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Category: Phones

  • Latest Huawei P40 Renders Reveal Dual Selfie Camera Hole Punch

    Latest Huawei P40 Renders Reveal Dual Selfie Camera Hole Punch

    Back in December 2019, fans got a vague look at what the Huawei P40 might look like, but since the render was dark, most of the phone remained hidden. New renders reveal the P40’s design in all it’s glory. The front of the device features a simple layout, and the screen has almost no bezels. Huawei dropped the notch and has gone the camera cutout route, which is something that people who like symmetrical designs won’t like.

    Huawei P40
    Huawei P40

    The cutout has a striking resemblance to the camera cutout of the Galaxy S10 5G. The 5G version of the Samsung flagship came with a ToF sensor between the two selfie lenses, which made the hole punch significantly wider than the S10+’s hole punch. There is no official information as to if Huawei has squeezed advanced face unlock tech into the cutout, making it wider.

    The rear of the device looks familiar. The cameras are housed in a square-shaped camera bump like the Pixel 4. Huawei kept all three sensors in a vertical strip, and the cameras line up with the Huawei logo further below. There is no new information about the P40 Pro at this time, but based on previous Pro models, you can expect to find another camera on the back. We can’t tell if this is an official render of the phone or just a CAD mockup, but either way, this gives us our best look at the P40 yet. The P40 series is expected to launch in March.

  • OnePlus 8Pro Reportedly Supports Wireless Charging

    OnePlus 8Pro Reportedly Supports Wireless Charging

    Reputed tipster Max J recently shared an image of a smartphone charging on a mat wirelessly. The picture was captioned ‘charge like a pro.’ Interestingly, the phone in the image exactly matches the leaked renders of the OnePlus 8Pro. The punch-hole design, the placement of the volume and power buttons, and the signature alert slider are all there, which suggests that the upcoming OnePlus phone will support wireless charging technology.

    If the image is accurate, the OnePlus 8Pro will be the first OnePlus smartphone to come with wireless charging support. OnePlus has always avoided using wireless charging technology since the charging speed is inferior when compared to wired charging, and wireless charging also has overheating issues. The Shenzhen-based tech giant seems to have mastered the technology and ironed out all the concerns and is finally gearing up to enable wireless charging on its phones, starting with the OnePlus 8 Pro.

    OnePlus 8Pro
    OnePlus 8 Pro

    Wireless charging support

    With the wireless charging support, the flagship killer phone series will become more competitive against high-end $1,000 handsets. According to tip-offs and leaked renders, the OnePlus 8Pro will feature a quad-lens rear camera, a built-in MEMC chip for content upscaling, a 120Hz 2K AMOLED screen, and an in-display fingerprint sensor.

    The phone will swank a flagship-tier Snapdragon 865 processor, and will presumably feature 12GB of RAM and 256GB of UFS 3.0 storage. If the company sticks to its bi-annual release cycle, we shall see the OnePlus 8 series launch sometime around May-June.

  • Unlocked Galaxy S20 5G Models Offered by Samsung

    Unlocked Galaxy S20 5G Models Offered by Samsung

    Reportedly, Samsung will offer unlocked Galaxy S20 5G variants – which is a stark difference from the Galaxy Note 10+ 5G and the Galaxy S10+ 5G phones that the company offered last year. The company may only do this in Europe since the report only mentions Europe. The phones may come unlocked in the US, too, but with all four major carriers deploying 5G differently, it could make things tougher for Samsung.

    Many customers prefer getting an unlocked smartphone, rather than a carrier-locked one. An unlocked phone gives them the freedom to jump between carriers and switch out SIMs if they’re travelling. The unlocked models won’t be limited to Samsung.com, either. According to the report, many retailers across Europe have already listed the Galaxy S20 5G models. The device is yet to launch and will be announced in a few weeks. An unlocked phone also doesn’t come with the carrier’s bloatware installed.

    Unlocked Galaxy S20 5G
    Galaxy S20 5G

    The US May Not Get Unlocked Galaxy S20 5G Models

    As mentioned earlier, carriers in the US are doing 5G differently. Some carriers are doing mmWave, while others are first doing low-band, mid-band, and high-band carrier aggregation. The lack of standards will make it difficult for Samsung to offer an unlocked 5G smartphone that can support SIMs from all four US carriers. However, it’s not impossible to do.

    Fans will have to wait for the announcement in February to find out for sure if the Galaxy S20 will have an unlocked version or not.

  • Second-Gen Galaxy Fold To Come With S Pen

    Second-Gen Galaxy Fold To Come With S Pen

    Samsung is gearing up to launch a successor to the Galaxy Fold in the second quarter of 2020, and it looks like it will come with an S Pen. Max Weinbach revealed the information with another leak. He has been in the know lately and has leaked a lot of details about the Galaxy S20 series, and now the Galaxy Fold. The specs of the phone come from other reports, but the Second-Gen Galaxy Fold is likely to feature an 8-inch display, a 108-megapixel camera, and a Snapdragon 865. It will also come with 5G support.

    The Second-Gen Galaxy Fold
    The Second-Gen Galaxy Fold

    Pairing the large screen and excellent specifications of this device with an S Pen feels like a great idea. The S Pen is great for large-display devices like the Galaxy Fold and other tablets because it opens up new avenues for the user to interact with the device. While it can be labelled off as a stylus, the S Pen is much more than that. It can help users take notes, draw, and can also work as a remote.

    The Galaxy Fold was much more expensive than most smartphones on the market since the tech inside was all new. Phones didn’t use hinges or come with a second/folding display. You can expect the second-gen Galaxy Fold to be more expensive. The high-end chipset, 5G support, and the unique design of the phone will add to the price. We may see it teased at the Unpacked event in February.

  • Mi A3 To Finally Get Android 10 In February

    Mi A3 To Finally Get Android 10 In February

    Xiaomi’s customer support confirmed that the Mi A3 would get the Android 10 update in mid-February. The announcement comes just a few days after the Mi A2 began to receive the update to the latest version of Android. The situation is confusing, and Xiaomi is taking too long to update an Android One device – whose main selling point is fast updates. Android 10 launched in September. Generally, when companies begin to roll out updates to their phones, the newer phones get the update first. But this is not the case with the Mi A3.

    Xiaomi Mi A3
    Xiaomi Mi A3

    The Mi A2 has received the Android 10 upgrade, and the A3 will get it over a month after the A3 (if it doesn’t get delayed). The reason for the delay is processor-related. Google’s partners get access to Android’s code whenever a new version is released.  Smartphone manufacturers can’t do much until the chipset maker updates the binaries for that particular chipset.

    Xiaomi’s Android One smartphones get updates later than usual because the phones typically come with a Snapdragon 600-series chipset. Qualcomm prefers to update the binaries on the Snapdragon 800-series first, and the binaries for the 600-series are second priority. The Mi A3 is eligible to receive the Android 11 update later this year, and the Android 10 upgrade will not be the last major software update for it.

    However, for now, fans have their fingers crossed and are hoping that the update does not get delayed again.

  • US Legislation To Fund Huawei 5G Alternative

    US Legislation To Fund Huawei 5G Alternative

    New legislation introduced in the US Senate in January aims to create a viable alternative to Huawei Technologies and undercut China’s dominance in 5G networks. One of the biggest problems in the bid to counter Chinese strength in 5G networks is the lack of global alternatives to Huawei. The US does not have a viable competitor as of now. At the same time, technologies from Sweden’s Ericsson, Finland’s Nokia, and even South Korea’s Samsung are no match to the attractive financing and complete technological package that Huawei offers.

    Huawei 5G Alternative
    Huawei 5G Alternative

    The bill attempts to address that gap. If the bill is passed, the Senate would spend more than $1 billion to bolster Western competitiveness, allocate a new spectrum, and support research and development of more modern technologies like 5G in the telecommunications industry. The sponsor of the bill, Senator Marco Rubio, stated that the country is at a critical point for defining the future of its relationship with China and that the Senate cannot allow the Chinese telecommunications companies to surpass American competitors.

    Rubio added that the Washington Senate’s efforts at convincing foreign allies to ban Huawei from their networks had been hampered by a lack of affordable, viable alternatives. He fears that malign state-directed telecommunications companies pose a clear, growing threat to the national and economic security of the US and its allies. A day earlier, Mike Pompeo, the US Secretary of State, echoed the senators’ concerns and contended that excluding Chinese carriers from 5G systems in the West was essential.

     

  • Japanese Smartphone Market: Xiaomi To Enter Japan

    Japanese Smartphone Market: Xiaomi To Enter Japan

    Xiaomi, the world’s fourth-largest smartphone manufacturer, intends to enter the Japanese market in 2020.

    Steven Wang, the general manager of Xiaomi in East Asia, announced that Xiaomi would enter the Japanese Smartphone Market during a news conference in Tokyo.

    Xiaomi must market their phones aggressively since iPhones are particularly popular in Japan. Though the company is late to the party, the timing of the move may end up working out well for the Beijing-based firm. The Japanese mobile market has been undergoing some changes as of late. The regulations implemented in October could turn out to be disadvantageous for expensive premium smartphones. Xiaomi is known for producing cost-effective electronics. The company has entered more than 90 markets across the globe and has started taking orders online for the Mi Note 10 smartphone series.

    The Note 10 series is Xiaomi’s latest range of high-end smartphones.

    The phone is equipped with five cameras and a 108-megapixel image sensor. Shipments are due to begin later this month. The company also revealed the prices of the two phones. Wang did not provide sales channel details, other than the information about online sales, which leaves us wondering whether the company plans to sell them via Japanese carriers. The company has established itself as one of the leading smartphone brands globally. Xiaomi opened its doors to customers in 2010. According to market research firm IDC, Xiaomi boasts a global market share of 9.1% as of the third quarter of 2019.

    The Note 10 series Xiaomi - Japanese Smartphone Market
    The Note 10 series Xiaomi

    Samsung Electronics Co. held a 21.8 percent market share, Huawei Technologies Co. held 18.6 per cent market share, and Apple Inc. held a 13 percent market share. The Japanese market, on the other hand, has a different power balance – Apple’s iPhones are immensely popular in the country. In the first half of 2019, Apple’s smartphone share in Japan overwhelmed rivalling companies with a whopping 44.6 per cent local market share. Sharp Corp. held a 12.3 per cent market share, and Samsung held a 10.2 per cent market share.

    Although the timing may seem right, Xiaomi is likely to have a tough time winning the hearts of iPhone users in Japan. The Japanese government has made it mandatory for carriers to separate data fees from handset prices to enable users to be aware of what exactly they are paying for. The government also ordered carriers to cut down cancellation fees on two-year contracts to ¥1,000 from about ¥9,500.

    The new rules also put a cap on handset discounts, limiting discounts to ¥20,000 to avoid excessive price cuts on specific devices.

    Xiaomi intends to swoop in with its cost-effective smartphones. The Mi Note 10 models cost about half of the latest iPhone models. The firm in 2019 declared that it would cap its net profit margin from hardware products to 5 percent. Wang said that the company can still make profits due to economies of scale in addition to its online businesses. Xiaomi will also roll out some non-smartphone products in Japan this month, including a smart wearable device and a rice cooker.

  • Xiaomi Poco To Turn Independent

    Xiaomi Poco To Turn Independent

    In 2018, Xiaomi managed to outdo OnePlus (as far as value for money goes) by releasing the powerful Pocophone F1 smartphone. For just $300, the phone supplied astonishing value for money with its Snapdragon 845 processor. Now, the Chinese company has announced that it’s spinning the sub-brand off into an entirely new company called Poco. Executive Manu Kumar said that the company feels that the time is right to let Xiaomi Poco operate on its own.

    He also added that the Poco F1 remains a top contender in the value for money category. Xiaomi is the fourth-largest smartphone manufacturer in the world and is particularly popular in India. While it mainly sells low- and mid-range devices, the Xiaomi Poco sub-brand was launched in 2018 to compete with high-end smartphones from OnePlus, Samsung, and others.

    Xiaomi POCO
    Xiaomi POCO

    However, since then, the brand has yet to launch another smartphone. Xiaomi also owns the Mi/Redmi sub-brands that manufacture everything from smartphones to computers and TVs, amongst other electronics. The Mi brand remains in-house; however, Poco will come out with new devices as an independent company.

    No details about the brand or future products are known; however, the head of Poco, Alvin Tse, told TechCrunch in 2018 that the brand was working on smartphones and other products. It is also unclear what resources (marketing, manufacturing, etc.) the new company will share with the parent company. Poco will enter an already crowded market that hasn’t shown much growth in the last few years. For Poco to remain competitive in the market, it must come out with affordable, high-quality products fast.

     

  • Z Flip by Samsung and Motorola Razr make little sense for business

    Z Flip by Samsung and Motorola Razr make little sense for business

    If you have been keeping up with the news, you may know that the Galaxy Z Flip by Samsung and the Razr smartphone by Motorola are both foldable smartphone models. Each is designed in an innovative manner. However, they have been priced a bit too high to warrant widespread sales. The Motorola Razr is set for a February release while the Galaxy Z Flip is scheduled to be launched sometime in March. While the name of the latter device is not yet confirmed, many sources mentioned that it could be named the Z Flip. Both of these smartphones are designed to fold along the x-axis, meaning you can fold them top to bottom.

    The Galaxy Fold becomes a small tablet when you open it which is perfect for watching a movie or getting some information. You can multi-task on this easily and swap between several apps. When you close it, you will be able to use the Razr or the Z Flip as a smartphone. The idea behind this is dual functionality with a splash of swag.

    Samsung Galaxy Z Flip
    Samsung Galaxy Z Flip

    The first Samsung foldable device was not received very well. It was mainly due to its delicate build and crease along the fold that made up the main criticisms. The premium price tag didn’t help matters either. Regardless, Samsung managed to make nearly half-a-million in global sales – something which is surprising and almost unheard of regarding first-gen innovations. The Galaxy Z Flip is about to release next month.

    Features of the Z Flip and Razr

    For a brief moment, there might be some nostalgia about the Razr flip phone of the past. However, that is short-lived considering that the foldable model has priced triple the original model. The phone comes with a 2510 mAh battery which is a small battery by all means. It could be hard to power two displays with this battery. Even when completely opened up, the phone comes to only about 6.2 inches which is smaller than most of today’s flagships.

    Motorola Razr
    Motorola Razr

    On the other hand, Samsung is said to have priced the Galaxy Z Flip quite affordably. This means it will be a far better option than the Razr if that is true. Again, the Z Flip will also have higher-end specifications when compared to Razr.

    While Samsung was among the first companies to come up with foldable smartphones, others in the industry have been quick to jump on the bandwagon. Microsoft is now planning to introduce the Surface Duo sometime later in 2020. While phones that open up to offer more screen lead to better productivity and is in most cases, very useful to the users. However, some consumers also enjoy using phones that fold up to become smaller versions of themselves. One way or the other, you can be sure that the foldable display tech is here to stay. With more companies working on it, we can sure that advancements on this tech will be rapid.

  • When will my phone get Android 10 Update?

    When will my phone get Android 10 Update?

    Android 10 has been out for some time now. With many features, Google’s latest update has something for everyone. It could be that you are eager to see its new permission settings for apps or the sophisticated dark mode, there is much to experience. However, there is always that long waiting period between when Google releases its final build and the moment when your phone receives the update. In this post, we will be looking at the different OEMs and which devices are slated for an Android 10 update in 2020.

    Google Pixel

    Google’s Pixel phones will naturally be among the first models to receive the Android 10 update. The devices that will receive the update this year includes Pixel 3a, Pixel 3a XL, Pixel 3, Pixel 3 XL, Pixel 2, Pixel 2 XL, Pixel, and Pixel XL.

    Google Pixel Android 10 Update
    Google Pixel

    Samsung

    Samsung is one of the largest and most popular smartphone manufacturers. The Galaxy S10, S10+, S10e, Galaxy Note 10, Note 10+, and Galaxy Note 9 have all received the update. Android 10 for Galaxy S9 and S9+ is still in the works, but the company is hoping to release it soon enough. Older devices like Galaxy S8 or Note 8 are not likely to receive the update at all.

    LG

    Of late, LG has become known for its slow updates. Today, only LG G8 and G7 One have received the update. However, other phones expected to receive the Android 10 update include

    LG K50 Android 10 Update
    LG K50

    Huawei

    Huawei’s Huawei P30 series, Huawei Mate 20 series and Huawei Mate 10 series have all received the EMUI 10/Android 10 update. Other models expecting the update include the following.

    Since the upcoming phones from Huawei will not have any Google services, it is not yet clear how the company plans to handle this issue.

    Motorola

    Motorola is a popular smartphone brand which has been lagging the past few years. However, the company still is providing the update to a decent number of devices.

    Nokia 3.2
    Nokia 3.2

    Nokia

    Nokia devices that are already running on Android 10 includes Nokia 6.1, Nokia 6.1 Plus, Nokia 7 Plus, Nokia 7.1, Nokia 8.1, and Nokia 9 PureView. Nokia phones slated for the update include the following devices.

    • Nokia 2.2
    • Nokia 3.1 Plus
    • Nokia 3.2
    • Nokia 4.2
    • Nokia 1 Plus
    • Nokia 5.1 Plus
    • Nokia 8 Sirocco
    • Nokia 2.1
    • Nokia 3.1
    • Nokia 5.1
    • Nokia 1

    OnePlus

    OnePlus is among the manufacturers that are known to provide the fastest updates. OnePlus 5 or 5T users will receive the update in the second quarter of 2020. This is the list of OnePlus phones already running on Android 10.

    If you own one of these phones, keep an eye out for the updates. The time is not too far away!