Surprise! The 5 most popular phones are powered by neither Snapdragon, nor MediaTek

Surprise! The 5 most popular phones are powered by neither Snapdragon, nor MediaTek:

If you read tech blogs, you would be left with the impression that Qualcomm's Snapdragon chipsets, and the up-and-coming MediaTek processors are ubiquitous in the smartphone world, while handsets without one of those in, are outliers.

Research firm Strategy Analytics ran its thorough analysis of the mobile phone industry for the last quarter, and amongst all the market share movers and shakers is tucked this bombshell - none of the top 5 most popular phones in Q2 is powered by these two omnipresent chipset families. 

It's an interesting ...

Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 NOOK launched by Barnes & Noble

Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 NOOK launched by Barnes & Noble:

While we're waiting for Samsung to kick off its IFA 2015 press event, we have good news for fans of eBooks: Samsung and Barnes & Noble today launched the Galaxy Tab S2 NOOK, a tablet that - as its name suggests - is based on the previously released Galaxy Tab S2, the thinnest tablet in the world. More exactly, this is the 8-inch Galaxy Tab S2 that we're talking about here.



The Tab S2 NOOK costs $399.99, and is presented as "the ultimate tablet for readers." It comes with free lifetime in-store support, up to 20 free eBooks, $5 worth of Barnes & Noble credit, and three free magazines. ...

LG's new G Pad II really isn't anything new

LG's new G Pad II really isn't anything new:

LG's never been scared of trying new things when it comes to smartphones, even pioneering the strange-yet-convenient back button placement other manufacturers have copied since. By comparison, the company has played it safe with its G Pad tablet rang...

Samsung finally has an elegant smartwatch in the Gear S2

Samsung finally has an elegant smartwatch in the Gear S2:

Few companies have churned out as many different smartwatches as Samsung, so it's little surprise the company is showing off a new one — the Gear S2 — at IFA. What is a surprise, though, is how much more elegant, more polished the S2 fe...

Flagship Android phone sales have crashed and burned this year

Flagship Android phone sales have crashed and burned this year:

High-end Android phones are better than ever now... but that hasn't translated into improved sales. Charles Arthur takes a look at some recent earnings figures from key Android smartphone vendors and finds that all of them have missed sales expectations when it comes to flagship phones.

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Lenovo Vibe P1m hands-on

Lenovo Vibe P1m hands-on:

Lenovo unveiled two new P series phones at IFA 2015, and we're already on the showroom floor taking a look at the smaller of the two - the Lenovo Vibe P1m, a very affordable phone with a 5-inch display. It's running on the MediaTek MT6735P etnry-level quad-core system chip, it features 2GB RAM and 16GB of internal storage. 

Its biggest highlight, though? A whopping 4000 mAh battery that should keep you charged for way more than a single day of usage. So here is what this exciting new affordable gadget is all about. 

Design ...

Best phones, tablets and smartwatches of IFA 2015

Best phones, tablets and smartwatches of IFA 2015:

It's just day one here for us at IFA 2015 Berlin, but it feels like we've been on the showroom floor for much more than that: it's been a crazy whirlwind of announcements and launches with some truly exciting news this time around: the first phone with a 4K screen (you tell us if that's practical or not!), one of the first Android flagship-grade phones with a compact size, a bunch of new smartwatches that truly set a new bar in terms of style, a tablet with a crazy projector, the first true entry in the high-end segment by Chinese giant Huawei, and the list just goes on ...