Android

Carl Pei's Nothing has remained vague on the subject of a debut for its inaugural Android smartphone. However, a German tech blog now purports to fill the blanks the OEM has left with a specific date on which the device is to be unveiled. It is also now slated to start at a mid-range price - on the European market, at least.

Although Google has already previewed the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro well before their official release this fall, the company has yet to provide the complete technical specifications of its two new flagship smartphones. Fortunately, a leaker has now extracted some quite interesting display specs from the source code of two new drivers.

The messaging app Telegram has been linked to a shift to a subscription-based model as of late. Now, the developer Alessandro Paluzzi claims to have spotted more signs that the service is preparing for this change. It consists of the re-wording of a reassuring page many users may recognize as part of the UI furniture.

Samsung had reportedly planned to have as much as 310 million smartphones made in 2022. However, according to the latest word from production insiders, that figure is now down to as little as 280 million. The reduction in orders, linked to the ongoing war in Ukraine and a reduction in demand worldwide, is expected to hit the OEM's suppliers hard in 2022.

Sporting a massive 8,380 mAh battery with 33 W fast charge and a MediaTek Dimensity 700 processor, the Blackview BL8800 and BL8800 Pro are only set apart by the cameras on the back. While the BL8800 comes with a night vision image snapper, its Pro sibling features a FLIR thermal imaging camera.

Infinix has launched its Note 12 series for the Indian market via the medium of new Flipkart listings, complete with a tie-in to the new Doctor Strange movie. However, those hoping for this Android smartphone line's latest variants, one of which has 120W charging, may be slightly disappointed. The Note 12 and 12 Turbo do have AMOLED displays, albeit ones driven by a 2-year-old MediaTek processor.

Xiaomi brought the Black Shark 5 and Black Shark 5 Pro to the market back in March. According to a new leak, the Black Shark 6 series is on the way, and will arrive with Qualcomm's new Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1.

Realme has announced a new, top-end version of its GT Neo 3, for release during the OEM's ongoing anniversary event. This new SKU adds with a new 512GB storage option to the new Android smartphone's 12GB RAM/150W charging SKU. The company is also making other attractive offers on devices such as Book-series laptops, albeit to the Chinese market only.

Samsung's US website has updated with some possibly improved trade-in deals for the upcoming Memorial Day weekend. A customer can get some Galaxy Watch4 SKUs free with the purchase of a new Galaxy Z Fold3, or up to US$1,000 off a Galaxy S22 Ultra with a trade-in - even if the device to be exchanged has a cracked screen.

A leaker has shared hands-on images of a third-party case for the Galaxy Z Fold4, months ahead of the device's anticipated release. The third-party case showcases design changes from the Galaxy Z Fold3 as Samsung moves to a squarer form factor.

While The Elec suggested that Google had cancelled the Pixel Fold, Jon Prosser and Ross Young suggest otherwise. Instead, Google is now rumoured to be waiting until spring 2023, which would line up nicely with a Google I/O 2023 reveal.

Samsung has presented the Galaxy M13, a cheaper alternative to the Galaxy M23, Galaxy M33 and the Galaxy M53. The Galaxy M13 has a large display, weighs 192 g and has four cameras, among other features. Samsung will sell the Galaxy M13 in three colours and two memory configurations.

Earlier reports claimed that Samsung could be ditching Exynos for the Galaxy S23 and S24 lineups in favor of a truly custom SoC on the Galaxy S25. New information, however, now reveals some early details of the Exynos 2300 that could power the Galaxy S23 next year, potentially calling those aforementioned reports into doubt.

Can you print a whole billboard using nothing more than a smartphone camera? According to Samsung, you can - so long as the sensor in question is the new ISOCELL HP1. The OEM's latest YouTube ad depicts the creation of the 616 square-meter cat-pic chosen for this purpose. Its ability to retain feline detail to the tune of about 200 megapixels (MP) is hyped in this new campaign.

Xiaomi has released the POCO F4 GT in the UK, where it retails for £699. However, Xiaomi is selling the handset at a substantial discount until the end of the month, albeit only in one colour option. With £200 off and 2 months of YouTube Premium thrown in, the POCO F4 GT could be a bargain for those after a gaming smartphone.

According to reports, Xiaomi has started testing the Pad 6 ahead of a global release. Currently thought to be arriving this summer, Xiaomi has already registered what is believed to be the Xiaomi Pad 6 with the EEC in Russia.

The Honor 70 series are shaping up to become premium mid-rangers to be taken seriously within the Android space on their debut. This impression has become reinforced due to the appearance of new and apparently official posters pointing to the combination of certain, potentially crucial, specs in its top-end Pro Plus or (Pro+) model.

Realme has overtly confirmed that its inaugural Naruto-themed special edition Android smartphone and accessory will be available alongside the new Pad X in China soon. The new GT Neo 3 SKU in question is an appropriately restyled version of its top-end 150W charging variant, whereas the Powerbank 3 Pro remains at a top speed of 33W despite its own new finish.

Realme has now officially launched its latest tablet in China. The Realme Pad X debuts as the company's first 5G-enabled tablet and offers purely mid-range specs with a starting price tag that converts into under US$200.

Xiaomi, alongside the Redmi Note 11T series and Xiaomi Band 7, also launched the Redmi Buds 4 and Redmi Buds 4 Pro. Both earbuds offer IP54 ratings and "active noise reduction", with the Redmi Buds 4 starting at the equivalent of US$30.

Carl Pei's latest tech start-up Nothing has revealed a little more about its first full mobile device, the phone (1). It has hinted strongly that it, like images for a prototype it has just shared, will have a transparent nature. Then again, the final product has no guarantee of looking anything like the latest officially-leaked concepts, leaving the phone (1)'s appearance a mystery for now.

Motorola has presented the Moto E32s, another addition in the Moto E family. Equipped with a 5,000 mAh battery and a 90 Hz display, the Moto E32s comes with Android 12 pre-installed and has three rear-facing cameras, among other features.

According to reports, Google has postponed its foldable Pixel smartphone project again, six months after cancelling 'Passport'. This time, Google is rumoured to have ceased developing 'Pipit', with no foldable Pixel smartphone due this year as a result.

A renowned leaker has provided an update about the state of the next-generation Galaxy Z Fold's foldable display. Reputedly, the Galaxy Z Fold4 will arrive with an improved display that will have a less prominent crease compared to the one that exists in the Galaxy Z Fold3 and its predecessors. The improved display should also be slightly squarer than the panel in the Galaxy Z Fold3.

More evidence of the Motorola Razr 3 has surfaced online. Bearing a design resembling the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip3, the Razr 3 will look quite different from the existing Razr 5G. The Razr 3 is expected to arrive in late summer with Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 and Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 chipsets.

The Xiaomi 12S series looks set to launch soon as Xiaomi's mid-gen refresh of the Xiaomi 12 series—at least in China. The Xiaomi 12S has now appeared in the flesh as well, and with Leica branding on its camera module merely days after Xiaomi announced a partnership with the German camera company.

Xiaomi has unveiled the Redmi Note 11 SE in China, where it retails for at least CNY 1,099 (~US$165). However, it seems that Xiaomi has taken the POCO M3 Pro 5G and slapped a Redmi logo on the back, with the pair even sharing identical designs.

Xiaomi has announced the Redmi Note 11T Pro Plus, a follow-up to last year's Redmi Note 11 Pro Plus. While the Redmi Note 11T Pro Plus is a mid-generation refresh, Xiaomi has included several upgrades, including a more powerful chipset and a faster display.

Xiaomi has now officially taken the wraps off the Redmi Note 11T Pro in China. The mid-range phone debuts in the pursuit of performance thanks to a MediaTek Dimensity 8100, LPDDR5 RAM, and UFS 3.1 storage. Camera hardware suffers as a result, however.

The Xiaomi 13 series will be Xiaomi's mainstream flagship lineup next year and the Xiaomi 13 and Xiaomi 13 Pro have now made their first appearances on Xiaomi's IMEI database. As it appears, both phones may debut ahead of typical schedule as well.

Poco is yet to even mention the Poco F4 Pro officially but it appears the phone's parts are already on sale in China, with a leaked image showing a stack of what appears to be Poco F4 Pro rear covers.

Google has rolled out two major changes for Wear OS, months before the Pixel Watch's launch. Now, it is possible to stream music over LTE or Wi-Fi via YouTube Music, a feature that has been missing since the service's introduction last year on Wear OS. Also, the next-generation version of Google Assistant has finally landed, but only for the Galaxy Watch4 and Galaxy Watch4 Classic for the moment.

OnePlus has announced OxygenOS C.60 for the OnePlus 9 series. The OxygenOS 12-based update adds a few new features and is rolling out now for the OnePlus 9 and OnePlus 9 Pro.

According to reports, Samsung will begin offering the Galaxy A13 5G soon in Europe. For some reason, the company will introduce more colour options and memory configurations than it currently offers in North America. While the Galaxy A13 5G tops out at 64 GB of storage, a 128 GB option will be available in Europe, as will a cheaper 32 GB model that also has less RAM.

OPPO has launched a new Air variant of its Android tablet today (May 23, 2022). It has debuted alongside new Enco R TWS earbuds. The former looks a lot like its Pad forebear, although it, like the Rs, is clearly pitched at a much lower tier than their respective predecessors.

OPPO's latest mid-range Android smartphone event is the culmination of a considerable sequence of leaks and rumors concerning their design, internals and special features. Its top-end variant is the 8 Pro Plus (or Pro+) rather than the Pro, yet does indeed rock an in-house MariSilicon X image signal processor (ISP) on top of its new MediaTek SoC. Nevertheless, the OEM has managed to throw some curve-balls in the course of this launch.

Motorola has finally acknowledged rumors that it would launch a new Android smartphone with a main rear camera of a ground-breaking 200 megapixels (MP) in resolution. Its first poster indicating the same has sparked rumors that it will also be the OEM's upcoming Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1-powered flagship. In any case, the first-gen Motorola 200MP device is now slated to be here in the second half of 2022.

Google's French subsidiary has showcased the Pixel 6a, a handset that will not start shipping until July. While Google France has since taken down its video, its contents remain watchable elsewhere. Not only does the video highlight the Pixel 6a, but also its new fingerprint scanner.

While a US$9.99 monthly Photoshop subscription is almost nothing for a professional studio spending thousands on expensive camera gear, a lot of people only do photography as a hobby and don't want to pay a monthly fee for editing software they may use every few weeks. Fortunately, there are free options out there that are very capable of editing both the shots you took on your morning walk and your landscape shots from your most recent camping trip.

Xiaomi has now officially announced its partnership with German camera giants, Leica, on an upcoming smartphone. While the smartphone isn't named, it's almost definitely the Xiaomi 12 Ultra and has now also been confirmed to debut in July.

Alongside the Xiaomi Band 7 and Redmi Note 11T series, Xiaomi will also launch new TWS earbuds on May 24 in China. The Redmi Buds 4 Pro are on the way, and they're set to land with better noise reduction and Bluetooth 5.3 support.

Xiaomi will debut the Xiaomi Band 7 alongside the Redmi Note 11T series on May 24 in China. Ahead of that date, the smart band's box has now leaked revealing details and features of the incredibly popular Mi Band 6's successor.

The Snapdragon 8 Plus (or 8+) Gen 1 chipset has just launched in conjunction with initial benchmarks purporting to establish the potential for seven-figure AnTuTu scores in the newly refreshed flagship. However, according to a new set of results, it can go even further than that, easily cracking 1.1 million in combination with Android 12 and some of the best RAM, storage and display specs available.

Google has shot into the top 5 among smartphone brands active in the North American market, with an impressive growth of nearly 400% year-on-year (YoY) for 2022's first quarter (1Q2022). Then again, Apple still reigns supreme, having shipped just over half of all smartphones recently sold in the region, although Samsung, Motorola and TCL maintained their positions thanks to a combination of attractive new devices and carrier partnerships.

The Xiaomi 12T Pro will succeed last year's 11T Pro later in the year and will be one of Xiaomi's few Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1-powered devices this year, and could be the only one to be sold outside China. According the other reports, launch is imminent as well.

Motorola has just released another new poster touting its upcoming Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 flagship smartphone. This one comes with strong hints that the device in question will be foldable, leading to speculation that the successor to the Razr 5G will launch powered by the updated top-end processor. If so, this might represent a significant coup for the resurrected flip-phone series.

Samsung has unleashed the Galaxy Buds2 in 2 limited-edition co-branded forms on its home market of South Korea. One is a Pokémon-themed bundle that could go with a matching Galaxy Z Flip3 from an earlier event, whereas the other is one for fans of soft drinks. They both largely entail a new carrying-case for the TWS accessories in question.

New specifications for the upcoming Google Pixel Watch have been shared, including that it will apparently feature a co-processor to help out the Exynos 9110 with certain tasks. In addition, the Pixel Watch is expected to come with more RAM than the Galaxy Watch4 and support blood oxygen (SpO2) measurement.

The Realme Pad X will makes its debut on May 26 in China and Realme has begun ramping up its marketing campaign for the tablet, with images of the device and its stylus, the Realme Pen, now revealed in new leaks.