ZTE patents another dual notch display smartphone design

Saying that ZTE and especially its smartphone business is currently in a rather tough spot is kind of an understatement. With a ban from purchasing Qualcomm chips already in effect and rumors of a potential Android licence revoke, it really does seem like the company's entire handset business is in jeopardy. ZTE, however, seems to be rather undeterred by all the commotion, or at least positive enough to continue its design work. 

A recent patent filing, with China’s State Intellectual Property Office (SIPO) shows a new ZTE handset, featuring a pair of screen notches. It comes hot on the heels of yet another dual-notched ZTE design, dubbed the "Iceberg". So, it's safe to say the Chinese manufacturer has really taken the controversial notch fad to heart. Literally doubling down on the concept might not be a bad idea either, since with every polarizing design trend, there's always the possibility to hit niche gold status with just the right kind of odd offer.

Looking at the newer of the two submitted sketches, there are some notable differences. Unlike the ZTE Iceberg, with its wide top earpiece cut-out and a seemingly empty bottom one, the newer handset is a lot more reminiscent of the Essential PH-1 phone. The top part of the display is only disturbed by the selfie camera module. While, on the opposite side, the notch houses what looks like a home button/fingerprint reader. We can definitely appreciate some good old physical controls on a modern handset and so will others.

Design concepts and patents, however, have a long way to go until becoming real viable products. Considering ZTE's ongoing and rather severe brushes with the US government and the sanctions already in place, we can realistically expect to see one of these new devices no early than mid-2019. If at all.

OnePlus 6 Confirmed To Come In A New Coral Blue Color Option

OnePlus, the China-based smartphone manufacturer is gearing up to launch its new flagship smartphone — OnePlus 6 later this month. Ahead of the phone’s official announcement, almost all information related to the device has been leaked online.

Earlier, there were reports that along with Black and White color variants, the smartphone will also be made available in a Blue color variant. Now, a promotional poster of the Coral Blue colored OP6 has surfaced online, confirming that the company will certainly launch this variant.

Along with the Coral Blue color, the promotional poster of the smartphone also confirms some of the key specifications. The poster reveals that the OnePlus 6 will come with 6GB/8GB RAM and up to 256GB of internal storage.

It will feature a dual camera setup at the back with a 20-megapixel sensor and a 16-megapixel sensor. Further, it says that the phone will have Dash Charge V2, which is claimed to provide full day’s power with just 20 minutes of charging.

Previous reports related to the smartphone has revealed that the OnePlus 6 will feature an edge-to-edge full-screen display along with the notch. However, the company has confirmed that the smartphone will come with an option to hide the notch.

Under the hood, it will come equipped with Qualcomm‘s flagship chipset — Snapdragon 845 SoC, which powers majority of the flagship devices launched this year. As for the pricing, the 8GB RAM + 256GB storage model is expected to be priced at 4,399 Yuan (~₹44000). It is also expected to arrive in two more variants — 6GB RAM + 64GB storage and 6GB RAM + 128GB storage, with a price tag of 3,299 Yuan (~₹33000) and 3,799 Yuan (~₹38000) respectively.

Previously leaked images of the OnePlus 6 hinted that it may also come in a wood-inspired back panel design. Additionally, OnePlus has also disclosed that it is teaming up with Marvel Studios, and is expected to launch an Avengers-themed variant of the OP6. Since the movie’s release date is April 27, we may see the phone’s official launch around that date. In China, the phone is expected to launch on 5th May.

Xiaomi Mi 6X(Mi A2) Coming Soon

Today, Xiaomi took to Weibo to post a teaser which seems to be for the Xiaomi Mi 6X(Mi A2). Till now all the information reported has been mainly from leaks and rumours, but this poster confirms that the Mi 6X is coming and it’s coming soon.

Pictured on the poster is Wu Yifan, Xiaomi’s brand ambassador. But the biggest giveaway here is the “6X” that adorns the bottom part of the poster, along with the tagline, “vision impossible/AI see you”. It is basically a hint at the presence of AI on the phone for advanced camera operations, something a lot of phone manufacturers are now implementing in their phones.

Earlier this week, Xiaomi released a poster for an event that’s scheduled for the 25th of April. The Mi 6X is expected to be launched on the same day. From what we know, the Mi 6X might feature either the Qualcomm Snapdragon 626 or the MediaTek Helio P60 chipset, a dual camera setup on the back, 5.99-inch full-screen display up front with a 2160 x 1080p resolution, and a 2910mAh battery. It is rumoured to be available in 10 different colours, Black, Rose Gold, Gold, White, Blue, Red, Pink, Grey and Silver. Stay tuned for more!

Motorola Moto G6 Plus Leaked, sports a Snapdragon 660 chipset

The Moto G6 Plus, Instead of the Snapdragon 630, it was widely believed to utilize, according toe the benchmark, the tested unit was running a Snapdragon 660, at 2.21 GHz. That being said, the actual test scores themselves don't exactly pan out, since we would expect at least 5000+ multi-core points from said silicon. Still, it could be a case of early and unoptimized software. 

If the information does check out, it would entail a not entirely insignificant performance boost for the G6 Plus, from what was originally expected. As far as other alleged specs for the handset go, we expect a 5.93-inch, 18:9 screen with Full HD+ resolution, 4GB of RAM, as reported by the test, as well as a 6GB RAM option. Storage tiers should be 32GB and 64GB, respectively. To top things off, prospective buyers can expect a 12MP, plus 5MP dual camera setup, 3,200 mAh battery and a pretty standard connectivity load-out, including optional Dual SIM support.

The new Moto G6 line is expected to launch on April 19 in Brazil.