Check out our Samsung Galaxy J7 (2017) video review

Samsung did a great job refreshing its midrange lineup - the 2017 members of the A and J series are much better this year through the use of classier, better-feeling materials and borrowing a flagship feature or two. The Samsung Galaxy J7 (2017) is the latest to get our review treatment and we liked it a lot. It brings a completely metal body, fingerprint scanner and a better screen. But the Samsung Galaxy J7 (2016) was already a great phone - is the new model worth the price hike? Find out in our video review. And if you're still left without an answer from our video review, our...

Source: http://www.gsmarena.com/check_out_our_samsung_galaxy_j7_2017_video_review-news-26457.php

Weekly poll: are secondary screens useful?

The Meizu Pro 7 Plus was unveiled this week with a secondary screen on its back. It's not the first rear-mounted display - there have been interesting efforts like the e-Ink back of the YotaPhone - but they never caught on. And there is, of course, LG V20 with a secondary screen on the front, but we think positioning makes all the difference. An Always On display could have covered half the functions of V20's secondary screen. But a screen on the back lets you check notifications even when the phone is face down. And it lets you snap selfies with the main camera, which typically has...

Source: http://www.gsmarena.com/weekly_poll_are_secondary_screens_useful-news-26456.php

Counterclockwise: looking back at the ever growing CPU core count of mobile chipsets

Home computers went through a megahertz war and smartphone manufacturers did not learn from that mistake. As early as January 2009 the pocket rockets crossed the 1GHz mark - the Toshiba TG01 got there first. It had a single Scorpion core in its Snapdragon S1 chipset paired with 256MB RAM. It seemed downright excessive at the time. Even feature phones had climbing clock speeds, the Samsung Jet got up to 800MHz that same year, later phones like the Nokia C3-01 (from 2010) got up to a full gigahertz. Toshiba TG01 • Samsung S8000 Jet • Nokia C3-01 Touch and Type As with Intel's...

Source: http://www.gsmarena.com/counterclockwise_looking_back_at_the_ever_growing_cpu_core_count_of_mobile_chipsets-news-26454.php

Top 10 trending phones of week 30

Another week another new champion in our top 10 trending list. The Samsung Galaxy J7 Pro is the second J7 device to lead the pack in the past three weeks and the fourth different winner in as many editions of the chart. Nokia 6 slipped to second, while the Samsung Galaxy S8 retained the last spot on the rostrum. Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 climbed to fourth, edging out the Samsung Galaxy J7 Prime, while the smaller Redmi 4 also gained a couple of spots and is now sixth. In seven we have a new name on the chart - the Xiaomi Mi 5X debuted this week and immediately made it to the top 10....

Source: http://www.gsmarena.com/top_10_trending_phones_of_week_30-news-26475.php

Week 30 in review: iPhone 8 renders, Xiaomi Mi 5X and Meizu Pro 7 official

Week 30 is almost over now and it was a fruitful one. It finally brought an end to the numerous Meizu Pro 7 and Pro 7 Plus leaks when Meizu made the pair official. Xiaomi unveiled MIUI 9 and the Mi 5X and then we have the usual leaks and rumors in the build up to the Fall launches. 8 was the number this week. We saw new renders of the Apple iPhone 8 heard of the expected August 16 announcement of the Nokia 8, while the Galaxy S8 Active and Galaxy Note8 made appearances of their own. Finally Samsung debuted the Galaxy J7 Nxt and Lenovo dropped the Moto Z2 Force. Here's the full list...

Source: http://www.gsmarena.com/week_30_in_review_iphone_8_renders_xiaomi_mi_5x_and_meizu_pro_7_official-news-26452.php

Weekly poll results: flat screens preferred, but not overwhelmingly so

Most of you - 90%! - have an opinion on the flat vs. curved screen debate. Both options have their proponents, 4 in 10 want a flat screen while 3 in 10 want a curved screen. The curved glass option proved less popular, perhaps because you get some of the negatives (hard to apply a screen protector), without getting all of the positives (narrower phone). Screen protectors (and overall durability) were mentioned often in the comments by the flat screen camp. Flat screens also offer better grip than their curvy cousins. We suppose this counts towards durability - your screen won't crack if...

Source: http://www.gsmarena.com/weekly_poll_results_flat_screens_preferred_but_not_overwhelmingly_so-news-26455.php