Sunday, November 15, 2015

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

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

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

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

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.

Samsung Exynos 8 Octa 8890 is official

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.
OnePlus X

RANK: 3WAS: 2

specs review

Samsung Z3

RANK: 4NEW IN

specs gallery

Sony Xperia Z5

RANK: 5WAS: 7

specs review

Motorola Moto G (3rd gen)

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.

Thursday, November 12, 2015

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

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

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.