Huawei Pura X View previewed, more iPhone 18 Pro leaks, Week 34 in review

Here’s a recap of this past week’s top stories. Huawei previewed its Pura X View featuring a 6.39-inch OLED and a wide 16:9.5 aspect ratio. This is a proper wide boy, with Huawei advertising its expanded horizontal real estate for more immersive reading, gaming and other content consumption. Huawei Pura X View unveiled with a 16:9.5 wide display, 7,000mAh battery It will be available in four color options. We did not get its full spec sheet yet, but we did get confirmation of a sizeable 7,000mAh battery despite the phone’s...

Deals: Pixel 11 series available, Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra price drop, Oppo Reno16 series on sale

We noticed that the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra is now down to €1,810 for the base 12/256GB model – it was €2,120 last week and it has an MSRP of €2,200 (here it is on Samsung.com). This also makes it cheaper than the Galaxy Z Fold8, which is €1,945 for the base 12/256GB model, pretty much the same price as last week. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra €410 off Read our review 12/256GB - €1,810 at Amazon DE If you need help deciding between the two, check out our...

Weekly poll: would you buy the Honor Robot Phone and why?

After months of teasers and red carpet events, the Honor Robot Phone is finally official and it is now available in stores – only in China, but you didn’t want one anyway, right? Wait, did you? The robot-like arm that acts as the gimbal on this device (and gives it its name) feels like the end-stage of popup-camera evolution. It provides stabilization on the move and, if you put the phone on a tripod, it does object tracking better than any phone out there. And yes, it can even look forward for selfies and vlog-style videos. Honor Robot Phone's gimbal in action This teeny, tiny...

Weekly poll results: a clear favorite emerges from the Google Pixel 11 family

Last week, we asked you which Pixel 11 model you would buy and now the results are in. The sentiment is trending towards negative with price being a common reason for skipping the 11 series. Looking at the overall poll, many just aren’t interested in any Pixel 11 model. But those that do want one are mostly leaning towards the Pixel 11 Pro – it almost got more votes than the vanilla and the Pro XL models put together. Almost. The Pro XL is a distant second, while the pricey foldable barely got any love. Focusing in on the Google Pixel 11 Pro, it received the biggest proportion of...

iQOO is allegedly working on a small and powerful tablet

According to a new rumor from Digital Chat Station on Weibo, after having launched quite a few larger tablets, iQOO is getting ready to enter the small tablet space, directly competing with the RedMagic Astra 2, which was released back in June. The iQOO tablet is rumored to have an 8.8-inch screen with an "ultra-high" refresh rate and narrow bezels on all four sides, a metal frame, and a built-in cooling fan. The much larger iQOO Pad6 Pro It will be powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 Pro chipset. Unfortunately, no other details about it are known at the moment. We'll let you...

vivo V70 Lite 4G arrives with 8,100mAh battery and IP69 rating

The vivo V70 Lite was announced back in June, and its 4G counterpart has not been listed across several markets in Eurasia. As the name implies, this device features a 4G chipset – specifically Unisoc’s T7300. It is paired with 8GB of LPDDR4X RAM and 128/256GB of UFS 2.2 storage. The phone also brings an 8,100mAh battery with support for 44W wired charging. V70 Lite 4G is built around a 6.83-inch AMOLED featuring 1,260 x 2,800px resolution and a 120Hz refresh rate. It also features an optical fingerprint scanner and a 32MP front-facing camera. The back houses a 50MP main cam and a 2MP...

Redmi Note 17 Pro and Redmi Note 17 Pro Max India launch date leaks along with pricing details

The Redmi Note 17 series is getting its global launch next week, but that won't include India. Over there, the Redmi Note 17 is already official, while today new details about the Redmi Note 17 Pro and Redmi Note 17 Pro Max have surfaced. According to a new report, the two Pro devices will be made official for India on September 15. The Pro is said to have a 9,000 mAh battery just like its Chinese counterpart, while the Redmi Note 17 Pro Max will have a 10,000 mAh battery and will be powered by the Snapdragon 6 Gen 5 SoC. This device will feature a 6.8-inch OLED screen with a 120Hz...

Poco X8 and X8 Power marketing materials leak

A few hours ago a rumor claimed Poco would soon launch the X8 Power with a 10,000 mAh battery. Now a different tipster on X has shared some purported marketing materials for both the X8 Power as well as the long-awaited X8. We'll just say it outright: these seem to be rebrand jobs. Specifically, the X8 appears to be a rebranded Redmi Note 17 Pro, and the X8 Power may be a rebranded Redmi Note 17 Pro Max. There are some very slight differences, but not many. According to these slides, the X8 has a 6.83-inch AMOLED screen with 3,500-nit peak brightness and Gorilla Glass Victus 2 on...

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...