Cell Phone News Today

Chinese smartphone brands love a good spin-off story — a sub-brand breaking away to forge its own identity. What’s far rarer is the reverse. And yet, that’s exactly the plot twist unfolding now: "realme is reportedly merging back into OPPO and returning to sub-brand status". If realme’s sub-brand era feels like ancient history, that’s understandable. The company struck out on its own back in 2018 and quickly grew into one of China’s most recognizable smartphone names, far removed from its OPPO roots. According to a new report from Leiphone, that independence is coming to an end. realme is said to be rejoining OPPO, though not without continuity at the top. CEO Sky Li will continue to lead the brand, and all products currently on the release roadmap are expected to launch exactly as planned. The real changes are set to begin this year, as realme gradually reintegrates with OPPO — starting with shared after-sales services. Interestingly, OnePlus is also expected to adopt a simi...

Built-in active cooling fans are quickly becoming the hottest trend in China’s smartphone scene, with more brands jumping on the bandwagon. Now, Xiaomi appears ready to join the race. According to well-known tipster Digital Chat Station on Weibo, the company is testing a new phone equipped with an internal cooling fan. The device is said to run on MediaTek’s upcoming Dimensity 9500 chipset and feature a “1.5K” display paired with an ultra-high refresh rate, though the exact figure remains under wraps. Interestingly, the cooling fan is reportedly integrated into the camera island. Even more impressive, the phone is tipped to carry an IP68 rating for dust and water resistance—no small feat for a handset with active cooling hardware. All signs point to this mystery device being the Redmi K90 Ultra. Xiaomi’s previous K-series Ultra models have consistently relied on MediaTek’s top-tier chips, making the Dimensity 9500 a strong hint. Earlier leaks surrounding the K90 Ultra suggest a 6.8-inc...

OnePlus doesn’t look done pushing battery limits just yet. Hot on the heels of the OnePlus Turbo 6 and Turbo 6V launch in China, fresh leaks suggest the brand is already testing another smartphone packing a massive 9,000mAh battery — or possibly even more. Renowned tipster Digital Chat Station claims a high-performance handset powered by MediaTek’s upcoming Dimensity 9500 chipset is currently in the works. While the device hasn’t been named, it’s widely believed to be the rumored OnePlus Ace 6 Ultra. According to the leak, the phone will sport a flat 6.78-inch LTPS display with a sharp 1.5K resolution and a super-smooth 165Hz refresh rate. Security is handled by a 3D ultrasonic fingerprint scanner, while endurance should be a major highlight thanks to that enormous battery. The tipster also hints at bespoke performance tuning and a handful of standout features designed to set this model apart from other OnePlus offerings. With testing underway, more concrete details about this mystery ...

Honor closed 2025 on a high, shipping a record 71 million smartphones — with flagship models accounting for an impressive 10 million units.  What truly stands out, though, is the brand’s growing global footprint: half of Honor’s smartphone sales now come from markets outside China, fueled largely by the success of the Magic7 series. Building on its momentum from 2024, Honor delivered a strong 50% year-over-year growth in shipments. The company has now secured a 10% or higher market share in 17 regions worldwide, spanning Latin America, the Middle East, and Africa. In Malaysia, Honor has gone a step further, emerging as the market leader with over 18% smartphone share and a commanding 30% share in tablets. Looking ahead, Honor is doubling down on AI with its ambitious Honor Alpha strategy. The brand plans to invest more than $10 billion in AI-driven products over the next five years, placing smartphones at the core while expanding into AI-powered PCs, tablets, and wearables.

The Oppo Find X9 Ultra is expected to debut in March, and a new leak from a tipster on X is already lifting the curtain on its rumored camera hardware. The main camera is said to use Sony’s newly announced Lytia 901 sensor — a 200MP, 1/1.12-inch unit with a 23mm focal length. Reports claim the ultrawide camera will rely on Samsung’s 50MP ISOCELL JN5 sensor (1/2.76-inch) with a 15mm focal length, while that same sensor is expected to handle a 230mm telephoto setup with 10x optical zoom. Rounding out the setup is a 70mm periscope telephoto camera, reportedly built around OmniVision’s OV52A sensor — a large 1/1.28-inch unit with a massive 200MP resolution and 3x optical zoom. That said, this rumor should be taken with a healthy dose of skepticism, as it comes from a largely unproven source. Still, if true, the setup is intriguing, pairing two zoom cameras with a notably larger sensor on the shorter telephoto. Source

Poco will officially launch the M8 on January 8, and in the run-up to the announcement, the brand has begun revealing additional details about the phone’s specifications. It sports a 6.77-inch 3D curved OLED display with a 1080×2392 resolution, 120Hz refresh rate, and up to 3,200 nits of peak brightness — which Poco boldly claims makes it the most durable 3D curved display phone in its segment. Poco says the M8 meets MIL-STD-810H standards for resistance to heat, dust, and shocks, while also offering IP66 dust and water protection, Wet Touch 2.0 technology, and drop resistance up to 1.7m. It will be the slimmest Poco ever with its 7.35mm profile, and weighs only 178g - in fact, it's the slimmest and lightest device in its segment. Those are all the specs Poco has officially confirmed so far, but recent retailer listings reveal even more — including a Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 chipset, a 50MP main camera paired with a 2MP depth sensor, a 20MP selfie camera, and a 5,520mAh battery with 45W ...

Samsung’s next A-series refresh could be just around the corner. The Galaxy A37 and Galaxy A57 are expected to debut in February 2026, packing newer chipsets and camera upgrades, with a new leak now shedding light on exactly what those cameras might offer. According to the report, the Galaxy A37 will sport a triple rear camera system led by an upgraded 50MP Sony IMX906 main sensor, though Samsung is expected to switch between the IMX906 and its in-house S5KGNJ sensor depending on the market. Beyond the main camera, the Galaxy A37 is said to reuse the Galaxy A36’s supporting sensors — an 8MP GalaxyCore GC08A3 ultrawide and a 5MP GalaxyCore GC05A3 macro. Selfie duties could be handled by a 12MP GalaxyCore GC12A2 front-facing camera. Samsung is reportedly planning a 50MP Sony IMX906 sensor for the Galaxy A57’s main rear camera, though certain regions may instead get the ISOCELL S5KGNJ. The rest of the setup is said to include a 13MP ISOCELL S5K3L6 ultrawide camera and a 5MP GalaxyCore GC0...

Samsung’s brand-new Galaxy Z TriFold hit shelves in South Korea today, and the $2,428 foldable didn’t stick around for long. Despite its premium price and first-gen status, the device sold out within minutes, with fans lining up outside Samsung stores for a chance to grab the futuristic tri-fold phone. While Samsung remains tight-lipped about exact sales figures, interested buyers can now register for a restock notification on the brand’s Korean website, ensuring they’re alerted the moment the Galaxy Z TriFold goes back on sale. Samsung is keeping things simple with the Galaxy Z TriFold — a single 16GB/512GB model in Crafted Black. Global expansion is on the way, with launches planned in China, Taiwan, Singapore, the UAE, and the US. The catch? Samsung hasn’t shared release dates yet.

Motorola’s latest teaser points to a big foldable debut — one that seems ready to square up against the Galaxy Z Fold 7. In a creative twist, the Lenovo-owned company is sending journalists wooden flip books that expand into book-shaped lamps, complete with a red-lit interior. The way this invite opens is already a strong clue, backed up by the slogan “every fold reveals a possibility.” But Motorola goes even further with the line: “We’re getting ready to unfold new perspectives at Lenovo Tech World.” If this isn’t a clear sign that Motorola is preparing a new type of foldable, it’s hard to imagine what would be. And we’d say it’s long overdue. Up to now, Motorola’s strongest challenge to Samsung has been in the flip-phone category, especially with the Razr 60 Ultra. For years, we’ve been waiting for Motorola to take on the book-style foldable category. Its rich materials and unusually curvy designs have already carved out a distinct place in the foldable world. Looks aside, the Razr h...