SamMobile has once again been informed by their reliable tipster about what goes inside the Samsung Galaxy Note 3. And based from what their informant said, it seems that the South Korean firm’s upcoming phablet is not gonna be a pushover.
According to the report, the SGN3’s engine will sport a total of 16-cores; a pair of quad-core processor from the CPU side (Exynos 5 Octa) and another 8 cores for the GPU (Mali 450). This is believed to be backed by a 3GB RAM which, if turns out to be true, is going to be the highest RAM in a smartphone.
The handset is said to run on the latest version of Android which will be displayed on a 5.99-inch S-AMOLED 1080p screen. It’ll also have a 13MP main camera that is more likely to be the same one as the one found on the Galaxy S4.
Of course, a handset with such configuration would require a humongous battery. Although the capacity wasn’t specified, the site claims that we can probably expect a bigger battery than the current Galaxy Note which is rated at 3100mAh.
This year’s IFA in Berlin is believed to be the time and place where the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 will make its first official debut. If we’re fortunate enough, we’ll be on site to cover the launch so stay tuned for that.
Whenever a company such as Sony decides to incorporate a technology from a certain product into a device on a different category, we can almost always expect a spectacular result. This is the reason we were pretty fired up when heard of the news about a rumored handset called Honami which is said to be infused with Sony CyberShot imaging technology.
According to numerous reports, the CyberShot implementation on this alleged smartphone is going to be a two-part affair; a good hardware in the form of 1/1.6” Exmor RS stacked sensor backed by a respectable Sony CyberShot G lens found on their point-and-shoot offering and equally capable software to fully utilize the hardware’s capabilities.
Now, we know that some of you may not be fully appreciate Honami’s ample-sized sensor by merely looking at numbers. Fortunately, VR-zone is kind enough to share a diagram of the different sensor sizes found on popular smartphones/camera so we’ll have a better grasp at where Honami’s 1/1.6” Exmor sensors stands in terms of size.
From here we can see that the rumored handset will sport the second biggest sensor from the pack and is only bested by the king of camera phones, the Nokia PureView 808. While I still believe that the PureView 808 is still on a different league than the Honami, I think that sizeable sensor will bring significant improvement on image quality and zoom to the speculated handset.
Because of the sensor size and lens, it is believed that the handset will have slightly stocky frame which is thought be around 10mmat best. Other info about the device includes a 5-inch 1080p display, Snapdragon 800 processor clocked at 2.3GHz with 2GB RAM and 2700mAh battery. All of its components are said to be encased in body with “Glass and Metal” construction with some Carbon Fiber for added flare and reinforcements.
So what do you guys think about the rumored Sony Honami? Is it a phone worth waiting for or what?
Wouldn’t it be nice if Sony’s flagship handset has a non-1080p version with a slightly smaller screen and the same water/dust resistant properties, if not better? Well, it seems that we don’t have to wait too long, because rumor has it that the Japanese firm will be releasing a mid-range handset called Xperia ZR.
The speculated handset is the slightly toned down version of the Xperia Z sans the FHD, 5-inch display and glass at the back. The Xperia ZR will instead sport a 4.6-inch HD display and IP58 certification which allows it to be submerged up to a meter and a half for 30 minutes.
In terms of configuration, the Xperia ZR doesn’t differ much from its flagship sibling. It’s rumored to be equipped with a Qualcomm S4 Pro quad-core processor with 2GB of RAM and 8GB internal storage. The ZR will also feature the same 13MP Exmor RS main camera of the Xperia Z.
Sony has yet to comment about this rumor, so it’s best to take this with the usual grain of salt. But if Xperia ZR turns out to be true, we think that it will be a good follow-up to the Z and ZL tandem.
Now that Samsung’s priced flagship is out in the open, rumor mongers are speculating that a “Mini” version is in the works and it may feature the company’s upcoming System-on-Chip dubbed as Exynos 5210.
The rumored Exynos 5210 is believed to be third SoC under the Exynos 5 lineup and is said to be based on the ARM big.LITTLE architecture. However, unlike its 8-core sibling, the chip will pack a pair of dual-core processors (2x A7 and 2x A15, perhaps) that will make up the quad-core set up.
As for the handset, the rumor suggests that it’ll come in two variant; single and dual-SIM. The former is said to have the Exynos 5210 while the other is believed to have a more basic dual-core processor. Other specs of the SGS4 Mini include a 4.3-inch qHD display that will play host to the TouchWiz Nature UX 2.0 on top of Android 4.2.2 operating system. Furthermore, we expect the handset’s structure to follow the SGS4’s design cue.
Only 10 days remain before the launch of Samsung’s next flagship phone, and we’re here to give you everything you need or may want to know about the Samsung Galaxy S4. Specs, benchmarks and images already leaked. To top it all off, the company just released a teaser for the event.
Design & Display
Sadly, the device is expected to pack a polycarbonate body, not deviating away from Samsung’s material signature. If that is so, then HTC and Sony might have the edge over Samsung on this 2013 Android war. Based on the leaked images and cases, the next Galaxy will feature a more rectangular form factor, similar to the S2.
All the usual stuff will surely come with the Galaxy S4, and that includes the 1080p full HD display (be it the mysterious SoLux or Super AMOLED).
CPU & Benchmark
We had several ideas fighting over the past weeks. Rumors indicated that the next Galaxy will drop Exynos for Snapdragon, but moments ago, it is found that this might be true to the US variants only. Antutu Benchmark scores of the phone leaked and it gave us a more detailed view of the hardware specifications (see listing below).
It comes with the Exynos 5 Octa CPU, which on benchmarks seem to overpower the Optimus G by quite an amount at 24,894. Of course, it still needs to prove itself against the Snapdragon 600 line.
Camera
Samsung will continue fighting the megapixel war with a 13MP camera sensor, while other companies such as HTC try to differ with their 4MP UltraPixel camera. The previous Galaxy S models were good shooters of their time, and we’re expecting this one to be good as well. It will include some features similar to Photosphere, since it will be running Android 4.2.
Availability
It’s launching this March 14 in New York. There is no word on the availability, but we’re sure it will come before summer ends. Last year we had the launching on May 3 (which was stylized as 5/3 – similar to S3) and launching came a few moments afterward. Samsung is going a little fast-paced this year, so expect it for April or soon.
Samsung Galaxy S4 expected specs:
4.99-inch full HD display @ 1080×1920 pixels, 441ppi
Exynos 5410 Octa @ 1.8GHz 4+4 CPU
PowerVR SGX544MP GPU
2GB RAM
16GB, 32GB internal storage
(no word on micro SD support)
GPS w/ A-GPS
Bluetooth 4.0
NFC
13MP rear camera
2.1MP front-facing camera
Android 4.2
Last year, we had the Galaxy S3 teased with their invite (blue and white designs), which led us to thinking: what if this year it’s the same thing? Here’s one last render from us, combining everything we know about the Samsung Galaxy S4.
Editor’s Note: We were invited by Samsung to fly to New York to attend the global launch on March 14. Stay tuned as we bring you live updates here next week. – Yuga