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These developers got Windows 11 booting on a OnePlus 6T
Developers behind the Renegade Project have managed to successfully boot Microsoft's Windows 11 on a OnePlus 6T. Here's a video showing it!
Last week, Microsoft officially unveiled Windows 11. While it won’t be available to the general public until the end of this year, the first preview build of Windows 11 is already out to Windows Insiders. Alongside the x64 build that most users have installed, there's also an ARM64 build for Windows on ARM devices like the Surface Pro X. The ARM64 build is intended to be installed on supported Qualcomm processors, but that’s not stopping tinkerers from using it to port Windows 11 to unsupported devices.
LG Wing lands in India with the LG Velvet 4G in tow
The LG Wing has finally made its way to the Indian market alongside the LG Velvet 4G featuring Qualcomm's Snapdragon 845 chip.
After officially unveiling the LG Wing last month, LG has now launched the quirky smartphone in the Indian market. Powered by Qualcomm's mid-range Snapdragon 765G chip, the LG Wing features an innovative design with a swiveling main display and a small secondary display hidden underneath. Along with the LG Wing, the South Korean OEM has also launched a 4G variant of the LG Velvet in the country featuring Qualcomm's Snapdragon 845 chip. Here's a quick look at the two new devices from LG:
A 4G LG Velvet is launching in some regions with the 2-year old Qualcomm Snapdragon 845
A model of the LG Velvet is seemingly launching in some markets with a Snapdragon 845, a 2 year old flagship processor, instead of the Snapdragon 765G.
The LG Velvet was recently announced after a heated period of rumors and leaks, as well as teasers from LG themselves. While we were expecting LG to release the LG G9, that did not happen. Instead, LG's only 2020 flagship is the LG V60, while the LG Velvet is taking the LG G series's place this year. It's 5G-capable thanks to the Snapdragon 765G processor, and since it's not a high-end flagship, it's supposed to be cheaper, but only barely: at an estimated ~$700, it's still on the expensive end of the market. LG might be making it even cheaper using a weird, but straightforward method: swapping the Snapdragon 765G for the Snapdragon 845.
Nintendo 3DS emulation: Official Citra for Android performance testing on the Snapdragon 865, 855, and 845
We tested the official Citra for Android Nintendo 3DS emulator performance on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, 855, and 845. The results are surprising.
Citra, the most popular Nintendo 3DS emulator, was officially released for Android onto the Google Play Store last week, and its performance has been at the forefront of the conversation. I'm sure anybody who saw its release wondered whether they could play their favorite Nintendo 3DS games on their Android smartphone or tablet, so I've spent the past few days playing games on various different devices powered by multiple different SoCs to see what kind of performance you can expect to get from your device.
Early Google Pixel 4a performance review compares the 2020 mid-range Pixel to the Pixel 4, Pixel 3a, and Pixel 3 XL
Here's an early look at the performance of the Google Pixel 4a and its Qualcomm Snapdragon 730 versus the Pixel 4, Pixel 3a XL, and Pixel 3 XL.
If there wasn't a global pandemic to worry about, then Google would have held its annual developer conference, Google I/O, in Mountain View, California this week. At last year's I/O, Google unveiled its first-ever mid-range Pixel devices, the Pixel 3a and 3a XL. This year, we're expecting Google to follow-up with a new mid-range Pixel smartphone called the Pixel 4a. We don't know when exactly this 2020 mid-range Pixel will be announced, but thanks to leaks, we know pretty much all there is to know about it. Ahead of the Google Pixel 4a announcement, we can detail the phone's performance thanks to benchmarks performed on pre-release hardware.
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 Benchmarks: Comparing CPU and GPU Performance with the Kirin 990, Snapdragon 855, and Snapdragon 845
We benchmarked the Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 to test its CPU and GPU performance against SoCs like the Snapdragon 855, Snapdragon 845, and Huawei's Kirin 990.
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 previous generation Snapdragon 855. Also, the new SoC supports LPDDR5 memory and is manufactured on a newer 7nm process. Qualcomm's latest silicon will make its way to 2020 flagships like the Xiaomi Mi 10, OPPO Find X2, and many other high-end smartphones.
QualPwn Overview: New vulnerability may affect more than the Snapdragon 835 and 845
If you own a device with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835, 845, or any device with a Snapdragon chip, you may be vulnerable to the QualPwn exploit.
Over the years, we've seen a number of scary Linux-based exploits make the spotlight. We've seen Stagefright, RAMpage, and Cloak and Dagger, just to name a few. When both OnePlus and Xiaomi decided to release their security updates early, some predicted that there was a major exploit getting patched with this month's security patches. Those people were right: Researchers at the Tencent Blade Team discovered a critical vulnerability that is confirmed to affect all devices with either the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 or the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845. Dubbed, "QualPwn," the attack allows for remote exploitation of affected devices, and the fact that it affects devices with two popular chipsets resulted in it quickly making the rounds on the Internet. However, this attack potentially affects many more chipsets, so your device could be vulnerable too.
Qualcomm lists more camera specifications for multiple Snapdragon platforms
Qualcomm has disclosed more camera specifications for many Snapdragon mobile platforms such as the Snapdragon 845, Snadpragon 710, Snapdragon 670, and more.
The system-on-chip in mobile devices play a really important role in image processing. There's a variety of imaging sensors for mobile platforms, but device makers can't simply slap together any sensor they want with any SoC of their choice. The Image Signal Processor (ISP) in the SoC is responsible for many things like demosaicing, autofocus, noise reduction, HDR, preview framerates, and resolution, and more. If you want to know exactly what kind of image sensors can be paired with a particular SoC, you'll have to ask the chipset vendor for that information. That information is usually accessible on the vendor's website, but there's no guarantee that the information will be comprehensive. Fortunately, one SoC vendor, Qualcomm, recently took the time to update nearly all of their Snapdragon product pages to show more camera specifications.
The Xiaomi Mi 9 with its Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 emulates GameCube and Wii games with ease
We tested emulating GameCube and Wii games on the Xiaomi Mi 9 with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 to see how it performs in Dolphin Emulator.
Despite our devices getting more and more powerful every year, it may be crazy to some that we still can't run games designed for consoles released over ten years ago. Game consoles released years ago use wildly different processor architectures, which makes emulation of those consoles a difficult task for a number of reasons. The Nintendo Wii and Nintendo GameCube are two examples, as while they are similar in architecture to each other, they're quite different from the devices we usually use. Thanks to Dolphin Emulator, we can play games from both the GameCube and Wii pretty well on the desktop, but only the highest end Android smartphones can handle that. The newly released Xiaomi Mi 9, powered by the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, can emulate GameCube and Wii games like a champ.
HMD Global announces the Android One Nokia 9 with 5 rear cameras
The Nokia 9 is HMD Global's first 2019 flagship smartphone with 5 rear cameras. This photography powerhouse is coming to Europe for €599.
Ever since they revived the Nokia brand, HMD Global has been getting nearly everything right about their smartphones. They offer fast updates (both in terms of monthly security patches and major software updates), near-stock builds of Android, nifty software features, and a variety of products at multiple price points. One segment in which HMD Global has struggled to compete in is the premium tier. At Mobile World Congress 2019, HMD Global announced a new flagship smartphone: the Android One Nokia 9. While it has the previous generation Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, HMD Global has packed camera hardware that we've never seen before on an Android smartphone.
[Update: Available now] The Nubia Red Magic Mars is now available for pre-order in the US, Canada, and Europe
Many thought the Nubia Redi Magic Mars wouldn't be available in other regions, but it's up for pre-order in the United States, Canada, and Europe.
Many laughed at the thought of the gaming smartphone becoming its own product category. But we're actually seeing more and more companies these days launching devices specifically geared at gamers. In a lot of ways, it makes sense as the "Games" category is by far the most popular (and lucrative) in these mobile app stores. Nubia launched the Red Magic Mars gaming smartphone in China in November of last year. At first, many felt it wasn't going to be made available in other regions, but those of you in the United States, Canada, and Europe can now pre-order the device.
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 Benchmarks: Comparing the CPU, GPU, and AI Performance with the Kirin 980 and Snapdragon 845
The Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 offers substantial CPU, GPU, and AI improvements over the Snapdragon 845, but how does it compare to the Kirin 980?
2018 was an exciting year for smartphone enthusiasts. We saw the beginnings of nearly bezel-less designs, multi-camera innovations, computational photography techniques to make handheld long exposure practical, ridiculously fast wired charging, the reintroduction of wireless charging into the mainstream, and so much more. Android smartphones have so many features to differentiate them, but they're all still powered by chipsets from either Qualcomm, HiSilicon, Samsung, or MediaTek. Most Android flagships in 2018 were powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, but in 2019 they'll mostly be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 855. Although the new Qualcomm mobile platform was announced back in December during the Snapdragon Tech Summit, Qualcomm waited until CES 2019 last week to let us benchmark the Snapdragon 855.
Razer Phone 2 Review - Testing the Battery Life and Performance of the Gaming Powerhouse
The Razer Phone 2 is an Android smartphone marketed towards gamers, but is it worth it? We review the Razer Phone 2's performance and battery life.
When it comes to Android mobile gaming, there are really only a few contenders. Until the new Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 mobile platform starts shipping in flagship Android smartphones later this year, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 is the best mobile platform for gaming on Android. Qualcomm's Adreno 630 GPU is the fastest mobile GPU that we currently have over the likes of the Mali G72 and Mali G76 in the Exynos 9810 and Kirin 980 mobile platforms respectively. As such, it's only to be expected that best gaming smartphones like the Razer Phone 2 use Qualcomm's Snapdragon 845—but just how great is the Razer Phone 2? The Razer Phone 2 is advertised as one of the best gaming smartphones around, and not just in gaming performance, but in display hardware, audio performance, and battery life. We've been testing the device—both in benchmarks and real-world use—so that you can decide whether the Razer Phone 2 is worth your money.
LG V40 ThinQ [Mini] Review: More Cameras, Same Problems
Can the best phone LG has ever made move the needle in the Android market? Or is the LG V40 doomed to be yet another forgotten device from LG?
October was a jamboree of new phone announcements from major Android OEMs. The month was kicked off with the LG V40 ThinQ, a device that grabbed headlines for having five cameras in total. The V Series started with the unique Second Screen, but it has slowly become more like the 'safer' G Series. That change started with the LG V30 last year and the transition looks to be complete with the LG V40.
Sony Xperia XZ3 Review: One Step Forward, Two Steps Back
Is this the Sony flagship we've been waiting for or is it Sony caving to market trends. Let us explore this in our review of the Sony Xperia XZ3.
Sony is on a wicked update track with its Xperia XZ line of flagship phones. Just three months ago, I took a look at and reviewed the Sony Xperia XZ2, a phone I felt was overpriced but also offered an incredibly compelling alternative to the modern flagship. It had a portly but comfortable high-quality body, flat display, a sizable chin and forehead, and a no-frills camera experience. All of this won me over, and I used the phone daily for six months.
OnePlus 6T announced with an In-display Fingerprint Scanner, Waterdrop notch design, and Qualcomm Snapdragon 845
The OnePlus 6T has been announced. Here are the new features, pricing, specifications, and availability in America, Europe, and India.
OnePlus' two-phones-a-year strategy has paid off immensely for the company, as seen by their growing success in Europe and India. There's never a wrong time to buy a OnePlus flagship—you'll always be getting the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon chipset that's currently available with huge amounts of RAM at your disposal. Earlier this year, the OnePlus 6 was made official at a time when the flagship smartphone competition included the Samsung Galaxy S9, Asus Zenfone 5Z, Huawei P20, and Xiaomi Mi Mix 2S. A little over 5 months later and OnePlus now has to compete with Xiaomi's POCO F1/Mi 8, LG G7/V40 ThinQ, Sony Xperia XZ3, Google Pixel 3, Razer Phone 2, Huawei Mate 20, and a whole bunch of other devices. The company's latest smartphone, the OnePlus 6T, has just been announced, and it's their first device to be sold on an American carrier. Can the OnePlus 6T survive in the competitive field of late 2018 smartphone offerings? Here's everything you need to know about the smartphone's specifications, design, software, pricing, and availability.
Xiaomi Mi Mix 3 launches with bezel-less design, magnetic slider, and Qualcomm Snapdragon 845
The Xiaomi Mi Mix 3 has been launched with a manual slider and a 6.4-inch display with 93.4% screen-to-body ratio. It's powered by the Snapdragon 845.
We are closer than ever to realize the dream of bezel-less smartphones. To start off, 18:9 displays with smaller bezels arrived in 2017. Then, we moved to the land of notched displays with aspect ratios higher than 18:9. After that, we are seeing waterdrop notches becoming a new trend in the market. Earlier this year, the Vivo NEX and the OPPO Find X broke away from the market by opting to do away with a notch entirely, in favor of a motorized pop-up camera and a motorized bezel respectively. What we hadn't seen yet is a phone with a manual slider, the bezel of which could be manually slid up just like the old days. The wait ends here, as the Xiaomi Mi Mix 3 has finally been made official.
Xiaomi Black Shark Helo announced: what you need to know
The Xiaomi Black Shark Helo gaming smartphone was just announced by Xiaomi, bringing key improvements over the original Black Shark and more.
Whether you consider them to be a fad or think they're here to stay, one thing is pretty clear: gaming phones are a thing, and Android OEMs are taking them seriously. They're definitely not a new concept: the Xperia Play launched in 2011 and was the first gaming-oriented smartphone to launch into the mainstream. But those were different times. Modern smartphones are a lot more capable than before and are able to run heavier, more demanding games. Mobile GPUs are getting better, and may soon even start rivaling desktop-grade ones. So it makes sense for gaming smartphones to exist: spec-packed, feature-rich smartphones catered to gamers.
The Google Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL are official with Wireless Charging support, Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, and Android Pie
The Google Pixel 3 and Google Pixel 3 XL have been announced. Here's the information you need on their specifications, features, pricing, and availability.
We've seen the Google Pixel 3 leak on the XDA forums (twice), on Reddit, in a cab, in a train, in a Chinese shop, on the Russian black market, but finally, we get to see the Google Pixel 3 and Google Pixel 3 XL for ourselves. Today, Google officially unveiled their latest Pixel flagship smartphones along with a wireless charging dock called the Pixel Stand. Although the many leaks have stolen much of Google's thunder, today's Made By Google event finally puts the rest the endless speculation about the two devices. Here's everything you need to know about the Google Pixel 3 and Google Pixel 3 XL: Google's pair of powerhouse flagship smartphones with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 chipset, wireless charging support, a top-tier camera, the latest version of Android Pie, and yes, a notch (on the XL.)
Xiaomi Mi 8 Pro announced with a pressure-sensitive in-display fingerprint scanner
Today, the company made a big announcement by adding a couple of variants to their Mi 8 series. This one is the Xiaomi Mi 8 Pro.
Xiaomi is well-known for selling multiple variants of the many different smartphone lineups they have on the market. This can cause some confusion for those new to the enthusiast community as some may not know which variant to buy to get the best community developer support. This allows them to leverage the name of the series while offering something at multiple price points for the consumer. Today, the company made a big announcement by adding a couple of variants to their Mi 8 series. This one is the Xiaomi Mi 8 Pro.