Lenovo built a slider phone with 12GB of RAM
While Lenovo continues to push the Motorola brand in the West, it's also been busy doing its own thing back in China. Just last month, the company brought us the Z5 Pro all-screen slider phone which, to our surprise, packed mid-tier specs to woo the budget-conscious consumers. That's all well and good, but surely such a special form factor deserves the best specs available, right? This is where the new Z5 Pro GT comes in.
Announced at the Beijing event today, this new Android phone comes loaded with up to 12GB of RAM -- a new record for smartphones -- along with up to 512GB of storage. It's also the second smartphone confirmed to feature Qualcomm's latest Snapdragon 855 chipset, though unlike OnePlus' yet-to-be-named flagship device, Lenovo's slider won't be packing 5G radio.
[...] Despite being the first 12GB RAM smartphone, the Z5 Pro GT won't be available for pre-order until January 15th next year, ahead of the official launch on the 24th. Prices range from 2,698 yuan or about $390 for the 6GB RAM + 128GB storage version, all the way to 4,398 yuan or about $640 for the 12GB RAM + 512GB storage top model.
You know what's next. 16 GB.
Previously: Oppo Likely to Release the First Smartphone With 10 GB of RAM
Xiaomi Announces Smartphones with 10 GB of RAM
Related Stories
OPPO Find X to get 10GB RAM version, spotted at TENAA
There have been rumors of a 10GB RAM smartphone in development for a while now. Vivo's yet unreleased Xplay7 was rumored to come with 10GB RAM and the ASUS ROG Phone was also supposed to come with 10GB of RAM. It appears OPPO will be the first to launch a 10GB RAM phone judging by an updated TENAA listing of the Find X.
The Find X originally comes with 8GB of RAM and 128GB or 256GB of storage but Chinese leaker @UniverseIce shared a photo of an updated listing that shows the Find X will get a new 10GB RAM + 256GB ROM model.
We were able to confirm that the leak is genuine as the full TENAA specs listing for the Find X (PAFM00 model) now has a 10GB RAM variant. The update to the listing was made yesterday. The rest of the specs will remain the same as the other variant.
TENAA is China's phone regulatory body.
Also at The Verge, Engadget, Fossbytes, and BGR.
Related: Samsung Announces 12Gb LPDDR4 DRAM, Could Enable Smartphones With 6 GB of RAM
Samsung Announces 8 GB DRAM Package for Mobile Devices
Xiaomi Mi Mix 3 packs up to 10GB of RAM and a stunning 93% screen-to-body ratio
Following a tease by the company's president back in August, Chinese manufacturer Xiaomi has now officially announced its next all-screen monster handset, the Mi Mix 3.
Boasting a FHD+ AMOLED display with a stunning 93% screen-to-body ratio, the Mi Mix 3 also packs a powerful 2.8GHz Snapdragon 845 processor into its unique frame, along with the option of 6GB, 8GB or a whopping 10GB of RAM.
Those after the 10GB model will have to track down the 'Forbidden City' limited edition, which sports traditional Chinese styling, a 10W wireless Qi charger and a collectible statue.
All of the Mi Mix 3 phones will be exclusive to the Chinese market for now. The 10 GB version is priced at RMB 4,999 ($720).
Xiaomi also announced a gaming phone with up to 10 GB of RAM, the Black Shark Helo.
Also at Ars Technica and The Register.
Previously: Oppo Likely to Release the First Smartphone With 10 GB of RAM
Samsung Begins Mass Production of 12 GB LPDDR4X for Smartphones
Samsung announced late on Wednesday that it had started volume production of 12 GB LPDDR4X-4266 memory for high-end smartphones. The chip is currently the highest-density DRAM for mobile applications. The first smartphone to use Samsung's 12 GB LPDDR4X DRAM package will be the company's own Galaxy S10+ handset formally announced last month.
Samsung's 12 GB LPDDR4X package integrates six 16 Gb memory devices featuring a 4266 MT/s data transfer rate at 1.1 Volts and produced using the company's second-generation '10nm-class' process technology (also known as 1y-nm). The 12 GB memory module is 1.1 mm tall, which is a bit higher than standard quad-die LPDDR4X packages (which are thinner than 1 mm), but Samsung has managed to incorporate the device into its latest premium smartphone.
Were the previously announced 12 GB DRAM smartphones using two packages instead of this one thick package?
Related: Samsung Announces 12Gb LPDDR4 DRAM, Could Enable Smartphones With 6 GB of RAM
Samsung Announces 8 GB DRAM Package for Mobile Devices
SK Hynix Announces 8 GB LPDDR4x DRAM Package for Mobile Devices
Oppo Likely to Release the First Smartphone With 10 GB of RAM
Xiaomi Announces Smartphones with 10 GB of RAM
Lenovo Announces a Smartphone With Up to 12 GB of RAM
(Score: 2) by SomeGuy on Tuesday December 18 2018, @05:25PM (3 children)
That is very impressive! Now, people can... uh... they can... umm, take larger pictures of their dicks!
It's worth about 4,398 yawns alright. $640 should be enough for anybody. :P
(Score: 2) by takyon on Tuesday December 18 2018, @05:35PM (2 children)
I'm thinking ramdrive, or with the right connector/connectivity, a portable desktop replacement.
Or you could just use it to load more spyware-ridden apps.
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 2) by DannyB on Tuesday December 18 2018, @07:19PM (1 child)
No! Absolutely NOT!!!
If it doesn't come with spyware preloaded, then I'm taking it back.
When trying to solve a problem don't ask who suffers from the problem, ask who profits from the problem.
(Score: 3, Touché) by bob_super on Tuesday December 18 2018, @09:55PM
RTFS:
There. You can relax and get it. No effort required to get spied on.
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday December 18 2018, @05:35PM (1 child)
"Slider" had me excited for a moment; I thought keyboards were coming back. If not full QWERTY, at least maybe dedicated numeric under the screen, and maybe with function keys on the top/left side ala Nokia N96?
Don't get your hopes up like me. The only thing sliding out from under this screen is the front-facing camera(s) and earpiece, so you can take selfies, then review them full-screen with no unsightly camera-notch to interfere.
A basic phone paired with a Pyra is looking better all the time.
(Score: 2) by takyon on Tuesday December 18 2018, @05:51PM
I used to have a crummy slider phone with small keyboard. I liked how you could "lock and load" to more quickly turn it on than finding the power button.
This new slider-instead-of-notch isn't too bad but it probably won't live long given the new "in-screen hole punch" [digitaltrends.com] design [digitaltrends.com]. I assume some company will figure out a design where the glass in front of the camera can either be a display or transparent. So both front-facing camera(s) and fingerprint reader will live under the screen, and the bezels will disappear.
Given that we are starting to see foldable displays, I don't see why we can't have keyboards. Otherwise, maybe docking it is the answer, or adding a folding case with a keyboard in it (which could end up being pretty good given that phone landscape aspect ratios are widening). Can we fit a numpad on it?
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 2) by ikanreed on Tuesday December 18 2018, @05:46PM (4 children)
Think of all the huge unnecessarily overloaded webpages I can view now.
(Score: 2) by takyon on Tuesday December 18 2018, @05:54PM (3 children)
It's entirely possible to use uBlock, Adblock, etc. on your phone.
Then you have to figure out what to do with the extra 8+ GB of RAM.
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 2) by ikanreed on Tuesday December 18 2018, @05:59PM
That's a good point, but I have 30 "legitimate" AJAX calls I need to resolve and store before I can answer you.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by bob_super on Tuesday December 18 2018, @06:14PM (1 child)
Don't forget NoScript.
Since Apple allowed adblockers, more and more sites have been adding blocking detectors ... which mostly seem to be client-side scripts.
Every time I open the same link as someone else at work, it reminds me why I go through the inconvenience of NoScript...
(Score: 2) by DannyB on Tuesday December 18 2018, @07:23PM
uMatrix is good.
It allows you a finer degree of control than all or nothing.
You're right! Your own scripts on your own website interfered. Goodbye! And blacklist.
When trying to solve a problem don't ask who suffers from the problem, ask who profits from the problem.
(Score: 2) by Virindi on Tuesday December 18 2018, @10:25PM (2 children)
How about instead, give us some options for a phone which aren't the size of a laptop with 6 hours of battery life? When will this "flagship" madness end?
When will there be at least an OPTION for a very small phone with a physical keyboard? Why must every phone be identical*, and if the design doesn't work for you then too bad?
*Yes, I know: "Apple"
(Score: 2) by arslan on Tuesday December 18 2018, @11:55PM (1 child)
Checkout the blackberry Keyone - runs Android, there's a few other models from bb as well.
(Score: 2) by Virindi on Wednesday December 19 2018, @01:37AM
It is still way too big. I want a phone similar in size to old school ones. My current dumbphone is 69 x 69 x 16mm, with a qwerty keyboard.
I might even accept touch only if the phone was like 90mm tall and had a week of battery life.
But the phone you linked is the typical 150 x 75mm form factor. I actually have an android phone of that size and I never carry it anywhere because it is just way too huge. (It is a Xaomi Mi A1, 155 x 75 x 7.3mm.) A 150mm phone feels like a tablet. I understand why people who use their phone as their primary computing device would want such a thing, but I don't.