LG G4: Hands On First Look

Introduction

The LG G4 is finally and officially here. Now that we got the full scoop, it seems that LG's next flagship smartphone is all about three things - design, display and camera. The LG G4 body is slightly curved and comes with an optional leather back for some extra flair; there's a new IPS Quantum display for improved color accuracy and the camera has a new lens with improved OIS, wider aperture, a new Color Spectrum Sensor for more accurate white balance and a new manual mode.

The new LG G4 is closely related to the LG G Flex2 - to the extent we're not quite sure which one is the flagship. We see again a curved body design, though the curvature is much more subtle. The screen size is the same, but the G4 comes with a much higher resolution.

The camera on the G4 is better too, but then the Snapdragon 808 chipset is a step down. This leaves it a bit unclear as to which device is the flagship, though the LG G4 certainly has the more recognizable brand name thanks to the success of its predecessor.

LG G4 at a glance

• Dimensions: 148.9 x 76.1 x 6.3 - 9.8 mm, 155g
• Screen: 5.5" Quantum dot IPS screen with 1,440 x 2,560 resolution, 538ppi; Gorilla Glass 3
• Chipset: Snapdragon 808, dual-core Cortex-A57 plus quad-core Cortex-A53, Adreno 418 GPU, 3GB RAM
• OS: Android 5.1 Lollipop; Optimus UX 4.0
• Camera: 16MP with OIS 2.0, f/1.8 aperture, 1/2.6 sensor size, laser autofocus; manual controls and RAW mode; 8MP front-facing camera, f/2.0
• Video camera: 2160p recording
• Battery: 3,000mAh
• Storage: 32GB built-in; expandable via microSD card slot
• Connectivity: Cat. 6 LTE (300Mbps down, 50Mbps up), Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 4.1, NFC
• Misc: Optional leather back, Knock code, optional wireless charging

The LG G4 will come with a plastic back cover with a "hammered pattern," but the eye-catching optional leather backs are LG's big design play. They are made of vegetable tanned genuine leather and feature decorative stitching uses Gütterman thread, a high-end product from Germany used in leather clothes and shoes.

The second focus was the display - LG kept the size and resolution the same as on the G3 - 5.5" QHD - but switched to a quantum dot LCD matrix, promising accurate colors with 98% coverage of the RGB spectrum.

The third pillar of the LG G4 is its camera. It has a new 16MP sensor and improved lens with wider aperture and 3-axis image stabilization instead of 2-axis like on the G3 (they even call it OIS 2.0). The selfie camera got an even bigger resolution bump to 8MP. The camera comes with a new interface with manual controls, a histogram and RAW mode.

The one point where LG got defensive was the chipset. The company claims it worked with Qualcomm to customize the Snapdragon 808 specifically for the G4 and LG claims it's faster than the Exynos 7420. It didn't back that up with benchmarks though and we doubt any amount of customizations can make up for the two missing Cortex-A57 cores.

Samsung Galaxy E7

In a bid to bring the A series' new-found premium design language to the masses, Samsung's E-lineup has managed to maintain the same looks. Lower-grade hardware and entirely plastic build have helped keep the price down, but if you don't look too hard it's still an upmarket smartphone.

The design aesthetic of the E7 is unmistakably Samsung - a mix of the Galaxy A7 and the Galaxy S flagships before the Galaxy S6 came along.

The metal frame of the A7 has been replaced by plastic, emulating the looks, but not exactly the feel. On the other hand, the rounded corners are more of a throwback to the S5 than the sharper A7 styling.

A downgrade in the specs was also to be expected and the Galaxy E7 is powered by the lower-midrange Snapdragon 410 as opposed to the snappier Snapdragon 615 inside the A7. The 2GB of RAM is intact though, so not all corners have been cut.

Samsung's Super AMOLED display is also on the keep list, albeit in a more affordable 720p resolution. And if you thought that the E7 will skimp on battery capacity you're wrong, as it comes with a 2,950mAh battery, actually an upgrade over the more expensive Galaxy A7.

Key features:

• Quad-band 2G, quad-band 3G and multi-band 4G, LTE Cat.4 support for download speeds of up to 150Mbps
• 5.5-inch 720 x 1,280 pixel Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen
• Android 4.4.4 KitKat with Samsung's TouchWiz on top
• 64-bit Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 chipset with quad-core 1.2GHz Cortex-A53; Adreno 306 GPU
• 2GB of RAM; 16GB of storage, expandable via microSD up to 64GB
• 13MP main camera with autofocus and LED flash; video recording up to 1080p@30fps
• 5MP front camera, video recording up to 1080p@30fps
• Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Wi-Fi Direct and hotspot; Bluetooth v4.0 with A2DP; NFC (model-dependent)
• GPS with A-GPS and GLONASS
• FM radio with RDS and recording
• 2,950mAh battery capacity

Main disadvantages:

• 720p stretches pretty thin on 5.5 inches by today's standards
• No Gorilla Glass protection on the display
• Battery is not user-replaceable
• Android 4.4.4 is not the most recent Android version; Lollipop is in the pipeline though

The OS update is a shortcoming that's fixable and, with Lollipop reportedly on the way, we'll not hold it against the E7. The screen resolution isn't that big of an issue either and offers decent pixel density for the price segment. The non-removable battery may not be a deal-breaker, but the versatility and future proofing of a user-replaceable battery is an undeniable advantage.

What's difficult to come to terms with is Samsung's decision to omit the Gorilla Glass protection, and aftermarket measures should be taken to protect your device, which is hardly the best option.

iBerry Auxus Beast: A Beast with Octa Core Processor

Indian handset manufacturer, iBerry has announced the launch of Auxus Beast – a smartphone with 3 GB RAM and 64 bit octa core processor. The smartphone is priced at just Rs 13,990, making it India's cheapest smartphone with 3 GB RAM.

The iBerry Auxus Beast is powered by Mediatek 64-bit 1.7GHz MT6752 Octa Core processor, Mali-T-760 GPU, and huge 3 GB DDRIII RAM. It has a 5.5 inch HD IPS Display with Gorilla Glass protection as well. Moreover, it offers superb 16 GB inbuilt memory which is further expandable upto 128 GB using MicroSD card.

On top of that, Auxus Beast has Dual SIM slots both of which support 4G LTE networks in India along with 2G and 3G networks. Auxus Beast supports GPS (Global Positioning System) with AGPS, and Off-Screen Gesture Sensors. It has a 13 megapixel rear camera and an 8 megapixel front facing camera both of which support Auto-Focus, along with key sensors – Light Sensor, Proximity Sensors, Accelerometer Sensors etc.. IBerry has also armed it with the latest software – the Android Lollipop 5.0 and armed it with a huge 3050 mAh battery.

The 8.2 mm thick Auxus Beast will be available in Black color out of the box by default with add-on Colored back panels of Red, Blue and White that can be purchased separately.

Commenting on the launch Abrar Ameen, business development manager, iberry Auxus said, "While some are occupied in just allowing consumers to taste economical Android smartphone with mediocre specs - 32-bit Octa Core 2GB RAM consistently, we thought to bring in little surprise by a bigger and upgraded one - 64-bit Octa Core, 3GB RAM phone at a similar cost, with our new flagship smart phone Auxus Beast. To top it all, 4G LTE, 64-bit CPU and Android 5.0 out of the box, Auxus Beast has all that require and more to really suppress all the outdated specifications out in the market and give the Indian consumer a thrilling opportunity to choose a phone which really stands out of the rest at an affordable price.”

Auxus Beast will be launched on 20th April and will be available exclusively on Snapdeal.com for an offer price of Rs 13,990 with a launch day offer freebies worth of Rs 3000 that includes Wi-Cam Controller (to remotely connect and access your phone's camera), Screen Guards, Silicon Case etc.

Lenovo A6000 Plus: Extended Version of Its Predecessor

Lenovo has reportedly announced a revamped version of its popular A6000 smartphone. Simply named as Lenovo A6000 Plus, the new handset has the same specification as the A6000 apart from higher internal storage and RAM.

As reported, the new Lenovo A6000 Plus features 2 GB RAM and 16 GB internal memory against 1 GB RAM and 8 GB ROM of the older version.

Like the older A6000, the new phone too features a 5 inch HD display, 1.2 GHz Snapdragon 410 processor, 8 megapixel rear camera, 2 megapixel front camera, micro SD card slot, and a 2300 mAh battery.

The Lenovo A6000 Plus too offers dual SIM with 4G connectivity, WiFi, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS, and Android KitKat operating system with Lenovo Vibe interface. The smartphone will be available in black, white, yellow and red.

No information about price of the phone is available right now.

Halo 5: Guardians

Halo 5: Guardians is an upcoming first-person shooter video game. Part of the Halo franchise, the game is being developed by 343 Industries and published by Microsoft Studios. Serving as the sequel to Halo 4, the game is scheduled to be released on October 27, 2015.

Plot
Peace is shattered when colony worlds are unexpectedly attacked. And when humanity's greatest hero goes missing, Spartan Locke is tasked with hunting the Master Chief and solving a mystery that threatens the entire galaxy.

Development

At the 2013 Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), Microsoft announced a new, then-untitled addition to the Halo series, along with a trailer appearing to depict a post-Halo 4 Master Chief. After E3, Microsoft Studios corporate vice president Phil Spencer said that the "Reclaimer Trilogy" had been expanded into a longer series of games, saying they "[didn't] want to limit the Reclaimer story within a trilogy." Bonnie Ross of 343 Industries confirmed the game's Halo 5: Guardians title and 2015 release date in a May 2014 blog post. The game will be exclusive to the Xbox One and run at 60 frames per second (FPS). On the departure from the Xbox 360hardware, Ross noted that the Xbox One allows 343 Industries to broaden the game's scope and utilize the console's dedicated servers. Franchise development director Frank O'Connor explained that Halo 4 pushed its game engine to the limit, such that moving on to the Xbox One called for the development of a new game engine.

A Halo television series is being produced by Steven Spielberg, set to air in 2015 in conjunction with the game's launch. Showtime is in negotiations to air the series.

Halo: The Master Chief Collection gave players exclusive access to Halo 5 '​s multiplayer beta, which began December 29, 2014, and ran through January 18, 2015.

Marketing

On March 22, 2015, Microsoft launched Hunt the Truth, a website marketing campaign for Halo 5. The site features audio episodes from fictional journalist and war photographer Benjamin Giraud (voiced by Keegan-Michael Key), who investigates the Master Chief's background. During the Season 5 finale of The Walking Dead, two different advertisements aired, which revealed the release date of October 27, 2015.