HTC Desire 310

GENERAL	2G Network	GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 - SIM 1 & SIM 2
	3G Network	HSDPA 900 / 2100 - EU, Asia, China
		HSDPA 850 / 2100 - Asia
	SIM	Dual SIM, (Micro-SIM, dual stand-by)
	Announced	2014, January
	Status	Coming soon. Exp. release 2014, Q1

BODY	Dimensions	131.4 x 68.3 x 11.3 mm (5.17 x 2.69 x 0.44 in)
	Weight	140 g (4.94 oz)

DISPLAY	Type	TFT capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors
	Size	480 x 854 pixels, 4.5 inches (~218 ppi pixel density)
	Multitouch	Yes
		- HTC Sense UI

SOUND	Alert types	Vibration, MP3, WAV ringtones
	Loudspeaker	Yes
	3.5mm jack	Yes

MEMORY	Card slot	microSD, up to 32 GB
	Internal	4 GB, 512 MB RAM

DATA	GPRS	Yes
	EDGE	Yes
	Speed	HSDPA, 7.2 Mbps; HSUPA, 5.76 Mbps
	WLAN	Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Wi-Fi hotspot
	Bluetooth	Yes, v4.0 with A2DP
	USB	Yes, microUSB v2.0

CAMERA	Primary	5 MP, 2592х1944 pixels, autofocus
	Features	Geo-tagging, touch focus, face detection
	Video	Yes,
	Secondary	Yes, VGA

FEATURES	OS	Android OS, v4.2.2 (Jelly Bean)
	Chipset	Mediatek MT6582M
	CPU	Quad-core 1.3 GHz Cortex-A7
	GPU	Mali-400 MP2
	Sensors	Accelerometer, proximity
	Messaging	SMS (threaded view), MMS, Email, Push Email
	Browser	HTML5
	Radio	FM radio
	GPS	Yes, with A-GPS support
	Java	Yes, via Java MIDP emulator
	Colors	Black, White
		- SNS integration - MP4/H.263/H.264/WMV player - MP3/eAAC+/WMA/WAV player - Google Search, Maps, Gmail, YouTube, Calendar, Google Talk - Organizer - Document viewer - Photo viewer/editor - Voice memo/dial - Predictive text input

BATTERY		Li-Ion 2000 mAh battery
	Stand-by

Samsung teases new Galaxy S5 UI in Unpacked event invitation

Samsung will be holding the Unpacked 5 event in Barcelona on the 24th, the company reminds us with a teaser posted on Twitter. The teaser contains a number of generic features, presumably ones embodied in the company's new phone. They all line up fairly well with what the Galaxy S5 should be, but could also be describing another flagship.

Still, "Unpacked 5" is pretty suggestive of the Galaxy S5. By the way, the superscript symbols after the words is 5 rather than S. We had to look closely to make sure (if it was an S, it would have been a dead giveaway).

The teaser boasts things like speed and Samsung is already using 150Mbps Cat. 4 LTE, then there's outdoor (the Galaxy S4 has sensors for pressure, temperature and humidity, used for the fitness app), privacy (KNOX) and so on.

As we said, this could well be any Samsung flagship – the round icons used for the teaser are probably more characteristic of Tizen rather than TouchWiz (unless Samsung changes the style for the new TouchWiz).

We'll have our answer in less than two weeks – the event starts at 20:00 CET and will be livestreamed. We will be on site too for extra details.

An alleged photo of the Samsung Galaxy S5 box reveals the specs

The evidence that the Galaxy S5 will be unveiled at the MWC is mounting fast – now there's an alleged photo of the box the new flagship will come in. Samsung boxes feature key specs on the back and an anonymous tipster claims to have snapped a photo of the Galaxy S5 package.

The specs listed align with previous rumors. The chipset has a quad-core CPU at 2.5GHz and LTE Cat. 4 (150Mbps downlink). This is certainly a Snapdragon chipset and we're possibly looking at the Snapdragon 800 8974AC variety, which packs Krait 400 at 2.46GHz. The box also promises 3GB RAM, same as the Galaxy Note 3 (as can be expected).

Moving on, the screen is listed as 5.25" QHD (2,560 x 1,600), which is precisely what the latest rumors have been saying. That would push the pixel density to 560ppi, but keep in mind this is likely a PenTile Super AMOLED, so it should have a noticeable visual improvement over the current 5" 440ppi screen.

Same goes for the camera - a 20MP shooter, which is in line with the leaked 16MP photo that had 16:9 aspect ratio (20MP is at 4:3). Strangely, the video capture is just 1080p, we were expecting UHD like the Galaxy Note 3.

The final bit of specifications that the box reveals is Android 4.4 KitKat (no surprise here) and a 3,000mAh battery. There's not a peep about the body material (metal or plastic?).

Keep in mind that this box could have been Photoshopped, but nothing it shows is particularly surprising (perhaps aside from the video capture). The Unpacked 5 event (5, get it?) will be held at 20:20 CET on February 24 in Barcelona. We'll be reporting live from there and you can join in via livestream.

Sony Xperia SP Android 4.3 update now seeding

Today Sony started seeding the Android 4.3 update for the Xperia SP.

The update carries a firmware number 12.1.A.0.266 and is currently live in Australia only. Fret not, as over the coming days a wider release will be occurring.

The Sony Xperia T, Xperia TX and Xperia V are also on the queue to receiving the Android 4.3 update. The last we heard, Sony is still undergoing final preparations before releasing the software to said models.

As for those awaiting for Sony to move on to Android 4.4 KitKat - we have no new information. Back in November, the company said that the Xperia Z, Xperia ZL, Xperia Z1, Xperia Z Ultra and the Xperia Tablet Z will be getting the latest 4.4 KitKat update. The Sony Xperia ZR and Xperia SP have also been revealed to be under consideration for an update to KitKat, but we don't know if they've made the cut just yet.a

Samsung Galaxy Mega Plus with quad-core CPU lands in China

Samsung Galaxy Mega Plus quietly appeared on the manufacture’s official website in China. Sporting the model name I9152P, the dual-SIM GSM/WCDMA+ phablet is an updated version of Samsung Galaxy Mega 5.8 with a 1.2 GHz quad-core CPU of unknown make.

The rest of the Samsung Galaxy Mega Plus’ specs include a 5.8” qHD (960 x 540 pixels) display, 1.5GB of RAM, 8GB of built-in storage, and a microSD card slot. There is an 8MP camera on the back of the handset and a 1.9MP front-facing unit. The OS on tap is a TouchWiz-ed Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean.

The measures of the Samsung Galaxy Mega Plus are 162.6 x 82.4 x 8.99mm, while its weight tips the scale at 183.5 grams. The phablet is powered by a 2,600mAh battery.

There is no word on availability of the Samsung Galaxy Mega Plus in more markets.

HTC M8 Mini (HTC One 2 Mini) specs leak ahead of announcement

With the HTC M8, also known as the HTC One 2, rumoured to be unveiled later this month, leaks have begun to emerge surrounding the company's more compact and lower-cost sibling - the HTC M8 Mini.HTC's approach of releasing a flagship device then bracketing it with larger and smaller variants isn't new, and according to the@evleaks Twitter account that won't change with the HTC M8. The HTC M8 will apparently be joined by an HTC M8 Mini, which may also be known as the HTC One 2 Mini, designed as a successor device to the company's current HTC One Mini.The HTC M8 Mini could include a 1.4GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor in place of its predecessor's dual-core model, on-screen buttons in place of capacitive buttons on the bezel like the rumoured changes for the larger HTC M8, and a 13 megapixel rear-facing camera. Memory will be limited to 1GB and storage to 16GB, although the latter should be expandable through a micro-SD card slot. This hardware should be found behind a 4.5in display with a 1,280x720 resolution.According to the leak, the device will launch with Android 4.4 KitKat, the latest publicly-available release skinned with HTC's usual Sense UI in its newest 6.0 incarnation. There's currently no word as to whether a Google Play Edition with stock Android will also be available.HTC has, naturally, refused to comment on the leak, but is expected to formally unveil its latest products at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) event later this month.a

Two Samsung Galaxy S5 models expected following leaked benchmark results

If the rumours are to believed we don't have long to wait until the Samsung Galaxy S5 is revealed, but the company may be planning to launch two devices side-by-side rather than a single flagship handset, in a similar approach to the one Apple took with the iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c.

Leaked results from the Antutu benchmark database, discovered by SamMobile, appear to show two very different, yet very powerful handsets with the codenames SM-G900H and SM-G900R4. Apart from the same 16-megapixel rear camera sensor and 2.1-megapixel front webcam, the two devices don't share any common components. The SM-G900H appears to be the standard Galaxy S5, with an Octa-core Samsung Exynos 5422 chipset running at 1.5GHz, 2GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage and a Full HD 1,920x1,080 resolution display, with Android 4.4.2 KitKat running underneath.

The SM-G900R4, meanwhile, has a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 chipset running at 2.5GHz, 3GB of RAM, 32GB of storage and a massive 2,560x1,440 resolution display. Unsurprisingly with a screen like that, this is expected to be the Prime or premium S5 variant. It too appears to be running Android 4.4.2 KitKat.

The benchmark results suggest the premium handset has to work harder to drive so many pixels, scoring lower than the Full HD Galaxy Note 3 which has the same Qualcomm Adreno 330 GPU.

Samsung has naturally declined to comment on rumours surrounding its upcoming handsets, but we won't have long to wait to find out their accuracy; the company is preparing for its Unpacked 5 event on the 24th of February in Barcelona, which will coincide with the Mobile World Congress show. We'll be there to bring you the news as it breaks, so if you were contemplating buying a new smartphone it may be a good idea to hold off for a few more weeks.a