Android

Samsung has filed a patent for a foldable phone with a "waterproof housing". The document's images depicts this device as similar to the Galaxy Fold, but with a tougher-looking, possibly thicker, chassis. However, the internal tablet-sized screen remains more or less the same.

Reports from a few months ago touted the upcoming Xperia 5 II to be Sony's much-awaited compact flagship phone. A new leak may have put paid to those hopes, though, as while the Xperia 5 II paints the picture of an impressive premium phone, it doesn't quite seem to satisfy the conditions for "compact".

Samsung Money is a new partnership between this OEM and SoFi that offers a new type of Mastercard-issued debit card. It also extends benefits such as a fee-free account and potentially increased interest on savings. This new arm of Samsung Pay will be available to US customers in the summer of 2020.

The smartphone OEM ZTE has reportedly filed a patent with the Chinese National Intellectual Property Office (CNIPA) for a tablet-like device with a screen that can bend at 2 points to collapse into more of a phone form factor. It is not the only manifestation of this concept out there, but does look a very convincing take on it.

While the Redmi Note 8 Pro received the Android 10 update months ago, the regular Redmi Note 8 and Redmi Note 8T remain stuck on Android Pie, albeit on MIUI 11. A new update is now been sent out to the two phones, but also doesn't bring the much-awaited Android 10.

The latest IDC report on the wearables market (for the first quarter of 2020 (1Q2020)) shows that its watch sector declined. However, this shortfall was addressed by gains made by the audio and band categories. Apple remained the #1 brand in terms of shipments, although Samsung posted the greatest year-on-year (YoY) growth.

McLaren has just acknowledged that its partnership with OnePlus has ended. The company doesn't explicitly state why the nearly two-year-old endeavor came to an end and hopes that it can work with OnePlus in the future. OnePlus still might release a limited-edition version of its upcoming flagship later in the year, though.

Motorola may launch a phone called the One Fusion Plus soon. Its existing leak appears to show that it will, unlike its immediate predecessor, have a display with a waterdrop-style notch. Now, it seems to have surfaced on Geekbench 5 with a different SoC too.

Xiaomi advances into new megapixel spheres with its Mi models. But the manufacturer forgets an important point for good smartphone photos: the software.

The Lenovo Tab M10 Plus is now purchasable. Starting at US$169.99, the M10 Plus can be equipped with up to 128 GB of storage and 8 GB of RAM. All SKUs come with a Smart Charging Station and support Google's Ambient Mode.

OnePlus has released the OxygenOS 10.3.3 update for OnePlus 7T and OnePlus 7T Pro. The update lets users record slow-motion videos at 960fps, adds a 'lens smudge detection' feature to the camera app, and more. It is rolling out in India and will be available globally in the coming weeks.

According to a new report, the mobile device OEM OPPO is making progress with its dream of constructing a team to rival Huawei's HiSilicon division. This would enable it to build its own in-house chipsets, as this company and Samsung do. The move may enhance OPPO's efficacy as a global electronics player.

The Honor View30 and View30 Pro 5G have grabbed new updates, as has the Mate 20 Pro. Running Magic UI 3.1 and EMUI 10.1 respectively, the updates will arrive as OTAs.

The Honor Play 4 series is thought to have a flagship that will rock the premium-grade Kirin 990 SoC. Newer leaks suggest that its vanilla counterpart will have a MediaTek Dimensity 800 processor. However, these theories will not be confirmed until its June 2020 debut event.

Qualcomm has announced the FastConnect 6900 and 6700, 2 new connectivity solutions that may upgrade some future phones to Bluetooth 5.2 and Wi-Fi 6E. The latter is a variation on the latest wireless data standard that adds the 6GHz band to potentially increase its speed to 3.6 gigabits per second (Gb/s).

In terms of upcoming Vivo smartphone launches, all eyes are likely to be on the X50 Pro, and not just because its reportedly novel Samsung 50MP makes its renders look like a cyclops. However, there is also to be a non-Pro variant of this device. According to a reliable Weibo leaker, it will have a decent quad-cam array of its own.

Samsung has allegedly certified a new smartphone battery with the model number EB-BA013ABY. Based on this OEM's typical naming conventions, it may power a device called the SM-A013. Given that the SM-A015 is the Galaxy A01, this leak hints at a new variant for the 2020 budget model.

The Galaxy Note 20 and Note 20+ are expected to be launched in about two months. Details of the camera setups of the phones have now surfaced, notable takeaways include the change to the telephoto shooter of the Note 20+, with the regular Note 20 keeping the same setup as the S20 and S20+.

After months of beta testing, the OnePlus 5 and OnePlus 5T are now receiving the stable Android 10-based OxygenOS 10 update. The update weighs in at almost 1.9 GB and delivers all the typical Android 10 features to the three-year-old phones.

The Mi Mix 3 5G was Xiaomi's first 5G phone and was powered by the flagship Snapdragon 855. In spite of that, it's been mostly neglected and remains on Android Pie and MIUI 10. Android 10 is unlikely to arrive for the phone, too, but like with the Mi Mix 2, MIUI 12 may be on the cards.

The Vivo X50 Pro is currently believed to be the first phone to rock the markedly large 50MP Samsung ISOCELL GN1 main camera sensor. New leaks suggest that it may also have 8GB of RAM and run Android 10. It may also have 3 color options and a comprehensive packet of OEM hype-content already.

The Edge signifies Motorola's return into higher-priced segments of the smartphone market. However, its edgeless design turned out to be a mixed blessing...

Most modern phones are made of materials on which pathogens, Covid-19 included, can survive on for up to 120 hours. Accordingly, bodies such as the US Center for Disease Control (CDC) recommend that they be cleaned once a day. New research suggests that up to 44% of users do so now, compared to about half this number prior to the pandemic.

Qualcomm has announced a range of XR viewers, a novel product category possible due to 5G speeds and bandwidth. They are intended to deliver high-quality content to be supported by the smartphones they connect to via USB type C, and will be made by companies such as Panasonic and OPPO.

The latest update to MIUI 12 adds a very handy selective screenshot feature. Users on the latest nightly build on the Xiaomi Mi 9T and Redmi K20 Pro will be able to free-select screenshot areas while taking screenshots.

The 5G version of Huawei's latest premium slate has been on the international market for some months now. However, it has not been available in this OEM's own home market. The company has rather abruptly announced that it will correct this situation tomorrow (March 27, 2020).

OnePlus has announced a new deal with Epic Games, by which the OEM's current flagship 8 series will be the first mobile devices to be able to play the runaway hit Fortnite at 90 frames per second (fps). The game will do so through the medium of Unreal Engine. Furthermore, some older OnePlus phones will be able to run this app at 60fps.

Xiaomi has confirmed the Mi TV Stick during an online event. Expected to run Android TV and support 4K HDR along with DTS-HD audio, the Mi TV Stick may cost upwards of US$100.

OnePlus CEO Pete Lau stated that the company wants to get back to its roots as an affordable gadget provider. We can expect to see a host of reasonably-priced OnePlus gadgets and smartphones on the market soon. It is all part of a plan to create a wider ecosystem centered on the OnePlus brand.

Redmi is expected to launch a new device codenamed Karna in July this year right on the heels of the recent Redmi 10X and 10X Pro launch. Redmi Karna is expected to feature a 144 Hz refresh rate display and will be a 5G-capable phone powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 1000+ SoC.

ARM has announced its new Cortex-A78 architecture that will power most Android flagship smartphones in 2021. Interestingly, it has also branched out into extra-performance cores with the launch of its new Cortex-X1 borne out of its new Cortex-X Custom Program.

Google Chrome and Android's default web browser —Android Webview— have been witnessing crashes and instability on OnePlus phones for over six months now. The problem doesn't seem to be affecting everyone but is persistent across a wide range of OnePlus phones, all running Android 10. Google and OnePlus are yet to acknowledge the issue officially

Xiaomi has launched the Redmi Smart X TV series. Available in three sizes, the X50, X55 and X65 are all 4K TVs with MEMC motion compensation. Xiaomi has equipped all models with 2 GB of RAM, 32 GB of storage. The Redmi Smart X series incorporates four 12.5 W speakers too and includes subwoofer sound effects.

Samsung has formally unveiled the Exynos 880, an octa-core processor that also supports sub-6GHz 5G. It also has an integrated NPU, supports up to 4K/30fps video recording and main image sensors of up to 64MP in resolution. This new SoC may debut in a new phone from Vivo soon.

Motorola accidentally revealed the details of its upcoming Moto G Fast smartphone. While the contents of the spec sheet remain unclear, we know that the phone will come with a triple-camera setup, a Qualcomm 6xx series chip, 3GB of RAM, and a 4-5,000mAh battery. It is likely to retail at the ~$180 -$200 mark.

MIUI 12 has landed on the Xiaomi Redmi K20 and Mi 9T. Arriving as an OTA, the update has already gone live for many handsets. Based on Android 10, the Redmi K20 and Mi 9T are some of the first devices to receive Xiaomi's latest OS.

The expected battery capacity for a Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 device has been discovered, and it seems that a potential Galaxy Tab S7+ model will end up with a battery capacity of over 10,000 mAh. This is a huge step-up from the 7,040-mAh capacity of the predecessor Galaxy Tab S6.

Redmi has unveiled two new affordable 5G-ready smartphones for the Chinese market. Dubbed as the Redmi 10X and 10X Pro, both phones come with a MediaTek Dimensity 820 SoC, a 6.57-inch AMOLED panel, a 4,250mAh battery, and more. The former starts at 599 yuan (~$224) for the entry-level version, while the latter will set you back by 2,299 yuan (~$322.) Both phones will be up for grabs in China next week and should make their way to global markets soon.

The Samsung Galaxy S20 series was launched back in February, and it's now been about three months since the phones hit shelves. Sales numbers are out, and it would seem that the S20 phones have sold considerably less than the S10 series did over the same period last year.

New renders and a video clip of the Samsung Galaxy Note 20+ have been posted online. Unsurprisingly, the Galaxy Note 20+ is larger than the regular Galaxy Note 20, and it comes with a curved display. However, it’s hard to ignore just how huge the camera bump on the rear is, which could be a deal-breaker for many.

Redmi has been confirmed to have a phone called the 9 ready to go, thanks to new certifications by the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG), Wi-Fi Alliance and SIRIM. These leaks suggest that it has several region-specific variants, one of which may be destined for the Malaysian market.

For less than US$600, the Realme X3 SuperZoom offers a 6.6-inch screen with 120 Hz refresh, along with a Snapdragon 855+ SoC coupled with 12 GB LPDDR4x RAM and 256 GB UFS 3.0 storage, plus an impressive imaging system that includes two selfie cams and a rear quad setup with a 64 MP main cam and a 8 MP 5x optical periscope with 60x hybrid zoom.

ZTE has announced that it is going to launch an "SE" (possibly Special Edition) version of its Axon 11 in China. This new variant is billed as a "5G video phone" and is directed at a younger audience. However, the OEM has yet to reveal how it differs from the original.

The Wi-Fi Alliance has confirmed that the Galaxy Tab S7 series will support Wi-Fi 6 and 5G. Expected to arrive as 11-inch and 12.4-inch tablets, Samsung is said to be planning Wi-Fi and 4G models too. Samsung is thought to be launching the Tab S7 series in Q3 2020.

Oppo sub-brand Realme has launched its very first smartwatch. The new Realme Watch has a derivative look about it but offers the sharp value that we have come to expect from the brand.