OnePlus 3T Review: Proves you don’t need to spend more than £400 on a smartphone

The OnePlus 3 was one of our favourite smartphones released last year, but it was quickly replaced by the identical on the outside, slightly updated on the inside, OnePlus 3T. 

Has the Chinese brand continued its winning streak? Or is the OnePlus 3T too similar to its predecessor to succeed? 

The smartphone has recently received an Android Nougat flavoured updated, so we've updated our review.

One of the best looking smartphones available

OnePlus has never really made a bad looking phone, but the build quality has never been able to match the likes of Samsung and Apple. The OnePlus 3 and 3T change that with their metal unibody design.

The great thing about the design is that it feels premium as well, it's very tactile. It certainly puts OnePlus up there with the likes of HTC, Samsung and Apple.

The OnePlus 3T is a large phone with a 5.5-inch screen. It's exactly the same size as the 3, measuring 152.7 x 74.7mm, but thanks to the small bezel it is nicely balanced in the hand. At only 7.4mm, with a shallow curved back, it feels really thin, which we like.

The AMOLED display itself it vibrant, with Full HD resolution and a pixel density of 401 PPI. Sure, that's not as sharp as the Samsung Galaxy S7's 534 PPI, but it's we're not inspecting it through a magnifying glass.

The curved back and gently tapered edges make it comfortable to hold. The buttons and switches feel reassuringly solid, and it's durable enough for me to shove in a pocket without worrying too much.

Below the screen is a pill-shaped home button with a lightning fast fingerprint sensor and two capacitive keys which can be programmed how you like (we have them as 'back' and 'multitask').

While the OnePlus 3T is a well-designed handset, it does lack the more premium features which Samsung has started to implement, like the glorious Edge display or IPX waterproofing.

How much RAM?!

The OnePlus 3T comes packing a Snapdragon 821 processor, that's an update on its predecessor, which featured the Snapdragon 820. Of course, you won't notice the difference, with the upgrade having a slight positive effect on efficiency, but all you need to know is that this phone is fast, and performance hangups are extremely rare.

Just like the OnePlus 3, the 3T packs a massive 6GB of RAM - that's more than any other flagship out there, including the Samsung Galaxy S7.

Does this mean it's noticeable faster that other flagships? Not really. But it is very fast, and you won't be disappointed by the performance.

I really like the very minimal skin OnePlus has put over Android Nougat. Oxygen is close to stock, with slight improvements over Android O.G which makes navigation and customisation just a little bit easier. Although it's not as good as our favourite HTC 10 Sense UI.

The update to Android Nougat is very welcome, it adds useful UI enhancements, doze on-the-go to prolong battery life, and cosmetic updates which really improve the overall experience. 

Battery life is good, the svelte OnePlus 3T houses a 3400mAh battery. That's good for a day's battery life, and a big improvement over the 3, which only had a 3000mAh battery. But where the OnePlus 3T really comes into its own is with Dash Charge.

Dash Charge is semi-proprietary tech which sees the handset replenish 60-percent of charge in 30 minutes. To do this you need to use the USB-C cable and charging block which comes in the box, otherwise, it'll charge at a normal rate.

That's incredibly useful if you happen to carry the Dash Charger around with you at all times.

The OnePlus 3T has 64GB or 128GB of internal storage, but unfortunately, there's no microSD card slot, so it can't be expanded.

NFC is back after going missing in the OnePlus 2, so now you can use Android Pay.

Say cheese!

The OnePlus 3T features a 16MP camera and it's a really solid performer. It's quick to take pictures and usually does a pretty good job of handling light and colour when in auto mode.

The camera system is packed full of features, including phase detection autofocus, optical image stabilisation, electronic image stabilisation, HDR, HQ mode and dynamic de-noise.

Low light situations are also good, but can't quite match the S7 with its pretty-much-see-in-the-dark capability.

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Sometimes colours can look a little dull, especially if the scene is poorly lit. But on the whole, the images this camera can produce are sharp, detailed, and vibrant.

The camera app itself is simple to use. Auto mode is great, and for more advanced photographers there's also manual controls.

It's the front facing camera which has received a spec bump, now packing 16MP. It's a great performer, nice and sharp, perfect for selfies and probably one of the best we've seen.

Verdict

Even forgetting the price, the OnePlus 3T is a terrific flagship smartphone which can proudly hold its own against the likes of HTC, Samsung, LG and Apple.

OnePlus has nailed that 'premium' feel with the new aluminium unibody, and the performance is right up there with the big dogs.

What's even more impressive is how polished this smartphone feels. Whereas previous generations lacked finesse, the OnePlus 3T, from software, to packaging, to hardware, is fully thought out and realised.

Then comes the price. When the OnePlus 3 originally launched it was just over £300, that made it an absolute steal. It's now £399, and while it's still a great price for what you're getting, it's no longer the steal it once was.

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Source: OnePlus 3T Review: Proves you don't need to spend more than £400 on a smartphone

Symphony brings new flagship device- 'Symphony ZVIII'

Symphony Mobile launched its newest flagship device "Symphony ZVIII". It was unveiled this Friday at Bangabandhu International Convention at the Smartphone Expo.  This smartphone features: 8 megapixel wide angle front camera & 13 megapixel rear camera with dual LED flash, Qualcom Snapdragon 430, 1.4 GHz Octacore 64 bit processor, DDR3 3 GB RAM & 16 GB ROM

Price: 

Tk 13,990/-  

Source: Symphony brings new flagship device- 'Symphony ZVIII'

Lumia 950 & 950 XL Review – Should You Buy a Windows Phone?-Video

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Find out everything you need to know about the 5.2″ Microsoft Lumia 950 and 5.7″ Lumia 950 XL in this full review of these flagship Windows phones.

The Microsoft Lumia 950 and larger 950 XL are best Windows phones you can buy right now. However – while the hardware and specs may be top-of-the-line, the Windows Phone App store still falls behind iOS and Android.

If you're interested in buying either of these phones, would you consider buying it via my Amazon link? Many thanks 🙂Lumia 950: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B017V4OHIS/?tag=techchap-20Lumia 950 XL: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01822N2IO/?tag=techchap-20

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Source: Lumia 950 & 950 XL Review – Should You Buy a Windows Phone?-Video

Huawei P10 Smartphone might feature in Purple & Green Color Versions

The Huawei P10 that has been in the news from last few weeks, now a report suggest that this upcoming flagship device from Huawei will be coming in Green and Purple color variants which will bring more interests to its users. These fancy looking colors were implemented to the Huawei P9 also that was launched last year coming in Blue and Red color variants. The device is expected to be launched at the MWC 2017 and is rumored to come with QHD display.

Other leaks suggest that the handset will sport the latestKirin 960 chipsets while it will also be getting second or third generation Leica camera sensor with RGB and monochrome sensors which will be OIS enabled. It also expected that the handset would be coming with a bigger 5.5-inch display and expected to price more than its predecessor that was priced at €699 for the basic version.

Huawei is set to launch its new device called as Huawei P10 at the upcoming MWC 2017 event. The smartphone maker has started sending invites, and the launch has been scheduled on 26th of February. The new device has been leaking for quite a time now, and this will be added to the P-series. The invites also say, that this handset is going to be the flagship device but nothing is giving about its specs.

There were also rumors that Huawei is planning to launch two devices that include Huawei P10 and P10 Plus. There was also a leaked image of this variant what was touted to come with a curved dual-edge display. It is expected that the handset will feature a dual rear camera as its predecessor P9 and will come out of the box with Android 7.0 Nougat with Huawei's EMUI 5.0 on top.

Further, it is also expected to come with Amazon's Alexa voice assistant and Google services. It will be featuring a 5.5-inch QHD display and will come with 40W fast charge. The mandatory fingerprint scanner will be placed on the rear and will be backed up with 6GB of RAM memory along with Kirin 965 processor. The onboard memory can go up to 256GB, and we can expect it to be priced more than the Huawei P9.

Earlier:The Chinese smartphone manufacturer Huawei has been constantly updating the P series of smartphones every year. The most recent launch was the P9 smartphone in the series, and it indeed turned out to be quite an impressive smartphone. It probably has one of the best smartphone cameras out there in the market today. In case you don't know, the Huawei P9 comes with the Leica branded dual rear camera which takes stunning images and videos. Out of the two one is a monochrome sensor while the other one is an RGB sensor. While we talk about the Huawei P9 smartphone, it is also worth noting that the company indeed has plans to update this next year as well with a smartphone called the Huawei P10.

Talking about the Huawei P10 smartphone, we do have a couple of reports from the past which shows that the company is working on it. However, according to the new rumor, it looks like we will will see some huge development in terms of hardware. The new rumor points towards the fact that the P10 smartphone will come with a curved dual-edge display. Judging by the current trend in the market, smartphones with dual-edge displays are the next big thing and hence it won't be surprising to them follow that trend as well. However, the rumor also has it that the smartphone will also come with wireless charging capabilities.

The Huawei P10 is also said to sport a fingerprint scanner embedded along with the home button at the front of the device instead of the back. This is will a major cosmetic change since pretty much all the Huawei smartphones have had them at the back including the Nexus 6P and the last year's P9, etc. Well, we just have to wait and see what happens here since the last prototype leak also showed a P10 prototype with front facing home button.

On the specs side of things, it looks like we will be seeing a 5.5-inch curved dual-edge display on the front with the resolution of 2560 x 1440 pixels. Under the hood will be an HiSilicon Hi3660 octa-core processor powering the device along with 6GB of RAM. Not much info is available about the camera optics, but we expect to see some more info in near future. If you are interested to know more about the smartphone, then we suggest you stay tuned to PhoneRadar for more details on the same as we will update once we have more info.

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Source: Huawei P10 Smartphone might feature in Purple & Green Color Versions

MWC 2017: Sony may announce five new smartphones

Sony's flagship smartphone among the five is rumoured to feature 4K display and Snapdragon 835 processor.

Sony could be bringing five new smartphones to Mobile World Congress next month, with the flagship device scheduled to sport 4K display and the Snapdragon 835 SoC. According to Review.ge, the smartphone is codenamed Yoshino and will showcase Sony's new imaging technology along with state-of-the-art hardware.

Sony's MWC 2017 event is scheduled to take place on February 27 at 1pm IST, and previous rumours have hinted at two new mid-range smartphones powered by MediaTek SoC, and a successor to the compact Xperia XA smartphone. With Samsung and Xiaomi opting out of MWC 2017, the focus has shifted towards the likes of LG and Moto to bring some new excitement.

The Sony 'Yoshino' reportedly houses a 5.5-inch 4K display with pixel density of nearly 802ppi. Powering the rumoured device is a Snapdragon 835 SoC, which will reportedly be launching first on Samsung's Galaxy S8. The smartphone is set to launch in 4GB and 6GB RAM variants, but the big addition here could be the new IMX400 camera sensor.

Next in the lineup is Sony BlancBright with a 5.5-inch QHD display, and either Snapdragon 835 or 653 SoCs. Alongside this is 4GB of RAM and the same IMX400 camera sensor. Following 'BlancBright' is 'Keyaki', a seemingly mid-range device with a 5.2-inch Full HD display, MediaTek's Helio P20 SoC inside, 4GB RAM, 64GB storage and 23MP/16MP cameras.

The last two devices in the lineup are expected to be the budget offerings codenamed 'Hinoki' and 'Mineo'. The Hinoki is expected to feature a 5-inch HD display, along with MediaTek Helio P20 chipset, 3GB RAM, 32GB storage, and 16MP/8MP front cameras. There is no information on Mineo as yet, but the pricing is expected to be under $350.

Sony has not launched multiple products at a single event, but the company may be looking to shift its focus to budget devices, with such upcoming launches.

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Source: MWC 2017: Sony may announce five new smartphones

Samsung Galaxy S8 Expected To Launch On March 29

Samsung is expected to reveal two models of its next flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S8, on March 29.

According to a report from Evan Blass at VentureBeat, both models of the Galaxy S8 will feature a larger display than Samsung's Galaxy Note phablets due to the edge to edge display, which will see physical navigation buttons replaced with on-screen buttons.

Alongside technical details of the new smartphone, Blass also revealed the first image of the Galaxy S8:

This is the Samsung Galaxy S8, launching March 29 https://t.co/lQZ0K0q2MA pic.twitter.com/dlusRMX4YH

— Evan Blass (@evleaks) January 26, 2017

The smartphones are expected to feature new processors, either the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 or Samsung's Exynos depending on region, which are 11% faster and 20% more energy effecient than the Galaxy S7.

A QHD Super AMOLED display, measuring either 5.8-inch or 6.2-inch, will cover 83% of the front of the smartphone, with an 'edge' that curves downward on the side. Battery capacity remains similar to the Galaxy S7 at 3000mAh for the 5.8-inch and 3500mAh for the 6.2-inch.

Since there is no physical home button, the fingerprint sensor has been moved from the front to the back sitting alongside the rear camera. The 12-megapixel rear camera adds visual search functionality, while the front-facing 8-megapixel camera adds iris-scanning from the Galaxy Note 7.

Samsung is expected to release the Galaxy S8 models worldwide on April 21, with prices set reportedly €100 ($140) higher than the Galaxy S7.

Source: Samsung Galaxy S8 Expected To Launch On March 29

Google can't keep up with demand for its new Pixel phones

Wave7 Research released some estimates just a few days ago (via FierceWireless), after conducting surveys at roughly 50 carrier retail stores. The researcher's data shows that the Pixel represented nearly 10% of all smartphone sales at Verizon in December. That's up from the 8% that the Pixel grabbed in November that Wave7 estimated in a separate report.

While Verizon remains the exclusive carrier partner that is authorized to sell and distribute the Pixel, it's still faring well at other carriers in terms of activations. Customers have to buy the device somewhere else, but can bring the device to other networks. We already know that T-Mobile is setting up Pixel displays at its retail locations, even if the Un-carrier isn't able to sell the device until Verizon's exclusivity runs its course.

As far as problems go, it could be worse

The Verge also notes that according to third-party online inventory trackers, some models have been out of stock at Google's online store since Nov. 30, which was nearly two months ago. The shortages appear to be concentrated on both the larger XL models, as well as those with 128 GB of storage -- that is, the most expensive variants. A Google spokesperson told The Verge:

We're aware about the inventory issues on the Google Store and Verizon. Honestly, demand has exceeded our expectations. We're doing our best to restock on an ongoing basis.

Of course, in the grand scheme of problems to have, demand vastly outstripping supply is as good as it gets. But it is a problem though, especially since most Android users aren't especially loyal to specific brands. The big risk is that a prospective Pixel buyer is unwilling to endure the wait and simply goes with another flagship Android device, of which there are many solid contenders. 

The shortages are a bit peculiar since Google tapped HTC to effectively serve as a contract manufacturer. While HTC has fallen far in the global smartphone market in terms of unit volumes and prominence, the Taiwanese company still has considerable experience shipping high volumes of handsets. Both Google and HTC likely underestimated demand and may need to shift production capacity away from other devices and make more Pixels.

Read the original article on The Motley Fool. Copyright 2017. Follow The Motley Fool on Twitter.

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Source: Google can't keep up with demand for its new Pixel phones

LG G6 leak shows smartphone with a screen that takes up nearly 90 percent of the device

South Korean electronics giant LG is set to release its flagship LG G6 smartphone next month which will feature a display that takes up nearly 90 percent of the device's front surface area, according to a leaked image obtained by CNBC.

The LG G6 is expected to be launched on February 26 at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. LG has sent out invites to journalists and industry professionals for the press conference. A source told CNBC, LG would release the phone in early March in key markets, but no firm date is in place yet.

An image showing the top half of the LG G6 set to be released on February 26 at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. The image was obtained by CNBC.

CNBC understands that the LG G6 will be made with metal and glass and feature a 5.7-inch display, which takes up most of the smartphone reducing the size of the bezel. Smaller bezels appear to be an emerging trend. Last year, Xiaomi unveiled a concept phone called the Mi Mix which had a 91.3 percent screen-to-body ratio, while numerous leaks around the upcoming Samsung S8 appear to show it having a very small bezels.

LG declined to comment on the leak when contacted by CNBC.

The South Korean firm will be hoping to fill the void left by its fiercest rival Samsung at the Mobile World Congress. Samsung usually unveils its flagship device at the trade show, but mobile chief Koh Dong-jin said earlier this week that the S8 would be delayed.

Last year, LG took the wraps off a modular G5 smartphone which allowed users to change parts of the handset, but this didn't take off. LG will find it tough to take market share in what is becoming an increasingly tough smartphone market with Samsung, Huawei and Apple dominating the high-end of the space, and Chinese players like Oppo and Vivo grabbing share in the mid-tier.

"Even if this is one of the best devices at MWC, I don't see it changing the fortunes for LG," Francisco Jeronimo, research director for European mobile devices at IDC, told CNBC by phone.

"What's been difficult for LG is growing the brand awareness that drives the demand from consumers."

Source: LG G6 leak shows smartphone with a screen that takes up nearly 90 percent of the device

Waterproofing options for smartphones in 2017

Following the release of flagship devices such as the iPhone 7 and Samsung Galaxy S7 in 2016, water resistant handsets are now the fastest growing segment in the smartphone industry. But, what does this mean for handset design in 2017?

Let's take a look at recent research from IDC and explain how hydrophobic nano-coating technology can support OEMs when looking to incorporate this increasingly sought after feature.

Consumer Expectations Are Invariably Changing

In 2016, we saw mobile handset design change dramatically. Two of the leading manufacturers, Samsung and Apple, finally incorporated liquid ingress protection into the design of their flagship models and consumer expectations have never been clearer. YouGov also discovered that, when choosing a device, after battery life and shatterproof screens, water resistance was the most important feature influencing consumers decisions.

IDC discovered that liquid damage is now the second most common cause of handset damage, after shattered screens -- accounting for a third of repairs (35 percent). This is not a surprising figure; for the normal every day user, accidental splashes and spills can happen easily, so it is easy to see why water resistance has very quickly become an expected feature on smartphones.

Only One in 13 Manufacturers Protect Against Liquid Damage Despite Demand

Astonishingly, IDC also estimates that over 900,000 smartphones are damaged by liquids every day. For a number so high, why do only 27 out of the 360 manufacturers tracked in the report offer some type of liquid resistance? Improving smartphone resistance to spills, sprinkles and perspiration is clearly one of the key solutions to customer satisfaction.

Consequently, the number of manufacturers offering this resistance needs to rise in-line with consumer demand, and I fully believe 2017 will be the year this happens. To ensure customer satisfaction, loyalty and in turn revenue growth, some level of water resistance needs to be more than just a feature on high-end devices.

Shipments of smartphones that offer some level of protection against water or other liquids rose in the first 6 months of 2016, increasing by 45 percent, while shipments of devices without such resistance declined by 17 percent in the same period. This only confirms what 2017, 2018 and maybe 2019 could have in store for manufacturers who do not incorporate this technology.

Two of the pioneering handset manufacturers that have been offering water resistance as standard have been Motorola and Sony. Now that Samsung and Apple have followed suit on their latest high end devices, the percentage of liquid resistant devices on the market is growing in share year over year, and the next twelve months will be no exception.

The iPhone 7 announcement has had a particularly big impact on the market and we have seen the level of interest and enquiries from other manufacturers looking for water resistant solutions sky-rocket at P2i, as manufacturers recognize that the status quo in the industry has shifted.

What Is the Solution?

Manufacturers need to be weighing up their options sooner rather than later, for how they will approach the future of handset design. Commonly, there are two main categories they can consider to add protection from liquid smartphones today. Most manufacturers are turning to mechanical solutions such as gaskets and seals to offer complete protection. But, issues such as heat retention and the fact that they increase the cost and complexity of handset design mean that mechanical sealing is not necessarily the silver bullet when it comes to liquid protection.

Physical seals and gaskets are great for brand new devices; covers and ports can provide a high level of protection against liquid damage. However, any drop or bend can compromise the seal and thus their ability to maintain the advertised levels of water protection that is delivered. Any covers also need to be intact and closed at all times to prevent liquids or dust getting into the device, so there is no room for forgetfulness.

How About Hydrophobic?

Surface-coating is another option that more and more manufacturers are beginning to take advantage of. When the wetting angle in a test environment is more than 90 degrees, the surface-coating is defined as hydrophobic. Liquids simply roll off the hydrophobic coating, due to the low surface energy a coated device will generate. The coating is basically invisible and it can be applied to any type of device without impacting the electrical circuitry or components such as the speaker or microphone.

Offering hydrophobic nano-coating creates a repellent surface and maintains higher levels of protection when compared to standard coatings. Nano-coating is a more financially viable option compared to physical mechanical seals, enabling mass-scale application and integration with the production cycle, perfect for manufacturers who do not have the resources or the time to deliver a fully tested physical liquid barrier.

This option also keeps costs down for consumers when they buy their new mobile phone, by not significantly increasing the cost of manufacturing a handset. For the trials and tribulations of everyday life, it can withstand the day-to-day accidents that most people experience, caused by rain, condensation, sweat and running water.

Those looking for a much higher level of protection for use in harsher environments and terrains, a ruggedized device is still probably the most sensible option, putting aesthetics and design on the back-burner.

Conclusion

To me, IDC's research demonstrates the huge market opportunity for this type of technology. Motorola handsets already offer a level of water resistance on every device now available in their product line, showing that it can be achieved in a way that is cost effective to both manufacturers and consumers alike.

A relatively inexpensive solution that provides a strong return on investment, with use cases at multiple product price points, hydrophobic nano-coating is the mass market answer to making large segments of the smartphone market water resistant very quickly. From a purely aesthetical point of view, there is now little to differentiate any number of smartphone devices from one another, so features and functionality will increasingly come into focus and water resistance will be an essential part of a smartphone's DNA in 2017.

Ady Moores is Group CEO of liquid repellent nano-coating developer P2i. Having previously served as CFO, Ady supported P2i's fast growth from start-up to substantive, profitable business.

Published under license from ITProPortal.com, a Future plc Publication. All rights reserved.

Source: Waterproofing options for smartphones in 2017

‘Nokia P1’ Powered by ‘Qualcomm Snapdragon 835’ at Staggering Price Starting at $800!

Nokia is making a comeback on the scene this year. And the big news is that Nokia is reportedly going to release at least seven smartphones, including their flagship smartphone, the Nokia P1, which will be powered by the latest mobile processor, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835. This high-end smartphone, however, will cost wannabe owners at least US$800 depending on the variation.

As posted by an IT group called Worket on Russian-based European online social networking services VK.com, "The new Nokia flagship smartphone based on Android will become a model called P1 - is a gadget that is based on the device Sharp Aquos Xx3."

Here are the specifications for the Nokia P1 as exclusively revealed by Worket:

- Qualcomm Snapdragon 835

- 5.3-inch IGZO display with a refresh rate of 1 to 120 Hz, Gorilla Glass 5

- 6GB RAM

- Two variants of storage capacities: 128GB and 256GB

- 22.6 megapixel camera, identical to that of Sharp Aquos Xx3 (ZEISS optics certified a Carl Zeiss)

- Battery 3500mAh with Quick Charge;

- Ultrasonic fingerprint scanner on the right smartphone end;

- Pre-installed with the latest Android OS 7 .0 (Nougat)

Finnish company HMD Global Oy (HMD), which secured its exclusive Nokia brand licensing rights late last year, is expected to release two versions of Nokia P1, not only based on the storage capacity, but each smartphone will have a physical distinction that separates one from the other.

First, the smaller 128GB version is going to have a glass enclosure with a metal frame. On the other hand, the 256GB variation is reportedly made of a 'ceramic' package. Nokia P1 is also expected to get the protection of standards IP55 / IP57!

The only concern about the Nokia P1 is the price. The smaller 128GB version is reportedly around $800, while the 256GB is up to $950. Nokia's flagship smartphone is reportedly going to be formally unveiled at MWC 2017. Welcome back, Nokia.

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© 2016 iSports Times All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.

Source: 'Nokia P1' Powered by 'Qualcomm Snapdragon 835' at Staggering Price Starting at $800!

Low-Priced Smartphones With High-End Features

If you're holding your breath for the iPhone 8 or the next flagship phone from Samsung, you might want to take a gander at the new, low-priced smartphones from Asus, Huawei, and other little-guy companies.

These phones and others being launched in 2017 cost $400 or less. Yet they serve up high-end technology, including wireless and rapid charging, ultrasharp displays, dual cameras, advanced virtual-reality experiences, and almost immortal batteries. You could pay more than twice that much for equivalent technology from the biggest brands. (There are some downsides to these low-priced smartphones—some have skimpy internal storage, for instance.) 

With this kind of competition from low-priced smartphones, how long can Apple and Samsung get away with $900 models? That depends, according to Jitesh Ubrani, a senior research analyst for mobile technology at technology consultant IDC. "When it comes to their flagships, I doubt we'll see any price reductions in the future," he says.

But, Ubrani says, Android vendors such as Samsung face a lot of price pressure because users can easily switch brands without losing access to the Google ecosystem they already use. This means that in the future they might offer additional inexpensive models alongside their top-end phones.

iPhone users could be out of luck. "Apple continues to remain in a category of their own as their brand remains strong and fans remain loyal," Ubrani says. 

Consumer Reports will test these low-priced smartphones as they roll out in coming months before we can determine whether they live up to their promises. But if these devices perform as well as their makers claim, 2017 could be the best year ever to get cutting-edge technology at an affordable price.

Source: Low-Priced Smartphones With High-End Features

Samsung Galaxy S8 Smartphone rumoured to be launched late April starting at $849, can be unveiled on March 29th

The South Korean Giant is expected to unveil its upcoming flagship Galaxy S8 on 29th of March. Earlier it was expected to be unveiled at the MWC 2017 on 26th of February and launch in March. Now Ricciolo has tweeted about this and said, the device is ready to be unveiled at MWC, that is scheduled for next month. It is also said that it will be officially introduced at the Galaxy Unpacked 2017 event on 29th of March. It will be priced at $849 (approx Rs. 57,800) for the basic version.

The successor of the Samsung Galaxy S7 has popped up online, and this is the first leak of the upcoming flagship model Galaxy S8. From the image, we can notice that there isn't any Home button and there isn't any bezel on the side. The glossy looking smartphone might be coming with a metallic finish, but there isn't any information on the legitimacy of the same.

This could well be a photoshopped image of the previous Galaxy devices, but we have to wait till we get an official note from the company. We cannot see the Physical home button and instead there is the Samsung logo in the position. On the top, we can see the camera as well as the speaker grills alongside the sensor.

Earlier we have seen that Qualcomm has announced the upcoming Snapdragon 835 SoC to be built using the advanced Samsung 10nm FinFET process, so we can expect Samsung Galaxy S8 and S Edge to be first smartphones to use this new processor at a clocking speed of 3.0GHz and is also expected to use an upgraded Adreno 540 GPU.

The Galaxy S7 sports a 5.1-inch Quad HD (2560 x 1440 pixels) AMOLED display while the S7 Edge comes with a larger 5.5-inch display with dual Edge display. Under the hood would be the Exynos 8890 or Qualcomm's Snapdragon 820 processor, coupled with 4GB of RAM. There is a microSD card support on the back, which lets you expand up to 200GB.

After the Samsung Note 7 Saga, the South Korean giant will be looking to get back its glory and dominate the smartphone market. It will take extra care about the type of batteries they would use and try to provide the best flagship model for 2017. What do you think about the leaked image of the Galaxy S8? Comment in the section below and stay tuned to PhoneRadar for more news and updates.

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Source: Samsung Galaxy S8 Smartphone rumoured to be launched late April starting at $849, can be unveiled on March 29th

The Upcoming Smartphone Launches in 2017

 

Sanjeev Bhatia, Co-Founder, Onlymobiles.com

January to March is usually the period, where we witness maximum new launches as most MNCs start introducing their flagship models in India – post their Christmas sell. It is very difficult to predict all the anticipated models for the entire year but Q1 of 2017 is looking very promising as of now.

So, let me take thru with most anticipated mobile phones across various price bands.

Source: The Upcoming Smartphone Launches in 2017

ZTE Flagship Drops Anchor At JB

Chinese phonemaker ZTE has given the JB Hi-Fi retail chain an exclusive deal on marketing its new audio-centric flagship smartphone in Australia.

While ZTE is perhaps best known in Australia as a budget manufacturer that supplies Telstra's own-branded devices, the Axon 7 is tackling the high-end smartphone market with what it calls a "flagship audio experience."

The Axon 7 supports Dolby Atmos and Digital Plus surround sound audio, along with "the best audio hardware integrated into a handset so far," according to ZTE. The device integrates two dedicated audio chips that can be found in "high end consumer audio players and professional / broadcast grade recorders," the company said. It also supports Google's Daydream virtual reality.

Alongside the Axon 7, ZTE has also launched the Axon 7 Mini which is said to support Dolby Atmos at a cheaper price, but drops Daydream support and features only a single dedicated audio chip.

The Axon 7 is on sale now at JB HiFi stores for $699. The Axon 7 Mini is priced at $498.

Source: ZTE Flagship Drops Anchor At JB

ZTE Releases Flagship Axon 7 At JB Hi-Fi

ZTE have launched a new flagship smartphone with high-end audio features exclusively at JB Hi-Fi.

While ZTE is perhaps best known in Australia as a budget manufacturer that supplies Telstra's own-branded devices, the Axon 7 is tackling the high-end smartphone market with a "flagship audio experience."

The Axon 7 supports Dolby Atmos and Dolby Digital Plus surround sound audio, along with "the best audio hardware integrated into a handset so far," according to ZTE. The device integrates two dedicated audio chips that can be found in "high end consumer audio players and professional / broadcast grade recorders," the company said.

It also supports Google's Daydream VR, a feature typically found in high-end smartphones like the Moto Z and Google's Pixel.

Alongside the Axon 7, ZTE also launched the Axon 7 Mini. The Mini supports Dolby Atmos at a cheaper price point than the Axon 7, but drops Daydream support and features only a single dedicated audio chip.

Powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 quad-core CPU, the Axon 7 features 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage, with a 5.5-inch 2560×1440 AMOLED display. Meanwhile, the Axon 7 Mini features a Qualcomm Snapdragon 617 octa-core CPU, 3GB of RAM, 32GB of storage and a 5.2-inch 1920×1080 AMOLED display.

The Axon 7 features a 20-megapixel rear camera, while the Axon 7 Mini features a 16-megapixel rear camera. Both smartphones feature an 8-megapixel front-facing camera.

ZTE soft-launched the smartphones in November, selling them directly before an exclusive release at JB Hi-Fi this week.

The Axon 7 is on sale now for $699 and is available in two colours: 'Ion Gold' and 'Quartz Grey'. The Axon 7 Mini is also on sale now for $498 in 'Ion Gold' and 'Platinum Grey'. Both can be purchased exclusively from JB Hi-Fi.

Source: ZTE Releases Flagship Axon 7 At JB Hi-Fi

LG G6 battery safe from overheating claims LG

LG Electronics said it is adopting a new technology and conducting tougher tests to improve the safety of its new flagship smartphone G6 to be unveiled at the Mobile World Congress in February. The have been dropping in hints as to what the consumers expect from the upcoming device.

Its battery, for instance, will be exposed to around 150 degrees Celsius, higher than 130 degrees common in the US and European standard tests, according to LG officials.

Copper heat pipes are normally used in PCs and other big devices to manage heat control.

It lowers the temperature of the application processor inside a smartphone by some 6-10 percent by dispersing heat and helping prevent excessive heat from reaching the battery cell.

The company has also confirmed to a news outlet based in South Korea that it's testing the batteries for the LG G6 at temperatures 15 percent higher than the USA and European standards.

LG will design the G6 with heat pipes, but ensure that the parts that heat up most are kept as far apart as possible so that heat is not concentrated in one area. The battery will also be pierced with sharp objects or even drop heavy objects on it as part of these intensive tests. The accelerated life test is a process of testing in which it is subject to harsh treatment such as repeatedly dropping the phone or exposing it to high voltages, to simulate a lifetime of excess wear and tear and uncover faults and potential failures. In short, with LG G6 fans eager to get a device that is reliable to them, we may be seeing another MIL-STD-810G certified LG phone similar to the V20 released late past year.

Source: LG G6 battery safe from overheating claims LG

Nokia 6 Vs Nokia 8 – What looks more promising Smartphone for 2017

2017 is believed to the year where we are going to see some revolutionary changes in the field of smartphones. We already have some huge expectations from a couple of smartphone manufacturers like Samsung, Apple, etc. and we can't wait to see what they come up with this year. On the other hand, 2017 is also the year where Nokia is making a comeback into the smartphone industry. As a matter of fact, it's hardly been only two weeks in 2017 and we already a new smartphone from Nokia in the market called the Nokia 6.

Nokia 6 is the new player in the mid-ranged smartphone segment which is expected to hit hard in the market. While the smartphone is launched only in China and it is exclusive there, we do have some new reports which claim that a global variant may also launch soon. While we wait for that happen, we have some new rumors which also shows a new Flagship smartphone from Nokia with launch scheduled at MWC 2017. This new smartphone is allegedly called Nokia 8. This alleged new smartphone was first spotted on CES 2017 where Qualcomm used them to demonstrate their new EIS technology on their flagship 835 SoC.

We don't have much info about this new smartphone from Nokia. However, there are a lot of rumors which we can reflect and see what we can expect from Nokia. On that note, let's compare what we have right now to what we can expect from them in future i.e. let's see if you should buy the Nokia 6 smartphone that they launched or should you wait for the Nokia 8 smartphone which is expected to be a flagship offering. This should give you an idea on which of these smartphones is ideal for you in the year 2017. Do make a note here that we don't have any official confirmation on the Nokia 8 smartphone and hence we will reflecting on the rumors and speculations for this comparison.

Design

Nokia 6 has a unibody design which is made out of 6000 series aluminum. For design aspects, Nokia is sticking to the basics here, and it is quite obvious when you take a look at the device itself. On the front, we have a home button which has a fingerprint scanner embedded into it. It has symmetric bezel on top and bottom of the device, but it is being put to use, unlike few other smartphones. Overall, the device has a boxy appearance all around which is not bad but reflects an industrial design. At the back, there is nothing but the camera sensor and the Nokia branding.

Comparing this design to the what we have for the alleged Nokia 8 smartphone, we can expect it to be on a comparatively premium side. The physical shape of the Nokia 8 appears to match the Nokia 6 overall. However, one aspect of the device which screams Nokia from the past the camera sensor which sits at the back of the device. It is this round housing which is circular in shape and that bulges out from the device might ring some bells with people who have used the Lumia 1020 PureView. This is going to look way better when the smartphone officially launches in the market as we will get a better look at it.

Specifications

The Nokia 6 being a mid-ranged smartphone, it has mediocre specs. Nokia 6 features a 5.5″ FHD display on the front wrapped in a 2.5D glass. The smartphone is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 SoC along with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage. This dual SIM smartphone is kept powered by a 3,000 mAh battery which should be good a day's worth of usage on a single charge. As mentioned earlier, don't expect this to be a premium smartphone with insane specs as it is targetted towards the mid-ranged market of devices. However, if you are in the market for a high-end smartphone the Nokia 8 is what you should be looking at.

From what it looks like, the Nokia 8 is expected to be powered by the Qualcomm's latest Snapdragon 835 SoC along with 6GB of RAM with 64GB or 128GB of internal storage with microSD card support as well. Rumor has it that there will be two variants of this smartphone with the low-end variant powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 SoC and 4GB of RAM. Because most of the smartphones that are launched in 2016 were powered by Qualcomm 821 SoC, this is not going to be bad by any means. Hence it is completely going to depend on the pricing here that will make people lean towards a particular one.

While there is a huge difference in the SoC and overall specs between the Nokia 6 and the Nokia 8, both of them should perform extremely great on day-to-day usage experience. This is mainly due to the fact that both the devices will be running the latest and the greatest of Android i.e. Nougat out of the box. Hence the whole user experience is going to be more or less similar with the alleged Nokia 8 having a slight edge in some cases.

Camera

Nokia had always had a commendable camera on their smartphones previously when they were selling phones under the Microsoft branding. On the same lines, the camera on the Nokia 6 is also pretty decent. It packs a 16-megapixel rear camera with a f/2.0 aperture, phase detection autofocus, and dual-tone flash. On the front, there is an 8-megapixel sensor with a f/2.0 aperture for selfies. As you see, the cameras are pretty decent enough here. However, this is one area where the alleged new Nokia 8 is expected to be a winner overall.

The Nokia 8 is expected to feature a 24-megapixel camera with electronic and optical image stabilization. We don't have any other details as of now but judging by the looks of it; we can expect very good optics here. Also, the first video where the Nokia 8 got featured was at CES 2017 where Qualcomm was demonstrating the EIS capabilities of this smartphone, and it looks quite promising. Hence, we can expect the smartphone to have a very commendable camera this time around.

Overall, we the Nokia 6 and Nokia 8 both appears to be great devices, and it eventually comes down to your choice. If you are looking to get the best that Nokia as a company has to offer, then we suggest you wait till MWC 2017 which is just right around the corner. However, if you can't wait any further and are simply looking for a great smartphone to get you through the day-to-day life activities, then the Nokia 6 is a great way to go. Do make a note here that the Nokia 6 is not available anywhere outside of China since it is exclusive to China and hence if you are looking to purchase one, then you need to import one from China or wait till company pulls thr trigger and make it available everywhere around the globe.

Related

Source: Nokia 6 Vs Nokia 8 – What looks more promising Smartphone for 2017

10 things to know about upcoming Nokia 8 flagship smartphone

Here's everything you need to know about the upcoming Nokia 8 smartphone, expected to launch at MWC 2017.

Nokia's upcoming flagship smartphone has been the talk of the town for sometime now and the device seems to have leaked in a video by YouTube channel Total Tech. The Nokia 8 has also been previously referred to as the Nokia P1. But, if rumours are to be believed, that was just a working codename for the smartphone. Here are 10 things you need to know about the new Nokia 8.

Nokia 8 will not be manufactured by Nokia. Instead, the smartphone will be made by HMD Global. The company boasts of an ex-Nokia employee base, including CEO Arto Nummela, President Florian Seiche and Juho Sarvikas.

The Nokia 8 flagship smartphone will be launched at the Mobile World Congress 2017. This is almost confirmed as Nokia has also sent out invites for its MWC showcase.

The Nokia 8 is expected to be launched in two variants, one with 6GB RAM, Snapdragon 835 SoC and the other with 4GB RAM, Snapdragon 821 SoC. The Snapdragon 835 is the powerful new SoC from Qualcomm, built on Samsung's 10nm FINFET process. The processor is also expected to consume less power than its predecessors.

The display of the Nokia 8 is tipped to be a quad-HD super AMOLED display with a resolution of 1440X2560 pixels. It also seems like the Nokia 8 will stick to a flat panel display as opposed to a dual-edge curved display.

As far as the camera of the Nokia 8 is concerned, it is expected to house a 24MP primary camera with Optical Image Stabilisation and Super Electronic Image Stabilisation to reduce motion blurs and effects of device shakes. The phone will also get a 12MP front-facing camera.

When it comes to storage, the Nokia 8 is expected to house 64GB and 128GB storage across two variants. Word has it that the device will also allow users to expand the storage upto 256GB.

On the software side of things, the Nokia 8 will join its budget counterpart Nokia 6, with Android Nougat 7.0 out of the box.

Nokia 8 is also tipped to use dual front facing speakers.

Nokia 8 is also expected to be made out of a single block of metal just like the Nokia 6.

Lastly, the Nokia 8 is expected to house a fingerprint scanner, which will mostly feature behind the device or on the side.

Image courtesy: Total Tech YouTube

Adamya Sharma  adamya.sharma@digit.in

Adamya Sharma sits among boys all day long listening to geek talk and wondering what the hell is she doing with her life.

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Source: 10 things to know about upcoming Nokia 8 flagship smartphone

HTC Announces the U Ultra, Their All-Glass 2017 Flagship

Usually we get hit with most of the year's flagship Android smartphone announcements at MWC in late February, but struggling HTC wants to get a head start. With sales in the doldrums, the smartphone maker has announced the U Ultra, featuring a brand new all-glass design and premium specs. But, trouble might continue for HTC — by the time the phone comes out in March, it might not look so premium anymore.

The U Ultra was built to impress with its looks. The phone's body is made entirely of glass, using minerals in its construction for a shiny, reflective effect (we haven't seen the phone yet, but it sounds a bit like what Huawei did with the Honor 8). It'll be available in black, white, and blue — the phone looks pretty nice, but like with all glass phones, we expect it to be slippery and a fingerprint magnet.

It's a bigger phone, with a 5.7″ 1440p Super LCD 5 display (same as last year's HTC 10) protected by either Corning Gorilla Glass 5 or sapphire glass, depending on which model you get (64 GB or 128 GB). On top of that display is a 2″ second display for alerts and notifications, reminiscent of what LG had on the V10 back in 2015. Inside, there's a Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 SoC, 4 GB of RAM, and either 64 GB or 128 GB of storage, plus a microSD card slot good for another 2 TB. Powering everything will be a 3,000 mAh battery, which will be charged using a USB Type-C port.

That second display will be a key part of the personalization software HTC is adding to its Android overlay, HTC Sense. With some input from you during setup, the HTC Sense Companion can prioritize notifications, putting the most important ones on that extra 2″ display. The assistant can also tell you useful information like how likely it is that you'll run out of battery before the end of the day, based on your usage habits. Once you provide some information when setting up the phone, the Sense Companion will learn from your habits and serve up weather alerts, restaurant suggestions, and the like.

The HTC U Ultra, at least on paper, appears to retain the same camera that was on the HTC 10. That's not necessarily a bad thing — the 12 MP BSI sensor is paired with an f/1.8 lens and large 1.55μm pixels, making it a pretty good option for low-light and nighttime shots. It also has laser autofocus, phase detection autofocus, optical image stabilization, and dual-tone LED flash. HTC always packs their camera app with fun things like short animated pictures, along with mainstays like manual mode, panorama mode, solid slow-motion recording (720p at 120 fps), and 4K video recording. The 16 MP front camera with UltraPixel mode is, it must be said, one of the better selfie cameras out there.

If you're not a fan of the movement against the 3.5 mm headphone port, look elsewhere — the U Ultra doesn't have one. Instead, it's bundled with a pair of USB Type-C in-ear headphones that will use embedded microphones to tune themselves to the shape of your ear.

The U Ultra looks really nice, but if HTC truly intends for this to be their 2017 flagship, they're going to have a rough go of it, at least in the United States. On paper, it's not much more than a larger, glass-clad HTC 10 — the camera, display, and battery are all the same, and the SoC is only marginally better with the move from the Snapdragon 820 to the 821. Considering most other 2017 flagships will likely run on the Snapdragon 835, this puts HTC on the back foot. It also looks like the U Ultra won't be waterproof, which would have been the only worthwhile tradeoff to losing the 3.5 mm port.

It's also super expensive. The HTC U Ultra is available for preorder now for $750 from HTC.com, with shipping slated for March (it's worth mentioning that you can get up to a $300 rebate by trading in an old phone to HTC). It appears for now that HTC won't have carrier partners for the U Ultra launch, but that could change when the phone ships. The U Ultra will launch sooner in HTC's native Taiwan, where HTC has fared better compared to other markets.

Source: HTC Announces the U Ultra, Their All-Glass 2017 Flagship

Apple nabs 31.3 percent of smartphone sales at the start of 2016 holiday season

Apple is making some gains on Google's Android mobile operating system and devices — a new report shows the iPhone 7, 7 Plus, and 6S were the three most popular smartphones in the U.S. at the start of the holiday period, with combined smartphone sales of 31.3 percent.

Close behind was Samsung, with 28.9 percent of smartphone sales thanks to the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge. The duo were the fourth and fifth best-selling phones in the country, according to Kantar Worldpanel ComTech. In the three months ending November, Android's smartphone sales were down by 5.1 percent to 55.3 percent year-over-year — that is the "sixth consecutive period of decline in the U.S."

More: Best app deals of the day! 6 paid iPhone apps for free for a limited time

Nearly a quarter of those smartphone sales in the U.S. came from Verizon during the week of Black Friday. The report says Google "made strong gains" with its new Pixel smartphone, which was released toward the end of October. Still, it only managed to capture 1.3 percent of smartphone sales in the last three months ending November — more than half of that was thanks to Verizon.

But it's not all good news for Apple. In China, iOS fell to 19.9 percent of smartphone sales, down 5.4 percent from the same period in 2015. About 80 percent of all smartphones sold in China in the three-month period ending November were running Android.

Still, Apple's iPhone 7 became the "best-selling device in urban China" with 6.6 percent of smartphone sales — Oppo, which made some gains with 12.9 percent, fell to second place with the R9 smartphone.

But Apple shined in Great Britain, grabbing an additional 9.1 percent of smartphone sales in the same period. In France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the U.K., Android held 72.4 percent of smartphone sales in that period, with iOS holding on to 24.6 percent.

One thing to keep in mind here is that this may likely be the high point for Apple when it comes to market share, at least for this cycle. Given the company's yearly refresh, it's likely that a good number of consumers will start to hold off their purchases until the launch of the iPhone 8 series. That is expected this fall and from what we've been able to gather, it should be a fairly significant release.

Adding that Samsung should be able to recover from the Galaxy Note 7 debacle with the expected release of the Note 8 later this year, you would think Android will recover thanks to its biggest manufacturing partner quite soon.

Source: Apple nabs 31.3 percent of smartphone sales at the start of 2016 holiday season

LG announces 5.7-inch QHD+ display w/ 18:9 aspect ratio for its ‘next flagship smartphone’

With LG in decline due to its mobile division, the company is attempting a turnaround with its upcoming G6. In an interesting move, LG Displays has announced a 5.7-inch QHD+ LCD panel that will be supplied "to LG Electronics for its next flagship smartphone this year."

With regular QHD being 1,440×2,560, QHD+ is 1,440×2,880 at a unique 18:9 ratio and 564 PPI at 5.7-inches. For comparison, the G5's display was 5.3-inch with a 554 PPI. Outdoor visibility has been improved by increasing transmittance (effectiveness in transmitting radiant energy) by 10% while reducing power consumption by 30%.

Other specs include better touch response due to inTOUCH technology that removes the Touch Cover Glass. The display is less than 1mm thick, with top bezels reduced by 20% (.2mm) and the sides by 10% (.54mm) when compared to conventional QHD LCDs.

With last year's flagship, LG shrunk the display down from 5.5-inch on the G4. Judging from how many times the press release cites "consumer demands for bigger screens," it's likely that LG saw the smaller screen as a contributing factor to why consumers didn't buy the G5 in droves.

The 18:9 ratio — but really 2:1 — is suppose to provide "more immersive viewing experiences." Landscape videos might be slightly cut, but the real benefit of a taller display is when using two apps side-by-side. Presumably launching with Nougat, the G6 will be taking advantage of Android's new native multi-window mode.

Of course, the display is not the first feature that LG has announced about its upcoming flagship. In the midst of CES, the company revealed that its experiment with modular devices was a failure and that its upcoming phone would not feature it.

LG Display Develops World's First QHD+ LCD with 18:9 Aspect Ratio for Smartphones

Seoul, Korea (Jan. 10, 2017) – LG Display, the world's leading innovator of display technologies, announced today that it will introduce the world's first 5.7-inch QHD+ LCD panel with a 18:9 aspect ratio, responding to growing consumer demand for bigger, better screens on smartphones.

The company will supply the panel to LG Electronics for its next flagship smartphone this year. The most notable feature of the new mobile display is its "18:9 aspect ratio." Displays, which take up the largest area of smartphones, have evolved from an aspect ratio of 4:3, to 3:2, 5:3 and 16:9; lately, a 17:9 ratio display has been introduced. Due to increasing consumer demands for bigger screens, LG Display developed the 18:9 aspect ratio display to provide more immersive viewing experiences.

The new 18:9 aspect ratio represents LG Display's direction on how displays should evolve, while meeting the rising trend for watching videos on smartphones. The 18:9 aspect ratio is also optimized for multi-tasking, using dual-screen functions.

QHD refers to a resolution of 1,440×2,560 – four times the number of pixels on a standard HD display (720×1,280), which employs 538 Pixel per Inch (PPI), based on a 5.5-inch panel. LG Display's new 5.7-inch panel called QHD+, has a resolution of 1,440×2,880 with 564 PPI, which is higher than conventional QHD LCDs.

The new product not only provides excellent touch responses, thanks to the company's exclusive inTOUCH technology, but also helps achieve a thinner and lighter smartphone due to the absence of Touch Cover Glass. The module (excluding the cover glass) is super slim, being less than 1mm thick, and has reduced bezel width by 0.2mm (20 percent) on top, and by 0.54mm (10 percent) on the left and right sides, compared to conventional QHD LCDs.

LG Display has also improved the outdoor visibility of the panel by increasing transmittance by 10 percent, while reducing power consumption by 30 percent. Outdoor visibility and low-power consumption are major criteria for consumer choices for smartphones.

"We expect to maximize user experience and customer value through the super high-quality display with its new 18:9 aspect ratio, which sets it apart from conventional displays for smartphones," said Dr. Byeong-koo Kim, Senior Vice President and Head of Mobile Development Group 1 at LG Display. "LG Display will continue to set new standards in premium mobile displays, based on its differentiated technology."

Source: LG announces 5.7-inch QHD+ display w/ 18:9 aspect ratio for its 'next flagship smartphone'

HTC wants to shake things up in 2017 with new smartphone designs

The video shows off some of the unique, and in some cases, textured designs that the company's new smartphones will incorporate. What we have today is some tidbit on a phone that could be an HTC flagship, and that certainly looks interesting.

By 2013, HTC wasn't the revered manufacturer that it had been during the earlier years of smartphone development.

Information on the HTC Vive in a promotional video that was leaked several days ago by HTC designerShaun Saperstein and recently tweeted by leaker Evan Blass. Is this the HTC Ocean Note?

The first video posted up concerns the HTC Ocean, a concept that has been thrown around for at least a few months.

HTC's upcoming U Ultra might actually be the flagship smartphone, but little is known about the new phone.

There is not a whole of info beyond these images and content-restrictive videos, but it does give us a clue on what to expect in 2017 from HTC.

While both the phones appear to be carrying HTC's new design language and features never seen before on an HTC smartphone, the HTC One X10 could be a plain successor of the HTC One X9. That circle is likely a capacitive home key, but it could also be an LED notification light or something else. The event teased "For U" will see HTC launching the HTC U Ultra and U Play smartphones.

While there is still no confirmation on the exact number and names of devices to be unveiled at the event, the HTC U Play is seen as a contender thanks to the teaser revealed by the company with a "U" in it. He even asked his followers in the caption if they still remember the handset that is debuting on January 12.

When HTC debuted with the HTC One M7 during Mobile World Congress 2013, they effectively swept the floor with the One's aluminum unibody design.

Around the 1:28 mark in the video (near the end), there is also a device shown off on the right of two other devices, one that could potentially excite anyone concerned with VR and HTC Vive.

Source: HTC wants to shake things up in 2017 with new smartphone designs

Xiaomi Mi 6 Breaks AnTuTu Score Record Before Being Officially Unveiled – Report

According to the latest rumors, Xiaomi's next flagship smartphone, the Mi 6 should be unveiled in early February. It's unclear when exactly the phone will be available for purchase, but we can safely assume it will be introduced in China initially.

The folks over at MyDrivers report the Mi 6 will be tagged with the same price as the previous Mi 5 flagship, which means it should go on sale for $360 and $435, depending on the hardware configuration.

The same source has learned that Xiaomi's unannounced Mi 6 has been recently ran through AnTuTu benchmark where it break record with a score of 210,329 points. The previous smartphone to have scored highest in AnTuTu was the iPhone 7 Plus with a score of 183,106 points.

The first Android smartphone on AnTuTu's benchmark performance rankings was the OnePlus 3T, recently launched on the market with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 processor inside. The Chinese phone scored 163,578 points in AnTuTu, which is far below Xiaomi Mi 6's new score.

But Mi 6 scoring much higher than the OnePlus 3T makes perfect sense considering the fact that it's the first Xiaomi smartphone to be equipped with Qualcomm's powerful Snapdragon 835 processor.

Unfortunately, we haven't learned any other details about the upcoming Xiaomi Mi 6 from its listing at AnTuTu. And since we already know the smartphone will be powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor, not even that is new information for those following our news feed.

The Snapdragon 835 chipset was officially introduced last year, but Qualcomm provided us with details about the CPU's performance a few days ago at CES 2017 trade fair. Qualcomm's processor is expected to power all flagship smartphones to be launched on the market this year, or at least the large majority of them. It packs Qualcomm's new Quick Charge 4 fast charging technology and eight Kryo 240 cores.

Samsung's Galaxy S8 is expected to be equipped with the same chipset, but other companies are likely to want to take advantage of the most powerful processor soon to be available on the market. Source: softpedia

Source: Xiaomi Mi 6 Breaks AnTuTu Score Record Before Being Officially Unveiled – Report

Amazon’s Alexa to make its way on Huawei’s next Android Flagship phone in the U.S

Virtual Assistants on smartphones are nothing new as we have a lot of them in the market already. Earlier last year, Google also came up with their own virtual assistant called the Google Assistant. Apple's Siri, Amazon's Alexa are some of the popular ones as well. As a matter of fact, Samsung is also working on an assistant of their own and the company is expected to make it official along with the Galaxy S8 smartphone. Well, talking about virtual assistant and especially Amazon's Alexa, we have some new reports which say that Huawei's next Flagship in the U.S will have Amazon's Alexa.

The Chinese smartphone manufacturer announced at CES this week that the U.S version of its next flagship will ship with an app that will connect to Alexa. Post this announcement; various analysts have predicted that maybe from now Google has to fight for finding a place for it's Google Assistant in future smartphones. Quite surprising right? Amazon's Alexa surprisingly made a lot of appearances, in fact, Alexa was almost everywhere throughout CES 2017 event and many companies including Ford and Whirpool, etc have launched new products with Amazon's Alexa built into them. This was indeed quite surprising since Google's new player was the new pretty face in the market.

This adoption of Amazon's Alexa by one of leading smartphone in the world in their smartphones only indicates that Amazon may have got an early lead over Google in the race of presenting their virtual assistant to as many people as possible in the market. Analysts also reported that since it is still in early stages of adoption, Google must quickly do something about it and take a lead in order to keep them on the top position of the internet search. It has also been predicted that voice assistants could replace keyboards and other input methods as a primary option for users in the future. Hence this is a very crucial period to lose the track.

Analyst Jan Dawson of Jackdaw Research stated that, to an extent when voice assistants are more important than ever and something other than Google's own assistant taking a lead could be a huge loss for Google in terms of data gathering, training its AI (artificial intelligence), and ultimately the ability to drive advertising revenue. Also, the Amazon's Echo and Google Assistant face off is nothing new. Both of them are already competing to take a lead as the preferred smart home accessory as well. Talking about Google Assistant, the feature is already available on a variety of different platforms like Pixel smartphones, Allo application, and Google Home. It is expected to debut on Android TVs and Android Wear devices as well in future. With that said, be sure to stay tuned to PhoneRadar for info on this.

Related

Source: Amazon's Alexa to make its way on Huawei's next Android Flagship phone in the U.S

Why you should hold off on buying Galaxy S7?

If you are a big fan of Samsung or rather, someone looking for a Samsung smartphone? You might choose the Samsung's current flagship, the Galaxy S7.

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Released in March 2016, Samsung's current flagship phone is nearly one year old, 10 months old to be precise. No doubt it is still one of the most powerful and expensive smartphones out there that you can buy. But is it worth it now? Hold that thought and consider these reasons as to why you should hold off buying Samsung's current flagship phone.

You don't need that much power

We can feel that smartphones already reached its peak as innovative phones are hard to find nowadays. Every single year, companies like Apple, Huawei, including Samsung, upgrades their own arsenal with powerful components but gets less innovative. Meaning, there's nothing special to it. Nothing that lets it stands out from the rest. Except for a few, though. So, why buy something that offers lots of horsepower with fewer features? If you are only looking to browsing social media accounts, do a few gaming just to kill time, might as well get something that is under the mid-range arsenal. Believe it or not, mid-range tier phones today are a dependable daily driver. It's already powerful to handle your daily tasks and needs.

Waterproofing

Yes, we get it, you use your phone even when you are inside the restroom and you take a selfie in the mirror then suddenly someone comes knocking in, you get startled and accidentally dropped your phone in the sink. Even in the toilet sometimes(true story). Or maybe, you are a clean freak that you don't want a single dirt spotted on your phone. We get it, the Galaxy S7 is capable of surviving all these since it is rated IP68 dust and water resistant. However, this is not only found on the flagship phones like the Sony Xperia XZ because Samsung released their newest mid-range lineup that offers this kind of feature for a much cheaper price too.

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It's still expensive

Price is probably one of the biggest aspects when you are buying a phone, not if you have the budget for it, though. But still, smartphones are pretty damn expensive. You get less feature for a higher price tag. Just ask Apple, but anyways. For some reason, they want you to have a sleeker phone when it is already thin enough. The thinner it gets, the more expensive it gets. We don't want a fragile phone that could cost a lot when trying to replace a dented or cracked screen. The point here is that there are a lot of alternatives for a cheaper price too and you could save a lot by knowing what you need in a smartphone.

Know what you need

The key to smart buying is knowing what you need. Do you need top of the line processor when all you do is like your friend's post? Do you need 6GB RAM when all you need to do is to be updated with news or just to check your email? Do you need this and that? It's just a matter of pointing out what you need and what you don't need.

Now that we've listed out the reasons that we are talking about ever since you started reading this post, what could be that phone that is a possible alternative to the Galaxy S7 and at the same time, a good buy for consumers who wants to have that flagship-like features without spoiling the Samsung experience? The Galaxy A 2017 is the sweetest choice you've got. All the things that we have mentioned in here, the Galaxy A 2017 series falls under this category. A premium-built phone that resembles the Galaxy S7 with the latest addition of IP68 rating and for a cheaper price too. Opting for the Galaxy A 2017 can save you more than, if not, almost ten thousand pesos without spoiling your flagship experience.

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Source: Why you should hold off on buying Galaxy S7?

Amazon’s Alexa to arrive on Huawei’s Mate 9 smartphone

LIVE FROM CES 2017, LAS VEGAS: Amazon's intelligent assistant Alexa – a major talking point at this year's CES – is to make its debut on smartphones following a deal with Huawei.

During his keynote this afternoon, the head of Huawei's consumer business group, Richard Yu, announced that its flagship Mate 9 will be the first smartphone to support the service.

Yu (pictured) was joined on stage by Steve Rabuchin, VP of Amazon Alexa, who declared that mobile "is a particularly exciting sector" for the AI voice service.

The move marks the first time that Alexa has been preinstalled on a phone, and there's a sense of irony given that the Mate 9 runs Google's Android operating system (Google has its own Google Assistant service).

The preinstalled app will be capable of all the usual Alexa tasks – setting alarms, making to-do lists, getting news and weather information, controlling smart home applications and requesting an Uber ride.

Huawei's Yu said the company is hoping to enable the voice assistant service by the end of Q1 (March).

Existing Mate 9 owners will be able to access the service via an over-the-air update.

Separately, Huawei also announced that the Mate 9 smartphone – a global success – will arrive in the US January 6 for $599.99.

"Intelligent phone"Artificial Intelligence (AI) was a major theme of Yu's keynote. He reiterated a previous idealogy from Huawei that a smartphone, combined with AI, will create an "intelligent phone."

Yu was also joined on stage by Amit Singh, VP of business and operations for VR and AR at Google, who updated on the company's Daydream VR initiative. "The Mate 9 Pro and Mate 9 Porsche Design are now Daydream ready," he declared, adding that Google is also working closely with Huawei on its Project Tango AR initiative.

Source: Amazon's Alexa to arrive on Huawei's Mate 9 smartphone