It’s been a few months since we got the latest Galaxy S24 series, featuring the powerful Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 SoC. The launch offers may have expired, but, there are new special deals on all three smartphones, including the Galaxy S24, Galaxy S24+, and Galaxy S24 Ultra. There’s a big chance to save the most if you consider the new deals on the Galaxy S24 series. You may be able to save up to $1000 if you trade in your old smartphone.

Apart from the direct discount on the Galaxy S24 series if you buy the smartphone outright, there are some massive discounts on the trade-in deals. That’s where you can unlock maximum savings. You may get the Galaxy S24 and Galaxy S24+ for free from three different US-based carriers if opt for 24-month lock-in deals. Let’s dive into deals, so you can save the most:

Explained: Deals on Samsung Galaxy S24, Galaxy S24 Plus and Galaxy S24 Ultra in the US

AT&T

Get Galaxy S24 for $11/m

There’s an offer from AT&T where users can get a Galaxy S24 for the price of $11/month without any extra. Additionally, if you wish to add another line, you can get it for a mere $6 per month. In total, you are getting two Galaxy S24s for $17/month.

AT&T is offering the Galaxy S24+ fora free if you trade in your old device and upgrade to an eligible plan.

The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra is available with an over $1000 discount with an eligible trade-in.

Verizon

Get Free Galaxy S24

Verizon is offering three different deals on the Galaxy S24: get it for free if you add in a new line, trade in on a new line, or trade in on an upgrade.

For the Galaxy S24+, the user can get it for $5.55/month for 36 months if they get a new line or upgrade to a compatible plan.

Best Buy

Best Buy is offering a $100 discount on the Galaxy S24 if you grab it for $700 and use Activate Today.

Amazon

Amazon is offering the Galaxy S24, and the user can get the $800 device for five payments of $160 and 24 payments of $33.33.

The shopping giant is currently offering $100 off on the Galaxy S24+ on all storage models.

Samsung.com

Samsung seems to be offering $600 in credit by trading in an old smartphone. Moreover, the discounts can increase if you buy select accessories with your purchase.

Meanwhile, the Galaxy S24 Ultra is available for $1300, with a 512 GB model and 1 TB for $1420.

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In 2019, AT&T experienced a data leak impacting around 70 million current and former customers. The leak included personal details like names, addresses, phone numbers, birth dates, social security numbers, and passcodes.

Responding to the issue, AT&T has reset passcodes for 7.6 million current customers. This measure is one of several taken by the company to address the breach. Despite the data being encrypted, there were concerns about the security of these passcodes.

AT&T has launched an investigation with cybersecurity experts to better understand the recent data leak. The information appears to be from 2019 or earlier. AT&T has stated that there is no evidence of unauthorized access to its systems resulting from the incident.

To help those affected, AT&T is offering credit monitoring services. They’ve also set up a special webpage providing customers with information on how to keep their accounts safe.

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Keeping our personal information private is very important to many of us. But in today’s digital world, it’s hard to say we’re doing a great job of it. All of our information is online, either because we put it there or not. Of course, this information isn’t in immediate danger. After all, the companies that have our information and the government are supposed to protect it, right? Well, it seems that’s not always the case. An investigation shows that AT&T and the US government have been spying on millions of Americans for years. Here are the details…

Investigation reveals AT&T and US government have been spying on millions of Americans for years

In the pursuit of crime prevention and culprit identification, would you be bothered by phone tapping? After all, you haven’t committed any crimes, right? So, there’s nothing to worry about. This reasoning is often used by individuals and countries worldwide to justify civilian surveillance when it comes to fighting crime. It appears that the U.S. government is no exception, and it’s even partnering with AT&T, the country’s largest telecommunications provider, for this purpose.

The government’s partnership with AT&T has resulted in the Data Analytical Services or DAS, a telecommunications surveillance program. This program allows federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies to access information from Americans’ phone calls. DAS is the largest telephone record collection program known to date, gathering over a trillion call records annually.

The DAS program receives funding from the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, with over $6.1 million allocated since 2013. Notably, the program has faced scrutiny from Senator Ron Wyden and privacy advocates, who claim it infringes on Americans’ privacy rights and lacks legal authorization. Despite these challenges, the White House contends that the program is crucial for law enforcement efforts to investigate and prevent crime.

The program’s future is uncertain, with Senator Wyden introducing legislation to shut it down, though passage remains uncertain. The Biden administration is currently reviewing the program, and a decision about its continuation is pending. In the words of a memorable line from the TV series “Person of Interest,” it’s certain that, “you are being watched.”

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(via/source)

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RCS (Rich Communication Services) technology is an advanced messaging protocol designed to enhance the functionality and user experience of traditional SMS messaging. It allows users to send messages with features such as read receipts, typing indicators, high-resolution media sharing, and group chats. RCS also supports features like video calling, file sharing, and location sharing, bringing it closer to the capabilities of other popular messaging apps. Unlike SMS, RCS operates over data networks and requires support from both the mobile device and the carrier. It aims to provide a richer and more interactive messaging experience for users across different devices and networks. Google and Apple have previously clashed regarding using RCS as a standard for smartphone messaging, with Apple choosing to remain out of this. As per the latest news, popular US telecom operator, AT&T has started utilizing Google‘s Jibe platform for RCS-powered messaging.

Google acquired Jibe Mobile in the year 2015

While all mobile carriers support RCS, some, like AT&T, have relied on their own backend systems instead of Google’s Jibe platform. However, a lot of customers will be extremely happy as AT&T has recently announced its transition to the Jibe platform, aligning with other carriers and promising a superior RCS messaging experience for its customers. This transition brings a lot of perks, as users had previously criticized AT&T’s servers for a subpar RCS messaging experience. Shifting their users to Google’s tried-and-tested solution is expected to improve performance and reliability across the board. Moreover, AT&T’s default messaging system will now harness the power of the Jibe platform, ensuring that users can enjoy the “latest RCS features instantly,” as highlighted by Google SVP Hiroshi Lockheimer in the tweet.

Google has been working diligently to enhance RCS since acquiring Jibe Mobile in 2015. Along the way, they encountered obstacles, including resistance from carriers. However, it seems that all parties (well, most of them) have finally aligned their interests. Users can verify if their Messages app is utilizing Jibe by navigating to the app’s Settings, tapping RCS chats and scrolling to the bottom of the page.

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(Via)

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AT&T has just helped in making a major breakthrough in telecommunications technology and has reached a notable milestone. The company’s technology was used to make the first ever space based voice call from a regular smartphone.

While phone calls as a technology is more than a century old, there are still many breakthroughs in this segment. Now, the known telecom based company has helped make the first phone call from space on a Samsung Galaxy S22 model. This milestone was achieved by AST SpaceMobile, which is a firm that is working on building the first ever space based cellular broadband network and managed to make the first two way voice call directly to a regular smartphone using its proprietary satellite technology.

But this wasn’t reached alone, since the company made this space call over the AT&T spectrum using an unmodified Samsung Galaxy S22. Going into the details, AST SpaceMobile utilized its own technology and the BlueWalker 3 satellite to complete establish a direct voice connection from space to a device connected to the traditional cellular network. The company’s engineers managed to make this unique voice call from Midland, Texas area to Rakuten in Japan thanks to AT&T spectrum.

Chris Sambar, Head of AT&T Network stated that “AT&T’s heritage began with the birth of the telephone 147 years ago and has continued with many other firsts including: trans continental call, overseas call, call from the moon, and partnering to deliver the only network built with and for America’s first responders. We connect people to greater possibility, and this important milestone with AST SpaceMobile is a big step and we can’t wait to see what’s next in our space based journey.”

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(Via)

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US Carrier AT&T has announced a new affordable 5G smartphone for its customers in its home country. The device is officially called AT&T Fusion 5G. The handset was initially said to support mmWave 5G but it actually doesn’t. Users will be limited to sub-6GHz 5G like most budget 5G phones.

The newly unveiled AT&T Fusion 5G is priced at $219.99 or $6.12 per month with no trade-in in the US. It will be available for purchase from Friday, January 7.

As far as specifications are concerned, the telecom operator hasn’t revealed much about the smartphone. However, Digital Trends has mentioned some of the primary specs in their story.

According to the publication, the AT&T Fusion 5G is powered by a MediaTek Dimensity 700 SoC. This chipset is paired with 4GB RAM and 64GB storage. If needed, the storage can be further expanded via a MicroSD card slot.

Further, the handset sports a 6.82-inch HD+ (720 x 1640 pixels) display with a dewdrop notch and a huge chin. The screen is most likely an LCD panel though the telecom giant hasn’t disclosed it.

It has a fingerprint sensor and a quad-camera setup on the back consisting of a 48MP primary sensor, an 8MP ultra-wide unit, a 2MP macro snapper, and a 2MP depth sensor. For selfies and video calls, it uses a 13 MP shooter that resides inside the notch.

Connectivity options on the phone include dual-band WiFi, Bluetooth 5.1, NFC, USB Type-C, and 3.5mm headphone jack. Finally, it runs Android 11 backed by a 4,750mAh battery with support for fast charging (charged included in the box) and wireless charging.

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Out of all the innovative frauds, Muhammad Fahd, a Pakistan and Grenada national, will be known for his daring approach of continued ploying even when he knew authorities were after him. Department of Justice says that Fahd who unlocked 1.9 million AT&T customers’ phones has been sentenced to 12 years in prison.

The story was unfolded in a news release from the DOJ where it was revealed that Muhammad Fahd approached an AT&T employee on Facebook and offered him a good amount of money in return for a favor from him that’d help Fahd unlock AT&T phones.  Unlocking the device would free customers from AT&T’s services and any additional payments associated with that.

Fahd is said to have persuaded alias Frank Zhang to bring more workers on board at its call center in Bothell, Washington in order to run a full-fledged business based on this. Customers were duped into believing that all this was authentic as Fahd cleverly set phony bank accounts, fictitious invoices, etc., giving an impression that everything was legitimate.

Learning the incidents and loopholes, AT&T established a new unlocking system in 2013 that made breaching a touch job. But man was in no mood to stop and hired a developer to sneak into AT&T’s systems and help him unlock phones more efficiently. The DOJ says, AT&T employees gave him details about the company’s systems and unlocking methods to help exploit the company. The malware deployed by Fahd & crew is said to have obtained information about the system and other AT&T employees’ access credentials, allowing the developer to further mutate the malware.

The 7-year-long saga of unlocking nearly 2 million phones cost AT&T more than $200 million dollars. Fahd was later busted in Hong Kong in 2018 and extradited to the U.S. in 2019. He was later indicted for wire fraud.

More information on victims other than AT&T still remains a mystery as no incidents on a customer data breach or additional fraud ever came to light.

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[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dFDSz3yphB0[/embedyt]

(via)

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AT&T is preparing to shut down its 3G network in just five months from now, in February 2022, and the telco is not in the mood to leave behind its customer with no signal. 

In an interesting turn of events, AndroidPolice’s founder Artem Russakovskii received a Galaxy Note 9. The irony was that he didn’t have any clue about it; meanwhile, several Reddit users have been reporting the same incident where people have reported receiving a two-year-old Galaxy smartphone out of the blue. Well, many customers also received the Galaxy Note 10’s with communication from AT&T.

“We have not changed our plans to replace 3G network-dependent devices. However, inventory constraints mean we sometimes must find substitutes for some devices,” AT&T in a statement to consumers when inquired about the mysterious Galaxy Note’s. Moreover, AT&T confirmed to AndroidPolice that the new smartphones would be coming with the factory operating system.

Well, AT&T is preparing to shut down its 3G network in about 5 months, that’s February 2022, and the carrier doesn’t want its customers to be stuck with no signal messages. So, AT&T seems to be upgrading their customers’ hardware to something compatible with atleast 4G networks. 

T Mobile will offer free 5G upgrades to customers using the 3G CDMA network upon shutdown. However, it’s not clear if T Mobile will be offering hardware upgrades or not. Meanwhile, Verizon has given its users quite a lot of time to figure out their contingency plan.

According to the report, Ma Bell is offering like-for-like platform replacement to its consumers for quite some time now. The Flip phone owners have been getting new compliant flip phones, whereas users with older iPhones are getting the iPhone SE 2. AndroidPolice also suggests that Android users have been getting RADIANT Cores on demand for a new smartphone. The publication reports that some users are getting the smartphones they’ve asked for while others are not. It also suggests that AT&T have been sending S9 and A11 to some customers.

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Amid growing concerns about Huawei’s global dominance in the field of technology, the US could be looking at potential rivals to counter Huawei’s success in the coming days. While a faction of the US administration is considering the possibility, the idea has not gone down well with many individuals. Especially from people in the private sector who believe the government’s involvement in private American or allied companies does not bode well for the future.

“I do not think it’s a good idea”, revealed Randall Stephenson, CEO at AT&T, when CNBC asked for his opinion on the US Attorney General’s comments on the government investing in Nokia and Ericsson. In his defense, Stephenson said, “Governments generally do not have the greatest reputation when it comes to investing in the private sector”.

Stephenson’s comments came shortly after US Attorney General William Barr suggested that the US should take the initiative to acquire a stake in private sector companies like Nokia and Ericsson to secure 5G equipment for future use. He said instead of simply asking allies to avoid using Huawei’s products, the US government should work on a substitute. Shares of Nokia and Ericsson opened strong post the Attorney General’s comments, with shareholders suggesting the companies accept the offer.

Editor’s Pick: Huawei smartphones could feature up to 70 pre-installed apps to substitute Google Services

Stephenson, however, agrees with some of the ideas shared by the Attorney General. For example, AT&T has been working closely with Microsoft and Dell along with the White House to develop a software-based alternative to Huawei’s 5G equipment.

Speaking on the subject Stephenson said, “AT&T has been the pioneers of software-based architecture in networking. We are using hardware that would have been considered unconventional half a decade ago. We use generic hardware since it can run any software with ease. We prefer using unconventional ways to avoid a competitive comparison with Huawei, using innovation and software over government mandates to achieve our goals”.

Stephenson further explained the precarious situation the US Government is facing as its 328 million citizens is far outnumbered by China’s population of 1.4 billion. “If Huawei gets a market share of over 90% in China, they control 30% of the global market. If the US does not use Huawei’s equipment in its network, we have to rely on a sub-scale supply chain, which is why we need an innovative solution to the problem”.

AT&T has already made some major investments into developing software-based networks, although it had previously pointed at cost-cutting as the motive behind the move. The company previously vowed to virtualize 75% of existing networks by 2020 using SDN (Software-Defined Networking). It has also made significant investments to include open-RAN (Radio Access Network) in its networks.

UP NEXT: Huawei Singapore announces new colorways for FreeBuds 3 and Nova 5T; buyers get free gifts with each purchase

(via)

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The Samsung Galaxy S20 series will be announced exactly one week from today. The series consists of the Galaxy S20, the Galaxy S20+, and the Galaxy S20 Ultra. Ahead of the launch next week, details of the phone’s US pricing from the top carriers have surfaced. As expected, these devices are not cheap.

The source of the price leaks is YouTuber, Jon Prosser, and he said he got the info from sources at the carriers. Starting with T-Mobile, the magenta network will sell the Galaxy S20 for $999 while the Galaxy S20+ will get a $1199 price tag. The Galaxy S20 Ultra will even sell for much higher at $1399.

According to my source within T-Mobile:

T-Mobile US pricing for Galaxy S20 devices:

S20 – $999
S20+ – $1,199
S20 Ultra – $1,399

Thoughts?

— Jon Prosser (@jon_prosser) February 3, 2020

Official Galaxy S20 pricing for AT&T US:

S20 – $899
S20+ – $1,099
S20 Ultra – $1,299

All 5G capable.

Not sure why it’s different than T-Mobile pricing, but this is good news

— Jon Prosser (@jon_prosser) February 3, 2020

Uh…

A source within Verizon just confirmed these prices with me.

Official Galaxy S20 prices for Verizon US:

S20 – $999
S20+ – $1,199
S20 Ultra – $1,399

You may riot now

— Jon Prosser (@jon_prosser) February 4, 2020

At AT&T, the price tags are surprisingly cheaper by $100. The Galaxy S20 will sell for $899, the Galaxy S20+ will be sold for $1099 while the Galaxy S20 Ultra will have a $1299 price tag.

Head over to Verizon and the prices go back up to $999 for the Galaxy S20, $1199 for the Galaxy S20+, and $1399 for the Galaxy S20 Ultra. By the way, all the aforementioned prices irrespective of the carrier are for the 5G models. However, RAM and storage were not disclosed.

UP NEXT: Samsung Galaxy Z Flip hands-on video posted on the web; to cost €1599 in Europe

(Source)

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5G is the new wireless technology for cellular networks. It brings faster internet speeds and lower latencies compared to its predecessor, 4G. Network operators have begun rolling out 5G networks in major markets, and phone manufacturers have been announcing 5G devices even before the network began rolling out. 

According to Ookla’s 5G Map, commercial 5G has been deployed in 6490 locations across the globe, with the bulk of it in North America, and by a total of 106 operators.

Apart from having a 5G device and a 5G network to connect to, another important requirement is a 5G plan. Mobile network operators in markets that have already rolled out 5G service have followed it with the launch of various 5G plans that their subscribers can choose from. The price of these mobile plans varies from network operators to countries much like our existing 4G mobile plans.

This article will be comparing China’s 5G mobile plans to that of major markets (read the US and Europe).

China – Affordable has a limit

China is at the forefront of 5G not only with respect to the network coverage but also with devices. Manufacturers such as Xiaomi, Huawei, OPPO, Vivo, Honor, and Realme have all announced 5G smartphones and they are selling pretty quickly. Huawei revealed it sold 6.9 million 5G devices and the amazing thing about that figure is none of these phones are priced below $300, which is where a significant percentage of 5G mobile phones sold lies.

To sell more 5G phones, Xiaomi announced affordable 5G plans exclusive to owners of the Redmi K30 5G phone, the cheapest 5G phone you can buy right now. The pricing for these mobile plans even beat some 4G plans. You may be wondering how Xiaomi is able to offer its own mobile plans – the reason is that Xiaomi also has a Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) or virtual carrier/subcarrier that is based on China Unicom, one of the three main network operators in China.

Virtual carriers are popular in several countries, especially in the US. They use the infrastructure (base stations, switching centers, etc.) of an already established network operator and provide services to subscribers on their network. Google Fi is an example of an MVNO.

Listed below are Xiaomi’s 5G mobile plans:

• ¥49 (~$7.10) which gives you 20GB of data and 50 minutes of talk time
• ¥69 (~$10) which gives you 30GB of data and 100 minutes of talk time
• ¥99 (~$14.35) which gives you 40GB of data and 200 minutes of talk time

Just to compare, I pay ₦8,000 (~$26) for 20GB of LTE data (5GB bonus when you renew before it expires) here in Nigeria with no talk time included.

At the moment, no other smartphone manufacturer offers 5G mobile plans. Xiaomi’s data plans should help it drive more sales and give it an edge over its competitors. And since the Redmi K30 5G has dual-SIM support, you can have a different network in the second SIM slot which you use for calls and SMS. We do not know if Xiaomi will make the service available to its other 5G devices (Mi 9 Pro 5G, Mi MIX 3 5G).

Now, let us compare Xiaomi’s own mobile plans to that of the other three operators.

It is easy to see that Xiaomi’s mobile data plans are much cheaper but since it is only exclusive to the Redmi K30 5G, owners of other 5G phones will have to settle for any of the above.

While all three operators offer similar basic plans, China Unicom and China Telecom take the win by offering more than double the talk time China Mobile offers. The ¥198/¥199 plan of the three networks follow the same pattern with China Telecom and China Unicom, again offering more talk time compared to China Mobile.

However, all three operators provide the same amount of data and talk time for their most expensive plans.

China’s data plans are cheap when compared to that of other countries mentioned below and in comparison to 4G data plans with respect to the price per GB. The low price is expected to encourage subscribers that spend a similar amount on 4G data plans to make the switch to 5G which offers faster speeds.

However, as we shall see, some of the operators in these countries throw in some really nice perks such as free access to video and music streaming platforms as well as game streaming services too.

United States – more expensive but with perks

In the US, T-Mobile, Verizon, AT&T, and Sprint have begun rolling out 5G across the country, though the service is only available in some areas and not statewide. The plans vary with each network operator and pack multiple additional features which makes it impossible to have a table comparing the networks side-by-side. 

Verizon

Starting with Verizon, the carrier is sticking to nearly the same price as its LTE plans. If you have a 5G device and are subscribed to any of its LTE plans, all you have to do is pay an extra $10/month to access 5G. However, that access fee is currently waived for all plans except the Start Unlimited plan. Verizon says it is for a limited time and has not yet announced when it will begin charging for it. There is also no mention of throttling when you reach a certain data mark but expect that to happen.

Below are the 5G data plans for the network operator.

Verizon also has a 5G Mobile Hotspot called the Inseego MiFi M1000 that sells for $649 ($27.8/Month) or $499 (2-year contract). If you add the MiFi to your Verizon account, you will be charged $30 per month for 50GB of 5G data and 15GB of LTE data.

T-Mobile

If you are on T-Mobile, you do not pay extra for 5G. The magenta network says users will pay the same amount they currently pay for its 4G unlimited plans which starts at $70 per month per line.

AT&T

AT&T doesn’t have special 5G data plans. The network operator is including 5G coverage with its Unlimited Elite and Unlimited Extra plans which cost $85 and $75 respectively. Below are the differences between the plans:

Sprint

Sprint users can access 5G by subscribing to the Unlimited Premium Plan which costs $80 per month and offers unlimited data, unlimited calls, and unlimited SMS. The plan also includes 100GB of data to use as an LTE mobile hotspot and includes access to Amazon Prime, Twitch Prime, and Tidal HiFi.

Sprint also has a number of 5G phones you can purchase along with data plans. There is the OnePlus 7 Pro 5G, LG V50 ThinQ, and Samsung Galaxy S10 5G. 

UK – Brexit while roaming

In the UK, EE, Vodafone, and Three have rolled out 5G service. EE was the first to launch its 5G network in the UK, ahead of Vodafone and Three. Things are not so straightforward in the UK but one unifying feature is support for roaming in multiple countries.

EE

The operator has only one 5G SIM-only data plan but several other plans that are tied to the purchase of a 5G device from them. Their range of 5G devices includes the OnePlus 7 Pro 5G, Samsung Galaxy Fold, Galaxy Note10+ 5G, OPPO Reno 5G, and the LG V50 ThinQ, etc.

The amount you pay for a particular plan varies from device to device with the Galaxy Fold having the most expensive plan since it is the most expensive device available.

Pricing starts at £49/month for 10GB of 5G data and up to £69/month for unlimited data for a phone like the Reno 5G. While a phone like the Galaxy Fold starts at £99/month for 10GB of data and goes up to £109/month for unlimited data.

Vodafone UK

Vodafone on the other hand also offers three unlimited 5G plans – Unlimited Lite, Unlimited, and Unlimited Max. The image below shows the three plans and what they offer:

Although not stated above, the data speeds are capped at 2Mbps for Unlimited Lite, 10Mbps for Unlimited, while Unlimited Max will be able to access speeds as fast as the device and network supports. Those data speed caps are pretty ridiculous for 5G and you are better off sticking to a 4G plan.

Vodafone's Red Plans

There are also three mobile plans that do not offer unlimited data but you get unlimited calls and texts. There is no mention of a speed cap for these plans, so you should get the maximum speed of your device and the network supports.

Three UK

Three rolled out its 5G service in the UK last but claims its own 5G is “true 5G”. There are several plans available depending on if you want a monthly contract, a 12-month contract, or a 24-months contract. For this post, we will stick to the monthly contract.

There are four plans available for the monthly contract and only one of them offers unlimited data:

You get unlimited data if you pay £1 extra! Deciding which plan to choose between the Unlimited and the 30GB data plan is definitely a no-brainer.

SWITZERLAND – Swiss Watches, Swiss Chocolates, and Swiss 5G

Switzerland is one of the leading markets with respect to 5G in Europe. Swisscom, one of the country’s leading network operators already has 5G coverage in 90% of the country. That should not be a big surprise since Switzerland is a very small country with respect to the land area. It also has a small population that is under 10 million. The other major network operators in Switzerland are Sunrise and Salt but the latter is yet to roll out its 5G service.

Swisscom

Swisscom says it does not have a special 5G mobile plan but all subscribers have to do to enjoy 5G internet speeds at up to 2Gbps is to pay for Premium Speed option on top of their current plan. This speed option costs CHF 10 (~$10/~ ¥71) and is available for their “inOne mobile go”, “inOne mobile basic”, and “Swiss mobile flat” tariffs. There is a top tier plan, the “inOne Mobile premium” that costs CFA 200 (~$206) and already has the Premium Speed option included.

Swisscom has a variety of mobile plans including special ones for everyone under the age of 26. Some of these plans have a certain amount of allocated data while others have unlimited surfing.

Sunrise

Sunrise has also rolled out 5G to several cities and towns across Switzerland. The operator has a variety of mobile plans which include 5G access. Sunrise has a mix of plans with 5G included and others where you have to pay CHF 10 per month to get 5G access. Below are the plans with 5G access included.

There is a 7 days mobile prepaid plan that costs CHF 19.90 (~$20.5) and you get unlimited calls, unlimited SMS/MMS, and unlimited 5G data.

New subscribers for the Freedom Europe & US and Freedom Young Europe & US plans will get a brand new HP Probook 440 G6 computer that is worth CHF 929 (~$957).

Other than these plans, Sunrise has a special cloud gaming service for 5G devices called Sunrise Game Cloud Option. For CHF 9.90 (~$10) per month, you get access to a library of over 50 games that includes high-end games such as Tomb Raider, DiRT Rally, and Deus Ex Human Revolution. You will be able to play these games in resolutions up to 4K over 5G on your 5G phone or 5G tablet, or on a PC connected to a good WLAN connection that meets the minimum system requirements. If you buy their HTC 5G Hub, you can even play on your TV by connecting the hub to the TV via HDMI.

At the moment, Sunrise is offering free 3 months of service to anyone who subscribes.

Spain – One step at a time

In Spain, Vodafone is still the only operator that has rolled out 5G service in at least 15 major cities in collaboration with Huawei. The network operator has two 5G plans for individuals.

Conclusion

Looking at the data plans of these key markets, prices are expected to drop in the future, especially for those that are charging extra for 5G access. We foresee the extra charge will be removed but the base prices will remain the same. However, subscribers may even get more features bundled with these plans such as free access to game streaming services.

We also expect 5G hardware such as phones, modems, and CPE to get cheaper in the coming months and years. Not only will they get cheaper but network operators will bundle them with free data plans and other perks just to gain more subscribers. However, what will remain unchanged is the difference in pricing with respect to regions. Network operators can only lower prices to beat their competitors in the same market as there is no sense in lowering prices to rival other countries, though the regulatory bodies in each country can step in to see that prices are fair for the subscribers.

China will continue to be at the forefront with respect to hardware (cheaper and more options for 5G mobile phones), 5G coverage, and certain 5G services (smart cities, gaming) as long as it remains the manufacturing hub for mobile electronics and Huawei and ZTE remain in the network business.

When it comes to other applications of 5G such as with self-driving cars, China may also take the lead this decade with key players such as Baidu, Tencent, and even Huawei pumping resources into autonomous driving. That is not to say other countries like the USA will be left behind but the Chinese government has shown more resolve with 5G development compared to other countries.

We have also seen China’s application of 5G in healthcare with the ongoing outbreak of the coronavirus. ZTE announced a few days ago that it has launched a 5G remote diagnosis and treatment system between West China Hospital and Sichuan University’s Chengdu Public Health Clinic Center. This center allows for experts from West China Hospital to provide video consultations to the public health clinic center and will expand to more hospitals soon. In the future, we will see more collaborations between hospitals for other medical services including surgeries.

5G is still at the early stage but the future looks promising with all the new ways it is expected to change our lives.

UP NEXT: EU allows Huawei to build its 5G network in a limited capacity

The post Spotlight on 5G: How China’s 5G mobile plans compares to the rest of the world appeared first on Gizmochina.

After announcing the Nokia 2.2, HMD Global has launched the Nokia 3.1A and Nokia 3.1C exclusively for US carriers AT&T and Cricket Wireless. Both phones have the same specs but come in different color variants for the two carriers.

The Nokia 3.1A and Nokia 3.1C have a 5.45-inch HD+ display. They are powered by the Snapdragon 429 processor paired with 2GB of RAM and 32GB of expandable storage. They have a polycarbonate body and a cut out in the back for the speaker.

Get ready for more! It’s my pleasure to announce the all-new Nokia 3.1 A, exclusively available on AT&T PREPAID. More is MORE with #Nokiamobile, as your smartphone just keeps getting better. Find out more here: https://t.co/eEAzhoGBQS #GetSmart pic.twitter.com/hkOgNNFVfo

— Juho Sarvikas (@sarvikas) June 7, 2019

There is a single 8MP camera on the back with support for Motion Photos and a 5MP camera in front for selfies. There is no fingerprint scanner but HMD Global has included a USB Type-C port which is surprising for an entry-level phone. They run Android Pie with Google Assistant on board but are not part of the Android One program. There is Bluetooth 5.0, a single Nano-SIM slot, and 2.4GHz Wi-Fi. They also have a 2990mAh battery with a promise of 2-day battery life.

It’s official! Proud to introduce the all-new Nokia 3.1 C, which proves that more is MORE. All contract free, exclusively with Cricket Wireless. Nokia smartphones just keeps getting better. @CricketNation #GetSmart #Nokiamobile Learn more here: https://t.co/Gz3iWnNgKK pic.twitter.com/TZpSPjI8DF

— Juho Sarvikas (@sarvikas) June 7, 2019

The Nokia 3.1A comes in Black with AT&T’s logo in white at the bottom while the Nokia 3.1C comes in White. There is no info on the price yet but the Nokia 3.1A will be available at select Walmart stores on Monday, June 10, while the Nokia 3.1C will be available on June 14.

(Sources: 1, 2 | Via)

UP NEXT: Throwback Tech Thursday: Nokia N9’s Weird Selfie Camera Revisited

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US carrier AT&T has launched its real 5G service in 12 markets and it can be accessed only by invitation. The 5G service requires the use of the Netgear Nighthawk 5G mobile hotspot that was launched a couple of months back. The speed of the 5G network was initially slightly faster than those achieved by the fake 5G network known as 5G evolution. However, AT&T on Saturday announced that it has been able to achieve a 5G mobile speed that surpasses 1Gbps. This makes the company the first U.S. carrier ever to achieve such. 

The is a milestone for the company which is the country’s second-largest wireless provider, behind Verizon. AT&T says a two-hour HD movie can be downloaded in 20 seconds at that speed. Isn’t that just amazing? Just this last December, AT&T’s 5G service had a download speed of 194.88Mbps, which is about one fifth as fast as the 1Gbps speed that the service recently was clocked at. At that time, the carrier’s 5G Evolution service, which is actually enhanced 4G LTE, had a download speed of 187.44Mbps. But an upgrade to its 5G network allowed AT&T to use a four-carrier aggregation of 100MHz carriers to increase the data capacity of its network, thus allowing it to reach faster speeds.

Read Also: The AT&T-NETGEAR Nighthawk Mobile Hotspot is the first Snapdragon 855 device

Speaking on this monumental achievement, Igal Elbaz, SVP Wireless Technology, AT&T stated; “Today, we were the first carrier in the U.S. to reach mobile 5G speeds surpassing 1 gigabit per second. We reached this milestone on our live 5G network in multiple cities using a commercial device, the NETGEAR Nighthawk 5G Mobile Hotspot…this is all part of our plan. We will continue to test and roll out the latest 5G technologies to our customers and they will continue to be the first to experience the latest and greatest versions of 5G.”

(source)

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The new era technologies are taking over the old ones with better features and safety nets. The latest 5G technology is still evolving, and every major manufacturer and service provider is looking to get their hands on first. It has even lead to some false claims in the market, which are misleading the end consumers. Similarly, two United States carriers are fighting over a similar instance. A major telecom carrier in the US has sued another telecom carrier for calling their advanced 4G LTE network as “5G Evolution”.

In detail, Sprint took the above instance seriously and went ahead to file a lawsuit against AT&T. It has filed a lawsuit to ban the use of “5GE” term on the customers’ devices. Even, they are also seeking an injunction to prevent the use of “5GE” tags while advertising and marketing.

Sprint said that AT&T is labeling an advanced 5G LTE (Long Term Evolution) as 5G and deceiving customers. In a lawsuit of 23 pages filed at federal court in New York, Sprint claims that “AT&T has employed numerous deceptive tactics to mislead consumers into believing that it currently offers a coveted and highly anticipated fifth-generation wireless network, known as 5G. What AT&T touts as 5G, however, is nothing more than an enhanced fourth-generation Long Term Evolution wireless service, known as 4G LTE Advanced, which is offered by all other major wireless carriers.”

Sprint consolidated it stand by saying that they have invested a lot of capital in building 5G network in nine cities this year. Even though AT&T is also working on to develop the 5G network across States but the marketing and advertisement practices they have adopted are wrong. They are wrongly using the 5GE term to label the advanced 4G LTE network leading an unfair advantage over other carriers. They emphasized that 5G networks will be 10-40 times faster than the current 4G LTE advanced networks. AT&T is deceiving the customers to make them believe the old networks as 5G.

In response, AT&T said that they are not deceiving anyone and would fight the lawsuit. They are terming 5GE network as “an evolutionary step to standards-based 5G.” AT&T further said “We understand why our competitors don’t like what we are doing, but our customers love it,” 

• Read More: T-Mobile and Sprint merger deal approval reportedly hinged on ditching Huawei’s technology

It made us go back into the initial launch days of 4G when similar issues were seen between AT&T and T-Mobile. Although, we believe the court will bring justice to what is right.

Share your thoughts on the whole scenario via the comments form below.

(Via)

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The Federal Communication Commission (FCC) and the Wireless Power Consortium (WPC) has just given a regulatory approval to an upcoming battery powered bank and wireless charger that goes by the name AT&T power drum. The wireless power bank device can charge an Apple watch (it has a built in magnetic charging module for Apple watch) and an Apple iPhone (or any Qi-compatible handle) simultaneously. However, the AT&T’s Qi-compatible Power Drum will not function with the series 4 Apple watch, but will work with all other variants of the wearable timepiece.

The Qi charger will charge at 10W but at a limited power output of 7.5W for iPhone devices and the Apple watch timepiece will charge the rate of 5W. More so, as a powerbank, the power drum comes with 3,000mAh battery capacity which is very low compared to the 10,000-20,000mAh powerbanks that are available in the market today. Despite the low capacity, you will be glad to have that extra battery that can still save the day.

The power drum comes with a micro USB port for charging it, which implies that you need to carry an extra cord around with you. Other features include, a LED charge indicator, Nightstand mode which allows the Apple watch to be used in alarm mode while charging, also a softpad providing a stable surface for the device.

There is no any record yet concerning when this product will be officially launched, and according to one of the sources, it seems that the product will be sold at an equivalent of $99.99.

(via)

The post AT&T’s Power Drum, a portable wireless charger and power bank gets FCC and WPC approval. appeared first on Gizmochina.

US telecoms giant AT&T has announced that it will hold an event on December 21 where it will officially launch the Netgear Nighthawk 5G Mobile Hotspot. This will make AT&T be the first company in the US to present “a mobile 5G device over a commercial, standards-based mobile 5G network.”

The Netgear Nighthawk 5G Mobile Hotspot has earlier been unveiled. The modem uses the carrier’s advanced LTE and 5G Millimeter wave signals from AT&T’s 5G+ network. It is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon X50 5G modem. The Nighthawk 5G Mobile Hotspot will transmit a 5G signal over Wi-Fi to connected mobile devices. Presently, AT&T will provide its 5G service in Atlanta, Charlotte, N.C., Dallas, Houston, Indianapolis, Louisville, Ky., Oklahoma City, Jacksonville, Florida, New Orleans, Raleigh, San Antonio and Waco, Texas.

Read Also: The AT&T-NETGEAR Nighthawk Mobile Hotspot is the first Snapdragon 855 device

In a few days, AT&T will begin to offer certain consumers and businesses a free trial of both the Nighthawk 5G Mobile Hotspot and its 5G+ service at a space of 90 days. In the first six months of 2019, the services will be extended to Las Vegas, Nashville, Orlando, Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco and San Jose, California. The 5G Mobile Hotspot will be sold for $499 by the carrier in the spring and also, 15GB of 5G data would be given for $70 per month with no contract.

(source)

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Red, a company which has its roots in digital cameras for movie productions, has already announced its first smartphone — Red Hydrogen One, an innovative phone that will make it stand out from the crowd.

Now, after a wait of more than a year, the smartphone is almost here. It is scheduled to go on sale in the United States through AT&T and Verizon from 2nd November. It is priced at $1,245 and both companies are offering monthly payment plans.

The retail pricing of the phone is $100 more expensive than it was for the buyers who pre-ordered the device when the company first announced its plan for the phone. The Hydrogen One was supposed to launch in early 2018 but it was pushed back multiple times.

The Red Hydrogen One’s highlight is a proprietary display technology known as ‘4-view’ (4V), which is said to provide a hologram-like experience. People who have used the phone says that it’s an interesting effect despite nothing actually popping out of the display.

For the company’s display technology to reach its full potential, it’ll require support for other developers. Regular movies won’t be viewable in 4V since they need to be made specifically for it. But the company is offering a handful of 4V-compatible movies and plans to extend the catalog to more than 100 titles in the future.

As the phone’s launch was pushed back multiple times, the phone is launching with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 chipset, which powered last year’s flagship devices, instead of the Snapdragon 845 which is present in current flagships.

The phone features a 5.7-inch Quad HD LTPS-TFT display that offer 2560 x 1440 pixels screen resolution and has Gorilla Glass 3 protection. It packs 6GB of RAM with 128GB storage while the Titanium version comes with 6GB of RAM and 256GB internal storage.

Read More: Nubia Red Magic gaming smartphone to launch in India in early November for under Rs. 30,000 ($409)

It runs Android 8.1 Oreo operating system out-of-the-box and there’s a side-mounted fingerprint sensor for added protection. The device drives power from a 4,500mAh battery. While there’s no mention of any fast charging technology, it should at least support Quick Charge 3.0.

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The first Snapdragon 855 (or SM8150 as it may be called) powered device is not a mobile phone but a router. The AT&T NETGEAR NightHawk Mobile Hotspot unveiled a few days ago is actually the first commercially available device with Qualcomm’s next-gen flagship.

The NETGEAR NightHawk is a 5G mobile hotspot that was unveiled a few days ago and was used to carry out the world’s first millimeter wave mobile 5G browsing session. Since it has a Snapdragon 855 processor powering it, it means it also has the Snapdragon X50 5G modem. The mobile hotspot will be exclusive to AT&T and will go on sale later this year but a price has not yet been announced.

AT&T will be the first carrier to introduce 5G services in the United States. Their plan is to roll out services in at least 12 cities before the end of the year and bump it to 19 cities early next year.

First 5G devices aren't phones as proven by Verizon/Motorola and Moto Z3 + 5G mod. Qualcomm and its partners will first launch a Netgear 5G Mobile Router with SDM855+SDX50 5G modem coming to AT&T later this year + an HTC 5G (SD835+SDX50 5G device (VRheadset?) later this year

— Roland Quandt (@rquandt) August 2, 2018

READ MORE: Qualcomm reveals Xiaomi, HMD, OnePlus, OPPO, Vivo are among its ‘committed’ 5G partners for 2019

Popular leaker, Roland Quandt revealed back in August that the NETGEAR router will be the first device with the X50 modem and the SDM855 chipset. He also said in the tweet that HTC will follow with a VR headset powered by a Snapdragon 835 chipset but with a X50 5G modem.

(Sources: 1, 2)

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We don’t know what is going on at LG but its new release schedule seems like a bad idea. After launching the LG V30S ThinQ at MWC this year and following it with the G7 ThinQ earlier this month, LG has announced yet another flagship – the LG V35 ThinQ.

Releasing three flagships phones in 5 months doesn’t seem to be the right way to go if you say you plan to launch phones “when it is needed”. Nevertheless, if you are undecided about LG’s other two flagships, then you should read on and see if the V35 ThinQ ticks your boxes.

LG V35 ThinQ Design

When it comes to design, the V35 ThinQ shares a striking resemblance to the V30S ThinQ. There really isn’t any physical difference that sets them apart. You could simply say the V35 ThinQ is the V30S ThinQ with a Snapdragon 845 processor.

LG V35 ThinQ Specs

The V35 ThinQ has a 6-inch OLED QHD+ display with HDR. If you hate the notch on the LG G7 ThinQ, it is missing here. If you like it…..    Since this is available on AT&T, this should be great for the network’s DirecTV service.

Inside the device is Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 845 mobile platform and it is paired with 6GB of RAM and 64GB of expandable storage. There are two 16MP cameras on the rear. One is a super wide-angle sensor with a f/1.9 aperture, and the other is a standard sensor with a f/1.6 aperture. At the top left corner of the display is an 8MP wide-angle selfie camera.

The LG V35 ThinQ has AI features baked into its camera software. So you get all the AI features of the other two flagships such as scene recognition, Google Lens, and Super Bright Camera mode.

The phone runs Android 8.0 Oreo, has a Hi-Fi Quad DAC, 3D surround sound, face recognition, a rear-mounted fingerprint scanner, wireless charging support, and an IP68 rating. It is also MIL-STD 810G compliant. It draws juice from a 3,300mAh battery with Quick Charge 3.0 support.

READ MORE: LG Q7 Stylus To Launch As LG Q Stylus+ In Taiwan Soon

LG V35 ThinQ Price and Availability

The V35 ThinQ will be available in North America as an AT&T exclusive. It will also be sold through Google’s Project Fi network. It is expected to go on sale this summer.

AT&T is asking for $30/month for 30 months which brings it to $900 while Project Fi users will have to pay $899 or $37.46/month. The phone will be available in gray and black.

(Via: 1, 2)

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A leaked image containing the specs of the upcoming Samsung phone that has a model number of SM-G893 has been leaked. The model number of the Galaxy S7 Active from 2016 was SM-G891 and the model number of Galaxy S8 Active from last year was SM-G892. This indicates that the SM-G893 Samsung phone is the upcoming Galaxy S9 Active.

The leaked image states that the Galaxy S9 Active has a 5.8-inch display that produces QHD+ resolution of 2960 x 1440 pixels. The screen resolution suggests that the handset will be offering an aspect ratio of 18.5:9. Like the Galaxy S8 Active, its successor is unlikely to feature a dual edge curved display but will continue to sport Infinity Display design.

The Snapdragon 845 chipset will be powering the Galaxy S9 Active along with 4 GB of RAM. It will feature a native storage of 64 GB. For photography, it will be equipped with a single camera of 12-megapixel that will offer variable aperture to the user. The Galaxy S9 Active is expected to house the same rear camera that is available on the Galaxy S9. Hence, it will allow users to manually adjust the aperture between f/1.5 and f/2.4. For shooting selfies, it will be fitted with an f/1.7 aperture 8-megapixel that is likely to carry support for autofocus. Like its predecessor, the S9 Active is expected to be packed with a massive battery of 4,000mAh capacity.

It is advisable to take the report with the pinch of salt as it is quite easy to create a specs sheet of an upcoming phone and make it appear like a leak. There is no information available on the launch date of the Galaxy S9 Active. Samsung had launched the S8 Active in August last year. Hence, the S9 Active may arrive at the end of Q2 or at the beginning of Q3. Like the predecessor Active models, S9 Active is expected to be exclusively available through AT&T in the U.S.

Since the launch of S9 Active seems to be few months away, the rumor mill is likely to reveal more information on it along with its leaked renders.

(source|via)

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The Snapdragon X50 5G NR modem has been designed by Qualcomm to support 5G networks. Today, Qualcomm has confirmed that at least 18 different smartphone manufacturing companies will be launching Snapdragon X50 5G modem enabled smartphones. Moreover, the U.S.-based chip maker has confirmed that various telecom service providers from across the world will be starting the trail run of 5G networks soon.

The Snapdragon X50 5G NR (New Radio) mobile modem chipset can attain download speeds of several gigabits. In October 2017, Qualcomm had unveiled the new 5G modem and confirmed that it would be commercially available during the first half of 2019. Now that Qualcomm has released press releases for the carriers and smartphone manufacturers that will be supporting and releasing 5G smartphones featuring Snapdragon X50 modem, it seems that the company is well on track of fulfilling the promise of making 5G phones available in 2019.

The smartphone OEMs that are working with Qualcomm to launch phones with Snapdragon X50 5G modem next year are Asus, Fujitsu Limited, Fujitsu Connected Technologies Limited, HMD Global (Nokia), HTC, Inseego/Novatel Wireless, LG, NetComm Wireless, NETGEAR, OPPO, Sharp Corporation, Sierra Wireless, Sony Mobile, Telit, vivo, Wingtech, WNC, Xiaomi and ZTE.

Two of the major smartphone manufacturing companies namely, Apple and Huawei are missing from the list. Samsung has signed a separate cross-license partnership with Qualcomm recently which may also include plans to launch 5G enabled Samsung phones soon. Lenovo too is absent from the list.

The list of select global mobile operators that will conducing live and OTA mobile 5G NR trials include AT&T, British Telecom, China Telecom, China Mobile, China Unicom, Deutsche Telekom, KDDI, KT Corporation, LG Uplus, NTT DOCOMO, Orange, Singtel, SK Telecom, Sprint, Telstra, TIM, Verizon and Vodafone Group.

Read More: Gizmochina Explains: 5G Network Standard

Which smartphone company will be releasing the first 5G smartphone next year? OPPO CEO Tony Chen had confirmed in the previous month that it will be among the first manufacturers to release a 5G smartphone. ZTE CEO Lixin Cheng has recently claimed that a 5G ZTE phone would be launching at the end of 2018 or early 2019. Two months ago, Huawei CEO Yu Richard said that a 5G Huawei smartphone would be releasing in the second half of 2019.

5G smartphones featuring Snapdragon X50 will allow users to connect to public Wi-Fi without login. Such phones will offer ultrafast downloads, high-speed internet browsing, topnotch quality video and voice calls, lag free streaming of 360-degreee video and instant cloud access. Qualcomm will be also bringing 5G connectivity on other devices like Always Connected PCs, VR and AR.

(source 1, 2)

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Huawei’s flagship device — the Huawei Mate 10 Pro was gearing up to be available in the US through a partnership with network carrier AT&T. However, recently there were reports suggesting that the deal has failed.

Now, Huawei Technologies has confirmed that its deal with AT&T has fallen apart and said that the Mate 10 Pro won’t be available through US carriers. But the company has not revealed the reason behind the failure to reach an agreement.

The Information reported that AT&T was urged to drop the deal following a letter from the U.S. Senate and House Intelligence committees to the Federal Communications Commission raising concerns about Huawei’s plan to launch products through US carrier.

The Mate 10 Pro could have been the first flagship device from the company to be available through network operators in the US. With such deal, the China-based company, which ranks third in the world’s top smartphone vendors, was aiming to expand its smartphone business in the US.

Instead, the Huawei Mate 10 Pro will now be available in the United States through open channels in the market. It will be available through the authorized retailers and Huawei Store. In a statement, the company said:

We remain committed in this market now and in the future. U.S. customers need a better choice, and as a leader in technology and innovation, Huawei is prepared to fill this need.

The Huawei Mate 10 Pro features a 6-inch Full-HD+ display with 2160 x 1080 pixels resolution and 18:9 aspect ratio. It is powered by the company’s own Kirin 970 processor. The phone was launched in two variants — 4GB RAM with 64GB internal storage and 6GB RAM with 128GB onboard storage. There is no microSD card slot for expanding the storage capacity.

It has an IP67 rating and comes with Cat.18 LTE. It also comes with a pair of USB-C earphones and a USB-C to 3.5mm adapter. As of the camera, there’s a dual-camera setup consisting 12MP RGB + 20MP monochrome sensors on the back with f/1.6 aperture and SUMMILUX-H lens along with 4-in-1 hybrid focus, hybrid zoom, and OIS. On the front, there’s an 8MP sensor with f/2.2 aperture.

Read More: Huawei Not Setting Sales Target, Sustainable Growth Is The Focus

It is fuelled by a 4,000mAh battery which Huawei claims has a 30 percent improvement over that of the Mate 9. There is also Superfast Charge, allowing users to charge the battery up to 58 percent in just 30 minutes.

(Source)

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Huawei is aiming to expand its smartphone business in the U.S. this year. The company has been selling its smartphones unlocked through different retailers in the U.S. since many years. However, to expand its smartphone business in the country it is crucial for the company to make its phones available through local carriers. Recent reports had claimed that Huawei Mate 10 and Mate 10 Pro could be the company’s first flagship phones to arrive in the U.S. through AT&T. However, fresh information that has surfaced on the Wall Street Journal states that AT&T has opted out of the deal with Huawei.

In March 2017, the rumor mill had revealed that Huawei is in talks with AT&T to release Mate 10 in the U.S. When Mate 10 Pro’s AT&T branded firmware files had emerged in last October, it appeared that the Mate 10 duo would be indeed avail through the carrier this year.

Read More: Honor V10 vs Huawei Mate 10: Brothers In A Comparison

Just before the end of 2017, reports had revealed that the carrier had pushed the launching of Mate 10 to February. However, fresh information that the carrier will not be selling the smartphone. The news has surfaced just ahead of the Huawei’s press conference that will happen at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) today. Rumors had claimed that the Chinese company would be confirming on the deal at today’s launch event.

There is no information available on why AT&T has walked out of the deal. Regardless of AT&T’s decision, the Mate 10 and Mate 10 Pro will still arrive in the U.S. as unlocked phones through major retailers. Huawei was also discussing with Verizon to release Mate 10 series phones in the U.S. As of this writing, there is no confirmation on whether Verizon will be carrying the Mate 10 phones.

(source|via)

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Around a week ago, Huawei’s chief executive of the consumer business, Yu Chengdong had confirmed that the Huawei Mate 10 will be available in the U.S. in the coming year through local carriers. He had also said that the company would be expanding its smartphone business in the U.S. in 2018. According to The Information, Huawei will be debuting the Mate 10 flagship phone through AT&T in February next year.

Huawei’s high-end smartphones have been available in the U.S. through retailers like Best Buy and Amazon. However, it would be first time for a US carrier to sell a flagship phone from Huawei. The publication has claimed that the Chinese manufacturer will be investing around $100 million to advertise its phones in the U.S. in 2018.

Yu has also said that some of the EMUI (Huawei’s Android skin) elements are “stupid” which indicates that the Mate 10 will be arriving in the U.S. with an enhanced EMUI skin.  It appears that AT&T won’t be the only carrier that will be selling Huawei’s flagship phones in the U.S. as Bloomberg had recently reported that the Chinese manufacturer is in talks with Verizon to sell its smartphones in the country.

Read More: Huawei P11 Lite (or P20 Lite) Mockups Appear Online

Huawei has said that it aims to become the number one smartphone brand in the world by 2021. For this to happen, Huawei will have to ship more smartphones than Samsung and Apple across the world. To gain popularity over its major rivals in the U.S., Huawei needs to sell more phones through some US carriers.

In the past, Google Nexus 6P – a Huawei phone had sold well in the stateside when it was made available through major carriers. Hence, Huawei phones are expected to receive good reception in the U.S. Before becoming available for buying through the U.S. carriers, the Mate 10 series phones are expected to get showcased at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2018 which will held at Las Vegas in January.

Do you think that the Mate 10 series receive positive response in the U.S? Share us your thoughts by adding your comments below.

(source)

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There was a time Motorola used to make tablets. This was before it was acquired by Google and before Lenovo purchased it from them. Its tablets were released under the XOOM series and were powered by chipsets from Nvidia and Texas Instrument. After a 5 year hiatus, Motorola is returning to the tablet scene with the Lenovo Moto Tab launching on Friday.

The Lenovo Moto Tab is made for media consumption and that is why it is an AT&T exclusive for their DirecTV Now streaming subscription.

The device packs a 10.1” FHD display, 2GB of RAM and 32GB of storage. It is powered by the Snapdragon 625 mobile platform which means you should get enough juice out of the 7,000mAh battery.

The Moto Tab has dual front facing speakers with Dolbly Atmos, a fingerprint scanner buried beneath the home button and a USB-C port. It also runs Android 7.1 Nougat.

While it may actually be aimed at entertainment, Lenovo will also sell a productivity pack which includes a keyboard and mouse just like it does for the Tab 4 series. You can also purchase a home assistant pack which is its smart speaker with a dock for the tablet, for an experience similar to the Echo Show.

READ MORE: AT&T’s Mobile TV Cast is Motorola’s Newest Mod

The Lenovo Moto Tab will go on sale on Friday, November 17 for $299 or $15/months for a 20-month installment plan.

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OEYc8GO3OQc[/embedyt]

(Via)

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Huawei Mobile has come a long way in the last few years, moving from being a Chinese brand to a global brand. As part of its efforts to expand its popularity, it officially released a couple of its phones – Honor 8 and Mate 9 in the US market last year. However, while both phones actually received very good reviews, sales were not impressive.

Huawei plans to change things starting next year as reports from XDA say that the company has partnered with US carrier AT&T, to exclusively sell the Mate 10 Pro.

The news was first reported earlier this year by The Information which said that Huawei was in talks with AT&T to sell one of its flagship phones in Q1 2018. XDA was able to confirm the report based on obtained firmware files of the Mate 10 Pro.

First the firmware is named BLA-A09-att-us which differs from that of the international variant, BLA-L09. A dump from system/app also shows some pre-installed AT&T apps.

The US Mate 10 is said to run EMUI 8.0 based on Android 8.0 Oreo just like the international variant. It also comes with Mozilla Firefox Browser in addition to Google Chrome.

READ MORE: Huawei To Begin Certifying Third Party Accessories Made for Its Phones

There is still no info on when the Mate 10 Pro will be available in the US or how much it will cost. So we will stick to the Q1 2018 time frame mentioned above. However, there is a chance that more details will surface at CES next year since that was the same platform Huawei used this year to announce the Mate 9’s availability on Amazon.

(Source, via)

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ZTE, today unveiled the Axon M at an event in the US. The foldable smartphone has a familiar but redefined design and is expected to change the way we use our phones.

Axon M Design

The Axon M reminds us of the Kyocera Echo, an android smartphone released in 2011 with foldable dual screens. You could also say it reminds you of a Nintendo DS without the buttons.

The Axon M is not as thick as any of the above mentioned devices and is certainly better looking. It has a metal frame and is thicker than your regular smartphone and heavier too at 230g. The dual screens are attached by a sort of hinge mechanism with one display attached to the body while the other can be folded to the back or extended outwards. The hinge actually works so well such that the phone will stand at virtually any angle when opened. You can also decide to lay it out flat completely.

ZTE Axon M Specs

The Axon M has two 5.2-inch displays, both covered with Gorilla Glass 5. Each has a FHD resolution with a 428ppi and an aspect ratio of 1.78:1 when laid out completely.

It is powered by the Snapdragon 821 mobile platform and packs 4GB of RAM. Built-in storage is 64GB but you can add an additional 256GB via a MicroSD card slot.

Because of the way the Axon M is designed, there is only one camera which can either be the front facing camera or the rear camera depending on how you hold it.

Launch the camera app when the phone is folded and it is in the selfie mode. Tap the icon to use it as the rear camera and you have to turn the phone to the second display which now displays the viewfinder. The camera is a 20MP F/1.8 sensor with image stabilization for pictures and videos and PDAF. There is a LED flash flanking it on the left.

The Axon M is an entertainment and productivity device and ZTE has added the features you need to enjoy media consumption. There are dual speakers and a dedicated HiFi audio chip. A 3.5mm audio jack sits at the top of the device and there is a USB-C port at the bottom for charging the 3180mAh battery. The device supports QC 3.0 for rapid refilling of the battery.

Sadly, the Axon M runs Android 7.1.2 out of the box.

Axon M Usage

The Axon M has two screens which means it should offer more productivity compared to a single screen device. ZTE says it can be used in three different modes and you can switch between the three modes using the virtual “Axon M” button which is positioned beside the familiar Android navigation buttons.

1. Extended Mode – denoted by a large A, this is for more screen estate when using a single app. Open YouTube and you can watch videos on one screen and scroll through the comments on the other screen. Launch Facebook or an e-mail app and the second screen becomes a keyboard.
2. Dual Mode – labelled AB, this is similar to regular split screen multitasking, but in this case each app occupies each of the displays. You can also run two instances of the same app on each screen. An example is firing up Google Docs and opening a slide, you can view the slide on screen and keep going through other files on the second screen. You will also be able to copy and paste from one document to the other. For entertainment, you can watch the new Black Panther trailer on YouTube on one screen and tweet about it on the other screen. There is also support for gestures – a three finger swipe will swap the positions of each app and a swipe across the bottom will extend the app from half-screen to full-screen.
3. Mirror Mode –  labelled AA, this mode duplicates what you are doing on one screen on the other. It is perfect for multiplayer games like chess or for watching a video with another person sitting across you while in tent mode.

READ MORE: Nubia Z17S Launched In China With Bezel-Less Display And Four Cameras

ZTE Axon M Price and Availability

The Axon M will be available as an AT&T exclusive in the US starting next month for $24.17/ month. ZTE says it will also be available in Q1 2018 in Japan through Docomo, China through China Telecom and on JD.com, and also in Europe.

There will be an overseas replacement assistance program (excluding Japan) and owners will get a free 2-year warranty.

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Huawei seems to be making progress in its bid to make an inroad into the lucrative U.S. market as telecom giant AT&T is reportedly in talks with Huawei to sell its flagship models, including the Mate 10, in the U.S. Although the agreement is said to be temporary, it at least presents some ray of hope for the Chinese market leader in its bid to take the battle to Apple and Samsung for the top spot in market share and revenue in the U.S. and elsewhere.

Recent data places Huawei as the third largest smartphone manufacturer in the whole world in terms of market shares and is fast closing in on Apple for the second spot. A presence in the U.S. will go a long way to helping the company grab a slice of the pie from not just Apple but Samsung. As the second largest carrier in the U.S. At&T is in a good position to help Huawei achieve its goal. The U.S. smartphone market is majorly carrier-based and Huawei has struggled unsuccessfully to build relationships with the major carriers in the country.This is said to due in part to the ban on Huawei’s professional equipment for carriers’ networks such as routers and antennas in the U.S. since a 2012 congressional report raised concerns that the Chinese government might use the company’s gear to spy on Americans. Huawei denied the allegations but its reputation was dealt a blow even though it wasn’t stopped from selling it smartphones in the United States.

Read More: Huawei Mate 10 Could Come With the Recently Trademarked EntireView Display

The Mate 10 will be the first device that would be sold in the U.S. if indeed the deal becomes effective. It comes with the quality to help Huawei make another foray into the market. The Mate 10 was recently rumoured as coming with the company’s recently trademarked EntireView display and other stunning features. Talks are still underway and Huawei is already working with AT&T on its Kirin chipset and other technicalities. Until both companies reach an agreement on commercial terms and other modalities, we’ll have to keep our fingers crossed on this one. That may not be too far away, though, because the Mate 10 is rumoured to launch this October.

(source)

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Motorola was expected to unveil the Moto Z2 and Moto Z2 Force on June 30, but there was no announcement on these flagship phones. However, the arrival of these phones appears to be close at hand. Evan Blass who has revealed fresh information on Moto X4 specifications has also leaked a press render of the AT&T Motorola Moto Z2 Force to reveal its design.

Last year, the Moto Z and Moto Z Force were exclusively available through Verizon in the U.S. Although the unlocked version of Moto Z was also available for purchase in the U.S., the Moto Z Force could be only purchased through Verizon. However, going by the tweet from reliable leakster, Evan Blass, it can be said that Moto Z2 Force will be available through multiple carriers in the U.S. this year.

Moto Z2 Force for AT&T pic.twitter.com/N0h001Xema

— Evan Blass (@evleaks) July 4, 2017

Read More: Moto M2 Pegged to Launch in October 2017 with MediaTek Helio P20, 6 GB RAM

As it can be seen in the above image, there is a AT&T logo present just above the Moto Mods accessories connector. Hence, this black colored handset is a AT&T edition of Moto Z2 Force.  Previous rumors have revealed that the shatterproof screen totting phone would be also available through Verizon, T-Mobile and Sprint. This indicates that all the major carriers of the U.S. will be selling the Moto Z2 Force.

There is no information available on when the Moto Z2 Force will be officially launched. In 2016, the original Moto Z was introduced in June but it was made available for purchase by September. The recent leaks on Moto Z2 and Moto Z2 Force suggest that they should get unveiled soon.

Rumors have revealed that the Moto Z2 Force would be coming with a ShatterShield display of 5.5 inches and it will be supporting a quad HD resolution of 2,560 x 1,440 pixels. The flagship phone would be fueled by Snapdragon 835 chipset and 4 GB of RAM. The rear of the phone will be flanked with dual cameras that will be coupled with dual-LED flash. Last year, the 3.5mm audio jack feature was axed from the Moto Z.

Leaked information has revealed that the company would be bringing back the feature on Moto Z2 and Z2 Force. Both the smartphones are rumored to come with similar specs, but one of the major differences between the two would be that the Moto Z2 will not be featuring a ShatterShield screen.

(source)

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Check out our Galaxy S8 hands-on video from the launch event:

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cg495kYSR1M[/embedyt]

The Samsung Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ phones are now available on pre-orders with color options like Midnight Black, Orchid Gray and Arctic Silver in the U.S. Customers who pre-order the S8 or S8+ can avail a free Gear VR with Controller as well as Oculus Bonus Content.  Pre-orders across AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon, Sprint and US Cellular will begin on March 30 at 12:01 AM ET and last until April 21.

Unlocked Galaxy S8, Galaxy S8+

The unlocked Samsung Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ would be available for purchase through Best Buy in the U.S. with a respective pricing of $724.99 and $824.99. The unlocked models are cheaper than carrier counterparts. The shipments of the unlocked units will begin from May 9.

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AT&T

Galaxy S8 full retail price – $750, Availability at AT&T Stores – April 24

• AT&T Next – $25 monthly payments for 30 months
• AT&T Next Every Year – $31.25 monthly payments for 24 months.

Galaxy S8+ full retail price – $850, Availability at AT&T Stores – April 21

• AT&T Next – $28.34 monthly payments for 30 months
• AT&T Next Every Year – $35.42 monthly payments for 24 months.

Promotional Offers:

Apart from the usual freebies like Gear VR with Controller as well as Oculus Bonus Content, the following promotional offers are available with AT&T:

• $750 as credits for another Galaxy S8 or S8+
• $49 for Samsung Gear S3 with two-year service agreement
• 99 cents for Samsung Tab E or Samsung Gear S2 with two-year service agreement.

[envira-gallery id="124813"]

T-Mobile

Galaxy S8 full retail price – $750, Availability at T-Mobile stores – April 21

• $30 down payment, $30 monthly payments for 24 months
• Jump on Demand – $0 down payment, $31.25 monthly payments for 24 months.

Galaxy S8+ full retail price – $850, Availability at T-Mobile stores – April 21

• $130 down payment, $30 monthly payments for 24 months
• Jump on Demand – $130 down payment, $30 monthly payments for 24 months.

Promotional Offers:

Apart from Gear VR with Controller and Oculus Bonus Content freebies, customers who pre-order at T-Mobile store s will get a DeX desktop docking station for free.

[envira-gallery id="124816"]

Verizon

Galaxy S8 full retail price – $720, Availability at Verizon stores – April 21

• $30 monthly payments for 24 months

Galaxy S8+ full retail price – $840, Availability at Verizon stores – April 21

• $35 monthly payments for 24 months

Promotional Offers:

Apart from the usual pre-order freebies, users can spend $99 more for Experience Box that consists of Gear VR with Controller, Hardon Kardon earphones and 256 GB microSD card from Samsung.

[envira-gallery id="124817"]

Sprint

Galaxy S8 full retail price – $744, Availability at Sprint stores – April 21

• 18 months lease plan with $25 down payment and $29.62 monthly payments
• $31.25 monthly payments for 24 months.

Galaxy S8+ full retail price – $844, Availability at T-Mobile stores – April 21

1. 18 months lease plan with $25 down payment and $33.78 monthly payments
2. $35.42 monthly payments for 24 months.

Promotion Offers:

Besides the Gear VR and Oculus bundle, Sprint is also providing another offer for $99 which includes Gear VR with Controller, Hardon Kardon earphones and 256 GB microSD card from Samsung.

[envira-gallery id="124818"]

US Cellular

US Cellular has not announced the full retail pricing of Galaxy S8 and S8+. It is an offering an trade-in offer that allows customers to either trade an eligible smartphone (iPhone 5S or later; Galaxy S6 or later) to avail the Galaxy S8 for free whereas the S8 will come for $3.64 monthly payments for 30 months. If there is no phone available for the trade-in offer, the carrier will provide $100 promotional gift card. However, customers need to avail Total Plan or Shared Connect plan and also subscribe for Device Protection + program.

Galaxy S8, S8+ UK Pre-orders, Pricing

In the U.K, the pre-orders have started from March 29 until April 19 on the official UK website of Samsung and operators like Carphone Warehouse, EE, Sky Mobile and Tesco Mobile. The Galaxy S8 and S8+ phones will be respectively available for £689 and £779 and will come in color options like Midnight Black and Orchid Grey. The Arctic Silver color be made available soon.

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