News and Updates about Smartphones

The mobile industry is shifting in a way that could change how we think about phone service forever. We used to walk into carrier stores or dial customer support to set up plans. Now apps can activate mobile service on the spot, no carrier visit required. Carrier billing and e-wallets will be worth $60 billion globally in 2025, and superapps are multifunctional platforms that integrate messaging, payments, e-commerce and more. Put those together and you get a new ecosystem where your next phone...

When your smartphone screen feels more like looking at printed paper than a glowing display, you know something revolutionary is happening. The TCL NXTPAPER 60 Ultra represents the first smartphone equipped with the latest version of NXTPAPER technology, and early reviews suggest it just might be a favorite smartphone display of all time. With NXTPAPER 4.0 featuring a redesigned substrate and nano-matrix lithography application to enhance brightness and color accuracy, this is not just another...

If you've been holding off on upgrading your iPhone, the iPhone 17 Pro lineup might just change your mind. It could be Apple's biggest performance leap in years. About time, right?

Reviewed by Julianne Ngirngir

Reviewed by Julianne Ngirngir

When you fire up your Kindle and see that familiar screen, there's one feature that transforms the entire reading experience from good to absolutely game-changing: Libby integration. Libby connects you with your library's digital collection, turning your e-reader into a gateway to thousands of free books. What makes this combination so powerful? Libby enables sending borrowed books directly to Kobo or Kindle devices, creating a seamless bridge between your local library and your personal...

When your phone suddenly displays "SOS" instead of your carrier's name, it's more than just an inconvenience—it's a complete communication breakdown. Verizon customers across the United States experienced exactly this scenario when a software issue triggered a massive outage, leaving more than 23,000 customers without cellular service on what should have been an ordinary day. The outage affected calls, texts, and mobile data, sparking frustration on social media platforms and tracking websites.

Reviewed by Corey Noles

Reviewed by Julianne Ngirngir

Reviewed by Julianne Ngirngir

The next time you can't find your college friend at a crowded concert, you probably won't text them. Instead, you'll open Find My, spot their little avatar moving near the merch table, and walk straight over. Welcome to 2024, where this behavior isn't just convenient—it's completely normal.

Having tracked telecom policy changes for over five years, I've seen how regulatory shifts can reshape entire markets—but Verizon's latest move hits different. The carrier is pushing to ditch the 60-day phone unlocking rule at precisely the moment when T-Mobile's satellite service via Starlink could change how we think about connectivity. While Verizon claims it's fighting fraud, the real casualty might be your ability to tap into the most significant advancement in mobile coverage since 4G.

You lose cell service in the middle of the day, and twenty minutes later, your bank account is empty. Welcome to SIM swapping—the nightmare scenario that's plagued millions and cost victims over $25 million in 2024 alone. The good news? AT&T just rolled out a feature that could slam the door on these attacks before they start. ZDNet reports that Wireless Account Lock is now live for both postpaid and prepaid customers, joining T-Mobile and Verizon in offering SIM protection tools.

The Unicode Consortium is already hard at work on the next batch of emoji, but don't get too excited just yet. It may be a while before you see these new characters, which include an apple core, orca, and hairy creature, on your devices.

With smartphone cameras and software getting better and better every year, more and more users are getting passionate about photography. So when you're shopping for a gift to get someone, if they have a smartphone, chances are they'll more than appreciate some tools and accessories for taking better photos with their pocket friend — and we've got some gear ideas they'll love.

Smartphone gaming continues to improve with ever sharper displays and raw processing power to deliver console-quality graphics right in the palm of your hands. Nonetheless, you still stand to improve the gaming experience on any phone by adding the right accessories to the mix.

A new Sony patent shows the company doubling down on mobile gaming, and it could mean more advanced controller features for your iPhone or Android phone, similar to those in PlayStation's DualSense and DualShock controllers.

After the iPhone X eclipsed the $1,000 mark, phone prices skyrocketed. Android OEMs like Samsung started putting out phones in the same price bracket that were crammed with expensive parts. To appease the folks that didn't want to drop over a grand on even the nicest phones, a new segment was created with devices that are still in the flagship tier, but not top-of-the-line.