Android

The Vivo Z1 Pro has been released for sale in the Chinese and Indian markets. It is a mid-range device with the relatively new Snapdragon 712 processor. The Z1 Pro also offers a 5000mAh battery, a punch-hole display, and 4GB of RAM for INR 14990 (~ US$217) - on the other hand, it has some compromises too.

As with all previous Mate flagships, lenses are provided by Leica, and it looks like the main camera will also feature 5X optical zoom. The high-resolution render also reveals Leica Vario-Summilux-H 1:1.6-3.4/16-125mm ASPH specs and the return of the emerald green color option. No sign of fingerprint sensor on the back, so an in-display implementation looks to be the case.

A new rumor posted to Weibo suggests that Honor is working on a next-generation flagship already. It links the V30 to the Kirin 985, one of Huawei's next premium SoCs. The leak also hints at 5G support in this phone.

Wireless charging is already appreciably popular today. Its market is thought to be capable of attaining a US$27 billion value over the next 6 years, according to the latest research. Its results show the most prominent application of this technology is in (surprise surprise) smartphones.

OnePlus has recently updated the 6 and 6T, its second-last generation of flagship phones. The upgrade confers the June 2019 security patch level on the devices. It also adds a native screen-recorder, which is now found in the series' Quick Settings in their UI.

Xiaomi has finally premiered its new brand, CC, in China. So far, it consists of 3 discrete variants: the Mi CC9e, the Mi CC9 and Mi CC9mt. These phones strongly resemble the Mi 9, have 6 inch-plus AMOLED displays and triple rear cameras. The Mi CC9 and CC9mt will be first to go on sale on July 5, 2019.

ASUS ROG has been posting more teasers on its Weibo account about the next ROG Phone. Reports from China claim that the ROG Phone 2 will be announced this month and showcased at the Chinajoy conference in early August. Are you ready for 120 Hz mobile gaming?

While the regular Vivo iQOO features the top-of-the-line Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 processor, the new iQOO Neo is only powered by the flagship processor of the previous generation, namely the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845. This new handset also sports up to 8 GB of memory and 128 GB of internal storage space, liquid cooling, and a 4,500 mAh battery.

Although nothing more than an unofficial render that looks more like a sketch, the image that surfaced on Twitter claiming to show what the next-gen Galaxy S flagship looks like reveals two key features: a quad-camera assembly on the back and a selfie shooter placed under the display — apparently thanks to a cutout.

Synopsys has announced the successful implementation of its Yield Explorer platform at Samsung's fabricators. This reportedly results in a ramping-up of production in terms of 7 (as well as 10 and 8) nanometer (nm) architectures for this OEM. The 2 companies also now claim that this move will also inform 5-3nm platform manufacture.

The Red Magic 3 is already probably one of 2019's most interesting gaming phones. Its manufacturer, Nubia, has also now made a 12GB RAM variant available on its international retail platform. This phone also has a camo finish that is exclusive to the SKU.

Samsung has sent official invites out to the media for its Galaxy Unpacked event on August 7 where it will officially reveal the Galaxy Note 10 and Galaxy Note 10+. The invitation features a teaser highlighting the size of the tip of its S-Pen against the very small size of its in-display selfie camera.

The Geekbench entry for a Samsung device known as SM-A307FN suggests that the upcoming Galaxy A30s could be very similar to the Galaxy A30. The listing on the popular benchmark database reveals the same Exynos 7904 processor and 3 GB of memory, but a 4 GB version could surface in the coming days as well.

The story of a Samsung Galaxy S10 self-destructing has been circulating on Chinese social media platform Weibo. The device apparently caught fire while charging just over a day after it was purchased. An accompanying video shows the bulging battery still smoking, having destroyed the device, in something reminiscent of the Note 7 debacle.

While everyone is expecting for the return of the legendary Motorola Razr, the US market should get ready to receive another handset from this brand. Unfortunately, this phone has no official name yet. For now, all we know is that it bears the model name XT2025-1 and was recently listed on the website of the Federal Communications Commission.

A month ago or so, Samsung sent out the dedicated night mode update to the Exynos Galaxy S10 models. That update has finally hit the US, too, and it brings camera improvements across the board that will allow the device compete against the Pixel 3 in low-light conditions without losing.

Redmi's K20 phones were always going to be best-sellers. The devices, in about a month since they went on sale, have done impressively on the market, with the company confirming sales of a million units. This is even more astonishing when one considers that the K20 Pro is currently exclusive to China, and the regular K20 has been rebranded as the Mi 9T in Europe.

Although tablets were expected to go extinct, a new study by Future Market Insights predicts that the demand for such pieces of hardware "will surge extensively in the upcoming years" thanks to multiple reasons. This report claims that global tablet sales for the decade ending in 2026 will bring in no less than US$600 billion.

In an interview with a small group of media outlet, Samsung CEO D.J. Koh stated that the Galaxy Fold's flubbed launch was "embarrassing." However, Koh still sees foldable devices as the next logical step in the evolution of personal computing. Koh also stated that he envisions a future of connected devices that will replace even foldable phones in a few years time.

OPPO has announced a new technology at MWC Shanghai: MeshTalk. It is described as a way to talk or text without the need for a cellular, Bluetooth or online connection. MeshTalk apparently works when 2 compatible devices are within a maximum of 1.86 miles of each other.

The Android version of the 3DMark benchmarking suite is regarded as one of the best for non-iOS mobile devices. Its latest update has improved its compatibility with the ARM Mali-G72 and Mali-G76 chipsets. Then again, this fix may in fact downsize certain scores achieved with these GPUs.

According to Canalys mobile VP Nicole Peng, 5G smartphones will see a rapid adoption in China thanks to the strong government roadmap and the financial capabilities of the local operators. Global 5G phone shipments are expected to hit 800 million units in 2023 — more than 51 percent of the entire market, reveals the research firm.

A device called the Xiaomi Mi CC 9e has appeared on the Geekbench 4 website. Its results in these tests depict it as a 6GB phone powered by the Snapdragon 660 SoC. The Mi CC 9e also apparently runs Android Pie, but that is all that can be gleaned from this leak.

A photo of what is supposedly the back of the Mate 30 Pro has leaked out of China, showing a distinct change in the design language of its predecessor. Call us cynical, but the timing of this "leak" coincides awfully well with the partial lifting of US sanctions against Huawei. Hype generation for its next flagship or just a camera happy employee?

The latest device to join the Stylo lineup comes with a Cricket Wireless-exclusive color choice, namely Blonde Rose. Also available in Platinum Gray, this US$229.99 handset features an unspecified octa-core processor, stylus support, a 6.2-inch full HD+ screen (no notch or cutout), and 32 GB of internal storage space.

FriendlyElec has responded to the aggressive pricing of the Raspberry Pi 4 by cutting the MSRP of its NanoPi M4. The Rockchip RK3399 powered SBC originally started at US$65 for the 2 GB of RAM variant and has now received a 23% price cut to US$50. Similarly, the 4 GB model has come down by 21% to US$75 from US$95. The NanoPi M4 features a more powerful SoC than the Raspberry Pi 4, along with a host of ports, connectors and sensors. FriendlyElec ships worldwide.

Samsung's first phablet without a notch and/or cutout — thanks to the sliding camera assembly — is finally going on sale both online and offline in select markets across the globe about three months since its debut. The Galaxy A80 is priced at more than US$730 and comes in Angel Gold, Ghost White, and Phantom Black.

Samsung's answer to Google Play replaces apps with capsules, aiming to lay the foundation "for an open ecosystem of useful services that developers will continuously enrich, and users will be able to make their mobile experience more personal and intuitive." Sadly, this service is only available in the US and South Korea for now.

Google may be working on a new way to send files between devices without necessarily relying on the internet. This new feature, called Fast Share, may be intended to compete with Apple's AirDrop. Unlike Android Beam, it involves the instigation of Bluetooth connections.

The latest software update for the Samsung Galaxy A50 offers an upgraded security patch level and Knox Guard improvements. However, some users have reported that a reset of the phone's camera settings confers new shooting modes. They are "Super Slow Mo" and "Night Mode".

OnePlus has just instituted a CA$100 (US$78) discount for its latest flagship, the 7 Pro, in Canada. However, those who bought their phones at the device's initial higher price in the country need not fret: the OEM has sent them an email assuring them that they will receive cash-back for the same amount via their respective payment method.

HTC has reportedly taken the next steps on its Android update roadmap for its older devices. A Twitter user located in Taiwan has posted the upgrade notification for version 9.0 (Pie) on their U12+. However, this has yet to be followed by reports of the same in other areas.

The LG V40 started receiving the Android Pie update last month. Since then, AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon, and even unlocked models of the device have all received their taste of Pie. Not Sprint, though, and users of the Sprint model will likely have been annoyed when they received a new OTA that still didn't bring Pie.

Until now, under-display fingerprint readers have come with the prerequisite of AMOLED displays. Chinese display maker BOE is set to break the wheel, though, as it has confirmed the production of LCD panels that support the under-display sensors.

Google is currently working on at least two Snapdragon-powered Chromebooks based on a recent Chromium commit. The first was revealed late last year going by the codename 'Cheza' while the new model is known internally as 'Trogdor.' Both are ARM-based Chrome OS platforms that will find their way into OEM devices before the end of the year.

Xiaomi has announced that it has a build of Android Q for the Pocophone F1. However, it is still not ready for public release. Therefore, it has issued a call for testers who will install and run this OS on their device.

The US and Chinese presidents have met at the latest G20 summit in Osaka, Japan. As a result, a ceasefire in the trade war between the two nations has been called. Accordingly, it has been agreed that Huawei can conduct certain amounts of business with US companies again.

Google has reached out to SwiftKey users, informing them that the app’s normal ability to predict text while typing based on Gmail data will be suspended soon. This measure is to come into effect starting from July 15, 2019. Then again, this may not be necessary should the SwiftKey developers comply with Google’s latest privacy policies.

Mobile payments are now thought of as a market capable of vast growth over the next 3 years. The latest figures put its worth at US$348 billion now; however, this is thought to grow to $1.3 trillion in 2022. It is projected to grow at this rate in the developed and developing world, and is thought to benefit from the presence of mobile network operators.

The carrier T-Mobile has released the Samsung Galaxy S10 5G for sale today (June 28, 2019). This coincides with its inaugural 5G service debut. However, it currently only covers 6 cities in the US, and not much of any of them at that.

Those who own or plan on owning Huawei or Honor Android devices may have been alarmed by reports that their parent company had lost crucial certifications necessary to use this OS. Despite this, however, Honor's latest flagships (the 20 and 20 Pro) have been found on the Google Play Certified list. One of Huawei's latest phones, the Nova 5i, is also present here.

An XDA developer has gained access to new features in Google's Messages app for Android phones. It is called "Effects", and adds a small number of cartoonish, 3D edits to a new photo or video to be added to a message. Therefore, it appears that Google is attempting to step up to Instagram's level as far as SMS, MMS or RCS customization goes.

A new Samsung device with the model number SM-A107F has surfaced in a number of new leaks recently. Now, the same has shown up on the Wi-Fi Alliance's website as a device cleared to use this technology. Therefore, this phone - which is thought to be an improved version of the Galaxy A10 - may be released soon.

Calculator for Windows 10 was placed on the open-source repository GitHub some months ago. Now, the developer Jérôme Laban has released iOS, Android and WebAssembly ports via the Uno platform. Therefore, nearly anyone with any device can enjoy the versatile Fluent Design app.

The Sharkoon Gaming DAC Pro S is a new product to which any headset with a 3.5mm jack can connect. It also has a USB type A interface to link the same to a PC. This may confer an improvement on the audio coming through the DAC.

Motorola has indefinitely shelved its plans to release the Pie update to most users of the Moto Z2 Force in the US. The Z2 Force can be said to be Motorola's last true flagship and it's a shame that the company appears to be showing complete disregard for users of the device.

Samsung has released a bunch of A-series phones this year and is set to crown the pile with the ultimate Galaxy A device. "Devices" is the right word, actually, as there will apparently be two of them. Both are expected to be powered by the Snapdragon 855 and will feature brand new technology.

LG does not do itself any favours, does it? The South Korean company has now rowed back on its commitment to bring Android 9.0 Pie to the V30 by the end of Q2. The roll-out has been pushed to Q3 for "essential improvements", with no fixed date for devices outside South Korea. C'mon LG, sort it out.