NTT DoCoMo, Japan's largest wireless carrier, dropped the Samsung Galaxy S4 this summer due to poor sales, but it's reportedly coming back as a souped-up variant fit for Japan.

Known as the Galaxy J, the phone features 3GB of RAM and a 2.3Ghz quad-core Snapdragon 800 processor, according to a leaked brochure obtained by Japanese-language site RBMen.

That's a significant bump over the 2GB of memory and 1.9 GHz Snapdragon 600 CPU found in the LTE edition of the Galaxy S4.

The color options of the feature-rich Galaxy J are said to be white, pink and blue, and it may include 1Seg TV tuner to boot.

That's closer to the specs of the Galaxy Note 3, but with a smaller S4-style screen. For those who still want the 5.7-inch display, the Note 3 is also said to be coming to Japan.

Sony Xperia, LG G2

The leaked NTT DoCoMo brochure also claims that a pair of Xperia Z1 variants are bound for Japan.

The Sony Xperia Z1 SO-01F is basically the Xperia Z1 in all of its 20.7 megapixel glory. The only difference we see is a storage increase from 16GB of internal space to 32GB.

The Sony Xperia Z1 f SO-02F slims the phone down to a 4.3-inch display. Same Snapdragon 800 2.2 Ghz quad-core CPU, 2GB of RAM, and waterproof and dustproof features all around.

It looks like NTT DoCoMo also intends to support the LG G2 with no variation highlighted between the Western and Japanese models in the brochure.

The predominant Japanese carrier is expected to officially announce its winter-spring smartphone models on Oct. 10, which pretty much means Oct. 9 everywhere else when we find out for sure.

• Look out! The iPad 5 may have a fingerprint sensor in it

After the Galaxy S5 launches, it won't be long before a more rugged version of the next Samsung flagship hits the ground running.

That's the word coming from some anonymous ET News (via SlashGear) sources, claiming that as it did with the Galaxy S4, Samsung will release a Galaxy S5 Active variant.

The news comes as no real surprise as phone companies (Samsung especially) are increasingly releasing multiple iterations of their flagship handsets. You need only look at the HTC One, HTC One Mini and rumored HTC One Max to see this case in point.

The site noted the S5 is due to launch next year, though of course without official word from Samsung, we have to take the entirety of ET News' report with a few grains of salt.

Galaxy Note 3 Active too

Not to be left to the elements, ET News also tipped that the recently released Galaxy Note 3 will get the Active treatment too.

Like the Galaxy S4 Active, we're likely in for bulkier versions of these devices, plus physical buttons, when and if they launch.

This may be problematic for the already large and in charge Note 3, but if you want all the perks of a phablet without having to worry about it slipping out of your hand and into a puddle, the Note 3 Active could be right for you. Or it could just be a bulky monstrosity - we're not sure.

Check back for more on these new Active variants in the coming weeks and months. We'll keep you posted.

• Are an HTC One Mini and HTC One Max the right moves for HTC? This writer says no.

It's almost like LG heard about the Samsung Galaxy Round rumours this morning, with the company having just announced it's to start mass producing the its first flexible OLED panel for smartphones.

LG has been showing plenty of interest in the flexible space and its first flexible smartphone, the LG Flex or LG Z (as it's currently being referred to as) has also been working the rumour mill for a while.

Today LG has confirmed that the flexible smartphone screen is coming, claiming it to be a world first. The flexible OLED panel will use plastic substrates instead of glass and will be bendable and, LG claims, "unbreakable".

Life's bendy

"Our goal is to take an early lead in the flexible display market by introducing new products with enhanced performance and differentiated designs next year," said Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer of LG Display, Dr Sang Deog Yeo.

LG's new OLED panel will be 0.44mm thin and LG says it will weigh just 7.2g "even with a 6-inch screen". Just like the 6-inch screen the LG Flex is rumoured to have, then.

LG also hinted that the technology will used in devices beyond its smartphones. That LG smartwatch would make sense right about now...

While LG is going big on the "world's first" business, Samsung is also believed to be in the running, and may even be announcing its first flexible handset this week.

• The LG G2 is already here, but what's our verdict?

LG's latest Android tablet, the LG G Pad 8.3, is something that quietly excited us in IFA, and now we have a cheeky launch date too.

Starting on home soil in South Korea, the G Pad 8.3 will launch on October 14, then will move to more than 30 countries across North American, European, Latin American, Asian, CIS and Africa before the start of 2014.

Following in the footsteps of the impressive LG G2 handset, the G Pad 8.3 aims to pitch at the higher end of the market, with prices announced at 550,000 WON (around £320 / $510 / AUS$550).

More expensive than the iPad Mini

This puts the LG G Pad 8.3 more expensive than the current iPad Mini (and the expected iPad Mini 2), a device that already comes in with a premium price tag in comparison to other smaller tablets like the new Google Nexus 7.

LG's G Pad is slightly larger though, with the name reflecting the 8.3-inch screen size, although LG point out that the 126.5mm width is designed to fit comfortably in one hand.

The Korean's offering also bests the iPad Mini with resolution, the G Pad with a 1920 x 1200 display, meaning 273ppi compared to the 163ppi from Cupertino.

Elsewhere the G Pad 8.3 comes with a 4600mAh battery, a skinned 4.2.2 Jelly Bean, Qualcomm's 1.7GHz Snapdragon 600 CPU, 2GB of RAM and support for up to 64GB of microSD storage.

Via AndroidCommunity

We're dramatically overhauling our cameraphones test in the near future to help you understand which the best snapper on the market is - so stay tuned to find out what we think about the Sony Xperia Z1, iPhone 5S, LG G2, Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom and Nokia Lumia 1020.

A decade ago, new fangled gizmos called 'camera phones' started emerging. Pretty soon there became too many to rate alongside 'proper' cameras, and in any event back then the grainy, smudged 640 x 480 pixels shots from phones were pretty dire. You might as well have photocopied your backside.

Now, the quality of cameras (or rather sensors) in phones has massively improved, to the extent that the average non-photo enthusiast is now asking whether these may replace their dedicated compact camera. And if so, which phone should they buy, in terms of which is best for photography?

But while your handset might be OK for daily snaps, is it good enough to act as your one and only device with which to record those key moments in life?

Often, what you gain in convenience by using a smartphone for taking pictures, you subsequently lose in image quality. One obvious difference between today's compact cameras and smartphones is that even the most basic pocket camera has an optical zoom lens that projects from and retracts into the body. But smartphones still make do with just digital zooms.

Digital zooms effectively just crop the picture, progressively losing pixels the further you 'zoom' in - and certainly this is an Achilles' heel that camera manufacturers are looking to exploit in their favour.

But at the same time, camera brands have been increasingly adopting smartphone-like app menus and internet connectivity to bring the two devices closer together, with Samsung's Galaxy Camera being one of the first and most fully realised examples of this convergence of technology to hit the street.

So compact cameras are seeking to be more like phones, and many smartphones are trying to be more camera-like in their advancing shooting capabilities.

Let's take a look at the best camera phones available now (a group test we'll be constantly updating), to help you decide which one is best for you and your photographic needs. Here we compare our favourite phones for taking photos, arranged by current market price, with sample images to show the sorts of photos they're capable of producing.

Can any of these top camera phones convince you to ditch your compact camera?

More photos of the Sony Xperia Z1 Mini have surfaced today, showing the Xperia Z1's baby brother in all its colourful glory once again.

The photos come courtesy of a blog post by rbmen, showing a device called the Xperia Z1 f. Whilst we have to say this could be an entirely different device, given different international naming strategies and the last specification leak, this looks likely to be the heavily rumoured Xperia Z1 Mini.

Today's image shows the Xperia Z1 f in the same variety of colours (pink and lime) as well as the obligatory black and white we saw last time.

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The blog post also provides new insight into the internal specifications, stating that there will be 32GB of internal storage rather than the 16GB we've heard of before, and IP58 certification, making it waterpoof and dustproof.

Mini phone, massive camera

The brochure image also shows off the camera, with a 20.7MP label being seen to the left of the camera lens. This puts the camera sensor on par with the larger Xperia Z1, although we'd be surprised if it was imbued with precisely the same high-end tech (such as the fancy G Lens) given the smaller dimensions the Z1 Mini is supposed to offer.

Previous leaks suggesting that the Xperia Z1 Mini will come with Qualcomm's quad-core Snapdragon 800 CPU clocked at 2.2GHz, as well as 2GB of RAM are also backed up.

Like the Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini, many have suggested that the Sony Xperia Z1 f will be titled 'Mini' thanks to the lower specifications, given that all leaks put the Xperia Z1 f with a reasonable 4.3 inch 720p screen, and running Android 4.2.2.

Via Softpedia.com

It's looking likely that Samsung will jump ahead of LG and announce its rumoured curved display smartphone this week.

We've known that it's been coming for some time, and now Korean media source Asiae is reporting that the handset will touch down this week and with the name of the Samsung Galaxy Round, offering a plastic (and therefore more durable) replacement for the glass display.

Just the other day, a mystery Samsung device showed up in benchmarking tests under the name of the SM-G910.

The Snapdragon 800 processor and Adreno 330 graphics chip of the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 were spotted on the bill. Meanwhile, previous speculation has suggested the handset will have a smaller 5.5-inch display.

Snap back to reality

Rumoured specs for the Galaxy Round are similar to those of the Galaxy Note 3, and there's no clue about pricing. In other words, it's still very much up in the air.

LG is also believed to be in the flexible phone race, with the G Flex rumoured to be appearing in November.

• So what did we think of Samsung's latest Phablet? Find out in our Samsung Galaxy Note 3 review