Samsung launches the Galaxy J3(6) in China which sports a rather unusual 5-inch HD AMOLED display that is usually seen in higher-end variants and not in low-mid tier models. It’s been reported that this handset is targeted to compete with the likes of Huawei, Xiaomi, and other Chinese brands offering low-cost smartphones.
Samsung Galaxy J3(6) key specs:
5-inch HD AMOLED display @ 1280 x 720 resolution
1.2GHz quad-core processor
1.5GB RAM
8GB internal storage
8MP rear camera
5MP front camera
2600mAh battery
Although looking metallic, the back cover is made of plastic to keep costs down. The company’s TouchWiz UI is also implemented here so Samsung fans would feel right at home with this device. It is available in black, white, and gold, and has a thickness maxing out at 7.9mm.
There are no news on its official pricing, but it would most likely be exclusive to the Chinese market.
Samsung launches the Galaxy J3(6) in China which sports a rather unusual 5-inch HD AMOLED display that is usually seen in higher-end variants and not in low-mid tier models. It’s been reported that this handset is targeted to compete with the likes of Huawei, Xiaomi, and other Chinese brands offering low-cost smartphones.
Samsung Galaxy J3(6) key specs:
5-inch HD AMOLED display @ 1280 x 720 resolution
1.2GHz quad-core processor
1.5GB RAM
8GB internal storage
8MP rear camera
5MP front camera
2600mAh battery
Although looking metallic, the back cover is made of plastic to keep costs down. The company’s TouchWiz UI is also implemented here so Samsung fans would feel right at home with this device. It is available in black, white, and gold, and has a thickness maxing out at 7.9mm.
There are no news on its official pricing, but it would most likely be exclusive to the Chinese market.
After announcing an upcoming launch event scheduled on the 24th of November, Xiaomi begins to drop clues as to what devices will be making their debut on the said date. The Chinese company releases two teaser images that suggest the awaited Redmi Note 2 Pro and Mi Pad 2.
The first photo that surfaced is believed to be the Redmi Note 2 Pro which is the company’s first handset with all-metal build and a fingerprint sensor. Internal-wise, it is expected to have a 5.5-inch Full HD display, MediaTek Helio X10 processor, 2GB RAM, 16GB internal storage, 13MP and 5MP cameras, and a 3060mAh battery.
This is then followed by what looks like a promotional image of a Xiaomi Mi Pad 2 uploaded to Weibo. Not much about its specs are known, but an entry on GeekBench tells us that it could be running on a 2.24GHz Intel X5-Z8500 SOC with Xiaomi’s MIUI overlayed on top of an Android OS.
Again, the launch event is at the 24th which is only a few days from now. Keep it locked here as we bring you the latest news on Xiaomi’s newest devices.
Samsung releases rather quietly its W2016 smartphone which sports a design that took its cues from the Galaxy S6 — only in the form of a clamshell. It also comes with some beefy internals under the hood.
Samsung W2016 specs:
Dual 3.9-inch AMOLED displays @ 1280 x 768 (per screen)
Sculpted aluminum frame, metal back and accents
Exynos 7420 processor
3GB RAM
64GB internal storage
16MP rear camera
5MP front camera
T9 numeric keypad
15.1mm thick total
204 grams
Android 5.1 Lollipop with TouchWiz UI
The Samsung W2016 still has no price that came with the announcement but was reported to be coming to China. There are no news if it will be sold elsewhere but with its unique form factor and elegant design, we could see a demand in certain markets.
In addition to the Z5 Premium, we also got the chance to take a look at Sony‘s Xperia Z5 and Z5 Compact and here’s our hands-on experience with them.
Among the three that were launched, the Premium has the biggest display at 5.5 inches. The Z5 is next while the Z5 Compact follows at 5.2- and 4.7-inch screens, respectively. It’s important to note that the two higher end models sport a Full HD resolution, while the Compact went for a modest 720p HD display.
On-screen buttons were implemented here and it simply goes well with its Android 5.1 Lollipop OS.
Sony Xperia Z5 Compact
The Compact’s body is just right for one-handed usage so for those who find 5-inch displays a tad too big for their hands, you can go for the smallest of the three siblings. With the Z5 weighing in at 154 grams and the Z5 Compact at 138 grams, they’re not that heavy to hold, yet are not too light either. Having a bit of heft is a good thing since it doesn’t make the handsets feel like a toy.
Left: Z5 | Right: Z5 Compact
While the Z5 Premium uses quality metal as its frame, the Z5 and Z5 Compact differ and instead, implemented plastic for the sides. This is understandable as to make the Premium stand out from the series, and to make it a little less painful when you accidentally drop it and see scratches and nicks — seeing them on a premium, all-metal frame is a sore sight indeed.
Left: Z5 | Right: Z5 Compact
Both devices received IP68 certification just like the Z5 Premium that make them waterproof up to 1.5 meters for about 20-30 minutes, in addition to being dustproof. Seen on the left is the revamped power button at the right side since it now doubles as a fingerprint scanner. This is present for both the Z5 and Z5 Compact.
On the other hand, the flap for memory expansion hides the microSD support that can stretch your storage up to 200GB.
Xperia Z5
From the 32GB internal storage that all three flagships have, they’re left with around 21GB of usable space since the software alone already takes up nearly 10GB.
Xperia Z5 (Green)
Sporting the same 23-megapixel rear shooter partnered with the company’s next-gen EXMOR RS sensor ensures that you not only get vivid images with natural colors, but also sharp and detailed photos thanks to its 0.3-second auto-focusing capability. Sony mentions that this feature alone lets you snap fast-moving images and capture actions like a pro.
From the short time that we’ve spent with these smartphones, we’ve seen how the company has improved them in both the external and internal aspects. The Z5 family is a series of sharp-looking handsets that doesn’t end there since inside, it’s been equipped with beefy components such as a Snapdragon 810 processor, a very powerful rear shooter, LTE connectivity, fingerprint sensor, among others.
Of course, all these don’t come cheap since the Xperia Z5 has an SRP of Php35,990 while the Compact is at Php29,990. Will they be worth the buy? As of now we could only say that they’re a bunch of really promising devices — unless a full review proves otherwise. Stay tuned.
Sony Xperia Z5 specs:
5.2-inch IPS LCD @ 1080×1920 pixels, 403ppi
Qualcomm MSM8994 Snapdragon 810
ARM Cortex A53 1.5GHz quad-core, ARM Cortex A57 2.0GHz quad-core
Adreno 430 Graphics
3GB LPDDR4 RAM
32GB internal storage
Up to 200GB via microSD
LTE Cat. 6
Single SIM
Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, WiFi Direct, DLNA
NFC
Bluetooth 4.1, A2DP, apt-X
ANT+ support
GPS with aGPS, GLONASS/Beidou
IP68 certified
23MP rear camera, autofocus, LED flash
5.1MP front-facing camera
Fingerprint Sensor
FM Radio Tuner, RDS
microUSB v2.0 (MHL 3 TV-out)
2,900mAh Li-Ion battery
Android 5.1.1 Lollipop
146 x 72 x 7.3mm (dimensions)
154 grams (weight)
Sony Xperia Z5 Compact specs:
4.6-inch IPS LCD @ 720×1280 pixels, 323ppi
Qualcomm MSM8994 Snapdragon 810
ARM Cortex A53 1.5GHz quad-core, ARM Cortex A57 2.0GHz quad-core
Adreno 430 Graphics
2GB LPDDR4 RAM
32GB internal storage
Up to 200GB via microSD
LTE Cat. 6
Single SIM, Dual-SIM
Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, WiFi Direct, DLNA
NFC
Bluetooth 4.1, A2DP, apt-X
ANT+ support
GPS with aGPS, GLONASS/Beidou
IP68 certified
23MP rear camera, autofocus, LED flash
5.1MP front-facing camera
Fingerprint Sensor
FM Radio Tuner, RDS
microUSB v2.0 (MHL 3 TV-out)
2,700mAh Li-Ion battery
Android 5.1.1 Lollipop
127 x 65 x 8.9mm (dimensions)
138 grams (weight)
