Google Pixel

While the overall smartphone market may be down, Huawei is bucking the industry trend by confirming its position as the number 2 smartphone maker in the world ahead of Apple. While both Apple and Samsung lost ground, Huawei enjoyed incredible year-over-year growth with a 50.3 percent increase in smartphone sales.

Google has admitted its Pixel 3 line of flagship smartphones isn’t selling well. Although failing to break out unit sales numbers at its Q1 conference call, the company cited unspecified pressures in the premium smartphone market for its poorer than expected sales.

Google is currently running a sale on the Pixel 3 and 3 XL until May 6. The deal applies to all colours and storage options. At launch, the Pixel 3 and 3 XL cost up to US$899 (£839) and US$999 (£969) respectively, but they are now down to a minimum of US$599. Only while stocks last, mind.

Google has all but officially confirmed that its Pixel 3a and Pixel 3a XL models are set to launch on May 7. The company has posted a teaser on its store that says “Help is on the way,” in a clear nod to the Google Assistant feature baked into its Pixel devices with hints of an Avengers connection in the URL.

The Pixel 3a and 3a XL are expected to be launched next month. Pricing details have been mostly elusive until now but a new leak has given us a good idea of how Google plans to price the mid-range phones.

The arrival of the Huawei P30 Pro with its stunning night mode hasn’t gone unnoticed by Samsung. According to Samsung insider Ice Universe, the Korean giant is targeting late April or May for a major camera update that will bring a new standalone Night mode to its flagship Galaxy S10 range.

Specs for the upcoming Google Pixel 3a and Pixel 3a XL have appeared online confirming whatever we've known so far about these mid-range Pixel 3 devices. The phones are expected to officially launch on May 7 in India and will jostle for space in the fiercely competitive mid-range segment alongside other popular OEMs.

The first concrete set of information on the Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL has surfaced, giving us a better idea of what to expect from the Google flagships when they’re launched later in the year. What’s more, there could also be a third hitherto unknown device in the series.

A new study from Counterpoint Research has shed a little light on Samsung’s smartphone sales woes. Although still the number one smartphone maker in the world, its profits have taken a big hit with lower sales of its premium devices. Now we know where some of these customers are heading.

The Pixel 3a and 3a XL are reportedly set for release at the next Google I/O event. They may be cheaper versions of the original 3 line, although they may retain advantages such as timely Android updates. A newly-leaked set of case renders for the 2 phones appear to show that they will also have headphone jacks.

Google is currently testing its next devices, the Pixel 3a and 3a XL, in India. Interestingly, the two devices have import valuations that are less than what one would expect, which is, perhaps, a sign that they could sell for cheaper than most have claimed.

Despite word of layoffs at Google’s hardware division, it appears that a successor or stablemate for the Pixel Slate is still in the works. A slideshow presented at the Cloud Next 19 conference in San Francisco hints that a smaller variant of the Slate could be in offing.

If you’ve been holding out for the rumored lower-cost Google Pixel 3a smartphones, you may not have to wait much longer. The devices have made an appearance in the Google Play Store site navigation as well as the Google Play Developer Console device catalog signaling that a launch isn’t far away.

The Google Pixel 4 smartphone has been specifically mentioned in a discussion about code in the Android Open Source Project (AOSP). There has been previous mention of a “2019 Pixel” made in an AOSP commit message, but the latest commit seems to suggest that the Pixel 4 is in the development phase.

Eighteen months after Google launched the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL, the company has now pulled the old flagships off from its store shelves. Both devices saw massive discounts over the past three months, but it would appear that Google is getting set for its upcoming releases, the Pixel 3a and Pixel 3a XL.

Some new details about the upcoming Google Pixel 3a and 3a XL smartphones have been leaked. Apparently, one or both of the new devices will be offered in an “iris” color, which is the word specifically used to describe the choice. The same source has suggested a price for the Pixel 3a, and it might not be as cheap as expected.

Google’s Stadia cloud-powered streaming gaming service looks to be a technological marvel. However, in order to deliver its full potential gamers will need a robust internet connection.

The Pixel 3a and 3a XL are set to be launched in the coming months, and a new report has now given us our clearest view yet of the smaller of the devices, the Pixel 3a. Notable features include Active Edge, an AMOLED display, 64 GB of storage, and a 3000 mAh battery.

A few days ago, a series of renders pointed to a Pixel 4 XL design with a dual selfie cam set into its screen. Now, a Twitter-based leaker alleges that the smaller device from the same upcoming line will also follow this trend. However, its punch-hole will be circular rather than pill-shaped.

Until now, we'd been led to believe that Google's upcoming mid-range devices would be called the Pixel 3 Lite and Pixel 3 XL Lite. Apparently not, as Google code points towards the devices being named the Pixel 3a and Pixel 3a XL. Reminds us of the Samsung Galaxy S10e, in fact.

The first leak on the Google Pixel 4 devices have surfaced, in the form of a sketch of what is said to be the Pixel 4 XL. Going by the leak, we could be set to get a pill-shaped punch-hole, dual rear cameras, and an in-display fingerprint sensor on Google's next flagship.

It's finally here - Q has been released for download and use - albeit only on Pixel-line phones. On the other hand, this Beta 1 form of the OS is mainly meant for development and testing, not daily use. However, it does come with most of the promised and projected new features associated with the next version of Android.

Google has quietly launched a breakthrough on real-time voice recognition technology via its AI blog. Using AI technology and tapping into the neural processing capabilities of its Pixel phones, Gboard users can now offline real-time speech recognition.

Google looks to be cutting back on its computing hardware efforts reports Business Insider. According to the report, dozens of engineers and program managers working on the Pixelbook and Pixel Slate have been told to seek other roles within the Alphabet parent company.

Early adopters can keen to get their hands on the Android Q beta will have a wider range of devices from which to choose this time around. Android developer Illiyan Malhev has revealed the even more OEMs will be on board for the Android Q beta testing program expected to launch at Google’s I/O 2019 developer conference in May.

After the March security update, users of the Pixel 3 phones are reporting stability issues with their camera apps. The app apparently lags heavily and tends to completely glitch out during use. This, of course, begs the question of what exactly the Pixels are good for if their cameras are unreliable.

Some Google Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL smartphone owners have been reporting that the March update for their devices has optimized read/write storage performance to a considerable degree. Images of AndroBench comparisons between February’s update and March’s update show some benchmark results drastically improving.

Google is continuing to ramp up its efforts in the custom silicon space. According to Reuters, the company has just added 16 new staff to its “gChips” team based in Bengaluru India with backgrounds working with chip makers include Intel, Qualcomm, Broadcom and Nvidia.

A recent commit in the Android Open Source Project Gerrit revealed that Google is working on adding hardware support for multi-SIM capabilities. One of the comments from a Googler suggests that the upcoming Pixel 4 will be packing support for eSIM and a physical SIM with dual standby.

A listing for a Google Pixel 4 device has turned up on Geekbench that shows some surprising details and unimpressive benchmark results. The smartphone, which has the codename “sargo” associated with it in the Geekbench post, will apparently offer 2 GB RAM and an octa-core processor with a base clock of 1.80 GHz.

Phones from the most recent Pixel generation (and the Essential PH-1) have been reported as having received notifications to download the latest security patch for Android. Essential has noted that this update also contains other necessary additions such as bug-fixes. This patch may roll out to other devices later on, depending on their OEMs and carriers.

MySmartPrice has discovered another Geekbench listing for the mysterious “Rammus” device. The latest appearance on Geekbench has thrown up some interesting information, such as the mention of an Intel Core i7-8500Y processor and Android 9 as the potential operating system. The page itself is specifically titled “Google Rammus.”

A new phone, apparently made by Google, has appeared on the Geekbench 4 database. It is called the Pixel 3a XL, suggesting that it could be of the long-anticipated 'Pixel 3 Lite' line. This phone runs Android 9.0 and is powered by an unnamed Qualcomm processor that has given it distinctly mid-range scores.

Although more images shot in various scenarios would be needed for a final decision, the image showing the same night scene as captured by the iPhone XS and the Pixel 3 that was posted on Twitter by Google's Marvin Chow has a clear winner. However, Apple still has to add a dedicated night mode to its handsets and, once that happens, things might change.

Further leaks of Android Q, which can be run on devices such as the Pixel 3 line, may have uncovered more detail on the coming OS upgrade. It appears that Google has prepared a new font, called Arvolato, for the update. In addition, users may be able to roll back apps after they update, as well as block them from reading the contents of a clipboard.

The next Google I/O event is scheduled for May 7 to 9 2019, at the Shoreline Amphitheater, Mountain View, California. These details were uncovered as part of some code relating to a cryptic Tweet on the subject. This conference may focus on the release of Android 10 (Q).

A new Geekbench listing has revealed what appears to be Google's Pixel 4, running on Android Q and sporting both 6 GB of RAM and a Snapdragon 855.

In a world where some believe innovation in the smartphone industry to have plateaued, 2018 managed to give us a number of brilliant smartphones. Here we take a close look at the devices we just cannot wait to see in 2019, with a focus on what makes them so interesting.

The Mate 20 Pro was hyped to the high heavens at launch, with rumors claiming it would be by far the highest rated device on DxOMark. The device was benchmarked yesterday, however, and only managed to match the P20 Pro, with the older flagship having the advantage in several departments.

Project Ara had once been hotly anticipated as the future of mobile devices with enhanced future-proofing and general upgradeability. The prototype produced through this Google initiative was a basic frame to which various interchangeable modules could be attached. The project's public profile had dwindled since; however, it seems its makers haven't forgotten about it yet.

Fossil Group has issued a press release to announce a US$40 million deal with Google. The search engine giant will be purchasing intellectual property (IP) from the well-known American designer label in regard to smartwatch technology. There has been speculation that Google is preparing to mount a challenge to Apple’s current dominance of the smartwatch market.

The first benchmarks using a Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 reference device have started to roll in. This new processor has done impressively well compared to its predecessor in two separate tests. It has also outdone devices with the Kirin 980 and A12 Bionic chipsets, albeit mostly in terms of graphics performance

The possibility of mid-range counterparts for the Pixel 3 and 3 XL is the subject of much rumor and speculation at present. It is thought that these new Google phones may be powered by the Snapdragon 670 and 710 respectively. A new listing on Geekbench may have confirmed this in part.

Google has updated its Messages app to help identify and block spam. The new feature is starting to find its way to users, although it isn’t clear how far and wide the rollout is at this stage.

Google’s upcoming mid-range phones have leaked extensively over the past few months. A new report claims that the two devices, the Pixel 3 Lite and Pixel 3 XL Lite, are billed to be launched in spring 2019.

The new Google ad featuring Macauley Culkin reprising his role as Kevin McCallister has been a smash hit racking up over 31 million views on YouTube since it was published on December 19. However, it appears that there might be two versions of the clip circulating; one with the standard Pixel 3 XL as we know it with a notch, and one with what could be an Easter Egg showing a variation of the same device, but with the notch hidden (or absent altogether) but with an edge-to-edge screen.

Google’s relatively new Pixel 3 finally made the trip over to DxOMark and earned an overall score most would consider to be lacking. Here, we take a closer look at the Pixel 3’s review with a focus on elements that may have contributed to it being ranked below unassuming devices like Xiaomi’s Mi Mix 3.

The Galaxy S10 series may introduce Bright Night, Samsung's take on the super-low-light image-capturing feature. Hints to this effect were found in part of the code from a One UI beta for the Galaxy Note 9. This trend may be well-established by now, but may still be a valuable selling point for the Korean OEM.

A number of Pixel 3 and 3XL owners have reportedly taken to the Google Product Forums to complain about issues with voice-calls on their devices. These problems apparently include low-quality in-call audio, connection issues and more. On the other hand, there are claims that the December Android 9.0 software update is a solution in some cases.