Virgin Mobile to offer Certified Pre-loved iPhone 7 and 7 Plus starting at $350

The Sprint MVNO has announced that it will begin offering certified pre-owned iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus handsets at $350 for a 32GB iPhone 7 or $350 for an iPhone 7 Plus, also with 32GB of storage. By comparison, a new iPhone 7 goes for $550 and a new iPhone 7 Plus starts at $670. These go on sale starting next month. Virgin Mobile already offers pre-owned iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus, so the addition of iPhone 7 devices offers a water-resistant iPhone with stereo speakers for a lot less. Those go start at $230 and $280, respectively. Virign's Certified Pre-loved iPhones come...

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Razer phone updated to support HDR content on Netflix app

There's great news for you Razer Phone owners who love to consume Netflix content. A new firmware update will be hitting Razer handsets today which will take full advantage of the phone's HDR10 capabilities for streaming Netflix. Enjoy supported Netflix content with more vivid and wider range of colors. Get Hooked. Watch Netflix original shows and movies in HDR and Dolby Digital 5.1. The latest update brings improvements to the camera and theme store as well. #RazerPhone pic.twitter.com/C5YfWxv2Xp— RΛZΞR (@Razer) January 29, 2018 The update also enables Dolby Digital 5.1...

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iPhone SE 2 isn't coming or won't be radically different, analyst says

The mythical iPhone SE 2 has been rumored since last summer, supposedly coming to cement Apple's domination in the 4" smartphone space in 2018. Now though one analyst casts some doubt on that being an inevitability. Ming-Chi Kuo, perhaps the world's best known creator of research notes related to Apple's activities, believes that the company "may have used up its development resources" on the flagship trio it's prepping for this fall. Furthermore, Apple will want to do all it can to avoid any shipping delays for the iPhone X (2018), iPhone X Plus, and the third new iPhone model with an LCD...

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Xiaomi Mi Mix 2S may be the first smartphone to sport the Snapdragon 845 chipset

It's only been a few months since the release of Xiaomi's stunning Mi Mix 2, but apparently the company is almost ready to unveil its successor. This will be called Mi Mix 2S, and not Mi Mix 3, allegedly, and that should give you a good idea about it - namely, that it won't be very different from the Mi Mix 2. The most important new spec it will bring to the table is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 SoC, which is expected to be featured in almost all high-end Android handsets this year. In fact, Xiaomi is looking to announce the Mi Mix 2S before MWC kicks off in Barcelona in the second half of...

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Asus Zenfone 3 gets an Oreo serving

Asus is not a large manufacturer by sales volume but its update track record is decent if not quite the best. The company has just started delivering the latest Android Oreo to its Zenfone 3. Both the ZE520KL with a 5.2" screen and the more powerful ZE552KL with a 5.5" display and bigger battery are getting the latest Android version. ASUS Zenfone 3 Oreo update Asus is bringing Swipe up to All apps gesture, similar to the native Oreo app launcher. The system update offers a friendlier UI design of the Settings menu and removes some unused apps like Minimove, Photocollage...

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LG could supply OLED panels for Sony's next Xperia flagship

Multiple clues point to Sony using an OLED display for its upcoming flagship, now new info from the supply chain suggests this will be sourced from LG Display. Sony already uses LG OLED panels for its successful line of premium TVs. "Sony is expected to implant its success factors in the TV business in its smartphone business and develop products such as foldable phones," says an industry insider The OLEDs in question will be flexible panels. Foldable phones aside, flexible panels are typically used to achieve curved edges on the screen. Previously, there were rumors that Sony will jump...

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Xiaomi Redmi 5 review

Xiaomi's Redmi line has become synonymous with quality Android experience on a budget with a good reason. It is nearly impossible to beat the up and coming Chinese manufacturer's value propositions, especially if you live in a Xiaomi-covered market.

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Report: Apple will halve iPhone X production in Q1

Various analysts are cutting their forecasts for iPhone X shipments, Nikkei Asian Review is just the latest to chime in - it predicts a 50% cut in Apple's original production target. That works out to 20 million units, which is slightly better than KGI's 18 million estimate. For comparison, Canalys calculates that 29 million X's were shipped in the final quarter of last year. These predictions are based on scuttlebutt from the supply chain, which is bracing for lower orders from Apple and thus lower revenue. Samsung's OLED business already took a hit and KGI believes Apple may return to...

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Nokia unveils new ReefShark 5G chipset, promises up to 84 Gbps per cell

Nokia has partnered with 30 carriers to build out the next-gen mobile network with its latest ReefShark chipset. To be clear, this is part of the carrier architecture, not what goes in the phone. But it's quite something and should deliver a much-improved experience to us all at a lower cost to the carriers. The major advancements are a 3x increase of the throughput of each cell. And this is achieved with MIMO antennas that are half the size and 64% more power efficient than the current hardware. The new ReeffShark chipset is delivered as a plug-in unit that attaches to current...

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vivo Xplay7 incoming with 10GB of RAM

vivo is looking to break the 10GB RAM barrier in the phone world. Such rumors are swirling about the vivo Xplay7, which should be the maker's next flagship. The same leaked slides also point to it having a 4K screen, a Snapdragon 845 and up to 512GB of storage. The vivo Xplay7 will also likely inherit the under-the-display fingerprint scanner built by Synaptics and featured in the vivo X20 Plus UD. So far we can only speculate over the vivo Xplay7 and cling to a few rumored renders of it. It's supposed predecessor, the vivo Xplay6 was launched in the far December of...

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First generation Nokia 6 starts receiving Oreo

Two weeks ago HMD Global announced the arrival of Android Oreo for Nokia 6 (2018) and promised an upgrade to the first-gen Nokia 6. The time has come and the original phone has started receiving the latest Android version. Nokia 6 Oreo screenshots The upgrade is 1659 MB in size. It brings refreshed Settings UI, enhanced power saving and background activity manager. HMD also tuned the low-light camera output. The update is hitting both the Chinese TA-1000 and the Global TA-1003 versions, so start checking that notification area for the prompt. Thanks for the tip, Sampath...

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Samsung Galaxy S9 pre-order and pricing for South Korea revealed

Samsung already announced the official unveiling date for the Galaxy S9 duo - it will take place on February 25. We also saw leaked press images, suggesting the new phones will look largely similar to the Galaxy S8 and the Galaxy S8+. Latest information, coming from South Korea reveals that not only looks, but prices are also really close - the Galaxy S9 will cost KRW950,000, while the Plus-sized variant will be KRW990,000. For comparison, the Galaxy S8 cost KRW935,000 (around $875) when launched. Bear in mind that Samsung tags its products more expensive at the domestic scene, so the...

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iPhone X Bentley Edition spells boastful with a winged B

When you cross two expensive brands you get a hybrid with an even bigger price tag. We don't know what it says on that price tag in the case of this special edition iPhone X for Bentley. It's a limited edition, you can see that the unit in the photo is #19 out of 100. We kind of dig the look of 18K gold on black glass, though we're not sure about Bentley logos completely displacing Apple's. Apple iPhone X Bentley Limited Edition That worry is above our pay grade, however, we couldn't even find this model on the Golden Ace website. We suppose this means all 100 units are sold out...

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Huawei P20, P20 Plus and P20 Lite codenames and colors surface

We now have a good idea of the upcoming Huawei P20's launch colors and codenames, thanks to Roland Quandt on Twitter. According to the information he shares the Huawei P20 will come in three versions - P20, P20 Plus and P20 Lite - similar to the P10, P10 Plus and P10 Lite - meaning there will be no P20 Pro. Huawei P20 family - codenames and colorsHuawei P20 - "Emily" - Ceramic Black / Twilight Huawei P20 Plus - "Charlotte" - Ceramic Black / TwilightHuawei P20 Lite - "Anne" - Midnight Black / Klein Blue / Sakura Pink— Roland Quandt (@rquandt) January 27, 2018 The colors above...

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KGI: 2018 iPhone with LCD will rejuvenate Apple sales volume

Ming-Chi Kuo from KGI posted his latest prediction on 2018 iPhones, brings some details about the three upcoming versions. According to Kuo, the cheapest iPhone will have 6.1" LCD panel with a battery of around 2,900 mAh. Due to the lack of major breakthrough technologies and the alleged lower price of $700-$800, the phone is expected to account for 50% of all 2018 iPhone sales. Apple will implement FaceID and the notch while ditching the Touch ID and replacing the glass back with an aluminum panel. Kuo adds that the lower-than-expected shipments of iPhone X are due to the high...

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dbrand shows off its Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+ skins ahead of schedule

Many are skittish about leaving their pricey flagship in the nude, especially ones with glass backs like the Samsung Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+. Which is why the likes of dbrand are quick to offer something to cover it up, sometimes too quick. So feast your eyes on these high-quality renders of the small and large S9 flagship (the black color). Note the array of gadgetry above the display, perhaps it's the IntelligentScan face and iris scanner. dbrand renders: Samsung Galaxy S9 • Samsung Galaxy S9+ Anyway, as is typical for dbrand skins, you can pick from a variety of colors and...

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Motorola launches Moto X4 with 6GB RAM and Oreo

Motorola has launched a new variant of the Moto X4 in India. This device has 6GB RAM over the 4GB on standard model, 64GB storage and comes with Android 8.0 Oreo out of the box. It is priced at INR 24,999 ($393) and will be available exclusively through Flipkart and Moto Hubs in India, starting January 31, 11:59pm IST. Moto X4 with Android 8.0 and 6GB RAM The new Moto X4 comes with all the additional features that you expect from Android Oreo, including smart text selection, improved notifications, split-screen apps support, autofill framework for apps such as 1Password and...

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Xiaomi Mi Box 4 and 4c unveiled, available February 1 in China

Xiaomi unveiled the new generation of its Android TV box, but not much seems to have changed. The Mi Box 4 comes with a refreshed chipset but still runs Android 6.0. The chipset is an Amlogic S905L and the major addition compared to the old one is Hybrid Log Gamma HDR and HDMI 2.0b support. However, Xiaomi only lists HDMI 2.0a support in the specs (which lacks HLG HDR). That doesn't matter too much, though, you're still looking at 4K video decoding at up to 60fps (for HEVC/h.265 files) with HDR10 support. DTS and Dolby Digital Plus ensure high-quality audio, which comes out of the HDMI...

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Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+ will have dual SIM versions in Europe

A support page for the Samsung Galaxy S9 has gone up in Germany and it shares a few secrets. Mainly it confirms that the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ will have dual SIM versions in Europe. The page lists the model number SM-G960F/DS, in which the F stands for International version, whereas the DS for dual SIM. The Galaxy S9 and S9+ will likely feature the hybrid slot found the Galaxy S8 and S8+, and Note8 Duos models, which can either house two nano SIM cards or a single nano SIM and a microSD card for memory expansion. These Duos models were found in select markets in Europe so it's...

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Oppo patents foldable smartphone with a single display

ZTE introduced the foldable Axon M, and Samsung is also working on a similar device called Galaxy X. The latest manufacturer that might enter the race is Oppo, which just patented a similar phone design. It has an outward hinge that, once unfolded, will act as a part of the screen. Patent entry by Oppo The patent entry also suggests there will be a dual camera on the back of the unfolded Oppo. When closed, one of the sides can be used for making calls, while the other can be used for taking selfies with the front camera and what appears to be an LED flash. The patent renders...

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Oreo beta for Nokia 3 imminent, says HMD

HMD Global has revealed the Android Oreo beta build for the Nokia 3 will be available very soon. CPO Juho Sarvikas took to Twitter to confirm that the Nokia 3 Beta Labs program is just around the corner. Also #Nokia2 but will go straight to 8.1 to get memory optimization features as it is a 1GB RAM device. #Nokia3 Beta Labs right around the corner.— Juho Sarvikas (@sarvikas) January 27, 2018 As you can see, the exec also confirmed that the Nokia 2 will directly be updated to Android 8.1. Just in case you aren't aware, recently, the Nokia 8 started receiving the Oreo 8.1 update....

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