IFA – short for Internationale Funkausstellung – is one of the oldest trade shows in the world and Europe’s largest annual consumer technology expo. Each year, IFA gathers tech brands from all over the globe under one roof and we get to see a number of new appliances, gadgets, PCs, smartphones, and more during their respective events and keynotes.
2015 is no different than previous IFA years and Berlin is definitely the place to be between September 4 and 9 if you are a technology aficionado. As per usual, some brands revealed their new gadgets and phones before IFA officially kicked off and in today’s post we’ll talk about smartphones that saw the light of day prior to September 4.
Sony Unveils the World’s First 4K Smartphone – the Xperia Z5 Premium
It’s shiny, it’s big, and you will probably be blown away by its display. Is there really any need for a 4K screen on a smartphone? Probably not, but the Japanese giant probably thought otherwise when it unveiled the Sony Xperia Z5 Premium.
The Z5 Premium features a 5.5” display with a 4K Ultra HD resolution (that’s 3840 x 2160 pixels) and a pixel density of incredible 806ppi. While there are already phones out there that can shoot 4K videos (e.g. the Galaxy Note 5 and the Xperia Z3+), the Xperia Z5 Premium is the first one that also lets you watch those videos while keeping the same resolution.
Screen quality aside, it’s worth mentioning that the new Xperia handset comes packed with different features, great specs, and a classy look. Don’t believe us? Check out its specs:
- Dimensions: 154.4 x 75.8 x 7.8 mm
- Weight: 180 g
- Processor: Snapdragon 810, octa-core
- RAM: 3GB of RAM
- Storage: 32GB (expandable up to 200GB)
- Battery: 3,600mAh (with fast battery charging – 60% in 30 minutes)
- Main Camera: 23MP, Sony Exmor RS sensor, Hybrid Auto Focus
- Front Camera: 5.1MP, Sony Exmor R sensor, Full HD
- OS: Android 5.1.1 Lollipop
- Connectivity: Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, NFC, microUSB v2.0, Bluetooth 4.1
- Colours: gold, black, mirror-like chrome
- Other Features: IP68 rating (dust and waterproof); fingerprint sensor located in the phone’s power button (on Z5 Premium, Z5, and Z5 Compact)
As you can see, while the 4K display might be the star of the show, there’s a lot more to the Z5 Premium than meets the eye and so far we like what we’re seeing.
More from Sony: The Xperia Z5 and the Xperia Z5 Compact
The Z5 Premium is not the only smartphone Sony unveiled at this year’s IFA. Like we mentioned above, it arrived with two smaller siblings called the Sony Xperia Z5 and the Xperia Z5 Compact, respectively. Both handsets are similar to the Z5 Premium when it comes to specs, so we can just take a quick look at them.
The Xperia Z5 offers a 5.2” display with a Full HD resolution (1920 x 1080 pixels), a Snapdragon 810 processor, 3GB of RAM, 32GB of storage (expandable), a 23-megapixel main camera and a front 5-megapixel one. Like the Z5 Premium, the Z5 sports a fingerprint sensor and the IP68 certification, but it has a smaller 2900 mAh battery than the biggest handset in the trio.
What makes the Xperia Z5 Compact different from the other two phones is its 4.6” display, HD resolution (1280 x 720 pixels), a 2.600mAh battery, and 2GB of RAM. The rest of the specs are the same as those found in the Z5 and Z5 Premium.
Huawei Shows Off the Huawei Mate S
The Chinese phone maker arrived to IFA 2015 armed with a new smartphone – the Huawei Mate S – and it looks like the company means business.
The Huawei Mate S is the first phone ever to feature the Force Touch screen technology – remember, the feature the upcoming iPhone 6S should have introduced? Well, seems that Huawei beat Apple to the punch – tough luck, Cupertino. Moreover, the Mate S comes with a design similar to that of Apple’s iPhones (Coincidence? We think not) and a 5.5” AMOLED Full HD display that Huawei says takes up 73% of the Mate S’s front.
That’s not all, folks. Aside from Force Touch, the Huawei Mate S also offers two features that we found really interesting: Smart Fingerprint Sliding and Knuckle 2.0. The first one allows you to use your fingerprint sensor to control your smartphone and, yes, this means answering calls, taking pictures, and browsing pages with just your finger on the fingerprint sensor. The second feature lets you crop and edit photos with your knuckles and open different applications simply by drawing a letter on the screen. Sounds nice, don’t you think?
The rest of the Mate S’s specs include an octa-core processor, 32 or 64GB of storage, 3GB of RAM, a 2,700mAh battery, a 13-megapixel rear camera with OIS, an 8-megapixel front one with a soft light for better selfies, and a Smart Wireless Printing feature (all you need to do is touch the documents on your screen to print them from the compatible printers).
Which phone do you prefer? Share your thoughts in the comments below!