Following on from the recent leak seemingly showing the Huawei P9 prototype encased in an identity-protecting plastic shell, the upcoming flagship smartphone has appeared again. This time, the smartphone is completely uncovered, showing a device which takes some of the design influences of last year, and adds some of today’s most high end features…
For some people, having a regular model of a gadget isn’t enough. They have to get that one extra special model. In recent years, that has often meant coating a smartphone in previous metals or jewels (or both). This year, that could mean a 24K gold Galaxy S7 or S7 Edge from London-based Truly Exquisite…
Update: You can now order the BlackBerry PRIV from Verizon Wireless for $30.00 per month with $0 down, or pay the full $720 retail price.
According to several Verizon staff members commenting in CrackBerry‘s forums, the carrier is preparing for a retail launch next week. It has seemingly been confirmed that the device will go on sale on March 11, with pre-orders opening on March 3.
When Alcatel OneTouch (now just Alcatel) launched the 5.5-inch Idol 3 last year, I think it’s fair to say many of us tech reviewers were pleasantly surprised. For a device costing under $300 it had an array of high end features, including a crisp, colorful big screen, great stereo sound and fantastic battery life. Of course, it also helped that the software was clean and almost stock Android.
Now that Samsung, LG, Sony and Alcatel have announced their flagship phones for 2016, its competition won’t be far behind. HTC is expected to announce the One M10 soon and Huawei will unveil the P9. While new phones are exciting, perhaps even better news is that last year’s best phones are now available at lower prices, and they’re still great smartphones.
On the night Leonardo DiCaprio finally won an OSCAR (for his work in The Revenant), Samsung launched a celebrity-studded Galaxy S7 ad campaign featuring William H Macy and Lil Wayne among others. Titled ‘Why?’ the Galaxy ad highlights the features that make the new S-series smartphones special.
The ability to pay almost anywhere with Samsung Pay, take great low-light shots with the new camera as well as its waterproof nature, long battery life and VR support, all seemingly add up to a perfect smartphone for the featured celebrities’ wish lists.
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfCubGgMkms]
Compared to Samsung’s historically cringeworthy attacks on Apple’s smartphones, this one seems a lot more subtle and is — dare I say it — actually funny and entertaining. Not only does it portray Samsung not taking itself as seriously as in previous years, it also shows the well-known stars doing the same.
Unlike last year, Huawei’s presence at MWC in 2016 was slightly muted. At least it was for the Android fans among us. The company launched a 2-in-1 Windows tablet/laptop crossover and nothing Android or Chrome-based. But there’s good reason for the Chinese manufacturer’s lack of Google-powered products. If rumors are to be believed, Huawei is preparing to launch its next P-series smartphones at some point in the near future.
Earlier this week, Acer announced the all-new Liquid Jade 2. The new Android Marshmallow-powered smartphone features fairly high-end specs for what looks to be a mid-ranger.
As conferences go, MWC felt relatively subdued this year, at least from an Android perspective. Huawei decided to sit this year out and launch a Windows tablet, Sony had a quiet event and HTC just sent out a press release for its new Desire series. While press events weren’t jam-packed in to a crazy schedule, there was still some exciting and fun stuff happening in Barcelona this week.
Nextbit didn’t have an official presence at MWC this week. There was no press event, or new release, just a small meeting room at the back of one of the halls. Members of the press could go and meet the company’s chiefs and PR team to get their hands on the Robin, the manufacturer’s breakthrough product which utilizes the power of the cloud to keep storage space free on the device. I tried the Nextbit Robin for a few minutes, and fell in love, but I’m not entirely sure why…
Huawei and Leica have announced a strategic long-term partnership this morning with the aim to improve the smartphone manufacturer’s cameras, and give the well-known German camera maker a fresh presence in the mobile market.
Here at MWC in Barcelona this year, HTC decided to quietly launch a couple of new budget friendly devices. One of them is the new, low end Desire 530. Design-wise, it’s very similar to most previous Desire phones, although with a new colorful, speckled rear shell.
Samsung only announced the Galaxy S7 a few days ago, but already a number of case manufacturers have been keen to get our attention. It’s no exaggeration to say there are hundreds of case options already available for the latest S-series flagships…
Android Marshmallow didn’t come with many obvious user interface changes when it launched last year, but it did come with several baked-in core features. One of them was the ability to adopt a MicroSD card as internal storage. This lets you use an external card to store apps and app data. In my opinion, it’s one of the best features of Marshmallow, especially if you have a low to mid-range phone with limited storage, like the Moto X Play.
Samsung and LG, however, have decided it’s in everyone’s best interests if it isn’t in their latest flagships, the Galaxy S7 and LG G5, which both launched this week at MWC 2016…
Xiaomi has finally unveiled its next flagship phone at a press event this morning, and from the design alone, it would be easy to confuse the device with a Galaxy S7. The seamless glass front surface features a pill-shaped home button, a solid metal frame with sculpted edges, and even the glass back which curves towards the edges. But don’t let that copycat form factor put you off. With a starting price of around $306 USD (¥1999), this smartphone packs in an incredible array of high-end features…
We’re in Barcelona for MWC 2016, and the first company to show its hand here was Alcatel. Formerly Alcatel OneTouch, the manufacturer has come out with a new brand name, and a new focus on today’s trendy millennials who want a great phone without the usual expense.
Sony has unveiled three new Xperia phones, known as the X-series. The entry-level device is the XA, with a MediaTek MT6755 processor rather than a Snapdragon chip. With a 720p display and 16GB storage, Sony’s description of it as a “super mid-range” device seems to be pushing it, though you do get 2GB RAM and 13MP/8MP cameras.
The standard X gets much better specs and should make photography fans happy. It boasts a Snapdragon 650 processor with 3GB of RAM plus 32GB of storage. The display is a good if unexceptional 5-inch 1080p one, but the standout element here is the camera combo. The X gets the same 23MP rear camera as in the Z5 (though with improved firmware) and a 13MP front camera Sony says offers 6400ISO for ultra-capable low-light performance – and a new predictive auto-focus that can track a moving object in the frame …
The LG G5 is a huge departure from the company’s usual all-plastic affairs. And it’s finally here. What I love about this phone on first impressions is the way it feels in hand. The smooth metal finish combined with the rounded corners and edges help create a phone that looks and feels fantastic.
Compare that to last year’s G-series flagship’s right-angled corners and sharp design, and you’ll notice a stark contrast in approach…
Earlier this evening, Samsung finally took the wraps off its next generation Galaxy S-series smartphones. The Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge take what was great about the previous year’s flagships, and improve areas which needed it. In some ways, even going back to features we’ve missed.
After months of rumors and speculation, Samsung finally announced its next flagship handsets at a crowded event here in Barcelona. Thousands of tech journalist watched on as Sammy took the wraps of the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge which, in many ways, are the upgraded models we needed from the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge launched in 2015.
LG has officially unveiled its latest G-series flagship device, and at long last, has taken a completely different approach to design. There’s no more plastic flimsy shell, but that doesn’t mean we’ve lost any versatility. Thanks to an unusual, detachable metal bottom edge, you can still remove and replace the battery on the LG G5.
At MWC last year, I think it’s fair to say Alcatel OneTouch surprised us all with its last Idol series phones. The Idol 3 lineup boasted specifications that pushed way past its price-point. The 1080p 5.5-inch model specifically was easily one of the best value-for-money phones available in 2015.
Fast forward to this year, and the company has done it again. With the Idol 4 and 4S, Alcatel (notice, no more OneTouch) is ensuring it remains competitive in 2016, giving the big-names a run for their money…
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In a press release this morning, LG announced that it has partnered with renowned audio company, B&O Play to bring high quality sound performance to the LG G5. The Korean tech giant notes that it has been working with the audio firm to ensure that the G5 has “the best sound experience” available to smartphone users.
