Android

Renowned tipster Ice universe has released a video online that purportedly shows two protective cases for the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S10+ smartphone. The cases are tested for size on a Galaxy S9+, an Oppo Find X, and a Galaxy Note 9. During the testing, a few details about the plus-sized flagship seem to be indirectly confirmed.

A new promo video of the Nokia 9 PureView details the upcoming smartphone's specifications. In addition to the headline-grabbing five-camera setup on the back, the Nokia 9 PureView will sport a Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, 6 GB of RAM, and 128 GB of storage. The Nokia 9 will be an Android One phone and should receive support from Google for the next two years.

The fourth official beta for the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 is now available, albeit mainly to those users already on beta 3. This new update fixes touchscreen and keyboard bugs left in the preceding version. Therefore, it is not the best indication that an official update to Pie for the device will be here soon.

A filing with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for the Samsung Galaxy M10 smartphone has thrown up a couple of new details about the device. The M10’s measurements have been specified at a length of 155.7 mm and a width of 75.88 mm, and the display diagonal has been confirmed as 153.2 mm, which is equivalent to 6.03 inches.

Motorola has officially confirmed the start of the Android Pie update rollout to its Moto G6 Plus mid-ranger. There’s no word on when the cheaper G6 phones, the G6 and G6 Play, will receive their own updates, though.

A certificate granted by the Wi-Fi Alliance for the LG Q9 has been spotted by Droid Shout. The certification listing offers a little bit more information about the upcoming smartphone, such as that it will operate on Android 9 Pie and will support the 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi standards. The mid-range device is expected to come with a Snapdragon 660.

A recent study by Privacy International found that at least 20 Android apps with install bases in excess of 10 million users automatically send user data to Facebook within one second of opening. This data is sent without user knowledge or user consent and ranges from innocuous to personal. This practice obviously raises some questions of legality, although it is difficult to say who is to blame for the violation of user privacy.

Royole is an OEM whose main claim to fame is that it released the first ever flexible smartphone. It is bringing this product to CES, alongside others that, as the company claims, include electronics-enhanced clothing, a "smart writing pad" and more flexible displays. Royole asserts that the latter are ready for production.

The second-generation Vivo Nex was received with a distinct amount of interest, particularly due to the way in which its dual-screen design addressed the need to use its single compound camera module for selfies. Now, a new TENAA page for the OEM suggests that a version of the phone with the mid-tier Snapdragon 710 processor is on the way.

A new leak has surfaced, giving us our closest look so far at the Nokia 9 Pureview. Notable features include a massive penta-lens setup at the back, what appears to be a dual selfie setup at the front, an under-display fingerprint sensor, and the absence of a notch.

After Essential officially declared that it would no longer be selling the PH-1, a cryptic tweet by the company's Head of Research and Development has once again stoked the flames, and fans of the company may now share a lingering hope in the existence of an Essential PH-2.

The Android One program is becoming increasingly popular due to the apparent certainty of two years' worth of regular updates for the phones sold under it. Recently, however, Google has removed the text to this effect from the Android website, leading to user fears that this pledge was being rescinded. However, the company has asserted that this is not the case.

The Snapdragon Wear 3100 release event included announcements that Louis Vuitton would be one of the first OEMs to launch a smartwatch including this next-gen processor. It seems the fashion house has finally delivered with a new version of its Tambour Horizon device. This model may have improved battery life and ambient mode features.

As a sort of early holiday present, Samsung announced that the Galaxy S9 and S9+ would be updated to Android 9.0 (Pie) from December 24 onwards. However, few regions have actually seen the upgrade for these devices as yet. Some users who have managed to install it may face more battery drain than usual.

Competition in the smartphone industry has led to sketchy advertising practices, especially in China where such shenanigans are almost encouraged. Fake camera samples, technically correct claims, and a circus of intentional crookery.

More renders of the Huawei P30 Pro have surfaced, revealing its vertically stacked quad rear camera setup that is touted to be capable of 10x zoom, an industry first. The P30 Pro will likely be launched in Q2 2019 and will be powered by the company's top of the line SoC.

Months after sending out the Pie beta update, Huawei has finally begun the rollout of the stable Android Pie update. There’s a slight issue with that, though: Honor flagships aren’t part of the initial rollout.

Xiaomi 2019 flagships are touted to be the Mi 9 and Mi Mix 4. Both devices will be powered by the Snapdragon 855. They will also both sport three rear cameras, with the Mi 9 expected to be the first Xiaomi device with that feature. The Mi Mix 4 could also feature a unique lens technology.

Sony has released a new wall charger. The brick is USB-PD-compliant and supplies just under 40 W at its peak, and a total power output of 46.5 W. The fast charger will work on all devices with USB-PD support, which makes for a rather long list.

Google has updated its Messages app to help identify and block spam. The new feature is starting to find its way to users, although it isn’t clear how far and wide the rollout is at this stage.

Samsung’s first Galaxy Unpacked event for 2019 is only a couple of months away now and the leaks continue to trickle out. The latest is a case maker’s render obtained by serial leakster Ice Universe that shows what it expects the Galaxy S10 Lite to look like. Based on the information that has leaked out about the device so far, we have no reason to doubt its general accuracy.

The LG G7 ThinQ will reportedly have access to an official, stable update to Pie (Android 9.0) in the first quarter of 2019. This is according to a Korean-language document that appears to be a company roadmap for the software updates to come for the OEM's most recent flagships in 2019.

Sound on Display is a technology by which the audio associated with a display emanates from the screen itself, thus eliminating the need for inbuilt speakers. LG has demonstrated this innovation in TVs; now, Samsung appears poised to integrate it into smartphones. The OEM's take on this breakthrough may be showcased at CES 2019.

According to word on the grapevine, Samsung could be testing out Android Pie on the Galaxy A5 (2017). Not particularly noteworthy until you realize that the A5 was released on Marshmallow, and a Pie update would be the third major OS it receives.

More renders of the upcoming Nokia 9 have surfaced, revealing a device without a notch on its front, and with a massive penta-lens array on its back. The Nokia 9 is expected to be unveiled next month.

Samsung is finally set to bring Android 9 Pie to the Galaxy Note 9 from January 15. Currently in closed beta testing, the upgrade will bring Samsung’s vaunted new One UI overlay designed to declutter and streamline the user experience.

Essential Products has revealed that there are no plans to add “new inventory” to its stock of Essential Phones, which basically means the device is being discontinued. The smartphone was released in August 2017 and was widely commended for its design and performance. It’s believed around 150,000 of the PH-1 devices were sold.

Epic Games is now sitting on US$3 billion in gross profits this year. According to a new article in TechCrunch based on the claims of a 'knowledgeable' source. This level of success is (somewhat obviously) made off the back of Epic's flagship, Fortnite. It is a particularly impressive claim, considering that this title's revenue is largely derived from in-game purchases.

A new LG patent has surfaced showing a device that features rollable OLED display technology. Similar to the foldable smartphones that are headed our way in 2019, this is a much more radical approach that will yield devices that can be both incredibly compact yet can be unrolled to reveal a large display.

George Zhao, President of Huawei’s Honor sub-brand has revealed that the company saw a 27% year-on-year rise in shipment numbers across the first three quarters of the year, a figure that was likely helped along by the releases of popular devices like the Honor 7X and Honor 10 this year.

Google’s upcoming mid-range phones have leaked extensively over the past few months. A new report claims that the two devices, the Pixel 3 Lite and Pixel 3 XL Lite, are billed to be launched in spring 2019.

Leaked renders of a Motorola phone are believed to be of an upcoming entry to the company’s P series, most likely the P40. The images show the device with a punch-hole camera, which is becoming increasingly more popular with major smartphone manufacturers. On the rear of the phone there is a vertically aligned dual-camera setup, with a 48 MP sensor present.

The new Google ad featuring Macauley Culkin reprising his role as Kevin McCallister has been a smash hit racking up over 31 million views on YouTube since it was published on December 19. However, it appears that there might be two versions of the clip circulating; one with the standard Pixel 3 XL as we know it with a notch, and one with what could be an Easter Egg showing a variation of the same device, but with the notch hidden (or absent altogether) but with an edge-to-edge screen.

Some new information about Sony’s upcoming Xperia XA3 Plus and L3 smartphones has been leaked. The XA3 Plus device will apparently have a retail price of 519 Euros (~US$589) in most European markets, and it is believed it will come in a choice of three colors: black, silver, and gold. The Xperia L3 is also expected to be made available in Europe.

Honor has announced the launch of its new premium phone, the Honor V20. The device is powered by Huawei’s top of the line Kirin 980 SoC, and features a punch-hole camera design. There's a dual camera setup that includes a 48 MP sensor at the rear, a 25 MP selfie shooter at the front, and a 4000 mAh battery. All for under US$450.

OnePlus has begun sending out the stable Pie update to its last-gen flagships, the OnePlus 5 and OnePlus 5T. The devices were launched on Android Nougat, and this will likely be the last major update they receive.

Huawei only just launched its new Kirin 980 flagship SoC a few months ago, but the company is already working on its successor, the Kirin 990. This comes amidst rumors that the Kirin 990 may be a mid-cycle release in Q1 2019.

Xiaomi has launched its new budget smartphone, the Mi Play. The device features dual rear cameras, a MediaTek Helio P35 SoC, an unwieldy circular notch, and a 3000 mAh battery.

The Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus may have got their Christmas gift, in the form of an update to stable Pie with One UI, already. Now, Samsung has released the update schedule for all other models eligible to receive the latest Android update. The Galaxy Note FE, which was released in 2017, is notable by its absence.

TechConfigurations has uploaded a video on YouTube showing off impressive renders of the Sony Xperia XZ4 based on numerous alleged leaks and rumors. The smartphone’s display is expected to offer a game-changing 21:9 aspect ratio, so not only will the device be tall and slender, it will also be able to play widescreen movies without any black bars at the top or bottom (letterboxing).

The Samsung SM-M305F smartphone has been spotted on Geekbench. The listing for the device, which is also known as the Samsung Galaxy M30, states the operating system as Android 8.1. The amount of on-board memory is given as 4 GB. The M30 will be joining the M10 and M20 as part of Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy M series.

Christmas has come early for some Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+ owners. In a surprise move, Samsung has today released its Android 9 Pie-based One UI update for both devices in certain countries. One UI is available now as an OTA update in Germany, Italy, Switzerland and the UAE, according to SamMobile.

The Twitter-based leaker IceUniverse has released a new post that purports to outline the screen sizes of the upcoming Samsung flagships. It applies not only to the impending Galaxy S10 line, but to the Galaxy Note 10 as well. This phablet will apparently come with an impressive 6.75-inch display.

POCO India, a division of Xiaomi's popular sub-brand, has sent a tweet suggesting that a so-called '#NewPoco' is to be released tomorrow (December 25). Any excitement around such an announcement may be tempered by speculation that this "reveal" is not much more than a new color or RAM SKU of the pre-existing POCO F1, however.

The Zanco smart pen is a stylus with (nearly) all the features of a smartphone crammed into it. It has physical buttons, a click-pad, front and rear cameras and even a teeny tiny screen. It is intended as a smartphone replacement or companion (much like the Palm phone) and can also function as a Bluetooth remote for screens for purposes such as presentation. So far, it has raised just over US$50,000 on Kickstarter.