Phone Scoop

Redmagic has introduced the Redmagic 11S Pro, its latest flagship phone with high-end specs optimized for mobile gaming. To support extended gaming sessions, it has a massive 7,500 mAh battery with 80W wired and 80W wireless charging (plus reverse charging, wired and wireless). It also has an extensive cooling system to limit throttling during extended sessions, including a large vapor chamber, a liquid cooling system, and a 24,000 RPM mechanical fan. The 6.85" AMOLED display has an under-display camera, 144 Hz refresh, and 3,000 Hz touch sampling. It's powered by a Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chip with 12 or 16 GB of LPDDR5x RAM, and 256 or 512 GB of UFS 4.1 storage. It has dual 50 megapixel rear cameras (main and wide) and a 16 megapixel front camera. It also has an IPx8 water resistance rating, ultrasonic fingerprint reader, USB 3.2 Gen 2, and NFC. In the US, the phone has decent support for AT&T's 5G and 4G network, but limited support for other networks. The Redmagic 11S Pro will be available unlocked online from Redmagic starting at $849, beginning June 10.

Google has built a new security feature into its Phone app — the default calling app on Android phones — that can detect and warn you about scam calls where someone pretends to be someone you know. Scammers are increasingly using advanced techniques like spoofing phone numbers and using AI to make their voice sound like someone else. When calling from one Android phone to another, a silent, behind-the-scenes, encrypted RCS message confirms that the call is legitimate. But if that message is missing from an incoming call from a known contact, the Phone app silently checks with the phone of that contact. If that phone responds that it's not currently calling you, a scam alert appears. The feature can only work for contacts that also have Android phones. Google is starting to roll out the feature globally this month, starting with Pixel devices. It will be available on Android versions 12 and newer.

The FCC this week started a new auction for 5G radio spectrum licenses. The licenses cover the AWS band, frequencies where cell phones use 4G and 5G in band 66. There are over 200 specific licenses on offer, scattered across 48 states but covering 100 million consumers, and major markets like New York, Chicago, Boston, Tampa, and Charlotte. These same licenses were first auctioned in 2014, but have since been abandoned for various reasons.

Apple has announced iOS 27, which includes a wide range of new and refined features. As expected, a major focus is on smarter versions of Apple Intelligence and Siri. Siri is now "Siri AI

The tools and materials released to developers yesterday for the forthcoming iOS version 27 include multiple references that strongly suggest the software is designed to support a yet-to-be-announced foldable iPhone. These include specific new values named "foldState", "angleDegrees", and "DeviceDisplayCount". The naming makes sense for some kind of foldable iPhone with a hinge and multiple displays. Such a phone has been rumored to be under development for several years, but never confirmed until now. The iPhone Air laid groundwork for a potential foldable iPhone, as achieving that thin-ness is necessary for a practical foldable (for it to not be too thick when closed). It remains unconfirmed if or when Apple might actually launch a foldable iPhone, but this at least seems to confirm that Apple is working on one and closer to potentially releasing it.

AT&T has launched a new service offering consisting of 24 hours of unlimited data for $3, available to anyone, with no contract or subscription. Initially, it's available only on cellular-equipped Apple iPads, and can be activated directly from the built-in Settings app. You do not need to be an existing AT&T customer; you only need a credit or debit card, and the 24-hour period starts "shortly after purchase". The data is "unlimited" but not "premium" data, meaning "AT&T may temporarily slow data speeds if the network is busy." AT&T plans to expand the offering in the "near future" to "other 5G-enabled devices like Android tablets, smartwatches, laptops, drones, etc." Also in the near future, the company plans to offer "multi-day options such as weekend and week-long passes."

Verizon has launched a single new service plan that it calls its "Simplicity Plan". For $45/month/line, it includes unlimited premium 5G data, unlimited talk and text, 10GB of premium mobile hotspot data, roaming in Canada and Mexico, and satellite texting. That price is after an auto-pay discount but does not include taxes and fees. For a limited time, new customers can get a "Switcher Discount" that lowers the monthly price to $30/month/line. As with its existing plans, customers can add on "bundles" of other services for small monthly fees, for things like international service or discounted streaming services. Verizon is also eliminating activation and upgrade fees for postpaid customers who opt in to the company's new loyalty program. The loyalty program offers 3% back in "Verizon Dollars" every month, which can be redeemed for devices or accessories, or with partners like Starbucks. Verizon is also introducing a perks program for customers called "Verizon Shine". It offers sweepstakes for exclusive experiences every Monday, and daily "drops" of freebies like a coffee from Starbucks or an Amazon gift card. Examples of sweepstakes prizes include: A VIP trip to the FIFA World Cup 2026 Final, VIP concert experiences, and trips to see overseas NFL games.

Commodore's newest product is a 4G flip phone that can run many popular Android apps, but will refuse to run any web browser, social media, email, or "work" apps. The Commodore Callback 8020 will run messaging apps such as WhatsApp, Signal, and Telegram, as well as music, podcasts, maps, rideshare apps, and of course several Commodore 64 games. It also has a smartphone-grade camera with a 48-megapixel Sony sensor. ...

Consumer Cellular — a brand that targets the 50+ age bracket — is launching SpeakEasy, a new sub-brand specifically for the 75+ market. SpeakEasy has its own simple offering of just two service plans and two SpeakEasy-branded phones: a basic flip phone and an Android smartphone. The SpeakEasy Flip is based on Consumer Cellular's Iris Easy Flip 2 and is currently on sale for $80 (normally $100). The

The FCC has concluded auction 113, selling off 200 abandoned licenses scattered across the country. The licenses are in the AWS-3 band (band 66), an important band for 5G service.