HTC One Max Shows Fingerprint Scanner in New Photo

Before the end of this year, Taiwanese mobile phone maker HTC Corporation should bring to the market a large smartphone in its HTC One series, one that will supposedly be called HTC One Max, and which is now said to pack a fingerprint scanner on the back.

In fact, a leaked photo that has emerged over at ePrice appears to be showing the aforementioned feature, although no official announcement on the matter has been made for the time being. According to NoWhereElse, however, the smartphone should be announced in early September at the IFA 2013 show in Berlin, with a 5.9-inch full HD touchscreen display and with a 2.3GHz quad-core Snapdragon 800 processor packed inside.

Furthermore, the smartphone is said to pack 2GB of RAM, an UltraPixel photo snapper on the back, 2.1MP front camera, and a 3300mAh battery. Apparently, HTC is planning both 16GB and 32GB flavor of the device.

HTC One Max
Image credits to ePrice via NoWhereElse

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Oppo R819 Now Official with 4.7-Inch Screen

Today, Chinese mobile phone maker Oppo has officially announced a new Android-based smartphone, namely the Oppo R819, which features a thin design at only 7.3 mm.

The new mobile phone is also set to be one of the lightest handsets in the world, weighing only 110 grams, though capable of delivering a long-lasting battery life, as well as a sharp viewing experience. The handset lands on shelves with a 4.7-inch IPS touchscreen display with OGS technology, and is powered by a 1.2GHz quad-core MediaTek MT6589 processor, and 1GB of RAM. “Encased in a slim frame of subtle curves and stylish metallic accents, the superior ergonomics make the R819 easy to hold, operate and carry with you,” Oppo announced. “R819 was built to simplify and improve your life; to offer you an impossibly thin and light smartphone without sacrificing the craftsmanship or functionality you've come to expect from an Oppo device.”

The mobile phone features 16GB of internal memory, dual-SIM card capabilities, a 2000mAh battery inside, and an f/2.0 aperture 8-megapixel Sony Exmor BSI back-facing camera, which should prove great at taking photos in low-light conditions. The Oppo R819 also comes to the market with a front-facing camera for making video calls, as well as with Wi-Fi 800.11 b/g/n connectivity, WiFi display, DLNA, FM Radio, and Google’s Android 4.2.1 Jelly Bean operating system loaded on top. “Using this smartphone is simpler than ever before. Gestures let you control waking, answering and silencing your device with the slightest movements. You can wirelessly view your screen's content on any other TV, tablet or device with Wi-Fi display and DLNA,” Oppo explains.

“Oppo believes in having the freedom to run the operating system of your choice to get the experience you want from your R819. Use the original ROM, or install OPPO's Color ROM, which will soon be available, for a completely fresh take on Android that was developed with Oppo fans and is frequently updated.” Oppo has already made the new device available for pre-order, and plans on shipping it starting with early September. However, no specific info on the device’s price tag has been provided as of now.

Oppo R819
Image credits to Oppo

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Apple iPhone 5 to Be Discontinued and Replaced by iPhone 5C [KGI Securities]

More tidbits are coming out of KGI’s Monday note sent out to investors, particularly one interesting detail about the potential discontinuation of the iPhone 5.

According to KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo (quoted by MacRumors), Foxconn plans to start manufacturing a TDD-LTE iPhone 5C for China Mobile in August. In other words, the discussions between Tim Cook and Xi Guohua are finally going to materialize in a handset for China Mobile’s 700+ million subscribers. Another (more interesting) disclosure in Kuo’s research note is that Apple reportedly plans to discontinue the iPhone 5 at the end of the third quarter, but will continue to manufacture and sell iPhone 4S handsets. The reason? The upcoming iPhone 5C which, according to Kuo (and most rumors) is basically a repackaged version of the iPhone 5. Apple will not only save on production costs, but it will also be able to pull a troublesome handset off the market.

There doesn’t seem to be much chatter about the issues incurred by the iPhone 5 in its lifetime, including camera problems, faulty buttons, easy scuffability, and the list continues. Shipments of the iPhone 4S will continue until the end of 2013, according to Kuo, and the iPhone 5S is expected to become the most popular model, the analyst adds. While the iPhone 5C will exceed the iPhone 5S in shipments in the September quarter, the 5S will eventually catch up and even sell more units than the 5C, Kuo estimates.

Apple’s rumored September 10 event is likely to witness the unveiling of both handsets, as well as the launch of iOS 7 (the phones’ underlying software) and OS X Mavericks, a new version of the company’s Mac operating system. A couple of new iPads are also expected to make their debut at the event, but some analysts are reserved regarding Apple’s willingness to clog up the event with so many announcements.

iPhone 5C case
Image credits to BGR

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Nokia 6-Inch “Bandit” WP8 Device Already in Testing

Finnish mobile phone maker Nokia has been rumored quite a few times before to plan the launch of a large, Windows Phone 8 smartphone, and some more info on the matter is now available.

The upcoming device, supposedly codenamed Bandit, is now said to have been confirmed with a 6-inch touchscreen display capable of delivering a full HD resolution, being the first out of a long range of 1080p handsets powered by Microsoft’s OS. According to a recent article on The Verge, the upcoming handset will also land on the market with a quad-core Snapdragon processor inside, as well as with a 20-megapixel or higher photo snapper on the back.

Nokia Bandit is also said to be lightweight and thin, while already being tested with Windows Phone 8 GDR3 loaded on top. Additionally, the news site claims that Nokia’s Lumia 925 smartphone is set to become available for purchase in the US on more wireless carriers in the near future, with AT&T already testing it.

Nokia logo
Image credits to Nokia

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Allegedly Leaked Nexus 5 Photo Emerges

South Korean mobile phone maker LG Electronics has been rumored lately to have been selected by Google for the building of the fifth model in the popular Nexus series of smartphones, and what is said to be a leaked photo with the device is now available online.

Leaked courtesy of TechTastic, the photo allegedly shows the white flavor of the upcoming Nexus 5 smartphone, though there’s no confirmation on it being real for the time being. Rumor has it that the mobile phone is set to become official sometime in October or November, and that it will be built based on the recently launched LG G2 flagship smartphone. The Nexus 5 is said to sport a 5.2-inch touchscreen display capable of delivering a full HD resolution, while being powered by the Snapdragon 800 processor from Qualcomm, which should provide it with increased performance capabilities.

The upcoming mobile phone is also said to sport a 13-megapixel photo snapper on the back, capable of recording videos in full HD resolution, complemented by a front camera for making video calls. At the same time, the yet unannounced handset is expected to arrive on shelves with Google’s Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie operating system loaded on top. Google has a history of launching new OS flavors on top of new Nexus models, and the release of said platform version alongside the Nexus 5 from LG is a strong possibility, it seems. For the time being, however, no official confirmation on the matter has been provided, and chances are that none of the above will pan out in the end.

After all, Motorola was also rumored recently to have been selected for the launch of the next handset in the Nexus lineup, given that it is a Google subsidiary. Hopefully, specific details on all these will be unveiled sooner rather than later, so keep an eye on this space to learn the news.

Allegedly leaked photo of LG's Nexus 5
Image credits to Techtastic

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