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Realme's X50 Pro is a cheaper 5G flagship with super-fast charging
Realme may be the lesser-known spin-off from Oppo, but thanks to its aggressive pricing and the occasional collaborations with design icon Naoto Fukasawa, it's been doing quite well in Asia. And just last month, the company brought us the Realme X50 which happens to be the most affordable phone with a 120Hz display; not to mention that it's also a mid-range 5G device. So what's next? The Realme X50 Pro, of course. Unsurprisingly, the "Pro" here is mainly referring to the Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 chipset, which is the staple for practically all 5G flagships so far this year. This means the phone will connect to more 5G bands (including Europe and India, where it will also launch) to take full advantage of its 360-degree surround antenna. Likewise, you'll get to enjoy WiFi 6 connectivity here. Another bonus with this chipset is the speedy LPDDR5 RAM stacked on top of it, which ensures the phone will respond quicker in general.
Sony’s first 5G smartphone is the Xperia 1 II
Sony's big MWC shindig may have been cancelled over virus fears, but the company still has a bunch of new phones to show off. The first, and most notable, is the Xperia 1 II -- dubbed the Xperia 1 Mark II -- which made its debut on the company's not-MWC livestream today. The new flagship is packing a 21:9 6.5-inch 4K OLED HDR display, Dolby Atmos and, most importantly, a 5G modem.
Sony's first 5G phone may be a souped-up Xperia 1
Sony appears ready to leap into 5G smartphones, although you might not want to rush to the store if you have one of the company's recent handsets. XDA's Max Weinbach has shared what looks to be leaked images and specs for Sony's headline phones in 2020, the Xperia 1 II and Xperia 10 II. The 1 II would, as the name implies, be a tuned version of Sony's 6.5-inch 4K flagship with 5G for low- and mid-band networks (Engadget's parent Verizon would currently be ruled out), a speedier Snapdragon 865 processor and, curiously, a motion blur feature that promises "90Hz equivalent" visuals. It's not a true 90Hz display, then, but that might not be a bad thing when a 4K OLED at that refresh speed would likely slaughter your battery.
HTC's expanded Vive Cosmos family may help lure more VR users
HTC's Vive Cosmos is positioned as a high-end VR kit that's easier to use, and we liked it, but one concern we had was its $699 price -- a notable jump from Oculus' $400 offerings, tethered or otherwise. The good news is that according to Engadget Chinese, the company plans to release a more affordable version dubbed Cosmos Play, along with the more advanced Cosmos Elite and the experimental Cosmos XR. Best of all, these variants share the same core headset, meaning Cosmos Play owners can later upgrade with other faceplates to suit their needs.
Engadget Podcast: Breaking down the Samsung fest and MWC mess
A bunch of things in tech got the proverbial nails slammed into their coffins this week. Andy Rubin's Essential phone company shut down, MWC got canceled due to fears over coronavirus and the Motorola Razr folding flip phone is pretty likely dead on arrival thanks to Samsung's new Galaxy Z Flip. Cherlynn is joined by senior mobile editor Chris Velazco (Devindra is off on vacation, yay!) to talk about their Galaxy phone coverage and commiserate over no longer going to Barcelona. Listen below, or subscribe on your podcast app of choice. If you've got suggestions or topics you'd like covered on the show, be sure to email us or drop a note in the comments! And be sure to check out our other podcasts, the Morning After and Engadget News! Subscribe! iTunes Spotify Pocket Casts Stitcher Google Play Music Links Our Galaxy S20, S20+ and S20 Ultra hands-on Samsung Galaxy Z Flip hands-on: Razr who? Samsung makes too many damn phones MWC 2020 is canceled Andy Rubin's Essential is shutting down Credits Hosts: Cherlynn Low and Chris Velazco Producer: Ben Ellman Music: Dale North and Terrence O'Brien
MWC 2020 is canceled due to coronavirus concerns
MWC, the smartphone industry's biggest annual trade show, won't happen this year. On Wednesday, the GSMA, the organization that puts together the event, said it's cancelling MWC 2020 over coronavirus-related concerns. The trade show was scheduled to run between February 24th and 27th.
Amazon is the latest to pull out of MWC over coronavirus worries
Mobile World Congress just lost another one of its biggest names over coronavirus fears. Amazon has withdrawn from the tech trade show over the "outbreak and continued concerns" around the virus. The company was going to the late February event to push Amazon Web Services rather than anything consumer-facing, but it's still a big blow when MWC has already lost multiple companies.
LG's big phone this spring may be the V60, not the G9
For the longest time, LG's phone releases ran like clockwork: you could expect a G series phone around Mobile World Congress in late February, while V series devices would appear either in the fall or when LG had some big new feature to promote. It appears to be shaking things up this year, however. Well-known leaker Evan Blass has posted promotional images suggesting that the phone previously thought to be the G9 is actually the V60 ThinQ, which would 'bump' the G series as the spring flagship device. It'd have the loaded specs you'd expect, including four rear cameras, four mics, a headphone jack and a beefy 5,000mAh battery.
Samsung reportedly scales back MWC presence over coronavirus fears
Companies like LG and NVIDIA aren't the only ones having second thoughts about Mobile World Congress in light of the current coronavirus outbreak. CNET sources say Samsung is scaling back its plans to attend the wireless extravaganza, with many executives cancelling their trips. The company is still "considering" its options and might change its approach again, the sources said, but it might not have nearly as much beyond its usual booth.
