mwc2013
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LG reveals 5.5-inch Optimus G Pro design with curved glass
Clearly, a lot of us wanted LG to reveal the design of the 5.5-inch Optimus G Pro as quickly as possible: just a day after a teaser, we're looking at the complete picture. And it's quite a looker, by all counts. While it has the familiar digital cube pattern on the back, it's also using curved glass in black or white, which LG says produces a "2.5D" effect. Those other details that LG is willing to divulge are largely what we expected based on the Japanese edition, including a full HD (1080p) display and a quad-core processor that's likely the Snapdragon S4 Pro. LG expects the larger G Pro to launch in late February, although it didn't say whether or not this is limited to South Korea; based on the timing, though, we might get a peek at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.
LG promo confirms 5.5-inch Optimus G Pro for Korea
If you were worried that you might have to wait until Mobile World Congress to learn whether or not a 5.5-inch version of the Optimus G Pro was real, your mind can rest at ease. While hoping to drum up buzz for a launch beyond Japan, the company has ever-so-casually mentioned that at least the South Korean edition of the G Pro has a 5.5-inch, full HD screen -- half an inch larger than the Japanese model, and just as large as the panel on the Galaxy Note II. Want to know more? That's part of the promo. Borrowing a page from Sony, LG promises to reveal more of the phone the more Facebook Likes it receives. While previous tips suggest that the 5.5-inch edition will mostly be a larger take on an already supersized device, it's still very tempting to click that Like button -- just don't expect one of the mentioned prizes if you live beyond LG's native borders.
LG reveals Optimus L Series II, dual-SIM L7II is the first to launch
As usual, LG can't wait for the show to start to display its latest phones and is previewing the Optimus L Series II line ahead of MWC 2013. Just like its predecessors, the L Series II will come in a variety of sizes, with a 3.2-inch L3II, 4.0-inch L5II and 4.3-inch L7II on the way. According to LG, the second coming of the L Style adds Seamless Layout, Laser Cut Contour, Radiant Rear Design and Smart LED Lighting (the button at the bottom has a lighted edge) design elements to the beauty of the original phones. Other than screen size, the different versions will also feature different batteries, ranging from 2,460mAh in the largest to 1,540mAh in the smallest. The L7II will be first to launch and has the most details, with specs listing a 1GHz dual-core Qualcomm MSM8225 CPU, up to 4GB internal storage, 768MB RAM and a microSD slot, plus WVGA IPS screen and 8MP rear / VGA front camera setup. The dual-SIM version seen in earlier leaks will debut in Russia this week with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean on board, availability for the other new phones will be announced later. The full rundown of new features and a pair of pictures are after the break, while you check those we'll keep an eye out for any more surprises from LG before the show floor opens in Barcelona.
LG teases 'new series' of mobile phones with 'unexpected distinction,' remains indistinct (update: video)
Offering up its Facebook fans a loving wrapped teaser image, LG Mobile reckons it's got something up its sleeve. On the social network entry, it notes that the new series will have an "unexpected distinction", which is hopefully more than just a baffling screen ratio. Will it be ready for MWC in a few weeks? Or will the company go the way of other smartphone makers and just launch whatever it has at its very own event? Who knows? LG does, that's who. [Thanks to everyone that sent this in] Update: Following that vague theme, LG's now got a teaser video for you to see, confirming that we'll be seeing their new stuff at MWC.
HTC teases 'new sound and camera experience' coming in 2013
After publishing a self-promoting infographic that takes a look at the history of photography, it's pretty obvious that HTC has something up its sleeve concerning smartphone cameras. While the company didn't carve out clear cut details of what it has in store, the popular Taiwanese phone maker did give a vague idea of when things will transpire. The final entry in the company's little history lesson concludes in current times with an entry stating "HTC kicks off a new sound and camera experience in 2013." While we're really not into playing guessing games, we can't help but wonder if the firm's exclusive relationship with Beats will have an impact on the audio portion of its plans. Hopefully HTC's pre-MWC festivities will shed a bit of light on what the company has been working on.
Three mystery Samsung Galaxy Tab profiles spotted: GT-P8200 model houses 2,560 x 1,600 display?
While we know Samsung's planning plenty for us to see in Barcelona in a few weeks, we're still not certain on the specifics. Perhaps, then, it's got a handful of tablets for us. That's what these handful of User Agent profiles purport to show us. The model numbers GT-P3200, GT-P5200 and the GT-P8200 suggest that they'll join the Galaxy Tab family, although these profiles only give us a little detail to work on. The GT-P3200 appears to be the entry-level slab, with a 1,024 x 600 resolution more suited to tablets of yesteryear. This is cranked up to 1,280 x 800 for the P5200, while the GT-P8200 will apparently match the Nexus 10's pin-sharp 2,560 x 1,600 display. Unfortunately, there's nothing here to confirm screen-size, processing punch or much else, although we managed to sniff out an AnTuTu benchmark for the GT-P8200 that reckons it'll house a (presumably multicore) 1.7GHz processor and Android 4.2. However, like these User Agent Profiles, we're looking at these results with a suspicious glare until something more official surfaces. Between the trio, there's likely to be a division between two different sizes of tablet -- possibly either side of that Galaxy Note 8 that's set to make an appearance next month. Check out the GT-P8200's short-but-sweet benchmark listing after the break.
ZTE's 5.7-inch, 8mm-thick Grand Memo teased ahead of MWC launch, we go hands-on
Huawei may have its 6.1-inch Ascend Mate for the convenience of hiding your face, but ZTE's also prepping its very own tabletphone to go head to head with its main rival. Dubbed the Grand Memo (V9815), this 5.7-inch 720p device made a surprise appearance at a ZTE event in Hong Kong today, and we got to snap some photos of it. The device looks identical to the P945 leaked earlier this month but packs some slightly different specs: 1.7GHz quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro (same as the more premium Grand S), 13-megapixel camera, 8mm-thick body and Android 4.1.2. While the specs aren't too shabby, our colleague Stone Ip said the choice of finish on the body didn't feel as nice as the Grand S', and the silver bezel made the Grand Memo look worse, but in ZTE's defense it was a prototype and the design may improve in the retail version. On a more positive note, the new phone does include a microSD slot despite its slimness, and it comes with a "one-hand" T9 keyboard that can stick to either side of the screen for better single-handed typing, just too bad we were asked not to take a video of the device at the time. That said, the Grand Memo will be officially unveiled at MWC next month, so stay tuned for more.
HTC to hold press events on February 19th, will show off 'what's next'
It looks like some of the hottest MWC action won't take place in the same country -- or even in the same week, for that matter. HTC has confirmed that it will be holding a press event in New York on the 19th of February, which is a few days before the majority of MWC companies hold their press conferences. At the time of this post, we believe this will be the company's new flagship phone (currently rumored to be called the M7). We've also received official confirmation that an event will be held in London as well. Regardless of where they're held, we'll be there to get you the info on the latest and greatest from HTC!
Samsung exec confirms 8-inch Galaxy Note coming to MWC
The internet has been quietly discussing the possibility of an 8-inch Galaxy Note for a while now, but nothing appeared at CES. However, it might've just been waiting for the right event to make its entrance, and iNews24 is reporting that JK Shin himself has confirmed the Galaxy Note 8 will debut at MWC. Seeming as the Korean news outfit also got word on the S III mini from Samsung's mobile chief before anything was official, we've got no reason to doubt this scoop. If this addition to the Note range is the mysterious GT-N5100 we saw benchmarked recently, it could be packing a 1.6GHz quad-core Exynos processor, and fit 1,280 x 800 pixels in that 8-inch display (the same res as the Galaxy Note 10.1). As JK Shin shared nothing but the screen size for now, we'll just have to wait until MWC to get all the finer details.
Huawei's Richard Yu confirms 8-core chip for 2H 2013, teases super slim P series phone for MWC
We never thought our day could get any better after Huawei's Consumer Business Group CEO Richard Yu became available again for our CES stage interview (there was originally a "last minute urgent conflict"), but our man was also kind enough to share a couple more scoops with us. First of all, Huawei will be joining Samsung at the octa-core Cortex-A15 party in the second half of this year, and given what Yu's told us earlier this week, our guess is that this will either be the HiSilicon K3V3 or a sister chipset, again manufactured by TSMC. The second scoop of the day was delivered fresh off the stage after the interview. Yu told us exclusively that at MWC next month, Huawei will be unveiling a super slim follow-up to the current P series Android phones. We asked if it'll be even thinner than 6.45mm (the thickness of the Alcatel One Touch Idol Ultra announced at CES), and Yu said yes. The exec added that the new phone will have a beautiful metallic body as well. Exciting times, right?
