Facebook has quietly added support for the HTC One, the Samsung Galaxy S4, the Sony Xperia ZL, and other Android smartphones to its new Facebook Home launcher. The update comes after the social network announced it had seen over 1 million downloads of Facebook Home following its launch on April 22.
Samsung has revealed another two commercials for the new Galaxy S4, focusing on features that have been integrated into its TouchWiz user interface. One of the clips highlights the smartphone’s Eraser Shot feature, while the other shows off Easy Mode.
Announced back in early January, the Sony Xperia Z was the first Android flagship of 2013, and one of the first smartphones to go global with a 1080p display. It’s also one of the very few that boasts a dust- and water-resistant form factor, which means accidental spills aren’t an issue here.
Inside that form factor, you’ll find a ton of high-end specifications that include a 1.5GHz quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro processor, Adreno 320 graphics, 2GB of RAM, and LTE connectivity. Like a lot of high-end Sony smartphones, the Xperia Z also has cutting-edge cameras, with a 13-megapixel Exmor RS snapper on its back, and a 2.2-megapixel camera on its front.
The Xperia Z will be battling it out with the likes of the HTC One and the Samsung Galaxy S4 this year, and Sony will be hoping that the device can finally earn it some sizable market share in a cut-throat smartphone market. But does the handset have what it takes? I’ve been testing it for two weeks to find out.
The HTC One has been incredibly well received since it launched last month, but the handset was just too late to have a positive impact on HTC’s profits during the first quarter. The Taiwanese company made just $2.8 million in profit during the three-month period, which is a 98% drop from the $152 million it saw a year ago.
The HTC One may or may not steal marketshare from the Samsung Galaxy S4, but there’s one thing we can all agree on: It’s a stunning smartphone, and its premium aluminum build makes it one of the few Android-powered smartphones that can rival the iPhone’s build quality — as I noted back in February.
But as a high-end device, it is expensive. Fortunately, HTC appears to be bringing the One’s flagship design to a more affordable device with midrange specifications, as you can see from the leaked photo of the HTC M4 above.
