Apple has completed hardware tests on satellite connectivity for its iPhone devices according to a new report from a respected analyst. While satellite communication may not be the most trumpeted feature of the upcoming iPhone 14 range, its implementation could have far-reaching consequences in regard to interaction via smartphone.
DxOMark has provided its thoughts on the Pixel 6a, Google's latest mid-range smartphone. Supposedly, the Pixel 6a's cameras punch above their weight and only just fall short of the Pixel 6. The Pixel 6a is said to offer a class-leading display too, even with a 1080p resolution and a 60 Hz refresh rate.
Prolific leaker Ice Universe has stated that the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 is way more energy efficient than its predecessors, including the recenty launched Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1. The tipster adds that Samsung's upcoming Galaxy S22 FE could use a MediaTek Dimensity 9000 SoC instead of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1/Exynos 2200.
Valve's Steam Deck may be the most sought-after mobile console around right now. It can now be found as the star of the latest JerryRigEverything video, where its ability to withstand scratching, burning and bending was put to the test. Can the new gaming device's build quality match its popularity?
The Exynos 2200 has failed to impress in DxOMark's battery tests of the Galaxy S22. The Galaxy S22+ and Galaxy S22 Ultra fare better, but none set the world alight when mated to Samsung's in-house silicon.
A number of Rivian executives in charge of production and battery development have visited Korea recently to prepare for a pilot production run in local facilities. After the battery development and production partnership with Samsung fell through, Rivian was reportedly still left with Korean suppliers as the only option to gain know-how and speed its American battery factory plans.
Since other smartphones can only release their Snapdragon 835 phones after Samsung does, the inclusion of the chipset means that HTC's flagship may hit the market later in the year than the HTC 10 did in 2016.
Early reviews point to a performance retention of about 85 to 90 percent compared to an equivalent desktop system. Compatibility with other notebooks aside from the Razer Blade and Blade Stealth are also unstable.
Mozilla has added three new experiments to their Test Pilot program. The most interesting is a website available to users of any browser that allows single-download encrypted sharing of files. The other new experiments are a note taking app and voice search.
The impressive Infinity Display on the Galaxy S8 performed poorly in numerous drop tests, suggesting that the thin bezel makes the glass more prone to shattering.
As has become the norm, Samsung has released its latest smartphone and a couple of YouTubers have done their best to destroy it. It appears the Korean giant has noticed this tradition and has made the Galaxy S20 Ultra in a way that its surprisingly resilient.
Ever wondered how fast some of the best devices in the world right now charge? Pretty fast, if you consider the results of a test conducted on the OnePlus, LG, Apple, Google, and Samsung flagships for 2017. The LG V30, for example, was able to build up 53% worth of battery juice in just 30 minutes of charge time, and it still wasn't the fastest.
MediaTek has been accused of artificially inflating benchmark scores on some of their devices. The shortcoming came to light when a reviewer found that a Helio P95 chip outperformed a Dimensity 1000L in PCMark. Some digging revealed that MediaTek has 'whitelists' for popular benchmarking apps. Whitelisted apps are allowed to push the device's SoC far beyond its limit, resulting in higher benchmark scores.
Intel's Lakefield chips are smaller than the usual CPUs, as they stack most components in order to reduce size and improve energy efficiency, much like smartphone SoCs nowadays. According to new 3DMark tests, these chips are certainly not meant for gaming, as they barely match a Celeron G3900 + Nvidia MX250 combo, but they will most likely take energy efficiency to the next level.
The iPhone SE has finally made its way over to DxOMark for a thorough evaluation of its cameras' abilities. The US$399 phone impresses, keeping up with the Pixel 3a on all tests—and outperforming similarly-priced phones.
The limits of Google's strategy of pairing old camera hardware with excellent software have been shown in a series of camera tests published by DxOMark. There may well be some flaws in DxOMark's methodology, but it seems that Google should now move on from the 12 MP IMX363 camera that it has been using steadfastly for years.
Even though the OnePlus 7 Pro 12 GB RAM version has similar hardware specs compared to Samsung's Galaxy S10+ model, the GeekBench scores appear to slightly favor the Chinese smartphone. It should be noted that the high-end OnePlus 7 Pro version with 12 GB RAM will cost almost 50% less and it also comes with a better display.
The upcoming M40 could be released by June, seeing how fast Samsung launches all the M-series models these days. There's no denying that the new model is faster than the previous ones as it comes powered by the Snapdragon 675 SoC coupled with 6 GB of RAM. Design-wise, there might not be notable differences compared to the M30 model, but rumors suggest a larger screen.
Xiaomi is testing a new feature that it is calling MIUI Pure Mode. Supposedly, the mode prevents dangerous apps from being installed by disabling APK sideloading and background app installs. MIUI Pure Mode will be an optional feature.
Netflix is reportedly testing some new plans in the Indian market. It will let users avail discounts on the company's Premium subscription by paying for three, six or twelve months of service in advance. Since they are a part of Netflix's pilot program, the plans are not available to everyone just yet.
Fairphone has just launched the latest of its signature modular smartphones, with a design that allows for various different individual components of the 4 to be removed and replaced with an unusual level of ease. Now, it has starred in new JerryRigEverything and iFixit videos.
WhatsApp has started a new pilot program that allows those located in the United States to transfer cryptocurrency via its service. The initiative only involves a small pool of users and one coin in its present form, as well as a wallet originally intended for use with Meta.
