Posts From Mishaal Rahman

Mishaal Rahman
673 posts

Editor-in-chief on the XDA-Developers Portal. I have a keen interest in the Android framework and software development, but I'm willing to dip my toes into a variety of subjects. Please direct media inquiries to mishaal@xda-developers.com. You can also find me on Twitter @MishaalRahman, or on Reddit at /u/MishaalRahman.

Samsung’s budget Galaxy Grand Prime Plus (2018) may have an Iris Scanner
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Samsung’s budget Galaxy Grand Prime Plus (2018) may have an Iris Scanner

July 16, 2018
Biometric authentication has taken on new forms in modern smartphones thanks to advancements in imaging and display technology. We now have smartphones capable of precise facial recognition like the Xiaomi Mi 8 and Apple iPhone X. We are also getting smartphones with in-display fingerprint sensors like the Vivo NEX and Porsche Design Huawei Mate RS. Meanwhile,...
Samsung Galaxy Tab A2 XL may have a Bixby button like the Galaxy S9/Note 8/S8
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Samsung Galaxy Tab A2 XL may have a Bixby button like the Galaxy S9/Note 8/S8

July 13, 2018
Samsung is preparing to launch three tablets this year: the Samsung Galaxy Tab Advanced 2, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S4, and the Samsung Galaxy Tab A2. The most anticipated tablet in this trio is the Galaxy Tab S4 but for those of you on a budget looking to grab a newer Android tablet, then you...
First Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 Chromebook is currently being prototyped
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First Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 Chromebook is currently being prototyped

July 12, 2018
When Google's Chrome OS was first announced, Google stated that they designed the operating system with three aspects in mind: speed, simplicity, and security. It's thanks to abiding by these three principles that Chromebooks tend to also have excellent battery life. With minimal bloatware, highly optimized software, and an OS that can run well on...
Code for a newer Samsung foldable phone with Note 4 panel/Note 8 SoC shows up
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Code for a newer Samsung foldable phone with Note 4 panel/Note 8 SoC shows up

July 12, 2018
Samsung's record profit run was reportedly ended thanks to relatively poor sales of the Samsung Galaxy S9. That's not to say it didn't sell in huge numbers—the shipment of 31 million Galaxy S9 devices isn't a figure you can scoff at—but it's certainly disappointing when compared to the sales figures for previous Samsung Galaxy flagship...
A Samsung Galaxy J6+ (Galaxy On6+) with a Snapdragon 450 is in the works
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A Samsung Galaxy J6+ (Galaxy On6+) with a Snapdragon 450 is in the works

July 11, 2018
In May, Samsung launched the mid-range Samsung Galaxy J6 along with the Samsung Galaxy A6, Samsung Galaxy A6+, and Samsung Galaxy J8 in India. All four of these smartphones feature Samsung's signature "Infinity Display" which gives users a higher screen-to-body ratio without increasing the overall size of the device. The Samsung Galaxy J6 was later...
Gboard tests automatic white nav bar for light themes/black nav bar for dark themes
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Gboard tests automatic white nav bar for light themes/black nav bar for dark themes

July 11, 2018
With the release of the Google Pixel 2 and Google Pixel 2 XL, one of the earliest complaints about the device was display burn-in (which actually turned out to be temporary image retention.) To address these complaints, Google released an update that lets the system dim the navigation bar after a few seconds. And with API...
Pluvius themes system UI and accent color based on the wallpaper [Giveaway]
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Pluvius themes system UI and accent color based on the wallpaper [Giveaway]

July 11, 2018
With Android 8.0 Oreo, Google introduced Sony's native theme framework called the Overlay Manager Service (OMS.) Overlays can be built to target the resources of any application, including the SystemUI and Android framework, and override them with their own values. This allows us to theme almost any part of Android to our liking on Android...
Navigation Gestures update brings OnePlus 6-style gestures to any Android device
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Navigation Gestures update brings OnePlus 6-style gestures to any Android device

July 10, 2018
Gesture navigation has become a staple feature on most flagship smartphones these days, with much debate centered around who does it the best. Android P brings native gesture control to all supported devices like the Google Pixel and Google Pixel 2, Xiaomi offers full-screen gestures on the Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro and devices running...
Exclusive: Huawei Nova 3 specifications and press renders leaked in full
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Exclusive: Huawei Nova 3 specifications and press renders leaked in full

July 10, 2018
The Huawei Nova smartphones are a series of mid-range devices, but that's looking to change with the upcoming Huawei Nova 3 set to be announced on July 18th. Compared to the Huawei Nova/Nova Plus with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 625, the Huawei Nova 2/Nova 2 Plus with the HiSilicon Kirin 659, the Huawei Nova 3 will...
Google Phone 22 prepares to add real-time screening of unwanted spam/scam calls
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Google Phone 22 prepares to add real-time screening of unwanted spam/scam calls

July 9, 2018
The Google Phone app is the pre-installed dialer application on the Google Nexus and Google Pixel smartphones. It offers a number of useful features such as automatic spam caller detection and a floating bubble for multi-tasking during phone calls. The latest beta version of the application is rolling out on the Google Play Store, and...
A Xiaomi flagship with a Snapdragon 845 and display notch may be headed for India
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A Xiaomi flagship with a Snapdragon 845 and display notch may be headed for India

July 9, 2018
Earlier this year, we obtained evidence that Xiaomi was working on at least four flagship smartphone devices with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 system-on-chip. This included the Xiaomi Mi Mix 2S ("polaris"), Xiaomi Mi 8 ("dipper"), the Xiaomi Mi 8 Explorer Edition ("ursa"), and a fourth device that we did not share any information on because...
Android Auto app tests a “Minimize App” button to help quickly access other apps
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Android Auto app tests a “Minimize App” button to help quickly access other apps

July 8, 2018
Google has pushed the adoption of Android into vehicles for a few years now. Their efforts revolve around "Android Auto" and "Android Automotive." Android Automotive is an entirely independent Android-based OS that runs on dedicated hardware in the vehicle that's capable of controlling the HVAC and other in-vehicle systems whereas Android Auto is an extension of...