News on Smartphones, December 2022

iPhone                                                                                

Tim Cook Reveals That iPhones Use Sony Camera Sensors

Apple CEO Tim Cook admitted in a recent tweet that the Cupertino company has used Sony image sensors in the iPhone for over a decade.

Full content and details (external sources): Gadgets

Emergency SOS via Satellite now live in the UK, France, Germany and Ireland

After its rollout in the US and Canada, Apple’s Emergency SOS via Satellite is now available in the UK, France, Germany and Ireland for iPhone 14 series users. 

Full content and details (external sources): GSMArena

Apple's 3nm chips kick off mass production next week at TSMC

A new report from DigiTimes claims that TSMC is ready to kick off 3nm chip production at its Fab 18 and as Apple will be the first to reap the benefits of the cutting-edge tech.

Full content and details (external sources): GSMArena

Kuo: Apple to postpone iPhone SE 4 until 2024

Apple is having lower-than-expected sales of midrange iPhones, claims analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. As a result of this, Cupertino is expected to cancel or at least postpone the iPhone SE 4 until 2024.

Full content and details (external sources): GSMArena

Samsung 

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra: 200-Megapixel Quad Rear Cameras, Octa-Core Chipset 

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is expected to launch as Samsung's flagship smartphone for 2023. In a new update, a Galaxy series smartphone, believed to be the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra, has been spotted on the Chinese regulatory authority TENAA's certification website.

Full content and details (external sources): Gadgets

Samsung Galaxy M04 unveiled: Helio P35 SoC and 5,000 mAh battery

The Galaxy M04 has been officially unveiled by Samsung. It is powered by the Helio P35 SoC, and you get two storage options. The smartphone has 4GB of RAM onboard, which can be expanded virtually.

Full content and details (external sources): GSMArena

The Elec: Samsung is forming a new chipset development team

Qualcomm confirmed that the Galaxy S23 phones will use the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 globally. All three upcoming phones (S23, S23+ and S23 Ultra) already passed through Geekbench exclusively with the SD 8G2 but The Elec believes that Samsung has not given up on its in-house chipset plans.

Full content and details (external sources): GSMArena

Samsung Galaxy A54 5G Surfaces With Next-Generation Exynos Chipset

Samsung Galaxy A54 5G has been spotted on Geekbench, hinting at the upcoming launch of the handset. 

Full content and details (external sources): Gadgets

Samsung Galaxy A74 reportedly won't exist, A7x series ended

Next year, there will be no A7x device any more.

Full content and details (external sources): GSMArena

Huawei 

Leak suggests Huawei P60 and Mate 60 to go full Qualcomm

Huawei is preparing to return to the dual flagship launch tradition. There’s new information that reveals the Huawei P60 and Mate 60 models will go full-on Qualcomm mode.

Full content and details (external sources): HuaweiCentral

Huawei announces Enjoy 50z smartphone alongside pricing for Nova 10 SE

Huawei held a launch event with multiple announcements including the Huawei Enjoy 50z phone which is actually a rebadged Nova Y61 for the Chinese market.

Full content and details (external sources): GSMArena

Huawei Mate 50 Pro tops DXOMARK ranking along with iPhone 14 Pro

DXOMARK has announced the selfie camera score of the Huawei Mate 50 Pro and it has topped the list along with iPhone 14 Pro. According to the DXOMARK listing, Huawei Mate 50 Pro has achieved a total of 145 points in the selfie camera ranking.

Full content and details (external sources): HuaweiCentral

Oppo

Vanilla Oppo Find X6 also coming with three 50 MP cameras

Tipster Digital Chat Station suggested the Oppo Find X6 Pro will have three 50 MP cameras on the back, and it was recently announced the vanilla Find X6 will match that. The main cam will skip on the 1” Sony IMX989 sensor and bring the smaller but still capable Sony IMX890 with an f/1.8 aperture with OIS.

Full content and details (external sources): GSMArena

Oppo A58x 5G brings familiar specs and design with some downgrades

Oppo released the Oppo A58x. The differences between the old device are few and boil down to the camera and charging speed.

Full content and details (external sources): GSMArena

Oppo Find N2, Find N2 Flip With 120Hz Displays, 32-Megapixel Selfie Cameras

Oppo Find N2 and Find N2 Flip were launched. As expected, the new foldable smartphones are equipped with high-end SoCs, 120Hz displays and feature Hasselblad-branded cameras.

Full content and details (external sources): Gadgets

Oppo Reno 9, Reno 9 Pro, Find N2 Flip Being Tested in India

Oppo launched the Find N2 series foldable smartphones in China. In addition, the company also debuted the Reno 9 lineup. A few handsets from these lineups — Oppo Reno 9, Oppo Reno 9 Pro, Oppo Find N2 Flip — are reportedly being tested in India.

Full content and details (external sources): Gadgets

Xiaomi 

Redmi Note 12 Pro 4G Spotted on NBTC Certification Site

Redmi Note 12 Pro 4G has appeared on Thailand's National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) website.

Full content and details (external sources): Gadgets

The Redmi Note 12 Pro+ will launch globally on January 5

The Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Pro+ was launched January 5. This is the first Redmi with a 200MP camera and only the second in the Xiaomi family after the 12T Pro.

Full content and details (external sources): GSMArena

Xiaomi 13 and 13 Pro announced with SD 8 Gen 2, new Leica cameras

Xiaomi announced the Xiaomi 13 and 13 Pro. Both handsets run on Qualcomm's latest and greatest Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset based on TSMC's 4nm manufacturing process.

Full content and details (external sources): GSMArena

Redmi K60 Pro With Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SoC Launched, Redmi K60

Redmi K60 series was launched in China. This new flagship lineup from the Xiaomi-owned brand includes the Redmi K60, Redmi K60 Pro, and Redmi K60E. 

Full content and details (external sources): Gadgets