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Apple's iOS 27 release prioritizes bug fixes and performance improvements like faster app launches, quicker AirDrop transfers, and better memory management over major new features. The update supports devices as far back as the iPhone 11 and introduces a system-wide transparency slider that users had requested, though battery life reports are mixed.
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.
Vivo has released the X500 Pro Max, a new flagship that borrows several features from its X300 Ultra, including the same periscope telephoto camera, a 1440p 144Hz OLED display, 90W wired and 40W wireless charging, and a 7,800mAh battery. It runs a MediaTek Dimensity 9600 Pro chip rather than the latest Snapdragon, and is priced at roughly €1,799 ($2,000).
A tech review piece examines Apple's newly launched iPhone 18 Pro Max, highlighting its 2nm chip, upgraded cameras, larger RAM and faster-charging battery. It then surveys the Android market to identify which single device best matches the iPhone on hardware, software polish and wide carrier availability, concluding one phone stands out as the nearest equivalent.
A tech reporter spent a five-day vacation testing Apple's new iPhone Duo, a $2,000 loaner device, alongside a familiar iPhone 17 Pro Max as backup. Despite early frustrations with broken apps, unfamiliar gestures like Touch ID, and camera issues, the reporter ended up favoring the Duo over the trip's course and chose not to revert to the older phone.
Apple's new foldable iPhone Duo, priced at $1,999, features a 5.4-inch cover screen and a 7.6-inch inner display, measuring 11.3mm thick when folded and weighing 254 grams. A hands-on size comparison shows the Duo is notably shorter than the $1,299 iPhone 18 Pro Max, which has a 6.9-inch screen, is 8.75mm thick, and weighs 249 grams, despite the two devices having similar weight.
Vivo has expanded global availability of its X500 series, about a month after launching the lineup in China. The range includes the base X500, the X500 Pro, and the flagship X500 Pro Max, all running OriginOS 7 on Android 17 with 90W wired and wireless charging, 50MP selfie cameras, and IP68/69 ratings. The two Pro models add Dimensity 9600 Pro chips and 4K/240fps slow-motion video, while the standard X500 uses a Dimensity 9600M chip, a 7,500mAh battery, and a triple rear camera setup.
Vivo's new X500 Pro Max flagship features a 50-megapixel Sony Lytia main sensor with LOFIC technology for 17 stops of dynamic range, a 50MP ultra-wide camera, and a 200MP periscope telephoto lens supporting lossless 10x zoom. The phone adds three-degree gimbal-grade stabilization on its main sensor and CIPA 7-rated optical image stabilization on its telephoto camera, alongside a Pro Video Mode with custom LUT support and ACES workflow compatibility.
Android Authority's Andy Boxall compared the camera systems of Samsung's Galaxy S26 Ultra and OPPO's Find X10 Pro Max, testing main, wide, and telephoto lenses against each other. The OPPO phone uses three separate 200-megapixel sensors—one co-developed with Samsung and tuned with Hasselblad—while the Galaxy S26 Ultra relies on a single 200MP main sensor carried over from the S25 Ultra. In side-by-side shots, the reviewer found the Find X10 Pro Max produced more accurate colors, better dynamic range, and less noise than the Galaxy S26 Ultra.
An Android Authority writer reviewing the OPPO Find X10 Pro Max praises its hardware and battery life but criticizes its software for imitating Apple's Liquid Glass visual style. The columnist notes that OPPO, vivo, HONOR and other largely Chinese Android manufacturers have adopted similar transparent, glass-like interface elements inspired by Apple's recent iOS redesign.
Korean outlet Chosun Biz says Samsung's internal testing shows the unreleased Exynos 2700 chip beating Xiaomi 18 Pro and Pro Max devices (running Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 and Extreme Gen 6) in Geekbench 6.5 and 7.0 multi-core scores, by margins ranging from 15% to 44%. The report also claims the Exynos chip led in two unnamed GPU tests, though specific figures weren't disclosed.
A hands-on comparison tests the OPPO Find X10 Pro Max, which uses a triple 200-megapixel camera system, against Google's Pixel 11 Pro XL, which gained upgraded main and ultrawide sensors plus a larger 5x telephoto lens this year. The reviewer finds the two phones' main cameras produce very similar color, detail, and low-light results despite OPPO's much higher on-paper resolution and sensor size.