Microsoft experiments with modular controllers for mobile devices

While some of the new gaming phones have hardware controls - either on board or as accessories - most handsets out there rely on touch and motion. Those are fine for casual games, but Microsoft believes it can interest serious players with Xbox-like controllers. This is just a research project for now, but the vision of the team is for Switch-like flexibility. They controllers themselves - analog sticks plus a D-pad or a handful of buttons on each side - are relatively small and they attach to the side of the device (be it phone or tablet). Additional slide-in grips can be used for...

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OnePlus 6T durability test: scratches don't bother the in-display fingerprint reader

The OnePlus 6T was unveiled just minutes ago and it already had to face the JerryRigEverything durability test. Not just that, Zack was at the event in New York and he disassembled the phone in front of a live audience. We're live with @zackjerryrig as he goes under the hood of the #OnePlus6T! https://t.co/BKYcvJ4VfN— OnePlus (@oneplus) October 29, 2018 Back to the durability test. The phone has Gorilla Glass 6 on the front, which gets minor scratches at a level 6 and deeper ones at level 7 of the Mohs' scale. The thing to worry about here is that the in-display fingerprint reader...

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OnePlus 6T review

You were the Chosen One! You were supposed to uphold the staples of smartphone design and be different, not join the madness. You were supposed to bring balance to the force, not leave it in darkness. Joking aside, we might as well get a couple of things out of the way straight off the bat - Yes, the OnePlus 6T has a notch and no, it no longer has a 3.5mm audio jack.

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OnePlus 6T is here with a smaller notch, in-display fingerprint reader, bigger battery

After a lengthy promotional campaign and a fair bit of leaks the OnePlus 6T is here just about six months after its predecessor arrived on shelves. At this point we're well aware of what the OnePlus 6T brings over the OnePlus 6 but we'll go over it again. Half of the OnePlus 6T's improvements are in the hardware and the other come through software. The former include a smaller water drop-styled notch, an in-display fingerprint scanner and a larger battery. The latter include improvements to the camera and the performance. There's one hardware regression we need to get out of the way...

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Deal: eBay UK takes 15% off items from 40 sellers, refurbished iPhone 8 down to £370

The parade of discount codes at eBay UK continues. The latest offers 15% for products from 40 sellers and will run from today until midnight Friday. As usual, there are limits - you need to spend at least £30 and the maximum discount is £75. The code is PREP15. You can find the full list of participating sellers here. The deals include everything from electronics to car parts. On the electronics side there's a seller-refurbished iPhone 8 that starts at £435 (unlocked, 64GB, good condition). Minus the £65 you can save with the discount code it drops to £370. 256GB models are available as...

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Apple iPhone XR sold 9 million units in its opening weekend, still short of predictions

According to data obtained by Rosenblatt Securities analyst Jun Zhang, Apple sold around 9 million iPhone XR units in the phone's opening weekend. Those are some stellar numbers but ones that fall short of said analyst' prediction of 10 million units. Because of this Zhang has trimmed his estimates for the production of the new iPhones in November and December from 90 million units to 88 million. Despite the slightly underwhelming sales figures (according to Zhang's sources), the analyst still expects Apple to have a record breaking holiday quarter. He forecasts better than $91...

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Samsung launches its first 512 GB microSD card for nearly €300

Samsung announced in the summer that a 512 GB microSD card is being prepared for launch and the time has come. The German version of the company website and online store listed the accessory with the staggering price tag of €289.90. It is yet to launch it, but you can sign up to be notified when it becomes available. The immensely high price tag is even more surprising when you see how much is the 256 GB microSD - just €99.90. This means you get twice the storage for three times the price and the luxury to have half a terabyte for extra storage in your smartphone. At least the German...

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Red Hydrogen One lands at Verizon and AT&T on November 2 for $1,295

After almost a year and a half since its initial announcement, Red's groundbreaking Hydrogen One smartphone is finally ready to launch. Pre-orders should have shipped already, but what if you want to purchase yours from a carrier? Well, in that case, both Verizon and AT&T have your back. Regardless of which of the two carriers you pick, the full price of the device is $1,295. If you don't enjoy shelling out that much cash all at once, installment plans are also going to be available of course. Verizon will have you give it $53.95 per month for two years, while AT&T demands $43.16 for 30...

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Vivo adds a new color to the vivo X23 - Star Edition

The vivo X23 has been out since early September in Magic Blue, Phantom Purple and Phantom Red and today vivo has added a new Star Edition option to the mix. The new color option features a light to dark red gradient finish with vertical colored stripes along the back. The vivo X23 Start Edition is now available for pre-order at a price of CNY 3,500 (€440) with a shipping date yet to be assigned. Color aside, the Star Edition is the same vivo X23 that's been out from early September. It houses a 6.41-inch Super AMOLED screen with an embedded in-display fingerprint scanner, a...

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Xiaomi Mi 8 Lite goes global, arrives first in France, Ukraine

Last month Xiaomi announced the Mi 8 Lite as a more affordable option of its flagship series, but the phone was introduced only on the Chinese market. It eventually made its way to Ukraine and now Donovan Sung, global spokesperson of the company, said on Twitter France is also getting the Lite variant of the Mi 8 and other markets will follow soon. The device was initially introduced in a gradient Twilight Gold, Dream Blue, and a more clean Deep Space Gray colors. It looks like all three options will hit the global scene since Sung is preparing us for "some colorful mixes". The...

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Reuters: the OnePlus 6T is coming to the US with backing from T-Mobile and Qualcomm

Executives from T-Mobile USA have confirmed to Reuters that the upcoming OnePlus 6T will be available in the US with the backing of the carrier itself as well as chip-designer Qualcomm. The partnership will be unveiled in more detail later today as part of the event (this was was rumored earlier this year). OnePlus has grown to be the third-biggest customer of Qualcomm's chipsets, following Samsung and LG (based on data by analysts at Canalys). This explains why the company behind Snapdragon chips is keen to expand the availability of the OnePlus 6T. A phone's success in the US...

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Watch the OnePlus 6T get unveiled here

Today OnePlus will unveil its 6T flagship smartphone at a special event in New York and you can watch it right here in your browser. At the time of writing the event is happening at exactly at 11AM EDT time, that's less than 2 hours from now. The centerpiece of the event will be the OnePlus 6T which will bring a host of improvements to its predecessor, both big and small. We've rounded all of them in our rumor roundup. You can bet we'll bring you detailed coverage of the OnePlus 6T announcement so stay right where you are.

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Honor to announce Waterplay 8 tablet on Oct 31

Honor is planning to have a massive event on October 31. We already know the slider Magic 2 will arrive, but now the official Weibo page of the company revealed even more devices are coming. The phone will be accompanied by Honor FlyPods, Honor Watch, and according to latest info - the Honor Waterplay 8 tablet. Honor announcement posters for Waterplay 8, Honor Watch, Honor FlyPods The new slate will be a smaller version of the Honor Waterplay that was introduced 12 months ago. The new device will have an 8" screen and dual rear cameras - a rare feature for tablets since...

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Honor Magic 2 visits AnTuTu, confirms Kirin 980 chipset and a few other specs

The Honor Magic 2 will be unveiled two days from now. The official teasers and the leaks have painted a picture of a phone that will give even the Huawei Mate 20 Pro and Xiaomi Mi Mix 3 a run for their money. This teaser, for example, promises the flagship Kirin 980 chipset. The Honor Magic 2 will use a Kirin 980 chipset • AnTuTu reveals additional details And this gives us a touch more details. The phone will be running Android 9.0 Pie (undoubtedly with EMUI on top). It will have a version with 8GB of RAM and 128GB storage, but other configurations are possible as well. The...

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New leak details Lenovo Z5 Pro's slider mechanism, its new security chip

Lenovo will announce the Z5 Pro in just a few days on November 1. It will have a slider mechanism, a built-in security chip and four cameras. The slider mechanism will operate manually (like the one on the Xiaomi Mi Mix 3) and according to the latest leak it will consist of six (or more) double helix guidance points. That may sound vague at this point, because it is. "Helix" likely refers to springs and dual helix springs do exist. But why six of them? Lenovo will have to clear up the mechanics this Thursday. According to the source, the slider mechanism will be guaranteed a life of at...

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New iPad Pro to have rounded bezels, no Home button

Apple is having an announcement tomorrow and we're expecting to see new iPad Pro in two sizes, hopefully along with MacBook Air and new AirPods. Back in September we saw renders with extremely thin rounded bezels, later seen again inside a case along with FaceID. According to a leaked icon from the iOS source, Apple will ditch the Touch ID from the new tablets and will stick solely to Face ID, just like its iPhone X series smartphones. The icon showcased also a power button on the top side, while the volume rocker is on the upper right side. There is no slider key, but this is...

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LG Pay Quick trademarked for Europe, USA, South Korea

Samsung Pay, LG Pay, Google Pay and Apple Pay are some of the services that allow plenty of customers to use their phones instead of cards. Samsung also introduced the Pay mini platform that has a digital wallet for bills and other online payments, but no tap-and-pay option. The fellow Korean competitor LG is also planning to introduce a similar feature called LG Pay Quick, according to trademark listings. LG Pay Quick was trademarked with EUIPO, USPTO and KIPO - the intellectual and property offices respectively for the European Union, the United States and South Korea....

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Oppo achieves 5G speed on modified R15

Two months after completing the first 5G tests, an Oppo smartphone reached 5G Internet speeds. Oppo VP and President of the Business Department in China Brain Shen posted an image on Weibo of the device that managed to open the company webpage over 5G speeds, revealing the company is nearing a launch of a phone with next-gen connectivity. The smartphone is built around the Oppo R15, but with a fully integrated 5G system board, RF, RFFE, and antenna. The test was done in Oppo's communication protocol laboratory where it teased the X50 modem from Snapdragon back in August. Shen said...

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