Xiaomi has announced that its Redmi Note 3 smartphone will be launched in India next week – March 3 to be specific. The device is the company’s first phone with a fingerprint sensor and a full-metal body.

Specs-wise, the model that’ll be launched in India is powered by the new Qualcomm Snapdragon 650 and sports a 5.5-inch 1080p display. It comes in 2GB/16GB and 3GB/32GB memory options, and packs in a 4,050mAh battery.

In terms of camera, the model features a 16MP rear unit and a 5MP front shooter. Measuring 150 x 76 x 8.7mm and weighing in at 164g, the handset runs Android 5.0.2 (Lollipop). There’s currently no information on exactly how much the device will cost in India – the Chinese price tag for the 16GB variant is RMB 999 (around $155).

Registration details for the launch event can be accessed by heading to the Source link…

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If you are in the US and are planning to purchase either of Samsung’s newest flagships, here’s a deal for you: the carrier is currently running a ‘buy one, get second half-off’ promo on the devices, allowing you to lease or buy one Galaxy S7 or S7 edge and get a second one for half the price.

“Get two Galaxy S7, two Galaxy S7 edge or one of each with this great deal,” the carrier said in a press release. In addition, Sprint has also introduced a Galaxy Forever program, which lets you upgrade to the latest Galaxy smartphone any time after making 12 payments on a Sprint Lease.

This means you can lease a Galaxy S7 or S7 edge from Sprint (which you can do starting March 11) and return it in exchange for the Galaxy S8 next year.

“We’re inviting consumers to join the millions of customers who have switched to Sprint with an offer that lets everyone get their hands on each new generation of Samsung Galaxy smartphones from Sprint every year,” said Marcelo Claure, Sprint CEO. “With Galaxy Forever, our customers can easily swap out their new GS7 or GS7 edge for the next generation after just 12 payments of less than $26 per month – that is less than a dollar a day. There has never been a better time to get your hands on the hottest Samsung Galaxy smartphones from Sprint.”

For more details, including pricing information, head to the Source link…

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In case you missed, the US pricing and availability for the Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 edge is already out. However, if you are in the UK, you’ll be glad to know that the flagships are already up for pre-order there. As for the pricing, here are the carrier deals for the devices in your country:

EE

Samsung Galaxy S7EE is offering the 32GB Galaxy S7 at a monthly cost of £49.99 (for 24 months) and an upfront cost of £9.99.

Samsung Galaxy S7 edgeThe edge variant (32GB model) can be yours for £9.99 upfront followed by £54.99 per month.

Both handsets are available in Black Onyx and Gold Platinum color options.

O2

Samsung Galaxy S7O2 is offering the 32GB Galaxy S7 variant for £54 monthly and an upfront cost of £9.99.

Samsung Galaxy S7 edgeThe edge version (32GB model), on the other hand, costs less – £9.99 upfront followed by £51 a month for 2 years.

Color options for both flagships include Black Onyx and Gold Platinum.

Vodafone

Samsung Galaxy S7If you want to purchase the Galaxy S7 from Vodafone, you’ll have to shell out £9 upfront followed by £50 a month for the next 24 months.

Samsung Galaxy S7 edgeThe edge variant can be yours for as low as £9 upfront followed by 24 monthly instalments of £56 each.

Black Onyx and Gold Platinum color variants are available for both devices.

Three

Samsung Galaxy S7Three UK is offering the Galaxy S7 (32GB model) for as low as £41 a month on a regular 2-year contract with an upfront payment of £29.

Samsung Galaxy S7 edgeThe edge variant can be purchased for as low as £49 upfront followed by 24 monthly instalments of £47 a month.

As with all other carriers mentioned here, Three also has both handsets in Black Onyx and Gold Platinum color options.

Those pre-ordering the devices (from any of the carriers) before March 6 will receive their unit(s) on March 8, which is three days before their general release.

Source (EE) | O2 | Vodafone | Three…

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A jab at Alcatel might sometimes be acceptable for lack of excitement in the lineup, or perhaps not catering to a higher-end audience, but one thing nobody can complain about is a lack of choice.

In keeping with tradition, Alcatel took full advantage of the MWC venue for yet another year and made sure to update its POP family as well. This includes a total of three handsets with low to mid-range specs sheets.

First up, we have the POP 4. It comes with a 5-inch 720p, IPS display, housed inside a body, measuring 140.7 x 71.4 x 7.99 mm. Plastic, as expected, is the material of choice across the entire lineup, which is not necessarily a bad thing, especially when you intend on keeping costs low. Under the hood, we find a rather underpowered quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 210 SoC, along with 1GB of RAM and just 8GB of onboard storage, thankfully expandable with up to 32GB more.

Other features include Cat.4 LTE and a 2500 mAh battery. The camera setup consists of an 8MP primary shooter and a 5MP front-facing one, with 84.4 degrees wide-angle lens.

Moving up in the food chain, we have the slightly upgraded 151 x 77 x 7.99 mm POP 4+. Its display is bumped up to 5.5 inches while keeping the resolution. Another change is the 1.5GB of RAM and 16GB of storage. The processor, camera, battery and everything else remains the same.

Last, we have the top offer in the face of the POP 4S. It measures very close to its sibling at 152 x 76.8 x 7.99 mm and understandably so, as it does have the same 5.5-inch display, only with FullHD resolution. RAM is set at 2GB, while storage stays the same at 16GB. The processor is also quite a bit more powerful – the MediaTek MT6755M. The camera setup is also improved with a 13MP shooter on the back and the same 5MP on the front, and the battery is rated at 2960 mAh.

A key aspect of the new POP 4 family is style and customizability. The new curved back design gives the handsets an extra touch of elegance and color plus pattern options are abundant, to say the least: Hairline-Brushed, Leather, Wood and Baby Skin, to quote a few of the available covers.

Also, since Alcatel has a history of selling devices in bulk to carriers around the world, it won’t surprise us to see even the specs sheet tweaked once retail units eventually start to hit…

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@evleaks has unveiled an Xperia model that’s supposed to be released at Sony’s event at MWC tomorrow morning. The device could possibly be a new line of models or a spinoff of the Xperia C series. Since there’s no front facing flash, it may or may not be an Xperia C model.

*drops the other shoe* http://pic.twitter.com/v611vo0bAv— Evan Blass (@evleaks) February 21, 2016

The device in the leaked image features an Xperia logo on the rear along with a single LED flash, dedicated camera button, and large top and bottom bezels, likely because the side bezels are razor thin.

There is also a standard shaped power button which obviously signifies lack of a proper fingerprint scanner that we’ve seen on the Xperia Z5.

Sony’s event is scheduled for 8:30AM this morning at MWC’s local time.

Source |…

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The Samsung Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge come with a few differences but share many identical specs.

The camera is one of those and is a key focus on both devices. Samsung scaled down the resolution from 16MP to 12MP which has resulted in bigger pixels (1.4µm on the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge compared to 1.12µm on the Galaxy S6).

Couple that with the larger aperture of f/1.7 – which is now also class leading in smartphones – and you’ve got a serious contender for the best camera on a smartphone.

And the results are spectacular, there is no two ways anout that. Check out these camera samples that we shot in the unfavorable indoor light at the Galaxy S7 anouncement venue.

Samsung Galaxy S7 edge camera samples

The new Dual Pixel technology is an evolution of Phase Detect auto focusing, and it makes the Galaxy S7 wicked fast in acquiring focus. You can check out the video we took that demonstrates this better than any words could.

But it’s not all about the hardware – Samsung has put lots of work into the software behind the new camera.

For starters there’s Motion panorama which captures the moving subjects in the panorama, instead of just butchering them in the stitching process – it’s like a panoramic video almost.

Another feature, Motion photo, captures a three-second video before you’ve pressed the shutter – it also allows you to preserve a still photo.

The built-in Hyperlapse mode is a first on a Samsung cameraphone as well, and it is a great add-on that makes digitally stabilized time-lapse videos.

For the front-facing 5MP camera there’s Spotlight which accentuates certain facial features in a selfie (Beauty Mode).

There’s also Selfie Flash, which uses the screen as photographic fill-light in low lit environments.

Finally, Wide Selfie captures a panorama with the front-facing camera.

The only thing we’re not sure about is what Smart OIS stands for. There’s no specific mention of optical image stabilization on the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge and the less protruding lens could mean it’s only Electronic image stabilization (EIS). We’ll certainly have to see about that before we pass our final judgement.

Source 1 | Source 2 | Source…

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Today in Barcelona, Samsung unveiled its newest consumer camera for recording videos in 360°, completely redefining the way we record and share moments to those around us.

The camera looks like an eyeball and is about the size of a baseball. It’s portable size and mobility will allow for a spike in the number of 360° videos consumers will produce and consume. The good news is the bottom of the Gear 360 has a standard tripod mount, though, Samsung will likely include a small tripod as seen in the press photos.

It has two cameras, both on opposite sides of each other with super wide-angle lenses for capturing every angle around the device. You can also use the Gear 360 in a single lens mode, to only capture traditional format videos in 180°.

The Gear 360 also features NFC and Wi-Fi direct to transfer videos directly to your Galaxy phone for stitching, fixing and sharing to friends and social media.

The Gear 360 is IP53 certified for resistance against dust and splashes to encourage you to take your Gear 360 with you on your adventure.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg also made a brief appearance at Samsung’s Unpacked event to talk about a partnership with Samsung for optimizing the way we share VR videos on the largest social media platform in the world.

Technical specifications are as follows:

Dual CMOS 15MP Sensors w/ F2.0 Fisheye lenses
Videos: Dual Cam up to 3840x1920px @30fps/Single Cam up to 2560x1440px @30fps
Images: Dual Cam up to 7776x3888px or 30MP / Single Cam up to 3072×1728 or 5MP
Dimensions: 66.7 x 56.2 x 60mm
1GB RAM and up to 128GB of microSD memory
Removable 1350mAh battery
Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Wi-Fi Direct, BT 4.1, USB 2.0, NFC

Here are a few promotional videos for the Gear 360 which can be viewed on YouTube in 360° by clicking and dragging around the video.

Source Source 2 (Samsung News…

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The Samsung Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge splashed down at the MWC and while their cameras and screens are the biggest improvements, they come with brand new chipsets, which we promptly benchmarked.

We tested both the S7 and S7 edge and the difference in form factor didn’t make a difference in performance, so we united their scores.

Note that this is the Exynos 8890 chipset, which is built on a 14nm process and features a total of eight custom Samsung cores – four small and four big ones. They work in tandem with Mali-T880 GPU to deliver awesome performance.

AnTuTu 6 shows a sizeable jump in performance over the old guard, the S6 edge+.

AnTuTu 6
Higher is better

Samsung Galaxy S7 / S7 edge
114250

Huawei Mate 8
91609

Huawei Nexus 6P
89345

Samsung Galaxy S6 edge+
83167

LG V10
67547

Samsung Galaxy A9 (S652)
64591

Samsung broke away from the stock ARM Cortex cores, but comparing them to the Huawei Mate 8 (Kirin 950, 4x A72 + 4x A53) the two seem on par (we don’t have single-core scores for the Mate 8 though).

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GeekBench 3 (multi-core)
Higher is better

Samsung Galaxy S7 / S7 edge
6395

Huawei Mate 8
6323

Samsung Galaxy S6 edge+
5158

Samsung Galaxy A9 (S652)
4759

Huawei Nexus 6P
4539

Sony Xperia Z5 Premium
4194

LG V10
3607

GeekBench 3 (single-core)
Higher is better

Samsung Galaxy S7 / S7 edge
2108

Samsung Galaxy A9 (S652)
1466

Then there’s the GPU. The Sony Xperia Z5 Premium has a Snapdragon 810 chipset, but it’s meant to feed its monstrous 4K display and it actually topped the Galaxy S7 in a few tests.

GFX 3.0 Manhattan (1080p offscreen)
Higher is better

Samsung Galaxy S7 / S7 edge
26

Sony Xperia Z5 Premium
26

Samsung Galaxy S6 edge+
25

Huawei Nexus 6P
25

Huawei Mate 8
18

LG V10
15

Samsung Galaxy A9 (S652)
13

GFX 3.0 Manhattan (onscreen)
Higher is better

Sony Xperia Z5 Premium
27

Samsung Galaxy S7 / S7 edge
25

Huawei Mate 8
18

Huawei Nexus 6P
17

Samsung Galaxy S6 edge+
15

Samsung Galaxy A9 (S652)
13

LG V10
9.5

GFX 3.1 Manhattan (1080p offscreen)
Higher is better

Samsung Galaxy S7 / S7 edge
26

Sony Xperia Z5 Premium
18

Huawei Nexus 6P
17

Samsung Galaxy S6 edge+
15

LG V10
10

Huawei Mate 8
10

Samsung Galaxy A9 (S652)
9.3

GFX 3.1 Manhattan (onscreen)
Higher is better

Sony Xperia Z5 Premium
19

Samsung Galaxy S7 / S7 edge
15

Huawei Mate 8
11

Huawei Nexus 6P
11

Samsung Galaxy A9 (S652)
9.1

Samsung Galaxy S6 edge+
6.6

LG V10
5.7

Basemark X
Higher is better

Samsung Galaxy S6 edge+
26333

Samsung Galaxy S7 / S7 edge
24862

Sony Xperia Z5 Premium
24281

Huawei Nexus 6P
22825

Huawei Mate 8
15593

Samsung Galaxy A9 (S652)
15290

LG V10
15161

The Samsung Galaxy S7 / S7 edge got its revenge in the Basemark ES 3.1 test though with a massive advantage.
Basemark ES 3.1 / Metal
Higher is better

Samsung Galaxy S7 / S7 edge
732

Huawei Nexus 6P
504

Sony Xperia Z5 Premium
482

Samsung Galaxy S6 edge+
348

Huawei Mate 8
311

LG V10
297

Samsung Galaxy A9 (S652)
…

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Lenovo was far from centrestage today at WMC, but it didn’t skip on the venue altogether. It now has two new budget-friendly mid-rangers to add to its portfolio, which almost managed to slip by unnoticed amidst all the commotion.

The Vibe K5 and Vibe K5 Plus share most of their hardware platform, as evident by the name. Both have a 5-inch display – 720p in the basic one and 1080p in the Plus model. The other major difference has to do with the processors – a Snapdragon 415 inside the Vibe K5 and a Snapdragon 616 for the Plus variant. The rest of their shared specsheet includes 2GB of LPDDR3 RAM, 16GB of storage, plus a microSD card slot and a 2,750 mAh user-replaceable battery.

The camera setup consists of a 13MP main shooter and a 5MP one on the front. Also, both devices are LTE-enabled, Dual SIM and boot Android 5.1 Lollipop. Last, but not least, the K5 family looks to be audio-centric with Doubly Atmos support and two speakers on board.

Pricing is said to be $129 and $149 respectively and availability is still unknown, although it is already clear they won’t be hitting the US…

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The Samsung Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge are the company’s most important phones of 2016 and AT&T has rushed to announce plans and prices for the duo.

The two smartphones will be available for purchase on March 11.

AT&T
Samsung Galaxy S7AT&T will offer the Galaxy S7 with its 30-month Next 24 plan starting at $23.17/month for the 32GB version of the device.

Samsung Galaxy S7 edge
The same Next 24, 30-month installment plan is available for the 32GB Galaxy S7 edge, but it’s a bit pricier at $26.50/month.

The carrier will offer both devices in Black Onyx and Golf Platinum color options. The Galaxy S7 edge will enjoy an addition option – Silver Titanium.

While AT&T hasn’t yet listed the off-contract prices for the devices, we assume they’ll cost $699 for the Galaxy S7 and $799 for the Galaxy S7 edge.

T-Mobile

Samsung Galaxy S7
T-Mobile will offer the Galaxy S7 starting $27.91/month for the 32GB model.

Samsung Galaxy S7 edge
As for the Galaxy S7 edge, it will start $32.50/month on T-Mobile for its basic 24 month plan.

Sprint

Samsung Galaxy S7 Finally, Sprint will offer the the Galaxy S7 starting $27.09 per month.

Samsung Galaxy S7 edgeThe Galaxy S7 edge is again a bit pricier and will start at $31.25/month.

Don’t forget that Samsung throws a free Gear VR and 6 games for it free if you pre-order between February 23 and March 18. Those who purchase it from BestBuy will also get a free 64GB microSD…

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