Android

Rumors of a direct Samsung Galaxy A04 successor may have just been augmented by a new addition to the Geekbench 6 database. The alleged 4G/LTE-only handset may be destined for next year's Android smartphone market, yet still has specs one might barely expect to persist in a 2024 mobile device, regardless of how cheap.

OPPO is suspected of having a Find N3 Flip that can challenge the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5 for the 2023 Android clamshell-style foldable smartphone crown in the works. Now, this potentially compact device has allegedly turned up on an official Chinese database with even faster charging than its Find N2-series predecessor.

The Magic V2 is now set to take a starring role during Honor's IFA 2023 keynote address. The presentation will thus pit the device against other leading 2023 foldable Android flagship smartphones such as the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold5 and, perhaps, the OnePlus Open on the international stage. Honor backs it to beat them with class-leading battery capacity in a markedly slim build.

OnePlus has outlined a release date for the Ace 2 Pro, its next Snapdragon 8 Gen 2-based smartphone. Likely launching as the OnePlus 12R outside China, the Ace 2 Pro will build on the Ace 2 with a newer Qualcomm chipset, more RAM and faster charging.

It seems that Samsung is preparing to open public testing for One UI 6, its Android 14-based update. While Samsung Germany has since deleted its press release, it confirmed that One UI 6 Beta 1 will be available soon across multiple markets, starting with the Galaxy S23 series.

Samsung has augmented the Galaxy F series of Android smartphones with a new, 120Hz sAMOLED display model. The F34 is backed to keep that screen on for an estimated 2 days straight thanks to a large 6,000mAh battery. With its up-to-24GHz SoC, these specs may already be getting increasingly familiar to its Indian audience - then again, its color options and pre-order deals are not.

The Google Pixel 8 series will launch in October or thereabouts. Details and renders of the phones have leaked in the past, and the latest report brings information on the lineup's storage configurations, as well as its colorways.

The MIX Fold 3 remains without a release date, despite Xiaomi's confirmation that the device will launch later this month. In the meantime, a hands-on photo of Xiaomi's next foldable smartphone has emerged, offering a look at its design and quad Leica cameras.

Kamila Wojciechowska has revealed new details about the Pixel Watch 2, Google's next and second-generation smartwatch. Expected to launch this autumn with the Pixel 8 series, the Pixel Watch 2 address many of its predecessor's limitations, including battery life and performance.

Qualcomm might not launch a new Snapdragon 8+ Gen 2 SoC this year. This becomes evident from the fact that the RedMagic 8S Pro's SoC is the same overclocked variant as the 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy that Qualcomm offers for Samsung's 2023 flagship and foldable lineup. While this makes business sense for Qualcomm, customers will be required to do their due diligence.

POCO has jumped onto the affordable 5G bandwagon in 2023 with the new M6 Pro. The smartphone also has a markedly large display for the Xiaomi subsidiary, stretching an FHD+ resolution across 6.79 inches of 90Hz LCD. Its specs might have also recently become a thing for a new Redmi rival - however, the POCO version offers its best features with a very different paint job.

The Nothing Phone (2) has been issued with a software upgrade that might fix some bugs users may have noticed while using their new flagship Android smartphone up until now. Nothing OS 2.0.2 is also rated to streamline or improve some functions of both front and rear cameras on compatible devices. It might also boost signal strength for users on certain carriers worldwide.

The latest smartphone market research indicates that OPPO is now the top brand in the Chinese market, and is in the top five worldwide, as of the first half of 2023 (1H2023). Its overall share of the global market went up to 10% for that time period. The OEM's success was attributed to the release and adoption rates of cutting-edge foldable devices such as the Find N2 Flip, as well as its current conventional Find X6 flagships.

Honor is now selling the X6a, starting in the UK. Available for £129.99, the device should eventually reach other markets with its 90 Hz display, 5,200 mAh battery and MediaTek Helio G36 chipset. Honor also installs a 50 MP primary camera and up to 6 GB of RAM, among other features.

The ultra-cheap Lenovo Tab M8 comes with low-end specs such as a MediaTek Helio A22 processor with 2GB of RAM and an 8-inch IPS display, but thanks to its LTE connectivity, the affordable Android tablet can be a practical device for certain use cases.

OnePlus claims to bring liquid cooling to mobile gaming with its latest product announcement. Not only that, the new Radiator is also rated to reduce a magnetically connected device's temperature by up to 34 degrees Celsius and support wireless charging at the same time - which, as OnePlus' latest flagship smartphone does not have that feature, is ironic.

TheTechOutlook has provided early information about the Moto G54, one of Motorola's mid-range smartphones for 2023. The Moto G54 will receive several upgrades from the Moto G53, although styling is not one of them.

Carl Pei has launched a new Nothing sub-brand that he is calling CMF by Nothing. The letters stand for "Color, Material, and Finish" with the first products set to launch later this year.

Update: Roland Quandt shares Indian pricing for 6 GB of RAM, 128 GB of storage and Wi-Fi only variant.
Samsung is preparing to bolster the Galaxy Tab S9 series, having already released three flagship models. While the company has not commented further yet, the Galaxy Tab S9 FE has stopped by the FCC in the US, a crucial step towards its release later this year. Samsung appears to have confirmed the existence of both Tab S9 FE models now too.

OnePlus' design for its next premium Android smartphone, the Ace 2 Pro, has been a closely-guarded secret up until now - but not any more, according to famous leaker Digital Chat Station. The tipster hints at close similarities between the upcoming Pro model and its vanilla counterpart - not to mention the current flagship 11 - with some cosmetic differences.

According to a new report, Samsung has turned to recent Galaxy S flagships for the camera hardware in the Galaxy S23 FE. While the new Fan Edition model should feature the same 50 MP primary camera as the Galaxy S23, it may still be lumbered with its predecessor's 8 MP telephoto camera.

Xiaomi's future Galaxy Z Fold5 competitor is almost here. Billed as offering better camera hardware than its peers, the MIX Fold 3 has now been pictured ahead of its launch, as has its retail packaging.

Xiaomi has confirmed that it will launch the Redmi K60 Ultra later this month, but only in its home market. Also known as the Redmi K60 Extreme Edition, the device will launch on September 1 globally as the Xiaomi 13T Pro with a MediaTek Dimensity 9200 Plus chipset.

The OPPO Find N3 - also known as the Chinese version of the upcoming OnePlus Open foldable smartphone, according to the latest leaks - is now slated to improve on its series' reputation for fast SuperVOOC charging that could leave the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold5 in the dust by comparison. It might also have the larger battery of the two, and may even come with a new, full-speed accessory with more than the usual single USB type-C port to offer.

The first sightings of what was previously thought of as the Redmi Pad 2 have appeared online. Actually launching as the Redmi Pad SE, the tablet will combine an 11-inch display with a Snapdragon 680 chipset and up to 6 GB of RAM.

Xiaomi will soon introduce the POCO M6 Pro 5G, its next POCO-branded mid-range smartphone. To be offered with the Snapdragon 4 Gen 2 chipset and a 90 Hz display, the POCO M6 Pro 5G also has a 5,000 mAh battery and a familiar design, as leaked high-resolution renders have revealed.

The Redmi K60 Ultra is around the corner, with Xiaomi expected to launch the high-end smartphone later this month in its home market. In the meantime, the handset has surfaced on Geekbench, confirming its reliance on the MediaTek Dimensity 9200 Plus chipset and 16 GB of RAM.

Not only is the new Oukitel RT7 Titan touted as the "first rugged tablet with 5G", it also debuts a new battery large enough to sustain an estimated 2,720-hour standby time. The slate is also equipped with "up to 24GB" of RAM, triple rear cameras with Night Vision and even the option of a convenient built-in handle.

The OnePlus Ace 2 Pro is on the way, with OnePlus now confirming its arrival later this month. In the meantime, the device has appeared on AnTuTu with a score of over 1.7 million points thanks to the combination of 24 GB of RAM and a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset.

Xiaomi has now turned its attention to the POCO M6 Pro 5G, having revealed the Redmi 12 and Redmi 12 5G earlier this week. The POCO M6 Pro 5G will combine a Snapdragon 4 Gen 2 chipset with a 5,000 mAh battery and a large 90 Hz display, among other features.

Samsung may not have moved the needle much with the Galaxy Z Flip5 and Galaxy Z Fold5. However, it has now demonstrated various prototypes of both models, offering a glimpse into the various avenues that Samsung could have taken the Galaxy Z series.

Xiaomi is said to launch a new, Max variant of its Pad 6 flagship Android tablet series soon. Now, these rumors are bolstered with a new claim of Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra-challenging screen real estate from a typically reliable source. The spec would indeed make the 6 Max the biggest Xiaomi tablet yet, and, thus, nearly unparalleled in its target market.

Samsung's second-gen smart tag is indeed on track to launch soon, according to new documentation from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). The regulator indicates that it may have grown in size compared to the inaugural Galaxy SmartTag, and contains two antenna types for different modes of connecting to paired or related devices. Accordingly, the SmartTag2 is thought to consolidate the features of Samsung's standard and premium smart tracker devices in this generation.

In addition to improved upload performance, multiple security fixes, and a volume slider in Picture-in-Picture mode, Firefox 116 drops support for Windows 7, 8, and 8.1, as well as macOS 10.12, 10.13, and 10.14. The users of these operating systems will get support until September 2024 for Firefox ESR (version 115.1 also arrived today).

Lenovo is now offering the Tab Pro 12.7 in China. As its name suggests, the Tab Pro 12.7 has a 12.7-inch display, which Lenovo complements with a Snapdragon 870 chipset and 8 GB of RAM. The Tab Pro 12.7 offers a 144 Hz panel and a 10,200 mAh battery capacity too, among other features.

AYN Technologies continues to tease the release of the Odin2 on social media. Purportedly, the forthcoming gaming handheld will outperform the likes of the Snapdragon 870, which would represent a significant upgrade over the Snapdragon 845 in the original Odin.

Xiaomi has launched two new smartphones in India, the Redmi 12 and Redmi 12 5G. Both have identical specs except for the SoC and camera sensors. They will be available via Xiaomi's official website and popular e-commerce platforms on August 4.

Motorola has presented the Moto G14, a follow-up to January's Moto G13. The Moto G14 will be available first in India, where it starts at INR 9,999 (~US$122) with 4 GB of RAM and 128 GB of storage.

Multiple leaks have confirmed key details about some of the upgrades bought forth by the Galaxy S24, Galaxy S24+ and Galaxy S24 Ultra. All three phones are slated for an early 2024 launch and will feature a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 SoC.

Word on the grapevine indicates Apple's upcoming iPhone 15 Pro phones will set off a wave of smartphones with titanium frames. The Galaxy S24 Ultra is set to follow that trend, but will likely be beaten to the punch by the Xiaomi 14 Pro—or, at least, a special version of it.

The 2022 version of the Motorola smartphone comes with a large 6.8-inch display with 90Hz as well as a reasonably sized 5,000 mAh battery, and the Moto G Stylus is also one of the cheapest options for users who are looking for an Android-based handset with pen support.

The gaming brand RedMagic has announced that the TWS earbuds made to go with its top-end 8S Pro smartphone have just gone global. The Cyberbuds DAO boast some of the most cutting-edge specs available, conferred by their "flagship Qualcomm Bluetooth 5.3 chipset" and audio platform. They include potentially ultra-low latency and support for the aptX codec as well as LHDC 5.0.

Xiaomi has announced a timeline for the launch of the POCO M6 Pro 5G, a new mid-range handset. Launching with a familiar design, the POCO M6 Pro 5G may well be a re-branded Redmi Note 12R that debuted last month in China.

Vivo has announced that its next line of premium Android smartphones will debut with an all-new image sensor from Sony. Furthermore, it will be joined on the back of X100-series devices by a new telephoto lens from Zeiss. The former is touted to achieve increased low-light performance thanks to new stacked-pixel technology, while the latter is backed to deliver improved focus and detail while zoomed in.

AYANEO has outlined more specifications for the Pocket Air, an Android 12-based gaming handheld powered by a MediaTek Dimensity 1200 chipset. The AYANEO Pocket Air will be available with a 5.5-inch AMOLED display and a 7,350 mAh battery within a 380 g chassis, among other features.

The Nothing Phone (2) is reasonably priced, looks good and has a very bright screen. But is it worth it in view of strong alternatives? We summarize our review for you below.

The Razr Plus is Motorola's latest and potentially greatest foldable Android smartphone. However, it might not be the most robust of its category in 2023 thus far, although its weak points came as a surprise during its JerryRigEverything bend test. Now, an "autopsy" for the unit in question calls its repairability into question too.