Android

HTC might only be a shadow of its former self nowadays, but it looks like 2019 will not bring any noticeable changes. Even worse, the company's president, Darren Chen, has recently revealed that the next HTC flagship will be "an extension of the latest U12 Plus" instead of an entirely new device.

Chinese brand UMIDIGI will soon hit us with another "flagship killer" that sports a main camera setup made by Sony that combines a 48 MP IMX586 sensor and a 12 MP telephoto shooter. The upcoming UMIDIGI S3 Pro also features a 6.3-inch full HD+ display with a waterdrop-style notch, a 5,150 mAh battery, and a luxury ceramic design.

Samsung is planning to release a 5G version of the Galaxy S10 that is currently codenamed "Beyond X", according to details that have emerged online. The device will be the flagship Galaxy S10 model, which the company could announce at its Galaxy UNPACKED event next February.

A Forbes reporter had a replica of his own head, made via 3D-printing, commissioned from a company that specializes in the same. He was able to use this object to unlock four Android phones (from different OEMs), but not an iPhone X. This suggests that Face ID remains the more powerful device-security tool.

Leaving aside the waterdrop notch, the recently teased Xiaomi Play looks like just another mid-range offering that sports a dual camera and a circular rear-mounted fingerprint reader. The leaked specs include an unnamed octa-core processor, up to 6 GB of memory, and 32 GB to 128 GB of internal storage space.

While many people still think that Turing is trying to get some more money without delivering anything solid and the HubblePhone will turn out to be nothing else but vaporware, the company has just promised to compensate the customers who paid for a Turing Phone Dark Wyvern and have not been refunded yet.

Although there is no official information about the upcoming Huawei P30 series, a few Olixar protective cases have been listed for pre-order by MobileFun already. These accessories reveal that the P30 Pro is a handset that sports a display with a waterdrop-style notch, as well as a quad main camera setup.

A new post to the Android Developers Blog details the measures Google is taking to address the issue of fake reviews or ratings on the Play Store. They are described as a combination of AI and human expertise. The post claims that they have already resulted in the removal of millions of reviews from the Store.

Less than 40% of all smartphones are thought to have LCD (or a variation on it) these days. This was reported as part of a new release from the analysis firm IHS Markit. It indicates that the type of panel once only associated with high-end Samsung phones are becoming much more commonplace and popular with manufacturers.

At an event in Beijing today, Lenovo announced the flagship Z5 Pro GT — the world's first smartphone to be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 SoC and also the first to feature 12 GB of RAM. Apart from the raw processing power, the Z5 Pro GT is very much identical to the Z5 Pro that was launched in China last month. Lenovo has also announced the mid-range Z5s sporting a rear triple camera setup. These handsets are competitively priced but are currently exclusive to the Chinese market.

HTC has released a new phone, the Desire 12S, the latest in a brief list of smartphones to come out of the company's stables this year. Like the Desire 12 duo that was released at the start of the year, though, the Desire 12S doesn't get quite a few things right.

Huawei may have found stiff opposition from a number of governments since the new year but the company's smartphone division is definitely on the up. The company has confirmed that it will have sold 200 million smartphones this year by Christmas, a massive 30% increase from last year's 153 million figure.

The Xiaomi POCO F1 has reportedly received an update to official stable Pie, following a recent beta to test the same. However, it's not all good news for fans of the device: some users have claimed that it no longer includes an option to hide the notch in the UI. The update has brought other apparent problems, most notably unusual battery drain.

The Galaxy S10 rumour mill is in full swing, and now the device has supposedly been seen on a South Korean subway. The device in question sports the Samsung Infinity-O display that the company recently announced with the Galaxy A8, but the camera cut-out is in a different position to other recent Galaxy S10 leaks.

Many Android phones, flagships and budget flagships included, often fail to integrate Widevine L1 support into their software. As a result, they lack the ability to play DRM-protected content such as that provided by Netflix in full HD or HDR. The Mate 20 series was one of these; however, this series has finally acquired the ability to stream in HD, while the Mate 20 itself can do so in HDR.

UMIDIGI has released details on its upcoming new smartphone, the F1, on its official website. This device will come with Android Pie out of the box, as well as SD card support and a 5,150mAh battery. UMIDIGI claims that inbuilt AI helps the battery last longer over time by learning usage patterns and habits.

Huawei, earlier today, launched its new sub-premium phone, the Nova 4, in China. The device features a Kirin 970, a triple rear camera setup including a 48 MP sensor, a camera hole, and a 3750 mAh battery. Prices start at $450.

More renders and a live image of the upcoming Honor V20's retail box have surfaced. The Honor flagship is expected to be launched in China next week and will come with a 48 MP camera.

More than a decade after its founding, Tumblr has finally reached a critical point and has decided to turn into "a better, more positive" version of itself by banning adult content, including nudity (with some exceptions). The new guidelines will be enforced starting today, but the affected pages will not disappear overnight.

Razer has unleashed a version of its Raiju controllers for smartphones. It is ostensibly designed to compete with similar products made by Xiaomi and Asus, although it may fit devices besides the company's own gaming-focused smartphones. The 'mobile' Raiju features the Mecha-Tactile action buttons found on the Ultimate variant of this controller.

It has been reported that Samsung is working on a new tablet, which could end up being the latest addition to the Galaxy A series. The SM-P205 slate is expected to feature 32 GB of storage and will come in either black or gray. The South Korean manufacturer only recently introduced the Galaxy Tab A 10.5-inch device and the flagship Galaxy Tab S4.

An infographic published by LetsGoDigital makes for interesting reading for those curious about how the foldable market could end up playing out. Unsurprisingly, it seems Samsung and Huawei will be the first major manufacturers to offer this exciting form factor to consumers, with Microsoft and Apple willing to bide their time, possibly to see how the market develops.

A new report uncovered by LetsGoDigital has claimed that Samsung’s upcoming foldable smartphone could sport a total of up to 6000 mAh in battery capacity. Apparently, there will be two separate cells, with one in each half of the flexible handset. Other rumored specifications include the presence of a Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 and a dual 12 MP main camera.

According to some preliminary leaks, the Huawei Nova 4 was to be released about two days from now. Today, the company has given credence to this rumor, and has also announced the location of this event. It may unveil a phone with a 'punch-hole'-style display that is new to Huawei and should help compete with next-generation phones from other companies such as Samsung.

Despite winning a victory against Apple earlier this week, Qualcomm is continuing to pressure the iPhone manufacturer in China. Qualcomm is petitioning Chinese courts to expand the ban of iPhone sales to include the iPhone XR, Xs, and Xs Max. However, Apple is claiming that these devices should not be included in the initial ban as they run iOS 12. Chinese courts have yet to make a decision.

Facebook has informed its developers of "a photo API bug" that allowed third-party apps to access photos uploaded to the social media's servers, regardless of whether the user then chose to share these images on their timelines or not. The company has admitted that this new flaw had been in effect for eight days in September 2018 and may have affected as many as 6.8 million users who logged in on those dates.

The next generation of the Samsung Galaxy S line is rumored to come in several variants, which include an SX Lite for the first time. This SKU is also now reported to come in a new color for the rear panel. The color schemes for the remaining versions have also been outlined, and may contain fewer surprises.

The Huawei Nova 4 is set to be released on December 17. However, it now seems as though we may already know everything there is to know about the phone. This apparently now includes the device's color options.

Asus has announced the resignation of the company’s long-term CEO, Jerry Shen. However, the executive plans to maintain a relationship with the Taiwanese manufacturer in his new position as chief of a start-up called iFast. In a change of marketing strategy, Asus intends to shift its focus on to gamers and power users in regard to future mobile product releases.

Initially thought to be an answer for Qualcomm's Snapdragon 855, Samsung's Exynos 9820 or Huawei's Kirin 980, the Helio P90 seems to be aimed at premium mid-to-high-end phones. It still uses the 12 nm manufacturing process, so it cannot really compete with the latest high-end SoCs, but it does come with a more powerful GPU and an impressive APU 2.0 A.I. architecture that supports Google Lens and ARCore applications.

New leaks suggest that Huawei is to release its own smart TV product, and that it may be here as early as the first half of 2019. This is based on claims that the company has filed a patent for a "Huawei AI Window". The rumor may make sense, as more and more traditional smartphone OEMs are moving into this new market.

Prior to the release of its 2018 flagship, OnePlus had publicly committed to bringing Pie to its 2016 and 2017 phones. This week, the company partially delivered on this promise, releasing a new beta of its OyxgenOS software based on the newest version of Android for the 5 and 5T. The beta also includes the new OnePlus UI for Pie.

Samsung is likely a few months away from unveiling its Galaxy S10 line-up, but that has not stopped yet more leaks and speculation from appearing online. Now there are reports that a "major tech retailer" in the UK has approached Gizmodo with pricing for all three rumoured S10 models.

OnePlus launched the OnePlus 6T a few months and, for the first time ever, sold the device under the umbrella of a US carrier. That move has apparently paid off in style, with the company confirming that the OnePlus 6T has outsold the OnePlus 6 by 249% in the US.

Huawei has announced the launch of its new budget Enjoy 9. The phone will sport dual rear cameras, a Snapdragon 450, and a big 4000 mAh battery. A fingerprint reader is missing, however, and there may just be better value options on the market.

A product page for the Sony IMX607 CMOS sensor for smartphones has surfaced on Weibo. It is described as a 38 megapixel (MP) Exmor RS module with "advanced noise reduction", a novel dual Bayer-and-white HDR coding array and ambient light detection. Therefore, it may have enhanced low-light detection performance.

IDC has published a report with forecast projections for global smartphone shipments in 2018 and 2022. The research company expects a drop of 3% in 2018 followed by a small increase in 2019 that will carry on through to 2022. The total units shipped for 2018 is estimated at 1.42 billion while the 2022 estimate is put at 1.57 billion. Android should maintain a comfortable lead in terms of platform used.

Xiaomi has showcased the fact that 5G is for IoT devices too. This was done via a Tweet by a company spokesperson, containing a video showing how quickly the 5G-enabled variant of the Mi Mix 3 could relay commands to a connected lamp. Therefore, 5G may be an exciting prospect for smart-home fans too.

Gizchina claims to have unearthed a slide showing details on the specs of the upcoming Huawei 'punch-hole' camera pioneer device, the Nova 4. This slide appears to clearly indicate that this phone will have two separate variants, one of which will have a novel 48MP sensor in its triple-rear-camera setup and one that will not. This slide also suggests that the Nova 4 will ship with the Kirin 970, not the 980.

The Samsung Galaxy S10 is still probably months away from release. However, this has not stopped the case-maker Olixar from designing a whole range of cases for it already, or the e-tailer site MobileFun from posting a product page for them, prices and all. The Galaxy S10 in these images appears to mimic an earlier leak.

The Vivo NEX 2 is here, although it has officially launched as the NEX Dual-Display Edition. As previously leaked, the device drops the pop-up camera for a secondary display on the rear of the device. It also boasts some serious camera chops to help users take full advantage of its unconventional design.

Contrary to news circulating earlier today, Samsung has confirmed that rumors of the Galaxy S10 including a cryptocurrency cold wallet are merely speculation. The rumors stem from EU trademark filings made by Samsung earlier this month related to blockchain-based technology. This news is a stark reminder to never take a rumor as anything more than a guess.

A phone that may have been the Vivo Nex 2 - as this phone has been alleged to come with 10GB in RAM and the Snapdragon (SD) 845 appeared on Geekbench recently. However, another device from the same company with a completely different model number has surfaced on this same benchmark site. Oddly, this 'new Vivo' also has the SD 845 and 10GB RAM.

Honor recently unveiled a new feature to address slow connections in situations of overloaded or throttled public WiFi in its newer smartphones. This adaptation, known as Link Turbo, is described as capable of delivering consistent data-transfer speeds regardless of how busy a certain wireless service is. In practice, it appears it may be a different or improved form of aggressive hand-over to LTE in a phone's OS.

OnePlus unveiled its special McLaren edition of the 6T today in the UK. This version of the OEM's current flagship comes with 10GB of RAM and improved fast charging. The McLaren Edition will become available in two days and cost US$699.

Samsung announced the new Galaxy A8s in China yesterday and while the device's Infinity-O camera hole may be the biggest talking point, an even bigger point of contention is the fact that the phone lacks a 3.5mm jack. This will be the first time Samsung has removed the headphone jack from a mainstream phone.

Huawei is set to unveil its new premium phone, the Honor V20, on December 26. The device will feature a single rear camera, albeit a 48 MP one.

The Pixel 3 Lite has leaked extensively over the last month, and it's almost surprising to learn that there's a bigger Pixel 3 Lite XL. The less is said about that name, the better.