Android News 08 February 2014 – 12:00 GMT / 07:00 EST:
- Black Edition Galaxy S4 and Galaxy S4 mini Announced
- US Cellular Now Offers Moto G For Only $99 Off-Contract
- Samsung Adds More Devices to the Android KitKat Waiting List
- Claimed Galaxy S5 Benchmark Suggests Snapdragon 800 and 1080p Display
1. Black Edition Galaxy S4 and Galaxy S4 mini Announced
Black Edition Galaxy S4 and Galaxy S4 mini were first seen on January 30 in Russia, and today Samsung made it official. The new editions keep the powerful hardware of Galaxy S4 and improve the design and look to provide customers a premium smartphone.
Specs wise, both Black Edition Galaxy S4 and S4 mini are the same as the original versions, and the only difference is about the back cover which Samsung has used the faux leather back, and according to some reports devices will come with exclusive wallpapers and ringtones, and Samsung reportedly has prepared some back accessories as well.
We don’t know much about price and availability, and we just know the new editions will be available in select markets from February.
2. US Cellular Now Offers Moto G For Only $99 Off-Contract
If US Cellular is your favorite carrier and you are looking for a budget phone, then the off-contract Moto G by US Cellular might be hard to resist, as you can get a Moto G for only $99 and assign for a No Contract plan which includes unlimited talk, text and data for $50 monthly.
The new device is available now on US Cellular website, but if you’d rather picking it up from US Cellular stores, you have to wait until February 12th.
3. Samsung Adds More Devices to the Android KitKat Waiting List
While Galaxy S4 and Galaxy Note 3 are the only two Samsung’s handsets which have already received the Android KitKat in limited areas, some sources related to the matter believe that the Korean are working on preparing Android KitKat for more Galaxy devices, including: Galaxy Note 2, Galaxy S3, Galaxy S3 mini, Galaxy S4 Active, S4 Zoom, Galaxy Note 8.0 and Galaxy Tab 3.
For now, there are no words when the updates get ready to push out, and it may be as soon as next weeks or as late as next months.
4. Claimed Galaxy S5 Benchmark Suggests Snapdragon 800 and 1080p Display
As we get closer to Samsung’s Unpacked event on February 24, more reports support the fact that Samsung does want to announce the next Galaxy S device sooner than expected before.
A few benchmark screenshot appeared on AnTuTu which claimed to be for Galaxy S5, and if trust the screenshots then here are some of the specifications of Galaxy S5: 1080p display, Snapdragon 800 chipset, Adreno 330 GPU, 2GB of RAM, 16GB of expandable storage, 16MP main camera, and Android 4.4.2 KitKat.
The specifications look like we are dealing with a refreshed version of Galaxy S4 rather than Galaxy S5’s, and it also supports another theory which suggests Samsung will introduce 2 versions of Galaxy S4, one with the highest hardware specs possible and a premium metal look, and the other with just some high-end specs and the famous plastic body.
