Author: chris eilers

During the past days, we have heard reports that Xiaomi is preparing its new high-end smartphone which will launch in the second semester of 2016. The suspected smartphone is Xiaomi Mi Note 2.

Xiaomi Mi Note 2 specifications leak again

Last week, it was reported that Xiaomi would produce three variants of Mi Note 2, but more detailed information relating to the spesifications was not clear yet. This time, its detailed specs start to hit the internet, including display, RAM, internal memory, main camera, battery, and fingerprint scanner. Let’s take a look one by one.

All three variants of Xiaomi Mi Note 2 will feature 5.7-inch display with different resolution. The lowest variant display will be 1080 x 1920 pixel, while the two others will be 1440 x 2560 pixel. You need to know that the top-end variant will have curved display with Force Touch technology. If it is true, it will be the best one Xiaomi has ever produced so far.

Next, the two lower variants are expected to come with 4GB RAM + 32GB ROM and 6GB RAM + 64GB ROM, respectively. Meanwhile, the highest variant with curved display will come with 6GB RAM and 128GB ROM. The chipset powering all Xiaomi Mi Note 2 variants will be Snapdragon 820 or Snapdragon 821. As the energy supplier is a 4000mAh battery supported by Quick Charge 3.0.

For photography, the two highest variants are equipped by dual main camera, each of which is 12MP. On the other side, the 4GB RAM and 32GB ROM variant is equipped by 16MP single main camera. All three variants are rumored to pack an ultrasonic fingerprint scanner built in the display. You will also find NFC connectivity on Xiaomi Mi Note 2.

Xiaomi Mi Note 2 – Price and availability

For the price, the 32GB ROM model is predicted around $376, 64GB ROM model around $451, and the last model with 128GB ROM will be around $526. Xiaomi Mi Note 2 launch date has not been informed yet, but must be one day in this second semester of 2016. Let’s wait and see.

Nokia is famous for making one of the highest qualities all over the world. And if the camera comes with the “Pureview” badge, it definitely becomes a huge bomb in the market. But what does it mean when we say Pureview? Is it really worth it?

Nokia Pureview camera: world’s best quality

Who doesn’t fancy a Nokia smartphone with a decent camera, especially when it is branded with the famous “Pureview” sensor. However, not all of us really understand what Pureview camera really is, or what effect it can bring to the pictures taken by Nokia smartphones. By definition, Nokia Pureview is an exclusive range of premium smartphone camera developed by the Finnish company.

Nokia Pureview camera technology has received significant compliments both from critics and users around the world. To gain its popularity, the camera has to follow a delicate functioning process. It was developed with a premium on-chip image processor. This processor helps reduce noises, enhance digital zoom and offer extraordinary image scaling. Different Nokia Lumia smartphones come with different camera resolution, in combination with the Pureview technology. For example, Nokia 808 with 41MP is equipped with Carl Zeiss optics, Nokia 1020 has OIS under the hood.

In case you are wondering what Image scaling means, here is a simplified explanation. The technology gives you the advantage of much larger pixels. This mean, under the same lighting condition, more light is fitted into the Pureview camera, creating a sharper and more vivid picture quality compared to the same resolution of other sensors. This Image scaling advantage even work in the after-processes like noise removal and other retouches. By launching Pureview camera technology, Nokia also emphasized that huge megapixels are not everything. In order to capture a good photo, the quality of the optics also matter. Thats why the company teamed up with Carl Zeiss in producing their smartphone cameras.

Nokia Pureview camera: costing a great deal?  Or no?

As the name suggest, Nokia Pureview camera created very pure views on your pictures: more light, clearer details, better raw images. And if you think the technology costs us a lot to buy, get ready to be surprised. Nokia has a wide range of smartphones that come  with this exclusive technology, from very budget to more high-end price tags.

The next Huawei phone will sport an impressive screen. This phone could be a strong rival against Xiaomi Mi Max, with an impressive 6.6-inch display. Let’s see the upcoming Huawei Honor 8 Max right now!

Huawei Honor 8 Max: strong rival of Xiaomi Mi Max

Xiaomi Mi Max will face a powerful rival named Huawei Honor 8 Max. The handset has been leaked on TEENA recently. Like Xiaomi Mi Max, the new Huawei phone will sport a massive 6.6-inch display, with 2K resolution. Meanwhile, Xiaomi Mi Max comes with 6.44-inch FullHD display. So, you can see that Huawei Honor 8 is greater than the Mi Max. Moreover, other Huawei Honor 8 Max specs are also powerful.

First, the new Huawei phone is designed in 178.8 x 90.9 x 7.18 mm size and weighs 219g. This phone is powered by a great Kirin 950 chipset. To ensure the performance, it gets a 3GB RAM along with 32GB of internal storage. Other Huawei Honor 8 Max features include Android 6.o and a huge 4.400 mAh battery. This battery gives you about one day and a half in using.

Huawei Honor 8 Max camera owns dual-lens technology on the back: 13MP main camera. This dual-camera is assisted by Autofocus and LED flash. On the front, there is a 5MP camera for selfies. You also find a fingerprint scanner on this phone, like its rival Xiaomi Mi Max.

Huawei Honor 8 Max price and availability.

We expect this new Huawei will come with an affordable price and cheaper than Xiaomi Mi Max. When comparing to its rival and its predecessors, Huawei Honor 8 Max price may come at RM. 1,450. In addition, Huawei Honor 8 Max release date is reported to be in October. Do you plan to buy this new Huawei phone?

Many of you may think that smartphone cameras with massive resolutions (> 16MP) offer better photography! Actually they don’t! Here are the reasons why!

Megapixels: What is it and how does it form a picture?

First, let’s talk about pixels! Pixels (picture element) are the smallest units of programmable color in digital images. A pixel has no fixed size. Its size actually depends on the resolution you set for the screen display. If the resolution is maximum, the pixel will measure the same as a dot pitch, which is extremely tiny! If you set the resolution lower, the pixel will become bigger. Each pixel is made from varying gradation of either red, green or blue (RGB). Different ratios of the 3 colors result in different colors the pixel is.

Back to megapixel, it is a single unit of measurement, equal to one million pixels. At this point, you may not yet understand how big a megapixel is viewed in your device. But let me give you an example. You must be familiar with a size of a full HD (1920×1080) video right? That video is actually made from countless 2MP pictures! So a camera with 2MP resolution can produce a full HD image! That image is already big enough to cover a common laptop screen COMPLETELY.

So what about smartphones? If you tend to view images via your smartphone screen only, megapixels really don’t matter! A VGA selfie is enough to cover your smartphone screen. It is ironic that many users want to buy smartphones with 16MP camera and above in order to shoot better images. That is SO WRONG!

Megapixels: What is the truth?

If you don’t intend to print a wallpaper taken by your smartphone, you don’t really need a 23MP camera. The actual size of a 23MP image is the size of your wall or the size of a billboard ads. So a 12MP camera is already enough for common purpose. Instead, what counts the most in smartphone photography is the sensor! That’s why Samsung Galaxy S7’s Exmor-RS CMOS 12MP Sensor is crown the best camera in 2016.

360 Mobile is targeting to the strong market of high-end smartphones. After releasing 360 N4 in May, within two months, the company is planning on 360 N4S.

360 N4S: strong specs

360 N4S is said to be the successor of 360 N4. For upgrade version, the 360 N4S will come with a metal body (including a gold color) along with a 5.5-inch full HD display. Other highlight detail revealed is the narrow bezel on each side of the touch screen. Regarding such depiction, there are two types of display is showed up, an curved-edge one or the thinnest version of 360 smartphone.

360 N4S is reported to get a massive 5000 mAh battery to give the phone a more generous run time. The handset also packs a Snapdragon 652 chipset along with 6GB of RAM and 64GB internal memory, expandable via microSD card. 360 N4S specs do not stop here, it is also confirmed to run on Android 6.0. OS. It seems next year the trend of deca-core smartphones will be reinforced.

As for the rest of the specs, 360 N4S is spotted on TENAA to feature the Helio X20 deca-core chip clocked at 2GHz inside. On its back, the phone will mounts a 13MP snapper and a 5MP shooter on the front. 360 N4S is expected to have a dual rear camera design and fingerprint scanner. Most of the specs are revealed through its teasers, the company still keeps quiet about 360 N4S though it is definitely coming.

360 N4S: price and release date

Even though showing up like a high-end smartphone, it is hopeful that 360 N4S price will be affordable, we expect to pay only $163 (RM 650). So that the Chinese company may start with mid-range segment first. The official details of the phone will be announced on the 15th July. If you need more information, just visit us at Pricepony.com.my, there will be more big news for your up-to-date smartphones.

Window phones will run the new Operating System called “Windroid OS”. That seems crazy but it is true. If you don’t believe, let’s look at two Microsoft phones below. 

“Double tap to wake” mode, the beginning of new Windroid OS

Microsoft is preparing for the launching of two new smartphones: Lumia 950 and a premium version 950 XL. As the recent report, they could come later this year, probably in around October. First, let’s take a look at Lumia 950 XL specs. The phone is powered by Qualcomm MSM8992 Snapdragon 810 processor. This processor is supported by 3GB RAM and 32GB ROM. The 5.7-inch screen gets an impressive 1440×2560 px resolution. As for Lumia 950 XL camera, you have a combo of 20MP main+5MP selfie shooter. Meanwhile, Lumia950 specs remain but with smaller 5.2-inch display.

Especially, both of these Lumia phones could get “double tap to wake” feature. As you know, this is a typical feature of Android phones. So, many people believe that Microsoft is renewing Window phones. That means Window OS could become the “Windroid OS” in the near future. And Lumia 950 series could be the first ” Windroid” phone. You can also find some other Android features on Lumia 950 ande 950XL, including AMOLED screen and fingerprint sensor.

Why we call the new Window OS is ” Windroid”. That is very easy to recognize that Android is the favorite OS for smartphone users. However, Microsoft will never use Android for their device. So, a new OS such as “Windroid” could be the great choice for upcoming Microsoft phones.

Windroid OS, the perfect option for Microsoft!

Look back to Lumia 950 and 950 XL, what is your expectation on these phones. Personally, we think they will be the first Windroid phones and “double tap to wake’ mode could be the first feature on the new ” Windroid OS”. That will be the best choice for Microsoft if they want to compete with Android smartphone brands. So, what do you think about this new Window OS?

Though most smartphones nowadays come with a plastic construction, metal smartphones are getting more and more popular thanks its advantages! Let’s take a look at the reasons below!

Metal smartphones: Premium look and great protection!

First of all, metal smartphones always look more premium than plastic smartphones. Placing two devices next to each other, one metal and one plastic, I’m sure most of you will pick the metal phone! Nobody can deny the shiny, fabulous appearance of a metal construction. Meanwhile, a plastic body doesn’t showcase that premium, high-end look. I agree that metal phones are quite more pricey, but I would rather pay the extra money to own a luxury-looking device.

Second, metal smartphones protect the insides very well! It is obvious that plastic is more breakable than metal. So dropping a plastic phone to the ground would bring more heartbreak to the owner for sure! Furthermore, dropping from a considerable height can even make the plastic case shatter. Meanwhile, if we accidentally drop a metal phone, there’s higher possibility that it will stay the same and the internal electronics are still safe. But this doesn’t mean that we don’t have to keep it safe from dropping.

Thirdly, metal smartphones are resistant to scratching, dings and many other negative factors. Or at least a metal construction will do that job better than a plastic body. Metal smartphones are even easier to clean! If you happen to blemish your phone, all you need is a wet tissue. On the other hand, plastic smartphone (especially the ones with rough designs) will take you more effort.

Metal smartphones: They simply feel better to hold in hands!

Last but not least, it feels good to hold a metal smartphone. The weight of metal smartphones makes it more attached to the hand, while plastic phones don’t make us feel that way. Moreover, I personally love how cool my metal phone gets when I place it in an air-conditioned room or after a night.

Huawei Honor 8 Max is spotted on TENAA lately and it seems much favorable to be Xiaomi Mi Max counterpart. So let’s draw a comparison between Huawei Honor 8 Max VS Xiaomi Mi Max.

Huawei Honor 8 Max VS Xiaomi Mi Max: phablet fight!

Huawei Honor 8 Max VS Xiaomi Mi Max both measure in phablet screen size, just similar to their names. Huawei Honor 8 Max flaunts a 6.6-inch display, which is a bit larger than Xiaomi Mi Max’s 6.4-inch full HD screen size. Moreover, Huawei Honor 8 Max supports a QuadHD AMOLED capacity which is apparently more lively than IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen of Xiaomi Mi Max. That is for the displays, so what happens with the components?

Xiaomi Mi Max specs may win this field of platform. The Xiaomi smartphone sports variant chipsets consisting of Qualcomm Snapdragon 650 and Qualcomm Snapdragon 652. Respectively, its processors are various too, including Quad-core 1.4 GHz and Dual-core 1.8 GHz for 650 version. Likewise, Quad-core 1.4 GHz and Quad-core 1.8 GHz backs up for the remain. Meanwhile, Huawei Honor 8 Max is powered by a Kirin 950 chipset along with an octa-core processor clocked at 2.3GHz.

There are 3GB of RAM and 32GB of ROM on board of Huawei Honor 8 Max, which is similar to one of Xiaomi Mi Max versions. Besides that, Xiaomi smartphone also packs another version of 4GB of RAM coupled with 128GB of ROM. Huawei Honor 8 Max’s counterpart seems to continue being the winner since its 4850 mAh battery. Huawei Honor 8 Max battery is a bit lower with 4000 mAh capacity.

Huawei Honor 8 Max VS Xiaomi Mi Max: price and release date

It seems hard to pick the winner up as for photography, Huawei Honor 8 Max VS Xiaomi Mi Max both sport acceptable cameras with 13MP/8MP and 16MP/5MP respectively. Xiaomi Mi Max release date was in last month and it prices at $289 (RM 1154), so it is available now. Regarding Huawei Honor 8 Max, it is still in secret about price and release date.

Recently, Facebook has just adjusted the News Feed feature. It will return to the core value “Family and friends go first”. So, let’s see what it means!

Family and friends come first

Your family and close friends will be the priority. Their posts, their images, and their activities will be on the top of your News Feed. Facebook will work based on your habits (the time you hit “like” on someone’s photos, the time you comment on the links). And then, it will push those things on top of your New Feeds. The decision of coming back to the core value could be not good for the media industry.

Facebook want your New Feeds to be useful for you. This means that New Feeds will give you information. It could be a story, an event,  a recipe or news about celebrities, etc. Not only providing information, this Feeds also entertain you with a fun video or hilarious pictures. With this new feature, New Feeds will become a familiar and interesting part of Facebook. And you will be more excited to use this social network.

The representative of the company said that it won’t decided the posts you will read. It wants to connect you with the ideas and stories which are thought to be meaningful. Facebook will eliminate the fake news, the spam articles or stories which can make you misunderstand. Instead of that, it’ll show you the positive posts.

You’ll decide your own experience on Facebook

You’re the owner of Facebook and you will be the controller. You can unfollow the posts that you don’t want to see, unfriend someone you don’t like. Facebook will allow you to choose which posts you want to see first (See first feature). If you hide someone’s posts, which make Facebook understand that you don’t want to see that person’s information much. Then, New Feeds will adjust to match your taste. Until now, this “News Feed” feature has just been 1% completed.

Deca-core( 10-core) will make your phone become the most powerful device. So, that’s very interesting when looking our list of best deca core phones. Let’s get starting!

Xiaomi Mi Note 2

Xiaomi Mi Note 2 is believed to be the most powerful smartphone of Xiaomi, thanks to 10-core and Snapdragon 823 processor. This processor is supported by 4GB RAM and 32GB of ROM. Besides, the premium version of Mi Note 2 comes with 6GB RAM and 64GB ROM. All of them can be expanded the built-in memory up to 256GB.

From our list of best deca core phones, Xiaomi Mi Note 2 gets the biggest 5.7-inch 2K display. Other Xiaomi Mi Note 2 specs include a decent 3,600mAh battery equipped with 18W Quick Charging and a set of 16MP Sony IMX295 rear camera supporting OIS +  5MP selfie camera. Xiaomi Mi Note 2 price is claimed to be around $460 and it will be release soon this year, probably on mid-September.

Last week, a leaked photo of the company’s new product -Xiaomi Mi NoteBook- posted online. And it looks almost the same Apple’s MacBook. However, is it as strong as the one from the US company?

Xiaomi Mi NoteBook with MacBook’s look

Xiaomi- one of the successful smartphone companies- is now heading to the laptop market. After smartphones, tablet, smartwatch, smart TVs, foldable bike; now it’s laptop- Xiaomi Mi NoteBook. A leaked image about this notebook was unveiled on the website on last Friday. And this immediately caught everyone’s attention by its look. You can easily realise this look on Apple’s product- the MacBook series.

If it wasn’t not for the Xiaomi logo, most of us would have said that this aluminium product is from the US company. How about the Xiaomi Mi NotrBook specs? The notebook from Xiaomi is said to come in three versions: 12.5″/13.3″/15.6″ model. It will be powered by Intel Skylake Core i7 or Core i5 processors. The handset will run on Windows 10. And the high-end version of this notebook may sport an 8GB of RAM.

This new product could be the tough competitors of some premium notebooks like MacBook from Apple or ThinkPad from Lenovo. Speaking of MacBook, it’s said that the 2016 MacBook will feature a 5K display with 2 size versions: 13″ and 15″ variant. And the Apple’s new device will be introduced in this September with the price of $1300 for the base model.

Xiaomi Mi NoteBook: release date and price

So, are you ready for this new product of Xiaomi? Because this summer, you’ll be able to see it. Xiaomi Mi NoteBook release date is reported to be within this September. And 1 million units will probably come in the first year. Xiaomi Mi NoteBook price is said to be $450 for the base variant. In this July, the Chinese company will release a big event. Maybe, Mi NoteBook will come closer to you on this event.

Honestly I think 4GB RAM is powerful enough for a smartphone. 6GB RAM or more just makes the cost increase dramatically! Here are my best 4GB RAM smartphones for July. Let’s check!

1. Oppo R9 Plus: 9.5/10

The first 4GB RAM smartphone on this list is Oppo R9 Plus. This phone has just been released lately and Oppo R9 Plus price arrives at RM 2700. What makes this phone so stunning is the 6-inch full HD screen and the 7.4mm-thin design. Moreover, there are two quad-core Cortex processors (1.8GHz and 1.4GHz) to take care of the performance. Along with it is a Snapdragon 652 chipset and an Adreno 510 GPU.

Besides 4GB of RAM, Oppo R9 Plus also packs a large ROM of 64GB which can be enlarged up to 128GB. The highlight of this phone is a 16MP selfie snapper, clocked at f.2.0 aperture. The 16MP main camera on the back is even more powerful. Both snappers are reviewed to be excellent for photography. Other Oppo R9 Plus specs include an impressive 4190mAh battery and a fingerprint scanner on the front.