The Sony Xperia line still has a loyal group of fans who will be pleased to hear about the alleged specs for the Sony Xperia 1 III 5G smartphone. Not only will the premium device sport an essential Snapdragon 888 SoC but it will boast of the kind of display enthusiasts will drool over. Being a Sony device, a lot can be expected from the screen, and it seems this will be delivered: 6.5-inch diagonal, 4K resolution, AMOLED type panel, HDR support, 120 Hz refresh rate.

On top of a first-class chipset and probably stunning display (apparently 15% brighter now), the Sony Xperia 1 III should offer 8 GB RAM and 256 GB storage, although other configurations might be made available. As mentioned above, 5G is supported, and the next Xperia 1 will also be IP65/IP68 water and dust resistant according to the leak source. The fingerprint sensor will be fitted into the side of the smartphone, but the camera equipment is still a mystery. However, once again being Sony you could bet that the lenses will be of a very high standard.

Predictions from a separate source state up to 512 GB storage, a 5,000-mAh battery, and 650+ ppi display. There’s no denying this potential Sony Xperia 1 III has the potential to be a terrific purchase, but the price tag is yet again supposedly over US$1,000, which is a sharp contrast to the admittedly domestic prices of the Xiaomi Mi 11. At US$1,199, the Xperia 1 III will really have to perform, but at least the price tag hasn’t rocketed as the Xperia 1 II was launched at the same price point.

When it comes to fast-charging technology, no other manufacturer is currently ahead of Xiaomi. The Mi 10 Ultra has a 4,500 mAh battery – to be precise, the Chinese manufacturer installs a 2,250 mAh battery in a dual format, so that the aforementioned capacity is achieved by combining the two batteries.

Fast-charging technologies have been revolutionized in the smartphone segment over the past few years. Early breakthroughs were achieved in the Android segment with 20-watt chargers and later with the nowadays “common” 50-watt or 60-watt power adapters. Xiaomi has now advanced into the triple-digit range, and it looks like a limit is still a long way off.

Xiaomi’s flagship already comes with a 120-watt power adapter in the box, and it charges the two 2,250 mAh batteries in less than 25 minutes. We were also able to confirm this manufacturer’s claim in the test. Going from 0 to 70% only takes about 14 minutes, which should (theoretically) get most users through the day in view of the Mi 10 Ultra’s runtimes of over 12 hours in our WLAN test with an adjusted display brightness of 150 cd/m². For comparison purposes, an Apple iPhone 12 Pro charges at a maximum of 20 watts using a cable.

However, according to reports, Xiaomi’s 120-watt charger actually “only” delivers 80 watts to the Mi 10 Ultra, which again suggests that these incredibly fast charging times of the flagship smartphone might soon be significantly surpassed.

Wireless charging is also supported at 50 watts, so that a charge only takes about 45 minutes according to Xiaomi. And Reverse Wireless Charging is also on board, allowing peripheral devices to be charged at up to 10 watts.

Would you like to get a detailed impression of the Mi 10 Ultra? In that case, we recommend our review of the Xiaomi smartphone.

Samsung could have as many as four foldable devices in the pipeline for 2021 according to a report from Korea’s ETNews. If true, the report underscores rumors that Samsung is planning to phase out its iconic Galaxy Note series in favor of its folding smartphone line up. Indications are that Samsung’s Galaxy S21 Ultra will offer S-Pen support and that at least one of the foldables will also pick up S-Pen support in the coming year too.

ETNews believes that there will be two Galaxy Z Fold3 models and two new Galaxy Z Flip models as well. With all expected to support 5G cellular connections, it appears that Samsung could be adopting a split strategy for its range with a high-end Fold3 and Flip joined by a more affordable, or ‘Lite’ alternative for each. The high-end Galaxy Z Fold3 is also expected to bring S-Pen support and will launch in a similar window to when the Galaxy Note would have otherwise launched. This will give traditional Note customers a truly powerful mobile computing alternative.

In terms of the differentiation between the high-end and Lite foldable models, lower specification processors and potentially displays are likely. This, however, could significantly increase the affordability of Samsung’s foldable range which have thus far been priced beyond the reach of most consumers. Samsung believes its foldable OLED technology is the future of smartphones and ETNews also reports that Samsung will launch a rollable smartphone to compete with LG’s forthcoming rollable. This model, however, may not reach the market until 2022.

Samsung has already confirmed that the Galaxy S21 series is headed to market on January 14, with pre-orders set to follow later that month. There have also been plenty of renders and benchmark sightings of the three devices, along with a few videos of the Galaxy S21. Now, Twitter account @cozyplanes claims to have confirmed specifications of the Galaxy S21 devices, including regional variants.

According to the account, the Exynos 2100 chipset will be making its way into European and South Korean versions of the Galaxy S21 series – a change from the most-recent Galaxy S handset, the Galaxy S20 FE. However, Samsung will release the Galaxy S21 series with chipsets Snapdragon in the USA, a decision that has served US customers well recently.

This time it will be the Snapdragon 888 that graces Samsung’s Galaxy S smartphones, although we doubt that this chipset will be exclusive to the USA. Instead, we imagine that Samsung will sell Snapdragon 888-powered Galaxy S21 devices in China, at the very least.

@cozyplanes states that the trio will be available in a variety of memory configurations at launch. Specifically, the Galaxy S21 and Galaxy S21+ will both come with 8 GB of RAM, along with 128 GB or 256 GB of storage. Additionally, Samsung will apparently sell the Galaxy S21+ with 12 GB of RAM, which will be the entry-level RAM configuration for the Galaxy S21 Ultra. We already know from Roland Quandt that Samsung will offer the Galaxy S21 Ultra with up to 512 GB of storage, but @cozyplanes adds that there will also be 16 GB of RAM available to the premier Galaxy S series device next year. 

Moreover, the base Galaxy S21 will only have an FHD+ display, while the Galaxy S21+ will have a QHD panel. The latter will be capable of 120 Hz too, unlike the Galaxy S21, albeit only at FHD+. A glass back is also coming to the Galaxy S21+, but Samsung is thought to be using its ‘glasstic’ plastic back on the entry-level model. We imagine that Samsung will equip the Galaxy S21 Ultra with a glass back too. However, @cozyplanes did not elaborate on this.

The Pixel 5 Pro posted on /LEAKS last week may well have been a fake of some sort, but apparently Google has such a device in development. We voiced our doubts about the supposed Pixel 5 Pro pictures here, not least because of the inconsistencies of its purported specifications. However, Ross Young of DSCC has weighed in on the likelihood of there being another flagship Pixel smartphone in the near future.

Replying to a tweet by Max Weinbach, Young asserts that suppliers have been developing such a device. Weinbach does not believe that a Pixel 5 Pro exists, but panel suppliers have apparently informed Young otherwise. Google has already admitted that it plans to release ‘exciting hardware’ next year, although companies do often make vague claims like this.

Sadly, Young insists that Google has put the Pixel 5 Pro on hold. Young has not explained any further, but the device is real. It is unclear at what stage of development said device is at too, although we would be surprised if Google used the Snapdragon 865 considering that Qualcomm has announced the Snapdragon 888. 

Do not rule out the Pixel 5 because of its Snapdragon 765G chipset, though. As our review of the device has shown, the Pixel 5 is a powerful handset with great cameras and an excellent display. Google has improved battery life from the Pixel 4 series too, arguably making it an upgrade from the Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL.