Week 46 in review: Galaxy S7 rumors and next-gen chipsets

Samsung's current crown jewel – the Exynos 7420 SoC is definitely at the top of the mobile food chain and has been for a few months now, but by all accounts it is heading toward an imminent and spectacular dethroning, as the next generation of chipsets are coming and they promise to bring a huge leap forward in performance. Huawei's Kirin 950 has all the odds of being first off the starting line inside the Mate 8, but what the industry seems to be truly looking forward are Qualcomm's Snapdragon 820 and Samsung's Exynos 8890. Both got their full specs revealed last week and the latter is even official, so all we have to do now is play the waiting game and hope they appear in devices as soon as possible.


And the wait might not be that long. People are already discussing Samsung's next flagship – the Galaxy S7, which will most-likely host the debut of the Exynos 8890, but also, quite possibly, the Snapdragon 820 in an alternative model. The rumor mill is already flooding with bits about the S7 and it seems this year the Korean giant will host the unveiling even sooner than last year – on February 21. This is surely putting a lot of strain on Samsung, but the OEM also seems to be hard at work on expanding its "A"-series, with the Galaxy A9, as well as alleged new version of the A3 and A5 handsets.
Speaking of upcoming devices, the powerful Huawei P9max was spotted online, allegedly carrying a massive 6.2 inch QHD+ display and a Kirin 950 chip. We also have the next Xiaomi Mi5 flagship to look forward to and the Lenovo Vibe X3.
In other news, Blackberry is expanding its Android effort with the option to sideload its app suit, as well as talks of a new handset – the Vienna.

Qualcomm's Snapdragon 820 chipset finally gets fully revealed

The chip maker has announced all of the details regarding its next-generation high-end SoC.

Samsung Galaxy S7 announcement will be on February 21, rumor says

The much talked about earlier launch for the Korean company's next flagship apparently won't quite happen.

Windows 10 Mobile update schedule for older Lumias leaks

The information allegedly originates at Orange Poland, with the carrier revealing that there will be two different waves of updates.

Samsung Galaxy A3 and Galaxy A5 (2016 Edition) leak in photos

The two smartphones feature a slight redesign to better match their more premium counterparts such as the Galaxy Note5 and Galaxy S6.

Nexus 6P owners reporting shattered glass on the front and back

Glassgate?

Samsung Exynos 8 Octa 8890 is official

Built on a 14nm process, the new chip packs the company’s new custom ARM cores and an integrated Cat.12/13 LTE modem.

Exynos 8890 enters mass production, January unveil for the Galaxy S7 likely

According to another rumor, Samsung will use as many Exynos 8890 chipsets as it will Snapdragon 820 ones for the Galaxy S7.

Firmware leaks point to an early release of the Galaxy S7

A new rumor talks about firmware codes, which means Samsung could have started developing the software for the phone.

TAG Heuer launches Connected, world's first Android Wear-powered luxury watch

The $1,500 intelligent timepiece is inspired by the TAG Heuer Carrera, and has been developed in collaboration with Google and Intel.

Xiaomi Gemini (Mi 5) appears on Geekbench, will use Snapdragon 820

Exceptional single-core result and an average multi-core figure in this early version of Xiaomi's next-gen flagship.

Huawei P9max spotted in AnTuTu: 6.2'' QHD+ screen, Kirin 950 chipset

The screen of the new max may be smaller than the that of the P8max, but sharper and with a 16:10 aspect ratio.

Blackberry Priv apps can now be sideloaded on other Android phones

If you are curious about the new Android-powered Blackberry experience, you can side-load some of the Blackberry apps found on the Priv.

BlackBerry Vienna renders surface - bar form-factor, QWERTY keyboard

Likely an early concept of a future Android-powered BlackBerry, the device returns to the company's design roots.

Yet another Huawei Kirin 950 benchmark surfaces, this time inside the Mate 8

The whopping 89.630 point AnTuTu score is even more impressive than what was showcased during the chip's launch.

Android 5.1.1 OTA is seeding for the Samsung Galaxy E7

After a long wait the Galaxy E7 finally caught up to the E5 and is now getting Lollipop in India

Lenovo teases Vibe X3 ahead of November 16 launch

The Lenovo Vibe X3 is going to sport Qualcomm's Snapdragon 808 chipset and a 5" 1080p screen.

Galaxy A9 receives Bluetooth certification, could launch soon

The upcoming handset has so far only been spotted in various benchmarks as well as an import listing from India.

18.4-inch Samsung Galaxy View tablet now available in the US

Samsung Galaxy View, the company's odd 18.4-inch device to bridge the gap between your regular-sized tablet and your TV, is now available for purchase in the US.

iFixit tear down the iPad Pro to find out what your money goes into

The latest and greatest Cupertino tablet got a reparability score of 3 out of 10, which is not bad in iPad terms.

Windows 10 receives its first big update starting today

Today Microsoft has commenced the rollout for the first big update ever to hit Windows 10. The latest version of the OS brings with it a few new features alongside the usual assortment of bug fixes an...

Apple Watch now available in India

The Apple Watch is finally available in the Indian market, just in time for the Indian festival Diwali when sales are high.

Top 10 trending phones of week 46

This week the hegemony of the Galaxy J series continues another week, the affordable, Super AMOLED group keeps #1 and #2 spots in our charts. It's the Samsung Galaxy J7 and Galaxy J5, of course, these two refuse to budge from their positions. It's the Galaxy J2 that is letting down the family, slipping through the ranks to 6th.
The OnePlus X that catapulted up to second place last week is doing a good job of holding on to its popularity. The first compact phone from OnePlus ends this week in 3rd. It probably helped that it launched in Europe last Friday. we also just happened to publish our own review on Friday.


Interestingly, right behind it is the Samsung Z3, the latest and best Tizen phone. It was announced less than a month ago and is the first Tizen device to make its way to the Top 10 in half a year. Samsung's alt-OS recently surpassed BlackBerry OS for fourth place in the global OS market and has a big lead on other hopefuls.
It's a trio of Galaxys that follows – the Grand Prime, the Galaxy S6 and the Note5. Rounding off the top 10 is the Motorola Moto G (3rd gen), which occasionally bubbles up into the chart, but doesn’t have much staying power.

Samsung Galaxy J7

RANK: 1WAS: 1

specs review

Samsung Galaxy J5

RANK: 2WAS: 3

specs review

OnePlus X

RANK: 3WAS: 2

specs review

Samsung Z3

RANK: 4NEW IN

specs gallery

Sony Xperia Z5

RANK: 5WAS: 7

specs review

Samsung Galaxy J2

RANK: 6WAS: 4

specs gallery

Samsung Galaxy Grand Prime

RANK: 7WAS: 5

specs review

Samsung Galaxy S6

RANK: 8WAS: 8

specs review

Samsung Galaxy Note5

RANK: 9WAS: 6

specs review

Motorola Moto G (3rd gen)

RANK: 10NEW IN

specs review

128GB iPad Pro models ordered now only ship at the end of the month

It looks like Apple managed to somehow underestimate demand for the most expensive versions of its latest tablet, the iPad Pro. This is especially true in the United States, where ordering an iPad Pro with 128GB of storage (either in Wi-Fi-only or 4G LTE-capable iterations) will see you waiting until the end of the month for it to actually be shipped.
The situation is less dire for the 32GB model, which should arrive at your doorstep in 4-5 days, depending on which shipping method you choose (the slower one is free, while the faster one costs $10).


If you want the $949 Wi-Fi-only 128GB iPad Pro or the $1,079 128GB 4G model you need to wait until either November 30 to December 2 (for free shipping) or November 25 to November 30 (if you pay the $10 to expedite things). That's a delay of two to three weeks, so it's no small thing.
Even worse is how long you'll need to wait if you order an Apple Pencil stylus or the Smart Keyboard accessory. Both of these are currently listed by the Apple store as "available to ship" in 4-5 weeks. That's pretty bad if you wanted to use the two essential iPad Pro accessories in Apple's view from the moment you get the tablet.

Sony Xperia Z5 Premium now available in Europe

The Sony Xperia Z5 Premium is now available for purchase across (most of) Europe. The handheld, which pioneers 4K display resolution on a smartphone, has been listed on several of Sony's local websites as well as third-party retailers.
The privilege of owning an Xperia Z5 Premium was never going to come cheap, and the cash you'll need to part with amounts to £629 in the UK or €799 in most other countries. You could buy it for £599.95 SIM-free from major retailer Carphone Warehouse or opt for one of a myriad of installment plans. Over at giffgaff, the Z5 Premium is even a pound cheaper.
Some German retailers will sell you one for up to €10 less than Sony, though most stick to the list price. If having a smartphone with a pixel density north of 800ppi isn’t quite worth €800 to you, you could wait for potential carrier-subsidized deals, of which there are none just yet.


We stumbled upon a "Buy now" link for the Xperia Z5 Premium on Sony’s websites in the UK, Germany, Spain, France, Italy (€829), Greece (an even steeper €899, mind you), and so on, but the list is by no means exhaustive. If you’ve been craving the 4K display goodness for a while (which we are, even though we did have one for a brief hands-on a while back), make sure you check with Sony reps and retailers in your home country. Either way, the floodgates are open.

iPad Pro will be available at T-Mobile starting on November 18

Apple iOS T-Mobile

The iPad Pro went on sale today in a few dozen countries, with shipping set to start in a few days. But what if you want to purchase the huge tablet from a US carrier?

Well, T-Mobile has just announced its plans regarding the iPad Pro. The magenta carrier will have the device available in participating stores as well as online starting on November 18, which is precisely one week from now.

What's more, the iPad Pro will be offered through T-Mobile's Jump On Demand plan, which lets you upgrade to any future iPad of your choice without paying any upgrade fees.

Unfortunately though, T-Mobile has so far stayed mum on the pricing details for the iPad Pro. Hopefully that information will come out soon. Just as a reminder, buying the unlocked 4G LTE-capable model of the iPad Pro from Apple will set you back $1,079. That's probably what T-Mobile's full retail price for it will be too.

Samsung Galaxy S7 announcement will be on February 21, rumor says

Samsung Galaxy S7 announcement will be on February 21, rumor say

Samsung Android Rumors

Will the Samsung Galaxy S7 be unveiled sooner than its predecessor was, as countless rumors have said over the past few weeks? That's one of the big questions in the mobile world today. Yet if we're to go by a new rumor, the answer to it could be both yes and no.

So let's try this again. Will the Galaxy S7 be outed sooner than the S6? Well, yes, but not by much. See, the S6 pair was made official at an event on March 1, 2015, while the S7 (and S7 edge probably) are apparently due to be unveiled on February 21, 2016. So technically yes, it will be an earlier presentation, but only by eight days.

Oh, and the new timing only has to do with the scheduling of the Mobile World Congress, which next year starts on February 22 in Barcelona. This year it started on March 2. See a pattern? Yes, Samsung likes to hold its big event on the eve of MWC, so to speak, which is reportedly just what it will do in 2016 as well.

All of this information is said to come from "a tipster that has been right many times in the past", so perhaps he's right about this one too. Obviously though you shouldn't take this for granted, at least not until Samsung makes the date of its event official.

HTC offers up to 30% discounts in the US, HTC One A9 back to $400

HTC Android Hot deals

Happy holidays, USA, from HTC. Every Tuesday you can get an HTC Holiday Deal that can save you up to 30%. With that deal the HTC One A9 is back to its rightful $400 price point and even One M9 flagship drops to $455. As usual, the rest of the pays full price.

The deal applies a discount on the total price at check out. If you spend $650 (or more, up to $2,000) you get 30% off. For smaller sums you get 20% off if you spend more than $400 and 15% off if you spend more than $200.

So the $500 HTC One A9 becomes a $400 phone and the $650 One M9 goes to $455. The selfie-centric Desire Eye gets discounted to $368. Also, since the discount to the whole order, you can say grab a $180 Desire 626 plus some accessory and get a discount on both.

Microsoft Xbox One with 1TB storage and a new controller spotted at Amazon

Microsoft was working on a surprise for the console lovers but in the mean time Amazon jumped the gun. A listing of Xbox One with 1TB storage and new controller was spotted in the online store.

More storage is always welcome and to sweeten the deal, Halo: The Master Chief collection has also been included. The entire bundle would cost you $400, while a similar bundle with 500GB storage will cost you $350.

At $50 more, the gamers can get 500GB physical storage on the HDD and a new game controller which also has an audio port at the bottom. The standard 3.5mm headphones are compatible with this new controller.

If the audio port will also support headsets with built-in microphone, expect a new bunch of Xbox One controller compatible headphones to show up soon. Right now, the users have the option to buy the Xbox One Stereo Headset Adapter.

The Amazon listing has since been edited, but we do expect it to show up during or after the E3 2015 games convention between June 16-18, 2015 in Los Angeles, US.

Massive hack compromises data of millions of US federal workers

27 cs

Hackers infiltrated the computers of the US Office of Personnel Management – which handles government security clearances and federal employee records – and compromised personal data (like Social Security numbers) of at least 4 million current and former federal employees, the Obama administration revealed yesterday.

The hack – which is said to have started late last year – was first spotted a couple of months back, and was confirmed in the beginning of May. It is believed to have originated from China, although it isn’t yet clear if it was state sponsored.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), in association with other agencies, is investigating the case. “We take all potential threats to public and private sector systems seriously, and will continue to investigate and hold accountable those who pose a threat in cyberspace,” said the agency’s spokesperson.

You can now download and install the PlayStation Android app on almost any smartphone

It is no secret that Sony takes great pride in its gaming console and frankly it should, as, it has the PlayStation to thank for a large chunk of its current revenue. The PlayStation Network has always been an integral part of Sony’s sprawling ecosystem and as such, it has naturally found a home on a lot of Xperia devices in one way or another.

Most-recently the Sony Xperia Z3+ featured a new application for integrating with PSN in a clean and centralized manner. It is dubbed simply “PlayStation Network” and acts like a central hub for all other PS-centric apps, like PlayStation, Remote Play, PS Video and PS Music. It offers little added value in itself, but definitely keeps things tidier.

The APK for the said application has now been made publicly available through the XDA Developers community, so, any device running Android 4.3 Jelly Bean or newer can download it and install it. Be advised, however, that the app itself is more or less a launcher and, as such, doesn’t really give you access to any functionality that you don’t currently have, like Remote Play, for instance. Although there are certain unauthorized hacks available for that as well, if you look around online.

Still, Xperia users might benefit from the new hub. Installing it is absolutely straight-forward and does not require root or any other fiddling with your handset. You can get it at the source link.

iPhone 6s will be released on September 25, rumor claims

Apple hasn't even made iOS 9 official yet, and here we are talking about the launch date of the next iPhone. As you may know, this year Apple is expected to bring us an "s" release, which has so far been rumored to sport a higher-res 12 MP camera and 2GB of RAM, among other improvements.

Yet if you've been anxiously wondering exactly when you'll be able to walk into your friendly neighborhood Apple store and purchase an iPhone 6s, wonder no more. According to a still unconfirmed rumor, the big date to circle in your calendar is September 25.

One thing is clear: it's a Friday, and Apple has traditionally launched its iPhones on Fridays, for what it's worth.

As for pre-orders, those are set to go live exactly one week earlier, on September 18. All of this information is supposedly valid for the UK, but the US release timeline for recent iPhones has always coincided with the dates for across the pond. So these details should also be of use to those in the US.

Of course, all of this is assuming that one rumor so early in the game got it right. The info reportedly comes from a leaked internal communication at Vodafone UK, as the operator is outlining its launch plans for the next iPhone to its employees. That said, the email hasn't been shown, so do keep a pinch of salt nearby for this one.

Interestingly, at this stage Vodafone chose to only refer to the device as the "new iPhone". That could mean the operator doesn't yet know what it will be called (hopefully), or that Apple is going to actually call it the "new iPhone" - a strategy it's tried before for the iPad with disappointing results.

We don't get any sort of confirmation about the launch of a bigger iPhone 6s Plus alongside that "new iPhone", but that may come in time. We're still more than three months away, after all.

Apple Pay may finally be coming to Canada this Fall

During the past few months, Apple has made it abundantly clear that it is ready and more than willing to invest heftily in pushing its new NFC-based payment system. The Cupertino giant has really sets its goals high with Apple Pay and despite some distrust from major retailers, as well as customers in the US, the service has been growing steadily on the home market.

Most of this success, however, can be attributed to Apple's tireless efforts to expand the service, despite numerous reports of security issues and bad user experience. Internationall expansion for Apple Pay is another move Apple has been battling for quite some time and currently, its primary target markets are Canada and China. As some of you might remember, negotiations with Chinese authorities have beenpretty tough and the future is still uncertain for the payment service in the vast market.

A new report by the Wall Street Journal, however, reveals that the Cupertino giant might be pretty close to releasing Apple Pay in neighboring Canada, but there are still some tough points to negotiate. Industry sources have revealed, that Apple is currently in talks with six major Canadian bands - Royal Bank of Canada,Toronto-Dominion Bank,Bank of Nova Scotia,Bank of Montreal,Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce and National Bank of Canada. Between them, they constitute for about 90% of all retail bank accounts, so a potential deal could insure spectacular exposure for the payment service.

This, however, does not mean that Apple Pay is in for some clear sailing in Canada, on the contrary. The aforementioned banking institutions have formed a consortium to address major issues they have with Apple's service. Unsurprisingly, the dispute revolves around pretty much the same aspect that are struggling to pass UnionPay approval in China. For one, Apple Pay hasn't proven to be particularly secure and, although cases of fraud have been few, most banks tend to show a lot of distrust towards the service.

To address this problem, McKinsey & Co has been hired as a consultant to develop a new security protocol for use with Apple Pay in Canada. And, while, this is sure to be costly and time-consuming, Apple has little choice but to comply and wait patiently, especially considering the end-reward. The Canadian market has all the characteristics to be a particularly nourishing environment for the payment service. Apple's market share in the country constitutes a whopping one third of all mobile devices and most local retailers are already equipped with the technology to accept NFC-based payments.

But even if security concerns get straightened out, there is still the question of royalties, which some sources have speculated might be even higher for retailers and banks outside the US. Ultimately, this could mean that transaction made through Apple Pay are significantly more expensive for banks than more-traditional card-based ones. And seeing how "tap-and-go" seamless card payment are already wide-spread in Canada, there is little actual incentive to favor Apple Pay, which might even require users to go through an extra verification step to address all the possible security issues.

But, needless to say, Apple has proven itself to be very persuasive and judging by the vigorous efforts to push Apple Pay, the situation might actually get sorted out sooner than we expect. All we can do is hope that the customer won’t be the one left "paying the bill" in the end.

Microsoft pauses Lumia 520, 525 update due to bricking

Did you update Nokia Lumia 520 or Lumia 525 (including the 526 variant) with the preview Windows 10 build? Then you should hold off on rolling back to Windows Phone 8.1, multiple users report that they bricked their devices doing so with the Windows Phone Recover Tool.

Microsoft has paused the availability of the update while the issue is being investigated. You can join the discussion, the Microsoft team is working with users trying to resolve the issue.

Some users are offering solutions, though it would be best to wait for the official team to resolve the issue. Also note that some users are having similar issues with the Lumia 920.

New leaked renders might showcase the Xperia Z3 Neo

The plot continues to thicken around Sony's long-overdue Xperia Z4 flagship. Rumors about the handset are still plentiful, but despite the vigorous talk of a metal unibody and a fingerprint sensor, recent rumors have thrown a major curve ball into the saga and its name is the Sony Xperia Z3 Neo.

There has been a lot of speculation around the new Neo model, mostly, that it is next in line for a releasein just a few hours on April 20 with the eagerly-anticipated Xperia Z4 postponed once again, or perhaps even indefinitely. Other speculations have stated that what we thought was the Z4 will actually turn out to be the Z3 Neo, with a model number E6553, leaving us to wonder what to think of the sea of recent Z4 leaks.

A new set of leaked internal renders now claim to showcase the Z3 Neo, but at this point, we can’t really be sure what we are looking at. Furthermore, one of them is clearly annotated as "Xperia Z The fourth Generation", perplexing us even further. In any case, the handset in the three pictures is airily similar to the current Xperia Z3, but frankly, that was all but expected. Looking at the renders closely, however, we do detect minor changes, like the absence of a flap on the right side of the device, but generally, the Sony design is all but intact.

Whatever this device may be, we still hope that an unveiling will take place on April 20. Also, we can't really be sure if our previous information concerts the Xperia Z4, Z3 Neo, both or none of them, for that matter, but rumors state the next Sony device will pack a 5.2" screen (either 1080p or QHD). The specs sheet should also include a Snapdragon 810 chipset with 4GB of RAM, the usual 20.7MP camera and the IP68 waterproofing.

What is your take on Sony's current situation and do you have any expectations or prediction as to what is going to happen next? Tell us in the comment section.

BlackBerry Passport now available for $549

Just over a month after brokerage firm Morgan Stanley said that the BlackBerry Passport and Classicaren't selling well, the Canadian company has started selling the unlocked version of the devices at discounted prices on its online store (hit the Source link below).

The Passport, which usually sells for $599, is available for $549, while the $449 Classic can now be bought for $399. In addition, the BlackBerry Q5 and Z30 are also available at reduced rates - $149 and $229, respectively.

Meanwhile, BlackBerry is rumored to be working on a new smartphone, dubbed Oslo. We are yet to find out more about it, though.