Android

The Mi 6 was Xiaomi's flagship device for 2017. The device has had its Oreo update in the beta stage for weeks but has finally received a full, stable update. The Mi 6, Mi Mix 2, and Redmi 4X have also all had their kernel sources released by Xiaomi, with the Mi 6 also receiving Treble support via unofficial channels.

The most controversial design element of the iPhone X has now been embraced by Oppo, and by default, OnePlus for their next flagship smartphones. Both the Oppo R15 and the OnePlus 6 will feature a “me too” notch when they arrive in the coming months.

Although the YouTube mobile apps have been providing offline viewing capabilities for more than two years, the availability of this feature that can come quite handy in certain situations was limited to a list of select markets. That list was not long at all, but now 109 new items have been added to it, bringing the total of markets with YouTube offline viewing support to no less than 125.

A prototype Samsung Galaxy Note 9 has surfaced in an HTML5 test. While the test does not reveal any hardware details as such, it does seem apparent that the upcoming Note phablet will be sporting an 18.5:1 aspect ratio display similar to the recently launched Galaxy S9.

The BlackBerry KEYone Black Edition has been around since last August in various markets, and now it is finally available in the US. While the original came in February 2017 with 3 GB RAM and 32 GB internal storage, this version comes with 4 GB RAM and 64 GB internal storage. Fortunately, the price tag of this handset reads US$549, which is just US$50 higher than the price of the regular BlackBerry KEYone.

LG brought its scrapped G7 design to MWC for some reason and showed it off to a select few journalists behind the scenes. Given its derivative “me too” iPhone X-style notch, it looks like the decision to redesign the device made by incoming management was a good move.

DisplayMate had a lot of good things to say about the newly launched Samsung Galaxy S9's display. The firm says that the Galaxy S9's OLED display sets new performance records that makes it better than most high-end displays available across form factors and gives it an all time high A+ rating.

The rumor that we might see the legendary Motorola Razr series coming back to life is not new, but this time it comes from a Lenovo official. One year after making a similar statement at MWC 2017, Yang Yuanqing said that the Motorola Razr "will be developed or realized very soon." Sadly, Lenovo's CEO did not mention any technical details or a possible launch date for now.

Next to the alleged Galaxy J4 and Galaxy J6, as well as the US variant of the updated Galaxy J3, an Exynos 7870-powered Samsung handset was spotted on Geekbench. Codenamed SM-J800FN, this one is expected to launch as the Galaxy J8 and runs Android 8.0 Oreo. Older rumors mentioned it would feature 4 GB RAM, 64 GB internal storage, and a 5.5-inch 720p display, but nothing is official yet.

Sikur is a smartphone maker that likes to put an emphasis on security. In 2015, the company released the GranitePhone, which offered users multiple layers of data privacy protection. In the meantime, Sikur has been working on a new device, which was announced at the 2018 Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. The SikurPhone includes an app called SikurWallet, which according to the makers is designed to be the “digital marketplace’s safest wallet.”

The new Asus ZenFone Max M1 comes with a 2:1 display with only 1,440 x 720 pixels and a rather slow Qualcomm Snapdragon 425 processor, but also features a 13 MP + 8 MP dual camera setup on the back, an 8 MP selfie snapper, and a high-capacity 4,000 mAh battery that can provide up to 41 days of 4G standby, 36 hours of 3G calls, and an impressive autonomy of 23 hours of WiFi web browsing.

A few weeks after its launch in Latin America, Europe, Africa, Middle East, and South East Asia, Tekken Mobile for Android hits the US market two days sooner than scheduled. This freemium game comes with loot boxes, healing items, and resources for character upgrade that can all be purchased using real-world money. Tekken Mobile is already quite popular on Google Play, with over one million installs so far.

Surprisingly enough, Huawei is not present at MWC 2018 with any Android Go handset. However, it seems that such a device is almost ready to hit the market. References to the Huawei Y5 Lite (2018) with Android Oreo Go edition onboard were recently spotted in some firmware files. Shortly after that happened, this MediaTek-powered handset apparently arrived at the FCC as well.

Introduced in Barcelona during MWC as the ZenFone 5 Lite, this 6-inch phablet with a 2:1 ratio display will arrive in the US as the Asus ZenFone 5Q. Its list of technical specs includes a dual camera setup on each side, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 630 processor, 4 GB RAM, and 64 GB internal storage. The three colors available are known as Rouge Red, Moonlight White, and Midnight Black.

LG could be set to reveal its most cutting-edge smartphone design yet if a patent for a new full-screen display module is any guide. The new panel is almost all-display with just a small cutout for what would likely house a speaker and tiny front-facing camera.

The Asus ZenFone 5 and ZenFone 5Z have been unveiled at MWC 2018 in Barcelona tonight, just as expected. Although both feature a dual camera setup with a flagship Sony IMX363 sensor with 1.4 µm pixels and a 6.2-inch display, the ZenFone 5 has a Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 processor inside, while the ZenFone 5Z is powered by the top-of-the-line Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 SoC.

The two images that allegedly show the upcoming OnePlus 6 flagship surfaced on a WhatsApp group, where it was posted by someone claiming to be an insider familiar with the matter. One of these images confirms a previous rumor that mentioned a front with a notch similar to that of Apple's iPhone X. The other one shows a back with a vertical dual camera setup and an oval-shaped fingerprint reader.

On the occasion of MWC 2018, Qualcomm has announced the Snapdragon 700 Mobile Platform series SoCs tailored towards bringing on-device AI and satisfying the needs of Chinese OEMs for more premium features at lower price tiers.

Apart from featuring a bezel-less display that does not seem to have the dreaded 2:1 ratio, the "Ghost" smartphone is clearly one of those atypical models that do not come with BlackBerry's signature mechanical keyboard.

Samsung could be looking for a name change to its flagship Galaxy S series and rumors are rife that the next Samsung flagship might not be referred to as the Galaxy 'S10'. Samsung's mobile head, DJ Koh, did not refute the rumors and said while a name change is being contemplated upon, the Galaxy brand is here to stay.

In addition to the new Android-driven phones that were introduced at this year's Mobile World Congress, Alcatel has also launched a low-end tablet that comes in two form factors. The Alcatel 1T 7 and the Alcatel 1T 10 come with Android 8.1 Oreo onboard and can provide a battery file of up to 15 hours on a single charge. This slate will soon be available for purchase starting at 69.99 EUR (around US$86).

Sony has used MWC to introduce a new "dual listening" experience headset it calls the Xperia Ear Duo. The headphones allow users to interact with music, or notifications, at the same time as being able to hear their immediate environment.

After a few months of hard work, the team behind LineageOS revealed a new version of this custom ROM. Based on Android 8.1, LineageOS 15.1 comes with a new Trebuchet launcher, interface styles, LiveDisplay integration, QR support in Snap camera, and more. The first devices supported are the OnePlus 3/5/5T, Xiaomi's Mi 5/5S/5S Plus, Google's Nexus 5X and 6P, the LePro3/Pro3 Elite by LeEco, as well as the WiFi-only Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 slates.

Google could be set to make its Chrome OS a much more potent threat to Microsoft if a new commit in the Chromium source is any guide. A developer project known as Crostini shows signs of Google officially introducing support for Linux virtual machines on Chrome OS.

MicroSD cards have been getting steadily faster over the last few years with sequential speeds that compete with 2.5-inch hard drivers and improvements in IOPS that make them more able to handle application storage. The newly announced SanDisk Extreme 400 GB is more than 50 percent faster than smaller capacity Sandisk Ultra UHS-I MicroSD cards.

A detailed report by Onphones has shown proof of Honor India running a subtle, clandestine social media campaign against Xiaomi's new Redmi Note 5 devices on Twitter.

The Mi Mix 2S has finally been confirmed to be official and on its way. It will be launched on March 27, which, quite interestingly, is the same day the upcoming Huawei P20 is billed to be unveiled.

Sony has released its new pair of flagships, the Xperia XZ2 and XZ2 Compact, at the ongoing MWC in Barcelona. Both devices are, of course, powered by the new Snapdragon 845, and sport new blazing designs. The company sticks to a single rear camera on both, however, but still impresses in that department, with both devices having the ability to shoot 1080p videos at 960fps.

Shipping figures for BlackBerry and TCL have been revealed: 850,000 BlackBerry devices were shipped in 2017. According to reports, BlackBerry management have been calling the year a success, especially in part due to the BlackBerry KEYone smartphone that was released in April 2017. Market analysts IDC stated that over 403 million smartphones were shipped in 4Q17.

A leaked render of the Moto E5 Plus smartphone has revealed an interesting detail: The device is likely to come with a dual camera system. The E5 range is expected to be an update of Motorola’s E4 range, which was released in June 2017. The render shows a number of differences from the predecessor. Details in regard to price and release date have yet to be confirmed.

Motorola has presented two Moto Mods at the MWC for its smartphones. The Health Mod can measure vital signs such as blood pressure, temperature, and oxygen saturation. A Moto Mod with a full-sized QWERTY keyboard was also shown.

The ZTE Tempo Go might look familiar to some, and this happens for a good reason: this Android Go handset is nothing more than a ZTE Tempo X with a new name and Google's highly optimized Android Oreo variant. The specs are exactly what one could expect for the sub-US$80 price tag: Qualcomm Snapdragon 210, 1 GB RAM, 8 GB storage, 5-inch display with 480 x 854 pixels, as well as a 5 MP main camera with LED flash.

When compared to their predecessors, the Samsung Galaxy S9 and the Galaxy S9+ offer solid improvements in the camera department, but there are no changes when it comes to the display, connectivity, or battery capacity. However, audiophiles will surely enjoy the stereo speakers tuned by AKG and the Dolby Atmos surround sound. At last, we should also mention that the Galaxy S9 lineup comes with Oreo onboard.

Vivo has used MWC to take the wraps of the APEX FullView Concept Smartphone. The device introduces several breakthroughs in smartphone technology, including a display that doubles as the device's speaker.

They're finally here. The latest flagships from Samsung, the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+, share a lot in common with last year's S8 and S8+ with some incremental improvements. The biggest change lies in the camera, which now features a variable aperture for better low-light shots and 960 frame-per-second video capture.

HMD Global has announced the Nokia 7 Plus — an upper midrange phone promising to offer flagship design and performance. The Nokia 7 Plus brings forward some of the imaging and audio prowess of the Nokia 8 coupled with AI-led features in an Android One package.

Finnish company HMD Global, has announced the new Nokia 8 Sirocco, the first flagship phone to be part of 'Android One.' Internal specs remain mostly identical, but the design has been revamped with impressively small bezels for a phone that retains the 16:9 aspect ratio.

Over the last few weeks, devices like the Nokia 6 (2018) and Redmi Note 5 have been launched. Fine devices they may be, but the fact they run on Android Nougat out of the box—six months after the release of Oreo—leaves a sour aftertaste.

Nokia fans of old are getting some more fan service this year. HMD introduced a remodel of the classic Nokia 8110 "banana phone," a slider phone originally released in 1996. The classic phone (which was fairly popular due to its curved shape, slide-out keypad cover, and appearance in "The Matrix" movies) gets a new shot at life in the form of a cheap 4G feature phone.

Alcatel has announced the release of three new devices in its 3-series line. The Alcatel 3 will retail for €149.99, the 3V for €189.99, and the 3X for €179.99. All three devices share similar features, with slight, cosmetic differences across them.

The new Huawei MediaPad M5 comes in two sizes (8.4 and 10.8 inches) and multiple connectivity/storage configurations. All models feature a HiSilicon Kirin 960 processor, 4 GB RAM, an 8 MP front camera, a 13 MP main image shooter, and run Android 8.0 Oreo out of the box (with EMUI 8.0 on top, obviously). This new tablet comes with USB Type-C, but Huawei also decided to drop the 3.5 mm audio jack.

ZTE has announced the release of its two new devices, the Blade V9 and Blade V9 Vita. The V9 will be powered by a Snapdragon 450, while the V9 Vita opts for the less powerful Snapdragon 435. Both devices feature 18:9 displays, with the V9 showcasing a 5.7-inch FHD+ display, and the V9 Vita going with a 5.45-inch HD+ one.

Although some recent leaks claimed it would arrive as an Android Go device, the General Mobile GM 8 is now official with full Oreo onboard as an Android One handset. Its specs include a Qualcomm Snapdragon 435 processor, up to 4 GB RAM and 64 GB internal storage, as well as a 5.7-inch display with 1,440 x 720 pixels. This Turkish handset is expected to hit the market soon for the equivalent of US$260 and up.

The upcoming successor to the Huawei P10 and P10 Plus will be the P20 and not P11. This was confirmed in a Huawei launch invite teaser, which confirms the March 27 launch date in Paris along with indications of a triple-camera setup. We are also treated to a press render showing off the P20 and a possible P20 Plus.

Introduced as the first sub-100 EUR (~US$125) handset from a major global brand to feature a 2:1 display, the Alcatel 1X is also the first Android Go handset to be unveiled at MWC 2018. Its list of specs includes a MediaTek MT6580 processor, 1 GB RAM, and 16 GB storage. Despite the low-end cameras used (5 MP and 8 MP), the 1X comes with social-ready camera features such as Photo Booth, Instant Collage, and Social Square.