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Verizon and Nokia are building private 5G networks for businesses
Verizon will work with Nokia to create private 5G installations that can replace WiFi in large “manufacturing, distribution and logistics facilities.
MediaTek's latest processor will help take dual-SIM 5G phones mainstream
MediaTek is trying to make 5G more accessible on less-than-flagship phones with the launch of the Dimensity 820 processor. It has the latest carrier aggregation tech that offers improved coverage and seamless handovers between 5G coverage areas, faster download speeds, dual-SIM tech and voice over new radio (VoNR), the 5G equivalent to VoLTE tech.
The first dual-SIM 5G phones could arrive in early 2020
Sure, you can buy a 5G phone right now if you're not picky, but for many that's just not an option without dual-SIM support -- some people need the flexibility, whether it's to use the lowest-cost service or just having separate work and personal lines. If you're one of them, you might have that option soon. MediaTek has formally revealed its previously-teased 5G system-on-chip, now called the Dimensity 1000, and it's billed as the first SoC to support 5G on two SIMs. You could have two lines without having to compromise on data speeds.
HTC's new pixel-density champ is the One ME
Oh, HTC, we're starting to lose track of all your tempting Asia-only models. The Taiwanese company has just revealed the One ME, which is basically an M9+ with less metal and no Duo camera (as rumored). We understand if you're having trouble keeping up, so here are the boilerplate specs. The ME has a polycarbonate body with a metal frame like the 5.5-inch E9+, but with a smaller 5.2-inch Quad HD (2,560 x 1,440) screen for a stunning 565 ppi -- making it HTC's sharpest phone to date. The CPU is a MediaTek Helio X10 eight-core job running at 2.2GHz with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage expandable to 2TB via microSDXC.
Microsoft's Nokia 215 is its cheapest connected phone yet
Since Microsoft's acquisition of Nokia's smartphone division, it's shied away from debuting flagship handsets in favor of more affordable devices. That trend continues today with the launch of the Nokia 215, a $29 Series 30+ phone that Microsoft says is its most affordable smartphone to date. Unlike other handsets in the company's low-end range, the Nokia 215 can run apps like Facebook, Messenger, Twitter, Bing Search, MSN Weather and Opera Mini, giving first-time smartphone owners the chance to browse and share while on the move.
Xiaomi's smartphone sales tripled in one year
It's no secret that Xiaomi had a banner year in 2014 and became one of the world's largest smartphone makers, but now we know just how large. The Chinese company has revealed that it sold 61.1 million smartphones in 2014, or more than three times the 18.7 million it managed in 2013. It's hard to compare that to rivals without getting more hard numbers, but it's safe to say that this fledgling firm (it was only founded in 2010) is easily outperforming companies that are old hands at the smartphone game, like LG and Sony.
Samsung's Galaxy Grand Neo melds ultra-basic specs with a mid-size screen
Let's say you like the idea of a big-screened Samsung smartphone, but even the Galaxy Grand 2 is too rich for your blood. Are you stuck? Not at all -- the company has quietly released the Galaxy Grand Neo, a more frugal take on an already cheap handset. The new device keeps the Grand 2's quad-core 1.2GHz processor and 8GB of expandable storage, but scales down to a 5-inch 800 x 480 display, a 5-megapixel rear camera and a VGA front shooter. Few will be blown away by the hardware, then, although there is a healthy 2,100mAh battery inside. Let's just hope that the pricing becomes more competitive. As of this writing, the Grand Neo sells for a relatively high €260 ($355) after tax in the Netherlands; we can think of a few smartphones that offer considerably more for your money.
Huawei launches 5.5-inch B199 in China with a battery for hire
Huawei recently outed the Ascend Mate 2 with a colossal 4,000mAh battery that can actually charge other devices, and it's now brought that tech to a mid-range handset. The 5.5-inch B199 is a successor to the A199, and packs similar specs: a 720p screen, 2GB of RAM, 16GB of storage (expandable via microSD slot), dual SIMs (3G only) and a quad-core processor. The new model, though, has a Snapdragon, rather than a Huawei K3V2 CPU and also carries a much larger battery: 3,000mAh instead of 2,100mAh. Huawei says that'll power the phone through long browsing sessions and even let you charge other devices -- though it'd be odd to be packing another cellphone when you already have one with two SIMs. And given those dual SIMs, we'd not expect the $330 phone to be available outside China and similar markets.
Alcatel to bring world's fastest octa-core phone to Europe in February
TCL's already jumped the gun by launching its Idol X+ in China last month, but the same flagship device will be heading to Europe this February under the Alcatel brand. For those who missed the news the first time round, this dual-micro-SIM, 7.9mm-thick Android phone packs MediaTek's 2GHz MT6592, which is currently the world's fastest true octa-core chipset. You'll find the usual top-spec components around the Idol X+ as well, including a 5-inch 1080p IPS display, a 13-megapixel main camera (which supports 40-megapixel panorama and digital stabilization for video capture), a 2-megapixel front-facing imager, a 2,500mAh battery and dedicated audio amplifier chips by ESS. Internal storage starts from 16GB (with 12.3GB available to the user), along with microSD expansion of up to 32GB. The phone also comes with a pair of JBL earbuds, but there's no word on whether the China versions' Bluetooth activity tracker will be included as well -- at least it won't be called Boom Band, as it will apparently be a more refined version when it goes global. We were left rather impressed by the Idol X+'s design and build quality. The solid plastic bezel features a brushed-metallic effect, accompanied by a spin finish (achieved by in-mould labelling) on the back of the phone. Like the screen, the backside will also have a nano-coating treatment to minimize fingerprint smudges. Shoppers will be given a color option of either black or white when this 3G phone lands in Europe sometime in February, and it'll likely be sold for around the attractive $300 price point unsubsidized. Brad Molen contributed to this report.
Dual-SIM HTC One with expandable storage comes to the UK
Just days after it unveiled a second gold One, HTC is releasing another variant of its Android flagship in an attempt to boost sales in the UK. Today, the company announced the availability of the HTC One Dual SIM, which you may already know as HTC One 802w. Just like it's Chinese counterpart, the device comes with a removable back for access to dual SIM slots and, more importantly, a microSD slot. That means you can switch between SIMs to receive calls and also fall back on up to 64GB of external storage, should you max-out the One's 32GB of internal storage. The dual-SIM functionality does come at a price, however, as the latest One variant does not support LTE -- otherwise the specs remain unchanged. If you can overlook that, the One Dual SIM is up for pre-order on HTC's official store for £495 ($809), with it likely to head to a "number of networks and retailers" in the near future.
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.
5.5-inch LG phone leaks online, and it's allegedly affordable
Somewhere out there, someone is probably waiting for a more affordable LG Optimus G Pro, and if the LG G Pro Lite Dual turns out to be real, then their wish might soon be granted. The phone will reportedly boast dual-SIM support and retain the size of its predecessor's 5.5-inch display, but it'll have a 960 x 540 pixel resolution instead of full HD. It'll understandably be equipped with other lesser specs, including an unspecified 1GHz dual-core processor, 1GB of RAM, a 3,140mAh battery, an 8-megapixel rear camera and 8GB of internal storage that's supplemented with a microSD card slot. According to the Russian website that first reported the leak, the Android 4.1.2 phone will be available in the Eurasian country in October for $400 unlocked, which just happens to be cheaper than the Galaxy Mega. Obviously, you'll have to shell out for the more expensive Optimus G Pro if you want better specs, but at least this one comes with a stylus.
Lenovo's first Snapdragon 800 phone leaked as the K6 or X910
Despite the fact that Lenovo hasn't yet embraced the Snapdragon 600 SoC, it looks like the Chinese company's finally giving Qualcomm a proper chance with the latter's more powerful Snapdragon 800. Starting yesterday, several cheeky images of an unannounced dual-SIM Android phone -- codenamed K6 or X910 -- popped up in Lenovo's official Chinese forum. The photo after the break shows AnTuTu indicating the presence of the relatively new MSM8974 chip (with Adreno 330 GPU) plus a 1,920 x 1,080 display (which looks like a 5-inch panel to us); so unless the app made a mistake, what we have here could be Lenovo's upcoming flagship device. While not much else has been said about the phone, one of the leaksters described it as thin and light, and that it felt good in hand. But to be honest, we're not too thrilled with the design ID here, especially with that K860-inspired back. What's interesting, though, is that according to a source of ours, the "X" in X910 may be a wildcard that depends on the kind of deal Lenovo made with Qualcomm. At this point, we've been told to assume it'll eventually become the K910, which would, sadly, make this phone an uglier successor to the Intel-powered K900. Either way, chances are we won't be seeing many of these outside China, anyway.
Dual-SIM HTC Butterfly s certified for China, comes with removable back cover
It's a given that HTC will eventually launch its new Butterfly s in China, but will it be a dual-SIM version like the One Dual variants offered over there? The answer is yes, according to a filing in TENAA's database. This particular "9060" device comes with WCDMA radio, meaning it'll be picked up by China Unicom but will also work in many parts of the world. According to a source of ours, the entire back cover (black or white; with NFC antenna) is removable to give access to the two micro-SIM card slots, as well as a microSD slot as featured on the One Dual. The trade-off, however, is the increased 10.89mm thickness from the original 10.6mm. That said, the listed 158g weight is a little below the original 160g, so we're not sure if the battery capacity is still at 3,200mAh. The rest of the phone should otherwise be identical to its single-SIM sibling: 1.9GHz quad-core processor (so should be the same Snapdragon 600 SoC), 5-inch 1080p LCD, UltraPixel main camera, BoomSound stereo speakers and Android 4.2.2. As always, we shall keep an eye out for a price and date.
Nokia announces the 207 and 208: 3G data and month-long standby for $68
Smartphone sales may have surpassed featurephone sales earlier this year, but that's not stopping Nokia from releasing devices like the 207 and 208. Both feature a 2.4-inch QVGA screen, 3G (HSPDA, up to 7.2Mbps) connectivity, a stand-by time of over 30 days and a $68 price tag before taxes and subsidies. Where they differ is that the 207 has no camera (for security-conscious work places) and only comes in a single-SIM variant, while the 208 features a 1.3-megapixel camera and is also available in a dual-SIM flavor. Nokia wants to point out that these devices use microSIM cards, not traditional full size SIM cards, making them ideal as a second phone for when you want to "leave your smartphone at home." Meanwhile, if you're willing to sacrifice 3G, the 110 and 112 are even cheaper. Or, if you don't mind spending a little more, Firefox OS phones deserve a look too.
Xolo Q600 hits India with 4.5-inch screen, quad-core CPU for $150
Lava has an eclectic mix of smartphones on the market under its Xolo brand, including the Intel Atom-based X1000 and dual-core X800 ARM model with an 8-megapixel camera. A common thread is that all are, shall we say, cheap, and the Q600 unveiled today is no exception at 8,999 rupees (about $150). For that sum, you'll get a quad-core Mediatek 6589M processor, 4.5-inch 854 x 480 screen, 5-megapixel rear camera, 0.3-megapixel front cam, 512MB RAM, 4GB internal memory (expandable via microSD) dual 3G sims and Android 4.2. Residents of India can grab it as of today, though we can't see this particular model ever making occidental travel plans.
Qualcomm grows Snapdragon 200 family with six new chips, targets emerging markets
Just because Qualcomm's gone to plaid (aka. reached ludicrous speed) with its Snapdragon 800 flagship doesn't mean the company's been standing still at the other end of the market. The Snapdragon 200 family just received a major boost with the introduction of six new chips geared at China and other emerging markets. Available with dual- and quad-core CPUs, the processors are manufactured using a 28nm process and incorporate HSPA+ (21Mbps) and TD-SCDMA radios. The new SoCs are optimized to provide good multimedia performance and long battery life, with support for dual cameras (up to 8MP rear and 5MP front), multiple SIMs (dual standby, dual active and tri standby), iZat location tech and Quick Charge 1.0. Qualcomm's Adreno 302 GPU rounds up the spec list, making these chips well suited for devices running Android, Windows Phone and Firefox OS. The company's expected to begin shipping these new processors (8x10 and 8x12) in late 2013. Full PR after the break.
LG Optimus L7 II Dual listed running Android 4.3?
While Android 4.3 never actually materialized at Google I/O last month, the latest version of Jelly Bean keeps popping up and making cameos all over. It most recently appeared in the specs for LG's Optimus L7 II Dual (that name's a handful, we know) on the company's website. The handset was running Android 4.1 when we played with it at Mobile World Congress and appears to have shipped with that OS version in some markets. Obviously, it's only a matter of time until Android 4.3 becomes official but we fully expect it to debut on Google's own Nexus 4 flagship before coming to any other device. In light of this, and considering the Optimus L7 II features a 4.3-inch screen, perhaps we're just looking at a typo? We've reached out to LG for clarification -- we'll keep you posted. Update: LG confirmed this is a typo. Move along -- nothing to see here.
Sony Xperia S39h spotted in leaked photos, looks to be a dual-SIM Xperia L
An unannounced Sony phone with the model number S39h has been spotted by Xperia Blog. There are no specs or launch details to share, but Engadget China has it pegged as a dual-SIM phone. It's similar to the Xperia L (S36h), albeit with some small differences like a relocated front-facing camera. Not as glamorous as a dual-SIM Galaxy S 4, perhaps, but two signal bars are always nice to see.
Samsung Galaxy Core is real: low-end specs, 4.3-inch WVGA display and a dual-SIM option
Whenever a Samsung flagship arrives, it's never long before we see a fleet of lower-spec handsets swimming in its wake. The latest Remora to come out from the shadow of its bigger brother (and the rumor mill) is the Galaxy Core, a 4.3-inch handset offering a 1.2GHz dual-core CPU, 1GB RAM, 8GB internal storage and a microSD slot. Running Touchwiz-infused Jelly Bean, the phone has a 5-megapixel rear camera with an LED flash and a VGA front-facer for the vain amongst you. Users will also be getting some of the more fancy Galaxy-style software features like Motion UI, Smart Stay, Smart Alert and S Voice. Of course, a phone is nothing without a screen, and here your eyes will be caressing a 4.3-inch WVGA (480 x 800) display -- but while you may not be thrilled at a low pixel count, at least there's the option for single SIM (available in July) or dual-SIM (from May) models for carrier swappers.%Gallery-187585%
