Counterpoint: European smartphone shipments drop to three year low

The European smartphone market experienced its lowest volume of shipments for Q2 (April – June) since 2023. A new report from Counterpoint Research estimates 35 million smartphone shipments for the period, which is a 10% drop from the values seen last year. Factors like spiraling inflation, the Iran conflict and component price hikes all contributed to the three-year low. Europe Smartphone Shipments Share by OEM, Q2 2025 vs Q2 2026 (Counterpoint Research) According to Counterpoint’s estimates, Apple and Samsung each contributed 34% of total smartphone shipments in the region. Xiaomi...

New Samsung Galaxy A08 certification reveals a jump in battery capacity

A few days ago the upcoming Samsung Galaxy A08 was spotted in the Google Play Console database. Now it's also been certified by Anatel in Brazil, ahead of its launch over there. The certification reveals that the Galaxy A08 has a battery with a rated capacity of 5,830 mAh, which will be marketed as a typical capacity of 6,000 mAh. That's a significant jump from the Galaxy A07's 5,000 mAh battery. We are of course talking about the 4G models here. Like the A07, the A08 will be powered by the MediaTek Helio G99 SoC, paired with up to 8GB of RAM. The A08 4G actually could be an A07 4G...

Redmi Watch 6 Active is now official with a big battery and 140 sports modes

The Redmi Watch 6 Active last leaked a few days ago, and today it's finally become official. It's already listed in Xiaomi's Chinese online store, and it's up for grabs for CNY 349 (approximately $51). You can get it in Gunmetal, Pink Orange, and Silver colorways. Redmi Watch 6 Active colors It sports a 1.85-inch AMOLED screen with 390x450 resolution and 1,200-nit peak brightness, a 9.9mm thick plastic case, and a 470 mAh battery. It supports Bluetooth 5.3 and BLE, and it's IP68 rated for dust and water resistance. It has an accelerometer and a heart rate monitor that also...

Samsung Galaxy Tab S12+ and S12 Ultra prices leak

Samsung is unveiling the Galaxy S26 FE next week, and the company is also expected to announce the Galaxy Tab S12+ and Galaxy Tab S12 Ultra very soon, perhaps on the same day or, if not, in early September. Ahead of their release, a reliable source has today revealed the pricing for the two tablets. In the US, the Galaxy Tab S12+ will start at $1,119.99 with 256GB of storage. The 512GB version will set you back $1,399.99. The 5G-capable model with 256GB of storage will be priced at $1,349.99. Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra Moving on to the Galaxy Tab S12 Ultra, this one will be...

Xiaomi 18 Pro and Xiaomi 18 Pro Max may have just been certified

Xiaomi's upcoming 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max may have just been certified for sale in China. The two devices both support 100W wired charging, and they have UWB on board as well. They are expected to be launched in China in September, and will very likely be the first phones to use Qualcomm’s upcoming Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 Pro SoC. Digital Chat Station on Weibo says the duo will get improved screens, cameras, performance, and peripherals. However, the vanilla Xiaomi 18 won't be joining them. Once again Xiaomi is rumored to be emulating Apple's strategy, and this time around it's not...

Is this a Google Pixel smartband or a new Fitbit device?

During Google’s big Pixel event last week, the company unveiled the Pixel 11, 11 Pro, 11 Pro XL and the 11 Pro Fold, as well as the new Pixel Watch 5 and introduced its first smart tag called the Pixel Tag. There was no mention of new Fitbit devices, though (and why would there be?), nor a second smartwatch either. But Google Australia must know something that we don’t because it’s running ads that showcase an unknown smartband. The Redditors that spotted it are debating whether this is the Fitbit Charge 7, a Google Pixel Watch a-series or what. A mysterious smartband appears in...

iPhone 17 Pro cases may fit the iPhone 18 Pro

Apple is expected to unveil the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max in the first part of next month, most likely on September 8 or 9. As we wait for the event to happen, an intriguing new prospect has emerged. The cases made for the iPhone 17 Pro may very well fit the upcoming iPhone 18 Pro. One case maker has already created packaging that lists both the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro as compatible with a specific case, as you can see in the image below. This was surfaced by Mark Gurman on X, and he notes that Best Buy is already selling these in its stores in the US. Then, the...

Samsung sets the date for the Galaxy S26 FE unveiling - it's coming next week

Samsung will introduce a new member of the Galaxy S26 family on Thursday next week (August 27) during its “Galaxy Event August 2026”, which will be livestreamed on Samsung.com and on its YouTube channel. The event starts at noon 12pm UTC. While the company doesn’t name it explicitly, this can be no other model than the Samsung Galaxy S26 FE. Unfortunately, the company doesn’t offer any official details for the new FE. We’ve seen a leaked EPREL label that revealed an A rating for energy efficiency, another A for drop resistance but a C for repairability. The battery is rated for 1,200...

iPhone 18 Pro's chipset tipped to be 18 percent faster than predecessor

The iPhone 18 Pro series is expected to launch next month with Apple's A20 Pro chipset, which is rumored to be manufactured using TSMC's 2nm process. A new leak now claims that the chipset will offer improved performance and efficiency, but at a higher cost than its predecessor. According to tipster Fixed Focus Digital on Weibo, the A20 Pro chipset will deliver around 18% higher performance than the A19 Pro and will use TSMC's new Gate-All-Around (GAA) process. The tipster also claims that the new process will improve power efficiency, with the A20 Pro reportedly consuming up to 30%...

Spotify expands User Notes, adds Playlist Notes to its top editor-curated playlists

Last month, Spotify added new features like Running Mode and User Notes. Now the streamer is building on the latter idea with Playlist Notes. These will be used by Spotify’s global team of playlist editors to explain the thinking behind the given playlist – why was a song included in this particular list and what makes it culturally relevant? To get the answer to those questions, head to one of the big playlists and hit the Notes button at the top. There is a caveat to this – the Notes feature is available to users (16 and older) in the US, Canada, the UK, Ireland, Australia and New...

Samsung Galaxy Tab S12 Ultra render leaks

Samsung is expected to unveil the Galaxy Tab S12 Ultra alongside the Galaxy Tab S12+ very soon, perhaps in early September, since that's when its previous generation flagship tablets were announced. Ahead of that, today a rather low resolution render that purports to depict the Galaxy Tab S12 Ultra has been leaked, and you can see it below. This confirms that the tablet will have S Pen support and two rear cameras, just like its predecessor. The S12 Ultra's recent listing in the Google Play Console confirmed that it will be offered in both Wi-Fi-only and 5G versions. The tablet was...

YouTube revises view counting

YouTube creators will soon see higher view counts for their videos as the platform announced a change in the way it handles viewership. From August 24 onward, a view on YouTube will count as soon as the video starts. This is the same metric that was applied to YouTube Shorts last year and the approach used on other platforms like TikTok and Instagram. YouTube explained in a blog post that creators expressed their desire for a unified view counting system which would “eliminate metric confusion” and bring a more accurate assessment of total exposure. Prior to this change, a single...

Google's Scam Detection feature is headed to another Android device maker

Google's Scam Detection can warn you of potential scams during phone calls, and so far it's been available for Pixels of course, but also Samsung flagships since the Galaxy S26 series. However, it turns out that the feature is probably headed to a third Android brand: vivo. According to a new report based on a teardown of the latest Phone by Google app, vivo phones should be next in line to support Scam Detection. In the screenshots below, note that "Sharpie" is an internal codename Google has for the Scam Detection feature. Google Scam Detection headed to vivo phones There's...

vivo V80 Lite 5G teaser image shows part of its front design

Earlier this month we heard that vivo was working on the V80 Lite 5G, and its listing on the Google Play Console revealed that it's most likely a rebranded vivo S2. Today on Instagram the image you can see below was posted by a multi-brand mobile store in Shajapur, India. It shows a little bit of the device's front design, though the image seems to be heavily embellished, so to speak. The screen is clearly curved, that's for sure, and there's a hole punch cutout for the selfie camera in the center. The V80 Lite 5G's slogan could be "slay every edge", as the image reveals. If our...

HMD 102 4G Pro specs leak

HMD launched the 102 4G back in September of last year and now the company seems to be working on an upgraded version called the 102 4G Pro. This has been leaked today by a usually reliable source of HMD-related information. According to said source, the new device will have a 2" QQVGA LCD screen, a 0.3MP camera, the Unisoc 8910FF-S chipset, 24MB of RAM, 48MB of internal storage, support for 32GB microSD cards, and a 1,200 mAh battery which charges via USB-C. The phone will be IP52 certified for dust and rain resistance, and it will have Bluetooth 4.2, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and...

Motorola Edge 70 Max in for review

This is the Motorola Edge 70 Max, which launched last month. Let's take a look inside it box and see what it's about. The Edge 70 Max ships with 256GB of storage and either 8GB or 12GB of RAM. You can get it in Pantone Aqua Gray, Pantone Ice Melt, and Pantone Dark Shadow (our model), each with a unique-feeling texture. Prices are €750, £700, or INR 59,999. Unboxing the Motorola Edge 70 Max You get the usual cable and case in the box. The case isn't MagSafe-compatible, which is a shame, as we've seen lower-tier Motos with a MagSafe case in the box. There's also no charger...

CUBOT Teases KINGKONG Dura, a Rugged Phone Built Around Swappable Battery Power

CUBOT is preparing to unveil the KINGKONG Dura, a rugged smartphone built around a practical replaceable-battery system designed to reduce charging downtime and keep users moving. Instead of connecting the phone to a charging cable and waiting, users can remove the depleted battery, install a fully charged spare, and quickly return to work, travel, or outdoor activities. It is a straightforward approach to mobile power created for people whose days cannot always pause for charging. To make the system even more convenient, KINGKONG Dura will be available with a Dual Battery Kit and a...

Poco M8x to be powered by Snapdragon 4 Gen 5 SoC, key specs and pricing tipped

Poco recently began teasing the M8x 5G's launch in India. While the company has yet to reveal details about the upcoming phone, a teaser on Flipkart has confirmed the chipset powering the handset. A tipster has also leaked several other key specs and pricing details. According to the Flipkart teaser, the Poco M8x will be powered by the Snapdragon 4 Gen 5 chipset. However, tipster Yogesh Brar claims the handset will instead feature MediaTek's Dimensity 6300 SoC. Brar also claims that the handset will sport a 6.9-inch LCD display with an HD+ resolution and a 120Hz refresh rate. The...

Tipster claims Xiaomi 18 Ultra cancelled, upcoming vivo and Oppo Ultras won't go global

The Xiaomi 18 Ultra, which was rumored to debut in December this year, has reportedly been cancelled. According to a new leak, Xiaomi will launch only three smartphones as part of its upcoming 18 series. In a post on X, tipster Kartikey Singh claims that Xiaomi will not launch an 18 Ultra this year. According to the tipster, the Xiaomi 18 Pro Max will instead sit at the top of the company's upcoming flagship lineup. However, this does not necessarily mean Xiaomi has abandoned the Ultra model altogether and we could see a Xiaomi 17 Ultra successor next year. The company is likely...

Samsung Galaxy Tab S12 series tablets now appear in Google Play Console's supported devices list

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S12 series tablets were recently spotted on Bluetooth SIG's website, as they were Bluetooth-certified. Now those same tablets have appeared in Google Play Console's supported devices list. The Galaxy Tab S12 series consists of two tablets - the Galaxy Tab S12+ and the Galaxy Tab S12 Ultra. The Google Play Console lists five models of the Galaxy Tab S12+ and three models of the Galaxy Tab S12 Ultra. Samsung Galaxy Tab S12 Ultra's leaked renders | Source: OnLeaks and Smartphone Checker The Wi-Fi-only version of the Galaxy Tab S12+ has codename "gts12pwifi"...