Category: MOBILE

WhatsApp rolled out multi-account support for Android users in October 2023, allowing people to simultaneously use two different WhatsApp accounts on the same smartphone, eliminating the need to use the app clone feature or rely on the WhatsApp Business app trick. This feature is unavailable for iPhone users, but that should change soon.

The folks at WABetaInfo report that WhatsApp is testing multi-account support for iPhone, which should allow iPhone users to use WhatsApp on their phones with two different numbers at the same time. The feature should work on iPhones similarly to Android smartphones.

The source says they discovered this development in version 25.2.10.70 of WhatsApp for iOS’ beta app, but the feature is still unavailable for beta users, so they will have to wait for future updates on the beta channel to start using WhatsApp with two different numbers on iPhone at the same time. And once the development is complete, the multi-account support should roll out to all WhatsApp users on iOS worldwide, which could take a few months.

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The rumors were true – Samsung’s flagship smartphone line finally supports seamless updates, with the release of the Galaxy S25, Galaxy S25+, and Galaxy S25 Ultra. The Korean company has been a holdout for many, many years, and finally implemented the functionality in the Galaxy A55 last year.

We assume that was meant to test the waters, and apparently everything has been fine with the A55, so now the feature finally made its way to the S line. What “seamless updates” means is that your device will be unavailable to use for less time when it’s updating.

That’s because the update is applied while the device is on, and it’s installed on a different partition than the one the OS is currently using. Then, when installation is complete, you are prompted to reboot the device, at which point it boots from the newly updated software. This means the reboot process itself is much quicker, as it’s basically just a tad longer than a normal reboot.

Whereas before, without seamless updates, you’d need to wait for the software to be installed without being able to use your phone while it was doing that. So this is one of those small quality-of-life improvements that won’t be front and center on any store display, but are welcome nevertheless. The only weird thing about this is how it took Samsung more than eight years to hop on the bandwagon (Google introduced seamless updates in Android in 2016).

Samsung Galaxy S25

Samsung Galaxy S25+

Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra

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Introduction and specs

The iconic Redmi Note series is here, and as usual, the Pro+ model sits on top as the most feature-rich and powerful of the bunch. The 14 Pro+ appears to come with several upgrades over its predecessor, potentially justifying the price hike.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 14 Pro+ 5G (Global) • Xiaomi Redmi Note 14 Pro+

Keep in mind that we are reviewing the global Redmi Note 14 Pro+ variant, which features a different camera setup, faster charging, lower battery capacity and more base storage compared to the Indian model.

Yes, you read that right, the Redmi Note 14 Pro+ just got approximately €20-50 more expensive in Europe, slowly venturing into a higher-tier segment. But as mentioned, it brings a few upgrades to make up for that.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 14 Pro+ 5G (Global) specs at a glance:

• Body: 162.5×74.7×8.8mm, 205g; Glass front (Gorilla Glass Victus 2), glass back (Gorilla Glass 7i) or silicone polymer back (eco-leather), aluminum frame; IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 1.5m for 30 min).
• Display: 6.67″ AMOLED, 68B colors, 120Hz, HDR10+, Dolby Vision, 3000 nits (peak), 1220x2712px resolution, 20.01:9 aspect ratio, 446ppi; Always-on display.
• Chipset: Qualcomm SM7635 Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 (4 nm): Octa-core (1×2.5 GHz Cortex-A720 & 3×2.4 GHz Cortex-A720 & 4×1.8 GHz Cortex-A520); Adreno 710 (940 MHz).
• Memory: 256GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 12GB RAM, 512GB 12GB RAM; UFS 2.2.
• OS/Software: Android 14, up to 3 major Android upgrades, HyperOS.
• Rear camera: Wide (main): 200 MP, f/1.7, 23mm, 1/1.4″, 0.56µm, multi-directional PDAF, OIS; Ultra wide angle: 8 MP, f/2.2, 15mm, 120˚, 1/4.0″, 1.12µm; Macro: 2 MP, f/2.4.
• Front camera: 20 MP, f/2.2, 21mm (wide), 1/4.0″, 0.7µm.
• Video capture: Rear camera: 4K@24/30fps, 1080p@30/60/120fps, gyro-EIS, OIS; Front camera: 1080p@30/60fps.
• Battery: 5110mAh; 120W wired.
• Connectivity: 5G; eSIM; Wi-Fi region; BT 5.4; NFC; Infrared port.
• Misc: Fingerprint reader (under display, optical); stereo speakers (with Dolby Atmos); Circle to Search; virtual proximity sensor.

The new Note 14 Pro+ gets a new Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 chipset, a slightly bigger battery, now 5,110 mAh, and an upgraded selfie. The display remains the same, which is good as it’s a bright 6.67-inch curved OLED with all the bells and whistles.

These seem like solid specs overall, but the competition in the segment is fierce.

Unboxing the Redmi Note 14 Pro+

The Redmi Note 14 Pro+ arrives with a full-stack retail box containing not just the usual user manuals and a USB-A to USB-C cable with a corresponding 120W charger.

A transparent silicone case is also inside the box.

The US Supreme Court has upheld the law which bans TikTok in the US unless it’s sold by January 19. To be clear, the ban only requires Apple and Google to remove the app from their app stores, it doesn’t outright ban the app’s use in the States.

That said, TikTok has already announced that it will completely shut down in the US if the ban is upheld, in a possible act of grandstanding meant to at least put a hold on the ban.

Now, incoming US President Donald Trump could do that, but the problem is the ban goes into effect 24 hours before he is inaugurated, so for those 24 hours at least it’s highly likely that TikTok will be removed from the aforementioned app stores. Whether it shuts down completely, preventing people in the US from using the app, is of course TikTok’s decision.

Earlier this week, a report claimed Trump would sign an executive order giving TikTok an additional 60 or 90 days to comply with the law – aka sell its US operations. TikTok CEO Shou Chew is expected to attend Trump’s inauguration on Monday alongside Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos, and Elon Musk.

Source (PDF)

Samsung is announcing the Galaxy S25 family on January 22, and ahead of that the company has started a full-on teaser campaign, which made its debut yesterday involving Bixby (yes, really).

Today’s chapter is all about Sketch to Image, the AI feature that launched last year. With the Galaxy S25 series (and presumably the One UI 7 update for older flagship models), this will get even better.

Sketch to Image will be integrated into Drawing Assist and will be able to use more than one input. So you can still sketch, either with the S Pen or your finger, but you can also describe the image you want with text or voice to tell the AI what to draw. “If it can be envisioned”, Samsung says, then “Galaxy AI can create it”. That’s a pretty lofty promise right there.

For example, you can start by sketching a cat and then type “spacesuit” to send it to space wearing – you guessed it – a spacesuit. Or you can sketch a house and then type locations for it. That sort of thing.

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The OnePlus 13 went global earlier this week and at the same time, the more affordable 13R was announced. The flagship model is a bit more expensive this time around, but the 16/512GB option is available with a $100 discount, bringing its price down to that of the OnePlus 12 last year. There is a cheaper 12/256GB model too, but without a discount.

We took the OnePlus 13 for a photo tour of Sri Lanka and have a detailed review, which you can check out – video review too. The company has committed to 4 OS updates and six years of security patches.

The OnePlus 13R is getting released next week and you can pick it up with a $100 gift card. The 13R is like a “lite” version of its flagship sibling – it has a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 instead of an 8 Elite and its 6,000mAh battery does only 80W wired charging (but no wireless). This generation, it even has a telephoto camera, a 50MP 47mm unit with 2x optical and 4x in-sensor zoom. It doesn’t have the reach (or optical stabilization) of the 50MP 73mm module on the 13, but the 13R will be tough to beat in the value-for-money department.

Another phone that recently expanded to markets worldwide is the Red Magic 10 Pro. This is a gaming phone with an actively-cooled Snapdragon 8 Elite (thanks to the built-in fan) and it has a 6.85” 144Hz OLED display with an under display camera and square corners – unlike almost anything else on the market. Its 50MP main (1/1.5”, OIS) and 50MP ultra wide cameras are decent, but again, the focus is on gaming. This is why the phone is equipped with a massive 7,050mAh battery with 80W charging.

Speaking of gaming, Lenovo unveiled the Legion Go S handheld console this week. What’s unique about it is that it is the first handheld to come with SteamOS out of the box, aside from the Steam Deck itself. However, only the Windows 11 version is available right now. It uses the older AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme APU configured with 32GB of RAM and 1TB storage. Cheaper variants will use the new Ryzen Z2 Go chip.

If you’ve been following CES announcements, you can’t have missed Nvidia’s new GPU line-up. Best Buy has three of the new cards – GeForce RTX 5070, 5080 and the top-of-the-line RTX 5090 – on pre-order. These are the Founders Edition, which are dual-slot cards, while most partner brands have opted for thicker coolers. We will have to wait for reviews to find out if Nvidia’s cooling solution is enough (the 5090 in particular has a TDP of 575W).

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Just before 2024 rolled into the past, Xiaomi confirmed that it will launch the next generation of Poco X phones on January 9. The time has almost come, and you can join us as we watch the X7-series get unveiled live:

We already know what to expect to an extent, thanks to the company’s detailed teasers. There will be two devices, vanilla and Pro, plus special editions.

Xiaomi Poco X7 and Poco X7 Pro

The Poco X7 Pro will be powered by the latest Dimensity 8400 Ultra, an all big core mid-range chipset, and a massive 6,550mAh battery (6,000mAh on the global model). The starting price will be under ₹30,000 ($350/€340). And there will be an Iron Man Edition too.

Poco X7 Pro details

The Poco X7 will have a curved 1.5K OLED display, a dual camera design including a 50MP main with OIS and an IP69 rating. Unofficially, the vanilla X7 will be powered by the Dimensity 7300 Ultra chipset.

Poco X7 series details

The Pro model will have an IP68 rating, by the way, without the hot water jet protection. We also got some details on the X7 Pro camera: 50MP main (LYT-600 sensor) with an f/1.5 aperture and a 20MP selfie. There’s no word on the other cameras for the X7 and X7 Pro yet.

The Black Friday, Prime Day and holiday shopping events of 2024 are now behind us. Everyone who wanted a new phone probably got one during one of those promo campaigns. And there is a good chance they traded in their old phone, so let’s have a look at what the renewed aisle has to offer.

We wanted to focus on iPhones this week as Apple devices rarely go on sale, so they are rarely featured in these weekly posts. We will start with the latest models and go back to the iPhone 13 series (which launched in late 2021).

Surprisingly, there are renewed iPhone 16 models available. Unsurprisingly, they cost almost the same as new – that said, some offers, especially those for higher storage capacities, enable some decent savings. These are the latest models and all of them feature Apple Intelligence, the Camera Control and the Action Button. Note that the Pros are larger than the vanilla models and older Pros (6.3”/6.9” vs. 6.1”/6.7”).

Apple still sells older non-Pro iPhones, going back to the 14-series, so we’ve included comparisons with the prices for new units where available. If you want an older Pro, you’re out of luck, at least as far as Apple is concerned. By the way, Amazon offers a trade-in deal for up to $220 credit with these renewed phones if you want to swap.

The iPhone 15 series was the first to use USB-C, which will be Apple’s connector of choice for many years to come. You will be missing out on the new controls and 48MP ultra wide cameras compared to the 16-series. Note that the iPhone 15 Pro has a shorter tele camera than the Pro Max (77mm vs. 120mm). On the plus side, the iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max also support Apple Intelligence (the vanilla 15 duo does not).

The iPhone 14 series was the last to use the Lightning adapter. You probably already have enough Lightning cables at home – and if not, they are still widely available. And MagSafe is nearly universal, so charging shouldn’t be an issue. The two vanilla iPhone 14 models miss out on the main camera upgrade (the 15-series got 48MP). The Pros do have 48MP main cameras, though.

The iPhone 13 series launched back in 2021. They have 12MP main cameras, all four of them, and this was before Apple made the switch to LTPO. The Pro phones still have 120Hz displays, but they are less flexible when it comes to frame rate. The iPhone 13 mini was the last of its kind, so if you want a tiny but capable phone, this is one of the few remaining options.

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vivo just launched the X200 back in October, and it’s allegedly already working on the X200s due to arrive around April alongside the X200 Ultra.

The X200s will be powered by MediaTek’s upcoming Dimensity 9400+ SoC, a slight improvement compared to the Dimensity 9400 in the original X200.

vivo X200

According to Chinese leaker Digital Chat Station, the X200s will have a 6.67-inch “1.5K” LTPS OLED display with extremely narrow bezels on three sides (we assume the bottom one will be ever so slightly thicker).

While the overall look of the camera island remains the same, the lens rim now has a very narrow design compared to what we’ve seen in the X200. The X200s is expected to sport three cameras on the rear, of which one will be a periscope telephoto, just like the X200.

vivo X200

These are all the details currently leaked about the X200s, but surely more will be coming soon, so stay tuned.

Source (in Chinese)

vivo is planning to compete head-on with Apple’s Vision Pro headset, despite its lackluster sales performance. At an event today, vivo announced that it will be unveiling a mixed reality (MR) headset next year.

This will be showcased as a prototype in September or October, and we’re told to expect some features that will surpass what the Vision Pro can offer.

That may well be, but by that point the Vision Pro will have been available for more than a year and a half, so it’s not really that outstanding to one-up a product that’s so old.

vivo’s dedicated team for the MR headset has apparently grown to 500 members, so clearly the company thinks this is going to be an important niche, again, despite the Apple Vision Pro’s less than inspiring sales numbers. Then again, if vivo can deliver a similar experience (and even better in some areas) for a much lower price, it might have a hit.

The vivo MR device is going to undergo “high-fidelity prototype experiences” in several cities across China by late 2025, but it’s still unclear when it will actually go on sale, as that will depend on the readiness of supporting content ecosystems, according to a vivo exec.

Source (in Chinese) | Via