Samsung’s Galaxy Note Edge
According to a new report out of the usually-reliable SamMobile, Samsung will have its latest Galaxy S6 flagship on display at CES 2015 this week. Unfortunately, however, the device will not be showed to consumers, but rather only to select partners. Presumably, those partners include carriers and accessory makers.
We told you yesterday about a new phone that ASUS is teasing, and the company made it look like it had some kind of interesting tricks up its sleeve (dual back cameras?) for the upcoming ZenFone refresh. But while the next ZenFone is definitely expected to be announced at the upcoming CES 2015, new specs have shown up in documents submitted to the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (via Android Police) for a phone dubbed the “ZC451CG,” and they aren’t all that spectacular.
Back in November, we saw a handful of screenshots from an HTC One M8 leak, showing what was believed to be Android 5.0 Lollipop and HTC Sense 6.0 running on the device. This weekend, notorious HTC leaker LlabTooFeR has revealed even more images of the Android 5.0 + Sense 6.0 combination.
OnePlus has announced this morning that the One, its flagship smartphone, will soon be getting a software update that brings a new audio enhancement software called “MaxxAudio” from GRAMMY Award winning company, Waves Audio. But that’s not all that’s happening in the world of OnePlus today, as rumors have begun swirling that the company plans to introduce a couple of new devices—and hardware updates to the One—very soon.
The Galaxy Note 4, Samsung’s current flagship phablet, is already available in two variations: one with a Samsung Exynos 7 processor (SM-N910C), and one with a Snapdragon 805 (SM-N910S). The difference between them is almost negligible, but a rumor this morning out of the fairly-reliable-for-Samsung-rumors SamMobile suggests that Samsung is testing another variation of the Note 4, this time with Snapdragon’s upcoming 810 system-on-a-chip.
According some speculation from DroidForums, Motorola is working on a new “Droid” phone that’s largely based physically on the Nexus 6, but is going to have specs that make Google’s latest smartphone look pale in comparison. The device is said to sport the same 5.9-inch QHD display as the Nexus 6, but will come with a next generation Snapdragon 810 processor. The most interesting part of this rumor, and part of what actually helps us believe its legitimacy, is that the source claims this phone might not be a “Droid” at all, and that it might just be another Motorola-branded alternative.
The Wall Street Journal has published a new report claiming that Google plans to release the Nexus 6 at some point this month. The article, citing three sources, is incredibly sparse on details, but does corroborate all of what we exclusively reported last month.
Thanks to various leaks over the past few weeks, HTC’s Nexus 9 tablet has been all but confirmed. This morning, though, HTC’s president of North Asia Jack Tong reportedly told members of the press that the Nexus 9 is the company’s “commitment” to returning to the tablet market. This is significant because, despite all of the leaks, HTC has yet to formally acknowledge the existence of the tablet.
Photos of the upcoming successor to the Moto G have leaked online this morning, along with a barebones specification sheet. 1068 XT is the model number to the new device says MallandonoAndroid, also stating that the device’s official name is “Moto G 2nd generation”.
Another alleged live photo of the rumored Samsung Galaxy F device has appeared (via GSMArena), and it appears to sport a bezel that looks very similar to another smartphone we all know very well. The rumored-to-be premium version of the Samsung Galaxy S5 has appeared in countless other leaks and live photos, but this is the first we’ve seen of the device close up like this.
Motorola has been aggressively pushing its Moto X lately, but the smartphone’s rumored successor appears to be coming along. Pictured above is a purported shot of the Moto X+1 wrapped up in plastic like it was killed by a mafia hitman. Not exactly a fashion statement, the device’s operator claims that this was done to hide identifying markings on the handset.
Photo: ibtimes.com
While Samsung has been producing its own in-house smartphone chips for a while now, its last few flagship smartphones have used a Qualcomm chips. According to a new report out of SamMobile, however, Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy Note 4 flagship might shift back to Samsung’s in-house Exynos processors. Samsung Exynos devices have been available in select markets recently, but availability has been scattered due to the chip’s lack of support for LTE.
HTC’s failed Facebook phone
Because apparently it’s what the world needs, HTC is reportedly developing a phone that will be marketed as the “ultimate selfie phone.” According to the normally reliable evleaks, the device is codenamed Eye and will be coming to AT&T with a fourth quarter release. Other details are still sparse, but the big thing is, it’s a sefie phone, capable of taking the ultimate selfie.
Back in 2011, HTC released the ChaCha, better known as the Facebook phone, that failed miserably. It appears, more than two years later, that the company learned absolutely nothing with that device and is going to continue to make gimmicky phones that no one will buy.
Nevertheless, if you, for some reason, want a phone that’s capable of taking the ultimate selfie and other phones just don’t work well enough for you, wait until Q4 for the HTC Eye. It’s unclear what the device will have that makes it better for selfies than other devices, but presumably we’ll see a few leaks between now and the launch to tell us.
But first….let me take a selfie.
The very same guy who brought us video footage of the Samsung Galaxy S5 Active more than a week before it was officially released has today published a bit of information about the upcoming HTC smartwatch, tentatively named the “One Wear.”
It’s been an interesting few days here in Taiwan. Sources have provided more than rumors but a actual demo of the HTC smart watch. I did ask for a name. Tentatively it’s called the One Wear, slated to launch late august early September of this year. The design is round much like the Moto 360, will be available in a polycarbonate and metal flavors.
While these Taiwan-sourced rumors should probably be taken with a grain of salt, none of this supposedly leaked information sounds particularly out of place. First of all, Google has already told us that they’re working with a wide variety of manufacturers, one of which being HTC. And with a tentative name like “One Wear,” it’s likely that the device being referenced is indeed HTC’s foray into Android Wear.
We told you about the rumored HTC One M8 “Ace” in previous reports, but now some leaked specifications from sketchy Chinese website ifanr say that the purportedly cheaper phone will sport the recently-popular Snapdragon 801 processor, 2 GB of RAM, a high-resolution 5-inch display, and the latest versions of Android as well as HTC’s Sense technology (via Android Central).
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Over the past couple of months, rumors of major changes to Gmail on Android have been circulating. Geek.com leaked screenshots of a redesigned interface that was very colorful compared to the current app. We reported on some new features coming to the app, as well, including a snooze functionality. Now, Google+ user Yoel Kaseb has posted some images of what he claims is a redesigned Gmail app for Android. Kaseb also leaked images of a Google+ update that ended up being almost entirely true.
Samsung is reportedly developing its own VR headset, a device that will be similar in many ways to the Oculus Rift, for use with its flagship Galaxy smartphones and tablets (via Engadget). This headset is apparently separate from the “Galaxy Glass” project that is slated to be unveiled later this year.
The VR headset is being described as a peripheral, as opposed to a stand-alone product, and will require a connection to a Samsung device in order to function.
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There’s leaks, and then there’s this. @evleaks has posted a full, rotating render of the HTC M8 Prime. The Prime is rumored to have updated specs and a larger design in order to better compete with the LG G3, rumored Galaxy S5 Prime, and a larger iPhone later this year. The full render is included after the break.
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Chang Dong-hoon may be out as Samsung’s head of mobile design, but his influence may still be on the company for quite a while. Pictured above is an alleged photo of the Samsung Galaxy S5 Prime, an upgrade to the South Korean electronics maker’s Galaxy S5 flagship smartphone. These images come from the folks at PhoneArena who claim the handset touts a QHD display, a quad-core Snapdragon 805 processor, Adreno 420 GPU, 3GB of RAM and Android 4.4.3 KitKat all wrapped up an aluminum chassis.
Verizon may soon be launching an “XLTE” network that will be powered by AWS spectrum. Recently rumored and reaffirmed by wireless news leaker @evleaks, Big Red’s new setup could be going live sometime this year. The carrier is expected to make an announcement next week, which will hopefully fill in some blanks about its new service.
Motorola’s website has been the source of various leaks in the last few weeks, and today we have another one. Captured in an image after the break by the @evleaks Twitter account, the website leaked only the name — no image or details are available. The device has also so far slipped by under the radar, with basically nothing being known about it.
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Earlier this month, @evleaks tweeted an image of a mysterious device dubbed the HTC M8 Ace. At the time, very few details about it were known. Engadget, however, is now reporting that the HTC M8 Ace will essentially be HTC’s answer to the Galaxy S5, but cheaper.
Much like the Galaxy S5, the M8 Ace will feature an all-plastic design. The specs will also be nearly identical, with the M8 Ace packing a 5-inch 1080p display and a 2.5GHz quad-core Snapdragon 801 processor.
The Galaxy S5 may have just hit store shelves and the hands of users, but it seems as if Samsung is already planning an upgraded version of its flagship device. According to a report from SamMobile (via Phandroid), the Galaxy S5 Prime will launch in June. In addition to the quad-HD (2560×1440) display, the device would also feature higher-end specs than the Galaxy S5:
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The HTC One M8 Mini — talk about a mouthful — is rumored to be on its way to Verizon, if @evleaks on Twitter is to be believed. The HTC One M8 recently launched to a very warm reception, though some critiques did state that the device is difficult to hold due to its large size and slick metallic back.
Essentially no other details are known about the HTC One M8 Mini, though it’s a good bet that it could match its larger counterpart on almost every point. The screen will likely come in at about 4.3″, and may have a 720p display as such. Other than that, it’s it’s likely the Mini will retain the same design, camera, speakers, and internal specs as the One M8.
