Microsoft isn't giving up on dual-screen Android, with the Surface Duo 2 taking a second shot at the clamshell tablet. Now packing a 5G connection, and a more potent Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 chipset, the Surface Duo 2 promises a more usable, flexible upgrade to the original Surface Duo.
It isn't surprising to hear about Huawei's attempts to circumvent US sanctions that prevent it from buying products, technologies, and even software from former partners like Qualcomm and Google. For example, it ordered some 4G-only Snapdragon chips to bypass its ban from touching anything related to 5G. Some lawmakers and government officials in the US see its sale of Honor to a consortium as one of those evasive maneuvers and want the former subsidiary to be put on the same Entity List. Unfortunately for them, their own colleagues have placed the decision in a deadlock.
A lot of attention is given to Samsung's high-end and more expensive smartphones, which isn't surprising since that is what the company's marketing machinery tries to push to consumers' consciousness anyway. There is, however, also a plethora of choices under Samsung's name that address different markets and consumers with different needs and, most importantly, budgets. These are often left by the wayside when it comes to mobile technology innovations, but it seems that Samsung will be giving its Galaxy A series some TLC, starting with a humble Galaxy A13 5G.
The much anticipated iPhone 13 line-up debuted at Apple’s Streaming Event in California and it is another impressive set of devices, at least on paper. The iPhone 13 model is destined to be the most popular among them, and it was only time it got compared with the predecessor iPhone 12.
It's iPhone 13 preorder day, and if you've been scratching your head about whether to go iPhone 13 mini, iPhone 13, iPhone 13 Pro, or iPhone 13 Pro Max, a new Apple video could help filter through the options. Announced on Tuesday, there's no shortage of information out there on what changes Apple made in 2021, and what sets its four new smartphones apart.
iPhone 13 preorders kick off on Friday, but while there were no big surprises in Apple's sticker pricing for the four new smartphones, the deals on offer could make 2021 an unusual year. There's no doubting that Apple has come to count on iPhone sales to help buoy its financial results, particularly in the first quarter after a new model, but it takes more than just a healthy spec sheet to win over new buyers.
Plentiful leaks may have spoiled most of the iPhone 13 surprises, but that just left room for the new iPad mini (6th generation) to steal the spotlight at Apple's big September event earlier in the week. The smallest iPadOS tablet arguably has the biggest personality, and with the addition of 5G and other changes there are plenty of reasons that upgraders are happy. However, there are also a few things to bear in mind, too.
Apple may have spared no hyperbole during its big iPhone 13 event yesterday, but eager travelers may find the most useful improvements didn't get a mention in the glossy launch stream. Like last year's iPhone 12 family, there's 5G across the board from the smallest iPhone 13 mini through to the flagship iPhone 13 Pro Max, but changes in how and where you'll be able to connect could make a difference.
Smartphone cameras these days have all become sophisticated and powerful, enabling image and video capture with great detail and quality. Most smartphone makers are content to simply boast about those cameras though a few do try to put some context behind these sensors. More than just being able to take great photos or record smooth videos, Xiaomi is creating a new "Cinemagic" buzzword around the idea of dropping heavy and expensive movie-making equipment for a Xiaomi 11T or, better yet, a Xiaomi 11T Pro.
Almost all smartphones these days compete in terms of features and power, with better specs often advertised to be the better choice. Fairphone, however, has always stood by itself on a different battleground, championing sustainability even if it meant getting behind the times. With the Fairphone 4, however, the company is at least trying to catch up with the latest 5G trend, but, based on this latest leak, that might be all that will be modern about the world's first "modular" 5G smartphone.
While the main draw of today's Apple event is the new lineup of iPhones, Apple actually got the show rolling by announcing some iPad updates. One iPad being updated is the iPad mini, and it sounds like Apple's smallest iPad is getting quite the redesign. For starters, it looks like the iPad mini is ditching the home button in exchange for a full-screen display that stretches nearly edge-to-edge.
The power and versatility of smartphones have probably made people take for granted the fact that, unlike even laptops, they are stuck with the hardware they bought for as long as the phone lasts. With OEMs slowly phasing out microSD card slots on higher-end phones, even data storage is no longer expandable. That said, those same manufacturers are now coming up with ways to expand a phone's RAM, and Samsung is the latest to join that train by quietly pushed a new feature that adds 4GB more RAM to a 6GB RAM mid-range phone.