Qualcomm

The 5.5-inch Ascend Mate S flagship smartphone isn’t the only new smartphone coming out of Huawei at IFA today. The Chinese handset maker also unveiled its new premium Huawei G8 smartphone launching in several non-US markets next month. The Huawei G8 sports a full-metal body and comes in dark silver, gold, and white tones with a 1080p 5.5-inch curved Gorilla Glass display.
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Snapdragon 820 will be first chip to include Qualcomm’s anti-malware Smart Protect feature

Cam Bunton Aug 31 2015 - 6:50 am PT

In a press release this morning, Qualcomm announced a brand new technology to help keep us protected from potential malware threats on our smartphones. Smart Protect will be built into chips in the near future and provide “real-time, on-device machine learning designed to support accurate and effective detection of zero-day malware threats for improved personal privacy and device security”. Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 820 chip will be the first to feature the new technology when it hits the market in 2016.

Snapdragon 820 will boost photo quality & battery life, says Qualcomm – but Huawei-made Nexus may not get it

Ben Lovejoy Aug 12 2015 - 5:57 am PT

Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon 820 chip, which has been rumored to be powering the Huawei-made 5.7-inch Nexus due to ship later this year, will come with a new Adreno 530 GPU, says the chipmaker. The new GPU will offer improved battery-life when watching movies or playing graphics-intensive games, and will also offer significantly improved image-processing when taking photos, said Tim Leland, head of Qualcomm’s visual processing group.

Our Adreno 5xx-class GPU, brings an entirely new level of imaging to smartphones, and is designed to allow Snapdragon-powered devices to capture ultra-clear, vivid photos and videos regardless of motion and lighting conditions and display them with the color accuracy that nature intended …

4.7-inch Alcatel OneTouch Idol 3 available in US and Canada from Friday

Cam Bunton Aug 10 2015 - 6:00 am PT

Months after its initial announcement at MWC in Barcelona, Alcatel OneTouch is finally making the smaller, 4.7-inch Idol 3 available to buy in the US and Canada. You will be able to order the device for $179 from the company’s online store or Alcatel’s official Amazon store from Friday, August 14. In terms of design, the 4.7-inch model looks virtually identical to its bigger brother. But it does come with different specifications.

Instead of housing a full HD display panel, the smaller phone comes with a 1280×720 resolution screen. Thanks to its size, that still pushes it over the 300ppi mark. It has a 13MP rear camera, 5MP front camera and has a 2,000mAh battery to keep it going all day. What’s more, it’s powered by a Quad-core 1.2GHz processor paired with 1.5GB RAM and with 16GB of internal storage. Like the bigger model, you can expand the memory using a MicroSD card, but only up to an extra 32GB. Surprisingly, for a phone this small, it still manages to pack in a pair of stereo front facing speakers powered by JBL audio, just like the 5.5-inch model.

On the software side, it runs Android 5.0.2, what’s more, a security update to patch the Stagefright bug will be available to download OTA as soon as you power the device on.

Overall, it’s a promising device but it will be interesting to see how well it compares to Motorola’s latest Moto G. At the same price point, and similar-ish specs, these two devices are clear competitors.

Xiaomi announces new Redmi 2 Prime, its first smartphone ‘made in India’

Cam Bunton Aug 10 2015 - 4:02 am PT

Smartphone manufacturers are climbing over each other to take full advantage of the rapidly expanding market opportunities in India. Chief among them is Chinese smartphone manufacturer, Xiaomi, which has just announced its first smartphone assembled in India, for the Indian market only. The Redmi 2 Prime still predominantly uses parts from China, but is assembled in Sri City.

As for the device itself, the Redmi 2 Prime offers a considerable memory and storage upgrade on the regular Redmi 2 without costing a whole lot more. For just under 7,000 Rupees ($110 USD) you get a device packing 2GB RAM and 16GB storage, that’s double the memory and capacity of the Redmi 2 which costs just under 6,000 Rupees ($94 USD). Both devices make use of Qualcomm’s 64-bit Snapdragon 410 processor and host 4.7-inch IPS HD (1280×720) displays and an 8MP camera on the back. What’s more, they’re dual SIM and can cope with LTE speeds up to 150Mbps.

Xiaomi plans to bring more of its manufacturing process to India, eventually producing more of its components and packaging within Indian borders. Hugo Barra, Xiaomi’s chief stated “this is like the typical chicken and egg story. Unless there is any smartphone manufacturing happening in the country, you cannot expect to get components locally.” So this is very much just the first step in its journey to cracking the Indian market.

Indian consumers can purchase the new Redmi 2 Prime direct from mi.com from today.

OnePlus: This year’s 2nd phone won’t be OnePlus 3, lack of NFC and Quick Charge for the best

Tom Maxwell Aug 3 2015 - 10:22 am PT

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Today in a Reddit AMA (“ask me anything”) held by four employees of OnePlus, the Chinese smartphone upstart fielded questions on everything from when VoLTE (voice-over-LTE) will be enabled in the OnePlus 2 to what exactly happened in its fallout with Android-focused blog Android Police. But the most interesting questions the four employees answered were in regards to why the new phone doesn’t include hardware features standard in other recently launched smartphones like NFC for touch-based payments or wireless charging.
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Qualcomm announces WiPower: Wireless charging compatible with metal smartphones

Cam Bunton Jul 28 2015 - 11:35 am PT

Qualcomm announced today that it has become the first company to launch wireless charging that works on devices with metal casing. WiPower is not only material-agnostic, in that it can technically charge all kinds of devices, but it can do so at a distance and charge multiple devices simultaneously. If it works as Qualcomm says it does, this could be one of the most versatile and easy-to-use wireless charging solutions announced so far.
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Full 2015 Moto G spec sheet leaks, includes Snapdragon 410, 5-inch screen, more

Stephen Hall Jul 24 2015 - 11:47 am PT

It looks like there aren’t going to be any surprises at all come next week. Earlier today, we told you that some of the best images of the Moto G we’ve seen yet leaked thanks to LaptopMedia, and now the same publication has studied their device and put together an entire spec sheet…
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OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei has no degree, lives in AirBnB homes and “wants to change the world”

Cam Bunton Jul 23 2015 - 2:28 am PT

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There’s no getting away from OnePlus‘ effect on the market. From the very beginning it planned to be disruptive and offer consumers what they really wanted: A flagship phone at a low price. Despite controversies and frustrations over its marketing and invite-based purchases, OnePlus has gone on to sell over 1.3 million units of its first smartphone. That may not seem like much in a market where companies sell millions of phones. But this is just one phone, made by one small company that most consumers still haven’t heard of.

Qualcomm to make $1.4 billion in cuts, restructure board after disappointing year

Cam Bunton Jul 22 2015 - 2:04 pm PT

Qualcomm, the company behind the all-conquering Snapdragon processors, said today that it will cut $1.4 billion in costs and restructure its board after being pressured by an activist investor to make changes. The move could see the chip-maker cut thousands of jobs as it seeks to streamline its operations. Qualcomm’s revenue is significantly lower than it was 12 months ago, and its chip business isn’t the powerhouse it used to be.

OnePlus: 2 will cost more than $322, run at 1.8GHz for cooler temperatures

Tom Maxwell Jun 18 2015 - 8:36 am PT

The onslaught of OnePlus posts teasing out each individual facts about its upcoming phone, the OnePlus 2, continues. Today the company is responding to more concerns about overheating, as well as about the price of the OnePlus 2.

OnePlus announces OnePlus 2 will use improved version of Snapdragon 810

Tom Maxwell Jun 17 2015 - 12:07 pm PT

In a post to its community forums, OnePlus today unveiled which CPU its much-anticipated OnePlus 2 will use – Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 810. The company said that the Snapdragon 810’s unmatched speed and ability to multitask while maintaining battery performance had them coming back to it over and over again during their search for the right processor. But don’t worry, the company says it will be version 2.1 of the chipset, a version that they collaborated on with Qualcomm engineers to integrate and fine-tune for the OnePlus 2’s hardware and software, and that (apparently) won’t overheat.

HTC’s sales slump continues, performance guidance slashed for April-June quarter

Tom Maxwell Jun 5 2015 - 1:03 pm PT

HTC hasn’t been having the best run lately and that continues today. After promising this past Wednesday at an investor meeting to reinvigorate its line through a new product in October and “improved design and innovation,” the Taiwanese smartphone manufacturer has posted bleak earnings results for the month of May with revenue of NT$10.79 billion (US$347 million), down 50% over the same month last year and down 11% from April’s revenue of NT$13.5 billion (US$440 million). Revenue for April was down itself 33% from the month prior and 38% from April 2014.

Qualcomm announces Project Tango smartphone platform powered by Snapdragon 810 processor

Chance Miller May 29 2015 - 3:29 pm PT

Google’s Tango tablet

Earlier this week, Google made its Project Tango tablet available to everyone via the Google Store for $512. While many expected this price drop and public availability to lead to a successor at Google I/O, the company kept quiet and didn’t address its Tango initiative. Nevertheless, Qualcomm this evening has taken the wraps off of its own Tango smartphone platform powered by the Snapdragon 810.

HTC reportedly cuts One M9 component orders by 30%

Tom Maxwell May 21 2015 - 12:58 pm PT

Following speculation since March of weaker-than-hoped-for sales by HTC of its flagship One M9 smartphone, rumors are spreading that the Taiwanese company has just cut component orders for the phone by ~30%.
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HTC posts record low April results amid poor One M9 demand

Tom Maxwell May 6 2015 - 11:46 am PT

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HTC has just released its lowest revenue figures for the month of April in 6 years, attributable to lackluster sales of the new flagship HTC One M9, according to an analyst from Yuanta Securities Investment Consulting Co.

The company’s consolidated revenue was NT$13.5 billion (US$440 million) in April, down 38 percent year-over-year from NT$22.07 a year earlier. This figure is also down 33 percent from promising revenue of NT$20.02 billion posted only the month prior, in March. This is HTC’s lowest monthly revenue for April since 2009’s result of NT$11.4 billion.

Qualcomm VP on Snapdragon 810 overheating issues: ‘the rumors are rubbish’

Mike Beasley May 6 2015 - 11:32 am PT

The Snapdragon 810-equpiped HTC One M9 lights up like a Christmas tree during a benchmark

You may recall reports earlier this year about the HTC One M9 overheating during benchmark tests, with many claiming the issue was due to a flaw in Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 810 processor. Tim McDonough, the chipmaker’s VP of marketing has finally spoken out about the problem, claiming that the rumors are untrue and there is, in fact, no problem with the chip overheating…

LG G4 spotted on GFXBench, curiously packs a Snapdragon 808

Stephen Hall Mar 30 2015 - 10:30 am PT

The LG G4 was (purportedly) seen in some leaked renders earlier this month, but today the upcoming handset from LG seems to have made its way through benchmarking software for the first time. As usual, GFXBench seems to be the culprit in this leak, revealing many of the upcoming device’s specs—and interestingly, the phone might be going with the Snapdragon 808 system-on-a-chip.

HTC One M9 test shows 131 degree surface temp while running GFXBench

Stephen Hall Mar 16 2015 - 8:40 am PT

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It looks like there is definitely some truth to evidence suggesting that the Snapdragon 810 has been facing some problems with overheating. Dutch site Tweakers has taken the HTC One M9 through a series of tests, and it looks like overheating problems with Qualcomm’s processor are still very much a valid concern. Specifically, while running GFXBench, the site has recorded the HTC One M9 to have a surface temperature of around 55 degrees Celsius—or 131 degrees Fahrenheit.

Cyanogen rebrands itself, partners w/ Qualcomm to load its OS on reference devices

Mike Beasley Mar 2 2015 - 3:20 pm PT

Software maker Cyanogen announced today that it has made a deal with Qualcomm to pre-load its partially-proprietary, Android-based Cyanogen OS (not to be confused with CyanogenMod) onto some of Qualcomm’s reference hardware. Reference devices for the Snapdragon 200, 400, and 600 series chips will now be powered by the Android-based operating system.

These reference devices previously ran customized versions of Android compiled by Qualcomm, with some tweaks for their own purposes. The move to Cyanogen OS could potentially put the software onto a large number of devices very quickly. It could also mean that many more reference devices will be able to receive software updates and run the latest version of Android.

Cyanogen also announced new branding (seen above) to help fit with its focus on open software:

As our values have evolved and advanced, we’ve realized that our identity as a team and a company should reflect that change.

Today we’re announcing a new look that we hope captures our commitment to openness. This new approach celebrates space, with minimal letterforms that don’t quite connect, giving the logo a sense of motion and a feeling of inherent energy.

The new Cyanogen feels open: fresh, expansive, and free.

HTC One M9 announced in 4 colors, 20MP sapphire camera, more – available this month

Seth Weintraub Mar 1 2015 - 7:34 am PT

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One of the worst-kept tech secrets in recent memory, the HTC One M9 was finally announced today on stage by CEO Peter Chou at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. None of the specs were much of a surprise though the 20 megapixel sapphire camera and new configurable DotView cover will make some headlines. Under the hood is Qualcom’s new flagship 810 processor which HTC calls the fastest mobile processor in the world.

As for the appearance, I’m not sure I’m a fan of the Dual-Tone finish tweeted below but that beats the Pink version of the M9 IMHO.

[tweet https://twitter.com/htc/status/572052425693138944]

Me? I’ll skip the Sense 7 and will take a GPE if/when it comes out thank you very much.

Huge gallery and hands-on video below. We’ll have more HTC updates as they happen.
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Qualcomm introduces Snapdragon 415, 425, 618, and 620 mid-tier processors

Chance Miller Feb 18 2015 - 6:52 am PT

Qualcomm this morning has taken the wraps off of four new processors that it says are destined for mid-range devices. The company has revealed the Snapdragon 620, 618, 425, and 415 chips which it says can bring the performance of a high-end device to more affordable, mid-tier phones.

Samsung unveils new Exynos 7 octa-core processor, likely for upcoming Galaxy S6

Chance Miller Feb 16 2015 - 9:48 am PT

Samsung this morning has taken the wraps off of a new octa-core Exynos processor that is widely expected to be the processor used in the upcoming Galaxy S6 flagship. Samsung says that the Exynos 7 processor is built on a 14nm processor and has eight cores. The company touts that it is “designed for next-generation flagships.”