This week, on our weekly news roundup: the vast majority of people say that they would rather buy a Note 9 over rather than an iPhone XS Max, Nokia 7.1 is officially revealed, and more!

Samsung sends real-life Fortnite supply drops to streamers

https://youtu.be/UYRcahvgf3sSamsung decided to send a real-life supply drop to some of the most famous Fortnite players. This huge box included anything from accessories like wigs and hats to an actual Galaxy Note 9 smartphone - not even joking.After unboxing the Note 9, our lucky gamers proceeded to play Fortnite on their brand new device while giving lots of positive feedback regarding the phone. They talked about how smooth the gameplay feels - just like playing on a desktop apparently - and how effective the new cooling system is. The battery life also got a lot of praise.Yeah, true. At the end of the day - this feels just like a huge ad. But, who cares? If you had the chance to get a free Note 9 simply for talking about it, wouldn't you accept it? We know we would.

Nokia 7.1 is now officially revealed

The Nokia 7.1 is finally official. It will be coming to the USA for sure and it comes with Android One straight out of the box - which is awesome for those who want a clean Android experience without too much fancy stuff.This device comes with both a notch and a chin with the Nokia logo embedded on it. Not sure if that's a good or a bad thing - we'll let you be the judge of that.Other than that, the display features HDR support which is absolutely awesome and it also comes with Gorilla Glass 3 protection. Speaking of HDR, SDR to HDR conversion support is also there so that you'll be able to enjoy your non-HDR content a little bit more than before.The overall design isn't anything crazy. The body is made of glass and metal, dual cameras are placed vertically on the back with the fingerprint scanner being below them. Bezels are acceptable and the notch surely helps in accomplishing that.

Specifications

Time to take a quick look at the hardware that the Nokia 7.1 has:
  • OS: Android One (8.1 - very likely to be updated to 9)
  • Chipset: Snapdragon 636
  • CPU: Octa-core Kryo 260 at 1.8 GHz
  • GPU: Adreno 509
  • RAM and storage: 64 gigs of storage and 4 gigs of RAM or 32 gigs of storage and 3 gigs of RAM + microSD card support up to 400GB
  • Display: 5.84 inches with a FULL HD Plus resolution and HDR10 support
  • Camera: rear: dual 12 + 5MP depth sensor/front: 8MP
  • Battery: 3060 mAh
Overall, at about 350 bucks, the Nokia 7.1 most certainly feels like a great mid-range choice that offers a nice value and a fine balance between a premium feel and affordability. We'd recommend checking it out.For now, it's gonna be available in Gloss Midnite Blue and Gloss Steel and you can pre-order it starting today from Amazon, Best Buy, and B&H. Shipping starts at the 28th of October.

Huawei Mate 20 Pro will likely cost more than $1000

According to information from Phone Arena, the Huawei Mate 20 Pro will cost just a bit more than a thousand bucks. As for Europe, if you include taxes and import fees, then we're talking about 1200 euros or maybe more here.Still, this information is mostly based on leaks and rumors. So, don't take anything for granted just yet. The Mate 20 is probably going to be cheaper. According to the same source of information, the Mate 20 is rumored to be priced at about 800-900 bucks.By taking a look at the price of the most recent flagships that came out, a thousand bucks for a top-notch smartphone suddenly doesn't sound like too big of a price. Just take a look at the Note 9 or the latest phones that Apple released.Still, the truth is that most of us will not spend a thousand bucks on a phone. How many of you are considering it? Let us and everyone else know in the comments down below.

Samsung almost takes the monopoly in the high-end market of India

According to the Economic Times, when it comes to premium devices, Samsung held an overwhelming market share of 62%. That was for the duration of August.Chances are that the launch of the Note 9 during that period helped a lot in boosting the market share of Samsung. As the general manager of Samsung India - Aditya Babbar said:
"We are extremely happy with the way our numbers are growing. We are bullish on further consolidating our leadership position in the Indian smartphone market. Our aim is to grow at 20-25 per cent in India in the festive quarter."
Huawei is also rapidly gaining worldwide market share, but it seems like Samsung will be staying at the top of the charts for quite a long time.

A 360-degree render video of the Xperia XA3 is here

https://youtu.be/yNttR0_LHccA 360-degree render video of the Xperia XA3 reveals pretty much everything that there is to see on the design aspect. The device sure looks a tiny bit thick but the bezels and the chin are so small which gives the device a very sexy look from the front.On the rear, we can easily see a dual-cam setup with what seems to be a dual-LED flash setup. The fact that the camera pops out a little means that there is a higher risk of breaking it and that the phone will be a bit bouncy on flat surfaces.However, where is the fingerprint scanner? Nowadays, even mid-rangers seem to feature a fingerprint scanner. So, it would be a shame if a phone like the XA3 doesn't have one. Rumors mention that it'll be embedded on the power button but only time will tell for sure.The display also seems to be huge - estimated to be at about 6.5 inches. That sounds a bit huge, but with such small bezels, the phone shouldn't be too hard to hold with one hand.On the right side, we can see the power button, the volume buttons, and the camera button. It seems like the XA3 will be using a Type-C for charging and data transfers - which is to be expected.

Specifications

While there are a lot of rumors out there regarding the specs of the XA3, they are just that - rumors. So, let's just wait until we receive the information straight from the source. Or at least until we find something more trustworthy and reliable because it's still a bit too early to say anything.

Long live the king - Note 9 comes on top again

Phone Arena performed an interesting sort of contest. They made a poll and asked their readers to submit whether they would prefer to spend their money on a Note 9 or an iPhone XS Max - more than 70% of the participants choose the Note 9.And it's not just us common folk who love this smartphone. As we saw last week, the vast majority of professional reviewers who've tested the Note 9 are saying that it's almost the perfect phone with most of them having no major complaints.Feel like we forgot something important? Then let us and the whole world know about it in the comments down below!Like what you see? Then don't forget to follow us on Facebook and Twitter for the latest news, reviews, listicles, and more!
SOURCES: PHONE ARENA, THE ECONOMIC TIMES

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What's my model number?

There are several ways to locate your model number:

Option 1
On your device, go to Settings, then "About device" and scroll down to "Model number"
Option 2
Often times you can view the model number inside the device, by removing the battery
Option 3
Using Samsung's model/serial number location tool

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