The Chinese phone industry is in overdrive at the moment. Oppo has released what many are claiming to be the best 1080 phone of 2013, domestic brands are knocking out quad-core phones for as little as $140, and Vivo has a beast at the gates.

Vivo might not be the first Chinese brand to pop in to your noggin, but the company has a history for launching innovative phones. The Vivo X1 for example was the worlds thinnest Android smartphone for a few months back in 2012.

For 2013, Vivo has decided to step things up a few notches.

Gone is the dual-core Mediatek CPU and 720p of old, and in comes a Snapdragon 600 quad-core CPU, 5-inch 1080 CPU, 2GB RAM, 3400mAh battery and 13 mega-pixel rear camera. Well, at least that’s what the rumors are claiming. Also in the rumor mill is a Cirrus Logic audio chip, 5 mega-pixel front camera, 32 GB storage and a rather high $594 price tag.

The phone will likely only be available in China, at least at first. If it does make its way to your local market, would you be interested or not?

[ Source ]

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There is strong rivalry between Qualcomm and Nvidia on the market but lately the momentum appears to be swinging in the former’s direction. As you might already know, the LG Optimus G Pro and the HTC One are coming with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 processor. And now, right after Nvidia unveiled their newest chipset, Qualcomm has announced their 200 and 400 chips.

The new chipsets are meant for entry-level and mid-range smartphones, and for the high-end devices the company already introduced the 600 and 800 processors back in January. The newly announced chips are coming with improved battery life, better performance and connectivity.

The Snapdragon 200 is coming with quad ARM Cortex-A5 CPUs which will run at 1.4GHz per core and an Adreno 203 GPU. You will also get support for 8 Megapixel cameras, HD video playback, GPS, and it features better battery life as said earlier and Multi-SIM capabilities, so it see quite a bit of popularity in Asia as well.

The 400 chipset will be available in two configurations: dual Krait CPUs at 1.7GHz per core or quad Cortex A7 at 1.4GHz. You will be able to enjoy 3D gaming with an Adreno 305 GPU and get support for up to a 13.5MP snapper.

According to the company, 55 Snapdragon 800-powered devices should be available by the second half of 2013. No info on which all devices will be powered by the newly announced processors. But we will keep you updated, so stay tuned.

[Source]

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Previously known by its codename, the HTC M7, the HTC One is now official, as revealed at today’s dual launch event in New York and London.

While some rumors seemed to indicate that the HTC One would feature a Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro quad-core processor, the good news is that the One springs for the next-gen Snapdragon 600 instead, the same processor heading to the LG Optimus G Pro.

Here’s the full specs as we now know them:

• Snapdragon 600 1.7GHz quad-core GPU
• Adreno 320 GPU
• 2GB of RAM, 32GB of storage
• 4.7-inch Super LCD 3, 468ppi full HD
• 4MP Ultrapixel camera featuring OIS and HDR video
• Communication: LTE, 3G, Bluetooth 4, Wi-Fi, GPS&GLONASS, Infrared blaster
• 2,300 mAh non-removable battery
• Android 4.1.2 with Sense 5

While the HTC One will likely be overshadowed by more powerful devices like the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S4, it certainly isn’t a pushover and certainly pushes hard against devices like the Sony Xperia Z and ZL.

For those wondering about the 4MP Ultrapixel camera, HTC claims that the “ultrapixel” will enable to the device to take sharper, less noisy images even in low lighting that even at a lower resolution will supposedly craft a high-quality image. Again, can’t really judge the camera until we get more hands-on looks at what it can bring to the table.

What do you think of the HTC One, are you impressed or do you think it’s too late for HTC to regain their lost marketshare against bigger players in the Android world, like Samsung?

The post HTC One Now Official, Packs Snapdragon 600 Processor appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

The Sony Xperia NXT family of smartphones is making its way to the United States market and it’s coming in no fewer than three different flavors: the Xperia S, Xperia P and Xperia U. Variations of these phones have already been made available to international markets, so it’s not like they’re bringing a lot of high powered novelty to the mobile table.

The most expensive of the bunch at $559.99 outright, is the Sony Xperia S powered by a dual-core Snapdragon 1.5GHz processor, 1B of RAM, and the Sony Mobile Bravia Engine. Android 2.3 is overlaid with Sony’s Timescape UI. Rounding out the specs are the 12MP camera, 4.3-inch 720p display, and standard 1750mAh battery. Look for it in black or white.

Next, the Sony Xperia P ($479.99) will ship in silver, red and black. It gets a dual core 1GHz processor, 4.0-inch 540×960 pixel display, Android 2.3 with Timescape, 8MP camera, and Sony WhiteMagic technlogy.

Sony Xperia U at $299.99 unlocked, is by far the cheapest of the bunch. It’s also the smallest with its 3.5-inch display, but you still get a 1GHz dual core processor and Android 2.3. An upgrade to Android 4.0 ICS is being planned, as is also the case with the P.

[Source]

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The original Motorola Atrix 4G proved to be a rather interesting smartphone, thanks largely to the Lapdock and HD Multimedia Dock accessories, and now it’s getting its official successor. The Motorola Atrix HD has been formally announced, complete with a spec sheet that includes Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. There’s also a speedy 1.5GHz dual-core Snapdragon processor in there, which we assume is the same S4 making its way onto a myriad of other devices.

Slated for availability through AT&T, the Motorola Atrix HD features a 4.5-inch HD ColorBoost 720p LCD (330ppi) display, 1780mAh battery, HSPA+, 4G LTE, stereo Bluetooth, 8MP rear-facing autofocus camera, 720p HD front-facing webcam, 1080p HD capture and playback, microSD expansion, and 802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi.

The overall design is still in line with other Motorola smartphones, including the carbon fiber-like backplate and the gently rounded corners. This is the first phone to use Motorola’s new “Circle Widget” on the home screen, giving you quick access to weather, battery, and your AT&T account. Expect to see the Motorola Atrix HD sell for $99.99 on contract when it hits AT&T on July 15.

[Source]

The post Motorola Atrix HD Announced with ICS, 1.5GHz Snapdragon (Video) appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

While HTC has plans to release their newly unveiled S4 powered One S (T-Mobile) and One X (AT&T version) within the next two months, Microsoft is reportedly busy testing a Windows Phone 8 smartphone, which is intended for Sprint’s network, with the dual-core 1.5GHz Qualcomm MSM8960 chipset. The new info comes to us courtesy of the folks over at The Verge who were apparently tipped off by “sources familiar with the company’s plans”.

According to The Verge, at least one Windows Phone 8 handset will arrive later this year and the company is hoping that their device will exhibit impressive performance with the chip onboard as the S4 has been proven to be better than Samsung’s Galaxy S II (Exynos) and Motorola’s Droid 4 (TI OMAP) via many tests.

Reportedly, Sprint is interested in a Windows Phone 8 handset equipped with the chip and won’t be launching any new Windows phones before the introduction of WP8. The carrier has also contacted Nokia for sharing their LTE specifications.

But it is not known whether Microsoft will be checking out the quad-core Tegra 3 processor on the global version of the HTC One X. Although Qualcomm’s Snapdragon S4 has done remarkably well on previous tests, the latest benchmarks of the HTC One series show that the Tegra 3 is on par with S4 in processing power, and it actually is better when it comes to graphics performance.

The idea of multi-core processor support for future Windows Phones can never be pushed aside after this leak. And Qualcomm, when asked about the possibility of Windows Phone S4 devices, gave out answers that suggest they know about Microsoft’s tests.

We will keep you updated on the matter, so stay tuned.

The post Windows Phone 8 Dual-Core Smartphone For Sprint Being Tested? appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

At the MWC 2012, HTC unveiled their new “One” series which includes the impressive One X handset. The only disappointment was that the device was announced to be an exclusive to AT&T in the US, but we have good news for you. According to the latest rumors, the device might be headed to other carriers as well.

Just in case you missed a few things earlier, the One X features a 720p 4.7-inch Super LCD2 display, a 1.5GHz quad-core Tegra 3 processor and Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich with Sense 4.0 UI. But AT&T’s version will only feature a dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor due to an LTE compatibility issue.

A rumor, which comes from Evan Blass of Pocketnow, suggests that the device will hit Sprint equipped with the same dual-core Snapdragon S4 with integrated LTE. Apparently, Blass found out about an HTC Jewel handset (for Sprint) which has all the features of the One X. This new info is believable as Sprint is expected to release an LTE device sometime around the middle of 2012.

But that’s it about the Sprint device. What’s more interesting is the rumor about an upcoming T-Mobile One X. According to available info, T-Mobile’s version of the One X has also been planned and it will be included in the carrier’s family of “G” devices. Codenamed G4X, the device will feature the quad-core Nvidia Tegra 3 processor as there is no LTE compatibility trouble and it will be running stock ICS (what many users will prefer over Sense 4.0 UI). If this device is indeed coming, it will be the most attractive version of the One X in US soil.

It won’t be a surprise if the rumors turn out to be true as HTC will love their flagship handset to hit as many carriers as possible. And the T-Mobile One X can’t be pushed aside as we have seen other devices on T-Mobile from HTC without any customizations or skins.

But we haven’t got confirmation about anything. We will keep digging in for more info, so stay tuned for updates.

The post HTC One X With Stock Android 4.0 ICS Headed To T-Mobile? appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

The new module is a combo chip that’ll do the new Wi-Fi thing, as well as Bluetooth and FM radio. Even though 802.11ac sounds like it’s going backwards toward 802.11a/b/g, it’s actually quite a step ahead of 802.11n. Yeah, they should have picked another name, but the crux of it is that you get speeds of up to 433Mbps. That’s blazing, getting some people to call it 5G. It’s up to you if you agree.

Either way, the WCN3680 will work in tandem with the Snapdragon S4 MSM8960 and S4 APQ8064 dual-core and quad-core chips, which already support 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi, as well as 3G/4G/LTE. Sample chips are being prepared for manufacturers for Q2, so hopefully we’ll see something with these modules in place by the end of the year.

The post Qualcomm WCN3680 Combo Chip Offers “5G” Connectivity appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

There are already many LTE devices on Verizon’s network, and now they have added one more. The LG Spectrum is now available on sale from the carrier. The smartphone, which is aimed at the mid-range market, is coming with high-end specs including a beautiful HD screen.

The Spectrum features a 1.5GHz dual-core Snapdragon S3 processor, an 8 Megapixel rear camera capable of recording 1080p video, a front facing 720p camera for video calls, 16GB of storage, and 1GB of RAM, and an 1830mAh battery is included in the package.

But it’s coming with Android 2.3 and no hints regarding an upgrade to Android 4.0.  It features Bluetooth 3.0, but Bluetooth headset users would probably prefer BT 4.0 as it consumes much less power in standby mode.

The device’s main attraction is its large screen protected by Corning Gorilla Glass. Although it’s not as big as the one on the Galaxy Note, the 4.5 inch 720p IPS display might just be enough to attract you. And of course, the LTE device will take advantage of Verizon’s high speed network.

We are expecting to get the device soon for a hands-on experience so that we can judge it fully. But we encourage you to pay a visit to your nearby Verizon store to take a peek at that screen for yourself. And do let us know how you felt.

The device is coming with a price tag of $199.99 with a 2 year contract.

[Verizon]

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ITProPortal.com is exclusively publishing these hands on set of walkthrough images of the yet-to-be-announced Sony Ericsson ’Nozomi’ Xperia HD mobile phone, which is due to be launched at the CES 2012.

The codename ‘Nozomi’ phone, which is set to be called the Xperia HD, will run Android ‘Gingerbread’ 2.3.7, with the Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM8660 chipset, which is also used in the HTC Evo 3D mobile.

As being sort of an HTC Evo 3D clone, with the main exception being its ultra high res screen (1280×720), this model just doesn’t strike me as something that extraordinary.

It is powered by a dual-core 1.5 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM8660 chipset running at 1.5 GHz, but failing to show spectacularly fast Quadrant benchmarks. No slot for microSD cards in Nozomi, either.

Somewhat on the redeeming side, it does sport a 12 Mpix camera of untested quality and 32 GB of internal storage.

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