Articles by Babu Mohan

Thanks to 5G and a few other upgrades, the ZenFone 7 may not be quite as affordable as its predecessor.

What you need to know

ASUS will be taking the wraps off the ZenFone 7 series on August 26.
The vanilla ZenFone 7 is expected to feature Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 865, while the Pro variant may be powered by a Snapdragon 865+.
The launch event will begin at 2 AM ET and is going to be live streamed on YouTube.

ASUS has confirmed that it will be unveiling the successor to last year’s ZenFone 6 at a virtual launch event on August 26. Unlike last year, however, ASUS is rumored to launch two new flagship phones at its upcoming event. Along with the vanilla ZenFone 7, a Pro variant with beefier specs is also expected to debut next week.

The ZenFone 6, with its quirky flip camera and solid hardware specs, was among the most impressive value flagships launched last year. If rumors are to be believed, the ZenFone 7 will be a great successor to the ZenFone 6.

The vanilla ASUS ZenFon…

Samsung’s Galaxy S20 and Note 20 series phones will continue to receive Android updates until 2022.

What you need to know

Samsung has released a list of Galaxy phones and tablets eligible to receive three generations of Android OS upgrades.
In addition to the company’s flagship S and Note series phones, several Galaxy tablets and mid-range Galaxy A series phones have also been confirmed to receive three major OS updates.
Eligible Galaxy A series phones include the Galaxy A71 5G, A71, A51 5G, A51, and A90 5G.

Samsung announced at its virtual Unpacked event earlier this month that it would roll out “three generations” of Android OS updates to its flagship Galaxy S and Note series phones. The company has now released a list of devices eligible for three OS updates, which includes a few mid-range Galaxy A series phones and some Galaxy tablets as well.

Janghyun Yoon, Senior Vice President and Head of Software Platform Team, Mobile Communications Business at Samsung, said in a stat…

The phone will apparently have a plastic back, just like its predecessor.

What you need to know

The first CAD-based renders of the Galaxy S20 FE 5G have surfaced.
The renders reveal a flat Infinity-O display and a triple-camera setup at the rear.
Its key specs, however, still remain a mystery.

Earlier this month, well-known leaker Evan Blass shared the first render of the Galaxy S20 FE on his Patreon Page, revealing a flat display with a tiny centered hole-punch cutout. The first CAD-based renders of the upcoming smartphone have now been leaked, courtesy of Pricebaba and trusted leaker @OnLeaks.

The newly leaked renders confirm the Galaxy S20 FE will feature a flat Infinity-O display, although the exact size of the display hasn’t yet been confirmed. According to @OnLeaks, the display measures “between 6.4 and 6.5-inches.” The phone has a triple-camera setup around the back, likely featuring two 12MP sensors and an 8MP telephoto lens. While the overall design isn’t very differ…

The phone could be formally unveiled within the next few weeks.

What you need to know

A new leak has revealed some of the key specs of Motorola’s upcoming entry-level Moto E7 Plus.
The smartphone will apparently be powered by a Snapdragon 460 chipset, paired with 4GB of RAM and 64GB storage.
It is also tipped to feature a dual-camera setup at the rear with a 48MP primary sensor.

Motorola is soon expected to further expand its cluttered smartphone lineup with two new Moto E series phones: Moto E7 and Moto E7 Plus. Key specs of the Moto E7 Plus have now surfaced online, courtesy of reliable leaker Evan Blass.

According to Blass, the Moto E7 Plus is going to be powered by a Snapdragon 460 chipset, which was announced alongside the Snapdragon 662 and 720G chipsets in January this year. The 11nm chipset will be paired with 4GB of RAM and 64GB storage.

The Moto E7 Plus will include a dual-camera setup on the back, featuring a 48MP primary sensor with Night Vision support. Motorola’s…

The new features are currently available only on mobile.

What you need to know

Google has added new features to Search in the U.S. to help users quickly find live sports and TV shows.
You can now find information on where to watch live sports by searching for the individual team or game.
You can also find programming currently airing across multiple channels with the new “On TV now” carousel.

Google Search has gained a few new features in the U.S. to make it easier for users to find live sports and TV shows.

Satyajeet Saigar, Group Product Manager, Search, wrote in a blog post:

Sports around the world look a little different this year, with important new measures to keep players, officials and fans safe. As the cheering section moves to the couch, everyone is asking the age-old question: “What channel is the game on?”

So today we’re adding new features to Google Search in the U.S. to help you quickly find the live games you’re looking for. And when the game is over, w…

Xiaomi says the K30 Ultra is one of the first phones to support dual 5G standby.

What you need to know

Redmi K30 Ulltra is the Xiaomi sub-brand’s latest 5G-enabled smartphone.
It is powered by a MediaTek Dimensity 1000+ chipset and sports a 120Hz AMOLED display.
The Redmi K30 Ultra will go on sale in China from August 14 for a starting price of 1,999 yuan ($288).

Xiaomi today announced a new addition to its Redmi K-series smartphone lineup, alongside the flagship Mi 10 Ultra. The new Redmi K30 Ultra is largely identical to the Redmi K30 Pro that was launched earlier this year, but comes with two major changes.

The most significant difference between the Redmi K30 Ultra and the K30 Pro is the processor under the hood. While the K30 Pro runs on a Snapdragon 865 chipset, the new K30 Ultra is powered by a MediaTek Dimensity 1000+. The other significant difference between the two phones is the display refresh rate. Unlike the K30 Pro, which has a 60Hz display, the K30 Ultra offers …

The system could prove particularly useful in parts of the world that do not have a great seismometer-based system to detect earthquakes.

What you need to know

Google has announced the world’s largest earthquake alert system, powered by Android smartphones.
It has partnered with the United States Geological Survey (USGS) and California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) to start sending earthquake alerts to all Android phones in the state.
Whenever the accelerometer on your phone detects signals that suggest an earthquake might be imminent, it will send a signal to Google’s earthquake detection server.

Google today announced that it is utilizing the massive reach of its Android platform to build the world’s largest earthquake detection network. The system, which will use Android phones as mini seismometers, will be rolled out in stages. Google is starting with earthquake alerts in California, which has a reliable seismometer-based system to detect earthquakes.

M…

Like the Galaxy Z Fold 2, the Mate X2 may look very different from its predecessor.

What you need to know

A new rumor claims Huawei Mate X2 will come with an inward-folding display, just like Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 2.
The flagship foldable phone is expected to feature an 8.03-inch main display with a colorless polyimide (CPI) film on top.
There is no word on the foldable phone’s tech specs at this point.

Huawei, which surpassed Samsung to become the world’s largest smartphone maker in the second quarter of 2020, is expected to launch its last flagship phone with a Kirin chipset sometime in the fourth quarter of the year. Even though the company hasn’t officially confirmed it yet, rumors suggest Huawei may also launch a new foldable phone before the end of the year.

According to Display Supply Chain Consultants CEO Ross Young, Huawei’s next foldable smartphone will have an inward-folding display, similar to Samsung’s new Galaxy Z Fold 2. So far, however, Huawei has only launche…

The feature has been in development for months.

What you need to know

WhatsApp may soon allow users to use their account on multiple devices simultaneously.
The Facebook-owned messaging app is currently working on the feature on both Android and iOS platforms.
The feature is also expected to allow users to sync their chat history across devices.

WhatsApp has started testing a new feature that will allow users to use a single account across multiple devices. Currently, the only way you can use WhatsApp on more than one device is through WhatsApp Web.

According to the folks at WABetaInfo, the feature could allow users to have the same account running on four devices simultaneously. The Facebook-owned messaging app is currently working on creating the interface for the feature on both the Android and iOS versions. To get started with the feature, users will first have to transfer their chat history. Since copying your chat history may require a lot of data, you will need to be con…

The OnePlus Nord has received four OxygenOS updates so far.

What you need to know

OxygenOS 10.5.4 update is now rolling out to the Indian variant of the OnePlus Nord.
The update will soon be rolled out in Europe as well.
It brings a few camera improvements, an improved display experience, and some bug fixes.

OnePlus rolled out the first OxygenOS update for the OnePlus Nord last month, just a day after its global debut. The update brought quite a few camera improvements, along with optimized power efficiency for 4K video recording at 60fps. OnePlus has now started rolling out another new OxygenOS update for the Nord with some camera improvements and improved display experience.

As per the official changelog, the update improves color accuracy and white balance when taking selfies in low-light and also improves the performance of the macro camera. In addition to the camera enhancements, the update is claimed to bring an improved display experience and tweaks to the Gallery app f…