Honor 7X Oreo Beta goes live in four EU countries

Today, Honor has launched its Beta program for Honor 7X owners in four European countries: France, Germany, Italy, and Spain. The program will let you test non-final builds of EMUI 8.0 based on Android 8.0 Oreo. New features will include a refined UI, improved performance and stability, as well as some of Huawei's AI features, though just the ones that don't require the Kirin 970's NPU. Honor 7X The Honor 7X will be receiving EMUI 8.0 Oreo sometime in Q2 of this year. So making the Beta available now shows the phone maker is on track for a Q2 release. If you have an Honor 7X in...

Huawei P20 Lite leaks with 5.6-inch screen, dual cameras and a notch

As the major announcements from the MWC are getting discussed, Evan Blass tweets a photo of the alleged Huawei P20 Lite, even though it isn't even set to be announced for another month. For a while, Huawei's P20 was rumored to have three rear cameras, but when Blass tweeted the supposed picture of the P20 with a notch in the display and dual rear cameras, we can pretty much hold our breaths until we see a P20 Pro model, one that many hope will have three main cameras. Triple cameras aside, Blass has an amazing track record when it comes to smartphone leaks. Huawei P20 (with two, not...

Check out our Nokia 8110 4G video hands-on from MWC 2018

Nokia is playing the nostalgia card again this year, following up on the reinvented iconic 3310 feature phone from 2017. This time around it's the banana phone redux - meet the Nokia 8110 4G, arriving on the scene 22 years after the original. The device famously used by Neo in the Matrix movie is reimagined for the modern world, with 4G LTE capabilities, alongside Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and even GPS. It's still unashamedly not a smartphone, as you'd expect from a handset sporting a 2.4-inch 240x320 display that isn't touch-sensitive. Still, you get 512MB of RAM and the Snapdragon 205...

Possibly canceled LG G7 leaks in full, with hands-on images and specs

LG has revamped its smartphone strategy this year, vowing not to release new devices just to respond to competitors. Thus, the much anticipated G7 has apparently been canceled or rebuilt from scratch, according to past rumors. That, however, hasn't stopped it from leaking in full at MWC today. The images you can see below have been outed by Israeli publication Ynetnews, which also has a hands-on video up - hit the Source linked below to watch it. LG G7 (Neo) The G7 was codenamed Neo, and it features what's probably going to be 2018's top trend in the Android world: a screen...

Our Galaxy S9 video hands-on from MWC 2018 is up

Samsung's Galaxy S9 has undoubtedly been the king of the show at this year's MWC, alongside its bigger and better-specced sibling, the S9+. Samsung's flagship duo stole the spotlight from many of its competitors, and rightly so given what they deliver. If you've already taken a look at our hands-on review of the S9 and S9+ in written form, perhaps now would be a good time to watch us deliver our first impressions on video. You'll find out about the most important features of the S9 phones in less than five minutes. While you impatiently sit around and wait for our full review of the...

Unannounced vivo V9 appears on a billboard in Indonesia with a screen notch

Yesterday Asus outed the Zenfone 5 and 5z, identical smartphones on the outside that borrow heavily from the iPhone X in the looks department. But if you want a screen notch on a handset running Android, you will soon have another option: the upcoming vivo V9. This too comes with the polarizing feature, as the images below attest. They were captured by a reader of ours and they show the vivo store (and the billboard right above it) in Pangkal Pinang City, Bangka Island, Indonesia. vivo V9 billboard in Indonesia Besides the slim overall bezels of the phone, it reveals that you...

Apparently the Sony Xperia XZ2 gets 6GB RAM in the US, UK and Canada as well.

Yesterday, we reported on a rather interesting find, regarding the memory configuration of Sony's latest flagship pair. Today, the plot thickens even further. Apparently, the US, UK and Canada listings for the bigger Xperia XZ2 all quote 6GB of RAM. Once again, that is 2GB more than the standard international version gets. The original scoop pertained to regional XZ2 and XZ2 Compact units for Hong Kong and Taiwan. We went over a total of four listing to confirm both phones would get the higher RAM loadout. However, while doing a follow-up sanity check on the matter today, it seems the XZ2...

Deal: SanDisk's 400GB microSD card drops to $190

If your phone has a microSD slot (which is quick becoming a rarity), you might want to check out the SanDisk 400GB microSD card. It started at a hefty $230, but you can now have it for $190. B&H Photo Video, Amazon and NewEgg have it at that price. Best Buy is charging $200. There are smaller cards too, the 256GB ones start at $100 if you don't need so much storage (there are faster, pricier versions of the 256GB card too). The 64GB and 128GB cards get you the most bang for your buck, we did the math: Capacity Price GB/$ 16 GB $9.90 ...

CEO: Huawei Watch 3 is coming, but not soon

Huawei CEO Richard Yu wants you to know that his company is working on the a third generation smartwatch. No, it's not coming anytime soon, this is just an FYI. According to Yu, the Watch 2 sells well and there's no need to hurry. The Watch 2 was unveiled at MWC 2017 and some expected to see the 3rd edition this year. Clearly, this didn't happen and there were no new Huawei phones either (the P10 was another MWC 2017 announcement). The P20 phones are coming on March 27, but from Yu's comments it sounds unlikely that they will be accompanied by a smartwatch. IFA in September is the next...

LG K10/K10+ (2018) and LG K8 (2018) hands-on at MWC

LG's official announcements at MWC this year were admittedly a bit light on the hardware front, with a major focus on AI instead. In case you missed it, the V30S ThinQ and V30S+ ThinkQ were unveiled at the Barcelona venue, with most of the focus falling on the company's new and ambitious smart platform, rather than the new V30 colors and memory upgrade. Still, that is not to say the Korean giant didn't bring any hardware to the venue. We just had to go looking for it around the showfloor. What we found were three new mid-rangers - the K10, K10+ and K8. Well, technically, two, since the...

Asus Zenfone 5, 5z, 5 Lite hands-on review

The annual MWC event in Barcelona is almost over, but we can't call it a day before we handle all new Zenfones Asus had in store for us. The event last night brought us a whole bunch of new devices, some of them to be available in different variants in a typical Asus fashion. The notorious notch made an appearance, too, and it's shaping to be the next trendy thing after the "full-view" screens.

Amazon Prime Music launched in India

After doing a soft launch last year with Echo, Amazon has now properly launched its Prime Music service in India. The service, which was earlier limited to the Echo devices, will now also be available on iOS, Android, desktop, Fire TV Stick and the Amazon website. The service includes millions of songs across 10 Indian languages. The mobile apps also include support for Alexa, so instead of typing you can just tell Alexa which song you want to play, although this only works within the app. Users will also be able to download as many songs as they want to play locally within the...

Samsung Galaxy J8 spotted on Geekbench

Samsung decided to unify its naming scheme - first it was the Note, then the A-series caught up with the S flagships. Apparently, the affordable J series are next for rebranding, according to a new benchmark of a Samsung device with the model number SM-J800FN. The phone has Exynos 7870 chipset, coupled with 3 GB RAM and runs Android Oreo. The single-core score of the device is 728, while the multi-core result is 3683, although these results are comparable only with the alleged Galaxy J6 (2018) and the eventual Galaxy J4 (2018) due to the Geekbench version. The 7870 chipset,...

Sprint to introduce 5G in six major US cities by 2019

Sprint announced it is preparing to deliver mobile 5G in the first half of 2019. Customers of the carrier in Chicago, Dallas and Los Angeles are promised to get "5G-like capabilities", later joined by Atlanta, Houston and Washington DC. In 2018 and 2019 the company will position thousands of Massive MIMO radios, increasing its network capacity across the country. As part of the coverage expansion, Sprint promises to connect "people, places and billions of things with blazing fast speed, ultra-reliable, low-latency wireless service". The press release asto states that "this breakthrough...

Nokia 6 (2018) coming to US in May, HMD confirms

A few days back, HMD Global's CEO, Florian Seiche, confirmed the new Nokia smartphones (1, 6 (2018), and 7 Plus) aren't headed stateside. Then came reports that these phone may launch in the country in Q2 this year. And now, HMD has confirmed at-least the Nokia 6 (2018) is coming this May. The confirmation came from Juho Sarvikas, HMD's chief product officer, in a recent interview. The executive, however, didn't provide any info on pricing. In the interview, Sarvikas also commented on the company's decision to not go for carrier partners for their phones. "The trend is that the open...

Amazon acquires Ring - the company behind the video doorbell

Today, Amazon has agreed to acquire Ring - the company behind the Ring Doorbell, an internet-connected doorbell that offers a live visual and audible feeds at your home's front door. Likewise, you can intercom with guests who arrive at your home via the Ring app. An agreement was made to the tune of over $1 billion, though this is an estimated number based on reports. Specific terms of the deal haven't been made known just yet, but we don't expect the Ring brand to go anywhere. Amazon will keep Ring's core business intact as a daughter company while Amazon sprinkles its name and Prime...

Our Nokia 7 plus video hands-on from MWC 2018 is up

Nokia is having a blast at MWC this year, announcing both a new flagship (the Nokia 8 Sirocco) and the Nokia 7 plus, perhaps the most intriguing device in its current roster. It's a premium midranger powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 660, in theory promising to give you most of the performance of a phone powered by an 8-series chip, but for a fraction of the price. The Nokia 7 plus will cost €399 when it hits the streets, and you get plenty of hardware for that amount. An 18:9 screen, Nokia's first? Check. A dual rear camera setup with 2x optical zoom? Check. An interesting two-tone design...

Asus Zenfone Max (M1) has a 4,000 mAh battery, 18:9 slim-bezel display

Late last year Asus unveiled the Zenfone Max Plus (M1), and today at MWC the company took the wraps off its slightly smaller sibling, the Zenfone Max (M1). This model comes with a 5.5-inch 1,440x720 18:9 IPS display capable of up to 400 nits of brightness. The phone has an 83% screen-to-body ratio thanks to its slim bezels. It's powered by either the Snapdragon 425 or the Snapdragon 430, depending on which variation you happen to buy. Similarly, you can get it with up to 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage, but there may be some lower-end options in some markets. The Zenfone Max (M1)...

Asus Zenfone 5 is full of AI, has a smaller notch than the "Fruit Phone X"

After introducing the entry-level Zenfone 5 Lite, Asus got to the main event of its MWC press conference. That is, of course, the Zenfone 5. And the higher-end Zenfone 5z. These models are almost identical, save for the chipset used, and the amount of RAM and storage you can get them with. They are both filled to the brims with AI: AI Boost (for more power when gaming), AI Photography (with scene detection, photo learning, portrait mode and beautification), AI Display (stays on while you're looking at it and has automatic color temperature adjustment), and even AI Ringtone (which...

Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+ to launch in India on March 6

Samsung will be launching the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ smartphones in India on March 6 at an event in New Delhi. The company has started sending out invitations to the media for the same. The Galaxy S9 and S9+ are already up for pre-ordering on Samsung's website. Both devices are available in a choice of 64GB or 256GB in either Lilac Purple, Midnight Black or Coral Blue. Samsung is currently accepting INR 2000 as booking amount and the rest will have to be paid when the devices launch next week. Earlier today, we saw the Indian prices of both the models and its variants leak. If...

Asus Zenfone 5 Lite packs four cameras, two of them wide-angle

At its press conference at MWC today, Asus unveiled three new smartphones, the first being the Zenfone 5 Lite. This is going to be the entry-level model in the Zenfone 5 family. It packs four cameras, two of them with a 120-degree wide-angle field-of-view, one on each side. The main rear camera is a 16 MP unit, while the main selfie snapper is a 20 MP part using the Sony IMX376 sensor. The phone has a 6-inch 2,160x1,080 display, and an 80.3% screen-to-body ratio, which is commendable for a "lite" version. At least two variants will be made available, one powered by the Qualcomm...

It's Pokemon Day - Go celebrates, Alexa and Google Home talk Pikachu

Today is the Pokemon Day - it's the date the original Pokemon game was released back in 1996. And there are different happenings right now to celebrate the birth of the worldwide phenomenon. Niantic is celebrating the day by adding a Pikachu with a party hat just for today. This is not the first occurrence of the party creature, but the ones caught today will come with a special new Present move. Triple stardust will come with each Pikachu you capture on this day, too. Niantic has also partnered with Snapchat for special Pokemon lenses made of the starter creatures, and Bulbasaur...

The Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+ can measure your blood pressure

When we read Samsung's patent about measuring blood pressure with an optical sensor, we imagined it will be used on smartwatches in the future. So imagine our surprise to find out that the Galaxy S9 and S9+ have just such a sensor. Besides blood pressure, the phone can measure your stress levels as well. Samsung also plans to expand Bixbi's skills to allow it to judge the calories of a meal just by looking at it through the camera. This tech was co-developed with the University of California San Francisco in a collaboration dubbed My BP Lab. Users can opt into a three-week UCFS...

Recently announced Nokia 1, Nokia 6 and Nokia 7 may come to the US in Q2

HMD Global's CEO, Florian Seiche, may have confirmed that the new batch of products isn't headed stateside. "It's not a core focus for this year, but certainly it is on our roadmap", but a new report suggests that the Nokia 1, Nokia 6(2018) and Nokia 7 Plus may be heading to the US in Q2 after all - unlocked. While not available through any US carriers, it's possible to buy selected Nokia phones through retailers. Amazon, for example, currently list the Nokia 2, Nokia 6 (old model) and the 3310 3G among others. This is likely to continue with sources suggesting that the Nokia 1 and the...

Sony details how the Xperia XZ2's Dynamic Vibration System works

The new Sony Xperia XZ2 features a Dynamic Vibration System - a more powerful, more advanced haptic feedback system that enhances music, movies and games. The first step, is a much larger vibration motor - check out the size difference, this is the reason the smaller XZ2 Compact lacks this feature. Next up is software magic - it analyzes sound and activates the vibration in sync. It doesn't just track the base, it also listens to the higher frequencies to determine when vibration will enhance the experience. Sony's new Dynamic Vibration System is larger and more capable than a...

Check out our Nokia 8 Sirocco video hands-on from MWC 2018

Nokia gave new life to the Sirocco brand with the latest version of the Nokia 8, announced at MWC 2018. It comes with P-OLED screen and 6 GB RAM while keeping the mighty power-efficient Snapdragon 835 chipset. The Nokia 8 Sirocco also looks amazing with a new glossy back and a fingerprint scanner on the back, right below the dual cam setup that is now a wide-angle + telephoto lens combo. So what are our first impressions of the phone and how is it more special than the regular Nokia 8? Check out in our video below. We already posted camera samples from Barcelona along with initial...

Samsung Galaxy S9+ vs. Apple iPhone X camera comparison

Samsung announced the highly anticipated Galaxy S9+ on Sunday with dual cameras - the first having a variable aperture for different scenes, the other being the well-known telephoto shooter from the Galaxy Note8. While in Barcelona, we decided to put the Samsung flagship against the most powerful Apple phone - the iPhone X. From a technical standpoint, the primary cam can go either f/1.5 or f/2.4 and nowhere in between. It is 12 MP with a 1/2.55" sensor size and with the already familiar DualPixel technology for bright and vivid images. The second one has the same amount of megapixels but...

Cat S61 hands-on: the multitool smartphone

Smartphones have revolutionized software, but when they need to interact with the real world, they usually rely on external accessories. The Cat S61 is unique in that it's a venerable toolbox that can be used in a variety of professions. Going in, we had no idea just how many uses this phone has. The Cat S61 is the toughest, most-capable phone The thermal camera is the key draw. It can be used by handymen working on the insulation on your house or for checking for hidden leaks. Or it could be used by vets, e.g. it can be used to spot the extra heat of an infected area or the lack of...

Watch the Asus MWC unveiling event live here at 19:30 CET

The MWC 2018 official proceeding are not over quite yet! Asus has its even scheduled for 7:30PM CET today and, naturally, we'll be on location, to keep you up to date with all the announcements. If you want to tune in and watch, the below embed should have you covered, or just hit up the source link. As a quick refresh, Asus is expected to unveil the Zenfone 5 - maybe even three of them, Zenfone 5, Zenfone 5 Lite and 5 Max. Hence, the "#BACKTO05" slogan. Going through various leaks and the press materials for the event, we also found Qualcomm's logo, as well as quite a few references...

This might the OnePlus 6 and it has a notch in the screen

The OnePlus 5 (unveiled June last year) brought a dual camera, the OnePlus 5T (November) moved to an 18:9 screen. So, what will the OnePlus 6 be like? If these photos are to be believed, it will be part iPhone X, part Galaxy S9+. The front shows a notch in the screen, big enough to hold the earpiece and selfie camera. Note the Android version (8.1) and OxygenOS version (5.1), they are ahead of what's currently available for the 5T. The back is a different story - a vertically-oriented dual camera with rectangular fingerprint reader below it. When OnePlus moved the fingerprint reader to...

Land Rover Explore hands-on: Modular rugged phone with extra battery

Land Rover is a brand mostly popular with its 4WD vehicles that tend to go places unreachable by ordinary cars. Inspired by this idea, Bullitt Group, more famous with the CAT phones, bought the name rights from Jaguar for the latest phone, called Land Rover Explore. Already introduced at ISPO - an outdoor and sports trade show in Munich, we got our hands on the phone at the company's booth in Barcelona, part of MWC 2018. Official press images of Land Rover Explore The Land Rover Explore sounds premium and even might fool some people that it is indeed a premium device by...

Sony announces A7 III full-frame mirrorless camera

Sony has announced the new A7 III, which includes a whole host of new features and improvements that brings it in line with the more prolific members of the A7 series, such as the A7R III and the A9. The A7 III features a brand new full-frame 24.2MP backside illuminated EXMOR R CMOS sensor and an updated BIONZ X image processor. The ISO range has been expanded to ISO 100 - 51200. The dynamic range has been expanded to 15-stop but no one really knows what that means. The camera can shoot full resolution images at 10fps with continuous AF/AE for up to 177 JPEGs, 80 compressed RAWs and 40...

LG just patented a full screen display module of its own

It's pretty clear the full screen display trend isn't going away any time soon. And since staying relevant is essential in the mobile realm, it should come as no surprise that LG Display is working on some designs of its own. A recently published patent filing shows an entire display module, in a distinctive rounded-off shape - more than likely a take on the full screen display concept. LG Display full screen module LG's particular approach seems to involve a hole near the top of the panel, which will probably house the earpiece and, as some have speculated, might have room...

The Sony Xperia XZ2 and XZ2 Compact have 6GB of RAM in Hong Kong and Taiwan

Only a few short hours have passed since Sony's official unveiling for the Xperia XZ2 and XZ2 Compact flagship, yet the pair has already stirred up an relentless avalanche of mixed responses and media and fan attention alike. The "there's no such thing as bad press" logic seems to apply here. But regardless which side of the barricade you find yourself on, Sony might have just sprinkled another interesting development in the mix. As per a pair of specs listings for the Xperia XZ2, its H8296 variant, intended for Hong Kong and Taiwan will be equipped with 6GB of RAM, instead of the...

Xiaomi Mi 7 may support wireless charging

Xiaomi's upcoming Mi 7 flagship may support wireless charging. Speculation was high following Xiaomi's enrollment in the Wireless Power Consortium (WPC) in Sept '17 that it's Mi 7 flagship would support wireless charging utilizing the Qi standard. Its expected to feature a glass back which allows wireless charging. Sources further claim that the Mi 7 will support charging up to 7.5W, identical to Apple's latest iPhones following a firmware update post-launch. Reports suggest that Xiaomi may feature the same Broadcom chip and NXP transmitter as Apple to ensure quality and supply. If...

Qualcomm unveils Snapdragon 700 series chipsets with a focus on AI

In the electronics world, artificial intelligence has become a "do or die" proposition. All chipset makers have their own solutions and Qualcomm just kicked off the price race - AI isn't just for flagships anymore. The company announced a new Snapdragon 700 line of chipsets that will bring the advanced AI capabilities of the 800 series into a more affordable package. We don't know the exact specs yet, but the new chip will use Kryo CPU cores and an Adreno GPU (plus Spectra ISP and the Hexagon vector processor). The 700 chips will be twice as fast in AI tasks compared to a Snapdragon...

Leagoo S9 with Notch Display priced at $150

If you're hankering after a smartphone with a 'notch' and for it to have S9 in its name then Leagoo has you covered. And all for $150. At the Mobile World Conference this week Leagoo released more details about its upcoming Leagoo S9 smartphone, proudly carrying the slogan 'World's First Android Notch Display Smartphone'. Image courtesy of Leagoo In addition to a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor the 'notch' houses the technology to enable a "Face Access" feature unlocking the phone in under 0.1 seconds. In further homage to the iPhone X, the S9's user interface also features...

Vivo's APEX concept phone said to get official announcement event on March 5

The vivo APEX is definitely one of the highlights of MWC 2018. A large, 5.99-inch, nearly bezel-free OLED panel, complete with a world-first, half-screen fingerprint scanner, a vibrating display speaker and a periscope style, pop-up selfie camera, all make for an impressively futuristic and exciting package. If you haven't done so already, we urge you to check out our hands-on impressions for a closer look. The only real downside to all this was the entirely concept state of the demo unit, gathering gazes at the Barcelona venue. A new leak, however, sounds quite promising for all...

Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+ pricing for India leaks out

You can already pre-order the Samsung Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ in India but until now, we didn't know the official prices. An alleged official listing clears things up, and details just how pricey Samsung's new flagship duo will be. According to the list prices the Galaxy S9 starts at around €780 for the 64GB and tops out at nearly €900. The Galaxy S9+ is almost €900 for the base 64GB model and stops just shy of €1000 for the 256 gig one. Samsung Galaxy S9 64GB INR 62,500 €780 Samsung Galaxy S9 256GB INR 71,000 €887 Samsung Galaxy...

Actions on Google Assistant now understand 7 new languages

Google is also present at MWC 2018 to unveil new technology. The company just announced major improvements in the Actions department, responsible for booking tickets and adding reminders on Google Assistant. Starting this week, Actions can be built in seven new languages, bringing the total to 16 - Hindi, Thai, Indonesian, Danish, Norwegian, Swedish and Dutch. They join English, French, German, Japanese, Korean, Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, Italian and Russian. The 16 supported languages can be used for developing localized apps for the regions where the languages are spoken. From...

Essential Camera app update brings new Tiny Planet mode, selfie flash

Essential has pushed out a new update to its Camera app, bumping its version to 0.1.097.006. The update brings a couple of major changes, including new Tiny Planet mode and selfie flash. Starting with the new mode, the feature - which is currently in beta - lets you view all your 360-degree photos and videos as Tiny Planets with just a tap. Here's an example: Get your selfie look ready. We just released an update to Essential Camera app that adds flash for the selfie camera, Tiny Planet mode (beta) for 360° photos and videos, and stability fixes. Download it now: https://t.co/zXoZ765GHF...

Nokia wants to be a Top 5 smartphone maker in 3-5 years, isn't bringing its new devices to the US

You may be aware that Nokia announced quite a few new devices yesterday at MWC, including its new flagship - the Nokia 8 Sirocco. If you're in the US, however, you will unfortunately not be able to officially buy that handset, nor the Nokia 7 plus, Nokia 6 (2018), Nokia 1, or Nokia 8110 4G. HMD Global's CEO, Florian Seiche, has confirmed that the new batch of products isn't headed stateside. "It's not a core focus for this year, but certainly it is on our roadmap", he told CNET. Nokia will definitely have to stop ignoring the US market at some point in the next few years, especially...

Samsung Galaxy J6 is in the works, Geekbench reveals

Samsung seems intent on massively expanding its J-series of smartphones this year. We've already seen the upcoming Galaxy J4 and J8 in benchmarks, and now it's time to gawk at the Geekbench listing for the yet-unannounced Galaxy J6, identified by its model number SM-J600F. This being a member of the J line, it's a mid-ranger of course. It comes with the Exynos 7870 chipset, which interestingly powers the Galaxy J5 (2017) as well. It has a 1.6 GHz octa-core Cortex-A53 CPU and is built on the 14nm process. Since it supports a maximum screen resolution of 1,920x1,200 we expect the J6 to have...

The biggest iPhone yet may have 1,242x2,688 resolution, A12 chip, gold color option

It's long been rumored that Apple is going to launch three new iPhones this fall, all with a design very similar to that of the iPhone X from last year. One model will keep that device's screen tech and size, another is apparently coming with a 6.5" OLED panel, while the third model will be a more affordable 6.1" handset with an LCD display and lower resolution. Today a report from Bloomberg basically confirms all of that, adding a few new bits and pieces of intel allegedly coming from "people familiar with the products". The biggest iPhone yet is to have a screen "close to 6.5 inches",...

Two Sirocco editions, twelve years apart - Nokia 8800 vs. Nokia 8

This Nokia/HMD event at the MWC in Barcelona was an emotional trip down memory lane. The Nokia 7 Plus may have stolen the show, but the Nokia 8 Sirocco and the Nokia 8110 4G have stolen our hearts. The banana phone and the famous Matrix handset - the Nokia 8110 - was brought back from the dead with a modern chip, LTE support, and everything. The 8810 4G will be available at just €79 and Banana Yellow is one of the two color options. But HMD is decided to keep those blasts from the past coming. After the iconic 3310 revival followed by this cult 8110 sequel, HMD dusted off yet another...

BlackBerry only sold 850,000 phones last year, exec declares "mission accomplished" even so

Only 850,000 BlackBerry smartphones were shipped during all of last year, a number that compares well to the likes of Essential until you realize that company's only phone was on sale for just a fraction of the year. This information comes from IDC's Senior Research Director for Mobile Devices, Francisco Jeronimo, in fact the same source that gave us the Essential and Google numbers. Speaking of Google, the company managed to ship 3.9 million Pixels in 2017 despite only officially selling them in a handful of markets. On the other hand, BlackBerry execs are happy with the brand's...

BlackBerry Ghost, a bezel-less premium Android phone, headed to India

BlackBerry is working on a new premium Android smartphone called Ghost, which will be coming to India soon, according to a tweet by Evan Blass (evleaks). BlackBerry Ghost The device is touted to be "bezel-less", although we are not sure if that means it will have no bezels like the iPhone X or something more similar to other recent Android phones. We also don't know anything else about this device, except that it will be a "premium" device and most definitely will be in black. What we know is that it will be designed and manufactured by Optiemus Infracom, one of the three...

Motorola Moto E5 Plus official render leaks ahead of launch

We had a ton of leaks for the Moto G6 series throughout the past few weeks, so it was about time we hear more about the Moto E5 phones. And today we got an excellent glimpse of the Moto E5 Plus in a glorious press render. The image spills the beans on lots of the specs - an 18:9 display, a dual-camera on the back, and a USB Type-C port at the bottom. It also confirms one of the paintjobs - Light Blue. It's uncertain if those dots at the front stand for one selfie camera and a LED flash, or two snappers without a flash. Or maybe all three of those? The Plus model should pack a...

HTC 10 is now getting Android Oreo update in India

We got reports that Android Oreo is now seeding to the HTC 10 smartphones in India. It should be available as an OTA update to all supported units soon, if not already. The update brings support for Jio VoLTE in addition to the new version of the Google's OS. The Oreo update for the HTC 10, just like it happened to other popular devices, was off to a rocky start as HTC quickly pulled the first batch of the ROMs. It was resumed later on. For comparison, Sprint units in the US have had access to the Oreo update since February 12. Thank you, Hrishikesh, for the tip!

vivo X20 Plus UD goes through a scratch test - will that kill its fingerprint reader?

The vivo X20 Plus UD is the first phone to have a fingerprint reader under its display. But can this brand-new tech prove to be a week spot? Imagine for a second the scratches that accumulate on a phone's display after a year or two of use. Will the reader stop working? We'll hand you over to JerryRigEverything and his traditional Mohs' hardness test. The screen's glass handles as expected, with light scratches at level 6 and deeper ones at level 7. And the reader lived! This isn't the first fingerprint reader to undergo the scratch test, but as the video explains this is an optical...