We think we may have an idea of what Sammy may have set for CES 2013, but it’s gone ahead and decided to tease us anyways that we should have a lot to look forward to next month. It recently released a teaser video indicating that it has “something new” up its sleeve. Of “something new” is a bit vague and can be a wide-open number of possibilities, but still– you can’t help but get giddy at the thought of even cooler devices on the way.
You can see the full teaser vid once you hit the break.
In some not-so-surprising news, Huawei has finally come out and confirmed it is indeed working on a Samsung Galaxy Note II competitor. While speaking on the Chinese social networking page Weibo (China’s equivalent to Twitter), Huawei Senior VP Yu Chengdong took some time to tout up his company’s next beast of a smartphone. The device (which is speculated to be the Ascend Mate) will have a 6.1-inch full HD 1080p display and feature an in-house 1.8GHz quad-core processor with 2GB of RAM– all the while having a “cooler” design than the current Galaxy Note II.
Unfortunately, the Huawei executive decided to leave the Android world collectively guessing and speculating what else could be found in the unique device, but at least we won’t have to wait long. The device is expected to be formally revealed at CES 2013 in January— which is only a month away.
Try to contain your excitement in the meantime folks.
In some surprising news, it looks like we’ll be seeing more and more devices powered by MediaTek processors in the near-future. Hot off the heels of ZTE potentially developing a smartphone featuring a MediaTek 8-core processor, Sony has requested samples of MediaTek’s MT6589 quad-core SoC. This specialized chip is an ARM Cortex A7-based unit that can be clocked up to 1.2GHz and has a PowerVR SGX544 GPU that can handle 1,280 x 720 displays— but the catch is the quad-core chip is relatively affordable compared to other units like those from Qualcomm, NVIDIA and even Samsung.What this means is that Sony may be trying to implement the processors into potential new designs and support the possibility that consumers may see some new (budget-minded) devices as soon as next year.
Bear in mind, however– that while Sony has requested SoC samples for testing– this doesn’t necessarily mean it will actually produce new smartphones utilizing MediaTek’s quad-core processors– it is only in the preliminary stages… for now. However, if testing does indeed go well, don’t be surprised if we see some new (budget-minded) Sony smartphones on the horizon.
source: Phone Arena
Considering Samsung continues to churn out powerhouse after powerhouse, it’s fairly conceivable that it has its sights on developing even better and more powerful processors for future devices, right? It sure seems to be the case as Sammy is rumored to be developing an even faster version of its quad-core Exynos processor line. According to the gang at SamMobile, Sammy is currently developing a new system-on-a-chip (SoC) processor dubbed the Exynos 5440— which is based off ARM’s new Cortex A15 technology. The processor has a reference board identified as “SSDK5440″ and should be head and shoulders above the Exynos 5250 processor— which is also Cortex-A15-based, but “only” a dual-core processor. Indeed it looks like the latest information seems to line up with earlier rumors involving Sammy’s “next big thing”.
Unfortunately there are no additional details like what the processor speed will be or what GPU will compliment the processor, but the thought of an even faster processor sure will many mouths salivating. We’ll be sure to provide additional details as we get them.
source: SamMobile
The LG Optimus G has only been out for a little over a month, but that doesn’t mean LG can’t think about the future already and have its sights set on what could be one hell of a successor. The successor looks to bring some topnotch features including a quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro processor clocked at a whopping 2.0GHz or 2.5GHz, 2 gigs of RAM, a possible 13MP (or higher) camera, a new display featuring full 1080p resolution and the latest Android OS running the show (presumably Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie). The specs sound mighty attractive, but unfortunately we’ll have to wait a while to see the device in person as LG is expected to unveil the successor by Q3 2013.
Of course it’s a little too early for this kind of speculation, but we’ll be sure to give up all the details to you all as we get them.
Rob Nazarian and I got a chance to see the special device in person during its launch last week and now friends, the time has come for all customers to finally get their hands on what is undoubtedly one of the hottest devices of 2012. Verizon is officially unleashing the HTC DROID DNA in both its stores and online today. The latest entry in Verizon’s DROID line features a quad-core processor, 2 gigs of RAM, Jelly Bean and of course the whopping, but gorgeous 1080p Super LCD3 display. Interested parties can snag the device either from their local Verizon store or order online for $199.99 on-contract or a not-too-bad $599.99 off-contract price.
Be sure to stay with us and be on the lookout for our detailed review of the device, but in the meantime– why not check out our hands-on in order to remind yourself of how awesome this puppy is?
source: Verizon Wireless
Think that LG is content with releasing the Optimus G smartphone this year and calling it a day? Well think again as LG seems to have yet another superphone that’s likely on the way. Thanks to a leaked GLBenchmark score, we see that LG has a mysterious device called the F240K and looks to have all the major bells and whistles of a typical superphone. According to the benchmark, the F240K features a full 1080p (1920 x 1080) display, just like that found in the recently announced HTC DROID DNA smartphone. In addition to the noteworthy 1080p display, the F240K seems to feature a processor (most likely the quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro) clocked at 1.5GHz and will run on Android 4.1.2— not the now-outdated Ice Cream Sandwich.
There are no additional details of the F240K like its display size or how much RAM it’ll have, but now that the device has been outed– we suspect that it won’t be long before we see additional leaks pop up and give us a better idea of what this puppy entails exactly.
source: Slash Gear
So you own a brand-spankin’ new Nexus 4, but are wondering how the innards of the device look exactly? Well you are going to be in for a pleasant surprise at the gang from the iFixit team has already gone ahead and stripped the smartphone bare for our viewing pleasure. The gang gave a comprehensive walkthrough and thoroughly described everything we need to know about the internals of the device and show in plain view the noteworthy features such as the battery terminal for the 2,100mAh battery, a linear-oscillating vibrator motor and the motherboard of the device featuring the processor and RAM among other things. While it appears to be incredibly complicated what the team had done, they argue most of work was fairly straightforward and in some respects, a piece of cake.
As the device is fairly simple to take apart, one would think the Nexus 4 would have a great Repairability Score and sure enough it does. The device garnered an impressive 7 out of 10, which indicates that aside from a handful of little niggles and issues, owners of the device should be able to fiddle and tinker with no major issues.
I’m sure you’re all itching to see more, so head on down to the source link for the complete Nexus 4 teardown.
source: iFixit
Sony appears to have some big time ambitions for 2013. According to a Financial Times Deutschland interview, Dennis van Schie who is the CVP of Sales & Marketing asserts that Sony clearly intends on having a flagship that will outdo the likes of both the iPhone 5 and even the Galaxy S III. He asserts Sony “will create in the near future a flagship model that can compete with Apple’s iPhone and Samsung’s Galaxy S III“. This device will likely have current flagship models like the Xperia Ion variant and Xperia TL pale in comparison to this new and upcoming device. Rumor has it that the device will remain on the cutting edge side of things by featuring a Snapdragon quad-core processor, a 5-inch 1080p screen and perhaps a 12MP camera.
Naturally it sucks that owners who purchased a variant of the Xperia Ion and Xperia TL will have to cope with the fact their device is going to be all but forgotten take a backseat to another flagship device instead. On the other hand, it sure is exciting to see yet another 1080p phone on the horizon, isn’t it? Expect to see more details leak out as we possibly see the introduction of the device at the start of 2013.
source: Phone Arena
While it’s exciting that Google is selling the Nexus 4 through its Play Store for as little as $299 here in the US and parts of Europe, it looks like those in other parts of the world may not be so lucky to grab the device for such a low price. According to Androidos, there are reports coming in from Europe indicating that LG will be selling the Nexus 4 directly for as much as €599 or $768 USD in countries like Italy. Additional reports indicate similar pricing for other markets including Spain and India, which will likely see the device priced at INR 34K or 35K (roughly $650 USD). The increased pricing is beginning to have a major negative effect as well: LG’s supposed pricing structure seems to have a ripple effect as several retailers such as Phone House will not sell the phone due to the high pricing, which potentially means less availability for many Android fans abroad.
There’s no official word yet from LG and/or Google regarding this, but as soon as we grab further details, we’ll be sure to share it with you all.
source: Androidos