Meizu 18 series officially arriving on March 3

Meizu is celebrating eighteen years since its establishmen, and this year’s festivities will include a new UI, and new smartphone series, announced over a three-day holiday. A documentary will be launched on March 1, followed by the new Flyme 9 on March 2, and the culmination is on March 3 - two shiny new Meizu 18 smartphones. The new user interface will be based on Android 11, but according to leaks, the phones will run an older Flyme 8.3 interface, still based on the latest Google OS. Speaking about leaks and rumors, we expect a Meizu 18 with a Snapdragon 870, accompanied by a...

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New report suggests Apple may replace iPad mini with larger iPhone

Reports of Apple’s folding iPhone keep making headlines and today’s report puts it into perspective with the company’s entry-level iPad. In a new report, MyDrivers suggests that Apple may eventually replace the iPad mini with a folding iPhone, such that will offer stylus input. Last week’s report brought about the possibility that Apple’s folding iPhone may bring support for a stylus – though it isn’t clear if it’s the current Apple Pencil or something new. The display will be somewhere between 7.3 and 7.6-inches diagonally, but with a very tall aspect ratio. MyDrivers report points to a...

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ECG and blood pressure monitoring finally live for Galaxy Watch Active2 and Galaxy Watch3

Back in January, Samsung announced that its Galaxy Watch Active2 and Galaxy Watch3 would finally receive support for ECG and blood pressure monitoring in 31 markets across the world. Although that announcement made it seem like the rollout was imminent, it actually took until today for these features to finally become available. Better late than never, then. Here's the full list of places where you can now take advantage of the new functionality: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Chile, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Indonesia,...

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Google Pixel 5a leak shows a familiar design

Google's lineup of affordable smartphones is due to grow this year with the Pixel 5a. A few renders have been leaked today showing the upcoming device, and it's clearly got Google's recent design language all over it. So much so, in fact, that it's really tough to tell it apart from the Pixel 4a 5G launched last year alongside the Pixel 5. The Pixel 5a is said to measure 156.2 x 73.2 x 8.8 mm (9.4 mm at the camera hump). That size positions it in between the Pixel 4a and Pixel 4a 5G, though it's closer to the latter in its dimensions than it is to the former. The Pixel 5a...

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Spotify HiFi arriving later this year with lossless, CD-quality audio

Spotify has announced its plans to launch Spotify HiFi, which will finally enable streaming lossless audio. Spotify claims its new HiFi mode will enable "CD-quality" audio on existing devices and Spotify Connect-enabled speakers. The company didn't go into further details regarding bit rate and codec for the HiFi mode. Spotify currently uses Ogg Vorbis on desktop and mobile, and AAC for the web player. The company has been testing lossless audio for a while now, with select users being selected for A/B testing since early 2017. It now joins a growing number of services offering...

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Redmi K40 series to pack 4,520 mAh batteries, limited edition with Damascus steel pattern teased

We’re only three days away from the Redmi K40 series announcement and we’ve learned most of the key specs of the two phones. Now, we get details on the battery capacity for both the vanilla and Pro models which is set at 4,520 mAh. Redmi K40 series battery capacity poster In addition, we get a look at a limited edition K40 unit sporting a Damascus steel blade back pattern. Damascus steel knives are regarded as the sharpest and fastest cutting blades and Redmi chose them to represent the speed and performance aspects for the K40 lineup. Based on previously disclosed info, we...

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Meizu 18 specs leak, Snapdragon 870 for the vanilla model

The Meizu 18 series has been rumored for a long while though without much clarity in terms of specs. Today we have a leak which aims to clear up the picture regarding the vanilla model, revealing it’s powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 870 chipset, complete with 8GB RAM and 256GB storage. Meizu 18 leaked specs We can also see the phone will come with a 64MP primary camera alongside 12MP and 5MP modules. The phone boots Flyme 8.3 on top of Android 11 and bears the M18Q model number. We’ve seen previous reports which suggest the Meizu 18 will pack an under-display camera alongside...

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Yonhap: LG has put the rollable phone project on hold

A report from last month claimed that LG is weighing its options for the rollable phone it showed off at CES 2021. Now Yonhap reports that the decision has been made to mothball the project. LG has told its parts suppliers to put work on the rollable phone on hold, according to insiders quoted by the Korean news agency. This includes BOE, which was contracted to make the display. The suppliers may seek compensation for the work they have already done. LG has made no official comment on the matter. This device was part of the ambitious Explorer Project, which was supposed to deliver a...

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nubia Red Magic 6 cooling detailed, RedMagic Watch coming on March 4

The nubia Red Magic 6 is coming on March 4 with improved cooling, and the company's President Ni Fei took to Weibo to give us a detailed look at the components that make the cooling great. Dubbed Ice 6.0, the nubia Red Magic 6's cooling uses just about every trick in the book. It starts off with the air duct, from which the new 20,000rpm active fan sucks air. There's a large copper foil, covering the battery, while a vapor chamber (nubia claims it's the world's thinnest at 0.33mm) sits behind the motherboard, connected by thermal paste. Finally there's a graphite layer to further disperse...

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ZTE exec demoes new under-display camera ahead of MWC Shanghai

ZTE Axon 20 was the first smartphone in the world with a selfie camera under the display, but the iamge quality was less than stellar. Now, the Chinese manufacturer has improved the technology and will introduce the Axon 30 Pro 5G at MWC Shanghai, with far superior performance. Ni Fei, the President of Mobile Devices at ZTE, has posted a teaser photo on his personal Weibo profile, revealing the technology indeed does look better. Here’s the image which can be zoomed in: The original image, posted by Ni Fei The image points to both less visible issues with the panel over the...

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Xiaomi Mi Note 10 duo and Redmi Note 8 get Android 11 update

The latest pair of Xiaomi handsets to receive the Android 11 update are the Mi Note 10 and Mi Note 10 Pro with the release of MIUI 12.1.3.0 RFDEUXM. The update is rolling out to users across Europe and comes in at 2.8 GB. The update also brings the February security patch. Xiaomi Mi Note 10 update changelog (left) and Redmi Note 8 post update (right) Alongside the two Mi Notes, Xiaomi’s Redmi Note 8 has also received the stable Android 11 update in China. This is now the second major Android update for the handset which debuted in 2019 with Android 9. The update bears the MIUI...

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Oppo teases Reno5 F with entirely new design

Oppo introduced four Reno5 smartphones in the last days of December, and now a fifth member is on the way. The phone is called Oppo Reno5 F and it has appeared on the Oppo Kenya website. The landing page has teased some specs like 30W VOOC 4.0 fast charging for the 4,310 mAh battery, four cameras on the back, and a single shooter on the front. The Reno5 F appears to have an OLED screen since there are no fingerprint scanners visible and the power key is protruding from the right-hand side. The four-cam setup on the back will include a 48 MP main shooter and plenty of fancy AI...

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AirPods 3 to look a lot like AirPods Pro, offer Spatial Audio for $150

Apple's AirPods 3 will look similar to the AirPods Pro but with a semi in-ear design, which is said to be between the AirPods 2nd generation and the AirPods Pro. We're not really sure what that means, however. They'll reportedly have replaceable silicone tips, longer stems than the Pro's and the stems will have the pressure-sensitive control like the Pro's. As in previous rumors, this one claims that the AirPods 3 will look like the AirPods Pro but won't have active noise cancellation. They will have the Spatial Audio feature of the AirPods Pro and AirPods Max, however. Rumored...

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Redmi Note 10 Pro official render and retail box leak

The Redmi Note 10 and Note 10 Pro will be unveiled on March 4 and a Pro Max version may join them. The design of the Pro version has leaked out already and is making the rounds on Weibo. The Redmi Note 10 Pro takes a bit of inspiration from the Mi 10 Ultra for its camera design with silver trim around the main module. Here’s an official-looking render of the phone, plus a photo of the retail box confirming that this is indeed the Pro. Redmi Note 10 Pro: official render • retail box From what we can make out, there are two large modules, plus two smaller ones between them. That...

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Asus ROG Phone 5 gets the high score in DxOMark's audio review

The official Asus ROG Phone 5 launch date is March 10, however DxOMark already posted its audio review of the gaming flagship. And it gave it an excellent mark. Anyway, with a score of 79 the upcoming ROG Phone claims the top spot in the charts with a healthy lead over the Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro (76) in second place. Its predecessor, the ROG Phone 3, is currently tied for third with the Huawei Mate 20 X (both at 75 points). The phone in question seems to be the I005DA, which we saw on TENAA in January rather than the I005DB version, which cropped up later. The B version has a screen on...

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Huawei Mate X2 official unboxing video shows off the phone and its rich retail package

The Huawei Mate X2 was just unveiled and it will become available in China later this week. Unlike certain flagship competitors, the X2 will come in a large, well-stocked retail package. Check out the official unboxing video to see what’s inside. There’s the phone, of course, traveling unfolded. Note that there are pre-applied screen protectors on both the inside and outside screen. Further down in the box is the 66W SuperCharger (the phone tops out at 55W, but you can charge laptops with this power brick). You also get a USB-C cable and a USB-C headset. That’s not all – included in the...

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Samsung commits to 4 years of updates for its 2019 and later smartphones

Samsung has taken a strong stance on security by offering an extended support of security updates for its smartphones. All Galaxy phones from the Z, S, Note, A, M, XCover and Tab series, launched since 2019 will receive at least 4 years of security updates. At the time of writing that's more than 130 models. Now, these are security updates and not major OS updates, mind. Samsung recently promised 3 generations of Android OS updates for its flagships, but that is a separate thing altogether. Security updates can be quarterly or monthly and they can take longer to get to a...

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Huawei Mate X2 announced with in-folding design, periscope camera

Huawei unveiled its latest foldable flagship, the Mate X2, and (as expected) it features an inward folding design. Interestingly, the phone is wedge shaped – it’s thickest near the camera module and it gradually slims down to just 4.4 mm on the other end. The camera end is the thickest part and for good reason – this is the first foldable phone with a periscope lens. Let’s talk screens first. The inner display measures 8” in diagonal and has a squarish aspect ratio of 8:7.1 and a resolution of 2480 x 2200. The external screen is 6.45” in diagonal and has a 21:9 aspect ratio. Both...

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LG W41 series incoming with three phones

LG brought the W31 lineup of affordable phones to India back in November 2020, and the company is already close to revealing the next series. The LG W41 reportedly will be “launching soon,” and this time, three phones are waiting for a debut - LG W41, LG W41+, and LG W41 Pro. A trio of phones would suggest plenty of different specs, but the reality is the three only differ in available memory. The W41 will have 4GB RAM and 64GB storage; the Plus will come with 4GB RAM and 128GB storage, while the “top-end” W41 Pro will bring 6GB RAM and 128GB storage. The LG W41 phones will have a...

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New app lets you reply to SMS messages from your Huawei Watch GT 2 Pro

The Huawei Watch GT 2 Pro has no native way to reply to incoming SMS messages, but a new app enables ъоу to do just that. It’s the companion app to Mood Messenger and offers quick replies with several predefined options. Note that Mood is a replacement for your phone’s SMS and MMS app, this will not work with the phone’s original app. Incoming messages • Emoji replies • More emoji • Text replies Once you’re all set up, you’ll be able to read the last 5 messages on your Watch GT 2 Pro and pick from several emoji and a few one word answers (thanks, yes, no, talk to you...

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Motorola G100 spotted on Geekbench, expected to be the global Moto Edge S version

Last month, Motorola unveiled its Edge S in China as the first smartphone powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 870 chipset. Expectations are that we’ll see the Edge S escape Asia sooner or later under a different name and a new Geekbench listing reveals that it might be called the Moto G100. Geekbench listing The listing shows the phone managed 957 points in the single-core department and 2,815 in the multi-core test. The “nio” motherboard corresponds to the Snapdragon 870 SoC which is complemented by 8GB RAM. We can also see the phone runs Android 11. Motorola Edge S The Moto...

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nubia Red Magic 6 will charge from 0 to 50% in 5 minutes

nubia is about to launch the Red Magic 6 gaming series on March 4. The lineup is expected to have a Pro and vanilla options, and the former was teased and subsequently confirmed to pack 120W fast-charging capabilities. Today, the brand’s CEO Ni Fei revealed the Red Magic 6 Pro will also ship with the proper charger in the box and explained it would allow the phone to charge from 0 to 50% in just 5 minutes. Mr. Fei explained that while some companies either don’t include a charger at all or put a slower adapter in the retail box, this won’t be the case with the Red Magic 6 Pro. The...

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vivo S9 officially arriving on March 3

The vivo S9 is expected to be the first phone with Dimensity 1100 chipset and earlier rumors predicted a March 6 arrival. Today, the company has posted official video teasers for the phone, revealing an earlier launch date - March 3. The vivo S9 will have three cameras, and thanks to a TENAA listing, we also know it will run Android 11 out of the box, likely with Origin OS on top. The battery is listed as 3,905 mAh, which means at least 4,000 mAh typical charge. Rumors also suggest a vivo S9e will take the stage as well as a more affordable alternative - it will keep the 6.44” OLED...

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