Phablet

The prospect of Xiaomi launching a 12 Ultra has become increasingly strongly endorsed on the leak circuit as of late. It is said to do so with a new rear-panel-dominating circular module. This feature may have been captured in case renders that have leaked out ahead of their release. They come with a few alleged camera specs for the super-flagship phone.

Honor is an OEM that launched its latest flagship smartphones at MWC 2022. It has announced that it intends not to stop there, however, as it now wants to increase its share of the market worldwide by the end of 2022. It plans to become a "global brand" by releasing more products from new and existing lines.

Earlier, the smartphone brand Vivo had indicated that 2022 was the year in which it would start making top-end devices under the NEX brand again. Now, it has confirmed that this is the case, although it has now decided against using this name again. However, the new X line is tipped to contain the former premium series' innovation-focused DNA on its launch.

The luxury smartphone-augmenting company Caviar has just decided that Samsung's new top-end Galaxy S22 Ultra phablet is just not expensive enough; luckily, it has all the gold, titanium and crocodile skin it needs to address this issue. The results are heavily ornamented, limited-edition units of the new flagship that start at over US$6,000 a pop.

Without any date for the arrival of the Android 12-based MIUI 13 update for their handsets to talk about yet, Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro owners are now receiving a new piece of code based on Android 11. Sadly, MIUI 12.5.12 Enhanced Edition only includes the January 2022 security patch and nothing else.

Samsung has debuted Gorilla Glass Victus Plus in its flagship Galaxy S22 line, asserting that this latest form of Corning protection for smartphones offers extra durability over its predecessor. However, a new YouTube post might cast some doubt on those claims, and may establish that a case and screen protector are advisable purchases for those who have pre-ordered the series' top-end Ultra variant.

Customers in the market for a new Galaxy S22-series phone in the United States might be assured of a fully-featured and up-to-date messaging experience out of the box. The OEM has pre-installed Google's messaging app and set it to accept and show messages rather than its own stock app that does the same. This allows the phones to use RCS by default.

Samsung has launched the Galaxy S22 series with claims of enhanced robustness thanks to their updated premium design. Now, a YouTuber has tested these claims out on its flagship, the S22 Ultra. Can the new phablet's new Gorilla Glass Victus+ and upgraded frame stand up to challenges that culminate in a vehicular onslaught?

Samsung has launched the Galaxy S22 line of flagship smartphones with claims of more "eco-consciousness" than ever before in their construction and packaging. However, a new LifeProof case for the same devices might be able to outdo them in this regard. They come in 3 types, each of which is rated for a quotient of at least 50% of recycled or reclaimed materials.

Any hopes the world's remaining BlackBerry fans had of a new device under this name are officially dead - according to a relevant forum's founder, at least. Kevin Michaluk of CrackBerry claims that Onward Mobility, the company that had teased this updated, 5G- and physical keyboard-enabled, smartphone several times over has now ceased operations.

Flagship smartphones powered by the latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 SoC are only now beginning to emerge in earnest. However, its maker Qualcomm seems intent on throwing a spanner in these works, should word of an upcoming refresh called the 8 Gen 1 Plus be anything to go by. Now, according to the latest leak, the OEM aims to launch it even earlier in 2022 than projected.

All three new Galaxy S22 variants have just launched with displays made of first-party Dynamic AMOLED 2X, have 120Hz refresh rates and are protected with the latest Gorilla Glass Victus+. However, the Ultra version is the only one with an Adaptive Refresh mode that can go down to 1Hz rather than 10Hz. It also contains some other upgrades that has its maker calling it "our most advanced display yet".

Samsung has finally launched the Galaxy S22 series, thereby also confirming details such as the 3 flagship variants' new camera hardware, fresh 50MP or 108MP main sensors included. They are backed up with some new features for their native app, Nightography, Adaptive Pixel and the S22 Ultra's new hybrid stabilization system included.

The Samsung Galaxy S22, S22+ and S22 Ultra are finally officially out there, as is the fact they run on new, "fastest ever" 4 nanometer (nm) processors. The promise of the power involved in this upgrade also implies scope for a lot of heat. Accordingly, the OEM asserts that it has re-designed its mobile thermal management system specially for its new flagships.

Huawei has now delivered on its global launch for its latest flagship smartphone, the P50 Pro, along with its foldable counterpart the P50 Pocket, with pre-orders in a number of countries worldwide. They have been released as frankly questionable contenders in terms of price, albeit with free gifts in some markets.

The Xiaomi 12 Ultra may now not be quite as dead as earlier leaks have indicated. A prominent leaker has hinted that the Mi 11-series flagship successor is indeed on the way, and with faster wired charging this time. Its next generation is now slated to offer its OEM's current top speed of 120W - although it might compromise a little on other specs to do so.

The Samsung event slated to unveil the Galaxy S22, S22 Plus and S22 Ultra may finally be upon us. However, the rumored designs for all 3 has been revealed in advance of this Unpacked stream - again. This possibly last-minute tip comes in the form of a new 360-degree video that purports to show all 3 phones from all angles this time.

According to Counterpoint Research, the smartphone industry in the United States was relatively indifferent in terms of growth for the last quarter of 2021 (4Q2021). Nevertheless, the country's market did see some interesting and possibly unexpected shake-ups, such as the rise of OnePlus' sales over that of Google. Motorola also posted its best quarter on record, with 1 of the best-selling phones over the 3 months.

Samsung has not released much of a changelog for the latest update for its Galaxy Note 20 and 20 Ultra thus far. However, it has been reported to contain the February 2022 security patch, despite the fact it is still January. Therefore, some users in markets such as Europe can install this upgrade on their phablets in advance.

Introduced as the most affordable 5G-capable handset exclusively available for Verizon customers, the sub-US$300 TCL 30 V 5G has a Qualcomm Snapdragon 480 chipset inside, a generous 6.67-inch FHD+ display, dual speakers, as well as a 3.5 mm audio jack. It comes with a pre-installed 5G SIM and runs Android 11.

A Xiaomi executive recently re-raised hype for a potential 12 Ultra super-flagship phone, despite prior rumors that it would be replaced by the Mix 5 Pro in 2022. Now, the same individual has referenced another, similarly-named upcoming device, giving rise to speculation that it will be a new Ultra by a new name.

Apple had been kept off the top spot in the mobile devices market worldwide for the first 3 quarters of 2021. However, it shot back up to #1 for the year's final quarter (4Q2021), despite a slight drop in its share compared to 4Q2020. This success is attributed to the iPhone 13-series, even with its supply-chain issues.

According to the latest leaks, Xiaomi may defy expectations by replacing a successor for the Mi 11 Ultra with the Mix 5 Pro. However, a new Weibo post from an executive with the company suggests that this is not the case and there will be a top-end 12-series variant after all. The device might be released soon in order to honor the OEM's CEO.

Huawei is now on its own version of Google Mobile Services, which means its smartphones sold in markets such as Europe can't do most "normal Android" things, contactless payments included. Now, the OEM has announced that they might be back soon due to a Curve app that can use the NFC chip on Huawei phones.

Google developed a way for its new Material You UI to grab colors from a user's chosen wallpapers and intelligently build a system-wide palette based on them. Now, a new leak suggests that the Mountain View giant will introduce 4 new types of this "dynamic" theming with Android 13.

Google is now firmly linked to the launch of an inaugural foldable smartphone, heretofore rumored to be called the Pixel Fold. Now, however, a 9to5Google source reportedly claims that the Mountain View giant will go with a different name for the first-gen device. It is also now tipped to undercut the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 on its debut, although its availability may be limited to start off with.

Vivo's upcoming flagship Snapdragon 8 Gen 1-powered smartphone is said to launch as the NEX 5, thereby resurrecting its series' name in the process. It is also now said to have a relatively massive 7-inch display and to have a rear telephoto camera with better specs compared to what has emerged in 2022 to date.

Xiaomi is said to have a second generation of its flexible-display flagship series in the works. The latest leak on this subject has what might be good news and bad news for fans of the original Mix Fold. On one hand, the device's successor has been redesigned to have more "normal", smartphone-like, dimensions; however, it seems the resulting main screen may not be to one eminent leaker's liking.

The gaming app giant Tencent has worked with Xiaomi's Black Shark gaming-phone subsidiary to release co-branded flagships in the past. Now, according to a reliable leaker, the former really likes this idea as it now wants to buy the brand from the major OEM. Should this pan out in reality, it might result in an acquisition worth hundreds of millions of US dollars.

Honor has finally launched the Magic V, its first-ever foldable smartphone. It comes with flagship specs, the new Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 SoC included. It powers the latest version of the OEM's Android skin, designed to switch smoothly between the Magic V's main and cover OLED displays. They will stay on thanks to a large battery that charges as fast as the OEM's other premium devices.

The latest leaks suggest that Xiaomi will launch the upcoming "12 Ultra" as the Mix 5 Pro instead. Now, a new tip indicates that it will be the second flagship from the OEM to debut with one of its in-house image signalling processors (ISPs) - maybe even a new one. It might enhance the work of 3 high-end rear cameras.

The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra is said to upgrade to its OEM's maximum mobile charging rate on its launch. Now, a well-regarded leaker claims to have found evidence of this, in the form of marketing material for a new power brick that supports this power standard. However, this accessory will almost certainly not come in the box with one of these new flagships.

The Honor Magic V will be the OEM's first-gen foldable on its imminent launch. It is projected to come in 2 RAM/storage SKUs, the starting prices for both of which have just leaked out. Should they prove accurate, they would prove as least as costly as the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 before it.

OmniVision has just challenged the likes of Samsung with the launch of the OVB0B, its first ever 200 megapixel (MP) camera sensor. Not only does it have the highest resolution known to most CMOS-makers, it is also rated to be the smallest in its class thus far. It is also rated to debut quad phase detection and 16-cell binning for enhanced auto-focus (AF) and low-light performance.

At the end of a successful Indiegogo campaign that raised almost one million Euros by early May 2020, the Astro Slide 5G was supposed to arrive in March 2021. Now, there are over 5,000 backers and 2.2 million Euros involved. The device is on display at CES 2022 and shipments are scheduled to kick off in March.

Honor has finally set a date for the launch of its first-gen foldable smartphone, the Magic V. Prior to this event, however, the OEM has also revealed how this device will look from the back for the first time. This teaser involves the discovery of an updated camera hump for this new foldable.

OPPO's first-gen foldable phone, the Find N, has rocketed to 5th place on the AnTuTu benchmark's final ranking of Android flagships for 2021. However, Xiaomi's latest Black Shark gaming flagship was not to be knocked from its #1 spot with its Snapdragon 888+ platform. Then again, their time at the top may shortly be at an end.

Honor has announced that it will launch its first-gen foldable smartphone, the Magic V, soon. Now, the company's CEO, George Zhao, has hinted at a more exact launch date for the device in a new interview. The executive also highlighted the device's similarity to the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 toward the end of the new clip.

The new Xiaomi 12 series of flagship smartphones was released to its first market on New Year's Eve 2021. Now, the sales data from that event is in, and the OEM claims to have made just under 2 billion yuan (~US$300 million) from the first 5 minutes' worth of orders. This has beaten the record set by the Mi 11 by a good margin.

The Surface Duo and Duo 2 are Android devices with a distinctive form-factor from Microsoft. The Redmond giant has just gotten approval for a patent that might result in an updated version of this device with even more screen (and, thus, more hinge) than ever before. It may make for a better phone/tablet than the current iteration.

The Honor Magic V is a foldable smartphone touted to rival the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 or OPPO Find N in terms of looks and functions on its launch. Now, a famous leaker asserts that it will debut with Android 12 powered by the latest top-end Qualcomm SoC, not to mention decent display specs for both of its displays, fast charging and a high-end main rear camera.

Samsung is said to have a top-end flagship smartphone variant in the works that is so premium it will absorb the Galaxy Note line's S Pen integration. Now, the S22 Ultra is also now said to gain a new internal storage SKU to rival that of the iPhone 13 Pro series. Meanwhile, the phone's dummy unit has turned up in new hands-on images.

The mobile device OEM Honor has announced that it will launch its first-gen foldable, the Magic V, soon. This cutting-edge smartphone's latest teaser suggests a design most like that of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3, thereby possibly hinting at a premium status for the inaugural flexible-display device.

It may be Christmas Day for many today (December 25, 2021); however, it seems Samsung's innovation continues apace regardless. The OEM has had a patent for a new folding-display device approved by the World Intellectual Property Office (WIPO), with potential for more versatility, screen real-estate - not to mention ports - compared to what is available today.

Honor has just announced that its long-awaited first-gen foldable smartphone will be here soon. This "flagship" has been rumored to be called either the Magic Fold or Magic X - however, the company has now confirmed that its name is...neither of these.

According to the latest rumors, Xiaomi will launch its second-gen foldable phablet in 2022. A new leak purports to make them more of a reality with new and practical details on the possible high-end device. Meanwhile, the same product has again been linked to a main screen of quality similar to that of the Galaxy Z Fold3 or OPPO Find N.

OPPO has just announced the MariSilicon X, the OEM's first-gen neural processing unit (NPU). It is slated to make its debut in the upcoming wave of Find X-series flagship smartphones. Then again, a leaker now claims that premium specs are not required to unleash its full potential.

Qualcomm has just released the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor as its latest flagship processor with a re-worked name to boot. Now, a Weibo-based chip industry leaker asserts that the OEM is working on its successor already. This possibly accelerated timeline might be related to MediaTek's rising status in the same field.

Honor has already assured its fans that it will release a mobile device based on the brand-new MediaTek Dimensity 9000 SoC. However, according to a famous tipster, it won't be its first-gen foldable. This phablet is now tipped to be the first of its kind to launch with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1.

The Find N is OPPO's first-gen foldable smartphone, and has attracted a lot of attention in its first market (China) due to its high-end specs and novel form-factor compared to its main Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 rival. It has been up for limited pre-sale since its December 15, 2021 launch, although some of that event's units have been listed for increased prices compared to retail since then.