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Apple sues Qualcomm for violating chip patents
The patent lawsuit battle between Apple and Qualcomm isn't about to cool down any time soon. Apple has countersued Qualcomm, alleging that older Snapdragon chips (the 800 and 820) violate eight or more patents for power management in processors. It's keen to point out that this technology predates that from a relevant Qualcomm suit, claiming that it pursued these patents "years" before the ones Qualcomm is wielding in its own case. Apple is pushing for unspecified damages.
ASUS' PadFone X goes global: still a 5-inch to 8.9-inch transformer
The ASUS PadFone X due June 6th can be considered as a slightly rugged version of the regular PadFone Infinity flagship line, but it's only limited to AT&T customers. Luckily, for those outside the US, there will soon be a global variant dubbed the PadFone S. These two models are pretty much identical: You get the same 5-inch-phone-to-8.9-inch-tablet transformation, and the guts include the 2.3GHz quad-core Snapdragon 800, 2GB of RAM, full HD displays, microSD slot, 13MP plus 2MP cameras on the phone (1MP front camera on the tablet) and 2,300mAh plus 4,990mAh batteries. The only differences are the 3G and 4G bands for obvious reasons, plus the wireless charging here follows the more popular Qi specifications, as opposed to PMA's. There's no info on pricing yet here at Computex; all we know is that it'll arrive in select markets as early as late Q3 this year.
Samsung ATIV SE leak hints at April launch, warmed-over Galaxy S 4 specs
Samsung's ATIV SE hasn't been a terribly well-kept secret, but we've heard precious little about the Verizon-bound Windows Phone beyond its use of a 5-inch, 1080p display. However, tipsters have given The Verge hardware specs that will seem very familiar. If the leak is accurate, the ATIV SE will be a higher-end Galaxy S 4 variant with Microsoft's OS slapped on top -- you should see the same Snapdragon 800 processor, 13-megapixel rear camera, 2GB of RAM and 16GB of expandable storage. Those specs could still make it a potent device, but they hint that Samsung is once again recycling an Android design. If you don't mind the reused components, you'll be glad to hear that the ATIV SE could be coming very soon. The smartphone is reportedly launching on Verizon in April (minus Windows Phone 8.1), pitting it directly against Nokia's similarly specified Lumia Icon. [Image credit: @evleaks, Twitter]
Oppo Find 7 is the world's first phone that can take 50MP photos (video)
We've seen the teasers and we've seen the leaks, so it's about time to see the real thing. Oppo has finally unveiled the Find 7 in Beijing just now, and as promised, this Android 4.3 device really can take 50-megapixel photos! But as with many things in life, there's a catch here: the sensor is actually a 13-megapixel Sony IMX214 CMOS, so it's a software trick. Still, the results we saw earlier were surprisingly good, so read on to check out how it's done and what the rest of the phone is like.
IUNI U2 is palm-friendly Xiaomi competitor, packs an UltraPixel front camera
When Gionee's spin-off online mobile brand IUNI -- taken from "I am unique" -- launched back in November, it vowed to go right after Xiaomi with a similar sales strategy, but it's also differentiating itself by delivering "stunning" hardware design and "elegant" UI at the same time. Earlier today, the Chinese company finally showed off what it's been working on: the U2. This 2.2GHz Snapdragon 800 device is positioned as the best single-hand metallic phone, featuring a 4.7-inch 1080p LTPS display -- similar to that of last year's HTC One -- tucked within a 65mm-wide aluminum body, which is narrower than the Huawei Ascend P6 and even the Moto X. Oh, and it's cheap, too: the 32GB version with 3GB of RAM is just CN¥1,999 (about $320) unsubsidized, whereas the 16GB version with 2GB RAM is just CN¥1,799 (about $290).
Samsung devices no longer boosting benchmark scores after Android 4.4 update
Those artificially inflated benchmark scores Samsung devices were getting last year? They've been patched. According to new tests run by Ars Technica, Samsung devices running Android 4.4 no longer boost CPU speeds during benchmark tests. In July, Exynos variants of the Galaxy S 4 and Note 3 were caught running their CPUs at an unsustainable max speed during benchmark programs, bolstering their total score by as much as 20 percent. Samsung suggested this was normal, claiming that varied processor frequencies were designed to provide an "optimal user experience." The firm never clearly explained if the phenomenon was a feature, fault or foul play, but it's over now: Devices updated to the latest version of Android are apparently running clean.
Qualcomm updates its top-end chip, reveals future 64-bit and octa-core Snapdragons
No, this isn't quite the flagship chip we've been waiting on, but it's a worthy stopgap. Qualcomm has upgraded its successful Snapdragon 800 processor and notched up its title to the 801. For now, it probably represents the peak of the 32-bit era of Android, with clock speed increases across the board, including a nearly 10 percent increase on the CPU side of things (2.5Ghz instead of the 800's 2.3GHz), a 30 percent increase for the Adreno GPU as well as faster memory. Speed increases like that are par for the course as silicon fabs get into the swing of each product generation, but it means it'll be worth looking out for top-end phones that makes use of the extra power -- not least Sony's Xperia Z2, which is due out next month. As for 64-bit chips, we've already seen the low-end Snapdragon 410, but now Qualcomm has also revealed plans for its mid-tier Snapdragon 600-series. The Snapdragon 610 and 615 will arrive in Android smartphones in Q4 of this year, regardless of whether Android is able to benefit from 64-bit processing by that time. Like the 410 and other devices that will be based on ARM's Cortex-A53, there's full backwards compatibility with existing 32-bit apps, so it's more about future-proofing than anything else. In the case of the Snadpragon 615, it's Qualcomm's first-ever octa-core silicon. According to Anandtech, it looks like the eight cores are divided into two "clusters" that are similar to ARM's big.LITTLE design -- in other words, each quad-core cluster may be designed to handle different sorts of tasks. But Qualcomm added that all eight cores can be operational at the same time, making it a more powerful alternative -- and a more direct threat -- to MediaTek's own octa-core offer.
Oppo's next smartphone due in March with Quad HD and 1080p display options
You may cringe at this "Find 7 [are] coming" line, but it's actually an intentional typo, as Oppo's releasing its Find 5 follow-up with two screen resolutions. You see, back in December, the Chinese company teased that its next flagship phone will be using JDI's (not LG's) 5.5-inch 2,560 x 1,440 (538 ppi) panel, which is even sharper than the 6-inch counterpart on the Vivo Xplay 3S. Then to confuse us, earlier this week a Find 7 benchmark showed up on GFXBench with a 1080p display instead, along with a Snapdragon 800 SoC and Android 4.3. We've since checked with our own sources, and we can now confirm that said device will indeed be offered with more than one display option to please everyone: 2K aka Quad HD for the spec chasers, and 1080p for the humble users. We also understand that other specs may differ between the two versions, so if all goes well, we'll take a closer look at the Find 7 variants in Beijing's 798 Art Zone on March 19th.
The 6.8-inch Hisense X1 smartphone is basically a tablet and it's coming to the US this summer (updated: video)
There's big, there's b-i-g and then there's "oh my god, are you [redacted] kidding me this is [redacted] BIG!" That's pretty much how we felt when we first laid our eyes and outstretched hand on Hisense's X1, a 6.8-inch Android smartphone first introduced at this year's CES. You wouldn't be wrong for thinking it's a tablet -- it pretty much unofficially is and depending on your taste and needs, that could be a good thing. The X1, which is slated to launch in China before the US, comes outfitted with what we'd expect from a high-end smartphone: Snapdragon 800, 13-megapixel camera, 1080p IPS display, 3,900mAh battery and Android 4.4 KitKat. So the performance and shine are there, but its dimensions stop it just short of being practical in daily use. With Qualcomm's Snapdragon 800 powering the X1, the overall user experience zips along smoothly and briskly. There's hardly any hesitation when effecting input actions, accessing the app drawer or launching applications. And viewing angles are also excellent, owing to that IPS display. As you can see from our gallery (demo video to come soon), the X1's also running a light skin atop Android, but it's not so cluttered as to make the phone confusing and nearly unusable a la Samsung's TouchWiz. Though the X1 model we previewed was on running 4.3 Jelly Bean, Hisense reps assured us it would ship with KitKat onboard.
ZTE's 5.5-inch Grand S II lets your friends unlock the phone with their voice
After a brief tease last week, ZTE has at last revealed the Grand S II. The Android 4.3 smartphone has all the necessary ingredients of an early 2014 flagship, including a 5.5-inch 1080p screen, a 2.3GHz Snapdragon 800, a 13-megapixel rear camera and a 2-megapixel sensor up front. However, its real centerpiece is its voice recognition, which is more elaborate than ZTE hinted at a few days ago. The Grand S II will recognize multiple users' voices; unlike the Moto X, you can let friends and family unlock the phone solely through speech. Other voice features are familiar, but welcome. You can take photos with spoken commands, and a My-drive mode tweaks the voice recognition for quicker hands-free control while in the car. We're not big on the 16GB of built-in storage, but the hefty 3,000mAh battery should last longer than the 1,780mAh pack in the original Grand S. About the only mystery left is the Grand S II's launch schedule, but we hope to learn more about that in the near future.
Vivo Xplay 3S unveiled with a 6-inch 2K display, powerful audio amp and fingerprint reader
We came away rather impressed with the Vivo Xplay from China, so today's launch of its successor, the Xplay 3S (which is a bit odd as there was never an "Xplay 2"), is something that we've been looking forward to since the teaser way back in October. As mentioned before, this new Android phone is still the first to pack a 2K (2,560 x 1,440) display, which works out to be a ridiculously high 490ppi density on the 6-inch panel. Like other recent Vivo phones, you'll find a pair of dedicated audio chips on the Xplay 3S -- here you have ESS Technology's ES9018 DAC and Texas Instruments' OPA2604 amplifier, both of which are said to be the crème de la crème in their respective categories. This should go nicely with the built-in DTS Headphone:X feature that brings 7.1 or even 11.1 surround sound effect to your stereo headphones; plus Vivo's video streaming service already hosts about 200 Headphone:X-capable movies (along with over 400 movies in 1080p and over 1,000 movies in 720p), with more to be added each month.
ASUS CEO: The PadFone is coming to America in Q2 2014
ASUS has big ambitions with its PadFones, a unique phone-to-tablet convertible concept that was first introduced back at Computex 2011. While these devices are barely nibbling on the global mobile market (let alone entering the US), the company still stands by its "N+1" philosophy: "to add on a simple change which allows the product to evolve beyond its current capability." This is evidenced by its five iterations of transformable phones, including the new PadFone Infinity (A86) and the upcoming PadFone Mini. The question is: when, if ever, will the PadFone break out of its niche? CEO Jerry Shen reckons now is the time. What's more, he's going for a dual-series strategy, henceforth, with a high-end line for Europe and the US, and a "mainstream" line for Asia.
South Korea may get a Galaxy S 4 Active with LTE-A, processor and camera upgrades
South Korea's SK-Telecom already has a variant of the GS4 to surf its LTE-Advanced waves, and now it appears Samsung will release a version of the Galaxy S4 Active that plays nice with the carrier's next-gen network. A flyer posted on a Korean-language website revealed the handset and detailed its specs, listing a 2.3GHz quad-core Snapdragon 800 processor, a healthy horsepower boost from the original's 1.9GHz quad-core Snapdragon 600. What's more, the smartphone now sports a 13MP camera -- which matches that of the vanilla Galaxy S4 -- and its storage has doubled to 32GB. Besides shaving off a few grams in weight and nabbing a white color option, the device retains the rest of its predecessor's features, all the way down to its 5-inch 1080p display and 2,600mAh battery. It's not clear if a revamped GS4 Active will make its way to other territories sans LTE-A, but adventurous (and clumsy) souls can keep their hopes up for a more powerful incarnation of the ruggedized phone.
Gionee Elife E7 boasts most sensitive 16MP camera, 2.5GHz Snapdragon 800
Gionee isn't exactly a name that you'd come across in the Western market every day, but this time, the Chinese company has big global ambitions. The latest proof is its Elife E7, a 5.5-inch 1080p Android phone that boasts two titles: it's the first known phone featuring the 2.5GHz flavor of Qualcomm's Snapdragon 800 chip (MSM8974AC); plus it has the most sensitive 16-megapixel camera, courtesy of its Largan M8 lens (though the aperture is still unknown) and 1/2.3-inch sensor with large 1.34µm pixels. Compared to the competition, Gionee believes this particular OmniVision sensor has the best balance between resolution and pixel size, and the phone maker even went as far as claiming this already beats the 1.12µm, 16-megapixel counterpart on the yet-to-be-announced Galaxy S 5. Of course, we'll believe it when we get to properly test the E7's camera ourselves.
China's Nubia offers Android phone with Snapdragon 800 and 16GB storage for $330
It was only just over a month ago when ZTE's premium brand Nubia made its debut launch in the US, and today the company's already launching follow-up models in China. Starting with the Z5S, this is essentially the Z5 (or simply the 5 in the US) packed with some new goodies: a 2.3GHz Snapdragon 800 SoC, a 5-megapixel front camera, a dedicated camera button, 4K video capture, a multi-purpose infrared remote feature and rare support for all three 3G networks in China (China Mobile's TD-SCDMA, China Telecom's CDMA2000 and China Unicom's WCDMA). The rest of the phone is pretty much the same as before: 5-inch 1080p (443ppi) LCD, 2.67mm bezel, 7.6mm thickness, 2GB RAM, 2,300mAh battery, and a 13-megapixel main camera with f/2.2 aperture plus digital image stabilization.
Oppo's VP resigns amid rumors of building an online brand with Cyanogen Inc.
Recent years saw the birth of many new online brands in China, with Xiaomi being the most notable one with its complete ecosystem on top of aggressive pricing. And at last, it looks like local competitor Oppo wants a share of that pie as well. According to a rumor from just before the weekend, the company's VP Pete Lau (pictured above) will be developing a new online brand from scratch, and its first product will feature top hardware specs along with CyanogenMod -- the same renowned Android ROM that's headed to Oppo's flagship N1 and Find 5. More interestingly, Lau has just announced that today's his last day at Oppo.
Lenovo's Vibe Z unveiled with Snapdragon 800, dual-SIM tray and Samsung-inspired flip cover
Lenovo's been using a lot of MediaTek chipsets for its phones of late, but don't worry, it hasn't forgotten to share some love with Qualcomm. What we have here is the Vibe Z aka K910, which is a Snapdragon 800 cousin of the MT6589T-powered Vibe X, but with the same anti-fingerprint finish on the back. By comparison, the former is bigger and 1mm thicker (at 7.9mm), but it does pack a 5.5-inch full HD IPS display, a dual-SIM tray, a 13-megapixel f/1.8 main camera (with dual-LED flash) and a 5-megapixel wide-angle front imager. For the Sony IMX135-powered main camera, Lenovo says it's capable of shooting up to 10 stills per half second, plus its proprietary low-light algorithm apparently produces notably brighter pictures with effective noise reduction. We'll believe it when we see it. While no battery size is mentioned just yet, Lenovo claims a lab-tested standby time of 278.5 hours for the WCDMA + GSM model. There will also be a CDMA2000 + GSM model for China Telecom users, as well as an LTE + GSM flavor for the international market. Interestingly, the company is offering an S View Cover-like flip case for the Vibe Z, but it comes with the added trackpad that lets you receive or reject calls in the usual spot, instead of having to poke inside the window. We doubt Samsung is going to be happy about this, though LG, Pantech and some others have borrowed this idea before. Lenovo China's website says it will soon be taking pre-orders for its latest Android device, but you'll have to stay tuned for the pricing and availability for the rest of the world.
Samsung W2014 is world's first Snapdragon 800 flip phone, costs over $1,640
China Telecom's obsession with Samsung's luxury clamshells isn't dwindling any time soon. In fact, the two companies have just launched a new model, the SCH-W2014, at their annual "Heart Of The World" charity concert in Nanjing last night. While it shares a similar appearance with the W2013 and the more recent Galaxy Golden, the new W2014 is by far the most powerful dual-screen flip phone in Samsung's line-up, featuring Android 4.3, a 2.3GHz quad-core Snapdragon 800 SoC, 2GB of RAM, a 13-megapixel main camera, a 2-megapixel front-facing imager and dual-SIM connectivity (CDMA2000 800/1900 and GSM 900/1800/1900). You'll also find 32GB of internal storage plus microSD expansion. Compared to the Galaxy Golden and the W2013, the only notable downsides on the W2014 are the same 800 x 480 resolution on its 3.7-inch Super AMOLED displays, as well as its similar 1,900mAh battery capacity (but removable). On the flip side, the weight has gone down to 173.5g, making this the lightest model in the "Heart Of The World" clamshell family since the W699 -- the first of the series -- from 2008. Chinese website iFeng, which got to check out the device at the event, praised the phone's overall design and keypad feedback, but also criticized the plastic look and feel of the hinge. There's no launch date or price just yet, but expect the W2014 to cost beyond CN¥10,000, which works out to be about US$1,640. Yes, it's certainly not everyone's cup of tea, but you can still head over to PCPOP for more hands-on photos.
Samsung Galaxy Round hands-on
Following the recent launch of Samsung's Korea-only Galaxy Round, it was only a matter of time before this eccentric concave phone made its way to specialist stores in Hong Kong. Tofu-keitai is one of the few shops that are offering said product in Sincere Podium (where the going rate is above $850 to capitalize on early adopters), and our contacts there were kind enough to let us play with one briefly. As you can deduce from the appearance and specs, the Snapdragon 800-powered Galaxy Round looks and feels just like a Galaxy Note 3 that you accidentally sat on. Even the plastic back cover channels the same stitched leather look, and underneath it you get the usual microSD slot plus a removable battery, albeit with a slightly smaller capacity -- 10.64Wh instead of 12.16Wh. Other notable differences include the lack of stylus and grip grooves on the faux metallic frame.
Samsung Galaxy S 4 with Snapdragon 800 and faster LTE treks to Europe
Remember how there was an LTE-A-equipped Samsung Galaxy S 4 with a juicy Snapdragon 800 CPU for South Korea and a lesser Exynos 5 or Snapdragon 600 version for everywhere else? Well, it looks like the more desirable former variant is about to migrate to Europe, judging by a GT-I9506 product page on Samsung's German site. That CPU would put the six month-old handset on par with Samsung's new Galaxy Note 3 flagship, along with the latest models from Nokia, LG and others. At the moment there's no European countries that actually support the 150Mbps LTE-A speeds, though Sweden has been testing it. Still, if you need feel the need to future-proof all your gadget buys, don't be surprised to see the model in stores around Europe soon.
