At this year's BUILD conference in San Francisco Microsoft announced Micromax as its new hardware partner for the Windows Phone ecosystem. Today, we get to hear some new rumors about the first upcoming WP smartphone from the Indian manufacturer.
Micromax's first Windows Phone is rumored to sport a 5-inch FullHD display along with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 chipset with 2GB of RAM.
The leak suggests that the device will feature a 13 megapixel rear snapper and a 5 megapixel front facing shooter. Lastly, there is 16GB of internal storage, expandable via a microSD.
If the rumors are to be trusted, the smartphone will run on WP 8.1 and will go on sale in July with a price tag of INR 23,000 to INR 25,000 (about $390 to $425).

Source and GSM Arena

The Sony Xperia M2 is the follow up to the popular mid-range handset that saw the company trying a number of different suffixes and hoping one stuck for those that don't want to spend a lot of money.
When you pick up the Xperia M2, you're instantly struck with that opinion. It's not a phone with a lot of style when compared to the likes of the Xperia Z2, but at the same time, it uses the same design language well.
The Omnibalance look (which mostly boils down to the unique power key) is in effect here, and does lend an element of premium packaging to proceedings, bringing a much better phone than the still-popular predecessor, the Xperia M.
The only reason that it doesn't feel overly premium in the hand is that it's a slightly chunkier beast, coming in at 8.6mm compared to the razor thin 6.4mm thickness of the Sony Xperia Z2 Tablet, for example.

It's also got a slightly smaller screen than the other premium phones on the market, and that display is packed with fewer pixels. If you've never spent a lot of time with a phone that uses an HD screen, then you might not see the problem, but the qHD offering here is definitely sub par compared and looks a little washed out and overexposed.

Still, when it's shipping for under €220 (around £180 / $300 / AU$335) and can run 4G, Sony thinks that such things won't matter - and I'm inclined to agree. The phone is solid, has a 4.8-inch screen and an 8.1MP camera that uses a lot of the same trickery as it's more powerful brothers.

The Exmor RS sensor helps boost the low light performance, and the general speed with which things are done seems pretty good considering it's only running a Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 chipset, which is a little low even for a phone at this price.

It's essentially running the same chipset as the Moto G, an arguably better phone that costs nearly half the price. Sony is trying to chip away at this price lead by bundling in a number of extras (three movies from its store do help somewhat, although the fact you get six with the new Z2 phone and tablet is slightly galling) and 30 days free trial to Sony Music Unlimited.

The Sony Xperia M2, while carrying the same Omnibalance design language that extends to similar amounts of covers to protect the ports, oddly isn't waterproof as well, which begs the question of why some of those are there.
They do keep the body looking sleeker, but it would have been a great selling point to say you could put the M2 in the dishwasher.

The dedicated camera key is pleasing too, and shows that Sony is still staying true to its promise of keeping this on most Android phone to make it easier to shoot a quick snap when you need to.

The camera app is also pretty well-stocked as it offers the likes of HDR mode as well as the more gimmicky features like TimeShift Burst, which does give the impression that the M2 is a solid part of the Sony family.

Key features

• 4.8" qHD TFT, 229 pixels per inch, Gorilla Glass 3, ambient light sensor
• LTE connectivity
• The Xperia M2 Dual has Dual SIM with Dual Call support (but without the LTE connectivity)
• Android 4.3 Jelly Bean (planned upgrade to Android 4.4 KitKat)
• Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 chipset with quad-core 1.2GHz Cortex-A7 processor, Adreno 305 GPU and 1GB of RAM
• 8MP camera, single LED flash, 1080p video recording, dedicated hardware shutter key
• VGA front-facing camera with video recording
• 8GB of built-in storage, expandable via the microSD card slot
• Active noise cancellation with a secondary microphone
• 2,300 mAh battery; STAMINA Power Saving Mode

Main disadvantages

• Resolution is relatively low for this screen size
• No Android KitKat on launch
• Non user-replaceable battery

The Sony Xpria M2 sounds quite convincing on paper. A modern midranger, almost by the book. The OmniBalance design Sony introduced with the Xperia Z back in 2013 rules out a removable battery, but we guess that's the price to pay for looks and feel above the pay grade.

Sony Xperia M2 live pictures
The lack of KitKat will likely be sorted soon enough - the Xperia M2 update is already in development and should be out in the summer. That leaves us with the issue of screen resolution. Now qHD certainly sounds on the low side when spread across a 4.8" diagonal but the truth is, it's probably enough for many. We are sure a lot of you will go for size over pixel density - especially at the right price.
We'll get to that but first things first. Take the jump to our hardware checkup.

User interface

The Sony Xperia M2 comes with Android 4.3 out of the box, while the company has promised the Android 4.4 KitKat update is already in the works. The software package looks very much the same whatever the Android version and that's why everything would feel and seem so familiar if you've ever used a recent Sony smartphone.

The lockscreen is the usual affair - it supports widgets (one per pane), while the rightmost pane will fire up the camera. There are a few available default widgets, but you can always get more from the Play Store. Also third party apps oftentimes come with their own set of extra widgets.
Naturally, you can protect your lockscreen by Face, Pattern, PIN or Password unlock, in ascending order of security.

The lockscreen and its options
The Xperia M2 lets you add or remove homescreen panes (you start with five) and set any of them as default. You can't have more than seven panes at any given time though, nor can you change the order they're in.

Adding stuff to the homescreens is very easy
Adding stuff on the homescreen is easy, as it is the customization. You can set various live and static wallpapers, add widgets and shortcut, or change the UI theme.

Available UI themes • download more themes
The notification area features a few toggles (Sound, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and Brightness by default). There's also a quick shortcut to the settings menu. The toggles are customizable and you can choose between 16 different quick toggles and have up to 10 of them visible in the notification area across two rows of shortcuts. You can even opt out of having the Settings key, which is nice.

The notification area and settings
The app drawer is laid out across multiple pages and you can sort the apps manually, alphabetically, by the most used or most recently installed. The menu with those settings is accessible via a swipe from the left edge of the screen and you can also search apps and even uninstall apps from there.

The app drawer
The Xperia M2 uses the stock Android task manager that lets you switch between recently opened apps, as well as terminate them with a side-swipe.
The so-called "small apps" are also available in the Xperia M2 and are accessible via the task manager. They are similar to Samsung's Mini Apps, and pop up tiny widget-like applications on your homescreen, which you can move around and use without having to open the full-fledged app. So far, there's a default set of nine: Active Clip, Chrome Bookmarks, Browser, Calculator, Calendar, Gmail, Timer, Notes, and Voice Recorder. You can launch only one instance of a Small App, but you can open multiple Small Apps simultaneously.

The task switcher • Small Apps list • Small apps in action
You can download more Small Apps off the Play Store or use the option to turn your favorite widgets into Small Apps. Just hit the Plus key at the top of the list and choose a widget.
Finally, Google Now integrates with your Google account and can access your daily routine, internet searches, email, etc. and give you information relevant to your interests and daily needs.

Google Now
It provides traffic information to your work or home, knows the scores of sports teams you follow and gives you the weather forecast for your location. It's great for at-a-glance info, but can handle voice input as well. It also has a dedicated homescreen/lockscreen widget.
The user interface is buttery smooth, there is no visible lag or long loading times. The Sony launcher is lightweight and, combined with the snappy chipset, you'll get great UI experience. The upcoming Android 4.4 KitKat and its optimizations might even make things even faster.

Source
GSM Arena Sony Xperia M2 Review  (Design 8.3/10, Features 8.1/10, Performance 8.1/10)
Phone Arena Sony Xperia M2 Review (User Review 9/10)
Techradar Sony Xperia M2 Review
Official Website

Where to Buy
$399.99 WElectronics Sony Xperia M2
$312.49 Offerbank Sony Xperia M2

Shortly after teasing it, Oppo made the N1 Mini official. The company shared some of the phone's details, but not all, as it will hold an event on June 10 to do just that.

What Oppo shared regarding the N1 Mini is little, but gives a general idea of the phone's upper mid-range spirit. The Oppo N1 Mini features the same swivel camera as its bigger brother. It's a 13MP Sony 6-element lens camera with a 1/3.2" sensor size. The camera features the Super Zoom mode (introduced with the Oppo Find 7), but in the N1 Mini it works at 24MP, not 50MP.
At the front of the Oppo N1 Mini, there's a 5" display with a yet unannounced resolution. We guess it's 1080p, but we'll wait for Oppo to confirm that. The phone weighs 150 grams, which is somewhat heavy for a 5" smartphone, but more acceptable when you take into consideration the rotating camera mechanism.
The Oppo N1 Mini runs Android KitKat with color OS 1.4 on top. The phone supports China Mobile's TD-LTE and alongside its official announcement event on June 11, Oppo will also make the phone available for purchasing.
The phone is rumored to launch with one of two octa-core chipsets - either the MediaTek MT6592 or the Exynos 5422 Octa SoC. We'll know more on June 10, so stay tuned.

Source1, Source2, and GSM Arena

Samsung Galaxy Mega 7.0 (or Mega 2) was cleared yesterday by USA's FCC. It supposed to be a massive 7" device, with thin waistline and all-round connectivity that includes full telephony support. That's just like its Mega 6.3 predecessor only on an even larger scale.
There aren't any other specs beside the screen size leaked to date, but we can now show you how the device is supposed to look like thanks to a case maker.


Sure, some of you will categorize the Mega 7.0 as a tablet and not a phablet, but just remember it is supposed to be really thin and light device and you can actually use it as a phone.
Anyway, Samsung is holding a press event on June 12 where the Galaxy Tab S lineup of slates will go official. Maybe the Galaxy Mega 7.0 will participate too.

Source and GSM Arena

Samsung is rolling out Android 4.4.2 KitKat for its devices one by one and the new winner is the Galaxy Mega 6.3 phablet. The device launched last year on Android 4.2 Jelly Bean).
The software update has a build number I9200XXUDNE4 and is currently available in Russia through Samsung Kies. Barring any unexpected issues, more countries should join that list shortly.
You can check for updates on the About screen in the Settings menu for over-the-air updates, though there are no reports that it's available yet. The other option, obviously, is to hook up your Samsung Galaxy Mega 6.3 to a computer running Kies.
The update brings the typical KitKat goodies, including improved performance, better battery life, support for wireless printing, a camera shortcut on the lockscreen and more, basically the same stuff other updated phones like the Galaxy S4 Active recently received.
Source and GSM Arena

The long-rumored HTC M8 Ace finally made an official appearance. The plastic-clad smartphone showed up on the manufacturer’s official website in China as HTC One Vogue Edition. The handset is set to launch next week, on June 3.

At a quick glance, save for the plastic construction, the newcomer looks a lot HTC’s last year’s flagship, the One (M7). The official images reveal that the device will be available in four colors – white, black, blue, and red.

The revealed specs of the HTC M8 Ace are in line with past leaks. They include a Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 SoC with 2.5GHz quad-core CPU, BoomSound stereo speakers, 13MP main camera, and a 5MP front-facing unit.

The display size of the HTC M8 Ace is not yet revealed, though past reports suggest that it is a 5” 1080p unit like the one found in the HTC One (M8). The official images also reveal that the M8 Ace is all but certain to ship sans an IR blaster.

Official pricing of the HTC One Vogue Edition is yet to be known. We expect to get the full scoop on the device when it goes official next week.

Source (in Chinese), Source, and GSM Arena

The HTC One Mini 2 went up for pre-sale in the UK last week, but wasn’t slated to drop until June 30th. It turns out that you won’t have to wait that long to get the phone in your clutches if you don’t want to.
Phones4U, a UK retailer is carrying the device well ahead of schedule, and it’s available in all of the company’s stores.


Here’s a quick rundown of the Mini 2’s specs: it packs a 4.5” Super LCD2 display with 720 x 1280 resolution, a quad-core 1.2GHz processor with 1GB, and 16GB internal storage with a microSD card slot that supports up to 128GB cards. The One Mini 2’s camera is also a 13MP one, as opposed to its big brother’s duo unit.
What will the phone cost you? Well SIM-free the handset will run £359.95. Of course, there are price breaks if you decided to sign a contract. For example, EE is giving away the Mini 2 for free if you agree to pay £29.99 a month. It’ll get you 1,000 minutes, unlimited SMS, and 1GB of data.
HTC’s original One Mini was a success, time will tell if the Mini 2 will follow in its footsteps.
It’s funny that a device with a 4.5” is considered “Mini” in this day and age.

Source1, Source2, and GSM Arena

OnePlus One went on sale a few weeks ago ahead of schedule and lots of people are already using it. Those early adopters noticed there are quite a few bugs in the CyanogenMod 11S release that premiered with the OnePlus One. The initial release was surely not final or stable, but this changes today.


OnePlus One is now getting a stable release of the CyanogenMod 11S that improves lots of stuff:

• Better earpiece performance
• Fixes lockscreen glitches
• Smoother 4K video recording
• Adds stereo video recording
• Fixes Home key glitch on double-tap
• Better keyboard haptic feedback
• Redesigned Flashlight app
• New welcome screen

The update is now available for download, but it will FACTORY RESET your OnePlus One, deleting all your data. It's a good idea to backup your critical data before proceeding with the update.

Source and GSM Arena

The news about Apple acquiring popular audio equipment manufacturer Beats Audio came three weeks ago, but the deal is yet to be confirmed by the Cupertino giant. This is about to happen now as The New York Post reports that Apple is preparing to finalize the purchase this week.


The acquisition was initially said to be valued at $3.2 billion, but the company has rounded down the amount to a $3 billion, after what sources indicate is a more accurate evaluation of Beats' actual worth.
Several reports surfaced earlier this week of Beats co-owner Dr. Dre's allegedly inebriated boast that he would become the first billionaire rapper following the acquisition, which some sources claim put the entire deal at risk.
Ironically, the lower $3 billion valuation would mean Dr. Dre would grosses a maximum of $750 million from the deal, which added to the $275 million he earned over the past three years would still put him just shy of a seven figure net worth due to taxes.
Apple would meanwhile get the company's first music streaming service, Beats Music, which many analysts value almost as highly as its popular headphones and speaker brands.

Source1, Source2 and GSM Arena

Mozilla has a mission: deliver a smartphone experience on bottom dollar devices so that people all over the world will be able to afford them.
Although the Flame phone isn't exactly the cheapest handset out there (cue the Moto E), it still retails for a low $170, which will be music to the ears of developers and anyone who wants to try out Mozilla's mobile OS.


Flame is a “reference device”, meaning that it was created with the development community in mind. Mozilla worked closely with T2Mobile in creating the phone, which offers developers a means of configuring the RAM of the handset using the phone's software so they can emulate a variety of Firefox OS devices that will be released throughout the coming year.
T2Mobile will also be charged with rolling out the software updates of Firefox OS, and even offer you a means of trying out different release channels, so that you can even install nightly builds right from your device.
So spec wise, what does you $170 net you? A decent mid-range smartphone: a dual-core 1.2GHz processor, 1GB RAM (that can be clocked from 256mb-1GB), a 4.5” display with 854 x 480 resolution, a 5MP camera with a 2MP selfie unit, 8GB internal storage space with a microSD card slot, dual SIM support, and an 1800mAh battery.
If you're interested in purchasing one of these bad boys, then you'll need to wait about four weeks from when it ships. The phone will ship for free anywhere in the world (unless you live in Japan).

Source and GSM Arena

The LG G3 is finally official and is ready to take the duties as the company's 2014 flagship Android smartphone.

Hardware

The LG G3 features a 5.5" True HD-IPS+ LCD display with a QHD (2560 x 1440 pixels) resolution. This results in the eye-watering (in a good sense) pixel density of 534 pixels per inch. The company states that there really is a difference when looking at the display this sharp and that the Retina display wasn't even close to the final frontier, as the Steve Jobs claimed.


Inside the phone, there's a Snapdragon 801 (MSM8975AC) chipset with a 2.5GHz quad-core Krait 400 processor and Adreno 330 GPU. The version of the G3 with 16GB of internal memory sports 2GB of RAM, while the 32GB model has 3GB of RAM. Both versions will pack microSD card slots supporting up to 128GB cards.
On the connectivity side, there's Bluetooth 4.0, Wi-Fi 802.11 ac, NFC and an IR blaster.
LG continues the trend set by the G2 with rear-mounted volume controls and Power/Lock and has refined them a bit. On top of them is the main camera, which sports a 13MP sensor with OIS. Next to it is a dual-LED flash, while on the left LG has fitted a special laser that measures distance and speeds up autofocus. In addition the company has also implemented phase detection autofocus for ultra fast 276ms focusing.

LG G3 official photos
It seems the company has turned equal attention to the 2MP front-facing camera, which sports bigger pixels and a brighter lens than the main one. It also promises the perfect viewing angle angle for selfies, which LG says is 77 degrees.

Design

The LG G3 is made out of polycarbonate with a special layer on top that gives it a finish close to metal. Additionally, it is scratch resitant and helps keep fingerprints away. Sadly, it's not self-healing as the one of the LG G Flex. It is worth noting that the G3 isn't water-proof.
While those of you expecting actual metal finish might be disappointed, going for plastic has allowed the LG G3 to keep its weight in check - the smartphone weighs just 150 grams, which is pretty decent for the size. Full measurements are 146.3 x 74.6 x 8.9 mm, which is also very compact for a 5.5" smartphone. In comparison, the Oppo Find 7 measures 152.6 x 75 x 9.2 mm while packing the same display.
Audio fans will appreciate the 1W speaker at the back of the G3, which is similar to the one found in the LG G Pro 2. However this time LG has also enabled a boost mode, which brings its power to 1.5W.
The battery of the LG G3 is 3,000mAh and is user-removable. There's optional wireless charging support that comes with a different back panel.

LG G3 official photos

Software

The LG G3 runs Android 4.4.2 KitKat with the completely redesigned Optimus UI skin on top with a ton of new features. It is now boasting flat design, new icons and overall streamlined feel. There are a number of new apps and key features here, too.
One of them is called Smart Notice and it is LG's attempt to compete with Google Now's convenience. To do so, the service silently collects information tidbits and tells you useful things it believes might help you in your day. For example, it tells you if it's raining outside, sets location-based reminders and will even automatically erase apps that haven't been used for a couple of months, if you tell it to do so. One cool feature is that it can also automatically switch Wi-Fi on when you arrive home or at the office.


The keyboard is redesigned and you can now adjust its height to your personal preference. The company's proprietary KnockCode and Knock On features are also present, as is a new Health app that keeps track of your exercise regime and counts your daily steps.

Availability

LG launches the G3 in South Korea next week, while in Europe the phone will launch in June. We got no specific time-frame for the US launch, but LG promised it will be faster than that of the G2. Pricing information is yet to be detailed.

Source