Tuesday, April 19, 2016

LG K7 and K10 review: The new guys

LG has always been a company that's looked to push the boundaries of innovation. They brought Quad HD displays to smartphones with the LG G3, experimented with the concept of a modular phone with this year's G5, and even showcased a 98-inch 8K TV at CES this year. For a company with these credentials, having an entry-level smartphone lineup consisting of the aging Optimus L5 and L7 phones seems out of character. However, LG has addressed this issue with the two new 4G LTE phones released last week: the K7 and K10.

The new duo is generations ahead of the L series in almost every aspect. The blocky designs have been replaced with smooth 2.5D arc glass in the front and a gentle curve at the back, making the devices appear slimmer and much nicer to hold. Both phones retain LG's signature control layout with power and volume buttons at the back, which has been done away with in the top-end G5. While the devices are made out of plastic, the K7 gets a brushed finish while the K10 has a knotted design for the back panel, aiding looks and grip. At 5 inches and 5.3 inches respectively, both phones are almost similar in size and very easy to handle.

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Engadget giveaway: Win an LG G5 courtesy of Spigen!

With spring upon us, you may have cleaned your house and refreshed your wardrobe, but this week you could also win a fresh new smartphone to brighten up the season. Case and accessory maker Spigen has given us two new LG G5 phones and a selection of five cases for two lucky readers this week. LG's latest handset has a 5.3-inch display, expandable memory and a unique fast-swappable battery feature. To keep this new phone safe, Spigen has included five of its most popular case designs: the Tough Armor, Neo Hybrid, Rugged Armor, Crystal Shell and lastly the Style Armor, which accommodates quick access to the G5's battery without needing to remove the case. Just head to the Rafflecopter widget below for up to three chances at winning. You can also find discount codes below to buy Spigen's G5 and S7 Edge cases or even opt to write some reviews in exchange for a few freebies.

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New report outlines one way the iPhone 7 might not match the Galaxy S7

One key component of the Galaxy S7 is Samsung’s ultra-fast universal flash storage (UFS) that’s able to offer better speeds than typical memory solutions used in smartphones and other computers. Based on Samsung’s advanced V-NAND flash memory chips, the UFS storage would significantly improve the iPhone’s performance. A new report says that although Samsung and Apple have inked a storage deal for the first time since the iPhone 5, Samsung’s UFS might not make it into the iPhone until next year.

DON’T MISS: The best Nexus phone of all time could be coming this year

According to South Korea’s ETNews, Samsung will supply NAND flash memory to Apple’s iPhone in the near future. Apparently, Samsung’s memory was dropped from the iPhone supply chain as the Galaxy S device maker failed to agree with Apple’s manufacturing requests..

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Monday, April 18, 2016

Samsung Galaxy Note 6 UK release date, price, new features and specification rumours: Samsung Galaxy Note line to return to the UK in 2016

The Samsung Galaxy Note series is returning to the UK this August with the new Note 6 (SM-N930F), expected to cost around £630 with a new waterproof design, iris scanner, huge 6GB of RAM and (allegedly) brand-new Android N. We round-up the best Samsung Galaxy Note 6 rumours, focusing on the new Note 6 UK release date, price, new features and specifications.
You might also like: Samsung Galaxy Note 5 review, Samsung Galaxy S7 review

When is the Note 6 coming out? Galaxy Note 6 release date rumours

Note 6 release date: August 2016.

Samsung tends to hold an Unpacked event in which it unveils the new Note around the middle of August. The latest we’ve seen a new Note launch is immediately preceding IFA, which this year runs 2-7 September, making a 1 September launch possible. Also see: Samsung Galaxy Note 5 launch.

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Sunday, April 17, 2016

Apple's New iPhone to Be All Glass and It Is Not Coming until 2017

Apple recently launched the iPhone SE catering to the 4-inch display lovers and even before we could estimate the new phone's success or the lack of it, the internet is abuzz with rumours about its next flagship.

According to reliable Apple analyst, KGI Securities’ Ming-Chi Kuo, the new iPhone would deviate from the norm and come crafted in an all-glass design, dropping the aluminum completely.

The major design change won't be seen in this year's iPhone 7, breaking away from Apple's tick-tock pattern of introducing design changes every other generation, and instead be seen in 2017's iPhone 8, a report on 9to5Mac notes.

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One week with the excellent HTC 10 and I still can’t quite work out why I would buy one

HTC’s recently launched ‘HTC 10’ smartphone is everything on paper that a huge number of smartphone buyers should want.

It’s got an all-metal body and microSD expansion, it has a great camera, and the audio performance is pretty solid too.

Add in that HTC’s worked to cut back on consumer confusion throughout the Android OS and what you have is a leaner, meaner version of HTC’s previous ‘One’ range handsets with a better camera, improved overall performance and some other worthwhile software tweak

And as I said in the initial hands-on, they’re upgrades that make a lot of sense at first glance – and now in more extended testing too.

However, after having the device for nearly a week – and despite it performing admirably in most areas – I’m still not sure who’s going to walk into a phone shop and walk out with an HTC 10.

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HTC may have a winner: HTC 10 second impressions

We don't learn much from unboxings. After all, when I unboxed the HTC 10, what could I really say about it? I hadn't used it yet. This is where second impressions come in, when there's more than first impressions, but not enough to write a full review.

The HTC 10 is an extremely impressive device. It features a completely redesigned, slimmed down Sense interface and a Super LCD5 display that you would swear is AMOLED, judging by how vibrant the colors are.

The body is similar to the previous One models. While it's still a beautiful design and it feels great to hold, this will undoubtedly hold back some, as many were skeptical of last year's One M9 due to the lack of a redesign, even before anyone got to use the handset.

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