Android

Oppo has officially launched the R15 and R15 Pro flagship smartphones in its home market of China. As previously leaked, the devices both incorporate a notched display, which looks set to be the smartphone trend of 2018.

UMIDIGI's latest device is the A1 Pro. The device will be powered by the new MT6739 SoC, and will feature dual rear cameras, an 18:9 HD+ display, 3 GB of RAM, and 16 GB of storage. The presence of a USB Type-C port is, perhaps, the biggest surprise on this.

Huawei may have struggled in its bid to get into the US smartphone market, facing disappointments from all prospective partners. The company will not be giving up on that particular venture, though, according to CEO Richard Yu.

Huawei launched the Mate 10 devices towards the end of 2017. While the Mate 10 Pro is being sold in the US officially, the base Mate 10 and Mate 10 Lite never made the trip over. The latter is currently listed on Amazon, though, with a US$310 price tag.

Since the Lenovo Tab 4 has been around for a while, the time seems right for a new Android slate from the Chinese brand. Sadly, the FCC arrival of the Dolby Atmos-certified Lenovo TB-8304F1 does not reveal anything else than its audio certification and the power input of just 5 V and 1 A, but many expect it to hit the market as the Lenovo Tab 5.

The upcoming Google Pixel 3 flagship is expected to feature a new Pixel Launcher design, but some of the changes have been already discovered inside the APK file of the existing app by a senior member of the popular XDA Developers community. The tech giant is expected to show these changes in May, at this year's Google I/O 2018 developer conference.

Although the official launch might still be a week or two ahead of us, a Hungarian online store has just published the product pages for the Moto G6 and G6 Plus, revealing all the details. According to it, both handsets feature a Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, 64 GB internal storage, and a main camera that combines a 12 MP sensor and a 5 MP one.

It's only been one week since Huawei's last promotion on the Mate 10 Pro and now the manufacturer is bringing it back but with a deeper $150 discount. The news follows on the footsteps of Best Buy's plan to drop all Huawei devices because of U.S. Intelligence intervention.

Xiaomi's last device with a MediaTek SoC was the Redmi Note 4. The MediaTek Redmi Note 4 never attained the critical acclaim of its Snapdragon sibling but it would seem the Chinese company is set to make a return to its old MediaTek ways.

Huawei has released its sales figures for 2017. The company's total revenue for the year stood at US$92.5 billion, a 15.7% rise from 2016. 153 million smartphone shipments accounted for US$36.4 billion of that number.

Warhammer Quest 2 has been available on iOS devices for a while, and now this sequel to the original Warhammer Quest video game is finally heading for Android. Warhammer Quest 2: The End Times will hit Google Play on April 11, but it will not be free. Fortunately, the price tag does not read more than US$4.99.

Although the sub-US$200 market sector is quite crowded these days and there are a few capable handsets even around US$100, the ZTE Tempo Go tries to fight them with a price tag of just US$79.99. Sadly, this is nothing new, since the Tempo Go is only a ZTE Tempo X — a handset that arrived in late September 2017 — with Android Go onboard and a slightly different name.

Although Samsung and NextRadio announced earlier this year that all upcoming handsets of the South Korean brand to hit the US and Canada will feature FM radio support, the Galaxy S9 and S9+ came with a bug that disabled it. Now, Samsung has just confirmed that a fix for this problem is on the way, but only mentioned "in the next update" instead of an accurate date.

About two months since audiobooks became available for download and listening via Google Play and the iTunes Store for the first time, an update aims to improve the user's experience by adding bookmarks and smart resume capabilities. In addition to them, the update also brings the Family Library feature to 13 new countries and refines the playback speed settings.

Expected to hit Europe on April 5, the 5.7-inch Sony Xperia XZ2 and the 5-inch Xperia XZ2 Compact can be pre-ordered in the US from B&H Photo for US$799.99 and US$649.99. Both come with four color options: green, black, silver, and pink. Sadly, there is no information on their date of arrival for now.

FCC reveals that the Moto Z3 Play will be powered by a Snapdragon 636 SoC coupled with 4 GB RAM, and there will be 32 GB and 64 GB storage options. Other specs include a 6.1-inch display, chassis that match the size of all previous Z models for Moto Mod compatibility, plus a 5 MP selfie cam and a dual 12 MP + 8 MP rear cam.

Razer Phone users who feel adventurous enough can grab the Android 8.1 Oreo preview for their handset, but they should be aware that this build will not receive any OTA updates in the future. Sadly, to install it, the bootloader must be unlocked, and this action would render the warranty of the handset void.

The new free-to-play mobile RPG by FoxNext Games, Marvel Strike Force, pits the player's team against the alien warlord Ultimus and his Kree soldiers, who allied themselves with Hydra and AIM. The list of playable Marvel characters includes Spider-Man, Groot, Loki, Elektra, Hulk, Doctor Strange, and many others.

The upcoming Honor 7A is expected to launch on April 2, since a few fresh reports revealed images of the media invites that Huawei's subsidiary has already sent out. Its specs and features are said to include a Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 processor, a 13 MP + 2 MP dual camera on the back, a 3,000 mAh battery, and EMUI 8.0 based on Android 8.0 Oreo on top.

OnePlus CEO Pete Lau has taken to the company's blog to address the contentious decision to incorporate an iPhone X-like notch on its flagship OnePlus 6. Lau admits the design approach is controversial, but is in line with the company's efforts to deliver a more immersive screen experience.

More than a year since the launch of a new flagship smartwatch, Samsung is on its way to bringing the Gear S4 at IFA. A recent unofficial report reveals that a wearable codenamed "Galileo" and bearing the SM-R800 model number is under development and will be released in the last quarter of this year.

The popular fitness app MyFitnessPal has suffered a data breach that has affected the accounts of an estimated 150 million users. The company behind the food and nutrition application, Baltimore-based Under Armour Inc., has issued a press release in regard to the unauthorized acquisition of user data. The hack apparently took place in February, with MyFitnessPal workers noticing the breach on March 25.

The Palm Pre could be set to make a comeback to the US market later this year, if a fresh rumor is accurate. The device is expected to be designed and manufactured by Chinese company TCL, which is behind the most recent BlackBerry devices currently on the market like the BlackBerry KEYone.

The new Huawei P20 and P20 Pro have been hailed as game-changing camera smartphones and are already in the running for best flagships of the year. The US, sadly, will never get to enjoy the devices, with Huawei apparently not ready to make another attempt at selling its smartphones in the US.

HMD kicked off 2018 with something of a bang. The Finnish OEM apparently still has a number of releases lined up for the rest of the year, including two flagships. Of those two devices, one will be cheaper and, thankfully, not feature a notch.

A device that appears to be the Mi 6X has made a surprise appearance on TENAA. It isn’t a full listing, though, so all this tells us is that the device will sport a design similar to the Mi 5X's but with an 18:9 display and vertically aligned dual rear cameras.

The Xperia XZ1 Compact was the only true compact flagship of 2017. The device launched with an MSRP of US$600 but is currently available for just US$399.99. Not a bad deal for a last-gen flagship with excellent cameras, Android Oreo, and a headphone jack.

The Note 9 prototype that popped up on GeekBench was pitted against the S9+ and it ended up a bit behind in both single core and multi-core tests. However, the Note 9 featured in the tests comes with 5 GB of RAM instead of 6 and it is powered by a Snapdragon 845 SoC which is known to be slower than the Exynos 9810 SoC that comes with the non-US versions of the Galaxy S9/S9+.

There is a rumor that Sony may be working on a new Android tablet. The rumor started after certain lines of code from a teardown of the camera app on the new Xperia XZ2 smartphone appeared on a blog called Sumahoinfo. The code features the words “Tablet_8inch” and “Tablet_10inch,” and it also contains some simple concept images of devices that could hint at future Sony tablets.

Although it was added to Google Play last year, Amazon Kindle Lite spend a few good months in the open beta stage. Now, this e-book reader app is finally out of testing, but only Google Play users in India can get it for the time being. Having less than 2 MB in size, this Android app is optimized for slow 2G/3G networks and low-end handsets, both very popular in India.

The Y7 Prime 2018 is aimed at youths and comes with way more affordable prices compared to the P20 lineup or the Mate RS. There is no notched display here, even though the 2:1 aspect ratio 1440 x 720 IPS screen might still feel a bit awkward. Powered by a Snapdragon 430 octa-core SoC, the Y7 Prime 2018 edition features 3 GB pf RAM, 32 GB internal storage, 8 MP selfie cam and a 12 MP + 2 MP rear cam setup.

Huawei have officially unveiled the P20 and P20 Pro. Important specifications such as RAM and Storage were missing from the announcement, but the rumors are likely to be pretty reliable, based on the accuracy of the confirmed screen and camera specifications.

According to a set of recently spotted benchmark listings, the Samsung Galaxy A6 is powered by the Exynos 7870 processor, while the Plus variant has a Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 under the hood. Both are expected to debut in Europe, Russia, and the Middle East in the coming months with Android Oreo onboard.

In addition to the same camera configuration used by the Huawei P20 Pro (40 MP RGB, 20 MP monochrome, and 8 MP telephoto), the Porsche Design Huawei Mate RS features 256 GB or 512 GB internal storage, an in-display fingerprint reader, a curved 6-inch 2K touchscreen, and is the world's first microcapsule PCM-cooled handset. All these innovations also come with a price: more than US$2,000 for the 512 GB variant.

The "new" LG K9 comes to Russia with Android 7.1 Nougat onboard, as well as the same specs as the K8 handset that was introduced alongside the LG K10 at MWC 2018. These specs include a 5-inch IPS 720p display, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 210 processor, 2 GB RAM, 16 GB internal storage, and a 2,500 mAh battery.

The OnePlus 6 prototype that is featured in the GeekBench results is powered by the same Snapdragon 845 SoC that comes with the Galaxy S9+ (US version) and Xiaomi Mi MIX 2S and it also features the same 6 GB of RAM. Apparently, the OnePlus 6 prototype might be using an overclocked SoC or better memory, and the final product could end up even faster.

Unveiled at MWC 2018, the Nokia 7 Plus was expected to arrive in April. However, the launch date of this Qualcomm Snapdragon 660-powered handset has just been confirmed for May 2. Even more, those who buy the 7 Plus from Nokia's online store before the end of May will also get a free Google Home Mini smart speaker.

The Mi MIX 2S is powered by an overclocked Snapdragon 845 SOC coupled with 8 GB RAM and 256 GB storage, and the body/back plate will be made out of quad-layered ceramic material, which is more resistant to scratches. It will also feature a dual pixel 12 MP camera setup that is capable of recording slow motion videos @120 fps 720p, 30 fps 1080p or 30 fps 2160p.

One year after the introduction of the WSD-F20, Casio unveils the Pro Trek WSD-F20SC "adventure smartwatch" at the ongoing Baselworld 2018 trade show that focuses on wearable technology. Compared to its predecessor, the WSD-F20SC also comes with a sapphire crystal display that can easily handle scratches and bumps, as well as a durable Field Composite band.

Also known as the Imagine, HTC's upcoming U12+ will be the brand's next premium flagship. Sadly, this handset that is supposed to debut as a direct competitor for the Huawei Mate, Apple iPhone X, or the Samsung Galaxy Note will remain the only such device to be released by the Google-owned HTC this year.

Using a similar design approach as the G5S Plus, the upcoming Moto G6 comes with a front-mounted fingerprint scanner, a dual camera on the back, but it also features a full HD+ 2:1 ratio display. As previously rumored, there is a Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 processor onboard, next to 3 GB or 4 GB RAM.

Since Porsche Design and Huawei-related promo materials have been already spotted in Paris at the location where the P20 and P20 Pro will be unveiled tomorrow and the name of the upcoming Mate RS is no longer a secret, it only remains to see what hides under the hood of the new limited edition luxury device.

A tweet by Evan Blass has touted the upcoming HTC U12 Life to feature a notch. Notches have been a divisive topic since the start of the year, and it would seem that HTC is keen on moving with the flow of the market, dwindling sales numbers duly disregarded.

The Huawei P20, P20 Pro, and P20 Lite are set to be launched tomorrow in Paris. Specifications and pricing details of the devices have leaked, with the P20 particularly looking like a fine balance of features and price.

Since the official product page that surfaced last week has not been removed yet, it is safe to say that the Samsung Galaxy J7 Prime 2 is now official in India. Although this Exynos 7870-powered 5.5-inch Android handset has no launch date or price yet, we expect to get these missing pieces of information in a few days.

A teardown of Facebook's user data archive has revealed the fact that the company collects private user data including well-detailed call logs and text metadata. The company has been involved in a number of cases pertaining to privacy issues, and this is just another icing on the cake.

OnePlus has announced that it will no longer sell the OnePlus 5T in North America. The 5T was released in November, just four months ago, so this could go down as the shortest sales cycle of any device ever. It, of course, also means that we’re close to the release of the OnePlus 6.