Huawei Launches Ascend Y530 in the UK; Built for Smartphones Newbies
While there are a whole bunch of low-cost smartphones available in the UK, it seems that Huawei has a different type of buyer in mind. The Ascend Y530, which is available from Argos for £150 or so, is aimed at those completely new to the smartphone world. It works well, coming with a simple to use interface that shouldn’t be too difficult to learn. However, at £150, this is hardly a cheap smartphone. It’s more expensive than the Moto G and features a 4.5-inch 854×480, a 1.2 Ghz Dual-Core CPU, 512MB of RAM and 4GB of storage. So, this isn’t really all that much for your money, but then again it’s aimed at those who just want to get their foot in the door and £150 unlocked still isn’t awful.
Samsung Announce the Galaxy Core LTE
For those looking for a low-cost LTE smartphone, Samsung might have the answer. The company just announced this week the Galaxy Core LTE, a 4.5-inch smartphone that brings some decent specs together with 4G capabilities, making it one of the few budget options out there with LTE included. With a 1.2 Ghz dual-core CPU, 1GB of RAM, 8GB of storage and a 960 x 540 display it’s not a bad option. However, it only comes with Android 4.2.2, which is a fair bit outdated at this point. All of Samsung’s features have come along for the ride though, and you’re looking at a software build like that of the Galaxy S4. The device might be known as the Galaxy Core 4G in certain countries and it’s heading to most of Europe and of course, Asia.
Gionee Launches GPad G4 in India for RS 18,999
Gionee has launched a pair of new devices in India, with the more appealing one being the GPad G4. With a striking resemblance to the LG G Pad 8.3, this is one sizable smartphone. Featuring a 5.7-inch 720p display, a 1.5 Ghz MediaTek Quad-Core CPU, 1GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage it’s a fairly powerful device. With a 13-megapixel rear-facing camera and a 5-megapixel front-facing camera, the GPad G4 has a lot going for it at just RS 18,999. A higher-resolution display would be nice, but we assume this is where most of the cost-saving has been made.
Samsung Launch the Galaxy Note 3 Neo in India
When Samsung launched the Galaxy Note 3 Neo, it was clear the Korean giant had their eyes set on emerging markets as targets. There’s nothing wrong with that of course, and considering the device still featured a 5.5-inch 720p Super AMOLED display, the same S Pen features and Android 4.3 Jelly Bean, it made for a compelling device launch. We’re assuming that Samsung will be launching the 3G version in India, which will come with 2GB of RAM and a 1.6 Ghz CPU, but there’s no telling just when Samsung will be launching the device. If you were hoping for an affordable Indian device however, you might want to think again as the Galaxy Note 3 Neo is going to cost a whopping RS 40,900!
Xiaomi Takes Wraps off of the Hongmi 1S Complete with Snapdragon 400 CPU
The Chinese manufacturer known for making affordable devices with great specs have just updated their Moto G like phone. The Hongmi 1S is a slightly upgraded version of the Hongmi, with a Snapdragon 400 CPU, which is a capable smartphone processor. The same 4.7-inch 720p display and the 2,000 mAh battery are still here and of course, this is running MIUI v5 with Android 4.3 underneath. Bizarrely, Chinese customers on China Telecom will be able to use this as it’s those bands the Hongmi 1S supports, but there is talk of an international launch.
Qualcomm Could Face Huge Fine from Chinese Government due to Anti-Competitive Practices
The Chinese government is investigation Qualcomm for what they believe to be anti-competitive practices. According to the NDRC, China’s anti-monopoly regulator, Qualcomm has been charging incredibly high prices to Chinese manufactures looking to use their technology. Reuters is reporting that the investigation is ongoing and that Qualcomm is cooperating fully at every corner, however it’s beginning to look like a fine is on the cards for the San Diego-based company. With few Chinese companies using their chips, it certainly looks like Qualcomm is charging a little too much for their patents and such. The investigation has yet to come to a close though, so only time will tell.
Galaxy Camera 2 Goes on Sale in South Korea
The 16.3-megapixel Android camera from Samsung has gone on sale in Korea recently, featuring a 1.6 Ghz quad-core CPU and 2GB of RAM. The Galaxy Camera 2 is the successor to the original smartphone camera hybrid, and hasn’t really changed much since then. Costing 499,000 won, the Galaxy Camera 2 features all of the connectivity you’d expect such as NFC, Bluetooth and of course WiFi, however the device features just 8GB of internal storage, but there is option for a microSD card, as well.
LG G2 to get KitKat Come March in the UK
LG recently released the above video that shows off the speed boost to be had in their upcoming Android 4.4 KitKat update and the update is said to be coming in March for the UK. While this is a fair bit later than most other manufacturers, the G2 will be going from Android 4.2.2 straight to Android 4.4, meanwhile other devices have had their update to Android 4.3 in between. Hopefully this is a timeframe that LG can stick to.
The G Pro 2 Goes on Sale in South Korea
Sticking with LG here, and the G Pro 2 has just gone on sale in South Korea. With some impressive specs, such as a Snapdragon 800, a 5.7-inch Full HD display and of course, Knock Code. All of this won’t be coming cheap however, with a price tag of 999,900 Won. Still though, it’s good to see LG getting the device out of the door so quickly in their home market. An international launch is scheduled for some time next month.