Sony Xperia Z5 Family Confirmed to be Unveiled at IFA 2015

If you still have any doubts that Sony will be launching a new Xperia lineup of smartphones, then the following news might convince you that the Japanese company will indeed reveal the Xperia Z5 family very soon.

Sony has already confirmed that its press conference during IFA 2015 trade fair will take place on September 2, which means we're only a few hours away from the announcements. A new poster showcased at Sony's booth at IFA 2015 proves that the company is readying three new Android smartphones: Xperia Z5, Xperia Z5 Compact and Xperia Z5 Premium. All three handsets will be officially unveiled later today, but they probably won't be available for purchase until later this month or perhaps early October. In addition to the existence of the Xperia Z5 family, the poster also confirms which colors will be available for these smartphones.

As XperiaBlog points out, Sony Xperia Z5 will be available in Gold, Teal, Black and White, while the Xperia Z5 Compact will be available in Pink, Yellow, Black and White. Last but not least, the most expensive of the three, Sony Xperia Z5 Premium, will only be available in Chrome, Black and Gold color options. We have already reported to you about the possible hardware configuration of these upcoming smartphones, so the only thing that remains is for Sony to confirm them.

Sony Xperia Z5 lineup (poster)
Image credits to XperiaBlog

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Sony Xperia Z5, Z5 Compact and Z5 Premium Leak in Hands-on Pictures

There have been quite a few leaks that provide information on the upcoming Xperia Z5 family, so Sony fans must be very happy that they know just about all there is to know about these high-end smartphones.

The latest leaks concerning the next Xperia Z5 smartphones provide us with the first hands-on pictures of the devices. The images have been recently published by Dutch blog Nu and offer us a glimpse at what's to come. The cited source has been able to capture all three Sony smartphones that are supposed to be officially unveiled this week: Xperia Z5, Xperia Z5 Compact and Xperia Z5 Premium. As many of you can notice from the pictures, all three smartphones feature the same OmniBalance design characteristic to most high-end Xperia handsets.

This means Sony did not have the time to change the design too much, so let's hope there are still customers that like Xperia lineup's looks. We already know some of the specs that come inside these Xperia smartphones, but for those out of the loop here is a quick recap.

The Xperia Z5 smartphones will be announced on September 2

The Xperia Z5 is expected to pack a 5.1-inch capacitive touchscreen display that supports full HD (1080p) resolution while the Xperia Z5 Compact should sport a smaller 4.5-inch display with HD (720p) resolution. Both will be powered by octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 processors, but the Xperia Z5 will pack 3GB of RAM while the Xperia Z5 Compact only has 2GB RAM. Also, Xperia Z5 and Xperia Z5 Compact will boast impressive 23-megapixel rear-facing cameras, along with 5-megapixel cameras in the front.

Information about the Xperia Z5 Premium is a bit scarce for the moment, but we expect it to come with Quad HD display and 4GB of RAM inside. All three Xperia Z5 smartphones should be available for purchase beginning next month for prices that will be announced later today at IFA 2015 trade fair.

Sony Xperia Z5 family
Images credits to nu.nl

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Samsung's Android Clamshell Shows Its Beauty in Live Pictures

Samsung officially unveiled the SM-G9198 Android clamshell about two weeks ago. The smartphone is already available for purchase in China, but there is a chance that it will go on sale in other Asian countries.

However, if you're living in other regions like Europe or North America, you will only be able to import this hard-to-come-by smartphone since it will probably never be released in these regions. And if you want to get a better look at Samsung's SM-G9198 check out the gallery below for a series of live pictures courtesy of XiaomiToday.

If you've never heard about Samsung’s latest clamshell smartphone powered by Android, here are a few more details confirmed by the South Korean handset maker. For starters, the SM-G9198 ships with Android 5.1.1 Lollipop operating system right out of the box. The phone is equipped with a hexa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 processor, 2GB of RAM and 16GB of internal memory.

In addition, the smartphone sports two 3.9-inch Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen displays that support HD (768p) resolution and feature Corning Gorilla Glass 4 coating. Last but not least, the clamshell Android phone packs a 16-megapixel photo snapper on the back, which features autofocus, LED flash and full HD (1080p) video recording, while in the front there is a secondary 5-megapixel camera for video calls and selfies.

Samsung SM-G9198
Images credits to XiaomiToday

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Meizu ME5 Flagship Scores 69,000 in AnTuTu

Rumors that Meizu is looking to introduce a new smartphone series have been floating around for quite a while, and yesterday the Chinese device maker announced a re-branding of its identity and unveiled a brand new logo.

It also officially announced a new flagship lineup which will reportedly be much better than the MX products. And today, the folks at Gizmo China have stumbled upon the company’s upcoming next-gen premium phone, which made an appearance in the AnTuTu benchmarking database. It appears that the new phone will be called the Meizu ME5, and as previous rumors indicated, it will draw power from an Exynos 7420 chipset coming from Samsung. The silicon piece is the same used in the company’s Galaxy S6, Galaxy S6 edge and Galaxy Note5, so we can expect Meizu’s upcoming flagship to be quite a performance beast as well.

On board the Meizu phone, the chipset scored a pretty impressive 69,000 points in the benchmarking application, once again proving to the whole world that Samsung is not kidding around when it comes to designing processors.

What to expect from the ME5

According to information provided by Chinese website IT168, Meizu’s upcoming ME5 will arrive on the market in two versions. One of them will reportedly feature a 5.5-inch 1080p display and will take advantage of the above mentioned processor in combination with 3GB of RAM. As was the case with the MX line, Meizu will also introduce a Pro edition of the device, which will be powered by a deca-core Helio X20 processor and will work hand in hand with 4GB of RAM. Both models should take advantage of a 21MP main camera with f/1.8 aperture, but the Pro model might also bundle Optical Image Stabilization (OIS). A 6.2MP frontal camera will be in charge of taking selfies.

The sources also mention that the ME5 Pro will feature a premium glass and metal frame design, plus a very bright AUO display with 20000:1 contrast ratio. The phone should be powered by a 3,600 mAh battery pack. On the negative side of things, Meizu is apparently looking to price the ME5 quite competitively, so users can expect to pay up to $700 / €621 for the handset. The Pro model should cost even more.

Meizu's new logo
Image credits to IT168

Mistery Meizu phone spotted in AnTuTuImage credits to Gizmo China

Could this be the Meizu ME5?Image credits to IT168

Could this be the Meizu ME5?Image credits to IT168

Specs of the Meizu ME5 leakImage credits to IT168

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Xiaomi’s Upcoming Mi Pad 2 Rumored to Dual Boot Between Android and Windows 10

Last month, an interesting rumor appeared online. It said that Chinese device maker Xiaomi was working on a new tablet which would reportedly run Window 10 out of the box.

Now, the folks over at Chinese publication Mobile Dad claim that Windows 10 is not all customers are going to get when they purchase the upcoming Mi Pad 2. According to sources familiar with the matter, Xiaomi’s next-gen tablet could be a dual-boot affair capable of switching between Windows 10 and Android Lollipop (or Marshmallow, depending on when it arrives). We’re also given a few tips on what to expect spec-wise, so the Mi Pad 2 could make a debut into the wild with a 9.7-inch QHD display with 2560 x 1440 pixel resolution and draw power from a yet unnamed Intel processor.

The device will work with either 3GB or 4GB of RAM and will utilize the services of a 13MP main camera. Obviously, the dual-boot slate is of the high-end variety, so it’s no wonder the source says we’re dealing with an all-metal product.

To dual boot or not to dual boot?

Still, as is the case with this kind of rumors, you’d better take this one with a grain of salt too. Remember that ASUS tried pulling off the same stunt back in 2014, when it announced the Transformer Book Duet with bells and whistles at IFA 2015. The tablet/laptop hybrid was supposed to be able to switch between Windows and Android in under a few seconds, but the trouble is, the product never made it to the market. We never got an official statement from ASUS, but apparently, Microsoft and Google both opposed the idea of such a product making it onto retail shelves.

But now that we're in 2015, have the two tech giants reconsidered their position? It’s a possibility. On the other hand, Xiaomi is a Chinese device maker and we do know that everything is possible in China. Despite Microsoft’s and Google’s restrictions, Chinese OEMs like Pipo didn’t have any problems releasing dual-boot tablets on the domestic market. Anyway, a few days ago, we saw a set of purported Mi Pad 2 images leak online, revealing a tablet very similar to the 2012 Nexus 10. Good news for those who have been hoping to see a sequel to the device.

Purported Xiaomi Mi Pad 2 frontal view

Purported Xiaomi Mi Pad 2 back view

Purported Xiaomi Mi Pad 2 running Android
Images credits to Mobile Dad

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ZUKZ Z1 Gets Teardown Treatment

The Lenovo-backed ZUK startup announced its first smartphone called the Z1 not so long ago. The original version launched only in China and ships out with Android 5.1.1 Lollipop.

But ZUK decided to bring a slightly different variation of the handset to the international market, one that runs Cyanogen OS out of the box (based on Android 5.1 Lollipop). Anyway, since the smartphone is out and about, some folks already got curious to see what the Z1 hides under the hood, so they did a little teardown of it (as seen at IT168). The phone doesn’t feature a removable battery, so a bunch of tools had to be used to get under its hood. Once in there, we can see that all the parts are neatly arranged and it doesn’t seem like the internal setup is all that atypical. IT168 doesn’t provide a repairability score like iFixit, but you shouldn’t try to open up the phone by yourselves anyway.

Peer inside the ZUK Z1

If you haven’t been paying attention, the ZUK Z1 is a pretty straightforward Android smartphone bundling decent specs and selling for a decent enough price. The device features a 5.5-inch capacitive touchscreen display that supports full HD (1080p) resolution and takes advantage of a pretty outdated quad-core Snapdragon 801 processor fitted with 3GB of RAM and 64GB of internal memory. The ZUK smartphone also features a 13MP photo snapper with autofocus, LED flash and video recording, as well as a secondary 8MP-megapixel camera in front for taking selfies.

The phone’s main camera comes equipped with a Sony IMX214 sensor and features f/2.2 aperture, as well as OIS (optical image stabilization). The front camera has OmniVision for better selfies and videos. Another important aspect of the ZUK Z1 is the brand new USB Type-C port. It also relies on a pretty hefty 4,100 mAh battery, but we’re yet to see how well it will be able to sustain life on board.

It’s also worth mentioning that the Z1 comes with a fingerprint scanner and LTE support. Customers can pick up the phone for $285 / €254, which is pretty decent for a handset specced in this fashion. Teardown images gallery below, click to view larger.

ZUK Z1 gets teardown treatment

ZUK Z1 back view

ZUK Z1 showing USB Type-C

ZUK Z1, upper detail

ZUK Z1 with back off

ZUK Z1 dismantled

ZUK Z1 dismantled

Internal part of ZUK Z1

ZUK Z1 being torn down

ZUK Z1 dismantled

ZUK Z1 dismantled

ZUK Z1 dismantled

ZUK Z1 dismantled

ZUK Z1, frontal view

ZUK Z1, camera unit out

ZUK Z1 part

ZUK Z1 part

ZUK Z1 complete teardown
Images credits to IT168

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Sony Xperia Z5 Guest Stars in Video Alongside the Sleek Xperia Z5 Premium

In a few days, the IFA 2015 tradeshow is going to open its gates, and one of the major device manufacturers expected to host a press event on the grounds there is Sony.

The company is looking to unveil its next-gen Xperia Z5 flagship, which won’t come alone but alongside two other models, the Xperia Z5 Compact and Xperia Z5 Premium. Now, if you can’t wait a few more days and you’re really anxious to see what the new Sony phones look like, GR1 has posted a 3-minute video showcasing the upcoming models in action. In the video there’s even a mention of the mighty Xperia Z5 Premium, which, according to the rumor mill, will probably be the first smartphone in the industry to boast a 4K display. Previous information would have us believe that the Xperia Z5 will make a debut into the wild with a 5.2-inch display with 1080p resolution (1920 x 1080 pixels), while the Xperia Z5 Compact will boast a 4.6-inch screen with only 720p res (1280 x 720 pixels).

The Sony Xperia Z5 Premium will be a total monster

The most impressive of the three will naturally be the Sony Xperia Premium (previously known as the Xperia Z5+), a phone tipped to make an appearance with a 5.5-inch display with amazing 4K resolution (2160 x 3840 pixels) and an insane 800+ ppi count. Apparently, the phone’s display will also be utilized for virtual reality purposes. The three handsets should all benefit from an in-house Sony 23MP camera unit that features a super-fast 0.1-second autofocus, f/1.8 aperture and 1/2.2 inch sensor. The higher-end models in the trio will be powered by a Snapdragon 810 SoC that features an octa-core CPU and Adreno 430 GPU. Hopefully, Sony has found a solution to keep the controversial chipset from overheating inside of its new devices.

Shortly after the Xperia Z3+ was released, we started hearing owners complain about overheating problems. The company tried to solve the issue by pushing out a software update, but it didn’t seem to help that much. We were hoping that Sony would wait for the Snapdragon 820 for its next-gen flagship, but it seems pretty evident at this point that this is not the case.

Sony Xperia Z5 family caught on camera
Image credits to GR1

Sony Xperia Z5

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Nokia Prepares Its Comeback to Smartphone Business, Starts Hiring Android Engineers

Nokia is very serious when it comes to its device business. Even though the only product launched by the Finnish company since the sale of its mobile division to Microsoft is a tablet, we have Nokia's promise that new Android smartphones will follow soon.

According to Nokia's CEO Rajeev Suri, the Finnish company is forbidden from launching new smartphones until late 2016, but once the embargo lifts, we should expect at least one new Android handset in about one year. And for those who have doubted that Nokia is serious about its comeback to the mobile business, here is a piece of information that should convince even the most skeptical of fans. As Reuters reports, Nokia has already published a dozen adverts for jobs on LinkedIn looking for Android engineers with some experience.

In addition, the company decided to reduce the number of layoffs from its Technologies division from 70 people to only 35. This means that Nokia will maintain half the jobs for its future mobile division.

The return to mobile phones is made through a brand-licensing model

Nokia has already launched an Android application called Z Launcher, which is very popular among customers. The same goes for the N1 tablet, which was recently introduced in Europe after selling by the millions in China and Taiwan. We have no doubt that the next product wearing Nokia's brand will be very popular among fans, but we're still curious which will be the Finnish company's main partner for its comeback to the mobile world.

“The right path back to mobile phones for Nokia is through a brand-licensing model. That means identifying a partner that can be responsible for all of the manufacturing, sales, marketing and customer support for a product,” said Roberto Morlino, spokesman for Nokia Technologies. We expect the first details on Nokia's upcoming smartphones to emerge next year, but the search for a partner may end much faster, so stay tuned for more on this one.

Nokia HQ
Image credits to Nokia

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Samsung Galaxy Note 5 Sales Package Confirms 4GB of RAM, 5.7-Inch Quad HD Display

We're less than a week away from Samsung Galaxy Note 5's official unveil and it looks like more information regarding the flagship smartphone's specs has just leaked online.

After many renders of the Galaxy Note 5 popped up online, along with info on the phone's hardware coming from sources familiar with Samsung's plans, we now have the first image showing the flagship's sales package. The pictures were published on Facebook, but have been removed shortly after. Luckily, we've been able to save them for your viewing pleasure. Keep in mind though that the actual device isn't shown in these pictures, but the good news is that some of the phone's specs are listed on one side of the sales package.

Even though we know quite a lot of info about Samsung Galaxy Note 5's hardware and software configuration, it's nice to have some confirmation on some of the details that leaked not long ago. So, according to these images, one of the Galaxy Note 5 variations that will be available for purchase later this month will pack 32GB of internal memory.

Wireless charging will be included, too

There will also be a 64GB model on sale, but it's unclear whether or not Samsung will launch a 128GB version as well, since the similar Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 edge models haven't been so popular among customers. The sales package also confirms the smartphone boast a 5.7-inch Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen display that supports Quad HD (2560 x 1440 pixels) resolution. Also, the flagship handset will come with 4GB of RAM and an impressive 16-megapixel photo snapper on the back, coupled with a 5-megapixel selfie camera in front.

Samsung Galaxy Note 5 will ship with Android 5.1.1 Lollipop right out of the box, and it will be powered by a 4,100 mAh battery. One last piece of information mentioned on the sales package is the 64-bit octa-core processor inside the Galaxy Note 5. Although the model is not confirmed, we know the smartphone will be equipped with an Exynos 7420 chipset.

Samsung Galaxy Note 5 sales package
Images credits to Hooror

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Samsung Galaxy S7 Spotted with Snapdragon 820 in Leaked Docs

With the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 and Galaxy S6+ edge just around the corner, we need something else to focus our hopes and expectations on. So how about the Galaxy S7 for a change?

Recently surfaced information indicated that Samsung might be able to ready the device ahead of schedule, but we’ve also been wondering about the type of processor we’re going to see on board next year’s flagship. With the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 edge, Samsung surprised everyone by opting to rely solely on an Exynos 7420 chip, while taking Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 810 out of the equation. It turns out Samsung made the right choice, as the Snapdragon 810 was riddled with overheating issues ever since its inception. But with the Galaxy S7, Samsung might be making a comeback to Qualcomm.

Qualcomm is in the process of readying its next-gen platform called the Snapdragon 820, which unlike the Snapdragon 810 won’t rely on ARM cores, but on Qualcomm’s own Kyro cores. Hence, we expect the Snapdragon 820 to be of superior quality when compared to its pesky predecessor.

The Galaxy S7 might rely on the improved Snapdragon 820 

That’s exactly why Samsung might be thinking of putting the Snapdragon 820 inside its upcoming flagship model. If you have been following the news, you probably know that the Galaxy S7 has been codenamed Jungfrau internally, and according to the recent hearsay, it is possible that the company will be able to finalize the device by December. Well, the folks at G for Games managed to dig out a bunch of internal documents (via Weibo) which are related to Android M’s upgrade program. Interestingly enough, Jungfrau’s name is present in the papers just next to the MSM8996 mention, which is code for the Snapdragon 820.

There’s an extra Hero mention (it could be a codename/keyword), but for the time being, we don’t have any ideas on what exactly it might mean. Nevertheless, if we are to take this leak as accurate, it seems there’s a big possibility that Samsung will once again utilize a chipset from the Snapdragon family with its flagship line. Considering that the Eyxnos 7420 did a pretty swell job running things on board the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 edge, Samsung will probably offer two versions of the Galaxy S7, as it did in the old days. Do you think Samsung is making the right choice?

Snapdragon 820 specs getting teased

Leaked doc showing info on the Samsung Galaxy S7

More info revealed about the Galaxy S7
G for Games

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