We have got ourselves an amazing year in tech this time around. Even though we’re only two months into 2017, we’ve been given a wonderful treat by the titans of the tech world. Instead of a long-winded introduction, let’s dive right into the juicy bits you might have missed or only received a taste of.
Sony stays premium
No one will ever accuse Sony of skimping out on the quality of their products. They recently introduced their new flagship smartphones to the rest of the world. The Xperia XZ Premium and XZS both provide some jaw-dropping specs. These two are upgrades to the XZ model that was released months ago. Even though the camera resolution has dropped from 23 to 19 megapixels, it gives way for larger pixels and better low-light performance. Both the phones can also shoot super slow-motion videos and the Premium sibling is capable of shooting videos at 960 frame per second. No, that is not a typo.
The new XZS has a 5.2-inch full HD display, while the Premium has a 5.5-inch screen with a 3,840 x 2,120 pixel resolution. This means the display on the latter has a pixel density of 801 pixels per inch. Again, not a typo. The Google Pixel XL, for example, has a ppi of 534. Try and wrap your head around that. But be sure about one simple thing – it’s going to be quite expensive.
Blacker the berry, sweeter the juice
To many, it seems that BlackBerry is going to make a huge comeback into the minds and markets of the average consumer. It also seems that the new BlackBerry KeyOne will be accompanied by a couple of siblings in the coming months.
For those who haven’t already figured out, the new KeyOne has a physical, signature BlackBerry keyboard, alongside a 4.5-inch LCD display with Gorilla Glass 4. The resolution is 1,620 x 1,080 with an aspect ratio of 3:2, which means it is as sharp as it needs to be. The phone also has a 12 megapixel camera and uses a Sony sensor with 1.55-micron pixels.
The phone’s design is actually quite brilliant, keeping the base elements of the iconic shape of popular BlackBerry phones of the past, mixed with modern aesthetics and build. By the way, you’ll be happy to know it has a 3,505mAh battery with a pure Android 7.1 mobile operating system. But not to worry, it is preloaded with BBM, BlackBerry Hub and other beloved features.
Apple, you’re killin’ us
Apple fanboys, hold on to your seats. The latest reports out of the much awaited reveal of the new flagship claims Apple is set to celebrate the phone’s 10th birthday with a curved screen and USB-C connection. Don’t chuck your phone across the room just yet.
According to the Wall Street Journal, one of Apple’s three models to be released this year will have an OLED screen, similar to that of the S7 Edge from Samsung. The same phone may also be ditching the Lightning connection for the market standard USB-C. These are tectonic plates shifting level of a change for the Apple brand. This is also a huge headache for those of you who are always in the forefront of Apple products, after the company decided to ditch the 3.5mm headphone jack.
But hey, the new iPhone 8 might be too damn expensive for you to buy anyway, right? Perhaps, just stick to the 7S and 7S Plus upgrades instead? Just a thought.
Old school rules
Some of you are too young to remember the iconic Nokia cell phones of the past. Cell phones – well, that's a term you don’t hear anymore. For those old enough to remember one of the greatest phones in history, the Nokia 3310 has made a very colourful comeback. The original Nokia completed its sale to Microsoft back in 2014, but several former employees have come back together to resurrect the Nokia name with a new range of Android phones. This reboot, unlike many Hollywood flops, is a very welcome one.
There’s an obvious upgrade of the original design from the turn of the century, with more rounded edges and slimmer figure. It looks smooth as butter and tasty as taffy. Look, let’s just put it this way, these are the only specs you need to know – 2.4-inch screen, 2 megapixel camera, and 22 hours of talk time with a battery that lasts nearly a month. Yes, a month.
No one will ever accuse Sony of skimping out on the quality of their products. They recently introduced their new flagship smartphones to the rest of the world. The Xperia XZ Premium and XZS both provide some jaw-dropping specs. These two are upgrades to the XZ model that was released months ago. Even though the camera resolution has dropped from 23 to 19 megapixels, it gives way for larger pixels and better low-light performance. Both the phones can also shoot super slow-motion videos and the Premium sibling is capable of shooting videos at 960 frame per second. No, that is not a typo.
The new XZS has a 5.2-inch full HD display, while the Premium has a 5.5-inch screen with a 3,840 x 2,120 pixel resolution. This means the display on the latter has a pixel density of 801 pixels per inch. Again, not a typo. The Google Pixel XL, for example, has a ppi of 534. Try and wrap your head around that. But be sure about one simple thing – it’s going to be quite expensive.
To many, it seems that BlackBerry is going to make a huge comeback into the minds and markets of the average consumer. It also seems that the new BlackBerry KeyOne will be accompanied by a couple of siblings in the coming months.
For those who haven’t already figured out, the new KeyOne has a physical, signature BlackBerry keyboard, alongside a 4.5-inch LCD display with Gorilla Glass 4. The resolution is 1,620 x 1,080 with an aspect ratio of 3:2, which means it is as sharp as it needs to be. The phone also has a 12 megapixel camera and uses a Sony sensor with 1.55-micron pixels.
The phone’s design is actually quite brilliant, keeping the base elements of the iconic shape of popular BlackBerry phones of the past, mixed with modern aesthetics and build. By the way, you’ll be happy to know it has a 3,505mAh battery with a pure Android 7.1 mobile operating system. But not to worry, it is preloaded with BBM, BlackBerry Hub and other beloved features.