The Shenzhen-based firm stole the spotlight as it began pre-orders for its Mate XT midday on Saturday, two days ahead of Apple's planned iPhone 16 launch early morning Tuesday Beijing time, CNBC reported.

It seems Huawei is on track to become the world's best smartphone as it made a comeback as it launched popular models like the Mate 60 Pro and Mate X5.

Last month, Huawei emerged financially victorious, reporting double-digit jumps in both revenue and profit, despite US sanctions.

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Huawei consumer business chairman Richard Yu said at the livestreamed launch event that the company spent five years developing the product, leading to what he calls "breakthroughs" in screen and hinge technology.

As reported by CNN, he was quoted, claiming that the “Huawei Mate XT is the world’s first triple-fold smartphone, and the largest and thinnest foldable handset globally."

“We are the first in the world to achieve outward folding (in smartphones) and the first to create an inward-folding phone with no gaps.”

The phone has three panels that can be folded up to three times. It sports a 10.2-inch screen available in red and black.

Huawei claimed the Mate XT smartphone has currently more than 3.7 million pre-orders since becoming available online Saturday.

The base model sells for US$2,800.

Canalys research manager Amber Liu told CNN that Huawei's recovery "directly challenges" Apple's performance in China, its second largest market, which accounts for 20% of its global shipments.

She noted that Chinese smartphone makers climbed the top five spots domestically on a quarterly basis for the first time ever, pushing Apple to sixth place.

The iPhone 16
Apple introduced the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16, built for Apple Intelligence, a personal intelligence system that "understands personal context to deliver intelligence that is helpful and relevant while protecting user privacy."

Apple boasted the new lineup features camera control, which brings "brings new ways to capture memories, and will help users quickly access visual intelligence to learn about objects or places around them faster than ever before."

The Apple Intelligence harnesses Apple-built generative models to understand and create language.

Apple said the generative features will soon follow.

It is still unclear whether the Mate XT features AI.

GlobalData senior technology analyst Anisha Bhatia said that although Apple Intelligence has arrived, Google is "miles ahead when it comes to AI."

"The integration of this technology into Apple's ecosystem will occur in a phased manner over the next few years," Bhatia said. "Meanwhile, Google will race ahead taking its Gemini AI models to 200 million Android devices by the end of 2024."

“The upcoming iPhone cycle is crucial for Apple after multiple years of lackluster sales, especially in China, regulatory scrutiny, and a loss in market cap to Microsoft and Nvidia on the strength of their AI business. Apple will have to upsell its AI significantly," Bhatia added.

The WaveCore consists of point to point bridge with two nodes measuring 10.x1” x 2.7” x 10.3” that are installed one on each side of a concrete wall or floor ceiling.

It operates on PoE (power over ethernet) or a 12V DC input.

Airvine said it tested the product with select customer this year, showing results such as a 3Gbps connection through 8” of concrete in the middle of a 54-foot link and a 4Gbps connection through a 12” concrete wall in a garage that was in the middle of a 6-foot link.

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Airvine said WaveCore will “prove useful” for meeting connectivity requirements for fire control rooms.

Such rooms are often located in the basement and surrounded by thick concrete walls. These rooms are mandated to have connectivity to the outside world (to the fire department and perhaps other first responder entities) and today typically use 3G connections.

Unfortunately for building owners, 3G is now being phased out and 5G does not have the signal propagation to penetrate concrete walls and/or ceilings.

Airvine claimed that instead of core drilling to connect the outside world to the fire control system with a cable, a WaveCore link can deliver this connectivity cheaper and faster.

“We have proven with customers for more than a year now that the WaveTunnel provides cost-effective Gigabit-speed connectivity in MDUs, factories, warehouses, conference centres, and other similarly large properties,” said Airvine CEO Vivek Ragavan.

“The WaveCore system surmounts these obstacles and enables us to connect wirelessly any building with any floor plan anywhere.”

The combined WaveTunnel and WaveCore solution is managed by the VineSuite software platform, which facilitates network set-up and operation.

Tasmanian residents are most likely to have a smashed phone screen with more than a quarter (27.8%) reporting they don’t repair their phone because it is too expensive.

More than half of Australians (54.9%) have shattered their phone screens up to five times in the past year. Apple users struggle with repair costs, with more than a third (35.2%) spending up to $250, and almost 12% of respondents forking out as much as $500 to fix their smashed phone screens.

In the lead up to the launch of the highly anticipated Apple iPhone 16, Vodafone is helping customers avoid costly repairs with the introduction of $0 first screen replacement for those who sign up to Vodafone Device Care at a cost of $14.99/mth plus service fees.

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Vodafone will repair the first screen for $0 instead of the standard fee of $45.

“For chronic screen smashers or those experiencing this phone-omenon for the first time, Vodafone Device Care will be $0 for your first screen replacement, so those looking to protect their phone can experience even greater peace of mind,” Vodafone said.

“With Vodafone Device Care, customers can leave the stress and exorbitant screen repair costs behind with access to phone screen replacements, and mobile phone exchanges for any reason,” said a Vodafone spokesperson.

When it comes to accidentally smashing phones, Australians are a creative lot. While some reported “throwing it into a wall when it doesn’t do what it’s supposed to,” another responded, “it was in my hand when I tried to catch a falling tin of peaches.”

Here is a list of the top ways Aussies are smashing their phone screens:
Pocket Plummeter: 70% dropped their phone while taking it out of their pocket or bag
Social Stumbler: 17% were texting or scrolling on social media when it slipped out of their hand
Selfie Smasher: 13% were snapping a pic when their phone slipped out of their hands
Screen Stomper: 6% had their phone screen stepped on or crushed
Run Club Fumbler: 6% dropped their phone while going for a run
Baby Bumbler: 5% had their kid drop and smash their phone

Other data includes:
Tasmania (27.8%), South Australia (22.5%), Australian Capital Territory (21.7%) and New South Wales (21.6%) are the states most likely to not repair smashed phone screen because it is too expensive.

Australian Capital Territory residents broke their phone screen the least in the last 12 months with only 35% reporting they’d broken it in the last 12 months, compared to over half of Queensland (55%) and the Northern Territory (78%) residents.

Qualcomm says the Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 Mobile Platform leverages specially selected features from the 7-series to make its technologies more accessible to all, including generative AI, mobile gaming, camera and video.

"The new platform offers on-device generative AI capabilities with support for LLMs including Baichuan-7B, Llama 2 at 1B parameters and others," Qualcomm says in its announcement.

"It also features new adventure-packed mobile gaming experiences powered by the powerful Qualcomm Adreno GPU, and professional-grade camera and video capture features such as 12-bit triple ISP and 4K sHDR."

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According to Qualcomm, the platform achieves new performance heights across the board, with nearly 20% improved CPU performance thanks to the latest Qualcomm® Kryo CPU, up to 40% accelerated GPU, over 30% better AI performance and 12% overall power savings.

Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi will be the first cab off the rank to incorporate the new Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 platform, with the first device expected to be announced next month.

Other smartphone OEMs, including Realme, Samsung, and Sharp are expected to announce the adoption of Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 in the coming months.

“Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 will bring the best of the 7-series to more mid-tier devices by selecting top 7-series features including on-device AI support,” said Chris Patrick, senior vice president and general manager of mobile handsets, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc.

“This platform is another proof point in our commitment to deliver the best-in-class mobile experiences to consumers at every price.”

There's always a lot to love about the Google Pixel range; while you can snag an Android phone from many manufacturers, there's something to be said for the pure Android experience from Google, with all the speed, efficiency, and grace it brings.

Well, Google has announced the next lineup of Google Pixel phones - the 9 series - are coming to Australia in September and available for pre-order today. For the first time there are four phones in the range, including for the very first time, a foldable Pixel.

As well as improved hardware and beautiful cameras, the Pixel 9 series includes the best of Google AI to do incredible things like add people to photographs!

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The Pixel 9 range is powered by the new Google Tensor G4 chip and offers more options than ever before, and with the most advanced Google AI capabilities yet.

Starting with the 6.3" Pixel 9, there's also the Pixel 9 Pro at 6.3", the Pixel 9 Pro XL at 6.8", and the Pixel 9 Pro Fold which starts at 6.3" but unfolds to become an 8" immersive display.

The Pixel 9 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro XL feature the same advanced specs, but in two different sizes for your convenience, while the Pixel 9 Pro Fold takes advantage of  its big screen to include an ultra-thin advanced triple-rear camera with AI built-in.

All the phones are excellent, of course, but the Fold becomes truly perfect for multitasking with split screen, allowing you to enjoy big screen entertainment, really leverage the Google AI-powered photo editing suite, while fitting easily in your pocket.

The built-in AI tools allow you to do magical things and supercharge your productivity. Google guarantees seven years of OS, security, and Pixel Drop updates. It ships with Android 14.

All phones ship with stereo speakers, three microphones, USB-C, nano-SIM and e-SIM dual capability, Bluetooth 5.3, Wi-Fi 6, 5G, and more.

Pricing and availability

• The Pixel 9 starts at $1,349 RRP in obsidian, porcelain, wintergreen, and peony.
• The Pixel 9 Pro starts at $1,699 RRP and the Pixel 9 Pro XL at $1,849 RRP. Both are available in obsidian, porcelain, hazel, and rose quartz.
• The Pixel 9 Pro Fold starts at $2,699 RRP and comes in porcelain and obsidian.
• All models are available for pre-order now; the Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro, and Pixel 9 Pro XL will be available from 22 August 2024, while the Pixel 9 Pro Fold will be available from 2 September 2024.
• The handsets are available from the Google Store, JB Hi-Fi, Telstra, Optus, Harvey Norman, Officeworks, and Vodafone.

Google has also announced additional members to the Pixel family coming later in the year: the Pixel Watch 3 (available from 10 September) and Pixel Buds Pro 2(available from 26 September).

Specs

	Pixel 9	Pixel 9 Pro	Pixel 9 Pro XL	Pixel 9 Pro Fold
Price	$1,349	$1,699	$1,849	$2,699
Battery life	24 hours+	24 hours+	24 hours+	24 hours+
RAM	12GB	16GB	16GB	16GB
Storage	128GB/256GB	256GB/512GB/1TB	256GB/512GB/1TB	256GB/512GB
Rear camera summary	Advanced dual rear camera system 50 MP wide 48 MP ultrawide with Macro Focus Super Res Zoom up to 8x and optical quality at 0.5x, 1x, 2x	Pro triple rear camera system 50 MP wide 48 MP ultrawide with Macro Focus 48 MP 5x telephoto lens Super Res Zoom up to 30x and optical quality at 0.5x, 1x, 2x, 5x, 10x	Pro triple rear camera system 50 MP wide 48 MP ultrawide with Macro Focus 48 MP 5x telephoto lens Super Res Zoom up to 30x and optical quality at 0.5x, 1x, 2x, 5x, 10x	Advanced triple rear camera system 48 MP wide 10.5 MP ultrawide with Macro Focus 10.8 MP 5x telephoto lens Super Res Zoom up to 20x and optical quality at 0.5x, 1x, 5x
Colours	obsidian porcelain wintergreen peony	obsidian porcelain hazel rose quartz	obsidian porcelain hazel rose quartz	obsidian porcelain
Display	6.3" 1080 x 2424 OLED at 422 PPI	6.3" 1280 x 2856 LTPO OLED at 495 PPI	6.8" 1344 x 2992 LTPO OLED at 486 PPI	Folded: 6.3" 1080 x 2424 OLED at 422 PPI Unfolded: 8" 2076 x 2152 OLED at 373 PPI

 

The chip comes with CPU performance for multitasking and productivity, dual band navIC for position accuracy, AI-enhanced audio, and provides gameplay and video streaming.

Qualcomm says the chip provides the necessary technology for enjoying a Gigabit 5G modem.

According to the company, the 5G Modem-RF System is optimised for balancing performance and efficiency.

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It supports sub-6Hz 5G networks with 2x2 Mimo antennas and backs multimode connectivity for LTE, WCDMA, HSPA, and GSM/Edge legacy networks.

Techspot reported the chip is built on 4nm process node. The CPU includes two Kryo performance cores up to 2GHz and six efficiency cores (1.6GHz), which are slightly slower than the existing Snapdragon 4 Gen 2 SoC.

“The Snapdragon 4s Gen 2 Mobile Platform is a significant leap forward in making 5G technology more accessible, so more people can navigate the world at 5G speeds,” claims Qualcomm senior vice president and general manager of mobile handsets Chris Patrick.

“Thanks to cutting-edge engineering, we balanced affordability with strong performance and all-day battery life, as well as widespread access to 5G for more enhanced mobile experiences.”

Snapdragon 4s Gen 2 will initially be adopted by Xiaomi, with the first device expected to be announced before the end of 2024. Despite bans imposed by US and EU authorities, Xiaomi still cemented its position as the third-largest smartphone company in the world, behind Samsung and Apple.

“Many people have yet to experience the benefits of 5G, and thanks to Snapdragon 4s Gen 2, Xiaomi can bring 5G connectivity to a broader audience to help reshape the way the world connects and interacts,” says Xiaomi India president Muralikrishnan B.

Viasat said it was developed as part of a multi-phase effort with US Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) to identify and develop tactical communication capabilities for mobile ground forces.

The SWH's modular features configure options including LTE and Wi-Fi/Bluetooth for additional resilience.

Users can also benefit from the Secure Wireless Hub App, which integrates with military devices as a single source configuration manager.

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Viasat also collaborated with USSOCOM to test SWH during the Strategic Level Joint SOF Fires Exercise last fall.

Viasat touts the SWH is the first wearable addition to Viasat’s portfolio of tactical gateway solutions.

It boasts the SWH weighs less than one kilogram. It offers reduced size, weight, and power (SWaP) to integrate with body armour without adding weight.

It claims the SWH provides an 85% reduction in cabling compared to other wearable hub systems.

SWH provides the capability of much larger systems to meet expanding requirements for tactical edge compute and networking in a small form factor for dismounted users.

As a complete solution, the SWH will offer a body-worn tactical gateway that can provide a level of interoperability only previously seen in larger transit boxes that are too big for dismounted operations.

Viasat's mobile software-defined networking platform, NetAgility, will enable the SWH to utilise various tactical transports and advanced networking capabilities to improve situational awareness and data exchange.

The edge compute capability will also offer a secure VPN, allowing the use of multiple transports and waveforms across a range of devices to provide resilient connectivity and safely share critical battlefield information.

Predicting growth of 51%, this will be driven by operators expanding their portfolios to include higher-margin advanced services, such as powering merchant payments in-store or via e-commerce, or providing international remittances.

Pivoting to advanced services will allow MFS (mobile financial services) providers to reduce their reliance on revenue from P2P transactions.

This will enable growth in operator revenue streams as offerings expand, but will require mobile money providers to build new capabilities, such as app-based service delivery and credit scoring, to facilitate this shift.

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Juniper Research identified major challenges such as the complexity of shifting from basic USSD (unstructured supplementary service data) services to fully app-based experiences as creating hurdles for mobile money providers.

To address this, Juniper Research recognised effective partnerships with digital wallet platform providers to increase their reach across different access channels as critical in revolutionising how services are offered.

"As banks struggle with the distribution of financial services in emerging markets and mobile money services have excellent reach via their agent networks, partnerships between banks and mobile money services are a strong fit. MFS providers must strike partnerships with banks to offer the capabilities needed, and with platform providers to improve their technical infrastructures, to best address the advanced services opportunity,” explains Juniper Research co-author author Mélissa Amouny.

Dell’Oro Group reduced its forecast due to severe “economic headwinds” primarily the high inflation rates, and the slow adoption of 5G Standalone (5G SA) networks by mobile network operators (MNOs).

“It bears repeating, this is the fifth consecutive time we have reduced the growth rate of the MCN market as the build-out of 5G SA networks continue to wane compared to 5G Non-standalone networks,” explains Dell’Oro Group research director Dave Bolan.

“This is the first five-year forecast out of the last five where the five-year CAGR (2023-2028) has fallen into negative territory. The count of 5G SA networks commercially deployed by MNOs remains the same as it was at the end of 2023, about 50 5G SA networks.”

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“For the same reasons outlined for the MCN market, we reduced the 5-year cumulative revenue forecast for the Multi-Access Edge Computing (MEC) market, a sub-segment of the MCN market, by 18%,” Bolan adds.

“ In the case of MEC, the adoption rate is slowed much more dramatically than the overall MCN market. The industry is addressing these concerns with several initiatives such as open gateway application programmable interfaces (APIs) to attract the application development community to develop applications for the mobile industry that can easily be leveraged across all MNOs.”

Release 18 is introducing capabilities for new use cases, and Reduced Capability (RedCap) RAN software to bring more 5G IoT devices to market. However, these will take time to bring solutions to market and more importantly at scale to have an impact on the overall market growth,” Bolan concludes.

The Mobile Core Network & Multi-Access Edge Computing 5-Year July 2024 Forecast Report listed the following highlights:

- The CAGR is negative for all product segments—Packet Core, Policy, Signaling, Subscriber Data Management, and IMS Core.

- The CAGR for the market segments is positive for 5G MCN and MEC, and negative for 4G MCN and IMS Core.

- The CAGR by regions is positive for Asia Pacific exclusively China, Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA), and Worldwide excluding China. The regions with negative CAGRs are North America, CALA, China, and Worldwide excluding North America.

The new Olympic Edition for Paris 2024 is the first-ever Olympic Edition to feature Galaxy AI.

Galaxy AI is the new AI system from Samsung that will be present in the company’s many devices moving forward.

It will streamline existing features, add new tools for users, and improve the functionality of the devices in line with the current AI technology.

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The Galaxy Z Flip6 Olympic Edition includes features to help athletes open up new experiences throughout the Games and will help them connect easily while in Paris:

Live translation of calls – translates phone calls directly on the device in real-time into 16 different languages, making it easy for athletes to call the Olympic hotlines and local contacts in their native language, using Samsung native and select third-party apps.

Interpreter – instantly translates live conversations, allowing athletes to chat with other athletes and volunteers and receive a live translation of what they’re saying on screen – while still speaking face-to-face, thanks to the phone’s unique dual screen.

Composer – helps to draft emails and social media posts in apps by using simple keywords. For social media apps specifically, it even analyses the tone of past content,

Athletes can also use Galaxy AI on the Olympic Edition phone to help prepare for competition, enhance their creativity, and capture lifelong memories at Paris 2024, with features including:

Instant Slow-mo – allows athletes to record, share, and analyse their performances in slow motion, making it easier for them to refine their technique.

Photo Assist – enables athletes to get the perfect shot every time, by resizing, repositioning or even removing unwanted objects within photos.

This marks the first time Samsung’s newest product is made available to athletes before its official market launch.

The Galaxy Z Flip6 will also take centre stage at the Olympic Games as the first Olympic edition to play an integral role on the podium.

It features a compact and versatile design, in a striking yellow colorway adorned with the Olympic rings and Paralympic agitos in gold.

To dress up the phone, Samsung partnered with the Parisian Men’s Luxury Maison, Berluti, who designed the Team France’s official outfits for the Paris 2024 Opening Ceremony, to create an exclusive Flipsuit Case that will accompany each device.

Made from Venezia leather, each Flipsuit Case has a unique patina featuring a vibrant colour mix inspired by the Olympic rings, celebrating the Olympic spirit and values of excellence and unity.

To make it easier for athletes to use the phone while in Paris and beyond, each Galaxy Z Flip6 Olympic Edition will come with an eSIM of 100GB 5G data in partnership with Orange, and two years of Samsung’s international warranty.

Additionally, to keep track of the latest Games-time schedules and travel around the Olympic venues with ease, several official International Olympic Committee (IOC) apps such as Athlete 365, Olympic Shop, Paris 2024, Transport Accred App, and IOC hotline will be pre-loaded.

Via Samsung Wallet, it also will come pre-loaded with an in-app pass for free beverages in vending machines located throughout the Olympic and Paralympic Village in partnership with fellow Worldwide Partner, The Coca-Cola Company, and an unlimited complimentary public transport access card, in partnership with Île-de-France Mobilités (IDFM), so they can enjoy touring the city of Paris and its region.

Each Galaxy Z Flip6 Olympic Edition will feature a suite of Paris 2024-themed apps, as well. These include PinQuest and Galaxy Experience for collecting and exchanging real and digital pins during Games-time, Olympic Go!, the official Olympic Game, and Galaxy Skateboard, a new game featuring the Phryges, the Paris 2024 mascots.

For the first time in Olympic and Paralympic Games history, Samsung will provide the Galaxy Z Flip6 Olympic Edition for use on the podium at Paris 2024, so athletes can create their memories and emotions via a new, victory selfie.

Samsung’s customised technology will map and sort the athletes’ selfies by sport and upload them to Athlete365 in real-time, which will allow athletes to save and share their iconic moments with family and fans.

The Galaxy Z Flip6 Olympic Edition was last displayed at Olympic rendezvous @ Samsung showcases, including the one at Champs-Elysees 125, last 12 July.

In collaboration with the IOC and International Paralympic Committee (IPC), athletes will receive their Galaxy Z Flip6 Olympic Edition from Samsung starting 18 July.