Android

HTC is said to be potentially eyeing a sale of the company among a range of strategic options currently being evaluated. Another option being considered is the sale of its burgeoning Vive VR headset business.

This 5-inch handset uses a MediaTek MT6737 processor, next to just 1 GB RAM, 8 GB internal storage, and a 2,200 mAh battery. The price and launch date are not public yet, but we might find out the details soon.

The Librem 5, currently up for preorder through a crowdfunding campaign, is Purism's attempt to create a privacy-focused smartphone. The phone will run a mobile variant of PureOS, which is Purism's own custom GNU/Linux-based operating system.

Meizu has announced the launch of its mid-range M6 Note, and it offers a decent package for the prices listed, with the device making significant improvements over its predecessor, camera-wise particularly.

In addition to the latest security patch, this new firmware for both the OnePlus 3 and 3T brings battery optimizations, performance improvements, as well as multiple minor tweaks and fixes.

The dual-screen YotaPhone 3 is finally official, with the Russian company announcing it on its blog. The device is a marked upgrade from its predecessor, featuring larger displays and a more upmarket metal finish.

Thanks to a leaked product page, we now know several details of the upcoming Gear Fit 2 Pro fitness tracker/smartwatch from Samsung. While there aren't many changes from the previous Gear Fit 2, the Gear Fit 2 Pro will be water resistant to 50 meters.

Igexin, the developer of an advertising software kit, has been caught collecting user data and sending it back to servers in China. Their kit was used in 500 legitimate applications and used the permissions granted to those apps to collect data such as call logs. Google has disabled the compromised applications while the developers replace the advertising APIs.

Although this virtual assistant is now available virtually everywhere, the only two languages supported remain US English and Korean for now. Additional languages and devices should get Bixby support in the future, but the details are not yet public.

Twitter leaker Roland Quandt has revealed pricing details for Sony's upcoming XZ1 and XZ1 Compact high-end offerings. While both won't qualify for the bargain market, they're appropriately priced.

Even though the Canvas Infinity impresses with the 18:9 Full Vision display that is usually found in high-end models, the specs and the US$156 price recommend it as a mid-range smartphone. The model will only be available through Amazon India starting September 1st.

This 5.5-inch Android handset with a (quite outdated) Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 under the hood hits select retail stores in the UK and UAE with a custom Italian leather accompanying phone case. The price tag reads US$2,450.

A research team has successfully compromised a smartphone by injecting malicious code into the drivers for the touchscreen. The code allows full access to the device, including the ability to alter files, use the phone's camera, download malicious apps, and grant root access without unlocking the bootloader.

The X1 is Gionee's newest budget device for the Indian market. It features the MT6737, 2 GB of RAM, 16 GB of storage, a rear fingerprint reader, and a 3000mAh battery. Not a bad deal for US$140, all things considered.

The latest release of the popular custom ROM known as AOSPA to its users brings new customization options to the stock launcher, including app labeling, as well as support for Russian, Dutch, French, German, and a few other languages.

The next-gen YotaPhone has a 5.5-inch main display and a 5.2-inch monochrome touchscreen on the back. It uses the Snapdragon 625 processor and is expected to hit the market starting around US$360.

Android O has finally been released, with O standing for sweet, tasty Oreos. Updates have started rolling out for those in the Beta program, and users should be able to download factory images soon.

Hot on the heels of the Sony Xperia XZ1 leak, its smaller stablemate, the Xperia XZ1 Compact, has also surfaced in unofficial renders. The device will help to keep Sony as virtually the only Android handset maker continuing to make a high-end compact smartphone.

The SM-A5300 handset that arrived at Geekbench is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 processor and has 6 GB of memory, while the A5 (2017) has an Exynos 7880 chip under the hood and just 3 GB RAM.

The Redmi Note 5A has been announced and while it makes no significant improvements on the previous devices in the series, you'll still have a hard time finding better devices at that price point.

While the Nokia 8 is an interesting flagship that would surely gain quite a few fans in China and the US, HMD Global has revealed that this handset will not arrive in these two markets.

Although a few other names surfaced in the Android 8.0-related rumors we heard so far, it seems like the next major iteration of Google's mobile operating system will be named Oreo after all.

About a year after receiving Android Wear 1.5, Motorola's smartwatch is finally ready to get the features and improvements that other wearables such as the Asus ZenWatch 3 or Huawei Watch already got thanks to Android Wear 2.0.

This new 5.5-inch handset comes with 3 GB or 4 GB RAM, both variants offering a MediaTek MT6750 processor, 32 GB internal storage, and a dual-camera setup that uses the Sony IMX258 sensor. It runs Android Nougat and has a price tag of around US$156.

This flagship comes with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 653 processor, 6 GB RAM, 64 GB internal storage, a 13 MP + 13 MP dual setup on the back, and runs Android Nougat out of the box. It will hit India exclusively via Amazon for about US$235.

Only available for purchase in Russia so far, the 5.5-inch ZenFone 4 Max is now official in Taiwan. However, the details regarding its price and launch date are still shady at this time.

Not long after obtaining its FCC certification, this upcoming 8-inch Android slate surfaces at TENAA with a quad-core processor, 3 GB RAM, 32 GB and 64 GB storage versions, as well as a 5,000 mAh battery.

A few weeks after receiving Google Now integration, Action Launcher gets a new update that delivers a weather widget for handsets that run Marshmallow or later, as well as new customization options.

Major Chromebooks from Dell, Lenovo, and Asus now have the ability to run Android Play Store apps straight from the stable Chrome OS channel.

Chinese behemoths Xiaomi are allegedly working with Google on the creation of a new Android One phone. Considering Xiaomi's MIUI skin isn't loved by many, it'll be interesting to see Google software on a Xiaomi device.

An adaptation of one of the most successful fighting game franchises is coming to mobile. BANDAI NAMCO recently announced Tekken Mobile, which should be arriving on iOS and Android devices soon.

The Redmi Note 5A will be launched on August 21, with the company sending out formal invites for the event already. It will be the first entry in Xiaomi's new generation of Redmi budget devices.

The M2017 was Gionee's luxury offering for 2016, as it sold for prices rising up to $2000. While the Snapdragon 653 it had on board was underwhelming, every other aspect of the device was top-notch.

Google has confirmed on the Android website that Android 8 'O' is releasing on Monday 21st August via a live stream during the eclipse.

The design of the Mi Mix 2 has been revealed in a Facebook video by designer Philippe Starck, and it's more edgeless than ever. The Mi Mix was arguably Xiaomi's real flagship for 2016, so it'll be fun to see how much the OEM can pack into its successor.

Samsung's next-gen affordable 8-inch Android tablet is expected to hit the market soon, as it has just received all the needed certifications from the WiFi Alliance and the FCC. However, the details are nowhere to be found yet.

Thanks to the latest expansion of this service's availability, US customers in 29 heavily populated areas can now enjoy it via multiple platforms - Android, iOS, Apple Airplay, Chromecast, as well as in a web browser.

This upcoming version of Google's most used mobile app aims emerging markets, where low-end handsets are very popular. The official announcement still has to arrive, but the app is already in testing.

The Nokia 8 was released within the last few days and there's already word of a Nokia 9, the company's more impressive, larger flagship. Nothing is concrete at this point, though, but we'll be looking forward to it.

Although Apple's iPhone 7 remains the world's most popular smartphone model, the Galaxy S8 is the most popular Android handset, with 10.2 million units shipped in the second quarter (Galaxy S8+ sales reached 9 million for the same period).

Ever wanted a game where you play a middle-aged Japanese businessman experiencing a midlife crisis? The infamous Famicom title "Takeshi No Chousenjou" ("Takeshi's Challenge" in the West) is now available on Android and iOS.

HiSilicon's next-gen Kirin 970 has been spotted on Chinese social media platform Weibo. While much cannot be inferred from the listed specifications, it's shaping up to be a worthy competitor to whatever Qualcomm and MediaTek put out next year.