Samsung announces "Unbreakable" OLED panel

Samsung Display has just announced it has developed an "Unbreakable" flexible OLED panel. The component is developed for smartphones and has been certified by UL - Underwater Laboratories that works for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) of the US Department of Labor It said in the press release the unbreakable display passed the real-time durability test based on military standards set by the US Department of Defense. Hojung Kim, General Manager at Samsung Display, said "the fortified plastic window is especially suitable for smartphones [.] because of its...

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Samsung postpones Oreo update to 8 Galaxy phones until December

Samsung was having a rough start when it began pushing Oreo to Galaxy devices. Eventually, the Korean company went ahead, updated its flagships to Android 8.1 and now it is migrating the more affordable phones to the new OS version. According to some Indian sources, at least eight phones are scheduled to get Android Oreo in December - Galaxy A9 Pro, Galaxy C7 Pro, Galaxy C9 Pro, Galaxy J7 2017, Galaxy J7 Neo, Galaxy On5 (2016), Galaxy On7 (2016), and Galaxy On7 2018. Samsung noted the update schedule might change, which is one way to salvage the reputation in such situation....

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Qualcomm no more: Apple will exclusively use slower Intel modems in 2018 iPhones

Apple and Qualcomm have been in a long-term legal dispute, suing each other back and forth. Here's a timeline of some of the events that took place since 2017. In January 2017, Apple sues Qualcomm for $1 billion over excessive royalties. In April 2017, Qualcomm sues Apple for making its modems look inferior to Intel's In November 2017, Qualcomm sues Apple of sharing Qualcomm's trade secrets with Intel and later tried to ban Apple from producing and selling iPhones in China. In January of this year, Qualcomm was fined € 1 billion for paying Apple to use its chips over...

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5 Kamera Saku Layar Putar Murah Untuk Para Selfiers Juli 2018

Anda selfier yang mementingkan kualitas gambar dan butuh kamera lebih dari sekedar kamera smartphone? Nah, bisa jadi kumpulan kamera saku layar putar murah ini adalah solusi Anda. Kamera-kamera yang akan dibahas kali harganya relatif terjangkau. Dan juga menawarkan hasil gambar yang jernih dan tajam. Pastinya akan membuat hasil selfie-mu makin menarik.   Kamera saku dengan […]

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Variant of BlackBerry KEY2 passes through FCC

Another variant of the BlackBerry KEY2 has recently been spotted going through the FCC for certification. The model in question looks very similar to the BlackBerry KEY2. In fact, it certainly is the BlackBerry look-alike that @evleaks showed us on Twitter not too long ago. That report included mention of blue and copper colors in addition to the red one pictured. The device has a model number of BBE100-2, which is just one character different from the KEY2's (There's an F in place of the E; the "2" denotes that this is a North American model). Source: FCC.gov Previous...

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Wear OS app updated to speed up Google Pay

First reported by Android Authority, Google's Wear OS app has been updated on the Play Store to make launching Google Pay faster than before. It used to take upwards of 8 to 10 seconds to launch the NFC Payment app so any shortening of that time is a welcome addition. Aside from quicker Google Pay launch times, events and appointments have been redesigned to appear more glanceable. Finally, the last update note is a fix for a time zone bug that wouldn't sync the correct time to the wearable when traveling across time zones. The update for the app was pushed out on July 20 and can be...

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Final Android P release candidate is now available for Pixels and Essential Phone

Google just released the last Android P Developer Preview 5 (Beta 4) for Pixel devices for folks to take the opportunity to take a test drive of the latest OS before the public release. This is the final Beta update so Google is very close to completely finalizing it. Just an hour after Google released the update, Essential also released the latest Beta for its PH-1. This Beta update "includes a release candidate build with final system behaviors and the official Android P APIs (API level 28)". This means that the latest Beta is almost 100% the final build of Android P, hence a ‘release...

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Oppo Find X Super Flash Edition gets 3C certification with Super VOOC charger

Along with the regular Find X, Oppo announced another version dubbed Lamborghini Edition, which features Super VOOC charging for the first time in a production smartphone. Later we heard of another Super Flash Edition that will bring the rapid charging without the Lamborghini premium. The Super Flash Edition still isn't officially confirmed, but a 3C certification hints at nearing launch and also gives us a bit more information about the Super VOOC charger. It has VCA5JACH model number and offers output of 10V/5A or in other words - 50W! Shortly after Oppo's event, the pricing of...

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6.1" iPhone to launch a month after OLED models due to LCD issues

Analysts are reading clues from Apple's supply line to forecast the future of the next generation iPhones. The latest prediction is that the model with a 6.1" LCD - the budget iPhone with an expected price of $700 - will arrive late to the party. This iPhone will have an iPhone X-like design, which complicated things. The issue is with the LCD itself (being made by LG) - persistent issues with bleeding from the LED backlight reportedly pushed mass production back by a month. That's still better than the 6-week delay that was expected initially, but either way the 6.1" iPhone will launch...

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Counterpoint: Samsung, not Xiaomi, topped the Indian smartphone market in Q2

Here we go again - Canalys says Xiaomi shipped more phones in India during Q2, Counterpoint Research gives the win to Samsung. CR attributes Samsung's success to the J-series phones - the Galaxy J2 and J8 alone account for 2 million sales (the J4 did well too). Another key part of Samsung strategy was launching more models than its competition. Samsung's offline distribution channels helped push the company over the top and so did an aggressive marketing campaign centered on the Galaxy J phones. Counterpoint predicts that the second half of 2018 will remain a neck and neck race between...

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Xiaomi Mi A2 will support Quick Charge 4.0 only in India

Xiaomi Mi A2 was announced yesterday at an event in Spain and generated a lot of hype due to its affordability and pure Android experience. Some sad news, however, overshadowed the much-anticipated release for plenty of potential customers - the Mi A2 will support Qualcomm's fast charging, Quick Charge 4.0, only in India while the rest will settle for the QC 3.0. The device will hit the Indian market on August 8. Back to the International model, we can't stop wondering if this has something to do with licensing agreements or Xiaomi wants to bring some exclusivity for the Indian...

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Xiaomi Mi 8 SE review

The Xiaomi Mi 8 Explorer edition clearly and quite justifiably soaked up all the spotlight within Xiaomi's latest flagship lineup. However, as the smoke clears, the value Mi 8 SE is the one gathering fan gazes, left and right. Indeed, on paper, it offers quite the package, without breaking the bank. In some ways, it's almost too good to be true.

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Deal: Samsung Galaxy Note8 for $533 in the US

The Samsung Galaxy Note8 officially costs $750 in the US, but deals have pushed this price as low as $620. That's still a bit high, though, an eBay seller with the cheeky name of "never-msrp" is selling new units at $533. These are unlocked dual SIM phones with Exynos - note that this means only GSM carriers are supported (so no Verizon and Sprint). Only Gold units are left. You can check out the deal here, the seller is located in Houston, Texas. Samsung Galaxy Note8 in Gold • The DeX Pad And while you're shopping, you may want to check out the Samsung DeX Pad Dock for...

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HTC U12 Life rumor suggests a 6" 18:9 screen, Snapdragon 636 chipset

HTC is reportedly working on a phone dubbed "Imagine Life" - aka HTC U12 Life (U12's code name was Imagine). We saw the same move last year with the U11 Life, a mid-range phone that borrowed some elements from the U11 flagship, but the name was more for marketing than actual flagship features. This year the Life model will be... livelier. It will have a 6" screen with 1,080 x 2,160px resolution (18:9) - the same size and aspect ratio as the U12+, though the resolution is dialed back. Similarly, the chipset will be a Snapdragon 636 - with eight Kryo 260 cores (4x Gold and 4x Silver,...

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Latest Chrome update brings Spectre fix for Android

Google Chrome team has just released new versions of the browser for Desktop and for Android. The PC variant brings "Not Secure" for all HTTP pages, while the mobile version comes with a fix against the Spectre vulnerability. The smartphone browser also gets a horizontal tab switcher that looks like the Android P Recent menu. The Spectre fix works in a simple manner. The update brings a security feature called Site Isolation that renders pages in separate processes to prevent malicious websites from getting any sensitive information like passwords, cookies and additional data. It can...

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Canalys: Huawei with record share in China, Honor accounts for 55% of the sales

After a disappointing first quarter this year, the Chinese market starts to make a slow recovery. Q1 in 2018 marked a 21% decrease in sales YoY while Q2 shows only 8% decline. But while the whole market isn't doing all that well, Huawei is making some crazy gains. In Q2 this year, the Chinese tech giant reached a market share of 27% with a total of 28.5 million shipments which is a record share for the Chinese market. That's also 22% growth compared to Q2 in 2017. The second and third places are taken by BBK Electronics-owned Oppo and vivo, respectively. The Oppo brand grew just 3%...

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Moto C2 gets certified by ANATEL as the Android One phone nears launch

The Moto C2 and Moto C2 Plus have been certified by ANATEL, the Brazilian wireless authority. Motorola has a strong presence in Brazil as it has a local factory and is not subject to the steep import duties. Moto C2 gets certified by ANATEL According to info from the documents the Moto C2 will measure 147.9 x 71.2mm. It will be a single or dual SIM phone with LTE. The SKUs aimed at Latin America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East will lack NFC. The battery capacity is listed at 2,120mAh. Moto C2 • Moto C2 Plus The C2 will have just 1GB of RAM and 16GB storage - which...

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Asphalt 9: Legends live on iOS and Android a day ahead of schedule

Gameloft has released Asphalt 9: Legends a full day ahead of its release date of July 26. The game is now live on both App Store and Play Store, and can be downloaded for free on compatible devices. Whether it's a mistake or not, we don't know, but at least you get to play the game ahead of release. Legends is the latest in the long-running series of mobile games. The new title brings the usual suite of improvements, ranging from new set of licensed vehicles (about 50 of them), new tracks and locations, a complete overhaul of graphics with new visual features thrown in and some new...

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Honor Play goes live in India on August 6 as Amazon exclusive

The Honor Play was unveiled last month in China with a great value proposition thanks being the cheapest Kirin 970 device. Now, the company is about to bring the device to India as well. The handset will sell exclusively on Amazon.in while the official announcement will be held on August 6 The phone aims to be a budget gaming alternative to the already existing high-end Snapdragon 845-equipped smartphones from Asus, Razer and Xiaomi. It boasts a 6.3-inch LCD with 19.5:9 aspect ratio and 1080 x 2340 pixel resolution and a 83% screen-to-body ratio. A narrow notch on the top houses a...

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Samsung launching Galaxy Note9 in early August due to poor Galaxy S9 sales

Samsung is introducing the Galaxy Note9 on August 9, which two weeks earlier than its predecessor. According to industry insiders from Taiwan, the reason is the Korean company is experiencing low sales of the Galaxy S9 and the Galaxy S9+ and wants to keep the momentum in user engagement before it is too late. Samsung usually launches its flagships up to two weeks after the announcement, so an early August introduction means late August market arrival. This move should counter the poor performance of the Galaxy S9 series which according to some reports from China reached lowest levels...

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Samsung dominates smartphone OLED market as LG struggles

While LG focuses on the large panel OLED market for TVs, the company is missing opportunities in the smartphone OLED market where Samsung reigns. According to LG Display's latest earnings report, the division has recorded a 15% decrease in revenue year-over-year mostly due to decline in small OLED panel sales. This has lead to a shift in strategy of producing OLED panels while maintaining the steady transition from LCD to OLED display production. If the reports about the LG-Apple deal turn out to be true, the Korean tech giant rapidly get back in the game. But if LG continues to...

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Motorola One Power launch approaches, TENAA listing suggests

The first thing we've heard about Motorola's upcoming smartphone called Motorola One Power came in the form of a leaked photo last month. Ever since, we've seen tiny bits of info surfacing, but the latest certification from TENAA suggests there isn't a lot of time left until we get to see the phone go official. The handset was recently approved by the Chinese 3C authority but the TENAA listing hints at imminent launch. We could be looking at an August launch. Anyway, the report doesn't say anything we didn't know already - the model number is XT1942-1 and supports all the usual...

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Asus Zenfone 5Z US pre-orders open at $500

Asus announced the Zenfone 5z at MWC 2018 back in late February. The phone's rollout to markets took a lot of time but it's finally in motion - it went to Europe, then launched in India in July and will hit the United States mid-August. In fact, the flagship just appeared on pre-order at Amazon with its 6.2" notched screen and Blue paintjob for $499. The actual launch date is August 13. The Asus Zenfone 5z is powered by a Snapdragon 845 chipset and arrives in the United States unlocked for all carriers. The flagship has a dual camera on the back with 12 MP main sensor and 8 MP...

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Kantar:iPhone X is best-seller in China in Q2, Android is the dominant OS

Kantar Research has published its latest report on the smartphone distribution in key markets during the three months ending in June 2018, which shows that Android is still the dominant OS but that iOS is eating up its share in markets like the US. Compared to Q2 of 2017, Android has lost a bit of ground in Germany, France, Spain and the US but gained more in China and Great Britain. It still holds 80.5% in Germany, 64.5% in the UK, 61% in the US and over 80% in Italy, Spain and China. Android's surge in the UK is mostly down to the positive performance of the Huawei P20 Pro, which lead...

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Sony Xperia XZ3 to feature a single 48MP camera

The first reports about the Xperia XZ3 came around to tell us a story of two cameras on the back, probably the ones that the Xperia XZ2 Premium uses but lately there's information coming from various sources renouncing the double camera rumor. We weren't convinced enough to cover it at first. However, yesterday there was a 360-degree render of the device missing the second camera on the back and now, a fairly reputable source claims that the device will have an advanced single sensor setup on the back instead of two. The phone is said to have a model number H8416 and has appeared on...

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Honor Note 10 appears in JD.com listing

Honor is announcing the Note 10 next week, but the phone was prematurely listed on JD.com, revealing its front side. As earlier images suggested, it will have thin top and bottom bezels, practically no side bezels and a tall screen with no notch. The Honor Note 10 specs were already outed by TENAA, but the Chinese regulatory is yet to issue photos of the device. The massive screen will have an AMOLED panel measuring 6.95" in diagonal. The chipset was confirmed to be Kirin 970 and the camera setup will be 16 MP + 24 MP, the secondary most likely with a monochrome sensor. The...

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