Apple orders 100 million Samsung OLED panels for the 2017 iPhone

According to the latest rumors, Apple has made an order to Samsung for 100 million 5.5" OLED panels in 2017. The displays are supposedly going to make their way to the 2017 iPhone Plus. The timing for the order indicates that the OLED screens will skip the iPhone 7 and only make it to the iPhone 7S.

The information comes from a source cited by the Chinese edition of the WSJ and it also points out that Samsung has set aside a production line at its Asan plant for the order. While the information about future iPhone models using a Samsung-made OLED panel is not new, it was previously anticipated to happen in 2018, not a year earlier.

KGI's analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who has a mixed track record regarding Apple rumors, also shares similar information. However, he is quite certain that the 2017 iPhone Plus will have a 5.8" display.

The reason for Apple's decision to go OLED could be because currently, its production cost is lower than LCD's. It'll be also interesting to see if rumors surface regarding Apple issuing a request to LG to manufacture OLED panels as a fallback. Up until now, the Korean company has been a key Apple partner in making panels for the iPhone.

Gionee debuts budget-minded Pioneer P5 Mini

Gionee has launched Pioneer P5 Mini in India.

The P5 Mini is a budget smartphone and comes with basic specifications. It has a 4.5-inch 854x480 resolution IPS LCD, quad-core Mediatek MT6580M, 1GB RAM, 8GB storage with microSD, 5 megapixel rear camera, 2 megapixel front camera, dual SIM, 1850mAh battery, and Android 5.1 Lollipop with Amigo 3.1 UI on top.

The P5 Mini is available in five different colors, and is priced at INR 5349 ($80).

Huawei announces its own VR headset, complete with 360-degree sound

The latest company to jump into the VR field is Huawei. The Chinese smartphone maker has unveiled the aptly named Huawei VR today in its home country, which is a headset that requires a phone to be used, much like Samsung's Gear VR.

The Huawei VR is compatible with the P9 and P9 Plus, but also the Mate 8. Since Huawei has only gone with 1080p screens for all of these devices, image quality is bound to be less crisp than what can be achieved with a Gear VR and Galaxy S7 or S6. Then again, the Huawei VR does have a neat trick up its sleeve: a 360-degree sound field to go with the 360-degree videos.

For this to work you need to have content that supports it of course, and a pair of your own headphones to plug in. The Huawei VR has a touch panel, a back button, and volume keys on the right. You can't wear glasses while using it, but its adjustable lenses will apparently work well for users with myopia of down to -7.00.

The headset has 20ms latency and a 95-degree field of view, as well as a blue light filter that's said to protect your eyes. Huawei will offer over 4,000 free movies for the device, though it's unclear exactly how many of those are VR videos.

You'll also get 40 free games and 350 panoramic images and 150 panoramic tours. The catch? All of this content is going to be available in China only. And for now it appears that the Huawei VR's launch will be limited to that market too. Pricing and exact availability details haven't been outed yet, though.

YU Yureka Note (YU6000) launched with 6-inch display, 4,000mAh battery

Remember the YU6000, which was spotted on GFXBench last November? The device has reportedly been launched by the company in India - and it's called the Yureka Note. While it isn't officially listed online, a couple of leaked pictures suggest it's available for purchase through offline channels.

Specs-wise, the device is powered by a 64-bit octa-core 1.5GHz processor, and sports a 6 inch Full HD IPS Display with Gorilla Glass 3 protection. It has 3GB RAM and 16GB expandable internal memory, and packs in a large 4,000mAh battery with Quick Charging support.

In terms of camera, the handset features a 13MP rear unit and an 8MP front shooter. It runs Android 5.1 Lollipop out-of-the-box, features a fingerprint sensor, and offers 4G connectivity as well as dual SIM functionality. As for the price, it is said to carry a tag of INR 14,999, which translates into around $225 at current exchange rates.

Huawei P9 Lite spotted listed on European retailer's website

The Huawei P9 Lite, which was last spotted in a hands-on preview recently, is yet to be announced by the company. However, the device has now been spotted listed on a retailer's website in Europe.

Romanian retailer Cel.ro seemingly has the device in stock, offering black, gold and white color variants for around $300. Specs-wise, the handset is powered by a HiSilicon Kirin 650 chipset, and sports a 5.2-inch full HD IPS display.

The model on offer has 2GB and 16GB expandable internal memory, and packs in a 3,000mAh battery. In terms of camera, the Huawei P9 Lite features a 13MP rear unit and a 5MP front shooter. The listing also reveals Android 6.0 Marshmallow, dual-SIM functionality, 4G LTE connectivity, and a fingerprint sensor.

Xperia X series pre-orders on the Sony Xperia Store will come with an "exclusive offer"

Sony has announced that its brand new Xperia X series of smartphones will soon be available for pre-order from the Xperia Store. The announcement came in the form of an email which the company sent out to those who had registered their interest in the devices.

In the email, Sony also said that pre-orders will come with an "exclusive offer," although the company didn't reveal what exactly the offer would be.

The exclusive offer - going by the email - will only be available on Xperia X and XA pre-orders (as well as on the Xperia Ear accessory), meaning those pre-ordering the Xperia X Performance will be out of luck.

Meanwhile, the Japanese company also released a promotional ad (embedded below) for the Xperia X smartphone that focuses on the device's camera. Take a look:

High-Res headphones not coming with US, Canadian HTC 10s

US buyers typically get the best price for new gadgets, but that brings about its own sort of issues. The HTC 10 will not be available in 64GB form in the US and you won't get the High-Res headphones either.

The HTC USA and HTC Canada Twitter accounts have both confirmed that the new flagship will not have the premium headset included. Going by the T-Mobile unboxing, at least it will come with Quick Charge 3.0 charger.

Don't forget to use the $100 discount coupon code, with that money you can buy your own fancy headset. The High-Res headset is shown on HTC's US site, but there's no price for it yet.

Google Drive for Mac/PC now allows selective syncing

Google has updated its Drive client for Mac and PC with the ability to selectively sync folders and sub-folders. You'll now also be able to deselect folders, upon which they'll be removed from your system but will still remain accessible in your Drive.

While you can already delete your Drive stuff directly from your computer, the latest update adds a warning that pops up when you are removing files/folders that are shared with other people, minimizing accidental deletes.

The new features have started rolling out, and google says the roll-out will continue over the next week or so. So, be patient, if you're not seeing the changes currently.

Verizon offering up to $300 to those trading-in their old phone

Verizon has launched a national trade-in event where-in it's offering up to $300 to those trading-in their old phone and purchasing a new Samsung Galaxy S7, LG G5, Motorola Droid Turbo 2, or iPhone 6S (16GB) on a device payment plan.

To be precise, a maximum trade-in amount of $312 is on offer, and eligible handsets includethe Droid Turbo, Galaxy Note5, Galaxy S6, Galaxy S6 edge/edge+, HTC M9, iPhone 6/6Plus,LG G4, and LG V10. Those upgrading their device will also get 3 months of HBO NOW for free.

An important thing worth mentioning here is that should you choose, you can also have the credit amount applied towards your Verizon bill.

If you want to participate in the trade-in event, you can do so by visiting one of the carrier's physical stores. Alternatively, you can also complete the trade-in process online.

Make your first 3 Samsung Pay purchases between April 15 and May 10, and get a $30 gift card

Remember last month's Samsung Pay promo for the Galaxy S7/S7 edge owners? Well, the company has again launched a similar promo, although this time it's aimed at those who haven't used the company's mobile payment's service yet.

If you're in the US, have already installed and registered for Samsung Pay, but are yet to use it, this promo is for you. It says that those making their first three Samsung Pay purchases between April 15 and May 10 will be eligible for a $30 gift card.

The promo is open to owners of the Samsung Galaxy S7, S7 edge, S6, S6 edge, S6 edge+,S6 active, and Note5. As for the gift card, it will be added to your Samsung Pay account, and could be used at any one of the following merchants: Best Buy, eBay, Game Stop or Regal Entertainment.

Huawei P9 Max may have been spotted in a benchmark rocking a 6.9-inch screen

Huawei has already introduced three members of the P9 family, the 'vanilla' P9, the P9 Plus, and the P9 Lite. However, there may actually be a fourth one coming soon, a P9 Max to act as the successor to the P8max from last year.

As such, you'd expect it to sport a huge touchscreen, and if the unknown Huawei device spotted in the GFXBench database actually turns out to be the P9 Max, then it definitely won't disappoint.

It's got a 6.9-inch 1080p display, a 16 MP rear camera, an 8 MP selfie snapper, 3GB of RAM, and 32GB of built-in storage. It runs Android 6.0 Marshmallow of course.

The chipset that this phablet employs is Huawei's own HiSilicon Kirin 950, first seen on theMate 8. Interestingly though, it's not the newer Kirin 955 that's inside the P9 and P9 Plus. So the P9 Max, if this is it, and if it ever becomes official, will be just a tad lower-end than those two devices. For what it's worth, it still trumps the P9 Lite in terms of specs.

Japan-exclusive Camillia Red version of HTC 10 looks gorgeous

Smartphone makers are having a Henry Ford moment - you can have a smartphone in any color as long as its black, silver or gold. The HTC 10 was no exception, Carbon Grey, Glacier Silver or Topaz Gold were your options.

Still are, probably, unless you live in Japan - KDDI/au is getting an exclusive Camellia Red. Just look at how pretty it is:

HTC 10 in Camellia Red

We like it better than the Deep Garnet version of the One A9, what do you think? If we're lucky, other regions will get this red option instead of something like Pink. Now if only HTC can get its story straight about specs, price, launch date and storage...