Tag: smartphones

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What was your favourite smartphone that launched in Canada last year?

Last year, a variety of smartphones were released in Canada, including several flagships, mid-rangers, budget devices and even foldables.

For this week’s MobileSyrup ‘Community Question,’ we want to know what your favourite smartphone from last year is?

I’d say my favourite smartphone from last year was the Galaxy Z Fold 3. It’s worth noting that I didn’t purchase the device myself and instead reviewed a unit Samsung sent to me, so to be fair, I didn’t have to spend $1,999.99 to get my hands on one. However, if I were looking for a new smartphone this year, I can definitively say that I’d purchase the Z Fold 3.

This year’s Z Fold 3 is well-built and waterproof this time around. I also like that it features two 120Hz refresh rate displays and on the main screen, it sports a cool under-display camera. Playing games like League of Legends: Wild Rift or reading on a larger screen, has also been great.

The Z Fold 3 has some downsides though, including making my skin tone brighter in pictures, the fact that it’s costly, and a little bulky. However, I’d argue that it’s worth its expensive price tag even with these shortcomings. That said, I’m also a big fan of the Pixel 6 Pro and the iPhone 13 Pro Max.

With all of this in mind, what’s your favourite smartphone from 2021? Let us know in the comments below.

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Apple’s iPhone 14 rumoured to feature hole-punch camera and under display Face ID

Despite the fact that the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro are several months away from release, we’re already starting to see viable rumours surrounding Apple’s next flagship smartphone.

Corroborating reports from other reliable leakers and analysts, leaker DylanDKT recently tweeted that Apple’s iPhone 14 Pro smartphones will feature a hole-punch front-facing camera and Face ID.

However, the Face ID sensor will be placed under the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max’s screen, with DylanDKT stating that the “functionality of these sensors have not been negatively affected by this change.”

Unlike the front-facing camera hole-punch featured in Samsung’s S series smartphones, the iPhone 14’s cutout will reportedly be “pill shaped” and not circular. Further, the standard iPhone 14 will still feature a notch. It remains unclear if Apple plans to still release a 5.1-inch mini version of the iPhone in 2022.

For the record, I’ve never reported on a DylanDKT leak before. However, 9to5Mac and several other notable Apple publications claim that they’re a reliable source of leaks. For example, 9to5Mac says that DylanDKT was a key source of 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro leaks prior to the laptop’s release.

Apple’s iPhone 14 series likely won’t be revealed until this coming September.

Source: DylanDKT Via: 9to5Mac

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BlackBerry’s BB10 smartphones are dead

BlackBerry, a one-time Canadian smartphone giant, has pulled the plug on the services that power its lineup of BB10 devices.

While this day (January 4th, 2022) has been a long time coming, it also marks the end of an era and the official death of the tech giant’s BB10-powered smartphones. Further, BlackBerry 7.1 and earlier and BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.1 and earlier devices will also no longer function.

This means that iconic BlackBerry devices like the BlackBerry Classic, Q10, Bold, 9720 and more, no longer have access to mobile data, phone calls, text messages or 9-1-1 functionality.

“As a reminder, the legacy services for BlackBerry 7.1 OS and earlier, BlackBerry 10 software, BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.1 and earlier versions, will no longer be available after January 4, 2022,” wrote BlackBerrry on its website.

It’s important to point out that the brand’s later Android-powered, TCL-manufactured devices, including the Priv, DTEK60 and KeyOne, will still function.

At the company’s peak in 2009, BlackBerry held roughly 20 percent of the smartphone market, though it was quickly overtaken in the early 2010s by Apple’s iPhone and Android devices. The modern iteration of BlackBerry is a software and security services-focused business.

The company also still operates its QNX automotive software business.

Image credit: Shutterstock 

The Source: BlackBerry 

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Here are the best phones released in Canada in 2021

2021 has been one of the least interesting years for smartphones in Canada in recent memory.

Relatively well-known manufacturers like Asus pretty much bowed out of the Great White North entirely, LG gave up on smartphones altogether, and Motorola just didn’t make a splash. In short, the Canadian smartphone market has become pretty stagnant.

Like last year, a variety of high-quality Samsung smartphones, four new iPhones, two Google Pixels, a couple of OnePlus handsets and even Microsoft’s new Surface Duo 2 came to Canada. However, I decided not to include either the OnePlus or Duo devices in this list after speaking to Brad Bennett and Jon Lamont, who wrote our MobileSyrup reviews of the OnePlus 9 Pro and Surface Duo 2, respectively.

With this in mind, unlike in years past, this list won’t be that long, as it only includes devices from the three prominent companies that sell their smartphones in Canada: Samsung, Apple and Google. While there are other devices you can purchase through Amazon from manufacturers like Vivo, Oppo and Asus, these smartphones are sold by third-party sellers and can’t be bought from their manufacturer or a Canadian carrier, significantly limiting their availability.

Samsung, just like last year, has three phones on the list, but this year, two of them are foldable.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3

While Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 3 is one of the best smartphones available in Canada, it’s unfortunately very expensive. That said, with two displays, high-level specs and an optimized user interface, it’s a formidable smartphone. The handset offers a 7.6-inch foldable screen with a 120Hz variable refresh rate. Additionally, this display features an under-display camera that’s hidden by pixels. While this effect doesn’t always work well, it’s cool to see Samsung experimenting with new technology.

The 6.7-inch Cover Display, on the other hand, features a normal Infinity-O, and unlike last year, offers a 120Hz refresh rate.

The foldable also features a Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 processor, 12GB of RAM, and a trio of great 12-megapixel rear shooters. And while a new Note smartphone didn’t release this year, the Z Fold 3 works with Samsung’s S-Pen stylus, though you need to purchase it separately.

Unlike the Z Fold and the Z Fold 2, the Z Fold 3 doesn’t feature any significant compromises. It may be foldable, but it’s also an all-around great smartphone at the same time.

In my review, I said, “The Z Fold 3 is water-resistant, more durable, $500 more affordable than its predecessor, has two good 120Hz refresh rate displays, a top-of-the-line processor, 12GB of RAM, and a user interface that is near perfect.”

Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 3 costs $1,999.99 in Canada. 

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3

The Galaxy Z Flip 3 doesn’t offer the same specs as the Z Fold 3 or even usability, but it’s still a really good device. On the inside, the Z Flip 3 features a 6.7-inch 1080 x 2640-pixel resolution display with a 120Hz refresh rate and an Infinity-O hole-punch camera.

This handset only features up to 8GB of RAM and only offers two 12-megapixel shooters. The Cover display is larger this time with a 1.9-inch panel, making it far easier to use than the tiny screen included in its predecessor. There’s also a side-facing fingerprint scanner and a relatively small 3,300mAh battery.

The flagship doesn’t feature a telephoto lens or long battery life, but is relatively cheap, especially when compared to other high-end smartphones.

In my review, I said “Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip 3 is a flagship smartphone, and while it’s not the most affordable phone on the market, its price tag is comparable to other high-end devices out there.”

Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip 3 costs $999.99 in Canada.

Samsung’s Galaxy S21 Ultra

While the S21 Ultra isn’t a flashy foldable, it still offers top-of-line specs and the best cameras out of all Samsung phones this year.

This top-tier flagship features a 6.8-inch AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate, HDR10+, and Gorilla Glass Victus. The device also sports Qualcomm’s high-level Snapdragon 888 chipset, and up to 16GB of RAM.

There are also four cameras in the S21 Ultra, including a 108-megapixel primary shooter with an f/1.8 aperture, a 10-megapixel periscope camera with 10x optical zoom, another 10-megapixel telephoto shooter with 3x zoom, and a 12-megapixel f/2.2 ultra-wide shooter.

Out of this whole list, the S21 Ultra features the best telephoto camera and the highest resolution in its selfie shooter at 40-megapixels.

According to MobileSyrup‘s Patrick O’Rourke, “the S21 Ultra takes the Note 20 Ultra’s best features and builds on them in meaningful ways.”

Samsung’s Galaxy S21 Ultra costs $1,129 in Canada. 

Apple iPhone 13 Pro/Max

Though the iPhone 13 Pro and Max are nearly identical, the Max variant features a larger display and a bigger battery.

The iPhone 13 Pro Max offers a 6.7-inch display with a 1284 x 2778 pixel resolution and, for the first time in an iPhone, a 120Hz refresh rate. The device also sports HDR10 and Dolby Vision, making it great for watching content.

Apple’s iPhone 13 Pro devices also have three 12-megapixel shooters and a LiDAR scanner for depth. A stand-out feature for the iPhone 13 Pro (at least for me) is the ‘Cinematic Video’ mode that adds an exaggerated but still very cool depth-of-field effect to video.

Additionally, thanks to Apple’s powerful A15 Bionic chipset, the smartphones boast the highest benchmarks of any device listed in this story.

And while the iPhone 13 Pro series doesn’t feature the biggest battery, it can outlast nearly any smartphone available in Canada, with the handset typically making it to a day and a half depending on usage:

According to MobileSyrup‘s Patrick O’Rourke, “The devices look nearly identical to last year’s iPhones, and it’s really only under the hood where anything has changed.”

Apple’s iPhone 13 Pro costs $1,399 and the iPhone 13 Pro Max costs $1,549.

Google Pixel 6 Pro

Google’s Pixel 6 Pro, the company’s flagship smartphone, offers top-of-the-line specs, including a 5,000mAh battery, its proprietary Tensor processor, 12GB of RAM, and a 120Hz refresh rate screen. The sleek-looking smartphone is my favourite device that launched this year because it has impressive cameras that offer ‘Real Tone,’ a feature that accurately captures my skin tone. Features like ‘Long Exposure,’ ‘Action Pan,’ ‘Face Unblur,’ and ‘Magic Eraser’ are also great.

Finally, Google’s excellent ‘Material You’ and Android 12 combine to offer one of the most solid Android smartphones out there.

In my review, I said, “If you’re after a pure Android experience paired with solid hardware, look no further than the Pixel 6 Pro.” 

Google’s Pixel 6 Pro costs $1,179 in Canada.

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Google Pixel 6, 6 Pro owners reporting random screen cracks

Google’s 2021 Pixel 6 flagships are great smartphones in several ways, but like most Pixel devices, they also come with their own set of flaws. This latest report relates to several owners stating that they’re finding that the front glass of their devices is cracking.

Many Pixel owners have taken to Reddit and Google’s support forum to report that their Pixel 6 Pro’s screen is randomly cracking. It’s worth noting that most of the reports are related to the Pro, though there are some examples of the Pixel 6’s display shattering. Several forum posts indicate cases and screen protectors don’t prevent the problem.

According to Android Police, this type of issue usually results from a manufacturing problem that causes pressure to build up in the display glass, eventually causing it to crack. Significant temperature changes can also result in glass breaking.

Some reports indicate that Google is currently investigating the issue, though the tech giant has released no official statement.

For what it’s worth, my Pixel 6 Pro’s display hasn’t cracked — at least not yet.

Image credit: Google Support Forum (A OR C)

Source: Reddit, Google Support Forum Via: Android Police

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OSOM, team behind Essential, to launch first phone in Summer 2022

The team behind the Essential smartphone company is now working on a new product.

In an interview with Android Police, Jason Keats, the CEO and founder of OSOM Products, a company that features people primarily from the Essential team, is finally ready to speak about the OV1, OSOM’s first smartphone.

According to Android Police, the name OV1 (OSOM Vault 1) is a throwback to the Essential PH-1. OSOM itself stands for “out of sight, out of mind,” but you say it like “awesome.” The “out of sight, out of mind” phrase has to do with privacy, as OV1 is a privacy-first smartphone.

This device won’t be modular like the Essential Ph-1, however. “Dear God, the headaches we had,” said Keats in the interview with Android Police.

What’s interesting about the OV1 is Dave Evans, the leader of the design team at Essential, is also part of OSOM. According to Keats, the smartphone will feature “throwback” surprises.

“One of the things that hurt Essential was, it wasn’t entirely clear what the point of Essential was, what we were building for, and that hurt us. Ultimately, that was probably the biggest — for all the other issues, that was probably the biggest thing that prevented us from being successful. And so we sat down and said, ‘What is something we can address?’ And we said, ‘Well, I’m really annoyed at how much my phone and other companies know what I’m doing,” said Keats to Android Police.

The phone will run stock-like Android with some customization on top, including better control of the content being shared. OSOM has reportedly made deep modifications to Android and worked with Google to make sure that it still meets all GSM and MADA requirements.

In terms of specs, not much has been revealed about the OV1.

Keats and the OSOM team plan to launch the smartphone in Summer 2022.

Image credit: Android Police

Source: Android Police

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OnePlus 10 Pro confirmed to launch in January 2022

OnePlus’ upcoming smartphone will reportedly launch its next flagship smartphone in January, according to a new report.

GSMArena’s says that the OnePlus founder, Pete Lau, has indicated the device is scheduled for a January launch on China-based microblogging site Weibo. 

Lau’s post reportedly says, “OnePlus 10 Pro, see you in January.”

With a January launch, it seems OnePlus is trying to beat Samsung to the punch, as it’s unclear when the South Korean company will unveil its flagship.

Previous leaks indicate that the 10-series will receive a China-exclusive launch in January and that it will release in more regions in March or April. Considering Lau posted the teaser on Weibo instead of an international social media platform, this is a plausible scenario.

The OnePlus 10 Pro will reportedly sport a camera array that extends around the edge of the phone, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chip, a 120Hz refresh rate 6.7-inch display, a 5,000mAh battery and Oppo’s ColorOS.

Source: GSMArena,  Weibo

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Google’s Pixel 5a wins MKBHD’s ‘Blind Smartphone Camera Test’

Tech YouTuber Marques Brownlee (MKBHD) has released the results of his annual ‘Blind Smartphone Camera Test’ that pits 16 smartphone cameras against each other.

Here’s how it worked: Brownlee posted pictures on Instagram and viewers selected what smartphone photos they liked the most. What makes this a ‘Blind test’ is that the participants didn’t know which smartphone took the photos until the end.

The phones that competed in this year’s test included the following: The Galaxy S21 Ultra, the Axon 30 Ultra, the Asus ROG 5, the Lenovo Legion Duel, Sony’s Xperia Pro I, the Find X3 Pro, the Mi 11 Ultra, the OnePlus 9 Pro, the Pixel 5a, the Pixel 6 Pro, the iPhone 13 Pro, the Motorola Edge 8, the Zenfone 8, the Poco X3 GT, the Surface Duo 2 and the Realme GT.

It’s worth noting that most of these devices aren’t officially available in Canada.

This is the fourth year in a row Brownlee has held this test. This year Google’s Pixel 5a, which is unavailable in Canada, won the contest. The Pixel 5a surprisingly beat the iPhone 13 Pro and even the Pixel 6 Pro.

Brownlee says that similar to in years past, people typically select brighter images rather than those that feature greater contrast. Additionally, he says that prices seem to have no barring on choices either.

It’s worth noting that the Pixel 5a is one of the more affordable devices featured in MKBHD’s annual contest.

Source: Marques Brownlee

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Leaked Huawei P50 Pocket render shows off foldable smartphone’s rear

Smart phone with the logo of Huawei and 5G. The 5g are new communication technologies that Huawei incorporates. United States, California, Friday, January 17, 2020,

Huawei is planning to unveil a new foldable smartphone on December 23rd, and it looks like renders of the device have surfaced online.

Image credit: EMUI Community

The foldable, Huawei’s P50 Pocket, offers a clamshell design similar to Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip 3.

The four renders are nearly the same and showcase different widgets available on the phone’s cover display. The widgets include one for music, one for calls and a couple of others. Below the cover display, the phone houses its three rear-facing cameras.

The P50 Pocket is expected to use a metal and glass backing, but it’s unclear from the photos.

While the phone will likely launch globally, we probably won’t see it release in Canada as it will lack Google Play Services and will feature Huawei’s EMUI.

The P50 Pocket’s other specs are currently unknown, but the phone is likely offers high-end specs to compete with Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip 3, though it will likely still be inferior to Huawei’s Mate X2 foldable.

Image credit: Shutterstock

Source: Tech Agent, EMUI Community Via: Android Headlines

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Apple likely won’t release a foldable iPhone until 2023 at the earliest

Like it does with most new technology, it seems Apple is taking a cautious approach when it comes to foldable displays.

According to display analyst Ross Young, as first reported by MacRumors, Apple won’t release a foldable iPhone until 2023 at the earliest, with 2024 being the more likely window.

We’ve seen rumours regarding Apple’s foldable smartphone plans several times over the past few months. For example, in May, reliable Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reported that Apple is working on an 8-inch flexible screen with a 2023 release date. Then in January, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reported that Apple was in the “early” stages of working with foldable technology.

While Samsung’s foldable smartphone lines — including the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Z Flip 3 — have come a long way in a very short period of time, they aren’t flawless. For instance, the unsightly foldable display crease is still evident, and durability remains an issue with both smartphones.

With this in mind, if Apple does release a foldable iPhone in 2023, it will need to compete directly with either the 4th or 5th-gen version of Samsung’s foldables. With such a headstart on Apple in the space, it’s hard to see the tech giant’s first-gen foldable offering being able to match Samsung’s line.

Source: Ross Young Via: MacRumors