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Google remains cautious about making a folding Pixel

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The Huawei Mate X folding phone
Google has probably prototyped a Pixel similar to the upcoming Huawei Mate X.
Photo: Huawei

Add Google’s name to the list of companies investigating flexible-screen phones. The head of development for the Pixel line says his team is at the prototype stage.

Apple is also experimenting with this tech, while companies like Samsung and Huawei are moving ahead with production models. Or at least they are trying to.

Pixel 3a is basically the iPhone SE 2 Apple won’t give us

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Pixel 3a
The Pixel 3a looks amazing.
Photo: Google

Google is bucking the trend of expensive flagship smartphones with its new Pixel 3a phone that debuted at Google I/O this morning.

The new Pixel 3a looks a lot like the Pixel 3 that debuted last year. It has some of the Pixel 3’s best features, like its fantastic camera, only its made with the budget-conscious consumer in mind.

Samsung reports its weakest profits since late 2016

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Galaxy S10 lineup
Samsung's latest flagship phones are doing well, though.
Photo: Samsung

Samsung has reported its weakest profits in two years as first quarter earnings suffered from weak smartphone and memory chip sales.

While Samsung said that it expects things will be get better in the second half of the year, the immediate outlook isn’t great. Samsung posted operating profits of $5.4 billion for the quarter, its smallest since late 2016. By comparison, this quarter last year raked in $13.4 billion.

Samsung recalls glitchy Galaxy Fold review units

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Galaxy Fold specs
The Fold isn't the precedent-setter Samsung may have hoped.
Photo: Samsung

Having pushed back the launch of its Galaxy Fold folding smartphone, Samsung is now supposedly retrieving all units it sent reviewers — without issuing replacements. While there’s disagreement on whether the original units were meant to be returned after 10 days, it seems things aren’t quite playing out as expected.

This comes after early reviewers noted that the $1,980 handset suffered some serious screen problems.

Camera comparison proves iPhone is still one of the best

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camera sales
iPhone photography is still incredibly good.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Android enthusiasts are keen to highlight how the iPhone has dropped in the smartphone camera ranks in recent years. But a new camera comparison reveals that may not be the case.

Although there are some better options out there for low-light photography, Apple’s smartphone is still up there with the best when it comes to daytime shooting.

iPhone users have some terrible driving habits

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distracted driving iPhone
Put the phone down and nobody gets hurt.
Photo: D'Vaughn Bell/Pexels

The iPhone user behind the wheel is twice as likely to post, chat and stream than those with an Android device, according to a website that compares car insurance quotes.

The Zebra surveyed more than 2,100 drivers about driving distractions, including device engagement, and broke down the numbers by operating system.

Slowing smartphone sales hit Samsung profits hard

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Galaxy A7
Samsung says that Q1 operating profits will be down 60 percent.
Photo: Samsung

The massive rise of the smartphone is coming to a close, and Samsung is bearing the brunt of it.

As well as a manufacturer of its own handsets, Samsung also provides memory chips and display panels to other companies. Due to slowing demand for smartphones around the world, Samsung today revealed that its operating profits have plunged. It expects that its first quarter takings will be down by 60 percent compared to last year.

Watch an army of robots try to destroy Samsung Galaxy Fold

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Galaxy Fold
Galaxy Fold looks so futuristic.
Photo: Samsung

Ready to prove the haters wrong, Samsung published a new video today showing off the folding capabilities of its new folding phone, the Galaxy Fold.

Samsung created some small robots that fold the Fold open and closed thousands of times in a day to see how durable its flexible display truly is. The displays still haven’t been fondled by members of the press yet, so this is the closest thing we’ve seen to a durability test on the futuristic phone.

Watch the Fold bend over backwards again and again and again:

Huawei smartphone cameras beating iPhone at its game

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Huawei Pro30 Pro
That's some good bokeh.
Screenshot: Huawei/YouTube

The devoted iPhone photographer mostly shrugs at the camera tests of DxOMark, but the growing number of smartphones ranking above the best iPhone is hard to ignore.

With the recent release of the Huawei P30 Pro, there are now five smartphone cameras that best the iPhone XS Max in the independent lab’s gauntlet of tests. The top three spots belong to Huawei.

You can now enjoy Apple Music on your Chromebook

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apple-music
Grab the latest update from the Play Store now.
Photo: Apple

Apple Music’s latest update on Android finally brings native Chromebook support for the first time.

The release also includes the same user interface changes that were rolled out on iOS last week. Subscribers can access a new Browse tab that designed to make music discovery even easier.

Google Inbox will be wiped out next month

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Google Inbox iPhone
We don't need two Gmail clients anymore.
Photo: Google

It’s nearly the end of the road for Google Inbox.

A new popup that has started appearing inside the Inbox app confirms it will be closed down on April 2. Fans of the email client have just two weeks to find an alternative, but Google recommends another of its own.

Everyone’s a wizard in upcoming Harry Potter AR game

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The first AR Harry Potter game promises spell casting in the real world
The first AR Harry Potter game promises spell casting in the real world
Photo: Niantic and WB Games

In Harry Potter: Wizards Unite,  players must seek out creatures, objects and people that have made their way into the muggle world through the magic of augmented reality. 

The developers have revealed a first look at this upcoming game that has quite a bit in common with Pokémon Go.

Meizu’s port-free phone was nothing more than a marketing stunt

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Meizu Zero
The Zero’s future now looks bleak.
Photo: Meizu

Meizu has revealed its futuristic port-free smartphone was nothing more than a marketing stunt.

The so-called “Zero” handset was announced just over a month ago before being made available to preorder through a failed crowdfunding campaign. But Meizu founder and CEO Jack Wong says the project “was just the marketing team messing about.”

Samsung sends foldable screen samples to Apple

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Foldable smartphone
Apple is serious about creating a foldable iPhone. Above, is a drawing for a patent Apple was granted last year.
Photo: Apple

After being one of the first out of the gate with a folding smartphone, Samsung is trying to entice competitors — including Apple — to join the foldable future.

Samsung, which debuted the Galaxy Fold at its Unpacked event on Feb. 20, has reportedly sent some foldable display panel samples to Cupertino in hopes of attracting Apple as a client.

Nintendo RPG Dragalia Lost blasts into new markets

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Dragalia Lost
Are you playing Dragalia Lost yet?
Photo: Nintendo

Nintendo action RPG Dragalia Lost has finally expanded its reach to a bunch of new markets, including Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom.

The free-to-play game, which debuted in the United States and other countries last September, runs on Android and iOS. With this wider rollout, even more people can enjoy the hit game’s fast-paced action.

Is iPhone in danger of losing its photography crown? [Opinion]

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iPhone camera
The Nokia 9 PureView has five main cameras.
Photo: Nokia

On Sunday, Nokia quietly launched a first-of-its-kind smartphone called PureView with an array of five main cameras on its backplate.

Apple set a high bar just two years ago with the dual-camera iPhone 7 Plus. In a year where iPhone users are waiting for Apple to release its first model with a third camera, it’s hard not to feel like Apple has fallen behind in the mobile photography space it defined and owned.

Galaxy S10+ tops iPhone XS in new camera rankings

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Galaxy S10+ camera
Can Samsung's top-rated camera system convince you to switch?
Photo: Samsung

The ink on all the press Samsung is getting for its new line of Galaxy smartphones is barely dry, but the camera on the S10+ already has received top marks from testing lab DxOMark.

One of five new Galaxy phones launched this week, the S10+ tied two Huawei handsets as the best-rated smartphones for mobile photographers.

WTF? Camera tests ranks Apple copycat Xiaomi better than iPhone

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Xiaomi Mi 9 camera
The Xiaomi Mi 9 camera got a nice report card.
Photo: Xiaomi

Xiaomi, a Chinese brand considered one of the most blatant Apple copycats in the smartphone industry, may have a device that distinguishes itself from its muse the iPhone.

The Xiaomi Mi 9 scored higher marks for its camera system than the iPhone XS Max, according to the results of comprehensive tests released this week by DxOMark.

Galaxy S10 vs. iPhone: Samsung gives us so many reasons to switch

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Galaxy S10+ camera
Can Samsung's top-rated camera system convince you to switch?
Photo: Samsung

Samsung just delivered a keynote packed with new devices, including an all-new Galaxy S10 lineup and the exciting Galaxy Flex, its first foldable smartphone. But are any of them worth considering for an iPhone fan?

We’ve compared all four of Samsung’s new devices with the iPhone XS, XS Max, and XR to see how they stack up. Whether you want the best display, cameras, security, or performance, we can help you choose the right phone for you.