Android

One month after the model SM-G888 received its Bluetooth certification, a document that Samsung submitted to the Korean Intellectual Property Office surfaced online showing a flexible handset that might be unveiled in early 2018.

Google has responded to claims that its Pixel 2 XL, in particular, is prone to having various issues with its display. To address user concerns, Google has doubled the warranty it is offering owners as well as promising software updates to address the issues.

During the Huawei Eco Connect 2017 conference in Berlin, the world's third largest smartphone manufacturer, announced that they would be bringing their App Store to Europe, but there are questions around what benefit it will bring.

Qualcomm may be set to announce the release of the upcoming Snapdragon 845 in December, eleven months after the launch of its predecessor. There's also a chance the new SoC won't make its way into public hands till Q2 2018 when the S9 is released.

The Sony Xperia XZ was released in October last year with a price tag of over $600. The same device is available on Amazon at the moment, and it will set you back just a bit over $300.

A user agent profile on TCL's website has revealed some details of the successor to the Blackberry KEYone that was released earlier in the year. It's a bare-bones profile for the most part but the presence of a Snapdragon 660 stands out.

Earlier this week, Skype for Android reached an impressive milestone. Its Google Play store page shows that this app has been downloaded over a billion times so far, also holding a 4.1/5 rating after more than 10 million user reviews.

Sony has announced the launch of two new entry-level devices, the R1 and R1 Plus, for the Indian market. Both phones are said to be manufactured by Foxconn in India, so we're a bit surprised that they still come with such relatively high price tags.

Whatsapp has finally activated the recall function on its app, a function which allows users to recall—or effectively delete—messages that have already been sent. You'd do well to take screenshots of messages you wish to use as legal proof or anything of the sort, lest they be recalled, leaving you in the lurch.

Samsung's upcoming Galaxy A7 (2018) has been spotted on popular benchmark platform Geekbench alongside an SoC we expect to be the Exynos 7885. Not much is known about the in-house Samsung chipset but listed scores show that it holds its own against juggernauts like the Snapdragon 660.

A report by Canalys has shown data pointing towards India's usurping of the US to become the second largest smartphone market in the world, with China standing at the top of the pyramid.

The latest model in the Galaxy Tab A family gets an 8-inch IPS display with 1280 x 800 resolution and features the Snapdragon 425 SoC with Adreno 308 GPU and 2 GB of RAM. Additional specs include 32 GB of internal storage, 5 MP front camera and 8 MP rear camera, plus a 5,000 mAh battery that allows the entire family to enjoy the tablet for more time.

Oppo has made its new Oppo F5 smartphone official, launching it in the Philippines today. The device is one of the first among a wave of mid-range devices with an almost bezel-less 18:9 aspect ratio displays expected to hit the market in the coming months.

Chinese manufacturers Xiaomi are set to announce the launch of a new product line for the Indian market. The line is said to be a camera-centric one, which may be a clue as to Xiaomi's ambition to completely dominate the Indian market by taking even more of OPPO and Vivo's market shares.

Samsung is set to release updates to Android Oreo by the start of 2018. Particular details of the company's plans are unknown at the moment but we expect the Galaxy Beta program to be re-opened soon.

Huawei is set to launch its new Nova 3 in December. The high-end device looks to replicate most of what we've seen on the Nova 2i, with the slight difference being the Kirin 670 it will feature—an SoC we believe may provide worthy competition to the Snapdragon 660.

The new version of the Appstore app works on Fire tablets, Fire TV digital media players, and Android-driven devices. It features a visual overhaul and an increased focus on Amazon Coins.

The OnePlus 5T has appeared on an AnTuTu listing, with details indicating the expected 18:9 full-screen display, Snapdragon 835, Android Oreo, and improvements in the dual rear camera setup.

HMD has introduced its beta program, beta labs, for the testing of the beta version of Android Oreo on the Nokia 8. The company previously promised users of the Nokia 8 that they would get Oreo before the end of the year, so this comes as no surprise.

Google has announced the implementation of its add-on feature on the Gmail client, with both the desktop web client and Android app benefiting from the move.

The mid-range HTC U11 Life is expected to arrive next week and, according to its latest visit at Geekbench, this handset features a Qualcomm Snapdragon 630 processor and runs Android 7.1.1 Nougat out of the box.

Intel might not be making mobile chips anymore, but it has apparently been hard at work with Google developing the Pixel 2 Visual Core custom co-processor it has been revealed.

Unveiled back in January, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 2100-powered Misfit Vapor smartwatch with Android Wear 2.0 onboard is now up for pre-order and scheduled to start shipping on Halloween.

Analytic firm GfK has published statistics on the commercial side of the global smartphone industry which prove that the prices of smartphones are indeed on the rise. The study also provided data pointing towards growing African and Latin American markets, and a slight decline in the North American one.

The Android Instant Apps Platform has now had a full public release allowing users to try applications without needing to install them. The platform also allows continued use and access to application features.

The Huawei Watch 2 Pro came out of the blue and, for now, it is only available in China. This round Android Wear 2.0 smartwatch features an eSIM slot and is IP68-certified for protection from the elements.

Huawei has recorded an impressive 100 million shipments over the course of the first three quarters of the year. The company sold an impressive total of 139 million smartphone units in 2016 and we expect similar figures by the end of this year.

Two Redmi devices were certified at TENAA a few days ago but new information points towards the arrival of another Redmi phone, albeit one with a smaller display. All three devices are said to feature 18:9 full-screen displays, however.

HMD Global has sent out press invites for a global launch event that will take place in New Delhi on October 31. Here, we have a look at the devices that may be launched.

Industry sources have reported that Huawei subsidiary, HiSilicon, are looking for a second manufacturing partner for their 7 nm SoCs in addition to TSMC.

Samsung's Galaxy S9 could feature a display cut out to allow it to integrate a front facing fingerprint sensor. The move could be potentially controversial, but it would correct the odd location of the fingerprint sensor on the rear of the current Galaxy S8 line.

Expected to debut on October 26, the 6-inch Oppo F5 "Selfie Expert" is rumored to feature a Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 processor and a dual-camera setup, as well as an 18:9 aspect ratio display.

OPPO has set the launch date of its new R11s for November 2. The device was spotted on AnTuTu earlier in the day with specifications sharing an uncanny resemblance to those on the original R11.

The LG V30 may have gone on sale weeks ago but word of an unlocked version has been nigh non-existent. B&H has listed one now, though, with it set to go on sale on November 28.

The Nokia 2 has been spotted on B&H's official website with a price tag lower than $100. The device will be HMD's attempt at creating the archetypal budget smartphone, which leaves us curious as to what to expect from the Nokia 1—if there's to be any such device.

Sony has released the Oreo update to users of the XZ Premium. This is about par for the company, as it becomes the first OEM to send out working Oreo updates.

Google is "actively investigating" burn in issues that have started to crop up on some user's Pixel 2 XLs. The latest report follows mixed reviews about the device's LG-sourced pOLED display, which some have said is unworthy of a high-end device priced as it is.

Andy Rubin has slashed US$200 off the starting price of his Essential Phone PH-1. The move follows reports that the device has had a less than stellar sales start.

Root on Android looks to be a dying art, with fear of voided warranties and SafetyNet restrictions holding users back. A Pixel 2 owner has reportedly gotten confirmation from Google's customer support which clarifies that rooting the new Pixels is not cause for a warranty void.

The HTC U11 was released months ago in May but is set to receive the update to Oreo before the middle of December, likely making it one of the first flagships to receive the update.

The race to the Redmi Note 5 is on a crescendo, with the device and a lower specced, identical variant being spotted on TENAA alongside an SoC which we think may just be the new Snapdragon 636.

Paypal continues to integrate with the platforms we use to communicate with each other and is now integrated in Facebook Messenger.

Advertised as a communication robot, the new Sony Xperia Hello! is more than just another Amazon Echo wannabe. It can be used to make Skype or Line video calls, runs Android Nougat, and features a Qualcomm Snapdragon 650 processor.

A Samsung J7 smartphone caught fire on a Jet Airways flight bound to Indore from New Delhi causing mid-air panic. The flight staff were unable to extinguish the fire and had to drop the phone in a tray of water to put off the flames.

The HTC U11 Life is expected to be launched alongside the U11 Plus on November 2. While the device's specifications sheet looks to be impressive at first sight, a few points marred a package that could have competed for the top spot in the mid-range market.

The upcoming Qualcomm Snapdragon 835-driven HTC U11 Plus is expected to get an official launch on November 2, when it is also supposed to become the first HTC handset with a display ratio of 18:9.

The Huawei Mate 10 and Mate 10 Pro have been launched in China, with the smartphone giants making slight changes to the memory configuration of both devices. The phones will also sell for much cheaper in China, the base version of the Mate 10 being almost $250 less than what it went for at the European launch.

HTC has posted an image on its official Twitter account that announces an event for November 2. The image features a large "U", so we believe that it's the much-expected U11 Plus.