Week 3 in review: Mi Note, Lumia 532, 435, Samsung Z1

This week saw a lot of action in the mobile world. After all the dust had settled and last week's CES 2015 was officially over all seemed calm with no great action expected until the MWC kicks off. January 14, however brought about an unexpected avalanche of new devices that for one reason or another did not make their way to the Las Vegas event floor.

Microsoft announced two new entry-level Windows Phone devices. They will both offer a 4-inch LCD screen, with a resolution of 480 x 800px and a Snapdragon 200 SoC, which is outdated at best. On the plus side the couple only costs €70/€80..

Samsung was also unsurprisingly present in the news and for two main reasons. One being ever growing rumors surrounding the next Galaxy S6 smartphone as well as impending Lillipop updates and the other the Samsung Z1. The handset got announced this week and while it has little to offer in terms of hardware it is unique as the first ever Tizen-powered smartphone.

Xiaomi was also big on news this week with the announcement of two brand new flagship devices. Both look and sound incredibly exciting: the Mi Note with its Snapdragon 801 SoC, 3GB of RAM and 5.7-inch FHD display and the even more breathtaking Mi Note Pro with a beastly Snapdragon 810 SoC, whopping 4 GB RAM and QHD 5.7-inch screen.

So if you think you might have missed something important from this week's we have gathered the highlights in the table below.

Xiaomi Mi Note Pro is official with QHD display, Snapdragon 810 SoC

Xiaomi Mi Note Pro looks just like the newly announced Mi Note - it uses a dual-glass design with a 2.5D front and 3D rear glass. The footprint remains the same as the standard Mi Note, but the Pro version brings a better 5.7" display and more powerful innards. Xiaomi Ni Note Pro utilizes a...

Xiaomi announces new Mi Note phablet with 5.7-inch display

Xiaomi has finally announced its latest smartphone that it has been teasing for the past few days. The Xiaomi Mi Note is the company's latest flagship that it is using to compete against the Apple iPhone 6 Plus. The Mi Note is about the same size as the iPhone 6 Plus but has a bigger...

Reuters: Sony is open to selling its mobile phone business

According to a report in Reuters, Sony executives are open to all options to turn around the giant's struggling mobile division. including sale and joint venture. Potential paths include a sale or a joint venture with another partner. Despite churning out respectable smartphones, Sony is...

Samsung Z1 Tizen-based smartphone goes official

Just a day after there were reports that Samsung will launch its Z1 smartphone in India this week, the device has been launched with a price tag of INR 5,700 ($92). It is the company’s first Tizen OS-based smartphone in the country, and is available in White, Black, and Wine Red colour...

Six smartphones debuted today - see if you have missed any

Today, on what was a seemingly uneventful day we saw the announcement of six new devices. Among them are four new entry-level Lumia handsets, well actually two - Lumia 435 and Lumia 532, just in both single and dual SIM variants. They will both offer a 4-inch LCD screen, with a resolution of 480...

Galaxy Note 4 Lollipop manual appears, update imminent

Samsung has updated the user manual for the Galaxy Note 4 to reflect on the changes the Android 5.0.1 Lollipop update is bringing. The firmware update is anticipated to land some time this month and the latest manual is a strong indication that the wait for owners of the phone will soon be...

Galaxy S6 to ditch Snapdragon 810 over overheating fears

Last month, there were reports that overheating issues with Snapdragon 810 SoC could delay next generation flagships, especially the Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy S6 smartphone. Now the rumor mill is abuzz with reports that the South Korean company could ditch the Qualcomm chipset in favor of its own...

HTC's Lollipop update schedule leaks, original One is next

Yesterday the HTC One (M8) started receiving the update to Android 5.0 Lollipop in earnest, after the original rollout for the Google Play Edition units last month. Now the Developer Edition version joins in on the Lollipop fun - but not only that, even the One (M8) models sold unlocked are getting...

Lumia 532 debuts with 5MP camera, quad-core CPU

Microsoft is very serious about taking a chunk of the entry-level smartphone market. Along with the Lumia 435, it just announced the Lumia 532, a bumped-up iteration of the familiar Lumia 530. The new device packs a version of the Snapdragon 200 chipset with a quad-core CPU ticking at 1.2GHz and...

Microsoft Lumia 435 and 435 Dual SIM bring WP8.1 for €70

The Lumia 530 just got a promotion – the new Microsoft Lumia 435 and Lumia 435 Dual SIM are the new WP entry level. The base model starts at €70 and knowing how these low-end Lumias love to go on sale it will probably cost as much as a cup of coffee before long. The Lumia 435 keeps the a 4" LCD...

Galaxy S6 enters production, features new TouchWiz

Samsung appears to have finally listened to those criticizing its Android overlay. Introducing new features with every generation, TouchWiz is certainly one of the most functional UIs around but it's also one that requires serious amounts of resources to run smoothly. TouchWiz on the latest...

Google lays out details about Project Ara Spiral 2 prototype

Google took the wraps off the first Project Ara modular phone that will be commercially available at a dedicated developer conference. Dubbed Spiral 2, the handset will first launch in Puerto Rico in the second half of this year. The Project Ara Spiral 2 model specifications include dual...

LG G4 rumored to come with 16MP camera, Snapdragon 810

This year's top Android smartphone from LG is probably going to be the G4, going by the naming convention the Korean company has been using for a few years now. This device should be unveiled in the coming months, but so far few details about it have surfaced. Today a rumor originating in Greece...

Nokia N1's impressive run continues, new batch sold out

Last week, when the Nokia N1 tablet went on sale in China, the first batch of 20,000 units sold out in only 4 minutes. The second batch went on sale today and it too sold out in minutes. Although there’s no word on the number of units that were up for grabs, the flash sale lasted longer this...

Apple iPhone 6s to pack 2GB of LPDDR4 RAM

The latest set of rumors regarding the Apple iPhone 6s suggest that the company will using 2GB LPDDR4 memory. Previously, it was purported that Apple hasn't decided if it shouldn't stick with LPDDR3, since its 35% less expensive and its suppliers couldn't have made enough LPDDR4 memory...