Samsung, LG to release latest smartphones in coming weeks

Ben White, Acting Managing Director of Product and Marketing at Optus, said, "We want our customers to get the best possible experience with Optus which is why we are excited to bring them the new Samsung Galaxy smartphones". Both the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge are apparently already being packed and will start shipping as early as this Monday, February 29th.

Samsung Electronics' spokesperson declined to clarify whether the rumors are true in South Korea as well as possible moves to extend this practice to the global market.

Display: The Samsung device has a 5.5-inch Super AMOLED screen with a resolution of 1440 x 2650, while the LG phone's 5.3-inch IPS-LCD display.

Those in the concierge programme can also enjoy a one time 50 per cent discount on any off-warranty repairs, such as screen replacement or water damage repairs, in the first year of ownership.

However, there are a couple of differences between the two phones.

Samsung fans went up in arms when we recently learned that Samsung was not going to activate the "adoptable storage" feature of Android, something that was supposed to be innate to Android Marshmallow. Samsung's S7 is waterproof without having to seal off all ports and can be charged wirelessly by placing the phone on a charging base. iPhone does not offer any of these options.

The Galaxy S7 takes the traditional square flat boxy shape. It feels like Samsung thought of this as an answer to not allowing adoptable storage. However, consumers who purchase their S7 by March 18th will receive a free Samsung Gear S2 or Gear VR if ordered online. The S7's low-light images are crisp, more dynamic, less grainy, and brighter than that of the iPhones'.

The Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge is available now on eBay with only a $460 United States dollars price tag. In the U.S. and several other countries, the two devices are underpinned by a 64-bit quad-core Snapdragon 820 processor, while on certain markets the phones are available with an Exynos 8990 CPU.

Source: Samsung, LG to release latest smartphones in coming weeks

Samsung's 2 New Galaxy Phones Are Here - and 1 Feature Is INSANE

With the recent release of the Samsung Galaxy S7, their latest smartphone, the company is all set to take things to the next level.

There's also a whole extra gigabyte of RAM in the new Samsung at 4GB, which means this phone will be even faster than the already super speedy S6.

Last month, Samsung reportedly started the official Android 6.0 beta testing program in the U.S for the users of AT&T Galaxy Note 5.

According to a report from TechInsider, LG public relations representative Monica Levy says the G5 does come with adoptable storage feature, "Happy to inform you that LG's newest flagship does support Android's adoptable storage feature". This feature formats and essentially merges microSD card storage into a single memory partition, allowing for the OS to seamlessly install apps and media onto the card as if it was part of the regular memory.

The Galaxy S7 series will also have an F1.7 aperture lens, flawless for low light environments; a panorama mode for wider images; and the hyper lapse technology that will compress hours of time-lapse videos into seconds. "Powered by Optus' superfast 4G Plus network, which is available in all capital cities and over 700 regional and holiday towns around Australia, customers can enjoy more freedom and flexibility to enjoy their new phone".

The end result is a more rounded phone that feels smoother and more comfortable in the hand. For the most discerning users, they're quite different. The company has brought back the memory expansion card on the new Galaxy models; and has also included IP68 water and dust proofing. One adoptable storage is enabled so that SD card can't be read by another smartphone.

Unfortunately for some, LG and Samsung have both disabled the internal option, lopping off one of Marshmallow's most promising features for heavy storage users.

"The 5.1" S7 and 5.5" S7 edge were recently unveiled at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, with telcos now building up to the release of the next-gen smartphones. The phones will feature a 12MP rear camera, and a 5MP front camera.

Source: Samsung's 2 New Galaxy Phones Are Here - and 1 Feature Is INSANE

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Source: Oculus Rift support for Mac if Apple 'ever releases a good computer'

Smartphone with 6GB of RAM anyone? You should check out the Vivo Xplay 5 Elite

There was talk around the internet recently that Chinese manufacturer #Vivo would release a smartphone with 6GB of RAM. While most disregarded this as a silly rumor (me included), it seems like the company was deadly serious as it has gone ahead and announced this flagship. Known as the Xplay 5 Elite, the smartphone sports a mammoth 6GB of RAM inside, coupled by a 128GB storage module (non-expandable) and a Snapdragon 820 chipset as well, ensuring that this tops all benchmarking apps.

The company has also released a slightly toned down version of the device, known simply as the Xplay 5. This model comes with the octa core Snapdragon 652 chipset and "just" 4GB of RAM, so it's not as powerful as the Elite model. Both handsets come with the a 5.43 inch Quad HD dual edge Super AMOLED display (possibly the same as the one used on the Galaxy S7 edge and the Galaxy S6 edge+).

Barring this, the two handsets share most of their hardware specs sheet. This includes the 16-megapixel camera on the back, the 8-megapixel front camera, Android 5.1 Lollipop and a 3,600 mAh battery. The back panel also houses the fingerprint scanner, so there's plenty in terms of onboard features here.

Naturally, both the handsets are limited to the Chinese markets for now (and perhaps for the foreseeable future). The Xplay 5 Elite carries a price of 4288 CNY or $654. The standard Xplay 5 on the other hand will be priced at 3698 CNY or $564.

Source: Smartphone with 6GB of RAM anyone? You should check out the Vivo Xplay 5 Elite

HTC One M10 Price’ and Release Date, Massive Specs, News and Leaks 2016

HTC One M10

Update – March 02, 2016 – The name One M10 has been confirmed, not official, however it has been reported to be found from a drop-down list of devices in an HTC online survey form, taking HTC's flagship line into double digits.

Update – February 27, 2016 – 2016 Mobile World Congress has come to an end. Samsung, LG, Sony and several manufacturers unveiled their latest products.

HTC, however, wasn't a part of it. But, that doesn't mean they were going to sit quietly. On the last day of MWC, HTC sent an email to several publications with a subtle hint to their next flagship, the One M10. The image just said 'Power of 10'.

The silhouette looks a lot like the back of the device, notice the chamfered edges. A recently leaked picture showed the back of what's supposedly the HTC One M10. A new leaked photo claims to reveal the back portion of the HTC One M10.

Update – February 24, 2016 – A new leaked photo claims to reveal the back portion of the HTC One M10. Up until now, we've only been seeing the front face of the M10. This new photo doesn't show the entire back, only the top portion that has the camera.

The photo shows that the One M10 will be an all metal phone, but will feature some design changes. The back is slightly curved and the edges are chamfered. There's a 3.5mm headphone jack on top and volume buttons are on the left. The camera is seen to be slightly protruding, has a dual-tone LED flash and what looks like a sensor for auto-focus.

LEAK: HTC One M10 Back

HTC One M10 / Perfume

Update: Feb 19, 2016 – We're going to see two new flagship devices next week, the Samsung Galaxy S7 and the LG G5. However, there's another flagship smartphone that consumers are eager for, the HTC One M10.

Recently, Evan Blass had leaked a picture of a black One M10 in the wild. It confirmed a lot of rumors, such as no Boomsound Stereo speakers and a rounded home button. It also seemed to have lost the HTC branding on the front of the device.

Now, Blass has leaked another picture showing a white M10. It's still a front view of the device, which means we have no idea what the back or side will look like.

HTC One M10 White

HTC One M10 Updated Specs and Release Date

Previously, leaked information had revealed that the upcoming HTC One M10 would feature a 5.1-inch QHD display. However, the latest leak from @ALlabTooFer suggests that the M10 would have a 5.2-inch QHD display. Yup, a small .2 inches bump from the HTC One M9.

Regarding the HTC One M10 release date, it appears that the company may be planning for a special event sometime in April. Most likely, the event will be held on April 11 in London.

HTC One M10 Image Leaks

Evan Blass, who gave us the official Samsung Galaxy S7 press renders, has now revealed an in-the-wild photo of the upcoming HTC One M10 'Perfume'.

The new leaked image confirms a lot of rumors, especially the one that said that the One M10 will look a lot like the One A9. It does indeed. Another significant change, as it appears, is the removal of the black HTC branding strip that's been a common sight on all HTC smartphones.

Also, the Home button is now of an oval design, similar to the One A9, and looks to have a fingerprint sensor as well. There's also no BoomSound speakers, and it looks awfully similar to the iPhone 6.

An unknown source has leaked new HTC One M10 specs, and it reveals some new features of the 2016 flagship smartphone.

Recently, a leak stated that the One M10 will look similar to the One A9 and be available at AT&T. Now, a more detailed report talks about the features and specs of the upcoming smartphone.

The new report comes from VentureBeat, who received information regarding HTC One M10 specs from someone who spent some time with a prototype device. Apparently, the device will be called Perfume, but will be sold in stores under the name One M10.

HTC One M10 Specs

The device will feature a 5.1 inch 1440 x 2560 QHD display with AMOLED technology. It would run Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow with Sense 8.0 UI on top. The device would also have a fingerprint sensor embedded into the home button. Yes, there will be a home button.

So far, it looks like the HTC One M10 will indeed look very much like the One A9. In terms of hardware, the device will feature Snapdragon 820 processor with Adreno 530 graphics. It would have 4GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage, which would be expandable via a microSD slot.

The person who used the prototype couldn't speak much on the device as there are chances that it would be changed to the final product. He also revealed some other details such as the camera.

According to the source, HTC will use its Ultrapixel tech on the new M10. They introduced the new Ultrapixel camera with the HTC One M8, but it didn't do so well. Hence, they switched to a regular 20-megapixel sensor on the M9. With the M10, the company will use a 12 Ultrapixel camera with laser autofocus. It would also have optical image stabilization. The front facing camera, megapixels unknown, will also include OIS.

HTC One M10 Price

There is some disappointing news, though, as HTC will not be including the famous BoomSound speakers on the new M10. No front facing stereo speakers, which will surely anger all the HTC One M fans out there.

The device will most likely not be at Mobile World Congress this year. HTC will launch the device at a later date with a particular event.  No details have been shared regarding the smartphone's pricing. What do you think of the HTC One M10 specs? Will this be a hit among the fans? 

Update: Jan 28, 2016 – The HTC One M10, the successor to the current M9, is apparently coming to AT&T and will look a lot like the HTC One A9.

Reports from last year stated that HTC's next flagship will be called Perfume and that it would be running on Android 6.1 and HTC Sense 8.0 UI. The device was said to feature a 6 inch 1440 x 2560 resolution display, Snapdragon 820 SoC, 4GB RAM, 20.7 mp rear cameras, 5mp front camera and a 3500mAh battery.

All the HTC One M10 specs sound good, but the only thing the company has to change is its rumored name, Perfume. That's not really a nice name for a smartphone, don't you think?

The latest report suggests that the HTC One M10 will feature a design similar to the HTC One A9. The One A9 was accused of blatantly copying the iPhone 6 design. It does look very similar to the iPhone 6 if kept face down. So, if you liked the look of the A9, you might also like the upcoming One M10.

Major smartphone leak expert,[email protected], had tweeted a picture showing the HTC Perfume codename in an AT&T database. This confirms that AT&T will be getting the new HTC flagship, but that shouldn't be a surprise. He followed with another tweet stating, 'If you like the A9, you'll love the M10.' So, yeah, it's pretty much confirmed that the One M10 will feature a design similar to the One A9.

Other One M10 features likely include a fingerprint sensor, front-facing BoomSound speakers, and IP68 water-resistance certification. A MediaTek powered M10 would also be launched for the Asian market.

HTC One M10 Release Date

All U.S carriers will most likely sell the new One M10 as soon as it's launched. The only thing that's not confirmed now is the One M10 release date. Reports suggest that HTC will not unveil the smartphone at MWC in February, but instead release the handset in March.

Will you be upgrading to the HTC One M10 this year or will you stick with the M9?

Source: HTC One M10 Price' and Release Date, Massive Specs, News and Leaks 2016

Sony unveils its Xperia X series smartphones

The thin bezeled Xperia XA has a 2,300mAh battery and runs Android 6.0 out of the box.

Sony has bumped the X and the X Performance screens up to 1080p. The display is of 5-inch with 720p resolution.

Sony said the new line-up, which includes the Xperia X and Xperia XA smartphones, will sit in between the flagship Xperia Z Series and midrange Xperia M Series. The RAM of the device is at 3GB, while internal storage is at 32GB. There's no new Xperia Z flagship to take on the newly unveiled Galaxy S7 and LG G5.

All three Xperia X series smartphones ship with Android 6.0 Marshmallow operating system right out of the box.

Sony is expanding its smartphone lineup with a new X series of phones. It comes with a five-inch full HD display with a glass front that curves at the edges, Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor, 3GB of RAM, 23-megapixel back camera, 13-megapixel front camera, 32GB of internal storage (expandable via microSD card) and a 2,700 mAh battery.

The first of these to arrive is called the Xperia Ear and lets users voice commands to do things like check your schedule, news or weather while on-the-move.

Elsewhere, Sony Mobile Germany has seemingly confirmed that there are no plans to release an Xperia Z6. Moreover, though the regions of availability of the new handsets are also not known, it is speculated that the Xperia X and Xperia X Performance handsets will be available in the USA market. Unlike the X and X Performance though, the XA doesn't have a fingerprint scanner.

The new X series comes with a redesigned Xperia logo and a vision to offer more intelligent, personalised devices, Sony said. Both these two higher-end models also have oval power buttons with built-in fingerprint sensors - identical to those seen on the most recent Z5s.

Sony announces additionally its Xperia Ear accessory. It also has expandable storage and a 13-megapixel camera on back, with an 8-megapixel camera on the front.

People will also be able to choose from four different color options for the new smartphones, with those being graphite black, lime gold, rose gold, and white. We went hands-on with all three, and they seem to be your standard smartphone offerings from Sony but with a greater focus on camera and battery performance.

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Source: Sony unveils its Xperia X series smartphones

Oppo R9 Set For Mar 17 Release With 6-Inch Display, 21MP Camera, Apple iPhone 6s Plus-Like Design

Oppo is apparently gearing up to release the much-awaited R9 smartphone. It is believed to be the successor of the Oppo R7, released in 2015.

As it turns out, the Chinese tech titan has advertised the launch of its Oppo R9 by posting a slew of ads across China in subways and bus stations. Going by the ad, Oppo will take the wraps of the R9 on Mar. 17.

Oppo has been featuring mid-to-high-end configurations in its smartphones. However, this time around, the Oppo R9 is believed to come with top-of-the-shelf specifications and a killer exterior design rumored to resemble the Apple iPhone 6s Plus.

Gizmo China said this handset will be marketed as Oppo's high-end camera phone. Plus, Oppo is known for housing excellent battery units along with futuristic charging technology. With the R9, the company is expected to maintain that standard by housing the newly introduced Super VOOC rapid charging feature.

As far as the rumored Oppo R9 specifications go, GSM Arena said that the handset will feature a humongous 6.0-inch display, packed with a QHD screen resolution. Under the hood, it is believed to come powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 820 SoC, seen in the recently introduced LG G5, Samsung Galaxy S7 series and the Xiaomi Mi 5.

When it comes to camera configuration, the Oppo R9 will apparently sport a killer 21-megapixel rear-facing sensor. In addition, a very-generous 13-megapixel front-facing snapper for selfies and video chats has also been tipped.

This device is expected to come backed by either 3 GB or 4 GB of RAM. Not to forget, Oppo has been very generous with RAM configurations so far. Plus, the R9 will reportedly come equipped with 64 GB of built-in storage space with microSD card slot on board to facilitate expansion.

A phenomenal 3,700 mAh battery will apparently keep the lights on. On the software end, without any surprise, Android 6.0 Marshmallow OS will run the device out of the box.

In any case, readers should note that, Oppo has not confirmed the R9 specifications thus far.

Source: Oppo R9 Set For Mar 17 Release With 6-Inch Display, 21MP Camera, Apple iPhone 6s Plus-Like Design