Tag Archives: Qualcomm Snapdragon 820

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 (SM-T825) Tablet Review

1 Reply

Samsung has finally introduced a new tablet – the Samsung Galaxy Tab S3! Their last tablet, the Galaxy Tab S2 debuted in September 2015 and ran on Android 5.0.2 Lollipop. Now, find out what’s new in the Galaxy Tab S3, and what it offers over its predecessor!

Updated @ 2017-09-06 : Updated various parts of the review with additional information and some corrections.

Originally posted @ 2017-07-03

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 Specification Comparison

Unlike the Galaxy Tab S2 (which comes in 8″ and 9.7″ models), the Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 (Amazon | Lazada) only comes in the 9.7″ form factor. Here, we compare the specifications of the new Galaxy Tab S3 (SM-T820) against the 9.7″ model of its predecessor, the Galaxy Tab S2 (SM-T819).

Specifications	Samsung Galaxy Tab S3	Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 (9.7")
Display	9.7" Super AMOLED display - 1536 x 2048 pixels (~264 ppi)	9.7" Super AMOLED display - 1536 x 2048 pixels (~264 ppi)
Operating System	Android 7.0 Nougat	Android 5.0.2 Lollipop
System Platform	Qualcomm Snapdragon 820	Samsung Exynos 7 Octa (5433)
Processor	2 x Qualcomm Kyro cores (2.15 GHz) 2 x Qualcomm Kyro cores (1.6 GHz)	4 x ARM Cortex-A57 cores (1.9 GHz) 4 x ARM Cortex-A53 cores (1.3 GHz)
Graphics Processor	Qualcomm Adreno 530 GPU	ARM Mali-T760
Memory	4 GB LPDDR4 SDRAM (933 MHz)	3 GB LPDDR3 SDRAM (800 MHz)
Storage	32 GB internal flash storage microSD slot (up to 256 GB)	32 GB internal flash storage microSD slot (up to 128 GB)
Front Camera	5 MP sensor with f/2.2 lens	2.1 MP sensor with f/2.2 lens
Rear Camera	13 MP sensor with f/1.9 lens - Up to 4K video recording	8 MP sensor with f/1.9 lens - Up to 1440p video recording
Audio	4 AKG-tuned speakers	Two speakers
Connectivity	4G LTE (LTE-enabled model only) WiFi : 802.11 a/b/g/b/ac Bluetooth 4.1 USB : USB 3.1 Type C	4G LTE (LTE-enabled model only) WiFi : 802.11 a/b/g/b/ac Bluetooth 4.1 USB : USB 2.0
S Pen	Included Pen tip : 0.7 mm Pressure levels : 4,096	None
Battery	6,000 mAh lithium ion (non-removable)	5,870 mAh lithium ion (non-removable)
Dimensions	169.0 mm wide 237.3 mm tall 6.0 mm thick	169.0 mm wide 237.3 mm tall 5.6 mm thick
Weight	WiFi only : 429 g LTE-enabled : 434 g	WiFi only : 389 g LTE-enabled : 392 g

[adrotate group=”1″]

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 Book Cover

Our review sample came unboxed, with the optional Book Cover, so there’s no unboxing video. However, you will get to check out how it works with the Book Cover.

As you can see, the Book Cover works just like the Apple iPad Smart Cover. It locks magnetically to the Galaxy Tab S3 (Amazon | Lazada), protecting the front and back glass covers against damage. Flipping it open automatically turns on the Tab S3. It also serves as a stand with three viewing angles.

The Book Cover offers much needed protection for the Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 (Amazon | Lazada). In fact, anyone who gets the Galaxy Tab S3 should at least The only downside is that, like other similar covers, you need to let the flip cover hang loose to use the rear camera. It also does not come with a stylus holder. If a stylus holder is a must, then you need to consider the Keyboard Cover option.

Next Page > The Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 Up Close, Cameras & S Pen

Support Tech ARP!

If you like our work, you can help support our work by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or even donating to our fund. Any help you can render is greatly appreciated!

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 Up Close

Superficially, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 (Amazon | Lazada) looks like its predecessor, the 9.7″ Galaxy Tab S2. If you are hoping for a “bezel-less” display like the Infinity Display of the Galaxy S8 smartphone, you’re out of luck. It doesn’t come with the iris scanner either, just the same fingerprint sensor embedded into the Home button.

Like its predecessor, the Galaxy Tab S3 (Amazon | Lazada) comes in two variants – a WiFi-only model (SM-T820), and an LTE-enabled model (SM-T825). Our review sample is the SM-T825 LTE-enabled model, so it comes with a tray for a nano SIM card as well as a microSD card. The microSD card support, incidentally, has been doubled to 256 GB.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 also retained the front fingerprint sensor embedded into the Home button, as well as the dedicated capacitive touch buttons.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S3’s biggest improvements are “hidden” from sight. It boasts the quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 SoC, which offers 18% better CPU performance and 3X better graphics performance. It also has a longer battery life of up to 12 hours, partly due to its slightly larger battery and a more power-efficient design.

In addition, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 (Amazon | Lazada) now boasts a quad-speaker setup, which works great in the horizontal mode, when used with the optional Book Cover or Keyboard Cover. The four speakers have also been tuned by AKG.

The Cameras

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 (Amazon | Lazada) also offers upgraded cameras. The puny 2.1 MP front camera of its predecessor was replaced by a 5 MP Samsung S5K4E6 ISOCELL sensor with f/2.2 lens. This is the same sensor used in the Samsung Galaxy S6 edge and the more recent HTC 10. The upgraded camera allows you to also record 1080p videos, and support Full HD video chats.

The main camera at the back was upgraded with a 13 MP Sony IMX260 sensor, up from the 8 MP shooter. This is the same excellent sensor used in top-of-the-line smartphones like the Samsung Galaxy S8 and the Samsung Galaxy S7 edge. It can record videos at up to 4K resolution, but does not support optical or electronic image stabilisation. We will share with you photo and video samples from this camera later in this review.

[adrotate group=”1″]

The S Pen Stylus

New to the Samsung Galaxy Tab S series is the S Pen stylus. This is a redesigned S Pen with a thinner nib (0.7 mm) and 4,096 pressure levels. The S Pen is electromagnetically-powered by close proximity to the Galaxy Tab S3 (Amazon | Lazada), so there is no need to worry about batteries – which is just awesome.

It is thin at just 9.4 mm, and has a rectangular profile for a better grip. The metal clip at the end locks on to the magnets along the left side of the Galaxy Tab S3.

Next Page > Initial Setup, Ergonomics, Available Memory & Storage

Support Tech ARP!

If you like our work, you can help support our work by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or even donating to our fund. Any help you can render is greatly appreciated!

Setting Up The Samsung Galaxy Tab S3

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 (Amazon | Lazada) runs on the latest Android 7.0 Nougat operating system, and is very easy to set-up. If you are setting it up as a new device, it should take you only about 5 minutes to finish the setup process.

The Ergonomics

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 (Amazon | Lazada) is now clad in glass, which gives it a more premium look and feel. However, the glass covers are very susceptible to fingerprint smears, and add about 10% more weight. The Galaxy Tab S3 with the Book Cover weighs just under 500 g, which is a significant amount of heft.

The glass covers are a little slippery to handle too, especially if you have oily or wet fingers. So it is recommended that you use it with the Book Cover, or the Keyboard Cover, for better grip.

Available Memory & Storage

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 (Amazon | Lazada) comes with 4 GB of LPDDR4 memory, of which just 1.7 GB (42.5%) is free to use. This is far less free memory than other 4 GB devices we reviewed recently :[adrotate group=”2″]

ASUS ZenFone 3 (Best Price) : 2.4 GB free memory
Honor 8 (Best Price) : 2.4 GB free memory
HTC 10 (Best Price) : 2.4 GB free memory
Wiko U Feel Prime (Best Price) : 2.4 GB free memory
Huawei Mate 9 (Best Price) : 2.3 GB free memory
ASUS ZenFone 3 Zoom (Best Price) : 2.2 GB free memory
ASUS ZenFone 3 Ultra (Best Price) : 2.1 GB free memory

That said, 1.7 GB of free memory is still more than what 3 GB devices have, so you don’t need to worry about running out of memory. Even so, we hope Samsung will seriously reduce the amount of bloat with their upcoming Android Oreo update.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 (Amazon | Lazada) comes with just 32 GB of internal flash storage, of which 22.8 GB (71%) is free to use. For a 2017 tablet at this price point, we feel that Samsung should have given it at least 64 GB of storage. Of course, you can always top it up with a microSD card (up to 256 GB).

Next Page > Camera Performance – Photos & Videos

Support Tech ARP!

If you like our work, you can help support our work by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or even donating to our fund. Any help you can render is greatly appreciated!

Camera Performance – Photos

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 (Amazon | Lazada) uses the Sony IMX260 sensor for its main camera, paired with an f/1.9 lens. However, it lacks any optical or electronic image stabilisation. The full 12.8 MP resolution (usually quoted as 13 MP) is attained with the 4:3 aspect ratio. Each picture has a resolution of 4128 × 3096, with a file size between 2.8 MB and 4 MB.

Here are ten full resolution, unedited photo samples for you to check out. Click on them to load the full-sized photos which you can download to examine.

This is the same sensor used in the Samsung Galaxy S8 and the Samsung Galaxy S7 edge, so there’s no surprise that the pictures are excellent. The f/1.9 lens also allowed for very good low-light performance.

[adrotate group=”1″]

Camera Performance – Video Recording

Thanks to the Sony IMX260 sensor upgrade, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 (Amazon | Lazada) can now record videos at up to 2160p (4K) at 30 fps. Officially, it does not support any form of optical or electronic image stabilisation. However, our tests show that it actually performs some electronic image stabilisation at 1080p or lower resolutions. Take a look…

Test #1 : Piano (1080p)

The image quality is excellent, with great control of the bright background. The recorded audio was also quite clear. Surprisingly, the amount of handshaking was minimal.

Test #2 : Piano (4K)

When we recorded this clip in the 4K resolution, we noticed that there was significantly more handshaking. From this, we can surmise that the Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 actually performs some electronic image stabilisation at lower resolutions.

Test #3 : Street Market (1080p)

Even though this test involved walking down a street market, the video was surprisingly smooth. That is quite unexpected for a camera that officially does not support any form of image stabilisation.

Test #4 : Street Market (4K)

The jerkiness of the 4K video is readily apparent. The image quality is excellent, but the complete lack of image stabilisation (for real this time!) is nausea-inducing!

Next Page > Work Performance, Battery Life & Recharging Speed

Support Tech ARP!

If you like our work, you can help support our work by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or even donating to our fund. Any help you can render is greatly appreciated!

Work Performance – PCMark

We tested the Samsung Galaxy Tab S3’s performance using PCMark, which simulates work applications like web browing, playing video, writing text and editing photos.

	Samsung Galaxy Tab S3	Huawei Mate 9	ASUS ZenFone 3 Ultra	HTC 10
Work Performance Score (Average)	6434	7593	6313	6105
Web Browsing	6294	8717	6257	5782
Video Playback	3903	4987	4287	3321
Writing	6584	7883	7166	7463
Photo Editing	10599	9702	8262	9694

Not surprisingly, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 (Amazon | Lazada) performed well, matching top-0f-the-line smartphones like the ASUS ZenFone 3 Ultra and HTC 10.

Battery Life – PCMark

We then tested the Samsung Galaxy Tab S3’s battery performance using PCMark. It basically ran the PCMark work tests until its battery capacity dropped to 20%.

Samsung claims that the Galaxy Tab S3 has a battery life of between 8 hours (Internet use time) to 12 hours (video play time). This battery test shows that the Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 (Amazon | Lazada) will last about 8.5 hours of non-stop work – web browing, playing video, writing text and editing photos.

[adrotate group=”1″]

Battery Recharging Performance

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 comes with a 10 W fast charger and a USB Type C cable. Take a look at how fast it recharged the 6,000 mAh battery.

It took the Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 (Amazon | Lazada) about 114 minutes (1 hour 54 minutes) to recharge its battery from 17% to 100%. Overall, it has a battery life : recharging ratio of about 4.4 : 1, which is rather low. Samsung should have packaged it with an 18 W fast charger.

Next Page > Gaming & Overall Performance, Our Verdict & Lowest Prices

Support Tech ARP!

If you like our work, you can help support our work by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or even donating to our fund. Any help you can render is greatly appreciated!

Gaming Performance – 3DMark

We tested the Galaxy Tab S3’s gaming performance using 3DMark, using the Ice Storm Unlimited test.

	Samsung Galaxy Tab S3	Huawei Mate 9	ASUS ZenFone 3 Ultra	HTC 10
Gaming Score	17878	27853	17719	23171
Graphics	18515	36605	21124	27512
Physics	15958	15164	11328	14925
Graphics Test 1	88.8 fps	202.5 fps	115.2 fps	136.6 fps
Graphics Test 2	73.6 fps	131.1 fps	76.3 fps	106.4 fps
Physics Test	50.7 fps	48.1 fps	36.0 fps	47.4 fps

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 (Amazon | Lazada) is not the fastest gaming tablet, but it has good gaming performance.

Overall Performance

AnTuTu is a nice benchmark for testing various performance aspects of Android devices.

	Samsung Galaxy Tab S3	Huawei Mate 9	ASUS ZenFone 3 Ultra	HTC 10
TOTAL SCORE	131430	123167	76096	113813
3D SCORE	57553	40114	18816	50700
– 3D (Marooned)	36690	23313	10861	34778
– 3D (Garden)	20863	16801	7952	15922
UX SCORE	43151	39975	26794	30890
– UX Data Secure	6524	7943	5077	6319
– UX Data Process	3534	6985	4198	3379
– UX Strategy Games	9054	11860	7503	5433
– UX Image Process	21022	5580	6879	9521
– UX I/O Performance	3017	7607	3137	6238
CPU SCORE	24024	31992	23689	21915
– CPU Mathematics	8532	9680	6950	8494
– CPU Common Use	6041	11139	6311	5931
– CPU Multi-Core	9451	11173	10428	7490
RAM	6702	11086	6797	10308

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 (Amazon | Lazada) did well in AnTuTu, coming in top actually. It bested even top-of-the-line smartphones like the Huawei Mate 9 and HTC 10.

[adrotate group=”1″]

Our Verdict

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 (Amazon | Lazada) is a long-awaited upgrade to the Galaxy Tab S2. If you are hoping for revolutionary changes that have been the hallmark of the Samsung Galaxy S smartphones, you will be sorely disappointed. The Samsung Galaxy Tab S team retained the same familiar design.

So there is no Infinity Display or iris scanner, as some of us have hoped for. Instead, they clad the Galaxy Tab S3 (Amazon | Lazada) in glass, and focused on internal improvements. It now boasts a faster processor, a much faster graphics processor, more and faster DDR4 memory, and a quad-speaker system tuned by AKG.

Also upgraded were the cameras. The puny 2.1 MP front camera was replaced with the 5 MP camera used in the Samsung Galaxy S6 edge and the more recent HTC 10. The main camera also saw an upgrade to the excellent Sony IMX260 sensor used in the Samsung Galaxy S8 and the Samsung Galaxy S7 edge.

Other less obvious upgrades include the display and battery. The Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 (Amazon | Lazada) used the same excellent Super AMOLED display, but it is now capable of displaying HDR images and videos. The battery also saw a slight increase in capacity, allowing the Galaxy Tab S3 to achieve a rated battery life of 8 to 12 hours. Needless to say, the battery has also undergone the new Samsung 8-point battery safety check.

Arguably the biggest upgrade the Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 introduces is the improved S Pen. This is the first time a Samsung Galaxy Tab S tablet comes with the S Pen. The new S Pen is still powered electromagnetically, but now has a thinner nib and 4,096 pressure levels.

The only issues we have with the Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 (Amazon | Lazada) are the memory bloat and its rather limited internal storage. At its launch price of RM 2,999 (US$ 599 in the US), we would have expected at least 64 GB of internal storage, or a Book Cover (RM 199 / ~US$ 47) thrown in.

If you find the Galaxy Tab S3 too pricey, you will be glad to note that the older Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 is now on sale at almost half the price! Now that’s a really great deal!

Availability & Lowest Prices

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 (Amazon | Lazada) is now available in Black and Silver colour options. The Pogo Keyboard Cover comes in Gray colour and retails at RM499 / ~US$119.

[adrotate group=”2″]

The Book Cover is available in Black, White and Green colours, and retails at RM199 / ~US$47. Check out the latest offers below :

Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 LTE (Black) : Amazon | Lazada
Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 LTE (Silver) : Amazon | Lazada
Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 Keyboard Cover : Amazon
Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 Book Cover (Black) : Amazon | Lazada
Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 Book Cover (White) : Amazon | Lazada
Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 Book Cover (Green) : Amazon | Lazada

Go Back To > First Page | Reviews | Home

Support Tech ARP!

If you like our work, you can help support our work by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or even donating to our fund. Any help you can render is greatly appreciated!

The nubia M2, M2 Lite & N1 Lite Smartphones Revealed!

On 19 June 2017, nubia officially entered the Malaysian market with three of their latest smartphones – the nubia M2, nubia M2 Lite and nubia N1 Lite. Take a look at the origin of the nubia brand of smartphones, and find out these three smartphones offer!

The Origin Of The Nubia Brand

nubia is actually a ZTE brand that was established in 2012. Erik Meng, the nubia ASEAN regional director explains their origin, and the meaning of the name nubia, and their technological milestones so far.

The nubia M2, M2 Lite & N1 Lite Smartphones Revealed!

In this video, CP Chow, Senior Channel Manager of nubia Malaysia, presents the key features of the nubia M2, M2 Lite and N1 Lite smartphones.

The nubia M2 Smartphone

The nubia M2 (Lowest price) was designed using the nubiArc design concept. It has a slim metal unibody that is polished and sand-blasted, undergoing a 72-step process to create a soft texture. It is also the first nubia smartphone to offer dual main cameras, with a 13 MP colour sensor and a 13 MP monochrome sensor.

Both cameras are protected by sapphire glass, and come with f/2.2 lenses. Their images are processed by an image engine that consists of a DOF (depth of field) calculator and a dual-core image signal processor. The cameras also support PDAF, allowing for very fast focusing (0.1 seconds).

The primary colour camera also supports 3D noise reduction, which reduces noise in low-light conditions. The monochrome sensor increases light input, allowing for brighter and clearer night shots. They are supported by a dual LED real-tone flash.

The nubia M2 (Lowest price) smartphone boasts a 5.5″ Super AMOLED display, and a full HD resolution of 1080 x 1920 pixels. It is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass, with a 2.5D edge. It is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 625, and comes with 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB of internal storage. It packs a 3,630 mAh battery which supports 18 W fast-charging technology.

The nubia M2 (Lowest price) also features a fast fingerprint sensor, and support for DTS HEADPHONE:X, as well as a hybrid SIM tray.

The nubia M2 Lite Smartphone

The nubia M2 Lite (Lowest price) is a less-capable version of the nubia M2. It is still a 5.5″ smartphone, but it only has an IPS display with a resolution of 720 x 1280, without Gorilla Glass protection.

The M2 Lite (Lowest price) is powered by an octa-core MediaTek Helio P10 SoC, and comes with 4 GB of RAM and 32 GB of internal storage. It has a 3,000 mAh battery that supports 10 W charging.

Instead of a dual camera system, it has a single 13 MP primary camera (f/2.2 lens), and a 16 MP selfie camera (f/2.0 lens). It also has a fast fingerprint sensor.

The nubia N1 Lite Smartphone

The nubia N1 Lite (Lowest price) is also their entry-level smartphone, with a 5.5″ IPS display (720 x 1280). It is powered by the quad-core MediaTek MT6737, and comes with 2 GB of RAM and 16 GB of internal storage.

The N1 Lite (Lowest price) has an 8 MP rear camera with f/2.0 lens and dual LED flash, and a 5 MP front camera with f/2.8 lens and a soft light flash.

It has dual SIM capability, and packs a 3,000 mAh battery. It also has a fingerprint sensor, but this is located at the back.

The nubia M2, M2 Lite & N1 Lite Price & Availability

[adrotate group=”2″]

The nubia M2 (Lowest price) is available in Black Gold and Champagne Gold colours, with a retail price of RM 1,699 / ~US$ 399.

The nubia M2 Lite (Lowest price) is available in Black Gold and Champagne Gold colours as well, with a retail price of RM 1,099 / ~US$ 259.

The nubia N1 Lite (Lowest price) is only available in the Black Gold colour, with a retail price of just RM 599 / ~US$ 139.

Limited quantities of the nubia Z11 (Lowest price), powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 820, with 6 GB RAM and 64 GB storage, will be available for sale at RM 1,899 / ~US$ 449.

Go Back To > Events | Home

Support Tech ARP!

If you like our work, you can help support our work by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or even donating to our fund. Any help you can render is greatly appreciated!

Sony Xperia XZ & Xperia X Compact Smartphones Revealed

Sony Mobile just revealed two new additions to their X smartphone series – the Xperia XZ and Xperia X Compact. They also revealed an exclusive pre-order campaign with 11street, from today until October 4. Check out the full details below!

The Sony Xperia XZ & Xperia X Compact Revealed

Andrew Cheong, Country Director (Malaysia) at Sony Mobile kicked off the launch event with a keynote speech on the two new Sony X series smartphone.

Then Lawrence Lim, Business Manager of Sony Mobile Malaysia, covered the key features of the Sony Xperia XZ and Xperia X Compact smartphones.

Sony Xperia XZ & Xperia X Compact Specifications

Specifications	Sony Xperia XZ	Sony Xperia X Compact
Display	5.2" TriLuminos display - 1080 x 1920 pixels	4.6" TriLuminos display - 720 x 1280 pixels
Protection	Corning Gorilla Glass with 2.5D curved edge Capless water- and dust-resistance (IP65/IP68)	Corning Gorilla Glass with 2.5D curved edge
Operating System	Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow	Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow
System Platform	Qualcomm Snapdragon 820	Qualcomm Snapdragon 650
Processor	4 x Qualcomm Kyro (2.2 GHz)	2 x ARM Cortex-A72 (1.8 GHz) 4 x ARM Cortex-A53 (1.8 GHz)
Graphics Processor	Qualcomm Adreno 530	Qualcomm Adreno 510
Memory	3 GB LPDDR4 SDRAM	3 GB LPDDR3 SDRAM
Storage	64 GB internal flash storage microSD slot (shared with second SIM slot) - up to 256 GB	32 GB internal flash storage microSD slot (up to 256 GB)
Front Camera	13 MP Sony Exmor RS sensor with f/2.0 lens 5-axis stabilization 1080p video recording capability	5 MP Sony Exmor R sensor with f/2.4 lens
Rear Camera	23 MP Sony Exmor RS sensor with LED flash Triple image sensors - image sensor, laser AF sensor, RGBC-IR sensor Predictive Hybrid Autofocus capability 5-axis stabilization 4K video recording capability	23 MP Sony Exmor RS sensor with LED flash Triple image sensors - image sensor, laser AF sensor, RGBC-IR sensor Predictive Hybrid Autofocus capability 5-axis stabilization 4K video recording capability
Network	4G : LTE Cat 9 (Bands 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 17, 19, 20, 26, 28, 29, 32, 38, 39, 40, 41) 3G : UMTS HSPA+ WiFi : 2.4 GHz / 5 GHz	4G : LTE Cat 6 3G : UMTS HSPA+ WiFi : 2.4 GHz / 5 GHz
Connectivity	GPS + GLONASS WiFi Miracast, Google Cast Bluetooth 4.2 NFC, DLNA	GPS + GLONASS WiFi Miracast, Google Cast Bluetooth 4.1 NFC, DLNA
SIM Capability	Dual SIM, Dual Standby Hybrid SIM (nano SIM x 2, or nano SIM + microSD)	Single nano SIM
Audio Capability	High Resolution Audio capability Front Surround Sound Stereo Audio Recording	High Resolution Audio capability Front Surround Sound Stereo Audio Recording
Fingerprint Sensor	Yes, on Power button	No
Battery	2,900 mAh lithium-ion battery Qnovo Adaptive Charging with Quick Charge 3.0 support	2,700 mAh lithium-ion battery Qnovo Adaptive Charging with Quick Charge support
Dimensions	72 mm wide x 146 mm tall x 8.1 mm thick	65 mm wide x 129 mm tall x 9.5 mm thick
Weight	161 g	135 g
Available Colours	Forest Blue, Mineral Black, Platinum	Mist Blue, Universe Black, White
Launch Price	RM 2,699 / ~US$ 675	RM 1,999 / ~US$ 499

Availability & Offers

The Sony Xperia XZ and Xperia X Compact smartphones will be available for sale in Malaysia beginning 7 October at Sony Mobile Stores, Sony Centres, and authorised dealers. The Xperia XZ will be available in the Dual SIM variant (Hybrid SIM slot) and the Xperia X Compact will be available in the Single SIM variant.

[adrotate banner=”4″]

All Xperia XZ users will gain access to exclusive content in the Xperia Lounge (including 12 movie downloads), Qoo10 15% discount coupon and 20% off storewide on Zalora. In addition, users can also obtain a code via Xperia Lounge to stand a chance to win a brand new wardrobe from Zalora.

In addition, those who pre-order on 11street during the exclusive pre-order period will receive complimentary gifts worth RM 600 (~US$ 150) such as the Sony Bluetooth Headset, screen protector for Curve Display, back casing and an OTG 3.0 64GB Type C Connector.

Furthermore, 11street customers who participate in a lucky draw will stand a chance to bring home a Cristiano Ronaldo Signed and Framed Real Madrid 2015-2016 jersey worth RM 3,000.

Next Page > The Key Features of the Sony Xperia XZ & Xperia X Compact Smartphones

Support Tech ARP!

If you like our work, you can help support our work by visiting our sponsors, participate in the Tech ARP Forums, or even donate to our fund. Any help you can render is greatly appreciated!

Improved Camera Technology

Sony’s first flagship of the X series, Xperia XZ, and premium Xperia X Compact bring new and improved camera technology to give the best pictures from Xperia yet. Maximising Sony’s acclaimed image sensor, two additional assisting sensors have been added to make Sony’s triple image sensing technology. This allows you to capture beautiful images in motion with true to life colours in virtually any condition.

The technology includes Sony’s original Exmor RS for mobile image sensor which provides a powerful blend of high quality image and autofocus (AF) speed combined with Predictive Hybrid AF to intelligently predict and track subjects in motion for blur-free results.

Added to this is the Laser AF sensor with distance sensing technology which captures beautiful blur-free photos in challenging low light conditions. And what’s more, you will enjoy superb true to life colours thanks to the RGBC-IR[i] sensor with colour sensing technology which accurately adjusts the white balance based on the light source in the environment.

The 23MP main camera not only gives you clear shots, but also super-fast start-up going from standby to capture in 0.6seconds[ii] at the touch of a dedicated shutter release button. Advanced features have been added for those who want more flexibility with manual settings to further enhance the shooting experience and creative possibilities, such as shutter speed and focus controls.

With videos being ever more popular for capturing and sharing unique moments on social media, both models bring significant advancements in the evolution of image stabilisation, cultivated in Sony’s Handycam camcorders, with Sony’s SteadyShot with Intelligent Active Mode to enable superb video recording. Now with 5-axis stabilization, you can shoot smoother videos[iii] even when walking or capturing extreme close-ups[iv].

Xperia XZ provides a 13MP front camera for the selfie perfectionist, with its super high sensitivity as high as ISO6400 and 24mm wide angle lens it will make the best of your pose even in low-light and group selfies. Xperia XZ also offers the highest quality recording in 4k so you get sharp, crisp footage that is full of detail.

[i] RGBC-IR stands for Red, green, blue, clear and infrared

[ii] Based in internal protocol defined by Sony Mobile Communications

[iii] 5-axis stabilisation feature is only available in Full HD video resolution

[iv] 5-axis stabilisation is activated only when the camera recognises macro video. Other situations will be recorded as 3-axis(pitch/yaw/roll) only

Premium design

With its stunning loop surface design, the 5.2” glass display and metal back of the Xperia XZ become one, to provide a perfect fit and beautiful feel in the hand. The loop surface is inspired by a monolithic form, whilst ALKALEIDO metal with high brightness and high purity provides shine and a feeling of depth which both enhance its premium design.

[adrotate banner=”4″]

Xperia XZ is available in a brand new blue colour inspired by the beauty of nature – Forest Blue – along with stylish classics, Mineral Black and Platinum.

Adding a popular Sony form factor to the X series, the Xperia X Compact packs mighty technology into its small frame. Its 4.6” screen and loop surface design make it extra comfortable to hold and is ideal for an operation with just one hand. Xperia X Compact’s premium design can be clearly seen via its high-gloss finish and solid feel. It also follows our new signature blue colour expression with a Mist Blue colour hue together with timeless Universe Black and Stylish White.

Sony’s expertise in functional design is carried through to the Xperia XZ with a water resistant[i] design to take the worry out of a little splash of water. In addition, the fingerprint sensor power button^[ii] on Xperia XZ and Xperia X Compact is intuitively placed on the side of the phone, so you’re able to pick up and securely unlock in a single movement and adds to the comfortable fit in the hand.

Intelligent Features

We’ve incorporated intelligent features into our smartphones so that they can assist you to make your daily life more convenient, more efficient, and more enjoyable. Both models feature new Battery Care[i] complemented by Qnovo adaptive charging which work in harmony to keep your battery healthy and make the lifespan last up to twice as long[ii].

Qnovo adaptive charging monitors and adjusts the charging current to avoid damage for battery longevity whilst Battery Care controls the charging based on learned habits and avoids excess charging by pausing charge at 90% and only completes the charging just before it’s needed.

Xperia Tips also recognises user habits to provide personalised tips and recommendations, helping you optimise your own personal user experience while Smart Cleaner automatically maximises performance by cleaning the cache from certain apps based on learning their usage so optimal performance is achieved at all times.

[i] Battery Care not available in all markets

[ii] Qnovo adaptive charging is featured on all X series models. 2x battery lifespan refers to Xperia X and Xperia X Performance with Qnovo enabled when compared to Xperia Z2. During laboratory battery capacity retention cycle testing conducted by Sony Mobile Communications and Qnovo Incorporated, the battery cell used in Xperia Z2 achieved a lifespan up to 2 times longer with Qnovo. The result may vary depending on conditions and environment.

Accessories

Xperia XZ and Xperia X Compact each have a range of matching optional Style Covers in corresponding colours including Style Cover Touch (SCTF10/20) which lets you access your favourite smartphone widgets through a smart window without needing to open the case.

For easy video viewing, Style Cover Stand (SCSF10/20) has an auto on/off function with adjustable viewing angle. Each model will be supplied with the new USB Type-C charger for easy charging.

Support Tech ARP!

If you like our work, you can help support our work by visiting our sponsors, participate in the Tech ARP Forums, or even donate to our fund. Any help you can render is greatly appreciated!

The HTC 10 Smartphone Review – Power Of 10 Revealed!

3 Replies

The HTC 10 is one of the most anticipated smartphones of 2016. With the tagline “Power of 10“, the HTC 10 was designed to be the best smartphone HTC ever made. A smartphone that is truly a perfect 10/10 in their eyes. Let’s find out how true that really is!

Let’s start by checking out the full specifications.

Specifications	HTC 10
Display	5.2" Super LCD 5 display - 1440 x 2560 resolution (564 ppi) - curved-edge Gorilla Glass 3 protection
Operating System	Android 6 with HTC Sense
System Platform	Qualcomm Snapdragon 820
Processor	4 x Qualcomm Kyro cores (2.2 GHz)
Graphics Processor	Qualcomm Adreno 530 GPU
Memory	4 GB LPDDR4 memory
Storage	32 GB internal flash memory microSD slot, supports card capacities up to 2 TB
Front Camera	5 MP BSI sensor (1.34 µm pixel) - f/1.8 aperture, 23 mm focal length - Optical image stabilisation (OIS) - 1080p video recording
Rear Camera	12 MP HTC UltraPixel 2 sensor (1.55 µm pixel) - f/1.8 aperture, 26 mm focal length - Optical image stabilisation (OIS) - Dual-tone LED flash - 4K video recording with Hi-Res Audio
Audio	HTC BoomSound Hi-Fi Edition with Dolby Audio 4 - Hi-Res Audio certified with Hi-Red Audio earphones - Three microphones with noise cancellation
Network	2G : 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 MHz 3G : 850 / 900 / 1900 / 2100 MHz 4G LTE : FDD Band 1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 20, 28, 32; TDD Band 38, 40, 31 - Supports Cat 9 LTE : 450 / 50 Mbps
SIM Capability	Single nano SIM slot
Fingerprint Sensor	Yes, integrated with Home button
Other Sensors	Ambient light, proximity, motion, compass, gyro, magnetic
GPS	GPS + GLONASS + Beidou (Europe & Asia)
Connectivity	WiFi : 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (2.4 GHz & 5 GHz) Bluetooth : Bluetooth 4.2 USB : USB 3.1 Type C Earphone : 3.5 mm stereo audio jack Others : NFC, DisplayPort, DLNA, Miracast, Google Cast, AirPlay, HTC Connect
Battery	3,000 mAh lithium ion battery - Talk time on 3G/4G : Up to 27 hours - Standby time on 3G/4G : Up to 19 days - Quick Charge 3.0 allows up to 50% charge in 30 minutes
Size	71.9 mm wide 145.9 mm tall 3.0 to 9.0 mm thick
Weight	161 grams
Available Colours	Carbon Grey / Topaz Gold

The HTC 10 comes in two colour options – Carbon Grey or Topaz Gold. Our review sample is the Carbon Grey version. Let’s check it out!

[adrotate banner=”5″]

Unboxing The HTC 10

The HTC 10 smartphone comes in a unique flat white box with rounded corners. It comes shrink-wrapped with a security sticker on one side. Let’s check out what’s inside!

Inside, you will find the following items :

One HTC 10 smartphone
One set of HTC Hi-Res Audio-certified earphones, with two sets of replacement earbuds
One 15 W HTC quick charger with one Type C USB cable
One set of nano SIM guide, warranty & user licence agreement, safety & regulatory guide
One set of four labels
One HTC SIM card slot extractor

Next Page > The HTC 10 Smartphone, Cameras, Fingerprint Sensor

Support Tech ARP!

If you like our work, you can help support our work by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or even donating to our fund. Any help you can render is greatly appreciated!

The HTC 10 Smartphone

The HTC 10 has a large 5.2″ Super LCD 5 display with a resolution of 1440 x 2560. The display is protected by a 2.5D curved-edge Gorilla Glass 3 cover. This is a peculiar choice since similar premium-grade smartphones like the Samsung Galaxy S7 edge use the much tougher and scratch-resistant Gorilla Glass 4.

The full metal chassis is a beauty to behold. Its chamfered edges give it a really futuristic look that feels great in the hand. The matte finish looks great and is easy to maintain, since it’s highly resistant to fingerprint smudges. Take a look for yourself in this hands-on video :

Eschewing the dual SIM, dual standby trend, HTC chose to support only a single nano SIM card. You will find the nano SIM card slot on the right side, just above the Volume control and power button. The card slot on the left is for the microSD slot, that supports microSD cards of up to 2 TB in capacity.

Despite its slim profile, the HTC 10 is actually 9 mm at its thickest. That’s perfectly fine with us since it makes for better handling, and the placement of the earphone port at the top. It also allowed for the inclusion of a large 3,000 mAh lithium-ion polymer battery.

We are very glad to note that the HTC 10 supports the new Type C USB 3.1 connector. That is not only bidirectional, it allows for faster data transfers. We also like the HTC BoomSound HiFi Edition speakers used in the HTC 10, that uses a separate tweeter and woofer design.

[adrotate banner=”5″]

Cameras

The HTC 10 has a 5 MP front camera with f/1.8 lens. It uses a BSI sensor with large 1.34 µm pixels, and is capable of 1080p video recording. To top it off, it even supports optical image stabilisation (OIS)!

For more serious photography, the HTC 10 boasts a 12 MP HTC UltraPixel 2 camera with f/1.8 lens at the back. It uses a BSI sensor with even larger 1.55 µm pixels, supported by a dual-tone LED flash. It also supports optical image stabilisation (OIS), and is capable of 4K video recording with Hi-Res Audio.

We will take a look at its photographic and video recording capabilities later in the review!

Fingerprint Sensor

The HTC 10 smartphone comes with fingerprint sensor discreetly integrated into the Home button. It takes 16 presses to register a fingerprint, but once registered, it is very fast and accurate in detecting the fingerprint, irrespective of the aspect.

The HTC 10 fingerprint sensor also serves as a quick login method. Just touch it with a registered finger to instantly unlock the smartphone. This is unlike the Samsung Galaxy S7 edge, which requires you to press the Home or Power button before the fingerprint sensor is activated.

Next Page > Setting Up The HTC 10, It’s Alive!, Available Memory & Storage

[adrotate banner=”5″]

Support Tech ARP!

If you like our work, you can help support our work by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or even donating to our fund. Any help you can render is greatly appreciated!

Setting Up The HTC 10 Smartphone

Amazingly, it took the HTC 10 almost 5 minutes to boot up for the first time. It took more than a minute to start-up and then it started optimising its pre-loaded apps for almost 4 minutes. Even at the end of the setup process, it took another 14 seconds to actually finish the process.

Overall, this is probably the longest setup process we have ever encountered in an Android device. In fact, it took longer to setup than the Wise Pad W7 Windows 10 phablet we reviewed recently. Overall, you will need about 15 minutes to setup the HTC 10 smartphone.

It’s Alive!

You will forget about the long setup time once it starts up. The Super LCD 5 display is super sharp and bright. It is not as vivid as the Super AMOLED display of the Samsung Galaxy S7 edge, but this is only apparent if you compare them side-by-side. The shadow effect at the top and bottom of the Home screen is partly to blame, making the display look less bright.

The display is protected by Gorilla Glass 3, with a 2.5D curved edge. Thanks to the oleophobic coating on its Gorilla Glass 3 cover, and the matte finish on the metal chassis, the HTC 10 is almost smudge-proof and is therefore very easy to maintain.

[adrotate banner=”5″]

Available Memory & Storage

The HTC 10 comes with 4 GB of LPDDR4 memory. That may seem like overkill, but the Android 6.0.1 operating system and HTC pre-loaded apps take up about 1.3 GB of memory. This leaves you with about 2.4 GB of free memory to use.

The HTC 10 also comes with 32 GB of internal flash storage. This is expandable via a microSD card (up to 2 TB). Fresh out of the box, the HTC 10 has 23.11 GB of free space for you to use, excluding 8.89 GB used by the system files and apps.

Next Page > Camera Performance – Photos & Video Recording

Support Tech ARP!

If you like our work, you can help support our work by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or even donating to our fund. Any help you can render is greatly appreciated!

Camera Performance – Photos

The HTC 10‘s UltraPixel 2 camera has a fast f/1.8 lens, which allows it to take good photos in low-light conditions. The photos have a maximum resolution of 4000 x 3000 in the 4:3 format. The photos are about 4 MB in size.

The HTC UltraPixel 2 camera produces photos with good detail resolution and low noise. You can see that detail resolution most noticeably in the texture of the grapefruits and winter melon. Its low noise capability is also very evident in the shadows and the picture of the signs that were taken in low-light.

The only problem we noted was the over-exposure of bright areas. You can see that in the pictures of the elevator and the apples. HTC needs to work on the control of the UltraPixel 2’s exposure.

[adrotate banner=”5″]

Camera Performance – Video Recording

The HTC 10 smartphone is capable of recording 4K UHD videos, as well as 1080p videos. Other than the resolution difference, the HTC 10 supports optical image stabilisation (OIS) and Hi-Res Audio recording in both modes. However, the HTC 10 does not support electronic image stabilisation (EIS).

To test and compare the image and audio quality of the 4K and 1080p videos recorded by the HTC 10 smartphone, we took two examples of two scenes – the street market, and Mr. Yang I-Deun’s piano performances. Check them out!

The HTC 10‘s image quality in both 1080p and 4K resolution was very good, and the image stabilisation was decent. We noted the same overexposure problem with bright areas, like the lit floor underneath Mr. Yang I-Deun’s piano.

What impressed us the most though was the richness of the Hi-Res Audio recording. It literally made the recorded videos much better than even those recorded by the Samsung Galaxy S7 edge. If you purchase the HTC 10, you must definitely enable the Hi-Res Audio option when you record videos.

The only possible downside with the HTC 10‘s videos is that they packed it as a MKV (Matroska Multimedia Container) file. That is not a problem for most users, but it is a big problem for Mac users. You will need a third-party player like VLC player to play it… and a third-party video editor to edit it, because QuickTime Player and iMovie simply won’t read them.

Next Page > Work Performance, Battery Life & Recharging Performance

[adrotate banner=”5″]

Support Tech ARP!

If you like our work, you can help support our work by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or even donating to our fund. Any help you can render is greatly appreciated!

Work Performance – PCMark

We tested the HTC 10‘s performance using PCMark, which simulates work applications like web browing, playing video, writing text and editing photos.

	HTC 10	Samsung Galaxy A9 Pro	honor 5C	Samsung Galaxy S7 edge
Work Performance Score (Average)	6105	5785	5357	4892
Web Browsing	5782	5132	5643	6908
Video Playback	3321	4138	4487	3218
Writing	7463	6286	5944	4629
Photo Editing	9694	8388	5469	5563

The HTC 10 really hit the ball out of the park in work performance. It was the fastest smartphone in this comparison, beating the likes of the Samsung Galaxy S7 edge, the Samsung Galaxy A9 Pro, and the honor 5C. It was especially good at the Writing and Photo Editing tests, but did rather poorly in Video Playback.

Battery Life – PCMark

We then tested the HTC 10’s battery performance using PCMark. It basically ran the PCMark work tests until its battery capacity dropped to 20%.

Sadly, all that performance sucks up a lot of juice, and it shows. The HTC 10 packs a 3,000 mAh lithium-ion polymer battery, but it barely lasts more than 5.5 hours. That is half the battery life of the Samsung Galaxy S7 edge and honor 5C smartphones, and less than half that of the Samsung Galaxy A9 Pro, with its 5,000 mAh battery.

[adrotate banner=”5″]

Battery Recharging Performance

The good news is the HTC 10 features the Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0 capability, courtesy of its Snapdragon 820 SoC. When used with a Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0 compatible charger or power bank, it allows the HTC 10 to recharge up to 50% of its battery in just 30 minutes. We check that out with its 15 W quick charger.

Our test showed that the HTC 10 will recharge from 20% to 100% in just 81.5 minutes (1 hour, 21 minutes and 34 seconds)! That is an amazing performance, especially since the battery temperature only peaked at 42°C.

Next Page > Overall & Gaming Performance, Our Verdict & Award

Support Tech ARP!

If you like our work, you can help support our work by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or even donating to our fund. Any help you can render is greatly appreciated!

Overall Performance

AnTuTu is a nice benchmark for testing various performance aspects of Android devices.

	HTC 10	Samsung Galaxy A9 Pro	honor 5C	Samsung Galaxy S7 edge
TOTAL SCORE	113813	68184	53417	131246
3D SCORE	50700	18360	9842	40824
– 3D (Marooned)	34778	10739	5795	23336
– 3D (Garden)	15922	7621	4047	17488
UX SCORE	30890	23464	19297	42765
– UX Data Secure	6319	5356	5577	8169
– UX Data Process	3379	3235	2706	5966
– UX Strategy Games	5433	5601	4109	10745
– UX Image Process	9521	6240	3144	13878
– UX I/O Performance	6238	3022	3761	4007
CPU SCORE	21915	19872	19254	37882
– CPU Mathematics	8494	5953	4198	11831
– CPU Common Use	5931	4830	5947	10875
– CPU Multi-Core	7490	9089	9109	15176
RAM	10308	6488	5024	9775

The HTC 10 did well in AnTuTu, coming in only 13.3% slower than the Samsung Galaxy S7 edge, and is roughly twice as fast as the Samsung Galaxy A9 Pro and honor 5C smartphones.

It was particularly strong in the 3D test, particularly the Marooned test, in which it best the Galaxy S7 edge by 50%, and was 3X faster than the Galaxy A9 Pro, and an astounding 6X faster than the honor 5C.

Gaming Performance – 3DMark

We tested the HTC 10’s gaming performance using 3DMark, using the Ice Storm Unlimited test.

	HTC 10	Samsung Galaxy A9 Pro	honor 5C	Samsung Galaxy S7 edge
Gaming Score	23171	16989	11560	28650
Graphics	27514	21800	11067	33685
Physics	14925	9585	13698	18810
Graphics Test 1	136.6 fps	120.7 fps	63.4 fps	162.9 fps
Graphics Test 2	106.4 fps	78.0 fps	38.8 fps	133.1 fps
Physics Test	47.4 fps	30.4 fps	43.5 fps	59.7 fps

The HTC 10 is fast in 3DMark, thanks to the fast Qualcomm Adreno 530 GPU. It was just 19% slower than the Samsung Galaxy S7 edge, which features the faster ARM Mali-T880 GPU. The HTC 10 will definitely have no trouble handling any 3D game in the market, even at the full screen resolution of 1440 x 2560.

[adrotate banner=”5″]

Our Verdict & Award

The HTC 10 may not be quite the perfect 10 smartphone that HTC hoped it would be, but it comes pretty darn close. It has a really bright and sharp 5.2″ display, with a sleek full-metal chassis. All that is powered by the really fast Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 with 4 GB of LPDDR4 memory and 32 GB of internal flash memory.

It can handle anything and everything you throw at it and then some. Our benchmarks show that it is the fastest smartphone in our arsenal for work applications, and second-best to the Samsung Galaxy S7 edge in 3D games.

The HTC 10 smartphone also boasts a really good 12 MP UltraPixel 2 main camera. It’s called UltraPixel for a good reason – it uses a sensor with really large pixels. The results are quite impressive – high detail resolution and low noise. The only downside – it has trouble controlling overexposure.

The overexposure problem extended to its video recording performance. But we have to point out that this is one of the few smartphones to record 4K videos without any time limit. What will really blow you away though is the richness of the audio recorded by its video. Thanks to its support of Hi-Res Audio, the recorded audio is truly a head above the competition.

If there is a major flaw with the HTC 10, it would be its relatively short battery life. If you are an avid Pokemon hunter, or take a lot of videos, you would do well to pack a power bank. The good news though is that the HTC 10 recharges extremely fast. You can recharge it from 20% to 100% in just over 81 minutes!

Overall, this is a great come-back effort by HTC, and one worthy of our Reviewer’s Choice Award. Congratulations, HTC!

[adrotate banner=”5″]

Support Tech ARP!

If you like our work, you can help support our work by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or even donating to our fund. Any help you can render is greatly appreciated!

HTC 10 Smartphone Hands-On Preview

HTC Malaysia just launched the HTC 10 smartphone, promising that perfection in their latest creation. They will certainly be counting on the HTC 10 to overcome incredible challenges from the multitude of Chinese smartphone brands. Let’s take a closer look…

HTC 10 Hands-On Preview

During the launch of the HTC 10 smartphone, we had some hands-on time with the HTC 10. Check it out!

Here is a summary of the HTC 10’s key features :

5.2″ Super LCD 5 display with a resolution of 1440 x 2560
Curved-edge Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection for the display
Powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 SoC with Adreno 530 GPU
4 GB memory + 32 GB internal flash storage + microSD upgrade (up to 2 TB)
Runs on Android 6.0 Marshmallow
Supports Cat 9 LTE, with download speeds of up to 450 Mbps, upload speeds of up to 50 Mbps
World’s first front camera with optical image stabilisation (OIS)
Front camera has 5 MP sensor with f/1.8 lens and OIS
Rear camera has 12 MP sensor with f/1.8 lens, OIS, dual-tone LED flash and laser auto-focus
Records 4K video with stereo 24-bit Hi-Res audio recording
Certified for Hi-Res Audio with built-in headphone amplifier and BoomSound Hi-Fi Edition speakers
Comes with Hi-Res Audio earphones bundled
Fast fingerprint sensor that unlocks in 0.2 seconds
Supports Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0 – charge 50% in 30 minutes
Comes with the new USB 3.1 Type C connector

[adrotate banner=”5″]

HTC 10 Smartphone Specifications

Specifications	HTC 10
Display	5.2" Super LCD 5 display - 1440 x 2560 resolution (564 ppi) - curved-edge Gorilla Glass 3 protection
Operating System	Android 6 with HTC Sense
System Platform	Qualcomm Snapdragon 820
Processor	4 x Qualcomm Kyro cores (2.2 GHz)
Graphics Processor	Qualcomm Adreno 530 GPU
Memory	4 GB LPDDR4 memory
Storage	32 GB internal flash memory microSD slot, supports card capacities up to 2 TB
Front Camera	5 MP BSI sensor (1.34 µm pixel) - f/1.8 aperture, 23 mm focal length - Optical image stabilisation (OIS) - 1080p video recording
Rear Camera	12 MP HTC UltraPixel 2 sensor (1.55 µm pixel) - f/1.8 aperture, 26 mm focal length - Optical image stabilisation (OIS) - Dual-tone LED flash - 4K video recording with Hi-Res Audio
Audio	HTC BoomSound Hi-Fi Edition with Dolby Audio 4 - Hi-Res Audio certified with Hi-Red Audio earphones - Three microphones with noise cancellation
Network	2G : 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 MHz 3G : 850 / 900 / 1900 / 2100 MHz 4G LTE : FDD Band 1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 20, 28, 32; TDD Band 38, 40, 31 - Supports Cat 9 LTE : 450 / 50 Mbps
SIM Capability	Single nano SIM slot
Fingerprint Sensor	Yes, integrated with Home button
Other Sensors	Ambient light, proximity, motion, compass, gyro, magnetic
GPS	GPS + GLONASS + Beidou (Europe & Asia)
Connectivity	WiFi : 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (2.4 GHz & 5 GHz) Bluetooth : Bluetooth 4.2 USB : USB 3.1 Type C Earphone : 3.5 mm stereo audio jack Others : NFC, DisplayPort, DLNA, Miracast, Google Cast, AirPlay, HTC Connect
Battery	3,000 mAh lithium ion battery - Talk time on 3G/4G : Up to 27 hours - Standby time on 3G/4G : Up to 19 days - Quick Charge 3.0 allows up to 50% charge in 30 minutes
Size	71.9 mm wide 145.9 mm tall 3.0 to 9.0 mm thick
Weight	161 grams
Available Colours	Carbon Grey / Topaz Gold

HTC 10 Lowest Prices (Amazon)

Support Tech ARP!

If you like our work, you can help support our work by visiting our sponsors, participate in the Tech ARP Forums, or even donate to our fund. Any help you can render is greatly appreciated!
[adrotate banner=”5″]

Power Of 10 – The HTC 10 Smartphone Revealed

1 Reply

Yesterday, HTC Malaysia officially launched the HTC 10 smartphone. With the tagline “Power of 10“, the HTC 10 was designed to be the best smartphone HTC ever made, a smartphone that is truly a perfect 10/10 in their eyes.

In this video, Aaron Lim, Senior Field Technical Lead / Enginer, HTC Malaysia reveals the HTC 10 smartphone’s key features. Check it out :

Now, let’s take a look at HTC’s press release…

Designed To Perfection

Inspired by light and sculpted to perfection, the HTC 10 smartphone employs a new approach to design where bold contours are carved out of solid metal. Capturing the light beautifully, the chamfered edges boast a slimmer, more slender look with its full glass front merging seamlessly into the metal body.

Passionate about the small details, it’s not just the materials that come under scrutiny when creating a new handset. With the HTC 10 smartphone, its design team worked tirelessly to build a phone where the power button has been beautifully crafted, where the speakers deliver a sleeker look and better sound quality and where the fingerprint sensor recognizes your finger from almost any angle.

It is also important that its built is absolutely right. Mercilessly engineered to handle everyday knocks, bumps and scratches, the HTC 10 smartphone was subjected to over 168 hours of extreme temperature tests, ranging from a freezing -20’C to a scorching 60’C, plus over 10,000 drop, bend, scratch and corrosion tests.

World-Class Camera

Seeing as how frequently one uses their smartphone cameras today, HTC has packed the HTC 10 smartphone with the best smartphone camera available on the market today to give Malaysians more opportunities to capture brilliant moments.

With the world’s first optically stabilized, larger aperture f/1.8 lenses on both the front and rear cameras, new larger sensors, 12 million of HTC’s new generation UltraPixels (1.55um per pixel), faster laser autofocus powering the main camera and a wide angle lens and screen flash on the front UltraSelfie camera, the HTC 10 delivers brilliantly sharp, low light and high-resolution photos whether behind or in front of the lens.

With the camera designed to launch in as little as 0.6 seconds, and a 2^nd generation laser autofocus that gives you focused shots faster, it’s quick enough to even work in burst mode. All the settings are also conveniently located at your fingertips with Pro Mode still offering advanced options for more experienced photographers, including RAW format functionality.

Boasting a DxOMark score of 88, this is one of the highest camera quality scores of any smartphone to date and is the result of tens of thousands of hours spent fine tuning each element to deliver world-class photos and videos.

[adrotate banner=”5″]

Best In Sight, Best In Sound

But it’s not just the imaging that puts the HTC 10 smartphone at the top of its game – the HTC 10 combines vivid 4K video with the world’s first stereo 24-bit Hi-Res audio recording, capturing 256 times more detail than standard recordings, across twice the frequency range and enabling you to bring to life your recorded content as if you were actually there in person.

Built for audiophiles, the HTC 10 smartphone is certified for Hi-Res audio and has been designed to make music sound the way that the artist intended. A headphone amp that delivers two times the power of a conventional headphone amp, the ability to upscale from 16-bit to 24-bit audio and high performance digital to analogue conversion combine beautifully to produce ten times lower distortion than other devices on the market, delivering an all-round audio performance that cannot be beaten.

Everyone hears things differently, which is why the HTC 10’s all-new Personal Audio Profile system enhances your audio experience even further. By creating a unique profile that is tuned to your individual hearing, it dynamically adjusts specific sound frequencies to each ear, allowing you to hear music the way that the artist intended. Re-engineered HTC BoomSound Hi-Fi edition speakers feature the same separated tweeter and woofer design as leading acoustic systems and combine with a dedicated amplifier on each speaker, adding to the experience and delivering sound clarity unprecedented on a smartphone.

Great audio deserves great earphones and HTC made sure that the flagship phone comes with the best Hi-Res audio certified inbox earphones yet. Featuring an 8µm thin aerospace polymer diaphragm and 70% oversized drivers, the listener is treated to richer sound and twice the frequency range, enabling you to enjoy the best audio experience right from the get go.

Next Page > Performance, Control, Accessories, Price & Availability

Support Tech ARP!

If you like our work, you can help support our work by visiting our sponsors, participate in the Tech ARP Forums, or even donate to our fund. Any help you can render is greatly appreciated!

Performance At Its Best

Whilst the HTC 10 smartphone nails it on the hardware, HTC focuses on getting the right fundamentals for delivering the best in class software. With apps that launch twice as fast and that perform to the highest standard and a next generation quad HD display that is 30% more colourful, creating a true cinematic feel, and that is 50% more responsive to touch than its predecessor, even the smallest and fastest of finger movements track perfectly.

This attention to detail doesn’t stop there! With security high on people’s agendas, the HTC 10 smartphone comes with a fingerprint scanner, which unlocks in a lightning fast 0.2 seconds and which has been algorithmically designed to recognise you faster and more accurately over time.

Engineered from the inside out to last longer, the HTC 10 boasts the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon processor with enhanced 4G LTE. Each device also comes with Boost+ which is designed to make your phone faster, to consume less power and to provide effective security and applications management features. This includes smart boost, which automatically optimises your memory, a game battery booster, which uses less battery during gameplay, and a new PowerBotics system, which auto detects and shuts down apps that use excessive power, improving battery life by 30% and delivering up to two days charge.

Not only does Boost+ optimize performance, making it easier to launch apps, but its App Lock function also adds a new layer of security by enabling you to lock any app you choose, whilst App Manager provides an instant fix for when an app isn’t behaving. The HTC 10 also includes the latest in-box quick charge 3.0 Rapid Charger with improved thermal management, so the battery can be charged by up to 50% in just 30 minutes – ideal for people who find their phone running low on juice before the end of the working day.

Controlled By You

By reducing the number of duplicative and pre-loaded apps and bloatware, and integrating the best of both HTC and Google, a more streamlined phone was created that enables you to decide what you want on your handset.

With HTC’s specially created new Freestyle Layout, you no longer have an on-screen grid that dictates the layout. Instead you can get creative by dragging icons, stickers and widgets anywhere you like. Layer them, group them, link stickers to apps or get rid of screen icons altogether, the choice is yours.

The latest version of HTC Themes also provides you with access to thousands of professional looking themes that each come with their own icons, backgrounds and sounds so you can customize your phone based on your own personal style.

[adrotate banner=”5″]

Accessories

To further streamline your experience, the HTC 10 smartphone offers an all-new HTC Ice View case with a semi-transparent and highly versatile single front-cover case. So when that next call or message comes in, or when you need to skip a track, or snap that perfect shot, you can do it with ease without opening your HTC 10’s case – Simplicity without sacrificing protection.

Color availability for the HTC Ice View case is Obsidian Black and will be retailing at RM159.00 / ~US$39 in all HTC retail stores.

HTC 10 Smartphone Price & Availability

the HTC 10 smartphone is available at all official retailers throughout the country and at 11street in two stunning color combinations: Carbon Grey and Topaz Gold, only for the price of RM2,799.00 / ~US$699. For those who want to buy from Amazon, you can check out the lowest price here.

Support Tech ARP!

If you like our work, you can help support our work by visiting our sponsors, participate in the Tech ARP Forums, or even donate to our fund. Any help you can render is greatly appreciated!

The ASUS ZenFone 3 Sneak Peek & Hands-On Preview

4 Replies

Intel may have abandoned the smartphone market, but ASUS soldiers on with their ZenFone brand of smartphones. Instead of Intel Atom processors, they are now powered by Qualcomm processors. But that’s not all that’s changed. The new ASUS ZenFone 3 family of smartphone now comes in 3 distinct models, and they all look markedly different.

This is a departure from the ASUS ZenFone 2 family, which featured a common ambidextrous design even when ASUS differentiated them into a multitude of different models. The new ASUS ZenFone 3, the phablet edition called ASUS ZenFone 3 Ultra, and the premium ASUS ZenFone 3 Deluxe all have very different designs, even when they share similar hardware features.

During the first day of Computex 2016, we had the opportunity to get some hands-on time with all three models. In this ASUS ZenFone 3 sneak peek, you will get to take a look at the three new models, as well as a comparison of their key specifications!

ASUS ZenFone 3 First Look

The ASUS ZenFone 3 is the mainstream model. Powered by the octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 running at 2.0 GHz, the ZenFone 3 comes with up to 4 GB of RAM and up to 64 GB of internal flash storage. It has a 5.5″ full HD Super IPS display, and Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection on both front and back.

Like the other ZenFone 3 models, it has an 8 MP front camera with f/2.0 lens. It also comes with the same 6P f/2.0 lens and second-generation laser auto-focusing system for the rear camera. However, it only comes with a 16 MP sensor.

ASUS ZenFone 3 Ultra First Look

The ASUS ZenFone 3 Ultra is a 6.8″ phablet with a full HD IPS display. Powered by the octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 652 running at 1.8 GHz, the ZenFone 3 Ultra comes with up to 4 GB of RAM and up to 128 GB of internal flash storage.

It has a front 8 MP camera with f/2.0 lens, but what’s really amazing is the new 23 MP rear camera with 6P f/2.0 lens. It also comes with the latest second-generation laser auto-focusing system. [adrotate banner=”5″]

ASUS ZenFone 3 Deluxe First Look

The ASUS ZenFone 3 Deluxe is the premium model, the world’s first smartphone with a full metal unibody with an invisble antenna design. Powered by the quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 running at 2.3 GHz, the ZenFone 3 Deluxe comes with up to 6 GB of RAM and up to 256 GB of internal flash storage.

The ZenFone 3 Deluxe comes with a 5.7″ full HD Super AMOLED display. It has a front 8 MP camera with f/2.0 lens, but the new 23 MP rear camera with 6P f/2.0 lens is the main attraction. It also comes with the latest second-generation laser auto-focusing system.

Next Page > Specification Comparison Of The ZenFone 3, ZenFone 3 Ultra & ZenFone 3 Deluxe

Support Tech ARP!

If you like our work, you can help support our work by visiting our sponsors, participate in the Tech ARP Forums, or even donate to our fund. Any help you can render is greatly appreciated!

ASUS ZenFone 3 Specifications Comparison

For your convenience, we compared the specifications of all three ASUS ZenFone 3 models. Check it out :

Specifications	ZenFone 3 Deluxe (ZS570KL)‏	ZenFone 3 Ultra (ZU680KL)	ZenFone 3 ‏(ZE552KL)‏
Display	5.7" Super AMOLED (1920 x 1080 pixels, 386 ppi) 79% screen-to-body ratio 3,000,000 : 1 contrast ratio ASUS TruVivid technology Bluelight Filter	6.8" IPS display full-screen lamination (1920 x 1080 pixels, 324 ppi) 79% screen-to-body ratio 178˚wide-viewing angle ASUS TruVivid technology Bluelight Filter	5.5" Super IPS+ display (1920 x 1080 pixels, 401 ppi) 500 nits brightness 77.3% screen-to-body ratio 2.1mm slim bezel
Protection	Corning Gorilla Glass 4	Corning Gorilla Glass 4	2.5D contoured Corning Gorilla Glass
Operating System	Android 6.0 Marshmallow ASUS ZenUI 3.0	Android 6.0 Marshmallow ASUS ZenUI 3.0	Android 6.0 Marshmallow ASUS ZenUI 3.0
SoC Platform	Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 (MSM8996)	Qualcomm Snapdragon 652 (MSM8976)	Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 (MSM8953)
Processor	Quad-core Kyro (2.15 GHz)	4 x ARM Cortex-A72 (1.8 GHz) 4 x ARM Cortex-A53 (1.4 GHz)	4 x ARM Cortex-A53 (2.0 GHz) 4 x ARM Cortex-A53 (1.4 GHz)
Graphics Processor	Qualcomm Adreno 530 (624 MHz)	Qualcomm Adreno 510	Qualcomm Adreno 506
Memory	Up to 6 GB	Up to 4 GB LPDDR3	Up to 4 GB LPDDR3
Storage	Up to 128 GB (UFS 2.0) internal flash storage microSD slot (Supports up to 2 TB)	Up to 128 GB internal flash storage microSD slot (Supports up to 2 TB)	Up to 64 GB internal flash storage microSD slot (Supports up to 2 TB)
Front Camera	8 MP, f/2.0 aperture 85˚ wide-viewing angle, Auto Focus	8 MP, f/2.0 aperture 85˚ wide-viewing angle, Auto Focus	8 MP, f/2.0 aperture, Fixed Focus
Rear Camera	23 MP Sony IMX318 sensor 0.03 second TriTech auto-focus 6P Largan f/2.0 aperture lens 4 Stop OIS (Optical Image Stabilization) 3-Axis EIS (Electronic Image Stabilization) Dual-LED real tone flash Sapphire lens protection	23 MP Sony IMX318 sensor 0.03 second TriTech auto-focus 6P Largan f/2.0 aperture lens 32 second long exposure 4 Stop OIS (Optical Image Stabilization) 3-Axis EIS (Electronic Image Stabilization) Dual-LED real tone flash	16 MP Sony IMX298 sensor 0.03 second TriTech auto-focus 6P Largan f/2.0 aperture lens 32 second long exposure 4 Stop OIS (Optical Image Stabilization) 3-Axis EIS (Electronic Image Stabilization) Dual-LED real tone flash Sapphire lens protection
Connectivity	FDD Band 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 7 / 8 / 12 / 17 / 18 / 19 / 20 / 26 / 28 / 29 / 30 LTE Cat. 13 (600 Mbps / 150 Mbps) UMTS: Band: 1/2/4/5/6/8/19 GSM: 850/900/1800/1900 Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac USB 3.0 Type-C, BT4.2 + A2DP + EDR GPS/A-GPS/GLONASS/BDSS	FDD Band 1 / 3 / 5 / 7 / 8 / 18 / 19 / 20 / 26 / 28 LTE Cat. 6 (300 Mbps / 50 Mbps) UMTS: B1/B2/B5/B6/B8/B19 GSM: 850/900/1800/1900 Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac USB 2.0 Type-C, BT4.2 + A2DP + EDR GPS/A-GPS/GLONASS/BDSS	FDD Band 1 / 2 / 3 / 5 / 7 / 8 / 20 LTE Cat. 6 (300 Mbps / 50 Mbps) UMTS: B1/B2/B5/B8 GSM: 850/900/1800/1900 Wi-Fi 802.11ac/USB 2.0 Type-C BT4.2/GPS/A-GPS/GLONASS/BDSS
Dual SIM capability	Dual SIM Dual Standby	Dual SIM Dual Standby	Dual SIM Dual Standby
Sensors	Accelerator / E-Compass / Gyroscope / Proximity sensor / Hall sensor / Ambient light sensor / RGB sensor / IR sensor	Accelerator / E-Compass / Gyroscope / Proximity sensor / Hall sensor / Ambient light sensor / RGB sensor / IR sensor	Accelerator / E-Compass / Gyroscope / Proximity sensor / Hall sensor / Ambient light sensor / RGB sensor / IR sensor
Fingerprint Sensor	Yes, rear mounted below camera bump	Yes, integrated with Home button	Yes, rear mounted below camera bump
Audio Capability	5 magnet speaker ASUS SonicMaster 3.0	Dual 5 magnet speakers ASUS SonicMaster 3.0 FM Radio	5 magnet speaker ASUS SonicMaster 3.0
Battery	3000 mAh	4600 mAh Talk time: 34 hrs (3G) Wi-Fi browsing (14.5 hrs) Video Playback (12.5 hrs)	3000 mAh
Fast Charging	18 W (9V, 2A) Adapter Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0 technology BoostMaster Fast Charging : 60% battery capacity in 39 minutes	18 W (9V, 2A) Adapter Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0 technology BoostMaster Fast Charging : 60% battery capacity in 45 minutes	10 W (5V, 2A) Adapter
Size	156.4 mm tall x 77.4 mm wide x 4.2 ~ 7.5 mm thick	186.4 mm tall x 93.9 mm wide x 6.8 mm thick	152.59 mm tall x 77.38 mm wide x 7.69 mm thick
Weight	170 g	233 g	155 g
Available Colours	Metal finish: Glacier Silver Titanium Gray Shimmer Gold	Metal finish: Glacier Silver Titanium Gray Metallic Pink	Glass finish: Sapphire Black Moonlight White Shimmer Gold Aqua Blue

[adrotate banner=”5″]

Support Tech ARP!

If you like our work, you can help support our work by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or even donating to our fund. Any help you can render is greatly appreciated!

The HTC 10 Smartphone Launched With Two OIS Cameras

London – 12 April 2016 – HTC has today unveiled what it has been working on behind closed doors for the last 12 months, with the launch of its latest smartphone. With customer feedback an integral part of the development process, combined with an obsessive attention to detail, the HTC 10 smartphone delivers everything that you would want from a flagship device.

Playing to the Power of 10 – symbolizing greatness and independence but also that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts – this newest addition to the HTC phone family combines a world class camera with gold standard audio, bold new metal unibody design and unparalleled performance.

HTC 10 Smartphone – Designed to Perfection

Inspired by light and sculpted to perfection, the HTC 10 smartphone employs a new approach to design where bold contours are carved out of solid metal. Capturing the light beautifully, the chamfered edges boast a slimmer, more slender look with its full glass front merging seamlessly into the metal body.

Passionate about the small details, it’s not just the materials that come under scrutiny when we create a new handset. With the HTC 10, our design teams worked tirelessly to build a phone where the power button has been beautifully crafted, where the speakers deliver a sleeker look and better sound quality and where the fingerprint sensor recognizes your finger from almost any angle.

It is also important that we got the build absolutely right. Mercilessly engineered to handle everyday knocks, bumps and scratches, the HTC 10 was subjected to over 168 hours of extreme temperature tests, ranging from a freezing -20’C to a scorching 60’C, plus over 10,000 drop, bend, scratch and corrosion tests.

World-class camera!

With HTC 10 smartphone, HTC has delivered what they believe to be the best smartphone camera available on the market today. With the world’s first optically stabilized, larger aperture f/1.8 lenses on both the front and rear cameras, new larger sensors, 12 million of our new generation UltraPixels (1.55um per pixel), faster laser autofocus powering the main camera and a wide angle lens and screen flash on the front UltraSelfie camera, this smartphone delivers brilliantly sharp, low light and high-resolution photos whether behind or in front of the lens.

With the camera designed to launch in as little as 0.6 seconds, and a 2nd generation laser autofocus that gives you focused shots faster, it’s quick enough to even work in burst mode. All the settings are also conveniently located at your fingertips with Pro Mode still offering advanced options for more experienced photographers, including RAW format functionality.

Boasting a DxOMark score of 88*, this is one of the highest camera quality scores of any smartphone to date and is the result of tens of thousands of hours spent fine tuning each element to deliver world-class photos and videos.

Best in sight, best in sound

But it’s not just the imaging that puts this smartphone at the top of its game – the HTC 10 smartphone combines vivid 4K video with the world’s first stereo 24-bit Hi-Res audio recording, capturing 256 times more detail than standard recordings, across twice the frequency range and enabling you to bring to life your recorded content as if you were actually there in person.

Built for audiophiles, the HTC 10 smartphone is certified for Hi-Res audio and has been designed to make music sound the way that the artist intended. A headphone amp that delivers two times the power of a conventional headphone amp, the ability to upscale from 16-bit to 24-bit audio and high performance digital to analogue conversion combine beautifully to produce ten times lower distortion than other devices on the market, delivering an all round audio performance that cannot be beaten.

Everyone hears things differently, which is why the HTC 10’s all-new Personal Audio Profile system enhances your audio experience even further. By creating a unique profile that is tuned to your individual hearing, it dynamically adjusts specific sound frequencies to each ear, allowing you to hear music the way that the artist intended. Re-engineered HTC BoomSound Hi-Fi edition speakers feature the same separated tweeter and woofer design as leading acoustic systems and combine with a dedicated amplifier on each speaker, adding to the experience and delivering sound clarity unprecedented on a smartphone.

Great audio deserves great earphones so we have made sure that our flagship phone comes with the best Hi-Res audio certified inbox earphones yet. Featuring an 8µm thin aerospace polymer diaphragm and 70% oversized drivers, the listener is treated to richer sound and twice the frequency range, enabling you to enjoy the best audio experience right from the get go.

[adrotate banner=”5″]

Performance at its Best

Whilst the HTC 10 smartphone nails it on the hardware, HTC has also delivered what they believe to be best in class software by focusing on getting the fundamentals right. With apps that launch twice as fast and that perform to the highest standard and a next generation quad HD display that is 30% more colourful, creating a true cinematic feel, and that is 50% more responsive to touch than its predecessor, even the smallest and fastest of finger movements track perfectly.

This attention to detail doesn’t stop there! With security high on people’s agendas, they created a fingerprint scanner, which unlocks in a lightening fast 0.2 seconds and which has been algorithmically designed to recognise you faster and more accurately over time.

Engineered from the inside out to last longer, the HTC 10 smartphone boasts the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon processor with enhanced 4G LTE. Each device also comes with Boost+ which is designed to make your phone faster, to consume less power and to provide effective security and applications management features. This includes smart boost, which automatically optimises your memory, a game battery booster, which uses less battery during gameplay, and a new PowerBotics system, which auto detects and shuts down apps that use excessive power, improving battery life by 30% and delivering up to two days charge.

Not only does Boost+ optimize performance, making it easier to launch apps, but its App Lock function also adds a new layer of security by enabling you to lock any app you choose, whilst App Manager provides an instant fix for when an app isn’t behaving.

The HTC 10 also includes the latest in-box quick charge 3.0 Rapid Charger with improved thermal management, so the battery can be charged by up to 50% in just 30 minutes – ideal for people who find their phone running low on juice before the end of the working day.

Controlled by You!

By reducing the number of duplicative and pre-loaded apps and bloatware, and integrating the best of both HTC and Google, we have created a more streamlined phone that enables you to decide what you want on your handset.

With HTC’s specially created new Freestyle Layout, you no longer have an on-screen grid that dictates the layout. Instead you can get creative by dragging icons, stickers and widgets anywhere you like. Layer them, group them, link stickers to apps or get rid of screen icons altogether, the choice is yours.

The latest version of HTC Themes also provides you with access to thousands of professional looking themes that each come with their own icons, backgrounds and sounds so you can customize your phone based on your own personal style.

HTC 10 Accessories and Availability

To further streamline your experience, the HTC 10 smartphone offers an all-new Ice View case with a semi-transparent and highly versatile single front-cover case. So when that next call or message comes in, or when you need to skip a track, or snap that perfect shot, you can do it without even opening your smartphone’s case. It’s simplicity, without sacrificing protection.

The HTC 10 smartphone will come in two variants with different Qualcomm Snapdragon processors to cater for different market needs. They will both offer the same design, audio, camera and display, with a similar software experience and battery life.

The HTC 10 smartphone will be available from April 2016 in four stunning color combinations: Carbon Grey, Glacier Silver, Topaz Gold and Camellia Red.

[adrotate banner=”5″]

HTC 10 Smartphone Specifications

SIZE: 145.9 x 71.9 x 3.0 – 9.0mm
WEIGHT: 161 g
DISPLAY: 5.2 inch, Quad HD (2560 x 1440 pixels, 564 pixels per inch) Super LCD with curved-edge Gorilla Glass

PLATFORM

Android 6 with HTC Sense

PROCESSOR

Qualcomm Snapdragon 820
Quad-core, 64-bit, up to 2.2Ghz

MEMORY

Total storage: 32GB or 64GB (available capacity varies)
RAM: 4GB
Expandable: microSD expansion supports additional memory cards up to 2TB with Flex Storage (optional cards not included)

CAMERA
Main Camera

12MP HTC UltraPixel 2 (1.55 µm pixel size)
Laser autofocus
BSI sensor
Optical Image Stabilization (OIS)
f/1.8 aperture, 26mm focal length
Dual tone LED flash
4K video recording with Hi-Res Audio
Slow motion video recording at 720p, 120fps
Modes include Auto-HDR, Panorama, Pro mode with manual control and 12-bit RAW format support, Hyperlapse, Zoe capture, Video Pic, and continuous shooting up to 8fps

Front Camera

5MP (1.34 µm pixel size)
Autofocus
BSI sensor
Optical Image Stabilization (OIS)
f/1.8 aperture, 23 mm focal length
Full HD 1080p video recording
Modes include Auto-HDR, Auto Selfie, Voice Selfie, and Live Make-Up

SOUND

HTC BoomSound Hi-Fi Edition
Dolby Audio 4
Personal Audio Profile
Hi-Res Audio certified
Hi-Res Audio earphones
Hi-Res Audio stereo recording
Three microphones with noise cancelation

NETWORK
2G/2.5G GSM/GPRS/EDGE:

850/900/1800/1900 MHz
800/850/1800/1900 MHz (Japan)

3G UMTS
Varies by region

850/900/1900/2100 MHz
850/AWS/900/2100 MHz (America)

CDMA

800/1900 with EvDO Rev. A (America)

4G LTE (up to 450Mbps)
Varies by region

Asia/Europe: FDD B1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 20, 28, 32; TDD B38, 40, 41
America: FDD B1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 12, 13, 17, 20, 28, 29, 30
Japan: FDD: B1, 3, 5, 7, 13, 17, 19, 21, 26; TDD B38, 41
Support Cat 9 LTE: downloads up to 450Mbps, uploads up to 50Mbps

SIM

Nano SIM

SENSORS

Ambient light sensor
Proximity sensor
Motion G-sensor
Compass sensor
Gyro sensor
Magnetic sensor
Fingerprint sensor
Sensor Hub for activity tracking

LOCATION
Varies by region

GPS + GLONASS + Beidou (Europe and Asia)
GPS + GLONASS (America and Japan)

CONNECTIVITY

USB 3.1 Gen1, Type-C
3.5mm stereo audio jack
Bluetooth 4.2
Wi-Fi: 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (2.4 & 5GHz)
NFC
DisplayPort
DNLA
Miracast
Google Cast
AirPlay
HTC Connect for wirelessly streaming media from the phone to compatible multi-room audio systems, TVs, portable speakers and home entertainment systems

BATTERY

Capacity: 3000mAh
Talk time on 3G/4G: up to 27 hours
Standby time on 3G/4G: up to 19 days
Power saving mode
Extreme power saving mode
Quick Charge 3.0 with cool charge: up to 50% charge in 30 minutes

ADDITIONAL FEATURES

Display color personalization
Ice View case
Motion Launch
Quiet ring on pick-up
Pocket mode

Support Tech ARP!

If you like our work, you can help support our work by visiting our sponsors, participate in the Tech ARP Forums, or even donate to our fund. Any help you can render is greatly appreciated!

Samsung Galaxy S7 edge – Unboxing & First Impressions

1 Reply

We hope you enjoyed our extensive coverage of the new Samsung Galaxy S7 edge (Amazon), from the preview, our first opportunity to try it out with the Gear VR and the smashing launch with Korean superstar, Lee Kwang-soo. But nothing beats having the real thing at hand, and today, we will share with you the unboxing of the Samsung Galaxy S7 edge, and our first impressions!

This is just a preview. Please read our full review of the Samsung Galaxy S7 edge instead!

Unboxing The Galaxy S7 edge

The Samsung Galaxy S7 edge (Amazon) comes in a very classy black cardboard box, with the storage capacity and colour printed on a gold-coloured label on the upper right corner. In this video, we open up the Galaxy S7 edge box and take a look inside.

Inside, you will find the following items :

One Samsung Galaxy S7 edge smartphone
One Samsung 15 W adaptive fast charging travel charger
One micro-USB to USB 2.0 cable
One USB OTG adaptor
One pair of Samsung earphones with spare set of earbuds
One SIM card slot extractor
One Quick Start Guide (in English and Mandarin)
One set of Warranty Cards & Regional Lock Guide
One OTG adaptor manual (in English and Mandarin)

[adrotate banner=”5″]

Specification Comparison

The Samsung Galaxy S7 edge (Amazon) comes in two variants – one powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 quad-core processor, and another variant powered by the Samsung Exynos 8890 octa-core processor. Let’s compare their specifications with their predecessor, the Samsung Galaxy S6 edge.

Specifications	Samsung Galaxy S7 edge (Qualcomm Variant)	Samsung Galaxy S7 edge (Exynos Variant)	Samsung Galaxy S6 edge
Display	5.5" Super AMOLED dual-edge display - 1440 x 2560 pixels (534 ppi)		5.1" Super AMOLED dual-edge display - 1440 x 2560 pixels (577 ppi)
Protection	Corning Gorilla Glass 4 (front & back panels)
Operating System (At Launch)	Android 6.0 Marshmallow		Android 5.0 Lollipop
System Platform	Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 (MSM8996) - 2.15 GHz ARM Kyro x 2 - 1.59 GHz ARM Kyro x 2 - Qualcomm Adreno 530 GPU	Samsung Exynos 8890 Octa - 2.3 GHz Samsung Mongoose x 4 - 1.5 GHz ARM Cortex-A53 x 4 - ARM Mali T880 GPU	Samsung Exynos 7420 - 2.1 GHz ARM Cortex-A57 x 4 - 1.5 GHz ARM Cortex-A53 x 4 - ARM Mali T760 GPU
Memory	4 GB LPDDR4 SDRAM		3 GB LPDDR4 SDRAM
Storage Options	32 GB / 64 GB internal flash storage One microSD slot (shared with SIM 2) - supports up to 200 GB		32 GB / 64 GB / 128 GB internal flash storage No microSD slot
Front Camera	5 MP sensor with f/1.7 lens		5 MP sensor with f/1.9 lens
Rear Camera	12 MP Sony / Samsung (1.4 µm) sensor with f/1.7 lens, optical image stabilisation (OIS) and LED flash		16 MP Sony / Samsung sensor (1.1 µm) with f/1.9 lens, optical image stabilisation (OIS) and LED flash
Dual SIM capability	Hybrid dual SIM (dual active capability) - SIM 2 + microSD shared slot	Hybrid dual SIM (dual standby capability) - SIM 2 + microSD shared slot	None, single SIM only
Connectivity	Network : LTE Cat. 12/13 (600 / 150 Mbps) WiFi : 802.11a/b/g/n/ac (2.4 GHz & 5 GHz), MIMO (2 x 2) Bluetooth : Version 4.1 LE, ANT+ Others : USB 2.0, NFC, GPS	Network : LTE Cat. 8 (450 / 50 Mbps) WiFi : 802.11a/b/g/n/ac (2.4 GHz & 5 GHz), MIMO (2 x 2) Bluetooth : Version 4.2 LE, ANT+ Others : USB 2.0, NFC, GPS	Network : LTE Cat. 6 (300 / 50 Mbps) WiFi : 802.11a/b/g/n/ac (2.4 GHz & 5 GHz), MIMO (2 x 2) Bluetooth : Version 4.1 LE, ANT+ Others : USB 2.0, NFC, IR Remote, GPS
Sensors	Accelerometer, Proximity, RGB Light, Geo-magnetic, Gyro, Fingerprint, Barometer, Hall, HRM
Water & Dust Resistance	IP68		None
Battery	3,600 mAh lithium-ion battery (non-removable) - fast charging capability (wired & wireless) - wireless charging (Qi and PMA)		2,600 mAh lithium-ion battery (non-removable) - fast charging capability (wired only) - wireless charging (Qi and PMA)
Dimensions	150.9 mm tall 72.6 mm wide 7.7 mm thick		142.1 mm tall 70.1 mm wide 7.0 mm thick
Weight	157 g		132 g
Colour Options	Black Onyx, Silver Titanium, Gold Platinum		White Pearl, Black Sapphire, Gold Platinum, Green Emerald

The Samsung Galaxy S7 edge model we have is the South East Asian model, that is powered by the Samsung Exynos 8890 and has a hybrid dual SIM slot. Now, let’s take a closer look!

Next Page > A Closer Look, Initial Setup

Support Tech ARP!

If you like our work, you can help support our work by visiting our sponsors, participate in the Tech ARP Forums, or even donate to our fund. Any help you can render is greatly appreciated!

Close Look At The Samsung Galaxy S7 edge

Superficially, the Samsung Galaxy S7 edge (Amazon) looks very similar to the Samsung Galaxy S6 edge. The Galaxy S7 edge is taller and slightly wider, and has double-curved edges. Just like its predecessor, it has the Volume buttons on the left, a Power button on the right and a Home button which doubles as a fingerprint sensor.

The SIM and microSD card slot is located at the top. This is a hybrid slot, in which SIM 2 doubles as a microSD card slot. You can choose to either use a second SIM card, or a microSD card; but not both at the same time. The earphone port is located at the bottom, near the USB 2.0 and microphone ports.

Samsung improved the front camera slightly, giving it a faster f/1.7 lens, giving it better low-light performance. The rear camera also comes with f/1.7 lens, but drops the 16 MP sensor for a 12 MP sensor with Dual Pixel autofocus technology. This allows for faster and more accurate focusing by using every effective pixel on the sensor for phase-detection autofocus.

This video gives you a quick tour of the various aspects of the new Samsung Galaxy S7 edge (Amazon) smartphone. Take a look :

[adrotate banner=”5″]

Initial Setup

When you power up the Samsung Galaxy S7 edge (Amazon) for the first time, it will take about 23 seconds to boot up. If you set it up as a fresh device, it will take no more than 5 minutes to complete the initial setup. Check out our video on the initial setup process, and a quick look at some of its software features.

We are working on the full review of the Samsung Galaxy S7 edge (Amazon), which will be out shortly. In the meantime, enjoy some pictures we took of the Galaxy S7 edge powered up!

This is just a preview. Please read our full review of the Samsung Galaxy S7 edge instead!

Support Tech ARP!

If you like our work, you can help support our work by visiting our sponsors, participate in the Tech ARP Forums, or even donate to our fund. Any help you can render is greatly appreciated!

Samsung Galaxy S7 edge Smartphone Revealed

8 Replies

This morning, Tech ARP was invited to an exclusive media preview of the Samsung Galaxy S7 edge smartphone. This is a sneak peek as the Galaxy S7 edge will only be available in Malaysia from the 18th of March 2016 onwards.

Check out the exclusive details we squeezed from Samsung Malaysia, and take a look at the video and pictures we took at the event!

Samsung Galaxy S7 edge Revealed

Samsung Malaysia’s Mobile Division Product Manager, Go Benn Lee, kicked off the big reveal with a presentation on what’s new in the Samsung Galaxy S7 edge smartphone. Check it out!

Later, we managed to browbeat him into answering some questions about the Samsung Galaxy S7 edge. Check out what we found out :

One Model, Three Colours

Samsung Malaysia will only bring in a single model – the Samsung Galaxy S7 edge with 32 GB of internal storage. The Galaxy S7 edge will come in three colours though – Black Onyx, Silver Titanium and Gold Platinum.

They made this decision based on the popularity of the Galaxy S6 edge and Galaxy S6 edge+. They also chose not to offer larger storage capacities because the Galaxy S7 edge comes with a microSD slot, which supports up to 200 GB of additional storage.

This does not mean that the Samsung Galaxy S7 will never make it to Malaysia. That is still a possibility.

It’s The Exynos Processor

[adrotate banner=”4″]Samsung is using two different processors for the Galaxy S7 edge – the Qualcomm Snapdragon 820, and their own Exynos 8890. Samsung revealed earlier that international versions of the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge would use the Snapdragon 820 processor, while those sold in South Korea will feature the Samsung Exynos 8890 instead.

Today, we can confirm that the Galaxy S7 edge smartphones to be sold here in Malaysia will feature Samsung’s own Exynos 8890 processor. In other words, we will be getting the South Korean model.

Pre-Order & Special Bundle

Samsung Malaysia is preparing a pre-order opportunity, which could possibly coincide with a media event scheduled for the evening of March 17th. We will keep you updated on this.

You may be wondering if Samsung is going to throw in a free Gear VR headset with every Samsung Galaxy S7 edge smartphone. Well, we tried our best to weasel out something… anything… but they were very coy. They would neither acknowledge or deny that such a bundle would be forthcoming. They however assured us that it will be “a very special offer” that will make us go “WOW!” 😀

Next Page > First Look At The Samsung Galaxy S7 edge Smartphone

Support Tech ARP!

If you like our work, you can help support out work by visiting our sponsors, participate in the Tech ARP Forums, or even donate to our fund. Any help you can render is greatly appreciated!

The Samsung Galaxy S7 edge

The new Samsung Galaxy S7 edge smartphone has a 5.5″ display but looks and feels like a 5″ device. This is due to the virtually bezel-less edges. And if you loved the Galaxy S6 edge’s curves, you will love the dual curved edges of the Galaxy S7 edge.

The Galaxy S7 edge retains the Galaxy S6 edge’s front camera, but uses the 12 megapixel Sony IMX260 sensor with Dual Pixel autofocus capability, paired with a much faster (brighter) f/1.7 lens. What this means is not only better low-light performance, but near-instantaneous focusing in the dark or with moving subjects.

The Samsung Galaxy S7 edge‘s other two “killer features” would be its IP68 dust- and water-resistance rating, and its Hybrid SIM capability. You can take the Galaxy S7 for a swim at an instant – there is no need to prepare it in any way. Just jump right in! Too bad the Galaxy S7 edge does NOT support USB-C. That would have been another nice feature to have.

It also comes with two SIM slots, the second of which doubles as a microSD slot that supports up to 200 GB of additional storage. In other words, you can either use a second SIM card, or a microSD card, not both. Still, this is an improvement over the Galaxy S6 edge for many users.

The Galaxy S7 edge also features an “Always-on Display“, which shows basic information like the time, date, battery life and notifications at all times. This allows you to check those information at a glance. The Galaxy S7 edge will also feature an improved Edge Screen, which now offers more options and twice the width for more widgets / shortcuts.

The Samsung Galaxy S7 edge supports fast charging in both wired and wireless mode, just like the Samsung Galaxy Note5. But you may not need that as much because the Galaxy S7 edge comes with a large 3,600 mAh battery – 1,000 mAh (38.5%) more than the 2,600 mAh battery in the Galaxy S6 edge!

To top it off, Samsung listened to our complaints of the Galaxy S6 edge getting really hot, especially when taking photos and recording videos. They somehow managed to squeeze in a heatpiped cooler to better dissipate heat from the internal components.

Excited? So Are We!

We can’t wait to get our hands on the Samsung Galaxy S7 edge! If you are eager to get one yourself, be sure to check back because we will have more details and coverage for you. A media event has already been scheduled for the evening and night of March 17th. You can count on us to be there. If you want live updates, make sure you like our Facebook page!

Support Tech ARP!

If you like our work, you can help support out work by visiting our sponsors, participate in the Tech ARP Forums, or even donate to our fund. Any help you can render is greatly appreciated!

Exit mobile version