Android

Facebook-owned Instagram has launched IGTV — a new app for sharing and viewing videos on the platform. IGTV enables users to take vertical full screen videos that can last up to an hour with each creator being the channel. Users can follow other creators or upload their own videos to IGTV.

Xiaomi launched the new iteration of its skin, MIUI 10, a short while ago. While most devices will receive the skin update, it doesn't guarantee an OS update to Oreo.

The LG Stylo 4's kernel source code has revealed the existence of an Android One device made by the company. This will be the first of its kind from LG, and could very well be a T-Mobile exclusive.

Samsung is said to be working on producing its own in-house GPUs. Till now, Exynos chipsets have been paired with ARM's Mali GPUs. This move will bring Samsung one step closer to challenging Qualcomm in the SoC market.

According to an official statement, Huawei has sold six million P20 smartphones. The device became available for purchase about three months ago, so this is surprisingly good returns for the company.

A leaked picture of what could be the Huawei Mate 20 is doing the rounds online and apparently, the device does not sport a notched display. A sketch of the Mate 20 has also leaked revealing a dual camera setup with an LED flash in between the lenses. Further details are scarce at this point but the smartphone is expected to be powered by the HiSilicon Kirin 980.

Although Google Play Music began offering podcasts a few years ago, the internet search giant did not offer a standalone podcast player until now. Google Podcasts is a free Android app that integrates with Google Assistant across multiple devices and provides personalized recommendations to its users.

Meizu CEO Jack Wong has confirmed that the company will build on the success of the recently released Meizu 15 devices with a pair of direct successors in the Meizu 16 and 16 Plus. One of the devices will feature a Snapdragon 845.

OPPO unveiled the Find X yesterday at an event in Paris. A solid flagship, the Find X features a never-before-seen sliding camera mechanism. It will likely make its way to the US in the coming months, and could come with price tag of over US$1000.

Xiaomi is set to unveil three new devices in the coming weeks. The Mi Pad 4 and Redmi 6 Pro are confirmed for a June 25 launch and will be followed by the Mi Max 3 shortly after.

Last week, Asus released its Zenfone Ares device. The AR-centric smartphone serves as a cheaper alternative to the Zenfone AR that was released last year, and offers incredible bang for buck in the process.

Back in January 2017, Google decided to integrate Uber into the popular Maps service. Now, this feature has been silently removed without any prior warning. There is no official reason for this move yet, but it is very likely that this move involves financial disagreements between Google and Uber.

Available in both 32-bit and 64-bit versions, Android-x86 8.1-rc1 brings Android 8.1 Oreo to most devices that have not been designed with this mobile operating system in mind, including desktops and portable computers. However, this version is the first release candidate build and comes with a few issues.

The Westworld game for mobile devices is supposed to launch officially on June 21st, but it can be downloaded, installed, and played already in some markets. This title is similar to Fallout Shelter and involves many characters and locations that are familiar for the fans of the Westworld TV series.

The 2.45-inch Android smartphone will carry all the mainstream features of a modern smartphone including NFC, Gorilla Glass, USB Type-C, FM radio, IP68 certification, 4G LTE, Android 8.1 Oreo, Bluetooth 4.2, and even a fingerprint sensor for just $160 USD. The design suggests it to be a spiritual successor to the Unihertz Jelly series.

Samsung has updated its Chromebook Plus to Version 2.0. While it picks up some new features, its display gets a notable downgrade from a QHD resolution to FHD.

The Mi 5X was rebranded to become the Android One Mi A1 last year and, with the launch of the Mi 6X two months ago, most have come to expect the existence of a Mi A2, a direct successor to the Mi A1. Those dreams may become reality soon, as such a device has been spotted.

A fatal vulnerability has been discovered on the new OnePlus 6, one that allows the flashing of unsigned boot images on the device even when the bootloader is locked.

LG has finally begun sales of its new mid-range devices, the Q7 and Q7+. While not particularly underwhelming smartphones, both devices come with less than enticing price tags.

A comprehensive report has shown Samsung’s dominance over the global smartphone market in Q1 2018, Xiaomi’s almost palpable growth, and the extreme competition in the Asian smartphone market.

A document detailing OPPO’s next flagship, the OPPO Find X, has surfaced. The device will be powered by a Snapdragon 845, and will come with most of the features you’d expect to find on a current-gen mainstream flagship.

According to new information, the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 will see a massive bump in battery capacity this year. Of course, nothing is official at the moment, but it’d be surprising to not see something of the sort when the device is unveiled in a few months.

According to new reports, Huawei has sourced AMOLED panels from Samsung for the Mate 20. Of more surprise is the fact that these panels are apparently 6.9-inch ones, which likely means a size hike for the next Huawei flagship, bringing it eerily close to tablet territory.

Judging by the latest leaks, Samsung is most likely preparing major overhauls for next year's Galaxy S10 / Note 10 high-end devices. Apparently, Samsung is planning to begin production on the LPDDR5 and UFS 3.0 chips later this summer and this could significantly boost the overall performance for the 2019 models. Moreover, it looks like the Galaxy S10 could finally get 4K video recording.

The OnePlus 6 is now the most commercially successful device released by OnePlus. The phone hit one million uints sold within the first 22 days of its release, in spite of its higher price tag and OnePlus's continued "underground" approach to marketing and retail.

A device with the Honor V12 moniker has appeared on the FCC and TENAA websites for certification. One would expect it to be a successor to last year’s Honor V10 flagship but the listed specifications and renders give us other ideas.

Xiaomi has announced the launch of its two new entry-level smartphones, the Redmi 6 and Redmi 6A. The previous offerings in the series were best-sellers, so these new ones have rather large boots to fill. Of course, there’s the pesky little issue of the devices featuring MediaTek processors.

Earlier this week, Android Oreo for the Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge finally made its way to users on AT&T and Verizon. This will be the last major update the devices receive, with support set to end completely in Q1 2019.

The upcoming Galaxy Tab S4 is supposed to compete with Apple's new iPad Pro model. According to the latest Chinese leaks, the Tab S4 will get a larger 10.5-inch screen with 16:10 ratio and thin bezels, plus an iris scanner and extended DeX support that can turn the tablet into a desktop computer together with a new Book Cover Keyboard.

There is mounting evidence that Google is working on allowing its Pixelbooks to natively support Windows 10. What's more, it seems that Google could also be chasing official certification from Microsoft meaning that the Pixelbook could even ship with Windows 10 pre-installed.

The Alcatel 5 has an advanced selfie setup with dual front facing cameras, automatic field of view switching based on the number of people detected in the shot, and quick launch options to get into social media applications. It remains to be seen whether the additional camera smarts can compete with more expensive phones.

All those Samsung and LG fans who can't live with an ugly notched display might have a reason to celebrate once the next generation flagships come out. The reason is that these two brands are supposedly ready to use "sound-emitting displays" that eliminate the need for a front-facing earpiece.

The new Nokia 3.1 is a 5.2-inch affordable handset with a MediaTek MT6750 processor, 2 GB RAM, 16 GB internal storage, as well as a polycarbonate back combined with an aluminum frame. Scheduled to launch in the US on July 2, this Android One smartphone can be already pre-ordered from Amazon for US$159.

The Vivo APEX smartphone that debuted to great fanfare as a concept at MWC 2018 is now a reality. It has officially been launched as the Vivo NEX S for the Chinese market and offers the highest display-to-bezel ratio of any smartphone on the market.

The upcoming Kirin 710 is fabricated on the 12 nm stepping and comes with Cortex-A73 cores, while the Snapdragon 710 is expected to come with the 10 nm Cortex-A75/A55 cores, so Huawei's chips will probably be featured in more affordable mid-range smartphones. The only stronger spec on the Kirin 710 is the dedicate NPU derived from the Kirin 970, but the Snapdragon is also capable of AI processing.

According to famous leaker Ice Universe, the Exynos 9820 will integrate Samsung's upcoming Mongoose M4 cores which are said to be better than the ARM Cortex-A76 chips. This should translate into frequencies that go over 3.3 GHz, and, since the M4 are 7 nm chips, they should have improved energy efficiency.

Huawei has officially launched its new MediaPad M5 tablets for the US market. The devices come in three variants and bring some much-needed life back to a dying tablet scene. Prices begin at just over US$300.

Renders of the upcoming Nokia 5.1 Plus have surfaced. Going by the images, the device will feature a notch, making it the second Nokia device to do so, after the Nokia X6 that was released a short while ago.

The Mate 10 Pro remains one of the best devices on the planet, and is currently available for US$550 on multiple retail outlets, a significant price drop from its US$800 launch MSRP. The model on sale is unlocked, comes with 6 GB of RAM, 128 GB of storage, and a US warranty.

Samsung’s Galaxy S9 devices have been said to be numerical improvements over the S8 devices but you wouldn’t think that if you saw their sales numbers. The flagships finally overtook the iPhone X and iPhone 8 pair to become the best-selling smartphones in the world in April, although there’s an obvious reason for that.

The Vivo NEX is billed to be unveiled today. Details of the device have surfaced already, however, throwing more light on a device that’s regarded by most to be one of the most radical smartphones in recent times.