Google Pixel 3a teardown finds it easier to repair than most phones

Now that the Google Pixel 3a and 3a XL are finally official, and even available to buy, the teardown experts at iFixit decided to do what they do best and take them both apart. The phones have similar constructions, so in the end they both got a 6 out of 10 repairability score, where 10 is easiest to repair. That may not seem like a high mark, but it means the new Pixels are actually much easier to repair than most smartphones nowadays. Most of their components are modular and can be easily replaced once you remove the display assembly, which has foam adhesive that makes the opening...

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LG G8 ThinQ's battery is permanently sealed, no DIY replacements possible

LG's software sometimes feels like it hasn't caught up with the past couple of years or so. It still presents a warning about not removing the battery - in a world where all companies (including LG) have long moved on from phones with removable backs. While for most LG handsets this dialog is just a reminder of how badly its software needs a massive rethink, for the G8 ThinQ it's actually got a (very disturbing) point. See, pretty much any phone you buy today will have the battery sealed, but that doesn't usually mean it's not replaceable. You can take the device to an authorized repair...

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Samsung's market share surges as North American smartphone market reaches five-year low

Consulting firm Canalys has just published its calculations for the North American smartphone market in the first quarter of this year, and the news is pretty dire. Overall, the market has reached a five-year low, with total shipments of 36.4 million units. That's down 18% from Q1 of 2018, but it's not bad for all companies. Samsung, for example, has managed to grow its market share from 23.2% in the year-ago quarter to 29.3%, but because the market fell, that was accomplished with a sales growth of just 3% - from 10.3 million units last year in Q1 to 10.7 million between January and March...

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Oppo K3 specs leak, shark fin pop-up selfie camera in tow

Oppo is readying a new mid-ranger to be launched soon, and today a full spec sheet has purportedly leaked via Twitter. We're talking about the upcoming Oppo K3, which is supposedly going to don a pop-up selfie camera that will be similar in looks and operating mechanism to the one on the Reno - nicknamed "shark fin". The snapper will have 16 MP resolution, and on the back of the phone there will be a dual setup with a 16 MP primary shooter aided by a 2 MP depth sensor. Oppo Reno's pop-up selfie cam The Oppo K3 is also said to sport a 6.5-inch AMOLED touchscreen with 2340x1080...

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Mobile gaming is taking over in the US

According to a survey conducted by the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) and including 4,000 Americans, 60% of the gamers play on their phones. PC and consoles remain popular, but mobile gaming is the fastest growing of all. What's more, gamers are now spending more than ever on games. The average age is 33 years and users are spending 20% more than last year and 85% more than in 2015. Nearly 65% of the US adults play games and in most cases, they play casual games. And about 60% of those gamers in the country prefer playing on their smartphones although 50% of all the...

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TSMC will be mass producing 5nm chips next year, 5nm+ in the works

TSMC has started risk production of 5nm chips and expects to be ready to begin mass production in the first half of next year. This process promises much smaller chips (up to 45% area reduction), as well as performance gains (up to 15%) compared to the current 7nm chipsets. That's ignoring improvements in architecture, of course. For chipsets coming out later this year, TSMC has the 7nm+ process ready. It should offer 6-12% reduction in power consumption and 20% higher transistor density compared to the current 7nm process. There are plenty of customers lined up for 7nm+. TSMC is...

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Realme reveals Android Pie update beta schedule and Color OS 6 features coming to older devices

Realme has been on roll lately in the budget segment with its Realme 3 and Realme 3 Pro but the company hasn't forgotten its older devices as it plans to bring Android Pie beta in the coming month. The company announced several key updates and features coming to Realme devices in its weekly solutions forum post. Last year's Realme 2 Pro is first in line for the Android Pie beta update which is scheduled to arrive by May 15. The Realme 1 and Realme U1 are getting it on June 5, followed by the Realme 2 and Realme C1 on June 15. According to Realme, the transition period from beta to...

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T-Mobile US subscribers will be the first in the world to get the OnePlus 7 Pro

T-Mobile will be the exclusive carrier partner for the OnePlus 7 Pro in the US. Un-carrier customers will be able to buy one before anyone else in the world, just days after the official unveiling on May 14. As soon as May 17, Pro units will be available at T-Mobile stores and the carrier's website. If you're anxious to try before you buy, the T-Mobile Times Square Signature Store will have units available for handling immediately after the unveiling event is over. The following day other Signature Stores will have it too - the ones in Chicago, Las Vegas, Miami, San Francisco and Santa...

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Get used to it - case renders solidify rumors of new square iPhone camera

For the past few years when we see the first credible renders of the next iPhone we get the same reaction - dislike. And then when Apple releases the phone/phones we realize they aren't that bad, actually. This year looks no different. A big batch of new iPhone case renders are here and they collaborate the new design. Apple will premiere a new triple camera in the iPhone XI and iPhone XI Max flagships and it will fit it into a square-ish hump on the back. The renders below also give an estimate of the next flagship iPhone's dimensions. The larger is 159.11mm tall and 79.62mm wide while...

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Huawei and Honor's flagships will get Android Q immediately after the Pixels

Perhaps it's no surprise that the latest flagship phones from Huawei and Honor will get the next version of EMUI based on Android Q before the rest of the phones in their portfolio. However, Huawei just promised on Weibo that the Huawei P30-series, Mate 20-series, Honor View 20 and Magic 2 will get Android Q coupled with the next version of EMUI "immediately after Google officially releases the stable version for its Pixel phones". That's a big promise to deliver, especially when you consider the fact that EMUI is highly customized and it's far from the vanilla Android experience....

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Google's music streaming platforms now have 15 million subscribers

Google's approach to music streaming has been far from fluid. The company tried has Google Play Music which will eventually merge with the company's other music streaming option - YouTube Music. A new report from Bloomberg claims that Google's combined subscriber count is now at the 15 million mark, positioning it far from market leaders Apple Music and Spotify which hold 50 million and 100 million respectively. According to Google, its YouTube Music and Premium user base grew 60% year-over-year. The service starts at $9.99 per month while six-person family plans go for $14.99. Those...

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Android Q removes support for Android Beam

Android Q will add many new features, but it will also take away an old one - Android Beam. There's no native replacement on the horizon, but similar functionality can be achieved by apps (including Google Files). For those of you who don't remember - which we're guessing is "almost everyone" - Beam is a peer-to-peer file transfer technology. It uses NFC to do the handshaking and Bluetooth to send the data. The Google Files app can share files over Wi-Fi The Google Files app has the ability to share files locally over Wi-Fi. This promises speeds up to 480Mbps, well in excess...

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Samsung has reviewed the Galaxy Fold issues, will announce new launch date soon

Samsung Electronics CEO DJ Koh spoke to the Korea Herald about the Samsung Galaxy Fold, saying that the company "has reviewed the defect caused from substances (that entered the device), and we will reach a conclusion in a couple of days (on the launch)". "We will not be too late," says Koh about the rescheduled US launch of the foldable flagship. A couple of days ago, Samsung sent out emails to those who pre-ordered that their orders will be automatically canceled if the Fold doesn't ship by the end of May. The CEO didn't say if shipping will start before this deadline, we should...

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Asus ZenFone 6 confirmed to ship with Snapdragon 855, 48MP camera, and a 5,000 mAh battery

Asus has confirmed some of the features of the ZenFone 6 that's set to be unveiled next week on May 16. The company has shared an image on Twitter which confirms the ZenFone 6 will have Snapdragon 855 SoC under the hood. The smartphone will come with a Notification LED and have a 3.5 mm headphone jack at the bottom next to the USB-C port. On the right side of the phone will be a Smart Key accompanied by volume rocker and power button, and to the left will be triple slots for SIM and microSD cards. Additionally, an Asus executive shared some more details of the ZenFone 6 in the...

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Samsung announces new 64MP and 48MP smartphone sensors

Back in March, a Qualcomm exec revealed that smartphone cameras will reach the 100MP count in 2019. Phone manufacturers have contentiously upped the ante in the past years and Samsung is looking to bring the latest breakthrough in mobile photography with its 64MP ISOCELL Bright GW1 sensor. Alongside it, the company also announced an updated 48MP ISOCELL Bright GM2. ISOCELL Bright GW1 (left) and GM2 (right) Like the increasingly common 48MP sensors found throughout the smartphone landscape, Samsung's new 64MP shooter will employ the Tetracell binding technology. It merges four...

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vivo S1 Pro goes on sale in China

The vivo S1 Pro was only announced on Monday but it's already available for purchase in China via the company's site. The Pro is identical in appearance to the regular vivo S1 with the real differences coming under the hood. The phone packs a Snapdragon 675 SoC compared to alongside 6GB or 8GB RAM. Somewhat strangely the 8GB RAM variant comes with 128GB of storage while the 6GB RAM version packs 256GB. The S1 Pro is available in either Blue or Red and pricing for both the 6/256GB and 8/128 GB versions comes at CNY2,698 ($395/€355). The phone is built around a 6.39-inch FHD Super...

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Motorola Moto E6 shows up on FCC with a 3,000 mAh battery

Detailed specs of the Motorola Moto E6 surfaced last week, but they lacked information about its battery. Well, thanks to the phone's FCC listing, we now know that it will pack a 3,000 mAh cell which is 1,000 mAh smaller than what its predecessor, the Moto E5, had. The FCC listing of the Moto E6 - bearing model number XT2005-3 and codename "surfna" - also includes a diagram of the phone's back which shows the primary camera placed in the center, unlike the leaked render which has it in the top-left corner. Moto E6 diagram • Moto E6 render The diagram further tells us that the...

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Realme X officially confirmed to feature an in-display fingerprint scanner

Yesterday Realme confirmed that its upcoming smartphone - the Realme X - will sport a 48MP Sony IMX586 sensor. Now the Chinese phone maker has confirmed that the Realme X will feature an in-display fingerprint scanner. Realme also said that this fingerprint scanner is powered by DSP acceleration technology, which not only makes it faster, but also helps you quickly unlock the smartphone under direct light. Poster confirming in-display fingerprint scanner on Realme X The Realme X will be unveiled on May 15 alongside the X Lite which is a re-branded 3 Pro. The specs sheet of both...

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