Global Nokia 7.1 Plus variant gets FCC approval

Two weeks ago HMD Global started sending out invites for a launch on October 4 in London. The invitation clearly stated a new addition to the Nokia smartphone family will be introduced, and we think it will be the Nokia 7.1 Plus that already arrived on TENAA. The TA-1131 model number is for one of the variants of the phone, but another version nicknamed TA-1113, along with TA-1115, were just approved by the US Federal Communication Commission, paving the way for a global launch. The FCC listing revealed the new phone will arrive with 5V/2A charger and basic headphones, but it also...

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LG V40 ThinQ's Cine Shot camera mode will let you easily create cinemagraphs

LG is continuing its teaser campaign for the V40 ThinQ smartphone that will become official on October 3. Thus, you don't have a lot more to wait for the handset to be announced, but today the company making it has revealed a new feature it's introducing with the V40. It's called Cine Shot. It's a camera mode that lets you easily create cinemagraphs. These are like GIFs, but only a specific part of the image is moving - the rest is still. Think of them like a blend between a picture and a video and you'll get the gist. To capture a cinemagraph on the V40 ThinQ, you select the Cine Shot...

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Android 9 Pie is now rolling out for the Honor View 10 in Europe

Following the Huawei Mate 10 Pro, the Honor View 10 is now in the process of receiving the update to Android 9 Pie. The rollout is also happening in Europe only at the moment, and as you'd expect it brings Huawei's EMUI 9.0 overlay on top of Google's latest OS version. The build is 9.0.0.108, and for now it's only out for the BKL-L09 model of the View 10. The rollout is phased, which means you may have a bit of waiting to do until it reaches your particular unit, so you still need to be patient. The good news is that the over-the-air update is now finally on its way. EMUI 9.0 brings...

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Sony Xperia XZ3 pre-orders in the Netherlands come with a free pair of WH-1000XM3 headphones

Pre-orders for Sony's Xperia XZ3 smartphone have gone live in the Netherlands today. You can purchase the device for €799 SIM-free and unlocked. Alternatively, you can pick a subscription plan and net the device for nothing upfront if you agree to pay at least €36 per month. If you pre-order, however, you will receive a free pair of Sony WH-1000XM3 headphones. They are a €380 value, so this is a pretty amazing deal. The promo runs from today until November 4, and you have until November 18 to claim the headset via this website. To learn more about the headphones, make sure you don't miss...

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First 5G network in the world goes live as Verizon flips the switch in four US cities

The future has arrived, for some at least. Verizon switched on the first 5G network today, initially covering four US cities. The current network will serve as a last mile solution, delivering fast Internet to your home without cables. The 5G Home router will deliver "about 300Mbps" to houses in Houston, Indianapolis, Los Angeles and Sacramento. One Clayton Harris of Houston gets the bragging rights of being the first 5G customer in the world. Mr. Harris and others that became "First on 5G" members are looking at a price of $50 a month (if they have a Verizon phone plan) or $70 a...

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Pew Research: iPhone may struggle, but the iPad can still grow in the US

The US market has become saturated when it comes to cellphone and internet use but there's still much potential in the tablet market. According to research numbers from Pew Research, about 99% of people aged 18-49 use a cellphone and 91% of the same group use a smartphone. Compare that to just 58% of people between 18 and 49 that use a tablet and you can see how tablets have room to grow. And Apple is dominating that market category in the US, managing to grow its shipments despite a stagnant market. Apple's only rivals in the tablet space are Samsung and Amazon and they're not all...

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Apple iPhone XS Max review

The iPhone X was not just a milestone for Apple. It also turned out to be the cornerstone the next generation of iPhones is being built around. And while the anniversary iPhone wowed everyone, many people voiced their wish for a Plus size model after the excitement had worn off. And this year Apple is righting this wrong with the iPhone XS Max.

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Xiaomi is opening a store in London

Xiaomi is on a grand tour of Europe, opening stores in several countries. The latest is the UK with a store set to open in London. A couple of days ago a redditor dug up a job posting for sales assistants and a store manager for a location in Westfield London (a large shopping center). Today, @XiaomiUK tweeted its first tweet: Hello UK! #myfirstTweet— XiaomiUK (@XiaomiUK_) October 1, 2018 There are a few more tweets, one of which says you can win an invite to "a very special event" (the opening, perhaps?). Source 1 | Via

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Xiaomi Redmi 6 and Redmi 6A are getting stable MIUI 10

Xiami is seeding the global stable MIUI 10 ROM to the Redmi 6 and Redmi 6A through an over the air update (but you can find the firmwares ready for download in the source links). The updates include the new redesigned, full-screen UI with gestures, new system sounds, improvement to portrait mode, various optimizations, bug fixes and the September security patch. The stable global MIUI 10 was recently seeded to the for the Redmi Note 5 Pro, Redmi Note 5, Redmi Y2 and the Mi 5. Here's the complete list of supported devices. If you have a Redmi 6 or Redmi 6A and are running the...

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HMD also schedules an event for October 11

Later this week: an HMD event in London on October 4. Next week: another HMD event on October 11. What's going on? It is widely believed that we'll see the Nokia 7.1 Plus (aka Nokia X7) this week. Indeed, the October 4 invite promises "the latest addition to the Nokia smartphone family". The spec sheet of the Nokia 7.1 Plus was laid out for all the world to see by TENAA. HMD invite for an October 11 event sent out to Indian publications HMD is preparing three phones based on recent findings, including the Nokia 9 and what could be a gaming phone, so those are potential stars of...

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Samsung Music brings Spotify recommendations with new update

Samsung introduced plenty of devices at the Galaxy Unpacked event back in August, along with a partnership with Spotify. Less than two months later we see the fruition of the deal in the Samsung Music app - it just got updated with better design and recommended playlists from the service in a separate tab. The new Samsung Music The new update of Samsung Music brings a simpler tab design, where you'll be able to swipe through favorites, playlists, tracks, albums, etc. There are also the usual sub-tabs of Recently Added, Most Played, and Recently Played. The sort function...

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Realme 2 to have another flash sale tomorrow

Realme reached 1 million two weeks ago and it's keen to keep riding the hype wave with another flash sale of the Realme 2. It will take place on Flipkart tomorrow at noon, but once again the number of units available might not be enough for everybody. The Realme 2 is currently exclusive on Flipkart and available only in India, but the Oppo sub-brand is planning an expansion, with a "Realme 2 series" event in Indonesia scheduled for next Tuesday. The Asian country will get not only the Realme 2 with Snapdragon 450 and low price tag, but also the Realme 2 Pro version with bigger and...

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Samsung Galaxy A6s reveals its specs on TENAA

A new Samsung smartphone SM-G6200 appeared on TENAA over the weekend, although it had a limited amount of specs. Today the rest of the hardware features appeared at the listing of what will likely end up being the Galaxy A6s. The phone will run on a 2.2 GHz CPU which could be the Samsung-owned Exynos 7885 Octa chipset, seen in the Galaxy A8 (2018) or a Snapdragon chipset, as seen in the Galaxy A7 (2018). RAM is listed as 6 GB, while storage is either 64 GB or 128 GB (micro SD slot is present). There is a vertical dual camera setup on the back with two 12 MP sensors, while the selfie...

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Lenovo Z5 Pro teased with four cameras on the back

A company VP showed off the Lenovo Z5 Pro, focusing on its notchless, all-screen front (with a slide-out camera). But this invite suggests that the back of the phone will be even more interesting: it will have four cameras! They are arranged in a square, similar to the upcoming Huawei Mate 20. Lenovo's arrangement differs by the placement of the cameras (in the four corners) and the LED flash (in the middle of the square). The flash on the Mate 20 is in the upper left corner, leaving the other three corners for the cameras. Lenovo Z5 Pro teaser image shows a four camera setup The...

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Xiaomi disables ability to flash Global ROM on its Chinese phones

It's no secret that phones in China cost less than they do outside of China, which makes it tempting to import one. Here's one more reason not to: Xiaomi has blocked the installation of its Global ROMs on its China-bound phones. MIUI in China replaces Google services (which are banned in the country) and has other tweaks. Gray import phones (bought in China on the cheap, but used elsewhere) usually have a way to enable the Play Services, but they still feature a bunch of Chinese apps and services that you won't use so it's basically full of bloatware. The Global ROMs were specifically...

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Huawei Mate 20 brings its Kirin 980 to Geekbench, outclasses competition

A Huawei device with the codename LYA-L29 has been spotted on Geekbench running Android 9 with an eight core processor and 6GB of RAM. Taking into account the latest Android version and the score, we believe this is the Huawei Mate 20 or Mate 20 Pro, both of which will run Huawei's Kirin 980 chipset. The chipset managed to achieve a single-core result of 3,390 and a multi-core score of 10,318. The multi-core result managed to outdo all Android competition but stops shy of the iPhone XS' 11,472. We've seen similar results from the Kirin 980 in AnTuTu, where it once again beat its...

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Prices of OnePlus 6T accessories leak

This year Apple stopped including a Lighting to 3.5mm adapter with its iPhones (even the old models). Will OnePlus follow suit now that its upcoming phone doesn't have a 3.5mm jack? We don't know for sure, but a leaked price list gives us a glimpse of the OnePlus 6T accessories. A USB-C to 3.5mm adapter cable will cost €8.95 in Europe. Apple sells its adapter for €10.00 so about the same. However, OnePlus doesn't have the practice of including headphones in its retail box, so our guess is that the adapter will not be included either. The new Bullets V2 headphones with USB-C plug...

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Oppo PBCM30 appears with Snapdragon 660 on Geekbench, will likely be called K1

Oppo is having a launch party on October 10 for a new device that we already know a lot about. The phone with the model number PBCM30 appeared on TENAA with 2 GHz CPU. We knew it shares much of its hardware with the Oppo R17 and the overall footprint of the Oppo R15, but it's only know that we learn its name and actual chipset. The device has appeared at Geekbench over the weekend, giving us a glimpse of its performance, as well as unveiling the Snapdragon 660 chipset. According to some rumors the phone will be called Oppo K1 and will be positioned as a more affordable alternative to the...

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LG V40 ThinQ's five cameras detailed in leaked promo material

The LG V40 ThinQ was announced last week and will launch on October 3 when we'll learn its official specs. Yet thanks to a last-minute leak we now know what those five cameras do. Our educated guess was confirmed by newly released promo material, obtained by Evan Blass (@evleaks). The LG V40 ThinQ will have three cameras on its back - regular angle, super wide angle and a telephoto. On the front there will two more snappers - regular and wide angle. About those five cameras on the LG V40 ThinQ... pic.twitter.com/DzC9aJnlFT— Evan Blass (@evleaks) October 1, 2018 The promo images...

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Huawei Y9 (2019) goes official with two cameras on each side

Huawei took the wraps off its Y9 (2019) and filled all the specs blanks that the leaks left. The Huawei Y9 (2019) has a large 6.5-inch 1080x2340px screen with a notch, a Kirin 710 chip mated to either 4GB or 6GB of RAM, a flashy two-toned color finish and an ample 4,000mAh battery. There are a pair of dual cameras on the Huawei Y9 (2019) a 16MP + 2MP on the rear and 13MP + 2MP on the front. In both instances the auxiliary 2MP snapper is meant to collect depth data for portrait mode shots. Memory-wise the Huawei Y9 (2019) will launch with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage and 6GB of...

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