Samsung releases full change log for Samsung Galaxy S8's Oreo update

After Samsung's Experience UI 9.0 update for the S8 and S8+ was put on a brief hold, the company releases the full list of changes to the UI. The Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+ were both being updated with Android Oreo 8.0 when the OTA was momentarily pulled. Now that the update has been rolling back out for a few days, Samsung is releasing the full list of changes for Samsung Experience UI 9.0. This list of changes applies specifically to the Samsung Galaxy S8 powered by Samusng's own Exynos 8895. More specifically, this applies to the International Unlocked SM-G950F...

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Samsung Galaxy Note9 runs its first benchmark

Samsung's Galaxy S9 and S9+ have only been official for a few days now, but even so the leaks have already moved on to the Korean company's next big thing: the Galaxy Note9. Despite the fact that it's only expected to be announced in late summer, a prototype has already been spotted in a benchmark's database. We're talking about HTML5test, which handily reveals that the Note9 will unsurprisingly sport an Infinity Display of its own. The listed resolution is 412x846, but note that this benchmark always contains fractions of the actual resolution of any phone. What's more important here is...

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Huawei confirms P20 Pro's name with a billboard in Barcelona

Huawei is due to announce its next flagship smartphone family at a special event in Paris on March 27. But while we've known that for a few weeks now, there has been some confusion regarding exactly what the models to be unveiled there will be called - the P20 and P20 Lite have leaked so much that they're pretty much a certainty, but what about the third device, the one rumored to come with three cameras on the rear? So far we've worked under the assumption that this will be the P20 Plus, because that's the naming scheme the company has employed in previous years, but it turns out that it...

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MWC 2018 is over, here are the highlights as we saw them

MWC 2018 was jam-packed with exciting tech, which, as per usual, we had a lot of fun experiencing and reporting on. Hopefully, you took just as much enjoyment out of reading our coverage and hands-on impressions. Just in case you missed something from the busy schedule, we have prepared a quick run-down of all the highlights of the Barcelona venue. And just in case you prefer the more retro approach to things, here are some key points in writing as well: alcatel In keeping with its track record, the TCL corporation unleashed a slew of new devices into the wild, complete with some...

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The notch is spreading for no good reason: the MWC was rife with iPhone X lookalikes

Smartphone makers are like school kids - they see the popular guy wear a weird hat and rush off to the store to buy weird hats too. It's easier than developing their own style. Apple has been just such a trend-setter in Smartphone High and after successfully undermining the headphone jack, it's now responsible for an explosion of notches. But screen notches didn't originate with Apple - time for a detour to History class. As former Motorola designer pointed out on Twitter, the MOTOFONE F3 had a notch way back in 2006. This one barely had an UI, though, so the notch didn't get in the way....

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Ikimobile BLESSPLUS is a phone made of cork, we go hands-on

Cork in a handset? Now, there's something you don't see every day. That's definitely how ikimobile's booth at MWC 2018 caught our eye. Well, the tree they had set up on the show floor helped draw some attention as well. But, it was the ecological and sustainability pitch that really piqued our interest. Ikimobile takes a firm stand on the matter, by working mostly with cork - 100% natural, renewable, and recyclable with no carbon footprint and no harmful emissions. The company also prides itself on manufacturing independently in its home Portugal market and engaging in various other...

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DxO Mark praises Galaxy S9+ with a score of 99

The Samsung Galaxy S9 has been making headlines all week leading up to, during, and after its announcement last weekend. DxO Mark is a company dedicated to testing all kinds of camera equipment and includes smartphone cameras as well. The Galaxy S9+ was praised for offering "one of the most comprehensive smartphone imaging feature sets available today." This is definitely a result of Samsung's dual-aperture camera system that switches between f/2.4 for bright lighting conditions and a much faster f/1.5 aperture for taking photos in low-lighting conditions. Here's DxO Mark's brief...

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Rugged Samsung leaks: likely the Xcover 5

Samsung's weekend was all about the Galaxy S9, but behind the scenes other phones are getting ready for their time in the spotlight. Like this one, which prolific leakster Roland Quandt says is not a Galaxy S9 Active. There's only one other thing it could be then - the Galaxy Xcover 5. The Xcover 4 was launched in March last year so it's about time for a new one. Note the rugged, grippy exterior with exposed bolts - it's a tough phone alright. Samsung Galaxy Xcover 5 (leaked photo) Unfortunately, we don't know much about it yet beyond that its single camera will have a bright...

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Vodafone Spain spills the beans about the Huawei P20 Lite

While the Huawei P20 family was not at the MWC in Spain, the Huawei P20 Lite did show up in a brochure from Vodafone Spain. The carrier helpfully listed the salient specs, pretty much confirming what we already know from leaks (with some differences, rumors tend to round numbers off). The P20 Lite will have a 5.84" screen with 1080p+ resolution. The phone is pictured from the back, so we can't see how much of the screen the notch takes up. Good thing that there are leaked photos. We do see the dual camera on the rear with its 16MP + 2MP sensors (given its resolution, the secondary...

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Twitter introduces Bookmarks features for saving tweets

Twitter has launched a new bookmarking feature for tweets. The feature was in testing on iOS for some time now but was officially released for both platforms today. Found something historic?Don't want to forget a joke?Article that you want to read later?Save the Tweet with Bookmarks, and come back to it whenever you want. Only you can see your Bookmarks. pic.twitter.com/fM2QLcOYNF— Twitter (@Twitter) February 28, 2018 The bookmarking feature is available under the old DM sharing button. The button has now been redesigned and lets you send the tweet via DM, add it to bookmarks or...

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The Motorola E398 (aka ROKR E1) could vibrate with sound too

The Dynamic Vibration System on the new Sony Xperia XZ2 is pretty cool - it analyses the sound that is playing (from the music player or even a game) and uses the larger vibration motor to add a haptic feel to the sound. For example, it vibrates with the bass drum or the hi-hats. But as Aarjith reminded us, this isn't the first phone to do such a thing. In fact, we have to travel all the way back to 2004 and check out the Motorola E398. The same hardware was also sold as the ROKR E1, aka the first phone to support iTunes. Motorola E398 The phone could play MP3 files through its...

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Fitbit: Adidas Ionic launch date announced and new smartwatch leaked

Fitbit weekly roundup. Q4 Results miss analysts' estimates, release date for Fitbit Ionic: Adidas edition announced and leaked images of their next smartwatch appear. This week Fitbit revealed fourth-quarter revenue of $570.8 million for the 2017 holiday season, down from $573.8 million from the previous year, which missed analysts estimates of $588.1 million. Fitbit ended the year with $1,615.5 billion in revenue, down from $2,169.5 billion when compared to 2016. Fitbit, is being squeezed by cost-effective fitness trackers from the likes of Xiaomi with its Mi Band 2, and of course...

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BlackBerry Keyone Black Edition arrives to US online retailers

BlackBerry sold 850,000 devices last year and called the number "mission accomplished". Still in pursiuit of its first million, the brand announced that the BlackBerry Keyone Black Edition will arrive soon to US online retailers. Currently available at AT&T with 3 GB RAM and 32 GB storage, the phone costs around $500 or $16.67 monthly with a 24-month plan. The more powerful version with 4 GB RAM and 64 GB memory will be available at "select retailers", although BlackBerry is yet to pinpoint exact stores or launch dates. The Black Edition of the keyboard-packing smartphone costs...

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The new Nokia phones are coming to the UK in April

The new Nokia phones from the Mobile World Congress will be available in the UK next month - Clove UK already has shipping date and pricing info. The Nokia 7 Plus will arrive first on April 16th. Pre-orders are live at £350 for the Black & Copper model. Next, the Nokia 8 Sirocco will land on April 23 for £650. The Nokia 8110 4G will arrive on the same day for £80. Both Black and Yellow colors will be available. The Android Go Nokia 1 will come last - May 7 - at €80, same price as the banana phone. Dark Blue and Warm Red colors are available (don't forget about Xpress-On...

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Three Huawei phones hit TENAA with 18:9 screens, some dual cameras too

Huawei has a couple of affordable phones in the works, TENAA reveals. One is the ATU-TL10, which is joined by the very similar AUM-TL20 and the lower-end AUM-TL00. There's a good chance that the AUM-TL20 is the Huawei Enjoy 8 (aka Honor 7C). All three phones have 5.7" screens with an 18:9 aspect ratio (and 720p+ resolution). They run Android 8.0 Oreo on 1.4GHz octa-core processors (make unknown). The memory situation is this: the ATU-TL10 and AUM-TL20 both have 3GB of RAM and 32GB storage, the AUM-TL00 is 2GB/16GB. All phones have a microSD slot. Huawei AUM-TL20 (photos by...

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Xiaomi to launch Redmi Note 5 Pro as Redmi Note 5 in China

Xiaomi launched the Redmi 5 and Redmi 5 Plus in the closing days of 2017. Many were discouraged that the Redmi Note 5 is not arriving, but the Plus-version became the long awaited successor of the Redmi Note 4 on the global stage. Instead of leaving China without the emblematic phone, Xiaomi will just reboot the dual-cam Redmi Note 5 Pro as Xiaomi Redmi Note 5. Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro, a.k.a. Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 The Chinese version will have the same specs - Snapdragon 636 chipset, 4/6 GB RAM and 12 MP + 5 MP camera setup on the back. The selfie snapper will be 20 MP, the battery will...

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Xiaomi Mi Mix 2s leaked photo suggests under-screen fingerprint scanner

Xiaomi has scheduled a launch on March 27 for the Mi Mix 2s. Confirmed specs include only Snapdragon 845, as the company revealed in an official poster. According to the latest live image, the phone might also have an under-display fingerprint scanner. The image, if real, suggests the finger should be positioned in the lower central part of the screen. It might also be just a request for the user to place his finger on the proper scanner on the back, as it does on the stock Android lock screen. At this point, we are just speculating and truth will be unveiled in the end of...

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IDC: Smartphone shipments decline 0.5% in 2017

IDC published its yearly analysis of the smartphone shipments market. According to the company, manufacturers pushed 0.5% fewer devices in 2017, compared with 2016, or a total of 1.46 billion smartphones, almost all of them running either Android or iOS. The analysts predict a compound 2.8% growth in the next five years, forecasting a volume of 1.68 billion units shipped in 2022. Ryan Reith, Program VP at IDC, said a considerable factor for global volumes was the China decline of 5% in 2017. EMEA also dropped 3.5%, while the US remained flat. Room for growth is present though,...

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