Smartphone

Early adopters have discovered a number of problems with the display of the Pixel 2 XL, which could make the flagship a tough sell in its segment. To make sure that that does not happen, Google has decided to upgrade the warranty.

Google is moving the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL to a two-year worldwide warranty, which is designed to "give users peace of mind," knowing that it will address any issues that may arise during that period. Google, however, says that it is done despite the quality of Pixel 2 XL's display being in line with that of similar devices.

Amazon Prime Exclusive Phones is a pretty interesting proposition, giving consumers the option to get a new smartphone at a lower price in exchange for ads and offers. The number of supported devices is not that high though, but Amazon is constantly adding more and more to the list.

And today it is the LG G6 and G6+ flagships as well as the Q6 and X charge that join the program. All are available through Amazon Prime Exclusive Phones in their unlocked version, so that they can be used on different carriers.

BlackBerry CEO John Chen has once again emphasized that the company has left behind its smartphone days and is now firmly set in its way to become one of the world’s top software firms.

Speaking at the company’s BlackBerry Security Summit event in London today, Chen said that although he was proud of the past, it was now time for a new focus.

Despite the OnePlus 5 only having been available for a few months, there have been rumors that its successor, the OnePlus 5T, is not far away. The sudden 'out of stock' status of the OnePlus 5 served only to fuel these rumors further, and now a pre-order page for the handset has revealed much of what you might want to know.

In recent days we've seen leaks of what the upcoming phone looks like, but now we know many of the specs, the price, and an approximate release date

When we reviewed the Maze Blade back in June, we were flabbergasted by the sheer amount of quality components that the Chinese vendor, Maze, managed to cram in this smartphone.

The Maze Alpha is the bigger brother of the Blade and has an even higher specification without adding much to the price.

When you pay big bucks for a smartphone you expect it to be flawless. That's why people make a big deal out the problems they find on a flagship device. Things are no different with Google's new Pixel 2 XL, which exhibits some serious issues.

The problems stem from its display which, put simply, is not of the highest quality. Users have reported color shifting when looking at the screen from an angle, poor color reproduction and, most-recently, burn-in. That last bit is especially worrying because the Pixel 2 XL has only been around for a couple of weeks.

Smartphone users have been urged to ensure their devices are properly protected against cyber threats, in a new report from one of the world's top security firms.

The latest Kaspersky Cybersecurity Index has warned that over-reliance on mobile devices could be putting consumers around the world at risk as they stop using PCs for many everyday tasks.

I have mixed feelings about the Essential Phone. On one hand, it is a bold attempt at creating a high-end smartphone to go up against the iPhone and the Galaxy S. On the other hand, it is difficult to make a case for it, if you ignore the fact that its parent company was founded by the creator of Android.

When you ask a lot of money for a smartphone these days you have to offer more than the device itself. Things like in-store availability and easy access to support are just as important as the hardware. That's why people buy a ton of iPhones and Galaxy S devices: because Apple and Samsung get these things right. Essential is simply not there yet.

Tweaking tools used to be all the rage for Windows, but not so much these days. The phenomenon has, however, spread to the mobile world to a certain extent. OnePlus owners have the streamlined OxygenOS to work with for an experience that's near to pure Android; but there's always scope for tweaking.

Whether you have rooted your phone or not, JOnePlus Tools gives you the opportunity to tweak your phone to within an inch of its life (in the best possible way, of course). As well as working with rooted and non-rooted phones, it even works with the Oreo betas that are available from OnePlus at the moment.

The level of interest in the iPhone X is huge. The latest addition to the iPhone range is certainly expensive, but it's also the most radically different iPhone we've seen in ages.

Pre-orders for the phone start on October 27 (this Friday) ahead of the November 3 launch, and availability of the handsets is expected to limited -- not least because Apple is said to have a relatively small number of them to sell. What if there was a way to jump the queue and secure your iPhone X so you avoid disappointment? Well... there is! Sort of...

Calling up the Google Assistant on your Android phone takes nothing more than bellowing "OK, Google" at your handset. But you may be someone who feels that this is just too many syllables to utter.

Google Home users have a slightly easier time. As well as "OK, Google" it is also possible to say "Hey, Google" -- meaning you can start getting help in two thirds of the time! Now the same option is making its way to Android phones.

Arianna Huffington has teamed up with Samsung to create an app called Thrive. The aim of the app is to encourage users to: "Unplug & recharge. Take a break from your phone. Reconnect with yourself."

When it is released in December, the app will be a Samsung exclusive and it will force you to disconnect from your phone and make sure no one can get in touch with you. To help you feel smug and superior about what you're doing, anyone who tries to contact you will be informed that you are taking enforced time out.

In an effort to continue to charge Apple for the use of its patents in mainland China, Qualcomm has filed lawsuits against the company with the end goal of stopping the production and sale of iPhones in China.

The suits were filed by the mobile chip manufacturer in an intellectual property court in Beijing. Qualcomm claims that Apple has violated its patents and the company is seeking injunctive relief over the misuse of its IP.

An update is rolling out to the Google Wifi app which gives parents greater control over the websites their children can visit.

The update adds Site Blocking to Google Wifi's family controls, making it possible to block more than 8 million sites at the flick of a switch. These are sites that Google has determined are inappropriate for children.

If you are a fan of Android smartphones, this is surely an exciting time to be alive. While things have been boring for the last few years, 2017 has given us many excellent flagships. There is the Google Pixel 2, Samsung Galaxy Note8, Essential Phone, LG v30, and more. It sounds crazy to say, but there is almost too much choice when it comes to wonderful Android phones!

Today, the market gets a bit more crowded (in a good way), as Huawei officially unveils the 5.9-inch Mate 10 and 6-inch Mate 10 Pro flagship Android smartphones. The company will even sell an elegant Porsche Design variant of the Mate 10 -- for a huge premium of course. Not only are these devices chock-full of top specifications, but they are very beautiful too. All models feature a glass body, a front fingerprint reader, huge 4000 mAh fast-charge battery, and the Android Oreo-based EMUI 8.0 operating system.