The iPhone 6: Every rumor

The iPhone 6: Every rumor about the specs, release date, and size of Apple's next smartphone

What we think we know
This early in 2014, we don't know much about what Apple has up its sleeves for the next iPhone. That said, some trends are already popping up in the rumors. Analysts and sources claim that Apple will give us two phones this year, just like it did in September 2013 with the 5S and 5C. There will be a large iPhone model, likely with a 5-inch or larger screen, and also a smaller, possibly lower-end, device closer in size to the iPhone 5S.

Apple hasn't even confirmed it's even working on a new iPhone, let alone what it will be called, but following the pattern the company has used to name its previous phones, we are guessing it will be dubbed the iPhone 6.

When we will get it
Despite one report that says Apple will launch the iPhone 6 at its June 2014 Worldwide Developer's Conference, it's much more likely that we won't get a new phone until the fall. That's because since 2011, Apple has announced its new iPhones in September and October.

Editors' note: This post was originally published on January 23, 2014. We will continue to update it when new rumors surface.

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March 27, 2014

Apple iPhone 6 release 'as early as September,' in two sizes -- report

According to a Japanese publication, the iPhone 6 will land in September in two different sizes.

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March 27, 2014

Apple said to place battery orders for iPhone 6

Orders that could imply mass production of batteries for the iPhone 6, suggest that the new smartphone will be available later rather than sooner.

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March 18, 2014

Apple iPhone 6 will reportedly start production in Q2
One of Apple's manufacturing partners is opening a new factory space and recruiting workers, which is stirring up production date rumors for the upcoming iPhone 6. If true, production in the second quarter is expected.

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March 17, 2014
iPhone 6 may include sensors to detect the weather, says analyst
The iPhone 6 could come equipped with its own barometer for monitoring weather conditions. Samsung added this features to the Galaxy S4 a year ago, and this could be an attempt from Apple to play catch-up.

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February 12, 2014 
Real or not, 'iPhone 6' photos are everywhere
Alleged photos of the unconfirmed Apple iPhone 6 are cropping up with more frequency. Whether these photos are the real deal or not is still up for debate. But if they are, they unveil a larger iPhone screen and a thin profile to match its thin bezels.

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February 12, 2014 
Apple's iPhone 6 to sport 4.7-, 5.5-inch screens, report says
One hopeful source claims that Apple will release two new iPhones later this year with bigger screen sizes than before. One model is expected to boast a 4.7-inch screen and the other a 5.5-inch display. The rumor posits that these new iPhone 6 models will drop in September. We'll see about that.

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February 11, 2014 
iPhone 6 speculation goes bezel-less
The next generation of Apple iPhones is now linked to a recurring rumor about the smartphone's design: no bezels. The choice would allow for more screen space -- something many Apple loyalists have patiently waited for -- and is assumed to require the fingerprint scanner that debuted on the iPhone 5S.

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Is this what the Apple iPhone 6 will look like?MacRumors

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February 11, 2014 
Sony said to be talking to Apple about camera for 'new' iPhone
A Japanese source claims that Sony is going to start making a few additional components for Apple's next iPhone camera. Sony already makes CMOS sensors for the rear cameras on iPhones. However, this report claims that the order will double soon, due to speculation that Apple will begin to use a Sony CMOS sensor on the front camera as well.

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January 23, 2014
Two new iPhones coming in summer 2014
According to the Wall Street Journal, Apple will give us two new iPhones this year, just as it did when the company announced the iPhone 5S and 5C in 2013. This time around, the two phones will have different sizes, one around 4.7 inches, and another that's supposedly larger than 5 inches. Apple is also said to be doing away with the 5C's polycarbonate case in favor of using metal for both new devices.

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January 22, 2014
Apple's next iPhone will be just shy of 5 inches
Though there's been a lot of buzz about the iPhone 6's size, Cowen and Company analyst Timothy Arcuri is claiming that the next iPhone will have a 4.8-inch screen and that the design is already "locked down." He also notes that the new iPhone will have higher-speed 802.11ac Wi-Fi connectivity.

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January 20, 2014
The iPhone 6 is coming in June 2014 in two sizes
Following earlier reports, Chinese analyst Sun Changxu told Chinese-language Web site QQ Tech that the iPhone 6 will come in two sizes. First, at Apple's Worldwide Developer's Conference in June 2014, the company will release a 4.7-inch iPhone with a 1,136x640 pixel display, which is only slightly larger than the screen on the iPhone 5S. Shortly after that first release, Changxu says that Apple will unveil a larger, higher-resolution 5.7-inch iPhone.

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January 14, 2014
The next iPhone could come in two sizes, with two resolutions
Forecasts from market research firm DisplaySearch predict that Apple will release two new iPhone models in 2014, both with higher-resolution screens that would trump the current iPhone's 4-inch 1,136x640-pixel display. The "high-end" model of the new iPhone would have a 5.5-inch screen with a 1,920x1,080 low-temperature polysilicon (LTPS) LCD display, which is the same kind of screen used in the 5S. The other iPhone model could have a 4.7-inch screen with a 1,600x900 resolution display.

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HTC responds to One M8 allegations, happily admits “benchmarking optimization”

HTC responds to One M8 allegations, happily admits “benchmarking optimization”

 By Manthan Gupta | March 31, 2014 

Last week, shortly following the release of the new HTC One, some oddities regarding the Android’s benchmark performance started coming to light. By all appearances, the phone was detecting when certain benchmark apps were being run and activating its high-performance mode, whether or not the user had specifically engaged it. But was this deceitful of HTC or not? The company has since issued a statement about the situation, and it doesn’t seem to see anything wrong with its actions.

HTC explains, “benchmarking tests look to determine maximum performance of the CPU and GPU and, similar to the engine in a high-performance sports car, our engineers optimize in certain scenarios to produce the best possible performance. If someone would like to get around this benchmarking optimization there are ways to do so, but we think most often this will not be the case.”

It continued, “for those with a need for speed, we’ve provided a simple way to unleash this power by introducing a new High Performance Mode in the developer settings that can be enabled and disabled manually. The HTC One (M8) is optimized to provide the best balance of performance and battery life, but we believe in offering customer choice, as there may be times when the desire for performance outweighs the need for battery longevity.”

Well, OK; that basically confirms exactly what we thought. But the question remains, what’s so bad about this?

Benchmarks exist to give us tools for comparison. Did that new KitKat update make my phone faster or slower? Benchmarks can lead you to an answer.

But with what HTC’s doing here, there’s no easy way for a user to examine the impact of that high-performance mode; whether the setting is activated or not, benchmark apps are still going to run as if it’s enabled. The “ways to do so” HTC mentions in regards to running a benchmark without the optimizations sound downright onerous: first a user would have to be aware of this non-previously-disclosed performance hack, and then manually repackage benchmark software to obscure its APK name. Maybe there is another setting to permanently disable benchmark optimization, but so far we haven’t heard of anything working that way.

In effect, HTC is making benchmark software less useful to One owners, as their ability to test different system configurations is severely compromised.

Oh, and the real kicker? That manual option to engage the high-performance mode? It doesn’t even exist yet for certain versions of the new One, specifically those in the US. HTC says it’s coming by way of a future software update, but with that option not even formally present yet, these benchmark shenanigans seem that much sketchier.

Source: HTC (CNET)

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Samsung Mobile's CEO received a $5.8-million salary in 2013, Apple's Tim Cook "just" $4.25 million

Posted: 31 Mar 2014, 08:49, by Peter K.

Tags: Samsung+ Interesting facts+

Have you ever wondered how much money do the high-ranking executives of the major smartphone manufacturers make a year, exactly? Well, the largest phone company in terms of volumes at the moment, Samsung, just revealed some inside information about the salaries of its CEOs.

Apparently, J. K. Shin, the current CEO and President of Samsung Mobile, received a $5.8-million paycheck back in 2013, the South Korean company revealed. This puts him well above Tim Cook, the CEO of Samsung's biggest rival – Apple. Cook's compensation for last year was roughly $4.25 million, a little more compared with his $4.17-million salary for 2012.

Some other high-ranking Samsung executives, such as Vice chairman Kwon Oh-hyun and co-CEO B. K. Yoon, are well-paid, too – in 2013, they received roughly $6.35 and $4.77 million, respectively.

These is the first time Samsung discloses such information after the regulations in South Korea got changed several months ago. The Korean companies with executives that receive more than $469,500 (500 million won) annually are now required to detail information about their paychecks in the business filings and their financial reports.

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LG is the fastest growing Android manufacturer

LG is the fastest growing Android manufacturer in the U.S. states report

Posted: 31 Mar 2014, 09:37, by Manthan Gupta.

Tags: LG+ Android+

A new report from Kantar Worldpanel ComTech, shows that Android is expanding its share of the U.S. smartphone market. After the release of the Apple iPhone 5s and Apple iPhone 5c last September led to market share gains for iOS in the states, Android has regained momentum. The latest stats show that Google's open source OS has added 3.9 percentage points to its slice of the U.S. smartphone pie over the last year.

Among the myriad Android manufacturers, none is adding to its share of the U.S.market any greater than LG. The Korean manufacturer is now the third largest smartphone producer in the U.S. with 8% of the stateside market. LG now trails only Apple and Samsung in U.S. smartphone market share.

Unlike past years, when LG depended on its low to mid-range models, it is the high-end LG G2 that is now leading the way. According to Kantar, the LG G2 tops the Apple iPhone 5s and Samsung Galaxy Note 3 in customer recommendation scores with a figure of 9.2 out of 10. The flagship iPhone model scored a 9.1, and the latest iteration of Samsung's phablet received a 9.0 score.

"The LG G2 marks a significant change in direction for LG, now aiming squarely towards the top end of the market. Customer recommendation figures for the past three months show the LG G2 has the highest rating of any new handset at 9.2 out of 10, followed by the iPhone 5S at 9.1 and Samsung Galaxy Note III at 9.0. User advocacy is hugely important in mobile and this is great news to help LG maintain its momentum. Selling phones is one thing, getting your buyers to help you sell even more is another."-Dominic Sunnebo, strategic insight director, Kantar Worldpanel ComTech

The rumored (but unannounced) LG G3 is expected to be a monster release for LG later this year. The phone is rumored to offer a 5.5 inch screen with a resolution of 1440 x 2560 and is also tipped to be waterproof and dustproof. If LG delivers the goods with its next flagship model, it might be able to continue adding to its U.S. market share.

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ALL NEW HTC ONE (M8) REVIEW

ALL NEW HTC ONE (M8) REVIEW

                  By Mathan Gupta , Posted : 26/3/14

HTC KICKED OFF 2013 by releasing what in our minds is one of its best handsets to date, the HTC One. Featuring a top-end and robust looking metal design and powered by an - at the time - powerful Snapdragon processor, the HTC One was one of 2013's standout handsets.

One year on, HTC has returned with a new, radically upgraded HTC One M8 flagship smartphone that features a similar metallic design and upgraded Snapdragon 801 processor and clearly is designed to refine rather than redefine the company's handset range.

Design and build

Visually the HTC One M8 looks like an evolved, slightly sharper looking version of its predecessor, the HTC One M7. The HTC One M8 has a single piece, slightly curved metal chassis that wraps around the sides of the device to cradle its Gorilla Glass display.

The grey review unit we tested had a slightly textured finish, that an HTC spokesman on hand told us is the result of a specific finishing process that sees engineers coat the metal with over 170 different oils. The metallic and slightly grooved finish made the HTC One M8 one of the most comfortable 5in smartphones to hold that we've ever encountered.

The HTC One M8 is also fairly generously stocked with ports, with a microSD port and nanoSIM and microSD card slots.

We also found that, while not IP certified like the Sony Xperia Z2 or Samsung Galaxy S5, the HTC One M8 does feel very solidly built. Holding the handset we found that its metal chassis offered no give when stressed and left us suitably assured it could survive the odd accidental bump or scrape. The chassis also seems more scratch resistant than that of the original HTC One M7.

Display

HTC has loaded the HTC One M8 with a sizable 5in full HD 441ppi display. Testing the screen under the showroom floor's bright lights, we were fairly impressed how well it performed. Text and icons on the HTC One M8 looked suitably crisp and colour and brightness levels were great.

The only issue we noticed with the HTC One M8 display occurred when we moved to use it near a window. Here we found, as is the case on 99 percent of all the smartphones we review, that the HTC One M8 screen would easily pick up stray light and become slightly difficult to use.

Operating system and software

The One M8 runs Google's latest Android 4.4.2 Kitkat mobile operating system overlaid with HTC's custom Sense 6.0 skin.

Sense 6.0 changes Android's core user interface in a variety of ways. The most obvious is its use of the latest version of HTC's Blinkfeed news aggregation service as the main home screen. Blinkfeed is a custom push update service that debuted on the original HTC One M7. It works to push content from relevant news outlets and social media accounts to the user via a tiled interface.

The new version of Blinkfeed expands the service to include more news outlets and also adds a new "bundle" feature. The bundle feature lets the user instruct Blinkfeed to only push updates about certain keywords, hashtags or topics to the user. This means that you can set up the feed to alert you only to news from specific trade shows, or events - a feature that could prove very useful to any tech head trying to keep on top of news coming out of big shows like CES or Mobile World Congress.

The HTC One M8 also features a number of new gesture control options. The gesture controls let you do things like wake the handset from sleep by double tapping the screen or shoot to the phone's home screen by swiping left from its right hand side.

Testing the features, we were impressed by how well the gesture controls worked and can definitely see them proving useful to users that want to access certain services quickly.

Performance

The HTC One M8's use of Qualcomm's brand new quad-core Snapdragon 801 chip is one of its biggest selling points. The Snapdragon 801 was unveiled at MobileWorld Congress in Barcelona in February. Qualcomm claims that the Snapdragon 801 offers superior performance compared to earlier mobile chips, and having had a hands-on go with the HTC One M8, our initial impressions are very positive.

Testing the demo One M8 unit, we found it was one of the most responsive handsets we've ever used and was able to open applications slightly faster than the HTC One M7, which is still a very fast handset. Sadly we didn't get a chance to see how the HTC One M8 dealt with more demanding tasks like 3D gaming, or properly benchmark it during our hands-on, but we'll be sure to do this come our full review.

Camera

The HTC One M8 comes with an upgraded version of the 4.1MP Ultrapixel rear camera that debuted on the HTC One M7 and features a 5MP wide angle front camera. The upgraded rear camera features a new imaging coprocessor and Duo Camera technology. For those who don't know, Ultrapixel is a custom technology developed by HTC that works to improve the camera's performance by instructing the sensor to capture larger pixels than regular smartphones. This reportedly lets the HTC One M8's rear camera capture 300 percent more light than the cameras on competing handsets.

Duo Camera is a new technology introduced on the HTC One M8 designed to let the phone's rear camera capture spatial information. The spacial information collected by the Duo Camera technology lets users do things like retroactively adjust the point of focus on images shot with the HTC One M8 in its custom gallery app.

Testing the HTC One M8 on the showroom floor, we found images captured were of a similar quality to those on the original HTC One M7. This meant that they were reasonably crisp, featured decent colour and contrast levels and were more than good enough for use on most blogs or social media websites. We also found the Duo Camera technology worked reasonably well and let us quickly and easily tweak the test shots captured on our demo unit to focus on different points.

Battery and storage

HTC has loaded HTC One M8 with a sizable 2,600mAh battery that it claims will offer users 30 hours of standby time from one charge. We didn't get a chance to test the One M8's battery during our hands-on, but will be sure to do so in our full review.

Interestingly, HTC has chosen to load the HTC One M8 with a slightly mediocre 16GB of internal storage. Luckily the HTC One M8's storage can be upgraded using its microSD card slot, meaning users that need the extra space can get it.

First impressions

Overall our initial impressions of the HTC One M8 are positive. The device features a top-end and robust looking metal design that's packed with a variety of premium internal components, the best of which is its new Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor.

However, with the Samsung Galaxy S5 release the HTC One M8 is going to face tough competition.

Check back with The INQUIRER later for a full review of the HTC One M8.

COMPARISONS

HTC ONE  M8 VS HTC ONE M7

HTC M8 VS XPERIA Z2 DISPLAY

HTC M8 VS XPERIA Z2 SPEAKER

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All New HTC One comparison leak

All New HTC One compared to iPhone 5s, Galaxy S4 and more in new leak

  BY Manthan Gupta ON MAR 19, 2014 AT 11:10 AM

With less than a week to go until HTC finally announces its brand new flagship HTC One smartphone, it seems like there is absolutely no mystery left. We have seen photos of the sleek new phone leak at least a dozen times. We’ve seen videos of the phone as well. We recently saw a walkthrough of the One’s new Sense 6 software and we also know just about everything there is to know in terms of specs. Now, on top of everything else, we can see how the new HTC One stacks up against its toughest competition from Samsung, Apple and more.

Nowhereelse.fr on Wednesday posted photos of the new HTC One dummy we have seen before next to several top smartphones from competing vendors. For a reminder, this is not an actual phone but rather a mockup with the exact same look and dimensions that is used in display cases at cell phone retailers in order to prevent thefts.

Among the devices we can see the HTC One lined up with are Samsung’s Galaxy S4, Sony’s Xperia Z2, Apple’s iPhone 5s, the Galaxy Note and the LG G2.

According to earlier reports, the new HTC One’s specs include a 1080p full HD display that measures 5 inches diagonally, a 2.3GHz quad-core Snapdragon 801 processor, a 2,600 mAh battery, at least 16GB of internal storage and Android 4.4.2 KitKat with HTC’s new Sense 6.0 software.

Another recent leak suggested that the new One’s rear cameras will still be 4 megapixels like the current one, but they will support 3D shooting and effects.

A few photos from Nowhereelse.fr follow below and the rest can be seen by following the link down in our source section.

TAGS:

HTC, HTC ONE

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Tricks For Sony To Improve Its Position In USA

Tricks For Sony To Improve Its Position In USA

 By Manthan Gupta | January 17, 2014 

Sony is capable of making compelling smartphones. I have never for a second doubted that. The Xperia Z, my first device review for Pocketnow last year, was a stellar phone. Its design was great (though I’m not partial to the additional slab of glass), the specifications were on par with its counterparts from Samsung and HTC, and performance was not an issue.

That said, the unit I received for review from Clove was not compatible with AT&T in my area

. It supported UMTA bands 1, 5, and 8, and I was stuck switching between EDGE and GPRS. 

And the display was … pretty awful. Blacks were noticeably pale

 and viewing angles were atrocious.

I rightfully still gave the Xperia Z an 8.5 out of 10. And had I been given the option at the time, 

I probably would have continued to carry it as a personal device (if it had been compatible 

with AT&T, of course).

I later went on to review the Xperia Z Ultra, a much larger and more powerful version of the

 Xperia Z which I wasn’t very fond of. It was a great phone, but its physical size was difficult to

 manage and it had its own set of issues.

Not to mention, with the exception of the Xperia ZL, all of Sony’s high profile smartphones 

did something no

 other manufacturers’ flagships could do: go for a swim. They came with IP55 and IP57 

dust-proofing and water-resistance, allowing them to survive water submersion up to a

 depth of one meter for up to 30 minutes.

Despite Sony’s capacity to make high-end, water-resistant smartphones without sacrificing

 design and beauty, however, it continues to struggle to become a staple in the wireless industry.

New Sony smartphones are constantly expected and anticipated, but they never seem to

 shake up the industry, disrupt the market, or make any notable impact. Samsung’s flagships

, the Galaxy S 4 and Galaxy Note 3, destroy the competition in sales. The HTC One forced the

 competition to focus on great design and build quality. Motorola’s Moto X has become the 

benchmark for user experience and value proposition.Nokia forced the competition to pay 

closer attention to image sensing capabilities. And Apple revisited the topic of biometric 

sensors, encouraging the competition to jump on the fingerprint sensing bandwagon.

Yet while Sony seems to be the only mobile manufacturer heavily dedicated to water-resistance,

 the competition is unmoved and consumers seem, for the most part, uninterested in the parlor

 trick of Sony’s Xperia lineup.

Even the Xperia Z1 Compact failed to stir up as much dust as it probably should have at CES 2014.

It seems as if Sony can’t dig itself out of irrelevancy, especially here in the United States, where Sony’s mind share is minimal and its market share is even more scarce.

Clearly Sony isn’t giving up on mobile anytime soon. And its relationship with T-Mobile USA appears to be budding with the Xperia Z1S exclusive.

So how can Sony break into the US market and compete with the heavyweights? There’s no black and white formula. But there 

are some factors definitely missing from Sony’s current strategy.

For instance, marketing. I can’t count the number of times I’ve seen a Sony ad for Xperia 

smartphones and tablets outside Sony’s booth at CES … because I’ve never seen a single one.

 Maybe Sony has some marketing presence globally, or outside Charlotte, NC. But the mind

 share here is nonexistent because the only 

Sony marketing I’ve ever seen in person is for its bread and butter:

 PlayStation, Televisions, and cameras.

The thing is, most people think I’m a Sony hater. I’m anything but. I’ve been a

 PlayStation gamer since the original PlayStation. 

I’ve only ever used Sony cameras for my work – three to date.

 And I’ve come close on several occasions to buying a VAIO laptop, as well as a Sony television.

Its mobile efforts simply haven’t ever moved me, and that brings me to my next point.

Sony needs something to truly set it apart. For whatever reason, waterproof smartphones

 isn’t cutting it. Outside that, Sony has nothing terribly spectacular in its current smartphone lineup. 

The software experience is unspectacular. The camera experience is subpar.

 And as beautiful as the hardware design is, the devices themselves are rather forgettable over time.

Why can’t Sony replicate its prosumer camera experience in its handsets?

 Manual SLR-like controls within the application would be a great start. 

And better camera performance is a must.

Something Sony has now done that each of its competitors has failed to do in at least

 two years is create a high-end smartphone under 4.5-inches.

 The Xperia Z1 Compact has high-end specifications, yet it only has a 4.3-inch display.

There is obviously demand for a smaller, high-end Android smartphone, and Sony is currently the only one willing to offer such a device. If Sony could somehow leverage this against wireless providers here in
 the States and sell the Z1 Compact on AT&T or Verizon with a two-year agreement,

 I’m confident the phone would sell.

Unfortunately, that matter may be out of Sony’s hands.

 And that’s where Sony’s real challenge begins: convincing the major UScarriers its products
 will move. But without the marketing push, open availability, wide network compatibility,
and a major selling point, that will not come easy.

We all would love to see more of a presence from Sony here in the States, but with

 T-Mobile exclusives, a lack of marketing, and few (to no) features which will appeal 

to the masses, it could be a very long time before that ever happens.

What do you think would bring Sony back into the cell phone game stateside, readers?

 Marketing, better devices, or a superior user experience? A combination of the three? 

Or is Sony destined to stay out of the States?

All content by: POCKETNOW

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