Android

The Pixel 3 and 3 XL cost US$799 and US$899 at launch nine months ago. Both devices can now be had for much less, though—US$300 less, to be exact—and now offer more value than ever before to admirers of the Pixel series.

The launch of the second-generation Asus ROG gaming phone draws closer and details of the device have now been revealed. Notable takeaways include a humongous 5800 mAh battery, 120 Hz AMOLED display, and the new Snapdragon 855+.

The Pixel 3a's major selling point is its camera performance, as it was marketed as being on par with the more expensive, flagship Pixel 3 phones in that regards. Thankfully, DxOMark seems to agree.

The Samsung Galaxy S10 5G sold by Sprint is reportedly the Exynos-powered variant of this phone, and not the Qualcomm Snapdragon variant that may be sold elsewhere in the United States. Therefore, the former may be OEM-unlockable, whereas the latter may not. This could be an advantage in terms of custom development for the Sprint version of this super-expensive phone.

A leak pointing to a new mobile device with an in-display fingerprint scanner, a 4150mAh battery and rear triple cameras from UMIDIGI ha sprung online. As one of its cameras is allegedly a 48MP sensor, it is likely that this phone, apparently to be called the X, may be an OEM flagship at launch.

Huawei has reportedly developed a whole new operating system known as HongMeng. It has been speculated that this software exists as a contingency for the OEM's uncertain position with respect to the use of Android. However, the company's senior vice president (SVP) has just shot this idea down in no uncertain terms.

OnePlus has just posted download links for its latest Developer Preview (DP3) for the next upcoming major Android update. It contains the latest features of both this OS and OxygenOS, the OEM's custom skin for the same. This build of DP3 is compatible with the OnePlus 7 Pro, 7, 6T and 6.

A new study suggests that iPhone loyalty is at an all-time low. According to BankMyCell, which tracks smartphone upgrades, iPhone users are switching in record numbers and they are largely turning to Samsung for their upgrade when they do.

Android 9.0 Pie is here for the LG V30, sort of. The OS update has reared its head online as a Beta, just like the one for the G6 recently did. The upgrade process is not for the faint-hearted though and comes with some prerequisites.
Update: Beta software for the US unlocked version of the LG V30 has surfaced online too.

Xiaomi is following suit with ASUS and Nubia by refreshing its gaming smartphone this summer. The company has confirmed that it will unveil the Black Shark 2 Pro on July 30, but it is currently keeping other details close to its chest. Expect only minor changes though, if the name is anything to go by.

Google's Director of Product for Stadia, Andrey Doronichev, completed an AMA on Reddit yesterday (July 18, 2019) to shed more light on the company's new streaming-based gaming platform. The executive took pains to liken it to Xbox Live Gold, as opposed to a gamer Netflix. It was also revealed that the system's proprietary controller will not support Bluetooth.

The One Action is now almost certainly Motorola's next Android One device. A phone of this name has reportedly been found on the Google databases that pertain to this program. Its entries appear to confirm a 21:9 aspect ratio and a punch-hole in its display.

Huawei shipped close to 60 million smartphones units in the first quarter of the year but was hit with a trade ban by the US government that negatively influenced sales in Q2. Analysts expect the company to hit 260 million shipments this year—a figure that would represent a hefty 25% year-on-year growth—but we're leery.

Previously rescheduled for a September launch, the Mate X may end up launching this August, at least in China. This possibility is backed by the recent TENAA certification, which also reveals that the mate X will integrate an 8-inch AMOLED display with 2,480 x 2,200 resolution, plus a ToF sensor along with a 40 + 16 + 8 MP rear cam setup and an 8 MP selfie cam.

A Dutch tech blog claims to have found a ZTE patent for this OEM's latest trick: the dual-display premium phone. Unlike the pre-existing Axon M, this design puts a screen on either side of the device. As it has triple rear cameras in a vertical alignment, it invites comparisons with Huawei flagships, or even Galaxy Note 10 renders.

LG may be about to release a new line of smartphones with the prefix M. According to a new report posted to a tech blog, the OEM has applied for a Korean trademark that would make the name "LG M10" official. In other related news, this company also allegedly plans to make the V series of phablets last at least 2 more generations.

Samsung is now linked to a potentially different variant of the Galaxy M30 smartphone. Some leaks have indicated that, should such a device exist, it may have a more powerful processor than the original. Ironically, however, new render suggest that it will have dual rear cameras where the M30 has 3.

Internet-protocol (or IP) cameras shipments are thought to grow to over 100 million by 2025, or 20% more than there are now. These projections are part of newly-published research on the IP surveillance market. It is thought to be mainly driven by commercial buyers, although domestic products may also play a role in their growth.

A Korean tech news site claims that the Galaxy Fold has passed testing by a group of "professionals and professors" at 2 prominent universities in the country. Reportedly, this assessment was the flexible Samsung device's final step towards approval for a re-launch. Therefore, its ultimate release for sale may not be far away now.

After countless delays, LG Pay is now finally available for the US market. This mobile payment service will be supported by the LG G8 ThinQ at launch and will reach the LG V50, V40, V35, and G7 ThinQ in the coming months. LG Pay supports both NFC and WMC payments, working in all locations where Mastercard and Visa are accepted.

Sony has stepped up its smartphone game with the launch of the Xperia 1 that features a stunning 21:9 4K HDR OLED display. However, it looks like it is going to take this up to a whole new level with its sequel by upgrading it to a crazy 5K resolution.

Samsung’s next flagship Android tablet the Galaxy Tab S6 has surfaced in press renders that include its all-new keyboard cover for the first time. Like Apple’s new iPad, the tablet looks set up to be able to charge its S-Pen wirelessly as well.

Xiaomi has officially launched the Redmi K20 and Redmi K20 Pro in India. The K20 and K20 Pro offer a flagship-grade experience under the Redmi sub-brand and feature the latest Qualcomm SoCs, FHD+ AMOLED displays, a triple-camera setup, and a pop-up selfie camera. These phones are priced pretty competitively in the Indian market and Xiaomi has also announced several accessories for these phones including a 27 W fast charger and Mi Neckband Bluetooth earphones.

WhatsApp and Telegram are popular secure messaging apps that feature end-to-end encryption to keep messages safe. Even still, the apps have a glaring backdoor that could allow attackers to alter media files sent through the apps. Both apps can store media to publicly accessible file directories, which leaves them vulnerable to manipulation.

New certifications have indicated that Samsung is about to release a new version of the Galaxy A10. The respected tipster Ishan Agarwal has just posted some potential specs for the phone on Twitter. They include better cameras, a bigger battery and the addition of a fingerprint scanner.

Xiaomi has finally confirmed the Mi A3's specs in the course of this new Android One device's launch. As this event took place in Spain, this is also the first market in which it is being sold at present. The phone starts at €250 (about US$281).

The latest study from the cellular-data research body Opensignal reports that Verizon has the most widespread 4G services in the US (at 94.8% coverage). However, T-Mobile was associated with the best upload and download experiences on the same network. This new report also claims that all carriers included are improving in terms of these mobile download speeds.

In response to the recently leaked Asus ROG Phone 2 powered by the Snapdragon 855 Plus SoC, Nubia immediately teased an upgraded version of its top selling Red Magic 3 gaming phone. We could also see new versions for Xiaomi's Black Shark and the Razer Phone down the line, since the new Snapdragon 855 Plus is specifically designed for gaming phones.

The Geekbench single and multi-core tests reveal minimal gains compared to the non-Plus Snapdragon 855, but the GPU performance is not taken into account, so for a true comparison between the two SoC versions we will most likely have to wait for AnTuTu tests.

Samsung is apparently to give consumers one more reason to hate it: the company is planning to launch the Galaxy Note 10 with 45 W fast charging support, but without a charger to meet the requirements in the retail package. The 45 W charger — codenamed EP-TA845 — will be available separately and is expected to cost over US$55.

Samsung is now thought to have a successor for the Galaxy Watch Active in the works. The latest leaks on the subject claims that one variant of this putative wearable will be produced in collaboration with the sportswear company Under Armour. It may come with an exclusive band and 6 months' worth of free MapMyRun access.

Huawei and Honor have announced the roll-out of EMUI 9.1 (or Magic UI 2.1) for various phones released in or around 2018. This new OS version is probably best known for GPU Turbo 3.0, which optimizes performance when various compatible game apps are opened. The update also adds a new file-system to Magic UI devices.

Samsung's eagerly anticipated Galaxy Note 10 has made its inevitable trip to the FCC to gain certification for its wireless technologies ahead of its launch. Although we didn't learn anything about its chipset or RAM configurations, its dimensions have been confirmed along with its battery capacity.

New leaks that allegedly emanate from Chinese sources point to the imminent release of a new processor by MediaTek: the Helio G90. This CPU is also directed at relatively fresh ground for the Taiwanese silicon-smiths. It is purported to be destined for gaming smartphones.

To say OPPO may be planning to expand its K series of smartphones may be somewhat of an understatement. The OEM has reportedly made a total of 21 trademarking applications for new device names along these lines. This volume of submissions may mean that it plans to keep this line going for some time.

According to a new report, the OnePlus 7 Pro only costs US$324 to build. That figure is non-inclusive of R&D, logistics, and marketing costs, of course. The Samsung Galaxy S10+ costs US$420 to build, and here we compare the cost of components on the two devices.

The Unihertz Titan is inspired by BlackBerry's Passport and combines the qwerty design with rugged features like IP67 dust / water resistance. It also includes a 4.5-inch 1:1 1,400 x 1,400 IPS display, selfie cam and rear main cam, face recognition, wireless charging and a hefty 6,000 mAh battery, plus fingerprint sensor.

Google has decided to focus its efforts on the AdSense mobile web interface and discontinue the mobile apps. Those using AdSense on mobile devices were probably expecting this, since the Android app has not been updated since December 2017 and the iOS AdSense app received its latest refresh on November 2017.

Asus has announced that the upcoming ROG Phone II will be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 Plus SoC that is optimized for enhanced gaming and VR experiences. The first leaked images of the ROG Phone II in action have also surfaced on Weibo confirming the 120 Hz display and a notch-less yet not fully bezel-less design.

The next-gen Exynos 9825-powered Samsung Galaxy flagships are flooding Geekbench and the results definitely look good. Alongside the Galaxy Note 10 (SM-N970F), the Galaxy S10+ (SM-G975F) was also spotted on the website of the aforementioned benchmark database. In both cases, the scores were around 4,500 for single-core and over 10,000 for the multi-core tests.

According to some new leaks, the Honor 9X and its Pro variant will have full-screen displays. This will allegedly be conferred by selfie cameras hidden in pop-up modules. One of these Huawei sub-brand phones may also have appeared on the Antutu benchmark database.

Qualcomm has released a mid-year refresh to the Snapdragon 855 called the Snapdragon 855 Plus. The 855 Plus offers a slightly faster Kryo 485 Prime core and a 15% faster Adreno 640 GPU. The rest of the specifications remain unchanged from the original Snapdragon 855 SoC. The Snapdragon 855 Plus could find its way into most gaming smartphones slated to release later this year.

The V1921A is a new device from Vivo that has triple cameras and an in-display fingerprint scanner. It has been certified by TENAA, and has now also appeared on the benchmarking site Geekbench. Its results show that it is powered by the Snapdragon 710 SoC, runs Android 9.0 and has an 8GB RAM SKU.

Huawei is putting together plans to lay off hundreds of its US-based employees, according to the Wall Street Journal. Although President Trump has eased some of the restrictions on the Chinese company, it remains on the US Entity List and US companies still need to apply for licenses to supply it.

Vivo is an OEM that mostly produces smartphones with modern features such as multiple cameras. However, these handsets have not been officially available in certain regions. However, new reports indicate that this company is hiring for pivotal positions in Central Europe, indicating that Vivo intends to establish a presence there.

A SamMobile source claims to have spotted a working unit of the Samsung Galaxy Fold in the hands of someone on the New Delhi metro recently. It is likely that this device has the updated design it needs to secure a re-do of its planned April 2019 launch.