Samsung Galaxy A8s could skip 3.5 mm audio jack

Samsung is preparing the Galaxy A8s to be its trailblazer device with an Infinity-O display. According to a prominent Twitter leakster @MMDDJ_, the new smartphone might also be the first Samsung smartphone without a 3.5 mm audio jack, paving the way for USB-C audio in the Galaxy S and Galaxy Note series. The Korean company is apparently testing the waters with the Galaxy A8s and its all-in approach. Given the Galaxy A9s and Galaxy A6s monikers are China-exclusive, we might see the new device getting unveiled first in China, and if the reception is going on well, Samsung will likely...

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Realme 1 is now receiving ColorOS 5.2, many new features in tow

Oppo spinoff Realme has started sending out a new update to its first ever smartphone, the Realme 1. This won't change the Android version - it's still running Oreo, not Pie - but it will bump up ColorOS to 5.2. ColorOS is the Oppo-developed skin/custom UI overlay that sits atop its devices and Realme's, and now the Realme 1 is using the latest iteration of it. ColorOS 5.2 brings a bunch of new features to the Realme 1, including the ability to dismiss notifications with a single swipe to the right, a headset icon in the status bar, a Smart Bar for faster multitasking, background music...

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HTC U11 Life is getting Android 9 Pie update

The U11 Life Android One device is HTC's first smartphone to be graced with an update to Android 9 Pie. The new software is rolling out in Romania at the moment, and is expected to spread to other European markets very soon. The rollout comes almost four months after Google released Pie. Since the U11 Life is part of the Android One program, with one of its claimed advantages being exactly fast updates, this delay is even more baffling, especially as Nokia has been updating its Android One phones to Pie left and right for many weeks now. On the other hand, because it's part of Android One,...

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MediaTek teases upcoming Helio P90 chipset with "groundbreaking AI"

The Realme U1 announced yesterday is the first phone to feature MediaTek's Helio P70 chipset. MediaTek, however, is already working on its next premier mid-range SoC, and this will be called Helio P90. The company itself has started teasing the chip on Twitter, as you can see below. The Helio P90 is expected to feature "groundbreaking AI", while also being powerful and efficient. Coming Soon! The MediaTek Helio P90. Powerful. Efficient. Groundbreaking AI. #MediaTekHelioP90 #thischipchangeseverything pic.twitter.com/HiALFuRWHZ— MediaTek (@MediaTek) November 29, 2018 The AI bit is...

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OnePlus 6T McLaren Edition to have 10GB of RAM, 256GB of storage

OnePlus is announcing a special edition 6T in cooperation with McLaren on December 11. The partnership was revealed a couple of days ago, but no details about the smartphone have been outed on that occasion. Now a new report says we should expect a OnePlus 6T with 10GB of RAM and 256GB of storage to be that special edition device. That would make it king of RAM in the smartphone space, since not one other device has so far gone beyond 10GB. The handset should also have the McLaren logo on the back, to set itself apart from the other 6T variants. The OnePlus 6T McLaren edition will be...

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French wireless authority finds 8 phones that exceeded SAR limits

SAR - the Specific Absorption Rate - is a measure of how much energy is absorbed by the human body from the radio emissions from phones. Various wireless authorities do strict testing to make sure that manufacturers stay within limits and as France's ANFR found out, sometimes phones exceed the limit. During the first half of 2018, the authority tested 51 handsets and of those 43 passed. The other 8 did not. Check out the table below to see the offenders. Note that the value in the table are measured at the waist, but ANFR also measures the absorption at head level. Anyway, the issue was...

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Kyocera DuraForce Pro 2 goes through torture test, makes other smartphones blush

Not many people know Kyocera but those that do, know its phones are rugged and made for testing environments. It's latest phone - the DuraForce Pro 2 isn't very interesting in terms of specs but is built like a tank and has quite a rare feature to boast about - a sapphire screen. Some tech companies cough Apple cough only claim to use sapphire (like the lenses on recent iPhone cameras) but actually use strengthened glass that scratches like regular Gorilla Glass 4/5/6. But Kyocera really has put a sapphire screen (and camera lens cover) on the DuraForce Pro 2. In his video Zack from...

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Motorola is now seeding Android 9.0 Pie for the Motorola One

After the India exclusive Motorola One Power received Android Pie, the international Motorola One is next down the pipeline. And this is actually the first internationally-available Motorola device to get the latest OS release. Supposedly, since the Motorola One and One Power are on the Android One program and have already received the OTA update, the Moto X4 Android One's update should be just around the corner as well. Still, there are plenty of other Motorola devices to get the sweet Pie and users are waiting. Via

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Apple Watch Series 4 Caviar is inspired by the premium delicacy, costs up to $43,850

Caviar is living up to its name with the reveal of its latest luxury creation - the Apple Watch Series 4 Caviar. The design is inspired by the premium roe and comes in Red, Black and White flavors. Dotted all across the gold-plated smartwatch are precious stones - 633 of them, each 1.5mm in size - rather than fish eggs. The Red Caviar model uses rubies, while the Black Caviar is made out of black diamonds. Apple Watch Series 4 Red Caviar (rubies) • Black Caviar (black diamonds) It's the White Caviar that is the premium option, a king among kings. It is inspired by Almas,...

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Amazon, Google and Samsung top list of tech R&D spending

According to data gathered by PwC, covering the fiscal year ending on June 30 2018, Amazon, Alphabet, Samsung and Intel are all in the top five in terms of research and development spending. Amazon topped the list for the second year in a row with $22.6B spent on R&D and Google's Alphabet parent company was second with $16.2B. Samsung retained fourth with $15.3B in R&D spending, followed by Intel with $13.1B, Microsoft with $12.3B and Apple with $11.6B. The top 1000 public companies spend a whopping $782B in R&D in 2018 - an increase of 11.4% over 2017. Computing and Electronics and...

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Samsung issues hotfix update in second Android Pie beta for Galaxy S9

Samsung has just issued a hotfix update to the second Android Pie beta on Galaxy S9, launched yesterday. It is only 90 MB in size and patches two significant issues that slipped in the major release. Users complained about losing mobile data connection and having trouble launching some apps. To get the Pie beta that moves to One UI on your Galaxy S9 or Galaxy S9+, you must be part of the Samsung Members program (also known as Samsung+ in the United States). Through the dedicated app you can see the whole log, but your software should be updated through the Settings menu. Via

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ZenFone Max M1 and Lite L1 hands-on review

The ZenFone Lite L1 and the ZenFone Max M1 are two of Asus' latest smartphones that also happen to be the cheapest the brand has to offer. These are entry-level smartphones usually for first time buyers, with the Lite L1 being the more affordable of the two and the Max M1 being similar but with a few extra features and bling for the more discerning customer with slightly deeper pockets.

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ZTE wants to do display holes for the earpiece now

The hate for notches and the push for higher screen-to-body ratios are about to create the latest craze of punch holes in the displays. There aren't smartphones with camera holes in their front panels yet Samsung, Lenovo and Huawei are about to launch a trio of those next month. And now we learn ZTE is looking into holes in the display for tackling another problem - the earpiece. Although, to be fair, Huawei might have thought about that first. Anyway, going by the latest patent from ZTE, the OEM is trying to reduce the upper bezel and potentially eliminate the need for a notch by...

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Lenovo Z5s hands-on photos surface, show a screen hole in the middle of the status bar

A certain Lenovo Z5s was detailed by TENAA and from the dark photos it looked like it had a teardrop notch. But it's not a notch - it's a hole. Here are some better photos of the phone that offer a clearer picture, and it really helps that the display is on. This is not the first phone with a pierced screen, but the location of the hole is important - it's in the center. Both Huawei and Samsung seem to have settled on punching the hole in the top left corner of the screen. The Lenovo Z5s has a screen hole positioned at the center of the top edge of its screen There are pros and...

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Mixpanel: iOS 12 adoption rate reaches 75%

The adoption rate of iOS 12 kept increasing at a steady pace, and yesterday it surpassed the threshold of 75%. For comparison, iOS 11 reached the same percentage on December 17, which is about three weeks slower. Data also revealed that one of every 20 iDevices devices is still on versions prior to iOS 11, and most of them are highly unlikely to switch since they are older models in general. iOS 12 vs iOS 11 vs Older iOS Back in the first half of October, Apple boasted that half of the devices switched to iOS 12 just 30 days after the official launch. The faster adoption rate...

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11 sued over selling Samsung OLED secrets to Chinese company

It's no secret that Samsung makes the best OLEDs for smartphones these days - its class-leading panels feature on Apple's new iPhone XS, XS Max and the company's own Galaxy S9 and Galaxy Note9. As a result, the company holds about 95% of the markets share for small and mid-sized OLED panels. So the latest news about 11 employees working for a vendor on contract with Samsung disclosing technology secrets to a Chinese firm don't sound all too well. South Korea is now looking into a case where 11 employees have sold Samsung's OLED manufacturing secrets to a Chinese company for about $14...

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Xiaomi Mi Mix 3 Forbidden City Edition goes on sale in December

The Xiaomi Mi Mix 3 Forbidden City Edition is going on sale in December (the company didn't specify an exact date). It will cost CNY 5,000 ($720/€630). That's the same price as the 8/256GB model (the base 6/128GB model is CNY 3,300). This special edition will pack 10GB of RAM (the first model in the Mix 3 lineup to do so). Also, it's a different kind of blue - it's inspired by the ceramic vases of one of the ruling dynasties of China. Fitting as the back of the phone is made of ceramic. Also, there's a gold inlay of a mythical create on the back of the phone. The Forbidden City...

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Counterpoint: Xiaomi obliterates competition during Diwali

This year's Diwali festive season ended on November 8 and thanks to the holiday spirit and plenty of discounts across retailers, smartphone sales grew 26%, compared with last year's period. Counterpoint Research announced that Flipkart and Amazon played a massive role with their respective online sale events " Flipkart Big Billion Day" and "Amazon Great Indian Festival." OEM stores, including mi.com, vivo e-store, and Hi Honor helped as the online sales went up 46% YoY. The big winner of the shopping festival is Xiaomi with 43% online share and 14% offline share in the respective...

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Renders of Sony Xperia XZ4 cases support rumor of extra tall body

The renders of the Sony Xperia XZ4 showed an extra tall phone with a triple camera on the back. Now we have a second data point that supports this design - renders of a case for the phone have surfaced. Those CAD renders show a screen with a 21:9 aspect ratio - taller than any phone currently on the market, it's a proportion not seen since LG BL40 New Chocolate. Renders of Sony Xperia XZ4 cases: check out how tall they are Here are a few more interesting details to note. There's a cutout for the Power key while the other keys are covered (including the shutter key) - that...

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Oppo will show its foldable phone at the Mobile World Congress 2019

Oppo will show its first foldable smartphone at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona in February 2019. The confirmation comes straight from Oppo's Product Manager Chuck Wang. While he didn't disclose any specifics about the foldable phone, Wang has mentioned that Oppo will deliver a 5G smartphone in 2020 and will also aim to release its first phone with a display cutout in 2020. Foldable phones will likely prove a key focus in 2019. Samsung already provided a glimpse of its Galaxy F foldable smartphone and is expected to give it more screen time at the MWC in February. LG will...

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Asus ROG Phone finally lands in India with all its accessories in tow

Asus finally brought its flagship ROG Phone to the Indian market. The phone is priced at INR 69,999 ($1,002) and will be available exclusively on Flipkart starting today, November 29. Asus is offering zero interest EMI option on the device, with a 12 month plan costing INR 5,833 per month. Flipkart will also be offering its Complete Mobile Protection plan for INR 999 instead of the usual INR 5,999. ASUS also has additional cashback offers for Reliance Jio customers. Asus will also be releasing all the accessories for the ROG Phone over the coming days. This includes the Professional...

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Apple Watch Series 4 will finally gain ECG support with watchOS 5.1.2 update

Undoubtedly the most exciting feature of the new Apple Watch Series 4 is the ECG functionality. However, it isn't available yet and we are still waiting for Apple to enable it via a future update. And according to inside sources, watchOS 5.1.2 is going to be the one to bring it. The software version is currently in beta testing and isn't yet available for the public. But once it arrives, it will be able to read your heart rhythm. It can help detect atrial fibrillation or just an irregular heart rhythm. Apple promised to enable the feature by the end of this year but it's still...

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Honor 8C launched in India for $170

Honor just introduced its latest midranger in India, as promised. The Honor 8C comes with Snapdragon 632 chipset and 4,000 mAh battery and can be pre-ordered on Amazon and Honor's online store, with shipments and store launch scheduled for December 10. The Honor 8C has a 6.26" HD+ screen with a notch and a tall 19:9 ratio. There is a dual camera on the back that has a 13 MP main module and a 2 MP depth sensor, and it can recognize over 500 scenes in 22 categories. The 4 GB RAM + 32 GB version costs INR11,999, while the variant with double the storage is INR12,999. Only two of the...

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Exclusive:New Huawei poster for its Infinity-O-rival smartphone leaks

We have obtained an exclusive first look at a new Huawei poster for its upcoming smartphone with a hole in the screen. The poster urges us to take One Step Further to See the Future in December. It also confirms Huawei's plans to announce its first phone with a hole in the screen next month. Huawei will desperately try and beat Samsung to its Infinity-O phone launch. There have been sightings of such as device - first in the wild and later through a Huawei nova 4 render. Your move, Samsung! Thanks to our anonymous tipster for sending this in!

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Qualcomm CEO says company is close to a resolving legal issues with Apple

In an interview with Qualcomm CEO Steve Mollenkopf on CNBC's Mad Money, Jim Cramer, host of the show asked Mollenkopf for an update on the company's ongoing legal feud with Apple. "Can you give us a little update," asks Cramer, "because I wanna buy an Apple 5G phone and I wannit to have Qualcomm in it." This, of course, referring to the ongoing legal battle the two companies face: Qualcomm demanding royalties and claiming patent infringements while Apple claims that the royalties are excessive. Qualcomm CEO: We're 'on the doorstep' of a resolution with Apple from CNBC In response,...

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vivo V11 Pro to arrive in Supernova Red in India

The vivo V11 arrived in India back in September under the name vivo V11 Pro in two colors - Starry Night Black and Dazzling Gold. According to numerous sources, there is a third option on its way called Supernova Red and should be announced any time now. vivo V11 Pro Supernova Red The Supernova Red is similar to the Black color option - The top part is extremely dark and will likely be deep red, but looking down, the color gets brighter to the point where some texture is visible on the bottom side. The rim will also be in sexy red color, with all other physical features like the...

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