When Huawei and Xiaomi showed off their first 5G phones at Mobile World Congress, the crowds at both press conferences gasped. What caused the reaction was the price — but for very different reasons. Huawei said its Mate X will cost a jaw-dropping 2,300 euros ($2,600) when it goes on sale in the middle of the …

Pretty soon, it may not take all night to juice up your phone with a wireless charger.  Qualcomm on Monday said its Quick Charge technology will be coming to Qi wireless chargers, letting them quickly fill up dead batteries.  Wireless charging, while convenient, has tended to be slow. Right now it takes much longer to wirelessly charge a device than …

5G’s just getting started, but Qualcomm’s already talking up its third chip for the ultra-fast networking tech. And Samsung’s planning to use it in future Galaxy S devices.  Qualcomm on Monday at MWC in Barcelona unveiled its first processor that integrates its 5G modem technology with the Snapdragon applications processor that serves as the brains of a device. The first …

At MWC, it seems like everyone’s jumping into 5G phones. Except for HTC, that is.  The Taiwanese electronics company on Monday instead unveiled a 5G hotspot, called the HTC 5G Hub. It will run on Sprint’s network in the US and will let 20 people access the ultra-fast connectivity at the same time.  Along with 5G (and 4G) speeds, the …

Foldables might be the future of smartphones, but not all companies are jumping on the bandwagon. Chinese handset maker OnePlus won’t be developing a foldable phone anytime soon, CEO Pete Lau said Monday in an interview with CNET at MWC in Barcelona. That’s largely because of price.  The first foldables unveiled from Samsung and Huawei cost about double — or …

Move over, 5G phones. The ultrafast connectivity is also coming to PCs. Qualcomm on Monday at MWC here in Barcelona said it has paired its second-generation 5G modem, the X55, with its 8cx processor for computers that it unveiled in December. The new Snapdragon 8cx 5G compute platform will let computer-makers release devices later this year and early next year that connect …

Update, Oct. 24: A new dual-hinged foldable phone prototype from TCL bends into thirds like an accordion — we went hands-on. Original story follows. If you want a good foldable phone, you need a good hinge. At least that’s what TCL believes.  The Chinese company is best known for budget televisions but also produces phones through its BlackBerry Mobile and Alcatel brands. And on Sunday it unveiled …

The flood of 5G phones continues.  Xiaomi on Sunday became the latest company to launch a 5G phone, the Mi Mix 3 5G. The device — a variant of the recently released Mi Mix 3 — will cost 599 euros ($679) and will launch in May.  Xiaomi’s initial 5G wireless partners include Europe-based Orange, Sunrise, Telefonica, Three, TIM and Vodafone. It …

When Samsung executive Justin Denison showed off the company’s concept foldable phone back in November, it was almost anticlimactic. The lights dimmed. Denison held the device with his right hand, and with his left, unfolded it for a short moment before folding it back up and putting it away. It was a brief and frustrating tease. On Wednesday, the Galaxy …

Update, Sept. 5: We’ve gone hands-on with Samsung’s revamped Galaxy Fold ahead of its revised release later this month. Original story, last updated in February, follows. The foldable future is finally here, and it’s called the Galaxy Fold. Samsung on Wednesday showed off the new foldable phone during its Unpacked event in San Francisco. The device has a 4.6-inch display when folded, …