Essential Camera app update brings new Tiny Planet mode, selfie flash

Essential has pushed out a new update to its Camera app, bumping its version to 0.1.097.006. The update brings a couple of major changes, including new Tiny Planet mode and selfie flash. Starting with the new mode, the feature - which is currently in beta - lets you view all your 360-degree photos and videos as Tiny Planets with just a tap. Here's an example: Get your selfie look ready. We just released an update to Essential Camera app that adds flash for the selfie camera, Tiny Planet mode (beta) for 360° photos and videos, and stability fixes. Download it now: https://t.co/zXoZ765GHF...

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Nokia wants to be a Top 5 smartphone maker in 3-5 years, isn't bringing its new devices to the US

You may be aware that Nokia announced quite a few new devices yesterday at MWC, including its new flagship - the Nokia 8 Sirocco. If you're in the US, however, you will unfortunately not be able to officially buy that handset, nor the Nokia 7 plus, Nokia 6 (2018), Nokia 1, or Nokia 8110 4G. HMD Global's CEO, Florian Seiche, has 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", he told CNET. Nokia will definitely have to stop ignoring the US market at some point in the next few years, especially...

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Samsung Galaxy J6 is in the works, Geekbench reveals

Samsung seems intent on massively expanding its J-series of smartphones this year. We've already seen the upcoming Galaxy J4 and J8 in benchmarks, and now it's time to gawk at the Geekbench listing for the yet-unannounced Galaxy J6, identified by its model number SM-J600F. This being a member of the J line, it's a mid-ranger of course. It comes with the Exynos 7870 chipset, which interestingly powers the Galaxy J5 (2017) as well. It has a 1.6 GHz octa-core Cortex-A53 CPU and is built on the 14nm process. Since it supports a maximum screen resolution of 1,920x1,200 we expect the J6 to have...

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The biggest iPhone yet may have 1,242x2,688 resolution, A12 chip, gold color option

It's long been rumored that Apple is going to launch three new iPhones this fall, all with a design very similar to that of the iPhone X from last year. One model will keep that device's screen tech and size, another is apparently coming with a 6.5" OLED panel, while the third model will be a more affordable 6.1" handset with an LCD display and lower resolution. Today a report from Bloomberg basically confirms all of that, adding a few new bits and pieces of intel allegedly coming from "people familiar with the products". The biggest iPhone yet is to have a screen "close to 6.5 inches",...

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Two Sirocco editions, twelve years apart - Nokia 8800 vs. Nokia 8

This Nokia/HMD event at the MWC in Barcelona was an emotional trip down memory lane. The Nokia 7 Plus may have stolen the show, but the Nokia 8 Sirocco and the Nokia 8110 4G have stolen our hearts. The banana phone and the famous Matrix handset - the Nokia 8110 - was brought back from the dead with a modern chip, LTE support, and everything. The 8810 4G will be available at just €79 and Banana Yellow is one of the two color options. But HMD is decided to keep those blasts from the past coming. After the iconic 3310 revival followed by this cult 8110 sequel, HMD dusted off yet another...

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BlackBerry only sold 850,000 phones last year, exec declares "mission accomplished" even so

Only 850,000 BlackBerry smartphones were shipped during all of last year, a number that compares well to the likes of Essential until you realize that company's only phone was on sale for just a fraction of the year. This information comes from IDC's Senior Research Director for Mobile Devices, Francisco Jeronimo, in fact the same source that gave us the Essential and Google numbers. Speaking of Google, the company managed to ship 3.9 million Pixels in 2017 despite only officially selling them in a handful of markets. On the other hand, BlackBerry execs are happy with the brand's...

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BlackBerry Ghost, a bezel-less premium Android phone, headed to India

BlackBerry is working on a new premium Android smartphone called Ghost, which will be coming to India soon, according to a tweet by Evan Blass (evleaks). BlackBerry Ghost The device is touted to be "bezel-less", although we are not sure if that means it will have no bezels like the iPhone X or something more similar to other recent Android phones. We also don't know anything else about this device, except that it will be a "premium" device and most definitely will be in black. What we know is that it will be designed and manufactured by Optiemus Infracom, one of the three...

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Motorola Moto E5 Plus official render leaks ahead of launch

We had a ton of leaks for the Moto G6 series throughout the past few weeks, so it was about time we hear more about the Moto E5 phones. And today we got an excellent glimpse of the Moto E5 Plus in a glorious press render. The image spills the beans on lots of the specs - an 18:9 display, a dual-camera on the back, and a USB Type-C port at the bottom. It also confirms one of the paintjobs - Light Blue. It's uncertain if those dots at the front stand for one selfie camera and a LED flash, or two snappers without a flash. Or maybe all three of those? The Plus model should pack a...

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HTC 10 is now getting Android Oreo update in India

We got reports that Android Oreo is now seeding to the HTC 10 smartphones in India. It should be available as an OTA update to all supported units soon, if not already. The update brings support for Jio VoLTE in addition to the new version of the Google's OS. The Oreo update for the HTC 10, just like it happened to other popular devices, was off to a rocky start as HTC quickly pulled the first batch of the ROMs. It was resumed later on. For comparison, Sprint units in the US have had access to the Oreo update since February 12. Thank you, Hrishikesh, for the tip!

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vivo X20 Plus UD goes through a scratch test - will that kill its fingerprint reader?

The vivo X20 Plus UD is the first phone to have a fingerprint reader under its display. But can this brand-new tech prove to be a week spot? Imagine for a second the scratches that accumulate on a phone's display after a year or two of use. Will the reader stop working? We'll hand you over to JerryRigEverything and his traditional Mohs' hardness test. The screen's glass handles as expected, with light scratches at level 6 and deeper ones at level 7. And the reader lived! This isn't the first fingerprint reader to undergo the scratch test, but as the video explains this is an optical...

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Samsung offers the Galaxy S9 with Hybrid Dual SIM in Germany

The internal storage of the Samsung Galaxy S9 can now be increased by up to 400GB via MicroSD card. That's an increase from 256GB from the Galaxy S8. A version also exists with a Hybrid Dual SIM that allows you to use two SIMS. A local SIM when you're on vacation and keep your home number connected or use separate work and personal numbers on the same phone. When using two SIM cards the MicroSD card can't be used. It now looks like this Hybrid Dual SIM option is available for users in Germany for the first time. SH Telekommunikation Deutschland GmbH, a provider of independent mobile...

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We benchmark the Snapdragon 660 inside the Nokia 7 Plus

The Nokia 7 Plus is one of the few phones with a Snapdragon 660 so it was hard finding it a match for a few synthetic tests. The Oppo R11s is the only other Snapdragon 660-powered phone in the tests below. The Nokia 7 Plus has 4GB of RAM and Nokia is yet to say if there will be a 6GB model. The Snapdragon 660 chip relies on 8 Kryo 260 cores - four clocked as high as 2.2GHz and another 4 that go as high as 1.8GHz - and is built around an efficient 14nm process. As with the camera, we'll withhold judgment on the benchmarks as well. This is all preliminary, folks! ...

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Canon announces EOS 2000D DSLR and M50 mirrorless cameras

Canon has launched two new budget cameras, the EOS 2000D DSLR (called the EOS Rebel T7 in the US) and the EOS M50 mirrorless camera. The cameras are being positioned as cameras for beginners looking to upgrade from shooting with their smartphones. The EOS 2000D is the new entry-level DSLR in Canon's lineup, replacing the existing EOS 1300D. It features an upgraded 24.1MP APS-C CMOS sensor, 9-point AF system, 3fps continuous shooting, and 3.0-inch LCD. There's also built-in Wi-Fi and NFC for file sharing. Canon EOS 2000D The EOS 2000D will be available in April with EF-S 18-55...

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Xiaomi Mi 2s specs leak yet again

The eagerly-anticipated Xiaomi Mi Mix 2s has been such a constant presence in the rumor mill lately, that we don't really think there is any more substantial info on it left to leak. Still, many aspects of the handset have been widely debated, especially its almost entirely bezel-free design. So, we'll still take any info we can get. At least before Xiaomi finally takes the wrapping off the device tomorrow. The new leak in question comes in the form of a screenshot, or rather a photo of the phone's screen itself, showing the MIUI About screen. Going through the various values...

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Here are the Nokia 8 Sirocco camera samples

We had a chance to play around with the Nokia 8 Sirocco and snap a few images with its new 12MP dual camera. The samples look really promising, just like the ones from the Nokia 7 Plus. The camera on the Nokia 8 Sirocco is the same as the one on the Nokia 7 Plus - a 12MP snapper with large 1.4um pixels, an f/1.75 aperture but no OIS. Nokia 8 Sirocco camera samples The telephoto camera has regular-sized 1um pixels and an f/2.6 aperture that lets in less light. When light levels aren't enough, there's a two-tone LED flash. Nokia 8 Sirocco camera...

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Understanding the new camera features on the Galaxy S9

Yesterday, Samsung kicked off the MWC 2018 with the launch of its Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ smartphones. On the surface, the two phones seem very much similar to their predecessors launched last year, yet Samsung claims they are all new. In particular, Samsung has a lot to say about its "reimagined" camera, which has two headlining features that separate it from its predecessor. So what are these two features and how do they work? The one Samsung talked most about is variable aperture. To understand variable aperture, one must first understand aperture. Aperture of a camera is the...

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More Huawei P20 photos appear in the wild

Huawei is one of the big smartphone players that skipped on the MWC 2018 announcement game. The Chinese manufacturer decided to push the launch of its new flagship the P20 for March 27, giving more time for leaks and rumors to power the rumor mill. Latest photos from Chinese sources suggest a horizontal dual cam setup next to an LED light next to what appears to be a third camera, all of them branded by Leica. Alleged Huawei P20 The phone is not powered (most likely a dummy) and we can't see the screen, but it will most likely be FullView with 18:9 ratio like the one in the...

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Sony Xperia XZ2 and XZ2 Compact pricing in Germany revealed

Sony is fairly reluctant to name the prices of the Xperia XZ2 and XZ2 Compact, which is surprising as the prices are actually pretty good. We scoured both Sony and carrier sites and we found only the German price. The big XZ2 will cost €800 while the XZ2 Compact will be €600. That's €100 more for the big one, but the price of the hasn't changed. Still, keep in mind that these are the first phones with Snapdragon 845 to be unveiled. Sony Xperia XZ2 • Sony Xperia XZ2 Compact Both phones will be available in Q2. Maybe by the time pre-orders start, there will be a promo bundle...

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Nokia 8 Sirocco benchmarks - the Snapdragon 835 still rocks

The Nokia 8 Sirocco is Nokia's most powerful phone until the Nokia 9 comes out. It packs the best hardware 2017 could offer - a Snapdragon 835 with 6GB of RAM - but is that enough for 2018? Of course it is. The Nokia 8 Sirocco may lose some synthetic tests against the few phones with a Snapdragon 845 - Sony Xperia XZ2 and Samsung Galaxy S9 - but is otherwise ridiculously fast for just about anything you would do with your phone. The Snapdragon 835 is made up of eight Kryo cores - four clocked at 2.5GHz and another four working at a maximum of 1.8GHz. Graphics are handled by an Adreno...

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Samsung Bixby speaker to arrive in H2 2018

Samsung made the Galaxy S9 official and is already looking towards the next devices in the technology roadmap. Yesterday the Samsung mobile chief Koh Dong-jin, widely known as DJ Koh, said that the Galaxy X foldable phone is not a gimmick. Today he confirmed in an interview to WSJ that a voice-activated speaker with Bixby is indeed coming, likely in the second half of this year. NOT the Bixby speaker (this is a Samsung Radiant 360 Bluetooth speaker) DJ Koh said pricing is not yet finalized, but the home appliance might come in different tiers. Right now Amazon and Google offer...

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Check out the Nokia 7 Plus camera samples

Yesterday Nokia unveiled the Nokia 7 Plus. It's Nokia's its first 18:9 but more importantly, it features an all-new dual camera. It's made up of two 12MP cameras, one wide and another 2x telephoto, which is a much better setup than the 13MP color and 13MP black and white cameras of the Nokia 8. The main camera of the Nokia 7 Plus sounds a lot like the snappers on the Galaxy Note8 and Google Pixel 2 (and 2 XL) - 12MP resolution with large 1.4um pixels - but it lacks OIS. However it makes up for it slightly with an f/1.75 aperture, which is a tad wider than the f/1.8 aperture of the Pixel 2...

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Energizer Power Max P16K Pro hands-on

In case you are not familiar with Energizer's mobile portfolio and the company name isn't descriptive enough, the brand specializes mainly in rugged and high battery-capacity devices. The newly announced Power Max P16K Pro, however, takes the battle with battery endurance to a whole new level, with a massive 16,000 mAh pack. That looks pretty nice on paper and the PR team at Energizer clearly had a blast, coming up with the punny and technically correct "The most powerful phone at MWC" slogan. Still, we stopped by at the company's booth to try and see just how usable the Power Max P16K...

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MediaTek unveils Helio P60 chipset with Cortex-A73 and an AI core

MediaTek unveiled the Helio P60 - a mid-range chip that will challenge the Helio X30. And it goes without saying that it has hardware to accelerate AI tasks, the NeuroPilot core. The P60 is built on TSMC's 12nm FF process (rather than 10nm FF+ like the X30). It has four Coretex-A73 cores lcocked at 2.0GHz and four A53 cores also at 2.0Ghz. That's a massive jump in performance compared to the previous P-series chips - MediaTek promises a whopping 70% boost compared to the P30! The GPU is 70% faster than its predecessor - it's a Mali-G72 MP3. That's not going to live up to flagship...

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Samsung's new ISOCELL sensor has on-board DRAM, shoots 960fps video

With the Galaxy S9 phones, the focus was on improving the camera. To that end, Samsung unveiled the ISOCELL Fast 2L3 image sensor with on-board DRAM and 960fps video recording. The new ISOCELL Fast 2L3 sensor has a 3-layer design. Usually, the first layer holds the pixels that capture light, the second layer converts that into a digital information to be sent to the chipset for processing and finally to the phone's RAM. Samsung has added a third layer, 512MB DRAM, that can quickly read and store the data from the sensor - much faster than the chipset can. This enables 1080p video...

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Sony showcases a ISO 51,200 dual cam module and ISP at MWC 2018

Sony might have booked the early Monday attention to itself with the new Xperia XZ2 and Xperia XZ2 Compact, but another tech grabbed our attention. The Japanese company demoed a dual-cam prototype that can capture images in extremely low-light environments with up to ISO 51200 and take videos with ISO 12800. Closer look of the dual cam module and the Fusion ISP In an ultra-dark situation, the new ISP, called Sony Fusion, fires off simultaneously two cameras to maximize the light intake and to process the signal into an image. Sadly, we have seen this technology only on a demo...

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Apple launches "Shot on iPhone X" ad campaign in Australia

Last month Apple released its first "Shot on iPhone X" adverts when it introduced selfies made with Portrait Lighting. Now the series were continued in Australia where the local Apple division showcased the iPhone X video recording capabilities during the first dance at a handful of different weddings. The total of four videos include three 15-second clips and one full-minute video for TV purposes that celebrate the legalization of same-sex marriage in Australia last December. The marriage between the couples Meg and Ann-Marie, Nick and Rob, and Antony and Ron are set to the song...

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Best Buy US will knock $100 of the Galaxy S9 and S9+ prices if you pre-order

You saw the US prices for the Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+ yesterday, bu they are not set in stone. Best Buy will knock $100 of the price if you pre-order on Friday. The deal is for one day only, March 2, and here's the catch - only carrier deals apply (excluding Spring Flex). This means you can't knock $100 off the SIM free prices. Also, you don't get the discount up front, instead money is deducted from your monthly payments that will total $100 off in the end. If the price is still too much, you can get up to $350 credit if you trade in an old device, you can find the list of...

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Sony's official Xperia XZ2 videos explain the new design and features

Sony has a new design language - the Xperia XZ2 has a new design language and cool new features. Our hands-on will give you in-depth information, but first you may want to check out Sony's official videos for a crash course - they are each about a minute long. The first video explains the new design language, the next one says it's "made to touch your senses". And don't miss the next one - it's the only small Snapdragon 845 phone out there, the Xperia XZ2 Compact. Next up are the advanced audio-visual features. The XZ2 family is the first in the smartphone world to record HDR video (at...

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