Samsung Galaxy S4 mini preview: First look

Introduction

If there was anything certain after the launch of the Samsung Galaxy S4, it was the imminent arrival of a mini version. The question wasn't whether or when - the Galaxy S4 mini is drafting even closer behind the flagship than its predecessor did last season. It was how much - as in how much smaller and how much cheaper.

   
Samsung Galaxy S4 mini official pictures

The Samsung Galaxy S4 mini is yet to get a price tag but the lower-res screen and less powerful chipset will certainly result in a meaningful discount. The Galaxy S4 mini will skip the top-of the-line Exynos 5 Octa and Snapdragon 600, settling for the Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 chipset with 1.7GHz dual Krait cores.

Here go the rest of the key specs:

Samsung Galaxy S4 mini at a glance

Is that a live photo of the Sony Xperia L4 and the Nokia phablet?

We stumbled upon a blurry image, which allegedly shows the Rumorland-resident Sony phablet going by the name of Xperia Togari (L4). There's also a Nokia phablet, which sources point could be named 1030 with perhaps a Lumia somewhere in the name too.

The photo allegedly shows the Sony Xperia L4 and Nokia Lumia 1030

The Togari could sport a 6.44" FullHD 1080p display and is supposed to be powered by a Snapdragon 800 processor. The following image compares the alleged live shot against a previously leaked image of an Xperia device's frame and there are obvious similarities.

Samsung Galaxy S4 mini priced, coming to Three UK

Russia will be receiving the Galaxy S4 mini for a price of 19,990 Russian rubles (around $630). The dual-SIM version of the smartphone will be available in June.

Of course you shouldn't reach too much into that as the prices of smartphones in Russia are always quite high. However, if we take into consideration the 29,990 rubles price of the full-grown Galaxy S4(around $945) then you can probably do the math and get a pretty accurate estimate of the Galaxy S4 mini price in your country. The mini version will obviously retail for around two thirds of what its bigger brother cost.

Meanwhile, UK carrier Three posted a video hands-on with the Galaxy S4 mini, confirming that it will be offering the smartphone. Unfortunately we didn't get specific about on-contract pricing or availability datess.

New photo of LG Optimus G2 and details on Optimus L9 II leak

LG seems to be cooking up refreshes for two phones that are overdue for an upgrade – the Optimus G flagship and the Optimus L9.

The LG Optimus G2 was caught in another photo and it seems like the early software had experienced some issue, with the error screen advising beta testers to send an email report to G2-SW-Stability@lgm.com.

Unfortunately, this image doesn’t confirm the 5" 1080p screen or the Snapdragon 800 chipset that rumors have assigned to the second generation Optimus G.

The Optimus G2 might serve as the basis of the Nexus 5, just like the original did for the Nexus 4. Rumor has it that LG is already working on the next Nexus.

Analyst: Samsung to sell 80 million Galaxy S4 in 2013

Samsung announced just a few days ago it has shipped 10 million Galaxy S4 units globally. It is an impressive milestone achieved in less than a month - two times better than the achievement of its predecessor.

RBC Capital Markets analyst Mark Sue predicts that the strong sales of the Samsung Galaxy S4 will continue to at least until the end of the year. He expects Samsung to sell 80 million units of its flagship in 2013, supports the claim with the continuing high demand in the US market and the already sold-out 32GB Black model (the White 32GB Galaxy S4 is yet to hit the shelves).

The Samsung Galaxy S4 momentum is far from over and Samsung is doing everything to maximize its potential. It has already announced the Galaxy S4 mini, but we expect the Galaxy S4 Active and Galaxy S4 Zoom smartphones to join the lineup very soon.

So it does seem quite possible for Samsung to sell 80 million Galaxy S4 devices by the end of this year, but only time will tell

Sony Xperia Z to be available through a US carrier soon

At the All Things D D11 conference, Sony CEO Kaz Hirai confirmed that the Sony Xperia Z will be heading to a US carrier in the near future, although he didn't specify which carrier exactly.

The most likely candidate currently is T-Mobile, as leaked images of what is purportedly an Xperia Z with T-Mobile branding surfaced last month. The smartphone also got FCC approval with support for T-Mo's bands recently.

Of course, you can get the Xperia Z in the US even now, but you'll have to get its unlocked version directly from Sony directly for the hefty $629. So if you were looking to take advantage of lower on-contract pricing, this is great news.

Meanwhile, there's word that the Sony Xperia ZL, the Z's non-waterproof counterpart, will be heading to AT&T sometime soon.

Either way, we hope that Sony and the major US carriers make things happen sooner rather than later, as it's been almost three months since the devices became available in most other markets.

HTC One Nexus experience coming June 26 for $599

At the D11 conference Android's SVP officially announced the HTC One Nexus experience device, which is an HTC One with stock Android 4.2.2 at the helm.

The device will have 32GB of internal storage and will be available on June 26 through the Google Play store (in the US only) for $599. That's 50 bucks cheaper than the Google Edition of the Samsung Galaxy S4, which will also be selling starting June 26.

The new smartphone will sport an unlocked bootloader and receive Android updates directly from Google. It has the same hardware as the regular HTC One, including the Snapdragon 600 chipset with four Krait 300 cores clocked at 1.7 GHz. It will only be available in Silver color initially.

Sony Xperia Tablet Z review: Stepping up

Introduction

The Xperia Tablet Z gets a prominent spot in a long list of iconic designs by Sony. Easily one of the best looking tablets around, the Z inherits the slim, water-resistant design of its smartphone counterpart, which earns it extra points with the outdoor-loving crowd.

The angular OmniBalance design is all the more impressive given Sony has managed to shave down the thickness to the mere 6.9mm. Not that it matters much in actual use - this isn't a gadget to put in a pocket, slim or not, but we have been programmed to believe that "thin = cool" and the Tablet Z is keen to take advantage. On a more practical side, the tablet weighs under 500g, at least 100g less than its direct competitors.

The folded magazine design of previous Sony tablets may be gone, but the media playing spirit is not - the Xperia Tablet Z has an IR blaster to control home equipment, alongside a custom Sony music player (Walkman) and a video player with solid DLNA credentials.

Here are the other highs (and lows) on the Sony Xperia Tablet Z spec sheet:

Samsung Galaxy S4 mini unveiled with 4.3" screen, Snapdragon 400

Congratulations, it's a boy – the Samsung Galaxy S4 mini was just officially announced and it's everything the rumors made it out to be. It packs a 4.3" qHD Super AMOLED display and many of the advanced features of its daddy.

The Samsung Galaxy S4 mini runs Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean with Samsung's extensive TouchWiz customizations on top. That includes the WatchON app with IR blaster, an 8MP camera with Sound & Shot and Panorama modes (but no double shot or 360 photo), Group Play and S Health (but without the barometer, temperature or humidity sensors).

The smartphone is powered by a 1.7GHz processor with 1.5GB RAM and while Samsung didn’t explicitly say what the chipset is, it's clear that it's the Snapdragon 400 chipset used in the Mega 6.3. There's 8GB of built-in storage, expandable via the microSD card slot.

The Samsung Galaxy S4 mini measures 124.6 x 61.3 x 8.94mm and weighs 107g compared to 136.6 x 69.8 x 7.9 mm and 130g for the full-sized Galaxy S4. It packs a 1,900mAh user-replaceable battery and will launch with two color options, White Frost and Black Mist.

On the connectivity side there are three options – the top of the line model with LTE connectivity (and NFC), a 3G HSPA+ model and a dual-SIM 3G model. There's also dual-band Wi-Fi a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0 and GPS + GLONASS.

The Samsung Galaxy S4 mini will be shown off at the June 20 event. It's probably then when we'll also learn more about its pricing and availability.

Samsung Galaxy S4 mini unveiled with 4.3" screen, Snapdragon 400

Congratulations, it's a boy – the Samsung Galaxy S4 mini was just officially announced and it's everything the rumors made it out to be. It packs a 4.3" qHD Super AMOLED display and many of the advanced features of its daddy.

The Samsung Galaxy S4 mini runs Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean with Samsung's extensive TouchWiz customizations on top. That includes the WatchON app with IR blaster, an 8MP camera with Sound & Shot and Panorama modes (but no double shot or 360 photo), Group Play and S Health (but without the barometer, temperature or humidity sensors).

The smartphone is powered by a 1.7GHz processor with 1.5GB RAM and while Samsung didn’t explicitly say what the chipset is, it's clear that it's the Snapdragon 400 chipset used in the Mega 6.3. There's 8GB of built-in storage, expandable via the microSD card slot.

The Samsung Galaxy S4 mini measures 124.6 x 61.3 x 8.94mm and weighs 107g compared to 136.6 x 69.8 x 7.9 mm and 130g for the full-sized Galaxy S4. It packs a 1,900mAh user-replaceable battery and will launch with two color options, White Frost and Black Mist.

On the connectivity side there are three options – the top of the line model with LTE connectivity (and NFC), a 3G HSPA+ model and a dual-SIM 3G model. There's also dual-band Wi-Fi a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0 and GPS + GLONASS.

The Samsung Galaxy S4 mini will be shown off at the June 20 event. It's probably then when we'll also learn more about its pricing and availability.

Moto X smartphone gets confirmed for assembly in the USA

Motorola's upcoming Moto X flagship smartphone got officially confirmed by the company's CEO Dennis Woodside. The upcoming handset from the reinvented, Google-owned Motorola will be the first smartphone to be assembled in the United States.

US versions of the Moto X will be assembled in a former Nokia plant in Fort Worth, Texas. Motorola's global network of operations will not change - the company will continue to manufacture devices in Brazil and China through its partner Flextronics.

Curiously, Motorola didn't reveal any details on the specs, or images of the Moto X (the render above is from a previous leak). Dennis Woodside however, confirmed that the upcoming flagship will be broadly distributed across numerous carriers.

Samsung Galaxy Ace 2 gets Jelly Bean firmware in UK

If you've bought a Samsung Galaxy Ace 2, you're probably all too familiar with its Jelly Bean rollout and how unnervingly tedious it is. While some countries received it already, the UK was still kept on hold (among other countries). Luckily, that's no longer the case and the firmware has been released to UK owners of the smartphone.

At first, Samsung was testing the firmware (in the beginning of February), then it was leaked (in the end of February), and finally the rollout began (in the beginning of April).

The update brings along Samsung's TouchWiz Nature UX along with the major smoothness benefits of Jelly Bean's Project Butter.

You can flash the firmware on your smartphone as of now - download in the Source link below (go for I8160BTUMC8). Or you can wait for an update notification or keep checking through KIES on your computer

BlackBerry Q10 coming to T-Mobile USA on June 5 for $100

The LTE-ready BlackBerry Q10 will be available on T-Mobile's 4G LTE network in the United States come this June 5. The device will pack a price tag of $100 on a two-year deal or $580, if you prefer it commitment-free from T-Mo.

The offer is valid for non-enterprise subscribers with business users still, controversially, being on the waiting list.

Along with BlackBerry's spanking new BB 10 OS, the Q10 comes with a physical landscape 4-row QWERTY, a 720 x 720 Super AMOLED 3.1-incher packing 328 ppi, 8 MP snapper, a dual-core Cortex-A9 chip clocked at 1.5 GHz and all-you-can-eat connectivity set with LTE, Wi-Fi a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, etc. on board.

BlackBerry Messenger is also, naturally, present on the Q10 and it packs video chat for good measure.

No word yet on when the device will come to the entire range of US carriers but we expect it to be soon.

Huawei CEO denies P6 costing $330, suggests a price tag of $490

Earlier today the rumors regarding Huawei's future flagship smartphone suggested it would cost just $330, but the company's CEO was quick to debunk them.

Interestingly, at the very same time, a new official image was leaked by evleaks, showing the device in multiple colors, including white, black and pink.

Richard Yu, who is in charge of the management of the Chinese-based smartphone manufacturer, has tuned in today and officially denied the rumors of the Huawei P6 being so cheaply priced. According to him, the more "reasonable price" is around the $490 mark.

However, "those experienced in the industry", as Yu puts them, have said to him that the P6 should be priced at as much as $570.

Moroever, Yu goes on to saying that the Huawei P6's low price bruits were started by a Western company, which he didn't name, to damage the reputation of his company. Here are his exact words on the matter:

Here's Tim Cook on why no multi-tier iPhones or a phablet

Tim Cook did an interview at the All Things D11 conference and spilled some details not only on the WWDC-bound iOS7 but also on why Apple keeps on making just one iPhone, as opposed to different variations of it.

Given the question on why Apple doesn't follow the same strategy it does with the iPod (making different sizes for different people) Cook answered that the iPod serves a different purpose with its various sizes. However, with the iPhone, that's not the case, as there are a lot more fine details that go into making it.

According to Apple's CEO, many people take into consideration the quality of the display, its properties such as color representation, white balance, brightness and more. The screen size is not necessarily the key factor, as is the battery life and look and feel of Apple's smartphone.

"It takes a lot of work, a lot of really detailed work, to do a phone right, when you manage the hardware, software and services around it. We’ve chosen to focus our energy on getting those right. And we’ve made the choices in order to do that. So we haven’t become defocused [by] working on multiple lines."

Additionally, these devices wouldn't ultimately serve different types of people, as does the iPad mini or the iPod nano.

As far as iOS7 is concerned, Tim Cook mentioned it, too. He confirmed that indeed Johny Ive, Apple's VP of Industrial Design, has been working on the upcoming iteration of iOS. Johny Ive is "really key", as Cook put it, to the iOS redesign.

We expect the latest version of Apple's mobile OS to be unveiled at the WWDC next month (June 10) in addition to a refreshed Macbook line-up and possibly more.

HTC One to be available in Red and Blue versions

HTC's flagship smartphone has been one of the most popular Android devices in recent times and the metallic beauty will soon be available in new hues, according to a report from Pocket-lint.

HTC is all set to launch its One flagship smartphone in a Blue and Red variant and the latest shades will join the currently available Black and Silver versions.

The Red variant of the HTC One appeared on the HTC's US website, which was later pulled and the upcoming hue was listed in an online retailer's website in the UK with a price tag of £504 (about $760) for a 32 GB version.

Unfortunately, there is no official word on the existence or the availability of these colors.

Samsung i9500 Galaxy S4 vs Samsung i9505 Galaxy S4: Double or nothing

Introduction

The Android smartphone market in 2013 is as over-crowded as ever. But when it comes to the very high-end, luckily for everybody, there are not that many options. Every manufacturer has a single flagship and that's it. Or is it? Last time we checked, Samsung has been selling not one, but two flagship smartphones and to make matters worse, they both go under the name of Galaxy S 4.

Potential buyers are left scratching their heads as both versions are priced about the same, with prices varying only negligibly from market to market. And both handsets are virtually indistinguishable from one another, too.

That's right, they both sound the same, they both cost the same, and they both look the same, but on the inside - their brains are quite different. The Samsung Galaxy S4 GT-I9505 is powered by a quad-core Snapdragon 600 chipset, while the Galaxy S4 GT-I9500 relies on Samsung's own Exynos 5 Octa chipset, which, as its name implies, makes use of no less than eight CPU cores.

The Galaxy S4 Octa is available only on a few select markets, and the Snapdragon 600 version is shaping up to be what we like to call the "international" model. Despite what some would have you believe, the reason for pushing the (initially intended only for the US) Snapdragon version to international markets is not its exclusive LTE support. It seems both chipsets are perfectly capable of providing LTE connectivity. It's manufacturing issues that Samsung is blaming for the low production numbers of its home-brewed Exynos 5 Octa chipset. This is the reason behind the shift of the Snapdragon 600 into being the more widely available offering.

We finally have the two versions on our proverbial desk. All that's left is to see whether the different brains also mean different hearts and souls. That - we'll only be able to tell, after we're done with this shootout. So you are welcome to join in. One thing's for sure, both of these are some of the fastest smartphones to have set foot in our office and we better hurry up so we can catch up.

White LG Nexus 4 appears live again, inches closer to release?

The white flavor of the Google Nexus 4 has leaked numerous times. Recently, we also got a video and the official photo of the smartphone. Now, one of our readers has sent us some live images of the white LG Nexus 4 smartphone and the tipster claims to have bought the device in India.

 
White Nexus 4

However, the device might not be a retail device and the images could well be of a developer's or an operator acceptance unit. Furthermore, the tip also claims that the device is running on Android 4.3 (Jelly Bean), but we are yet to see its about screen.

Unfortunately, there is still no official word from Google or LG on the official release of the white Nexus 4 model.

ZTE Grand S launch reportedly delayed in the US

ZTE announced its flagship smartphone, the Grand S, at the CES 2013 back in January and the device was expected to make its way to the US market soon. Unfortunately, the ZTE Grand S will not be released there anytime soon, according to a report from CNET.

In an interview, ZTE's Lixin Cheng, who is the head of the North American division of ZTE, shared that the specific requirements of the carriers in US is the cause for the delay and the launch of the smartphone in US has been pushed back to 2014.

However, ZTE will be bringing its Grand Memo phablet, which was unveiled at the Mobile World Congress, to the US, later this year.

HTC Desire 600 goes up for pre-order in Russia, priced at $509

HTC recently announced its dual-SIM Desire 600, a smartphone that is said to bring many of the premium features from the company's flagship smartphone, the HTC One. HTC did not reveal the pricing of the smartphone during its announcement, but now, the device is up for pre-order from the official HTC online store in Russia.

The Snapdragon 200 powered smartphone is priced at 15,990 ruble (about $509) from the HTC online store and the device is also available for pre-order from the Messenger for a price tag of 16,990 ruble (about $541).

To recap some of the specifications of the HTC Desire 600, it comes with a 4.5-inch Super LCD2 display with a qHD resolution, 1.2 GHz processor along with 1 GB of RAM, Adreno 203 GPU, 8 GB inbuilt memory, 8 megapixel rear camera, 1.6 megapixel front camera, Android 4.1 Jelly Bean and a 1,860mAh battery

Samsung to hold a Galaxy and Ativ "premiere" event on June 20

Samsung has sent out teaser images for a new event, but rather than an Unpacked event like we see for the Galaxy flagships, this is a joint Galaxy and Ativ event. It's called Samsung Premier 2013 and will be held on June 20 in London.

The teaser images shows three close-ups of, well, something. The Galaxy brand is Samsung's Android lineup, so we can expect either a phone or a tablet, but Ativ concerns only Windows 8 devices – Windows Phone 8 and Windows 8 tablets and laptops.

The image in the upper right corner certainly looks like the back of a laptop, while the one in the lower left looks like a tablet hybrid with a slide out keyboard (maybe something like the Sony Vaio Duo 11).

Of course, the image in the upper right can be the back of a phone with a glossy hyperglazed plastic and an underlying honeycomb pattern. It's really anyone's guess.

Then there's the image in the lower right, which is the most curious of the three – it has the shape of a camera lens ring and the only camera between the Galaxy and Ativ lines is the Samsung Galaxy Camera, which doesn’t have such a ring.

Would that be the rumored Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom, which is an S4 mini with a 10x optical zoom lens according to early unofficial reports of the device? A leaked roadmap put the S4 Zoom launch in early to mid-June, which is close enough to June 20 to make it a strong possibility.

There's also the Galaxy Camera GN120, which got a Bluetooth certification a while back and the Galaxy NX trademark.

So, at first blush it seems that Samsung is readying a new Galaxy device, possibly the S4 Zoom or the S4 Mini, a new Windows 8 tablet with a keyboard of sorts and finally, another tablet or a phone.

By the way, Samsung will most likely be live-streaming the event, which starts at 19:00 BST on June 20, on YouTube

Huawei to update Ascend D1, P1 and Honor 2 to Android 4.2

Huawei has announced that it will be rolling out Android 4.2 update to its current range of smartphone. The devices that were mentioned specifically include the Ascend D1, Ascend P1 and the Honor 2. These phones will also be receiving Huawei's Emotion UI 1.6 with the OS update.

Along with these devices, Huawei has also promised the Android 4.2 update to some of its other smartphones but haven't exactly clarified which ones those would be.

Nokia plans a limited Superman-branded Lumia 925

Following the footsteps of last year's Batman themed Nokia Lumia 900, the Finnish company is about to release another superhero themed Windows Phone flagship. The freshly announced Nokia Lumia 925Superman Limited Edition will land on the Chinese market a day after the Man of Steel movie's official June 14 launch.

The Nokia Lumia 925 Superman Limited Edition will be available in an initial run of 925 devices. The Nokia flagship will feature a Superman livery on its back. A wireless charging cover, gone through the same visual treatment will also be available for purchase as a separate accessory when the smartphone becomes available.

Samsung Galaxy S4 mini appears on the Samsung Apps website

We have been hearing about the Samsung Galaxy S4 mini for quite some time now but Samsung is yet to officially announce the device. Now, the phone has suddenly appeared on the Samsung Apps website alongside other Samsung phones.

There is not much information regarding the handset on the site, considering the site's focus is on apps. All we learn is that the phone looks very similar to the Galaxy S4 (as do most other Samsung phones these days), has the new weather widget from the S4 as well, which means the phone likely runs on Android 4.2.2 similar to the S4 (and expected shortly for the S III) and that the model number is GT-I9195.

After this official ‘leak’ we are expecting a proper announcement shortly.

Official white LG Nexus 4 photos leak, no sight of a 32GB model

So far we've had plenty of eyes-on's with the white version of the LG Nexus 4 thanks to numerous leaks of photos of the device in the wild, but nothing official. Android Police however claims to has acquired a set of official photos of the smartphone.

Despite not being in the large resolution we'd like to see, the press shots of the white Nexus 4 still looks great.

Tipped to launch on June 10, Google's smartphone is also rumored to launch with Android 4.3 on board. Judging from the latest batch of evidence, that's not too unlikely to happen.

Sadly, according to the report, it's highly unlikely for Google and LG to offer a 32GB version of the smartphone. The tip suggests it will launch in the usual 8GB and 16GB flavors. The model number of the white Nexus 4 is also changed from the original E960 to E960W.

Rumor: HTC One with bigger 5+ inches screen to launch soon

HTC One reached the 5 million milestone two days ago, which is quite an achievement for the strugglingmanufacturer. It seems HTC might be preparing different editions of the device in order to increase its popularity and sales.Recently we've learned a smaller and downgraded version of HTC One (codename M7) might be in the works. It's called HTC M4, will supposedly run on a dual-core chipset with 2GB of RAM and feature a 4.3-inch 720p display plus an UltraPixel camera.

Jelly Bean update for Samsung Galaxy Music now available

Samsung has just released the Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean update for the low-budget Galaxy Music smartphone. The rollout has begun in the United Kingdom, but more countries will join the Jelly Bean train soon.

The build date of the update is May 3 and it is available both over-the-air and via Samsung Kies suite.

Currently the update is compatible only with the single-SIM S6010 version of the Samsung Galaxy Music, but we expect the Jelly Bean ROM for the S6012 dual-SIM model to follow in the upcoming weeks.

Leaked images show Android 4.3 on a Nexus 4 at a mobile expo

Two lucky XDA Developers Forum members ("challeen" and "innocent36") were at the right place at the right time (Thailand Mobile Expo 2013). They spotted a Google Nexus 4 on display, running Android 4.3 and decided to share their find with the eager tech-savvy world.

As its About screen confirms, the device was running Android 4.3. One of the changes they've spotted is a fresh new camera app with a new action area, which features toggles for HDR, contrast, rotation, white balance, etcThe customary Easter egg menu shows Android 4.3 Jelly Bean, which does confirm previous reports that v.4.3 will retain the name of its predecessor rather than being called Key Lime Pie.

The Samsung I8800 is a Tizen smartphone, photos leak

Samsung integrated its Bada OS into the Tizen project a while ago, but we are yet see a smartphone running on the open source project. However, traces of a Samsung device running on Tizen wasconfirmed by a UAProf earlier and now, the images of the smartphone with Tizen 2.1 have surfaced online.
The upcoming Tizen smartphone from Samsung has been codenamed "Redwood" and bears the GT-I8800 model name.

iOS 7 could sport flatter, less glossy look, black and white UI

Apple is set to unveil the latest installment of iOS 7 at its Worldwide Developer Conference coming thisJune 10. Apple announced the event stating it "can’t wait to get the new versions of iOS and OS X" into the hands of developers.

We've heard that iOS 7 will likely sport a flatter design but we're now also hearing that the UI will revolve around black and white interface elements. The design teams behind the new iOS are planning on dropping heavy textures and moving away from the skeuomorphic philosophy, which former Senior VP of iOS Scott Forstall was so fond of.

The lockscreen will likely see a design change, too.

Apple is also working on a cleaner Notification center as well and could feature new widgets (aside from Stocks and Weather) and possibly a quickly-reachable toggles section for Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, etc.

Samsung Galaxy Note III and Xiaomi Mi-3 AnTuTu scores found

Where there is a new Galaxy S phone, a new Galaxy Note is soon to appear – it hasn’t done it officially, but its footprints were found in AnTuTu benchmarks. The Samsung Galaxy Note III is listed as N7200 (the Note II is N7100) and appears in several different results.

The one that's most likely to be the real deal is the one on top (GT-N7200), which ran Android 4.3 on a CPU clocked at 1.6GHz. That's coincidentally the same clockspeed as the Exynos 5 Octa found in the I9500 Galaxy S4 phone.

Samsung Galaxy S4 Active stars in short video, still not official

True to its name, the Samsung Galaxy S4 Active just can't sit still under wraps and has leaked yet again. This time it's on video sent to Mobile Tech Review. The video doesn’t show much, but it does show the About screen.

The rugged smartphone bears the same I9295 model number as before, but according to the tipster it's powered by a dual-core Snapdragon Plus chipset. The comment under the video says dual-core Snapdragon Pro.

This doesn’t match the previous leak where AnTuTu's System info screen claimed quad-core CPU clocked at 1.9GHz plus Adreno 320 GPU, which could only be a Snapdragon 600 chipset.

There might be multiple models, but they should have different model numbers. Previously we heard of the Samsung I537 Galaxy S4 Active for AT&T, which has a Snapdragon S4 Plus chipset according to GFXBench.

A roadmap that leaked earlier this month claims the S4 Active will launch in mid-July alongside the other S4 variant the Samsung Galaxy S4 mini, so we'll soon find out.

Gold Samsung Galaxy S4 is now available for £1700

Apple's iPhone 5 isn't the only one getting to dip its toes in a gold bath. Samsung's latest Android flagship has also undergone some gold-plating treatment thanks to a company called Goldgenie.

The quad-core edition of the phone retails for £1700, which isn't that much more expensive than otherluxury Android smartphones around. Goldgenie has also done the Galaxy S4 in platinum and rose gold. Additionally, you can opt-in for the black or white version of the phone to serve as base.

The gold-plated Galaxy S4 is SIM-free and only the 16GB variation is offered. Check out the source link below for more information and photos.

HTC J One makes its way to Japan's KDDI carrier

The HTC One has made its way to Japanese carrier KDDI under the J One moniker. The device sports the same beautiful aluminum design, but now packs a microSD card slot for storage expansion.

The HTC J One also differentiates from its international sibling by the additional IR transmitter just below the camera. Right there's also the FeliCa logo for NFC-based payment capability. It isn't yet clear whether the KDDI version of the HTC J One will sport a removable back cover as the Chinese version of the device, but that seems to be the only place where the card slot could be located so it probably does

Samsung Galaxy Mega 6.3 preview: First look

Introduction

Bigger than the Note but not as bright. Not saying anything. We wouldn't want to get this guy upset. So, careful with the F-word. And no, not phablet, obviously. Though at 8mm, the Samsung Galaxy Mega technically isn't fat.

There has been no such thing as size limit for Samsung but is the Galaxy Mega 6.3 already pushing it too far? The massive 6.3" screen puts the bigger one of the Mega brothers well into the upper range of phablets and almost into tablet territory.

   
Samsung Galaxy Mega 6.3 official images

Samsung Galaxy Fame review

Introduction

Samsung has always been keen on providing smartphones for the budget-conscious crowd and ever since Gingerbread came around we've been seeing a major push by its entry-level squad. Even though it runs on Jelly Bean, the Galaxy Fame is a bit of a blast from the past. The spec sheet has been duly upgraded but bits of it still feel as if plucked straight out of the Galaxy lineup from two years ago.

See the Samsung Galaxy S4 Active for the first time

The Samsung I9295 Galaxy S4 Active has been in our rumor mill for quite some time. The latest leaked shots reveal that the Active will be a tougher dust and water resistant version of the Galaxy S4 flagship.

The specs are expected to be the same and the live pictures below confirm it - the device is running on a quad-core 1.9GHz processor with Adreno 320 GPU, which most definitely means a Snapdragon 600 chipset. The screen supposedly has the same size and resolution as the original Galaxy S4 - a 5.0-inch 1080p unit, though it's unclear if it's a Super AMOLED one or not. Strangely enough, the reported pixel density of the phone is 480ppi, so the display might actually be smaller.

Our tipster also confirmed to us that the Samsung Galaxy S4 Active has an 8MP rear camera, which is a downgrade from the 13MP sensor of the Galaxy S4.Despite the similar specs, the Galaxy S4 Active looks nothing like the original. It comes in a metallic shell with bolts on the back, and there are also three hardware buttons below the screen.

There is no official info on the Galaxy S4 Active yet, but as it turns out the handset has been showcased recently in Croatia, so an announcement is imminent.