Smartphones
Throughout the world, if there's one universal constant in the smartphone and mobile device market, it's Arm. Whether it's mobile chip makers basing their SoCs on Arm's fully synthesized CPU cores, or just relying on the Arm ISA and designing their own chips, at the end of the day, Arm underlies virtually all of it. That kind of market saturation and relevance is a testament to all of the hard work that Arm has done in the last few decades getting to this point, but it's also a grave responsibility – for most mobile SoCs, their performance only moves forward as quickly as Arm's own CPU core designs and associated IP do. Consequently, we've seen Arm settle into a yearly cadence for their client IP...
ZTE Announces Global Launch of Axon 30 Ultra: Starting at $749
Today ZTE is announcing the global launch pricing of the Axon 30 Ultra – starting at $749, the Snapdragon 888, 144Hz OLED, 3x 64MP camera phone with a striking...
11 by Andrei Frumusanu on 5/13/2021The ASUS Zenfone 8 Hands-On Review: A New Compact Direction
Today ASUS is launching the new Zenfone 8 – a new device in the series, trying to carve itself a niche amongst smaller flagship phones. With a Snapdragon 888...
66 by Andrei Frumusanu on 5/12/2021Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G Performance Report: First Taste of the Snapdragon 780G
Announced a few weeks ago, we’re looking at the impressive performance and efficiency of the new Qualcomm Snapdragon 780G SoC, courtesy of Xiaomi’s new Mi 11 Lite 5G mid-range phone.
26 by Andrei Frumusanu on 4/13/2021LG Calls it Quits, To Close Mobile Phone Business
This morning, LG issued a press release that announced the board of directors had decided to close down the conglomerate’s mobile phone business. The news is unfortunate, however isn’t...
61 by Andrei Frumusanu on 4/5/2021Xiaomi Announces Mi 11 Ultra: The Largest Smartphone Camera
Today, within a flurry of device announcements, Xiaomi announced the new Mi 11 Ultra as a higher-end follow-up to the Mi 11, representing the company’s newest top-of-the-line smartphone with...
42 by Andrei Frumusanu on 3/29/2021Qualcomm Announces Snapdragon 780G: New 5nm 765 Successor
Today Qualcomm is announcing the new Snapdragon 780G, direct successor to the 765G: 1+3+4 CPUs with Cortex-A78’s up to 2.4GHz, +50% GPU, 2x AI performance, Triple-ISPs on a 5nm...
38 by Andrei Frumusanu on 3/25/2021OnePlus Announces OnePlus 9R, OnePlus 9 & OnePlus 9 Pro
OnePlus is launching three devices today, the regular new OnePlus 9, the OnePlus 9 Pro, and a more budget oriented refresh in the form of the OnePlus 9R.
58 by Andrei Frumusanu on 3/23/2021The Xiaomi Mi 11 Review: A Gorgeous Screen and Design
Today’s were reviewing Xiaomi’s new Mi 11 – its baseline model of its 2021 flagship line-up. The phone distinguishes itself by offering a new 1440p 120Hz OLED, and being...
85 by Andrei Frumusanu on 3/10/2021Qualcomm Announces "Snapdragon Sound" Initiative
Today Qualcomm is announcing the new “Snapdragon Sound” branding initiative, essentially an umbrella term that covers the company’s various audio related hardware and software products, promising improved end-to-end interoperability...
43 by Andrei Frumusanu on 3/4/2021Xiaomi Announces Redmi Note 10 Series: Pro Hands-On at $279
Today Xiaomi is updating one of its most popular and successful phone models with a slew of new Redmi Note 10 variants. Alongside the Note 10, Note 10S and...
70 by Andrei Frumusanu on 3/4/2021The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra & S21 Review: The Near Perfect and The Different
Today we’re reviewing the Galaxy S21 Ultra in both Exynos and Snapdragon SoC flavours, as well the baseline Galaxy S21 – contrasting two very different devices in Samsung’s new...
122 by Andrei Frumusanu on 2/22/2021Qualcomm Announces X65 & X62 5G Modems on 4nm
Qualcomm yesterday has announced a slew of new 5G communication platforms, representing their next-generation modems, and RF front-end solutions that will be powering the next flagship devices later in...
54 by Andrei Frumusanu on 2/10/2021Xiaomi Launches Mi 11 Globally: Starting at 749€
Today Xiaomi is launching their new Mi 11 flagship for the global market, following their domestic launch of the phone in China almost 6 weeks ago. The Mi 11 is...
32 by Andrei Frumusanu on 2/8/2021The Snapdragon 888 vs The Exynos 2100: Cortex-X1 & 5nm - Who Does It Better?
Ahead of our full device review of the Galaxy S21 Ultra (and the smaller Galaxy S21), today we’re focusing on the first test results of the new generation of...
123 by Andrei Frumusanu on 2/8/2021Investigating The Galaxy S21 Ultra New OLED Emitter: Huge Efficiency Improvements
As a prelude to our full review, today we’re investigating the Galaxy S21 Ultra’s new display, which beyond QHD 120Hz and VRR capabilities, also brings a new emitter technology...
50 by Andrei Frumusanu on 2/2/2021Sony Launches Xperia PRO 5G ... for $2499
Last year in February Sony had launched the Xperia 1 II, as well as teasing a sibling device called the Xperia PRO. This latter variant of the phone was...
19 by Andrei Frumusanu on 1/26/2021The Google Pixel 5: A Mini-Review - Small Package, Small Value?
The Pixel 5 is a change of tactic for Google, with the company opting to go the route of a lower-cost “premium” or high mid-range component configuration, rather than...
105 by Andrei Frumusanu on 1/22/2021Qualcomm Announces Snapdragon 870: An 865++?
Today Qualcomm is making a rather unexpected SoC announcement in the form of the new Snapdragon 870. The chip is a rather odd release in Qualcomm’s chipset line-up in...
25 by Andrei Frumusanu on 1/19/2021Samsung Announces Galaxy S21, S21+ & S21 Ultra: Cheaper Baseline, Higher High-End
Today, Samsung is taking the virtual stage to release the new Galaxy S21 series of devices, including the Galaxy S21, S21+ and S21 Ultra. In a time where smartphones...
136 by Andrei Frumusanu on 1/14/2021Samsung Confirms AMD RDNA GPU In Next Exynos Flagship
Today during the Exynos 2100 launch event, Samsung's Dr. Inyup Kang, VP and GM of the System LSI division, confirmed that their partnership with AMD on integrating a next-generation...
15 by Andrei Frumusanu on 1/12/2021