GoKawiil
Tech News
RedMagic has released its 12 Pro flagship phone outside China, marking an earlier global rollout than the company's usual practice. A ZDNET reviewer ran Geekbench 7 benchmarks comparing it to a Pixel 9 Pro and found the RedMagic device nearly doubled multi-core scores and edged out single-core performance, falling only slightly behind Apple's iPhone 18 Pro Max in single-core tests.
Reddit users report that Google support replaced their malfunctioning Pixel 9 Pro Fold devices, which had issues like dead front cameras, with the newer 512GB Pixel 11 Pro Fold. One user said Google also offered a three-year extended warranty despite their device being out of standard coverage and uninsured. Multiple reports over the past year have flagged similar front-camera failures on the Pixel 9 Pro Fold.
A ZDNET writer discovered that after Google's August Android update, Pixel phones no longer offer a straightforward way to set a third-party app like Waze as the default mapping tool. The workaround involves disabling Google Maps first through the phone's Apps settings before Waze can take over as default for links and other apps that open map locations.
With the Pixel 11 lineup now priced from $899 to $1,900, Google is offering notably better trade-in credit for old phones than competing retailers. A 2024 Pixel 9 Pro XL that fetches only $255-$310 at Apple, Amazon or Best Buy can earn several hundred dollars more through Google's own trade-in program.
Developer TakaiSaisei has released a modified version of the Pixel IMS app, originally created by kyujin-cho in 2023, that lets Pixel owners enable VoLTE and Wi-Fi calling in markets Google doesn't officially support. Unlike the original tool, this version doesn't require the Shizuku system app and its settings persist after a device reboot, simplifying setup to sideloading the app and pairing it via wireless debugging.