With August almost here, the Galaxy Note 5 seems to be getting more and more attention with every passing day. The device will allegedly debut next month and excitement is at an all-time high. Thanks to various rumors and also a recent set of detailed renders that we managed to get the inside track on, we already have a pretty good idea of the upcoming phone's design.

However, we are yet to see the device in the flesh and the closest we have gotten so far is a set of color renders for Note 5 cases, already up for preorder.

Today, yet another batch of cases has been made available by the same retailer along with a new render, which once again proves that the Galaxy Note 5 will indeed have a curved back. This is now clearly visible, as some of the said cases are transparent.

Upon closer inspection, we can see just how much the Galaxy S6 edge has influenced the new Note design. As for the cases themselves, there are from the Rearth Ringke Fusion and Rearth Ringke Slim series and already up for preorder.

In another related leak, a Samsung device with a model number SM-N920F – attributed to the Galaxy Note 5, is on its way to India for testing. The information comes from import tracking website Zauba.

According to the entry, the unit was shipped on July 16 from South Korea and has a declared value of about $572. The number is, of course, in no way indicative of a retail price. The fact that the phone is already on its way for R&D in India, on the other hand, does instill hope that an August 13 launch, as we heard earlier, is indeed possible.

As far as we currently know, the Galaxy Note 5 will be equipped with a 5.7-inch QHD Super AMOLED display and run on the in-house Exynos 7422 SoC, a reworked version of the already familiar 7420 inside the Galaxy S6. The camera setup should consist of a 16MP primary camera with OIS and a 5MP front-facing one. Memory is set at 4GB for RAM and 32GB of onboard storage. Battery capacity should be 4,100 mAh and the exact measurements are 153.3mm x 76.1mm x 7.9mm.

Source 1 | Source 2 |…

from GSMArena.com – Latest articles http://ift.tt/1MkzSsi
via IFTTT

from GSMArena.com – Latest articles http://ift.tt/1IiXETS
via IFTTT

Huawei has released a teaser (see image below) which says that the company will bring "a taste of the flagship" on September 2 – the event will be held in Berlin, Germany. While there isn't any information on the flagship device, according to a report out of China, the teaser refers to the Mate 8.

Adding weight to the report is the fact that previous leaks had already suggested that the successor to the company's Ascend Mate7 smartphone would arrive in September at the IFA.

Specs-wise, it is expected that the handset will be powered by the Chinese company's home-grown Kirin 950 chipset, and sport a 6-inch display with 1440 x 2560 pixel resolution. It will come in two variants: 3GB RAM / 32GB ROM and 4GB RAM / 64GB ROM.

The Mate 8 is expected to feature a 20.7MP rear-unit and an 8MP front shooter. The smartphone is also said to sport a fingerprint scanner, and offer dual-SIM capability.

Via 1 | Via 2…

from GSMArena.com – Latest articles http://ift.tt/1gObof0
via IFTTT

from GSMArena.com – Latest articles http://ift.tt/1IiFnX0
via IFTTT

The persisting rumors of an early launch for the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 are likely going to end up true, the latest report out of Korean media claims. Only, contrary to the previous intel which pointed to an August 12 date, this new info states the event is scheduled for August 13 in New York. Judging by the incessant stream of info and renders, we'd be inclined to believe that is indeed the case.

The reasoning behind the haste is to get a head start on Apple's iPhone 6s/6s pair, due to be released mid-September. Hence, Samsung is ditching its established practice to announce the next-gen Note at IFA in Berlin and is pushing for an early release.

Meanwhile, a crafty Polish reporter has dug up info on a key feature of both the Galaxy Note 5 and Galaxy S6 edge Plus, that's so far been a mystery, and one that sparks plenty of heated debates. So if the user agent profiles found on the website of US carrier Sprint is to be believed, the Note 5 will have expandable storage via a microSD slot, supporting microSDXC cards up to 128GB.

That should hopefully help quiet down the outburst of criticism Samsung has been getting since it stripped the Galaxy S6/S6 edge of two of the most revered features the lineup used to have – the removable battery and expandable storage. While the removable battery seems to be a thing of the Note's past, replaced by a sizable 4,100mAh built-in unit, at least the expandable storage will remain a tick on the Note 5's specsheet.

What the Sprint leak also reveals are the cameras on the upcoming phablets, and the 16MP/5MP combo appears to be borrowed straight from the Galaxy S6/S6 edge. More importantly, however, both devices will come with 3GB of RAM, even though the rumors had settled on 4GB in the case of the Note 5.

Exciting times are ahead of us, and we're looking forward to the official launch. You should expect the leaks to get even more specific with the approaching of the August 13 event date.

Source 1 Source 2 Source 3 | Via 1 Via 2 (in…

from GSMArena.com – Latest articles http://ift.tt/1Om6Xmo
via IFTTT

Sony has announced that it has began rolling out the Android 5.1 update for some of its devices.

The first batch of devices to get the update include the Xperia Z3, Xperia Z3 Compact, Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact, Xperia Z2, and Xperia Z2 Tablet. These devices have already started receiving the update.

The next batch includes Xperia Z1, Xperia Z1 Compact, and Xperia Z Ultra, which will get the update in the coming weeks. They will be followed by Xperia T2 Ultra, and Xperia C3, then the original Xperia Z, and then the Xperia M2, and Xperia M2 Aqua.

The update includes a bunch of changes, including changes to the silent mode settings, camera performance improvements with faster autofocus in Superior Auto mode, LinkedIn integration, enhanced enterprise support, and SmartWear integration with the ability to use the SmartWatch 3 as a remote…

from GSMArena.com – Latest articles http://ift.tt/1JxkXpu
via IFTTT

from GSMArena.com – Latest articles http://ift.tt/1MHMuYx
via IFTTT

from GSMArena.com – Latest articles http://ift.tt/1Jx4Eck
via IFTTT

It's been one year since Xiaomi set shop in the Indian market, and since then the company has seen a tremendous response from Indian consumers, propelling the company to the fifth spot in terms of overall market share in the country. Xiaomi now has a 35 member team set up in Bangalore and a wide range of products available on its own Mi.com and other retailers such as Flipkart, Amazon, Snapdeal, The Mobile Store, and Airtel.

To celebrate the one year anniversary, Xiaomi has announced the 32GB variant of the Mi 4i, which was globally announced in India earlier this year, in a new Dark Gray color, which you can read about here.

Other than that, the company is also launching a new Mi Store app on Android where people can purchase the company's products in one convenient place. The app can be installed on any Android device.

Xiaomi also has other offers on its website, such as free Mi Coupons worth Rs. 500 on a purchase of a Mi 4i 16GB, free colored phone case with the purchase of a Redmi 2 or Mi 4, and cashback offer the 16GB Mi 4i (also available on Flipkart, Amazon, and Snapdeal). The company will have different offers on the website starting today till July 28 to celebrate the anniversary.

Xiaomi is also announcing two new headphones in the Indian market, the Mi Headphone with their 50mm drivers and aluminum construction, for Rs. 5,499 ($86) and the inexpensive Mi In-ear Headphones for Rs. 999…

from GSMArena.com – Latest articles http://ift.tt/1HQE8dU
via IFTTT

Just a couple of days after Xiaomi released a teaser indicating that it might launch a 32GB variant of the Mi 4i smartphone, the company has unveiled the device. It is available in dark grey, and carries a price tag of INR 14,999 ($235).

The smartphone will be available via flash sale model, with the first sale set to take place at 2PM local time on July 28. Registrations for the sale have already begun (hit the Source link below).

Specs-wise, the handset is powered by a Snapdragon 615 SoC with octa-core CPU and the Adreno 405 GPU, and sports a 5-inch display with a 1080 x 1920 pixel resolution. It comes with 2GB RAM and 16/32GB internal memory options, and packs in a 3120 mAh battery.

In terms of camera, the Mi 4i features a 13MP rear unit and a 5MP front shooter. It runs Android 5.0 Lollipop with MIUI 6 on top.

If you aren't already aware, today is Xiaomi's first anniversary in India, and the Chinese company has already announced that it will mark the day by launching several new products and promotions.

Source |…

from GSMArena.com – Latest articles http://ift.tt/1MnQ8dc
via IFTTT