Mobile World

iPhone 6 vs HTC M9

noreply@blogger.com (Tech Trends) — Thu, 05 Mar 2015 14:58:00 +0000

iPhone 6 HTC M9

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By Rahul Sagar [Facebook]

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Article : Mobile World

While HTC's sales are dwarfed by Apple's, its flagships are met with critical acclaim and a loyal following, drawn to the brand's eye for design, then married to slick performance and genuinely useful features.

The same could be said about Apple, albeit with a much larger fan base, and its latest phone has pushed the iPhone forward in so many ways.

But now HTC's latest, the One M9, is here and it's a vast improvement on the HTC One (M8). You're probably wondering whether this is the phone for you, right?

You're probably also ruminating on how it stacks up against the iPhone 6, as HTC has so much in common with Apple in terms of design.

To get the answer to that all you need to do is keep reading, as we've compared these two bastions of style in full.

Tucked deep within the HTC One M9's metal shell there's a Snapdragon 810 humming away. It's a 64-bit octa-core processor with four cores clocked at 2GHz and the other four at 1.5GHz, which, combined with 3GB of RAM, means the M9 is a real powerhouse.

The iPhone 6 doesn't sound quite so good with its 64-bit 1.4GHz dual-core A8 processor and 1GB of RAM, but Apple's handsets have always punched above their weight, thanks to the unity between hardware and software.

In practice these phones both have power to spare, but the HTC One M9 is likely to storm to victory when it comes to raw grunt thanks to the double power of two quad core brains.

For the last few years HTC has been building some of the most beautiful phones on the planet and the HTC One M9 is the most refined version of its vision yet, with a full-metal body that curves comfortably into the hand. It's chunky yet elegant and feels incredibly well made.

The iPhone 6 is a similar story. It's all metal too, but while the edges are curved the back isn't, leaving it far slimmer than HTC's flagship. It oozes quality and there's little doubt in our minds that these are the two best put together phones on Earth, but you definitely get the feeling that the HTC One M9 has a higher level of craftmanship inside.

It's absolutely subjective of course - you might like the superthin iPhone - but holding both and you get a real sense HTC's challenger is, well, a more grown up phone in terms of construction.

The HTC One M9 runs Android Lollipop, but HTC has put its Sense 7 interface over the top. That's no bad thing, as it's a stylish offering and includes thoughtful additions like a theme creator and BlinkFeed.

Lollipop itself meanwhile is the most efficient version of Android yet and includes handy features like Google Now, with enhanced notifications and less overt intrusions.

The iPhone 6 runs iOS 8 of course and it's no different here than on any other iOS device. So expect a slick, intuitive interface, bolstered by Siri, a wide selection of premium apps and an attractive design. It's not quite as customisable as Android though.

HTC was obviously happy with the M8's screen as it packed the same one into the HTC One M9. So you get a 5-inch 1080 x 1920 display with a pixel density of 441 pixels per inch. It's disappointing that there's no real upgrade but other than a slight green tint it's a fine screen, with rich, bright colours.

The iPhone 6's screen on the other hand was a big change for Apple, boosting its flagship up to 4.7 inches for its 750 x 1334 display with 326 pixels per inch. So it's not the sharpest screen around, but the contrast ratio is sublime and it sports great colour reproduction too, so it's certainly a strong competitor to the HTC One M9.

After making a big deal about UltraPixels for the last couple of years HTC has seemingly lost faith in the technology, as the rear camera on the M9 has a standard 20.7MP sensor which based on our first impressions we're not that thrilled by.

That said, the company hasn't totally ditched UltraPixels, instead sticking them in the 4MP front-facing snapper, which does impress as selfie cams go.

The iPhone 6 only has an 8MP camera, but Apple has really made the most of those pixels as it can take some great photos, helped along a little by Focus Pixels, which allow for faster autofocus and improved clarity.

It's almost certainly better than HTC's snapper in terms of picture quality, but its 1.2MP front-facing camera loses out to the selfie-proud One M9's Ultrapixel option, which excels in low light and therefore key when there's not front flash.

HTC has never gone big on battery size, but at 2800mAh the unit in the HTC One M9 isn't a bad size at all. In practice based on our early impressions the M9 holds on to battery well, so it shouldn't be a phone that you'll have to plug in every night.

The Apple iPhone 6 has a far smaller 1810mAh battery and while it makes the most of its limited capacity it's still not up to the standards of the longest-lasting Android phones, which the HTC One M9 is shaping up to be among.

Apple still hasn't solved its battery woes (there are questions over whether it even wants to - after all, the promise of longer time between charges will always keep people upgrading) and is almost certain to last for a shorter time than HTC's finest.4545

HTC hasn't added a huge amount in the way of features to the One M9, but software additions like its theme creator are welcome and its BoomSound speakers now have virtual surround sound powered by Dolby, so they should be better than ever. The HTC One M9 also supports 24-bit audio, so it's put a real focus on music.

The big feature on the iPhone 6, other than a bigger screen than its predecessor, is arguably its upgraded Touch ID fingerprint scanner, giving you a convenient way to keep your phone secured and coupled with Apple Pay it's a futuristic way to spend money too.

The HTC One M9 comes with 32GB of storage, which isn't bad but it's not a huge capacity for a flagship either. Fortunately it also has a microSD card slot with support for cards of up to 128GB, so invest in one of those bad boys and you shouldn't be in danger of running low.

The iPhone 6 can come with far more built in storage, as there are 16, 64 and 128GB varieties, but with no microSD card slot that's necessary and unfortunately it also means you might have to shell out extra for more capacity up front, rather than waiting till you hit the storage ceiling.

The HTC One M9 and the Apple iPhone 6 are both undeniably true flagships. They're also two of the most beautiful phones we've ever laid eyes on.

But they're not equal in all areas. The One M9 has more power, a sharper screen and a bigger battery, while the iPhone 6 almost certainly has a superior camera and a display with more natural colours, alongside eye-catching features like its Touch ID fingerprint scanner.

And we can't forget the age-old Android vs iOS debate... everyone has a vague idea of which is best, and the internet is a perfect forum to tell us just why.

In terms of working out which phone is for you, well, we urge you to head down to your local phone shop to hold them both before buying. HTC's charm is in its premium finish, the clear attention to premium materials and quality manufacture, where Apple has made a lighter and more toy-like device in comparison.

That's not a bad thing, but make sure you give yourself all the info you need before shelling out a large wedge of cash each month.

Nexus 6: bigger than brilliant

noreply@blogger.com (Tech Trends) — Wed, 25 Feb 2015 17:54:00 +0000

Nexus :6

By Rahul Sagar | 25 February 2015

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Article : Mobile World [FACEBOOK]

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Google

When Google launched its latest Nexus mobile phone, staff encouraged journalists to think of its biggest handset yet not as a mobile, but as a device through which to access the internet. The shift in mindset is reasonable as fewer and fewer of us use phones primarily for making calls: does it matter so much if a phone looks ridiculous held up to your head when it’s so seldom in that position? And isn’t it more important the screen is bigger and better for the increasingly commonplace activities of watching films and using apps?

Design

So far, so plausible. But we can’t always use two hands for our phones. With a 5.96” display and at 83mm wide, the Nexus 6 is firmly in phablet territory. Made by Motorola, it draws on the lovely design of the Moto X, with its curved back and premium feel. At the larger size, however, the curve only slightly helps users to keep hold of the phone. A dimple for the ‘M’ logo provides extra stability, but there’s no getting away from the fact this is an enormous device. Whether you like it will come down to personal preference and the size of your pockets or handbag. At 186g, its weight is significant but not excessive

Display and sound

Where that enormous screen comes into its own however, is with its AMOLED display at a resolution of 2560 x 1440 (493ppi). That’s the same as the Galaxy Note 4 and the LG G3, but here at a fractionally lower density because of the larger screen size. All in all, however, it means that the blacks are deep and the whites are white enough; watching a film, even with auto-brightness on, is compelling. If you’re one of those awful people who prefers to blast music through a phone's speakers rather than using headphones, the Nexus 6 won’t disappoint you. If you want to use it discretely as a speakerphone, it’s more than adequate.

Performance and software

Like its predecessors, this Nexus doesn’t bother with a MicroSD slot, but it does include a battery that lasts the day in typical use (finally), wireless charging and a ‘turbo charger’ that will get you to 60 per cent in just half an hour. All of this adds up to hardware that matches design for excellence.

A blazingly fast Qualcomm chip – seen in just a few phones before – makes the new Android Lollipop software feel faster than any previous version of Android. And when it comes to software, the Nexus 6 is the first handset to officially offer Lollipop. That means massively improved design, with big solid flat colours, neat animations and easy access to settings such as the torch and wifi connections. Offering none of the clutter from Samsung or HTC, it’s a neat experience. In an act of insanity, however, Google has killed the total silent mode, offering only a rather noisy vibrate option if you turn the volume down. Coupled with bugs that precipitate unprompted rebooting, albeit only occasionally, Lollipop is an upgrade rather than a revelation.

Camera

A 13MP camera with optical image stabilisation and 4K video is rather let down by Google’s own camera app, which lacks the bells and whistles of Sony or HTC. But it does offer HDR and good performance in good light; anything away from that, however, and this is the weakest area for a phone that is aiming to rival the 6 Plus or the Z3. On the front, 2MP is selfies-only territory.

Conclusion
Nexus handsets were conceived as great, cheap devices, and Motorola too has talked about ‘democratising’ technology by making it cheaper. It’s surprising, then, that the Nexus 6 is a full-priced handset, which might justify its price by its size and swanky features. To a degree it does, but its hard to escape the feeling that, in essence, if you want a big phone you’ll like this one – and if you don’t there’s little extra here to win you over.

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LG G3

noreply@blogger.com (Tech Trends) — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 18:34:00 +0000

By Rahul Sagar |22 February 2015

Article : Mobile World

We changed the LG G3's display resolution to 1080p - we got superb performance and negligible battery life increases

Introduction

The LG G3 is one of our favorite smartphones from 2014. Back then, it was an awesome product in many ways, but it was a little broken in some ways as well. Its problems with getting hot and straining to perform under heavy processor load, along with its unimpressive battery life, had many users pointing their fingers at the industry's first 5.5-inch 1440x2560 LCD display as the main culprit. After all, it was an easy target - it sucked out pixel-pushing horsepower, while bringing a diminutive improvement in image clarity over tried and proven 1080p displays.

Later that year, the LG G3's modding and developer community had flourished, and several new Quad-HD devices - the Samsung Galaxy Note 4, Galaxy Note Edge,Moto Droid Turbo, and Meizu MX4 Pro - were introduced. Obviously, Q-HD was here to stay, whether we needed it or not! Meanwhile, modders had rooted the LG G3, and around that time, the idea of lowering Quad-HD devices' screen resolution to a more serene 1080p began making rounds.

What's this idea about? As you probably know, a screen is comprised of “pixels”. Each pixel is one point of light, and that one point of light is capable of representing any color. The idea is to make the G3's processor and graphics unit deal with less pixels. The G3's screen resolution is a fixed 1440x2560 pixels, which means that normally, the display expects the smartphone to feed a whopping 3,686,400 pixels to it!

If we force the LG G3 to work in 1080x1920 resolution, the display's fixed resolution will stay the same, but much less pixels - 2,073,600, to be precise - will be fed to it. This will result in a considerable load being taken off the hardware. It's a bulletproof technique, one that every PC gamer has applied to coax higher frame rates out of their rig, for example. But won't that degrade the image quality? After all, the LG G3's screen is made exclusively for Quad-HD resolution!

When we force the smartphone into 1080p resolution, we're making it put 2 million pixels in a room for 3.7 million pixels. This means the graphics unit has to stretch those 2m pixels into occupying space for 3.6m pixels, or the picture will look wonky. This technique is called interpolation, and is known to cause the image quality to degrade. Here's why - when the LG G3 is set to 1440x2560, each of the 3.7 million pixels it outputs takes exactly one pixel from its screen. That's a perfect 1-to-1 match. But when we change the resolution to 1080p, each pixel will be stretched into 2 pixels or more, and we'll no longer have that perfect matching. However, we are still left with many, many pixels that are crammed into so little physical space (5.5 inches by diagonal) that the result of interpolation is barely noticeable.

What we did and how we did it

We took a Korean LG G3 F400S model with 3GB of RAM, and wiped it into a completely clean state. Not only there was no data on it, but the smartphone wouldn't even boot, because it had no operating system on it. We then flashed original LG G3 firmware from June 2014, and proceeded to install all available OTA updates, one by one. We didn't get Lollipop, but we got our G3 as close to "stock" as humanly possible. And then, it was show time!

First, we wanted to measure the performance again. We ran three passes of AnTuTu, followed by three passes of GFXBench's Manhattan Onscreen and T-Rex Onscreen tests. We recorded the results and calculated the average score - that's our standard procedure.

Next, we charged up our "newborn" LG G3 F400S to 100% and ran our proprietary battery test. The end result was 6 hours and 19 minutes, negligibly better than the 6 hours and 14 minutes of our initial LG G3 battery test from 2014.

After we went through that, it was time to show the LG G3 what we're made of! We rooted it and installed Nomone Resolution Changer. It's a simple app that does the job nice and quick. A few seconds later, our LG G3's display resolution was brought down to 1080x1920. Then, we repeated the benchmarks and battery test.

Ready for the big reveal? Here are the results:

LG G3 Benchmark ResultsTestAverage ScorePerformance Increase1440x2560

AnTuTu32,915 (Total) | 9494 (3D)-Manhattan Onscreen7.1 FPS-T-Rex Onscreen19 FPS-PhoneArena Battery Test6hr, 19min and 0sec-1080x1920

AnTuTu41,880 (Total) | 14,136 (3D)27.24% (Total) | 48.89% (3D)Manhattan Onscreen13 FPS83%T-Rex Onscreen30 FPS57.89%PhoneArena Battery Test6hr, 26min and 47sec7min 47sec (1.97%)
As you can see, the results are stellar! Our 1080p LG G3 enjoys a near 30% increase in overall performance. Meanwhile, 3D performance nearly doubles! The effects are noticeable not only in synthetic benchmarks, but in actual 3D games too. You can expect a moderate to substantial FPS increase in games where the LG G3 normally struggles, which will lead to smoother graphics. In addition, the smartphone isn't so quick to throttle down its CPU and GPU frequencies, and it stays a lot cooler.

As for battery life, obviously, the 7 minute 47 second improvement at 1080p is not much to write home about, fellas. Downgrading the resolution isn't the solution to the LG G3's battery woes.

Conclusion

We have two key takeaways from our LG G3 resolution experiment:

The LG G3 becomes an even better smartphone in 1080p mode. For the price of rooting, changing your Android launcher (a must, as LG Home is made for Quad-HD), and an almost imperceptible loss in image quality, the G3 becomes a faster device that feels noticeably livelier and stays mostly cool to the touch. You can even turn off LG's stock, heavy-handed thermal mitigation settings comfortably, without fear of overheating. When we tried this tweak in Q-HD mode, this same LG G3 almost disintegrated itself.Unfortunately, downgrading the resolution didn't resolve the LG G3's battery woes. We only saw a negligible 7 minute 47 second (1.97%) improvement.
Thanks for reading, everyone! Tell us what you think of our experiment in the comments below.

HTC One (M9) photos, specifications and price revealed in a huge leak ahead of MWC

noreply@blogger.com (Tech Trends) — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 18:15:00 +0000

By RAHUL SAGAR
22 February 2015

HTC is scheduled to host a pre-MWC event on March 1 where it will be unveiling the One (M9), and a phablet variant of the flagship as well. With a week left for the event, a huge leak has revealed what the One (M9) will look like and the specifications it will boast.

The smartphone has been listed on German e-commerce site Cyberport with a full set of renders, specifications and price. The renders show the smartphone in gunmetal grey and gold on silver color options, and the design is in line with the earlier leaks.

There are not a lot of surprises on the specifications front. It flaunts a 5-inch full HD (1920×1080 pixels) display, and will be powered by a 2GHz Snapdragon 810 octa-core processor paired with 3GB of RAM. It will include 32GB internal storage, which can be further expanded up to 128GB using a microSD card.

On the photography front, the smartphone will feature a 20-megapixel camera at the back with dual LED flash, and a 4-Ultrapixel camera at the front. Also featured will be 2,900mAh battery, BoomSound speakers, NFC, Bluetooth 4.1, and LTE connectivity. On the software front, it will run on Android 5.0 Lollipop out-of-the-box, wrapped under Sense 7 UI.

As per the e-commerce site, the One (M9) will be priced at €749, which roughly translates to Rs 52,982 approximately.

As mentioned above, the One (M9) is expected to be unveiled on March 1. In addition to the flagship smartphone, the company is also expected to unveil the One (M9) Plus with a bigger display, as well as its

Best smartphones

noreply@blogger.com (Tech Trends) — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 15:14:00 +0000

Best smartphones to look forward to in 2015

By Rahul Sagar | 22 February 2015

Article : Mobile world

With the pace of smartphone evolution moving so fast, there's always something waiting in the wings. No sooner have you spied the latest handset, then there's anticipation of something else, the next big thing to envy.

We've rounded up the best smartphones for 2015, those we consider to be the best across all platforms, and we've regularly updated that list as the smartphone world has evolved.

You can find those in our Best smartphones 2015: The best phones available to buy todayfeature.

Here we're looking at those phones that haven't yet launched, those we know are coming, or are anticipated. As we run towards Mobile World Congress 2015, we enter the busiest time of the year for smartphone launches.

We'll be updating this list on a regular basis, with those device rumours we think are credible and exciting, and devices just announced but yet to hit the shelves.

HTC One M9 Hima

Of all the devices on this list, the HTC One M9 is the device that we think we know the most about. That's aided by HTC announcing its MWC 2015 press conference on 1 March, when you will see this device announced.

You can expect HTC to stick to a premium metal design, as well as offering those forward facing BoomSound speakers. The HTC One M9 is rumoured to launch with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 chipset and 3GB of RAM, suggesting plenty of power.

However it looks like HTC might stick to a 1920 x 1080 full HD display, and at 5 inches, rather than swelling it in size or resolution. That might have advantages when it comes to battery life.

Elsewhere there looks to be a radical change in cameras, with a 4-megapixel front UltraPixel sensor and 20-megapixel rear camera suggested, as well as HTC Sense 7 running on Android 5Lollipop.

Samsung Galaxy S6

Samsung didn't have the success it wanted with the SGS5, so we might see something of a revision of the format for the SGS6. Rumours of a metal-bodied phone are circulating, and with the A/Alpha handsets being something of a test bed for a new generation of devices. There's talk of metal frame and tempered glass back for the SGS6.

We'd expect the SGS6 to offer a display around 5.2-inches, but it's still not known whether it will be Quad HD or stick to full HD resolution. We suspect Samsung will step up to 2560 x 1440 pixels to fend off Korean rivals LG.

It's been widely reported that Samsung isn't going to be using Qualcomm in its next run of smartphones. With the Exynos hardware performing well on previous devices, that might not be too much of a surprise: the SGS6 might all run on Samsung's in-house Exynos hardware.

We've also heard that Samsung is having a change of heart on its TouchWiz software, with reports that it's going to reduce the bloatware and come closer to Android, perhaps even pre-installing Microsoft apps.

We can also expect Samsung to continue to offer the heart rate sensor and fingerprint scanner. A 16-megapixel camera with optical image stabilisation is likely, with Samsung themselves saying that the SGS6 camera will be fantastic.

Samsung has lined up a press conference for 1 March, so we'd expect to see the Samsung GalaxyS6 launched there.

Sony Xperia Z4/Z3S

Yes, the Xperia Z3 is fairly recent - and a very good phone - but it looks like Sony could already be preparing the next update to its flagship device. Arguably it doesn't need to, but the Xperia Z4 or Z3S will probably see an early-2015 launch.

Of all the devices forthcoming, least is known about Sony's plans and Sony isn't scheduling an event for MWC 2015.

There isn't a huge amount to go on, but it's suggested that we'll see a slightly new face on the Z4 with a repositioning of the front-facing speakers, and perhaps a step up to Quad HD resolution for the display. It's been suggested that the casing will be exactly the same, rather than there being a redesign.

Rumours suggest an updated camera too, but still with 20.7-megapixels and optical image stabilisation on the back. A boosted front camera is likely too, as is Android 5.0 Lollipop.

READ MORE Sony Xperia Z4 rumours

HTC One M9 Plus

There's plenty of speculation around HTC's plans for 2015, with rumour and counter-rumour. There's been a suggestion that HTC is using dummy devices to throw people off the trail of what's to come. But it looks like M9 launch might see more than one device.

The rumour of the HTC One M9 Plus has come up a couple of times, suggesting that there's going to be a bigger device launched alongside the regular M9. There's talk of a 5.5-inch display, so it's not much bigger than the 5-inches that we think the M9 will have.

But then images started appearing of a new device with Duo Camera alongside those rumours. We'd expect the internal hardware to be the same - Qualcomm Snapdragon 810, 3GBRAM - but using the Duo Camera would be an interesting move following its lukewarm reception in 2014.

It's also been suggested that the HTC One M9 Plus will be limited release, with the standard M9 being the global flagship.

READ MORE HTC One M9 Plus news and rumours

Samsung Galaxy S Edge

Samsung looks to be lining up not only the SGS6, but an Edge version of it too - the SamsungGalaxy S Edge (or should that be S6 Edge?).

Following the move it made with the Note family last September, the S6 Edge is rumoured to be a special edition, designed for limited release.

This time, however, it's going to have that curved edged display on both sides, so you'll be able to get the benefit whether you're using your left or right hand. It's thought that the system will work the same way it did on the Galaxy Note Edge, offering alerts, toolbars, scrolling feeds and so on.

Elsewhere we're predicting the Galaxy S Edge to have the same sort of specs as the SGS6, i.e., an Exynos chipset, 3GB RAM, Quad HD display. We're note sure if we'll see a metal body, but you can expect the S Edge to be more costly than the regular Galaxy S6, perhaps up to £800.

READ MORE Samsung Galaxy S Edge rumours

Sony Xperia Z4 Compact and Ultra

The Sony Xperia Z4 Compact is apparently going to arrive with 3GB of RAM, a 20.7-megapixel camera, 32GB storage, and a 4.7-inch screen with 1080p resolution. You can also expect a 3,000mAh battery, Cat 9 LTE, wireless charging and IP68 water and dust proofing.

The Sony Xperia Z4 Ultra should arrive with a 6.44-inch display with a QHD resolution. It should also come with 3GB of RAM but a smaller 16-megapixel camera and larger 4,000mAh battery. Unlike previous versions of the Ultra this model should also come with a stylus.

Will we see a full launch of the Xperia Z4 family at MWC 2015?

READ MORE Sony Xperia Z4 news

Huawei Ascend P8

Huawei has confirmed that the Ascend P8 is coming and that it will be launched at a global event in London on 15 April.

Aside from pinning a date on the launch of this new handset, Huawei has said little else about it and there's been no leaks to speak of either. However, given that the focus has been on thin and light, we'd expect that to continue.

Huawei has also used its own hardware, so it will probably come with the latest generation of HiSilicon chipset and with Huawei being one of the largest providers of telecommunication infrastructure, you can bet it will be well-specced for 4G LTE support too.

Huawei's big consumer play has often been the camera performance, so we'd expect something like a 13-megapixel rear and 8-megapixel front camera.

Whether there will be an Arsenal FC special edition remains to be seen.

READ MORE Huawei Ascend P8 rumours and news

LG G4

The LG G4 could arrive with the smallest bezel on any screen yet, if the prototype devices shown off by LG are anything to go by.

We're expecting a screen around 5.7-inches that could be UHD or at least 2K. The processor will hopefully be a Snapdragon 810 64-bit chip with Cat 6 4G and 4GB of RAM.

Battery life and camera should also see improvements both in hardware and software.

The LG G4 isn't expected at MWC 2015, with LG having a slightly offset update cycle. There have been previous reports that the G3 will be given a year in the market before the update is announced, which would give us a date of late May or early June for the LG G4 release.

READ MORE LG G4 what to expect

Asus ZenFone 2

Asus has been one of the first companies to launch a new device in 2015. The Asus ZenFone 2 was launched at CES 2015.

Asus has stuck with Intel for the hardware, with an Intel Atom Z3580 paired with 4GB of RAM, which should make for a really powerful handset.

There's a 5.5-inch display, with 1920 x 1080 pixel resolution as well as a 13-megapixel camera on the rear. Asus is making great claims about this camera, saying it will offer low light performance like you haven't seen before. We'll be the judge of that.

The ZenFone 2 has rear volume controls, like the LG G3, and it ships with Android 5.0 Lollipop skinned with Asus' Zen UI.

Fortunately, despite some premium specs, the ZenFone 2 comes with the $199 starting price tag. We're yet to hear exactly where it will be on sale, however.

READ MORE Asus ZenFone 2 preview

Asus ZenFone Zoom

We didn't see this one coming, until Asus teased "optical zoom" in an oh-so-obvious way. ButAsus now has a smartphone with optical zoom that was announced at CES 2015.

There aren't many cameras with optical zoom around and the ZenFone Zoom is a world away from the Samsung Galaxy K Zoom. Samsung's model is more like a camera, however, with 10x optical zoom and a 20MP sensor, along with Xenon flash. The Asus, however, is fairly slimline, cramming the 3x optical zoom 13MP camera into a body that's still pretty slim.

To assist that camera is laser autofocusing, but we're yet to see if this all fuses together nicely, or if it's a mish-mash experience.

Elsewhere the Asus ZenFone Zoom has a 5.5-inch display and will launch with Android 5.0 Lollipop, along with Zen UI. It's still some way off, however, with no word on when it might be available.

READ MORE Asus ZenFone Zoom eyes-on

LG G Flex 2

LG announced the LG G Flex 2 at CES 2015 in Las Vegas, bringing the second iteration of its curved phone.

Having listened to feedback from the original device, LG has made the new G Flex smaller, so it now has a 5.5-inch POLED display, which is more manageable than the previous. It has a full HD display now too, which at this size is nice and sharp.

But it's not just about the curve: the LG G Flex 2 has a Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 chipset with 2GB of RAM. It's 64-bit, supporting Android 5.0 Lollipop that it launches with and there's a 3000mAh battery to get you through the day.

The camera is a 13MP with laser autofocus, with LG saying that it's more capable than the LG G3. All in all, the LG G Flex 2 is an impressive package. If you had doubts about the original, this should quell them.

READ MORE LG G Flex 2 preview

Microsoft Lumia 1020 replacement/RM-1052

This rumour is a little on the loose side, but a newly-leaked image has appeared showing a Lumiamodel with a big camera bump on the rear. The Lumia 1020 was a mobile photography star, but has never been replaced and all of Microsoft's recent devices have been at the budget end of the spectrum.

There's a chance that you're looking at a new high-end PureView model, known as the RM-1052, but equally it could be a prototype of the cancelled Nokia McLaren.

But it's nice to dream that Microsoft Devices will fill the high-end with a 5-inch Windows Phone8.1 device with a great PureView camera.

We're not convinced by the bodywork, the metal and plastic fusion doesn't look like a finished consumer device, but it could be the birth of a new photography star for 2015. An explosive launch at Mobile World Congress in 2015 perhaps? Let's dream about that.

READ MORE Microsoft Devices news and reviews

Google Project Ara

Created by Motorola, and now shifted over to Google after the sale of Motorola to Lenovo, Project Ara isn't due to early 2015 but is essentially an exoskeleton that allows users to modify what parts they want. That way someone that wants to spend the bulk of their budget on the camera, but doesn't need as much storage, can chose to upgrade that way. Perhaps one person will skip NFC in favour of faster 802.11ac Wi-Fi, for example.

There should also be third party components on offer that will allow for competitive pricing as well as new types of parts - like sensors. A person with diabetes may want a blood sugar sensor where another may not.

Users can also looks forward to different textured options that they can 3D print off at home themselves. The speed this phone can develop at, without costing us as much, is very exciting indeed.

Xiaomi Mi 4 full review

noreply@blogger.com (Tech Trends) — Mon, 16 Feb 2015 18:10:00 +0000

Xiaomi Mi 4

If you ever thought to yourself, "I really like the iPhone's design but wish it ran Android," Xiaomi has you covered. The Mi 4 is the latest phone from the Chinese manufacturer, showcasing a sharp design and their signature MIUI interface. Even with a mediocre camera and buggy experience, it still ticks all the right boxes to be a viable alternative to other flagship phones -- as long as it supports your carrier's bands.

The overall design and feel of the Mi 4 were well received despite an uninspired design that reminded critics of the iPhone. Ars Technica says the phone's "impeccable construction makes this the best Android hardware we've seen all year," while CNET says they "like the feel of the phone" as it sits "comfortably" in their hands. The frame houses a 5-inch 1920 x 1080 pixel display that Android Authority finds "vibrant" and Mobile Geeks calls outright "fantastic." However, PocketNow had issues with the display's "warm" picture and "side visibility," which they say can "taper-off" at certain angles.

The camera of the Mi 4 is a mixed bag, where as Android Authority calls it "unremarkable" and Ars Technica finds the photos "a little on the warm side," CNET was "impressed" by its performance and Mobile Geeks even managed to get some shots that were "simply stunning."

Xiaomi's real standout feature is the MIUI Android skin, offering a bevy of customization features. Ars Technica says it's "ridiculously fast" in spite of all the changes, even finding it "faster than stock Android." Unfortunately as this is a phone aimed at the Chinese market, there are a lot of places that went untranslated. PocketNow also found a "darker side" to MIUI, noting quite a few "quirks, bugs, and glitches." However, Xiaomi recently put out an update that hopefully squishes a few of those bugs.

Should you buy the Mi 4? It depends. If you're looking for a well-designed phone with a totally different Android experience, and it will work with your carrier, then sure. Keep in mind that Google Play is not loaded on here, so it'll need to be side-loaded. If that's not the kind of user experience you're looking for, there are plenty ofother options offering more familiar and accessible experiences.

Five best smartphone

noreply@blogger.com (Tech Trends) — Fri, 13 Feb 2015 15:55:00 +0000

1- Apple iPhone 6
A record four million pre-orders were placed for the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus in just 24 hours last September – and, according to Madeline Bennett at V3, the handsets do live up to the hype. "Featuring a powerful A8 processor, sleek metal design and stunning Retina display, the iPhone 6 is one of a select few handsets to earn V3's hallowed five stars," she says. The iPhone 6 Plus is even larger with a 5.5in display and longer battery life.

2 - Samsung Galaxy Note 4
The large 5.7-inch screen, S Pen stylus and expensive price-tag might not be for everyone, says John McCann at CNET, but the Note 4's power, display and great camera make it an "excellent smartphone". McCann says it is "the best phablet around", with a "fantastic" QHD resolution screen that makes everything "pin sharp". He adds: "Your eyes alone will thank you for picking up the Galaxy Note 4, and those of you who love gaming and watching movies on your phone, it's perfect."

3- HTC One M8

It has been almost a year since HTC launched the One M8, but the phone has nevertheless remained popular among critics. Jonathan Bray at PC Pro describes it as a "beautifully crafted, highly competent smartphone, packed with clever features". Compared to its predecessor, the HTC One, it has a microSD slot for extra storage and improved cameras and software. Bray says it is the One M8's "superb" display and battery life that makes it "the best smartphone we've seen from HTC". ·

4- LG G3

Chris Martin at PC Advisor claims the LG G3 was the best smartphone of 2014. No other phone has outdone its "amazing" Quad HD screen, he says. The phone also has a camera with a laser auto focus and the ability to record 4K-resolution video. "The device is surprisingly small considering the 5.5in display and we like the more premium design," says Martin. "It's another winner from LG."

5 - Sony Xperia Z3

Another updated version of Sony's flagship Xperia smartphone, the Z3 offers up to 890 hours of battery life despite its new slimmer design. Chris Hall at Pocket Lint gives the waterproof phone five stars, praising its design, power, 5.2-inch display and camera. "If you're looking for a big-screen device that's easy to manage then the Sony Xperia Z3 has it all," says Hall. "It's a compelling flagship set to rival any of the top handsets currently out there." The Xperia Z3 Compact version, with its 4.6in display, has also been held up by critics as "the best 'small' screen Android phone around"

Five best mobile phone in 2015

Mobile world 2015