LG G3 Screen with Octa-Core Odin Chipset Pops Up Ahead of Official Announcement

We reported early that LG is likely to launch the first smartphone powered by an Odin chipset later this week and today the information seems to have been confirmed.

The unannounced LG G3 Screen has just been spotted in South Korea, AndroidFace reports. The smartphone is also tagged with the F490L codename, which comes in line with previous rumors claiming LG’s first Odin-powered handset carrier this internal name. As expected, the LG G3 Screen isn’t a fully high-end smartphone, but it does come packed with some top-notch features, such as large display, octa-core processor, 13-megapixel camera and 2GB of RAM. The G3 Screen seems closer to a mid-ranger than a high-end device, but that was to be expected since LG plans to test its in-house-designed Odin chipset.

Speaking of which, the Odin NUCLUN chipset accommodates four 1.5GHz Cortex-A15 processors and four Cortex-A7 CPUs clocked at 1.2GHz. It also packs a graphics processing unit manufactured by Imagination Technologies (PowerVR), but it’s unclear which one.

The smartphone has also been spotted as LG Liger

The information comes directly from CPU-Z benchmark where the G3 Screen appears under a different name, LG Liger (F490L). However, this shouldn’t be surprising considering the LG G3 Screen will be the name for the smartphone only in South Korea where the device will start selling soon at LG U+ carrier. It’s likely that the international version will be launched on the market as LG Liger or this might be just the internal name of the smartphone. We believe the South Korean company will make an official announcement in the next couple of days, so there’s no point in speculating too much now. Moving on to specs, LG G3 Screen has been confirmed to boast a large 5.9-inch IPS capacitive touchscreen display that supports full HD (1080p) resolution.

In addition, the smartphone packs 16/32GB of internal memory and 2GB of RAM. There is no info on microSD card slot, but we hope LG added one. On the back, the G3 Screen packs a 13-megapixel photo snapper with autofocus laser, LED flash and video recording, while in the front there’s a secondary 2.1-megapixel camera for video calls and selfies. Last but not least, the phablet will be powered by a 3,000 mAh battery and will run Android 4.4.2 KitKat operating system out of the box.

Benchmark results are unimpressive

In the same piece of news, the first AnTuTu benchmark results have been spotted online as well, and from what we can see, they aren’t impressive at all. Perhaps it wasn’t intended as such in the first place, but as GSMArena points out, LG’s Odin chipset is no match for Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 801 processor. There aren’t any details on when exactly the LG plans to come forward with the LG G3 Screen (aka LG Liger), but there’s a high chance that this one will only be available in several countries. Image gallery below, click for larger images.

LG G3 Screen leaflet
Image credits to Ruliweb

LG Liger (display)

LG Liger (front + sales package)

LG Liger (back side)

LG Liger (front camera)

LG Liger (bottom side)

LG Liger (back camera)

LG Liger (browser)

LG Liger LG Liger (CPU-Z benchmark results)

LG Liger LG Liger (CPU-Z benchmark results)

LG Liger (AnTuTu benchmark results)

LG Liger (AnTuTu benchmark results)
Images credits to kenhcongnghe

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Motorola DROID Turbo Emerges in Live Pictures

The next flagship smartphone in the DROID family is less than a week away and the first live pictures have just leaked online. Even though they are a bit blurry, we can still see Verizon’s next high-end Android smartphone in all its glory.

The smartphone will be launched under the DROID Turbo name on October 28 and is expected to go on sale in two color options: Black and Red. The live pictures show the black version of the handset, but previous press renders made it clear that customers will be able to choose from two color schemes. It’s also worth mentioning that Motorola DROID Turbo will be available in the United States exclusively through Verizon Wireless. The Big Red will also offer the Nexus 6 at some point, but for the moment Android fans will be given the opportunity to purchase the DROID Turbo. Motorola’s DROID smartphone is also known as the mini version of the Nexus 6 given the fact that it comes packed with all the specs of Google flagship handset with the exception of the display, which is much smaller.

Anyway, as per the live pictures published by AndroidSpin, the DROID Turbo will pack a 21-megapixel rear-facing camera with dual-LED flash. According to previous reports, the smartphone’s camera will feature autofocus, 4K video recording and lots of other function that have already been included in other Motorola high-end smartphones. Speaking of Motorola, the company’s brand has been placed on the back side, right below the camera, while Verizon’s logo, along with that of the DROID family, is visible on the lower part of the battery cover.

The smartphone runs Android 4.4.4 KitKat instead of Lollipop

The pictures also confirm Motorola DROID Turbo is powered by Android 4.4.4 KitKat operating system, but we have no doubt that the US-based handset maker will offer an Android 5.0 Lollipop upgrade as soon as Google makes it available. It remains to be seen how long it will take the carrier to test and approve the update given to them by Motorola. Hopefully, it will take less time than usual. In other leaked live pictures, the amount of memory the DROID Turbo is packed with is revealed. In fact we already knew the smartphone would feature 32GB of internal memory and 3GB of RAM, but the photo confirms it.

Furthermore, the picture also confirms the fact that Motorola’s high-end smartphone will indeed sport a 5.2-inch QHD (1440 x 2560 pixels) resolution display. Motorola DROID Turbo may be launched at other carriers in the US, as well as more countries under different names, but the information has yet to be confirmed, so stay tuned for more on the matter.

Motorola DROID Turbo
Images credits to AndroidSpin

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G.Skill Phoenix Blade PCI Express SSD with Massive 2 GB/s Performance Debuts

Normally, PCI Express solid state drives excel in both storage space and transfer speed, but for some reason, G.Skill decided to maximize only the latter when it put together the Phoenix Blade Series.

Maybe the company fully intends to expand the series later down the line, and this lone model is intended only as a sort of door opener. Whatever the reason may be, at present, the Phoenix Blade Series is made up of a single solid state drive whose capacity is of 480 GB. True, it's more than most SATA drives can brag about, but still a lot less than what PCI Express drives can achieve under the right circumstances.

The G.Skill Phoenix Blade Series PCIe SSD

The 480 GB storage device is compatible with the PCI Express x8 interface, which means it has a higher bandwidth to stretch over than others of its kin. Because of that bandwidth, and the use of not one or two but four LSI SF-2281 controller chips in a RAID0 setup, the newcomer can reach a transfer speed of up to 2 GB/s (2,000 MB/s, yes). That's easily four times better than the performance of a typical SATA unit. In addition to the sequential performance, the newcomer stands out for its massive random performance, or 245,000 IOPS (input/output operations per second). Other SSDs barely ever reach a single hundred thousand IOPS, so this is a really big deal. It's also a larger part of the reason why G.Skill considers its creation better suited for gaming, professional graphic design, industrial design, and HD video & audio content creation than other PCI Express SSDs on the market.

Then again, all companies describe their products as such, so in the end you'll have to draw your own conclusion. It's definitely true that both sequential and random 4K performance are top notch though. All the while, TRIM and SMART support makes sure that the data stored on the SSD, and the SSD itself, stays whole and sound. SMART even lets you monitor the drive health, so that you get forewarning when, years from now, the drive finally starts to decay like everything else in existence. BCH ECC of up to 55 bits per sector and RAID-5-like data protection will, in the meantime, safeguard data.

Availability and pricing

They are both unknown, save for the one detail that the G.Skill Phoenix Blade PCIe SSD sells with a 3-year limited warranty. You'll have to wait until your preferred retailer lists it.

Press Release:G.SKILL International Co., Ltd., the leading high performance memory and SSD designer and manufacturer, is excited to announce the Phoenix Blade Series PCIe SSD, the next generation of high-speed, high-capacity storage device. The Phoenix Blade PCIe SSD is the perfect storage solution for extreme gaming, professional graphic design, industrial design, and HD video & audio content creation.
By introducing extreme read and write performance, the potential of today's multi-core processors can be unleashed, resulting in higher productivity and performance, whether you are in extreme gaming or professional design.
x4 SSD Controllers in RAID0 Setup
Built with x4 LSI SF-2281 SSD controllers in a RAID0 setup and integrated with a massive 480GB array of MLC flash, G.SKILL Phoenix Blade PCIe SSD increases the bandwidth performance up to 4 times over typical SATA3 based SSDs!
PCIe Gen 2.0 x8 Interface
G.SKILL Phoenix Blade PCIe SSD is designed with a PCIe Gen 2.0 x8 high-speed interface, allowing the system to effortlessly send massive amounts of data to and from the SSD and drastically improves performance for professional and industrial graphic applications.
Up to 2,000MB/s Extreme Read and Write Performance
With 480 gigabytes of storage capacity, the G.SKILL Phoenix Blade PCIe SSD is pushing the maximum limit of read and write speeds at up to 2,000MB per second, so large data transfers are faster than ever!
Up to 245K IOPS 4KB Random Write
G.SKILL Phoenix Blade PCIe SSD delivers an incredibly fast 245K IOPS! Experience the performance boost in data intensive processing, such as professional graphic/industrial design and HD multimedia content creation software applications.
TRIM & SMART Support
TRIM and SCSI UNMAP support with major Windows OS versions help maintain consistent write performance, reduce flash deterioration, and most importantly, extend drive life expectancy. Not to mention an extensive set of S.M.A.R.T. attributes allow users to monitor the drive's health, allowing users to take preventative measures against possible data loss.
Enhanced Data Protection
CRC data protection prevents data corruption during data transfers. By implementing BCH ECC of up to 55 bits per sector and RAID-5-like data protection, flash cell errors and page/block failures are yesterday's news.
3-Year Limited Warranty
The G.SKILL Phoenix Blade PCIe SSD includes a 3-year limited warranty and full technical support from our tech support team.

G.Skill Phoenix Blade PCIe SSD
Image credits to G.Skill

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