Android

The Samsung Galaxy S20, S20+ and S20 Ultra were launched in their new Cloud- or Cosmic-themed colorways on February 11, 2020. However, other reports have revealed that they have drastically different options on the South Korean market, one of which is Aura Red. A leaker now asserts that these SKUs are also on their way to Europe.

The recent Samsung Galaxy S20 launch event also served to unveil the addition of the Live Caption feature to Google, in which video-call speech is converted into text in real time. Now, there is evidence that this function is also being ported to Chrome. This app's gerrit shows the integration of an API necessary to deliver it within the browser.

Roh Tae-moon, the president of Mobile at Samsung, has claimed that the OEM has developed devices with "even more" hinges than the new Galaxy Z Flip. However, these multi-folding phones are apparently not ready for prime-time yet. This is due to the idea that consumers will want much more UX polish in such products.

iQOO is a Chinese smartphone brand that has made a name for itself in recent years by offering high-end hardware at decent price-points. Now, it has revealed that its next such device is to be called the 3 5G. It will be powered by the Snapdragon 865 SoC and have the next-gen UFS 3.1 storage standard.

Xiaomi is now broadening the rollout of Android 10 to the Mi 8, having begun rolling out the OS upgrade to its former flagship last month. The latest update, V11.0.3.0.QEAMIXM, weighs in at 1.9 GB and introduces a few other fixes, too.

Instead of ending production of the Galaxy S10 series, Samsung will keep making them and selling them officially with a US$150 permanent price drop. That could have an interesting effect on the support lifespan of the phones, and their resale value.

The cancellation of MWC 2020 and the coronavirus may have scuppered the release of the Mi 10 and Mi 10 Pro, but that has not stopped Xiaomi from unveiling both in an online event. The Mi 10 Pro has stormed to the top of DxOMark too, but there are some key differences between it and the Mi 10. The Mi 10 has the edge over the Mi 10 Pro in some areas, too.

While Samsung continues to dominate the foldable smartphone market, Huawei is set to release a successor to the Mate X. The Chinese company is said to be switching to using an ultra-thin glass for its next foldable too, a change that may do away with the crease that affects the likes of the Galaxy Z Flip and Moto Razr.

It has been over a year since Razer last released a gaming phone, with plenty of other OEMs stepping into the fold in the meantime. Now, Lenovo has dropped hints that it too will bring a gaming phone to market this year. Naturally, the device will be marketed under the company's Legion division, and with a Snapdragon 865 SoC in tow too.

Surprisingly, Samsung has just managed to release the Android 10 update for the Galaxy A30 one month ahead of schedule, so other handsets might get the new software earlier than expected as well. The Indian Galaxy A30 gets the software version A305FDDU4BTB3 in the shape of a 1.4 GB OTA update package.

Xiaomi has just launched its newest flagship phones, the Mi 10 and Mi 10 Pro. The Mi 10 Pro has also been put through the paces over at DxOMark, and posted impressive results that place it at the top of the website's photo, video, and audio leaderboards.

Samsung has opened up its Galaxy S20 series trade-in program for reservers and there looks to be a few issues with it. For one, owners of the Galaxy S10e get the short end of the stick.

Essential just announced that it will cease operations starting today. The Essential PH1 will no longer receive security updates. One has to look for third-party software alternatives such as LineageOS to keep their devices up to date. The company's email app Newton Mail will cease to operate on April 30th 2020.

The wait for Android 10 on the Redmi Note 8 Pro continues, as does a Widevine DRM L1 fix. While the former remains an unknown quantity, the latter is apparently now in sight. Owners of the Redmi Note 8 Pro must wait at least another month or so before the next OTA update, though.

OnePlus' flagship smartphones are expected in late March or early April. Many supposed technical details and specs for the OnePlus 8 and 8 Pro cell phones have already made the rounds. A new leak is said to confirm the design and some specs of the OnePlus 8 Pro.

Sony took a few months to prepare the release of Android 10 for its latest set of smartphones. Apparently, it did not take long enough as people have been complaining of experiencing a multitude of bugs. The situation is so dire that Sony has ceased the rollout of Google's latest OS to the likes of the Xperia XZ2 and XZ3.

After meeting earlier this week to discuss the viability of Mobile World Congress 2020, the GSMA has decided to cancel MWC 2020 due to concerns surrounding the coronavirus outbreak. Multiple companies have stated they would not be in attendance due to the epidemic earlier this month. In response, the GSMA has outright cancelled MWC in its entirety.

The popular online messaging service WhatsApp has reported that it has passed an important milestone: 2 billion users. It emphasized its simple, convenient and private interface in its statement on this matter. Furthermore, it asserted its ongoing commitment to protecting the (doubtless huges amounts of) data sent through it daily.

The Xiaomi Mi 10 and Mi 10 Pro are upcoming flagships likely to rock the Snapdragon 865 processor. They have been just been certified by the Wi-Fi Alliance, putting their imminent launch beyond doubt. This new approval also drops an interesting extra detail: these phones will run a heretofore-unknown version of their OEM's OS skin.

The Mi A3 should be in line to receive Android 10, with a mid-February release date previously being touted. The company has informed some fans that the OS upgrade may arrive later this week, but we would not guarantee it. On the contrary, Android 10 may be delayed until the end of February, instead.

Recently, a prominent tech vlogger teased a phone with a dual punch-hole camera alleged to contain a groundbreaking 44MP sensor. Now, this device has been revealed as OPPO's Reno3 Pro - but not as its existing fans know it. It has indeed sprouted this improved in-display shooter, but lacks an important marketing point from its original launch.

HMD Global, an OEM that makes Nokia phones, is one of the latest companies to announce the cancellation of its showcase at MWC 2020. Like the others, it has done so to keep its staff and audience safe from the spread of the novel coronavirus. To date, there is no new date for its upcoming launches.

The Poco X2 was launched just last week but is already receiving its first OTA update. The update comes as the January security patch, and brings some image processing improvements to the phone's cameras, along with a nifty bug fix.

Colour us disappointed. Redmi had been hyping up its next smartphone, only to release a tweaked Redmi 8A. Sadly, the device thought to be the Redmi 9A is actually the Redmi 8A Dual. All Xiaomi has added is a textured back panel, an improved primary rear-facing camera and, as its name suggests, a secondary sensor.

Xiaomi will still be attending MWC 2020 in Barcelona at the end of the month, where it will globally unveil the Mi 10 and Mi 10 Pro. The company has promised to take precautions against the proliferation of the coronavirus, the reason for the likes of Sony bowing out of this year's conference. CEO Lei Jun has been showing off some official camera samples for the Mi 10 and Mi 10 Pro ahead of their Chinese launch this Thursday, too.

The stylish result of the collaboration between Samsung Electronics and New York-based fashion brand Thom Browne "was created for those who are not afraid to make a statement—and who want their technology to be as iconic as their wardrobe" and will arrive in March. The pre-orders will kick off later this week — on February 14, to be more specific.

About a week ago, reports surfaced claiming that Huawei was working on the EMUI 10 update for the Mate 9 and Mate 9 Pro, the company's flagship phone from 2016. Huawei has reportedly now confirmed those claims to be without substance.

You can get 50 percent off the Galaxy S20 or more if you own a Google Pixel 4, Pixel 4 XL, Galaxy S10, iPhone 11, or iPhone XS. Owners of the Pixel 4 should definitely consider the $600 trade-in offer as that is more than what the smartphone is currently retailing for new.

Earlier, Android teased "something exciting" that might debut alongside Samsung’s new flagships. Now, this has been realized in the form of a new Live Caption feature in Google’s Duo app. In addition, the OS may get much more foldable- and 5G-friendly soon.

The Samsung Galaxy S20, Galaxy S20 Plus and Galaxy S20 Ultra are now live. All three devices come with a 120Hz screen, 8K video recording capabilities, Samsung's version of AirDrop aka Quick Share, and more. Unfortunately, there will be no headphone jack, but Samsung will include a pair of AKG tuned headphones out of the box. The maxed out variant of the Galaxy S20 Ultra will be the world's first smartphone to come with a whopping 16 GB of RAM.

Samsung has finally unveiled its second foldable smartphone in the form of the Galaxy Z Flip. It comes with a 6.7-inch screen that folds in two, a Snapdragon 855+, 8 GB of RAM and 256 GB of storage. It will be available in limited quantities in the U.S and Korea starting February 14, and will retail at $1,380

The Galaxy S20/Z Flip launch event also saw the announcement of a new level of collaboration between Microsoft and Samsung. It involves porting PC games to this OEM’s phones, starting with Forza Street. It will be exclusive to Samsung's own app store for a while after its release, as may others in the future.

The Mobile World Congress (MWC) has been inexorably rocked by a series of cancellations and withdrawals from the show. They have been made by an ever-growing list of companies, to which Intel and Vivo have most recently been added. The show's runners, the GSMA, will now meet on February 14, 2020 in order to determine the event's fate.

The OPPO Find X is considered a particularly innovative ex-flagship phone, as it featured a motorized pop-up module that left both sides of the device completely clear of sensors unless it was deployed. However, a new leak suggests that its upcoming successor will not continue this trend, and will go with conventional, albeit possibly up-to-date, features instead.

A new commercial that aired during the Oscars award show Sunday officially unveiled the final design of the upcoming Galaxy Z Flip foldable from Samsung. The commercial shows nothing more than the design of the phone, which is highlighted across dozens of simulated renders. Samsung should officially announce all details of the handset at its Unpacked event later today.

Although recent rumors claimed otherwise, it has just been confirmed that ZTE will push aside all the fears regarding the virus that is currently troubling the Chinese mainland and will attend the Mobile World Congress trade show that is scheduled to take place in Barcelona later this month.

The Dutch tech blog LetsGoDigital claims that its official Samsung Galaxy S20 press-pack is out of embargo, and can now be shared with the world. Its contents appear to match corresponding leaks almost exactly: for example, the 3 new phones will launch alongside second-gen Buds. This possible final tip also appears to put the flagships' ultra-high price-tags beyond doubt.

The upgrade to Android 10 did not go as planned for some Mi 9T and Redmi K20 handsets, with multiple people reporting high battery drain affecting their devices. While there was a workaround, Xiaomi pulled the build to address other bugs too. Now, the company has restarted the rollout of Android 10 builds of MIUI 11, although you may not notice the difference.

Sony has announced that it must withdraw its entire presence from the Mobile World Congress this year. This includes its scheduled press conference and its product showcases on the floor during the event. Meanwhile, TCL has announced that its own conference is cancelled, but that it will still display products.

Released earlier today, Opera 56 for Android features improvements to the reader mode and tab restoration features, as well as customizable address bar buttons. Reloading the current page is now possible only by swiping down from the top since the Reload button has been moved to the menu.

Xiaomi finally brought the Mi Mix 2S onto Android 10 builds of MIUI 11 last month, with the update introducing several fixes too. However, the upgrade has caused issues for some people, and appears to have left a pressing concern untouched.

The Samsung Galaxy S20 phones will be unveiled tomorrow but why wait till then to have an idea of what the phones' cameras are capable of. The first photo samples of the Galaxy S20 have now been leaked; better still, with the same shots taken on the S10 for comparison.

WhatsApp has secured approval to roll out a new facet of its service in India. It is a new payment platform that has just been approved by the relevant authories. This may help the Facebook-owned app compete effectively with others such as Google Pay/Tez and Paytm in the country.

Fancy trying Android 10 a few months early on the G7 ThinQ? Well, you soon can, although there are caveats. LG has even published the device's Android 10 kernel source code, a good sign that the OS upgrade is on its way to seeing a stable release.

The telecomms equipment maker Ericsson has become one of the latest in a growing group of companies that have decided against an appearance at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) this year. Like those others, it has cited prevention measures against the spread of the novel coronavirus to its employees or public as its reason for quitting the show.

The smartphone maker OPPO has announced the launch of the Reno2 and Reno2 Z in Germany. This series distinguishes itself through its high digital and hybrid camera zoom specs and its pop-up selfie modules. These aspects of the phones may make up for the fact that they are not the latest generations of their line.

Expected to launch at MWC next month, the upcoming Xiaomi Mi 10 has just surfaced on Weibo in an official poster that reveals two color choices and its overall design traits. Hopefully, the Mi 10 will be available with more color choices than just the pink and blue revealed in the aforementioned official image.

Xiaomi is hoping to set the world alight this week with the Mi 10 and Mi 10 Pro, its latest flagship smartphones. The two devices will sport not only the hyper-curved display of recent Huawei flagships, but will also pack the latest Snapdragon 865 SoC, a 108 MP camera, a 50x zoom lens, LPDDR5 RAM and a whopping 5,250 mAh battery. Expect Xiaomi to undercut its competitors on price, too.

Owners of the Honor Play are campaigning for their much-deserved EMUI 10 update. The Honor Play was ignored on all of Huawei's roadmaps so far even though its powered by the same Kirin 970 on flagships like the Mate 10 Pro and P20 Pro—both of which will receive Android 10. A new update has now hit the Honor Play but is unlikely to do anything but piss owners off even more.