Articles by Babu Mohan

Near-final Android 11 versions also coming to Xiaomi, OPPO and Vivo phones.

What you need to know

The first stable Android 11 build is now rolling out to users with Pixel phones.
The latest version of Android brings a ton of new features, including conversation bubbles, built-in screen recording, one-time permissions, improved 5G support, call screening support, and more.
Android OEMs are expected to upgrade their devices to Android 11 over the coming months.

After four developer previews and three public betas, Google is finally releasing the first stable Android 11 build to Pixel phones today.

Google says Android 11 reimagines the way users have conversations on their devices. You will find all your conversations across various messaging apps in a dedicated space in the notifications section, making it easier than ever to manage them. You can even prioritize conversations from the people that are most important to you. Responding to those important conversations is now easie…

OnePlus may be shifting its focus away from the flagship segment.

What you need to know

A new leak suggests OnePlus will not launch a Pro model alongside the OnePlus 8T.
Whether this means the OnePlus 8T will be a more premium offering than the OnePlus 8, remains to be seen.
The OnePlus 8T will come with a 120Hz AMOLED display and a quad-camera setup on the back with a 48MP main sensor.

Last year, OnePlus changed its strategy and started releasing two variants of its flagship phones: a vanilla model and a “Pro” model with a higher price tag. However, if a new leak is to be believed, OnePlus is planning to ditch the “two-flagship” strategy with the OnePlus 8T series.

According to a tweet from leaker Max J, OnePlus will not release a successor to the OnePlus 8 Pro alongside the OnePlus 8T. This means the OnePlus 8T will be the company’s only flagship phone to be released in the second half of 2020.

pic.twitter.com/u3YERTvlIS— Max J. (@MaxJmb) September 7, 2020

As we had rev…

Like its predecessor, the POCO X3 does not support 5G.

What you need to know

The POCO X3 NFC is now official.
POCO’s latest smartphone comes with a Snapdragon 732G chipset, a 120Hz screen, and 33W fast charging.
POCO X3 NFC will be available to purchase in the UK from September 17 for a starting price of £199.

POCO today took the wraps off its latest budget phone at a virtual global launch event. The new POCO X3 NFC is a successor to the POCO X2 that was launched in February this year. Unlike its predecessor, however, the POCO X3 is not a rebranded version of an existing Redmi phone.

The POCO X3 has a 6.67-inch FHD+ display with an impressive 120Hz refresh rate and a 240Hz touch sampling rate. It runs on Qualcomm’s mid-range Snapdragon 732G chipset, with POCO’s LiquidCool Plus 1.0 technology. The 8nm chipset has been paired with 6GB of RAM and up to 128GB of expandable storage.

On the back of the phone is a quad-camera setup with a 64MP main sensor, a 13MP ultra-wide-angle s…

OnePlus has made further improvements to the performance of the macro and selfie cameras with this update.

What you need to know

The OnePlus Nord has started receiving the OxygenOS 10.5.7 update.
It comes with a few camera, display, and connectivity improvements.
Unlike the OnePlus 8 series, however, the Nord is still on the July 2020 Android security patch.

OnePlus has started rolling out yet another new software update for the OnePlus Nord. The latest OxygenOS 10.5.7 update brings a few more improvements to the mid-range phone, including enhanced video stabilization when shooting 4K 60fps videos using the primary front-facing camera.

According to the official changelog for the latest update, it also includes improvements to the performance of the macro camera, general power consumption, Bluetooth connection stability, and voice call stability. Additionally, OnePlus has made some changes to the phone’s display calibration with this update.

Here’s the official changelog:

…

All the new products will be going on sale “later this year.”

What you need to know

Galaxy A42 5G is the latest addition to Samsung’s mid-range 5G smartphone lineup.
It features a 6.6-inch Super AMOLED display and quad rear cameras.
Samsung says the phone will go on sale in select markets “later this year.”

Samsung today announced a bunch of exciting new products at its “Life Unstoppable” event. The latest additions to the company’s Galaxy product line include the Galaxy A42 5G, Galaxy Fit 2, and the Galaxy Tab A7.

The Galaxy A42 5G is the third 5G-enabled A series phone that the company has launched this year. It comes with a 6.6-inch Super AMOLED display and a quad-camera setup at the rear. Unfortunately, Samsung hasn’t revealed the rest of the phone’s specs yet. There is no word on the pricing either. The phone will be joining Samsung’s 5G-enabled A series lineup “later this year.”

Samsung Galaxy Tab A7 is the company’s latest budget Android tablet, featuring a 10.4-inch…

The phone was unveiled alongside the Redmi 9C in Malaysia in June.

What you need to know

Xiaomi has launched its entry-level Redmi 9A in India
The phone is powered by a MediaTek Helio G25 processor and packs a large 5,000mAh battery.
It will be available to purchase in the country from September 4 for a starting price of ₹6,799 ($93).

Xiaomi today launched its entry-level Redmi 9A in India, nearly three months after the phone’s global debut.

The Redmi 9A sports a 6.53-inch HD+ display with a waterdrop notch at the top, housing a 5MP selfie camera. It runs on MediaTek’s ‘gaming-focused’ Helio G25 octa-core processor, paired with up to 3GB of RAM and 32GB storage.

On the back of the phone is a single 13MP camera with a bunch of AI-powered features and support for 1080p Full HD video recording at up to 60fps. Like its predecessor, the Redmi 9A packs a large 5,000mAh battery, claimed to provide up to two days of endurance. Unsurprisingly, however, the entry-level phone only supp…

It will be the first phone under LG’s new “Explorer Project.”

What you need to know

LG will unveil its rotating dual-screen ‘Wing’ smartphone on September 14.
It is rumored to be powered by the same Snapdragon 765 chipset as the LG Velvet.
Thanks to its unique design, however, the phone is tipped to be priced around $1,000 in the U.S.

LG has released a teaser video on its official YouTube channel, confirming the existence of the rumored “Wing” with a rotating second screen. While the video doesn’t show the upcoming phone, it does confirm that “Wing” will make its global debut at an online event on September 14. The launch event will kick off at 10 AM ET and is going to be live streamed on the company’s official YouTube and Facebook pages.

In terms of specs, rumors suggest the phone will have the same Snapdragon 765 chipset as the LG Velvet with 5G support. It is also expected to have a 64MP primary sensor. The phone’s main display is tipped to be 6.8-inches with FHD+ resol…

Only a few components inside the latest Galaxy Note phones are ‘easy’ to replace.

What you need to know

Samsung’s new Galaxy Note 20 and Note 20 Ultra have scored a 3/10 on iFixit’s repairability scale.
Even though the two phones use many modular components, you will need to battle through the tough adhesive to be able to replace anything.
The teardown also gives us our best look yet at the differences inside the two phones.

The folks at iFixit have completed their dissection of Samsung’s latest Galaxy Note 20 and Note 20 Ultra flagships and awarded them a disappointing 3 out of 10 for repairability. In addition to showing us how difficult it is to replace the components inside, the side-by-side teardown also highlights all the key differences between the two phones.

While both phones support 15W wireless charging, the iFixit teardown reveals the bigger Note 20 Ultra has a double-coil configuration, similar to the Galaxy S20 Ultra. There are a few other striking differences a…

While it is not a massive upgrade over One UI 2.1, the latest iteration of Samsung’s custom Android skin does bring a few highly-anticipated features.

Update, August 24 (10:10 am ET): The One UI 2.5 update is now rolling out to Galaxy S20 series phones in the U.S.

What you need to know

Samsung has started rolling out the One UI 2.5 update to its Galaxy S20 series phones.
The update adds wireless DeX, an enhanced Pro video mode, and the ability to use Android 10’s navigation gestures in third-party launchers.
It is currently rolling out in select markets across Europe for the 5G variants of the Galaxy S20, S20+, and S20 Ultra.

Samsung today began rolling the One UI 2.5 update to its Galaxy S20 series phones. The latest iteration of Samsung’s custom Android skin made its debut with the Galaxy Note 20 and Note 20 Ultra, which are going on sale in several markets today.

According to the folks at SamMobile, the One UI 2.5 update is now rolling to the 5G variants of the Galaxy S20,…

It looks like the Q92 5G will only be sold in Korea initially, just like the Velvet.

What you need to know

LG Q92 is the company’s latest 5G-enabled mid-range smartphone.
Just like the LG Velvet, the Q92 5G features a 7nm Snapdragon 765G chipset.
It also comes with quad-camera setup on the back and a 4000mAh battery with 15W fast charging.

LG today launched its first Q series phone with 5G connectivity, the Q92 5G. The new mid-range phone uses LG’s new “natural” design language, which debuted with the Velvet earlier this year. Like the Velvet, the new phone also offers IP68 water resistance and is MIL-STD-810G compliant.

The LG Q92 5G has a 6.67-inch FHD+ display with a centered hole-punch cutout, housing a 32MP selfie camera. Under the hood, LG’s latest mid-ranger features a 7nm Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G chipset, paired with 6GB of RAM and 128GB storage.

Around the back of the phone is a quad-camera setup featuring a 48MP main sensor, an 8MP ultra-wide lens, a 5MP depth sens…