Android

A couple of recent Geekbench records, seemingly for the Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro, have been unearthed that offer incredible scores in both the single-core test and the multi-core test. The scores for the single-core benchmark were 904 and 906 points, while it appears the Qualcomm Snapdragon 865-powered smartphone racked up 3,290 and 3,294 in the multi-core benchmark.

The chances of the Asus ZenFone 5 getting updated to Android 10 seem to be slim if the tweets of an Asus France employee are anything to go by. In a response to user's query, the rep said that a lot of work needs to be done before the update can be made available for the ZenFone 5 considering the fact that it is based on ZenUI, and that it runs on a different chipset compared to the ZenFone 5Z, which has already received Android 10.

Counterpoint Research now believes that the upcoming Galaxy S20 flagships will maintain an upward trend in Samsung sales that began with their S10-series predecessors. Furthermore, the new phones' performance in the market could re-energise the uptake of their category in general. This may be based on the strength of the S20s' price and specs.

LG is billed to launch the V60 ThinQ at MWC later this month. Details of the device have now leaked, with major takeaways including the presence of headphone jack, a quad-rear camera setup, and a huge 5000 mAh battery. Reports also claim that the South Korean company could be set to kill its G-series line, in an attempt to focus on the V-series.

Look away, lovers of smaller-sized phones, this one isn't for you. Huawei's Mate 20 series is almost 16 months old and here we have a look at the forgotten son of the lineup, the Mate 20 X—perhaps, the most underrated device Huawei has released in recent times.

The Red Magic series of gaming smartphones is headed for an update, which is to be revealed at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2020. This has been confirmed by its maker Nubia, by way of a new Weibo post by its CEO, Ni Fei. The executive has also validated rumors that this device will have a 144Hz display.

iQOO, a sub-brand of the smartphone OEM Vivo, released a premium, Snapdragon 855 Plus-powered device called the Pro 5G in 2019. Now, with a new Geekbench 5 listing that may fit its description, its 2nd generation could be on the way. It apparently runs Android 10 and has 8GB of RAM.

You've no doubt seen the headline: "Motorola Razr fails folding test, doesn't last up to 28,000 folds". Or something in that vein. Yes, the new Motorola Razr did perform terribly at that test, but what if the test itself was inherently unfair?

It appears Samsung has been working hard to make sure owners of some of its wide range of smartphones can start enjoying the Android 10-based One UI 2.0. It’s not just the famous flagships of the South Korean manufacturer that are receiving the update though, as the Galaxy A7 (2018), Galaxy A10, Galaxy A10e, and Galaxy A20e should be running on Android 10 soon.

A new leak has given us our first look at the Asus Zenfone 7. The Zenfone 7 appears to feature a triple camera setup housed within a square module. The dual-selfie camera is present—in an Honor V20 Pro-esque punch-hole—and Asus appears to have opted for an LCD panel once more.

The Global Developer Service Alliance (GDSA) is a kind of one-stop pipeline for developers, by which their apps can be uploaded to the in-house software ecosystems of 3 different OEMs simultaneously. However, these companies have asserted that they are not gunning for Google's Play Store with this new initiative.

Chargeasap, the company responsible for the Infinity Cable, has introduced another new product via Indiegogo. The Flash power bank is described as based on Tesla graphene-battery technology, which allows it to fill up at a maximal rate of 150 watts (W). It also purports to deliver 100W USB-Power Delivery (USB-PD) through a type C port, and that's not all.

Rejoice, owners of older Huawei premium phones; your time in the spotlight is here. Huawei is currently sending out the Android 10-based EMUI 10 update to the Honor 10 and Honor View 10 outside China, with the P20, P20 Pro, and likely, the Mate 10 Pro, set to follow shortly.

The Android OS' official Twitter account has posted a message alerting us all to "something exciting" that is "just around the corner". However, we will have to wait until Samsung's next big event to see what it is. The announcement has led to speculation that the long-missed Google Play Edition (GPE) program is being resurrected.

Xiaomi has already offered a taste of the cameras in the Mi 10 Pro, and now the company has also confirmed other features about the Mi 10 series. The Chinese company will reserve premium features for only the Mi 10 Pro either, with the regular Mi 10 set to have bragging rights over the Galaxy S20 series in at least one area, too.

The Samsung Galaxy M20 is now receiving its much-awaited Android 10-based One UI 2.0 update in Europe. It is currently available in Germany, Luxembourg, and Greece. Users in other regions should receive the update in the coming days.

Hinge noises aren’t as bad as it gets for the new Motorola RAZR. The phone was put through a folding test to see how many times it could be folded before showing damage. The results were...rather disappointing, especially in light of the phone’s US$1500 price tag.

Opinion Even though Xiaomi is yet to officially announce the Redmi K30 Pro, the device appears to have tremendous potential to disrupt the Indian market, despite the increased competition from the likes of Realme. The lack of a Poco F1 successor will go a long way towards bolstering the Redmi smartphone's sales numbers.

A new report claims that the smartphone OEM OnePlus has patented a phone with hidden rear cameras. However, this design allegedly depends on physical components rather than the next-gen electrochromic technology found in this company's recent concept device. On the other hand, it also seems to integrate an under-display selfie camera.

Ever tried playing an online FPS on a wireless earbud? Latency galore. Samsung will attempt to cut down on latency by introducing a game mode on the upcoming Galaxy Buds+, along with a number of other major improvements over the current Galaxy Buds.

Thinking about buying the Redmi 8a? Well, Xiaomi company executives are dropping heavy hints that a successor is already in the works, and it could be arriving as soon as next week. Better still, the device, likely called the Redmi 9a, will retain the 5,000 mAh battery of its predecessor while adding a second camera. A Redmi-branded powerbank may be in the offing too.

The Realme C3 has become the first phone with a MediaTek Helio G70 processor, as it launches via Flipkart in India. It also has a 6.5-inch HD+ display with 3-4GB of RAM and up to 64GB of internal storage. It starts for INR 6999, or about US$98.

The smartphone OEM OPPO has issued press invitations for the launch of what may be its next flagship, the Find X2. This phone, which is thought to have state-of-the-art specs such as a 120Hz display, will debut in Barcelona, but not at the upcoming MWC event to be held in the same city.

Qualcomm has released its first earnings report for the year 2020. The quarter (1Q2020) saw no less than US$5.1 billion in revenue for the chipmaking giant. This is a 5% improvement compared to 1Q2019. In addition, the company's latest pre-tax earnings saw a year-on-year increase of 69%.

A phone called the Huawei P40 Lite E has reportedly been approved by a Russian telecomms authority. This device might also be called the Enjoy 10 on its launch in other markets. However, its new leak does not offer any information on its specs.

The Redmi K30 was something of a disappointment, and Xiaomi will be hoping to make amends with the Redmi K30 Pro. A new report has now shone more light on Redmi's upcoming flagship phone, and things are looking up for expectant fans.

While Xiaomi may unveil the Mi 10 and Mi 10 Pro during an online-only event, company VP Lu Weibing has been sharing the camera capabilities of the upcoming flagships. A 108 MP main sensor paired with a 10x zoom camera and a Snapdragon 865 all for less than US$500?

Going by all available information, the Galaxy S20 phones will be more expensive than their predecessors—in the US at least. While that may sound like a thoughtless move by Samsung, some context is necessary.

8K video recording capabilities are coming to Snapdragon 865-powered flagships this year, even though they will be mostly useless and potentially buggy, at least judging by a showcase video posted by Qualcomm on YouTube. It is important to note that the video was shot in November last year, so maybe Qualcomm managed to fix all these problems in the meantime, so maybe the upcoming Galaxy S20 phones will not be plagued with such issues.

It appears one of the world’s current best-selling smartphones, the Samsung Galaxy A50, could be receiving the expected update to One UI 2.0 soon thanks to the information revealed in a recently spotted Wi-Fi Alliance certification. The Android 10 upgrade will be welcomed by fans of the phone, which dominated sales charts in Europe and other markets in 2019.

Doogee has announced the S68 Pro, another in its long line of toughphones. However, this one also has the reverse wireless charging feature normally found in Huawei or Samsung flagships. This power will come from the device's 6300mAh battery.

Huawei's 22.5 W SuperCharge was class-leading three years ago but the company has slowly lost ground on that front. That could be set to change soon, though, as a new report claims the Chinese company could debut a new 65 W fast-charging technology on the upcoming Mate Xs.

LG looks to be getting better with software updates. The South Korean company is continuing its Android 10 rollout for the G8 ThinQ, and the latest version of the phone to receive the update is the US unlocked model. Both the Sprint and Verizon models already received the update.

Samsung has been linked to an upcoming budget smart speaker since 2018. More recent reports appear to confirm that this device will be called the Galaxy Home Mini and that it would launch on February 12, 2020. An even newer leak asserts that this date has in fact been pushed up a bit.

While many other Kirin 710-powered smartphones have now received EMUI 10 and Android 10, Huawei has frozen out the Nova 3i. The official confirmation that the device will not be getting a second OS upgrade has clearly irked some fans and owners of the handset, with thousands joining forces to demand that EMUI 10 reaches the Nova 3i.

OnePlus is preparing to launch its next-generation flagship smartphones, specifically the OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro. While there have been a few reports speculating about the design of OnePlus' upcoming devices, we now have official confirmation that the phones exist.

Behold the majestic camera bump on the Galaxy S20 Ultra model! It is twice as wide as the one from S20 / S20+ and almost half as wide as the phone itself. There is a dedicated mic between the main sensor and the LED, as well. Care to pay US$1,399 for it? Too much? How about US$1,199 for the Galaxy S20+? No? Maybe the US$999 regular S20 is the phone you are looking for, then?

While most details remain sketchy, the teaser that surfaced online earlier this week suggests that the Galaxy M31 will hit the market with a 64 MP main camera and a generous battery able to provide at least 5,000 mAh like the Galaxy M30, maybe even more than 6,000 mAh (Galaxy M30s).

While there have been complaints about how quickly LG and Samsung drop support for their former smartphones, Huawei may be treating to its older handsets differently. The company has now given fans hope that the Mate 9 and Mate 9 Pro will receive Android 10 courtesy of EMUI 10, which would be their third OS upgrade since they were unveiled in November 2016. Better still, they will retain Google Mobile Services functionality, too.

There have been plenty of headlines written in regard to smartphone owners waiting to receive an update to Android 10. However, smartphones are definitely not created equally, as an image of a Google Pixel 2 XL running on an alleged version of Android R has demonstrated. Android R is likely a preliminary name for Android 11.

The Mi Note 10 Pro launched to much fanfare with its penta-camera setup that offered 5x optical zoom and a 108 MP main camera. It's, by all means, a capable camera smartphone and will appeal to hobbyist photographers; but audio looks to be an entirely different issue.

LG and ZTE both issued statements earlier today announcing that the companies would not be attending MWC 2020. Citing concerns over the coronavirus outbreak in eastern China, both companies will not be physically present that this year's conference.

Google has announced that its Google Glass Enterprise Edition 2 is headed to regular retail channels for developers. Although failed as a consumer product, at least in the immediate future, the company has found legs for it in enterprise so much so that demand has warranted its wider availability.

Rumour has it that Nokia, or rather HMD Global, will unveil new smartphones at MWC 2020 later this month. Inconveniently, the event will occur on February 23, one day before MWC 2020 begins in Barcelona. New mid-range handsets and an Android-powered feature phone may be on the agenda, with the rumoured 9.2 PureView not due to appear until later in the year.

For some reason, Huawei is taking its sweet time with the rollout of the Android 10-based EMUI 10 update. The update is still mostly going out to Kirin 980-powered phones; ergo, last-gen premium phones including the Mate 20, P30 and Nova 5T series.

The increasingly convincing leaker Digital Chat Station has hinted that a new Xiaomi Mi Mix is back on the cards. It is possible that this device will be called the 2020, and it could have the OEM's long-awaited 100-watt charging technology. Pair this with the idea of a 120 hertz refresh rate, and that is an extremely speedy hypothetical phone.

Recently, the brand POCO has reportedly started providing OTA updates to Android 10 for its first device, the F1. Now, it seems one for the February 2020 security patch level has followed. Oddly, it seemingly comes direct from Google, a service normally reserved for Pixel phones.

Samsung's newest mid-rangers —the Galaxy S10 Lite and Galaxy Note 10 Lite— are now available for purchase in Spain for €659 and €609 respectively. Both phones come with a 6.67-inch FHD+ Super AMOLED panel, a 4,500 mAh battery and 128 GB of internal storage.

Following on from the Escobar Fold 1, Pablo Escobar's brother has unveiled the Fold 2, another inexpensive foldable smartphone by Escobar Inc. The Fold 2 starts at US$399 for a Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 SoC and up to 512 GB of storage, although Escobar Inc has admitted that the device is a Samsung Galaxy Fold replica. The announcement coincides with reports of Escobar Inc failing to deliver Escobar Fold 1 units and refusing to issue refunds among other red flags, though.