Android

German smartphone maker Carbon has launched the Carbon 1 Mk II. The new Android-powered device is made from a carbon fiber composite that integrates special materials into its design to allow for the unimpeded transmission of cellular signals.

Users in Germany can now use their Samsung Galaxy smartwatches to make purchases via Samsung Pay. A one-time setup is required via a linked Android smartphone. After that, one only requires to enter a PIN to authenticate every transaction. Only a handful of Galaxy Watch and Galaxy Watch models support it, for now.

Qualcomm offers a range of products that support or serve mobile wireless audio, ranging from its aptX technology to the entire 8-series of mobile SoCs. Now, it has announced that this panel of technology has a new, unified platform: Snapdragon Sound. It will also act as a badge to signal to the consumer that its specs are present in a given product.

According to a new rumour, OnePlus is gearing to release a successor to the popular OnePlus Nord. Dubbed the OnePlus Nord 2, the device will arrive between April and June 2021. However, the OnePlus Nord 2 will supposedly eschew Qualcomm Snapdragon chipsets for the MediaTek Dimensity 1200.

Realme has launched its first flagship device of 2021. The OEM asserts that the new GT 5G has been designed and equipped to get the most out of its Snapdragon 888 platform, from its "gaming" 120Hz E4 AMOLED display to its new stainless steel-augmented cooling system. It also does indeed come in finishes that include "racing-stripe" vegan leather, and starts at just under ~US$450 in China.

OnePlus plans to release the OnePlus 9 Pro in an exclusive colour, according to new reports. Supposedly called Stellar Black, the colour appears to have a textured matte finish. Meanwhile, pre-orders for the OnePlus 9 series and the OnePlus Watch should commence on March 23.

Nubia has unveiled its newest Red Magic 6 and Red Magic 6 gaming smartphones in China. Both phones come with several interesting features, such as a 6.8-inch AMOLED screen with a 165Hz refresh rate, 400Hz adaptive shoulder triggers, a 500ms touch sampling rate, and more. Nubia will launch both devices globally on March 15.

The Redmi Note 10 series has finally been launched in India, and fans of the series in other markets now have something concrete to anticipate. According to a new leak, however, Xiaomi may make some changes with the Redmi Note 10 lineup in Europe.

The Redmi K40 series seems to have been a massive hit among the Chinese audience, as it managed to sell over 300,000 units within five minutes of going on sale in China. That number includes all three Redmi K40 variants, including the Redmi K40, Redmi K40 Pro and Redmi K40 Pro Plus. The next round of sales will take place on March 8.

The POCO F3 will not be an original device, as the Pocophone F1 was in 2018. Instead, the FCC has inadvertently confirmed that the POCO F3 will be a re-branded Redmi K40. The POCO F3 will also feature the Snapdragon 870, which is a repackaged Snapdragon 865 itself.

Vivo has announced the S9 5G, alongside its more budget S9e 5G sibling. The main event here has the new, 6nm Dimensity 1100 SoC, which is now packaged in a distinctly iPhone 12-like design, complete with a notch for a dual selfie camera. It can be pre-ordered from now in China, starting at ~US$464 for an 8GB RAM base model.

The Lenovo Yoga Tabs are Android slates marked by unique rolling grips at one end that may also house speakers and USB type C ports. Now, it looks like the OEM has a new member of this series in the works. The "Yoga Tab 13" has appeared on Google and Geekbench databases with 8GB of RAM and Android 11.

Samsung's upcoming upper-mid-range smartphone, the Galaxy A82, made its first-ever Geekbench appearance today. It is running a two-year-old Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 SoC, which is confirmed by its single and multi-core scores of 757 and 2,650, respectively. This particular variant has 6GB RAM and runs Android 11.

A teardown video of the new Redmi K40 series has revealed what to expect from Xiaomi's new flagship killers when they debut globally later this year. Both the Redmi K40 and Redmi K40 Pro appear to run hot though, even with Xiaomi's LiquidCool Technology. The Snapdragon 870 in the Redmi K40 appears to run hotter than the Snapdragon 888 in the Redmi K40 Pro, too.

The release of the Mi 11 Lite 5G is fast approaching, as the device has just appeared on the Google Play Console. The listing reveals several details about the upcoming low-cost alternative to the Mi 11, including Xiaomi's use of a Snapdragon 765G SoC.

Initial findings within One UI 3.1 have seemingly confirmed rumours that Samsung plans to switch to Wear OS this year. According to kernel source code, Samsung is working on a new Galaxy Watch or Galaxy Watch Active device codenamed Merlot that runs Wear OS.

Meizu has got the jump on the premium Android smartphone launch season with its new 18 and 18 Pro flagships. The OEM has revealed that the series offers specs such as 120Hz curved displays, 50MP main cameras and internal storage with top-end UFS 3.1 speeds. The new devices are up for pre-order in China from now.

Xiaomi will launch the Redmi Note 10 series tomorrow in India, and specs of the top-of-the-line Redmi Note 10 Pro Max have now leaked ahead of launch. Notable takeaways include a flagship-grade 120 Hz AMOLED, a Snapdragon chipset, a big battery, and a 108 MP main camera.

Realme has announced that it will launch its first 108MP camera phone in 2021. Not only that, but the top-end sensor in question is Samsung's latest CMOS of this resolution: the ISOCELL HM2. It has features such as 3x lossless zoom, nonapixel binning. The OEM has developed "Starry", tilt-shift and Neon Portrait modes for it in the 8 Pro.

A new report from a Taiwanese news outlet tells us that TSMC plans on opening six new manufacturing plants in the U.S. The first plant will be based in Arizona. Construction is expected to begin later this year, and the facility will supposedly manufacture 12-inch (300mm) wafers.

Xiaomi plans to release two versions of the Mi 11 Lite, the POCO F3, POCO F3 Pro and the POCO X3 Pro in multiple markets, according to a new report. Apparently, Xiaomi will sell the Redmi K40 Pro as the POCO F3 Pro, like the POCO F2 Pro and the Redmi K30 Pro.

Samsung is currently believed to have a successor to the Galaxy S20 FE in the works. This idea is captured in new high-quality images published by LetsGoDigital. They depict a device that looks more like its putative forebear than the S21 series, albeit with different colors and an updated processor.

AnTuTu has published its Android flagship smartphone performance chart for February and the iQOO 7 has managed to stay in the number one position. Smartphones with the Snapdragon 888 SoC, such as the Redmi K40 Pro and Vivo X60 Pro+, occupy five out of the top six places. The Redmi K40 has taken up seventh position.

The new luxury foldable that carries the Vertu banner, namely the Ayxta Fold 5G, is actually a Royole FlexPai 2 with a back cover dressed in leather and with a few other minor visual touches. Hardware-wise, there is nothing mindblowing, but the price for China (via JD.com) exceeds the equivalent of US$7,000.

We are only two days into March, but Google has already started distributed new features to its Pixel smartphones. This month, the company has added the option of measuring heart rates using a camera and has improved sleep mode, among other changes.

Motorola's next smartwatch will feature the latest Snapdragon Wear 4100 SoC, which remains criminally under adopted by Wear OS smartwatch manufacturers. The circular smartwatch will also support GPS, NFC and 5 ATM water resistance.

A well-known industry insider has offered his view on the name of Xiaomi's upcoming foldable smartphone. Apparently, the device will herald the Mi Mix series' return, which Xiaomi has left dormant since the Mi Mix Alpha.

Samsung has three new Exynos chipsets in store for us, according to Ice Universe. One of them happens to be the Exynos 2200 that is expected to run an AMD GPU. The remaining two, Exynos 1200 and Exynos 851, will serve as successors to the Exynos 1080 and Exynos 850, respectively.

Oukitel has announced that its latest rugged phone is the first of its kind to ship with Android 11 out of the box. The device is also touted as "lightweight", which, given its MediaTek Helio A22 SoC and 4GB of RAM, might be meant in more ways than one. It will start at ~US$90 on its March 8, 2021 release.

The Redmi Note 10 series is on its way and more information about the Xiaomi mid-range lineup has now been revealed. Notable takeaways include some specs of the vanilla Redmi Note 10, and pricing of the global Redmi Note 10 Pro.

Evan Blass has revealed that the forthcoming Oppo Find X3 Pro will level up smartphone macro photography. The respected leaker says the new phone will feature a flash-ringed macro lens with 25x zoom capabilities akin to being to carry a pocketable microscope.

The 6.7-inch Samsung Galaxy S21+ is the middle model of the three Galaxy S21 flagships and combines the best of two worlds: With equipment very similar to the Galaxy S21, the size and battery are similar to the Galaxy S21 Ultra top model.

Laser TVs are devices much more like ultra-short-throw projectors than conventional big screens. Therefore, they can deliver larger display sizes with less harmful blue light, which is what customers want these days - according to Hisense, at least. This OEM claims that it sold over three times more laser TVs in 2020 internationally compared to 2019.

The OEM Realme has been rumored to launch a Dimensity 1200-powered phone called the X9 Pro roughly since MediaTek released this early-2021 flagship processor. A new leak purports to spill many more details about the phone, including that it will be its maker's first phone with a 108MP main camera.

OnePlus has finally released the stable OxygenOS 11 update for the OnePlus Nord. Some of its features include a new UI, gallery, Ambient Display features, and more. Only a few users will receive it initially starting today (March 1), as it is a staged rollout.

An often forgotten about feature of Google Pixel smartphones has potentially saved someone's life. Unfortunately, car crash detection remains a Pixel-exclusive and is only available in three Anglophonic countries.

ASUS tends to go big with its ROG Phone series, and the ROG Phone 5 will be no different. According to multiple Geekbench listings, the company plans to release the ROG Phone 5 with 18 GB of RAM, giving the device bragging rights over its contemporaries.

According to a roadmap published by CE Brands Inc, Motorola plans to release at least three smartwatches in 2021. A Moto G smartwatch for June has been mentioned, as have the Moto Watch and Moto One for July.

The discovery of a Xiaomi phone with a model number rumored to be that of the Mi 11 Pro on Geekbench might normally be welcome news. However, the report proved more alarming in this case, as it alleged the device had the MediaTek Dimensity 1000+ SoC instead of the expected Snapdragon 888. However, it has since been debunked by another popular name in tech leaks.

According to reports, OnePlus will launch the OnePlus 9, OnePlus 9R, OnePlus 9 Pro and the OnePlus Watch later this month. Apparently, it has been confirmed that the hardware event will not occur until late March, but OnePlus will make some sort of announcement on March 8. OnePlus has hinted at its upcoming Hasselblad partnership, too.

Although only the front is no longer a secret, it is obvious that the Samsung Galaxy XCover 5 is not a huge step forward in terms of design when compared to its predecessor. One can easily notice the thick borders and bezels, a red button on the left side, as well as the power and volume buttons on the right.

Microsoft’s Surface Duo will address at least two major shortcomings when it launches later this year. The new device will pick up 5G support for the first time but is also expected to bring substantially improved camera performance.

According to a new leak, the Xiaomi Mi 11 Pro will feature a periscope camera and Samsung's new 50 MP ISOCELL GN2 camera. The Mi 11 Pro will be capable of up to 50x zoom, too.

Nothing is the name of Carl Pei's new tech start-up, his first since leaving OnePlus in 2020. It has been introduced as based in London; however, it also now has an Indian presence. It is to be led by Manu Sharma, formerly a Samsung executive. Pei projects that he will "play a pivotal role for our growth in India".

The RedMagic line of Android phones are usually styled so as not to be mistaken for anything other than the mobile gaming powerhouses they are meant to be. Their latest 6 generation's design, officially outed by TENAA, is an evolution of the preceding 5S. They apparently come in some relatively sedate dark themes - except, of course, for the brand's rumored new foray into a vibrant pink-and-purple combo.

In our review, the Moto G 5G from Motorola proves to be an interesting mid-range smartphone in the price range of less than 300 Euros (~$364). However, the Motorola phone might not be suitable for display fans...

The tech blog MySmartPrice claims to have found a new page on Samsung India's support website for a device called the "SM-E025F/DS". A quick decoding of Samsung's model number convention does seem to suggest a new phone that, moreover, belongs to a whole new Galaxy E series. Then again, this leak has yet to be officially confirmed.

Honor is a popular smartphone brand recently cut loose from the OEM Huawei in an ostensible bid to free it from that company's ongoing trade restrictions. Since then, Honor has completely rebuilt its business and is preparing to be a contender in 2021, according to the latest leaks. This will apparently involve lots of in-demand tech, the development of this brand's first foldable included.

The OPPO Find X3 and X3 Pro are hotly-anticipated smartphones as they are touted to combine the highest-end of Android specs in 2021 with arguably iPhone-like looks. A Weibo tipster has uploaded what looks like an official poster from the OEM that contains their launch date information. Should this leak prove accurate, the event in question might also introduce Lite and Neo variants for the new line.