Week 5 in review: Exynos 2100 vs Snapdragon 888 tests, Oppo Find X3 series leak

Another week is over, so let's look at the big stories it brought. This one was an eventful one. Our top story was a drop test, featuring the Galaxy S21 Ultra and the iPhone 12 Pro Max. Neither came out looking good so maybe don't watch it if are faint of heart. We saw a couple of deep-dives into the Galaxy S21 Ultra. One looked in-depth at the new Exynos 2100 chipset and its power draw and performance compared to the Snapdragon 888 and the Exynos 990 from last year. The conclusion is that the Snapdragon 888 is a bit more efficient in the way it delivers its power, but can lead to more...

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Flashback: That phone that ran on AA batteries

A single AA battery. That’s all that is needed to power the most basic phone dubbed SpareOne Plus. As you can tell by the name, this one is intended to be a backup phone only to be used in case of emergency (it was originally designed for first responders). Its best feature is that it can sit on a shelf for 15 years and be ready when you need it. Modern phones with their lithium batteries can’t match such endurance – the self discharge rate can be as high as 2% per month, meaning lithium batteries lose charge even if the device is completely powered down. And they are, of course,...

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Black Shark phone with FullHD+ screen and 12GB RAM appears on Google Play Console

A Black Shark smartphone codenamed "kaiser" and bearing model code KSR-A0 was spotted on Google Play Console last week with a FullHD+ screen and 8GB RAM. It is likely the Black Shark 4, and while we wait for its official launch date, a new Black Shark phone has appeared on the Google Play Console with model designation PRS-A0 and codename "penrose". The PRS-A0, said to be the Black Shark 4 Pro, is listed on Google Play Console with Android 11, 12GB RAM, and a FullHD+ screen. The SoC is SM8250, which is the Snapdragon 865. But this could be a mistake since the Black Shark 4, which will...

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OnePlus 8 series gets January security patch and bug fixes with latest OxygenOS updates

OnePlus has released new OxygenOS updates for the OnePlus 8, 8 Pro, and 8T, which bump up the Android security patch level on the smartphones to January 2021. The new builds also improve the stuttering problem of some tripartite apps and optimize the UI display effect of the notification bar and the experience of using long screenshots. OnePlus 8 Additionally, these updates fix the noise issue on 5G calls and squash half a dozen bugs. The OnePlus 8 and 8 Pro are receiving OxygenOS 11.0.4.4, whereas the 8T in Europe is receiving the 11.0.7.10 update. The 8T units in India and North...

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Samsung Galaxy F series smartphone with quad camera teased by Flipkart

Samsung is rumored to launch the Galaxy F62 in India in mid-February, and while we wait for the Korean conglomerate to announce its official launch date, Indian e-commerce giant Flipkart has teased a new Galaxy F smartphone sporting a quad camera. Flipkart has set up a promo page for the new Galaxy F smartphone, which is only accessible through its official app and mobile website at the time of writing this. Flipkart doesn't tell us the phone's name, but we know it belongs to the Galaxy F series since the "Full On" slogan was used by Samsung to tease the Galaxy F lineup's debut last...

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Samsung Galaxy A12 to launch in India next week

Samsung introduced the Galaxy M02 in India a few days ago and is rumored to announce the Galaxy F62 in the country in mid-February. Now a new report claims Samsung will launch the Galaxy A12 in India next week. The Galaxy A12 was unveiled last November with a 6.5" HD+ Infinity-V display and a Helio P35 SoC under the hood. The smartphone runs Android 10 out of the box and comes in three memory configurations with up to 6GB RAM and 128GB storage. But it's unclear if Samsung will bring all of them to India. The Helio P35-powered smartphone has an 8MP selfie camera inside the waterdrop...

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Motorola Moto E6i, Moto E7i Power and Lenovo K13 get Bluetooth certified

Motorola is expected to announce a bunch of new smartphones soon, two of which are the Moto E6i and Moto E7i Power that have been Bluetooth SIG certified. The listing on Bluetooth SIG's website reveals the Moto E6i has model designations XT2053-5 and XT2053-6, while the E7i Power has three model numbers - XT2097-12, XT2097-13, and XT2097-14. Moto E6i, Moto E7i Power, and Lenovo K13 Bluetooth certified The listing also includes the Lenovo K13 bearing model code XT2097-15, suggesting it could be a rebranded E7i Power for the Chinese market. Bluetooth SIG doesn't detail these...

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Nokia 5.4 listed on Flipkart, “coming soon” to India

Nokia’s 5.4 was reported this week to arrive to the US soon and the phone was already on sale in Colombia. A new listing on Flipkart confirms the 5.4 will be arriving to the Indian e-retailer soon. Two short teaser videos are hosted on the phone’s landing page as well. The first video teases the 5.4’s camera capabilities and attractive finished. The Nokia phone will feature quad-cameras consisting of a 48MP main camera, a 5MP ultrawide, a 2MP macro, and 2MP depth sensor. Just below the camera ring there’s a fingerprint scanner. There’s also a 16MP selfie camera around front. At the...

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