Here’s what the Oppo R7 will be like when the company unveils it next month

Oppo has a new champion arriving next month, and with as many leaks as we’ve seen going around we’d almost say there’s no reason for them to wait that long. It’s the Oppo R7, and it looks quite impressive.

From everything we’ve heard so far, the Oppo R7 will be one of the thinnest smartphones on the planet, if not outright claiming the title. It’ll do so with a form factor that’s just 4.85mm thin. To top that off the achievement won’t even require Oppo using a protruding camera lens.

One thing we’ve heard that will be a bit of a bummer is that the device’s battery capacity will have to take a hit as a result of its thinness, though Oppo’s VOOC fast charging technology should help alleviate some of the frustrations that come as a result. We’re hearing it’ll take just 5 minutes of charging to get 2 hours of talk time, and that the battery can be charged from 0% to 75% in just half an hour.

Another interesting point about the device’s design is the glass slathered over the front. Oppo will apparently use “2.5D” curved glass to make for a nice premium look, feel and effect. To be quite honest it all makes for a smartphone that looks quite “iPhone-ish,” but Samsung was able to borrow some design elements from Apple’s latest and greatest and they got by just fine.

Enough about the design — what about the specs? Prior rumors have put the Oppo R7’s specs in this rough ballpark:

• 4.7-inch 1080p display


• 20.7-megapixel rear camera


• Octa-core MediaTek processor


• 2000mAh battery

Doesn’t sound too bad on the surface, though we’ll obviously need more than just good numbers and good looks to see if it’ll be worth your attention come next month.

LG G Flex 2 now available at Sprint for $21 per month, $200 on-contract or $504 outright

LG’s latest smartphone is now available to those on the Now Network. You can grab the LG G Flex 2 from Sprint for $21.00 per month for 24 months through Sprint’s Easy Pay smartphone financing, or sign a contract to get it for 0 on a two-year commitment. Those not interested in that commitment can instead opt to pay 4 for the phone outright.

The LG G Flex 2 isn’t expected to be considered LG’s flagship for 2015, but it sure does read like one on paper. It’ll come with Android 5.0 out of the box and its gears tick by way of a Snapdragon 810 processor from Qualcomm.

You’re also getting a 5.5-inch 1080p display, 32GB of storage, 2GB of RAM, a 3,000mAh battery and a microSD card slot that can support up to 2TB. Rawr. Of course, LG’s most proud of the natural curve they were able to get, as well as the vastly-improved self-healing back that makes a return from the original. Get your order in right here if this sounds like something worthy of your dollars with even more competitive options looming.

LG’s Galaxy Note competitor – the G Stylo – starts shipping this month

The Samsung Galaxy Note 5 could come as early as July, and when it does, it’ll have some competition. We’ve heard that LG is cooking up a Galaxy Note competitor and today it’s finally been officially announced: introducing the LG G Stylo (aka LG G4 Stylus) which starts shipping this month:

more pictures coming soon…

Some of the key G4 Stylus specs:

• 1.2GHz Quad-Core (LTE) / 1.4GHz Octa-Core (3G)


• 5.7-inch HD IPS screen (258ppi)


• 1GB RAM / 8GB ROM / microSD


• 13MP camera (some regions to get 8MP)


• 5MP front camera


• 3,000mAh battery (removable)


• Android 5.0 Lollipop


• Size: 154.3 x 79.2 x 9.6mm


• Weight: 163g


• Wi-Fi 802.11 a, b, g, n / Bluetooth 4.1 / NFC / A-GPS / Glonass / USB 2.0


• Colors: Metallic Silver / Floral White

In addition to coming with the new Stylus Pen it will also come with key LG features such as Laser Auto Focus, Gesture Shot, Glance View, and Knock Code.

In an interesting twist of naming fate, LG will call it the LG G4 Stylus globally save for the North American and Korea versions where it will be called “LG G Stylo”:

The G4 Stylus (available as G Stylo in North America and Korea) will be offered in both LTE and 3G configurations in Metallic Silver or Floral White color options. The G4c is an LTE model only and will come in Metallic Gray, Ceramic White and Shiny Gold.

LG also announced the LG G4c – with the “c” standing for “Compact” – offering an easier to wield alternative to the LG G4 for those with smaller hands and/or different preferences. Sitting in a 5-inch frame the LG G4c rocks 1.GHz Quad core processor, 1GB RAM, 8MP camera, and 5MP selfie cam.

Both of these devices will begin shipping to retailers immediately but it’s not clear when they’ll be available to consumers through carriers and retail partners:

Both smartphones will begin shipping to retailers around the world in the next several weeks and throughout the month of May.

If you thought your decision was already tough between the LG G4, Samsung Galaxy S6, Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge, and HTC One M9, you may want to reserve some time for some smartphone soul searching… this is going to be a toughie.

Report: the Samsung Galaxy S6 reached 10 million units shipped within a month

It seems Samsung sells their flagship phones faster and faster each year, and 2015’s lineup seems to be no different. The Korea Herald reports that Samsung shipped (which is as good as sold, really) over 10 million Samsung Galaxy S6 smartphones within a month of its April 10th launch.

The report says the Galaxy S6 “models” sold enough to surpass the milestone, so we imagine it includes both the Samsung Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge. For what it’s worth, Samsung’s Galaxy S4 and Galaxy S5 also reached 10 million with a month, so they’re quite used to these results by now.

What’s interesting to note is that Samsung admitted to having supply issues after misjudging the market, particularly in the UK. The company didn’t anticipate that the popularity and demand for the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge would come close to that of the base model. Had their estimations been accurate they might have been able to produce a sufficient amount and sell even more.

The success of the phone comes at an important time where Samsung has been challenged to start thinking differently about mobile. They’re still by and large one of the biggest single manufacturers in the space, though they’ve had their mettle tested in many different regions, particularly in China where up and coming domestic manufacturers are creating better devices and commanding a lot more market share than years past. A sudden early launch of the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 might do even more to help them regain the strong footing they once had.

Sprint Direct 2 You delivery service spreads to 4 new major metro areas, 4 more next month

Sprint has expanded their delivery service to 4 new major cities today. Folks in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Denver are all being treated to Direct 2 You, a personal and in-home delivery service that’ll have an agent speeding to your door with your new Sprint phone in hand.

Agents help you set the phone up, transfer contacts and content, even answer any questions you might have. It’s a nice option for those who find the in-store experience a bit too time consuming but still want in-person help to set their phone up.

Best of all is that it’s free with the purchase and activation of any new Sprint smartphone, so if you’re not up to the task of heading to the store then there’s no reason you can’t take advantage.

The expansions include surrounding major metro areas for the four cities, and it brings the list of applicable cities to a whopping 28. Here’s the full list for you as of today:

• Los Angeles metro area: Los Angeles, Anaheim, Beverly Hills, Calabasas, Laguna Beach, Long Beach, Newport Beach, West Hollywood, Pasadena, San Pedro and Santa Ana;


• New York metro area: New York City and these cities in New Jersey: Newark, Jersey City, Edison, Elizabeth and Paterson;


• San Francisco Bay Area: San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose and Berkeley;


• Denver metro area: Denver, Boulder, Fort Collins and Golden


• Chicago


• Miami


• Kansas City

Moreover, Sprint has confirmed that Detroit, Washington DC, Tampa and Dallas will get it early next month.

[via Sprint]

Showtime content is coming to Hulu in July for an extra $9 per month

Showtime isn’t coming out with their own standalone digital-only subscription like their friends at HBO, but they will partner with an existing content distributor to do it. Showtime and Hulu have announced that folks will be able to access Showtime’s vast range of TV shows and movies for an added per month on top of a Hulu Plus subscription of .

Showtime says the service will launch in time for July 12th’s premieres of Ray Donovan and Masters of Sex. You’ll even get access to premium boxing events that air on Showtime’s Championship Boxing.

Premium cable providers are starting to take heed to the message Kevin Spacey laid out a couple of years ago: give the people what they want, how they want it and at a reasonable price, and they’ll be more than happy to pay for it. Let’s hope more and more companies begin to follow suit in the months and years to come.

[via Hulu]