Skip to main content

smartphones

566 'smartphones' stories May 2011 - August 2015
See All Stories

Project Fi customers can get their Nexus 6 replaced for $100

Avatar for Cam Bunton Aug 12 2015 - 8:04 am PT
0 Comments

If you bought a Nexus 6 from Google during your Project Fi setup process, you may be surprised to know that the company will replace that device once for a fee of just $100. That means, if you dropped your phone and damaged it somehow, all you need to do is make a quick call to Project Fi customer support and they’ll arrange the replacement (via Android Central).

It’s pretty straight-forward, and given the no-questions-asked policy, you can literally swap your Nexus 6 for any reason within the first 12 months of ownership. If you manage to avoid any serious damage to your Nexus and it’s getting a little worn and old, you can ring up and swap for a fresh, shiny new one, as long as you’ve owned it for less than a year.

Of course, if a handset goes faulty during regular warranty period, your usual warranty terms apply. This hidden perk is more of an insurance policy against accidental damage, or things not normally covered by the product warranty. If your screen cracks on your Project Fi-powered Nexus, you know now that you don’t have to spend a fortune on getting your display replaced, or having to make do with a terrible backup phone.

 

Panasonic CM1 review: Now the best camera definitely is the one in your pocket [Video]

Avatar for Cam Bunton Aug 11 2015 - 9:38 am PT
0 Comments


We’ve all heard the phrase that the best camera is the one you have on you, and now with the Panasonic CM1, that could finally be true. It’s possible to have a smartphone that takes amazing pictures. With a 1-inch sensor, Leica lens and some useful software tools, this is easily the best camera setup ever built into an Android device.


Expand
Expanding
Close

Xiaomi announces new Redmi 2 Prime, its first smartphone ‘made in India’

Avatar for Cam Bunton Aug 10 2015 - 4:02 am PT
0 Comments

Smartphone manufacturers are climbing over each other to take full advantage of the rapidly expanding market opportunities in India. Chief among them is Chinese smartphone manufacturer, Xiaomi, which has just announced its first smartphone assembled in India, for the Indian market only. The Redmi 2 Prime still predominantly uses parts from China, but is assembled in Sri City.

As for the device itself, the Redmi 2 Prime offers a considerable memory and storage upgrade on the regular Redmi 2 without costing a whole lot more. For just under 7,000 Rupees ($110 USD) you get a device packing 2GB RAM and 16GB storage, that’s double the memory and capacity of the Redmi 2 which costs just under 6,000 Rupees ($94 USD). Both devices make use of Qualcomm’s 64-bit Snapdragon 410 processor and host 4.7-inch IPS HD (1280×720) displays and an 8MP camera on the back. What’s more, they’re dual SIM and can cope with LTE speeds up to 150Mbps.

Xiaomi plans to bring more of its manufacturing process to India, eventually producing more of its components and packaging within Indian borders. Hugo Barra, Xiaomi’s chief stated “this is like the typical chicken and egg story. Unless there is any smartphone manufacturing happening in the country, you cannot expect to get components locally.” So this is very much just the first step in its journey to cracking the Indian market.

Indian consumers can purchase the new Redmi 2 Prime direct from mi.com from today.

Motorola confirms StageFright bug fix coming to 11 smartphone lines including new Moto X and Moto G

Avatar for Cam Bunton Aug 10 2015 - 3:15 am PT
0 Comments

Motorola has joined several other Android OEMs in confirming that it will be rolling out a StageFright software fix for many of its popular smartphone lines. As you’d expect, this includes the newly announced Moto X and Moto G handsets as well as a number of older devices.

The new devices will be patched from launch, while others may be subject to the usual carrier approval and testing. Carrier partners will receive the software and start testing on August 10th. In all, there are 200 variants of software to be patched, tested and released. So it could take time for you to get your fix.

The list of devices includes:

  • Moto X Style (patched from launch)
  • Moto X Play (patched from launch)
  • Moto X (1st Gen, 2nd Gen)
  • Moto X Pro
  • Moto Maxx/Turbo
  • Moto G (1st Gen, 2nd Gen, 3rd Gen)
  • Moto G with 4G LTE (1st Gen, 2nd Gen)
  • Moto E  (1st Gen, 2nd Gen)
  • Moto E  with 4G LTE (2nd Gen)
  • DROID Turbo
  • DROID Ultra/Mini/Maxx

As I’m sure you’re now aware, it recently came to light that Android had a serious, gaping hole left in its coding. Dubbed ‘Android’s worst vulnerability in Mobile OS history‘ StageFright would essentially allow anyone with the ability and motive to include malware in any video MMS message. It could potentially affect your phone before you even open or see the message. To be safe, be sure to read our guide on how you can protect yourself against it until your software fix arrives.

Upcoming Huawei device leaks ahead of purported September launch

Avatar for Cam Bunton Aug 8 2015 - 9:33 am PT
0 Comments

With Samsung pulling out of IFA this year and opting for hosting its own event, you may be left wondering if there’s anything worth looking forward to at this year’s tech show in Berlin. Thankfully, it looks as though Huawei is preparing to show off one of its own new devices. Two leaks have shown up on Twitter today, one press render from Evan Blass and another picture of a pre-release device running AnTuTu benchmark tests from Steve Hemmerstoffer.

According to Evan Blass, better known as @evleaks, the device is going to be announced on September 2nd, at an event during IFA. Although he doesn’t know what the device’s name will be, he does state that it will feature ‘Force Touch’. If true, this will make it one of the first smartphones announced with a built in sensor to detect pressure on the touchscreen. Of course, Apple is expected to implement the technology in to its upcoming smartphones, but Cupertino isn’t likely to announce anything new until September 9.

Add that to the images of what is almost certainly a prototype, or pre-release test unit, and we start to get a clearer picture of the device. Looking at the information on screen from the benchmark tests suggests we’ll see a 1080p display, with an octa-core 64-bit processor. If you were to look at design alone, you might think this is perhaps the next generation Huawei Ascend Mate device. However, look closely and you’ll realize that can’t be the case.

You’ll also see that it has a 13MP camera and runs Android 5.1.1. But what’s really interesting to me is the claimed DPI count (better known as PPI or pixels per inch). The benchmark states that it has a pixel density of 480ppi. If so, using a pixel density calculator, it can’t possibly be a follow-up to the 6-inch Mate7. 1080×1920 over 6-inches is 367ppi. So this could perhaps be the mini version of Huawei’s Ascend Mate 7, with a screen measuring 4.6-inches diagonally. That’s not forgetting, the Mate 7 was only announced in March this year.

Of course, this is all just speculation for now. We’ll find out all about this device once it has been announced. It’ll be intriguing to see where in the market this supposed device will sit alongside the Huawei P8 and P8 Lite and if it’ll be restricted to just specific markets, or available globally. It’s unlikely that this is the long-rumored Huawei Nexus phone, if it is being announced at IFA.

Asus announces a slew of new phones, including ZenFone 2 Deluxe and 5,000mAh ZenFone Max

Avatar for Cam Bunton Aug 6 2015 - 4:37 am PT
0 Comments

ZenFone Max and ZenFone 2 Deluxe

Asus has just announced the availability of a huge range of new ZenFone smartphones and ZenPad tablets at its ZenFestival event in New Delhi, India. Among them are the ZenFone Selfie, ZenFone 2 Deluxe, ZenFone 2 Laser and ZenFone Max. A couple of those were already demoed by the company at Computex in June, but now we know which market they’re heading to first: India.


Expand
Expanding
Close

Huawei Nexus prototype allegedly appears in sketchy leak

Avatar for Cam Bunton Aug 6 2015 - 3:52 am PT
1 Comment


We’ve been hearing rumors for some time now that Google will partner with Huawei on its next flagship Nexus device. It may seem like a strange choice of manufacturer, but with its influence in China, Google sees a strong opportunity to piggy-back Huawei’s Chinese success and get its own services adopted there.

We’re supposedly expecting a device with a 5.7-inch QHD screen and Snapdragon 820 processor to be launched alongside a smaller LG-made device (refreshed Nexus 5 perhaps) sometime later this year. Today, a fresh leak has been published showing little detail, but what could be a prototype of the Huawei-made Pure Google device.

If you check out a few of the snapshot images originally taken from a blurry, unclear video, you’ll notice that the design is fairly similar to another Huawei smartphone. Although there are differences, you’ll see much of the design language is the same as the Huawei Ascend Mate 7:

The arrangement of the camera, fingerprint sensor and LED flash units is very similar in both. However, you’ll notice the camera on the supposed Nexus device is round, rather than square (matching the leaked LG Nexus cases). The LED flash is a long pill-shaped component rather than square, but the fingerprint sensor is much the same. Take a look at the original video leaked originally by Steve Hemmerstoffer:

Since the device isn’t powered on at all in the video, it’s hard to say with any certainty whether or not this really is the Nexus being leaked. Or even, if it’s a working prototype. For all we know, it could just be a tested physical dummy unit of a device Huawei is working on. Although, if it is genuine and this is the finished product, let me be the first to say that I’d love that all-black finish on a Nexus device. So dark, and stealthy.

HTC One M9 software update enables Wi-Fi calling for EE UK customers

Avatar for Cam Bunton Aug 5 2015 - 2:49 am PT
0 Comments

If you’re an EE customer in the UK and have an HTC One M9, you might want to check your settings menu for software updates. The latest — launching today — brings Wi-Fi calling to your phone and enables you to make calls and send texts using a Wi-Fi network.

EE customers in the UK have been able to make use of Wi-Fi calling for the past couple of months, but only on a very select few handsets. Namely: iPhones and Samsung Galaxy S6 phones. Now the list of compatible handsets has grown. Today, HTC has announced that EE customers should receive a software update to enable on the feature on its flagship One M9.

WiFi calls are seamlessly integrated into general usage, and are therefore indistinguishable from regular calls from an HTC handset. WiFi Calling from EE and HTC uses the phone’s normal dialler and contacts book to make calls, and the normal text button to send text messages.  Customers don’t need a stand-alone app, a unique HTC interface will automatically detect whether to use WiFi or cellular each time the HTC One M9 is used to make a call.

It’s an incredibly useful feature to have (as any T-Mobile US customer will tell you) particularly if you live in an area where cellular coverage can be a little unreliable. The update is available immediately.

OnePlus auctioning OnePlus 2 invites on eBay for charity

Avatar for Cam Bunton Aug 5 2015 - 2:22 am PT
0 Comments


In a blog post this morning, OnePlus announced that it is auctioning off 100 OnePlus 2 invites on eBay with the proceeds going towards the UNICEF Tap Project. Fifty invites have already landed on OnePlus’ official eBay shop with the other fifty due to hit the store a little later.

All invites are for the 64GB Sandstone Black OnePlus 2 and the auctions work just like any regular eBay auction. Winning bidders will be sent the invites by email and once received, will be able to use those to immediately go and buy one the new OnePlus 2 handsets from the manufacturer’s store. All invites will be sent out on August 10th and unlike regular invites, winning bidders will have an entire month to purchase the phone. With the reservation list having already hit the 1 million mark, there will surely be a number of people clamoring to get an invite any way they can.

Part of this move was in order to combat the invites which would unofficially make their way to eBay. In the past, people have been selling their OnePlus invites online and pocketing the pure profit. With this strategy, OnePlus doesn’t just open up a more “official” way to buy invites, it’s also helping out an important cause.

UNICEF’s Tap Project was started to get clean, safe water to children in underprivileged areas and 100% of OnePlus’ eBay auction proceeds will go straight to the charity. If you’d like to, you can read more about the charity here. OnePlus Invite auctions on eBay last 5 days and — at time of writing — there are invites that have raised more than $500.

As promotional moves go, this is a hugely redeeming strategy from a company which has drawn so much negative attention over the past couple of years. Kudos, OnePlus.

OnePlus founder: Third phone will be out before the end of the year

Avatar for Cam Bunton Aug 3 2015 - 5:02 am PT
1 Comment

In a quick, but far-reaching, interview with USA Today, Carl Pei (OnePlus co-founder) states that his company will have a second phone out this year, hopefully in time for Christmas. He didn’t give any clues as to what the phone may or may not feature, but he did say it’d be a tough choice between using the OnePlus 2 or this unreleased phone as his daily driver.


Expand
Expanding
Close

Sony launches Xperia C5 Ultra and Xperia M5 ‘super mid-range phones’

Avatar for Cam Bunton Aug 3 2015 - 1:41 am PT
1 Comment

Just a few days after the press renders leaked, Sony has officially taken the wraps off its newest ‘super mid-range smartphones’. The Xperia C5 Ultra is a large phablet, while the M5 is a more traditional size and shape for a smartphone. Both are aiming to offer almost-flagship specs for a lower price, and will hit store shelves in select markets from the middle of August.


Expand
Expanding
Close

Purported Galaxy Note 5 specs leaked: Octa-core Exynos chip, 4GB RAM, more…

Avatar for Cam Bunton Aug 1 2015 - 3:15 pm PT
0 Comments

Not long after he leaked the official press renders for the Galaxy Note 5 and Galaxy S6 Edge+, Evan Blass let us in on the next Samsung phablet’s likely specification list. The device code-named Samsung Noble, model SM-N920 will supposedly feature a 5.66-inch QHD display, 4GB RAM and an octa-core Exynos 7420 processor made up of two quad-core chips (2.1GHz plus 1.5GHz). Alongside those, it’s predicted Samsung will pack in a 16MP rear camera, a 5MP front camera and run it on Android 5.1.1.

Perhaps the least surprising specification, but most disappointing, is the purported lack of expandable memory. Like the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge launched earlier this year, Samsung is going to go with internal storage only and not offer Micro SD card support.

Samsung is expected to announced the Galaxy Note 5 and its curved sibling at a press event on August 13. Let’s hope we have at least a few surprises from the Korean tech giant when the next Unpacked event kicks off. Right now, we seem to have a pretty clear picture of the next devices coming our way.

Purported 2015 LG Nexus cases leak, show protruding camera and possible fingerprint sensor on the back

Avatar for Cam Bunton Jul 30 2015 - 4:48 am PT
0 Comments

A couple of days back we saw a leak purporting to show the outline, or silhouette of this year’s rumored LG Nexus device. It had two circular holes on the back, along with a more square-shaped cutout. We assumed at least one of the circular ones was for a camera, but were unsure of the purpose for the second hole. If these recent case leaks are genuine, it seems less likely that the secondary round cutout is for a camera. Rather, a fingerprint sensor.


Expand
Expanding
Close

Panasonic CM1 unboxing and first look: Camera or Phone? [Video]

Avatar for Cam Bunton Jul 27 2015 - 5:30 am PT
3 Comments

Panasonic showed off its Android-based digital compact camera at CES earlier this year, despite officially announcing it in the September previous. With it being such an interesting device in a form factor similar to the Samsung Galaxy K Zoom, I felt I should at least try and get hold of one to feature here, and give my thoughts on the phone-come-smartphone. Although I wanted to unbox it and give my first impressions, I was more interested in seeing how the camera performs. If it’s as good as it looks and sounds, this could be the perfect device for those more interested in photography than making phone calls and taking selfies…
Expand
Expanding
Close

Moto G (2015) Moto Maker customization options revealed

Avatar for Cam Bunton Jul 23 2015 - 4:56 am PT
0 Comments

We read rumors a while back that Motorola would be adding this year’s upcoming Moto G to its popular Moto Maker customization service. Like the Moto X, you’ll be able to order the Moto G with your choice of front or back color, as well as various metallic accent hues.

Thanks to a recent leak that made its way to Reddit, we now have a better idea of all the options available. First, you’ll be able to choose either white or black on the front housing. There will be a total of ten rear housing colors to choose from, including cherry, cabernet, blue, raspberry, turquoise, black, gold yellow, white, lime and navy. Metallic accent options will also include ten colors. These will presumably be on the front speaker/earpiece, and metal camera housing on the back.

Unlike the Moto X, there doesn’t seem to be an option to add a luxury material like wood or leather. However, it does appear that we’ll get a choice between an 8GB or 16GB model. The latter will also have 2GB RAM. There’s also going to be five FlipShell cases, costing just under $20 and a number of wallpapers to have pre-loaded on the home screen. You can see the leak in all it’s glory below:

The entire Motorola lineup is expected to get something of a design refresh this year. Although the general shape and look of the phones will largely be the same, the camera and Moto ‘dimple’ housing on the back will be changed. While the design between the Moto G and Moto X is likely going to be similar, as it usually is, this will be the first time that both have been available on Moto Maker.

Although we can’t take any leaks or rumors as being concrete evidence, there’s perhaps enough here to start piecing together what Motorola might announce at its event on July 28.

Xiaomi partners with Uber to deliver smartphones “within minutes” to Singapore, Malaysia buyers

Avatar for Cam Bunton Jul 23 2015 - 3:12 am PT
0 Comments

While Amazon is experimenting with shipping products by drone and offering two-hour deliveries, Xiaomi is taking a novel approach to delivering its own wares in Singapore and Malaysia. In partnership with Uber, the company will now let customers order their brand new Mi Note smartphone, and have it delivered within a few minutes.

Xiaomi’s chief, Hugo Barra announced the partnership on his Facebook page just a short while ago.

“Ordering a Mi Note follows the exact same process as calling for an Uber — you simply open the Uber app, use the slider at the bottom to select “Xiaomi” (which shows Xiaomi-orange colored Uber cars on the map equipped to deliver the new smartphone), and hit request. Payment will be charged directly to the credit card tied to your Uber account and a Mi Note will be delivered to you within a few minutes.”

It’s hard to think of anything more convenient than being able to place an order for a smartphone with a few taps of your finger, and have it land on your doorstep in the same hour.

Qualcomm to make $1.4 billion in cuts, restructure board after disappointing year

Avatar for Cam Bunton Jul 22 2015 - 2:04 pm PT
0 Comments

Qualcomm, the company behind the all-conquering Snapdragon processors, said today that it will cut $1.4 billion in costs and restructure its board after being pressured by an activist investor to make changes. The move could see the chip-maker cut thousands of jobs as it seeks to streamline its operations. Qualcomm’s revenue is significantly lower than it was 12 months ago, and its chip business isn’t the powerhouse it used to be.


Expand
Expanding
Close

OnePlus 2 revealed in TENAA images, shows physical “home” button and more

Avatar for Cam Bunton Jul 22 2015 - 4:37 am PT
2 Comments

The OnePlus 2 looks to have been outed by the Chinese certification body, TENAA. These images appear to show front, back and side profiles of the next-generation OnePlus smartphone, which looks like it’ll include a physical home button similar to the Samsung Galaxy S6 – presumably where the built-in fingerprint sensor will be housed … 
Expand
Expanding
Close

How to mirror or stream content from your Android device to Mac or Windows PC [Video]

Avatar for Cam Bunton Jul 21 2015 - 11:52 am PT
5 Comments

Apple and Google products don’t always play together nicely, but when they do, it’s normally because a third party has created an application or two to get them talking to each other. That’s exactly what Reflector 2 for Mac does (among many other things). If you’ve been wondering how you can get content from your Android smartphone or tablet mirrored or streamed to your Mac (and Windows PC, if you’re into that kinda thing), this is one really easy way.


Expand
Expanding
Close

Site default logo image

New sensor technology could allow fingerprint unlock through your smartphone screen

Avatar for Ben Lovejoy Jul 21 2015 - 6:15 am PT
0 Comments

Unlocking smartphones by fingerprint has been possible since the Motorola Atrix 2 back in 2011, with both Samsung and HTC embedding fingerprint sensors into some of their more recent models, but the process could get a whole lot slicker thanks to some new tech.

While current sensors need some space beneath the display, future smartphones could read your fingerprint through the screen. TNW reports that Sonovation has developed ultrasonic fingerprint sensors capable of 3D scanning from beneath the Gorilla Glass used on many high-end smartphones.

Though details on how it will work are sparse, Sonovation says its sensors are “capable of capturing fingerprint data into the ridges and valleys.” It also says 3D scanning can take place if a finger is wet, dirty or oily — all without compromising accuracy.

Google built fingerprint recognition into Android M, making it likely that we’ll see more Android devices launching with fingerprint sensors in future.

Image: PC Mag

Next ASUS PadFone S2 could feature Snapdragon 820, 5.5-inch QHD screen and 4GB RAM

Avatar for Cam Bunton Jul 21 2015 - 4:01 am PT
0 Comments

A recent leak suggests ASUS is planning on releasing a PadFone S2 during by the first quarter of 2016. By the time it arrives, it’ll be the first PadFone in over a year and could be one of the first to feature Snapdragon‘s next-generation 820 series chip.

When it comes to innovation, or just doing things differently, ASUS caught our attention a few years ago when it first unveiled the PadFone. The company released a phone which slid in to a dock built in to a large touchscreen display, transforming it in to a tablet. It was probably the first notable attempt at a convertible smartphone/tablet, and ASUS isn’t done yet.


Expand
Expanding
Close

Huawei sees strong first half of 2015 with 30% revenue increase, reportedly on track for 100 million shipments

Avatar for Tom Maxwell Jul 20 2015 - 10:38 am PT
0 Comments

Huawei, the Chinese-based manufacturer making a name for itself in the Android smartphone market, has released a peek at its earnings results for the first half of 2015, despite being a privately-held company. The results suggest Huawei is doing quite well for a company which already ships millions of phones globally on an annual basis, although the company doesn’t just make smartphones — it also has its hand in enterprise with products in cloud computing, data storage, and more, as well as in the carrier business where it offers network technologies for telecommunications operators to easily scale their mobile broadband infrastructure.


Expand
Expanding
Close

HTC One M9+ heading to Europe soon

Avatar for Cam Bunton Jul 16 2015 - 5:28 am PT
0 Comments

HTC has confirmed that its HTC One M9+ (the boosted version of the regular M9) will be heading to Europe soon. Initially, the smartphone was only available to buy in China.

For now, that’s all the detail we have. HTC is yet to confirm which specific countries it’ll be available in, or which carriers will be selling the M9+.

To say that initial reaction to the HTC One M9 was muted would be something of an overstatement. In many ways, the One M9+ is the phone we all hoped the regular M9 would be. It features a 5.2-inch QHD (2560×1440) display, a fingerprint scanner and 20MP Duo Camera covered with sapphire crystal glass. Unlike the M9, it doesn’t use the Snapdragon 810 chip, instead opting to go with the 2.2GHz MediaTek helio X10 with 3GB RAM. It also offers expandable storage via MicroSD on top of the internal 32GB flash drive. It’s got everything any spec-hungry consumer could possibly want.

Sadly, there’s still no mention of when (or if) the phone might make it across to the States. HTC has recently announced that it is partnering with multiple U.S. carriers to launch a handful of mid-range, budget-friendly smartphones. Although that helps the manufacturer boost its presence in the American market, it’ll do little to comfort those who really wanted to buy the M9+.