Leaks / Rumors

Footage of a new Harry Potter/Wizarding World game has been leaked online, appearing recently on Reddit. There have been many Harry Potter-related video games in the past, but images captured from the leaked clip seem to show that this particular game could be the one HP fans have been waiting for. Unfortunately, the video is currently unavailable because it contained copyrighted content from Warner Bros. Entertainment Interactive.

It has been reported that Essential’s next smartphone-related product may be saturated with enough AI technology to enable users to have a full-fledged virtual assistant in their pockets. Apparently, there is a prototype in the works, and it could even see the light of day at the 2019 CES event in January. It's unlikely it will be a successor to the Essential Phone PH-1 though.

With rumors swirling around a possible iPad Pro announcement later this month, 9to5Mac has reported new features supposedly coming to Apple's upcoming tablet refresh. Citing sources familiar with the development of the iPad Pro, the new devices will bring an almost bezelless display, Face ID, and a few new tricks to Apple's "prosumer" tablet line.

It appears Microsoft is looking to buy out Obsidian Entertainment, if a report from Kotaku is accurate. Microsoft has acquired a number of video-game studios over the last few years, including paying US$2.5 billion to take over Mojang, the company that created Minecraft, in 2014. Obsidian has been behind titles such as Fallout: New Vegas and Pillars of Eternity.

The Radeon RX 570/580 successors are rumored to feature 12 nm Polaris 30 cores with increased frequencies, but same 8 GB GDDR5 VRAM. Performance-wise, these new models will most likely not be faster than the Vega 56/64 cards and will go head to head with Nvidia's GTX 1060/1070 chips.

In an interview with the Financial Times, Sony’s CEO Kenichiro Yoshida has admitted that the company is working on a new console, which is more than likely going to be the PlayStation 5 (although that name has yet to be confirmed). A number of sources have speculated that the PlayStation 4 successor will see the light of day in 2019 or 2020.

The Honor 8C has just been spotted on Huawei's Vmall online store and is expected to officially debut soon as the world's first Qualcomm Snapdragon 632-driven handset. This 6.26-inch handset also features 4 GB of memory, 64 GB of internal storage space, and a dual main camera that combines a 13 MP and a 2 MP sensor.

The all-screen-no-notch Honor Magic 2 is expected to debut on the last day of October with the HiSilicon Kirin 980 processor under the hood. Its specs are also rumored to include an in-display fingerprint reader, an AMOLED display, as well as a graphene-based battery — the first handset to use this technology.

Last year's W2018 seems to have been successful enough to get a successor, and so the flip phone refuses to fade away. The upcoming Samsung W2019 has just received its WiFi certification and is very likely to arrive in December. The rumors mention a Snapdragon 845 processor and a dual camera setup on the back.

A patent has been unearthed that has led some media outlets to speculate that Sony could be planning on delivering a PlayStation 5 console offering backwards compatibility. The patent for “remastering by emulation” was filed on November 22, 2016 by Sony Interactive Entertainment America LLC. However, some commentators have argued that the patent simply covers a method of sprucing up dated software.

Although the Mi 8 might beat it by around 10 percent in the graphics department, the upcoming Huawei Mate 20 appears to be faster in the other areas, scoring a total of 313,561 AnTuTu points vs. 287,469 for the Xiaomi flagship. The Huawei handset sports a HiSilicon Kirin 980 processor, 6 GB RAM, and 128 GB internal storage.

A well-known iOS developer, Luca Tudesco, is reported as stating that jailbreaking in the iPhone XS Max's A12 chip is possible. It may be a follow-up in which the related group Pangu claimed that they had done the same in iOS 12. However, there is no evidence that this option is more generally available yet.

Although Samsung has completed the work on its first-generation neural processing unit, it looks like the successor will be employed by the processor of the company's upcoming flagships, including the Galaxy S10. The new NPU architecture is expected to be used by the Exynos 9820 processor, which is supposed to arrive with a 2+2+4 core configuration.

About a month ago, Chiphell user Gtx9 leaked what he alleged was a Cinebench score of AMD's "Rome" server architecture. As Cinebench scores are easily manipulated, the weight behind Chiphell's leak was very weak. However, Gtx9 has returned with more convincing proof.

Some new images of the Google Pixel Slate tablet have appeared online, just ahead of the company’s hardware event that is taking place in New York City on October 9. The new device is expected to utilize Chrome OS and features a detachable keyboard and a stylus. The Slate will offer fresh competition for Apple’s iPads and Microsoft’s Surfaces.

The US Department of Homeland Security has issued a statement that seems to refute Bloomberg’s claim that a significant number of US companies had been compromised due to clandestine microchips reporting sensitive data back to China. Amazon Web Services and Apple have also rebuked the article’s content.

Think the Google Pixels are great devices with slightly mortifying price tags? You may be interested in the new device Google is said to be working on, as it will most likely be a cheaper Pixel alternative.

While the market still lingers on dual rear cameras, some OEMs may be making the step up to a quad-rear camera setup.

The Pixel 3 XL is likely to include that most divisive of features: the notch. A new leak, containing a screen protector described as fitting the upcoming Google phone, may give an idea of its extent in real life. This leak also suggests that, otherwise, the Pixel 3 XL's front panel is not much different to that of the 2 XL.

A patent by Nintendo has been unearthed that appears to show a Game Boy cover for an electronic device, such as a smartphone. The patent was filed with the United States Patent and Trademark Office in March 2018 and describes an attachable cover with operation buttons. Drawings included with the patent application look just like the iconic Game Boy console.

The Huawei Mate 20 series' distributor-price structure at launch may have been revealed in a new leak. On the other hand, this leak is Swiss, and, thus, the prices are in francs. However, it may yet be a decent indication of how much the new phones may cost in other markets.

The Galaxy S10 will be the biggest smartphone launch after the iPhone X that was released a year ago, in part due to the triple rear camera setup the device will feature. Details of those three cameras have now surfaced.

Initial CAD renders of Sony's upcoming Xperia XA3 mid-range phone have surfaced. The device will sport dual rear cameras, a side-mounted fingerprint sensor, and a clean, eye-catching design.

The Moto G7 may be quite a while away from launch but renders and details of the device have surfaced, showing us a device with one of the most distasteful front designs we've seen this year.

After selling more than 20 million Switch units, Nintendo is on its way to the launch of this handheld gaming console's second iteration, which is expected to arrive next summer. Although it will probably not make the move to an OLED panel, the Nintendo Switch 2 should feature an improved LCD display and upgrades in all the essential areas.

The Razer Phone appealed to a large enough crowd that Razer has confirmed it will be releasing a successor to the gaming device. Renders of the Razer Phone 2 surfaced a short while ago, showing a device that looks identical to its predecessor bar a few changes.

According to a leak posted on Twitter, Finnish telecommunications company HMD Global is working on a new flagship device that will eventually be called the Nokia 9 PureView. The PureView name has been associated with smartphones in the past, such as the Microsoft Lumia 950 XL. The PureView technology brand was acquired by HMD Global in August 2018.

Although Huawei was never very fast to update its handsets, it seems that the Mate 10 Pro is already receiving Android 9.0 Pie in Europe. Two months since its release, the latest Android version still struggles to hit the 0.1 percent market share. In other markets, this handset should get the update — which comes with EMUI 9.0 on top — in the coming weeks.

A lucky Reddit user by the name of GroveStreeHomie was able to buy a (currently unannounced) third-generation Chromecast from his local Best Buy. The new device features a slightly tweaked design and might have some new features, such as Bluetooth. Unfortunately, the device is currently unusable as it requires an update to the Google Home app that isn't available yet.

Evan Blass, a noted tech leaker, has now confirmed that LG will be launching its latest Android wearable, the Watch W7, alongside the V40 smartphone this Wednesday. While the watch will use mechanical hands and watch movement to extend battery life in a low-powered mode to extend battery life, it's unlikely that the Watch W7 will see much market penetration.

Reports coming from several different sources claim that some brand-new iPhones are not charging unless their screens are on. This issue apparently affects both the iPhone XS and XS Max. However, the reports also suggest that this problem is software based, yet not constant across all devices.

A leaked benchmark of Ashes of the Singularity supposedly shows metrics for the upcoming Intel Core i9-9900K. Compared to the current Intel Core i7-8700K, the 9900K offers marginal improvement. In heavy CPU workloads, the 9900K is noticeably better, but if the leak is legitimate, the CPU may not warrant an upgrade. We will of course release our own benchmarks when the CPU is released next year.

Huawei is now rumored to be integrating a new form of device security, Voice Unlock, into its upcoming flagship, the Mate 20 Pro. This device may also have a 6.9-inch screen, as much as 6GB in RAM and an extra-large battery. However, this leak reinforces the lack of a 3.5mm jack in this device.

It's 2018, so where's my flying car? Still pending a massive bank balance, apparently. On the other hand, the Transition, which may be the first aircraft also capable of being driven, still looks much more like a plane. The Chinese company behind it will release it for pre-sale in October - for up to US$400,000.

Although we heard about a Vivo handset with 10 GB of memory in the first part of the year, that device still has to hit the market. In the meantime, the OPPO Find X with the same impressive amount of memory has surfaced on TENAA. Now, all that remains to see is which one of them hits the market first.

Since the arrival of the XPS 15 9575 convertible with 32 GB of memory has been pushed all the way into the first part of 2019, it seems that those waiting for the successor to the current generation will have to wait some more. According to Frank Azor, the next-gen XPS 15 convertible will not arrive in the first half of the next year.

The next update to Windows 10 may be rolled out in the next month. In fact, some leaks claim that this will commence on the same day on which the new Surface products are to be launched. However, for that to pan out, it leaves Microsoft with a lot of work to do in a very short space of time.

The OnePlus 6T is on a short list of upcoming smartphones mentioned in the ARCore 1.5 APK. This app supports up-to-date Google-provisioned features such as Lens. This feature is also to be included in the Nokia 9, as well as two as-yet unnamed Huawei phones.

Move over Galaxy S, Galaxy P is here. At least, this is what an increasing number of leaks say. The series is purported to kick off with the release of the Galaxy P30 and P30+. It is also possible that one of them will come with in-display fingerprint reading, and will follow the trend of color-gradients for back panels.

The new iPhone XS and XS Max may have inherited the iPhone 4's poor cellular connection strength. Several users are complaining of poor or dropped cellular and WiFi connections. While these claims are still just conjecture, they are rapidly growing in number.

Chinese brand Mobvoi released quite a few smart wearables so far, and the TicWatch E2 is expected to be the next in line. Advertised as a water-friendly smartwatch, it has just been unveiled on the official Mobvoi website. Sadly, there are no details to talk about yet, but more information should be unveiled shortly.

Although dual-display handsets never managed to take off properly, we keep seeing such designs showing up from time to time. The upcoming 6.26-inch ZTE Nubia Z18S is expected to feature a 5.1-inch secondary color display on the back and premium mid-range specs. Its recent stop at TENAA suggests that the official announcement is near.

Aside from a couple of Samsung smartphones catching fire, the week has been slow in terms of rumors and releases. Just a couple of noteworthy new laptops are launching while everyone else is left wondering what new smartphones Google and Huawei may be brewing up for Christmas

The popular and consistently accurate leaker evleaks has tweeted a set of renders that match what many people now think of as the Pixel 3 and 3 XL exactly. The larger of the two phones persists in exhibiting an honestly colossal-looking notch. It appears Google is conclusively out of surprises for its next smartphone launch event.

Reports have claimed that Intel will be short of processors for the upcoming 2018 holiday season. They are based on an interview with a JP Morgan analyst, and on a report from a Chinese source claims that the company is reverting from 14nm to 22nm chip production processes. There may be something to them, as AMD's stock is now reported to be rising steadily.

Code discovered in the Setup app for iOS 12.1 references a device called "iPad2018Fall," This, combined with other rumors of upcoming features that make sense for an iPad, all but confirm that new Apple tablets are coming in the next couple of months. This would coincide with Apple's typical release schedule.

Huawei are now rumored to have updated their Freebuds wireless earphones. The new models, which look oddly familiar, are purported to be capable of charging via Qi charging or a USB cable. They may also be capable of charging from a smartphone such as the upcoming Mate 20.

HMD has failed to release a true flagship this year, the Nokia 8 Sirocco that was launched at MWC receiving a mostly lukewarm reception. The Nokia 9 was slated to be the flagship for the year but we may not be getting it this year at all.

Motorola has taken to releasing a trio of Moto G-series devices in the recent past but the company is reportedly said to be set to trim the line down to a duo next year.