News

LeEco’s Le Pro 3 and Le S3 smartphones invade US

Published

October 20, 2016

Marvin Velasco

After releasing a beast of smartphone in the Le Pro 3 just last month, LeEco is now making its way to the US market, headlined by the aforementioned flagship and the more affordable Le S3.

If you already read up on our initial launch story of the Le Pro 3, note that some things have changed for the US release. There’ll only be one variant available, and it’ll cost $399, which makes it a little more expensive than most of what China is getting.

Here is what’s being offered: a 5.5-inch Full HD 1080p display, Qualcomm’s top-end Snapdragon 821 processor, 4GB of memory with 64GB of storage, a pair of 16-megapixel and 8-megapixel cameras, 4070mAh battery with Quick Charge 3.0, and — surprise, surprise — no 3.5mm headphone jack.

[irp posts=”4692″ name=”LeEco’s flagship Le Pro 3 has beastly specs”]

So yes, it’s nowhere near as impressive as the Chinese variants, but the US model is still groundbreaking when you consider how little penetration China-based brands have had in western countries.

The launch is certainly a step up from whatever Xiaomi has accomplished; the former top-five smartphone manufacturer in the world only managed to release the Android-powered Mi Box 4K set-top box in the US this month, with no handsets in sight.

Huawei has also been working hard on a breakthrough in the west. It’s biggest successes have been the Google-supported Nexus 6P and the recently launched Honor 8, but neither have made a grand enough impact to call the company a force worth reckoning with.

Only OnePlus has made enough headlines to count as a threat, but its strategy focuses on creating high-quality devices at low quantities, resulting in fantastic reviews and negligible revenue.

[irp posts=”3385″ name=”OnePlus 3 unboxing and hands-on”]

LeEco’s other smartphone, the Le S3, is actually totally new, and makes an even stronger case for the brand’s case in the US. It’s quite the bargain for $249, especially once you see what it’s capable of.

It’s equipped with the same 5.5-inch Full HD screen as its counterpart, a midrange Snapdragon 652 chipset, 3GB of RAM with 32GB of storage, the same set of cameras, 3000mAh battery with Quick Charge 3.0, and no dedicated audio port to speak of.

Both handsets come with Android 6.0 Marshmallow skinned with LeEco’s custom EUI design, along with an aluminum body, rear-mounted fingerprint scanner, and USB Type-C 3.5mm adapter, in case you must use your traditional headphones.

There’ll be a flash sale on November 2, and if you’re quick enough, LeEco will shave off $100 from the retail prices of both phones to make them even cheaper. Now that’s a great way to make your presence known in a foreign land.

Source: LeMall, (2)

News

Olivia Rodrigo, Sony team up for an exclusive pair of LinkBuds S

Built with her design and EQ settings

Published

September 27, 2023

Luigi Leonardo

Everyone gets those periods when we can’t listen to anything else except a single artist or album. If Olivia Rodrigo is your particular craze right now, Sony has a custom set of earbuds for you. Sony and Olivia Rodrigo has just teamed up for a customized edition of the LinkBuds S.

Compared to the WF-1000XM5, the LinkBuds S offers a more midrange pair for earbud users. With the price, it’s a more affordable way to enjoy Sony’s audio technology. Now, the company has another option for those who want to elevate their experience a tiny bit more.

In collaboration with the pop star herself, the Olivia Rodrigo Edition of the LinkBuds S boasts more than just a fresh coat of paint. The pair will have two new equalizer settings. The two modes, tuned by Rodrigo, will maximize the device’s capabilities when playing her two albums, Sour and Guts. Users can change the earbuds’ settings through Sony’s Headphones Connect app.

The custom edition’s design is also unique, though. According to Sony, no pair is the same. Each unit was made with a marbled pattern unique to the pair. The earbuds and the charging case are elegantly purple. Even without the special equalizer setting, the custom design looks amazing.

Preorders for the Olivia Rodrigo Edition of the LinkBuds S are available now through Sony or Rodrigo’s website. The units will start shipping on November 21. Like the regular edition of the device, it will sell for US$ 199.99.

News

Xiaomi 13T series now official

A base and a pro model

Published

September 26, 2023

GadgetMatch

The Xiaomi and Leica partnership is going strong and it persists on the Xiaomi 13T Series. The series consists of two phones: a base Xiaomi 13T model and then the Xiaomi 13T Pro.

As you may have assumed, both phones are equipped with Leica-powered lenses. Like the Xiaomi 13 series launched earlier this year, you get to choose whether you shoot with Leica Authentic or Leica Vibrant. The camera app is also equipped with filters (Leica custom photographic styles) that accentuate the camera’s capabilities.

Other camera features are as follows: Master-lens system: 35mm Documentary lens, 50mm Swirly
bokeh lens, 90mm Soft focus lens, Xiaomi ProFocus, and Night mode.

Other than the camera lenses, the Xiaomi 13T series share the same colorways: Meadow Green, Black, and Alpine Blue. The Alpine Blue colorway is slightly smaller and lighter because it’s made with softly textured Xiaomi BioComfort vegan leather. The other two colors, meanwhile, have a glossy finish. But all colors are IP68 rated making it resistant to some splashes and dust.

To get a better idea of how these two stack up. Here’s a quick look at the specs.

Xiaomi 13T

Display — 6.67″ FHD CrystalRes AMOLED display. Up to 144Hz refresh rate, Pro HDR, Dolby Vision, HDR10+
Processor — MediaTek Dimensity 8200-Ultra
RAM+ Storage — 8GB+256GB, 12GB+256GB
Battery and Charging — 5,000mAh, 67W turbo charging
OS — MIUI 14 based on Android 13
Connectivity — Dual SIM, Wi-Fi6, NFC8, Bluetooth 5.4, 5G
Cameras:

LEICA VARIO-SUMMICRON 1:1.9-2.2/15-50mm ASPH.

24mm Leica main camera

50MP wide angle camera
1/1.28” sensor size
1.22μm pixel size, 2.44μm 4-in-1 Super Pixel
f/1.9, 7P aspherical lens, OIS
Supports HDR10+ video recording for up to 4K at 30fps
Supports 8K video recording at 24fps
10-bit LOG video recording, supports LUT import

50mm Leica telephoto camera

50MP
f/1.9, 5P aspherical lens

15mm Leica ultra-wide camera

12MP
f/2.2, 5P aspherical lens

20MP front camera

f/2.2, 5P aspherical lens
Night mode
Portrait mode
HDR

Xiaomi 13T Pro

Display — 6.67″ FHD CrystalRes AMOLED display. Up to 144Hz refresh rate, Pro HDR, Dolby Vision, HDR10+
Processor — MediaTek Dimensity 9200+
RAM+ Storage — 12GB+256GB, 12GB+512GB, 16GB+1TB
Battery and Charging — 5,000mAh, Xiaomi 120W HyperCharge
OS — MIUI 14 based on Android 13
Connectivity — Dual SIM, Wi-Fi7, NFC9, Bluetooth 5.4, 5G
Cameras:

LEICA VARIO-SUMMICRON 1:1.9-2.2/15-50mm ASPH.

24mm Leica main camera

50MP wide angle camera
1/1.28” sensor size
1.22μm pixel size, 2.44μm 4-in-1 Super Pixel
f/1.9, 7P aspherical lens, OIS
Supports HDR10+ video recording for up to 4K at 30fps
Supports 8K video recording at 24fps
10-bit LOG video recording, supports LUT import

50mm Leica telephoto camera

50MP
f/1.9, 5P aspherical lens

15mm Leica ultra-wide camera

12MP
f/2.2, 5P aspherical lens

20MP front camera

f/2.2, 5P aspherical lens
Night mode
Portrait mode
HDR

Price and availability

The Xiaomi 13T retails for PhP 26,999. Meanwhile, the Xiaomi 13T Pro retails for PhP 37,999 for the 12GB+512GB variant and PhP 39,999 for the 16GB+1TB variant.

Gaming

Honkai Impact 3rd Part 2: What you need to know

New chapter, new adventure

Published

September 26, 2023

GadgetMatch

Honkai Impact 3rd Part 2 has officially unfolded. The refined new chapter sees the franchise going from earth and moon to the solar system, where players embark on an electrifying new adventure.

Taking off from the main story in Part 1 where the Valkyries leads humanity against the mysterious energy called Honkai, Part 2 will feature new main characters and NPCs with distinct looks and personalities.

Unlike in the real world, Mars, where Part 2 debuts, is inhabitable in the Honkai-verse. There, unique civilizations exist and nature develops, with people hanging out in bustling and lively commercial streets. Mysteries are likewise hidden behind the daily lives of residents to be discovered by players.

Here, players team up with new partners while assuming the role of a team supporter called the “Dreamseeker.”

Aside from the main story, the combat system has also been fully upgraded to enhance the battlefield experience. Three-dimensional combat shall be enhanced and all characters will be able to jump freely.

Astral Ring, a new combat mechanic, will also provide an unprecedented experience during fights. When unleashed, it enables simultaneous burst skills of multiple characters. It makes for an easier and more direct option to achieve burst damage. The combat mechanism of monsters will also be improved so they can react more intelligently.

Honkai Impact 3rd is available for both mobile and PC devices (via Epic Games) and supports cross-save, making the game even more accessible.

Watch the trailer.