Vivo has already completed the global rollout of its X300 and X300 Pro smartphones, but the lineup is not finished yet. In 2026, the company will add a third model to the mix, called the Vivo X300 Ultra.
Powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chip, the talk of this phone is the camera. It is expected to have a pair of 200MP lenses, one for wide and another for telephoto duties, along with a 50MP ultrawide unit.
But the X300 Ultra might not be the only imaging product Vivo has planned for next year. According to a prominent tipster, Digital Chat Station on Weibo, the company is also working on a standalone action camera.
Vivo action camera incoming in 2026
The device is said to be tentatively scheduled for launch in the first half of 2026. Although not certain, there’s a possibility that it could debut alongside the X300 Ultra. The tipster refrained from sharing any technical specifications of the action cam, though.
Still, Vivo entering the action camera space wouldn’t be entirely out of character. The company was among the first smartphone brands to experiment with hardware-based stabilization, debuting a micro-gimbal system on the Vivo X50 Pro.
Vivo continued to use gimbal-based stabilization on its rear cameras until the X80 series. However, the technology was phased out as camera sensors became physically larger and heavier to be moved by previous micro-gimbal mechanisms.
So the history suggests Vivo already has meaningful experience in both hardware and software stabilization — two of the most critical elements of any action camera. Turning that expertise into a dedicated product feels like a logical next step.
Given Vivo’s recent success in smartphone camera innovation, it will be interesting to see what the brand brings to the action camera market.
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The Oppo Find X9 Ultra has already been rumored to feature a rear camera setup that includes a 200MP main sensor, a 50MP ultrawide, and two 50MP periscope telephoto cameras. This information is from back in October, but a new leak suggests Oppo may be rethinking part of that setup.
According to tipster Digital Chat Station, Oppo is considering replacing one of the telephoto cameras with a higher-resolution 200MP sensor. If that plan moves forward, the Find X9 Ultra’s rear camera system could look something like this:
200MP 1/1.12” main camera
50MP ultrawide
200MP 1/1.3” mid-telephoto
50MP super-telephoto
That said, this configuration doesn’t appear to be locked in yet. The leak suggests that mass production of a 200MP telephoto sensor is still uncertain. So if supply issues persist, Oppo may fall back on the previously rumored 50MP telephoto camera instead.
For selfies, the company is expected to use another 50MP unit.
Oppo Find X9 Ultra: other specs
While the Oppo Find X9 and Find X9 Pro feature the MediaTek Dimensity 9500 chipset, the Ultra variant is tipped to be powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5.
Reports also claim that the Oppo Find X9 Ultra will sport a large 6.8-inch 2K OLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate and an ultrasonic in-display fingerprint sensor. The phone is expected to run ColorOS 16 based on Android 16 out of the box.
It is also said to pack a sizable cell of around 7,000mAh. In fact, it could be the Ultra-phone with the largest battery in 2026. Like the Pro model, it may support 80W wired charging and 50W wireless charging.
The smartphone is likely to launch in China in early 2026, while the global debut is expected by late Q1 2026.
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Google’s Pixel phones are known for offering a stock Android experience and using Google’s own Tensor G-series processors. However, their performance has historically been somewhat underwhelming. That may be changing, as the latest Android 16 update has brought a noticeable improvement to Pixel 10 Pro XL performance.
Over the past few days, Google has rolled out the Android 16 QPR2 update to Pixel phones. Unexpectedly, users and testers discovered that device performance has improved significantly, especially in graphics performance.
Android Authority tested the Pixel 10 Pro XL and found that CPU performance gains were modest. In Geekbench 6, single-core performance improved by 2%, while multi-core performance increased by 5%, which isn’t a dramatic change.
PCMark’s Work 3.0 score, however, showed a much more substantial improvement, rising by 19.6%. This benchmark simulates everyday tasks such as web browsing and image editing, making it a better reflection of real-world usage.
Graphics performance also saw gains. In 3DMark’s Wild Life test, scores improved by around 5% to 7%, averaging roughly 6%.
Interestingly, despite no change in the GPU driver version, the OpenCL benchmark shows a score jump from the previous 3,063 to 4,061. That’s a nearly one-third improvement.
The possible reason for the gain
So how can a simple Android system update deliver such a performance boost?
According to AndroidPolice, the gains may come from deeper optimizations in Android 16, which introduces a more advanced and efficient memory garbage collection mechanism. This reduces CPU load during garbage collection, minimizes lag, and improves overall smoothness.
The good news is that these improvements aren’t limited to the new Pixel 10 series. Some users report that older models, such as the Pixel 8a, have also seen higher benchmark scores and better frame rates in 3DMark tests (via Reddit).
What remains unclear is whether these optimizations are exclusive to Google’s in-house Tensor processors. If the changes are more broadly applicable, other Android phones could also see meaningful performance gains through future updates.
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Phones in 2026 are certain to have a price rise due to the increasing cost of memory modules. We are already seeing its effects with recent flagship launches like the iQOO 15, which saw a whopping 33% price increase over its predecessor in India.
Raising prices, however, won’t work in all markets. In a price-sensitive economy like India, it would be harder for brands to justify higher costs when the actual device might not bring any major improvements.
A new leak suggests manufacturers may instead look for savings elsewhere, by shipping phones with less RAM, that is.
16GB RAM might go extinct in 2026
According to a tipster on Naver, smartphones equipped with 16GB of RAM could nearly go extinct in 2026, except for some manufacturer-specific models.
The source also claims that 4GB RAM models may become far more common than they are today. More concerning, some phones could still end up costing more than current models despite being equipped with less memory.
Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra mockup (modified image of S25 Ultra)
The leak goes on to say that smartphones with 12GB of RAM could be reduced by 40% and will be replaced by 6GB/8GB models. Meanwhile, 8GB models could see a 50% reduction and be replaced by 4GB/6GB variants.
Much of this pressure comes from the growing demand for memory across multiple industries. This has created a supply crunch that consumers are now starting to feel. And it may not be limited to new and upcoming phones.
A recent report suggests that Samsung is also planning to hike prices for its existing Galaxy phones in India.
The memory crunch is also spilling over into the PC market. According to a TrendForce report, major PC brands like Dell and Lenovo have begun notifying customers about upcoming price hikes. Dell, in particular, is expected to raise PC prices by 15 to 20 percent.
For more daily updates, please visit our News Section.
Samsung’s Galaxy A-series phones could soon get a little more expensive in India. According to information shared by tipster Abhishek Yadav on X, Samsung is planning a price hike across its Galaxy A lineup, with the changes expected to take effect starting Monday.
As per the tip, Samsung India will increase the prices of most Galaxy A-series smartphones by ₹1,000. The Galaxy A56, however, is set to see a larger bump, with its price rising by ₹2,000.
Scoop: Starting Monday, Samsung India will increase prices of its Galaxy A-series smartphones by ₹1,000, while the Samsung Galaxy A56 will see a higher hike of ₹2,000.
It’s not surprising given the current market conditions
Samsung is expected to launch new Galaxy A-series phones next month, including the Galaxy A37 and Galaxy A57. Price adjustments just ahead of new launches aren’t unusual, but they typically make older models more affordable to make way for the new ones.
This time, though, it’s going in the opposite direction. And if you guessed it, yes, the primary reason behind the increase is rising memory costs.
The global semiconductor market is currently dealing with a memory shortage, largely driven by soaring demand for High Bandwidth Memory (HBM) and DDR5 DRAM used in AI data centers. As big tech companies are pouring money into AI infrastructure, smartphone makers are left competing for the same memory components at higher prices.
Sasmsung Galaxy A56 (left) and Galaxy A36 (right)_
We’ve already seen the impact of this trend at the high end of the market. Recent flagship launches such as the OnePlus 15, Vivo X300, and iQOO 15 arrived with noticeably higher price tags compared to their predecessors.
The iQOO 15, in particular, saw the maximum price rise of 33% over its predecessor. What’s changing now is that these cost pressures are starting to trickle down to midrange phones as well.
What’s more concerning is that this situation doesn’t appear to be temporary. Industry expectations suggest that memory prices are unlikely to cool down in 2026. If that happens, phones launching next year, be it budget, midrange, or premium, could all see further price increases.
In fact, executives from multiple smartphone brands like Realme and CMF have already acknowledged that price hikes are becoming unavoidable.
Honor made a last-minute branding change to its upcoming midrange phone. What we were expecting to be the Honor GT 2 will now be the Honor Win smartphone, as revealed in a previous report.
Ahead of the launch, the first renders of the Honor Win have surfaced on the web, and they show a few features that immediately stand out.
Here’s your first look at Honor Win
The renders show the Honor Win in black, blue, and cyan color options. On the back, there’s a horizontal matrix-style camera module that houses three cameras. The layout stretches across the width of the phone and extends all the way to the edge, similar to how recent iPhones integrate their camera islands. The module also includes an LED flash and a visible WIN branding.
What’s more unusual or interesting is an active cooling fan that sits in a cutout that visually blends with the camera module. Active cooling fans are still rare outside gaming phones, so this hints that Honor will position the Win series as a performance-focused device rather than a typical flagship.
On the inside, leaked information suggests the Honor Win series could be powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 mobile platform. The chip uses a 2+6 core architecture, with two super-large cores clocked as high as 4.6GHz.
Moreover, the phone is expected to feature a 6.83-inch flat display with 1.5K resolution, paired with a metal frame. Honor may also include 3D ultrasonic fingerprint recognition and high-level water resistance.
Camera-wise, the Honor Win is tipped to use a 50MP large-sensor main camera, while charging could go all the way up to 100W fast charging. Perhaps the wildest claim is that it could come with a 10,000mAh battery, which would be massive for a phone of this class.
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Xiaomi has a new update for its wearable users in China. The company has confirmed that it is the first brand to integrate Alipay’s “Tap to Pay” feature into its smart bands, enabling easier contactless payments.
The update was shared by Zhang Lei, Vice President of Xiaomi Group’s Mobile Phone Division and General Manager of its Wearable Devices Division. According to Zhang, Xiaomi is currently the only manufacturer supporting this feature in the band category.
Xiaomi Smart Band 10 Glimmer Edition
Alipay’s Tap to Pay works much like other contactless payment systems: users can tap their smartwatch or band at a supported terminal to pay, without pulling out a phone.
However, Zhang says that enabling this feature wasn’t as simple as it might seem. According to him, each product has to go through its own research and development process, testing, and approvals from multiple parties. As a result, different devices receive support at different times.
Xiaomi wearables that support Alipay Tap to Pay
Some Xiaomi wearables already support Tap & Pay. The list includes the REDMI Watch 6, the Xiaomi Band 9 NFC / Ceramic version, and Xiaomi Band 10, including the NFC model, Ceramic version, and the Shining Gold Special Edition. For users of these devices, the feature is already live.
Other products are still in what Xiaomi calls “gray-scale” pilot testing, meaning the feature is being rolled out gradually to a limited group of users. The Xiaomi Watch S4 lineup, including the standard version, eSIM version, 41mm model, and the 15th Anniversary Edition, is currently in this testing phase. The Xiaomi Watch S4 Sport is also included. Xiaomi says full support for Alipay Tap & Go on these watches is expected to arrive in December.
Looking further ahead, Xiaomi has outlined plans for additional devices. Both the standard and eSIM versions of the REDMI Watch 5 will begin gray-scale rollout in December. Meanwhile, the Xiaomi Mi Band 9 Pro is scheduled to enter gray-scale testing much later, starting in February 2026.
Google thinks the future of the web isn’t just about making it agentic; it’s also about letting your browser build things for you. That idea is now real with “Disco”, the company’s experimental new AI-powered browser that vibe-codes an app based on what you are doing online. This feature of Disco is called “GenTab,” and is powered by Gemini 3.
As you might’ve guessed, GenTab takes your tab and chat history into consideration. It analyzes your tabs, your searches, and your chat prompts to generate tools that fit what you’re doing.
Google showed off a few examples, and they’re honestly pretty impressive. If you’re researching science topics like Entropy, Disco might spin up an “Entropy Explainer” app. The official video also shows a vibe-coded bunk bed comparison site and a memory match brain game.
Google’s new AI browsers vibe codes an app based on your tabs
GenTabs sit alongside regular tabs, but they get their own Gemini-like icon instead of a favicon. One demo showed a travel planner with calendars, route maps, crowd-level predictions, and quick-action buttons like “Book Nearby Stays.” Tap anything inside that app, and the GenTab reshapes itself in real time.
Disco greets you with a homepage containing a chatbox rather than the usual address bar. That’s where the chat history comes from, although you can also paste a URL in it.
If you end up conversing, Google will first suggest you relevant webpages, and after a few conversations, it pops up a prompt to create a GenTab based on what you’re searching.
Google Disco HomePageDisco browser with Create GenTab prompt based on chat history
AI is definitely changing the way we search and consume content. And it won’t surprise me that features like GenTabs are the next evolution of it.
You don’t need to write code; you just describe what you need, refine it in plain language, and the browser does the heavy lifting. Google says Disco is meant to help people “learn faster” and experiment with what browsing could become. And yes, the company admits the best concepts from Disco might eventually show up in Chrome.
For now, Disco is an early experiment. Google Labs has opened a waitlist, and the first version is rolling out only on macOS.
For more daily updates, please visit our News Section.
Vivo is likely to launch the V70 series phones in early 2026. So far, we have heard about two phones of the lineup: the Vivo V70 and V70 Lite. Both have appeared in at least one certification platform to confirm their existence.
A new leak suggests that these phones will be joined by another two devices called the Vivo V70 Elite and Vivo V70 FE.
No Vivo V70e or V70 Lite 4G
Words for this come from tipster Paras Guglani on X, who claims that the 2026 Vivo V70 lineup will not include any Pro or Pro Plus models. Not much is surprising, as the predecessor lineup didn’t have them either. What’s interesting, however, is the addition of Elite and FE models, with no mention of a V70e.
For comparison, the V60 series was quite different, comprising the V60 itself, the V60 Lite 5G, the V60 Lite 4G, and the V60e.
Vivo S50
Another detail from the leak is that all V70 phones are expected to have 5G connectivity. Vivo traditionally offered Lite models in multiple connectivity options to appeal to different markets, but that may no longer be the case.
Moreover, the tipster says that not all phones will launch in the same market. The standard Vivo V70 seems destined for India, while the Lite and Elite models might launch globally. The V70 FE, meanwhile, could see a release in India, though that’s less certain.
What we know
There’s not much detail available on any V70 phone. However, rumors suggest the standard V70 could be a rebrand of Vivo S50 from China. Given that, it might feature a 1.5K resolution and a 120Hz refresh rate.
The back will include a triple-camera setup, including a 50MP main sensor, an ultra-wide, and a 50MP telephoto camera with 3x optical zoom. A 50MP selfie camera is reportedly on board as well.
Rounding out the list are a 6,500mAh battery, 90W wired charging, and an IP69 rating.
For more daily updates, please visit our News Section.
If you’ve noticed a pattern with Honor’s budget lineup lately, you’re not wrong. The company has been rolling out both its X7 and X8 series phones with simple alphabetical suffixes.
Today, we’re looking at the Honor X8 line, which began with the original model back in 2022 and has since continued with predictable additions: the X8a, X8b, and X8c.
The latest entry in that sequence is the Honor X8d, which has quietly surfaced on a retailer’s website in Kyrgyzstan. Even with a low-key debut, it’s enough to give us a good look at what the phone brings.
Honor X8d Specifications
The Honor X8d features a 6.77-inch AMOLED display with a resolution of 1080 × 2392. It’s powered by the Snapdragon 6s 4G Gen 2 chipset, which is making its debut next week. And yes, that’s the real name of the silicon.
Memory option includes 8GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage. The listing shows no higher-capacity variant, so storage expansion or additional models remain unknown.
Honor has included a 7,000 mAh battery, which is larger than what’s typical in this segment. The phone supports 45W wired charging. The X8d also carries an IP65 rating, offering basic dust and splash resistance.
On the back, the phone includes a 108MP main camera along with a secondary 5MP sensor. On the front, there’s a 16MP selfie camera. The device weighs 188 grams and measures 162.9 × 76.3 × 7.5 mm.
As for software, the phone is likely based on Android 16 with MagicOS 10 on top. The device comes in Black, Blue, and Silver shades.
The X8d hasn’t been formally announced yet, so there’s no pricing or availability information at the moment. However, the quiet listing suggests a launch may not be far off.
EVs are driving the next generation of mobility globally, and the momentum behind electric vehicles has never been stronger. According to the IEA, EVs reduced oil demand by more than 1.3 million barrels per day in 2024, with that displacement increasing by ~30% year-on-year. And no group has contributed more to that surge than Chinese EV makers.
In just a few years, several Chinese brands have leapfrogged long-established Western automakers due to their aggressive innovation cycles and affordability. Take BYD, for example. It has surpassed Tesla in global pure electric vehicle (BEV) sales for much of 2025.
But it’s not just BYD. China has more than a dozen prominent EV brands that are competing fiercely in the global EV market. So if you’re trying to get a sense of which Chinese EV brands actually matter right now, here are the top five you should know.
BYD
Let’s start with BYD, because there’s really no way around it. The company started its business in 1995 as a manufacturer of rechargeable batteries, but is now among the world’s top EV makers that rivals Tesla in sheer volume.
But what makes BYD interesting isn’t the sales figures. Plenty of companies can chase that number. It’s how BYD got to the point where it is now.
BYD Seagull
The company builds almost everything in-house, from its now-famous Blade Battery to its own chips and even large parts of its software stack. It’s one of the few automakers that can legitimately claim control over most of its supply chain.
That level of vertical integration allows BYD to produce EVs at prices that often feel almost impossible by Western standards, while still maintaining healthy margins.
Its lineup is also massive, spanning tiny city cars, sleek electric sedans, and premium SUVs. Apart from China, the company is rapidly expanding across Europe, Asia, South America, and even Australia.
Geely
Geely is another Chinese brand that’s making rounds in the EV space. And unlike BYD, it uses a more segmented strategy to sell its cars.
Geely manufactures and sells its vehicles under different sub-brands: Zeekr for premium and tech-focused buyers, Geometry for affordable EVs, and several others that sit in between. This approach lets Geely target almost every pricing tier without confusing buyers about what each badge stands for.
And because Geely owns stakes in Volvo, Polestar, and even parts of Mercedes-Benz’s parent company, it benefits from deep experience in global markets.
In 2024, Geely achieved a 2.7% market share in the global market, ranking 6th overall, ahead of Volkswagen.
NIO
NIO is one of the more interesting car manufacturers to come from China. It technically sells electric SUVs and sedans, but for NIO, the real selling point is the experience it offers.
For instance, all NIO cars are designed with battery swapping (Power Swap) technology as a core feature. And if you guessed it, yes, a driver can simply exchange a depleted battery for a fully charged one in minutes.
As of late 2025, NIO’s battery swap infrastructure boasts over 3,400 stations in China, 59 stations in Europe, and 1 in the UAE.
NIO cars also come with NOMI, the world’s first in-vehicle AI assistant. NOMI can learn driver habits, engage in natural conversation, and execute multiple commands simultaneously.
And it’s not just EVs; NIO creates “lock-in” through services that go well beyond transportation. It operates NIO Houses, which are essentially luxurious clubhouses for owners, featuring cafés, libraries, meeting rooms, and children’s play areas.
Likewise, NIO Life is a lifestyle brand offering over 1,000 products, from sustainable fashion to home goods, used by over 50% of its customer base. Not to forget, NIO also has a smartphone line with its second model (NIO Phone 2) launched in 2024.
NIO crossed over 30,000 deliveries in a single month for the first time in late 2024. In 2025, it expanded its EV offerings with sub-brands like ONVO (family-friendly SUVs) and Firefly (small city EVs).
XPeng
Like NIO, XPeng is one of the newer players in China’s EV scene, doing business since 2014. Its first product was the G3 SUV in 2018, which was soon followed by the P7 electric sedan in 2019.
What sets XPeng apart is the company’s fixation on pushing AI deeper into mobility. Alongside its growing lineup of cars, XPeng has been building out an entire tech ecosystem, including what it calls the first AI-integrated operating system for vehicles, the AI Tianji System (XOS 5.1.0).
The company has also rolled out a full suite of AI-driven intelligent driving models — XNet, XPlanner, and XBrain — plus the world’s first 40-core chip designed for AI-defined cars, robots, and even flying vehicles, known as XPeng Turing.
One of XPeng’s recent breakout hits is the Mona M03, an electric sedan packed with smart-driving tech that starts at just $17,000 in China.
Li Auto
Li Auto is a bit of an odd one on this list, but in a good way. While most of the others here lean heavily into pure battery EVs, Li Auto is better known for its range-extender EVs. These are essentially electric cars with a small gasoline engine that charges the battery when needed.
Purists might roll their eyes, but buyers love them, especially in areas where charging infrastructure still isn’t great. And the sales numbers speak for themselves.
Li Auto delivered over 500,000 vehicles in 2024, a jump from 376,030 in 2023. But the growth is more significant this year as its cumulative deliveries reached 1.4 million units by September 2025.
Not everyone is ready to jump fully into EV life, and plenty of places still don’t have the charging infrastructure to make it practical. And Li Auto is targeting that demographic.
Instead of pushing buyers into something that doesn’t suit their daily needs, it offers a middle ground. Once charging becomes as easy as filling a tank, Li Auto will likely pivot harder into pure EVs, but for now, it’s playing a smart, practical game.
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