OnePlus has confirmed that its much-rumored flagship, the OnePlus 6, will launch on May 16 in London, and on May 17 in China and India.

The highly anticipated Android handset from the Chinese hardware brand will feature a notch at the top of its display, and a glass back – though it isn’t yet confirmed if it will support wireless charging as a result of that design decision for the rear panel. There’s a chance that it might be water-resistant as well.

Under the hood , you’ll find a Snapdragon 845 chip, 8GB RAM, and 256GB of storage in the top-end variant. Oh, and it’ll get a 3.5mm audio jack too.

There’s practically nothing left to the imagination as to what the OnePlus 6 will look like at this point; all we’re waiting on is the pricing and availability. The company is also partnering with Marvel as its new superhero movie, Avengers: Infinity War , hits theaters, so you can expect to see some exclusive content on the device, or perhaps a commemorative special edition.

I’ve been using a OnePlus 5T for the better part of the last six months, and it’s arguably one of the best phones I’ve used in recent memory, thanks to its commendable camera and outstanding performance – so I’m excited to see if the company can improve on it with the next model.

Stay tuned for our coverage of the launch, as well as our subsequent review. If you’d like to tune in to the livestream from the event, bookmark this page and mark your calendar for May 16.

The Next Web’s 2018 conference is just a few weeks away, and it’ll be

Samsung’s smartphone sales are shrinking and this is only the beginning

As smartphone ownership is reaching saturation in Western markets, Android manufacturers are struggling to continue to sell enough devices to keep investors happy.

In Samsung’s earnings announcement today the company said that there is a “slowing demand” for smartphones as it saw a slight decrease in sales last quarter, along with higher marketing cost to sell those devices.

Translation: It’s getting tough to convince people to buy new smartphones.

Samsung said that it expects just “single digit” percentage growth in 2016 amid “softening demand” and “intensifying competition.” In other words, competitors like LG, Huawei and even Xiaomi are causing a problem for the company’s phone sales.

To fix this, the company plans to release “competitive devices” and “new line-ups” in 2016 but that line is incredibly similar to what we’re hearing other ailing smartphone makers saying too.

Here’s a sampling of what manufacturers have been saying as their respective sales slowed:

HTC said in late 2015 that it would introduce “trendy” models to revive sales .

LG said it will introduce “two new flagships” to increase profitability .

Sony said it was not “pursuing scale” with its failing Xperia lineup .

Xiaomi, the Android darling, saw it sales slow in 2015 too , blaming competition.

Even Apple’s iPhone sales have begun to slow , as we learned earlier this week.

Years ago, a similar thing happened when PC sales started to flatline — the hardware simply got too good , and people didn’t need to upgrade as frequently. Fast-forward to now and PC sales continue to fall , as you and I keep our computers for longer than ever.

Expect stories like this to become the norm as smartphone builders desperately clamor to convince you to upgrade yearly again. What we’re seeing is history repeating itself.

Smartphone builders are finding it increasingly hard to differentiate from each other, when basically every phone has a good enough camera, snappy performance and a high-resolution screen in a slightly different looking body.

Why upgrade from a two year old rectangular slab to a new one when it still works well enough?

Gartner said in late 2015 that it was the worst year since 2013 for sales, showing just how our upgrade cycles are beginning to slow.

There are still a few interesting tricks up some manufacturer’s sleeves, but the days of massive sales quantities are likely to be numbered — and some companies may disappear altogether in the bloodbath.

➤ Samsung Q4 result

Nintendo is bringing back the Super Famicom (kind of)

Two weeks ago Nintendo revealed it is bringing classic Super NES games to its portable 3DS consoles, but now it seems the Japanese giant is going the extra mile for its most nostalgic gamers.

During yesterday’s Nintendo Direct presentation, the company unveiled plans to launch a Super Famicom-inspired New 3DS XL device.

Drawing on the design of the classic PAL Super Nintendo, the special edition console will come in the familiar grey color scheme and will also feature buttons on the outer shell.

The modified New 3DS XL will hit the stores in April at the price of 21,600 yen (or approximately $190).

Unfortunately, Nintendo hasn’t yet announced plans for international release, which means the Super Famicom-themed 3DS device might be available only in Japan.

Bummer.

➤ A Super Famicom-themed Nintendo 3DS is headed to Japan [Engadget]