Phones Archives - The Canadian

29Jan

By thecanadianNo Comments

android, Apple, Galaxy S21, News, Phones, Samsung

Apple’s next iPhone could include an optical in-display fingerprint sensor

It looks like Apple's next line of iPhone, possibly called the iPhone 13, could feature an in-display fingerprint sensor with Face ID by switching to a secondary biometric authentication option. According to The Wall Street Journal Joanna sternApple has been experimenting with in-display fingerprint technology for several years, and it could finally make its way to the next generation of iPhones. Stern says he was briefed on the new feature by a former Apple employee, who claimed the company is working with optical sensors for on-screen fingerprint authentication, rather than an ultrasonic sensor because "it may be more reliable." While on-screen optical sensors like the ones featured on OnePlus' high-end smartphone use light to map a fingerprint, ultrasonic scanners like th...

29Jan

By thecanadianNo Comments

android, Galaxy S21, News, Phones, Samsung

Samsung’s Galaxy S21 series is now available in Canada

Following its reveal on January 14, Samsung's latest line of flagship smartphones, including the Galaxy S21, Galaxy S21 +, and Galaxy S21 Ultra, is now available in Canada. The Samsung Galaxy S21 is available in 'Phantom Pink', 'Phantom Violet', 'Phantom White' and 'Phantom Gray'. The 128GB variant of the phone costs $ 1,129.99, and the 256GB variant is priced at $ 1,199.99. The 256GB model of the device is only available in Phantom Gray. The smartphone features a 6.2-inch 120Hz dynamic AMOLED flat screen with a resolution of 1080 x 2400 pixels, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 processor, 8GB of RAM, and 128GB or 256GB of storage. On the camera side, the rear-facing array features a 12-megapixel wide lens, a 64-megapixel telephoto lens, and a 12-megapixel ultrawide shooter. On the other...

28Jan

By thecanadianNo Comments

android, News, Phones

Google may be working on system theme options for Android 12

A new report claims that Android 12 could expand the system theme options built into Android stock. This means that you will soon be able to add a system color that could be applied to notifications and quick system changes. 9to5Google notes that this might even work with some third-party apps, allowing them to color your system theme to give users a more consistent look across apps and their operating system. On Android 10 and 11, standard Android users can alter the system accent color, which changes the hue of quick switches and other aspects of system settings. This new feature is not likely to be as advanced and will cause people to use preset colors as you already do with accent colors. 9to5Google speculates that each phone m...

28Jan

By thecanadianNo Comments

Apple, Huawei, News, Phones

Apple Retakes Second Place in Global Smartphone Shipment Rankings: Report

Apple overtook Huawei to regain its position as the world's second-best-selling smartphone maker in 2020, according to company research reports. Counterpoint and Canalys. As expected, Samsung remains at the top in terms of devices shipped, followed by Xiaomi, Oppo, and Vivo, three China-based companies that do not officially sell their devices in Canada. In 2019, similar research reports revealed that Huawei managed to overtake Apple for second place. Since then, US trade sanctions have hit Huawei hard, although the China-based company continues to sell its smartphones in Canada. The most recently launched Huawei smartphone in Canada is the Mate 30 Pro. That said, the device does not have access to the Google Play Store and inste...

28Jan

By thecanadianNo Comments

android, Google, News, Phones

Google’s Pixel 4a 5G ‘Clearly White’ is now available in Canada

Following its launch in the US in late January, the Pixel 4a 5G 'Clearly White' is now available in Canada via the Google Store. The smartphone, which was launched in October 2020, was previously only available in 'Just Black'. Like its darker counterpart, the Clearly White Pixel 4a 5G costs $ 679. It's worth noting that instead of a black power button, the white version of the device features a lime green switch. The smartphone features a 6.2-inch OLED screen with a resolution of 1080 x 2340 pixels, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G processor with 5G capacity, 6 GB of RAM, and a 3800 mAh battery. The Pixel 4a 5G also includes a dual-lens rear camera suite that features a 12.2-megapixel rear shooter along with a 16-megapixel ultra-wide ...

27Jan

By thecanadianNo Comments

News, Phones, Samsung

Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra is the first to introduce a new OLED screen with greater energy efficiency

The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra is the first phone to feature Samsung Display's new more energy efficient OLED panels. As seen by The edge, a Samsung screen launch explains that the S21 Ultra has a screen that consumes 16 percent less power. The company says it uses a "newly developed organic material" that allows "electrons [to] they flow faster and more easily through the organic layer of the screen. " "Thanks to this process, OLED panels can create a brighter light while consuming less power, which improves battery life," Samsung explained in the statement. MobileSyrup's Patrick O'Rourke noted in his review of the S21 Ultra that it had excellent battery life that easily lasted a day and a half with "moderate use." Additionally, t...

26Jan

By thecanadianNo Comments

ipad, iPhone, News, Phones

iOS 14.4 and iPadOS 14.4 are now available, include Bluetooth type settings, bug fixes

iOS 14.4 and iPadOS 14.4 are now available on iPhone and iPad. While this latest update isn't nearly as substantial as iOS 14.3 / iPadOS 14.3, it does pack some notable new features. For example, there is now a new option that allows users to classify the types of Bluetooth audio devices to correctly identify headphones for audio notifications. Other fixes include removal of artifacts from HDR photos, Fitness widget not showing up-to-date activity data, and auto-complete keyboard suggestions. Below you can find the full release notes for the updates: The camera can recognize smaller QR codesOption to classify the Bluetooth device type in Settings for correct identification of headphones for audio notificationsNotifications when...

26Jan

By thecanadianNo Comments

News, OnePlus, Phones

OnePlus 9 series will reportedly not feature periscope cameras

OnePlus' next flagship, the OnePlus 9, probably won't come with a periscope zoom lens based on recent rumors. Also, the OnePlus 9 Pro can ship with a large Quad HD (QHD +) panel. First, filter Max Jambor (@MaxJmb) shared on Twitter that the OnePlus 9 and 9 Pro will not have periscope camera lenses. That can be a disappointment for some fans, especially since many other phone makers are releasing devices with periscope lenses. Samsung, Huawei and even Oppo, which are owned by the same parent company as OnePlus and now share research and development with OnePlus, have devices or will launch devices with periscope cameras. If you want to know if the 9 or 9 Pro have a periscope camera: they don't https://t.co/Aewn1uK8h2 - Max Jambor (@MaxJmb) January 25, 2021 For those unfamiliar w...

25Jan

By thecanadianNo Comments

News, Phones, sony

Sony May Bring Back Xperia Compact Phones for Small Phone Lovers

It seems that Sony wants to enter the small smartphone market and take Apple's 5.4-inch iPhone 12 mini. A new leak reportedly shows an upcoming Sony smartphone that is a revised version of the Xperia Compact brand from 2018. While Sony has officially stopped selling its smartphones in Canada, the launch of a smaller flagship may be a good way for the company to relaunch its efforts here. The image, which comes from frequent leaks Steve Hemmerstoffer, says the new compact device has a 5.5-inch screen, dual rear cameras, a headphone jack, and a fingerprint scanner built into the power button. Hemmerstoff also suggests that Sony's new smartphone will be unveiled sometime in February, with a March launch date. The most remarkable thi...

25Jan

By thecanadianNo Comments

Bell, Galaxy S21, News, Phones, Samsung

Bell allegedly sold Samsung’s Galaxy S21 series early

It looks like Bell is selling Samsung's Galaxy S21 series a bit earlier than expected. According to a tip sent to MobileSyrup, Bell now sells the Galaxy S21, Galaxy S21 + and Galaxy S21 Ultra in Canadian stores. Additionally, pre-orders will also ship on Monday, January 25. As soon as the carrier has shipments of the smartphone in stock, you can sell them. It is important to note that the physical locations of the Bell stores are only open by appointment for essential services in Ontario and Quebec, given current stay-at-home requests from the provinces. Samsung's official launch date for the S21 series is January 29, following the launch of pre-orders on January 14. Most online order shipments from retailers including Samsung a...

25Jan

By thecanadianNo Comments

android, News, Phones

Samsung still doesn’t support Android’s perfect update feature

Samsung was expected to eventually fold in and add Android's 'Seamless Update' feature to its Galaxy S21 series of smartphones, but the company has once again opted not to make updates any less of a hassle. Perfect Update is an Android feature that has been incorporated into the operating system since 2016. It allows developers to send updates to mobile phones that are downloaded and installed in a background partition. This means that all users need to do is restart their phone to apply the update. Without the built-in updates, users have to download the update and manually start the installation process, which can sometimes render their phone unusable for up to 20 minutes. While it's not ideal for Samsung to avoid adding Seamles...

23Jan

By thecanadianNo Comments

android, Google, News, Phones

Google May Bring Back Android 11 Preview Double Tap Gesture in Android 12

Last year, during the Android 11 developer preview phase, it appeared that Google was planning to add a double-tap gesture that would allow people to tap on the back of their phone to activate certain features. While the feature never made it to Android 11, it apparently didn't go away either; It seems that the double tap could arrive as part of Android 12. As reported by 9to5Google, the double-tap gesture could make its way to Android 12 Pixel phones with a few tweaks. When the feature appeared in Android 11 with the codename 'Columbus' (named after the Zombieland character and its 'double tap' rule), it would launch the Google Assistant, but it also had several alternate functions to activate instead. Also, the version of Andr...