Tech News

Samsung unveiled three new Windows laptops with solid performance and a practical build. The Samsung Notebook 5 comes with a 15.6" 1080p screen and a metal body. The other two are Notebook 3 models - one with a 14" screen and one with 15.6". The specs are mostly identical from here on out. The laptops come with a choice between an 8th or 7th generation Intel processors, the higher-end models also come with discrete Nvidia graphics. Full specs are...

Earlier today, we dug up some info on an alleged Galaxy A6 and A6+ pair, currently in the works. Some extra snooping around also led us to interesting finds on a few other Samsung devices, all bearing the SM-J720 model number, in a few typical variants - M, D/DS, F and F/DS. Examining current and old J-series model numbers leads us to believe this is likely the Galaxy J7 (2018). On to particulars, then. FCC documentation is rarely very descriptive...

A new member of Vivo's mid-range family is apparently on its way. A pair of listing for an Y71 and Y71A on TENAA offer up quite a few details, with other industry sources filling in pretty much all the rest of the gaps, with more specs, product images, launch date and a price. Unlike the recently spotted Y85, the Y71 sports a classic notch-less design on its 5.99-inch, 1440 x 720pixel panel. It is housed within what, based on the antenna lines,...

Google is gearing up to officially launch its Home and Home Mini devices in India next month. The news was originally picked up as part of a communication by Redington India with its retail partners. This move has been widely anticipated, since the Google Assistant rolled out support for Hindi last month. Plus, Amazon's competing Alexa and its Echo Plus, Echo and Echo Dot devices have recently begun selling in the subcontinent as well. Officially...

Google has never been one to shy away from shipping hidden, in-development code inside production software. It's one of those little things about the web titan than can put a smile on any enthusiastic developer or modder's face and is typically how we get early clues about upcoming features and design changes. Old Pixel Launcher home • New Pixel Launcher home This time around, one of the guys over at XDA managed to unearth some UI tweaks in the...

The Galaxy A6 moniker has been floating around in the rumor mill for a good three years now. But only recently has there been actual development on the matter, with Galaxy A6 and A6+ handsets, already Wi-Fi certified and spotted on GeekBench. As per an earlier industry insider tip, the SM-A600FN and SM-A605G were apparently only intended for a trio of markets - Europe, Russia, and Middle East. Samsung Galaxy A6+ FCC documents However, both devices...

Neither April has arrived yet, nor Google has announced details for the April security update. However, that isn't stopping Samsung from rolling out the patch, which has already started hitting Galaxy J3 (2017) units in some markets. Specifically, Netherlands and Luxembourg are the regions where the update is currently live. Needless to say, there's currently no information on what all issues are fixed in the patch. Given the roll out has just begun,...

You could always add an image to your Always on Display to customize the look of the phone while it permanently displays the time, date, and any incoming notifications. Samsung's Always on Display is being updated to support GIFs to further customize the look of your AOD. Version 3.2.26.4 of the app allows you to set any GIF to adorn your AOD by opening the GIF in the Gallery app and tapping the overflow menu (.), then selecting "Set as Always on...

A group of 26 suspects were arrested in China for smuggling almost USD $80 million worth of smartphones into Southern China from Hong Kong. Suspects were able to transport upwards of 15,000 devices in a single night, which were mostly refurbished iPhones, (according to the Chinese Customs' report) across the border that divides Hong Kong from mainland China. Drones confiscated by authorities in Shenzhen on March 29 - Via Reuters Drones were used...

The T-Mobile Sidekick is getting reincarnated in the carrier's latest announcement. It was an iconic smartphone that had several celebrity endorsements, a screen that flipped out in a really cool 180-degree motion, and its operating system would eventually evolve into what we know today as Android. Today, T-Mobile introduces the world's first Smartshoephone™: T-Mobile Sidekicks. As fun as they are functional, T-Mobile Sidekicks are fully tricked...

Samsung has a near-monopoly over mobile OLED panels in the market, and it is demonstrated well by the fact that Samsung is the sole supplier of OLED displays even for its arch rival’s iPhone X. The situation in the TV market is, however, different. Samsung has stopped making OLED TVs and started selling QLED TVs, while also investing in a more futuristic MicroLED technology. On the other...

Huawei has recently come under fire in the US, where government agencies left and right are advising people and companies not to purchase its products. The CIA, FBI, and NSA are concerned that Huawei devices are used to spy on Americans. As you'd expect, Huawei's consumer products CEO doesn't think too highly of such assessments. Richard Yu told CNET that "the security risk concerns are based on groundless suspicions and are quite frankly unfair"....

Xiaomi has started rolling out the MIUI 9.5 update for the Redmi Note 5 in India. The update changes the version number to v9.5.3.0.NEGMIFA. The update brings a whole host of changes and improvements. You can read all the changes in the images below. Changelog The update is now rolling out via OTA download but if you like you can also download and flash the ROM manually from the link below. The Redmi Note 5 is one of the newest Xiaomi phones to...

Oppo just announced its R15 flagship duo, which not only represents the latest and greatest from the world's fifth largest manufacturer, but also comes to show what to expect from OnePlus and Vivo - the other two in BBK Electronics' smartphone trifecta. Read More........

Apple wasn’t the first manufacturer to employ a notch on an otherwise “all-screen” smartphone display. That was Essential, the company created by Android co-founder Andy Rubin, which launched the Essential Phone to much fanfare, both because one of Android’s masterminds was behind it and because of the notch at the top of the display. Apple did, however, make the notch mainstream thanks to the power...

Following AT&T, two more US carriers are now sending Oreo updates to Samsung Galaxy Note8 phones on their networks - Verizon and Sprint. It's a hefty update, over a gigabyte, but it's worth it. It adds features like picture-in-picture, autofill, device maintenance, improved biometrics, better background app management and so on. Besides Android 8.0 Oreo, the update also brings the Samsung Experience version to 9.0. Galaxy Note8 phones on Verizon...

It has happened at least once before, and it seems to be happening again. Samsung has gone ahead and released the security patch for the upcoming month for one of its devices, before Google has released official details of what that patch entails or rolled it out for its Pixel phones. The device in question is the Galaxy J3 (2017), which is receiving an update in the Netherlands and Luxembourg...

If there’s one thing Samsung’s camera app doesn’t lack, it’s the number of ways one can take a picture. You can use the standard shutter button inside the camera, press the volume buttons, use voice control, or hold out your palm towards the camera to make it click a picture on a timer. The palm gesture is especially handy when you want to take a selfie and can’t reach the shutter button or volume keys without awkwardly twisting your fingers, which...

We had a bit of fun in the office shooting 960fps videos. We used the Sony Xperia XZ2 and the Samsung Galaxy S9 to try and find out which one does a better job at 960 frames per second. Of course, Huawei launched its own 960fps competitor earlier this week, but that's for another time. So, how did the two competitors do? Sony came out with a 960fps-capable phone last year (the XZ1) and this year it upgraded the camera to support 1080p resolution...

Samsung was hit by a major corruption scandal last year that had far-reaching repercussions both inside and outside the company. The scandal brought down South Korea’s former president Park Geun-hye and landed Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong in jail on charges of bribery and corruption. A Seoul court found Lee guilty and sentenced him to five years in prison. He filed an appeal with...

The Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ are Samsung’s latest top-end phones, and it’s no surprise that these devices come with new functionality that isn’t present on the company’s 2017 flagships. It’s also not surprising that Samsung is working on slowly bringing some of that functionality to older devices through updates, and one such Galaxy S9 feature is making its way to the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy Note 8 today. Samsung has released an update for Always On...

The LG Q6 is a mini G6, the LG Q8 is a mini V20. So, what would the LG Q7 be like? We will find out soon as the company has filed a trademark with the Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO). The rumor mill is coming up empty on the matter - there's nothing on the Q7. It doesn't make a great amount of sense, but if the Q-series continues to imitate LG flagships, the LG V30 could be its next target. We could at least try to frame the price. The...

The Galaxy S8 was one of the first smartphones on the market last year capable of hitting gigabit LTE speeds. A test conducted by T-Moile revealed that the handset could achieve download speeds of over 900Mbps. However, the test was conducted in a lab and it was impossible for the average user to achieve speeds anywhere near that in real-world conditions. As one can imagine, the Galaxy S9 has a gigabit LTE modem as well which means it can hit some...

Strategy Analytics normally studies the performance of various manufacturers, but at Sony's request, the analysts took on a new role - testing the battery life of "leading premium smartphones". Here's the competition: Sony Xperia XZ2 • Sony Xperia XZ2 Compact • LG G6 Apple iPhone X • Huawei P10 • Samsung Galaxy S9 • Oppo R11 And here are the results. The Xperia XZ2 came out on top followed by the XZ2 Compact. The LG G6 narrowly beat the iPhone X...

Samsung has released the March 2018 security patch for a handful of devices over the past few days including but not limited to the Galaxy Note 8, Galaxy S7 and the Galaxy A7. It has now released the security patch for the month of March 2018 for the Galaxy S7 edge, the Galaxy C7 Pro and the Galaxy A8+ (2018). March 2018 security patch rolling out to more devices Samsung started rolling out the latest...

Apple announced its latest iPad 9.7 earlier this week. The tablet will be offered in the States by T-Mobile, Verizon and BestBuy starting April 2. Europe, or at least the United Kingdom, is getting the device a bit earlier after Vodafone sent out a press release, announcing the availability of the tablet in stores. Online purchases will be available after Easter. The new iPad 9.7 with 32 GB storage can be purchased with one of four plans. For £26/month...

The Galaxy Note 8 Android Oreo update is now being rolled out by Verizon and Sprint in the United States some three days after AT&T became the first carrier in the country to release the update for this device. Interestingly, AT&T was the last carrier to release the Galaxy S8 Android Oreo update in the United States. Countless Galaxy Note 8 owners on both carriers have now confirmed that they’re now receiving the latest firmware update for...

Most companies are done with their H1 2018 announcements, but Motorola is still holding back with the Moto G6 series. Those should be coming shortly though as a massive leak just came showing us what two of the phones will look like and revealing most of their specs and even prices. Moto G6 Play Moto G6 Play will be the most affordable device in the series with 5.7" display and HD+ resolution, confirming that Motorola will also move to tall screens....

In January Google launchedPlay Books - a store for audio books and a direct competitor to Audible. Today the company announced a handful of updates on its blog that should bring better user experience. According to the article, you'll now be able to place bookmarks wherever you want in the audiobook, so you can later get back to it. There are also plenty of new and updated features like Smart Resume, speed control and Family Library. Smart Resume...

There has been a lot of contriversy over "the notch" in the past several days, particularly with Huawei's announcement of the P20 and P20 Pro (though you do have the option of turning it off in the software), which both have notches. More recently, there was outcry on Twitter when Carl Pei, founder of OnePlus, was quoted saying that we should "learn to love the notch". Having this notch in the display was the only way that Apple could get away making...

Recently, we reported about the devices that could launch as the Galaxy J8 and Galaxy J8+. The SM-J800FN model that could be the Galaxy J8 has been spotted on a benchmarking website and at the Wi-Fi Alliance recently. The SM-J805G model which points to a Galaxy J8+, based on Samsung’s naming pattern, also surfaced on a benchmarking website earlier this month. Following in the footsteps of Galaxy A8 and A8+ According to the information revealed in...

Sony's latest flagship smartphones are now up for pre-order in the US, at B&H specifically. The retailer wants $799.99 of your hard earned cash for the XZ2, and $649.99 for the XZ2 Compact. In both cases, $0 tax is collected outside of NY and NJ. Unfortunately B&H doesn't list a shipping date for either model. The XZ2 and XZ2 Compact will become available in Europe on April 5, but it's unclear if they will be in stock in the US around the...

The Razer Phone launched in late 2017 on Android 7.1.1 Nougat, and the company's fans have been patiently waiting for an update to Oreo ever since. Today we found out that this is closer than you may have expected. In fact, a Developer Preview of the new software is available to download right now. Needless to say, you probably shouldn't approach that unless you're okay with living with bugs. Oh, and note that installing it will erase all data from...

Today Apple is releasing iOS 11.3, watchOS 4.3, and tvOS 11.3 to everyone with a compatible device. iOS 11.3 iOS has gone through a few beta builds recently, and now version 11.3 is finally ready for primetime. It includes the self-explanatory Battery Health tool that the company promised following the iPhone throttling scandal. This tells you whether your device has experienced an unexpected shutdown because the battery was unable to deliver the...

Huawei has worked hard to stay at the forefront of camera innovation, but it hasn't forgotten about displays. The company has patented a foldable smartphone that opens and closes like a book. The patent was filed with WIPO on September 19 last year and published today. The mechanism looks similar to the Microsoft Surface Book, but seems to leave a much smaller gap. The display - a single panel, rather than two like the Axon M - and should be tablet-sized...

The Brazilian agency was right about the Galaxy S9 battery capacities, now it has published photos of batteries for the Galaxy J8 and J8+, aka J800 and J805. We've seen these in benchmarks with Snapdragon 625 and Exynos 7885, chipsets known for their efficiency rather than speed. The batteries in question are 3,000 mAh for the J8 and 3,500 mAh for the J8+, mirroring the capacities of the S9 duo. That's 11.55 Wh and 13.48 Wh respectively. Batteries...

Benchmark comparisons aren’t something we usually do. In fact, we never bother with benchmarks, because most benchmarks simulate extreme use cases that don’t reflect how the everyday experience of using a device would be. And, well, if a phone’s software isn’t properly optimized, lag and stutter in regular operation make even the highest benchmark scores seem useless. Samsung’s phones are certainly guilty of dipping in performance even a month down...

All these years, many smartphones sold in the US had their FM chip disabled intentionally by the carriers and OEMs for commercial reasons. It was seen as a move by the carriers to push users to consume more data and thereby pay more every month. Thankfully, things started changing in the last year or so when LG, Motorola, Alcatel, and other companies decided to activate the FM chips on their smartphones...

Huawei might have announced the P20 and P20 Pro at a glamorous event in Paris, but in the meantime, Huawei P20 Lite was already appearing on retailer shelves around the world. The latest to stock them is Vodafone UK, which just announced the lite flagship is available for purchase. Huawei P20 Lite Customers can get the Huawei P20 Lite only in Black color. There is an offer called 250 MB Essentials that gives you the cheapest monthly payment for...

Is it odd that the Galaxy Note9 was spotted at Geekbench this early? It isn't if the report of an accelerated time frame is true. And apparently, it's Galaxy S9's fault. The launch of the second 2018 flagship may come as early as July or August, based on info that Samsung Display is pulling up the AMOLED production for the Note9 from June to April, says Korean publication The Investor. This is partially because the Galaxy S9 isn't selling as well...

Two days after the P20 event, Huawei had another party, this time in China. The company launched three midrangers, part of the new Enjoy 8 series. The phones might look like new, but we already saw two of them arrive with different monikers. The biggest one - Enjoy 8 Plus, was recently launched as Huawei Y9 (2018) in Thailand. The regular Enjoy 8 is called Y7 Prime (2018) elsewhere, with the most affordable one - Huawei Enjoy 8e being the only new...

HMD has scheduled an event in India for April 4 with hints that it will be about Android One phones. That doesn't narrow it down much, but Twitter user @IshanAgarwal24 has dug up this image, which suggests the Nokia 7 plus will be exclusive to Amazon India. Apparently, the 7 Plus will be sold through flash sales, similar to the sales approach of Chinese companies. The Nokia 7 Plus may be exclusive to Amazon India There's a chance that more phones...

Yesterday, Carl Pei talked up the decision to add a notch to the OnePlus 6. He even tweeted "Learn to love the notch" with a link to his interview with The Verge. Now that tweet is gone, deleted. Pei's timeline doesn't mention even a peep about a notch. Here's a copy of the deleted tweet: Learn to love the notch 😉 https://t.co/Rd9lkcksJV — Carl Pei (@getpeid) March 28, 2018 Understandably, there was an outcry from fans - they didn't like the new...