Weekly poll results: Galaxy S10 phones dominate MWC weekend, Mate X almost steals the show

A week ago - before the MWC madness started - we asked you which phones you are most excited about. The Samsung lineup won hands down with 42% of the vote, well ahead of the Nokia 9 PureView and Sony Xperia 1, which were tied for second. In last week's poll we asked a very similar question, except we had the benefit of knowing the official specs and prices of the phones, rather than going on teasers and rumors. Long story short, the new flagships did not disappoint as the level of excitement for them hasn't waned. Best 4G phone: Galaxy S10+ • Best 5G phone: Galaxy S10 5G • Best...

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Shootout: Nokia 9 PureView gets us closer to the beauty of real bokeh

When we first got wind of the Nokia 9 PureView and its multi-camera system, we were sure Nokia had hopped on the ultra-wide-regular-telephoto bandwagon with a time of flight 3D and monochrome auxiliary cameras to fill the quota up to five. We were wrong. Nokia surprised just about everyone with the camera selection on the Nokia 9 PureView - five 28mm 12MP f/1.8 snappers, three of which are black and white, two of which are RGB, and a TOF 3D camera on the side. So what do five cameras with identical fields of view do for the one clicking the shutter button? Nokia has gone for a few...

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Netflix expands the lists of HDR10-supported devices with the Galaxy S10 family

Netflix has expanded its list of supported devices to play HDR10 content to include the Galaxy S10, S10+ and S10e. The company's latest high-end devices join the Note8 and Note9 as well as the S9 in being able to stream shows created to adhere to that standard. The Galaxy S10+'s HDR10+ display up close Now, you may have noticed in promo material that the S10 trio are the first phones to support HDR10+, which isn't quite the same. Co-developed by Samsung, HDR10+ is an extension of the other standard but with capability for dynamic range allocation on a frame by frame basis, as...

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Here's what the protective cases for Galaxy Fold will look like

Samsung recently unveiled its first foldable smartphone - the Galaxy Fold. This smartphone carries a price tag of $1,980 making it a luxury item. Well, if you are spending that much money on a smartphone, you might also want to spend a bit more and get a protective case to prevent any damage to it. Popular case maker Spigen has shared renders of its protective cases for the Galaxy Fold giving us a glimpse into the foldable future. Spigen's cases for Galaxy Fold will come in three models - Tough Armor, Thin Fit, and Ultra Hybrid. These cases will be made out of silicone and plastic...

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Deal: Google Home Max now 50% off in the UK

The Google Home Max is the largest smart speaker in the company's Home lineup and at £399/€399/$399 it's the definition of a tough sell. Every now and then though, Google comes up with a discount, and such is the case now in the UK. You can have a Home Max for £199, 50% its regular price. The offer is valid until March 5 and covers both color options. Buyers in Germany aren't as lucky and the speaker is listed at full price there, while in the US today's the last day of a $50 off deal. Source

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Microsoft shuts down health services, offers refund to Band owners

Microsoft has announced that it will be discontinuing its health services. This includes the Microsoft Band and Microsoft Health Dashboard apps and services. While Microsoft stopped selling the Microsoft Band accessory over two years ago, the backend services were still active for existing users. These services will be deactivated on May 31, 2019. The respective apps will also be removed from all the app stores. Microsoft is even going as far as offering a refund to some of the Microsoft Band buyers. Users who synced data between December 1, 2018 and March 1, 2019 can apply for a...

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Samsung Galaxy A40 rumored to cost €249, launch soon

Samsung unveiled three new smartphones under its Galaxy A series last month - the Galaxy A10, A30, and A50. The company is expected to launch the A40 soon, and its price has just surfaced online. According to a report by MySmartPrice, the Galaxy A40 will carry a price tag of €249 (around $280) in most of Europe. An exact date of its launch is unavailable, but it's reported to go on sale in Europe soon. The Galaxy A40 will be positioned between the A30 and A50. The former is powered by Exynos 7904 SoC and features dual rear cameras, whereas the latter comes with Exynos 9610 SoC and...

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You can enable Facebook Messenger's Dark Mode with a moon emoji

Last October, Facebook said that it would soon roll out Dark Mode for Messenger. But it's been more than four months since then and Facebook still hasn't rolled out this much-awaited feature to its users. Well, even though the social media giant hasn't officially enabled this feature for everyone, there is a workaround that lets you enable it easily. The Dark Mode on Facebook Messenger can be enabled by sending a moon emoji (this one:🌙) in a chat. As soon as you send this emoji, you will see a message pop-up at the top that reads "You Found Dark Mode!". Below that will be a button...

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Galaxy S10+ bill of materials estimated at $420, SoC actually $9 cheaper than S9+'s

The experts over at TechInsights have gotten their hands on a Samsung Galaxy S10+ and published an estimated bill of materials for the smartphone, following a teardown. Their calculations work out to a total cost of $420. Now, before we move on to the rundown, let's quickly mention that this is just the cost of the components and that go into an S10+, and assembly, and doesn't include R&D and marketing, and whatnot. With that out of the way, the estimation lists the display as the single most expensive element at $86.50, with the chipset coming in second at $70.50. The combined...

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Asus Zenfone Max Plus (M2) and Max Shot spotted at Anatel

The ever-confusing Asus smartphone lineup will be expanding by two more phones as evidenced by Brazilian telecom regulator Anatel's database. The two models are called Zenfone Max Shot and Zenfone Max Plus (M2), which is not to be confused with the existing Zenfone Max Pro (M2) and Zenfone Max Plus (M1). The Max Shot has some special camera chops and comes with three cameras on its back, though it's unclear what exactly the setup consists of. Meanwhile, the Max Plus (M2) has a simpler dual camera configuration. You'd be forgiven for mistaking the two at a casual glance - the...

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Xiaomi Black Shark will soon launch gaming smartphones in India

Xiaomi-backed Black Shark launched its first gaming smartphone last April. Six months later, the company announced a successor called Black Shark Helo. The company initially operated in China, but later made its way to Europe in November. Now it is further expanding the business by setting up operations in India. Black Shark has announced that its India office will be headquartered in Bengaluru and will be headed by David Li who's the VP of Black Shark Global. Joining him will be Chirag Nagendra as the Marketing Head of Black Shark India. Nagendra has previously worked with OnePlus as...

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Huawei Y6 2019 goes official with Helio A22 SoC and 6.09-inch waterdrop display

Last month, Huawei announced an entry-level smartphone called Huawei Y6 Pro 2019. Now the company has announced a non-Pro variant of that smartphone dubbed Huawei Y6 2019. The Huawei Y6 2019 is actually the Y6 Pro 2019, but it differs from the Pro variant in terms of RAM amount and the availability of fingerprint scanner. The Y6 Pro 2019 comes with 3 GB RAM and doesn't have a fingerprint scanner, whereas the Y6 2019 comes with 2 GB RAM and it does sport a fingerprint scanner at the back. Apart from these differences, everything else remains the same across both these...

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