Japan and the Netherlands will join the United States in imposing chip bans on China, Bloomberg revealed in a report. The goal is to “undercut Beijing’s ambition to build its own domestic chip capabilities”, according to people aware of the situation.
The Dutch company ASML Holding HV will be prevented from transferring deep ultraviolet lithography machines used for chip manufacture, and similar restrictions will be imposed on the Japanese Nikon Corp.
The joint effort is an expansion on US President Joe Biden’s agenda to limit China’s ability to manufacture and develop its own...
OnePlus will launch the OnePlus Pad at its February 7 event, where it will also introduce the OnePlus 11R 5G, OnePlus Keyboard, and OnePlus TV 65" Q2 Pro. OnePlus hasn't detailed the OnePlus Pad's specs sheet yet, but the company has shared the slate's image on its Indian website, giving us our first official look at the tablet while also corroborating previously leaked renders.
You can see the OnePlus Pad has a selfie camera built into the bezel above the display, and on the rear is a center-aligned camera joined by LED flash, below which is the OnePlus logo. The OnePlus Pad was expected...
Google's Pixel Tablet has definitely been a very long time coming. First teased in May 2022, it's still not official, despite one being for sale on Facebook Marketplace back in December. Today a new rumor from a generally reliable source sheds some more light on the upcoming device.
Contrary to some previous mumblings, we are apparently only going to get one Pixel Tablet version - no 'vanilla' and 'Pro' separation here. Of the two possible iterations, the more high-end one stayed, and the lower-end model with the first-generation Tensor chipset apparently got canceled somewhere along the...
Earlier today OnePlus confirmed that its first-ever tablet will be unveiled at its February 7 event. The company even shared a teaser image, though that only offers a clear look at the OnePlus 11 and the OnePlus Buds Pro 2, which already launched in China (the event on the 7th is for their global launch). The tablet itself remained shrouded in mystery.
“Remained”, past tense. As usual leakster OnLeaks has 3D renders ready before official images have been shared. Have a gander at the OnePlus Pad:
OnePlus Pad (speculative renders)
Weird, isn’t it – how many tablets can you...
ZTE has yet another V40 device up its sleeve and it's the Blade V40, that surfaced in Bangladesh. The phone was handled in the wild and its key specs were confirmed.
The ZTE Blade V40 Design is a decidedly entry level affair. It has a 12nm Unisoc T616 chipset, 4GB of RAM and 128GB built-in storage. The Blade V40 runs Android 12 with MyOS 12 on top.
The ZTE Blade V40 Design
There are three cameras on the back, a 50MP main shooter, and likely depth and or macro auxiliaries. The battery capacity is 4,500mAh, but we have no info on its charging speed. We expect the display to be...
The IDC Smartphone Tracker reported a pretty subpar record of worldwide smartphone shipments for Q4 2022 as the market contracted by 18.3% to 300.3 million shipments. All five major brands faced double-digit declines on the yearly basis compared to Q4 2021 and the total figure represents the largest quarterly decline.
The big Q4 decline in shipments contributed to the yearly contraction of 11.3% compared to 2021 figures. A grand total of 1.21 billion smartphones were shipped in 2022 compared to 1.36 billion in 2021.
Company
Q4 2022 shipments (million)
Q4 2022...
Samsung had dibs on the original Gorilla Glass Victus, then the Galaxy S22 series was the first to introduce the improved Victus+ and now history is about to repeat itself. The upcoming Galaxy S23 models will be the first to feature the new Gorilla Glass Victus 2.
Version 2 is focused on surviving drops, including falls on very rough surfaces like concrete from up to 1m (hip height) or up to 2m (head height) if it falls on asphalt. This improved drop resistance didn’t come at the cost of scratch resistance, however.
GG Victus 2 has an environmentalist streak as it contains an average of...
Samsung has released a series of enormous gaming monitors under the Odyssey brand – like the 55” 16:9 Ark or the bonkers 57” 32:9 Neo G9. These are curved monitors, however, while some users prefer flat. The new Odyssey Neo G7 (model name: G70NC) is for them.
This is a 43” display with 4K resolution (3,840 x 2,160px, 16:9). The Odyssey displays are large enough to be used as TVs – in fact, they are Tizen smart TVs – and a flat display works better for that. The other models use tight curvatures optimized for use at a desk rather than watching them from the couch.
144Hz refresh...
Almost all smartphones come with non-removable batteries these days, but TCL is ready to provide the exception called Ion X. If you live in the US, you are able to purchase it for $119 from Metro starting today. It can also be free if you open a new line or migrate your number.
The TCL Ion X packs a 3,000 mAh removable battery, allowing you to swap it out with a new one if it degrades over time. You can also carry a spare battery for instant top-ups. A removable battery is still the fastest way to have a phone with a fully charged battery after all.
In addition to a removable...
Following up on yesterday’s news about the long-rumored OnePlus Pad potentially launching on February 7 at the OnePlus 11 global launch we now have proof that the tablet will indeed be presented at the event. OnePlus India has a teaser poster for some of the devices expected to be on stage including the OnePlus 11, Buds Pro 2 earbuds and the rumored OnePlus Pad.
OnePlus Pad (bottom) alongside OnePlus 11 and Buds Pro 2
This is the first official teaser for the tablet which has been rumored since 2021. There’s no specs information about the device at the moment though it wouldn’t be...
Samsung's Galaxy A54 is just around the corner and the phone was just certified by the FCC. The listing, published by the US regulator, revealed that an SM-A546E will have a battery with a minimal capacity of 4,905 mAh and support 25W fast charging.
Samsung Galaxy A54 renders
The Samsung Galaxy A54 is likely to have at least 5,000 mAh capacity, although previous rumors suggested a slight increase to 5,100 mAh. The FCC filing revealed it could be charged with a Samsung EP-TA800 adapter, which is a 25W Power Delivery USB-C charger, but we doubt it will ship in the retail...
Current expectations are that Samsung will raise the prices of the Galaxy S23 series in Europe (compared to last year's S22 models). The company is also preparing to soften the blow with the usual discounts. It turns out that someone updated the fine print on the Samsung UK Business portal with details on the S23 pre-order, even though the page is still showing the current S22 phones.
Again, this is the business portal, so the 10% off from #4 probably doesn’t apply to you. There could be similar discounts for individuals, though.
#6 is where it gets interesting – the Galaxy S23 series...
Oppo revealed the Reno8 T series is coming soon, and today we have the official launch date. The new midranger is launching on February 8 in the Philippines, and according to the official poster, the Pacific country is getting it in two colors - Black and Leather Orange.
Oppo is expected to launch the Reno8 T with 5G and the Snapdragon 695 chipset, but some markets will be getting an LTE version with a Helio G99 chipset. One of the phones is coming with a 108MP camera, and by the looks of it, the Philippines are getting the other one, which is said to be the 4G option.
Oppo...
In what might be the latest addition to the “weird phones from unexpected brands” list, Coca-Cola appears to be readying a new partnership with an established smartphone maker. A render for the Cola phone has spread online revealing a dual camera setup and the iconic fizzy drink company logo and red color.
Cola phone render
There’s an actual Colaphone Global Twitter account which follows a total of 8 other accounts that are all smartphone brands. One of the rumored possibilities is that the Cola phone will be a rebranded Realme 10 series device with a strong chance of it being the...
Infinix announced the Note 12i 2022 over three months ago, and the phone finally reached India, one of the company’s major markets. The phone is up on Flipkart and will be on sale starting Monday, January 30.
The Infinix Note 12i comes with a 6.7” AMOLED with 90Hz refresh rate, while the fingerprint scanner is on the side, embedded in the power key. India is getting just one memory option - 4/64 GB but at least there is a dedicated micro SD slot for adding more storage.
The key selling points Infinix uses for the Note 12i are the 50MP main camera and the 5,000 mAh battery with 33W...
The Android 13-based One UI 5.0 stable update released for the international Galaxy Z Fold2 two months ago and the unlocked units in the US last month is now rolling out for the carrier-locked Galaxy Z Fold2 in the US.
The update is seeding for the Galaxy Z Fold2 units locked to T-Mobile and Sprint's networks in the US, and the rollout could expand to devices on other carriers soon.
If you own a Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2 locked to T-Mobile or Sprint's network, you'll receive One UI 5.0 with firmware version F916USQU2IVK5. It comes with the usual One UI 5.0 goodies and the November 2022...
Apple's just pushed out iOS 16.3, the latest version of iOS 16, which itself was introduced back in June of last year and released in the fall with the iPhone 14 family. This year, iOS 17 will be released along with the iPhone 15 series, most likely in September, and today a new report is already talking about it.
According to this source, who has been reliable on occasion in the past when it comes to Apple-related things, iOS 17 will not introduce any huge visual overhauls. In fact, you should pretty much expect it to look identical to iOS 16. Instead, the focus with the upcoming release...
Apple has now started selling refurbished iPhone 13 mini, iPhone 13 Pro, and iPhone 13 Pro Max models in the UK, Germany, Italy, and Spain. It's the first time these specific handsets are available in these countries through Apple's online store as part of its Certified Refurbished program.
What you're getting with this program are devices that all come with a new battery, a new outer shell, genuine Apple part replacements (if necessary), a thorough cleaning, the original OS or a more recent version preinstalled, and a special box with all accessories and cables. The company also performs...
Last year the Competition Commission of India (CCI) slapped Google with a fine for restricting third-party payment services and was investigating the company for other anti-competitive behavior too. After Google's recent plea to the Supreme Court to block CCI’s orders was rejected, the company has to change its agreements with phone makers and loosen the rules for users.
Starting next month Android users in India will be able to use third-party billing services for apps and games. They will also be able to choose a different default search engine using a choice screen during setup. These...
Samsung is seeding a new firmware update to its Galaxy Watch4 which brings camera zoom controls, a new device diagnostic tool and other stability fixes. The update bears the R860XXU1GWA3 build number and is just under 330MB in size.
Galaxy Watch4 R860XXU1GWA3 update changelog
The big new feature is the zoom toggle within the Camera Controller app on the watch. The feature only works with supported flagship Samsung smartphones ranging from the Galaxy S20 and Galaxy Z Flip or newer. There are two options to control zoom levels - via the rotating bezel or through pinch to zoom on the...
Phones are optimized to capture voice sound rather than environmental audio. That’s amazing for conversations, but it sometimes feels like the captured image quality is well above the sound quality. Samsung is trying to change this with a new software update that lets Galaxy Buds 2 Pro users record video sound via the two earbuds’ microphones.Dubbed “360 Audio Recording” by Samsung, recording via the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro microphones uses […]
With MWC and the Samsung Mobile Unpacked event just weeks away, many people did not expect to see a Samsung phone launched at CES, but the Samsung Galaxy A14 5G was revealed in Las Vegas.Samsung’s A-Series might not make the headline like the S-Series, but it generates serious sales volume for Samsung Mobile and is a force to reckon with. The Galaxy A14 is a $199 phone that seems like […]
Samsung is returning to in-person launch events with the Feb 1st 2023 upcoming Samsung Unpacked, held in San Francisco, CA, at the Masonic Auditorium. Obviously, we love this choice because Ubergizmo is located minutes away from the event’s location. Still, it’s also a brilliant choice because the US East Coast is typically plagued with flight delays during the winter season – plus, it’s much warmer here in California.Samsung didn’t say […]
OVR Technology showcased its INHALE 3 Virtual Reality scent platform at AWE 2022 and today, the company is coming to CES 2023 with ION 3, described by OVR Technology as “the first personal, wearable scent technology optimized for VR, AR, mobile, and desktop to enhance immersion”. Previously, OVR Technology products were dedicated to the enterprise, and with ION 3, the company aims at providing consumers with a best-in-class digital scent […]
Last September, I covered Invoxia Smart Dog Collar at IFA 2022, where I met with Invoxia CEO Amélie Caudron.Today, the company is coming to CES 2023 with its newly redesigned Smart Dog Collar enhanced with proprietary Heartprint Technology, an advanced heart tracking technology that approximates that of human ECG data.Dog lovers will have to pay $149 for the collar, and $8.25 per month for data subscriptions. Thanks to sensors and […]
Qualcomm has recently launched its new Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 platform, and you can read our complete Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 overview to learn the key functionalities and new features.We also had a chance to run some benchmarks on development handsets Qualcomm and its partners use to build software (see photo above).Such handsets are typically called MDP (mobile development platform) and are not explicitly designed for benchmarks. Still, based on […]
Unlocking a smartphone securely with one’s face is a very convenient and highly sought-after feature. However, it is not as secure as fingerprints or long passwords because of the technologies involved in various face ID implementations.Looking at one’s facial features via a 2D camera lends itself to being fooled by something as simple as a printed photo, and we’ve seen that in the past.More sophisticated methods using a 3D capture […]
Yesterday at the Snapdragon Summit, Hugo Swart, Vice President, XR Product Management, Qualcomm, unveiled the Snapdragon AR2 Gen 1, a hardware platform made of three chips that will power the next-gen augmented reality glasses.The new Snapdragon AR2 Gen 1 is the latest addition to Qualcomm’s extended reality (XR) product line.The system is made of an AR processor, located inside the right arm of the glasses, an AR co-processor located on […]
At the Snapdragon Summit, Chris Patrick, SVP and GM, Mobile Handset, Qualcomm, unveiled the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, Qualcomm’s flagship SoC for premium smartphones, and the successor of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 and the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1.System Performance: Kryo CPU ClusterLet’s start with system performance, the standard hot topic for any new generation of processors. Qualcomm has improved all performance aspects over last year’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 1.The […]
Along with the Dimensity 9200 SoC, MediaTek has released the MediaTek T800 5G Modem that accompanies the Dimensity 9200. It is slated to be utilized beyond the smartphone market and may find itself in future industrial, IoT, Laptops, and machine-to-machine applicationsThe T800 5G modem is designed to reach peak speeds of 7.9Gbps and 4.2Gbps (download/uploads). The upload speed is the best we’ve seen, and content creators can be assured that […]
At its recent Executive Summit, MediaTek talked about its Filogic 880 and Filogic 330 WiFi 7 solutions (announced in May 2023) and, more importantly, showed live demonstrations of both the router and client sides. One of the demos features a speed of 13Gbps between two WiFi 7 devices, which is phenomenal.If you’re unfamiliar with these two platforms, Filogic 880 is destined to power WiFi 7 in the router, while Filogic […]
Just before its Executive Summit, which starts today, MediaTek announced its flagship SoC, the Dimensity 9200, the successor of the MediaTek Dimensity 9000. Alongside better performance and enhanced power efficiency, the new chipset brings many “firsts” to the mobile semiconductor industry.The Dimensity 9200 is the first chip made with the TSMC 2nd Gen 4nm Process and to feature an Arm Cortex-X3 primary core clocked at 3.05 GHz based on the […]
MediaTek introduced its Dimensity 1080 system on a chip (or SoC), which will power affordable smartphones (mid-range). These phones have much higher sales volumes than your high-end, expensive handset and can affect the balance of power of various underlying OS or app platforms.Dimensity 1080 takes the slot previously occupied by the 6nm Dimensity 920 launched last year. Overall, not much has changed from the 920: there’s a small CPU frequency […]
Officially launched during my coverage of IFA 2022 in Berlin, Germany, the Honor 70 series, especially the Honor 70 (official page) is designed to bring a high-end design look and feel to the competitive $600+ market segment. We have had time to look deeper, and here is our experience and analysis of this beautiful smartphone.This phone does not have an official retail channel in the USA, so the $650 street […]
Like clockwork, we’re entering one of the busiest parts of the year with an avalanche of cool new devices. The Google Pixel series is a landmark now, and we’re excited about today’s launch of the new Google Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro.Last year’s Google Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro represented a turn for the better with many improvements over the Pixel 5, with notably a significant escalation of […]
Infinix just launched two Android smartphones aimed at young customers. The OEM has tuned the value proposition with seemingly high specifications for the dollar and has added an NFT marketing strategy (more Infinix NFT info).The Infinix Zero Ultra ($520, official page) is the more powerful of the two and features a MediaTek Dimensity 920, which we previously covered. It’s an excellent computing platform designed for this use case of bringing […]
Yesterday in Munich, alongside the 12-gen T-series smartphones and other IoT products, Xiaomi launched its new Smart Band 7 Pro equipped with a beautiful 1.64” AMOLED display. According to Xiaomi, the always-on 280 x 486 pixels, 326 PPI display is 84% bigger than the Smart Band 6.The device was released this summer in China and yesterday was the global launch. Besides the form factor and the larger screen size, the […]
Today in Munich, Xiaomi unveiled its latest flagship, the Xiaomi 12T Pro, and its sibling, the Xiaomi 12T. The manufacturer touts the 200MP f/1.69 primary rear shooter with OIS as the “ultimate camera,” making that feature the show’s star. The 12T features a lower resolution 108MP f/1.7 primary sensor with OIS (optical image stabilization). Both are complemented with an 8MP f/2.2 ultra-wide sensor and a 2MP f/2.4 macro camera.The previous […]
The new iPhone 14 has arrived! We’re reviewing the new iPhone 14, but remember, the iPhone 14 Plus is the same phone but larger. This year’s iPhone 14 is a minor incremental upgrade – let’s talk about what’s new.What’s New?Physically, the new iPhone 14 is highly similar to the iPhone 13. The aluminum chassis is identical (the iPhone 13 cases are perfectly compatible) and uses nearly all the same components […]
The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip series is the most successful foldable phone to date, and the latest Galaxy Z Flip 4 aims to perfect a formula that has kept Samsung ahead of the competition. If you’re unfamiliar with the concept, the Z Flip 4 can fold in half to become an extremely compact phone. Once unfolded, it is about the size of a regular 6.7” fully-featured Android phone.Its bendable nature […]
The new Galaxy Z Fold 4 sets the bar higher for all foldable and is the most advanced, most expensive Samsung Galaxy smartphone. In this fourth generation, Samsung brings an array of incremental but significant upgrades we have tested and analyzed using our experience with prior Galaxy Z Fold smartphones and a good knowledge of the competitive landscape.Note: our specific unit is the AT&T Galaxy Z Fold 4 (model SM-F936U) […]
Qualcomm is updating what used to be its Snapdragon 600 and Snapdragon 400 series in preparation for 2023. These new Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 and Snapdragon 4 Gen 1 chips are destined to power mid-range and entry-level smartphones, respectively.It is a “generational” architecture upgrade, and both the logic and the manufacturing have vastly improved, along with performance and power efficiency, especially for Snapdragon 6 Gen 1.Snapdragon 6 Gen 1This chip […]
Prêt à Pousser, the Parisian startup that offers connected indoor gardens was at Showstoppers, to launch its new product Multo during IFA. Multo is a connected vegetable garden furniture that allows urban families to grow up to fifty plants simultaneously.A truly nourishing vegetable garden, the connected Scandinavian-style furniture can grow salads, herbs, zucchinis, eggplants, squash, beans, peas, radishes, and microgreens. Prêt à Pousser claims that Multo is 200% more productive […]
Invoxia announced its Smart Dog Collar at Showstoppers during IFA 2022. The start-up, known for its GPS trackers, is now focusing on delivering non-invasive breathing and heart rate monitoring for dogs, to help our canine friends fight various heart diseases.During Showstoppers, I met Invoxia CEO Amélie Caudron, who explained that one out of five dogs will experience some cardiac conditions during their lifetime, and some breeds are more at risk […]
Honor has officially launched its new Honor 70 smartphone during a keynote at IFA 2022. It was a great event with good energy and the first Honor event we physically attended in a very long time.The new Honor 70 is a mid-range (549-599 Euros officially, or about ~$550-$600) smartphone that aims to provide a high-end design feel with its build quality, looks, and materials. At the same time, it wants […]
Qualcomm President and CEO, Cristiano Amon, delivered the opening keynote of IFA 2022 in Berlin. During his hour-long speech, he highlighted the key innovations of Qualcomm’s latest compute platform, the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1. One of the key pillars of high-end Qualcomm technology is Snapdragon Connect, the “best in class 5G, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth”.Amon’s vision for Snapdragon Connect is to ”build the foundation of the cloud-connected society for the gigabit […]
As physical constraints and cost are capping the amount of “camera hardware” that can be crammed into the rear camera system, some OEMs are moving the photography battleground to the Selfie camera.The new Huawei Nova 10 Pro comes with a 60 Megapixel selfie camera supported by a secondary 8MP 2X optical zoom camera – a first for a selfie combo. Typically, the secondary camera is a just a Bokeh sensor, […]
It’s not easy going from one ecosystem to another; a big part of it comes down to using an unfamiliar user interface. That is also true for smartphone users wanting to switch from an iPhone to an Android.Millions of users have selected Launcher iOS 16 (50M downloads as of late), an Android “launcher” app that makes the user interface look like the newest iOS. Of course, it would smooth out some […]
Motorola just introduced the Edge 2022 (aka Motorola Edge Gen 3), powered by MediaTek’s new Dimensity 1050 computing platform, which has an exciting ratio between 5G features and cost-efficiency. This phone is priced at $499.The Edge 2022 (official page) is in line with the overall design language of the more powerful Motorola Edge 30 Pro ($600). Still, the latter is a higher-end phone with more expensive features such as the […]
Motorola has announced the Moto Razr 2022 in China, and the foldable phone is getting exciting upgrades, including a lower price, that position it as a Galaxy Z Flip 4 alternative.The design has been streamlined. Last year’s model had visual cues reminiscent of the original Razr, like a sizeable chin, but it’s all gone now. The new Razr 2022 has a thin and modern look. There’s no doubt that this […]
Japan and the Netherlands will join the United States in imposing chip bans on China, Bloomberg revealed in a report. The goal is to “undercut Beijing’s ambition to build its own domestic chip capabilities”, according to people aware of the situation.
The Dutch company ASML Holding HV will be prevented from transferring deep ultraviolet lithography
OnePlus will launch the OnePlus Pad at its February 7 event, where it will also introduce the OnePlus 11R 5G, OnePlus Keyboard, and OnePlus TV 65" Q2 Pro. OnePlus hasn't detailed the OnePlus Pad's specs sheet yet, but the company has shared the slate's image on its Indian website, giving us our first official
Google's Pixel Tablet has definitely been a very long time coming. First teased in May 2022, it's still not official, despite one being for sale on Facebook Marketplace back in December. Today a new rumor from a generally reliable source sheds some more light on the upcoming device.
Contrary to some previous mumblings, we are
Earlier today OnePlus confirmed that its first-ever tablet will be unveiled at its February 7 event. The company even shared a teaser image, though that only offers a clear look at the OnePlus 11 and the OnePlus Buds Pro 2, which already launched in China (the event on the 7th is for their global
ZTE has yet another V40 device up its sleeve and it's the Blade V40, that surfaced in Bangladesh. The phone was handled in the wild and its key specs were confirmed.
The ZTE Blade V40 Design is a decidedly entry level affair. It has a 12nm Unisoc T616 chipset, 4GB of RAM and 128GB built-in
