As you may already know, practically all the countless rumors and leaks that we’ve seen so far describing the upcoming LG G5 have said it would come with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 820 chipset powering it. That obviously makes sense, as the G5 will be LG’s new flagship smartphone, and it doesn’t look like the 820 has the same kind of overheating problems as its predecessor, the 810 (which LG decided to skip in the G4 in favor of the 808).

And now Qualcomm has gone ahead and confirmed that the Snapdragon 820 will indeed be inside the G5, as seen in the tweet below.

Don’t miss a whole new way to play with @LGUSAMobile and #Snapdragon820-coming February 21. 📱 🎧 📷 👓 http://pic.twitter.com/ynshxqBgKS— Qualcomm (@Qualcomm) February 17, 2016

A focus on playfulness has been front and center in LG’s invites for its MWC event this Sunday, as has been the robot you can see outlined in Qualcomm’s tweet above. Oh, and it’s not like LG would put the Snapdragon 820 inside anything less than its top of the line offering. Hence it’s clear that it is the G5 that will be powered by Qualcomm’s newest high-end…

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According to Twitter’s data, over the last year people shared over 100 million GIFs on the social network. And now it’s planning to make that even simpler for GIF fans.

The company is rolling out a new button across its Android and iOS apps as well as its website. This GIF button will let you instantly search for a GIF across a catalog that’s been put together by Giphy and Riffsy.

You can search by keyword if you want to, but there’s also the possibility to browse through categories if you don’t have anything specific in mind. Either way, your tweets are sure to get more dynamic.

This new functionality should become available to every Twitter user out there “over the coming weeks”, so be on the lookout for the new GIF…

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Xiaomi’s upcoming flagship has featured in reports and renders and benchmarks popping up all over the place, but conflicting rumors made the specs of the Xiaomi Mi5 almost impossible to pin down.

After analyzing yet another alleged specs leak merely hours ago, now we actually have the official slides of the launch event to source information.

Xiaomi Mi5 presentation

We end up with a total of two models that will definitely be unveiled at the venue. Both will have a 5.2-inch Full HD display and a Snapdragon 820 SoC and will differ from one another in terms of memory: 3GB RAM plus 32GB of storage and 4GB of RAM plus 64GB of storage.

Xiaomi Mi5 presentation

Other specs of the Xiaomi Mi 5 shown in the presentation include a USB Type-C plug with Quick Charge 3.0 feature, a 26MP shooter on the back, with a super bright F/1.6 lens and a Dual LED flash, from which we have already seen some impressive samples. Continuing down the leaked slides, we also find mentions of NFC, as well as the new Wi-Fi ad standard – a truly first in the smartphone world.

That about exhausts the list of almost certain facts. Other things we have come to expect from the Mi 5 include a 3,600 mAh non-removable battery, an 8MP front-facing camera, as well as a fingerprint reader in the home…

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The Samsung Galaxy J7 (2016) has been given the OK by the FCC (after it was certified by the Bluetooth SIG). This certification puts the battery capacity at 3,300mAh – a nice 300mAh bump from the original (and it also disproves the 4,300mAh claim).

The phone has been benchmarked a couple of times, both in Snapdragon and Exynos flavors. The Exynos model will be the new 7870 Octa, based on Cortex-A53 and Mali-T830 and built on 14nm.

The Snapdragon model is less clear – GFX Bench detected Snapdragon 615 (same as the original model), but kernel patches suggested a newer Snapdragon 650 (with Cortex-A72 cores), a better match for the Exynos.

Even the amount of RAM is unclear – it goes from double (3GB) to a bit more (2GB), compared to the original J7.

Anyway, it’s pretty certain that the Samsung Galaxy J7 (2016) will increase the Super AMOLED resolution to 1080p and you’ll get a 13MP/1080p camera. Note that the device the FCC tested, SM-J7109, is a dual-SIM model headed for China.

Source |…

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The Samsung Galaxy A9 (2016) came into our office for a review, but we’ll marvel at its 6″ Super AMOLED screen later. For now, let’s look at the chipset – it’s our first encounter with the Snapdragon 652.

It’s a mid-range chipset, but it’s Qualcomm’s first (and among the first in general) to feature Cortex-A72, the successor to A57. It has four of them, plus four A53s. Basically, it’s like the Snapdragon 810, but the big cores are next generation.

The GPU is Qualcomm’s 5th series, an Adreno 510, which promises up to 40% speed increase and up to 40% power saving compared to the Adreno 430. It also supports the new Vulkan API, which is a low-level, low-overhead interface between 3D games and the hardware.

That’s assuming equal build and it’s also the only place where the S652 truly shows it’s mid-range character. It was built on a 28nm process (used since at least the Snapdragon 600 in 2013). That’s compared to 20nm for Snapdragon 8xx and 14nm for the latest chipsets, including another 6-series entry, the 625.

The manufacturing process is important for efficiency – more nanometers mean more power is used. This limits the clock speed that can be achieved with no cooling (like on a phone).

Compared to the Kirin 950 used in the Huawei Mate 8, which also uses 4x A72 + 4x A53, the clock speeds are a good 0.5GHz lower. We’ll see the impact this has on performance.

We kick things off with AnTuTu 6, a full-system benchmark. The Galaxy A9 (2016) trounces the A5 (2016) even though they are part of the same lineup. It also comes withing a hair’s breadth of the S808-powered LG V10, a recent flagship. The Mate 8, Nexus 6P and Note5 have a significant lead, though.

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AnTuTu 6
Higher is better

Huawei Mate 8
91609

Huawei Nexus 6P
89345

Samsung Galaxy Note5
81615

LG V10
67547

Samsung Galaxy A9 (S652)
64591

Samsung Galaxy A5 (2016)
35689

Let’s investigate closer. The single-core performance of the A72 cores should be 20%-60% faster than an A57 clock for clock. That’s the key though, the flagship chipsets are clocked high enough to offset this.

Basemark OS 2.0 (single-core)
Higher is better

Huawei Mate 8
7332

Samsung Galaxy Note5
6745

Huawei Nexus 6P
6014

Samsung Galaxy A9 (S652)
4455

LG V10
4261

Samsung Galaxy A5 (2016)
2469

Still, when all eight cores are engaged, the Galaxy A9 (2016) pulls ahead of the S810-based Nexus 6P. It comes close to the Galaxy Note5 too.

Basemark OS 2.0 (multi-core)
Higher is better

Huawei Mate 8
41897

Samsung Galaxy Note5
28360

Samsung Galaxy A9 (S652)
22334

Huawei Nexus 6P
17661

LG V10
17127

Samsung Galaxy A5 (2016)
16466

Finally, the GPU. Adreno 510 is the base for the 5xx series, but even it should be competitive with the 4xx generation. Apparently not as fast as the Adreno 430 (probably due to clock speed reasons again), but it’s as fast as the Adreno 418. It even matched the Mali-T880 in the Huawei, but that one is low on cores, just 4 (the Note5 has 8 T760 cores).

GFX 3.1 Manhattan (1080p offscreen)
Higher is better

Huawei Nexus 6P
17

Samsung Galaxy Note5
15

LG V10
10

Huawei Mate 8
10

Samsung Galaxy A9 (S652)
9.3

We mentioned heat. You would expect a 28nm chip to get pretty steamy, but the Samsung Galaxy A9 (2016) and its Snapdragon 652 chipset run cool even under load.

We’ll be back with a full review of the A9…

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Less than a week after sharing some sample pictures captured with the Mi 5’s camera, Xiaomi VP Hugo Barra has released the first video teaser for the company’s upcoming flagship smartphone.

(function(d, s, id) { var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) return; js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = “//connect.facebook.net/en_US/sdk.js#xfbml=1&version=v2.3”; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs);}(document, ‘script’, ‘facebook-jssdk’));Here’s the first video teaser for #Mi5. Just how fast is fast? Record holder Xiao Lin Cen, who can skip rope 1096 times…Posted by Hugo Barra on Wednesday, February 17, 2016

Contrary to what one would expect, the Mi 5 doesn’t make even a single appearance in the video, which is aimed at trumpeting the device’s speed. Instead, the teaser features record holder Xiao Lin Cen, who can skip rope 1096 times in 3 minutes. “Forget everything you know about speed, #Mi5 will show you the meaning of fast in just 7 days now,” Barra says in the post accompanying the teaser.

As you might already know, the handset – which is powered by SD820 and has already been the subject of a bucket load of rumors and leaks until now – is set to be officially unveiled on February…

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Samsung may have officially launched the Marshmallow update for the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 edge, but the new firmware is still nowhere to be found. It should be arriving any moment now on those devices, though, while a plethora of Galaxies are waiting in the queue, too.

The new update brings the latest Android 6.0 Marshmallow operating system plus quite a few TouchWiz goodies. Today Samsung shed some light on the new TouchWiz features the Galaxy devices will be getting with Marshmallow.

Samsung Internet 4.0 is the new version of the OEM web browser, and while many people are sticking to Chrome, now there might be more good reasons to consider using the built-in app.

Internet 4.0 supports a new feature called Secret Mode – it is protected with your fingerprint and can be easily accessed by using the biometric sensor. It’s an enhanced version of the regular Incognito Mode, and while it won’t store any history, auto-fill data, or cookies, it allows you to save bookmarks. Those are stored in a separate space, encrypted, and protected by your fingerprint courtesy of KNOX security.

The Secure Web Auto Login is also available – it was introduced already with Internet 3.0. If enabled, all pages that are set to auto-login will require your fingerprint authentication to login automatically each time.

The Cross App functionality is also something worth mentioning. With this services Samsung allows you to explore easily content without exiting your current app. For example, if you have a link in a message or an email, you can swipe, and a browser window will pop up displaying the linked web page. Then you just need to swipe again and close the popup.

The Cross App services work with media and links, but it seems you will be able to use those features only withing TouchWiz default apps such as the Chart client, Messages, Email, Internet, among others.

The Marshmallow update will also bring better integration of Gear VR, new power saving modes, MIDI protocol, and native app permission control.

These new features may explain why Samsung is taking its time to release those Marshmallow updates. Hopefully, they will be out soon.

Source |…

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Samsung just made the latest addition to its 14nm chipset family official – the Exynos 7 Octa 7870. We already saw a preview of the silicon yesterday, so the announcement doesn’t really come as a surprise. In essence, the offer seems to be intended as an expansion of the company’s coveted 14 nanometer FinFET process to the mid-range realm.

Inside the new Exynos 7 Octa 7870, we find a total of eight Cortex-A53 cores, clocked at up to 1.7Ghz, along with a Mali-T830 GPU. This is actually airily reminiscent of the Exynos 7 Octa 7580, which uses the same arrangement of cores, but is built on a much less efficient 28nm process.

Similarities between the pair extend even further to the Cat.6 LTE modem and LPDDR3 support. This further proves the mid-range nature of the Exynos 7870, which is intended to take on a number of other similar offers from the likes of Qualcomm and MediaTek as well.

Other specs on the Octa 7870 include ISP support for up to two 16MP shooters or 8MP ones in dual camera mode. Display support goes up to WUXGA (1920×1200 pixels) and video playback tops at 1080p at 60fps. GNSS is also integrated on-board with fast time-to-first-fix (TTFF) feature.

Overall, the Exynos 7 Octa 7870 promises 30% less power consumption than comparable offers, built on a 28nm process, while preserving the same performance level. Mass production of the chip is expected to commence in the first quarter of…

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For better, or worse, today’s mobile scene is pretty much dominated by the typical “slate” design approach. And while it does have a lot going for it, it is admittedly a bit boring and an interesting take on the form factor is increasingly hard to come by.

That being said, we often pick on Vertu for its profoundly elitarian approach to handsets, but we have to give credit, where credit is due and admit that their design language is definitely different and quirky, if not necessarily elegant by all standards.

Copying the look of the high-end brand is nothing new and the practice has been around even before the smartphone era. Chinese manufacturer Ulefone seems to be the latest company to experiment with the approach, as evident by a leaked shot of its upcoming device.

Other than the obvious, lets say inspiration, drawn from the Vertu line, leather and all, nothing is known about the mysterious device yet, not even its name. However, it is worth noting, that the new design language is an obvious departure from the rest of Ulefone’s lineup, so maybe it is going to be a one off thing.

Last, but not least, industry sources speculate that the new phone might be showcased at MWC 2016 in Barcelona. Seeing how the show is just a few days away now, it won’t be too long before we see for…

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The Samsung Galaxy S7 is only 4 days away from official status, and keeping a lid on pre-launch units has become impossible. This latest report shows a black S7 front and back (which we’ve already seen before), but more importantly it confirms some of the smartphone’s most important specs.

Their insider info states that the rumored water resistance of the S7 is indeed reality, though hasn’t been established just yet whether it’s IP67 or IP68. The difference being that IPx7 stands for 30 minutes submersion up to 1 meter depth, while IPx8 gets you continuous submission to a depth, specified by the manufacturer (but higher than the 7 rating). In effect, both will keep you safe in the rain.

The 12MP camera rumor also gets corroborated, and apparently the latest Nexuses have truly started a trend for lower-res sensors, with larger photosites. Samsung won’t be making the switch to USB Type-C this generation though, the source says.

It will be bringing the microSD slot back, on the other hand. The lack of storage expansion was a deal-breaker for many in the previous generation, and it’s good to see the Koreans have listened. The user-replaceable battery won’t be making a return though, not that we should expect it to from now on, but it’s gotten a bump to 2,800mAh, up from 2,550mAh in the Galaxy S6. Previously we heard of the even higher 3,000mAh so here’s hoping the older info was the correct one.

The Galaxy S7 has also been featured in a brief hands-on video, revealing the latest iteration of TouchWiz, in this case on top of Android 6.0 Marshmallow. It’s also pretty clear that the black version, while very pretty all by itself, is a nightmare to keep…

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