Sharp Aquos S2 hands-on review

It's not often we have a Sharp device with us for review. Primarily sold in East Asian markets, these devices are hard to come by elsewhere. So, when Sharp contacted us to review their mostly new AQUOS S2, we couldn't really say no. Source: https://www.gsmarena.com/sharp_aquos_s2_handson-review-1700.p...

Xiaomi Mi Max 3 to have 7-inch display, 5,500mAh battery

In love with large screen smartphones? Here's an exciting piece of news for you: the next Xiaomi Mi Max series smartphone is rumored to feature a massive 7-inch display. That will be an 18:9 panel with minimalistic bezels on both top and bottom. Mi Max 2 The rumor further says there will be a bump in battery capacity as well, with the Mi Max 3 packing...

OnePlus 6 to come with under-screen fingerprint sensor in early 2018

According to a new rumor, the next OnePlus smartphone - likely to be called OnePlus 6 - will feature an underscreen fingerprint sensor. The report cites a source which has been correct about OnePlus devices in the past. Another important information the report reveals is the device will arrive in March 2018. It will debut in mid-March, and will go...

Samsung includes battery issue fix in revised Gear S3 Tizen 3.0 update

Last month, the Samsung Gear S3 started receiving Tizen 3.0 through a Value Pack update. But shortly after that, users started reporting poor battery life on their smartwatches. And a few weeks later, the company rolled out an update to fix the issue. The update that fixes the issue wasn't made available everywhere - only Canada got it as far as...

Turning off "Ok Google" detection fixes lag issues on Android Wear 2.0

Do you use an Android Wear 2.0 device? Do you observe short-duration lags and freezes when you, say, swipe through notifications? Well, if your answer is yes, you'll be glad to know there's an easy solution to the problem: turn off the "Ok Google" hotword detection. A Reddit user found out that it's the "Ok Google" detection feature that's eating...

Motorola Moto X4 Android One smartphone gets Oreo update

The Android One edition variant of the Motorola Moto X4 has started receiving a new update. Carrying a build number of OPW27.1, it's a major update that brings along Android 8.0 Oreo. In addition, the update also includes the latest Android security fixes. The roll out is inline with the 'end of the year' time frame that was promised by the company...

Pixel 2 has the best LTE speeds among iOS and Android phones

A full test report comparing the practical networks speeds of the latest smartphones was shared with PCMag.com and the results are quite interesting. The Pixel 2 comes out on top as the best performer in all nearly all signal strengths while the iPhone X was the slowest. For these tests, Cellular insights included two variants of the iPhone X, one...

Two new lawsuits are result of Apple admitting it slowed down iPhones

A recent report claimed that Apple was intentionally slowing down iPhone models well into their life cycles based on historical benchmark numbers. This was a common rumor about iPhones that supposedly got customers feeling like their phones were acting slow and could use an upgrade. On December 20, Apple openly admitted that it did this to compensate...

Verizon's Moto Z2 Force is now getting Android 8.0 Oreo

The latest smartphone to be graced with an update to Android 8.0 Oreo is Verizon's version of Motorola's Moto Z2 Force. The new software has started rolling out earlier today, and as usual it might take multiple days (or even weeks) to reach all the units out there in the wild. This final release follows a soak test that took place in Brazil in November....

Upcoming high-end Sony Xperia smartphone to sport Snapdragon 845, benchmark confirms

Sony is getting ready to introduce at least one successor to the Xperia XZ1 - most likely at MWC in February. The company's upcoming flagship smartphone has been rumored to finally adopt the bezel-less look that's been so popular in 2017, and a few days ago a spec sheet leaked for the Sony H82xx device. This will apparently come in four market-dependent...

LeEco future looks much safer now after a $2.2B investment

LeEco was having financial troubles recently and the company even withdrew from acquiring Vizio earlier in 2017. Today the company secured an investment worth CNY15,04 billion (more than $2.2 billion) from property developer Sunac China Holdings. The real estate company will acquire stocks in three divisions of the tech company. Due to rapid pace...

Samsung Galaxy S9 leaks again in case maker's renders

After Olixar and MobileFun leaked the Galaxy S9 design, now another accessories manufacturer, Ghostek, shared renders of the upcoming Samsung flagship. The maker is already taking orders for its rugged shockproof cases. According to the image, the design will remain pretty much unchanged. The Infinity Display will stay at 18.5:9 ratio, with the bezels...

Apple TV 4K review

It's been over 10 years since Apple launched the first generation Apple TV. This year alongside the new iPhones, Apple introduced the fifth generation now supporting 4K/High Dynamic Range and appropriately called the Apple TV 4K. Recently updated to tvOS 11.2, now graced by Amazon's recently launched Prime Video app and with Apples own TV app is...

Bezel-less Sharp FS8018 with screen appears on TENAA

Sharp launched the Aquos S2 in August and now a followup with the model name FS8018 appeared on TENAA. Although quite similar in looks, it has one 16 MP camera on the back and a massive 20 MP snapper on the front. Sharp FS8018 from all sides The FS8018 has a 5.48" screen with the specific resolution of 2040x1080 pixels we've already seen in the Aquos...

YouTube app for iOS now plays vertical videos correctly

YouTube has finally updated the iOS version of its app to be able to playback vertical videos correctly. This update was issued to the Android app two and a half years ago but for some reason never came to iOS until now. Bye bye, black bars. 👋Now the YouTube player on iOS will automatically adapt to the shape of the video you're viewing! pic.twitter.com/4jzJ6nPj4G—...

Speedtest updates app with new UI and features

Speedtest has released a new version of its app on iOS that comes with a new design and couple of new features. The new UI is consistent with the design that we have been seeing on other platforms, such as the web version, the Windows 10 version and the Apple TV version. Gone is the old, large speedometer with bright colors and glowing textures,...

Gionee S10 Lite launched with 4GB RAM, 16MP selfie camera

Gionee has launched a new smartphone in India. Dubbed S10 Lite, the device is powered by Snapdragon 427 SoC and sports a 5.2-inch HD display. RAM is 4GB, while internal memory is 32GB. The handset features a 13MP rear camera and a 16MP front shooter. Measuring 148.7×73.7×7.9mm and weighing in at 155g, the phone runs Android 7.1 Nougat and packs in...

Oppo A85 pops up on TENAA

The last month was rich in Oppo launches. First, we saw the A83 pop up, then the Oppo F5 Youth without Google services arrived in China with an Oppo A73 moniker. Now another phone is about to join the A series - Oppo A85. That's seemingly going to be a very affordable device as it even lacks a fingerprint scanner. Oppo A85 from all sides The front...

Samsung Galaxy J7 Nxt with 3 GB RAM appears

July marked the arrival of the Samsung Galaxy J7 Nxt with 2 GB RAM and 16 GB storage in a limited set of markets. Now a more powerful version was leaked by the retailer Mahesh Telecom on Twitter and later Samsung India uploaded the phone on its website, confirming the price INR12,990 (around €170). New Launch #SamsungGalaxyJ7Nxt 32GB With 3GB RAM...

Asus ZenFone 3 Max starts getting ZenUI 4.0 update

Asus has started pushing out a new update to its ZenFone 3 Max (ZC553KL) smartphone. Arriving as version V14.0200.1712.347, the update bumps the system user interface to ZenUI 4.0. The announcement says it'll take around one week for the system to complete the autopush, so be patient if you haven't received the update yet. Alternatively, you can...

We might see the Snapdragon 845 in Chromebooks

Just like the Snapdragon 835 in 2017, we can expect to see the Snapdragon 845 in many high-end smartphones during 2018. Qualcomm recently announced its Snapdragon 845 CPU at a launch event in Hawaii. At the event, Qualcomm had a lot to say about the "Always Connected PCs" running Windows 10 on the ARM architecture. Chromebooks may also be able to...

First 5G spec has been finalized, expect to start seeing 5G in 2018

3GPP is an organization whose purpose is to define the industry standards for technologies that would succeed the 4G LTE standard. Today, 3GPP has set the specifications for 5G equipment in both towers and smartphones alike. This means that 5G standards have been set so that network and radio engineers can all work on a single platform for all 5G...

Amazon brings Firefox and Amazon Silk support to Fire TV

Amazon has announced that all users of Fire TV devices will now be able to browser the web through Firefox and Amazon Silk browsers. While the Silk browser was made available for download at the end of last month, the addition of Firefox is new. The move comes shortly after Google decided to drop YouTube playback functionality through the YouTube...

Honor announces brand expansion to Latin America

Following Honor's success in the United States with its high-value X series, the company is announcing its expansion into Latin American markets across Central and South America. Honor will begin to sell smartphones in stores starting next year. The company is certainly excited to see how it's Honor 7X will do in the new region. The Latin American...

Samsung Galaxy J2 (2018) leaks in all its low-end glory

At the high-end, Samsung's all about Infinity Displays and small bezels and the 18.5:9 aspect ratio, but the Korean company also churns out quite a few low-end offerings each year. And now we're fast approaching the launch of just such a device: the Galaxy J2 (2018), previously thought to be Galaxy J2 Pro (2017). The handset has received the full...

Netflix now supports HDR on Windows 10

Netflix has rolled out support for HDR on the Windows 10 platform. Users can now finally access Netflix' growing library of HDR content if they are connected to a compatible HDR monitor or television. As with 4K support on Windows 10, the HDR support comes with a handful of provisos. First of all, you need the four person plan to access HDR content....

Huawei agrees to pay Nokia for patents in multi-year license

One of the biggest patent holders in the mobile space is still Nokia, and this was confirmed once more today. Following similar deals it made in the past with the likes of Apple, Samsung, LG, and Xiaomi, the Finnish company has announced that it has agreed to license its patents to Huawei. It's a multi-year deal with the Chinese smartphone maker,...

Here are all the ways Android Oreo protects your phone and data

Android Oreo is now making its way to more and more devices and it brings with it much smarter security features. It packs clever software that you never knew was protecting your phone and data, such as safer install of apps that come from unknown sources, rollback protection which prevents hackers from downgrading your phone to an older OS version...

Honor X series sales hit 40 million milestone

Huawei sub brand Honor has announced that global sales of its X series of smartphones - consisting of devices from the Honor 4X to Honor 7X - has hit the 40 million milestone. The company also revealed some sales figures for the newly-launched Honor 7X smartphone. 30,000 units were sold within the first two hours of November 11 sale in China, and...

Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+ benchmarks confirm 18.5:9 screens

The Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+ will retain the 18.5:9 aspect ratio of the Galaxy S8 and S8+. That's been confirmed through an HTML browser benchmark, which revealed the screen aspects for both. Sadly the benchmark doesn't have any more spoilers, but as the Mobile World Congress draws near, we're bound to see and hear much more about the S9/S9+ duo....

Huawei unveils the Honor 9 Lite

Huawei held an event in China where it announced the Honor 9 Lite - a more affordable variant of the Honor 9. The Honor 9 Lite will arrive with 5.65" 18:9 screen with FullHD+ resolution. It has dual cameras on both sides and comes with the latest Emotion UI, based on Android Oreo. Huawei Honor 9 Lite official renders The Honor 9 Lite runs on a Kirin...

Huawei unveils the Honor 9 Youth Edition

Huawei held an event in China where it announced the Honor 9 Youth Edition - a more affordable variant of the Honor 9. The Honor 9 Youth Edition will arrive with 5.65" 18:9 screen with FullHD+ resolution. It has dual cameras on both sides and comes with the latest Emotion UI, based on Android Oreo. Huawei Honor 9 Lite official renders The Honor 9...

Apple confirms it's intentionally slowing down iPhones with old batteries

Last week we saw a report that Apple might be slowing down its iPhones as they batteries age. Rumors suggested Apple intentionally turned down the clock speed in order to prevent the battery life of the phones from decreasing over time. Today the company confirmed those allegations and said the practice will continue with other products in the future....

Samsung Galaxy S8/S8+ and Note5 getting new updates

Samsung has started pushing out a new update to its Galaxy S8/S8+ smartphones. It's a security update that brings along Android fixes for the month of December. Units in both South Korea and the US (T-Mobile) are currently getting the update. The update carries build number of G950USQS2BQL1 and G955USQS2BQL1 for T-Mobile users, and G950NKSU1AQL3...

Essential Phone starts getting Oreo beta 2 update

Essential has announced the roll out of the Oreo beta 2 build for its PH-1 smartphone. The company took to Twitter to announce the update, which arrives as build OPM1.170911.213. We're rolling out Oreo Beta 2 (build OPM1.170911.213) with bug fixes and new features including smart text selection, picture-in-picture and more. The update is going out...

Pokemon Go on iOS now supports Apple's ARKit for improved mechanics

Today Niantic Labs and the Pokemon Company, the entities behind the hugely successful Pokemon Go game, have announced a new set of features coming to iPhones. They are collectively called AR+, and are made possible by leveraging Apple's ARKit framework, which debuted in iOS 11. For that reason, you need to be running that version of the OS or a newer...

Samsung Galaxy S8+ discounted to €636 on Amazon Germany

Great deals on smartphones in the EU seem to be a lot rarer than in the US, but from time to time we do find a gem for you. Case in point: right now, Amazon Germany is selling the Samsung Galaxy S8+ for just €636. That's €263 less than its usual price, so it's clearly a bargain. As usual, there are some caveats to note. First off, only the Midnight...

EU court declares Uber a transport company not a digital service

European Union's top court ruled today that the ride-sharing platform Uber is a transport service and should be regulated similar to taxi operators. The company claimed it is a digital service and should pay lighter taxes as other e-commerce businesses. Uber launched in 2011 and currently operates in about 600 cities and regions in the world, with...

Samsung starts mass producing second-gen 10nm RAM

Samsung is now mass-producing the second generation of its 10-nanometer class 8Gb (read gigabit, not gigabyte) DDR4 DRAM, which will be the foundation for its future DDR4 RAM. The new generation of 10nm class RAM is about 10% faster and 15% more efficient than the previous one. The new 8Gb DD4 can operate at 3,600 megabits per second per pin compared...

The 5MP selfie cam on the Nokia 9 will actually be a dual camera

We were a tad disappointed to find out that the Nokia 9 will have a 5MP selfie camera. The disappointment at the resolution remains but it turns out that it's a dual 5MP camera, which does make it look a little better. The FCC listed a Chicony CKACE16 module and going over to the manufacturer's site, we see that it lists it as a dual camera (but...

Google will require that apps support Oreo features in 2018, 64-bit chipsets in 2019

Google has several forward-looking changes to Android planned, the effects of some will be felt soon while others will make a difference later. Starting in August 2018, new apps will be required to target Android 8.0 API. They can still support old versions of Android, but they'll have to play by the rules when running on Oreo and later. This makes...

vivo V7 arrives in Energetic Blue

A month ago vivo launched the V7 as a smaller version of the vivo V7+. And much like its bigger brother, an Energetic Blue color option of the device was introduced shortly after its release. vivo V7 Energetic Blue official images A company spokesperson said the new variant "will make for a perfect gift" with Christmas around the corner. The impressive...

Nokia launches a heartwarming holiday video

With Christmas and New Year knocking on the door, Nokia launched its holiday-themed TV ad. The video shows a mother that keeps contact with her son only on the Copper White Nokia 3, while he sends messages and pictures from university on his Nokia 8. The ad urges you to switch off during Christmas and spend more time with the beloved people, or as...

Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 not coming, Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus takes its place

Xiaomi launched the Redmi 5 series on December 7, but some fans are still withholding purchases, waiting for the Redmi Note 5. Apparently, the expected successor of the highly popular Redmi Note 4 was already here but under a different name and there won't be another device. According to a Super moderator on the MIUI forum the Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus...

Latest Samsung Galaxy S8 Oreo beta includes App Permission Monitor

Samsung's Galaxy Note8 comes with a feature dubbed App Permission Monitor. It alerts you when permissions you select are being used by app running in the background. Not only that, you can also take a quick look at the permissions history for an app. Well, the feature is no longer Galaxy Note8-exclusive, as it's now available in the latest Galaxy...

Facebook Messenger Lite crosses 100 million Play Store installs

The Facebook Messenger Lite app for Android - which was unveiled by the company back in October last year - has hit a new milestone. Its Google Play listing now reveals it has scored over 100 million installs. The app was built with an aim to operate with as little resources as possible (especially data). So in line with the focus, it was made available...

Razer Phone update brings camera and audio improvements

Last month, we were promised that the Razer Phone will get a camera improving update in next few weeks. Well, good news is that the update has arrived, and it features some audio improvements and other changes as well. So the shutter speed control has been improved when in low light conditions as well as when using HDR. Other camera related improvements...

Sony Xperia XZs drops to $400 in US

The Snapdragon 820-powered Sony Xperia XZs launched in the US back in April this year, carrying a $699 price tag. But currently, you can get the device for as low as $399.99. Amazon has the handset listed for that price. Officially, the phone is also available through a couple of other third-party retailers, but they are offering the XZs in $500-$550...

New Facebook feature issues alert if you're spotted in someone else's photo

Facebook has introduced a couple of new features that the company says will help people better manage their identity on the social network. First up is the ability to issue notifications whenever you show up in someone else's photo. So if you have the feature enabled, and Facebook spots you in a photo, and you're also part of the audience of that...

Samsung Galaxy S9+ benchmark scores look promising

Today, we are taking a look at some GeekBench scores that show what the Samsung Galaxy S9+ is capable of. Well, at least the Snapdragon variant. The S9+ is expected to ship with the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 chipset. The model number in the Benchmark results is SM-G965U1, which corresponds to the larger S9 model just as the Galaxy S8+ and Galaxy...