Just a week after there were reports that the HTC One M9+ will go on sale in EU in mid-July, the device is now available for purchase in the Netherlands, although not officially.
Dutch online retailer Belsimpel has the silver colour variant of the device in stock, and is selling it for €699, which is around €50 less than the One M9 launch price in Europe.
This comes just a couple of weeks after the handset went on sale in the United States, where Amazon is selling it for $799.
Huawei Ascend Mate2 officially got its long-awaited update to Android Lollipop. The new firmware is now available for manual download and installation.
After the update, the large-screen device with booth Android 5.1 Lollipop with the the latest EMUI 3.1 That’s a pleasant surprise, as it was widely expected that the device will be updated to Android 5.0 instead.
The update is available only for the MT2-L03 version of the phablet. That’s the Qualcomm Snapdragon 400-equipped variant available in the United States.
Earlier this month, the Chinese manufacturer had a test user program running for the new firmware. Instructions for downloading and installing the final update on the Huawei Ascend Mate2 are available at the source link below.
Purported live photos showcasing the metal housing of the upcoming iPhone 6s made the rounds online, courtesy of 9to5Mac. The images have reportedly arrived from a source within Apple’s supply chain.
Rather unsurprisingly, the leaked images reveal that the iPhone 6s will feature the same design as the model it is bound to replace. It is also said to feature similar thickness and width as the outgoing model.
Even the Space Gray color scheme of the leaked housing is the same as the one in the current iPhone 6. However, 9to5Mac points that the final hardware could feature subtle tweaks that include a darker Space Gray option to match the one found in the Apple Watch.
Internally, iPhone 6s will be quite different from the outgoing model. The device will feature different mounting points that will accommodate a brand new logic board.
Contrary to past rumors, iPhone 6s won’t feature a dual-lens camera system. The device’s camera and flash layout will likely be identical to those found in iPhone 6.
Antenna lines will remain present in the upcoming smartphone. The layout of the speaker and the ports will also remain unchanged.
The Cupertino giant’s next flagship smartphone is expected to debut in September. The device has reportedly entered early production already.
It looks like the HTC One M9 isn't the only high-end device sold by Sprint to be receiving the update to Android 5.1 in this period. While HTC's flagship will get the new software tomorrow, the Samsung Galaxy S6 and S6 edge are already in the process of seeing it.
The rollout for them has started today. This comes after T-Mobile was the first US carrier to issue an Android 5.1 Lollipop upgrade to the Galaxy S6 edge. And after that happened, the update went on to become available in other parts of the world too.
For Sprint's handsets, the download is around 568MB in size, as you can see from the screengrabs above. Aside from bumping up the Android version to 5.1, the new software also brings with it the Device Protection feature, along with some unnamed (but obviously useful) stability improvements and bug fixes.
Furthermore, performance should have been enhanced as well, which is always a good thing. After applying the update on your Galaxy S6, it will be on software version G920PVPU2B0F7, while its curved screen touting sibling will list G925PVPU2B0F7 in its About section.
Right on time, Apple has now made iOS 8.4 available to everyone for download. If it hasn't happened already, you should be receiving the relevant update notification on your iOS device in the next few hours.
iOS 8.4's most notable feature is, as you may know, Apple Music. The company's new music streaming service is included in this release. So today also marks the official debut of Apple Music.
You will find the new service inside the redesigned Music app for iOS. Along with this, the latest software release also contains some unnamed improvements to iBooks and bug fixes throughout the OS.
Apple Music should be accessible from more than 100 countries across the globe. It offers a three month long free trial, after which you have to pay $9.99 per month. A $14.99 per month family plan is also available, and this works for up to 6 persons.
It has a few different components to it. First off, you can stream any song you want from Apple's vast collection. But then there's also Beats 1, a live radio station that will be broadcast 24/7 exclusively on Apple Music, with tracks chosen by real people, not algorithms. The same human touch is employed in the "For You" section which has recommendations of playlists and albums to listen to. And finally, Apple's service lets artists directly connect with their fans if they want to.
Samsung is regaining lost ground in the US with the Galaxy S6, according to analysts at Kantar. It helped its parent company restore its position as the top smartphone vendor in the country. The Galaxy S6 is now the third best-selling smartphone in the US after the iPhone and the Galaxy S5.
This comes at a time where iOS is declining slightly, during the three month period that ended in May it's down about 2.4 percentage points compared to the same period last year, while Android and Windows Phone split its share and that of the almost gone "Other" category.
Japan still enjoys the highest concentration of iOS devices, where it and Android basically split the market down the middle. Spain has the fewest iOS users proportionally, under 8% carry an iPhone compared to Android, which has nearly 90% market share.
Even so, iOS is on the rise in Europe while Android is experiencing a similarly-sized downtick in the Top 5 Euro countries. In the US Android leads 2:1, while Windows Phone is barely there. It gets more love in Europe where it grew to nearly 10% market share in the Big 5.
China is a whole different ballgame. The top 3 makers there – Apple, Huawei and Xiaomi – are all within just 0.5% marketshare. Affluent users go for an Apple or a Xiaomi phone, while 39% of Huawei buyers make less than CNY 2,000 ($322/€290).
The Sony Xperia Z4, which was unveiled in Japan back in April and went on sale on June 10, has slipped out of the top five best-selling smartphones ) in the country.
The NTT docomo and au by KDDI variants of the device, which debuted at the number 1 and 2 spots, have slipped down to number 7 and 8, respectively. The top 5 spots are occupied by Apple's iPhones, while the Xperia Z3 Compact is in 6th place.
This shouldn't really come as a surprise, given that almost immediately after the Z4's release, users started complaining about overheating issues. Its international variant, the Xperia Z3+, is also plagued with similar issues. Meanwhile, Sony has promised that it will release an update to fix the problem sometime this summer.
Over a month after Samsung announced that it will soon start manufacturing its Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge flagship smartphones in India, HTC is following suit.
According to an Economic Times report, the Taiwanese company has entered into an agreement with Global Devices Network, which has its own manufacturing and assembling unit in Noida (near capital New Delhi). It's worth mentioning that the latter already produces handsets for local brand Zen.
The report notes that trails have already started at the facility, and commercial-level production will begin by mid-next month. The Taiwanese company will manufacture handsets priced in the range of INR 10,000 ($160) to INR 25,000 ($390).
The news comes just days after there were reports that Sony is also considering manufacturing smartphones in India.
ViaHuawei outed the Honor 7 at a dedicated press event today. It's the company's brand new upper mid-ranger, a hybrid class that has become a thing lately. The Honor 7 is all about metal - its unibody is made out of aluminum alloy and will be offered in silver, gold and dark gray flavors.
Huawei Honor 7 packs a 5.2" 1080p display and runs on the in-house Kirin 935 chipset, which offers four Cortex-A53 cores ticking at 2.2GHz and another four Cortex-A53 at 1.5GHz, Mali-T628 GPU and 3GB of RAM. This sure isn't the fastest chip around, but it should boast enough power to handle 1080p content easily.
The camera of the Honor 7 sounds promising - a 20MP sensor with Phase detection AF, dual-LED dual-tone flash, sapphire protective glass plus an 8MP selfie snapper. Fingerprint scanner is available just below the main camera and it looks a lot like the Mate7's.
Other interesting details include a 3,100 mAh battery, fast charging support and Android 5.0 Lollipop with Emotion 3.1 launcher.
Huawei will be offering the Honor 7 in three versions - single-SIM model with 16GB storage for about $ 320 (CNY 1,999), add another $35 for dual-SIM connectivity (CNY 2,199), and finally the 64GB dual-SIM unit will set you back $400 (CNY 2,499). All these flavors support LTE Cat.6 connectivity and NFC.
The Honor 7 will hit the shelves in China on July 7, while pre-orders open today.
The Meizu MX5 is finally official, putting an end to the endless stream of of rumors.
Meizu has gone with a metal unibody, with only two small plastic inlays running through the back to ensure troubleless radio functionality. The handset measures 149.9mm x 74.7mm x 7.6mm and weighs in at 149g, making it only slightly heavier that the MX4.
The MX5 is equipped with a 5.5-inch super AMOLED display with a Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection. Meizu has preserved the FullHD resolution, so, we can expect good endurance from the 3,150 mAh battery pack. As far as internals go, the MX5 is powered by Mediatek's MT6795T SoC, also known as Helio X10. It is a true octa-core chip with all of its Cortex-A53 cores set at 2.2GHz. The chip also includes a PowerVR G6200 GPU, complemented by 3GB of LPDDR3 RAM. Storage options feature 16GB, 32GB and 64GB, all using eMMC 5.0 chips.
The phone's camera setup includes a 20.7MP main shooter with an aperture of f/2.2, dual-color LED flash and laser-aided focus. It is capable of 4K video recording and can also shoot 100-fps slow-motion videos at 720p. The 6-element lens itself is also covered with Gorilla Glass 3, so you don't have to worry about scratches. The selfie camera has a resolution of 5MP and a brighter f/2.0 aperture for better low-light performance.
Meizu has included a fingerprint sensor, like the one in the MX4 Pro. The mTouch reader has, however, been upgraded and version 2.0 bring a stylish industrial design and improved speed and accuracy. The module has also become more-robust, thanks to a special water-proof silicon coating on the inside and a solid screw fixture, ensuring 300,000 presses. Security has also been improved on a software level. The MX5 has a special TEE security environment, which can't be accessed without a Meizu signature, even if the device is rooted.
As far as connectivity goes, the Meizu MX5 is a dual-SIM phone, with LTE supported on both slots. The phone is also equipped with dual-band 802.11 ac/b/g/n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.1. Available sensors include a Hall Effect sensor, gravity sensor, IR proximity sensor,gyroscope, ambient light sensor and compass. Another notable feature is the new mCharge technology, which can juice the MX5 from zero to 25% in only 10 minutes. Last, but not least, it runs on the company's new Flyme OS 4.5.
The MX5 comes in deep grey, silver, and champagne gold colors, costing CNY 1,800 ($290) for the basic 16GB version. The 32GB version will sell for CNY 1,999 ($322) and the top-of-the-line 64GB one has a price tag of CNY2,399 ($390).
Google has released an updated Android 5.1.1 factory image, carrying build number LMY48G, for the Nexus 7 (2013).
Although no official changelog is available for the update at the moment, it's likely a minor release aimed at fixing some of the issues that were there in the previous builds. While the update is currently only available for the Wi-Fi model of the device, more Nexus devices could get it in the future.
For those who aren't in the know, unlike OTAs (which are usually meant for everyone), factory images are targeted at Android developers and enthusiasts as they are to be applied manually. Head to the Source link below to download the new factory image.
Just two days ago, Verizon announced the soak-test of Android 5.1 for the Motorola Moto X (2nd Gen) in the US and now the update is rolling out.
Some Moto X (2nd Gen) owners on Verizon network have already received the update. The new update brings several tweaks including an important one - Factory Reset Protection.
Once a Google account is set on the Moto X (2nd) then the same login credentials are needed to reset the phone to its factory settings. So lost or stolen devices will remain locked and unauthorized reactivations will be prevented.
New Interruption controls allow managing the missed alarms and will let you reschedule them. Other improvements include new Volume settings panel icons and pull-down controls for Wi-Fi/Bluetooth devices selection.
Source | ViaThe Galaxy A8 is heading our way. We've heart it loud and clear and its really getting to a point where the amount of rumors for the upcoming handset is getting ridiculous. The phablet has appeared in live images, as well as the certification authorities - TENAA and FCC.
And if that wasn't enough to clear the smoke on the A8, today we get to see a lengthy hands-on video with a specs rundown and even a UI and camera demo. Oddly enough, the clip comes courtesy of TENAA. We have little doubt that the certification authority has early access to devices, as it is necessary for it to do its job. Consequently, the issued certificates are often the first trustworthy source for specifications and crude photos of upcoming devices. Yet, actually showing an unannounced phone on video seems a bit too much.
The clip itself, although quite blurry and out of focus for large intervals, leaves little to the imagination. We get a clear view of the Galaxy A8's metal design, which we have come to expect from an A-series device. We also get a good look at the gorgeous 5.7-inch Super AMOLED display and also a sneak peek at the UI and camera.
Better yet, the phones specs are also shown in the clip, which adds yet another level of certainty to what we already knew. The Galaxy A8 measures 157.7mm x 76.7mm x 5.9mm, which makes it the thinnest Samsung smartphone to date. The display seems to be identical to the one in the Galaxy Note 3 - sporting FullHD resolution and 386ppi density. Powering the device is Qualcomm's popular mid-range chip - the Snapdragon 615. It is by no means beastly, but is perfectly capable with four Cortex A53 cores, clocked at 1.7 GHz and another four at 1.0 GHz. The chipset comes equipped with an Adreno 405 GPU and CAT4 LTE connectivity.
Memory is set at 2GB and 16GB for onboard storage. Thankfully, there is also a microSD card slot for adding extra space. The camera setup is comprised of a 16MP main shooter and a 5MP selfie one. The physical home button is also equipped a fingerprint sensor, as was previously rumored, although here it is referred to as a "biometric authentication system". The whole thing is powered by a 3050 mAh battery and boots Android 5.1.1 Lollipop with Samsung's own TouchWiz on top.
The only thing really missing in the Galaxy A8 picture is a release date and a price tag. But, judging by the elevated interest in the phablet, both should come along shortly.
Xiaomi’s Redmi Note 4G phablet has received a price cut in India and it is being sold for INR 2,000 ($31) less than the usual price.
#7999RedmiNote4G The favourite Redmi Note 4G is now ₹2000 off. Get it now at only ₹7,999 on http://t.co/osSEXTVk0K http://pic.twitter.com/aBUpFJYwOL
— Mi India (@MiIndiaOfficial) June 30, 2015
The Redmi Note 4G was being sold at INR 9,999 ($157) at Flipkart and Amazon. After the price cut effective today, it will be sold for INR 7,999 ($126) from the Xiaomi’s India website.
Supporting one 4G LTE network SIM, the Redmi Note 4G has 5.5” HD IPS display, Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 SoC, 2GB of RAM, 8GB of expandable storage, 13MP rear snapper, and a 3100 mAh battery.
SourceIf you own a Motorola Droid Turbo and have been wondering when the Android 5.1 Lollipop update will hit your device, here is some good news: the soak test for the update has already begun, and if everything goes well, it will roll out later this week.
This was announced by David Schuster, senior director for software product management at Motorola Mobility, through a Google+ post. Separately, the company's official twitter account also confirmed that the update is coming soon.
Thanks for your patience. We hope you're as excited as we are about #Lollipop - coming to a #DROIDTurbo near you. http://pic.twitter.com/67FHl8WCRc
— Motorola Mobility (@Motorola) June 29, 2015
As you might know by now, Motorola decided to skip the Android 5.0 update for the Droid Turbo and jump straight to Android 5.1. Currently, the smartphone Android 4.4.4 KitKat.
Following the rollout across several regions, AT&T’s version of the selfie-centric HTC Desire Eye will also receive the Android 5.0.2 Lollipop update starting tomorrow.
Great news for HTC Desire Eye AT&T owners! We've just received technical approval for Lollipop update! OTA to start tomorrow!
— Mo Versi (@moversi) June 30, 2015
Mo Versi, VP of product management at HTC USA, shared this detail on Twitter stating that the Lollipop update for Desire Eye has been approved by Google.
Desire Eye owners need to download a 1GB heavy Lollipop update so a Wi-Fi network is best used. The Lollipop update will bring the Sense 6.55 on board and not the new Sense 7 UI. The Material Design makeover and the new notifications settings will still be packed in this massive update though.
SourceThe LG Volt 2 and Tribute 2 smartphones - which are successors to last year's Volt and Tribute - are now available for purchase in the US, where Boost Mobile is selling them for $150 and $100, respectively.
Specs-wise, the Volt 2 is powered by a Snapdragon 410 SoC with a 1.2GHz quad-core processor, and sports a 5-inch IPS display with 720 x 1280 pixels. It comes with 1 GB RAM and 8 GB expandable internal memory, and packs in a 2540 mAh battery.
In terms of camera, the device features an 8MP rear unit and a 5MP front shooter. It offers LTE connectivity and runs Android 5.1 Lollipop out-of-the-box.
On the other hand, the Tribute 2 sports a smaller 4.5-inch IPS screen with 480 x 854 pixels, a 5MP rear and a 1.3 MP front-facing camera, and packs in a smaller 1900 mAh battery. The rest of its specifications are similar to the Volt 2.
In terms of software, both offer features such as Knock Code, Quick Memo+, and Gesture Shot.
Android 5.1 Lollipop for the HTC One M9 owners on the Sprint network will start rolling out beginning tomorrow. This news comes from Mo Versi, VP of product management at HTC USA.
HTC One (M9) Sprint Owners! We have received technical approval on Lollipop OS 5.1 which includes camera improvements. OTA to start on 7/1!
— Mo Versi (@moversi) June 29, 2015
The Android 5.1 Lollipop OTA for HTC One M9 for Sprint has been approved by Google. The new firmware contains a number of improvements for the smartphone, especially in the camera department. Apart from that, it will bring fixes for Wi-Fi performance, security options, notification settings, and more.
HTC dropped its UltraPixel imaging technology and used a a 20MP Toshiba-made camera sensor on the One M9. To find more about its performance, take a look at our HTC One M9 review.
Source | ViaAccording to Reuters, Samsung has plans to launch a number of Tizen smartphones this year. The devices are reportedly going to occupy various price points.
There are no specifics on the specifications of the upcoming Tizen handsets by Samsung. However, past leaks have suggested that the Korean giant has mid-range hardware in the works.
The company’s interest in launching new Tizen products should hardly catch anyone by surprise. Samsung Z1, the company’s sub-$100 Tizen device just crossed the one million sales mark in India. The device achieved the mark for less than six months on the market.
Images and video of Honor 7 by Huawei made the rounds on the web ahead of the device’s launch. The Chinese manufacturer’s high-end smartphone will make its official debut tomorrow, on June 30.
The live images of Honor 7 reveal a body with a premium metal build. The previously teased fingerprint sensor is also evident on the back of the smartphone.
Honor 7 live photos
Rumored specs of the Honor 7 include Huawei’s own 64-bit Kirin 935 chipset with octa-core CPU, 4GB of RAM, and 16 or 64GB of expandable memory. A 5.2” 1080p display, 20MP main camera, 8MP front-facing snapper, and 3,100mAh battery are also on board.
Honor 7 by Huawei boots Android 5.1 Lollipop with EMUI 3.1 user interface. See the device in action below.
Official pricing of the smartphone is yet to be revealed. Past leak suggests that the device will cost $599.
Purported press renders of the unannounced Moto G (2015) made the rounds online. The successor of Motorola Moto G (2014) is expected to make its official debut in the near future.
The images showcase the device in a white color scheme. The fall right in line with the recently leaked live photos and video of the unannounced mid-range smartphone.
Codenamed Osprey, Moto G (2015) will debut with the model number XT1540. Its rumored specs include a Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 SoC, 1GB of RAM, 8GB of expandable memory, 5” 720p display, and 13MP camera. The device will debut with Android 5.1.1 Lollipop on board.
Meizu is ready to launch the MX5 in a Full Metal Jacket style in China tomorrow. In addition to China, the metal-clad device will also debut in India.
As reported earlier, Meizu MX5 features a 5.5” 1080p display and MediaTek Helio X10 MT6795T SoC with octa-core CPU. The rest of its specs include 3GB of RAM, 16GB of expandable storage, 20.7MP rear camera capable of 4K video capture, 5MP front-facing snapper with 1080p recording, and 3,150mAh battery.
The smartphone boots Flyme OS based on Android Lollipop.There is no word on its pricing just yet.
Thanks for the tip, Abhishek!
SourceAlleged details about the specs of the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S6 Plus made the rounds online. Codenamed Project Zero 2, the previously rumored high-end smartphone is expected to debut during IFA in Berlin in September.
Bearing the model number SM-928, Samsung Galaxy S6 Pus is 151mm tall and 73mm wide. The smartphone will likely feature a 5.5” Super AMOLED display..
Samsung Galaxy S6 Plus will reportedly be powered by the hexa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 mobile chipset. The rest of its rumored specs include 32GB of built-in storage,16MP main camera, and 3,000 mAh battery.
Overall, the Galaxy S6 Plus looks set to square off directly against the next large-screen iPhone, which will also debut in September. We will keep an eye out for more details about the device going forward.
OnePlus seemingly can't let go of its past marketing ways. Last year the Chinese company introduced its first handset by drip feeding people information about it in a continuous teaser campaign that lasted for weeks, and now it's doing the exact same thing for the OnePlus 2. That said, this time around we get one teaser every few days about one specific feature of the upcoming phone.
So we've already found out that it will employ the Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 chipset, overheating issues be damned, and that it will be finally made official on July 27 through a VR presentation.
Now it's time to talk about security, it seems. The OnePlus 2 will sport a fingerprint sensor, something that's been featured more and more on high-end Android devices lately. So this isn't a big surprise, but nice to see nevertheless.
OnePlus promises that the part in its next flagship will be "one of the latest and most advanced fingerprint sensors out there". It also claims it will work faster than Apple's Touch ID, which is a bold statement to make.
The company also explains that last year while designing the One, it chose not to use a fingerprint scanner because the technology simply wasn't good enough at the time. Sensors were inaccurate and using one sometimes took more than simply entering a password.
Now though it's found a refined and "lightning quick" part, and it's going to use it in the OnePlus 2. This sensor will let you store up to five fingerprint profiles.
Thanks for the tip, mads!
The Motorola device with the model number XT1585, which is apparently codenamed Kinzie, has been leaked about a month ago when it was said to be on its way to Verizon. Hence, it's definitely going to use Droid branding. Some of its specs were outed back then, but now we have a complete picture thanks to yet another benchmark listing.
This tells us that the phone will feature a 5.5-inch QHD (2,560x1,440) touchscreen, a 20 MP rear camera with 4K video capture, a 5 MP front-facing unit, 3GB of RAM, and 32GB of storage.
It will be powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 810 chipset, which comes with an octa-core CPU in the big.LITTLE configuration - with four high-performance Cortex-A57 cores, and four battery-friendly Cortex-A53 ones. Most of these things were mentioned before, but the screen size is different than the 4.6" previously rumored.
The prototype which was tested ran Android 5.1.1 Lollipop. The phone also has support for NFC, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and GPS. If history repeats itself, expect to see this in stores around October. Based on its specs, it should be the successor to the Droid Turbo from 2014.
The upcoming Microsoft Lumia 940 XL has been rumored for a few months at this point, as the phablet half of the company's two Windows 10-running flagships for the latter part of the year. Complementing it in the software giant's roster will be the smaller Lumia 940.
Today we get a very good idea about what to expect from the Lumia 940 XL in terms of specs, because it's been put through the paces of a benchmark that thankfully lists the most important hardware information in its online database.
And it mostly confirms past mumblings about the device. So, the Lumia 940 XL (model number RM-1100) will sport a 5.7-inch QHD (2,560x1,440) touchscreen, as well as a rear camera featuring a resolution of at least 17 MP - but certainly more, since this benchmark always underrepresents these values. So we assume there will at least be a 20 MP lens in there. It will shoot 4K video.
Moving on, we've got a 5 MP selfie snapper, 16GB of built-in storage, and at least 1.5GB of RAM (but more likely 2GB, again because the benchmark under reports such values). Running the show will be Qualcomm's Snapdragon 810 SoC, which is confirmed by the presence of the Adreno 430 GPU. This will have an octa-core CPU in ARM's big.LITTLE configuration as always.
The Lumia 940 XL is going to be introduced as the first top of the line phablet to run the new mobile version of Windows 10, and it's expected to become official in the next few months. It might have a USB Type-C connector, and even some iris scanning tech on board. Its battery capacity has been rumored to be 3,300 mAh.
Apple caught out Qualcomm with a 64-bit chipset and in its rush to launch one of its own the Snapdragon chipmaker produced a troubled chipset, the Snapdragon 810. It's replacement is coming, the 820, which will go back to custom-designed cores instead of using stock ones from ARM like the S810 and Samsung's Exynos are doing.
The Snapdragon 820 MSM8996 was found in the Geekbench 3 scores database. It ran its four Kryo cores at up to 3GHz and was reportedly built on Samsung's 14nm process, which is the major reason the Exynos 7420 blasts away the Snapdragon 810 even though both use the same CPU design.
Data reported by Geekbench 3, click for full size
Why only four cores when 10-core models are headed to market? Well, this has turned into more of a marketing gimmick, Apple has one of the most powerful chipsets on the market even though they only have two cores. Nvidia's Tegra K1 chipset also uses to very powerful cores.
Qualcomm's custom cores are powerful but have a wide range of frequency scaling (with performance and power usage tied to that), so they can work as either powerful or as low-power cores as needed. Here's the result compared to some recent flagships.
Higher is better
Higher is better
It looks good, especially the single core performance, especially if the chipset runs cool and uses little battery. The multi-core result though is nothing inspiring – Samsung already has it beat and by the time Snapdragon 820 devices are out, the Galaxy Note 5 will probably have come out with an upgraded Exynos.
By the way, the Snapdragon 820 should bring a new Adreno GPU along too – with QHD screens the norm, a good GPU is needed more than a many-core processor. Geekbench doesn’t test graphics though, so we'll have to wait some more.
The Huawei Honor 7 - which has already been the subject of several leaks - will come in two variants differing in both design and specifications, according to the latest report out of China.
As per the report, the low-end version will sport round corners and a metal frame, while the high-end version will have an all metal body. On the specifications front, the former is said to come with 3GB RAM and 16GB internal storage, while the latter will have 4GB RAM and 128GB storage.
The report also notes that both variants will be powered by the latest Kirin chipset (possibly Kirin 940), which is said to come with eight cores: four Cortex A-53 cores, two Cortex A-72 cores, and two Cortex A-57 cores. The devices will sport a 5.2-inch 1080p display, 16MP OIS camera, pack in a 3280mAh battery, and feature fingerprint recognition technology.
As for the pricing, the base model is expected to carry a tag of CNY1,999 or $322. Needless to say, none of this has been officially confirmed by Huawei.
The HTC One M9+ is headed to the Old Continent in Q3, but it will be far from the last high-end HTC device this year. Well-known leaker Evan Blass mentioned earlier the HTC Aero will follow the M9+ and has now dug up some additional info.
The HTC Aero will reportedly join the One ranks in early November, that's a month after the new flagship promised by CEO Cher Wang. Blass describes it as an "intermediate device," so maybe it's not the real flagship but instead a runner up.
HTC Aero tipped for release by Sprint, among other places, in early Nov. Despite being "One" branded, classified as an intermediate device.
— Evan Blass (@evleaks) June 28, 2015
Either way, the device will land on Sprint though it's not clear if it's an exclusive or just a local version of an international device. The carrier-branded launch might explain the one month delay too.
Recently the FTC certified an LTE-packing HTC though that was a GSM device with no CDMA support.
Samsung is rolling out an Android update for the Galaxy Grand Prime Value Edition that brings the OS version to 5.1.1. The smartphone, which in fact hasn't yet been announced officially, was last spotted in a benchmark running Android 5.0.
The update is so far available in Poland and Panama, with the firmware versions labeled G531FXXU1AOF7 and G531MUBU1AOFB respectively. The files weigh in at around 730MB and come with the usual set of security and stability improvements, but also bring changes to the interface in the lockscreen and notification area.
Owners of the original Galaxy Grand Prime were already displeased when word got out that Samsung is launching the new version straight to Lollipop, while their handsets were stuck on 4.4 Kitkat. With the latest update for the Value Edition, the company should expect to receive another blast of angry correspondence.
Sony might soon start manufacturing smartphones in India. Sony India Managing Director Kenichiro Hibi said the company is considering "very seriously" starting a manufacturing facility in India.
The move comes to comply with India's recent 'Make in India' initiative, started by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, that encourages businesses to manufacture goods in India rather than importing them. Off late, several companies have shown interest in starting manufacturing facilities in India, including Foxconn. Samsung already manufactures the Tizen-based Z1 in India, and it seems Sony may be joining them soon.
According to Hibi, "Of course, thanks to Mr Modi's strong initiatives, some how we have to cope with country's direction and strategy. We are in talks as to how we can support country's direction. At this point of time, we do not have any specific comment. We are seriously studying as how can we reply to PM's requirements."
Hibi did not commit on a date and the amount of investment that would go into this, but said it would definitely happen within the next two years.
Samsung has sold over a million units of its Tizen-powered Z1 smartphone till now, a milestone that the company achieved in less than six months of the device's launch, which happened back in January this year.
"It has been better than expectations for us," said Asim Warsi, vice president for marketing, mobile and IT at Samsung India. "It stacks up equal and better with some of its neighbouring models in our portfolio."
The South Korean company is now planning to launch a gold colour variant of the sub-$100 device next month, as well as more affordable smartphones (in $125-$235 range) running its home-grown mobile operating system.
Warsi also revealed that the Tizen Store now has double the number of apps that were there in January, adding that more apps will be added after the Tizen Development Summit, which is scheduled for July 30-31 in India.
This comes over a couple of weeks after there were reports that Samsung has sold over 500,000 units of its Z1 smartphone in India since launch. For those who aren't aware, the device is also available for purchase in Bangladesh.
ViaThe latest version (5.38.2004) of Windows Camera on the Windows 10 Mobile comes with face-tracking technology, allowing it to recognize your face when using the front camera, according to a report published yesterday.
If you aren't in the know, face-tracking technology helps the camera to automatically adjust focus even if the photographer's hands are not steady, or he or she is moving around. It's worth mentioning that the feature is not present in Windows Phone 8.1
In addition, the latest build also features an updated app icon (see image above), a move that is apparently aimed at making the app more recognizable.
Another week went by and it's time to take a quick look back at the most exciting news stories the mobile realm had to offer. The past few days lacked any major device announcements, but rumors and speculations about upcoming handsets filled the void nicely.
The alleged third installment of Motorola's popular affordable Moto G line made an appearance with a few live photos and even a video. The leak captivated mobile fans and was the most-popular scoop of the week. From what we have seen, the new Moto G (2015) shows great promise and could be even more-successful than its two predecessors, if the price remains right.
Among the rumors and speculation, three other devices seemed to stand out. The Galaxy A8 made the rounds at both TENAA and FCC and is getting pretty close to a release.
The Meizu MX5 has also been gathering a lot of attention ahead of its official announcement on June 30.
Then there's the OnePlus 2. The successor to last year's "flagship killer" has been a constant presence in the rumor mill for quite some time now and is certain to be unveiled on July 27. The event also comes with a twist as the OnePlus team has promised "the world's first product launch in VR".
If you think you might have missed something from the busy week, here is a list of what you, our readers, found most interesting in the tech world.
Update: We have updated the post with video footage of the device, which made its way back to YouTube.
New rumors hint that the Samsung won't continue the Galaxy Note Edge trend with the next Note device.
Elephone P9000 will features a high-end MediaTek Helio X20 chipset coupled with 4GB of RAM.
The device is available for purchase on Flipkart without registration from June 22 to June 24.
The US regulatory body's approval for the 5.7-inch phablet follows TENAA certification from a few days ago.
The teaser campaign for OnePlus' next flagship smartphone continues with this information.
Immediately after the original iPad mini was discontinued, images of a bumper case for the mini 4 surfaced.
Earlier this month, there were reports that the company is planning to launch an Android smartphone.
The device will be a Flipkart exclusive, and will be available in white, black and yellow colour variants.
The ambitious Chinese startup will launch the high-end handset at some point in the second half of this year.
Windows 10 may arrive sooner than expected as the current candidate builds "look promising."
The information was revealed by a listing on Indian site Zauba, which tracks the country's import and export.
User-submitted GeekBench 3 screenshots point to a Spreadtrum chipset, performance takes a hit.
Samsung's thinnest smartphone to date comes with a 5.7-inch FullHD display and Snapdragon 615 SoC.
The OS is for development purposes only and as such is incomplete and potentially buggy.
Oppo teases an upcoming Mirror 5 smartphone with diamond-like mirrored rear panel, comes in July.
The information was revealed by LG Hellas and O2 UK on their respective Facebook pages.
The smartphone packs a Mediatek MT6795T SoC and 3GB of RAM, scores sky-high in Geekbench.
Pandawill is selling the 16GB White colour variant of the device for $190 and the Grey model for $195.
It will run Android and will come with 4GB of RAM, a dual-lens rear camera, and Hi-Fi audio.
The device features a set of 1W speakers, and also comes with premium QuadBeat 3 headset.
The new composite material might replace current plastic inserts in Apple's metal-body devices.
The successor of Meizu MX4 will debut in a little over a week, on June 30 in China.
The Chinese smartphone maker has finally revealed when it's going to make the phone official.
Unnamed fixes aside, the update lets you remove Quick Connect and S Finder from the notification bar.