There’s nothing harder than choosing the right smartphone, especially in a saturated market like Nugeria’s mid-range smartphone segment is. Well, over the past few months, three companies released three smartphones that literally took the market by storm, from international launches in Dubai to celebrity endorsements and mega-size billboards and TV commercials.

The competition between TECNO, Infinix and OPPO has never been this hot. All three companies released their flagship devices at around the same time, with similar pricing and to make it even harder, similar specifications. Well, to make it easier for you to decide, we put these three smartphones against each other under the following categories; Design and aesthetics, Performance, Camera, Battery life and the extras – the little things that count. Under each category, we picked a winner and used these metrics to get the overall winner.

Design and Aesthetics



The Zero 5:

Material – Aluminium unibody

Screen size – 5.98″ (Full HD, 1920*1080)

Dimensions – Height: 168.38mm, Width: 82.38mm, Thickness: 7.95mm, Weight: 197g

The Good – 2.5D front Glass, curved back, well placed textured power button

The Bad – Too huge to use with one hand, hardly fits in the pocket, quite heavy and easy to drop

The Phantom 8:

Material – Plastic back with metal frame

Screen size – 5.7″ (Full HD, 1920*1080)

Dimensions – Height: 159.95mm, Width: 79.5mm, Thickness: 7.9mm, Weight: ??

The Good – 2.5D front Glass, curved back, the “diamond fire design” is actually good looking, notification light

The Bad – The plastic build feels cheap and scratches easily TECNO had to include a screen protector for the back

The F5:

Material – Polycarbonate plastic

Screen size – 6.0″ (Full HD+, 2160*1080)

Dimensions – Height: 156.5mm, Width: 76mm, Thickness: 7.5mm, Weight: 152g

The Good – 2.5D front Glass, curved back, notification light, larger display with smaller body

The Bad – Despite the phone feeling and looking premium it’s still plastic

Performance



The Zero 5:

Processor – MediaTek Helio P25

RAM – 6GB

Internal Storage – 64GB

Antutu Score – 66318

The Phantom 8:

Processor – MediaTek Helio P25

RAM – 6GB

Internal Storage – 64GB

Antutu Score – 66104

The F5:

Processor – MediaTek Helio P23

RAM – 4GB

Internal Storage – 64GB/128GB

Antutu Score – 67418

Camera

The Zero 5:

Main – 12MP wide + 13MP Telephoto (Autofocus, flash)

Front – 16MP (fixed focus, flash)

Video – Up to 1080P

Extras – Pro mode, beauty mode, watermark, portrait mode, panorama, timelapse

The Phantom 8:

Main – 12MP wide + 13MP Telephoto (Autofocus, flash)

Front – 20MP (fixed focus, flash)

Video – Up to 1080P

Extras – Beauty mode, watermark, portrait mode, superpixel mate, panorama

The F5:

Main – 16MP (Autofocus, flash)

Front – 20MP (fixed focus)

Video – Up to 1080P

Extras – Pro mode, beauty mode, timelapse, panorama

Battery Life



The Zero 5:

Capacity – 4350mAh

Average Usage Time – 2 days

The Phantom 8:

Capacity – 3500mAh

Average Usage Time – 1.5 days

The F5:

Capacity – 3200mAh

Average Usage Time – 1 day

The Extras



The Infinix Zero 5 – USB-C, Fingerprint reader, Fast charging

The TECNO Phantom 8 – USB-C, Fingerprint reader, Fast charging

The OPPO F5 – Fingerprint reader, A.I Powered selfies, Really fast but gimmicky face unlock

Results

Design and Aesthetics – The outright winner is the OPPO F5, especially in red. The phone not only looks good but feels more premium than the competition, despite the use of plastic but what really sets this phone apart is that 6-inch display in that 18:9 aspect ratio, good job OPPO. TECNO Phantom 8 comes in second, with that diamond fire design and the Zero 5 drags in third because it’s just too bulky.

Performance – OPPO F5 shines again, somehow, this phone emerged the best on all our tests. However, all the phones do feel fast with minimal lags if any, so maybe the efficiency of OPPO’s software is what puts it ahead of the pack.

Camera – This was tough and easy at the same time. First, the Phantom 8 is out – the images produced by this phone are just not as good as the competition. Between the Zero 5 and the OPPO F5, well, things get interesting and tough to pick, however, the Zero 5 does better in low-light images and the OPPO F5 does better in daytime images, the TECNO is just there.

Battery Life – There is no contention here, the Infinix Zero 5 takes the day thanks to that huge battery that the phone packs. If you want a phone to last you more than 24 hours on usage on a single charge, the Infinix Zero 5 is the way to go.

Overall Winner – This will be dependent on what you want in a phone but if it was a matter of life and death, I would go with the OPPO F5, it just has the fewest compromises and most attractive features amongst the three. This is my opinion, but I’d like to know, what would you pick?

http://www.techtimes.com.ng/2018/01/infinix-zero-5-vs-tecno-phantom-8-vs.html?m=1

In this age where we have seen a gold rush in mining the various cryptocurrencies for profit, there has been a trend to jack unsuspecting users laptops for crypto mining.

This has led to some developers coming up with tools you can use on your Chrome browser to prevent such practices. Other companies like Opera are doing something different, which is integrate the cryptomining protection right within their browsers.

Early this month, they introduced an anti-cryptomining tool in Opera 50, which is interesting since it is native. Now, they have rolled out that feature to their other assets: Opera Mini and Opera for Android.

“When you browse the web, there are no visual clues that your device is exposed to mining,” VP Product Marketing at Opera told the Next Web via email.

To activate this feature in Opera Mini and on Opera for Android, head over to settings and switch on the browser’s built in adblocker.

Opera also has a website where you can check whether your browser is affected by cryptojacking. You can use it to check whether Opera’s inbuilt anti- cryptomining tool works or if your current browser is safe.

This move is great for all those users out there who use Opera Mini and Opera for Android who may have no idea that their devices are being used to mine cryptocurrencies. Effects of cryptocurrency mining includes sluggishness, overheating and reduced battery life from the high CPU load.

On Chrome, which is the most popular browser right now, you’ll have to download these extensions to keep those shady websites in check, so it is great that Opera gives you this native tool for browsers across different platforms.

http://www.techtimes.com.ng/2018/01/opera-adds-native-anti-cryptomining.html?m=1

According to the German maker, 2015 Mercedes Benz S550, in another name, Mercedes-Benz W222 is the top notch in the Mercedes-Benz’s latest fifth generation. The car interior design is very special from the leather-stitched doors, the wood accents selected for the cabin and the beautifully crafted steering wheel personify quality, wealth and opulence.

The car exterior design is very attractive

The rear seats of the W222 truly indulge people in the back. The car also features a pair of fold-down trays and spring for the executive rear seat package that enables the president to have separate meetings on the go.

Furthermore, the Mercedes Benz S-Class 2015 comes with and a 4.7-liter turbocharged V8 producing 516 lb-ft of torque at 1,800 RPM, along with 455 hp. Its seven-automatic can kick down to the lowest possible gear upon order at any speed, even on the interstate, and catapults the S550 forward like a shot arrow.

The car also features a pair of fold down trays and spring for the executive rear seat package

Moreover, the beast is able to reach 60 MPH from 0 in only 4.8 seconds. Its standard “airmatic” suspension absorbs bumps well in comfort mode.

What an extra highlight in the luxury segment!

http://www.techtimes.com.ng/2018/01/explore-special-features-of-president.html?m=1

TECNO has unveiled their latest smartphone into the Kenyan market through. The device is currently exclusive to e-commerce platform Jumia but will be available offline later on. This new phone hails from the Camon line-up and is aptly named Camon CM (See More), to denote it’s biggest highlight, the 5.7″ HD display that comes in the modern 18:9 aspect ratio.

This new aspect ratio means that manufacturers can now fit a larger display while maintaining a smaller overall body, thanks to the shrunk bezels. The Camon CM not only offers the new display but also comes with a bit of camera power, thanks to its 13MP front and back cameras combination.



Other specifications of the device include:

MediaTek MT6737

16GB Internal Storage

2GB RAM

3000mAh battery

4G and VoLTE ready

Rear-mounted fingerprint reader

Android 7.0 Nougat with HiOS 2.0 on top

In the hand, the Camon CM feels quite small and light, it’s unbelievable that it has such a huge display. One hand usage is superb and the design, as inspired as it is, is much welcome.

Looking at the specs, you will realize that the phone treads on the entry-level side of things but the price is dangerously close to the mid-range side. Retailing at N 45,000 - N50.000 depends on location, the phone is basically the same price as the slightly older Camon CX Pro which offers better specifications, but I guess you have to pay for more screen real estate.


The Camon CM is an indication of what we should expect from TECNO this year, goodbye to huge bezels. As much as the company is playing catch-up to rivals such as OPPO, who were among the first to introduce the 18:9 crave in the country, their new release has come at a strategic time, just before Vivo Mobile release their smartphones into the Nigerian market.

https://www.techtimes.com.ng/2018/01/tecno-camon-cm-brings-to-game-189-full.html?m=1