Samsung Galaxy S8 listed for pre-order in the UK at £799

The Samsung Galaxy S8 is a few weeks away from announcement, not to mention a month and a half from being available, but UK retailer MobileFun is already taking pre-orders. Putting aside all the rush, it's the price of the handset that we find most intriguing here. The number is £799, and for that you'd be getting a 64GB version of the smaller, 5.8-inch, non-Plus model. That's a pretty hefty sum, especially when you think of the Galaxy S7's price at launch, which was £549. Even the S7 edge was a much easier to swallow £639 a year ago. For those that can't afford an S8, deals are...

Source: http://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_galaxy_s8_listed_for_preorder_in_the_uk_at__pound799-news-23852.php

Apple rakes in 79.2% of smartphone profits in 2016

The 2016 saw plenty of hot smartphone announcements, but there was only one winner in the race for profits and it is Apple. The US company grabs the lion's share of the total operating profits - $44.9 billion out of $53.7 billion total globally. Apple made its first waterproof phone and hiked up the price of it and apparently this trick worked. It made $44.9 billion in operating profit - well ahead of the second-placed Samsung with $8.3 billion. The Koreans' numbers would certainly be bigger but the Galaxy Note7 cause a major dent. Top 5 is completed by three Chinese companies -...

Source: http://www.gsmarena.com/apple_overwhelms_competitors_in_smartphone_profits_for_2016-news-23851.php

ZTE to pay $892M fine for violating the US trade sanctions

ZTE is about to feel the heavy boot of the US Department of Justice after it violated the trade sanctions against Iran and North Korea. The Chinese company imported smartphones with Qualcomm chipsets for years, including during the ongoing investigation. For this offense the company has to pay $892 million fine with $300 million to be paid if the agreement with the DOJ is violated, totaling to $1.19 billion. ZTE Axon 7 - one of the phones, sold in Iran The US trade sanctions against Iran and North Korea are some of the oldest embargoes the USA has against other countries because...

Source: http://www.gsmarena.com/zte_to_pay_892m_fine_for_violating_the_usiran_sanctions-news-23850.php

The 4K HDR screen of the Xperia XZ Premium explained by the Bravia team

Just a couple of weeks ago, Sony introduced the Xperia XZ Premium - the first phone ever to pack a 4K HDR screen. But we've seen 4K screens before (the Z5 Premium), what makes 4K HDR so special? Sony turned to its Bravia team to answer that burning question. The key advantage is that HDR screens can render a wider range of light and color. This means higher contrast, but also smoother color gradients. The end result is much more immersive than the previous standard, which hadn't moved much past the SD TV days in terms of contrast and color. You may think that availability of 4K HDR...

Source: http://www.gsmarena.com/the_4k_hdr_screen_of_the_xperia_xz_premium_explained_by_the_bravia_team-news-23849.php

Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge $100 off, come with free memory card

Samsung Galaxy S7 is about to be replaced as Korean company's flagship but this might be a great time to get a good deal on it. Samsung is giving a $100 price reduction and throwing in a 64/128 GB memory card as a gift too. The Galaxy S7 and the Galaxy S7 Edge are on some sort of clearance on Samsung's website. Both devices are $100 off, and there is a memory card as a gift in the bundle. The Galaxy S7 is $572 for the Verizon edition, $549.99 for the AT&T one and the unlocked device is $569.99. If you decide to buy any of these phones, you also get a free 64 GB memory card. The...

Source: http://www.gsmarena.com/galaxy_s7_and_s7_edge_are_100_off_on_samsungs_website-news-23847.php

BlackBerry publishes March Security Update for its Androids

Security is BlackBerry's forte and its team proudly announces Security Maintenance Releases (SMR) with a hashtag and everything - #30dayPatchingSMR. This indicates that issues are patched no later than a month after being discovered. The update is rolling out to the Priv, DTEK60 and DTEK50. After the update, the security patch level should read "March 5, 2017." If you haven't gotten the notification yet, you can check manually. Do note that phones bought from carriers may have to wait for the the carrier itself to push out the update. If you're curious, you can dig into the Security...

Source: http://www.gsmarena.com/blackberry_publishes_march_security_update_for_its_androids-news-23848.php