ARM

Samsung's mid-range smartphone proves to be fast and well-equipped in the test. However, the Galaxy A42 also has a big flaw that we don't want to leave out...

The Vivo V20 (2020) series launched not long ago with a vanilla variant rocking a Snapdragon 720G processor. A new potential phone from this OEM has been spotted on Geekbench with an older and less powerful SoC. Nevertheless, it is thought to be the V20's immediate successor.

With its Dimensity 1000+ chipset, 120Hz display and 65W charging, Realme's X7 Pro is a potentially compelling choice of 2020 smartphones. Unfortunately, it has never emerged beyond the Chinese market. However, that has changed with its latest debut in Thailand.

Honor's first post-Huawei flagship phones are expected to be known as the V40 series. They are also predicted not to launch with a premium Kirin processor as its forebears did. However, it now looks like they might do so with one holdover from its past as a Huawei subsidiary: 66W charging out of the box.

The Redmi Note 8 Pro just received its November security update and it's been closely followed by the Redmi Note 8 and Redmi Note 9, with the European variants of both phones now getting the update. Android 11, however, remains a distant concept for the Redmi Note 8 in particular.

Microsoft is working on its own in-house design for a server chip as it jumps on the Arm CPU bandwagon. The in-house design effort could also lead to custom Arm-based silicon for its own Surface line of computers, some of which already feature Arm designs co-developed with Qualcomm.

A Twitter-based leaker claims to have found new Geekbench listings that show Mac devices based on the new M1 silicon running Windows on ARM (WoA) via the Parallels desktop. Not only that, but this new combination apparently results in scores about double those achieved by the SQ2-powered Surface Pro X, which runs this kind of OS by default.

New rumors indicate that the successor to the Moto G9 Play phone will have a slightly more straightforward product name to go with its 2021 launch. This moniker has appeared on the Geekbench database, and has subsequently been confirmed on Google's Play Console. Both of these new listings point to budget specs for the upcoming device.

Reviewer Random Stuff 2 on Youtube managed to play with the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus for more than a month and included his impressions in a short video. He specifies that the reviewed unit is a pre-production device, so some things could differ on the final product, but even so, the phone may be one of the best models of 2021.

The Redmi Note 8 Pro is now receiving a new update in multiple regions. The latest update for the device brings the November security patch to the European and Russian models of the device, with the Android 11 rollout set to follow soon.

The OPPO A53 emerged in 2020 as the first phone to have the Snapdragon 460 SoC. Now, the OEM has announced a new version of this device. It is much like the original, except it exchanges its platform for a 5G-capable MediaTek Dimensity 720. It also starts at the equivalent of US$199 in China.

There are plenty of discounts for the Apple MacBook Air 2020 before Christmas. However, a closer look usually reveals that it is a discontinued model with an old Intel processor. We think you should avoid these SKUs, even though you can save some money.

Huawei is set to launch its Nova 8 series in the near future and details of the Nova 8 have surfaced. Notable takeaways include a Kirin 985, a quad-camera setup at the back, and a disappointing battery relative to the competition.

Qualcomm and Google are now collaborating to extend Project Treble support to offer four Android OS versions and four years of security updates starting with devices powered by the Snapdragon 888. With this move, Qualcomm hopes to give users a more predictable software lifecycle and ensure most of them are on the latest OS release. The onus of actually releasing these updates, however, still rests on OEMs.

Samsung's highly-awaited Exynos 1080 SoC has made its first appearance on Geekbench. It manages to outperform the Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 with a single and multi-core score of 888 and 3,244, respectively. The chipset is expected to make its debut alongside the Vivo X60 series on December 28.

Desalvo Systems has introduced a new version of its Maker Block Raspberry Pi 4 case, which it has machined from a solid block of copper. Appropriately called the Solid Copper Maker Block Case, the case is likely to draw attention with its striking design. However, the use of a copper block is also practical as it supposedly delivers superior passive cooling than many other cases for the Raspberry Pi 4.

Word on the grapevine from last week teased the possibility of Xiaomi launching a Mi 11 Mini as the third device in the Mi 11 series. That appears to be unlikely now, however, as a new report claims that the third device will be the Mi 11 Pro+. Or, perhaps, the Mi 11 Ultra? The Galaxy S21 Ultra will have its work cut out for it in any case.

The innovative features coming with the 2021 Galaxy smartphones are supposed to make the upcoming devices the most desirable upgrades in quite a while. Some of these features include outstanding video capabilities, improved AI integration, ultra-wideband compatibility, and even S Pen support for devices other than the galaxy Note. Samsung also plans to introduce more affordable foldables.

High-end processor? Check. 50MP main camera? Check. HDR10+ display? Check. Electrochromic back?...Maybe. A new OPPO phone that is almost certainly the impending Reno5 Pro+ has appeared on TENAA, Geekbench and the HDR certification website, seeming to confirm the device's best rumored attributes in the process.

Korean rag ETNews is reporting that Samsung has four foldable models coming in 2021. The rumor solidifies rumors that Samsung is planning to drop the Note model from its line next year in order to shift focus to its flexible screened devices.

HMD Global has officially launched its latest mid-range phone, the Nokia 5.4. As rumored, the new smartphone will be powered by a Snapdragon 662 and features a 48 MP main camera with zero shutter lag, according to the company.

Announced back in August, the 11.5-inch Lenovo Tab P11 Pro is now finally available for purchase. Priced at US$499.99 and up, this slate features an OLED with 2,560 x 1,600 pixels and Dolby Vision, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 730G processor, and 4 GB/128 GB and up of memory/storage.

Vivo has announced that the X60 and X60 Pro smartphones will be unveiled later in December 2020. These devices will be powered by SoCs provided by Samsung, and have cameras augmented by Zeiss technology. The OEM will also hold a conference that outlines the latter prior to its new hardware launch.

Live images of the Redmi K40 have been leaked online, and if they are genuine they reveal a smartphone that has considerably evolved from the predecessor Redmi K30. The camera equipment for the Redmi K40 has changed a lot, enhancing the flagship-killer that is already expected to come with a Snapdragon 888 and AMOLED screen.

More details have started to surface about LG’s upcoming high-end smartphones for 2021. The rollable will take a leaf out of Oppo’s playbook while the flagship handset is going to go toe-to-toe with Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy S21 in more ways than one.

The Mi 11 was initially rumored to be launched in January but it appears the next-gen Xiaomi flagship series could arrive even sooner. According to reports surfacing today on Chinese media, the Mi 11 series is scheduled to be unveiled on December 29.

The Redmi 9 Power is a device believed to be a re-brand of the new Chinese Note 9 4G for the Indian market. However, according to a new leak from Ishan Agarwal, the story may not be quite that simple. A render for this device shows 1 more rear camera than is present in the recently-launched budget phone.

Images of what might be OPPO's 2021 flaghip smartphone have emerged online. These initial renders of the "Find X3 Pro" are strongly reminiscent of an iPhone from the back, even though it might have 4 rear cameras rather than 3. The images also show the OEM might go with a single punch-hole camera again.

Xiaomi will unveil the Mi 11 series in the near future and a new report claims that the company will actually launch three phones: the Mi 11 and Mi 11 Pro - which may be joined by the Mi 11 Mini, a compact premium device.

Microsoft has finally rolled out the first Windows Insider tech preview of x64 emulation for Windows 10 on Arm devices. The update brings long-awaited support for regular 64-bit x86 applications helping to make Windows on Arm devices a more viable alternative.

The Xiaomi Mi 11 has supposedly shown up in a spyshot that conveniently reveals the main camera system on the rear. The Mi 11 was already rumored to be coming with a square-shaped camera housing that featured at least one huge lens as part of its setup, which is apparently confirmed in the new live image.

The OPPO Reno 5 Pro+ is on the way and thorough details of the device have now been revealed. Major takeaways include the presence of a Snapdragon 865, spanking new camera hardware from Sony, and a competitive display on a phone that will likely square up against Xiaomi's Mi 10T Pro.

Samsung is now rumored to have a new Exynos 9825-powered phone called the Galaxy F62 in the works. Most recently, a rear panel for this device has allegedly leaked out, suggesting that it will be another member of the square-cam brigade. It is also now touted to be particularly thin and to be in production in an Indian factory.

South Korea was one of the first markets in which commercial 5G had become available, although the networks in question use the sub-6GHz form of the connectivity. Now, however, LG's division Uplus and Qualcomm have implemented the first mmWave alternative, intended to serve an academic campus in this country.

Nokia is currently rumored to hold a launch event before the end of 2020, at which the 7.3 5G, 6.3 and 5.4 smartphones are to be unveiled. A new leak purports to be a full specs spill for the latter. Its headline is an SoC which may be a disappointing follow-up to its predecessor.

It’s no secret that LG has been struggling to make a profit out of its mobile division. In its latest move to stem the hemorrhaging the company has announced a restructure which will see it outsource the design and manufacture of both its low and mid-range phones for the first time.

A new concept render by Ben Geskin of the upcoming Xiaomi Mi 11 shows a smartphone with an elegant design that appears to have embraced simplicity over unnecessary complexities. In further Mi 11-related news, it seems possible that the Snapdragon 888-sporting flagship might have a dual-battery setup for a 5,000-mAh total capacity.

The new Realme Q2 5G and Realme Q2 Pro 5G have made quite a splash in AnTuTu’s various price-performance charts, with the former even managing to push the Redmi Note 8 Pro out of the top three in the most-affordable smartphone table. The Realme Q2 and Q2 Pro both feature the MediaTek Dimensity 800U processor.

The Nokia 3.4 is a Snapdragon 460-powered device with a 6.39-inch HD+ display and a 4000mAh battery. Therefore, it might make a welcome addition to the Indian smartphone market. A new leak suggests that HMD Global will bring it there before the end of 2020.

The OEM Vivo's next flagship series of smartphones are now thought to be called the X60, X60 Pro and X60 Pro+. At least some of them may be the devices that feature in a new certification by the Chinese regulator 3C. If so, they may be capable of charging at up to 33 watts (W).

Since yesterday, multiple reports have surfaced indicating that Google is set to release a new device called the Google Pixel XE. The provided pieces of evidence, however, look incredibly suspect and there's a chance the entire thing is a hoax.

An alleged live image of Xiaomi's upcoming flagship, the Mi 11, is doing the rounds on the web. The image shows what appears to be a curved back and a square camera module housing three lenses. While the Mi 11's image looks very similar to the renders shown in leaked posters, there's a high chance it could be fake.

The Axon 20 5G was the first ever phone to launch with an under-display selfie camera. However, its maker ZTE has never made it available outside China. This will change, though, on December 21, 2020, when the OEM releases it to certain additional markets.

According to the leaker Ishan Agarwal, Samsung will launch a phone called the Galaxy F62, or SM-E62F, soon. The same model number has subsequently popped up on Geekbench 5. It indicates that this device is powered by the Exynos 9825 - the same SoC found in the 2019 flagships the Galaxy Note 10 and 10+.

AMD may have an Apple M1 competitor in the works. Rumor is that there are two versions of this chip being developed, with and without integrated RAM. It is possible that AMD could be looking to revive its K12 Core design or improve on it with newer Cortex designs to exploit the highly lucrative ARM market.

The Galaxy S9 is a 2018 flagship. Nevertheless, its maker Samsung has reportedly updated it with the latest Android security patch. The more recent premium mid-ranger the Galaxy S20 FE has joined it in this respect.