XDA News In-Depth

News articles that go more in-depth than the typical news briefing.

Privacy-centric messenger Signal is ramping up to take on WhatsApp

Privacy-centric messenger Signal is ramping up to take on WhatsApp

February 17, 2020
WhatsApp remains the favorite messaging platform of many, and with over two billion users, its ubiquity makes communication simple. However, with growing concerns surrounding its ownership by Facebook (even though WhatsApp boasts end-to-end encryption), many are looking towards alternative options. Facebook's track record when it comes to privacy has never been good, and with the...
Samsung’s Ultra Thin Glass scratches as easily as plastic in Galaxy Z Flip durability test

Samsung’s Ultra Thin Glass scratches as easily as plastic in Galaxy Z Flip durability test

February 16, 2020
The Galaxy Z Flip was recently announced as Samsung's first clamshell foldable smartphone, and unlike with the Motorola Razr, there hasn't been a delay in getting the phone into the hands of consumers. While it's not a direct successor to the Galaxy Fold, it is a marvel of Samsung's engineering on its own right. Early...
Xiaomi launches the Mi 10 and Mi 10 Pro with 90Hz screen, 108MP camera, and Snapdragon 865

Xiaomi launches the Mi 10 and Mi 10 Pro with 90Hz screen, 108MP camera, and Snapdragon 865

February 13, 2020
After weeks of leaks and teasers about its upcoming flagship, Chinese OEM Xiaomi has officially launched the Xiaomi Mi 10 and Mi 10 Pro at an online-only launch event in China. After delivering a heartfelt speech about the ongoing coronavirus outbreak in the country, Xiaomi's co-founder Lei Jun first unveiled the Mi 10. As expected,...
The Samsung Galaxy S20 series don’t have headphone jacks but still support microSD cards

The Samsung Galaxy S20 series don’t have headphone jacks but still support microSD cards

February 11, 2020
Samsung was a proponent of 3.5mm headphone jacks in flagship phones long after other device makers quickly moved away from them. The Apple iPhone 7 removed the headphone jack in September 2016, with Apple citing "the courage to move on." Not content to be left behind, multiple Android device makers started to remove the headphone...
Samsung Galaxy S20 series launches with Space Zoom cameras, 120Hz displays, 5G, and more

Samsung Galaxy S20 series launches with Space Zoom cameras, 120Hz displays, 5G, and more

February 11, 2020
After weeks of leaks and rumors, Samsung has finally unveiled the Samsung Galaxy S20, Galaxy S20+, and Galaxy S20 Ultra. We've seen many renders of the phones, real photos and videos, and many rumors of the features. None of that was officially confirmed by Samsung, of course, until today. Sponsored by .box{position: relative;}.fix{background: #511295;background-size: 340px 25px;position:absolute;padding:5px;top:-8px;left:0px;font-size:20px;color:#FFFFFF !important;text-align:center;font-weight:bold;} This...
Moto G Power and Moto G Stylus officially announced with the Snapdragon 665 and Android 10

Moto G Power and Moto G Stylus officially announced with the Snapdragon 665 and Android 10

February 7, 2020
The Moto G Power (previously referred to as the "Moto G8 Power") and Moto G Stylus have been popping up in headlines for a while now. Just yesterday, the Amazon listing revealed everything about the Moto G Power. The Moto G Stylus has been a little more mysterious, but we knew what to expect. Today,...
The EU has opened an antitrust investigation into Qualcomm for its radio-frequency chips

The EU has opened an antitrust investigation into Qualcomm for its radio-frequency chips

February 7, 2020
Qualcomm is a major company in the Android smartphone market. Not only does the company design the SoCs that make their way in flagship, mid-range, and budget smartphones, but it also designs and sells modem chips, which make it possible for smartphones to connect to wireless cellular data networks. It's been noted before that Qualcomm...
Lyft is testing a boatload of new safety, UI, and QoL features for drivers and passengers

Lyft is testing a boatload of new safety, UI, and QoL features for drivers and passengers

February 7, 2020
Passenger safety is of utmost concern for cab aggregators and ride-sharing apps like Uber and Lyft. For this reason, the companies include a number of safety features to help passengers in case something goes awry. Earlier this year, Uber introduced 3 new safety features for riders in India in a bid to crack down on...
“Sunfish” is the Google Pixel 4a with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 730

“Sunfish” is the Google Pixel 4a with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 730

February 6, 2020
For the past few weeks, we've been tracking three code-names we suspect relate to in-development Google Pixel devices: sunfish, redfin, and bramble. Thanks to the extremely-reliable @OnLeaks, we know that Google is working on a follow-up to the Pixel 3a that's unsurprisingly expected to be called the Pixel 4a. Although we recently stumbled upon evidence that...
Garmin Vivomove series of hybrid smartwatches launched in India

Garmin Vivomove series of hybrid smartwatches launched in India

February 6, 2020
Smartwatches can be broadly divided into two different categories -- the first being smartwatches that aim to cram in enough processing power and features to make them comparable to a smartphone on a wrist, like the Apple Watch and the Samsung Galaxy Watch series; and the other being watches that add just enough smarts to...
Google Maps gets a new icon and new features on its 15th birthday

Google Maps gets a new icon and new features on its 15th birthday

February 6, 2020
It's hard to believe it, but Google Maps has now turned 15 years old. The service was launched all the way back in February 2005, at a time when Android was not owned by Google, at a time when the touchscreen smartphone era hadn't arrived. In the years since, Google has upgraded its capabilities to...
POCO X2 with 120Hz display, Snapdragon 730G launches in India at ₹15,999 ($225)

POCO X2 with 120Hz display, Snapdragon 730G launches in India at ₹15,999 ($225)

February 4, 2020
POCO started off as an independent sub-brand of Chinese OEM Xiaomi back in August 2018. With the launch of its first smartphone — the POCO F1 — the brand had a promising start. However, despite the popularity of its budget-friendly flagship-spec device, POCO didn't launch another device for quite a while. Fans wondered whether the...