Android

Oukitel asserts that its new WP30 Pro can charge by up to 50% in just 15 minutes over USB type-C, despite the 11,000mAh capacity of its battery. That is because it is the first of its line to boast flagship-grade 120 watt (W) charging specs. The new rugged device also supports Android 13, 5G and a 120Hz refresh rate for its FHD+ display.

Xiaomi is taking the fight directly to Apple with its next compact flagship. While the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro have thinner display bezels than most smartphones, the Xiaomi 14 will offer a near bezel-less experience when it launches later this week.

Real-world images of the OnePlus 12 have emerged online, highlighting its selfie camera and alert slider. Its 2K screen will have a peak brightness of at least 2,600 nits.

According to a new leak, Redmi is preparing three variants of its upcoming next-gen flagship K70 series as opposed to the two heard of up until now. Two of these Android smartphones might be equipped with Xiaomi's ultra-fasting 120W charging technology; then again, that would be no improvement over their K60 Pro predecessor.

Realme has started to hint at the imminent launch of a new Android flagship, prompting a leading tipster to assert that it will do so as the GT5 Pro. The smartphone is said to launch with a "Miracle Cooling" system of unprecedented specs, backed to push its new Qualcomm chipset to levels of performance beyond that of comparable handsets.

ZTE has released the Nubia Z50S in China for a CNY 2,199 (~US$301) MSRP. The Nubia Z50S combines a 144 Hz AMOLED display with a 5,000 mAh battery and a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset, plus a Sony IMX787 primary camera.

Xiaomi has published initial camera shots taken with the Xiaomi 14, the company's next compact flagship. Not only can the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3-backed smartphone capture plenty of detail in varying lighting conditions, even with its 75 mm telephoto camera.

Xiaomi has now shown off its smaller flagship in several press images. The company has also provided a brief look at the larger Xiaomi 14 Pro, as well as camera hardware for the regular Xiaomi 14.

The Vivo Y200 is a new mid-range smartphone powered by a Snapdragon 4 Gen 1 chipset. Also equipped with a 120 Hz AMOLED display, the Vivo Y200 has other hardware like a 4,800 mAh battery and a 64 MP primary camera.

According to various reports, Samsung is working to make the Galaxy Z Fold6 considerably thinner than its predecessor. With the Huawei Mate X3 and Mate X5 apparent inspirations, a thinner Galaxy Z Fold may retain the same 50 MP camera as the Galaxy Z Fold4 and Galaxy Z Fold5.

Countless Geekbench listings for the Xiaomi 14 Pro have now surfaced online, shortly before Xiaomi's next hardware event. Once again, it seems that Xiaomi is destined to offer two flagships at launch, with a Xiaomi 14 Ultra likely arriving at a later date.

Lenovo has made the Xiaoxin Pad 2024 official as its latest Android tablet. The slate is touted as a thin and light device with a "high-definition eye-protecting" screen, yet is also touted at the budget end of the market with a starting price of US$150 - or even less during its introductory sales event. It has launched alongside other gadgets such as a "stress-relieving" USB stick as part of the latest Xiaoxin series event in China.

Teclat has announced the T60, another budget tablet by the company. The Teclast T60 will be available soon from Amazon for under US$300 with a 12-inch IPS display running at 2,000 x 1,200 pixels, among other features.

In the last few years, Xiaomi has refrained from offering its MIX series devices outside China, MIX Fold 3 included. However, early indications suggest that the Xiaomi MIX Fold 4 could receive global release, as well as a customary Chinese one.

Xiaomi has now confirmed the launch date for the Xiaomi 14 series, which is currently thought to consist of the Xiaomi 14 and Xiaomi 14 Pro for now. The former has already turned up in dozens of Geekbench listings too, in which the performance improvements of the new Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 can be seen.

Both available in 4/64 GB and 8/128 GB configurations, the Galaxy Tab A9 and Galaxy Tab A9+ also feature various attributes that set them apart. The most obvious ones are the processors (Helio G99 vs. Snapdragon 695) and display sizes (8.7 vs. 11 inches). Both can be acquired starting today in most markets.

MediaTek's Dimensity 9300 SoC scores 2,055,084 points in AnTuTu v10, putting it ahead of the Exynos 2400 and Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. Similarly, its Geekbench scores of 2,139 and 7,110 also give it a slight multi-core lead over the competition.

Notebookcheck has received written confirmation from Google that it deliberately blocked the installation of benchmarks on its Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro devices during the review embargo period. It confirms our earlier report on the issue while raising questions about the company’s practices.

The Onyx BOOX Note X3 is one of the company's many new large E-readers that runs Android. Available already in some markets, the Note X3 has a 4,600 mAh battery, among other features.

iQOO's upcoming flagship smartphones are said to be the subject of a new leak that consists of a photo of a heretofore-unseen handset in the wild. Should that be the case, the 12 and 12 Pro have undergone a potentially significant design upgrade over their 11-series predecessors. It involves a camera hump that, while mounted in one corner, is so big it virtually spans the entire rear panel.

Geekbench 6 founder John Poole has responded to the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro benchmarking controversy. In exclusive comments obtained by Notebookcheck, Poole says Primate Labs is unaware of any issues with compatibility that might have otherwise resulted in the app from being made unavailable to reviewers.

OnePlus has now started teasing the release of a new flagship, a day after debuting its first foldable. Described as a 'moment of historical significance for Chinese screens', the OnePlus 12 could make its debut as soon as next week with the world's first 3,000-nit smartphone display.

The Google Pixel 8 Pro may have one of the best camera systems around, but it cannot match the might of some of its competitors. In a reversal of last year, Google's latest flagship falls short of its Apple and Huawei equivalents, with there being a small gap between it and its predecessor this year, too.

Lenovo's next Xiaoxin-series tablet is touted as having an all-metal unibody and a high-refresh-rate screen, yet is pitched at everyday tasks with a new-ish mid-range Qualcomm processor. Nevertheless, it also supports storage expansion via microSD card and an up-to-date version of Android. The Xiaoxin Pad 2024 also boasts quad speakers and a 3.5mm jack.

Popular YouTuber @Mrwhosetheboss has singled out the Google Tensor G3 as a major failing of the Pixel 8 Pro. According to the YouTuber, all of the new generative AI features found on the Pixel 8 Pro cannot be processed onboard the device, but need to be off-loaded to the cloud for processing, despite Google pitching the device as being “AI-first.”

A typically reliable leaker has shared details about Samsung's planned launch colours for the Galaxy S24 series. Due in January 2024, the Galaxy S24, Galaxy S24 and Galaxy S24 Ultra are all rumoured to be available in four identical launch colours with three additional online exclusive colours too.

The Redmi Note 13 series of potentially affordable new Android smartphones seems poised to go global very soon, with two of its members successfully completing FCC testing. They are the top-end Pro Plus (or Pro+) model, accompanied by what is probably the international version of the vanilla 13. Both have exhibited MIUI 14, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth and NFC in their new certifications.

OnePlus claims to have made one of the lightest, yet most durable, foldable smartphones of 2023 in its new Open. It boasts a new kind of hinge made of multiple high-tech materials, titanium alloy, carbon fiber and more exotic compounds included. They are touted to "surpass surgical stainless steel" in conferring an estimated 10 years of resilience on the new device.

Oppo has decided to launch the Find N3 Flip globally, nearly two months after the foldable's debut. The Find N3 Flip shares little to similarities with the Find N3 though, which Oppo also showcased today.

Oppo has finally unveiled the Find N3, shortly before OnePlus presents the OnePlus Open. The Find N3 will be the first member of the Find N series to be available outside China. The Oppo Find N3 is much taller than the Find N2, though.

Google has now released Wear OS 4 for the first Pixel Watch. Not only does the new version of Wear OS finally add a backup and restore feature, but it also should improve battery life and performance through a reworked watch face format. Unfortunately, Google has locked several software features to the Pixel Watch 2, including new watch faces.

The Teclast T45 HD is a new tablet that aims to win over buyers with its low price, offering sufficient features for simple applications. The manufacturer uses Android as the operating system.

Honor has lifted the lid on the X9b, a new large smartphone based around a Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 chipset. Set to be released in Sunrise Orange, Midnight Black and Emerald Green colours, the Honor X9b also has a 120 Hz OLED display backed by a 5,800 mAh battery.

Honor has presented the Play 8T, a mid-range smartphone equipped with a 1080p and 90 Hz display. The Honor Play 8T also has a 6,000 mAh battery, a 50 MP dual camera set-up and 12 GB of RAM, among other features.

Xiaomi is gearing to release HyperOS, its follow-up to MIUI 14. Currently, the company is expected to introduce HyperOS later this month alongside the Xiaomi 14 series. In the meantime, numerous screenshots of HyperOS have leaked online in which visual differences from MIUI can be seen.

With next month's MediaTek Dimensity 7050-powered V30 Pro rugged Android 13 handset, Doogee will push the limits of this niche once again. This time, the brand is raising the bar in the camera and storage categories by offering a 200 MP main camera and no less than 512 GB internal storage space.

Qualcomm and Google has announced that RISC-V-based wearables with all the benefits of Wear OS might be on the cards in the near future. The two OEMs are currently collaborating on such a new platform with the emerging alternative to ARM and software support for the same. This new version of Snapdragon Wear might be just the tip of the iceberg for the wider integration of RISC-V throughout the entirety of Android devices.

Samsung has released Beta 7 for One UI 6 public beta testers. The company has added stable builds for the Galaxy S23 to its test servers though, among other hints that the company is on the brink of delivering its first batch of Android 14 updates.

According to a new report, Samsung will bring LTPO backplanes to all its Galaxy S series flagships next year with the Galaxy S24, Galaxy S24 Plus and Galaxy S24 Ultra. The Galaxy S24 series is said to match its new flagship competitors with significantly high peak brightness values too.

Onyx has released the BOOX Note Air3 C, an E-reader with a 10.3-inch display that runs Android 12. Available to order now in Europe and the US, the E-reader can operate in black and white or colour and has a 3,700 mAh battery, among other features.

Onyx has presented the BOOX Tab 10C Pro, which it will sell as the BOOX Tab Ultra C Pro in the US. The BOOX Tab Ultra C Pro will be available later this month for US$649.99. By contrast, Onyx is already selling the BOOX Tab 10C Pro in China for CNY 4,699 (~US$643).

P-UP World has released a flip phone that returns to the roots of the form factor. Rather than using a foldable OLED display, the Mode 1 Retro II has a pair of small displays and physical controls for equivalent to US$199 in Japan.

Xiaomi appears to be readying itself for the imminent release of the Xiaomi 14 series. Not only has CEO Lei Jun showcased what may well be the front of the smaller Xiaomi 14, but the back of both the Xiaomi 14 and Xiaomi 14 Pro may have also been seen from afar.

In a Reddit AMA, Android’s VP of Engineering has just confirmed that the new Pixel 8 phones will soon support lossless audio output over USB. OS-level support was already added to Android 14, but a future software update will unlock the ability in the latest Pixel phones. In addition, app developers will have to enable the use of the API on their end.

Although it was thought that the barely unveiled HyperOS would replace MIUI in all markets, it looks like the future of Xiaomi's software environment is different. HyperOS will be only present in China, while other markets will still receive MIUI. They will use the same core, but HyperOS users will get some exclusive features.