Looks like Vivo have confirmed Retina Scanner on the Vivo X5Pro

There have been rumours that the Vivo X5Pro will come with a fingerprint scanner under a glowing logo, and rumours of retina recognition. Vivo’s latest teaser seems to confirm the latter.

Vivo are synonymous with bring the latest tech advances to the Android smartphone market. They were one of the first manufacturers of super slim phones and currently hold the title for the worlds thinnest smartphone. They were also one of the first companies to use a fingerprint scanner, and they were ahead of the pack with the 2K display on the Xplay 3S back in 2013 (yet it was that long ago).

Their next trick is to bring the latest security technology to the upcoming Vivo X5Pro. It had been rumoured that Vivo might use a retina scanner for locking the X5Pro and certain applications, and now it looks as though they have confirmed that rumour with the above image.

In the post on their Facebook, Vivo tell us to “forget fingerprints” and that the X5Pro will let us “Enjoy the safest access to your app anytime with a glance!”.

It hasn’t been confirmed with technology Vivo will be using as there are currently a couple of options to choose from. ZTE have a scanner that works with the front facing of some of their devices. Vivo could certainly make this work and might partially explain the reason for a 32 mega-pixel front camera. The other method of retina unlock would be the Fujitsu model with IR scanner shown at MWC this year.

Vivo will announce the Vivo X5Pro later this month in China. Keep posted for more news.

Sony reporting huge shortage of IMX214 camera units

The current trend by Chinese phone makers to use the Sony IMX214 in their newest phones is putting huge pressure on Sony who are reporting demand is outstripping supply.

Last year the IMX214 was the camera sensor to have on any flagship Android phone. The sensor boasts 13 mega-pixel imaging and the ability to shoot 4K video. The sensor found its’ way in to the OPO, Oppo Find 7 and many other flagship devices last year.

The IMX214 is still an excellent sensor, but as it is last gen tech the price has dropped meaning Chinese phone makers are able to spec the unit on their low-cost flagships for 2015. Elephone, Ulefone, to name just a few, are all using the sensor on their new devices, but demand is so high Sony are reporting shortages.

Zopo tease two new mid-range ‘Color’ smartphones

Zopo, a once massive and dominating presence, have since shrunk down to a lesser player in the mobile phone market. This is mainly due to their higher pricing scheme, which makes their products less appealing compared to other more affordable devices. Zopo are hoping to change this view with their upcoming Color series of mid-range smartphones, which they’ve recently teased about on their Facebook page.

The teased image show us that the Color series of smartphones (supposedly the Color E and Color C) will be more focused towards younger consumers with a vibrant and colorful assortment of rear covers being shown. Another teaser also tells us that the Color smartphones will ship with Lollipop out of the box, which is reassuring to say the least.

Both of the new phones will supposedly be powered by MediaTek’s MTK6735, a quad core Cortex-A53 based processor clocked at 1.5GHz with a Mali-T720 GPU and LTE CAT4 support all around the world, which should be good news to people who previously couldn’t use MTK powered phones in their countries. Other rumored specs include a HD display and a 13MP camera, although this has yet to be set in stone.

What do you think about Zopo’s new Color smartphones?  Tell us in the comments below.
AliExpress.com Product - ZOPO ZP530 4G LTE Smartphone 5 inch MTK6732 Quad Core 1.5GHz 1GB RAM 8GB ROM 8.0MP+5.0MP Android 4.4 Mobile Cell Phone Dual SIM

Allwinner have a $199 Google Glass competitor in the making

Allwinner have been prototyping a Google Glass alternative that costs just $199. According to the company, their take on the wearable piece of tech is going to be better than Google Glass itself.

The glass is powered by Allwinner’s A33 SoC which also makes an appearance on a lot of tablets. The device design is provided by Taiwanese design house Coretronic. From the outset, the Allwinner glass (lets call it that for convenience’s sake) looks very much like the Google Glass, but at the same time is expected to cost less.

Samsung gets cloned again! This time it is No.1

I often wonder if clone phones are really such a great business practice, well they must as the second Samsung Galaxy S6 clone today!

The curved screen of the flagship S6 is going to prove to difficult for Chinese phone makers to copy, but the flat screen of lesser model is a walk in the park. So easy in fact that there are now 2 Galaxy S6 clones on the market.

Judging by the hardware of this No.1 branded phone and the Landvo S6 from earlier today, both phones are the same only the branding is different.

The No.1 S6i specs claim a 5.1-inch 720HD display, 6.8mm body, Android 5.0, MT6582, 1GB RAM and no SD card support (same as the Landvo). No.1 also list the main camera as a 16 mega-pixel, but we know that the actual sensor is an 8 mega-pixel unit.

Pricing for the No.1 S6 is just under $120, with some online sellers already offering the knock off.

Ulefone Be Touch full specifications announced, HD for now FHD later

Ulefone have posted the official specifications of their Ulefone Be Touch on their website ahead of a presale which will begin early next month.

The Ulefone Be Touch is one very long overdue phone. Originally named the Ulefone Dare N1, the device was set for a release during MWC but never made its way over to Spain. Instead the Dare N1 became the Ulefone Be Touch with a pre-sale date in early May.

Specifications for the Ulefone Be Touch had been seen at a Hong Kong fair early in the month, where the phone was listed with a 5.5-inch HD display. Confusingly our Ulefone contact told us that the phone would launch with an FHD display, then turn around today and tell us that the first launch is for a HD only model, with a FHD version planned (but not confirmed) for a launch at the end of May.

A flagship device with HD display is odd but not totally uncommon, Mlais recently announced their M7 with a 1280 x 720 panel also.

In addition to being a HD panel, the Ulefone Be Touch will come with a 2.5D curved display, Mediatek MT6752 processor, 3GB RAM, 16GB internal memory, quick charge function, 13 mega-pixel Sony IMX214 rear camera, 5 mega-pixel front and dual SIM LTE.

Yu Yuphoria will come 12th May

Micromax subsidiary Yu has announced that its ongoing project ‘Caesar’ will be showcased to the world on 12th of May in the form of the second Yu phone — the Yu Yuphoria.

If you aren’t aware, Micromax spun off a sub brand a few months back in the form of Yu, the first phone of which happens to be the Yu Yureka which we quite liked. The Yureka is a $150 (9,000 INR) phone that does a lot of stuff for the money; for starters, it comes with Cyanogen OS preinstalled, a feat only one phone apart from the Yureka has achieved.

There’s no word on price of the next-in-line aka the Yu Yuphoria, but rumour has it that the phone will have a Snapdragon 410 SoC at its core along with 2GB of RAM. If that does happen, we’d again be looking at a rather mildly powered phone which would be aimed at the masses with respect to the price tag.

What are your expectations with regards to the specifications on the Yu Yuphoria?

What do you think of these purported Xiaomi Mi5 specifications?

If rumours are correct, Xiaomi will continue to keep their flagship Mi phones smaller than the norm with Xiaomi Mi5 details pointing at a 2K, 5.2-inch display.

Xiaomi recently received a patent for its own fingerprint scanning technology, a feature found in many high-end devices, and one which is now tipped for inclusion in the Mi5.

Not only a fingerprint scanner though, new rumours also tell us that Xiaomi will continue to offer their top of the range phone with a smaller display. The current Mi4 has a 5-inch panel, where as the Mi5 is believed to get a 5.2-inch screen with 2560 x 1440 resolution. The norm for his level of phone is current 5.5-inch.

Qualcomm seems to be on board still providing a Snapdragon 810 SoC, there will be 4GB RAM too and a 3000mAh battery. The final detail we hear today is that the main camera will be a 16 mega-pixel model with OIS.

This year Xiaomi already launched the Mi Note at a higher price tag, but we believe the Mi5 will retain the trademark 1999 Yuan price tag for China.

What do you make of these Mi5 specs? Do you think a 2K resolution on a 5.2-inch display is a little overkill?

Huawei Honor 4C and a couple of new tablets announced

Huawei have added 3 new devices to their inventory in the shape of the Huawei Honor 4C smartphone and 2 new tablets.

Kicking off with the Huawei Honor 4C. The phone is an updated to the 3C launched last year and features a 5-inch HD display, 2GB RAM, and a Kirin 620 octcore processor. The phone comes in gold, white, black blue and pink and features a 2500mAh battery, 5 mega-pixel front camera and 13 mega-pixel rear.

Moving on to tablets, the Honor Play pad is a 7-inch (600 x 1024) device packing a 1.2Ghz quad-core processor, 1GB RAM, 3G support and 4100mAh battery.

Cyanogen Inc. to OnePlus: We’re done

What started as a truly promising project in December of 2013 is dying an unexpected death, or so it appears. The OnePlus One may have been endlessly criticized for being more hype than substance, but I’m sure many would agree, the One was one of the best phones at the time of its launch, and until a few good months after that.

The fact that the OnePlus One came with the Cyanogen OS undoubtedly was one of the most compelling features of the device. The market had hordes of powerful phones that came OEM skinned ROMs, and offered next to nothing when customizability was the focus.

Needless to say, the OnePlus One was a smashing hit. It turns out the company itself did not see the demand coming; that’s something that added to the misery of OnePlus back when it had to keep convincing potential buyers about ‘the next batch of OnePlus Ones’ that was about to be ready for shipment.

The phone got so popular that OnePlus almost didn’t have to spend cash on marketing, which was, in a way, self sustaining. In fact, OnePlus officials famously said once that they started out with a total marketing budget of just $299.

Tencent wants a piece of the cake, launches its own OS for smartphones and other smart devices

Tencent, perhaps best known to the world outside of China for being the makers of WeChat, today announced the launch of their own OS, TOS+.

TOS+ will make its way to various smartphones and other smart devices such as TV boxes, smart TVs, gaming consoles, wearable hardware and more. As Tech in Asia notes, the TOS+ operating system is designed to give Tencent a chance to compete with the likes of Xiaomi and Alibaba, both of which have a conspicuous presence in the OS sphere.

“What Tencent will be in the future is a connector,” said Mark Ren, COO, Tencent Holdings Ltd. “We want to make an open platform to connect all people, devices and services.”

While Xiaomi’s MIUI runs on an innumerable number of smartphones, a lot of Chinese phones ship with Alibaba’s YunOS. To be heard, Tencent will probably be using many of its chat apps including QQ and WeChat.

Not a lot about the TOS+ operating system is known at the moment, stay tuned for updates!

Vivo X5Pro will get international launch and 32 mega-pixel front camera

Oppo aren’t the only company planning a refresh of a current thin phone, Vivo also have an updates variant of the X5 about to launch internationally with amazing front camera.

Vivo China and Vivo International are both teasing the upcoming Vivo X5Pro, and together they are releasing more information about the new thin phone.

So far we have seen teasers point at updated camera features, a long battery life and a curved display, and now there is more.

Bluboo X550 will feature Ampirus battery and Mediatek Pump Express plus for super fast charging

Bluboo have announced that their upcoming model, the Bluboo X550 will be one of the first devices to launch with Pump Express Plus technology.

Bluboo had previously already announced that the X550 would feature a 5300mAh battery, now we know that charging that battery will take very little time at all.

The battery in the X550 is made by a US-based start-up called Amprius, who have managed to create batteries with smaller physical size than ever offered before. The Amprius tech allows batteries to be as much as 30% smaller than similar capacity batteries.

In addition to the Amprius battery, the X550 will also be one of the first phones to ever use Mediatek’s Pump Plus charging system.

Pump Express and Pump Express Plus allows charging time to be greatly reduced through the use of a special charger and integrated power management integrated circuit.

With Plump Express Plus the DC wall charge first determines the initial voltage required to charge the battery pack based on the current charge. As the charge begins the voltage is gradually increased for a faster charge time. Pump Express Plus is designed for an output of 15W at up to 12V!

Elephone P7000 customers told they may not get IMX214 main camera

Elephone have posted on their reservation page for the P7000 that some phones will not ship with the Sony IMX214 announced in official specifications. Keep reading for more info.

The Elephone P7000 has been on a special pre-sale since Saturday. During the special event customers have the change to receive an ‘Ele code’ so that they can buy the new device at a bargain $159.99 in May.

At such a low price, and with such high specifications (including MT6752 processor, 3GB RAM, 5.5 FHD display, Fingerprint scanner etc) the reservations are going strong with lot’s of hopeful customers.

But customers should be aware of one change in the specification for this early batch of phones. On the reservation page Elephone have posted a note that this first batch of P7000 will not ship with a Sony IMX214 main sensor but instead the Sony IMX135.

Lenovo K80 unveiled, another large battery, 4GB monster

Lenovo have just announced to the world their competitor to the Asus Zenfone, the Lenovo K80 with 4GB RAM and large battery.

This Friday is quickly turning in to a large battery marathon. Earlier we reported that Acer had launched the Liquid X2 with 4000mAh, then TCL tells the world about it’s new 5000mAh phone, and now Lenovo with the K80.

The Lenovo K80 also boasts s 4000mAh battery, but with an Intel Atom CPU running at 1.8Ghz and 4GB RAM, Lenovo are hoping to attract power users with this device.