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The LineageOS developers have been hard at work extending LineageOS 20 builds based on Android 13 to more devices. After releasing the first set of official builds for more than 50 devices last week, the team has now a few more phones in the roster, including the Sony Xperia XZ2, Xperia XZ2 Compact, Xperia XZ2 Premium, and the Xperia XZ3.
LineageOS 18.1 brings Android 11 to three Xiaomi, ASUS, and Sony devices
Official LineageOS 18.1 builds are now available for the Mi A2, Redmi Note 7, ZenFone Max Pro M1, Sony Xperia XZ2 series, Mi Mix 2, and more.
LineageOS remains the most popular custom ROM out there. It's backed by a strong and active community that’s always striving to make the newest version of Andriod accessible to more users. Earlier in March, the team at LineageOS released LineageOS 18.1, the latest release based on Android 11. At the launch time, LineageOS 18.1 was made available to nearly sixty Android devices. But this list has continued to grow in size over the past weeks. Last month we saw the official builds of LineageOS 18.1 going live for the Galaxy Note 3, Mi A2, LG 3, Galaxy S5, OnePlus 6/6T, and more. The OnePlus 7T and Google’s Pixel 3 series joined the list shortly after. Now ten more phones have just been added to the official LineageOS 18.1 build roster.
Sony’s Open Devices Program releases an Android 11 build guide and binaries for select Xperia phones
Sony has published an Android 11 build guide and software binaries for several Xperia phones via their Open Devices initiative. Read on!
Unlike some major OEMs, Sony Mobile has yet to publish an elaborate roadmap for Android 11 update distribution. The company doesn't even offer a public beta program to evaluate the newest iteration of Android on Xperia smartphones, but that's not the whole story. With every major Android revision, Sony releases software binaries and instructions on compiling the latest version of AOSP for devices that are part of its Open Devices program. Since the codebase of Android 11 has officially been up on AOSP for a while, the Japanese OEM has now released Android 11 compatible binaries along with a step-by-step guide to build AOSP 11.0 for a bunch of Xperia devices.
Unofficial LineageOS 17.1 brings Android 10 to the Sony Xperia 10/10 Plus
Unofficial builds of LineageOS 17.1 are now available for the Sony Xperia 10 and Xperia 10 Plus, courtesy of XDA Recognized Developer LuK1337.
Sony Xperia XZ3, XZ2, XZ2 Compact, and XZ2 Premium receive official Android 10 update
Sony has started rolling out a stable Android 10 update for the Sony Xperia XZ3, XZ2, XZ2 Compact, and XZ2 Premium, however, it lacks some features.
Google officially rolled out Android 10 back in September last year. Since then, several manufacturers have rolled out stable Android 10 builds for their devices. While Sony wasn't the fastest to jump on the bandwagon, the company did promise Android 10 builds for 8 Xperia smartphones in November. As per the update schedule, the company rolled out Android 10 builds for the Xperia 1 and Xperia 5 early in December and now the company is rolling out updates for four more devices.
Japanese carrier reveals which Sony Xperia smartphones are getting Android 10
Japanese carrier NTT DoCoMo has revealed that the Sony Xperia XZ2/XZ2 Compact/XZ2 Premium, Xperia XZ3, Xperia 1, and the Xperia 5 will receive Android 10.
Sony was once a top tier Android device maker, but the company's smartphone division (Sony Mobile) has seen better days. After years of decreasing sales and market share, the company downsized its smartphone division in 2019. Sony has chosen to "defocus" on the Indian, North American and South American markets. Instead, Sony's focus regions are now Japan, Taiwan, Europe, and Hong Kong. This year, the company has launched the flagship Sony Xperia 1, the compact flagship Sony Xperia 5, and the mid-range Sony Xperia 10 and Xperia 10 Plus (review). Its most recent phone launch was the Xperia 8 in Japan, which had very low-end specifications. The company's popularity can't hope to match Chinese device makers like Xiaomi and OnePlus, but Sony still regards itself as a premium device maker. The company's phones run on a lightly skinned version of Android, instead of running a full-blown custom user interface such as MIUI, so users have been expecting to see details regarding the Android 10 update rollout. Now, Japanese carrier NTT DoCoMo has revealed the Android 10 update plans for Sony's recent smartphones.
Android Q beta 3 is out for the Google Pixel series, OnePlus 6T, and 20 more devices with system-wide dark mode, full gesture controls, and more
Announced at Google I/O, Android Q Beta 3 is here for the Google Pixel family and many more devices. There are a number of big features in this update.
Just like Google told us they would do, the start of May means it's time for the next Android Q beta. What better time to release it than Google I/O? Android Q Beta 3 is here for the Google Pixel family and now even more phones than the Android Pie beta. This is the last incremental update before Beta 4, which will include final APIs and the official SDK.
The Sony Xperia XZ3 is the Anti-2018 Smartphone
Our friends at Pocketnow published a video review of the Xperia XZ3 and they call it the "Anti-2018" smartphone. Do you agree?
We're starting to hear rumors and see leaks of the Sony Xperia XZ4, but the Sony Xperia XZ3 is still kicking. The Xperia XZ3 bucked a lot of the big design trends of 2018. It doesn't have a notch or hole punch display, the bezels on the top and bottom are still pretty big, it has a traditional fingerprint scanner on the rear, etc. Our friends at Pocketnow published a video review of the Xperia XZ3 and they call it the "Anti-2018" smartphone. Do you agree?
Sony’s Open Devices program now supports the Xperia XZ2 and XZ3
This week it has been announced that Sony is officially adding the Xperia XZ2 and the Xperia XZ3 to the Open Devices program.
Sony Mobile may not be making as much as other OEMs like Samsung, but they have worked with the open source community quite a bit. In the Android community, we have seen this in a number of ways with the company's Open Devices program being one of their popular contributions. Sony ends up adding a number of their devices to this program with the which can really help boost the developer community support for said devices. This week it has been announced that Sony is officially adding the Xperia XZ2 and the Xperia XZ3 to the program.
Sony Xperia XZ3 Review: One Step Forward, Two Steps Back
Is this the Sony flagship we've been waiting for or is it Sony caving to market trends. Let us explore this in our review of the Sony Xperia XZ3.
Sony is on a wicked update track with its Xperia XZ line of flagship phones. Just three months ago, I took a look at and reviewed the Sony Xperia XZ2, a phone I felt was overpriced but also offered an incredibly compelling alternative to the modern flagship. It had a portly but comfortable high-quality body, flat display, a sizable chin and forehead, and a no-frills camera experience. All of this won me over, and I used the phone daily for six months.
Sony Xperia XZ3 does not have Xperia Theme support
The Sony Xperia XZ3 does not come with Xperia Theme support. Their reason behind this is that Xperia Themes usage wasn't enough to continue working on it.
While you're using your smartphones, most of the companies who manufactured them are monitoring the things you're doing with them. All of this data is anonymized so they can't use it to call you out by name, but they are collecting analytical data to help improve the product's future. In such example, it has just been revealed that the Sony Xperia XZ3 does not come with Xperia Theme support. We can find this question asked on the company's FAQ page and their reasoning behind it states that Xperia Themes usage just wasn't being used enough to continue working on it.
Sony Xperia XZ3 joins the LG G7 in getting special Google Assistant commands
Sony Mobile has officially announced that the Xperia XZ3 will come with Google Assistant voice commands that will not be available on other devices.
We have been learning a lot about the Sony Xperia XZ3 as of late. While some rumors turned out to be false, we do know that it will launch with an OLED screen and have Android 9 Pie on board. The company had only just finished launching the Xperia XZ2 Premium a couple of months ago, but they are ready to move on and their new device has a surprise for those who are fans of Google Assistant. Sony Mobile has officially announced that the Xperia XZ3 will come with Google Assistant voice commands that will not be available on other devices.
Sony Xperia XZ3 Live Wallpapers ported to Sony devices running Android 7.0+
Live wallpapers from the new Sony Xperia XZ3 can now be used on Sony devices running stock Android 7.0 or newer thanks to an XDA developer.
A wallpaper is that small thing of the UI that we see hundreds of times a day. Most of us use a static image, but some good looking animated alternatives can make your screen look even better. Live wallpapers from the new Sony Xperia XZ3 can now be used on Sony devices running stock Android 7.0 or newer.
Every upcoming/unreleased Android smartphone and tablet we're monitoring
Here's a list of every Android smartphone and tablet from Xiaomi, Samsung, OPPO, Huawei, Google, Vivo, Sony, Nokia, Motorola, etc. we're monitoring.
Android smartphone and tablet leaks can be exciting, but there are so many new devices on the horizon that it can be a real headache to keep up with them all. There's the Samsung Galaxy Note 9, Google Pixel 3, Nokia 9, Sony Xperia XZ3, Huawei Mate 20, and Motorola One Power just to name a few. From what I can see, there are over 100 upcoming devices from major device makers such as Google, Huawei, LG, Nokia, Samsung, and Xiaomi. To wrap my own mind around the confusing mess of smartphone leaks and to help others who have trouble keeping up with all of the rumors, I've put together several tables sorted by brand of every upcoming/unreleased Android smartphone, tablet, and smartwatch.