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LG K62, K52, K42 bring MIL-STD-810G compliance to the mid-range
The LG K62, K52, and K42 mid-range phones have been announced: a trio of rugged budget phones. Check them out!
LG has been putting out devices with interesting value propositions lately. We just have to look at phones like the LG Wing, for example, with its unique, never-before-seen form factor. But LG's mid-range and budget devices, however, have generally been... well, fairly lackluster. It's not that they're bad devices, but there's nothing particularly exciting about them and the lack of support for them has always been their Achilles' heel. Recently, though, LG has been stepped up their game. Meet the LG K62, the LG K52, and the LG K42, which have just been announced by LG in a press release.
MWC 2021 delayed from March to June 2021 due to COVID-19 concerns
MWC 2021, the world's biggest mobile tech conference, has been delayed from March to June 2021 due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Big tech conferences were canceled left and right this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Though some events managed to successfully go virtual, others, like MWC 2020, weren't able to make the transition in time. If you were hoping that things would return to normal next year, we have some bad news to share. With no end in sight to the COVID-19 pandemic, the GSMA has decided to delay MWC 2021.
Android 11 is coming to Android TV with better gaming controller support, auto-low latency mode
The Android 11 release is now available for the Android TV platform, touting improvements such as better gaming controller support and ALLM.
Android 11 has been released for smartphones after a thorough round of beta testing. The source code is now available, and the new software is now slowly rolling out to smartphones. Other Android-based platforms, such as Android TV, are set to get their taste of the latest release sooner or later. Following the smartphone release, Google has launched Android 11 for Android TV devices with a few key improvements that are essential to improve the TV user experience.
The Fire TV Stick Lite could be Amazon's next cheap streaming TV dongle
The Amazon Fire TV Stick Lite has now leaked, showing us a cheap streaming TV dongle that'll come at a dirt cheap price.
While cutting the cord has become more and more popular over the years, COVID-19 has dramatically boosted how much media people are streaming from the Internet at home. Cheap streaming TV devices like Amazon's Fire TV lineup are the most popular gateways to cutting the cord, as these devices allow you to watch all of your favorite TV shows and movies from your streaming services of choice without any hassles. The Fire TV Stick 4K costs just $50, for example, and it offers basically everything the average consumer could ask for. While that's already pretty cheap, Amazon seems to be preparing an even cheaper model, potentially called the Fire TV Stick Lite, to replace the standard 1080p Fire TV Stick (which is not available anymore at the time of this writing).
OnePlus 8T specs leak on Amazon: 65W Warp Charge, 6.55" 120Hz display, 48MP quad rear camera, and more
The OnePlus 8T's specs have leaked again, and this time, they come from Amazon Germany. It has 65W charging and a 120Hz display!
The OnePlus 8T is coming. After a brief round of leaks and rumors, the smartphone company has confirmed the existence of the device and has now begun to tease it on their social networks. It will be announced on October 14th, as confirmed yesterday by the company. The 8T will serve as the late-year revision to the OnePlus 8, and we've already gotten to learn several details about it. We know how it will look, and we know most of its specs. Now, a prematurely-published Amazon listing has further confirmed some of the OnePlus 8T's specs (via 91Mobiles).
The ROG Phone 3's new Bypass Charging feature prolongs battery life while gaming
The ROG Phone 3 gets a new feature for prolonging battery life while you're gaming: Bypass Charging. It's available in Game Genie.
The ASUS ROG Phone 3 is probably the phone to get right now if you want the absolute best gaming experience in a smartphone. With games getting more intensive, you need something that can handle them and then more, and the ROG Phone 3 is the device for that. It has a ton of features aimed at improving the gaming experience not to mention its enormous 6,000mAh battery to pull you through a long session. But what if you're not done gaming or you have access to a charger and don't want to eat up the phone's battery life? You can certainly charge the phone and keep playing, but the power draw from the CPU and GPU and the heat generated from charging can negatively affect the battery's longevity. That's why ASUS has introduced a new feature called Bypass Charging on the ROG Phone 3.
The Google Pay India app is getting a new design built with Flutter
Google Pay in India is getting a Flutter-backed facelift, which is also coming to the international app. Read on to know more!
Not a lot of people know this, but Google Pay in India and Google Pay in the rest of the world are not the same thing. While both services have the same branding, Google Pay in India, formerly known as Google Tez, plugs to the country's local UPI payment system, while Google Pay in the rest of the world works more like a normal payment service. But both versions are equally as maintained and supported. Now, the Google Pay India app is getting a Flutter rewrite.
Here's when LG plans to update its phones in India
LG has mapped out their timeline on when Android 10 will be rolling out to some of their flagship phones in India. Check it out!
LG has been putting out some amazing smartphones lately. The LG Velvet represented a change in direction from their usual release plans, as the Velvet is essentially a mid-range phone at a comparatively cheaper price. The LG Wing, on the other hand, packs a lot of weirdness (in a good way) for a phone that stands out from the pack notably, for a change. But one aspect where the company has not stood out as much is in software. In fact, historically, they've been bad when it comes to maintaining and rolling out frequent updates to their phones. If you're in India and you're still awaiting an update to Android 10, then good news: LG actually has a page with dates on when updates are rolling out to certain devices.
OnePlus is finally making a dedicated OnePlus Buds app for third-party phones
OnePlus has confirmed that they will make an app so that phones that are not running OxygenOS can use the OnePlus Buds as they should be.
OnePlus recently made its first fully wireless earbuds, called the OnePlus Buds. We've reviewed them, and they're amazing for the price. But of course, being a OnePlus product (even though U.S. customs think they're Apple knockoffs), the company expects you to use them with OnePlus smartphones. This doesn't mean that they don't work with other phones, you can use them, but certain features such as customizing the double-tap gestures need the OnePlus Buds app, which requires you to have the OnePlus 6 or newer running OxygenOS. OnePlus is, however, making an app so that users with older OnePlus devices as well as phones from other manufacturers can use the Buds in their full glory.
Huawei will incorporate Android 11 features into EMUI 11 and enable updating to Harmony OS
Huawei has confirmed that they will selectively add Android 11 features to EMUI 11 and will provide an update path to Harmony OS.
Huawei recently surprised people by launching EMUI 11, the company's latest version of its custom Android-based software, on top of last year's Android 10 instead of the new Android 11 release. The reason that announcement surprised people is that, after EMUI 5, Huawei shifted its EMUI numbering scheme to match the Android version number. Thus, EMUI 8 was based on Android 8 Oreo, EMUI 9 was based on Android 9 Pie, and EMUI 10 was based on Android 10. Most people would see the pattern here and think that EMUI 11 would be based on Android 11, but things have been very complicated for the Chinese tech giant since the middle of last year, to say the least. Fortunately, though, we now have confirmation that Huawei will be selectively adding some of Android 11's new features into future versions of EMUI 11.
Microsoft releases a factory image for the Surface Duo
Microsoft has released a factory image for the Surface Duo, so you can restore your device if you ever mess up the software functions. Read on
Microsoft as an Android OEM is a thought that would've seemed ridiculous just a few years back, but yet, here we are. Microsoft has launched the Surface Duo: a device with a very unique dual-screen form factor, and it's running Android. And Microsoft actually seems to be part of the developer-friendly OEM crowd: the device is fully bootloader unlockable, meaning that, if you want to, you can get custom ROMs up and running on your device, not to mention rooting and other mods. But what if you mess up your device while trying to mod it (it happens to the best of us) and it doesn't boot anymore, who are you gonna call? Well, Microsoft. They've put up a factory image for the Surface Duo, actually, and it's just as easy to download as it is for other Surface devices.
There might not be a OnePlus 8T Pro this year
Notice the distinct lack of leaks about the OnePlus 8T Pro? A rumor suggests that OnePlus may only launch the regular OnePlus 8T.
The OnePlus hype train has departed the station once again with the destination set to the OnePlus 8T launch event. In the last few days, we've seen a partial spec sheet of the device as well as what the front of the phone will look thanks to a leaked render. We expect the phone will have the Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 Plus, a 6.55-inch 120Hz OLED display, 48MP quad camera setup, and Android 11 with OxygenOS 11 out of the box. We also learned that the company could be planning to announce its first smartwatch, which could be called the OnePlus Watch. But there's been a distinct lack of leaks for the OnePlus 8T Pro model. There's no mention of such a device even in OnePlus's OxygenOS 11 firmware, where the 8T render was found. It turns out, there might not be an 8T Pro model at all.
The Google Pixel 4a gets its first custom ROM and kernel
The Google Pixel 4a is now getting both its first custom ROM, Resurrection Remix, as well as its first custom kernel. Check it out!
After literally months of leaks and pushbacks (with most of those pushbacks caused by the ongoing pandemic), the Pixel 4a finally became a reality some weeks ago. After Google's success with the Pixel 3a lineup—which brought average mid-range specifications and paired them with the very same camera prowess you'll find on high-end Pixel smartphones and the same excellent software goodies and support—Google wanted to do it again, and so they did. The Pixel 4a an updated design with a front-facing hole-punch camera, a Snapdragon 730 processor, and, of course, possibly the very best camera in its price segment. Oh, and it's also very easy to mod these phones, in case you forgot. So guess what? We now have both a custom ROM and custom kernel for the Pixel 4a.
OnePlus 8T leaked specs reveal 120Hz OLED display, Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 Plus
The upcoming OnePlus 8T might be featuring a Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 Plus and a 120Hz OLED display, if a recent report is to be believed.
We're a month away from entering the last quarter of 2020 (time sure has passed since COVID-19 lockdowns began, hasn't it?), which means we should be preparing for new OnePlus smartphone announcements. The OnePlus 8 lineup launched earlier this year, and OnePlus is currently enjoying success with its new mid-range smartphone, the OnePlus Nord. The time is approaching for the announcement of the late-year "T" model, though, which we're expecting in the form of the OnePlus 8T lineup. Now, Android Central is reporting some of the OnePlus 8T's alleged specifications, and what we're hearing is pretty standard stuff.
OPPO launches the F17 series of mid-range smartphones and Enco W51 TWS ANC earbuds in India
OPPO has announced two mid-range phones, the OPPO F17 and F17 Pro, and truly wireless earbuds, the OPPO Enco W51, in India.
OPPO has seen a high degree of success in 2020. With the continuation of its mid-range Reno lineup (in the form of the Reno3 and the Reno4) and Find series (in the OPPO Find X2 and X2 Pro), OPPO is cementing its status as a top contender in the upper mid-tier and high-tier segments. But it's actually the company's lower-end smartphone offerings that are the most popular in Asian countries. Today, the has unveiled the OPPO F17 and F17 Pro in India alongside the OPPO Enco W51 TWS earbuds.
Nokia 2.1 and Xiaomi Redmi 8A Dual receive Android 10 update
Both the Nokia 2.1 from HMD Global and the Redmi 8A Dual from Xiaomi are receiving their respective Android 10 updates. Read on to know more!
Android 10 has now been out for close to a year, and Android 11 is just around the corner. Since last year's Android release has been available for quite a while now, most flagship and mid-range smartphones that are eligible for an Android 10 update from their respective manufacturers have received the update. However, there are still many devices for which the update hasn't rolled out yet—particularly some lower-end budget smartphones where updates are not as much of a priority as they are on more expensive devices. This, however, doesn't mean that they're necessarily going to be left behind. Now, two lower-end smartphones from HMD Global and Xiaomi (the Nokia 2.1 and the Redmi 8A Dual respectively) are getting updates to Android 10.
Google, Apple introduce Exposure Notifications Express to boost participation in COVID-19 contact tracing
Google and Apple announce Exposure Notifications Express for COVID-19 contact tracing without requiring a dedicated app.
Exposure Notifications System is a framework developed jointly by Google and Apple that consists of an iOS and Android API and a Bluetooth Low Energy spec with the goal being to empower public health agencies to develop power-efficient and secure COVID-19 contact tracing apps. Introduced a few months back, ENS is designed to allow you to know if you've been exposed to someone who has self-reported a positive COVID-19 diagnosis. The Google/Apple framework is now used by several countries and recently received a few privacy-focused improvements. But it's still very limited in that public health agencies need to actually develop an app using the API in order for its citizens to participate in contact tracing. This barrier to entry has impeded the efforts of the medical community in implementing contact tracing at a scale necessary to contain the spread of COVID-19. To tackle this problem, Google and Apple are introducing a new framework called Exposure Notifications Express (via Axios).
Lenovo announces the mid-range Tab P11 Pro and 2nd-gen Tab M10 HD Android tablets
The Lenovo Tab P11 Pro and the Lenovo Tab M10 HD Gen 2 are two new Android tablets from Lenovo with wildly different specs and price points.
Depending on who you ask, you might hear that Android tablets are dead. They're not exactly dead, but Windows-powered alternatives and iPads are objectively better products overall. Android, with all its good and bad bits, is not as good as it used to be on tablets. But that doesn't stop OEMs from trying to make them. Samsung is one of the few manufacturers that is deeply invested in the tablet ecosystem with its Galaxy Tab lineup. Now, Lenovo is launching a couple of new Android tablets of its own: the Lenovo Tab P11 Pro and the second-generation Lenovo Tab M10 HD. And they're wildly different devices.
OnePlus may be making a smartwatch called the OnePlus Watch
OnePlus could be preparing to launch a smartwatch called the OnePlus Watch, if an Indonesian telecom listing is to be believed.
Earlier this year, OnePlus launched the OnePlus Nord, the brand's first mid-range smartphone since the 2015 OnePlus X. The launch of the Nord signaled a shift in strategy for OnePlus; the company is arguably returning to its roots by making affordable smartphones once again. But smartphones aren't the only tech products that OnePlus is now making. The company has diversified its product portfolio, with offerings in the smart TV market under the OnePlus TV line. Now, it seems that OnePlus may be ready to enter a new market: smartwatches. Apparently, the company may be making a smartwatch called the OnePlus Watch.
Google certifies the OnePlus Nord as a YouTube Signature Device
The OnePlus Nord has been certified as a YouTube Signature Device by Google, meaning that the phone will provide a great YouTube experience.
The YouTube Signature Devices program certifies those smartphones that, according to Google, deliver the best YouTube-viewing experience. This might not sound like much to you—after all, basically every Android smartphone comes pre-installed with YouTube and can play videos just fine, right? YouTube can stream certain videos in formats that aren't supported on all smartphones, though, so many users may not be aware of how well their phone supports all the options on YouTube. Features like HDR video, 4K video decoding, 360° video, high frame rate playback, good DRM performance, and VP9 codec decoding are among the required features that YouTube Signature Devices must support. That list of devices now includes the new OnePlus Nord.