Android

Realme has revealed pricing and availability info for its up-to-date mid-tier series of smartphones in Europe. They offer the MediaTek Helio G95 and Snapdragon 720G processors in the 7 and 7 Pro respectively, as well as up to 65W SuperDart charging (in the Pro variant). The OEM has also announced that it has enhanced its service coverage for the 2 phones in their new market.

It appears Xiaomi will be rolling out MIUI 12 to numerous devices over the next few weeks, and based on the model names, it will be users in India that should be getting ready for a smartphone update. An unofficial list claims to reveal the MIUI 12 update dates for the Redmi Note 7, Redmi 9 Prime, Poco M2, and the Redmi 6, 7, and 8 series.

Rumors have started spreading that the Android 10-based MIUI 12 update for the Redmi Note 8 and Redmi Note 8T could be just days away. However, Xiaomi seems to be teasing Redmi Note 8 owners at the moment by releasing an Android 9-based MIUI 11 global update for the popular smartphone.

The Vivo X50 Pro is the first smartphone with a gimbal camera world-wide that made it into our lab. Given the very promising results we are hopeful that more manufacturers will follow Vivo's lead and integrate this new camera unit into their smartphones.

Asus has stealthily unleashed its latest mobile gaming flagship, the ROG Phone 3, onto the US market. It offers top-end specs such as the Snapdragon 865+ processor, a 6000mAh battery and active cooling. This device starts for US$1000 in its new region.

Poco has launched the C3, as promised in earlier teasers, today (October 6, 2020). It is, as expected, an effective rebrand of the Redmi 9c, which is available in other markets. However, this version has different colors, different RAM/storage SKUs and a lower price compared to the original in its new market of India.

Google launched its latest flagship, the Pixel 5, at the end of September 2020. However, unboxings, first impressions or reviews of this new phone are yet to emerge on YouTube. Then again, one UK-based vlogger claims to have the device in hand, having been sent it by a carrier in this country.

Samsung is touting its new Galaxy Z Fold2 as an especially durable flexible-display device thanks to its updated hinge design and the ultra-thin glass (or UTG) that covers its main 7.6-inch screen. The YouTube channel JerryRigEverything (JRE) encountered this part of the premium device to a destructive extent during its obligatory teardown.

Tipster @UniverseIce claims that only Qualcomm's Snapdragon 875 will be utilizing ARM's high-performance X1 cores this generation. This is bad news for Samsung fans, as it means that the Exynos 2100 might fall behind considerably in single-threaded performance.

Although the Fossil Gen 5 smartwatch has been around for a year, the updated version will not hit the market as the Gen 6. Priced at US$249.99, the Gen 5E is slightly smaller and has less storage space than the Gen 5, but uses the same Snapdragon Wear 3100 processor. If everything goes smoothly, shipments should begin next month.

The Xiaomi Mi 10T Lite has made an appearance on the well-known AnTuTu benchmark where it managed to score 329,032 points according to an image shared on Chinese social media. This would place the new Mi 10T Lite just ahead of the OnePlus Nord mid-range champion in this particular speed test.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S7+ is currently the largest tablet in the Android space. Our review reveals that Samsung has made a couple of missteps with its slate with the 12.4-inch Super AMOLED display. Read our review to find out what those missteps are and what makes this tablet especially good.

An industry insider just confirmed that OnePlus is expected to release two new budget smartphones in October 2020. Both phones are billed to be a part of OnePlus' Nord series and are called the OnePlus Nord N10 5G and Nord N100. The devices are expected to hit international markets like the United States and cost between US$200 to US$300.

The latest member of LG's mid-tier smartphone series comes with the OEM's 2020 flagship design language and a 5G processor. Now, a new leak suggests that there is more along the same lines in the works. Going by their apparent model numbers, they may fall into the US$200-400 price range.

A device that may be the upcoming OnePlus 8T flagship refresh had appeared on Geekbench with 8GB of RAM. Now, a second phone with a nearly identical model number has made it onto the same benchmarking site, but with 12GB this time. Meanwhile, the OEM has released a new teaser video with a hint as how it will look with its new flat screen.

Qualcomm's Snapdragon 875 finally has a tentative release date of December 1, according to Roland Quandt. The chip is expected to feature the same 1+3+4 configuration employed by its predecessors, but with a Cortex-X1 Super core, three Cortex-A78, and four Cortex-A55 cores. It is expected to make its debut alongside the Xiaomi Mi 11 in 2021.

Samsung's shiny new Galaxy Note 20 Ultra has finally made an appearance on DxOMark. It manages to get an overall score of 121 (130/101 for photos/video), putting it one point short of its predecessor, the Galaxy S20 Ultra. DxOMark concludes by saying that the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra's cameras can capture high-quality content, but with some caveats.

The Zeiss ZX1, first announced around two years ago, is finally up for pre-order. The device is unique in that it runs a version of Android that has allowed for the pre-loading of Adobe Lightroom for on-board editing.

Google’s Pixel 5 differs from the Pixel 4 series in a number of ways, one of which is that it is missing the large top bezel of its predecessor. The new top bezel is much thinner, but this is not just because the Soli radar chip and facial recognition have been removed -- it is also because Google has hidden the front speaker of the Pixel 5 behind its display.

At a first glance, the new Xiaomi Mi 10T and Mi 10T Pro smartphones seem to be practically identical. However, there are a number of differences that help justify the currently €50 difference between the 8 GB + 128 GB variant of the Mi 10T and the Mi 10T Pro with the same RAM/storage configuration.

As the first smartphone ever, the Redmi 10X 5G uses the new Mediatek Dimensity 820. In our test, this selection turns out to be a quite good choice. In the benchmarks, the Redmi 10X in parts outclasses the smartphone competitors, and the Taiwanese manufacturer also improved the efficiency.

The Realme X7 Pro is a potentially interesting flagship-level phone as it comes with the 5G-capable MediaTek Dimensity 1000+ SoC, a 120Hz AMOLED display and 65 watt (W) charging. Then again, it has only been available in China thus far. A new registration with a Thai regulator may change that situation soon, however.

Nokia started selling its Android-powered TVs in the Indian market earlier in 2020. Now, its website is building hype for two new models for this series, one of which may be more wallet-friendly than its predecessors. They are to launch in October 6, 2020, and may feature a different audio partner for their speakers this time.

Ultimate Ears has launched the UE Fits, a set of true wireless earbuds that promise the “perfect fit.” The new buds use a polymer that it calls Lightform to mold to the unique shape of a user’s ears in under 60 seconds.

The Redmi 9 smartphone from Xiaomi has already started receiving MIUI 12 for users in China, but it seems that owners of the global variant will soon be enjoying the same software update. The GM of Xiaomi Indonesia has stated that MIUI 12 for the Redmi 9 should arrive in November if not before.

Xiaomi has issued the September update to the Mi A2, bringing a new security patch to the Android One device. The new update, V11.0.14.0.QDIMIXM, also includes some bug fixes.

The Rock Pi X Model B is now orderable for US$59. The Raspberry Pi alternative features an Intel Atom processor and is available with up to 4 GB, along with 128 GB of eMMC storage.

OnePlus has announced new stable versions of its version of Android, OxygenOS, for its premium mid-ranger the Nord. In addition, the 7T, 7T Pro, 7 and 7 Pro have also been updated. All of these OTAs contain the September 2020 security patch; meanwhile, the Samsung Galaxy A50 has one for October already.

Realme is gearing up to debut its 7-series of mobile devices in the European market. Consumers in this region may expect at least 2 variants of this new line with up to 90Hz displays, 5000mAh batteries and 65 watt (W) charging. The OEM will outline these details, along with the phones' pricing structure in their new market, on October 7, 2020.

Lenovo's French, Italian, Spanish and German divisions now list the Legion Phone Duel on their regional websites. It is priced at €999 (about US$1170) on all of them. However, there are introductory offers of some additional accessories as free gifts wiith purchase, including the Yoga Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) headphones.

A new report from Counterpoint Research on smartphone-buying trends in Europe has concluded that the majority of poll respondents from Spain or Germany would prefer to buy their next mobile device online. By contrast, only 10% of UK participants prefer online platforms, preferring some hands-on time with their choices before buying.

The Xiaomi Mi A3 has received a new update, this time for the European variant of the Android One handset. Android 11 development has apparently begun for the device too, although it will probably be the last OS update for the Mi A3.

A South Korean news outlet says that Samsung will reportedly make the Galaxy S21 series compatible with an S Pen. The report suggests that an S Pen-ready Galaxy S phone will help Galaxy Note users transition to Samsung's mainstream flagships. That is essential as the Galaxy Note 21 is billed to be the last of its kind.

The newly launched Xiaomi Mi 10T Lite and POCO X3 smartphones have a lot in common and have certainly shaken up the affordable end of the smartphone market with their feature sets and price tags. While many will be trying to decide between the two, it seems the pricier Mi 10T Lite might be worth the extra expense thanks to 5G and a storage secret.

Poco India has posted a new tweet in order to build some hype for the launch of the C3, a budget phone set to debut on October 6, 2020. It includes a video hinting at its rear camera prowess. However, the brand may also have inadvertently confirmed that the phone has been seen under a different name before.

The popular electronics destruction-testing YouTube channel JerryRigEverything has gotten Samsung's latest flagship foldable, the Galaxy Z Fold2, in for a durability test. The resulting video might prove that the OEM has improved on its robustness compared to last year's model. Then again, there were some surprising discrepancies, especially considering this phone's starting price.

The most prominent difference between the Galaxy Note20 and the Galaxy Note20 Ultra is the display with differences that exceed their mere size or refresh rate. Find out in our review what other differences we found, and what may make the cheaper Samsung smartphone the better choice.

The Xiaomi Mi 10, Mi 10 Pro, POCO F2 Pro and Redmi K30 Pro have started receiving upgrades to Android 11. The journey to Android 11 has started on the China branch of MIUI for the four devices, but the Mi 10 Pro has also been upgraded to Android 11-based builds of MIUI 12 globally.

The Xperia 5 II is now available to order, and Sony is offering multiple TWS earbud pre-order bundles across Europe. These bundles include the WF-1000XM3 or the WH-1000XM3, which are still some of the best noise-cancelling wireless headphones on the market, among other audio products. The Xperia 5 II itself has a Snapdragon 865 chipset, a 6.1-inch display and four cameras, among other features.

OnePlus is scheduled to launch its usual late-year flagship phone refresh, the 8T, on October 14, 2020. However, tipsters claim to have found out how many rear cameras the phone will have, as well as the function of each sensor. Furthermore, there are now rumors that it may be slightly shorter than the 8 Pro, yet still have the same depth.

After months of rumors and false starts, Xiaomi has now finally begun the MIUI 12 rollout for the Redmi Note 8, starting with the Chinese version of the device. Meanwhile, a similar update is now also being sent to the Redmi Note 9 Pro Max, which means the global Redmi Note 9 Pro and Redmi Note 9S aren't far off anymore.

Oppo has announced the availability of the Reno4 and Reno4 Pro 5G series in Europe and the UK alongside the Reno4 Z. The Reno4 and Reno4 Pro are powered by the Snapdragon 765G 5G SoC and come with improved low light shooting capabilities. Both the Reno4 5G and Reno4 Pro 5G share similar internals with the primary differences between them being with respect to the display and the camera setups.

The cameras in the Vivo X50 Pro Plus live up to the hype, according to DxOMark. Vivo's latest flagship packs four rear-facing cameras, including a 50 MP primary sensor, but it just misses out on dethroning the Mi 10 Ultra. Similarly, it falls short of the camera performance of the Huawei P40 Pro, too.

The Pixel 5 and Pixel 4a (5G) are here, and Google is offering a pair of Bose QC35 II headphones with pre-orders in multiple countries. The reason for bundling such expensive headphones with pre-orders may owe to the state of Google's smartphone business, which has plummeted over 60% in the last year.

Poco has announced that it will unveil the Poco C3 on October 6 in India via an online event. Earlier reports have told us that it will be a budget device, possibly a rebranded Redmi C3. If that is the case, we can expect it to cost around INR 8,000 (US$110).