The BlackBerry Priv stopped by DxO Labs for their usual DxOMark test routine and got flattering marks in the areas that count. Befitting its flagship status, the slider’s 18MP shooter ranks among the top ten mobile cameras the company has tested.

The Priv’s dynamic range was highly acclaimed, the camera dealing excellently with even the most difficult scenes. A minor complaint in this respect is that the automatic HDR mode renders images with a somewhat compressed tone curve.

The Priv also captures high levels of detail, in both good and low light, DxO notes. The reviewers go as far as to state that the smartphone “records some of the best low-light detail” among devices they’ve tested. Colors got their share of praise, with the precise wording being “strong and pleasant”, though white balance proved less consistent that you’d hope.

The BlackBerry Priv also doesn’t disappoint in terms of autofocus speed, DxO reports. The flash does well too, more so with an additional source of light, than left entirely on its own.

Video quality is yet another area where the Priv excels, with well-preserved detail, and overall dependable exposure. The optical stabilization system introduces some issues like frame shifts and distortions, but those are mostly visible in low light.

All things considered, the BlackBerry Priv posts a score of 82, which puts in on the same level as the iPhone 6s, and both of last year’s iPhones. Notable rivals like the Huawei Nexus 6P and Samsung Galaxy Note5, however, manage to score a few extra points compared to the Priv, though obviously a compound numerical score speaks little to define actual image properties.

Source |…

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According to a new report out of Samsung’s home country of South Korea, the company is planning to produce 5 million units of its upcoming Galaxy S7 flagship smartphone for its first batch.

As per the report, the device will come in two variants: a standard flat-screen version sporting a 5.2-inch display and a curved-screen ‘edge’ model sporting a 5.5-inch screen. The report also revealed that of the total 5 million units, the standard variant will have 3.3 million units, while the remaining will be the Galaxy S7 edge.

It’s worth mentioning that recent leaks have suggested that the flagship will have as many as 4 variants, including the Galaxy S7, S7 plus, S7 edge, and S7 edge Plus.

Finally, the report also says that the launch will happen sometime in February 2016, which is broadly in line with what we’ve been hearing until…

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Asus launched its cheapest smartphone in the Indian market, the ZenFone Go. The phone is priced at INR 5,299 ($80) and will be available online through Flipkart.

The ZenFone Go is a very basic smartphone, with a 4.5-inch, 854×480 pixel LCD, MediaTek MT6580M chipset, 1GB RAM, 8GB storage with microSD, 5 megapixel rear camera, and VGA front camera. It has dual SIM support but neither slot has support for 4G LTE. The phone comes with Android 5.1 Lollipop but has a meager 1600mAh battery.

The ZenFone Go will be available in black, white, pink, and…

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The Huawei Honor 7 smartphone, which was made official back in July this year, has started receiving the Android 6.0 update in India. However, in order to get the OTA update, device owners will first have to register for it.

Registering for the update requires one to provide their handset’s IMEI number and current software version. According to Huawei, the update will hit the device within 24 to 48 hours after the registration.

This comes just a few weeks after the Chinese company announced a Marshmallow beta test for the Honor 7 in the UK. For those who aren’t in the know, a new variant of the device – Honor 7 Enhanced Edition with 32GB internal memory and Android 6.0 Marshmallow – was also recently…

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If you have been keeping a close eye on LG and its recent product lineup outside of smartphones, then you surely know about the Korean giant’s TONE headsets. Today the OEM announced that a new and refreshed TONE+ model will be made available for 2016 and the official introduction is due at CES a few days from now.

The LG TONE+ 2016 (HBS-910) offers a new slim and more lightweight design, while still promising superb audio quality, thanks to the Harman/Kardon input in the development process. This collaboration is actually a continued effort, carried over from LG’s last top of the line TONE offer – the Tone Infinim (HBS-900), which we found to be an excellent performer in the audio quality department in our review, back in 2014.

This time around, LG has managed to cram even more audiophile goodies inside the thin neck-piece, like an Advanced Quad Layer diaphragm for richer and clearer bass and treble. The HBS-910 is also equipped with two microphones for better audio capture quality and noise cancellation. The gadget boasts other fancy phone accessory tricks as well, like the LG Tone & Talk feature that can read you messages and notify you, but we found that to be more of software thing on the phone side with compatibility for the HBS-900 and HBS-800 before that, so the smart part of the experience seems to be already in place.

LG’s announcement also promises an international launch in February 2016 in Korea, followed by the US, Europe, Latin America and Asia. Color options will include Black, White and Pink, but sadly, there is no word on pricing yet and that could actually be the definitive aspect of the HBS-910, just like it was with the HBS-900. Back in 2014, the latter had a pretty hefty price tag of about $150/€150, which, at the time, was about 50% more than the HBS-800 and offered pretty much the same features, with a slight change in design, which was far from universally appealing.

Hopefully, the HBS-910 will stand out as a better deal than its predecessor and there is always the possibility of bundling it with a handset offer like the LG G4 for free.

Source (in Korean) |…

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Less than a week after Xiaomi’s upcoming Mi 5 flagship smartphone leaked in renders, another leak has popped up. This time, a set of new renders have been leaked by a Weibo user, showing the device in several color options, including white, black, pink, and gold.

Not only this, a video featuring the device – specifically the white colored variant – has also been leaked online. The video in question, which shows off the handset’s front panel in detail, can be accessed by heading to the Via 2 link at the bottom of the story.

Specs-wise, from what all has been rumored until now, the device will be powered by a Snapdragon 820 SoC and sport a 5.2-inch display with 1080p or QHD resolution. It will come in 3GB/32GB and 4GB/64GB memory options, feature a 16MP/13MP camera combo, and pack in a 3,600 mAh battery.

Running Android 6.0 Marshmallow, the handset is also said to feature the world’s smallest and fastest fingerprint sensor on the home button.

Via 1 | Via…

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Less than a week after BlackBerry CEO John Chen hinted that the Priv may receive an official price cut early next year, the device’s price has been slashed in the company’s home country of Canada.

Local carrier SaskTel is now selling BlackBerry’s debut Android phone for CAD 250 (around $180), which is down CAD 150 from its usual price of CAD 400.

Although the offer is available on purchases made through the carrier’s website as well as physical stores, the device is currently out of stock online. Other Canadian carrier’s such as Rogers are still selling the Priv for CAD 400.

The price cut also comes just days after Chen said that the company could launch a second Android…

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Fitbit was the most downloaded free app on Apple’s App Store in the US this Christmas, according to a new report. This indicates that Fitbit devices were the most gifted wearable health-trackers in the country.

It’s worth mentioning that Fitbit has been the top health and fitness iOS app all throughout the month of December. But on Christmas it topped the App Store’s free app chart for the first time, jumping a total of 20 spots.

According to a latest IDC report, Fitbit retained the number one position with 22.2% share of the wearable market in Q3 this year. The share, however, was down from 32.8% in the same quarter last year, although shipments were…

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Over a month after it passed through the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in the US, a live image of the Samsung Galaxy J1 successor has leaked online. The leaked image (shown below) was posted by leakster @sleaknow on Twitter.

Galaxy J1 – 2016 / SM-J120F / 4.5inch Display (480×800 pixel)/ Exynos 3457/ GPU Mali-720/RAM1GB/ Android 5.1.1 http://pic.twitter.com/fKttqA9RIR— S_leak (@sleaknow) December 28, 2015

The tweet also included some key specs of the device. According to the leakster, the device is powered by a Samsung Exynos 3475 SoC, and sports a 4.5-inch (480×800 pixel resolution) display. It has 1GB RAM and runs Android 5.1.1 Lollipop OS.

A quick comparison reveals that the aforementioned specs are broadly in line with the information revealed by the handset’s GFXBench listing, which also revealed that the Galaxy J1 (2016) will have 4GB internal memory and a 5MP/2MP camera combo. The device was also spotted listed on Zauba, revealing an INR 6,686 ($100) price…

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Xiaomi has revealed that it shipped more than 10 million units of its Mi Band fitness accessory worldwide during the first nine months of the year 2015. The wearable was released back in July last year, carrying a price tag of $13.

The Chinese company also revealed that over 600,000 units of the device were shipped in Taiwan during the same (January to September) period this year. Market research firm IDC in its latest report had said that Xiaomi’s Q3 2015 share of the wearable market saw an year-on-year increase of over 800%.

For those who aren’t already aware, the company also recently launched an update to the Mi Band. Dubbed Mi Band 1S, the new wearable also features an optical heart-rate sensor, something which was missing in the Mi…

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