Pantech Vega Iron 2 Flagship Smartphone to Arrive Soon

Pantech is yet another South Korean mobile phone maker reportedly gearing up for the launch of a new flagship smartphone in the not too distant future, in an attempt to increase its market presence.

According to the latest reports on the matter, the company is getting ready for the launch of a Pantech Vega Iron 2 handset soon, and it would also aim at picking on Galaxy S5 with it. Last year, the vendor released its Vega Iron smartphone to compete with Galaxy S4, and it should make a similar move this year. Info coming from ZDNet Korea suggests that the mobile phone would be set for launch sometime in April, around the same time that the Galaxy S5 arrives.

The device should hit the market with a metal body and with a fingerprint scanner, and it might even feature a Quad HD touchscreen display, PhoneArena notes. However, no official confirmation on the matter has been provided as of now.

Pantech Vega Iron
Image credits to Pantech

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Meizu Confirms Ubuntu for Meizu MX3

Chinese phone vendor Meizu has been recently rumored to plan the launch of a new version of its Meizu MX3 smartphone, one that would run under Ubuntu, and the company has already provided confirmation on the matter, it seems.

The info comes from Meizu Russia, which unveiled to mobiltelefon.ru that its engineers were indeed working on putting the platform on the smartphone, but that things still needed to be polished. Apparently, the team is focused on ensuring increased stability of the operating system on this device, and it might take a while before things become official.

Moreover, the company is also said to be building a new version of the Flyme ROM (based on Android) for the Meizu MX2 and MX3 smartphones, and it won’t release Ubuntu for the new flagship until this software is ready for launch.

Meizu MX3 with Ubuntu
Image credits to GizChina

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Samsung's First Tizen Handset Receives Certification in Japan

South Korean mobile phone maker Samsung Electronics is finally nearing the launch of its first smartphone running under the Tizen operating system, as the device has received certification in Japan.

The phone has emerged in the country as Samsung SC-03F, and it is expected to make an appearance on shelves at Japanese wireless carrier NTT DoCoMo. No specific info on when the handset might become available at the operator has been provided as of now, but rumor has it that it has been delayed. Previously, Samsung was said to plan on making it official next month at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.

A recent post on SankeiBiz notes that NTT DoCoMo initially planned to launch the phone on January 16, but postponed the event without an explanation. According to PhoneArena, the recent release of Apple’s iPhone on the carrier’s network might have caused this. Hopefully, more on this will emerge soon, so stay tuned.

Samsung's Tizen smartphone gets certified
Image credits to PhoneArena

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Sony Xperia Z1 Colorful Edition Officially Introduced in China

Unveiled earlier this month at Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2014 trade fair, Sony Xperia Z1 Compact has just been introduced in China.

However, instead of using its international name, Sony decided to launch it in the Mainland as Xperia Z1 Colorful Edition. XperiaBlog reports that the only difference between the international model and the Chinese version of Xperia Z1 Compact is the fact that the latter only offers 3G connectivity. In order to emphasize its Chinese name, the Xperia Z1 Colorful Edition will be available for purchase in four color options: black, white, pink and lime.

According to Sony China, it will go on sale in February for no less than 4,000 yuan outright, which is about $660 or €485. In the same piece of news, Sony has also announced that the 4G/LTE Xperia Z1 and 3G Xperia T2 Ultra dual will be available via China Unicom, while the 4G/LTE Xperia T2 Ultra will go on sale at China Mobile.

Sony Xperia Z1 Colorful Edition
Image credits to ePrice

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Zopo ZP80+ Octa-Core Priced at Only 999 Yuan ($165/€121.5) in China

Chinese mobile phone maker Zopo has officially announced the price tag of the octa-core Zopo ZP80+ smartphone in their homeland market, unveiling that it will be a very affordable device, at only 999 Yuan ($165/€121.5).

The mobile phone is being released in the country as the successor of last year’s popular ZP980, featuring a 5-inch 1080p display, as a recent article on GizChina reads. However, it packs a 1.7GHz octa-core processor (up from the quad-core included in the original device), as well as a 14-megapixel F2.2 rear camera (although it was actually teased with a lower, 8MP sensor).

One thing that is certain is that the Zopo ZP80+ should appear as a great option for many users, given that it offers both affordability and performance capabilities, courtesy of the aforementioned powerful processor.

Zopo ZP80+
Image credits to GizChina

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Oppo Neo Brings 4.5-Inch Display with ColorOS Goes Official in Indonesia

We reported yesterday that Oppo Indonesia planned to launch another affordable Android smartphone, namely the Oppo Neo. However, at that time, no other details were available, aside from the fact that it sported a 4.5-inch display.

Today, GSMArena reports that Oppo Neo has been officially introduced in Indonesia and customers can pick this one up for only $215 (€158) off contract. As expected, Oppo Neo sports a 4.5-inch capacitive touchscreen display that supports 854 x 480 pixels resolution. In addition, the phone is equipped with a 1.3GHz dual-core processor, but there's no info on the amount of RAM and storage.

On the back, the smartphone features a 5-megapixel photo snapper, while in the front, there's a secondary 2-megapixel camera. It ships with Oppo's proprietary ColorOS, which is based on Android 4.2 Jelly Bean operating system. It is also worth mentioning that Oppo will also launch a dual-SIM version of the Neo. No word on whether or not Oppo Neo will be available outside Indonesia.

Oppo Neo
Image credits to Oppo Indonesia

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ZTE Nubia Z7 Leaks Again, Next to Nubia Z5S Mini

Chinese mobile phone maker ZTE might soon launch a new handset in the popular Nubia lineup, namely the ZTE Nubia Z7, and a leaked photo with the smartphone appears set to confirm that.

The mobile phone is rumored to arrive with a 6-inch touchscreen display, as well as with a 2.3GHz quad-core Snapdragon 800 processor inside, paired with Adreno 330 graphics, info coming from CNMO unveils. Moreover, the device could feature 128GB of internal storage, as well as with a 13-megapixel camera on the back, and with Google’s Android 4.4 KitKat operating system loaded on top, as GSMInsider notes.

The Nubia Z5S Mini, on the other hand, should sport a smaller, 4.7-inch touchscreen display. No official confirmation on the ZTE Nubia Z7 has been provided as of now, but chances are that the handset vendor will unveil it in the not-too-distant future, so stay tuned to learn more info on it.

ZTE Nubia Z7 leaks in new photo
Image credits to CNMO via GSMInsider

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First Batch of Firefox OS Tablets Delivered by Foxconn, Specs Revealed

I already told you a few days ago, Mozilla has partnered up with Foxconn and Via Technologies in order to breathe life into the first Firefox tablets.

And the tablet program is apparently going swell and Foxconn has just shipped Mozilla the first batch of Firefox-based slates. As the tablet developer program has already been kick-started, devs can jump onboard the project and provide their expertise (from design implementation to testing). And with this occasion, some of the tablet’s specs (via Asadotzler) come to light. Apparently, the devices have 10-inch screens with 1280 x 800 displays and bundle 2GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage and 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi.

However, don’t get too excited just yet, as there’s still going to be a while until we can spot these gizmos in the wild. The tablets might be eventually be taken up by third-party partners like ZTE and LG and sold under re-branded names, but who knows at this early stage.

Mozilla sees first batch of Firefox OS tablets
Image credits to Asadotzler

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Nokia Normandy Leaks Again in Live Picture

Good news for those waiting for Nokia to enter the Android realm, as a new picture showing the Finnish company's unannounced Normandy smartphone has just surfaced online.

This time, @vizileaks tweets a red Nokia Normandy that shows some of the backside. If this is indeed the Normandy, then we can notice that the camera features LED flash. Another aspect worth mentioning is the fact that it's made from one piece, so it won't come with a removable battery. Obviously, this could only be a prototype, but we doubt that Nokia will have enough time to change its design too much in the next couple of weeks.

According to the latest hearsay, Nokia Normandy is expected to arrive on March 25 as Asha 1045, but this has yet to be confirmed. Stay tuned for more updates on the matter.

Nokia Normandy
Image credits to vizileaks

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Nokia Lumia 1820 Leaks with 5.2’’ Screen and Snapdragon 805 CPU

One of the high-end smartphones that Finnish mobile phone maker Nokia might bring to the market before the end of this year is the Nokia Lumia 1820, currently rumored to arrive in the first quarter as the company’s flagship model.

Compared to the currently available Nokia Lumia 1520, the upcoming device should pack higher hardware capabilities, though maintaining the same design that Nokia’s current lineup features. In fact, the leaked info that emerged online via @NextLeaks suggests that the mobile phone could be launched with the same looks as the Nokia Lumia 928, although it will be slightly larger. The handset is said to sport a 5.2-inch touchscreen display that would be able to deliver a 2k (2048 x 1080 pixels) resolution. Moreover, it might be powered by a Snapdragon 805 processor, complemented by 3GB of RAM and 32GB of internal memory. No microSD memory card slot is mentioned, and PhoneArena notes that this could point at a unibody design.

Nokia Lumia 1820 is also expected to sport to sport the usual connectivity options and a 3400mAh battery inside, the same as Nokia Lumia 1525, which might be released as the successor of Lumia 1520 sometime in September. Interestingly enough, the smartphone is also suggested to sport a Lytro-style camera with Xenon flash attached to it. This is not the first time that the Lumia 1820 name emerges online, although no official confirmation on the matter has been provided as of now. Nokia has already been rumored to plan the release of a handful of smartphones at the upcoming Mobile World Congress in Barcelona next month, and chances are that this phone will also be mentioned there (the leak mentions March as its release window).

Until that happens, however, we’ll take the leaked info on the Lumia 1820 with a grain of salt, though we’ll keep an eye out for additional details on the matter, so stay tuned.

Nokia preps Lumia 1820 flagship model
Image credits to Nokia

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