Tizen-powered Samsung Z3 to launch later this year

Samsung has big plans for its Tizen platform and is working to ship the upcoming Samsung Z3 smartphone in second half of this year. The new Samsung Z3 will be a successor of the current Z1 as the Korean giant is planning to skip the Z2.

As per the rumors, the Samsung Z3 smartphone will pack more power and punch than the first-gen Tizen device – Z1. The new Z3 will feature a 5-inch display and is powered by a 64-bit Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 chipset paired with 1GB of RAM and 8GB of internal storage.

The upcoming 9mm thick Tizen smartphone will have a 2MP front camera and a 5MP rear snapper with flash support. Offering Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, the Z3 will also come with Wi-Fi Direct along with Bluetooth 4.0 and the usual accelerometer and proximity sensor. The handset will be powered by a 2,000 mAh…

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Samsung Galaxy E5 and E7 will be getting Lollipop in Q3

Samsung Galaxy E5 and Galaxy E7 are budget flavors of the A-series, losing the metal frames to plastic. Both phones come with Super AMOLED 720p displays and run on the Snapdragon 410 chipset. The E5 is the smaller 5" model with 8MP camera, while the E7 is bigger at 5.5" and packs a 13MP rear snapper.

Both Galaxy E5 and E7 were launched last February running Android KitKat, but they are now entering Samsung's official Lollipop queue and their updates are scheduled for completion during Q3 (July-September) this year.

Sammobile got official confirmation that the Android 5.0 Lollipop updates are indeed happening and will go live in the next quarter. There is no word on the 5.1 revision though, but we suspect Samsung may skip it in favor of the next major Android…

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Samsung US spills the beans on the Galaxy S6 Active

Samsung US mistakenly uploaded all details on the still unannounced Galaxy S6 Active. Its full specs and manual are out, its design is confirmed too – the leaks were right about the Galaxy S5 Active similarities.

The Galaxy S6 Active was rumored for quite a while, and today it is all but official. Samsung's support page reveals all details we need to know. Samsung Galaxy S6 Active has the same specs as its regular counterpart – a 5.1" Quad HD Super AMOLED display, Exynos 7420 chip with an 8-core processor, 32GB non-expandable storage, a 16MP rear and a 5MP front camera, and a 2,550 non-removable battery.

The Galaxy S6 Active is as big as the Galaxy S6 at 143.5 x 70.6 x 6.85 and weighs the same – 138 g. It has hardware control keys as the Galaxy S5 Active and an additional hardware Active key on its left side.

Naturally, as the Active moniker suggests, the Galaxy S6 Active is water and dust-proof, but there is no info if the S6 Active will come with MIL-STD-810G certification as well, which will add salt, dust, humidity, rain, vibration, solar radiation, transport and thermal shock resistance. We guess this final piece of intel will come out at the official announcement.

The Galaxy S6 Active should launch in Cameo White and Titanium Black, and probably even more paintjobs. We expect the S6 Active to be an AT&T exclusive at launch (as the manual's pictures suggest), but later to hit the international markets just like its previous Active siblings.

With Samsung US prepping its official Galaxy S6 Active pages, the announcement should happen any moment now. Not that there's much mystery remaining at this…

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Gionee confirms key specs, launch date for Elife E8, Marathon M5

The stream of leaks detailing the Gionee Elife E8 and Marathon M5 was clear indication of their imminent announcement and now we have a date and time. Coming straight from Gionee, we have confirmation of a scheduled launch event, set to take place in Beijing on June 10, 19:00 local time.

Gionee president William Lu will take the stage at China Film Directors Center and go into detail on the two smartphones' features. The company will also officially announce its cooperation with National Geographic photographer Fritz Hoffman.

Alongside the event details, Gionee has disclosed, or rather confirmed, the headline features of both devices. The Elife E8 will sport a 23.7MP primary camera, which will be able to capture photos up to a whopping 100MP in resolution. We gather that will happen through stitching of multiple images, but that's just speculation.

The rest of the specs, detailed by a TENAA listing, include a 6-inch QHD AMOLED display, 2GHz octa-core processor, 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage. Additionally, the handset will have a fingerprint scanner on the back. The Chinese regulator didn't get the camera resolution right, though, so don't bet on these numbers.

Meanwhile, the Marathon M5 will be true to its name and pack an ample 6,020mAh battery, which Gionee promises will deliver four-day autonomy. The company hasn't elaborated on the teased dual battery feature though.

Either way, it's exciting times for Gionee and make sure you stay tuned for our coverage of the…

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Leaked ZTE Star 3 renders reveal dual rear camera

ZTE's premium Star lineup may be in for an update, if a set of recently leaked renders are to be trusted. The images reveal slender body lines in keeping with the established design aesthetic of the series.

The pictured smartphone features minimal bezels around a display, likely sized at 5.5 inches, though the source hasn't stated it explicitly. Separate circular volume buttons, much like the ones introduced with the iPhone 4 sit on the right side of the device.

However, the absence of a power button on either side, or the top, suggests an error on the the designer's part, and it probably goes to show that the renders represent a very early stage in the smartphone's development.

Alleged ZTE Star 3 renders

It is the dual camera setup on the back that should gather the most attention, though. The two equally sized lenses suggest that the future smartphone may come with 3D capturing capability as well as some nifty post-shot focusing effects.

Two color options are pictured, and the dark gray one reminds of the sandpaper-style back of the OnePlus One. It is the shiny blue model, though, which is the absolute stunner of the duo.

Bear in mind that the current ZTE Star 2 model was announced in December 2014, so the sequel is likely a good 6 months away. With all this time remaining and the lack of material evidence to support these images, you shouldn't be surprised if the new model ends up quite…

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Verizon’s Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge getting their first update

A couple of months after Verizon started shipping Samsung's latest flagships – the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge, the carrier has rolled out the first update to the devices. It bumps the handsets to software version VVRU1AOD5.

It's a minor update as it is aimed mostly at fixing bugs, although it does bring a new drawing mode in the photo editor and some layout changes to the HD Voice calling screen.

If haven't already, you should soon receive a notification for the OTA update. If you're feeling impatient, you can also check for it manually by heading to About device -> Software update on your…

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New Nokia 105 is a $20 featurephone for the masses

In today's high-tech world, feature phones are a dying breed, but Microsoft still hasn't given up on such products. The fact is that they are still essential for a lot of developing markets and novice or non tech-savvy users. Consequently, feature phones are still quite popular and tend to move in big volumes if they are priced and marketed right.

Microsoft seems to have all of these bases covered with the new Nokia 105. It takes after its namesake predecessor, which, by the company's own account, has been selling about 100 units per minute since 2013. So, there is definitely some revenue to be made even at budget-friendly price points, like the $20 the Nokia 105 should go for.

The price definitely makes the small device quite universally affordable, but Microsoft has also put in quite a few improvements over the previous generation. The new rounded design is a lot more-comfortable and with a color choice of black, white and cyan, the phone can be unobtrusive, or colorful and vibrant. Whichever is to your liking.

The Nokia 105 also boats space for up to 2,000 contacts, which should be plenty for almost anybody. Battery live is also quite impressive. The small, replaceable 800mAh battery can pump out enough juice for up to 15 hours of talk time and 35 days standby. The Nokia 105 also comes in a Dual-SIM variant, for even greater flexibility.

You can't really expect much from a 1.45-inch LCD screen and a Series 30 platform, which is quite limiting as far as functionality goes. However, if you are willing to spend a little more, Nokia recently unveiled another similar device – the Nokia 215, which brings a lot more advanced functionality and puts social networking on the…

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