Android

It seems that Samsung has lately been aiming more for shock rather than wow factor in designing its smartphones. The Galaxy S20 and Galaxy Note 20 carried a particular design that at least had people talking, even if not always favorably. The Galaxy S21 is shaping up to be no different, at least based on unofficial 3D renders. Now a third set of images have popped up for what is claimed to be the Galaxy S21+, further "confirming" how next year's very early trio might look like.

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Smartphones are steadily becoming mean machines for handheld gaming. Since the mobile gaming industry is growing bigger than ever, more and more phone-makers are offering handsets specifically pieced for unparalleled gaming. Then there are also smartphones that don’t have the console-like looks and shoulder triggers but have the display refresh rates, game modes, and cooling systems that are apt to offer a console-like experience. With so many options out there, selecting a gaming phone can be a task. Head down for our selection of the five best gaming phones you can get this holiday season, and narrow down your choice.

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The whole 5G thing is becoming more of a story with the launch of some exciting new mobile phone models designed to take full leverage of the new wireless connectivity. As a new 5G smartphone pops-up with each passing day, we are seeing all prominent network carriers stateside doing their bit to ensure you have 5G coverage no matter what part of the country you’re in. While these are early days and everyone’s just working on increasing their portfolio – it seems appropriate to know, which of the top-tier carriers have what 5G plans you can choose from to get on from the word go.

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2020 is the year of big phone families, and Samsung's Galaxy S20 Series is nearing Brady Bunch numbers. Latest to arrive is the Galaxy S20 FE 5G, described as the "Fan Edition" but also the most affordable of the line-up. As always that means what's absent from the spec sheet is as important to note as what's present, but for once the compromise may all be worth it.

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WhatsApp added an option to chats today that allows the user to mute said chat forever. The Facebook-owned app and ecosystem previously only allowed a chat to be muted for 8 hours, 1 week, or 1 year. This was fine, sure, but what if you wanted to stay in a chat and never, ever hear a notification from the chat ever, ever again? Now that's possible, if you dare.

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This week Google Music will stop working for your devices, if it's not already stopped working today. Over the past year Google's phased out the Google Music ecosystem in favor of YouTube Music, they're alternative to each service offered by the former. The Google Music platform allows switching to a YouTube Music account, and costs are similar, but users will need to actively make the change to download the new app and log in.

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When OnePlus announced the OnePlus 8T last week, it was mostly mum on the expected new Nord phones, the phones that should be coming to the US since the first Nord didn't. October isn't over yet though, and there is a chance OnePlus will do so next week. That leaves plenty of time for some more leaks, and this latest specs dump lays out all that we can expect from the OnePlus Nord N10 and the OnePlus Nord N100.

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New smartphones come and go every year, and every year the prices for these phones also rise higher and higher. There will always be room for what many call "wallet-friendly" phones, especially if they come with tempting financing options. That is what Google's MVNO business is offering by letting you buy a Pixel 4a and a protection plan with a two-year monthly subscription. Ironically, that doesn't include a Google Fi cellular plan itself.

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Huawei has finally unveiled its last high-end smartphone of the year and it was pretty much as what leaks have said it would. Nothing was really left to be surprised about, including what is expected to be the constant highlight of Huawei's flagships. As usual, the Huawei Mate 40 Pro was able to bag DxOMark's top spots, both in regular cameras as well as selfies. That despite actually shaving off a few specs and features from its camera setup.

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It is Huawei's big day and, as expected, it announced a slew of products to show the world it can still make it big. More than just hardware, however, the company also announced apps and services that practically boast of its independence from companies that it will no longer be able to do business with as per the US' rules. It remains to be seen, however, if Petal Search, Petal Maps, and Huawei Docs will be able to gather enough traction both from users and partners to stay in service for long.

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A foldable phone is already an admittedly impressive milestone for Samsung and the mobile market in general but the actual vision for such devices doesn't stop there. Although not exactly essential to the concept of a foldable device, the use of a stylus on what looks like a digital book or notebook has almost become expected, especially if the Galaxy Z Fold is meant to replace the Galaxy Note line. That may finally happen next year but it will require a rather big change in Samsung's S Pen technology.

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Today's entry in our ever-expanding exploration of 5G connectivity checks the most basic question: Do I need 5G? This question can be answered by looking at the world's transfer from 3G to 4G, and 4G LTE. In short: There's a significant amount of time between now and the point at which you'll absolutely NEED your next smartphone to have the ability to connect to 5G data.

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