Latest Tech News

The latest Nintendo Direct broadcast has revealed a treasure trove of games and plans that will keep even the fussiest Nintendo fan content. Among the games featured were Super Mario Maker 2, a battle royale version of Tetris called Tetris 99, and Dragon Quest XI. However, the presentation’s main event was clearly the introduction of the gorgeous-looking The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening.

The bestselling Dell XPS laptop manages to be faster, tougher, brighter, and more feature-packed than the new competing Asus ZenBook 15 without running any louder or shorter. In return, the Asus laptop is much lighter and even a bit smaller, but its advantages don't go much deeper.

How can spam messages be detected in end-to-end encryption? WhatsApp uses other tools and can already track 75% automatically using AI. Through this process, two million WhatsApp accounts are blocked per month.

Samsung had been rumored to be preparing a February security patch for the Galaxy S8, sparking speculation that it would also come with the official update to Android 9.0 (Pie) for the 2017 flagship. This patch is now reportedly arriving on the devices in question, but it is still based on Oreo. Therefore, fans of this phone still have another month to wait for their major OS upgrade.

Get a 17-inch gaming laptop with GTX 1060 graphics for $920 USD and more from now until the end of next week. The sale spans multiple retail outlets including Newegg, Office Depot, Staples, Walmart, Best Buy, and Target.

The Surface Pen is Microsoft's answer to the Apple Pencil. It has been described as an effective stylus, albeit one that could produce more accurate digital writing. A new patent may help improve on this with changes to both the Pen and the screen used.

SilentiumPC has announced its latest Midi Tower, the Armis AR7X TG RGB. The case costs around £125 (~ US$161) and includes tempered glass panels along with four Sigma HP Corona RGB 120 mm fans and enough space for up to 420 mm long GPUs.

The latest layoffs should help the company refocus its strategies. CEO Bobby Kotick admitted that Activision Blizzard underperformed in Q4 2018 and a new business plan needs to be implemented for 2019. Thus, the company will try to focus more on its major franchises and bring in more developers to help with this endeavor.

The F11 Pro was recently confirmed in an official teaser video posted on OPPO's Twitter account. The short teaser also mentions the inclusion of a 48 MP main camera. Other rumored specs for OPPO's upcoming flagship include a Snapdragon 855 SoC coupled with 6 GB of RAM and 64 / 128 GB of storage, a 6.5-inch IPS display and a 32 MP selfie cam with pop-up design.

The Mi 9 is Xiaomi's most likely candidate for the OEM's next flagship. It may improve on its predecessor with triple cameras and a more up-to-date front panel. SlashLeaks has posted not 1 but 3 new pages on this subject today (February 13, 2019).

SamMobile has caught Samsung France posting a page detailing the Galaxy S10 line in full on its own website. It lists SKU names discovered in previous leaks, the novel S10e model name included. However, it made no reference to the alleged 5G version of the imminent flagship.

The Apple App Store and Google Play Store host an app called Absher in Saudi Arabia. It is an official portal by which users can manage their legal travel-related obligations. However, multiple Middle East experts allege that it is also used to restrict freedom of movement for women in the country.

Should we take Samsung so literally? The company has ramped up its "The Future Unfolds" marketing ahead of its Galaxy UNPACKED event next week with a new teaser video and more billboards that point towards the unveiling of the Galaxy F, its rumoured and much speculated about foldable smartphone.

Released more than a year ago, the Exynos 7870-powered Galaxy Tab Active 2 is now ready to hit India. This IP68- and MIL-STD 810G-certified rugged Android slate will be launched tomorrow during a special press event. In the US, this tablet retails for US$420 (WiFi only) and US$520 (carrier unlocked LTE).

We’ve already seen the leaked Sony Xperia XA3 with its tall 21:9 widescreen 5.9-inch cinema display, but if you thought that was weirdly tall and long, Sony is set to outdo even that. The Xperia XA3 Plus has now leaked out and will be even taller with a 6.5-inch ultra-widescreen display.

Released a few months ago, the LiteOS-driven Huawei Watch GT is now finally available for purchase in the US. Listed by Amazon for a regular price of US$199.99, this smart wearable will start shipping on February 19. Its specs and features include continuous heart rate monitoring, built-in GPS, sleep tracking, and more.

Analysts for the financial services giant Goldman Sachs have estimated that Google paid Apple around US$9.5 billion over the calendar year 2018 to remain the default search engine on iOS-powered devices. Bankers are concerned that Apple, especially its Services division, is relying too heavily on this particular revenue source.

Those who missed the private beta stage of Ubisoft's upcoming title The Division 2 can join the open beta, which is scheduled to begin on March 1. Sadly, the open beta will only run for three days and the trial will end on March 4. The game will launch on March 15 on PC, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4.

Samsung is offering a decent trade-in deal for those early birds who are willing to make a reservation for a qualifying Galaxy smartphone. The South Korean manufacturer will give up to US$550 in credit, depending on the valuation of your trade-in handset, towards the purchase of “Samsung’s next flagship Galaxy device”. Those who reserve during the qualifying period will also get US$50 of credit for accessories.

New renders posted by renowned leaker Evan Blass (@evleaks) on Twitter all but confirm the LG G8 ThinQ's design. These renders match those posted on the XDA Developers forum last month. Sadly, that means the G8 ThinQ will look almost identical to the G7 ThinQ. At least it still has a headphone jack.

Get the XPS 13 9370 with 8 GB of RAM, 256 GB SSD, and a Core i7-8550U CPU for $1175 USD. Deals will last until early next week in an attempt to clear out older stock and make room for newer models.

Despite its critical and commercial failure, the PlayStation Classic may be an attractive retro gaming device, especially given Walmart's latest price cut. The PlayStation Classic can be found at Walmart for a mere $40, 60% less than its original retail price. Additionally, those willing to hack or modify their PlayStation Classic may find the mini-console to be a suitable emulation box.

If the "new" LG Q9 One seems to have an outdated processor, the reality might surprise you: this handset is a rebranded LG G7 One, which was unveiled at IFA 2018. The only noticeable difference is that the Q9 One comes loaded with Android 9.0 Pie out of the box (the G7 One arrived with Android 8.1 Oreo onboard).

The Xiaomi M365 electric scooters is popular with ride-sharing companies such as Bird in the US. They can hire out such vehicles online thanks to the ability to remotely lock rental units as and when they need to. The research group Zimperium has claimed to be able to hi-jack this mechanism due to vulnerabilities found in Xiaomi's Bluetooth authentication procedure for the M365.

Previously expected to arrive in the first days of December, the Nokia 9 PureView will probably be unveiled later this month in Barcelona, at HMD Global's official press event that is scheduled to take place before the opening day of MWC 2019. Finally listed by the FCC, this handset will come in single-SIM and dual-SIM variants.

Reddit has just secured a large-scale investment in the form of round D funding to the tune of US$300 million. Tencent - a company whose home nation has blocked the social media platform - has contributed 50% of this figure. The move has sparked speculation that Reddit's new part-ownership may lead to adversity such as increased censorship on the popular website.

A new post on the Greek Apple leaks site iPhoneHellas alleges that the second-generation AirPods will launch in March. However, a second tipster, OnLeaks, has also asserted that his sources say they will be released 'in the fall'. Both reports contain different details on what their maker may release alongside or in conjunction with these wireless earbuds.

Chinese brand UMIDIGI is back with the S3 Pro, a handset that sports a generous 6.3-inch display with waterdrop notch and a main camera setup that combines a 48 MP Sony camera with a 12 MP shooter for bokeh effects. Early Indiegogo backers can get this MediaTek Helio P70-driven phablet for just US$269 and shipments should begin next month.

ZTE's sub-brand Nubia came out of the blue with a teaser for a flexible smartphone that will be unveiled at MWC 2019. Unfortunately, the "Flex Your Life" headline doesn't say much. While this can suggest something different than a foldable handset, most major brands are expected to unveil such a device later this month in Barcelona.

Lenovo has announced the first T series ThinkPad of 2019. The Lenovo ThinkPad T490, the "bread-and-butter" model of the series, has been announced today as a special edition for the healthcare sector.

Most major Chinese smartphone brands also have successful sub-brands: Huawei has Honor, Oppo's Realme is just one year old but already doing great, Xiaomi's POCO is also quite popular, and now the time has come for Vivo to create its own sub-brand. iQOO is now an official brand and the first smartphones to carry its name are expected to arrive pretty soon.

Google is continuing to ramp up its efforts in the custom silicon space. According to Reuters, the company has just added 16 new staff to its “gChips” team based in Bengaluru India with backgrounds working with chip makers include Intel, Qualcomm, Broadcom and Nvidia.

The upcoming Samsung Galaxy A50 has surfaced at the FCC, and this listing reveals that it will come with the EP-TA200 fast charger, so the handset supports 15 W wired fast charging. The Galaxy A50 apparently features a 6.22-inch display, although some previous rumors suggested that it sports a 6-inch touchscreen.

Notebookcheck has reported frequently on rumors and leaks surrounding the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S10 series. There is a considerable amount of excitement about the flagship smartphones from the South Korean manufacturer, and it is easy to forget details about the S10e, S10, and S10+ in all the press activity. This roundup should help give an idea of what to expect from each of the devices.

Razer has notified us that it has investigated a number of issues impacting a limited number of retail Blade Stealth units. If you're experiencing any of the following, then this new BIOS and EC update should do the trick.

LetsGoDigital has published some fantastic artistic renders of Xiaomi’s upcoming foldable device, which could end up being called the Xiaomi Dual Flex, the Xiaomi MIX Flex, or something completely different. The device in the renders certainly catches the eye with its sophisticated look and somewhat slender profile. But the images also show a facet of the foldable that could end up bothering some users.

A press release from Dell published in early January stated that the Dell XPS 15, Alienware m15, and Dell G7 15 laptops would be offered with OLED panel options starting in March. Unfortunately for those waiting to snap up a Dell laptop with this type of display, company executive Frank Azor has now stated that April is the current target.

Google's rumored mid-range phones, the Pixel 3 Lite and Pixel 3 XL Lite, have received official model numbers, lending further validity to their impending release. Better still, sources are reporting that the devices will also launch in the India market, likely below INR 40,000.

All Chinese communications devices are primed for a complete ban in the U.S. and if Trump gets his way, this could happen before MWC in late February. One of the reasons for this hastened ban is the alleged violation of the Iran sanctions committed by Huawei chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou. The European Union is also considering a ban on Chinese phone makers.

2019 could be the year when the Smach Z handheld Windows gaming device finally becomes reality. Smach is still trying to hype things up, as it recently updated the official site with new prices and specs, plus it added a few videos showing various gaming sessions. There is no specific 2019 launch date mentioned, so delays may still occur.

The OEM OnePlus had previously announced that it would release a 5G phone this year. Today (February 11, 2019), the company has apparently released a confirmation that this device would feature at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) this year. It will showcase the device at Qualcomm's booth during the event.

According to some recent leaks, Apple may resurrect the iPad Mini name this year. A new post on MacOtakara has suggested that this tablet may be even more budget-friendly than usual. It claims that the 5th generation of the device could use the A10 Fusion - the chipset found in the iPhone 7.

A few good months after its introduction, the Augmented Reality navigation feature is finally rolling out for Google Maps users in the wild. However, this is only a test run that includes a limited number of users and there is no official date for the general rollout of this next-gen feature.

While the global smartphone market is slowing down, the volume of smartphone sales in India continues to grow and it soon might leave the US behind. According to Canalys, Xiaomi shipped 41 million handsets in 2018 — 29.9 percent of the Indian market, up from 25.7 million and 20.6 percent during the previous year.

Codenamed Pulse, Samsung Galaxy Watch Active's successor will hit the market as the Galaxy Watch Active. The upcoming smart wearable allegedly features a 1.1-inch AMOLED display with 360 x 360 pixels and has no bezel ring, so everyone will be forced to use only touch interactions — or move to a device that still has a bezel ring, of course.

A recent commit in the Android Open Source Project Gerrit revealed that Google is working on adding hardware support for multi-SIM capabilities. One of the comments from a Googler suggests that the upcoming Pixel 4 will be packing support for eSIM and a physical SIM with dual standby.

Working with all major internet providers in the country, Russian authorities are planning an interesting - and quite disturbing - experiment that involves disconnecting all local users from the internet. The purpose of this experiment is to get feedback and maybe provide modifications to a law proposed back in December 2018.

Market intelligence analyst Sensor Tower has estimated that Fortnite has amassed over US$500 million in revenue in less than a year on iOS alone. The battle royale smash hit from Epic Games has been making about US$1.53 million a day since it was released on the App Store. Android gamers have contributed another US$100 million on top of that.

The GPU in the Razer laptop has a 22 percent faster base clock rate than the same GPU on the Gigabyte Aero 15 X9. The result? Consistently faster gaming performance on the Razer Blade 15 by 10 to 15 percent.

A listing for an hitherto unknown Intel Core i3-9100F CPU has surfaced on the SiSoftware database. The Core i3-9100F shares similar specs with the Core i3-8100 but does not come with integrated UHD Graphics. While Core i3s are known for lack of Turbo Boost, a Dell listing tells us otherwise.