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It was speculated that Huawei would be unveiling its new flagship P9 at the MWC last week but that didn’t happen. Perhaps Huawei wasn’t ready with its device yet or is saving it for a solo event later on. Last weel, some rumours emerged that the P9 would sport a metal frame and a dual camera setup. Now, we have some leaked images of said metal frame that reveal a few more details.
The alleged P9 metal frame confirms that the device will sport a dual camera setup at the back and also reveals a USB Type-C port as well. You can also notice a cutout for a fingerprint scanner on the back.
Meanwhile, some leaked renders from a few days ago showed us that the handset features a 2.5D curved screen on the front. The bezels look pretty thin on the front while the power button and volume controls fall to the right side. The renders also show possible color options for the P9 in gold, white, pink and gray.
On the specs front, the P9 is likely to come with a Kirin 950 SoC, 4GB of RAM and a 5.2-inch display, none of which have been confirmed yet, of course. Late last month, there were also rumours that the P9 will come in multiple variants. What is expected is that Huawei besides launching its top of the line P9, will also come out with a cheaper P9 Lite, and a phablet the P9 MAX.
The last variant which Huawei plans to bring to the market as a treat for all its fans will be a beefed up variant of the P9, and will come with premium features.
The fourth model is set to offer a display whose size would lie between the P9, and the P9 MAX, with QHD resolution output. It will also feature additional RAM and storage. The fourth variant on top of this will feature an improved camera: a dual lens, dual (12 MP) sensor configuration described as a second-generation technology.
Chinese smartphone maker, OPPO, which was recently in the news for its Super fast battery charging tech, and SmartSensor tech that it unveiled at the MWC 2016, is now looking to keep the momentum going by rolling out a new teaser for its upcoming phone the OPPO R9.
This new teaser from OPPO confirms the existence of the previously rumored R9 smartphone which is expected to be a camera-centric device given that the Chinese text in the teaser translates as “This time, it is worth and other ‘9’ point. #OPPO New camera phone R9 #.”
No concrete details about the phone’s specs or any other information is known, but according to what the ever churning rumour mills suggest,
Specs-wise, from what all has been rumored until now, the Oppo R9 will be powered by the mighty Snapdragon 820 SoC and sport a massive 6-inch QHD display. The phone is expected to come with 3GB or 4GB RAM and 64GB of expandable internal memory.
The camera which is to be the centerpiece of the OPPO R9 will feature 21MP rear unit and a 13MP front shooter. Packing in a 3,700 mAh battery, the R9 will run Android 6.0 Marshmallow out-of-the-box.
Yesterday, we heard reports that the upcoming 4-inch iPhone that was being called the iPhone 5se so far, would, in fact, be known simply as the iPhone SE, dropping the ‘5’ in the title. The reason behind this being that Apple did not want the new iPhone to cause confusion for the customers, since we’re already in the sixth generation of iPhones. Today, first live shots of the iPhone SE have surfaced online.
Alleged iPhone SE next to iPhone 6s
The images give us our first look at what the front of the iPhone SE could look like. The differences from the iPhone 6 are very apparent. The 4-inch device clearly brings back the 5th-gen iPhone to mind with a squarish frame, which also confirms that the 3D Touch feature will not be present. You’ll notice the two-element integrated screen (for 3D Touch) is absent in the iPhone SE (marked in yellow cross).
The iPhone SE may not come with 3D Touch but it is likely to include the iPhone 6s’ Live Photos feature that creates a 3-second GIF-like video just before taking a picture. Furthermore, popular Apple insider Ming-Chi Kuo expects the iPhone SE to feature a 12MP rear camera rather than an 8MP module as earlier expected.
Kuo added that the handset will fall between $400 to $500 and will be available in two variants – one with 16GB of internal storage and the other with 64GB. Lastly, the iPhone SE will pack a 1642mAh battery, and will be equipped with Bluetooth 4.2 and Wi-Fi 802.11ac. The iPhone SE along with the 9.7-inch iPad Pro will be unveiled at an event on March 22.
Chinese smartphone maker, Vivo, which is slated to unveil to the world its latest flagship offering, the Xplay 5 with 6Gb of RAM, according to leaks reveal could well be unveiling another smartphone at the launch event on 1st of March. Possibly a ‘lite’ variant of the Xplay 5.
GFXBench shows an unnamed Vivo phone bearing the model number PD1522A being benchmarked on its website.
The PD1522A, comes equipped with the Snapdragon 652 paired with 4GB of RAM.The handset comes with a 5.4-inch QHD display and a 16- megapixel rear camera, and an 8 MP front camera with 128GB of storage, as well as Android 5.1.1 Lollipop on board.
The phone’s specs do pale in comparison to the Vivo XPlay 5, but they still are pretty impressive compared to rest of the market offerings. If prices right, Vivo could have a serious challenger for the market on their hands.
The future of HTC is currently in a very precarious state. Among all the well established mobile brands currently in existence, none of them have had a dry spell as bad as HTC of late. The company has had a series of disappointing launches ever since the launch of the One M9. Both that and the One A9 failed to please its fans.
Of late, we’ve heard a lot about HTC’s upcoming flagship device, the One M10. We’ve seen a lot of renders and heard a lot about its rumoured specifications that have been quite coldly received. One of the reason could be that the One M10’s design language (from what the leaked images tell us) is going to be a lot like the One A9, which was criticised for its apparent iPhone-like design. Secondly, the specifications aren’t too hot, especially coming off the MWC 2016 where the likes of Samsung, LG and Xiaomi blew the audience away with gorgeous phones, next-gen specs and at least one brand new technology, mostly in the camera department.
Vive VR
HTC was present at the MWC as well, but did not unveil its flagship as many had hoped. Instead, the company unveiled some mid-range Desire phones and presented its Vive virtual reality headset. HTC has lately been promoting the Vive VR a lot and everything seems to be about that. It’s understandable that HTC would look to its VR technology to help save a dying company which is why the company has recently stated that it is deeply involved in mobile VR solutions that might end up in future HTC flagship phone.
HTC demoed its Vive VR ecosystem at the MWC and also revealed the pricing which stands at $800 and will go on sale in April. The Vive VR may be a great new product from HTC that is entering a very nascent virtual reality market with only a handful of competitors (think Samsung Gear VR and Oculus Rift). But is its focus on VR potentially hurting its flagship smartphones?
HTC One M10 Render
Last month, HTC CEO, Chairwoman and co-founder Cher Wang said that VR is now more important to the company than smartphones are. But VR technology alone may not help save the company for long. If it needs to survive, it needs to bring out a flagship device that will once again captivate the audience as it once did with the One M7. HTC has stated recently that the One M10 will have a “very, very compelling camera”.
When HTC announced the UltraPixel technology with the One M8, fans were expecting a camera that would deliver some spectacular photographs. But the One M8 failed to deliver. The company went back to the traditional megapixel with the One M9 which again wasn’t well received, not when the market is incredibly tough with the likes of Samsung, LG and Apple.
It is now rumoured that HTC will once again use the UP technology in the One M10. But if the company has managed to learn from its mistakes, the UP technology could be exactly what HTC had intended. The rear camera is rumoured to sport a 12UP module with OIS and autofocus while the front still is unknown.
But “compelling camera” aside, how about a brand new design that at least brings back the BoomSound speakers? We’ll just have to wait and see what HTC plans on revealing in April. This year will indeed be the deciding factor for the future of the company.
The recently unveiled Galaxy S7, and S7 edge are all but ready to break records for Samsung upon launch. First of them being the number of units manufactured in the first three months following its announcement.
According to reports from a Korean media outlet, Samsung is reportedly preparing to manufacturer a total of 17.2 million Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge units by end of April this year. This will break its previous record set by the Galaxy S6 and S6 edge which sold roughly 15.8 million units in its first three months after launch followed by the Galaxy S4 which sold just over 15.2 million units in its initial months.
In what will also come as welcome news for consumers who found it hard to get their hands on the S6 edge in the initial months, the company has reportedly changed its ratio of S7 and S7 edge manufacturing to use a more balanced 6:4 ratio which it predicts will help it meet the demand of the S7 edge devices when they finally hit the markets. Good move Samsung!
We don’t think any phone has received as much hype and speculation regarding the name as much as the upcoming 4-inch iPhone has. in today’s news, it looks like the mini iPhone has undergone another name change. The upcoming 4-inch iPhone will now be called iPhone SE, dropping the number – a first for an iPhone since the first came out back in 2007.
Over the past few months, ever since talks about the 4-inch iPhone began, there have been a lot of names attached to the device. Initially, it was rumoured to be called the iPhone 6c, seeing as how this device comes following the iPhone 6 line and would borrow elements from the iPhone 5c. Soon fter, it got another name change and was called the iPhone 7c, seeing as how it would lead up to the iPhone 7 and might feature some next-gen specifications.
Lately, the name everyone stuck with and was thought to be the final name was the iPhone 5se, which stood for a ‘special edition’ of the iPhone 5s. However, it looks as though Apple may drop the ‘5’ in order to simplify things, since bringing back a ‘5’ variant after the iPhone ‘6’ lineup makes little sense and would only confuse the customers.
From what the rumours so far suggest, the iPhone SE will come equipped with an A9 chip found on the iPhone 6s. It will pack 1GB of RAM and 16GB internal storage, but the most interesting thing about the phone is its 4-inch display and its design which is said to mimick the iPhone 5s except for a few crucial changes like adding some curve around the edges.
Other features include an 8MP camera, always-on “Hey Siri” feature, Live Photos, all taken from the recent iPhone 6s. Pricing strategy of the phone should see us paying over Rs 30000 for the 16GB variant of the phone. The iPhone SE will launch along with a 9.7-inch iPad Pro variant at an event on March 22.
LG India has announced that it will launch the recently unveiled LG G5 in the country in the next quarter. The phone come with a set of innovative modular accessories that add to its functionality.
Speaking about the launch of the device, Mr Amit Gujral, Marketing Head – Mobiles, LG India, said,
We are really happy to see all the positivity around the LG G5 ever since its global unveil at the MWC. In fact, in a survey conducted in Korea the LG G5 topped consumer preference leaving its closest competitors trailing far behind. We hope to make this available to users in India very soon and are optimistic that consumers will love its revolutionary design and features.”
Coming to the phone, the LG G5 sports a 5.3-inch QHD display (1440×2560 pixels) and features an always-on display technology much like the one found on the new range of Galaxy S7 devices. It is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 SoC paired with 4GB of RAM and 32GB of inbuilt storage that can be expanded using a microSD card.
The LG G5 comes packing a 16-megapixel and 8-megapixel rear camera, with the former featuring a 78-degree lens and the other with a 135-degree wide-angle lens. The front of the phone houses an 8-megapixel camera. Other features of the LG G5 include a 2800mAh battery with Quick Charge 3.0.
Connectivity options on the phone include 4G LTE, USB Type-C port compatible with USB 3.0 standard, NFC, Bluetooth 4.2, and Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac. The LG G5 will come running Android 6.0 Marshmallow out of the box and will be available in Silver, Gold, Pink, and Titan colour options.
Vivo, a popular Chinese smartphone brand had earlier announced a March1 launch of the XPlay 5 – the first smartphone to sport a 6GB RAM. It was only a matter of time before leaked images were leaked showing off the design of the phone before the launch event.
Recently, the alleged Vivo Xplay 5 posed for the camera, giving us a glimpse of what the handset may look like when it’s officially available. Live shots reveal a real unit which is a definitive proof of the Vivo XPlay 5’s design.
Details about the specifications are scarce at the moment but from what is known, the XPlay 5 will come with a Snapdragon 820 processor along with 6GB of RAM. As for the rest, it is expected that it will sport a dual curved display, which brings a certain Samsung model to mind. The live image shows a beautiful design of the XPlay 5 with a metal body and the curved sides.
Not much has been revealed about the phone as Vivo has kept it under wraps. The handset is expected sport 6.0-inch QHD with 1440×2560 pixel resolution. Other likely features are a 6MP primary camera on the rear side, 8MP snapper on the front and a massive 4300mAh battery.
HTC has been busy finishing up and polishing its upcoming flagship device, the HTC One M10. So much so that it refused to unveil the device at the MWC along with other heavyweights like the Galaxy S7 and LG G5. This, however, may be an interesting play on HTC’s part in order to see what its competitors brought out first. We can all agree that the MWC saw Samsung, LG and Xiaomi unveiling flagships all with new camera technologies. And it looks like HTC plans on doing the same with the One M10.
According to HTC’s Chief Financial Officer Chialin Chang, the One M10 will offer a “very, very compelling camera experience.” This statement comes following the MWC 2016 that saw some groundbreaking new innovations in camera technology. Chang is confident about the One M10’s camera “after seeing what’s going on in the market.” He further agreed that he experienced other new handsets unveiled at the MWC 2016, including the Samsung Galaxy S7 and the LG G5.
When HTC announced the UltraPixel technology with the One M8, fans were expecting a camera that would deliver some spectacular photographs. But the One M8 failed to deliver. The company went back to the traditional megapixel with the One M9 which again wasn’t well received, not when the market is incredibly tough with the likes of Samsung, LG and Apple.
It is now rumoured that HTC will once again use the UP technology in the One M10. This may be a huge gamble on the part of HTC to back its camera technology. But if the company has managed to learn from its mistakes, the UP technology could be exactly what HTC had intended. The rear camera is rumoured to sport a 12UP module with OIS and autofocus while the front still is unknown. If HTC wants to be a contender in the camera department, knowing that Samsung has upped its camera specs in the Galaxy S7, then nothing short of 5UP for the front and some absolutely spectacular images that compliment a Quad HD AMOLED display will be accepted by fans.
In order to wow the mass, the One M10 will need to come with some truly redefined features and design language. HTC is well aware of the competition now post MWC and will no doubt be busy for the next few weeks until the April launch to tweak and perfect its flagship device.
The iPhone 5se has become one of the most talked about upcoming phones these days, and one of the worst kept secrets of the industry as leaks ranging from design schematics to internal hardware have already leaked on the Internet.
But, that said and done, for the ones who are waiting eagerly for it, the wait has just gotten a bit longer. New reports coming out of South Korea suggests that the phone’s launch has been pushed back a week now, and it will now be unveiled at an Apple even event on 22nd March, 2016.
For the one’s who don’t know, the iPhone 5se will come equipped with an A9 chip found on the iPhone 6s. It will pack 1GB of RAM, but the most interesting thing about the phone is its 4.7-inch display and its design which is said to mimick the iPhone 5s except for a few crucial changes.Pricing strategy of the phone should see us paying over Rs 30000 for the 16GB variant of the phone.
The Mobile World Congress 2016 is at an end now and the 4-day event has seen some incredible new technology with groundbreaking advancements. On the smartphone front, some spectacular flagship devices and other phones were on display with next-gen specifications and technology. Here’s looking at the best new phones with new technology that were unveiled at the MWC this year.
Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge
It was at MWC’s Unpacked event on the 21st of February that saw some of the biggest technological unveilings. The unpacked event saw Samsung unveil its flagship Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge. The next Galaxy devices come promising spectacular design language and next-gen performance and specifications.
The 5.1-inch S7 Super AMOLED display with quad HD resolution. Two SoC configurations are offered – one being the new Exynos 8890 and the other being Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 820. The device comes with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage as well as a MicroSD card slot this time around and the battery is 3000mAh. A fingerprint sensor is housed in the home button.
The S7 Edge comes with a 5.5-inch Super AMOLED display with quad HD resolution. A Snapdragon 820 processor powers the device along with 4GB RAM and 64GB storage and 3600mAh battery pack.
New Technology – The Galaxy S7 brought with it a brand new Dual Pixel technology for its rear camera. The Dual Pixel, essentially, is an improvement or a natural evolution from the Phase-Detection Auto-Focus technology used by many other smartphones. Firstly, Samsung downgraded from 16MP found in the S6 to 12MP in the S7. The decision to do this was to focus more on quality rather than quantity. The 12MP sensor brings 56% bigger individual pixels with1.4um pixels as compared to the S6.
To understand Dual Pixels one needs to first wrap their heads around PDAF. PDAF traditionally uses less than 10% the total number of pixels equipped with focusing photodiodes and uses it strategically in the sensor area to focus on a subject. This requires more time for focusing. Dual Pixel, on the other hand, uses a 100% of the pixels for extremely precise and fast focusing. Using the whole of the pixels also allows more light in.
LG G5
LG G5
Undoubtedly, the award for the most innovative new smartphone has to go to LG for its modular G5 handset. LG went ahead of Samsung at the Unpacked event and quite surely ‘dropped the mike’ on stage with its spectacular G5 flagship. The G5 has a full metal body and comes with impressive specifications but the what sets the phone apart from its competition is the fact that it comes with modular attachments which for now can be utilised to enhance the camera and battery of the phone.
On the specifications front, the LG G5 comes packing a primary 5.3-inch QHD LCD display with 3D Arc Glass on top. It also has a cool Always-on feature that lights up the display for access to important updates. The phone’s construction is full metal unibody and is powered by a Snapdragon 820 chipset, paired with 4GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage, expandable by upto 2TB with microSD cards.
New Technology – Next-gen specifications aside, the G5 is and will be about its modular design. The modular nature of the phone exists for what LG calls ‘G5 and Friends’, that are modular attachments to enhance the camera and battery of the phone.
Most interesting of the lot was the LG Cam Plus module which can be attached to the G5 through the battery slot giving the user “comfortable grip and convenient control of a DSLR” for better imaging and also adds to the battery of the phone taking the capacity up to 4000mAh.
Next is the Hi-Fi Plus with B&O Play module. This is a Hi-Fi DAC audio player which is perfect for audiophiles. It can also play high-definition audio files encoded in 32-bit at 384KHz.
Xiaomi Mi 5
Xiaomi yesterday unveiled its own flagship Mi 5 following Samsung and LG and still managed to impress all. The Mi 5 comes packed with top-of-the-line specifications and a pretty attractive design language with a 3D glass or ceramic back option, all at an impressively low price of RMB 1,999 (approx. Rs 21,000) for the base model.
The device sports a 5.15-inch Full HD IPS display, a 1080p resolution, ultra-bright 16-LED backlighting with 2.5D curved glass on the front and Corning Gorilla Glass 4. It is powered by the Snapdragon 820 chipset and Adreno 530 GPU. No surprises there. It packs 3GB of RAM and up to 32GB of flash storage, while the Pro variant features a 4GB RAM and 128GB flash, however, there is no MicroSD card slot to be seen. Both variants feature a fast LPDDR4 RAM for a snappy user experience.
New Technology – The Mi 5 comes with a 16MP Sony IMX298 sensor with PDAF, DTI image enhancement and a new 4-axis OIS technology. It is in the 4-axis OIS that Xiaomi really delights itself. The rear camera promises to capture great images and videos with superior focus. This holds true thanks to its new OIS technology that uses 4-axis rather than the traditional 2-axis that most other smartphones currently use.
The 4-axis OIS basically gives you more stability under shaky conditions. While traditional 2-axis OIS can work around rotational movements, the 4-axis can handle transversal as well, because shakiness comes in all directions.
The 4-axis OIS technology corrects shake in close shots and can capture accurate movement in distant shots as well. All of this translates into smoother, sharper and blur-free images and videos even in low light. Check out some of these camera shots to know just how well the Mi 5 camera works under various settings.
Cat S60
As big name brands set themselves to launch their latest and greatest phones at the Mobile World Congress 2016, a brand which makes relatively niche products, Cat, stole the limelight with an offering that might not give any of the flagships a run for their money in terms of specs, but lacks behind none in terms of innovation.
The Cat S60 is a 4.7-inch 720p display device powered by Snapdragon 617 with 3GB of RAM and 32GB storage. The phone runs Android 6.0 Marshmallow and offers 4G LTE connectivity. It also comes with a 13MP main camera, 5MP front camera. A massive 3,800mAh battery powers the device.
New Technology – The Cat S60 comes with two very unique features – a FLIR thermal imaging camera and the first waterproof rating to a depth of 5 meters for up to an hour on this rugged phone.
The handset features a military-grade thermal imaging C2 camera module from FLIR. This is the same technology used in the Intel-powered Daqri smart helmet, enabling the Cat S60 to show temperature changes.
The sensor is the smallest of its kind, and can measure surface temperatures from a distance of up to 100ft. It can see through obscurants such as smoke, and is aimed at building professionals, utility workers, and outdoor sport enthusiasts.
2015 saw LG and Google team up to bring a refreshed version of the most popular Nexus phone of all time when they brought to the users the Nexus 5X. The phone came packing upgraded specs over LG’s original Nexus 5, and was available for decent price upon launch.
But regardless of the success that the partnership enjoyed, LG has already come out and declared that it wants out of the arrangement by revealing that it won’t be working with Google for another Nexus phone in 2016.
A spokesperson of South Korean tech company, in a conversation with CNET at MWC, said that LG is looking to take a step back from the Nexus program to “focus on its own brand.” The Spokesperson further added that LG is “totally happy” with the relationship it enjoys with Google its Nexus program, but building a Nexus phone requires a lot of resources that the company thinks would be better spent/utilized in the production of their upcoming phones and other devices.
This move is seen as a step towards LG making a push towards the smart wearables market which so far it has not been able to make a substantial dent in. With the freeing up of resources from the Nexus program LG’s previously recalled smartwatch, the Watch Urbane 2nd Edition LTE looks more probable than ever to be reintroduced to the market in the coming months. LG has also revealed that it has another new smartwatch which will also release in the second half of 2016.
The upcoming 4-inch iPhone 5se from the stables of Apple which is expected to be unveiled at an Apple event in March according to latest reports will look very similar to the iPhone 5S. Schematics revealed courtesy of a case maker hint that the upcoming 5se will be heavily influenced by the design scheme of the iPhone 5s.
The schematics point out that the upcoming product’s dimensions are indistinguishable from the iPhone 5s, meaning that the new device will fit inside of the existing iPhone 5s cases except for a couple of changes to the body of the phone.
These schematics reveal that the sleep/wake/power button has been relocated to the side.This change would be understandable given that Apple made the shift on the 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus in 2014 only.
Sources also reveal the iPhone 5se will also come with a slightly curved display, but it won’t be as curved as the displays found on the iPhone 6s. Besides these particular changes, the iPhone 5se when it comes to externals is essentially an iPhone 5s: a design nearly identical to the 2012 iPhone 5 with metal plates on the back, glass caps on the top and bottom of the back, and a FaceTime camera centered above the front facing speaker.
Coming to the internals of the iPhone 5se, earlier reports have claimed that the new device includes the A9 and M9 chips from the iPhone 6s, an upgraded camera hardware system, and an NFC chip for Apple Pay, and will be avaialble in Rose Gold, Silver, and Space Gray options from the iPhone 5s. The new device will come in 16GB and 64GB storage options and sell for the same prices as the 5s.
At a time when flagships phones from big tech companies are alienating themselves from the majority of the crowd due to their high price, flagship killers, such as the phones from OnePlus have carved out a separate market space for themselves with phones that offer market leading specs but for a fraction of the price of the flagships.
to carry this forward, Chinese smartphone maker, OnePlus plans to bring the new OnePlus 3 to take on the S7s and G5s of the world, and this time, it plans to do things just a bit differently
In an interview with Cnet the company’s CEO Carl Pie revealed plans for the upcoming phone. He revealed that the company will make a renewed push for the US market with the OnePlus 3 and will adopt ore traditional forms of marketing hinting at what could possibly be the ditching of the frustrating invite system.
The same invite system which had made the previous OnePlus devices almost impossible to get your hands on for the starting months when demand for them was at its peak.
If it indeed turns out to be true It would mean the company would have to drastically improve things at the manufacturing side of things because a OnePlus 3 without an invite and the kind of specs we expect at a reasonable price point will disrupt the industry like nothing else.
