Android

The Honor 8X was released last year on Android Oreo but is now receiving the stable Pie update. The update weighs in at a humongous 3.14 GB and is one that takes the device's software to Huawei's EMUI 9.0 skin.

The Xperia 1 features a 4K OLED display and, unlike the XZ Premium and XZ2 Premium that only rendered in 4K while viewing content of that resolution, the Xperia 1 will be a full-time 4K display. Yes, even when in system apps like Gallery and Settings.

Last year, we reported on rumors that Huawei was working on its first smart TV. Now, a Chinese news outlet claims that its sources have told it these products are nearly ready for release. These products are apparently to be released in 55- or 65-inch variants.

Tencent, which publishes games such as PUBG, has set up a collaboration with Razer in order to improve said apps' function on the gaming hardware giant's Android phones. This involves optimizing Tencent titles for the Razer Phones, as well as for the mobile-gaming peripherals Razer sells.

Samsung’s Galaxy A90 mid-range flagship is set to be the company’s first all-screen smartphone with a notchless display as previously rumored. The confirmation came through a Samsung Indonesia website slip up showing what is either the upcoming Galaxy A30 or A50.

HMD Global has come up with an official response on the issue of its devices sending sensitive user data to Chinese servers. While the company's reasoning appears sound, it's still a tad appalling that something of this sort is associated with the Nokia brand, especially considering the hardware and software issues the company's devices have been accused of having over the past year.

References to three new Xiaomi devices have been discovered, with two of them being bonafide Android One phones. We could be looking at the Mi A3, A3 Lite, and Mi 7X, perhaps? Interestingly, all three phones will have in-display fingerprint readers and massive 32 MP selfie cameras.

Arrested Huawei CFO and daughter of founder Ren Zhengfei, Meng Wanzhou, has had further embarrassment heaped on her. As if getting arrested in Canada at the request of the US government on espionage charges isn’t enough, it has now been revealed that when arrested, Meng was in possession of several Apple products instead of Huawei equivalents.

A report out of Taiwan has stated that Huawei is planning on releasing the HiSilicon Kirin 985 SoC before the end of the year, and it could even find its way inside the expected Huawei Mate 30 smartphone. The chipset will apparently be manufactured on a 7nm+ process that involves TSMC’s extreme ultraviolet lithography (EUV) technology.

The 16s is Meizu's rumored 2019 flagship that is projected to dodge the notch trend with ultra-slim top and bottom bezels in its front panels. Some leaks attributed to the purported device have supported this theory. The latest one lends it further weight.

Although it will retail for more than twice its price, the Samsung Galaxy Fold seems to be slower than the Galaxy S10e. According to an alleged Geekbench entry — that has already been removed from the benchmark database — Samsung's foldable is also slower than the Qualcomm Snapdragon 855-powered Royole FlexPai.

Huntkey, a company based in Shenzhen, has announced that it is currently producing a 90-watt wall-wart intended for mobile devices. This next-gen power-brick also has a USB type-C output, rather than type-A as normal. It supports various fast-charging profiles, in addition to USB Power Delivery and Qualcomm QuickCharge3.0+.

Some users of the Nokia 7 Plus have reported that their phones are sending data to Chinese servers without permission, a direct violation of GDPR laws. This data includes IMEI's, serial numbers, and location, all of which are considered personal data and can be used to track and identify users. HMD Global has confirmed the claims.

The transparent variant of the Xiaomi Mi 9 seems to be doing very well this year. Chinese blogs have reported that the OEM cannot keep it on shelves, despite its relatively high price tag. Perhaps this is why a new, cheaper variant with less RAM has just been announced.

OnePlus has reached an important stage in the development of Oxygen OS 9, which is based on Android Pie (9.0), for its former 3/3T flagships. It now has a closed beta of this build, which can be downloaded following a successful application to the program in question. Therefore, the general, stable release of this ROM is closer than ever.

The first anniversary of PUBG for mobile devices comes with the Season 6 Royale Pass, parties on Spawn Island with fireworks and loot crates with special rewards, randomly spawned birthday cakes, dynamic weather on Erangel and Miramar, a new vehicle (a three-wheeled bus that replaces the Jeep, Dacia, and Mini Bus), and more.

Some more rumored details of the Samsung Galaxy Note 10 have appeared online. It seems the flagship phablet will sport a similar camera setup to the Galaxy S10 5G, with four cameras on the rear and two on the front. The device, which is expected to come with either a 6.6-inch or 6.66-inch display, could be launched as early as August 8.

Samsung released the S10 phones a few weeks ago and is hoping to use the devices as a tool in a bid to claw back its lost market share in China. It appears to be working, too, with sales said to be already twice that of the Galaxy S9 phones.

Samsung has come up with some clever ads over the years as it battles Apple for smartphone supremacy. Spotted in Sydney, Australia by Notebookcheck, this latest billboard is one of the first interactive campaigns we’ve seen with what would otherwise be a static poster.

The next Huawei flagships are due to launch on March 26, 2019. However, a leaker claims to have gotten hold of genuine promotional images for the two phones ahead of this event. These posters are for the French market, and show what could be special launch-day offers for that region.

Could a phone establish data connections and load webpages independent of either WiFi or a SIM card? Volk Fi apparently thinks so. This company is currently advertising its first smartphone, the Volk One, which can apparently form part of its own 'mesh network' with every other unit of the same around it.

Xiaomi has a thriving presence in Ukraine, with numerous physical stores and online sales through partner websites. This now extends to the new Redmi 7, the second device line to be sold under the OEM's latest sub-brand. Its availability has been announced on Mi Ukraine's Facebook page.

Reports have just emerged that the European Commission has disciplined Google for anti-trust-related business practices. Coincidentally, the company has issued a new blog post outlining its new measures to ensure that there is "choice and competition" among digital services for users in this region.

Although there is nothing special about it except the gargantuan battery size, the Energizer P18K Pop might prove that many people would pay more than US$500 to get the world's longest-lasting smartphone that has the technical specs of a US$200 mid-ranger otherwise. However, Energizer must hit the US$1,200,000 goal first.

The launch date for the Samsung Galaxy S10 5G flagship smartphone has been announced as April 5. Unsurprisingly, the device will go on sale on this date in the manufacturer’s home country of South Korea. The price for the 5G model of the S10 series has yet to be confirmed, but it is expected to be around 1.5 million won (~US$1330).

The Huawei P30 phones are billed to be launched on March 26, next week, but a Norwegian retailer has revealed all we could hope to know about the P30 Pro. Notable features include a triple rear camera setup and a ToF sensor, a 4200 mAh battery, and a curved display.

The Moto Z3 was something of a flop last year, and Motorola will be hoping to make up for that with the Z4 this year. Renders of what appears to be the Moto Z4 have surfaced, showcasing the device with a waterdrop notch and, rather bizarrely, just one rear camera.

Amazon debuted a new version of their entry-level Kindle eReader with four front lights. The new eReader is the cheapest electronic book with a light, coming in at $90. This is $10 more than the previous base-level Kindle. Other than the front lights, not much has changed from earlier Kindles.

Today, the European Commission has fined Google €1.49 billion for abusing its market dominance of online search adverts. The company has now been fined over €8.25 billion by the Commission in less than two years for illegal practices.

A phone that may be the next generation of the Meizu 16 line is yet again the subject of a post on SlashLeaks. This time, it is described as a case for this new phone. It indicates that the OEM will drop the usual central position for the rear cameras for a triple-sensor in one corner.

Although handsets like the Oppo F11/F11 Pro and the RealMe 3 have been shipping with it onboard for a while, Android Pie-based Color OS 6 has finally received a proper official launch as well. This piece of code should be rolling out as an update for older Oppo handsets soon, but the roadmap is not available yet.

Motorola's One Vision smartphone appears to be the same as the previously leaked P40 model, which is intended for the Chinese market only. Surprisingly enough, Motorola chose to add a Samsung Exynos 9610 SoC and only 3/4 GB of RAM, with 32/64/128 GB storage options. The 6.2-display will get FHD+ resolution and a punch-hole selfie, while the rear dual cam setup will include a 48 MP sensor.

Sony is set to launch a new Xperia device, the Xperia 4, in the coming months. The Xperia 4 is said to be a replacement for the Xperia Compact flagship line, but it's looking more and more like a poor one.

LumiCharge made a good impression among tech correspondents with its first-gen desk lamp. This product had an LED clock, not to mention ways to charge iOS and Android smartphones with built-in wired connections. Now, the company is back on Indiegogo with the LumiCharge II, which adds wireless charging to this set-up.

A new report has detailed Xiaomi's sales numbers for the fourth quarter of 2018. The company managed to beat its profit estimates for the quarter but also suffered from a heavy quarter-on-quarter drop in revenue from smartphone sales.

Blackview's latest offering is one for those looking for a cheap phone with decent software and adequate battery performance. The A60 features a 6-inch HD display, dual rear cameras, and a beefy 4080 mAh battery.

A hands-on video of a Samsung Galaxy Fold has been uploaded to YouTube. The clip in question is actually focused on unlocking the smartphone; however, the thing that is immediately apparent is how noticeable the crease down the middle of the device is. The Galaxy Fold will be officially launched on April 26.

Samsung is on a roll. The company released the Galaxy A20 in Russia yesterday and has now launched another device, the Galaxy A40, in the Netherlands. The A40 sports a 5.9-inch Super AMOLED display, dual rear cameras, 4 GB of RAM, and 64 GB of storage.

Xiaomi's sub-brand, Redmi, yesterday, launched its latest device, the Redmi 7, in China. The budget phone features a 6.26-inch display, dual rear cameras, a Snapdragon 632, and a massive 4000 mAh battery. Prices start at US$105.

Vivo has announced its newest devices in a Chinese event today (March 19, 2019). They are the X27 and X27 Pro. The X27 has 2 variants with either the Snapdragon (SD) 675 or 710, although they both have the same screen and single pop-up selfie camera. The Pro version has a larger display, and a more novel wider pop-up module with a dedicated flash.

Already available in China, the Xiaomi Mi Pay mobile payments service has been tested in India in the second half of 2018. In the meantime, the Chinese company obtained the approval of the Reserve Bank of India, and Mi Pay is now ready to take on PayU, WhatsApp Pay, and the other similar services.

In the second instalment of this two-part Shot on Galaxy S10+ story, I’ve spent the last couple of days in Melbourne at the Albert Park Street Circuit and in around town. The Galaxy S10+ has proved to be a reliable companion with excellent battery life and the ability to take great shots in a range of conditions.

Call of Duty Mobile is now official and should hit Android and iOS handsets later this year. Although there will not be a battle royale mode at launch, Activision has confirmed that this free-to-play title should offer this treat at some point in the future. Obviously, this "unique Call of Duty battle royale experience" will be accompanied by more content.

Although Samsung will reveal at least three Galaxy A models on April 10, some members of this family are already available for purchase here and there. The latest arrival is the ~US$215 Exynos 7884-driven Galaxy A20, a 6.4-inch device with an Infinity-V display, 3 GB of memory, and 32 GB of internal storage.

The Xiaomi Black Shark 2 has been launched today (March 18, 2019) in China. As expected, it is powered by the Snapdragon 855 processor, has a 6GB RAM base model and has a 6.39-inch FHD+ AMOLED display. This panel has some interesting HDR features, touted to enhance gaming and media experiences.

Not long after the successful completion of the Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign with twice the initial goal of US$100,000, the UMIDIGI S3 Pro is now available globally. The price tag has gone up to US$279.99, but this Helio P70-powered handset with a 48 MP main camera setup remains an attractive handset.

ZTE could be set to push the innovation envelope in the coming months. The company is said to be working on a flagship, the Axon S, which will feature 5G support, a side sliding mechanism, a 95% screen to body ratio, and five cameras in total.

The teaser image that comes with the invite to Samsung's launch event that will take place on April 10 in Bangkok, Milan, and São Paulo suggests that at least three new Galaxy A handsets with different screen shapes will be the stars of the show. However, there are no technical details to talk about at this stage.

Samsung’s latest Galaxy S10 models pack a serious punch and have been getting very positive reviews on the whole. This includes the Galaxy S10+, which picks up dual-front facing cameras to go with its triple-rear facing camera array. But there is one thing missing from Samsung’s camera equation that is letting it down when compared with the iPhone.

A leaked press render revealed that the Galaxy A lineup will become the second family of Samsung handsets to include at least one Android Go-driven smartphone. This Exynos 7870-powered phone will probably launch on March 22 in India and other emerging markets, such as South Africa — where the support page for the Galaxy A2 Core is already online.