Just in: vivo V7+ hands-on

Just in: vivo V7+ hands-on

vivo might be a relatively new company, but in its eight years of existence, it managed to reach the global Top 5 manufacturer list. A testament to its success is the sponsorship deal with FIFA for the next two World Cup tournaments. Since it is already a big company, it can make bold claims. Its latest phone the is promises to deliver Greater Selfie due to its 24 MP front cam. We got it in the office to see if the device lives up to the slogan. The first thing you notice with the front camera and is the clarity of selfies. The photos are crisp and full of color in bright light. The LED flash on the front does a good job boosting selfie quality in the dark as well. One thing that bothered us is the HDR mode. We will instigate further as the review progresses, but but it appears to be making the pictures oversaturated and underexposed. Fans of Beauty filters will also be pleased with the vivo V7+. You can remove blemishes and even make your face paler or rosy if for some reason you are not satisfied with your skin color. The main camera has 16 MP sensor and supports modes like slow-mo, timelapse and Ultra HD. The last one is quite intriguing it takes 64 MP images by merging four frames into one. Compared with the 16 MP photos, there deliver more details, but the mode doesn't allow the use of flash, HDR, filters, and many other optionse. The vivo V7+ is a device for the young and fashion-conscious consumers, as put by Kenny Zeng, CMO of Vivo India. Our task as we work on the review is to see to what extent such claims are valid.

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Weekly poll results: the Razer Phone is a clear fan favorite

Weekly poll results: the Razer Phone is a clear fan favorite

Heres some good news for the fledgling smartphone maker the people love the . People were surprisingly excited about the audio features of the phone like the stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos even though one would think its the 120Hz screen thats the star of the show. The lack of a 3.5mm headphone jack was a common complaint, but the THX-certified audio dongle goes a long way. Plus HTC, Motorola, Google and Huawei also skipped the analog jack. The 120Hz screen did get some love too, though most commenters dont consider the Razer a purely gaming phone (and we agree). While wed love to see more game developers support the 120Hz screen, regular apps benefit too zooming through the interface feels oh-so-smooth.

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Google Pixel 2 issue makes Assistant unavailable with Bluetooth headphones

Google Pixel 2 issue makes Assistant unavailable with Bluetooth headphones

Of the two new Google handsets this year, the has certainly had the more troubled launch with new display issues appearing every other day. Yet today its the smaller that gets in the spotlight for the wrong reason. The smartphone is experiencing issues when you try to operate the Google Assistant via Bluetooth headphones. The handset seemingly mutes its microphone after the Assistant is invoked meaning you are unable to use the functionality at all. Given how important its AI helper is to the Pixel experience this is a pretty big deal and unsurprisingly the issue has been widely reported on the Google support forums. Yet, the company is yet to issue a fix, despite pushing a firmware update to the Pixel 2 earlier this week. This means the wait for the patch will take at least a few more weeks long as Google is unlikely to deliver a firmware specifically for it and will likely include it in the next larger update. |

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Some Apple iPhone X OLED screens plagued by green lines

Some Apple iPhone X OLED screens plagued by green lines

Apple is still dealing with the , but it may have another problem on its hands. Apparently some units are developing an issue with a green line going vertically across the display. All the affected units were reportedly working fine when taken out of the box, but after some time the line pictured below appears. By the looks of it the issue is either caused by an issue with the display controller or by the ribbon cable connecting the screen, but its hard to specify without having seen a defective device in person. Apple is yet to comment on the matter, but users who have experienced the issue on their phones say that they got their phones replaced under warranty. So if your iPhone X happens to develop such an issue take it straight to the companys local office to get your replacement. Given that the issue takes some time to develop, its hard to estimate how wide-spread it is. Apple choose a really unique screen for the iPhone X, not to mention that its the first time they went with OLED on a phone, so at least some issues were to be expected. Hopefully it doesnt end up inconveniencing too many users. |

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KGI: iPhone 8 demand lower than expected, but iPhone X going strong

KGI: iPhone 8 demand lower than expected, but iPhone X going strong

Often reliable analyst Ming-Chi Kuo from KGI has released another note to investors today, attempting to predict the performance of Apples new smartphone trio during the key holiday quarter and at the start of 2018. Kuo estimates that the will sell between 22 and 24 million units in the last quarter of the year and will maintain its strong performance in the early months of 2018. The flagships production is expected to grow 35% to 45% over the next quarter as supply shortages finally ease off. Meanwhile, people will allegedly come to realize that their concerns about the major UI overhaul caused by the dropping of the home button were unfounded. Something we arent completely sure about, having completed . As for the other two new iPhones the demand is expected to remain lower than expectations and Apple will reduce its production by more than half in Q1 of 2018. The , on the other hand, slightly exceeds predictions, as it remains the solitary option for those wanting a . Still, Kuo predicts that Apple and its manufacturing partner Hon Hai will switch some of the iPhone 8 Plus manufacturing lines to produce iPhone X to help boost production. That should enable 25 to 27 million units of the anniversary iPhone to reach the market before the end of the year.

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OnePlus 5T shows up in Geekbench database with Android 7.1.1 on board

OnePlus 5T shows up in Geekbench database with Android 7.1.1 on board

Next week we'll finally see the of the , a smartphone that just can't keep itself from being in the news every single day. Today a test run by someone with a prototype has surfaced in the Geekbench database, and this gives us some new information about the device, and confirms some old rumors. First off, the OnePlus 5T will have the model number A5010, emulating the naming scheme from last year when the was A3000 and the was A3010 (the is A5000 as you'd expect). Next up, it's still sporting the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 chipset, which is no surprise because the chip maker hasn't outed a better offering yet. What's more surprising perhaps is that the OnePlus 5T is running Android 7.1.1 Nougat, and not Android 8.0 Oreo, a version which was released by Google back in August. On the other hand, remember that the OnePlus 3T launched last November with Marshmallow on board, so history seems to be repeating itself in this regard too. The prototype spotted in Geekbench had 8GB of RAM, but we expect the entry-level model to come with 'just' 6GB. The OnePlus 5T received a 1,959 single-core score and 6,742 multi-core score. According to , that puts it slightly ahead of other Snapdragon 835-powered handsets in the single-core category at the moment, and even more so for multi-core. The currently leads the SD835 pack in the former with a score of 1,903, while the with Qualcomm's SoC scores 6,301 in multi-core beating out the competition. (in Dutch)

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Huawei Honor 6X and Sony Xperia XA1 Ultra get price cuts

Huawei Honor 6X and Sony Xperia XA1 Ultra get price cuts

A couple of smartphones one from Huawei and other a Sony Xperia have received price cuts in the US. Starting with Sony, it's the that's been discounted, currently going for $300, down $100 from its previous price point. The is currently going for $149.99 ($50 off). It's worth mentioning that the Huawei Mate 9 is also currently in the US. Major US retailers like Amazon, B, and Best Buy are offering some nice deals on it. For more info/details on these deals, head to the links below.

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