAPPOINTING聽LOW LIGHT PERFORMANCEIt’s quite easy to capture decent photos in daylight conditions, panoramic images with a helpful assistant that shows the way to do it correctly and the same goes for video capture. However when the sun goes down problems appear, such as low ISO, increased digital noise in photos and reduced framerate in videos.All of the above however are typical for this type of phones, and the final verdict is that using the Geotel Amigo you will be able to capture decent photos in daylight conditions but not that impressive photos during low light conditions.The LED flash works OK in close ups, portraits or distances up to 1 meter but it won’t do you any good if your subject is a bit further. Have a look at our photo samples below:Battery consumptionThe Geotel Amigo聽is equipped with a relatively average 3000mAh battery but numbers don’t mean anything in this situation. The device comes with an energy efficient processor and -in general- it performs well providing a full day’s usage with no problems and perhaps a bit more if you are able to be gentle with it.All in all we have a winner here, a mid-range smartphone with decent standby times if you’re an average user (6 hours of active screen) but the fact that it doesn’t support some type of quick charging is a bit disappointing. On the other hand it costs just 99,99$聽(limited time offer) so I guess it’s something we can live without 馃檪Conclusion – So what about it?impressive聽performance, quite AFFORDABLE price…We have something good here guys. Its current price is excellent for a smartphone with 3GB of RAM, a quite powerful Mediatek SoC, 32GB of storage, a 5.2 inch HD display and Android 7.0 Nougat with a… decent camera.I enjoyed the vanilla UI of the device, the smooth performance in everyday use and its impressive build quality. At the time this review is being written, the Geotel Amigo costs just 99,99$ (limited time offer) and I think that it can be a good option worth your while, so if you’re in the market for such a smartphone I believe it’s a good alternative.The Geotel Amigo will be available at the price of 99,99$ starting tomorrow June 19, until the 26th of the same month. After the end of this limited time offer its price will return to normal at 139,99$.Will the real Snapdragon 625 lovers please stand up? Technically I would have stood up, but not for the Mi Max 2. That鈥檚 not to say the Snapdragon 625 is not a good SoC, but Xiaomi set our expectations way too high with the Mi Max 1 so anything less seems like a disappointment (Opinion Piece here).Xiaomi Mi Max 2 ReviewThe previous generation of phones (Redmi Note 3 Pro, Redmi 3, Mi Max 1) all utilized different processors that aided in product differentiation. However with this new generation of phones, what we see are three different sizes of what looks to be almost the same device; the Redmi 4 Prime (5鈥 version), the Redmi Note 4X (5.5鈥 version), and now the Mi Max 2 (6.44鈥 version).Apart from the massive screen, the crowning feature for the Mi Max 2 is definitely the 5300mAh battery. Even as a battery fanatic, I did not look forward to testing the battery in this phone as it would probably take forever, and it did. There is also a potent and secret weapon this unassuming Mi Max 2 holds, which could be the extra bit needed to fight in this crowded smartphone market.The largest SD625 phone from XiaomiXiaomi Mi Max 2 SpecificationsProcessorQualcomm Snapdragon 625Display6.44鈥 1920×1080 IPS LCDRAM4GBStorage64/128GB eMMCOperating SystemAndroid 7.0, MIUI 8.0Cameras12MP, 5MP frontBattery5300mAhPhysical Dimensions211g, 17.41 x 8.87 x 0.76 cmBig thanks to Gearbest聽for providing this review unit.Xiaomi Mi Max 2 HardwareThe excellent build we see on the Mi Max 2 is what we鈥檝e come to expect on Xiaomi鈥檚 higher end phones. The metal unibody is very well finished and while it lacks that extra polish an HTC phone would otherwise have, none but the most nitpicky will have issues with the quality of the body.Apart from the premium build, this phone is obviously massive, with a 6.44鈥 screen. The amount of bezels don鈥檛 seem to be lessened from the previous Mi Max, as there are significant but not overly large bezels surrounding the screen. What irks me the most is the prominent black bar surrounding the screen; it鈥檚 plenty visible when the front of the phone is white, and is less and less acceptable as the starting price for this phone is so high.The Mi Max 2 is an entirely two handed affair with little to no opportunity to (safely) use the phone with one hand. The rear mounted fingerprint sensor is definitely a reach for me as well, so unlocking it through the sensor is a bit of a chore at times.The Mi Max 2 is well built, very large, but also rather nondescript.Boringly decentXiaomi Mi Max 2 DisplayXiaomi seems very reluctant to bump up any of its phones to a resolution of 2K, and whether that is due to design, pricing, or battery reasons, I applaud this decision. In my opinion, the resolution war is a game of diminishing returns; colour gamut, brightness, and contrast are just some of the other areas where displays could be improved.The 1080p screen here is good, it reproduces the relatively pastel colour palette of MIUI well, and when looking at colourful stock photos or video, the screen still holds its own. The screen gets bright enough to put up a decent fight in direct sunlight but still gets overpowered on a hot, sunny day at noon. Minimum brightness is predictably good as well. Xiaomi has chosen to protect this phone using Gorilla Glass 4, so there鈥檚 no need to worry about scratches.Xiaomi Mi Max 2 AudioThe speakers are one of the areas of this phone that gave me a huge surprise. I was expecting an OK speaker, but what I got was a separate tweeter/subwoofer system, the tweeter on the top and the mid/sub driver on the bottom. Combined, they pump out some very loud sound and very good quality also, there is an “Oomph” that this Mi Max 2 that other phones, even the Mi6 don’t have.Xiaomi Mi Max 2 BatteryAs a battery fanatic, this is the first time I鈥檝e (rightfully) dreaded testing a phone for its battery. We here at Gizchina do plan to test the Oukitel K10000 Pro with a 10000mAh battery, and I really do pity the colleague who has to perform those battery tests. If my battery predictions are correct, the amount of time I spent testing this battery actually isn鈥檛 too far off from what my dear colleague will spend testing the K10000 Pro.And my pain is your gain. The Xiaomi Mi Max 2 managed a whopping 23 hours and 4 minutes of local video playback before conking out. A more real world example is this:Start the Wednesday at 6amBluetooth podcasts for an hourWatch YouTube videos for 6 hoursBluetooth podcast for another hourTake pictures and video for 陆 an hourPlay intense games for 2 hoursAn hour of miscellaneous news, social media, and RedditBed at 10 with 34% battery leftRedmi phones remove the term 鈥渂attery anxiety鈥 from our dictionary, and the Mi Max 2 does exactly that. It obviously does this better than the Redmi devices due to a 1200mAh increase in capacity, but the 6.44鈥 screen does suck up a little more juice. The phone is also Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0 capable, so topping up that massive 5300mAh takes a rather normal two and a half hours.What is Battery Anxiety?Gizchina News of the week Join GizChina on TelegramXiaomi Mi Max 2 SoftwareThe Snapdragon 625 paired with 4GB of RAM is able to push MIUI very quickly and fluidly. I did not see any slowdowns when interfacing with MIUI, but I did see very slight hesitation when launching apps when compared to my well used Zuk Z2. 4GB of RAM is plenty for multitasking, and filling up that much RAM at this point in Android鈥檚 evolution is more difficult than it looks under normal circumstances, meaning you won鈥檛 have any issues with multitasking unless doing something unusual. Performance is as one would expect from a Snapdragon 625 phone, within spitting distance of the Redmi 4 Prime and Note 4X. The Snapdragon 625 performs admirably in gaming, no slowdowns detected.The fingerprint sensor is fairly fast. The phone would be unlocked by the time I took the phone out of my pocket. To be fair, I did struggle taking the phone out of certain pant pockets that were too tight for my girth. Do note that the fingerprint sensor is hard to reach which results in awkward finger placement on the sensor. This resulted in lower than usual accuracy when tapping the sensor, I usually had to tap it a second time to successfully unlock the phone. However, when using this phone two handed, this allowed me to position my hand much more freely, cutting down on virtually all fingerprint errors.Xiaomi Mi Max 2 ConnectivityThe international version of the Mi Max 2 supports both TDD-LTE and FDD-LTE bands, meaning it will work almost anywhere. I was able to get 2G, 3G, 4G, and LTE on my carrier here in Canada. I never have issues with network speeds on this phone as evidenced by the speedtest performed here. I was able to connect to every single Bluetooth device I owned, and GPS performance is accurate and fast as well.Xiaomi Mi Max 2 CameraThe camera is the secret weapon I was talking about in the introduction. While the battery life might be the crowning achievement, the camera is why you鈥檒l buy this phone over the other Snapdragon 625 Redmis. The Mi Max 2 uses the same IMX386 sensor found in the Xiaomi Mi6. Software is just as important as hardware when creating a high quality picture; and the Mi Max 2 does quite a good job.In daylight with perfect lighting conditions and no camera shake (this is important), the difference in detail between the Mi6 and Mi Max 2 is negligible. There is still a slight but visible difference when zoomed in all the way, but it鈥檚 the same for all normal intents and purposes. The Mi6 does capture brighter, more vibrant colours while the Mi Max 2 settles with deeper, darker, and more accurate shades. I have a feeling that most individuals will prefer the vibrant colours from the Mi6 over the Mi Max 2, but this comes down to personal preference.Taking the previous situation with perfect lighting, let鈥檚 add in some camera shake. This is where we start seeing quality take a large deviation. Whereas the Mi6鈥檚 4 axis OIS kicks in to stabilize the camera, the Mi Max 2 takes blurrier shots. Do note that the blur is actually hard to detect if seen on a phone screen, but it is more apparent on a computer monitor.The gap in quality widens even more in low light conditions. The Mi Max 2 starts blowing out ISO to get the pictures bright enough and you do see more noise and grain in the Mi Max 2 compared to the Mi6. That鈥檚 not to say the Mi Max 2鈥檚 low light performance is horrible though. It鈥檚 still miles ahead of many other phones, and outpaces the Redmi Note 4X by quite a margin as well.The front camera is actually pretty typical for a Redmi device, meaning that it鈥檚 passable but quality isn鈥檛 great.You can capture up to 4K video on the phone, and footage is crispy, colours are still somewhat deep and dark, but footage is nevertheless great.I should say this though, comparing the Mi Max 2 to the Mi6 might have somewhat overshadowed how good the Mi Max 2鈥檚 camera is. To be frank, the Mi Max 2 has one of the best cameras I鈥檝e seen on a non flagship device so far, once the hype for the Mi Max 2 dies down and the price drops to somewhat normal levels, this is going to be one of the best camera phones you can get for the price.Xiaomi Mi Max 2聽Camera Gallery Xiaomi Mi Max 2 VerdictThe current iteration of the Mi Max 2 is the most intriguing Snapdragon 625 phone I鈥檝e tested because of two reasons; its crowning achievement and its secret weapon. Its crowning achievement is battery life so unreasonably good that even the Redmi 4 Prime and Redmi Note 4X have trouble keeping up. Second, its secret weapon, the camera, takes some amazing shots in daylight, keeping up with the flagship Xiaomi Mi6. On the other hand, its weaknesses are quite nondescript, mostly.It still has a black bar around the screen, the fingerprint sensor is difficult to reach, and the front facing camera is nothing to write home about (unlike the rear camera). I won鈥檛 spend any time ranting about Xiaomi using a Snapdragon 625 in yet another one of their phones as I鈥檝e discussed that at length here in this opinion piece. All in all, the Mi Max 2 is another great device from Xiaomi. My recommendations? Phablet lovers should buy this, Snapdragon 625 haters should not, and if you鈥檙e looking for a great camera in a non flagship device? Definitely. Buy the Xiaomi Mi Max 2The Best Xiaomi SD625 phone so far!Xiaomi Mi Max 2 Video ReviewWill the real Snapdragon 625 lovers please stand up? Technically I would have stood up, but not for the Mi Max 2. That鈥檚 not to say the Snapdragon 625 is not a good SoC, but Xiaomi set our expectations way too high with the Mi Max 1 so anything less seems like a disappointment (Opinion Piece here).Xiaomi Mi Max 2 ReviewThe previous generation of phones (Redmi Note 3 Pro, Redmi 3, Mi Max 1) all utilized different processors that aided in product differentiation. However with this new generation of phones, what we see are three different sizes of what looks to be almost the same device; the Redmi 4 Prime (5鈥 version), the Redmi Note 4X (5.5鈥 version), and now the Mi Max 2 (6.44鈥 version).Apart from the massive screen, the crowning feature for the Mi Max 2 is definitely the 5300mAh battery. Even as a battery fanatic, I did not look forward to testing the battery in this phone as it would probably take forever, and it did. There is also a potent and secret weapon this unassuming Mi Max 2 holds, which could be the extra bit needed to fight in this crowded smartphone market.The largest SD625 phone from XiaomiXiaomi Mi Max 2 SpecificationsProcessorQualcomm Snapdragon 625Display6.44鈥 1920×1080 IPS LCDRAM4GBStorage64/128GB eMMCOperating SystemAndroid 7.0, MIUI 8.0Cameras12MP, 5MP frontBattery5300mAhPhysical Dimensions211g, 17.41 x 8.87 x 0.76 cmBig thanks to Gearbest聽for providing this review unit.Xiaomi Mi Max 2 HardwareThe excellent build we see on the Mi Max 2 is what we鈥檝e come to expect on Xiaomi鈥檚 higher end phones. The metal unibody is very well finished and while it lacks that extra polish an HTC phone would otherwise have, none but the most nitpicky will have issues with the quality of the body.Apart from the premium build, this phone is obviously massive, with a 6.44鈥 screen. The amount of bezels don鈥檛 seem to be lessened from the previous Mi Max, as there are significant but not overly large bezels surrounding the screen. What irks me the most is the prominent black bar surrounding the screen; it鈥檚 plenty visible when the front of the phone is white, and is less and less acceptable as the starting price for this phone is so high.The Mi Max 2 is an entirely two handed affair with little to no opportunity to (safely) use the phone with one hand. The rear mounted fingerprint sensor is definitely a reach for me as well, so unlocking it through the sensor is a bit of a chore at times.The Mi Max 2 is well built, very large, but also rather nondescript.Boringly decentXiaomi Mi Max 2 DisplayXiaomi seems very reluctant to bump up any of its phones to a resolution of 2K, and whether that is due to design, pricing, or battery reasons, I applaud this decision. In my opinion, the resolution war is a game of diminishing returns; colour gamut, brightness, and contrast are just some of the other areas where displays could be improved.The 1080p screen here is good, it reproduces the relatively pastel colour palette of MIUI well, and when looking at colourful stock photos or video, the screen still holds its own. The screen gets bright enough to put up a decent fight in direct sunlight but still gets overpowered on a hot, sunny day at noon. Minimum brightness is predictably good as well. Xiaomi has chosen to protect this phone using Gorilla Glass 4, so there鈥檚 no need to worry about scratches.Xiaomi Mi Max 2 AudioThe speakers are one of the areas of this phone that gave me a huge surprise. I was expecting an OK speaker, but what I got was a separate tweeter/subwoofer system, the tweeter on the top and the mid/sub driver on the bottom. Combined, they pump out some very loud sound and very good quality also, there is an “Oomph” that this Mi Max 2 that other phones, even the Mi6 don’t have.Xiaomi Mi Max 2 BatteryAs a battery fanatic, this is the first time I鈥檝e (rightfully) dreaded testing a phone for its battery. We here at Gizchina do plan to test the Oukitel K10000 Pro with a 10000mAh battery, and I really do pity the colleague who has to perform those battery tests. If my battery predictions are correct, the amount of time I spent testing this battery actually isn鈥檛 too far off from what my dear colleague will spend testing the K10000 Pro.And my pain is your gain. The Xiaomi Mi Max 2 managed a whopping 23 hours and 4 minutes of local video playback before conking out. A more real world example is this:Start the Wednesday at 6amBluetooth podcasts for an hourWatch YouTube videos for 6 hoursBluetooth podcast for another hourTake pictures and video for 陆 an hourPlay intense games for 2 hoursAn hour of miscellaneous news, social media, and RedditBed at 10 with 34% battery leftRedmi phones remove the term 鈥渂attery anxiety鈥 from our dictionary, and the Mi Max 2 does exactly that. It obviously does this better than the Redmi devices due to a 1200mAh increase in capacity, but the 6.44鈥 screen does suck up a little more juice. The phone is also Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0 capable, so topping up that massive 5300mAh takes a rather normal two and a half hours.What is Battery Anxiety?Gizchina News of the week Join GizChina on TelegramXiaomi Mi Max 2 SoftwareThe Snapdragon 625 paired with 4GB of RAM is able to push MIUI very quickly and fluidly. I did not see any slowdowns when interfacing with MIUI, but I did see very slight hesitation when launching apps when compared to my well used Zuk Z2. 4GB of RAM is plenty for multitasking, and filling up that much RAM at this point in Android鈥檚 evolution is more difficult than it looks under normal circumstances, meaning you won鈥檛 have any issues with multitasking unless doing something unusual. Performance is as one would expect from a Snapdragon 625 phone, within spitting distance of the Redmi 4 Prime and Note 4X. The Snapdragon 625 performs admirably in gaming, no slowdowns detected.The fingerprint sensor is fairly fast. The phone would be unlocked by the time I took the phone out of my pocket. To be fair, I did struggle taking the phone out of certain pant pockets that were too tight for my girth. Do note that the fingerprint sensor is hard to reach which results in awkward finger placement on the sensor. This resulted in lower than usual accuracy when tapping the sensor, I usually had to tap it a second time to successfully unlock the phone. However, when using this phone two handed, this allowed me to position my hand much more freely, cutting down on virtually all fingerprint errors.Xiaomi Mi Max 2 ConnectivityThe international version of the Mi Max 2 supports both TDD-LTE and FDD-LTE bands, meaning it will work almost anywhere. I was able to get 2G, 3G, 4G, and LTE on my carrier here in Canada. I never have issues with network speeds on this phone as evidenced by the speedtest performed here. I was able to connect to every single Bluetooth device I owned, and GPS performance is accurate and fast as well.Xiaomi Mi Max 2 CameraThe camera is the secret weapon I was talking about in the introduction. While the battery life might be the crowning achievement, the camera is why you鈥檒l buy this phone over the other Snapdragon 625 Redmis. The Mi Max 2 uses the same IMX386 sensor found in the Xiaomi Mi6. Software is just as important as hardware when creating a high quality picture; and the Mi Max 2 does quite a good job.In daylight with perfect lighting conditions and no camera shake (this is important), the difference in detail between the Mi6 and Mi Max 2 is negligible. There is still a slight but visible difference when zoomed in all the way, but it鈥檚 the same for all normal intents and purposes. The Mi6 does capture brighter, more vibrant colours while the Mi Max 2 settles with deeper, darker, and more accurate shades. I have a feeling that most individuals will prefer the vibrant colours from the Mi6 over the Mi Max 2, but this comes down to personal preference.Taking the previous situation with perfect lighting, let鈥檚 add in some camera shake. This is where we start seeing quality take a large deviation. Whereas the Mi6鈥檚 4 axis OIS kicks in to stabilize the camera, the Mi Max 2 takes blurrier shots. Do note that the blur is actually hard to detect if seen on a phone screen, but it is more apparent on a computer monitor.The gap in quality widens even more in low light conditions. The Mi Max 2 starts blowing out ISO to get the pictures bright enough and you do see more noise and grain in the Mi Max 2 compared to the Mi6. That鈥檚 not to say the Mi Max 2鈥檚 low light performance is horrible though. It鈥檚 still miles ahead of many other phones, and outpaces the Redmi Note 4X by quite a margin as well.The front camera is actually pretty typical for a Redmi device, meaning that it鈥檚 passable but quality isn鈥檛 great.You can capture up to 4K video on the phone, and footage is crispy, colours are still somewhat deep and dark, but footage is nevertheless great.I should say this though, comparing the Mi Max 2 to the Mi6 might have somewhat overshadowed how good the Mi Max 2鈥檚 camera is. To be frank, the Mi Max 2 has one of the best cameras I鈥檝e seen on a non flagship device so far, once the hype for the Mi Max 2 dies down and the price drops to somewhat normal levels, this is going to be one of the best camera phones you can get for the price.Xiaomi Mi Max 2聽Camera Gallery Xiaomi Mi Max 2 VerdictThe current iteration of the Mi Max 2 is the most intriguing Snapdragon 625 phone I鈥檝e tested because of two reasons; its crowning achievement and its secret weapon. Its crowning achievement is battery life so unreasonably good that even the Redmi 4 Prime and Redmi Note 4X have trouble keeping up. Second, its secret weapon, the camera, takes some amazing shots in daylight, keeping up with the flagship Xiaomi Mi6. On the other hand, its weaknesses are quite nondescript, mostly.It still has a black bar around the screen, the fingerprint sensor is difficult to reach, and the front facing camera is nothing to write home about (unlike the rear camera). I won鈥檛 spend any time ranting about Xiaomi using a Snapdragon 625 in yet another one of their phones as I鈥檝e discussed that at length here in this opinion piece. All in all, the Mi Max 2 is another great device from Xiaomi. My recommendations? Phablet lovers should buy this, Snapdragon 625 haters should not, and if you鈥檙e looking for a great camera in a non flagship device? Definitely. Buy the Xiaomi Mi Max 2The Best Xiaomi SD625 phone so far!Xiaomi Mi Max 2 Video ReviewThe Elephone P8 Mini is aiming for the best price for the most specs crammed into the P8 Mini鈥檚 humble frame. This unassuming phone features some very impressive specs for the price.Elephone P8 Mini ReviewInside the modest frame (and price) of the P8 Mini lies a truly formidable lineup of specifications and performance. Apart from the rather undersized battery, Elephone has seen fit to pack this $140 phone with specs that belong in a phone $30 its senior.Genuinely Surprising Specs for the priceElephone P8 Mini SpecificationsProcessorMediaTek MTK6750T OctacoreDisplay5鈥 1920×1080 IPS LCDRAM4GBStorage64GB eMMCOperating SystemAndroid 7.0Cameras13/2MP, 16MP frontBattery2860mAhPhysical Dimensions133g, 143.6*71*8.1mm Elephone P8 Mini Hardware5″ phones are rare nowadays, especially ones with specs worthy of mentioning. The phone is quite compact for a 5″ phone, measuring just a few mm taller and wider than my very compact Zuk Z2. The P8 Mini also feels incredibly light, most likely due to the mostly plastic build. The entire phone is plastic save for the metal plate on the back. It feels fine in hand, but doesn’t exude a premium feel above its price.On the front we have three capacitive buttons and some bezel around the screen, Elephone has definitely not made this as bezel free as possible.Fine BuildElephone P8 Mini DisplayThe 1080p IPS LCD here looks incredibly saturated, one of the most deeply saturated screens I’ve seen on an LCD so far, and that’s a good thing. Putting it side by side pretty much any phone I currently own (even the Xiaomi Mi6) and the colours on every other phone pale (literally) in comparison to how deep and saturated they are. I even checked Miravision and reset it to default settings but the screen stayed just as saturated. Needless to say, using the screen is a pleasure and everything looks great.Max brightness doesn’t go as high as I would like, topping out at 400 nits. I do have one complaint with the display and that is the touch sensitivity. it is slightly less sensitive than my Zuk Z2 and Mi6, such that regular touches are registered easily but my more calloused fingers (from guitar) have trouble being recognized unless I push down hard.Elephone P8 Mini AudioThe speakers pump out some very loud sound even with the volume enhancer turned off, and there is very slight distortion at max volume, audio gets slightly less clear. There isn’t a lot of bass though.Elephone P8 Mini BatteryThis is the one misstep Elephone made when designing this phone, at least that was what I thought; a 2860mAh battery in 2017 is just not going to cut it right? Well turns out I was only partially right, this phone has excellent standby battery drain, draining about 1% every 2-3 hours. However, i was only able to get around 3.5-4 hours of screen on time with this phone, so about average, and definitely not great.Average batteryElephone P8 Mini SoftwareAndroid 7.0 runs quite smoothly on the current hardware, noticeably slower on the Mi6 which also costs five times as much, but more than fast enough for the average user. Launching apps is quick enough, only a slight hesitation is detected when opening larger apps, there is next to none with smaller apps like the dialer, messaging, or the calculator. Multitasking is a non-issue, with the 4GB of RAM rarely filling all the way up with apps.Gaming was mostly fine, I did see some slight lag in Asphalt Extreme which I did not see in modern combat, so this could very well be a software issue. Casual games run fine as well.Gizchina News of the week Join GizChina on TelegramThe fingerprint sensor is fairly accurate and fairly fast, no issues here.Elephone P8 Mini ConnectivityNot much out of the ordinary here, it gets 2G, 3G, and LTE and no problems with speed. WiFi speeds are OK, Bluetooth works fine and GPS is a tiny bit slow to update, but nothing else bad here.Elephone P8 Mini CameraThe camera here is鈥 interesting. On one hand, it takes photos on par with the Redmi 4 Prime in good conditions, but other times the photos look incredibly blurry. There are three main modes you will take photos with, normal, HDR, and Bokeh mode, and picture quality stands in that order, with normal mode photos looking the best. Colours are very deep and saturated, detail is resolved fairly well, but a bit of dynamic range is lost, still the photos look nice.HDR tends to blow things out of proportion, it overcompensates for the lack of dynamic range resulting in washed out colours. Its also very hard to keep the camera still enough to avoid blur.Bokeh mode utilizes the secondary camera to create artificial Bokeh in a round shape which does look unnatural, and pictures take a dive in quality as well, I recommend staying in normal mode for all your camera needs. In low light, pictures start becoming grainy and noisy.The front facing camera has a higher MP count than the primary rear camera at 16MP, but here we see definite proof that MegaPixels are not everything in a camera, as the rear camera鈥檚 photos resolve much finer detail than the front facing camera.Video quality is OK for 1080p, but it has trouble focusing on the subject properly, you are usually required to aid it with a tap.Good at timesElephone P8 Mini聽Camera Gallery Elephone P8 Mini VerdictI鈥檓 left with quite an impressed impression after using the Elephone P8 Mini, as it is a surprisingly good phone from Elephone, with the very low price being the cherry on top. There are countless other MTK6750 phones and while I would have recommended phones like the Doogee Y6 Max or the Bluboo Maya Max, this phone represents better value and a better user experience than both the previous phones at a lower price.Yes, the touchscreen is a tad insensitive and the camera is inconsistent, but the user experience and specifications more than make up for that. Buy hereYou can purchase the phone here.Well rounded phoneElephone P8 Mini Video Review

The Elephone P8 Mini is aiming for the best price for the most specs crammed into the P8 Mini鈥檚 humble frame. This unassuming phone features some very impressive specs for the price.Elephone P8 Mini ReviewInside the modest frame (and price) of the P8 Mini lies a truly formidable lineup of specifications and performance. Apart from the rather undersized battery, Elephone has seen fit to pack this $140 phone with specs that belong in a phone $30 its senior.Genuinely Surprising Specs for the priceElephone P8 Mini SpecificationsProcessorMediaTek MTK6750T OctacoreDisplay5鈥 1920×1080 IPS LCDRAM4GBStorage64GB eMMCOperating SystemAndroid 7.0Cameras13/2MP, 16MP frontBattery2860mAhPhysical Dimensions133g, 143.6*71*8.1mm Elephone P8 Mini Hardware5″ phones are rare nowadays, especially ones with specs worthy of mentioning. The phone is quite compact for a 5″ phone, measuring just a few mm taller and wider than my very compact Zuk Z2. The P8 Mini also feels incredibly light, most likely due to the mostly plastic build. The entire phone is plastic save for the metal plate on the back. It feels fine in hand, but doesn’t exude a premium feel above its price.On the front we have three capacitive buttons and some bezel around the screen, Elephone has definitely not made this as bezel free as possible.Fine BuildElephone P8 Mini DisplayThe 1080p IPS LCD here looks incredibly saturated, one of the most deeply saturated screens I’ve seen on an LCD so far, and that’s a good thing. Putting it side by side pretty much any phone I currently own (even the Xiaomi Mi6) and the colours on every other phone pale (literally) in comparison to how deep and saturated they are. I even checked Miravision and reset it to default settings but the screen stayed just as saturated. Needless to say, using the screen is a pleasure and everything looks great.Max brightness doesn’t go as high as I would like, topping out at 400 nits. I do have one complaint with the display and that is the touch sensitivity. it is slightly less sensitive than my Zuk Z2 and Mi6, such that regular touches are registered easily but my more calloused fingers (from guitar) have trouble being recognized unless I push down hard.Elephone P8 Mini AudioThe speakers pump out some very loud sound even with the volume enhancer turned off, and there is very slight distortion at max volume, audio gets slightly less clear. There isn’t a lot of bass though.Elephone P8 Mini BatteryThis is the one misstep Elephone made when designing this phone, at least that was what I thought; a 2860mAh battery in 2017 is just not going to cut it right? Well turns out I was only partially right, this phone has excellent standby battery drain, draining about 1% every 2-3 hours. However, i was only able to get around 3.5-4 hours of screen on time with this phone, so about average, and definitely not great.Average batteryElephone P8 Mini SoftwareAndroid 7.0 runs quite smoothly on the current hardware, noticeably slower on the Mi6 which also costs five times as much, but more than fast enough for the average user. Launching apps is quick enough, only a slight hesitation is detected when opening larger apps, there is next to none with smaller apps like the dialer, messaging, or the calculator. Multitasking is a non-issue, with the 4GB of RAM rarely filling all the way up with apps.Gaming was mostly fine, I did see some slight lag in Asphalt Extreme which I did not see in modern combat, so this could very well be a software issue. Casual games run fine as well.Gizchina News of the week Join GizChina on TelegramThe fingerprint sensor is fairly accurate and fairly fast, no issues here.Elephone P8 Mini ConnectivityNot much out of the ordinary here, it gets 2G, 3G, and LTE and no problems with speed. WiFi speeds are OK, Bluetooth works fine and GPS is a tiny bit slow to update, but nothing else bad here.Elephone P8 Mini CameraThe camera here is鈥 interesting. On one hand, it takes photos on par with the Redmi 4 Prime in good conditions, but other times the photos look incredibly blurry. There are three main modes you will take photos with, normal, HDR, and Bokeh mode, and picture quality stands in that order, with normal mode photos looking the best. Colours are very deep and saturated, detail is resolved fairly well, but a bit of dynamic range is lost, still the photos look nice.HDR tends to blow things out of proportion, it overcompensates for the lack of dynamic range resulting in washed out colours. Its also very hard to keep the camera still enough to avoid blur.Bokeh mode utilizes the secondary camera to create artificial Bokeh in a round shape which does look unnatural, and pictures take a dive in quality as well, I recommend staying in normal mode for all your camera needs. In low light, pictures start becoming grainy and noisy.The front facing camera has a higher MP count than the primary rear camera at 16MP, but here we see definite proof that MegaPixels are not everything in a camera, as the rear camera鈥檚 photos resolve much finer detail than the front facing camera.Video quality is OK for 1080p, but it has trouble focusing on the subject properly, you are usually required to aid it with a tap.Good at timesElephone P8 Mini聽Camera Gallery Elephone P8 Mini VerdictI鈥檓 left with quite an impressed impression after using the Elephone P8 Mini, as it is a surprisingly good phone from Elephone, with the very low price being the cherry on top. There are countless other MTK6750 phones and while I would have recommended phones like the Doogee Y6 Max or the Bluboo Maya Max, this phone represents better value and a better user experience than both the previous phones at a lower price.Yes, the touchscreen is a tad insensitive and the camera is inconsistent, but the user experience and specifications more than make up for that. Buy hereYou can purchase the phone here.Well rounded phoneElephone P8 Mini Video ReviewOukitel is one of many China-based smartphone OEMs and during the past few years has managed to launch some really interesting devices that boast impressive standby times and all-in-all decent聽performance. The Oukitel K4000 Plus is the mid-ranger of the “K series” family, and perhaps the best balanced device of their portfolio, (only) if you are on a “tight” budget.It’s the smallest (as far as battery capacity is concerned) of the K Series family, with the K10000 Pro and K6000 Plus aimed at more experienced (and more demanding) users. Our little friend here packs a聽4,100mAh battery inside, providing impressive stand by/talk time results that you will surely enjoy, but it’s still low priced (just $99-$102) and has decent everyday performance, with no problems or mishaps.Let’s have a closer look on what this small “monster” can do, OK?Solid Build, basically unbreakableOukitel K4000 Plus review – Technical specsThe Oukitel K4000 Plus packs聽a 5-inch 720p (1280 x 720) display which is extremely tough (up to 9H hardness), being able to withstand more than 800MPa of stress value. It’s equipped with Mediatek’s聽MT6737 SoC, paired with a Mali-T720 MP2 GPU, 2GB of RAM as well as聽16GB of internal storage (expandable via microSD card up to 32GB) for apps, games, and media. On its back we can find an 8-megapixel snapper (13-megapixel interpolated) with a LED flash next to it and a 2-megapixel shooter (for… really “basic” selfie shots I am afraid) is available up front.The device runs on聽Android 6.0 Marshmallow and it鈥檚 almost stock, with Oukitel only adding some of their very own features (mostly gestures), along with聽some additional pre-installed applications (360 Security, UC Browser, Freezer, Quick Touch).Oukitel K4000 Plus main Features:Display:聽5.0 inch, 1280 x 720 pixels HD screenCPU:聽MTK6737 Quad Core 1.3GHz2GB RAM, 16GB storage, microSD slotOperating System:聽Android 6.0Camera:聽8.0MP (SW 13.0MP) rear camera + 2.0MP (SW 5.0MP) front cameraAmbient Light Sensor, Gravity Sensor, Proximity Sensor, Touch SensorDual SIM dual standby, Micro SIM / Micro SIM4100 mAh batteryGSM聽850/900/1800/1900MHz – WCDMA聽900/1900/2100MHz -FDD-LTE聽800/900/1800/2100/2600MHzHardware And Build qualityLet’s start with the easy stuff OK? The first thing you notice when this phone appears in front of you (out of its box) is how heavy and thick it is. The Oukitel K4000 Plus weighs 215 grams and it’s approximately 10mm thick. However these numbers feel normal on this type of phones – specifically the ones with large batteries like most Oukitel smartphones. This one packs a 4100 mAh battery so it’s more or less expected to be this heavy, but it’s also really durable with a shatter proof display and an extremely solid build.Oukitel decided to create a number of videos recently, in order to promote this device, and pretty much every one of them boasted about its battery life and durability. Here’s one of them just for… the fun of it:The company actually hit the device with a hammer, used it as a hammer to knock nails into wood and even decided to use it to crack walnuts! Don’t worry, the device did great, its display is quite durable, but obviously these things are not to be made for fun so don’t try them at home. It’s a pity to damage a brand new device, isn’t it? In everyday use, the K4000 Plus may be heavy but still, there’s a reason one will choose this phone isn’t there? It has a small footprint however thanks to its 5 inch display, so it can easily fit into most pockets, or allow for one handed use with impressive performance (for a budget Android smartphone that is).Oh, let’s not forget that there’s a fingerprint scanner placed inside the Home Button of the device. It can be found just below the display, providing quite fast fingerprint recognition with almost 90% success rate. You can use it to lock applications, unlock the phone and it can “read” fingerprints in 360 degrees.Connectivity/Call performanceIt’s one of the most important (and deciding) factors for me, when I test a phone. How good it sounds, what type of signal reception it has and how well its speaker works. The Oukitel K4000 Plus did quite well in this test by my standards.聽The phone call quality was satisfactory, but nothing that is worth bragging about. I was able to call others and receive calls on this device without any issues, with quite good sound quality and volume.Gizchina News of the week Join GizChina on TelegramI found its speaker to be “rough” I guess, with loud “noise” when ringtones were played back, but nothing that could disappoint me I guess. I have to say that the microphone was quite solid and the overall connectivity via both data and Wi-Fi networks was consistent. I didn鈥檛 experience any problems with 3G/4G or Wi-Fi during my tests, all web pages/social networks were easily accessible via WiFi but the signal strength when I was a bit far from my router dropped quite easily.I didn’t face any disconnections thankfully but the WiFi range drops rapidly after 10-12 meters walk from the WiFi router. The 4G speeds were average, with good reception wherever I went, zero dropped calls/connections and a decent all in all performance.Battery consumptionWell here’s where this phone (and most Oukitel devices) shine! One of the main selling points of the Oukitel K4000 Plus is its battery life, and for a good reason. It comes with 4100 mAh capacity, but the Android 6.0 operating system is beautifully optimized to offer great standby and talk times, that will surely – SURELY – satisfy you.The K4000 Plus can stay away from its charger for more than 2 days if you use it wisely, and offers great stand by times when you put it to rest. I “pushed” the device as much as I could:聽I played some games, browsed the internet, did tons of messaging and YouTube, phone calls as well but it just went from 74% to 55% by the end of the first day, confirming that it’s a decent “energy” phone.In any case, I know you will ask yourselves, so here it is:if you鈥檙e looking an affordable handset with really good battery life, the Oukitel K4000 plus should definitely be one of your options.Operating System – Marshmallow insideIf you鈥檝e ever used a Chinese handset by聽Chinese OEMS (UMIDIGI, Doogee, Cubot) or any other similar brand, you鈥檒l feel at home with this model. The Oukitel K4000 Plus runs on Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow with a simple icon theme and a beautiful lockscreen made by the Chinese company, so it’s not “pure” Android, but it’s really “light” and easy to move around in the menus. Oukitel uses their own launcher with some special effects, desktop settings for those of you who love to tweak a bit their phones and includes a set of Gesture Options.聽You can, for example, double tap the capacitive home button in order to wake up the device, and you can do the same in order to lock it. All of these gestures can be disabled in settings by the way. As far as the notification shade, settings and a number of other parts of the software are concerned, this is stock Android. It’s one of the reasons Oukitel K4000 Plus manages to perform as it should, and it鈥檚 definitely a huge “plus” for this smartphone. Camera: not that bad at all…First of all: don’t choose the phones of this category (devices with large batteries) purely for their imaging features. It’s not where they’re good at, and they know it. You should know it too. So the K4000 Plus confirms all of the above and proves to be an average camera phone equipped with an聽8-megapixel snapper (13-megapixel interpolated) on the back, and a 2-megapixel camera up front.Its main camera can shoot decent photos in good lightning conditions (the colors could be better overall), but it tends to provide somewhat colder images than it should. When the light isn鈥檛 that good, however, it doesn鈥檛 perform that well, as expected with most Chinese smartphones in this category and price range. It can also shoot HD videos at 25 fps, with average quality and some high contrast issues as you can see below.The same goes for the selfie camera that’s placed in front, just above the display.聽The images lack details and are nothing to brag about, that鈥檚 for sure, but it will do more than a good job if you shoot selfies from time to time, and the same goes for video calls. There’s also a LED flash placed next to the main camera. It manages to light up the images, but it doesn’t do what it should: it basically ruins selfies, letting them turn out unnatural and you鈥檒l probably opt not to use flash, at least in most situations.So, is it worth it?Oukitel is surely one of the decent聽manufacturers if you’re in the market for an affordable device with really solid battery life. This Oukitel K4000 Plus is exceptional in its battery performance, it performs well in average – everyday use, and most novice or semi-experienced Android users will enjoy it – no doubt about it. After all its price nowadays (approximately 100$) is great for those who have limited budget to spend on a phone.

Blackview鈥檚 devices have been impressing me lately, and as a result I鈥檝e begun to look forward to the company鈥檚 next releases. With this, I now have the Blackview BV7000 Pro in my hands, and it鈥檚 ready for a full review. So, how does the Blackview BV7000 Pro fare?Blackview BV7000 Pro SpecificationsProcessorMTK6750T聽Octa CoreDisplay5″ 1920×1080 IPS LCDRAM4GBStorage64GBOperating SystemAndroid 6.0 MarshmallowCameras13MP, 8MP CameraBattery3,500mAhPhysical Dimensions222g, 153 x78.9 x 12.6 mmI’d like to thank Blackview for lending us a review unit of the BV7000 Pro.HardwareThe BV7000 Pro is a device designed to fit into a niche market, that market being the rugged design market. As such, the BV7000 Pro features all the hallmarks of a rugged phone like a rubberized design, metal everywhere and a covers for every slot and socket.As a result of this, the device looks very unique but also not too practical. It鈥檚 quite heavy at 222g, but it鈥檚 also incredibly solid and tough. It鈥檚 got thick bezels around the display, but this only makes the Gorilla Glass 3 coated display even safer. The thing is thick and chunky for a 5-inch device at 153mm x78.9mm x 12.6mm, but it makes up by feeling substantial in the hand.The build quality here is unparalleled as far as I鈥檓 concerned. This device is made up of a huge and solid CNC Metal frame, which makes it so incredibly solid. The parts that aren鈥檛 metal are rubberized, meaning they鈥檒l be more shock resistant and are easier to grip. Really, this design comes down to whether you like these types of devices or not.In terms of ports and slots, the device comes with a hybrid sim slot for either two sims or one micro sim and a microSD card slot. There are also the power button and volume rockers on the right, and on the bottom you鈥檒l find the USB-C 2.0 slot. The USB-C slot is deep in the phone, which means the cable you use needs to have a longer head or it won鈥檛 work.The top features a 3.5mm headphone jack, but because it鈥檚 deep in the phone, most earbuds and headphones might not work with them, which is very disappointing. Also of interest is the small oneclick button聽right under the power button and volume rockers on the right. It can be setup to perform simple actions with a single press, it’s pretty nifty.If it鈥檚 just build quality you鈥檙e after however, the BV7000 Pro stands tall above the rest. I鈥檝e thrown it onto a cement wall multiple times, and it鈥檚 barely scratched. This is a device that you could literally use as a weapon, it鈥檚 simply that tough. Also, it鈥檚 water resistant and dust resistant with an IP68 rating, which is always good.DisplayThe Blackview BV7000 Pro has a 5-inch full HD 1920脳1080 display, and it鈥檚 once again a very high quality panel for the device. The display is sharp, vibrant and accurate, just like any good display should be. Sunlight visibility is also good, though you鈥檒l have to crank it up to full brightness in harsh sunlight.Viewing angles are very good, though they are somewhat hampered by the thick bezels around the display. While they do protect the device, they also make the viewing experience less immersive. This however keeps the display extremely safe from danger, so it鈥檚 up to you to decide if it鈥檚 an acceptable trade off.So in conclusion, the BV7000 Pro has a very nice display, much like the P2 before it. It鈥檚 actually quite surprising to find a display like this on a rugged device, though it鈥檚 much appreciated. Hopefully future rugged devices will have displays like these instead of the almost TFT looking things a majority of them have.Software Blackview UNI Launcher makes another appearance here, and once again it鈥檚 pretty much stock Android with a skin on top and no app drawer. The BV7000 throws out the old icon design for a new Huawei Mate 8 look, which wasn鈥檛 really much of an improvement, so I threw on Nova Launcher.The settings menu has some options for unlocking the phone with gestures, but they鈥檙e not really all too useful when you consider the device fingerprint sensor. There’s also an option to setup the oneclick button on the bottom right. This allows you to configure what you want it to do.The oneclick button can do simple tasks like start up your flashlight with a single press or take a screenshot with a double press. You can also set it to start applications, so the possibilities are endless, and it’s pretty useful.聽Aside from that, everything else is pretty much stock Android 6.0. PerformanceThe Blackview BV7000 Pro comes with a MTK6750T chipset and 4GB of RAM. This is the exact same setup that comes with the Blackview P2, and as such the performance on display here is roughly the same as it is on the P2, which is great.Gizchina News of the week Join GizChina on TelegramThe UI is snappy and quick, with few to no slowdowns throughout this testing period. Opening multiple apps at the same time was also no problem thanks to the huge amount of RAM in the device.Moving onto gaming, The BV7000 Pro once again impresses with all around good showings. Playing simple games like Tetris and Prune proved to be no challenge for the BV7000 Pro. More graphic intensive games like NOVA 3 caused some minor slowdowns, but nothing that effected my enjoyment of the game.Overall, the performance of the Blackview BV7000 Pro is great. The combination of the MTK6750T and 4GB RAM provides a very good user experience, with everything being quick and snappy. It鈥檚 not the fastest device, but it provides reliable performance all throughout.Battery LifeThe Blackview BV7000 Pro features a 3,500mAh battery which is a fairly decent size for a 5-inch device. In terms of actual performance, it seems to match up just fine. The Blackview BV7000 Pro managed to get through an entire day, even with intensive usage.With 20 minutes of gaming and an hour of social media as well as mobile data constantly turned on and 60% brightness, the phone managed to get nearly 6 hours of screen on time, which is quite good.The BV7000 Pro also charges surprisingly quick thanks to that 5V2A charger. It can go from 0% to 100% in just over an hour, which is fairly impressive. So to summarize, the Blackview BV7000 Pro is great in terms of longevity and charging speeds.AudioAs is the case for many rugged devices, the sound quality is its downfall. The main speaker is adequately loud, but crank up the volume and you鈥檒l start to hear crackling, blurriness and distortion. The reason for this is the water resistant nature of these devices, which reduces the quality of the speaker.Following that, the in-ear speaker is also not really that good. It鈥檚 clear enough that you can understand what the person is saying, though it becomes harder once you鈥檙e in a public area with a lot of people. This is typical of rugged devices, but it鈥檚 still a con nonetheless.CameraThe Blackview BV7000 Pro鈥檚 camera is, at its best, decent. The phone suffers from the same problem most mid-range smartphones suffer from, the cameras rarely stand out amongst the competition. Their cameras are fully usable, but they aren鈥檛 going to be the reason you buy the device.The device can snap images quickly thanks to low shutter lag, but details get blurred out fairly often. Highlights can get overblown easily, requiring quite a bit of manual readjustment to get a decent shot. The lack of OIS also means that it鈥檚 tough to take a steady image.Once night hits however, things take a turn for the worse. The camera starts to become really slow, which presents the user with a terrible case of shutter lag. This, paired with the amount of noise generated by the camera in low light make low light photography pretty bad.Video recording doesn鈥檛 fare much better either. Videos are incredibly shaky and lack detail. The colours are also muted, which sometimes makes things look lifeless and uninspiring. Rugged devices aren鈥檛 known for their cameras, though I was still hoping for more. Camera Gallery ConnectivityBack to the positives, the Blackview BV7000 Pro definitely impresses in connectivity. The GPS locked-on quickly and managed to hold a strong connection every time I needed it, and mobile reception was fantastic, as I could get mobile reception from the middle of a bustling shopping mall.Bluetooth works well, and Hotknot also works though I鈥檓 not sure why you鈥檇 use it over Bluetooth. Everything ran as it should have and there weren鈥檛 any times where a problem with stop me from doing something. So in this case, the BV7000 Pro gets a thumbs up from me.ConclusionThe Blackview BV7000 Pro is a solid rugged device, that is also held back by the fact that it鈥檚 a rugged device. It has some incredible build quality, but now some of your headphones may not work and it gets some massive bezels. The display is tough, but the speakers suffer. This thing is made up of pros and cons, all of which boil up to the fact that it鈥檚 a rugged device.ProsStock software is snappyBuild quality is incredibleConnectivity is goodBattery life is solidGood displayGaming performance is good4GB of RAM allows for a lot of multitaskingDesign is uniqueBacklit buttons are finally hereIP68 ratingConsCameras are either average or badHeavyChunkyAudio quality isn鈥檛 goodRugged design prevents some headphones from being usableCovers for every single port and slot gets cumbersomeDesign is differentNo NFCWhether you鈥檒l like this device or not really comes down to whether you want a rugged device or not. The industrial design isn鈥檛 for everyone, but those who do like it will probably appreciate it greatly. Those who don鈥檛 however will probably want to look elsewhere for a device.I guess there’s no doubt, that one of the most popular trends in smartphones for 2017 is the implementation of dual cameras. Thankfully it’s no longer exclusive to high-end models, and it can be found as a special feature in a growing number of entry-level and mid-range phones, such as… this聽Bluboo D1 model that you’re going to meet today – upclose and personal.Bluboo promotes this model as one of the most affordable dual camera smartphones having launched with a $79.99 price tag, along with some… modest specifications and average performance. So how does this affordable dual camera model fare at the end of the day? What are its best attributes and where could we see it… do a bit better?Let’s have a look at this Bluboo D1 review.Decent Specs, great priceBLUBOO D1 – Technical specificationsQuad-core processor MediaTek MT6580A clocked at 1.3 GHz5.0-inch HD display by Sharp, 2.5D2GB of RAM16GB ROMmicroSD expansion up to 256GBDual camera (8.0-megapixel and 2.0-megapixel Sony sensors)5.0-megapixel聽front camera w/聽Selfie softlight, dual rear LED flash,聽Breathing LightMetal unibody made of aircraft-grade aluminum alloyDual SIM (2x micro SIM)Connectivity: GSM 5(850)/B8(900)/B3(1800)/B2(1900) – WCDMA:B8(900 ) /B1(2100)Rear fingerprint sensorAndroid 7.0 Nougat2600mAh batteryAvailable in Black, Blue and Gold colorsBluboo D1 review: Design and general appearanceI have to be honest, I really liked the basic design of the Bluboo D1. The phone is available in 3 color variants (as you just read on its technical specs) which are mainly: Black, Golden and Blue. It surely looks impressive however thanks to its metallic build and its general design that allows for excellent grip and usability. Note that the back side of the device is made out of聽aircraft-aluminum alloy which improves its durability and enhances the whole “appearance” factor.聽There’s also a selfie softlight placed above the display next to the camera and 3 soft keys placed just below the display but unfortunately they don’t light up.Don’t know about you, but I am a fan of 5 inch smartphones because I enjoy the one-handed use whenever I can. So the device comes with a really impressive 5 inch display with 2.5D glass and HD resolution with decent luminosity during those sunny days here in Southern Europe, along with an awesome “breathing” notification light that’s placed just under the main navigation bar and informs us on any type of notification!The colors of the display may be rather saturated, but the images are crisp, with good viewing angles and a fully responsive panel if I may add.聽All in all a decent display – especially for a smartphone on this price range.In the back side of the device you will also find a聽fingerprint sensor which proves to be rather fast. It can unlock the phone in less than 0.1 second with almost 97% success rate. It can basically store up to 5 different fingerprints and can recognize them all from 360 degrees, something that’s a standard nowadays.Hardware & PerformanceOK, I have told you that this is a budget dual camera smartphone and… here’s why. The Bluboo D1聽is powered by a MediaTek MTK6580A SoC, along with 2GB RAM and 16GB of internal storage with a microSD card (thankfully). It offers a rather decent user experience with minimal lags and good multi-tasking, enabling users to keep several applications open in the background with no significant impact on its everyday performance. Oh and if you’re into checking benchmark results, this Bluboo model scored 23622 points in AntuTu but had really average GPS reception. I didn’t have any issues with GPS related apps but it uses only a handful of the available satellites every time. It could be connected to more I guess, in order to offer even better results when scanning for our location.I guess you already know it, but I will say it one more time. The Bluboo D1 is NOT a 4G/LTE smartphone (thus the really affordable price), so you can expect normal WCDMA mobile internet speeds and decent performance in everyday use. It has good GSM/WCDMA signal reception, average in-call volume but the sound of its speaker is awesome!Gizchina News of the week Join GizChina on TelegramBluboo D1 review: Android software and UI performanceThe Bluboo D1 runs on Android 7.0 Nougat but we have no official confirmation on when (and if) the company plans to upgrade it to Android 7.1.1 or (one can hope) Android O. In any case, the Android 7.0 gives you more control on the smartphone and also lets you customize the phone just like any other Nougat based smartphone. There is no bloatware or other unnecessary apps inside, it supports all the classic Nougat features but the UI has been tampered a bit by Bluboo. There’s themes support with certain pre installed themes waiting for us when we first boot up, along with some few widgets for the weather, time etc. 聽All in all this extra customization doesn’t seem to affect the performance of the device. Don’t forget it has 2GB of RAM, which is not… a lot, but still offers decent everyday use for a novice Android user, as long as you don’t choose to put any extra pressure on it with severe multi-tasking, more than 4-5 apps opened simultaneously etc. It’s not a flagship guys, just a budget Android smartphone, don’t over-do it. 馃槈Dual camera/Selfie camera performanceI guess we all know by now that the Bluboo D1 comes with an 8.0-megapixel main camera along and a 2.0-megapixel camera and a LED flash with generally acceptable photos as you can see for yourselves. Note that one camera is used for creating the bokeh effect and other will capture the image with quite impressive portrait photos, but poor performance in low light conditions.good photos, average videos but DISAPPOINTING聽low light performanceBoth cameras have independent vision processing unit, which enables background blurring in real time. It also allows you to choose where to focus (touch focus) and where to blur, with the ability to adjust the intensity of blurring, too. The only thing I have to mention is the performance of the main camera in night or low light conditions, where the LED flash isn’t strong enough to create the necessary light that will help shoot crisp photos. Such as the following:The little bluish light in the middle of the photo above, is the LED flash, trying to improve the light conditions, with really poor results however, as you can see.As we foretold you, the Bluboo D1 comes with a 5MP selfie camera and a soft light that illuminates the background in order to capture the image and create bokeh effects there as well.Battery consumptionThe Bluboo D1 is equipped with a relatively small 2600mAh battery but numbers don’t mean anything in this situation. The device comes with an energy efficient processor and in general performs well providing a full day’s usage with no problems and offers an extra battery super saver mode聽that can provide up to 12 more hours of usage. You can enable the saver mode by just holding the unlock button & you will see the option and tap on that. So simple yet efficient 馃槈Conclusion – So what about it?All in all, a decent budget Android…I really enjoyed this small beauty from Bluboo. It’s not featured as the super wow dual camera phone that everyone should buy, no. It’s a budget dual camera phone, with good photos in daylight conditions, average photos in low light conditions and… below average videos. It offers however excellent battery consumption, good performance for a novice Android user and decent build quality.It costs just 79,99$ (average price) in most Chinese retailer shops and – as I have already told you, I always judge a phone compared to how much it costs. So for this Bluboo D1 I think you get what you paid for: decent specs, good daylight photos with bokeh effects and impressive battery consumption.

I guess there’s no doubt, that one of the most popular trends in smartphones for 2017 is the implementation of dual cameras. Thankfully it’s no longer exclusive to high-end models, and it can be found as a special feature in a growing number of entry-level and mid-range phones, such as… this聽Bluboo D1 model that you’re going to meet today – upclose and personal.Bluboo promotes this model as one of the most affordable dual camera smartphones having launched with a $79.99 price tag, along with some… modest specifications and average performance. So how does this affordable dual camera model fare at the end of the day? What are its best attributes and where could we see it… do a bit better?Let’s have a look at this Bluboo D1 review.Decent Specs, great priceBLUBOO D1 – Technical specificationsQuad-core processor MediaTek MT6580A clocked at 1.3 GHz5.0-inch HD display by Sharp, 2.5D2GB of RAM16GB ROMmicroSD expansion up to 256GBDual camera (8.0-megapixel and 2.0-megapixel Sony sensors)5.0-megapixel聽front camera w/聽Selfie softlight, dual rear LED flash,聽Breathing LightMetal unibody made of aircraft-grade aluminum alloyDual SIM (2x micro SIM)Connectivity: GSM 5(850)/B8(900)/B3(1800)/B2(1900) – WCDMA:B8(900 ) /B1(2100)Rear fingerprint sensorAndroid 7.0 Nougat2600mAh batteryAvailable in Black, Blue and Gold colorsBluboo D1 review: Design and general appearanceI have to be honest, I really liked the basic design of the Bluboo D1. The phone is available in 3 color variants (as you just read on its technical specs) which are mainly: Black, Golden and Blue. It surely looks impressive however thanks to its metallic build and its general design that allows for excellent grip and usability. Note that the back side of the device is made out of聽aircraft-aluminum alloy which improves its durability and enhances the whole “appearance” factor.聽There’s also a selfie softlight placed above the display next to the camera and 3 soft keys placed just below the display but unfortunately they don’t light up.Don’t know about you, but I am a fan of 5 inch smartphones because I enjoy the one-handed use whenever I can. So the device comes with a really impressive 5 inch display with 2.5D glass and HD resolution with decent luminosity during those sunny days here in Southern Europe, along with an awesome “breathing” notification light that’s placed just under the main navigation bar and informs us on any type of notification!The colors of the display may be rather saturated, but the images are crisp, with good viewing angles and a fully responsive panel if I may add.聽All in all a decent display – especially for a smartphone on this price range.In the back side of the device you will also find a聽fingerprint sensor which proves to be rather fast. It can unlock the phone in less than 0.1 second with almost 97% success rate. It can basically store up to 5 different fingerprints and can recognize them all from 360 degrees, something that’s a standard nowadays.Hardware & PerformanceOK, I have told you that this is a budget dual camera smartphone and… here’s why. The Bluboo D1聽is powered by a MediaTek MTK6580A SoC, along with 2GB RAM and 16GB of internal storage with a microSD card (thankfully). It offers a rather decent user experience with minimal lags and good multi-tasking, enabling users to keep several applications open in the background with no significant impact on its everyday performance. Oh and if you’re into checking benchmark results, this Bluboo model scored 23622 points in AntuTu but had really average GPS reception. I didn’t have any issues with GPS related apps but it uses only a handful of the available satellites every time. It could be connected to more I guess, in order to offer even better results when scanning for our location.I guess you already know it, but I will say it one more time. The Bluboo D1 is NOT a 4G/LTE smartphone (thus the really affordable price), so you can expect normal WCDMA mobile internet speeds and decent performance in everyday use. It has good GSM/WCDMA signal reception, average in-call volume but the sound of its speaker is awesome!Gizchina News of the week Join GizChina on TelegramBluboo D1 review: Android software and UI performanceThe Bluboo D1 runs on Android 7.0 Nougat but we have no official confirmation on when (and if) the company plans to upgrade it to Android 7.1.1 or (one can hope) Android O. In any case, the Android 7.0 gives you more control on the smartphone and also lets you customize the phone just like any other Nougat based smartphone. There is no bloatware or other unnecessary apps inside, it supports all the classic Nougat features but the UI has been tampered a bit by Bluboo. There’s themes support with certain pre installed themes waiting for us when we first boot up, along with some few widgets for the weather, time etc. 聽All in all this extra customization doesn’t seem to affect the performance of the device. Don’t forget it has 2GB of RAM, which is not… a lot, but still offers decent everyday use for a novice Android user, as long as you don’t choose to put any extra pressure on it with severe multi-tasking, more than 4-5 apps opened simultaneously etc. It’s not a flagship guys, just a budget Android smartphone, don’t over-do it. 馃槈Dual camera/Selfie camera performanceI guess we all know by now that the Bluboo D1 comes with an 8.0-megapixel main camera along and a 2.0-megapixel camera and a LED flash with generally acceptable photos as you can see for yourselves. Note that one camera is used for creating the bokeh effect and other will capture the image with quite impressive portrait photos, but poor performance in low light conditions.good photos, average videos but DISAPPOINTING聽low light performanceBoth cameras have independent vision processing unit, which enables background blurring in real time. It also allows you to choose where to focus (touch focus) and where to blur, with the ability to adjust the intensity of blurring, too. The only thing I have to mention is the performance of the main camera in night or low light conditions, where the LED flash isn’t strong enough to create the necessary light that will help shoot crisp photos. Such as the following:The little bluish light in the middle of the photo above, is the LED flash, trying to improve the light conditions, with really poor results however, as you can see.As we foretold you, the Bluboo D1 comes with a 5MP selfie camera and a soft light that illuminates the background in order to capture the image and create bokeh effects there as well.Battery consumptionThe Bluboo D1 is equipped with a relatively small 2600mAh battery but numbers don’t mean anything in this situation. The device comes with an energy efficient processor and in general performs well providing a full day’s usage with no problems and offers an extra battery super saver mode聽that can provide up to 12 more hours of usage. You can enable the saver mode by just holding the unlock button & you will see the option and tap on that. So simple yet efficient 馃槈Conclusion – So what about it?All in all, a decent budget Android…I really enjoyed this small beauty from Bluboo. It’s not featured as the super wow dual camera phone that everyone should buy, no. It’s a budget dual camera phone, with good photos in daylight conditions, average photos in low light conditions and… below average videos. It offers however excellent battery consumption, good performance for a novice Android user and decent build quality.It costs just 79,99$ (average price) in most Chinese retailer shops and – as I have already told you, I always judge a phone compared to how much it costs. So for this Bluboo D1 I think you get what you paid for: decent specs, good daylight photos with bokeh effects and impressive battery consumption.The Blackview A9 Pro is one of the many budget devices to come out of Blackview recently; and with budget devices like these, you can expect a metal body and entry level performance for a low price.Blackview A9 Pro ReviewThe A9 Pro looks pretty unremarkable in many respects. Specifications are nothing special, with a varied assortment of other phones boasting almost the exact same specifications. The price of this phone doesn鈥檛 do much to excite either, with more powerful phones to be had for $10-15 more. It does boast a dual camera setup and a USB-C port which are uncommon in this price range, but will these two features be enough to push this device ahead of the pack? Let鈥檚 find out.A budget blackviewBlackview A9 Pro SpecificationsProcessorMTk6737 Quad CoreDisplay5.0鈥 1280×720 IPS LCDRAM2GBStorage16GB eMMCOperating SystemAndroid 7.0 NougatCameras8MP/0.3MP dual Camera, 2MP frontBattery3000mAhPhysical Dimensions175g, 14.36 x 7.24 x 0.92 cmBig thanks to Blackview for providing this review unit. You can buy one here.Blackview A9 Pro HardwareThe A9 Pro features a metal frame surrounding a rubber back and glass front. The rubber back imparts grip while the frame relays a more premium feel than what you would expect. No, it鈥檚 not full metal as is becoming more common in this price range but the body does not fall behind the competition. The phone is a little bulky for a 5鈥 device, weighing 175g and measuring in a good bit larger than other more compact 5鈥 phones like the Zuk Z2 or Redmi devices.The A9 Pro could definitely do with some slimming down (as do I), the phone exceeds 9mm, quite thick for a phone with a regular sized battery. In addition, there is significant bezel around the screen, especially for a 5鈥 phone. There is also a USB-C port flanked by a speaker grille and a microphone along the bottom edge of the phone. Blackview has strangely decided not to include capacitive buttons beside the home button which forces all offscreen interaction into the home button. You can turn on the navigation bar for more nuanced interaction but you can squeak by with just the home button.Fine build qualityBlackview A9 Pro DisplayBlackview has chosen a 720p IPS panel by AUO and also talk quite a large game about the zero air gap in the panel, something that would theoretically increase contrast and reduce reflections. In practice though, I found the former false but the latter true, with the screen producing some good colours and decent contrast, but nothing too amazing. The zero air gap does reduce reflections but it doesn鈥檛 cut them out all the way. Max brightness is around 400 nits, adequate, but not excellent.Blackview A9 Pro AudioThere is a single speaker on the bottom of the phone that pumps out some average volume and average quality. I had trouble hearing the speaker in loud environments and there is a lack of bass, something I鈥檝e come to expect in budget devices such as these.Blackview A9 Pro BatteryThe 3000mAh battery struggles to keep up with a full day of heavy use, which is to be expected for a typical battery size like this. Nevertheless, I obtained close to 4 hours of screen on time over a 16 hour day which is respectable and falling short of good. This use consisted of web browsing, quite a bit of Facebook, texting, and some Youtube. Definitely not the heaviest use, and by the time 10pm rolled around, I was at 6%. Heavy users will struggle greatly to get through a day without a charger while medium and light users will find the battery life sufficient.Gizchina News of the week Join GizChina on TelegramAverage batteryBlackview A9 Pro SoftwareWhat a surprise! We find the latest Android 7.0 Nougat preloaded on the A9 Pro, and general use is pretty smooth. Swiping between home screens is pretty smooth, but where we start to see the limitations of the hardware is launching apps and multitasking. I do see some hesitation when tapping on apps before they are completely launched. Multitasking was challenging as well, with the 2GB of RAM filling up quite quickly. Compared unfairly to my Xiaomi Mi6, the A9 Pro is noticeably slower when doing anything that concerns applications, but it doesn鈥檛 fall far behind when doing things like swiping between home screens etc.The phone games surprisingly well, with the MTK6737 pushing games quite easily on the 720p screen. I could play even the most intense games without any lag, quite an accomplishment on a budget phone like this.The fingerprint sensor here is fairly accurate but very slow. There were delays between 1 second to 3 seconds until the screen turned on, the fingerprint sensor is definitely slow.Blackview A9 Pro ConnectivityEnsure this phone works in your specific carrier before you make a purchase. I was able to obtain 4G and speeds on 4G are decent but not great. WiFi range is a little short, 3 storeys up from my router and speeds slow down to a crawl. Bluetooth does work fine, and GPS is fairly inaccurate as well, jumping around a great deal.Blackview A9 Pro CameraThe primary rear camera takes barely average pictures in good lighting conditions. The 8MP camera struggles to capture sufficient detail, but at least colours here are reproduced quite nicely. The already average photo quality takes a steep dive as light becomes less abundant, with noise and grain multiplied almost exponentially. The secondary rear camera doesn鈥檛 help either, it adds a faux bokeh effect to the photo, but the photo quality wasn鈥檛 good in the first place. The front facing camera is a meager 2MP, something I rarely see as most budget phones feature at least a 5MP camera. Quality is expectedly horrible, even in good lighting conditions.Video quality performs quite poorly, capturing blurry footage that in some cases is almost unuseable, even in the best lighting conditions.Weak CameraBlackview A9 Pro聽Camera Gallery Blackview A9 Pro VerdictBlackview has done an OK job in almost all areas of this budget phone with one glaring omission, the camera. The quality of the photo and video is poor enough that I would strongly hesitate recommending this phone. While the camera quality is the major failing of this device, the A9 Pro is not without its qualities. The combination of metal frame and rubber back is pleasant, and the display is quite lively. Gaming performance is surprisingly good as well.The Blackview A9 Pro can be had for about $100, which is cheap, but if you can afford to spend an extra $25, I would recommend to you the Redmi 4A, which is a much better all round phone than this.You can purchase the A9 Pro for around the $100 mark here.hmmm…Blackview A9 Pro Video Review

The MGCool Explorer is one of MGCool鈥檚 first products to be released, and it is incredibly cheap, starting at $49USD. It is capable of capturing up to 4K video at 15fps, and let鈥檚 get right into the unboxing.MGCOOL Explorer 4K聽SpecificationsProcessorAllWinner V3Display2.0鈥 TFT聽320×240 pxSensor16MP 1/3.2 IMX 179聽CMOS sensorLens170 deg wide angleOperating SystemAndroid/iOS CompatibleRecording options4K@15, 2K@30, FHD@60, 720p@120fpsBattery1050mAhPhysical Dimensions55g, 5.90 x 4.10 x 2.90 cmBig thanks to MGCool聽for providing this review unit. Buy one here.MGCool Explorer 4K聽UnboxingThe MGCool Explorer comes in quite an attractive black box with all the accessories inside. Opening up the box reveals the MGCool Explorer action cam itself already sitting inside its waterproof housing surrounded by foam, and removing the action cam and the protective foam we see the rest of the accessories inside, and there are quite a few. I won鈥檛 go through all of them in detail, but if you need to mount this action cam to something, you鈥檒l more often than not find the appropriate accessory.Gizchina News of the week Join GizChina on TelegramMGCool Explorer聽4K聽Hands OnMoving on to the action camera itself, the waterproof housing looks pretty sturdy and waterproof (which I will test) and undoing the top latch opens up the waterproof housing revealing the action cam itself. The action camera is small and light, and it is made of rubber. It is textured rubber which makes it incredibly easy to grip, and we have the power buttons on the front, up down buttons on the right, and the non touchscreen on the back.MGCool Explorer聽4K聽First ImpressionsThe MGCool Explorer is one of MGCool鈥檚 first products to be released, and it is incredibly cheap, starting at $49USD. It is capable of capturing up to 4K video at 15fps, and let鈥檚 get right into the unboxing.MGCOOL Explorer 4K聽SpecificationsProcessorAllWinner V3Display2.0鈥 TFT聽320×240 pxSensor16MP 1/3.2 IMX 179聽CMOS sensorLens170 deg wide angleOperating SystemAndroid/iOS CompatibleRecording options4K@15, 2K@30, FHD@60, 720p@120fpsBattery1050mAhPhysical Dimensions55g, 5.90 x 4.10 x 2.90 cmBig thanks to MGCool聽for providing this review unit. Buy one here.MGCool Explorer 4K聽UnboxingThe MGCool Explorer comes in quite an attractive black box with all the accessories inside. Opening up the box reveals the MGCool Explorer action cam itself already sitting inside its waterproof housing surrounded by foam, and removing the action cam and the protective foam we see the rest of the accessories inside, and there are quite a few. I won鈥檛 go through all of them in detail, but if you need to mount this action cam to something, you鈥檒l more often than not find the appropriate accessory.Gizchina News of the week Join GizChina on TelegramMGCool Explorer聽4K聽Hands OnMoving on to the action camera itself, the waterproof housing looks pretty sturdy and waterproof (which I will test) and undoing the top latch opens up the waterproof housing revealing the action cam itself. The action camera is small and light, and it is made of rubber. It is textured rubber which makes it incredibly easy to grip, and we have the power buttons on the front, up down buttons on the right, and the non touchscreen on the back.MGCool Explorer聽4K聽First ImpressionsGood, powerful laptops have been few and far between, as far as Chinese manufacturers are concerned. We have seen the recent deluge of Apollo Lake laptops, some good, some bad, flood the market, but those that use higher power Core M3/i5 processors are pretty scarce. Cube has entered with what appears to be a direct competitor with the Surface Laptop, a Core M3, Surface Book screen for a low price.Cube Thinker i35 ReviewFurther inspection of the laptop reveals that this is intended (or miraculous coincidence) as a Surface Laptop competitor. Where the Surface Laptop starts at $999 for an i5 processor and a gimped version of Windows, the Cube Thinker provides a very similar laptop with a slightly less powerful Core M3-7y30 processor.However, the price tag starts at a good $324 cheaper than the Surface laptop, and that doesn鈥檛 even count taxes that you would have to pay depending on where you live. Not only that, this laptop presents some serious competition to the new Kaby Lake Xiaomi Air 12, which starts at a relatively pricey $830USD for lesser specifications. However, is the Cube Thinker a complete product? Let鈥檚 find out.Taking aim at Microsoft and XiaomiCube Thinker i35 SpecificationsProcessorIntel Core M3-7y30 Kaby LakeDisplay13.5鈥 3000×2000 IPS LCD with Surface DigitizerRAM8GBStorage256GB SSDOperating SystemWindows 10Cameras2MP FrontBattery10,000mAh 3.6VPhysical Dimensions1680g, 312 x 238 x 15.2 mmBig thanks to Gearbest for providing this review unit.Cube Thinker i35 HardwareThe build on this laptop is incredibly premium. The entire body is made out of magnesium alloy and there isn鈥檛 much flex to speak of in any area. The size of the laptop is respectable but definitely not as compact as a 12鈥 Macbook or the Xiaomi Air 12.It鈥檚 quite a bit wider and taller than both aforementioned laptops due to the Surface Book鈥檚 3:2 display, and speaking of the display, we do find significant black bezels around the screen, they aren鈥檛 overly massive but they could definitely do with some reducing.Cube has placed two USB 3.0 ports on this computer along with a USB-C port that is capable of charging and data transfer at the same time assuming you have a proper USB hub. I was hoping for a MicroSD card slot and a full size HDMI port but we have to settle here.The keyboard on the Cube is not backlit and is plastic as well. The typing experience is definitely passable, it requires an above average amount of force to actuate each key and it springs back quite readily also. The power button is located just above the backspace key, and unlike other laptops, the power button requires the same amount of force to actuate as regular keys,resulting in the laptop sleeping when you wanted to delete a word. Other than that, I don鈥檛 think anyone will find fault with the keyboard, but neither will anyone rave about it either.The trackpad is not bad, single finger accuracy is great, and multi finger gestures are enabled as well. However, two finger scrolling is not as smooth as I would like, it鈥檚 definitely still useable, but it falls far behind the Macbook and XPS13, and fairly behind the Xiaomi Air 12. I hope this can be improved with software, but for now let鈥檚 assume that this is the best its going to get. The fingerprint sensor in the top left doesn鈥檛 get in the way much and is very accurate and fast as well.The build quality is top notch here, and I don鈥檛 have many complaints. It definitely feels quite a bit more sturdy than the Xiaomi Air 12. If I had to level a few against the Cube Thinker, it would be the multi-finger gestures on the trackpad and the size of the laptop. The Cube Thinker is by no means big, but compare it to other laptops like the XPS13 or the Macbook and the Cube Thinker starts looking pretty big.No complaints, almostCube Thinker i35 DisplayAs a jaded device reviewer you鈥檇 think that not much impresses me nowadays, but the Surface Book鈥檚 display still gets me. Every. Single. Time. I first laid eyes on the Surface Book display, well, in a Surface Book, and it looked absolutely brilliant back then. The second time was the Chuwi Hi13, and my jaw dropped when flipping through some high resolution pictures.I put my jaw back in place for the third time with the Cube Thinker, and the first thing I thought of was 鈥淗ow am I ever going to go back to the Xiaomi Air 12?鈥 Well, the display is going to play a huge role in deciding whether or not I switch to the Cube Thinker from the Xiaomi Air 12.I鈥檒l try to talk a bit more about the display without gushing too much. The 3000×2000 PixelSense display is incredibly crisp, text, photos, movies (Now I have an excuse to obtain 4K material) all look incredibly sharp. As someone who usually dismisses having anything higher than a 1080p resolution on a laptop, this PixelSense display is singlehandedly making me come around.This display not only excels in pixel density but in colour reproduction as well. The deep, vivid blacks are second to one (OLEDs) and colours pop consistently on the screen. It does have a modest colour gamut according to the myriad other reviews on the Surface Book, but it is more than enough to blow away any normal layman, even one used to high resolution displays. Max brightness is quite good for a laptop, topping out at around 450 nits.Gizchina News of the week Join GizChina on TelegramThe 3:2 aspect ratio means the screen is significantly taller than an equivalent 16:9 one. There is quite a considerable amount of screen real estate when browsing the web, working on Excel spreadsheets, or scrolling through tedious PDF documents. In fact, this screen is ideal for viewing two Letter or A4 size sheets side by side, as the resulting aspect ratio ranges from 1.4-1.54, an almost perfect fit for the 3:2 (1.5) screen.This makes this aspect ratio ideal for those looking to get some productivity out of this machine. You do get some incredibly severe letterboxing when watching movies, which is something certain people find a huge issue but others don鈥檛. I personally am not affected by this, and it actually allows me to watch a movie up top while doing something below.The last aspect of the display would be the touchscreen. It is quite sensitive, not as sensitive as a top end smartphone, but more than enough for a laptop. It also has an N-Trig digitizer which means any stylus that supports N-Trig will be compatible.I tried out the Chuwi HiPen H3 on it and it works well, I was able to sketch an X-Wing (the only thing I know how to draw decently) appropriately. However, I don鈥檛 think that using a stylus on a laptop is conducive to a hinge that is incapable of rotating into tablet mode.If I were to look for a downside to this display, it would be the minimum brightness, it is too bright to use in pitch dark.Cube Thinker i35 AudioThere are dual speakers located above the keyboard and they pump out some very loud sound, more than enough for most situations. Audio quality is not bad, I do hear some bass from the speakers but it is still quite far off from what you find on the Mi Pad 3 or the Air 12.Cube Thinker i35 BatteryThe battery life here is one of the weaker points of this laptop. There is a 10,000mAh battery powering a Core M and that power hungry Surface Book screen, and as expected, I was able to get 6 hours of screen on time performing relatively light tasks. I spent most of the time in Chrome, email, and Word as well. if you do more intense tasks, expect battery life to top out at 3 hours. I鈥檓 quite disappointed with the battery in this laptop, and I hope Cube doesn鈥檛 make the same mistake in any future iterations of the Thinker.Inadequate battery lifeCube Thinker i35 SoftwareWe find Windows 10 Home installed on this laptop with multiple languages available and performance here is great. The combination of the SSD and the Kaby Lake Core M3 makes it a breeze to perform light tasks such as Chrome, email, or word. You won鈥檛 see any slowdowns here, and streaming 4K Youtube is also easy as well.Moving on to items that tax systems a lot more, we go to Premiere. I was able to easily edit 1080p video using Premiere, timeline performance was great, but 4K editing is quite horrendous without using proxies. Rendering times are atrocious, taking upwards of 15 minutes to render every minute of 4K footage.I also tried installing AutoCAD education edition but it would not install on this laptop, telling me that the minimum specifications were not met.Moving on to gaming, performance on the Kaby Lake chipset is horrendous at the native 3000×2000 resolution. However, bump that down to a more reasonable 1920×1080 and you start getting playable framerates.Games like League of Legends were playable at around 30fps, Call of Duty was also playable, up to 45fps. You鈥檒l definitely be able to do some gaming on this laptop, but do note that the left side of the keyboard gets quite hot when gaming, and I recommend you do the thermal mod by Chris over at Techtablets.Cube Thinker i35 Connectivity and CameraI was able to get some decent speeds over WiFi and the Thinker connected to all my Bluetooth headsets easily as well. Both the USB ports powered my external hard drives as well. The camera here is still nothing to write home about, it does the job but it will be woefully inadequate for anything other than basic video calls.Cube Thinker i35 VerdictThe Cube Thinker is a great laptop. It boasts some good specifications for the price and also provides the user with an incredibly stunning display. But of course, the Cube Thinker has its weaknesses. I find the lack of battery capacity here frankly the biggest hurdle to my switch from the Xiaomi Air 12 to this laptop, even with that incredible screen beckoning me.That being said, I still consider the Cube Thinker a better laptop overall than the Xiaomi Air 12, even with the battery life pulling it down (the screen buoys it up significantly).Now that you know the major flaw in this laptop, if that doesn鈥檛 bother you, this is the best laptop you鈥檙e going to get from a chinese manufacturer in a while. Starting at $675, it鈥檚 quite well priced, but I鈥檝e seen the price go down as low as $616 with a coupon code, and that makes it quite an attractive proposition.If you asked me to pick between the Cube Thinker i35 and the current price of the new Xiaomi Air 12 with the kaby lake processor, this Cube Thinker is the clear winner, its $200 cheaper, has 8GB of RAM, a 256GB SSD and has a way better screen. Buy the Cube Thinker i35Great LaptopCube Thinker i35 Video ReviewMeta鑱絟as launched a cheaper version of its last VR headset, the Meta Quest 3S. It maintains the core hardware as the non-S version. However, with a lower price tag, the company aims to make standalone virtual reality headsets a bit more accessible to all.Image: Quest 3s and Quest 3Meta Quest 3S Is a Blend of Quest 3 and Quest 2The Meta Quest 3S is essentially a combination of the Quest 2 and 3, designed to reduce costs. If you favor the older, more powerful model, you’ll be glad to know that its price is decreasing.This new VR headset starts at $300 but employs the same Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 chipset and 8GB of RAM as the standard Quest 3. It also features the same color passthrough technology that was a significant improvement over the Quest 2 (utilizing a 4MP camera to integrate the real world for AR experiences). So, what sacrifices were made to lower the price?Unlike the dual LCDs in the Quest 3, the 3S utilizes a single LCD with a slightly lower resolution per eye. It is 1,832 x 1,920px compared to 2,064 x 2,208px. The new LCD still supports fast 90Hz and 120Hz refresh rates. But it lacks the 72Hz and 80Hz options. These two are beneficial when using PCVR, as reducing the refresh rate helps to enhance the render resolution.Gizchina News of the week Join GizChina on TelegramDisplay specs of Quest 3SMore significantly, the Quest 3’s slim pancake lenses have been replaced by the older Fresnel lenses found in the Quest 2. This results in a narrower field of view. It measures 96鎺 horizontally and 90鎺 vertically, compared to the 110鎺 and 96鎺 offered by the Quest 3.The 3S weighs nearly the same, 514g instead of 515g. But it boasts slightly improved battery life. The new VR headset can last 2 hours and 30 minutes. In comparison, the Quest 3 can offer 2 hours and 12 minutes. This is achieved despite having a smaller battery (4,324mAh vs. 5,060mAh).Pricing and AvailabilityThe Meta Quest 3S offers two storage capacities: 128GB and 256GB, priced at $300 and $400, respectively. Additionally, the price of the 512GB Quest 3 has been lowered to $500, making it another viable option if you prioritize a superior display experience.

Meta鑱絟as launched a cheaper version of its last VR headset, the Meta Quest 3S. It maintains the core hardware as the non-S version. However, with a lower price tag, the company aims to make standalone virtual reality headsets a bit more accessible to all.Image: Quest 3s and Quest 3Meta Quest 3S Is a Blend of Quest 3 and Quest 2The Meta Quest 3S is essentially a combination of the Quest 2 and 3, designed to reduce costs. If you favor the older, more powerful model, you’ll be glad to know that its price is decreasing.This new VR headset starts at $300 but employs the same Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 chipset and 8GB of RAM as the standard Quest 3. It also features the same color passthrough technology that was a significant improvement over the Quest 2 (utilizing a 4MP camera to integrate the real world for AR experiences). So, what sacrifices were made to lower the price?Unlike the dual LCDs in the Quest 3, the 3S utilizes a single LCD with a slightly lower resolution per eye. It is 1,832 x 1,920px compared to 2,064 x 2,208px. The new LCD still supports fast 90Hz and 120Hz refresh rates. But it lacks the 72Hz and 80Hz options. These two are beneficial when using PCVR, as reducing the refresh rate helps to enhance the render resolution.Gizchina News of the week Join GizChina on TelegramDisplay specs of Quest 3SMore significantly, the Quest 3’s slim pancake lenses have been replaced by the older Fresnel lenses found in the Quest 2. This results in a narrower field of view. It measures 96鎺 horizontally and 90鎺 vertically, compared to the 110鎺 and 96鎺 offered by the Quest 3.The 3S weighs nearly the same, 514g instead of 515g. But it boasts slightly improved battery life. The new VR headset can last 2 hours and 30 minutes. In comparison, the Quest 3 can offer 2 hours and 12 minutes. This is achieved despite having a smaller battery (4,324mAh vs. 5,060mAh).Pricing and AvailabilityThe Meta Quest 3S offers two storage capacities: 128GB and 256GB, priced at $300 and $400, respectively. Additionally, the price of the 512GB Quest 3 has been lowered to $500, making it another viable option if you prioritize a superior display experience.Bluboo have been releasing quite a few phones in the last period; the Bluboo Edge is one of those that聽doesn’t shine for the unique design 鈥 it’s kind of a Samsung S7 edge clone 鈥斅燽ut still manages to please your eyes, costing less than a third of the real deal.But how good is it if it doesn’t work properly or it’s too bad at any task? Well, we’re going to find out how well it does in this full review!Bluboo Edge ReviewDesign and BuildThe Bluboo Edge comes in quite simple packing, inside the box we find a micro-USB cable, 5V/1A power adapter, a plastic case and a screen protector which doesn’t actually cover the edges of the screen.The phone sports a聽metal frame and a plastic body, with fake antenna lines printed on the back just for looks. Despite聽using lighter materials for the body the Edge is still heavy at about 202 grams,聽also due to the thick glass layer they’ve used on the device. Side buttons are easy to reach but a tiny bit flimsy.The display on the Bluboo Edge is 5.5-inches in size, and is an IPS LCD and with HD resolution. And what had to be the bestselling feature of the phone is actually lacking: a curved display.Sure, the glass coating on top is curved and makes the screen look curved as well from the side, but in reality the screen is flat. Given the price of the phone聽this detail could have been overlooked, but since you’re buying the “Edge”, you should know they’re only talking about glass, not the actual display.Another small problem I’ve with the display is it not being聽oleophobic, after you use it for a bit you’re going to get stains and you will have to clean it up very often, somewhat annoying in the long run.This is, especially, a deal breaker for many including me.Hardware and PerformanceBluboo’s Edge聽comes with a MediaTek聽MT6737 quad-core CPU that goes up to 1.3GHz and is paired with a Mali T720 GPU, then we have 2GB of RAM and 16GB of memory. The storage is, as you would expect, expandable through the microSD slot. The edge is snappy when opening apps or running games that aren’t demanding, of course with “only” 2GB of RAM multitasking suffers a bit, so you might have to reload apps from the get-go now and then.The handset runs stock Android 6.0 Marshmallow, it might look nice for some and boring for others, it’s a really subjective matter. I wouldn’t bank on this phone really getting an update to 7.0.Gizchina News of the week Join GizChina on TelegramConnectivity wise, the Bluboo Edge can work with聽two SIMs and supports 4G LTE with speeds up to 150Mbps, also band 20 is available so the phone means it should聽work perfectly in Europe and most other countries. WiFi works on聽a/b/g/n networks聽and聽Bluetooth is 4.0 version. Interestingly聽enough, there’s also an heart rate monitor, just like on the Samsung S7 / S7 Edge.The speaker is placed at the bottom and its quality is average, although it can get pretty loud. It’s one of the first flaws you find in an inexpensive Chinese phone — most which cost much lesser than this handset.Battery life on the phone really depends on your usage habits… as you would expect. To be fair, however,聽if you’re not an extremely heavy user, you can expect to get to the end of a day with this. With any kind of heavy聽use, you can definitely forget that.Camera and PhotosBluboo’s Edge main camera has a resolution of 8MP which can be interpolated to 13MP and there’s a single LED flash. Photos taken with this phone aren’t that bad, actually. They’re mediocre with enough light but quality drops immensely in low light situations, photos get a red tint and image noise takes over.MediaTek uninspired camera software doesn’t make it any better, causing聽it to be slow at focusing and lacking many useful features available on more customized phones.Have a look at some samples. HDR does make things a bit more ‘interesting’, to say the least.Gallery ConclusionThe Bluboo Edge now costs about $115 from Chinese online retailers, at this price you’re getting a low to mid-range phone with a nice looking design and an overall good build quality. Get the Bluboo Edge

Bluboo have been releasing quite a few phones in the last period; the Bluboo Edge is one of those that聽doesn’t shine for the unique design 鈥 it’s kind of a Samsung S7 edge clone 鈥斅燽ut still manages to please your eyes, costing less than a third of the real deal.But how good is it if it doesn’t work properly or it’s too bad at any task? Well, we’re going to find out how well it does in this full review!Bluboo Edge ReviewDesign and BuildThe Bluboo Edge comes in quite simple packing, inside the box we find a micro-USB cable, 5V/1A power adapter, a plastic case and a screen protector which doesn’t actually cover the edges of the screen.The phone sports a聽metal frame and a plastic body, with fake antenna lines printed on the back just for looks. Despite聽using lighter materials for the body the Edge is still heavy at about 202 grams,聽also due to the thick glass layer they’ve used on the device. Side buttons are easy to reach but a tiny bit flimsy.The display on the Bluboo Edge is 5.5-inches in size, and is an IPS LCD and with HD resolution. And what had to be the bestselling feature of the phone is actually lacking: a curved display.Sure, the glass coating on top is curved and makes the screen look curved as well from the side, but in reality the screen is flat. Given the price of the phone聽this detail could have been overlooked, but since you’re buying the “Edge”, you should know they’re only talking about glass, not the actual display.Another small problem I’ve with the display is it not being聽oleophobic, after you use it for a bit you’re going to get stains and you will have to clean it up very often, somewhat annoying in the long run.This is, especially, a deal breaker for many including me.Hardware and PerformanceBluboo’s Edge聽comes with a MediaTek聽MT6737 quad-core CPU that goes up to 1.3GHz and is paired with a Mali T720 GPU, then we have 2GB of RAM and 16GB of memory. The storage is, as you would expect, expandable through the microSD slot. The edge is snappy when opening apps or running games that aren’t demanding, of course with “only” 2GB of RAM multitasking suffers a bit, so you might have to reload apps from the get-go now and then.The handset runs stock Android 6.0 Marshmallow, it might look nice for some and boring for others, it’s a really subjective matter. I wouldn’t bank on this phone really getting an update to 7.0.Gizchina News of the week Join GizChina on TelegramConnectivity wise, the Bluboo Edge can work with聽two SIMs and supports 4G LTE with speeds up to 150Mbps, also band 20 is available so the phone means it should聽work perfectly in Europe and most other countries. WiFi works on聽a/b/g/n networks聽and聽Bluetooth is 4.0 version. Interestingly聽enough, there’s also an heart rate monitor, just like on the Samsung S7 / S7 Edge.The speaker is placed at the bottom and its quality is average, although it can get pretty loud. It’s one of the first flaws you find in an inexpensive Chinese phone — most which cost much lesser than this handset.Battery life on the phone really depends on your usage habits… as you would expect. To be fair, however,聽if you’re not an extremely heavy user, you can expect to get to the end of a day with this. With any kind of heavy聽use, you can definitely forget that.Camera and PhotosBluboo’s Edge main camera has a resolution of 8MP which can be interpolated to 13MP and there’s a single LED flash. Photos taken with this phone aren’t that bad, actually. They’re mediocre with enough light but quality drops immensely in low light situations, photos get a red tint and image noise takes over.MediaTek uninspired camera software doesn’t make it any better, causing聽it to be slow at focusing and lacking many useful features available on more customized phones.Have a look at some samples. HDR does make things a bit more ‘interesting’, to say the least.Gallery ConclusionThe Bluboo Edge now costs about $115 from Chinese online retailers, at this price you’re getting a low to mid-range phone with a nice looking design and an overall good build quality. Get the Bluboo EdgeVernee has released strong entry after strong entry into the phone market, but the latest Vernee Apollo was expensive for the specs. Enter the Vernee Apollo X, a high end phone with a relatively budget price. It seems that Vernee intends to contend with the Xiaomi Redmi Note 4, a tough fight to pick.Vernee Apollo X ReviewAfter analyzing the specifications, I鈥檓 a little confused by the Vernee Apollo X. The cause for this confusion stems from the Vernee Apollo Lite, which features almost the exact same specifications at a slightly lower price. Both Apollos have the Helio X20 processor, 4GB of RAM, and a 1080p screen.Where these phones start diverging is the battery capacity and the camera sensor; where the Apollo Lite featured the Samsung S5K3P3 sensor and a 3180mAh battery, the Apollo X has switched the Samsung sensor for the Sony IMX258 and a tidy 3500mAh battery as well.Both phones are close in price also, with the Vernee Apollo Lite retailing for slightly less than the Apollo X. However, its biggest competition comes from the Xiaomi Redmi Note 4, as that is hailed as one of the best Helio X20 devices in the market.Picking a fight with the big guysVernee Apollo X SpecificationsProcessorMediaTek Helio X20 DecacoreDisplay5.5鈥 1920×1080 IPS LCD Gorilla Glass 3RAM4GBStorage64GB eMMCOperating SystemAndroid 6.0 with VOS (unconfirmed)Cameras13MP, 5MP frontBattery3500mAhPhysical Dimensions178g, 15.20 x 7.62 x 0.95 cmBig thanks to Gearbest for providing this review unit.Vernee Apollo X HardwareAll manufacturers are going for the bezelless look, but Vernee seems content to continue with the design they鈥檝e been utilizing for all their Apollo devices. It鈥檚 a sizeable phone, with generous bezels on the left and right and enough chin above and below the screen as well. the phone is surprisingly thick as well on paper, but not so in the hand. For a phone in 2017, it looks a little dated.There are no capacitive buttons on the front, and flipping the phone around the body is made out of metal, but feels significantly less premium than the Vernee Apollo. This is by no means a knock against the Apollo X鈥檚 build quality, but even higher praise for the Apollo鈥檚 build.There are no capacitive buttons on this phone and the fingerprint sensor is on the back. I鈥檓 glad to find a USB-C port on this phone as the other big battery phones I reviewed (except the P2 Lite) used MicroUSB ports.premium but boringVernee Apollo X DisplayWe have a 1080p IPS display that is quite run of the mill for this price range. It does do its job well, displaying good colours, saturation, and crispness. Max brightness tops out at around 450 nits which isn鈥檛 spectacular but will do the job just fine. It is also covered in Gorilla Glass so you don鈥檛 have to worry about scratches.Vernee Apollo X AudioAudio quality here is average, with not too loud sound and average quality as well. it is useable for music and TV, but it won鈥檛 be a stellar experience.Vernee Apollo X BatteryThere is a sizeable but not overly large 3500mAh battery in this phone that should power the Vernee Apollo X for at least a full day. I鈥檓 glad to report that battery life is good, I was barely able to eke out 6 hours of screen on time which is quite impressive.However, do note that I had 3% battery left at the end of the day; compare that with other phones containing larger batteries like the Redmi Note 4, the Xiaomi can achieve that with up to 20% charge left. My use was a mix of items, web browsing, Reddit, and taking photos.I did play a couple of light games here and there but nothing intense like a first person shooter. Light and medium users can get through a day with this phone no issue, heavy users in fact can probably make it through a whole day as well, you just don鈥檛 have a lot of buffer.Good batteryGizchina News of the week Join GizChina on TelegramVernee Apollo X SoftwareThe Apollo X is the platform on which Vernee is launching their new operating system, VOS (Vernee OS). This consists of Android 6.0 Marshmallow as the base layer with Vernee鈥檚 proprietary OS on top. So I鈥檓 not sure if VOS is so close to stock that I cannot tell the difference or this phone is actually stock without VOS.There is no reference to VOS on the phone either which is strange. Either way, the speed of this new operating system is good. It is just as fast as a fully stock Android phone with no slowdowns detected. I did see some very slight lag when scrolling through a few specific settings, but it disappeared once I went to different ones.Multitasking performance is great as well, the Helio X20 and 4GB of RAM chew through apps like paper, cycling between multiple apps never presented an issue at all.Gaming performance is also stellar here. The Helio X20 pushed good frame rates in the most intensive games without any problems, no complaints here. You won鈥檛 be disappointed with the performance here, the Helio X20 still holds its own very well in regular use.Vernee Apollo X ConnectivityI was able to get some decent LTE speeds and WiFi speeds as well, I didn鈥檛 have any issues with connectivity here. I wasn鈥檛 able to connect to one of my Bluetooth wireless earbuds but a quick restart fixed that. No issues with GPS either, it does its job.Vernee Apollo X CameraThe Vernee Apollo X uses the IMX258 sensor in the rear, the same sensor used in the Xiaomi Mi4c and the Xiaomi Redmi Note 4X. Problem is, photos still don鈥檛 look as good as those on the Redmi Note 4X. I鈥檓 pretty sure this comes down to software, so if Vernee could improve on that they could squeeze out more performance from the sensor.In good lighting conditions the rear camera captures more than sufficient detail. Colours are relatively deep and saturated, photos look nice when you find yourself out in the sun. Low light performance is pretty bad, definitely worse than the aforementioned Xiaomi devices.The front facing camera does fine but nothing special.You should be able to film 4K video with this sensor and processor combination but for some reason I am not able to. I tried multiple camera apps to film 4K content but was only able to get a maximum of 1080p (anything higher defaults to 480p). I suspect Vernee has disabled 4K recording on this phone, the exact same thing that happened on the Vernee Apollo Lite, so hopefully this is able to be turned on with future updates.Vernee Apollo X Camera Gallery Vernee Apollo X VerdictTo be honest, the Vernee Apollo X is the most well rounded Vernee phone I鈥檝e reviewed so far, it鈥檚 got great build, a great screen, good performance, good battery, and a camera that can take good photos. However, it is also let down by average audio and an admittedly dated body.If you asked me to pick between the Vernee Apollo Lite, Vernee Apollo, and this Apollo X, my pick would be this phone no question, the bigger battery seals the deal for me.However, the MediaTek Redmi Note 4 features all the same specifications and a bigger battery at the same price, which makes this a tough sell. One reason you might purchase this over the Redmi is stock Android, although that would depend on personal preference. I personally would still pick the Redmi Note 4 over the Apollo X if they are the same price, but if the Apollo X is cheaper, then it just might be a hit. Buy the Vernee Apollo XWell rounded phoneVernee Apollo X Video Review

Vernee has released strong entry after strong entry into the phone market, but the latest Vernee Apollo was expensive for the specs. Enter the Vernee Apollo X, a high end phone with a relatively budget price. It seems that Vernee intends to contend with the Xiaomi Redmi Note 4, a tough fight to pick.Vernee Apollo X ReviewAfter analyzing the specifications, I鈥檓 a little confused by the Vernee Apollo X. The cause for this confusion stems from the Vernee Apollo Lite, which features almost the exact same specifications at a slightly lower price. Both Apollos have the Helio X20 processor, 4GB of RAM, and a 1080p screen.Where these phones start diverging is the battery capacity and the camera sensor; where the Apollo Lite featured the Samsung S5K3P3 sensor and a 3180mAh battery, the Apollo X has switched the Samsung sensor for the Sony IMX258 and a tidy 3500mAh battery as well.Both phones are close in price also, with the Vernee Apollo Lite retailing for slightly less than the Apollo X. However, its biggest competition comes from the Xiaomi Redmi Note 4, as that is hailed as one of the best Helio X20 devices in the market.Picking a fight with the big guysVernee Apollo X SpecificationsProcessorMediaTek Helio X20 DecacoreDisplay5.5鈥 1920×1080 IPS LCD Gorilla Glass 3RAM4GBStorage64GB eMMCOperating SystemAndroid 6.0 with VOS (unconfirmed)Cameras13MP, 5MP frontBattery3500mAhPhysical Dimensions178g, 15.20 x 7.62 x 0.95 cmBig thanks to Gearbest for providing this review unit.Vernee Apollo X HardwareAll manufacturers are going for the bezelless look, but Vernee seems content to continue with the design they鈥檝e been utilizing for all their Apollo devices. It鈥檚 a sizeable phone, with generous bezels on the left and right and enough chin above and below the screen as well. the phone is surprisingly thick as well on paper, but not so in the hand. For a phone in 2017, it looks a little dated.There are no capacitive buttons on the front, and flipping the phone around the body is made out of metal, but feels significantly less premium than the Vernee Apollo. This is by no means a knock against the Apollo X鈥檚 build quality, but even higher praise for the Apollo鈥檚 build.There are no capacitive buttons on this phone and the fingerprint sensor is on the back. I鈥檓 glad to find a USB-C port on this phone as the other big battery phones I reviewed (except the P2 Lite) used MicroUSB ports.premium but boringVernee Apollo X DisplayWe have a 1080p IPS display that is quite run of the mill for this price range. It does do its job well, displaying good colours, saturation, and crispness. Max brightness tops out at around 450 nits which isn鈥檛 spectacular but will do the job just fine. It is also covered in Gorilla Glass so you don鈥檛 have to worry about scratches.Vernee Apollo X AudioAudio quality here is average, with not too loud sound and average quality as well. it is useable for music and TV, but it won鈥檛 be a stellar experience.Vernee Apollo X BatteryThere is a sizeable but not overly large 3500mAh battery in this phone that should power the Vernee Apollo X for at least a full day. I鈥檓 glad to report that battery life is good, I was barely able to eke out 6 hours of screen on time which is quite impressive.However, do note that I had 3% battery left at the end of the day; compare that with other phones containing larger batteries like the Redmi Note 4, the Xiaomi can achieve that with up to 20% charge left. My use was a mix of items, web browsing, Reddit, and taking photos.I did play a couple of light games here and there but nothing intense like a first person shooter. Light and medium users can get through a day with this phone no issue, heavy users in fact can probably make it through a whole day as well, you just don鈥檛 have a lot of buffer.Good batteryGizchina News of the week Join GizChina on TelegramVernee Apollo X SoftwareThe Apollo X is the platform on which Vernee is launching their new operating system, VOS (Vernee OS). This consists of Android 6.0 Marshmallow as the base layer with Vernee鈥檚 proprietary OS on top. So I鈥檓 not sure if VOS is so close to stock that I cannot tell the difference or this phone is actually stock without VOS.There is no reference to VOS on the phone either which is strange. Either way, the speed of this new operating system is good. It is just as fast as a fully stock Android phone with no slowdowns detected. I did see some very slight lag when scrolling through a few specific settings, but it disappeared once I went to different ones.Multitasking performance is great as well, the Helio X20 and 4GB of RAM chew through apps like paper, cycling between multiple apps never presented an issue at all.Gaming performance is also stellar here. The Helio X20 pushed good frame rates in the most intensive games without any problems, no complaints here. You won鈥檛 be disappointed with the performance here, the Helio X20 still holds its own very well in regular use.Vernee Apollo X ConnectivityI was able to get some decent LTE speeds and WiFi speeds as well, I didn鈥檛 have any issues with connectivity here. I wasn鈥檛 able to connect to one of my Bluetooth wireless earbuds but a quick restart fixed that. No issues with GPS either, it does its job.Vernee Apollo X CameraThe Vernee Apollo X uses the IMX258 sensor in the rear, the same sensor used in the Xiaomi Mi4c and the Xiaomi Redmi Note 4X. Problem is, photos still don鈥檛 look as good as those on the Redmi Note 4X. I鈥檓 pretty sure this comes down to software, so if Vernee could improve on that they could squeeze out more performance from the sensor.In good lighting conditions the rear camera captures more than sufficient detail. Colours are relatively deep and saturated, photos look nice when you find yourself out in the sun. Low light performance is pretty bad, definitely worse than the aforementioned Xiaomi devices.The front facing camera does fine but nothing special.You should be able to film 4K video with this sensor and processor combination but for some reason I am not able to. I tried multiple camera apps to film 4K content but was only able to get a maximum of 1080p (anything higher defaults to 480p). I suspect Vernee has disabled 4K recording on this phone, the exact same thing that happened on the Vernee Apollo Lite, so hopefully this is able to be turned on with future updates.Vernee Apollo X Camera Gallery Vernee Apollo X VerdictTo be honest, the Vernee Apollo X is the most well rounded Vernee phone I鈥檝e reviewed so far, it鈥檚 got great build, a great screen, good performance, good battery, and a camera that can take good photos. However, it is also let down by average audio and an admittedly dated body.If you asked me to pick between the Vernee Apollo Lite, Vernee Apollo, and this Apollo X, my pick would be this phone no question, the bigger battery seals the deal for me.However, the MediaTek Redmi Note 4 features all the same specifications and a bigger battery at the same price, which makes this a tough sell. One reason you might purchase this over the Redmi is stock Android, although that would depend on personal preference. I personally would still pick the Redmi Note 4 over the Apollo X if they are the same price, but if the Apollo X is cheaper, then it just might be a hit. Buy the Vernee Apollo XWell rounded phoneVernee Apollo X Video ReviewEveryone seems to be jumping onto the huge battery train, with 4,000mAh being scoffed at in favour of massive 6,000mAh juicers, not that I鈥檓 complaining. Blackview has released two phones with massive battery packs, the Blackview P2 and the Blackview P2 Lite, the latter of which we are reviewing today.Blackview P2 Lite ReviewBlackview is not known for making massive batteried phones, but they have decided to throw their hat into this ring. They released the Blackview P2 and the P2 Lite, both of which have 6,000mAh batteries inside. The P2 Lite can actually be had for quite a low price; $119 on flash sale.budget battery beastBlackview P2 Lite SpecificationsProcessorMediatek MTK6753 Octacore ProcessorDisplay5.5″ 1920×1080 px, LCD Gorilla Glass 3RAM3GBStorage32GB eMMCOperating SystemAndroid 7.0Cameras13MP, 8MP frontBattery6000mAhPhysical Dimensions226g, 15.40 x 7.70 x 1.04 cmBig thanks to Blackview for providing this review unit. You can purchase one here.Blackview P2 Lite HardwareBuild quality is great. The body is metal and it feels good in hand. The only issue is that so many other midrange to low end devices feature similarly good build that metal like this no longer is special or exclusive to higher end devices.The metal actually feels very good, better than the Oukitel K6000 Plus or the Ulefone Power 2 in my opinion but it attracts fingerprints like the plague. The phone is large, definitely not compact for a 5.5鈥 device, nearing 1cm in thickness and 76mm wide. I suspect people with smaller hands will have trouble hefting this phone while those who do not mind big device might be less put off by the size.The fingerprint sensor聽is on the back while we have capacitive buttons below the screen. Overall the build quality here is good, but the phone is large, as is expected for phones with massive batteries.very well built, but fingerprints…Blackview P2 Lite DisplayThe Blackview P2 Lite uses a 5.5鈥 1920x1080px display by AUO and the display here does not disappoint. The display is quite strong, showing off crisp text, pictures and the like while colourizing each pixel quite well. Colours are quite vivid, blacks are pretty dark and whites are slightly on the blue side, so I don鈥檛 have any complaints about how this display looks.It has a maximum brightness of 450 nits which is respectable, viewable even in direct sunlight. The screen is also covered with Asahi Dragontrail Glass, so it is protected against scratches to a certain degree.Blackview P2 Lite AudioThere is a single speaker on the back that provides decently loud sound. Its still possible to get overpowered (e.g. on a highway) but the phone pumps out respectable sound. Audio quality is slightly above average, there is some decent clarity from the speakers and some bass as well. While the speaker here is not something to boast about, it is by no means a deal breaker either.Blackview P2 Lite BatteryBam bam! Another 6,000mAh battery in my hand, and I鈥檓 over the moon! The P2 Lite has a slightly larger battery than the Ulefone Power 2 (6,080mAh vs 6,050mAh) but that should not have any measurable effect on battery life compared to other factors like software optimization, screen brightness, etc.I put this phone through its paces, a 16 hour day with 5 hours of screen on time consumed about 38% of the battery, meaning there was 62% left.The next test was a two day test, two 16 hour days and about 10 hours of screen on time. I had about 17% left in the battery by the end of the second day. Can you kill this phone in a day? Yeah its possible. Will it be realistic? Definitely not, you will need to do some ridiculous things to kill this in a single day if you so desire.The phone also supports MediaTek鈥檚 PumpExpress fast charging, however the included charger was not a PumpExpress charger.Heavy users will not be able to kill the battery in a single day while medium and light users will be hard pressed to make a significant dent in the battery within 2 days.Gizchina News of the week Join GizChina on TelegramGreat but not insane batteryBlackview P2 Lite SoftwareThis phone comes with the latest Android 7.0 Nougat and let me start with a slight downside, the icons, notification shade and settings menu are not stock, you have custom Blackview icons for each of those sections of the phone. A custom launcher replaces the icon on the launcher but you鈥檒l have to live with the custom icons elsewhere.That being said, moving between home screens, swiping, and accessing the notifications shade was聽smooth but still not as smooth as MT6750T phones.The MediaTek聽processor does decently well at launching and closing apps, it does feel a bit slower than the Ulefone Power 2, but it鈥檚 still smooth enough for everyday use. Multitasking is decent with 3GB of RAM, but you can hit the max RAM allotment a lot faster than other phones with 4GB.Moving on to gaming performance, some intense games lag a little bit like Asphalt 8 and Mortal Kombat, but they are still very playable on the phone. Less intense games were perfectly fine though.The last thing I want to talk about is the fingerprint sensor, its fast, its accurate and works well.Blackview P2 Lite ConnectivityMoving on to connectivity, the Blackview P2 Lite does get decent LTE speeds as you can see in the speedtest here and reception is pretty decent as well. I didn鈥檛 find any issues with WiFi or Bluetooth, but聽GPS seems to be not that great, a lot of jumping around when navigating, which really isn’t the greatest, but at least it did get me where i want to go.Blackview P2 Lite CameraNo information was given as to the sensor used in either of the cameras found on this device, but whatever sensor was used in the rear, it鈥檚 doing a decent enough job at capturing photos. I say that because in this price range (except for maybe Xiaomi and other larger companies), not a lot of time and effort is placed into developing software processing, meaning that the camera sensor is not fully taken advantage of. The camera here takes decent photos, but compare the photos to the Redmi Note 4X and pictures are slightly less detailed and softer. Colour reproduction is average, pictures don鈥檛 contain washed out colours but neither are they vivid and saturated either. In perfect lighting conditions its actually possible to capture some pretty decent photos, anything but and what I mentioned before comes into play. Photos taken in dim lighting conditions and at night are quite grainy and noisy. That being said, camera quality is comparable to the Ulefone Power 2 and the Oukitel K6000 Plus.The front facing camera has 8MP and also takes some pretty soft photos as well, and performs about the same as the front facing camera in terms of colour reproduction and low light conditions.Video quality tops out at 1080p and there is an average amount of detail and colour reproduction is just average, nothing special here.Blackview P2 Lite Camera Gallery Blackview P2 Lite VerdictSo to conclude the Blackview P2 Lite is a pretty decent budget battery phone, but to be honest the biggest problem is CPU, its just a little slow. That being said, the P2 Lite has good build quality, good display and great聽battery life, and the camera is surprisingly good so not bad either.It costs about $120 on presale, so its also really cheap as well. That being said if your budget allows, I highly recommend spending more money on the Blackview P2, Ulefone Power 2 or the Oukitel K6000 Plus with the newer processor. Check out the Blackview P2 Lite here!good, but buy the p2 if possibleBlackview P2 Lite Video Review

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