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In
just a couple of weeks, geeks and journalists from all over the world
will gather in Berlin for one of the year's largest tech events – the
Internationale Funkausstellung, also known as IFA. As usual, it is going
to be an event of massive proportions, and many of the top tech
companies will take advantage of the hype by announcing their latest
products. Here's a look at the gadgets that we're expecting to see
there.
Samsung
Chances are that we'll see a new smartwatch at the Unpacked event, namely the rumored Samsung Gear Solo.
Unlike previous Samsung Gear smartwatches, this particular model is
expected to have a SIM card slot enabling it to make calls and connect
to the internet. On the downside, it will probably be quite expensive
for a gadget of this kind. Interestingly, we might also see a Google
Glass rival called Gear Glass and an Oculus-Rift-inspired virtual reality accessory called Gear VR. There's a higher chance of seeing the latter since photos of the device have leaked already.
Sony
Sony
has its IFA event scheduled for September 3, and at least two new
smartphones are going to be announced there. These are the Sony Xperia Z3 and the Sony Xperia Z3 Compact,
which we've been hearing rumors about for weeks. From the looks of it,
the former will become the company's newest Android flagship smartphone,
while the latter will be its "mini" version, offering similar specs and
features, but in a smaller package. Also, we won't be surprised if Sony
takes advantage of the occasion by announcing new wearable gadgets,
possibly a smartwatch and/or a smart fitness tracker.
UPDATE: Sony is rumored to be ready with a new tablet, dubbed the Sony Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact. We are still not sure whether or not we should be expecting a "full-sized" Xperia Z3 Tablet. We should also mention that odd-looking Sony "selfie" phone with
a rotating camera, which has been making the rounds. If the latter is
indeed a real device and not just a quirky prototype, then there's a
good chance of seeing it in person at IFA.
Leaked pictures of the Sony Xperia Z3 and Z3 Compact
Microsoft
There's something exciting that Microsoft has in stock for us – a new smartphone or two,
it seems. Rumor has it that the company will announce the Nokia Lumia
730 and Nokia Lumia 830 on September 4. The former is said to be a
low-cost model and taking good selfies could be its stand-out feature.
Reportedly, the Lumia 730 will sport a 4.7-inch display with a
resolution of 720 by 1280 pixels, a Snapdragon 400 SoC, 1GB of RAM, a
6.7MP rear and a 5MP front-facing camera. A dual-SIM model is also
expected. As for the latter, the Nokia Lumia 830 is rumored to be an
upper mid-range phone with a 13MP camera and a Snapdragon 800 SoC.
Without a doubt, both Lumias will run Windows Phone 8.1.
UPDATE: According
to Baidu – China's most popular search engine – the Lumia 730 will have
dimensions of 134.7 x 68.5 mm (5.3 x 2.69 in), and have support for 4G
LTE, Qi Wireless charging, microSD card expansion, and work with Nano
SIMs. Judging from the FCC certificate of one of the device's model
RM-1038, the 730 will also boast NFC support, and will be compatible
with LTE networks operating on band 7.
Microsoft and the new Lumias
Huawei
Huawei is expected to introduce a new smartphone
on September 4, and judging by the leaks, it is going to be worthy of
rivaling the competition's high-ends. Allegedly, the handset will be
known as the Huawei Ascend D3 (or D7) and will stand out with a premium,
metal construction.
It is said that Huawei's
new phone will have a 6-inch screen with a resolution of 1440 by 2560
pixels (also known as QHD), 3GB of RAM, and a Kirin 920 octa-core
system-on-chip. Its main camera will offer 13MP of resolution, the
front-facing one will be a 5MP shooter, and 16GB of on-board storage
will be present, according to what has been leaked so far.
Interestingly, a trimmed-down version of the same phone, with a 1080 by
1920-pixel display and 2GB of RAM, is also rumored to be in the works.
We should also mention that the back panel of the phone appears to have
an opening where a sensor, presumably a fingerprint scanner, is
speculated to reside. On the software side of things, we're expecting to
see a heavily modified variant of Android 4.4 Kit Kat with Huawei's
very own EMUI 3.0 user interface on top.
UPDATE:
A yet-unannounced mid-range phone by Huawei has been caught in the
wild. Photos of the handset, albeit in a protective case of some kind,
have been exposed, along with a handful of specs. It is said that the
phone, which goes only by the Z100-CL00 model name, sports a 720 x
1280-pixel display, a 1.6GHz processor of unknown make and model, 1GB of
RAM, 16GB of storage, dual-SIM capabilities, and what appears to be a
fingerprint scanner. This could be a toned-down version of Huawei's next
flagship, or it might turn out to be an entirely new phone. Either way,
we hope to learn more about it at the IFA expo. Oh, and while we're at
it, here's a few more screenshots from Huawei's new user interface.
A new mid-range phone by Huawei and the new Huawei EMUI 3.0 interface
Asus
Asus has a press
event set for September 3, and we're expecting it to be dedicated to a
whole bunch of devices. One of them is rumored to be a smartwatch – a
smartwatch running the Google Wear platform. While specs aren't known,
it is said that Asus's smartwatch will be a fashionable timepiece
with an attractive price. In fact, the gadget might cost between $99
and $149. We aren't sure what else is going to be announced at the
event, but there's a chance of seeing a new lineup of ZenFone Android
smartphones and possibly Intel-based Android and/or Windows 8 tablets.
UPDATE: We just found out that a new PadFone device, known as the Asus PadFone X mini,
is in the works. There's a good chance of seeing it being announced IFA
in Berlin, and AT&T could be interested in offering the device.
ASUS
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Asus inviting us to an event on September 3
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