Upcoming Samsung SM-T585 tablet gets benchmarked, has specs revealed

A new Samsung tablet is in the works, folks. This has been revealed because the Samsung SM-T585 has been benchmarked using GFXBench by someone in possession of a prototype. This has thankfully revealed the device's most important specs.

Thus, the SM-T585 comes with a 10-inch 1,920x1,200 touchscreen, Samsung's Exynos 7870 chipset (boasting a 1.7 GHz octa-core Cortex-A53 CPU and Mali-T830 GPU), 2GB of RAM, 16GB of built-in storage, an 8 MP rear camera with LED flash, a 2 MP selfie snapper, and pretty much all the usual connectivity options (sans NFC though).

The Exynos 7870 SoC was made official recently, and so far we've only seen it powering one variation of the upcoming Galaxy J7 (2016). Because its model number ends in "5", and given Samsung's past naming conventions, the SM-T585 should be the LTE-capable iteration of the Wi-Fi-only SM-T580. If so, then expect to see support for LTE Cat.6, since that's built into the chipset.

It's still very much unclear what branding Samsung will choose for this tablet. We might be looking at the 10-inch Galaxy Tab 5, or a new Galaxy Tab E or Galaxy Tab A model. Either way, it will run Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow from day one.

AnTuTu benchmark releases latest chipset rankings, Snapdragon 820 tops competition

As it does from time to time, the AnTuTu benchmark has released the latest chipset rankings based on results that have been obtained running it. In this case we have two Top 10 lists to speak of.

First off, there's the chart relating "smartphone chip performance" as of early March 2016, which you can see below.

Qualcomm's Snapdragon 820 manages to beat Apple's A9 here, with 136,383 points to 132,657. So the A9 isn't the runaway leader in this category anymore (as it used to be not that long ago). The third place goes to Samsung's Exynos 8890, while Huawei's Kirin 950 drops to fourth (from second place just a couple of months ago). Then we have a couple of 2015 flagship chipsets, the Exynos 7420 and Snapdragon 810, followed by the new upper-midrange Snapdragon 652. This one is understandably close to the 810 in performance since it is in some ways the real successor to that, at least on the CPU side, still using only ARM-designed cores, but replacing the Cortex-A57s with the newer Cortex-A72s.

The Apple A8 is in eighth place, followed by the Snapdragon 650 and the Snapdragon 808. Now if the 652 is the moral successor to the 810, then the 650 is the same thing for the 808, only in this case the newer model has already managed to outperform its predecessor, and by quite a margin no less.

Next up we have the GPU listings, where once again the Snapdragon 820 is king, with its Adreno 530. Again the Apple A9 is second, but this time the difference between them is much bigger. The Mali-T880MP12 in the Exynos 8890 comes very close to the PowerVR GT7600 in Apple's chip, but it's all downhill from there onwards. The Adreno 430 inside the Snapdragon 810 can't keep up with the top three GPUs, nor can the Mali-T760MP8 inside the Exynos 7420. The Adreno 420 from the Snapdragon 805 oddly makes a showing here even though the chipset itself is no longer in AnTuTu's Top 10.

Huawei's Kirin 950 comes with a Mali-T880MP4 GPU, and the difference in the number of cores compared to the T880MP12 in the Exynos 8890 is obvious from its measly performance. Its results are actually comparable to those of the Adreno 418 in the Snapdragon 808 and the Adreno 510 in the Snapdragon 652 - both of which are mid-range chipsets and not aiming for the high-end like the Kirin 950.

All of the results in these charts are averages, and not the highest ones ever achieved by each chip.

Samsung Pay posts a net loss of $16.8 million in its first year of operation

Samsung Pay is still touring the world map - it launched in South Korea, then arrived in the US where it now covers over 70% of US credit and debit card market. Pay is launching in China this month, then the UK and Spain, Australia, Singapore and Brazil too. In Russia, Pay will launch alongside the Galaxy S7.

The service reportedly lost $16.8 million its first year under Samsung (the Korean giant acquired LoopPay for $229 in February 2015). This is on $4.12 million in net sales generated by the service. It has $23.6 million in debt and its net worth stands at $10.5.

Samsung says the service is worth a lot more, though, for the value it adds to its Galaxy smartphones - currently Samsung Pay is supported by the S6, S6 edge, Note5 and several Galaxy A phones, soon the new Galaxy S7 and S7 edge star duo too.

The company also thinks highly of MST - the magnetic stripe emulation, which is both unique and valuable in the US, since the country is behind on new chip-protected credit and debit cards. Bloomberg reports Samsung Pay is growing faster than Apple's service, which had a head start.

Samsung sees Pay and things like Gear VR as avenues to generate revenue after the initial hardware sale. It's not just about making a cut on sales through Pay either, industry insiders think Samsung can mine purchase data to use it for marketing, R&D and more.

Oppo R9 and R9 Plus pricing information leaks

The official unveiling date for the upcoming Oppo R9 and R9 Plus is March 17, something that has been confirmed earlier today after initially being reported on last week. Most of the hardware details of the two devices are already known thanks to the fact that they've passed through TENAA, the Chinese regulatory authority that approves mobile phones for sale in that country (and outs most of their specs in the process).

One thing that's so far remained a mystery, however, is how much they will cost. Not anymore, though, for a newly discovered leak out of China is here to clear that up too.

The image you can see above is said to depict a promotional poster for the R9 and R9 Plus, and if it is the real deal it reveals the pricing for the two models, at least for the Chinese market. The smaller Oppo R9 will go for CNY 2,498, which at the current exchange rates means about $383 or €347. On the other hand, the R9 Plus will start at CNY 2,998 ($460 or €417) if you buy it with 64GB of storage, and will go up to CNY 3,298 ($505, €459) if you need 128GB.

Both phones will come with 4GB of RAM, and it looks like the R9 will only be sold with 64GB of storage space. They will have VOOC fast charging, and the much-rumored 4,120 mAh battery capacity for the R9 Plus is confirmed yet again.

ZTE Blade D2 is a new 4000 mAh budget offer for Thailand and Vietnam

ZTE enriched its device lineup today with a new budget-friendly offer - the ZTE Blade D2. The handset's definitive feature is the spacious 4,000 mAh battery pack, which should provide ample autonomy for the otherwise not so power-hungry hardware. It is housed withing a relatively compact plastic body, measuring 144 x 69.5 x 8mm and weighing in at 155 grams.

The Blade-T620, as it is officially called, has a 5-inch HD IPS LCD display and is powered by a quad-core Mediatek MT6735P SoC, clocked at 1.0 GHz. Memory is set at 1GB and built-in storage is 8GB. There is also a microSD card slot for up to 64GB expansion.

The Blade D2's camera setup is also nothing special, but perfectly adequate for an entry-level device. It consists of an 8MP shooter on the back with a single LED flash and a 2MP front-facing camera. There is no shortage of connectivity options - 4G LTE support, Bluetooth 4.0, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, GPS with A-GPS and a micro USB port.

ZTE Blade D2 was launched today in Thailand and is already listed on the ZTE Vietnam website with a price tag of 26,90,000 VND (around $121). This seems to cover the current market availability, but the budget-friendly handset might hit more locations in the future as well.

Xiaomi announces 10,000mAh Mi Power Bank Pro with USB Type-C

Xiaomi has a new 10,000mAh power bank in China, called the Mi Power Bank Pro. The cool new feature here is the presence of USB Type-C and two way fast charging.

The Mi Power Bank Pro can output power from both the Type-A connectors and can be charged from the Type-C connector. It can output and draw 12V 1.5A, 9V 2A, or 5V 2A. It can also charge accessories like Bluetooth headsets and fitness bands that usually draw very low current and can cause some power banks to switch off.

The Mi Power Bank Pro comes with a USB cable with a Type-A connector on one and end microUSB on the other, and also a microUSB to Type-C adaptor. This allows you to charge devices with a microUSB port, with a Type-C port and also to charge the power bank itself.

Like the other Mi Power Banks, the Mi Power Bank Pro has an aluminum body and temperature, input overload, short circuit, output overcurrent, and reset protection.

The Mi Power Bank Pro is priced at 149 yuan, which is about $23.

Android Marshmallow for the Sony Xperia Z5 is rolling out globally

Sony might consider abandoning its signature "Z" series in favor of a more dialed-back new "X" family, but it hasn't turned its back on Xperia Z5 fans quite yet. Marshmallow has now begun seeding globally for the device. Currently, the confirmed regions where the update has been spotted include - Thailand, Russia, Algeria, MENA Arabic, Saudi Arabia, United States, India, and Malaysia.

The covered models include the single SIM E6653, as well as the Dual-SIM varieties, with model numbers E6683 and E6633. The 6.0 32.1.A.1.163 firmware is currently available through the Sony PC Companion app and an OTA is expected shortly.

As for the official changelog, it the new run time permissions model and app dozing. Other additions are a long-overdue update to the camera interface, Xperia Messaging with sticker support and Direct Share for relaying your activities to friends.

HTC financial report for February 2016 shows record low revenue

HTC outed its financial report for February with some grim numbers. Revenue for the month was $128 million (NT$4.2 billion), less than half than the same period of 2015 - $261 million (NT$9.2 billion). Worse still, the revenue is 35% less than it was in January, which traditionally is a slow month after the Christmas holidays.

Sadly for HTC, this is just another month in a series of poor financial performance. For Q4 2015, the Taiwanese phone maker reported a net loss of $101 million (NT$3.5 billion). Revenue for the period was $766 million (NT$25.7 billion).

The company retains an upbeat mood however. The upcoming HTC M10 flagship will carry a new dose of hope for turning the company's fortunes around. The phone will be announced on April 19, according to recent rumors.

Oppo R9 and R9 Plus unveiling officially scheduled for March 17

You can officially mark March 17 on your calendars as the announcement of the camera-focused Oppo R9 and R9 Plus.

Both phones passed through TENAA and will bring all-metal bodies and AMOLED screens. The R9 will have a 5.5" 1080p screen, the R9 Plus will be bigger with a 6" 1080p screen. Both have octa-core processors with 4GB of RAM and 64GB storage (before you put in a microSD card in the hybrid slot) and will run Android 5.1 Lollipop at launch.

As for the camera, they will have 16MP sensors on the front and back (yep, 16MP selfies!). It's not clear if they will feature the sensor-shift image stabilization tech Oppo demoed at the MWC.

They will have VOOC rapid charge for their 2,850mAh (R9) and 4,120mAh (R9 Plus) batteries. It won't be the Super VOOC from MWC, though, that tech is still in development.

Poll results: Sony Xperia X bested by the Xiaomi Mi 5

On to poll number 2, where we gave you a chance to pick between Xiaomi's long overdue replacement to the Mi 4 and Sony's Xperia X, the pioneer in the company's new X-series. TheMi 5 left no chance to the Xperia X and took a decisive victory, collecting 61% of upvotes.

Admittedly, there was a catch here - the Xperia X Performance is still months away, while the Mi 5 you can already order.

Whatever the case though, the Mi 5 is a pretty strong contender all on its own, with a Snapdragon 820, 4 gigs of RAM and 128GB of storage in its top-specced Pro version. That same variant comes in ceramic attire too - a stunner to look at. So come to think about it, the Xperia X Performance might have had a tough time against it as well.

Poll results: Galaxy S7 edge defeats the LG G5 in the battle of Korean flagships

One of the most action-packed editions of MWC of recent years saw the introduction of two (okay, technically three) of the most important smartphones of the year - the LG G5 and the Samsung Galaxy S7/S7 edge. We figured the S7 edge is the more attractive part of Samsung's pair (meanwhile so did consumers, apparently), and chose that one to pit against the G5.

And the S7 edge did splendidly, beating the G5 3:2. In other words, Samsung's dual-edge glass-and-metal top model gathered 58% of the upvotes, while the modular G5 had to settle for 42%.

Fandom aside, the two devices have a bunch of conceptual differences, which can sway users either way. AMOLED vs. LCD, removable battery vs. a larger sealed one, big pixels and near-instant focus vs. dual cameras with extra wide coverage - choices must be made and it's just that the S7 edge has ticked the right boxes for the majority of our readers.

Samsung launches Notebook 9 series of Ultrabooks

Samsung has launched the new Notebook 9 series of ultraportable laptops. The series consists of four models, one of which has a rotating display.

The base model has a 13.3-inch 1080p display with 6th gen Intel Core i5. It has a battery life of 10 hours and is priced at $999.

The second model has a larger 15-inch 1080p display, Core i7, and 12 hours of battery life for $1199.

The third model called Notebook 9 Spin has a 13.3-inch 3200x1800 rotating display that can be turned around and folded flat. It's powered by a Core i7 and has a battery life of 7.3 hours. It is priced at $1199.

The last model is the Notebook 9 Pro, which has a 15.6-inch 3840x2160 display, Core i7, and 6.5 hours of battery life. It is priced at $1399.

All models have 256GB flash storage, 8GB RAM, and run Windows 10.