OnePlus 7 OxygenOS 9.5.6 update arrives with June 2019 security patch

The OnePlus 7 got OxygenOS 9.5.4 update earlier this month which came with DC Dimming and Fnatic Mode. And a week later, it received OxygenOS 9.5.5 with May 2019 security patch and camera improvements. Now, this latest OnePlus flagship is getting its third update of the month - OxygenOS 9.5.6. This new firmware comes with improvements to the photo and audio quality, and that's as specific as it gets as OnePlus hasn't provided any details about these improvements. That said, OxygenOS 9.5.6 also bumps up the Android security patch level to June 2019 and squashes some bugs. Here's the...

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Huawei Mate 30 5G launches in December, Mate X in September

If you were wondering whether Huawei is still working on the Mate 30 series in light of all the uncertainty surrounding the Trump administration's ban of US companies providing it with software and hardware, the answer is yes. If you were wondering whether the Mate 30 will have a 5G version, seriously, were you? It's pretty clear by now that 5G is the buzzword of the moment, so of course a phone maker as big as Huawei can't just ignore that. The Mate 30 5G will launch in December, according to the slide below, shared by company officials at a 5G conference in Russia. Take that timeline to...

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US officials ponder ban of end-to-end encryption

Senior Trump administration officials want to ban the end-to-end encryption, according to a report by Politico on a National Security Council meeting that took place earlier this week. The encryption challenge, called "going dark", was discussed with officials from key agencies, including FBI, Department of Justice, Commerce and State Departments. There was no final decision, but the report suggests the issue will not stay in the background for much longer. Companies like Apple, Google and Facebook rely on end-to-end encryption of data where only users sending and receiving it can...

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Affordable LCD panels with under-display FP support coming this year

In-display fingerprint technology is cool and all but it's only available on relatively expensive handsets with OLED panels. Industry experts even think that the tech is relatively mature, but what about cost-effective solutions like LCD? Well, the Chinese display manufacturer BOE seems to have you covered on this one. BOE has revealed that it has successfully implemented optical in-display fingerprint scanner into a conventional LCD panel. That's a huge breakthrough for the low-end and mid-range market segment because the nature of LCD panels didn't allow fingerprint scanners sitting...

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Images and specs of Mi CC9 Meitu edition surface

The Xiaomi Mi CC9 will be unveiled next Tuesday and we've already had a peek at the design and specs. CEO Lei Jun even confirmed the existence of a special edition by posting an image of the custom packaging (noticeably larger than the regular CC9 box). Now TENAA has posted images of that phone, the Xiaomi Mi CC9 Meitu Edition. It shows a horizontal gradient from reddish to blue/green hues. Also notice the Meitu logo in place of the Xiaomi one. Xiaomi Mi CC9 Meitu edition: note the logo • left and right sides are a different color Compare that to the Glacier Ice White color...

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Xiaomi Mi 9T/Redmi K20 review

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The Android Pie update for Redmi 6 and 6A is back on track

The cancellation has been canceled - Xiaomi is calling for beta testers for the Redmi 6 and 6A. Xiaomi is also seeking testers for Android Q on the Pocophone F1. The application deadline is July 7 and those accepted into the beta program will get a message on July 10. Interestingly, Xiaomi is also looking for people to test Pie on the Mi 6, which got its first beta in April. Xiaomi Redmi 6 • Xiaomi Redmi 6A • Xiaomi Pocophone F1 So, don't expect the Redmi phones to get it soon. Still, keep in mind that the Redmi 6A cost less than $100 at launch - that's barely above feature...

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Samsung Galaxy A10s gets WiFi certified ahead of imminent launch

Just last week, the first solid report regarding the upcoming Samsung Galaxy A10s surfaced online through FCC's database and now we are seeing it stopping by the WiFi alliance for a quick certification. The model number SM-A107F checks out so we are pretty sure this is the right device we are talking about. Getting the certification is usually a clear indication that the phone is about to get released pretty soon. Aside from that, the FCC listing suggests that the Galaxy A10s is going to be a slightly upgraded version of the Galaxy A10 with a bigger battery and a dual-camera setup...

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All premium Huawei Mate 20 series phones can now be updated to EMUI 9.1

All premium Huawei Mate 20 phones can now be updated to EMUI 9.1 - the Mate 20, Mate 20 Pro, Mate 20 X and the Mate 20 RS Porsche Design. Actually, the rollout for the X started a couple of days ago, likely as a final tester before the full release. Note: Mate 20 lite isn't invited to the party. EMUI 9.1 is based on Android 9 Pie (same as EMUI 9.0), but offers a more optimized experience including a new file system, EROFS, and GPU Turbo 3.0 (with support for 25 games). The camera app gains the Moon mode from the P30 phones. The Mate 20 series has been in beta since April. Here's...

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Nokia 2 won't be getting the Android Pie update

The Nokia 2 that was launched in October 2017 with Android 7.1.1 Nougat got Android 8.1 Oreo back in March this year. And, it now turns out that was the last version update for the entry-level smartphone. The Nokia 2 was launched with a promise of two years of version updates, so its owners were eagerly waiting for HMD to drop Android Pie for Nokia 2. The customer support had also confirmed that Pie would eventually arrive on Nokia 2, but didn't share any timeframe for the release. However, a Nokia community admin has now confirmed that the customer support had some misunderstanding...

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Samsung Galaxy Note10 Pro will be called Note10+, leaks in photos

We've been living in a lie for the past month, believing that Samsung's maxed out phablet this fall will be called the Galaxy Note10 Pro, when in fact in will be the Galaxy Note10+. This move makes sense as it follows the usual nomenclature of the Galaxy S10 series - regular and plus. And while we're discussing series, the upcoming Note series is expected to feature three devices - a 6.4-inch Galaxy Note10, a 6.7-inch Galaxy Note10+ and a 5G variant of the latter. Below are three blurry images of the Galaxy Note10+ in the wild. They aren't of the best quality but they do serve the...

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Redmi 7A teased in India, might launch alongside the Redmi K20 series next month

The Redmi 7A announced last month will soon make its way to India. The confirmation was brought by Xiaomi India's Managing Director Manu Jain who teased the launch of this smartphone on Twitter. Jain also said that the company sold a total of 23.6 Million units of the Redmi 4A, 5A, and 6A in India as of April 2019. The launch date of the Redmi 7A hasn't been revealed yet, but we believe this budget smartphone will be made official in India alongside the Redmi K20 and K20 Pro that are slated to make their Indian debut in mid-July. The Redmi 7A is powered by Snapdragon 439 SoC and...

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Huawei P30 Pro teardown reveals how many US parts are in there

The ongoing trade war between the United States and China makes people wonder how much will it affect Huawei, but Nikkei Asian Review went one step further. The media published a detailed teardown of a Huawei P30 Pro unit revealing how many US-made parts are in there. The answer is just 15 out of the total of 1,631, but they account for 16.3% of the total production cost. Cost in USD / Percentage of total Number of parts / Percentage of total China 138.61 / 38.1% 80 / 4.9% Japan 83.71 / 23% 869 / 53.2% USA ...

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Samsung is launching a design contest with a $40,000 prize pool

Two years ago, Samsung and Deezen magazine launched a design competition for QLED TV stands and this year, the two join together for another design contest but this time for mobile devices and smart wearables. Samsung Mobile Design Competition and Dezeen, a design magazine, are looking for some fresh ideas on new accessories for Galaxy smartphones, tablets and wearables. Winners in each category will split a $40,000 prize pool. Accessories can be smartphone and tablet cases, watch straps or earbuds cases. However, Samsung is looking for enhanced user experience on top of the pleasing...

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Realme X Spiderman Edition arrives with custom themes in a special retail box

Yesterday the Realme X Spiderman Edition was teased by the Indian CEO Madhav Sheth, and now the phone is official. It is a Pearl White Realme X, but comes with а red case and special themes for the UI. Otherwise, it is pretty much the same 8/128 GB device that keeps the price tag unchanged. The phone has a red retail box, packing the regular White phone and the case with the Spiderman: Far From Home logo. There is also the standard VOOC 3.0 charger and the proprietary cable. It is already listed on Realme China's website, where the whole package can be pre-ordered. The...

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Xiaomi Mi CC9 and CC9e specs revealed by TENAA, CC9 Meitu Custom Edition confirmed

Xiaomi will unveil the Mi CC9 on July 2 and the company has already confirmed some of its specs like the 48MP rear and the 32MP front-facing camera. Now, thanks to TENAA, we got the full picture. A Xiaomi smartphone listed on TENAA bearing model number M1904F3BT, which is very likely the Mi CC9, confirms that the smartphone will be powered by an octa-core processor clocked at 2.2 GHz and come in three memory versions - 4GB/64GB, 6GB/128GB, and 8GB/256GB. The CPU suggests we are looking at either a Snapdragon 710 or Snapdragon 730 chipsets as they alone in the current Qualcomm lineup match...

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Realme brings new teaser for the X Spider-Man edition, lets you win tickets for the movie

Realme announced its collaboration with Marvel yesterday for the Realme X smartphone arriving with a Spider-Man: Far From Home limited edition with special retail package. Today the company followed it up with a video teaser as well as a special promotion that will let Indian fans win tickets for the screening of the movie. Meanwhile, the Indian division of the company is giving out invites for an exclusive screening of the movie in Delhi before in reaches theaters. There is a raffle on the company's website that would also land the winners a bag of Spider-Man goodies. In...

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Lenovo Z6 will come with a 6.39-inch OLED display and a UD fingerprint scanner

The Lenovo Z6 is coming soon, and while the company hasn't announced the launch date yet, it has confirmed a few of its features like the Snapdragon 730 SoC, triple rear camera, and 4,000 mAh battery. Now Lenovo has revealed some details about the phone's display as well. This Chinese tech giant has confirmed that the Z6 will sport a 6.39-inch notched OLED display and have a screen-to-body ratio of 93.1%. The screen will come with HDR10 and DCI-P3 wide color gamut support and have a peak brightness of 600 nits. Furthermore, it will have a sampling rate of 120 Hz and feature De-Mura...

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