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We have compiled all the new features, updates, and changes that we have seen in the latest Android 16 Developer Preview 2. This includes features like Screen-off Fingerprint Unlock, Notification Cooldown, Bluetooth Audio sharing, and a revamped settings page.
Gemini on Android now lets you perform local actions quickly, thanks to the Utilities extension. You can also perform multiple local actions at once. For example, you can say, "Turn off battery saver and take a selfie with a 10-second timer."
After using the Oppo Find X8 Pro for two days straight and testing out its key aspects, I will be sharing my first impressions of the device in terms of design, display, camera, performance and battery to tell you whether this phone is worth your hard earned money.
This App Brings the Power of Pixel Screenshots to Any Android Phone
Sagnik Das Gupta
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PixelShot is a new Android app that imitates the Pixel Screenshots experience on any Android device. Here's all that you need to know about it!
HyperOS 2 Update Release Schedule: See if Your Xiaomi, Redmi or POCO Phone is Supported
Abubakar Mohammed
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Xiaomi has released an official list of devices that are eligible for the latest HyperOS 2 update. The update roll out will start with the Xiaomi 14T series by the end of November, followed by all the other Redmi, POCO, and Xiaomi devices in December.
In our benchmark testing, we find that Snapdragon 8 Elite's Oryon CPU performs better than Arm's Cortex cores, available in Dimensity 9400. That said, on the GPU front, Dimensity 9400 outranks the Snapdragon 8 Elite narrowly. To find out all the benchmark numbers, go through our in-depth comparison.
We have compared the Snapdragon 8 Elite and A18 Pro by running various benchmarks including Geekbench, 3DMark, AnTuTu, and more. In our Geekbench test, the A18 Pro beats the Snapdragon 8 Elite in single-core tasks, however, in multi-core, the Snapdragon 8 Elite outranks the A18 Pro. In GPU performance, the Snapdragon 8 Elite delivers a stellar performance.
We have conducted several benchmarks on the Snapdragon 8 Elite to evaluate its performance and efficiency. The 2nd-gen Oryon CPU is truly impressive and the new Adreno 830 GPU hits it out of the park. Go through our article to check all our findings.
The OnePlus Open 2 Could Just Prove to Be My Favorite 2025 Foldable
Sagnik Das Gupta
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A new leak suggests that the OnePlus Open 2 could be quite the notable upgrade from the OnePlus Open, bringing a bigger screen, slimmer design, and even wireless charging to the table. Here are all the details!
Snapdragon 8 Elite vs Dimensity 9400: MediaTek Outshines Qualcomm in One Way
Sagnik Das Gupta
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The Snapdragon 8 Elite does better than Dimensity 9400 in CPU performance. However, in graphics tests, the Dimensity 9400 narrowly beats the Snapdragon 8 Elite.
Qualcomm's flagship Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset brings the second-gen Oryon CPU. It delivers powerful multi-core performance, however, in single-core tasks, Apple still takes the lead. The Adreno 830 GPU is very performant and outpaces the 6-core A18 Pro GPU.
Qualcomm has released its most powerful smartphone chipset yet with the 2nd-gen Oryon CPU cores. The Snapdragon 8 Elite delivers a massive 40% faster CPU performance. And the new Adreno 830 GPU promises 40% performance improvement. Overall, the new chipset is 27% more power-efficient.
Nothing OS 3.0 brings a good set of new features and additional changes to the OS, however, there is still room for improvements and we have listed down all the changes we would like to see in the software before it rolls out to the public in stable release. These changes include new position for the pinned apps, improvements to the pop-up window and smart app drawer and more.
Google Lens Now Supports Video Search, and It’s Kind of Awesome!
Sagnik Das Gupta
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Google Lens has now received a major upgrade with a new Search with Video functionality. As it sounds, users can now search up objects or pretty much anything using videos. I tried it out, and here's how it went down!
The Motorola Razr 50 has landed as the toned-down version of the Razr 50 Ultra and a successor to last year's vanilla Razr 40. From a bigger cover screen to a better processor, it certainly does arrive with a bunch of upgrades over its predecessor. To know of our detailed first impressions, take a look right here!
If Google Maps is crashing on your smartphone, you're not alone. If you're stuck somewhere and unable to navigate, you can try clearing the cache and uninstalling updates to fix the Google Maps crashing issue.
Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 Is Merely an Overclocked Two-Year-Old Qualcomm Chip
Sagnik Das Gupta
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The Qualcomm Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 has silently released as a slightly overclocked successor to the Snapdragon 6 Gen 1. The difference lies in the fact that the 6 Gen 3 uses performance cores clocked at 2.4GHz instead of 2.2GHz. It still uses the same four efficiency cores as the 6 Gen 1. Besides that, there's nothing extra that it brings to the table. What makes it all the more convoluted is that the 6 Gen 3 is also very similar to the 7s Gen 2 from the Snapdragon 7-series.
We ran several tests to evaluate the performance difference between Tensor G4 and A17 Pro. Put simply, A17 Pro has a much more powerful CPU, GPU, and NPU. Google's Tensor G4 doesn't come close to Apple's flagship A17 Pro chipset.
In comparison to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, the Tensor G4 has a weak CPU, GPU, and NPU. In our tests, the Tensor G4 performed poorly on Geekbench, AnTuTu, and 3DMark tests. You can check out the full benchmark numbers from our detailed article.
Google has launched its Pixel 9 series with the Tensor G4 chipset, but its performance is not desirable. The CPU underperforms on the Geekbench test, and on AnTuTu, it can't even beat Qualcomm's mid-range processor, the Snapdragon 7+ Gen 3. It packs the older GPU which is still weak despite a slight boost in clock speed. Overall, the Tensor G4, at the chipset level, is highly restrained from realizing its peak performance.
I Tried the New Pixel Weather App, and It’s a Breath of Fresh Air
Sagnik Das Gupta
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The new Pixel 9 Weather app strikes the perfect blend of minimalism and functionality. So, while it may not be the more aesthetic weather app in comparison to its predecessor, it's the more useful one. The big and bold font, interchangeable weather panels and a super easy way to search and save locations make it one hell of an app that I'm really looking forward to using on the upcoming Pixel 9.
Nothing Phone (2a) Plus has been launched and it packs the Dimensity 7350 Pro chipset. The SoC is nearly identical to Dimensity 7200 Pro. The CPU cores along with the CPU cluster are the same, except for the peak frequency. In our tests, the CPU performed pretty well and it didn't throttle even for an extended period. Its GPU also demonstrated great performance and stability.
We have evaluated Dimensity 7300 and Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 by benchmarking both the chipsets on multiple tests. Both processors deliver similar CPU performance, but Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 can't sustain its peak performance for a longer period. The GPU also offers identical performance, but again, the Adreno GPU's stability is on the lower side.
We have benchmarked both Dimensity 7300 and 7050 on multiple synthetic tests so you can choose between CMF Phone 1 and Realme Narzo 70 Pro with ease. The Dimensity 7300 SoC is better than the Dimensity 7050 in nearly all aspects. It delivers better CPU performance and the GPU is significantly more powerful on 7300.
The CMF Phone 1 comes with MediaTek's latest mid-range chipset, Dimensity 7300. It's built on TSMC's 4nm process node and packs older ARM CPU cores. The CPU performance is pretty good, especially in multi-threaded tasks. However, the GPU is its weakest link. To find all the benchmarks, go through our entire article.
We have compared the latest Dimensity 7300 SoC with the last-gen Dimensity 7200 chipset. In our benchmark tests, it has become clear that Dimensity 7300 is actually a downgrade over the older Dimensity 7200 chipset. The latest Dimensity 7300 chipset packs older ARM cores and its GPU is pretty weak. It only performs marginally better in 5G speed tests and AI performance.
The Realme GT 6 is probably the most polished all-rounder I have used in the under Rs 45,000 segment in a while. There's barely anything to complain about. You get a top-tier curved AMOLED LTPO display, a massive 5,500mAh battery with 120W fast charging support, and even the powerful Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 under the hood. If that's not enough, it also brings forth a commendable camera setup to the table, that will barely let you down. The in-hand feel of the phone is also very premium. All things considered, this may just be the best all-rounder gaming phone in this segment.
What Is Android 15’s Notification Cooldown Feature (& How to Enable It)
Anshuman Jain
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Android 15 introduces a new feature called "Notification cooldown". It slowly, gradually reduces notification volume and vibrations for repeat notifications from the same app within a short period. The feature is enabled by default, but users can disable it or enable it for specific conversation apps. This feature is a welcome addition for those who receive a lot of notifications and want to reduce distractions.
Android 15 Developer Preview and beta builds have been under testing for months, allowing us to finally confirm the desert name of Google's latest operating system as Vanilla Ice Cream. This time as well, Google has gone with using a dessert as an Android codename. Android 14 came with the "Upside Down Cake" codename, while the one before was called "Tiramisu".
HMD Arrow Is Launching in India Soon, and It’s Poised to Miss the Mark
Sagnik Das Gupta
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HMD Global is set to soon launch its first smartphone in India after deciding to launch mobile devices under its own brand name. The smartphone in question is going to arrive with the moniker of HMD Arrow. Leaks suggest that it will be a rebrand of HMD Pulse, which launched in Europe last month. The device comes with entry-level specs like a 6.5-inch HD+ LCD display, a 13 MP-led dual rear camera setup, and the Unisoc T606 SoC. From the looks of it, the brand is repeating its mistakes and launching a 4G underpowered phone in a market of commendable 5G options.
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If you want to move your data from an Android to an iPhone, then MobileTrans by Wondershare is a convenient tool to do so. It can wirelessly transfer files, including photos, videos, music, contacts, messages, apps, WhatsApp data, and even WhatsApp business account data. It can also be used to send files over to your computer but note that it is a paid tool.
If you're looking for cases to buy for the Pixel 8a, you should take a look at this list we've compiled. From ultra-rugged cases that offer a 360-degree protection and designer cases that focus on aesthetics to transparent cases that highlight your phone's color to even cases that bring some top-tier utility, we've handpicked each of those.
Hiding banking or other extremely private apps from prying eyes is essential, and a lot of Android UIs come built-in with the ability to hide apps. Here's how to hide apps in Samsung, Nothing, Xiaomi, OnePlus, and on any Android device with ease.
Do you want to run AI models locally on your Android phone? Well, with the MLC Chat app, you can now download LLMs like Gemma, Phi-2, Mistral, Llama 3, etc., and chat with them natively on Android devices. The token generation is slow though, especially on older Snapdragon-based Android devices.
Every Android device comes with an in-built screen recorder these days. However, in some phones like the Pixel series, you don't get a lot of control over the screen recorder. You can't tweak the screen recording quality, frame rate and other settings. This calls for reliance on third-party screen recording Android apps, like XRecorder, AZ Recorder and Mobizen. These are free too, with only certain features like recording at over 60 FPS being locked behind a paywall.
We have pitted the newly launched Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 with 2022's flagship, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. The key takeaway from the benchmark comparison is that the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 matches the performance of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 in all key benchmarks while maintaining better efficiency. Expect a lot of sub-Rs. 50,000 phones to feature the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 in 2024.
Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 vs Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 Benchmark Comparison
Arjun Sha
Sagnik Das Gupta
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We recently got our hands on the Xiaomi Civi 4 Pro from China which is powered by Qualcomm's newly launched, Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 chipset. We tested the SoC on several benchmarking apps and compared the scores with the premium Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor. We have performed various tests including Geekbench, AnTuTu, CPU Throttling, Geekbench GPU, and more.
The Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 is targeted at the premium segment but comes with underclocked CPU cores and lacks some Snapdragon experiences. We got our hands on the first Snapdragon 8s Gen 3-powered smartphone, the Xiaomi Civi 4 Pro, and tested the chipset with multiple benchmark tests. It performed on expected lines and rivals the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset from Qualcomm.
The OnePlus Ace 3V recently launched in China and it is highly likely to be rebranded as the OnePlus Nord 4 for global markets. I was fortunate to get my hands on the OnePlus Ace 3V recently, so here are my first impressions of what will be the Nord 4.
Snapdragon 7+ Gen 3 vs Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Benchmark Comparison
Arjun Sha
Anshuman Jain
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Qualcomm's newly released Snapdragon 7+ Gen 3 is making headlines because of its sheer performance in the mid-range segment. In our benchmark tests, we found that it rivals the flagship Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SoC from 2022. The Snapdragon 7+ Gen 3 comes very close to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 in Geekbench, and AnTuTu benchmark tests. In fact, in the CPU Throttling test, it does better than the SD 8 Gen 2.
Qualcomm has delivered a powerful mid-range chipset in the 7-series segment. In our benchmark tests on the OnePlus Ace 3V, which is powered by the Snapdragon 7+ Gen 3 chipset, the SoC performed consistently on all fronts, be it the CPU, GPU, modem, or memory. It has officially defeated MediaTek's Dimensity 8300 Ultra and stands as the top performer in the mid-range segment. You can read our detailed article to find all benchmarks, including Geekbench, AnTuTu, CPU throttling, 3DMark, and more.
The OnePlus Nord CE 4 has gone official as the brand's latest offering in the Rs 25,000 price category. While it comes with average cameras, it makes up for it with a stellar performance, a clean (but unoptimized) software experience and long lasting battery with 100W fast charging. If you take into consideration all the things that it brings to the table and if you prefer performance over cameras, this is the phone to get in the Rs. 25,000 price segment.