ARCHOS Diamond Plus Running Android 5.1 Announced Officially

ARCHOS has announced the Dimond plus smartphone in their Dimond series. The all new Dimond plus smartphone packs 5.5-inches FHD IPS Full Lamination display and is powered by MediaTek MT6753 Soc clocked at 1.5GHz Octa-Core processor with Mali T720 MP3 GPU coupled with 2GB Ram and 16GB internal storage with an SD card slot for memory expansion. On the camera side, the device features a 16-megapixel primary camera with LED flash, and on the front there is an 8-megapixel selfie camera with wide angle lens. Runs on Android 5.1 lollipop out of the box. Connectivity features include 4G LTE/3G HSPA+, Dual SIM, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS. The ARCHOS Diamond Plus is priced at £179.99 ( Rs.18,260 approx.) and will be available in November 2015.

ARCHOS Diamond Plus specifications

• 5.5-inch (1920 x 1080 pixels) IPS  display
• MediaTek 1.5GHz Octa-Core processor
• 2GB RAM
• 16GB internal memory, SD Card slot
• Android 5.1 (Lollipop)
• 16MP rear camera with LED Flash
• 8MP front-facing camera
• 2850mAh battery
• 4G LTE, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS

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Gionee F103 with 8MP Primary Camera, 4G LTE Launched in India For Rs.9,999

Gionee has launched the first ever smartphone under their fashion and lifestyle F series. The device sports 5-inches HD IPS display with Dragontrail glass protection and is powered by MediaTek MT6735 Soc clocked at 1.3GHz Quad-Core 64bit processor with Mali T720GPU. There is 2GB Ram and 16GB internal storage. On the camera side, there is an 8-megapixel primary camera with LED flash and a 5-megapixel selfie camera. Runs on Android 5.0 lollipop with Amigo U.I 3.0 out of the box. Connectivity features include 4G LTE/3G, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS. A 2.400mAh battery powers the device internally.The Gionee F103 comes in Pearl White, Dawn White and Black colors and is priced at Rs. 9,999 in India.

                                 

Commenting on the launch, Timir Baran Acharyya, GM, Gionee India said:

"Design along with features has become an essential element for consumers when they buy the phone. With our F series we have achieved to get both design and performance in one device and consumers gets the best from both the worlds. F103 is a power packed device a great design which not only gives great performance but also adds the style quotient to the consumer who carries it out."

Gionee F103 specifications

• 5-inch HD IPS display
• MediaTek 1.3 GHz quad-core processor
• 2GB RAM, 16GB Internal memory
• Android 5.0 (Lollipop) with Amigo UI 3.0
• Dual SIM with Dual Standby
• 8MP Auto Focus Camera with LED flash
• 5MP front-facing camera
• 2400mAh battery
• 4G LTE, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0

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Xiaomi Mi 4c with Type-C USB, Snapdragon 808Soc Leaks; Might Launch on September 24th

Xiaomi is busy in prepping an upgraded version of Mi 4i smartphone in the name of Mi 4c. The device was initially spotted in AnTuTu benchmark and the device is also certified at TEENA earlier today and now the latest leak is the smartphone box package which clearly shows the specifications of the device. The smartphone sports 5-inches FHD(1980*1080p) Display and is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 808Soc with Adreno 418GPU coupled with 2GB of Ram and 16GB internal storage.

There is a 13-megapixel primary camera with LED flash and a 5-megapixel selfie camera. A 3,080mAh battery powers the device. Connectivity features include 4G LTE, WiFi, Bluetooth and Type-C USB cable for the first time on a Xiaomi smartphone. The device is expected to be unveiled on September 24th, 2015 and will go on sale from October 3rd, but there's a catch only 1,00,000 units will be available for sale. pricing is expected to be somewhere around 1,299 Yuan.

source (1) and (2)

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Asus Zenfone 2 Deluxe ZE551ML Review: Best in Class

Asus has launched the a series of Zenfone smartphones at the Zenfestival event that took place on 6th August 2015. One among the many devices that Asus launched is the Premium high-end smartphone called the Zenfone 2 Deluxe not Just Zenfone 2, but its Zenfone 2 Deluxe. The smartphone is pretty much the same as the original Zenfone 2 with some slight design changes and its now comes in 64GB, 128GB and a whopping 256GB internal storage, probably the world's first smartphone to feature 256GB of storage. Now Asus has marked its place in the history of smartphones with industries first 4GB Ram smartphone and first smartphone to have 256GB storage on board, but these factors can save the company? will the smartphone live up the expectations? let's find out in our Review.

Asus Zenfone 2 Deluxe Design: Let's Start our review with the Design of the smartphone, On top we have the 3.5MM audio jack accompanied with power on/off button which is not an optimal placement for a smartphone. On the rear side, we have the beautifully designed 500 tessellated triangles which give the smartphone attractive and premium look, but it isn't that easy to hold in hands as it is very slippery at times, but the best thing is that the back doesn't attract fingerprints and smudges keeping the smartphone clean all the time. Though the back panel is removable all we can do is insert Dual SIM cards and a MicroSD card while the battery isn't user replaceable. We have nothing on either side of the smartphone. On the front we have the huge 5.5-inches FHD display which is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass and the three capacitive buttons below the display are not back-lit as they are just painted in white making it harder to access in dark, the 5-megapixel selfie camera accompanied with usual set of sensors. While the back, we have the 13-megapixel primary camera with Dual LED flash, volume rockers, and Speaker Grills, Design wise there isn't much to talk about as the phone resembles Original Zenfone 2 except for the stylish back-panel. 

 Asus Zenfone 2 Deluxe Display: As said above the device sports 5.5-inches 1080P full HD IPS display with Corning Gorilla glass protection. Asus has done a good job with the display of the Zenfone 2 deluxe, colors look accurate and is sharp with no pixelation seen at any point of time. But things get complicated under broad daylight as the display is reflective which makes it hard to access under direct sunlight, cranking up the brightness to maximum might help at times. There is an option under the system settings where you can tweak the saturation levels on the display, Balancing, Vivid, and custom adjustment these are the settings that are available to choose from while adjusting the display's saturation and temperature. 

Asus Zenfone 2 Deluxe Performance: Powered by Intel Atom Z3580 Soc clocked at 2.3GHz Quad-Core processor with 4GB of Ram. Frankly speaking we didn't notice any lag which is quite obvious considering the best in class specifications on board. 4GB Ram is more than enough for a smartphone to run anything that is available in playstore in today's world and Zenfone 2 deluxe does it with ease. But we do feel that the smartphone is filled with log of bloatware which might slow it down at times but as soon as we booted up the device we did disable and uninstall most of the apps that we didn't feel they would be of use and we suggest the same to our readers if they are planning on getting the smartphone. We played series of games like Asphalt 8, Modern Combat 5, Real Racing 3, Need For Speed and we are more than happy to say these games ran beyond our expectations, there is no slowing down once we have started playing we never feel like stopping that great the performance is. Keeping aside the gaming experience, Multitasking was a never a pain, switching between apps is so comfortable and there is absolutely no lag while switching. 

Every smartphone does Heat up a little bit be it a flagship device or mid-ranger, the smartphones these days do heat up quite a bit, the Asus zenfone 2 Deluxe is no exception. As said above we played lot games on the device that results in warming but nothing like it is unbearable, but its is worth mentioning being a full review. 

Asus Zenfone 2 Deluxe Android Version: The Device Runs on Android version 5.0 lollipop with Zen U.I on top. Now Asus has made quite a few changes in the U.I as the Android version is upgraded to Lollipop. The U.I is almost stock that helps in eliminating the lag while switching between apps although there are a lot of apps that come pre-installed. which we can't call them as bloatware as they are useful at times, apps like what's Next, Audio Wizard, Web Storage, and few others are helpful as we said above we did disable few apps that we didn't feel the need. The all new improved Zen U.I gives us most of the lollipop sweetness as all the animations are present, L lock screen is present revealing the notification even before unlocking the device. Asus has included themes support for the first time in their interface, and the support for the Themes is growing gradually. There are three themes installed by default while the rest can be manually downloaded and installed via PlayStore.

                            

Asus Zenfone 2 Deluxe Camera: The 13-megapixel Rear Camera on the Asus Zenfone 2 is yet another positive feature of the smartphone. The company seems to do an excellent job with mid-range smartphones camera modules, we have seen this earlier with Zenfone 5 which is one of the best cameras smartphones under 10,000 at the time it was launched. There are multiple modes to play around with the rear camera that only make the things even better. The pixel master technology has improved a lot over the previous iterations. There are various modes like 

• Manual: That allows the users to tweak the camera settings manually
• HDR: high dynamic range mode that enhances in taking bright images at any given condition
• Beautification: This mode automatically applies the settings that will help to take the better picture with a lot of details. This feature comes in handy during selfies.
• Super Resolution: This mode is used to better quality images during optimal light conditions.
• Smart Remove: Can be used to remove objects in the background if required.
• There is Gif support by default using that we can create Gif animations. 
• Panorama is also present to take panorama shots or a wide angle shot.

Keeping aside the Modes, the camera performance has impressed us the Owl mode or Low light mode is one of the fantastic features that will be of great help to take images even in Zero light conditions. Images below shows how well the Low-Light Mode can perform. The daylight shots turn out be accurate with no over saturation or pixelation as such.

                                        

Asus Zenfone 2 Deluxe Battery: The Only thing that we weren't happy about the Zenfone 2 smartphone was the battery life, but this time around Asus seems to have fixed up few things with battery algorithms and now we are very glad to say that Zenfone 2 deluxe has a decent battery with around 5-hours of screen on time. Do note we are not saying its the best among the competition but at  the same time it is one among the best. The battery can last for an entire day with minimal usage and can give 5-5:30 of the screen on time on continuous usage. Gaming and data can drain the battery, but the power saving modes available by default might save some juice. The device supports fast charging which will be of great use during the emergency.  

Asus Zenfone 2 Deluxe Connectivity: The device supports 4G LTE on the primary SIM card while the second slot supports 2G but not 3G. The device supports OTG. The in-call speaker is terrific, the voice is clear, never faced any issue, and the device connects to network very quick and is stable once it is connected. 

Asus Zenfone 2 Deluxe Storage: Storage is not a problem for Zenfone 2 Deluxe as the device comes with 64GB variants that can further expanded up to 128GB via an SD card slot. Few Apps can be moved to SD card, and massive games can also be installed directly. Of the 32GB internal storage around 25.5GB is available for the users. As said storage is not an issue. 

What do I think about the Zenfone 2 Deluxe: Competing with some big names like OnePlus One, OnePlus Two, Mi4 the Zenfone 2 Deluxe is a tough fight for the competition. For a price of 19,999 that won't drill a hole to your pocket the Zenfone 2 Deluxe is surely a package of a flagship. The device is a future rich smartphone that has 4G of Ram,4G LTE, NFC and many other worth mentioning feature. Now if you can comprise on terrible battery life and average front camera, the Zenfone 2 Deluxe is surely worth looking at if you are planning to buy a mid-ranger smartphone with flagship features.

Pros: 

• Build Quality
• Rear Camera
• 4GB Ram
• 4G LTE, 64 Bit enabled
• Fantastic Performance

Cons:

• Bloatware
• Low Speaker Sound(bad placement)

Our Score: 90/100

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Lenovo Phab Plus with Huge 6.8-inches FHD Display, 13MP Rear Camera Announced

Lenovo has announced the Phab plus smartphone in China and is now available in China. Specifications of the smartphone include, it sports 6.8-inches FHD(1980*1080) display and is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 615Soc clocked at 1.5GHz Octa-Core processor coupled with Adreno 405GPU with 2GB Ram and 32GB internal storage with an SD card slot that can support up to 64GB.

On the camera side, there is a 13-megapixel primary camera with dual-tone LED Flash, f/2.2 aperture, 5P lenses and a 5-megapixel front camera. Connectivity features include 4G LTE/3G, WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS. Being a phablet device, the software comes with features that will help for one handed usage. Dolby Atmos sound system comes pre-installed. Phablet comes in Grey and Silver colors, is priced at 2,599 Yuan (US$407 / Rs. 27,040 approx.) in China and is available for purchase through the official website. 

Lenovo Phab Plus specifications:

• 6.8-inch Full HD display
• Snapdragon 615 1.5 GHz Octa-core  processor
• 2GB LPDDR3 RAM, 
• 32GB internal memory, SD card slot
• Android 5.0 (Lollipop)
• Hybrid Dual SIM
• 13MP rear camera with dual-tone LED Flash
• 5MP front-facing camera
• Dolby Atmos
• 4G LTE, WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS
• 3500mAh battery

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Sony Xperia Z5 Video Surfaces Online Before the Official Launch; Three Variants Incoming?

Sony is expected to launch the all new Xperia flagship called the Xperia Z5. Apparently Sony has planned a surprise for its smartphone lover by launching the flagship device is three different models, Xperia Z5, Z5 compact, and the Xperia Z5 premium. The base model which is the Xperia Z5 will sport a 5.2-inches FHD(1980*1080) display while the Compact sports a smaller 4.6-inches HD(1280*720) display. The Xperia Z5 premium will be a stand out among the three with a 5.5-inches 4K display with whopping pixel density of 801PPI. All the three models will feature a 23-megapixel primary camera module and a fingerprint sensor to its home button to its sides. 

Talking about the internals, three smartphones will be powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 810Soc clocked at 2.0GHz Octa-Core processor with Adreno 430GPU coupled with 3GB of Ram and 32GB internal storage and an 8-megapixel selfie camera. Back in June Sony had to face a lot of criticism because of the heating issues on Z3+ and Z4 smartphones, looks like Sony will address the issues this time. This week is going to a feast for smartphone lovers, if you are one among them stay tuned with us as we bring instant updates right to you. 

Source|via

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Multifunction Fingerprint Sensor Feature on Huawei's Mate 7S Teased

As we all know Huawei is all set to unveil a brand new phablet during IFA 2015 which is just around the corner. There's still some confusion surrounded by the naming of the device(Mate 7S or Mate S), Huawei wants us to guess the name probably. The companies head, Huawei head honcho Richard Yu has started a countdown on his official Weibo account along with a teaser image indicating a multifunction fingerprint sensor on the phablet. By multifunction we mean that the phablet will support up to 5 fingers scanner which is neatly fit under a 1cm footprint.

The Rumored specifications of the phablet are, It sports 5.7-inches FHD(1980*1080) Force Touch display, Kirin 935 processor, 20-megapixel primary camera, 8-megapixel front cam. 3GB Ram and 64GB internal storage with no SD card may be. These are just brief specifications of the device according to the recent reports, So better stay tuned for full and official specs. The IFA 2015 event is about to kick start in less than 72 hours from now. 

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LG G4 Pro Rumoured To Feature QHD Display, Dual Camera Setup

LG is planning to launch an upgraded version of G4 smartphone that it launched in April. The upgraded one is expected to be called as the G4 Pro with a bump in the display, camera modules and more. Starting off with the display, the G4 pro is expected to sport a 5.8-inches QHD display (2,560 x 1,440 pixels) the company is aiming to compete with the likes of Note 5, Xperia Z5 and iPhone 6s. Powered by Qualcomm's most talked Snapdragon 810 leaving behind the Hexa-Core 808 Soc and Snapdragon 820 which is not yet available to any of the smartphones at the moment along with 4GB of DDR4 Ram just as we would expect.

The device is expected to feature Dual-Camera setup among which one will have an always-autofocus feature for better focusing. The company is said to be banking on this feature which will be a standout among other flagships launched/launching this year. A  27-megapixel primary camera is what we have been hearing along with full metal body construction. stay tuned for more.

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