Android

Xiaomi is yet to start rolling out MIUI 12.5 globally, but it has issued its latest OS to seven more devices in China. Following on from the Mi 11, now the Mi 11 Ultra, Mi 11 Pro, Mi 11, Mi 10 Ultra, Mi 10 Pro, Mi 10 and even the Mi 9 SE are eligible for an MIUI 12.5 stable update.

Realme has launched the Q3 Pro as the brand's first ever phone with the new Dimensity 1100 SoC. It is joined by the vanilla Q3, powered by the Snapdragon 750G, and the Q3i, which has an older Dimensity 700 chipset. The latter starts at just 1000 yuan (~US$154).

Samsung is expected to launch a Galaxy S21 Fan Edition (or FE) later in 2021. This rumor is illustrated in new renders that suggest this putative affordable flagship variant will come with a rear panel much like that of the pre-existing S21 and may come in up to 5 different colors.

The RedMagic Watch is one of the latest options on the global wearables market. It has a 1.39-inch AMOLED display, a blood-oxygen sensor and 24-hour heart-rate monitoring. It also now has a US$99 price-tag on the brand's international website.

Oppo is planning to release another Reno5 smartphone, this time a budget 'A' model. The Reno5 A will have a large display, a 64 MP primary camera and a capacitive fingerprint scanner, among other features.

Rumour has it that Samsung plans to release the Galaxy A22 for just US$180, which would make it the company's cheapest 5G smartphone. Now, OnLeaks has revealed how the Galaxy A22 looks, complete with a 360° video.

OnePlus has launched a surprise gaming accessory compatible with both Android smartphones and iPhones. The new Gaming Triggers have been designed to give a more tactile experience, and an advantage, when playing Battle Royale-style multiplayer mobile games.

After a buggy update from Android 10 to Android 11, the Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro finally gets things right. The MIUI 12.1.5 update that includes last month's security patch feels snappier and some of the most annoying issues of its predecessor (fingerprint scanner response, overall lag) are now history.

Google’s forthcoming Pixel 5a 5G looks set to be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G. This is the same mid-range SoC found in its current flagship, the Pixel 5 and would mark a significant upgrade for this product line.

OnePlus is holding a Spring sale event on its US webstore from April 21 (today) to 27, 2021. It involves a limited-time offer on the 8 Pro, the OEM's 2020 flagship smartphone. It can be had for as little as US$599 during this promotion.

The popular Fan Edition (FE) variant of the Galaxy S20 series launched with 2 versions: one that is 4G-only with the Exynos 990 SoC and one with 5G and the Snapdragon 865. However, Samsung has now revealed that it will release the latter in 4G-only flavor. It might make a good deal for some consumers.

Oppo has revealed the K9, a smartphone it claims will deliver 'Super Performance'. The Oppo K9 will launch on May 6 with a 64 MP primary camera and a slim design.

Xiaomi has confirmed that the Redmi K40 Gaming Edition will feature a MediaTek Dimensity 1200, an SoC that should compete with the Snapdragon 870 in the Redmi K40. The Redmi K40 Gaming Edition will have some exclusive features though, including several shoulder buttons and a lighting array on its camera housing.

The Legion Phone Duel 2 (or 2 Pro) launched with one of the most innovative and landscape-oriented designs of any Android device in 2021 thus far. Unfortunately, this also made it one of the most fragile phones this year. The OEM has started to respond to customer concerns with extended warranties.

Sony has announced a new limited edition white model of its popular WH-1000XM4 noise-cancelling headphones. The new model is available for pre-order now and will be released in June.

A recent Geekbench 5 record has been dug up for the Sony Xperia 5 III that shows the Snapdragon 888-powered compact-ish smartphone producing very healthy results, especially over its Xperia 5 II predecessor. The Xperia 5 III outgunned powerful rivals such as the Samsung Galaxy S21+ and Asus ROG Phone 3 in the single-core and multi-core tests.

XDA Developers discovered a new app auto-hibernate feature that automatically deletes temporary files and cached storage for unused apps. The feature also retains the auto-revoke functions of Android 11, which automatically revoke privileges for unused apps.

Realme has announced that the Q3 smartphone (or possibly smartphones) will debut on April 22, 2021. The line has also been confirmed to be the OEM's first to feature the new MediaTek Dimensity 1100 SoC. Their maker has also strongly hinted that the new Q-series devices will have 120Hz displays, even though it might start at the ~US$150 level.

According to a new leak, the Galaxy Z Fold3 has obtained an actual certification for ingress-protection. The new tip fails to mention the exact IPxx number in question; nevertheless, it will still be the first time a foldable phone has had such a spec. Meanwhile, the Z Fold3 is also now rumored to be lighter than its predecessor.

Sony’s promotional efforts for the upcoming release of its Xperia 1 III flagship smartphone is now in full swing. The company has published a new video to YouTube depicting its Alpha camera engineers discussing how they developed its new camera system.

With the Redmi Note 10 Pro, Xiaomi has managed to create an all-around successful mid-range phone with a focus on the display. The mid-range competition will have a hard time beating this package of features at an MSRP of less than 280 Euros (~$336).

Another Sony Xperia smartphone could be in the pipeline for a 2021 release, with a noted leaker hinting at a further device launch for later in the year. A single letter mentioned by the tipster has created speculation that either a budget Sony Xperia phone could be coming or there might even be a return to the Ultra variants, possibly under a different model name.

Augmented reality applications may have been boosted Apple's adoption of LiDAR sensors in iPads and iPhones. However, rumour has it that Samsung will not include 3D ToF cameras in the Galaxy S22 series. Samsung started equipping DepthVision cameras in its flagship Galaxy S and Galaxy Note series, starting with the Galaxy S10 series in 2019.

Xiaomi's official MIUI 12.5 device list is rather lacklustre; only eighteen devices are confirmed to receive the OS update so far. Reportedly, Xiaomi is testing MIUI 12.5 on over three dozen handsets, including the Mi 8 and Redmi Note 8 Pro.

Samsung has reportedly applied to trademark the phrase "Armor Frame" in the EU, US and South Korea. Its new American IP application specifically indicates that it applies to smartphones, inviting speculation that it refers to a new engineering or design tweak for its upcoming flagships, particularly those of a foldable nature.

Many Android phone owners use apps that mirror or "wrap" the mobile Facebook interface rather than use this company's app. However, the social media giant has started to deprive them of this option. It has already had the apps Simple Social and Swipe taken down from Google's Play Store.

Xiaomi has updated the Mi A3 to the April 2021 security patch, a patch that addresses 18 critical or high CVEs for the Android One handset. However, V12.0.8.0.RFQMIXM also reportedly fixes a few bugs on the Mi A3, including DPI and charging status indicator issues.

Tipster Ice Universe has targeted the second half of 2021 for a breakthrough of smartphones with under-display cameras (UDCs). Devices expected to feature the technology include the forthcoming Samsung Galaxy Z Fold range, Xiaomi MIX 4, an Oppo foldable, VIVO and ZTE.

Samsung will release the Galaxy M42 soon exclusively through Amazon India. This device is most likely the Indian-market rebrand of the pre-existing A42. The OEM has confirmed that this version still runs on the Snapdragon 750G processor, and is thus a 5G smartphone.

The Android OS should upgrade to its latest 12 version in just a few months. There are some preview builds around, the latest of which is now reported to have a new and powerful feature. It is a service that translates app contents to a phone's system language. Some pre-existing third-party apps are capable of this, although it seems Google may want to bake it into their new UI.

The iQOO 7 was the cheapest phone to launch with the top-end Snapdragon 888 SoC on its Chinese-market launch. Now, the OEM has announced that it will venture into its first international market soon. It will be joined by a "new" vanilla variant with a different processor in India later in April 2021.

LG has announced that it is out of the Android smartphone game; on the other hand, the cutting-edge Rollable mobile device is apparently being readied for launch. The latest step in this process is having it certified to use NFC, as the leaker Mukul Sharma has discovered.

The noted Chinese benchmark Master Lu has published a chart of what it considers to be the best mobile phone user interfaces for the first quarter of 2021. ColorOS from Oppo heads the table followed by Realme UI and Huawei’s EMUI. There is no space for MIUI from Xiaomi in the top 10 positions.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab A7 Lite will launch soon with Android 11 out of the box - based on its latest leaks, that is. The latest tip relating to this possible budget slate indicates that it will debut in a silver colorway as well as the darker gray hinted at earlier. This option has a white front panel that may make its bezels more pronouced in real life.

Not only does Qualcomm's Snapdragon 888 have a reputation for being extremely fast, but also for being very hot. Asus has already demonstrated that it can cool its smartphones excellently in the past, but the new chip poses a challenge even for the gaming king.

The Xiaomi Mi 11 may be a great smartphone, but it is not up there with the camera performance of other flagship smartphones released this year, Mi 11 Ultra included. Unfortunately, the Mi 11 cannot meet Xiaomi's marketing, even with its 108 MP camera.

The Realme executive Chase Yu has strongly hinted at a brand-new style for the OEM's upcoming Q3, a phone that might start as low as ~US$153 (or 1000 yuan). That would be an impressive feat, as the device is also rumored to run on the upper-mid-range-at-worst Dimensity 1100 SoC and to have a 120Hz display.

Samsung is slated to launch the next generations of the Z Fold and Z Flip flagship lines in the second half of 2021. However, the OEM is now said to have an even more interesting foldable in the works for the next year after that. This "Galaxy Z Fold Tab" might be capable of bending at two points and, thus, have the scope for more modes compared to its predecessors.

The Mi Mix Fold is Xiaomi's first-gen foldable phablet, and thus offers an 8-inch main display in a book-like form-factor. It has just been released for sale in China, which, according to the OEM, has been a complete success. Xiaomi claims to have sold all stock of the device for ~US$61 million in just 1 minute.

The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra ships with an Exynos 2100 SoC in Europe and other regions, but with the Snapdragon 888 in China and North America. While the two SoCs are more or less even in terms of performance, DxOMark has shown that the Exynos 2100 model delivers worse image quality.

Weibo and Twitter stalwart Ice Universe has heard from multiple sources that the upcoming Galaxy Z Fold 3 will use an unannounced chipset from Samsung. It could likely be the Exynos 2100 successor, tentatively called the Exynos 2200.

Redmi has affirmed that it will launch its first "gaming phone" in 2021 - perhaps even this month, should the latest rumors prove true. As if to give this idea more weight, a device with its alleged model number is now approved for sale by the Chinese regulator 3C. Its new certificate also suggests it might launch with the same charging tech as the Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra flagship.

OnePlus released the US$159 OnePlus Watch a while ago. Sadly, though, the watch looks set to be a colossal flop, with reviews consistently panning it for its inability to be good at being, well, a smartwatch at the very least.

Motorola will launch the Moto G60 soon. This phone is the OEM's 108MP mid-ranger for 2021 that will come with the Snapdragon 732G processor and a 120Hz screen. According to its latest tip, these specs will be joined by 6GB of RAM - or 4GB in the G40 Fusion. This secondary variant has a 64MP main sensor instead, but will be very similar to the G60 otherwise.