Allwinner launches quad-core A31s CPU for phablets

Chinese chip maker Allwinner is launching a new quad-core processor aimed at tablets with 5 to 7 inch displays and cellular capabilities. For reasons that are beyond my control, people seem to like to call these things phablets, and it looks like allwinner wants in on the growing space.

The company’s new Allwinner A31s processor is a lot like the Allwinner A-31 chip that launched recently, but it has extra features designed to support wireless data chips for 2G, 3G, and 4G connectivity, as well as NFC, FM, GPS, WiFi, and Bluetooth.

The Allwinner A31s is a quad-core ARM Cortex-A7 processor with PowerVR SGX 544 graphics and support for 2160p video decoding.

Charbax from ARMDevices caught up with Allwinner at Mobile World Congress this week to talk about the latest chips, and he also got a look at a press release and spec sheet that I haven’t seen online yet.

Those documents may not be entirely accurate — for instance, they say the A31s supports Android 4.2 and Windows 8… but Windows 8 doesn’t run on ARM-based devices. You need Windows RT for that.

So I’m taking some of the specs with a grain of salt, such as the support for devices with 1024 x 768 pixel displays. I have a hard time believing that a quad-core chip with SGX 544 graphics can’t support higher resolutions.

But the spec sheet also mentions support for cameras with 5MP image sensors and support for 1080p output over an HDMI connection, which seems more reasonable.

We should know more about the Allwinner A31s chips by the time they hit the market in March.

- See more at: http://liliputing.com/2013/02/allwinner-launches-quad-core-a31s-cpu-for-phablets.html#sthash.vfE2bCCU.dpuf

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HTC One will reportedly be M7's name when it goes official

It appears that the M7 name which HTC's chairman Peter Chou shouted last week might only be an internal moniker. A fresh report has emerged from Twitter's highly accurate tipster @evleaks, pointing that the upcoming Taiwanese flagship will simply be named HTC One when it goes official in less than two weeks.

The idea behind the simple naming convention is to reportedly highlight the smartphone's role as a hero device from HTC. Of course, the question for the names of other HTC handsets, scheduled for release this year remains to be answered.

We will likely find answers to all our questions at HTC's event on February 19 in New York City. We will be live from the spot, so be sure to check in for the full scoop on the upcoming flagship.

Source | Via

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Qualcomm APQ8084 2.3 GHz quad-core chip coming in 2014

Chip maker Qualcomm just announced a new range of ARM-based processors for phones and tablets earlier this month. But the company is already working on chips that are even more powerful — and Android Police obtained the leaked documents to prove it.

The Qualcomm APQ8084 is a 2.3 GHz quad-core processor based on the same Qualcomm Krait design as the Snapdragon 600 and 800 series processors due out in mid-2013. But not only does the APQ8084 have a faster CPU speed, it’s also the first chip to ship with Adreno 420 graphics.
That will be the fastest graphics processor from Qualcomm to date, and the first to feature support for hardware-accelerated decoding of H.265 videos.
Additionally, the chipset can handle up to 2 USB 3.0 and 2 USB 2.0 connections, 802.11ac WiFi, and cameras with up to 30MP sensors.
Android Police speculates that we’ll first see the 28nm chip in tablets, or possibly even laptops. But it could eventually find its way to future smartphones as well. We won’t see it in any devices at all until 2014 at the soonest, though.

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The HTC Mini is a Phone That Comes With the HTC Butterfly in China

Your phablet is getting so unruly that you need a companion device in order to properly tame it, according to HTC. To ease your pain, to give your tired hands a rest, why not pair an NFC/Bluetooth-enabled sidekick so you can USE YOUR PHONE WITHOUT ACTUALLY USING IT. A secondary device you need to carry and charge and keep track of. It’s like buying a car that comes with a bicycle.
The HTC Mini is an additional device—one you don’t need, ever—that’s being bundled with the 5-inch Butterfly in China. You can make calls on it, see notifications, calendar entries and more. Just like on your phone. So instead of looking at the Butterfly’s big, beautiful 1080p face, users have to squint into a tiny square on a device that looks like a portable landline phone. Because why not?
Not only is the HTC Mini a phone for a phone, but it’s also a remote for the Butterfly when it’s tethered to a TV. Also, it has an embedded “Find My Butterfly” type feature, just in case you misplace your 5-inch smartphone that you probably already have firmly grasped in your hand. And it’s a shutter trigger for the Butterfly’s camera. Of course it is.
If you want the equivalent of a Matryoshka doll for smartphones, simply purchase the Butterfly in China and you’ll get two devices for the price of one. Because when you have a 5-inch device—one that I would assume you’re more than comfortable using seeing as you spent money on it—you definitely need a baby device to go with it, right?
It’s more fun to carry around two devices. Redundant doesn’t even begin to explain the HTC Mini.

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Ramos W42 tablet packs a Galaxy S III-like processor into an iPad-sized case

Chinese device maker Ramos is selling a new tablet with a 9.4 inch display, an aluminum case, and a 1.4 GHz Samsung Exynos 4412 quad-core processor with Mali 400 graphics. In other words, if you take the guts of a Samsung Galaxy S III smartphone and throw them into a tablet with a screen slightly smaller than Apple’s iPad, you’d have something like the Ramos W42.

PandaWill sells the tablet for $247, although I’ve seen prices as low as $218from other stores I’m less familiar with.

The Ramow W42 has 1GB of RAM, 16GB of flash storage, and a 1280 x 800 pixel IPS display with 178-degree viewing angles. It has a capacitive touchscreen with support for 10-point multitouch, WiFi, Bleutooth, a 2MP rear camera, and a 0.3MP front-facing camera.

In a lot of ways, the Ramos W42 reminds me of the Hyundai T7 tablet, which has similar specifications but a smaller 7 inch screen. The Ramos tablet has a higher capacity 5400mAh battery though, which the company says should be good for 6 to 7 hours of run time.

Other features include a microSD card slot, micro USB port, and Android 4.0.4 operating system.

Ramos doesn’t have the name recognition or reputation in the West as some tablet makers (such as Samsung or Asus), but Pandawill does offer a limited 12-month warranty, so if you get a clunker there’s a chance you may be able to get it replaced or repaired.

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Huawei announces quad-core Ascend G615 droid for Germany

Huawei introduced a new quad-core Android phone to the German market, the Huawei Ascend G615. It’s very similar to the Ascend D quad in terms of specs – 4.5” IPS LCD screen with 720p resolution (326ppi), Android 4.0 with an incoming Jelly Bean update, HiSilicon K3V2 chipset (4x Cortex-A9 at 1.4GHz, 1GB RAM and HiSilicon GPU) along with an 8MP / 1080p camera.

The G615 is cheaper than the Ascend D quad XL – it will be sold at €300, while the older model goes for around €380. The battery is not quite as big though (2,150mAh vs. 2,600mAh) and it’s slightly thicker and heavier, the Ascend G615 measures 134 x 67.5 x 10.5mm and weighs 145g.

The rest of the specs include 8GB of built-in memory, microSD card slot (take that, Nexus 4), Dolby Digital Plus audio tech, 3G with 21Mbps HSDPA, Wi-Fi b/g/n and Bluetooth 3.0. The G615 will be available in Black and White and uses old fashioned miniSIMs.

If you’re interested, the Huawei Ascend G615 will be available in Germany starting early next month for €300. Initially you’ll be able to get it from Amazon, Conrad or Cyberport, but in March other stores will start offering it too.

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News : The Quad Core Xperia Tablet "Z" featuring awesome specs.

Sony’s latest Android tablet features a 1.5 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor and a 1920 x 1200 pixel display. The Sony Xperia Tablet Z also packs 2GB of RAM and 32GB of storage, and an 8MP camera.

In other words, it’s a pretty big upgrade over the Sony Xperia Tablet S, which the company launched less than half a year ago.

The new tablet also features a waterproof and dustproof case, a microSD card slot for extra storage, NFC, and support for 4G LTE.

The Android 4.1 tablet measures just 0.27 inches thick and weighs 1.1 pounds. Unlike Sony’s earlier Android tablets, which had 9.4 inch screen, the Xperia Table Z has a 10.1 inch display, which makes the size and weight even more impressive.

Sony hasn’t yet announced the price or release date for the new tablet, but with the Xperia Tablet S still selling for about $400 even though it has a slower processor, less memory, and a lower resolution display, I wouldn’t expect the Sony Xperia Tablet Z to be a low-cost tablet.

via Engadget

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NEWS STE unveils NovaThor L8580 chipset with quad-core A9 CPU

If you're the benchmark-obsessed geek than CES 2013 might be turning out quite exciting for you.

After Samsung unveiled its latest and greatest Exynos 5 Octa chipset, NVIDIA announced Tegra 4 and Qualcomm lifted the curtain of its newest Krait-powered Snapdragon 600 and 800 series SoCs, it's now ST-Ericsson's turn to stand in the spotlight. The company just announced its latest NovaThor chipset - the L8580.

It comes with a low-power eQuad processor with four Cortext-A9 cores, clocked at up to 2.5 GHz, the PowerVR SGS544 GPU and the ability to go low-power and run at 0.6V.

The NovaThor L8580 can deal with 1080p video and support display resolutions of up to 1920 x 1200 pixels. 20MP primary cameras and 5 MP secondary ones are allowed too and there's built-in LTE HSPA+, TD-SCDMA and EDGE radios. 3D reproduction and capture is also on board if that's your thing.

FEATURES

• Full HD 1080p camcorder, multiple codecs supported (H264 HP, VC-1, MPEG-4)
• 3D HD video capture and display
• High-resolution, touchscreen display support up to WUXGA
• Simultaneous dual display support up to dual qHD
• High-performance 3D graphics
• Dual camera support up to 20 Mpixel and 5 Mpixel
• Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GNSS (GPS+GLONASS), FM and NFC enabled platform
• Built-in USB 2.0, HDMI out
• Optional support for mobile TV standards

TELECOM

• LTE FDD/TDD, HSPA+, TD-SCDMA, EDGE
• Radio supporting up to 10 LTE/WCDMA/GSM bands.
• Power efficient architecture
• Highly integrated radio solution

TECHNOLOGY

• Super fast, low-power eQuad processor clocked at up to 2.5Ghz based on ARM® Cortex™- A9 processor 
• Dual multimedia DSP for low-power, flexible media processing
• High-bandwidth Dual LP-DDR2 interface
• Imagination Technologies POWERVR™ SGX544 GPU
• Unique audio architecture with a wide range of audio codecs supported
• Advanced power saving architecture enabling class-leading audio and video playback time

The ST-Ericsson L8580 chipset should allow the creation of affordable mid-range devices with excellent processing power and good battery life. The top shelf smartphones and tablets will move on to Cortex-A15 architecture this year, but there's plenty of ground below them for the NovaThor L8580 to cover.

Source | Via

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CES 2013 : Samsung Announced Their All New Hybrid Octa Core the Exynos 5 OCTA

Not to be outdone by the other new processor releases announced at CES 2013, notably by NVIDIAand Qualcomm, Samsung has announced its latest chip architecture: the Exynos 5 Octa. From the name you’d figure that the new SoC will feature eight cores, and for the most part you’d be correct. The eight cores are actually split into four powerful Cortex A15 cores (which has enough processing power to be used in Google’s 2560 x 1600 Nexus 10 tablet, and even the new Samsung Chromebook) and four power-efficient Cortex A7 cores, which form ARM’s new big.LITTLE architecture which is the alternative to NVIDIA’s 4+1 architecture found in the Tegra 3 chipset.

We’d heard that Samsung, among others, were indeed developing a new SoC based on this new architecture way back in November, and now it appears to be ready for the masses. Essentially, the Exynos 5 Octa distributes the basic everyday tasks such as using the browser to the slower but power-sipping A7 cluster, and more intensive processes such as games to the more powerful A15 cores.

Interestingly, the 28nm Exynos 5 Octa is set to be more powerful than the Exynos 5 Dual chips that power the Nexus 10 and Samsung Chromebook due to the two extra A15 cores, while still being more battery-friendly with the inclusion of the four A7 cores – making it the most powerful chip on the company’s roster…and also means that they will be perfect for use in next-gen smartphones. Moving on to pure speculation here, we might even be seeing this chip making an appearance on Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy S IV

Via TheVerge

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Velocity Micro D610, Q610 tablets feature dual, quad-core processors

Velocity Micro’s newest tablets are 10 inch models with multi-core processors and Android 4.1 software. Prices should start at about $199 when the tablets go on sale during the first quarter of 2013.

The Velocity Micro Cruz D610 and Cruz Q610 are also some of the first tablets that will ship in the US with multi-core processors from Chinese chip-makerAllwinner.

Allwinner recently launched the new multi-core processors, including a dual-core chip which is pin-to-pin compatible with the popular single core Allwinner A10 chip. That makes it easy for device makers to update existing products to feature the newer, faster processor.

The Velocity Micro Cruz Q610 will feature a 1.5 GHz Allwinner A31 quad-core CPU, while the Cruz D610 has a dual core Allwinner A20 chip.

via Engadget

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Stop cheating, Huawei Honor 2

CLICK HERE to watch the full test video.

AnTuTu keep encouraging manufacturers to make optimizations to Android, thus users can enjoy

better experience. However, we take a stand against to those who just make optimizations to

benchmarks and cheat users with benchmark scores.

Except the version we released on Google Play, we also have the labs version of AnTuTu 

Benchmark. Let’s see the differences of Huawei Honor 2 tested on these 2 versions of AnTuTu 

Benchmark.

This is Google Play version and its scores are:

These are the scores of labs version:

We can see clearly that there is about 17% gap between the 2D and 3D scores in these 2 tests.

Meanwhile, we found an .apk file in \system\app. Here is what we got:

We hate this behaviour. You may find the other applications on your device can only run with slow

response speed except benchmark applications.

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NVIDIA’s next quad-core chip could be 6x faster than Tegra 3

NVIDIA’s next-generation Tegra chip for smartphones, tablets, and other mobile devices is due out in 2013. While the chip maker hasn’t said much about the new processor, code-named “Wayne,” the folks at Chip Hell came across a leaked product slide which may spill a few details.

The Wayne processor is said to feature 4-plus-1 processor cores, much like the NVIDIA Tegra 3 processor. That means it’s basically a quad-core chip with an extra low-power companion core which kicks in for basic, low-level functions.

What’s new is the graphics area of the chip, which will reportedly have 72 cores and offer 6 times the performance of Tegra 3, and 20 times the performance of a Tegra 2 chip.

NVIDIA is also moving from an ARM Cortex-A9 design to a faster ARM Cortex-A15 “Eagle” design.

The upcoming processor can handle devices with 2560 x 1600 pixel displays, and may even be able to handle 4K displays.

I’d be kind of surprised if we didn’t hear something about the new processors at CES in January.

via Mobile Geeks

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HTC M7 upcoming flagship leaks, said to boast a 468ppi screen

After outing the HTC Butterfly/DNA last month, HTC is once again looking to make waves with a ultra high-res screen, except with a more compact size.

The latest bit of online gossip has it that the company's upcoming M7 flagship is set to feature a 4.7-inch 1080p display, which amounts to an unprecedented 468 ppi. The display panel will be of the SoLux variety, which is claimed to feature superior outdoor visibility, viewing angles, and color reproduction.

Inside, you'll find a quad-core 1.7 GHz Snapdragon processor, 2GB of RAM, and 32 GB of internal storage. The camera sensor will have 13MP resolution, while the lens will have a bright f/2.0 aperture capable of super slow-mo and video HDR in 1080p. The 2MP front-facer will also be capable of 1080p video.

In terms of connectivity, the M7 will support LTE up to 42Mbps, as well as the new 802.11 ac wireless standard. Beats audio enhancements are also included, and it will all be powered by a 2300mAh battery.

On the software side of things, the M7 will offer Android Jelly Bean out of box, coupled with HTC's updated Sense 5 UX.

As far as pricing and availability go, the M7 is supposedly set for a MWC unveiling, scheduled for late February of next year. The M7 is said to eventually become available on at least two major US carriers: Verizon and Sprint.

Source

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News : Allwinner introduces dual and quad-core tablets

Chinese chip maker Allwinner has introduced two new processors for tablets, TV sticks, and other low power devices. They’re dual and quad-core chips called the Allwinner A20 and Allwinner A31, respectively.

Allwinner A31

The Allwinner A10 single-core chip has been a relatively popular chip with Chinese device makers due to its low price and decent performance.

That’s the processor that powers the original MK802 Android 4.0 Mini PC and a number of other mini PCs. It’s proven popular with tinkerers, because Android isn’t the only supported operating system. Users have been installing Ubuntu and other Linux-based software on Allwinner A10 devices for months, and the PengPod line of tablets are expected to ship soon with a desktop Linux operating system preloaded.

While the Allwinner A10 is a single core ARM Cortex-A8 processor with Mali 400 graphics, Allwinner’s new chips feature faster ARM Cortex-A7 cores and more powerful graphics.

Allwinner A20 dual-core

Allwinner’s A20 is a dual core chip with 512KB of L2 cache and 128KB of L1 cache, dual-core Mali 400 graphics, and support for 2160p HD video playback.

This chip is pin-to-pin compatible with the Allwinner A10, which means that device makers should be able to quickly and cheaply upgrade existing designs to feature the new processors.

Unfortunately there doesn’t appear to be any official support for Linux yet... but it’s not out of the question.

Allwinner A31 quad-core

This quad-core chip features 1MB of L2 cache, 256KB of L2 cache, and PowerVR SGX 544 graphics. It supports 4K ultra high definition video decoding.

While the A31 is also an ARM Cortex-A7 chip, it’s not pin-to-pin compatible with the company’s earlier chips the way the Allwinner A20 is. And since the PowerVR graphics are licensed from Imagination Technologies (a company that’s not known for releasing source code), it’s unlikely that we’ll see strong Linux support for this chipset.

via Think Electronics 

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Huawei VP confirms Galaxy Note II competitor is in the works

 

 

Huawei's Senior Vice President Yu Chengdong confirmed the manufacturer is indeed working on a galaxy Note II competitor. He went even further telling us to wait for Huawei's device, because it will be much better and cheaper than the phablet top dog.

A while ago there was this rumored device called Huawei Ascend Mate with a 6.1-inch 1080p display, a 1.8GHz quad-core processor and 2GB of RAM.

Yu Chengdong confirmed such a device is indeed in the works and it will be slimmer and cooler with better grip, display and battery life.

There is no word on the official announcement or release, but as the rumor has it we can expect the announcement to take place at CES 2013 in January.

Source

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Onda V972 tablet features an Allwinner quad-core CPU, Retina-style display

Chinese tablet maker Onda has unveiled one of the first tablets featuring Allwinner’s new quad-core processor. The Onda V972 is powered by an Allwinner A31 chipwhich features 4 ARM Cortex-A7 cores.

The tablet also features PowerVR SGX544MP2 graphics with support for HD video, 3D graphics, and high pixel displays. That’s a good thing -- because the Onda V972 also packs an iPad-like 9.7 inch, 2048 x 1536 pixel display.

Onda’s new tablet also packs 2GB of RAM, 16GB of storage, front and rear cameras, and an aluminum case. There’s also a microSD card slot for extra storage.

It runs Google Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, but there are already plans for an Android 4.2 software updated. The 9.7 inch tablet weighs about 1.4 pounds.

Onda says the tablet should be able to get up to 10 hours of battery life from its 8000mAh battery.

The Onda V972 should be available from the sort of shops that ship Chinese tablets to the US soon. It’s expected to sell for about $240.

 

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Oh God, ZTE U950 Is a Super Cheap Quad-Core Phone For Less Than $160

 

Here’s a good news for all consumers. ZTE just launched the cheapest quad-core phone named ZTE U950. It packs a 1.3GHz quad-core NVIDIA Tegra 3 processor pairs with 1 GB of RAM, 4 GB of internal memory, a 5.0 MP rear shooter (support 1080p video recording), a 0.3 megapixel front-facing cam, a 2,000 mAh battery and Android 4.0 ICS. But the down side is, it only comes with a 4.3-inch display with 800×480 resolution. Check out more info after the break.

ZTE U950’s Specs

Beidou’s homepage

ZTE U950 is made by a third-tier smartphone manufacturer called “Beidou xiao lajiao (北斗小辣椒)”. Beidou first gained popularity by selling a 699 yuan (US$113) dual-core phone, which had already sold out 100,000 units. In the meanwhile, the company also planned to launch a 999 yuan (US$160) quad-core phone and seems like that’s ZTE U950. If you’re interested in ZTE U950, pre-order starts today in China. Those who register now will be eligible to order on 11 Nov and the phone will ship on the 15th Nov. ZTE does not have any plan to sell the smartphone outside China.

ZTE U950’s Pre-order Page

ZTE U950

Huawei also launched a budget-friendly quad-core phone in Beijing Yesterday — the $305Huawei Honor II. Originally, we thought Huawei Honor II would be the cheapest quad-core phone of this year, but apparently now ZTE U950 has stolen the title. But noted, Huawei Honor II has far better hardwares and good Android customization. Check out our review on Huawei Honor II here.

Source: 139shop, Tompda (Chinese Translated)

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OPPO Find 5 To Reveal On December 12th in Beijing

 

Still remember the OPPO Find 5? The 5-inch phablet that carries an amazingly-sharp 5-inch full-HD 1080p display (441ppi) and a Qualcomm’s quad-core chip. It is about to get official few weeks later. The press event is scheduled for December 12. We will wait to see what is the fifth element that OPPO is going to bring us. Some concept shots of the white color OPPO Find 5 after the break.

Source: Sina Weibo via Engadget

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