Android

Huawei appears to have filed a patent for a dual-screen smartphone. A Twitter user has envisioned what it could look like, with the second screen located right next to the rear camera module. The device in question could be the Huawei P50 Pro+, but there's no way to know for sure.

A new report has found that Samsung sold just under 600,000 units of the Galaxy S21 series in the first 4 weeks since its launch in this OEM's home country. The flagships have not done so well in this respect since the Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus debuted in 2017. Furthermore, the Galaxy A31 was found to be the best-selling Android phone in South Korea for 2020.

Nokia is rumored to have a new G-series of Android devices in the works, the first of which is to be the G10. That prefix has led to speculation that they will form a new "gaming" arm for the HMD Global brand, although nothing is certain yet. Then again, the G10 is also said to have been registered by Thai authorities as the TA-1334.

Samsung has two new wearables in store for us, the Galaxy Watch 4 and the Galaxy Watch Active 4. Both smartwatches are expected to be launched sometime in Q2, 2021, and will likely be the first Samsung devices to run WearOS instead of Tizen.

According to a comprehensive leak, Qualcomm has built the Snapdragon 775 and Snapdragon 775G on a 5 nm process. The duo should receive Kryo 6xx CPU cores too, along with support for up to LPDDR5-3200 RAM. Both chipsets may be compatible with 120 Hz displays, too.

Those who are interested in the Motorola Moto G9 Power are probably looking for a smartphone with a lot of battery power. That is indeed the case, but the smartphone is no longer alone on the market in this regard.

Realme has launched the C21 in Malaysia with a unique rear panel that might make even those not looking for a budget phone take a second look. It houses a 5,000mAh battery that also allows the device to double as a power bank. Its opposite side offers a large enough 6.5-inch HD+ display.

The accessories company Spigen has reportedly updated its OnePlus-compatible range with listings for the three devices thought to comprise an upcoming flagship series. According to this leak, they are the 9, 9 Pro - and 9E, despite recent tips that purport to change this name to 9R. However, it now seems this story has been subject to some changes.

OPPO has now confirmed that its premium Find X3 smartphone series will launch on March 11, 2021. Its flagship, the X3 Pro, is now rumored to have a display panel that combines the high-end E4 AMOLED and LTPO specs. However, it will allegedly also start for less than a Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra with the same amount of internal storage.

Oppo has taken the top spot in the Chinese smartphone market for the first time. The latest data from Counterpoint Research shows that Oppo claimed a 21 percent share of the market to take the lead with Huawei and Vivo tied for second with a 20 percent share of the market each.

The Mijia Mi Smart Projector 2 Pro is a relatively portable FHD projector launched by Xiaomi with the potential advantage of a time-of-flight (ToF) sensor for added focus capabilities in late 2020 in China. Now, it has a Global variant, which means it runs Android TV and is available on Banggood from now.

The official Weibo channel for the Master Lu benchmark claims to have seen its first 18GB RAM phone. Somewhat unsurprisingly, it is the ROG Phone 5, which has also surfaced on Geekbench with this ground-breaking spec. On this occasion, it has apparently shot right to the top of the rankings in this test.

The LG V60 ThinQ was released right about a year ago. Sadly, it appears fans of the lineup will not be getting an LG V70—or a successor at all—anytime soon, with LG reportedly halting all plans for such a device. That is likely down to the current uncertainty around the future of LG's mobile division.

Google is expected to release two new Pixel devices in Q2 2021, and one in as soon as mid-April. According to a new report, a third-generation Pixel Buds will arrive first and will be followed by a new Pixel smartphone in June. In all likelihood, Google will release the Pixel 5a, the follow-up to last year's Pixel 4a (5G).

Xiaomi has certified the Mi 11 Pro and the Mi 11 Ultra in China with the TENAA. The two devices should be Xiaomi's flagship Mi 11 series smartphones and will be more premium versions of the Mi 11 that Xiaomi announced globally last month.

The RedMagic 6 Pro is Nubia's new mobile gaming flagship phone equipped with ultra-fast 120 watt (W) charging technology. The OEM markets this phone as capable of re-filling its 4500mAh battery to 0-50% in just 5 minutes, or all the way to 100% in 17 minutes. However, a vlogger claims his new 6 Pro can actually beat those times.

The Apple Watch, Huawei Watch GT and Galaxy Watch lines helped their respective OEMs maintain their leading positions in the smartwatch space in 2020. This was a year in which the market showed relatively little growth, although its premium segment enjoyed a "significant" uptick.

Huawei has come out swinging in response to criticism that the smartphone version of HarmonyOS is nothing more than a re-branded EMUI. According to reports, Huawei asserts that people do not have an 'understanding of open-source software' if they believe such things. However, in doing so, Huawei has confirmed that HarmonyOS is not the brand-new OS that it wants us to believe it is.

Samsung has already started distributing One UI 3.1 to its flagship tablet from 2019. The OS, based on Android 11, has arrived two months earlier than planned, and brings a host of new features to the tablet.

Xiaomi has launched the Redmi Note 10 series in India. The Note 10 series includes the Redmi Note 10 Pro Max, Redmi Note 10 Pro, and the base Redmi Note 10. The Pro Max and Pro variants feature largely similar specs including a 120 Hz Super AMOLED display and a Snapdragon 732G SoC. The Redmi Note 10, on the other hand, is powered by a Snapdragon 678 chip and offers a 60 Hz Super AMOLED display.

Marshall has launched its first TWS earbuds joining a highly competitive field of listening options. The new Marshall Mode II true wireless earbuds of course carry the famous Marshall name to help them stand out from the crowd, but they also come with a very strong list of features.

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.