Category: Hardware News

Latest news from the World of Hardware

Huawei’s New Nexus Smartphone with Snapdragon 820 Could Launch in 2016

We all know that the new Snapdragon 820 chipset is the new big, bad chipset that will make its way into a number of flagship devices in 2016. The new and more powerful chipset has already been confirmed for upcoming devices like the Mi 5 and some Galaxy S7 variants. Now, news around the tech block is that the next Huawei-made Nexus device will feature the next-gen Qualcomm chipset.

Huawei Nexus 6P

As you may know, this year’s Nexus 6P is the first to be manufactured by Huawei, and the device, which has been well received by many, featured a Snapdragon 810 chipset. Apart from the fact that the next flagship Nexus device should sport a Snapdragon 820 chipset, nothing much is known at the moment. It is also likely that the next device will be metal-made (like the Nexus 6P).

We’ll know more about devices that will sport the new chipset early next year.

December 12, 2015
Apple Rumoured to be Working on a Customised GPU

After working on its own own processors since the iPhone 5 (Apple A6 chip) and 64-bit CPU, Apple is now rumoured to be working on a customised GPU. The company is exploring in-house solutions for coprocessors and sensors.

In order to get rid of its dependency on PowerVR graphic units, Apple has been working on a proprietary GPU for a while now.

The company’s Korean counterpart, Samsung, is also developing similar tech. Samsung is expected to reveal its first in-house processors and Exynos 8 chipset in the Galaxy S7 early next year.

Even if everything goes smoothly, we cannot expect to see Apple’s new custom-GPU in iPhone 7 in 2016. It’ll probably be a few years before Apple is ready to take this leap. Let’s see how these plans pan out for the company.

December 11, 2015
Samsung Unveils Updated Galaxy A7, A5 and A3 Devices with Metal Bodies

Samsung is back with its updated A-series of devices. The Korean giant unveiled its mid-range Galaxy A7, A5 and A3 devices, which feature OIS and fingerprint sensor.

The updated devices will come with a bunch of new features and specs.The A7 sports a 5.5-inch AMOLED screen with 1920 x 1080p resolution and a 1.6 GHz octa-core processor, 3GB of RAM and 16GB internal storage and 3,300mAh Fast Charging battery.

On the camera front, the A7 features a 13MP primary camera with f/1.9 aperture and OIS. The front camera also features an f/1.9 aperture.

The A5 upgrades to 5.2-inch AMOLED screen with 1080p resolution. 2GB RAM and 16GB storage, octa-core processor and bumps the battery to 2,900mAh as well, 13MP primary camera with OIS and a 5MP front.

Finally, the smallest of the lot, the Galaxy A3, comes with a 4.7-inch AMOLED screen and 720p resolution. The device also features 1.5GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage. The A3 is the only device among the three that won’t feature a fingerprint scanner.

The device also bumps up the rear camera to 13MP with a 5MP front, with both having f/1.9 apertures (no OIS here, though). Follow this space for more on Samsung’s A-series launch. Follow this space for more on Samsung’s A-series launch.

December 3, 2015
Sony Unlocks Seventh PS4 Core, Gives it an Edge Over Xbox One

The tussle between PlayStation 4 and Xbox One for the title of ‘ultimate gaming console’ has been gong on for a while now, with no clear winner. Now, some new reports have suggested that Sony has quietly released an SDK that will boost Sony’s position over Xbox One in terms of graphics.

Apparently, out of the eight Jaguar cores that is found in the PlayStation 4, two had been reserved for the operating system and other vital console tasks. Now, if the reports are true, then Sony has opened up one more core to developers to work on more graphically detailed games.

In a similar move, Microsoft released an update for Xbox One last year unlocking more GPU bandwidth and another of the system’s cores, giving developers access to the event core. However, the loss of the seventh core meant that Microsoft had to sacrifice certain Kinetic performance like voice commands – a feature that was quite popular with the system.

Now, while tests reveal that the Xbox is slightly faster than the PS4, the latter dominates in frame rates and higher resolution graphics. Sony’s console features a 1.84 teraflop GPU, while Microsoft’s is 1.31 teraflops. With the event core unlocked by Sony, the GPU increases by 0.13, which can be used by developers if they so choose.

PS4 users won’t see major changes soon, and it will take a while before developers begin work on more graphically advanced games. Sony has managed to sell more hits of the PS4 than Microsoft has with the Xbox One. One of the reasons behind this is Sony’s decision to slash the price of the console around the world. We’ll have to wait for a weeks before we get a clear picture on Sony’s rumoured update.

December 1, 2015
Snapdragon 820 Single-Core Benchmark Score May Mean Good Times for Xiaomi Mi5

We all know by now that the Snapdragon 820 processor is the next big thing by Qualcomm, and it will be seen in many of the major flagship devices set to come out next year. We also know that Xiaomi’s Mi5 will be among the first devices to sport the newest chipset.

Earlier, single-core score of the Snapdragon 820 was placed at 2162, which was quite underwhelming give that the latest A9 chipset from Apple has a score close to 2500. However, a new score of 2300 points was revealed by a popular leakster. Though it is still not on par with Apple, it is still a better score and keeps hopes alive for better performing devices next year. In fact, the new score was achieved with the upcoming Mi5.

It seems that 2016 will see a face-off between Snapdragon 820 and Exynos 8890. Earlier today, we mentioned that the Exynos 8890 had a record score on AnTuTu with the Samsung Galaxy S7. January will see the first set of phones to arrive with the new processors including the Mi5 and (perhaps) Galaxy S7.

November 30, 2015
Huawei Mate 8 with 6-Inch Display is Now Official

Just a couple of days ago, leaked renders of Huawei’s new Mate 8 smartphone emerged online that showed what the device will look like. The Mate 8 is now official and the device does indeed confirm the renders.

The official specs also confirm earlier rumours. The Mate 8 sports a 6-inch 1080p touchscreen display and will be powered by Huawei’s new Kirin 950 chipset and an ARM Mali-T880 GPU. Furthermore, the handset will be available in 3GB and 4GB of RAM with 32GB and 64GB and 128GB storage variants. The Mate 8 has a large 4,000 mAh battery and will run on Android 6.0 Marshmallow.

The Kirin 950 chipset comes with four high-power Cortex-A72 cores, clocked at up to 2.3 GHz and an additional four power-saving Cortex-A53 ones, working at 1.8 GHz. There’s also an i5 coprocessor that “supports speech recognition, low-power consumption MP3, all the functions of a sensor hub, fused location provider (FLP) navigation, and reduces location-based power consumption,” the company said in a press release.

The Mate 8 is made of aluminium with a 2.5D curved diamond cut glass, and features a fingerprint sensor on the back. The 16MP primary camera uses Sony’s latest IMX298 sensor. The device also sports an 8MP front camera.

The handset is priced at $480, $590, and $700 for the 3GB/32GB, 4GB/64GB, and 4GB/128GB variants, respectively. The Mate 8 will be available in Champagne Gold, Moonlight Silver, Space Gray, and Mocha Brown colour options.

November 27, 2015
Honor 5X Plus Could be Huawei’s New Device Spotted on GFXBench

Huawei is just a few hours away from unveiling the Mate 8 but it looks like the company is already busy working on a brand new device, according to a GFXBench listing. The benchmark listing reveals a new handset, codenamed Huawei ABC-UL00, which is believed to be a new Honor device, the Honor 5X Plus.

According to the listing, this mysterious device sports a 5.2-inch (1080×1920) touchscreen display with a 5 finger gesture support, powered by a 2.2GHz octal-core processor with Kirin 935 SoC and ARM Mali-T624 GPU. The device will apparently feature 3GB of RAM and 64GB internal storage.

On the camera front, this device will sport a 13MP primary snapper and 8MP front. The device will come with standard connectivity features that include Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, also GPS and NFC.

The presumed Huawei Honor 5X could be the answer to the recently announced Xiaomi Redmi Note 3. However, we’ll only be able to confirm that once official details are out. Till then, follow this space for more on Huawei’s upcoming launch.

Source

November 26, 2015
Huawei Mate 8 Leaked in Renders

Huawei is working on a new Mate device, which will be the successor to last year’s Ascend Mate7. Some leaked images of the Mate 8 have now emerged out of China which pretty much confirm what the device will look like. It’s not much of a surprise that the images reveal a similar design to the Mate7 with differences mainly in the rounded fingerprint sensor and camera at the back.

Rumours suggest that Huawei will hold an event for the Mate 8 on the 26th of November. The images reveal a metal body and three colour variants: grey, gold, and copper. The renders also show that the fingerprint sensor will be just below the camera, and two speaker grilles on either sides of the USB port on the bottom of the phone.

From what we know so far, the Mate 8 will sport a 6-inch 1080p touchscreen display and will be powered by Huawei’s new Kirin 950 chipset and an ARM Mali-T880 GPU. Furthermore, the handset will be available in 3GB and 4GB of RAM with 32GB and 64GB of storage, respectively. The Mate 8 will run on 4,100 mAh battery and Android 6.0 Marshmallow, though nothing has been confirmed just yet.

November 25, 2015

Xiaomi Launches the Redmi Note 3 with Fingerprint Sensor

Xiaomi held an event today at China National Convention Center in Beijing where it launched a slew of new devices, among which is the Redmi Note 3. Early rumours pegged the device’s name as the Note 2 Pro, but now the name has been confirmed as the Note 3.

The Redmi Note 3, as earlier leaked images suggested, indeed has a full-metal body and a fingerprint sensor at the back, which makes it the first Mi phone to do so. The Note 3 sports a 5.5-inch full HD Sunlight Display, a 64-bit octa-core MediaTek Helio X10 processor (Cortex-A53) coupled with 2GB/ 3GB of RAM. On the camera front, the Redmi Note 3 features a 13MP primary with face detection, auto-focus and two-tone flash, and a 5MP front. The device is available in 16GB and 32GB storage variants.

The Redmi Note 3 with 2GB RAM and 16GB storage is priced at CNY 899 (approximately Rs. 9,500) and another with 3GB RAM and 32GB storage at CNY 1,099 (approximately Rs. 11,500). No word yet on the Indian pricing or launch date. Have a look at the specs below.

Specification	Xiaomi Redmi Note 3
Display	5.5-inch full HD screen
Resolution	1920×1080 pixels
Weight	164gms
Chipset	Mediatek Helio X10
CPU	2GHz 64-bit octa-core processor
GPU
RAM	2GB/ 3GB
Front Camera	5MP
Rear Camera	13MP with LED flash, phase-detection autofocus
Storage	16GB/ 32GB
Expandability
Battery	4000 mAh
Operating System	Android 5.1.1
Price	CNY 899 (16GB)/ CNY 1,099 (32GB)

November 24, 2015

Xiaomi Smartwatch Rumored to be Unveiled on 24th November

Xiaomi is holding a big event on Tuesday, November 24 where the company plans on unveiling a few new products that include the Redmi Note 2 Pro and an Android Wear smartwatch. Yes, rumours have pretty much been confirmed that Xiaomi will showcase its very first smartwatch this Tuesday.

Popular Chinese tipster Leaksfly said that Xiaomi will pull the wraps off the Mi smartwatch on 24 November. Although not much is known yet about the internal hardware of the Xiaomi Mi smartwatch, it is all but confirmed that the watch is expected to run on Google’s Android Wear OS. Earlier in the month, Xiaomi launched a new fitness tracker, called the Mi Band 1S series.

Xiaomi Mi Bands

Meanwhile, Xiaomi is also planning to unveil the Redmi Note Pro 2 (which may well be called Note 3 based on a teaser) at said event. The device will sport a metal build and a fingerprint sensor. The specs are similar to the Note 2 with a 5.5-inch screen, 1080×1920 resolution, MediaTek MT6795 chipset and a true octal-core 2GHz CPU. There is 2GB/3GB RAM inside and 16GB of internal storage, a 13MP primary camera and a 5MP front.

We’ll bring you more details on all the devices unveiled at the event on November 24.

November 23, 2015
iPhone 7 to be Waterproof and Have 3GB of RAM

There’s still about 10 months left before Apple comes out with its next flagship devices, and yet there have been tons of rumours and speculations already in the air about every little detail related to the iPhone 7.

Research company TrendForce has revealed some more dirt on the iPhone 7. Apparently, the highlights of the next generation of iPhones will be a 3GB RAM and waterproof design. These are supposed to be the defining new features of the iPhone 7, though as usual, you should take these rumours with a grain of salt. Furthermore, it seems like only the iPhone 7 Plus variant will get the bumped up RAM.

TrendForce also reiterates what many sources have speculated that a 4-inch iPhone is in the offing and will see an early 2016 release, while the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus will be unveiled sometime during the second half of 2016.

Lastly, while Apple will likely beat its own sales performance next year with an estimated 260 million units, the Cupertino giant, however, might not manage to take the smartphone sales crown from Samsung, which is expected to sell around 310 million units next year.

Source

November 21, 2015
OnePlus X is Now Available in the U.S and Canada

The OnePlus X smartphone was launched last month in many countries. Now, the mid-range smartphone makes its way to the U.S and Canada. The OnePlus X is available for order starting today. But as is always the case with OnePlus, the latest device will only be available via invite system.

OnePlus continues to stick to its much-maligned invite system, so those who’ve managed to get the invite will be the only ones excited about the launch of the device. Others will just have to fish for an invite elsewhere.

The OnePlus X sports a 5-inch AMOLED display (1920×1080), with a primary camera of 13 MP and a 8 MP front. The device runs on a 2.1 GHz Snapdragon 801 chipset. It features a 3 GB RAM with 16 GB internal storage and is expandable up to 128 via MicroSD card slot. The phone includes an alert slider, like the one found on OnePlus 2. The OnePlus X weighs around 138 gm for the Onyx variant and a heavier 160 gm for the Ceramic variant.

November 20, 2015
The Pepsi Phone P1s with 5.5-Inch Display is Now Official in China

Remember a few weeks ago when we mentioned that Pepsi might be launching a smartphone of its own? Well, as bizzare as that may have sounded, the rumours were true. Pepsi has officially launched the Pepsi Phone P1s and it looks decent enough.

A quick look at the specs, then. The P1s sports a 5.5-inch (1080 x 1920 pixels) 2.5D curved glass display. It is powered by an Octa-Core MediaTek MT6592 processor and runs on dido OS based on Android 5.1 (Lollipop). It has a aluminum unibody design and even has a finger print sensor on the back. On the camera front, the device sports a 13MP rear camera and 5MP front.

Pepsi is just licensing its branding, and Shenzhen Scooby Communication Equipment Co., Ltd will manufacture the phone. The standard version of the phone is called P1 and the China Unicom version with FDD-LTE support is called P1s.

Currently the phones are being sold via crowdfunding campaign on jd.com in China. Early bird offer of 499 yuan (Rs. 5170 / US$ 78 approx.) is sold out, but you can still order one at 699 yuan (Rs. 7250 / US$ 110 approx.), which is limited to 1000 orders. The phone comes with a protective cover, a USB cable and charger, and you can choose among Blue, Gold, and Silver colour options. The company aims to reach the goal of 3,000,000 Yuan (US$ 46,9950 approx.) by December 3rd.

November 20, 2015

Micromax Launches the Canvas Xpress 4G in India

Micromax officially launched the Canvas Xpress 4G budget smartphone today in India. The event took place in New Delhi with Vineet Taneja, CEO of Micromax Informatics. Priced at Rs. 6,599, the device goes on sale starting today on Flipkart. Micromax has also collaborated with Airtel to offer bundled ‘Double Data’ offer to its 3G and 4G consumers.

The new Canvas device comes just a few weeks after the launch of the Canvas 5. The main highlight about the Canvas Xpress 4G is the 4G connectivity feature. Micromax is planning to launch more 4G-enabled smartphones under Rs 10,000 seeing that 4G services will expand with Reliance Jio and Vodafone entering the game.

The Micromax Canvas Xpress 4G sports a 5-inch touchscreen display (720x1280p resolution). It is powered by 1GHz quad-core MediaTek MT6735P processor with 2GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage that can be expanded up to 32GB via a microSD card. On the camera front, the Micromax Canvas Xpress 4G features a 8-megapixel primary camera and a 2-megapixel front shooter for selfies.

We’ll have a detailed hand-on with the device shortly. Until then, here’s the spec table of the Canvas Xpress 4G:

Specs	Canvas Xpress 4G
Display	5-inch HD IPS screen
Resolution	720×1280 pixels
Chipset	MediaTek MT6735P
CPU	1.0GHz Quad Core
GPU
RAM	2GB
Front Camera	8MP
Rear Camera	2MP
Storage	16GB
Expandability	Up to 32GB via MicroSD card slot
Battery	2000mAh
Connectivity	Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth V4.0, GPS/AGPS
OS	Android 5.1 Lollipop
Price	Rs. 6,599

November 18, 2015

Apple to Release the iPhone 6c in Mid-2016

There have been a lot of rumours lately surrounding Apple’s upcoming iPhone 7 devices. While majority of the rumours suggest that Apple is working on two versions of the iPhone 7, other rumours also hint at a third device. However, this third device will not be part of the iPhone 7 series but will be a cheaper version of the iPhone 6. Like the iPhone 5c, Apple could come out with an iPhone 6c by mid-2016.

Kevin Wang from IHS has stated that Apple is working on a budget-oriented iPhone 6 handset. This handset will be a smaller version with a 4-inch display and will come with a plastic body similar to the 5c. This rumour also aligns with an earlier report from Ming-Chi Kuo, who has an excellent track record with predicting Apple’s product pipeline. Kuo predicted the 4-inch iPhone would launch in the first half of 2016.

The scaled down version of the iPhone 6 will indeed come with a few missing features. As the device was pegged as a cheaper iPhone 7 variant rather than a 6, what’s for certain is that the 6c will not come with 3D Touch. This makes sense as Apple will still look to push sales of its main flagship devices next year. As usual, these rumours must be taken with a grain of salt. The image above of the iPhone 6c is a concept design released a couple of months ago by 3DFuture.

Source: [tw-button size=”medium” background=”#07ABE2″ color=”” target=”_blank” link=”http://weibo.com/login.php”]Weibo[/tw-button]

November 18, 2015

Category: Hardware News

Specs

Canvas Xpress 4G