New phones from the last two weeks

Microsoft stole the show this week with the first flagship Lumia phones in a year and a half. We wonder if it was really the new Surface Pro 4 and especially the Surface Book that got the attention while the Windows 10 Mobile phones just shared the spotlight. Gionee had a flagship of its own to launch this week. The Microsoft Lumia 950 XL brings a huge 5.7" AMOLED screen of QHD resolution, more compact and sharper than the Lumia 1520 that it replaces. This is also the first camera with PureView camera in a long while - the Lumia 640 XL had Carl Zeiss lens, but lacked a large sensor and optical stabilization. The Microsoft Lumia 950 has a smaller screen, 5.2" AMOLED with QHD resolution, and mostly the same hardware. It has the same camera, but the chipset is Snapdragon 808 instead of the S810 on the 950 XL. There's liquid cooling to keep both chipsets from getting hot under the collar. Part of Microsoft's pitch is that the 950 family can use a Display Dock to create a proper desktop experience. For security, Windows Hello uses an iris scanner instead of a fingerprint reader. The company even snuck in an entry-level device. The Microsoft Lumia 550 sits between the 530 and 640 with a 4.7" 720p screen. It's not an AMOLED as early rumors suggested though. Anyway, it runs Windows 10 Mobile on a Snapdragon 210 chipset. The camera has no fancy qualifications, it's a regular 5MP/720p shooter. Gionee Elife E8 boasts an AMOLED screen even bigger than the 950 XL. A 6" QHD screen and 24MP camera with OIS and phase detection autofocus will give the large Lumia a run for its money. The Elife E8 is powered by a MediaTek Helio X10 chipset with 3GB of RAM and a roomy 64GB chipset. Last week we saw two Nexus phones - the 6P by Huawei and 5X by LG. The Nexus 6P is the first all-metal Nexus and it goes head to head with Android flagship phablets with a 5.7" Super AMOLED screen with QHD resolution, the same display unit as the Note5. The 6P along with the Nexus 5X have new 12.3MP cameras with large pixels, which promise an impressive image quality. No OIS this time around though. Anyway, the 5X has a polycarbonate body and a 5.2" 1080p screen. Both Nexus phones have fingerprint readers. LG unveiled a new flagship, the LG V10. It has a dual-screen - actually one panel with the top left corner cut off to make room for two selfie cameras. Those are used for switch between wide and narrow selfies. Like the LG G4, the V10 is powered by a Snapdragon 808 chipset, but has 4GB of RAM. It uses the same 16MP OIS camera, but with improved software. .news-item .n-left { float: left; width: 25%; text-align: center; } .news-item .n-right { float: left; width: 75%; } .news-item a { padding-bottom: 0; padding-left: 0; } #review-body .news-item .n-right h2, .reviews-item .n-right h2 { clear: both; padding: 0 0 3px 0px; font: 400 19px Google-Oswald, Arial; margin-top: -4px; } .n-right p { margin-top: 25px; line-height: 155%; } .news-item { padding-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; border-top: 1px solid #ccc; } .news-item p { margin-left: 0; } .n-right h2 .phone-name { display: inline-block; width: 325px; overflow: hidden; vertical-align: text-bottom; } .n-right h2 a { text-decoration: none; color: #000; } .flat-button{ text-align:center; text-decoration: none !important; font: 400 22px Google-Oswald,Arial !important; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; font-size: 150%; padding: 20px 60px !important; display: inline-block; white-space: nowrap; -webkit-border-radius: 5px; -moz-border-radius: 5px; border-radius: 5px; margin: 10px 0; -webkit-transition: all 0.2s ease-in-out; -ms-transition: all 0.2s ease-in-out; -moz-transition: all 0.2s ease-in-out; -o-transition: all 0.2s ease-in-out; transition: all 0.2s ease-in-out; color: #fff !important; } .flat-button-1 { background: #0CADA7; } .flat-button-1:hover { background: #0A948F; color: #666666 !important; } .flat-button-2 { background: #FF7E47; } .flat-button-2:hover { background: #EE7440; color: #666666 !important; } .n-right .rank-info { display: inline-block; font-family: "Google-Oswald",​Arial,​sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 100; } .n-right .rank-info .current-rank { font-size: 23px; } .circle { background: none repeat scroll 0 0...

Source: http://www.gsmarena.com/new_phones_from_the_last_two_weeks-news-14400.php

Weekly poll results: Huawei Nexus 6P gets plenty of love, LG Nexus 5X less so

You've had the time, and you've had your say - the new Nexuses went through our Yay or Nay weekly and the response is mostly positive. It's the premium Huawei Nexus 6P that's gotten fan love by the heaps with the crowd split 4-to-1 in favor. A metal build and top-end specs are apparently exciting enough to offset the unsightly bulge on the back. And who knows, maybe some of you actually like that, judging by the fact that the vote on the matter isn't exactly unanimous here at office. The LG Nexus 5X isn't doing quite as well, though. Which is somewhat odd, as we've been hearing users complain about the push for large screens and high densities, and it would seem a 5.2-inch 1080p stock Android phone would be a dream come true for purists. And it's not exactly underspecced either, with a Snapdragon 808 inside, same camera as the 6P with 4K video capture, Type-C USB and fingerprint reader on the back, all for a lower price. That's not to say that the Nexus 5X result isn't positive. It's just that the 59% of upvotes is somewhat of a mediocre achievement for a device that should by definition be at the forefront of the Android...

Source: http://www.gsmarena.com/weekly_poll_results_huawei_nexus_6p_gets_plenty_of_love_lg_nexus_5x_less_so-news-14404.php

Week 41 in review: Lumia is big news, OnePlus Mini excites

This week's headlines were dominated by Microsoft. The Lumia 950 announcement article was the most-read by quite some margin, followed by the article for the Lumia 950 XL. Does that suggest the 950 will see much higher demand? If so, things don't bode well for the Lumia 550, which didn't even make it into the Top 10. By the way, it seems that the smaller iPhone 6s is drawing more interest than its bigger sibling too. The Lumia 950 and 950 XL garnered interest from the UK when the pricing was unveiled. The Microsoft Surface Book proved a very popular product in its own right, especially for a laptop (well, okay, a hybrid). OnePlus management has been hinting at a Mini device for a while now, but it was mum on details. Those details leaked and they resonated with people, the OnePlus Mini leak article came second only to the big Lumias. The popular Galaxy S name was also on people's minds, when a rumor suggested there will be three different versions of the Galaxy S7. Meanwhile some controversies were brewing. Apple sources chipsets from both Samsung and TSMC and some early tests showed both get different battery lives. Google's decision to drop Qi wireless charging on the new Nexus phone was also met with some arguments. Sony made (some) people happy with the list of Xperia phones scheduled for a Marshmallow update and keeping heat in check when recording 4K videos. Speaking of software updates, Yu switched the Yuphoria from Cyanogen OS to stock Android (and slashed the price for good measure). .news-item .n-left { float: left; width: 28%; text-align: center; } .news-item .n-right { float: left; width: 70%; } .news-item a { padding-bottom: 0; padding-left: 0; } .news-item .n-right h2, .reviews-item .n-right h2 { clear: both; padding: 0 0 3px 0px !important; font: 400 19px Google-Oswald, Arial; margin-top: -4px; } .n-right p { line-height: 155%; } .news-item { padding-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; border-top: 1px solid #ccc; } .news-item p { margin-left: 0; } .n-right h2 a { text-decoration: none; color: #000; } Microsoft Lumia 950 goes official with PureView camera, liquid cooling The new screen is bigger and sharper, the camera has been polished, the chipset has been beefed up. Microsoft Lumia 950 XL: legendary camera reborn on the big screen A 5.7" QHD display brings some modern phablet action, while the 20MP camera with Zeiss optics resurrects the PureView name. Upcoming OnePlus Mini has all of its specs detailed A new leak apparently sheds light on everything there is to know about OnePlus' next smartphone. The Samsung Galaxy S7 might actually have three processor variants A new rumor suggests the future Galaxy S7 will have a total of three chipsets variants to add to the alleged edged option. iPhone 6s: Samsung and TSMC A9 chips yield different battery life The Samsung-made chip depletes the battery up to 33% faster in consecutive GeekBench runs, real-life difference much smaller. Microsoft reveals Lumia 950 and Lumia 950 XL UK pricing Both devices will be offered SIM-free from Microsoft's official UK store in November. Sony releases Android 6.0 Marshmallow update device list Sony's update plans for Android 6.0 Marshmallow include older devices like the Xperia Z3 and Xperia Z2. Yuphoria switches over to stock Android from Cyanogen, drops price Now available for $100. Xperia Z5 Compact victorious in a Sony 4K video overheating contest It's probably a full year now that the Snapdragon 810 is mentioned in every article with the word "overheating" thrown in somewhere. iPhone 6s is four times more popular than the 6s Plus The iPhone 6s has been four times more popular than its larger sibling, as both devices account for 1.9% of all Apple smartphones ever sold...

Source: http://www.gsmarena.com/week_41_in_review_lumia_is_big_news_oneplus_mini_excites-news-14406.php

GSMArena giveaway: Enter to win a 64GB OnePlus 2

We get excited every time a new phone comes to the office, so we decided to share some of that excitement. One lucky winner will receive a new OnePlus 2 64GB. And if everything goes well, we'll be holding more giveaways, we're still hammering out the details. The OnePlus 2 unit has been provided by HonorBuy, who occasionally supply us with phones for use in our reviews. Check out the terms of the giveaway below and drop us a line in the comments if you have any issues with your participation. Good luck, everyone! Contest rules The submission and winner drawing process is operated by our partners from Gleam. The contest is open to people 18 or older from all countries We may be unable to ship the prize to your country - in that case you will be compensated with an online gift card of equal value to the prize. We cannot be held responsible for lost shipments or items damaged during shipping Any duties and import taxes that you may incur are the sole responsibility of the winner. Only 1 entry per person. If we detect multiple email addresses by the same person you may be disqualified. GSMArena reserves all rights to make changes to the giveaway in case of unforeseeable circumstances The prize will be shipped directly from our partners from Honorbuy. Winner will be requested to take a photo with the prize upon receiving it for our winner gallery. OnePlus 2 64GB...

Source: http://www.gsmarena.com/gsmarena_giveaway_enter_to_win_a_64gb_oneplus_2-news-14405.php

Huawei Ascend P7 starts getting Lollipop

Days after Google announced its smartphones that will pioneer Android 6.0 Marshmallow, the LG Nexus 5X and Huawei Nexus 6P, the Chinese manufacturer is rolling out a Lollipop update for its own aging Ascend P7 flagship. The device will be updated straight to 5.1.1, the latest pre-Marshmallow version of the OS. It sure took a while - the update has been into public beta testing since late June. The rollout should start today over the air, but if you're not getting it just yet, you can head over to the company's website and download the 1.26GB firmware file. There has been a Lollipop update for the Ascend Mate7 for a a few days, but apparently a new one is out now for the same exact version of the smartphone. It is again Android 5.1.1, just a newer release, this one headed for the European market. A new firmware, part of the same batch, is out for the current P8 flagship too. Believe it or not, it's based on Android 5.0, instead of the 5.1.1 the older models are getting. The P8 was launched with Lollipop on board to begin with, so this 1.72GB firmware is a bit puzzling, but we take it Huawei knows better than us what it's doing. Thanks to JamesRH for the tip! Source 1 2...

Source: http://www.gsmarena.com/huawei_ascend_p7_starts_getting_lollipop-news-14420.php

Firefox to drop support for most plugins by end of 2016

Mozilla has announced that it will be dropping support for most web plugins by end of 2016. This includes the likes of Java and Silverlight, although Flash will continue to be supported. Web plugins used to be an integral part of the web experience, mostly to play back multimedia content, which wasn't natively supported by either the web or the browsers. However, with the advent of HTML5 and browsers that can render full 3D games plugins have become increasingly irrelevant. Not to mention they were never particularly good, and offered poor performance and battery life and also increased security risk. Other browsers such as Chrome and Edge have already dropped support for plugins. Chrome even disables non-essential Flash content by default. Mozilla's end of 2016 date is perhaps a bit too far from now but at least the company has decided to drop support for plugins. And upcoming platforms such as 64-bit Firefox for Windows will not have support for plugins out of the...

Source: http://www.gsmarena.com/firefox_to_drop_support_for_most_plugins_by_end_of_2016-news-14422.php