Over the years, our usage of and dependence on smartphones has increased multifold. Our smartphones are smarter, faster, and more capable than ever, data is cheaper, and we can charge our smartphone batteries much quicker than ever. However, when cabin fever hit most of us in 2020, smartphones became more than just objects of use — they became reliable aides. As the world remained locked up, smartphones were the only means of communication for a large number of people. We used and overused our smartphones way too much this year. And, it is likely that you got to enjoy and appreciate certain features on your smartphone more than ever, while growing to despise some others. So, which was your favorite feature on your smartphone that helped you the most in 2020? Comment below!

Video calling became an effective way to replace physical meetings in 2020. Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams became some of the most actively used terms in the year. Besides professionals, video calling also became a vital tool for educators as students around the world attended — perhaps for the first time — classes virtually from their homes. At the same time, COVID-19 contact tracing became a pivotal tool in tracing potential infections.

Despite the pandemic, Android 11 was released on time and it brought a long list of new features such as new controls from smart devices and media. While most of the changes happened under the hood with new APIs, Android 11 also brought people-first changes including conversation bubbles and screen recording.

At the same time, we also saw a major transformation in custom Android skins used by different OEMs. Xiaomi’s MIUI 12 received an overhauled control center and better privacy controls. OnePlus’ OxygenOS 11 received a major uplift and adopted a design similar to Samsung’s One UI, while One UI 3.0 itself improved in terms of both — aesthetics and functionality. OPPO’s ColorOS 11 and Huawei’s EMUI 11 also received major visual overhauling while Vivo announced OriginOS, which brings major cosmetic distinction over their existing Funtouch OS. Besides visuals, privacy was a major focus for most of the smartphone manufacturers.

Apple also released iOS 14 and iPadOS 14 for its mobile devices, finally bring support for widgets and an app drawer (sort of). Some of these were our favorite features as they were ever better than on Android — especially the widgets — and we wished that Google should adopt these iOS features for Android.

I personally found myself getting overwhelmed with my smartphone usage at the onset of the stay-at-home period and found myself recapturing my sanity with Android’s Focus Mode. I especially enjoyed using OnePlus’ spin on it, called Work-Life Balance mode, which allowed me to assign different apps for my personal and professional usage and let me mute the other category when I was either at work or away from it.

Which smartphone features — whether hardware or software — did you enjoy the most in 2020? Let us know about your favorite in the comments below.

The post Discussion: What was your favorite smartphone feature in 2020? appeared first on xda-developers.

Hello, it’s me again, Mr. Earbuds. I’ve come to you today to review – you guessed it – earbuds! This time it’s the Razer Hammerhead True Wireless Pro, which is quite a name. These are Razer’s second-gen in-ear true wireless earbuds, with a lot of improvements over the first generation. They’re also pretty expensive, coming in at $200. Are they actually worth the price? Let’s find out!

Razer Hammerhead True Wireless Pro: Specifications

First Impressions

Razer did a pretty good job with the presentation here. While the box may be a little overkill for what’s inside, everything’s packaged neatly and is easily accessible.

The charging case is nice and narrow, which Razer says is to make it easier to fit into tight pockets. It’s also easy to open, and the earbuds are easy to remove, which is something that a lot of other manufacturers can’t seem to get right.

As for the earbuds themselves, I’m not really a fan of the AirPods stem style, but at least the Hammerhead True Wireless Pro aren’t direct knock-offs. They do may look a little bulky, but they’re still plenty lightweight and comfortable.

If the preinstalled earbud tips don’t fit your ears, that’s no problem. You can pick from 6 other pairs of tips in 3 different sizes. There are two styles of rubber tips–one for better comfort and one for better noise isolation–and one pair of memory foam tips. The foam tips come in medium, but they’re foam, so they should fit any ear.

Moving onto setting the earbuds up, it was thankfully pretty easy. While I didn’t have the correct app when I get my pair (since it hadn’t been released), I was able to use Google’s Quick Pair to, well, quickly pair my phone.

Usage

Feel & Fit

By default, the Razer Hammerhead True Wireless Pro come with fairly large rubber tips, and didn’t fit in my ears very well. Luckily, there are also 6 other pairs of tips available, in 3 different sizes. There’s a set of 3 pairs of tips meant for exercise, another set of 3 pairs meant for general usage, and finally a pair of Comply-brand foam tips. I ended up replacing the tips with one of the small-size rubber pairs. And they’re pretty comfortable. Even though the earbuds themselves aren’t exactly small, they’re pretty light, and stay in my ears without much trouble.

Battery & Charging

You may have noticed that I didn’t mention anything about wearing the Razer Hammerhead True Wireless Pro for a long time, and there’s a reason for that. Unfortunately, the advertised battery life is only about 4 hours per charge, with an “extended” total of 20 hours with the charging case. Now, this estimate is based on usage with active noise cancellation enabled, so you can probably bring the time up to 5 or 6 hours by disabling that feature.

While 4-6 hours is pretty standard for true-wireless earbuds, both with and without noise cancellation, I can’t help but feel a little disappointed. For the price Razer is asking, longer battery life would have been nice.

As for charging, it’s nothing special. Razer won’t even commit to an estimated charging time. Their excuse is that, since there isn’t a wall adapter in the box, people will use different adapters with different power outputs, causing different charging times. That hasn’t stopped other manufacturers from advertising charging times at specific amperages, though, so it’s weird logic.

Connectivity

Being Bluetooth earbuds, the Razer Hammerhead True Wireless Pro connect through Bluetooth. But they also have some fancy features and some fancy problems.

One advertised feature is the ability to pair with up to three devices at once and switch among them without having to enter pairing mode each time. They also come with Quick Pair, so as soon as they enter pairing mode, all of your Android devices are going to yell at you to connect to them. It’s certainly more convenient than going into your Bluetooth settings and waiting for the device search to find them.

Quick Pair also lets you “track” the earbuds in Google’s Find Device app. The Razer Hammerhead True Wireless Pro don’t have GPS in them or anything like that, but Google can track the location of your phone when the earbuds were connected last.

But the connectivity with these earbuds isn’t all good. For one, the connection range is pretty small. It’s not as bad as the Amazfit PowerBuds, but I can really only get maybe 10 feet away before the audio starts dropping out. That’s not exactly a big issue, but if you work in a large-room environment and move around a lot, you won’t be able to use the Hammerhead True Wireless Pro without bringing your phone or computer around with you.

The second issue I’ve noticed is that they seem to have trouble with Windows PCs. Watching videos or listening to music on either of my laptops, I’ll notice the occasional blip of distortion. It doesn’t matter if I’m 2 or 10 feet away. And if the earbuds disconnect from the computer, they really don’t like to automatically reconnect. These problems don’t exist on Android as far as I can tell, but if you use earbuds with Windows a lot, it’s something to keep in mind.

App & Controls

Like any good (or bad) pair of true-wireless earbuds these days, the Razer Hammerhead True Wireless Pro come with an app. It lets you update the earbuds’ firmware, gives you tutorials, allows you to change options like what the touch controls do and which equalization you have applied, and helps you through the initial setup of the earbuds. There’s honestly not too much to say about it; it’s there and it works fine.

Razer Hammerhead True Wireless (Free, Google Play) →

The controls are where things get interesting. Each earbud has a touchpad on the back of the driver. You can hold, tap, tap-and-hold, and hold even longer to send different actions to your device. Something that annoys me about a lot of true-wireless earbuds is the lack of gesture options. Luckily, the Razer Hammerhead True Wireless Pro have plenty. You can even enter pairing mode without the case, by holding down on either earbud for 4 seconds.

So far that all sounds pretty standard. But the single-tap gesture is special. While most true-wireless earbuds I’ve used will execute a single-tap action as soon as possible, the Hammerhead True Wireless Pro require you to hold down for about half a second. I was annoyed at this at first, but then I realized there’s a pretty good reason for it. Usually, when I adjust true-wireless earbuds in my ears, I end up brushing the touchpad, which triggers the single-tap action. Having a delay before recognizing a single tap means I can adjust the Hammerhead  True Wireless Pro without worrying about accidentally pausing my music or picking up a call. It’s pretty great.

Sound

Audio Quality

Razer is pretty proud of the THX certification on the Hammerhead True Wireless Pro, but does it actually mean anything?

All signs point to yes. The default audio profile uses THX’s own equalization, and it sounds pretty good. There’s plenty of bass, but it doesn’t drown the other frequencies out. Things from music to movies sound clear and, well, good. If I had to complain about the audio, I’d say it sometimes sounds almost hollow, as if the mid-high frequencies are boosted a little too high.

I’m personally fine with the THX equalization, but for those who aren’t, you can use the app to choose among different equalizations, including setting your own.

Noise Features

Now it’s time to talk about active noise cancellation. The Razer Hammerhead True Wireless Pro aren’t the Galaxy Buds Live, so the noise cancellation is at least effective. It’s also pretty good. I’d say it’s about on par with the OPPO Enco Q1 earbuds, and both do a good job of canceling out steady ambient noise. It’s obviously not perfect, since they’re not over-ear headphones with extra noise isolation engineering, but it works well.

If noise cancellation isn’t your thing, the Razer Hammerhead True Wireless Pro let you cycle among it and two other modes: ambient and normal. Ambient mode uses the external microphones to feed sound directly to you, effectively bypassing the noise isolation. This could be useful if you’re crossing the street or on a bike ride, where you need to hear what’s around you. The sound quality isn’t amazing, but it comes through with almost no noticeable delay, which is a problem I’ve encountered with other ambient modes.

And normal mode is normal mode. There’s no audio passthrough or cancellation, just the basic passive noise isolation provided by the rubber tips.

Low Latency

On top of the audio quality and noise cancellation, the Razer Hammerhead True Wireless Pro also have a low-latency gaming mode. Razer says this mode reduces the audio delay to only 60ms. But honestly, I haven’t needed it. I’m not really an avid quick-time gamer, so it’s possible it’ll be useful for some people, but the standard latency is low enough that I don’t notice it.

Microphone Quality

If there’s one area where wireless earbuds tend to fall short, it’s in the microphone quality. I’ve used earbuds that sound terrible, or whose microphones can’t pick up my voice at all.

The Razer Hammerhead True Wireless Pro have neither of those issues. In fact, they sound pretty great. They do a good job at picking up voices while ignoring background audio, and they don’t sound tinny.

Pricing & Availability

The Razer Hammerhead True Wireless Pro are available for $200 in the US.

Conclusion

Overall, the Razer Hammerhead True Wireless Pro are pretty good earbuds. I’d personally be happier with them if the battery life were better, but the sound quality is good, there’s very low latency, and the controls are reliable.

For $200, though, I have a hard time recommending them to most people. $200 is a lot for a pair of earbuds, and there are options out there with much better value. If you’re a Razer fan, though, or you really want a pair of nice-sounding earbuds, you probably can’t go wrong with the Hammerhead True Wireless Pro.

The post Razer Hammerhead True Wireless Pro Review: Good, but expensive appeared first on xda-developers.

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, three, or four cameras mounted on the back, and a display with either a notch or a hole-punch camera. This is where phone branding and marketing come into play, which, unfortunately, have become increasingly more confusing over the past year.

A keen-eyed enthusiast might be able to tell phones apart pretty easily: a smartphone’s spec sheet shows us what SoC a phone has, how much RAM and storage it has, and gives us a basic idea of how good the cameras will perform. An average smartphone buyer, though, will only tell them apart because of the superficial stuff: how it looks, the company that made it, and, of course, how it’s being branded, marketed, and sold. For reasons that don’t entirely appear obvious to us, though, smartphone OEMs have been quite intent on confusing consumers with overlapping names, disoriented product lines, and chaotic Ultra Plus Pro Max successors.

Most, if not all, Android OEMs have been guilty of doing this at some point. And this confusing mess of names is a lot worse than you’d think, especially if you look at the lower end of the smartphone spectrum, where phones are way cheaper and fancy features are not a priority. Sometimes, a smartphone will be sold with a certain name in a certain country, only for the manufacturer to release that same phone under a different name in a different country, further confusing people who try to look up basic information online. Heck, a lot of my non-tech-savvy friends have complained to me about this.

Today, we’ll look at some examples of OEMs that need to get their stuff together when it comes to branding. Then, we’ll look at how they can improve by looking at companies that are getting branding right (at least for the most part.)

Who’s getting it wrong?

Xiaomi

Xiaomi’s naming convention used to be pretty simple. We had budget-conscious smartphones under the Redmi line, and those were categorized pretty easily: You had the series’ number that indicates which generation your phone belongs to, and then you had the phones themselves which were divided by a series of prefixes and suffixes. The A suffix is the cheapest one out of the barrel, the C suffix is one tier above that, and no suffix is one tier above that. And then, we have the Redmi Note and Note Pro series, which are the more premium ones out of the brand. So for the Redmi 9 series, we’d have the Redmi 9A, the Redmi 9C, the Redmi 9, the Redmi Note 9, and the Redmi Note 9 Pro, ordered from the lowest-end to the highest-end. The Mi and the discontinued Mi Note lineups would then sit above this as the more premium offerings. Pretty easy, right?

Well, it’s not that simple. That’s because we haven’t looked at regional variants yet.

The worst offenders here are Xiaomi’s smartphones sold in India. If you ask for a Redmi 9 in India and a Redmi 9 in Europe, you’ll get two entirely different phones. The Redmi 9 in India (and also the POCO C3 with some changes) is actually known as the Redmi 9C in the rest of the world, and there are no phones sold in India under the Redmi 9C branding. If you’re in India and looking for the phone that’s sold as the Redmi 9 in the rest of the world, you’ll discover that it’s called the Redmi 9 Prime in India.

And it just gets worse from thereon. While the Redmi Note 9 is the same both in and outside of India, the Pro variants get more confusing. In India, you have the Redmi Note 9 Pro and the Redmi Note 9 Pro Max. Both phones are very similar, but they have a few key differences between them. The Pro Max is the slightly higher-end of the duo with better cameras and storage options. That differentiation makes sense…but then you find out that these same phones are branded entirely differently overseas. The Indian Redmi Note 9 Pro is actually sold in Europe as the Redmi Note 9S, while the Indian Redmi Note 9 Pro Max is sold in Europe as the Redmi Note 9 Pro.

For a more recent, non-Indian example, there’s the Redmi Note 9 5G lineup in China (seriously guys, what even went wrong with the 9 series?). The Redmi Note 9 5G and the Redmi Note 9 Pro 5G might seem just like 5G-capable variants of the already existing devices, but they’re completely different devices that share little similarity with the phones we know of as the Redmi Note 9 and the Redmi Note 9 Pro. The Note 9 5G and Note 9 Pro 5G even have processors from different SoC vendors! Further complicating things is the Redmi Note 9 4G (the original Redmi Note 9 was already 4G but it didn’t have the “4G” suffix on it) was powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 662. And then, we’ve learned that Xiaomi is planning to release the Chinese Redmi Note 9 Pro 5G as the “Mi 10i” in India, as if the whole thing was not complicated enough as it is.

And this isn’t just Redmi. Xiaomi does this kind of stuff all across the board, even crossing between their own markets as well. Let’s look at the POCO sub-brand for more examples of this. The POCO C3, the POCO M2, and the POCO M2 Pro, all sold in India, have no significant differences to the phones that are already sold in India as the Redmi 9, the Redmi 9 Prime, and the Redmi Note 9 Pro respectively. This isn’t stopping them from selling seemingly identical phones with different branding within the exact same market. I looked at the spec sheets for all of the POCO phones and their Redmi counterparts trying to find differences, and I only found minor differences, if any. POCO insists on its brand independence but also accepts that it shares certain resources related to supply chain and R&D with Xiaomi, which explains the similarities in devices.

I could talk about Xiaomi for the entire article, and I’m already skipping over a lot of other Xiaomi phones with confusing names and confusing rebrands, but there are more offenders on my list (albeit Xiaomi is by far one of the worst). I’m just going to leave you with Mishaal’s tweet on this topic because it sums up the whole thing pretty well.

I have given up on trying to wrap my head around Xiaomi's naming scheme. If you thought their phone names were difficult to parse after watching @TechAltar's video, oooh boy you don't know the half of it. pic.twitter.com/1PAhFC9TMu

— Mishaal Rahman (@MishaalRahman) November 30, 2020

And here’s a diagram we made that tries to sum up the confusing mess as easily as possible. Note that the diagram below may not be visible on AMP, so be sure to open it from the full article on desktop. Also, note that this is not even close to encapsulating the full lineup from Xiaomi. It’s restricted to devices with the “9” moniker (and their related devices) and skips out on other series with their own dozens of spin-offs such as the Mi 10 and Redmi K30.

I’m a Xiaomi fan as much as the next guy. But come on, it shouldn’t be that hard to have your branding be consistent between different markets if other companies manage to pull it off.

Realme

Realme is also no stranger to confusing naming schemes. They take a specific phone and proceed to sell it under different names in different markets. Sometimes, it even crosses brands with OPPO.

Let’s take the Realme V5 5G as an example here. This device features a MediaTek Dimensity 720 5G processor with up to 8 GB of RAM, 128GB of storage, a 5,000 mAh battery, a quad rear 48MP camera setup with ultrawide, depth, and macro sensors, and a 1080p Full HD+ display with a 90Hz refresh rate and a 20:9 aspect ratio. So for the most part, a very standard mid-range device with 5G support.

You don’t have to go very far to find this phone under another name. The Realme V5 5G is also sold as the OPPO K7x—in the very same market of China. The OPPO K7x is the same phone but rebadged under the OPPO brand.

There’s also the Realme 7 lineup, and this one is a bit confusing, too. Regular users might be led into thinking the Realme 7 5G, which recently launched, is actually just the Realme 7 but with 5G support, and this is mostly true. The Realme 7 has MediaTek’s Helio G95 processor, while the 5G phone has MediaTek’s Dimensity 800U. Other than that, the Realme 7 5G has a 120Hz display and a 48MP main camera, while the Realme 7 has a 90Hz display and a 64MP main camera (or 48MP depending on the market).

Then we have the Realme 7 Pro, which doesn’t have 5G as it has a Snapdragon 720G processor, so it performs worse than the Dimensity 800U in the 7 5G, has a slightly smaller display, a 60Hz AMOLED panel instead of a 120Hz LCD, and a smaller battery rated at 4,500 mAh. It does compensate with a 64MP main camera and faster 65W charging. For all intents and purposes, the non-Pro and Pro lineups are separate enough to justify being entirely independent of each other, and there’s very little in terms of similarity to signify that one is a definite upgrade over the other, as the moniker might suggest. Then there is also the Realme 7 Pro Special Edition and Realme 7i, and we’ll leave you to guess where both of these are placed within the portfolio.

When given a spec sheet, a lot of users might prefer the Realme 7 5G over both the regular 4G and the 4G Pro model, but that isn’t made abundantly clear simply by the branding. The name here only gives away that the phone has 5G and still implies the Realme 7 Pro is better. So what gives? We don’t really know.

LG

LG is also sometimes guilty of playing mind games with naming and branding, and this can be observed on devices as recent as the LG Velvet. The LG Velvet came out this year to replace the G series of smartphones, aiming to provide a premium experience without the premium cost that the Snapdragon 865 commanded. But while it didn’t go for the Snapdragon 865, what ended up coming out is pretty confusing.

The LG Velvet is actually available in three flavors: a 4G version and two 5G versions. The first 5G version was, evidently, the star of the show, featuring Qualcomm’s first 5G mid-range chipset, the Snapdragon 765G. But those that didn’t need 5G were treated instead by the Snapdragon 845, an almost 3-year-old chipset that was featured in 2018’s LG G7 ThinQ. Both devices performed pretty much the same as the Snapdragon 765G is roughly equivalent in raw horsepower to the Snapdragon 845, but there’s a downside, and it’s the fact that the Snapdragon 845 is much older. It’s not as power-efficient and long-term vendor support could be a problem down the line. Then finally there’s the T-Mobile LG Velvet 5G, which comes with the MediaTek Dimensity 1000C, an entirely different processor from a Qualcomm competitor.

The LG V-series is still alive as higher-end devices aimed at spec-conscious consumers, but LG’s release cycle has changed, with the company previously releasing a new V-series phone near the end of the year (to compete with Samsung’s Galaxy Note line) but now releasing them around the start of the year. According to a few rumors, though, the LG V-series might meet the same fate as the LG G-series as LG is focusing on more mid-range 5G products. There is supposedly a true flagship (and a rollable) in the works for next year, though who knows whether the V-series naming scheme will stick around in 2021.

So yes, LG is clearly undergoing a major transition in their internal organization within their smartphone division, and their traditional smartphone branding, as we know it, might not be around next year. And yeah, you could attribute some of these branding issues to this weird transitional period. But right now, it’s just confusing for users, their phones aren’t really cheaper or offer better value (which doesn’t help the fact that they’re confusing), and I don’t see things getting much better next year. LG is still definitely one of many companies that need to get it together.

OnePlus

I was rooting for OnePlus here because they were so close to getting naming right, at least until last year. Now, to be clear, unlike other companies, they haven’t (yet) bitten the bullet on some of the other companies’ sins, such as different branding for the same phone in different markets (please keep it up, guys). But there’s a new lineup of OnePlus smartphones that broke everything: the new mid-range Nord devices.

The first, OG OnePlus Nord phone was fine. It’s a very well-performing mid-range device powered by the Snapdragon 765G, up to 12 GB of RAM, and more. It was all about bringing the OnePlus smartphone experience to the mid-range, and it certainly did the job. But then, OnePlus announced two more entries in the Nord lineup: the Nord N10 5G and the Nord N100. These two smartphones set the bar, and obviously price point, even lower.

But these phones also do away with a lot of the stuff that we normally love about OnePlus phones. We have no alert slider on the side, we have no AMOLED panel, and the specifications, while not bad, do leave a lot to be desired, especially in the Nord N100 which has a Snapdragon 460 and a 60Hz panel. Perhaps the worst thing about them, though, is the fact that their branding doesn’t really make clear which device is better and which is worse. I get what they’re trying to do: the base Nord is the highest-end one, the N10 goes in the middle, and the N100 goes at the bottom. But this might not be immediately clear to an average user, who might get confused by this branding.

It’s only set to get worse down the line, though. Not only because we need to factor in mid-range lineups as well, but also because the flagship lineup is also set to get a little bit more complicated as well if the rumors on the OnePlus 9 lineup hold true. Why you might ask? Because there’s set to be three phones: the OnePlus 9, the OnePlus 9 Pro, and a new, probably lower end, OnePlus 9E. This last model could either be a mid-range variant of the flagship devices or the company’s long-awaited return to the flagship-killer space where players like Samsung have already dipped their toes with phones like the Galaxy S20 FE. But then, it’s already confusing enough when having both the Pro phones as well as the mid-gen “T” refreshes, as we will probably see an OnePlus 9T before the end of the year. (For what it’s worth, the latest rumor suggests the OnePlus “9E” could be called the OnePlus 9 Lite, and it’ll feature specs similar to last year’s 8T.)

And then we’re not even sure what OnePlus is planning to name their mid-range phones for next year. N20? N200? Something entirely different? I get that these devices are part of the company’s efforts to diversify themselves from just flagship-grade phones. But given that future mid-range OnePlus smartphones through 2021 aren’t set to look much better, we need to do better here with branding. And the same goes for flagship smartphones.

OPPO

OPPO also gets a spot in this list because of the Reno lineup. Not only because the naming for the phones in it is confusing, but because they’re also pulling a Xiaomi (and somehow doing it even worse than Xiaomi) with regional variants of smartphones. While the first Reno and Reno 2 lineups were pretty sensible, the Reno 3 is where things started going off the rails. The Reno 3 and Reno 3 Pro that were released in China and the ones that were released in the rest of the world were actually completely different devices that were not even comparable in terms of performance. While the Chinese variant launched with a Snapdragon 765G and 5G support, the Reno 3 Pro that the rest of the world got was powered by the MediaTek Helio P95. The Reno 3’s Chinese variants would then go on to launch internationally as part of the OPPO Find X2 lineup.

OPPO then repeated this act with the Reno 3’s successors. With the Reno4 lineup, they launched the device with 5G capabilities and then launched a 4G version that’s an entirely different device yet looks very much like the same phone from the outside. While this is more of a regional issue, as is the case with Xiaomi devices, what can happen here is that people could actually look it up, buy it, and then realize they messed up their research because of the rebranding hodge-podge mishmash with names.

Which companies are getting it right?

Samsung (for the most part)

Samsung has, surprisingly, done pretty well in keeping its flagship and mid-range brandings sensible. Previously, their naming scheme was all over the place, further cluttered by carrier-branded mid-range devices (those still exist, but they’re way less prominent than they were before). Several mid-range phone lineups with no apparent differences between them were just some of the worst offenders back then. Now, though, it has gotten much better, all things considered.

There’s the Galaxy S line, which is comprised of their mainstream, normal, average flagships, the Galaxy Note line, which is aimed at pro consumers and enthusiasts and features things like the landmark S Pen, and the Galaxy Z line, which is fairly new but is comprised of the company’s foldable phones, the Fold and the Flip. All of these are flagship phones, and they’re commonly marked with the same generational number bump as well as suffixes such as Ultra, 5G, and Plus to differentiate between their many entries. Although, Samsung has added “FE” to the mix, which doesn’t really tell you much about where the device slots into the lineup.

But Samsung releases far more mid-range and budget phones, and somehow they manage to keep it relatively straightforward. Their mid-range Galaxy A line starts from the current lowest-end device—the Galaxy A01—and it goes up in increments of 10 as the device’s specs get better, going all the way up to the Galaxy A71. The second number represents the device’s generation, so for example, this year’s series is the Galaxy Ax1 series, and next year’s smartphones will be branded as the Galaxy Ax2.

There are a few bad apples that are spoiling Samsung’s lineup, though. Sometimes, the company will feel like launching mid-generation “S” refreshes to these mid-range devices, as we’ve seen with the Galaxy M30s, the Galaxy M31s, or the Galaxy A50s. And I’m missing two more confusing mid-range lineups. The Galaxy M series is also comprised of budget smartphones, and the naming works the same way as the A-series, but it’s only available online. There’s also the F series, which follows the same trend and naming scheme. The line between these series is kind of blurry, with nothing really differentiating them to the average consumer other than the fact that some of these phones are online-only and region-specific. They all look similar, are priced similarly, and have more or less the same specifications.

I’m still classifying Samsung as a good fish, simply because they do have one of the cleanest naming lineups in the industry considering the sheer size of their device portfolio. My opinion might change once the Galaxy S21 lineup comes out because jumping from the S10 to the S20 (instead of calling it the S11) and then going to the S21 instead of going up in increments of 10 is probably one of the more bizarre marketing decisions I’ve seen in a while.

Apple

Apple has always been pretty good as far as its smartphone branding goes. They’ve only ever done flagship-grade devices, for what it’s worth, so they don’t have to mess around with multiple smartphone lineups and series (and the few times they’ve done it, it’s been mostly flawless), but their branding isn’t confusing at all. We just need to look at this year’s iPhone 12 series for an example of this.

This lineup is comprised of 4 devices: the iPhone 12 Mini, the iPhone 12, the iPhone 12 Pro, and the iPhone 12 Pro Max. And even if you don’t know what these phones are about, you can probably guess where they rank. The iPhone 12 Mini is the smaller model, the iPhone 12 is the regular model, the iPhone 12 Pro is the slightly upgraded model, and the iPhone 12 Pro Max is the large model with slightly upgraded specs. The branding does a good job at helping consumers tell the devices apart.

The few times Apple has deviated from their main series has been in the form of the iPhone SE, which has so far seen 2 incarnations. The 1st generation one launched in 2017 was pretty much an iPhone 6s (in terms of internals) in the smaller 4-inch form factor of the iPhone 5/5s. The 2nd generation one launched in 2020 follows sort of the same line, carrying iPhone 11 specifications over to the same body and form factor of the iPhone 6/6s/7/8.

Nokia/HMD Global (sometimes)

If you follow Nokia’s naming scheme closely, you’d probably find it to be pretty straightforward. It follows a similar naming scheme to what we’ve seen with mid-range Samsung devices: there are two numbers, with the first one representing the device’s range and the second one representing the generation. So the Nokia 7.2, for example, is part of the Nokia 7 series and is a 2nd generation device. And… well, that’s pretty much it. They make devices from the low end of the spectrum running Android Go, all the way up to premium mid-range and even flagship phones, and they all feature this naming across the board.

Note how I said sometimes, though. This is because they often go out of this naming scheme when partnering with carriers and MVNos. There is, for example, a Nokia 2 V Tella at the low end of the spectrum, with the Nokia 2.3 and the Nokia 2.4 also existing, so you’re left to wonder where the carrier device fits in. There’s not a lot that they can do in this regard, though, because carrier-specific cheap devices always have hideous names no matter who’s actually making them. Their main smartphone lineup is, however, cohesive enough to gain a spot in this list. So, kudos to HMD Global here.

The Bottom Line

I’ll just put it bluntly. Other than Apple (and it’s hard for me to say that because I’m not even remotely the biggest Apple fan out there), I can’t say that any OEM is actually doing things right when it comes to branding. And even Samsung and Nokia, which I added to the “nice list” because they’re the “least bad”, have some bad apples that spoil the consistency of the whole lineup. Because every time they’re getting close to actually getting it right, they throw sensibility out of the gate with a peculiar device model or two.

I get that this can probably be hard to pull off if you’re a big company. For example, those carrier devices that are ultra-cheap and ultra low-end? You probably can’t do much with regards to those because it’s often the carrier that has a big say in the branding and overall product. But there are problems that companies can, and should, address. Like, for example, the mess that Xiaomi is going through with their device lineup indicates either some serious lack of foresight or the company considers the Redmi and Redmi Note branding so strong that it tacks them onto every phone without branching out to more lines. And the latter might just be true, considering the lack of popularity of the Redmi Y series and the Redmi A series (though the phones in the Redmi A series had their fair share of issues).

Wouldn’t it be amazing if the “Redmi Note 9 Pro” wasn’t actually 3 different phones? Or that one single device wouldn’t have 3 different names, often even overlapping between their different smartphone brands (Mi, Redmi, and POCO)? Imagine this: Xiaomi makes a phone, slaps a name on it, and then it’s sold under that same name everywhere. This is something other companies can and have done, so why can’t Xiaomi? And under that same note, why can’t OPPO’s Reno 4 Pro be the same Reno 4 Pro everywhere? Why does it have to be two or three different phones?

More than just a rant, I’m hoping that this article serves to highlight this issue a little better. Branding decisions are not spur-of-the-moment accidents — they are carefully considered and multiple options weighed before a device gets called what it gets called. A large part of it is goodwill and reputation in the particular market, and different lineups may enjoy different levels of goodwill in different markets. But there’s bound to be a cleaner solution to making device lineups clearer to both consumers and to enthusiasts. Because right now, the enthusiasts are finding it difficult to keep track, so you can just about imagine what the average consumer is going through when researching online.

So please, please, get it together. Or at least try. Let this be your resolution for 2021.

The post A New Year’s Resolution for OEMs: Please fix your smartphone branding appeared first on xda-developers.

2020 has been an unusual year in many ways. The global pandemic threw a wrench in the execution of plans by smartphone brands, especially in countries where a total lockdown on all forms of non-essential economic activity was imposed. However, these barriers were not enough to contain the strong momentum of the smartphone industry that witnessed an almost usual release schedule — even though production and sales throughout the world were indisputably impacted. Despite this handicap, the smartphone industry saw great innovation and some of the best smartphones to buy in 2020. If you had to choose your absolute favorite smartphone for 2020, which one would that be? Let’s discuss!

CES 2020, which was the first and the last major tech event to happen this year, inaugurated the cursed year with some great launches. At the tech gala, OnePlus showcased the Concept One, an overhauled version of the OnePus 7T Pro McLaren Edition but with an invisible camera module on the back. Samsung dipped its feet in the affordable flagship stream with the Galaxy S10 Lite and the Note 10 Lite.

In the month of February, Samsung announced its first vertically folding phone — the Galaxy Z Flip — alongside the Galaxy S20 series that featured Samsung’s 108MP cameras and up to 100x hybrid zoom using the periscope camera on the Galaxy S20 Ultra. Meanwhile, OPPO, the biggest company from China’s BBK Electronics Corporation, announced the Find X2 and the Find X2 Pro with stunning display and cameras. Soon after Huawei announced its camera-centric flagships of the year — the Huawei P40 series.

At the same time, pro-budget brands such as Xiaomi and OnePlus left their comfort zone of flagship killers and moved closer to real flagships with devices such as the Mi 10 Pro and OnePlus 8 Pro. Meanwhile, relatively affordable brands jumped on the 5G bandwagon with devices such as the Realme X50 Pro and the iQOO 3. Xiaomi’s beloved POCO brand finally reemerged with the POCO X2 and launched then POCO F2 Pro after almost two years of waiting.

As the doomed year progressed, smartphone brands moved forward tirelessly and announced some great devices. Samsung launched its flagships for the second half of 2020, including the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 and the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra as well as the next-gen foldable phablet — the Galaxy Z Fold 2, which happens to be the best phone in my opinion.

Google launched its second affordable Pixel — the Pixel 4a. A few months later, the tech giant also revealed the much improved Pixel 4a 5G alongside the company’s first flagship Pixel without a flagship chipset — the Pixel 5.

And, in case you missed it, XDA also launched its first phone and it runs either LineageOS or Ubuntu Touch OS out-of-the-box. Developed in partnership with F(x)tec and called the Pro1-X, the smartphone surpassed the crowdfunding goal by 10X.

Coming to mainstream brands, OnePlus made news and dominated the marketing scene with the OnePlus Nord — their first non-flagship device since the OnePlus X. Later in the year, they went on to launch the OnePlus 8T with a more conservative flagship killer design and great performance. Meanwhile, Samsung launched its improved flagship killer — the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE (Fan Edition) to compete with the likes of OnePlus. Vivo, at the same time, brought optical image stabilization inspired by Gimbals with the Vivo X50 Pro.

Technologies, especially fast charging, also received a huge amount of attention in 2020. While 65W fast charging was made commonplace by devices such as the OPPO Reno 4 Pro, Realme X50 Pro, and the OnePlus 8T, OPPO also announced their 125W GaN fast charging technology while sister company iQOO became the first brand to launch a smartphone with 120W fast charging technology. Variable refresh rate (VRR) technology was also seen on devices such as the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra and Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro. All of these make for great choices towards people’s favorite smartphone.

Of course, there were many other amazing smartphones launched this year and we haven’t even started talking about Xiaomi’s obsession with the number 9. But if you could choose just one phone out of the entire lot, which one would it be?

Comment with your favorite smartphone in 2020 and let us know why!

The post Discussion: What is your favorite smartphone of 2020? appeared first on xda-developers.

We’ve seen quite a few leaks about OnePlus’ upcoming flagship lineup over the last few weeks, and we’ve learned that the company will be launching the OnePlus 9 series four weeks earlier than its usual launch schedule. The leaks have also revealed that the company’s next-gen flagships will include three devices — the OnePlus 9, the OnePlus 9 Pro, and the OnePlus 9E.

As per recent leaks, the OnePlus 9 and 9 Pro will be powered by Qualcomm’s latest flagship chipset — the Snapdragon 888. The devices will feature a new camera module design with updated camera hardware, and the OnePlus 9 will include 8GB of RAM, 128GB of onboard storage, and a 4,500mAh battery. The OnePlus 9E, or OnePlus 9 Lite, will feature the same hardware as the recently launched OnePlus 8T, with a Snapdragon 865 SoC, a 90Hz or 120Hz AMOLED display, and 65W fast charging support.

Speaking of fast charging, the latest leak about OnePlus’ upcoming flagships suggests that the OnePlus 9 will also feature support for 65W fast wired charging, along with 30W fast wireless charging and reverse wireless charging support. A recent report from 91mobiles has substantiated these claims with what looks to be close up images of the OnePlus 9’s display showing the device “Charging wirelessly” and a new “Reverse Charge” toggle in the quick settings.

These images come from a trusted source, who has further revealed that both the OnePlus 9 and OnePlus 9 Pro will offer 30W fast wireless charging support. The devices will also be the first from the company to support reverse wireless charging.

While we’re yet to receive any confirmation from OnePlus regarding the charging technologies on its upcoming flagships, the information revealed by the latest leak seems quite plausible. This is due to the fact that a recent leak about OPPO’s upcoming flagship, the Find X3 Pro, suggests that the device will also feature support for 65W fast wired charging and 30W fast wireless charging. Since OPPO and OnePlus share the same charging technologies, it makes sense for the latter to offer the same on its next-gen flagships.

Featured image: Leaked CAD renders of the OnePlus 9

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Over the last few weeks, we’ve seen plenty of leaks about Samsung’s next-gen flagship lineup. These leaks have revealed pretty much everything about the upcoming devices, right from their design to their specifications. On top of that, we’ve also seen some information about the alleged pricing for the Galaxy S21 series in Europe. Although Samsung hasn’t confirmed or denied any of the information revealed in these leaks, it has inadvertently revealed that the devices would be announced on January 14th. While we’re still a few weeks away from the official launch event, the company has now opened pre-order reservations for the Galaxy S21 series in the U.S.

As you can see in the attached screenshots, people in the U.S. can now sign up to be notified when pre-orders go live for the upcoming Galaxy S21 series. If you want to get your hands on a Galaxy S21, Galaxy S21 Plus, or Galaxy S21 Ultra as soon as possible, you can register for the pre-order notification from within the Samsung Shop app. To do so, open the app and tap on the “Reserve Now” button on the new banner image. This will redirect you to a pre-order registration page, which highlights all the terms and conditions of the offer.

Registering for the pre-order notification will get you $60 in instant credits towards accessories for your new Galaxy S21 series device. This includes an extra $10 credit for those who pre-order through the app. Once you click on the Reserve button, Samsung will send you a notification as soon as the Galaxy S21 series pre-orders are live. It’s worth mentioning that you will also be able to trade-in your old device and get a discount of up to $700 on your purchase and save an extra 5% on the purchase with Samsung Discounts.

The post Samsung opens pre-order reservations in the U.S. for the Galaxy S21 series appeared first on xda-developers.

Samsung’s flagship smartphones for 2020 were some of the best Android smartphones this year, and we have high hopes for the company’s upcoming Galaxy S21 series. As per recent reports, the company will unveil the Galaxy S21 series in January next year, a few weeks before its usual Galaxy S series launch schedule. Ahead of the official reveal, we’ve seen several leaks and rumors about the upcoming devices, giving us a good look at their design and specifications. In case you’ve not been keeping up with our coverage of the devices, here’s everything we know about the Samsung Galaxy S21, Galaxy S21 Plus, and Galaxy S21 Ultra so far.

Samsung Galaxy S21 series: Release Date and Announcement Date

Samsung has inadvertently confirmed that the Galaxy S21 series will be unveiled on January 14th and that the devices are expected to go on sale in India on January 29th. Global retail availability is expected around January 22, 2021.

Samsung has opened pre-order reservations for the Galaxy S21 series in the U.S. weeks ahead of the official announcement. If you want to be one of the first people in the region to get your hands on the Galaxy S21, S21 Plus, or S21 Ultra, you can now register for a pre-order notification in the Samsung Shop app.

Once you’ve registered, Samsung will notify you as soon as the devices are available for pre-order. All users who pre-order a Galaxy S21 series device via the app will receive $60 in instant credits towards accessories for their new device.

Samsung Galaxy S21 series: Ultra, Plus, and Regular variants

Much like the previous generation, the Galaxy S20, the Galaxy S21 series will also have three devices in it at launch. There will be the regular Galaxy S21, followed by the Galaxy S21 Plus, and topping off with the premium flagship Galaxy S21 Ultra.

If you want an updated flagship from Samsung, the regular variant is the choice for you, as it will feature an updated SoC with a relatively modest package. It’s going to be the most accessible way to get a new Galaxy 2021 flagship in the first half of the year without abusing your wallet.

The Galaxy S21 Plus will be the middle-child in the lineup, and the option that would make sense for most people. It will pack in most of the needed features at a relatively-not-obscene price tag, giving users the sweet medium.

The Galaxy S21 Ultra will obviously be the overkill option. It would make sense for users who want the absolute best within conventional smartphone realms, and do not intend to flinch from spending top dollar for it. It will be the most premium and feature packed device from the South Korean company (outside of foldables and luxury special editions), so it’s the phone to get for those looking to make a statement while still holding something recognizable as a smartphone.

Design

Over the last few weeks, we’ve seen plenty of leaked CAD renders, live images, and even promotional videos of the Galaxy S21 series. These leaks gave us a good look at the device’s design.

Galaxy S21 (Regular)

For the regular Galaxy S21, the design is almost the same as the Galaxy S20. The only major differences between the two devices are the new camera island, which flows over the device’s left edge and blends seamlessly with the frame, and the flat display. This new camera module design is consistent across the Galaxy S21 lineup, and it comes in a couple of different finishes, which depends on the base colorway of the device.

Speaking of colors, leaked official press renders of the Galaxy S21 suggest that Samsung will be offering the device in four color variants — Phantom Violet Phantom Gray, Phantom White, and Phantom Pink. Out of these, the Phantom Violet and Phantom Pink colorways will feature a copper-colored frame and camera module, the Phantom Black colorway will feature a black frame and camera module, and the Phantom White colorway will have a silver frame and camera module. All variants of the Galaxy S21 will have a plastic back, much like the Galaxy Note 20 from earlier this year.

Galaxy S21 Plus

In terms of design, the Galaxy S21 Plus won’t differ much from the base variant. It will feature the same design elements, including the new camera module, but it will have a slightly larger footprint. However, the device will differ from the regular Galaxy S21 in terms of material choice.

Samsung will offer a glass back on the Galaxy S21 Plus, unlike the glasstic back on the base variant. Additionally, Samsung won’t offer as many color variants for the Galaxy S21 Plus, and it will only be available in Phantom Silver, Phantom Black, and Phantom Violet at launch.

Galaxy S21 Ultra

The top-of-the-line Galaxy S21 Ultra will also feature a similar camera island design, but it will be much larger than the camera island on the other two variants. This is due to the fact that it will include a total of 4 camera sensors. Unlike the Galaxy S21 and Galaxy S21 Plus, the Galaxy S21 Ultra will feature a curved display.

As with the Galaxy S21 Plus, the Galaxy S21 Ultra will feature a premium glass back. But the device will only come in two color variants —Phantom Black and Phantom Silver.

Samsung Galaxy S21 series: Specifications

These are the expected specifications for the Samsung Galaxy S21 series. Note that these are not final specifications, and are based on leaks and reasonable guesstimates. We’ll keep them updated, but know that these may change by the time the phones are actually released.

The baseline for performance is set, with all three of the flagships in this series coming in with the top-end Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 in the USA and select other regions, and with the Exynos 2100 internationally. There should be plenty of RAM and storage onboard, though microSD card expansion is not yet known. The rear and front camera setup remains the same on the regular and Plus variant, while the Ultra gets a complete overhaul. Between the regular and Plus variant, the differentiating factor would be the slightly larger size and the difference in plastic back and glass back.

The camera setup on the Galaxy S21 Ultra is expected to be significantly better, with a second-gen 108MP primary camera, the same 12MP wide-angle camera as the other two variants, a 3x telephoto sensor, and a 10x optical “super” telephoto sensor. The new telephoto sensors will feature 130% larger pixels and dual-pixel autofocus, and with the 10x telephoto sensor, Samsung will be reviving its 100x Space Zoom feature. As per the latest leak, all three devices in the Galaxy S21 lineup will offer 8K video capture capability at 30 frames per second, and 4K video capture at 50 frames per second. The devices will be able to capture Full HD video at 240 frames per second.

The leaks further reveals that all three devices will feature stereo speakers, NFC, Bluetooth 5.1, Wi-Fi 6, and IP68 dust and water-resistance. However, only the top of the line model will offer extras like S Pen support.

Samsung Galaxy S21 series: Price

As for pricing, reports suggest that the Galaxy S21 will start at €849 for the 128GB storage variant and €899 for the 256GB storage variant, €1,049/ €1,099 for the Galaxy S21 Plus 128GB/256GB, and the Galaxy S21 Ultra will cost €1,349/€1,399/€1,529 for the 128GB/256GB/512GB variant respectively. The pricing for the base model is lower than what the Galaxy S20 launched within Europe, but the higher-end model is more expensive than the Galaxy S20 Ultra possibly because of the improved camera hardware and S Pen support. In all, there’s a wider price bracket to cover with the coming flagship series.

Samsung Galaxy S21 / Galaxy S21 Plus / Galaxy S21 Ultra XDA Forums

Reports also suggest that Samsung might not offer a charger with the Galaxy S21 series in some regions. While we haven’t seen much information about the new software features that may launch with the devices, we’ve learned that Samsung may let users unlock the Galaxy S21 series devices with Bixby Voice and that the devices could come with the Google Discover feed on the minus one screen.

S Pen support on the Galaxy S series and the end of the Galaxy Note?

Historically, the S Pen had been the defining feature of the Samsung Galaxy Note series, clearly differentiating the product lineup towards productivity-focused pro-consumers. Some of Samsung’s tablets have come with support for S Pen, but by and large, the S Pen has been part of the Note identity.

But with the rise of foldables as the new forte for productivity-focused pro-consumers, and with the S-series also closing the gap in terms of other features, there’s little left for the Note and its own identity. Many rumors suggested that the Note lineup is dead. But Samsung had to come clean and reaffirm the existence of the Note series for another year, with the rider that some signature Note features will make their way on to other devices. This is the signal needed to reaffirm all rumors of the S Pen support coming over to the S series with the Galaxy S21 Ultra.

With the Galaxy S21 Ultra, the S Pen will reportedly be sold separately and stored separately. There’s no housing cavity within the device to store the stylus. Instead, Samsung will offer a couple of case options that will make it easier to store the stylus when not in use and charge it up as well.

The rest of the three phones, the Galaxy S21 and Galaxy S21 Plus, have not been rumored to come with S Pen support, indicating that Samsung will lock the feature to the top of the line model only. Note that this is not a software-lock, but a limitation on hardware as the needed digitizer components will not be present on the other two phones.

Will there be a Galaxy S21 FE or Galaxy S21 Mini?

The Samsung Galaxy S20 FE was a runaway hit in a year of widespread economic recession and rising smartphone pricing, thanks to its relatively affordable price tag for a pseudo-flagship. There’s good reason to believe Samsung is considering a successor simply because the predecessor was pretty successful, though there have been no leaks or rumors to this end just yet. If a Galaxy S21 FE comes into existence, it will be in the second half of the year.

As for the Galaxy S21 Mini, this is a form factor that many would hope Samsung takes considering the positive reception to the iPhone 12 Mini. Samsung has done “mini” flagships before, like the Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini, Galaxy S4 Mini, and Galaxy S5 Mini, so a “mini” flagship would not be out of place for the S series at all. There’s no indication that Samsung is indeed working towards a Galaxy S21 Mini. But if they do, it should hopefully follow along with the same principles as Apple followed for its mini: all of the flagship in just a smaller size. Samsung has three devices in its Galaxy S21 lineup, which then begs the question: which of the three forms the base for expectations for the Galaxy S21 Mini? If the South Korean company uses the regular variant as the base, then the resultant phone would be similar in concept to early A-series and M-series smartphones, with just a flagship processor. And we aren’t sure if that alone would be enough reason to convince everyone looking for a small-footprint device, especially with Exynos 2100 at the helm.

What are your thoughts on the Galaxy S21 series? Do you think that they’ll live up to the hype? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.

The post Here’s everything we know about the Samsung Galaxy S21 series, launching in January appeared first on xda-developers.

MediaTek beat Qualcomm to become the world’s largest mobile chipset vendor in Q3 2020. Having a market share of 31%, the company took a formidable leap alongside the recovering smartphone market this year. Other factors for the chip maker’s growth are being attributed to strong performance in the $100 to $250 price segment as well as growth in key regions including India and China.

The report published by Counterpoint, claims that Qualcomm stood at second position with 29% market share while Huawei’s Hisilicon, Samsung and Apple, all three managed to have a 12% share. Just last week, MediaTek had announced that it will be partnering with popular smartphone manufacturers to bring its new Dimensity 800U-powered mid-range 5G devices to the Indian market as early as next month and the Dimensity 1000 Plus-powered 5G flagships early next year.

Image credits: Counterpoint

According to Research Director Dale Gai, emerging markets in Latin America and Middle East regions, along with the US ban on Huawei helped MediaTek grow significantly. He also said that MediaTek chipsets used in Xiaomi handsets increased by over three times as compared to Q3 last year. Affordable MediaTek chips fabricated by TSMC became the first option for many OEMs to quickly fill the gap left by Huawei’s absence.

Image credits: Counterpoint

Qualcomm was, however, the biggest vendor of 5G chipsets in Q3 2020 with 39% of the 5G phones sold worldwide having a Snapdragon processor. The report further suggested that the demand for 5G smartphones doubled during Q3 2020 with 17% of all smartphones sold in the same period being 5G enabled. It is expected that this trend will move in an upwards direction thanks to Apple’s recent launch of 5G-enabled iPhones. It is being speculated that one-third of all smartphones shipped in Q4 2020 are going to be 5G enabled and there is a high chance that Qualcomm will make a comeback and become the leader yet again in Q4 2020.

The post Report: More phones with MediaTek chips shipped in Q3 2020 than with Qualcomm chips appeared first on xda-developers.

The TWRP custom recovery is an essential tool for Android enthusiasts who wish to install third-party software on their devices. With it, you can flash new custom ROMs, take full data backups, modify protected files, and do much more. But to do any of these things, you need to have a device that’s officially supported by the TWRP project. Thankfully, the team behind the project keeps adding support for new devices ever so often. Since our previous coverage, the team has expanded support to the ASUS ZenFone 7 series, ROG Phone 3, Samsung Galaxy Note 10 series (Exynos), Galaxy Tab S6 Lite, Galaxy J4, and the Galaxy M30s.

ASUS ZenFone 7 series

The ASUS ZenFone 7 and ZenFone 7 Pro are the latest flagship smartphones from the Taiwanese smartphone maker. The devices feature Qualcomm’s flagship chipsets for 2020, the Snapdragon 865 and Snapdragon 865 Plus, coupled with a unique camera module that swivels up to become the best selfie camera setup in the market right now.

ASUS ZenFone 7/7 Pro Forums

While both the devices run ZenUI 7 based on Android 10, third-party development for the devices is in full swing on our forums, with a couple of custom ROMs and mods already available for download. Thanks to official TWRP support, you can now flash these ROMs and mods on your device with ease.

ASUS ROG Phone 3

The ASUS ROG Phone 3 is one of the best gaming smartphones that you can get your hands on at the moment. Much like the ZenFone 7 Pro, it’s powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 865 Plus chipset. But it offers a few unique additions that set it apart from ASUS’s regular flagships. The ROG Phone 3 offers a unique design with a gamer-y aesthetic, it features a 144Hz high refresh rate AMOLED display, a massive 6,000mAh battery, 16GB of LPDDR5 RAM, and 512GB of fast UFS 3.1 storage.

ASUS ROG Phone 3 Forums

As with the ZenFone 7 series, third-party development for the ROG Phone 3 is in high gear on our forums, and developers have already released unofficial LineageOS 18.1, a Google Camera port, and unofficial TWRP for the device. Now, thanks to official TWRP support, you’ll be able to flash the latest custom ROMs and mods on the device without worrying about any issues that you may face with the unofficial build.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite is a toned-down version of Samsung’s flagship Android tablet from last year. The mid-range tablet features a 10.4-inch display coupled with Samsung’s Exynos 9611 SoC and the ARM Mali-G72 MP3 GPU.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite Forums

The tablet recently received its first official build of LineageOS 17.1 based on Android 10, and now you flash it on your unit without relying on unofficial builds of the TWRP recovery. In case you’re not interested in flashing Android 10-based ROMs anymore, you can also check out an unofficial build of LineageOS 18.1 based on Android 11 on the tablet, which is now available on our forums.

Samsung Galaxy Note 10 series (Exynos)

The team behind the TWRP custom recovery has now officially extended support to the Exynos versions of the Galaxy 10 series devices, finally allowing users outside of the US to experience custom ROMs and mods on their Galaxy Note 10 devices.

TWRP for the Galaxy Note 10 4G || Galaxy Note 10 5G || Galaxy Note 10+ || Galaxy Note 10+ 5G

Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Forums || Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ Forums

The TWRP recovery is now available for the Exynos variants of the Galaxy Note 10 4G, Galaxy Note 10 5G, Galaxy Note 10+, and the Galaxy Note 10+ 5G. You can follow the links above to download the custom recovery for your respective device.

Samsung Galaxy J4

The budget-friendly Samsung Galaxy J4 from 2018 has also received official support for the TWRP custom recovery. The device features Samsung’s Exynos 7570 quad-core SoC, coupled with up to 3GB of RAM and up to 32GB of onboard storage.

TWRP for the Samsung Galaxy J4

It launched with Android 8.0 Oreo out of the box, and Samsung has already stopped releasing OS updates for the device. So, the official TWRP support is expected to give the Galaxy J4 a new lease on life, allowing users to install custom ROMs based on newer versions of Android.

Samsung Galaxy M30s

The Samsung Galaxy M30s is a mid-range Exynos 9611-powered device from last year, which was released with One UI based on Android 9.0 Pie. The device features a 6.4-inch Super AMOLED display, up to 6GB of RAM, and up to 128GB of onboard storage, making it quite a capable device even today.

TWRP for the Samsung Galaxy M30s

Samsung Galaxy M30s Forums

However, since Samsung hasn’t updated it to the latest version of One UI, it lacks a bunch of software features. Thanks to the official TWRP support though, you can now install third-party custom ROMs and mods on the device and unlock all of these features, and more, on your device.

It’s worth noting that while the TWRP team has officially announced support for the ASUS ZenFone 7 series, ROG Phone 3, and Galaxy Tab S6 Lite, the builds/wiki pages for these devices aren’t live yet. That’s because the TWRP team is waiting on the release of TWRP 3.5.0. We’ll add the respective links in this post as soon as they go live.

The post TWRP adds support for the ASUS ZenFone 7, ROG Phone 3, Samsung Galaxy Note 10 (Exynos), and more appeared first on xda-developers.

A few years back, Microsoft offered Windows 7 and Windows 8 users to upgrade to Windows 10 for free. The upgrade program allowed users with genuine license keys to upgrade to the latest operating system at no extra cost. While the free update program ended in 2016, it seems that the offer continues to remain valid.

Customers can continue to take advantage of Microsoft’s free Windows 10 upgrade. As tested by Windows Latest, users with a genuine license of Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 can upgrade to Windows 10 and get a digital license for free. A Reddit comment by a self-proclaimed Microsoft employee says that the whole “free” upgrade for a year was complete marketing fluff.

This should be good news for Windows 7 users, especially since Microsoft ended support for the operating system in January 2020. During the time Microsoft had also confirmed that there would be no more security updates, or emergency patches unless you’re a business that is willing to pay.

How to get Windows 10 upgrade for free:

• Make sure you are using a genuine copy of Windows 7/8.1 on your device or virtual machine.
  • Note that a corporate/volume licensed instance of Windows — even if it’s genuine — isn’t eligible.
• Head over to the Windows 10 download page and download the tool to install the OS.
  • Alternatively, you can download the full ISO of Windows 10 from this page (may redirect to the Media Creation Tool download page if opened on Windows).
• Open the Media Creation Tool and select ‘Upgrade this PC now’.
• Accept the terms and conditions and choose the upgrade option where you keep your files and information. Doing a fresh install via the Media Creation Tool may not get you Windows 10 for free, so be careful!
  • A summary of available upgrade paths from Windows 7 or a later operating system to Windows 10 can be found here.
• Once the installation completes, connect your device or virtual machine to the internet and open Windows Update > Activation. Click on the ‘Activate’ button if required and your PC will be activated with a digital license after it establishes a connection to the Microsoft servers.
• In case you are unable to obtain the license, you can enter your Windows 7/8/8.1 product key and manually activate the operating system.

Do note that these steps will work only if you have a legitimate Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 installation. You cannot upgrade to genuine Windows 10 if you have a non-activated or a non-genuine version of Windows 7 or 8.1. It is also interesting to note how Microsoft has kept this a secret and doesn’t publicize the fact that users can still continue to upgrade to the more secure and powerful operating system, free of cost.

Microsoft releases x64 app emulation in preview for Windows 10 on ARM

The post Windows 10 free upgrade is still available for Windows 7/8.1 owners appeared first on xda-developers.

The fateful year is drawing to a close. And just when you thought we have seen everything there is to see this year in tech, Xiaomi is here with its “one more thing”, and it’s their biggest reveal from the dedicated launch event in China today. Meet the new Xiaomi Mi 11, Xiaomi’s next flagship and the first smartphone with the new Qualcomm Snapdragon 888.

Xiaomi Mi 11 Forums

Xiaomi Mi 11: Specifications

The Xiaomi Mi 11 picks up where the Mi 10 and Mi 10 Pro left off, even though Xiaomi had the even crazier Mi 10 Ultra launching later in the year. So while the device is not as overkill as the Ultra, it still pulls in specifications that are known for a stellar experience in the premium flagship space.

If you have been following Xiaomi’s flagship smartphones, you’d see a familiar package up front on the Mi 11. The display curves over the edges, but now the back also flows in more drastically. The end result is a svelte figure through the 1.8mm metal frame that needs more surface area around the power button and volume rocker. On the back, the camera island is a combination of familiarity and uniqueness — familiar because we have seen such designs on other phones, and unique because of the 108MP primary camera that lends it a large footprint and attracts attention with its silver ring accent. The Xiaomi branding on the bottom is subtle, and we definitely prefer the clean look over the large obnoxious branding exercises that we have seen on more budget offerings.

The display is a 6.81″ quad-curved QHD+ AMOLED panel with a 120Hz refresh rate. Unfortunately, there’s no variable refresh rate here, though the display can switch between 30Hz, 60Hz, 90Hz, and 120Hz depending on the content. The panel is 10bit capable and is protected by Gorilla Glass Victus on the front. The curve on the top and bottom edges is very slight, and you need to see the phone very carefully to realize that those edges are, in fact, not flat.

Even though the Mi 11 has technically been released in 2020, it still qualifies to be called a 2021 flagship. The sole reason for this is because it uses the brand new Qualcomm Snapdragon 888, and also because the device will become commercially available only in 2021, which is about 3 days away. As Idrees notes in his deep-dive and Mishaal concludes in the benchmark followup, the chip is a respectable step forward for Qualcomm, with a lot of attention on the AI Engine and the Spectra ISP alongside the usual CPU and GPU increments. It’s very likely the Snapdragon 888 becomes the best Android SoC in 2021, and the Mi 11 can take it to that position thanks to the complementing LPDDR5 RAM (clocked at 6400Mbps compared to the previous 5500Mbps clock) and UFS 3.1 storage.

The camera is also impressive. While the Mi 10 and Mi 10 Ultra attempted to pack in four cameras, Xiaomi is rightfully cutting down on the numbers to focus more on the size of the sensor. The primary sensor is a 108MP sensor, flanked by a 13MP ultra-wide angle sensor and a 5MP tertiary sensor. The front camera is a 20MP sensor.

As for battery and charging, this is a flagship, so you get some great specifications here too. The 4,600 mAh battery can be charged up to 55W with a wire, or up to 50W wirelessly. However, one regression creeps into the package, as Xiaomi has removed the charger from the box, as expected after Apple’s move. But but but, Xiaomi will give you a 55W GaN charger (worth CNY 100 (~$15)) separately, outside the box. Customers can opt to forego the same if they have an abundance of chargers with them.

The Xiaomi Mi 11 is also the first phone to launch with MIUI 12.5 based on Android 11. This MIUI update collates all the relevant features added since the introduction of MIUI 12. The Mi 11 is also capable of sharing audio with two connected Bluetooth audio accessories, allowing your friends to listen to the same music from your phone without disturbing others.

Xiaomi Mi 11: Pricing and Availability

The Xiaomi Mi 11 will be available to pre-order in China for CNY 3,999 (~$612) for the 8GB + 128GB variant, CNY 4,299 (~$657) for the 8GB + 256GB variant, and CNY 4,699 (~$719) for the 12GB + 256GB variant. Pre-orders begin today in China, with open sales from January 1, 2021.

The phone is available in Midnight Gray, Horizon Blue, and Frost White in anti-glare frosted glass, as well as Lilac Purple and Honey Beige in vegan leather.

While the company has not explicitly confirmed any plans, we can confidently presume that the device will make its way to the international markets of Europe and India at least. After all, this is Xiaomi’s flagship, and it does make a splash.

Xiaomi Mi 11 Forums

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Xiaomi’s MIUI 12 was one of its best received and most popular updates, riding atop the continued rally of smartphone launches and sales across the globe. Now, at the launch of the new Xiaomi Mi 11 flagship, Xiaomi is back with a new version update. Meet MIUI 12.5, the latest update to the popular smartphone UX present on Mi, Redmi, and POCO smartphones.

MIUI 12.5 is numbered like a minor update, and that’s because it does not feature any dramatic redesigns. Instead, this update focuses on bringing in more polish and smaller UX changes and collating all the built-up updates since the launch of the last major update. Here are all the changes from the new MIUI 12.5 update!

New Super Wallpaper and Live Wallpaper on MIUI 12.5

MIUI 12’s Super Earth, Super Mars, and Super Saturn Live Wallpapers are some of the most popular live wallpapers around, on Mi and Redmi smartphones and even on other smartphones not from the Chinese OEM. Xiaomi is now adding two more live wallpapers to this set: Snow Mountain and Geometry!

MIUI 12’s latest Geometry and Snow Mountain live wallpapers are now available for download

Both of these new live wallpapers are available for download and sideloading/installing across Android smartphones, so check out the link above for download links!

New Sounds

MIUI 12 is known for the nature-inspired sound pack present within, allowing users to set notifications, ringtones, and other event tones with sounds from nature. This feature is now seeing further expansion, with new sounds inspired from the jungles of Amazon and Africa to the ice dessert in the Arctic.

A lot more sound options have been added across the UX alongside complementing haptics, contributing to the unique experience. And of course, if you don’t like them, you can always turn them off.

MIUI+ with MIUI 12.5

We’re looking for more clarity on this particular feature, since the live stream announcement was in Chinese. But based on what was presented on stage, MIUI+ on MIUI 12.5 is a way to integrate the functions of your Android phone with your Windows PC. Think Microsoft’s Your Phone app, but for Xiaomi.

You can view your phone notifications on the laptop, takeover select running mobile apps on your laptop, copy text on phone and paste directly on laptop, immediately have your screenshots show up on your laptop, access files on your phone through the laptop and even edit and sync them back, and more. We’ll be exploring this feature further in-depth soon. For now, these are the currently supported smartphones for this feature on MIUI 12.5:

• Mi 10 Ultra
• Mi 10 Pro
• Mi 10
• Mi 9 Pro 5G
• Mi 9
• Redmi K30 Ultra
• Redmi K20 Pro
• Redmi K30 Pro

Xiaomi also recommends using the feature on these laptops:

• Mi Notebook Pro 15 Enhanced Edition
• Mi Notebook Pro 15.6″ 2020
• Redmi G gaming notebook
• RedmiBook 16
• RedmiBook 14 II
• RedmiBook Air 13

Performance on other laptops is not guaranteed. But in theory, this MIUI+ app should work across all Windows machines in conjunction with compatible phones on MIUI 12.5.

Notes App: New Icon, Indented Dropdown with Brainmap Generation, Drawing, and more

The default Notes app within MIUI 12 is getting a lot of attention with MIUI 12.5.

First, there’s a new icon, followed by new features like Indented lists with the ability to collapse, the ability to then create brain maps out of these lists with one click, the ability to draw and doodle, and more!

Privacy: Clipboard access, Coarse location, and more

With MIUI 12.5, Xiaomi is bringing in a few changes to how privacy is handled.

When apps attempt to access clipboard data, the user will be shown a prompt with the text within the clipboard, and the ability to grant permission, automatically decline after a timeout, or always decline.

MIUI 12.5 will also allow users to pass on Coarse location to apps instead of Fine location. In a lot of instances, apps do not require your location data down to the exact lane, and purposeful location fudging will help retain some privacy.

The Browser app is also getting some updates, with the ability to automatically block downloads from malicious pages, and other changes to internet-tracking (though we will not take Xiaomi’s word for it).

System Enhancements

Xiaomi claims that MIUI 12.5 focuses on optimization, with a 20% decrease in memory usage across core usage scenarios. In the same context, system operations now consume up to 32% less memory and offer a 17% decrease in power consumption. Super Wallpapers now consume 40% less power under MIUI 12.5.

MIUI 12.5 Complete Changelog

Here’s the complete changelog for the MIUI 12.5 update:

MIUI 12.5 Rollout Schedule

According to a roadmap published on Mi Community, Xiaomi users will start receiving the new MIUI 12.5 update via stable channel starting in April 2021. However, the first set of MIUI 12.5 builds are already live on the China Closed Beta branch, which you can flash if you are feeling adventurous.

• MIUI 12.5 Closed Beta ROM:
  • 1st Batch (Released):
    • Mi 10 (umi)
    • Mi 10 Pro (cmi)
    • Mi 9 (cepheus)
    • Mi 9 SE (grus)
    • Redmi K20 / Mi 9T (davinci)
    • Redmi K20 Pro / Mi 9T Pro (raphael)
    • Mi CC9e (laurus)
    • Redmi Note 7 / Redmi Note 7S (lavender)
    • Redmi Note 7 Pro (violet)
    • Redmi K30 Pro / POCO F2 Pro (lmi)
    • Redmi K30 5G (picasso)
    • Mi 10 Youth Edition / Mi 10 Lite Zoom (vangogh)
    • Redmi K30 4G / POCO X2 (phoenix)
    • Mi CC9 Pro / Mi Note 10 (tucana)
    • Redmi K30S / Mi 10T (apollo)
    • Mi 10 Ultra (cas)
    • Redmi K30 Ultra (cezanne)
    • Redmi 10X (atom)
    • Redmi 10X Pro (bomb)
    • Redmi Note 9 5G (cannon)
    • Redmi K30i 5G (picasso48m)
  • 2nd batch (Starting from mid to late January 2021):
    • Mi 9 Pro 5G (crux)
    • Mi CC9 / Mi 9 Lite (pyxis)
    • Mi CC9 Meitu Edition (vela)
    • Redmi Note 9 Pro 5G / Mi 10T Lite (gauguin)
    • Redmi Note 8 Pro (begonia)
    • Redmi Note 8 (ginkgo)
    • Redmi Note 9 4G / Redmi 9T / Redmi 9 Power (lime)
      • Note: In order to provide a better experience, the underlying Android version of the above devices will be upgraded.
• MIUI 12.5 Public Beta Update:
  • It will be released in batches from mid to late January 2021.
• MIUI 12.5 Stable Release:
  • 1st batch (starting at the end of 4/2021):
    • Mi 11
    • Mi 10 Ultra
    • Mi 10 Pro
    • Mi 10

Regions outside of China may have to wait patiently for the builds to progress to the China Stable branch first, and then onto the respective Global branches.

The post Xiaomi announces MIUI 12.5 for its Mi and Redmi smartphones appeared first on xda-developers.

The latest version of Xiaomi’s custom Android skin – MIUI 12.5 – is finally here. The first incremental update over MIUI 12 has been unveiled at the Mi 11 launch event in China. Compared to MIUI 12, the stable version of which was released less than six months ago, MIUI 12.5 brings in a slew of improvements, visual overhauls, and a handful of new features. We have already extracted the new live wallpapers, and now we are presenting the downloading links of the first set of MIUI 12.5 beta firmware packages for a bunch of Xiaomi, Redmi, and POCO devices.

It is worth mentioning that these closed beta builds are meant for the Chinese variants, as Xiaomi suspended the rollout of MIUI global beta since last year. As a consequence, you have to flash these recovery ROMs using TWRP to bypass the MIUI beta account whitelisting. Do not expect Google Play Services or any pre-installed Google apps in them. Language options are likely limited to English and Chinese only, too. Xiaomi has yet to launch MIUI 12.5 globally. Meanwhile, you can try out the closed betas from China.

The beta MIUI 12.5 builds listed below are based on either Android 10 or Android 11, depending on the device. If you are looking for MIUI 12 stable releases, you can find those here.

Download: MIUI 12.5

You can download the latest beta of MIUI 12.5 for your device from the links below. You can also visit our linked forums in case you need further assistance. While all of these download links are directly from Xiaomi, users are advised to proceed at their own risk. We warn you once again, this is not intended for the average consumer and is recommended only for users comfortable with flashing ROMs.

Links for the previous beta builds of MIUI 12 are preserved as well:

Older builds archive — MIUI 12 China Closed Beta for Xiaomi and Redmi devices

Changelog

The full changelog for MIUI 12.5 beta, when updating from MIUI 12, is as follows:

Thanks to XDA Recognized Developer yshalsager and XDA Member kacskrz for providing these download links!

The post Download: MIUI 12.5 Closed Beta for Xiaomi and Redmi devices [Update: December 25/26 builds] appeared first on xda-developers.

Looking back on the past 12 months, did you complete your reading list? Probably not. Finding the time to read full books isn’t easy, after all.  Instaread Book Summaries offer a neat compromise. Instead of reading an entire book, you can get all the key points in a 15-minute text or audio summary. Right now, one-year subscriptions are just $15.99 at the XDA Developers Depot with promo code HOLIDAY20.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/NTMNH-zqHRc

Whether it’s an autobiography or a self-help book, most non-fiction is about delivering ideas. However, relatively few titles provide 300 pages of pure information. 

By cutting through the flowery prose, Instaread is able to reduce best-sellers to a more manageable length. The library contains thousands of these summaries, both in text and audiobook form. This means you can easily enjoy a quick read in your lunch break or listen on the go.

Instaread covers business, economics, politics, social sciences, self help, history, health, fitness, and other topics. There are countless popular titles on the digital shelves, from The 4-Hour Workweek to The Untethered Soul.

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Rated at 4.6 stars on the App Store, Instaread is available online, on iOS, and on Android.

You would normally pay $90 for one year of access, but you can grab your subscription today for just $15.99 with code HOLIDAY20. You can also get three years for $47.99 (worth $270) or lifetime access for just $159.99 (worth $450).

 

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The post Enjoy more books with one year of Instaread 15-minute book summaries for $20 appeared first on xda-developers.

One of the standout features of the new Xiaomi Mi 11 is the inclusion of an in-display fingerprint sensor. In a world of face masks, the feature makes unlocking the device much easier, but that’s not actually why the feature is interesting. The fingerprint sensor doubles as a heart rate monitor.

The Xiaomi Mi 11 has an optical under-display fingerprint scanner like many other flagship smartphones, and that fingerprint scanner is supplied by Chinese vendor Goodix. Following the device’s announcement, Goodix PR reached out to us with the following statement.

“With the launch of Xiaomi Mi 11, I’m happy to share that Goodix’s ultra-thin optical IN-DISPLAY FINGERPRINT SENSOR again successfully was applied on this brand-new flagship. Its ultra-thin form factor opens up more internal space of slim body of Mi 11 while not compromising its excellent performance…A quick update about the ultra-thin optical IN-DISPLAY FINGERPRINT SENSOR it enables the heart rate monitoring feature of the Mi 11 for the first time, which can read your heart rate as accurately as smart band/watch does.”

#XiaomiMi11 Features Heart Rate Monitoring by Goodix’s Ultra-Thin Optical IN-DISPLAY FINGERPRINT SENSOR™ pic.twitter.com/EA6pkECONC

— Goodix (@GoodixTech) December 28, 2020

The optical under-display fingerprint scanner literally takes a photo of your finger. The heart rate measurement uses a technique known as photoplethysmography (PPG). As exciting as the feature is, however, it’s worth noting that the technology has been criticized for being inaccurate. In a paper published in Nature, there are three areas where PPG is said to fall short: diverse skin types, motion artifacts, and signal crossover.

The use of PPG could have been implemented in smartphones before with optical under-display fingerprint scanners, but it was just a matter of figuring out how to take the images of your finger from the scanner and determining the heart rate based on changes in the image. Many wearables, including the Apple Watch, use PPG.

Xiaomi added heart rate monitoring support using the camera and LED flash to its Mi Health app back in September, so a feature like this makes sense for a more integrated experience. While PPG isn’t the most accurate way to measure your heart rate, it’s a convenient way to get an idea of your heart rate when you don’t have access to professional medical equipment.

If you’re not interested in the Mi 11’s fingerprint sensor/heart rate monitor, the device still has plenty to offer. It features a gorgeous design, triple-camera setup, and it’s the first device to launch with the new Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 processor.

The Xiaomi Mi 11 will be available to pre-order in China for CNY 3,999 ($612) for the 8GB + 128GB variant, CNY 4,299 ($657) for the 8GB + 256GB variant, and CNY 4,699 ($719) for the 12GB + 256GB variant. Pre-orders begin today in China, with open sales from January 1, 2021.

Xiaomi Mi 11 Forums

The post Xiaomi Mi 11’s fingerprint scanner doubles as a heart rate monitor appeared first on xda-developers.

Following the customary period of leaks and teasers, Xiaomi finally lifted the covers off its latest flagship Mi 11 earlier today. With the brand new Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 SoC, a smooth 120Hz AMOLED display, 55W wired/50W wireless charging support, improved cameras, MIUI 12.5 skin on top of Android 11, and an attractive starting price, the device should face no issue convincing potential buyers. However, it’s not just the aggressive pricing strategy that makes Xiaomi so popular among enthusiasts. Part of the appeal also comes from the company’s dev-friendly nature. Speaking of which, Xiaomi has already posted the kernel sources for the Mi 11 (code-name “venus”) on its official GitHub page.

Xiaomi Mi 11 XDA Forums

The kernel source release has a lot of potential that developers would surely be able to make use of. For those of you who are a fan of vanilla AOSP experience rather than the MIUI skin on the Mi 11, then you will be happy to know that the kernel source will allow developers to bring TWRP to the device and open it up to custom ROMs such as LineageOS. If you’re planning on purchasing the Mi 11 and are interested in pushing the device to its limits, you should head over to our Mi 11 forums from the link above and keep a tab on the third-party development for the device.

Xiaomi Mi 11 Kernel Sources

In case you are in the mood for compiling a kernel for a new, top-of-the-line device even though you don’t have it in front of you, head on over to Xiaomi’s GitHub repository and access the source code. Obviously, you won’t be able to test out the source right now, but it can provide a good indication of what the Chinese OEM has planned for a device that is slated to be the big one for Xiaomi in 2021.

The post Xiaomi releases Mi 11 kernel source code right after launch appeared first on xda-developers.

A few days ago, an eBay listing went up for an alleged OnePlus 9 5G prototype. As expected, that listing was promptly removed, because the listing included identifying information. But a new listing was then published without said identifying information, and the prototype has apparently sold for $6,000.

We’re not surprised the OnePlus 9 5G is already in the wild. Over the past few weeks, we’ve actually seen the device appear more than once, with live images showing off the design. But we’re absolutely shocked that the device was put up for sale—and that someone bought it for $6,000. Who would pay such a lofty sum for a device that’s not even available? The buyer remains a mystery for now. (Maybe it’s actually Pete Lau hoping to catch the device before it hits the hands of any YouTubers!)

pic.twitter.com/GFz5iuQV3r

— Mishaal Rahman (@MishaalRahman) December 26, 2020

The first listing for $3,000 was pulled from eBay because it featured identifying information, but the same device has seemingly sold after a relisting. The listing said the device was unlocked and could work on all GSM carriers, though it seems this particular model was being used on T-Mobile.

According to recent reports, the OnePlus 9 5G will feature a flat 6.5-inch hole-punch display and a dual-camera setup. The device is also expected to feature Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 888 chip, 8GB of RAM, 128GB of storage, and a 4,500 mAh battery. The device is said to launch with Android 11 and all the latest enhancements in OxygenOS 11.

With a new year approaching, it probably won’t be much longer before we see the OnePlus 9 5G officially announced. With seemingly completed prototypes already out in the wild—and in the hands of at least one person—perhaps that’s an indication we’ll see something early next year, maybe at the beginning of spring.

OnePlus released the OnePlus 8 in April of this year, so maybe we’ll see the OnePlus 9 5G around then. However, a recent report said OnePlus could launch its new flagship earlier than expected in 2021, so perhaps we’re a matter of weeks from seeing something official. We’re also expecting to see a OnePlus 9 “Lite” model drop, though we don’t know if it’ll debut alongside the other devices in the series or if OnePlus is holding onto it for a separate launch.

The post Someone just sold a OnePlus 9 5G prototype for $6,000 appeared first on xda-developers.

SARS-CoV-2, also known colloquially as just the coronavirus, has wreaked havoc across the world. Many countries shut down large parts of the economy in order to contain the spread of the virus. As countries reopen their economies, many health experts fear a “second wave”, ie. resurgence, of COVID-19. To prevent a second wave, public health experts are advocating that nations adopt contact tracing, ie. tracing all the people who have recently come into contact with a person who has tested positive for COVID-19 and then undertaking steps to isolate those individuals. Contact tracing is difficult to implement correctly without violating an individual’s privacy. The threat to personal privacy was severe enough for Google and Apple to collaborate on an API that developers of public health agencies can use to implement app-based contact tracing solutions. This contact tracing API, which Google and Apple call the Exposure Notification API, is designed to respect user privacy and security.

Once a user downloads an app that uses the Exposure Notification API and opts in to contact tracing, their device starts generating “proximity identifiers” that are changed every 15 minutes (on average). Via Bluetooth Low Energy, these “proximity identifiers” are periodically shared with nearby devices whose users have also opted into contact tracing. The proximity identifier is then processed on-device and does not reveal information about a user’s location or other personally identifiable information. Once a user confirms a positive diagnosis of COVID-19, they can share their diagnosis with the app they installed, which will then inform other users who have come into close contact with them in the last 14 days. For more information on how the Exposure Notification API works, we recommend reading our initial coverage.

Google first rolled out the Exposure Notification API for Android devices on May 20, 2020, as part of an update to Google Play Services, but its use is restricted to apps that have been developed by official public health agencies (for obvious reasons). However, neither Google nor Apple has made details public about the list of apps that have been whitelisted for using this API, so unless you’re constantly keeping up with the news, it’s hard to know which countries have adopted the API. We’ve previously covered some of the countries that have adopted the Exposure Notification API when we talked about the various open-source contact tracing projects that are out there. In this article, we have compiled a list of official contact tracing apps from designated health agencies from various countries that are using Google and Apple’s Exposure Notification API. Our list contains COVID-19 contact tracing apps that have been released or are currently in development.

We discovered Google’s hidden whitelist of application package names for the API. Subsequently, these package names were traced back to apps, their listing, and the countries they belong to. The information is compiled below in a table for easy reference. We have also added Google Play Store and Apple App Store links, if the app has been publicly released, as well as the source code and the official website link, wherever available. We will update the following tables as more countries/regions adopt the API.

Regions with COVID-19 contact tracing apps based on the Exposure Notifications System (ENS)

Thanks to PNF Software for providing us a license to use JEB Decompiler, a professional-grade reverse engineering tool for Android applications.

The post Here are the countries using Google and Apple’s COVID-19 Contact Tracing API appeared first on xda-developers.

One unfortunate side effect of bezel-less smartphone designs is the display notch, which leaves room for the front-facing camera (and face-scanning technology). One solution to this problem is the ZTE Axon 20 5G’s under-screen camera, and although it’s not particularly good, it’s still interesting to see how the technology works.

A recent teardown by YouTuber JerryRigEverything gives us a closer look at how the ZTE Axon 20 5G executed the under-display camera. Turns out, the device uses two screens stacked on top of one another, which allows the under-display camera to look out from beneath the top layer display. JerryRigEverything provides an insightful breakdown of every component used by ZTE, so the teardown is well worth the watch.

In practice, the ZTE Axon 20 5G’s front-facing camera could still use a lot of work. Here’s what we said in our review:

The problem with the camera is just how blurry it is, which seems to be a side effect of it being under the display itself. I know the two photos above are in lower light, but the same blurry smoothening effect can be seen in all lighting conditions. In fact, when in direct light, any light sources shown in the viewfinder will bloom heavily and destroy the photo quality entirely. The best way I can describe photos from this camera is “soft”.

While the execution isn’t flawless, the ZTE Axon 20 5G could signal where the smartphone industry is headed. That’s good news for consumers, because it means the days of hole-punch displays and notches are numbered. We just hope the technology can progress enough to one day match the quality of what devices currently offer.

For now, ZTE’s solution is the best we’ve got, even if it could use some work. But it could be an early taste of what may become the norm down the road.

ZTE Axon 20 5G Forums

The post ZTE Axon 20 5G teardown reveals how the under-screen camera works appeared first on xda-developers.

I know what you’re thinking. Why on earth do I need an Apple power adapter? Why can’t I just pick up any adapter, or use the one you found in your junk drawer? I thought the same when I first saw the deal pop up. Sure, Apple is known for quality, but paying $15 for something I get for free with other devices seems silly.

That was until I did some research. First and foremost, many big manufacturers seem to be ditching the free adapters with newer phones, at least in some regions. Apple was one of the first to make the change, but now others are following suit. Also, when it comes to adapters, it turns out you’re getting what you paid for. A lot of third-party adapters have a lower build quality than an Apple power adapter. This can lead to minor issues, such as a poorer charge speed, but a poorly constructed adapter also has a chance of causing electrical issues. The last thing that anyone wants is an electrical meltdown!

This brings us to the Apple power adapter. This adapter has been taken apart and is known to be of great build quality, so you don’t have to worry about any mishaps. It’s also a really compact adapter to boot! Sure, my OnePlus Warp Charger is supposed to be the best thing to use with my OnePlus 8 Pro, but have you seen the size of it? It’s huge! The Apple adapter is much smaller, which means that it can actually fit in the outlet behind my bed. Of course, the Apple adapter can work with any wire that connects via USB, so you can use it to charge Android devices too! Some of the Staples reviews state the adapter is still a little big, but compared to most of the adapters I’ve seen, it’s on the smaller side.

Convinced yet? Normally $19, you can grab this quality adapter for just $15 at Staples. The item also comes with free shipping, or you can pick it up from a local Staples store if you need it today!

The post Pick up the Apple power adapter for $15 at Staples and get a quality charge appeared first on xda-developers.