Poco F9 Pro in for review

Looking at the Poco F9 Pro, you'd be forgiven for not wanting an F9 Ultra. Yes, global users are getting a big battery reduction - the Redmi K100 Pro, on which the Poco F9 Pro is based, has a whopper of a battery at 8,580mAh, while the Poco makes do with 6,330mAh. But it's still not bad at all. In the hands, the Poco F9 Pro is a premium-feeling smartphone. It's glass on both sides and brushed metal in the middle. It's also a comfortable slab to handle for long periods, thanks to its reasonably sized 6.59-inch display. A key difference between the Poco F9 Pro and its Ultra...

vivo X500 Pro series video capabilities teased ahead of launch

vivo recently began teasing its upcoming X500 series and has already confirmed several key camera features of the X500 Pro and X500 Pro Max. The company has now offered a glimpse at the video capabilities of its upcoming Pro models. Last week, vivo confirmed that the X500 Pro and X500 Pro Max will support 4K 240fps slow-motion video recording. The phones will feature a new primary rear camera that uses a custom Phantom 900 sensor co-developed by Sony and vivo’s Blueprint Imaging team. vivo also confirmed that the new sensor offers up to 17EV of dynamic range and 3-axis optical...

Google Pics launches to create and edit images in Google Docs, Slides, and Drive

Today Google is starting to make Google Pics available. Google Pics is a new service that is not to be confused with Google Photos or Google Images. Google Pics is billed by Google as providing you with "a suite of fine-tuned editing capabilities that let you generate images and make precise edits rather than starting from scratch". Why this couldn't just be a Gemini feature is unclear. It is also using Nano Banana, although Google doesn't say which version. Pics is both a standalone product and integrated into Google Workspace apps, starting with Slides, Docs, and Drive, so it will...

Oppo Find X10 will have some impressive specs for its class, according to a new rumor

Oppo is expected to unveil the Find X10 series in China in September, and then, according to a recent rumor, the Find X10 and Find X10 Pro Max will make it to global markets by late October. While the specs of the Find X10 Pro Max have been talked about quite a few times already, less attention has been paid to the Find X10. But this is going to be an impressive device in its own right, according to a new rumor from Digital Chat Station. Oppo Find X9 The Find X10 will be the most powerful vanilla flagship smartphone from any Chinese brand this year, apparently. It will be the only...

HMD Asha 305 Pro is on the way, marketing images and specs leak

HMD launched the Asha 305 in July, and now the brand is apparently working on a new device called the Asha 305 Pro. As the name implies, it will be a slightly better version of the Asha 305. The two marketing images below have been leaked today, along with the Asha 305 Pro’s specs. These come from a usually reliable source of HMD-related information. The Asha 305 Pro allegedly has a 5-inch FWVGA Fluid LCD screen, a 5MP rear camera with LED flash, a 2MP front camera with LED flash, 2GB of RAM, 32GB of storage, and a removable 2,500 mAh battery. HMD Asha 305 Pro leaked...

Alleged vivo X500 Pro Max photo and hands-on video reveal a massive camera island

The vivo X300 Ultra had an imposing camera – both in terms of quality and physical size – but the company may have something even bigger planned. An alleged photo and hands-on video of the vivo X500 Pro Max shows an absolute beast of a camera island with a rotating camera ring. Let’s look at the photo first – we’re not 100% sure, but we think that the phone on the left is the vivo X300 Ultra. And the phone on the right is allegedly the vivo X500 Pro Max. Look at that thing, it’s as wide as the phone itself! vivo X300 Ultra (left) and vivo X500 Pro Max (right, alleged image) Next...

Poco F9 Ultra's EPREL label promises longer battery life, but warns of worse drop resistance

The Poco F9 Ultra will be unveiled tomorrow alongside the F9 Pro. Information on the Ultra has been uploaded to the EPREL database, but it’s not publicly accessible yet – which didn’t stop it from leaking, of course. It’s just the energy label, which gives the Ultra an A for energy efficiency. Compared to its predecessor, the Poco F8 Ultra, the upcoming model will have longer battery endurance with the official number set at 80 hours and 44 minutes – up from 67 hours for the old model. The battery is rated for 1,000 charge cycles, the same as before. EPREL labels: Poco F9 Ultra...

Xiaomi Pad 9 Pro Max does Geekbench ahead of launch

Xiaomi’s next flagship Android tablet will feature the brand’s own Xring O3 chip and it managed to leak on Geekbench. The Xiaomi Pad 9 Pro Max (M367FC) scored an impressive 3,471 points in the single-core test and 13,229 in the multi-core test. Xiaomi Pad 9 Pro Max Geekbench test run This is a Geekbench 6 test, but it shows just how potent the Xring O3 is. The single-core score is slightly below the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, while the multi-core test is 15-20% higher. Xiaomi’s chip features a 10-core CPU with 2 cores running at 4.36GHz, alongside 4 units at 3.69 GHz and 4 more at 3.15...

Huawei Mate XT 2 colors and storage variants revealed, pre-orders now live

Huawei recently teased the design of its upcoming Mate XT 2 tri-folding smartphone in a video. The company has now opened pre-orders for the foldable in China, while also revealing its available color and storage options. The Huawei Mate XT 2, which is set to go official in China on September 7, will be available in Dark Black, Pure White, and Jin Purple (translated from Chinese) color options. The foldable will be offered in 16GB/512GB and 16GB/1TB configurations. Huawei will also offer a privacy matte display variant with 16GB of RAM and 1TB of storage. Meanwhile,...

Weekly poll: will you buy the Samsung Galaxy S26 FE?

The Samsung Galaxy S26 FE is here and, in a way, it feels like it has been with us all along. The S25 FE was overall a decent upgrade over the S24 FE. The list of improvements includes a better bin of the Exynos 2400 chipset, a bigger 4,900mAh battery (+200mAh) and it got faster 45W wired charging (up from 25W, wireless is 15W on both). The S25 FE also brought a new 12MP sensor for the selfie cam (up from 10MP) and a more premium Enhanced Armor Aluminum body (the S24 FE used regular aluminum). Okay, these are not the kind of upgrades that will have you shouting in the streets, but...

Weekly poll results: the Honor Robot Phone draws in a crowd with its camera capabilities

Last week’s poll shows that people are interested in the Honor Robot Phone for its camera and AI capabilities – but mostly the camera. For the purposes of the poll, we put aside issues of availability (for now the phone is only available in China), but the issue of price is harder to ignore. Indeed, if Honor chooses to pursue this form factor for future development, a hypothetical future model might win over new fans. As for the current model, it did its main job – draw attention – but many of the onlookers aren’t willing to spend that much money on it. Honor Robot Phone's gimbal...

WhatsApp's Scam Alert feature is now available to beta users on Android

Back in June, we learned that WhatsApp was developing a Scam Alert feature, which Meta officially detailed over two weeks ago. While WhatsApp hasn't yet revealed exactly when the Scam Alert feature will roll out to everyone, the public release shouldn't be far off, as it's now available to some Android users enrolled in WhatsApp's beta program. This revelation comes from the folks at WABetaInfo, who discovered this development on beta version 2.26.34.1 of WhatsApp for Android. As the name suggests, Scam Alert will warn users if an incoming message from an unknown sender appears to be a...

Motorola's Razr Fold is finally on its way to Verizon

Motorola launched the Razr Fold in the US in late May, when the company announced that it would be available for purchase at T-Mobile and Verizon. T-Mobile got it right there and then, but Verizon has still not released the phone. [#InlinePriceWidget,14402,1#] Now we know why. The FCC has only just certified a version of the Razr Fold that comes with mmWave 5G support, and Verizon has the most extensive mmWave 5G coverage in the US, so you can see where this is going. Now that this model is finally certified, it could become available in the next few weeks. Unfortunately, Verizon...

Oppo Find X10 and Find X10 Pro Max launch time frame in global markets and India leaks

According to a new report, Oppo is planning to launch the Find X10 and Find X10 Pro Max in global markets "by late October". The devices are first expected to be unveiled in China in September. Over in India, the official announcement is allegedly going to take place before Diwali, which is in early November. Last year, the Find X9 and Find X9 Pro landed in India in mid-November, after having been unveiled in China and some European markets in October. Oppo Find X9 Pro According to the source of this rumor, the Find X10 Pro Max will launch at around INR 1,55,000 (approximately...

Deals: the Galaxy S26 FE is on pre-order, but the S26+ is cheaper - several Pocos are cheaper too

Samsung unveiled the Galaxy S26 FE earlier this week – the phone is set to go on sale on Friday next week (September 4). Unfortunately, the new model costs more than its predecessor despite bringing a rather short list of upgrades. Samsung Galaxy S26 FE coming September 4 8/128GB - €700 at Amazon DE 8/256GB - €800 at Amazon DE The obvious comparison is to the Galaxy S26+ – it’s the better phone and it’s cheaper too, if you are looking at 256GB models. It’s powered...

Oppo Reno17 series could get teleconverter support, new rumor claims

Oppo unveiled the Reno16 series in China in May and later launched it in global markets. The lineup also made its way to India in July. The Reno16 series introduced the AI Snap Key, and a new rumour now claims that the Reno17 series could offer a flagship feature. According to a tipster, Oppo is testing a teleconverter accessory for the Reno17 series. Oppo Reno16 Pro The Oppo Reno16 and Reno16 Pro feature a 50MP periscope telephoto camera with 3.5x optical zoom. If the rumour is accurate, the Reno17 series could offer greater optical zoom capabilities with the help of the...

Samsung Galaxy S26 FE in for review

The Galaxy FE models have always enjoyed the attention of loyal and savvy Galaxy fans, but Samsung may be cutting it a bit too close with the Galaxy S26 FE. We called it the "Galaxy S26 AI and the Galaxy S25 FE Part 2 in our announcement news, and we still stand by that. To start with, the Galaxy S26 FE is nearly identical, spec-for-spec, with its predecessor. The major aspects of the phone are the same: the same 6.7-inch screen, triple camera system, battery and charging, and overall feel in the hand. Well, okay, the S26 FE has a camera island, whereas the older phone's camera system...

Mivi becomes the latest Indian brand to enter the smartphone market

Recently, Indian smartwatch brand Fire-Boltt entered the smartphone market with the launch of the Boltt Ace and Boltt Evo. Now, another Indian brand, audio products maker Mivi, has confirmed that it is also entering the smartphone market. In an official post on X, Mivi revealed that it will launch a 5G smartphone in India in September. The upcoming handset is confirmed to be powered by a Snapdragon chipset. The teaser shows the smartphone in a green colourway, with a flat rear panel and flat frame with rounded edges. It carries the “Pretty Powerful” tagline, which likely hints at...

vivo Y31t's pricing and availability revealed

vivo quietly listed the Y31t on its Indian website last week without revealing its pricing or availability. But we now know how much the vivo Y31t costs, as it’s now on sale in the country. The vivo Y31t comes in Crimson Red, Seashore Green, and Golden Mist colors, with three memory configurations - 4GB/128GB, 6GB/128GB, and 6GB/256GB, priced at INR25,999, INR29,999, and INR34,999, respectively. You can purchase these in India from vivo's official website, Flipkart, and partner retail stores. vivo Y31t's color options The vivo Y31t is powered by the Snapdragon 4 Gen 2 SoC and...

Huawei nova 16 Pro going global next week

Huawei introduced its nova 16 series back in June, and we now have confirmation that the nova 16 Pro will finally go global. Huawei confirmed the midranger will make its global debut at its upcoming global launch event on September 2 in Munich, Germany. Huawei nova 16s Pro teasers Both devices will feature an additional “s” in their names, similar to how Huawei brought over the Pura 90s Pro Max to the global stage. The nova 16s Pro is getting the same pink and blue gradient colors as the Chinese variant. It remains to be seen if there will be any hardware changes between the...