Analysis

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The iQOO 3 is the first Snapdragon 865 phone that comes in both 4G and 5G models

The iQOO 3 is the first Snapdragon 865 phone that comes in both 4G and 5G models

February 21, 2020
It's time for the first Qualcomm Snapdragon 865-powered flagship phones to arrive in the market. The Snapdragon 865 is Qualcomm's 2020 flagship SoC, and it was announced in December. The first phones to be announced with the Snapdragon 865 were the Snapdragon 865 variants of the Samsung Galaxy S20 series. Two days later, Xiaomi launched...
[Update 3: Supreme Court declines relief] India stares at a carrier monopoly with Reliance Jio as Airtel and Vodafone Idea face uncertain future

[Update 3: Supreme Court declines relief] India stares at a carrier monopoly with Reliance Jio as Airtel and Vodafone Idea face uncertain future

February 14, 2020
India has the world's lowest call and data tariffs in the world right now, riding on the back of mega telecom operators and hyper-competition among them. But that hasn't always been the case in the country, as a lot of it can be traced back to a few key defining moments in the telecom sector's...
Samsung is making 5G mainstream in the U.S. with the Galaxy S20

Samsung is making 5G mainstream in the U.S. with the Galaxy S20

February 11, 2020
Last year, Samsung was the first to offer a 5G-enabled smartphone in the world with the Galaxy S10 5G. This 5G phone launched nearly two months after the Galaxy S10 series launch and despite a rough start, it was met with great demand. Samsung followed up this success with a special Galaxy Note10+ 5G model....
How the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra takes great photos with Nona Binning

How the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra takes great photos with Nona Binning

February 11, 2020
The smartphone camera megapixel wars slowed to a halt for several years but picked up steam again in 2019. The arrival in 2018 of the Huawei P20 Pro (review) and the Huawei Mate 20 Pro (review) with huge 40MP Quad Bayer sensors proved that high megapixel sensors weren't necessarily a detriment to low light photography....
Realme Buds Air TWS Review: Desirable truly wireless audio meets Realme’s reliability

Realme Buds Air TWS Review: Desirable truly wireless audio meets Realme’s reliability

February 1, 2020
Realme has barely spent two years old as an independent smartphone brand. While we cannot overlook the benefits of being backed by parent OPPO in terms of manufacturing, distribution, and marketing dollars, Realme has been one of the fastest-growing smartphone brands because of its super-affordable products. Just when we thought smartphones couldn't be cheaper than...
Huami Amazfit T-Rex Review: A Smartwatch that’s Durable in Build and Battery

Huami Amazfit T-Rex Review: A Smartwatch that’s Durable in Build and Battery

January 31, 2020
Hinted by its namesake, Amazfit and its products are all about assisting you in your fitness goals and improving your well-being. Amazfit's new smartwatch, the T-Rex, is the health-tech company's rugged offering: it's meant to be a companion that is capable of withstanding the elements while you're out on your adventures.Specification Amazfit T-RexDimensions47.7 × 47.7 ×...
[Update: Opera’s Statement] Opera’s loan apps accused of engaging in predatory behavior and violating Google Play Store’s policies

[Update: Opera’s Statement] Opera’s loan apps accused of engaging in predatory behavior and violating Google Play Store’s policies

January 20, 2020
The browser market sees heavy dominance from Google Chrome across the board, much to the detriment of other browsers and the underlying competition in the market. This dominance and the declining user base has forced several browser entities to explore alternative models of revenue. Opera, which has a browser market share of 2.28% as of...
XDA’s Top Smartphones of 2019

XDA’s Top Smartphones of 2019

December 31, 2019
It's truly crazy to think about all of the new technology that is launched in one year. 2019 was no different, of course. Hundreds of phones, hardware advancements, new software features, and even new form factors made headlines this year. So what was the best of the best? Some of the XDA Staff have put...
OPPO wants to be more than a smartphone brand in 2020

OPPO wants to be more than a smartphone brand in 2020

December 22, 2019
OPPO has been around in the smartphone industry for a long time, having existed since around the early Android days and even before that. Long timers would recall devices like the OPPO N1, which adopted a rotating camera design six years ago, back in 2013, along with offering a "CyanogenMod Edition" of the phone. The...
How Qualcomm Brought Tremendous Improvements in AI Performance to the Snapdragon 865

How Qualcomm Brought Tremendous Improvements in AI Performance to the Snapdragon 865

December 16, 2019
It seems like we can’t go a day without seeing “artificial intelligence” in the news, and this past week was no exception in no small part thanks to the Snapdragon Tech Summit. Every year, Qualcomm unveils the plethora of improvements it brings to its Hexagon DSP and the Qualcomm AI Engine, a term they use...
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 Benchmarks: Comparing CPU and GPU Performance with the Kirin 990, Snapdragon 855, and Snapdragon 845

Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 Benchmarks: Comparing CPU and GPU Performance with the Kirin 990, Snapdragon 855, and Snapdragon 845

December 16, 2019
Nearly two weeks ago, Qualcomm invited tech journalists to Maui for the 2019 Snapdragon Tech Summit. At the event, the company unveiled its latest high-end SoC for mobile devices: the Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 mobile platform. Qualcomm says the new Snapdragon 865 boasts a 25% CPU performance increase and a 20% GPU performance increase over the...
The evolution of the Google Pixel series: from OG to Pixel 4

The evolution of the Google Pixel series: from OG to Pixel 4

November 8, 2019
It's not often that we think about the evolution of a brand. Sure, we compare the phones year after year, but we rarely take a step back and examine the long-term growth. Google has taken a bare minimum approach at upgrading their phones annually, especially with the most recent launch. But how much has the...