x12
Latest
Qualcomm's new chip brings ultra-wide screens to mid-range phones
Ultra-wide screens are hot stuff on smartphones these days, but there still isn't a whole lot of choice: you tend to either spring for the high end or make do with budget models. Where are the in-between options? Qualcomm might just help. It's introducing the Snapdragon 636 processor, an upgrade to the mid-tier 630 whose centerpiece is support for extra-tall FHD+ resolution (roughly 2,160 x 1,080) screens. You should get a reasonably speedy, dramatic-looking phone without making your bank account cry for mercy. It supports Assertive Display, too, so you can expect better visibility in less-than-ideal lighting.
Qualcomm's Snapdragon 820 packs 600Mbps LTE and smarter charging
Qualcomm's Snapdragon 820 hype train is getting to be a bit much (just ship the thing, already!), but you might want to take notice of the latest news if you're big on data speeds -- or simply want to charge your phone in a hurry. The company has revealed that its future system-on-a-chip will include the first processor to support super-fast 600Mbps LTE-Advanced, blowing past the 450Mbps record from before. It'll upload at a brisk 150Mbps, too, and this chip is the first to support unlicensed LTE (aka LTE-U). Oh, and did we mention that it'll allow for multi-gigabit 802.11ad WiFi? You probably won't get to use much of this technology in the near term, but it's good to have a ton of futureproofing.
Sony poster at CES shows unannounced, extremely slim-looking phone (update: it's the Arc)
Sony's CES banners have been unfurled around the Las Vegas Convention Center here and one of them has a particularly alluring, and particularly skinny, phone to show us. The above image of half a touchscreen handset (more closeup photography of which you'll find in the gallery below) shows a Sony Ericsson brand and what looks like a 3.5mm headphone jack -- the latter of which would suggest that this phone is no more than six or seven millimeters thick. Even more enticing is the promise of "more entertainment at the touch of a button," suggesting some processing and graphics firepower contained within as well -- could it be SE's answer to the dual-core LG Optimus 2X? We get the feeling we'll love this thing whatever the hell's inside it. Update: Closer investigation of the imagery has led us to believe this is probably the Anzu / X12 that we first saw back in November. That device's claim to fame was a 4.3-inch display allied to a "very, very thin" profile. Update 2: The mysterious handset has now been revealed as the Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc. %Gallery-112523%
Sony Ericsson mystery handset leaks out, provides juicy rumor material
Do you recognize this handset? Neither do we, and that's kind of the point. We're looking at a never-before seen Sony Ericsson smartphone running Android -- neither the Anzu / X12 nor the PlayStation Phone -- and if we're not terribly mistaken, that's the company's translucent Timescape UI on top. Oh, and it seems to be attached to Vodafone Germany, for whatever that's worth. What's more, the picture itself only tells half the story, as the other half is where it came from -- a Picasa account filled to the brim with 8 megapixel test shots from a pair of camera phones. It's hard to say whether either the Sony Ericsson "LT15i" or the "MT15i" are the device we're actually looking at here, but the brethren have now fired off over 150 images testing out these camera modules. Rumor has it that both are running Gingerbread and that this one's internal codename is "Hallon," but honestly we're more interested in that huge camera module on the front. HD video chat, perhaps? Find a full-frontal picture after the break, and plenty more at our source links. [Thanks, Brenton]
Sony Ericsson's 4.3-inch Anzu previewed: ain't got no Gingerbread, but still looking tasty
Our hope for the recently leaked Anzu (likely to be known as the Xperia X12 at retail) handset from Sony Ericsson was that it'd be the company's Android Gingerbread flagship, but here comes international super-reviewer Eldar Murtazin popping that bubble for us. The good man from Russia has a preview unit in his secret lab and reports that it currently only runs Android 2.1, with the intention being that launch devices in early 2011 will start off with Android 2.2 before getting their Gingerbread (2.3) fix in a later update. He also notes a 4.3-inch display with 854 x 480 resolution (just an LCD, nothing exciting), an 800MHz Qualcomm MSM7230 (same as in the T-Mobile G2 / Desire Z) powering things inside, and a 12 megapixel imager mounted on the back. The latter is naturally capable of recording 720p video, while early performance impressions are that the stock Android interface flies. Alas, Eldar expects SE to layer its own customizations on top, which adds to his disappointment with the general build quality of this device -- it's thinner and lighter than the X10, but apparently feels cheaper to the touch. Hit the source link for his comprehensive preview. Let's also not forget Eldar's tweet from the weekend when he said he was playing with the Anzu and the Galaxy 2 (aka Samsung i9100, according to him). Given that the first of those devices has now indeed made its way onto Mobile-review, the veracity of his second claim -- that the upcoming Samsung handset would be a dual-core beastie -- now seems a lot less questionable. [Thanks, Momchil]
Sony Ericsson's Anzu / X12 to be Xperia Gingerbread flagship? (Update: more pics!)
We're not sure what Sony Ericsson's gotten to lately with its mythological codenames, but if Xperia X10 Blog's source is to be trusted, what we're looking at here is supposedly an upcoming handset codenamed "Anzu" (a lesser god of Akkadian mythology), or simply the X12 according to the often reliable Eldar Murtazin. Details are thin right now, but the leakster claims that said device is "very, very slim" yet packing a 4.3-inch display and HDMI output -- sounds very much like the Droid X, if you ask us. Although this particular photo shows an Android 2.1 build on the phone, rumor has it that it'll be shipped with Gingerbread (which is now pretty much officially 2.3) in Q1 next year. Here's another interesting bit of gossip to take with you: we've heard from a couple of reliable sources close to the matter that the Anzu lies in the same category as the PlayStation Phone "Zeus" (also on Gingerbread but lacking the Xperia branding), and that they're being tested alongside each other. Whether this is an indication that the mystical Z-System gaming platform is heading to the Anzu, we don't know, but it makes sense given that both upcoming SE devices appear to bear the same screen size, or at least the same aspect ratio. Either way, we're told the pair will be officially announced some time before or shortly after Christmas, which again supports Xperia X10 Blog's leak. Time to stock up on some fine champagne, folks -- looks like 2011 is going to be a good year. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in] Update: Well that was quick. Xperia X10 Blog's just posted a few more lovely pics of the Anzu, and boy it sure is thin -- check out the profile shot after the break. The site's also just heard that said phone can capture 1080p video and will have a front-facing camera. [Thanks, Tejstar]
