Leaked Pixel 4a renders show hole-punch display

For those who don't like the Google Pixel 4's design, you might find these leaked renders of the Pixel 4a more amenable. Steve Hemmerstoffer (@OnLeaks on Twitter) and 91mobiles released the rumoured design of the Pixel 4a. The entry-level Pixel gets rid of the intrusive top bezel and replaces it with a punch-hole cutout for the selfie camera. The phone looks to have a flat display that's either 5.7 or 5.8-inches. What this design tells us is that it's ditching Project Soli-based Motion Sense gesture control as well as face unlock.

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Samsung might launch the next Galaxy S smartphone on Feb. 11 or 18

Two dates are floating around for the launch of Samsung's next flagship smartphone: February 11 or 18. The February 11 date comes from tipster Ice Universe (@UniverseIce over at Twitter). They also recently claimed that the next Samsung Galaxy S device would be called the Galaxy S20 instead of Galaxy S11. The only thing we're sure about right now is Samsung usually unveils its Galaxy S flagship in February; we just have to wait for confirmation on which date that would be.

Is Samsung's next flagship going to be called the Galaxy S20?

While we have been calling the next Samsung flagships the Galaxy S11 series, a new rumour from leaker Ice Universe (@UniverseIce over at Twitter) suggests might be skipping a whole lot of numbers to an aptly named Galaxy S20. Why S20? Well, for the year 2020. As the tipster's tweet says, "Next year is 2020, and 20 is a new beginning." What that new beginning is we don't know. But it's not precisely farfetched for Samsung to skip a generation, it's done so with the Note 6 in the past to align the Note series with the Galaxy S series. And while Ice Universe has a relatively good track record for leaks, it's still important to approach the rumour with a grain of salt.

Huawei P40 series tipped for a March 2020 launch

While the flagship Huawei P40 will get a "never-before-seen" design, rumour has it that the Huawei P40 Lite will look like the just-launched Huawei Nova 6 SE pictured above

Huawei will reportedly launch its next flagship, the Huawei P40, in March 2020 in Paris, France. We don't have an exact date yet, but Frandroid reports that the phone will not come with Google Play Services. In its place, Huawei Mobile Services will be available. The change means you won't be able to download apps from the Play Store. But the phone will still launch with Android 10-based EMUI, just like when the P30 Pro and Mate 30 Pro launched. Of course, the lack of Google Play Services might put a damper in sales on this side of the world.

Huawei CEO Richard Yu said the Huawei P40 series will have a "never-before-seen" design, better picture quality, improved performance, and boosted AI. Admittedly, this is a promise that we come to expect from new flagships from any company, but we want to see how Huawei delivers. And if at this point, the US will finally lift its ban on Huawei.