BlackBerry Passport gets the gold-plating treatment

Early last month we came across photos of a gold-plated BlackBerry Passport, but details were scarce. This might be the source of these photos - Vietnamese company Mavang is doing custom gold plating of Passports. The square-screened business smartphone features a forged stainless steel plate for durability, but is also visible on the outside as a...

HTC Desire 620 in the works, Taiwan's NCC reveals

The NCC is Taiwan's equivalent of the USA's FCC, and its documents have revealed a new smartphone that is currently in the works: the HTC Desire 620. Not one, but two versions of this yet unheard of upcoming handset have been certified by the NCC. The Desire 620h will top out at 3G (HSPA) networks, while the Desire 620u will support 4G LTE. Both models...

Tizen-running dual-SIM Samsung phone spotted at the FCC

Samsung's been theoretically launching Tizen smartphones left and right for years. Actually though, we've yet to see one shipping product running the mobile OS that was once seriously thought to be able to take on Android. For the umpteenth time, we might be close to the release of the first Samsung Tizen device. This won't be high-end like the "indefinitely...

New Lollipop build for Samsung Galaxy S5 gets showcased

A few weeks ago we brought you images and video showing what an early build of Android L for the Samsung Galaxy S5 looked like. Since that point, the Korean company's engineers have been hard at work tweaking things and integrating the TouchWiz UI with the new version of Android. And today it's the turn of a newer build of Android 5.0 for the Galaxy...

HTC Desire 510 review: Inbetweener

We're not far from the time when the smart in phone will be implied. Prices are falling, market share is climbing - it's near impossible to keep track these days of all the new entries in the low end and the midrange. HTC's Desire lineup is no...Source: http://www.gsmarena.com/htc_desire_510-review-1159.p...

Samsung Ativ S gets updated to Windows Phone 8.1

The Samsung Ativ S is now ready to enter the Windows Phone 8.1 club. Lagging behind several Nokia handsets, the smartphone launched two years ago is finally starting to receive an over-the-air update to Windows Phone 8.1. Owners of the Ativ S in both Italy and Germany have reported getting asked to perform the update. Furthermore, Samsung confirmed...

Samsung Galaxy S5 joins Sprint's device leasing scheme

A couple of weeks ago Sprint introduced its device leasing program, and so far only the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus have been in it. Through this scheme, you're able to lease a handset by essentially paying Sprint a monthly sum as 'rent'. And now the carrier has announced it's adding two new devices to the leasing roster, namely Samsung's Galaxy S5...

Limited edition Gresso Regal encases Android 4.2 in titanium

Form over function becomes more appealing when there's exclusivity involved - only 999 units of the new Gresso Regal will be produced. The Android-powered smartphone follows Gresso's Luxury minimalism design tradition and is based on a Grade 5 solid titanium plate. Gresso tries to hide its snark when it points out that key advantages of titanium are...

OnePlus one leaks with yellow StyleSwap back, possibly Kevlar

We've seen the OnePlus One in Sandstone black, in white, in wood, bamboo and even in Denim but we haven't seen it in Kevlar, until now. Two images have surfaced showing the OnePlus One with an interesting yellow back that could be the Kevlar back OnePlus teased a while back with its StyleSwap covers. OnePlus One kevlar back (click to expand) StyleSwap...

LG G3 Dual-LTE launches in Russia in early November

LG has officially revealed its plans to launch a dual-SIM version of the G3 in Russia. Dubbed the LG G3 Dual-LTE, the phone will make its debut in the country in early November. The suggested retail price is about $640 (RUB 26,990). The phone has been on sale in China and Hong Kong since September. In Hong Kong, the phone retails for a similar price...

HTC ends Q3 on a $19 million profit, hopes for the best in Q4

Just like its unaudited report suggested earlier this month, HTC continues its winning streak in Q3. HTC's financial report for the Q3 2014 states the company made a profit of $19 million (NT$0.6 billion). Revenue for the period is $1.38 billion (NT$41.9 billion), which is down from $2.17 billion from the previous quarter. The company is content with...

Sony posts a quarterly loss, sells 9.9 million smartphones

Sony had a positive quarter three months ago but it's back in the red. The company actually posted increased sales of $17.45 billion (up 7.2% on a yearly basis) in large part thanks to strong PlayStation sales and strong performance of Sony's image sensor business. The company did take a hit in sales after parting with its computer business, though....

Meizu MX4 Pro to be bigger than the non-Pro after all

The Meizu MX4 Pro leaks suggested a new chipset and higher res screen but almost everything else was supposed to remain the same. A new leak shows the back panels of both the regular MX4 and MX4 Pro and the Pro is clearly bigger. It's hard to tell how much bigger exactly, but a benchmark had it listed as 5.5". Benchmarks are rarely very accurate when...

Andy Rubin, co-founder of Android, leaves Google

Andy Rubin has left Google. Rubin was heading Google's robotic division but has now left the company to start his own incubator for hardware startups. He will be replaced by James Kuffner. Andy Rubin is the co-founder and ex-CEO or Danger Inc. and Android Inc. He oversaw the development of Android until March 2013, when Sundar Pichai took over and...

Xiaomi could be working on a low-end 9.2-inch tablet

Now that it's become the world's No.3 smartphone manufacturer, Xiaomi may be looking to expand its tablet lineup, which so far consists only of the 7.9" MiPad. The Chinese company's next tablet may be a decidedly low-end affair, however. A new benchmark result has surfaced, and with it a spec list for a yet unreleased Xiaomi device with a 9.2-inch...

Kantar: Android grows as iOS and Windows Phone decline in Q3

According to the latest Kantar WorldPanel report on mobile operating system market share, Android continues to take the lead marking a slight growth. Its main rivals, iOS and Windows Phone, declined slightly in their respective market share numbers. In both Europe (EU5) and the US, Android leads its competitors with a market share of 73.9% and 61.8%,...

Samsung Gear S launches on T-Mobile US on November 9

Samsung Gear S is the first smartwatch that is capable of existing even without a smartphone companion. Gear S features a nano-SIM slot and supports voice telephony and data connections, so you don't need to communicate with any other kind of device (you still can if you want to though). Samsung designed the Gear S not to be a full time replacement...

IDC: Xiaomi third largest manufacturer in Q3

IDC has shared its report for the global smartphone shipments in the third quarter of 2014. The numbers tell a familiar story with one big change - Xiaomi. Last year's Q3 saw Xiaomi somewhere in the Others tab under Huawei, Lenovo and LG but this year the Chinese maker sits proudly at third spot, all without leaving Asia. Showing a 211.3% growth over...

Lenovo completes Motorola acquisition from Google

Today, Lenovo announced that its acquisition of Motorola from Google is complete. The deal cost the Chinese company $2.91 million and was announced in late January. Motorola remains headquartered in Chicago and it's brand is intact, but it's now a "Lenovo company". Lenovo will operate Motorola as a wholly-owned subsidiary. It owns the brand and the...

Samsung sees lowest profits since Q3 2011

Samsung is one of the phone manufacturers that make a significant profit (the other being Apple), but this last quarter the South Korean giant experienced a downturn. The consolidated revenue came out to $44.7 billion, down from $56 billion in Q3 last year. The company marked its lowest profits since Q3 2011. The mobile division, which has been the...

Moto 360 in gold surfaces on Amazon, quickly pulled

A Champagne gold color option of the Motorola Moto 360 smartwatch was briefly available on a pre-order on Amazon but it seems the product pages were pulled. The smartwatch was up with two strap sizes - 18mm (shown below) and a 23mm one, both matching the color and both metal. Motorola started shipping Moto 360s to owners in two color options - silver...

HTC Desire 820us with 64-bit CPU goes through TENAA

HTC is having a field day at the Chinese TENAA and following the certification of its Desire 816h, now the Desire 820us is the latest to visit the government agency. The HTC Desire 820us packs the latest MediaTek MT6752 chipset with an 8-core 64-bit CPU running at 1.7GHz and 2GB of RAM. The phone carries a similar design language to the HTC One (M8),...

HTC Desire D816h with 5" display visits TENAA

Unannounced HTC Desire D816h made a visit to TENAA. The 5" smartphone appears to be a more compact version of the 5.5" HTC Desire 816 we already know. HTC Desire D816h features MediaTek MT6592 chipset with 1.7GHz octa-core CPU and a gig of RAM. The rest of its specs include 8GB of expandable memory, 8MP main camera, 5MP front-facing unit, and Android...

Google Nexus 6 already sold out in the United States

It appears that sales of Google Nexus 6 are off to a robust start. The Motorola-made Android 5.0 Lollipop phablet sold out in the United States several hours after it became available for pre-order. All memory and color configurations of the device are listed as out of inventory. There is no timeline on when will the device be available again. Google...

Motorola Nexus 6 has been delayed in Europe

The Nexus 6 was announced a couple of weeks ago, alongside the Nexus 9 and Nexus Player. The first Nexus phablet is due to become available for pre-order in the US today, but so far there's been no word on when we should expect it in Europe. According to a report from the Netherlands, the Nexus 6 was initially supposed to go up for pre-order over...

Samsung Galaxy A series lands in November to fight Xiaomi

Samsung's incredibly oft-leaked Galaxy A series is going to get official pretty soon, it seems. A new report from the company's home country of South Korea claims that the Galaxy A3, Galaxy A5, and Galaxy A7 smartphones will go on sale at some point in November. The three handsets have so far been rumored to emulate the design of the Galaxy Alpha...

OnePlus One pre-orders will return on November 17

A couple of days ago OnePlus took pre-orders for the One smartphone for the first time ever. Things went anything but smooth, though. The company extended the pre-order time frame from one hour to three, but apparently that still didn't allow everyone who wanted to pre-order the phone to do that. So there's going to be a new round of pre-orders next...

Samsung Galaxy Note 4 Developer Edition for Verizon now out

The Developer Edition of Verizon's Samsung Galaxy Note 4 is now available to purchase. You can only get it online, and just if you buy straight from Samsung's Web store. It will cost you though. This Note 4 model is priced at $699.99 outright, and there's no way to grab one with a two-year contract or on an installment plan. The Developer Edition...

Motorola Nexus 6 hands-on: First look

Motorola may have already divorced Google, but the relationship still bears fruit and most recently we've seen the Nexus 6. The first Nexus phablet and the first Nexus by Motorola closely follows the Moto X (2014) design language and brings many of...Source: http://www.gsmarena.com/motorola_nexus_6-review-1158.p...

iOS 8.x now on half of iDevices, adoption still slow

Early this month Fiksu reported that iOS 8 adoption is slower than the gains demonstrated by iOS 6 and 7 in their first weeks after launch. Apple launched iOS 8.1 (which adds Apple Pay and Continuity) and the good news is that version 8.x is now on over half of the devices. The bad news is that Apple's developer page points to 52% adoption of the...

24k Samsung Galaxy Note 4 hits Vietnam, costs $2000

A 24k gold Samsung Galaxy Note 4 is now available for purchase in Vietnam. Every piece of metal (including the grills) is coated in gold by local aficionados of the noble metal. The process takes 4-5 hours of continuous work per unit and, according to a rough translation, costs about $1100 (VND 24 million) to make. The price doesn't include the cost...

A global version of Motorola Droid Turbo to be unveiled in Brazil

The new Motorola Droid Turbo garnered great interest but as a Verizon-exclusive it felt out of reach. Now Motorola is sending out invites for a November 5 event to announce a global rollout. The invite doesn't call out the device by name but the corner of the back shows Droid Turbo's characteristic Ballistic Nylon back. Rumors are for a name change...

Oppo R5 officially becomes the world's thinnest smartphone

After the Oppo N3 cameraphone, the company unveiled its first 64-bit smartphone, which is coincidentally also its thinnest yet. The Oppo R5 measures just 4.85mm thick, the "slimmest phone in the world," Oppo claims. The company has shaved quite a bit of thickness compared to the 6.3mm Oppo R3. The frame of the phone is made of 3D-welded aluminum alloy....

Huawei Honor 6 hits Europe tomorrow at under €300

Huawei announced the Honor 6 back in the summer, but it's only now that the phone enters in the European market. Starting tomorrow, the phone will launch in the UK and select European markets. Amazon UK will offer the phone for £229, while in continental Europe it will cost €269. That's a lot less than the phone's main competitors from Samsung, LG...

Oppo R5 officially becomes the word's thinnest smartphone

After the Oppo N3 cameraphone, the company unveiled its first 64-bit smartphone, which is coincidentally also its thinnest yet. The Oppo R5 measures just 4.85mm thick, the "slimmest phone in the world," Oppo claims. The company has shaved quite a bit of thickness compared to the 6.3mm Oppo R3. The frame of the phone is made of 3D-welded aluminum alloy....

Oppo N3 hands-on: First look

Oppo's event has finally commenced and the star of the show is the successor to the Oppo N1, the Oppo N3 with yet another rotating camera module on the top, flaunting precision optics. The Oppo N3 is a phablet just like its predecessor and just like...Source: http://www.gsmarena.com/oppo_n3-review-1157.p...

Oppo N3 is official with a 16MP motorized camera

At a special event in Singapore, Oppo announced the N3 cameraphone. The successor to the N1 sports a 16MP motorized camera allowing it to track objects as they move. The sensor is 1/2.3" in size and the pixel size is 1.34micrometer. The camera uses Schneider Kreuznach-certified lens to round up an impressively sounding package. The mechanized camera...

LG sells 16.8M smartphones in Q3, posts record profits

LG had a record-breaking quarter, mostly on the back of its smartphone division. It sold 16.8 million smartphones, a record for the company, and the phone division saw the best revenue and operating income since the third quarter of 2009. In the third quarter of this year, the LG Mobile Communications Company recorded revenue of $4.14 billion and...

Huawei Honor 4X goes official with Snapdragon 410 chipset

Huawei announced the mid-range Honer 4X smartphone. The previously leaked, dual-SIM handset is available for pre-order in China for CNY 1,299 ($212). Shipments are set to begin next week, on November 6. Huawei Honor 4X features 64-bit Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 MSM8916 chipset and 2GB of RAM. There's 8GB of built-in memory, which can be further expanded...

Sharp will have a 4K smartphone display ready in 2016

If you think QHD screen resolution (that's 2,560x1,440) on smartphones is rather ridiculous, you'll surely be even more flabbergasted in 2016. That's because at some point during that year, Sharp is set to have finalized its first 4K smartphone display. It's still unclear which exact resolution the Japanese company will go with, as both 3,840x2,160...

Motorola Droid Turbo hands-on: First look

This is the Motorola Droid Turbo - Motorola's strongest claim at the high-end throne yet. Built around the strong foundation of the Moto X (2014), Nexus 6 and Motorola's previous Droids it pools together a premium build, pure Android with exclusive features and impressive battery life...Source: http://www.gsmarena.com/motorola_droid_turbo-review-...

Motorola Droid Turbo is official with 5.2-inch QHD display

At a joint event today, Verizon and Motorola announced the Droid Turbo. The phone runs on the Verizon XLTE network and features a 5.2" Super AMOLED QHD display with a pixel density of 565ppi. The Droid Turbo is powered by a Snapdragon 805 chipset with a 2.7GHz quad-core Krait 450 CPU, 3GB of RAM and an Adreno 420 GPU. The battery is 3,900mAh and Motorola...

HIS iSuppli: Xiaomi outpaces Huawei as 3rd largest manufacturer

The champagne is popping over at Xiaomi headquarters as according to HIS iSuppli, the company is now the third largest phone manufacturer. The analysts reports that Xiaomi outpaced Huawei with a total of 19 million smartphones shipped in Q3 2014. For the same period, Huawei managed to sell 16.8 million smartphones. Xiaomi's pace has been growing continuously...

ARM announces Mali 8 GPU series - Mali-T860, Mali-T830, Mali-T820

Today ARM unveiled its next generation graphic processors - Mali-T820, Mali-T830 and Mali-T860. All three new GPUs support all popular APIs - OpenGL ES 1.1, 2.0 and 3.1, OpenCL 1.1 and 1.2, DirectX 11 and RenderScript Compute. The flagship GPU is Mali-T860 with sixteen shader cores (each with two ALU cores), native 10-bit YUV input and output and...

Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 (2015) mentioned on company's site

The last Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 was released over a year ago and it's time for another one. References to a Galaxy Note 10.1 (2015) have appeared on Samsung's official site, specifically that three apps support the tablet. And it's not a typo either, the Galaxy Note 10.1 (2014) is listed as well. Not that it's a big surprise that Samsung will be...

Samsung Galaxy A5 price revealed before launch

The Samsung Galaxy A5 is one of the three upcoming smartphones from the company to feature a metal-clad frame and its price has been prematurely revealed by Kazakhstan carrier "Technodom". According to a leaked listing, the Galaxy A5 Duos LTE, as it's dual-SIM version is going to be called, costs about $552 or €435 (KZT 99,990). This sounds a bit...

Leaked Motorola Droid Turbo ad features James Franco

James Franco is riding a bicycle and he's not holding a Galaxy Note 10.1 anymore, he's moved on to the Motorola Droid Turbo. This is the first leaked ad for the upcoming Motorola flagship and it only shows the briefest glimpse of the device. It's in some red case too, so we can't even see the new carbon fiber look of the back. The Droid Turbo will...

AdDuplex: WP8.1 market share surpasses WP8.0

Microsoft started rolling out the Windows Phone 8.1 update in the middle of this year and it has already surpassed the 8.0 in market share, making it the leading version. WP8.1 powers nearly half of the market, while WP7.x still has 16.6%. And it's all Nokia phones - Microsoft Lumia from now on - with 95% market share. HTC is a very, very distant...

Sony Xperia T3 and Xperia M2 LTE officially arrive in the US

Sony Xperia T3 and Xperia M2 officially arrived in the United States. The duo of mid-range devices is available to purchase directly from Sony's official online store unlocked and contract-free. Sony is asking $399.99 for the Xperia T3 phablet, while the water-proof Xperia M2 is priced at $279.99. Both handsets feature AT&T and T-Mobile-friendly...

Lenovo Vibe Z2 Pro review: Expanding universe

When talking high-end smartphones in the west, Lenovo is hardly the first company that pops in your head. The Chinese maker's first two attempts at a super premium handset have been hard to find outside of its homeland, but it appears to have enough confidence...Source: http://www.gsmarena.com/lenovo_vibe_z2_pro-review-1155.p...