LG G3 hits assembly line; shooting for 10mil units

The LG G3 doesn't have a specific launch date yet, but many believe that it will drop sometime near the end of May.

And LG must be a a little busy bee, as the Korean manufacturer is aiming to sell 10 million units of the smartphone at its release.

What further gives credence to these rumors is that LG has announced that it will be throwing an event on May 27th in May, San Francisco, New York, and London. The following day, the same event will take place in Singapore, Seoul, and Istanbul.

So what will be headlining the event? Why not the company's upcoming flagship smartphone? It seems like a safe bet that the LG G3 will be the star of the show.

Now 10 million units certainly seems like an almost unattainable sum for LG, given the manufacturer's earlier production difficulties.

It doesn't help either that the G3 is going to be a specs beast: it'll pack a 2.5GHz quad-core processor, 3GB RAM, a 13MP camera, Android 4.4 KitKat out of the box, 16 or 32GB storage options, and a 5.5” QHD screen, which is the main attraction of the device.

Anybody think that LG will reach its target of 10 million units?

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Another alleged Apple iPhone 6 dummy unit makes the rounds

Yet another alleged Apple iPhone 6 dummy unit made the rounds online. The mockup is of much higher quality than the one we saw earlier today, thus potentially giving us a better look of the upcoming smartphone.

Alleged iPhone 6 mockup (click to enlarge)

The latest dummy unit is tipped to be the creation of a case manufacturer and falls right in line with past leaks. It showcases the power/lock and volume buttons on the side of the handset, as well as its already leaked, slightly protruding camera unit with LED flash.

There is no word on the screen size of the handset in the photo. Judging by its proportions however, we reckon that we are looking at the rumored 4.7” iPhone. A number of reports suggest that Apple will launch a duo of large-screen iPhone devices – one with 4.7” screen and one with 5.5” unit.

We don’t know when the iPhone 6 will go official just yet. The usual September time frame is likely.

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Samsung ships more smartphones than major competition combined

Samsung is ubiquitous; there’s no doubt that they are a mobile powerhouse, however, the latest IDC quarterly update gives us a look into just how much of a powerhouse the Korean manufacturer is.

30.3% of total smartphone market share is controlled by Samsung, which is about 85 million units, in Q1 2014.

Now compare this number to Apple, Huawei, Lenovo, and LG, who account for 15.5%, 4.9%, 4.6%, and 4.4% respectively; .9% less than Samsung’s share.

All “other” smartphones account for 40.5% of the market share, but these are hardly the bigger players that pose a threat to Samsung’s current market dominance.

IDC predicts that smartphone shipments will reach 1.2 billion units, total, for 2014; a 200 million increase from last year. This is due to growth in the smartphone market and the constant spread of new models entering the market, especially low-range handsets.

Anyone surprised at just how dominant Samsung is?

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Samsung Galaxy S5 Google Play Edition leaked by Google

Having Google Play Editions of all popular flagships has become somewhat of a tradition. Now that the Samsung Galaxy S5 has been around for a while many fans are wondering if it will also get the GPE treatment.

Apparently, Samsung and Google are working on such edition and Google has just spilled the beans. The device popped up briefly on the Play Store among the others GPE devices.

Well, it didn't appear in its own listing, but under the Galaxy S4 name. Still, the image clearly shows the S5. A photoshopped S5 as it has both hardware and software keys at the bottom, which is not the case. But hey, it is the Galaxy S5 after all, it is on the Play Store, and someone at Google made those efforts to put it there, so this should mean something, right?

Now that the Samsung Galaxy S5 GPE images have appeared on Google Play, we bet the announcement should be around the corner.

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Motorola to unveil a new smartphone on May 13

We just received Motorola's invitation for a special smartphone announcement on May 13. The event will take place in London, two weeks from now, at 8:45 AM local time.

There isn't any other information on the device besides "Made to last. Priced for all", so we'll know more on May 13. There are currently two Moto handsets in the rumorland - the Moto E and Moto X+1.

The invitation text clearly suggest this will be a smartphone event, but we still hope to see more of the upcoming Moto 360 smartwatch too.

You bet we'll be on spot and we'll cover the press event as it unfolds. Stay tuned!

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Alleged Apple iPhone 6 dummy shows updated design

We've seen alleged sketches of the Apple iPhone 6, which led to the creation of a 3D render of what the final deice might look like. Now, a "very reliable" source from China sent photos of a physical dummy of the device.

The dummy looks like an iPod touch, except with even more rounded sides. The front shows the outlines of the display (16:9 by the looks of it), but no hole for the Home key and not a lot of room for it either.

Alleged iPhone 6 dummy

The back shows a camera in the upper left with a round hole for the flash next to it. The dual-tone flash on the iPhone 5s was more rectangular than round, but the leaked sketches also showed a round flash. They show a Home button on the front too, as does an alleged photo of the front panel.

There's no size reference in the photos, but the front panel indicates a long awaited screen size increase – 4.7". The dimensions of the device itself are purported to be 137 x 66 x 7.1 mm.

Thanks to Steve for sending this in!

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LG G3 image leaks via a case maker, shows front and back

Yet another case for the upcoming LG G3 leaked showing off the curios back design as well as the front. The G3 keeps the centered power/volume key setup below the camera, but adds a dual-LED flash and what looks like a sensor or an IR blaster flanking the camera.

Alleged images of the LG G3 in a rugged case

The front shows razor thin bezels around what is rumored to be a 5.5" QHD screen. Also the UI matches the leaked screenshots that leaker earlier. This either confirms the new, flat Optimus UI or it just means the leaked screenshot was used.

Anyway, the LG G3 is expected on May 27 with a 16MP camera, Snapdragon 801 chipset, 3,000mAh battery and an water-resistant IPX7 rating.

Thanks to Pest for sending this in!

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Moto X to get a price cut on May 1 for a day only

The Moto X got its price cut to $400 on January 1, then there was a temporary discount later the same month and now there's another one. If you missed that one, you'll be pleased to hear there's yet another discount.

Motorola will offer a discount on the 16GB, 32GB and Developer versions on May 1 only.

Model	Normal price	Discounted price	Price drop
Moto X 16GB	$350	$300	$50
Moto X 32GB	$400	$325	$75
Moto X Developer Edition	$450	$325	$125

The offer is available tomorrow, May 1, from 12:01 ET and will last 24 hours. Unfortunately, this price cut is US-only. The phones are carrier-free and you can customize them.

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LG G3 launch event to take place on May 27

LG has started sending out invites for their event on May 27 and 28. Although not explicitly mentioned as such, the event is likely going to be the launch of the highly anticipated LG G3 smartphone.

The event will take place over two days, with May 27 seeing the launch in San Francisco, New York, and London and on May 28 in Seoul, Singapore, and Istanbul.

The launch invite simply has a quote from American writer Ralph Waldo Emerson, saying "To be simple is to be Great." The text is placed on a brushed metal background but even if the phone does sport this finish it doesn't necessarily mean it will be made out of metal.

We'll likely be seeing and hearing more of this phone in the coming month before the launch.

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Sony Z Ultra Google Play edition gets a $200 price cut

Google has dropped the price of the Sony Z Ultra Google Play edition. The phone was launched at $649 back in December last year and is now available at $449, a solid $200 drop in just four months.

As you may be aware, the Sony Z Ultra Google Play edition is a variant of the Xperia Z Ultra sold by Sony but comes with stock Android instead. It also has a humongous 6.4-inch, 1920x1080 display, quad-core Snapdragon 800, 2GB RAM, 16GB storage space with microSD support, 8 megapixel camera, 3,050mAh battery, waterproof design and Android 4.4.2 KitKat with the promise of quick updates.

For the kind of hardware you are getting, if you don't mind the rather large size of the device, the new price makes it a pretty good deal.

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Google tipped to replace Nexus family with Android Silver lineup

According to a report in The Information, Google plans to stop offering Nexus devices. The search giant will replace the lineup with a new family of high-end devices dubbed Android Silver.

With Android Silver, Google will aim to further expand its influence within the Android ecosystem. Its plan includes offering devices with no third-party bloatware, as well as providing timely OS updates in a fashion similar to Apple’s. The latter involves pushing the update to all devices on the same day.

Reportedly, the smartphones and tablets from the upcoming Android Silver family will adhere closely to guidelines and specifications provided by Google. The tech giant is tipped to subsidize both the development and the marketing costs for its hardware partners. The number which Google is rumored to spend on getting the platform off the ground is rumored to be as much as $1 billion.

Speaking of hardware partners, LG and Motorola are pointed as the most likely candidates to manufacture Android Silver devices. Samsung, HTC and Sony might jump on the bandwagon at a later stage.

As a model range, Android Silver will compete against the Apple iPhone. It will also aim to put a check on Samsung’s expanding influence as the leading manufacturer of Android devices.

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LG G3 shows its back in an alleged live photo on Twitter

LG G3 showed its back yet again. Three days after we showed you a live photo of the upcoming handset, another alleged image of the device made the rounds on Twitter, courtesy of @evleaks.

The latest leaked photo falls right in line with the previous leaks. It showcases the three button setup on the back of the device, its camera unit with dual-LED flash, as well as that mysterious sensor on the left side of the camera, whose purpose is yet to be revealed.

The LG G3 is tipped to be based on the recently leaked Japanese market-bound LG isai FL. Purported specs of the smartphone include a quad-core Snapdragon 801 SoC, 5.5” LCD display with confirmed resolution of 2560x1440 pixels, 3GB RAM, 32GB internal memory with microSD support, optically stabilized main camera unit, 3,000mAh battery, and Android 4.4.2 KitKat with new, flat Optimus UI.

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SA: Samsung and Apple lose ground to Huawei and Lenovo

Strategy Analytics has released its latest report on the smartphone market. The smartphone shipments worldwide throughout the Q1 this year grew 33% annually setting another record with 281 million units. The mobile phone shipments (including featurephones and smartphones) also grew by 9.4% to 407.9 units shipped globally.

Even though the smartphone shipments are growing rapidly, the top manufacturers are losing market share in favor of the second-tier ones. Samsung keeps its first place in the smartphone market with 31.2% share, dropping 1.2% down from Q1 last year. Apple also lost 2.2% share and is now holding 15.3% at the second place. Huawei kept its third place with minor boost, while Lenovo shipments grew by 0.8%.

Global Smartphone Vendor Shipments (Millions of Units)	Q1 '13	Q1 '14
Samsung	69.4	89.0
Apple	37.4	43.7
Huawei	10.1	13.4
Lenovo	8.4	13.3
Others	88.7	125.6
Total	213.9	285.0

Global Smartphone Vendor Marketshare %	Q1 '13	Q1 '14
Samsung	32.4%	31.2%
Apple	17.5%	15.3%
Huawei	4.7%	4.7%
Lenovo	3.9%	4.7%
Others	41.5%	44.1%

All global mobile phones shipments, as we already mentioned, have also reported a noticeable increase. Here Samsung, Nokia, and LG are all losing small bits of market share in favor of Apple, Huawei and the second-tier of manufacturers (TCL-Alcatel, Coolpad, Lenovo, Xiaomi and others).

Global Mobile Phone Vendor Shipments (Millions of Units)	Q1 '13	Q1 '14
Samsung	106.6	113.0
Nokia	61.9	47.0
Apple	37.4	43.7
LG	16.2	16.4
Huawei	11.6	14.2
Others	139.0	173.6
Total	372.7	407.9

Global Mobile Phone Vendor Marketshare %	Q1 '13	Q1 '14
Samsung	28.6%	27.7%
Nokia	16.6%	11.5%
Apple	10.0%	10.7%
LG	4.3%	4.0%
Huawei	3.1%	3.5%
Others	37.3%	42.6%

Now that Lenovo is on the verge of acquiring Motorola and Microsoft has just completed its Nokia Devices deal, we should be seeing some interesting changes in those reports throughout the upcoming quarters.

Source 1 | Source 2 | Via

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HTC One (M8) Harman/Kardon edition goes official for Sprint

At an event in New York City, Sprint and HTC took the wraps of a special edition One (M8) Harman/Kardon. The previously leaked, premium audio-centric smartphone will be sold exclusively on Sprint Wireless in the United States in a black/gold color scheme.

As expected, the biggest change which the Harman/Kardon M8 brings is enhanced audio experience. The handset offers lossless HD audio via a 24 bit/192kHz DAC. The latter delivers roughly six times the information of compact disc music and 60 times the information of an MP3 or streaming music source when playing FLAC files.

HTC One (M8) Harman/Kardon edition official photos

Furthermore, the special edition device will ship with Harman Clari-Fi application. Available for the first time in a mobile device, the app “rebuilds” a track’s audio quality which was lost during its compression.

The rest of the device’s specs have remained unchanged. The HTC One (M8) Harman/Kardon edition totes a Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 SoC with 2.3GHz quad-core CPU, 5” 1080P display, Ultra Pixel camera, and Sense-d Android 4.4.2 KitKat.

In addition to the attractive new color scheme, the HTC One (M) Harman/Kardon edition will ship with Harman/Kardon AE-S headphones in the box. Users who opt for the smartphone will also be able to snag a Harman/Kardon Onyx Studio speaker for $99.99, down from its regular price of $399.99.

To top things off, Sprint customers will receive six months of free Spotify premium. All they need to do is opt for the carrier’s Framily plan.

The special edition HTC One (M8) Harman/Kardon will be available to order online this Friday, on May 2. It will hit retail stores on May 9. The smartphone can be purchased with $0 down and 24 payments of $28.34 (a total of $680.16).

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Sprint's G Flex and Verizon's Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 get KitKat

Two new Android 4.4 KitKat updates are now seeding Stateside. LG is now upgrading the G Flex on Sprint, while Samsung is doing the same for the Galaxy Note 10.1.

The firmware update for the curved LG smartphone brings performance improvements, updated status and navigation bars, improved battery life, Knock Code feature and cloud printing.

The update process is gradual though it has already begun and should be completed by May 7.

Samsung is also rolling out an Android 4.4 KitKat update. It's for the Verizon's Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 Edition and includes faster multi-tasking, could printing, multi-user mode and immersive mode (automatic full screen mode). There are also the usual bug fixes.

Both updates are available over-the-air or via manufacturers' dedicated update tools.

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UK retailers will finally get the Sony Xperia Z2 in May

The European launch of the new Sony Xperia Z2 flagship was pushed from mid-April to May and May is fast approaching. UK retailers have started lining it up to launch.

Sony's official web site claims deliveries are expected to start at the beginning of May. Carphone Warehouse warns of limited pre-launch stock but expects to have the Xperia Z2 in its stores on right on May 1.

That's ahead of Clove UK's goal of shipping on May 9. Clove's offer includes £200 of free stuff – a Sony SRS-BTM8 Bluetooth speaker, MDR-NC31EM noise-cancelling headphones, 6 digital movie downloads and 30 days of Sony Music Unlimited.

Carrier EE has set the delivery date "within 28 days," while Vodafone is still claiming April 14 (which clearly didn’t pan out).

We tried checking elsewhere in Europe, the most accurate shipping date info we could find was "in 4-6 weeks" (one store even had a warning "shipping date unknown").

The Canadian launch will also happen in May, while the US launch won't happen at all with carriers (Sony will be offering it through its own store though).

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EU takes action to reduce smartphone patent wars

The European Commission made a landmark ruling on Tuesday regarding an infringement claim by Motorola against Apple regarding the use of a standard-essential patent it had licensed.

The Commission decreed that smartphone and tablet makers could no longer seek injunctions against rivals they had signed patent licensing agreements with, a step that should significantly reduce patent wars within the confines of the EU.

In light of the numerous legal disputes with rival manufacturer Apple, the EU's anti-trust enforcement office has also accepted an agreement from Samsung Electronics not to seek injunctions against rivals it currently licenses patents from. The Commission also ordered Motorola to resolve its legal disputes with the Cupertino company outside of the courtrooms through arbitration.

Jaoquin Almunia, the European commissioner in charge of anti-trust enforcement, said decisively that patent wars should not come at the expense of consumers.

"While patent holders should be fairly remunerated for the use of their intellectual property, implementers of such standards should also get access to standardized technology on fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory terms."

The ruling sets a precedent that will likely be imposed on other manufacturers looking to pursue legal action against rivals within EU member countries. This should hamper the likes of Samsung and Apple, currently suing each other in more than 10 countries, from further widespread litigation - at least in the confines of the EU.

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Nokia unveils Q1 results: phone division sales take a hit

Nokia posted an operating profit of €304 million (11.4% of net sales) in the first quarter of this year, up from €254 million (8.1% of net sales) for the same quarter.

This will be the last but one quarter with the phone division on Nokia's books – it spent the month of April with the Finns, but as of a few days ago it's part of Microsoft. This may be sad news for fans, but financially it's good news for Nokia.

The phone division (now labeled "discontinued operations"), brought in €1.93 billion with an operating loss of €326 million. That's a decline in sales from €2.77 billion, but an increase in loss from €120 million.

Nokia's Continuing operations totaled €2.67 billion with an operating profit of €242 million. Most of the cash came from Nokia Networks - €2.33 billion (17% down from €2.8 billion in the year ago quarter).

HERE brought in €209 million in revenue (down from €216 million a year ago) with an operating profit of €10 million. Technologies raked in €131 million with an operating profit of €86 million (at a high operating margin of 65.6%).

The sale of Nokia's Devices & services division closed at a price of €5.44 billion, €170 million higher than the initial price. The Indian plant whose fate was uncertain will remain with Nokia. Nokia will produce phones for Microsoft there.

Nokia's cash and other liquid assets declined €2.3 billion over the past year, largely due to debt facilities of €1.8 billion in Q1 this year. If Nokia had sold its Devices & services division prior to Q1, gross cash would have totaled €10.5 billion, rather than the €6.9 billion it is now.

Also, Nokia is welcoming a new President and CEO - Rajeev Suri.

Hit the source link for more detailed numbers.

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LG Q1 2014 results show 12.3 million smartphones sold

LG's financial report for Q1 2014 is out and things are looking good for the Korean company as it managed to ship 12.3 million smartphones for the period. That's a 19% increase compared to the same quarter of 2013 and helped LG's mobile division to ramp up its revenue to KRW3.41 trillion ($3.19 billion) - a 6% YoY increase.

Out of the 12.3 million smartphones, 5 million were LTE-enabled, which is the highest the company has sold in a quarter so far.

Additionally, the financial results press release points to the launch of the upcoming LG G3 in Q2. Not only did it confirm the name of the phone, but it also confirmed the launch of more L-series III smartphones.

We saw the LG G3 leak in an exclusive picture sent to us by a tipster. The rear-mounted keys are here to stay and the phone is rumored to pack 3GB of RAM and a 5.5" QHD display. We also saw a bunch of screenshot depicting the phone's latest Optimus UI with a flatter design.

Overall, the company's Q1 net profit marks a 319% yearly increase - to KRW92.60 billion ($86.62 million). The consolidated first-quarter revenues are KRW 14.27 trillion (USD 13.35 billion). Compared to the same quarter in 2013, that's a 1.2% increase.

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Samsung Galaxy S5 Neo leaks again, 5.1-inch display in tow

The Samsung device that goes by the model number SM-G750 has popped up again on an Indian import database site Zauba. We've seen the model number before and speculations suggest it could turn out be the Galaxy S5 Neo. In its previous leak it sported a screen resolution of 720 x 1280 pixels and an 2.3 GHz CPU.

Though the new leak we gather some new information - the screen size is slated as a 5.1" - the same as the Galaxy S5. The SM-G750 is listed as SM-G750A, SM-G750F and SM-G750H - probably regional options for different markets.

Previously it was though the SM-G750 is the Galaxy S5 mini but that goes by the name of SM-G800 and sports a .

Sadly that's all the info we get at this point. Hopefully the Galaxy S5 Neo goes official and we get some solid information soon.

Source | Via (in Dutch)

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Samsung's Q1 2014 results reveal a net profit of $8.2billion

Samsung released its 1 2014 earnings report. In line with the earnings guidance from earlier this month, the Korean giant posted a net profit of 8.5 trillion won ($8.2 billion) from 53.68 trillion won ($51.8 billion) of revenue.

The company’s net profit took a 3% dip compared to the same period last year. Samsung attributed the second straight fall of quarterly profit to a weakness in the market for flat-screen panels and maturing high-end smartphone segment.

Samsung’s mobile division raked in an operating profit of 6.43 trillion Won ($6.2 billion USD) for the quarter. The number is down 1.2% from a year ago, but 18% up compared to the previous quarter.

Unsurprisingly, Samsung Galaxy S5 is expected to lead increased demand over next quarter, despite continued weak seasonality. Samsung expects its current flagship to outsell its predecessor, the Galaxy S4.

Going forward, Samsung expects its profits to increase in the next quarter thanks to improved sales of display panels and home appliances. The upcoming World Cup in Brazil is expected to be a major sales booster for the company.

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Samsung announces the Galaxy K zoom camera phone

Samsung has officially announced the Galaxy K zoom camera phone, the successor to the Galaxy S4 zoom launched last year. Like its predecessor, the Galaxy K zoom combines a regular smartphone with the hardware of a point and shoot camera.

On the camera-side, the Galaxy K zoom has a 20.7 megapixel 1/2.3 BSI CMOS sensor and a 10x, 24-240mm F3.1-6.3 zoom lens with optical image stabilization (OIS). The phone has a xenon flash with an LED autofocus assist. On the front is a relatively humble 2 megapixel camera.

On the smartphone side, the Galaxy K zoom has a 4.8-inch, 1280x720 resolution Super AMOLED display, Exynos 5 Hexa SoC with six CPU cores comprising of four 1.3GHz ARM Cortex A7 and two 1.7GHz ARM Cortex A15; along with a Mali-T624 GPU, 2GB RAM, 8GB internal memory with microSD support (up to 64GB), LTE, Bluetooth 4.0, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, NFC, 2,430mAh battery and Android 4.4 KitKat.

The Galaxy K zoom will be available in black, white and blue.

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