The above image got posted on Sunday all over Twitter. It is Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook surprising all the journalists who are watching him appear in their virtual reality headset.
But imagine being at home with your wife or girlfriend or family or kids. And you are all wearing a VR headset.
This is potentially the future of the new social world. It is a world that Facebook want to promote where interactions are done via virtual reality.
If we ever get to this day when we communicate via Virtual Reality, it really will be a sad one. Source
Vivo is a Chinese brand that is rising up the ranks in its homeland. It does not sell to other countries, but this might change. It is also a brand I have been watching over the last few years as from a hardware point of view, they have released some interesting devices.
And now it seems its about to go wild with the Vivo Xplay 5. This is rumoured to have a whopping 6gb ram, a Snapdragon 820 processor and a QHD screen.
Other features include dual curved QHD screens, a decent 4,300mAh battery, 16mp rear, 8mp front camera, an enhanced audio engine and it will be able to be recharged by solar power. If you’re lucky it might even cook you breakfast!
Sceptical? Well I am. Fret not, all will be revealed on 1st March 2016.
Update – some photos have been revealed on the new phone –
Below are a selection of camera shots from the Samsung Galaxy S7.
Notice they are all 4:3 aspect ratio at the full 12mp.
Also notice that all these shots are in low light or at night.
All these shots are using the f/1.7. I have to say I’m not bowled over by these shots but this is early firmware and the photos were not snapped by me.
For more samples have over to XDA Developers. So what do you think?
For some more comparisons versus the S6, have a look at the video below from 7 mins onwards.
So last night Samsung and LG announced their new flagship phones. So firstly, which is best out of the phones and then how do they compare to the iPhone 6S Plus.
Well the decision is not clear cut and really depends on your personal priorities. However, these are my thoughts on each phone.
Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge – This is the most attractive phone out of the bunch. The super amoled screen is gorgeous and using this tech for the always on screen is really good. For gaming, the Vulkan API is a great step forward, once developers support the API in their games. Quick wireless charging is good too as well as having larger batteries than last year’s model. Whilst the micro SD card has returned, the maximum storage is 32gb. Unfortunately, the S7 Edge does not support adoptable storage, nor does it support the latest USB-C standard. But it does have Gorilla Glass 5. Samsung has gone to town with its 12mp rear camera which has large pixels. Virtual Reality is also being heavily pushed. However, my experience of a Samsung VR headset involved feeling very sick. The accessories for the S7 Edge are decent too, from official cases and a case that has add on camera lenses. What is unknown is how good the loudspeaker is, and how good is the sound via headphones? Is there a HiFi DAC included? Personally, if I already had the S6 Edge, I wouldn’t upgrade to this phone. Samsung Pay is coming to the UK this year, but no firm date has been provided yet. However, when it does arrive, it will work with all terminals and not just contactless ones.
LG G5 – The design or look is just average. I need to see it in person, but from all the media footage it doesn’t inspire me. However from a specification point of view, the G5 appears to trounce the S7 Edge. Stunning IPS display capable of 850 nits. Really amazing camera with wide angle shots and some pretty funky options in the camera app. APT-X High Definition, infra red blaster, extra plug-in modules, and the kitchen sink. However, it doesn’t have any payment options unless Android Pay arrives soon. The Friends accessories are geeky too. So on paper it is likely the G5 will take high resolution photos and sound much better with headphones. The loudspeaker sound is unknown. What is also unknown is how the 16mp camera really compares versus the 12mp camera of the S7. Hard evidence is needed before being conclusive. Of course, it could depend on what type of environment you take photos in, which ends up dictating which phone camera suits you better. You may find having the option to shoot wide angle photos more useful than low light. With the G5 you won’t need to use an add on lens for wide angle shots that you will need with the S7.
Apple iPhone 6S Plus – So on paper it looks like the above phones will take better still photos, and in lower light this is quite likely. However, iOS is fortunate enough to have amazing apps, and therefore with the right apps, incredible low noise, low light photos are possible. There are no alternatives on android for these type of apps. iOS also has better apps, 3D Touch, a more advanced app eco system making use of 3D Touch and Apple Pay in full force. There are a number of aspects of both the LG G5 and Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge that wipe the floor of the iPhone from a hardware point of view, but iOS is supported by good software services , like iMessage and FaceTime. The iPhone is also 6 months old now, and 18 months into its product change cycle. The iPhone 7 could streak ahead of the Samsung and LG, or just level the field from a specs point of view. For example, whilst Samsung has introduced Vulkan API, Apple has been using metal for ages. However, Samsung clearly has the lead on VR, along with a decent number of VR apps already. But like everything, iOS offers some fabulous extras.
To pick a winner is a difficult choice. But I will in due course. Will the iPhone 6S Plus be history?? 🙂
So Samsung announced the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge yesterday to the world’s media with a few surprises. Mark Zuckerberg had a guest spot to emphasis the working relationship between Samsung and Facebook and Virtual Reality.
The Key Specs S7 and S7 Edge (Respectively)
– Android 6.0 Marshmallow
– Display 5.1-inch 2560×1440 Super AMOLED, 5.5-inch 2560×1440 Super AMOLED Dual edge screen
– Processor Octa-core Snapdragon or Samsung Exynos
– Storage 32GB
– Expandable microSD up to 200GB
– RAM 4GB
– Rear Camera 12MP f/1.7, 1.4-micron pixels OIS, dual pixel technology for super fast focusing even in low light
– Front Camera 5MP f/1.7
– Connectivity Wi-Fi 802.11 ac MIMO
– Bluetooth v4.2 LE
– ANT+, USB 2.0, NFC
– Charging micro-USB
– Fast charging
– Qi wireless
– Powermat wireless
– Battery 3000 mph, 3600 mph
– Water resistance IP68 rating
– Security One-touch fingerprint sensor
– Samsung KNOX One-touch fingerprint sensor
– Dimensions 142.4 x 69.6 x 7.9 mm, 150.9 x 72.6 x 7.7 mm
– Weight 152g, 157g
– Prices – £569 and £639 approx
So like I did with the LG G5, below are the tidbits of information you may really want to know.
– 12mp is only available at 4:3 ratio. If you want to shoot at 16:9, the resolution drops to 9.1mp.
– 32gb is the only storage option available.
– Micro SD card support is available but not adoptable storage
– Features an always on display with customisation
– The Edge model has a larger Edge panel and is open to developers.
– Build quality looks exceptional
– Car mode integrates with Glympse for instant location sharing with contacts
– New Wireless Charger available which is angled. Wireless charging is faster now too
– Microsoft productivity apps are included
– Only Gold and Black in the UK currently available to pre order. Silver is absent currently.
– Samsung Pay is coming to the UK and other select countries in 2016
– Official Samsung accessories include a case that allows for clip on lenses. The Official Leather Cover case really reminds me of the Apple Leather case!
– Gorilla Glass 5 is being used
– Whitepages is integrated into phone app
– New Samsung Gear 360 camera works with the new S7
– Fast battery charging: 83% in 30 min (Quick Charge 3.0)
– Vulcan API – Gamers Dream
LG just held an outrageously amazing press launch of its new flagship smartphone, the LG G5. But LG didn’t stop there. It then went and launched add on modules for the LG G5 and then carried on with a range of LG Friends accessories.
This was a big day for LG.
LG are trying to stray away from just showing off the specs are consequently only reveal the specs as –
– Chipset: Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 820 Processor
– Display: 5.3-inch Quad HD IPS Quantum Display (2560 x 1440 / 554ppi)
– Memory: 4GB LPDDR4 RAM / 32GB UFS ROM / microSD (up to 2TB)
– Camera: Rear: Standard 16MP, Wide 8MP / Front: 8MP
– Battery: 2,800mAh (removable)
– OS: Android 6.0 Marshmallow
-Size: 149.4 x 73.9 x 7.7mm
– Weight: 159g
– Network: LTE / 3G / 2G
– Connectivity: Wi-Fi 802.11 a, b, g, n, ac / USB Type-C / NFC / Bluetooth 4.2
– Colours: Silver / Titan / Gold / Pink
However, rest assured this is a beast of a phone. So now I am going to highlight the extra bits about the phone that caught my attention as worth pointing out.
– The G5 has an always on display which uses just 0.8% of battery per hour
– The screen is still an IPS display and not amoled. It is able to crank the brightness up to a stonking 850 nits
– The infra red blaster is still present on the G5
– The app drawer has been removed
– QSlide apps and Dual Screen mode has been removed to simplify the UX
– The new LG UX launcher is much lighter and looks so much better than previous versions
– Cameras – 8MP front camera for selfies, rear camera has a standard 78-degree 16MP lens and a 135-degree wide-angle 8MP lens. This can work in conjunction or separately to each other.
– The camera app has loads of extra features and modes – truly brilliant
– Naturally the rear camera is similar to that found on the G4 and V10, but it does perform better due to the processor and a few extra tweak. Actually a lot of extra tweaks.
– The Snapdragon 820 processor has a Adreno 530 graphics and lower-power Qualcomm® HexagonTM DSP as well as Qualcomm Spectra™ 14-bit dual image signal processors (ISPs) The processor also has an integrated X12 LTE modem that supports Category 12 download speeds of up to 600 Mbps and LTE Category 13 uplink speeds of up to 150 Mbps.
– Micro SD card – adoptable storage is not available
– Slot in modules available
– Quick Charge 3 support
– USB-C
– APT-X is included but with the new High Definition APT-X, APT-X HD. This is the end of wires for headphones and likely how/why Apple will remove the headphone socket from the next iPhone.
The LG G5 has a number of modules and friends. See below.
LG focused on two slot in modules. These simply slot in to the bottom of the G5.
– CAM Plus adds more grip and width to the device, for better usability while taking photos. It has physical buttons for power, camera shutter, video recording, zoom, and an LED indicator. It also functions as an external 1200mAh battery.
– Hi-Fi Plus with B&O Play is a portable Hi-Fi DAC audio player with 32-bit 384KHz high-definition audio playback. As it has a USB-C port it can also be used independently of the G5, ie. with PCs and other smartphones.
But LG want you to have fun with the G5, so have a range of LG Friends that connect seamlessly to the G5.
These include a LG Rolling Bot that is a companion device that rolls like a ball while capturing images and videos with its embedded 8MP camera. Not just a toy, the LG Rolling Bot can be used as a monitoring system for the home, pet care companion as well as a remote controller for compatible home appliances. With an IP camera connectable via Wi-Fi, users can remotely monitor the interior of their homes with the LG G5 via live streaming.
LG also announced as Friends, the LG 360 VR, LG 360 Cam, LG Smart Controller, LG Tone Platinum (it is the world’s first Bluetooth headset equipped with aptX™ HDcodec, delivering lossless 24-bit audio for sound that is unrivaled in a wireless device).
To see more of all of the above, watch the official 4 minute video from LG. And don’t forget, I will be reviewing the LG G5, the modules and friends. The G5 is expected to launch early April 2016.
Alcatel held a pretty cool press conference earlier. It launched 2 smartphones, the Idol 4 and Idol 4S. It is rebranded itself from Alcatel OneTouch to just Alcatel.
Alcatel Idol 4 Key Specs –
– 5.2 inch 1080p IPS screen
– Qualcomm Snapdragon 617 Processor
– Cat 6 4G LTE
– 13mp rear camera – 6P lens with PDAF
– Dual Tone Camera Flash
– 8mp front camera with flash
– HiFi sound dual speakers up to 3.6W
– 16gb rom 2/3gb ram
– 2,610mAh battery
– Quick Charge 2
– Metal Frame, 6.9mm thick
Alcatel Idol 4S Key Specs over and above the standard Idol 4 –
– 5.5 inch QHD Amoled Screen
– Qualcomm Snapdragon 652, GPU Adreno 510
– 2.5D Glass Front and Back
– 16mp f/2.0 rear camera
– 1/2.8 sensor size
– 32 rom 3gb ram
– 3,000mAH battery
– 6.9mm thick
So the above is the key specs of the phone, but Alcatel have really looked closely at the overall experience. For a start, the packaging is a Cardboard VR. That’s brilliant. Next there is dual speakers on the front and back which alternate depending on how you’re holding the phone. And they go very loud. Brilliant again. Both phones come with Android 6.0.1. Both phones have a user programmable physical key, called Boom Key. The Boom key can launch the camera for example. The loudspeaker audio is tuned by Waves. The headphone audio is tuned by JBL. In addition both phones contain extra software to match the enhanced audio and multi media experience.
Pricing 279 to 479 Euros, on sale in April 2016.
Update -Android Authority has done a quick hands on video.
Tomorrow is the day Samsung and LG go head to head and announce details of their new flagship phones.
At this stage it seems a lot of information has been leaked about the Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge as well as the LG G5. These leaks are more than likely deliberate releases of information by Samsung and LG to garner interest in their new phones.
But whatever you do, hold fire!
Samsung is going to get their flagship phone to market first, along with the ability to pre order the S7 tomorrow with delivery around 11th March. The LG G5 will arrive around early April. Both of these phones will be special but there is a chance there is something else worth waiting for from other Chinese manufacturers.
For example, you may want to see what Xiaomi offers with its Xiaomi Mi 5. ZTE is gearing up to announce a new phone tomorrow as well. And there are other Chinese companies with a few surprises in store. HTC’s One M10 will actually have a rear camera with larger pixels than the Galaxy S7.
So my advice, if your current phone is working just fine, hold fire to see what the full options are and then decide.
I will be obtaining the Samsung Galaxy S7 and LG G5 as a minimum to review and can’t wait to see how the blend of hardware and software combine to create the overall user experience.
If you really must buy something, then head over to Amazon UK, and check out their latest deals – CLICK HERE FOR DEALS
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