Octagon-Shaped Linshof i8 Smartphone Comes With 80 GB of Storage For $380
The German company Linshof, which is new in the mobile market, has just announced its smartphone offering: the Linshof i8, which is an ultra-slim (likely around 6 mm or thinner) octa-core device that comes with a 5" Full HD display (in either Super AMOLED or IPS variants, depending on the market), 3 GB of RAM and LTE, and it costs only $380.
The Linshof i8 also brings as much as 80 GB of storage. Only 16 GB is apparently used for apps, while the other 64 GB module is used for media. This sounds like the 64 GB may be a microSD card that the company is offering by default, but it's also possible that the phone has a second internal storage module. The company claims that the 16 GB module is significantly faster than the 64 GB one, although both are likely to be fast enough for whatever you will throw at it.
The phone also comes with a 13 MP Sony sensor and a 28 mm wide-angle and fast f/1.8 lens, which could be great for low-light shots. In front, the phone will have an 8 MP selfie camera.
The Linshof i8 will run Android 5.0 but with the company's own customizations on top, which make it look quite a bit like Windows Phone. The notifications seem to be accessible from the bottom of the screen, possibly because it's easier to reach them that way. It seems the company will also offer certain security features such as the "Safe VPN" feature we can spot on the phone's screen.
In the past few years we've seen local manufacturers pop up in many countries. This is in large part thanks to the open source Android operating system, which makes it easy for smartphone startups to build a mobile device of decent quality that offers features that are just as advanced as devices from better-known manufacturers. We've seen some of these local smartphone startups, such as OnePlus, even go global in popularity.
The Linshof i8 looks to be feature packed, well designed (in an "interesting" octagon-shape way) and ultra-slim, with a big 3,300 mAh battery and a relatively low price. If everything goes well, the Linshof i8 could become the OnePlus One of Europe. The device should start shipping in Q1 2015.
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Lucian Armasu is a Contributing Writer for Tom's Hardware US. He covers software news and the issues surrounding privacy and security.
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etittel Look at the picture, count the sides on the phone: it's an eight-sided figure, not a hexagon. Had Linshof decided to add only two edges at top or bottom, it would have been a hexagon in the mathematical sense (6 sides). However, the most common connotation for the term is a regular hexagon, which has six equal sides all separated by angles of 120 degrees. Ditto for octagon (think: Stop sign).Reply
HTH, and a cool-looking phone.
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Alpha3031 Damn, I want one. Is the 8 core ARM8 and is it a reference design would be nice to know though.Reply -
Flying-Q Cut off corners = less chance of being sued by Apple for copying the Apple-rectangle(tm). That said, I'm sure Apple or samsung or any of the other large makers can find something in it to sue over. Maybe it will be Microsoft going after the 'looks like windows phone'.Reply -
everlast66 Man, that's ugly, now all the fighting over the rectangular shape makes sense to me.Reply -
everlast66 Man, that's ugly, now all the fighting over the rectangular shape makes sense to me.Reply -
LordConrad I would totally get one if there was a Google Play Edition. I really don't like third-party UIs because I don't think people should have to re-learn Android if they switch brands.Reply
I've rooted phones in the past, but I've decided it's easier to just buy a Nexus or Google Play Edition phone. -
Conrad Pinto 'Selfie' camera. :ugh: better were the days when we said front camera...Reply
Looks decent I guess, better than Samsung selling you the same crap with different specifications.