LG G5 Price Revealed

LG G5, the South Korean tech giant's first modular smartphone that stole the show at the MWC 2016, is now up for pre-orders in the UK. The listing not only reveals one of the regions when the smartphone will be reaching first but also its price, which LG failed to reveal at MWC 2016.

The LG G5 (Images), according to its listing in Clove an online retailer in the UK, is priced at GBP 449.17 (roughly Rs. 42,700) excluding VAT, and GBP 539 (roughly Rs. 51,270) inclusive of VAT included. The handset will be sold unlocked. The listing also reveals that the smartphone's shipments will commence starting April this year, which is yet to be confirmed by LG. The online retailer is offering the 32GB LG G5 in Titan, Silver and Gold colour variants. The South Korean giant last week announced the G5 will launch in India next quarter.

LG has already announced that it will launch the G5 flagship smartphone in India in the next quarter. The LG G5 was launched along with some add-ons or modules called LG Friends, which can be attached to the G5.

LG Cam Plus is a camera module that adds physical buttons for camera operations along with expanding the total battery capacity to 4000mAh. The Hi-Fi Plus module, co-developed by Bang & Olufsen, is a portable Hi-Fi DAC which can be used as a standalone portable DAC or with the G5 to enable 32-bit audio playback. Also launched were the LG 360 VR, LG 360 CAM, LG Rolling Bot, LG Tone Platinum, H3 by B&O Play, LG Smart Controller, and LG Friends Manager.

As for the specifications, the LG G5 sports a 5.3-inch QHD display (1440x2560 pixels) featuring always-on display technology. The always-on display will allow users to check time, notifications and battery status among other pieces of information. It is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 SoC coupled with 4GB of RAM and 32GB of inbuilt storage that can be expanded using a microSD card.

On the photography front, the LG G5 has a 16-megapixel and 8-megapixel rear camera, with the former featuring a 78-degree lens and the other with a 135-degree wide-angle lens. As per LG, the wide angle lens makes it easier for users to capture more landscape, taller buildings or larger groups without having to position oneself further from the subject. On the front side, there's an 8-megapixel camera. Other features of the LG G5 include a 2800mAh battery with Quick Charge 3.0.

On the connectivity front, the LG G5 comes with a 4G LTE, USB Type-C port compatible with USB 3.0 standard, NFC, Bluetooth 4.2, and Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac. On the software front, the LG G5 runs Android 6.0 Marshmallow.

Now Samsung’s Gear VR Will Stream Facebook’s 360 Degree Videos

29 February, 2016, New York: In its recent announcement, Facebook has revealed that it is teaming up with Samsung and will release its 360 degree video on Samsung’s Gear VR (Virtual Reality Headset) which was launched recently in India.

The company stated in its blog, “Today, we are taking an important step towards improving 360 degree video in VR: Our powerful dynamic streaming technology for 360 video is coming to Gear VR. Gear VR combines the leading VR software, built by Facebook’s Oculus team, with world-class mobile hardware, built by Samsung.”

“360 degree video on Facebook is the first step and it allows you to look around and feel like you are present while watching a video, whether it is surfing in Tahiti or exploring the surface of Mars,” company stated further.

The company has been working very closely to build a technology that will provide its user an over the edge experience of virtual reality videos. Instead of the entire 360 degree video in high resolution, these videos show only the pixels that actually a user is looking at in the highest quality.

To make these videos unique and to provide the user a totally ‘Wow’ experience, company has used large number of variants. Each video has been crafted with a specific viewing angle and each angle adjusts itself very quickly depending on the user’s view.

“By doing this, we’ve quadrupled the resolution quality of 360 degree streaming video in VR by reducing the amount of required network bandwidth by 4x so videos look clearer and play faster,” adds company in its blog.

Xiaomi Mi5 Release Date Details: Over 16 Million Prospective Buyers Prepare For March 1 Flash Sale

The Xiaomi Mi5 will be available on March 1 and over 16 million people have signed up for a chance to buy the device, the Chinese manufacturer announced on its blog Monday. Xiaomi is famous for its device flash sales, during which smartphones sell out in a matter of minutes. Pre-registration numbers for the flash sale indicate that consumers in China are excited for the Mi5.

Xiaomi announced the Mi5 smartphone during Mobile World Congress last week. Though the device made its debut in Europe, the manufacturer currently has plans to sell its flagship exclusively in China. There are no plans to sell the device in the U.S.; however, recent reports from Android Community indicate the Mi5 includes the network bands that would allow it to run LTE in America. Previously, people using a U.S. SIM card on a Xiaomi phone would get 3G coverage as its maximum ability.

The Xiaomi Mi5 features the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 chip and a 5.15-inch Quad HD display. The devices comes in three models, two feature 3GB of RAM and 32GB and 64GB of internal storage respectively. The Xiaomi Mi5 Pro model features 4GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage. All models offer the option of memory expansion through a microSD card.

The device features a 16-megapixel rear camera and 4-megapixel front camera, a 3,000mAh battery with Quick Charging 3.0 and a USB Type-C port. Xiaomi has also introduced a fingerprint scanner on the device.

The Xiaomi 32GB model will sell for 1999 yuan ($306), the 64GB model will sell for 2299 yuan ($356) and the 128GB model will sell for 2699 yuan ($413).

Samsung Galaxy S7 vs Samsung Galaxy S7 EDGE: Is Life Better With An EDGE?

Samsung has now unveiled its 2016 Galaxy S flagship and, as expected, it's called the Galaxy S7. Also as expected, it was a dual-launch with the regular Galaxy S7 following the same format as the Galaxy S6, in being accompanied by a same-but-different variant called the Galaxy S7 edge; featuring a unique curved OLED display which wraps around the phone's sides for a very distinctive look.

In terms of internal specs for hardware, including the processor, camera and storage, these two are mostly identical, but there are a few important differences. A key difference, however, is the price - the Galaxy S7 edge is a bit more expensive than its flat-screened counterpart, and an almost inevitable question immediately occurs - is it worth the extra cash to splash out on a Galaxy S7 edge?

A lot has already been said about Samsung’s 2016 flagships. General word on the street is positive; the phones have been updated in all the right places. But is this enough? KYM’s Richard argued, no, in his piece on why the LG G5 and not Samsung’s Galaxy S7 was the runaway success of MWC 2016, as well as potentially THE Android handset to beat in 2016.

Samsung is a big deal. Very big, if you’re talking about gross phone shipments. But it has alienated a lot of the users by implementing changes (sealing the battery in, removing SD-support) that kind of ran contrary to what people wanted. Samsung became obsessed with becoming more like Apple and, somewhere along the way, its handsets lost some of their charm and utility.

And because there is so much choice in the Android space, a lot of users simply went elsewhere -- or waited for the Galaxy Note which launches the following quarter after the Galaxy S. LG, for one, made a lot of friends in the past couple of years and the company looks set to make a whole load more in 2016 with the release of its LG G5 handset.

But how do Samsung’s flagship phones compare against each other? We took a look at the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge to find out.

Samsung Galaxy S7 vs Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge: Storage, RAM, and CPU

Here’s the specs for the Galaxy S7:

Display: 5.1-inch display with a 2560×1440-pixel resolution at 577ppi

Dimensions: 142.4mm  x 69.6 mm x 7.9 mm

Weight: 152 grams

Storage: 32 or 64, plus support for microSD cards up to 200GB

Memory: 4 GB RAM

Processors: Samsung Exynos 8890

Front camera: 5 MP

Rear camera: 12 MP, f/1.7 aperture, 4K video

Battery life: 3000 mAh

Colors: Dark Grey or Gold

And here’s the specs for the Galaxy S7 Edge:

Display: 5.5-inch display with a 2560×1440-pixel resolution at 534 ppi

Dimensions: 150.9mm  x 72.6 mm x 7.7 mm

Weight: 157 grams

Storage: 32 or 64, plus support for microSD cards up to 200GB

Memory: 4 GB RAM

Processors: Samsung Exynos 8890

Front camera: 5 MP

Rear camera: 12 MP, f/1.7 aperture, 4K video

Battery life: 3600 mAh

Colors: Dark Grey, Silver, or Gold

When it comes to the storage, RAM, and CPU of each phone—they are exactly the same! The Samsung Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge both feature 4GB of RAM and the custom Samsung Exynos 8890 chipset. As for as storage goes, both phones come in a 32GB and 64GB model and each of those models also both feature a new high-capacity micro SD card slot, which can take cards up to 200GB in size.

That makes things easy so far, doesn’t it?

Samsung Galaxy S7 vs Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge: Display and Battery

Things, of course, become different when you talk about each phones’ display. The Galaxy S7 features a 5.1-inch display while the Galaxy S7 Edge has a slightly larger 5.5-inch display. Interestingly, each display has the exact same resolution: a 2560×1440 Quad HD Super AMOLED display. Yet because the resolution of each display is the same, but they are different sized screens, the smaller Galaxy S7 actually has a higher number of pixels per inch at 577ppi versus the Galaxy S7 Edge’s 534ppi. Of course, at that density the human eye isn’t going to be able to distinguish between the difference.

"The Galaxy S7 Edge display is similar to the Galaxy S7, but it has a curved screen OLED display that is manufactured on a flexible plastic substrate so that it can bend around the corners on both the sides of the phone to provide two display areas that can be viewed and controlled from both the front or the sides, which is especially useful for viewing notifications and scrolling news items. The Galaxy S7 Edge has a somewhat larger 5.5 inch screen, but has the same 2560x1440 resolution with 535 pixels per inch," notes Display Mate.

"Our detailed Lab tests show there have been a number of significant display performance improvements for the new Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge including a much higher maximum brightness and contrast in high ambient light, together with a significantly improved Automatic Brightness that provides much better screen visibility in high ambient light, all resulting in a number of new records for Smartphone display performance, and delivering absolutely stunning and beautiful images."

Each phone also has a different sized battery. The Galaxy S7 Edge has the larger battery at 3600mAh. This is to be expected because the device is physically larger, so it has the room for a bigger battery, and also it required more power to keep going since it has a larger display. The Galaxy S7 has a 3000mAh battery. Both phones will get 12 hours of mixed usage on average.

Samsung Galaxy S7 vs Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge: Design & Build

Each phone is also built very similarly. They each have a metal body and glass display. The Edge, of course, goes a bit further with its curved display. That curve actually gives it a leg up and it’s more comfortable to hold in the hand, despite having a larger display.

Naturally their dimensions differ too, but what’s surprising is that the Galaxy S7 Edge is actually the thinner phone. Again, Samsung just has more space to spread internal components around, so they can make it flatter. Perhaps even more surprising though, is that the Galaxy S7 Edge isn't that much heavier than the regular Galaxy S7 at 157 grams versus 152 grams.

Samsung Galaxy S7 vs Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge: Cameras

Move along, move along. There is absolutely no difference between the cameras in the two phones. And what’s really nice is each phone has a reduces protruding camera bump on the back. Both phones have a 5MP front and a 12MP rear camera. Each lens features a f/1.7 aperture, which means the either S7 can take great night shots.

Samsung Galaxy S7 vs Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge: Verdict

With virtually identical internal specs and each phone being able to boast a superior screen (for the Galaxy S7 it’s the higher pixel density, for the Galaxy S7 edge it’s the curved display) it’s a very tough choice to declare one phone better than the other. Your choice will likely come down to the screen size. Do you want a huge 5.1-inch display or do you want an even more massive 5.5-inch display?

For me personally, the bigger display and larger battery make the EDGE a no-brainer for me. I’m used to the iPhone 6 Plus, Nexus 6P and Huawei Mate 8. Anything smaller than 5.5in, for me, is just too small -- I am fully converted in the ways of the phablet.

Xiaomi unveils a new budget smartphone Mi 4s in China

The Chinese technology giant, Xiaomi has unveiled a new smartphone in under the budget segment, the Xiaomi Mi 4s, at an event in Beijing, China. The Xiaomi Mi 4s comes with decent specs for mid-range smartphones.

The Xiaomi Mi 4s has enhanced its hardware specs when compared to its last year’s Mi 4. Xiaomi Mi 4s sports a new processor from snapdragon, more RAM, storage, etc. The Mi 4s comes in between the Mi 4 and the newly launched Mi 5 in terms of hardware specifications, notes N4BB.

Last year was a good year for Xiaomi as it fared well by a whopping sale of 70 million handsets. Although the company did face some trouble achieving goals, as it took two years to launch the new Mi 5, which should help improve sales in 2016.

The Mi 4s bears a 5-inch 1080 display having a pixel density of 441 ppi. A Hexa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 processor is used to power the smartphone and it is paired it with 3GB RAM. Adreno 418 GPU is used for better graphics as well as 64GB of internal storage is included. The device also supports expandable storage option (via a microSD).

Xiaomi Mi 4s has 13MP rear camera with features like dual-tone LED flash and Phase detection auto-focus are incorporated. While on the front-side 5MP snapper is located. The device is backed by the 3260mAh battery with Quick Charge 2.0 and USB Type-C connector. Following the current trend in the smartphone industry, a Fingerprint scanner is also included with Infrared sensor in the handset.

The unit also supports Dual-SIM feature and runs on Android 6.0 Marshmallow with MIUI 7 on top of it. As for the build, the device fuses metal with glass on the back and front.

Xiaomi Mi 4s will hit the market shelves on Mar. 1 with a price tag of CNY 1, 699 ($260). It is available in Gold, Black, Purple, and White and it will be first launched in China.

The company also unveiled the much-awaited 2016 flagship device, the Mi 5, at MWC 2016.

Samsung Galaxy A9 spotted in AnTuTu, S620 chipset confirmed

he Samsung Galaxy A9 poked its head above water again, surfacing at the AnTuTu benchmark database. It casts another vote for a 5.5" 1080p screen, even though the naming scheme suggests the A9 should be better than the Galaxy A8 (5.7" 1080p).

It's definitely better in terms of chipset – the Snapdragon 620 has next-gen CPU cores and a next-gen GPU. The eight Cortex-72 cores should be much faster than the A53s used in current mid-range octa-cores. The Adreno 510 will also bring a much needed performance boost for 1080p gaming. And there's more RAM, 3GB.

There's 32GB of built-in storage, but AnTuTu failed to detect the camera resolution. The Samsung Galaxy A9 (SM-A9000) ran Android 5.1.1 Lollipop when the test was ran (which was most likely a pre-production version).

Nexus 5 photo leak points to a significant front-facing camera upgrade

In the very near future, Google will launch two new Nexus devices, including the new LG Nexus 5 and the Huawei Nexus 6. Many leaks have so far revealed details about the design, specs and features of the upcoming smartphones, and a new report gives us no information about the Nexus 5’s front-facing camera.

Dutch tech news site TechTastic found a selfie taken with a device identified as “bullhead” that’s made by LG. That particular internal codename is associated with the new Nexus 5, assuming past leaks are accurate about Google’s Nexus plans.

Found on Google+ on a profile belonging to a Google employee who works in the Quality Assurance department, the image reveals interesting details about the selfie camera. EXIF data says the photo has a 2592 x 1944 resolution, suggesting the front-facing shooter has a 5-megapixel sensor. Furthermore, the front camera also has an f/2.0 aperture according to the same data (see image below).

Assuming the data is correct, the Nexus 5 might bring Android fans the most significant upgrade to date when it comes to front cameras. Last year’s Nexus 6 handset had a 2-megapixel front-facing camera.