Friday, 30 June 2017

Phone launches in 2017: the year in smartphone arrivals

Let's face it, it's not always easy to keep track of the latest and greatest phones thanks to the sheer volume of launches every year. 

But we at TechRadar are here to help, with our year in smartphone launches arriving to keep you up to date, allowing you to plan the perfect time to upgrade. 

Are you eager for some Galaxy S8 action, in desperate need of the iPhone 8, or begging for the latest HTC flagship? You'll find out right here when we expect they'll show up, so you can mark it in your diary.

And for the phones already announced we've provided links to our hands on and full reviews so you can get a real flavour of the phones before parting with your hard-earned cash. 

This isn’t an exhaustive list though - there are simply so many launches around the world it would get unruly - instead we’ve condensed it to the handsets we think are most important, interesting and genuinely intriguing.

January

January kicks off with the world's biggest tech show, CES, but smartphones are playing a smaller and smaller role here, so the year can get off to a bit of a slow start. 

In 2017 though, we did get a few notable launches from HTC and BlackBerry (now run by TCL).

BlackBerry KeyOne
BlackBerry's back, again! The KeyOne offers up a full physical keyboard below a sizable display of an Android smartphone. It gives BlackBerry fans the phone they've been waiting for, but others looked on with a raised eyebrow.

HTC U Ultra & HTC U Play
A sign of things to come later in the year, the introduction of the HTC U Ultra and U Play at CES revealed the firm's new design language that it's carried on to its flagship handset, the HTC U11.

February

February is the busiest month of the year for phone launches with the major show MWC 2017 increasingly proving the time where manufacturers unveil their latest creations. 

The standout phones from February are the LG G6, 4K-toting Sony Xperia XZ Premium and the return of Nokia.

LG G6
LG's big flagship phone for 2017 is the G6, which launched in Barcelona at MWC. It boasts a sizable 5.7-inch QHD display, premium metal body and dual cameras on the rear.

Sony Xperia XZ Premium
There are two big features on Sony's flagship phone. First up is the 4K HDR display - it's the only phone in the world to have one - and secondly is the rear camera's ability to film in super slow motion at 960fps.

Huawei P10 & P10 Plus
Not one to be left behind, Huawei also introduction its duo of flagship phones at MWC, with the P10 and P10 Plus sporting slick metal designs and dual cameras on the back.

New Nokia 3310, Nokia 6, Nokia 5 & Nokia 3
The most surprising launch, and the one that possibly stole the show out in Barcelona, was the return of the iconic Nokia 3310. With an updated look, color screen, new-look Snake and even a camera, it ignited a wave of nostalgia (and helped draw attention to the trio of new Android handsets as well).

March

March tends to be the month of choice for at least one major Android manufacturer to distance itself from the deluge of phones at MWC and try and make a big impact on its own. 

In 2017 Samsung did just that with the launch of the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus.

Samsung Galaxy S8 & Galaxy S8 Plus
The best looking smartphones to date arrived in March, with an even more futuristic design, hardly any bezel and strong snappers. The Samsung Galaxy S8 is currently our best phone in the world - which should tell you just how good it is.

April

April was a surprisingly quiet month in 2017, with no big launches taking place. It did give us plenty of time to review all the phones that had arrived earlier in the year though, which was nice. Onwards...

May

Usually by the time you get to May all the big Android phone manufacturers have launched their flagship offerings for the year - but in 2017 one firm played the waiting game.

HTC U11
HTC was in no rush to push its flagship phone out, with the unveiling of the HTC U11 taking place in May. The design we first saw in January on the U Play and U Ultra took pride of place here, while HTC kept things under the hood relatively standard.

June

Into June and with the bluster of the big names out of the way, it gives the smaller firms a bit of breathing space to get their message across. While they may not be household names, there are some surprisingly strong contenders from these emerging manufacturers.

OnePlus 5
Plucky Chinese startup OnePlus has gone from strength to strength, and the OnePLus 5 is the best phone it's made to date. There's a premium metal body, dual cameras round the back and a whole heap of power under the hood. It's also cheaper than its flagship rivals.

Honor 9
Another Chinese brand attempting to make waves is Honor, and its latest flagship is impressive when you look at the specs and then the price tag. It's even cheaper than the OnePlus 5 and pretty much matches the more expensive Huawei P10 feature for feature.

July

Generally we don't see too much activity in terms of new phone launches in July, but every now and then something pops up to keep us on our toes. If you're in the market for a new phone, you might be able to bag yourself a bargain on July 11 as that's Amazon Prime Day, with the online retailer offering a wide range of discounts.

Rumored: Moto Z2
The follow up to Motorola's modular smartphone has been widely rumored and July is now looking like the most likely time for the Lenovo-owned brand to take the covers of its latest flagship smartphone.

August

August tends to be another very quiet in the phone launch calendar right up until its very end where it collides with the start of tech show IFA in Berlin. Samsung generally likes to launch its phablet at the end of the month, ready to show it off to the world in Germany.

Rumored: Samsung Galaxy Note 8
After the rather disastrous, explosive Galaxy Note 7, Samsung is expected to come out swinging with its follow-up phablet. Fingers crossed it doesn't blow it (up).

September

The first week of September is always dominated by IFA - a technology trade show in Berlin, Germany where a host of new devices, including phones, are launched. We expect to see a number of handsets arrive at the show, and we'll be reporting live from IFA 2017 to bring you all the latest.

That's not all though, as typically the second week of the month sees Apple take to the stage in California an announce its new iPhones - although this year there are rumors it may delay proceedings until October.

Rumored: iPhone 8, iPhone 7S & 7S Plus
The iPhone 8 is the most anticipated phone launch of the year, with the web awash with rumors that Apple is preparing a very special 10 year anniversary handset jam-packed full of futuristic features. Thing is, there are claims Apple may wait until October to launch its new iPhones.  Hmm.

October

Last October we saw Google launch the Pixel and Pixel XL, and it looks like it will repeat the trick a year later with the follow ups to its premium handset line. The rest of the month is likely to be relatively sedate though... unless Apple decides to shift the iPhone launch to October.

Google Pixel 2 & Pixel XL 2
Google's original Pixel handsets had impressive power and cameras, although the slightly questionable design, average battery life and increased price over the now defunct Nexus line of phones means they didn't hit all the right notes. Expect Google to perfect its offering in 2017.

November

We're not expecting to see any major phone launches at the tail end of the year, but November is worth keeping an eye on for another reason. Great phone bargains! 

Yes, November is home to Black Friday (Nov 24) and Cyber Monday (Nov 27), with retailers heavily discounting products. If you want a new phone, this is an ideal time to buy.

December

The mobile world really starts to slow down as we approach the Christmas period, which means there's rarely anything new to check out. However, there will be deals to be had as people shop for gifts, and post December 25 there's the Boxing Day sales and more where you might be able to nab a great smartphone deal.



from TechRadar: Phone and communications news http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-launches-in-2017-the-year-in-smartphone-arrivals

Deal: Start developing for the new Android O — just $15

For just $15, the Android O & Java Developer Mastery Course can be the learning you need to jumpstart an exciting new career in app development.

The post Deal: Start developing for the new Android O — just $15 appeared first on Pocketnow.



from Pocketnow http://pocketnow.com/2017/06/30/android-o-development-deal

Cricket starts selling familiar $180 Samsung Galaxy Halo with Android 7.0

It's far from stylish, and it largely packs mediocre specs, but Cricket's new Samsung Galaxy Halo is relatively inexpensive and Nougat-powered.

The post Cricket starts selling familiar $180 Samsung Galaxy Halo with Android 7.0 appeared first on Pocketnow.



from Pocketnow http://pocketnow.com/2017/06/30/cricket-wireless-samsung-galaxy-halo-launch-price

OnePlus 5 ‘jelly scrolling effect’ bug quickly swept under the rug, officially deemed ‘natural’ behavior

The oh-so-promising OnePlus 5's scandals, controversies and issues aren't going away anytime soon, as the OEM chooses to act like they're not real.

The post OnePlus 5 ‘jelly scrolling effect’ bug quickly swept under the rug, officially deemed ‘natural’ behavior appeared first on Pocketnow.



from Pocketnow http://pocketnow.com/2017/06/30/oneplus-5-jelly-effect-bug-natural-official-statement

Top smartphones of 2017 with big batteries

Modern day smartphones come with a variety of features appealing to a wide range of customers. But if there’s one feature that grabs the most eyeballs, it’s the size of a battery. Keeping this in mind, manufacturers have been pushing phones with massive batteries for quite some time now. It’s mostly a coincidence that a majority of these phones belong to the mid-ranged or budget segment. Well, let’s have a look at some of these smartphones that are available in India right now.

The Lenovo P2 is one of the most attractive big battery phones you can get right now. In addition to the 5,100mAh battery, the phone also comes with a decent 5.5-inch Full HD display, accompanied by the octa-core Snapdragon 625 SoC. 

 Customers get to choose between 3GB and 4GB of RAM, accompanied by 32GB of onboard storage. It’s a fairly exciting device, and the price tag of Rs 14,999 justifies the hardware. The variant with 4GB of RAM will set you back by Rs 16,999. The handset is a Flipkart exclusive.

Read the full review: Lenovo P2

Launched not too long ago, the Moto C Plus comes with a fairly attractive hardware, even for a budget device of this caliber. Moto has focused heavily on the mid-ranged market segment in the past and the company continues to do so with the newer breed of handsets. 

The highlight of the Moto C Plus is the 4,000mAh battery under the hood. The device also comes with a 5-inch HD (1280x720) display, Android 7.0 Nougat, an 8MP rear camera, a 2MP front camera, and 2GB of RAM with 16GB of storage. The handset can be snatched up from Flipkart for Rs 6,990.

Read to know more about Moto C Plus

The Xiaomi Redmi 3s Prime has been the mainstay among Indian budget handsets. Featuring a 4,100mAh battery under the hood, it’s a beast when it comes to battery backup. The phone also features a 5-inch HD display, along with a 13MP rear camera and a 5MP front camera.

The one caveat here is that the handset comes with Android 6.0 Marshmallow while most of the new devices feature Android 7.0 out of the box. The phone also comes with a fingerprint scanner on board, which has become a prerequisite among mid-rangers.

The Redmi 3s Prime will set you back by Rs 8,990 and can be bought via Flipkart.

Read the full review: Xiaomi Redmi 3s Prime

The Panasonic P85 is a device that not many might have heard of. This is mainly due to the dominance of Chinese OEMs in the Indian smartphone market. But the P85 is a pretty decent offering on its own, and with a price tag of Rs 6,499 via Flipkart, the handset is one of the cheaper options if you’re considering a big battery handset. 

The P85 also comes with a 5-inch HD display, an 8MP rear camera, and a quad-core 1.0 GHz processor. It’s a very capable device with an attractive price tag to boot.

ASUS has somewhat confused the market with three devices bearing almost the same moniker. This one, however, is significantly different compared to its namesakes. The device comes with a 5,000mAh battery under the hood, coupled with a 5.2-inch HD display, an 8MP camera on the front, and the octa-core Mediatek MT6750 SoC. The handset is currently selling through Flipkart and Amazon for roughly about Rs 14,500. 

Read the full review: Asus ZenFone 3 Max review

Samsung has seriously upped its game when it comes to mid-rangers and budget devices. The Galaxy A9 Pro is a testament to that. Featuring a Super AMOLED display accompanied by a 5,000mAh battery, this is a truly unique offering. 

The phone is also packing a 16MP camera on the back, making it a very capable camera phone. The phone is available in Black, Gold, and White variants from both Amazon and Flipkart. It seems like the Gold variant is the cheapest via both retailers, while the Black and White models are slightly more expensive. The handset is priced at Rs 26,900.



from TechRadar: Phone and communications news http://www.techradar.com/news/top-smartphones-of-2017-with-big-batteries

Best Buy further sweetens Moto Z2 Play deal with $50 discount, new Moto Mods get US launch dates

In addition to the JBL SoundBoost 2 Moto Mod gift offered by Motorola, Best Buy lets you save $50 off the list price of the Verizon-locked Moto Z2 Play.

The post Best Buy further sweetens Moto Z2 Play deal with $50 discount, new Moto Mods get US launch dates appeared first on Pocketnow.



from Pocketnow http://pocketnow.com/2017/06/30/best-buy-moto-z2-play-deal-new-moto-mods-launch-dates

This Android Game Boy case proves Nintendo needs to do mobile gaming differently

Games like Super Mario Run, Pokemon Magikarp Jump and Fire Emblem Heroes aren’t giving people everything they want from Nintendo games on mobile. 

People are enjoying those games - titles like Pokemon Go are innovative and pushing what we expect from mobile games - but Nintendo should go one step further and offer retro Game Boy games directly on your phone.

The internet is alight right now with hype for a Nintendo Game Boy case that attaches to your Android phone and allows you to play cartridge games with the top of your phone’s display. 

The genuine excitement from fans for this device – which you can pre-order now for £59.99 (about $78, AU$100) from Funstock Retro – is the only reason it has been created.

Originally the Smart Boy case started out as an April Fools Joke created by accessory manufacturer Hyperkin. Now just over a year later, the company has created the actual case itself and made it compatible with the Samsung Galaxy S8.

Other phones with 5.2-inch to 6-inch displays and a USB-C port at the bottom will also work, but the smaller flagship from Samsung will offer the optimum experience.

The case looks fine, but it’s a complicated system for you to then be able to play cartridge games on your phone. It’s similar to playing on an actual Game Boy Color in terms of the size of the device and taking the case and cartridges around with your isn’t going to make for the most portable gaming experience.

Nintendo can learn from this excitement though. People do really want to be able to play early Pokemon and other Game Boy games directly on their phone.

It is possible to play retro Nintendo games on your phone using an emulator – something Nintendo won’t benefit from at all – but that’s a legally sketchy area and isn’t as simple as paying for a game or two from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store.

Instead, Nintendo should offer a few of the original Game Boy Color games people want to play on the respective mobile stores.

This won’t eat into games such as Pokemon Go or Super Mario Run. Both of those titles offer an entirely different experience to most original Game Boy titles, plus the former is a free-to-play game.

Now especially feels like the perfect time for Nintendo to make that jump.

The release of the NES Classic Mini and now the upcoming SNES Classic Mini shows the company has interest in retro gaming and bringing back some of its vintage games to new and old audiences alike... so why can't that be on mobile?

At a time when Sega has released its own titles such as Sonic The Hedgehog, Kid Chameleon and Phantasy Star II onto mobile platforms, it feels like we're a step closer to Nintendo finally biting the bullet and deciding to enter the mobile gaming market with its older titles. 

I don't want Nintendo to stop experimenting with its new mobile titles like Pokemon Go or Super Mario Run... I just want to be able to play the original Pokemon games on my smartphone without having to take along a huge case for £59.99 (about $78, AU$100).



from TechRadar: Phone and communications news http://www.techradar.com/news/this-android-game-boy-case-proves-nintendo-needs-to-do-mobile-gaming-differently