Samsung Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 edge are among the most important product launches for the company in quite some time. At a time of unprecedented levels of competition, the duo has the task to bring back the good times for the Korean giant.

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The Samsung Unpacked event at the MWC 2015 is all about the next generation of Galaxy smartphones – the Galaxy S6 and the Galaxy S6 edge. Samsung seems to be pleased with the limited edition Galaxy Note Edge market success and will be keeping the "edged" devices around.

Samsung Galaxy S6 duo have been in the rumor mill for quite some time and we already knew pretty much everything there is to know. The devices are now official and we can clear up every tiny detail.

The new Galaxy S6 series is a departure from the previous series, switching from an all-plastic shell to a dual-glass design enhanced with a metal frame. The new combination of materials works great indeed and the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 edge are arguably, the most beautiful Galaxy smartphones to date. We’re sure, many will forgive the camera hump on the back for sure. This time around the Galaxy S6 isn't dust and water proof though.

Samsung Galaxy S6 packs a 5.1" Super AMOLED screen with Quad HD resolution resulting into the amazing 577 ppi density. It is protected by the latest Corning Gorilla Glass 4. The hardware Home key once again doubles as fingerprint sensor and supports the new Samsung Pay service.

Samsung Galaxy S6 live photos • the available colors

Samsung Pay relies on NFC and Magnetic Secure Transmission (MST) for mobile payments. It has already been certified by Visa, MasterCard, and Samsung is employing key partners worldwide to participate in the service, including American Express, Bank of America, Citi, JPMorgan Chase, and U.S. Bank.

Unlike the Galaxy Note Edge, the Samsung Galaxy S6 edge has the display glass bent on both sides of the phone. While the curve isn't as impressive as on the Note Edge, being bent on both sides makes it feel like an entirely different device. The 5.1" Super AMOLED display also utilizes at Quad HD resolution of 2,560 x 1,440 pixels. It is protected by a curved Corning Gorilla Glass 4, too.

Samsung Galaxy S6 edge in the flesh

The rumors turned right and Samsung chose not to opt for the Snapdragon 810 chip, probably due to the overhearing issues. So, the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge are powered by the company's Exynos 7420, built on a 14nm process and thus more energy-efficient and producing less heat compared to 20nm Snapdragon 810.

The Exynos 7420 chip offers much similar processor to the Snapdragon 810 – an octa-core 64-bit CPU with four Cortex-A57 cores ticking at 2.1GHz and four Cortex-A53 clocked at 1.5GHz. The Exynos 7420 chip uses a Mali-T760 GPU and comes bundled with 3GB LPDDR4 of RAM. The new generation of RAM has already premiered on the LG G Flex2 and we expect the 2015 flagships to feature LPDDR4 RAM chips.

Samsung Galaxy S6 duo comes with a new ISOCELL camera sensor with 16MP resolution. The camera is enhanced with optical image stabilization, phase detection autofocus and has a single-LED flash. Quite expectedly, 4K video recording is supported.

The front camera is 5MP, capable of 1080p video capturing.

The new Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 edge feature 32GB / 64GB / 128GB storage, expandable via a microSD slot. The storage is of the new UFS 2.0 variety, which uses "Command Queue" tech used in SSDs for accelerating the speed of command execution. The end-result is 19,000 input/output operations (IOPS) per second for random reading – that’s 2.7x faster than the performance of the eMMC 5.0 memory found in the previous crop of flagships.

The all-round connectivity package includes LTE Cat.6, Wi-Fi ac, Bluetooth 4.1, NFC, GPS with GLONASS and Beidou, IR blaster and FM radio. The Galaxy S6 is powered by a 2,550 mAh battery, while the Galaxy S6 egde has a 2,600 mAh unit.

Finally, the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 edge run on Android 5.0 Lollipop enhanced with the latest TouchWiz UI with Material design and cleaner interface. The TouchWiz on the Galaxy S6 Edge offers various features and apps working on the edges of the display, including a newer and better version of the Quick Glance info for the lockscreen.

This time around Samsung has partnered with Microsoft, instead of Dropbox, and will be offering 115GB OneDrive storage for 2 years to each Galaxy S6 user.

Samsung Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 edge will launch this spring (quite possibly this very month) in Charcoal Black, Copper Gold, Electric Blue, and Shimmery White. The pricing is yet to be…

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It is almost time to tune in for what is perhaps the most-anticipated press conference for the day. Samsung's traditional MWC Unpacked event is all set for 10:00 AM EST (Eastern Standard Time – US) / 18:30 GTM+1, which is now mere minutes away.

As most of you surely know, the Korean tech giant is most likely going to announce its next flagship device – the Galaxy S6, as well as its interesting double-edged variant – the S6 Edge. Rumors also hint at a new Samsung Z2 Tizen handset to further aid the new OS's growing popularity.

The live stream will be available at the source link or through the player below.

Samsung usually goes all out at MWC so we can definitely expect a lot of surprises. Be sure to follow along with us and check back for an update on all the…

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Alcatel had its own way of grabbing people's attention at the MWC this year, and it was one we had never seen. The company released the OneTouch Idol 3 which has the unique capability of being fully reversible.

We'll need to elaborate on that, obviously. What the company means is that you can pick up the phone and talk with the top side down. That solves a problem with symmetrical designs where you can't immediately tell which way is up.

Less striking is the specsheet, but it's befitting the smartphone's price range. The larger model is decidedly better equipped, and boasts a 5.5-inch FullHD IPS panel. Computing power comes from a Snapdragon 615 chipset with 64-bit octa-core processor, joined by 2GB of RAM and storage is either 16GB or 32GB.

Camera department is duly covered, with a 13MP main snapper behind an f2.0 lens and an 8MP wide-angle front unit. Dual front speakers should provide punchy sound, while the 2,910mAh battery is an impressive feat in the 7.7mm body.

The smaller model takes hits in several departments, with the 4.7-inch 720p display being the most obvious one. A Snapdragon 410 chipset with a 1.2GHz quad-core processor will be powered by a 2000mAh battery. The selfie camera is downgraded to 5MP.

Alcatel is pricing the new Idols aggressively, with the 5.5-inch model costing €250, while the smaller 4.7-incher will hit the sheelves at…

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ZTE announced its next flagship just a day before the MWC opens in Barcelona. The ZTE Grand S3 may sound like most of the top smartphones in 2014, but it has one very distinctly and innovative feature – it is the first phone ever to use eye-based biometric security.

ZTE Grand S3 comes with a 5.5" 1080p display and runs on the Snapdragon 801 chip with quad-core Krait 400 CPU at 2.5GHz, Adreno 330 GPU and 3GB of RAM. It also offers 16GB expandable storage, 16MP rear camera with dual-LED flash and an 8MP front selfie snapper. There is also LTE connectivity, Wi-Fi ac, Dolby Sound and a 3,100 mAh battery.

ZTE Grand S3 comes with Android 4.4 KitKat.

While the ZTE Grand S3 does sound like a blast from the 2014, it has something that none other competitor can match – an eye-based biometric security via the Eyeprint ID. The innovative tech is developed by EyeVerify and can be used for authorizing mobile payments, unlocking the screen or accessing secure content.

Scanning your eyes isn’t as fast as the finger-print senor, but it is even more secure than the finger-print recognition technology – probably because the phone need to scan both of your eyes. Since this is done by the front 8MP camera, which has no LED flash, unlocking the screen or authorizing payments with your eyes in low-light conditions won't be possible.

ZTE promises to implement the Eyeprint ID on all of its upcoming Grand smartphones.

The ZTE Grand S3 is already available for purchase in China and it costs CNY 2999 (or €430). There is no info on the global…

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With the Internet of things (IoT) on the rise and an alarming number of devices in your household already connected to the web out daily tech drivers are becoming increasingly more interconnected. Naturally at some point this gets a little bit confusing and MediaTek, among others have realized this fact.

Mobile devices are quickly becoming the main hub for information and multimedia for most people, due to sheer convenience in not anything else. And while there are plenty of ways to push content around smart tech, borrowing hardware is a whole different concept. The Chinese chip manufacturer has set its sights to bridge this gap. Their proposed solution is called CrossMount – an open-source standard, part of the well-known and universally established Universal Plug and Play (UPnP).

What it actually does is quite ingenious. It lets supported devices seamlessly borrow hardware component from one another, just like sharing files. This could, for example, allow you to use you phone's camera for video calls on a smart TV or a PC. Why not attach you phone's or smart band's hear-rate sensor to a smart piece of fitness equipment. The possibilities are endless.

Now this all sound very enticing, but like most tech innovations it all comes down to third=party involvement and support, MediaTek might be pushing the standard, but they can only do so much in enforcing what is essentially an open-source code. A few major manufacturers, like Changhong, Hisense, Lenovo and TCL have reportedly welcomed the CrossMount standard and should be on board in its future development. Sadly major players like Samsung, LG and HTC might opt for proprietary in-house solutions, as is usually the case when market shares are at stake.

The good news is that we, the users, do have a certain say in the matter. If open cross-platform hardware sharing standards is what the market truly wants, then manufacturers will have to deliver sooner or later. So here's to hoping the whole thing picks up.

Source |…

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Just as expected, the day before the official start of the MWC 2015 is shaping up to be pretty eventful. Just as scheduled, HTC held it press event in Barcelona and it brought us the company’s flagship – the HTC One M9.

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HTC One M9 is the official name of the next One flagship. Contrary to previous rumors, the new One M9 was announced alone at the MWC and there is no Plus flavor, at least for now.

Design

HTC One M9 comes with refined design with less part count, dual anodization, and scratch-resistant coating and sapphire glass on the camera lens. While it looks a lot like the One (M8), the new One M9 design is more minimalistic and the smartphone is lighter and smaller. It has a single-part front bezel, new placement for the Power/Lock key, an improved volume rocker, and brand new color options.

HTC One M9 in Gold

The One M9 is not dust and waterproof, but the company promises IP69-certified cases for the One M9.

The One M9 will be available in new paintjobs – there is a Silver model with Rose Gold accent (on the frame), Gun Metal Gray, completely Gold version and Pink model with Gold accent on the frame.

HTC One M9 in GunMetal Gray

Hardware

HTC One M9 packs a 5" 1080p display – the same unit from One (M8) – Super LCD3 – with minor improvements on the technology and color rendering. The highlight of the front are the traditional BoomSound stereo speakers, now improved further by Dolby Sound technology.

HTC One M9 in Pink and Gold

The One M9 is powered by the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 platform – an octa-core 64-bit processor with four Cortex-A57 cores at 2.0GHz and four Cortex-A53 working at 1.5GHz. The new Adreno 430 is responsible for the graphics, while the 3GB RAM will help with the multi-tasking.

The rest of the specs include 32GB expandable storage and rich connectivity package with LTE Cat.6 or Cat.9 (various by region) with support for 21 LTE bands, wired and wireless TV-out, GPS + GLONASS, Bluetooth 4.1, NFC and Wi-Fi ac.

HTC One M9 in Silver and Amber Gold

HTC One M9 comes with non-replaceable 2,840 mAh battery. Fast charging is supported by default, but the charger within the retail package is not a "fast charger".
Camera

HTC has dropped the dual-camera tech in favor of a Toshiba-made 20MP sensor with a 1/2.3" sensor size. HTC One M9 comes with a 20MP BSI camera on the back with F/2.2 aperture and dual-LED dual-tone flash. The maximum shooting resolution is 5376 x 3752 px – that’s 10:7 aspect ratio. RAW capture is supported, as is 4K video recording.

The HTC One M9 rear camera

Unfortunately, the camera doesn't support optical image stabilization, but on a positive note there is a sapphire glass to protect the lens from scratches.

The front selfie camera uses a 4MP UltraPixel sensor, quite similar to the one embedded on the backs of HTC One (M7) and One (M8), but without auto focus.

HTC has developed new cooler effects for the rear camera and promises a brand new Zoe apps for Android and iOS.

Software

HTC One M9 runs on Android 5.0 Lollipop enhanced with the new HTC Sense 7 UI. HTC Blinkfeed is a major part of the new Sense and now content from the aggregator will be displayed on the lockscreen as well. The updated service also uses location specific suggestions, thanks to a new partnership with Yelp, and will be able to gives you various tips for nearby restaurants.

The entire concept of HTC Sense has changed and now the launcher supports themes, which will be able to change its looks completely – backgrounds, colors, icons, even the keyboard. There will be a theme generator, which will support automatic theme generation by inputting just a single image.

Another cool feature of the new HTC Sense 7 is the option to customize the navigation bar – you will be able to change the keyboard layout and put additional shortcuts of virtually anything.

Finally, Sense 7 supports BoomSound connect – it allows the phone to combine its internal speakers with external ones for surround playback.

Availability

The pricing is yet to be announced, but the HTC One M9 is expected to launch in…

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Huawei's is largely focused on wearables for this year's MWC, announcing a pair of Talkbands and its brand new Huawei Watch. The company did bring a new tablet though, alongside an entry-level LTE smartphone.

First off, the Huawei MediaPad X2 is a 7-inch compact tablet, which features LTE connectivity and can be used to make phone calls, if need be. It sports a 1,920 x 1,200 panel with a 16:10 ratio, surrounded by minimal bezels, much like its predecessor.

The tablet packs the current top-end chipset of the company, the Kirin 930, with an octa-core 2.0GHz processor. Two versions will be available, the 16GB storage with 2GB of RAM and the 32GB model with 3GB of RAM. A 13MP camera on back is joined by a 5MP front facer, while a 5000mAh battery provides ample power.

The MediaPad X2 will boot Android 5.0 upon launch, enhanced by Huawei's home-brewed Emotion UI. Additionally, dual-SIM versions of both storage options will be available.

Huawei Y635

An affordable entry into Huawei's LTE-enabled lineup was also unveiled though without any fanfare. Reviews of the device cropped up across
UK tech websites, but we are yet to see proper press images.

The Huawei Y635 is built around a 5-inch screen of 854 x 480 pixel resolution for an unimpressive 196ppi density. The insides include a quad-core processor, clocked at 1.2GHz, paired with 1GB of RAM. Internal storage is rather limited too, at only 4GB, but that's expandable via microSD.

Image courtesy of cnet.com

In keeping with the budget price tag, the Y635 gets a 5MP rear camera with a single LED flash. The removable back cover gives access to the replaceable 2000mAh battery, as well as microSIM and memory card…

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HTC execs are going over their talking points one last time as the clock nears zero, the event is about to begin (at 3pm GMT). We're headed over there, but you can experience the unveiling of the new metal-clad Android flagship with us.

The HTC One (M9) will certainly be the star of the show and will come adorned with a Snapdragon 810 chipset and a 20MP camera, unless the rumors were way off. The UltraPixel camera should live on, this time dedicated exclusively to selfies.

A slightly larger version of the phone might be on stage too, the so-called HTC One (M9) Plus. A 5.5" QHD display might separate the Plus and non-Plus phones.

HTC might also surprise us with a smartband, the HTC Petra. This one will do direct battle with Microsoft Band. This isn’t the first time HTC has promised a smart band/watch though, but keep an eye on the presenter's wrists just in…

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