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Just a few days back we reported that HTC Malaysia was going to release the HTC Desire Eye smartphone and the HTC RE camera in the country on 5 December 2015. While we still have a day to go, a new report says that the second generation of this unique camera is already confirmed. According to Focus Taiwan, Jack Tong, the North Asia president of HTC confirmed that a new HTC Re camera was already under works and would be released sometime later in 2015. The device would be tailor made as a product for the mass consumer market. However, as of now, HTC has not yet revealed anything about this upcoming second generation of this everyday camera. The HTC Re is the company's first attempt at a standalone action camera and aims to compete with the likes of GoPro, but in a more casual manner. In fact, clicking pictures with this cylindrical shaped device is much easier than most other cameras in the market as it lets you shoot videos and capture images with just a click of a button. Given that the Re camera is releasing in Malaysia on 5 December 2015, expect concrete details like Malaysia availability and pricing in the next few days.

The Samsung Galaxy A7 has just passed the Chinese Telecommunication Equipment Certification Agency, TENAA which means that it may soon be announced in China. The Galaxy A7 is a part of Samsung's recently established 'A' series which also includes the Galaxy Alpha, Galaxy A3 and Galaxy A5. According to the TENAA page, the device will be the thinnest smartphone from Samsung at just 6.3mm in thickness which makes it even thinner than the recently announced A5 which measures in at 6.7mm. The tech specs of the device are pretty impressive with a 64-bit 1.5GHz octa-core Snapdragon 615 processor, 2GB RAM and 16GB storage which is not expandable. On the front, there is a large 5.5 inch 1080p display. The rear camera measures in at 13MP while the front camera is at 5MP. The phone supports high speed 4G LTE networks and runs on Android 4.4 Kitkat OS. While we expect a Malaysia release of the device, the one that hit TENAA had the model number SM-A7009, which is probably the Chinese variant of the device. Malaysia pricing and availability will be updated once the device is officially announced by Samsung.

The Nexus 6 is probably one of the best Android phablets available in the market today. It comes with a great design as well as top end features which makes it better than most other phones in the market. But when Google announced this phablet a few weeks back, the company just mentioned that it was water resistant. So, unlike other competitors like the Sony Xperia Z3 and the Samsung Galaxy S5, the Nexus 6 wasn't IP certified. However, that didn't stop a user from testing the device under water. In a YouTube video uploaded a few days back, the user submerged his Nexus 6 in the bathtub to see whether it would work underwater. Surprisingly, even without the IP67 rating, Google's latest flagship survived the quick bath. In fact, as you will see in the video below, he could even charge it under water, which clearly shows that you won't have to worry about accidentally dropping your device in water. Recent Motorola devices come with a special nano-coating which makes them water resistant. It was seen earlier that the Moto G as well as the latest Moto X 2014 could survive a dip in water, thanks to this coating. So, it looks like the same coating makes Nexus 6 water proof to some extent too.

Samsung is going back to its roots to develop the new Samsung Galaxy flagship. The initiative called as 'Project Zero' internally aims to develop a new flagship that stands out from the crowd. However, it looks like the company will be sticking to its usual naming scheme for the upcoming smartphone. SamMobile reports that the next Samsung flagship will be called the Samsung Galaxy S6. They have been right many times in the past few years especially when it comes to Samsung's plans, hence this report could be true. The website further reveals that the company is also planning to launch another variant of the flagship alongside the regular model called the Galaxy S6 edge. Judging from the name, the S6 edge could be curved display variant of the device, just like the Galaxy Note Edge. Expected tech specs of the Galaxy S6 include a 64-bit Exynos 7420 or Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 processor, 32/64/128GB storage, quad HD 2560 x 1440 pixel display and a 20MP rear camera. However, it is still early to confirm any of these reports, so make sure you take this news with a pinch of salt.

While we have seen smartphones with unique button placements like in the LG G3, a new Chinese based manufacturer is looking to develop a smartphone with no physical button at all. So, the phone will have a clean design with just a display up front. It will be called the Manta X7 and will run on the company's custom OS, built on top of Android called MO7os. As the device is still under development, no concrete details are available about how it works. But simple operations like powering up the phone and controlling volume could be via gesture controls. For example, it is said that one side of the phone will feature a unique thumb tracking technology which will detect the user's thumb and adjust the phone's dialer. This would make one handed operating very easy, even if the phone is large in size. Moreover, other controls such as turning volume up or down, accessing apps etc could be via some sensors in the bezels or smart gestures in the OS. Hardware details are scarce, but some speculate that it will run on a Mediatek processor. It is also doubtful whether the phone would be released outside of China, hence, we don't expect it to hit Malaysian markets anytime soon.

Google's Project ARA isn't the only modular smartphone under development. A Finnish startup by the name of Circular Devices has just announced a new project, called the Puzzlephone. As the name suggests, it is a modular smartphone with replaceable parts which can be put together like a puzzle. However, you can't replace everything on this phone like Project ARA.  It is made up of three different components namely the brain, spine and heart. The brain consists of electronic components like the processor and the camera. The spine includes speakers, main buttons, microphone and display while the hear houses the phone's battery and other secondary components. You can swap each of these modules to upgrade your device.

Earlier this year, the OnePlus One stirred the market with its flagship killer features and affordable pricing. Now, we are hearing that the existing flagship will soon be replaced by the second generation model called the OnePlus Two. Company director, Carl Pei recently said that they were planning to announce the OnePlus Two in Q2 or Q3 next year. This confirms the earlier rumors about a Q2 2015 launch of the next OnePlus flagship.

“We are planning to announce the OnePlus Two in Q2 or Q3 next year,” Pei said. “So it is one year after this phone [OnePlus One].

OnePlus has not yet revealed anything about its upcoming flagship, but sources at Business Insider hint that the device will come with surprises. Meanwhile, the company is looking forward to launch the device in Malaysia. In fact, they have an opening for the position of General Manager in Malaysia at the moment. Given that OnePlus One is now available in India, we expect a Malaysia release soon as well. But if you can't wait for a few more months, you can purchase the device online for about RM1250 to RM1350 from third party sellers.

The recently announced Samsung NX1 smart camera may be arriving soon in Malaysia. We've just received a save the date invite for 16 December 2014 indicating that the 28.2MP APS-C BSI CMOS sensor equipped NX1 could be coming soon. Notable tech specs and features asides from the aforementioned sensor includes 4K video recording at 30fps, 15fps continuous AF shooting, an Auto Focus (AF) System III with 205 Phase Detection AF points and native ISO 100 ~ 25600 and extended ISO to 51200 with a built-in HEVC Codec (H.265). It will use a magnesium alloy body coupled with an XGA OLED EVF, a 3-inch FVGA Super AMOLED display and support for WiFi and Bluetooth. The camera itself weighs in at 550g and it should come with an NX mountable Samsung 50-150mm F2.8 S ED OIS Lens. No Malaysia pricing details yet, but it considering the features, it could be rather pricey. Stay tuned and we'll update you as soon as we find out more.

HTC is expected to announce its next flagship, the HTC One M9 at the Mobile World Congress (MWC)next year. However, if the rumors are to be believed, the HTC One M9 could come with a Snapdragon 805 processor bundled with 3GB RAM. Other rumoured tech specs include a 5.5 inch 2K 2560 x 1440 pixel resolution display. As for the camera, it is said that HTC may drop the Ultra Pixel camera found in its current flagship for 16MP sensor with Optical Image Stabilization (OIS). The source further reveals that the phone will be made of Aluminum Silicon-Carbide material. The battery is also improved and the new device will feature a 3500 mAh capacity as opposed to the 2600 mAh battery found on the current HTC One M8. As a replacement to the Beats Audio technology incorporated in the existing flagship, HTC will most likely partner with BOSE for its upcoming devices. There is also a HTC One M9 Prime that is expected to hit the markets alongside the One M9, however, we have very little details about the device. One possibility is that this Prime phablet could be the replacement to the HTC One Max. No Malaysia release dates or pricing details yet but we expect it to arrive in March 2015.

Microsoft has yet to announce a true successor to the Lumia 1020 smartphone and while nobody knows whether there will be a second generation Lumia 1020, a prototype device with the model number RM-1052 was recently spotted on a Chinese auction website. The RM-1052 could be the rumored Nokia 'McLaren' which was expected to succeed the Lumia 1020. Tech specs include a quad core processor, 2GB RAM and a 1080p Full HD screen up front, but the size is unknown. Judging from the looks, it could be a 5 inch screen, which also makes sense since the Lumia 1020 came with a slightly smaller 4.5 inch display. The design looks in line with the 1020 especially the large rear camera housing. However, instead of a polycarbonate body, it is made of metal. The photo clearly reveals that it is a prototype device as there is the 'Property of Microsoft' and 'Not for Sale' branding on the back. Back in July, it was reported that Microsoft had cancelled plans for the Nokia 'McLaren', so even though this prototype made it to the internet, it doesn't confirm the existence of a successor to the 41MP Lumia model so do take this rumour with a pinch of salt.