5G

Samsung is currently projected to launch the Galaxy A22 smartphone in both 5G and 4G/LTE variants, which might make it a bargain in either market. The leaker Ishan Agarwal has posted new renders via 91Mobiles indicating both putative versions are to come with the same 4 colorways. However, they might differ in terms of other specs.

The prolific Huawei-focused leaker @RODENT950 has posted new images that look convincingly like genuine marketing material for the upcoming P50 flagship smartphones. They seem to confirm earlier rumors, albeit with arguably increased polish this time. Then again, they may point to a lack of periscope zoom in the devices' allegedly Leica-branded camera sensors.

MediaTek's newest Dimensity 900 SoC is now official with an integrated 5G modem that supports sub-6GHz networks, two ARM Cortex-A78 cores, six Cortex-A55 cores, a Mali-G68 MC4 GPU, support for LPDDR5 RAM and UFS 3.1 storage.

Numerous leaks have painted Asus' 2021 camera-centric flagship phone as the first "Mini" variant of its kind, and the Taiwanese OEM has not let these expectations down on its launch. The new device does indeed have an unusually small 5.9-inch 20:9 display. Then again, there is also the ZenFone 8 Flip, a third-gen motor-cam phone.

Xiaomi had hinted that it would debut its Mi 11 Ultra flagship Android phone in Europe on May 11, 2021, and has just delivered with a German launch event for this device. The 50MP camera monster has arrived in its new market alongside the region's first Redmi Note 10-series phones and the Mi P1 smart TVs.

The 2021 Samsung Galaxy Z Fold is a device with leaked renders that have generally hinted at triple rear cameras, not to mention an inaugural under-display selfie shooter, thus far. A leaker now claims to outline their actual resolutions, along with some other parameters for the upcoming super-flagship's photography prowess.

The emergence of Honor as an independent electronics brand has led to speculation that it will release premium Snapdragon 888-based mobile devices in 2021. The latest leak on this subject asserts that it will become available in June of the same year. Meanwhile, a render of the 50 vanilla model with a new camera hump has emerged.

The respected analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has reportedly noted that Apple plans to make iPhones with in-house 5G modem SoCs in the next few years. This would be a considerable blow to Qualcomm, the Cupertino giant's current source of chipsets necessary for up-to-date connectivity. It might mean the chip-maker would lose more of a grip on the 5G market.

The Qualcomm mobile station modem (MSM) series is part of 3G to 5G connectivity for millions of Android phones worldwide. The Check Point security research group now claims that it can be exploited in a way that might allow a hacker to read a user's messages and even listen in on phonecalls. This flaw involves an interface found on up to 30% of all phones worldwide.

Redmi recently launched a 'game-focused' version of its premium K40 smartphone with MediaTek's flagship Dimensity 1200 processor. Now, the prolific leaker Digital Chat Station claims the Xiaomi-owned brand will launch a device with the "next step down", the 1100, soon. Could it be a Gaming Enhanced Edition Lite?

OPPO has just announced a new Android update schedule for high-end phones such as those of the new Find X3 flagship series. It involves major software upgrades over the first three years post-launch, as opposed to two under the previous scheme. Therefore, not only will the OEM's latest premium phones get Android 12, they will also definitely get this OS' successor as well.

ZTE's high-end brand Nubia has been rumored to have a successor to its Z20 flagship Android phone in the works. Now, the company's CEO, Ni Fei, has formally acknowledged a device of a corresponding name. It is now scheduled to launch on May 20, 2021, and may do so with a cutting-edge under-display camera.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5G launched with a US$1,449 price-tag. However, a leaker now asserts that this clamshell phone's successor will start at about $1,000 instead. This might get the buyer a device with a 6.7-inch foldable display, at least 8GB of RAM and an updated design with possible vast improvements for its secondary screen.

A heretofore-unknown device called the Lenovo TB-X607Z has just appeared on Geekbench 4 with the Snapdragon 690 SoC and 4GB of RAM. According to a concurrent Google Play Console leak, it will be called the Tab M10 5G on launch. Therefore, this slate might be the first to bring next-gen connectivity to its line in 2021.

OPPO's latest product event was a bumper update for its device ecosystem in general. Not only did it introduce the new K9 smartphone, but it also revealed the new TVs of the same name. The Enco Air TWS earbuds also debuted at the show, as did the Vitality Edition of the OPPO Band.

Samsung launched the Galaxy Quantum 2 in its native South Korea recently, and is thought to rebrand it as the Galaxy A82 5G for the rest of the world. Despite its status as a new launch, a blog has dug up evidence that it will get just 4 new security patches per year. This may have something to do with its Snapdragon 855+ SoC.

The Galaxy Z Flip 5G is said to be succeeded by a device called the Z Flip3 in 2021. Its latest leak seems to confirm that it will still be a clamshell foldable smartphone, albeit one with a larger, potentially more useful secondary display. Its latest renders also show this putative feature alongside its main Dynamic AMOLED screen.

MediaTek has been forecast to finish 2021 as the leading mobile chipset maker according to a report by Counterpoint Research. It will be the second consecutive year that it has beaten out Qualcomm, although Qualcomm edges out Apple as the leading maker of 5G-capable SoCs.

Lewis Hilsenteger of the famous Unbox Therapy YouTube channel has been sent what is described as an authentic dummy unit of the hotly-anticipated iPhone 13 Pro Max. Should this be the case, the purported top-end device has not changed much compared to its predecessor - except that it might be slightly thicker, have larger rear cameras and rock the rumored smaller notch.

The OnePlus 9 Pro is a 2021 flagship Android phone launched in 3 color choices, one of which evinced the brand's signature Sandstone Black. However, according to the reliable leaker Max J., the OEM once considered a very different new option: Matte White. It also apparently mulled other, glossy finishes for its latest premium devices that ended up never seeing the light of day.

The prolific leaker Ice Universe has made new predictions concerning the Galaxy S22 series' Ultra variant. Not only does the tipster believe that it will introduce the mythical Samsung/AMD mobile GPU, it will also debut with a potential breakthrough in optical zoom for smartphones. The putative flagship may also drop the current central punch-hole selfie shooter for one that hides under the display.

Oppo fans in Europe will be delighted to know that the Oppo A54 5G is now official in the region for EUR 269 (US$324). The smartphone comes with exciting specs, such as a 6.5-inch LCD screen clocked at 90Hz, four rear cameras, and a Snapdragon 480 chipset and a 5,000mAh battery.

The Oppo A74 5G has officially been launched in Europe. Some of its key specifications include a 6.5-inch 90Hz LCD screen, Snapdragon 480 chipset, 6GB RAM, four rear camera modules, and a 5,000mAh battery that supports 18W fast charging. It comes in two colour variants, Fluid Black and Space Silver, and costs EUR 299.

Apple has now released its latest iPad Pro for pre-order in the US, and asks at least US$1,099 for its 12.9-inch variant. Prospective buyers should be aware that they may now have to pay even more for repairs should their brand-new premium slate incur damage in a way the OEM deems to be out of warranty.

The Mi 11 Ultra is Xiaomi's new, camera-heavy flagship Android smartphone. It debuted in China in March 2021, but is still not available in various regions, Europe included. Now, however, a corporate Facebook page may have let a date for the release of the hyper-premium device in the Dutch market slip.

The Galaxy S20 Fan Edition (or FE) is rumored to get a successor in 2021. Now, a Samsung store website has reportedly posted an ad for a device by a corresponding name by accident. According to this new potential tip, it also looks much like the rest of the S21 series.

Huawei is currently said to have upgrades for its premium MatePad Pro and Watch in the works. A well-known leaker now asserts that they do in fact exist and will launch soon. The tipster also now claims that the Watch3 will have a Pro variant, which, according to other recent rumors, will not come cheap.

The Nord N100 and N10 5G are OnePlus' foray into the low- and mid-tiers of the smartphone market. Despite this, it has yet to be released in all the regions where the OEM is active. A new leak hints they might be destined for a new launch in India, however.

What happens when you bend a ~US$3,000 foldable phone the wrong way? Fans of the YouTube channel JerryRigEverything can now find out, as the Huawei Mate X2 has paid it a visit. Its new chassis endured various tests of its robustness in the process, ending with a possibly surprising end to the vlogger's famous test.

Qualcomm has now released its fiscal performance report for the second quarter of 2021 (2FQ2021). The OEM claims to have made a total of US$7.9 billion in terms of revenue, ~$1.8 billion of which is its net income. Most of this has come from its semiconductor-producing arm, which has posted a 137% growth in pre-tax earnings year-on-year (YoY).

OnePlus has released the results for its business in the European region for the first quarter of 2021 (1Q2021). The OEM asserts that sales in this market have increased by 388% compared to 1Q2020, leading to revenues of 286% more year-on-year (YoY). It also claims to be in the top 3 among smartphone brands in multiple countries of this zone.

Samsung has just launched the Galaxy M42 via Amazon in India. It is the first ever M-series phone to support 5G, and also offers quad rear cameras, a 5,000mAh battery and OneUI 3.1 based on Android 11. It will start at ~US$270 on its May 1, 2021 release.

Spotify is planning to raise prices in certain regions including Europe and the United States. However, the price hikes aren't uniform and, thankfully, they don't appear to be extreme.

The Nubia Z20 stood out among Android flagship phones thanks to the 5.1-inch display built right into its rear panel. However, its maker has now shared renders that suggest its next generation will not reprise the feature. Then again, it may get a display with a selfie camera that can be concealed under its panel instead.

Xiaomi's premium gaming-phone brand Black Shark has announced that its 2021 vanilla flagship is now available to pre-order from its global web-site. Customers can get the Snapdragon 870-powered, up-to-120W-charging phone, which starts at US$499, with a case and a cooling accessory thrown in for a limited time.

The Mate X2 foldable phablet has been slated as the first device to see a public roll-out of Huawei's new in-house software, HarmonyOS. According to some knowledgeable Weibo users, the OEM has now started this process off. It seems the new system is still a developmental build, but is being sent as an OTA to the general public nonetheless.

Apple has released an update that allows a user to unlock their iPhone with their Apple Watch should they be wearing a mask at the time. This new iOS 14.5 setting requires the latest version of watchOS (7.4) to work. iPhones on the latest corresponding software upgrade can also now use App Tracking Transparency to allow or deny activity-tracking in a highly granular manner.

Today (April 27, 2021), Redmi has introduced the long-hyped new member of the flagship K40 series as its Gaming Enhanced Edition. It is equipped with the premium MediaTek Dimensity 1200 SoC, a thin-bezel FHD+ AMOLED display, retractable shoulder buttons and a 5065mAh battery. It can be pre-ordered for as little as 1999 yuan (~US$308), although its Bruce Lee-themed special edition maxes out at just above $430.

Samsung has released an updated version of one of its best-selling smartphones. There are two variants of the Galaxy A52 (5G/LTE). We reviewed the 5G model. The Galaxy A52 has an IP certification and is powered by a Snapdragon SoC. Read this article to learn about the strengths and weaknesses of the new mid-range champion.

The iQOO 7 launched as the cheapest phone with the top-end Snapdragon 888 SoC in its native China earlier in 2021. Now, it has finally scored a second regional debut, in India this time. It has been rebranded as the 7 Legend for its new market, and is accompanied by a new, even cheaper, variant that has a different Qualcomm chipset this time.

The entire Honor P50 Pro+ spec sheet has shown up online. It will reportedly pack a 6.7-inch 120Hz AMOLED screen, six cameras in total, a 4,400mAh battery that supports 67W charging, and a Snapdragon 888 chipset.

Huawei launched its Mate X2 flagship in February 2021 with a new design and a sky-high price-tag, even for a foldable device. Its new refresh might be a slightly better deal, however. It has the exact same specs as before - except for its SoC, which is the Kirin 9000 without the usual 5G modem. Therefore, it might cost a little less on its release in China.

Google is projected to launch the Pixel 5a soon. A new and slightly dubious leak that may point to some of its camera features has emerged. It suggests that the phone has a possibly new ultra-wide sensor and has enhanced HDR capabilities.

It could be said that Xiaomi's Mi Mix Fold is the best flexible-display device on the 2021 market thus far. However, it debuted as a Chinese-market exclusive. Then again, the tipster Mukul Sharma has uncovered evidence that could point to its first international release soon.

Xiaomi's Mi MIX Fold is quite resilient, as it lasted a little over a week in a torture test that had it fold and unfold itself over 400,000 times. It is quite an impressive feat, considering that Samsung's original Galaxy Fold lasted a little over 100,000 cycles before sustaining damage.

Asus' ROG Phone 5 and Lenovo's Legion Phone Duel 2 recently featured on JerryRigEverything in order to undergo this YouTube channel's famous bend test - which they both proceeded to fail miserably. Now, another 2021 Android gaming flagship, Xiaomi's Black Shark 4, has come to see if it can beat its rivals in running the same gauntlet.

Motorola is rumored to have what might be a 5G version of the Moto G Stylus (2021) in the works. It, like the rest of its series, allegedly goes by an internal code-name - Denver, in this case. The FCC has just registered a new device from its OEM, thereby possibly confirming its existence and impending launch.