Android

The new Archos handsets start at 5.7 and go up to 6.3 and 6.8 inches in size, but all will hit the market for less than 170 USD. The Unisoc SC9863-powered Oxygen 57 and Oxygen 63, as well as the Helio P22-driven Oxygen 68XL will launch with Android Pie onboard in May. Before that happens, these handsets will be unveiled at MWC.

Featuring specs similar to Samsung's S10 lineup, the Mi 9 smashes the Korean competitor with halved starting prices. Some of the outstanding features coming with the Mi9 include the powerful Snapdragon 855 SoC, up to 12 GB of RAM, up to 256 GB of storage, a 6.39-inch AMOLED screen with in-display fingerprint sensor, a 20 MP selfie cam and an impressive 48 + 16 + 12 MP rear tri-cam.

The version labeled 50 of the Opera browser for Android comes with an improved ad blocker that features a site-specific setting, picture-in-picture support for videos on Android Oreo (and later), support for dark CSS themes, as well as support for the Estonian, Latvian, and Lithuanian languages.

Chinese smartphone maker Vivo has launched its latest notchless all-display smartphone. The new Vivo V15 Pro has been unveiled in India and comes with an pop-up selfie camera and a triple rear camera set up.

Ahead of MWC 2019, LG has announced three new budget smartphones in the Q and K-series. The LG Q60 offers a triple-camera setup and higher onboard storage while the LG K50 and K40 are oriented at more price-conscious users. All phones sport an unnamed 2.0 GHz octa-core SoC and LG's FullVision display HD+ panels along with support for DTS:X audio and AI Cam.

A new image of the OnePlus 7 has leaked online confirming previous leaks of a notch-less fullscreen display. We also do not see any punch-hole for the selfie camera indicating the possibility of a slider mechanism. However, the display orientation throws up a speculation as to whether or not OnePlus is building support for inverted displays into Oxygen OS.

Razer has had to cut around 2% of its workforce due to “realignment.” It’s believed many of the staff that have been let go were involved with the company’s smartphone products. The cuts could mean that any progress on the Razer Phone 3 device has been halted while the manufacturer streamlines its operations.

Qualcomm looks to be developing a new entry-level SoC for entry-level Android Go smartphones. References to the new QM215 SoC have been spotted in several Qualcomm developer documents and it is expected to be developed independent of the mainstream Snapdragon series. The QM215 should hopefully increase adoption of the Android Go platform in emerging markets.

It has been reported that owners of unlocked Razer Phone 2 handsets can expect to start receiving updates to Android 9 Pie from February 27. Those with carrier devices will have to wait a bit longer. This will be a relief to some as it seems the American-Singaporean company could be having some internal issues.

The S90 is Doogee's first rugged smartphone that comes with a selection of modules similar to Motorola's mods. These include a high quality night vision camera, a 5,000 mAh powerbank, a walkie-talkie and a game controller. Additionally, the casing of the S90 is made of military grade metal and polycarbonate, so it can withstand extreme conditions.

The Helio P90 is an SoC that could bring augmented and mixed reality to some mid-range devices in the future. Today, MediaTek added AI to that list of possibilities. It has announced support for Google's ML Kit in conjunction with the P90. This could allow the processor to harness its APU to produce an enhanced AI experience.

Google announced today that it would be holding a special event at the Game Developer Conference (GDC) next month on March 19th. The announcement offers few details, but many are guessing that Google will announce something related to Project Stream, the search giant's in-browser game streaming service. Google has been working on Project Stream for months and might be developing the service to compete with the likes of Nvidia, Sony, Microsoft, and Amazon.

Today, (February 19, 2019) Qualcomm has launched its second modem for use with 5G-New Radio (5G-NR): the Snapdragon X55. It is rated to support download speeds of up to 7 gigabits per second (Gb/s) and upload speeds of up to 3 Gb/s. Unlike its predecessor, the X50, this modem is also compatible with 2G, 3G and 4G.

PlusUs has introduced its Xpad, a charging pad that measures only 2.2 millimeters in depth. This spec leads the start-up to assert that it is the thinnest product of its kind worldwide. It is available as a reward as part of an Indiegogo campaign, which aims to raise US$20,000.

A recent video made by XDA based on a leaked version of Android Q from January 2019 does not have a 'back' option in its UI navigation functions. The user must now swipe to the left using the 'pill' to return to a second-most recent app. This Q build also has smoother animations for app-switching.

The Galaxy S10 and S10+ are here one day early, sort of. Norwegian TV channel TV 2 has aired the launch advert for the Galaxy S10 and S10+ before tomorrow's Galaxy UNPACKED event in San Francisco. The advert confirms many of the S10 and S10+'s features including its Infinity-O display, its in-screen fingerprint sensor and the now rare headphone jack.

The Mi 9 will offer a mouth-watering specifications sheet including an AMOLED display, IR blaster, triple rear cameras, a Snapdragon 855, and up to 12 GB of RAM. All of that comes with a caveat, though: Prices also see a massive hike.

Huawei has just put an end to all the rumors about the launch date and location of its next-gen flagships by posting a video teaser on Twitter. The video apparently focuses on the zoom capabilities of the upcoming flagship. The Huawei P30 will arrive during a special event that will take place on March 26 in Paris.

The Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus is said to be available in 128 GB, 512 GB, and 1 TB storage variants, and one of the color options for the 1 TB variant is Ceramic Black. Roland Quandt has tweeted that even the S10 Plus 512 GB version will be available in Ceramic Black in the US and elsewhere. We are also getting to know that the price of the Galaxy S10 Plus, though still expensive, will be cheaper than its nearest competitor, the Apple iPhone XS Max.

In the same Weibo post where he discussed the design features of the upcoming Mi 9 Explorer Edition, Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun also delivered a rather startling morsel of information: The smartphone will feature 12 GB memory. This would put the device on the same RAM amount level as the top-end variant of the Samsung Galaxy S10+.

Sony has released a brief teaser for its upcoming appearance at MWC19. The clip has the caption “embrace a new perspective” that seems to point at the expected 21:9 aspect ratios of the Japanese company’s new smartphones. Apparently, the devices formerly known as the Xperia XA3 and XA3 Plus will be released as the Xperia 10 and 10 Plus, respectively.

Xiaomi’s CEO Lei Jun has posted some very interesting images of the Mi 9 Explorer Edition on Weibo. Along with the pictures, there is some text describing the process of creating the flagship smartphone’s unique transparent look, which involves a 0.3-mm sheet of micro-carved aluminum being inserted underneath the device’s back glass cover.

Xiaomi is set to unveil its newest flagship, the Mi 9, in a few days. The Mi 9 is said to feature wireless charging—the first time a Mi flagship will have that honor—and will further take things up a notch with 20 W wireless charging support. Wired fast charge comes in at a massive 27 W.

Gadgetsdeck has produced a handy infographic that shows how the Samsung Galaxy S series of smartphones has evolved over the last decade. The chart covers the model variants too, including the Edge devices, the Plus versions, and all three of the main models of the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S10 flagship smartphones.

The Redmi Note 7 Pro is expected to feature a Snapdragon 675 and Sony's 48 MP IMX586 sensor, the same module used on the Honor View 20. Initial reports claimed the Note 7 Pro would be launched in February but that's looking increasingly unlikely, and new information touts a March release instead.

The Android phone-maker OPPO had previously teased its new camera-tech breakthrough: 10x lossless zoom, facilitated by a prism and an extra series of lenses that can fit into a typical phone chassis. The OEM's vice president has announced that it is prepared to mass-produce these components. This should start by about June 2019.

A real-life image of the upcoming Samsung Galaxy A50 confirms that the mid-range phone will feature a fairly robust triple-camera setup. Considering the phone will be powered by Samsung's Exynos 7 9610, which is designed with a focus on image processing, the Galaxy A50 may be able to produce stunning photos for a mid-range phone.

A while ago, a series of Tweets from a smartphone case-maker presented the possibility that the Samsung Galaxy S10 and S10+'s fingerprint reader placement would make using screen protectors on these phones much more difficult than normal. Now, a 2nd accessory firm has released a video reiterating this line of speculation.

MyDrivers has reported that Xiaomi intends to announce a crowdfunding project for a new product: a smart sports watch. This device will apparently support real-time GPS tracking, so that a user can generate and maintain maps of their fitness-related activities (e.g. runing routes and so on).

The Realme 2 Pro is a phone directed at the younger market in a number of countries, including India. Here, the 2 Pro is available at Rs. 1000 (about US$14) less than usual. However, its better-spec'd SKUs are currently out of stock.

According to a review by Android Authority, the Honor View 20's main camera setup can provide excellent low-light performance, realistic colors, great image stabilization, as well as "amazing detail" but also lacks in the HDR area and its selfie shooter can be improved. The conclusion is that the View 20 beats the Huawei Mate 20 Pro.

The February 2019-dated Android security patch comes with the software version G930FXXS4ESAE and seems to be only available for Samsung Galaxy S7 users in the United Kingdom and Austria for now. The Galaxy S7 lineup receives this month's patch after the Galaxy Note 9, Galaxy S9, and Galaxy Note 8.

Apple does not quite match up to some other major software companies in terms of smart-home products. It has only one product dedicated to this market: the HomePod. The company may by trying to change this by hiring Sam Jadallah, an ex-Microsoft executive with experience in the smart-home space.

Xiaomi is now known as one of the very few Android OEMs who have released the most modern take on the slider phone. However, it also appears as though it wants to get into the pop-up camera game as well. A company executive has hinted that this may be the case should demand for that kind of device remain high.

Samsung rolled out the Android Pie-based One UI update to the Galaxy S9, S9 Plus, and Note 9 a while ago. The latest device to receive the update is the Galaxy Note 8, the company's last-gen flagship.

The Pocophone F1 has been lauded for the high price to performance ratio it brings to the table. Sadly, Xiaomi's high-value magnum opus isn't sold officially in the US. ZTE's Nubia is now offering something almost as good, and it's actually available in the US.

According to new reports, Huawei's upcoming flagships, the P30 and P30 Pro will feature 1080p displays. Both devices are expected to have some impressive specifications sheets, and the listed display resolutions are somewhat disappointing.

A fresh patent granted to Apple shows that the Cupertino giant is hard at work on its own foldable smartphone. Interestingly, there are several different types of options that Apple is looking at in terms of the way the screen folds, the number of folding segments, and the types of hinges that it might use.

Motorola has been persisting with its Moto Mods line for a few years now, but one of its most interesting Mods has just passed through the FCC. The new Moto Mod 5G promises to make the Motorola Z3 the first smartphone with 5G capability on the market, although Samsung and LG might have other plans.

Xiaomi has published pictures of the Mi 9 flagship smartphone on its community pages in three different colors. There’s the regulatory black, a shimmering blue, and a color that has already received several different descriptions and seems to offer a dash of purple and a smattering of pink. Xiaomi has asked tweeters to retweet its post if the latter color offers “major unicorn vibes.”

Xiaomi UK has revealed the full details of the Mi 9’s rear-facing triple camera setup. There will be a 48 MP main camera, a 12 MP telephoto camera, and a 16 MP wide-angle camera. The OEM tweeted a few photographs that had been taken with the Mi 9 AI triple cameras, and there’s no denying the results do look impressive.

It has been anticipated that the OPPO R17 would be replaced by the R19, a phone that may have a punch-hole selfie camera, in 2019. However, the vice president of the Android OEM, Shen Yiren, has taken to Weibo to disrupt this line of speculation.

Evan Blass has leaked out the LG V50 ThinQ ahead of MWC19. As expected the device will be the first from LG with support for 5G networks. The model pictured is destined for the Sprint 5G network, which is targeting nine US markets for the initial rollout of the new cellular technology.

Be an "ROG Elite Ambassador" and get a free ROG phone just for attending and helping out at Pax East next month in Boston. Asus is looking for an ROG fan comfortable with talking about the brand in public and managing gaming tournaments.

According to data from Sensor Tower, Facebook was the top app publisher in the world for Q4 2018, with over 800 million app installations. It was also the number one publisher on Google Play, amassing nearly 700 million installs. The App Store champion publisher was Google, which managed close to 200 million installs for the quarter.

Samsung has officially unveiled its latest Galaxy Tab S model ahead of its Mobile World Congress Galaxy Unpacked event. After leaking out earlier in the day, the new Galaxy Tab S5e brings Samsung's vaunted AMOLED display tech to a more affordable price point and launches with Android 9 Pie out of the box to boot.