5G

The current US Government has announced a fresh panel of restrictions on a total of 59 companies that, as the administration believes, has links to China's ruling political party. These sanctions prevent the corporations on the list from securing investment from US entities. The measures come into effect from August 2, 2021.

Samsung has debuted the Galaxy A22 5G in the Dutch market, starting at €249 (~US$303) for a 4GB/128GB SKU. It has arrived alongside what is called its 4G/LTE variant, although the two phones have considerably different specs, starting with their displays. The A22 5G's is larger, although it has a 60Hz refresh rate compared to 90Hz in its 4G/LTE counterpart.

Noted leaker Evan Blass has shed light on what the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888's successor could have in store for us. The chipset, codenamed SM8450, will use TSMC's 4nm manufacturing node and ship with ARM's new CPU cores, an Adreno 730 GPU, and an integrated X65 5G modem.

Recent leaks have pointed to a mysterious Motorola phone with the code-name of Denver, rumored to have a stylus and a new affordable-grade Qualcomm processor. Now, it has just surfaced again, on Geekbench and as a registered Bluetooth device this time. Both new tips may confirm that it will be called the Moto G Stylus 5G on its launch.

Samsung has officially launched the previously leaked Galaxy Book Go. The new laptop is in many ways the successor to the Galaxy Book S launched last year and is similarly powered by Arm-based processors from Qualcomm.

The iPhone 13 Pro Max is slated to ship with a much larger battery compared to its predecessor, according to a new leak. It will allegedly feature a 4,325mAh cell, which is significantly higher than the 3,687mAh unit on the iPhone 12 Pro Max. The iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro will both run 3,095mAh batteries.

Honor has officially confirmed that its 50-series of smartphones will launch in mid-June 2021. The OEM is now hyping them as capable of "beautiful" images and videography, although it has yet to hint at the devices' looks. Then again, it is also known that they will launch with the new Snapdragon 778G processor.

Huawei has reportedly hung physical posters teasing its second-gen MatePad Pro up around its domestic market ahead of its imminent launch. They depict a high-end slate with slim enough bezels, not to mention screen contents seemingly lining up with those from earlier HarmonyOS-related leaks. The device might also sell alongside a new keyboard dock and a compatible stylus.

Motorola had confirmed that it will partner with the Bullit Group to launch the brand's first ruggedized phone soon. A new leak purports to reveal some specs for this first-gen toughphone. It is now alleged to come with a 5,000mAh battery, which will sustain an aging Qualcomm processor.

Intel had added the Core i7-1195G7 and the Core i5-1155G7 SKUs to its 11th gen Tiger Lake-UP3 lineup. The new SKUs offer increased CPU and GPU boost clock with the Core i7-1195G7 being the first U-series processor to hit the 5 GHz single-core boost mark. Intel also introduced the Intel 5G Solution 5000, which is an M.2 5G solution built in collaboration with MediaTek.

OnePlus is all set to launch the OnePlus Nord CE 5G on June 10 in India and some European countries. Some of its key specs include a Snapdragon 750G chipset, 64MP triple rear cameras, and a 6.4-inch AMOLED screen that refreshes at 90Hz.

Ulefone has announced the Armor 11T as a ruggedized smartphone with the special feature of a thermal imaging camera which, as the OEM claims, is co-engineered with FLIR. The smartphone is also slated to ship with Android 11, which will run on the MediaTek Dimensity 800 5G processor.

Samsung will reportedly launch three tablets as a part of its Galaxy Tab S8 series. The maxed-out Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra has some interesting specs, such as a 14.6-inch OLED screen clocked at 120Hz, a 12,000mAh battery, and two front-facing cameras. Its 5G variant could retail at KRW 1,669,000(US$1,498).

Qualcomm's H2 2021 flagship chipset, the Snapdragon 888+, has made an appearance on Geekbench. It single and multi-core scores of 1,110 and 3,587 are on par with the Snapdragon 888's average. However, its Cortex-X1 core is clocked at 3.0GHz, indicating that it is a Snapdragon 888+.

The mobile device OEM Honor is projected to launch an Android flagship with the Snapdragon 888 processor that can charge at up to 100 watts (W) in 2021. A Weibo user has posted what appears to be a power brick intended to support the latter. This accessory is rumored to come in the box with the upcoming phone.

Nubia's premium Android gaming brand has launched a new variant for its 2021 smartphone series. This 6R has frankly near-mid-tier looks, yet still manages to pack the Snapdragon 888 processor and up to 12GB of RAM. It starts at ~US$425, although its top-end Buddha IP Limited Edition is closer to $630.

Acer has upgraded its TravelMate lineup with the TravelMate P6 and the TravelMate Spin P6 convertible. Both the new TravelMate devices are based on the Intel 11th gen Core vPro platform and offer 14-inch FHD displays with 100% sRGB coverage along with optional 5G and NFC connectivity.

Today (May 27, 2021), OPPO has launched the Reno6 series of premium mid-range smartphones. It largely consists of refreshes for their immediate predecessors; then again, the OEM has introduced the new Dimensity 900 processor in the base 6. This phone also follows the emerging flat-edge trend among Android phones and starts at about US$440.

Xiaomi offers a whole range of high-end specifications in the Poco F3, starting with the 120 Hz OLED display up to the Snapdragon 870. In addition, there's a powerful battery with fast-charging technology, dual speakers, a triple-camera setup, fast Wi-Fi, and 5G. Is that enough?

Asus touts the ROG Phone 5 as the most powerful Android gaming phone it has ever launched, due to its Snapdragon 888 processor and 144Hz FHD+ display. It is now available to buy in the United States, and is priced at $1,000 for its 16GB RAM/256 internal storage SKU.

OnePlus has announced a new promotion by which those who buy certain new smartphones in the UK, Germany or France can claim a new Stadia Premiere Edition from Google. The units included in this new deal are those of the new flagship 9 series, the 8 Pro, 8T or mid-range Nord. The OEM asserts that these combos will deliver "powerhouse gaming" for new customers.

Lenovo has the Yoga Pad Pro tablet in China for CNY 3,300 (US$515). Some of its key specs include a 13-inch LCD panel, a Snapdragon 870 SoC, 8GB RAM, 256GB storage, and a 10,000mAh battery. One can use the tablet as an external monitor, too, via the included micro-HDMI port.

Honor's chief executive officer Zhao Ming has denied that his OEM will follow others into the emerging trend towards developing services for next-gen automobiles. Instead, the company intends to focus on strengthening its smartphone business following its split from Huawei. On that note, rumors that its upcoming launches will return to supporting Google apps out of the box are gaining traction.

Huawei is projected to launch a second-generation MatePad Pro premium slate in June 2021. A device with what might be its model number has just shown up on Geekbench, possibly revealing its specs ahead of its launch. Interestingly, a second Huawei device that has appeared alongside it has what seems to be a Snapdragon 888 SoC and 8GB of RAM.

Xiaomi has announced some global Mi 11, 11 Pro and 11 Ultra sales stats for the first quarter of 2021. The OEM claims to have moved 3 million units of the flagships combined worldwide. The OEM also now claims that the 3 flagship-grade devices combined dominate their price-segment in the Chinese market.

Samsung has launched the Galaxy Tab S7 FE 5G tablet in Germany. Some of its key specs include a 12.4-inch WXQGA (2,560 x 1,600) LCD panel, 4GB RAM, 64GB storage, and a 10,900mAh battery that supports 45W fast charging. Its price is set at EUR 649 (US$792).

The Australian phone-repair vlogger Hugh Jeffreys’ latest video features an iPhone 12 in need of a new display and rear panel. The YouTuber demonstrated that fixing these issues entailed quite a bit of effort, resorting to the use of fancy laser equipment at one point. Furthermore, this US variant has extra parts that makes its dissembly even trickier (and potentially more dangerous) than the average iPhone.

The Kyocera Duraforce Ultra is a 5G smartphone that has launched with claims of a profoundly rugged build topped off with a "Sapphire Shield" for its 5.45-inch display. The famous YouTube teardown channel JerryRigEverything has just released a video testing these claims with its usual battery of blades and Mohs hardness picks, not to mention more specialized equipment in this device's case. Can it live up to its lofty toughphone claims?

A slew of leaks and rumors have purported to pronounce the Galaxy Note 21 series dead as of 2021. However, photos of what is claimed to be a piece of corporate art at a new physical Samsung store now dispute those claims. It incorporates the phablets' names alongside many of the OEM's pre-existing Android devices, suggesting they might be on the way after all

Huawei has set a date for the launch of its first-party operating system, HarmonyOS, in its native China. The software may have originally been intended to replace Android on its smartphones, but may also ship with other new products such as the MatePad Pro 2 and Watch 3, which are also now expected to debut on the same day.

The GT is Realme's Snapdragon 888-powered flagship smartphone that launched early in 2021. Despite this, it has not made it far outside the Chinese market thus far. This situation will change soon however, with a release onto AliExpress' EU website. It will join the Narzo 30 5G on this platform in June of this year.

Rumors of the Honor 50 flagship smartphones' imminent launch has fueled speculation that these devices would be based on the top-end Snapdragon 888 SoC. However, the OEM has now officially announced that the series will go with the new 778G platform for premium mid-rangers instead, and that the new combination is set to launch in June 2021.

The Samsung Galaxy S21 FE (Fan Edition) smartphone has seemingly turned up on Geekbench and in the process has revealed some component secrets. The CPU information for the likely Galaxy S21 FE points to the presence of a Snapdragon 888. However, the memory information for the listing will be somewhat disappointing for potential buyers.

Nubia's Z30 Pro is a new Snapdragon 888-powered flagship smartphone with a generous amount of high-end specs, including a 144Hz 6.67-inch FHD+ AMOLED display, quad rear cameras and 120W ultra-fast charging. Then again, it has also launched with a punch-hole selfie shooter, rather than the next-gen under-display alternative hinted at in earlier leaks.

The Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G did very well in our review. In terms of its thickness and weight, it is a cut above the mid-range competition. The Chinese manufacturer says that the Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G is the thinnest 5G smartphone in the world.

Qualcomm's 5G Summit has unveiled the Snapdragon 778G, the OEM's latest processor intended to bring next-gen connectivity to more phones in the near future. The company also unveiled heretofore-unheard-of capabilities for its upcoming X65 modem for 2022 devices.

The OPPO K9 5G is a somewhat rare new smartphone in 2021, as it has launched with the lesser-spotted Snapdragon 768G processor. It has debuted as a "performance"-focused device in its OEM's native China; however, there are now signs that it may completely change its name - even its brand name - in order to become available outside that country.

A new leak tells us that Google's upcoming mid-ranger, the Pixel 5a, is little more than a Pixel 4a with a fresh coat of paint. Some of its key specs include a Snapdragon 765G chipset, a 6.2-inch FHD+ OLED screen, and two rear camera sensors. It is expected to retail at around US$500.

Google has announced that the first non-development beta of Android 12 is available for Pixel phones, as of the new OS upgrade's introduction at I/O 2021. The OEM has also unveiled various new features now found in its own-brand phones' UI. It is now called Material You, and incorporates new privacy, performance and navigational tweaks.

Apple’s impressive new iPad Pro 12.9-inch model could be very hard to find on launch according to Bloomberg. Its vaunted mini-LED-based display is said to be behind the supply constraints due to difficulties with producing the new panels.

Owners of the iQOO 7 are now being invited to join an official beta program for this phone's first-ever publicly-available build of Android 12. The Snapdragon 888-powered flagship is thus now touted as the first Chinese-market phone to reach this stage of testing. It may be able to use this OS' latest and most cutting-edge features as a result.

POCO is scheduled to launch a Pro variant for its M3 smartphone on May 19, 2021. It is thought to be a highly re-styled version of a pre-existing Xiaomi 5G smartphone. The latest teasers from its brand seem to confirm this, indicating both devices have the same size of screen and battery - even if the "new POCO" has a different look.

OPPO has commemorated the recent touchdown of China's rover on Mars with a new edition of its 2021 Find X3 Pro flagship Android smartphone. It has 16GB of RAM, as well as a new color apparently inspired by outer space. It can be pre-ordered for the equivalent of ~US$1090 from now.

The ZTE brand Nubia has confirmed that its Z series of flagship phones is back and is just about to launch in 2021. A combination of leaks and teasers appear to confirm an upgrade to an under-display selfie camera for this upcoming device. Meanwhile, rumors of a 64MP main shooter and a periscope lens might be backed up in its previews.

Samsung has only just launched laptop-sized AMOLED displays in the Galaxy Book Pro line-up; now, the OEM has revealed another new party trick for these panels. They have attained an SGS certification that states they match up to this body's standards for use during gaming. They include certain levels of blur length and contrast ratio.

Honor has reportedly certified 2 new phones with the Chinese 3C authority. One has been approved in conjunction with a power adapter that can charge the device at up to 66W, whereas the other apparently has a brick that can do so at up to 100W. These high-end specs have led to talk that the devices are none other than the upcoming Honor 50 flagship series.