The modular Fairphone 4 gets scratched, burned, and bent for durability

While most modern smartphones are designed to not be tinkered with or disassembled, Fairphone is a Dutch smartphone company that believes a smartphone should be sustainable and easy to repair. The company even sells repair kits and parts directly to its customers. The Fairphone 4 gets JerryRigEverything’s full durability test treatment. After tearing down the module smartphone without using a heat gun or yanking battery pull-tabs,, the YouTube host quickly reassembles the Fairphone 4 and begins with the testing. Starting with the scratch test, the Fairphone has a Gorilla Glass 5...

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Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NE receives MIUI 12.5 Enhanced update

Xiaomi's 11 Lite 5G NE launched alongside the 11T series recently, and it's basically a Mi 11 Lite 5G with a different chipset - the Snapdragon 778G instead of the Snapdragon 780G. We still don't know if the ongoing and seemingly neverending chip crisis is to blame for this, or merely cost considerations. Anyway, for all intents and purposes, the two phones are identical save for the SoC choice. And now, the 11 Lite 5G NE is being graced with a new update - we're talking about MIUI 12.5 Enhanced. It's still on top of Android 11, as Xiaomi has yet to update any of its devices to...

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Samsung Galaxy Note20 gets third One UI 4 beta based on Android 12

Samsung keeps on releasing new betas of One UI 4 based on Android 12. Most recently it was the Galaxy Z Fold2 getting a new beta build, and the S10 series received its first. On the other hand, the Galaxy Note20 and Note20 Ultra are starting to receive their third One UI 4 beta, a build labeled ZUL1. This is now rolling out in the US and Korea, and will arrive as an over-the-air update for those who are on the beta program. The new build fixes a ton of bugs, including issues with fingerprint authentication in some apps, something having to do with choosing the items in the Quick...

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Samsung Galaxy S21 FE's design shown through cases

The Samsung Galaxy S21 FE's design has once again been revealed, this time thanks to British retailer Box. On its website, there are renders of the Galaxy S21 FE in the Clear View Cover, Silicone Cover, and the Clear Standing Cover cases. The renders are in line with what we've seen of the Galaxy S21 FE from other press images and a leaked hands-on photo. Samsung Galaxy S21 FE cases, image source: Box.co.uk To reiterate what we've heard so far, the Galaxy S21 FE will arrive in January, in four colors - White, Black, Purple, and Green. It will be powered by a Snapdragon 888 or...

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YouTube app gains listening controls

The YouTube app on Android and iOS has received a cool new upgrade which brings listening controls to all videos. The feature appears to be exclusive to Premium subscribers for now. Accessing the controls is done via the settings menu although some music videos automatically suggest bringing up the controls for you via a pop-up. Listening controls on YouTube app (images: 9to5Google) You get the usual set of controls with play, pause and previous or next video alongside buttons for 10-second rewind/forward. The control page also has like, save and speed playback controls. With...

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Another One UI 4.0 beta arrives for Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2 entered the beta testing program for One UI 4.0 on top of Android 12 a couple of weeks ago and the company is already pushing a third version of the software. As one would expect the new release is aimed at fixing existing issues rather than introducing new features. Now all apps that support fingerprint authentication will work with the Z Fold2's reader, the screen brightness no longer dims after a reboot and the patch resolves the performance and battery issues when the handset is connected to the Galaxy Watch4. The new software also takes care of the...

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Oppo reports record-breaking sales of Reno7, stock sold out in 15 minutes

Oppo launched the Reno7 series in China last week. The line-up consists of the Reno7 SE, vanilla Reno7, and Reno7 Pro, and went on sale today. The company said the interest towards the midrangers was so high, the whole first batch sold out in 15 minutes, bringing CNY100 million of revenue. Oppo Reno7 series was successful on all retailer platforms Oppo sold the trio of phones primarily through its own store in China, but third-party retailers helped as well. Chinese sources claimed the volume of sold units was 150% more than the first sale of the Reno6 series, without quoting...

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Microsoft begins rolling out Office visual refresh

Microsoft is rolling out the visual update it gave to insiders back in July to its regular Office users. Both 365 and licensed versions on Windows are getting the refresh now. The update is matching Windows 11's visual style with rounded window corners and the option to use a dark theme (or sync the theme with your Windows). The Quick Access Toolbar (the one at the very top) has been hidden by default, but you can bring it back with a right-click on the ribbon and a check the Show Quick Access Toolbar option. You can tell you've gotten the visual refresh if there's a...

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Samsung Galaxy S21 FE colors confirmed, India will be in the first wave

India will be in the first wave of countries when the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE launches in January. The device is reportedly shipping with both a Snapdragon 888 and an Exynos 2100, depending on the market, India will likely get the Exynos variant. European markets are also expected to get the Galaxy S21 FE first and prices are rumored to start from €649, for an 8/128GB, and up to €699 for an 8/256GB one. Meanwhile, the four color options have seemingly been confirmed to be Black, White, Purple, and Green. The Galaxy S21 FE in different colors The Samsung Galaxy S21 FE...

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Huawei Mate V flip phone arrives on December 23 alongside other products

Huawei's flip phone has been in the rumor mill for a while now but little is known about the device except that it will adopt a new improved hinge design. Now we can add a couple of significant details - its launch date and the fact that it have a special heat pipe designed for foldable smartphones. That last bit isn't entirely confirmed, though, as the report is based on a patent filed back in 2020, so it's not certain that it was meant for the what we know at this point as Huawei Mate V. But the timing does make sense so we wouldn't be surprsied if it was. The pipe would span...

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FTC is suing Nvidia over Arm acquisition

In the latest development of the Nvidia – Arm acquisition saga, the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is suing Nvidia in an attempt to block its $40 billion purchase of the British-based chipset design company. The FTC’s reasoning behind the move is to prevent innovation stifling which it believes would result if the merger goes through. In addition, the FTC believes Nvidia would hold an unfair advantage in accessing sensitive information over rivals such as Qualcomm, Samsung and Apple as these companies rely on Arm-licensed chip designs. The FTC is suing to block the largest...

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Pokemon Go gets higher refresh rate on iPhones with the latest update

Niantic has released the 1.191.0 update for Pokemon Go's iOS app, allowing it to run at higher frame rates. Pokemon Go was previously capped at 30fps on iOS devices, but now there's a new "Unlock your device’s native refresh rate for higher FPS" option under the Advanced Settings menu that lets you play the game at a higher frame rate, meaning 120fps on the iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max packing ProMotion displays, and 60fps on the other models. The game's official changelog doesn't say anything about the higher frame rate support, but it does mention "quality-of-life...

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Oppo Inno Day 2021 scheduled for December 14, new flagship incoming

Every year Oppo hosts an event to present its latest innovations and technologies, and the time for the 2021 conference has come. In a press release, the company announced it will take place on December 14-15 in Shenzhen, while attendees from around the world will be able to visit the first-ever virtual Inno World. Oppo proudly says that this virtual event will “go down as one of the most interactive online launch events in recent years”. The tradition for Oppo Inno Day started back in 2019, where we saw AR glasses, 5G CPE and a smartwatch, with most of the gadgets already being...

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Samsung Galaxy S10 series gets Android 12-based One UI 4 beta

Samsung recently announced the Android 12-based One UI 4 beta for the Galaxy Note10 series in South Korea, and now it's the Galaxy S10 lineup's turn to get a taste of the latest custom Android skin. Samsung is recruiting One UI 4 beta testers for the Galaxy S10, Galaxy S10 5G, Galaxy S10e, and Galaxy S10+ in South Korea, and those who are interested in checking it out can enroll in the beta program through the Samsung Members app. Samsung hasn't provided an exact date for the release of the stable update, but its One UI 4 roadmap for India revealed the company will begin the rollout...

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iQOO Neo6 appears on Google Play Console with SD888 and 12GB RAM

A new listing on Google Play Console a new iQOO Neo6 in the works. The device bears the vivo V2154A identifier and sports Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 888 chipset at the held aided by 12GB RAM. It also features an FHD+ display with a punch-hole cutout and boots Android 11. iQOO Neo6 (vivo V2154A) on Google Play Console The same device was previously seen on China’s 3C agency where it was revealed to pack 66W charging which would be a welcome upgrade over iQOO Neo5’s 44W speeds. iQOO Neo6 (vivo V2154A) on 3C database There’s still no confirmation on the potential launch date of...

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Xiaomi 12 rear panel appears, reveals camera island design

Xiaomi is expected to bring the 12 series on 12.12, and the rear panel of the vanilla version appeared online, telling us more about its design. The island will house a triple-camera setup with one big hole for the main shooter, and two more cameras below it. The flash and a microphone will be right next to them. The photo was used to create a render, giving us a better idea of what we are looking at. Meanwhile, leakster Digital Chat Station revealed the initial launch will include three phones, which will be slightly different than the Mi 11 launch where the vanilla phone came much...

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