Samsung Galaxy S II Plus Officially Released Android 4.1 Galaxy S II Plus

Samsung just officially released another Android based smartphone to empower its Galaxy S product line, the Galaxy S II Plus. Samsung Galaxy S II Plus looks very similar to Galaxy S II, but brings some improvements in both software and specs.

The Galaxy S II Plus is a little smaller than the 4.8-inch Galaxy S III, but larger than Galaxy S III Mini’s 4-inch display. It comes with a 4.3-inch Super AMOLED Plus screen with WVGA (800x480 pixels) resolution. The 1.2GHz dual-core processor with 1GB RAM delivers quite smooth operating. As for the camera, this new smartphone comes with dual cameras, 8MP main camera on the back and 2MP front camera, similar to Galaxy S II, but gets improved in shutter speed (0 delay, as reported). 8GB phone memory storage with up to 64GB memory expandable provides enough space for users.

The new features in the S II Plus are the 1.2GHz dual-core processor upgrade and the latest version of Android, 4.1.2 Jelly Bean. It also comes with the latest TouchWiz UI that includes features seen on the newer models such as S-Voice, voice unlock, and popup video, which allows you to watch a video on an area of the screen while running other apps underneath.

The price and official street release date are not unveiled yet. More latest information would be provided here. 

Huawei 6.1-inch Ascend Mate released with 720P screen and Android 4.1 Jelly Bean

Ever since last November, there’s rumor about the crossing-band 6.1” Huawei Ascend Mate smartphone to compete with Samsung Galaxy Note II. Now, finally, on CES 2013, Huawei officially released this brand new smartphone to public. But if you concern more about higher definition screen display, you might get a little bit disappointed on the Ascend Mate, as the released Ascend Mate only features a 1280*720 pixels screen resolution, not the 1080P screen as leaked before. Yet, the 720P screen leaked still produces excellent visual experience for you to watch HD movies on Ascend Mate.

According to the leaked specs on CES 2013, this Ascend Mate is 163.5mmx85.7mmx9.9mm and weighs 198g only. It features a 1.5GHz K3VS+Intel XMM6260 quad-core processor. The 4050mAh battery supports up to 9 days of standby. Also, the smartphone gets an 8MP 1080P HDR camera, Android 4.1 Jelly Bean OS, etc. The price and the accurate street release date are still to be confirmed.

Apple iPhone 5S Rumored to Out in June in Both Higher- and Low-end Models

The Apple iPhone has been widely welcomed in the world for its wonderful design and excellent performance. The rumors about the iPhone 5S (or iPhone 6) have been going on for a long time. Recently there’s rumor indicating that Apple is preparing one or more new iPhone models for 2013 release. In a report for investors, CanaccordGenuity’s analyst T. Michael Walkley, courtesy of BGR, claimed that the iPhone 5 has got strong holiday market desire, which might help Apple to sell more than 1.72 million iPhones in 2013. Meanwhile, Walkley indicates that Apple might push out new higher-end iPhone and a low-end model in some time in June.

Walkley believes that Apple could launch the iPhone 6 by June and could also introduce a cheaper iPhone to compete in markets like China and Eastern Europe. The higher-end iPhone 6 will, according to Walkley, arrive with a 4-inch display just like the screen on the iPhone 5. Walkley’s beliefs fall in line with previous remarks from Topeka Capital Markets analyst Brian White and Jefferies analyst Peter Misek who believe that Apple will bump up the release date of the iPhone 6 to the summer instead of during the fall. White and Misek believe that Apple will introduce new colors for the iPhone, that will complement both the white and black that are already available. New colors could include blue, pink, yellow, white and silver according to White.

Apple has never offered an iPhone with multiple screen size options. Customers at the moment have a choice due to the fact that the iPhone 5 sports a 4-inch display and the iPhone 4S, iPhone 4 and iPhone 3GS all have 3.5-inch displays. With the iPhone 6, Apple may be looking to offer multiple screen sizes from the start. No exact sizes have been mentioned though Walkley believes the phone will be for emerging markets which likely means a smaller display.