This guide will help you install TWRP and root MT6757 and MT6797CH / MT6757CD Vernee Mix 2, the first step is to install TWRP custom recovery on the MTK6757 Helio P25 Vernee Mix 2. The process contains quite a few steps, but most of them take just a few seconds.
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Xiaomi has long provided excellent software update support for their phones, putting even some of the big brands to shame. (more…)
While we know that most China phone dual-camera setups are useless, there are some budget-priced phones that carry effective dual-camera setups; you don’t need to spend $800 on an iPhone 8 to get quality dual-camera results. (more…)
Several recently released China phones have marketed themselves as carrying Helio P25, but upon closer investigation, it looks as if they are actually carrying Helio P20. (more…)
There was a massive commotion last year when Xiaomi released their Mi Y1 mirrorless interchangeable lens camera (ILC) with the 4K capable 20MP Sony IMX269. I was hoping there would be a follow up 2nd generation release to the brazen Y1, but the very quick calming down of the initial furor pretty much killed that hope off.
Until now. Xiaomi has released a huge firmware update to the Mi Y1, which gives a clue that the Xiaomi ILC isn’t dead at all, just taking a quick rest.
The firmware update to the Mi Y1 addresses a number of problems with the Mi Y1 which plagued its initial release.
The new firmware update means the MFT camera from Xiaomi isn’t dead at all and that we may see a 2nd iteration in the future.
The updates include:
To my eyes, the biggest moves are with video, adding manual exposure control and the addition of tap to focus and manual focus during video. These are huge, as while the Mi Y1 has 4K video capabilities, it was very very basic with limited versatility without these new additions.
For enthusiasts who like to shoot RAW, but not necessarily always want to develop every photo, the new firmware update allows shooters RAW + jpg, which gives us the flexibility to quickly share JPGs without any fussing, and/or the possibility of advanced editing with the RAWs.
In a beautiful move by Xiaomi they made the Y1 M1 a Micro Four Thirds (MFT) lens mount system. This gives Mi Y1 instantly and natively (no adapters needed) the ability to use any of the big selection of MFT lenses already available. That includes excellent lenses from the likes of Olympus and Panasonic.
One of the relatively new innovations in mobile phones is 4K video. Combined with manual settings such as focus lock and exposure lock we can have powerful video tools in $200 ballpark mobiles.
It’s worth mentioning that standalone cameras are still lagging behind where 4K is concerned, with some cameras costing as much as $1300 still not including 4K video.
Even if you don’t have a 4K monitor or TV, there are still some interesting things that can be done.
Electronic Image Stabilization (EIS) — Thanks to the extra resolution from 4K, we can digitally crop and adjust video to account for camera shake while maintaining great quality, especially when downsampling 4K to 1080P. Some phones have the EIS option in-phone, but if your phone doesn’t have it, it can be done with 3rd party video editing software, or with YouTube’s auto EIS fix.
Higher quality 1080P video — This is particularly helpful with EIS, but even if not using EIS, when we downsample 4K to 1080P we will have significantly higher quality 1080P video than if we shot at 1080P.
Frame grabs — Either through video software or a screenshot, we can snag 8MP still shots from 4K video. Consider a moment where someone jumps in the air and you want to catch them at the highest point, or someone blows out candles on a birthday cake. This can also be done with burst photography, but the 4K video gives us the best of both worlds, a video of the moment and the possibility of still frame grabs from video.
Here are several 4K videoes from the Sony IMX386 sensor. This first is shot with Xiaomi’s default camera in Center Focus mode. You will see it occasionally hunting for focus, which can be quite distracting. There has been no EIS applied to this video.
Here is a similar Sony IMX386 4K video from Xiaomi Mi Max 2 with Tap To Focus. This mode gives us much more control and gets rid of the distracting auto-focusing. At the end of this clip, you will see me tapping to macro focus.
This is a short video demonstrating Tap To Focus with the Xiaomi default camera app.
Open Camera is one of my favorite apps. This allows us to not only lock focus, it also allows to lock and unlock exposure while filming. At about 6 seconds in I lock exposure to maintain the blue skies. I then go to get some closeup video of a small flower, but it’s too dark so I unlock exposure so the camera can appropriately expose the flower.
Here we have a short video demonstrating YouTube’s auto-shake fix. This was shot using exposure lock and tap to focus with Open Camera.
While these are shot at default bit rate, Open Camera also gives us the option to choose bit rates up to 100Mb/s which can greatly improve video quality.
Images of the upcoming Redmi 5 Plus show it with dual-cameras and an 18:9 display covering a massive portion of the front real estate. (more…)
Ulefone is one of the long runners in the China phone market and they have released an ultra-budget model, the Ulefone S8 Pro.
This phone has been tested by trusted associates and it’s so good they’ve ordered multiple units to be sold through their local shops.
Main Features:
Notably, the SoC MT6737, which is a nice step above MT6580 usually included in ultra-budget models. This is SOC includes 4 Cortex-A53 cores at 1.3GHz. These are the same cores as featured in Helio P20, for example, but clocked lower.
It also includes Android 7.0, a healthy 2GB RAM, 16GB storage, a respectable 3000mAh battery, and notably, the display is 5.3″, which makes it a step more compact than typical 5.5″.
The Ulefone S8 Pro is also Google Certified, which means Ulefone has gone through the rigorous testing process required for certification. Google Certification implies the ROM has been properly coded, all specs are genuine, and that there should be no funky Chinese apps included in the ROM. Good job Ulefone.
I’ve tested quite a few Ulefones over the years and they’ve all been very good phones. If you’re looking for an ultra-budget model, the Ulefone S8 is a good bet.
Samsung will be stepping up their smartphone camera technology big time with a planned sensor capable of super slow motion at 1000fps. (more…)
“The Mi A1 is an entirely new type of device.” said Xiaomi Senior VP Wang Xiang, “Google came to us in Q4 of last year as they were seeking to evolve their Android One program.” (more…)
It seems the bezelless Mix phenomenon has caught on big time in the world of China phones. We’ve had a Doogee Mix, a Bluboo S1, and now the Leagoo Mix is following suit.
https://youtu.be/vQPVlhxiOZ0
$139.99 seems a fair price for the specs of the Mix, but $109.99 is great for a 1080P MT6750T phone. We also see the Leagoo Mix has a compass on board, which is something that some China mobiles have been skimping out on.
The Mix has appropriate bands for all of Asia, UK, and Euro, including the sometimes left out B20 (800MHz LTE).
