Author: chris eilers

One thing is clear with Xiaomi in 2014 – Xiaomi stays in the news. Xiaomi are launching new products, lowering prices and are rumoured to bring a new mid range flagship, a new Xiaomi Redmi , to us next month.

We have got new infos and images of what many think will be the new Xiaomi Redmi 2 with better hardware and an updated design. Most sources indicate that the Xiaomi Redmi 2 will come with Snapdragon 615, 2GB of RAM and LTE Support. The Xiaomi Redmi 2 Pricing could be as low as 1499 Yuan at Launch in China.

Read our Xiaomi Redmi Note vs Galaxy Note 3 Neo Review

Originally the Xiaomi Redmi 2 was believed to come with a 5.5 inch display but now most analysts believe that a Full HD 5.0 inch display is more likely. The reason is that at the moment the retail price of Full HD displays is at an all time low, a great ingredient to make very affordable smartphones.

To sum up the Xiaomi Redmi 2 specs will probably be

CPU: Eight Core Snapdragon 610
RAM: 2GB
Display: 5.0 Full HD Display with 1920 x 1080 resolution
LTE
Pricing: Ca 1499 Yuan (812RM/245USD)

So far so good. Industry analysts believe that the Xiaomi Redmi 2 could launch as early as december, just in time for the Chinese New Year Shopping Season. What do you think of those specs and the pricing for the new Xiaomi Redmi Midrange Flagship?

According to recent information we could already see Android V5.0 on the SamsunG Galaxy S5 as soon as December. As normally with big updates like those on Flagships like the S5, there are already leaks out there for the Lollipop Update.

The guys over at SamMobile have gotten an early build of the Samsung Galaxy S5 Android 5.0 Lollipop Update, that is newer then any update we have seen yet. The Lollipop update we can see here is based on Android 5.0 build LRX02E and is including the Lollipop Easter Egg. Most references to lollipops are not in that update yet, probably to prevent further leaks ahead of the Official Samsung Update.

If we compare this Galaxy S5 update to the one that leaked very early in October, this has already more tweaks to make it more fitting with the new Android 5.0 Material Design and look. Some of those changes include smoother animations, new icons, a new system font, and a optimized Material Design Look for a few apps. Also there is an nicer looking User interface for the Settings App.

Overall this Android 5.0 update is definitely an improvement to the one we have seen before. This is still an early build and we are very excited to see what the final Mix of Samsung TouchWiz and Android 5.0 Lollipop is going to look like.

What is your opinion on Android 5.0 Lollipop for Samsung Touchwiz UI?

Vietnam is not only the fastest growing Mobile Market for Apple worldwide, now there is also a 24K gold Samsung Galaxy Note 4 in Vietnam for purchase. Each and every piece of metal on the Note 4 is coated in gold, even including the speaker grills.

For those of you who saved a bit more money, we spotted a 24K gold Samsung Galaxy Note 4 in Vietnam for purchase. Each and every piece of metal on the Note 4 is coated in gold, even including the speaker grills.

This process of coating the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 in 24K gold, takes 4-5 hours of time and costs around 1100 USD just for the process. If you fancey the Golden Note 4, youll have to buy the Note 4 on top for an extra shiny 900USD. Check the pictures for the golden Note 4 Phablet – we must admit it looks quite stylish. Check out the video for the golden coating process.

If you fancy yourself a golden gadget, check out Golden Mobile in Vietnam, they are distribuing the Golden Note 4.

Anyone needs a Kevlar protected Super Smartphone? You might want to check out the new Motorola Droid Turbo Monster ! Verizon and Motorola joined forces to launch the very powerful Motorola Droid in the U.S where it will run on the Verizon XLTE Network.

The Motorola Droid turbo sports Qualcomm’s newest Powerhouse the Snapdragon 805 clocked at 2.7 GHZ, 3GB of RAM and Adreno 420 GPU. The Droid also gets a powerful battery at 3900 mAH and motorola promises this will bring at least 2 days of mixed usage to the droid phone.

The Motorola Droid Turbo features a 5.2″ Super AMOLED display with Quad HD 2K resolution and an amazing pixel density of 565ppi. If this is not enough for you the Droid promises to be very shock and scratch resistant as well. The gadget is made of DuPont Kevlar reinforced ballistic nylon or metalized glass fiber – Quite impressive! The display is protected Gorilla Glass 3 and all inner organs are covered by a water-repellent NanoCoating.

The Droid turbo sports a 21 Megapixel Main Camera with F2.0 aperture and 4K video recording option at 24fps. The 32GB version launched in the US on 30 October and is there available with a contract for 200 USD and 25 USD monthly.

Motorola Droid Turbo Specs

• Display:5.2-inch Super AMOLED display with 1,440 x 2,560 pixels resolution
• CPU: 2.7 GHz quad-core (Snapdragon 805) Krait 450 processor and Adreno 420 GPU
• RAM: 3 GB of RAM
• OS: Android 4.4.4 KitKat OS (upgradable to v5.0)
• ROM; 32 GB and 64 GB internal storage
• No microSD card support
• Battery: Li-Po 3,900 mAh battery unit (48 hours talk time)
• Camera: 21 MP/2 MP rear and front facing camera units
• Connections: 4G LTE, NFC and wireless charging support
• Extra: Water- and dust-resistant exterior (Note: No IP67 certification)

The Motorla Droid Turbo retails at 600USD (1985RM) and we must say its quite impressive. At this specs the Motorola Droid can surely compete with Galaxy Note, Google Nexus 6 and iPhone 6!

This week Xiaomi announced on their official Weibo Account that they plan a special surprise gadget for 99RMB for customers on 11.11 Singles Day in China.

Since then customers discussed widly on social networks what Xiaomi device this could be, many guessing an powered up Xiaomi Powerbank. Others thinking it could be an 3G MIFI. Now Xiaomi actually announced the 99RMB device officially.

Xiaomi introduced a new Xiaomi POwerbank with 16000 mAH, which is 50% higher capacity compared to the earlier 10400mAh version available. The design is pretty similiar to the the current one from Aluminium alloy and it comes with two USB ports.

Read How to find out if your Xiaomi Powerbank is fake

The official Price of the 16000 mAh Xiaomi Powerbank is 129RMB (21USD), but during the Single Day at Tmall it will cost only 99RMB. A special advantage of the new Xiaomi Powerbank is the shape. Despite having larger capacity by 50%, its actually slimmer and you can carry it around easier. That is definitely a good Price!

As soon as we will know availability in other countries and Malaysia we will let you know here. Meanwhile check out Resellers like Aliexpress, definitely a hot price!

These days Lazada has quite a lot of Voucher Codes to use, with which you can save money. A lot of users have been asking us on how to actually use the Vouchers. The Process is quite easy once you know it its straightforward. Let me show you on the example how to buy the Xiaomi Redmi 1S for only RM377. 

Newest Voucher for 24.02.2015 – STORE10fso  – http://ow.ly/IRH72

Example: Lazada Voucher Code Usage for Xiaomi Redmi 1S:

We want to use this Voucher LAZFLASH10 which gives us 10% off on everything for 30+31.10.2014

1. Visit the Xiaomi Redmi 1S Site on Lazada and click the Buy Now Button – http://ow.ly/IRH72

2. Proceed to Checkout Please 

3. Please enter a Valid Email Adress or your Account Data if you are Lazada Customer already

4. Enter your Delivery Adress Please 

5. Now on the last page please enter the Voucher Code Example: LAZFLASH10 here: 

6. Click on Use the Voucher to get the Xiaomi Redmi 1S for only RM377

7. Place your Order to buy the Original Redmi 1S for just RM377

Okey thats it 🙂 Youve just bought the Redmi 1S for only 377RM. Sorry if this was too long for some of you that know a bit more of e-commerce already. I really hope that helps to save money for some of you guys!

It just made the news that Xiaomi is now third biggest smartphone manufacturer worldwide. Now it looks like Xiaomi migth expand their tablet offering with a low cost 9.2 inch tablet. So far we only have the Xiaomi MiPad with 7.9 inch.

It looks like the next Xiaomi tablet might be more on the lower end then the MIPAD. A new benchmark has leaked and from what we can see at the moment, its a spec list for a 9.2 inch Xiaomi device.

The new Xiaomi tablet will sport a 1,280×720 display, which is fairly low res for Android tablets. Normally Android tablets would go for a 1,280×800 resolution. But then again the Xiaomi MIpad is not exactly Android Standard either, with it’s Retina Solution.

Read our : Xiaomi MI Pad vs Apple Mini Review 

The new leaked Xiaomi tablet is powered by a 64-bit Snapdragon 410 with a Quad-Core CPU clocked at 1.2 GHZ, Adreno 306 GPU and 1GB of RAM. The built in storage is at 8GB.

On the benchmark we cant see any information about the camera of the Xiaomi tablet. What we can see though, is that you will get a Sim Card slot, that means mobile data connectivity available. It also has GPS, Wifi and Bluetooth.

The benchmark oddly doesn’t feature any information about this device’s cameras, but it does say it will sport a SIM card slot, so it will have mobile data connectivity integrated. It’s also got Bluetooth, GPS, and Wi-Fi.

Would you be interested in a super low cost 9.2 inch 720p tablet from Xiaomi? If this is for real, the next leaks will probably follow very soon, and we will keep you updated!

Samsung is next to Apple one of the few phone manufacturers that actually make a decent profit. The last quarter in 2014 Samsung experienced a significant decrease in profit though. Samsung’s consolidated revenue was 44.7 Billion, compared to 56 Billion
USD for the same time in Q3 2013. That is Samsung’s lowest profit in 3 years, since Q3 2011.

Traditionally for Samsung, the mobile category has been the most profitable in the last years. Now the mobile categories is actually causing the most worries for Samsung, with a drop in Sales of more then 15%. The operating profit actually decreased to 1, 653 million USD, from $4,179 million in Q2 and nearly $6,350 million in 2013.

The reason for the big drop in Sales and Profit is according to Samsung that they sold mostly cheaper and midrange products this quarter. The Samsung Galaxy S5 Sales dropped and the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 launched pretty late in Quarter 3.

The tablet sales with the Galaxy Tab S series, actually improved but not enough to compensate for mis-performing phone sales. Samsung expects higher sales and profits in the holiday season and with the Note 4. They still have to fight though with high competition especially in the holiday season.

Samsung TV sales also show nearly zero profit. Actually the only business of Samsung that increased Profit and Sales is the semiconductor business for Samsung.

Especially in South East Asia but also worldwide Samsung is in a tough spot. They face increasing competition on both ends. On the one hand there is the ongoing war with Apple for Premium Flagships. On the other hand brands like Xiaomi, Huawei and OnePlus increasingly take sales of the lower and mid-range phones from Samsung.

After Oppo introduced their N3 camera smartphont, they also introduced their first 64-bit smartphone. Their OPPO R5 is the thinnest smartphone worldwide. At 4.85mm thickness, the Oppo R5, is beating the Current record holder, the Gionee Elife S5.1, by nearly 1mm.

Other then being the “slimmest phone in the world,” as Oppo claims, the R5 sports a 5.2 AMOLED screen with Full HD 1080p resolution, and a pixel density of 423 ppi. The device is sporting QualComm’s midrange 64-bit Snapdragon 615 CPU. The Snapdragon 615 comes with Eight Core A53 Processor at 1.5 Ghz, Adreno 405 GPU and 2GB of RAM. Inside the Oppo R5 is a scpecial cooling element from liquid metal, to take heat away from the Snapdragon Chipset.

Oppo R5 vs iPhone 6

The main camera of the R5 is a 13MP Sony IMX214 with F2.0 aperture and the Selfie Cam is at 5.0 MP. The Main Camera sticks out of the case, like you can see in the pictures. It can record 2160p video at 30fps and 1080p@60fps, and has a slow motion mode with 720p.

Despite being the slimmest phone worldwide, the Oppo R5 still features a 2000mAH battery, which can be charged very quick with VOOC mini rapid charge. Also it has TDD/FDD LTE support. The Oppo R5 is missing a 3.5mm audio jack, so you will have to use the microUSB to audio converter, which comes out of the box.

Like all OPPO phones, the OPPO R5 is a bit pricey at USD 499(1642RM) and we dont have the exact launch date yet.

Huawei officially announced the 64 BIT Honor 4X mid range smartphone. The dual sim phone is available for PreOrder in China from only 1299CNY (212USD/695RM)The shipments will begin next week from November 6th.

The best news for the Huawei Honor 4X is that it will not only with both China Mobile and China Unicom, but with 50 international networks in the whole world. The Honor 4X sports a 64Bit Snapdragon 410 CPU at 1.2 GHZ and support for 2g, 3g and 4G on GSM, WCDMA, TD-SCDAM, TD-LTE and FDD-LTE networks.

There is no confirmation yet, which bands exactly the Honor 4X covers, but probably most of the big European and Asian ones will be featured.

The other specs of Honor device are fairly standard. The Honor 4X sports a 5.5 inch 720p display, 2GB of RAM, 8GB of internal storage that can be extendend via Micro SD. The 4X also comes with a 13MP Sony Main Camera with F2.0 aperture, 5.0 MP Selfie Cam and 3000mAH battery life. Huawei promises up to 72 hours of battery life.

The Huawei Honor 4X runs on Android 4.4 KitKat with Huawei’s EMUI 3.0 OS. It sports a 7.9mm thin body.

For this specs the Huawei Honor 4X pricing of 1299 Yuan is very competitive. Huawei did not announce yet when the global launch going to be.

Xiaomi and Xiaomi fans have once more reason to celebrate. According to IHS iSuppli, Xiaomi is now the third largest phone manufacturer worldwide. In the reports we can see that Xiaomi sold 19 million smartphones in third quarter of 2014. With this Number Xiaomi overtook Huawei, who managed to sell 16.8 Million smartphones for Q3 2014.

Xiaomi was founded 4 years ago, in 2010, originally as an developer for Android OS. Their first products was Android based MIUI OS and evolved from there to manufacturing smartphones.

Xiaomi has been growing very strongly in the last years. In 2012 they sold 5.7 Million phones and already 18.7 Million phones for 2013. In 2014 they sold 11 Million in Q1 and 15.1 Million in Q2 of 2014.

Xiaomi Product Family ( Beautiful Pic by: Ginie Chin and Aslyy Chin)

While Xiaomi is growing strongly in global markets, China is still the main driver for their Sales. According to researchers from Strategy Analytics 14.6 Million out of the 15.1 Million Sales in Q2 were from China.

While the Lion’s Share of XIaomi’s Sales is still from China, they drive their Global Expansion agressively with the latest markets of India, Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia. Especially in India they managed to raise a lot of awareness and a lot of Redmi and Mi3 Phones.

While these numbers look very good for Xiaomi, competiton in China is getting fierce. Xiaomi is fighting against Huawei and Lenovo to defend their third place. Meanwhile new competitors like Meizu and OnePLus entered the game with very competitive products and promising Sales.

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The OnePLus One phone has been super successful, only stopped by OnePLus own capacity to fulfill customer demands. Now a second generation phone, OnePlus Two is on the Table and it will sport OnePlus own developed OS instead of Cyanogen Mod.

Peter Lau, the current CEO of OnePLus gave an interview about the impact of companies like OnePlus on the phone market and customers in general. In this interview Peter Lau also gave his opinion on the future of OnePlus and their products.

Peter Lau confirmed in the Interview, that OnePLus is working on a second edition of the OnePlus One phone and that they are building their own ROM development at the moment. The goal of the Oppo funded OnePLus is to create a OnePLus Android ROM that will ship with the OnePlus Two.

At the moment the international version of the OnePlus One comes with Cyanogen MOD while the chinese version sports Oppo’s Color OS. The development of an own OnePlus ROM would allow OnePLus more independence and further freedom from OPPO. It is not clear yet if a OnePLus ROM would mean the end of Cyanogen MOD OS on OnePLus phones.

Buy the OnePlus One without Invite Now 

Especially Cyanogen MOD seems to be very popular with customers. So it is possible that there will be two versions available of the OnePlus Two. In the Interview the CEO further says, that OnePLus has been profitable this year and that they are selling more then 1000phones a day.

This is of course dwarfed by Sales Numbers of Xiaomi and Meizu in China. While the OnePLus One is definitely a great phone, it’s still hard to get your hands the OPO. Lets hope things get better with the OnePlus Two.

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