Touchscreen

Qualcomm looks to be developing a new entry-level SoC for entry-level Android Go smartphones. References to the new QM215 SoC have been spotted in several Qualcomm developer documents and it is expected to be developed independent of the mainstream Snapdragon series. The QM215 should hopefully increase adoption of the Android Go platform in emerging markets.

The S90 is Doogee's first rugged smartphone that comes with a selection of modules similar to Motorola's mods. These include a high quality night vision camera, a 5,000 mAh powerbank, a walkie-talkie and a game controller. Additionally, the casing of the S90 is made of military grade metal and polycarbonate, so it can withstand extreme conditions.

A recent video made by XDA based on a leaked version of Android Q from January 2019 does not have a 'back' option in its UI navigation functions. The user must now swipe to the left using the 'pill' to return to a second-most recent app. This Q build also has smoother animations for app-switching.

The Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus is said to be available in 128 GB, 512 GB, and 1 TB storage variants, and one of the color options for the 1 TB variant is Ceramic Black. Roland Quandt has tweeted that even the S10 Plus 512 GB version will be available in Ceramic Black in the US and elsewhere. We are also getting to know that the price of the Galaxy S10 Plus, though still expensive, will be cheaper than its nearest competitor, the Apple iPhone XS Max.

Sony has released a brief teaser for its upcoming appearance at MWC19. The clip has the caption “embrace a new perspective” that seems to point at the expected 21:9 aspect ratios of the Japanese company’s new smartphones. Apparently, the devices formerly known as the Xperia XA3 and XA3 Plus will be released as the Xperia 10 and 10 Plus, respectively.

A while ago, a series of Tweets from a smartphone case-maker presented the possibility that the Samsung Galaxy S10 and S10+'s fingerprint reader placement would make using screen protectors on these phones much more difficult than normal. Now, a 2nd accessory firm has released a video reiterating this line of speculation.

The Realme 2 Pro is a phone directed at the younger market in a number of countries, including India. Here, the 2 Pro is available at Rs. 1000 (about US$14) less than usual. However, its better-spec'd SKUs are currently out of stock.

Ming-Chi Kuo, one of the most accurate analyst going around when it comes to Apple’s product plans, has spilled the beans on its entire 2019 product pipeline. Kuo’s latest investor note for TF International Securities includes details about the next iPhone, Mac news, iPad news, AirPod news, a 6K 31.5-inch monitor and a ceramic Apple Watch.

Xiaomi is now known as one of the very few Android OEMs who have released the most modern take on the slider phone. However, it also appears as though it wants to get into the pop-up camera game as well. A company executive has hinted that this may be the case should demand for that kind of device remain high.

A fresh patent granted to Apple shows that the Cupertino giant is hard at work on its own foldable smartphone. Interestingly, there are several different types of options that Apple is looking at in terms of the way the screen folds, the number of folding segments, and the types of hinges that it might use.

Motorola has been persisting with its Moto Mods line for a few years now, but one of its most interesting Mods has just passed through the FCC. The new Moto Mod 5G promises to make the Motorola Z3 the first smartphone with 5G capability on the market, although Samsung and LG might have other plans.

Xiaomi UK has revealed the full details of the Mi 9’s rear-facing triple camera setup. There will be a 48 MP main camera, a 12 MP telephoto camera, and a 16 MP wide-angle camera. The OEM tweeted a few photographs that had been taken with the Mi 9 AI triple cameras, and there’s no denying the results do look impressive.

It has been anticipated that the OPPO R17 would be replaced by the R19, a phone that may have a punch-hole selfie camera, in 2019. However, the vice president of the Android OEM, Shen Yiren, has taken to Weibo to disrupt this line of speculation.

Canon has launched a new full-frame mirrorless camera, the EOS RP. Unlike other DSLRs, even those with APS-C, these devices use a sensor equivalent to traditional film (i.e. they measure 36x24mm in total). This confers advantages such as improved depth-of-field and general image quality.

Evan Blass has leaked out the LG V50 ThinQ ahead of MWC19. As expected the device will be the first from LG with support for 5G networks. The model pictured is destined for the Sprint 5G network, which is targeting nine US markets for the initial rollout of the new cellular technology.

Samsung has officially unveiled its latest Galaxy Tab S model ahead of its Mobile World Congress Galaxy Unpacked event. After leaking out earlier in the day, the new Galaxy Tab S5e brings Samsung's vaunted AMOLED display tech to a more affordable price point and launches with Android 9 Pie out of the box to boot.

LG has officially revealed that its next-gen G8 ThinQ will be the first G Series phone to feature an OLED panel. Not only that, but as rumored, the G8 display will also double as a speaker transferring similar technology previously seen in some TVs to the smartphone space.

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.

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).

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 first pictures of the Sony Xperia XA3 have leaked ahead of MWC 2019 via a Chinese website that has managed to grab snippets from a leaked video. The Xperia XA3 will be an upgrade to Sony's mid-range offering and will supposedly be powered by a Snapdragon 660 SoC. The main draw of the phone, however, could be its unusually tall display.

Samsung has caused a bit of a splash in the mid-range smartphone segment with the recent launch of the Galaxy M10 and M20 range of smartphones in India. Set for a wider rollout, the M10 and M20 will also be joined by the Galaxy M30, details of which have just leaked out.

A patent for a Xiaomi smartphone with a full-screen display that extends halfway down the device’s edges has been spotted by LetsGoDigital. The same publication has crafted impressive renders of an elegant-looking smartphone based on the drawings included in the patent. Little additional information is offered in the patent filing.

We knew that Essential is still a thing, but the info on the successor of the PH-1 phone was really limited still. New schematics uncovered by Slash Gear suggest that the upcoming PH-2 will get some innovative tech similar to what Samsung is trying to implement in future devices, including in-display selfie cams with light sensors that make the display translucent and in-display fingerprint sensors.

A new set of images allegedly pertaining to the Asus Zenfone 6 (2019) Pro show a phone with triple rear cameras. However, they fail to confirm the rumored off-centre 'droplet' notch alluded to in other upcoming Zenfone leaks. In fact, with its relatively thick bezels, sensor bar and chin with fingerprint sensor, the front panel shown in this new post looks decidedly out of place in 2019.

Motorola has launched its highly anticipated 2019 G-series line up. Although not a flagship lineup, it is the company’s most popular smartphone series bringing high-end features to the more affordable mid-range smartphone segment.

Samsung has apparently got imaginative with the available color schemes for the upcoming Galaxy S10e variant of the expected flagship smartphone series. We already reported on a Canary Yellow version, and thanks to talented tipster Ishan Agarwal, we can now see what it’s actually going to look like. If you are reading this post on your device with the display at full brightness then you might want to turn it down a few notches first!

Microsoft has announced in a blog post that the Surface Pro 6, Surface Laptop 2, and Surface Studio 2 devices are now launching in 20 more markets worldwide. The tech giant also revealed that its Surface Headphones will be coming to eight new markets starting in March, including Canada, New Zealand, and Germany.

The OPPO K1 is now available on the Indian market. This phone may compete with others such as the Redmi Note 7, as it has many specs in common with this device, but also has an in-display fingerprint reader. The K1 is exclusive to Flipkart, which sells it for about US$237.

The "mini" version has been missing for quite a few years from the Galaxy S roster, but it looks like Samsung is finally bringing it back with the S10 family. The latest leaks depict a slightly smaller 5.8-inch screen with a punch-in selfie cam and thin side notch, plus a fingerprint sensor mounted on the power button. Additionally, the S10e will be the only model to come in Canary Yellow.

Frank Azor, the man in charge of the XPS series at Dell, has confirmed that there will not be a 32 GB variant of the XPS 15 9575 convertible. The executive recently tweeted the news that now seems to be the final nail in the coffin for this once expected device. The Dell XPS 15 9575 has been praised for its impressive build quality, bright display, and powerful performance.

Xiaomi sub-brand Redmi is reconsidering its marketing strategies. Up until now, Redmi has been focusing on premium mid-range phones, but it looks like Xiaomi will allow it to release flagships, as well. The Note 7 Pro is going to be released soon, and afterwards, Redmi intends to launch a value high-end handheld powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 855 SoC.

The Samsung Gear Sport may get a successor soon, which is likely to be called the Galaxy Sport. This smartwatch will be the first product to feature Bixby Reminders. A new leak allegedly associated with this wearable shows that it may ditch the rotating bezel that has become a hallmark of Tizen devices.