Onleaks is at it again with new 3D renders of the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL. His renders in the past have been spot on accurate. They are based on factory CADS. These CADS are like blueprints that allow accessory makers to produce accessories ahead of a devices launch. Along with the new renders Onleaks has provided detailed dimensions. The dimensions provided are labeled as "roughly". The Pixel 2 will be145.3x69.3x7.8mm with 8.2mm camera bump, and the Pixel 2 XL will be 157.6x76.3x7.9mm with an 8.6mm camera bump.

The renders do show the minimized glass on the back, as well as a protruding camera. Interestingly enough we also see dual front facing speakers. Earlier reports suggested we wouldn't see dual front speakers. This will definitely be a welcomed change. However the renders also lack a headphone jack which would be a bit disappointing. Would you be able to get along without a headphone jack as long as the phone includes the dual front facing speakers? I'm not sure why it always has to be a give an take with OEMs. Why can't we just have both features? It is still pretty early so you can take these renders with a grain of salt.

The above video apparently shows off the Galaxy S8 Active. The rumors for this device have been hitting the net since April. Samsung has been building ruggedized versions of the S series since the Galaxy S4 so it seemed a natural extension to continue this tradition with the Galaxy S8. The device leaked includes slim bezels just like the Galaxy S8. There are also no hardware navigation buttons. The active also has a flat display and a more durable casing which should help to prevent glass shatters. Of course the phone will be water resistant just like the Galaxy S8.

According to new reports the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL may come with an upgrade in the form of the new Snapdragon 836 chip. This means the phones may be slightly more powerful than competing flagship devices. Sources say the Pixel devices will be first to market with the new chip. The chip is apparently just a minor revision of the Snapdragon 835. The main difference will be a small increase in Max clock speeds. Base clock speeds will likely stay the same. The chip may also feature some battery life improvements. This wouldn't be too shocking. Last year the Pixel and Pixel XL were the first to launch with the Snapdragon 821 which was a minor revision of the 820. The phone is set to launch later this year!

via AndroidCentral

Well, as usual, Evan Blass was right on the money. Motorola announced the Z2 Force today and everything he leaked is true. No longer a Droid, this model is not going to be a Verizon exclusive, and will be available on all US carriers. All the spec rumors were true: 5.5 inch AMOLED shatterproof screen that is more scratch resistant then the Z Force. The Qualcomm 835 powers it, with 4GB of RAM, 64GB of storage and an SD Card slot. The dual 12 MP cameras are on the back.
And, yes, the 2730 mAh battery will be providing the juice. This is bigger then last year's Z, but quite a bit smaller then the Z Force. As most of you know, the Snapdragon 835 is much better on battery life. They are still calling it "the all-day battery". I hope Moto knows what they are doing here. I will let you know when mine arrives on (or around) August 10th. Pre-orders start: /edit/ today.
Also announced was the new 360 degree HD Camera Moto Mod for $299.

Source: PC MAG

Late last week several images of the Note 8 leaked out showing the device from every conceivable angle. These images are supposedly official Samsung renders, but that may not actually be the case. Earlier leaks show a much slimmer top and bottom bezel then what is seen in these new photos. We are seeing the 18:9 aspect ratio here. Some other earlier leaks were showing that the device may not have a dedicated bixby button, but these images show the bixby button will remain. There also appears to be no camera bump whatsoever on these new leaked renders which would be a nice change. The fingerprint scanner is placed just beside the dual lens camera which may confirm that we will not see the under display fingerprint scanner that we had hoped to see. It is pretty astonishing that we are so close to the official launch of the Note 8 and have not seen any leaked video. It seems that Samsung has finally started to tighten down on access and security or either the phone is still not in production. What are everyone's thoughts on this design?

via Slashleaks

Here we go again! It looks like Verizon has been caught red handed throttling video from Netflix and Youtube. The Netflix speed test tool "fast.com" has revealed that Big Red is throttling Netflix traffic. Verizon says they are just testing Video Optimization. According to the fast.com users of Verizon LTE are limited to 10Mbps when streaming video. This apparently happens for unlimited users as well as tiered plans and happens regardless of the amount of data you have used for the month. Verizon says that this should not affect video quality which may be true. The only time you may see a significant difference is when using your phone to tether data. Netflix uses 25Mbps to stream in 4K which you won't be able ot do with this throttle. While this may not be a big issue it may be signaling more sever throttles coming down the line. Should Verizon be allowed to pic and choose which services get full speed and which ones do not?

via AndroidPolice

Shout out to Xeene for the heads up!

Most hardcore PC gamers know Razer. This company churns out Desktop and Laptops that are custom built for the hardcore PC gaming enthusiasts. These PCs are routinely speced out the Max for peak performance. Way back in January NextBit makers of the cloud based Robin phone announced they would partner with Razer as an independent mobile division. Bloomberg reported on Junly 12 that Razer is indeed working on a smartphone designed for PC gamers!

According to sources Razer may end up with $3billion to $5billion in funds to work on the development of this device. Development is still incredibly early and there is no information at this point as to what specs or features the phone may have. How cool would it be to have a syncing feature where you could play actual games stored on your PC while on the go from your smartphone! I would love to be able to stream games from my OmenX over to my smartphone. Who else is excited about the possibility of this device?

via Bloomberg

The OnePlus 5 is a pretty strong device at its price point featuring plenty of flagship worthy specs including a Snapdragon 835 CPU, up to 8GB of RAM, and a dual camera setup. All this at less than $500 and you can see why the new phone from OnePlus is getting so much fan fair.

The bottom firing speaker is decent but could be even better. Now you can enable stereo sound on the OnePlus 5. Enabling this is as simple as flashing the mod zip in custom recovery. Once enabled you will be able to use the earpiece as a second speaker. The audio coming from the earpiece will likely not be as clear as the audio coming from the bottom firing speaker, but it is still pretty awesome to have the option for stereo sound! Grab the files needed from the links below. Also Ash from C4Etech has put together a pretty cool guide so I have added it to the top of this thread.

Stereo Speaker Mod File
Stock Sound Mod File

LG has just launched their latest edition to the Q lineup. The Q8 is essentially a smaller version of the LG V20. This new device features metal body build, dual camera setup, secondary display, and a 5.2" QHD display. The phone features an aspect ratio more similar to the LG v20 and is lacking the new 18:9 aspect ratio we have seen on the LG G6. This device has plenty of power under the hood and features a Snapdragon 820 CPU, 4GB of RAM, and 32GB of internal storage with a microSD card slot. Not only is the phone a bit smaller than the V20 counterpart it also features IP67 certification for water and dust resistance. This comes at the expense of a removable battery. The non user replaceable battery is 3,000mah compared to the V20's 3,200mah battery. The Q8 has a Hi-Fi DAC on board and runs Android 7.0 Nougat out of the box. For now we don't have any pricing information on the device. If the price is right this could be a great alternative to the LG G6!

via AndroidGuys

Meizu was on their way to becoming one of the top Chinese OEMs a few years back. They were basically neck and neck with Xiaomi in those days. We have not seen as much from them over the past few years, but they have just announced a very interesting device. They will be releasing their new Meizu Pro 7 on July 26th. What makes this design stand out is the second display on the back of the phone.

The second display will be a color LCD and not an e-ink display. The phone doesn't cover the entirety of the back of the phone. This may be used for time, date, notifications, and any other information you would need quick access to. The Pro 7 should include a Snapdragon 835, 3-4GB of RAM, and should feature 32GB and 64GB storage options. We also expect to see a dual lens camera setup on the back of the device. Would something like this at a competitive rate peak your interest?

via Phandroid