Hasta La Gadget!

ZTE’s sub-label Nubia may want a refresher on the definition of “mini,” because we’re not seeing many sacrifices in its just-shipped Z5 mini. At 4.7 inches, the Android phone is nearly as large as the 5-inch Z5 flagship; it also shares the bigger Z5’s quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro, 2GB of RAM, 2,300mAh battery, 13MP f/2.2 rear camera and 5MP front camera. The mini is likewise a first-class citizen in its home country with 3G support for China Mobile, China Telecom and China Unicom. Prospective owners are only really giving up screen resolution (down to 720p) and storage (down to 16GB), and they’re getting a choice of pastel-colored, replaceable backs in return. As such, that makes the Z5 mini a potential bargain at its ¥1,888 ($308) price — buyers are getting most of the Z5 experience for considerably less cash.

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Via: Engadget Chinese (translated)

Source: JD.com (translated), Zealer China (Sina Weibo)

KDDI’s funky au Infobar is back! Once again designed by the famed Naoto Fukasawa, this A02 — co-developed by HTC — brings the series up to date with Qualcomm’s 1.5GHz quad-core APQ8064 (but with just 1GB of RAM), 4.7-inch 720p display, 16GB of storage, microSD slot, 2,100mAh battery, LTE radio (800/1500) and Android 4.1. Better yet, this phone also supports both CDMA2000 800/2100 and WCDMA 850/1900/2100, making it a great global phone. Judging by one of the demo clips after the break, it seems that this Infobar’s 8-megapixel main imager (with F2.0 lens) and 2.1-megapixel front-facing camera take advantage of HTC’s ImageSense chip for speedy burst shots. Likewise, you’ll find Beats Audio built into the system. As per typical Japanese mobile phone, the usual NFC (with Osaifu-Keitai mobile wallet), 1seg TV tuner and infrared are also packed inside the 9.7mm-thick, 147g-heavy waterproof (IPX5 and IPX7) and dustproof (IP5X) body.

We’re already fans of the iconic nishikigoi (meaning “brocaded carp”) color scheme as pictured above, but what really caught our attention this time are the fluid animations and uniqueness of the “iida UI” 2.0 (iida stands for “innovation,” “imagination,” “design” and “art”) by interactive designer Yugo Nakamura. As you’ll see in the video clips after the break, the home screen here shares some similarities with Windows Phone 8’s counterpart — in the way items snap to grid and resize, even though the former is enhanced by plenty of bouncy animation, more colors and funny sounds (designed by Japanese musician Cornelius). Expect this A02 — which is also available in blue or gray — to hit the Japanese market in mid-February.

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Via: Engadget Japanese

Source: KDDI (Japanese)

Much like many Chinese smartphone brands these days, ZTE sub-brand Nubia had prematurely given away the main selling points of its Z5 ahead of its Beijing launch today, but there were still some surprises. As you probably already know, here’s yet another five-inch 1080p Android phone featuring Qualcomm’s 1.5GHz quad-core APQ8064, 2GB RAM and 32GB of internal storage, along with a 13-megapixel F2.2 main camera (with five-element optics by Konica Minolta, plus separate touch focus and touch exposure in the app) and a two-megapixel front-facing camera. For multimedia consumption, the Z5 supports WiFi Display and MHL output should you wish to beam content to a larger screen; whereas on the audio side you are spoiled with either Yamaha or Dolby Digital Plus. But wait, there’s more!

Continue reading Nubia Z5 unveiled in China with quad-core chip, 5-inch 1080p display and 7.6mm thickness

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Source: Nubia

Quad-core APQ8064 chip: check. 5-inch 1080p display: check. That’s right, it’s the Oppo Find 5 again, but this time we’re seeing the phone’s full spec sheet courtesy of the manufacturer’s overly simple US website — we’ve already verified this with our contacts. Apart from the fact that Oppo will be selling the much anticipated Find 5 in the US, the product page also lists an unsubsidized price of just $499, which isn’t bad when you look at the $600 HTC Droid DNA off contract. The specs also mention Android 4.1.2, a 2,500mAh battery, NFC, 16GB of built-in storage and 2GB of RAM, as well as compatibility with T-Mobile and AT&T’s 3G networks. Now all we need are some pictures, but we’ll even get to touch it at the Beijing launch event next Wednesday.

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Source: Oppo

As mobile phones have become more powerful, prices for many flagship models have managed to linger were they always were — at the top end. The Xiaomi has always been one exception, though. Last year, this Beijing startup launched its very first namesake phone at just CN¥1,999 ($320), which was rather impressive given that this was the first Chinese device to feature the 1.5GHz dual-core Snapdragon MSM8260 chip (not to be mistaken with the Krait-based MSM8260A). This stimulated two fronts of the smartphone war: the price-per-performance ratio kind, and the cheap-as-hell kind. With regards to performance, we’re looking at competitors like Huawei, ZTE, Lenovo and good old Meizu; while the price battle involves taking on MediaTek-powered devices under various new brands — many of which have done so well that they’ve now set up stores in Shenzhen’s Huaqiangbei area.

Needless to say, Xiaomi is now facing a greater challenge — one that barely existed a year ago. But on the brighter side of things, the company now has three Android devices spanning two price tiers: two editions of the Xiaomi Phone 1S for ¥1,299 ($210) or ¥1,499 ($240), and the quad-core Xiaomi Phone 2 — the star of this review — for ¥1,999, which is well below its ¥2,350 ($380) raw cost, according to CEO Lei Jun. There’s no doubt that Xiaomi could recoup some of the costs from its vast range of accessories, and with the imminent launch of the Xiaomi TV set-top box next month, it’s clear that the company’s hoping to profit from content. Still, as mama said, it’s the first impression that counts (especially for consumers outside China, anyway), so read on to see how we coped with Xiaomi’s second-gen flagship phone.

Continue reading Xiaomi Phone 2 review: high-end specs in a surprisingly affordable package

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Xiaomi Phone 2 review: high-end specs in a surprisingly affordable package originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 14 Nov 2012 10:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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