Android

The OEM Huami has held its global launch for the second-gen Amazfit GTR and GTS wearables, although they will only be released in the US and UK markets to start off with. These smartwatches feature blood-oxygen, heart-rate, sleep and stress monitors, which are analyzed using their in-house PAI system. They will be available through channels such as Amazon on their release.

After sending out the highly awaited MIUI 12 update to the European version of the Redmi Note 9S, Xiaomi has now expanded the rollout by sending a similar update to the global variant of the device. The Mi A3 also happens to be receiving the October security patch.

OnePlus' first-ever TWS earbuds were AirPod clones, but did come with a gray variant at least. They have been out of stock in many countries for some time, however. The OEM has now revealed that they are back in its store now, however, and that they are US$20 off their regular price right now.

DOOGEE's latest in its line of durable smartphones is the S96 Pro. This device counts a 20MP Sony "night vision" sensor among its 4 rear cameras. It also has a colossal battery of over 6000mAh in capacity, an ingress-protection rating of up to IP69K and the MediaTek Helio G90 SoC.

More clues about the design of the Galaxy S21 and S21 Plus have turned up online, seemingly confirming past leaks for Samsung's next trio of flagship smartphones. The Galaxy S21 Plus will reputedly resemble a slightly larger version of the Galaxy S21, even more so than the Galaxy S20 Plus does to the Galaxy S20.

Hacking Google apps and services have returned to Honor and Huawei devices, courtesy of Googlefier. The workaround can bring Google Mobile Services to devices like the Mate 30 Pro and P40 Pro.

In addition to the Sprint and T-Mobile customers that receive the One UI 3.0 beta update on the Galaxy Note 20 and Note 20 Ultra — alongside those who use the unlocked versions of these handsets — in the US. The good news is that this update is also rolling out in other markets, such as India and Germany.

Xiaomi has now launched its newest device, the Redmi K30S, in its home country of China. The Redmi K30S is, for all intents and purposes, a rebranded Mi 10T for certain markets, and it carries an appropriate price tag, starting at €325 versus the Mi 10T's €499.

Although it is not official yet, Samsung is expected to release the Galaxy S21 Ultra sometime in January 2021. The flagship will reportedly come with a 6.8-inch AMOLED panel clocked at 120Hz, a quad-camera array with two telephoto lenses, and a 5,000mAh battery that supports 45W fast charging. It is expected to retail at US$1,300 for the base variant with 128GB of storage and 12GB of RAM.

Vivo is rumored to launch its camera-centric successors to the X50 line of phones soon, perhaps before 2020 is out. These devices are also now thought to introduce a new Android skin developed by this company. This "Origin OS" is now slated to have the quality necessary to challenge rivals from OnePlus or Samsung.

LG now has a few generations of its TONE FREE AirPod-clones under its belt. Now, it has announced a new one. These buds look much like the old, except that they support active noise-cancelling (ANC) this time. Their series' UVnano self-disinfecting technology is also still here.

Redmi is set to add a new member to the K30 series tomorrow, albeit in China only. However, the rest of the world has apparently already seen this phone, as it is a rebranded Mi 10T. Nevertheless, it is projected to sell for prices in keeping with its budget-friendly flagship-killer kin.

OnePlus' two new low-cost smartphones are now up for grabs in Europe. The OnePlus Nord N10 5G comes with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 690 SoC, a quad-camera array, a 4,300mAh battery, and will cost €329. At €179, the OnePlus Nord N100 gets you a Snapdragon 460n, three rear cameras, and a 5,000mAh battery.

A reported update policy operated by Xiaomi in regard to MIUI and Android upgrades has shown the smartphone series favored by the Chinese OEM and which are more likely to be neglected. The unofficial list reveals that owners of Redmi (not Redmi K), Redmi Note, POCO M, and POCO C smartphones will receive the least upgrades.

Xiaomi is slowly continuing with the MIUI 12 rollout for the Snapdragon 720G-powered arm of the Redmi Note 9 family. The latest devices to receive MIUI 12 are the European variant of the Redmi Note 9S and the Indonesian model of the Redmi Note 9 Pro, keeping with reports from a week ago.

Microsoft’s Surface Duo is already starting to see some relatively steep price cuts of up to US$200. Naturally, early adopters aren’t happy and Microsoft isn’t doing a lot to appease customers other than pointing then to the 60-day return policy.

Samsung could be finally bringing S-Pen support to its Galaxy Z Fold line with next year’s model. According to a new report, the Galaxy Z Fold3 will add the long awaited feature thanks to the introduction of thicker foldable glass and some other tweaks.

German smartphone manufacturer Gigaset has announced the Gigaset GS4, a new smartphone that occupies an interesting niche in its price class. For €229, you get an otherwise average device with wireless charging and a removable battery.

iQOO has launched the uncharacteristically budget U1x smartphone in China. With its Snapdragon 662 SoC, relatively small HD display and 5000mAh battery, it should get a lot of screen-on time, at least. It has debuted alongside a new RAM/storage option for the more premium Dimensity 1000+-powered Z1.

More users of Xiaomi smartphones have been reporting issues with battery drain after installing the MIUI 12 update. The problem had already been mentioned on social media in connection to devices like the Redmi Note 8 Pro and Xiaomi Mi 9, with POCO F1 owners also recently complaining about the hitch. Xiaomi may address the issue with future firmware builds.

Some evidence of Samsung's next-gen super-budget smartphones has appeared in a new tip. It concerns a phone thought to be called the Galaxy A02s, which appears to be a 3GB RAM version of the also-rumored Galaxy A02. Oddly, however, the new benchmarking leaks for both possible phones lack SoC data.

New smartphones are constantly outbidding each other with ever faster displays. The newest example is the OnePlus 8T. But do 120-Hz panels really make sense in a smartphone?

A newly unearthed Xiaomi patent depicts an intriguing device with a design that would fit well with a future Mi Mix 4 (or Mi Mix 2021) thanks to a combination of foldable technology and a slider mechanism. It appears Xiaomi is pushing ahead with work on producing a foldable smartphone that will likely feature an external secondary display.

The Xiaomi Mi A2 has received its monthly update, this time called V11.0.15.0.QDIMIXM. The new update brings the October 2020 set of security patches to the Android One handset, along with a few bug fixes. V11.0.15.0.QDIMIXM is rolling out now as an OTA.

MIUI 12 may still be on a limited release for the global version of the Xiaomi Pocophone F1. If your device is yet to receive the OS upgrade, then flashing the OTA files manually may do the trick.

Owners of the Redmi Note 7 that operates with the Europe (EEA) MIUI ROM will be pleased to know that there is an Android 10-based MIUI 12 beta stable update now available for that particular smartphone. MIUI 12 for Redmi Note 7 users with the Global, Indonesia, or Russia variant should be coming soon.

After months of waiting, Xiaomi has now started sending out the MIUI 12 update to the Snapdragon 665-powered branch of the Redmi Note 8 series, starting with the Redmi Note 8T. Yes, MIUI 12 is here for owners of the global Redmi Note 8T—and the Redmi Note 8 should follow shortly.

If you’re in the US and are keen to pick up a great deal, Google Fi has a new offer on the Pixel 4a. Depending on which plan you sign up to, you can get the Pixel 4a for just US$216.

Renowned leaker OnLeaks has lifted the veil off OnePlus' upcoming low-cost smartphones- the OnePlus Nord N100 and Nord N10 5G. The OnePlus Nord N10 5G gets a Qualcomm Snapdragon 690, four rear cameras, and a 4,300mAh battery, while the Nord N100 gets a Snapdragon 460, three rear cameras, and a 5,000mAh battery. OnePlus is expected to launch both phones on October 26.

Samsung has finally begun issuing fixes for the Galaxy S20 FE's touchscreen problems via a software update. It is roughly 174MB in size and is currently rolling out in Europe. A global release should follow suit in the coming days.

The Samsung Galaxy ZFold 2 5G costs an awful lot money, but it is clearly better than its predecessor. Samsung has made a host of changes for this year's model, which our review reveals.

Huawei has unveiled its Mate 40 line of smartphones and its latest Kirin 9000 and Kirin 9000E chips. The Huawei Mate 40 and Mate 40 Pro come with a triple camera array, while the Mate 40 Pro+ and Mate 40 RS comes with four lenses. All four devices are powered by 4,400mAh batteries that support wired charging at 66W. Prices start at €899 (US$1,062) for the Mate 40 and max out at €2,295 (US$2,713) for the Mate 40 RS (Porsche Design).

Huawei may have just announced the Mate 40 Pro, but it has already stormed to the top of DxOMark's leaderboards. Crowned the new king of main and selfie cameras, it seems that the Mate 40 Pro is new smartphone to purchase if you are a camera junkie - until DxOMark reviews the Mate 40 Pro Plus or Mate 40 RS, that is.

The Pixel 5 screen gap issue, where some displays have separated from the phone body, is being investigated by Google. The investigation may take a few days, according to Forbes.

The Mi CC9e and Redmi Note 8 Pro have received new MIUI 12 upgrades spanning several branches of MIUI, but the Redmi 8 and Redmi Note 8 are in no such luck. Instead, the Redmi 8 and Redmi Note 8 have just received security updates in multiple regions, keeping the devices on MIUI 11 for the time being.

Six months after the release of the Redmi Note 9, Xiaomi is set to launch a direct successor. Apparently, though, the new phone may not be named the Redmi Note 10 at all and could opt for something a bit...grand to go with the impressive hardware. Redmi Note X, perhaps?

Samsung will be returning to flat screens for the Galaxy S21 series, according to Ice universe. The 2.5D glass of the Galaxy S20 and Galaxy S20 Plus will be replaced by 2D glass, but the S21 Ultra will have a curved display.

Huami has launched the Amazfit Pop smartwatch in China for a surprisingly low price: 349 yuan (US$52). The bright and breezy wearable features non-medical grade monitors for blood oxygen saturation, atrial fibrillation, sleep quality, and 24-hour heart-rate monitoring. The Amazfit Pop comes in a choice of three colors and is water resistant.

The leaker Max J. has posted a mysterious new image to Twitter with an odd caption and no further comment. Based on the contents involved, it has led to speculation that it concerns the Nord N10, which is rumored to be an unusually budget phone from OnePlus.

Apple may have pleased may fans with the release of the iPhone 12 Mini, a rare return to mobile screens of well under 6 inches in size. Therefore, other non-iOS smartphone manufacturers may want to start on their own equally compact flagships, right? Wrong, says eminent leaker Digital Chat Station.

The entire Huawei Mate 40 lineup has been leaked just a day before its October 22 release. The Mate 40 Pro features a triple-camera array; the Mate 40 Pro+ gets an additional telephoto lens and the Mate 40 RS a temperature sensor on top of all that. Prices are expected to start at €1,129 (US$1,340) for the Huawei Mate 40 Pro.

Mobvoi is planning to release yet another smartwatch, this time an LTE version of the TicWatch Pro 3. The smartwatch will utilise LTE connectivity thanks to the Snapdragon Wear 4100's modem.

A company insider says that OnePlus is all set to release the OnePlus 9 a full month early. OnePlus is the second company after Samsung that is mulling on an early flagship release in 2021. One can only hope that OnePlus also launches the affordable Nord N100 and Nord 105G alongside its 2021 flagship.

If you're looking for a mobile game to bring your fancy $1000 smartphone to its knees, then Genshin Impact would be it. The game is practically unplayable on budget Android devices with unsteady frame rates and visual bugs galore.

Xiaomi Mi Mix 2S and Mi Mix 3 users can enjoy the delights of the Android 11 operating system thanks to the release of the ArrowOS 11.0 custom ROMs for those devices. This will be especially handy for those with a Xiaomi Mi Mix 2S smartphone, which was originally released with the Android 8 Oreo software.

DxOMark is practically a household name for independent groups that release scores for smartphone prowess in areas such as their screens and cameras. It has announced that its system to test the former has been re-designed to reflect user experience in real-world and laboratory settings. Its procedures for cameras are also now more rigorous than ever.

After the Lenovo Tab P11 Pro comes the Tab P11, a slimmed-down version of its Pro sibling. Leaked details have confirmed not only the design of the Tab P11, but also the specifications of Lenovo's upcoming tablet.