LeEco (formerly known as LeTV) has been making headlines ever since the year began. At CES in January, the company unveiled the first smartphone ever to sport the Snapdragon 820 chipset with the Le Max Pro. The company also set records in India with its Le 1s flash sales. Now, it looks like LeEco is working on the successor to the Le 1s, allegedly called the Le 2.
Some leaked images of an alleged Le 2 smartphone have surfaced online. The images reveal the device from a few angles. We get a good look at the surface, the back and the bottom. Talking about the top, the Le 2 has a pretty large display compared to the body size, and since the company has released phones with almost bezel-less sides, the Le 2 looks to follow the same.
The bottom reveals two speaker grilles on either side of a USB Type-C port. Over to the right you see the volume controls and the power button. The rear panel could be either metal or glass (it’s hard to tell from the images), but some reflection of light on top seems to point towards the later. Meanwhile, the square fingerprint sensor is placed in the middle while the camera module is pushed to the top left.
Rumours so far suggest that the LeEco Le 2 will sport either the Snapdragon 820 or the MediaTek Helio X20 chipset (there will be two variants), along with 4GB of RAM and a 21 MP rear camera. Nothing else is known about the device as yet. LeEco has not confirmed the same and there is no word yet on when the company plans to launch the device.
We all knew that there a lot was riding on HTC to deliver with its upcoming flagship, the HTC 10. It seems that HTC has its hands full a lot more now that Google has returned to it to manufacture the next set of Nexus devices until 2019, at least. According to rumours, HTC has signed a 3-year contract to build Google’s Nexus phones for 3 years. Given that HTC was responsible for the first Nexus device way back in 2010, it’s not an entirely strange decision for Google to come a full circle.
Last year, LG and Huawei were in charge of building the Nexus phones. The LG 5X and Huawei 6P Nexus phones were received with mixed reactions. The devices came with impressive specifications for 2015 but the designing was less inspiring than most other smartphones out there. This could be why HTC is now donning the thinking cap. But is this the right time for HTC?
HTC Nexus One (2010)
We’ve seen that HTC has recently been receiving very underwhelming responses towards its latest devices. The One M9 and One A9 were both criticised for its lack of creativity in terms of design. Meanwhile, the upcoming HTC 10 flagship also seems to be influenced by the One A9 while fans were really hoping for a great new design by the company, more in line with the One M7.
However, Google seems to feel that HTC has what it takes to make great looking devices. The Nexus 5X made by LG came with a very flimsy looking plastic body and didn’t give too much aesthetically. The one made by Huawei, on the other, came with a premium feel to it with a metal unibody though the long, black rear camera bar on top gave it a slight unattractive quality.
Nexus 6P and Nexus 5X
It has been rumoured that Google plans on launching, at least, two Nexus devices this year. While we’re still not sure whether HTC will be in charge for both (Huawei could still be in the game), the company will still be responsible for at least 4-6 Nexus models until 2019.
If we go by rumours and HTC’s design philosophy in the past (which is in a dubious state as of now), we can expect that the upcoming Nexus device will feature 3D Touch functionality, a metal construction, solid build with minimalistic design, and powerful specs. HTC has usually tried to keep things simple when it comes to looks and you can perhaps expect slimmer bezels as compared to the Nexus 5X and 6P. And how about throwing in some BoomSound speakers as well?
HTC has a lot on its plate this year. After launching the HTC 10, the company will shift its focus on the Nexus. Add to this, it also looks like HTC is going to focus on virtual reality a lot more, given that its Vive VR headset is among the best in the nascent VR game. The company is looking at ways to incorporate VR in its flagship which we may get a taste of in the upcoming Nexus device, and you can bet Google is very interested in that as well. After all, Google has the Carboard for it and has been reportedly working on a new virtual reality headset much like the Gear VR.
Google will also likely release an Android VR software along with the VR headset that will look to enhance the VR experience by making the software native to the Android operating system. This will not only help Google’s own VR product but HTC’s as well. From where we see it, the timing for the two company’s could not have been better. We wait and see what HTC and Google have in store for us this.
After skipping the temptation of a more fashionable launch at the Mobile World Congress last month, Huawei, as it stands, has made its mind up to finally unveil to eager fans its flagship phone, the P9 on 6th April at an event in London.
The Chinese company in its press invite for the event has claimed that it will “Change the Way You See the World”. This can be interpreted as an apparent reference to what is much-anticipated camera setup on the upcoming P9 which Huawei has developed in partnership with Leica.
Murmurs suggest that this partnership will see Huawei bring to its fans a 12-MP dual rear camera setup with the phone capable of going head to head with any camera on a phone in the market.
Apart from the camera, the P9 will be a pretty high-end red range regarding other specs. The flagship is being tipped to arrive in three different variants. The entry-level phone will feature a Snapdragon 650 processor, 16GB onboard storage, and 2GB RAM. The other standard variant will run a Kirin 950 SoC, 32GB built-in storage, and 3GB RAM Along with a 5.2-inch display.
The top of the line, P9 Max will come with an 8MP front-facing camera, fingerprint sensor, 64GB built-in memory,4GB RAM, WiFi, 4G LTE, Bluetooth 4.1, and a 3900 mAh battery. The P9 Max will also be equipped with a massive 6-inch Quad HD screen.
For the past few weeks, we’ve been hearing quite a few rumours and have been witness to leaked images of Huawei’s upcoming flagship P9 smartphone. The successor to the P8 will look to create a space between big flagship devices like the Galaxy S7 and the Mi 5. It was earlier rumoured that the Huawei P9 will be launched on March 9, but it seems that the launch date is more in line with popular tipster Evan Blass’s speculated April launch.
Huawei has created a niche audience with its devices. Sure, it may not produce devices that can match the best of Samsung, but it does manage to come with impressive flagships that are more affordable than many others. Last year’s Huawei P8 was well-received thanks to its sleek design language and an impressive camera at 12MP with f/2.0 aperture and OIS that took decent low-light captures.
If one has been paying attention this year, one will notice that flagship devices already launched like Samsung’s Galaxy S7 and Xiaomi’s Mi 5 come with new camera technologies. It seems that 2016 will see phone makers focusing a lot more on camera and other such areas that haven’t seen much development in recent times. And from what we’ve heard so far, Huawei looks to bring out an improved new camera with the P9.
The Huawei P9 is rumoured to feature a dual rear camera setup that will see a pair of 12-megapixel sensors with Leica lenses. Huawei also plans to incorporate some unique photography features in the phone though it’s not exactly clear right now what the plan is.
Images of the flagship posted by Blass also reveal a slim metal design. Huawei has included a fingerprint scanner on the back, a dual cameras setup and USB-C. Now, while the images show a slim frame, one can’t ignore the large bezels at the bottom. In today’s competitive smartphone market where new devices come with a great screen to body ratio, the P9 may just fall short here.
According to Evan Blass, the regular P9 will sport a 5.2-inch 1080p display, an in-house Kirin 950 chip, a 3900mAh battery, 3GB of RAM, 32GB of storage and Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow. The premium model could offer 4GB of RAM and a brand new Kirin 955 chip. These specs at least on paper make for impressive reading and quite frankly this is where Huawei will try to score as many brownie points as possible.
Huawei with the upcoming P9 range of smartphones will come to the ring as a solid competitor to this battle for market supremacy. It has the features, the camera and even the specs, to do well in what will be a close fight, but such is the nature of the battle it will step into that impressive internals might not matter much in defining the P9’s future. What happens next for the P9 might just be defined by the price it retails at which if reports are to be believed should be known in the coming days.
With Samsung and LG having unveiled their flagship devices at the MWC last month, we now turn our attention back to Apple and its much-rumoured iPhone 7. According to recent reports, Apple submitted a patent application published in January which tells us that the Cupertino giant is working on a dual-lens camera setup for the high-end version of the iPhone 7, possibly the iPhone 7 Plus.
iPhone 7 Dual-Lens Concept
According to the patent, the UI of the camera will show a split-screen view, in which one screen will show a wide-angle shot, and the other will be a zoomed in shot of the subject. The patent shows a dual-camera system that consists of one standard wide-angle lens and one telephoto lens to capture zoomed-in photos and videos.
The lenses can be used simultaneously to take separate photos and videos while Apple software merges the images together in unique ways. Using a lens with a large focal length would also mean that the zoomed in shots will not lose detail and will remain crisp and clear.
MacRumors videographer Matt Gonzalez created a video based on the information from the patent to show an animated concept of what the iPhone 7’s dual lens camera could look likeand how best Apple can utilize this feature.
This of course, is merely a speculation and there is no confirmation that the patent will ever see light of day. However, this rumour is among the most possible features that you can expect from the iPhone 7. With smartphone camera becoming one of the most important features today, and phone makers like Samsung introducing next-gen camera technology, Apple will need to up its game and bring something unique to its camera with the iPhone 7 or suffer the consequence.
We have just come off the recent Mobile World Congress where names like Samsung, LG, and Xiaomi unveiled their flagship devices. Those who followed the unveiling closely will have noticed that the one common trait between the three flagship devices – Galaxy S7, LG G5 and Mi 5 – are that they all featured new and improved camera technology.
Apple has been among the top when it comes to having an exceptional camera in its smartphone. The iPhone 6s that was launched in September, 2015, came with a 12MP f/2.2 rear sensor. But Samsung, with the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge, intorduced a new Dual Pixel Technology inside its flagship. Apple has more than enough means to make the above patent a reality. We’ll just have to wait and see how it pans out as we approach closer to September.
Amidst much fanfare, Samsung has launched its top of the line, Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge devices in India today. The flagship phones on which Samsung is resting a lot of hope will hit Indian markets from 17th of March, 2016 for a price of Rs 48,900 for the Galaxy S7 and the Galaxy S7 edge will start retail for Rs 56,900. Pre-bookings for the phones begins from today. Samsung has also announced that it’s throwing in a free Gear VR headset on all pre-bookings. The phones will be available in three color options, Black Onyx, Gold Platinum and Silver Titanium.
Samsung’s latest S series phones come with a promise of great performance and best in market specs all draped in a beautiful metal frame covered by Gorilla Glass 4 at the front and back. Both these phones are an extension of a growing effort by Samsung to bring phones with more than just great internals to the market, as it wants the consumers to “rethink what phones can do”.
The Galaxy S7 comes equipped with a 5.1-inch Super AMOLED Quad HD display(1440 x 2560), while the more premium S7 edge brings to the users a beautiful 5.5-inch curved Quad HD display(1440 x 2560) which effortlessly melts into the phone’s metal frame to create an elegant looking device. Samsung has decided to bump up the battery on the phones, with the S7 getting a 3000mAh battery pack while the S7 edge getting an upgraded 3600mAh battery.
Both the phones share the rest of the specs including the on board Exynos 8890 SoC paired with 4GB of RAM and up to 64GB internal storage. Both the S7 and S7 Edge feature ‘Dual Pixel’ cameras with 12MP f/1.7 aperture rear camera for better low-light photography and a 5MP front which might just see Samsung dominating the camera department this year.
Both the devices also come with an Always-On display which consumes less than 1% power per hour. The phones come with IP68 rating and are dust and water-proof. The phones also come with a liquid cooling setup to keep the S7 and S7 edge cool during those long gaming sessions. The S7 series also brings with it the Vulkan API and a dedicated “Game Launcher” for an unparalleled gaming experience on a mobile device.
Moving over to the design, the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge follow the same design language as their S6 counterparts. The S6 devices of last year were beautifully crafted phones and Samsung made a smart move not to change that. Only the standard 5.1-inch S7 will have a curved edge at the back rather than a flat one seen on in the S6. Samsung hasn’t changed the exteriors too much but has simply refined it. It has added a MicroSD tray, and also reduced the camera bump at the back by 1.25mm in a bid to maintain a sleek profile.
Samsung and LG both unveiled their flagship Galaxy S7 and G5 devices at the MWC last month. Samsung today launched the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge in India at a price of Rs 48,900 and Rs 56,900, respectively. Meanwhile, LG is reportedly going to launch the G5 by the end of July.
Samsung wanted to keep the design language of the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge similar to its S6 counterparts from last year, only adding a MicrosSD card slot, a curved edge at the back on the Galaxy S7, and next-gen specifications. LG went with a radical new modular design with the G5 and packs some serious under the hood specifications.
Samsung’s Galaxy S7 arrived with pretty much the same design language as the S6 only adds a curved edge at the back and a MicroSD and slot. It’s an evolution on its predecessor, adding only what was missing in the S6 and nothing more. That being said, the S7 still doesn’t come with a USB Type-C port, which was highly expected this time around. The metal is made of a stronger alloy than the S6 and the rounded edges give a smoother feel. The S7 comes with slimmer bezels and narrower body.
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 and a bigger 3000mAh battery as compared to its predecessor. A fingerprint sensor is housed in the home button and the phone also features an Always On display and is IP68 certified which means it is dust-proof and water resistant up to 1.5 meters. The S7 does not, however, offer a USB Type-C port but rather sticks with the traditional Micro USB port.
The Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge Plus had incredible cameras that won last year. Both the S7 and S7 Edge employs a ‘Dual Pixel’ image sensor with a 12MP and a large f/1.7 aperture rear camera and a 5MP front. Samsung has boasted of exceptional low-light captures with the Galaxy S7 devices, and it may just dominate the camera department once again this year.
The new sensor allows the device to capture images quickly while ensuring exceptional image quality, regardless of lighting conditions. Samsung has boasted of exceptional low-light captures with the Galaxy S7 devices, and it may just dominate the camera department once again this year. Other camera features include Motion Panorama and Selfie Flash.
The LG G5, on the other hand, comes packing a primary 5.3-inch QHD LCD display with 3D Arc Glass on top. It also comes with an 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 up to 200GB with microSD cards. The device offers a USB Type-C port that allows for faster charging.
When it comes to photography, the phone is equipped with dual cameras at the back. A standard 16-megapixel 78-degree lens and another 8-megapixel 135-degree wide angle lens. The LG G5 features a front-facing 8-megapixel camera too for clicking selfies.
LG has worked hard on the modular design language of the phone. 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 can be utilised to enhance the camera and battery of the phone. Over to the back, you can see the dual camera module and a rounded fingerprint sensor below it.
Some early AnTuTu benchmark tests show the G5 shattering all records, scoring over the Galaxy S7 by quite a margin. The G5 scores above 130,000 whereas the Galaxy S7 hovers around 110,000 mark.
Check out the spec table for both the devices below to have a better look. Let us know which device is your winner in the comments below.
Specs
Galaxy S7
LG G5
Display
5.1-inch Super AMOLED Quad HD display with Corning Gorilla Glass 5
5.3-inch screen Quad HD IPS display with Corning Gorilla Glass 4
Samsung is all set to launch its much-awaited Galaxy S7 and the Galaxy S7 edge phones for markets in India at a press event in Delhi which will start at 12 in the afternoon on 8th of March,2016. Going into 2016, India remains an important market for the South Korean tech giant, and as such a lot is riding on the duo of flagship phones whose pricing for India will be announced tomorrow.
The Galaxy S series devices which are the best that Samsung has to offer brings to its fans this year the S7 and S7 edge smartphones that are high on specs and look beautiful when it comes to design. Both the phones share under-the-hood specs such as the on board Snapdragon 820/Exynos 8890 SoC paired with 4GB of RAM and up to 64GB internal storage but differ when it comes to the display size which goes up from 5.1-inch QHD present on the S7 to 5.5-inch QHD found on the S7 edge. The latter also comes packing a 3600mAh battery, while the former is equipped with a 3000mAh pack.
Watch the live stream of the launch event for India here.
We’re only a day away from the launch of Samsung’s newest flagship Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge smartphones in India. The devices were unveiled at the MWC last month and will finally make its way to Indian markets tomorrow. As we gear up for the launch and keep our wallets ready, here are some things that you need to know about the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge.
Galaxy S6 vs S7: What’s Changed?
2015 was a spectacular year for Samsung. The Korean giant launched the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge smartphones that redefined what a premium smartphone should look and feel like. The Galaxy S6 was praised for its brilliant design language that brought together glass and metal to form a beautiful piece of machinery. Add to this, the S6 came with top-of-the-line specifications including a brilliant camera sensor.
With so much that was done right with the Galaxy S6, it’s not surprising that Samsung decided to stick to the same design language with the successor, Galaxy S7. The new flagship retains the looks, adds a MicroSD card slot, and packs next-gen specifications. But what the S7 also adds is a curved edge at the back that exquisitely blends into the metal frame and gives a great looking shape as well as improves the grip.
Meanwhile, the Galaxy S6 Edge took things to the next level with a curved dual edge display along with a 5.1-inch screen that brought a brand new aesthetics. The S7 Edge features the same dual edge design but on a bigger 5.5-inch form factor and comes with a QHD Super AMOLED display with a pixel density of 534 ppi compared to the 5.1-inch QHD 577 ppi screen that we saw on the S6 Edge.
The phone also comes with more rounded edges which combined with the rounded edges at the back provides for a far better grip to the user. Samsung claims it has made the camera nearly level in the S7 Edge which carries forward the premium glass and metal design scheme of the S6 Edge while incorporating IP68 waterproofing and dust resistance capabilities.
Seeing as how the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge are the new flagship devices, it was expected to come with improved specifications. Samsung did well to listen to its fans, improving in areas where it failed with the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge. One of the biggest concerns regarding last year’s flagships, especially the Galaxy S6 Edge, was the battery. The Galaxy S6 packed a 2550mAh battery while the S6 Edge had a measly 2600mAh battery pack.
The Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge, on the other hand, come with larger batteries which are a sigh of relief for Samsung fans all over. The Galaxy S7 packs a 3000mAh battery while the ‘edge’ version features a huge 3600mAh battery which is a 1000mAh bump compared to the Galaxy S6 Edge.
Galaxy S6 – 2550mAh
Galaxy S7 – 3000mAh
Galaxy S6 Edge – 2600mAh
Galaxy S7 Edge – 3600mAh
Improved Camera with Dual Pixel Technology
Among the bumped up specs inside the new Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge, one new technology that grabbed everyone’s attention at the MWC was the new Dual Pixel technology employed in the 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.
The S7 comes with a wider f/1.7 aperture (the S6 had a f/1.9 aperture) that allows for a lot more light to come in, 25% more to be more accurate. This results in great low-light captures that are sharp and colourful. Much like the human eye, the Dual Pixel technology sends light from the lens to two image sensors separately to adjust the focus.
Price
Sources close to iGyaan have revealed the pricing details of the upcoming set of phones which will start retailing in the country at Rs 55,000 for the regular Galaxy S7, while the more premium Galaxy S7 Edge with a curved display and bigger battery will hit stores with a price tag of Rs 64,000 in Indian markets. Meanwhile, the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge were launched in April last year priced at Rs 49,900 and Rs 58,900, respectively. Availability of the devices will be known at the launch tomorrow.
Battery woes have slowly, but surely, become the Achilles heel of power hungry smartphones of today. For all the great powers that these mini computers possess, none of it is of any good if they run out of juice, and then take ages to charge again, crippling your productivity.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOeaaRalAOo
iTron, a Kickstarter project, which proudly calls itself “the world’s fastest recharging portable battery” promises to save the day for all power hungry smartphones around the world, with the speed of the Flash. The hardware here is a geek’s delight that sees a portable charger/dock that employs proprietary technology to charge the 9000mAh iTron in 18 just minutes.
To put things in perspective, it can store enough power in its kitty to charge an iPhone 6(1800mAh) on the go in just about three odd minutes. The iTron comes with 3 USB ports to charge multiple devices at a time, and also comes with fast charging support for QC 2.0 compatible phones. Additionally, the iTron promises to be good for at least 1000 recharge cycles and is claimed to have been made with safety in mind as it comes with eight protection mechanisms.
The project is in its last stage of funding, and the product is expected to be up for sale starting May 2016 for a price of around $150( Approx Rs 10,000).
One of the biggest names in drone manufacturing, DJI, has taken the veil off the Phantom 4, and it brings with it a host of cool features to make it a consumer favorite. The China-based company already controls 70% of the drone market, and with this new autonomous drone that will retail for $1399(Approx Rs 95,000) DJI only expects its market position to grow only stronger.
The Phantom 4 houses within its body 4 new sensors that allow it to detect objects up to 50 feet away, and makes it capable of being aware of its surroundings and avoid crashes by stopping before impact. The DJI Phantom 4 can also be programmed to stick to a particular path without input from the pilot.
New modes such as the “Tap Fly” provides the user with the functionality to send destination directions to the drone by tapping on the live view display. Another amazing feature added to the Phantom 4 is “Active Track.” Using this feature, the pilot can touch on a target upon which the drone will recognize the person or object and track it in flight using the camera automatically.
The Phantom 4 also comes with an improved design which helps it go faster without the rotors getting in the shot and a sport mode that allows the drone to move at faster speeds.
With the Phantom 4, DJI has tried to create a drone that learns from its predecessors and comes to the market as a product which with the use of its computerized vision software and onboard sensors tries to minimize the chance of human error from the equation. The Phantom 4 can essentially pilot itself, rather than being dependent on the user for every single action and hence makes for a brilliant choice if you’re looking to get yourself a new drone.
This year, we’ve already seen some brand new smartphone launches that are ready to take the crown for 2016. Most flagship devices that you will see this year will feature Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon 820 chipset. Meanwhile, Apple launched the iPhone 6s late last year with the A9 chipset. Consumers are already spoilt for choice with the number of new, beautifully crafted smartphones but what they really want to know is which chipset takes the cake when it comes to performance.
AnTuTu updated its list of Top-10 performance smartphone chips and it appears that the Snapdragon 820 chip beats all, taking first spot in both performance and GPU tests. The Snapdragon 820 scores 136,383, which is close to 4000 higher than that of Apple A9, while Samsung’s Exynos 8890 chip comes in at third with 129,865. Note that these scores are based on averages and actual running results will be different.
Qualcomm Snapdragon 820-powered smartphones include Samsung Galaxy S7, LeEco Max Pro, Xiaomi Mi5, LG G5, Sony Xperia X Performance, among others.
In GPU performance as well, the Snapdragon 820 chipset rules the lot, scoring an impressive 55098 which is miles ahead of Apple A9’s 39104. The Exynos 8890, again, comes in at third with a score of 37545. Over the past few years, smartphone makers have been paying a lot of importance to GPU performance. After all, mobile gaming is a huge market of its own and has slowly become an important aspect when consumers consider purchasing a smartphone.
The Snapdragon 820 chip currently has the highest-performing GPU (Adreno 530). While Apple’s A9 (PowerVR GT7600) and Samsung’s Exynos 8890 (Mali-T880 MP12) battle for the second place, HiSilicon Kirin 950 (Mali-T880 MP4) doesn’t fare too well and stays low alongside Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 (Adreno418) and Snapdragon 652 (Adreno510).
It’s also important to note that the GPU directly relates to screen resolution. Since most phones these days offer 1080p, and 2K resolution, it requires a powerful GPU to allow users to get the most experience out of their smartphone’s display. But GPU and CPU alone aren’t enough to tell you about how a smartphone will perform.
In hand use is the best way to judge what the phone offers the user. Apple may have scored low with the A9 chip, but it still gives a terrific performance. Similarly, the Exynos 8890 also performs impressively, which is probably why Samsung may launch both it and Snapdragon 820 variants in the Indian market when the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge launch tomorrow.
The HTC One M10 now belongs to the list of worst kept tech secrets. The phone has been leaked and rendered all over the internet. A press render of the next HTC One flagship has been leaked by Venture Beat’s Evan Blass aka @eveleaks
This all happened right after @onleaks started a leaking spree of the actual handset and Antutu benchmark scores that pin the device at 109,936 points on the famous benchmark app. This all leaked along with the following information : 5.15″ QHD / SD820 / Adreno 530 / 4GB RAM / 12MP / USB Type-C. Which means that HTC might finally be on the right track as far as specs are concerned, and we also see a home button fingerprint scanner like last year. Now let us hope that HTC gets the pricing right and makes 2016 a year for recovery and not its demise.
Just as the day unfolds, Samsung India has confirmed the launch of its two new flagships the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge in the country on 8th of March. Rumors that pointed us to a launch prior to 10th of March were clearly on track.
The Korean giant rests its year-long launches on the powerful flagships it launches each year beginning. The Samsung Galaxy S6, the Galaxy S6 Edge, and Galaxy S6 Edge Plus paved the way for Samsung in 2015, and the company wants to start quickly with the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge.
Price wise it seems that the corporation may have to deal with many a grunt when the phones, which now offer expandable storage, may be launched close to the Rs. 60k price bracket. (let the kidney jokes begin).
It is also expected that Samsung India may launch both the Exynos and Snapdragon variants in India, in an attempt to woo customers that have in the past complained that the Korean Electronics manufacturer launches crippled handsets in the country.
In the meanwhile, you can watch our hands-on video.
Flash back five years and Bitcoin, the crypto-currency that so tantalized techies and excited investors were on the rise, but it is a completely different state of affairs today for this digital currency of the future. Its core community is at war with each other and ordinary consumers still don’t care about this supposedly revolutionary form of money.
Now making things more difficult for Bitcoin, the currency is facing a new issue which could spell doom for its existence. As of now, time taken for Bitcoin transactions to be processed has increased dramatically resulting in funds being stranded, and organizations are not accepting transactions in the cryptocurrency.
The current problem is not something that has hit the community out of the blue, as many within the community who use or work on the currency have been pointing out this looming issue for some time. The problem relates to how transactions are processed on the Bitcoin system, the decentralized, distributed ledger technology that manages transactions of the currency.
Bitcoin’s design which is capable of processing at best only seven transactions per second hit its capacity limit, leading to a backlog of stranded transactions being built up. Currently, there were about 20,000 Bitcoin transactions waiting to be processed.
The Bitcoin currency transaction design is as such that many of these transactions will go faster than other, depending on how much the transaction is deemed worth of in monetary terms. Transactions on Bitcoin can be put ahead in a que by adding a fee to the Bitcoin transaction, essentially meaning that those who didn’t pay such a fee or a sufficiently big fee may have to wait hours and in the current situation days for a transaction to complete.
Bitcoin’s overall capacity has hence become a major problem for its existence. Stopgap measures to increase the capacity have been suggested and implementation of it might hardly be months away, but will only delay the inevitable.If things have to be fixed, then the voices coming from the user community needs to be heard and a radical rethink of the currency’s design needs to be looked at.
