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You still can't buy the base OnePlus 9 Pro
OnePlus has delayed sales of the base 9 Pro, leaving customers no choice but to buy the higher-end model.
Google will reportedly use its own chip in the Pixel 6
According to documentation 9to5Google says it saw, the chipset, codenamed Whitechapel, will power Pixels that are slated to launch this fall.
Porsche will offer Android Auto in new cars beginning with 2022 models
Porsche is finally offering Android Auto with new cars, starting with 2022 models like the refreshed 911.
OnePlus 9 Pro review: A case against duopolies
Conventional wisdom — and quite a bit of market data — tells us that when people start shopping for high-end smartphones, they’ll usually wind up with an iPhone or a Samsung Galaxy. With the new OnePlus 9 Pro, though, OnePlus makes a convincing argument for skipping the duopoly and trying something different. That’s because the company managed to build its best smartphone yet, one truly deserving of the flagship label. Its focus on speed, screen quality, and a renewed commitment to photography just might help the brand win over a new legion of fans. It’s just too bad OnePlus’s best phones these days aren’t the deals they used to be.
Oppo's X 2021 prototype shows that rollable phones have potential
The Oppo X 2021 prototype rollable phone can switch between a conventional 6.7-inch screen and a mini-tablet-like 7.4-inch screen. This is achieved by rolling part of the flexible OLED panel into the back of the phone, which supposedly avoids the creasing issue we've seen on foldables.
Watch Samsung's Galaxy Awesome Unpacked with us live at 9:40AM ET
Samsung usually saves its Unpacked events for its flashiest, highest-profile product launches, but today — well, things might be a little different. When the company kicks off its third major online event in as many months at 10:00 AM Eastern/7:00 AM Pacific this morning, it plans to explain how it will “bring Awesome to everyone,” a process that’s pretty much guaranteed to involve revealing a handful of affordable new Galaxy A series smartphones. And sure, I guess you could get your news straight from Samsung’s stream, but I dare say you’d have a lot more fun watching it along with us.
Plans for an in-person MWC continue as Sony, Nokia and Ericsson bow out
After scuttling one massive international trade show last year, the GSMA is sticking to plans for an in-person Mobile World Congress in Barcelona this June — just without a few marquee names. A handful of companies, including Oracle, smartphone maker Sony, and networking firms Nokia and Ericsson, have all confirmed that they will not be attending the show in the flesh.
iPhone 12 mini 'production cut' hints demand was lower than hoped
Apple is slashing production by at least 70 percent, according to Nikkei.
The first Android 12 developer preview is here
The company's VP of engineering Dave Burke said in a blog post that with Android 12, it's "investing in key areas to help deliver a polished experience and better performance."
This $70 S Pen/case combo won't turn your S21 Ultra into a Galaxy Note
Mind you, that's not because of the S Pen itself. That comfort is all thanks to the S Pen's size. This $40 S Pen packs all of the requisite bits needed to play nice with the invisible Wacom digitizer inside the S21 Ultra's massive display.
Google Fi's VPN is coming to the iPhone this spring
Google Project Fi’s VPN service has only been available to Android users in beta so far, but that’s about to change -- it will some come to the iPhone, too.
The smartphone market is growing again
IDC (International Data Corporation) has announced that handset shipments reached 385.9 million in the final quarter of 2020, up 16 million year-over-year. Apple took pole position with 90.1 million smartphone shipments throughout the quarter. Samsung ranked second, with 73.9 million shipments and 19.1 percent market share, followed by Xiaomi and Oppo with 43.3 million and 33.8 million respectively.
Samsung boosts profits despite a drop in smartphone sales
Samsung boosted profits by 26.4 percent for its fourth-quarter despite an 11 percent drop in smartphone sales over last year, the company announced.
Samsung Galaxy S21 review: The best Android phone for the money
Space zoom aside, I enjoyed the versatility of the S21’s triple-camera setup.
The Galaxy S21 Ultra packs two telephoto lenses and supports the S Pen
Samsung's highest-specced S21 smartphone features a quad-camera system and is priced starting at $1,200. It's also the first S series phone to work with the company's S Pen stylus.
Qualcomm buys a startup founded by former Apple chip designers
Qualcomm has paid $1.4 billion for Nuvia, a startup founded by three engineers who worked on Apple’s A-series processors that power the iPhone and iPad.
Watch TCL's CES keynote in 9 minutes
Along with displays of all sizes, TCL showed off the first wireless Roku TV Ready soundbar.
Samsung will reveal its next flagship smartphones on January 14th
Samsung confirmed today that its latest Galaxy Unpacked event -- and its first major smartphone launch of the year -- will take place virtually at 10AM Eastern/7AM Pacific on Thursday, January 14th. Samsung has already opened preorder reservations for its Galaxy smartphones, and a well-informed employee at the Samsung flagship store in Bengaluru, India confirmed the launching timing to Android Authority in early December. Holding a launch event this year in a given year is certainly unusual for Samsung, but the company's moves later in the year may prove to be even more surprising.
Huawei restores Tencent games to its Chinese app store after dispute
Huawei has pulled Tencent games like Arena of Valor from its app store because of a “big change” Tencent made in how the companies work together.
Report: MediaTek takes over as world's largest smartphone chipset vendor
Move over, Qualcomm: According to a new report from research firm Counterpoint, MediaTek has overtaken the San Diego-based chipmaker to become the world’s biggest vendor of smartphone chipsets by market share. While Qualcomm (understandably) held onto its title as the biggest purveyor of 5G-friendly chipsets, Counterpoint’s data suggests that more than 100 million MediaTek-powered smartphones were sold in Q3 2020 — a roughly five percent increase compared to this time last year. Counterpoint’s report added some valuable context to MediaTek’s most recent earnings release, in which it reported revenues of NT$97,275 million — a boost of nearly 50 percent over the year-ago quarter.
