Much like Samsung, Google has also announced a promotion to get you to use their contactless payment service. The prize is a trip for four to Mexico City for the premiere of the new James Bond movie. To enter, simply use Android Pay between September 28 and October 15, 2015, and that counts as your entry. You can do this once per day for a total of 18 entries.
Google has called their own Chromebooks the Pixel since 2013 and even though they released a new one this year, the Mountain View search giant isn’t stopping there. Today we have learned about an upcoming Pixel tablet with Android 6.0 Marshmallow, a 10.2-inch display (at 308PPI), 3GB of LPDDR4 RAM, NVIDIA X1 CPU with a Maxwell GPU, USB Type-C and a couple of keyboard accessories.
At Google I/O this year we learned about a new project called the Expeditions Pioneer Program. This was a way for kids to learn in a virtual reality environment and the company has already put together 100 different field trips for the project. These VR field trip kits contain Google Cardboard viewers along with ASUS smartphones and select schools will be given the kits for free.
It’s no secret that HTC need a win at the moment. Their last few flagships have been met with tepid approval, where their class-leading design and solid software has been habitually let down by a few key points. We’ve discussed HTC’s success and strategy in previous articles, but it remains clear that the One m9 was a bit of a let down on some fronts, and hasn’t brought the Taiwanese company the success it sorely needs.
Recently it’s come to light that a new smartphone is planned, under a separate range from the company’s flagship ‘M’ and budget Desire offerings, suggesting a new tack, aimed somewhere between the two. This is a fairly sensible choice; it’s clear now more than ever before that Android devices can perform really well without bleeding-edge internals, that is, if they’re well thought through. What’s really polarizing opinion however, is the design of this upcoming A9. Those paying attention to any Android news stories recently would have been hard-pushed to miss the pictures below, and it’s safe to say that some strong opinions have been made clear regarding HTC’s aesthetic decisions. Clearly, the new A9 looks a lot like an iPhone 6/S.
Remind you of anything…?
This is a problem, for a number of reasons. Firstly, it almost cements the idea that HTC are struggling in the consumer’s mind. iPhone-clones are commonly found in extremely competitive markets like China, and are an accepted part of the culture, but the companies that generally partake in this habit are usually on the small, unknown side. For a previous market-leader like HTC to enter into this practice is shocking, and smacks strongly of desperation. That’s justified considering their current position as they really should be pulling out all the stops at this point, but those in the media that were previously excited about this rumored device will have performed a mutual wince after these pictures began to leak. On the other hand, this derivative attempt might work well in countries where this technique is common, and where iPhones are generally too expensive to be popular, making the A9’s weakness actually one of its biggest strengths.
However, this design is unfortunately quite impractical. One element that is constantly being argued back and across the forums and Reddit is bezel size, and HTC doesn’t have a particularly good record in this area. The A9 continues this trend, introducing even larger bezels than those that kicked up such a fuss when the One M8 was announced. Obviously, the included fingerprint sensor is partly to blame here, but there’s more going on that just that. HTC’s ever-present logo is clearly displayed below the screen, and although previous reports from HTC employees have stated that this isn’t wasted space and would be there regardless of the logo’s presence, you have to wonder how other manufacturers manage it. No other company seems to need this much unused room, and the A9 sticks out even further by not integrating the company’s famous BoomSound speakers. This remains an inefficient use of space and will serve to make the handset more difficult to handle than others with comparable screen sizes.
The rear of the device is where the A9 is most iPhone-like; the top and bottom signal bands bring HTC into startlingly litigious territory, with the only obvious difference between the smartphones being the centered camera module. To be fair, HTC have favored all-metal unibody designs since before Apple added it to their iPhone range, but the particular arrangement of the elements here is particularly worrying, especially once colors like ‘Rose Gold’ are thrown in the mix.
HTC One A9 (Hima Aero): SD617, 5" FHD AMOLED, 2GB/16GB, 13MP/4UP OIS BSI, 2150mAh, microSD, fingerprint, metal, ~7mm, 6 colors. November.
— Evan Blass (@evleaks) September 15, 2015
In terms of specifications there’s rather a lot we do know, thankfully, and this is where the mid-range direction is at its most clear. The Snapdragon 617 is an unknown element, having only been announced by Qualcomm recently, but looks capable on paper. Having 2GB’s of RAM is not far off the minimum you would hope for when using a skinned version of Android for an extended period of time, but is perfectly satisfactory, and the MicroSD support should ease any fears over storage space. A 5-inch 1080p display contains plenty of pixels, and the fact that it is AMOLED should ensure that it’s pretty enough regardless of its panel generation, and with more advanced panels it could even save extra power. The cameras sound adequate, and the inclusion of OIS on the rear facing unit is a welcome decision, but the thinness of the body has clearly impacted on battery size, and that is a genuine concern. In many ways in fact, the A9 takes after the nominally-similar Galaxy A-range, containing premium build materials and decent specs.
But beyond all of the above and the speculation leaks incite, there is one main reason why the One A9 could fail: the price. HTC has a history of valuing their smartphones above similar competitors, and this isn’t something it can afford to repeat. Taking the specifications and build into consideration, the enthusiast should expect good performance from this device, but should equally expect to not pay through the nose. HTC need to be extremely careful about where they place this in the market, as a competitive price-point could ensure that worries about the design are forgotten, as consumers pick up a well-built and snappy smartphone. Shooting below the flagships level means that features like the camera don’t have to be class-leading, and the Sense UI overlay is still one of the best-loved implementations of Android and a huge factor in followers of the brand’s continuing purchases. In this sense, the A9 doesn’t have much to prove beyond HTC’s market strategy, especially in 2015 when bang-for-buck handsets from companies like Xiaomi and Meizu are easier to get hold of than ever.
But what do you think? Does the design prevent you from being interested about this otherwise compelling effort from the struggling Taiwanese manufacturer? At what price-point do you think HTC would be wise to aim the A9?
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We’re just a bunch of hours away from the official Nexus release and announcements, and the last set of leaks have started flowing in, giving us a complete and clear picture of what we can expect regarding the new Nexus.
First up, Android Police has managed to score a few exclusive pieces of information regarding the pricing of the new Nexus.
According to AP, the Nexus pair will only be available via Google’s Online Store. This may come as step back from recent Nexus as the new Nexus phones will no longer be available for purchase from carrier stores in the USA, even though both of the new Nexii will support all major carriers. We just hope that people can actually buy the devices online and not simply end up with out-of-stock frustration and months of waiting for availability.
Next up is the detail regarding micro-sd card support on the Huawei Nexus 6P. We earlier reported that the 6P may feature a micro-sd card slot, based on information obtained from FCC documents. As it turns out, AndroidPolice refutes such a claim through information obtained via “multiple sources”. On one hand, a micro-sd card slot would tie in nicely with the improvements that Android Marshmallow brings to the table, but on the other, Nexus devices traditionally do not come with a micro-sd card slot so it would have been a break from convention if the Huawei Nexus 6P came with it.
Now, for the juiciest tidbits, the pricing!
The LG Nexus 5X allegedly starts off at $379.99. Taking an educated guess, this could be the price of the 16GB base model, with the 32GB model adding on some more dollars. AndroidPolice says that the 5X will be up for pre-order starting September 29th itself, but will be limited to USA, UK, Ireland, Korea and Japan. For specifications, the Nexus 5X will feature a 5.2″ 1080p display and a Snapdragon 808 chipset as well as a USB Type C port.
The Huawei Nexus 6p, on the other hand, will start off at $499.99. Again, this would be for the base 32GB storage option for the phone. There will also be 64GB and 128GB variants, but as is the general market trend, these will be more expensive. again, pre-orders for this will go live on September 29th itself in USA, UK, Ireland, Korea and Japan. The Huawei Nexus 6P will feature a 5.7″ WQHD AMOLED display and Snapdragon 810 as well as a USB Type C port.
All in all, the Nexus phones continue to ride along on the hype bandwagon. These specs and prices listed are still leaks, so we have to wait for the official announcement tomorrow to see how true these were. Nonetheless, both the Nexus are shaping up to be decently competitive devices.
What do you think about the new Nexus? Are you satisfied with the alleged pricing, or did you expect more bang-per-buck? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
Read on for more related coverage:
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Some XDA forum members are talking about their 2015 Moto 360 shipment being delayed. They are receiving an email directly from Motorola with the reason for the delay being listed as ‘technical difficulties’. An ETA for the new delivery date has yet to be revealed, but Motorola says they will keep these customers updated when they have more details.
With the launch of Samsung Pay in the United States, the South Korean tech giant is holding a little promotion to encourage more people to get their account activated. If you currently own the Galaxy Note 5 or the Galaxy S6 Edge+, and you activate your Samsung Pay account before October 11th, then you qualify to receive a free Flip Cover or a free (non-fast) Wireless Charger directly from Samsung.
