Android

Motorola continues to tease the Moto X30 Pro on Chinese social media ahead of the device's launch. Rumoured to be arriving globally as the Edge 30 Ultra, the Moto X30 Pro utilises the Samsung ISOCELL HP1, a 200 MP camera sensor. Although plenty of unknowns remain about Motorola's next flagship, a company executive has shared a high-resolution camera sample with his followers.

Google has released Android 13 Beta 4 to all recent Pixel smartphones. Now on its final beta release, Android 13 has reached release candidate status and is now just a few weeks from a public release.

Honor's chief executive officer (CEO) Zhao Ming has revealed some opinions on the current trend toward the co-branding of premium Android smartphone cameras. In the executive's opinion, they may not add enough to a consumer's UX to keep them out of "gimmick" territory in all cases. Therefore, his OEM is not likely to join others such as Xiaomi and OPPO in securing co-branding with a well-known camera company.

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.

iQOO is close to announcing the iQOO 10 series, including the iQOO 10 Pro. Ahead of next week's announcement, the iQOO 10 Pro has surfaced on Geekbench with a Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1, 12 GB of RAM and Android 12.

According to word on the grapevine, Qualcomm is set to abandon Samsung entirely for the manufacturing of its flagship 5G chipsets in the mid-term. Supposedly, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, and Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 could all be built by TSMC, after Qualcomm switched to the Taiwanese company's fabs for the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1.

Samsung has introduced a new colour option for the Galaxy S22, and one that could also be making its way to the Galaxy Z Flip4 and Galaxy Z Fold4. Known as Bora Purple, the colour option should be available on the Galaxy S22 Plus and Galaxy S22 Ultra at some stage too.

Honor has unveiled the X40i, a MediaTek Dimensity 700-powered handset with a 6.7-inch display and a 50 MP primary camera. Designed with a more eye-catching design than most smartphones, the Honor X40i also has a 4,000 mAh battery that supports 40 W fast charging. The Honor X40i starts at CNY 1,599 (~US$238) with 8 GB of RAM and 128 GB of storage.

Samsung has registered a device highly likely to debut as the Galaxy Z Flip4 later in 2022. The latest clamshell has been confirmed as a 5G-capable foldable handset with Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth, NFC and wireless charging. It is rumored to launch in August 2022 alongside the Z Fold4.

Realme has just confirmed that its square-faced smartwatch series is indeed headed for a third generation. The Watch 3's teasers are now running alongside those for the Pad X on the OEM's official Indian channels, suggesting that the 5G-capable slate will take the stage next to the new wearable later in July 2022.

Nubia has announced that it intends to refresh its current flagship Android smartphone for late 2022. This Z40S Pro as teased will have a markedly different build compared to its immediate predecessor, upgrading to a flat-edged chassis that rocks a physical slider along one side. Nubia also strongly hints at increased camera prowess for the upcoming mobile device.

Oppo has unveiled the A97 in China with a 5G chipset. Available with 12 GB of RAM and 256 GB of storage, the Oppo A97 launches with Android 12, two colour options and a 90 Hz display. The Oppo A97 is only orderable in China for now, where it costs CNY 2,099 (~US$312).

After a marketing video revealed most details of the Asus Zenfone 9 last week, the Taiwanese company has now officially confirmed the imminent launch of the compact flagship. The Zenfone 8's successor will debut on July 28, as perhaps the smallest widely available premium Android phone.

With its unusual color variants, the realme GT Neo 3T is a special phone. Read on to find out why it convinced us overall in the review process.

Nothing has finally launched the Phone (1) after engaging in OnePlus levels of hype to promote the smartphone. While Nothing pushes the Phone (1) through an invite-only system, it is already possible to purchase freely. Thankfully, Nothing has confirmed the smartphone's full specifications, along with when it will start shipping pre-orders.

According to reports, Honor is working on a new mid-range tablet. Rumoured to be running on the Snapdragon 680 4G, the Honor Tablet 8 could also feature a 2K display and reasonably fast charging. There is no word on a global release yet, though.

HMD Global has presented the Nokia T10, an affordable tablet running Android 12. Priced at US$159, the Nokia T10 is available with LTE connectivity and can serve as a Windows PC's secondary display. The Nokia T10 should receive 2 years of OS updates and 3 years of monthly security updates, too.

Samsung has announced changes for its Expert RAW app. While the camera app has gained new features, it will not support the Galaxy S20 Ultra's telephoto camera. Neither the Galaxy S20 Ultra, nor the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra or the Galaxy Z Fold2 will support Expert RAW until September at the earliest, either.

Lenovo Mobile has teased the Motorola Razr 3, officially called the Motorola Razr 2022. While many details remain unknown, Motorola has also shared a marketing video teasing the upcoming foldable smartphone.

LG may have cancelled the Rollable, but someone has got their hands on a prototype unit. With a motorised mechanism and a flexible AMOLED display, the LG Rollable could have been one of the most unusual and exciting smartphones, particularly with the advent of Android 12L.

Realme has now joined the exclusive club of OEMs offering a Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1-powered phone with the new Realme GT2 Master Explorer Edition. The phone succeeds last year's Snapdragon 870-powered GT Master Explorer Edition and brings a host of improvements, including Pixelworks' X7 graphic chip.

ZTE has started selling the Axon 40 Pro outside China. Equipped with plenty of high-end hardware, the Axon 40 Pro is a cheaper alternative to the Axon 40 Ultra. The Axon 40 Pro is orderable in the Eurozone, UK and the US, where it is available in two memory configurations and colours.

RedMagic has officially refreshed its 2022 flagship smartphones today (July 11, 2022). The newer 7S-series models combine all the top-end, high-octane features of their predecessors with the updated Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 processor. They also now include a new, second-gen Transformers-branded special edition.

The FCC has certified the Galaxy Z Fold4, a crucial step in the road to the device's release. Expected to debut on August 26, the FCC appears to confirm that the Galaxy Z Fold4 will support a Samsung S Pen, along with the latest mobile and Wi-Fi connectivity standards.

Google has reduced the price of the Pixel 6, Pixel 6 Pro and Pixel Buds A-Series, shortly before it starts selling the Pixel 6a and Pixel Buds Pro. Funnily enough, Google's reductions bring the Pixel 6 to within US$50 of the Pixel 6a, despite having a superior display and a higher megapixel primary camera.

The V50 ThinQ has finally received Android 12, over three years after LG released the device. Available in South Korea and the US, the OS upgrade is the final major update for the V50 ThinQ, which has a Snapdragon 855 SoC, a 1440p display and a Dual Screen accessory.

Reportedly, Motorola has settled on pricing for the Edge 30 Ultra, the global version of the Moto X30 Pro. While a worldwide release date is not yet known, leaked pricing suggests that Motorola will price the Edge 30 Ultra aggressively. The Edge 30 Ultra is expected to feature the Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1, as well as a 200 MP primary camera.

The Samsung Galaxy Watch5 series will make its debut alongside the Galaxy Z Fold4 and Galaxy Z Flip4 at Unpacked next month. Ahead of that event, however, the smartwatches now appear to have been listed on official Samsung websites across Europe.

Screenshots and a video from an internal One UI 5.0 build have surfaced online. Expected to debut in public beta soon, One UI 5.0 appears to make minor changes from One UI 4. Android 13 and One UI 5.0 should start rolling out this autumn.

Xiaomi has unveiled the 12 Lite, its latest mid-range smartphone. Powered by a Snapdragon 778G and a 4,300 mAh battery, the Xiaomi 12 Lite also has a 6.55-inch AMOLED display with a 120 Hz refresh rate and a 108 MP rear-facing camera. The Xiaomi 12 Lite is available in three colours and three memory configurations, starting at US$399.

Netflix has announced that it has partnered with Sennheiser to bring spatial audio to its platform. However, this new feature does presume that the individual user has a device that can support it. Accordingly, it should kick in automatically on many Apple products, although those from some other brands might require some adjustment.

The Xiaomi 13 series will be Xiaomi's next traditional flagship phones. While most specifics of the phones are still up in the air, new leaks have now provided a better idea of what to expect from the phones, and when exactly to expect them.

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.

iQOO is set to wait until later in July 2022 to launch its latest top-end Android smartphones. However, this has not stopped the brand from teasing the upcoming 10 series with a full design reveal ahead of this event. The video and posters involved also casually drop some tantalizing specs along with a homage to the OEM's official BMW M Motorsport tie-in.

Infinix has launched the Note 12 5G and 12 Pro 5G, thereby making them the first devices of their line to have that type of mobile connectivity. The two new Android smartphones have most specs in common - a new-ish MediaTek Dimensity chipset and support for microSD cards of up to 2TB in size included - although the Pro is the only one with 8GB of RAM and a 108MP camera. They are to be released via Flipkart in India soon.

Conflicting reports on what chipsets the Galaxy S23 series will be equipped with have surfaced in recent months. According to the latest, from Ming-Chi Kuo, Samsung looks set to abandon the Exynos 2300 entirely next year in favor of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2.

OnePlus is tipped to launch a refreshed flagship smartphone called the 10T soon. The device is also now backed to have the OEM's first 16GB RAM SKUs. This potential new top-end spec could join Qualcomm's latest Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 SoC in the purportedly upcoming handset.

Oppo is preparing to release another mid-range smartphone under its A series. Revealed as the Oppo A97 5G, the handset will be available in three colours with a familiar design. The Oppo A97 5G will arrive in China ahead of other markets.

Vivo has announced a second version of the Y77, having already introduced the Y77 5G. Equipped with a Dimensity 930 chipset, the Vivo Y77 also has a large display, up to 12 GB of RAM and a 120 Hz refresh rate, among other features.

Rumour has it that Xiaomi has scheduled the release of its next Lite smartphone a day after the debut of the Nothing Phone (1). With a Snapdragon 778G chipset, a 120 Hz AMOLED display, and a 108 MP primary camera, the Xiaomi 12 Lite 5G could prove fierce competition for Nothing's first smartphone.

Motorola has now started to hint at a 2022 addition to the foldable clamshell Razr series of smartphones in earnest. One of its latest teasers include a "creative" new lockscreen for the device's external display, while another has broached the possibility of gaming-focused features that would have been beyond its predecessor.

Xiaomi has certified another smartphone in China, following the release of the Xiaomi 12S, Xiaomi 12S Pro and the Xiaomi 12S Ultra. Next up is the Redmi K50S Pro, which is expected to launch globally as the Xiaomi 12T Pro, one member of the Xiaomi 12T series.

The Xiaomi 12S Ultra has received plenty of media attention for its 1-inch Sony IMX989 main camera. It appears, however, that the new Xiaomi flagship may not have the honor of being the first phone with that sensor, with a lesser-known device beating it to the punch back in May.

Xiaomi is on the verge of launching the Redmi K50i series in India. Having announced a release date for the Redmi K50i and Redmi K50i Pro, the company has shared a slew of teasers on social media. The Redmi K50i and Redmi K50i Pro will be exclusive to India, although Xiaomi sells them under different names in other markets.

Vivo has introduced the Y77 5G, a mid-range smartphone launched in China ahead of a Malaysian release. Launched for CNY 1,299 (~US$195), the Vivo Y77 5G has a MediaTek Dimensity 810 SoC, 8 GB of RAM and 256 GB of expandable storage, among other features. The Vivo Y77 5G ships with Android 12, too.

Alldocube has released the iNote, a new budget Android tablet powered by the MediaTek Helio P90. Also equipped with a 10.5-inch display, 8 GB of RAM and 128 GB of expandable storage, the Alldocube iNote retails for CNY 1,099 (~US$164) in China.