Phablet

Vivo is currently said to have an "X Fold S", or a mid-year refresh of its existing 2022 foldable flagship smartphone, in the works. Now, a famous leaker asserts that this variant is indeed on the way, and with an increased battery size compared to its immediate predecessor. It may also rock a color option not seen in the original LTPO OLED device.

According to POCO's latest teaser, its next upcoming Android device might by powered by a new MediaTek Helio-series processor. Despite the affordable nature of the silicon, the brand also hints strongly at a finish often reserved for higher-end handsets. The resulting product might launch in India soon.

The Huawei Mate 50 series might be severely delayed at this stage; however, a new leak asserts that they will be novel and interesting enough to be worth the wait. It consists of a spec dump pointing to FHD+ AMOLED displays for each variant, even the probably more budget E variant. The new tip also purports to reveal exactly what makes their rear cameras XMAGE for the first time.

Huawei's Mate 50 series persists in being the stuff of speculation rather than launching as real-life belated flagship-grade phablets. Most recently, a famous leaker insists that the line will include a successor for the Mate 40 RS. An image of some cases purports to corroborate that allegation, although it may prove less than genuine.

OmniVision claims to have built on its initial 200MP image sensor breakthrough with a new product of the same class-leading resolution, yet potentially improved auto-focus and low-light performance. The new OVB0A also features pixels that the OEM touts as the world's smallest, so as to maximise light absorption in the new ultra-high-res CMOS.

The Huawei Mate 50 series is currently believed to launch (however belatedly) with quad rear cameras in an up-to-date hump and HarmonyOS 3.0 out of the box. Now, a new leak purports to build on these leaks with more details, involving a more specific canera layout and assertions that the updated software will confer an "emergency" feature that works even when the device has no power.

It might have come as a surprise to some when Huawei introduced the Mate Xs 2 in place of the Mate X3, a device thought to have a design much more like that of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4, in 2022. However, according to the latest tip, the latter is on the way after all, as a more durable and affordable foldable phablet than ever before. It might launch alongside inaugural variants and new TWS earbuds during a very late-year event.

The Honor Magic V is an early-2022 Android flagship phablet that launched with a battery capacity greater even than that of the new Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4. However, its successor is now rumored to debut with an upgraded power-pack that could add up to what the Chinese OEM could market as a world-beating spec among foldables.

Xiaomi has made the Mix Fold 2 official today (August 11, 2022), albeit for the Chinese market only. Nevertheless, the premium device has the potential to become a vast improvement over its predecessor, with form-factor tweaks that might also help it take on the likes of the equally new Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4. It has also landed as the world's latest Leica-branded flexible-display device.

EXCITRUS' latest deals include one for its NitroCharge 120 Pro, a power bank rated for up to 120W of power output thanks to its support for USB-PD at up to 100W and MagSafe wireless charging. Therefore, the OEM claims the gadget can charge a MacBook Pro to 50% in 1 hour, and can also power an 12- or 13-series iPhone on its lid.

Xiaomi is projected to launch a second-gen foldable flagship smartphone before the end of 2022. Now, according to the latest alleged "Mix Fold 2" renders, it will not look that much different when compared to its markedly skinny predecessor. The leaker responsible for this new image also now advises its potential fans not to underestimate its starting price nonetheless.

Vivo launched its first ever foldable smartphone, the X Fold, in 2022. Now, the Galaxy Fold-style contender is said to get a mid-year refresh that, like many brand-new flagships, will run on the Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 platform. However, these updated SKUs are still slated to have the X Fold's class-leading main display.

Samsung is currently at the Flash Memory Summit 2022 event to show its latest developments in memory and storage solutions off. One of these is the announcement that it has started producing flash modules based on the latest UFS 4.0 standard. Therefore, they may be available to start one-upping the UFS 3.1 internal storage chips still found in the highest-end smartphones of today.

Realme has indicated that it is working on a major software upgrade for its newest flagship mobile devices with the launch of an "Early Access" program for owners of the GT 2 Pro. Those who enter it will be able to test the latest version of Realme UI ahead of its official launch and issue feedback that might inform the final version of the software.

According to recent leaks, the Mate 50 series of premium-tier phablets from Huawei is definitely on the way, despite the ever-increasing slack in the time-line relative to their predecessors. On that note, a knowledgeable Weibo tipster once again asserts that they will launch, albeit even later than earlier thought. Meanwhile, screen protectors allegedly made for the upcoming 50 and 50 Pro might corroborate earlier reports of potentially odd display-tech decisions on the part of their OEM.

The 12S Ultra is one of Xiaomi's most distinctive Android flagships to date, not the least because of its new 1-inch main camera sensor. Now, JerryRigEverything host Zach Nelson has put the extra-premium device through the classic battery of YouTube durability tests. Could the new Ultra's design make it more likely to snap in half?

Samsung has shot to the top of the market for foldable mobile devices since its initial Galaxy Fold launch in 2019. Now, its president Dr. TM Roh has announced that shipments in this space have grown at least 3x in 2021 compared to 2020. The executive may have also alluded to plans for a slight foldable rebrand to be formally unveiled during the imminent Unpacked 2022 showcase.

Smartphone OEMs are currently embroiled in a battle to release the biggest and best vapor chamber (VC) on the market as an important component of thermal management for their latest devices. Now, Infinix has allegedly gone further in this vein by making its latest VC three-dimensional, which might deliver even more surface-area and heat-dissipation compared to its predecessors.

The notorious leaker Evan Blass has posted an image that may or may not confirm the date on which Samsung will hold its next Unpacked 2022 event. The launch is thought to headline the OEM's latest premium foldable Galaxy Z Fold- and Flip-series Android devices. That has yet to be confirmed outright; however, Samsung has now set the date in question with some new and cryptic official teasers.

The 12S Ultra can be described as Xiaomi's new camera behemoth in more ways than one. The OEM has also sourced the highest-end display for its latest flagship, driven by the fastest processor Qualcomm can provide. Now, the cost of packing all of this and more into the same device at the factory has been revealed.

Smartphone fast charging technology that breaks the current 150 watt (W) limit is projected to hit the market by the end of 2022. However, OPPO reportedly aims to go even further with a new 240W standard. It is apparently in testing right now at the OEM's factories, although it may still have some critical issues compared to existing or potentially emerging solutions.

While waiting for the MIUI 13.5 update, Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro (and non-Pro, as usual) users receive a new software update. With a size of about 265 MB, the MIUI 13.0.8 Global Stable update comes with the latest security patches and nothing else, although there might also be some minor tweaks and fixes included.

A well-known Weibo leaker claims to have learned the approximate date on which Huawei will launch its new Mate 50 series of top-end phablets. They are tipped to become the world's first devices with additional XMAGE branding during this event, as part of a new initiative to set them apart in terms of camera prowess. The 50 and 50 Pro are also now said to be "stronger" than their P50 counterparts.

Vivo's division and subsidiaries in India have been subject to raids by the country's financial Enforcement Directorate. The governmental body has confiscated balances - some gold bars included - totalling about US$59 million from a vast array of accounts held by the company. The move is reportedly linked to alleged tax evasion related to all Vivo sales made in India thus far.

The revenues emanating from the market for smartphone chipsets (including mobile basebands as well as APs and SoCs) grew by 23% year-on-year (YoY) in the first quarter of 2022 (1Q2022). TSMC was found to be responsible for producing nearly exactly 70% of this silicon, with Samsung coming in second with the remaining ~30%. Then again, the latter grabbed the greater share in terms of newer, more cutting-edge, chipsets, such as those of the 4 nanometer (nm) variety.

The demand for refurbished smartphones, defined here as those repaired and then re-sold by the OEM in question, is now projected to rise by an extent that brings multi-billions in US dollars to their market over the next 4 years. It may be driven by business in the APAC region, which might contribute nearly 50% of its sales until 2026.

Realme has set out on a path to a new launch event by releasing its first official teaser for the GT2 Master Explorer Edition. This smartphone, thought to be the OEM's Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1-powered flagship, has now been shown off in full with a second-gen travel-themed finish and triple rear cameras.

Xiaomi has now officially beaten its Android OEM rivals to the launch of the world's first Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1-powered flagship smartphone. Motorola has hit back with a teaser asserting that its upcoming counterpart, the X30 Pro, will launch with a main camera sensor that will outdo that of the new 12S Pro in terms of both size and resolution.

Leica has officially jumped ship to Xiaomi today (July 4, 2022) in terms of premium camera smartphone collaborations. Its former partner, Huawei, has responded by instituting something new called XMAGE, a spin-off of sorts from the OEM's Mobile Imaging division touted to keep its reputation for photography prowess going in the future.

RedMagic has confirmed an upcoming launch for its latest premium mobile gaming-focused smartphones. They are likely to consist of the 7S and 7S Pro, the latter of which is now being teased on the brand's Weibo account. They confirm that the second-gen UDC flagship will come with a refined form of RedMagic's "hard-core" 2022 design.

It seems to have been one thing after another for the smartphone market over the last 2 years. Now, Counterpoint Research has observed that it has dipped below the 100-million mark in terms of global sell-through for the second time since 2020. By contrast, the same figure had not been so low for nearly eight years prior to that.

Motorola has released a teaser for its upcoming Moto X30 Pro, a smartphone thought to launch with a world-first 200MP camera, the new Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 SoC or both. The company has also just revealed further interesting specs for its triple rear shooters, including something only available to 1 other flagship phone OEM to date. The new details may offer insights as to what each one does.

Estimated sales figures for the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra seem to have justified the company’s controversial decision to axe the beloved Galaxy Note line. Fans were shocked to learn that the Galaxy Note 20 was the final hurrah for the series as Samsung integrated Note features like the S Pen into its Galaxy S line.

Huawei is still tipped to produce successors for the Mate 40 premium phablet series before the end of 2022. A well-known tipster claims to have come across evidence that shows the OEM will be sticking with one of the line's most signature features, a circular rear camera hump, in this generation. However, several changes have allegedly been made in order to bring the 50 Pro into 2022.

Tecno has finally released the Pova 3 via its store on Amazon.in. The new Android smartphone features the promised FHD+ 90Hz display, powered by an extra-large battery that benefits from a power brick for its top charging speed that comes in the box. It starts at just under US$185 in its new market, although it also comes with discounts of up to 23% right now.

Apple enjoyed the biggest share of the premium smartphone market worldwide in the first quarter of 2021 (1Q2021), and was not even slightly shaken from this lead in 1Q2022, with even more of a share at 62%. It was a surprisingly good quarter for the sector overall, with major wins such as the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra, even though it shrank by 8% year-on-year (YoY).

Samsung has added a new 200MP mobile image sensor to its arsenal. Not only does the ISOCELL HP3 have the world's highest resolution available to smartphone cameras, it also has the world's smallest pixels, as well as new tech including Super QPD and Smart-ISO Pro. The OEM thus rates the HP3 for improved (14-bit, even) colors and quality in photos and when recording at up to 8K.

Xiaomi has reportedly registered a new smartphone and a new tablet with the Chinese Ministry for Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), almost instantly sparking speculation that these new tips pertain to Redmi's highest-end phone of the year thus far and the Pad 5's successor respectively. They are also both now backed to launch in the second half of 2022.

ZTE has already released its Axon 40 Ultra flagship Android smartphone - one of very few to have an under-display selfie camera (UDC) instead of a notch or a punch-hole in 2022 - in Europe. Now, the premium full-screen device is available in other regions such as North America. The OEM has announced that it is marking this event with a free gift per purchase for a limited time.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 and Galaxy Z Flip3 have become eSIM-capable devices in the US for the first time, thanks to their new build of One UI 4.1. The new update, available for either unlocked or T-Mobile units of the 2 foldables, also confers a new security patch level and S22-series camera features.

The latest version of Huawei's in-house operating system, HarmonyOS 3.0, has emerged in the form of its first-ever Developer Preview. The new beta is already compatible with smartphones, phablets, tablets and foldables. However, the list of devices capable of downloading and using it is not long, being confined to some of the OEM's latest high-end devices at present.

Samsung has announced that its new Wallet app has been set up to replace and subsume its existing Pass and Pay apps. The merge should offer a user a kind of one-stop-shop for their travel cards, some IDs and records as well as their payment methods and cryptos. Its roll-out has started in South Korea, although it is also expected to hit markets such as the US and Germany soon thereafter.

Vivo has already launched vanilla and Pro variants of the X80 series in 2022. Now, the latest leaks suggest the brand has been keeping its best specs in reserve for an impending Pro Plus SKU. They include more high-res cameras - including a possibly brand-new one from Samsung - and the new top-end Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 processor.

As Xiaomi is gearing up to deliver MIUI 13.5 to a very long list of devices, including the Mi 10T Pro and non-Pro, these two handsets receive an unexpected software update that includes this month's security patch and has over 800 MB in size. Unsurprisingly, there are no new features to talk about.

Honor has already launched premium mobile devices in 2022; nevertheless, it is slated to supplant them with a new device with the refreshed top-end Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 processor instead. According to a Weibo leaker, it is tipped to be a real everything-burger of an Android smartphone.

Xiaomi has reportedly registered a new device with the top-end 120 watt (W) charging from its current 12-series Android flagship - however, it is thought to be something other than the upcoming 12 Ultra. Meanwhile, the latest images purporting to spill that phone's looks ahead of its launch allegedly come from an official source this time.

The latest Huawei Mate 50-series leak might cast aspersions on the possibility of an upgrade to the latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 Plus platform for these premium-tier phablets. In fact, the OEM is now tipped to try and detract from that contingency with an emphasis on cutting-edge software and computational photography during its next flagship launch event instead.

Xiaomi is currently slated to launch successors to the current 12 series of flagship Android smartphones as soon as humanly possible. Now, this 13 line's Pro variant is linked to a choice of rear panel that might also appear in the upcoming super-premium 12 Ultra. However, its version might be the better and higher-end of the two.

Although it is already June and the May security patch has been around for a while, the MIUI 13.0.6 Global Stable software update for the Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro only includes the April security patch. As its description shows, this 262 MB software package does not bring any other noticeable changes.

AnTuTu has released its Android smartphone performance rankings for May 2022 by market tier. Of these, the sub-flagship segment has seen a lot of new releases in the same month. A selection of them now occupy the entire top 5 for their category, all of which have the same new SoC.