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Huawei P9 and P9 Plus will get Android Oreo with EMUI 8 according to Product Manager
A Product Manager from Huawei has stated on the company's official forum that the Huawei P9 and the P9 Plus will get Android 8.0 Oreo with EMUI 8.
In the Android world, it is rare to see devices being updated with new Android software versions beyond two years. Huawei has a mixed track record with Android version updates. The company has committed to releasing Android Oreo for its older flagship smartphones, but the speed of updates has been slow for international variants.
PSA: Always Use the GApps Package Recommended by your ROM Developer
LineageOS continues to recommend MindTheGapps instead of OpenGApps. The reason is because OpenGApps currently breaks important functionality in LineageOS, and users should always use GApps packages that are recommended by their ROM developer.
GApps (short for Google Apps) packages are add-ons for custom ROMs that are necessary in order to get Google apps such as Google Play Services and the Play Store on your device. Developers do not bundle Google apps with their custom ROMs because the apps are proprietary. Instead, ROM developers often recommend third-party packages that can be flashed separately on top of their builds.
Xiaomi Mi 5 receives Project Treble compatibility unofficially
The Xiaomi Mi 5 (gemini) has received an unofficial alpha port of Project Treble. The port allows Mi 5 users to flash a Generic System Image (GSI) of AOSP Android Oreo.
Project Treble is required to be supported on any phone launching with Android 8.0 Oreo and above. However, devices that shipped with older versions of Android are not required to be updated with Project Treble support. This means that older devices that are not updated with Project Treble support cannot make any use of the benefits that Project Treble provides, such as being able to flash a Generic System Image (GSI) of AOSP Android Oreo without any kernel modifications.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro and Mi Mix receive iPhone X-style gestures in latest MIUI 9 Global Beta ROM
Xiaomi has implemented iPhone X-style gestures in the latest MIUI 9 Global Begta ROM (8.3.1), or MIUI 9.5 or above. The list of phones supported includes the Mi Mix, the Mi Mix 2, the Redmi 5 and the Redmi 5 Plus, the Redmi Note 5 Pro, and upcoming full-screen devices.
The advent of 18:9 "full-screen" displays has meant that capacitive buttons have been replaced by on-screen buttons. For example, a 6-inch 18:9 display has more screen area than a 5.5-inch 16:9 display because of its increased height (as the width remains the same). However, the presence of onscreen buttons in phones with 18:9 displays means that some extent of the screen area gained has been spent in the onscreen navigation bar.
The Chuwi Hi9 Air is a 10-inch tablet with a Helio X20, 8,000mAh Battery, and LTE
Chuwi has announced the Hi9 Air, a new Android tablet with a 10.1" 2560x1600 display and the MediaTek Helio X20 SoC. It's powered by an 8000mAh battery, and it runs Android Nougat. Pricing and availability are currently unknown.
We tend to talk a lot about established Chinese device makers such as Huawei, Xiaomi, OnePlus, and Lenovo Group. However, there are other lesser-known Chinese brands out there which make smartphones and tablets. For the most part, these lesser-known Chinese device makers find success only in their domestic market of China, but there are some device makers that seek to take a step beyond and establish themselves in international markets. One such device maker is Chuwi.
Chrome OS will finally support ADB access for Android in Developer Mode
New commits in the Chromium Gerrit show that Chrome OS will finally support ADB access for Android apps in Developer Mode. This means that users now can use ADB functionality in Android apps on Chrome OS.
Chrome OS first gained support for Android apps almost two years ago. Last year, Play Store support was enabled for most Chromebooks. Since then, we have seen many improvements to the user experience of Android apps in Chrome OS. Features such as a floating keyboard, split screen, lock screen notifications, and more are being added to Chrome OS. A touch-optimized version of Google Chrome is also in development.
Download the Huawei P20 Stock Wallpapers Right Now
We have access to the stock wallpapers for the Huawei P20. Instead of waiting until March 27 for the official launch of the series, you can download them right now.
We're 18 days away from the announcement of the Huawei P20 series on March 27. The P20 series includes the Huawei P20, the P20 Pro, and the mid-range P20 Lite. The P20 and the P20 Pro will be the successors to the Huawei P10 and the P10 Plus, which were announced at Mobile World Congress 2017. In terms of design, the phones will be drastically different from their predecessors as they will adopt the controversial display notch and glass backs.
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 "Fusion Platform" will include the SDX50 5G Modem
A Softbank Japan earnings presentation has confirmed that the official name of the Snapdragon 845's successor will be the Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, with the SDM855 codename. It will be branded as the "Snapdragon 855 Fusion Platform" along with the SDX50 5G modem.
The Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 was officially announced in December. We're starting to see more smartphones launch with Qualcomm's newest flagship system-on-chip. The US/China variant of the Samsung Galaxy S9, the Asus ZenFone 5Z, the Sony Xperia XZ2, and XZ2 Compact all feature the chip. This list will only continue to grow over the remainder of this year. Even though the Snapdragon 845 is yet to actually reach the hands of consumers, we're already hearing about its successor, the Snapdragon 855.
You can now change the Inbox Type in Gmail for Android
Google has added inbox sorting to Gmail for Android. The app now allows users to choose from default inbox, unread first, important first, starred first, and priority inbox.
Google offers two first-party email apps for Android: Gmail and Inbox. The Gmail app for Android is a feature-rich app, with support for labels, conversation view, swipe actions, smart reply, and more. Users can also use third-party apps to improve its functionality. However, some would argue the app has some work to do before it can be called feature-complete. Unlike Inbox, Gmail for Android still lacks a way to snooze notifications in non-Exchange accounts. Up until now, it has also lacked a way to change the inbox type (except default inbox to Priority Inbox).
The Sony Xperia XZ2 comes with Night Light and One-Handed Mode
The Sony Xperia XZ2's firmware includes Night Light and one-handed mode. Night Light was previously included by Sony in Xperia Compact firmware, but this is the first time it will ship in a stable firmware.
The Sony Xperia XZ2 and the Xperia XZ2 Compact were officially unveiled at Mobile World Congress 2018. The new phones represent a change from earlier Sony smartphones in key respects. Sony's Omnibalance design language was first launched in 2013, and it evolved into Loop Surface three years later. Now, it has given way to the new Ambient Flow design language. Also, the Xperia XZ2 and the Xperia XZ2 Compact are the first Sony phones to feature 18:9 displays, and they have the new Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 system-on-chip as well.
Xiaomi Mi 5s gains Project Treble Compatibility Unofficially
XDA Senior Member MZO has ported Project Treble to the Xiaomi Mi 5s and all other xiaomi/msm8996-common devices. The unofficial Project Treble device allows users of these devices to flash a Generic System Image of AOSP Android Oreo.
Project Treble is a major revamp of Android and we have followed its developments with close interest. The big potential benefit is that it allows manufacturers to roll out updates faster. However, the implications of this benefit won't be tested until later this year (when more Android phones are launched with Treble support).
Open GApps Now Supports Android 8.1 Oreo (ARM+ARM64, x86+x86_64)
Open GApps now supports Android 8.1 Oreo. GApps packages based on Android 8.1 for the ARM and ARM64 platforms are now available.
GApps packages (short for Google Apps) are essential in the custom ROM development community. The reason why GApps are not bundled with custom ROMs such as LineageOS is that while LineageOS is an open-source Android distribution, Google apps are not open-source. Apps such as the Play Store, Gmail, Maps, etc, do not use the Apache or GPLv2 license. Therefore, custom ROM developers can't bundle them with their builds, as doing so presents legal challenges.
Dropbox announces integrations with Google Drive, Hangouts, and Gmail
Dropbox has announced integrations with Google's G suite (Drive, Hangouts, and Gmail). Users will be able to create, open and edit Docs, Sheets, and Slides files that are stored in Dropbox.
Dropbox had a major role in making cloud storage popular. Unfortunately, the company still gives only 2GB of storage for a free account, an amount which has long since been surpassed by Google Drive and Microsoft OneDrive. The service has managed to retain many loyal consumers, and now, it's getting integration with Google's cloud productivity tools: Docs, Sheets, Slides, Hangouts, and Gmail.
[Update: Video] Samsung Brings Full Linux Distribution Support to DeX with "Linux for Galaxy"
Samsung has announced the Linux on Galaxy feature for its DeX dock, which consists of a full Linux distribution installed on a Samsung flagship smartphone.
At the 2017 Samsung Developer Conference, Samsung made a lot of important announcements. The company announced Bixby 2.0 with smart home and third-party developer support and announced a partnership with Google to bring ARCore on some Samsung Galaxy smartphones. However, the announcements don't end there. Samsung also unveiled updated to Samsung DeX with the addition of "Linux on Galaxy", a feature which could add more value to the fledgling state of DeX and pulls more developers into buying Samsung hardware.
Gboard v7.0 Beta Adds Email Address Autocompletion, Universal Media Search, & Support for Chinese and Korean Languages
Gboard v7.0 beta has added support for email address autocompletion and a universal media search feature. The Chinese and Korean languages are now supported as well.
Gboard, formerly Google Keyboard, is Google's first-party keyboard app for Android. It's a feature-rich app, and it is pre-installed on a wide range of Android smartphones. The last version of Gboard, v6.9, brought support for handwriting input, URL field suggestions, new languages, and more. Gboard v7.0 beta began rolling-out to users on the Play Store today, and the official change-log states that it now supports Android Oreo (Go Edition). It also comes with more support for Japanese language features.
Enable Google Camera HDR+ and EIS on the Xiaomi Mi A1 without Root
XDA Member AridaneM has released a tool to install the Google Camera HDR+ port on the Xiaomi Mi A1 without needing root. It enables the Camera2 API as well as Electronic Image Stabilization (EIS).
The Xiaomi Mi A1 is Xiaomi's first Android One smartphone. It was released in September with a decent list of specifications, including a Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 system-on-chip, 4GBs of RAM paired with 64GBs of storage, a 5.5-inch Full HD (1920x1080) IPS display, dual 12MP + 12MP (wide angle + telephoto) rear cameras, and a 3080mAh battery. The phone shipped with nearly stock Android 7.1 Nougat, and it received the Android Oreo update last month.
Samsung Galaxy S9/S9+ Fast Wireless Charger Leaks from Official User Manual
The new Fast Wireless Charger that can be purchased alongside the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ has leaked online.
Less than two weeks remain before the official launch of the Samsung Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+. We know that the phones will be incremental upgrades over their predecessors, and the official event invite from Samsung states that the camera upgrades will be emphasized with the new phones. We have seen plenty of official renders and leaked specifications including leaked battery capacities. Just recently, we saw the leak of official cases for the devices, including the new "Hyperknit" case.
Android x86 7.1 R1 Brings Android 7.1 Nougat to Desktop PCs
Android x86 7.1 R1 has been released, bringing a stable port of Android 7.1 Nougat. It can be installed on x86 Windows PCs and Mac computers, and it comes in 32-bit and 64-bit ISO and rpm formats.
The Android x86 project aims to port Android to x86-based Windows PCs and Mac computers. It's a full port of Android, instead of being more of an application player like other solutions. The last release of Android x86 brought a stable port of Android 6.0 Marshmallow back in September 2016, letting desktop users experience the Google Play Store, run Android apps, work with ADB, and more. Now, 7.1 R1 of the Android x86 project is available and it brings full Android 7.1 Nougat to x86 computers.
Samsung Galaxy Note 5, S6, S6 Edge, and S6 Edge Plus May Receive Android Oreo According to T-Mobile Support Page
According to official T-Mobile support pages, the Samsung Galaxy S6, Galaxy S6 Edge, Galaxy S6 Edge Plus, and Galaxy Note 5 will receive the Android Oreo update.
By now, it's been a long wait for owners of Samsung Galaxy flagship smartphones waiting to receive the Android Oreo update. Android 8.0 Oreo was released in August 2017, but it took Samsung two months just to start an official beta program for the Galaxy S8 and the Galaxy S8+. We explored in depth all of the new features of Samsung Experience 9.0 for the Galaxy S8, and after multiple beta updates and months of testing, the company finally started rolling out the stable Oreo update to the Galaxy S8 and the Galaxy S8+.
Qualcomm Snapdragon 670 Kernel Source Shows 2+6 CPU Cores, Adreno 615 GPU
WinFuture has published new details about the upcoming Qualcomm Snapdragon 670 system-on-chip. It will have a 2+6 CPU core configuration, with two performance "Kryo 300 Gold" cores and six low-end "Kryo 300 Silver" cores.
We first heard about the Qualcomm Snapdragon 670 in August. It's the company's next-generation mid-range system-on-chip, and it's the successor to the Snapdragon 660.