Samsung Galaxy Note7: the story so far

The sixth generation of the phablet that made phablets a thing is coming on August 2, and the Unpacked event can't come soon enough. Named Galaxy Note7, because... marketing, the successor to the Note5 won't be a revolutionary upgrade, but rather a calculated logical step in the right direction, like the Galaxy S7 was for the S-series earlier this year. A larger battery (initially rumored to be 4,000mAh, but latest data points to 3,500mAh), waterproofing, ample storage (expandable, too) - the Note7 is addressing chief pain points of the current model. Okay, the IR emitter is likely gone...

Source: http://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_galaxy_note7_the_story_so_far-news-19576.php

Sony Xperia XA Ultra battery test

The Sony Xperia XA Ultra is powered by a 2,700mAh battery with Qnovo's adaptive charging tech. Qnovo prolongs the battery life measured in charge cycles, but it doesn't magically make the small battery last long when powering the huge screen. To be fair, the XA Ultra does pretty okay - you can get around 8 hours of web browsing and watching videos. The Endurance rating is 55h, good enough to last two days of moderate usage. This phone helped the Xperia line save face after the somewhat mediocre results of its last two phones. Even so, large phones are workhorses. Our favorite...

Source: http://www.gsmarena.com/sony_xperia_xa_ultra_battery_test-news-19556.php

Top 10 trending phone of week 29

Our Top 10 chart would seriously benefit from a new high-profile launch sometime soon, because as it stands nothing seems to be able to shake up the status quo. Top 3 remains unchanged yet again with the Redmi Note 3 on top and its usual sidekicks Galaxy J7 (2016) and Moto G4 Plus. The fourth position occupant remains the same too - last year's Galaxy J5, but it's now followed by the J3 (2016), two spots up from last week. OnePlus 3 is killing flagships indeed - it's the highest ranked top-tier smartphone in our chart, taking 6th. Galaxy J7 follows, then the reigning Samsung...

Source: http://www.gsmarena.com/top_10_trending_phone_of_week_29-news-19554.php

Weekly poll results: Moto Z Force is phone of the week

In a landslide victory the Moto Z Force has claimed the Phone of the week title among the devices announced last week. At 51% of upvotes, the shatter-proof smartphone has gotten more likes than all the other three combined - because that's how math works. Top of the line hardware, modularity, durable display, large battery - the Moto Z Force has equal amounts of gimmicks and practicality, so we can see how the others didn't stand much chance. The battle for second was a much closer one, and the Asus Zenfone 3 ZE520KL edged ahead of the Honor 8. A total of 50 votes split the two, but...

Source: http://www.gsmarena.com/weekly_poll_results_moto_z_force_is_phone_of_the_week-news-19555.php

Week 29 in review: Brand new Xperia F8331, and a deluge of Note7 leaks

We certainly have no reason to complain about lack of stories this week. Undoubtedly it was the Samsung Galaxy Note7 that got the most exposure, with daily leaks detailing this or that about Samsung's upcoming phablet. Curved version, flat version, final units caught live, development units shot in shady circumstances, casemakers late to the party - you name it, it all happened over the past few days. Oh, and the iris scanner was shown in action too, plus proof came in on the Type-C port. For all the Note7 coverage, it was another story that got tons more hits than every single...

Source: http://www.gsmarena.com/week_29_in_review_brand_new_xperia_f8331_and_a_deluge_of_note7_leaks-news-19552.php

Apple patents "The Grove" because trees need to be patented now

Apple has been granted a patent for a new store design called "The Grove". The patent has been issued by the Hong Kong Patent and Trademark Office. One of a series of concepts for future Apple Stores shown to the press a couple of months ago, "The Grove" consists of actual living trees in containers, to be put inside the stores. It takes a group of trees to make a grove and, apparently, a group of trees with a table inbetween must be patented these days, just in case. Source

Source: http://www.gsmarena.com/apple_patents_the_grove_because_trees_need_to_be_patented_now-news-19575.php