Android

Samsung had announced that One UI 4, an OS skin based on the upcoming Android 12 version, would become available in a preview form last month. Now, a Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra has been detected as running what could be this update on Geekbench 5. Therefore, the beta in question might be released soon.

A new leak has now tipped Google's upcoming premium phones, the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro, to launch within the next few weeks. On September 13, to be exact. The phones will offer premium specifications and are expected to debut as two of the best camera smartphones on the market.

Samsung's new flagship, the ~US$1,800 Galaxy Z Fold3, is one of relatively few phones on the market designed to bend in half - albeit in one direction only. Now, the popular YouTube channel JerryRigEverything reveals what happens when someone tries to fold the ultra-premium device in other ways.

Netflix has confirmed the existence of its new mobile gaming arm through the release of its first two compatible titles. Then again, they are only available to its subscribers in Poland and on Android thus far. Both of the games in question are from the Stranger Things franchise, and can be played without ads through their new portal.

The Fossil Gen 6 wearables are smartwatches that have leaked extensively in terms of putative specs and design choices, although the OEM has been able to keep the date of their unveiling a mystery thus far. However, it has now released an email to its subscribers that drops heavy hints that the devices will make it to a launch before September 2021.

A new leak has now provided some much-needed information about the cameras on Samsung's upcoming Galaxy S22 and S22+. It appears the two phones will finally offer a substantial camera upgrade, after Samsung kept hardware mostly the same across the S20 and S21 series.

Xiaomi is bringing the Redmi K40 Pro+ to Europe as the Mi 11i. The first "i" smartphone in the Mi 11 series ranks between the Mi 11 Lite 5G and the Mi 11 in terms of performance and equipment. As our review reveals, the gap to the more expensive Mi 11 high-end model is only very narrow in some cases.

Speculation in China indicated that the upcoming Realme Pad could come equipped with a Snapdragon 768G. Those look to have been completely off the mark, as new information claims the upcoming AMOLED tablet will sport the much less impressive MediaTek Helio G80 instead. Other specifications have now also been confirmed.

The Samsung Galaxy A22 4G dares to replace the modern 5G mobile communication standard with other equipment characteristics. But is it still able to keep up with other smartphones?

Google may have sparked some dissatisfaction by announcing YouTube Music for wearables, then confirming that it is compatible with smartwatches capable of running the latest Wear OS 3 version only. A mobile security analyst has tried what is probably one of the most effective work-arounds for this potential problem, but ultimately came up unsuccessful in this effort.

A Vivo executive is now quoted as saying that this Android OEM's former flagship NEX line is indeed to be brought back from the dead. It will apparently follow an annual product cycle, which will resume from the first half of 2022 onward. Nevertheless, leaks for the upcoming top-end X70 series continue apace.

New information tips Chinese smartphone makers, Xiaomi, to adopt a 1/1.5-inch 50 MP camera that will displace the 64 MP Sony IMX686 as its CMOS sensor of choice. This move ensures that better camera performance will trickle down to the company's cheaper smartphones.

Motorola is currently said to have a couple of new Moto E-series smartphones in the works. One of them may have found its way onto Geekbench, in a new leak that purports to confirm numerous rumored specs for the device. They include SoC and RAM profiles that are emphatically in the lowest of market tiers, especially for 2021.

Google has teased UWB support in the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro, its next flagship smartphones. The Pixel 6 series will feature 5G mmWave connectivity too, courtesy of a Samsung-supplied modem.

Google will be selling a trio of Pixel smartphones by the end of the year, with the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro due to arrive later this year. In the meantime, Google has mocked Apple by referencing the headphone jack, a port that Google long-abandoned itself on its flagships.

OPPO is conspicuous in the absence of the mid-year flagship (or flagship refresh) launches in which other Android OEMs have come to indulge in 2021. However, according to a knowledgeable leaker, such devices from this company might be on the way after all. Some of them are slated to come in foldable, ColorOS 12-powered form, no less.

Philips has upgraded its OLED+ TV line, its flagship OLED TV series. The OLED+ 936 series will be available in three sizes later this month, with a few changes from the OLED+ 935, including HDMI 2.1 support.

The Microsoft Surface Duo 2 has made its way to Geekbench in over a dozen listings. The upcoming handset runs Android 11 using a Snapdragon 888 and 8 GB of RAM, both upgrades over the hardware in the Surface Duo. Other improvements are afoot too, including high refresh rate displays.

One of Samsung India's latest Twitter posts effectively confirm that it will bring "Awesome for Everyone" in India with the Galaxy A52s 5G. A new page on the OEM's official website suggests this launch is definitely on the cards and will be completed in the very near future, although it has yet to say when exactly.

Vivo is slated to launch its next top-end mobile Android devices as the X70 series. Now, the OEM has confirmed that they will debut a chipset that the OEM has designed and developed in-house, called the V1. It will act as an image-signal processor (ISP) in the new phones. Meanwhile, the vanilla X70's appearance may have been spoiled in a new leak.

Huawei has unveiled EMUI 12, the apparent successor to EMUI 11. The new OS features a tweaked design, a revised control panel and is apparently designed 'in line with your senses'.

Recent reports seem to indicate that Xiaomi will equip its upcoming top-of-the-line flagship phone, the Xiaomi 12 Ultra, with an all-new 200 MP camera. That looks to be an error in translation, however. While a Xiaomi 12 series phone will indeed feature a 200 MP shooter, it's unlikely to be the Xiaomi 12 Ultra.

Weeks after unveiling MIUI 12.5 Enhanced and starting the rollout in China, Xiaomi has now announced the imminent release of the update to Global MIUI users. As expected, the rollout will start with the company's premium devices in the Mi 11, Mi 10, and Mi 10T series.

The Redmi Note 10 has been given another price hike in India. The popular smartphone from Xiaomi was officially launched in March of this year at the highly attractive price of ₹11,999 (US$162) for the 4/64 GB model. The Redmi Note 10 received a hefty price hike in early August and now the base model price tag has been upped again.

Samsung has started bringing One UI 3.1.1 features to One UI 3.1, its OS for smartphones. Apparently, One UI 3.1 now has faster animations, camera app performance improvements and new processing speed options under Device Care settings, among other changes.

Motorola is now said to have 2 new Moto E-series smartphones in the works. Two well-known leakers indicate that they will continue in the usually cost-effective vein of their predecessors, with modest specs and the Go version of Android 11. Then again, they might stand out with interesting rear-panel finishes and decently large screens.

Xiaomi is getting the recognition it deserves in China. At the just awarded China Mobile Awards, the company put up an incredible showing, with devices like Mi 11 Ultra, Mi 11 Pro, Mi 11, Redmi K40, Redmi Note 10 Pro, and Redmi Note 10 all earning plaudits.

Samsung has been taking pre-orders for its new Galaxy Z Fold3 and Flip3 premium smartphone in its native South Korea since August 17, 2021. The final stats for the 2 new flexible-display devices' first week of pre-orders are reportedly in. The pair have outdone both the Galaxy S21 and Galaxy Note 20 lines in this regard. The OEM has hailed the event as an "all-time high" in terms of interest in foldables.

Xiaomi has finally made the Mi Band 6, or Mi Smart Band 6 rather, official in India. Many fitness-tracker fans might welcome its upgraded 1.56-inch AMOLED display, expanded workout mode line-up and blood oxygen sensor. It will be available to buy via the OEM's channels in the country soon.

Another Vivo X70 series handset has leaked online, following the X70 Pro yesterday. Now, it is the turn of the X70 Pro Plus, the presumed flagship of Vivo's upcoming smartphone series.

The launch date for the Galaxy S21 FE remains up in the air but a new leak has now provided a close look at what to expect from Samsung's next premium phone. Notable takeaways include a smaller display than the Galaxy S20 FE and a sound quashing of 32 MP camera rumors.

The Realme 8 and Realme 8 Pro smartphones have been included on an unofficial list of devices that support the company’s dynamic RAM expansion (DRE) technology. The amount of virtual RAM that can be added depends on the phone, with the upper limit hitting an extra 7 GB. The update for the Realme 8 has already started rolling out.

Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro users still have to wait for at least a few weeks before the Enhanced Edition firmware, but the arrival of the MIUI Global 12.5.5 Stable update is still good news. In addition to the August 2021 security patch, this piece of code also comes with an all-new Notes app and multiple optimizations.

Smartphone fires can be deadly, but especially when they occur on an aircraft. Unfortunately for Samsung, one of its smartphones was involved in such an incident on an Alaska Airlines flight, resulting in an evacuation of all passengers and crew members.

Motorola has made good on an interesting round of rumors with the launch of the Moto G50 5G. Unlike the pre-existing phone of the same name, this one has a MediaTek Dimensity-series SoC rather than a Qualcomm platform. It is available to buy from now - albeit only from Lenovo's division in Australia.

Samsung has launched its latest phone for the Indian market as one with quad rear cameras, a 5,000mAh battery and 12-band 5G support. The Galaxy M32 5G is powered by a MediaTek Dimensity processor, has up to 8GB of RAM and has (almost suspiciously) up-to-date mid-range Samsung looks. Its preview page on Amazon.in indicates that it will go live in September 2021.

An extensive leak has revealed more about the Vivo X70 Pro, one of the company's next flagship killers. The Vivo X70 Pro not only has a premium design, but also Zeiss-branded cameras, among other flagship-grade hardware.

Third-party retailers have started selling the Tab V7 Pro, Honor's latest tablet. The Magic UI 5.0 tablet starts at US$569.99 and comes with a 120 Hz display and a MediaTek Kompanio 1300T SoC.

YouTube Music has arrived on Wear OS, bringing offline downloads to the Galaxy Watch 4 and Galaxy Watch 4 Classic. There are numerous drawbacks to Google's music service on Wear OS though, including performance issues and the inability to stream anything.

The Samsung Galaxy S21 FE has leaked once again, this time on the Google Play Console. The Fan Edition smartphone will launch with a Snapdragon 888 SoC and at least 6 GB of RAM, along with a 1080p display punctured by a centred hole punch.

Xiaomi plans to sell its refreshed Mi 11 Lite under different names depending on where you buy it. The new device will also lose the 'Mi' from its name while gaining 'NE', becoming the Xiaomi 11 Lite NE.

The Realme Pad has now been claimed to be scheduled for a September 9 release. Specs of the AMOLED tablet surfaced days ago, and a new leak now also tips it to be more of an affordable option than an Apple iPad-fighting device.

The existence of a Redmi Note 10 Lite smartphone, which is apparently headed for the India market, has been confirmed in app code and the IMEI database. It seems this upcoming Redmi Note 10 Lite is simply a 2021 version of the Redmi Note 9 Pro (India), which is also known in other parts of the world as the Redmi Note 9S.

A new leak has revealed the internal aliases of Xiaomi's upcoming flagship phones, the Xiaomi 12 and Xiaomi 12 Ultra. The phones will bear the codenames "Cupid" and "Zeus" respectively, and "Cupid" has now been tipped to launch in November without MIUI 13 out of the box.

Samsung really does not want people unlocking their devices. With the Galaxy Z Fold 3, unlocking the bootloader disables the device's cameras. While seemingly a software lock, it is not a good look for the South Korean company.

The launch of the Pixel 6 series is probably still at least a month away, but a Google manager has seemingly posted a screenshot from the Pixel 6 Pro on Twitter. Innocuous enough perhaps, but the image may have confirmed two aspects about the upcoming flagship smartphone.