Top 10 trending phones of week 14

The Samsung Galaxy A55 made it four wins in a row in our trending chart, but it faced its toughest challenge yet. The newly announced Motorola Edge 50 Pro came really close to dethroning the popular mid-ranger, but had to settle for the silver medal in the end. [#InlinePriceWidget, 12824, 1#] The Redmi Note 13 Pro stepped down to the lowest step of the rostrum, while the Infinix Note 40 Pro retained its fourth place. Another new arrival sits in fifth - the OnePlus Nord CE4. We then have the Redmi Note 13 down a spot in sixth and the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, which slipped four...

Google is working on enhanced Android desktop mode for Android 15

When most people hear desktop mode on Android, they tend to think of Samsung’s DeX or perhaps Motorola’s ready for platforms. Indeed, those two are among the most advanced custom implementations currently out there. However, a lesser-known fact is that there is a Desktop mode in Google’s AOSP. It was first released with Android 10 in a very barebones state mostly to enable developers to test their apps in multi-display scenarios. Desktop mode has been steadily, though slowly, improving since then, and it can now easily handle a side-by-side mode with two apps on screen. More apps can be...

Weekly poll results: the vivo X Fold3 Pro is the clear favorite of the series

The vivo X Fold3 Pro was the clear winner in last week’s poll – 42% of voters are interested in getting one, a fraction that would look even more impressive if we took out the 19% who just aren’t in the market for a foldable. The Pro has so many advantages over its sibling – faster chipset, better tele camera, a bigger, faster battery and water resistance are the highlights. The regular X Fold3 may be the lightest book-style foldable yet, but the Pro is light enough (219g vs. 236g). The price premium for the X Fold3 Pro is around 43% over the vanilla model, but it seems that for...

Emulators seem to now be allowed on the Apple App Store but with some caveats

Apple’s App Store has famously been a walled garden for a while now. The tight policies have only recently been changing mostly thanks to EU regulations. Though, even taha has been a bumpy process met with a lot of pushback from Cupertino. Thankfully, things seem to be looking up, and Apple’s most recent App Review Guidelines now offer a more relaxed attitude towards offering additional content from within apps. Notably, this includes retro game console emulators that, under the new rules, may allow users to download games, also commonly known as ROM files. This could very well...

CMF Buds review

Nothing Tech’s CMF subbrand is making a design-first pitch for its affordable accessories ranging from chargers to smartwatches and a trio of wireless earbuds. We got a pair of CMF Buds at our office and have been using them for the past week to get a better feel of how they perform. These flashy orange buds promise three great audio quality and exciting design at a temptingly low price. CMF Buds $39 at Amazon US €39 at Amazon DE £39 at Amazon UK CMF Buds bring Active Noise Cancelation (ANC) with a dedicated transparency mode, Bluetooth 5.3 connectivity with dual...

iQOO 12 Anniversary Edition hands-on

iQOO recently completed four years in India, and to celebrate the milestone, iQOO's Indian branch launched the iQOO 12 Anniversary Edition. We got our hands on one, so let's see what it's all about. The iQOO 12 Anniversary Edition comes in Desert Red color, but its retail package is the same as that of the iQOO 12's Legend and Alpha models. It includes a protective case, a SIM ejector tool, a charging cable, and a 120W power adapter. The iQOO 12's Legend and Alpha versions have glass back panels, while the Anniversary Edition has a faux leather finish. The latter gives the device a...

Deals: OnePlus Nord CE4 and Tecno Pova 6 Pro launch

The OnePlus Nord CE4 and Tecno Pova 6 Pro launched this week, let’s have a look at their prices and how they compare to their predecessors. The OnePlus Nord CE4 brings a Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 with a massively improved GPU and it has dust and water resistance – it’s rated only IP54, but that’s better than the nothing that the CE3 had. Also, the battery is 10% larger at 5,500mAh and charges faster – in our tests, it hit 100% in 29 minutes, while the older model needed 31 minutes (do note the 500mAh difference in capacity). The CE4 will get two major OS updates and three years of security...

Samsung Galaxy Watch FE is on the way

Samsung is working on a Galaxy Watch FE, which means 2024 could be more FE-ified than any other year before it, considering we've also recently heard mumblings about a Galaxy Z Fold FE and Galaxy Z Flip FE and the S24 FE arriving too. The Watch FE is said to have specs very similar to those of the Galaxy Watch4 from 2021, which is anything but encouraging-sounding. A while back a rumor claimed Samsung would launch a Galaxy Watch4 (2024) model, but it looks like this has since been renamed as Galaxy Watch FE. Samsung Galaxy Watch4 The Watch FE will have the model numbers SM-R866F,...

Google's Phone app will soon let you look up unknown numbers

You have a missed call, but it's not from one of your contacts, just a random number. Before deciding whether to call back, wouldn't you want to know exactly who called? That's the idea behind services like Truecaller, and now Google seems to be wanting to join the 'unknown number lookup' game inside its Phone app. An option to do just that, labeled as "Lookup" under numbers from your call log that aren't in your contacts, has been spotted in the Google Phone app beta version 127.0.620688474. When you tap on "Lookup", you get a list of apps on your device that can handle the 'Web...

Google's Find My Device network is going live in the next few days

Last year Google and Apple announced that they had teamed up to address unwanted tracking through AirTags and other trackers, working on a specification fit for the purpose. Then, a few months later, Google rolled out the unwanted tracker alerts to devices running Android 6.0 and later, and also held back a rollout of its very own Find My Device network until Apple implements similar protections for unwanted tracking in iOS. It's taken a very, very long time, but now it finally seems like we're almost there. Google has sent out an email to some Android users telling them that the...

Fairphone wants to expand to 23 new markets and reach the €400 price point

Fairphone has so far been a niche player with its focus on modularity, reparability, and sustainability, but the company now has a new CEO and wants to make much bigger waves than before. Reinier Hendriks, the new boss, worked at Vodafone and KPN in the past, and joined Fairphone from Leaseweb. While he doesn't have experience in smartphone making per se, he thinks his role is all about "understanding the customer", and that's the same in all industries. Hendriks has big plans for the brand. Fairphone will launch in 23 additional markets this year, with Austria and Switzerland already...

Samsung acknowledges Galaxy S23 touchscreen issue on One UI 6.1, says it's Google's fault

Samsung started rolling out the update to One UI 6.1 for the Galaxy S23 family in late March, and since getting it, a lot of people have been complaining about touchscreen issues. Namely, the touchscreen on these devices sometimes doesn't register touch input properly, and one has to tap multiple times to get a touch registered. Naturally, this is extremely annoying, and now Samsung has finally acknowledged the problem, but there's a twist. According to the Korean company, this is pretty much Google's fault, as apparently the issue is being caused by the Google app's Discover feed, which...

Is the Google Pixel 8a hiding in plain sight?

We know the Pixel 8a is coming and we have a good idea of what to expect - Tensor G3 chip, 8 GB of RAM, 128/256 GB of storage, 120 Hz display with 1,400 nits of peak brightness. It will look very similar to the Pixel 8, and it will likely be a bit more expensive than the 7a. However, if this leak proves correct, Google may be closer to announcing the 8a than we expected. A Google Fi Wireless ad that seemingly shows the Pixel 8a front and center. The reasoning is that the Porcelain phone doesn't have the mic hole in the same spot as the Pixel 8 (between the cameras and the LED). It...

Tecno Pova 6 Pro goes on sale in India

The Tecno Pova 6 Pro introduced in India last week is now on sale in the country. It's sold through Amazon.in in Comet Green and Meteorite Grey colors with two memory options - 8GB/256GB and 12GB/256GB, priced at INR19,999 ($240/€220) and INR21,999 ($265/€245), respectively. However, as a part of the launch offer, customers of all banks will get an instant discount of INR2,000 ($24/€22) and a free Tecno S2 Speaker worth INR4,999 ($60/€55). Tecno Pova 6 Pro's launch offers The Tecno Pova 6 Pro is powered by the Dimensity 6080 SoC and boots Android 14 with HiOS 14 on top. It...

vivo Y200 Pro in the works, racks up certifications before launch

vivo launched the Y200 last October, and this February it was joined by the Y200e. Now it seems like there will be a third member of the family too, due to be launching very soon - the vivo Y200 Pro. Keep in mind that the Pro moniker here is in relation to the others, don't expect high-end specs. The Y200 Pro has already received its Bluetooth certification, and it's also been certified for sale in India by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS). This means it will be offered in India of course, along with other markets. vivo V29e Based on one of the two model numbers that have been...

Google's Circle to Search now does instant language translation

Last week Google rolled out Circle to Search for the Pixel 6 family and the Pixel 7a, and in the same announcement it also revealed that Circle to Search would be getting an instant translation feature in the future. This is now appearing to be rolling out. The translation happens in-line, with the translated text entirely replacing the original one, as you can see in the quick video below. It's all very simple really, you invoke Circle to Search the usual way, then simply tap on the new Translate icon that shows up to the right of the Google bar. And voila! It's all translated. Circle...

Spotify plans to raise prices this year and introduce new plans

Spotify is preparing a revamp of its plans and prices, according to a new report from Bloomberg. This will include price hikes in a few major markets, and there will also be a new plan that doesn't include audiobooks. The prices will go up by about $1 per month for individual plans to $2 per month for the family plans and duo plans in the UK, Australia, Pakistan, and two other unnamed markets, the report says. In the US, its largest market, a price hike is coming "later this year", according to "people familiar with the matter". The higher pricing will allegedly help cover the cost...

Oppo A3 Pro 5G leaks in CAD-based renders

Oppo launched the A2 and A2 Pro last year, and the A3 back in 2018 - please don't ask us to make sense of this naming scheme, we can't. To add some additional confusion to the mix, the A3 Pro is coming soon. CAD-based renders of the A3 Pro have been leaked today, along with its size: 162.7 x 74.5 x 7.8 mm. It's said to sport a 6.7-inch screen. The renders reveal a two rear cameras housed in the way too over the top circular camera island that also contains a circular LED flash array and an entirely decorative circle at the top that has a metal-looking cap instead of a camera of its...

Here's what iOS 18's rumored visionOS-like redesign might look like

iOS 18 will be announced by Apple on June 10 on the first day of its Worldwide Developers Conference. The next iteration of its mobile OS could see the most significant design changes in years - multiple recent rumors claimed there will be a lot of design inspiration from visionOS, the software that runs on Apple's Vision Pro headset. Today we get a first glimpse of what that may look like on iOS 18, with the leak of an alleged design resource for the mobile OS. The iPhone frame template you can see below was sent to MacRumors by an anonymous source claiming to have obtained it from an iOS...

vivo V30 SE and iQOO Pad 2 Pro show up in the Google Play Console

vivo launched the V30 and V30 Pro back in February, and the two phones have been available since early March. But now it looks like the company is working on a third member of the family, namely the V30 SE. This handset was spotted in the Google Play Console. The listing shows that the phone has the model number V2327, and it comes with a 1080x2400 resolution screen with 440 ppi pixel density. It runs Android 14, undoubtedly with vivo's Funtouch OS 14 on top. Interestingly, the "Variants" section of the listing tells us that the V30 SE will in fact be a rebranded iteration of the...

Beats Fit Pro Alo Yoga edition announced

Beats and Alo Yoga have announced a new collaboration with a special edition Beats Fit Pro wireless earbuds. These come in a new Black Sparkle color with a chrome interior inside the charging case, an embossed Alo logo and a pearlized Beats logo on the buds. Beats Fit Pro Alo Yoga edition Beats Fit Pro are Apple’s flagship in-ear sports earbuds and feature winged ear tips for a secure fit, spatial audio with head tracking and Apple’s H1 chip. Pricing is set at $200/€250/£220. The Alo Yoga Beats Fit Pro will be available from April 4 online from Apple and Alo Yoga and also at...

You can now use ChatGPT without an account

Today OpenAI has announced the next step in its strategy of expanding the availability of AI tools. You can now use ChatGPT without an account. More than 100 million people use ChatGPT across 185 countries on a weekly basis, and the company is hoping that lifting the account requirement will convince even more people to give its chatbot a try. The ability to use ChatGPT without an account is rolling out gradually, so it may not be available immediately to all, but it is definitely coming. Don't forget that, by default, OpenAI uses what you tell ChatGPT to improve its models for...

AnTuTu's March charts show Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 beating the Dimensity 9300

The AnTuTu benchmark puts out monthly charts showing us which chipsets scored highest, and today the one for March is out. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 beat the Dimensity 9300 to take the AnTuTu crown for March 2024, but there are plenty of caveats. First off, these numbers are only tallied for device versions that have had at least 1,000 AnTuTu benchmark runs in a month. If there's a higher-end iteration of one model that isn't present, that's because less than 1,000 runs were performed on that specific variant. Also, AnTuTu's chart only counts benchmark runs performed in China. With all that...

Redmi A3x is coming to India and global markets soon

Xiaomi sub-brand Redmi launched the entry-level A3 back in February, and it looks like this month it's going to come out with a slightly modified version of that phone called Redmi A3x. This has been caught in a database showing its name and two model numbers, one for the Indian market, the other for global markets - so we even know where it will launch. The Redmi A3x will have the model number 24048RN6CG globally, and 24048RN6CI in India, as "G" and "I" are the suffixes for those markets for Xiaomi, Redmi, and Poco devices. The "2404" part of the string strongly hints at a launch...

Sony Xperia 1 VI may have exactly the same cameras as its predecessor

Sony's Xperia 1 VI has so far been rumored to sport a different aspect ratio for its screen, foregoing the long-standing 21:9. The new phone should be a little bit less tall and a tad wider, and apparently the company may even give up on the 4K resolution that no other smartphone maker has adopted. So those are some interesting changes, but if you were also hoping for refreshed camera hardware, a new rumor claims you'll be very disappointed. According to mumblings on Weibo, the Xperia 1 VI will ship with the exact same rear cameras as its predecessor. Sony Xperia 1 V So we're...