All articles tagged with #smartphone
An American internist/pediatrician exposed to Ebola while treating patients in Congo says allowing his son to use a smartphone feels riskier than their Congo missionary work; he is in isolation in Prague after evacuation as the Ebola outbreak prompts growing concern and surveillance.
The Trump Phone (Trump Mobile T1) will begin shipping this week after nearly a year of deposits and multiple delays. The device reportedly ships with a smaller screen and less memory than initially promised, and pre-order terms now say production is not guaranteed. The company had trimmed the original Made in USA claim, sparking skepticism about domestic manufacturing, while analysts note the typical complexity of bringing an Android device to market and critics question Trump leveraging his name for profit.
Amazon's devices chief Panos Panay says the company is not pursuing a new smartphone, citing the Fire Phone's failure and emphasizing a strategy to make devices profitable by boosting use of Amazon services and AI rather than launching another phone.
Trump Mobile’s CEO Pat O’Brien told USA Today that the Trump Phone (T1) will begin shipping to buyers this week and that all preorders will be fulfilled in the coming weeks, despite an 11-month delay since its announcement. The phone has FCC and PTCRB certifications and was added to Google Play’s device list, with a new promo video released amid viral reports of canceled preorders that lack verified evidence or numbers; The Verge has preorder units but no confirmed delivery yet.
Amazon’s head of devices, Panos Panay, says the company isn’t necessarily planning a new smartphone, while not fully denying a project tied to a rumored Alexa-enabled AI phone codenamed Transformer; he notes the smartphone form factor isn’t vanishing but is evolving, and any future device may differ from a traditional phone, likely learning from the Fire Phone and Panay’s Microsoft experience.
A leak via Ming-Chi Kuo claims OpenAI’s first AI-focused smartphone will use a custom version of MediaTek's Dimensity 9600 (built on TSMC's N2P) with LPDDR6 RAM, UFS 5.0 storage, dual NPUs and enhanced security, with mass production eyed for the first half of 2027; the device has not been officially confirmed.
Volla unveils two rugged, German-made mid-range smartphones—the Plinius and Plinius Plus—featuring a 6.67-inch 120 Hz OLED display, IP68 rating, 64 MP main camera, and a replaceable 5,300 mAh battery. They offer a Google-free Android option or Ubuntu Touch, with the Plinius starting at €598 (8 GB/128 GB) and the Plus at €698 (12 GB/256 GB) and launching in June 2026; availability is Europe and the UK, with the Plus including a more robust back with pogo pins and a thicker chassis.
OpenAI is reportedly developing a smartphone where AI agents replace apps, with Qualcomm and MediaTek co-designing a custom processor and Luxshare exclusive manufacturing; analysts project 300-400 million annual shipments by 2028, a scale rivaling iPhone volumes. The concept envisions on-device lightweight tasks while heavy AI inference runs in the cloud, maintaining continuous real-time context. While the supply chain appears credible, OpenAI has never shipped hardware and past AI-device efforts have faltered, making the 2028 timeline speculative rather than confirmed.
Qualcomm shares jumped about 13% in premarket trading after analyst notes suggested OpenAI is partnering with Qualcomm and MediaTek to develop AI-focused smartphone processors, with Luxshare as the exclusive system co-design/manufacturing partner and mass production targeted for 2028, signaling a potential long-term AI upgrade cycle for mobile chips.
Samsung’s Galaxy Z Tri-Fold 2 targets a thinner, lighter body with an upgraded hinge and possibly a book-like design, aiming to make the large tri-fold display more practical through real-world use cases and developer-friendly software, while cost and broader market viability remain challenges with a rumored 2027 launch.
Oppo confirms Find X9 Ultra specs ahead of its April 21 launch: a 2K 144Hz display with low-light capability, Snapdragon 8 Ultra with Tide Engine to sustain high frame rates, a 7,050mAh battery with 100W wired and 50W wireless charging, a satellite-based comms chip for connectivity where networks are unavailable, plus dual speakers, Crystal Shield glass, and IP-rated durability; the X9 Ultra and X9s Pro are set to debut on April 21.
Motorola has started international sales of its first book-style foldable, the Razr Fold, with a large launch discount and bundles (stylus, Moto Watch, Moto Buds Loop) to undercut rivals like the Galaxy Z Fold7. Specs include a Snapdragon 8 Gen 5, 8.09-inch main LTPO display and 6.56-inch cover display, triple 50 MP rear cameras and 50 MP selfies, a 6,000 mAh battery with 50 W wireless and 80 W wired charging, IP49 protection, and a 243 g body. Priced at £1,799 / €1,748, the discounted bundle price is £1,579 / € (about $129) with the sale running until May 3; pre-orders ship May 6, with security updates through March 2030.
Oppo has officially previewed the Find X9 Ultra ahead of its global launch on April 21, showing three color options and a large circular rear camera module. Rumored specs include a 200 MP main sensor (Sony LYT-901) with 3x and 10x periscope zooms, a 50 MP ultra-wide, a Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, and a 7,050 mAh battery with 100 W wired and 50 W wireless charging, plus a dedicated camera button for quick-launch.
Reuters reports Amazon is developing an AI-heavy smartphone code-named Transformer; the Electronic Frontier Foundation notes The New York Times blocked Internet Archive crawlers and warns this could harm the digital record, while mirroring web content is argued as fair use; in space news, NASA’s X-59 supersonic demonstrator aborted a test flight, Artemis II moves toward a spring liftoff after returning the Space Launch System to the pad, and the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force released drone footage of Cold War aircraft.
Reuters says Amazon is developing an AI-driven smartphone, codenamed Transformer, led by former Xbox chief J. Allard through its ZeroOne unit. The phone would aim to integrate personalized shopping and media experiences (Prime Video, music, groceries) and may include options like a traditional handset or a simplified “dumbphone” variant. Details on cost, carrier partners, and whether the project will proceed remain unclear, and Amazon could still abandon it.