Samsung Galaxy S4 LTE-A Coming Soon to Germany via Deutsche Telekom

Major carrier Deutsche Telekom has recently announced that it will bring the powerful Samsung Galaxy S4 LTE-A to its customers. The new device is meant to replace the current Galaxy S4 LTE model, which is still available for purchase in Germany.

As AllAboutSamsung points out, Samsung Galaxy S4 LTE-A is only available in South Korea for the moment, but it will arrive in Germany in the next few weeks. Unlike the standard Galaxy S4 LTE, which is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 processor, the improved version is equipped with a better Snapdragon 800 CPU. In addition, it offers higher data speeds thanks to the integrated LTE Cat 4 technology.

There’s no word on pricing options yet, but Galaxy S4 LTE-A shouldn’t be priced much higher than the Galaxy S4 LTE. Stay tuned for more updates on the matter.

Samsung Galaxy S4 LTE-A
Image credits to AllAboutSamsung

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Sony Xperia Z1 Priced at €700 ($925)

Unveiled last night at IFA 2013 trade fair, in Berlin, Germany, the Xperia Z1 has been recently priced at various Sony Online stores across Europe.

Apparently, Sony’s flagship smartphone will be available for purchase for around €700 ($925) outright. As XperiaBlog points out, some stores offer the Xperia Z1 for €680 ($900), but that doesn’t make it that much cheaper to worth the trouble of ordering the device from another country. For the time being, France, Italy, the Netherlands and Spain have the Xperia Z1 priced at €700 ($925), while Sony Germany offers the smartphone slightly cheaper, at €680 ($900).

Sony Xperia Z1 is also up for pre-order in Sweden for 5,995 kr (€685/$900) and in the UK for £600 (€710/$935) outright. There’s no telling if the Xperia Z1’s will go cheaper as we’re getting closer to its release, but those who really want the flagship device will probably pay the pre-order price.

Sony Xperia Z1
Image credits to Sony Mobile

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Sony Xperia Z1 Full Specs

The Xperia Z1 is Sony’s new flagship smartphone and packs all the features that an Android enthusiast would want from a powerful device.

According to Sony Mobile, Xperia Z1 will be available for purchase in Black, White and Purple, beginning later this month. Additional details on the phone’s price tag will be unveiled later this week, but we will likely get more details as soon as Xperia Z1 gets listed at major retailers across the globe. As expected, the Xperia Z1 comes equipped with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 800 quad-core processor clocked at 2.2 GHz and the Adreno 330 graphics processing unit. Unlike the Galaxy Note 3, which packs 3GB of RAM, Sony’s flagship handset packs only 2GB of RAM, but that is more than enough to handle even the most demanding operations one would want from his/her smartphone. The 20.7-megapixel rear-facing camera and the 5-inch display are definitely the strong points of the Xperia Z1.

Not to mention that the phone follows the same design layout of the Xperia line and features IP58 and IP55 certifications, which makes it dust proof and water resistant up to 1 meter and 30 minutes. The phone is covered with tempered glass on the front and back that protects it against scratches. The main camera packs “G Lens” with a 27mm wide angle and bright F2.0 aperture, custom made large 1/2.3-type CMOS image sensor Exmor RS for mobile with 20.7MP and a BIONZ for mobile image processing engine. It can capture 1080p@30fps videos and the same goes for the secondary 2-megapixel front-facing camera. Other highlights of the camera include autofocus, LED flash, image and video stabilization, panorama and face detection.

The 5-inch full HD (1080p) capacitive touchscreen display includes Sony’s BRAVIA TV technology featuring TRILUMINOS Display for mobile and X-Reality for mobile. When it comes to connectivity, Sony Xperia Z1 does not make any compromises. It offers the best and newest connectivity options available on the market, including LTE cat 4, HSPA+ (42Mbps), Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, NFC, microUSB 2.0 (MHL), DLNA and GPS with GLONASS. Sony has confirmed that Xperia Z1’s non-removable 3000 mAh Li-Ion battery should provide up to 880 hours of standby time (850 hours in 3G mode) or up to 14 hours of talk time (15 hours in 3G mode). Sony Xperia Z1 Gallery below, click for larger images.

Sony Xperia Z1
Images crediits to Sony Mobile

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New Leak May Confirm Biometric iPhone 5S Home Button

A new leak from the now-famous Sonny Dickson seems to confirm that Apple will indeed equip the iPhone 5S with a fingerprint sensor underneath the phone’s Home button.

Sonny and his Aussie buds over at sonnydickson.com have gotten their mitts on “dozens of sharp high-res images of the iPhone 5S home button hardware.” Both the physical button and the flex cable connecting the part to the logic board sport “a remarkably different design when compared to the iPhone 5 home button – and even previous supposed 5S part leaks,” according to Sonny. The well connected Australian teenager, who has been making quite a few headlines with his gold iPhone leaks as of late, is convinced this hardware confirms the rumored biometric fingerprint scanner for this year’s iPhone refresh.

The square-shaped bulk present on the flex cable is rumored to be new hardware related to the fingerprint sensing technology in the phone. A thorough analysis of the hardware would probably confirm whether or not this is indeed the case, and I’m surprised no one has been able to get this part in the hands of iFixit.

Sonny Dickson tweet
Image credits to @SonnyDickson on Twitter

iPhone 5S Home button and flex cable
Image credits to Sonny Dickson

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Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Full Specs

One day after Samsung unveiled the Galaxy Note 3, there are still some details that have been left out from the official announcement. Although the South Korean company has confirmed the phablet will be released on the market on September 25, there is no info on the smartphone’s pricing options yet.

However, we know for sure that there will be three Galaxy Note 3 models available for purchase within the next several weeks. According to Samsung, the smartphone will be available as Galaxy Note 3 N9000 in those countries where 4G networks are non-existent and as Galaxy Note 3 N9005 in regions covered by LTE networks. Last but not least, Samsung will launch a dual-SIM variant, also known as Galaxy Note 3 N9002. This one is likely to be available in China and probably in a few more countries in Asia. We will probably know more on Galaxy Note 3 N9002’s availability later this year. The main difference between the 3G and LTE versions of Samsung Galaxy Note 3 is the chipset and some of the camera’s features. The LTE model will be equipped with a 2.3 quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor and an Adreno 330 graphics processing unit, while the 3G model has been confirmed to feature a 1.9 GHz octa-core processor (Cortex-A15 quad-core and 1.3 GHz Cortex-A7 quad-core CPUs). Samsung has also stated that the LTE version of Galaxy Note 3 will be able to capture videos at 1080p@30fps, whereas the 3G version will be “limited” to 2160@30fps.

All Samsung Galaxy Note 3 models will boast a 13-megapixel rear photo snapper with LED flash and autofocus, as well as a secondary 2-megapixel front-facing camera. In addition, they will pack 3GB of RAM and either 32GB or 64GB storage, which can be further expanded up to 64GB via microSD memory card. Obviously, the Galaxy Note 3 will ship with the new and improved S Pen that now provides access to even more features. The smartphone has been gifted with lots of connectivity options, including Wi-Fi, DLNA, NFC, GPS with GLONASS, Bluetooth 4.0, IR and MHL 2.0. Samsung Galaxy Note 3 drains energy from a high-capacity 3200 mAh Li-Ion battery, which has yet to be rated by the manufacturer.

The phablet will be powered by Android 4.3 Jelly Bean operating system out of the box and will be packed with Samsung KNOX, the company’s mobile security solution. As mentioned earlier, more than 140 countries will get the Galaxy Note 3 on September 25, while Japan and the United States will have to wait until next month. Here's the gallery of Galaxy Note 3, click for larger images.

Samsung Galaxy Note 3
Image credits to Samsung

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