Ahead of IFA later this month, Lenovo has just released a new teaser video for its upcoming product announcements. This new teaser looks back at some of the previous tech Lenovo has released at IFA such as its Yoga Windows laptops, tablets, and even give us another look at those crazy flexible phones and tablets from Tech World earlier this year.
Next up at the IFA trade show in Berlin is Sony’s press conference scheduled to kick off at 10am ET/ 3:00pm BST. And the good news is we’ll be able to watch the whole thing as it unfolds as Sony’s plans to stream the event live on its website.
What can we expect from Sony today? Judging by past leaks, some of the announcements we’d expect include the new Sony Xperia Z5 family including a Compact and Premium model alongside a refreshed design for the flagship lineup and camera improvements. Based on recent leaks, we’re expecting to see a 5.2-inch Xperia Z5, along with the larger Xperia Z5 Premium with a large 5.5-inch QHD or 4K display and the smaller Z5 Compact with a 720p, 4.6-inch display.
We’ll of course be following along and offering up coverage on the big announcements from the event. But you can check out the full live stream of the event for yourself through Sony’s website here.
Just one day before it’s due to unveil its next smartphone and give us a refreshed look at its smartwatch, Huawei’s next Ascend Mate has shown up in form of leaked photos and press renders. Previous leaks showed us pre-release versions of the device and suggested it would be an all-metal device, similar to the Ascend Mate 7. Taking design cues from the HTC One series, it has the familiar antenna bands on the top and bottom as well as a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor.
Rumored specifications suggest this isn’t a flagship phone. The supposed 5.7-inch display on the front has a resolution of 1080×1920, and it’s powered by a Kirin 935 processor with 3GB RAM. One interesting feature mentioned by Steve Hemmerstoffer is that the device could feature Force Touch-like technology, similar to the pressure sensitive touch screen tech found on modern MacBooks and the Apple Watch. The camera on the back is expected to pack in a 20MP sensor while the front camera will allegedly be 8MP.
Evan Blass had his say on the device today too, with what looks to be the official press render of Huawei’s Ascend Mate S. If accurate (which his leaks almost always are) we can expect the device to ship in black, white and gold hues.
It wasn’t long ago that Huawei started sending out invites to its IFA event. The invites themselves strongly hinted at the ‘S’ in the device name, a rumor which is seemingly confirmed on the screen of the leaked device. Sadly, for those who like a pure Android experience, it looks as though these devices will ship with the opinion-dividing EMUI custom skin. Still, it won’t be long until we finally see how a Huawei smartphone runs on stock Android. The Chinese manufacturer is expected to be one of Google’s partners for the two rumored Nexus phones due to land later this year.
Samsung has — notably 4 days before IFA 2015 is set to kick off in Berlin — announced its round Gear S2 smartwatch by way of a press release. The device, which is absent of any hint of Google’s Android Wear smartwatch operating system, has a circular 1.2-inch screen, sports Tizen-based software, has 4 GB of onboard storage, and packs fitness features like S Health and Nike+ Running. Also, there’s a 3G model… Expand
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The Moto 360 is set to get a complete refresh at IFA later this week, and up to this point we’ve only seen what look to be two variants of the device. There’s apparently a smaller watch and a larger watch (reportedly called Moto 360S and Moto 360L, respectively). Now, well-known leakster Upleaks is giving us a look at a “Sport” variant of the smartwatch, featuring bright colors and some kind of fitness tracking software on board… Expand
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XperiaBlog.net is reporting that official Sony Mobile accounts across social media channels today inadvertently published press pictures of the yet-unannounced flagship Xperia Z5 smartphone. Note that we ourselves weren’t able to verify this.
Sony itself teased earlier this week the unveiling of a smartphone “with greater focus,” and that all would become clear on the 2nd of September. That date, of course, falls during IFA Berlin, the annual technology trade show where Sony will be present and has been known to unveil new hardware. The images seem to show the phone packing another one of Sony’s Exmor RS pixel-stacked image sensors, although XperiaBlog.net states that the images confirm this one is a 23MP sensor — Sony doesn’t publicly list a 1/2″ 23MP sensor on its sales site, so it would have to be one they haven’t announced yet.
Aside from that, the images show the phone in gold, white and dark turquoise colors, as well as an “Xperia” logo engraved on one side, which we haven’t seen on previous models. We predicted earlier this week that this new phone could come with Sony’s hybrid autofocus technology, which Sony says combines two technologies — Phase detection AF for quick response and Contrast detection AF for added precision — to allow “fast, accurate focusing in all situations, even if your subject is moving.” Sony’s software is widely panned for softening up images and doing other things to negatively degrade them.
In what is probably one of the lesser surprising reports to come out this year, CNET this morning claims that four handset manufacturers — namely, LG, Motorola, Huawei, and ASUS — are all planning to launch new Android Wear smartwatches at the IFA consumer electronics show kicking off late next week. Much-rumored and long-awaited (and highly-leaked?) second generation Moto 360, anyone?
We’ve been seeing leaks of the new Moto 360 for a while now, and ASUS already made its ZenWatch 2 public earlier this year (albeit with very little fanfare). Huawei showed off the Huawei Watch a long time ago, and has yet to deliver, so that company will probably take the stage at IFA to actually announce pricing and availability details. LG is mostly a mystery right now (mostly), but we’ll see what’s up their sleeves soon enough.
We’ll be on the ground at IFA to keep you in the loop, and until then, feel free to read up on the latest on the Moto 360, and check out our Android Wear smartwatch comparison page.
Right near the end of its recent Unpacked announcement, Samsung gave us a very brief glimpse at its upcoming wearable. The Gear S2 will be unveiled fully at IFA, Berlin in a few weeks’ time. And now Samsung has published a new teaser video to its YouTube channel.
Huawei has started sending out invitations to an event on September 2nd in Berlin, Germany. The invites fit in perfectly with previous speculation that the Chinese manufacturer would use IFA as its platform to launch a new smartphone. What’s interesting about these invites is that they seemingly hint at the name of the upcoming device. Expand
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With Samsung pulling out of IFA this year and opting for hosting its own event, you may be left wondering if there’s anything worth looking forward to at this year’s tech show in Berlin. Thankfully, it looks as though Huawei is preparing to show off one of its own new devices. Two leaks have shown up on Twitter today, one press render from Evan Blass and another picture of a pre-release device running AnTuTu benchmark tests from Steve Hemmerstoffer.
According to Evan Blass, better known as @evleaks, the device is going to be announced on September 2nd, at an event during IFA. Although he doesn’t know what the device’s name will be, he does state that it will feature ‘Force Touch’. If true, this will make it one of the first smartphones announced with a built in sensor to detect pressure on the touchscreen. Of course, Apple is expected to implement the technology in to its upcoming smartphones, but Cupertino isn’t likely to announce anything new until September 9.
Launching at IFA on 9/2. Features force touch. Branding currently unknown (D-series?). pic.twitter.com/5w2t7m7Nsx
— Evan Blass (@evleaks) August 8, 2015
Add that to the images of what is almost certainly a prototype, or pre-release test unit, and we start to get a clearer picture of the device. Looking at the information on screen from the benchmark tests suggests we’ll see a 1080p display, with an octa-core 64-bit processor. If you were to look at design alone, you might think this is perhaps the next generation Huawei Ascend Mate device. However, look closely and you’ll realize that can’t be the case.
You’ll also see that it has a 13MP camera and runs Android 5.1.1. But what’s really interesting to me is the claimed DPI count (better known as PPI or pixels per inch). The benchmark states that it has a pixel density of 480ppi. If so, using a pixel density calculator, it can’t possibly be a follow-up to the 6-inch Mate7. 1080×1920 over 6-inches is 367ppi. So this could perhaps be the mini version of Huawei’s Ascend Mate 7, with a screen measuring 4.6-inches diagonally. That’s not forgetting, the Mate 7 was only announced in March this year.
Of course, this is all just speculation for now. We’ll find out all about this device once it has been announced. It’ll be intriguing to see where in the market this supposed device will sit alongside the Huawei P8 and P8 Lite and if it’ll be restricted to just specific markets, or available globally. It’s unlikely that this is the long-rumored Huawei Nexus phone, if it is being announced at IFA.
By now we’ve heard multiple rumors and reports on Samsung’s next generation phablet. In today’s latest report from SamMobile, the publication claims that it knows when the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 and S6 Edge+ will be unveiled and released to the public. Citing its “insiders”, the report states that the Galaxy Note 5 will be announced on August 12th and be available to buy shortly afterwards on August 21th.
The existing Galaxy Note 4
Samsung is planning to bring forward the launch of the Galaxy Note 5 from September to August, according to the WSJ. It’s believed the change in schedule is designed to get the device on sale ahead of Apple’s anticipated September launch of the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus, which is likely to dominate tech media coverage that month.
Samsung has always previously launched its Note models on the eve of the IFA conference, which takes place in Berlin in September. The WSJ cites only a single source for the claim, but it’s not the first time we’ve heard suggestions that the company may bring forward the launch this year … Expand
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Ahead of IFA in Berlin this September—the event where Samsung, Sony, and just about every other Android device maker unveils their latest products each year—a select group of companies have been giving a taste of what’s to come for the last 5 days at IFA’s Global Press Conference.
So what can you expect? Android-powered TV sets, app connected appliances, and drones are just a few product categories you can expect to see grow at this year’s show. Expand
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Logitech today announced a new Bluetooth Multi-Device Keyboard (K480) that doesn’t just make switching between devices easy, it also doubles as a stand for your smartphone or tablet. While Logitech has made similar keyboards previously that let you switch between connected devices, the new keyboard adds a “Easy-Switch dial” that makes it super easy to switch between three devices on the fly:
Now you can type a report on your computer and, with the flick of the Easy-Switch™ dial, respond to a message on your smartphone and type a tweet on your tablet. The universal keyboard can connect to three different Bluetooth wireless devices at once, whether you are using a Windows®, Mac® or Chrome OS™ computer, or an Android™ or iOS tablet or smartphone.
The keyboard is available now in the US and Europe for $50 in two color schemes (white & black). You can images of the two colors below and see more specs and order the keyboard now on Logitech’s site.
ASUS has officially launched its much-teased ZenWatch at IFA in Berlin, revealing that the rectangular smartwatch has a curved face, a brushed stainless steel body and a leather strap – but is pricier than expected.
Specs are pretty much as expected and in line with the Samsung Gear Live and LG G Watch: an Android Wear device with 1.63-inch 320×320 AMOLED display, 1.2GHz Snapdragon 400 chip, 512MB RAM, 4GB storage and a fitness functions. The watch is waterproofed to a relatively weak IP55 standard, defined as resistant to water jets but not full immersion … Expand
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Sony is about to announce a new product in its QX camera accessory lineup that will make your smartphone compatible with any of its E-Mount lenses usually reserved for its line of NEX camcorders and mirrorless shooters. The report comes from the often reliable SonyAlphaRumors blog, which also shared the image above and below:
These are the first pictures of the ILCE-QX1 E-mount camera. The third QX camera after the QX10 and QX100 (here one Bay). But unlike the other two this hasn’t a fixed lens but is an E-mount module. It has an APS-C sensor (not sure yet but should have the same great A6000 24MP sensor with fast af), built-in flash
When Sony introduced its QX accessory for smartphones last year, there were mixed reviews on whether or not the lens-style camera attachment would catch on with consumers, but many praised the product despite not loving its original $300-$500 price point (which has since come down). More than just a lens attachment for your Android device or iPhone, the lens built in NFC, WiFi, battery, memory and a back-illuminated 18MP 1/2.3” Exmor R® CMOS sensor. This time around Sony is going ditch the fixed lens and let the accessory play nice with any of its E-Mount lenses, which could be a big draw for users that are already invested in the ecosystem.
Sony is expected to unveil the device during its IFA event in Berlin tomorrow on September 3. The new QX accessory will reportedly sell for 300 Euro for the body only and 450 Euro with a 16-50mm lens. The two current models are now selling for around $135 and $335 for the higher end model on Amazon. Update: Current model is now on sale for $84 shipped.
We’ve previously seen AutoCAD models, but Ausdroid has obtained what it says are two press shots of the Sony Xperia Z3 due to be launched at IFA in Berlin on Thursday. It has also listed specs which tally with those we posted this weekend: a 4.7-inch display 720×1280 display, a 2.5GHz quad-core Snapdragon 801 and 3GB of RAM.
The photos show four colors: black, white, a kind of mint green and a fourth color that looks more like orange in one shot and red in another (below) … Expand
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As we’ve previously reported, Sony will be launching an Android Wear powered SmartWatch 3 and a new SmartBand Talk during IFA 2014 in Berlin. Don’t worry, that’s not all the Japanese company is announcing at the show. We’ve been informed by sources close to the matter that Sony will be launching three new smartphones and a thin waterproof tablet as well. Here’s what you can expect to see at IFA 2014…
IFA 2014 is almost here and we’ll be out in Berlin bringing you full coverage of the show. If you’ve never heard of IFA, it’s a Berlin based trade show that’s similar to CES. IFA is up there as one of the largest trade shows of the year which normally brings a handful of exciting announcements in all areas of technology. While September may be a fruit company’s only time to shine, the rest of the major tech giants are busy finishing out the year with a bang…
A lot changed at Sprint over the past few weeks, a new CEO, new service plans and phones from new hardware partners. It looks like that last item might continue being a trend going forward, as Reuters reports that the SoftBank-owned US wireless carrier is preparing to carry its first smartphone from Sony. The device in question is a “soon-to-be launched Xperia flagship,” which immediately makes us think of the rumored Z3.
Huawei is set to unveil its new Ascend Mate 7 next week during IFA in Berlin, however the unreleased phone appears to have been spotted in the wild prior to its big showing. A device referred to as the Chinese phone maker’s next handset recently made a cameo appearance on the Asian microblogging site Weibo, revealing a phone that is somewhat reminiscent of the HTC One Max.
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It’s no great surprise that Sony is now teasing three new Xperia 3 devices in a short video on its YouTube channel, pointing to their official announcement at the IFA next week … Expand
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LG is going to announce a round smartwatch next week during IFA in Berlin and to keep its hype train chugging along, the company has shared a new teaser image of its next timepiece on its Facebook page. Captioned with the tagline “smart comes full circle,” the photo shows a shadowy image of what looks like a round watch face that almost looks metallic.
ASUS recently teased its new smartwatch by showing off some renders and today the company is turning things up a notch by releasing a brief preview video of its new timepiece. At just over a half a minute long, the quickie trailer doesn’t show much, but it does reveal that the watch will be called the ZenWatch, completely removing our Transformer theory out of the equation.
Samsung is expected to unveil its highly anticipated Galaxy Note 4 on September 3rd during its Unpacked event at IFA in Berlin and today the company planted a small seed hinting at the arrival of its big device. In a new teaser video focusing on the importance of handwriting, Samsung shows examples of children defacing furniture with markers, engineers drafting blueprints with pencils and composers inking music notes with quills.
The Sony Xperia Z3 passed through TENAA today, and as a result, we’ve finally got our hands on some high-resolution press photos and specs that can tell us more about the device. This isn’t the devices first leak, but with its expected reveal next month, it seems like it’s getting more difficult for Sony to keep the device under wraps.
According to the report, the device is expected to feature a 5.3″ display at full 1080P resolution, a 20.7MP rear shooter, a Snapdragon 801, 3GB of RAM and 16GB of storage. While the press photos of the device look awfully similar to the Z2, previous reports point to the phone being thiner and lighter than its predecessor.
Sony is expected to reveal the Z3 at IFA in Berlin during their scheduled press event.
You can view the full gallery of the device in both black and white below.
According to a new report from the often reliable Samsung blog SamMobile, Samsung is developing a new smartphone cover with built-in ultrasonic sensor that will provide navigation assistance to the visually impaired. The accessory will reportedly launch as a companion to the new Galaxy Note 4 that the company is expected to unveil early next month during IFA in Berlin.
Today’s report not only brings news of the ultrasonic cover, but also provides a description straight from Samsung about how it will work. “According to our sources, the cover consists of an ultrasonic sensor which detects nearby objects in front of the person and provides feedback, appropriately. Users will also be able to change the range of ultrasonic signals and choose between three levels: short, middle and long. However, as the user increases the range of ultrasonic signals, the width of the area covered by the ultrasonic sensor will get narrower.” Expand
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[tweet https://twitter.com/ASUS/status/501668895074181120/]
ASUS has officially confirmed that it will be unveiling its Android Wear smartwatch at the IFA next month, with a teaser tweet showing a smartwatch face displaying the quote “Time has been transformed and we have changed” … Expand
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IFA is almost here and while we haven an idea of what to expect from companies like Samsung and ASUS, Sony may be planning to announce some new gear as well. An alleged set of documents referencing an Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact has surfaced and while we’re not exactly sure what the Japanese electronics maker has up its sleeves, this is definitely something new.
We already heard that Sony would be hosting its usual press event during IFA early next month, but today we get official confirmation with screenshots of press invites making their way online (ePrice via XperiaBlog).
As previously reported, the event is scheduled for September 3rd (the week of IFA conference in Berlin) and the invite seems to hint at device announcements for a new smartphone. There are also hints at other devices on the invite, including what looks like the QX lens-camera smartphone attachment that the company first launched at IFA last year. Samsung has also scheduled its IFA press conference for September 3 this year.
As always, we’ll be on hand at the event this year to bring you updates as they happen.
With IFA in earlier September each year being the usual venue of a new Galaxy Note unveiling, it’s not much of a surprise that a new report claims Samsung is planning a Sept. 3 event for the upcoming Galaxy Note 4. The report comes from The Korea Times (via SamMobile), which notes that the company is planning to send out invites for the event any day now.
That would line up the event with the IFA tech conference in Berlin that week and follows a number of leaks for the device pointing to some unique features like an ultraviolet sensor. Other specs rumoured for the device include a 5.7-inch QHD (2560×1440) display, an Exynos 5433/Snapdragon 805 processor, a 16-megapixel with a Sony IMX240 sensor and optical image stabilization, and 3GB of RAM.
We’ll be on hand for full coverage of the Samsung event at IFA next month.
During its earnings call with investors where Samsung announced a 31 percent drop for its profits in its mobile division, the company also slipped in a small announcement about upcoming smartphones to reassure investors going into the next quarter. As noted by The Wall Street Journal, Samsung executive Kim Hyun-Joon told investors that the company would launch a new model with a large screen and another that will be made with “new materials.” Expand
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We don’t usually get specifics on the number of devices Samsung sells each year, but ETNews reports that Samsung’s JK Shin disclosed in a meeting with the press recently that the company has sold over 38 million Galaxy Notes to date. That includes both the Galaxy Note 1 and Galaxy Note 2, but there’s no mention of how many units of each generation make up that total of 38 million. The company expects to sell even more units of the recently announced Galaxy Note 3 with Shin being quoted as saying “Over 10 million Galaxy Note 3 will be sold.”
The new Galaxy Note 3, which was unveiled last week during the company’s Unpacked event at IFA in Berlin, will go one sale early next month on several U.S. carriers.
Samsung Gear Patent Filing
Following a report from SamMobile last week sharing some specific specs coming in Samsung’s much rumored Galaxy Gear smartwatch, today GigaOm reports on a few more details from developers with prototypes of the device. On top of confirming a Sept.4 unveiling at Samsung’s events scheduled to take place in Berlin and New York, the report claims Galaxy Gear will include a 2.5 inch OLED display, dual core processor, an accelerometer, speakers, and built-in NFC:
It is said to be around 2.5 inches diagonally (and 3 inches diagonally including the case), is powered by a dual core processor and should have pretty decent battery life. In addition, we are told the watch has a camera that is integrated into the strap and even has tiny speakers in the clasp of the watch, plus built-in NFC to allow for bump-to-sync and authenticate. The watch uses Bluetooth 4.0 LE to connect with smartphones for connectivity… In addition, the watch has a built-in accelerometer that makes it possible to switch it on when it is moved up towards the eye. It could be a great way to wake the watch and also the apps and manage battery power. The watch screen will support the usual touch, swipe and select type gestures but will likely not have text-input.
The report adds that watch will work with a Samsung watch manager app on a smartphone and utilize apps from the Samsung App Store, not Google Play. GigaOm also claims that Galaxy Gear will support Facebook and Twitter integration at launch. The Samsung App Store integration could mean the device will only be available for Samsung device users: Expand
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Samsung Gear Patent Filing
According to a new report from fansite SamMobile, Samsung will introduce its Galaxy Gear smartwatch during the Unpacked Episode 2 event on September 4th. The Galaxy Gear will reportedly carry the SM-V700 model number and act as a companion device for Samsung’s other Galaxy smartphones. Other details are sparse at this point, though several patent filings have given us a hint as to what we may see in terms of design. Samsung is also excepted to announce its Galaxy Note III flagship during the Unpacked event next month.
Samsung’s foray into the smartphone market comes on the heels of the Pebble being available in retail stores across the country. Many people also expect Apple to enter the smartwatch market sometime soon, as well.
No matter what Samsung announces next month, we’ll be sure to bring you all the details. Expand
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A leaked image earlier this month hinted that Sony had plans to introduce its rumored Xperia i1, codenamed “Honami,” at an event scheduled for September 4th during IFA in Berlin. Today, Xperiablog points us to another set of photos posted on Digi-Wo showing what is reportedly the Honami handset in white. You get a sense of its size in some comparison shots next to the iPhone 5. The device is rumored to include a 5-inch 1080p display, 20-megapixel rear camera, and Snapdragon 800 processor as one of Sony’s new flagship devices.
Nothing is official at this point, but we’ll likely be finding out more early next month at Sony’s event. Perhaps we’ll even get a look at the rumored Carl Zeiss lens camera attachment. Expand
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New images that have made their way to Chinese-language forum Digi-Wo (via XperiaBlog) show what could be an upcoming Sony smartphone to be unveiled during IFA next month in Berlin. All of the big smartphone makers will be showing off their latest devices during the IFA trade show next month– including Samsung— so it’s not much of a surprise that Sony too will be hosting a press event on September 4th during the press days leading up to the show. Some are speculating that this could very well be our first official glimpse at the Xperia i1, codenamed “Honami”, that’s expected to arrive with a 5-inch display, 20-megapixel rear camera, and Snapdragon 800 processor as one of Sony’s new flagship devices. There’s not much to go on yet, but we’ll be in Berlin next month to bring you all the official details live from the Sony event.
Samsung just sent invites to “Unpacked 2013 Episode 2” and is hinting that we’ll likely see what’s next in line for its stylus-based Note family. The event is scheduled to take place on September 4 in Berlin, which puts it right in the middle of IFA, one of the year’s biggest technology trade shows taking place the same week. A new Note product wouldn’t exactly be surprising, as the company has used its event during IFA to unveil its new Galaxy Notes since the introduction of the first model two years ago.
Last year, Samsung hosted its Unpacked event during IFA where it unveiled the Galaxy Note II alongside the introduction of its Galaxy Camera. This year it looks like we might be getting another Note announcement, as the invite above asks us to “Note the date” and does so in a decidedly S Pen-like, handwritten font.
Like last year, the event will be live streamed through Samsung’s YouTube channel, and this year the company is also hosting a live stream in New York’s Time Square for those that can’t make it to Berlin. We’ll be in Berlin bringing you the best of both IFA and Samsung’s event early next month.
The generally reliable @evleaks is reporting that Samsung is working on 10-inch and 12.2-inch tablets, each with a resolution of 2560×1600.
The claim appears to be confirmed by SM-P900 and SM-P600 user-agent profiles on the Samsung site which match the resolution. GSMarena also pointed us to an Indian shipping website which appears to show prototypes of two versions of the 12.2-inch tablet entering the country.
Given the screen size and resolution, it seems more than possible that the 10-inch tablet is the new Samsung-made Nexus 10, while the 12.2-inch monster may be a new Galaxy Tab or (gack) a Windows Tablet. If so, the smart money is on the latter being released at the IFA in September.
Apple, FWIW, is working on a 13-inch tablet, or so the rumor goes. Expand
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Samsung must have received a good response with its Galaxy Camera that we first got a look at last year during IFA in Berlin, as new reports suggest the company is getting ready to introduce a new camera/smartphone hybrid dubbed the “Galaxy S4 Zoom”. The report comes from the often reliable SamMobile, and suggests that Samsung is preparing to introduce the device as its first “camera phone” with a 16 megapixel camera similar to that included in the Galaxy Camera:
SamMobile says the Galaxy S4 Zoom will include a slightly smaller 4.3” qHD SAMOLED display, 8GB of onboard storage, Bluetooth 4.0 LE, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, A-GPS, and the latest version of Jelly Bean alongside Samsung’s Touch Wiz UI. The report also claims the device will run dual or quad-core processor but CPU and RAM specs aren’t yet finalized.
According to the report Samsung is hoping to launch its new Galaxy S4 Zoom camera smartphone sometime in June and July in both while and black variants.
Rumors have swirled recently about the Galaxy Note III launching soon and that it will boast a screen anywhere between 5.9-inches all the way up to 6.3-inches. A new report from SamMobile seems to add a little unofficial confirmation to its release date. According to an “insider,” the Galaxy Note III, along with an updated Galaxy Tab, is scheduled for release at IFA in Berlin. The report also suggested that Samsung would push out one final update to the current Galaxy Tab II, Android 4.2.2. If it is true that Samsung will no longer update the Galaxy Tab II after Android 4.2.2, the likelihood of a new tablet seems apparent.
The move wouldn’t be a surprise, because the original Galaxy Note was released at IFA in Berlin.
SanMobile claimed its source gave them no word about device specifications, so at the moment it’s unclear if these new devices will adopt the Octa-core processor found in the recently announced Galaxy S IV.
While many of the above Samsung Galaxy Camera accessories are still prototypes, it is clear Samsung has high hopes for the recently unveiled Android-powered point-and-shoot. Apart from the cases and covers, which will likely hit the market alongside the camera itself, Samsung showed off prototypes of external lenses, an intricate tripod setup, a waterproof casing, lens hoods, ring lights, and even a wireless charging concept that the company confirmed will not work with the first generation of Galaxy Cameras yet to hit the market. Unfortunately, Samsung did not have any more information about the accessories that were all displayed in a locked glass case on the IFA show floor.
It looks like Samsung isn’t the only one set on launching an Android-powered tablet at this year’s IFA. According to a translation of a Notebook Italia story, Toshiba is planning on introducing a refreshed version of their 10.1-inch Honeycomb tablet known as ‘Thrive’.
As you can see from the image above, the new refreshed Thrive is expected to be super thin upgrade that will more than likely do away with the full-size USB port, SD card slot, and HDMI (opting for mini USB, HDMI, and micro SD ports). The translation also notes the device is “dominated by the screen edge to edge and brushed-metal finish on the cover. The tablet is completely surrounded by a chrome frame crossed by a central groove.”
Toshiba’s Thrive tablet launched to less than stellar reviews after having gone up for U.S. pre-orders in June. The Thrive’s specs weren’t the issue (it currently packs a Tegra 2 chipset, 1 GB DDR2 RAM, 5MP back and 2MP front camera, and ranges from 8GB to 32 GB in storage). The real problem is the Thrive chunky design (0.66 inches thick) which has been described as “huge” and “bulky”. The current Thrive line up weighs in at 1.6 pounds (comparable to the first-gen iPad which has been considerably slimmed down for the iPad 2).
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An.droid Life has exclusively leaked the first images of the new Galaxy Tab 7.7, which is expected to be announced at IFA next week. There aren’t many details on the new device, except the fact it uses a 30-pin connector to charge like the Galaxy Tab 1o.1. How can we tell the difference between this and the 10.1? The 7.7 is charging on the side/small panel, while the 10.1 is on the bottom. Also, the device is rumored to be packing a Super AMOLED screen. Only time will tell, so stick with us next week as we cover IFA. Yeah, we’ll be there!
Check out the other shot after the break:
This is my next has learned that Samsung has a few interesting announcements up its sleeve ready for the IFA trade show which is scheduled to run September 2-7, 2011 in Berlin, Germany. Hints inside the code of Samsung’s Android app contain references to an unreleased 7.7-inch tablet conveniently referred to as the Galaxy Tab 7.7. The code also makes mention of Wave 3, most likely a new version of the Wave series of feature phones powered by the company’s own operating system dubbed Bada.
Finally, the publication discovered references to Galaxy Note, a mysterious device most likely to be a tablet of sorts. The fact that Samsung is telling users to updated said app September 1 indicates with a high degree of certainty plans to unveil new products on that day. In addition to this “leak”, 9to5Google informed you yesterday of the specs supposedly belonging to an array of new Samsung smartphones to be marketed under the Galaxy M, Galaxy W, Galaxy Y and Galaxy R monikers.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CUinl4Wclr4&feature=player_embedded]
Samsung already told us “something big is coming” on September 1st during this year’s IFA in an announcement accompanied by two extremely vague teaser videos. While we’re still unsure which of the many rumoured devices will be unveiled, the teaser vid above released by the company today indicates their upcoming August 29 announcement in New York will be focused on bringing the Samsung Galaxy S II to US carriers.
We’re not exactly impressed with the creativity in the ad/teaser vid, but at least it isn’t the typical iPhone/Apple commercial knock off. There are many that hope the September 1st announcement would bring that mysterious Ice Cream Sandwich-powered, 4.65-inch (hybrid tablet/phone?) “GT-I9250” device we’ve heard about. There is definitely still a possibility Samsung will take time to unveil new products other than the Galaxy S II at IFA, we’re hoping to get a sneak peek at a new tablet (perhaps a 7-inch Galaxy tab refresh). We’ll be on hand on August 29 for the New York event as well as during IFA to bring you the latest updates.
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[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44sOtEy3xpQ&feature=player_embedded]
Samsung has just released a couple teaser videos, which don’t seem to be teasing much other than the fact they will be making an announcement at IFA in Berlin on September 1st. As you can see from the video above, it’s essentially your average, run-of-the-mill smartphone ad but with the devices themselves blurred out by a mysterious glowing light. However, the thing that really gets our attention is the “Something Big is Coming” text at the end of the video.
While the ad clearly shows an actor placing the device up to his ear (indicating a phone rather than a tablet), there is also a suspicious amount of thumb typing in landscape mode going on and the glow on the device right at the end of the video above appears to be significantly larger than others. Perhaps hinting at a hybrid device of sorts.
There is no shortage of rumoured devices from Samsung that could easily be announced at IFA. We told you about a huge leak that gave us insight into seven Android smartphones and two tablets the company is currently working on. Perhaps the most impressive device from the leak was the “GT-I9250”, a 4.65-inch device running Ice Cream Sandwich and sporting a 1280x720p resolution. However, at this point it could very easily be anyone of the tablets or phones we know Samsung currently has in the works. We’ll be covering the announcement live as it happens so stay tuned for the latest.
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