Android

Motorola sought to build on lingering Razr nostalgia to push the series’ inaugural foldable version, although this world-first did not exactly meet with universal acclaim. Nevertheless, the OEM has just announced that it is not giving up on the renewed, Android-powered line, and will persist with a much-improved third generation.

Xiaomi has already taken to teasing the Xiaomi 12 and its bigger, more expensive sibling, the Xiaomi 12 Pro, ahead of their December 28 debut. A new leak has now provided the first close look at the vanilla Xiaomi 12 in the flesh, and fans have a reason to be excited.

Xiaomi has confirmed the launch date and time for its latest mobile operating system overlay, MIUI 13. As previously expected, the skin will be launched on December 28 at a Xiaomi event taking place in China. Promo material for MIUI 13 has revealed some big claims in regard to app improvement over MIUI 12.5 Enhanced Edition.

The Samsung Galaxy A03s impresses with its many positives, but there were also points of criticism in our review, especially in terms of connectivity. Read on to find a summary of our findings.

iQOO has confirmed that it will launch at least one smartphone based on the new Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 top-end processor. Now, according to the latest leaks and rumors, these devices will be called the 9 and 9 Pro, and will come with re-worked rear panels and new display specs. One or both may also have a 50MP main camera.

The Xiaomi 12 and Xiaomi 12 Pro have been confirmed for a December 28 launch in China. Both phones will feature 50 MP main cameras but all 50 MP sensors aren't built the same, and it appears the Xiaomi 12 will get the short end of the stick.

The ARM Mali-G710 MP10 has topped a comparison chart of top mobile SoC GPUs in terms of efficiency measured by FPS/Watt. The astonishing chart, created using the GFXBench 3.1 benchmark, also reveals surprising positions for the GPU parts of the Snapdragon 865, Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, and Snapdragon 888.

The Realme GT2 Pro will be one of the world’s first Snapdragon 8 Gen 1-based Android phones in the world on it early 2022 launch. Now, a reliable leaker asserts that the OEM has made no less than 3 different versions of this device, with their own individual looks and themes.

Reportedly, Samsung has turned to hardware and software refinements to pull even better performance from its 108 MP ISOCELL HM3 camera sensor. The improvements will debut in the Galaxy S22 Ultra, also thought to be called the Galaxy S22 Note.

Xiaomi has confirmed that it will be bringing 120 W fast charging to the Xiaomi 12 Pro, due on December 28. A new in-house chip, Surge P1, will allow the Xiaomi 12 Pro to recharge at over 100 W, but the Xiaomi 12 and Xiaomi 12X could miss out.

The Xiaomi 12 will arrive on December 28, but Evan Blass has already leaked several official promotional pictures. The leak confirms that the Xiaomi 12 has a 50 MP primary camera, a textured back panel and at least four colour options.
Update: Four colourways revealed in promotional videos.

Lenovo's contenders in the Android gaming flagships have been known as the Legion Phones or Legion Phone Duel devices, depending on their market. Now, however, the company has hinted that it is arranging a new name for the next installment in this series. It may continue to uphold its series' reputation for innovative cooling solutions and speed-focused display tech.

Details of the Xiaomi 12 series are mostly unconfirmed with the exception of Xiaomi's marketed display specifications. A new leak from China purports to lay the vanilla Xiaomi 12 bare, though, by revealing its specs and pricing ahead of launch.

Motorola has confirmed that it plans to update at least 30 smartphones to Android 12. Some older smartphones have missed the cut, including those released in 2019. Motorola's foldable smartphones will receive Android 12, though.

Reportedly, Samsung has delayed the Galaxy Unpacked and launch dates for the Galaxy S22 series. A separate leak has revealed a Galaxy S22 series marketing poster that seemingly debunked the idea that Samsung will release its premier smartphone as the Galaxy S22 Note.

The Pixel Watch may still be a few months away from launching, but 9to5Google has found more details about it within Google apps. Google's first smartwatch will showcase Wear OS 3, with support for a next-generation Google Assistant. The Pixel Watch could be powered by an Exynos-manufactured SoC, too.

The Xiaomi 12 Pro is set to make its grand debut alongside the Xiaomi 12 next week and Xiaomi has now also revealed some information on the flagship phone's display. While the regular Xiaomi 12 uses a small FHD+ display made by Huaxing, the Xiaomi 12 Pro will sport more premium hardware.

First official details of the upcoming Lenovo Legion Y700 gaming tablet have been shared on Chinese social media. The 8.8-inch tablet could be an ideal Android alternative to the iPad Mini in a form factor that makes it easy to wield during intense gaming sessions. The Legion Y700 tablet may sport a Snapdragon 8 series SoC.

The Xiaomi 12 will make its debut on December 28 and Xiaomi is now marketing the phone ahead of launch. The company appears to believe that the Xiaomi 12's screen is its biggest selling point, and is strongly pushing the phone's compactness as well as its overall display qualities.

Honor has just announced that its long-awaited first-gen foldable smartphone will be here soon. This "flagship" has been rumored to be called either the Magic Fold or Magic X - however, the company has now confirmed that its name is...neither of these.

OnePlus' CEO, Pete Lau, has just confirmed that the brand's upcoming 10 Pro flagship will be unveiled in early 2022. Now, the exec has taken to Weibo again to tease the smartphone's display in terms of what may be one of its most advanced features direct from its supplier Samsung, dubbed "LTPO 2.0".

Realme has finally set a date for a formal GT2 flagship smartphone series launch. Meanwhile, its latest official teaser comes in the form of an entire piece commissioned in Vogue Italy, for the devices' "world-first" finish, now revealed as part of a 'green' industrial design that looks nothing like earlier renders.

Rumour has it that Samsung is preparing to release a Galaxy A83, seemingly the successor to the Quantum 2. The device is tipped to feature a 120 Hz display, along with an ISOCELL GN5 as its primary camera.

The Galaxy A52 series offers some of Samsung's best-selling devices, so it's no surprise that the company is also prioritizing software development for the lineup. According to a new report, the Galaxy A52, A52 5G, A52s 5G, and A72 look set to receive the Android 12 update in the near future.

According to the latest rumors, Xiaomi will launch its second-gen foldable phablet in 2022. A new leak purports to make them more of a reality with new and practical details on the possible high-end device. Meanwhile, the same product has again been linked to a main screen of quality similar to that of the Galaxy Z Fold3 or OPPO Find N.

iQOO's latest smartphones are new variants of its Neo5 series. The 5S has the Snapdragon 888 SoC, paired to an "innovative" thermal management system touted to incorporate rare-earth elements for advanced heat dissipation. The 5 SE has the Snapdragon 870 instead, but also has a 144Hz display and a 50MP main camera.

The next top-end smartphone from OnePlus is thought to be called the 10 Pro. Now, the OEM's CEO, Pete Lau, has confirmed this product name, in a Weibo post strongly hinting at a launch for the device in very early 2022. Then again, there are no guarantees that this event would be global rather than for the Chinese market alone.

Xiaomi has lifted the lid on the Xiaomi 12 series, which will include at least the Xiaomi 12, Xiaomi 12X and the Xiaomi 12 Pro. Not only has Xiaomi confirmed when it will reveal the Xiaomi 12 series, but it has also showcased what two models look like.

Realme had hinted at a GT2 series event set for today (December 20, 2021). However, the OEM has not unveiled the flagship smartphones in question as it has confirmed the nature of its 3 industry-first "innovations". This presentation involved more detail on the devices' new build material, ultra-wide cameras and comms array.

A first-party Samsung webstore has reportedly listed the long-awaited Galaxy S21 FE early by accident. The listing in question has now been pulled, but not before allegedly yielding a real-world price in euros for one of the smartphone's SKUs. Suffice it to say, should this leak be genuine, it is to be hoped it was for the new FE's top-end configuration.

Not only is Xiaomi preparing to upgrade numerous devices to MIUI 13 in China, but it is also readying equivalent builds for global audiences. Initially, Xiaomi will upgrade 20 devices to both MIUI 13 and Android 12, including the Mi 10T, POCO F2 Pro and the Redmi Note 10 Pro.

A new set of benchmarks have now provided the closest look yet at the performance difference between the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, MediaTek Dimensity 9000, and the king of the hill, Apple's A15 Bionic. MediaTek's rise to the top continues, as it challenges Qualcomm every inch of the way.

A speed test between the Huawei P50 Pro and Google Pixel 6 Pro has left a very close final result, with the Tensor SoC in the Google smartphone just pipping the Kirin 9000 chip in the Chinese device. The Pixel 6 Pro’s Tensor chip has a slightly lower peak clock rate, and the Kirin 9000 proves it still has plenty of shelf life left.

According to a UK retailer, Samsung is preparing to release over 70 accessories for the Galaxy S22, Galaxy S22 Plus and the Galaxy S22 Note. A deep green colourway should be heading to the Galaxy S22 Note too, based on an official S Pen render image.

OPPO has just announced the MariSilicon X, the OEM's first-gen neural processing unit (NPU). It is slated to make its debut in the upcoming wave of Find X-series flagship smartphones. Then again, a leaker now claims that premium specs are not required to unleash its full potential.

Qualcomm has just released the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor as its latest flagship processor with a re-worked name to boot. Now, a Weibo-based chip industry leaker asserts that the OEM is working on its successor already. This possibly accelerated timeline might be related to MediaTek's rising status in the same field.

Reports claim that Xiaomi is geared to debut MIUI 13 on December 28. The company is hard at work on it as well, and is prepared to send out the update to a list of 11 devices at launch, with a number of those already having stable builds.

LG started its Android 11 update program for its higher-end phones, the innovative Wing included, some time ago. However, it seemed sluggish even before the company decided to exit the smartphone market. The Wing on Verizon has only now just started to see what might be one of its last ever updates.

MediaTek has teased the Dimensity 8000 as what might be the more affordable alternative to the new top-end 9000 flagship chipset. So far, 2 prominent smartphone brands have allegedly signed up to use it in one of their 2022 devices. They are slated to be of the Realme GT Neo and Redmi K50 series.

One month after unveiling just that its upcoming V20 rugged phone will sport a 2K AMOLED display, Doogee reveals much more about it. This upcoming rugged smartphone sports a 1.05-inch secondary display, 8/256 GB of memory/storage, a 64 MP main camera alongside a 20 MP night vision shooter, and more.

Microsoft's foldable mobile device, the Surface Duo, was debuted as a type of PC with "limitless possibilities". However, its latest software update reportedly confers a basic ability of many up-to-date computers with serious "glitches". It apparently affects numerous apps and may seriously affect productivity on the phablet.

OnePlus has announced the end of its suspension for the build of OxygenOS for the 9 and 9 Pro based on Android 12. The OEM claims that the more prominent of the issues uncovered with the initial version have been removed in this one. Then again, some bugs reportedly still remain.

Tipster @letsgodigitalNL outed what appear to be official CAD renders for the upcoming OPPO Find X4 Pro. The leaked renders illustrate the "quad-curved" display, the under-screen front camera, and the rear display, next to the phone's quad primary camera.

Xiaomi has presented its latest streaming stick, the TV Stick 4K. Besides offering native 4K support, the Xiaomi TV Stick 4K also has Google Assistant built-in, Dolby Vision and access to numerous apps through Android 11 on Android TV.