Nokia Normandy listed on a Vietnamese retailer's website

Nokia's Android budget phone codenamed Normandy has leaked yet again. This time around we found the phone listed on the biggest Vietnamese online retailer's website.
The listing shows an official picture with Nokia's proprietary Android skin we've already seen. The specs once again get confirmed too - a 4" WVGA display, a dual-core 1GHz processor (Snapdragon 200 chipset), a 5MP rear camera, dual-SIM capabilities and Android 4.4 KitKat.

The retailer also claims the phone will support all Google services, but we can't be sure until Normandy goes official. Unfortunately, despite this being an official retailer, we got no pricing info or release date for the upcoming smartphone.
Meanwhile, @evleaks has delivered yet another rumor for the Normandy - he claims the phone's official name will be Nokia X. With each passing leak the the chances that Normandy actually materializes are increasing. Looking forward to it?

Micromax Canvas Turbo Mini A200 with 4.7-inch HD display now available for Rs. 14490

Micromax Canvas Turbo Mini A200 that was spotted online recently, is now available from Flipkart. It has a 4.69-inch (1280 x 720 pixels) display, powered by a 1.3 GHz quad-core processor and runs on Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean). It has a 8-megapixel rear camera with LED flash, Camerazzi Camera app similar to the Canvas Turbo that lets you create GIF Cinemagraph and remove unwanted objects with Object Eraser.
It has a 5-megapixel front-facing camera. It comes with dual SIM support with dual standby and packs a 1800 mAh battery. It comes with M! Live, Kingsoft, Hike and Opera Mini apps and games such as bubble X Slice and Catch a Mouse.

 Micromax Canvas Turbo Mini A200 specifications

• 4.69-inch (1280 x 720 pixels) HD capacitive touch screen display
• 1.3 GHz  quad-core MediaTek MT6582 processor
• Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean)
• Dual SIM (GSM + GSM) with dual standby
• 8MP rear camera with LED Flash
• 5MP front-facing camera
• 7.9mm thick
• 3.5mm audio jack, FM Radio
• 1GB RAM, 4GB internal memory, expandable memory up to 32GB with microSD
• 3G HSPA+, WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth, GPS
• 1800 mAh battery

The Micromax Canvas Turbo Mini A200 comes in White and Blue colors and is priced at Rs. 14,490. Only the Blue variant is on sale now.

Nokia Lumia 1520 mini emerges in a duo of leaked photos

The yet to be announced Nokia Lumia 1520v appeared in a duo of live photos. Also known as Nokia Lumia 1520 mini, the device is expected to bring the top-shelf specs of Nokia’s flagship phablet in a more compact for factor.

The duo of leaked images showcase the Nokia Lumia 1520v sized up against its bigger brother and what appears to be an Apple iPhone. Unsurprisingly, in line with its name, the Nokia Lumia 1520v sports the same looks as the 1520 phablet in a significantly smaller form factor.

Alleged specs of the Nokia Lumia 1520v include a 4.45” display with a resolution of 1280 x 768 pixels (not a 4.3” 1080p unit as initially thought) and 2,370mAh battery. The camera of the Lumia 1520 mini is expected to be a 14MP unit.
All in all, should current rumors pan out to be the real deal, the Nokia Lumia 1520 mini will make for a nice replacement of the Nokia Lumia 925. Nokia Lumia 1020 will likely retain its spot as the company’s imaging powerhouse for a little more time to come.
The Nokia Lumia 1520 mini is tipped for an April release. However, we won’t be surprised if we see the device go official during Nokia’s MWC press event next month in Barcelona.

LG G Pro 2 announcement and name get confirmed

LG spilled the beans on the announcement and the name of the successor of the LG Optimus G Pro. The upcoming phablet will go official in February (MWC in Barcelona is likely) as the LG G Pro 2.

Unsurprisingly, LG removed the ‘Optimus’ moniker from the name of the yet to be seen handset. Like the latest batch of high-end smartphones from the Korean manufacturer, the device will launch as simply a member of the 'G' lineup.
In case revealing only the name of an upcoming device appears to be an odd move by LG, we must point that this isn’t the first time the company pulls such a trick. Last year, the manufactuer revealed the name of its current flagship, the LG G2 in a similar fashion.

Colorful octa-core HTC Desire surfaces

According to the latest reports coming from China, HTC is preparing a mid-range Desire smartphone based on the latest MediaTek platform (with true octa-core Cortex-A7 CPU). The device somewhat reminds of the iPhone 5C because of its bright colors.

The mysterious HTC Desire

As the rumor has it, the leaked Desire smartphone will come with a 5" 720p display, 8MP camera and 1.5GB RAM in addition to the MediaTek's octa-core platform. The device should be available in yellow, orange, red and blue flavors and will supposedly run on Android 4.3 Jelly Bean with Sense 5.5 UI.
There is nothing on the release date or market availability, but the rumored retail price is CNY 2,000 or about €240.

Micromax Canvas Knight A350 with Octa-core processor announced in Russia

Micromax Canvas Turo A250 is the company’s latest flagship, and the Canvas Turbo Mini A200 would launch soon. Micromax entered into the Russian market earlier this week with its Canvas line-up. It had also announced the Canvas Knight A350 in Russia, as reported by PCMag.Ru. It has a 5.0-inch (1920 x 1080 pixels) IPS display, powered by a 2 GHz octa-core processor and runs on Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean). It features a 16-megapixel auto focus rear camera with LED Flash and a 5-megapixel front-facing camera.

The Canvas Turbo was 8.66mm thick, but this would be much thinner at 7.3mm. Looking at the images, the phone is expected to come with dual SIM support, with slots on both the sides and a non-removable back cover. It would come with 2GB RAM and 32GB internal storage. The phone would also come with Canvas Tube video app and Canvas Beat music app. A Russian forum has got hold of more press images of the phone, which shows the phone in Black and White colors.

 Micromax Canvas Knight A350 specifications

• 5-inch (1920 x 1080 pixels) IPS display
• 2 GHz Octa-Core processor
• Dual SIM
• Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean)
• 16MP auto focus camera with LED Flash
• 5MP front-facing camera
• 7.3mm thick
• 3G HSPA+, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth, aGPS
• 3.5mm audio jack
• 2GB RAM, 32 GB internal memory
• 2350 mAh battery

The Micromax Canvas Knight A350 comes in Black with Gold, Black and White colors. It would go on sale in Russia soon. No word regarding the India launch yet.

Apple reportedly decided on a 4.8” display for next iPhone

According to a note to investors by the Wall Street analyst Timothy Arcuri of Cowen and Company, Apple has already decided on the screen size of the next iPhone. The device will reportedly feature a 4.8” display when it goes official.

The information is said to be based on checks within Apple’s supply chain. In addition to the larger display, the upcoming iPhone will support the zippy Wi-Fi 802.11ac standard, as well as major software innovations brought by the next major iOS release.
A report on an Apple iPhone with a larger display in the pipeline is hardly a surprise – we’ve received a word about it on couple of occasions already. However, the analyst doesn't mention anything about the rumored 5.7” phablet by Apple.
If Apple remains true to its current release schedule, the next iPhone will likely break cover in September. Recent rumors however, suggest a launch time as early as June.

Samsung to unveil Galaxy S5 on February 23

The rumors surrounding the next generation Galaxy S smartphone are coming in thick and fast. Firstly, the device was tipped for a March release, which was even backed up by a statement from the company's VP, but we then had a Samsung executive saying that their flagship smartphone will not be showcased at the Mobile World Congress.
Now, we have another report from Mobile Review's Eldar Murtazin, who says that the hotly anticipated Samsung Galaxy S5 smartphone will be announced on February 23. It has to be noted that the same guy had correctly predicted the Galaxy S4 launch date last year.

Samsung Galaxy S5 launch - 18.00. Barcelona. 23 February. Price the same. Launch - end of April. Specs - u know them :) new touchwiz ;)
— Eldar Murtazin (@eldarmurtazin) January 21, 2014

Samsung will announce its 2014 flagship Galaxy S5 smartphone at a dedicated event in Barcelona on February 23, which is a day before the Mobile World Congress kicks off. Furthermore, Mr. Murtazin claims that the device will be available in the stores by the end of April, which alligns nicely with earlier rumors.
Meanwhile, Samsung Galaxy S5 is expected to sport a 5.2-inch display with a resolution of 2560 x 1440 pixels and the device is said to offer a choice between the Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 chipset and Samsung's next generation Exynos. The other hardware specifications of the Galaxy S5 include 3 GB of RAM, 16 megapixel rear camera, fingerprint sensor, new TouchWiz user interface and a 3,000mAh battery.
However, these are just speculations based on the previous rumors and there is no official confirmation at the moment. We will keep you posted when Samsung starts sending invitations for its next Unpacked event.

Apple relaunches outdated iPhone 4 in India

Yes, you read that correctly. Apple is relaunching its popular iPhone 4 in the Indian market. The phone was all the rage back in 2010 but is now barely running iOS 7 on a single-core 1 GHz processor, 512 MB of RAM and lowly 8 gigs of storage.
Then there's the pricing - instead of going for something reasonable Apple has priced the iPhone 4 at Rs 22,900, the equivalent of around $370. That's for an 8GB version, mind you.

It seems that the pricey iPhone 5s and uninspiring iPhone 5c aren't doing it for Apple in India where users aren't thrilled by the company removing the iPhone 5. The iPhone 4S looks a more reasonable smartphone at that price, even though it's over two-years old itself.
So what do you think - a blatant slap in the face of Indian buyers, an entirely cash-motivated move by the company or the cheapest way to get an iOS 7 smartphone?

Dual-SIM Motorola Moto G debuts in Australia!

Back when the Motorola Moto G was announced, company officials went on record saying that there’s a dual-SIM version coming down the road, but provided no details on either pricing or availability. Well, now we have at least one piece of the puzzle as the dual-SIM Moto G has landed Australia.
The information comes courtesy of Motorola’s official webpage for the land Down Under, so it should be a pretty certain deal. The new Moto G version has seemingly debuted very recently, as we were unable to locate any online stores in Oz that actually have dual-SIM units in stock. That’s why we are also unable to comment on the price difference between them and the regular Moto G.

Here’s hoping that Motorola expands the availability of the dual-SIM Moto G to more markets shortly. With the first version doing quite well on its own, another one which allows you to optimize your spending on phone bills could help the company grab significant share in certain markets.
We’ll keep you posted as more info comes up!