Sony Xperia XZ1 drops to $495 in US

Sony is all set to officially unveil the Xperia XZ2 today, but if you are in the market for the Xperia XZ1, you'll be glad to know the device is currently available for $495, down over $200 from its price at launch, which happened in September. Amazon is offering the handset (black and blue variants) at this rate. Other color options line pink and silver are currently in the range of $530-$540. No information on when the discount ends, so those interested in availing it may have to act fast. Source

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You can now pre-book a Galaxy S9 or S9+ in India

While Samsung has already started taking pre-orders for the newly introduced Galaxy S9 and S9+ in the UK and Canada, the same unfortunately can't be said for India. In the subcontinent, the Korean company has instead chosen to start a pre-booking phase for its latest flagship smartphones. This is open at its online shop for India, and will guarantee that you are among the first people to receive the S9 or S9+. All you have to do is shell out INR 2,000 as an advance payment for the model you want, and enter your contact details and the color you fancy (the options being Lilac Purple,...

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Vivo APEX Fullview hands-on: 98% screen-to-body ratio and a periscope camera

Straight off the bat, we'll start by saying the APEX is still a concept device. That means no part of it is really certain. Sadly, not even its awesome name. We have no info on internals, performance or software. So don't expect any of that in the hands-on. What we did get at the Barcelona venue, is an amazing tech demo. In fact, a few of them, all neatly wrapped up in the APEX shell. First up is the almost surreal 5.99-inch, 18:9, FullHD+ display. But none of those attributes are nearly as important as the flexible OLED platform vivo is demoing. The company managed to mount...

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Here's the first TV ad for the Samsung Galaxy S9

To top off this incredibly S9-filled day, Samsung has outed the first official TV commercial for its newly announced flagship smartphone duo. Expect to see this featured multiple times a day on a TV station near you (especially if you're in North America). The ad does a good job of quickly going through the S9's main strengths, the new camera chief among them. The variable aperture, the slow-mo video capture, the custom emoji, all get a mention, as do the water resistance, Infinity Display, and surround sound speakers. If you're interested in the S9 and S9+, don't miss the...

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ZTE Blade V9 and Blade V9 VITA hands-on

It's a dog-eat-dog world on the 2018 mid-ranger scene and like most of it's competitors, ZTE is really trying hard to compete and stay relevant. To that end, the Blade V9 is a good value offer, even if not particularly distinctive. Build-wise, the 5.7-inch device feels surprisingly light in the hand. Still, ZTE boasts a metal frame as the core of the chassis, with glass wrapping around it on both sides. There was no mention of Gorilla Glass or any other increased protection finish during the presentation, so we can't really judge on durability quite yet. Still, ZTE is particularly...

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Galaxy S9 and S9+ pre-orders start in Canada as well

Although they only go up for pre-order in the US on March 2, the Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+ have already entered that phase up north in Canada. Interestingly, the S9 and S9+ are cheaper at launch in Canada than their predecessors were last year, when the S8 went for CAD 1,035 and the S8+ commanded a price of CAD 1,115. So at least in some parts of the world the rumored price hike for the new handsets hasn't panned out. The Canadian versions use the Snapdragon 845 chipset like those intended for the US, and not Samsung's own Exynos 9810 which can be found in devices sold elsewhere....

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The official Samsung Galaxy S9+ camera and video samples are here

The Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ have taken over our news section right now. The specs are out there, the pricing, our hands-on is live, the first benchmark scores have arrived. So, what's next? The camera samples, of course. Without further ado, here come all the official still and video sample we could scrape of the devices, which were on display at the event. Samsung Galaxy S9+ official camera samples at F/1.5 Samsung Galaxy S9+ official camera samples at F/2.4 Samsung Galaxy S9+...

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Check out the first Samsung Galaxy S9 (Exynos 9810) benchmarks

Samsung announced the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ at MWC 2018 and we are in Barcelona to report on the performance of the new flagships. We got our hands on a Samsung Galaxy S9 with a model number SM-G960F, meaning it comes with an in-house Exynos 9810 chipset. Not all phones will get the Korean processor though - the US and the Chinese markets will receive a version with Snapdragon 845 on board. Samsung Galaxy S9 vs. Samsung Galaxy S8 Before presenting the benchmark results, first we have to explain the chipset we are dealing with. The Exynos 9810 is the latest Samsung SoC, built...

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Galaxy S9 and S9+ UK pricing and availability

Following up our post regarding the pricing, pre-order and availability details for the newly announced Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+ in the US, here's the same information for the UK. Pre-orders are already live, and if you pull the trigger before March 7 at 23:59 GMT you will receive the devices seven days earlier than the release date. That's March 9 instead of March 16. Keep in mind that all operators in the country, as well as third-party dealers such as Carphone Warehouse, have a huge assortment of Pay Monthly offers that have varying upfront costs for the phones, monthly prices, and...

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Huawei MediaPad M5 hands-on

The post-PC world never came - instead laptops started adopting tablet features. In response, tablets started adopting laptop features. The Huawei MediaPad M5 10.8" does just that. The tablet is powered by a Kirin 960 chipset, which was used in the Mate 9 last year and P10 early this year. It has plenty of oomph to run EMUI 8.0, which modifies its base (Android 8.0) by adding a taskbar for multitasking similar to a desktop. Better yet, the bottom of the tablet has pogo pins for a hard connection to a QWERTY keyboard. You can use the MediaPad M5 as a 2-in-1 thanks to its...

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Here are the Galaxy S9 and S9+ pricing and availability details for the US

The Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+ have taken over MWC today, and for good reasons. If you've already taken a look at our hands-on report, perhaps you're interested in exactly when you can order either one in the US and how much cash you'll have to pay. In the States the phones will be sold by AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, US Cellular, Verizon, Xfinity mobile, Cricket, MetroPCS, Best Buy, Amazon, Costco, Sam's Club, Target, and Walmart. They will be available in Lilac Purple, Midnight Black, and Coral Blue at all the aforementioned places except Cricket and MetroPCS which for some reason will...

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T-Mobile US unboxes the new Galaxy S9 phones on the moon

Last year it was sharks, this year it's Space - T-Mobile is doing its usual quirky unboxing video featuring AskDes and today's stars are the Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+. And this time the T-Mo unboxing takes place in space (on the Moon). Jokes aside, the unboxing shows off the feature-packed box of the new pair of Galaxies - from the USB-C adapter to transfer content from other phones to the AKG-tuned headphones. T-Mobile reckons it has the fastest data speeds in the US and the Galaxy S9's gigabit LTE is a perfect match for it. We have our own little hands-on with the Galaxy...

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Samsung Galaxy S8 vs. the Galaxy S9: Specs Infographic

Given their familiar design, it's when you look under the hood that the differences between the Samsung Galaxy S8/S8+ and the Galaxy S9/S9+ become apparent. Check out the infographic below to see how the new Samsung Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ best their predecessors. Source

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Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+ go official with new hardware, old looks

Samsung has just unpacked the new Galaxy S9 and S9+ flagship duo in Barcelona. The new devices are helming Samsung's 2018 smartphone portfolio with new hardware but old looks. Both S9 and S9+ retain the familiar glass-sandwich design with water-proofing, aluminum frame, curved Gorilla glasses, and everything. Samsung has trimmed the screen bezels a bit and thus both phones have insignificantly smaller footprints than their respective predecessors. The minor changes in the design include a well-hidden iris scanner, a properly placed fingerprint reader, and a changed grille for...

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Huawei MateBook X Pro with 3K multi-touch FullView display announced

Today at Mobile World Congress Huawei the 13.9-inch HUAWEI MateBook X Pro features a 3K 10-point touch screen and a FullView display with a 91% screen-to-body ratio and 4.4mm narrow bezels. With no room for the camera in the screen bezels, Huawei innovatively placed the camera under the F5 key, while also alleviating users with privacy concerns. The aforementioned screen is a 3K, with 3000×2000 resolution, 100% sRGB color gamut, 450 nits brightness and 1500:1 contrast ratio packed into a body that is 14.6mm thin and weighing 1.33kg, and is available in two colors: Space Gray and...

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The Blade V9 and V9 VITA are ZTE's latest mid-ranges

ZTE took the wrapping off a couple of new additions to its mid-ranger Blade line at MWC 2018. Among other thing, the Blade V9 and Blade V9 Vita bring trendy new 18:9 panels to a more affordable price segment - somewhat of a trend this year. The bigger Blade V9 has a glass build on both sides and an aluminum strip, sandwiched in between. The former consists of a total of eight layer, making from an impressive, if smudge-prone, surface. The body measures 151.4 x 70.6 x 7.5mm and weighs in at 140 grams. On the flip side is a large 5.7-inch, LCD 18:9 display, with a resolution of 2160...

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Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+ hands-on review

The Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+ are here, official, unwrapped, and we go in full hands-on mode. We might be sending off another UNPACKED event preceded by weeks of overwhelming leaks, but we are surely heading towards a new chapter in the smartphone photography.

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Nokia 3 to get Android 8.1 beta next week

Nokia's 2017 budget offering, the Nokia 3, will be getting the Android 8.1 beta next week. The update will be available to download on Monday, February 26, according to Juho Sarvikas on stage today during the MWC keynote. Those interested will have to sign up for the Nokia Beta Labs program to start receiving the beta updates. There is no announcement yet on when the Nokia final version will be released to users. The Nokia 3 will eventually followed by the Nokia 2 in getting the Oreo beta update.

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Watch the Samsung S9/S9+ announcement live here at 6PM CET

There is little left that hasn't been leaked about the Samsung Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ with official teaser videos having confirmed some of the more salacious features - slow-mo camera, low-light shooting and 3D emoji. Watch today's Samsung MWC 2018 live stream here at 6PM CET.

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Nokia 8 Sirocco and Nokia 7 Plus are Nokia's flagships at the MWC 2018

Nokia has 4 new phones for the Mobile World Congress 2018 - the Android Oreo (Go Edition) Nokia 1, the Nokia 7 Plus, the Nokia 8 Sirocco and the already-announced Nokia 6 (2018). Nokia 7 Plus The Nokia 7 Plus is HMD-owned Nokia's first 18:9 smartphone and is also Nokia's first Snapdragon 660-powered phone. It has a 6-inch 2160x1080px IPS LCD which is both polarized and laminated, and promises 500 nits of brightness and 1500:1 contrast. The Nokia 7 Plus is machined from a single block of aluminum which then receives 6 layers of paint for a ceramic-like finish. The result is...

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Nokia 1 is the first Android Go smartphone

HMD Global announced the Nokia 1 as its cheapest smartphone up to date with a price tag of $85 that translates to €75. The most prominent feature of the phone is its Android Oreo (Go Edition), made specifically for low-powered devices. Google already launched plenty of apps under its Go program, but the Nokia 1 is the first phone explicitly created for this project. Android Oreo (Go Edition), as introduced back in June 2017, reinvents popular Google apps for developing markets where low-powered phones are more prevalent. YouTube Go, for example, allows downloading videos for watching...

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Nokia at MWC 2018 (hands-on)

Nokia is starting its second year as a new-look Android maker but it already has a big portfolio to build on and a solid market position to build from. More importantly it has a great relationship with Google which has enabled Nokia to supply its phones with fast, clean as well as up to date and secure software.

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All Nokia phones from Nokia 3 up are now going to be part of the Android One program

At the phone launch event in Barcelona, HMD Global said all Nokias from Nokia 3 and above would be part of the Android One program, meaning they will receive security updates up to 3 years after their launch. The Android One program is a line of smartphones with pure Android, a limited amount of pre-installed apps to allow more storage and highest grade of security. Phones under this project are the first to receive the monthly updates, and in this particular case, the Nokias will get Android P once it arrives. The full list of Nokia Android One smartphones is: Nokia 3, Nokia 5,...

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Nokia 8110 reborn: 4G model with Google apps and social networking unveiled

"Guns. Lots of guns." Who can forget this iconic scene from The Matrix? Neo used a Nokia 8110 to make that call, which gave the banana phone a cult status. No need for nostalgia, though, HMD is in the business of resurrecting legendary Nokia phones - allow us to introduce the Nokia 8110 4G. It features the iconic curved design and even has a tongue-in-cheeck Banana Yellow color option, the more serious one being Traditional Black. And it's the first phone to have a slide-down cover since... forever! It is not spring-loaded, though, which makes it more authentic (the original wasn't...

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Huawei MediaPad M5 unveiled - 8.4" and 10.8" tablets with a premium aspirations

High-end Android tablets have fallen by the wayside, which makes the Huawei MediaPad M5 all the more interesting. It has a premium build as well as premium features, including an optional stylus. The tablet comes in two sizes - 8.4" and 10.8" - though other than the size of the screen and battery, they are virtually identical. Specifically, they have IPS screens with 2,560 x 1,600px resolution. The screen is covered with 2.5D glass - Huawei claims this is a first on tablets. The metal unibody has reinforced edges that help protect the screen. If you go for the larger model, Huawei has a...

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OnePlus has an update to enable HD streaming on the 5T, but you won't like it

People were understandably ticked off when they found out that their shiny OnePlus phones can't stream in HD. Both the OnePlus 5 and OnePlus 5T were stuck streaming SD content because they lacked the necessary certifications. The company now has a program in place to resolve that, but you may not like what you have to do. The Widevine L1 certification that is required by the major streaming services for HD video needs to be installed over a physical connection with an authenticated PC. This means there's no way to do it over the air. You have to send your phone back to OnePlus and...

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Huawei mocks Samsung ahead of Galaxy S9 launch

Companies often try various ways of getting to their customers, including taking a jab at competitors. Just in time for the launch of the Samsung Galaxy S9, the Arabian division of Huawei posted a teaser on its Twitter page, mocking the Korean company's camera setup. The tweet urges "to step down from Cloud 9" and to get real with the scene recognition available in latest Huawei devices with Kirin 970. It's time to step down from Cloud 9 and start getting real with Huawei's real time scene and object recognition feature. #DoingWhatTheyCant #HuaweiAICamera pic.twitter.com/60bjpWTfAJ— Huawei...

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Watch today's Nokia MWC 2018 livestream here at 4PM CET

We've already seen plenty of leaks on the Nokia 1 and the Nokia 7 Plus - from FCC certification to press renders. Nokia 9 cases also popped up, suggesting a mighty flagship with edge-curved screen. An event, part of the MWC 2018 annoucements, is scheduled for 4 PM CET on February 25 and will answer all questions about any upcoming devices. Nokia 1 & Nokia 7 Plus Nokia Mobile already scheduled a live stream on Facebook, but people who can't or don't want to go on the social network, can head to nokia.com/phones where the video will be shared as well. The 7 Plus is expected to be the...

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Leaked photos claim to show iPhone X Plus display and digitizer

Despite the occasional reports of unsatisfactory sales numbers for the current iPhone X, by all accounts, Apple still remains committed to the new notch design. The currently accepted theory predicts a total of three new iPhone models for 2018 - a budget 6.1-inch LCD one, a refresh to the current OLED 5.8-inch one and a new 6.5-inch one. A pair of freshly leaked photos claim to show the panel assembly and digitizer for the biggest of the bunch. As per the source, the photos were taken at an LG facility in Vietnam, during what is described as a trial production run. This does fit in nicely...

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Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+ go on pre-order in Russia ahead of schedule

Don't you just hate waiting? This Russian online retailer certainly does, it's already accepting pre-orders for the Samsung Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ because why not. And the prices are: RUB 60,000 for the S9 and RUB 67,000 for the S9+. That works out to $1,065/€866 and $1,190/€967 respectively. That's actually a bit cheaper for the S9+ than the Spanish price. Another thing to note - the site confirms that the new flagships will ship out on March 16. And since the unveiling is later today, this leaves a pre-order period of three weeks. Source 1 | Source 2 (in Russian) | Via

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AI camera tech in LG V30S was developed with EyeEm, which beat Google last year

LG launched its own artificial intelligence platform - ThinkQ - and it brought it to phones with the new LG V30S ThinkQ. Among its new features is AI CAM, a layer of artificial smarts on top of the camera viewfinder. It recognizes what's in the scene and adjusts the camera settings accordingly. AI CAM was done in collaboration with EyeEm and its Vision API. The company's app was recently featured on Google's Android Excellence list, but there's more to it than that - EyeEm's image recognition is better than Google's. A benchmark performed last year graded multiple algorithms on how...

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Xiaomi to unveil Mi Mix 2S with Snapdragon 845 on March 27

The flow of leaks and rumors on the Xiaomi Mi Mix 2S is coming to an end. The company just announced on its Weibo profile the launch date for the new phablet. The Mi Mix 2S is arriving with a Snapdragon 845 chipset on March 27. The poster on Weibo also says 273,741 which is most likely the AnTuTu benchmark score of the phablet. The Xiaomi Mi Mix 2S is rumored to have a 5.99" screen with 18:9 ratio and Full HD+ resolution. The chipset could be coupled with 8 GB RAM and 256 GB storage. Most likely arriving with Android Oreo, the Mi Mix 2S will run MIUI 9 with all the neat features...

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