In the week that we reviewed the new HTC One, there was quite the gathering of stories from other major manufacturers. Samsung dropped a Snapdragon 600-shaped bomb on chipset-conscious UK fans. Sony finally took the wraps off its interesting new mid-ranger, the Xperia SP. And the LG Nexus 4 showed its face once again in the UK and Germany.
Check out some of the bigger international Android stories of the week after the break.
Sony announces Xperia SP and Xperia L
The Sony Xperia SP and Xperia L didnt appear publicly at Mobile World Congress as expected, but a couple of weeks after the show the new Sony mid-range and low-end devices have finally made themselves known.
The Xperia SP is the most interesting of the two, incorporating some of the best parts of Sonys 2012 design language. Theres an aluminum trim around the outside of the device, and a customizable transparent element down below. Other highlights include a 1.7GHz dual-core CPU, Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean and an 8MP rear camera featuring Sonys new Exmor RS sensor tech. Its also the first mid-range phone from Sony to sport 4G LTE support.
The Xperia L is less of a trailblazer, but its always nice to see mid-range phones launching with a relatively up-to-date version of the OS. Whats more, the L packs the same 8MP Exmor RS image sensor found in its big brother, which should stand out among other entry-level phones.
UK prices for the Xperia L start at 234. The Xperia SP will set you back a little more, as pre-order prices stand at 314 and up.
We review the HTC One, HTCconfirms delay for some countries
Having gotten to know the HTC One over the previous week, we published our full review of the handset this Tuesday. Theres plenty to get stuck into, including in-depths sections on the hardware, software and that fancy new UltraPixel camera.
Heres an excerpt to get you started off --
"The HTC One is an exquisite piece of design and engineering. From the hardware to the software, HTCs new handset incorporates some of the very best design work in the industry. If theres something to be disappointed about, it might be the much-vaunted UltraPixel camera. Which is not to say its bad per se -- in fact, its pretty good. But its a long way off being the silver bullet to cure all your mobile photography woes, and though its low-light performance is fantastic, it still lags behind the competition in some other areas."
Head on over to our exhaustive full review for more. Therere also plenty of pretty pictures and video for all you visual learners.
In other HTC One news, HTC confirmed that the phone will launch in the UK, Germany and Taiwan next week, and that Europe, North America and "most of Asia-Pacific" will get it by the end of April. That delay for many markets will come as a blow to HTC, which will need every advantage it can muster against Samsung's looming Galaxy S4.
Speaking of which...
UK to get a quad-core Samsung Galaxy S4
The UK was originally expected to to be getting a Galaxy S4 model powered by Samsungs own Exynos 5 Octa chipset, however this week we learned that wont be the case. The manufacturers confirmed that instead the UK S4 model will run Qualcomms quad-core Snapdragon 600 CPU.
While this seems like a big deal, we suspect the impact on the overall user experience wont be huge. Last year some markets got a Snapdragon S4-based Galaxy S3, which by all accounts performed just as well as its Exynos 4 Quad-based international cousin. (Thats aside from the fact that Exynos 5 Octa uses ARMs big.LITTLE processing technique, meaning youve got two banks of four cores that are switched between dynamically -- so effectively its still just a quad-core CPU.)
In any case, the question of which of these chips will be powering your Galaxy S4 probably isnt one worth losing any sleep over.
Nexus 4 back in stock in the UK and Germany
After another brief absence from their local Google Play Stores, Brits and Germans were once again able to buy the Nexus 4 direct from Google this week.
Competition has hotted up since the first LG-made Nexus launched in November, but its still hard to beat this phone on sheer value for money. In Germany the 8GB model sells for 299, while 16GB will set you back 349. In the UK youll pay 239 and 279 respectively. Get em at the links below --
- 8GB Nexus 4 on Google Play
- 16GB Nexus 4 on Google Play
Thats it for this weeks international roundup. Stay tuned to AC in the week ahead for more global Android news. And if youve got news, be sure to tip us at the usual address.
Via: International roundup: New Sony phones, our HTC One review and Galaxy S4 chips
Wow, that's what I was exploring for, what a stuff! existing here at this web site, thanks admin of this web page.
ReplyDeleteAlso visit my page: her comment is here
I'm impressed, I must say. Rarely do I come across a blog that's both educative and interesting, and
ReplyDeletelet me tell you, you have hit the nail on the head. The problem is something
too few men and women are speaking intelligently about. I am very happy I found this during my search
for something regarding this.
Check out my weblog good products rosacea