Mobile Technology

It's that time of year when Samsung refreshes its popular mid-range Galaxy A series of smartphones, and for 2021 plenty of flagship features are dropping down to a more affordable price point with the Galaxy A52 and Galaxy A72.

China's JingLing recently introduced a Linux-based operating system called JingOS that's designed specifically for mobile devices. And now the company has revealed plans to launch a tablet running that operating system on Indiegogo in June.

The latest flagship phone series vying for your attention comes from Oppo. The Find X3 Lite, Find X3 Neo and Find X3 Pro bring with them top-tier specs, 5G connectivity, big OLED screens, and some interesting camera innovations.

Asus has refreshed its Republic of Gamers gaming phone for 2021, and it's a powerhouse. The ROG Phone 5 series offers a super-speedy Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 chipset, a huge 6,000-mAh battery, and up to 18 GB of RAM (more than many laptops).

As we saw last month with the winners of the Mobile Photography Awards, phone cameras can be used to capture truly incredible images. But OnePlus is looking to take things to the next level, announcing a three-year partnership with Hasselblad.

Like gaming laptops, gaming phones stuff super-powered components into big, brash cases, designed to offer the ultimate in performance for your mobile games – and the latest to hit the market is the Nubia RedMagic 6 series.

To make content creation, online meetings or virtual family visits less of a chore, Movo has squeezed a HD or 4K camera into the same unit as a quality microphone and light ring and launched a production bid on Kickstarter.

About two years ago, China's Huawei followed Samsung in launching a foldable phone. The Mate X was followed a year later by the similar looking but faster Mate XS, and now the company has launched the Mate X2, which adds another display into the mix.

Android 12 is here – or at least, the first developer preview of Android 12 is, ready for app makers to start testing ahead of a public launch for users later in 2021. The first developer preview for Android 11 launched on the same day last year.

IK Multimedia has given a helping hand to content creators looking to give their recorded or streamed visuals a pro-level audio boost with the iRig Pre 2, a battery powered pre-amp that connects XLR microphones to mobile devices or digital cameras.

Swiss e-reader maker PocketBook has launched a new device called the InkPad Color that's reckoned to be the first e-reader to sport the latest 7.8-inch color screen technology from E Ink.

The first flagships for 2021 are here – Samsung’s Galaxy s21 series. But how do they stack up against the competition? New Atlas compares the specs and features of the Galaxy S21, S21+ and S21 Ultra to the iPhone 12, 12 mini, 12 Pro and 12 Pro Max.