Le prochain smartphone de Huawei

Le prochain smartphone de Huawei ressemble fort au Google Nexus 6P

Huawei présentera prochainement un nouveau smartphone qui devrait reprendre les codes de design du Nexus 6P. Il pourrait s’agir du successeur du Mate S, probablement baptisé Mate S2.

La TENAA, l’autorité des télécommunications chinoises, vient d’enregistrer dans sa base de données les photos d’un téléphone Huawei suite à sa certification. Ce téléphone n’a toujours pas été annoncé, mais devrait l’être d’ici peu, Huawei devant tenir une conférence le 1er septembre, juste avant l’IFA.

La ressemblance avec le Nexus 6P, du même constructeur, est flagrante. Ils partagent tous deux la même bande noire au haut du dos de l’appareil, ainsi qu’un capteur d’empreintes placé (presque) au même endroit. Mais c’est à peu près tout ce qu’ils ont en commun, si on en croit une rumeur précédente.

Il est très probable que ce téléphone soit le même qui ait été aperçu il y a quelques jours sur GFXBench. D’après la fiche technique dévoilée, cet appareil serait animé par un processeur Kirin cadencé à 2,6 GHz, soupçonné d’être le Kirin 960, de 4 Go de RAM et 64 Go de stockage interne. Il aurait aussi un écran de 5.9 pouces d’une définition Full HD. On parle également d’un appareil photo arrière de 12 mégapixels et d’un capteur avant de 8 mégapixels. On peut espérer qu’il intègre un port USB Type-C.

Un Mate S2 plutôt qu’un Mate 9

Quand la fiche GFXBench est apparue, certains espéraient qu’il s’agisse des caractéristiques du prochain téléphone de la gamme Mate, le Mate 9. Comme l’a précisé Bruce Lee, le manager de la ligne de produits Huawei, le Mate 9 ne va pas être commercialisé de sitôt, le Mate 8 n’étant disponible que depuis la fin de l’année dernière. Si l’on se fie au calendrier de Huawei, il devrait s’agir du successeur du Mate S, qui a été dévoilé en septembre 2015.

Ainsi donc, il devrait bien s’agir du Huawei Mate S2, sauf si la firme chinoise nous réserve des surprises. Pour la confirmation officielle, il faudra attendre la conférence Huawei qui se tiendra le 1er septembre.

Wiko Fever

Test du Wiko Fever 4G : un smartphone brillant, au sens propre comme au figuré 

 

 

 

 

Nouveau milieu de gamme de Wiko, le Fever 4G a la particularité d'intégrer un cadre phosphorescent qui lui permet de « briller dans le noir ». Une particularité largement mise en avant dans la campagne publicitaire mais qui ne suffira sans doute pas, à elle seule, à motiver votre achat. Vous vous demandez si le Fever brille aussi au quotidien ? Réponse avec notre test complet.

Pas facile d'apporter une réelle valeur ajoutée sans monter en gamme et c'est évidemment le problème que rencontrent les petits acteurs de la téléphonie mobile à l'heure où leurs segments de marché, entrée et milieu de gamme, approchent la saturation avec des modèles nombreux et déjà suréquipés pour beaucoup. Mais c'est possible. L'Idol 3 en est la preuve. Avec un équipement simple et peu coûteux, Alcatel OneTouch parvient à proposer . Encore faut-il trouver l'idée lumineuse qui ne coûte rien, bien sûr. Une quête difficile mais les ingénieurs de Wiko ont fini par en trouver une, au sens littéral au moins, que nous retrouvons aujourd'hui avec le Fever.

Cette idée, c'est un cadre phosphorescent. Lumineux donc, et utile ? Ce qui est sûr, c'est qu'elle a bien inspiré l'équipe Marketing à laquelle nous devons la campagne de communication autour, avec quatre préservatifs phosphorescents inclus. On peut dire que Wiko est allé loin pour faire parler du Fever et de son cadre phosphorescent, à tel point que l'on en oublierait presque qu'il s'agit aussi d'un smartphone milieu de gamme plutôt bien équipé pour son prix de 199 € alors commençons par un rappel avant d'entrée dans le vif du sujet :

• Android 5.1 Lollipop
• Ecran IPS Full HD de 5,2 pouces
• chipset octa-core MT6753 cadencé à 1,3 GHz
• GPU Mali-T720
• 3 Go de RAM
• 16 Go de mémoire interne (+ microSD jusqu'à 64 Go)
• connectivités 4G cat. 4, Wi-Fi b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0 et GPS
• appareil photo principal de 13 mégapixels (HD 1080p en vidéo) avec flash LED
• appareil photo secondaire de 5 mégapixels avec « Selfie Flash »
• batterie 2900 mAh
• dimensions : 148 x 73,8 x 8,3 mm
• poids : 143 grammes

La fiche technique paraît équilibrée et plutôt bien fournie. Il est même rare de trouver 3 Go sur un smartphone à moins de 200 €. Le seul que nous ayons croisé jusqu'ici, dont la configuration est d'ailleurs très proche dans l'ensemble et cela ne l'a pas empêché de nous décevoir un peu à l'arrivée. Une bon équipement est donc un bon début mais l'intégration est tout aussi importante. Espérons donc que celui du Fever 4G est bien mis à profit. C'est évidemment ce que nous allons chercher à découvrir mais attardons-nous d'abord sur son design « lumineux ».

Un smartphone qui a de l'allure

Ne tournons pas autour du pot plus longtemps. Le cadre phosphorescent, bonne idée ou non ? La démarche est intéressante par son originalité mais le résultat est loin d'être transcendant. L'utilité est très limitée. Si vous êtes du genre à dormir avec votre smartphone et à le perdre sous la couette, vous parviendrez peut-être à le retrouver plus facilement. Peut-être car la lumière dégagée est plutôt faible, même après une exposition prolongée à la lumière. Cela n'en fait cependant pas une mauvaise idée pour autant puisque l'exécution n'altère en rien le design, que ce soit sur le modèle blanc ou noir. Au mieux, vous en tirerez quelque chose. Au pire, vous aurez toujours un joli smartphone entre les mains.

Car, oui, le Fever 4G est un joli smartphone mélangeant des matériaux plus ou moins nobles mais toujours travaillés avec soin, comme le verre Gorilla 4 travaillé en arrondi sur les bords de la vitre qui couvre la face avant, et qui protège au passage tous les composants apparents : l'écran bien sûr, mais aussi la LED de notification, la selfie-cam et son flash ainsi que les capteurs de luminosité placés au-dessus. Il n'y a rien en-dessous. Nous aurions préféré y retrouver les touches de navigation Android plutôt que de laisser un si large espace inutilisé ou alors que celui-ci soit réduit, le smartphone étant assez long. Impression encore renforcée par les bordures plutôt fines de chaque côté de l'écran.

Les tranches sont quant à elles couvertes de métal, doré ou argenté selon le coloris choisi, avec les habituelles séparations pour les antennes à la différence qu'elles sont ici faites en plastique phosphorescent. Leur forme arrondie rend la préhension agréable, et les boutons du volume et de l'alimentation tombent assez naturellement sous le pouce. Pas de problème concernant les connectiques non plus. Elles sont là où nous aimons les trouver, soit en haut pour la prise et en bas pour la prise microUSB. Pas de trappe ou tiroir ici, le capot est amovible pour laisser l'accès aux deux ports microSIM et à l'emplacement microSD, ainsi qu'à la batterie extractible.

Une petite encoche a été taillée au-dessus du coin inférieur gauche pour faciliter le retrait, et heureusement puisqu'il n'y a aucun jeu où passer un ongle et qu'il tient bien en place. Il arrive même que le capot se torde presque à 90° avant que les derniers clips ne cèdent. Un plastique plus épais aurait peut-être été préférable. Oui. Le capot est bien en plastique mais Wiko a tout de même réalisé un effet cuir assez joli. Il est par ailleurs bombé pour suivre la trajectoire des tranches et améliorer la prise en main. L'appareil photo est en haut à droite. Le haut-parleur, centré en bas. C'est donc assez classique mais suffisamment bien réalisé pour faire taire les mauvaises langues.

Une belle dalle Full HD pour tous les usages

A l'allumage, nous découvrant une belle dalle Full HD de 5,2 pouces. La résolution atteint 424 pixel par pouce, ce qui est largement suffisant pour éviter les pixels disgracieux à l'oeil nu et profiter de tout type de contenu. Nous avons relevé un léger manque de profondeur général dans les teintes foncées ainsi qu'un autre petit manque dans la tenue des couleurs, autrement assez vives et contrastées, en changeant l'orientation du smartphone cette fois. Dommage pour une dalle IPS même si elle est loin d'être mauvaise avec, aussi, un rétroéclairage plutôt puissant. La vitre 2,5D offre avec cela une glisse très agréable pour naviguer.

Une surcouche légère mais astucieuse

Et, justement, la navigation, venons-en. Pas de grande surprise ici. Nous commençons à bien connaître la surcouche de Wiko. Il faut dire qu'elle n'apporte pas grand-chose à Android, que nous retrouvons ici en version 5.1 Lollipop. Elle supprime même le menu principal mais les quelques nouveautés sont au moins utiles, comme le bouton ajouté pour fermer toutes les applications ouvertes en même temps dans le multitâche. Nous aurions aussi apprécié un indicateur de RAM utilisée/disponible mais il ne devrait pas y avoir besoin de s'en soucier beaucoup avec 3 Go.

Des raccourcis gestuels pour réveiller le smartphone et des « gestes intelligents » sont également ajoutés. Bien sûr, les applications système sont aussi revisitées à la sauce Wiko au passage, avec de nouvelles icônes et, parfois aussi, une nouvelle organisation mais elles sont rarement enrichies de nouvelles fonctionnalités. L'interface est donc finalement assez classique, et nous pouvons en dire autant de la liste des applications pré-installées.

  

Là aussi, Wiko évite les futilités pour aller à l'essentiel et se contente d'outils de mise à jour et de sauvegarde en plus de l'habituel Clean Master servant à la gestion et l'optimisation du système pour compléter les outils classiques (calculatrice, magnétophone...) et la suite de Google. Vous pourrez donc compter sur le Play Store pour vous concocter une logithèque aux petits oignons, et c'est certainement mieux ainsi.

Notez que 9 Go environ sont réellement disponibles sur les 16 annoncés. Sans oublier le port microSD qui accepte les cartes jusqu'à 64 Go.

  

Plutôt à l'aise en multimédia

La navigation est fluide et le système répond rapidement, même avec de nombreuses applications tournant en fond. Les 3 Go de RAM aident évidemment beaucoup même si le MT6753 de MediaTek ne démérite pas à l'usage général. Avec ses huit coeurs Cortex-A53 cadencés à 1,3 GHz pour le CPU et le Mali-T720 en charge de la partie graphique, c'est surtout en multimédia qu'il risque de peiner un peu comme le montrent les scores obtenus sur les benchmarks :

  

Le bilan est cependant loin d'être catastrophique compte tenu du positionnement du smartphone. Vous devriez notamment pouvoir jouer à la plupart des jeux, 3D compris, même s'il faudra sans doute parfois se passer des graphismes les plus fins. Nous avons tenté, avec succès, sur Dead Trigger 2 mais nous ne nous sommes évidemment pas amusés à tester tout le catalogue du Play Store. Angry Birds Go! était également dans notre sélection et nous n'avons pas rencontré de problème particulier avec non plus. Point de ralentissement ni de réponse trop tardive aux commandes alors que le smartphone chauffe à peine.

Aucun problème particulier en lecture multimédia non plus, si ce n'est, comme toujours, celui des lecteurs natifs même si nous sommes parvenus à lire certains formats vidéos que beaucoup d'autres smartphones ne supportent pas nativement. L'audio peut aussi poser problème. Le mieux est donc de faire un tour sur le Play Store au départ pour télécharger un bon lecteur, même gratuit (VLC, MX Player), et être tranquille. Ce sera également nécessaire pour la gestion des sous-titres. Vous pourrez ensuite profiter pleinement du bel écran Full HD du Fever, sans oublier son haut-parleur qui s'est avéré plutôt puissant et clair compte tenu du prix.

Mauvais en photo, malgré des efforts sur l'application

Terminons avec la partie photo, pour laquelle nous partons assez confiants puisque l’équipement est plutôt bon sur le papier, avec un capteur de 13 mégapixels accompagné d'un flash LED 240 lumen à l'arrière et un capteur 5 mégapixels accompagné, lui, d'un flash LED estampillé « Selfie Flash » à l'avant. Nous découvrons de plus un mode « Professionnel » étonnamment bien fichu et mis en scène avec un curseur à faire glisser sur des arcs de cercles pour les différents réglages (exposition, balance des blancs, ISO, netteté) dans l’application, autrement assez peu travaillée en apparence avouons.

Evidemment, un mode automatique est également disponible pour les prises rapides, en plus des modes HDR, Panorama, Nocturne, Sport ou encore DualView (deux appareils en même temps avec un cadre personnalisable incrusté dans l’image pour le second). Nous avons également apprécié la possibilité d’ajouter un niveau dans le viseur. Bref, c’est finalement une application assez complète. Et heureusement car les réglages automatiques sont plutôt décevants.

Commençons avec la mise au point automatique (et qu’il est malheureusement impossible de passer en manuel). Elle est souvent inefficace, et pas uniquement en basse luminosité même si c’est évidemment le pire. Quelques problèmes de netteté sont donc à prévoir. Dommage quand le constructeur annonce un autofocus ultra-rapide (0,2 seconde) sur son site internet. Il faudra parfois être patient et multiplier les prises pour arriver à un résultat satisfaisant, et ce n’est pas le seul problème.

Le capteur peine souvent à capturer les scènes en détails, sans parler de la dégradation visible en périphérie et des problèmes de scintillement qui apparaissent parfois à l'agrandissement. S'ajoutent à cela des couleurs généralement ternes (surtout en les regardant sur un autre support que l'écran du smartphone) et trop chaudes ou trop froides en fonction de l'éclairage, ce qui nous amène d'ailleurs au dernier problème : la gestion de la luminosité. Il faudra souvent choisir entre surexposition ou sousexposition, le Fever 4G ne faisant presque jamais dans la demi-mesure.

L’appareil photo avant délivre quant à lui des selfies corrects mais, évidemment, bien moins bons que ceux que délivre le Sefly 4G du même constructeur par exemple.

Une jolie proposition pour le prix

Vous l’aurez compris. Nous n’avons pas été particulièrement emballés par l’idée du cadre phosphorescent mais il y a bien d’autres raisons de se tourner vers ce Fever 4G. C’est tout d’abord un joli smartphone, mais il est aussi capable de délivrer une expérience Android complète grâce à son bel écran et ses performances décentes avec, toutefois, une petite réserve sur la partie photo. Dommage, mais c’est un problème récurrent sur les smartphones à moins de 200 €.

Le Speed 7 de Zopo n’est pas épargné et le 50 Diamond d’Archos, dont le positionnement est également proche, n’excelle pas non plus en photo. Il faudra donc faire avec ou mettre la main à la poche. Nous retiendrons en tout cas un smartphone élégant et bien armé pour son prix.

OnePlus 3 Now OFFICIAL

OnePlus' third handset emerges as the...OnePlus 3! Here's EVERYTHING you need to know -- release date, specs, price

Blimey that was fast. No less than four days after confirming the plans on its official web forum, OnePlus has pushed out its promised update for the OnePlus 3 designed to improve and optimise RAM performance and add an sRGB mode for the display, plus, it has been revealed, there are a few other tweaks as well. OnePlus said it would deliver the update in response to criticism and reports that RAM management was lacklustre - video evidence had emerged that showed the Samsung Galaxy S7 EDGE, with 2GB less RAM, was much faster thanks to RAM effiiencies. The 396MB update, which brings Oxygen OS up to version 3.2.0(build designation: OnePlus3Oxygen_16_1607012342) is now rolling out to OnePlus 3 units and introduces the following changes (via):

• Enabled sRGB mode in developer options
• Improved RAM management
• Improved GPS performance
• Enhanced audio playback quality
• Updated custom icon packs
• Fixed some issues with notifications
• Improved camera quality/functionality
• Fixed some issues in Gallery
• Latest Google security patches
• Fixed bugs in Clock/Music apps

Update: ARGH! We spoke to soon! According to a statement from OnePlus on July 5 the firm has pulled the 3.2.0 update due to reports from users that many were experiencing new issues after installing the software build. The original plan was to complete the rollout in 48 hours, but the firm has been forced to backtrack and pause further updating, OnePlus said that some users had encoutnered problems with the update process but has not yet disclosed what kind of performance issues the update may cause once installed.

"Due to some reports of issues while upgrading, we are temporarily stopping the rollout to investigate. We will start back up as soon as possible," the firm said in an edit to its original announcement post on the company forums.

The OnePlus 3 essentially represents the Chinese OEM kicking its plans for world dominance into the next gear; the firm came out of nowhere a few years ago with an innovative approach to marketing and consumer interaction, an intriguing distribution model, and a handset with a relatively low price combined with decent specs. Over time it's become apparent that this was an experimental, testing-the-water phase, and now with the launch of the OnePlus 3 we're looking at the kid gloves being taken off.

Why's that? Well the limited number, invite-only distribution model has been cast aside - OnePlus has ramped up production of the OnePlus 3 to offer many more units to eager consumers, and it has teamed up with Amazon to sell the phone exclusively via the world-leading online retailer's webstores.

And rivals should be worried. They should be worried because OnePlus has also dialled up on its spec-to-price ratio offering a metal-build, premium-grade, flagship-level spec smartphone at a MID-RANGE price point - a mere £309 for the base model.

OnePlus handsets are cheaper than ones from nearly everybody else, but they have specs, design and features to go toe-to-toe with the best of them. The company saves cash by virtue of its corporate composition; it doesn’t spend millions on marketing, it controls the production and amount of its phones and, most importantly, it has built a hugely strong community around its brand.

We won’t know how much damage the entry of the OnePlus 3 will do until a few weeks after its release, but given the hype around the handset and the fact that it is significantly cheaper than 99.9% of Android phones today, it is very likely the OnePlus 3 will make HUGE waves in the Android space during 2016/17.

“JD.com is China's largest online retailer,” reports Phone Arena, “and is one of three selling the recently unveiled OnePlus 3 in the country over the internet. The company held a flash sale today for the new "flagship killer," and the phone sold out in just under ten minutes. The number of units offered was not revealed, but we can tell you that the phone was priced at the equivalent of $379 USD.”

OnePlus is really drilling down on this handset as well. The company confirmed that it will no longer sell its OnePlus X, a smaller, more cost effective phone that didn’t seem to catch on quite as well as its bigger brother, the OnePlus 2.

The OnePlus One sold well. The OnePlus 2 broke the million mark. But it is the OnePlus 3 that will put the firm on a similar footing to some of its larger peers in the Android Kingdom. The hype and interest around this phone should equate to very impressive sales and now that we know what the phone is all about, BIG sales seem even more likely — even more so when you factor there is NO invite system anymore.

So what’s the OnePlus 3 all about? Let’s take a look at what was announced shall we?

OnePlus 3 UK Price Hike Incoming Off Back Of Brexit & Falling Pound?

If you were planning to buy a OnePlus 3 then some new info may give you pause for thought. According to a statement the firm posted on its own webpage, the handset may see a price hike in the UK in response to shifts in the economy, specifically the dropping value of the pound, since the announcement of the result of the Brexit EU Referendum. With the British public voting to leave the EU, and the government and markets in dissaray, OnePlus said there was a "worrying downward trend of the GBP."

To clarify the situation, OnePlus said, "Our margins have always been thin, and our expenses are mainly in USD. This being the case, sudden drops such as the one that the Pound has recently experienced could have a direct impact on our prices."

"If you’re thinking of buying, we recommend doing so sooner rather than later," it added. The current price tag remains £309.

OnePlus 3 in RED In The Works

The OnePlus 3 is now readily available without invite from OnePlus. Available in two colours at present — Graphite, and the upcoming Soft Gold version — but it looks as if OnePlus could be adding in another variant as well. And that variant is a RED one.

As you can see, the OnePlus 3 in red looks rather dashing. The image was picked up on Chinese social networks but it is unclear when it will be made officially available — if at all. Red is OnePlus’ signature colour after all, so the inclusion of it into its most recent handset’s bodywork isn’t all that odd.          The handset was also spotted on OnePlus’ webpage, adding further weight to assertions this variant will drop very soon. It has since been removed, making us think it was A) a mistake, or, more likely, B) an self-made leak designed at testing reactions to a red version and getting a bit of free press in the process.

Either way, we’re sold. So hurry up and make it official, OnePlus!

OnePlus 3: Design

OnePlus' previous handsets; the OnePlus One, OnePlus 2, and OnePlus X, have all seen the manufacturer experimenting with a range of materials, including ceramic, and interchangeable backs made from everything from wood and bamboo, through to Kevlar, leather, and even denim. A full metal build, however, has been absent from the firm's line-up, and given the current lay of the land in the mobile market that's clearly something which needed addressing. Enter the OnePlus 3, the first OnePlus flagship crafted into a premium aluminium unibody.

While the handset looks very different from previous editions, there's no getting round the fact that it also mirrors design features from rival OEMs. Most prominently the HTC 10. Still, if you're going to imitate something at least pick something that looks good, right? The OnePlus 3, derivative or not, is one hell of a striking bit of aesthetic design. The phone is cut from a single block of aluminium too, so there should be no creaks and groans when operating it. Exact measurements are 152.7 x 74.7 x 7.35mm and it weighs in at 158g on the scales.

The display is a 5.5in Optic AMOLED panel with a 1080p resolution (more on that later) and is protected by Gorilla Glass 4 reinforced glass. Below this is a fingerprint scanner for Android Pay and secure access. The bezel around the display is tiny as well at just 7.75mm and OnePlus has kept the button configuration for the volume rocker and alert silencer the same.

OnePlus 3 "Soft Gold" Colour Option On Hold Until July

Gooooooooooollllllddddd. Yes, it's all the rage in the smartphone world, but OnePlus took to Twitter to confirm that the "Soft Gold" color option for the OnePlus 3 will not be available straight away. Nope, it's being delayed until July apparently. At present, if you go to the OnePlus store you'll only see the "Graphite" edition, but Carl Pei responded to consumer questions on the bird-themed social network saying the golden colour would come "some time in the later part of July". As well as being the "gold" option, "Soft Gold" is also the only edition with a white front fascia, while the "Graphite" grey/silver metal model has a black front fascia. We have a feeling OnePlus anticipated the gold/white version being more popular and is delaying it in order to produce more units.

OnePlus 3 Display

The display, if you’re being picky, is the one area where the OnePlus 3 falls short of its Android peers. The panel is a 1080p setup, which gives you around 401ppi — the same as the iPhone 6s Plus, but way behind the likes of the HTC 10, Galaxy S7 and LG G5.

I say picky because 1080p displays don’t really bother me all that much; they’re friendlier to batteries, still pack enough punch and are for the most part still very much fit for showing most content crisply and cleanly — even when a lot of handsets now use QHD panels.

OnePlus 3 Camera

OnePlus has leveraged Sony’s IMX298 sensor for its OnePlus 3, bringing a 16MP sensor with 1.12µm pixel size to the 2016 Android phone party. You also get Optical Image Stabilisation, an f/2.0 aperture and phase detection autofocus, making this one hell of a competitive setup given its exceptionally low £309 price tag.

Like other BIG Android flagships, the OnePlus 3’s camera also packs in plenty of features: auto HDR, something called Dynamic Denoise - a noise reduction technology - raw image file support, 4K video at 30fps and 720p slow motion at 120fps are all present and accounted for.

The front-facing shooter, a Sony IMX179 this time, is an 8MP setup with 1.4µm pixels and an f/2.0 lens, which should equate to very good performance, especially in low light.

OnePlus 3: Specs & Hardware

THIS is where the OnePlus 3 REALLY comes into its own. You get 6GB of RAM as standard. That’s right: SIX! Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 820 CPU, up to 64GB of storage, dual-SIM support, all the usual LTE modems and Wi-Fi features, a 3,000mAh battery and a very compelling camera setup, both on the front and back.

And you get ALL that for just £309. I know, that’s more than the OnePlus 2 and WAY more than the OnePlus One. But just look at what you’re getting here — this is a hugely impressive phone and it costs £40 less than Apple’s 4in iPhone SE, which is effectively a 2012 iPhone 5s on steroids.

OnePlus 3 Release Date & Price

The OnePlus 3 will be up for sale from the OnePlus website from 20:00 BST on June 14. It will cost £309 and THERE IS NO INVITE SYSTEM.

“The invite system has a special place in our history,” said OnePlus on its official blog. “When we first started out, our team was incredibly small. We had no idea what the demand of the OnePlus One would look like. We also weren’t fans of flash sales, where there’s a risk of everything selling out immediately, forcing fans to wait indefinitely. To address this, we designed the invite system to give customers a chance to purchase a phone as soon as we had inventory ready.”

Since then OnePlus has grown as a company, both in terms of size, market presence and, no doubt, financial clout. For this reason — and likely a few others it hasn’t mentioned — OnePlus is now able to operate outside its safety-net invite system. And this is VERY good news for those eager to pick up the new handset right away.

“With the OnePlus 3,” OnePlus added, “we’re officially saying goodbye to invites. It’s a big step for us as a company, our fans, and fellow tech enthusiasts. After sending out millions of invites over the past two years, it’s hard to not think back to the early days and how far we’ve come. We’re proud to have reached a point where we feel confident in making our new device available without invites from day one.”

Motorola Moto Z and Moto Z Force

Lenovo has taken to the stage at Lenovo Tech World 2016 to unveil its next-gen handset, the Moto Z, which steps into flagship territory.

But rather than just launching one new handset, Motorola has unveiled two versions of this handset, the Moto Z and the Moto Z Force, following the trend started by the Moto X in 2015. 

But the Moto Z isn't just about the phones, it's about a wider ecosystem of Moto Mods too. We've crunched through all the details: here's everything you need to know about the new Moto Z.

Motorola Moto Z and Moto Z Force: Design

The Moto Z offers a premium metal design, crafted from aircraft-grade aluminium and stainless steel, with a slim 5.2mm profile. It will come in a range of colours and finishes, with Lenovo offering the full Moto Maker treatment on the new Moto Z handset. 

The slim design means that the camera protrudes from the back, but your eyes will most likely be drawn to the 16 pins at the bottom, the connection point for the Moto Mod accessories. It also gets a degree of water repellency, something common to Motorola handsets of the past.

The Moto Z measures 153.3 x 75.3 x 5.19mm and weighs 136g

The Moto Z Force is thicker at 7mm and a little taller, but only by a faction of a millimetre giving space for more battery. The Moto Z Force weighs 163g.

One thing you'll notice is that there's no 3.5mm headphone jack. For a long time manufacturers have been saying that this legacy connection causes design problems, and Lenovo has ditched it, offering just the USB Type-C instead.

Visually, there's little difference between the two handsets in the overall design - except for the thickness, so whether you choose the Moto Z or the Moto ZForce, you get a great looking phone.

Motorola Moto Z and Moto Z Force: Display

Both versions of the Moto Z have a 5.5-inch AMOLED display, with a sharp 2560 x 1440 pixel resolution. That places the Moto Z right up there with other flagship handsets, with a lovely sharp 534ppi.

The difference, however, as the name suggests, comes in with the Moto Z Force offering the ShatterShield display that the Moto X Force first introduced. This should provide an extra level of protection for those who tend to drop theirphone.

The regular Moto Z has a Gorilla Glass coating. 

Motorola Moto Z and Moto Z Force: Hardware

On the hardware front, the story of the new Moto Z is fairly consistent. It's powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 chipset, the latest quad-core powerhouse that's sitting at the heart of many leading flagship handsets. This is backed by 4GB of RAM on both handsets.

Both handsets will offer options of 32 or 64GB of internal storage, we're guessing as an option selected through Moto Maker, but this can be expanded via microSD card.

However, there's a big difference in battery. The Moto Z has a 2600mAh battery, which is a little on the small side, but given the slimness of the handset, it's pretty generous. Motorola says it will give you 30 hours of usage, but boasts that TurboPower charging will give you 8-hours of use from just 15 minutes of charging.

The Moto Z Force, however, steps up, packing in a 3500mAh battery into that thicker body. This, Motorola claims, will offer 40 hours of use. Again, fast charging will see you getting 15 hours of use from just 15 minutes on a charger.

Motorola Moto Z and Moto Z Force: Cameras

The Moto Z offers a 13-megapixel camera on the rear, with f/1.8 aperture and optical image stabilisation. It offers laser autofocus and the sensor has a 1.12µm pixel size, which is a little on the small side compared to some mainstream rivals.

The Moto Z Force increases the resolution with a 21-megapixel camera, also with 1.12µm pixels, a f/1.8 aperture, OIS and laser AF again. This camera also offers phase-detection AF, so should be faster than the regular Moto Z sibling.

Both Moto Z models have a 5-megapixel front camera, with larger 1.4µm pixels, so it should be good at grabbing those low-light selfies. The front camera has a f/2.2 aperture and a wide-angle lens.

Motorola Moto Z and Moto Z Force: Software

Motorola has always offered a close to vanilla Android experience when it comes to software. Unlike its competitors, it opts not to add an entire skin over the top of Android and instead adds just a couple of extra apps here and there, providing an experience that is as close to pure Android as you can get without buying aNexus. 

Motorola Moto Z and Moto Z Force: Moto Mods

One of the exciting points of differentiation for the Moto Z is the Moto Mods. These modular accessories attach with a "snap", thanks to the magnets in the rear of the phone. The aim of Moto Mods is to expand the skills of your phonebeyond the core spec, simply by attaching the accessory to the rear of the handset.

Motorola has ambitious plans for Moto Mods, opening up to third-party developers, offering prizes for design innovation and making a slew of high-profile announcements about Moto Mod partners. 

On the list are a Moto Insta-Share projector, Incipio OffGrid Power Pack and JBL SoundBoost speaker and they simply snap onto the back of the phone. You'll also be able to quickly change the look of your phone with Mod shells.

In the future we expect to see a lot more Moto Mods and Motorola plans to make these Mods compatible with future devices. The Moto Mods will fit on either handset.

Motorola Moto Z and Moto Z Force: Release date and prices

Lenovo has said that the Moto Z will be available unlocked in the Fall in the US, with Verizon offering a Droid exclusive version - the Moto Z Droid Edition and the Moto Z Force Droid Edition.

For global customers, the Moto Z and the Moto Mods announced at the launch will be available from September. There's currently no word on how much they will be.

Apple iPhone 7: rumours

The Apple iPhone 6S and 6S Plus launched in September 2015 and they have since been followed by the smaller iPhone SE, which replaces the iPhone 5S. Rumours started circulating around the Cupertino company's next bigger smartphones - likely to be called the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus - long before the iPhone SE was announced though.

Every year, normally in September, a new iPhone is released and every year the new device is speculated upon and leaked months and months in advance of its actual release. Some rumours turn out to be accurate, while others leave us disappointed.

This feature rounds up all the leaks and rumours surrounding the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus in one place so you can easily see what they might bring. Rumours will be added as they appear but bear in mind nothing is confirmed so keep your excitement at bay.

Apple iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus: Release date

Apple of course has confirmed absolutely nothing but if the last few years are anything to go by, it is likely the iPhone 7 and larger iPhone 7 Plus will appear sometime in the latter half of 2016. There have also been claims of an iPhone 7 Pro that will sit above these two devices but we would take this with a pinch of salt for now as chances are the Pro could just be the Plus.

The company usually holds an event shortly after the consumer electronics show IFA takes place in Berlin, notably never attending the show or using it as a launch platform unlike competitors. This year's IFA takes place from 2 September to 7 September 2016.

The iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus launched on Wednesday 9 September, which was the last day of IFA 2015. If Apple follows the same pattern, Wednesday 7 September could be the date we need to pencil in our diaries. It's anybody's guess at the moment though.

Apple iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus: Design

Apple has followed a traditional release pattern in the past when it comes to design. Every two years, the iPhone has seen a design spruce up and as 2015 was the "S" year, the iPhone 7 is due to see some more prominent changes than theiPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus presented. Unless the pattern is changed however.

Past rumours claimed the iPhone 7 would be slimmer than its predecessors but some drawings published by MrDrivers suggest otherwise. The drawings claim the iPhone 7 will be 7.2mm and the iPhone 7 Plus will be 7.3mm, which is pretty much the same as the iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus. There have also been some iPhone 7 Pro schematics leak. This third mystery device is claimed to be 7.3mm, but it wouldn't be surprising if it was the Plus with a different name.

A patent for a new slimmer, D-shaped headphone plug was apparently filed by Apple, but as there are already Lightning headphones available, it would make more sense for Apple to do away with the headphone jack altogether, which is what MacOtakara claims will happen.

The Japanese site has also claimed the company will ship the iPhone 7 with a Lightning to 3.5mm adapter that will allow current headphones to work with the new device. It's been claimed the 3.5mm space will be filled with an additional speaker, something which has been supported by some images leaked from NowhereElse.fr. 

The iPhone 7 Pro leaked schematics show a device with no headphone jack, andUSwitch published some for the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, again neither of which featured a headphone jack. There is no way of telling if these leaks are accurate however and there have been a contradicting report from Weibo suggesting the 3.5mm jack will still be present. In addition to the headphone jack debate, there has also been a leak from a Chinese retail outlet suggesting Apple may also go with a dual SIM tray too. 

Other rumours claim the iPhone 7 could come with a different chassis to theiPhone 6S, which is made from 7000 series aluminium. Apparently, next year's iPhone could see a non-metal frame with waterproofing and dustproofing features, although liquidmetal has also been thrown about the speculation field. Apple hasn't always used aluminium for its iPhones, with polycarbonate and glass backs both making an appearance in previous models. To move from the 7000 series aluminium after just a year would seem like a strange move though.

There have also been reports claiming the Home button will be waving goodbye for the iPhone 7 with Touch ID placed into the display instead. This button offers more than just Touch ID however, but perhaps the 3D Touch technology introduced for the iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus will be developed further for the next-gen iPhone to incorporate the other functions of the Home button. We aren't convinced though, especially given there have been other rumourssuggesting a patent was filed that would allow the Home button to detect gestures, as well as force.

Perhaps more plausible is the idea of a capacitive touch-sensitive Home button that sits flush with the surface of the phone, something a photo leak from MobiPicker shows. Business Insider sources have also suggested this would be the case with a Force Touch capacitive component taking its place.

There has also been a report supporting the idea that the iPhone 7 will be waterproof, as we suggested above. Videos of the iPhone 6S surviving water submersion for half an hour are already online. It is thought Apple wanted to launch this as waterproof but wasn't happy it would work well enough.

A patent found by Apple Insider shows a new waterproofing system that uses active electronic shutters to block off ports from water damage. The source says: "At the command of an onboard logic, these shutter mechanisms can quickly block acoustic pathways - portholes - from damaging physical contaminants, potentially saving hundreds of dollars in repair costs."

A Weibo user called G for Games has claimed Apple is working on five different prototypes of the iPhone 7, each of which has its own hardware features. USBType-C has been thrown about, as has wireless charging, and Touch ID moving into the display has also been speculated here.

MacRumors reported a source claims the iPhone 7's design will be similar to that of the iPhone 6S, with two differences. Apparently the antenna bands across the rear will be removed for a cleaner all-metal look, while the camera lens will sit flush rather than protrude like it does currently. That's been contradicted by a recent image leak from Weibo though and NowhereElse.fr. The images shows the rear of the iPhone and although the antenna strips have moved to the top and bottom edges, making the device look more streamlined, the camera lens certainly isn't flush on either. These images could easily be fake though.

In other rumours, it has been suggested the iPhone 7 Plus will come with adual-lens rear camera and Smart Connector, the latter of which is found on the company's iPad Pro range.

There has also been a report supporting the idea that the iPhone 7 will be waterproof, as we suggested above. Videos of the iPhone 6S surviving water submersion for half an hour are already online. It is thought Apple wanted to launch this as waterproof but wasn't happy it would work well enough.

A patent found by Apple Insider shows a new waterproofing system that uses active electronic shutters to block off ports from water damage. The source says: "At the command of an onboard logic, these shutter mechanisms can quickly block acoustic pathways - portholes - from damaging physical contaminants, potentially saving hundreds of dollars in repair costs."

A Weibo user called G for Games has claimed Apple is working on five different prototypes of the iPhone 7, each of which has its own hardware features. USBType-C has been thrown about, as has wireless charging, and Touch ID moving into the display has also been speculated here.

MacRumors reported a source claims the iPhone 7's design will be similar to that of the iPhone 6S, with two differences. Apparently the antenna bands across the rear will be removed for a cleaner all-metal look, while the camera lens will sit flush rather than protrude like it does currently. That's been contradicted by a recent image leak from Weibo though and NowhereElse.fr. The images shows the rear of the iPhone and although the antenna strips have moved to the top and bottom edges, making the device look more streamlined, the camera lens certainly isn't flush on either. These images could easily be fake though.

In other rumours, it has been suggested the iPhone 7 Plus will come with adual-lens rear camera and Smart Connector, the latter of which is found on the company's iPad Pro range.

This rumour was supported by the schematics leak claiming to show the iPhone 7 Pro, meaning a Smart Connector and dual-lens camera might appear, but perhaps only on a third model rather than the two standard models. That said,the more recent schematics also see a dual-lens camera setup and SmartConnector on the iPhone 7 Plus model but not on the standard iPhone 7. Both schematics also show a design similar to the current iPhones though so it might be better not to assume a complete redesign this year.

A case leak in an Unbox Therapy video also supports the dual-camera theory however, showing a similar size to the iPhone 6S but with a dual-lens camera array. The video suggests a lack of headphone port in favour of Lightning connection only, supporting previous claims. A different case leak from@OnLeaks also appears to show dual speaker ports like the Unbox version. You can see the OnLeaks case in the gallery above but be sure to take everything with a pinch of salt for now.

Apple iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus: Display

As we mentioned, the iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus arrived with a new technology called 3D Touch and we'd fully expect to see this appear on the iPhone 7 next year, although it has been rumoured this could evolve to multi-force touch.

At the moment there are three sizes of iPhone available - 4-inch, 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch. Apple has already updated the iPhone 5S with the iPhone SE, leaving September clear for a new 4.7-inch and a new 5.5-inch device, or two new 5.5-inch devices if the rumours are anything to go by. It wouldn't surprise us too much if the 4.7-inch size increased slightly but the footprint of the device itself remained the same, which could be achieved if the rumour of the Touch ID button disappearance became a reality for example.

The iPhone 6S has a 1334 x 750 resolution display (326ppi), while the iPhone 6SPlus has a 1920 x 1080 resolution (401ppi), both of which put their pixel densities at less than competing devices of the same sizes. A leak from MyDrivers suggests Apple will introduce a 2K AMOLED Force Touch display for the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus but Apple hasn't played the numbers game with resolution in the past so we would be surprised to see this. Mac Otakara has said its sources claim the next-gen iPhone will feature a "completely flat" LCD display. This presumably refers to the cover glass, which is currently curved, leading nicely to the device's edge.

A report from ETNews claims Apple has ordered OLED screens from Samsung which it may use in the iPhone 7, supporting the MyDrivers claim. This has also been supported by Asian site Nikkei, who claims Samsung is spending $6.8 billion on OLED production this year to supply Apple. Apple already uses OLED displays in its Watch models so a move to add those to its phones makes sense. The technology offers a greater contrast ratio while using less power than LCD.

A 3D display has also been suggested after the Economic Daily News claimed that TPK, an Apple supply chain partner was working on a naked eye 3D screen. There has also been talk of an edge-to-edge display after an image leak on Chinese site Weibo but we would take both these suggestions with a big pinch of salt for now.

Apple iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus: Camera

The iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus saw a bump in camera megapixels, which was a long time coming and therefore we don't expect Apple to introduce another bump for the iPhone 7. At least not in sensor size. That's not to say the iPhone 7 camera won't see new features or functions though.

Apple recently acquired a company called LinX, which makes 3D camera sensorsthat are said to match DSLRs in terms of performance, despite their size. Apparently these cameras have depth-sensing abilities make them useful for facial recognition, 3D scanning and post-shot refocusing, according to MacWorld.

A dual-lens design for the iPhone 7 has also been claimed, along with better low-light performance which is exactly what analyst from KGI Securities, Mind-Chi Kuo also claims will appear. This has also been supported by MacRumors, although this site claims only the iPhone 7 Plus will get the dual-lens setup, supported by the recent schematics from USwitch, and drawings from MyDrivers, while Mac Fan believes the dual-camera is destined for the iPhone 7 Pro instead. It has been said the iPhone 7 will offer a more "traditional" camera, but that it will sit flush with the rear, as we mentioned earlier. More recent leakssuggest it may not sit flush at all however, as we also mentioned previously.

A leak from Taiwan claims to show off the dual-camera lens, as does a case leak on Unbox Therapy. The former leak claims the iPhone 7 will feature a normal focus 12-megapixel sensor and lens and one telephoto 12-megapixel sensor and lens. If combined with LinX smarts, it should allow the camera to intelligently sense depth, which would be ideal for 3D scanning or smart augmented reality experiences.

As it stands, the rumours are all up in the air when it comes to the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus's cameras so take everything with a pinch of salt for now. 

Apple iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus: Hardware

With every new iPhone comes a new processor. We are currently on the A9 within the iPhone 6S, iPhone 6S Plus and the iPhone SE, so you can expect an A10 processor for the iPhone 7, along with an M10 motion coprocessor. Rumour has it the new chip will focus on improving battery life, which we can't see anyone complaining about.

There have been reports to suggest Intel and Qualcomm are battling it out to win the contract for the iPhone 7's new LTE chip, while a Weibo-based rumourhighlighted by MacWorld claims the new iPhone chip will offer six cores rather than the dual-cores in the current iPhone 6S, iPhone 6S Plus and iPhone SE.

According to one report Apple will bump up the RAM to 3GB in the iPhone 7 but MyDrivers claims its sources have touted 3GB of RAM for the iPhone 7 Plus and 2GB of RAM for the iPhone 7. The current iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus both have 2GB onboard.

Wireless charging has also been discussed within iPhone 7 rumours, although this would require Apple to either do something very clever, or say bye-bye to ametal body, which we aren't convinced it will do. We suspect it is more likely the lightning port will remain for charging, or perhaps the Smart Connector will see a debut on the iPhone, even if it is just on the rumoured iPhone 7 Pro model. This would at least justify the Pro name if this model does appear.

In terms of storage, we would hope to see the iPhone 7 get rid of the 16GB option and re-introduce a 32GB model instead. A report from Chinese site MyDrivershas claimed the iPhone 7 Plus will come in a 256GB option and the battery capacity will increase from the 2915mAh in the iPhone 6S Plus to 3100mAh. The site didn't detail the battery capacity expected for the iPhone 7 but suggested the larger storage would only be available in the Plus model. The 256GB storage option has also been presented in leaked images from Rock Fix via Weibo, along with dual-SIM as we mentioned previously.

Apple doesn't do storage expansion via microSD so we don't expect to see that change for the iPhone 7.

Apple iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus: Software

The iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus will debut with iOS 10, which we heard a little more about at WWDC in June. There are several new features and functions like every other software update, including a revamp of Messages. You can read more about iOS 10 in our separate feature.

Some rumours have suggested a gesture-based passcode system will be employed for the iPhone 7, following another patent grant, although patents should definitely be taken with a pinch of salt as many never see the light of day.

Apple iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus: Conclusion

There are only a couple of things you can be almost sure about when it comes to the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus. The first is that they will more than likely arrive in September 2016, the second is they will come with a chip called the A10 and the third is that they will debut iOS 10 software.

For now, everything else is speculation and will continue to be for the next three months. We will of course keep you updated on all the rumours as we hear them, at least the ones we think are even remotely plausible, so keep checking back.