Motorola Moto G (3rd gen) officially launched, two versions after all

The Motorola Moto G (3rd gen) is finally official, putting an end to the endless rumor marathon. We already knew what to expect, but a very important detail eluded us, but it is now set in stone.

So fret not, the Motorola Moto G (3rd gen) does have 2GB of RAM, only not all versions of the smartphone. There are two options you can choose from and the 2GB of RAM come coupled with 16GB of storage, while a more modestly equipped 1GB/8GB variant is also available. A microSD slot allows expansion by up to 32GB in either model.

A 5-inch 720p display adorns the front of the smartphone, and it’s protected by Gorilla Glass 3. The Snapdragon 410 provides computing power with a 1.4GHz quad-core processor and Adreno 306 GPU inside. You get LTE support, as well as the obligatory Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and GPS. The smartphone boots the latest Android 5.1.1 too, so no surprises here either.

The primary camera is a 13MP unit, aided by a dual-LED dual-tone flash. On the front, there’s a 5MP selfie shooter.

The Motorola Moto G (3rd gen) measures 142.1 x 72.4 x 11.6mm, though the thickness does go down to 6.1mm towards the edges. It weighs 155g, and Motorola have upped battery capacity to 2,470mAh, compared to the 2,070mAh of the predecessor.

Perhaps what’s most important in terms of hardware, is the IPx7 certification, which makes the handset capable of surviving after being submerged in up to 1m of water for up to 30 minutes.

The Motorola Moto G (3rd gen) is available starting today, though obviously not every retailer has been quick enough to react. So far we have a UK price of £160 for the 1GB/8GB version, and in India the lower-specced model retails for INR 11,999 (~$187), while the 16GB version is INR 12,999 (~$203).

Motorola Moto X Style and Moto X Play announced with 21MP cameras

As it turns out, Motorola’s teaser invites did have a hidden message, and the company went out and announced three phones today. We already told you about the Moto G (3rd gen) and as it appears, the constant leaks surrounding it were mostly a distraction from even more intriguing announcements.

Motorola unveiled today the Moto X Style and Moto X Play – a flagship and an upper-midranger with plenty of “best-in-class” features, as the presenters were keen to point out on numerous occasions.

Motorola Moto X Style

The Moto X Style is the top model of the bunch, with the specs to prove it. It comes with a 5.7-inch QHD display with an exemplary 76% screen-to-body ratio. Motorola has managed to retain the front-facing stereo speakers as well, which makes the comparison to the Apple iPhone 6s and Samsung Galaxy S6 even more impressive.

The smartphone is powered by Snapdragon 808, a notch below Qualcomm’s flagship S810, but also LG’s choice for their current top model, the G4. There’s a 1.8GHz hexa-core CPU inside the chip, complemented by 3GB of RAM. Three storage options will be available, and the built-in 16/32/64GB will be expandable by up to 128GB via microSD.

The Moto X Style sports a 21MP primary camera, with an f/2.0 lens and phase detection autofocus, joined by what's dubbed a Dual Color Correlated Temperature (CCT) flash. Of course, the camera is capable of recording 4K video, in HDR too.

Motorola stresses that DxO rated the Moto X Style’s camera as one of the top three cameras in the world. No such claims are being made about the front snapper, but it does feature a 5MP sensor, 87-degree wide-angle lens, and a front-facing flash.

The smartphone comes with a 3,000mAh battery, which isn't record breaking but Motorola pointed out that the Moto X Style offers fast charging with a bundled TurboCharger 25, which will get you 34% of charge in as little as 15 minutes.

Now, there’s a reason why it’s called the Style, and part of that lies in the smoothly curved back with finely textured silicone rubber. A multitude of colors will be available, but also real wood panels as well as high-quality Horween leather backs. Not only that, but you’ll be able to choose among three different frame color options.

Exclusive to the US, there will be a Moto X Pure Edition, basically a Moto X Style, targeted at the free-spirited customer. It will be a carrier-unlocked version, sold directly from Motorola and it will support the LTE networks of all four major carriers in the country.

A recurrent theme throughout Motorola’s keynote was pricing, though obvious regional considerations prevented precise numbers. Still, the Motorola Moto X Style will cost $399 in the States, unlocked. Perhaps the only fly in the ointment is that you won’t be able to get one until September.

Motorola Moto X Play

The Moto X Play is the lower-specced of the two Xs but it does offer a balanced package geared towards better longevity.

This model comes with a slightly smaller 5.5-inch FullHD display, Snapdragon 615 chipset and 2GB of RAM. Only two storage options are present - 16GB and 32GB, but the microSD slot can provide an additional 128GB.

The 21MP f/2.0 camera has been carried over from the Style, though video capture is limited to 1080p (the S615 doesn’t support 2160p on a hardware level). The front shooter is a 5MP unit again, though it’s lost the flash in this model.

It is battery life Motorola is after with this one, and it comes with a 3,630mAh battery, which the company claims is good for 48 hours of mixed use. There’s fast charging supported, though the TurboCharger 15 is optional.

The Moto X Play will cost $299 and will be available sooner, with 60 countries globally getting it in August.

Motorola may set up production unit in India

Motorola could soon join the growing list of multinational smartphone manufacturers that have jumped on to the Make in India bandwagon. The company is currently evaluating options to set up a production unit in the country.

“Evaluation is going on… We will have news soon,” said Marcus Frost, Senior Marketing Director Europe, Middle East, Africa, and Asia Pacific at Motorola, when asked about the company's manufacturing plans in India.

The Lenovo-owned company currently has manufacturing facilities in China and Latin America. It had a production unit in Chennai, India, but operations there were indefinitely suspended a couple of years ago.

While Samsung and HTC (reportedly) are set to begin production in India, there have beenreports that Sony is also considering manufacturing smartphones in the country.

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Meizu announces the smaller Meizu m2

Meizu has announced a smaller variant of its m2 note, the Meizu m2. Coming with an attractive price tag and decent mid-range specs the smartphone is aiming to bring lots of bang for your buck.

The Meizu m2 is built around a 5-inch IPS LCD of 1280x720 pixel resolution with AGC Dragontrail glass protection. At its haeart is a MediaTek MT6735 chipset with a 1.3GHz quad-core Cortex-A53 CPU, Mali T720 GPU and 2GB RAM.

Internal storage is 16GB, expandable by up to 128GB via the microSD card slot. The m2 also features a 13 megapixel F/2.2 rear camera with Samsung sensor and a 5 megapixel F/2.0 front camera to cover your photography needs.

Meizu M2 runs Flyme 4.5 running on top of Android 5.1 and offers dual SIM with LTE, but keep in mind that the second SIM shares its slot with the microSD card so you can't have both.

The smartphone is powered by a 2,500mAh battery that should last for up to 23h of 2G calls or 12h of Wi-Fi web browsing or 680h of stand-by, according to Meizu estimates.

The Meizu m2 will cost 699 Yuan in China ($112) and will come in four different colors - white, gray, blue and pink. All of those feature polycarbonate unibodies that look very similar to the m1.

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Galaxy Tab S2 will be available in Hong Kong starting next week

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S2, which was made official last week and is already up for pre-order in Europe, will go on sale in Hong Kong on August 4. The device comes in 9.7-inch and 8-inch variants and is available in Wi-Fi only or Wi-Fi and LTE configurations.

The Wi-Fi version of both 9.7-inch and 8-inch variants is priced at HKD3,888 ($500) and HKD3,088 ($400), respectively, and will be available in black and white color options starting August 4. The gold color model for both will be available in mid-August.

Similarly, the LTE version is priced at HKD4,888 ($630) and HKD4,088 ($527) respectively, and will be available in black and white color options in mid-August, with gold color model going on sale later that month.

Those purchasing the tablet will also get an Expedia discount code valued at HKD150 ($20), extra 100GB cloud storage on Microsoft OneDrive for two years, free 3-month Audible subscription, and free download of 1 book per month from Kindle. There are also many other offers - click the Source link below.

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Acer tipped to announce four new Windows Phone devices at IFA 2015

Acer will announce as many as four new Windows Phone smartphones at this year's IFA conference, which is set to take place in Berlin in September, according to German websiteWinFuture's editor Roland Quandt.

While there was no word on the specifications of these alleged devices, it is safe to assume that they'll be powered by the Redmond, Washington-based company's upcoming Windows 10 for Mobile operating system.

Speaking of Windows 10 for Mobile, a Microsoft executive by the name of Anthony Doherty - who works as Windows and Surface Business Group Lead in South Africa - recently revealed that the OS is expected to arrive during the "November timeframe."

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Verizon’s Galaxy Note 5 to use Exynos 7420, 4GB of RAM

Samsung has officially confirmed that the next Galaxy Unpacked event is scheduled on August 13 at Lincoln Center in New York, US. While the company remains tight-lipped about products expected at the launch, a new Galaxy Note 5 CDMA variant for the Verizon network appears online.

A Geekbench mentions that the Galaxy Note 5 for the Verizon network will use Samsung’s own Exynos 7420 mobile chipset and has 4GB of RAM. It appears to be the same octa-core chipset also reported in the Galaxy S6 Edge+, and already used in the Galaxy S6 as well as Galaxy S6 Edge.

The phone in question carries SM-N920V model number, which is consistent with Verizon’sGalaxy Note 4 (SM-N910V) and Galaxy Note 3 (SM-N900V).

The Note 5 variant in the listing runs Android 5.1.1 Lollipop, which is expected to be factory loaded with the latest version of Samsung’s TouchWiz UI on top of it.

Meanwhile, earlier reports suggest that the global Galaxy Note 5 model SM-N20F will run a new Exynos 7422 mobile chipset with a built-in LTE modem. Those who’ve just joined the party, take a look at the live images of Galaxy Note 5.

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