Tech News

Today, Honor has launched its Beta program for Honor 7X owners in four European countries: France, Germany, Italy, and Spain. The program will let you test non-final builds of EMUI 8.0 based on Android 8.0 Oreo. New features will include a refined UI, improved performance and stability, as well as some of Huawei's AI features, though just the ones that don't require the Kirin 970's NPU. Honor 7X The Honor 7X will be receiving EMUI 8.0 Oreo sometime...

As the major announcements from the MWC are getting discussed, Evan Blass tweets a photo of the alleged Huawei P20 Lite, even though it isn't even set to be announced for another month. For a while, Huawei's P20 was rumored to have three rear cameras, but when Blass tweeted the supposed picture of the P20 with a notch in the display and dual rear cameras, we can pretty much hold our breaths until we see a P20 Pro model, one that many hope will have...

Nokia is playing the nostalgia card again this year, following up on the reinvented iconic 3310 feature phone from 2017. This time around it's the banana phone redux - meet the Nokia 8110 4G, arriving on the scene 22 years after the original. The device famously used by Neo in the Matrix movie is reimagined for the modern world, with 4G LTE capabilities, alongside Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and even GPS. It's still unashamedly not a smartphone, as you'd...

LG has revamped its smartphone strategy this year, vowing not to release new devices just to respond to competitors. Thus, the much anticipated G7 has apparently been canceled or rebuilt from scratch, according to past rumors. That, however, hasn't stopped it from leaking in full at MWC today. The images you can see below have been outed by Israeli publication Ynetnews, which also has a hands-on video up - hit the Source linked below to watch it....

The pace at which Samsung has been making improvements to its flagship smartphone displays, it was only a matter of time before things reached a peak, and that seems to have finally happened with the Galaxy S9. DisplayMate, the experts who go through the pains of testing smartphone displays so we don’t have to, say the Galaxy S9 has the best display of any smartphone ever. To be fair, Samsung’s flagships...

Samsung's Galaxy S9 has undoubtedly been the king of the show at this year's MWC, alongside its bigger and better-specced sibling, the S9+. Samsung's flagship duo stole the spotlight from many of its competitors, and rightly so given what they deliver. If you've already taken a look at our hands-on review of the S9 and S9+ in written form, perhaps now would be a good time to watch us deliver our first impressions on video. You'll find out about...

Samsung has been preloading the McAfee anti-malware solution on their Galaxy smartphones for some years now. In case if you haven’t observed it, you can find it in the Device Maintenance menu in the settings, under the Device Security option. While some users may label it as bloat, Samsung believes it offers an additional layer of security to its users. McAfee will come pre-installed on Galaxy S9 At...

Yesterday Asus outed the Zenfone 5 and 5z, identical smartphones on the outside that borrow heavily from the iPhone X in the looks department. But if you want a screen notch on a handset running Android, you will soon have another option: the upcoming vivo V9. This too comes with the polarizing feature, as the images below attest. They were captured by a reader of ours and they show the vivo store (and the billboard right above it) in Pangkal Pinang...

At CES 2018, Samsung showcased its vision for TVs and other home appliances in the IoT era. Though the company showcased ‘The Wall,’ its first 146-inch modular MicroLED TV, and an 8K QLED TV at the event, it didn’t launch any of the mainstream QLED TVs for 2018 at the event. The more mainstream SmartTVs were expected to launch at a later date. 2018 Samsung QLED TVs will feature Bixby Earlier...

Yesterday, we reported on a rather interesting find, regarding the memory configuration of Sony's latest flagship pair. Today, the plot thickens even further. Apparently, the US, UK and Canada listings for the bigger Xperia XZ2 all quote 6GB of RAM. Once again, that is 2GB more than the standard international version gets. The original scoop pertained to regional XZ2 and XZ2 Compact units for Hong Kong and Taiwan. We went over a total of four listing...

If your phone has a microSD slot (which is quick becoming a rarity), you might want to check out the SanDisk 400GB microSD card. It started at a hefty $230, but you can now have it for $190. B&H Photo Video, Amazon and NewEgg have it at that price. Best Buy is charging $200. There are smaller cards too, the 256GB ones start at $100 if you don't need so much storage (there are faster, pricier versions of the 256GB card too). The 64GB and 128GB...

Huawei CEO Richard Yu wants you to know that his company is working on the a third generation smartwatch. No, it's not coming anytime soon, this is just an FYI. According to Yu, the Watch 2 sells well and there's no need to hurry. The Watch 2 was unveiled at MWC 2017 and some expected to see the 3rd edition this year. Clearly, this didn't happen and there were no new Huawei phones either (the P10 was another MWC 2017 announcement). The P20 phones...

LG's official announcements at MWC this year were admittedly a bit light on the hardware front, with a major focus on AI instead. In case you missed it, the V30S ThinQ and V30S+ ThinkQ were unveiled at the Barcelona venue, with most of the focus falling on the company's new and ambitious smart platform, rather than the new V30 colors and memory upgrade. Still, that is not to say the Korean giant didn't bring any hardware to the venue. We just had...

Samsung launched the DeX platform along with the Galaxy S8 and S8+. It allows users to connect their Galaxy S8, Galaxy S8+, Galaxy Note 8, Galaxy S9, and Galaxy S9+ to a monitor and use Android apps in a PC-like environment. The idea behind DeX is to transform the smartphone into a mobile computing device when connected to an external monitor, keyboard, and mouse. Developers can now code on the go With...

The annual MWC event in Barcelona is almost over, but we can't call it a day before we handle all new Zenfones Asus had in store for us. The event last night brought us a whole bunch of new devices, some of them to be available in different variants in a typical Asus fashion. The notorious notch made an appearance, too, and it's shaping to be the next trendy thing after the "full-view" screens. Read More........

After doing a soft launch last year with Echo, Amazon has now properly launched its Prime Music service in India. The service, which was earlier limited to the Echo devices, will now also be available on iOS, Android, desktop, Fire TV Stick and the Amazon website. The service includes millions of songs across 10 Indian languages. The mobile apps also include support for Alexa, so instead of typing you can just tell Alexa which song you want to play,...

It appears Samsung is gearing up to revamp the Galaxy J series this year. Benchmarking websites are flooded with seemingly new Galaxy J series models which may launch sometime soon. Many of these devices were also part of the unannounced Galaxy devices list found in the leaked Galaxy Note 8 Oreo firmware. After the alleged Galaxy J4, Galaxy J6, and the US variant of the new Galaxy J3, a device bearing the model number SM-J800FN has been spotted in...

Samsung decided to unify its naming scheme - first it was the Note, then the A-series caught up with the S flagships. Apparently, the affordable J series are next for rebranding, according to a new benchmark of a Samsung device with the model number SM-J800FN. The phone has Exynos 7870 chipset, coupled with 3 GB RAM and runs Android Oreo. The single-core score of the device is 728, while the multi-core result is 3683, although these results are...

The Galaxy S8 was a significant milestone in smartphone design, not just for Samsung but the entire industry. So, when Samsung announced the Galaxy S9 and S9+ on Sunday, they didn’t change much in terms of design compared to the predecessors. The Galaxy S9 does bring some design changes to the table, but they are all subtle refinements to the Galaxy S8’s design, like a repositioned fingerprint reader,...

Sprint announced it is preparing to deliver mobile 5G in the first half of 2019. Customers of the carrier in Chicago, Dallas and Los Angeles are promised to get "5G-like capabilities", later joined by Atlanta, Houston and Washington DC. In 2018 and 2019 the company will position thousands of Massive MIMO radios, increasing its network capacity across the country. As part of the coverage expansion, Sprint promises to connect "people, places and billions...

A few days back, HMD Global's CEO, Florian Seiche, confirmed the new Nokia smartphones (1, 6 (2018), and 7 Plus) aren't headed stateside. Then came reports that these phone may launch in the country in Q2 this year. And now, HMD has confirmed at-least the Nokia 6 (2018) is coming this May. The confirmation came from Juho Sarvikas, HMD's chief product officer, in a recent interview. The executive, however, didn't provide any info on pricing. In the...

Today, Amazon has agreed to acquire Ring - the company behind the Ring Doorbell, an internet-connected doorbell that offers a live visual and audible feeds at your home's front door. Likewise, you can intercom with guests who arrive at your home via the Ring app. An agreement was made to the tune of over $1 billion, though this is an estimated number based on reports. Specific terms of the deal haven't been made known just yet, but we don't expect...

Nokia is having a blast at MWC this year, having announced both a new flagship (the Nokia 8 Sirocco) as well as the Nokia 7 plus, perhaps the most intriguing device in its current roster. It's a premium midranger powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 660, in theory promising to give you most of the performance of a phone powered by an 8-series chip, but for a fraction of the price. The Nokia 7 plus will cost €399 when it hits the streets, and you get...

Late last year Asus unveiled the Zenfone Max Plus (M1), and today at MWC the company took the wraps off its slightly smaller sibling, the Zenfone Max (M1). This model comes with a 5.5-inch 1,440x720 18:9 IPS display capable of up to 400 nits of brightness. The phone has an 83% screen-to-body ratio thanks to its slim bezels. It's powered by either the Snapdragon 425 or the Snapdragon 430, depending on which variation you happen to buy. Similarly,...

After introducing the entry-level Zenfone 5 Lite, Asus got to the main event of its MWC press conference. That is, of course, the Zenfone 5. And the higher-end Zenfone 5z. These models are almost identical, save for the chipset used, and the amount of RAM and storage you can get them with. They are both filled to the brims with AI: AI Boost (for more power when gaming), AI Photography (with scene detection, photo learning, portrait mode and beautification),...

Samsung will be launching the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ smartphones in India on March 6 at an event in New Delhi. The company has started sending out invitations to the media for the same. The Galaxy S9 and S9+ are already up for pre-ordering on Samsung's website. Both devices are available in a choice of 64GB or 256GB in either Lilac Purple, Midnight Black or Coral Blue. Samsung is currently accepting INR 2000 as booking amount and the rest will...

At its press conference at MWC today, Asus unveiled three new smartphones, the first being the Zenfone 5 Lite. This is going to be the entry-level model in the Zenfone 5 family. It packs four cameras, two of them with a 120-degree wide-angle field-of-view, one on each side. The main rear camera is a 16 MP unit, while the main selfie snapper is a 20 MP part using the Sony IMX376 sensor. The phone has a 6-inch 2,160x1,080 display, and an 80.3% screen-to-body...

Today is the Pokemon Day - it's the date the original Pokemon game was released back in 1996. And there are different happenings right now to celebrate the birth of the worldwide phenomenon. Niantic is celebrating the day by adding a Pikachu with a party hat just for today. This is not the first occurrence of the party creature, but the ones caught today will come with a special new Present move. Triple stardust will come with each Pikachu you capture...

When we read Samsung's patent about measuring blood pressure with an optical sensor, we imagined it will be used on smartwatches in the future. So imagine our surprise to find out that the Galaxy S9 and S9+ have just such a sensor. Besides blood pressure, the phone can measure your stress levels as well. Samsung also plans to expand Bixbi's skills to allow it to judge the calories of a meal just by looking at it through the camera. This tech was...

HMD Global's CEO, Florian Seiche, may have confirmed that the new batch of products isn't headed stateside. "It's not a core focus for this year, but certainly it is on our roadmap", but a new report suggests that the Nokia 1, Nokia 6(2018) and Nokia 7 Plus may be heading to the US in Q2 after all - unlocked. While not available through any US carriers, it's possible to buy selected Nokia phones through retailers. Amazon, for example, currently...

The new Sony Xperia XZ2 features a Dynamic Vibration System - a more powerful, more advanced haptic feedback system that enhances music, movies and games. The first step, is a much larger vibration motor - check out the size difference, this is the reason the smaller XZ2 Compact lacks this feature. Next up is software magic - it analyzes sound and activates the vibration in sync. It doesn't just track the base, it also listens to the higher frequencies...

Nokia gave new life to the Sirocco brand with the latest version of the Nokia 8, announced at MWC 2018. It comes with P-OLED screen and 6 GB RAM while keeping the mighty power-efficient Snapdragon 835 chipset. The Nokia 8 Sirocco also looks amazing with a new glossy back and a fingerprint scanner on the back, right below the dual cam setup that is now a wide-angle + telephoto lens combo. So what are our first impressions of the phone and how is...

Between the adjustable aperture and the option to record “super” slow-motion videos, it’s hard to say which of the two Galaxy S9 camera features Samsung is prouder of. For the regular consumer, slow-motion videos make for better marketing material, and Samsung has certainly not been shy about touting how its new flagships can take awesome slow-mo clips. For those who haven’t been keeping up, the Galaxy...

Samsung announced the highly anticipated Galaxy S9+ on Sunday with dual cameras - the first having a variable aperture for different scenes, the other being the well-known telephoto shooter from the Galaxy Note8. While in Barcelona, we decided to put the Samsung flagship against the most powerful Apple phone - the iPhone X. From a technical standpoint, the primary cam can go either f/1.5 or f/2.4 and nowhere in between. It is 12 MP with a 1/2.55"...

Smartphones have revolutionized software, but when they need to interact with the real world, they usually rely on external accessories. The Cat S61 is unique in that it's a venerable toolbox that can be used in a variety of professions. Going in, we had no idea just how many uses this phone has. The Cat S61 is the toughest, most-capable phone The thermal camera is the key draw. It can be used by handymen working on the insulation on your house...

The MWC 2018 official proceeding are not over quite yet! Asus has its even scheduled for 7:30PM CET today and, naturally, we'll be on location, to keep you up to date with all the announcements. If you want to tune in and watch, the below embed should have you covered, or just hit up the source link. As a quick refresh, Asus is expected to unveil the Zenfone 5 - maybe even three of them, Zenfone 5, Zenfone 5 Lite and 5 Max. Hence, the "#BACKTO05"...

The United States may be the biggest market for premium smartphones, but there is enough demand for low-cost devices as well for Samsung to launch budget models every year. Samsung launched the Galaxy J3 with support for all US carriers last year under different names and model numbers. Device benchmarks and Wi-Fi certification point to a new Galaxy J3 launch in the US this year as well. A new Galaxy J3 likely headed to the US Last year’s Galaxy...

The OnePlus 5 (unveiled June last year) brought a dual camera, the OnePlus 5T (November) moved to an 18:9 screen. So, what will the OnePlus 6 be like? If these photos are to be believed, it will be part iPhone X, part Galaxy S9+. The front shows a notch in the screen, big enough to hold the earpiece and selfie camera. Note the Android version (8.1) and OxygenOS version (5.1), they are ahead of what's currently available for the 5T. The back is a...

Land Rover is a brand mostly popular with its 4WD vehicles that tend to go places unreachable by ordinary cars. Inspired by this idea, Bullitt Group, more famous with the CAT phones, bought the name rights from Jaguar for the latest phone, called Land Rover Explore. Already introduced at ISPO - an outdoor and sports trade show in Munich, we got our hands on the phone at the company's booth in Barcelona, part of MWC 2018. Official press images of...

Sony has announced the new A7 III, which includes a whole host of new features and improvements that brings it in line with the more prolific members of the A7 series, such as the A7R III and the A9. The A7 III features a brand new full-frame 24.2MP backside illuminated EXMOR R CMOS sensor and an updated BIONZ X image processor. The ISO range has been expanded to ISO 100 - 51200. The dynamic range has been expanded to 15-stop but no one really knows...

It's pretty clear the full screen display trend isn't going away any time soon. And since staying relevant is essential in the mobile realm, it should come as no surprise that LG Display is working on some designs of its own. A recently published patent filing shows an entire display module, in a distinctive rounded-off shape - more than likely a take on the full screen display concept. LG Display full screen module LG's particular approach seems...

Last month we came across many unannounced Galaxy device codenames and model numbers in the leaked Galaxy Note 8 Oreo build. Galaxy J4 and Galaxy J6 were two of the budget devices spotted in that list. At the time of the leak, there was nothing more than a few codenames and model numbers about the existence of these devices. In the last couple of weeks, however, we have come across more circumstantial evidence about the existence of these devices. Yet...

Only a few short hours have passed since Sony's official unveiling for the Xperia XZ2 and XZ2 Compact flagship, yet the pair has already stirred up an relentless avalanche of mixed responses and media and fan attention alike. The "there's no such thing as bad press" logic seems to apply here. But regardless which side of the barricade you find yourself on, Sony might have just sprinkled another interesting development in the mix. As per a pair of...

Xiaomi's upcoming Mi 7 flagship may support wireless charging. Speculation was high following Xiaomi's enrollment in the Wireless Power Consortium (WPC) in Sept '17 that it's Mi 7 flagship would support wireless charging utilizing the Qi standard. Its expected to feature a glass back which allows wireless charging. Sources further claim that the Mi 7 will support charging up to 7.5W, identical to Apple's latest iPhones following a firmware update...

In the electronics world, artificial intelligence has become a "do or die" proposition. All chipset makers have their own solutions and Qualcomm just kicked off the price race - AI isn't just for flagships anymore. The company announced a new Snapdragon 700 line of chipsets that will bring the advanced AI capabilities of the 800 series into a more affordable package. We don't know the exact specs yet, but the new chip will use Kryo CPU cores and...

The glass-heavy design language of Samsung’s mid-range and flagship smartphones these days warrants the use of a case for anyone not willing to risk seeing the glass shatter and pay a huge price to get it fixed. When your phone has a slab of glass on the front and back, it’s prone to damage no matter how durable it may be. Of course, luck’s a huge factor in deciding whether a drop will let your phone get by with a few minor scratches or make it shatter...

If you're hankering after a smartphone with a 'notch' and for it to have S9 in its name then Leagoo has you covered. And all for $150. At the Mobile World Conference this week Leagoo released more details about its upcoming Leagoo S9 smartphone, proudly carrying the slogan 'World's First Android Notch Display Smartphone'. Image courtesy of Leagoo In addition to a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor the 'notch' houses the technology to enable a "Face...

The vivo APEX is definitely one of the highlights of MWC 2018. A large, 5.99-inch, nearly bezel-free OLED panel, complete with a world-first, half-screen fingerprint scanner, a vibrating display speaker and a periscope style, pop-up selfie camera, all make for an impressively futuristic and exciting package. If you haven't done so already, we urge you to check out our hands-on impressions for a closer look. The only real downside to all this was...

So the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ are in our possession, and we’re working on getting a review out as soon as we can. Playing around with the devices, we’ve already discovered a slew of minor and major changes and new features. As we had revealed earlier, the Galaxy S9 finally makes it possible to use the home screen (and app drawer) in landscape mode, something many Samsung fans have been asking for for years. This follows another change the company...