Foldable Google Pixel to have same 12.2MP main camera from Pixel 5

According to an APK teardown performed by 9to5Google, Google's upcoming foldable Pixel device will not feature the same beefed-up camera system that's present in the Google Pixel 6 series. As per information discovered in the most recent release of Google's Camera app, the upcoming folding Pixel's codename is "Pipit", which was changed from "Passport" at some point. The outlet's "APK Insight" team discovered that the foldable Pixel phone will use the same 12.2MP main camera that's found on the Pixel 5. That's the Sony IMX363 instead of the 50MP GN1 sensor that's found in the new Pixel 6...

Read More

Google allows third-party payment systems outside of the Play Store in Korea with a discount

In a report by The Wall Street Journal, Google is complying with Korea's new laws that require companies like Apple and Google to offer customers the choice to use payment systems outside of their app store apps. The catch here is that Google will still charge service fees to developers wishing to us their own payment system, but at a discounted rate. According to the report, e-Book and music streaming developers would pay Google 6% instead of 10%, while most other developers will have to pay 11% instead of 15%. Meanwhile, popular devs will need pay 26% versus the regular 30% in service...

Read More

Samsung US kicks off Black Friday early with deals on foldabes, S-series, wearables and more

Samsung is now offering Early Black Friday deals because who wants to wait until the 26th? There’s a bit of something for everyone, from the newest foldables, through Galaxy S21 series and Note20 Ultra deals to smart wearables. Before we look at all the offers, we should note that they are available only from Samsung US. Another important point is that while the links below lead to Samsung.com, the deals are available only through these links - you won't see them if you just open the Samsung US site. Foldables have started to edge into affordable territory, now even more so with a...

Read More

Photo of a Snapdragon 898-powered phone confirms the clock speeds of the three CPU clusters

Somewhere out there is a working phone with Qualcomm’s upcoming SM8450 – what has come to be known as the Snapdragon 898, the successor to the 888 (note that some have labeled it the 895 instead). The Device Info HW app is showing on the screen and confirms the configuration of the new flagship chip. The prime core – that should be based on the Cortex-X2 – is running at 3.0 GHz. Next up are three Cortex-A710 based mid-cores clocked at 2.5 GHz and finally four efficient Cortex-A510 derived cores at 1.79 GHz. This exactly matches recent leaks. While most flagships chips of the next...

Read More

Asus ROG Phone 5s series arrives in Europe, starting at €999

Back in August, Asus announced an “S” refresh for its ROG Phone series with the ROG Phone 5s and 5s Pro and now the pair have officially made their way to Europe. ROG Phone 5s starts at €999 in its 12GB RAM and 512GB storage trim. There’s a midway 16/512GB model which retails for €1,099 while the top-of-the-line 5s Pro with 18GB RAM and 512GB storage is on pre-order for €1,299. All new phones are available to pre-order from the Asus eStore. First shipments are expected for later this month. ROG Phone 5s comes in Phantom Black and Storm White while 5s Pro is only offered in Phantom...

Read More

Pixel 6 Pro brings Google into DxOMark's top 10

DxOMark is done with its assessment of the Google Pixel 6 Pro's main camera and it ranked it in its top 10. The breakdown is 143 for photo, 71 for zoom and 115 for video, rounding up a 135 score, which sits the Pro Pixel just beneath the Mate 40 Pro and the iPhone 13 Pro and 13 Pro Max. In their testing, DxOMark liked the Google Pixel 6 Pro's detail levels in all lighting conditions, its wide dynamic range and its great texture performance at long-range. Fine detail preservation in particular was measured as exceeding the iPhone 13 Pro and Huawei's P50 Pro in the same lighting...

Read More

MIUI 13 to come before the end of the year, Lei Jun says

Xiaomi's founder Lei Jun has shed some light on the company's upcoming major MIUI release. MIUI 13 will bring lots of changes that will greatly improve the user experience. More importantly he confirmed the new version of the software is on track to arrive before the end of this year. Normally it would be the Chinese version to come out first with the international one coming a few weeks later. Lei Jun also took the opportunity to highlight MIUI 12.5's battery optimizations contributing the Redmi Note 11 Pro's great battery life. We can confirm from our testing that the battery...

Read More

Counterpoint: Apple is the undisputed leader in the United States

Counterpoint Research published its analysis of the smartphone market in Europe in Q3 earlier today and now releases the same data for the United States. While the Old Continent has a diverse selection of makers, US citizen are predominantly using Apple or Samsung phones, with both companies increasing their lead over the competitors. The total market grew 1% on a yearly basis, despite the ongoing global component shortages. Research Director Jeff Fieldhack revealed there is an upward trend in the US market. Apple increased its volume sales by 9%, while Samsung recorded an 18% increase...

Read More

SA: Q3 was yet another strong quarter for the PC market

A new report from Strategy Analytics says that the PC market managed to grow in Q3 2021 by 8% year-over-year despite the hardware supply constraints. However, the authors of the analysis believe that this is going to be temporary as the supply shortages and increasing component prices are slowly catching up to the major vendors leaving the future quarters a bit of a mystery. Lenovo is still leading the market with a 23% share and 5% growth in shipments year-on-year. HP follows closely with a 21% market share, but its shipments declined 5% compared to last year's third...

Read More

Realme GT Neo2 reaches Thailand and Malaysia

Not too long after its official launch in China and subsequent debut in India, Realme’s GT Neo2 is now available in two more countries – Thailand and Malaysia. Buyers in Thailand get the 8GB RAM and 128GB storage model for THB 13,990 ($416) while those in Malaysia can only choose the 12/256GB trim for now at MYR 2,099 ($505). GT Neo2 brings a compelling spec list headlined by the Snapdragon 870 and 6.6-inch AMOLED with a 120Hz refresh rate. The phone also packs a 64MP main cam alongside an 8MP ultrawide snapper and 2MP macro cam as well as a 5,000 mAh battery with speedy 65W charging....

Read More

Counterpoint: Samsung remains on top in Europe for Q3 2021, but the lead is shrinking

Counterpoint Research has posted its research on the smartphone market in Europe during the third quarter of 2021. The report revealed that Samsung is still the top-selling company, but its lead ahead of competitors is shrinking and could be challenged in the near future. Meanwhile, Xiaomi jumped in second, with a 51% yearly growth - not the most percentage-wise, but the most in volumes, despite taking a big hit in September due to significant component constraints. Samsung has recovered from supply issues from earlier on in 2021, but results could’ve been terrible if it wasn’t for...

Read More