Android

Motorola has released a phone called the P50 in China. This device is nearly identical to the One Vision, except that it runs ZUI 11 rather than stock Android 9.0 (Pie). It also comes in a 6GB RAM flavor, whereas its alternative version only has 4.

The hitherto unknown Movado Connect 2.0 has been discovered in a recent FCC listing. The Wear OS smartwatch comes with 1 GB of RAM, 8 GB of internal storage and will be powered by either a Snapdragon Wear 2100 or a Wear 3100.

According to a new report, a Canadian citizen was able to call for help for himself and his island-hopping fellow tourists using his Samsung Galaxy S8, the only device that apparently survived when their boat capsized off the coast of the Phillippines. The victims of this event were also able to signal their location using the phone's GPS.

A set of Mate 30 Lite live-photos is doing the rounds, showing a punch-hole display, a capacitive fingerprint scanner and quad rear-facing cameras. The Mate 30 Lite will be sold as the Nova 5i Pro in China.

The ASUS ROG Phone II looks set to be a gamer's dream, with a 6.59-inch 120 Hz AMOLED display, 49 ms touch latency, a Snapdragon 855 Plus SoC, 12 GB of RAM, 512 GB of UFS 3.0 storage and a vapour chamber to minimise throttling. Oh, and a huge 6,000 mAh battery. ASUS has developed a brand-new set of gaming accessories too, with the Chinese version of the ROG Phone II going on sale on July 23. Expect a worldwide release in early September.

Good news LG V20 owners, it looks like your handset will receive Android 9.0 Pie in the not too distant future after all. While the South Korean company pushed the roll-out of Pie to its successor from Q2 to Q3, there is promise of the V20 receiving its last OS update this quarter with LG reportedly testing a beta build internally.

Apple’s 2020 iPhone looks to be the one to get with the latest rumor pointing to an OLED display with a variable refresh rate up to 120Hz. Apple introduced this feature on its 2017 LCD-based iPad Pro 10.5-inch and 12.9-inch models dubbing it Pro Motion; however, it was conspicuously silent on the subject when it subsequently launched its first iPhone with a Super AMOLED display in the form of the 2017 iPhone X.

Six years since the release of Plants vs Zombies 2 for phones and tablets, Plants vs Zombies 3 is now ready for Android users ready to take it for a spin in a very early stage. A pre-Alpha version has just surfaced on Google Play, but only a limited number of downloads is available — and it looks like the first wave of testers is already full.

With more than two weeks until the release of Samsung's next-gen flagships — which are also supposed to feature a 64 MP camera — Xiaomi's unveils the first 64 MP image sample taken using an upcoming Redmi device. The sensor used in its camera is the Samsung GW1 and the result looks simply great.

The release of the Pixel 4 series is edging ever nearer, so cue yet more leaked renders. This time, OnLeaks has given us a look at the Pixel 4, the design of which has been affirmed by screen protector leaks. You better like bezels.

The leaks that surround the Huawei Mate 30 line hint at a relatively novel conformation for its rear cameras. However, the latest such photo, allegedly linked to this series' non-Pro variant, shows no such development for its front panel. It has a wide, thin notch that houses no less than 5 sensors.

The Nokia rumor mill has generated details on 2 potentially upcoming phones: the 6.2 and 7.2. They are thought to have Marvel-inspired code-names and the circular rear camera module seen in an earlier leak. The latest indication is that they will be released together during an August 2019 event.

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.