Android

Xiaomi's ongoing hype campaign for its next top-end Android smartphone asserts that the 13 Ultra is much more than a mere "camera phone". To that end, it is now said to underpin its "professional" use-cases through the ability to work with certain filters, just like a real DSLR. This might be achieved with a new accessory with the requisite adapter.

Motorola is projected to launch a new Razr with a bigger cover display than ever before in 2023. Now, the foldable Android smartphone is tipped to launch alongside a second version for the first time in the same year. This allegedly inaugural Lite version will drop its flagship counterpart's upgraded feature to debut as a more "affordable" option.

The Galaxy M54 5G has launched at the upper end of the Samsung mid-tier Android smartphone spectrum in 2023, with a new 5nm Exynos chipset to drive a 120Hz display with proportions to match its larger-than-average battery. Now, it looks like the device is going to become available in India, albeit under a different name.

Realme's registration of a new smartphone with China's TENAA regulator seems to reveal that the OEM has taken inspiration from Xiaomi's top-end devices in its design. The device in question is said to be of the next-gen 11 series; should that be the case, its new look represents a significant departure from those of its 10 Pro predecessor.

Case designs of the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro have leaked online. Hence, the design changes that Google has made for its future flagship smartphones compared to the current Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro.

The FCC has confirmed that Xiaomi plans to launch at least the Pad 6 tablet globally. Seemingly arriving in three memory variants, the Pad 6 will lack some of the stand-out features of the Pad 6 Pro, such as 67 W fast charging.

Xiaomi continues to provide more details about the Pad 6 series in the run-up to next week's launch event. As expected, Xiaomi will release the Pad 6 and Pad 6 Pro, both with Snapdragon 8 series chipsets. Xiaomi promises to debut a new deep sleep mode too, among other features.

A leaker has provided information about alleged POCO F5 and POCO F5 Pro colour options. The same leaker has outlined memory options for the pair ahead of their launch, which Xiaomi is rumoured to have scheduled for later this month.

Apparently, Samsung remains on schedule for an August launch of its fifth-generation foldable smartphones. Billed as the Galaxy Z Fold5 and Galaxy Z Flip5, the pair are expected to enter mass production in two months' time. The same analyst has also revealed new details about the state of the Galaxy Z Flip5's cover display.

The Xiaomi 13 Lite is the most affordable entry-level model in Xiaomi's 13 series. The main plus points compared to its predecessor are the improved camera and the even brighter AMOLED display. The 6.55-inch smartphone can be purchased online for around US$450.

The ROG Phone flagship mobile gaming devices is back in 2023 with a new series. It starts with the vanilla 7 with rear-facing RGB logos set into a new two-tone finish – and then goes right up to the 7 Ultimate with a rear-mounted OLED “ROG Vision” secondary display and an AeroActive port to augment the series' new GameCool 7 thermal management system for its “no-compromises” internals. The 7 and 7 Ultimate have debuted alongside the new AeroActive Cooler 7 accessory that integrates a sub-woofer for the first time.

Xiaomi has started to hype the 13 Ultra's impending launch with some juicy details on its rear camera mega-hump, and how it may be an upgrade on that of the preceding 12S Ultra. Both devices will have the same 1-inch main camera - however, the Sony IMX989 will be augmented by no less than 3 additional 50MP lenses in the newer model. Furthermore, they will be exclusive to the 13 Ultra on their debut.

Samsung has officially confirmed that the Galaxy M14 is on the way to India. The Exynos 1330-powered smartphone is to be unleashed on a market segment in which it will, according to the OEM, be the only one with a 6,000mAh battery. Furthermore, it is equipped with charging that is of a higher wattage in its new region compared to others.

Google has released the first public beta version of Android 14. For now, Android 14 Beta 1 is exclusive to Pixel smartphone owners from the Pixel 4a (5G) onwards. Android 14 Beta 1 introduces numerous changes from Android 13, but Google has held back some new expected features for now.

Xiaomi has now confirmed the imminent debut of its next-gen fitness tracker, the Xiaomi Band 8. The Band 8 will launch in China on April 18 as a direct successor to the Band 7, and will do so alongside the Xiaomi 13 Ultra and Xiaomi Pad 6 series.

The ASUS Zenfone 10 has appeared on Geekbench in several Geekbench 6 listings. Sporting a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset and up to 16 GB of RAM, the Zenfone 10 should go toe-to-toe with current generation flagships while delivering excellent performance from Qualcomm's latest top-tier chipset.

A well-informed display analyst has outlined display sizes for Google's next-generation Pixel smartphones. Likely launching in the autumn, the Pixel 8 will be significantly smaller than the Pixel 7. The Pixel 8 Pro will its predecessor's 6.7-inch display size, though.

LG is finally delivering on its promise to provide three major Android OS updates for its final flagship smartphones. The company has now begun the process of bringing Android 13 to the LG Wing, the handset's final OS upgrade.

Xiaomi has confirmed that it is less than a week away from launching the Pad 6 series. Based on an initial teaser, the Pad 6 series includes a nod to the Xiaomi 13 series and could serve as a laptop replacement.

Dasung is now selling its Link E Ink smartphone companion on Indiegogo, where it starts at US$299. Available in wired or wireless variants, the Dasung Link has a 6.7-inch E Ink display that is suited for note-taking, drawing or reading.

ZTE has announced the AxonPad, a Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1-based tablet powered by a 10,000 mAh battery that supports 80 W charging. A 12.1-inch IPS display is also onboard, which delivers 2.5K visuals with a 120 Hz refresh rate.

ZTE has previewed the Axon 50 Ultra, which shares a few features with the company's Nubia Z50 Ultra. While the Nubia Z50 Ultra surpasses the Axon 50 Ultra in a few areas, the latter is one of the first smartphones with two-way satellite messaging support.

Oppo has stolen a march on Honor by beating it to the top of DxOMark's camera leaderboard. Pipping the Magic5 Pro by a point, the Find X6 Pro also outperforms the Galaxy S23 Ultra, iPhone 14 Pro Max, Pixel 7 Pro and the Mate 50 Pro, among other flagship smartphones.

Alldocube has unveiled the X Pad, an 11-inch Android tablet powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 900 chipset. Eventually shipping globally with Android 13, the Alldocube X Pad also has 8 GB of RAM and quad speakers, among other features.

Xiaomi has now officially confirmed the launch date of its most premium smartphone for the year, the Xiaomi 13 Ultra. The Xiaomi 12S Ultra's successor will debut on April 18 and is expected to be joined by the much-awaited Xiaomi Pad 6 series.

Google has finally improved Night Sight mode for the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro. Rolling out in a new Google Camera update, Night Sight should now work as well on the Pixel 6 series as the current Pixel 7 series. Not all Pixel 7-related Night Sight features have been added to the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro, though.

Vivo's major product launch, now allegedly set for later in April 2023, is projected to introduce a second-gen Android tablet as well as the OEM's latest foldable devices. A new leak purports to outline all the similarities and differences between this "Pad2" and its possible closest rival, which has now been released globally as the OnePlus Pad. The two slates are now said to come in different colorways, for a start.

Honor has launched the Magic5 Pro in the UK, the company's latest premier smartphone. Available for under £949.99 with various pre-order discounts, the Magic5 Pro is considerably cheaper than the Galaxy S23 Ultra or the Xiaomi 13 Pro, despite featuring a 1-inch camera sensor, a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset and a large battery.

Google is now distributing the April 2023 update to Pixel smartphones, ranging from the Pixel 4a to the Pixel 7 Pro. Not only has Google bundled the April set of Android security patches in TQ2A.230405.003, but it has also included several important bug fixes spanning multiple Pixel smartphone generations.

New Xiaomi 13 Ultra renders have been posted online. They showcase a circular camera housing with four camera sensors, a curved screen and minimal branding.

Xiaomi is preparing to bring the POCO F5 series to market, which is expected to land later this month. In the meantime, the FCC has now released a picture of the POCO F5 or POCO F5 Pro, confirming that it will be a re-branded Redmi K60 or Redmi K60 Pro.

A well-renowned industry insider says the entry-level Galaxy Tab S9 will feature an 11-inch AMOLED panel. Another leaker says memory/storage on the Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra will vary between 8-16 GB and 126-512 GB, respectively.

ZTE has started teasing the Axon 50 Ultra, the company's next flagship smartphone and the second offered with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 after the Nubia Z50 Ultra. The Axon 50 Ultra is also expected to offer plenty of other flagship hardware but will miss out on one of the Axon 40 Ultra's stand-out features.

According to a new leak, the Redmi K60 Ultra stands to become the brand's first device with MediaTek's current top-end SoC, the Dimensity 9200, later in 2023. Furthermore, it is also now tipped to re-brand as the 13T Pro, in order to go global via Redmi's parent OEM Xiaomi, thereafter. By any name, the Android smartphone is tipped to succeed one with a 200MP main camera and a 120Hz OLED display.

OnePlus has announced that its inaugural Android tablet is now available to order - sort of. The first-gen ReadFit Display slate is in fact now up for a "Blind Sale" event, during which the potential buyer can make a deposit on the device from today (April 10, 2023) to unlock "free gifts" such as a free detachable keyboard. Then again, OnePlus is still keeping some important information on the Pad in reserve for now.

The Pixel 7a is on the horizon, with Google rumoured to have scheduled its release for next month. Launching with a Google Tensor G2 chipset and a 90 Hz display, a new leak has revealed what could well be the device's three launch colours.

Samsung will supposedly launch its first-ever foldable tablet called the Galaxy Z Tab alongside the Galaxy Tab S9 series. Whether or not it is the tri-folding tablet Samsung showed off earlier remains to be seen.

Xiaomi has confirmed that its latest top-end Android smartphone, the 13 Ultra, is finally ready to debut in April 2023. Now, an online retailer has allegedly revealed the exact date and time of the event in question by mistake. Meanwhile, the actual layout of the device's long-hyped rear cameras have also allegedly been revealed.

ZTE has announced a new foray into the Android tablet market with the new Axon Pad. The device is now officially slated to launch later in April 2023, with a flat-edged metallic unibody design marked out with a large, single-lens rear camera hump. It is touted as capable of forming an ecosystem between itself and smartphones such as those of the flagship Axon 50 series.

OnePlus is tipped to update its Nord N series of Android smartphones for the United States soon. Should the latest rumors hold true, it should launch with a 108MP main rear camera to go with its 120Hz display and 5G-capable processor. It may be sold in either SIM-free or carrier-locked form in its new market.

The Redmi Note 12 Pro Plus may have a relatively large primary camera. However, DxOMark's detailed camera analysis shows once again that having a high-resolution camera does not necessarily correlate with good image quality. Instead, the device's huge 200 MP camera falls short of some of its 12 MP peers.

POCO has revealed the C51, its successor to the entry-level POCO C31. Equipped with a 720p display, the POCO C51 also has a 5,000 mAh battery, an 8 MP primary camera and a MediaTek Helio G36 chipset, among other features.

The Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 will make its grand debut in the last quarter of the year. Its predecessor, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, outperforms Apple's A16 Bionic in GPU tests, and it appears that could continue with the next-gen chipset, thanks to a reported 50% boost in GPU performance.

The Honor Magic5 Pro offers a pure high-end experience, now including a guaranteed update period that can keep up even with that of the Google smartphones. In addition to the great 50-MP triple camera setup, it focusses particularly on security and privacy. We summarize the test for you again here.

Vivo has confirmed that its folding mobile device tech is going clamshell for the first time, in the form of the inaugural X Flip. The presumably ultra-portable Android smartphone is now officially tipped to launch with Zeiss-tuned rear cameras, a larger-than-average cover display with useful second-screen functions and three different colorways. Its processor and TUV Rheinland-certified hinge integrity are also now official ahead of its impending launch.

Vivo is preparing to release a powerful competitor to the Huawei Mate X3 and the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4. Arriving later this month as the Vivo X Fold2, leaked presentation slides have confirmed numerous specifications, including its reliance on Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset.

Hohem has announced an Easter 2023 sale with up to 15% off its line of hand-held gimbals and their accessories. Those mobile videography tools include the new iSteady M6, normally priced at over US$200 with its innovative module that confers both AI tracking and RGB fill light functions on the product. The right code can bring that price down to just under US$190, however.