The top 10 trending phones of week 34

Another busy week is now behind us and so we take to the charts once again to see which devices captured your attention during the last seven or so days. It never seizes to amaze us what a whopping influence successful sales promotions can have on our regular top ten chart.

This week, the element of surprise comes in the form of the Xiaomi Redmi Note 2. The affordable smartphone was announced only recently and thanks to an immense success in its initial sale on the home Chinese market, it managed to swoop in out of the blue straight to fourth place. The flash sale saw around 800,000 units sell in just 12 hours, so it comes as no surprise that our specs page got a surge in hits as well. With the next batch set to go up for grabs on August 24, it will be interesting to see whether the Redmi Note 2 basks for longer in the spotlight.

As for the rest of the chart, rearrangements are present, but they all seem to follow a long-standing logical pattern. An extra week of time was enough for the Samsung Galaxy Note5 to steal the first place on the list away from the Moto G (3rd gen), something it nearly missed to achieve a week ago. Other notable changes include the Galaxy J5 and Galaxy A8 which seem to have switched places and now occupy the fifth and seventh spot respectively, with the Galaxy S6 still unshaken in its popularity at sixth place.

We can also see that both the OnePlus 2 and the Lenovo K3 Note are continuing their gradual descent down the ranks, another lasting trend. Finally, at the very bottom of the chart we find the Galaxy Note 4, which has settled in, replacing the iPhone 6. This is also quite natural as the previous generation Note is surely rubbing off some views from the Note5.

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Samsung Galaxy Note5
RANK: 1WAS: 2

specs review

Motorola Moto G (3rd gen)
RANK: 2WAS: 1

specs review

Samsung Galaxy Grand Prime
RANK: 3WAS: 3

specs review

Xiaomi Redmi Note 2
RANK: 4NEW…

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Ideas infographic: four ways to use the Samsung Level Link 

Wires had their heyday with the telegraph and telephone, but these days we avoid them as much as possible. To help with the transition Samsung introduced the Level Link – a small Bluetooth fob that can wireless audio stream to anything from headphones to cars.

The idea is pretty simple – a switch tells the Level Link if it’s transmitting or receiving, then you just have to plug in the old-fashioned 3.5mm audio jack.

When acting as a receiver, it lets you stream audio from sources that lack Bluetooth functionality – your favorite corded headset or your car’s stereo (plug the Link into the AUX input). The transmitter functionality has potential too – you can watch TV with headphones but without cables.

Check out the infographic Samsung has come up for some more…

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Lenovo’s ZUK Z1 ships in mid-October, to cost about $330

Yesterday we reported about the partnership between Lenovo’s ZUK subsidiary and Cyanogen. ZUK’s first smartphone – the Z1 – will be going international thanks to Cyanogen OS later this year. As promised, the international availability was detailed today.

So, until the recently China exclusive, the ZUK Z1 will be going on sale internationally in mid-October. The smartphone costs about $280 in China, but its international price will be a bit higher, most probably around $330.

As of today the retailer Gearbest has the ZUK Z1 in stock. It costs $340 in there and can be purchased in both white and gray flavors. Judging by the video, the Cyanogen OS running on the unit was a Preview version. This means either the retail OS will be seeded later with an update, or it’s just an issue with the demo unit.

Please note that Gearbest’s warehouses are located in China and the US, so make sure you check any customs charges that may be due when shipping outside of those countries.

The ZUK Z1 packs a 5.5″ 1080p display and runs on the Snapdragon 801 chipset with 3GB of RAM. The rest of its specs include a 13MP main cam, an 8MP selfie snapper, 64GB storage, LTE connectivity, a fingerprint scanner and a beefy 4,100 mAh battery. There is also a USB Type-C port.

Gearbest | Source |…

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Jolla Tablet now available on pre-order

The Jolla Tablet was successfully crowdfunded last year and it was targeted for shipping in fall 2016. It seems everything is going as planned as Jolla has announced the pre-orders for the Tablet are now open.

The 32GB Jolla Tablet costs €267, while the 64GB flavor will set you back €299. Both prices include VAT. The slates will begin shipping in late October. The pre-order campaign applies for the EU, Norway, Switzerland, United States, Canada, Australia, India and Hong Kong.

The Jolla Tablet is built around a 7.85″ IPS display with 1536 x 2048px resolution. It runs on a quad-core 1.8GHz 64-bit Intel processor, and packs 2GB RAM, a main 5MP cam and a 2MP front snapper, and a 4,450 mAh battery. The Jolla Tablet is powered by Sailfish OS v2.0 and can be purchased in 32 and 64GB models, both featuring microSD expansion slot.

There are no cellular-enabled versions planned for now.

In case you are interested in pre-ordering the Jolla Tablet, head over to the Jolla’s official online…

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Xiaomi Mi 4c spotted at TENAA, benchmarked already

Xiaomi Mi 4i was launched this spring as an alternative, more affordable version of the popular Xiaomi Mi 4. It features a 5″ IPS 1080p display, a Snapdragon 615 chipset and s wrapped in plastic instead of glass.

Today a new Xiaomi Mi 4c leaked from various sources – the Chinese TENAA certification body, AnTuTu benchmark database, and previously it was spotted on Geekbench results.

The pictures from TENAA reveals absolutely the same body and measurements as the Xiaomi Mi 4i. It seems the new Mi 4c is just a small upgrade over the 4i and will keep the slim profile and matte rear cover. Its footprint and weight are absolutely identical with its predecessor, too.

But while the Mi 4c will offer the same 5″ 1080p screen, it will bring an upgraded chipset – Snapdragon 808. The SoC, which debuted within the LG G4, packs a hexa-core processor with 2x Cortex-A57 at 1.8GHz and 4x Cortex-A53 at 1.44GHz, Adreno 418 GPU and 2GB of RAM.

The Android version has also been bumped up to 5.1.1 Lollipop, which suggests the Xiaomi Mi 4c will most probably run on the MIUI v7.

The rest of the specs confirmed by TENAA are the same as the Mi 4i – a 13MP main camera with dual-LED flash, a 5MP selfie snapper, 16GB non-expandable storage, LTE connectivity, and 3,100 mAh battery.

All of those leaks suggest the Xiaomi Mi 4c announcement should be happening very soon.

Thanks to everyone, who sent this in!

TENAA | GeekBench | Source |…

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The Ultimate Test Drive: iPhone users in the US can take home a Galaxy Note5, S6 edge+ or S6 edge home for a whole month

Even iPhone users feel moments of doubt and Samsung wants to turn those into a sale. It started the Ultimate Test Drive promo in the US – if you’re in the US, you can spend a whole month with a Galaxy Note5, a Galaxy S6 edge+ or a regular S6 edge, all for the cost of $1.

No need for carrier contracts either, the phone will come with an active SIM card. The call, text and data limits aren’t clear though. You can select which of the major carriers you’re interested in, so you get a clear picture of how the phone handles the network coverage and speed.

When the 30 days are over you can buy the phone if you liked it or just hand it back if you didn’t. The $1 you pay is to verify your credit card info. Note that you have to visit SamsungPromotions.com from an iPhone (otherwise you get a polite message saying the promo is for iPhone users only).

Source |…

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Samsung has started bringing Galaxy S6 edge+ features to the S6 and S6 edge

With the Galaxy S6 edge+ now official, fans are looking forward to experiencing Samsung’s new double-sided curve design on a phablet scale. But, besides the extra screen real estate, the new phone also brings a few new software features and tweaks.

From a software perspective, the S6 edge+ has perhaps become best known for the new Apps Edge interface that leverages the curvy display for convenient application switching. Luckily, Samsung has realized the universal appeal of such an interface and is now bringing it to other models in its lineup. Currently these are the Galaxy S6 and S6 edge flagships.

New UI

Apps Edge is already seeding via OTA to the said phones in Korea( with other markets sure to follow soon), along with a few other S6 edge+ goodies, like UHD upscaler and Vacuum Tube Amp Pro, as well as new icons, UI improvements and updates to KNOX and Samsung Pay. This is definitely good news for S6 and S6 edge owner, but there are still a few novelties that Samsung has decided to leave as an exclusive offer on the S6 edge+, for now at least.

Most notably – the ability to shoot RAW format photos, as well as some other advanced camera features, like shutter speed control aren’t part of the said OTA. However, Samsung has included other tweaks to the S6 and S6 edge camera experience, like YouTube broadcasting mode, so it appears that the decision to leave out RAW is a perfectly conscious and intentional one, probably motivated by apparent marketing reasons.

But, we can’t really be angry at Samsung for looking after the best interest of its new products and ensuring they are desirable. Hopefully, as the excitement dies out around the S6 edge+, the Korean tech giant will carry over the remaining cool features as…

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Experience the Galaxy Note 5 and S6 edge+ virtually with these apps

Want to try out the new Samsung Galaxy Note5 and Galaxy S6 edge+, but can’t make it to a store for an in-person hands-on? Samsung now lets you try out the two new flagships virtually.

Samsung Galaxy Note5 Experience app

You can view the two handsets in 360° and try the Edge UX of the S6 edge+, experience the 5.7″ QHD screen and pretend to try the camera and its livestream feature. You can also learn more about the Fast Charging – wired or wireless – and browse a catalog of accessories.

Samsung Galaxy S6 edge+ Experience app

You can download the Galaxy S6 edge+ app and the Galaxy Note5 app, provided you have at least an Android 4.1 device with a 720p screen and a 1.4GHz processor with 1GB of…

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Samsung Galaxy S6 edge+ is now in stores

The wait is over and the Samsung Galaxy S6 edge+ has landed in stores in the US, Canada, Hong Kong and South Korea. The biggest Galaxy S yet – practically Note-sized – features a dual-curved 5.7″ display that enables “apps edge” and “people edge” functionality but lacks the Note’s trademark S-pen.

In the US the S6 edge+ is available on AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, Sprint and US Cellular. Samsung’s website is a centralized place to check pricing on the 32GB and 64GB models (no plans for a 128GB model for now despite contradicting indications).

Canadians can pick Rogers, Bell, Telus, SaskTel or Wind as their Galaxy S6+ carrier. You can check those carrier’s sites or Best Buy.

In Hong Kong the new flagship is on the four major carriers – CSL, CMHK, Three and SmarTone.

In its home country, the Samsung Galaxy S6 has landed on SK Telecom, LG U+ and KT.

The other phablet flagship, the Galaxy Note5, already launched in some countries and is hitting the US…

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OnePlus 2 gets its first OTA update

OnePlus is rolling out the first ever OTA update for the OnePlus 2. The Oxygen OS 2.0 on the phone is getting updated to v2.0.1, which brings with it several key improvements.

The official update log includes:

Added a patch for the Stagefright security exploit

Improves battery performance

Improves user interface logic and coherence

Fixed an issue with pinch-to-zoom in Google Photos

Fixed an issue where Dark Mode would cause instability in certain apps

Fixed an issue related to import/export of contacts stored on SIM card

Additional support for global carrier APNs

Other improvements and bug fixes

The update is already available in India and weighs in at 1.1GB, with the servers being slow right now so it’s going to take a while to finish downloading. Not that it should be a problem as most people still don’t have an…

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