Chinese handset maker, Xiaomi has launched its latest flagship smartphone, the Mi3.


The Xiaomi Mi3 comes with a 5-inch full-HD LCD display (1080x1920 pixels) boasting a pixel density of 441ppi. The highlight of the smartphone is the Nvidia Tegra 4 chip that comes with a quad-core ARM Cortex-A15 processor clocked at 1.8GHz with a fifth battery-saver CPU core also based on Cortex-A15 and a 72-core NVIDIA GeForce GPU. The processor features the Tegra 4-PLUS-1 CPU architecture. It comes with 2GB of RAM. The smartphone will come in two storage variants, 16GB and 64GB.

The Xiaomi Mi3 measures 144x72x8.1mm and weighs 145 grams. It runs Android 4.1 skinned with company's MIUI version 5 interface. It sports a 13-megapixel rear camera featuring a Sony IMX135 sensor along with F2.2 sapphire lens and dual-LED flash while the front houses a 2-megapixel camera. It comes with a 3050mAh battery.

Commenting on the launch, Lei Jun, Xiaomi founder and CEO said, "The Mi3 with Tegra 4 provides an amazing experience that consumers will absolutely love. We wanted it to be fantastic, and that's why we partnered with NVIDIA. Tegra 4 provides performance and features never before seen in a smartphone."


The company claims that the Xiaomi Mi3 smartphone can even play videos with 4K resolution.

"The Mi3's exceptional innovations demonstrate why Xiaomi has quickly become one of the world's most important phone makers. Its speed, capabilities and battery life highlight the tremendous experiences that Tegra 4 delivers to leading-edge smartphones," said Deepu Talla, vice president and general manager of the Mobile business at NVIDIA.

The company has announced that the Xiaomi Mi3 will launch on China Mobile in October. However, there is no word on the smartphone's roll out in other markets.
Xiaomi Mi3 key specifications
  • 5-inch full-HD LCD display (1080x1920) and boasts a pixel density of 441ppi
  • 1.8GHz Nvidia Tegra 4 processor and 72-core NVIDIA GeForce GPU
  • 2GB RAM
  • 13-megapixel rear camera with dual LED flash
  • 2-megapxiel front-facing camera
  • 144x72x8.1mm
  • Android 4.1 skinned with MI UI version 5
  • 3050mAh battery
Hours after Sony officially launched the latest flagship smartphone, the Xperia Z1, the pricing of the device for specific regions have started to surface online.

The Sony Xperia Z1 will come with a price tag of 649 Euros (Rs. 47,944 approximately) in Germany going by the official press note released by the company. The press release also notes that the device will be rolled out in the third quarter in German markets. Meanwhile, a UK retailer, Clove has listed the device for 564 UK Pounds (Rs. 58,286 approximately). The UK retailer also notes that the first stock can be expected in the week commencing 16 September.
Samsung Galaxy Note 3 is now official and headed to around 140 countries later this month, as announced by the company. We have first bit of indication of pricing, with telecom carriers in the US starting the pre-order process.

AT&T has started taking pre-orders for the Galaxy Note 3 for $299.99 with a new two-year contract. The telecom operator says that the device will ship around October 1 and also that the Galaxy Gear, Samsung's smartwatch, will be available in the "coming weeks". AT&T's contract pricing of the Galaxy Note 3 translates into an off-contract pricing of approximately $700 (Rs. 46,000 approximately) 
It appears that the Samsung Galaxy S4 and Samsung Galaxy SIII, the company's current and previous generation flagship phones are all set to receive the Android 4.3 software update.Samsung's Galaxy Smart Watch Which was Launched on Wednesday by the Korean giant at IFA in Berlin, is currently compatible with the Galaxy Note III smartphone and the Galaxy Note 10.1 (2014) tablet. However, the company mentioned during the announcement that the compatibility would be extended to the Galaxy S4 and the Galaxy S III with a software update that would be seeded to consumers in October. The update will up the current version of Android on both the devices to Android 4.3 as it's the only version of Android that supports Bluetooth Smart.

Bluetooth Smart, earlier called Bluetooth Low Energy or Bluetooth LE, is intended for communication between low-energy devices like smart watches.

It's worth pointing out that the Samsung Galaxy S4 comes with Android 4.2, the previous version of Android, while the Galaxy S III is still stuck on Android 4.1, lacking features like lock-screen widgets, Daydream and wireless screen mirroring which were introduced with Android 4.2.

 Android 4.3 includes features such as restricted profiles for limiting access to apps and content for different users of a device, dial-pad autocomplete, enhanced access to notifications, and a new camera app, among other user facing features. However, it brings many major changes, under the hood, including Open GL ES 3.0 high quality graphics in games and other apps and making Android devices Bluetooth Smart ready enabling support for low-energy Bluetooth Smart accessories like smart watches, heart rate monitors, pedometers, thermometers and many others.

The Galaxy Gear, a wearable computing device from Samsung that looks like a digital wristwatch, is certain to pique much curiosity when it starts being worn in public. The intensely black rectangular screen and orange strap on the wrist of a Samsung executive immediately caught my eye as she entered a corporate meeting room to give a preview of the gadget.
Samsung will start shipping the $299 Gear smartwatch in September, ahead of a similar product expected from Apple. I had a chance to play with a pre-production unit for about 10 minutes and briefly with the version that Samsung announced Wednesday in Berlin on the eve of the annual IFA consumer electronics show.


Like similar products already being sold, the Gear is not an independent device. For useful functionality, the Gear needs to be linked with a specific Samsung smartphone or tablet computer. The pairing is done wirelessly over a Bluetooth connection built-in to both sides.
The Gear's display is a touch screen measuring 1.63 inches diagonally. Its strap has an embedded camera. The Gear supports apps such as Facebook and lets the wearer answer incoming calls or check email without picking up the smartphone that's paired with it. The Gear is not the smartwatch disclosed in recent Samsung patent filings with a flexible display.


With smartphones and tablets now ubiquitous, the mobile phone industry is creating a new category of products to wow consumers. Many believe the next big step for consumer electronics is advanced computing technology in everyday objects such as wristwatches and glasses.
Sony introduced its latest smartwatch in June and unveiled an update Wednesday. Google is working on Google Glass - a device designed to work like a smartphone and worn like a pair of glasses. Apple is seeking an iwatch trademark. Meanwhile, the response to projects such as Pebble, a smartwatch that received more than $10 million in investment pledges through funding website Kickstarter, also attests to the public interest in this trend.

It didn't take me long to see what Samsung is trying to achieve. It wants to attract not only tech addicts who must have the latest gadget but also young, design-conscious consumers. The Gear's design flair and ease of use are its sweetest attributes, but it may not entirely please either group. Although powered by the Android operating system, like many phones and tablets, it will work only with Samsung devices - and only with newer models.


At about twice the price of the Sony SmartWatch and the Pebble, Gear boasts a camera, a speakerphone and plenty of apps - about six dozen, according to Samsung. Apps include Twitter and sports services such as RunKeeper, which tracks runs and other workouts. These are all great features, but the 1.9 megapixel camera is of poorer quality than a typical smartphone camera. In addition, moderate use of the device will require a daily battery top-up with yet another charger to keep track of.

Samsung officially unveiled the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 at IFA 2013 in Berlin. Note 3 comes with a 5.7 inch Full-HD Super AMOLED Display but weighs 168 gms and is 8.33 mm wide, it is both slimmer and lighter than previous Note 2. Like s4 Note 3 will also come in two variants.The LTE variant will be powered by 2.3 GHz quad-core processor and the 3G version will be powered by a 1.9 GHz octa-core processor.

Samsung Galaxy Note 3 comes with 3GB RAM and a 13-megapixel rear camera alongside 2-megapixel front camera. It is powered by 3,200mAh battery and runs Android 4.3 Jelly Bean. As rumoured, the Galaxy Note 3 will be available in 32GB and 64GB variants, with the company doing away with the 16 GB variant after controvarsy of available storage on Galaxy S4. Both variants come with support for up to 64 GB of additional external storage.

Connectivity options on the Note 3 include Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, GPS/ GLONASS, NFC, Bluetooth v4.0 (LE), IR, and MHL 2.0. It comes with various sensors like Gesture, Accelerometer, Geo-magnetic, Gyroscope, Proximity, Barometer, Temperature & Humidity, and Hall Sensor.
Samsung says the Galaxy Note 3 will launch starting from September 25 in more than 140 countries around the world. There's no word on pricing yet.

Apart form the Galaxy Note 3, Samsung also unveiled the Galaxy Gear Smart Watch and Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 edition.



Just before the commencement of IFA. Acer unveiled the new smartphone the Liquid S2, boasting a huge 6-inch Display. The Acer Liquid S2 is the first smartphone having the capability to shoot 4K videos.The Liquid S2 spors a 6-inch full-HD display with IPS techology having a resolution of 1920X1080 pixels giving a pixel density of 368 ppi. The display is protected by a Curved Gorilla Glass 3 making it stronger and more resistant to scratches and daily uses.

The phone is powered by a 2.2 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 quad-core processor coupled with 2 GB of RAM. It comes with a 16 GB of internal storage which can be expanded upto 128 GB via sd-card, and has a huge 3300 mAh non-user replaceable battery.

The Liquid S2 features a 13-MP auto-focus back camera f2.2, BSI sensor anda n LED ring Flash that has 4 LED's. As we mentioned the phone has 4K video recording capability which means it can record video in resolution 4 times than that of  HD. It can also record in fast full-HD videos at 60fps and viseo iun 4X slow motion.The phone has a front facing 2 MP camera with a 88 degree wide viewing angle.

The Liquid S2 comes with connectivity options of 3G and 4G LTE and Wi-Fi 802.11ac. The smartphone is running on Android 4.2 which is not the latest version of the operating system. The smartphone will be available in Red and Black colour variants and it will be available at end of October . The exact pricing and availability of the phone will be announced at a later stage.

Quick Specs:

  • 6-inch full-HD display ( 1920X1080) 
  • 2.2 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 Quad-core processor
  • 2 GB of RAM
  • 16 GB internal memory expandable upto 128 GB
  • 13 MP camera with 4K video recording capability
  • 2 MP 88 degrees wide angle front facing camera
  • Android 4.2 Jellybean
  • 3300 mAh battery
  • Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, GLONASS, NFC