Android Community Weekly Digest: Dec. 28, 2014

Just because it’s holiday season doesn’t mean that the mobile world is at a complete standstill. Though many indeed have set their eyes on CES 2015, which is just a few weeks away, some still managed to sneak in a few surprises before the year is over. And, of course, the rumor mill is starting to heat up with stuff to expect early next year. Welcome to the latest edition of Android Community’s Weekly Digest, covering the period from December 22 to December 28, 2014, which also happens to be the last Weekly Digest for this year!

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While major OEMs are saving their energy for CES next month, Chinese companies and smaller manufacturers aren’t going to pass up the opportunity to take the stage for a while. This week has seen an assortment of smartphones launched across all price ranges, and some of them are quite interesting too.

Huawei’s Ascend GX1 is an unexpected newcomer, boasting rather mid-range specs but with a 64-bit processor. It’s defining factor, at least according to the company, is that its 6-inch smartphone 80.5% screen, one of the higher screen to body ratios in the market today. Sadly, it is also only 720p.

Meizu also makes a surprise reveal with the M1 Note, a colorful smartphone with somewhat decent specs and a tempting price. A 5.5-inch 1080p screen, a 64-bit octa-core MediaTek CPU, 2 GB of RAM, and Dual SIM Dual Stanby support makes for a very enticing offer. That it would remind people of the Apple 5c may or may not add to that attraction.

ASUS is seemingly taking a shot at Android One with the Pegasus X002, and like Google’s new budget range line, the results are still inconclusive. That said, the 5-inch 720p smartphone with a 64-bit 1.5 GHz quad-core MediaTek chip, 2 GB of RAM, and a price tag of 799 RMB ($128) might just blow Android One out of the water. The only question now is availability.

On this side of the globe, ZTE USA is trying to appeal to LTE addicts with the new ZTE Speed. That said, that might be the only thing speedy about it, running on a 1.5 GHz quad-core chip with a 4.5-inch screen. That said, LTE connectivity at a low price is the main selling point of this smartphone, available from Boost Mobile with plans starting at $35 a month.

Speaking of LTE on a budget, BLU Products is finally paying more attention to the growing high-speed data network. It has launched not one, not two, but three 4G-enabled smartphones that span the range of prices and specs. From the Studio 6.0 LTE to the Studio 5.0 HD LTE to the Studio Mini LTE, BLU is trying to cross all it’s T’s and dot all it’s I’s with unlocked offerings that work on T-Mobile and AT&T’s LTE networks.

Coming Soon

With CES 2015 coming, we expect to hear more and more about upcoming smartphone and tablet reveals. But while we might have already heard about Samsung’s plans to out a more metallic Galaxy S6, new photos have surfaced that seemingly confirm that now. The HTC Hima, on the other, will, of course still be metal, but it seems that the Chinese OEM will be trying to splurge on a 64-bit Snapdragon 810 processor and an even higher 20.7 megapixel camera for next year’s flagship. After going small with the Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact, Sony’s next tablet is rumored to swing the other way, with a giant 12-inch or higher tablet coming our way early next year. ASUS launched a teaser that seemingly hinted at a dual camera setup ala HTC One, but a sighting at the Bluetooth SIG seems to hint at a different and disappointing ZenFone successor. The already crowded smartphone market might become even more crowded, with Kodak now trying to jump in with its own take on the mobile device as well.

This is just the tip of the iceberg and we expect more to come our way in the coming days. Which ones will be a hit and which ones will be a flop? Keep tabs on our CES 2015 coverage to find out!