iPhone XR's build quality is on par with the XS, durability test reveals

The new iPhone XR is out on the street and as expected all kinds of reviews, teardowns and durability tests have come along with it. The latest durability test from JerryRigEverything is here to reveal a somewhat predictable turn of events. Sure, the iPhone XR might be affordable to Apple's standard but with a price tag of $750, we can only treat...

Microsoft switches seats with Amazon as the second most valuable US company

Microsoft just regained its position as the second most valuable US company by market capitalization after losing it to Amazon back in April this year. The news comes after Microsoft reported good quarterly profit driven by its cloud computing business whereas Amazon lost $65 billion off of its market cap. Apple still tops the charts with over $1...

dbrand is gearing up for the OnePlus 6T release

If you are into protective gear for smartphones, the chances are you've heard about dbrand skins. And even though the OnePlus 6T isn't out yet, the company is already offering its customizable kits for the handset ahead of the official launch on Monday. 6T skins - perfect for eliminating the fingerprint sensor on your 6.https://t.co/hB77wessCX pic.twitter.com/1Aaz1d4Llo—...

The iPhone XR gets the iFixit treatment

iFixit is out with another teardown and unsurprisingly, it's about the newly released "budget" iPhone XR. There's a video going through the process of disassembling the handset and also a full step-by-step guide at the source link below. But you are probably here to see how easy it is to repair it if the screen gets damaged or the battery dies after...

October Android distribution: Oreo grows and still no Pie

Three months after the stable release of Android Pie and it still doesn't show in the monthly stats. However, Oreo is on the rise since September while Nougat numbers are falling. Perhaps more OEMs are updating their devices to Oreo or the new device releases in the mid-range and low-end segment have pushed Oreo numbers up a little. If you haven't...

Google moves to discontinue voice unlock on Android

According to an APK teardown performed by 9to5Google, the option to "Unlock with Voice Match" is slowly being depreciated. The first indication of this was the omission of the aforementioned option on the Google Pixel 3 duo. The Google App version 8.39 for Android has a string of text that reveals the upcoming change. The Voice Match to unlock feature...

Huawei unveils new AI speaker for Chinese market

Today, Huawei held its Mate 20 event in China where the company announced a new product aimed at the Chinese market. The product is Huawei's AI Speaker (translation from Chinese) which looks strikingly similar to an Apple product: the HomePod: a highly-priced Siri-powered speaker that launched with limited functionality. Huawei did announce another...

Xiaomi: Mi Mix 3's camera software is coming to the Mi Mix 2S and Mi 8

Xiaomi's Mi Mix 3, which debuted yesterday mostly made headlines for its slider design, but it's also carrying Xiaomi's most capable dual-camera setup yet. These claims were further backed up by an immediate DxOMark review of the phone which put it on par with the Samsung Galaxy Note9 and the HTC U12+. And since the new Mi Mix 3 features the same...

Huawei takes a clear shot at Apple and Samsung for slowing down their phones

After the Italian Competition Authority fined Apple and Samsung for intentionally slowing down phones, Huawei seized the moment and trolled both of its direct rivals in a recent tweet. We would never slow our phones down to force an upgrade. We're proud our new #HuaweiMate20Pro is #BornFastStaysFast - just like every other phone in our range. #NeverSlowDown...

Huawei launches Mate 20 and Mate 20 Pro in China with a twist

Today Huawei officially brought its Mate 20 series to the Chinese market. The Huawei Mate 20 will go on sale in 6GG+64GB version for CNY 4,000 (€500) and 6GB+128GB priced at CNY 4,500 (€570). Interestingly, Huawei will offer the Mate 20 Pro without a fingerprint scanner with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage for CNY 5,400 (€680). The Huawei Mate 20...

Cleaner Samsung Experience 10 running on Galaxy S9+ leaks in screenshots

A slew of new screenshots have surfaced, showing what changes Samsung Galaxy S9/S9+ and Galaxy Note9 owners will see with the Android 9.0 Pie update. Android Pie on flagship Samsung phones will come with Samsung Experience 10, which will be a mashup of legacy Samsung style and Google's own styling in Android Pie. Samsung will introduce a new system-wide...

Xiaomi Mi Mix 3 camera samples: a day tour of Beijing

We took the Xiaomi Mi Mix 3 on a photo tour around Beijing. We made the best of the day and tested both the main camera and the telephoto camera. We used the AI mode throughout the day and out first impression of it is that we'd just leave it on. Most of the time it made only subtle differences, but more importantly it didn't mess up. So, here are...

Apple stores now stocking iPhone XR but pre-ordering is still smarter

Today is the day the iPhone XR starts to fill the shelves in Apple stores but you're still not guaranteed a pickup. Many stores will have the phone stocked but not all. Several of Apple's online stores still list the XR as unavailable for local pickup. But a deeper dive leads to stores with available iPhone XR stock. If you pre-order the iPhone XR...

Oppo A7 leak confirms that's it's actually the re-badged Realme 2

The Oppo A7 has been in the rumor mill for some time now, so the latest leak doesn't come as a surprise - it just confirms what we've been reading all along but also showcases the handset in gold color. Specs and design match the Realme 2 closely, so the Oppo A7 might just be a re-branded version for the Chinese market. We've got the same 6.2-inch...

Xiaomi coming in strong in the UK with a new store and products in November

Xiaomi opened up an official UK Twitter account on October 1 which brought a lot of excitement to fans of the brand. It was a clear sign that the Chinese company has big plans for the UK and now Xiaomi finally shed some more light. The firm just confirmed that it's opening up an official Xiaomi store on November 10 in White City's Westfield shopping...

Our Realme 2 Pro video review is up

Realme released four phones this year each competing in the over-saturated budget segment in India but the Realme 2 Pro stands out as the most capable of them all blurring the line between low-end and mid-range. The phone follows the recent trend of waterdrop notches and has significantly more powerful internals than its siblings - the Realme 1 and...

Samsung's Galaxy S10 trio and foldable phone detailed in insider report

Samsung's plans for the early part of 2019 have been detailed by company insiders, who spoke to Bloomberg. The report reveals that Samsung is working on three Galaxy S10 devices, one of which could be a 5G-ready phone, and planning to finally show off its new foldable smartphone. The Galaxy S10 lineup will consist of three phones. A 5.8-inch Galaxy...

OnePlus 6T full specs leak days ahead of the announcement

Well, the OnePlus 6T isn't exactly the most secretive phone out there as recent leaks revealed pretty much everything there is to know. However, the specs sheet that popped up on Twitter fills in the gaps, confirms what we've already suspected and sheds light on some minor details. Here's the full specs sheet. OnePlus 6T full specs and dimensions...

Fresh renders show the Honor Magic 2 in three gradient colors

Honor, Huawei's sub brand, is gearing up to release the Honor Magic 2 on October 31 but there will not be that much left to reveal by the time the announcement comes. The latest leak leaves almost nothing to the imagination. It features press renders of the Honor Magic 2 in three gradient colors - Silver, Blue and Pink - and from all sides, showing...

Google discontinues Android's Nearby Notifications feature

A few years ago, Android got a new feature that showed you notifications based on your location and what was around you. For example, today, I went to the barber shop to get a haircut and received a notification with information about the Walmart across the street. Okay, so that example was not good. That's because the feature often sent me notifications...

Huawei erects AI-powered Rubik's Cube in London to celebrate the Mate 20 launch

Huawei announced the Mate 20 Pro last week in London and to celebrate, Huawei has erected a large, digital version of a classic puzzle game: the Rubik's Cube. The idea is to demonstrate the power of Huawei's NPU, which minimizes the energy and time required to make large calculations. To solve the puzzle, a player must use the app on a Mate 20 Pro...

Xiaomi updates its Android update rollout schedule

Xiaomi just published a list of devices that are getting Android Pie or Android Oreo in Q4 this year. The phones in the list will be receiving at least the beta version of the software and with enough luck, will get the stable release until the end of 2018. First to get you up to speed - most of the handsets from this list are already on Oreo while...

Mobvoi TicWatch C2 unveiled: $200 Wear OS watch with almost everything

Mobvoi just unveiled the TicWatch C2, a sequel to the TicWatch 2. It's a Wear OS timepiece that includes most of the features you might want from a smartwatch while keeping the price in check. You can pre-order it right now at $200/€200, it will ship on December 6. The TicWatch C2 has a 1.3" AMOLED screen (360 x 360px), which fits inside a fairly...

Realme to release a Helio P70-powered phone soon

The Helio P70 has its first customer - Realme has reportedly picked the new AI-focused chipset for upcoming models. The original (launched just a few months ago) used the Helio P60. The P70 adds 100MHz to the clock speeds of the four big Cortex-A73 cores and also the Mali-G72 MP3 GPU. It also claims 10-30% faster AI performance and improved camera...

Meizu Note 8 unveiled with a 6" screen, dual camera and a 3,600mAh battery

The Meizu Note 8 was just unveiled as an affordable alternative to the X8. It offers the same dual camera on its back, a slightly smaller screen, slightly bigger battery and the price tag was cut down by a third. You can reserve a Note 8 today at CNY 1,300 ($185/€165), sales will start on November 1. The phone has a metal body available in four colors....

Razer Phone 2 gets scratched, bent and burnt, lives to tell the tale

In his latest durability test, Zack from JerryRigEverything gives the Razer Phone 2 the scratch, burn and bend test and the blocky phone passed without losing its structural integrity. There wasn't anything surprising in the video. The screen scratched like all other Gorilla Glass screens out there - at a level 6. The razor revealed the Razer Phone...

Xiaomi Mi A2 with 6GB/128GB memory appears in India

Xiaomi's Android One-powered Mi A2 launched in India back in August but the beefed-up version with 6GB of RAM and 128GB only now makes it to the sub-continent. Xiaomi silently listed the smartphone on the official Indian online store with a price tag of INR 19,999 ($273) and without the Rose Gold color option. Actual shipment dates are yet to be...

Xiaomi Mi Mix 3 hands-on review

Until web content can be beamed directly into our brains, we'll need screens - the bigger, the better. The 6.39" screen of the Xiaomi Mi Mix 3 is certainly pretty big, almost as big as the original. But size isn't the only thing that makes it "good". Source: https://www.gsmarena.com/xiaomi_mi_mix_3_handson-review-1844.p...

Counterpoint: OnePlus was the best-selling $400+ phone in India in Q3

For the second consecutive quarter, OnePlus came out on top in the Indian premium smartphone market with 30% share in the above INR 30,000 ($400) segment beating Samsung and Apple. The top three manufacturers secured 83% of the overall premium sales, which is 5% down from last quarter and the new players in town are to blame - Oppo Find X, vivo NEX...

Cases reveal Sony Xperia XA3 and XA3 Ultra with dual rear cameras

Rumors about the Xperia XA3 and XA3 Ultra started coming in a few months ago but we got a clear look at both just this month revealing a dual-camera setup on the back and fairly thin bezels all-around. Today's renders come from a Chinese case maker that also confirms that both handsets will offer dual cameras. Xperia XA3 Ultra • Xperia XA3 There...

LG Q3 report: profits increase as smartphones lose less money

LG kept its tradition to introduce its financial results on the last Thursday of the month, following the end of a quarter, and the numbers look good. The Korean company made a profit KRW748.8 billion ($668 million), which is the best quarter in 2018. The black sheep in the family is the Mobile Communications division which keeps bleeding money and...

OnePlus 6T to arrive as Souq Exclusive in the Middle East

OnePlus and Souq.com announced today their partnership for the upcoming sales of the OnePlus 6T UAE. The new phone will be Souq Exclusive, similar to what the parent company Amazon will offer to OnePlus customers in India. The event was held by Pete Lau, CEO and founder of OnePlus, who confirmed some of the specs like Snapdragon 845 chipset, the...

Nokia and Samsung extend their patent license agreement

Nokia just announced that it's renewing its patent license agreement with Samsung and will be allowing the latter to use its patents for multiple more years. The current agreement will expire at the end of 2018 as it was signed 5 years ago. The period of the new contract hasn't been specified as all terms of the agreement remain confidential between...

Lenovo's VP confirms - the Lenovo Z5 Pro coming on November 1

Lenovo is looking to redeem itself with a true flagship smartphone after the Z5 debacle and will be announcing it on November 1. This is as official as it gets because it comes for the company's vice president. In a Weibo post, Chang Cheng published a teaser poster confirming the slide-out camera mechanism and a full-screen display. The sketch is...

nubia teases the Red Magic 2 with Snapdragon 845 and 10GB of RAM

ZTE's sub brand nubia has posted an official teaser for its upcoming Red Magic 2 smartphone, detailing key features such as the Snapdragon 845 chipset and 10GB of RAM. That's a bump from the original Red Magic's Snapdragon 835 and 8GB of RAM and a match for Xiaomi's Black Shark Helo, announced two days ago. Other improvements include the use of both...

Xiaomi Mi Mix 3 slider debuts with 6.4" screen, four cameras and 5G version

After numerous rumors, leaks, and teasers, the Xiaomi Mi Mix 3 is finally official. The new flagship comes with a magnetic slider for its selfie camera, flagship internals and quartet of cameras - two on each side. The Xiaomi Mi Mix 3 is built around a 6.4" AMOLED screen and the company claims a massive 93.4% screen-to-body ratio and Full HD+ resolution....

Xiaomi Mi Mix 3 gets a 103 DxOMark score, highlighted by 108 photo score

DxOMark were quick to give the freshly announced Xiaomi Mi Mix 3's dual camera a detailed run. Xiaomi's latest and greatest posted a combined score of 103 which breaks down as a 108 photo and 93 video score. For reference, the combined score of 103 matches the Samsung Galaxy Note9 but sits below the iPhone XS Max (105) and Huawei P20 Pro (109). The...

Watch the Xiaomi Mi Mix 3 event live here

The season for the slider smartphones begins with the launch of Xiaomi Mi Mix 3. The device will be unveiled today at an event in Beijing, China, taking place between the walls of the Forbidden City. We are already at the venue to learn everything about the Mi Mix 3, and here's how you can watch the event that starts at 2 PM local time or 8 AM CEST....

Google will require OEMs to provide regular security updates. or else

Android devices have had a problem facing the platform for its entire lifetime (and you've heard this word on more than one occasion): fragmentation. Google's now discontinued Nexus devices and Pixel hardware are all updated promptly and regularly by Google. Other manufacturers might take much longer to update phones. Google has put a few things...

OnePlus 6T reportedly passes Verizon certification

OnePlus is set to launch its mid-cycle refresh after the OnePlus 6 next week in New York City. The company will announce the OnePlus 6T and rumors have surfaced that the GSM unlocked device for the US could support Verizon bands and T-Mobile will possibly sell the device in-stores. The news comes from PCMag.com where sources claim that the OnePlus...

Samsung teases the Galaxy A8s with a camera hole in the screen

In a recent change of strategy, Samsung decided to start implementing new tech into the mid-range lineup if it's available, rather than withhold stuff so flagships can get it first. And with the recent quad and triple camera Galaxy A9 (2018) and Galaxy A7 (2018) smartphones, it looks like the company is already executing its plan. And to top it off,...

Xiaomi Mi Mix 3 photographed in the wild with 6GB of RAM, 128GB storage

Xiaomi has shown off the Mi Mix 3 on several occasions now, but this isn't one of those times - these are spy shots of the phone, perhaps the last ones before the grand reveal tomorrow. There's little we don't already know, but there are still interesting things to note in these photos. The RAM capacity is 6GB, which is usually enough, but Xiaomi...

Huawei Mate 20 RS Porsche Design hands-on

Huawei announced too many Mate 20 phones at this year's event to keep track of but one stands out with luxurious design and steep price tag - the Mate 20 RS Porsche Design. It's a follow-up to the Mate RS Porsche Design, but unlike that one (which was an original design), it's based on the Mate 20 Pro. The Mate 20 RS Porsche Design has identical...

Italy fines Samsung and Apple due to firmware updates that slow performance

The Italian Competition and Market Authority (AGCM) opened an investigation against Samsung and Apple over claims of planned obsolescence. That was in January and the investigation has now closed - both companies were found guilty. Samsung and Apple were slapped with a €5 million fine each. AGCM concluded that "the release of some firmware updates...

Nokia 7.1 review

They say third time's a charm and indeed HMD did right by Nokia's legacy. Once the behemoth of the whole industry, it deteriorated to oblivion, only to be resurrected by Microsoft, and then fall again. Android One turned out to be the platform for Nokia to thrive once more and the latest Nokia 7.1 is the perfect example of how well things are going. Source:...

Google Pixel 3 XL teardown video shows why the notch is so big

JerryRigEverything is back with another Pixel 3 XL video but this time focusing on the internal design rather than the external. As usual, he takes the phone apart piece by piece talking us through the whole process. We can see the Qi wireless charging on the back, the water damage indicators, all the adhesive used to stick the backplate and the...

Quad-cam Samsung Galaxy A9s and ODM Galaxy A6s debut

It's official - Samsung's first ODM phone was unveiled in China today. "ODM" means that it is made in factories belonging to another company (Wintech in this case). Meet the Galaxy A6s. The Galaxy A9s joined it, which despite the similar sounding name is just the local version of the Galaxy A9 (2018). Samsung Galaxy A6s The Samsung Galaxy A6s has...

Mi Mix 3 poster shows blue and green colors, confirms rear fingerprint reader

It appears that someone put out a Mi Mix 3 poster a bit too early. The poster doesn't show a lot that we didn't already know but it still confirms cool looking green and blue variants. And we get to see the rear-mounted fingerprint reader. The theory of in-display fingerprint was initially thrown around and since the Xiaomi Mi 8 Pro and Explorer...

Panasonic announces Eluga Z1 and Eluga Z1 Pro with big batteries

Panasonic India launched two upper mid-rangers earlier this month and now introduced two entry level handsets to continue the expansion of its portfolio - Panasonic Eluga Z1 and Panasonic Eluga Z1 Pro pack Helio P22 chipsets, AI Face Unlock, and big batteries. Both devices share the same 6.19" notched screen with HD+ resolution and Dragon Trail Pro...

The Oppo R17 Pro will be called RX17 Pro in Europe, arrives in three weeks

The Oppo R17 Pro was announced in late August, but it's yet to reach stores. It will finally launch in China on November 1 and in Europe on November 6. For one reason or another Oppo decided that the phone will have a different name in Europe - the Oppo RX17 Pro. Whether the vanilla Oppo R17 will launch as the RX17 is unclear, some claim that it...