Huawei Honor V9: the latest flagship with 5.7-inch quad HD with Kirin 960 and latest Nougat 7.0 OS

Details WhaTech Channel: Mobile Reviews Published: 15 February 2017 Submitted by Eza Ezamie News from Eza Ezamie Viewed: 6 times

Expected to be launched by next month, Honor V9 is the latest flagship to hit the market with high specs, and a reasonable price tag to go with it.

It has been almost nine months since the Honor V8 was released, and back then it was one of the first few to feature a dual primary camera as its strong point. Now we can see almost every other mid-range to high-end smartphone to have this interesting feature which have been mesmerizing the crowd.

Let us first do a quick recap on the Honor V8 for just a bit:

5.7-inch Quad HD IPS-NEO LCD capacitive touchscreen with 1440 x 2560 pixels or ~515 ppi pixel density

Fingerprint sensor

HiSilicon Kirin 955 chipset with Octa-core (4x2.5 GHz Cortex-A72 & 4x1.8 GHz Cortex A53) processor, Mali-T880 MP4 graphics and 4GB RAM

Dual 12MP primary camera with f/2.2, 27 mm, Leica optics, phase detection autofocus, dual-LED (dual tone) flash and 8MP secondary camera

32GB/64GB internal storage + microSD expansion slot up to 256GB

Non-removable Li-Ion 3500 mAh battery

Android Marshmallow 6.0

Dual-sim and 4G LTE

May 2016 release date

$309 price tag

Even when the Honor V8 was released in May last year, it put on quite a good show and was well received by the crowd. Huawei was among the first manufacturer to be championing the dual primary camera setup, with its collaboration with the legendary Leica; that provides for the lens.

Now with the Honor V9, what is it that we can expect from the successor? Apparently, a lot as you can see from the below:

5.7-inch Quad HD IPS-NEO LCD capacitive touchscreen with 1440 x 2560 pixels or ~515 ppi pixel density

Fingerprint sensor

HiSilicon Kirin 960 chipset, Octa-core (4x2.4 GHz Cortex-A73 & 4x1.8 GHz Cortex-A53) processor, Mali-G71 MP8 graphics and 4GB/6GB RAM

Dual 12MP + 2MP primary camera with phase detection autofocus and dual-LED (dual tone) flash

8MP secondary camera with f/2.4 aperture

64GB/128GB internal storage + microSD expansion slot up to 256GB maximum

Non-removable Li-Ion 3900 mAh battery

Android Nougat 7.0 OS

Dual-sim and 4G LTE

February 21st launch date, March 2017 release date

From the looks of it, the Honor V9 gets a deserved upgrade on its hardware and software. These few upgrades and updates make for a more formidable smartphone that should be feared of in 2017.

Yes, there will still be a similar 5.7-inch Quad HD IPS-NEO LCD and fingerprint sensor, but how much more can you improve on these? At least now the Honor V9 will be sporting a 2.5D curved glass which makes for a firmer grip and looks better as well.

Performance-wise, the Honor V9 will now be sporting the latest Kirin 960 chipset, better graphics and an option to go for 6GB RAM.

The dual primary camera seems to be getting no upgrade, same as the selfie camera.

Another advantage the Honor V9 have over its predecessor is you can now opt for 128GB of internal storage which is huge enough to install all your apps, games and so much more.

In terms of battery, the 3900 mAH battery is available which should have no trouble powering up the smartphone for at least a day in between charging.

Last but not least, the latest Nougat 7.0 OS is accompanying the Honor V9's release which provides for some nice features and functions.

Conclusion:

Huawei Honor V9 have such high standards that it has to live up for, especially with a predecessor that enjoyed great success. Since it already has such a strong base, the inclusion of a 2.5D curved glass, upgrades its hardware, larger storage option, bigger battery capacity and the latest Nougat OS makes for a really strong smartphone for 2017.

The only thing missing for now is on its price.

Huawei Honor V9 is set to be launched on February 21st and released in March although there's no confirmation on the price just yet. It will be available in Silver, Gold and Rose Gold color.

...

Source: Huawei Honor V9: the latest flagship with 5.7-inch quad HD with Kirin 960 and latest Nougat 7.0 OS

Vernee's new Apollo 2 flagship will have 8GB RAM; first phone to use 10-core Helio X30 chip

The image also notes that the Apollo 2 will be the world's first smartphone to use MediaTek's new deca-core Helio X30 SoC, which was announced last September.

The main highlight of the smartphone will of course be the chipset.

A teaser from Vernee last month, shown above, hinted at plans to launch a new device with the X30, although it hadn't previously confirmed that that handset would be the Apollo 2. It integrates the IMG-7XTP-Mt4 GPU clocked at 820 MHz, which is expected to be a fantastic performer. Leaked benchmarks suggest the Helio X30 will be competitive against flagship mobile SoCs from Qualcomm, enjoying a healthy lead over the Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 chipset from past year in AnTuTu benchmark. In addition to being the first smartphone to be powered by this flagship processor, the smartphone will also join the likes of ASUS ZenFone AR in becoming the first smartphone to ship with a monstrous 8GB of RAM. With the introduction of the Apollo 2 smartphone, Vernee will join the elites in shipping a device that has the highest-end hardware configuration of 2017. For now we know there will be two versions with different internal storage and RAM - one with 6GB + 64 GB and another with 8GB + 128GB.

Well, it's February now - and we're learning more information on the new smartphone.

The Apollo 2 will be unveiled at the Mobile World Congress industry expo in Barcelona later this month.

Source: Vernee's new Apollo 2 flagship will have 8GB RAM; first phone to use 10-core Helio X30 chip

Samsung to release Galaxy S8 in March, says report

Samsung is gearing up for the launch of its new flagship smartphone, with reports that there will be the Galaxy S8 and the Galaxy S8+, not the S8 edge like we've come to know and love from the two previous generation Galaxy smartphones.

 

 

But now a new report from The Wall Street Journal is teasing that Samsung will unleash its new Galaxy S8 in March, with an unveiling event in New York City on March 28. Samsung will have Galaxy S8 and S8+ units ready for April 21, which is perfect - my wife's birthday, and her S7 needs replacing.

 

We can expect Qualcomm's it-has-everything-including-the-kitchen-sink Snapdragon 835 processor, edged displays, 3.5mm headphone jack (because that's a thing now, you know), bezel free display, and a rear fingerprint sensor. A virtual assistant will also be included, in the form of something called S-Assistant.

 

We will be all over the launch of the Galaxy S8, so keep your eyes peeled here on TweakTown!

Source: Samsung to release Galaxy S8 in March, says report

LG G6 Confirmed to Feature Snapdragon 821 Chipset

If LG had waited for the SD835 to be made available to other smartphone makers, the G6 would have launched in May or early June.

This confirmation comes by way of a photo that was taken at CES 2017 of a confidential LG presentation slide (see above), but while the 821 is no slouch, why would LG decide to outfit its main flagship smartphone with a piece of silicon from a year ago? Which does mean that by the time support is widespread enough (at the device and carrier level), devices such as the LG G6 will already be outdated and likely already discontinued. Though for now, there's no information on how much RAM will be on board the LG G6. The leak has been shared by SemiAccurate, which cites a confidential presentation in which LG showcased the device. A leaked slide showing the G6 running a Snapdragon 821 has been leaked, along with the manufacturer detailing why it chose to rush the upcoming announcement rather than wait for Snapdragon 835 shipments to finally become available. And now a new report confirms previous rumors that LG's next flagship will in fact not feature the latest Snapdragon 835 chipset, instead it'll run the the Snapdragon 821 processor.

Samsung is mass-producing the Snapdragon 835 processor for Qualcomm this time around, and because of this partnership, we've heard reports indicating that Samsung will be hogging the 835 for its upcoming Galaxy S8 handset that's expected to debut a few weeks after the G6.

The leaked image also shows that the smartphone will be water and dust resistant, as well as have a rear-facing fingerprint sensor.

Apparently, Samsung will have dibs on the initial production of SD835 for its Galaxy S8 smartphones, thus blocking access for competitors like LG.

Naturally, LG wants to possess the timeframe advantage and we completely respect that, even if it means using a chipset fabricated on the 14nm FinFET architecture. In fact, it would negatively impact on the LG G6, as the smartphone would be coming to market considerably later than the Galaxy S8 and losing any hope of securing early buyers. Therefore, this seems to be a sound decision from the company from a business standpoint. Hopefully, the other features of the smartphone will compensate for the older processor.

In terms of cameras, the LG G6 is expected to retain the same dual-camera setup of it s predecessor.

Source: LG G6 Confirmed to Feature Snapdragon 821 Chipset

Sony will introduce its new flagship smartphone ‘Xperia XZ’

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According to the News.softpedia, Sony is expected to open this year's Mobile World Congress (MWC) trade fair with a blast.

Rumor has it there will be at least four new Xperia smartphones announced later this month, which will make it to market in the weeks following their unveil.

SONY IS EXPECTED TO INTRODUCE ITS NEW FLAGSHIP SMARTPHONE

Among these devices, Sony is expected to introduce its new flagship smartphone, the successor of the Xperia XZ. There are no details regarding the market name of the device, so to make it less confusing, we will call it Xperia XZ 2.

SEE ALSO:   What to Expect at Biggest Mobile Event? MWC 2017

The pictures published by TechTastic have been taken from Weibo, so we can't vouch for their authenticity, but we do believe Sony will announce a couple of devices at MWC 2017.

THERE ARE A COUPLE OF THINGS THAT WE HAVE NOTICED BY LOOKING AT THESE PICTURES

There are a couple of things that we've noticed by looking at these pictures. The most important seems to be the fact that the Xperia XZ 2 will pack 4GB RAM, which is quite an improvement compared to last year's flagships.

SEE ALSO:   Sony isn't going to unveil its next flagship at MWC 2017

As some of you probably know, all Xperia high-end smartphones include 3GB RAM inside. Not even the Xperia XZ or Xperia Z5 Premium come with 4GB RAM, so this will be a nice change to have.

Another aspect worth mentioning is the addition of the fingerprint scanner integrated into the power button. The power button is located on the side of the smartphone, so it might be harder to reach when it's used with one hand.

SEE ALSO:   Tekken 7 Was Delayed Because The Team Didn't Want to Cut Content, Says Harada

The image doesn't show the positioning of the fingerprint scanner, but the source of the leak claims Sony chose this solution over integrating the sensor on the back side.

Nothing else is known about the Xperia XZ 2, but it won't be long until we learn all the details if Sony decides to make it official at MWC 2017. However, we do know one thing for sure: it will not be powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 835 processor.

Source: Sony will introduce its new flagship smartphone 'Xperia XZ'

Samsung factory that made ‘exploding’ Note 7 batteries catches fire

Samsung Electronics says the Galaxy S smartphone could be delayed as it pledged to enhance product safety.

Samsung factory fire in China. Picture: Weibo

REMEMBER how Samsung had faulty batteries that caused a global recall of the Galaxy Note 7 because smartphones kept exploding?

Well, the company affiliate responsible for manufacturing the faulty batteries has been embarrassed once more, as one of its factories in China burst into flames.

Despite manufacturing batteries at the plant, Samsung SDI claim the fire was "minor" and was caused by a pile of discarded batteries in its waste facility - not those currently on the production line.

Samsung added there was no casualties or significant enough damage to cease the plant's operations.

Despite making it sound minor, the local fire department were required to send 110 firefighters and 19 trucks to put out the fire.

"[The] material that caught fire was lithium batteries inside the production workshops and some half-finished products," the fire department said in a post on its verified Sina Weibo account, reports Reuters.

Regardless of the cause, the incident is a bad look for the Samsung, with the affiliate company supplying the batteries for Samsung's upcoming flagship smartphone Galaxy S8.

Samsung SDI was one of two suppliers that provided batteries for the recalled phones — an issue the tech giant claimed cost it $A6.9 billion in operating profit.

Florida man Nathan Dornacher says a Note 7 charging on the dashboard of his Jeep exploded and set the vehicle ablaze. Picture: FacebookSource:Supplied

Since the incident, the South Korean company invested $A170 million into safety.

Samsung will be hoping this latest setback doesn't lose consumer trust with the upcoming S8 device, as the company is hoping to become the world's biggest smartphone maker once again — Apple overtook the South Korean giant earlier this month.

The S8 is rumoured to include the 3.5mm headphone jack, an edge-to-edge screen and iris scanner.

Thousands of protesters rallied in central Seoul, Saturday, demanding the immediate resignation of President Park Geun-hye. Divided from the protesters by a line police stood several thousand pro-government supporters, who waved the national flag and chanted "invalid impeachment." The President is currently facing impeachment proceedings after being accused of conspiring to extort tens of millions of dollars from South Korean businesses along with her confidante Choi Soon-sil. Park is accused of granting her friend undue influence over her presidential decisions, which allegedly allowed Choi to solicit business donations for her own non-profit fund. The constitutional court has six months to rule on the validity of Park's impeachment. The demonstrators also denounced the court ruling against the arrest of Vice President of Samsung Electronics, Lee Jae-yong, who had faced charges of bribery, embezzlement and perjury in the corruption scandal involving Park. Earlier in the day, Sout h Korean Culture Minister Cho Yoon-sun was detained on suspicion of involvement in compiling a blacklist of artists, who were deemed critical of Park. Cho is reportedly the first South Korean acting minister to be arrested.

Source: Samsung factory that made 'exploding' Note 7 batteries catches fire

New Android Wear 2.0 Flagship Watches Allows NFC Transactions Via Android Pay

An Android phone/Wikimedia Commons

Thursday, February 9, 2017 12:42 AM UTC

On February 8, the first flagship Android Wear 2.0 watches have been unveiled, along with several standout features already been reported earlier. These features include improved watch faces, iOS support, new ways to respond to messages, a built-in Google Assistant, and Android Pay.

WIRED said last week, leaked shots have already introduced the possibility of Android Pay retrofitted in the smartwatches. NFC payments via Android Pay are similar to how payments are being done via Apple Pay on Apple Watch: simply have their wearable (with an NFC chip built in) touch a contactless reader to pay off goods or services from one of Android Pay's partner retailers. Wearers will be shown of the transaction was successful when a big green tick is shown on the smartwatch interface, according to the screenshots obtained by TechRadar. Then, the interface will show a list of previous purchases, which would be a convenience for people who do not wish to separately access these information on their smartphone or tablet.

"Google's wrist OS is improving at a steady pace, but still isn't the right fit for everyone. Aside from the weak app selection, it holds its own against the Apple Watch, but could surpass it in the future," James Peckham wrote in a review.

As for the smartwatches that will have this ability, fans can avail the LG Watch Sport and LG Watch Style, EndGadget reported. As soon as the Android Wear 2.0 roll out in other smartwatches, the LG Watch Urbane, Asus ZenWatch, and Sony Smartwatch 3 might be Android Pay-compatible, as all three feature NFC, TechRadar noted.

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Source: New Android Wear 2.0 Flagship Watches Allows NFC Transactions Via Android Pay