Another Samsung Galaxy A30 hits up Geekbench

Samsung decided to follow the footsteps of its competitors and started blasting devices left and right to cover all available markets. This year's Galaxy A series has no less than 10 new entries, and it looks like another one is coming. A phone with the model number SM-A307FN popped up on Geekbench, yielding pretty much the same results as the Galaxy A30 we've tested - 1,319 for a single-core and 4,116 for multiple cores. The standard Galaxy A30 was released with a 6.4" screen and Exynos 7904 chipset. One of the directions Samsung could go is a Galaxy A30e with a smaller screen and...

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New Apple MacBook Pro model approved by the FCC

The MacBook Pro is expected to get either a refreshed model or a brand-new size soon. The last time Apple refreshed the MacBook Pro 13-inch and 15-inch models was just a couple of months ago in May. The refresh brought much beefier processors and an updated butterfly keyboard. Apple's 13-inch MacBook Pro without Touch Bar (2018) Of course, it's worth noting that Apple refreshed only those models with Touch Bars and not the non-Touch Bar 13-inch model. It is believed that Apple's latest filing with the FCC is for this 13-inch MacBook Pro without a Touch Bar. The FCC filing lists...

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Google Pixel 3a is 50% off at Best Buy with Sprint activation, yours for just $199.99

Clearly one of the main highlights of Google's Pixel 3a and Pixel 3a XL is how cheap they are, at least when compared to the Pixel 3 and 3 XL's launch prices, or any other top of the line smartphone from companies like Apple or Samsung. Today, however, Best Buy has decided to sweeten the deal on Google's mid-rangers even further, that is, if you don't mind having Sprint as your carrier. Buy a Pixel 3a, immediately activate it on Sprint as a new customer (or add a line for it on top of your existing account), and you'll only pay $199.99 all-in for the phone. That's 50% off its usual price...

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Samsung unveils tech for on-device AI that uses less power and fewer transistors

Samsung has announced a new NPU technology that will allow on-device AI to be faster, more energy efficient and take up less space on the chip. Thanks to Quantization Interval Learning, 4-bit neural networks can be created that retain the accuracy of a 32-bit network. Using fewer bits significantly reduces the number computations and the hardware that carries them out - Samsung says it can achieve the same results 8x faster while reducing the number of transistors 40x to 120x. This will make for NPUs that are faster and use less power, but can carry out familiar tasks such as object...

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Redmi Note 7 Pro 6GB/64GB variant launched in India, sales begin tomorrow

The Redmi Note 7 Pro came to India in February in two memory versions - 4GB/64GB and 6GB/128GB. Now, the company has brought a third variant to the country - 6GB RAM and 128GB storage. This new model is priced at INR15,999 ($230/€205) and will go on sale in India through Mi.com and Flipkart starting noon local time tomorrow. The 4GB/64GB and 6GB/128GB versions, on the other hand, are priced at INR13,999 ($200/€180) and INR16,999 ($245/€220) respectively. The Redmi Note 7 Pro is powered by Snapdragon 675 SoC and features a 6.3" FHD+ LCD. It has a 13MP selfie shooter on the front and...

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Half of the Americans can't identify their phone model, a third believe it's 5G-capable

Decluttr, the American platform for re-selling old gadgets, has just posted an analysis on the second-hand market in the United States, including some curious data. According to the research, half of the respondents could not identify their phone by looking at an image. Another interesting bit is that around a third of Americans stated they own a 5G-capable device, while, in reality, smartphones with 5G modems were still not officially sold in the United States at the time of the study. Decluttr spoke to Americans from all ages to find out how much are they using their phone every...

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GSMArena app leaves beta, gains new features

The official GSMArena app for Android has graduated from beta. If you're reading this on your phone, you can find a link to it in the hamburger menu (or just follow this link) to install it. Thank you all for the feedback, you helped us find bugs that needed to be squashed. For everyone using the beta, you can go into the Play Store and hit the "Leave" to switch to the stable channel. You can always use the Report Bug feature if you find an issue, so there's no need to stay on the beta channel. Leaving beta • Dark mode • Data saver The app offers all the content you'll...

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Huawei waiting on official go-ahead to resume using Android

At the G20 summit, President Trump announced that US companies will continue selling to Huawei. Products that are "widely available" (including microchips) are in the clear. So, now Huawei is waiting on word from the US Department of Commerce on whether it can restart using Google's Play Services for Android. It's unclear if these services can be classified as "widely available". The key deciding factor seems to be if things are considered a national security issue or not, but there's no specific guidance at the moment. Note that the 90 day delay of the ban is only about half way...

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Realme X coming to India on July 15

Last week news broke out that Realme is gearing up to release its Realme X in India sometime this month and now we have an exact date to look forward to - July 15. The phone will also have an exclusive Spiderman-themed edition with a special retail packaging and exclusive theme to go along with the premiere of Spider-Man: Far From Home. I am really excited to announce our collaboration with #SpiderManFarFromHome for realme X. See you at the premiere. pic.twitter.com/sTBJhXMAN0— Madhav X (@MadhavSheth1) July 2, 2019 Back in May, Realme CEO Madhav Sheth revealed that the Realme X will...

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Samsung preparing to lay off 1,000 employees in India

Samsung is allegedly laying off upwards of 1,000 employees in India. A report from the Economic Times, claims the main reason for this is the fierce competition in the face of Chinese competitors like Xiaomi which have put huge pressure and eroded profits in the local market. According to anonymous Samsung India representatives, the cuts will affect the R&D, sales, marketing, manufacturing and corporate relations departments. A big problem that Samsung is facing in India is the underwhelming online sales of its smartphones and TVs. According to reports, the online channels account...

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HTC U12+ finally gets Android Pie update

The HTC U12+ that was supposed to get Android Pie update last month is finally receiving the latest version of Android. The new build has number 2.45.709.1 and requires a 1.06GB download. The changelog isn't particularly detailed, only mentioning system enhancements and the removal of Google+ from BlinkFeed. That said, this new firmware isn't devoid of issues. Early adopters report it has a bug which prevents the users from editing the APN. The Pie update for the U12+ is currently seeding in Taiwan, and it should roll out in other regions soon if everything goes...

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Xiaomi Mi CC9, CC9e and CC9 Meitu edition go official with focus on selfies

Xiaomi's new CC line is here and the first phones from the line are the Mi CC9, Mi CC9e and Mi CC9 Meitu Edition. The devices aim to offer distinct features for different segments but are all focused on providing excellent selfies and large batteries. Mi CC9 Starting off with the Xiaomi Mi CC9, it offers a balanced spec sheet with a 6.39-inch Super AMOLED display, Snapdragon 710 chipset and triple camera setup. Xiaomi claims its 32MP F/2.0 selfie camera is the best in its class. The display features a 1080 x 2340 resolution and sports a waterdrop notch for and an UD fingerprint...

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NVIDIA announces RTX SUPER Series of desktop graphics cards, starts $399

NVIDIA has launched the RTX SUPER Series of desktop graphics cards. It currently includes the RTX SUPER 2060, the RTX SUPER 2070 and the RTX SUPER 2080. The RTX SUPER is an upgraded version of the company's existing RTX series of graphics cards, which was launched late last year. The newer models feature slightly improved performance and come in at the same price as the models they are replacing. Starting with the RTX SUPER 2060, it features up to 22% improved performance in some titles and around 15% average improvement overall in frame rate compared to the standard RTX 2060....

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vivo iQOO Neo arrives with Snapdragon 845 and a huge battery

When vivo introduced the iQOO phone, it arrived with the slogan "Monster Inside" and had the 44W fast-charging, latest flagship chipset and plenty of software acceleration modes to back it up. Now a younger and more affordable handset was announced and its name is vivo iQOO Neo. The phone's most impressive feature is the Snapdragon 845 chipset. It is over a year old but is by no means underpowered. The screen is 6.38" OLED panel with Full HD+ resolution, and the maker implemented a fingerprint scanner underneath. The manufacturer has added touch acceleration for the digitizer,...

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Nokia 9 PureView arrives in Thailand

The Nokia 9 PureView announced around five months ago has finally arrived in Thailand. It's priced at THB18,900 ($615/€545) and will go on sale from July 5 exclusively through Thai online retailer Shopee Mall. Nokia 9 PureView The Nokia 9 PureView is powered by last year's Snapdragon 845 SoC and packs 6GB of RAM. The smartphone runs Android Pie and has 128GB of storage onboard. It sports a 5.99" QHD+ P-OLED display and ships with a 3,320 mAh battery. However, the key selling point of the Nokia 9 PureView is its penta-camera setup at the back which consists of five 12MP snappers...

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Google Pixel C is done with updates

Google introduced the Pixel C tablet back in the fall of 2015, but did not follow through with another slate. The company always said it would support its devices at least for 18 more months after they disappear from the Google Store, and now the time for the Pixel C has come. The device was discontinued in December 2017, and the 1.5-year period ended in June 2019. A report from Android Police says the device still hasn't received a security update and given the coinciding time it might never get another one. The Google Pixel C does not appear on the update schedule help page,...

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Apple touts iOS security and recycling efforts in latest iPhone ads

Apple's latest "That's iPhone" ads are out, highlighting the superior security features of iOS devices as well as Apple's dedication to protecting the environment. The first two clips highlight the App Store approval process for each app as well as iMessage's encryption features while the third one focuses on the recycling of toxic materials from iPhone components. The App store ad highlights Apple's strict guidelines for app submissions. Each app is reviewed to ensure that users will not fall victim to malware. In addition, Apple claims it even goes through all update versions to make...

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Lenovo Z6 full specs surface ahead of launch

The Lenovo Z6 is arriving on July 4, and just two days ahead of its launch, its design and detailed specs sheet have been revealed leaving little to the imagination. The Z6 looks similar to the Z6 Youth Edition - it has a waterdrop notch display on the front and a triple camera setup at the back positioned vertically in the top-left corner. But unlike the Youth Edition, the vanilla Z6 comes with a fingerprint reader embedded to the screen which measures 6.39-inch diagonally. Like the Z6 Youth Edition, the Z6 is also made out of roll cage magnesium alloy which is the same material used...

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Cardinal Red Galaxy S10 family launches in the UK exclusively at EE

If you're in the UK and would like to purchase one of the members of the Galaxy S10 family in a very striking colorway, here's some good news for you. Starting today, EE is exclusively offering the Galaxy S10, S10+, and S10e in Cardinal Red. You won't find this version anywhere else in the UK, so if red is your thing, then EE should be your operator of choice. Although the rest of the family is covered, for some reason the Galaxy S10 5G doesn't get the Cardinal Red variant, so you'll unfortunately have to choose between the faster connectivity and the head-turning color. If you're...

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Honor 9X scheduled to launch on July 23

Honor is preparing its next midranger, called 9X, and expectations are to match the success of its predecessor Honor 8X that reached 10 million units sold - faster than any other device from the Huawei subsidiary. Today George Zhao, the brand CEO, announced on Weibo that the phone will be officially introduced in China on July 23 in the city of Xi'an. The poster officially says "Honor 9X is fast from the inside. Born to be low-key", meaning the device will remain a midranger, but with impressive hardware. Actual specs are still a mystery - the phone was certified at 3C with a...

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LG G8s ThinQ finally released globally

LG's MWC 2019 event brought us the LG G8s ThinQ alongside the G8 and V50 phones, but the actual S-device wasn't present at the LG booth. Eventually, the phone hit Taiwan on June 28, and today it finally makes it to stores around the globe. The LG G8S ThinQ is more affordable version of the regular LG G8 ThinQ with a 6.21" Full HD+ screen and less impressive trio of cameras. The G8s ThinQ does have the flagship Snapdragon 855 chipset with all its neat features, but LG enabled only the 18W-rated Quick Charge 3.0. The main shooter on the back is a 12 MP camera, flanked by a 13 MP...

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