Android

Google's Pixel 4 exhibited various flaws in our test while at the same time neglecting important smartphone core competences. What good is innovation if the phone cannot even last until the end of the day?

Smartphones with curved displays reaching over all four edges of the device will be the prevailing trend in 2020 according to a well-known tipster. While the “waterfall” design has the screen tumbling over the right and left edges of a smartphone, the “quad-curve” design will utilize the top and bottom edges, too. Some have questioned the utility of such a curved smartphone display, though.

MediaTek finally demonstrates that it can design efficient and affordable flagship SoCs that can easily compete with Qualcomm's and HiSilicon's flagships. Apart from the integrated power efficient 5G modem, the latest MediaTek SoC offers an advanced gen 3 APU for A.I-powered applications. It will also be among the first chips to integrate the new Mali-G77 GPUs.

Huawei sub-brand Honor has taken the wraps of the all-new V30 and V30 Pro. The new devices both sport support for 5G with the Pro model equipped with the latest HiSilicon Kirin 990 with integrated 5 G modem.

The 5G SoC will support 90 Hz QHD displays, up to 16 GB of quad-channel LPDDR4x RAM, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.1, hexa-core AI processor, download/upload speeds of up to 4.7/2.5 Gbps, and more with the promise of faster performance than the current Qualcomm Snapdragon 855.

A new report from market analysts Canalys has revealed incredible results for Xiaomi in the European smartphone market: The Chinese manufacturer has witnessed annual growth of 73%. In India, Xiaomi is currently the number 1 smartphone brand for overall market share, on 27.1%. This is likely to increase with the impending release of the Mi Note 10 with its 108 MP camera.

Huawei has unveiled the MatePad Pro today (November 25, 2019). It is a 10.8 tablet with a resolution of 2560x1600 and a punch-hole selfie camera. This new slate comes in 6GB or 8GB RAM SKUs and has LTE or Wi-Fi only options. It can be pre-ordered from today, but only in its home country.

Realme's CEO, Xu Qi Chase, has announced the X50 via Weibo. This upcoming phone is to be the first phone to launch under this brand-name with 5G. This phone may also have a dual punch-hole selfie camera, and may offer an "advanced experience".

The Google Pay app has been updated so as to display a message should a given phone be ineligible to conduct transactions using this method. This notification would apply to users who have rooted or otherwise modified their devices in a way that causes it to fail SafetyNet requirements. In addition, upcoming updates to this app will also be able to PIN-protect online shopping done through it.

Sony makes some of the best smartphone camera sensors, so one would expect the company's flagships to offer excellent camera performance. That could not be farther from the reality of the matter, though, as Sony has consistently shown to be two years behind the competition in terms of real-world smartphone camera performance.

The Nokia 9 PureView was an ambitious device that mostly fell flat on its face due to a number of factors. HMD Global is working on the successor to that device, the Nokia 9.1 PureView, and we finally have our first look at a phone that's set to walk the same path as its predecessor.

If you were asked what smartphone delivers the best audio experience, you'd probably go with the iPhone 11 Pro Max, Samsung Galaxy Note 10+, or, perhaps, the LG V50. Well, DxOMark has other ideas, and consider the Huawei Mate 20 X the true king of smartphone audio.

The gaming-centric Android smartphone launched in gray, red and purple color options for a more striking visual appeal. Users who just want a simple black option have finally gotten their wish with the new subtle Eclipse Black color option.

Xiaomi has been busy rolling out its MIUI 11 firmware on devices from its lineup, delivering many welcome changes to the previous iteration. However, one potential hiccup has been spotted in regard to the updated fast charging symbol. The new icon, which consists of two lightning bolts placed together, looks somewhat reminiscent to the insignia of one of history’s most reviled organizations.

OnLeaks has produced renders of what will probably be the cheapest variant of the Galaxy S11 series should it be released. They suggest that this S10e successor will have a Galaxy Note 10-esque screen, as well as a main triple-camera set-up in the OEM's new rectangular housing. This phone is thought to have the same SoC as other upcoming Samsung flagships.

Google's updated Android Security Rewards Program now offers up to six-figure rewards for reporting potential severe exploits that affect its Titan M security module. It applies to such discrepancies that can affect the Pixel 4, 3 and 3a smarphone series. Other similar bounties include up to US$250000 for Secure Element or Trusted Execution Environment hacks.

OnePlus has sent an email to "some of" its customers advising them of a lapse in data protection at the company. In this case, it appears passwords and payment details are safe; however, personal information associated with these consumers may have been stolen. The OEM has asserted that it is investigating the issue and will be tightening their security in the future.

In our review of the Note 8 Pro, the mid-range phone achieves convincing results in many areas, although despite or perhaps due to the MediaTek Helio G90T, it is not a gaming smartphone.

A phone called the Vivo V1938T has gained 3C certification in China. Given that it has dual-band 5G, this device is most likely the X30 or its Pro variant. This series is also now rumored to have quad cameras with a 60MP sensor, a 4500mAh battery and at least 8GB of RAM.

Microsoft has announced that it has secured a license from the US government that allows it to sell its products to Huawei again. This will, for example, enable the OEM to put Windows on future generations of its MateBooks. The Redmond giant is among the 25% of the companies who have had their applications to work with the Chinese company approved.

OnePlus has released its Open Beta 6 software update for the 7 and 7 Pro. This version of OxygenOS confers the latest security patch levels on the 2 phones. It also introduces a setting to disable Zen Mode, as well as some fixes for the series' in-display fingerprint scanner.

The Galaxy A71 appears to combine the rear camera bump design from Apple's iPhone 11 models with the display similar to the one found on the Galaxy Note 10 that has the punch-hole selfie cam placed in the upper center. Since the A70s already sports a 64 MP sensor, the A71 is expected to include at least the same sensor plus 2 additional smaller ones and a 3D TOF on top.

The time has come for Huawei fans to act, as the Chinese company has officially brought the Mate 30 Pro to EU shores. The handset comes without Google Mobile Services, while its release is limited to Spain for the time being. However, this could well prove to be a trial run to see whether Europeans are prepared to pay flagship prices for a smartphone without Google Mobile Services.

Vivo recently launched a new phone as the S1 Pro in the Philippines. Unlike the device sold under this name in China, it has the Snapdragon 665 processor and quad rear cameras. The newer version is also now rumored to be released to the Indian market soon.

OPPO may have an equivalent to Samsung's Exynos SoC line in the works. This is in line with a new report that the OEM has registered the name M1 in relation to this product category with the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO). This hardware could thus join or even replace Qualcomm silicon in future phones from this company.

The Realme XT is this brand's first 64MP quad-camera phone. It has finally come to European shores, although it is exclusive to eBay Germany for now, and starts at €259 (US$289) for a 6GB/64GB SKU. In addition, Realme has announced that it will be bringing the 5 to Europe in time for Black Friday.

A new Samsung device with the model number SM-G770F has been approved by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). This identifier has been linked to the "Galaxy S10 Lite" since the first rumor about this putative phone ever started. Its new certification confirms its apparently paradoxical 6.7-inch display.

Huawei has officially acknowledged the MatePad Pro product name in full. Its latest Weibo video shows this tablet in action, showcasing some features such as split-screen apps and M-Pen support. The new promo also reveals that the first MatePad has dual rear cameras and will have a keyboard cover accessory.

Sony is planning on introducing four flagship smartphones next year if multiple sources are to be believed. However, the company potentially plans to split the release of the quartet across three dates, which may be up to seven months apart from each other. All will feature the upcoming Snapdragon 865 SoC though and 5G capabilities. Tell us, what is going on with Sony right now?

Want to lose money quickly? Well, the OnePlus 7T trade-in scheme would be a good way to go about it. You can get up to US$370 in credit for trading-in a 256 GB OnePlus 7 Pro, a quite frankly ludicrous amount of money for a six-month-old US$799 handset.

The Redmi K30 phones are one of the most anticipated phones right now, as they're expected to build on the high-value performance the K20 duo offered. A new report has revealed more on the devices, with notable takeaways including a super mega camera sensor, a 120 Hz display, and possibly, a switch from OLED to LCD displays.

OPPO's 65 W SuperVOOC 2.0 is the current most powerful fast-charging technology in the world, as it charges a 4000 mAh battery from 0-100% in half an hour. Xiaomi has other ideas, however, and is set to debut its own 100 W charging technology that will charge almost twice as fast as OPPO's solution.

Oppo's Android 10 fork is here in the form of ColorOS 7. It brings forth a host of cosmetic and performance improvements and will be available to eligible devices starting November 25th.

Samsung unveiled a new Star Wars-themed variant for the Galaxy Note 10 Plus. It comes with a pair of Galaxy Buds out of the box and will be released on December 13.

We already liked the predecessor of the Motorola Moto G8 Plus due to its good camera performance. With the successor, the camera concept has been revised, but this hasn't only led to improvements. This is a summary of our test results.

Qualcomm has announced that its next Snapdragon Tech Summit will take place from December 3 to 5, 2019 in Maui, Hawaii. This year, the company will showcase its growing 5G expertise, as well as other facets of its mobile device business such as the appropriate SoCs. Each of the event's keynotes will also be livestreamed from a dedicated site.

A One UI 2.0 beta may have just spoiled Samsung's big next-gen display spec reveal. The leaker Ice Universe has reported that a user has found references to a 120 hertz (Hz) display setting in this version of the OS. This feature, called Best Display in the ROM, could be destined for the Galaxy S11 at the earliest.

A phone called the Huawei OXF-AN10 has appeared on the Geekbench 4 website. Despite the first part of this model number, it has been linked to the upcoming Honor V30 series. It is listed as running Android 10, has 8GB of RAM and may furthermore be a 5G device.

The Android-x86 project has now released its first Android 9.0 Pie-based release candidate, bringing the OS to x86 systems for the first time. The new build should offer better compatibility, performance and stability than older versions of Android-x86 too. It is not ready for the prime time yet, though.

A trio of photos of the successor to last year's Honor Watch Magic have appeared online, ahead of its anticipated release on November 26. The Watch Magic 2 appears to feature some minor revisions over its predecessor, although we would not be surprised to see it launch in multiple colours too.

Few Android OEMs update their devices for as long as OnePlus does. Released in 2016, the OnePlus 3 and 3T have received three major OS updates bringing them from Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow up to Android 9.0 Pie. However, both handsets have now started receiving their final software updates, as we wave goodbye to the devices that brought OnePlus into the mainstream.

Settlers of Catan is coming to mobile with an AR adjustment. Dubbed Catan: World Explorers, the new augmented reality game will be built using Niantic's extensive suite of AR tools. The game is still in the early stages of development, but more details should come early next year.

The security research group Checkmarx has claimed to have identified a vulnerability that could have allowed hackers to bypass Android permission restrictions to remotely open and control device cameras without their owners' knowledge. This issue, which apparently affected Google and Samsung apps, has reportedly been addressed in recent software updates.

Dripp Audio is a new company that has put its interestingly-named true-wireless earbuds on Indiegogo. The "Dropps" are described as the cheapest products in their category to have Qualcomm aptX and cVc noise-cancelling tech. They also have Bluetooth 5.0 and IP5X ingress protection, and start at US$39.