Top stories of 2020: Q3
As the year winds down it’s a great time to reflect on the top stories of the past 12 months. This is the third of four installments where we look at the stories that shaped this year.
We’re now into the biggest stories of Q3. The months July through September were a return to big announcements after the usual quiet of summer. This is the time we typically see Apple’s big iPhone event, but in 2020 that was pushed back into Q4 for the first time in a decade.
Samsung, on the other hand, delivered on its usual Galaxy Note unveil. The Galaxy Note20 and Note20 Ultra became official, but it was the Ultra that held everyone’s attention. A new 4x optical zoom camera and a 120Hz adaptive refresh rate screen. The 108MP sensor got equipped with a laser autofocus module to fix the focus issues that plagued the S20 Ultra, and the S Pen was faster than ever with an instantaneous 9ms latency making it feel as if you write on paper.
We also saw many rumors and reports suggest that these wer ethe last Notes as Samsung’s new strategy in 2021 will be to release a Galaxy S Ultra with S Pen support and leave the fall flagship spot for the Galaxy Z Fold line. Still Samsung later denied those so it appears the Galaxy Note line will live on in one for or another.
The second generation Galaxy Z Fold 2 was unveiled on September 1 with a state of the art CAM mechanism hinge that hides when the device is fully unfolded. The inner display had slimmer bezels and a smaller notch, while the outer display grew substantially. The Galaxy Z Fold 2 was the first foldable phone that didn’t feel like a prototype.
Xiaomi showed off its absolute best smartphone to date with the Mi 10 Ultra. It had a premium design, a 120Hz display, a Snapdragon 865 chipset, 120W charging, but it was the cameras that made it stand out. A new 48MP main camera with one of the biggest sensors around, a 5x zoom periscope camera, another 12MP 2x zoom camera and a 20MP ultrawide with autofocus. Sadly the Xiaomi Mi 10 Ultra was not to leave China.
After a very strong teaser campaign OnePlus delivered the Nord midranger. It had a 6.44-inch AMOLED with 90Hz refresh rate, a Snapdragon 765G with 5G, 48MP regular and 8MP ultrawide cameras (alongside a pair of depth and macro sensors) and an affordable price – €399/$399/INR 28,000.
Those were the key stories of Q3 of 2020. In our next, and final installment of this series we’ll look at Q4 of 2020.
iPhone 12, 12 Pro, and 12 Pro Max dummies shown on video, compare with older iPhones
The new entry-level iPhone 12 will have a footprint size between the iPhone 5 and iPhone 6.
Apple iPhone 12 announcement date and shipping details revealed
The iPhone 12 event could take place around October 12.
Infinix Hot 10 specs leak
The phone is listed on the Google Play Console and in a certificate filing.
Realme V5 is coming on July 27
It sport a punch hole display and packs a total of five cameras – one of the front and four at the back.
Sony Xperia 5 II launches with 6.1″ 120Hz OLED display
Including the same Snapdragon 865 chipset and 4,000 mAh battery. Just about everything features improvements and extra polish, though.
Redmi Note 9 to come with more RAM in India
It will debut in India on July 20.
Samsung Galaxy M41 is alive, to house a massive 6,800 mAh battery
The phone cleared 3C certification just last week.
Nvidia announces new RTX 3090, 3080, and 3070 graphics cards
Features up to 2x performance improvement over current generation cards.
Samsung Galaxy M51 officially debuts with 7,000mAh battery
The €360 phone is built around a 6.7″ Super AMOLED screen of FHD+ resolution.
OnePlus Nord design revealed in interview with Carl Pei
The OnePlus Buds can also be seen in the video.
Samsung Galaxy M31s unveiled with 6.5” AMOLED, quad cameras and 6,000 mAh battery
Sales in India start on August 6.
iPhone 12 launch date revealed, MacBooks with Apple chips coming in October
Apple’s long-awaited AirPower should make an appearance as well.
Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro images and price surface, 108MP main cam confirmed
The renders offer a much clearer look than the hands-on photos from a couple of weeks ago.
I used the Huawei Mate Xs and now I don’t want to go back to a normal smartphone
Does your phone turn into a tablet?
Pre-production iPhone 12 allegedly handled on video
It looks very close to the iPhone 11 Pro, however, aside from a few small details.
The Galaxy A72 could be Samsung’s first penta-camera phone, A52 will stick with four cams
The Galaxy A9 (2018) was the first quad-camera phone in the world – Samsung loves experimenting with camera on the A-series.
Tecno introduces Camon 16, 16 Pro and 16 Premier
The first phone on the market is Camon 16 Premier, costs about $275.
Weekly poll: Did the Galaxy Note20, Note20 Ultra and Z Fold2 live up to expectations?
The Notes are the unrivaled stylus champions and the Fold2 brings key improvements, but are there weak spots in the new premium lineup?
Xiaomi Mi 10 Ultra is here: 120W wired charging, best camera setup around
It marks Xiaomi’s tenth anniversary and brings the fastest charging speeds on the market.
Samsung Galaxy M51 to pack a 12MP ultrawide angle camera
It was spotted on Geekbench with a Snapdragon 675 chipset.
Microsoft Surface Duo goes on pre-order, will be available on September 10
It starts at $1,399 and will be available across T-Mobile, AT&T, and Verizon.
Xiaomi Mi 10 Ultra and K30 Ultra not coming out of China
You shouldn’t expect to see either phone outside of China.
Samsung Galaxy Note20 and Note20 Ultra unveiled with upgraded screens, S Pen and cameras
Both Notes have larger displays than their predecessors – a 120 Hz panel in the case of the Ultra, 60 Hz for the vanilla model.
Samsung Galaxy Note20+ goes through FCC, poses for live photos
The model number SM-N986U has been referenced many times in previous reports.
Apple details A14 chipset ahead of iPhone 12 lineup announcement
The first 5nm chipset is official.
Pixel 5 launch date and pricing revealed in new leak, Pixel 4a 5G will launch on the same day
The info comes from Vodafone Germany so it’s pretty credible.
OnePlus Nord full specs surface: 6.44″ display, UD fingerprint reader, and 4,115 mAh battery
It will be unveiled on July 21 with a Snapdragon 765G SoC under the hood and a 90Hz display.
Interview: Realme’s Madhav Sheth talks 108MP camera, phones with notchless displays, and rapid product expansion
Sheth also talks about plans to launch more affordable smartphones and cutting-edge IoT products.
Galaxy S20 Ultra is $400 off this weekend, other Samsung phones on offer too
You’ll need to activate them on specific carriers though.
Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max’s AnTuTu result shows minor performance gains
The results are somehow disappointing.
Source: Gsmarena
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