Smartphone

The Legion Phone Duel 2. (Source: Lenovo)

Lenovo now offers an extended warranty for its 2021 Legion gaming phone

The Legion Phone Duel 2 (or 2 Pro) launched with one of the most innovative and landscape-oriented designs of any Android device in 2021 thus far. Unfortunately, this also made it one of the most fragile phones this year. The OEM ...

Deirdre O'Donnell, 21 Apr 2021 13:53

The iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Mini are now available in a purple color option. (Image Source: Apple)

Apple iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Mini signal the onset of spring with a new purple color option, pre-orders begin this Friday

Apple has introduced a new purple color variant of the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Mini. The specifications of the devices remain the same as before, but Apple said that it has ensured that the frame and back panel are perfectly color...

Vaidyanathan Subramaniam, 21 Apr 2021 10:53

Apple launches a new Card service. (Source: Apple)

The Apple Card gets new Family services for credit- and payments-sharing

Apple Card Family is the latest form of financial service created by the Cupertino-based OEM. It allows 2 users to share the same credit-card as issued by the company, or for parents to share such a card with children above a cert...

Deirdre O'Donnell, 20 Apr 2021 21:44

Samsung files for Diamond OLED patent in the UK

It is unclear what this new Diamond OLED trademark refers to since there are so many devices mentioned in the patent. The two best guesses would be TV screens for the upcoming QD-OLED models launching in the second half of 2021 or...

Bogdan Solca, 20 Apr 2021 18:46

The 6.1-inch Sony Xperia 5 III has been spotted on Geekbench 5. (Image source: Sony/Geekbench - edited)

Sony Xperia 5 III with Snapdragon 888 produces +11% single-core gains over the Galaxy S21+ on Geekbench and condemns the Xperia 5 II to the also-rans pile

A recent Geekbench 5 record has been dug up for the Sony Xperia 5 III that shows the Snapdragon 888-powered compact-ish smartphone producing very healthy results, especially over its Xperia 5 II predecessor. The Xperia 5 III outgu...

Daniel R Deakin, 20 Apr 2021 18:41

MediaTek will have its 4nm SoC ready before Qualcomm

MediaTek could unveil its first 4nm chipset by Q4 2021: Report

Digital Chat Station and multiple news agencies report that MediaTek could launch its first 4nm chipset by the end of the year or in Q4, 2021. OEMs such as Samsung, Vivo and Xiaomi have already expressed interest in the hardware. ...

Anil Ganti, 20 Apr 2021 16:28

Android 12 may automatically hibernate unused apps, freeing up phone storage. (Image via Android w/ edits)

Android 12 includes auto-hibernate feature for unused apps

XDA Developers discovered a new app auto-hibernate feature that automatically deletes temporary files and cached storage for unused apps. The feature also retains the auto-revoke functions of Android 11, which automatically revoke...

Sam Medley, 20 Apr 2021 16:11

Realme hypes the Q3 ahead of its launch. (Source: Weibo)

The Realme Q3 series is confirmed to launch on April 22, 2021

Realme has announced that the Q3 smartphone (or possibly smartphones) will debut on April 22, 2021. The line has also been confirmed to be the OEM's first to feature the new MediaTek Dimensity 1100 SoC. Their maker has also strong...

Deirdre O'Donnell, 20 Apr 2021 15:56

Sony is highlighting the deep involvement of its Alpha camera engineers on the Xperia 1 III. (Image: Sony)

Sony Alpha camera engineers explain what sets apart the cameras on the Xperia 1 III in new video

Sony’s promotional efforts for the upcoming release of its Xperia 1 III flagship smartphone is now in full swing. The company has published a new video to YouTube depicting its Alpha camera engineers discussing how they developed ...

Sanjiv Sathiah, 20 Apr 2021 13:47

For under 280 Euros (~$336), the Redmi Note 10 Pro offers a 120 Hz OLED panel, stereo speakers, and a 108 MP camera.

Review verdict on the Redmi Note 10 Pro: The smartphone's overall package is hard to beat

With the Redmi Note 10 Pro, Xiaomi has managed to create an all-around successful mid-range phone with a focus on the display. The mid-range competition will have a hard time beating this package of features at an MSRP of less tha...

Marcus Herbrich, 20 Apr 2021 07:35

The new Arctic Camo headset. (Source: Turtle Beach)

Turtle Beach announces a new, Arctic Camo version of its Recon 70 gaming headset

The multi-platform Recon 70 is the best headset option available for around US$40, according to its maker Turtle Beach at least. The company also offers a steadily-growing range of different colors and styles for the 70, the lates...

Deirdre O'Donnell, 19 Apr 2021 22:28

The mysterious Xperia could be a successor to the Sony Xperia L4 (L) or even Xperia XA2 Ultra (R). (Image source: Sony/FacultyFocus - edited)

A new budget Sony Xperia smartphone or a return for Ultra handsets could be on the cards

Another Sony Xperia smartphone could be in the pipeline for a 2021 release, with a noted leaker hinting at a further device launch for later in the year. A single letter mentioned by the tipster has created speculation that either...

Daniel R Deakin, 19 Apr 2021 18:45

Rumour has it that the Galaxy S22 series could include some extraordinary camera hardware. (Image source: LetsGoDigital)

Samsung tipped to avoid 3D ToF sensors for the Galaxy S22 series

Augmented reality applications may have been boosted Apple's adoption of LiDAR sensors in iPads and iPhones. However, rumour has it that Samsung will not include 3D ToF cameras in the Galaxy S22 series. Samsung started equipping D...

Alex Alderson, 19 Apr 2021 18:22

Apparently, Xiaomi is testing MIUI 12.5 on over forty devices. (Image source: Xiaomi)

Xiaomi reported to be testing MIUI 12.5 on over 40 devices

Xiaomi's official MIUI 12.5 device list is rather lacklustre; only eighteen devices are confirmed to receive the OS update so far. Reportedly, Xiaomi is testing MIUI 12.5 on over three dozen handsets, including the Mi 8 and Redmi ...

Alex Alderson, 19 Apr 2021 18:05

Samsung applies for a new trademark. (Source: EUIPO)

A new Samsung trademark hints at improved durability in its next-gen smartphones

Samsung has reportedly applied to trademark the phrase "Armor Frame" in the EU, US and South Korea. Its new American IP application specifically indicates that it applies to smartphones, inviting speculation that it refers to a ne...

Deirdre O'Donnell, 19 Apr 2021 17:14

This app is no longer found on the Play Store. (Source: Swipe)

Facebook forces third-party versions of its Android app off the Play Store

Many Android phone owners use apps that mirror or "wrap" the mobile Facebook interface rather than use this company's app. However, the social media giant has started to deprive them of this option. It has already had the apps Sim...

Deirdre O'Donnell, 19 Apr 2021 16:37

The Mi A3's latest update should address a few of its long-standing issues. (Image source: Xiaomi)

The Xiaomi Mi A3 receives DPI and charging status indicator fixes with its latest update

Xiaomi has updated the Mi A3 to the April 2021 security patch, a patch that addresses 18 critical or high CVEs for the Android One handset. However, V12.0.8.0.RFQMIXM also reportedly fixes a few bugs on the Mi A3, including DPI an...

Alex Alderson, 19 Apr 2021 14:20

The latest under-display camera (UDC) tech is should arrive in the second half of 2021. (Image: Xiaomi)

Leaker tips under-display smartphone cameras will make a breakthrough in second half of the year

Tipster Ice Universe has targeted the second half of 2021 for a breakthrough of smartphones with under-display cameras (UDCs). Devices expected to feature the technology include the forthcoming Samsung Galaxy Z Fold range, Xiaomi ...

Sanjiv Sathiah, 19 Apr 2021 12:43

Samsung teases the Galaxy M42 5G. (Source: Amazon)

Samsung announces an Indian launch for the Galaxy M42 through Amazon

Samsung will release the Galaxy M42 soon exclusively through Amazon India. This device is most likely the Indian-market rebrand of the pre-existing A42. The OEM has confirmed that this version still runs on the Snapdragon 750G pro...

Deirdre O'Donnell, 18 Apr 2021 22:11

A possible new Android 12 feature leaks out. (Source: Google)

Android 12 might be able to auto-translate a user's apps to their chosen language

The Android OS should upgrade to its latest 12 version in just a few months. There are some preview builds around, the latest of which is now reported to have a new and powerful feature. It is a service that translates app content...

Deirdre O'Donnell, 18 Apr 2021 21:30

Poco X3 explodes while charging and Poco lays blame firmly on the customer

Yet another device has gone up in flames. Again, it's a Xiaomi phone, this time the Poco X3. Supposedly, the device spontaneously combusted while charging, but Poco has claimed it was down to the customer puncturing the battery be...

Ricci Rox, 18 Apr 2021 17:11

The iQOO 7 is coming to India. (Source: Twitter)

iQOO confirms that its newly expanded 7 flagship series will get an Indian launch

The iQOO 7 was the cheapest phone to launch with the top-end Snapdragon 888 SoC on its Chinese-market launch. Now, the OEM has announced that it will venture into its first international market soon. It will be joined by a "new" v...

Deirdre O'Donnell, 18 Apr 2021 16:23

An early look at the LG Rollable. (Source: YouTube)

The LG Rollable is coming and it has NFC, according to a new leak

LG has announced that it is out of the Android smartphone game; on the other hand, the cutting-edge Rollable mobile device is apparently being readied for launch. The latest step in this process is having it certified to use NFC, ...

Deirdre O'Donnell, 17 Apr 2021 22:07

The Oppo Find X2 Pro and Reno4 Pro 5G utilize the company's ColorOS Android overlay. (Image source: Oppo - edited)

Master Lu banishes Xiaomi's MIUI from its mobile UI ranking list as Oppo's ColorOS and Realme UI are chosen as the best of the first quarter

The noted Chinese benchmark Master Lu has published a chart of what it considers to be the best mobile phone user interfaces for the first quarter of 2021. ColorOS from Oppo heads the table followed by Realme UI and Huawei’s EMUI....

Daniel R Deakin, 17 Apr 2021 15:53

Voice NFTs are coming soon. (Source: Voice)

Voice aims to "upgrade" to an NFT platform from the summer of 2021

Voice is an 'alternative' social media platform that claims to be about "real" users, their communities and their content. It has announced that it will "upgrade" itself with a new feature: the ability to issue NFTs for the digita...

Deirdre O'Donnell, 17 Apr 2021 14:54

ROG Phone 5: Asus is only partially able to tame the Snapdragon 888

Not only does Qualcomm's Snapdragon 888 have a reputation for being extremely fast, but also for being very hot. Asus has already demonstrated that it can cool its smartphones excellently in the past, but the new chip poses a chal...

Daniel Schmidt, 17 Apr 2021 07:00

The Mi 11 is a good smartphone, but the Mi 10 Pro may be the better option for cameras. (Image source: NotebookCheck)

Do not buy the Xiaomi Mi 11 expecting a flagship-level camera experience

The Xiaomi Mi 11 may be a great smartphone, but it is not up there with the camera performance of other flagship smartphones released this year, Mi 11 Ultra included. Unfortunately, the Mi 11 cannot meet Xiaomi's marketing, even w...

Alex Alderson, 17 Apr 2021 02:27

Will the Q3 really look like this? (Source: Weibo)

The Realme Q3 is hyped as a super-affordable smartphone with a glow-in-the-dark finish

The Realme executive Chase Yu has strongly hinted at a brand-new style for the OEM's upcoming Q3, a phone that might start as low as ~US$153 (or 1000 yuan). That would be an impressive feat, as the device is also rumored to run on...

Deirdre O'Donnell, 16 Apr 2021 21:24

An example of a multi-folding tablet. (Source: YouTube)

Rumor | Samsung will launch its first-gen tri-folding tablet in 2022

Samsung is slated to launch the next generations of the Z Fold and Z Flip flagship lines in the second half of 2021. However, the OEM is now said to have an even more interesting foldable in the works for the next year after that....

Deirdre O'Donnell, 16 Apr 2021 17:43

The comparison makes sure: The notch is supposed to shrink in 2021, not only on the iPhone 13 but also on the iPhone 13 Pro (Image source: 91Mobiles)

Apple iPhone 13 Pro CAD renders reveal many similarities with the current iPhone 12 Pro

91Mobiles has published iPhone 13 Pro CAD renders, and the design of Apple's next flagship smartphone looks an awful lot like the iPhone 12 Pro. The iPhone 13 Pro has a smaller notch, albeit a large one by Android standards, and a...

Alex Alderson, 16 Apr 2021 15:53

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 is slated to ship with some shiny new silicon

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 to use a 'Top Secret' chipset: Ice Universe

Weibo and Twitter stalwart Ice Universe has heard from multiple sources that the upcoming Galaxy Z Fold 3 will use an unannounced chipset from Samsung. It could likely be the Exynos 2100 successor, tentatively called the Exynos 22...

Anil Ganti, 16 Apr 2021 14:46

Redmi teases its inaugural gaming device again. (Source: Weibo)

Redmi's gaming phone may have passed 3C testing with Mi 11-grade 67W fast charging

Redmi has affirmed that it will launch its first "gaming phone" in 2021 - perhaps even this month, should the latest rumors prove true. As if to give this idea more weight, a device with its alleged model number is now approved fo...

Deirdre O'Donnell, 16 Apr 2021 14:21

Schematic and CAD leaks point to a notably larger rear camera array on the forthcoming iPhone 13 models from Apple. (Image: EverythingApplePro/Macrumors)

Purported iPhone 13 schematic and CAD leaks point to larger rear camera array on all models

Leaked schematics and CADs of the forthcoming iPhone 13 have revealed a larger rear camera array. This contradicts at least one recent report, but would align the expected camera improvements expected come with Apple’s next-gener...

Sanjiv Sathiah, 16 Apr 2021 13:57

A Moto G60 render. (Source: TechnikNews)

Update | The Motorola Moto G60's latest leak may confirm the phone's RAM and SoC specs ahead of its launch

Motorola will launch the Moto G60 soon. This phone is the OEM's 108MP mid-ranger for 2021 that will come with the Snapdragon 732G processor and a 120Hz screen. According to its latest tip, these specs will be joined by 6GB of RAM ...

Deirdre O'Donnell, 16 Apr 2021 13:47

The ASUS ZenFone 8 Mini has made an appearance on Geekbench

ASUS ZenFone 8 Mini Geekbench listing confirms that it will run a Snapdragon 888 SoC

Multiple ASUS ZenFone 8 Mini variants just showed up on Geekbench running a Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 chipset. The top-of-the-line model has 16GB of RAM, while the scaled-down versions make do with 12GB and 8GB.

Anil Ganti, 16 Apr 2021 06:09

The ZTE Axon 30 Ultra launches with triple 64MP rear cameras and promises of international availability

ZTE has debuted its 2021 flagship smartphone series with a launch for the Axon 30 Pro and 30 Ultra in China. The latter is the one with the OEM's intensely-hyped "Trinity" rear camera system. It also has a 6.67-inch AMOLED display...

Deirdre O'Donnell, 15 Apr 2021 21:38

The new TCL Fold 'n Roll concept. (Source: TCL)

TCL introduces its 3-in-1 concept device as the Fold 'n Roll

TCL has unveiled its latest flexible-display concept at its 2021 Display Your Greatness global product launch event. It combines folding and sliding technology into one chassis, meaning, as the OEM asserts, that it can be a smartp...

Deirdre O'Donnell, 15 Apr 2021 20:44

TCL's 20 L series: the world's first smartphones with Circular Polarization Display technology

TCL has launched new smartphones at its latest press conference. They include the 20 Pro 5G, which offers this brand's NXTVISION 2.0 screen optimizations and the Snapdragon 750G processor. However, the 20 L and 20 L+ also have an ...

Deirdre O'Donnell, 15 Apr 2021 20:11

The Sony Xperia 1 III and Xperia 5 III are being offered for pre-order with earbuds as gifts. (Image source: Sony/MoscowTimes - edited)

Official prices for the Xperia 1 III and Xperia 5 III turn up on Sony's Russia site: Expensive but with cool pre-order gifts

Pre-order prices for both the Sony Xperia 1 III and Xperia 5 III have been published on the company’s country-specific site for Russia. While the prices for the new phones are expectedly high, it seems there is a decent headphones...

Daniel R Deakin, 15 Apr 2021 12:14

The Sony Xperia 1 III has been launched in frosted black and frosted purple colors. (Image source: Sony/Geekbench/Reddit - edited)

Sony Xperia 1 III outpaces Samsung Galaxy S21 phones and posts impressive gains over the Xperia 1 II in alleged Geekbench test results

An alleged Geekbench record for the just-launched Sony Xperia 1 III has been shared on Reddit, showing the flagship smartphone surpassing the Samsung Galaxy S21 devices in both single-core and multi-core disciplines. The Xperia 1 ...

Daniel R Deakin, 15 Apr 2021 09:21

The Redmi 9AT is a very affordable smartphone for budget-conscious users.

Is the Xiaomi Redmi 9AT smartphone a sham?

At a current price of about 89 Euros (~$106), it's almost impossible to find anything cheaper than the Redmi 9AT. However, Xiaomi cuts some corners in its entry-level phone in order to push the price below 100 Euros (~$119). Our r...

Marcus Herbrich, 15 Apr 2021 01:17

The Xiaomi Mi 11 is said to crash less often once updated to MIUI 12.5. (Image source: Xiaomi)

The Xiaomi Mi 11 receives MIUI 12.5 with new features and improved performance

Xiaomi has started rolling out MIUI 12.5 to the Mi 11, one of its latest flagship smartphones. The update includes not only bug fixes from MIUI 12, but also new features and noticeable performance improvements. MIUI 12.5 should re...

Alex Alderson, 14 Apr 2021 23:16

Could the "Key3" look like this? (Source: LetsGoDigital)

Keyed up: the upcoming first-gen 5G BlackBerry's looks are predicted in new renders

BlackBerry's latest owner, OnwardMobility, has committed to bringing the brand's signature physical keyboard back in a 5G phone soon. A tech blog has published work that imagines how such a phone might be designed in 2021. It comb...

Deirdre O'Donnell, 14 Apr 2021 18:44

The Redmi Note 10 5G may be coming to the US and India as a POCO re-brand

The Redmi Note 10 series is now available in India - on the other hand, it is missing its vanilla 5G variant. Now, there are signs that this Dimensity 700-powered phone is coming to the market after all, albeit under a different n...

Deirdre O'Donnell, 14 Apr 2021 17:58

The iPhone could be getting a major camera spec bump in two years' time. (Image: own)

Kuo: 48-megapixel sensors coming to iPhone in 2022, Mini model to be cut

According to famed Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the 2022 iPhone line will include massive 48-megapixel sensors and will be able to record 8K video. Kuo also claims that Apple will kill off the Mini model that has so far struggled t...

Sam Medley, 14 Apr 2021 16:12