Japanese company Sony started the rollout of Android 7.0 Nougat concept to Xperia X (single SIM model) about a week ago, and promised users to keep the updates coming until the final version will be launched for the masses.

Today, that promise is partially fulfilled with the release of the first Android 7.0 concept update for the Xperia X. Among the many new features and improvements included, Sony confirmed that the update adds the latest November security patch.

For those who have been accepted into the beta program, we're looking at firmware version 38.1.A.0.342, which is about 223MB in size. That's not a heavy sized update, so it shouldn't take too long to download and install.

According to Sony, the update contains a new Home that has some issues with icon packs, so if you have added an icon pack in the past you must remove it from Home settings. In order to do that, you must switch to default before updating to this version of Android 7.0 Nougat.

In terms of new features, the update adds X-reality support for pictures in Sony Album app, as well as updated driver for the fingerprint sensor. New versions of Xperia Home and Xperia Transfer will be added too.

Some bugs present in the previous build have been addressed in the update, such as an issue with FM Radio along with NC (Noise Canceling) headset. Also, a fix for Camera not available “ok google” related has been deployed as well.

Huawei announced no less than three Mate 9 variations in less than two weeks, so the fact that it's just silently released another one won't surprise anyone. After announcing the regular Mate 9 flagship and the premium Porsche Design Mate 9, the handset maker unveiled the Mate 9 Pro model in China. Today, a new, “lighter” version of the Mate 9 makes its debut on the market, the Mate 9 Lite. The smartphone has already been listed on the company's website, but no details about availability or pricing options have been disclosed yet. It's good that we have info on its specs though. According to the listing, the Mate 9 Lite is a mid-range smartphone that will ship with Android 6.0 Marshmallow and EMUI 4.1. That's pretty sad considering the other three models run Android 7.0 Nougat right out of the box. Also, the Mate 9 Lite comes with a 5.5-inch display that supports full HD (1080p) resolution. On the inside, instead of the powerful Kirin 960 chipset, Huwei added a 2.1GHz octa-core Kirin 655 processor, which is complemented by 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage. Huawei also states that the a slightly bumped version of Mate 9 Lite with 4GB RAM and 64GB storage will be launched on the market. The Mate 9 Lite retains the dual-camera setup (no Leica though), but in a slightly downgrade form: 12MP + 2MP camera. In the front, there's a secondary 8-megapixel selfie shooter. The smartphone is powered by a 3,340 mAh battery and packs a fingerprint sensor on the back side, below the dual-camera setup. Huawei Mate 9 Lite will be available in three color variations: Gold, Grey and Silver.

As the end of the year approaches, we're getting closer to more and more smartphone reveals. Many companies have decided to save some “spots” between Black Friday and holiday shopping season to launch a few new products that could boost their revenues.

Samsung is one of the companies that are likely to introduce a couple of new smartphones in early December. One of them could the Galaxy A7 (2017), which has just received its Bluetooth certification.

This isn't the first time we here about the Galaxy A7 (2017), also known as Samsung SM-A720F, as the smartphone made the rounds at GFXBench and AnTuTu benchmarks not long ago.

Samsung's mid-range handset is expected to ship with Android Marshmallow onboard. It will sport a more than decent 5.7-inch display that supports full HD (1080p) resolution and a powerful 1.8GHz Exynos 7880 processor.

The listing of the phone at GFXBench also revealed the Galaxy A7 (2017) will pack 3GB of RAM and 32GB of internal memory. We can safely assume that Samsung will add microSD card slot for memory expansion, too.

Although it hasn't been confirmed yet, Samsung Galaxy A7 (2017) is said to feature an impressive 16-megapixel rear camera, as well as a 3,300 mAh battery under the hood. Other specs could include fingerprint sensor, USB Type-C port, water resistance and 4G LTE support.

During the primary season that led up to the recent election of Donald Trump as president, the billionaire real estate developer and reality television star had some rough words for Apple. Besides trying to start a boycott of the company for its failure to unlock a terrorist's iPhone, Trump was upset at the tech titan for building its products overseas. Trump had floated the idea of a 35% tax on imported products made outside of the U.S. A Trump administration, said The Donald, would force Apple "to build their damn computers in this country instead of other countries." Today, a story in the Nikkei Asian Review cited an anonymous source for its report that Apple is investigating the possibility of manufacturing the iPhone in the states. Apple allegedly spoke with Foxconn and Pegatron, the two contract manufacturers it uses to build its smartphones and tablets. Apple allegedly brought the idea of moving production to the attention of the two companies back in June. That was five months after Trump originally made his comments about Apple's overseas device production, but five months prior to his election. According to the source, Foxconn agreed to help Apple come up with a plan to move iPhone production to the U.S. Pegatron, on the other hand, refused to get involved because the cost would be prohibitive. The source told the publication that moving iPhone production to the U.S. would more than double the cost of making the device. One of the problems facing Apple is that not all of the components for the iPhone can be produced in the U.S. The report added that the Taiwan based supply chain believes that Trump will force Apple to make a certain percentage of iPhone components in the states.

Last year, Samsung unveiled its A-series crop for this year in December, and, judging from the increase of leaks about the eventual Galaxy A7 (2017), it might out the new models next month, which would be about a year after the A7 2016 model. A tipster has relayed detailed info about the A7 (2017), which mostly corroborates the leaks about the handset coming from its previous appearances on AnTuTu and Zauba. First things first, the new A7 is expected to sport a 5.7" 1080p Super AMOLED display, which would make it slightly larger than the 5.5-inch A7 (2016). Previous rumors pegged the 2017 edition as having a 5.7" panel, but things might have progressed since then, since the new A-series flagship is said to sport a 157.69 x 76.92 x 7.8mm chassis, against the 151.5 x 74.1 x 7.3 mm of its predecessor. That added bulk may have gone into the battery pack, as the A7 (2017) will apparently come with a 3600 mAh juicer now. The phone is expected to be powered by an Exynos 7880 and have 3 GB RAM as well as 32 GB storage plus memory card slot for its expansion. The camera duties may undergo an interesting twist - both the front and rear cameras are tipped to be with 16 MP resolution, though the main shooter would come with wide f/1.9 aperture. A finger scanner and USB-C port are par for the course on a phone marked with 2017 in its name, but the most intriguing part of the whole setup, save for the high-res selfie snapper, is that the Galaxy A7 (2017) is said to sport IP68 certification, marking a first for the A-series of Samsung phones.

Last month, we told you that the Sony Xperia G 3112 and Xperia G3121 would be unveiled at MWC 2017 in Barcelona. The annual trade show will be held between February 27th and March 2nd. Today, more information about the two handsets was discovered on Weibo. The smaller of the two handsets will feature a 5-inch or 5.2-inch display with a 1080 x 1920 resolution. The larger premium model will have a 5.5-inch display, and a 4K resolution.

We aren't sure if this is going to be similar to the Sony Xperia Z5 Premium, which offers a 2160 x 3840 (4K) resolution for certain content, mostly media. The rest of the time, the screen has a 1080 x 1920 resolution. Sony said that it had to dial down the resolution at times in order to keep the battery life at two days. The Weibo post adds that this phone will sport 4GB of RAM.

This is all speculation for now, and we do suggest that you take this story with the proverbial grain of salt. Remember, there is plenty of time before MWC for more information to leak.

Rumors about the next best thing from Samsung, the Galaxy S8, are coming fast and furious today. We just relayed that the phone may be doing away with the physical home key, but could introduce a side button for direct launch of the alleged Bixby AI assistant, and now comes info that the power key and volume buttons could be of the touch variety, along with other interesting tidbits.

Thanks to the time difference, it was still Monday night in the states when LG announced on Tuesday morning in Korea that it has started rolling out Android 7.0 Nougat for the LG G5 in that country. The phone is the first non-Nexus handset to receive the 7.0 update. Over the next several weeks, the update will roll out to the Americas, Asia and other markets. One new feature we are looking forward to is the one that brings seamless updates to Android. Downloads are sent out in the background, and the phone is updated the next time it is is booted up. Doze (from Android 6.0) is enhanced so that apps are turned off from running in the background, but certain apps are optimized to pass along a message or ring an alarm even when Doze is enabled. Emoji from Unicode 9 is included. And the long-awaited "Clear All" button closes all open apps with a tap of the screen. With Multi-window, users can run two apps side-by-side, or use a double tap to switch between apps. "At LG, we know our customers want the best, most up-to-date mobile experience. Getting software updates to our users faster than the competition is our way of demonstrating that LG is committed to supporting our products and customers to ensure they have a positive ownership experience."-Kim Hyung-jung, senior vice president, LG Mobile’s research and development LG says that as the update heads to other markets, announcements about the timing of these updates will be made locally. Keep checking in.

According to a couple of promotional posters, pre-sales for the Huawei Mate 9 are expected to begin November 4th in China. We expect to see the phone unveiled as soon as today in three variations. Those include 4GB of RAM with 64GB of internal storage, 4GB of RAM with 128GB of internal storage, and the top-of-the-line model with 6GB of RAM and 256GB of internal storage.

The Huawei Mate 9 is rumored to feature a 5.9-inch screen with a 1080 x 1920 resolution. The home-grown Kirin 960 chipset is under the hood, and we should see a Leica built dual camera setup (20MP and a 12MP) on the back of the phone. Android 7.0 will be pre-installed, with Huawei's Emotion UI 5 running on top.

Speculation has the price of the model with 4GB RAM/64GB flash storage starting at the equivalent of $480 USD-$510 USD. The unit carrying 4GB RAM/128GB of flash storage is said to sell for the equivalent of $585 USD. The top price of $705 USD is expected for the model with 6GB RAM/256GB of flash storage.

 

Apple has been granted a patent for a foldable and/or bendable iPhone made from advanced carbon nanotube structures. Recently uncovered by Patently Apple, the patent application dates back to 2014 and describes what looks like a flexibledevice with a clam shell design. Another patent for a solely bendable phone filed back in 2013, serves as further evidence that the Cupertino giant has had continuous interest in this concept over the last couple of years.

The patent filed in 2014 uses the iPhone moniker explicitly, instead of the generic “electronic device” or derivatives of it, and contains illustrations of both the familiar iPhone design (not pictured), albeit in very simplified form, as well as concept drawings for a new, foldable device that may also have a bendable display.

The documents also offer some details regarding the possible materials of which this iPhone of the future could be made, mentioning ceramic, glass, fiber, aluminum, and plastic as possible contenders, but explicitly names carbon nanotubes as the material that would make the foldable design possible: 

These patents are proof that Apple is showing some interest in bendable/foldable devices, but should not be taken as a clear indication that the next iPhone, or any future Apple phone for that matter, would sport this type of design.

Other major phone makers, such as LG and Apple’s main rival Samsung, have also expressed interest in foldable smartphones in the past year, with rumors claiming that next year will see the technology used in mass-produced mobile devices.