snapdragon636

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  • ASUS

    ASUS made a sub-$200 smartphone to fight Xiaomi in India

    by 
    Richard Lai
    Richard Lai
    04.23.2018

    Having surpassed the US to become the second largest smartphone market after China, India is now the latest battleground for some of the top mobile brands. According to Canalys, even Samsung lost its top position there to Xiaomi as of Q4 2017, followed by Vivo, Oppo and Lenovo. Meanwhile, ASUS is continuing its fight over there by announcing the ZenFone Max Pro (M1), an India-centric mid-ranger that's priced competitively -- even more so than Xiaomi's recently launched Redmi Note 5 Pro. This also happens to be ASUS' first stock Android device, which is partly why it's able to be shipped with Android 8.1.

  • Drew Angerer/Getty Images

    Qualcomm's new chip brings ultra-wide screens to mid-range phones

    by 
    Jon Fingas
    Jon Fingas
    10.16.2017

    Ultra-wide screens are hot stuff on smartphones these days, but there still isn't a whole lot of choice: you tend to either spring for the high end or make do with budget models. Where are the in-between options? Qualcomm might just help. It's introducing the Snapdragon 636 processor, an upgrade to the mid-tier 630 whose centerpiece is support for extra-tall FHD+ resolution (roughly 2,160 x 1,080) screens. You should get a reasonably speedy, dramatic-looking phone without making your bank account cry for mercy. It supports Assertive Display, too, so you can expect better visibility in less-than-ideal lighting.