Oppo creates midrange device with sapphire back

Chinese tech company Oppo has beaten out Apple to introduce a smartphone with sapphire glass integrated. The company’s new RC1 smartphone features a 5-inch display and a sapphire back panel. This helps keep the device thin yet sturdy. You can see Apple’s influence on the brand though with this new smartphone. But they have managed to keep the price down at midrange at around US$400, even with the flagship-level design.

Oppo calls the sapphire back Diamond Mirror because of its high reflectivity and the patterned layer underneath it. It runs on a 64-bit Qualcomm octa-core Snapdragon 615 processor, 2GB of RAM, 16GB of storage, microSD card slot, and a 13-megapixel rear camera with Sony IMX214 as well as a 5-megapixel front camera. The RC1 is also a dual SIM device with LTE support and 2,420mAh battery. It runs on Android 4.4 KitKat. We’re not sure if it’ll make it to our shores but it is available for pre-order in India at the moment.

Source: Cult of Android

CyanogenMod phone now up for sale

The Google-approved modded smartphone is now up for sale around the world for US$599. The Oppo N1 does not look quite like the Android devices out on the market with its swiveling camera with separate button accessory and a baby blue back. But what makes it stand out is it allows you to pick between Android and the heavily modified Android version called CyanogenMod. You can check Oppo store to order your device.

Google approves modded Android smartphone sale

Google gives the go signal for the first Android device to run Cyanogenmod straight out of the box. This new device will come in the form of the China-made Oppo N1 and lets you hack your phone from the first boot. Plus, it has got Android product suite in it! Google is basically letting you mess with your phone and truly personalize the device.

Source: Gizmodo Australia