Future Samsung Gear devices rumored to run on Wear OS instead of Tizen

The well-known leakster, Evan Blass, just shared that Gear smartwatches running Wear OS were spotted on the wrists of Samsung employees. All Samsung Gear smartwatches over the past three years run Tizen OS, which is rather functional and offers some nice features that Wear OS lacks. Seen on the wrists of Samsung employees: Gear watches running not Tizen, but Wear OS.— Evan Blass (@evleaks) May 23, 2018 However, Tizen OS' downside is the number of available apps, where Wear OS has a clear advantage over it. Some may argue, of course, that you don't need as many applications on a...

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A touch of the fingerprint sensor will prevent the phone from sleeping in Android P

Every smartphone user out there has faced the annoying issue of having to keep the screen awake during longer reads. You sometimes find yourself doing unnecessary touches or swipes on the screen because a minute had passed and the screen becomes dimmer and will turn off any second now. Well, the new Android P update will change all that by expanding the functionality of the fingerprint reader. The new version will let you prevent the phone from sleeping by touching the fingerprint scanner. This will certainly be more useful for phones with a rear-mounted sensor than those which...

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Another specs leak confirms the LG V35 ThinQ will be a minor update

LG will launch the V35 ThinQ next month alongside updated LG X5 (2018) and a new smaller LG X2 (2018) and the recently announced LG Q7, Q7+ and Q7α. Back to the LG V35 ThinQ. It will be launched in the US in August, exclusively through AT&T. According to a leaked specs sheet the V35 ThinQ will be almost identical to its predecessors - LG V30s ThinQ and V30. Instead of opting for a notched 6.1-inch display, like the one on the LG G7 ThinQ, the V35 ThinQ will retain the regular 6-inch QHD+ panel. It will bump the chipset to a Snapdragon 845 with 6GB of RAM but will retain the battery...

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GfK: Huawei beats Samsung to become top smartphone vendor in Poland

Huawei has managed to outsell Samsung and become top smartphone vendor in Poland in April, according to market data from GfK. In March, Huawei held a 30% market share in Poland, sitting just behind Samsung's 32.3%. There are currently no specific sales numbers to put Huawei's April performance in better perspective, but it certainly bodes well for the company that aims to overtake Apple for the number two spot globally. Samsung is still the market leader in Europe and the World but if Huawei and Xiaomi maintain their upwards trajectories things might look differently in a couple...

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Xiaomi Mi 8 handled on video - and it has a translucent back

Translucent backs are cool, but few makers offer them. Xiaomi may soon join the club as a video of the Xiaomi Mi 8 surfaced that shows off its smoky glass back that shows off the electronics underneath. And once you're done gazing at the back, check out the front too - it features a pretty wide notch. That may be due to Xiaomi's own Face ID implementation. Here's a static image so you don't have to hover over the pause button. The translucent back may be limited to a single color option, that's how HTC does it anyway. And since it would be a shame to cover that up with a case,...

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HTC U12+'s promo video showcases the device's key selling points

If you already read our extensive hands-on review of the newly announced HTC U12+, you probably know what the phone is about. However, if you prefer to hear more from HTC itself, this newly released promo video will take you through its key selling points in 5 minutes. You'll learn all about the updated Edge Sense 2 gestures that now also include double tapping on the side edge of the phone. The video continues with the camera setup that consists of a 16MP sensor with telephoto sensor (f/2.6) capable of 2x lossless zoom and a 12MP wide angle (f/1.75) using HTC's UltraPixel...

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Lenovo Z5's battery to last 45 days on standby, teaser reveals

Lenovo's CEO, Chang Cheng, has been teasing the upcoming Lenovo Z5 flagship for quite some time now. We've seen some sample photos giving us a glimpse of the output from the dual camera. More excitingly we got a sketch of the design and a part of a press image, showcasing a front panel with nearly 100% screen-to-body ratio. Yet this latest bit delivered by Chang Cheng is almost too hard to believe. According to it the Lenovo Z5 battery life is unlike anything we've seen lately. The CEO says it can last for up to 45 days of standby, which is just ridiculous by today's...

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Xiaomi Redmi 6 pops up on TENAA

Xiaomi launched the Redmi 5 series back in December, followed by a global launch in February. Just three months later we are starting to see the first traces of the Redmi 6 in this case, staring in a TENAA listing. Xiaomi Redmi 6 on TENAA A device with the model number M1804C3DE was certified, confirming it will have a 5.45" screen. Its Android version wasn't listed, but we did get the battery capacity - 3,000 mAh. The listing also reveals the phone will support most of the bands, so the device is likely to go global at some point. We assume the device is a Redmi 6 and not some...

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vivo launches Blue V9 Limited Edition for the World Cup in Russia

The Chinese manufacturer vivo is the official smartphone sponsor of the next two World Cup tournaments, including the one starting in Russia next month. Today the company held an event at Beijing's Forest Park where it announced a new global campaign called "My Time, My FIFA World Cup". It included the vivo Super Fan Photographer program, the vivo Super Time project and a new Limited Edition of its smartphone vivo V9. vivo V9 Limited Edition UI features The phone's full name is vivo V9 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia and arrives in Blue color. Its internals are unchanged so you...

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ZTE is estimated to lose $3.1 billion due to US ban

If you are following the latest news you certainly know that ZTE finds itself in hot water, after the US firms were banned from supplying it due to its breach of trade embargo. Following that the company was forced to cease its main operations, resulting in substantial losses. Now a new report from Bloomberg tries to put those loses in more specific numbers. The report says that ZTE is estimated to lose $3.1 billion until an agreement is reached and it can resume its opeartions. The number could grow bigger if the expected agreement between US and Chinese governments doesn't...

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HTC U12+ takes second place in DxOMark mobile camera ranking

HTC has just released its U12+ flagship smartphone and DxOMark has published its assessment of the dual camera. The Ultrapixel camera got an overall score of 103 points on 106 for its still photos and 95 for video recording. This puts it in second position, right behind Huawei's P20 Pro. The review says that HTC's latest flagship is right up there with the best in the industry when it comes to sharpness and dynamic range. The U12+ was also found to strike a good balance between texture and noise. What really stands out, however, is the lightning-fast and accurate autofocus and the...

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Apple starts manufacturing its 7nm A12 chips

Samsung and TSMC have been Apple's suppliers of chips for their iPhones for years now, but the latest report suggests that this year's 7nm A12 Apple chips will only come from TSMC. This is because the Korean giant will only be able to achieve scale production of 7nm SoCs in the second half of the year, at which point it might be too late. As we all know, new iPhones are released in September and according to Bloomberg, this year's chip production has already started at TSMC's plants. They will be ready just in time for the rumored iPhone X update, the Plus-sized model and the...

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Meizu M6T Geekbench outing reveals Spreadtrum SoC

Meizu's upcoming M6T smartphone has been spotted in the Geekbench database. The listing for the device reveals a Spreadtrum SC9850 SoC, Android 7.1.1 OS, and 2GB RAM. Curiously, the SC9850 comes with a 1.3GHz quad-core CPU, which contradicts the handset's TENNA outing - that one mentioned an octa-core 1.5GHz processor. It could be an error by the benchmarking software failing to properly recognize the chipset or we could see two different versions of the handset. Other rumored specs for M6T include 5.7-inch display, 2GB/3GB/4GB RAM and 16GB/32GB/64GB storage options, 8MP selfie...

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MIUI 10 is also officially arriving on May 31

Yesterday Xiaomi announced via Weibo it will unveil the next flagship called Mi 8 on May 31. Today the account of the Mi user interface also posted an image, revealing that MIUI 10 will be showcased to the audience during the same event in Shenzhen. The text under the bright number 10 is roughly translated "I will be faster than lightning", along with some location and date info about the release. This is similar to yesterday's post about the flagship that said something along the lines of "I am Mi 8 and I will be faster than ever", suggesting the new phone will come with the new user...

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HTC U12+ hands-on review

The HTC U12+ has a tall 18:9 display, no headphone jack and a dual camera with 2x zoom, but skips one trend - the notch. We go hands-on.

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HTC U12+ brings a dual camera, HDR10 display and Snapdragon 845

HTC is in a tough spot but it just puts its best fighter in the field to defend its position. The HTC U12+ is an upgrade on the U11+ with the company's first flagship dual camera since the One (M8), HDR10 screen and, of course, a Snapdragon 845. The new model comes in roughly the same body (IP68 waterproofing and all), but the 6" Super LCD6 display now supports HDR10 and DCI-P3. It's a tall 18:9 screen with 1,440 x 2,280 pixel resolution (537ppi). The pressure-sensitive frame of the phone enables Edge Sense squeeze gestures. HTC U12+ color options The dual camera on the rear...

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Samsung Galaxy A6/A6+ land in UAE

The Samsung Galaxy A6/A6+ went official earlier this month, and hit shelves in India and parts of Europe since. Now, another country got the mid-rangers - UAE. Both A6 and A6+ are now listed on the company's local website with links to online and offline stores for those who want to make a purchase. Online partner Axiom Telecom is selling the A6 for AED1,249 ($340). The Galaxy A6+ costs AED 1,449 ($395). Color options for both devices include black, blue, and gold. Source

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New Razer Phone update brings Portrait camera mode, May security patch

A new update has started rolling out to Razer Phone. Weighing in at over 365MB, the update brings Portrait mode for the camera and the May Android security fixes. A fix for the Android 8.1 multi-touch issue is included in the new firmware. After the update the Razer will lets you lock recent apps to avoid closing them accidentally with a swipe or through the Clear All button. As is usually the case with OTA roll outs, it may take time for the update notification to pop up on your unit, so stay patient. Via

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