Android

A new tip from a well-known leaker may confirm that Huawei will launch a Porsche Design version of the Mate 40 during its upcoming October 2020 online event. This "RS" edition is also now slated to rock the new rear-camera hump also recently linked to the Pro Plus variant. However, in this case, it will be joined by a ceramic finish in a 'racing' style.

Infinix has thrown its hat in the 2020 low- to mid-tier ring with its new Note 8 series. It offers big screens and quad rear cameras. Both the 8 and 8i also have large 5200mAh batteries. Can they really compete with other MediaTek Helio G80-powered devices such as the Redmi 9/Poco M2?

The Samsung Galaxy S21 is expected to debut in early 2021 and new leaks have now thrown some light on the design and measurements of the next-gen Samsung flagship phone. For one, the S21 will apparently be a tad wider than its predecessor, the Galaxy S20.

Huawei will launch its premium Mate 40 phablet series laters in October 2020. A new leak asserts that its Pro variant will be much like its predecessor in looks. The device is now also slated to get triple rear cameras, the main shooter of which is to be 50MP in resolution. This new tip also contains possible details on the octa-core Kirin 9000 SoC.

With the Poco X3, Xiaomi presents a small price-performance wonder for less than 230 Euros (~$272). The smartphone presents itself very complete and even offers modern equipment features such as a 120-Hz display and a Snapdragon 732G. However, it still has its weaknesses.

Following months of delays, Xiaomi has now started sending out the MIUI 12 update to the Redmi Note 9S. The rollout begins in Europe, with updates for owners of the Russian and Turkish models of the device. Meanwhile, Xiaomi is supposedly also set to expand the MIUI 12 rollout for the Redmi Note 9 Pro.

Hints are starting to appear about a future Xiaomi smartphone that is shaping up to be a dream flagship device. Whether the phone will be the Xiaomi Mi 11, the long-awaited Mi Mix 4, or even another mysterious device is still unclear, but it appears it will sport a brand-new Snapdragon 875 SoC and a 2K display at the very least.

The ZTE Axon 11 5G is another 5G smartphone that is coming to market. Hardware-wise, it does not offer anything special, which is why prospective buyers should pay attention to the design.

TCL now sells its 4-series smart TVs in the US. These 4K Android devices support Google's Assistant and have Chromecast functionality. They are available in 50-, 55- and 75-inch variants, some of which are already on sale for 2020's Black Friday.

Sony has unveiled a new colour option of the Xperia 1 II, Mirror Lake Green. The fresh look for the flagship smartphone has also been paired with 12 GB of RAM, like the Frost Black version that Sony launched in August.

A new teaser for the Mate 40 Pro Plus has been posted online, shedding some light on the device's monstrous camera bump. The volume button has returned for this year's model at least, but the circular camera housing from the Mate 30 Pro has been replaced by what can only be described as a shield. The retail box of the Mate 40 Pro Plus has leaked too, confirming several specifications.

The Kokoon NightBuds are, like the Amazfit ZenBuds or Bose Sleepbuds II, designed to be worn in bed so as to help the user fall asleep. To this end, they measure just 5.4 millimeters in depth, although they are not TWS. They have launched via Kickstarter, where they have amassed nearly 15 times their goal.

Samsung is not planning any great leaps forward with the Galaxy S21 series, according to Ice Universe. Instead, Samsung's next Galaxy S smartphones will be a conservative upgrade from this year's models, with no 144 Hz displays or ultra-fast charging. 3C certification documents have seemingly confirmed a 25 W charging brick for the Galaxy S21, too.

Huawei has announced a new version of an existing mid-ranger. The Nova 7 SE Vitality Edition is essentially the exact same as the original - with the exception that it runs on the MediaTek Dimensity 800U chipset rather than the Kirin 820 SoC. This means the refreshed variant is still 5G, although it starts for slightly less that the "first" 7 SE.

The Xperia 5 II may not feature a vapour chamber cooling system, but Sony has attempted to keep its latest flagship cool in other ways. Multiple pieces of graphite film should help prevent overheating, while the Xperia 5 II looks simple to repair too.

OnePlus is a smartphone brand that has leveraged hype around "alternative" flagships into a market-leading position over the years, and Carl Pei has been there from the start as its co-founder. However, he has just posted a goodbye message to its official community website, thereby affirming he is stepping down from this position and leaving the OEM.

The Samsung Galaxy Note 9 has started receiving One UI 2.5, its final OS update. One UI 2.5 brings wireless DeX and changes to the camera app, among other alterations. The update has gone live as an OTA in Germany and will be reaching other regions shortly.

A new Micromax phone called the Micromax IN 1A has just shown up on Geekbench. It is powered by what looks like a MediaTek Helio P35 SoC coupled with 4GB of RAM, and running Android 10. The phone is likely a part of the company's upcoming IN line of low-cost smartphones, which will be released in India soon.

Redmi Note 8 users around the globe are going to be disappointed by the latest MIUI 12-related messages issuing from Xiaomi HQ. While there seemed to be a few signs pointing to an October update for users of the Global or Indian Redmi Note 8, it now appears to be more likely that nothing will arrive before November.

Updated across all platforms — including mobile — Vivaldi 3.4 comes with an arcade game inspired by the Future Noir and Cyberpunk genres. This easy-going title is named Vivaldia and it comes along various features such as the very useful periodic reload, configurable context menus, and much more.

Details of a Redmi K30S smartphone have started springing up online, but it appears the brief mystery surrounding the device has been solved with a prosaic answer. It’s likely the upcoming Snapdragon 865-powered Redmi K30S is simply a rebadged Xiaomi Mi 10T for the Chinese market.
Update: An appearance on TENAA confirms the Redmi K30S is a rebranded Mi 10T.

Omnivision has announced its new high-end mobile camera sensor, the OV64A. It is 64MP, which is nothing new to this manufacturer; however, this one has pixels of a ground-breaking 1.0 micron in size. This may enhance its sensitivity compared to its predecessors.

OnePlus and CD Projekt Red are said to be working on a Cyberpunk 2077-themed OnePlus 8T. The limited-edition device is expected to come with custom animations, wallpapers, and packaging. It will likely be up for grabs on November 5.

The OnePlus 7 and 7T series will begin receiving Android 11 and OxygenOS 11 from December, according to a company spokesperson. It is unclear whether these will be beta or stable builds, but the likes of the OnePlus 7 and OnePlus 7T Pro will at least get a taste of Android 11 before the year is out.

According to a teaser posted by Realme India's CEO, the company has plans to release the Realme X7 and Realme X7 Pro in the country. Both phones will be the first MediaTek Dimensity-powered devices to be sold outside of China. We can expect to hear more about the smartphones' launch in the coming weeks.

Huawei has a good mid-range tablet on offer: the MatePad 10.4. The 10.4-inch Android tablet did a good job during our review and we were particularly impressed by its good price-to-performance ratio and connectivity. The MatePad 10.4 lacks access to Google services, however. Find out whether we can still recommend this tablet in our review highlights.

Xiaomi has brought the Mi CC9 Pro, Mi Note 10 and Mi Note 10 Pro onto Android 11, courtesy of a new closed beta update. The update can be downloaded on an unlocked handset via TWRP and is an encouraging sign of development for Xiaomi's 108 MP smartphone.

OnePlus has released a new version of the Nord, its budget alternative to the likes of the OnePlus 8T and OnePlus 8 Pro. The Gray Ash variant is only available with the premium storage option of the OnePlus Nord though, making it just £80 cheaper than the entry-level OnePlus 8T.

A South Korean media outlet says that Samsung is planning to release the Galaxy S21 series early. Its launch could be pushed to as early as late December 2020, but January 2021 seems more likely. The report also states that the Galaxy S21 Ultra will ship with an S Pen.

Mobvoi, the OEM behind popular lines of smartwatch and AirPod-clone accessories, has announced discounts on some newer models of these wearables. They include the TicWatch Pro 2020, as well as the stainless steel-cased TicWatch C2+ and TicPods ANC. Most of these products are 30% off their regular prices.

ASUS has begun issuing Android 11 beta builds to the ZenFone 7 Pro, stealing a march on other Android OEMs. The first beta build for the recently released flagship introduces a host of changes, not just Android 11.

Samsung has started beta testing One UI 3.0 in Europe. Testing began in South Korea and the US last month and remains limited to the Galaxy S20 series. The S20 FE is not eligible for One UI 3.0 beta yet though, and you must have an unlocked S20, S20 Plus or S20 Ultra to participate.

Android 11 may be slowing down smartphones like the Pixel 4a and Pixel 4 XL, HotHardware has discovered. The two Google smartphones perform demonstrably worse in benchmarks running Android 11 than they do on Android 10; the website is not the only one to be complaining of slowdowns on Android 11, either.

The first MIUI 12 update has arrived for the global version of the Redmi Note 9 Pro. Currently rolling out to Turkish handsets, the arrival of V12.0.1.0.QJZTRXM should predate equivalent updates for the global and European branches of MIUI by a few days. The inaugural MIUI 12 update has formally landed for the Redmi Note 7 Pro, too.

A new Poco smartphone is in development, and it is intended for the global market. However, a recent certification listing suggests that the device may be a rebrand of another upcoming Xiaomi smartphone, the Redmi Note 10 4G.

The CAD renders leaked a few months ago might be showing the regular Mate 40, while the Pro version could feature a new design, or Huawei just decided to change some design elements in the meantime. In any case, the sneak peek render posted by He Gang himself shows that the rear camera bump is not circular anymore, and the volume button appears to be back.

The Redmi Note 8 Pro seems unmovable in AnTuTu’s price-performance charts as the latest Android tables from the noted smartphone benchmark has shown the Note 8 Pro is still the number one pick for the budget end. At the other end of the scale, the iQOO 5 Pro is far ahead of rivals like the Xiaomi Mi 10 Ultra and Mi 10 Pro.

A well-known and reliable leaker has divulged that several smartphone manufacturers are working towards delivering next-generation wireless fast-charging. Apparently, the technologies will be capable of transferring up to 100 W wirelessly, which would be a generational leap for smartphones.

MIUI 12 is rolling out more widely for the global version of the Pocophone F1, according to multiple reports. V12.0.2.0.QEJMIXM is rolling out now as an OTA, while the Redmi 8A Dual has been upgraded to Android 10, sans MIUI 12.

Amazon's Prime Day is now in full swing in multiple regions, the US included. Here, the retail giant has good deals on the latest Samsung flagship smartphones, so long as the buyer wants a factory-unlocked version. They include up to 19% off the Galaxy Note 20 series, or 25% off most S20 and S10 variants.

The Rollme S08 is a smartwatch with 4G LTE, dual cameras and a built-in GPS module, along with 32 GB of storage and 3 GB of RAM. The smartwatch has a steel body, a ceramic bezel and is IP68 certified.

OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei has quietly exited the company to start a new venture. Pei’s departure appears to have happened shortly after the OnePlus Nord was launched.

An AnTuTu listing reportedly belonging to the HiSilicon Kirin 9000 has been posted online. It nets an overall score of 693,603, putting it ahead of the Samsung Exynos 1080. The chip appears to use four ARM Cortex-A77 cores clocked at 3.1 GHz and an ARM Mali G78 GPU. Huawei is expected to unveil it alongside the Mate 40 series on October 22.

Fake MIUI 12 builds for the Redmi Note 8 and Redmi Note 7/7S have been discovered. The software versions apply to both the Global and India variants of the Redmi Note 8 and Redmi Note 7/7S. Owners of these smartphones are advised to disregard false information about these particular MIUI 12 forgeries.