Over four months after launch, Google now allows Pixel 3 and 3 XL mail-in repairs

Unlike Apple's impressive network of Apple Stores and Apple Authorized Service Providers, Google does not have the same physical presence to offer same-day repairs for the Google Pixel 3 and 3 XL. Back in September, Google finally opened its own mail-in repair center in the US. Before that, UBreakiFix was your only way to get repairs. Later in November, about a month after the Pixel 3's launch, Google only offered Pixel 3 and 3XL repairs with its network of UBreakiFix stores, most of which had no stock of original parts for the new Pixels. Google Pixel 3 (2018) Early buyers of...

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Google Duplex now available in 43 States on Pixel phones

Back in Google I/O of 2018, Google announced a new feature called Duplex. In essence, Google Assistant would automatically call a restaurant for you - one that doesn't have an online reservation system - to speak to and listen to a human on the other end and confirming a slot for whatever time window you ask. It can also ask basic information about the business such as whether or not the business is open for a holiday or if the hours aren't listed on Google Maps. With this information from Duplex, it can dynamically keep business hours updated to the present day. Upon its...

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Xiaomi Redmi 7 leaks in video hands-on, specs revealed

Xiaomi's Redmi Note 7 and Redmi Note 7 Pro are already official, so now we're just waiting for the third member of the family to finally make its debut - we're talking about the Redmi 7, of course. This was spotted at TENAA not long ago, with the certification process outing a few images and specs of the device. Now though, the yet unannounced smartphone has starred in a hands-on video, which is where the images in this post come from. The video also confirms the phone's specs once more. The Redmi 7 is powered by the Snapdragon 632 SoC, paired in this specific model with 3GB of RAM...

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Huawei sues U.S. Government over unconstitutional ban of Huawei equipment

Watch the livestream below... Reading from foldable Mate X's, Huawei claims that the US is not giving Huawei the chance to go through due process in court regarding the US Congress' claim that Huawei is a security threat. It claims that the US is improperly targeting and punishing Huawei without giving the company the chance to argue its case and "damaging its reputation". Update 1 (9:22PM EST): Huawei is suing the US governemnt for singling out Huawei and damaging its reputation without providing proof that the company is a threat as the U.S. congress claims and without...

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IDC: Smartphone shipments to decrease for a third year in a row

IDC has published s forecast on the phone market for 2019 and beyond and it expects more tough times. This year will be another year of negative growth for global smartphone shipments - an estimated 1.39 billion units will be moved in 2019, which is 0.8% less than in 2018. The longer replacement cycles and geopolitical tensions were quoted as the reasons for the less-than-optimistic forecast. On a more positive note, the second half of 2019 is expected to be a turning point with phone shipments returning to modest growth and maintaining it all the way to 2023. Naturally trying to make...

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[Developing] Huawei holding press conference challenging US government to provide proof of "threat"

Watch the livestream below... Huawei claims that the US is not giving Huawei the chance to go through due process in court regarding the US Congress' claim that Huawei is a security threat. It claims that the US is improperly targeting and punishing Huawei without giving the company the chance to argue its case and "damaging its reputation" Developing...

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Wearables market grew in 2018 led by Apple, Xiaomi and Huawei

The smart wearable market grew by 27% in 2018, spurred on by a strong Q4. Apple retained its leading position with a 26.8% of the entire market in 2018 while Xiaomi and Huawei posted much better numbers than in 2017. IDC has included ear-worn devices into its wearable category (as long as they can summon a smart assistant without the use of a phone), which ushered in devices like Apple's AirPods and Google's Pixel Buds into the fold. Apple shipped 46.2 million smart wearables in 2018 compared to 33.1 million in 2017. Xiaomi saw a year over year growth of nearly 45% while Huawei posted...

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MediaTek is working on a 5G-capable chipset built on a 7nm process

MediaTek will announce a 5G-capable chipset later this year. It will be built on a 7nm process and will aim for a more premium segment of the market. The company executives didn't go into detail, but they did say that it will be a better performer than the Helio P90 chipset (a 12nm chip with two Cortex-A75 cores, six A55). MediaTek already has the Helio M70 modem, which is built on a 7nm process at the TSMC foundries. This is an all-in-one modem that spans 2G to 5G networks. It's not entirely clear if the new chipset will have a 5G modem built in or if it will rely on the M70. Either way,...

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Fitbit unveils Versa Lite and Inspire bands with HR sensor, Ace 2 band for kids

The Fitbit Versa has been the company's most popular model since its introduction and today it got a more affordable version. Fitbit also launched a couple of new smart bands and a new kid-focused band. Fitbit Versa Lite The Fitbit Versa Lite boasts 4+ days battery life, a heart rate monitor with an SpO2 sensor, just like the original version. However, it's $160/€160 instead of $200/€200. Fitbit Versa Lite in Lilac/Silver, Mulberry, Marina Blue and White/Silver The Lite model is swimproof, however it lacks the automatic lap counting of the original. It can't count stairs...

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Redmi Note 7 with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage will launch in China soon

The Redmi Note 7 Pro will launch in China on March 18 and on that same day a very similar phone will be released - a Redmi Note 7 with 6GB of RAM and 128GB storage. The Note 7 models are a bit of a mess, we'll try to clear things up. The Redmi Note 7 has a Snapdragon 660 chipset and as of now a choice of 3GB, 4GB or 6GB of RAM and 32/64GB storage. The 6/128GB model will match the memory capacity of the top Note 7 Pro model (which has a Snapdragon 675 chipset). In China both Pro and non-Pro have 48MP main cameras. It's not clear how much the 6GB/128GB version of the Redmi Note 7 will...

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Razer Phone 2 gets a $300 discount in the US

The all-new Razer Phone 2's pricing might be steep at around $800 but it offers top-notch hardware and by far one of the best gaming experiences on a mobile phone. And if you are on the market for such device and you are resident of the US, you might be in luck. Best Buy is now offering the handset for $450 but only if you add two more items into your cart - Cricket Wireless Activation kit for $10 and a refill card for $38. The total is $498 and that's still $300 off of the original price. You will find the items at the source links below. Source 1 2 3

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Samsung insists the Galaxy Fold design is better than the Huawei Mate X

Huawei's CEO recently said that the Galaxy Fold's design is bad and now Samsung's executive vice president in charge of R&D fought back with some solid arguments. According to Samsung's representative, the outer fold design by Huawei may be able to close flat but at the same time, the screen is more susceptible to scratches and more serious damage. It's inferior even from a usability standpoint - you can call someone by mistake or touch something unintentionally. Of course, he does admit that the inwards fold approach produces a gap when the device is fully closed but that's due to...

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OnePlus and EE launch 5G apps of tomorrow contest

Building on its legacy of involving their active community, OnePlus has partnered with EE to launch the 5G apps of tomorrow contest. OnePlus is looking for inspirational app ideas that can leverage the next generation of mobile networks. The company is due to launch its 5G smartphone and is really trying to position itself amidst the 5G front-runners. The five winners will have access to leading experts, testing labs, OnePlus 5G devices and a year's worth of funding to turn their concepts into reality. Each idea will be judged based on four pillars, namely business value,...

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Redmi Note 7 begins its global rollout in Spain, 48 MP camera tags along

The Redmi Note 7 was a hit in China due to its low price tag, and Xiaomi wants to replicate the success in Europe as well. The device with 3 GB RAM and 32 GB storage is listed by the Spanish division of the company for only €149. Luckily, European fans of the phone will get the variant with 48 MP main camera and not the Indian version with a simple 12 MP snapper. The Redmi Note 7 has a Snapdragon 660 chipset and a 6.3" tall Full HD+ screen. The highlights of the phone also include awesome battery life for the 4,000 mAh power cell, all the connectivity you want and Quick Charge 4...

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Samsung Galaxy M20 expands to the Philippines

Samsung Galaxy M20 arrived in late January and has been expanding its presence since. The phone's 3GB/32GB version has now appeared on Lazada Philippines, officially marking its expansion to the Asia-Pacific country. It is offered for PHP10,990, which is equal to $210 or under €190. The Galaxy M20 is among the first Samsung devices with a notch on top, but the company would prefer to call the display Infinity-V due to the shape of the cutout. The panel is 6.3" with Full HD+ resolution and 19.5:9 ratio. There is Exynos 7904 chipset on the inside with an octa-core CPU. Тhe dual...

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Samsung Galaxy Fold confirmed to launch in India

Samsung unveiled the Galaxy Fold with foldable display last month and confirmed that it would be available for purchase from April 26 in the US and May 3 in Europe. Now the company confirmed that this smartphone will be launched in India as well. While talking to the media after today's India launch of Galaxy S10 trio at an event in New Delhi, Samsung mobile division's CEO DJ Koh said that the Galaxy Fold will come to India. Koh didn't reveal any timeline for the phone's arrival in the country but said that the company would like to manufacture it in India to keep the costs down. Well,...

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Black Shark 2 spotted on Geekbench with Snapdragon 855 and 12 GB RAM

Xiaomi's Black Shark is expected to launch its third gaming smartphone called Black Shark 2 by the end of April, and while the company hasn't revealed details about its hardware, thanks to Geekbench, we know it will come with Snapdragon 855 SoC and 12 GB RAM. The Black Shark 2 has appeared on in the benchmark's database as "blackshark AAA". It runs Android Pie and scored 3,516 and 11,413 points in Geekbench's single and multi-core tests respectively. This is slightly higher than the 8 GB RAM variant which scored 3,494 and 11,149 points in single and multi-core tests...

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Huawei nova 4e to go official on March 14

Huawei will launch its P30 and P30 Pro flagships on March 26 at an event in Paris. But before that, the company will launch its mid-range smartphone - the nova 4e. The Chinese maker has confirmed that it will unveil the nova 4e on March 14 in its home country. The nova 4e will be hitting global markets as the P30 Lite. Two days ago, Huawei shared a video teasing the waterdrop notch display and 32 MP selfie camera on the nova 4e, but apart from that, the company hasn't divulged much about this smartphone. However, its global variant - the P30 Lite - has appeared on TENAA...

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Redmi 7 appears on TENAA with full specs and images

Two days ago, the Redmi 7 appeared on TENAA revealing some of its specifications, and now, the TENAA listing has been updated with its images and full specs. The images shared on this Chinese authority's website reveal the smartphone will come in at least one gradient color. It will also have a dual-camera setup at the back accompanied by an LED flash and a fingerprint scanner. On the front, the Redmi 7 has a 6.26-inch LCD with a resolution of 1520 x 720 pixels. This translates to an aspect ratio of 19:9. The screen is turned off so it's difficult to ascertain whether it will come...

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Oppo's upcoming flagship to have Snapdragon 855, 10x zoom camera

Oppo launched the F11 and F11 Pro smartphones yesterday that are powered by Helio P70 SoC, but more excitingly the company is about to launch a flagship phone soon. And a company's Vice President just shared some details about it. This information comes from VP Shen Yiren through a post on Weibo. Yiren revealed that the phone, that is rumored to be called Oppo Find Z will sport a Snadragon 855 chipset, a 4,065 mAh battery and feature a camera with 10x hybrid zoom. Yiren didn't confirm the name or launch date of this smartphone, but it's worth noting that the company is slated to...

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Apple now allowing repairs on iPhones with third-party batteries

Apple quietly instated a new policy in regards to Apple Store repairs. The change was going to allow repairs to iPhones with third-party batteries or displays as long as the problem was unrelated to either of them. MacRumors confirmed that this policy change was done worldwide. Apple iPhone 8 (2017) If the repair was only for the battery, the Genius Bar would be allowed to replace the battery with an official Apple battery for the regular cost. If the battery's tabs were missing or there was excessive adhesive, the technician would be allowed to replace the entire iPhone for only the...

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Meizu Note 9 comes with a 48 MP camera and Snapdragon 675

Meizu teased the arrival of the Note 9 for some time, and now the phone is finally official. The new midranger comes with a 48 MP camera on the back and a waterdrop notch on the front, making it the first phone by the Chinese maker with any sort of cutout on the display. The chipset is Snapdragon 675, with an octa-core CPU going as high as 2 GHz. It is coupled with either 4 GB or 6 GB RAM, and storage is also in two variants - 64 GB and 128 GB. Sadly, it appears there is no microSD slot, so this is all the storage you get. The proudest point for Meizu in the Note 9 is the 48...

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Meizu Zero crowdfunding crashes spectacularly, only 29 people backed the idea

Meizu Zero was announced as the first phone without physical ports, holes, or buttons. The "true holeless smartphone" turned to Indiegogo for funding the idea, but didn't manage to reach the target of $100,000. According to Chinese sources, 29 people supported the idea, and 24 of them actually pre-ordered the smartphone. This wasn't nearly enough, and the campaign closed at 45%. According to Jack Wong, founder and chairman at Meizu, the crowdfunding was only for pre-research purposes and there weren't any plans whatsoever to push the device to mass production. The whole Indiegogo...

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Viber gets dark mode on Android

On Tuesday, Viber tweeted about an update for the messaging app. Following Facebook Messenger's enabling of Dark Mode, Viber is next up. Walk on the dark side 🌃 Check out our new dark mode theme on Android! Save battery 🔋, protect your eyes 🙄, and keep the room dark when other people are trying to sleep.Try #DarkMode Now: https://t.co/Xn0QIKbrJX pic.twitter.com/DJK22oJMNR— Viber (@Viber) March 5, 2019 Upon opening the app, you should see the notification right at the bottom of the chats list. The dark mode toggle can be found in the "More" tab > Settings >...

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Samsung launches Galaxy S10 devices and Galaxy Buds in India

Samsung has launched the Galaxy S10 series of devices in India at an event in New Delhi. The event was hosted by none other than Samsung President and CEO, DJ Koh. Samsung will be selling the S10e, S10, and the S10+ in India. The S10e will be priced at INR 55,900 while the S10 will start at INR 66,900. The flagship S10+ will start at INR 73,900. The rest of the prices can be found here. The phones have already been up for pre-order for some time now and will be shipping starting March Those who order the device at launch will also get an option to purchase the Galaxy Buds that...

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