The big phones to look out for at MWC

Who will be taking the floor at MWC 2014?

Let's face it, when it came to phone announcements this year's CES was a little... underwhelming. But MWC 2014 is just around the corner and it's looking a lot more promising.

It all kicks of on February 24, but to tide you over till then here's a rundown of the biggest and best phones that we're expecting (or hoping) to see on the show floor.

• MWC 2014: what to expect

Sony Xperia Z2

The Sony Xperia Z1 Compact was one of the biggest phone announcements at CES and it looks like the Japanese firm plans to top it in Barcelona with the launch of its new flagship, the Sony Xperia Z2.

A tweet from @evleaks claimed the Xperia Z2 was 'tipped' for an MWC debut. That's not quite a confirmation and as the Sony Xperia Z1 only launched at the tail end of last year it would seem rather soon for a new flagship, but then there was less than a year between the Sony Xperia Z and the Z1 so it's not impossible.

So what can you expect from the Xperia Z2? Rumours point to a 5.2-inch 1080p display with a 506ppi, a 2.3GHz quad-core Snapdragon 800 processor, 3GB of RAM, 20.7MP camera with Xenon flash and Android 4.4.

It seems a fairly safe bet that the Xperia Z2 will also be water and dust proof, given that its predecessors are.

• Sony Xperia Z2 release date, news and rumours

HTC One 2

The HTC One was one of the best phones of last year and really put HTC back on the map, so expectations for the HTC One 2 (Or M8 or Two or whatever it ends up being called) are high.

There's been no confirmation that we'll see the HTC One 2 at MWC, but @evleaks has hinted the handset will be with US carriers by the end of Q1 2014, while court documents from a patent trial claim that the handset will also be out in the first quarter of 2014.

None of that means MWC of course, and it gives HTC until the end of March to hit that Q1 prediction - and we reckon it'll favour a stand alone launch rather than battling for attention at .

So what do we know about the handset so far? Well, rumours point to a 2.26GHz quad-core Snapdragon 800 processor, either 2 or 3GB of RAM, an UltraPixel camera, Android 4.4 and Sense 6. Of course it will also keep the metal body which was such a big selling point of the One.

Those are certainly some good specs but for our money they're maybe not that big of an upgrade, particularly if it ends up with just 2GB of RAM. Still, if it launches at MWC it could be the star of the show.

• HTC One 2 release date, news and rumours

Samsung Galaxy S5

Short of a new iPhone the only handset which stands much chance of overshadowing the HTC One 2 is the Samsung Galaxy S5 and there's a chance that it might make an appearance at MWC.

There were conflicting rumours on whether the Galaxy S5 would actually be unveiled at MWC 2014, but after Samsung sent out a teasing invite headlined "Unpacked 5" there seems to be little doubt over the arrival of the firm's next flagship device.

On the other hand some rumours suggest that the Galaxy S5 will launch in either March or April at a dedicated launch event.

This makes more sense as Samsung has a history of shunning MWC and instead holding its own launch events - but that invite is very, very hard to ignore.

When it does launch we're expecting a 2560 x 1440 AMOLED display, Android 4.4, a 16MP camera and either an Exynos 6 or Snapdragon 805 processor.

It's also looking likely that a metal version of the handset may be offered and there's a possibility that it could have a 64-bit processor, a fingerprint scanner and even an eye scanner.

Source : http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/the-big-phones-to-look-out-for-at-mwc-1217137

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Smartphone sales in China grow 21.9% QoQ, Samsung stays on top

Digitimes has conducted its own research on the Chinese smartphone market in Q4, concluding that sales have grown 21.9% over the previous quarter. That's quite a leap, but compared to the same quarter of last year the sales are 15.9% lower.

The report shows that Samsung is the number one smartphone maker in China for 2013 followed by the domestic brands Lenovo, Huawei and Coolpad. Apple takes fifth place after disappointing sales performance of the iPhone 5c. The delayed partnership with carrier China Mobile also played its role in Apple's failure to attract customers in China.

Chinese phonemaker Xiaomi, which traditionally has been doing more than well thanks to its affordable, yet capable smartphone offerings has marked a decline in sales. The reason is Huawei and Coolpad launching secondary brands, which exclusively sell smartphones online.

In the first quarter of 2014, smartphones sales in China are expected to reach 100 million units. That's not so surprising keeping in mind the extended holidays in the country due to the Lunar New Year.

Source | Via

Source : http://www.gsmarena.com/smartphone_sales_in_china_grow_219_qoq_samsung_stays_on_top-news-7798.php

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HTC Desire 8 leaks with big screen to hide its mid-range specs

There's more to come from HTC (credit: MyDrivers)

While we are all eagerly anticipating the arrival of the much rumoured HTC One 2, that's not the only smartphone the Taiwanese firm appears to be working on.

Chinese site MyDrivers seems to have spilled the beans on a handset dubbed the HTC Desire 8, with a variety of specs and an accompanying image.

The firm is looking to expand its smartphone offering with Jeff Gordon, HTC's Senior Global Online Communications Manager, tweeting, "It's important for HTC to have a complete, competitive range across price points. Lots more to come!"

According to the leak, the Desire 8 will feature a 5.5-inch display, a decent sounding 13MP rear camera and an equally impressive-on-paper 5MP front snapper.

Object of your desire?

If the leaked image is to be believed then the HTC Desire 8 is set to sport a minimalist, clean design - apparently favouring plastic over the metal found on the HTC One, we assume to keep the cost of the handset down.

Clean and simple (Credit: MyDrivers)

There are small front-facing grills, but the Desire 8 may just have the one front facing speaking, with the holes at the top of the handset potentially hiding an earpiece only, instead of the double Boomsound setup we get on the flagship One.

The HTC Desire 8 could be announced at MWC 2014 in Barcelona at the end of February, and we'll be there to bring you all the latest.

• What will the new HTC One be like?

Source : http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/htc-desire-8-leaks-with-big-screen-to-hide-its-mid-range-specs-1223966

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Mid-range HTC Desire 8 press photo and specs leak

The first official photo of the as of yet unofficial HTC Desire 8 leaked courtesy of Chinese website MyDrivers. Some of the phone's specs also surfaced hinting the upper mid-range nature of the device.

The HTC Desire 8 is rumored to feature a 5.5" display of unspecified resolution, which is the largest HTC has given a non-flagship device to date. At the back of the plastic body sits a 13MP snapper with LED flash, while a 5MP takes care of video chatting and selfies photography at the front.

With dual-SIM functionality on board, the Desire 8 will be available in red, yellow, orange, cyan and white. As you can see from the photo above, HTC has given the phone dual front speaker setup.

Yet more hints from the leaked press shot are the missing hardware capacitive buttons, which means that the Desire 8 will be following the M8's lead and adopt on-screen navigation buttons.

The HTC Desire 8 is expected to be announced on March 18 in Beijing, but here's hoping we meet it sooner in Barcelona later this month.

Source | Via

Source : http://www.gsmarena.com/midrange_htc_desire_8_press_photo_specs_leak-news-7797.php

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HTC M8 may not be as beautiful as we thought

So much for edge to edge

Leaked images seem to be the current trend when it comes to the HTC M8 and today has turned out to be no different.

Fitting in with previous leaks, the new front face of the HTC One 2 seems to be pretty legit, and once again proves that the One 2 will be more evolutionary for the Taiwanese brand, rather than completely reinventing its design once more.

But until the M8 is launched only HTC truly knows what is going on and things are always open to change. We are also dealing with an image obtained by @htcfamily_ru, a tipster we aren't overly familiar with.

Pretty as a (photoshopped?) picture

Doubts creep in as this tipster has previously leaked images of a dual flash and dual sensor, work that was deemed photoshop trickery by one of HTC's Regional Directors Mark Moons.

If this is the real deal it seems we are looking at a device that comes with beauty levels more akin to Sylvester Stallone than Helen of Troy. That pretty hefty bezel at the base leaves more than a taste of disappointment, but is expected as HTC keeps its plans of using BoomSound as a selling point alive.

That disappointment may materialise as Phone Arena points out today's image shows the M8 with Taiwanese lettering (one guess as to where HTC is based) suggesting this is likely legit and that small bar next to the camera is has also popped up a few times.

So is this the real deal? And just what is that strange little bar? Let us know your thoughts below.

Source : http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/htc-m8-may-not-be-as-beautiful-as-we-thought-1223918

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Windows Phone 8.1 emulator demoed on video

The Windows Phone 8.1 leaks are intensifying - we saw a ton of screenshots but seeing the OS on video is much more revealing. It's an early emulator build but it already shows some interesting things about Microsoft's new mobile OS.

First off, things that are missing – no notification center and no Cortana. These might not have been ready for this particular build.

Anyway, changes in the UI are pretty extensive. First, the navigation buttons have moved on-screen. This allows customization – they can be hidden by apps (and revealed with a swipe), you can set their background to match that of the app or the highlight color. You can see those settings in action at the 3 minute mark.

Earlier on in the video, the app switching UI is demoed and it looks the same as before, but now you can swipe apps away instead of hitting the X button (this is at the 1 minute mark). Opening new apps shows a splash screen while the app loads, similar to desktop Windows 8.1 and iOS.

Another change relating to apps is that this build provides an option to store apps on a microSD card similar to Android (option at 9 minute mark). This could be huge for low-end devices with small storage.

Internet Explorer 11 brings a revamped UI and engine too – YouTube now works much better and tabs show up as individual entries in the app switcher interface. The browser also adds support for WebGL (web-based 3D graphics). The camera UI has been changed a bit and now features a Burst shot button. The volume controls have also been revamped and now you get more granular settings.

Here's the video demo in question:

The Windows Phone 8.1 SDK also contains settings for QHD screens (2,560 x 1,600), which will enable super-high dpi flagship phones and even tablets.

Source | Via

Source : http://www.gsmarena.com/windows_phone_81_emulator_demoed_on_video-news-7796.php

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Samsung Galaxy S5 screenshot reveals flat, circular icons

Samsung's new tablets feature flat, circular icons in for the toggles in their notification areas, quite similar to the ones from yesterday's teaser for the Unpacked 5 event from Samsung. There was always the possibility that those are for the Tizen phone instead, but a purported photo of the new TouchWiz UI aligns perfectly with the teaser.

Text next to the Curiosity icon reportedly reads something like discovering nearby devices. This would make it DLNA (Samsung's implementation is called AllShare) or something similar.

Anyway, Samsung's TouchWiz gets knocked for its looks and although it has been improving in the last few iterations, Holo fans are still not impressed. Will these new flat icons turn things around?

The Unpacked 5 event will be held on February 24 where we should see Samsung unveil the Galaxy S5. It will feature a bezel-free display, a fingerprint scanner and a 20MP camera according to the rumors.

Thanks to Steve for sending this in!

Source (in French)

Source : http://www.gsmarena.com/alleged_screenshot_of_galaxy_s5_reveals_flat_circular_icons-news-7795.php

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