Samsung’s working on a Motorola Razr-like foldable phone

The Galaxy Fold is now just weeks away but it seems Samsung is already preparing another foldable smartphone that’ll introduce a totally new design. Its release, however, depends largely on the success of Samsung’s first offering.
Samsung’s second foldable could look like a flip phone

According to Bloomberg, the South Korean giant is developing a new foldable with a 6.7-inch display that shrinks into a square when folded inwards like the upcoming Motorola Razr. This will feature a small punch hole for the selfie camera much like the Galaxy Note 10 which will be paired with a dual-camera setup that sits on the outside of the phone. The latter will face the rear when opened and the front when folded shut.

The majority of people currently interested in foldable smartphones are tech fans. Because of this, Samsung is reportedly collaborating with American design Thom Browne on the device to help broaden its appeal and attract consumers that are more interested in fashion and luxury. One person familiar with the matter also suggests Samsung’s next foldable will be more affordable and noticeably thinner than the Galaxy Fold. To help achieve this the company is reportedly testing Ultra-Thin Glass (UTG) for the 6.7-inch display although the phone’s reliability is the main priority.
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Huawei Watch GT 2 images with 445mAh battery

Last year, the Huawei Watch GT made its debut last October with the Mate 20 series, and it looks like the Chinese manufacturer is going to follow suit with its successor.

Unless announced at the IFA show this week, the new Huawei Watch GT 2 is set to be officially unveiled along with the Mate 30 series of smartphones on September 19.

Thanks to the Winfuture.de website, however, we have the opportunity to see official digitally processed images of Huawei’s new wearable that will succeed the well-known and successful Watch GT. Compared to its predecessor, the new Watch GT 2 features a smaller wreath – which may mean it has a larger screen. Also, although it is thinner and thinner, it will have a larger capacity battery (445mAh instead of 420mAh). The device appears to have a speaker and microphone, so that its user will be able to answer or make calls from the device – an LTE connectivity version may also be announced.

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Samsung Galaxy Note10+ handily defeats Apple iPhone XS Max in a speed test

The Samsung Galaxy Note10+ beat the Apple iPhone XS Max in the PhoneBuff speed test by a whole 30 seconds.

If you’re familiar with the PhoneBuff-styled speed test, you know this is a big deal. And if you’re not familiar, it uses an AI-trained robot to simulate the same actions on both phones, opening a bunch of apps and performing tasks for one lap, and then re-opening all of the apps to see if the phone has kept them in the RAM.

Interestingly the Galaxy Note10+ was faster to open most of the games and didn’t fall behind the iPhone XS Max in any of the tasks. And on the second lap it managed to use its 12GB of RAM to outdo the 4GB iPhone XS Max and claim the top spot alongside the OnePlus 7 Pro.

Here’s the full video.

Huawei Mate 30 Pro global release likely to be delayed

Ever since the US trade ban, Huawei’s global sales have taken a hit. The company’s market share and shipments in Europe have declined and it looks like its global prospects are still uncertain. The temporary license that was granted to the company back in May has been extended. But considering how it applies to only existing products, the brand’s new models like Huawei Mate 30 series are going to be affected by this trade ban.
Huawei Mate 30 Pro featured
Mate 30 Pro’s expected design

The Mate 30 series is the first major flagship lineup from Huawei after the trade ban came into effect in May. The phone is set to take on the likes of the Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ and the upcoming iPhones with a powerful camera setup and a waterfall display. However, the phone’s global prospects look dim as South China Morning Post reports that Huawei could delay the global release of the handset due to the trade ban.

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Huawei Mate 30 cannot have Google Apps

NEW YORK/FRANKFURT (Reuters) – Huawei Technologies plans to forge ahead with the launch of new high-end smartphones in Europe even though it may not be able to offer Google’s official Android operating system and widely used apps such as Google Maps, company executives told Reuters.

The world’s No. 2 smartphone maker is set to unveil its new Mate 30 line of phones on Sept. 18 in Munich, according to a source familiar with the matter, though it is not clear when the devices would go on sale.

The Mate 30, made to work on new 5G mobile networks, is Huawei’s first major flagship smartphone launch since U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration effectively blacklisted the company in mid-May, alleging it is involved in activities that compromise U.S. national security, a charge the company denies.

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Huawei’s Kirin 990 chipset will finally support 4K video capture at 60fps

With Huawei’s P20 Pro last year and this year’s P30 Pro, the company pulled off some incredible camera innovations, at least in the photo department. In terms of recording video, it hasn’t done as much. Part of the reason for this is because the Kirin 970 and Kirin 980 chipsets don’t support recording video at 4K 60fps, a feature that you’d expect from such camera-centric smartphones.

Luckily, that’s about to change with the next generation. While I was in Shenzhen for the past week, Huawei confirmed that the Kirin 990 will indeed support recording video at 4K 60fps. Starting with the Mate 30 series, you’ll no longer have to choose between a high resolution and a high frame rate.

The ability to record at 4K 60fps is something that competitors have had for a couple of years now. Apple was the first to do it back in the fall of 2017 with the iPhone 8, 8 Plus, and X. Later when Qualcomm introduced support for it in the Snapdragon 845 chipset, Samsung picked up the feature in the spring of 2018 with the Galaxy S9 series.

Huawei’s HiSilicon 990 is expected to show up in the Mate 30 series, which is rumored to launch on September 19. The company also confirmed that it will be in the foldable Mate X, and it should also be available in next year’s P40, along with a variety of other premium smartphones, such as those that arrive under the Honor banner.
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All the games coming to Google’s Stadia cloud streaming service

Google’s cloud gaming platform, Stadia, is just months away from its release, and the company continues to announce new games. Stadia is arriving in November, priced at $9.99 per month for access to the premium tier of service. While you’ll be able to use Google’s powerful cloud servers for that subscription, you will need to purchase the majority of games separately.

Google hasn’t confirmed exact game pricing and availability just yet, but the big launch titles are Destiny 2, today’s brand-new addition Cyberpunk 2077, and Baldur’s Gate III. Destiny 2 takes advantage of cross-save support that Google is bringing to Stadia, allowing players to share their progression between Xbox, PC, and Stadia.
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Bandai Namco: Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2
Bethesda: Doom Eternal, Doom 2016, Rage 2, The Elder Scrolls Online, Wolfenstein: Youngblood
Bungie: Destiny 2
Capcom: TBD
CD Projekt Red: Cyberpunk 2077
Coatsink: Get Packed (Stadia exclusive)
Codemasters: GRID
Deep Silver: Metro Exodus
DotEmu: Windjammers 2
Drool: Thumper
Electronic Arts: TBD
Giants Software: Farming Simulator 19
Gwen Frey: Kine
Larian Studios: Baldur’s Gate 3
nWay Games: Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid
Robot Entertainment: Orcs Must Die 3!
Rockstar Games: TBD
Sega: Football Manager
SNK: Samurai Shodown
Square Enix: Final Fantasy XV, Tomb Raider Definitive Edition, Rise of the Tomb Raider, Shadow of the Tomb Raider
Superhot Team: Superhot Mind Control Delete
2K Games: NBA 2K, Borderlands 3
Tequila Works: Gylt (Stadia exclusive)
Warner Bros.: Mortal Kombat 11
THQ: Darksiders Genesis, Destroy All Humans
Ubisoft: Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, Just Dance, Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Breakpoint, Tom Clancy’s The Division 2, Trials Rising, The Crew 2

Bill Gates says his ‘greatest mistake ever’ was Microsoft losing to Android

Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates has been reflecting on his time at the company when crucial decisions were made over its mobile operating system. During a recent interview at Village Global, a venture capital firm, Gates revealed his “greatest mistake ever” was Microsoft missing the Android opportunity:

“In the software world, particularly for platforms, these are winner-take-all markets. So the greatest mistake ever is whatever mismanagement I engaged in that caused Microsoft not to be what Android is. That is, Android is the standard non-Apple phone platform. That was a natural thing for Microsoft to win. It really is winner take all. If you’re there with half as many apps or 90 percent as many apps, you’re on your way to complete doom. There’s room for exactly one non-Apple operating system and what’s that worth? $400 billion that would be transferred from company G to company M.”

Source theverge.com

Huawei P30 Pro camera review vs Samsung Galaxy S10+ vs Apple iPhone XS Max

If you still needed a reason to spend money on a compact camera, it would have been for zoom reach, as even the best smartphone cameras could not provide usable zoom image quality beyond a 5x factor. This has now changed with the Huawei P30 Pro and its innovative zoom system that uses folded optics and a super-resolution algorithm, which finally makes usable 10x zoom on smartphones a reality.

The zoom on its own will make the new Huawei an extremely tempting option for many mobile photographers, but the camera performs very well in almost all other areas as well. The bokeh mode is the best we have seen; image detail and noise levels are excellent across all light levels; and the camera records high-quality footage in video mode. There is still some room for improvement in terms of color and artifacts, but these are relatively minor shortcomings that most users will be able to easily live with.

Add the super-wide-angle camera (which as with other devices with a similar camera setup, did not have an impact on Huawei’s DxOMark score) into the mix, and the P30 Pro is easily the most versatile mobile imaging tool to date, allowing you to cover a wider range of photographic situations than any other smartphone.

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Samsung Galaxy S8 vs. S9 vs. S10: should you upgrade?

Samsung S10

Samsung has introduced its new lineup of Galaxy S10 phones with all the razzle-dazzle that can be expected from a major manufacturer. If you’re already the owner of a Galaxy S8, S8 Plus, S9, or S9 Plus, it’s time to sit down, take a breath, and think hard — is it time to trade in your old phone for a new one?

When you’re considering upgrading, there are always a variety of factors to look at. Are the design and display of the new phone demonstrably better than your current model? Will your photos look better? How is your battery life now compared to what you’ll get? Are there new features that you really don’t want to do without?

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