Razer might be looking to get into the smartphone business

Is a Razer smartphone in the works? Apparently, it is. A new report from Bloomberg claims the company is working on one. And it’s targeting an IPO in Hong Kong around October that could value the business at US$5 billion. According to the report, some of the funds will be used to build this gaming-centric smartphone. It’s not an unlikely move for the company, even with its current focus on gaming laptops and peripherals. Razer bought smartphone company Nextbit earlier this year. They have said it’ll operate as an independent company but they haven’t really spoken about plans for Nextbit since then.

We won’t know at the moment if the phone will be sold under Nextbit or Razer and when it could be released—if it does hit the market. But with the IPO scheduled later in the year, we’re sure we’d have to wait until next year for this rumoured smartphone to come out (if it ever does, that is).

Moto Z2 Force rumoured to get smaller battery, dual camera setup

This isn’t the first time rumours about the follow-up to the Moto Z Force. This time, we get more details from a VentureBeat report. The Moto Z2 Force will reportedly get a dual camera setup with two 12-megapixel modules and an unchanged 5-megapixel front camera. The US version of the device will reportedly have less RAM at 4GB compared to the 6GB coming to other areas. The Chinese version will supposedly get 128GB of storage, while the rest of the world gets 64GB. Both versions have microSD expansion of up to 2TB, though. And with the model supposedly thinner than before, it’ll have a smaller battery, too. Rumour has it’ll be 22 percent smaller than what is on the Z Force (2,730mAh vs. 3,500mAh).

The phone is said to have no ingress protection rating but will have a water-repellent nano-coating. It’ll run Android 7.1.1 Nougat out of the box but will be upgradeable to Android O. The Moto Z2 Force is going to come in Super Black, Fine Gold, and Lunar Grey, the grey one will be a T-Mobile USA exclusive, though. The Lenovo subsidiary is expected to debut the new device on July 25^th. Of course, at the moment these information are rumours and need to be taken with a grain of salt.

Google Pixel XL 2 might get a ‘squeezable’ frame

If you’ve seen or heard of the HTC U11, you’ll be familiar with the device’s “squeezable” sides. HTC calls it Edge Sense, a feature that lets users squeeze the side of the smartphone to do things like turn on the flashlight, open the camera and take a photo, as well as launch Google Assistant. Something similar might be coming to the second iteration of the Google Pixel XL, except the device won’t be made my HTC. According to a leak from Android Police, it’ll supposedly be made by LG. The looks won’t stray too far from the original Pixel and it’ll still have a rear fingerprint sensor and a large single-lens camera.

The XL version is said to have a 6-inch LG-made display with 2:1 ratio, “minimal bezel,” and rounded corners. It might have a longer design with thinner side and top/bottom bezels. The squeezing part is said to trigger Google Assistant “in various ways.” There is no indication when the device will be released. And they also didn’t have any info on the smaller Google Pixel. But if Google follows last year’s launch, it could come out around October this year.

Source: MacRumors

LG set to unveil mid-range smartphone with 18:9 display

Tomorrow there will be a new LG device hitting the market. What’s special about it is it’ll be the first mid-range handset with an 18:9 display. LG is banking on the FullVision display we’ve seen in the G6, making this seem like the rumoured “G6 mini.” As the teaser image above shows, the upcoming Q6 takes its design cues from the LG flagship. The phone will have a 5.5-inch Full HD display (or rather Full HD+ with its taller resolution), an aluminum frame, wide-angle camera, and “one hand operation.” The last one refers most likely to the compact form factor.

Some reports coming out of South Korea say that there will be more than one device that’ll debut tomorrow. They say a Plus version of the Q6 is also going to launch tomorrow with more storage and RAM. The Q6 is rumored to have 32GB of storage and 3GB of RAM, while the Q6 Plus will supposedly have 64GB of storage and 4GB of RAM. No word on the possible processor that the device will use. The cameras coming to the device include a 13-megapixel rear shooter and a 5-megapixel front camera. The devices are expected to be available globally with pricing starting at 500,000 won (around CA$560).

Source: Android Authority