Samsung’s foldable smartphones aren’t cheap. As if owners did not have to worry about their screens potentially cracking or scratching, they also had to worry about their devices getting wet because Samsung has not officially given the phones an IP rating, meaning that they are not officially rated to be water or dust resistant.However, according to a report from SamMobile, that could change with the company’s upcoming foldables. Samsung is […]
While Apple has relaxed the restrictions on game streaming apps and services on iOS devices, it is still quite restrictive in terms of what developers need to do in order to get a streaming app authorized to be listed on the App Store. This is why many have since found a workaround which is by using Safari.This is an approach that Microsoft is taking and the good news for iOS […]
One of the newer technologies we’ve seen introduced to our smartphones in recent years comes in the form of LiDAR sensors. We’ve seen Apple introduce this to the 2020 iPad Pro and later the iPhone 12 series. Samsung has also followed suit with the Galaxy Note 20, but it seems that moving forwards, the company could drop the technology.According to a report from Korea IT News, they are claiming that […]
Korean publication ET News reports that the 3D Time of Flight (ToF) sensor will not be making a comeback next year with the Galaxy S22 series. ToF sensors were featured on recent high profile releases like the Galaxy S10 5G and S20 Ultra.
However, the company swapped in a simple Laser AF system for the Galaxy Note20 Ultra launch and found that the change didn’t negatively impact user experience. So, ToF was out and Laser AF was in for the Galaxy S21 Ultra launch as well, which will carry over to next year’s S22 series.
According to insiders, Samsung thought about bringing the ToF sensor...
OnePlus started rolling out the Android 11 update back in late March, but pretty quickly it became apparent that there were issues with the new firmware, so the rollout was halted. Now, nearly a month later, the company has a hotfix that resolves the “unforeseen bugs” in the original release (the bugs themselves are never explicitly listed).
OnePlus 7 and 7T series receiving the OxygenOS 11.0.0.2 11.0.0.2
Here’s OxygenOS 11.0.0.2 for the OnePlus 7, 7 Pro, 7T and 7T Pro. This update has been rolling out over the weekend, but it goes in stages and only a limited number of users have...
A number of phone makers have smartphones in the pipeline with next-generation under-display cameras.
Samsung, Xiaomi, Oppo, vivo, ZTE and Meizu are all expected to show phones with new under-display cameras in the second half of the year.
According to popular insider Ice universe Samsung's and Oppo's devices to use an under-display camera will be foldables, while Xiaomi's will be the Mi Mix 4.
We've already heard that vivo's NEX 5 is expected to bring an improved under-display camera in the second half of the year. ZTE first showed a mass market under-display camera solution in the...
Sony ushered in its new Xperia lineup last week and now it has been revealed the midrange Xperia 10 III is getting an exclusive yellow color for Docomo's online shop. The Japanese carrier usually teams up with Sony on limited edition colorways. Reservations for the exclusive Xperia 10 III are already underway while the date of the first sale is still not finalized.
Docomo mentions a “mid-June 2021 or later” lauch which fall in line with Sony’s promise to bring the Xperia III lineup later this summer. Make sure to check out our Hot Take on the new Xperia lineup where we delve deeper...
Redmi is expected to launch its own gaming branch as early as this month. According to sources from China, the first phone will come with a Samsung E4 AMOLED screen with 144Hz refresh rate.
On the inside, the phone is said to be powered by Dimensity 1200 chipset and will have a lovely price tag.
The new phone will also excel with a large 5,000 mAh battery and 67W fast charging.
What should further boost the phone's gaming pedigree, is some sort of shoulder keys that the Redmi team will borrow from the Black Shark division, also a Xiaomi brand.
The selling price is said to...
Realme announced the Q3 lineup will arrive this month, and we finally know the date. The series will be introduced on April 22, as confirmed by the company on Weibo.
One of the expected phones will be the Realme Q3 Pro, and it has already appeared on TENAA and Geekbench with a Dimensity 1100 chipset. We also know the lineup will have a fluorescent color option that will glow in the dark.
The Realme Q3 Pro is going to arrive with a 6.43” AMOLED panel and a 4,500 mAh battery. The main camera will have a 64MP sensor, and the whole setup looks like a triple-cam one with no periscopes or...
It was recently discovered that Apple will be including a new battery recalibration tool in iOS 14.5 that will adjust and recalibrate the iPhone’s battery health like maximum capacity and peak performance capability. Now according to various users who are taking part in the iOS 14.5 beta, they are seeing positive results.It should be noted that right now, the feature pretty much only works on iPhone 11 devices, so for […]
As we complete another week we find a couple of familiar faces atop our trending chart. The Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra leads Redmi Note 10 Pro for the second time in a row, while the newly launched Galaxy Quantum 2 completes the podium.
The non-Pro Redmi Note 10 takes fourth ahead of two of the newly unveiled Sony phones follow in fifth and sixth. The Xperia 1 III got a bit more attention than the Xperia 5 III, helping it just edge out its more compact sibling.
The Poco F3 is seventh, followed by its X3 Pro stablemate as a couple of Samsung phones complete the top 10 - the Galaxy A72 ahead...
Sony brought its smartphone lineup for an entire year in a single announcement this week and there are things we want to talk about.
So here go a few early thoughts on what we found interesting, what are the key points and what we think about them.
A true band of brothers
The Sony Xperia 1 III, Xperia 5 III and Xperia 10 III are very different and yet they clearly follow the same formula. You could say they have more things in common than any smartphone lineup out there.
All three have 21:9 OLED screens, stereo speakers, a 4,500mAh battery, expandable storage, 3.5mm headphone...
Welcome to another week's recap. The biggest story of the week was Sony's triple announcement. The Japanese company unveiled the make III revisions of its Xperia 1, 5 and 10 smartphones, which will come to market in early summer.
The Xperia 1 III and 5 III both feature identical camera systems, which include three 12MP cameras with PDAF and OIS, covering the wide, ultrawide and telephoto range. The latter is a first of its kind with a variable focal length of 70mm and 105mm from a single sensor. That translates to around 2.9x to 4.4x zoom.
The Xperia 10 III is a compact device with a 6"...
When it comes to phones, Sony follows the beat of a different drummer – months after the first Snapdragon 888 flagships hit the market, the Japanese tech giant announced that it will release its own flagships in early summer.
You can’t rush perfection, they say, and Sony has given up on trying to dominate the smartphone market, anyway. Unlike LG, Sony managed to eke out a small profit off its small but dedicated following and its phones make for great cross-promotion with the company’s other divisions.
So, what phone do you make when you don’t care about pleasing everyone and instead...
Introduction
Honor is now an independent company, launching wearables on its own, but its latest wrist band was actually developed under Huawei ownership as it initially came out in China in November 2020. It only recently hit global markets, giving us a chance to spend some time with it and produce this review. It does bring a bunch of features to get enthusiastic about, and here’s what we found them to perform in real life.
The Honor Band 6 is not a smartwatch, although at this point the division lines are very blurry. It has a large display, a bunch of sensor and tracking for all...
The iPhone 12 Pro and iPad Pro have a new sensor that adds depth scanning for better photos, but the future points to AR glasses and more. Here's what it can do, and why it's so amazing.
Will Apple keep the familiar iPhone notch? What about the Lightning port? Here are all the rumors we've heard about the iPhone 13 design and colors so far.
Last week’s poll shows that the six new Nokia models didn’t cause excitement – and maybe they weren’t supposed to, sometimes boring is good. The X-series have a chance chance to position themselves as phones that “just work” for three years, which is exactly what some people want.
Of course, few of the “just works” crowd will read this or have voted in the poll. The Nokia X20 did manage to carve out a niche for itself, so this could make a solid mom and pop phone. However, the pricing is going to be an issue.
The most premium thing on the X20 is its 3-year warranty and 3-year...
The Samsung Galaxy S10 locked to Verizon's network is receiving a new software update, which bumps up the Android security patch level on the smartphone to April 2021 and brings a couple of new camera features.
Here's the small changelog of the new update:
Pro Mode - Ultra Wide
Ultra wide lens is now available in Pro and Pro Video camera modes.
Auto Night Mode
Photo, Portrait, and Hyperlapse camera modes now automatically detect low light conditions and turn on Night mode for optimal quality.
The new firmware sports version...
Previously we traced the history of Sony (Ericsson)’s Xperia line of phones, from the Windows Mobile beginnings through the switch to Android to the birth of the Compact line. All of these eventually lead to the Xperia 1 and 5 series, the latest of which were announced this week.
Today we wanted to look at the phone that prototyped the design language used by Sony today, the Sony Xperia Z. Before that there was the Xperia S, the first phone after the divorce with Ericsson (Sony got to keep the Xperia kids).
Sony Xperia Z official photos
The S featured one of the first 720p...
Microsoft seems to be giving some extra care and attention to some of its Android apps. Both the OneDrive and Bing apps have recently received updates. The major highlight in OneDrive is Chromecast support. It works in the usual way - just open up a photo or a video from your OneDrive and a Chromecast icon should appear on to titlebar if there are any Chromecast receivers in your vicinity. There are some other smaller tweaks in OneDrive here and there too. The Home tab, for instance, now prominently features the Recent view with the last files you interacted with, so you can quickly pick up...
OnePlus has been doing pretty well with software support, taking care of its budget Nord N100 handset. Units are now receiving a new update in North America and EU regions. The packages are slightly different and have different version numbers, but should essentially contain the same changes and improvements. North America users get OxygenOS 10.5.7 – 10.5.7.BE81AA, while EU ones should look out for OxygenOS 10.5.9 – 10.5.9.BE83BA.
Unfortunately, the official change log is kind of sparse and only has two entries:
Updated Android security patch to 2021.03
Fixed known issues and...
The Infinix Note 10 Pro was spotted on Geekbench in February with the Helio G90T SoC, 8GB RAM, and Android 11. Now the smartphone has popped up on Google Play Console with the same Android version and RAM amount, but with a different chip - Helio G90. We've also heard rumors of the G95, so it's unclear what exactly will power the Infinix Note 10 Pro.
That said, the Google Play Console tells us that the Note 10 Pro will pack a FullHD+ screen, which a leaked render revealed will have a punch hole in the center for the selfie camera.
A schematic of the Infinix Note 10 Pro further...
The vivo V21 family is still shrouded in quite a bit of mystery. The only real solid bit of info we have thus far is an April 27 unveiling event in Malaysia for the regular V21 and the V21e. Beyond that, various sources have also suggested the existence on a V21 Pro, which may or may not be similar or even the same as the V21 5G, recently certified in Indonesia. Last, but not least, there is the V21 SE, officially going by its V2061 model number in a new device listing in the Google Play Console. The name and model were cross-referenced and matched using the Indian IMEI database, which is...
Before anyone gets unnecessarily excited - NO, LG hasn't gone back on its decision to leave the smartphone business. At least not officially, that is. This is just another case of unfortunate timing surrounding the rollable phone that the company teased at CES 2021. Apparently the LM-R910N, as its official designation goes, was pretty far along in the development cycle. Enough for LG to start filing for various certifications for it to go to market. The NFC certification, as seen here, is dated January 5, at which point the Rollable or LM-R910VM, mentioned in the document in particular, was...
Oppo will launch two smartphones in India next week - the A54 on April 19 and the A74 5G a day later. Oppo confirmed that the A74 5G will be priced under INR20,000 ($270/€225) in the country but didn't hint at the pricing of the A54. However, a new report claims the smartphone will start at INR13,490 ($180/€150) and have three memory options.
The base variant will have 4GB RAM and 64GB storage onboard, and for INR1,000 ($13/€11) more, you'll get double storage. The third model, with 6GB RAM and 128GB storage, will cost INR15,990 ($215/€180).
The Oppo A54, announced last month, is...
iOS 14.5 is just around the corner, but it could be awhile before you're ready to make the jump. Meanwhile, the iOS 14.4 release has some pretty amazing tricks.
One of the popular iPhone 13 rumors is that it could finally see Apple introduce a 120Hz refresh rate to the iPhone lineup. Given that Apple achieved this with the iPad Pro years ago, many have been wondering why it has taken the company this long to bring the feature over to the iPhone.Now, some of the rumors have claimed that only a certain model of the iPhone 13 lineup […]
One of the ways that WhatsApp verifies accounts is through a phone number. Basically, the number you use to verify your account should be the same number you use with your phone. However, according to security research Luis Márquez Carpintero and Ernesto Canales Pereña, it seems that this system is open to abuse that could negatively affect your account.How does this work? Basically when you setup a new account, you […]
There have been rumors suggesting that Apple could be developing an iPhone without any ports for the future. Now it seems that not only could we see a portless iPhone, but an iPhone that lacks any kind of visible buttons. This is according to a patent discovered by AppleInsider which suggests that Apple is exploring the concept of invisible buttons.According to the patent, Apple talks about how there is a […]
One of the reasons Apple has insisted on maintaining its walled garden approach to iOS apps is that they have a greater degree of control over what apps make it in. This is meant to cut back on malicious or scam apps as each app is reviewed before it is allowed to be listed on the iOS App Store.However, it seems that Apple’s review process definitely could use more work […]
The next iOS update will add the ability to unlock your Face ID-equipped iPhone when you're wearing a face mask... as long as you're wearing an Apple Watch.
If you use an iPhone and have misplaced it, Apple has its “Find My” tool that will help you locate it. However, the good news is that you will now have more options to choose from because Google has announced that its Google Assistant digital assistant can now be used to help find your iPhone as well.According to Google, this feature will work with devices that you’ve linked up like […]
Apple’s iPhone cameras have always performed very well. Maybe not as good compared to some of the competition in some regards, but always good enough to keep customers satisfied. However, if there is one thing that Apple rarely competes on, it would be megapixel count, instead choosing to focus on other hardware and software aspects to boost its performance.However, that could change in 2022. According to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, he […]
Apple’s iPhone this year is expected to maintain the notch in its display. However, based on the leaked images we’ve seen, it will be smaller. There have been rumors that the notch could be here to stay for a while, but we might only need to put up with it for a couple more generations, or at least that’s what analyst Ming-Chi Kuo believes.The oft-accurate analyst claims that the iPhone […]
Starting with the iPhone 12, Apple introduced a “mini” variant that was smaller and cheaper. Unfortunately, unlike the iPhone XE and its successors, the iPhone 12 mini was not a resounding success, which is why we can’t say we’re too surprised to learn that come 2022, the “mini” lineup could be biting the dust.This is according to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo who claims that Apple is set to discontinue the series […]
Discord has evolved from being merely an app that gamers use to chat with each other to a platform where people can come together and talk and discuss various topics. Given the variety of topics, obviously some Discord servers have been marked as NSFW, which is fine, but there is some bad news for iOS users.This is because according to a post on Discord’s website, it appears that the company […]
Many probably know Google Photos as a photo backup service. However, the app on mobile does come with some pretty basic photo editing features if you need to make quick edits, crop images, and so on. However, if you wanted more powerful controls, especially for video, you might opt to use a different software.However, for those who are fans of Google Photos, you’ll be pleased to learn that Google has […]
Our smartphones, for the most part, aren’t really designed to be submerged underwater. They are designed to withstand water in the event we accidentally get them wet, but they were never really designed to go deep underwater, let alone remain there submerged for months on end. However, we are surprised from time to time with these stories.The latest story comes out of Taiwan where a man with the surname Chen […]
Society is a bit funny sometimes. When we receive a product that is not up to the quality or standards we expect from the company, we make a fuss about it. However, there is another part of society where these sorts of quality issues are actually welcome and accepted because it represents a rare occurrence.In fact, according to a tweet by the Internal Archive notes that an iPhone 11 Pro […]
On the smartphone front, HTC has been kind of quiet. The company hasn’t fully exited the market yet, and it seems that won’t be happening anytime soon either. This is according to a new report from DigiTimes who claims that HTC is apparently planning to return to the smartphone market later this year with new 5G phones.HTC’s smartphone efforts have been kind of sporadic in recent times. The company has […]
Technology, especially medical technology, has come a very long way from way back in the day where you would need to visit a hospital or see a specialist for certain things. These days, our smartwatches come with heart rate sensors, blood oxygen sensors, and even ECG monitors, and in the future, our smartphones might also be able to detect COVID-19.This is thanks to the work of the researchers over at […]
According to the rumors, one of the biggest changes coming to the iPhone this year would be the introduction of an LTPO display with a 120Hz refresh rate. It was initially thought that the use of LTPO displays were to help offset the potential energy drain from the 120Hz refresh rate, but it turns out it might be more efficient than we thought.A new report from DigiTimes has reiterated that […]
There have been rumors suggesting that Google could be working on a Pixel 5a 5G handset, and now it looks like those rumors have been confirmed at Google has officially announced the handset, although they did it in the most unfun way possible and without any fanfare, although we suppose they can’t be blamed.You see, earlier there were rumors from both Android Central and Jon Prosser who claimed that due […]
It goes without saying that Samsung would be more than happy if they are able to convert an iPhone user to a Samsung user. The reverse would also probably be true, but in the case of Samsung, the company has actually launched an interactive website called “iTest” that basically “transforms” your iPhone into a Galaxy smartphone.Now, this is just a website with an interface that looks like a Galaxy smartphone. […]
Back in the day, one of the reasons why BlackBerry was as popular as it was was because of its messenger service, BBM. Back then, all the “cool kids” had BBM and the only way to get BBM was to buy a BlackBerry phone. Now, Apple has tried to replicate this with its iMessage platform, but it seems that at one point in time, they almost brought the feature onto […]
There is quite a lot of controversy surrounding tools like Cellebrite that is said to be capable of unlocking a locked smartphone, like an iPhone. This tool is mostly used by law enforcement as a way to unlock a smartphone and retrieve potential evidence in cases, but the argument is that this should not be allowed.Regardless of where you stand on the topic, it seems that over in Brazil, the […]
Lenovo just announced the Legion Phone Duel 2, its second-generation smartphone built specifically for gaming. We previously reviewed the original Legion Phone Duel handset and were pleased with its innovation, performance, and price.The Legion Phone Duel 2 is an evolution rather than last year’s revolution, but it does improve on crucial points that directly impact the gaming experience.The core feature of any gaming phone is absolute performance, and more importantly, […]
Apple has long argued that its walled garden approach with regards to its iOS App Store has been designed to provide users with the best and safest possible experience. We can certainly see the merits in such an argument, but at the same time, it has been pointed out that this isn’t always the case.Recently, developer and co-founder of the Fleksy keyboard app Kosta Eleftheriou has uncovered a scam iOS […]
One of the popular rumors surrounding the iPhone 13 is that it could see Apple bring back Touch ID to its higher-end iPhones. While other companies have introduced in-display fingerprint sensors to their phones, Apple has instead opted to more or less do away with fingerprint sensors in favor of facial recognition.However, it’s hard to deny that fingerprint sensors can be more convenient in certain situations, even if it might […]
iOS 14 was released over seven months ago in 2020, and it seems that adoption of the latest major build of iOS is going pretty well because according to the data collected by Mixpanel, they have found that iOS 14’s adoption is over 90%. What this means is that over 90% of eligible iPhones and iPads have been updated to the latest version of iOS.This shouldn’t really come as a […]
The Samsung Galaxy A smartphones are more affordable than the Galaxy S, and are in many ways even more critical because that’s where the high volumes are.Today, Samsung has announced a large Galaxy A update, with no less than five new phones: The Galaxy A12 ($109.99), Galaxy A02s ($179.99), Galaxy A32 5G ($299.99), Galaxy A42 5G ($399.99) and Galaxy A52 5G (499.99).The Galaxy A Series covers every possible market segment […]
Right now if you have an iPhone, you can check on the battery health of your iPhone, check how much battery you got out of it the previous day, check average battery usage, and so on. However, all that data only tells us how much we’ve used, not so much how much we are going to get.This is because everyday we use our phones differently, so on a less busy […]
It has been rumored that Samsung could be launching a couple of new foldable phones this year, one of which is the Galaxy Z Fold 3, the successor to last year’s model. We expect that it will come with the bells and whistles and various upgrades, but a worrying rumor suggests that the phone won’t be 100% upgrades.This is according to a tweet by @chunvn8888 who claims that the cover […]
Fresh off Microsoft's xCloud demo and ahead of Google's supposed game streaming announcement, Valve updated its SteamLink app to allow uninterrupted gaming experience outside of your home.
Traditionally, the SteamLink app only allowed you to remotely play on your Android device as long as it was on the same network as your PC.
Motorola's G-series is one of Moto's most popular lineups and it decided to hold its launch event in Brazil, a very important market for the company. The Moto G7 is a refinement of Motorola's design language while bringing performance improvements and a larger display in a slightly larger footprint.
The Moto G7 has a Snapdragon
With Android smartphones these days starting to feature triple cameras or more, it makes the iPhone’s dual cameras feel downright pedestrian. However according to earlier rumors, there were some claims that suggested that 2019’s iPhones could come with a triple camera setup, which seems to be the rage these days.Whether or not that is true
The Pocophone F1 - called Poco F1 in India - was launched last August and really shook the market by becoming by far the cheapest Snapdragon 845 phone out there. Now the company is working on a more toned down version that will presumably carry even lower price tag.
The Poco F1 Lite
Huawei is all set to unveil the P30 and P30 Pro on March 26, and thanks to previously leaked renders we have a pretty good idea of what these phones will look like. And now we can add specs to the faces as a leaked sheet revealed most of the keys facts.
Huawei P30
The Oppo F11 Pro that was unveiled last week is now on sale in India. It is priced at INR 24,990 ($361) and can be be purchased through Amazon.in, Flipkart, as well as brick-and-mortar stores across the country.
As a part of launch offers, customers are offered Paytm cashback of up to INR 3,400 ($49)
In a recent interview Qualcomm's Senior Director of Product Management Judd Heape revealed that phones with 64MP and even 100MP cameras will likely come in 2019.
However ultra high-megapixel cameras in phones isn't the direction Qualcomm wants the market to go. While current Snapdragon chipsets (660, 670, 675, 710, 845, 855) support resolutions up to
On Wednesday, Facebook experienced a major but partial outage that lasted most of the day. In my personal experience, I first noticed this when I tried to send a photo through Facebook Messenger and it kept failing, although I was still able to send and receive messages. Later in the day, I realized WhatsApp
