MWC 2019

Sony Xperia XA3 leak shows similar tall aspect ratio as its flagship cousin

Mobile phones are about to get really tall

Published

February 7, 2019

Daniel Morial

Image credit: WinFuture.de

Sony appears to have another phone slated to be released sometime soon and it’s expected to be unveiled at MWC 2019. Alongside the launch of the Xperia XZ4 family, we could also see the Xperia XA3 phones which are obviously successors to the Xperia XA2 series.

The Xperia XA is a family of midrange-specced smartphones with a few premium features from its flagship cousins. At the upcoming MWC, we could see the third-generation models.

Leakster Roland Quandt was able to get his hands on the latest product images of the Xperia XA3. There have been talks about the phone’s unusual 21:9 aspect ratio similar to the flagship Xperia XZ4’s. The screen size would be around 5.9 inches diagonally with a resolution of 1080 x 2560 pixels.

Image credit: WinFuture.de

There are virtually no side and bottom bezels, but the forehead of the phone will have some. In addition, it’ll own a side-mounted fingerprint reader like previous Xperia phones.

There are rumors about the Xperia XA3 Ultra being a lot bigger with a 6.5-inch display. Keep in mind that we’re talking about a 21:9 aspect ratio panel, so this will be taller than what we currently have in the market.

Specs-wise, the Xperia XA3 phones might have the good old Snapdragon 660 processor with 6GB of memory and 64GB of storage. It has dual rear cameras as well, one of which is a 23-megapixel sensor.

Nothing is confirmed until Sony takes the stage on February 25 during MWC 2019.

Hands-On

Xiaomi Mi 9 Hands-On: 2019 Flagship Killer?

BEAST!

Published

February 20, 2019

Chay Lazaro

Top of the line specs, amazing cameras, and high-speed wireless charging. MWC hasn’t even officially started yet, so it might be premature to say this, but has Xiaomi just unveiled the 2019 flagship killer?

We recently got to spend time with Xiaomi’s latest flagship and this is our hands-on video.

MWC 2019

LG V50 ThinQ will be company’s first 5G smartphone

Arriving right before MWC 2019

Published

February 17, 2019

Marvin Velasco

We have yet another leak ahead of LG’s press conference happening right before Mobile World Congress 2019. This time, it’s for the company’s first 5G smartphone, the V50 ThinQ.

It comes in the form of a tweet by Evan Blass, who also spilled the beans on LG’s upcoming G8 ThinQ flagship a few days ago.

LG V50 ThinQ for Sprint 5G pic.twitter.com/TNLQsYPgPS

— Evan Blass (@evleaks) February 16, 2019

This confirms that the 5G smartphone LG will be showing off at MWC in Barcelona, Spain is the V50 ThinQ. Previously, we knew of such a handset coming on February 24, but we didn’t know what branding it would go under.

The leak, however, points to exclusivity with US carrier Sprint. It might also be a limited partnership, but we can more or less confirm that the V50 ThinQ will carry a Snapdragon 855 chipset in order to handle 5G signals.

In addition, we can see an extra camera on the front and back as compared to the G8 ThinQ’s setup. Sadly, it seems like the wide notch is sticking around.

Surprisingly, the V50 ThinQ is launching less than five months after the V40 ThinQ’s release. LG may be prioritizing its 5G rollout and needs an existing series to lay it on.

We’ll learn more once LG takes the stage on February 24 to reveal all its new devices, which might also include a foldable phone.

MWC 2019

Energizer’s Power Max P18K Pop smartphone has 18000mAh battery

Is this a phone or a power bank?

Published

February 15, 2019

Daniel Morial

Image credit: Energizer (via GSMArena)

When we first heard about the soon-to-be-announced Energizer phones, we were a bit disappointed that they don’t live up to the brand’s core legacy: long-lasting batteries. But, France’s Avenir Telecom is finally giving us the Energizer phone we want: the Power Max P18K Pop.

Energizer’s upcoming phone might be a mouthful, but at least you’ll be glad to know that the “P18K” in its name stands for the massive 18000mAh battery. Phones nowadays have around 3000mAh inside, so that’ll make Energizer’s six times more generous.

To supply power to this huge battery, the phone supports 18W quick charging with USB-C Power Delivery 2.0. Of course, you can use it as a power bank to charge other phones and accessories. To be honest, this phone has twice the capacity of the power bank I bring around.

Specs-wise, the phone practically has the same hardware as the U620S Pop we previously featured. To house the much larger battery though, the thickness grew to 18mm from 10.3mm. It’ll also have a pop-up selfie camera with dual 16- and 2-megapixel sensors. On the back, it’ll have three more 12-, 5-, and 2-megapixel cameras.

Screen size is at 6.2 inches with a Full HD+ resolution, but no cutout or notch. It’s powered by MediaTek’s Helio P70 paired with 6GB of memory and 128GB of expandable storage.

According to GSMArena, the phone will be available by June. Pricing is unknown, although the phone will be present at MWC 2019. A total of 26 new Energizer phones will be unveiled during the convention.