Analysis

For longer articles that analyze trends, smartphones, companies, etc. Articles in this category are automatically placed in the “Analysis & Opinion” sidebar in the Forums.

The Galaxy S21 Ultra may finally live up to Samsung’s “100x Space Zoom” marketing

The Galaxy S21 Ultra may finally live up to Samsung’s “100x Space Zoom” marketing

January 14, 2021
Samsung Galaxy S21 series, the finest Samsung smartphones for the first half of 2021, has finally arrived. Over the last decade, Samsung has added new features to every generation of the Galaxy S series to maintain its position as the Android smartphone landscape leader. Likewise, the Galaxy S21 series also brings several new additions. The...
Samsung Galaxy S to S20: Looking back at Samsung’s flagship lineup

Samsung Galaxy S to S20: Looking back at Samsung’s flagship lineup

January 12, 2021
The Samsung Galaxy S21 series is right around the corner. Samsung is all geared up to take the wraps off the next generation in its premier flagship lineup, the Galaxy S series. With the eventual fate of the Galaxy Note lineup up in the air, the Galaxy S series becomes the principal driving force of...
XDA Awards – The Best Tech of 2020

XDA Awards – The Best Tech of 2020

December 31, 2020
Despite all the notable events this year, 2020 has been incredible for consumer tech, and more specifically, smartphones. A lot of companies went all out with their devices, flooding the market with great options catering to a wide variety of needs and wants. We at XDA have used a lot of these gadgets throughout the...
A New Year’s Resolution for OEMs: Please fix your smartphone branding

A New Year’s Resolution for OEMs: Please fix your smartphone branding

December 27, 2020
A phone's branding is essential. Potential smartphone buyers don't usually have the time to go through a spec sheet to see how one particular phone is better than the other. We're drifting back into the era where almost all smartphones look exactly the same: glass and metal sandwiches (or sometimes glass on plastic) with two,...
The iPhone 12 Pro Max is hard to use with one hand because of iOS, not screen size

The iPhone 12 Pro Max is hard to use with one hand because of iOS, not screen size

December 12, 2020
If you use an iPhone or have been around iPhone users long enough, you will likely have pulled off, or have seen others do this move in the gif below. This "loosen grip to slide a hand up the phone so the thumb can reach the top of the screen" action is as much a...
What is the Difference Between a Periscope and Telephoto Camera?

What is the Difference Between a Periscope and Telephoto Camera?

November 27, 2020
Cameras are indispensable to phones. Ever since the first camera phone, cameras have been so central to phones' branding that many companies cash in solely on their devices' abilities to capture Pixel-perfect (pun definitely intended) photographs. Over recent years, phone makers have channeled their creative energy into improving cameras and accommodating more sensors on smartphones....
How the Xbox Series X and Series S backwards compatibility works

How the Xbox Series X and Series S backwards compatibility works

November 23, 2020
The gaming console race has brewed up once again. Microsoft and Sony have successfully launched their latest gaming machines and the demand is at an all-time high. One of the biggest talk points of the new Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and the PlayStation 5 is the ability to play older-generation titles. I am...
Xbox Series X vs PlayStation 5: Specification Comparison

Xbox Series X vs PlayStation 5: Specification Comparison

November 22, 2020
The Xbox Series X and the PlayStation 5 have finally begun selling around the world. Both gaming consoles are witnessing a huge demand with reports of stocks running out rather quickly. If you are one of those people who are still confused as to which one you should buy, then here’s a quick specifications comparison...
Microsoft Windows turned 35: From MS-DOS to Android

Microsoft Windows turned 35: From MS-DOS to Android

November 21, 2020
Microsoft Windows is 35 years old. On the 20th of November in 1985, Windows 1.0 was released, giving IBM-compatibles (what we now just call PCs) their first Graphical User Interface (GUI). At XDA, our relationship with Windows is kind of complicated and has ebbed and flowed with Microsoft’s mobile ambitions. One thing is for certain...
Everything you need to know about USB Standards, Speeds and Port Types

Everything you need to know about USB Standards, Speeds and Port Types

November 21, 2020
USB or ‘Universal Serial Bus’ is one of the oldest and most popular interfaces today. While it was initially introduced as a computer port, it is now seen on almost every single piece of tech including smartphones, gaming consoles, cameras, etc. in some form or the other. The main objective of making USB was to...
Five reasons XDA loves LineageOS

Five reasons XDA loves LineageOS

October 29, 2020
LineageOS is one of the most popular custom ROMs available for Android devices, if not the most popular custom ROM out there. Evolving from the halcyon days of the CyanogenMod project, LineageOS is now known for being a lightweight ROM with the bare minimum in additional features resulting in a high-performance, high versatility Android variant....
What you need to know about the RIAA’s DMCA takedown of YouTube-DL

What you need to know about the RIAA’s DMCA takedown of YouTube-DL

October 26, 2020
The Recording Industry Association of America, Inc. (RIAA), the trade organization representing the recording industry in the U.S., filed a DMCA takedown notice last Friday for multiple GitHub repositories containing YouTube-DL code. YouTube-DL is an open-source Python library to download video and/or audio from YouTube and other video hosting sites. The library is incorporated into...