Korean electronics giant Samsung has today announced that it will drop its patent-infringement lawsuits against Apple in Germany, France, Italy, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. The announcement comes just hours after Apple was denied its request to have 26 Samsung devices banned in the United States — though the two cases are unrelated.

HTC looks to be preparing a new flagship Android smartphone for 2013, and leaked specifications for the device suggest it’s well worth getting excited about. It’s codenamed the HTC M7, and it boasts a plethora of cutting-edge components — some of which haven’t been introduced to a smartphone before, such as its 4.7-inch 1080p display, which boasts a pixel density 40% greater than that of the iPhone 5.

Sony has today announced its Android 4.1 Jelly Bean upgrade plans for Xperia smartphones released during 2012. The Japanese company is hoping to deliver its latest software to at least six handsets by the end of March 2013, then another four handset in the “subsequent weeks.” There are four Xperia handsets that won’t be upgraded beyond Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, however.

Samsung’s Galaxy S III has been one of this year’s hottest Android handsets, but its high-end specifications mean it’s not ideal for everyone’s budget. With that in mind, Samsung has been working to meet demand for a similar handset that doesn’t quite cost so much. It has produced the Galaxy Grand, a mid-range handset with a 5-inch display that looks identical to its popular sibling.

Another chapter has closed in the Apple/Samsung patent saga thanks to a couple decisions handed down today by Judge Lucy Koh. Apple has been denied its bid for a permanent sales ban against the 26 Samsung devices found to have infringed on a handful of Apple’s patents back in August. According to the Koh, those infringed patents are but a small fraction of the overall features that make up Samsung’s devices and thus do not warrant a permanent ban.