Deal: Nexus 5X for $224.99 on eBay (save 36%)

There's a good deal going for the Nexus 5X on eBay right now. The offer saves $125 (36 percent) off the retail price, which sees the phone selling for just $224.99. You will have to hurry though, as stock is limited.

The Nexus 5X's launch last year may have been overshadowed by its bigger brother, the Nexus 6P. However, the phone still offers up some pretty nice mid-range specifications and the same excellent camera as it's sibling. I'll leave a quick breakdown of the specifications below.

• 5.2-inch LCD display with 1920 x 1080 resolution
• 1.8GHz hexa-core Snapdragon 808 processor
• 2GB RAM, 16GB storage
• 12.3 megapixel rear camera with laser autofocus
• 5 megapixel front camera
• 2,700mAh battery
• USB Type-C port and fingerprint scanner

• 
  Honor 5X vs Nexus 5X vs OneP...
• 
  Nexus 5X Second Opinion
• 
  Nexus 5X Review
• 
  Nexus 6P vs Nexus 5X

The Nexus 5X is available in your choice of Carbon, Quartz, or Ice in this listing. Hit the button below to view the deal before stock runs out.

Buy now from eBay!

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90,000 units of the Xiaomi Redmi 3S Prime sold out in just 8 minutes in India

If you managed to order the Redmi 3S Prime at the flash sale on mi.com and Flipkart yesterday, then you'll be among the 90,000 lucky buyers to get your hands on the device. Xiaomi India head, Manu Jain has revealed that 90,000 units of the Redmi 3S Prime were sold out within just eight minutes of the smartphone going on sale online.

After being unveiled alongside the Redmi 3S at a launch event in Delhi last week, only the Redmi 3S Prime went on sale at Flipkart and mi.com yesterday at 12 PM local time. Once again, Xiaomi's impressive specs and aggressive pricing for the Redmi 3S Prime seems to have worked in its favor. When you consider that you are getting a smartphone with a 5-inch HD display, 3GB RAM, a fingerprint sensor, and a massive 4,100 mAh battery for just Rs 8,999 (~$135), the Redmi 3S Prime is certainly an attractive deal, especially in a budget-friendly smartphone market.

Not surprisingly then, the purchase of 90,000 units of the Redmi 3S Prime was "the highest volume ever" for a first sale held by Xiaomi, and also the most successful open sale for Flipkart. With its entire Redmi 3S Prime stock selling out in just eight minutes, Xiaomi has once again proved that it rules the sub-Rs10,000 Indian smartphone market.

In case you weren't able to pick up Xiaomi's ultra-affordable smartphone yesterday, don't be disappointed. The company has announced that the Redmi 3S Prime will once again go on sale, this time along with the Redmi 3S, on August 17 at 12 noon on Mi.com and Flipkart. The Redmi 3S is priced even more competitively at Rs 6,999 (~$105) and comes with 2GB RAM and 16GB storage, and without a fingerprint scanner.

Going by the demand for Xiaomi's ultra-affordable smartphones among Indian consumers, the company will hopefully make more units of both the devices available for sale this time.

Let us know in the comments below if you plan to buy the Redmi 3S or the Redmi 3S Prime at the next flash in coming up on August 17!

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Samsung Galaxy On7 (2016) and On5 (2016) spotted at TENAA

A new generation of Samsung Galaxy On handsets could be on their way to China soon, as Galaxy On5 (2016) and Galaxy On7 (2016) models have just been spotted passing through TENAA. Thanks to the TENAA listings, we have a pretty good idea about the baseline specifications of these two phones now as well. Interestingly, these handsets look to offer a substantial boost to the specifications of the On5 Pro and On7 Pro handsets that were announced for the Indian market back in July.

The Galaxy On5 (2016) will again be a 5-inch model, boasting a LCD panel with a 720p resolution. The phone will be powered by a 1.5GHz octa-core CPU, quite likely to be the Snapdragon 617, which will be accompanied by 3GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage with a microSD card slot. The On5 also looks to be arriving with a 13 megapixel rear camera, 8 megapixel front camera, a 2,600mAh battery, and a fingerprint scanner.

See also: Samsung Galaxy On5 (2016) receives FCC certification7

The Galaxy On7 (2016) is the larger and slightly more powerful of the two. It's display is a 5.5-inch LCD panel with an improved 1080p resolution. The phone is powered by a 2.0GHz octo-core CPU, possibly the newer Snapdragon 625, along with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of internal memory.

In addition, the Galaxy On7 (2016) features the same 13 megapixel rear and 8 megapixel front specifications as the new On5. There's also a fingerprint scanner, Android 6.0.1, and a slightly larger 3,300mAh battery installed. That's some rather decent mid-range hardware overall, providing that the price is right.

What do you think about the two Galaxy On (2016) models?

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Android continues to dominate as iOS returns to growth in U.S. and Europe

Android's global growth has continued relatively unchecked in recent quarters. While Apple is dealing with back-to-back quarterly declines in iPhone sales amidst investor concerns, the path ahead is looking pretty rosy for Android. All this despite worldwide smartphone trends that indicate a plateauing mobile market.

See also: The Galaxy S7 Edge is the world's top-selling Android phone in 201644

But the most recent figures from Kantar Worldpanel show iOS scraping out a minimal increase in market share in both the U.S. and Europe. While any upswing in market share is better than a downturn, Apple's gains were very moderate.

In the U.S., iOS posted a 1.3% increase from this time last year and only increased by 0.7% overall in the EU5 (Germany France, Great Britain, Italy and Spain). As Kantar notes:

Combined sales of the iPhone 6s/6s Plus totaled 15.1%, making this the top selling device in the quarter, while the Samsung Galaxy S7/S7 edge accounted for 14.1% of smartphone sales. The iPhone SE became the third best-selling phone at 5.1%.

Meanwhile in China, Apple continued its slow demise, dropping 1.8% of its market share and slipping to third place behind both Huawei in the top spot and Xiaomi in second position. IOS also saw a significant loss in Japan, where it dropped 4.2% from this time last year.

In China, Apple slipped to third place behind both Huawei and Xiaomi.

Android, on the other hand, rose significantly in almost all markets, posting increases across the board: EU5 (+5.5%); China (+2.1%); Japan (+6.6%); and Australia (+4%). In the U.S. however, Android saw a minor decrease in market share, dropping 0.6% but still retaining 65.5% of the total U.S. smartphone market. In the EU5 that market share stands at an impressive 76.8%.

However, Kantar predicts a weak third quarter for Apple, because "anticipation for the newest iPhone, usually released in late September every year, typically means a weaker summer period for iOS". With the Galaxy Note 7 release already behind us, we can only expect to see more gains made for Android in the current quarter.

Did you expect Apple to return to growth? Do you think it will drop again this quarter?

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Xiaomi Redmi 4 and Mi Note 2 specs and release dates rumored

According to a tip posted to Weibo, Xiaomi looks to have two more smartphones scheduled for release this year – the Mi Note 2 and Redmi 4. In typical Xiaomi fashion, both handsets are said to offer very compelling specifications at tough to beat price points.

Starting with the Mi Note 2, the phone is shaping up to be excellent value for those looking for a large high-end flagship. According to the report, the Mi Note 2 replaces the original Note's Snapdragon 801 for the new Snapdragon 821, offering a big performance boost. There are some conflicting views about the display, with some reports suggesting AMOLED while others point to a 5.7-inch LCD panel with a 1080p resolution. Other specs are said to include a metal body, fingerprint scanner on the front, a 3,600mAh battery, and either 64GB or 128GB of storage perhaps paired with either 4GB or 6GB of RAM, depending on the storage option.

Another alleged shot of the Redmi 4's metal body

The Xiaomi Mi Note 2 is stated to cost 2499 ($375) and 2799 yuan ($405), depending on the memory configuration. The phone will apparently be launched on September 5th.

The successor to Xiaomi's range of Redmi 3 handsets will appear a little earlier, as it is rumored to launch on August 25th. The Redmi 4 is a more mid-range smartphone, expected to arrive with a 5-inch 1080p display, Snapdragon 625 processor, 3GB of RAM, 32GB of internal storage, and a 4,100mAh battery. The phone is also said to come with a metal unibody, a rumor that we've heard before.

Again, we're looking at a decent boost in processing power with this new generation model. Xiaomi's Redmi 4 will be priced at just 699 yuan ($105) too, potentially making it an incredibly tough handset to beat at this price.

See also: Leaked images show off metal-clad Xiaomi Redmi 411

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Flipkart Freedom Sale – best deals and offers

As Amazon's Great Indian Sale enters its last day, rival Flipkart kicks off their Freedom Sale today, bringing attractive discounts and exchange offers on smartphones, apart from a wide range of other products. With so many sales going on, keeping track of all those deals and offers across multiple e-commerce platforms can be a bit tricky. We are here to help you out with this roundup of some of the best deals offered by Flipkart.

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If you've always wanted to pick up one of the popular smartphones in the sub-Rs 10,000 (~$150) segment, the 2 GB RAM variant of the Vibe K5 Plus is now available with a Rs 1,000 (~$15) discount. An exchange bonus of as much as Rs 6,500 (~$98) can get you the Vibe K5 Plus for just Rs 999 (~$15).

Also on offer is Xiaomi's flagship Mi 5 smartphone, that launched in India earlier this year at a price of Rs 24,999 (~$375). You can now grab the black or white variants of the Mi 5 for a slightly discounted Rs 22,999 (~$345). Add on an exchange bonus of up to Rs 15,000 (~$225), and the Mi 5 can be yours for just Rs 7,999 (~$120).

Motorola fans also have something to be excited about, with the highest discounts on offer being for their range of smartphones. The 16 GB variant of the Moto X Play 16GB variant is selling for Rs 3,500 (~$53) less at Rs 13,999 (~$210). You get an exchange bonus of up to Rs 13,000 (~$195) on the Moto X Play as well, in which case, the handset could cost you just Rs 999 (~$15).

Next up is the Moto X Style, available with a massive discount of Rs 6,000 (~$89). The device is now priced at Rs 22,999 (~$345), and with exchange offers up to Rs 15,000 (~$225), this handset could be yours for as low as Rs 7,999 (~$120). The Moto Turbo gets the highest discount of Rs 10,000 (~$150), to bring its price down to Rs 21,999 (~$330). The same exchange bonus is available here as well, which means that you could end up paying only Rs 6,999 (~$105) for the handset.

It's not just raining discounts on Motorola smartphones alone, but also on their smartwatches. The Moto 360 Sport, that was launched earlier this year for Rs 19,999 (~$300) is available for Rs 5,000 (~$75) less. All the other Moto 360 (2nd Gen) smartwatches are also available at a discount of Rs 3,000 (~$45).

You can now buy the 42mm variant for men with black leather for Rs 16,999 (~$255), and the 46mm variant for men with black metal for Rs 20,999 (~$315), while the 42mm blush leather and silver metal variants for women are selling for Rs 16,999 (~$255) and Rs 19,999 (~$300), respectively.

If storage is a concern, and if you are looking for a device that will certainly stand out from the crowd, then you should consider the Nextbit Robin.  The device was launched in India priced at Rs 19,999 (~$300), but for the next two days, you can get it for just Rs 14,999 (~$225). Also available are the LeEco Superphones such as the Le 2, Le Max2, and Le 1s Eco, but while there are no significant discounts here, you can take advantage of a "no cost EMI" offer.

Apart from these discounts, you can also enjoy an additional 10% off when using a HDFC credit card, and 15% off when using a card from Digibank by DBS, and "Crazy Deals" will be available between 6 PM and 8 PM. The Flipkart Freedom Sale will continue till August 12, so if you're looking to pick up any new devices, now is the time to do so.

Start shopping now

Happy shopping!

Let us know in the comments below if you found some great deals on the Flipkart Freedom Sale!

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The Galaxy Note 7 may double download speeds via 4×4 MIMO

What is 4x4MIMO, I hear you ask? MIMO stands for Multiple Input Multiple Output and 4×4 indicates four transmission and reception streams. The reason this is interesting is because no commercial smartphone has supported 4×4 MIMO – apparently until the Galaxy Note 7. While still unconfirmed, the Note 7 apparently has the four antennas 4×4 MIMO needs for faster and more stable connections with higher data transfer rates and better efficiency.

See also: DisplayMate says Galaxy Note 7 has the best smartphone display40

The revelation came when a Redditor someone shared an engineering screen showing the tell-tale line '4RxD' which roughly translates to four-way receive antenna diversity. If that still makes no sense, it means the Note 7 looks to have twice as many antennas as normal smartphones. This means the presence of hardware support for 4×4 MIMO, which is evidently still being field-tested.

@milan03 (Reddit)

What is 4×4 MIMO?

According to Quantenna, MIMO systems "offer superior data rates, range and reliability without requiring additional bandwidth or transmit power". What this means for connection performance is this: "A 4×4 MIMO system with dynamic digital beamforming and MIMO receiver processing supports two maximum-rate data streams, 99 percent of the time."

If all of that sounds a bit complicated, focus on the "two maximum-rate data streams, 99 percent of the time". Or as one Redditor put it "20MHz markets would go from 150 Mbps to 300 Mbps. If it has 256 QAM, then add 33% for about 400 Mbps peak speeds."

20MHz markets would go from 150 Mbps to 300 Mbps. If the Note 7 also has 256 QAM, then add another 33% for about 400 Mbps peak speeds.

This is what has everyone over on Reddit all in a tizz, because the Note 7 looks to be the first commercial smartphone to be available with 4×4 MIMO. It's not necessarily the kind of thing you want to jam into a press conference – the previous few paragraphs should tell you why – but it is pretty exciting news.

Why is 4×4 MIMO something I want?

Simple: when optimum conditions are met, the Galaxy Note 7 would be capable of downloading data at double the normal rate. This would then allow the CPU and other resources to idle down more quickly, saving you battery life as well. In poor reception areas, four antennas would maintain a more stable connection for calls as well. Various other benefits – of varying degrees of complexity – were also discussed in the Reddit thread.

The Note 7 on which 4×4 MIMO was discovered was T-Mobile branded, but T-Mobile's cell towers currently only support two network layers. Ideally, both the transmitter (cell tower) and receiver (smartphone) would support four layers, although two-to-four still works. It must be noted though that Samsung still needs 4×4 MIMO certification for the Note 7 (which wasn't mentioned in the original FCC documents).

Support for 4x4 MIMO is only found in the Qualcomm X12 LTE Modem in the Snapdragon 820.

While 4×4 MIMO will work on other carrier networks as well, the radio that supports 4×4 MIMO is only found in the Qualcomm X12 LTE Modem. The Snapdragon 820 includes this modem, but the Exynos-equipped Note 7 variants do not.

Of course, we cannot confirm the Note 7 actually includes the four antennas required until someone does a hardware teardown (which won't be long).

To release the full potential of 4×4 MIMO, both the carriers and Samsung would need to enable support for four spatial streams on both the transmitter and receiver. T-Mobile has already indicated that this would happen in 2016 and all Samsung would need to do is send out an OTA update enabling the feature.

The possibility of more stable cell phone connections, better reception in areas with a weak signal, up to double the download speeds and general efficiency improvements, all adds up to a big win for Samsung. But we can't help but wonder why no public comment has yet been made regarding field-testing 4×4 MIMO for the Note 7 or a timeline discussed for its release.

We've reached out to Samsung for details on its plans for 4×4 MIMO and will update this post with any further information we receive.

Would this convince you to buy a Note 7 over another phone? When do you think full support will roll out?

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