LG Nexus 5 is official, runs Android 4.4 KitKat
The leak storm is finally over, Google has just made the Nexus 5 official. The latest Nexus smartphone is manufactured by LG. It rocks a 4.95" LCD display with 1080p resolution, which adds up to a pixel density of 445 ppi. The good news keeps on coming with the addition of Gorilla Glass 3 for enhanced screen protection.
Inside the Nexus 5 is a 2.3GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 chipset with four Krait 400 cores and Adreno 330 GPU. It's definitely not a slouch with 2GB of RAM and Android 4.4 KitKat at the driver's seat.
In a traditional Google manner, internal storage options are either 16GB or 32GB with no microSD card slot to be found. Below the back cover sits a 2,300mAh battery, which isn't exactly the largest we've seen on a 5" smartphone. However, it does support wireless charging, which is cool.
At the back, there's an 8MP with OIS and LED flash. The camera uses a 1/3.2" sensor and an f/2.4 aperture. The camera module protrudes a bit from the rear casing with a LED flash below it. At the front, there's a 1.3MP camera for video calling, too.
The LG Nexus 5 measures 137.84 x 69.17 x 8.59mm and weighs just 130g.
On the connectivity side, the LG Nexus 5 has it all - penta-band 3G, 4G LTE, Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 4.0 LE, A-GPS, NFC and even.
The 16GB version of the Nexus 5 is priced at $349 in the US and €349 in Europe. Sales start tomorrow, November 1 from the Google Play Store.
Nexus 5 torn down in front of a camera
Here is another Google Nexus 5 leak. In case you aren't tired of seeing the smartphone leaking from pretty much every corner of the universe, here we have yet another set of pictures for you.
This time the Nexus 5 poses in front of a camera with an opened battery cover. You'll get to see the 2,300 mAh battery, the alleged OIS camera, plus the round earpiece.
LG Nexus 5
There are a few high-res photos of the Nexus 5 itself.
LG Nexus 5
We already know everything there is to know about the LG-made Google Nexus 5. You can check its specs here if you think you've missed something.
We expect Nexus 5 to go official any moment now. It's about time really, because we are all getting really tired of this leak marathon.
Nokia seeks to ban import of One smartphones in UK
Nokia has scored an important victory in its legal crusade against HTC. The Patents Court in London has found that the Taiwanese company infringes on one of Nokia's patents. The Finns will now try and leverage on the decision and pursue an import ban of the One smartphones as well as seeking compensation of undisclosed amount.
The Finnish company is displeased with HTC for using its patent for a "modulator, equipment used by phones to transmit data". The Taiwanese manufacturer has argued that the technology in question is found in Qualcomm chips it purchases for its One smartphone, and it's up to the chip maker to negotiate the licenses. That's why HTC feels the court has taken the wrong decition and has expressed its plans to appeal.
It seems the essence of the argument is very similar to the one that occurred in April in the Netherlands. Then, Nokia won a short ban against the HTC One sales over a violation of a patent regarding the use of a proprietary microphone. It turned out that ST Microelectronics, which had signed a deal with Nokia to exclusively manufacture it for its Lumia devices, slipped up and allowed HTC to use it too.
In the end, the ban was lifted from the Hague after it ruled out that HTC was not at fault.
By the look of things, HTC is going to employ the same strategy here to try and lift the ban on the One sales in the UK. The Taiwanese highlighted that Nokia had signed an agreement in the US not to sue Qualcomm over the matter, so going after HTC doesn't make sense.
Nokia expressed its satisfaction with the decision and has released the following statement:
"This is the third court this year to find that HTC infringes Nokia patents, bringing the number of patents found infringed to four," said a spokesman for the European company.
It's not yet known what the outcome of the case would be, but Nokia we are certainly hoping the two companies will find a solution that doesn't involve sales bans. After all limiting the choice for end-users is hardly the point of the patent system.
Sony loses money in Q2, smartphone sales improving
Sony has been inching its way back to its former glory, but its return to profitability hit a snag in the quarter that ended this September. The company posted a loss of $197 million from a small profit the previous quarter.
The good news is that the Mobile Products & Communication – the division responsible for phones, tablets and computers – showed the biggest increase. Sales were up 39.3% year on year and operating income increased by $2.25 billion, but the division still ended the quarter $9 million in the red. Still, it's better than the $235 million operating loss from the same quarter last year.
It seems that smartphone sales improved – more units were sold at a higher average selling price (ASP) – but the PC market dragged the division down. Favorable exchange rates also helped.
The Xperia Z was in the Top 3 in revenue in 20 countries and Sony sold 10 million Xperias during the quarter. The company will continue its focus on premium devices and expects sales to remain strong going forward.
The Game division of Sony reports a 5.1% increase in sales, a total of $1.6 billion, but an operating loss of $8 million. PS2 and PS3 sales are declining (the PS2 was discontinued, the PS3 is about to be replaced by the PS4). PSP and PS Vita sales also took a hit, partly due to a price cut on the Vita.
The Imaging Products & Solutions division continues to slide, it's down -6.9% in sales and posted an operating loss of $24 million. This is attributed to a "significant decrease" in sales of digital cameras and video cameras.
Home Entertainment & Sound is also in trouble with decreasing LCD TV unit sales, but revenues increased 11.8% thanks to favorable currency exchange rates and the operating loss declined to $123 million.
Sony Pictures is in the red, Music made some cash ($99 million) and once again Financial Services was the best division of the company bringing in $400 million, a 25.7% improvement in operating income.
Check out Sony's press release for more details (note: PDF). You can also find presentation slides here.
Nexus 5 hands-on video leaks, again
This is getting embarrassing – the Nexus 5 has leaked all over the place, even gone on preorder, and yet Google still hasn't officially announced it. Well, you might not be getting the official info on the Nexus 5 yet, but here's a lengthy hands-on video in case there was something about the phone that wasn’t known yet.
The About screen on the device reports it as the Nexus 5 running Android Key Lime Pie, which means it was probably running old software. The phone is powered by a Snapdragon 800 chipset and has around 12GB user-available storage, which means 16GB total storage.
The video shows off some of the apps – Chrome, Camera, Calendar, YouTube, Keep, Google Earth, but doesn’t, for example, show the new Hangouts that is supposed to come out soon.
Come on Google, just announce the Nexus 5 and Android 4.4 KitKat already.
Intel's holdout against making ARM chips comes to an end
Unable to break through with its own mobile Atom chipset, it seems that Intel finally raised the white flag and has decided to begin manufacturing 64-bit ARM chips of its own.
The ARM architecture's supremacy in the mobile market has been a result of the varied and competitive core licensing terms provided by ARM Holdings. This has allowed a variety of manufacturers - including Samsung, Apple, Nvidia and many more - to use ARM's core designs to create integrated SoC's of their own. In 2010 alone, an incredible 95% of smartphones shipped with ARM-based CPU's.
It was obviously in Intel's best interest to stop resisting the adaptation of ARM in the mobile realm, and its decision to enter into the fray against other semiconductor foundries (most notably Samsung and TSMC) brings up some interesting permutations.
First, will Intel's historic rival chipset manufacturers like Nvidia and Qualcomm be willing to do business with it over rival foundries? Second, what sort of advantages will Intel's 64-bit architecture offer?
This also opens up some interesting possibilities for Apple, who would love to be able to break ties with Samsung as the primary supplier of the ARM-based Ax SoC found in its iPhone smartphones and Apple tablets (including the upcoming A8 chip). It's a process that's been hinted at in the past, and estimated to take as long as a year and a half and cost Apple between $1 - 3 billion.
Intel's potential ability to make high quality 64-bit ARM CPU's may be enough to entice Apple into taking the plunge, and perhaps even get an exclusivity agreement in the meantime.
ZTE unveils a trio of Blade Q smartphones
ZTE has announced three affordable smartphones for the European market, which it hopes will help it grow its market share on the Old Continent.
The three new additions to the ZTE lineup are the 4.0" WVGA Blade Q Mini, the 4.5" FWVGA Blade Q and the 5.0" FWVGA Blade Q Maxi.
All three phones share similar internals. They are all powered by the MT6572 chipset with a dual-core 1.3GHz Cortex-A7 processor, Mali-400 graphics and 1GB of RAM. The trio also comes with 5MP rear cameras capable of 720p video recording, VGA front snappers, 4GB expandable internal storage, and Android 4.2 Jelly Bean in charge of operations.
ZTE Blade Q Mini • ZTE Blade Q • ZTE Blade Q Maxi
The connectivity options for Blade Q Mini, Blade Q and Blade Q Maxi are also identical - you get 3G with HSPA support, Bluetooth 4.0, Wi-Fi b/g/n, GPS and FM radio.
ZTE Blade Q Mini, being the smallest of the trio, has a 4.0" TFT display with 480x800px resolution. It comes with the smallest battery too - a 1500 mAh unit.
The ZTE Blade Q has a 4.5" TFT screen with 480x854px resolution and 1,800 mAh battery.
Finally, the ZTE Blade Q Maxi packs a 5.0" TFT display with 480x854px resolution and has the biggest 2,000 mAh battery inside.
The pricing and availability of ZTE Blade Q Mini, Blade Q and Blade Q Maxi is yet to be detailed.
Sprint expands its 4G LTE coverage to 45 new markets
Sprint has officially announced that it will be expanding its LTE coverage to 45 new markets in order to provide an enhanced experience to its consumers.
In addition to the new markets (full list available here), the Sprint 4G LTE network will be expanding to cover several parts of Manhattan, Queens and Staten Island, N.Y. This latest expansion brings the total number of markets covered by the Sprint ultra-fast services to 230.
Along with its 4G LTE network expansion, Sprint has also said it has enhanced its 3G services and had improved the overall coverage, signal strength and the call quality. There were no specifics given on any of those, however.
You can check out the source link below to find out if the 4G services are coming to your city. Alternatively, you can also head on to Sprint's coverage map to know more about the coverage in your area.
Verizon-bound Samsung Galaxy Note 12.2 gets benchmarked
The upcoming Samsung Galaxy Note 12.2 has been spotted making its way through another Bluetooth SIG certification, and was even glimpsed in AnTuTu benchmark records.
We first got a peek of the expected Galaxy Note 12.2 device back in early September. Back then all we knew was that there was an upcoming 12.2-inch slate from Samsung set to sport an Exynos 5 Octa chipset with a 2560 x 1600 pixel display.
Although it was apparently still too early back then for an official announcement at IFA, things have progressed quickly. The Note 12.2's model number now contains a V suffix (as in SM-P905V), which, according to numerous sources, stands for Verizon. If that's anything to go by, then the 12-inch tablet should be available with LTE support as well.
The AnTuTu benchmark tells a slightly different story than what was initially assumed about the Galaxy Note 12.2. The SM-P905 device featured in its database sports a Snapdragon 800 CPU rather than an Exynos 5 Octa. The folks at AnTuTu even compared it to a Galaxy Note 10.1 (2014 Edition), which sports the Exynos 5420 chipset.
The Note 12.2 is able to outperform the Note 10.1 when it comes to the Android virtual machine, RAM speed, and 3D graphics, while the 10.1 does better in RAM processing, and CPU integer and floating point operations. Still, the Galaxy Note 12.2 achieves an overall score of 35901, which beats out our own score of 33198 for the Note 10.1 (2014).
While the results are higher, they're only to such a degree as the typical generational upgrade that we tend see as chipsets mature. Keep in mind that the aforementioned Verizon variant may run on an entirely different chipset, perhaps even the "true" octa-core variant of Samsung's Exynos 5 chip that will be able to run all 8 of its cores simultaneously.
Source 1 (Chinese) | Source 2 | Via
SIM-free HTC One Max now available in the UK
HTC One Max was announced just two weeks ago. The UK was the first market the get it shortly after the official announcement via Vodafone. Now the unlocked and SIM-free model of the 5.9" phablet is hitting various retails across the Island.
The lowest price we were able to find is at Unlocked Mobiles - £585. Clove is offering the HTC One Max for £590, while others such as Expansys and Mobile Fun has the One Max listed at £600.
HTC One Max comes with a 5.9" 1080p display and is powered by the Snapdragon 600 chipset. Its specs are quite similar to the HTC One flagship except there is a fingerprint scanner but no optical stabilization.
HTC is also offering various accessories for the One Max, such as the HTC BoomBass speaker, HTC Fetch accessory that makes it easy to find your phone, a stylus, a Flip Case and a Power Flip Case with an additional battery inside.
We already met the HTC One Max and you can read all about our encounter here.
IDC: Nokia phone shipments decline, others on the rise
Another analyst firm, IDC, put out a report detailing the phone market in Q3 this year. While it has slightly different numbers than Strategy Analytics, the picture it paints is pretty much the same..
IDC confirms that smartphone shipments have broken the quarter billion mark, breaking the previous record, which was set in Q2 2012. Phone shipments as a whole (including feature phones) have reached 467.9 million, a modest 5.7% year on year growth.
The smartphone race is heating up – Android is the OS that drives the adoption of low-cost smartphones. They are especially popular in China (amongst consumers and vendors alike) and the country was the final destination of over one third of the worldwide smartphone shipments.
Samsung has a controlling share – 31.5% with 81.2 million units shipped (lower than what Strategy Analytics reports). The company also shipped more than the other vendors in the Top 5 combined.
However, the vendors in the Top 5 accounted for only 58.7% of total smartphones shipments – the ones outside the Top 5 shipped 41.3% this quarter, up from 33.7% in Q3 last year.
Top Five Smartphone Vendors, Shipments, and Market Share, Q3 2013 (Units in Millions)
Vendor | 3Q13 Unit Shipments | 3Q13 Market Share | 3Q12 Unit Shipments | 3Q12 Market Share | Year-over-year Change |
Samsung | 81.2 | 31.4% | 57.8 | 31.0% | 40.5% |
Apple | 33.8 | 13.1% | 26.9 | 14.4% | 25.7% |
Huawei | 12.5 | 4.8% | 7.1 | 3.8% | 76.5% |
Lenovo | 12.3 | 4.7% | 6.9 | 3.7% | 77.6% |
LG | 12.0 | 4.6% | 7.0 | 3.8% | 71.4% |
Others | 106.6 | 41.3% | 62.8 | 33.7% | 69.8% |
Total | 258.4 | 100.0% | 186.2 | 100.0% | 38.8% |
Apple's position worsened a bit, but again numbers differ slightly between analytic companies.
For example, IDC has LG trailing both Huawei and Lenovo, while Strategy Analytics had LG splitting the two. Coolpad and ZTE, two other Chinese makers, are close behind LG.
Smartphones aside, all companies saw small to good gains in total phone shipments (feature phones plus smartphones), except for Nokia, which tumbled 22% year on year. Nokia's total market share in Q3 this year is enough to position it in second place, but well behind Samsung.
Top Five Total Mobile Phone Vendors, Shipments, and Market Share, 2013 Q3 (Units in Millions)
Vendor | 3Q13 Unit Shipments | 3Q13 Market Share | 3Q12 Unit Shipments | 3Q12 Market Share | Year-over-year Change |
Samsung | 115.4 | 24.7% | 103.8 | 23.4% | 11.2% |
Nokia | 64.6 | 13.8% | 82.9 | 18.7% | -22.1% |
Apple | 33.8 | 7.2% | 26.9 | 6.1% | 25.7% |
LG | 16.8 | 3.6% | 14.4 | 3.3% | 16.7% |
Huawei | 14.6 | 3.1% | 11.2 | 2.5% | 30.4% |
Others | 222.7 | 47.6% | 203.5 | 46.0% | 9.4% |
Total | 467.9 | 100.0% | 442.7 | 100.0% | 5.7% |
Keep in mind that Nokia shipped around 8.8 million Lumia smartphones out of the total 64.6 million phone shipments, while Samsung shipped almost twice as many smartphones as it did feature phones. Samsung shipped more smartphones that any other company shipped phones in general.
LG is another company that relies on its feature phone business to give it a push – it helps it edge Lenovo and Huawei in terms of total units shipped.
The Asus Padfone Infinity 2 hits Europe
ASUS is already selling the new Padfone Infinity 2 in Europe. More specifically, the phone and Padfone Station dock are now available for purchase is Norway. There, the combo is sold for 6295 NOK (€770).
This marks the smartphone's debut on European soil, alas the company hasn't shared any official release plans for other countries. The debut of the new Padfone Infinity 2 in Norway though, is a good sign we'll start seeing the device march its way forward to more European markets soon.
The ASUS Padfone Infinity 2 builds on the older Padfone Infinity model with an improved performance department. The new version rocks a Snapdragon 800 chipset with quad Krait 400 cores running at 2.2Ghz. It's built around a 5" full HD Super AMOLED display, while the Padfone Station rocks a 10" 1080p display (like the previous version).
Samsung now sells 1 million mobile devices per day
David Eun, executive vice president at Samsung, revealed today at Samsung's Developer Conference that Samsung sells some 1 million mobile devices every day. This includes smartphones, tablets, and anything that can be considered mobile.
Eun's message to developers was that Samsung's next goal is getting them all to communicate with one another.
"We know many of these devices and screens are connected. This is largely due to the fact that some 40 percent of the population connects to the internet. We hope to build along with you one of the largest platforms in the world for content, services, apps and ads. We call this the connoted home, and the connected life."
Samsung has helped shape Android into the premiere platform for mobiles, and it's obvious it wants to extend this into other consumer applications as well. By putting out a million mobile devices daily, the Koreans certainly have a large client base at their fingertips to do just that.
Nokia Q3 report shows 8.8 million Lumia sales
Nokia published its financial results for the quarter ending in September – let's have a look at how the company did in its final quarter before selling its legendary phone business.
Sales for Nokia Group decreased 22% year on year &eurp;5.662 billion, but operating profit went up to €118 million from a sizable loss of €564 million during the same quarter last year.
Devices & Services – the division that Microsoft is set to acquire in the final quarter this year – accounted for €2.898 billion in net sales, down 19% year on year. The division posted an operating loss of €86 million, peanuts compared to the €672 million loss from last year.
The good news is that most of the declining sales come from the feature phone department, which saw its sales decline 37% compared to last year. This coincides with a 27% drop in shipment volumes.
The Smart devices shipments increased to 8.8 million units (up 40% year on year), beating the early estimates. Smartphone revenue was up 28% to €1.254 billion.
The rest of Nokia Group, which is not part of the Microsoft deal, includes the Nokia Solution Networks (or NSN, which used to stand for Nokia Siemens Networks until recently) and HERE.
NSN saw declining net sales both year on year and quarter on quarter, but this business is almost as big as the phone business – sales were €2.592 billion . It is also doing pretty good with €166 million in operating profit. That's a sixth profitable quarter in a row.
HERE is smaller with €211 million in net sales, but is profitable too, earning €14 million in operating profit. NSN and HERE were hit by weak seasonal demand and are expected to improve in Q4.
A third division, Advanced Technologies, will be started up inside Nokia Group and it will round off the Finns' business divisions after Microsoft acquires the phone business.
The Nokia press release points out that if Microsoft had already acquired the business, the sales for Nokia group would be just €2.9 billion instead of €5.7 billion, but the non-IFRS operating margin would have been 11.5% rather than 3.8%.
This is a subtle way of saying that the phone division was operating at a loss and once that's gone, operating profit for Nokia Group will improve. This combined with the overall results, which exceeded expectations sent the Nokia stock 6.5% up at time of writing.
Check out this document for more numbers and details (PDF).
Motorola announces Ara, a new modular phone concept
We have seen the ambitions Phonebloks concept in the past. But while the idea was definitely amazing, it was hard not to get cynical about its success, considering it was just guy with an idea trying to get the attention of companies around the world to make it a reality.
But what if one of those companies decided to take the idea and do something about it? Presenting the Motorola Ara, a modular phone concept that might actually become real one day.
Just like with Phonebloks, the Ara will have removable modules that will let you replace or upgrade specific parts of the device. This makes repair and upgrading easy but also lets you customize the phone to your exact needs. You can choose only those modules that are important to you and skimp out on the others.
The Motorola Ara project has been in development for a year now, so it's not something Motorola put together when they saw the Phonebloks video. Motorola will also be working with the creator of the Phonebloks concept Dave Hakkens on the Ara project.
Motorola will soon be sending invites to developers to start working on modules for the Ara and an alpha version of a Module Developer's Kit will be released in winter.
Nexus 5 specs get revealed by Wind Mobile in Canada
The latest LG Nexus 5 leak comes from Canada. The specs of the yet to be announced smartphone got revealed in a pre-registration page for the Canadian wireless carrier Wind Mobile.
The sign-up page has subsequently been taken down. It revealed the full specs of the Nexus 5, save for the capacity of its battery (it is rumored to be a 2,300mAh unit). You can see them below.
With the Nexus 5 continuing to cement its reputation as one of the most leaked smartphones in the industry, all we’re left with is for Google to take the wraps off the device. Hopefully, the wait will be over soon.
China Mobile teases LTE network ahead of iPhone 5s launch
China Mobile has posted a teaser page of its upcoming 4G LTE network. The most popular carrier in China will also start offering the Apple iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C to complement the launch of its high-speed mobile network.
According to the teaser, the rollout of the LTE network will take place from November 9 to November 10. While the LTE network is being prepared for showtime, China Mobile is readying its retail outlets for the iPhone launch by hanging promo posters.
Apple has done the necessary work to ensure the iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C are capable of running on the China Mobile TD-LTE network.
As you can see from the photo above, the Apple iPhone 5C and iPhone 5S are prominently marketed to be available at the carrier's store. Interestingly, according to rumors before the launch of the new iPhones, they had to hit the carrier along with the rest of China on September 20. We guess the delay of the 4G network launch got in the way of that.
As UnwiredView reports, the Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology is taking longer than expected to issue 4G licenses. China Mobile seems pretty certain that it's going to get its license for a 4G network in the beginning of November. Only time will tell, but things are looking bright for those looking to go 4G in China.
China Mobile teases LTE network ahead of iPhone 5s launch
China Mobile has posted a teaser page of its upcoming 4G LTE network. The most popular carrier in China will also start offering the Apple iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C to complement the launch of its high-speed mobile network.
According to the teaser, the rollout of the LTE network will take place from November 9 to November 10. While the LTE network is being prepared for showtime, China Mobile is readying its retail outlets for the iPhone launch by hanging promo posters.
Apple has done the necessary work to ensure the iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C are capable of running on the China Mobile TD-LTE network.
As you can see from the photo above, the Apple iPhone 5C and iPhone 5S are prominently marketed to be available at the carrier's store. Interestingly, according to rumors before the launch of the new iPhones, they had to hit the carrier along with the rest of China on September 20. We guess the delay of the 4G network launch got in the way of that.
As UnwiredView reports, the Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology is taking longer than expected to issue 4G licenses. China Mobile seems pretty certain that it's going to get its license for a 4G network in the beginning of November. Only time will tell, but things are looking bright for those looking to go 4G in China.
Nokia Lumia 1020 price slashed by a third in China
Nokia Lumia 1020 seems to be struggling to make a significant impact on the Chinese market. The first hints that its start was less than impressive was the fact that the phone didn't make it among the most popular WP handsets in the last two months.
China is the world's biggest smartphone market for mobile phones and the Lumia 1020 premiered there on the insanely price of CNY5,999 - the equivalent of $1000 or €715. Now, two months later though you can buy the Nokia Lumia 1020 online for 3,999 Yuan or €475. This means the price has dropped down by a third and is now much more reasonable.
The Lumia 1020 was launched exclusively on AT&T in July, while the rest of the world got it in late August or early September.
The on-contract US price has already dropped twice from $299 down to just $99. The UK carriers are offering the phone for free if you sign a two-year contract with at least £37 monthly tariff. The unlocked and SIM-free retail price in Europe is still relatively high though - a bit over €600.
So, if you want to buy the Lumia 1020 maybe waiting a couple of weeks would be the more sensible thing to do. Judging by those first markets to get the smartphone, a price cut is probably just around the corner. Even more so, considering that the Lumia 1520 is coming in a few weeks.
Samsung Galaxy S4 Active mini version in the works
The water-resistant Galaxy S4 Active released this summer ended up being a hit from Samsung, so much so that the Korean manufacturer is planning on releasing a mini version to follow in its footsteps.
Much like the Galaxy S4 mini, the Active mini (identified by its GT-I8580 model name) is set to feature not only smaller dimensions than its counterpart, but also less potent hardware. With the S4 mini this was restricted to less RAM, internal storage, screen resolution, a dual-core 1.7GHz CPU and more. However, with the Active mini it's set to be even more of a downgrade.
According to found GFXBench benchmark entries for the GT-I8580, the device is set to run on a dual-core 1.2 GHz CPU with a not very mini 4.65-inch screen of the not very impressive 800 x 480 pixel resolution. There will also be an Adreno 305 GPU and 1GB of RAM, coupled with a 5MP shooter and meager 0.3MP front-facer.
All of these specs are a far cry from the S4 Active, and if you exclude the similar design language with water and dust resistance, the Active mini has very little going for it.
But Samsung has always been quick to capitalize on emerging trends, and the success of the S4 Active and its redesigned body with IP67 dust and water resistance has been quite significant. The Koreans are hoping that even more people will jump on the Active bandwagon if a more aggressively priced version was on offer, even if the specs aren't exactly flagship-worthy.
Nokia Lumia 929 sample photos leak
Nokia went from 4.5" screens straight to 6", seemingly bypassing the 5" 1080p trend for Android phones. A leaked hands-on video of the Lumia 929 for Verizon (now taken down) showed that's not the case – the 929 is a 5" phone version of the 6" Lumia 1520 phablet.
Other than a 5" 1080p screen, the Lumia 929 will pack the 20MP PureView camera from the 1520 and the Qualcomm MSM8974 Snapdragon 800 chipset (quad-core Krait 400 @ 2.26GHz, Adreno 330). The smartphone will come in 32GB and 64GB versions (with no microSD card slot).
We now got a 100% crop and a downsized version of a 5MP photo taken with Nokia Pro Camera. Unfortunately, there's no full resolution shot and the EXIF info has been removed. Still, if legit, the image quality is quite nice - not that it's a shock, given those Lumia 1520 samples we saw.
Nokia Lumia 929 sample photo
There are rumors that we'll see an international version of the Nokia Lumia 929, but if it works out the same way it did with the Lumia 928 for Verizon and the international Lumia 925, the handsets might not be 100% identical.
Source (the images have been removed) | Via
LG G Flex with curved OLED display goes official in Korea
LG officially took the wraps off the G Flex smartphone with curved display in Korea. The Android handset will hit all three major carriers in its homeland next month, where it will square off against the Samsung Galaxy Round.
Naturally, the main feature of the LG G Flex is its curved display. It is a massive 6” 720p OLED unit whose IMAX cinema-like horizontal curve in landscape mode will allow for an immersive experience when watching videos or playing video games.
LG G Flex official photos
Another peculiar talent featured by the device is self-healing film on its back which can deal with minor scratches in a matter of minutes. LG compares the trick to the self-healing ability of the Wolverine character from the X-Men.
The LG G Flex is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 SoC with 2.26GHz quad-core CPU. The rest of the specs include 2GB of RAM, 32GB of built-in memory, microSD card slot, and 13MP camera. The smartphone packs full connectivity suite, including compatibility with the speedy LTE-A networks in Korea. It will boot Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean dressed in LG’s proprietary UI.
The measures of the LG G Flex are 160.5 x 81.6 x 7.9/8.7mm (the thickness of the phone depends on the point of its curve), while its weight tips the scale at 177 grams. The handset is powered by a 3,500mAh battery which was recently under the spotlight in its own right.
Nokia Lumia 929 for Verizon with 5" 1080 display leaks out
After showing up in press images earlier this month, the Verizon-bound Nokia Lumia 929 made another unscheduled appearance. This time around the upcoming aluminum-clad smartphone popped up in a short hands-on video.
The Nokia Lumia 929 is bound to be a replacement for the Lumia 928 in the Verizon Wireless lineup. The Windows Phone 8 smartphone will feature the same top-shelf specs as the freshly announced Nokia Lumia 1520, but a smaller 5” 1080p display.
Nokia Lumia 929 is expected to hit Verizon in November. The timeline is in line with previous reports.
Nokia Lumia 1020 has its price slashed to $99.99 in the US
Nokia Lumia 1020 saw another major price cut in the United States. The mobile photography powerhouse is now available for $99.99 for new AT&T customers who sign a two-year contract.
The attractive deal is offered by Amazon. Existing AT&T customers who renew their contracts will be offered the Nokia Lumia 1020 for $149.99.
When announced for AT&T, the Nokia Lumia 1020 raised a few eyebrows with its $299.99 on-contract pricing. Currently, the carrier offers the device for $199.99 in its retail stores and online. The new, sub-100 price tag will surely put the Windows Phone 8 smartphone in more hands during the holiday shopping season.
You can find out all about the Nokia Lumia 1020 in our extensive review over here.
Xolo to launch a 4G LTE enabled smartphone in India
Xolo, one of the popular smartphone manufacturers in India will soon be coming up with a 4G LTE enabled smartphone, a first of its kind by the manufacturers in the country.
Xolo's first 4G LTE smartphone will be dubbed as LT900 and the device is expected to be formally introduced in the first week of November. We have also received an alleged press render of the upcoming smartphone, which reveals its design and confirms the presence of dual-LED flash.
In addition to the high-speed cellular connectivity, the LT900 will offer a 4.3-inch HD IPS OGS display with a pixel density of 341 ppi.
The Xolo LT900 will be powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor clocked at 1.5 GHz and the device will feature an 8 megapixel BSI sensor at the back.
Unfortunately, we don't have any information on the pricing details of the device. But, we will know more about the smartphone when it goes official.
Special thanks to our tipster!
Bluetooth certification for Nexus 4 with LTE appears
The Nexus 4 officially did not have LTE support, tough people found a way to enable the hidden 4G connectivity. That didn’t work too well, but recently we’ve been seeing rumors that a Nexus 4 LTE is in the works. A Bluetooth certification just confirmed those rumors.
The designs were submitted on October 24 (this Thursday) and were listed on the 25th (Friday). The Design model number is listed as LG-E960 (that’s the model number for the Nexus 4) but the Design description calls the device “LGE LTE Mobile Phone(LG-E960)”.
The listing is linked to the listing for the E960 but also linked to the one LG-D821, which is the model number of the upcoming Nexus 5 (confirmed by a leaked manual).
According to rumors, the Nexus 5 will cost $400 for the base 16GB model, while the Nexus 4 LTE (16GB) will be a cheaper alternative at $300. The current 16GB Nexus 4 is $250.
Thanks to everyone who sent this in!
Motorola Moto X down to $99.99 on contract
Motorola and three of its carrier partners - AT&T, Sprint and US Cellular - are now offering the Moto X for just $99.99 with a 2-year contract. That's exactly $100 lower than the original asking price of the US-assembled smartphone.
US Cellular has an even better offer - the carrier will give you $75 back if you opt to open a new line and the Moto X will cost you just $24.99.
Meanwhile Verizon is still selling the Moto X for $199.99 with a two-year agreement. All you get there is the option to trade-in an old Motorola from Verizon, for up to $100 credit.
T-Mobile's only option is the SIM-free and unlocked Moto X for $599.99.
You can explore your options on the Motorola's official website. Note that some of these offers are available only through Motorola's online shop and not through the carrier's dedicated Moto X pages (as it is the case with AT&T's model).
Now that the price of the Moto X has dropped to a more reasonable level, would you consider getting one?