Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+ unveiled with US pricing

The Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+ have been officially unveiled, the two phones mostly differ in screen size - the Galaxy S8 has a 5.8” screen, the Galaxy S8+ is at 6.2”. Both are Super AMOLEDs with an extra wide aspect ratio of 18.5:9, they have the same resolution too (1,440 x 2,960px). Also notice the rounded corners of the screen.

HDR10 is supported, just like it was on the Note7, but Dolby Vision is not. Samsung partnered with Amazon to bring HDR capable content. This is also the first Ultra Dynamic Range certified screen, but details are scarce.

The hardware controls below the screen are gone, replaced by pressure-sensitive on screen buttons. Plus, Samsung claims its tactile feedback is better than Apple’s.

One new button did appear - it summons Bixby, the digital assistant. Bixby has three jobs, the first of which is to answer voice queries. It can see the world around it too, not just listen to it. Image recognition can spot landmarks and find products on Amazon. Finally, there’s a hub on the homescreen similar to Google Now. By the way, Bixby will power Samsung’s Internet of Things - the company expects by 2020 most of their appliances will be connected and under Bixby’s control.

Galaxy S8+

Moving on, the Galaxy S8 camera uses the 12MP Dual Pixel sensor from the S7 but with improved software - it captures multiple exposures to raise image quality. Samsung calls it Multiframe Processing and it sounds a lot like Google’s HDR+. The selfie cam did get a hardware upgrade (as well as the Multiframe Processing), it now has an 8MP sensor and autofocus (with clever face detection).

The Galaxy S8 and S8+ are the first phones to launch with 1 gigabit LTE, thanks to the Snapdragon 835 and Exynos 8895 chipsets. Different countries get a different chipset, but performance should be very similar between the two.

Some countries are special when it comes to memory, though. Most of the world will get 4GB of RAM and 64GB storage, but some (China and Korea, presumably) will get 6GB/128GB instead. Worry not - fast storage is easily available thanks to the UFS/microSD hybrid card slot!

Perhaps the only other difference between the S8 and S8+ (well, aside from price) is the battery. The S8 gets a 3,000mAh battery, the bigger Galaxy S8+ comes with a 3,500mAh pack. Both are sealed and feature Samsung’s Adaptive Fast Charging (the relatively old Quick Charge 2.0 is also supported). There’s fast wireless charging too, both WPC and PMA.

The flagship duo is waterproof as you would expect (IP68) and Samsung switched to the latest Gorilla Glass 5.

Galaxy S8

Bundled with the flagships are a pair of quality AKG headphones with dual drivers - one 11mm and one 8mm (you don’t even have to ask, there’s a 3.5mm headphone jack on the phone).

You can also get the Samsung DeX dock, which turns the Galaxy S8 into a desktop computer, it even has Windows support (kinda). The dock uses the USB-C port on the phone, which offers USB 3.1 speed and DisplayPort too.

The Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+ will launch in Midnight Black, Orchid Gray, Arctic Silver, Coral Blue and Maple Gold. The duo will go on sale on April 21 in the US, while European availability is scheduled for April 28. The S8 will cost $750/INR 48999, while the S8+ is $850/INR 54999.

Xiaomi Rumoured To Be Working On A Budget Mi Mix Lite

 

The Xiaomi Mi Mix was certainly one of the more surprising phones of the past few months, now rumours suggest a more affordable model could be on the way.

When Xiaomi launched the Mi Mix they really did break the mold and throw the pieces away. The phone was announced as a concept device, but the Chinese manufacturer soon released the handset for customers to buy.

With 3 edges that had zero bezel and a large display, the Xiaomi Mi Mix soon caught the attention of the press, phone fans and rival phone makers who have since been launching their own alternative versions.

Originally the Mi Mix was launched in two variants. A top end version with 6GB RAM and 256GB memory, and a more affordable version with 4GB RAM and 128GB memory, but could a more affordable version be launched?

 

According to Chinese news reports, Xiaomi are working on a Xiaomi Mi Mix Lite that may cost as little as 999 Yuan! That’s significantly more affordable than the current Mi Mix smartphone.

If true the new Mi Mix Lite will also boast a high scree-to-body ratio and may also launch with a variation of Xiaomi’s very own Surge S1 SoC. At this time the report is very much sorted in the ‘Rumour’ category and we’ll monitor new rumours to see if there really is any weight to them.

Do you think a budget Xiaomi Mi Mix Lite could be on the cards?

Nokia flagship appears on leaked design sketch with Carl Zeiss dual camera

This looks quite interesting if you ask me. Today’s leak comes from the reliable Nokibar user who seems to have got his hands on some design sketches of an upcoming Nokia flagship with a Carl Zeiss dual camera! In case you don’t remember HMD Global has already hinted that they plan to partner with Zeiss in the not so distant future and this leak surely confirms it.

Nokia has been a pioneer in mobile photography, with some iconic smartphones during the past years being equipped with Carl Zeiss lenses, so these news today can only confirm our hopes that we will soon see a top quality camera smartphone from the Finnish company.

According to the sketches the phone seems to retain the same design pattern as the Nokia 3, 5 and 6 models but it looks a bit more elegant in a way. Keep in mind that we’re talking about design sketches, these things are just the first step while you design one smartphone and a lot of changes can occur until the device can finally be unveiled.

OnePlus share the story behind OnePlus 3T Midnight Black edition

Here’s a video that captures the essence of the design team’s efforts. They put in a lot of effort trying to capture the perfect hue of black and the texture of metal.

The video outlines the OnePlus design team’s shift from the OnePlus One’s sandstone black body to an all-metal design. After a customer survey in early 2016 revealed that many users were itching for a metal body, OnePlus decided to set the bar higher and live up to its tagline.

What followed was an entire year’s worth of drawings, designs, tests and iterations. In fact, the design team even delayed the launch by a month because the body’s curvature was not up to their standards. Talk about Never Settle!

They payed attention to details that most users would overlook and probably not even be bothered about. The Quality Check department approves only 600 out of every 1,000 Gunmetal OnePlus 3T. This number is expected to drop to 400 for the Midnight Black version. We highly recommend that you watch this 4-minute video.

Nokia 150 feature phone lands in India

Unveiled by HMD back in December last year and already available in Europe, the Nokia 150 feature phone has now arrived in India. Third party retailers including Amazon and Flipkart currently have the device listed on their website.

Specifically, Flipkart is offering the black model for INR 2,299 (around $35), while the white model is being sold for INR 2,399 (around $36). Amazon also has the Dual SIM variant listed, but it's currently unavailable.

Working Samsung Galaxy S8+ unit spotted

Still, you might want to hold up for a bit, before you continue on your way this time around, as these are probably the most detailed and believable shots of the 6.2-inch plablet to date. The stills come from Mexico, as further proven by the handset's UI language of choice. It looks like someone over at androidmx got early access to a properly functional S8+ unit, which he then proceeded to grab a few stills of.

Not only do we get to marvel at the nearly edge-to-edge curved panel this time around, but there is also a small interface tour to be had. As expected, the SM-G955F sports Samsung's new Grace UX look. This time, it is complete with a trio of on-screen controls - a necessity, since there will be no front-mounted capacitive buttons on the S8.

One of the photos also captures the Advanced Features menu, where we can see some pretty familiar options, like Smart Stay, the Game manager, Antispam filters, one-handed operation and Multi Window. However, it is also interesting to note that one of the menus seems to deal with opening and closing apps with the fingerprint reader. Perhaps we can expect some advanced finger gestures from Samsung this time around.

Another interesting system menu that found its way into the leak is the UI resolution selector. If there was still any doubt about the phone's unusual 18.5:9 aspect ratio, there should be non now, since that is exactly what the listed 2960x1440, 2220x1080 and 1480x720 pixel resolutions work out to.

Last, but not least, there is also a camera interface to explore and lo and behold, even it seems to be working fine on this unit, viewfinder and all. As originally believed, the main shooter is a 12MP unit, while the front captures at 8MP. Sadly, there is no mention of autofocus on the front camera on this screen - unfortunate, since that has been a rumor for some time now.

Be sure to check out the photos for yourselves and if you catch something we missed, leave us a comment.

Blue Sapphire Moto G5 press renders leaked

So far the official color versions for the Moto G5 have been Lunar Grey and Fine Gold. However, a third hue is due to join those very soon. It's called Blue Sapphire and it came to light today through some leaked press renders of the G5 dressed in it.

As you can see, it's undoubtedly blue on the back and the sides, while its front remains black (unlike Google's Really Blue Pixel and Pixel XL, which pair that with a white face).

No details about when we should expect the blue Moto G5 to become available have been shared yet. We assume that it will be priced the same as the other two options. And at this point there's no reason to think that it won't come with the exact same specs as the grey and gold Moto G5 iterations.

Android O Developer Preview 1 out!

In keeping with the new release schedule it established last year with N, today Google has made Android O official. What's more, the company has also published factory images for the first Developer Preview of the new Android version. This build will not be made available through the Android Beta Program, however, it's meant only for developers to be able to get an idea of what's new. Speaking of which, let's see what Google's putting into O (which doesn't have a full name at this point, despite the entire internet wanting it to be called Android Oreo).

Background limits

There will be new automatic limits imposed onto apps, and specifically what they can do in the background. These should result in improved performance and battery life, while also making it easier for developers to create apps that work well and don't destroy your battery. Background limits represent a significant change in how Android works, however these will only come into effect for apps that target Android O.

Notification channels and snoozing

Notifications are getting a boost in Android O too. This time around developers will be able to define categories for notification content, so that users will have fine-grained control over the different kinds of notifications that each app can show. Each channel will be blockable individually, so you'll have more options than just blocking all of the notifications from a particular app.

Additionally, Android O adds new grouping and visuals to notifications, making it easier to see what's going on in the notification shade at a glance. A snoozing function is in too, which gets rid of a notification for a period of time, and then shows it again. Background colors for notifications will be able to be set by developers, but only for ongoing tasks which are critical for users to see - such as driving directions.

Picture-in-Picture mode, Autofill API

First seen on Android TV, Picture-in-Picture (PiP) mode is now a thing on phones and tablets too. So you'll be able to watch videos while doing other stuff - think about what already happens in the YouTube app when you hit Back after you start playing a video. So that, but OS-wide. The PiP windows will have support for playback controls too. Multi-display support is coming to Android as well, though the use cases for this are probably tied to Chromebooks running Android apps.

O will have a system-wide Autofill API so apps such as password managers will be able to register as autofill providers and offer to be your default autofill solution.

More

Android O also gets font resources in XML, support for adaptive app icons, wide-gamut color for apps (think AdobeRGB, Pro Photo RGB, DCI-P3), LDAC, Wi-Fi Aware (for nearby devices to communicate via Wi-Fi without an internet access point), as well as the Telecom framework - which lets third party calling apps integrate with the system. This means your car head unit's call and reject buttons will work with third-party apps (think VoIP) too.

Navigating via keyboard will be revamped for Chrome OS devices, and a new API will be out for apps that need high-performance low-latency audio. The Android Runtime should be faster than ever before, with improvements of up to 2x.

Release timeline

The final release of Android O is planned to hit in the third quarter of this year. Until then, there will be three more Developer Preview (DP) builds. DP2 will come in mid-to-late May, DP3 with the final APIs in mid-to-late June, and DP4 should land in mid-to-late July. Starting with DP2 you'll be able to try Android O by using the Android Beta Program too.

The DP1 factory images are available for the Google Pixel, Pixel XL, and Pixel C, as well as the Nexus 5X, Nexus 6P, and Nexus Player.

India retailer is offering the iPhone SE for as low as INR 19,999

Last month the US giant officially announced its plans to manufacture and sell iPhones in India. Things quickly developed from there, with Wistron being selected as a primary local manufacturer, a plant in Bangalore being set up, as well as supplier deal to cover the country's mandatory 30% local material quota (you can read more about that in the first article). Then it quickly became clear that Apple plans to initially make and sell iPhone SE units in India, with production expected to commence in the following months.

Well, not much time has passed since then, but we do feel like developments are already underway. ITNET Infocom - a local retailer, tweeted today that it is offering 16GB iPhone SE units for as little as INR 19,999 ($305) and 64GB for INR 25,999 ($397). Not only is that INR 19,000 and INR 23,000 lower than the handset's MRP, respectively, but it even trumps the US prices of around $399 and $449. An important note to make here is that the offer is only valid for card purchases.

But, putting the current deal aside, we do feel like the effects of the new manufacturing scenario are already being felt. It does seem way too early for actual India-made units to have hit shelves. (Although, be sure to tell us, if you have any info on that front.) That can only mean the price drop trend is already set in motion, even earlier than we thought. To further back this theory up, Amazon.in already has the iPhone SE listed for as little as INR 26,500.

Super Mario Run's Android launch on March 23

Back in January this year, Nintendo revealed that Super Mario Run for Android will be launching this March. In line with that, the company has now confirmed that the launch is slated for March 23 (Thursday next week).

The listing for the game is there on Google Play, but you cannot download it yet - there's only an option to pre-register (helpful to those who want to get launch-related alerts). The game, which launched on iOS back in December, has brought in over $50 million for the company so far.

Mediatek and TSMC to produce 7nm chipsets

MediaTek announced the Helio X30 last summer and we are expecting the first phones with it to come in Q2 2017. Now we hear the Chinese is planning a major jump forward with its next SoC. The new chipset will be made on a 7nm process and will have 12 cores, sources report.

 

The report says that Mediatek and TSMC are working together in bringing an even more efficient chipset to life. The 7nm SoC will have 12 cores, up from 10 in the Helio X30. Despite experiencing unsatisfactory yield rates for TSMC’s 10nm process, Mediatek will keep working together with the Taiwan company for its next-generation SoC.

Xiaomi Mi 6 tipped to feature the Sony IMX400 sensor

Last year's MWC saw the announcement of the Xiaomi Mi 5, but there was no Mi 6 to be seen in Barcelona this time around. Instead, it's been a steady flow of leaks and rumors on the upcoming Xiaomi phone and there's a new one from today to add to that list.

A source out of China now states that there will be two different-sized versions of the Mi 6 - a 5.15-inch one like the Mi 5, and a 5.7-inch one for phablet lovers. Both will be equipped with the Snapdragon 835 chipset, which is in line with previous reports.

What's curious about this particular report is that the Mi 6 will supposedly use the Sony IMX400 sensor - the same 3-layer stacked CMOS imager Sony announced a month ago. The sensor is featured in the Xperia XZ Premium and XZs and Sony showed off its 960fps high frame rate shooting capabilities in Barcelona - we even have a few videos of our own.

Previously, the Mi6 was rumored to employ the IMX386, and that still makes a little more sense - after all, why share you top-end sensor with the competition from day one? Then again, Xiaomi could be given a 'lite' version of the imager - let's say limited to 480fps. Pure speculation in our end, though, this last sentence.

As for the original source, it also claims that the larger Mi 6 (likely the Mi 6 Plus) will come with a dual camera setup, not unlike a certain iPhone 7 Plus.

The rumored launch date of the Xiaomi Mi 6 is April 16, so expect even more leaks and guesswork for another month.

Motorola Moto G5 Plus to be Flipkart-exclusive in India

The Motorola Moto G5 Plus will land in India on March 15 (which is exactly one week away), and now, it has been revealed that the phone will be a Flipkart exclusive at launch.

There is no word on the Moto G5 Plus' India pricing, as well as which memory configurations will be made available in country. For the uninitiated, the phone starts at $229 for the 2 GB + 32 GB variant and goes up to $295 for the 3GB + 32 GB model.