LG to introduce 5G smartphone in US by H1 2019

Sprint has just announced its collaboration with LG Electronics USA to deliver the first 5G smartphone in the United States. The timeline is the first half of 2019, with device specifications and exact timing to be announced later. The partnership reveals not only the plans for Sprint but also the dedication LG is putting into announcing a flagship device with a 5G modem in the early months of 2019. A Snapdragon chipset will power the new phone since Qualcomm already unveiled its X50 modem with 5 Gbps speeds, later followed by the actual 5G antennas that will broadcast the mmWave...

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Verizon to bundle Apple TV 4K or YouTube TV subscription to future 5G broadband service

Today, Verizon announced the first few markets that will get the carrier's future 5G in-home broadband service including Indianapolis, Houston, Sacramento, and Los Angeles. Verizon says it will deploy the service to these four markets this year. As part of the service, Verizon will offer each customer a free Apple TV 4K and will bundle YouTube TV as part of the internet service. We still don't know what Verizon plans to charge for such service. This bundle makes it very attractive for those who've been on the fence about cord-cutting and provides the streaming alternative to a...

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Project Fi offering a $200 discount on the Pixel 2 XL, heavy discounts on LG phones

Project Fi is holding a few discounts for those who are interested in Google's MVNO network in the US. When you buy and activate a Google Pixel 2 XL on Project Fi, you can get $200 knocked off the price of the phone. In order to get the $200 Pixel 2 XL credit, you must activate the phone within 30 days or the discount will no longer be honored. The other deal is a $50 service credit when you buy a Moto G6 and activate it on Project Fi. You must activate the device within 60 days of the phone's shipment and the credit will be applied to your account within one to two billing...

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Verizon brings the LG G7's Super Bright Camera mode to the G6

One of the cool party tricks employed by the LG G7's camera system is the Super Bright mode, which only pops up when ambient lighting levels are really low. And now, through the latest software update, Verizon and LG are bringing this to the G6 units sold by Big Red. Super Bright Camera is a dedicated night mode that produces better exposed shots in very dark conditions. It achieves that by employing pixel binning - combining the light gathered by four pixels into one. This results in a lower-res, but brighter photo than normal. The mode doesn't automagically turn itself on, but you do get...

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Samsung Galaxy Wearable app with support for the Galaxy Watch, Android Pie released

Last week Samsung announced the Galaxy Watch alongside the Galaxy Note9. The new wearable switches from the Gear branding of its predecessors in order to make the company's portfolio of products more consistent from that point of view. Today the companion app has been updated in the Play Store to also reflect the name change. Farewell Samsung Gear app, hello Galaxy Wearable. The new version should support the Galaxy Watch, as well as work on Android devices running the latest version of the OS - namely Pie. That was one of the oversights so far, the last version of the Gear app did...

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Huawei Mate 20 Lite images show three colors: Black, Gold and Blue

The press images of the Huawei Mate 20 Lite left out a color option - Blue. Good thing that the rumor mill doesn't sleep. The Mate 10 Lite followed the same recipe: Black, Blue, Gold. The P20 Lite came in Black, Blue and Gold as well, but also had a Rose Gold version dubbed "Sakura Pink." Huawei P20 Lite color selection TENAA revealed most of the specs for the Huawei Mate 20 Lite: 6.3" 1080p+ screen (19.5:9), Kirin 710 chipset, 20+2MP dual camera on the rear and 24+2MP on the front. There may be two versions, one of which will potentially have an under display fingerprint...

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Oppo F9 Pro specs detailed in leaked sales pitch

The Oppo F9 Pro, which will launch on August 21 got all of its key features revealed through a leaked sales pitch. The leak consists of two sheets of paper with the main specs listed along with the reasons to buy the F9 Pro. Those include the new Gradient Color Body, which changes its color with the lighting, the 6.3-inch FHD+ screen with the water drop notch for the 25MP selfie camera. That camera is also listed with its AI 2.1 which provides HDR and vivid mode for livelier photos. Oppo F9 Pro sales pitch, image source: Slash Leaks The 16MP + 2MP dual rear camera is also...

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DisplayMate: Samsung Galaxy Note9 has the best display ever

Everyone interested in mobile phones knows that Samsung makes one of the best - if not the best - OLED panels. Every Samsung flagship for years has offered great viewing experience, so no wonder every OEM wants to get its hands on the Korean firm's crisp OLED displays. But how good is the recently announced Galaxy Note9's panel? Well, according to DisplayMate, it's the best so far. Just like every Samsung flagship since the Note 4. For yet another year the Korean company has managed to outdo itself. As always, the Note9 went under extensive testing and broke a few records along the...

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US officials prohibited from using ZTE and Huawei devices

The President of the United States has just signed the Defense Authorization Act into law that prohibits any US official to use a device by ZTE or Huawei. The ban includes any devices that handle user data, which is basically every product of the two Chinese manufacturers. The document also states that employees, companies, agencies, and contractors must get rid of their current devices and replace them. The Act comes after the deal between ZTE and the Commerce Department of the US. The Chinese manufacturer was saved from going bust after paying hefty fines and replacing the Board of...

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Analysts on iPhone 2018 prices: top model to remain at $1,000

Apple initiated a price hike in the flagship field with the iPhone X, but the anniversary phone experienced relatively weak demand. TrendForce estimates that Apple's sales will be flat compared to this year and reports that the company will alter its pricing strategy to answer the pressure from Android phones in general and from Chinese brands specifically. To do that, it's preparing three new models - two premium ones with AMOLED screens and a more affordable one with an LCD screen. All three will have FaceID. That coupled with the larger 6.1" LCD compared to the outgoing iPhone 8 will...

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vivo Y81 goes on sale in India for INR 12,990

As expected, vivo has started selling the Y81 in India. The phone is on sale through Flipkart, Amazon India and through vivo's own online store for a price of INR 12,990 (€160). vivo Y81 Unlike the Y81 vivo launched in Taiwan, the India model features a fingerprint scanner on the back. The rest of the specs are the same - a 6.22-inch 720x1520px IPS LCD, MediaTek Helio P22 chipset, 13MP f/2.2 camera and a 5MP f/2.2 selfie camera that offers face unlock. Indian buyers have their pick of Gold or Black. Source 1 | 2 | 3

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Xiaomi's Pocophone F1 benchmarked: as fast as any flagship

Xiaomi's Pocophone F1 is the self-titled "master of speed" - thanks to the Snapdragon 845 chipset, it should be the fastest phone in its price class. How fast? Well, let's turn to Geekbench for an early peak. JRGRAPH_EXPANDABLE_VERSION = false; GeekBench 4.1 (multi-core) Higher is better Xiaomi Pocophone F1 9081 OnePlus 6 9042 Xiaomi Mi 8 9028 Samsung Galaxy S9+ 9010 HTC U12+ 8964 LG G7 ThinQ 8865 Samsung Galaxy S9+ (Snapdragon) 8161 Huawei P20 Pro 6754 GeekBench 4.1 (single-core) Higher...

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First batch of Jade Art Xiaomi Mi Mix 2S sells out fast

Xiaomi started selling the new Emerald Green Mi Mix 2S today and the Jade Art version is already sold out. At the time of writing, according to Xiaomi's website there are still regular Emerald Mi Mix 2S units available for purchase but we expect them to run out fast. Both units are identical to the regular Xiaomi Mi Mix 2S outside of their appearance and the fact that they come in 8GB/256GB configuration. You can still go for the standard 6GB/64GB and 6GB/128GB models over at Xiaomi's online retail store. Source

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Xiaomi Mi 8 with 8GB of RAM and 128GB internal storage debuts

Xiaomi announced that it will be launching a Mi 8 with 8GB of RAM on August 8. Pre-bookings kicked off on the very same day but actual sales are starting today. The beefed-up Mi 8 can be found on JD.com with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage and it goes for CNY 3,299 ($480). Interestingly enough, the 6GB/256GB version is also going for CNY 3,299 so we are really hard-pressed to see why would anyone choose 2GB more RAM over 128GB of internal storage. In any case, you can put your orders by hitting the source link below. Source (in Chinese)

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Oppo R17 Pro camera could feature a dual aperture

If the Snapdragon 710 chipset wasn't enough, perhaps this Oppo R17 Pro rumor can make you a believer - the dual camera will be upgraded with a dual aperture. Like the Galaxy S9 and, more recently the Note9, the R17 Pro shooter can reportedly switch between f/1.5 and f/2.4. Which aperture is used will depend on the lighting conditions. The f/1.5 mode will be used for low-light shooting and natural bokeh, f/2.4 for sharp photos in daylight. Oppo R17 Pro dual-aperture F1.5/F2.4#oppo #OppoR17 pic.twitter.com/rBUH0lS6Zh— 📱 🖥️ 👦 👦 🔍 ...

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Oppo F9 Pro will officially launch on August 21

Oppo will launch the F9 Pro on August 21. The information comes straight from Oppo's website. The F9 Pro's key selling feature will be its selfie camera - expected to be a 25MP f/2.0 unit - and its rapid VOOC Flash Charge, which Oppo claims will offer 2 hours of talk time on a 5 minute charge. We're not sure what the F9 Pro will bring over the F9 but we're guessing a different chipset and/or cameras. The Oppo F9 will pack a 6.3-inch display with a water drop-like notch for the selfie camera, a dual 16MP + 2MP camera on the back and a 3,500mAh battery.

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Xiaomi Mi Pad 4 Plus is official with 10-inch screen and 8,620 mAh battery

Well, it didn't take long for Xiaomi to release the Mi Pad 4 Plus. We had just one rumor yesterday and now we have the real thing officially announced. Mi Pad 4 Plus in black and gold The Mi Pad 4 Plus is a bigger version of the Mi Pad 4, as the name implies. It packs a large 10.1-inch screen with 1920 x 1200 pixel resolution, 16:10 aspect ratio and rounded corners. The design of the chassis mostly the same but weighs 485g, which is 143g more than the 8" version. The tablet is powered by a Snapdragon 660 chipset, just like its little sibling, paired with 4GB of LPDDR4X RAM...

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Moto P30 listed on official website, specs and design revealed

This is the second time Motorola lists its Moto P-series on its website and this time a day before the official unveiling in China on August 15. And this time the leak is so extensive that it leaves little to the imagination. Moto P30 color options Apparently, the leaked images and specs are all taken from the official website and were since removed. They reveal a glass back design, aluminum frame, tall screen with very thin bezels, wide notch and small chin. Actually, it carries almost identical design to the Lenovo Z5 but we hope this time the bezels won't be growing...

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Xiaomi expands Mi Store network to Hungary

Xiaomi is currently the fourth most popular smartphone vendor in Europe, according to a Canalys report. The company recently opened official stores in France and Italy, followed by a Mi Store in Vienna, Austria. The next European market where the company is setting foot is Hungary, with the first store opening on August 25 in Budapest. The Mi Store will be found at Lurdy Haz shopping mall, near the Ferencvaros stadium. We do not have confirmation if this is a Xiaomi-owned store or just an Authorized Reseller, but it will offer plenty of smartphones and Mi devices including the...

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Mate 20's Kirin 980 shows up with Mali-G72 MP24 GPU and second-gen NPU

It's no secret that Huawei is working on a successor to its Kirin 970 chipset and will stick it inside the upcoming Mate 20 lineup. Oh, and if the leaked benchmark results from April are to be believed, we expect great performance and power efficiency gains thanks to the 7nm manufacturing process by TSMC. Screenshots from the hardware identification tool Now a new report confirms all of that and adds more details to the overall picture. According to the screenshots snapped from what seems to be a Chinese hardware identification tool, the Kirin 980 will run octa-core CPU in 4x...

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